Unbearable - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Yu Wei’s face was tense, “Allergies, are they hereditary?”
2:30 AM.
Standing at the bedroom door, Yu Wei glanced at the time.
Moonlight streamed in through the large south-facing French windows, divided into framed sections by the glass. It shimmered softly, stopping at the pristine, untouched living room.
The hallway leading to the bedroom seemed perpetually trapped in darkness.
Yu Wei turned back slightly. A sliver of light still glowed from the gap beneath the bedroom door.
Yu Wei heard footsteps pause outside. After a long while, the sound of a door opening and closing finally echoed, followed by the distant rushing of water from the bathroom behind a wall.
She looked at the notebook on the desk and reached out to turn off the lamp.
After several nights of poor sleep, her stomach felt hollow and throbbed dully. She couldn’t rest well—every time she closed her eyes, her dreams were filled with chaos and suffocation.
Then came a voice. Yu Wei’s eyes flew open. Bright daylight flooded the window.
She couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality.
It was already seven o’clock.
Yu Wei got ready to leave. The door across from hers was still closed. That person must have left again.
Downstairs, there really were voices. Yu Wei supported herself against the wall and slowly made her way down. The voices grew clearer.
“This one’s pretty good—round, and a nice color,” Ding Qing said happily, her tone both cheerful and gentle.
It was a side of her Yu Wei had never seen.
She stood quietly on the stairs, listening.
Ding Qing was learning to make breakfast from the housekeeper, fully focused and invested.
She seemed like a stranger.
The smell of home-cooked food lingered in the dining room below, creating the illusion of a warm family atmosphere.
Lively. Ordinary.
But something about it felt strange—like a beautiful snow globe suddenly shaken, creating a magical but false landscape.
“Xiao Wei’s back!” Ding Qing suddenly called out excitedly. “Come try the honey pancakes I made!”
Yu Wei didn’t respond.
The housekeeper added, “President Ding got up so early just to learn. She specially requested no powdered sugar and made them extra carefully. Even burned her hands a little…”
The voices trailed off.
Yu Wei replied indifferently, “I can’t eat that.”
She cast a quick glance toward the staircase.
“I know, that’s why I didn’t use sugar. Only a little honey,” Ding Qing said, a little flustered.
Yu Wei withdrew her gaze. “Sorry.”
The lively, joyful warmth of a typical morning froze and shattered—like a snow globe smashed open, leaving only a chaotic mess.
“Good morning.”
Yu Wei came down the stairs with a smile, her eyes curved like crescent moons.
Yu Wei glanced sideways and saw her. She wore glasses, her steps steady, showing no signs of injury. The oversized school uniform wrapped around her, only revealing her fingertips hooked around her sleeves.
“Smells so good.”
Yu Wei’s eyes lit up as she looked at the plate in Ding Qing’s hands. “Did you make these, Mom? That’s amazing!”
Ding Qing’s previously gloomy and tense expression softened. She turned her gaze to Yu Wei, her face becoming indifferent again. “Come eat.”
Yu Wei entered through the front door, walked past the living room, and headed straight upstairs, brushing past Yu Wei. She glanced down in passing.
She was fresh, with no scent of medicine.
She must have gone for a run. She was wearing athletic gear, with tape wrapped around her joints.
Sweat trickled from her forehead down her temples. Her tense jawline glistened, and the dampness extended down her long neck and soaked collar, radiating a humid, vibrant energy.
Yu Wei turned her face slightly downward, her eyelashes trembling, her breath momentarily caught.
They brushed past each other in just a second. She didn’t hesitate, walking straight to the dining table and taking the plate from Ding Qing’s hands. The pancakes were golden and evenly cooked, topped with a light drizzle of clear honey.
“Oh no!”
The housekeeper cried out in panic. Yu Wei gently shook her head, stopping the older woman from rushing over. The housekeeper looked at her with deep concern.
“What happened?” Ding Qing, already agitated, ripped off her apron and looked back.
The housekeeper waved her hands. “…Forgot to turn off the stove.”
She watched as Yu Wei calmly took bite after bite of the pancakes and then turned away with a pained expression.
“These are really good,” Yu Wei said with a smile. “So good the housekeeper doesn’t even want them eaten.”
Ding Qing let out a breath and laughed.
Yu Wei came downstairs, her hair wet and dripping, silently walked through the living room, ignored all the eyes on her, opened the door, and left.
Ding Qing let out a heavy sigh.
“They look amazing. Maybe your daugher’s afraid she won’t be able to resist. One bite would cost her days of extra exercise,” Yu Wei joked as she placed the now-empty plate down. “She has a lot of self-control.”
Ding Qing gently patted her. “You’re very sweet too.”
Yu Wei paused, then smiled softly, her dimples showing.
The car was waiting in the courtyard. When Yu Wei opened the door and saw who was inside, she froze.
After a few seconds, she was about to shut the door and walk around to the other side when Yu Wei shifted over and gave up the seat beside her.
“…Thanks.”
Yu Wei didn’t reply.
Just yesterday morning she had vanished without a word, and now she had not only returned to shower but was also obediently waiting in the car.
Was she waiting for her?
Yu Wei pressed her lips together. Probably not. Yu Wei was unpredictable and headstrong—not someone easily bound or swayed by others, certainly not the type to do something she didn’t want for someone else’s sake.
Last night, she had agreed to let Yu Jincheng and Ding Qing take her to the rink, so maybe… she had come around?
The two of them sat on opposite ends of the car, with their schoolbags in between.
This time, Yu Wei didn’t look out the window. She was watching old footage of her competitions on her phone. After a while, her peripheral vision caught Yu Wei shifting constantly.
The little snail was scratching herself—like she was covered in ants.
At first, she tried to hold back, gripping her clothes tightly. But soon, the itching became unbearable, and she began scratching over her clothes.
Noticing the gaze on her, Yu Wei immediately stopped, leaned against the car window and seat, closed her eyes, and pretended to sleep. Her fingers tucked inside her sleeves clenched tightly into her palms, fighting the all-consuming itch.
Her breathing turned shallow and ragged, involuntarily trembling.
Yu Wei looked away out the window.
Because they’d left late and got caught in heavy traffic, by the time they reached school, it was almost class time.
Yu Wei supported Yu Wei as they slowly made their way to class, getting overtaken left and right by students sprinting ahead.
Yu Wei bit her lip, trying to quicken her pace, but Yu Wei held her firmly in place. Every time she took two steps, she was pulled back.
She turned to look at Yu Wei, who remained expressionless and silent. She tried walking faster again, and Yu Wei tugged harder.
Twice in a row.
Yu Wei was certain—she was doing it on purpose.
Her whole body itched and ached, and she was out of strength. She leaned into Yu Wei’s arm, her legs weak. It felt like she was being half-carried, only needing to lift her feet.
After struggling fruitlessly, Yu Wei tugged her collar up to cover her mouth and nose.
“You can go ahead.”
As soon as she spoke, she realized her voice was strange—soft and weak. She bit her lip. “Class is about to start. I’ll go slowly.”
Yu Wei glanced down at her without saying a word and kept walking.
Yu Wei: “…”
Sigh.
Yu Wei came to a full stop, tugging on Yu Wei’s school uniform. “I really can do it myself. You don’t need to—”
“For you?”
Yu Wei looked down at her, expressionless. “Are we even close?”
Yu Wei: “…”
We’re not. But can you let go before saying that?
By the time they entered the classroom, they were already ten minutes late.
Mr. He was in the middle of a sarcastic tirade.
“Raise your hand if you got this problem right. I can’t see with my astigmatism. Count yourselves. How many? Can you even see? Barely anyone got this right on the quiz yesterday. I gave you a hint this afternoon. You were supposed to redo it at home. What now, all of you sleepwalking?”
Yu Wei pushed open the door.
Mr. He glanced over his glasses and continued, smiling coldly, “This problem’s hard? What’s hard about it? Come on, Yu Wei, bring up your homework.”
Yu Wei’s body was crawling with itchy, bone-deep discomfort. The half of her body pressed against Yu Wei’s was completely numb. She was still fumbling through her bag for her homework when it was snatched away.
Yu Wei held her exercise book. “She hurt her leg.”
Mr. He nodded. “Bring yours too.”
His plan was clever. Yu Wei was top of the class—if she got it right, everyone would be convinced, but the pressure wasn’t enough.
Yu Wei was at the bottom, but only because she was behind in progress. She hadn’t learned all the concepts yet, but she could still solve half the problem using what she did know. He could use her answer to contrast with Yu Wei’s and give the rest of the class a good wake-up call.
Yu Wei: “…I didn’t do it.”
Yu Wei licked her lips and added, “Me neither.”
Mr. He’s smile froze. It transferred to the other students watching gleefully—balance restored.
“What did you say? I didn’t hear. Say it again.”
Yu Wei looked away from Yu Wei. “I didn’t do it.”
“Why not?”
Yu Wei: “It’s in the classroom. I didn’t bring it.”
Mr. He turned to Yu Wei again.
Yu Wei’s mouth felt itchy inside too. She bit the inside of her cheek. “…Forgot.”
“Great, just great. Dragon and phoenix! Get out and finish it in the hall!”
A few students burst into stifled laughter.
Yu Wei turned to look at Yu Wei.
Yu Wei took her homework back, grabbed her bag, and left the classroom.
“What kind of attitude is that? Don’t do your homework, come to school late—why not just drop out? What are you even here for? To experience life?”
Mr. He scolded them thoroughly before turning to the class. “What are you all laughing at? You’re not much better. If you don’t do it, it’s a matter of attitude. If you can’t do it, that’s ability. You’re sitting in this classroom and can’t solve a problem like this—aren’t you ashamed?”
The room fell silent.
Mr. He’s verbal attacks were devastating. His mental damage was always high. Hard to endure.
Outside the classroom, Yu Wei stood by the window and pulled out four coil-bound notebooks from her bag.
Yu Wei stood across from her, leaning against the flowerbed on the balcony, eyes down.
“What’s this?”
Yu Wei leaned against the wall, steadying her voice and breath. “…Notes I used to organize for Cheng Miao. Basic stuff. Not sure if they’ll help you.”
Her exposed forehead was flushed and damp, eyes shimmering with tears. Her lashes trembled, looking both aggrieved and cautious.
Yu Wei pressed her lips and frowned as she took them, flipping through. The handwriting was neat and delicate, concepts thoroughly connected, with matching problem sets in the back—four full notebooks, densely filled.
Yu Wei: “Did you write these last night?”
“Huh?” Yu Wei, still in pain, leaned on the wall. “…No, they’re old.”
“Your old notes already include problems from yesterday’s quiz?”
Yu Wei: “…”
She let her guard down!
She couldn’t sleep last night, so she updated the notes to the current syllabus. Since they were in spiral notebooks, if Yu Wei didn’t accept them now, she planned to tear out the early sections and give them again later once they got closer.
Didn’t expect to get caught this fast.
Mr. He’s voice echoed through the window, his fury still undiminished. The whole class was silent.
The sun shone outside. The heat thickened.
Yu Wei slid down the wall, one hand in her pocket pressing against her stomach. Sweat soaked her bangs, and her breathing grew heavy, stifled with restrained groans.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Wei stepped in front of her, frowning. “Is it… that time of the month?”
Yu Wei shook her head, slumping against the wall. Her long hair fell from her shoulder, revealing a damp neck covered in red scars.
Yu Wei’s face tightened. “Is your allergy… hereditary?”
No answer.
Only Yu Wei’s ragged, unsteady breathing and faint whimpers remained.
The world spun. She was lifted into someone’s arms. Her vision twisted—The balcony. The stairs. And the heartbeat thudding in her ears.