Unbearable - Chapter 12
Chapter 12: “Yu Wei and I Aren’t Actually Close. We Don’t Even Talk.”
Their shadows overlapped under the sunlight as they ran across the empty school grounds.
Yu Wei clung to the front of Yu Wei’s unzipped jacket, confused and helplessly giving directions. Her voice trembled and broke as they ran.
The infirmary door was kicked open by Yu Wei, startling the doctor who rushed out from behind the counter, asking in a panic, “What happened? Did you call 120 yet?”
Yu Wei was covered in sweat, her expression stern and tense like she was heading into battle.
“Honey allergy,” she said.
Yu Wei was laid down on the bed, staring up at the beads of sweat hanging under Yu Wei’s chin, momentarily dazed.
The doctor expertly lifted her collar and asked her to open her mouth.
Yu Wei obediently complied.
The doctor let out a breath and glanced at Yu Wei with a faint smile. “Don’t be too nervous, classmate. It’s a common allergic reaction—not that serious.”
Standing at the foot of the bed, Yu Wei added coldly, “Her stomach hurts too.”
The doctor turned to Yu Wei again.
Yu Wei nodded.
“I’ll give you an IV. We’ll monitor the situation.”
Just as the doctor was about to leave, Yu Wei stopped him again.
She bent down and rolled up Yu Wei’s pant leg, gripping tightly when she saw the bloody scratches. “Can you help treat this too?”
“Yes.” The doctor stood, got the IV started, then returned with a small box and cotton swabs to treat the wound. “Did you go to the hospital?”
Yu Wei opened her mouth, but before she could answer, Yu Wei said, “She did. Nothing wrong with the bones.”
“Then it’s not serious. Just apply medicine regularly, and it should scab over in two or three days.” The doctor finished quickly and efficiently. “Just leave it exposed like this. If convenient, come here daily to disinfect it. Her fair skin takes longer to heal and is more prone to infection.”
Yu Wei nodded, “Thank you.”
She looked up along the hospital bed, her gaze landing on Yu Wei’s face, which had suddenly darkened. She pressed her lips together.
When the doctor left, the IV room was empty.
Yu Wei asked, “You knew you were allergic to honey?”
Leaning against the pillow, Yu Wei looked away, avoiding her gaze with guilt. “It wasn’t this bad before…”
Maybe it was the recent lack of rest, or too much stress, weakening her immune system and making the reaction worse.
She hadn’t expected it either.
Yu Wei frowned. “No one else knew?”
Yu Wei opened her mouth. “The cook at home knows. She’s usually very careful…”
“I meant, your mom doesn’t know you’re allergic?”
Yu Wei pierced right through the euphemism, and seeing Yu Wei’s downcast and evasive eyes, the answer became obvious. Her expression darkened further.
Yu Wei didn’t answer. After a moment of silence, she quietly asked, “Can you help me get a pen and paper from the doctor?”
Her voice was low and cautious.
Yu Wei left and returned shortly with the items, handing them to her.
“I’m going to write a leave note. Can you give it to the teacher later?”
Yu Wei sat up, writing on the narrow hospital bed. With no support, her writing was crooked. Trying to ease the awkwardness, she chuckled softly, “If Old He comes out and sees we’re missing, his bl00d pressure will probably spike past two hundred.”
“If you care so much about others, can’t you care a little about yourself?”
Yu Wei’s voice was cold and harsh, tinged with a faint trace of gloom that was hard to define.
Yu Wei looked up in surprise.
The air thickened even more.
Yu Wei bent down and pulled the paper out from under Yu Wei’s hand. “Text me if anything happens.”
With that, she turned and left.
The infirmary door swung back and forth after being pushed open.
As soon as Yu Wei left, Yu Wei’s phone buzzed. She took it out to reply to Cheng Miao, explaining that she had an allergic reaction and was at the infirmary, also reminding her to focus in class so Old He wouldn’t confiscate her phone.
Cheng Miao: Old He was just about to look for you two.
Old He never did find the infirmary, but not long after class ended, Cheng Miao came charging in.
She burst in, dragging a chair next to Yu Wei’s bed.
Yu Wei looked at the glass door swinging from inertia and the sunlit floor tiles reflecting light. Her heart felt inexplicably empty for a moment.
“Are you cursed lately or just running into bad luck? I’m going to the temple tomorrow to get you a charm,” Cheng Miao babbled on for a while before switching topics. “So, what’s going on between you and Little Fish?”
“Everyone’s curious—yesterday she grabbed your bag for you, and today she carried you to the infirmary.” Cheng Miao leaned in and lowered her voice, “Someone even caught her getting in the same car with you. And last night, someone bought a trending blacklist topic about her, but it got deleted fast, and the user deleted their account.”
Cheng Miao’s eyes sparkled. “She’s had lots of smears before, and no one ever bothered to clean it up. This time… was it your family?”
It was probably Yu Jingcheng, doing it behind Ding Qing’s back.
Yu Wei pressed her lips together.
Yu Wei’s identity hadn’t been made public yet. Even the rest of the Yu family probably didn’t know. Otherwise, they would’ve come knocking these past few days.
Last night, Yu Wei had called out Ding Qing’s hypocrisy. Yu Jingcheng wanted her to retire and focus on academics. Yu Wei refused, so they reached a compromise: the Yu family would provide an ice rink for training, and she would transfer schools and move into the Yu residence.
This delicate balance could collapse at any moment—and who knows what might come next.
“I’m not really sure,” Yu Wei said, staring at the IV drip. “We’re… relatives, I guess.”
“Huh?”
Cheng Miao gaped, nearly jumping out of her chair. “What?! You and Little Fish are related? How come I never knew? We’ve been best friends for years, and you never told me… Ahhhhh!”
Yu Wei mumbled, “I didn’t know either.”
Cheng Miao chuckled. “She’s even riding in your car. Is she living with you now? Girl, I wanna come visit your house tomorrow—not for any reason, I just really admire that holly tree in your yard!”
“No!” Yu Wei stopped her quickly. “Yu Wei and I aren’t actually close. We don’t even talk.”
The moment those words left her mouth, her gaze slipped past Cheng Miao’s shoulder and landed on a familiar figure through the infirmary’s half-glass door.
Straight-backed, unbothered, and tall—it flashed by.
Yu Wei’s eyelids twitched. “Did you see Yu Wei when you got here?”
“Nope.” Realizing she couldn’t visit, Cheng Miao didn’t seem disappointed. She sat back down, “We left the classroom together. She took a paper to the admin building.”
Yu Wei exhaled slowly.
“And you say you’re not close and don’t talk,” Cheng Miao laughed. “Since when do you care what someone else is doing?”
Yu Wei: “…”
The breath she’d just let out was sucked right back in.
Breaks between classes were short. After a bit, Cheng Miao had to leave. Yu Wei’s allergic symptoms had eased a lot, and she’d be done with the IV soon.
When she returned to class, it was just before the bell. The campus was empty. As she climbed the stairs under the dappled tree shadows, she waited for the bell to ring.
Students gradually filed out. She stepped up the last two stairs.
And right then, a figure blocked her path from the light.
She looked up, and they stood face to face.
Yu Wei: “I…”
Yu Wei didn’t look at her, just walked around and left.
Yu Wei’s words died in her throat. She tugged at her collar and walked into the classroom, head down.
The next two classes were spent going over yesterday’s test. While the teacher lectured, Yu Wei silently worked through problems.
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, the physics teacher exited from the front, and Yu Wei looked back—just in time to see Yu Wei already opening the back door.
She left faster than the teacher.
“What do you want for lunch? I’ll bring it back,” Cheng Miao tapped her desk. “Cafeteria or outside?”
Yu Wei shook her head. “Someone’s bringing me food.”
“Your family?” Cheng Miao’s eyes went wide. “They can’t come in. I’ll go get it for you.”
Yu Wei: “No need. Go eat.”
“Something’s fishy.” Cheng Miao narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tell me Little Fish already brought it.”
Yu Wei shoved her. “You’ll miss the red-braised pork.”
She watched Cheng Miao laugh and leave, sighed, and stood up.
She wasn’t sure if Yu Wei would bring it.
But she had just lied—if Cheng Miao went and let it slip…
Yu Wei walked fast. Her leg injury stung, and the sun was harsh.
People moved like dancing lights. Among them, one distinct figure approached.
Yu Wei’s hand, hidden in her jacket, clenched.
Yu Wei carried the lunch box, frowning at her. She reached over and turned Yu Wei around by her collar, one hand scooping her waist to steer her toward the classroom.
Yu Wei, caught off guard: “…”
Like a cat suddenly grabbed, she was led a few steps before struggling, “…Can you let go first?”
Yu Wei acted like she didn’t hear, giving no response.
Passing students stared wide-eyed. All the attention made Yu Wei uncomfortable. She struggled again.
“Even if we’re not close, classmates should help each other,” Yu Wei said blandly. “Isn’t that what school teaches?”
Yu Wei: “…”
That felt loaded.
Because they weren’t just unfamiliar classmates. They were…
What were they? Yu Wei pressed her lips. Their relationship was far more complicated—too many tangled threads, with no clear label.
“I don’t want to eat in the classroom,” she said, giving up resistance. “We’re not allowed.”
Yu Wei glanced at her. “Says who?”
Yu Wei didn’t answer.
Fine. It was her own rule.
Instead of the classroom, they went to a small grove on the north side of the school building. The elm trees formed a canopy that blocked out the noise—private and cool.
It was lunchtime. The woods were quiet, filled only with cicada cries.
Yu Wei placed the lunch box on a bench and turned to leave.
“I’m sorry.” Yu Wei stood by the bench, licking her lips as she watched the retreating back. “Cheng Miao asked what we were. I said we were relatives.”
Yu Wei didn’t move.
That confirmed the shadow she saw outside the infirmary earlier really was her. The breath stuck in Yu Wei’s chest loosened slightly.
“If you mind, I can…”
“Whatever.”
Yu Wei cut her off, voice cold and irritated. She tossed the words behind her and left.
Yu Wei watched her walk away, biting her lip in frustration.