Unbearable - Chapter 28
Chapter 28: So, Does That Mean Yu Wei Really Likes Her?
Yu Wei took the bag and hailed a cab back home. As expected, there was no one on the first floor, and upstairs was quiet too.
She let out a breath of relief and tiptoed up the stairs, steadying herself with the wall. The door to the training room was open. The sunset light streamed in from outside the window, casting patterns across the floor. Yu Wei carefully shifted the bag to her left hand and glanced in as she passed—it was empty.
Maybe she was in the bedroom. Or maybe she’d gone out and hadn’t returned yet.
Yu Wei held the bedroom door handle, gave it a twist, and the dark brown, old wooden door creaked open.
“You’re back,” Yu Wei heard Yue Wei’s voice from behind her—calm, neither warm nor cold.
Yue Wei was holding a glass with half a cup of water. Her gaze dropped to the paper bag in Yu Wei’s hand, which she suddenly clutched tightly.
It was a powder-blue bag, decorated with clouds—soft and fluffy, like the ones kids draw.
Yu Wei’s shoulders twitched slightly. She turned to look at Yue Wei and pressed her lips together, handing her the bag.
“For me?” Yue Wei paused, didn’t take it, and looked up to ask, “Did you or Cheng Miao buy this?”
Ah, right. Cheng Miao was also a fan of Yue Wei—and her classmate, too.
Yu Wei was just about to respond, then hesitated for a moment and tried probing, “If Cheng Miao bought it, would you accept it?”
“No.”
Yue Wei’s tone was indifferent, and her face was a little cold. She turned to leave.
“I bought it,” Yu Wei quickly reached out and tugged gently at the edge of her jacket. “Will you accept it?”
Her voice was cautious and hesitant.
Yue Wei turned her head to look at her, then glanced down at the hand holding her. She didn’t say anything.
Yu Wei let go instantly, lowered her head, and curled her toes inside her slippers.
Then suddenly, a hand extended into her view. The knuckles were slightly deformed, bent a little—not slender, but with a layer of calluses.
Probably from gripping ice skates too much.
Yu Wei pressed her lips together and hooked the bag onto her hand.
It was heavier than expected, so much that Yue Wei’s hand dipped slightly from the weight.
She looked down at the bag. It was a gift bag like the ones girls often used, but inside… was a shoebox. The color and the logo on the side were very familiar.
It wasn’t some mutual gift exchanged between her and Cheng Miao.
“Ice skates?” she asked.
Yu Wei responded with a soft “Mm. Try them on first.”
Yue Wei still didn’t move. She asked again, confirming, “You bought them?”
Yu Wei nodded. “Didn’t your skates break at the ankle? I bought the same brand.”
It was the same brand as the pair Yue Wei had given her—easy to find.
Yue Wei looked at her with a puzzled expression. “When did you go?”
There weren’t many physical stores for this brand. The closest one was pretty far from both the school and this area. Last time, when she bought a pair for Yu Wei, she hadn’t even stopped to breathe—ran in straight from the gate. And it was even later than now.
Did a new store open?
Yu Wei thought she didn’t believe her. “Right after school.”
She was with Yue Wei most of the time, so apart from after class, she didn’t have any other free time.
Yue Wei’s expression changed subtly. Yu Wei watched her and bit her lip before quietly asking, “You don’t want them?”
Her lips were bitten red, slightly wet. After she spoke, she pressed them together again.
Yue Wei stayed silent for a moment.
Yu Wei lowered her lashes.
“No,” Yue Wei said, holding the cup in one hand and the bag in the other. “Thank you.”
Yu Wei let out a breath and smiled silently, lips curved, “You’re welcome!”
Ever since she got to know Yue Wei, it had always been Yue Wei taking care of her. She didn’t know how to repay her. If she was willing to accept it, then that was enough!
If she gives it, and Yue Wei takes it…
Does that mean, at the very least, they’re friends now?
Yue Wei returned to her room with the gift. She pulled the box out of the bag and placed it on the desk, lifting the lid.
A card stuck in the lid gap fell onto her lap.
She picked it up and froze.
It was a card that only came with online purchases. About palm-sized—one side was the order list, the other was care instructions for the skates.
At the top of the order list, the buyer’s name was listed: Wei.
Yue Wei: “…”
Suddenly, she remembered that phone call from the delivery service at noon. Not long after that call, Yu Wei had said she needed to pick up a package and rushed out in a hurry.
Could it have been this?
She looked at the card, then at the skates in the box. Same size as hers.
Definitely.
She found the phone number from earlier and called it. It was picked up after a short wait.
“Hello, about the package that was refused at Yali High School this afternoon for recipient Yue Wei, I wanted to ask—”
Before she could finish, the voice on the other end cut her off. “Ah, that one—yeah, a pair of skates, right? The buyer came to pick it up. A really fair-skinned girl. She had the order record.”
After hanging up, Yue Wei stared down at the skates, frowning.
A devoted fan?
Admiring her?
Yu Wei admired her?
The thought circled her mind, the thin card tapping rhythmically against the edge of the desk.
No, that wasn’t it. Yu Wei was just too lonely. When someone stepped into her life unexpectedly, she got happy—too happy—and those watery eyes looked up at you, all eager to please.
That’s all.
Yue Wei lowered her gaze, lips tightly pressed together.
This gift-giving went surprisingly well! Back in her own room, Yu Wei clenched her fists. Even though Yue Wei asked a lot of questions, she still accepted it.
Yu Wei was so happy that whole evening—even secretly stole glances at Yue Wei’s new skates during practice and grinned to herself.
She thought she was being sneaky, unnoticed.
Yue Wei glanced over and, with a graceful swan pose, glided right past Yu Wei.
Long legs stretched perfectly, elegant and beautiful.
Yu Wei admired her in her heart, lips sealed tight, afraid any sound might slip out.
Though the new skates still needed breaking in, Yue Wei’s form was better than usual. Her practice efficiency actually increased.
Yu Wei became even happier. All evening, her eyes curved like little crescent moons.
The next day was the weekend. Yu Wei stayed home to finish a drawing. After submitting the picture that had once embarrassed her, her inbox blew up with squeals of excitement, mentions, and replies.
When she opened it, she saw someone had posted the drawing and tagged her—bringing traffic her way.
Blue Mop: [Image] “@catfish_draws I told you she was good! Heeheehee I’ve got dream material for tonight. Feast your eyes—look but don’t touch, don’t drool on it.”
Yu Wei didn’t dare reply.
In just a short while, her inbox was flooded with commission requests—most wanting a similar sultry style.
Yu Wei scratched her face in distress. She couldn’t draw that kind of style. She quickly closed the app and got back to drawing her foxified Yue Wei.
Thankfully, Yue Wei wasn’t home on weekends. She had dance practice and coaching, and by the time she finished, it was already dark.
Yu Wei spent her day drawing and practicing violin.
Just as she was taking a short break, Cheng Miao came over with freshly printed banners.
Her family owned a print shop, so making materials was fast. She’d printed a bunch to give to fellow fans and brought one over—also to copy some homework.
She lingered until sunset. When Yu Wei saw her out, Cheng Miao asked, “How come there’s never anyone at your place? Even back when I visited before, I never saw your parents. And now Yue Wei’s living here—I haven’t seen her either.”
Yu Wei thought she meant today, so she nodded and said, “We’ll see her at school tomorrow.”
Cheng Miao’s eyes widened like bronze bells. “Your parents are coming to school tomorrow?”
Yu Wei: “…”
Yu Wei chuckled and shook her head. “They’re really busy.”
Cheng Miao shook her head too and said, “Why don’t you bring your bag and stay at my place? This area’s kinda creepy. No adults around—it’s not safe.”
She’d said this many times since they met. Yu Wei always declined—this time with a smile. “I’m not scared.”
Since she wasn’t pushing it, Cheng Miao could only sigh. “Fine. I’m off then.”
This neighborhood was indeed deserted. Especially at night, with just a few flickering old streetlamps. Some were broken and never repaired.
With so few residents, even the management company had pulled out—just a cleaner and a couple of empty security booths remained.
There wasn’t much trash, only scattered leaves. But the overgrown flowerbeds and wild weeds, under the flickering lights, really gave off a horror movie vibe.
Yu Wei was used to it, so she didn’t mind.
Before Yue Wei moved in, the yard was full of weeds.
It was better now.
Yu Wei went back in, did some drawing, then looked at the banner Cheng Miao brought. Since Yue Wei wasn’t home yet, she went to wash up first.
But just as she entered the bathroom to brush her teeth, she heard the door open downstairs.
She stood at her bedroom door, toothbrush in hand, and listened to footsteps coming up.
A knock sounded shortly after.
Yu Wei opened the door. Foam was almost spilling from her mouth. She rushed back to rinse and heard Yue Wei asking if she brought her physics workbook.
Yu Wei had two sets—one at school, one on her desk.
“It’s on the bookshelf,” she said, rinsing her mouth in the sink. “You can grab it.”
Her voice was muffled with water.
The desk was across from the bathroom door, beside the window and facing the foot of the bed.
Yue Wei had been here before, so she headed straight over.
Before seeing the book, she saw the banner on the desk. The chibi figure on it looked very familiar—it was her, wearing the Romeo and Juliet performance costume she used to compete in.
Yue Wei’s chest clenched for a second. It was a common type of fan banner, but she hadn’t seen this design before. Probably from Cheng Miao.
It didn’t mean anything.
The corner of the physics book peeked out beneath it. Yue Wei picked up the banner, set it aside, and grabbed the book.
The moment she lifted the book, her expression froze.
Beneath it was a tablet—Yu Wei had been sitting on the rink barrier every night sketching on it.
Right now, it was on, screen lit.
A drawing.
It was a drawing of her.
The figure had her back turned, with most of the screen taken up by a thick, furry tail. She recognized it because even though the body faced away, the upper half was twisted slightly to show a face—subtly lifted, with fox ears, and a faint smirk.
Familiar, yet different.
Chin raised slightly, but the eyes lowered—arrogant, aloof. The golden hue in the pupils made her gaze even more enticing.
As if—as if—she was deliberately seducing.
This…
She tapped the screen. A brush menu appeared.
Yu Wei had drawn this herself.
Every night, she was drawing her?
Yu Wei grabbed a towel to wipe her face, but her heart skipped a beat.
“Wait!”
She dashed out instantly.
But without her glasses, she tripped on the doorframe and fell forward.
Yue Wei instinctively reached out and caught her.
“You—I—” Yu Wei’s mind went blank. She had no idea what Yue Wei might have seen, and she couldn’t see clearly herself.
Yue Wei looked down at her hands clutching her shoulders and paused before asking, “The banner—is it from Cheng Miao?”
Yu Wei’s limbs went cold. She froze.
A few seconds later, she finally reacted and nodded.
She looked up at Yue Wei, trying to figure out if she’d seen anything else.
Her brain was a mess. Normally sharp memory now felt jumbled.
She had been drawing just before. Only the background and a few final details were left. Since Yue Wei wasn’t home, she planned to shower before finishing.
She even changed into pajamas, then guiltily covered the tablet with a book from her desk.
To make it easier, she’d set the tablet’s screen to always stay on.
And now the question was: was it the physics book? Did she remember to turn off the screen?
The person in her arms still hadn’t moved. Her heartbeat thumped against Yue Wei’s chest through the thin fabric.
Thump, thump… thump thump thump…
Her upturned eyes shimmered with a misty glaze. Yue Wei looked down into them.
So…
So does that mean Yu Wei really likes her?