Unbearable - Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Asking for a Blessing…
Steam rose above Yu Wei’s head as she squinted at the table from beside Yu Wei.
The banner was still lying there. Its blue background glowed eerily under the tablet’s light.
She wanted to die.
Her hand, gripping Yu Wei’s arm, trembled. She pushed Yu Wei away and stood up, speaking with difficulty, “…Cheng Miao came by earlier today.”
Once she was upright, her racing heartbeat faded, leaving only the lingering warmth of… that, and a hint of sweet white peach toothpaste.
Yu Wei’s mouth was dry. She gave a low “Mm.”
Yu Wei’s words ran through her head but didn’t leave much of an impression. Maybe it was contagious from Yu Wei—her heart was beating faster too.
She stepped aside, brushed past Yu Wei, and left the room almost like fleeing, closing the door behind her.
In an instant, only Yu Wei remained in the room. She squatted down, rubbed her head with both hands, then rushed to the desk to check the tablet.
If Cheng Miao had only seen the picture, maybe she could explain it away—say she found it online, or that someone sent it to her.
The tablet screen was still on, the brush tools lined up on the right.
Yu Wei: “…”
Silent scream.
She threw herself onto the bed, rolled around a few times, then picked up her phone, biting her lip as she typed a message to Yu Wei.
…: “Sorry, I drew that picture. I take commissions online. If you don’t like it, I’ll delete it immediately.”
…: “I’m really sorry.”
The reply came in less than two seconds.
Yu Wei: “It’s okay.”
Yu Wei let out a sigh of relief—then started recalling how Yu Wei reacted after discovering the tablet. She seemed pretty calm?
Expressionless, but she hadn’t blamed her. She hadn’t said anything from start to finish.
Still, it was too awkward. Too humiliating!
…: “It’s a drawing of you, so I’ll share the commission with you. You can decide how much.”
This could be her chance to send Yu Wei money directly without resorting to using her alt account and asking weird questions. If this worked out, she wouldn’t need the alt anymore.
She was so nervous, her mind started spiraling again.
Yu Wei: “No need.”
Yu Wei sat on the floor by the bed, staring at the phone screen. She bit her lip hard enough to break the skin, and a drop of bl00d seeped out.
She didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes stayed fixed on the phone, fingers swiping.
Yu Wei: “It’s just a drawing. It’s normal.”
Yu Wei: “You call me “sis,” don’t be so distant.”
Yu Wei loosened her bite, stunned as she read the message—and saw the typing indicator above it.
The message was typed, deleted, then typed again, finally stopping at that.
Taking commissions to draw?
Yu Wei wasn’t entirely convinced. Ding Qing and Yu Jingcheng’s neglect of Yu Wei might be all-encompassing—maybe they forgot they even had another daughter.
But they weren’t short on money. Even Yu Wei had said it: their way of raising a child was just to give her money. So why would Yu Wei need to take commissions online?
Yu Wei sat at her desk, turned to look at the skates in her backpack, and recalled what Yu Wei said at lunch.
Admiration…
Her phone buzzed in her palm.
She snapped out of it and looked down at Yu Wei’s message.
…: “Sis”
The book next to Yu Wei dropped to the floor with a thud.
She stared at the message in the chat window. Outside, the bamboo shadows swayed. The lights were off, and the room was dim and quiet. Only the phone screen glowed faintly on her face.
Seriously.
She just meant to remind Yu Wei that their relationship, for now, was like sisters—not to cross any lines. Best not to.
The bamboo shadows swayed across her bed all night, drifting into her dreams.
…
The next morning, Yu Wei returned from a run and noticed a faint bite mark in the middle of Yu Wei’s lower lip, dark red in color.
She stared for a second, then quickly looked away when Yu Wei raised her head.
…
On Monday, the freshmen officially started military training. Groups of students in camo wandered the campus, curious about everything.
Even under the blazing sun, with sweat at their temples, they didn’t mind the heat—laughing and shouting among the cicadas.
Yu Wei withdrew her gaze, pulled her jacket collar higher, and walked behind Yu Wei, tugging awkwardly at her backpack strap.
Yu Wei turned back and reached out a hand.
“Aaah! Yu Wei!”
Yu Wei instantly backed away, putting three meters of distance between them.
Yu Wei pressed her lips into a thin line and retracted her hand, glancing at the nearby freshman who had shouted and was now covering her mouth in excitement. She frowned slightly, then looked away, saying nothing.
With the new students, the ice rink was more crowded than ever.
Every time Cheng Miao came back from rehearsal, she would grumble, “There’s more people in here than outside!”
But practice still had to happen. Yu Wei didn’t need to use the school rink, and neither did Yu Wei. Just like before, they trained on land, finished homework, then went to the rink together at night.
To buy more time at home, Ding Qing had delayed her work as much as possible. But eventually, she had to go on a business trip. Before she left, she solemnly promised she’d be back for the school anniversary performance.
Yu Wei remained indifferent.
Yu Wei, however, nodded enthusiastically, touched and trusting.
She was happy—she had a sister now. And her mom was slowly changing too.
Everything was getting better!
Too easy to please.
So easy, because she’d never been given anything before. Just one candy and she could smile like this. What would she do in the future?
Yu Wei worried.
…
With Ding Qing away, neither Yu Wei nor Yu Wei liked troubling others. After being driven by Aunt Li for two days, they politely refused.
The two of them took taxis to the rink. Yu Wei skated while Yu Wei practiced piano after half an hour. The music echoed across the vast, quiet ice.
After regular practice, Yu Wei performed the full Romeo and Juliet routine to Yu Wei’s accompaniment.
No words were needed—only the occasional meeting of eyes.
…
Everyone was busy preparing for the anniversary. When the day arrived, excitement and nervousness filled the classrooms like steam.
It was the rare day when even the teachers turned a blind eye.
During morning break, Yu Wei suddenly received a message and went to the school gate, where she picked up a beautifully wrapped gift box from Ding Qing’s assistant.
“Ms. Ding specifically asked us to deliver this.”
Yu Wei looked down at the box—an extremely expensive brand.
“Thank you,” she said, lips pressed together, eyes unable to hide the anticipation and joy—so soft and lovely.
She carried the clothes back to class and was immediately surrounded.
“Holy crap!”
“Open it, open it!”
“Let us be dazzled first!”
Yu Wei smiled so hard her dimples didn’t leave, her eyes sparkling as she opened the box.
“Wow!” A chorus of gasps. “I love this set! But I heard it costs 800,000. I wouldn’t dare even mention it to my mom!”
“How much?!”
A white dress adorned with diamonds lay inside, sparkling even before it was lifted.
Hearing the price, the joy on Yu Wei’s face froze.
This dress—Cheng Miao knew it well. Her godmother, determined to mold her into a little princess, had dug through countless luxury limited editions to find this one. She’d shown it to Yu Wei and vowed to buy it if Yu Wei ever agreed to wear it.
But Yu Wei’s family—weren’t they the ones living in a dilapidated apartment, so busy that they rarely returned home or paid attention to their daughter?
“Alright, alright, class is starting.” Cheng Miao noticed Yu Wei lowering her head, her mood suddenly dim. She quickly closed the box and stuffed it into the bag. “Save it for tonight’s grand reveal. It’ll blind us all!”
Yu Wei bit her lip and stayed quiet.
Seeing her down, the others didn’t push. They scattered and got ready for class.
Yu Wei stuffed the bag under her desk, but it was too wide, so a bit stuck out. She shifted forward to block it with her body, pulled out her phone, and was about to message Ding Qing.
The screen lit up.
Yu Wei: “It’s just a dress. If you like it, keep it. If not, just set it aside.”
Yu Wei bit her lip and replied: “Mm!”
It was just a dress. For Ding Qing, the money meant nothing. She didn’t need to feel burdened by it.
She messaged Ding Qing to say she’d received the dress, and finally relaxed. This was the second gift she’d ever gotten from her mom—she should be happy.
She just had to study hard, work hard in the future, and she’d repay it all eventually.
Everyone in class knew Yu Wei was shy and quiet. No one teased her again. Tonight was the first night of the school anniversary, and the class was cheering for their two ice performances.
Cheng Miao was both excited and nervous—excited for her own show, nervous for Yu Wei’s.
She grabbed Yu Wei and took deep breaths. Then she let out a long sigh, “I can’t take it! I need to go to the temple for a talisman!”
Then she got dragged off to rehearsal. There was no time for superstitions with the performance looming.
“Go to the temple?” Yu Wei mumbled. She had actually gone with Cheng Miao before. Not far from school was a temple, with a centuries-old cypress in the courtyard. No one knew whether the tree or the temple had existed longer.
But because of that tree, the temple was always busy. Cheng Miao swore it was very effective.
…
The last two classes of the day allowed free movement for performance prep.
Yu Wei lowered her gaze, worrying her lip again and reopening the wound from yesterday. She drew a breath.
Yu Wei frowned and glanced at her.
Yu Wei was wondering how to ask Yu Wei to go with her to the temple, when someone knocked on her desk.
She looked up, puzzled.
“You—come outside for a sec,” Yu Wei said softly, voice a little awkward.
Yu Wei pushed her chair back and followed her out, down the stairs.
“Nervous?” Yu Wei asked.
“Ah?” Yu Wei blinked, then nodded. “Mm, a little.”
Of course she was—she hadn’t touched a piano in years, and she’d have to play in front of everyone, in the middle of the ice rink. Even Ding Qing would be there.
“I want to go to the temple and ask for a charm,” Yu Wei said, looking up at her, lips pursed. “Will you come with me?”
Her voice softened, eyes pleading.
Yu Wei looked away.
“…Sis,” Yu Wei whispered.
The voice was soft and sweet, like a ripe peach spilling juice when cut open.
Yu Wei turned and walked off toward the school yard. At the stairs, she looked back at the stunned Yu Wei.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Coming!”
Yu Wei smiled and ran after her.
The temple wasn’t far. Yu Wei had gone with Cheng Miao before, so she thought she’d lead the way.
But Yu Wei walked faster, and like usual, kept half a meter ahead.
After a while, Yu Wei realized Yu Wei seemed to know the way. She was taking a shortcut through older residential alleys—completely different from the route Yu Wei remembered.
“You’ve been to this temple?” Yu Wei asked. “Cheng Miao says it’s super effective.”
Yu Wei walked ahead silently. “You’ve been with Cheng Miao?”
Yu Wei nodded. “She goes every time there’s a big exam. Says it really works.”
Yu Wei didn’t comment.
“You…”
“My grandma took me,” Yu Wei said, pausing to glance back. “Didn’t work.”
Yu Wei looked at her eagerly. “Did it work?”
Yu Wei pressed her lips together and gave a faint “Mm.”
…
Even on a random afternoon, the temple was surprisingly busy.
Right inside the vermilion gate was a stall selling incense. Yu Wei lined up.
Yu Wei slipped in through a side door and emerged seconds later with a bundle of incense, handing half to Yu Wei.
“You’re not using any?” Yu Wei asked, taking them.
Yu Wei: “No.”
She was very familiar with the routine. She led Yu Wei to the incense burner under the big cypress, lit them, and showed her how to pray.
“Like this?”
Yu Wei lowered her voice out of respect.
Yu Wei nodded.
Yu Wei mimicked the others, bowed in all directions, and silently prayed: for Yu Wei’s performance to go well tonight, for her competitions to be safe and successful, for her dreams to come true.
She peeked open an eye. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yu Wei also bowing, holding her incense solemnly and seriously.
Yu Wei shut her eyes and prayed again.
This was her first time asking for anything spiritual. She wasn’t sure how it worked, so she just kept praying with all her heart, hoping even a tree spirit or wandering deity would hear her.
The incense smoke rose perfectly straight, undisturbed. A good sign, surely.
“I’ll go buy more and pray at the other halls too,” she said, tugging Yu Wei’s sleeve.
Yu Wei paused. “What did you wish for?”
“For the performance to go well, of course,” Yu Wei said, following her through the crowd, soothed by the scent on Yu Wei’s clothes. “It’s super effective. Don’t be scared.”
Yu Wei blinked, glancing at her. “Who’s scared?”
Yu Wei smiled, her dimples blooming, and ran off with her incense to bow at every hall.
Yu Wei watched her, then looked up at the ancient cypress swaying like clouds. If it really works, please let Yu Wei always be this happy.
…
The temple wasn’t big, but it had everything, including a corner with prayer bracelets, wood plaques, and pens. No one manned the booth—just a donation box and a QR code.
Yu Wei browsed. Yu Wei, uninterested, waited at the door.
Yu Wei picked two bracelets and a plaque, then leaned down to write.
“What are you doing?” Yu Wei asked, frowning as she walked over.
Yu Wei quickly covered her plaque, eyes wide, then lowered her gaze. “You’re not allowed to see.”
She was blushing.
Suspicious. Yu Wei took a step back and glanced at the courtyard.
The cypress tree’s bark had long been darkened from generations of hands. Colorful strings wrapped around it, faded by time. Even the newly built fence was covered in wooden plaques.
“Is there still space?”
Yu Wei followed her from a distance, stopping far away for appearances’ sake. She looked toward the back of the massive tree.
Yu Wei’s voice came softly, “There is. Don’t come over.”
What was she hiding? She wouldn’t write about school or the show—so what else?
Yu Wei stood among the crowd, listening to people praying for love, when something clicked.
No way… did she write her name?
Asking for love or something…
That’s too early, right?
Almost like confirming her suspicion, Yu Wei emerged from behind the tree and handed her a bracelet made from cypress beads.
“This is for you.”
They were sisters now! When Cheng Miao brought her here, she gave her one too. Now it was Yu Wei’s turn.
Yu Wei hesitated, looking down at the bracelet in Yu Wei’s open palm.
“It’s made from naturally fallen cypress, blessed too. Very powerful,” Yu Wei said.
Yu Wei froze, her face darkening.
Yu Wei hesitated, noticing her expression. “If you don’t like it, that’s okay.”
She started to pull it back. A matching bracelet peeked out from her sleeve.
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Yu Wei said quietly, taking it.