Unbearable - Chapter 43
Chapter 43: She Lowered Her Head, Held Yu Wei’s Chin, and Kissed Her
After the beginning of autumn, the nights had started to cool.
The cool air was warmed by the grills along the night market street. Above their heads, strings of lights flickered gently. It wasn’t cold—just comfortable.
They were sitting around a grill, eating skewers, the atmosphere lively.
Somehow, the conversation turned to Yu Wei’s recent monthly exam.
“Someone took a photo of the results list and posted it on the forum. It stayed pinned on the homepage all day.”
“People are so nosy.”
“Oh, come on. Aren’t you the least bit curious? I remember during the last quiz, she couldn’t even answer the questions. When she handed in a blank paper, Mr. He gave that sarcastic smile. It creeped me out.”
“Back then I already felt she wasn’t ordinary. Who else dares to hand in a blank exam early? That’s guts.”
“Is it possible it wasn’t actually blank? Xiao Wei, you know her well—how did her grades improve so fast? She shot up like she was riding a rocket! Was she already that good from the beginning, and we just didn’t know?”
Yu Wei was suddenly put on the spot. After a moment of silence, she shook her head and said, “When she transferred here, she was behind us by over half a textbook. She only just caught up this past month.”
“Damn!”
Yu Wei blinked.
“Not cursing! I’m just emotionally shocked, okay? Damn, seriously, people like her make the rest of us feel useless.”
Yu Wei lowered her head again, biting into a skewer of beef tendon and chewing slowly.
Zhong Ling laughed for a while, then suddenly asked, “Then with all this time spent catching up, is she still skating?”
After all, for the rest of them, school was the main focus. But for Yu Wei, figure skating was her real priority.
Everyone turned curiously toward Yu Wei.
Yu Wei swallowed and pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to talk about private things like training.
Just as she was thinking of how to answer, Cheng Miao said, “Of course she is. There’s a competition in November—it’s on a Sunday.”
That part was public information.
Yu Wei nodded along.
Everyone gave an “Ohh,” and then asked where the competition would be, wondering if they could go and support her.
Yu Wei sat quietly beside them. She didn’t drink beer or soda—just a pot of buckwheat tea, fragrant with roasted grain.
The topic kept revolving around the one person who wasn’t present. From grades to figure skating, the conversation made a full circle.
Yu Wei didn’t join in—she just listened as they all sighed over how it was a pity that Yu Wei didn’t come.
Even though they were in the same class, eating out together was different.
“She said she wouldn’t come last time, but didn’t she end up showing up?”
“Yeah yeah, but that was just to pick up Xiao Wei,” Zhong Ling turned to Yu Wei with a wink, the meaning obvious.
“I’ll ask her.” Yu Wei slouched in her seat and took out her phone. The screen’s light reflected on her face as she shifted slightly to the side.
No new messages.
Instead, Ding Qing had texted her, asking where she was hanging out and if she needed a ride afterward.
Being thought of by someone like this felt foreign—especially by Ding Qing. That one line, she kept rereading it over and over, and finally replied:
No need to pick me up. I’ll head back with friends after.
As soon as the message was sent, Yu Wei flipped her phone over on the table and took a sip of her tea, frowning slightly.
After a while, she picked up the phone again.
Ding Qing: “Alright then. Don’t stay out too late, stay safe.”
Just a few short words.
Yu Wei held her cup in one hand, sipping slowly. Her other hand kept swiping up in the chat, pulling the message thread up and letting it bounce back down.
That message kept bouncing with it.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” Cheng Miao sat down beside her, placing another skewer in front of her. She slung an arm over her shoulders.
“Not hungry? Or just not a fan of crowds? Want to head back?”
Yu Wei turned off her phone, blinking as she forced back the warmth rising in her eyes.
“No.” She set the cup down. “I want a beer.”
“Say no more!”
Cheng Miao got up and soon returned from the shop with a can. “It’s not chilled.”
Yu Wei’s period had nearly ended, but she still nodded, watching Cheng Miao pull the tab open and hand it to her.
Yu Wei stared at the can for a while, then picked up her phone and sent Yu Wei a location.
Yu Wei: “Wanna come?”
Yu Wei replied instantly:
“No.”
Yu Wei put her phone away.
Zhong Ling and the other girls at the table looked at her.
“What’d she say? What’d she say?”
Yu Wei shook her head.
“She’s not coming.”
Everyone let out a long “Ohhh…”
And in that drawn-out sound, a strange, subtle sense of disappointment floated up in Yu Wei’s chest.
She took a sip of the beer and swallowed. At room temperature, it was more bitter than last time when it was cold. Not strong, but it spread through her mouth with the distinct smell of beer.
The food was finished. Drinks were gone. The conversation dried up.
Everyone instinctively knew it was time to head out. Those going the same way shared a car; the rest figured out their own rides.
Cheng Miao offered to take Yu Wei home, but she declined.
“No need. It’s only just past nine. I’ll message you when I’m home.”
She wrapped herself up tightly, and only at the very last second before getting in the car did she stop glancing around. Once inside, she leaned against the window and silently looked out.
Half an hour later, in a half-abandoned villa district, Yu Wei sat beside the flowerbed outside a lit-up house for a while before standing and going inside.
The lights were on, but everything was quiet. She carried her backpack up the stairs.
The hallway lights were on too, casting a dim glow on the walls.
Yu Wei lowered her head, walking slowly and deliberately so her footsteps would echo.
One, two, three…
Yu Wei opened her bedroom door. It looked like she had just showered—her hair was wet and slicked back, revealing her smooth forehead and a delicate widow’s peak.
She carried the familiar scent of her toiletries.
Yu Wei frowned. “You’ve been drinking?”
Yu Wei froze, then looked up at her.
The bedroom light spilled outward behind Yu Wei. The warm hallway light above highlighted her sharp features, wrapping them in a strange mix of helplessness and tenderness.
Yu Wei realized something in a daze: she enjoyed this—being monitored by Yu Wei, being watched, even stared at.
In Yu Wei’s eyes, she existed so clearly.
On impulse…
Yu Wei looked at her and said, “I lied. I did drink.”
“Smell it.”
She opened her mouth.
Yu Wei stared at her. A fire seemed to spark in the depths of her eyes, flaring up and instantly consuming all restraint.
She leaned in, cradled Yu Wei’s chin, and kissed her.
Cool. Soft.
“I tasted it,” Yu Wei murmured.
Someone opened the door downstairs. Footsteps came up the stairs—closer and closer.
The bl00d that had rushed to their heads instantly exploded.
Yu Wei’s hand slipped, the bag fell to the floor. She pushed Yu Wei away.
Shocked and disoriented, she stared blankly for a few seconds before she could even speak. Her voice trembled.
“You… I won’t tell Mom and Dad. Just… don’t do that again.”
She turned and ran.
The bedroom door slammed shut.
Yu Wei leaned against the back of the door, heart racing out of control. Her lips still burned like fire.
All she could hear in her ears was her pounding heartbeat and a ringing buzz. It wasn’t until someone knocked twice from the other side of the door that she realized.
She wiped her face with her hands, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
Ding Qing stood outside holding a small cake box.
“Congratulations on your good exam results!”
Then she looked at Yu Wei and asked, “Why’s your face so red?”
“Hot,” Yu Wei turned her face away, not daring to meet her eyes. “It’s hot.”
“Hot?” Ding Qing looked confused, but quickly added, “If it’s hot, turn on the AC, or open the window for some air.”
Yu Wei nodded, took the little cake from her hands.
“Thanks, Mom.”
Ding Qing turned and handed the other box to Yu Wei, who stood nearby.
“I don’t eat this,” Yu Wei’s voice was tight, a trace of hoarseness in it. She looked past Ding Qing toward the girl hiding behind the door.
“I know you can’t eat it,” Ding Qing lifted the box to show her. “It’s a model. Not a real cake.”
It was just a small prop cake. Seeing it, Yu Wei hesitated for a few seconds and finally took it.
It was the first time she’d ever accepted anything from Ding Qing. Ding Qing was so touched she couldn’t stop smiling, eyes misty.
“I’ll get you a real one next time. You and your sister are the same in my heart.”
Yu Wei didn’t speak. She gripped the cake box tighter.
“Alright now, both of you get some rest.”
Yu Wei’s soft voice came from behind the door.
“Good night, Mom.”
As soon as Ding Qing left, Yu Wei stepped forward. But the door slammed shut from inside.