Unbearable - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: “But I…”

 

The heater in the room was blasting, making the air hot and dry. Yu Wei unzipped her coat but didn’t take it off.

 

“You’re staying alone?” Ding Qing had already walked around the room and was now seated on the chair by the small window table. Her eyes swept over the two single beds beside her, and her brows furrowed slightly.

 

“No.”

 

Yu Wei entered, brushing past Yu Wei without stopping, and walked directly into the bathroom.

 

Yu Wei had been standing at the bathroom door and quickly shifted to the other side, standing near the foot of the bed closest to the door, turning her gaze to the cracked-open window.

 

“It’s a standard room—I’m sharing with a teammate,” Yu Wei said, walking out of the bathroom with a towel, rubbing it over her damp hair. Her eyes glanced past Yu Wei and landed on the bed behind her. “She’s a neat freak with OCD. Keeps everything in her suitcase.”

 

There were two single beds in the room. On the inner bed sat a plush lop-eared bunny, while the outer bed was completely bare—nothing on it, stark and empty.

 

Yu Wei had assumed the outer bed was Yu Wei’s and subconsciously glanced over.

 

Her hair was tousled and damp, falling in loose curls, her eyes glistening as if washed in water. When her gaze landed on Yu Wei, Yu Wei instinctively leaned back.

 

Her down jacket brushed against the neatly made bed, producing a faint rustling sound.

 

Yu Wei had OCD.

 

Yu Wei immediately took a half step forward, swallowing nervously and turning toward the window.

 

“Is it convenient for two people to share?” Ding Qing took off her coat and draped it over the armrest of the sofa, sitting gracefully. “I can have the hotel open another room, or you could stay across the hall. I booked the room right opposite. It wouldn’t stop you from being with your teammate.”

 

Yu Wei tensed. The wind that had just cooled her back was instantly gone, and her spine straightened again. She didn’t look at Yu Wei but turned her head slightly to gaze out the window.

 

“No need,” Yu Wei replied, still rubbing her hair as she walked over to sit at the foot of the bed, directly across from Ding Qing.

 

Yu Wei stood awkwardly between them.

 

“Sorry, no chairs left,” Yu Wei said, looking up at her with a neutral gaze.

 

Yu Wei quickly waved her hand. “No need.”

 

She hadn’t planned on coming in anyway. Now she just wanted to leave—sitting wasn’t on her mind.

 

But Ding Qing was in no rush and continued asking Yu Wei if she was adjusting well, whether she was nervous for the competition, and if they still had training in the next couple of days…

 

Yu Wei, who rarely spoke much at home, surprisingly answered each question seriously, her expression focused without a hint of distraction.

 

The scene had an unusual warmth to it.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, Yu Wei caught a glimpse of her still-damp collar and quietly closed the window.

 

Yu Wei’s hand holding the towel clenched and dropped to her side.

 

“If there’s anything you want or don’t like, anything at all, just tell me. The hotel owner is a friend of mine—you don’t have to be polite.”

 

Just as Ding Qing finished speaking, her phone rang. She answered and chatted briefly with the caller, then stood up and apologized, “Mom has a bit of work to take care of. You two have fun—I’ll be back later.”

 

She turned to leave, and Yu Wei followed behind.

 

After just a few steps, she turned back and said, “You two haven’t seen each other in a while. Your little sister missed you a lot—it’s rare for you to meet like this.”

 

Yu Wei: “…”

 

No, she didn’t.

 

“Did she?” Yu Wei’s voice was so low that only Yu Wei in front of her could hear.

 

Yu Wei pretended not to hear.

 

Ding Qing walked out first, and Yu Wei followed closely behind. Her hand was just about to touch the doorknob when she heard Yu Wei speak from behind her:

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

The voice was unusually soft—not its usual cold tone, but low and gentle.

 

Yu Wei’s hand, suspended in midair, dropped back down, curling into her sleeve.

 

“I’ve been meaning to say it,” Yu Wei said, her voice tight, forcing down the intensity in her gaze. She lowered her eyes, staring at the edge of Yu Wei’s sleeve. “But I felt it was too casual to say it on WeChat.”

 

“I misunderstood. I thought you liked me too… That kind of like. It was presumptuous of me. I’m sorry.”

 

Yu Wei felt a wave of damp heat over her back, followed by an inexplicable chill.

 

She didn’t know how to respond. She lowered her head, her throat dry, her breathing uneven.

 

“But I…” Yu Wei began.

 

“We’re sisters. Don’t say it.”

 

Yu Wei’s voice was barely audible and anxious, with a barely noticeable tremble. Her gaze dropped from the crack in the door to the doorknob, her hand gripping it trembling.

 

Her voice disappeared.

 

Yu Wei stood behind her, watching her fingers curl into her sleeves, biting her lip in frustration. “I understand.”

 

The moment the door opened, Yu Wei instinctively held her breath.

 

Her startled expression was too obvious. Ding Qing, who had returned, looked surprised. “What’s wrong?”

 

Through the narrow gap in the door, she could see Yu Wei still standing inside the room. Yu Wei looked up and stared straight at her, long lashes lowering to cover her face as her gaze dropped to the panicked figure in front of her.

 

Ding Qing glanced between them. “Did you two have a fight?”

 

“No,” Yu Wei answered quickly. “You came back…?”

 

“I’m heading out to meet some friends—forgot my coat.”

 

Just as she said that, Yu Wei walked over and stood behind Yu Wei, holding the door with one hand and reaching past Yu Wei to retrieve the coat with the other.

 

Yu Wei, trapped between the door and Yu Wei, instinctively stepped back. Her hat pressed against Yu Wei’s chest. She stiffened and tried to dodge forward, but Ding Qing was standing right in front of her. She had to hold her ground.

 

Yu Wei held the door with one hand and handed the coat to Ding Qing with the other. “It gets dark early here, and it’s cold at night.”

 

Her damp hair almost brushed Yu Wei’s ear. Just a moment—no lingering—but the scent of shampoo or body wash still lingered faintly in the steamy warmth of the room.

 

Yu Wei was rarely this proactive. It could even be called caring.

 

Ding Qing paused in surprise, her eyes moistening as she took the coat. “Good girl, I’ll go change.”

 

Yu Wei stood sandwiched in between, watching Ding Qing turn to lift her arm. She lowered her eyes and let go of the doorknob.

 

Ding Qing went to her room to change. Yu Wei followed behind.

 

Once the door closed, the hallway fell into sudden silence. Yu Wei stood holding the still-warm doorknob, her knuckles pale. She lowered her gaze and quietly shut the door.

 

The rooms were identically furnished. Yu Wei followed Ding Qing in, leaning lightly against the door, watching as Ding Qing opened her suitcase and pulled out a down jacket.

 

Her movements were a bit faster than usual. Upon hearing the rustle, she shook the jacket out and slung it over her arm before turning back to ask, “Why did you come back so quickly?”

 

“Hm?” Yu Wei snapped out of her daze.

 

“I mean, you and Weiwei used to be glued to each other from morning to night. After not seeing her for a whole month, why didn’t you chat longer?”

 

They were glued to each other from morning to night?

 

Yu Wei froze.

 

She had never thought about it that way before. Looking back now, it had mostly been her clinging to Yu Wei—but only because Yu Wei was quiet and hard to get close to. She wanted her to feel at home, to integrate into the family faster. Yu Wei was lonely too. They were sisters—it was normal to stick together, right?

 

Was it not normal?

 

It was just a misunderstanding on Yu Wei’s part. Now that they’d cleared it up, they could still be sisters, right?

 

“…It was getting warm. I came back to change.”

 

Yu Wei walked away from the door, took off her down coat and hoodie, leaving only the base layer underneath. Even so, it felt hot—too much heat from the heater.

 

Ding Qing opened the door and looked back. “What do you want to eat? I’ll bring something back tonight.”

 

Yu Wei declined and went over to open the window.

 

As the door closed, she heard a knock across the hall, followed by Ding Qing asking something and Yu Wei refusing.

 

The voices were muffled, but every word was still clear.

 

Yu Wei felt cold all over.

 

She didn’t know how long she sat there before her phone buzzed violently.

 

The sound startled her. She twisted around toward the source—it was muffled, coming from her down jacket pocket in the wardrobe. It had already stopped.

 

She got up from the sofa by the window. Her legs were stiff, her body chilled from the wind.

 

Yu Wei: “There’s a night market nearby with local snacks and ice skating ring toss. If you’re interested, you can check it out.”

 

She sent a pinned location.

 

Yu Wei: “I’m heading to training. Want to come watch?”

 

She sent another location.

 

Yu Wei tapped her screen twice but didn’t reply. She backed out and saw a barrage of messages from Cheng Miao.

 

Cheng Miao had called her. When there was no answer, she began spamming texts again.

 

Cheng Miao: “Are you there yet??”
Cheng Miao: “Is it close to the stadium?”
Cheng Miao: “Any lucky encounters?? Did you tell Xiao Yu you’re there??”
Cheng Miao: “I’m so excited ahhh!! I bought more plushies after school!!! Look at my haul!!!”

 

[Image]

 

Cheng Miao: “Tonight Xiao Yu’s group is doing on-ice training—no media allowed! I’m so jealous! I’m going crazy from missing it!”
Cheng Miao: “Can you sneak in for me and take a look?”
Cheng Miao: “I’m going insane hahahaha”
Cheng Miao: “But you’re family! You can go in! Please take a picture for me!”

 

Yu Wei didn’t reply to a single message, and Cheng Miao kept flooding her inbox anyway.

 

Outside, the door lock clicked, and footsteps walked away—quiet, but didn’t stop.

 

Yu Wei let out a breath, lowered her head again, and continued reading the messages Cheng Miao sent. The texts kept refreshing, each word she read but didn’t truly register.

 

Cheng Miao had a pure fangirl mindset—especially since she believed Yu Wei would retire soon. Every glimpse of her on the ice felt like a rare treasure. Missing even a single pre-competition practice would be a lifelong regret.

 

Yu Wei could go in, but…

 

But what?

 

She suppressed the strange feeling in her chest. She couldn’t afford to be awkward. She had to stay calm. Just pretend nothing happened. Yu Wei apologized, and it was over. Back to how things were. Friends and sisters—nothing changed.

 

Yu Wei took a deep breath. She had to move on faster than Yu Wei. That way, Yu Wei wouldn’t feel uncomfortable or awkward.

 

Today, Yu Wei took the initiative once and their mom was already so happy. If she felt too upset and decided to leave, Mom wouldn’t be able to take it.

 

Yu Wei exhaled, put her clothes back on, grabbed the badge on the table, and headed out.

 

The sky outside was dim, heavy with clouds like a lead blanket hanging low.

 

The taxi driver, speaking in a thick local accent, chatted with her about the athletes in the competition. “Who are you here to see? Men’s singles is tonight—you can’t go in yet.”

 

“I’m watching the women’s singles.”

 

“Women’s? We’ve only got a couple female singles athletes this year, right? What’s her name—was really famous two years ago—Yu Wei, yeah? She’s not doing so hot now.”

 

“She’s still amazing.”

 

Yu Wei blurted it out, then pursed her lips and looked out the window.

 

“Is she? Haha, I haven’t been keeping up lately,” the driver mumbled, following her lead.

 

Yu Wei instantly felt childish and buried her face into her scarf, going quiet.

 

At the venue entrance, she followed the signs. As expected, security was stopping people. Yu Wei pulled the badge from her pocket and hung it around her neck.

 

She had come to watch Yu Wei compete. She’d keep her distance, act like a regular spectator, and snap a few photos for Cheng Miao.

 

It was all very normal.

 

The more Yu Wei thought about it, the more logical it seemed. She entered through the corridor and, just as she lifted the curtain at the entrance, a beautiful arc flashed before her eyes—like a dolphin breaking through water, gracefully landing on the ice.

 

“Wow! That was stunning!”

 

Someone standing by the barrier was waving a skate guard excitedly.

 

The voice was oddly familiar.