Unbearable - Chapter 51
Chapter 51: I Put It on Silent
During the mid-game ice resurfacing, people were coming and going along the aisle steps. Yu Wei stepped aside and looked down at the other girl. “Not going anywhere?”
The bag in the seated girl’s hand got squeezed between her leg and the edge of the seat, making a soft noise. Yu Wei looked down toward the hem of her namesake’s dress hanging at her toes.
“Your ankle—still okay?”
“Oh.” The seated Yu Wei stepped onto the stairs, brushing past the other girl, their bodies nearly touching. Her voice was soft, tinged with teasing amusement. “I thought you came to find me.”
The standing Yu Wei was caught off guard by how accurately she’d guessed her intention. She pressed her lips together without saying anything, watching as the other girl walked back to her seat, pulled down her backpack, and sat down.
Her steps weren’t fast, but steady—no signs of limping.
The standing Yu Wei silently felt a little relieved and sat down in the aisle-side seat—right next to the other Yu Wei. Or rather, only next to her.
“You still going to watch the second half?” she asked in a low voice.
“Of course.” The seated Yu Wei leaned back into her chair, looking relaxed as she watched the ice resurfacing machine slowly move across the rink. “Otherwise, wouldn’t this trip be a waste?”
The performance order, based on ranking points, meant the stronger athletes were almost all in the second half.
This Yu Wei had ranked second among the first half; there were still six competitors in the second.
She didn’t know how to comfort others. She had always been bad at it—awkward and clumsy in such situations. Especially now, having personally witnessed how much effort this other Yu Wei had sacrificed. In the face of that, any words of comfort felt feeble, powerless, and pale in comparison.
The Yu Wei seated at the aisle made a soft sound of acknowledgment and leaned forward slightly, pretending to adjust her pants, sneaking a glance down at the other girl’s feet.
She didn’t have much experience with skirts.
Unexpectedly, after sitting down, the long skirt didn’t ride up at all. The edge of the dark gray knit fabric even touched the floor, completely covering her shoes.
Her hand, still pretending to fix her pants, hadn’t moved yet—when someone suddenly grabbed it.
She reflexively pulled back—then realized it was the other Yu Wei who had reached out.
“What happened to your hand?”
The girl in the skirt straightened from her relaxed posture, her upper body tense. Her face went cold like frost, and her sharp eyes stared at the other girl’s hand.
“What?” The first Yu Wei followed her gaze and finally noticed the deep red marks on her own left index finger.
A few crescent-shaped dents, tinged with bl00d, marked the pale skin of her finger.
She quickly curled the finger, using her thumb to hide it, then shoved the whole hand into her sleeve and stuffed it into her coat pocket.
“I… I did it myself. Accidentally. Didn’t notice.”
The words came out haltingly, filled with shame.
Her scarf hung loosely over her shoulders. Embarrassed, she lowered her head, her ears and neck flushed red.
She placed the bag on the ground and tugged her scarf up with her right hand, wrapping it tightly around her neck and lower face.
The skirted Yu Wei frowned slightly. “Let’s go back.”
“Huh?”
She stood up, already about to walk out.
The seated Yu Wei grabbed her coat. “What’s wrong? Aren’t we watching the second half?”
“Not anymore.” The standing Yu Wei paused, then looked down at her. “Or you can go back first. Let Auntie stay with you.”
The seated girl looked completely confused, staring up at her in a daze.
“Why? I don’t have anything else to do if I go back. I came all the way here.”
Her glasses, hanging on her nose bridge, slipped from beneath the scarf, leaving only her chin hidden.
She looked up at the other girl like that.
The standing Yu Wei stepped back and sat down again.
The other Yu Wei raised her hand and adjusted her scarf.
“If you really want to watch, you can catch the replay online later,” the standing girl said softly. “There are a lot of people here. If you’re not feeling well, don’t force yourself.”
The seated Yu Wei froze mid-motion, her hand still clutching her scarf in front of her chest.
So the other Yu Wei thought that’s why she hurt her finger?
But…
She hadn’t even noticed she was hurting herself. Her mind had been so focused on the competition.
Maybe that’s the charm of watching it live?
“I’m fine.” She held out her hand loosely, her thumb fiddling with the acrylic ring still on her index finger. She stretched her hand toward the other Yu Wei. “Let me show you something fun.”
The rotating surface of the ring gradually slowed and stopped in front of her eyes.
The standing Yu Wei: “…”
Her face was blank as she glanced sideways at the other girl. “Cheng Miao gave that to you?”
Bingo—one guess and she was right.
The other Yu Wei chuckled and nodded. “Isn’t it fun? I’ll give it to you.”
She extended her finger again.
The standing girl couldn’t hold it in anymore—her expression crumpled as if forced to eat a lemon. She stared for two seconds, her tone tight and restrained: “Do you think… I’d actually wear that?”
Okay, it was a bit much.
The seated Yu Wei pulled her hand back and giggled into her scarf. “Then never mind.”
She took off her glasses, wrapped them in the cloth, and put them in her pocket. Squinting at the brightly lit ice rink, she saw the blurred blue-black vehicle moving across the vast white ice—like pixels in a fuzzy digital world.
“Mom also tossed a stuffed toy for you just now.”
The standing Yu Wei didn’t respond for several seconds. Just when the seated one was about to look at her, she finally let out a soft “mm,” sounding a bit down.
The relaxed atmosphere from earlier shattered instantly.
The seated Yu Wei pressed her lips together.
Both of them continued to watch the rink.
“Why don’t you like sitting in front of others?” she suddenly asked. “Or rather, why do you dislike having people behind you?”
Her soft voice flowed gently through the noisy arena, sounding clearly in the other girl’s ears.
At that moment, the standing Yu Wei wanted to pretend she hadn’t heard anything.
But her mouth opened and closed again.
In the end, she replied, muffled through her scarf: “Because I don’t like being watched.”
That’s what she always said.
Whenever someone asked, she’d say that, and they’d nod, showing an “I understand” expression, their eyes filled with sympathetic understanding—and never pressed further.
“That’s all?”
“Hm?”
The seated Yu Wei turned to her. “If you never look back, you can pretend the people behind you don’t exist.”
The standing girl squinted toward the rink, listening to the announcer introducing the next athlete. The chaotic background noise gradually unified into a wave of explosive cheers.
The seats in front of her were empty.
The aisle to her side was also vacant.
“Really?” Her voice was faint and emotionless under the roar of the crowd. “Didn’t expect you to be such an idealist.”
“…Sorry.”
The standing Yu Wei looked over at the other girl’s slightly regretful, awkward face and smiled. “What are you apologizing for? I know you were just trying to comfort me. Or are you apologizing for the seat arrangement back in class? That was Xiang-jie’s doing—and my choice. I’ve long stopped caring.”
Her throat moved, and the words she was about to say got swallowed back down.
She had too many apologies toward this other Yu Wei.
“Yu Wei.” Ding Qing walked over from two rows back, sat behind the girls, and handed a paper bag to the front. “A supporter asked me to give this to you.”
The standing Yu Wei thanked her and took the bag. When she turned, she saw the other girl’s posture suddenly tense up. Though still seated the same way, her body subtly shifted left—toward the seat’s armrest.
Putting space between them.
She wasn’t wearing her glasses. Between her hat and scarf, only a narrow strip of skin showed. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she stared toward the rink.
It looked like a casual adjustment, but it wasn’t quite natural.
“Are you really okay? If you don’t want to keep watching, let’s go. You don’t have to skate again, right?” Ding Qing leaned forward, speaking between the two girls.
The standing Yu Wei furrowed her brow and looked away. She picked up the bag by the seated girl’s feet and slipped it over her paper bag—then stood up quickly and put on her backpack.
On the ice, a skater had just finished. Cheers burst out again. A few stuffed toys flew overhead.
The seated Yu Wei stiffened, reacting a beat slower than before. By the time the standing girl pushed past and stood beside her in the aisle, she finally looked up.
She grabbed her arm, which was leaning tightly against the seat’s armrest.
“Let’s go.”
“What?”
Amid the noise, she snapped out of it. She was pulled to her feet and looked down. “Where’s my bag?”
The standing Yu Wei stared at her.
She shook the double-layered bag in front of her.
She held onto her arm, standing still, watching Ding Qing also get up.
Ding Qing left the row and walked ahead of them.
Step by step down the stairs, the seated Yu Wei looked at the other girl’s back—just half a step ahead. Then she looked down at the hand gripping her arm.
Long fingers sunken into the puff of her white down jacket. Probably from years of training with knives, her knuckles were a bit misshapen, skin dry and rough.
Not pretty by conventional standards—but the seated girl’s tense heart slowly eased.
They walked down to the arena hallway. A group of young volunteers gathered, chattering excitedly after picking up stuffed toys. When they saw the athlete again, they started calling her name.
The standing Yu Wei let the bag slip to her wrist, the small bag dangling from the large one. She raised her hand and waved.
“…We’re just leaving like this?” the seated girl whispered. “Don’t we need to tell someone?”
“No need,” the other replied. “I don’t have a coach, and the team leader knows my situation.”
No one to report to.
The seated Yu Wei remembered she was supposed to stay for the second half. But now, suddenly pulling her away—was it because…
“I’m not feeling well. I want to go back and rest.”
The standing girl cut off her train of thought.
The other immediately tensed up. “Where does it hurt?”
She didn’t answer.
Up ahead, Ding Qing was on the phone. “Have they arrived yet?”
Outside the arena, the once-packed plaza was now deserted. Snow had started falling again, covering the freshly cleared ground with a new layer of white.
The roar from inside echoed outward, signaling a skater’s success.
The seated girl looked at the other Yu Wei.
Ding Qing’s driver pulled up. He opened the door. The standing Yu Wei walked toward the passenger seat, but the other tugged her arm back, pulling her toward the rear.
The down jackets rustled briefly in the snow.
Snowflakes melted into water in her loose hair. She held the rear door, released the other girl’s arm, and pushed her into the car by the shoulder.
There was a strange touch of anger.
The seated Yu Wei squinted at her, confused.
The car door closed.
Ding Qing got into the front seat.
The standing Yu Wei walked around and got in on the other side. She turned to look at the girl beside her.
Under the dim snowy sky, the car was dark. The seated girl stared back with wide eyes.
When had she made Yu Wei upset? Hadn’t everything been fine? Where did it go wrong?
Their double-layered bag rested between them.
The athlete pulled out her phone, sent Cheng Miao a message, then opened a chat window.
Yu Wei: “Where do you feel unwell?”
Ding—
The muffled chime came from inside the seated girl’s backpack.
She didn’t move.
The other Yu Wei looked at her.
The seated girl met her gaze.
Yu Wei: “Jiejie, your phone just rang.”
She stared at the phone the other girl was turning in her hands. She didn’t like that nickname. She turned around, opened her bag, and pulled out her phone.
Yu Wei: “My mood.”
Ding—
The other girl looked down at her phone and realized she’d left message notifications on—just in case she missed Cheng Miao’s reply.
She quickly stuffed her phone into her pocket and looked out the window.
Ding—
Yu Wei: “I put it on silent.”