Unbearable - Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Her toes curled tightly, and a soft “mm” sound escaped her lips, barely louder than a mosquito.
Yu Wei walked in after washing the dishes, only to catch sight of the troubled look in Yu Wei’s eyes.
Too obvious.
Those round eyes, with the corners naturally drooping a little, revealed a hint of pink beneath the lowered lids and thick lashes.
The moment Yu Wei saw her, the pink deepened, gradually exposing her entire pupil, misty and unfocused.
Yu Wei twitched the corner of her mouth and lied on impulse, “I gave it to the stray dog outside. No one saw.”
“I’m really sorry.” Yu Wei’s fingers curled inside her sleeves, her cheeks flushed with heat. “The noodles were really delicious. I liked them a lot.”
She pressed her lips together silently, carefully memorizing the taste and texture.
She might not get to eat it again.
It was just a bowl of noodles—why did she look like she was savoring some rare delicacy?
Yu Wei stood in the doorway bathed in light, the summer noon sun filtering through the beaded curtain behind her in delicate fragments.
She stepped forward and handed over the fruit plate on the table. “This is all I’ve got to offer.”
Yu Wei swallowed her refusal and accepted it in her arms, murmuring, “It’s already more than enough.”
Really, it was.
Someone to talk to, someone who responded. Even though the house was unfamiliar, it made her feel at ease.
She spaced out, staring at the far wall of the room. The wallpaper was an old yellow. The room was small, and several wardrobes lined up next to the desk, taking up half the space. The desk was right at the foot of the bed, forcing the narrow single bed into the center of the wall.
Cramped, but neat and orderly.
But it looked like only one person lived here. Where were Yu Wei’s parents? Were there other rooms? Or were they away?
The tabletop electric fan whirred on the desk. The wind wasn’t strong, and still carried the summer heat, but when it passed over, it blew away some of the suffocating warmth.
Click.
Yu Wei was still dazed when she noticed the wind seemed to be lingering over her.
She turned her gaze and saw the fan had been fixed in one direction, the blue blades spinning as if staring right at her.
Yu Wei sat off to the side, not getting any of the breeze.
“There’s a weekly test today. Are you going back to school?” Yu Wei asked, estimating the time. “You’re late, but you could still catch part of it.”
Yu Wei sat at the desk flipping through a book.
“You probably haven’t studied the material yet,” Yu Wei straightened up, “I can help you review.”
More page flipping.
Yu Wei frowned.
She had bought high school science notes online—five hundred yuan for this?! It was just a copy of the textbook!
Maybe she had headphones in and couldn’t hear.
Yu Wei lowered her eyes and moved, which tugged on her calf. She winced. “Hiss—”
“I told you not to move.” Yu Wei frowned. “What are you trying to do?”
Yu Wei murmured, “It’s nothing.”
Yu Wei turned around and stared at her.
Even though she couldn’t see clearly, Yu Wei felt like she was enveloped by that gaze—tight and pressing.
Her bl00d, her cells, instantly tensed up.
And then quickly dispersed.
Her thick lashes drooped low.
Maybe it was a moment. Maybe a few seconds.
The fan worked hard, blowing her bangs aside, revealing her damp, smooth forehead.
Yu Wei turned her face away.
Yu Wei lay back down.
Silence spread beneath the sound of the fan. Yu Wei bit the inside of her lip until it stung, metallic and sweet.
“Do you and your grandma live here alone?”
“Mm.”
Yu Wei was staring at her phone, focused and serious. One hand pulled out a black hair tie from the drawer, and she casually tied up her hair into a small bun, revealing her sharp side profile.
She went back to reading on her phone, twirling a pen between her long fingers.
She didn’t seem interested in continuing the conversation.
Yu Wei didn’t press further either.
Silence returned.
Her split lip throbbed from her bite. Staring at the sunlit beads of the curtain, she suddenly felt like a thief—trying to peek into someone’s privacy without being able to get in.
Yu Wei got up, lowered her legs, and put on her shoes. “I want to go out into the yard.”
Yu Wei put down her pen and turned to frown at her.
“I’m feeling much better.” Yu Wei stood up and took a step toward the door. “See?”
Yu Wei glanced at her steady step and replied coldly, “Suit yourself.”
Her tone was indifferent. She turned back to reading. Her back was straight and lean. Her loose school uniform swelled and deflated with the fan’s breeze.
Yu Wei carefully followed the light, stepping over the mottled tree shadows on the stone bricks as she walked out.
She had never been here before. Everything felt unfamiliar.
She should have worn her glasses when she came out.
“Why’d you come out?” Grandma sat under the shade of a tree and asked when she saw her. “It’s too hot. There’s no wind out here either.”
“I’m okay,” Yu Wei replied, glancing around.
The little courtyard was tidy and beautiful. She could vaguely see a flower rack by the wall, tall and wide, covered in lush summer blossoms. The large blooms stood out boldly.
There were also small ones—vivid purples and reds, swaying in the wind.
Standing in the sunlight, she couldn’t help but admire, “It’s so pretty.”
“Of course. A lot of care went into it,” Grandma fanned herself. “Besides training, she tends to her flowers.”
Yu Wei was surprised. “Yu Wei grows flowers?”
“They were originally her father’s,” Grandma said while folding paper, her voice calm and delicate, speckled with golden light. “Her mother brought them when they moved here. There weren’t many at first, but more and more got planted. Then her mom passed away a couple years ago, and now she takes care of them herself.”
The dense canopy above cast a shadow like a dark cloud over Yu Wei’s head, even in the blazing sun.
A breeze picked up, rustling the leaves.
And in Yu Wei’s heart, it started to rain.
Her life’s path seemed to have finally found its source, only to be abruptly cut off—left suspended, with nowhere to go.
“You and Xiao Wei are classmates? She’s never brought a friend home before. She doesn’t spend much time at school. I heard she transferred recently… Ah! You must be the kid from the family that sponsors her skating and school!” Grandma suddenly stood up in excitement.
Yu Wei’s drifting soul was suddenly yanked back. She paused, stunned. “What sponsorship?”
“It’s her,” Yu Wei walked out of the room, carrying a small stool. She placed it behind Yu Wei, then bent down to pick up the paper Grandma had excitedly thrown on the ground and tossed it into a plastic bag. “I’m staying at her house these couple of days.”
Yu Wei looked up at her, confused.
“Really?! Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Grandma scolded, then beamed again. “Come, sit down. Oh, we’re so grateful to your family. Weiwei’s a quiet girl, not good with words—we really should find time to visit and thank you properly.”
Yu Wei: “No need.”
“They’re busy,” Yu Wei said as she glanced to the side. “…They work out of town most of the year. They rarely come back.”
Yu Wei looked at her tightly clenched fingers.
Grandma dragged her own chair over. “That busy, huh? Then it’s just you two kids at home?”
Yu Wei felt awkward. She was just short, looked young.
“I’m the same age as Yu Wei. We’re not kids.”
Saying Yu Wei’s name aloud herself made her feel a strange warmth, and she quickly lowered her head.
Grandma slapped her knee and laughed, “That still makes you a kid. Not even adults yet.”
Oh.
Yu Wei scratched her cheek, glancing at Yu Wei from the corner of her eye.
She leaned against the tree, her fingers flipping a gold paper charm. Her school uniform hung loosely but looked effortlessly cool, with the low courtyard wall and tree as a backdrop, saying nothing.
“…Almost.” Yu Wei murmured, answering Grandma’s questions one by one.
“What’s your name, dear?”
“…Yu Wei.”
“Even your names are so similar, and now you’re classmates—that’s fate. I’m glad Weiwei has you as a friend. You’re well-mannered and sweet.” Grandma paused. “At noon, I thought I heard someone arguing behind the house. The voice sounded like Weiwei’s, but when I listened again, it was gone.”
Yu Wei: “Your imagination.”
Yu Wei lowered her eyes, lips pressed shut. She dared not speak and felt a gaze fall on her. When she looked up, she couldn’t quite make out Yu Wei’s expression, only the vague motion of her head lowered, dropping something gold into the pile.
It made the faintest rustle.
She walked over, and Yu Wei quickly lowered her gaze.
Yu Wei passed by her, went into the room, and came out again with a small stool, setting it in front of her.
Too close.
Yu Wei stood up and pulled her chair back.
“Sit,” Yu Wei hooked the leg of the chair with her foot, adjusting the stool in her hand.
Yu Wei didn’t understand but sat back down awkwardly.
“Speak nicely, this child,” Grandma scolded.
Yu Wei waved her hands, but before she could react, her ankle was caught.
Cool, damp fingers lifted her pant leg in a few swift motions, revealing a swollen calf and gauze slightly stained with bl00d.
“Keep icing it.” Yu Wei placed the towel-wrapped ice on it again.
Yu Wei whispered, “It’s really fine…”
“It needs to be iced. How’d you even fall that hard?” Grandma cringed with sympathy.
“Poor eyesight. I couldn’t see well,” Yu Wei smiled. “It doesn’t hurt that much.”
Yu Wei looked into her eyes—trembling pupils betraying her pain, yet still smiling as if it were nothing.
A habitual liar.
The chill seeped through the towel and plastic wrap, easing the burning ache. Her toes curled tight on the stool.
“I’ll do it myself.”
She reached out blindly but missed.
“I said don’t move.”
Yu Wei’s tone was flat. She looked down at the curled-up hand hovering in the air—pale, except for the faint pink at the fingertips.
As if possessed, she pressed the ice pack against those slender fingers and watched them twitch and pull away from the cold.
“It’s really cold.” Yu Wei removed the ice pack and looked away.
The heat caused condensation on the outside of the plastic, and droplets slid down the edge, landing on Yu Wei’s calf covered by the film.
Her toes curled tighter, and a soft, almost inaudible “mm” slipped from her throat.