An Ying lowered her head, using her hand to wipe the stain on her clothes. After wiping a few times, she realized it was impossible to clean it off. Originally, only a small spot was stained with red, but after her wiping, the stained area had grown larger.
An Ying’s face was full of helplessness. These days have been incredibly unlucky. The bookstore inexplicably caught fire, and today, while walking down the street, a lipstick suddenly fell onto her clothes.
She thought she should pick a time to visit a temple and pray.
While she was feeling frustrated, a voice sounded from above her head. An Ying abruptly looked up towards the person speaking.
Judging by the person’s words, was the lipstick just now the work of this man in front of her?
An Ying saw the sincerity in the man’s attitude and shook her head, "No need, I’ll wash the stained area when I get home."
As An Ying looked up, Lao Hu saw her face, and his expression instantly changed, staring at her in a daze.
An Ying also noticed the man’s reaction as if she’d frightened him somehow. Could it be that this man recognized her? She had run the bookstore for many years, and it wasn’t surprising if this man who wandered near her bookstore had seen her before. However, the man’s expression was odd, as if she were some kind of ghost, An Ying thought to herself.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now." An Ying saw the man in front of her standing there stiffly, looking around in a panic. After saying this, she slowly turned her head and glanced in the direction the man was looking.
An Ying discovered a conspicuous luxury car parked not far away. The car’s rear window was open, and when An Ying looked inside, her gaze met a pair of panicked eyes...
Inside the car, Madam Su’s hands trembled slightly, her entire being felt as if her blood was flowing backward, her head buzzing with dizziness. She frantically reached for the control button on the car’s inside handle, pressing it to raise the window. At this moment, she felt time was passing excruciatingly slowly, the window’s ascent as slow as a snail, each second a torment for her.
On the sidewalk, Lao Hu also noticed Madam Su’s evasive gaze. He didn’t bother to hand over money to the person, quickly turning back towards the car.
As soon as Lao Hu shut the car door, Madam Su’s trembling voice rang out from the back seat, "Drive quickly, fast..."
Lao Hu didn’t think much, started the car, and sped away.
Left alone on the pedestrian path, stood An Ying. It seemed she hadn’t yet recovered from the shock. Her gaze remained fixed on where the vehicle had just driven off, her eyes holding a sense of emptiness.
An Ying felt a bit unsteady on her feet. Slowly, she crouched down, one hand supporting herself on the ground.
"Miss, are you alright?"
Soon, a passerby noticed her unusual state and stepped forward to inquire.
An Ying weakly shook her head. Her pale face didn’t seem alright, but before the passerby could say more, she spoke in a feeble voice, "Thank you for your concern, I just need to squat for a bit."
Seeing this, the passerby didn’t press further and left.
An Ying didn’t dare linger too long on the spot, to avoid causing misunderstanding among pedestrians, she moved to the nearest café and went inside. Sitting for a while, she recalled the person she had just encountered. She was sure she hadn’t been mistaken. The rıghtful source is 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝘯𝘦𝘵
That person was Xu Hui.
Xu Ming’s younger sister!
Why was she appearing here? That terrifying feeling of long absence swept over her again. After taking that person’s money, she had started feeling uneasy, and only on the second day, she ran into Xu Ming’s sister...
An Ying found it hard not to link the two events together.
These years, she had finally achieved some stability in life. She didn’t want it disturbed, nor did she want her daughter affected.
In the café, the lazy style of music drifted through the interior, giving customers a sense of a leisurely life attitude. After lingering for a while, one felt more enlightened, except for a woman seated in a corner. Since entering, the melancholy on her face never dissipated. An observer could easily see she was engulfed in extreme panic.
The speeding car headed towards the hospital.
Madam Su glanced towards the driver seat with uncertainty in her eyes.
"Lao Hu, do you think she saw me?"
Even though she was certain of the answer in her heart, she clung to a slight hope.
"Madam..." Lao Hu replied hesitantly, eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"Lao Hu..." Madam Su’s tone was sharp, "Be honest!"
"Madam, why deceive yourself?" After spending many years by her side, Lao Hu mustered the courage to tell the truth.
After hearing his words, the left corner of Madam Su’s mouth curled up, her expression changing from panic to disdain, "Hmph, who would have thought that after all these years, that woman’s face would still be just as..." She didn’t utter the word ’beautiful,’ but the resentment and unwillingness in her eyes were unmasked.
As the hospital drew nearer, her mood settled.
As usual, under the staff’s guidance, she arrived at the private room where Xu Ming was.
At the moment she pushed the door open, Xu Ming stood by the window. Madam Su could only see the thin back of her sister. She purposely slowed her steps and walked more quietly, stopping at the center of the room.
Madam Su’s gaze landed on her.
There was no response, quietly standing, head slightly raised, gazing through the narrow window at the gray sky outside.
Madam Su didn’t speak again. She knew her sister had heard, but was too absorbed in her own world to respond. She could continue waiting...
Time passed, second by second.
Madam Su turned her head, glancing around. The room hadn’t changed much since her last visit. The only standout was a bunch of bright yellow sunflowers placed at the head of the bed.
She didn’t need to guess who sent them. Madam Su withdrew her gaze from the sunflowers. When she looked toward the window again, she realized her sister had turned, her seemingly lifeless eyes now staring directly at her. Feeling guilty, Madam Su called out again, "Sister!"
Xu Ming looked at her sister expressionlessly, "Is there something you need?"
Today, Xu Ming was dressed impeccably. Unlike other patients, she wasn’t wearing a hospital gown but dressed in an in-season outfit from a certain luxury brand, Madam Su could recognize it at a glance.
As the wife of the Meng family’s head, Xu Ming still maintained her dignity as much as possible.
"I talked with the doctor outside earlier, he said you’re getting better. So, given the situation, sister, why don’t you get discharged and move back home?" Madam Su asked tentatively.
Before entering, she indeed asked about her sister’s condition. The doctor also said that her sister’s condition had improved considerably since her previous visit. However, the doctor didn’t recommend discharge; it was she who overreached and asked a question, "What if we request discharge?"