"You’re our little baby. Come on, baby, let’s ask the doctor if you need to be kept under observation. If you don’t want to stay in the hospital, then come to my place."

Back in freshman year, Qian didn’t notice anything wrong with Shi Tou, just thought it was the usual bickering between girlfriends. Qian’s brows furrowed slightly; she felt like something about Shi Yu was off.

If it weren’t for the identical features, Qian would’ve thought the person standing in front of her wasn’t Shi Yu at all; even the way she talked was different.

Freshman-year Roomie and Qian each took one of Shi Tou’s arms, and the three of them walked toward the doctors’ on-call room.

Only after they had gone far enough did Huaoli fish a string of sandalwood prayer beads out of his pocket and start playing with them.

He kept rolling the beads between his fingers until he saw, outside the window, the scene of three girls supporting each other in the rain. He looped the beads around his hand once, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Freshman-year Roomie and Qian supported the still-weak Shi Tou, one on each side.

The rain had just stopped, but the sky was still thick with dark clouds. Lightning and thunder flashed from time to time; looked like another thunderstorm was on its way.

From this height, under such a gloomy backdrop, Qian and the others looked especially small.

"Doctor Mu, your phone." A young nurse handed over the phone, staring at Huaoli in a daze. Doctor Mu is so handsome.

"Thank you." Huaoli took the phone and smiled at the little nurse, making her so dizzy she turned bright red.

But she didn’t see that the moment she turned around, there wasn’t a trace of a smile in Huaoli’s eyes. He took out a snow-white handkerchief and carefully wiped the phone the nurse had touched, as if there were germs on it.

"This is Mu Hualili."

"You were a bit slow picking up, I thought something might’ve happened to you." The person on the other end spoke cautiously.

"I don’t like carrying these disgusting communication devices around. Their magnetic field messes with my thoughts. And I don’t like people touching my things."

The person on the other end seemed to know about Mu Hualili’s quirks and didn’t latch onto that topic.

"Is the thing we asked you to handle done?"

"It’s already taken care of."

"About your payment, our boss said he wants to wait until everything’s done before settling up with you."

"Tell your boss that if he doesn’t want to die, he has thirty minutes to transfer the money into my account." Huaoli’s voice was still as gentle as ever, but it sent a chill down one’s spine.

"But we haven’t seen any results. Last time, when we tried to find someone to get rid of Chen Xiaoqian, we paid the money and it didn’t work out, so this time—"

"My task is completed. What happens afterward is none of my concern. Please transfer the full amount to my account, not a single cent less. Yes, that’s the kind of man I am. Please don’t fall in love with me."

...

Qian drove Freshman-year Roomie and Shi Tou back to her new place. She grabbed a set of her own pajamas and stuffed them into Shi Tou’s hands. "You go shower first, you’re soaked."

Qian went to the bathroom in the small guest room, the super tacky pink one that Yu Minglang had done up, and Freshman-year Roomie tied on an apron and went into the kitchen to cook a pot of hot noodle soup.

While Shi Yu was in the shower, listening to the pattering water, her mind went blank for a moment. She realized that ever since she woke up from the coma, her brain kept spacing out like this.

Until Qian finished her shower and came over to knock on the door.

"You done yet? Come out and eat!"

"Oh, right away!" Shi Yu hurriedly changed her clothes.

By the time she came out, she could already smell the food. Freshman-year Roomie’s cooking was pretty good; in just a short while she’d made seafood noodles and two small cold dishes.

"I’ll help you bring the dishes out." Shi Tou wanted to lend a hand.

Qian pushed her back down into the chair.

"Don’t fuss, we’ve got it."

Shi Yu’s body was still weak after fainting in the rain. Qian wanted her to just sit and rest properly.

Shi Yu sat in the chair, watching Qian and Freshman-year Roomie bustling in and out, and that feeling that she didn’t quite belong surged up in her chest again.

It was like she... was being left out?

This little circle no longer had a place for her.

Freshman-year Roomie and Qian were sisters-in-law; whatever they did together flowed naturally, and they lived in the same city so they could see each other all the time. But she was going to have to leave...

It felt like there was a voice in her head saying something. She wanted to listen carefully but couldn’t make it out.

"Bring over the spicy beef sauce Mom made for Shi Tou; she likes that," Qian said, directing Freshman-year Roomie, who was closer to the fridge.

Heh, the two of them shared the same mother-in-law now, and those two words "our mom" jabbed at Shi Tou again.

"Friendship fades once it leaves the campus," Shi Yu said expressionlessly.

"Shi Touyu, what did you say?" Freshman-year Roomie looked at her in confusion. Did she mishear?

Since when did their little clown talk in such a dark, vicious tone?

Shi Touyu snapped back to herself and let out an "ah." "Did I say something?"

"Did you catch a fever from the rain?" Qian brought over the chili sauce and used her hand to test Shi Touyu’s forehead. Not hot.

"It’s nothing, let’s eat. Smells so good, I’m starving to death here." Shi Tou finally went back to normal and gave her signature grin.

"Glutton. Eat more." Qian picked food into her bowl.

The three girls sat around together just like back in college.

"This is all for you." Freshman-year Roomie shoveled all the shrimp from her own bowl into Shi Tou’s, then pushed the meatballs into Qian’s bowl. Qian moved the veggies into Freshman-year Roomie’s bowl, knowing her appetite was a bit special right now, and then stole the egg yolk out of Shi Tou’s bowl.

It was like how they used to divide up the food before eating back in school. An utterly ordinary little scene, yet right now it felt almost like something from another lifetime.

"What’s wrong, is it so bad it’s making you cry?" Qian put down her bowl.

Shi Tou reached up and touched her face, only to realize she was crying.

"My chest just feels so tight..."

The pressure at home, the humiliation of begging people for help had left Shi Tou mentally exhausted. Now, seeing her old friends again and thinking of those carefree days in school, the desolation in her heart only deepened.

That line in her head—"friendship fades once it leaves the campus"—kept circling around. An unspeakable discomfort clogged her chest. She kept feeling that voice was wrong, but her own sense of self was too faint to control it, and she was in agonizing pain.

"No matter how bad you feel, at least wait till after we eat. We’re not kids anymore, why are you still thinking like a child?" Qian pushed the chili sauce closer to Shi Tou. She had no idea what was going on in Shi Tou’s family, but she could tell something about this kid had changed.

Qian decided she’d have a proper talk with Shi Tou after they finished eating.

"Yeah, I’m childish like a little kid. You’re the great one; you can do anything. You’re always up there on your high horse, pointing fingers at the world." As soon as she finished, Shi Tou was so shocked she clapped a hand over her own mouth. How could she talk to Qian like that?

Qian stared at her blankly, and Freshman-year Roomie lost her appetite too. She glanced at Shi Tou, then at Qian.

What was going on, how did things blow up the moment they met?

"Okay, okay, the noodles are about to clump together. Whatever you’ve got to say, save it till we’re done. Qian, you eat this!" Worried they’d start fighting, Freshman-year Roomie tried hard to smooth things over.

Qian said nothing more, just picked up her bowl and ate in silence.

Shi Touyu had no appetite left either; the chaos in her head only grew worse.