Ch. 19
Chapter 19: The Aggrieved Ye Yuyou
Ye Yuyou walked out of the alley, about to return to the dessert shop to buy two more cakes, when a familiar voice stopped her.
“Ye Yuyou, is there something wrong with your head?”
Shen Yi’an leaned against the white tiled wall, arms crossed, her tone cold.
“An’an~”
The chill on Ye Yuyou’s face melted instantly as she moved in to hug her.
“Answer my question.”
Shen Yi’an pressed a finger against Ye Yuyou’s forehead, stopping her.
Hearing this, Ye Yuyou shrank slightly like a child who had done something wrong, her voice filled with guilt.
“I didn’t mean to hurt Xiaoxiao… An’an, can you forgive me~?”
“Are you an apology machine?” Shen Yi’an said expressionlessly.
She had lost count of how many times she had heard the word “forgive” from Ye Yuyou.
“No~ I’m An’an’s most loving little sweetheart~”
Ye Yuyou clung to her arm.
“An’an~ let’s go to the dessert shop, okay? They have your favorite strawberry flavor~”
“I already ate. Go by yourself.”
Shen Yi’an pulled her hand away and turned to leave.
At that moment, Ye Yuyou grabbed the hem of her clothes, her voice soft and pitiful.
“An’an~ can you stay with me for a while? Please~”
“You’re not a child.” Shen Yi’an didn’t budge.
Hearing that, Ye Yuyou slowly let go, her expression dimming.
“Then… I’ll drive you home. My car is parked nearby—it’s very close!” she said hurriedly, afraid that if she spoke a second later, Shen Yi’an would disappear.
“No need. A taxi is just as convenient.”
Shen Yi’an had already walked some distance away.
Under the dim sky, light rain began to fall.
Ye Yuyou’s voice was soft, trembling slightly—
“Okay then… goodbye, An’an~”
Ye Yuyou was afraid that if she kept pestering An’an, she would only make her more annoyed. So she didn’t try to stop her again, turning away with a heavy heart.
Shen Yi’an hadn’t walked far before she stopped.
After a brief hesitation, she turned around to look at that lonely figure, thinking… maybe she should go back and keep her company after all.
But Ye Yuyou didn’t stop at the dessert shop.
She only picked up the rain-soaked cake packaging from the ground, then walked absentmindedly toward the silver supercar parked by the tree.
Standing at the entrance of the dessert shop, Shen Yi’an paused. She watched as Ye Yuyou got into the driver’s seat, then glanced at the ruined cake on the ground.
In the end, she didn’t go after her.
Forget it… since she had already made her choice, then so be it.
The silver supercar pulled out of the parking spot. As the front of the car turned, Shen Yi’an seemed to catch a glimpse—through the slowly rising window—of tears glistening at the corner of Ye Yuyou’s eyes.
Her emotions tangled into a knot.
Was she being too cruel?
Ye Yuyou hadn’t really wronged her.
In her previous life, her decision to end everything had stemmed from her own fragility—not because of Ye Yuyou.
And yet… in those final days, she had felt wronged.
Wronged that she was left alone.
Resentful that she had been abandoned.
Now, given another chance, Ye Yuyou seemed to genuinely want to make up for everything.
But Shen Yi’an was afraid.
Afraid of repeating the past.
Afraid of losing herself again in the softness of love.
Afraid of becoming weak all over again.
“Heh… live in the present… Shen Yi’an, have you even done that yourself?”
She let out a self-mocking laugh, allowing the rain to soak her completely. Hands in her pockets, she walked toward home.
…
By the time Shen Yi’an returned, her entire body was drenched, water dripping from her clothes.
She took off her soaked outfit, wrung it out in the bathroom, and placed it into a basin.
She didn’t rush to shower.
Enduring the lingering chill, Shen Yi’an reached for the medicine bag on the table and took out a box of pills.
On the way back, her emotions had felt unstable. To be safe, it was better to take something in advance.
After swallowing the medication, she sat on the floor, leaning against the corner of the sofa, calming herself for a long while. Only when the restlessness had mostly subsided did she slowly stand and head to the bathroom.
After her shower, she changed into simple clothes and sat back down on the sofa.
She felt exhausted.
Didn’t want to cook.
Didn’t want to do laundry.
Just wanted to lie there… quietly.
The noon sky was dim and heavy. Outside, the storm raged—howling winds, pouring rain, thunder crashing.
The windows rattled violently.
In the darkened living room, drowsiness gradually overtook Shen Yi’an.
…
She fell into a dream.
A painfully vivid dream.
He was curled up in a dark corner, crying. His body was covered in wounds, blood flowing from the corner of his left eye. The ground was littered with shattered glass and empty bottles.
“Why are you crying?! It’s so damn annoying! I took you in so you could make money for me—not so you could spend mine!”
A drunken man sprawled on the sofa roared angrily.
Then, without hesitation, he grabbed an empty bottle and hurled it at him.
He tried to dodge—
But his malnourished body didn’t even have the strength to stand.
Bang.
The bottle smashed against his bandaged head.
The scene shattered.
Fragments of pain exploded around Shen Yi’an.
Within each fragment were familiar faces—twisted, grotesque, suffocating.
She shut her eyes, refusing to look.
But those distorted, terrifying faces forced their way into her mind.
“Don’t… don’t come closer!”
Shen Yi’an struggled in the darkness.
But the moment she forced her eyes open—
What she saw was even more terrifying.
In the corner, a woman was curled up.
Her face was pale, her wrist bleeding, pills scattered all over the floor.
The curtains blocked out all light. The room was deathly silent, filled with the metallic scent of blood mixed with medicine.
Shen Yi’an stared at her in panic.
The woman slowly raised her head.
That cold, familiar face was streaked with tears. Her hollow eyes were like an abyss, as if they could swallow Shen Yi’an whole.
Her pupils trembled.
Her body instinctively recoiled backward.
That woman…
Familiar, yet strange.
Because that person—
Was herself.
The dim room gradually bled into crimson.
The lifeless woman began to move, slowly crawling toward her.
Bloody hands reached out, touching her—
“You… who are you?”
Her breathing grew rapid.
Her heart pounded violently.
—
Shen Yi’an jolted awake.
The world snapped back to its dim, gray tones.
She gasped for air, trying to shake off the horrifying images lingering in her mind.
Thunder roared outside. Rain hammered against the windows.
Slowly, she sat up on the sofa, leaning forward, covering her face as she tried to steady herself.
“…Was that a dream…?”
She couldn’t calm down for a long time.
It had felt too real.
More than a nightmare… it felt like reliving something buried deep in her past.
It hurt.
Deeply.
Shen Yi’an stood up, intending to wash her face—
When suddenly, the doorbell rang.