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Chapter 31
◎Crazy!◎
Yu Ran took less than a second to react, then rushed to the window. Outside, it was pitch black, and below was the garden, the lawn, the pool… but she couldn’t see where it had been thrown.
Without thinking, she rushed downstairs.
She didn’t care how old or worn out the so-called MP3 was; she only knew that it was something very important to Shen Suhui—it represented her entire youth.
Yes, besides Jiang Shiluo, there was no one else in Shen Suhui’s youth, and probably the only thing that could accompany her was this MP3.
Yu Ran turned on the lights in the backyard, and in an instant, the dark night was illuminated. Yu Ran bent down and began searching step by step.
Du Qiuyan followed out, seeing how much Yu Ran cared, feeling a mix of grief and rage.
“Crazy!” she screamed hysterically, “Yu Ran, you’re crazy!!!”
Yu Ran remained expressionless as she walked forward, not knowing that the girl she had once deeply liked when they were young had turned into this, into someone she now despised.
Although the weather had warmed up, the temperature at night was still not to be underestimated. Plus, spring was a peak season for illnesses, and tonight the wind was chilly. Yu Ran had just taken a shower and couldn’t afford to be exposed to the cold for too long.
After searching the entire garden and still not finding the MP3, Du Qiuyan came over with a coat and draped it over Yu Ran.
“Stop looking, it’s just this thing. If it’s that important, I’ll buy a new one for you.”
“Don’t touch me!”
Yu Ran threw the coat Du Qiuyan had given her aside, “Don’t bother me. I don’t want to see you.”
“Xiao Ran…”
“Go away!”
Du Qiuyan was stunned by the shout; it was the first time Yu Ran had ever used that word with her.
“Du Qiuyan, what do you want? You were the one who insisted on ending this relationship. I didn’t give up easily, and I didn’t beg you, but what are you doing now? Why won’t you leave me alone!”
Her eyes turned red when she got angry, a sight Du Qiuyan rarely saw.
“Why is it that when you want to leave, you can just leave, and when you want to come back, you can come back? What do you think I am? A lowly person? Do you think you can summon me at will and cast me aside just as easily?”
“Xiao Ran, I’m not…” Du Qiuyan said anxiously, “I just realized I was wrong. I never saw you as someone lowly…”
“Enough, stop talking. Please leave my house.”
Du Qiuyan didn’t leave, staring at her in silence, her eyes full of pain and longing.
Yu Ran ignored her, instead removing her coat and shoes, and walked to the pool to search for the MP3.
She didn’t have to go to such lengths; she could have drained the pool with a single word, but Yu Ran wanted Du Qiuyan to see that her love for someone was all-encompassing—love for the person and for their belongings.
Yu Ran submerged to the bottom of the pool, and when Du Qiuyan saw her like this, she began to cry—both out of heartache and resentment.
“Yu Ran, come out, I was wrong, I really was wrong…”
“I won’t throw things carelessly next time. Please forgive me this time. Okay?”
“Yu Ran, Yu Ran…”
“Crazy, crazy!”
She walked along the pool, eventually deciding to take a chance and jump in herself.
The water in the pool was warm, but the night air made it feel chilling. Du Qiuyan, as soon as she jumped in, cramped up from the cold, slipping into the pool and struggling.
“Stop pretending, you can swim just fine!”
Yu Ran found the MP3, but it was too old and had taken in too much water, so it wouldn’t turn on anymore.
Du Qiuyan was a good actress. At first, Yu Ran didn’t care, but when she realized something was wrong, she wrapped her arm around Du Qiuyan’s waist, helping her to the shore. Du Qiuyan clung to her neck like a lifeline.
Yu Ran remained cold-faced, letting her get a little closer, but once they reached the shore, she ruthlessly pried her hands off and threw her onto the ground.
“Xiao Ran~”
Both of them were drenched, looking miserable. The cold night wind blew, and Du Qiuyan’s teeth chattered. Yu Ran threw the coat Du Qiuyan had brought to her and, without a word, clutched the MP3 and walked away.
There was no sympathy, not even the slightest sign of pity.
Du Qiuyan crawled on the ground, trembling as she cried. She felt her heart colder than iron.
Yu Ran went back to her room, first wiping the water off with a tissue, then using a blow dryer for a while, and finally placing the MP3 into a rice bag—this was the most common way to handle it.
By the time she was done, it was already late. She walked to the window and saw Du Qiuyan still kneeling outside.
“What are you doing?” Yu Ran walked up to her, coldly speaking, “Is this some kind of dramatic trick you learned from movies?”
“I just don’t understand…” Du Qiuyan slowly looked up, tears streaming down her face. “How did we end up like this?”
Yu Ran looked down at her, as cold as an observer.
“How did we end up like this? Don’t you understand in your heart?”
“Du Qiuyan, you’re just a selfish woman. You can’t let go of things, but you can’t truly hold onto them either. No matter what you get, you’ll never be satisfied.”
“I’ve changed, Xiao Ran, I really have changed…” Du Qiuyan looked up and took Yu Ran’s hand. “Give me one more chance, please?”
“You should know the saying ‘spilled water cannot be recovered,’ right?” Yu Ran pulled her hand away. “Du Qiuyan, not everything can be undone.”
“…”
These words seemed to be the last straw that broke Du Qiuyan. She instantly lost control and began crying with her head down.
“Qiuyan.”
“…”
In her most sorrowful moment, Du Qiuyan heard this familiar address after such a long time.
Yu Ran said, “Get up.”
“…”
Those two words brightened her mood. Now, Du Qiuyan was so easily satisfied. She smiled and reached out to grab the corner of Yu Ran’s shirt, but Yu Ran turned away and left first.
It was like being close yet distant, like a dream.
It seemed that Yu Ran’s once passionate love for her was just a dream.
But Du Qiuyan was not discouraged. Instead, she threw her head back and laughed because of those two words she had longed to hear.
She wouldn’t give up. She would definitely bring Yu Ran back to her side.
——
The next day, Yu Ran indeed had a fever. There was no surgery today, so she asked her superior for leave, and before she knew it, she had slept until after 3 p.m.
If it hadn’t been for Zhong Wanli coming upstairs to tell Yu Ran that Jiang Shiluo had arrived, she might have kept sleeping.
Yu Ran went downstairs to meet her. Her hair and clothes were a mess, and she looked disheveled. When Jiang Shiluo saw her coming down, she immediately stood up, looking a bit anxious, creating an awkward atmosphere.
“Are you… feeling unwell?”
“Yeah, I caught a cold last night. Would you like something to drink?”
“Just plain water.”
Yu Ran was about to pour her some water, but Jiang Shiluo stood up. “I’ll do it myself.”
Yu Ran didn’t argue. She felt weak, covered in cold sweat, and her throat was hoarse from the fever.
“Did you come to talk to me about something?”
“…”
Jiang Shiluo sat across from her, silent.
Yu Ran suddenly smiled and took a sip of the hot water she had just poured.
“Something’s off. Is it because of Shen Suhui?”
The password was correct. Jiang Shiluo looked at Yu Ran with anticipation in her eyes.
“Impossible!” Yu Ran said bluntly. “I can’t just hand her over to you.”
“Yu Ran, I know you’ve always been accommodating to me since we were little. Please, just let me have her this one last time, okay?”
Yu Ran looked at her calmly. “Haven’t I already given you enough?”
“…”
“Jiang Shiluo, I can give you anything, but not Shen Suhui.”
“…”
Jiang Shiluo took a long time to respond, and after a prolonged silence, she finally spoke in a small voice. “But I only want Shen Suhui.”
“I really… really like her.”
“Then why give me this chance?” Yu Ran asked. “If she truly belongs to you, shouldn’t you have been together already? You had so many chances before.”
“That’s because the time wasn’t right.”
Yu Ran shook her head. “No, Jiang Shiluo, you don’t understand her at all. No matter how many years you spend by her side, you will never truly enter her heart.”
“… What?”
“She likes rainy days but also dislikes them sometimes. She likes sunny days but can also dislike the sunshine. She likes cats, butterflies, and green leaves. She looks obedient and understanding, like a typical good girl raised by Chinese parents, but in private, she likes all kinds of things that are sharp, enjoys wild beauty, and craves pain and freedom.”
“When she’s upset, she doesn’t want anyone to disturb her. She likes to cry alone, and when she feels stifled, she’ll sit in the park alone and listen to music, sometimes sitting there for the whole day.”
“If she wants to space out, just let her space out. Don’t disturb her. If she’s crying, you don’t have to comfort her, just hold her or quietly stay by her side.”
“If she’s on the edge of breaking down and even yells at you, don’t get impatient or angry. Be patient, give her the space to process things herself, and know when to step back and when to move forward.”
Yu Ran said each word slowly, “Because the pain from her family is very deep, being with Shen Suhui is a long-term battle. You have to be patient, you can’t get angry with her, and most importantly, you cannot deny her. If you do just once, it might cause her a lifetime of pain, even if she doesn’t say anything on the surface, she will remember it deeply in her heart.”
“There is so much more to Shen Suhui, and the process of truly entering her world is still very long, maybe even a lifetime to complete.”
Until now, Yu Ran knew Shen Suhui still had many things hidden from her. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to know, but maybe Shen Suhui didn’t feel secure yet and didn’t fully trust their relationship.
That’s why Yu Ran said to be patient. She always felt that time was on their side, and she would have a lifetime to understand her.
“So, you’ve decided to be with her properly, right?”
“Yes.”
“But you loved Du Qiuyan so much before, and Shen Suhui, from the beginning until the end, only had you…”
“… What?”
“Yu Ran, I think you don’t deserve her.”
“…”
This was almost the first time Jiang Shiluo had said something like this to her, but Yu Ran didn’t blame her. She knew Jiang Shiluo was speaking from Shen Suhui’s perspective.
Jiang Shiluo left in a daze, and Yu Ran collapsed into a chair, feeling weak and unable to speak from the fever.
Her phone had been vibrating in her pocket all day. After sleeping, Yu Ran finally saw the many messages Shen Suhui had sent her.
She also called her several times in between.
Just as Yu Ran was about to reply, Shen Suhui called again with a voice message.
“Why are you only picking up now! You scared me to death!” Shen Suhui was almost crying from worry. “I’m outside your house.”
Yu Ran didn’t dare to waste time, quickly grabbed some clothes and went out. Shen Suhui was hiding under a tree outside the villa, peering out, looking for her.
“Yu Ran.”
Before Yu Ran could respond, Shen Suhui rushed into her arms and tightly embraced her.