Chapter 8: The Eighth Day of Wearing the Book – I Will Always Remember Him

Yun Shuning stared at the person lying on the ground. For the first time since coming to this world, a look of surprise and disbelief appeared on her face.

Was Yu Cheng really fainting, or was he faking it?

At this moment, she suddenly remembered how the original novel described Yu Cheng:

“In the deep winter weather, snowflakes fluttered down. Yu Cheng, wearing only a single layer of clothing, gazed at Lin Wan’s retreating figure in despair. From a distance, he looked like a child who had lost his beloved doll. A gust of cold wind passed by, and he smiled before collapsing into the snow, as if returning to his mother’s embrace.”

Although the scene seemed tragic, he merely had stomach problems, and then his assistant rushed him to the hospital. This event marked the beginning of his descent into darkness.

At this point in time, this had yet to happen. His relationship with Lin Wan should still be fine, otherwise, he wouldn’t have come here to vent on her behalf.

However, even though this hadn’t occurred yet, it was a fact that Yu Cheng’s health wasn’t good.

In fact, in some ways, their situations were a bit similar right now.

Since there were security cameras in the hallway, she hid these thoughts behind her calm expression and resisted the urge to kick him while he was down.

She lowered her head, glanced at her wrist, which had turned red from being squeezed, then glanced over at Yu Cheng, who was unconscious, and let out a barely audible sigh.

After he fell, she realized just how frail his body was. As a man, he didn’t seem much heavier than she did now. His clothes were pitifully thin, and despite that, his body was covered in sweat from the pain and weakness.

She didn’t pity him. Compared to him, she was clearly in a worse state.

The pain in her stomach had become more intense, and she shakily took out her phone and dialed 120.

…

“Miss, could you please pay the fee first?” The nurse quickly called out as Yun Shuning turned to leave.

“You misunderstand, we don’t know each other.” Yun Shuning was in better condition than Yu Cheng, so the doctor sent him to the emergency room first, and she could directly go to the relevant department for registration.

Hearing the nurse’s words, she suppressed the pain in her body and replied calmly, “You can contact his family through his phone.”

“We’ve already tried, but the patient didn’t bring his phone with him.” The nurse was almost crying, “His condition requires urgent treatment!”

Yun Shuning closed her eyes, hiding the helplessness in her gaze. She didn’t know if Yu Cheng would be grateful, but…

She couldn’t just turn a blind eye to the situation and walk away.

“Where do I pay the fee?” Her face remained expressionless, and her voice was calm.

After paying, Yun Shuning glanced at her bank card’s dangerously low balance, her face blank, as she went to the department where she needed treatment.

When she got home, she casually hung the medication from the hospital by the entrance, ate some light food to settle her stomach, and now her stomach pain had eased significantly.

But her wallet was in bad shape.

The original owner’s bank card still had about fifty thousand left, which sounded like a decent amount. However, in the expensive city of Kyoto, it wouldn’t last long.

The more tragic thing was, after paying Yu Cheng’s bill, she had told the nurse that if Yu Cheng woke up, he didn’t need to repay her. If he felt bad about it, he could donate the money to a charity.

And based on Yu Cheng’s way of thinking, he probably wouldn’t appreciate her gesture. He might even think she was meddling.

Yun Shuning sat on the sofa with a look of disdain, having just dealt with the male protagonist, and now there was a male supporting character to deal with.

When would these days end?

She was really bad at communicating with people who were as willful and self-centered as Yu Cheng. He was someone she really couldn’t handle.

But just because she couldn’t handle him didn’t mean others couldn’t.

She lowered her head and looked at the red mark on her right wrist, where it had been squeezed. The mark had faded a little. If it continued like this, it should be almost healed by tomorrow.

Yun Shuning expressionlessly placed her left hand over it and applied slight pressure.

Early the next morning, she got herself ready and went to He Yan’s villa.

Li Shuhua was already fifty-three years old, and for the past couple of years, she had been cleaning this villa.

Yesterday, He Chen had come to the apartment and specifically instructed her on many things. This morning, she came to the villa.

“Miss Yun, you’re here.” Li Shuhua smiled and greeted her when she saw her at the door. However, upon seeing Yun Shuning, her expression turned serious and worried. “Why are you dressed so lightly? It’s so cold today.”

Yun Shuning was wearing a black coat, which made her face look even more pale. Her lips had no color, and she looked like she was made of snow.

“I’m fine.” She barely managed to pull her lips into a smile, as if using all her strength just to produce the faintest of expressions. “Thank you for your concern.”

“How are you fine?” Li Shuhua frowned and took her hand. “Oh my, you’re freezing! You’re like an ice block.”

Yun Shuning only felt her hands enveloped in warmth, and it felt as though her heart was warmed too.

She wanted to pull her hand back, her voice trembling slightly, as though she wasn’t used to such direct care. “I’m used to it.”

Li Shuhua gently tightened her grip, not allowing her to pull away so easily. As she did, the sleeve of Yun Shuning’s sweater rose, revealing a circle of red bruises.

“What happened to your hand?” Her voice was full of obvious anger. “Did someone hurt you?”

Yun Shuning calmly pulled her hand back and lightly replied, “I bumped into something. It will be fine in a couple of days.”

Li Shuhua took a deep breath, wanting to say more, but was interrupted by Yun Shuning:

“Can I go to He Yan’s room now?” Her voice sounded a little hoarse, and her eyes showed both anticipation and hesitation. Anyone who saw her like this would find it hard to refuse.

“Please follow me.” Li Shuhua sighed and spoke.

After seeing Yun Shuning enter the room, she quickly dialed He Chen’s number:

“Young Master He, Miss Yun really seems to be suffering. It’s so cold today in Kyoto, and she’s only wearing that thin coat. I’m wearing more than she is, and my daughter is at the age where she’s just like this. Every time I see her, I can’t help but think of my own daughter.”

“Miss Yun’s face is so pale, and she’s so thin. It’s obvious she hasn’t been eating properly…” Li Shuhua rambled, her voice filled with concern.

He Chen stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, listening to the voice on the phone. He closed his eyes tiredly, feeling helpless.

If Yun Shuning had been taking revenge for her uncle all this time, then the evidence he showed her a few days ago, proving his innocence, would have been a huge blow to her.

If a person loses all hope for the future, how is that different from being a walking corpse?

“By the way, Miss Yun has a bruise on her wrist. It’s clearly from someone gripping it too hard, but she didn’t say anything just now…”

Hearing Li Shuhua’s words, He Chen opened his eyes, and in an instant, his gaze became sharp. “Aunt Li, you don’t need to worry about this. I will get to the bottom of it.”

After hanging up the phone, he glanced out of the floor-to-ceiling window, his expression serious as he dialed another person’s number.

Li Shuhua looked at the closed bedroom door, sighed, and turned to the living room to continue cleaning.

By noon, after preparing the meal, she returned to the bedroom door and gently knocked.

“Miss Yun, it’s already noon. You can eat first and then continue your work.”

She waited for ten seconds, but there was still no sound from inside. She was about to raise her hand to knock again when the door opened.

Yun Shuning had already taken off her woolen coat. She was wearing a sweater that was supposed to be fitted, but due to her frail body, it looked slightly loose on her.

When the door opened, Li Shuhua could still see a trace of tenderness and sorrow on her face. However, upon seeing Li Shuhua, her expression reverted to calmness—an unsettling calmness, as though she wasn’t quite human.

“Miss Yun…” Li Shuhua opened her mouth, and for the first time, she, who was usually eloquent, didn’t know what to say to comfort her.

“Just call me Shuning.” Yun Shuning always maintained basic courtesy, no matter who she was speaking to.

“Then I’ll call you Shuning.” Li Shuhua took a deep breath and smiled as she gently took her hand. Despite the room being a comfortable 27 degrees Celsius, her hand remained cold.

She turned her head, awkwardly wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye, and smiled again, “My last name is Li, just call me Aunt Li.”

“Aunt Li.” Yun Shuning looked at her and spoke seriously, and it was only at this moment that she seemed more like a real person.

Li Shuhua looked at her and nodded vigorously. “Let’s eat something first. You’re too thin, Shuning.”

The table was set with four dishes and a soup, all steaming hot.

Yun Shuning sat down, keeping her head lowered, occasionally poking at a bite of rice. She didn’t look like she was eating; it was more like she was enduring some sort of punishment.

“Eat more. Try Aunt Li’s cooking, see if it suits your taste.”

“It’s very good.” She took a bite of a dish without cilantro and spoke in a low voice.

Li Shuhua watched her eat with little enthusiasm and sighed softly. “My husband passed away three years ago, and I was in a similar state to you back then.”

She put down her chopsticks, her eyes full of nostalgia. “We had spent half of our lives bickering. Just when our children grew up and it was time for him to enjoy life, he fell ill with cancer.”

Yun Shuning, hearing her words, put down her chopsticks in helplessness, not knowing how to console her.

Li Shuhua gave her a glance and smiled in a way that seemed to relieve her sorrow. “Seeing you now, I suddenly remembered how I felt back then.”

“When he just passed away, everything reminded me of him—the bowl we ate from, the broken radio he fixed, sometimes even looking at the stars outside, I wondered if one of them was him.”

“But later, my granddaughter was born. She never met him and won’t remember him. That’s when I realized that only a few people will remember him. Over time, fewer and fewer people will remember him.”

“In a few years, many may forget what he looked like. A few years later, will anyone even remember his name?”

Yun Shuning listened to her words, and tears fell like pearls slipping off a broken string.

She felt sorrow not only for Aunt Li but also for He Yan, and… for herself.

After He Chen took over the He family, He Yan had never appeared in the book again. How many people would be left in this world to remember him?

As for her, an orphan with no parents, no friends in this world, who would remember her in a few years?

“So, I want to live a bit longer, so his presence in this world will leave more of a mark.” Li Shuhua walked to her side, smiled, and hugged her. “So, Shuning, you must take good care of yourself.”

“Thank you.” Yun Shuning held back her tears and spoke with a choked voice. “I will live well, and I will always remember him.”

She needed an opportunity to change her attitude toward life, and this was the perfect moment.

She looked seriously at the person standing beside her; this kindness was truly precious to her.

“Let’s eat.” Li Shuhua spoke gently.

Yun Shuning stayed in the villa the whole day, only returning to her apartment in the evening.

As soon as she turned on the living room lights, her phone buzzed with a notification. She took out her phone in confusion:

“Dear, tomorrow’s the rent payment day. It’s the same as usual, pay for three months of rent at once. Don’t forget to transfer it. Love you.” — from the landlord.

Yun Shuning stared in despair at her phone. This was really like adding insult to injury.

The monthly rent was 7,500, so three months would be — 22,500!!!

Almost half of her balance was gone.

Now, it didn’t matter what the male and female leads were doing, or the male and female supporting characters. In this world, what could be more terrifying than poverty?