Diagnosis: Friend [Rebirth] - Chapter 28.2

Chapter 28.2

Jian Wenxin pointed to a nearby chair, gesturing for Jiang Qing to sit.

“Do you have a lot of things in your dorm? If so, you should start moving today. If not, I can help you move the day after tomorrow?” Jian Wenxin placed a set of keys on the desk. “Take the keys first. I won’t be returning to the apartment today or tomorrow.”

Jiang Qing stared down at the keys. After a long silence, she looked up and said earnestly to Jian Wenxin, “Ms. Jian, you really are a wonderful person.”

At the end of last year, Jian Wenxin had rescued her from Xiaoyang Village. With nowhere to go, Jian Wenxin had taken her into her own home. It was a small apartment near the school, only fifty square meters, where Jian Wenxin usually lived alone. Jiang Qing had spent both her winter and summer breaks there.

“Ms. Jian, I am so grateful to you. I’ve troubled you for too long already; I can’t keep doing this.”

Jiang Qing knew that because of her, Jian Wenxin had frequently argued with her family and her boyfriend. Now that she had the 500,000 yuan from Zhou Xuening, she couldn’t bring herself to be a burden anymore.

Jian Wenxin countered without hesitation, “If you don’t go to my place, where will you go? Are you planning to go back to Xiaoyang Village?” She was genuinely afraid the girl would do something impulsive and return; in her thin, lonely state, she’d be devoured by that unreliable father of hers.

“I’m not going back to Xiaoyang Village,” Jiang Qing said. “I’m staying at a friend’s house. Her parents went back to their hometown for the New Year, and she’s a bit bored and scared being alone, so she invited me to stay with her.”

Jian Wenxin was skeptical. “Really?” She understood the pride of teenagers, and she knew Jiang Qing was an exceptionally precocious child who always prioritized others.

Jiang Qing exhaled, her expression serious. “Ms. Jian, I’m not someone who can’t distinguish right from wrong.”

Just like when she solved problems, Jiang Qing was cautious and diligent. Jian Wenxin patted her head. “Alright. but two young girls must be careful. Try to go out together, and call me if anything happens.”

The girl smiled, her round eyes curving slightly. “Mhm, I will.”

Putting her glasses back on, Jiang Qing walked out of the office. As she opened the door, Gu Yining, who was waiting outside, seemed startled and instinctively leaned against the wall.

As they walked downstairs, Gu Yining started talking as if it were a foregone conclusion: “We need to have our things packed by tomorrow noon. The driver will come to pick us up in the afternoon, and we’ll put the luggage in the trunk.”

Jiang Qing glanced at her. “We?”

Gu Yining pointed to herself, then to Jiang Qing. “U—s—”

Jiang Qing was puzzled. “Why would I go home with you?”

“You just said in the office that you’re spending the New Year with a friend. Isn’t that me?” Gu Yining tilted her head. “Is there someone else?”

“I’m renting a room in a hotel. The break is only a month, anyway. There is no such ‘friend’; I only said that so Ms. Jian wouldn’t worry.” Besides, Jiang Qing couldn’t explain the source of her money to the teacher.

Gu Yining asked, “Where did you get the money?”

“Your Aunt Zhou gave it to me.” Entering the cafeteria, mist clouded her lenses again. “I helped you before, and to thank me—and probably because she felt sorry for me—Aunt Zhou gave me some money.”

Most students in the cafeteria had finished eating and were heading out. Jiang Qing avoided the crowd and headed toward a less busy window. She ordered a bowl of green pepper and shredded pork over rice, swiped her card, and sat at an empty table to wait.

Soon, Gu Yining sat across from her, carrying a bowl of duck blood and vermicelli soup with pea shoots. Gu Yining leaned sideways, poking her head through the rising steam. “You can’t stay in a hotel. First, it’s unsafe. Second, you’re a minor; the front desk won’t let you stay.”

The translucent vermicelli soaked in the rich broth, the duck blood was cut into even cubes with a faint dark-red luster, and bright green pea shoots were scattered on top. The rich, savory aroma drifted across the table. How annoying, Jiang Qing thought, I shouldn’t have ordered the pork rice.

Jiang Qing looked away, toward the auntie stir-frying vigorously at the window. “Minors over sixteen with a valid ID can check into hotels.”

Gu Yining: “…”

Stirring her chopsticks in her bowl, Gu Yining said, “Jiang Qing, come home with me.”

“No,” Jiang Qing said firmly. “That’s your home, not mine. I’m not used to staying in other people’s houses; it’s uncomfortable. You lived with foster parents before; you should understand that feeling.”

Gu Yining fell silent.

The auntie’s voice called from the window: “Green pepper shredded pork rice is ready!”

Jiang Qing went to get her hot plate and returned to the table. Gu Yining muttered, “But you spent New Year’s at Ms. Jian’s house before.”

Jiang Qing replied, “That was different.”

It was indeed different. Back then, Jiang Qing had no choice; if Jian Wenxin hadn’t taken her in, she would have been on the streets. Gu Yining understood the logic, but the words still felt unsettling. Gu Yining couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of that discomfort yet.

The winter break began. Jiang Qing rented a room in a guesthouse near the city library for 800 yuan a month. The room was small—just a bedroom and a bathroom—but the neighborhood was safe with good security camera coverage.

The owner was a woman in her forties named Ms. Yu. She had thick, curly black hair with two bleached red streaks framing her face. When she was deep in thought, she would twirl those red streaks around her finger with a certain charm.

At first, Ms. Yu refused to rent for just one month. She put down her Nintendo Switch, her heavily made-up face emerging from her black hair as she glanced at Jiang Qing’s uniform. She raised an eyebrow and laughed. “A proper student?”

The girl placed her campus ID on the counter. The woman swiveled her chair, took the card, and inspected it. “Not going home for New Year, renting a room instead?”

Jiang Qing asked, “So, are you renting it or not?”

“Renting.” Ms. Yu put the card down and led the girl to see the room.

She figured the kid had fought with her parents and run away in a fit of rage, or was in a secret relationship and meeting a boyfriend her family couldn’t know about. In the latter case, the boyfriend couldn’t take her home, so he paid for her to stay nearby.

The second theory was debunked when she helped drag the suitcase upstairs. Ms. Yu, lugging the heavy bag, couldn’t help but ask, “Did you pack rocks in here?”

The girl gave an embarrassed smile and told her it was mostly books. Books? No girl brings books to a secret tryst. However, Ms. Yu remained curious and kept a close eye on the minor. She found that Jiang Qing left early every morning with her backpack and returned every evening, living with a frighteningly disciplined routine. Ms. Yu, having just pulled an all-nighter, marveled at such a strong-willed, self-disciplined child.

The first person to visit Jiang Qing wasn’t a parent or a delinquent, but another girl around the same age. In the security footage, Jiang Qing walked ahead with her backpack, while the other girl followed two meters behind. Soon, Jiang Qing reached her room and slammed the door. The other girl sat down outside the door, hugging her knees. A moment later, the door opened, and a hand pulled the girl inside.

After that, the girl visited often. Eventually, Ms. Yu learned her name was Gu Yining. The girl was cheerful and always smiling, never forgetting to sweetly call Ms. Yu “Sister” when she entered. Ms. Yu was delighted and found herself eating two extra bowls of rice for dinner.

A few days later, right after Gu Yining went upstairs, another girl snuck into the lobby looking suspicious. She looked around before locking her gaze on Ms. Yu, who was watching a drama at the front desk.

“That girl who just went up—does she live here?”

Rude kid, Ms. Yu thought, but remained polite. “That’s guest privacy. I can’t tell you.”

The next moment, the girl tossed a stack of hundred-yuan bills on the desk—no less than ten, by a conservative estimate. Ms. Yu’s eyes narrowed.

“She doesn’t live here. She’s just visiting a friend.” She even kindly showed the girl the corridor surveillance; it was indeed just two girls together.

Gu Xi asked, “No boys?” She had seen Gu Yining leaving early and returning late, sometimes not coming home at all. Having followed her to the guesthouse today, Gu Xi was nearly hyperventilating, thinking Gu Yining was in a relationship.

Ms. Yu shook her head. “No.”

Realizing the person in the video was Jiang Qing, Gu Xi’s plan to tattle to their grandmother about Gu Yining’s secret boyfriend fell through. She walked out disappointed, but didn’t forget to warn: “Don’t tell her I was here!”

Ms. Yu counted the money, giving a perfunctory “Mhm.”

As the New Year approached, the cold intensified. Trees along the streets were draped in fairy lights, red lanterns hung high, and the thick atmosphere of the Spring Festival filled the alleys as crowds bustled about. Gu Yining bought couplets and window paper; with Ms. Yu’s permission, she and Jiang Qing happily decorated the door and window of the room. One day, she brought over a potted calamondin orange tree and placed it on the windowsill next to the “Juice Balcony” rose. The small branches were heavy with orange fruit. Jiang Qing picked one to taste; it was very sweet.

On a day with a cold sun, Jiang Qing woke up early because she had forgotten to close the curtains. The air was filled with the scent of oranges and a rich floral fragrance. She looked up; the “Juice Balcony” had bloomed, its delicate petals stained a vibrant orange-yellow.

Jiang Qing got up to wash, intending to walk in the nearby park for some fresh air. The square-dancing grandmas had already set up their speakers and were doing morning exercises in the biting wind. Passing the edge of the square, Jiang Qing marveled at their incredible physical stamina.

As the morning went on, the temperature rose slightly. Jiang Qing walked aimlessly, turning past a bamboo grove where a nearby stream gurgled. Her gaze faltered for a second; she blinked and looked away, walking past a public bamboo bench.

The girl on the bench snickered, her cold eyes fixed on the fresh paint on the ground. As Jiang Qing’s shadow passed her feet, she called out abruptly: “Jiang Qing.”

Jiang Qing had to stop. She turned with a professional smile. “Good morning, Classmate Tan.”

The weather was still freezing. Jiang Qing wore a knee-length black down jacket, yet the wind down her neck still made her shiver. In contrast, Tan Baozhu was wearing a Japanese-style uniform: a calf-length black pleated skirt, a shirt, and a blazer.

Jiang Qing couldn’t help but shiver just looking at her. She tucked her hands in her pockets and looked around. “I have things to do. I’m leaving.”

“Jiang Qing.” Tan Baozhu sat with her legs crossed, left elbow on her knee, chin in her hand. Her expression suddenly turned sentimental. “Do you… hate me a lot?”

Beneath her thick, straight bangs were huge eyes. The girl wore heavy makeup—her foundation was white, far too white for a normal person. Combined with her gloomy aura, she looked like a ghost from a distance. The “ghost” now had shimmering eyes, looking quite pitiful.

Jiang Qing paused. “That phone call in the woods before—you did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Tan Baozhu rested her chin in her hand and shook her head. “I was just worried about you. There are many bad people there. I wanted you to come back.”

Jiang Qing watched her quietly.

Tan Baozhu raised her right hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t know it would lead to Gu Yining getting hurt.”

As she raised her arm, the sleeve of her blazer slid down, revealing a forearm covered in blue and purple bruises. Jiang Qing froze. “Your… your arm?”

Tan Baozhu lowered her eyes and laughed indifferently. “It’s nothing. My dad did it.” She gave a cheerful laugh as if she’d heard a great joke, her eyes curving into crescents. “He wanted to hit me again this morning, but luckily I ran fast.”

Though the sun was bright, Jiang Qing felt a weight in her chest. She took a deep breath. “Do you want me to help you call the police?”

The girl looked up as if she struggled to understand the sentence. After a moment, she shook her head vigorously. “No, no! Don’t ruin me.”

“Will he hit you even harder if I report it?”

“Not really,” Tan Baozhu shrugged, as if reminiscing. “He’ll stop giving me allowance. Last time I called the police, he cut it off. Tens of thousands! It made me have to eat in the school cafeteria for that entire week.”

Jiang Qing was confused. “You’d rather be beaten than lose your allowance? What do you do that makes you need so much money?” Besides, eating in the school cafeteria wasn’t exactly a tragedy.

Tan Baozhu rested her chin in both hands and answered with mock-grandeur: “To eat, drink, and be merry.”

Jiang Qing: “…” This person is completely unreasonable.