Diagnosis: Friend [Rebirth] - Chapter 30.2

Chapter 30.2

Since Jiang Qing was a literal walking fortune, Ms. Yu hurried to meet her. “Xiao Qing, what’s with all these bags? Come on, let me help you carry them up.”

“Thanks, Sister. It’s just some food and daily necessities. I was afraid the local shops might close for the New Year, so I went to the supermarket to stock up.”

The items were heavy; the plastic bags had left deep red marks across Jiang Qing’s palms. Ms. Yu looked at them, her face showing genuine pity. “You… you bought all this at the supermarket, why didn’t you use a trolley to wheel it back? It would have saved you so much effort and kept you from getting so exhausted.”

The Xuemei Guesthouse only had stairs. Ms. Yu and Jiang Qing each took one handle of the heavy plastic bag. Jiang Qing said, “There were too many people, and there are a lot of steps on the way back. A trolley would be hard to manage; carrying them is actually more convenient.”

A guest came down the stairs, and Ms. Yu stepped aside to let them pass. She asked Jiang Qing, “Why buy so much food anyway? Even if the street shops close, your Sister Yu’s kitchen is open! I’m staying here for the New Year anyway. You should come down and keep this middle-aged woman company for a meal!”

Jiang Qing smiled softly, carrying the bag into the corridor. At her room, she took out her key, and together they hauled the haul inside. The items weren’t excessively heavy, but the thin plastic was murder on the hands.

Ms. Yu rubbed her reddened palms and caught sight of the calamondin tree on the windowsill. “Didn’t that get smashed? I thought you threw it out.” She stepped closer to inspect it. The tree had been repotted. Many fruits had fallen off—it didn’t have that gold-laden look it had when Gu Yining first brought it—but the leaves were doing alright.

“It’s growing fine. It would be a waste to throw it out. I just had to buy a new pot to replant it.”

Jiang Qing bent over to rummage through her bags. After a moment, she handed a small bag of grapes to Ms. Yu. “Sister, thanks for helping me bring these up. These are grapes I just bought this morning. Try them and see if they’re sweet.”

“You child, it was just a small favor.” Unable to resist the girl’s persistence, Ms. Yu took the grapes. Remembering the two extra sources of income Jiang Qing had indirectly provided, she felt a twinge of guilt. “I’m cooking dinner myself tonight. Don’t eat out; come down and eat here. Try my cooking!”

Jiang Qing nodded and agreed.

After seeing Ms. Yu out, Jiang Qing went back to the table to organize her things. There were many miscellaneous items, and the space in the guesthouse was tiny, so she had to carefully plan where everything went. By the time she finished, a thin layer of sweat had broken out on her face. She sprawled out on the bed, looking sideways at the windowsill.

The petals of the “Juice Balcony” rose were starting to fade, turning from orange-yellow to pink; they would likely wither in a few days. The calamondin tree next to it seemed more resilient—at least the remaining little oranges showed no sign of falling.

Looking at the newly replaced pot, she couldn’t help but think that she and Gu Yining hadn’t seen each other for several days. It’s for the best, she thought. Both of us can cool down and retreat back to a safe distance.

Jiang Qing didn’t want to overthink Gu Yining, but every time a thought of her flickered, her mind would spiral endlessly around the girl. Jiang Qing shook her head forcefully and struggled to get up from the bed. She couldn’t indulge herself, so she chose to take a shower.

She felt much better after the shower; the Gu Yining matter was pushed to the back of her mind. Jiang Qing sat on a small stool, crouching like one of those stone lions in front of a wealthy estate, chatting with Yang Lei while eating potato chips.

Yang Lei: “Jiang Qing, you have no idea. My sister and I have been cleaning all day. From morning till night, I’m literally dying (crying emoji)” Followed by a photo of cleaning supplies.

Her fingers moved quickly across the screen as she replied: “Pat pat, you’ve worked hard.”

The two chatted idly about everything under the sun until the topic shifted to a certain celebrity. Yang Lei suddenly asked if Jiang Qing wanted to see a movie. Jiang Qing wasn’t actually that interested in movies, but she had spent too much time in her room lately and wanted to get out and talk to someone. They hit it off immediately and agreed to meet at a certain cinema.

Yang Lei chose the movie—a well-reviewed mystery film, 150 minutes long. Since tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, there were few people at the cinema, and the movie wasn’t a commercial blockbuster, so the two of them ended up having the entire theater to themselves.

There was no sound of crunching popcorn, no crying children, no couples being affectionate, and no “repeat viewers” spoiling the plot. It was an excellent viewing experience—cathartic and immersive.

Two and a half hours later, near 9:00 PM, they exited the theater and spent some time at the claw machine outside. Tonight, Yang Lei’s luck was explosive; she managed to catch two dolls—a Pink Panther and a soft rabbit plushie.

Yang Lei crouched to retrieve the rabbit, holding the Pink Panther in one hand and smiling up at Jiang Qing. “Which one do you want?”

Jiang Qing tilted her head and laughed softly. “How about… we try for one more? That way your sister can have one when you go back.”

Yang Lei stood up with the plushies, looking at the dolls behind the glass. “She doesn’t like this stuff. She thinks it’s childish, and I don’t really want to give her one anyway.” Despite her words, she obediently slotted two coins into the machine. The music started, and she gripped the joystick, moving it left and right.

After several failed attempts, Yang Lei looked at Jiang Qing. “Why don’t you try?”

Jiang Qing had tried a few times earlier, but the claw was weak and the dolls didn’t budge. This time, she took the stick, mimicked Yang Lei’s shaking motion to get the claw swinging, aimed at a small duck, and pressed the button.

The claw dropped and rose—she actually caught it! Just a second before the claw was set to release, the little duck slipped out and landed perfectly in the exit chute via a parabolic path. Yang Lei was even more excited than she was, jumping up to hug Jiang Qing.

After the brief contact, Yang Lei crouched to get the duck. But Jiang Qing’s gaze froze.

Not far behind Yang Lei, at the cinema exit, a girl stood with her hands in her pockets, seemingly waiting for someone. Perhaps out of boredom, the girl looked at the ceiling, then at the floor tiles, before finally looking up and meeting Jiang Qing’s eyes.

Gu Xi froze for a moment. Seeing Jiang Qing give her a slight smile and a nod, she blinked and nodded back in greeting. A moment later, Jiang Qing led her friend away from the cinema.

Gu Xi looked at her watch and turned around impatiently, screaming internally: What kind of massive dump is Gu Yining taking that it’s taking this long?!

Gu Yining, who should have been coming out of the public restroom, had long since circled behind Gu Xi. She was currently hiding behind a large tree trunk in an undignified manner, using the massive girth of the tree to conceal herself like she was involved in some shady business. Her two exposed eyes were fixed on the two girls walking toward the mall exit.

Gu Xi covered her face, feeling deeply ashamed to share a surname with this person. She stepped forward and whispered, “Gu Yining, are you sick? You’re acting like you just ran into an ex-girlfriend.”

Gu Yining glanced at her. “You did the same thing when you ran into Wen Tao at the gym last time.”

Gu Xi retorted, “I was never as creepy as you!”

“You were. You were creepier. I even took a photo. Wait until I find it and show you.”

“Gu Yining, how could you! Delete it! Delete it! Are you going to delete it? Are you?”

“No.”

“You… Gu Yining, I’m begging you, please delete it. Sneaking photos is really unethical…”

“Gu Yining?”

“Sister! Sister! You’re my sister! Please, delete it…”

The two sisters bickered as they went downstairs and walked out of the mall exit, waiting at the curb for Uncle Wang to drive up from the parking garage. The wind whistled past, and the red lanterns hanging on the streetlights merged into a festive sea of red.

Gu Xi stood with her back to Gu Yining. The young miss, who had just been teased, silently offered Gu Yining the back of her head like a proud ostrich.

Gu Yining naturally had a way to handle her. She said hauntingly, “Xixi, I lied to you just now. I didn’t take a photo.”

The little ostrich spun around immediately, her face full of rage. The person who was calling her “Sister” a minute ago was now gritting her teeth, forcing out words heavy with emotion: “GU! YI! NING!”

Gu Yining took a step back, smiling as she shrugged. “Call me Sister.”

Gu Xi ran at her, flailing her arms to pinch her. Although she had no chance of winning a physical match against Gu Yining and usually ended up pinned, after being teased for so long, she was determined to land at least one punch.

Before her hand could touch Gu Yining, there was a sudden, massive bang. Gu Xi flinched, her momentum vanishing. She followed the sound toward another exit of the mall—the one Jiang Qing and the other girl had headed toward.

Thick black smoke billowed as a black car had overturned a taxi and crashed straight into the green belt. From the distance, Gu Xi couldn’t see clearly, only the mangled shape of the taxi.

Gu Xi was scared of such scenes and instinctively looked at Gu Yining—

But she was terrified by what she saw.

Gu Yining’s face was deathly pale. Dense beads of sweat instantly broke out on her forehead. She covered her ears with her hands, looking like she was in extreme agony.

Noticing her swaying body, Gu Xi rushed forward to support her. Gu Yining couldn’t even stand steadily, yet she stubbornly tried to walk forward, her eyes fixed on the mangled taxi. Gu Xi noticed the sweat pouring down her face; she was unnaturally pale and her lips were moving, whispering something over and over. Gu Xi leaned in to listen and realized Gu Yining was calling Jiang Qing’s name.

She couldn’t hold Gu Yining’s weight or keep her steady. They stumbled forward a few steps, and Gu Xi’s eyes scanned the surroundings, suddenly catching a familiar figure walking on the overpass.

The weight in her arms suddenly increased. Gu Xi truly couldn’t hold Gu Yining any longer; they fell forward together, rolling on the ground until Gu Xi’s forehead hit the pavement. She looked at Gu Yining in a panicked scramble. Gu Yining’s eyes were tightly shut, her face white. She patted Gu Yining’s face, but there was no reaction.

Gu Yining seemed to have fainted.