Silent Testimony - Chapter 55

Li Hewei was on duty on the 2nd and stayed home resting on the 3rd, not leaving the house. She noticed that although Tao Ling wasn’t deliberately avoiding her, she always seemed to evade opportunities to be alone with her. On the afternoon of the 4th, the desk was delivered to the courier station. Li Hewei finally took the opportunity to knock on her door: “Are you busy?”

“I was tidying up my autumn and winter clothes.” Tao Ling replied gently, then stood up, turned the doorknob, and opened the door.

The girl in front of her was straight and graceful like bamboo, elegant and tall. Li Hewei noticed that ever since she broke free from the constraints of her original family, her every gesture had become more confident. A smile couldn’t help but spill onto her lips: “Let’s go. Come with me to move the desk.”

Tao Ling’s expression was clear and refined. She was startled for two seconds, then replied with a tone of gratitude: “Okay.”

Li Hewei asked as they walked: “I saw you submitted Chen Han’s autopsy report yesterday. When do you have time to revise the manuscript?”

Tao Ling smiled sweetly: “It’s fine. There’s not much content that needs to be changed.”

“When is the deadline for submission?”

“Mid-October. The editor expects it to be published in the first quarter of next year.”

The two walked one after the other into the elevator. Li Hewei reached out and pressed the down button: “Will the time be a bit tight?”

“No.”

The conversation was a series of polite exchanges, followed immediately by silence. Even though Li Hewei was skilled at socializing and could navigate various situations with ease, at this moment, she didn’t know how to respond. Fortunately, the elevator door opened at the right time, breaking the momentary awkwardness. She walked straight to the ground-floor manager’s office to borrow a cart.

Tao Ling voiced her confusion: “Sister Wei, two people can move a desk. Why borrow a cart?”

Li Hewei pushed the flat cart ahead: “There’s also a simple bookcase.”

Tao Ling visibly frowned: “A simple bookcase?”

“You have too many books; you can’t keep them in cardboard boxes all the time.” Li Hewei slowed down and turned back, speaking unhurriedly: “Don’t treat me as a stranger, and don’t feel pressured because of this.”

Tao Ling looked up at her: “But…”

“No buts. Your excellence and sincerity deserve this from me.”

Li Hewei saw that Tao Ling didn’t speak, only silently averted her gaze, so she sighed and turned to continue walking. She wondered why the girl could be composed with Cheng Yingqiu and Qiu Wan, yet felt awkward with her. Was she worried about crossing a line? Ultimately, she attributed all of Tao Ling’s behavior to low self-worth, believing she wasn’t worthy of being loved and couldn’t accept praise or gestures of generosity from others frankly. Li Hewei thought hard, trying to figure out how to change the current situation. As a result, when they picked up the packages, moved the desk and bookcase, and finally entered the apartment and changed shoes, they maintained zero communication.

“Hey, you went to the courier station without telling me!” Cheng Yingqiu’s voice pulled her back to reality. Li Hewei held a cardboard box, helping Tao Ling move the items inside, and asked casually, “Do you have packages?”

“Yes, three of them.”

“I’ll use the cart to help you get them later.”

“No need. I’ll pick them up when I go out at 5 p.m.” Cheng Yingqiu reached out to help, but Li Hewei lightly slapped the back of her hand: “It’s heavy. Stay back.”

“My injury is healed! I can move freely.”

“You can walk, but wait two more days before lifting heavy things.”

“Fine.” Cheng Yingqiu followed the two into the bedroom, watching them assemble the bookcase and desk. Although Tao Ling was relatively petite, she was as strong as Li Hewei, and her practical skills were excellent. In just ten minutes, she had tightened the last screw on the desk.

In contrast, Li Hewei was still adjusting the shelves of the bookcase.

Cheng Yingqiu couldn’t help but complain: “Sis, you’re so slow.”

Li Hewei inserted a nail into a hole, turned around to pick up a screwdriver, and retorted: “There are 48 screws. Why don’t you do it?” As she spoke, Tao Ling next to her had already taken the screwdriver and was slowly turning it.

Cheng Yingqiu teased: “Oh, girl power! Working together makes the job easy.”

Li Hewei glared at her, then helped hold the shelf in place and handed her a nail.

Before long, the six-layer bookcase was assembled. Tao Ling watched the room gradually fill up. While feeling nervous, she also seemed to find an abstract sense of “belonging.” Years ago, her father declared that the house would be left to her brother, and she would eventually marry and live with someone else. Since that day, she often felt lonely. Now, feeling a long-lost warmth, she was afraid of getting deeply entangled, fearing that one wrong step would lead to ruin.

Cheng Yingqiu opened her mouth without thinking: “Sister Tao Ling, your taste is really good. The bookcase and desk you bought match the decoration style so well.”

Tao Ling’s thoughts returned, and she quickly explained: “Sister Wei bought them all.”

Cheng Yingqiu immediately understood, pouting and feigning dissatisfaction: “My sister is playing favorites. I had to pay for my own desk.”

This remark stirred up a storm. Tao Ling originally thought she and Yingqiu were treated the same, which was enough to convince herself to accept the gifts. Now, knowing there was a difference, how should she repay her in the future? And why is Sister Wei special to her? Combining this with her confusion from the previous two days, Tao Ling still couldn’t figure it out and was deeply worried.

Li Hewei, tidying up the cardboard boxes, explained: “This is a gift to congratulate her on signing the contract for a physical book.”

“Is that so?” Cheng Yingqiu seized the opportunity, picking up her phone and showing her a photo of her award certificate: “Best Reporter. Do I get a gift?”

“Didn’t you want to replace your headphones? Send me the link.”

“Thank you, Sister!” Cheng Yingqiu copied the link and sent it, adding a private message: [Sis, it’s 628 yuan. You just need to cover the odd 28 yuan. I was just looking for an excuse earlier.] She put away her phone, turned, and hugged Tao Ling’s arm: “Are you free tonight? My treat. Let’s get hot pot.”

Hearing their conversation, Tao Ling felt slightly relieved and nodded: “I’m free.”

“And a friend of mine. The four of us.”

Tao Ling subconsciously asked: “Sister Qiu?”

“Aiya, even if I miss her, I know my limits. It’s her grandmother’s birthday.” Cheng Yingqiu’s smile deepened: “But she took my advice when choosing a gift for her grandmother: a foot spa bath and old-style cloth shoes.”

When the two chatted yesterday, Qiu Wan mentioned her grandmother’s birthday. Cheng Yingqiu immediately asked what gift she was preparing.

[In previous years, it was just a red envelope.]

[That’s no surprise. Old people don’t care about money.]

[What do you suggest?]

[Old people like practical things. What shoes does Grandma usually wear?]

[Zuli Jian casual shoes.]

[What about cloth shoes? They’re comfortable to wear.] [Does Grandma usually soak her feet?]

[She soaks them every night.]

[Plastic basin? Wooden tub?]

[Plastic basin.]

[Buy a foot spa bath. It can also massage.] So, after lunch break, Cheng Yingqiu received a photo of Qiu Wan’s grandmother trying on the cloth shoes: [Grandma is very happy. Thank you.]

Missing, limits. Tao Ling pondered the meaning of the words. Her mind felt foggy.

“Sister Tao Ling?”

Tao Ling, as an observer, was surprisingly direct: “Yingqiu, do you like Sister Qiu?”

“Yes, I do. It’s the secret crush stage. I’m actively pursuing her.” Cheng Yingqiu leaned against Tao Ling’s shoulder and whispered: “You’re not so dense after all. So, be honest, do you like anyone?”

Tao Ling’s gaze passed through the sliding door and inadvertently stopped on the figure adjusting the desk on the balcony: “I…”

Cheng Yingqiu looked in the direction of her gaze, smiling without speaking.

Tao Ling didn’t answer. She bit her lip and replied in a seemingly natural manner: “Yingqiu, I can’t be frank about it right now.”

“Aiya, you don’t have to say.”

Tao Ling leaned back against the headboard of the bed, feeling helpless: “I’ll tell you after a while, when I’ve completely gotten over her.”

“Why give up? Shouldn’t you fight for it?”

Tao Ling’s heart felt dead. She raised her hand to her head: “Because I already foresee the result. It’s impossible for her and me.”

“How will you know if you don’t try?” Cheng Yingqiu was impatient, just short of telling her Li Hewei’s feelings.

“It’s no use. It’s a dead end.” After clarifying her feelings, every single caring gesture from Li Hewei felt like being thrown into an inferno and a frozen wasteland simultaneously for Tao Ling—unable to survive or die, suffering immensely.

“Tao Ling, how about this position?” Li Hewei turned her head to look back, her smile warm, seemingly capable of melting a thousand miles of ice.

“It’s fine.” Tao Ling dared not look directly into Li Hewei’s eyes, so she often lowered her head when talking, searching for something nearby as a point of focus.

“Good. The position is suitable. It won’t be exposed to the afternoon sun, and the desk lamp won’t create a shadow at night.”

Cheng Yingqiu advised her: “Sister Tao Ling, if you ask me, life is only a few decades long. You don’t need to overthink things. Just live comfortably.”

“It’s different. You’re in the melting pot of society; you should still abide by the basic rules.” Watching Li Hewei enter the room, Tao Ling composed her dark, swirling emotions, forcing herself to appear calm, and said in her heart, “I can like women, but she is the one woman I absolutely cannot like.”

Li Hewei wiped her hands with a wet wipe and asked Cheng Yingqiu: “It’s 4:45. Didn’t you say you were leaving at 5 p.m.?”

Cheng Yingqiu moved away from Tao Ling’s shoulder and sat up straight: “Yes, I was waiting for you.”

“You said you have a friend joining. Do I know her?”

Cheng Yingqiu lowered her voice: “Chen Man. We agreed ten days ago. Backing out at the last minute isn’t my style.”

Chen Man, the friend who likes straight girls. Li Hewei remembered: “Ahem, you…”

“Hey, eating a meal won’t make you lose a piece of flesh. Besides, she’s as outgoing as I am. It’s safe.”

Li Hewei was skeptical: “Really?”

“Mhm. I’ll give her a heads-up.” Cheng Yingqiu lowered her head and sent a private message to Chen Man: [Hey, this is the first meeting. Mind your image. Don’t stare at her.]

[What are you talking about? I don’t fall in love with everyone I meet.]

However, the reality was the opposite. From the moment she said hello, Chen Man intentionally or unintentionally focused on Li Hewei. Moreover, she was extremely sweet-talking, constantly saying “Sister Wei” and “Sister Wei,” and she talked nonstop about Cantonese movies. Tao Ling, sitting to Li Hewei’s right, frowned slightly, her ink-black eyes fixed on the woman across from her.

With her neat, short hair and neutral clothing, and Sister Wei watching “Yes or No,” indicating she’s open to two girls being together, does that mean she likes girls like her?

Tao Ling watched Chen Man diligently pour a drink for Li Hewei. Her eyes grew dimmer. She unconsciously picked up the communal chopsticks and placed a mantis shrimp into Li Hewei’s bowl, saying softly: “Sister Wei, it’s not spicy. Try it.”