Spring Night of Misty Rain - Chapter 7

Jinwu City is located in the East; even in spring, the sun sets quite late.

Following Chen Ci’s arrangements, Shen Zeyu took Xu Luosu for a walk around the neighborhood. After a meal of mediocre Jinwu cuisine at a long-established restaurant, the sun finally dipped below the horizon.

At the hour of sunset, the clouds on the horizon reflected light and shadow in colors so rich and dense they looked like an eyeshadow palette from The Phantom of the Opera.

Shen Zeyu led Xu Luosu onto the “Eye of Jinwu” Ferris wheel in the city center. Leaning against the window and looking down past the neon lights of the colorful skyscrapers toward the distance, they saw that brilliantly colored sunset.

Beautiful scenery always brings a pleasant mood.

As the Ferris wheel neared its apex, Xu Luosu marveled, “Wow, it’s so beautiful.”

The entire city looked as if it had been set ablaze, igniting the clouds on the horizon in a magnificent display.

She turned her head to look at Shen Zeyu, who had been sitting in the corner the whole time, her eyes sparkling. “Senior Sister, come up and take a look; it’s really gorgeous.”

Shen Zeyu was somewhat afraid of heights; accompanying her onto the Ferris wheel was already an act of extreme friendship. She leaned back in the corner of the carriage, propping her chin on one hand, and forced a small smile. “It’s alright, you go ahead and look.”

Seeing her lack of enthusiasm, Xu Luosu nodded thoughtfully. “True, Senior Sister is a local; you must have seen this many times already.”

Shen Zeyu didn’t respond to that, merely letting out a light chuckle.

Xu Luosu turned back, leaning against the window to gaze at the distant city lights. She joked, “Before I came, I searched for guides on ‘Little Pumpkin’ (Xiaohongshu). They said that if a couple rides the Eye of Jinwu together, they are destined to break up.”

As she spoke, she turned around, her back to the vast sea of lights, and looked at Shen Zeyu with a beaming smile. “Is there any special lore for two business partners riding the Eye of Jinwu together?”

Nanjiang was truly a place of exquisite scenery, producing women who were fair and handsome, yet as resilient as gladiolus flowers. Especially when she smiled, she looked like a white gladiolus blooming in the dark night—clusters of flowers full of vitality.

Shen Zeyu was momentarily dazzled by that smile. Sitting back in the carriage, she thought for a moment before smiling back. “Mm… no special lore for that.”

But since she was the one who had brought her partner up here, she felt she had to invent a good omen.

After a brief pause, she added, “If there has to be a meaning, then perhaps… ‘A sky full of sparks, and soaring ratings’?”

Xu Luosu froze for a second, a wide smile slowly blossoming on her face.

She took two steps forward to stand in front of Shen Zeyu, leaning in and extending a fist with a grin. “Then here’s to our first successful collaboration. May the sparks fly and the ratings soar.”

She was standing very close, almost enveloping Shen Zeyu.

A pleasant scent of jasmine wafted from her. Shen Zeyu looked up and noticed a black cord around the girl’s neck; a jade ring had slipped out from her collar, looking clearly expensive.

Shen Zeyu withdrew her gaze, balled her hand into a fist, and lightly bumped it against hers. “To a successful collaboration and soaring ratings.”

Xu Luosu left Jinwu the following day. Except for the brief clearing on the day of her arrival, the sky over Jinwu remained overcast and rainy for the entire following month.

Gloomy days were Shen Zeyu’s natural enemy. Because she was a typical Type I patient (Bipolar I), doctors almost never prescribed her antidepressants. After all, if her depression turned into mania, it would be exceptionally damaging to her body.

Consequently, throughout the early spring, she could do almost nothing but lie in bed in a daze.

In contrast to her useless body, her talent remained far ahead, having won the favor of the client.

The signing process went smoothly, and the client was very prompt with payments. By the time Chen Ci deducted taxes, her own agency fees, and donated a portion to the special education academy, it was ten days later when the final amount was transferred to Shen Zeyu.

When she received Chen Ci’s call, Shen Zeyu hadn’t crawled out of bed for two days.

She didn’t even open her eyes. Lying on the bed, she placed the phone next to her pillow and listened to Chen Ci’s voice through the speaker: “I’ve settled the accounts for you. It’s eight million in total. Do you want to buy funds or stocks?”

Shen Zeyu forced herself to focus, replying in a raspy voice, “It’s up to you.”

Though she tried to pretend she was healthy, it was impossible to hide the sound of someone speaking while pinned to a bed by lethargy.

Chen Ci’s brow furrowed instantly. “Are you still in bed? Have you eaten? I bet you haven’t.”

“I’ll come see you after work.”

Hearing this, Shen Zeyu didn’t dare stay in bed a second longer. Terrified that Chen Ci would kill her upon arrival, she immediately bolted upright into a kneeling position. “I’m up, I’m up!”

“You don’t need to come over, I’m already up…”

Chen Ci let out a cold snort, not believing a word of it. “Just wait. I’ll be there in a bit.”

She hung up immediately, giving Shen Zeyu no chance to argue.

Even though Chen Ci was only two years older than Shen Zeyu, Shen Zeyu’s fear of her was etched into her very marrow. They had known each other since primary school. Chen Ci’s parents were disciples of Shen Zeyu’s grandmother; later, when they discovered Chen Ci was also talented, the grandmother took her as a disciple as well.

The two had learned pottery and carving together since childhood. Chen Ci looked after her like a biological younger sister—she was essentially her “kryptonite.”

Realizing Chen Ci was coming, Shen Zeyu dragged herself into the bathroom to shower. She had been lying around for at least four or five days and felt filthy. Once in the bathroom, she scrubbed herself raw with a loofah, taking a long time before she finally felt clean.

As she walked out of the bathroom with damp black hair, Chen Ci arrived, carrying several takeout containers.

The two came face-to-face. Chen Ci glared at her. “And you said you were up. You were just trying to trick me while I was busy at work, weren’t you!”

Shen Zeyu gave a sheepish smile, not daring to talk back.

Chen Ci didn’t dare scold her too much. Her personality was very strong; before Shen Zeyu got sick, she could balance things like a big sister. Since the illness, she wasn’t quite sure how to strike the right tone.

Seeing Shen Zeyu looking bloodless and weak, she sighed and set the takeout on the dining table. “Eat first. We’ll talk after.”

“Mm.”

The containers held seafood porridge and some of Shen Zeyu’s favorite dishes. Shen Zeyu had no appetite; she took two slow spoonfuls of porridge and then wanted to stop.

Chen Ci frowned, nagging as she ate: “You can’t go on like this. I know you’re tired and feel like you can’t do anything, but now that you’re discharged, you have to adapt to life outside.”

“Even if you don’t adapt to the world, you have to at least make sure you eat. How about this—should we hire a cooking lady?”

Chen Ci had read many papers and found that for Shen Zeyu’s condition, walking around every day would improve her mood. She had originally intended for Shen Zeyu to walk every day when she went out to eat, but now, when an episode hit, Shen Zeyu simply wouldn’t leave the house. Chen Ci’s own work was busy, and she had children to care for; she couldn’t devote all her energy to Shen Zeyu.

If Shen Zeyu continued like this, she would likely end up back in the hospital. But a psychiatric hospital was no paradise; if she stayed there much longer, she’d be ruined even if she didn’t die.

Chen Ci was worried to death.

Whenever Shen Zeyu entered this phase, she became particularly empathetic toward others. She understood Chen Ci’s anxiety and tried to soothe her: “It’s okay. I’ll be fine once spring is over.”

Chen Ci’s tone grew sharp with urgency: “Once spring is over, once spring is over… Zeyu, how many ‘springs’ does a person have in life? You can’t be like this every single year.”

She sighed, her voice full of frustrated love. “Why don’t you stop living here? Come stay at my house.”

At the very least, she could ensure Shen Zeyu had three meals a day.

Shen Zeyu set down her spoon, her eyes calm as she looked at Chen Ci. “Senior Sister, you know that’s impossible.”

Her life was like a bottomless black hole. Anything important anyone threw in would simply be swallowed. Shen Zeyu knew better than anyone that her life was her own and had nothing to do with anyone else. She shouldn’t rely on other people’s kindness and drag those who loved her into her vortex.

Chen Ci met her gaze and eventually backed down. “Fine…”

“Then I’ll still find time to check on you every day. You try a little harder too—don’t let it swallow you, okay?”

“Mm, okay.”

Chen Ci’s visit was sudden, and her departure was just as hurried.

Perhaps the meal had given Shen Zeyu a boost of energy, as her drowsiness was no longer so overwhelming.

Feeling restless, she had a sudden whim. She went up to the third-floor studio and pulled back the curtains.

Unbeknownst to her, the crabapple flowers along the street had bloomed, crowding between the red buildings like clusters of pink clouds.

Shen Zeyu’s mood lightened significantly. She brought out her old art supplies, sat by the window, prepared her watercolor palette, and began to paint.

To put Chen Ci’s mind at ease, she took a photo and sent it to her: “The crabapples are in bloom. I’m going to paint them.”

When Chen Ci received the photo, she felt incredibly relieved. She sighed and quickly took a screenshot to post on her social feed (Moments): “The child is finally making progress.”

Within moments of posting, she received a reply. Chen Ci clicked on it—it was from the big “gold donor,” Xu Luosu: “Is Senior Sister painting?”

Chen Ci smiled and proudly typed back two words: “She is!”

Right after she replied, a new post appeared at the top of her feed. Chen Ci looked closely; it was Xu Luosu.

In the middle of a pile of gym equipment, Xu Luosu was holding her phone in one hand and a 40-pound dumbbell in the other, standing before a mirror. The caption read: “Haven’t trained in a while; feels like my strength has slipped a bit.”

Chen Ci’s pupils dilated. She quickly screenshotted it, exited her feed, and opened her chat with Shen Zeyu: “Stop painting! Go do this!”

“If you don’t build some muscle, I’m going to make you write ten scripts!”

On the other end of the phone, Shen Zeyu opened the image. Looking at the young woman’s toned, healthy body, she was utterly confused.

Wait, why should I practice this? What does this have to do with scripts?

Training to that level looks exhausting—how is that any different from asking for my life!