The Beloved One Is Always Coveted - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

◎She Was Already At the Bottom of the Abyss, Why Would She Drag Someone Else Down With Her?◎

The phone suddenly vibrated. Jian Mingyue had sent her a WeChat message a picture of a sad kitten popped up. A pang of pity flashed through Yu Li’s heart. She asked if Jian Mingyue had managed to leave.

Jian Mingyue sent another emoji, confirming she was out and was already in her sister’s car, heading home.

Yu Li felt she owed her an apology. When Jian Mingyue needed her most, she did nothing and possibly caused her to be punished.

Jian Mingyue texted back to comfort her, saying it was okay, the lesson was important, and she understood.

Her words effectively nailed Tang Xi to the wall as the villain, implying that if it weren’t for her meddling, they wouldn’t be in this situation.

Closing the chat, Yu Li saw a news notification that was right on time. A large headline featured Du Yuran’s name “Actress Du Yuran’s Latest On-Set Reveal, Showcasing Minimalist Beauty!”

Yu Li’s heart rate picked up. Clicking it, she found a video of Du Yuran, wearing a simple white shirt, answering questions from the audience and media alongside others from the film crew.

The video wasn’t high-definition, but Du Yuran’s ethereal and captivating beauty still shone through. Yu Li watched the entire ten-minute video without blinking.

Du Yuran was truly her little sun. Seeing her swept away all her bad moods. It was just a shame that she couldn’t see her in person.

Yu Li sighed, turned, and pulled her suitcase to find her mother, Yu Rong. Anyway, Tang Xi was going to be gone for a few days, and she hadn’t said she had to stay in that room.

Saturday passed in a blink. Yu Li and Yu Rong didn’t usually sleep together. The first night had been an exception because they’d been separated for too long and needed to talk.

However, despite sleeping in a strange place with Yu Rong just a wall away, Yu Li still suffered from insomnia.

The night made it easy to overthink. All sorts of emotions—bad, good, sad, happy—would explode together. Suddenly, she felt like she was about to cry.

Yu Li rubbed her eyes, clearing away the soreness, but her heart felt heavy. She tossed and turned on the bed, finally remembering to reach for the phone under her pillow.

The phone was empty no messages, no news notifications. Yu Li’s heart felt empty, too, with the wind swirling through it.

She hadn’t installed any apps except for essential ones like Yu Rong’s. Even the ones she had were tiny and didn’t take up much space.

She idly scrolled through her phone. Sleep seemed to have been eaten by the moon; she could stay awake until morning.

Yu Li sat up in bed. Her bed faced a window. Outside was pitch dark; she couldn’t see a thing.

For some reason, she opened her green messaging app. Scrolling up and down a few times, she saw her social circle was small. She didn’t have many contacts on WeChat—the aunt who sold breakfast downstairs, the newly graduated office worker next door, the owner of the textbook store at the school gate, the high school class group…

She scrolled up line by line, and her heart finally fluttered.

At the very top, Qi Xue’s profile picture was pinned. It was in stark contrast to her own personality: a husky sledding on the snow.

Their chat stopped the night before last, when they exchanged goodnights. Qi Xue had sent her a particularly cheesy “Lotus Flower Emerging from Water” emoji.

That ugly emoji was still there. She could see it if she clicked on the chat.

They had only reconnected for a few days before this happened. She had let go of Qi Xue’s hand because she didn’t want her to get involved. What must Qi Xue be thinking?

Would she think Yu Li was cutting ties with her, and that they would never speak again?

Or had their friendship already ended that night?

Another silent trial tormented Yu Li’s heart. She stared at the chat interface, afraid that Qi Xue wouldn’t reply, yet also afraid that she would.

Yu Li was a bundle of contradictions, always hesitating. She had wondered more than once:

If Qi Xue didn’t reply, would that mean she was truly done with her? If Qi Xue did reply, how should she continue the conversation?

If Qi Xue pressed her for answers, should she tell the truth or make up an excuse?

Was that last excuse too rebellious? Should she phrase it more delicately, say that she and Tang Xi had known each other for a long time and transitioned from friends to lovers? Would that lessen the impact on Qi Xue?

What was Qi Xue doing now? Usually, they would have said goodnight by this time. Was she asleep right now?

Would Yu Li be in Qi Xue’s dreams? What would her image be? Had she already become a villain?

Was Qi Xue going to transform into a hero in her dream to defeat Yu Li, the fallen dragon?

Her thoughts spread out like a spiderweb, with Qi Xue at every end.

Yu Li’s mind was consumed by Qi Xue: how the hero would stab the sword into the dragon’s heart…

How could she save their precarious friendship?

And… would Qi Xue even talk to her?

She always prepared for the worst, mentally simulating both outcomes.

The most heartless possibility was that she couldn’t even send the message—a red exclamation mark next to “I’m sorry.”

But that wasn’t the case. The message had been sent. Qi Xue might have seen it, or she might be asleep and wouldn’t see it until morning.

What would be the reaction of Qi Xue when she saw this message?

Yu Li couldn’t figure it out. She wasn’t Qi Xue. However, if their positions were reversed, what would she do?

If a friend suddenly brought back a stranger and said she was her new girlfriend, Yu Li would likely not offer a blessing.

She was the type to compliment the person’s looks superficially, then quietly process her feelings in a dark corner.

The phone suddenly vibrated. Her scattered thoughts were instantly interrupted. She frantically opened her phone, and a voice call request popped up immediately.

Her heart skipped a beat. The profile picture was the familiar husky.

Qi Xue was calling.

Answer or not answer?

Yu Li was a complete coward. Even though she was the one who initiated the message to save the friendship, the sight of Qi Xue’s call made her want to retreat.

Her mind was a jumble of thoughts. Would Qi Xue blame her, talk for a long time, and then announce that they were no longer friends because Yu Li had a terrible girlfriend, because Yu Li lied, because Yu Li hurt her?

She hurt Qi Xue’s heart…

So, should she pretend not to be there, pretend not to see the phone, and hurt her again?

The long wind blew outside the window, the rustling sounds starting up again.

Yu Li held her breath. She pressed “Answer.” After a few seconds, she heard the breathing of the other person.

She answered the voice call, but now she didn’t know what to say. All the excuses she had prepared were forgotten because of her rapidly beating heart.

She didn’t speak, and the person on the other side also remained silent. It was a contest of wills; both waited for the other to make a sound.

After a long silence, Qi Xue finally lost her patience, her voice forcedly cold: “Sorry for what?”

“Just… I’m sorry.”

Yu Li spoke with difficulty. She felt like she hadn’t spoken in ages. There was a taste of iron in her mouth. She pursed her lips, realizing she had accidentally bitten her lower lip. The slight pain brought an immediate sense of calm.

Qi Xue sighed softly, then eased her voice: “…You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I was wrong.” Yu Li was quick to admit her fault, eager because Qi Xue was still willing to talk to her properly.

“I was wrong this morning. I should have talked to you. I…”

Qi Xue cut her off before she could finish: “It’s not your fault.”

“But…” Yu Li still wanted to say something to prove her mistake, but Qi Xue wouldn’t let her.

“That’s not how you use ‘I’m sorry.’ You didn’t do anything wrong. You don’t have to apologize to me.”

If that wasn’t how to use it, then how was it to be used? Yu Li felt certain that Qi Xue was angry, after all, she had hurt her heart.

“Qi Xue… are you still willing to talk to me?”

Finally, she asked a very childish question, the kind of direct question children ask after a falling out when they meet again the next day.

Of course, she was willing. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have called immediately after seeing the message.

But Qi Xue didn’t say that. She countered Yu Li, her voice layered with frost, though it was all an act.

“What if I’m not?”

Yu Li fell silent. The long-awaited verdict had been delivered. She felt hurt, her voice carrying an unconscious choke.

“I don’t know either. If you don’t want to talk to me, there’s nothing I can do. I really don’t want to lose you, but I don’t deserve to be a friend at all. No one liked me when I was little. Only you were willing to play with me…”

How could she bear to end it? Qi Xue was the leader she had looked up to since childhood. Yu Li covered her mouth. The soreness she had rubbed away returned. Tears fell before the sound did, but Qi Xue couldn’t see them.

“Qi Xue, if you don’t talk to me…”

She couldn’t say it. A whimper escaped from between her tightly clenched fingers. If she continued, Qi Xue would find out.

She thought it would be better if Qi Xue stopped talking to her. She wasn’t a good person anyway. Apart from her grades, she had no redeeming qualities and didn’t deserve to be friends with Qi Xue.

They were incompatible in personality. Qi Xue was brave, while Yu Li was timid and hesitant.

Separating would be better.

“Hmm?”

She had muted her microphone. Qi Xue couldn’t hear a sound—not her breathing, not her crying. She couldn’t sense anything.

Yu Li typed a long message on her phone, saying that Qi Xue was right, that she didn’t deserve to be her friend. This was for the best, this was good. Without her as a burden, Qi Xue’s future would be better.

She was already at the bottom of the abyss. Why would she drag someone else down with her?

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