Weakness Trap - Chapter 14

Last night.

Yu Lingxue knocked on Li Ran’s laboratory door, carrying the gifts she had prepared in advance for her apprenticeship ceremony. She paid her respects to Li Ran with utmost reverence.

She performed the traditional apprenticeship rites of their profession. The gifts she prepared were naturally those commonly used in their field.

In addition, she had included some items that someone of Li Ran’s age might find useful.

Seeing how solemn Yu Lingxue was even changing into formal attire for the occasion Li Ran felt it inappropriate to make any teasing remarks.

She had originally intended to test Yu Lingxue further.

But since the girl had gone to such lengths, Li Ran had no real intention of making things difficult for her.

All her previous actions had merely been a form of assessment.

She was evaluating Yu Lingxue’s character, spirit, and intellect whether she was kind-hearted, focused, intelligent, and perceptive.

If she passed, Li Ran would undoubtedly take her on as a student.

The reason ultimately boiled down to one word: sincerity.

Yu Lingxue had gone far beyond “paying three visits to the thatched cottage” for her.

The girl had been living comfortably in Hong Kong, why would she drag her ailing body to a small place like Chu City for schooling?

It was all because of Li Ran.

For an entire year, they had met every month, every day.

If Li Ran refused any longer, it would seem as though she were being ungrateful.

“Alright, I’m not one for all that empty formality,” Li Ran said, though she still accepted all the gifts.

Then, opening the large box, she discovered that aside from the traditional apprenticeship gifts like red beans and cured meat, Yu Lingxue had also included a robotic vacuum cleaner and a cooking robot. Li Ran fell into deep thought.

“Dear disciple, don’t you think these are a bit too modern?” Li Ran remarked quietly. Did she really look like someone who couldn’t handle household chores?

Yu Lingxue completed the full set of apprenticeship rites before rising, smoothing her clothes, and calmly replying, “Teacher, you may not need them, but I couldn’t come unprepared. Besides, I believe that no matter the field of study, one must keep up with the times.”

Li Ran glanced at her sharply.

This girl was testing her.

If Li Ran were to be honest, before the apprenticeship ceremony, she still had the patience to engage in these subtle exchanges with Yu Lingxue.

But now that the ceremony was over, such roundabout tactics were starting to feel tiresome.

“Enough. No need to rack your brains trying to probe me. Since you’ve chosen to become my apprentice, we can’t have too great a gap in our values. It’s a good time for us to have a proper talk.” With that, Li Ran poured tea for Yu Lingxue, pulled out a chair, and gestured for her to sit.

Yu Lingxue sat obediently.

Li Ran looked at her fox-like eyes and couldn’t shake the feeling that some subtle, cunning ideas were brewing beneath the surface.

This was a girl who could and would play tricks.

Outwardly, she appeared gentle, polite, and mild-mannered, but at heart, she was shrewd.

One misstep, and you could easily fall into her trap.

Li Ran sighed.

To think that in her old age, she would encounter such a complicated bond.

It must be a debt from a past life.

After sighing, Li Ran decided not to dwell on it.

After all, this was the student she had chosen herself. Whether good or bad, she would have to bear with it.

Yu Lingxue stared absently at the beaker in her hand.

Had she managed to secure a reliable backer for herself?

Li Ran’s family was also a lineage of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, with far greater prestige both domestically and internationally than her own Yu family, which remained secluded in Hong Kong.

Li Ran had extensive connections, strong expertise, and kept up with the times.

Her latest research project was related to nanorobots.

She was far more advanced than the Yu family, which stubbornly clung to traditional Chinese medicine and refused to innovate.

And that should be enough to help her escape the control of her family.

The two of them then conversed happily, as if old friends reunited after a long separation.

When Li Ran was particularly pleased or satisfied, she would even bring out a little wine to share.

Yu Lingxue didn’t drink, so she gained a little time to rest.

It was only then that she remembered Yu Qingluan had made plans with her for tonight.

Checking the time, she realized an hour and a half had already passed.

Yu Lingxue quickly opened her phone, swiped away all other messages without reading them, and composed a message to Yu Qingluan, telling her not to wait.

Her fingers moved so fast they nearly scratched the screen.

There was no other way.

She had genuinely intended to meet Yu Qingluan tonight. It had been too long since they last saw each other, and she missed Yu Qingluan dearly.

But then Li Ran had suddenly messaged her, asking her to come over. His attitude made it clear he was ready to accept her as his student.

Some matters were more urgent than others.

Yu Lingxue had always believed she had a clear sense of priorities.

For instance, patients came first, while friends and family took a backseat.

Life was more important than anything emotions, wealth, grudges nothing outweighed life itself.

Now, she had chosen her career over Yu Qingluan.

Yu Lingxue sighed inwardly.

She truly missed Yu Qingluan. The gift she had prepared for her was still sitting at home. But

There was no other choice, right?

Her little bird loved her so much.

She would understand.

A long time passed, and Yu Lingxue received no reply from Yu Qingluan.

This was the first time.

But Yu Lingxue had already put down her phone and focused on listening to Li Ran teach her the first lesson.

They talked until dawn.

Only then did Li Ran suddenly come to his senses and let Yu Lingxue go home.

Yu Lingxue stayed an extra quarter of an hour to organize her notes.

“Were you just messaging that cute girl of yours?” Li Ran sat beside her, swinging his legs, already slightly tipsy.

It was hard to imagine someone like him was a legendary doctor.

But then again, probably no one around him could persuade him to quit drinking.

“Something like that,” Yu Lingxue replied, still writing without looking up.

“I didn’t interrupt your date, did I?” Li Ran only realized it now.

“Not at all, of course not.” Yu Lingxue’s reply was so straightforward that it dispelled Li Ran’s suspicions.

“Regardless, life is what matters most,” Li Ran shook his head, glanced at the empty wine jug, and tossed it aside.

Yu Lingxue paused her writing. “Are you saying a partner is more important?”

“Shouldn’t they be?” Li Ran looked at her. “It’s not like there’s anything major going on.”

Yu Lingxue lowered her head, her brows faintly furrowing.

But becoming a disciple was a major matter.

It would determine whether she would remain confined to that decaying, old-fashioned courtyard, stuck in her ways, or whether she would carve out her own path in the world.

But Yu Lingxue didn’t explain further.

“Don’t wait until you lose something to regret it,” Li Ran said, with a hint of implication.

Yu Lingxue sensed something in his words and looked up at him, but all she could see in his eyes was drunkenness.

As if Li Ran wasn’t trying to hint at anything.

“Teacher, have you ever had a partner?” Her teacher was nearly sixty. It wouldn’t be surprising if he had.

“Of course,” Li Ran shrugged his sore shoulders from sitting too long. “She got sick and passed away a few years ago.”

How ironic.

It was only after losing her that he regretted it.

But it was useless. They were no longer in their twenties there was no chance to start over.

On the way back, Yu Lingxue leaned against the window, lost in thought.

She didn’t take Li Ran’s words to heart.

She was only thinking that, with this backing,

This time, she should be able to drive Yan Wenying away for good.

Yu Qingluan processed Yu Lingxue’s broken promise on her own.

She hadn’t even noticed that the last conversation had ended with Yu Lingxue.

Looking back at many previous conversations, none of them had ever been ended by Yu Lingxue.

Yu Qingluan was just.

Too sad, too heavy hearted.

She had little strength left, so she shut herself in her room, embroidering one piece after another.

None of them met her standards, let alone her grandmother’s.

Sometimes, as Yu Qingluan cut apart her “creations,” she thought:

If her grandmother saw these, she’d probably be kneeling in the ancestral hall again.

What kind of work could this embroidery be called? Worse than trash.

She knew her heart was askew. That’s why her needlework was unsteady, her focus entirely lost.

To handle the needle and thread now felt like an insult to her ancestors.

But she had nothing else to do.

Unlike others, she didn’t have many hobbies or interests.

If one thing didn’t work out, they could switch to another; even if nothing went right, they could muddle through and treat it as a pastime for comfort.

Her heart was very, very small only big enough for one person and one thing in a lifetime.

Now, the person was gone, and the thing was ruined.

Yu Qingluan plunged her head into the washbasin.

She choked on the cold water and coughed violently.

In her panic, the basin fell to the floor, the impact startling her so much she nearly jumped.

Cold water drenched her entirely.

She collapsed on the ground, coughing wretchedly, her eyes squeezed shut as she wiped at them repeatedly.

The more she wiped, the more water streaked her face.

Only when she heard the ragged, frantic gasps did Yu Qingluan realize:

She was crying.

She froze for a moment.

Tears continued to fall on their own.

She took a sharp breath, and the cold air rushed into her lungs, mingling with the burning sensation from the choking, consuming her entirely.

Yu Qingluan covered her face and curled up in the water.

Finally, she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

Actually.

After she had cried her fill and was cleaning up the mess, Yu Qingluan thought calmly.

Yu Shuhua had been tied up with association matters lately and was never home; otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to cry so loudly.

It was really just a small matter.

Once she had piled everything up and washed off the cold water with a hot shower,

Yu Qingluan burrowed under the covers, listening to the creak of the bed frame as she rocked slowly, calming her thoughts.

She believed Yu Lingxue must have had a convincing reason for standing her up.

Making her wait so long in the cold wind was truly out of character for Yu Lingxue.

Even so, Yu Qingluan felt heartbroken.

She rubbed her sore, swollen eyes and tugged at her dry, yellowish hair.

When she saw that Yu Lingxue’s explanation was still nowhere to be found, she understood.

She was just feeling wronged.

By now, Yu Lingxue must have finished her work, right?

Why couldn’t she have said something?

Yu Qingluan typed a line in the chat box, then quickly deleted it.

She remembered her place.

They weren’t lovers. They were just involved.

They still had an agreement with only two months left.

No wonder.

Yu Qingluan let out a cold laugh.

She actually had no right to feel wronged, did she?

Tossing and turning, she wanted to message Yu Lingxue to end this one-sided cold war.

But it was too painful; her heart ached like a sour lemon, hot and stinging even more sharply.

She typed and deleted the message over and over.

In the end, she gave up.

After all, they weren’t lovers.

She wanted to see when Yu Lingxue would remember to explain.

If she didn’t, it didn’t matter.

Yu Qingluan curled her toes tightly, pulling herself into a ball.

She probably still liked Yu Lingxue.

Even now, she was willing to forgive her.

Yu Qingluan waited for seven days.

Seven days later, she finally received that call.

Hearing Yu Lingxue’s voice, her body and mind still reacted.

But all along, Yu Qingluan could feel that something was missing inside her.

What was it?

Yu Qingluan pressed the answer button.

————————

[Poor thing][Poor thing][Poor thing] The buildup before the crematorium arc is crucial. It should reflect Yu Lingxue’s perspective on relationships her initial fondness for Yu Qingluan, the physical attraction, and the emotional push and pull,

I hope readers can sense that she does harbor genuine affection for the little bird.

For instance, if nothing particularly important is occupying her, she would spend time with the little bird, even if it’s just watching her embroider while lost in her own thoughts.

Another example: when she had to visit her mentor for apprenticeship, she disappeared for an entire night without notice. During that time, the only person she remembered was the little bird, and she only replied to her message. But that’s as far as it goes it doesn’t quite amount to love, and it’s not equivalent to the depth of emotion the little bird has poured into their relationship. She’s constantly prioritizing the people and matters in her life, and the little bird isn’t her first choice this is something I hope my writing has emphasized.

Another key point before the crematorium arc is showing how the little bird gradually moves from deep love to utter despair.

All emotions accumulate over time. The little bird is somewhat naive and foolishly devoted; once she sets her heart on someone, she gives her all. That’s why her feelings for Yu Lingxue can be called love. And precisely because of this, she won’t be completely disillusioned by just one incident (though she won’t stay entirely silent either wait for the next chapter).

As for Yu Lingxue, a true “flower on the high peak,” raised in privilege and sheltered in a greenhouse, she isn’t just guilty of one mistake. Many of her values don’t align with ordinary people, including the little bird, for various reasons her family background, her own stubbornness… but more on that later.

So,

Even though I’m also impatient [melting] I’ve been envisioning how Yu Lingxue will suffer since summer break the plot simply can’t be rushed.

This story will likely be a bit longer before going premium, about five chapters more than my other works. I hope that’s enough to cover their story before the crematorium arc.

–

The following is something I’d rather not spell out too clearly, but I feel I should explain it. If you enjoy the ambiguity of the earlier text and have no questions about the plot, you can skip this part.

I’m not sure if readers noticed the reason behind Yu Lingxue allowing Yu Qingluan to stay overnight at the hospital in the previous chapters.

She does genuinely like Yu Qingluan. If it weren’t for the Yan family and her own family matters, she wouldn’t have refused Yu Qingluan’s initial request to stay together overnight.

But then again, why did she take the risk to invite the little bird to stay over the second time? Connecting it with today’s apprenticeship and Li Ran’s earlier scolding, some clues should be apparent.