Weakness Trap - Chapter 26.2

She had thought Yu Lingxue was someone with strong wings and clever tactics.

But it turned out she was just a naive young girl.

She’d heard Yu Lingxue even had a girlfriend.

She couldn’t understand how Yu Lingxue could be so decisive.

Yu Qingyuan had expected Yu Lingxue to bring up that girlfriend from Chucheng.

Or perhaps, to make them quickly give the medicine to Yu Jian Xi.

But Yu Lingxue only said, not Yan Wenying.

“Pfft.” Yu Qingyuan sympathetically stroked Yu Lingxue’s cheek.

She was very satisfied.

Truly one of their family.

Outwardly kind and gentle, appearing to care for everyone, keeping everyone in mind.

In the end, they all shared the same cold blood running through their veins.

“Easy enough. Yan Wenying will be disowned by her family because of this. Yan Lanshen will replace her and marry you.”

With two sentences, Yu Qingyuan decided Yan Wenying’s fate.

This was power.

“Well, are you satisfied?” She could smile, could watch how wretched Yu Lingxue appeared.

She could enjoy the pastries flown in from Europe during such a critical moment, then discard half and call them unpalatable.

Yu Lingxue could only rush back to Hong Kong in disarray overnight, listening to her mockery, being forced by her.

“Naturally satisfied.” Yu Lingxue bit her lip until it hurt, forcing out these words.

“Then go and prepare. We’ll keep Yu Jian Xi alive until your engagement ceremony is completed. Then I’ll return her to you.”

Yu Qingyuan walked toward the inner door of the room, her posture lazy and casual.

She left briskly, as if she had just finished some light after-dinner activity.

Yu Lingxue couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed to the floor.

Her mind burned with fever.

Just as her mother had once warned her the most frightening one in the Yan family wasn’t Yan Wenying.

Yu Lingxue had merely tested the waters with one sentence and obtained the answer she wanted.

All of this… was far beyond what someone like Yan Wenying could have planned.

Yan Lanshen.

Yu Lingxue thought of that face and felt another chill.

In their childhood days, it was Yan Wenying who constantly made fun of her.

But the one who stood by watching and ultimately left her with psychological scars was this Yan Lanshen.

She knew Yan Wenying would always be nothing but a clown.

But she had forgotten about Yan Lanshen, hidden in the shadows, who with just one glance shattered the self-esteem Yu Lingxue had painstakingly built.

Yu Lingxue had developed a fever.

Not from catching a chill, not from exposure to wind. The Yu residence had heating in winter, maintaining a constant indoor temperature.

Yet Yu Lingxue shivered with cold while sweating with heat.

She was locked in Yu Qingyuan’s conference room all night. No one dared to look for her, and she lacked the strength to leave.

In her half-conscious state, the image that surfaced in her mind was of Yu Qingluan, struggling to rescue her from the water and pull her ashore.

That’s right.

Yu Qingluan, her little bird.

She had actually left just like that, without even notifying her.

But what could she do?

She was about to let Yu Qingluan down.

Yu Lingxue stared at the ceiling, drenched in sweat, her vision blurred.

She wanted to reach for her phone and say something to Yu Qingluan, but she couldn’t move. She thought and thought, yet couldn’t figure out what to say to Yu Qingluan.

In her dazed state, she heard a voice.

“Your sister or your girlfriend, which do you choose?”

“The patient or your lover, which takes priority?”

“A life or your feelings, which do you save?”

Yu Lingxue slowly closed her eyes.

Perhaps she hesitated for a moment, or perhaps it was just the fever slowing her thoughts.

In any case, she chose the former.

Chose her sister, chose to take responsibility for her patient, chose to save a life.

Abandoned her love.

Just as she had always done, placing Yu Qingluan after so many other things.

Yu Qingluan cried all night at home.

The next day was Chinese New Year’s Eve.

She finally woke from her tears to find Xiang Yan sitting beside her.

“Xiang Yan, am I seeing things?” Yu Qingluan blinked hard, her vision blurry, feeling as if she were going blind.

“No. Your mother was worried about you, so she asked me.” Xiang Yan touched Yu Qingluan’s forehead no fever, probably just overwhelmed by grief and emotional turmoil.

“I just came to check on you. Tell me, what happened with her?” Xiang Yan had already heard a bit from Yu Shuhua on the way over.

She was quite surprised that Yu Qingluan had come out to Yu Shuhua at this point.

But judging by Yu Shuhua’s attitude, she didn’t seem to mind much she was simply displeased with Yu Lingxue.

Xiang Yan didn’t dare say more in front of Yu Qingluan’s mother, afraid that Yu Shuhua might explode with anger and confine Yu Qingluan at home for a scolding.

But she could understand.

Sometimes, even she felt like scolding Yu Qingluan.

Once, Xiang Yan had thought that perhaps “only the duck knows if the water is warm” maybe Yu Lingxue treated Yu Qingluan well, but from an outsider’s perspective, it seemed insufficient.

It wasn’t until Xiang Yan had her own ambiguous relationship that she realized Yu Lingxue simply didn’t like Yu Qingluan enough.

That’s why she was angry at Yu Qingluan’s weakness and resentful of Yu Lingxue’s hypocritical gentility.

“Don’t cry so much. Your eyes are meant for studying embroidery patterns.”

A sob caught in Yu Qingluan’s throat, and then she burst into loud tears.

She pinched Xiang Yan’s arm. “How can I hold it back?”

“I liked her so much, discussed the future with her, and she never replied.”

“I don’t know her friends, yet she gets jealous of mine.”

“She stood me up so many times, so many This time, she promised to spend the winter break with me, finally.”

“I, I finally trusted her, trusted her again Tell me, am I stupid?”

“She left again, didn’t tell me. It’s always like this. I never know what she’s doing, and she never tells me. Yet I always like to tell her what I’ve been up to, what I’ve embroidered lately, how my studies are going. If, if I didn’t ask, she wouldn’t even tell me about Li Ran.”

Xiang Yan listened and sighed beside her.

“Why, Why do I like her so much, but she can’t like me the same way?” Yu Qingluan’s heart felt frozen.

It hurt so much.

A huge emptiness had opened up inside her, swept by cold winds itching with hypersensitivity and bleeding with raw pain.

“Qingluan, I wanted to say you’ve met the wrong person.” Xiang Yan knew her well.

“But do you still like her?”

At this, Yu Qingluan let out another sob.

“Why.” Yu Qingluan could hardly stand herself.

She had so many complaints.

But she still couldn’t bring herself to hate Yu Lingxue.

She kept telling herself, what if?

What if Yu Lingxue had encountered an emergency?

What if Yu Lingxue was just too busy?

If she were just a little better.

Had better grades, more exquisite embroidery skills.

If she had started her own brand with Zeng Lan earlier, had more money and influence.

Would the outcome have been different?

Would Yu Lingxue have stayed by her side?

Could she have been of help, instead of waiting alone every time for Yu Lingxue to finish her own affairs?

She didn’t want to be the fox waiting for Yu Lingxue’s favor she wanted to be Yu Lingxue’s rose.

This was truly “refusing to admit defeat until faced with reality.” Xiang Yan was genuinely angry, but her heart ached for Yu Qingluan.

Feelings are uncontrollable.

Especially when Yu Qingluan had given so much.

Even if it was just sunk cost, it was enough to make her cry for days, unable to let go no matter how many times she tried.

“Should we try reaching out to her?” After much deliberation, Xiang Yan still handed the phone number to Yu Qingluan.

“It’s Su Lian’s number. Ask her she might know something.” Xiang Yan wanted to place this metaphorical coffin right before Yu Qingluan’s eyes.

To make her witness Yu Lingxue’s indifference firsthand.

There was no other way. Without experiencing heart-wrenching pain, how could Yu Qingluan ever let go?

Better a sharp pain now than prolonged suffering. No matter how difficult, she had to face it.

Yu Qingluan stared at the phone number on Xiang Yan’s screen, her palms trembling uncontrollably.

She didn’t dare make the call.

What if Su Lian actually knew? Then what exactly did she count as to Yu Lingxue?

A lover? A plaything?

Clearly, they weren’t even in an agreed-upon relationship.

She wanted to call again.

What if Yu Lingxue had just been caught up in an emergency and hadn’t had time to inform her? If she misunderstood and suffered here, how ridiculous would that be.

“I’ll call for you.” Xiang Yan dialed the number.

Su Lian was quite surprised. She didn’t know this person at all she had only come across the name while investigating Yu Qingluan before.

“You’re asking about Lingxue?” Su Lian paused for a moment. “Hasn’t Yu Qingluan broken up with her yet? Lingxue’s younger sister suddenly had an emergency, so she went back to Hong Kong. It’s all”

After all, Su Lian was a local figure with connections to Yu Lingxue and was well-informed in such matters.

“Her sister had an emergency? In Hong Kong? Okay, thank you.” Xiang Yan hung up the phone.

Yu Qingluan finally calmed down, as if she had found a lifeline.

Xiang Yan, however, thought about Su Lian’s unfinished words and didn’t believe things would be that straightforward.

“So it was her sister who had an emergency.” Yu Qingluan stood frozen in place, murmuring dazedly.

“…” Xiang Yan closed her eyes briefly.

“But she still didn’t tell you a single word.”

“But if her sister had an emergency, being in a hurry is understandable, right?” Yu Qingluan patted her cheeks, no longer crying.

The power of love truly terrifying. Xiang Yan fell silent.

“Are you going to Hong Kong? It just so happens there’s nothing good for me to stay here for either.” She sighed, speaking the truth.

Her divorced parents only ever pressured her to get married, set her up on blind dates, urged her to find a job quickly, and told her not to pursue graduate studies or even finish university. They had even found her a factory job and arranged everything.

Yesterday, when she returned home, she saw her mother bringing two coworkers over, insisting she go to work, which scared her half to death.

A little later, she saw her father dragging in a scruffy, middle-aged man, claiming he was rich and telling her to marry him. That scared her right out of the house.

Just then, Yu Qingluan contacted her, so she came over to their place.

It was like this every year. If her aunt was working overtime and couldn’t come home for the New Year, the holiday wasn’t a celebration it was just an ordeal with her bizarre parents. Xiang Yan was more than eager to escape.

“Let me check flights and hotels.” Yu Qingluan rubbed her eyes and applied the ointment Yu Lingxue had left behind to her eyelids.

“Do you have the money?” Xiang Yan took out the New Year’s money her aunt had transferred to her, along with the red envelopes her ambiguous love interest had sent.

“I’ll pay you back later.” Yu Qingluan did a quick calculation and realized her savings weren’t enough.

“Deal.”

After booking the hotel and flights, Yu Qingluan told Yu Shuhua about the plan.

“I’m not trying to break you two up or criticize her. But, my dear, in a relationship, you and she must be equals. It can’t always be you going to her, flying such a long distance, spending money, and giving her gifts, right? The fact that she didn’t inform you and left without a word no matter how you look at it, that’s not right.” Yu Shuhua advised her earnestly.

Xiang Yan nodded vigorously beside her.

Heaven knew how many times she had tried to persuade Yu Qingluan.

But Yu Qingluan just wouldn’t listen. Stubborn to the core.

Sometimes, Xiang Yan wondered if it wasn’t Yu Lingxue she loved, but an idealized version of her.

“I, I know” Yu Qingluan hung her head.

She just liked Yu Lingxue too much. As Xiang Yan said, she wouldn’t give up until she hit a wall.

She still clung to hope, still craved that sweetness.

“Ah, forget it. You’re only young once.”

Yu Shuhua rummaged for her wallet and finally managed to pull out a red envelope, carefully filling it for Yu Qingluan.

The envelope felt heavy, yet when Yu Qingluan took it, she felt inexplicably light floating, as if weightless. She drifted in the air, directionless.

That single red envelope was enough to anchor her to the ground, reminding her of who she was.

“Hong Kong is an unfamiliar place, and you two young girls must be extra careful,” Yu Shuhua said, watching them with a hint of unease.

After they got into a taxi and left, Yu Shuhua called Zeng Min.

It was rare for her to ask Zeng Min for help, but after some thought, Zeng Min relayed the message to Zeng Lan.

It was snowing in Hong Kong that day. The snow fell thick and heavy, like mud, blanketing the ground and turning the steel-and-concrete forest white, revealing only a deep, penetrating cold.

It was nothing like Chu City.

Chu City was gentle and lovely, its snow light and delicate, dusting shoulders without soiling a single hem.

Yu Lingxue gazed out the window, her thoughts drifting, empty.

She was going to find Yan Lanshen.

After agreeing to the arranged marriage, she had regained her former “freedom” and could come and go from the Yu family as she pleased.

Yu Qingyuan had even thoughtfully arranged for someone to apply a fever-reducing patch to her forehead—using her own people, for Yu Lingxue.

It was both surveillance and a kind of warning.

But once she entered Yan Lanshen’s territory, Yu Qingyuan wisely called his people away.

After all, Yan Lanshen wouldn’t let Yu Lingxue leave so easily.

“What brings you here?” Yan Lanshen turned around as he heard the door open behind him, his gaze settling on Yu Lingxue.

“What do you think?” Yu Lingxue tossed her cumbersome gloves, hat, and scarf onto the table and pulled out a chair with an air of defiance.

“It’s rare to see you so emotional,” Yan Lanshen remarked, sitting down with her and pouring her a cup of tea. His attitude was far better than Yu Qingyuan’s, by more than a little.

But to Yu Lingxue, it didn’t feel the slightest bit better.

“We’re engaged now. Why the cold face? We’ll have to spend our lives together eventually,” Yan Lanshen said, a hint of laughter in his voice, though his expression remained unchanged.

“Why me?” The calmer he seemed, the harder it was for Yu Lingxue to maintain her usual composure. She grew increasingly flustered, biting her lip and staring intently at Yan Lanshen, not caring how

“After they targeted your sister, you couldn’t resolve the crisis and had no choice but to obey them. Lack of capability this is your third mistake.”

Yan Lanshen dissected Yu Lingxue’s errors layer by layer, causing her expression to grow increasingly grim.

“Still, at least you chose the right partner.” Yan Lanshen extended a hand toward Yu Lingxue.

“Why me?” This time, it was her turn to question Yu Lingxue.

“Is it really just because Yan Wenying bullied you as a child, so you never even considered marrying her? I’ve heard you’re currently seeing someone, which means you have no feelings for me. So why am I the one?”

Yu Lingxue met Yan Lanshen’s gaze.

She didn’t take the offered hand, yet the other showed no sign of anxiety, as if waiting, confident she would answer.

And indeed, she was prepared to respond.

Was this the gap between them?

Was it also the gap between her and Yu Qingyuan?

To secure a favorable position in an affluent family, it turned out so many abilities were required.

It wasn’t enough to just have exceptional medical skills, a good reputation, or a pure heart.

“Because I realized you were the one pulling the strings behind this.”

Yu Lingxue’s face was ashen, blood still at the corner of her lips, looking as though she might collapse at any moment, yet she continued.

“Yan Wenying doesn’t have that much capability. If she were acting alone, she couldn’t have cut off Jian Xi’s medication. Yu Qingyuan has the ability, but from our recent interactions, her stance isn’t that absolute. After all, I am still a member of the Yu family having me on her side would be beneficial.”

“And you can communicate. Yan Wenying cannot.” This was the most crucial point.

During that feverish night, in her delirium, Yu Lingxue had even thought that, since it was an arranged marriage, they could each go their own way, prioritizing interests above all.

Perhaps she would still have a chance to find Yu Qingluan.

If it were Yan Wenying, that chance would be almost zero. She wasn’t someone who could engage in rational discussion she only enjoyed bullying others.

If it were Yan Lanshen, things might be different.

“You’re very clever.” Yan Lanshen acknowledged this.

“But what I can tell you is, I didn’t ‘do’ anything. I merely said a few words and, a long time ago, gave Yan Wenying some permissions. That’s all.”

“What does that matter?” Regardless, Yu Lingxue couldn’t forgive anyone involved in this incident just because of a few words.

The only reason she was sitting here talking to Yan Lanshen now was likely due to some possibility she had considered.

“Fair enough, it doesn’t matter.” Yan Lanshen withdrew her hand. “Aren’t you curious about my reasons for doing this?”

“I asked, and you didn’t tell me.” What kind of reason could “liking her” possibly be? Yu Lingxue found it unsettling; she would rather marry someone who had no expectations of her.

“Alright, so my confession means so little to Miss Yu.” Yan Lanshen still had the mood to joke.

“My reasoning is simple. I want the Yan family, and I want the Yu family as well.” Yan Lanshen produced an agreement and handed it to Yu Lingxue.

“I can’t stand that person. She poses a significant threat, and I need an ally to eliminate her. That ally can only be someone from the Yu family.”

“So it has to be you. Only you.” What Yan Lanshen showed Yu Lingxue was a post-marital agreement.

It outlined what she expected Yu Lingxue to accomplish and what she would provide in return.

“Cooperate with me. I’ll ensure your sister’s health. I’ll also lend a hand to your mother and aunt. I only need two years after that, whether to continue this marriage alliance is up to you.”

Just two years and it would be over? Could something this good really be true?

Yu Lingxue looked at Yan Lanshen in disbelief, then carefully reread the agreement.

“One year,” she said. She couldn’t make Yu Qingluan wait too long.

Yu Lingxue felt as though the clouds had parted, revealing a glimmer of hope.

“If you’re confident, then fine,” Yan Lanshen replied casually.

“I’ve been building my strength,” Yu Lingxue frowned, amended the timeline, and signed the agreement.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Yan Lanshen said as she took it, glanced over it, and stamped it with her seal.

“Your sister’s medication will arrive at her hospital within half an hour. After that, I’ll arrange for her to be transferred to another hospital, away from Yu Qingyuan’s surveillance.”

“Transfer her to this hospital,” Yu Lingxue handed over an address.

“So this one is yours,” Yan Lanshen remarked without surprise.

She had no interest in working with someone too foolish Yu Lingxue’s performance was just right.

When Yu Lingxue left, Yan Lanshen accompanied her halfway.

Returning to the reception room, she checked the flight information.

The matters with the Yu family could be handled quickly or slowly, but of course, the sooner, the better.

All thanks to Yu Lingxue’s little girlfriend.

However,

Whether the other party would wait a year for her remained uncertain.

But that was no longer within Yan Lanshen’s considerations.

Having eliminated two thorns in her side in one move and reached an agreement with someone she held in esteem, Yan Lanshen raised her glass toward the window, toasting Yu Lingxue’s figure as she hurried into a car, as if in celebration.

Yu Lingxue held her phone, rubbing her hands nervously before pressing the power button.

She finally dared to make a call to Yu Qingluan.

Would she understand her?

Would she forgive her? Would she wait for her?

Just one year that was all she needed.

She could do it.

Seeing the dozens of missed calls from Yu Qingluan, Yu Lingxue’s heart ached.

She pressed the call button, but there was no answer.

“The number you have dialed is busy,”

It was snowing in Harbor City today.

Yu Lingxue had just lost her cold-weather gear, and now, standing in the wind and snow, her body grew colder by the minute and so did her heart.

A snowflake landed on her phone screen, pressing the end call button for her.