Weakness Trap - Chapter 27.1

In that moment, Yu Lingxue couldn’t feel the cold.

It was as if her slender body hadn’t been pushed back several steps by the wind, and her disheveled hair hadn’t been soaked into strands by the falling snow.

But there was no warmth either. No gloves from Yu Qingluan, no hat from Yu Shuhua.

She stood naked on the street, surrounded by a void of white.

The blaring horn jolted Yu Lingxue back to reality. Ignoring her frozen fingers, she pressed Yu Qingluan’s number over and over again, dialing it, only to have her last bit of strength drained by the busy tone.

This phone seemed like some kind of demon that fed on human lifespan.

With each press, Yu Lingxue’s body grew thinner, her complexion paler.

After countless attempts, she finally lowered her hand, trembling, a single tear streaming down her face.

Had Yu Qingluan abandoned her?

But that couldn’t be. Yu Qingluan clearly loved her so much, so why wasn’t he answering.

Yu Lingxue saw the red on the screen again the two digit number of missed calls and her heart clenched.

This was her punishment, it had to be.

Punishment for not answering Yu Qingluan’s calls.

In that instant, Yu Lingxue felt regret.

Her heart, liver, and lungs ached, her intestines twisted together, as if she were about to suffocate.

If only she had informed Yu Qingluan the night before.

A hand grabbed her arm.

Yu Lingxue turned her elbow and looked back, only to see the bodyguard sent by Yu Qingyuan.

“Miss Lingxue, it’s cold outside. Please come with us to the car.” The bodyguard was dressed in black, with black hair and black eyes. Aside from his face, which still held some color, the rest of him was a pure, bottomless black that made one uneasy.

Yu Lingxue wanted to say something. She wanted to find Yu Qingluan. She had things to do, she wanted to escape this place.

But she couldn’t utter a single word, couldn’t accomplish a single thing.

This was just Yu Qingyuan’s bodyguard, following orders.

She knew that if she took even one step forward, Jian Xi, who had barely been kept alive, would fall into danger once again.

In the end, Yu Lingxue remained silent and followed the bodyguard into the black car.

She felt like a prisoner, her fifteen minutes of freedom gone in an instant.

As if she would never truly be free.

Just one step away.

Yu Lingxue clutched her phone, too afraid to take it out.

She remembered Yan Lanshen’s words.

No, it wasn’t just one step.

She wasn’t good enough, not perfect enough, not strong enough, which was why she had ended up like this.

Yu Lingxue had never craved power so much before.

Until now, she had truly believed that as long as she could heal every patient, she would be valued in the Yu family. She could protect her sister, keep her mother out of trouble, and finally be with the one she loved.

But it was all just wishful thinking.

By the time she returned to that prison, the preparations for the engagement banquet would likely begin.

“It’s so cold.” Yu Qingluan shivered, looking up at the gray sky of Harbor City.

“It’s snowing, after all.” Xiang Yan carried two suitcases, and Yu Qingluan took one from him.

“Good thing your mom told you to wear more layers.”

Yu Qingluan hummed in response.

It was nearly dusk, but the sunset offered little color. Only the vast whiteness of the snow contrasted with the steel forest of gray and blue.

Skyscrapers towered everywhere, piercing the clouds, demanding reverence.

The reflective glass surfaces kept everything at a distance, coldly lowering the temperature around them.

Snow and skyscrapers always went well together both equally cold, equally heartless, standing tall on their own, falling on their own, shattering dignity and pride.

From the very first glance, Yu Qingluan disliked Harbor City.

It was too cold, too desolate, too oppressive.

People hurried along the streets, walking briskly even in the snow, as if burdened with endless tasks. They muttered to themselves, talked on their phones, and carried business bags that bumped against their suits as they calculated profits that never seemed to add up right.

Yu Qingluan had been born and raised in Chu City. Modern development had come late to Chu City even around the university, buildings were no taller than five stories. The houses were never so densely packed either. People maintained a polite distance from one another, leaving space for their hearts to breathe.

Snow was rare in Chu City, but when it did fall, it never felt so chilling. It was always gentle and soft, drifting lightly onto one’s shoulders like an old friend returning after a long absence, greeting you with a smile.

“Let’s head to the hotel first. It’s already late,” Xiang Yan patted Yu Qingluan’s shoulder.

She hailed a taxi and struggled to communicate with the Cantonese-speaking driver, gesturing for a while before Yu Qingluan finally stepped in and clarified their destination.

As it turned out, the driver was quite the chatterbox, insisting on making conversation in his broken Mandarin.

Yu Qingluan wasn’t in the mood to engage, so Xiang Yan reluctantly exchanged a few words.

“Traffic’s really bad, you know. This time of day is just rush hour everyone’s heading home.”

Yu Qingluan looked up and saw a splash of color.

A massive advertisement screen projected the flawless face of a celebrity, with the endorsed product flowing in impossible, eye-catching forms. Lights flickered on in every household, and the trees were still draped with red and green holiday lights from December, now accompanied by strings of red lanterns.

Eastern and Western cultures collided in this small commercial district. Passersby took it all in stride, but for Yu Qingluan, it was her first time seeing such a scene.

She had no heart to appreciate it she merely observed. Once seen, it was forgotten. Yu Qingluan lowered her gaze and caught her own reflection in the car window, looking despondent.

“Did you let your mom know you’re safe?” Xiang Yan took out her phone and switched to a new data SIM card.

“Not yet.” Yu Qingluan quickly opened her phone.

Dozens of missed calls greeted her all from during her flight.

They were from Yu Lingxue.

Yu Qingluan took a deep breath.

She hadn’t been abandoned. She hadn’t been ignored.

At least Yu Lingxue had called, right?

Feeling slightly better, she first sent a message to her mom, then looked back at Yu Lingxue’s missed calls.

So many of them.

Why had she called so many times?

Yu Qingluan traced her fingers over the screen, imagining Yu Lingxue’s expression when she saw her.

Would she be pleasantly surprised?

Yu Qingluan almost laughed at her own foolishness.

Just because of one night of unanswered calls, she had traveled halfway across the country to a strange city like Harbor City to find her girlfriend.

She was just too insecure.

But who could blame her? Yu Lingxue had broken promises time and again, and this time, she had left without a word.

When she saw her, she would definitely give her a piece of her mind.

After a moment’s thought, Yu Qingluan left a message for Yu Lingxue.

It included the address of her hotel and a simple “I miss you.”

By the time she finished, Xiang Yan was already on the phone with her ambiguous love interest.

“We’ve arrived in Harbor City… Don’t come for Spring Festival. You know how things are with my family. I’m just traveling with my friend,”

“Your boss is causing trouble again? Ugh, he’s so annoying, when will it end? If it were me, I’d expose his awful behavior online, Why don’t you just quit? Didn’t you say the pay isn’t even that great?”

Xiang Yan’s voice drifted in and out.

From her expression alone, it was clear she was having a pleasant chat with that girl.

Just some everyday topics trivial and meaningless.

Yet Yu Qingluan felt a twinge of envy.

She and Yu Lingxue rarely, very rarely,

Rarely talked about their personal lives.

Even during those ten-plus days they lived together over winter break, they only discussed the present, what they saw or encountered.

They would chat about the big yellow dog at Grandma Chunfang’s house, but they never talked about whether they wanted to keep a dog or cat in the future. Nor did Yu Qingluan ever mention that her family once had a white poodle that later ran away and was never found.

Yu Qingluan pinched her wrist.

Overthinking was useless.

Every couple has their own way of being together.

By evening, Yu Qingluan still hadn’t received a reply from Yu Lingxue.

Is she busy.?

During dinner, Yu Qingluan was absent-minded, biting her spoon three times—almost biting her tongue.

She wondered how Yu Lingxue’s younger sister was doing.

Come to think of it, she had never even met Yu Lingxue’s sister.

Now that she was so close by…

She really wanted to meet that sister. Yu Lingxue had never specified whether she was a biological sister, a cousin, or something else.

She did mention that the sister hadn’t started elementary school yet still just a little girl.

“If you’re not eating, I’ll have it,” Xiang Yan said, tapping her on the head.

Yu Qingluan snapped back to reality. “No way, I’m eating it.”

She began wolfing down her food, and Xiang Yan sighed in exasperation. “I wasn’t really going to take it from you. What’s on your mind? One moment you’re listless, the next you’re completely spaced out.”

“Yu Lingxue she called me several times,” Yu Qingluan mumbled through a mouthful of food, offering an explanation.

Xiang Yan paused, chopsticks in mid air.

“Well, maybe she really was busy before.” Compared to breaking up, it was definitely better to have a stable relationship.

Though Xiang Yan said this, she wasn’t very optimistic about the two of them.

They had been out of touch for two days, unable to reach each other no matter how many calls they made. Something had to be wrong, right?

Her own girlfriend, Wei Jie, would even answer her calls during meetings.

“I think so too. Anyway, I just want to see her once, just once,” Yu Qingluan said, forcing a faint smile.

“I’m not asking for much just one meeting. What if she really is swamped?” Though she said this, Yu Qingluan felt an emptiness inside, as if something had fundamentally changed.

Was what she felt for Yu Lingxue now just habit, or was it love?

Xiang Yan stayed silent, but inwardly she wondered how to make Yu Qingluan understand that she was Yu Lingxue’s girlfriend, not her little pet.

Taking a step back, even cat owners who adore their pets would rush home in a taxi, taking time off work, if they saw their cat meowing pitifully on the security camera.

Yet here was Yu Qingluan, who had cried until her eyes were swollen, still loving this Yu Lingxue who wouldn’t answer calls or explain herself clearly.

She had even put on eye makeup to hide the redness and swelling.

It was just.

Xiang Yan shook her head and decided not to dwell on it, burying herself in her meal.

After dinner, Yu Qingluan didn’t feel like shopping, so Xiang Yan accompanied her back to the hotel.

They took a taxi, and this time the driver was very quiet.

The only sound along the way was the smooth, melodious saxophone from the radio, weaving through the tranquility of the night.

Yu Qingluan leaned against the window, gazing into the distance, and tightened her scarf and gloves.

She remembered that when Yu Lingxue left, she hadn’t even taken the gloves Yu Qingluan had given her or the hat from Yu Shuhua.

At the time, Yu Qingluan felt as if her heart had been ripped out.

Now, thinking back, maybe she had been too anxious. Perhaps Yu Lingxue was just busy and forgot to take them?

Yu Qingluan let out a soft sigh.

She was making excuses for Yu Lingxue.

She was just too addicted to Yu Lingxue’s sweetness.

It was only around ten o’clock, and even though it was New Year’s Eve, the streets were crowded.

But at the next intersection, a large group of people had gathered, looking like a tour group or perhaps a street performance.

Yu Qingluan stared at the crowd for a while and suddenly caught a clear glimpse of the person at the center.

Her pupils dilated, and she pressed her face against the window, almost pushing the door open to get out.

Xiang Yan held her back, preventing her from rolling down the window and leaning out.

“That’s Yu Lingxue! I have to open the window,” Yu Qingluan insisted, lowering the window anyway.

“Don’t stick your head out,” Xiang Yan had no choice but to grip her shoulder.

But by the time the window was fully open, the traffic light had already turned from red to green.

The taxi sped past the street, and Yu Qingluan saw the unfamiliar crowd, seemingly celebrating something.

She saw Yu Lingxue, surrounded like the moon among stars, being showered with blessings and gifts.

Yu Qingluan lost her voice and her strength.

She slumped down, noticing the weariness in Yu Lingxue’s eyes amidst the crowd.

The lights flickered, and Yu Lingxue’s figure rapidly shrank, her coat blurring into a beige line.

Yu Qingluan blinked, but Yu Lingxue was gone.

On that snowy night, after having the New Year’s Eve dinner with her family, Yu Lingxue was surrounded by relatives on her way home, listening to blessings she didn’t want to hear and accepting gifts she didn’t want.

A snowflake drifted down and settled at the corner of her eye, reminiscent of the snow in Chucheng.

Yu Lingxue suddenly looked up and saw a car speeding past.

The car window was half-open, and the interior was too dimly lit.

But she still recognized that person and instinctively took two steps forward.

“Lingxue, congratulations! When are you planning to have a child?” An elderly woman’s voice pulled Yu Lingxue back to reality.

Yu Lingxue felt a wave of nausea.

Yu Qingluan booked a single room.

After bidding her goodnight, Xiang Yan went out to enjoy the city.

It was a rare trip to Hong Kong spending New Year’s Eve in a mall while on the phone with someone she was flirting with was far better than being nagged at home by those who understood nothing.