Weakness Trap - Chapter 52

Yu Qingluan took a moment to steel herself before finally stepping forward and tapping Yu Lingxue on the shoulder, startling her.

Tears still clung to the corners of Yu Lingxue’s eyes, two wet trails streaking down her cheeks. She flinched and turned to look at Yu Qingluan, caught off guard.

She hadn’t sensed Yu Qingluan’s approach in advance.

Yu Lingxue blinked, inhaling the unfamiliar, faint fragrance, and two more tears escaped.

“Little Bird, what’s wrong?” She quickly composed herself, wiping her tears away haphazardly.

A natural flush spread across her cheeks. Paired with the redness at the corners of her eyes, from Yu Qingluan’s elevated vantage point, she truly looked like a frightened kitten on the verge of tears.

Yu Qingluan pushed that thought from her mind, blinking impassively.

“Don’t come looking for me anymore. Not even from a distance.” Her voice was noticeably colder than before, like tea steeped in melted snow warm on the surface but chilling to the bone.

Yu Lingxue shivered at the icy tone, a numbness spreading through her limbs as the cold seemed to seep from her chest outward.

“Why?” Her own voice, in contrast, was softer than ever, as if she were handling a fragile porcelain vase, afraid that even a slight raise in volume might shatter Yu Qingluan.

But Yu Qingluan was no longer her porcelain vase.

“Have you forgotten the immense trouble you caused me before?” Yu Qingluan’s face remained cold, the only hint of familiarity in the occasional tightening of her lips.

Had Yu Lingxue not engraved that face into her very soul over the past two years, she might not have recognized Yu Qingluan at all.

“Or perhaps you didn’t know?” Yu Qingluan let out a derisive laugh. “Yu Lingxue, don’t tell me you never saw the news.”

Such a major scandal. It wasn’t just Hong Kong even the mainland had caught wind of it. And it led to Grandma’s misfortune.

Yu Qingluan lowered her gaze, concealing her displeasure. What reason did she have to show Yu Lingxue any kindness?

She felt she ought to slap Yu Lingxue, not waste time here with words.

But given Yu Lingxue’s relentless persistence over the past two years, Yu Qingluan feared that even a slap wouldn’t drive her away, forcing her to say more.

“ I saw it.” Yu Lingxue replied, slightly flustered.

Seeing someone she thought she’d lost was a blessing, but she hadn’t expected their reunion to revolve so quickly around that incident.

She had hoped to quietly observe Yu Qingluan for a while longer.

That was her only wish.

“I’m sorry, Little Bird, it’s my fault.” Yu Lingxue rushed to apologize, failing to notice the darkening expression on Yu Qingluan’s face.

“I was too weak back then, I didn’t realize,”

“Enough!” Yu Qingluan cut her off sharply.

Meeting Yu Lingxue’s startled gaze, Yu Qingluan took a sharp breath, struggling to steady her emotions. Only her ragged breathing betrayed her inner turmoil.

Her breaths quickened, and her words came faster. “Enough. I don’t want to hear your explanations. What you were like then, what you’re like now it has nothing to do with me. I don’t want to be criticized or gossiped about because of you anymore. I don’t want to lose my career over you for nothing.”

“But,” Yu Lingxue bit her lip, drawing blood, and tried to speak again, only to be interrupted once more.

“Now, immediately, leave this place.” Yu Qingluan pointed to the roadside, her gaze sharp as a blade, piercing straight through Yu Lingxue’s heart.

Yu Lingxue pressed a hand to her chest, struggling to breathe.

“No one would dare speak ill of you again” she gasped out, tears welling in her eyes as she made one last plea.

“I’ve dealt with those people! The media.” She quickened her pace, afraid Yu Qingluan wouldn’t listen, wishing she could compress three sentences into one to tell her.

“All of them. Everyone who spoke against you, who hired trolls, I’ve handled them all. Most of them are my people now! No one will dare say another bad word about you!”

Yu Qingluan’s brows remained furrowed, her gaze still sharp and piercing.

She didn’t speak, but her meaning was clear.

“Fine, I’ll leave. I’m sorry but you don’t need to worry about the media anymore.” Yu Lingxue lowered her head, unable to bear the sight of those eyes filled with distrust and a hint of hatred.

Once, those eyes had been full of love affection, dependence, joy

Even when they later had disagreements, there had been more than just love and hate; there was entanglement, reluctance, and a touch of confusion.

But now, there was no trace of fondness left. Yu Lingxue took one last look into Yu Qingluan’s eyes, searching in vain for any lingering affection.

Truly, she was the only one still stuck in the past, clinging to their former closeness and reminiscing about their old love.

Yu Qingluan had moved on long, long ago.

So long that her perfume had changed again and again, her hair had grown and been cut short, and her gaze had grown sharper and more mature with each passing day.

So long that Yu Lingxue, in a daze, could barely recognize her anymore.

“I’m sorry, Qingluan.” Yu Lingxue offered one last apology before hurrying away.

Yu Qingluan caught a glimpse of a flickering tear.

She stood silently for a moment, then took a deep breath.

The faint scent of old roses lingered in the air, drifting past her nose and winding backward, only to be ruthlessly pushed out of her mind, leaving no weight behind.

Yu Qingluan turned and went back into the shop, continuing her discussion with Zeng Lan about the next season’s theme.

A few days later, Yu Qingluan was video-chatting with Xiang Yan.

Xiang Yan glanced at the quiet, almost deserted state of her shop and remarked, “Seems like there aren’t as many customers as before?”

“I didn’t choose the busiest location, and our products are in a transitional phase.” This area was semi upscale, with far less foot traffic than the previous commercial street.

“True. Anyway, just think of it as fulfilling a dream.” After graduating with her bachelor’s degree, Xiang Yan had gone on to graduate school and was still buried in her studies. Seeing her former peers already building their businesses made her a little wistful.

“Are you doing okay in Hong Kong?” Since Yu Qingluan had moved abroad, they could only meet during holidays. Still, their friendship remained strong; they’d just shifted their conversations online.

“Pretty good, except for being harassed by someone again.” Yu Qingluan complained, instinctively looking up.

There was no sign of Yu Lingxue across the street.

At least she listened this time. Yu Qingluan rested her chin in her hand, lost in thought.

After yelling at Yu Lingxue that day, Yu Qingluan had nightmares for three nights straight, waking up each time with a flood of thoughts.

They were messy reflections. Yu Qingluan didn’t know how to categorize them.

At first, she regretted being so harsh, but then she felt it wasn’t wrong.

Wasn’t it natural for her to treat Yu Lingxue that way?

She felt no love for Yu Lingxue, and even her hatred had gradually faded amid her new life. Yelling a few times was just a way to vent the last remnants of her resentment so what?

Later, Yu Qingluan thought she regretted saying so much and letting Yu Lingxue explain herself, disturbing her peace of mind.

Why bother telling her all that? The best thing would have been to just tell her to get lost.

Occasionally, she regretted not slapping her outright; other times, reflecting on Yu Lingxue’s words, she was glad she hadn’t.

Yu Qingluan was a tangled mess inside, but Yu Lingxue obediently didn’t show up again.

Yu Qingluan sighed helplessly and quickly adjusted her emotions.

It had been almost three years since they parted ways she couldn’t let Yu Lingxue affect her like this anymore.

In the end, it was just a trivial matter.

When Xiang Yan heard about it, she glanced at Yu Qingluan’s reaction.

She probably doesn’t care anymore, right?

“She’s way too annoying,” she chimed in with a few complaints before suddenly realizing something was off.

“Wait, isn’t this just absurd? It’s been so long already!”

“Who knows? If only she had been this devoted back then.” Yu Qingluan muttered under her breath.

But there was no point in dwelling on “what ifs.”

Besides, Yu Qingluan truly hadn’t liked the person she was back then. Even without the arranged marriage, they would have ended up in the same place sooner or later.

In a way, the arranged marriage had been like cutting through a tangled knot it helped her end the pain sooner.

“You have no idea. Back when you set the shop on fire.” Xiang Yan recounted how Yu Lingxue had come to Chu City looking for Yu Qingluan and how Yu Shuhua had asked her to play along with the act.

Yu Qingluan just smiled. “You two are ruthless. And my mom she really is something, daring to say something like that.”

“Well, it was to help you get rid of her. She definitely thought you were dead. It’s been two years, and she still came looking for you. That’s beyond devotion it’s downright terrifying.” The more Xiang Yan thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.

Who would love someone they believed to be dead for this long?

Maybe it was because she had never been in love herself, but she truly couldn’t understand it.

“It’s just creepy,” Yu Qingluan concluded, putting an end to the topic. “Enough of this we have a customer.”

She hung up the phone, looked up, and switched to Cantonese to greet the newcomer.

This person had visited several times already, almost every day over the past couple of days sometimes in the morning, sometimes just before closing.

What stood out to Yu Qingluan was that, despite coming so often, the person never bought anything. They just browsed.

And then there was the way they dressed half their face covered, a hat pulled low. Although Hong Kong in mid autumn was a bit chilly, Yu Qingluan wouldn’t ask them to remove their disguise, silently complaining to herself instead.

“Hello, just browsing again?” Yu Qingluan said, picking up a teacup printed with her own design and beginning to introduce it to the person.

–

After Yu Qingluan reappeared, Yu Yuehen spent only two days uncovering the full story.

So she had gone abroad to study no wonder her daughter couldn’t find her anywhere in China.

It seemed her intuition back then had been right: Yu Qingluan had been so fed up with Lingsue’s pestering that she resorted to such an extreme measure setting the shop on fire and faking her own death.

On top of that, Yu Yuehen also discovered that Yu Qingluan was now a somewhat well known designer in the U.S., with her own studio.

She shared her findings with her daughter, who had been inexplicably despondent lately.

At the time, Yu Lingxue had just been driven away by Yu Qingluan and hadn’t seen her for an entire day. The pain was so intense it felt as if her organs were churning inside her.

Hot tears, bitter and sour, welled up in her eyes. She bit her lip until it bled, but she still couldn’t swallow the bitterness.

After reading the information her mother provided, Yu Lingxue finally wiped away her tears.

Knowing that her little bird was doing well brought her some comfort.

As long as she was alive, there was still a chance a chance to do something, to secretly watch over her.

As for the lies told by her family and friends, Yu Lingxue couldn’t bring herself to blame them. She understood and chose to swallow and digest the pain and suffering she had endured over the past two years alone.

Yu Lingxue gently traced her finger across the screen, gazing at Yu Qingluan’s English name and photo in the article, a flicker of joy finally returning to her eyes.

Her little bird truly is the most remarkable. To achieve such outstanding results in just two years.

I really want to help her…

Yu Lingxue hugged the documents and read for a while, managing to calm herself somewhat. Then, she suddenly sensed something amiss.

Given Yu Qingluan’s reputation, she shouldn’t have found absolutely nothing about her.

However, over the past two years, she had been preoccupied with seizing power, leaving the task of investigating Yu Qingluan to Yu Yueheng and Li Ran.

If they hadn’t found anything in two years, how could Yu Yueheng have provided such detailed information in just two days?

Aside from the possibility that their intelligence network had improved, there must be another reason, right?

Yu Lingxue looked at her mother.

“You and my teacher, did you not seriously help me look for Qingluan?” As this thought crossed her mind, Yu Lingxue clenched her wrist.

“Why?” She didn’t need Yu Yueheng to answer she could already see it clearly.

“To be honest, both your teacher and I weren’t particularly hopeful that you would find her.” Yu Yueheng’s fundamental nature truly hadn’t changed.

“We saw you regaining your spirit, fighting for power, and it seemed like everything was improving. We even considered deceiving you. We were afraid that just as you were getting better, her return would cause you to revert to your previous state.” And Yu Yueheng’s fears were gradually coming true.

Her brow furrowed with worry as she looked at Yu Lingxue. “Xue’er, don’t let her ”

“Don’t call me that!” Yu Lingxue trembled as she interrupted Yu Yueheng.

“I continued living for her sake. I forced myself to regain my spirit, to seize the power I needed, all for revenge for her, for the love that died.”

“Once I have it, once I deal with that person from the Yan family, I will definitely go to be with her.”

“I’ve always thought this way! Always for over two years, more than a thousand days. Not a single day has been bearable! Do you know how much I’ve suffered? Without her, I truly cannot go on!”

“But you, all of you, actually thought I was fine, actually believed I could live without her.”

Yu Lingxue stood up, her breathing unsteady, her eyes bloodshot, leaving Yu Yueheng shocked and somewhat frightened.

” I need to go.” Yu Lingxue felt nothing but suffocation.

So, she had been kept in the dark for so long, all because not a single person around her understood her.