Get Some Rest Early

Fresh from her bath, Liang Zhirou looked like a lotus emerging from the water. Her hair was pinned up, and she wore loose pajamas and pajama pants. Her cheeks were unfairly beautiful, her wide neckline revealed a snow-white swan neck, and her firm, pale legs were impossible to miss. The curves of her chest were just as hard to look away from.

For some reason, though, several layers of plastic wrap were wound around her arm.

Her clear, bright eyes stared a little blankly at the empty chat window between the two of them. She agonized over her wording, unable to decide even how to say hello.

As time passed, the corners of her lips, which had lifted without her noticing, fell again, and her breathing grew quicker.

Finally, she glanced up at the time. Ten minutes had already passed!

Ten minutes, and she still hadn't decided what to say...

What am I doing...?

She had few friends and had never taken the initiative to talk to anyone. Even saying hello was incredibly difficult for her.

After a little longer, she finally gathered her courage and sent a "good evening."

The two simple words lay against the pure white chat background like a lone boat.

The message she had sent stood out so abruptly in the empty chat window between them that her heart suddenly began to race, as though it might leap out of her chest. Flustered, she hurriedly recalled it.

Both embarrassed and annoyed, Liang Zhirou rubbed her face, put her phone aside, and rolled around on the bed twice in exasperation. Finally, she flopped onto her stomach, buried her face in the blanket, and kicked her slender legs a couple of times.

He can't see it, can he?

He probably can't, right?

Don't reply to me. Please, whatever you do, don't reply! I'm begging you...

Liang Zhirou hoped Chen Lu would ignore it and not send her a message, yet the empty chat window between them made her sad.

But he was so good-looking and had such a nice personality. Surely he had plenty of people to talk to.

After all, Chen Lu's gentleness was like the rain and dew of spring, nourishing those around him.

He never made a show of it or overstepped; he just gave quietly.

Most importantly, he never put any pressure on her. When he held her sleeve in the crowd, it had filled her with a sense of security, as though she only had to follow him and needn't worry about anything else.

That reminded her of the princess-like girl she had seen in the cafeteria that day. She really was beautiful, and her clothes looked expensive, yet they fit her so perfectly and looked so lovely on her.

So lovely that she hadn't dared raise her head for another look.

The girl's eyes had been full of pride. She must have come from a very good family and grown up in a jar of honey.

She and I live in completely different worlds. No wonder Chen Lu likes her...

Liang Zhirou sniffled and soon regained her composure. She plugged in her phone to charge and began preparing water for her mother's foot bath.

After checking repeatedly in the bathroom mirror to make sure nothing looked amiss, she hurriedly carried the foot bath to her mother, Xiao Xunfang.

Xiao Xunfang had developed a neurological disease a few years ago and had almost completely lost feeling in her legs.

The doctor had said only surgery could improve her condition. Even in the best case, she would regain feeling in her legs and barely be able to get out of bed and walk with crutches.

None of that was a problem.

The biggest problem was that they simply didn't have that much money...

Poor people weren't worthy of having relatives. No one was willing to lend her the money for the surgery.

So she could only work hard to keep the household going while soaking her mother's feet and massaging her legs every day, praying it would buy her a little more time to work and earn money.

Once she could prove she was able to repay it, she would try to get a loan.

Seeing that her mother seemed to be watching her, Liang Zhirou hurriedly buried her thoughts and looked up at her with a gentle expression.

Only then did she lower her head and continue washing her mother's feet.

Xiao Xunfang watched her earnest daughter. Even though her daughter had done this every day for years, she still felt somewhat at a loss.

More than once, she had thought of ending it all so her daughter would no longer have to worry about a burden like her, but she couldn't bear to imagine Liang Zhirou all alone.

Could Zhirou manage on her own?

Every day, Xiao Xunfang could only make up her mind, then hesitate and abandon the thought, over and over again.

After collecting herself, Xiao Xunfang once again brought up a subject she had raised many times before.

"Xiao Rou, how about we stop trying to treat Mom's illness? I'm used to being paralyzed."

"No."

Liang Zhirou spoke with a rare firmness, her hands never stopping.

"Then how about sending Mom back to our hometown? The expenses here are too high, and my follow-up appointments are expensive too. You'd have a lot less pressure here on your own."

"No."

"I really can take care of myself. You're all grown up, and you should have a life of your own. If Mom stays here, it'll affect your chances of getting married..."

Xiao Xunfang pressed on, her eyes reddening without her noticing.

"...No."

A sob crept into the girl's voice, and her hands stopped moving.

Plip.

Tears fell one by one into the basin, and the once-warm water for washing her feet froze Xiao Xunfang's heart.

She hurriedly stroked her daughter's head. "I won't say any more, I won't. The two of us will carry on living our lives together."

Liang Zhirou wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, then resumed the massage.

Once again, Xiao Xunfang noticed the small red patch on her daughter's arm.

Remembering the ointment and gauze her daughter had brought home that night, she had several guesses, as well as some hopes.

After all, even when her daughter had a high fever before, she had been reluctant to spend money on a doctor or medicine...

"Sweetie, did you really burn yourself by accident?"

She knew that although Liang Zhirou could be a little adorably silly, she had been doing chores for over a decade and was never clumsy about them.

"Yes."

Liang Zhirou lowered her head further and answered softly. Having hardly ever lied, she didn't dare look at her mother as she said it.

"Did you buy that medicine?" Xiao Xunfang asked curiously.

The girl shook her head. "A f-friend bought it."

Xiao Xunfang understood, or so she thought, and recalled the lively, lovely girl with the little canine teeth who had visited their home.

Over the years, her daughter seemed to have mentioned only that one friend to her. Perhaps she was her only friend...

"Was it Miaomiao? She really is a good girl."

"No, it was Chen Lu."

Chen Lu?

Why does that sound like a boy's name?

Xiao Xunfang froze for a moment, then asked cautiously, both surprised and delighted, "That sounds like a boy's name. Are you close?"

How she wished her daughter could have a love life and a life of her own.

"He's a boy. He's very nice, just like Miaomiao," Liang Zhirou said softly.

A moment later, she added, "He's just a friend I only recently met..."

Although Liang Zhirou hadn't said much, Xiao Xunfang had roughly guessed a little from the way her hands had suddenly paused.

She said nothing more. Full of apology, she simply reached out and gently tucked her daughter's drooping hair behind her ear.

Late at night.

Liang Zhirou, her eyes still a little red, finally finished putting everything in order and sank onto her bed, drained.

A little curious, she tapped the message notification on her phone, and the corners of her lips lifted at once.

Her smile was radiant, and she looked heartbreakingly lovely.

In the dark room, the faint glow of the phone screen was reflected in the girl's eyes.

After taking a screenshot, she gazed at the message for a long, long time.

Chen Lu: "Get some rest early. Remember to put medicine on your burn."