—— Suian Hospital ——
"I haven't even asked you yet—you arrived so early this time, did you take the night bus again?"
Aunt Chun was worried. She knew all too well that her relationship with Chu Zhao must never be discovered by the rest of the Chu family. Because of this, every visit Chu Zhao made was a difficult undertaking.
"How could I?" Chu Zhao held one of Aunt Chun's hands, reluctant to let go. When she replied, her eyes sparkled with such genuine affection that Aunt Chun couldn't bear to lose her temper with her for even a second. "I arrived near the hospital yesterday afternoon, around seven o'clock."
"But I asked Doctor Gao, and he said you had just finished your treatment that morning and were resting early in the afternoon, so he told me not to bother you yet."
"You little tease." Aunt Chun tapped her forehead. "Is that really what Doctor Gao said?"
"You saw right through me." Chu Zhao’s lips curved into a crescent moon smile. "Anyway, don’t worry, I stayed at a hotel last night. I even have the receipt on my phone. Shall I show you?"
Aunt Chun’s eyebrows arched, and she laughed. "Alright, let me see how you stayed yesterday."
Chu Zhao froze, her face falling into a tragic grimace, bunching up like a steamed bun. "Are you really going to check up on me?"
"Haha." Aunt Chun laughed aloud and reached out to ruffle Chu Zhao’s hair. Her Zhaozhao was clearly such a bright and beautiful girl; how could anyone ever call her gloomy or ominous? Thinking of those people in the Chu family, Aunt Chun’s expression dimmed slightly. "How have you been lately? Have they been..."
Before she could finish the word "bullying," Chu Zhao interrupted her with a smile. "I almost forgot the most important thing! Aunt Chun, I have some good news to tell you!"
"A publishing house has reached out to me about my new picture book series, *Snail is Looking for Friends Today*! They offered a very generous price, and I’m very satisfied with the terms of our collaboration."
"If the reception is good when it hits the shelves, they’ll even translate it into English, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, and other languages, and sell it in multiple countries."
"That’s wonderful." Aunt Chun sighed, her eyes glistening like a lake catching the light. "Our Zhaozhao has found something she truly loves."
"Things will only get better." Aunt Chun’s voice was soft, yet firm.
Despite being worn down by illness and a frail, thinning body, at this moment, she seemed to brim with endless, beautiful hope for the future. Just looking at Aunt Chun like this allowed Chu Zhao to, once again, find the strength to look forward to the future. She could touch happiness. She held love in her hands.
Chu Zhao smiled and began to reply, "It will get bett—"
The words were cut short.
Chu Zhao raised her hand, pressing it firmly against her cheek, while her other hand swiftly pulled out her phone. She turned away, her voice muffled. "A call. I’ll go out..."
Before she could finish, Chu Zhao stood up with her back to her aunt and hurried out of the room. The hospital room door closed behind her.
Aunt Chun’s lips trembled. The smile on her face faded like ink on parchment, disappearing bit by bit. She had seen it. Zhaozhao’s face had been twitching. If she hadn't just been subjected to some new shock, she wouldn't have come to see her in such a terrible state. Who was it that hurt her this time?
————
Chu Zhao’s mouth and half her face were spasming uncontrollably. She didn't dare think about how hideous she must look right now. *I cannot frighten anyone.* That was the only thought in her mind. She kept her head bowed low after leaving the room, her hands trembling for a long time before she managed to pull her face mask on.
Her unsightly appearance was hidden, but the physiological spasms did not stop. Chu Zhao made her way to the restroom. When she passed the row of bright, clear mirrors by the sinks, she felt like a mole scurrying from the light. In a state of total disarray, she ducked into an individual stall.
Chu Zhao leaned her back against the thin door. Large, pulsing spots of light flickered before her eyes, appearing in intermittent waves. She gasped for air, her chest feeling tight and stifled. Cold sweat dripped from her temple to the tip of her nose, then fell, pooling into a small, distinct wet spot on her clothes.
*It hurts so much. I shouldn't have pushed myself to come.* But she had wanted to see Aunt Chun so badly. She had finally managed to use the excuse of delivering a car for Chu Wang to visit without raising suspicion... If she missed such a good opportunity, she didn't know how much longer she would have to endure.
...Five minutes? Ten?
Chu Zhao’s sense of time had blurred. Once she felt a little better, she exited the stall and took out the medication she carried with her, swallowing four pills at once. Perhaps it was the medicine, or perhaps it was largely psychosomatic, but her emotions began to settle.
She hadn't truly laughed like that in a long time, nor had she spoken so much to anyone in ages. The high spirits she had felt upon seeing Aunt Chun now felt like a sandcastle swallowed by the tide—after the tide receded, only a silent, desolate ruin remained. She looked at herself in the mirror: weary, gray, gloomy, and wretched—nothing like the bright, radiant girl Aunt Chun had praised.
If she went back in this state, Chu Zhao had no confidence that she could hide it from Aunt Chun, who was particularly sensitive to her emotional shifts.
Chu Zhao sighed. After leaving the restroom, she found a bench. She unlocked her phone, and the moment the screen lit up, a string of missed call notifications popped up. There were calls from Chu Wang, her second brother, and even one from her eldest brother.
Looking at them, Chu Zhao found the situation absurd, even laughable. On the night she had been in the emergency room, her phone hadn't been half this busy. There were several text messages as well, but she didn't even look at them. Instead, she opened Zhibo.
She hadn't been in a good state last night, standing in a daze beneath the inpatient building of Suian Hospital until the early morning hours before she regained a shred of sanity. Only after arriving at the hotel did she remember the update she had promised her readers. So, for the first time, Chu Zhao had posted an update at such an odd hour—one-thirty in the morning.
She wondered if her readers had seen the new chapter.
Chu Zhao opened her personal profile. In the latest installment, Snail had collapsed into a puddle of liquid on the back of Mr. Elephant’s foot. From a distance, it looked as if only a tiny snail shell remained. Mr. Elephant used his trunk to scoop Snail up, lifting it high before his eyes.
*[When you decided to climb for me, and took action—]*
*[You were already a friend I acknowledge.]*
Mr. Elephant had said.
Chu Zhao opened the comment section. There were far more likes and comments than she had expected.
【Caught a writer who hasn't slept in the middle of the night! Hand over this cute little Snail, and I'll let you go to sleep!】
【*Sobs* This is what adults should be reading. My exhausted corporate-drone soul feels so warm.】
【The fairytale world is the best. If you give your heart, you get something in return. Our brave, sincere little Snail never has to worry about being let down!】
【So sweet! Mr. Elephant is so kind, and Snail is amazing! The author’s stories are always so warm. I can’t imagine what a wonderful girl the author must be in real life!】
【Seconded! I want to be friends with the author in real life! I heard this series is going to be published soon. I wonder if there will be a signing event? I really want to see the author!】
"..." Chu Zhao gripped her phone tightly, her feelings becoming complex. On one hand, she felt an uncontrollable joy at this pure affection. On the other, she felt a sense of dread.
Fairytales were just Utopian fantasies. She was the one building the dream, not the protagonist within it.
Chu Zhao "liked" the first few comments one by one, then switched to her private account.
*[May 20th, Sunny]*
*[If there is still a voice of affirmation I can hear as I grow up]*
*[It must come from Aunt Chun]*
*[She is the one who kept me from falling into complete despair]*
*[She allowed me to keep a shred of confidence that "I can live a good life"]*
*[She is the rope, the star, the bright light]*
*[But she is getting thinner. Her pain is manifested in her body, so vivid it’s like ink on rice paper.]*
*[Black and white, distinct and sharp. It cannot bear my prayers, nor allow for my chances.]*
*[...]*
*[What can I do to keep her here?]*
*[I don't know.]*
Chu Zhao’s eyes dimmed. She pressed "send," and just as she closed her eyes, her phone vibrated. A new call notification appeared.
"...Shang Que?" Chu Zhao’s cat-like eyes went cold.
Chu Fu’s current fiancé was calling her?