Cowardice

Qin Ran was genuinely confused. She quickly asked what was going on, fearing that something had happened to Auntie. Auntie had previously suffered from acute leukemia, and although she had recovered, her health wasn't what it used to be. If she suddenly fell ill again, it would explain why Yu Shuman rushed home so suddenly.

But Sister Li said, "Boss, don't worry, it's nothing serious. She's just gotten herself stuck in a rut."

When Qin Ran pressed for more information, Sister Li wouldn't say anything else and even hung up the phone. Before hanging up on her big boss, Sister Li had said confidently, "In any case, I've approved her leave. There's no problem; she'll definitely be back to work in two weeks. It won't affect the variety show recording or any brand events."

"Wait!"

But there was no response from the other side. When Qin Ran tried calling back, Sister Li outright rejected the call. For a moment, Qin Ran's anger flared. How could a subordinate treat her like this?! But she quickly calmed down.

She realized that Sister Li was a very reliable manager. For her to approve Yu Shuman's leave during a critical time in her career and even hang up on her, there had to be a very important reason.

A reason that didn't involve Yu Shuman's mother but was still very important to Yu Shuman.

While Qin Ran was still anxious about what was happening with Yu Shuman, she received a message from her. She quickly opened the message and saw that Yu Shuman said she was dealing with something that she needed to figure out before moving forward. She apologized sincerely and asked Qin Ran to give her two weeks to think things through.

Qin Ran typed out many words but deleted them before sending anything. She sighed and, after a long pause, sent a brief message: Senior, don't worry. I'm here for you.

Below the message, she added a sticker of a little bunny patting its chest as if to reassure her.

Although Qin Ran told Yu Shuman not to worry, she was, in fact, worried to death. She had no idea what was serious enough to require Yu Shuman to take two weeks off.

By the time she finished replying to Yu Shuman, it was already past eight. Qin Ran sat on the sofa, feeling uneasy. She hadn't eaten dinner, but she wasn't hungry either. Instead, she went to the gym, her mind blank as she ran on the treadmill.

This gym wasn't used much by Yu Shuman—it was mostly Qin Ran who used it since Yu Shuman preferred to jog around the neighborhood in the mornings.

After running until she was exhausted and drenched in sweat, Qin Ran climbed into bed without even showering. The next morning, Assistant Wu called to wake her up, asking her to come to the office. Qin Ran nodded and mechanically followed Assistant Wu to the company, handling her work like a robot. Even Assistant Wu noticed something was off with her and couldn't help but ask.

"Boss, are you okay?"

Qin Ran glanced at Assistant Wu, "It's nothing, just that I don't know what's going on with Senior."

"If you're worried, we can have someone look into it."

"No, she'd think I'm a creep." Qin Ran rejected Assistant Wu's suggestion. Even though she received daily reports from Sister Li about Yu Shuman's schedule, those were the standard, professional work reports. They only covered general work activities and events, not every small detail.

Hiring someone to investigate would be different—that would be invasive, like a creep prying into every bit of privacy.

She just wanted to know what Senior was up to, not be a creep. Besides, that kind of thing is illegal. She was a law-abiding businesswoman and couldn't do something like that.

Qin Ran sighed again and went back to work.

On the first day of Yu Shuman's leave, Qin Ran missed her so much that her entire body felt stiff. This continued for three days, and by the fourth day, Qin Ran had a sudden realization.

She realized something: Could Senior have… figured it out?

Qin Ran was a smart person. In her previous life, she had undergone extensive elite education. Even if she had been blinded by love, three days was enough time for her to regain her senses. Once her mind was clear, all the details she hadn't noticed before came rushing back, making her face go pale.

Before Yu Shuman left, she had clearly tested her, but Qin Ran, never suspecting anything, hadn't realized it was a test. Then, the next day, Senior took a leave of absence, and when she called Sister Li, Sister Li's attitude was unusually firm.

All these clues came together, and Qin Ran understood: Yu Shuman must have found out that she liked her.

As soon as she thought of this, Qin Ran felt a cold chill run through her. She instinctively thought that Yu Shuman had taken leave to avoid her. She began to panic, wondering what Yu Shuman was thinking: Did she hate her? Was she so repulsed by the idea that a woman liked her that she couldn't bear to face her? After spending so much time under the same roof, did the thought of her looking at her with different eyes make her feel sick?

Qin Ran panicked. Her first instinct was to hide. She had always been like this—although there hadn't been many things in the past that made her want to hide, her strict upbringing in her previous life had prevented her from acting on this impulse.

But in this life, without the pressures of her previous life, her true nature was revealed: stubborn, awkward, and cowardly, always wanting to run away when faced with difficulties.

When she returned home, Qin Ran felt a surge of anxiety at the sight of Yu Shuman's belongings. She couldn't help but wonder: Did Yu Shuman take leave because she hated her?

As time passed, this suspicion grew stronger in Qin Ran's mind. By the time Yu Shuman had been on leave for a week, Qin Ran couldn't stay at home any longer. She booked a hotel room and hid there, still attending classes during the day but spending the rest of her time lying on the hotel bed.

She held her phone, repeatedly opening the chat window with Yu Shuman. Just recently, they had been chatting happily, sending each other cute stickers. But now, apart from that initial phone call, there had been no communication.

Qin Ran felt like crying. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have insisted on living with Yu Shuman or revealing her identity. It would have been better than this—now they couldn't even be friends. She had gone from missing Yu Shuman from the first day of her leave to fearing the end of her leave, the shift happening all too quickly.

She stayed holed up in the hotel room, watching the days go by, her heart never at ease.

Two weeks later, Yu Shuman's leave was over, and Qin Ran received a call from her. Sitting on the bed, she froze at the sight of Yu Shuman's name on the caller ID and immediately tossed her phone away. The phone landed at the foot of the bed, sinking into the soft bedding.

The blanket muffled the sound of what had once been pleasant music, now distorted into something ominous. Qin Ran felt a chill and couldn't bring herself to move closer, much less answer the call.

The phone rang once, then twice, before finally stopping. The room fell into a dead silence.

When the phone finally stopped ringing, Qin Ran crawled to the foot of the bed and picked it up. The screen showed several missed calls, with Yu Shuman's name followed by the number (6), indicating that she had called six times, each time letting it ring until it automatically hung up.

As soon as Qin Ran picked up the phone, it buzzed, and the notification sound from the messaging app chimed. Qin Ran, like a startled cat, nearly dropped the phone again but managed to catch it just in time.

Feeling like a condemned prisoner, she cautiously opened the messaging app, only to see a message from Yu Shuman: Qin Ran, I have something to talk to you about. When will you be back? I want to say it to you in person.

Qin Ran felt a lump in her throat because Yu Shuman didn't even call her "Junior" anymore, just used her name.

Her fingers hovered over the screen, too afraid to even open the input box. She stared at the words "typing..." on the other side.

At this moment, Qin Ran's cowardice was fully revealed. She didn't dare reply immediately. After two hours, she quickly typed out a response and sent it, then curled up under the covers like a turtle, not even daring to bring her phone into the blanket, leaving it on the bedside table.

Her message read: Not coming back today. Busy lately.

It came off a bit stiff and distant, but this was the best Qin Ran could manage with all the courage she could muster. Shortly after she sent the message, the phone on the bedside table began vibrating. Qin Ran, afraid of hearing the sound, had switched it to vibrate, but the vibrations couldn't be ignored. The phone, wrapped in its plastic case, rattled against the wooden surface of the bedside table, creating a persistent buzzing noise.

Qin Ran pretended not to hear it, focusing solely on being a turtle. She was terrified that if she answered the call, she would have to face Yu Shuman's accusations and harsh words. She couldn't predict what Yu Shuman might say—would she accuse her of having improper thoughts, dismiss her feelings as impossible, or calmly tell her she was moving out and cutting ties?

Just the thought of it made Qin Ran's nose sting, tears threatening to fall.

But if someone were to ask Qin Ran right now: If you knew this would happen, would you still fall in love with her at first sight and get close to her? She would stubbornly answer: Yes, she would still be drawn to Yu Shuman, like a moth to a flame, staying by her side.

Meanwhile, Yu Shuman, holding her phone, had lost count of how many times she had heard the automated message: "Sorry, the number you are calling is currently busy. Please try again later..."

Yu Shuman couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. She knew Qin Ran's stubborn personality well. Back in school, whenever she had to attend an event she didn't want to, she would end up running away and hiding.

She never expected that even now, Qin Ran was still like this.