Life Plan

Chapter 16, You've Misunderstood Me

During her suspension, Liu Chichi stayed at home, never turning on her phone or the TV again after that day. Time passed slowly without the internet, and she finished reading "Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk".

Liu Chunhong asked her many times when she would start work, and she always said to wait a little longer.

But she didn't expect Hao Jia to come to her door. This was the first time she had visited Liu Chichi's house in fifteen years. She was still bundled up tightly and sitting in a wheelchair. Lin Hai pushed her through the door and then made an excuse to leave.

Liu Chichi pushed Hao Jia to the dining table and asked with a gentle smile, "Would you like an apple? I just bought it yesterday."

"Chichi, are you alright?"

"It's okay. Just have an apple, I'll wash it for you."

Liu Chichi walked past her toward the kitchen. As they brushed past each other, Hao Jia grabbed her hand. Liu Chichi looked down and saw the girl in the wheelchair looking at her with pity, as if she were the one who was terminally ill.

She saw Hao Jia raise her other hand, pointing across her to the windowsill: "If there's nothing wrong, why close the curtains so tightly?"

"It's too hot, this will help cool you down."

"Chichi, I can help you. I'm willing to release my medical records to prove that the clinical trials are different from what they guessed. I won't disclose drug information; I'll only disclose my personal progress."

"No!" Liu Chichi clenched her fist, then loosened it. "I have nothing to repay you with right now, so don't drag yourself into this."

She was no longer young, and she could teach Hao Jia her homework. She had nothing, nothing to give back.

"Do you think I helped you because you want something in return?" Hao Jia frowned, clearly angry. "Liu Chichi, I thought we were friends."

"You shouldn't owe money to friends..."

"You owe me a favor?!"

Hearing Hao Jia's voice become shrill, Liu Chichi, mindful of her health, gently stroked Hao Jia's hand to soothe her. "Hao Jia, recovering is the most important thing right now. Don't be angry with me, okay?"

"Liu Chichi, we are friends, I hope you are doing well."

"Me too." Liu Chichi looked into Hao Jia's eyes. Thirteen years ago, Hao Jia helped her and was scolded by Liu Chunhong. Now, if she helps her, she will hear even more hurtful things.

Liu Chichi considered herself to have a strong mental fortitude, but she still had suicidal thoughts during that all-nighter.

Complete strangers online used the most vicious language to speculate about her, spread rumors about her, and righteously insulted her. The hospital also suffered as a result, and countless people told her to die.

"Hao Jia, I also hope you're doing well."

During the long silence, Liu Chunhong's phone rang: "Prepare dinner, your aunt is coming over to visit."

"it is good."

Hao Jia still felt a little afraid of Liu Chunhong. She contacted Lin Haishang, and before leaving, she grabbed Liu Chichi's hand again: "The situation is very serious now, and it may not be over in a short time."

To reassure Hao Jia, Liu Chichi said jokingly, "I'll hide well."

My aunt and Liu Chunhong didn't get along well. Back then, their fathers worked at the same factory, but Liu Chunhong's father got a house while my aunt's family didn't. Later, she married and moved to another city, but the city developed better and better, and housing prices soared. After my aunt's family returned to the city, they have been renting ever since.

My aunt was always jealous of Liu Chunhong's good fortune and didn't want to associate with her.

Later, Liu Chunhong got divorced, and her aunt would come to visit every year. She worked as a temporary worker at the company where Liu Chichi's biological father's current wife worked, and each time she came, she would bring some news related to that family.

Liu Chichi disliked her aunt, always feeling that her aunt was there to make a fool of herself, but her mother, wanting to know the news, always treated her to good food and drink.

Liu Chichi took out yams and pork ribs from the refrigerator, preparing to make soup. She had learned several dishes in the two days she had been at home. The clay pot was bubbling away. She stared blankly for a while, then turned and drew back the curtains.

The blinding sunlight streamed in, illuminating the fine dust kicked up by the fan; the old neighborhood still retains the style of decoration from twenty years ago.

At this moment, Liu Chichi felt that the world was in the past twenty years, when her parents had not yet divorced. Liu Chunhong was nagging on the balcony while hanging clothes, and Li Shiwei was playing Snake on the sofa with his legs crossed.

Since none of the households had internet access yet, the children's channel told her, "Take a break, we'll be right back~", and then she lay on the balcony, giggling and trying to cheer Liu Chunhong up. As soon as the intro to an animated film started, she quickly ran to the TV and sat down.

It feels like it happened just yesterday. Back then, she thought growing up meant being able to watch cartoons every day.

She hates the rapidly developing world, where people from all over the world seem to appear in front of her in an instant, pointing their fingers at her and cursing her. Before she can even explain, they disappear again in a second.

Liu Chichi carefully considered the words in her mind, trying to figure out how to tell Liu Chunhong about her desire to resign.

When my aunt brought her five-year-old son to visit, she held her head high and glanced at Liu Chichi with a half-smile.

The enduring theme in social interactions is comparison. As the most educated junior in the family group, Liu Chichi is Liu Chunhong's biggest asset. In those unspoken comparisons, even if Liu Chunhong doesn't come out on top, she's never at the bottom.

Unlike her, her husband is unambitious, her children are not smart, and no one in the family group chat ever takes the initiative to talk to her.

Hearing that Liu Chichi had been exposed online for engaging in "gray market" activities, she rushed over to check it out. But she still had to give him the necessary information, so while picking up some ribs, her aunt mysteriously uttered half of what she said: "I heard that the son of that family recently brought his girlfriend home, from the same university, but she's from..."

"How is the young lady?"

"The girl must be very capable; I heard her son married into a wealthy family."

Noticing that the two men were glancing at her intentionally or unintentionally, Liu Chichi shrank back and buried her head in her rice.

Auntie leaned in to talk to Liu Chunhong, and before she knew it, Liu's youngest son started eating with his bare hands again. Auntie smacked him with her chopsticks: "You're still so ignorant at Sister Chichi's house. You'll be eating with Sister Chichi's hands for experiments later. I'll chop your hands off."

Liu Chichi didn't know where she heard such an outrageous rumor. Although she had decided to resign, she couldn't help but speak up to defend her job: "Auntie, we are very legitimate, we won't cut off your hands."

"I just said it offhand," my aunt waved her hand dismissively, "It's for scaring kids."

Liu Chichi had disliked her aunt for a long time, or perhaps it was because she had misunderstood her aunt too much lately about her work, but she couldn't help wanting to argue. Liu Chichi put down her chopsticks, her face serious: "You can't use my profession to scare children; it will mislead them."

"It's no big deal, you silly child..."

Liu Chichi's cold face made her a little embarrassed. She winked at Liu Chunhong, wanting her to help discipline the child. Liu Chunhong often publicly criticized Liu Chichi's shortcomings and embarrassing moments.

This time, however, her aunt's eyes were twitching from blinking so hard that Liu Chunhong didn't even lift her head.

Liu Chunhong's tacit approval emboldened Liu Chichi, who stared directly at the other woman: "Auntie, you should explain this to the child now. Clinical trials are also for treating and saving lives. We are good people. You've misunderstood me."

Auntie was embarrassed and couldn't help but tug at Liu Chunhong's hand: "You should discipline the child. I was just joking, why is she reacting so strongly?"