received no reply.

Chapter 58: No Reply

Twenty minutes later, Bai Yuze pushed open the laboratory door.

Aiwas was sitting in front of his computer typing when he heard the door open, and he stopped.

"Junior Brother is here?"

He took a USB drive out of the drawer and handed it to Bai Yuze. "Junior brother, I can't leave right now. Could you go to the school's printing office and print out the exam papers on this for me?"

Bai Yuzhe glanced at the screen out of the corner of his eye. "This is—"

Aiwas said calmly, "This is a set of practice questions I created separately. I plan to have the junior students in the lab do it first to practice. I can't leave here, so could you print it out for everyone?"

"OK."

Although it was somewhat unexpected, it was still within his acceptable range. After all, in the six months he had been in the lab, he had done a lot of odd jobs, such as helping Professor Mu and his senior brother print exam papers for other departments, organizing materials, and running errands to deliver documents. But printing mock exam papers for his own department was indeed a first for him.

However, these things were useless to him. He had already managed to get into Professor Mu's lab to do odd jobs, so why would he need these things?

But after thinking about it, he realized that he didn't need it, but some other people might.

Thinking this, Bai Yuze took out his phone and sent a message to Qianye Mengyu: [Where are you? Come over and help me with something.]

After sending the message, he put his phone away and nodded to Aiwass, "Senior Brother, I'll go print it now."

Aiwas waved his hand and continued typing.

"Be back in half an hour."

"clear."

Bai Yuze walked out of the laboratory, went downstairs, and headed towards the printing department of Dongqing University.

Halfway there, he took out his phone and glanced at it.

Chiba Yumeyu did not reply.

He waited two more minutes, but still received no reply.

[What about people? 】

I sent it, but there was no response.

Bai Yuze frowned.

The reason why Chiba Yumeyu is called a five-star employee is because she replies to his messages almost instantly, no matter when.

What's going on today?

He glanced at the chat interface again.

The last message was from Chiba Yumeyu last night: "Boss, I'd like to treat you to dinner after my exams the day after tomorrow, is that alright?"

Bai Yuze didn't reply at the time, thinking he would talk to him when they met today.

Now----

He put his phone away and continued walking.

Perhaps I was reviewing, because my phone was on silent.

I'll try calling it again later.

At 5:30 in the morning, before the alarm clock even went off, Chiba Yumeyu was already awake.

This was a habit she developed after years of working part-time; she didn't need an alarm clock, her body would automatically wake her up at that time. If she couldn't fall back asleep in bed, she might as well get up and study.

She quietly lifted the covers, as if afraid of waking the tenants next door. Although she lived alone now, she was still used to doing it this way. She turned on the small desk lamp and pulled out the cardboard box full of review materials from under the bed.

The AET exam is tomorrow.

The most important exam at Holly University determines whether you can graduate, find a good job, and—leave that place.

She opened her notebook and began to memorize.

The sky outside the window gradually brightened.

From deep black to inky blue, and then from inky blue to grayish white, she finished reciting a chapter and glanced at the time;

After finishing a set of questions, take another look at the time.

6:30.

7 o'clock... 7:30.

The alarm clock rang precisely at eight o'clock.

Chiba Yumeyu closed her book, stood up, and rubbed her slightly sore neck. Time always seemed to fly by during review sessions, as if it had been stolen away.

But she couldn't continue.

The Moji Cafe opens at nine o'clock, and she needs to hurry in as time passes.

She changed into the faded sweatshirt and stuffed the documents she needed to bring into her bag.

You can watch it for a while on the way from Hanjiang District to the coffee shop, you can watch it for a while during your lunch break, and you can watch it for a while when you come back in the evening.

Time is like water in a sponge; if you're willing to squeeze, there's always some left.

She put on her shoes, stood at the door, and suddenly paused.

She sent me a message last night before bed.

It's a very simple sentence: "Boss, are you free after your exam tomorrow? I'd like to treat you to a meal."

After sending the message, she placed her phone next to her pillow and stared at the screen for a while.

No reply.

Perhaps they are busy.

She told herself that, then closed her eyes and went to sleep.

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is reach for my phone.

There has still been no reply.

She stared at the empty dialog box for several seconds.

Maybe he hasn't gotten out of bed yet.

She told herself that, then got up, washed, reviewed, and packed her things.

Standing at the door, she took out her phone and glanced at it again.

still none.

Chiba Yumeyu put her phone in her pocket and took a deep breath.

It's no big deal. It's just a meal. Maybe they were busy, maybe they didn't see it, maybe—

Maybe I don't want to go.

When this thought popped into her head, her heart suddenly tightened.

She didn't know what she was panicking about.

The boss is usually very good to her. Although he speaks casually, he's always helped her when he could and given her what she needed. He shouldn't refuse a meal, right? It's just a meal.

But what if?

What if he finds it troublesome?

What if he has something to do that day? What if he only sees her as an employee and never intended to have a meal together?

Chiba Yume stood at the door, clutching her phone, and realized her heart was beating a little fast.

This feeling is strange.

I've never done this before when inviting people to dinner. I've invited them, so what? If they come, they come; if they don't, so be it. It's no big deal.

But this time is different.

She especially hoped he could come this time.

It wasn't as simple as wanting to repay a favor because he had helped her so much.

Because————

Why is that?

She couldn't explain it.

Maybe it's because of that dress, or maybe it's nothing at all.

It's her own problem.

Chiba Yume took a deep breath and put her phone back in her pocket.

Forget it.

forget about it.

Let's talk about it after the exam.

She pushed open the door and walked into Hanjiang District in the early morning.

The streets were quiet.

There were no drunkards cursing, no women screaming, and no muffled thuds coming from who-knows-where.

Only the streetlights still shone with a dim yellow light, which seemed somewhat superfluous in the gradually brightening sky.

She walked neither fast nor slow.

As she walked, she silently recited what she had just reviewed.

Halfway through carrying it, my phone suddenly rang in my pocket.

Chiba Yumeyu took it out and glanced at it; it was Chiba Taishi.

She frowned and answered the call.

"Feed?"

There was no immediate response from the other end.

"dad?"

There was still no response from the other end.

But she could hear heavy breathing, and some other sounds that she couldn't quite understand.

Chiba Yumeyu stopped in her tracks.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

Finally, someone spoke up.

"Little fish—"

The sounds were all ethereal.

Chiba Yumeyu stopped moving. She could tell that her father had been drinking, and quite a lot of it.

She was all too familiar with that tongue-tied tone, where every word sounded as if it had been soaked in water.

"Dad, how much did you drink?"

"Not much—not much—I just wanted to talk to you—"

Chiba Yumeyu sighed, stood by the roadside, and switched the phone to her other ear.

"Speak."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end.

Then she heard her dad sniffle.

"Little Fish—Dad is sorry."

Chiba Yumeyu was stunned for a moment.

"What did you say?"

"Dad, I'm so sorry—"

The voice repeated itself, even lower, "Dad's useless—Dad's squandered all the family's money—"

Chiba Yume gripped her phone tightly.

"You mentioned that again?"

"Didn't you say again—"

The voice on the other end sounded urgent and weak. "It's true—this time it's for real—Dad was thinking of making up for it—thinking that making up for it would earn you your tuition, make your life easier, and cover up your brother's debt—but—"

He didn't go on.

Chiba Yumeyu didn't say anything either.

The streets were quiet in the early morning. Occasionally a car would drive by and quickly disappear into the distance. She stood by the roadside, listening to her own heartbeat.

"How much do you still owe?" she asked.

There was no reply.

"Dad, I'm asking you how much you still owe."

"—Eighty thousand."

80,000.

Chiba Yumeyu closed her eyes.

80,000.

Adding to what she already had, how many jobs would she have to work to pay off her debts?

"Little fish————"

The voice from the other end started drifting back, "Dad is really useless—Dad is a good-for-nothing—Your mother died early, Dad didn't take good care of you, and he didn't take good care of your brother either—"

Dad is a good-for-nothing —

Chiba Yumeyu didn't respond.

She knew her dad was drunk when he said those things.

When he's sober, he just grumbles and says things like "it's all adults' business, kids shouldn't meddle." He keeps all his troubles bottled up inside, turning them into alcohol and a deeper silence.

"Your brother—"

Her father spoke again, his voice even lower, "That kid Hayato—while you weren't home, he ran off again—"

Chiba Yume's heart sank.

"Where did you go?"

There was silence on the other end.

"dad?"

—Over there, the thugs on the street.

Finally, the words came out, each one seemingly squeezed out through clenched teeth: "He runs over there every day—I can't stop him—I've hit him, I've scolded him, it's no use—he's like he's possessed by a ghost—"

The bad things he came into contact with—the reason he came into contact with them was because I brought them back.

Chiba Yumeyu was stunned.

"dad?"

Someone gave it to me at the construction site, saying that the work was too tiring and that eating it would make me feel less tired. I tried it and found that it did make the work much easier. I brought some back with me, thinking that I would use it when I was tired, but I don't touch it normally.

His voice began to tremble.

"Who knew that kid Hayato—he thought he was some kind of good guy—he—"

Suddenly there was silence on the other end.

Chiba Yume gripped her phone so tightly her fingers turned white.

Little Fish, you have no idea what he looked like—his whole body ached, he knelt on the ground begging me for it—when I saw him like that, I wanted to slap myself—

He didn't go on.

But Chiba Yume knew what he was thinking.

She had seen it.

The last time she went home, she saw her younger brother suffering from a seizure.

Feeling unwell, I knelt on the ground and begged her for money.

She will never forget that scene for the rest of her life.

"Little fish————"

Her father called her again.

"Um."

"dad----"

There was a pause on the other end, then the voice suddenly changed, becoming somewhat forceful, as if it were straining against something. "Why is Dad telling you all this—you have an exam tomorrow, don't you?"

Chiba Yumeyu was stunned for a moment.

"dad----"

"Alright, alright."

The voice on the other end interrupted her, starting to recede, "Dad's drunk, he's talking nonsense. Don't take it to heart. Focus on your exam, we'll talk about it afterward."

"But"

"No buts."

The voice on the other end suddenly hardened, as if the old man who usually swore and cursed had returned: "I'm the head of the family, I'll handle these things. You're just a kid, study your books, take your exams, and don't worry about anything else."

Chiba Yumeyu opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end.

Then her father's voice softened, so soft it seemed to melt: "Little Fish—"

"Um?

'

"Dad is sorry."

Chiba Yumeyu gripped her phone, remaining silent.

"Dad's been a good-for-nothing all his life—and you've suffered because of him—"

"dad----"

"Alright, alright." The other end interrupted her again, as if afraid she might say something. "Dad's hanging up now, I won't disturb your rest anymore."

"

The call has already ended.

Chiba Yume stood still, her phone still pressed against her ear.

The morning breeze was a bit chilly.

After a long pause, she took a deep breath, opened her contacts, and dialed Sister Lu's number.

It rang twice, and then the call was answered.

"Little Fish? Why are you calling so early? What's wrong?"

"Sister Lu————"

Chiba Yumeyu paused for a moment, "Um... I have some things to take care of today, so I probably won't be able to go to the store."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Sister Lu's voice rang out, still in that lazy tone: "Okay, got it."

If you have something to do, go do it; don't force yourself to stay awake.

"Thank you, Sister Lu."

"What are you thanking me for?"

Sister Lu paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "If you need any help, just let me know anytime."

Chiba Yumeyu opened her mouth, but in the end she only gave a soft "hmm".

After hanging up the phone, she opened another chat window, where Bai Yuze's profile picture lay quietly.

She stared at the profile picture for a few seconds, her finger hovering above the screen.

Should I send it?

Say you have something to do at home? Say you can't go today? Say ————

What are you saying?

Chiba Yumeyu put her phone in her pocket and turned to run deeper into the alley.

The boss is just an ordinary person.

He can't help with that.

She couldn't drag the other person into this, and she didn't want him to see her wretched home and her father who, when drunk, would only say "I'm sorry."

A few minutes later, after passing through the narrow alley and turning a few corners, the view gradually opened up, and we arrived at the bus stop.

She stopped, bent over, and gasped for breath.

My mind is a complete mess.

My father said he would handle it.

But with my father in that state, he can't even control himself when he's drunk. How can I solve this?

While waiting for the bus, she straightened up, frantically pulled out her phone, and dialed her brother's number.

Shut down.

Dial again.

Still turning it off.

She took a deep breath and dialed her father's number again.

It rang a few times, but no one answered.

Dial again.

Still no one answered.

She stood in front of the bus stop, staring at the screen.

The number of missed calls is constantly increasing.

Clutching her phone, she stood at the bus stop in the early morning, the sound of her own heartbeat pounding painfully in her ears.

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