Chapter 9: Coincidentally Meeting Qin An
Lu Zhiyin ultimately decided to go to the restaurant where she had a part-time job.
She thought, might as well earn some money.
With that in mind, Lu Zhiyin started her work early.
“…”
In the restaurant’s back kitchen, Lu Zhiyin put on a light yellow apron and began washing the mountain of dishes piled beside the sink.
Her nose was filled with a strange, pungent odor, a mixture of dish soap and residues from the dishes.
The smell wasn’t pleasant, but it was bearable. Lu Zhiyin used a rag to wash the greasy plates, then rinsed them in the clean water basin next to the sink, completing the washing of one plate.
There were many dishes around her, but they were washed quite quickly. It was still early, and there weren’t many people in the restaurant, so a constant stream of dishes wasn’t being sent over.
After Lu Zhiyin finished washing all the dishes piled around her, it was nearing evening.
“Tsk… I’ll go back to eat, then come back to continue working.”
She wasn’t going to be stingy with herself now; she wouldn’t skip any of her three meals a day.
The school cafeteria’s food was cheaper than the restaurant’s, so she needed to go back to school. Fortunately, the school and the restaurant were very close, so she wouldn’t waste too much time.
She took off her apron, spread her hands, and looked at her fingers.
Her fingers had been in the water for quite some time, and the skin on her fingertips was a bit wrinkled. Smelling them up close, she could still detect the scent of dish soap.
Putting her hands down, Lu Zhiyin sighed. She left the back kitchen of the restaurant and exited through the main hall.
In the restaurant, there weren’t many diners yet. Lu Zhiyin wondered if the dishes in the back kitchen were from the morning?
She touched her jaw, not looking at the customers who were eating.
“…!?”
In the restaurant’s main hall, unnoticed by Lu Zhiyin, Qin An saw the familiar back. Her hand suddenly loosened.
The bamboo chopsticks fell from the table and rolled onto the ground.
Qin An’s pupils dilated; she rubbed her eyes.
“Did I see wrong…?”
She couldn’t quite believe it. Who had just walked past her line of sight? Was it Lu Zhiyin, whom she had watched being buried with her own eyes?
Qin An suddenly stood up.
She had been busy taking over secret businesses under her father’s guidance these past few days. Today was the first time she had a moment to spare. She heard about an accident at school and wanted to go back to see.
But she never expected to see an unexpected person in an unexpected place.
To be honest, Qin An had missed Lu Zhiyin. Lu Zhiyin had appeared in her dreams countless times. There were pleasant dreams and nightmares, but every dream invaded by Lu Zhiyin left a deep impression on Qin An.
“…”
She picked up the chopsticks from the ground, placed them on the table, and then quickly paid the bill.
Even though she knew that the dead could not be brought back to life, she still chased after her.
“Lu Zhiyin, Lu Zhiyin?”
She called out the name she had called out countless times in her dreams while running towards the distant white figure on the street.
“…Sigh… Qin An, you’re so troublesome…”
Hearing Qin An’s call, Lu Zhiyin paused. She sighed.
She tidied up her emotions and prepared to maintain her new persona, continuing to walk as if nothing had happened.
“Lu Zhiyin, is it really you? You’re not dead!”
Soon, Qin An reached her back and grabbed her shoulder.
Lu Zhiyin’s body sank.
“Ouch…”
Her small leg, still swollen from Ouyang Qing’s kick, hadn’t subsided. The sudden added weight made her cry out in pain.
Qin An let go.
“Sorry.”
She apologized instinctively.
“Ha, it’s okay, what’s up? Miss… uh, classmate?”
Lu Zhiyin turned around, raised her eyebrows, and forced a somewhat strained smile.
Her gaze swept over Qin An’s school uniform. Lu Zhiyin touched her injured leg and slowly straightened up.
“…No, it’s nothing. I mistook you for someone else.”
Her gaze fell on the girl’s legs. Qin An awkwardly scratched her head.
She had rushed forward in her excitement.
Reason returned to her mind. Looking at the girl’s smile, Qin An felt deeply embarrassed.
Although her past bad habits had improved significantly, her impulsiveness was hard to change.
It was a flaw in her personality, and Qin An couldn’t do anything about it.
“…Hmm, is that so?”
Lu Zhiyin touched her chin, looking thoughtful.
“Seeing your school uniform, we should be studying at the same school. Um, I’m a new transfer student. For the past two days, many people have been calling me Lu Zhiyin. Am I very similar to her?”
The pain gradually subsided. Lu Zhiyin stopped smiling and put on an expression of confusion.
A warm smile could make people feel relaxed, but smiling all the time wasn’t appropriate.
“…Yes, very much so.”
Looking at the girl’s face, Lu Zhiyin stood there blankly.
“Not just similar, you look exactly the same…”
She exclaimed quietly.
“Ah… exactly the same? To think such a coincidence could happen in the world.”
Lu Zhiyin covered her mouth, feigning surprise.
“…Yes, to think such a coincidence could happen in the world…”
Qin An looked up at the setting sun.
“Lu Zhiyin was my… um, friend. She passed away not long ago, which is why I got so excited when I saw you. I apologize for my rudeness.”
Qin An apologized again.
Her polite demeanor was quite different from the obnoxious person Lu Zhiyin remembered. Lu Zhiyin frowned almost imperceptibly.
“Mm… Passed away? That’s a shame… I wanted to meet the girl who looks exactly like me.”
Lu Zhiyin’s expression shifted to sadness again; she lowered her head.
“Speaking of which, the people at school who mistook me for her must be her friends, right? She was very popular.”
After a brief moment of silence, Lu Zhiyin looked up again.
“…”
Qin An didn’t know how to answer the girl in front of her and remained silent.
“Well, goodbye, classmate. I’m going back to school now.”
Seeing that there was nothing more to say, Lu Zhiyin turned around.
The moment she turned, her expression returned to normal.
Everything was great. No accidents had occurred. She had perfectly played the role of a stranger, or at least that’s what she thought.
She felt her acting skills were improving remarkably.
“Wait, wait a moment, can you tell me your name?”
Qin An called out to the girl in front of her once again.
She urgently wanted to know the girl’s name. The reason was simple: the girl in front of her looked too much like Lu Zhiyin.
Qin An wanted to make friends with her and offer her some support at school.
Although she had corrected her bad habits, there were still bullies at school who wantonly bullied students.
“Hmm? My name is Lu Shiyu.”
Without looking back, Lu Zhiyin dropped her new name and quietly quickened her pace.
She didn’t want to say another word to Qin An.
“Lu Shiyu, Lu Shiyu…”
Qin An repeated the name a few times. After confirming she wouldn’t forget it, she waved to the girl in the distance.
“Lu Shiyu, my name is Qin An. If you encounter any problems at school, you can come find me.”
After speaking, Qin An silently followed behind Lu Zhiyin, also heading towards the school.
She hadn’t forgotten her original purpose: to find out about the accident that happened at school today.
