Food Supplements - Chapter 5

When the phone’s battery died and the screen went black, Qin Cheng felt a faint sense of relief.

Yet even as she relaxed, she reached into the drawer in the dark, took out a spare charger, and plugged the phone in without a second thought.

Had another sudden wave of pain not struck soon afterward, it probably would not have been long before she fell back into the same vicious cycle—wanting desperately to watch the video, yet never daring to press play.

Once the pain flared up, Qin Cheng truly had no attention to spare for anything else.

Of all the complications caused by pancreatic cancer, abdominal pain was not the most unbearable, but it was the one that tormented her most often. Qin Cheng had even envied some of her fellow patients whose pain was milder and did not become as life-threatening as hers whenever it struck.

The dull ache buried deep within her organs was persistent and unrelenting, as though a rusty steel saw were scraping back and forth inside her body. After long enough, she could no longer tell exactly where it hurt. It simply felt as though every part of her was in pain, leaving her in indescribable agony.

Normally, she dealt with it by swallowing a large handful of painkillers the moment it began. They worked slowly, but at least they helped somewhat. Even when they did not, they offered a little psychological comfort and helped her endure the difficult stretch that followed.

The problem was that earlier that night, when she had intended to bring everything to a final end, she had swallowed all her medicine at once—including every painkiller she had.

With nothing left to take, Qin Cheng could only grit her teeth and endure.

At one point, the pain became so severe that her consciousness blurred and her limbs went numb. She almost believed she would die there and then.

That would not have mattered much. She had intended to die in the first place. Who could have known that she would inexplicably survive? If she now died by some twist of fate, perhaps it made no difference…

But the moment that thought crossed her mind, she suddenly remembered the phone charging nearby.

And the unplayed video on it, frozen on someone’s smiling face.

It had been so long since she had seen that smile from anywhere close.

So very long…

A sudden surge of determination rose within her.

The woman stumbled out of bed. After fumbling twice and failing to find the lamp switch, she impatiently gave up. Instead, she followed the tiny indicator light on the charger until she found the phone on the table.

Seeing that it had already charged to several dozen percent, she turned it back on.

Qin Cheng was in too much pain to watch the video just then.

After the phone booted up, she first switched on the flashlight. Then she crouched down unsteadily and used the light to search through the scattered belongings on the floor once again.

Unless she remembered incorrectly, there should still be a few loose painkillers inside the backpack. The lid of the bottle had broken several days ago, spilling a few tablets inside. They should now be scattered across the floor as well.

The flashlight was bright and useful, but Qin Cheng’s vision had already become hazy from the pain, making the search difficult.

With trembling hands, she pushed through the wallet, tissues, wet wipes, fountain pen, snacks, key ring, and all the other assorted objects spread across the floor.

At last, beside her pocket notebook, she spotted several small pills stained with blood.

She had no time to care that they were dirty.

Qin Cheng quickly picked them up one by one and held them in her palm. After silently counting them, she felt there were still too few to be useful.

Wanting to search for more, she casually lifted the notebook to check underneath it.

The pocket notebook was about the size of her palm.

When she moved it aside, Qin Cheng, drenched in sweat, suddenly froze.

She blinked uncertainly, then picked up a long, slender piece of metal from beneath it.

The thin object gleamed silver beneath the phone’s flashlight.

Her mind muddled by pain, the woman stared at it for a moment before remembering that it was the old hairpin she had bought out of kindness several days earlier.

The fact that Qin Cheng could still spare any attention for the hairpin while in such pain was not because its silver gleam was especially eye-catching.

Quite the opposite.

Very little of it was still silver. Most of the shaft was coated in sticky black-red blood, making it look filthy and foul.

Qin Cheng did not find it disgusting. It was her own blood, after all.

What caught her attention was the sheer amount of it.

There was so much blood that nearly the entire hairpin was covered.

That did not look like it had merely brushed against a little blood.

And after examining the area more closely, she realized that although the blood had spread everywhere, the source of the dark red stream across the floor seemed to be right here.

Come to think of it, there was nothing else in her small backpack sharp and slender enough to pierce deeply into a human body and cause so much bleeding.

So the stabbing pain she had felt when she fell, the tear in her clothes, and the large pool of blood on both her body and the floor had all been caused by this?

For an instant, she did not know whether to laugh or cry.

The absurdity even seemed to dull the pain, accompanied by a faint sense of frustration that no good deed went unpunished.

But Qin Cheng soon became confused again.

If the hairpin had stabbed her, why was it now trapped beneath the notebook?

And why was the top of it bare?

Had there not originally been a piece of jade set into it?

Had it been knocked loose or shattered in the fall?

She had no time to think further.

After that brief distraction, the pain surged back, conveniently preventing her from stubbornly investigating the matter.

Qin Cheng curled forward and let out a muffled groan, unable to bear it. She took several quick, deep breaths and immediately pushed everything else out of her mind.

Clutching the objects in her hand, she struggled to her feet and prepared to go to the table for water to take the pills.

Fortunately, there was still a little water left in the glass.

It had probably gone cold long ago, but after experiencing the dark blue ice water in that lake, even the coldest water in this room could probably be considered room temperature.

As soon as she thought that, the inexplicable lake surfaced in her mind.

Qin Cheng staggered forward, trying to shake the image away.

But her vision suddenly went black again.

In an instant, all five senses vanished, and her steps became weightless, as though she were walking through empty air.

Wait—please let me actually faint this time instead of—

Everything happened too quickly.

Before the thought could finish, the world before her suddenly became bright and clear again.

With her arms and legs weak, Qin Cheng could not remain standing. She dropped heavily onto the hard white stone and stared blankly at the vast expanse of dark blue water before her.

“At least let me reach the glass first…” she muttered helplessly after a moment, rubbing her temples.

The first time was strange; the second time was familiar.

Although she still had no idea what was happening, Qin Cheng was naturally much calmer now that she had entered this place again. She was no longer as bewildered and helpless as she had been the first time.

Besides, she had no energy to waste on confusion.

Once her senses returned, the pain returned with them, long and unrelenting, entirely unaffected by the change in surroundings.

That was why Qin Cheng had complained just now.

If the pain remained, she still needed to take medicine.

The few tablets she had struggled to find were still clenched in her palm. She did not mind the blood on them, but there was no way she could swallow them dry.

Having no other choice, she carefully placed the other objects she was holding into her pocket. Then, clutching her abdomen, she shuffled to the edge of the stone.

She closed her eyes, tossed the pills into her mouth, scooped up a large handful of lake water, and tilted her head back to swallow.

It felt like gulping down a fistful of ice shards.

A fierce chill shot from her throat straight into her stomach, then rapidly spread through her entire body, sinking into every crack between her bones.

Naturally, such penetrating cold made her abdominal pain worse rather than better in the short term.

Qin Cheng lay weakly on the stone and stared at the distant stretch of pale green water, wishing she could sprout wings and fly straight into it.

Fortunately, the torment did not last too long.

Perhaps the medicine had begun working, or perhaps she had simply endured the pain for long enough already.

Whatever the reason, Qin Cheng lay on the stone in a daze for a while longer before gradually recovering. Little by little, she returned to a calmer state.

This time, after the pain subsided, she did not fall asleep to restore her strength.

She had to admit that returning to this mysterious lake had a positive effect on her emotions.

The first time, every step had brought fresh confusion and complete uncertainty.

But this second visit—the first time she had entered while fully conscious—silently confirmed many things.

First, and in some ways most importantly, none of this had been an absurd dream.

Second, although the exact method still needed to be determined, there seemed to be some principle that allowed her to enter and leave this place repeatedly.

Third, this small realm, which clearly could not be explained by science, showed no current signs of anyone else’s presence.

That was right.

After entering a second time, Qin Cheng’s attitude had unknowingly changed completely.

She had calmly accepted this mysterious reality and had even begun trying to analyze and understand it, rather than being overwhelmed by confusion and headaches at every turn.

Of course, that did not mean her headaches had disappeared forever.

In fact, Qin Cheng currently found the situation quite troublesome.

She was back on the enormous white stone, surrounded once again by freezing water.

Although the exact method remained uncertain, she had successfully left last time while on the black stone in the shallow-water area.

If she wanted to leave again, she would most likely have to begin searching from there.

That meant swimming once more.

Only a few hours ago—or at least, what felt like a few hours ago—she had experienced the agony of soaking in icy water. The memory remained painfully fresh.

The moment she recalled it, her body, now free of abdominal pain, seemed to feel the sting of the cold all over again.

And that was not her only problem.

One of the things she had accidentally brought with her was not suitable for getting wet.

Qin Cheng reached into the pocket of her pajamas and took out the two objects she had placed there earlier.

A silver hairpin.

And a phone.

When the sudden dizziness struck, aside from the pills, these were the two things she had been holding.

She had clutched the phone especially tightly, afraid she might drop and break it.

Now, both objects remained well protected.

Most of the blood on the silver hairpin had rubbed off inside her pajama pocket, leaving it much cleaner.

That did not matter. Her pajamas were already covered in enough blood, and there was a hole in them as well.

At that thought, Qin Cheng simply unbuttoned her pajama top.

Now that she had confirmed she was alone, she no longer had any reservations. She wanted to see the place where she should have been injured with her own eyes.

Beneath the open garment was an obviously emaciated body.

There were still traces of blood on a small patch of skin between the right side of her chest and abdomen.

But where there should have been a bloody hole, there was only a bruise about the size of a coin.

There was no other injury.

It was indeed impossible to explain.

But far too many inexplicable things had happened lately, so Qin Cheng, already mentally prepared, merely touched and examined the area before calmly buttoning her top again.

Confirming it was enough.

The thing most deserving of her attention now was clearly not the vanished wound, but something else entirely.

Swimming meant coming into contact with water.

She could endure the cold. She could squeeze out what little strength she had left. Her clothes had already been soaked before, and it did not matter if the silver hairpin got wet.

But the phone was an electronic device without any waterproof protection.

If it touched the water, it would certainly be ruined.

Worse, she did not even have a plastic bag.

No matter how careful she was or how skilled a swimmer, she could not guarantee that nothing would go wrong.

Qin Cheng weighed the pros and cons while staring at the phone for a long time.

Then, as though finally making up her mind, she sat cross-legged and opened the video screen again.

Forget her regret and hesitation.

Forget whether she dared to watch.

If the phone broke before she ever saw the video, that would be the real loss.

Gritting her teeth, Qin Cheng finally reached out and pressed the play button with the grim resolve of someone marching to her death.

The image that had been frozen on the screen immediately came to life.

At first, it seemed the recording had only just begun. The camera shook slightly, and the focus was poor.

All that could be made out was an indoor setting and two blurry female figures—one closer to the camera, the other farther away.

Qin Cheng’s gaze immediately fixed on the woman in the foreground.

The image soon sharpened.

Sure enough, it was the face that had haunted her dreams and occupied her thoughts through countless days and nights.

The man had said it was a private birthday gathering, and the woman in the video was indeed dressed more casually than she would be in public.

However, at some point, even her private makeup had settled into a cool, distant style.

Her slightly upturned brows and eyes always carried an air of detachment. Every glance was filled with feminine allure, yet she remained imposing and untouchable.

But even with such cool, severe makeup, whenever she relaxed, curved her lips, and allowed genuine warmth to ripple through her eyes, she was like melting snow beneath a spring breeze—enough to make anyone’s heart flutter.

And there, close to the camera, she was smiling exactly like that.

Just as Qin Cheng had seen in the frozen image, it was a sincere smile from the heart.

She could see it so clearly.

It warmed her heart so deeply.

And yet it also made her so… dissatisfied.

The reason was simple.

That smile was not directed at her.

As though sensing her displeasure, the camera pulled back at that exact moment.

It turned out the image had only been zoomed in. The person filming had not actually been standing so close.

The wider shot revealed more of the surroundings.

It appeared to be the living room of a private residence, elegantly decorated with a distinctly personal touch.

On a long table farther away sat many cups, plates, and bowls.

The details were not very clear, but it looked like the aftermath of a lively meal after both hosts and guests had enjoyed themselves.

The woman beneath the camera continued smiling.

Her complexion appeared normal and her eyes looked clear, but anyone familiar with her would quickly notice something in the finer details.

Alcohol never showed on Chu Qinyi’s face.

She could look completely unaffected, even after the focus in her eyes had already scattered.

Only then would she smile at everyone for no reason.

Few people knew this secret because she rarely became drunk.

But Qin Cheng was not the only one who knew.

The person filming the video clearly understood this little secret as well.

“She’s drunk, she’s drunk! Hahaha.”

The man behind the camera had the same rich, charming voice as always—and was just as annoying as ever.

“What a rare sight. Since you were careless enough to let this happen, I’ll gladly keep it as leverage.”

The gloating tone made his malicious intentions perfectly clear.

The intoxicated woman seemed to hear the ill intent in his words.

Her expression abruptly became serious. She rose unsteadily, apparently intending to avoid the camera.

“President Chu, be careful!”

Before she could take two steps, the short-haired woman who had been working farther away hurried over and caught her by the arm.

While supporting her, she glanced at the camera and said, “President Tang, stop standing there enjoying the show and help a little. Sister Wan isn’t here, and I really can’t manage everything by myself.”

Her voice was clear and pleasant, giving an impression of sincerity and honesty.

It had no effect whatsoever on the man behind the camera.

“Those who receive a salary work for others. Those who pay the salary get to watch others work. Perfectly reasonable,” he replied arrogantly. “Besides, if it weren’t for you people, she wouldn’t have let herself drink this much. You made this mess, so clean it up yourselves.”

“Huh? Us?”

The short-haired woman seemed confused, but she had no time to question him.

The woman she was supporting had already begun walking forward with determination, forcing her to follow closely.

The man probably did not move, but he followed them with the camera.

The image zoomed in again from farther away, and the clarity remained fairly good.

However, the drunk woman did nothing outrageous.

She merely began quietly clearing the cups, plates, and bowls from the table.

Her movements were slow, but careful. Even in her gestures, she retained a composed elegance.

Eventually, even her steps became steadier, making her appear almost completely sober.

Because of this, after trying to persuade her twice without success, the short-haired woman stopped objecting and simply remained nearby to help.

For a while, the video showed only two figures working with lowered heads.

They did not exchange a single word as they passed things between them, yet their movements carried a certain practiced understanding.

“Tsk.”

Perhaps finding the scene boring, the man behind the camera clicked his tongue in distaste.

The picture shook slightly, as though he intended to stop recording.

Just as the image became unstable and unclear, a loud crash suddenly rang through the video, like dishes falling to the floor.

The person filming jolted.

Even Qin Cheng, watching in a trance outside the recording, felt her heart leap into her throat.

Although the man’s hand shook, he clearly let out an excited “Hey!”

The camera quickly focused again.

It was not dishes falling to the floor as Qin Cheng had imagined.

Instead, someone had slammed them heavily onto the tabletop, causing the noise.

Even so, it was enough to make an unprepared person’s heart race.

The short-haired woman widened her eyes and stared in surprise at the person beside her.

It was obvious who had struck the dishes against the table.

“President Chu? President Chu?”

After a moment, seeing that the other woman kept her head lowered and showed no response, she cautiously tried again.

“Why don’t you… let me do it? It’s your birthday today. You should get some rest.”

Those careful words seemed to touch something inside the intoxicated woman.

She slowly raised her eyes, looked at the other woman, and agreed, “Mm. It’s my birthday today. I shouldn’t be clearing the table.”

“Yes, yes, exactly. Don’t clean up. Go and rest. I’ll handle it!”

Seeing that communication seemed possible, the short-haired woman nodded repeatedly.

But this time, her words appeared to have lost their effect again.

“It’s my birthday today. I shouldn’t be clearing the table…”

The intoxicated woman repeated the words in a murmur, looking lost beneath the camera.

Outside the video, Qin Cheng’s eyes suddenly reddened.

She bit down hard on her lip until she could almost taste blood, but still could not stop the tears from spilling down her face.

By this point, she did not need to continue watching.

She had already guessed the reason.

The reason this woman had called that number during her birthday gathering truly was something no outsider could understand.

No outsider could understand because Chu Qinyi never complained.

Even after a breakup, even while drunk, she would never tell anyone.

She would never tell them that someone had once made her a promise.

A promise that she would celebrate every one of her birthdays.

That she would personally cook for her.

That even when it came time to clean up afterward, she would never allow Chu Qinyi to lift a single finger.

Every birthday.

Until they grew old and their hair turned white.

Until she could no longer toss a wok or lift the cooking utensils.

I’m sorry, but… do you know?

Even though my hair never had the chance to turn white, I already can’t lift a wok.

I can’t carry the cooking utensils anymore.

I’m truly… so unwilling to accept this.

I truly… wish there could be a miracle.

Amid the lake, atop the white stone, the frail body trembled faintly.

The woman gripped the phone tightly and covered her face, never once allowing herself to sob aloud.