SuSan took the school bag from Ellie's hand and said, "Ellie has made new friends as soon as she came to school."
Ellie replied, "Yes."
"How are you getting along with your new classmates?"
Ellie looked at her reflection in the glass and said, "Very well."
SuSan smiled and said, "Madam has been simmering chicken soup at home, just waiting for you to come back and drink it."
Hearing this, Ellie just smiled and didn't say anything more.
Seeing that she didn't want to talk anymore, SuSan didn't speak either.
For so many years, she had seen Ellie grow up, watching her transform from a soft little baby into a young lady. Ellie was beautiful, well-behaved, and very free from worry, with her academic performance always among the top.
Edward and Jennifer almost completely left Ellie to her, only sending money back on schedule.
Ellie never cried or made a fuss; she just calmly did her own things as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.
If it weren't for her delivering milk to Ellie that day, she wouldn't have found her fainting in the room. She stayed with her in the hospital for a whole night, and on the day she got the diagnosis, she couldn't believe it and read it several times. The diagnosis clearly stated "advanced gastric cancer."
As soon as SuSan opened the door, she heard the quarrel inside.
"Edward, don't go too far."
"How did I go too far?"
"Don't think I don't know the mess you've been causing outside. If it weren't for Ellie, I would have divorced you long ago."
"Jennifer, clarify what you're saying. What have I done? What mess? Explain it to me!"
Ellie stood at the door, listening to the couple's quarrel, then calmly walked past them as if she were a wooden doll.
SuSan looked embarrassed from behind.
Ellie was used to the couple's bickering.
Since she was a child, there had been endless quarrels.
Either they were never home, or when they were, they would fight.
After a while.
Jennifer gently knocked on the door. Ellie had just finished taking a bath, her face slightly pink from the steam, her figure slender, revealing her beautiful and delicate collarbone. She opened the door and glanced at the chicken soup in Jennifer's hand without speaking.
"Ellie, this is the chicken soup mom simmered for you. Have some. It has many ingredients and has been simmering for several hours."
"Put it on the table."
Jennifer looked at Ellie's expression and said, "Then get some rest early."
Ellie sat at the desk and finished the last sentence of her diary. She put the diary into the drawer, locked it, and stared at the bowl of chicken soup on the table for a while before taking a sip.
The taste of the chicken soup was very fresh, but her stomach churned, and she felt nauseous. She ran to the bathroom and vomited, almost emptying her stomach, but still felt dry heaving badly, and her stomach ached to the point of spasm.
The sound of arguing outside the door continued; they thought she couldn't hear them, but in fact, she heard every word clearly.
After a few dry heaves, she heard the sound of someone walking urgently.
"Ellie, did you vomit again? Ellie, open the door and let mom in, okay?"
"Don't come in." Ellie pressed her stomach, struggled to stand up, her usually clean and pretty face pale with pain. She took out a few pills, put them in her mouth, and drank some warm water from the table.
"Ellie, let mom in, okay?"
"Open the door, Ellie."
Ellie listened to the voices of the two people outside the door, sat down on the edge of the bed, and gasped for breath.
Jennifer found a spare key, opened the door, and saw Ellie sitting on the floor, hugged her tightly.
Ellie's beautiful apricot eyes seemed to have lost their anxiety, just letting her hold her without saying a word, like a broken doll. After a while, Ellie spoke and said, "I want to rest."
Jennifer put her to bed and said, "Sleep, sleep."
Edward turned off the light, and the two left the room.
The couple, rarely, did not argue and sat on the sofa in silence for a long time.
...
"How has William been at school recently?" The man on the sofa was dressed in a custom-made black suit, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, with distinct features and a pair of peach blossom eyes, thin lips.
Brad weighed his words and said, "The young master has not caused any trouble recently."
Philip responded with an "um" sound, seemingly taking in the words, flipping through the newspaper in his hand, and not speaking further.
Hearing the door open, he glanced up and saw William, dressed casually in his school uniform, the top button undone, with extremely black eyes and a very incongruous band-aid on his face.
Brad licked his lips, having just finished saying that William hadn't caused any trouble recently, and here William was, back with an injury on his face.
"What happened to the injury on your face?"
William replied, "I fell," and then went straight upstairs.
Philip glanced at him and then turned his attention back to the newspaper in front of him. The father and son hardly communicated, with only a few exchanges of words.
...
The next morning.
Daniel looked at William, who was ready to sleep as soon as he came in, and stared at the dark circles under his eyes for a while before saying, "William, did you stay up all night?"
"No." He just couldn't sleep, so he got up and played with his phone until almost morning.
Hao Ming popped up from behind Daniel and said, "William, didn't have breakfast, did you? Here, I brought you some."
"I don't eat."
Hao Ming replied with some disappointment, "Okay, these soup dumplings are very delicious." Then he asked again, "Really not eating? William, I waited in line for a long time."
William looked up at him and said, "Give it to me, I'll transfer the money to you later."
Hao Ming said, "You don't have to give it to me, William."
"The money has already been transferred to you." William took the breakfast from his hand, stuffed it into the drawer, lay down on the table, closed his eyes, and prepared to sleep.
Daniel said, "Hmm? What about mine?"
Hao Ming replied, "No, the weather forecast said there will be northwest wind today, go outside and catch some northwest wind with your mouth."
"Damn, Yang, don't drink your sister's northwest wind. You're the one drinking northwest wind."
"Wow, Yang dog, don't steal my soup dumplings." Hao Ming watched as Daniel pounced on his soup dumplings like a starving tiger and stepped back with the dumplings in hand.
"You're really stingy, Mason." Daniel snatched the soup dumplings from his hand, opened them, and threw one into his mouth, not caring about the burn that made him hiss. He spoke unclearly, "It's actually quite delicious, bring me one tomorrow too."
Hao Ming reached out his hand: "Pay up."
"Good friends talking about money hurts the feelings."
Ellie had just arrived at the class when Aria excitedly waved at her: "Ellie."
Ellie smiled at her, then walked back to her seat with her school bag. She glanced at William, who was sleeping, and took out her Chinese book.