Chapter 35: Menstruation

It was more than ten days later when Qin Shili appeared once again in a financial report.

Xu Wu had been keeping up with recent industry reports, as they helped her observe trends within the field.

Recently, all her projects had wrapped up earlier than expected, and coincidentally, her period had started. She decided to rest at home today and didn’t go to the office.

The financial report led with Qin Shili as its main feature.

Within the industry, his status had suddenly risen, and some people had even dug up his background.

The financial report included a video, and Qin Shili happened to be the main subject. From start to finish, his expression remained unchanged despite the straightforward industry jargon.

For now, Qin Shili was appearing in public, but Xu Wu wondered if he would still act from the shadows.

The video of the exhibition incident was still saved on her phone. She knew that without seeing anyone’s face in the video, it wouldn’t do much to affect Qin Shili now. However, she still didn’t know how to bring it up with Zhou Jinye.

After finishing the financial report, Xu Wu got out of bed.

The sun was already high in the sky, and the pain in her abdomen had woken her up only by noon.

Pudding, hearing movement, ran over to her side.

These days, Pudding seemed to have made Xu Wu’s place its second home, often staying over and sleeping there. She had even bought it a dog bed.

Xu Wu had fed Pudding dog food in the morning before going to the bathroom. After stroking Pudding, it followed her to the washroom. After freshening up, she remembered that during her period, she usually used Chinese medicine to regulate herself. Seeing that the bag of herbs was empty, and too lazy to cook, she decided to eat out and then pick up some more herbs from the Chinese medicine clinic nearby. Just then, her phone rang.

It was Zhou Jinye. He had gone out earlier to wait for her but hadn’t found her and had called to check.

“Are you feeling better?”

His voice came through the phone. Xu Wu had just changed out of her pajamas, and the silver necklace around her neck swayed gently.

The crescent moon charm moved back and forth. She tucked the necklace inside her clothes so it wouldn’t move anymore and responded to Zhou Jinye on the other end of the line: “Much better. Have you eaten yet?”

Zhou Jinye asked from the other end: “Li Qingyang and I were about to eat. Do you want me to order takeout for you?”

“No, I’ll go downstairs to eat.” Xu Wu slipped on her casual shoes.

When not working, she preferred wearing comfortable, casual clothes.

“Alright, your boyfriend says to remember not to eat anything cold,” Zhou Jinye reminded her.

Xu Wu couldn’t help but smile: “Okay, tell my boyfriend I got it.”

“Then I’m going to eat. See you this evening.”

They often chatted like this on the phone. With such a large enterprise like LUNAR, Zhou Jinye likely kept up with financial reports. Xu Wu wasn’t sure if he had seen Qin Shili’s.

The calmer things seemed, the more terrifying what lay beneath could be.

Since the exhibition ended, life with Zhou Jinye had been like that of any ordinary couple deeply in love. But to Xu Wu, it felt like honey in a dream, and she didn’t know how Qin Shili would spoil the sweetness.

She decided to wait until Zhou Jinye returned to talk to him.

It was noon now, and she gave Pudding more dog food. Since Pudding knew how to open doors, Xu Wu locked the door after leaving.

After eating lunch, Xu Wu went to the nearby Chinese medicine clinic where she had previously gotten prescriptions. After moving into Yiming Garden, this place was farther away.

Because of her period, she planned to use her phone to navigate to the nearest Chinese medicine clinic to get her medication.

Following the directions on her phone, she quickly arrived at a clinic.

This clinic had excellent reviews across the board—almost all positive. It was very effective, and branches could be found elsewhere.

The interior of the clinic was simple and clear, without the strong smell of Chinese herbs—it was faintly present, as if managed carefully. As soon as Xu Wu entered, the person at the counter asked what she needed.

She was here to refill her prescription, which she still had from her last visit.

Handing over the prescription to the person at the counter, they prepared to fill it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a flash of white. “Please prepare two doses of this prescription.”

“Alright, Teacher Zhou.”

The newcomer’s face was gentle, and her eyes strangely familiar, evoking a sense of warmth. When she smiled, slight wrinkles appeared on her face. From behind, her hair showed barely any gray strands.

Xu Wu thought her eyes looked familiar and kept staring at them.

“Who prescribed this?” the woman asked the person at the counter. The characters on the prescription weren’t too small, and she accidentally caught a glimpse of them over the narrow counter. She nodded toward Xu Wu behind her.

The person at the counter paused while preparing the prescription and turned to look at Xu Wu: “It’s this young lady.”

Only then did Zhou Min turn around. She recognized Xu Wu as the parent who had accompanied Wei Linxuan during her daughter’s birthday party.

Her demeanor left an impression on Zhou Min, and she immediately remembered: “You’re Wei Linxuan’s sister?”

Xu Wu hesitated, then nodded slowly: “I’m his older sister.”

Seeing her puzzled expression, Zhou Min introduced herself warmly: “My daughter’s birthday last time—I’m her mother.”

No wonder her eyes looked familiar. Xu Wu finally remembered that she was Zhou Jinye’s aunt. Back in school, she had seen photos of his mother in his apartment. His eyes resembled his mother’s, and standing before her now, Zhou Min shared that resemblance.

Xu Wu apologized politely: “Sorry, nice to meet you.”

Seeing her slightly reserved demeanor, Zhou Min’s warm smile was like spring sunshine: “It’s fine, no need to be so formal.”

She realized Xu Wu was here for medication and understood her current condition. Xu Wu wore a high-necked beige sweater under a light gray coat, but her tight jeans were slightly short, exposing her ankles to the cool air, her skin reddened from the cold.

Zhou Min advised kindly: “The temperature in Linjing has dropped quite a bit this late autumn. Based on your prescription, make sure to keep warm. Women’s bodies are particularly sensitive during this time.”

Xu Wu nodded obediently: “Alright.”

Zhou Min observed her face: “Your lips are a bit pale; you might be anemic. This prescription will only temporarily relieve your menstrual pain, but it doesn’t address the root cause. Menstrual pain can affect your health. I work as a practitioner here. How about I prescribe another formula specifically for regulating menstrual pain? You’ll need to take it for a few years to see improvement.”

The sudden concern warmed Xu Wu’s heart. In the past, when Lin Qingshuang was in Linjing, Xu Wu rarely visited. Growing up with her father, who was a man, she didn’t receive detailed guidance about menstruation. Even learning about sanitary pads had been taught to her by a neighbor. She had only learned about managing her period from others during her school dormitory days. That’s when she discovered that some women experienced pain during their periods, known as dysmenorrhea.

At the time, she saw others taking Western painkillers, so she resorted to them whenever she experienced pain. But over time, the pain worsened, and the painkillers’ side effects led her to switch to Chinese herbal remedies, which provided slight relief.

Realizing how little she knew about this issue, Xu Wu listened attentively to Zhou Min. She had always assumed menstrual pain was normal, never considering its impact on her body. Her gaze softened with gratitude: “Thank you.”

“It’s my job,” Zhou Min said warmly, her eyes lingering on Xu Wu’s ankles. “By the way, with this temperature, remember to stay warm.”

________________________________________

After Zhou Min finished writing the prescription, Xu Wu was surprised to run into Xu Tianya outside the clinic.

She was pushing someone in a wheelchair toward the entrance.

Xu Tianya hadn’t expected to see her either. Her father, who had recently regained some mobility after being bedridden for a long time, still couldn’t walk due to nerve damage in his legs. Xu Tianya had been absent from work these days, searching for treatments for her father’s legs, and decided to try this clinic in hopes of a miracle.

Their surprise at encountering each other lasted only a second.

Xu Tianya wasn’t wearing her usual flashy designer clothes but rather plain casual attire.

A few days ago, when she went to the office to pick something up, she saw Xu Wu holding hands with LUNAR’s CEO, Zhou Jinye. Initially, she thought he had climbed high by associating with Qin Shili, assuming his son would be similar. But when she asked Qin Shili, she discovered their father-son relationship was more complicated than she imagined.

Never did she expect Xu Wu to have won him over: “What, isn’t President Zhou accompanying you today?”

Her words carried a hint of sarcasm. Xu Wu ignored her, finding no reason to discuss her private life.

Just as she prepared to leave, Xu Tianya grabbed her hand: “Even if you don’t say it, I can guess. Aren’t you relying on President Zhou’s connections to get the LUNAR and Fan Xiang auto show projects? Stop pretending to be so pure.”

“What do you mean?”

Despite wearing plain clothes, her posture remained the same, arms crossed: “What else is there in the workplace? Stop pretending. A top figure like President Zhou would never look at someone like you. I never expected someone who looks so mild and harmless to be so cunning. Did you manipulate something to get assigned to these projects?”

Xu Wu understood clearly. Xu Tianya was insinuating things, and after years in the workplace, she easily grasped the meaning behind her words. Softly, she replied: “Zhou Jinye and I are in a normal romantic relationship. There’s no need to project your thoughts onto me—that’s slander.”

As Xu Tianya processed her words, Xu Wu continued: “Can’t you also work hard? All my achievements over the years have been earned through effort. Please clarify before speaking. Don’t just assume things.”

Xu Wu and Xu Tianya had interned together at Lingmei the same year. Xu Tianya was from a university Xu Wu had attended back in her hometown. Xu Wu had witnessed her capabilities and knew she wasn’t someone who twisted facts out of competition. Hearing her words, Xu Wu’s response, though polite, carried a tinge of anger.

Xu Wu held her bag of herbs and phone, the photo frame on her phone case swaying in the breeze.

After a moment of shock, Xu Tianya prepared to retaliate. Meanwhile, the person in the wheelchair had been staring at the photo frame on her phone case the entire time, seemingly triggered. Suddenly, they began pointing at her and making incoherent sounds. Both Xu Tianya and Xu Wu assumed he was trying to protect his daughter.

Xu Tianya fell silent. With an unwilling glance at Xu Wu, she pushed the wheelchair past her.

Xu Wu watched the person in the wheelchair, their legs covered by loose pants. His face seemed vaguely familiar.

Perhaps she’d met someone who looked like him today. Assuming it was just a common face, she didn’t dwell on it further.