Standing Next To You-Chapter 36: Cold and Unfeeling

As they left the yard, they encountered a cluster of young men in their early twenties. They were out of breath as if they had sprinted all the way there.

"Bei Sangyun!" A tall lanky man surged forward.

However, upon locking eyes with Bei Sangyun, he faltered, his gaze widening with astonishment.

"Are you... Bei Sangyun?" he stammered, clearly taken aback.

Bei Sangyun exchanged a brief glance with Grandma Bei, who shook her head in bewilderment. Neither of them comprehended why this group of young men had come seeking her. Nevertheless, Grandma Bei took a step forward, her expression fierce as she directed a stern glare at the young men.

"Why are you looking for my granddaughter? Step aside! We’re leaving this village!"

The lanky young man was startled. "She just arrived, and she’s already leaving? This can’t be!"

Bei Sangyun narrowed her eyes.

The young man sensed Bei Sangyun’s apprehension. He lowered his head shamefully, "I did not mean it that way. We....uhm...Brother Cheng has been looking for you. We already notified him that you are here. He is on his way. Can you wait for a little bit?"

"I don’t know any Brother Cheng. And I can’t wait. Grandma, let’s go." Bei Sangyun gently pulled at Grandma Bei to leave.

For Bei Sangyun leaving this village and looking for a hospital was the most urgent matter at hand.

However, the group of young men blocked their path.

"Please, just give us a little time. We need to talk to you..."

Bei Sangyun paused.

Several men blocked her way, preventing her from walking forward.

Suddenly, a burst of annoyance with a hint of madness stirred in. The sleeping beast inside her that was dormant ever since she returned in this time started opening its eyes.

Bei Sangyun gazed deeply at the young man who blocked her way. Her dark eyes were devoid of any emotions. It was cold and unfeeling.

If the business partners she had worked with were here at the moment, they would recognized this look. It was the calm yet frightening gaze that made them step back involuntarily.

Once they saw this gaze, they would immediately shut up, scared that the woman in front of them would blow up.

The young man who was inexperienced was startled by her gaze. It was as if his soul was stranded by a beast. If he made a move, that beast would pounce on him and devour him cruelly.

The young man instinctively shuddered, a chill coursing down his spine.

"Step aside," Bei Sangyun’s voice rang out, its tone devoid of any emotion, a calm command cutting through the air.

The several young men felt the pressure overwhelming them. They instinctively stepped back and made way.

Bei Sangyun had a thin but tall frame compared to these young men. Yet, in front of them, she did not look scared at all. In fact, she was the one overwhelming them instead.

Bei Sangyun passed them by with a calm face.

Only when she was a bit far from them that the group of young men let out the breaths they were unconsciously holding.

That Bei Sangyun seemed fiercer and more formidable than they remembered.

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A crowd of villagers had gathered, curious to catch a glimpse of two. Although their desire to approach was evident, an air of unapproachability emanating from Bei Sangyun held them at a distance.

Grandma Bei sensed the shift in Bei Sangyun’s mood. The latter seemed like a lit fuse, ready to ignite at any moment.

What happened? Why did she suddenly act like this?

"Bei Sangyun." Grandma Bei called out to Bei Sangyun. But the latter did not answer and just continued walking with an emotionless face.

"Sangyun."

The single word halted Bei Sangyun’s steps. It was as if she awakened from a trance. "Yes, Grandma?"

Grandma Bei’s gaze bore into her, etched with worry. It was evident that Bei Sangyun’s recent behavior had unsettled her.

A wry smile curved Bei Sangyun’s lips as she recognized her grandmother’s concern.

"I am sorry. I don’t like it when others block my way. So I instinctively..." Bei Sangyun trailed off on her words.

She shook her head. "Don’t worry about it. Let’s go."

Grandma Bei was a bit worried but she did not raise this concern. This was not the time to ask about it as there were many gazes thrown at them at this moment. She did not want Bei Sangyun to be surrounded by these people and be gossiped about.

She internally sighed in relief when she felt that the suffocating aura around Bei Sangyun disappeared and she returned to normal.

But the sudden change of emotion of her granddaughter lingered in her mind.

Granda Bei did not have any idea what happened to make her granddaughter suddenly act like that.

"Bei Sangyun, is that really you?" A middle-aged woman stepped forward, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Bei Sangyun’s gaze landed on her, recognition lighting up her eyes.

"...Mrs. Bang." Her steps momentarily paused.

Unlike with the group of young men, Bei Sangyun waited for Mrs. Bang to approach them closer.

Mrs. Bang softly smiled. "So it’s you. I had a feeling you would blossom into someone so lovely."

Bei Sangyun was silent.

Mrs. Bang saw the luggage in Bei Sangyun’s hand. "I see, you are going to bring Grandma Bei with you. I am happy for you and I wish you two have a safe journey."

"Mrs. Bang." Grandma Bei stopped forward and handed a basket with a blanket covering it.

"It’s nothing much but I made it by myself. Thank you for taking care of me these past years. I am stubborn and also not good at getting along. Yet you still stood up for me and visited me causally to check on me. Among the people in this village, your family is the most sincere to us. I apologize for only giving you this."

Mrs. Bang accepted the gift. This would be the last parting gift of the Bei family to her. She knew the moment when she saw Bei Sangyun and Grandma Bei that she wouldn’t be able to see the two again.

"It’s enough. To be honest, I bear a sense of guilt. Bei Sangyun...." Mrs. Bang’s gaze lifted, meeting Bei Sangyun’s calm eyes.

A hint of surprise flitted across Mrs. Bang’s expression as Bei Sangyun locked her gaze with unwavering directness.

The vivacious girl who had once exuded boundless curiosity and vitality seemed to have vanished. In her place stood a young woman, her gaze steady, as if she were regarding a passerby in her life—a figure of the past.

No trace of affection or desire to reconnect lingered in that gaze. It was as if Mrs. Bang was a fleeting presence, a mere passerby herself.

But isn’t that exactly what her role was? She was indeed a passerby in this child’s life.

Still, a trace of bitterness colored Mrs. Bang’s emotions. The child she had cherished, the one who once looked at her with a yearning for maternal affection, had changed beyond recognition. The longing gaze, so reminiscent of a fledgling seeking its mother’s care, was no more.

Bei Sangyun must have gone through a lot for her to change like this.

Mrs. Bang did not say the affectionate words she was about to say but smiled awkwardly instead, "To be honest, I wanted to apologize to you, Bei Sangyun. I don’t know if I hurt you when you were young before you left the village. I want you to know that I believed in you and that I am sorry."

Bei Sangyun was silent, seemingly lost in thought.

It was not that she was cold to Mrs. Bang. But the memories of the past when she learned of the cruel truth surfaced once more after seeing Mrs. Bang again.

At that time, after returning from the hut, she went to look for Mrs. Bang and asked her why she couldn’t see her grandma anywhere and why the hut was so empty.

Mrs. Bang relayed to her the devastating news. She could not accept the truth and in the moment of raw anguish, she lashed out at the people around her.

Unable to process the weight of her own guilt, she had unfairly directed her pain toward Mrs. Bang, the person who stood next to her at that time. Only by blaming others, she could handle the pain.

If others just came to see her grandma, her grandma wouldn’t have to end up alone on that cold floor for how many days....