I've Been There Before

When a person has fallen down to a certain degree, the baseline is just to be alive.
Grace looked at Ruby. Ruby's young and soft face, and her promising and colorful life, had all been beyond her reach her whole
life.
“Grace! How can you just stand there and laugh?” Ruby stamped her feet, “Grace, I am telling you, no matter how much money
you earn, it's all useless because everyone thinks so low of you! The female models in the P.R. departments with their sugar
daddies are better than you! What you did... you don't even have any self-respect! Who would respect you?”
Having finished saying what she wanted, Ruby snorted, not even looking at Grace anymore. Grace stood there quietly for a long
time before going back to her bedroom. Tiredness was evident on her face and Ruby's words... I only came here to earn some
money for tuition and living expenses. I would never do anything like that for money like you.
Grace smiled... She too, just worked here to earn some living expenses, to have this place to shelter her from the rain and wind.
.Just so she could eat enough and not have to beg on the streets. Who wanted that kind of money?
lf she had known that, at that time, in the 606 room, her concern about Ruby and what the others were doing to her would cause
her this much trouble today; if she was allowed again to choose between stepping in or ignoring... would she do the same?
Grace fell asleep thinking about it.

She woke up to find herself in the hospital.
"You are awake"
Grace opened her eyes and called out in a low voice, “Gloria, where am I?" Her throat hurt when she spoke.
"Hospital." Gloria replied as she peeled an apple and cut it into small pieces. She picked up a piece with a toothpick and fed it to
Grace, "Eat something first and then talk."
Grace was a little flustered at the sudden care, but she still accepted the fruit and ate it, 'Gloria, why am I in the hospital?"
Hearing this, Gloria felt angry.
She pulled a long face, "You don't know why you are in the hospital? I want to ask you, for how many days have you had a high
fever?" If it wasn't for the fact that she didn't see Grace come to work last night and decided to check up on her because she was
worried, Grace might have died of a high fever in the staff dormitory.
"I didn't see you in Royal Club last night, so Í went to your place to see if you were alright. Your temperature was so high that l
could even have fried eggs on you. l called 120 in a hurry. When I sent you to the hospital, your fever was already around 42
degrees, and you were severely dehydrated. Even the doctor said that if I was even a little bit late in sending you here, no doctor
on earth would have been able to save you.'

Saying this, Gloria who was still in shock from what happened, added, “Didn't you tell your roommates when you had high fever?
You tried to act strong, alas, but you almost ended up losing your life!”
Grace listened to Gloria ramble on and on. Although Gloria sounded really fierce, she could hear her concern through her anger.
Her heart felt warm and bitter. Her eyes that had not shed tears for many years became tingly and moist. Glorias care somehow
became the only window in her entire life in darkness, through which a ray of light came in.
However, she was more worried about gaining and losing, for ¡f she gained nothing then there would be nothing to lose and no
pain of losing.
By this point, Grace had already had a very deep understanding of this through her experiences.
“...Why?" After a long time, Grace finally summoned up the courage to ask in a trembling voice.
Why are you so nice to me?
A piece of apple was stuffed into Grace s mouth again. Gloria gave her a complex look and said, "There is no one in the world
that is nice to you. lf even l don't treat you nicely, then who else will love you?” Gloria saw her past self in Grace; maybe what
she said to her in that moment was for her past self too.
The world is not good to you. lf even l treat you badly then who would ever love you, Idiot!

To love Grace was also a way of loving her past self.
They both were similar kind of people.
Gloria looked at the woman lying in the hospital bed. She tried to hide her feelings, but her trembling eyelashes revealed her
inner feelings.
She sighed silently again. Aah! This idiot.
"Grace, can l ask you a question?”
"Yeah, ask."
"What happened between you and Mr. Shaw?” Caden Shaw, that man was really cruel, but he should not be like this to a
woman.
”Is it hard for you to say?” Gloria saw Graces expressions stiffen for a moment and added, "lí you can't say it then forget it
"Three years ago, I killed the woman he loved."

Glorias hand which ¡is holding a piece of apple paused for a moment, then she fed the apple to Grace and said, "“But you didn't
actually kill her, did you?"
"You are not the kind of person to do such crazy things like killing people.' Gloria said as if she was quite sure about it, "What
actually happened?”
At this moment, Grace, who never cried or said a single word even after suffering so terribly from repeated attacks and
humiliation, burst into tears!
Caden! Did you see it? Even Gloria who met me less than six months ago knows me so well!
Caden! We've known each other for most of our lives!
Caden! Did you hear it? Someone finally believed that I did not kill anyone, that I did not do such horrible things!
"Waaaaaa...hnnng...'
Gloria put down the toothpick in her hand. She didn't try to persuade Grace to stop crying. She just softly touched her furry head
with her palm and stroked slowly, "It's OK. I know, I know, an idiot like you can never have the courage to kill someone. No,
wait... I should say, you silly little girl, you have too much pride to go and kill someone."

Continuing, she said, "l guess you loved him very much. But you would never kill the woman he loved in order to get him. Grace,
you have too much pride to think about doing such an unworthy thing."
Graces tears fell like rain! The feelings she had restrained for years, were suddenly released.
That afternoon, Grace didt stop crying.
She told Gloria in incoherent words, '! didn't do it. He didn't believe in me. No one believed in me. ˆ
"He hates me, the whole world knows. I thought that after getting out of the prison, I would be able to live a peaceful life."
”Gloria, they all cursed at me, the whole world cursed at me, they said l am vicious and mean and that I can do anything for
money. Gloria, l don't care... I don't want that money either...”
”They humiliated me. They made me act like a dog; they made me crawl around like a dog wagging its tail. They insulted me in
every way. But l don't mind... All these are nothing; they are nothing comparing to...
“In the prison, I was stripped and left naked in the cage; the high-pressure water gun was opened directly at my body. In the
extreme winter, the cold water stung my bones like daggers, but even when suffering the pain I didn't dare to say a word. When l
went back to the cell, someone would just always turn up to beat me up. No matter how hard it was, I'd been through it all. What
is this compared to those times? "
”Gloria, she died. She died to save me. Waaaaaaaa...! lÏ'm just a vicious person who can only hurt people. Ì owe her so much... I
can't die. I have to live for her and achieve her dream of Erhai Lake for her.'

Gloria accompanied Grace quietly and listened to her incoherent rambling. Grace vented so many years' of grievances that day
and the secret hidden in the heart also came out in broken words.
What was the dream of Erhai Lake? And who was that girl? Gloria didn't know. But she vaguely guessed that this girl that Grace
had mentioned was more important to Grace than she herself.