Chapter Forty-Four

You Congxi didn't move; it's unclear whether he didn't hear or was simply too lazy to move.

My whole body was stiff as an ice cube in the seafood section of a supermarket, with only a sliver of warmth where my forehead and knees touched.

She thought she was going to have a good cry.

I had this urge while I was at You Yuanming's house, and then it inexplicably disappeared.

Throughout the entire farce, You Congxi always felt like an outsider, as if she were isolated by something.

She wasn't at the door of You Youyi's room, nor at the dining table. The piano music sounded like it was wrapped in plastic wrap, while the arguing and wailing sounded like a ridiculous scene from a TV drama.

At that moment, she felt as if she were trapped inside a giant glass bell. The cries and curses outside were indistinct. She could see everyone's mouths moving, but she only felt silence, as if the whole world was separated from her by a cold, unbreakable barrier.

It was as if the paused plot was put back on the play button the moment she stepped through that door. Everything that had stopped before she entered came alive, just waiting for her, the supporting character who acted as the switch, to enter, so that this grand drama, which had nothing to do with her, could begin.

My phone rang again in my pocket.

You Congxi curled himself up like a pill bug, afraid of light and sound.

Her chest felt empty, as if she were stepping into thin air. She curled up motionless, too weak to even move a finger.

In a daze, she felt as if she had seen a revolving lantern of life, and the image of the little match girl from the fairy tale book she had read as a child inexplicably popped into her head. She felt a magical connection with her, as if they were sharing a body and a brain.

Cold, hungry, sleepy...

Good news, I've transmigrated into a book!

...Bad news, she's wearing the clothes of a little girl who's about to kick the bucket.

Actually, it's good news; I finally got to be the main character for once.

Although she is the main character in "The Little Match Girl".

You Congxi chuckled, but the next second he started to worry that his brain might have been damaged by the cold.

She didn't want her image to appear in the corner of tomorrow's news, such as "Woman found frozen to death on a cold night street! Sitting alone on the street with no one to ask her anything, showing no signs of life by dawn," or something like that.

She chuckled a few more times, thinking that she could become a news editor in the future.

......Neuropathy!

The wind died down a bit, but the temperature plummeted like a rocket.

As soon as You Congxi straightened up, he was hit in the face by a blast of cold air.

She paused for a moment, then braced herself on the curb with both hands, trying to lift herself up.

But she overestimated her physical condition.

Because I had been exposed to the wind for so long, even the soles of my feet were so cold that I couldn't feel them, let alone put any weight on them.

You Congxi tried several times, but all attempts ended in failure. During this process, the dormant pain gradually resurfaced, and she felt discomfort from head to toe.

After countless attempts, she finally broke free from the curb. Although she couldn't stand steadily, she still bounced around a few times to warm her body up as quickly as possible.

Feeling her body gradually becoming her own, she glanced at the convenience store across the street with its lights on and decided to go inside to warm up for a while.

As soon as the glass door was pushed open, a wave of heat rushed into her face. You Congxi ordered a bowl of steaming oden, held it in both hands, and found a seat.

After swallowing the hot soup, her internal organs, which had been frozen into ice balls, slowly regained sensation. Her ears felt like they had been frozen and then fried in oil. Her tense face relaxed under the effects of cold contraction and heat expansion. She sniffed her sore nose, took another sip of oden soup, and felt like a thawing snowman who would turn into a puddle of snow water that tasted like oden in the next second.

After a while, You Congxi took out her phone and checked the time: 9:18. It would be difficult to hail a car at this hour. Her gaze unconsciously drifted downwards, where she saw several messages and missed calls.

She paused for a moment, then clicked on it.

Qu Qi said an hour ago that they had moved to a karaoke bar and asked her if she wanted to come.

Half an hour ago, it was said that Shen Yue had drunk too much and was acting crazy, insisting on going home.

I asked her where she was 15 minutes ago, and why she hadn't come back from You Yuanming's house yet.

Five minutes ago, Shen Yue called her, but she didn't answer.

She first replied to Qu Qi, saying that she had arrived home and hadn't seen the message because she had gone to take a shower. Then she stared blankly at the missed call.

Why did Shen Yue call her?

A car headlight, seemingly out of nowhere, dazzled her through the floor-to-ceiling window. You Congxi squinted and glanced outside.

That inconsiderate car sped away with its high beams on.

The phone on the table vibrated.

You Congxi looked down and, after recognizing the caller, hesitated for a few seconds before answering the call just before it automatically ended.

"......"

There was no sound from the other end, only slightly heavy breathing that penetrated You Congxi's ear canal through the sound tube.

She didn't say anything, and the two remained in a stalemate.

After a while.

"Hello."

A boy's hoarse voice rang out.

You Congxi was blinded by the high beams again. Before she could even look up, the words she had prepared rolled around in her mouth before she finally blurted out, "What?"

After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but cough.

I was outside in the cold for too long, and my throat feels like it's growing grass.

The person on the other end was silent for a few seconds, then spoke in a gentle voice she had never heard before.

"No, I just missed you and wanted to hear your voice."

here we go again.

That feeling.

You Congxi rubbed his face, trying to suppress the emotions welling up inside him.

"Are you home?" Shen Yue asked.

"I've gone back."

"Hmm, have you eaten yet?"

"...What time is it?"

Shen Yue chuckled a few times. You Congxi heard the wind chimes hanging on the glass door next to him ring once. The sound was so loud that it echoed on the other end of the phone.

"You Xiaoyu, do you know how obvious it is when you're unhappy?" Shen Yue's words were tinged with amusement.

Before You Congxi could speak, he heard him say that.

"Who made our little fish angry, hmm?" Shen Yue's voice was low and a little hoarse as it rang in You Congxi's ears. She couldn't help but move her phone away a little, but the voice seemed even closer, as if it were really right next to her.

"Turn your head."

You Congxi subconsciously followed suit.

Then he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

The boy who was talking to her on the phone just a second ago is now standing not far from her, smiling at her.

Seeing that she finally looked over, Shen Yue raised his eyebrows, still with that arrogant look of fearlessness: "Tell me who bullied you, and I'll help you get revenge, how about it?"

You Congxi looked at him without saying anything.

She didn't know if she was dreaming or what. She also didn't know why the boy she could only talk to on the phone was now standing next to her. Was she frozen to death? Were the Black and White Impermanence pretending to be the person they wanted to see most to deceive her so that she wouldn't cooperate with the arrest?

That's a bit too clever, You Congxi thought.

Shen Yue took a few steps forward, gathering her strength in her feet, looking for an opportunity to escape.

Especially when Shen Yue looked at her with a furrowed brow.

You Congxi tensed up as she watched Shen Yue stop in front of her, frowning as he scrutinized her for a moment, then suddenly stretched out his hand—

You Congxi was about to get up and run away.

A weight settled on my shoulder.

His left hand was completely enveloped by a large, broad hand.

You Congxi froze, her right hand still holding the coat that was warm from the other person's body.

Shen Yue's voice came from above: "How did you get your hand hurt?"

She hesitated for a moment, then looked up and gazed into the depths of Shen Yue's eyes.

The hand, which was enveloped in the boy's large hand, instinctively tried to pull away.

As a result, they were caught even more tightly.

"Don't move." Shen Yue's tone was a little cold.

Like a stray cat being choked, You Congxi became unusually docile, obediently cooperating with Chen Yue to spray medicine and massage the bruises on her swollen palms without uttering a sound.

Shen Yue didn't know how You Congxi had gotten himself into this state after just a few hours of not seeing him.

His body trembled slightly involuntarily, his ears and nose were alarmingly red, his cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness, and his lips were pale and chapped, clearly indicating that he had been outside in the cold for an unknown amount of time.

Shen Yue lowered his eyes, and upon closer inspection, his swollen, red palm, which had just been treated with medicine, was trembling slightly...

He took a deep breath.

These are not the most serious ones.

His gaze fell on You Congxi's calm and unwavering eyes.

It looks the same as always.

But Shen Yue was very familiar with that look.

He suddenly became interested in psychology when he was in junior high school, so he looked for some books, documentaries and movies to watch. There is one part that he remembers vividly.

"Little Fish," he called softly.

Shen Yue stared intently into her eyes, so he could clearly see the shifting in her gaze, as if she hadn't heard his voice, or as if she were separated from the world by a membrane.

His heart sank.

Dissociation.

In the context of psychology and medicine, dissociation refers to the psychological process in which an individual's consciousness, memory, sense of identity, or perception separates from themselves or their surrounding environment. It often manifests as a sense of alienation from reality, memory loss, or identity confusion.

"You Congxi," he called out again, "who am I?"

To make it easier to apply the medicine, Shen Yue was half-squatting in front of You Congxi. You Congxi sat on the chair and quietly watched Shen Yue, who was tilting his head slightly.

After a moment of silence, Shen Yue heard her say, "Idiot."

You Congxi was speechless: "My hand is broken, not my brain. Are you sick?"

"..."

Shen Yue didn't speak, but with his free hand, very lightly and quickly brushed away a strand of hair stuck to her cheek. The warmth of his fingertips touched her and then left, but it felt like a piece of red-hot coal, burning her slightly.

You Congxi tried to pull her hand away from his; the posture was too strange. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong with it, but it just felt odd.

I just spaced out for no reason, and it seems like Shen Yue said something to her... but it doesn't matter anymore.

She tried to pull it out forcefully.

No twitching.

?

You Congxi frowned: "What?"

Shen Yue sighed.

You Congxi was somewhat reluctant: "Let go..."

She suddenly stopped talking and fell into an incredibly warm embrace.

You Congxi's eyes widened, his entire nasal cavity filled with that familiar and comforting scent.

Shen Yue gently placed his large hand on the back of her neck and stroked it a few times, as if to soothe her.

You Congxi heard a hoarse voice beside her, soft and slow: "Little Fish, we're in a convenience store that won't close. We won't be kicked out. I'm here with you. You're safe."

"It's alright, Little Fish, you're safe now."

You Congxi blinked.

Shen Yue recalled the methods taught in the book, patiently and gently comforting the person in his arms over and over again, while gently patting the back of the person in his arms with his other hand, as if treating a fragile newborn baby.

My shoulder sank.

Shen Yue paused for a moment, then carefully turned to look at the girl who was burying her face in his shoulder.

The cool water soaked the thin fabric on my shoulder.

Shen Yue pretended not to hear, but carefully wrapped the girl's coat around her again and hugged her even tighter.