☆, Questioning, a rare gentleness

The next few days were uneventful. Aside from eating and sleeping, Ye Xi and Wesker spent all their time in the lab. Although Ye Xi had no idea where Wesker lived, she knew she always saw him whenever she entered the lab. "What a dedicated scientist..." Ye Xi would mutter to herself, a slight pout each time she saw this.

That guy did have a tiny bit of conscience, though. After the mess from the first day subsided, she found several sets of clothes and underwear on the bed the next day. Ye Xi deliberately ignored the fact that he knew her size, and almost the instant she saw them, she grabbed the clothes and rushed to the bathroom.

Ye Xi's sleep time gradually increased from ten hours to twenty hours. She was listless and weak, and sometimes she would even fall asleep in the laboratory. When she woke up, she would find herself lying in bed. Moreover, if it weren't for the clock, she would never have believed that it was already the afternoon of the next day.

If Ye Xi doesn't realize something's wrong with her body soon, then she's truly an idiot. Okay, even if she doesn't notice the problems with her sleep duration and energy, she still knows something's wrong with her body—please, she can't even remember how long it's been since she last received a T-virus injection, yet she doesn't feel any craving!

It's fair to say that if her body hadn't experienced these side effects, the disappearance of her T-virus addiction would have been a tremendous blessing. However, that's just a hypothetical scenario; without it, everything would be reversed.

Ye Xi had thought about this situation seriously. Why did she develop a dependence on the T-virus? Because of the O-virus. So, under what circumstances would this addiction disappear? When she was fully fed with the O-virus. It's the same principle as a drug addict who feels like they're going to die if they don't take drugs, but once they do, even just a little bit, they feel incredibly high and happy.

So why did she still feel weak and sleepy? When someone is tired, they naturally want to sleep. Besides mental fatigue, the most direct cause of fatigue is a significant increase in physical activity. Ye Xi hasn't gone out to fight zombies or been constantly picking a fight with Wesker these past few days, so why is she tired?

Ye Xi unconsciously thought of the O virus again. The O virus didn't make her feel hungry because it was full; similarly, she felt tired because the O virus itself was tired. Recalling the physical evolution the O virus had given her before, Ye Xi felt that this conjecture was not reasonable.

But how could a virus that can break down almost any bacteria or virus become fatigued? Ye Xi suddenly had a bold guess—perhaps it encountered a very strong and delicious opponent, causing it to not only become full but also bloated and somewhat unable to cope during the struggle. Beware of your own prey, or who knows who will eat whom.

This thought startled Ye Xi—it meant that Wesker, that bastard, had injected her with other viruses while she was unconscious to test the performance of the O virus. Moreover, judging from the timing, Ye Xi was 80% certain that Wesker injected her when he brought her out of the government base!

So what is he researching now? Ye Xi, you idiot, Alex has something he wants in his head, what else could it be but data on the Progenitor Virus? Wesker couldn't possibly start another research project while conducting one, unless there's some necessary connection between the two experiments…

Thinking of this, Ye Xi's face turned deathly pale—if her deduction was correct, then only the progenitor virus had the ability to put the O virus in such a desperate situation! Damn it, Wesker is deliberately trying to kill me! Ignoring her drowsiness, Ye Xi suddenly jumped out of bed, her legs went weak, and after a few staggering steps, she got up again—no, I have to have a good talk with that damn bastard!

Thinking this, Ye Xi gritted her teeth, her eyes scanning the room. Finding a corner of a metal cabinet, she used all her strength to drag herself towards it. Instantly, a sharp pain shot through her, blood splattered, and Ye Xi jolted awake, her weariness vanishing completely. Undeniably, few could be as ruthless to themselves as Ye Xi. Despite being terrified of pain, she didn't mind being even harder on herself to eliminate her fatigue.

She straightened up, clutching the bleeding wound on her waist. Damn it, Ye Xi coughed a few times, spitting out saliva. Her waist wound hurt, but she felt her heart ached even more. "You're just an experimental subject, what are you expecting, what are you feeling sorry for? Have these past few days of slightly peaceful and harmonious life blinded you, clouded your judgment, and made you forget your significance to Wesker? Hmph, the experiment has been going on all along, you idiot just haven't noticed!"

Ye Xi cursed herself fiercely, her eyes sharpened, she took a deep breath, tremblingly lowered her hand from the wound, casually wiped the blood on her body, and strode out of the room with firm steps, head held high, like a stubborn and proud peacock.

Ye Xi practically kicked open the lab door, then stood imposingly with her arms crossed, coldly staring at the man in white inside. The man in white also looked at her silently; for the sake of convenience in his experiments, he wasn't wearing his ever-present sunglasses. Even before Ye Xi kicked the door down, he had smelled a hint of blood, so he stopped what he was doing, waiting to see what kind of tantrum his experimental subject would throw this time.

↑Don't ever say anything about throwing a tantrum, or Ye Xi will definitely bite you!

"Now what?" Wesker sat back on the lab table with his arms crossed, looking at Ye Xi's cold but clearly furious face, then at the bright red bloodstains on her waist, which looked particularly glaring against her white clothes, causing his brows to furrow slightly.

Hearing Wesker's calm tone, Ye Xi felt even angrier. She took a deep breath, clenched her fists, walked up to Wesker, leaving a trail of blood on the ground. She looked up at his cold, suppressed, bewitching blood-red eyes, and suddenly reached out and grabbed the tie inside his white coat.

"You're satisfied to see me like this, aren't you, great scientist?" Ye Xi said sarcastically. "How does it feel to watch me walk step by step toward death? This feeling of controlling other people's lives, treating human life as dirt, and being above everyone else like a god, is pretty cool, isn't it?"

"..." Wesker didn't speak, but Ye Xi could tell from the fleeting tremor in his pupils that he was somewhat surprised. So, Ye Xi coldly grinned and smiled.

"Yes, I do know everything. I'm sorry, I'm not as stupid as you think. Great scientist, you know what? Sometimes I really think I'm incredibly stupid. To you, I'm just a guinea pig, but I don't even realize I'm being used as one. I didn't even know when I was dragged out to do these weird experiments. Isn't that ridiculous?"

As she spoke, Ye Xi even gave a few token laughs, but looking at Wesker, who remained expressionless and silent, she suddenly felt incredibly foolish for questioning him, like a clown. Ye Xi, why are you doing this? In his eyes, you're just a rare breed of lab rat, but no matter how rare, don't forget the fact that you're just a lab rat—something dispensable after the experiment. Can you expect him to take your questions and your emotions to heart?

Ye Xi had seen through it all. She loosened her grip on the deformed tie and looked at Wesker with the same expressionless face. She said slowly and carefree, "Alright, alright, it's my fault. It's really brainless of me to throw a tantrum knowing that my existence is dispensable to you. However, esteemed great scientist, our great Albert Wesker, since torturing me to death is what you want, could you give me a definite answer and reveal a little about when I will die? It's very annoying to be worried every day about whether I will wake up after I close my eyes."

After speaking, Ye Xi looked at Wesker quietly, her dark eyes devoid of any emotion other than indifference. Three years of tempering had made Ye Xi increasingly rational. She was originally a selfish person who believed that her life was above all else. If someone threatened her life, no matter how hesitant or troubled her conscience, she would still fight to the death. If such a person lived during the Anti-Japanese War, she would definitely be a traitor despised by everyone.

However, the person threatening her life was Wesker, the one she least wanted to face and the one she least wanted to defeat. Facing him, what was the point of any fighting? She'd be lucky not to get stabbed through the heart. So Ye Xi didn't know why she was doing this; was she trying to get attention? Hmph, she couldn't help but sneer inwardly. No matter how much she jumped around, a guinea pig was still a guinea pig.

Ye Xi, you're pathetic. Thinking about it, Ye Xi felt she couldn't possibly stand in front of this scumbag anymore. She lowered her head, took another deep breath, and without waiting for his reply, turned and strode out of the lab, walking faster and faster until she was running. Her vision blurred, her nose stung, and her throat felt like it was stuck with a piece of red-hot iron. Ye Xi sniffed, feeling utterly useless.

"Ye Xi..." Wesker's voice came from behind. For the first time, Ye Xi heard a tremor and anxiety in his tone, but she dismissed it as her imagination. She quickened her pace, trying to distance herself from the scumbag so she could calm down for a while, but Wesker, who was chasing after her, didn't give her any chance to escape.

A force pressed her against the wall. Feeling Wesker's unique cold and domineering aura, Ye Xi turned her head to look at the ground. She didn't want Wesker to see her in a weak state, as that would prove her defeat.

“I never said I wanted you dead.” Wesker forcefully cupped Ye Xi’s cheeks with both hands, forcing her to turn her head to face him.

Clearly, Wesker hadn't expected Ye Xi to cry. In his memory, Ye Xi had always been a strong, stubborn, even extreme woman. Even with tears streaming down her face, she would glare at him fiercely, like a hedgehog. But now, although she was still stubbornly holding back her tears, her lifeless eyes were so vulnerable, so vulnerable that Wesker felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart.

Recalling the time she questioned him and heard her sarcastic words, when she said, "Since torturing me to death is what you wanted," his heart felt the same way he did now, a suffocating feeling he had never experienced before, followed by confusion and panic. These feelings compelled him to follow her out and stop the culprit who had made him so unbelievable.

Seeing Ye Xi's eyes gazing at the ground, Wesker's grip softened. Accustomed to being tough, he was clearly unaccustomed to this so-called gentleness, and his movements became awkward and clumsy.

“Look at me, Ye Xi.” He unconsciously softened his voice. He remembered the last time he spoke in this tone was at the Umbrella base in Japan, as the “O Virus,” telling Ye Xi that he had always been by her side…

The tone of voice startled Ye Xi. As if possessed, Ye Xi slowly turned her gaze to Wesker's face, and instantly, she was plunged into two pools of deep crimson.

“You’ll become like this…” Wesker paused. He didn’t intend to tell Ye Xi the fact that she had pushed herself to her death, because he didn’t know what she would do then. Her physical condition was very unstable and she couldn’t be stimulated at all, so he changed the words he was about to say.

"It was just an unexpected accident that no one anticipated, but that's not important now. What's important now is that Ye Xi, you will live well. You are my property, I will not allow you to die, so no one can take you away."

Looking into those deep, blood-red eyes, Ye Xi knew he was telling the truth.

These words were like a dam, causing Ye Xi's tears, which she had been holding back, to burst forth. She didn't care about anything else, impulsively hugging Wesker's waist, burying her face in his chest, and sobbing loudly. She didn't know why she was doing this, or why she was crying so hard; she only knew that she really wanted to cry.

A few seconds later, Ye Xi felt Wesker's hands placed on the back of her head and back...

Author's Note: The melodramatic stuff is so addictive (picking nose). So, in a very melodramatic way, Ye Xi misunderstood Uncle Wei. Therefore, emotional torment is better than physical torture. As for Uncle Wei, I can't physically torture him, but I can torture him emotionally. However, I haven't written most of Uncle Wei's inner thoughts; you can use your imagination. I always feel like this kind of thing will fall apart if I write it, although it already has ╮(╯▽╰)╭ Uncle Wei, Ye Xi is almost ready to understand and give up on the relationship, why haven't you made any clear statement yet? If you just say those words, Ye Xi might truly become your possession!