Chapter 27 Ambiguous Scratches

What's wrong?

What coma?

Did Ah Ci faint because I went crazy...?

To be honest, this thought had been on his mind ever since he learned that Aci had fallen into a coma.

Lu Ran knew he was terrifying when he went mad, so he always hid this side of himself and never let Pei Ci discover it. In front of Pei Ci, he always appeared to be a normal person.

Until that night, he accidentally lost control.

How could Ah Ci be touched by that bastard Ye Qingyu?

Not worthy, not worthy, not worthy!

She doesn't deserve it at all!

By the time he realized it, Lu Ran had already hit Ye Qingyu. But since he had already done it, he chose to continue wallowing in despair.

Later, Ah Ci actually comforted him.

She might be a little scared, but she would still approach him.

Does this mean that A-Ci likes him?

But she fell into a coma, and her condition worsened.

Lu Ran was now uncertain.

Aren't you scared, Ah Ci?

Ever since his kidnapping, his emotions had been unstable. Lu Ran remembered that when he went berserk, it took seven or eight adult men to hold him down. Even his mother was terrified and only dared to worry about him from seven or eight meters away. Needless to say, the others ran away as fast as they could and didn't dare to come close.

His Aci was sick. She was weaker than ordinary people, like a small snowflake. A slightly warm temperature would melt her, and a slightly deeper touch would shatter her.

She is so fragile.

Why would he be so confident that...?

Isn't she afraid?

So during the two days that Pei Ci was unconscious, Lu Ran suffered greatly. This problem was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, ready to kill him at any moment. He didn't know what to do and could only wait for Pei Ci to wake up.

And now, the answer is out.

Jinglin's words still echoed in my ears.

—Lu Ran, have you gone crazy enough?

No one could ever like you looking like that!

--say!

What should he say?

Lu Ran's mind went blank. The corridor lights compressed and distorted his figure until it became a dark, round shadow. He looked down and saw a sharp knife slicing open his chest and abdomen, his exposed internal organs throbbing with intense pain.

“…A-Ci.” He finally found his voice.

“I…” Lu Ran said, “I… I won’t hurt you.”

I will never hurt you.

Lu Ran's bloodshot eyes were fixed on Pei Ci, who was being held in Zhou Jiyue's arms. Even at this moment, he had to restrain himself from attacking Zhou Jiyue.

Does this have anything to do with hurting me?

Pei Ci frowned, feeling utterly bewildered. That night, Lu Ran's lateness was one thing, but there might have been a chance to salvage the situation. However, his outburst after apologizing, and the way Ye Qingyu was beaten, made the situation irreversible.

Pei Ci still hasn't figured out how to solve this.

This is the root cause of Pei Ciqi's anger.

Pei Ci gripped Zhou Jiyue's shoulder, her lips pursed, her pale eyes icy cold.

The girl's cold voice rang out: "Lu Ran, I don't want to see you for the time being."

Hearing Pei Ci say this, Zhou Jiyue, who was holding Pei Ci, took her into the house and then slammed the door shut with her shoulder.

"Bang--!"

The light disappeared.

Lu Ran was eventually escorted out by the belated bodyguard.

*

On the other side.

Zhou Jiyue placed Pei Ci on the bed and was about to get up when Pei Ci grabbed her hand.

There was a nightlight in the bedroom, a warm light that was very comfortable for the eyes. Even under such light, Pei Ci's palms were still strikingly white.

But her fingernails dug deeper and deeper into Zhou Jiyue's arm.

Zhou Jiyue lowered her eyes.

He wondered if Pei Ci, who usually seemed so weak and powerless, was using all her energy for her illness.

After all, when the illness flares up, it's a bit more severe than for a normal person.

Zhou Jiyue thought back to the time in Kenlin. At that time, Pei Ci rushed to Kenlin hoping that Zhou Songyin would treat his illness, but in practice, Zhou Songyin rarely came; it was mainly him who did it.

He was Pei Ci's attending physician.

They had been classmates for a while, and he wasn't much older than her. So when he first treated her, Pei Ci doubted his abilities. It wasn't until he showed her his resume and demonstrated his skills that she gained his trust.

Later, he was responsible for examining Pei Ci's illness. This continued for two weeks until, during a routine check-up...

Pei Ci fell ill.

She was originally a very quiet person, so quiet that it was as if she had never existed.

But before anyone could react, she grabbed Zhou Jiyue's shoulder and bit him. Her teeth were incredibly sharp; if he hadn't already pried them open, he might have bitten off a piece of flesh.

He wasn't going to put up with her. After giving in, he grabbed her hands, pinned her legs down, and pushed her onto the bed.

Pei Ci, who was being restrained, trembled, cold sweat poured down her body, and her clothes became damp. Her chest heaved violently.

"Tick-tock". "Tick-tock".

The clock keeps turning tirelessly.

And so a very long time passed.

Pei Ci suddenly lost her strength.

She collapsed limply into his arms.

Zhou Jiyue felt as if she were holding a ball of cotton candy covered in mist.

The marshmallows were fresh and still warm.

He loosened his grip slightly, and the girl who had been clinging to him separated from him. Her disheveled hair piled up on her shoulders and neck, her eyelashes were wet, and her lips were bitten until they bled. For a moment, she looked like a spirit that had absorbed all the life force of a monster.

Zhou Jiyue wiped the blood away for her.

Because I didn't control myself properly, my lips turned completely red.

When Pei Ci woke up the next day, the first thing she said to him was, "Did I lose control again?"

After receiving his affirmative answer, Pei Ci frowned.

"When can I meet Mr. Zhou Songyin?" she asked, voicing her first question upon arriving here.

Thus, Zhou Jiyue discovered the triggering factor for Pei Ci's manic episode.

mood.

Anything she wanted to do but wasn't allowed to do, without the girl even realizing it, would slowly build up her emotions and then explode.

Bipolar disorder is pathological, but it can be affected by mood.

As a doctor, Zhou Jiyue told her his speculation.

After a long silence, Pei Ci said, "I understand."

Since then, she's become more demanding. For example, the bed might be a bit hard, making her uncomfortable. The food might be a bit salty, or the room might be a bit too warm. She'll voice her desires and wait for them to be met. She'll also try to manage her emotions, and since she's generally not very interested in anything, her mood swings become even less pronounced.

It's almost to the point of non-existence.

It did have some effect; the frequency of myocardial instability attacks decreased.

She was truly a very competent patient.

And now, Pei Ci has fallen ill again.

Logically, he should have subdued her immediately.

However, upon feeling the pain in her arm, Zhou Jiyue hesitated.

Pei Ci was always very quiet.

She doesn't enjoy gossip and is uninterested in anything; she seems like a plant without thoughts or consciousness.

He hadn't seen Pei Ci so vibrant in a long time.

For a moment, he felt a little reluctant to part with it.

Reluctance?

Zhou Jiyue belatedly realized that he had actually regretted it over the past three years.

I regret telling her the reason for my bipolar disorder.

This made her even quieter.

This time, Zhou Jiyue did not push her away.

But simply holding hands wasn't enough. Pei Ci got out of bed; she had been unconscious during her episode. In her haste, she accidentally fell forward and landed directly in his arms.

Zhou Jiyue touched her face out of her bosom; her eyes were red-rimmed, and a blush of color rose in her pale pupils.

Zhou Jiyue lifted her eyelids slightly.

This action angered her.

"Hiss." Zhou Jiyue's Adam's apple bobbed, and he placed his palm on the back of her head. Blue veins rose on the back of his hand, which had distinct knuckles. His voice was still cold.

"You really are..." the boy frowned slightly, "always choosing one spot to bite."

This attack lasted for nearly an hour, and by the time it ended, both of them were drenched in sweat.

Zhou Jiyue quickly wiped Pei Ci's body clean, found the nutrient injection, and injected it into Pei Ci's arm.

After he finished administering the medication, he covered her with a blanket, and that was the end of it.

Knowing that Pei Ci was in a coma, he rushed to catch a plane overnight. After arriving at Pei's house, he immediately began to treat her. He spun around like a top for nearly two days before he finally felt sleepy.

However, the Pei family did not provide him with a bedroom.

Zhou Jiyue didn't like to cause trouble for herself. Anyway, Pei Ci was her patient, and they had been in the same room before.

So Zhou Jiyue got up. Thinking of her resolute figure two months ago, Zhou Jiyue poked her sleeping face.

"They're getting more and more disobedient."

*

The next day.

When Pei Ze, who had been knocked unconscious, woke up, he walked to the mirror in a daze and was shocked to see a huge bump on his forehead.

Memories of last night slowly surfaced.

Because his troublesome older sister had been in a coma for the past few days, the entire Pei family was in a tense atmosphere. Pei Ze didn't dare to breathe loudly. Finally, Pei Chi, that deadpan guy, left, and then Pei Ci woke up.

He just wanted to go and take a look...

She is his sister after all; it wouldn't hurt to take a look at her, would it?

Then, just as she stepped out of the corridor, she bumped right into Lu Ran, who was climbing down from the window.

It has to be said, his sister is truly amazing; every man around her is handsome. No matter how many times you look at him, Lu Ran's face is absolutely flawless. It's just that his fashion sense isn't as good as that trendy guy's…

Pei Ze was distracted for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, Lu Ran was already in front of him.

His handsome face was cold, and he exuded a menacing aura. Seeing his fist already raised, Pei Ze, in a moment of quick thinking, cried out, "Brother-in-law!!"

"Brother-in-law, you've come to see my sister!!!"

He spoke very loudly.

Lu Ran was clearly taken aback, and then hummed in response.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, the fist still landed on his head.

Pei Ze: "!!!"

"Aaaaaah!!!"

Pei Ze was furious and was wailing when the door opened from the outside. He turned around and exclaimed in surprise, "Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I'll get you some medicine." Pei's mother, Pei Xinlan, put down the medicine and frowned when she saw her son staring blankly. "What are you doing wandering around all night?"

"I was just bored." Pei Ze's eyes darted around.

Pei's mother slapped him, "Don't wander around at night anymore."

"mom!"

Pei Xinlan frowned and added, "Don't meddle in your sister's affairs anymore."

Pei Ze was taken aback, a little confused. Come to think of it, he'd felt the atmosphere in this house was strange ever since he arrived. Pei Chi wasn't close to his parents, and they both seemed a bit afraid of him. The three of them lived together, but they were practically strangers. He'd gotten along quite well with his parents since he arrived, but they were always afraid of him, their older brother.

He was cold and emotionless, showing no intention of developing any feelings for his younger brother.

Pei Ci was better after she returned, mainly because she was a little gentler with Pei Chi.

Pei Ci's parents showed very little concern for her, even less than for him, the newcomer.

"Why?" Pei Ze was genuinely puzzled.

Pei Xinlan was taken aback, then lowered her eyes, "Your sister doesn't need our concern."

"Xiao Ze, you have to be good, okay?"

After saying some inexplicable things, Pei's mother left. Pei Ze was completely baffled.

He sat in front of the mirror and looked at the bump on his forehead. It was huge; it made his handsome face look less handsome.

It's all because of Lu Ran!

No!

It's all because of Pei Ci, that sickly woman!!!

Can't you do something about this? Seriously, Lu Ran is too scary!

Thinking about Pei Chi not returning, Pei Ze became angrier and angrier. He jumped up and ran to Pei Ci in a few steps.

He hadn't dared to linger on this floor before, because Pei Chi had warned him the day he arrived.

"Pei Ze".

"I don't want to go back to that human trafficker's house." Pei Chi's pupils glanced at me indifferently. "You know what to do, right?"

Pei Ze trembled uncontrollably when he recalled that tone of voice.

He harbored a deep-seated fear of Pei Chi.

But Pei Chi is not here now.

Driven by a surge of rage, Pei Ze suddenly kicked open the door. To avoid being speechless upon seeing Pei Ci's face, he roared, "Pei Ci, I've really had enough of you!!!"

"Could you please stop letting men into our house so casually!"

"Look what Lu Ran has done! You—"

Suddenly, Pei Ze's pupils shrank.

Pei Ci's room was large and had an open view. When Pei Ze opened the door, he saw Zhou Jiyue in the room.

Zhou Jiyue must have come out of the restroom. His hair, face, and neck were all wet. He had cold and stern features, looked a bit fierce, with water droplets hanging from his high brow bones, and blue-black pupils. He had an extremely indifferent face.

His neck was covered with ambiguous scratch marks.