Chapter 215 Epilogue - The New World Arc (Part 12)

If I continue to lose focus, I'll become somewhat out of control...

Reason prevailed, and Yu Qingzhou lowered her eyes and murmured her reply.

[Yu... Qingzhou. That's my name.]

[Yu Qingzhou, that's a very nice name. You can say it with more confidence.]

Shen Yingxue commented, then gently lifted the boy's chin with her index finger. Meeting the latter's slightly bewildered and surprised gaze, the woman smiled slightly, revealing the half of her beautiful face covered by a mask.

Since you've answered so seriously, then as an adult, I should also introduce myself properly. My name is Shen Yingxue, and I'm a trainee doctor. Please feel free to ask me questions in the future.

As they spoke, a slender, fair hand was placed in front of them.

Yu Qingzhou stared blankly at the hand, unsure how to react.

...Shall we shake hands?

However, among the people Yu Qingzhou knew, apart from those 'big shots' who frequently appeared on the news channel, she had never seen anyone actually do this, let alone anyone extend a similar invitation to her in real life.

In Yu Qingzhou's limited understanding, a handshake is a rather formal social etiquette and is not something that happens easily in daily life.

Of course, besides that, he was actually more worried that he might make the wrong response due to misunderstanding, and thus leave the other party with a frivolous and unpleasant impression.

—Because I don't want to be disliked.

The thought clearly surfaced in my mind.

Even though we've only met twice, I don't want to be disliked by the other person and leave a bad impression.

Yu Qingzhou didn't understand what was wrong with her... She should have been indifferent to everything long ago.

It is meaningless to accept the opinions, likes, or dislikes of others.

If you don't have expectations, you won't be disappointed...

Deep down, I know that a stagnant, lifeless existence is what I deserve.

If that's the case, why... hesitate?

Why are we still itching to do something?

Just as his knuckles trembled and he was about to extend his hand, the hand that was reaching out to him suddenly withdrew.

A sudden emptiness filled his heart. The young man couldn't tell whether he felt more disappointed or relieved at that moment, whether he regretted not reaching out to hold the other person's hand sooner, or was glad that he hadn't acted rashly and caused the embarrassment of missing out.

He was just trying his best to appear nonchalant.

It was as if they weren't surprised at all.

However, the physical body is uncontrollably pulled by gravity, especially the muscles connecting the head and shoulders.

Sorry, please wait a moment.

The woman got up and left after saying that.

Yu Qingzhou was somewhat pleased that the other party could leave him alone in the same spot, because he really didn't want his current expression to be seen by the other party.

That would be...too undignified.

After a soft splashing sound, the footsteps returned.

The other person's pleasant scent enveloped the young man gently.

Is this alright?

This is...

[Once the ointment is washed off, there's no need to worry about it becoming sticky; that was my oversight.]

Shen Yingxue spoke with a smile, her soft emerald eyes meeting the boy's puzzled gaze.

[Next time, just say it directly. Luckily, I almost thought I was disliked.]

Being disliked...by whom? Him?

Yu Qingzhou tried hard to understand what the other person was saying, but found it unbelievable.

The other party's gentle attitude and empathetic words were completely without reason.

Why be so good to yourself?

Although Yu Qingzhou did not deeply agree with the discipline officer's remarks about him being "social scum," he did have a fairly clear self-awareness.

Even if someone is pardoned from the death penalty due to a momentary stroke of luck, they are still, in essence, a living, breathing criminal.

They were allowed to live only for so-called 'unexpected needs'.

Yu Qingzhou had heard a bit about what was going on at the laboratory. It was a place that burned through its funds to conduct research with the mission of the well-being of all mankind as its mission, and occasionally it would need to select laboratory mice from there.

This is what the discipline refers to as "waste utilization".

This is him.

There is absolutely no tomorrow.

Therefore, showing inappropriate tenderness to someone like him would be either excessive naiveté or exceptional cruelty.

So, which category does Dr. Shen belong to?

Yu Qingzhou couldn't guess, or perhaps she simply didn't want to make a guess.

As if to shake off the distracting thoughts in his mind, this time, he decisively grasped the hand that the other person had extended to him.

Surprisingly, Dr. Shen's hands were not as smooth and soft as they looked. The skin and flesh were firm, and you could feel the distinct joints and the thin calluses on the fingertips.

Even though I just washed my hands, they felt very dry, unlike mine... My palms were already soaked with cold sweat without me even realizing it.

Realizing this, Yu Qingzhou felt ashamed once again.

His instinct was to pull his hand back, but he was afraid of offending the other person with a big movement, so he tried to pull it back quietly. In the end, after trying for a long time, he couldn't budge it.

"Is it hot? Your forehead is sweating."

Upon hearing the woman's sudden question, Yu Qingzhou immediately stopped.

It's not...it's not very hot.

I've really sweated a lot, and my face is a bit red. Should I lower the room temperature?

As Shen Yingxue said this, she actually went to find the switch to adjust the room temperature.

Yu Qingzhou couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief, withdrawing her hand and gently clenching it at her side.

But before he could fully relax...

A cool palm suddenly pressed against my forehead.

Shen Yingxue touched the boy's forehead with one hand and felt her own temperature with the other, looking at the stiff-faced boy with a hint of doubt, and murmured softly: "So, you have a fever?"

[...]

—Actually, it doesn't exist.

But if they vehemently deny it, they seem compelled to explain why they behaved so unusually.

So, all I could do was obediently undergo the physical examinations, including temperature checks, heart rate checks, pupillary response checks, and so on, until I was asked to take off my coat and lie down.

"Do I really have to take off my coat?" Yu Qingzhou hesitated.

He was wearing the uniform issued by the company, with only a close-fitting vest underneath his jacket. That would inevitably expose a large area of ​​skin.

Is there any difficulty in doing so?

Shen Yingxue stopped taking notes, looked at the boy sitting by the bed, and gave a slightly puzzled smile: "Are you feeling shy, or...? Don't worry, the door is closed, no one will come in during the treatment."

No, it's even stranger to be assured of that.

It wasn't that I was shy.

What is that?

Shen Yingxue put down the notebook she was using to record and walked to the snow-white bed. She leaned down and looked at the boy who looked very conflicted. His long, dark hair swayed slightly in the air with her movements.

The aroma grew stronger and stronger...

Is it because the door is closed?

I feel a bit short of breath and a slight dizziness.

"Well, if it's just to check for fever, it seems unnecessary—"

Such a meticulous inspection.

Yu Qingzhou silently added in her mind that she always felt that saying it directly would be like questioning the other party's professionalism.

Unexpectedly, the next second, he heard the woman's affirmative words of agreement.

"That's true, so half of it was a spur-of-the-moment decision," the woman explained calmly.

Upon hearing this, the boy found it hard to believe.

He repeated the phrase "on a whim" incredulously, finding it hard to believe that such a word would come from the other person in this situation.

Surprised? Widening your eyes like that makes you look even cuter.

His cheek was gently pinched, and the boy stared in astonishment at the pair of emerald eyes so close to his face. Some trivial thoughts flashed through his muddled mind, such as how Dr. Shen was indeed extremely tall for a woman...

It's also like, if you look closely, the color of the other person's pupils is actually very close to deep black...

It looks like a puppy.

A slightly teasing chuckle was like the key to breaking the spell.

Before Yu Qingzhou could refute, the woman's eyes, which had been curved, returned to their previous bluish-green color.

Okay, enough joking. Actually, we originally planned to select a few people for medical checkups, but some minor 'unexpected' events happened, so we had to turn back.

So, was it because of my own actions that the original plan was delayed...?

Yu Qingzhou suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

【Feel sorry……】

He apologized softly, then paused as if suddenly remembering something, and asked in a low voice, "So, all I need to do is take off my coat and lie down?"

Of course.

Shen Yingxue's reply was very gentle, and her voice, which was slightly lower than that of women her age, seemed to carry a hint of pleasure. However, because there was a mask in between, it was not very clear.

Yu Qingzhou hesitated for a moment, but still took off her coat.

This is an extremely ordinary boy's body, rather thin, but with well-proportioned and long limbs covered with a thin layer of muscle developed from collective labor.

It is worth mentioning the rugged scars that crisscross the skin surface, which should have been smooth.

[It's... burns. And some other things...]

Her shapely, fair fingers lightly touched the grotesque, dark brown growths that resembled centipedes, sending a slight shiver down her spine.

Shen Yingxue paused her movements, lowered her eyes to look at the boy who had buried his face in the pillow. His delicate eyebrows and eyes, devoid of any superfluous expression, looked like a perfect android.

However, her voice remained as gentle as before.

"Does it still hurt?" Shen Yingxue asked softly.

With her back to the woman, Yu Qingzhou couldn't see her expression and assumed that her reaction had caused a misunderstanding.

No, it hasn't hurt for a long time...

If I had to say, the scar itself is actually more numb than the surrounding intact skin.

But it seems very sensitive; even the lightest touch makes it react—

As if to verify her statement, Shen Yingxue touched the scar on the boy's back again, then whispered like a child who had discovered a new toy: "Like this, it's very ticklish."

It was clear that Yu Qingzhou had almost buried her head in the pillow in front of her.

Shen Yingxue then stopped and began a routine bone examination.

The final conclusion is as follows:

[They need more nutrition. Although they haven't reached the standard for developmental delay, they're still slightly behind their peers...]

Yu Qingzhou listened to the intern's diagnosis while putting on her coat.

Whether it was because he had been suffocating in the pillow for too long or for some other reason, his hair was a little messy and his face was noticeably red, which made the marks on his neck appear much fainter.

As she spoke, Shen Yingxue methodically entered the diagnosis results into the database.

Looking up, she saw the boy had already sat up in bed, and he asked casually, "Do you have someone you like?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingzhou's hand suddenly stopped moving, and her fingertips went straight through the hole in the button.

Are you so nervous? Actually, at your age, it's perfectly normal to have a crush on either a boy or a girl.

Shen Yingxue tilted her head slightly and said, crossing her hands and resting them on her chin.

Her fair skin almost blended into her pristine white doctor's coat.

Rather, mental health is a crucial aspect of physical health.

The excessively young intern doctor smiled and said, "The idea that you should do what you're supposed to do at your age is essentially the same principle. It's all about reminding people to follow their natural desires."

Yu Qingzhou didn't understand why the other party suddenly brought this up.

Perhaps it's because we're so close in age, but even knowing that the other person was just offering scientific advice, I still felt a lingering awkwardness.

All that flashed through my mind was the slight sensation of the other person's fingers touching my skin... and the lingering, faint fragrance in my nostrils.

Yu Qingzhou felt nauseous whenever she thought about herself like that.

He casually tugged at the collar that he had finally managed to button up, and it suddenly felt tighter than it had been before.

[You've made a mistake here.]

Shen Yingxue suddenly spoke, pointing to her collar.

Following the other person's pointing, Yu Qingzhou looked down and realized that she had put the two buttons at the collar on the wrong thing. No wonder...

While indulging in sensual pleasures can be harmful to health, excessive suppression and restraint can sometimes be even more counterproductive.

As she escorted the boy back to where he came from, the woman spoke softly, seemingly with a hidden meaning, before parting.

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingzhou paused, then quickened her pace.

I walked until I reached the corner before hesitatingly turning around.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yingxue was still there. When she saw the boy turn around, she reached out from the pocket of her white coat and waved gently at him.

After what happened during the day, Yu Qingzhou did not receive any further harassment from those guys until lights out that night.

Although there may be veiled criticisms and gossip, just pretend you didn't hear it—it's not the first time anyway.

However, that night, Yu Qingzhou lay on her bunk, but unusually, she couldn't sleep.

The moment he closes his eyes, the faint fragrance lingering in his memory rushes over him, engulfing him completely.

In the darkness, I could still feel that faint, cool touch, and those emerald eyes that were quietly watching me from behind, their intensity changing with the passage of time.

Sometimes like a cat, sometimes like a snake... coiling and closing in silently.

A gentle kiss, the first time I'd ever seen such tender lips, landed softly on my ear, whispering softly, "Will it still hurt...?"