Chapter 229 Epilogue - New World Arc (Twenty-Six)

When Yu Qingzhou opened her eyes again, she was still lying in pure white.

The gentle breeze that caressed my face was gone, as was the wonderful smell of disinfectant mixed with leaves.

What used to be a window has become a blank wall.

—It is a medical clinic, but not the school's medical clinic.

After a brief moment of silence, Yu Qingzhou suddenly remembered that she was currently in a detention center.

In fact, before being escorted here, Yu Qingzhou had not been to the school she remembered for some time.

It wasn't a normal graduation, but rather an unavoidable suspension of studies.

He fell down the open-air staircase outside the teaching building, resulting in multiple fractures, including a rib...

Lying on the cold cement steps, his body was turned upside down into a slightly twisted position.

Theoretically, the situation should be much better than the last time I fell from a height.

But in reality, the pain was far greater than before... probably because the stimulation was insufficient, so the hormones secreted by the body were not enough to counteract the pain.

Under a clear sky, there was a lot of noise.

Students who heard the commotion came from elsewhere to watch, teachers who rushed over to maintain order, and others kept asking him about his situation.

[Hey classmate... how are you?!]

The sounds were both distant and close, both indistinct and clear, accompanied by a sharp buzzing that rose intermittently from deep within the ear canals, creating a dizzying vortex.

Yu Qingzhou tried to get up from the ground, but her hands and feet unexpectedly wouldn't obey her commands. It wasn't because of pain, but simply because she couldn't follow her brain's instructions. It was like music coming from a device with low battery, distorted and out of tune.

It's so noisy, especially the voices constantly calling out to themselves in my ear.

Yu Qingzhou recognized the voice; it belonged to his homeroom teacher—a awful guy who loved to physically punish and verbally abuse students to vent his personal emotions.

For students they like, they are showered with praise and compliments.

For students they dislike, even the smallest things, like whether or not they dozed off in class, can escalate into personal humiliation.

Yu Qingzhou did not have any actual conflict with the other party.

He was always the above-average student in class, neither particularly outstanding nor unremarkable.

He is typically invisible, almost like a transparent person.

After the news spread, or more precisely after the bullying Yu Qingzhou suffered at school escalated, his homeroom teacher took the initiative to talk to him once.

However, it wasn't to show concern or offer suggestions for solving the problem.

Instead, he dismissively ordered the boy to resolve his personal issues as soon as possible and not to affect the other students in the class.

[This is a school, not a sanatorium. Who are you trying to annoy with that long face? Do you really think you're here to enjoy yourself? All you do all day is mess around and run to the infirmary, you don't look like you're about to die.]

[...]

It's interesting, really. If you really don't want to study anymore, just go home. Find a class or a hospital to stay in, it's all fine. You'll be more comfortable then, and we teachers will suffer less. Isn't that great?

[...]

They're all incredibly troublesome, to put it simply.

[...]

The voices of the past and the voices of the present intertwine and overlap.

A harsh reserve and feigned concern tugged at each other in the boy's ear.

He wanted to say, "Shut up, everyone!"

But when he opened his mouth, he spat it out.

The hot, fishy liquid stuck in his throat, making him cough.

A moment of silence followed, then an even more violent reaction erupted. Someone in the crowd screamed, "He...he...he's vomiting blood!"

Accompanied by hurried footsteps, someone pushed through the crowd and approached him, shutting out all the previous noise.

Yu Qingzhou's consciousness began to blur from that time.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of white, which seemed to be the uniform of a medical worker. The pure white color, just like the medical room, gave the boy a strange sense of security.

He instinctively reached out and, guided by his senses, caught that glimpse of white.

Then he lost consciousness...

The school originally wanted to conclude that the incident was an accident caused by ordinary roughhousing between students.

However, someone called the police; it appeared to be hospital staff.

During their examination of the boy, they discovered numerous overlapping injuries, both new and old.

The newer injuries did not match the injuries sustained when the patient was taken to the hospital, raising suspicions of possible abuse. The police were notified immediately.

The investigation revealed that the boy's class was in session at the time of the incident.

All students except the teenager were in the classroom, where they were being led by the teacher of that class, who was also the class's homeroom teacher, to conduct regular teaching activities.

Everything seems normal.

It's precisely because it's all too normal that it appears abnormal...

[Don't you find it strange? A student is missing from class, don't you even bother to look for them?]

"Well... Officer, you don't know this, but that child is notoriously sickly and needs to go to the infirmary all the time. It's one thing for us teachers to discipline students, but we can't... we can't be too heartless, can we?"

[Are you feeling unwell? Could you elaborate on how you're feeling unwell?]

[To be honest, I'm not entirely sure about the specifics either.]

Oh, really? I see that Teacher Zhou cares about her students quite a bit. How come—

Sigh... While we care, we must respect students' privacy, especially teenagers who are more vulnerable and sensitive. They need some breathing room amidst their busy studies.

When questioned by the police officers, the homeroom teacher answered with a forced smile, displaying a cautious demeanor that contrasted sharply with his usual behavior.

He would occasionally wipe non-existent sweat from his face with a tissue.

Seeing this, the officer couldn't help but ask: "Is it hot inside?"

Upon hearing this, the homeroom teacher paused for a moment, then waved her hand awkwardly: "No, no, that's not true. The temperature is just right, quite cool. I'm just... used to it."

It was indeed cool inside.

But the homeroom teacher still lied.

She didn't have the habit of repeatedly wiping her face with tissues, at least not before.

The reason I kept wiping my chin was because there had been blood splattered on it before.

Although I've always seen scenes of people vomiting blood on TV, this was the first time I'd witnessed it in real life, and at such close range.

The sensory stimulation was indescribable.

Especially...it concerns my future career.

If the other person dies, then as the homeroom teacher, I will inevitably have to take responsibility for it, and I might even lose my job as a result.

This was probably the first time Zhou Yanru had ever been so genuinely worried about a student's safety.

Please... please don't die, at least not now.

Zhou Yan breathed a sigh of relief when she finally heard that the boy was out of danger, and then belatedly noticed the bloodstains on her face.

The bloodstains on the skin were not difficult to wipe off, but Zhou Yanru still wiped them repeatedly with water several times.

I still feel like it's not clean enough.

It seems that Teacher Zhou is indeed a good teacher who cares about her students.

The officer's sudden positive comment brought Zhou Yanru back to reality. Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanru couldn't help but smile, feeling a little more relaxed.

Just then, the person on the other end abruptly changed the subject, asking: "So, regarding the bullying allegations against Yu that some students have reported, what is your assessment, Professor Zhou? I heard that Professor Zhou spoke with Yu privately not long ago; did you discuss anything related to that conversation?"

Faced with the police officer's rapid-fire questioning, Zhou Yanru seemed at a loss for words, and the tissue in her hand suddenly clenched into a ball.

When sweat actually started to appear on her forehead, Zhou Yanru stopped wiping it off.

...

Things escalated more than expected.

The original homeroom teacher was transferred, and the students who were caught on camera pushing people in the stairwell that day were all given demerits and placed on probation at school.

Besides that... there's nothing else.

After receiving a few reasonable compensation payments, the aunt readily signed the letter of understanding.

Two weeks after the surgery, the boy was taken home, supposedly for easier care, but in reality, it was to save money.

Bed space, nursing care, rehabilitation, medication... all these miscellaneous expenses add up to a considerable amount.

They say it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, so in this situation, rest in bed is essential. Where you lie down doesn't matter, so why not save that money on unnecessary medical bills and buy more groceries to make bone broth?

It was called bone broth, and it really was made from bones. When it reached Yu Qingzhou's bowl, all that was left were some scraps of meat and plenty of vegetables.

They claimed that vegetables are nutritious and that patients like him should eat more of them.

Yu Qingzhou didn't refute it; in fact, he knew where the meat had gone. But he didn't say anything, only silently drank the soup and finished the vegetables.

The girl visited Yu Qingzhou several times while she was in the hospital.

One visit was organized by the school for the class. In addition to the girl herself, several other classmates came to offer their condolences.

Actually, we're not very familiar with each other.

The class monitor led the way with a few perfunctory pleasantries, then left money and fruit, completed the task, and departed.

The two did not exchange a word.

When she came back, the girl was only accompanied by her friend from the next class.

The latter looked extremely unwilling, but for the sake of his friend, he had no choice but to come and suffer along. In the end, he just stood at the door and didn't go inside.

I'm right at the door; I can hear you if you call out.

Upon hearing this, the girl showed a helpless expression, and then smiled apologetically at Yu Qingzhou.

[That's just how Ayao is; she doesn't mean any harm.]

Yu Qingzhou nodded, indicating her understanding.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he expressed his gratitude to the girl.

If you hadn't stepped forward, this matter would probably have been dropped. So, thank you so much.

Yu Qingzhou only learned in the hospital room that the student who volunteered to testify was the teenage girl. Not only that, but it seemed that she had also mobilized some classmates and parents to stand up for her and put pressure on the school administration for safety reasons, demanding a fair handling of the matter.

Seeing Yu Qingzhou's earnest apology, the girl was clearly a little embarrassed and quickly waved her hand, saying, "No, no, it's nothing. It's what I should do."

She paused, then, as if suddenly remembering something, her expression darkened: "If I had been braver from the beginning, if I had done something sooner, maybe you wouldn't have—"

There is no right or wrong.

Yu Qingzhou gently took over the conversation, her gaze calmly meeting the girl's eyes.

The latter was clearly still very apologetic.

【But……】

There's no need to feel apologetic. Essentially, everyone in this world is fully responsible for another person. Even a biological mother doesn't have that obligation towards her child.

Yu Qingzhou said earnestly, "You are kind and gentle, which is good. But kindness is beautiful, not a necessity. Never feel guilty for not being kind enough. Protect yourself first, then consider whether to be a kind person to others. There are so many pitiful people in the world; we can't save them all. If we cared about everyone, wouldn't we live in constant anxiety?"

Upon hearing this, the girl remained silent for a moment, then revealed a thoughtful expression.

Yu Qingzhou didn't intend to persuade the other party; everyone has their own choices... In the end, she wasn't very convincing in her current state.

At that moment, he saw the girl in front of him nod and smile slightly.

Yu Qingzhou was somewhat puzzled, yet she couldn't help but be drawn to that smile, just like that day in the shrouded infirmary.

So, were you ever that anxious?

As a result, I heard an unexpected question.

Why do you feel that way?

Hmm... If you haven't gone through a similar emotional journey, it's hard to have such feelings.

The girl carefully chose her words, her smile growing even brighter.

[Besides, isn't such a reminder itself a kind gesture? Although she sometimes deliberately acts cold and unapproachable, Yu is actually a very gentle person.]

[...]

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingzhou lowered her eyes and stopped looking at the girl's smiling face.

A slight pain came from my clenched palm.

That's just how I am; I can't face the kindness of others.

Compared to gentle treatment, indifference, hatred, and insults would not leave him so helpless.

Human beings are probably inherently inclined to yearn for beauty, yet their hearts cannot take the kindness of others for granted.

There's always a sense of unease, a suspicion that unseen traps might be lurking somewhere...

He knew he was probably ill, like a mild form of paranoia.

Silence fell over the ward for a moment.

After some time, I don't know how much time had passed, but I heard my friend's unpleasant grumbling coming from the doorway.

Okay, okay, you're all kind and gentle people, except me, so I deserve to stand here feeling uncomfortable, not only are my legs numb, but I also feel nauseous.

Why don't you just come in and sit down?

[I said no, and that means no.]

Seeing the girl's helpless expression again, Yu Qingzhou said, "It's about time. Let's go back soon; it's not safe to walk at night."

"Okay, then take good care of yourself, we'll come again," the girl said softly.

Before the words were finished, an annoyed retort came from the doorway: "What do you mean 'we'? There won't be a next time."

The next time, they still happily followed along.

The boy said he did not want to visit.

[Tch, you say no but you're secretly overjoyed. But you're really unpopular; look at you in this sorry state. It's one thing for others, but not a single family member came.]

"Ah Yao..." the girl said, somewhat disapprovingly, trying to stop her.

Upon hearing this, my friend pouted, looking a little aggrieved: "What's wrong? I was just stating the facts, not exaggerating."

That's absolutely true.

Upon hearing this, my friend immediately beamed: "Right, right?"

He immediately realized something was wrong, because the one speaking was actually Yu Qingzhou himself, sitting on the hospital bed. Even someone as boisterous as him was momentarily speechless.

[What...what kind of crazy idea are you up to?]

It took me ages to come up with this sentence.

What I received was a simple, unambiguous reply: "Just like you, simply stating the facts."

Upon hearing this, my friend jumped up from his stool, looking extremely angry, his face turning bright red.

[Who...who's like you? I'm warning you, stop patting yourself on the back. Hey, what are you laughing at? What are you all laughing at?!]

It's probably because the weather is so nice.

In September, before autumn had officially arrived, the sky outside the window already revealed a dazzling azure blue.

"How wonderful," he thought, a soft weariness welling up inside him.

Suddenly, I wished that life could go on like this forever.

Forget the past that has long been buried with the village, forget that room filled with the smell of decay, and like most of your peers, your daily worries, besides endless homework and exams, are what to eat for three meals a day...

These trivial and insignificant worries are so delightful that just thinking about them makes one want to cry tears of happiness.

"I suddenly feel like going back to school," Yu Qingzhou suddenly said.

Hearing the former's low murmurs, the friend immediately exclaimed in surprise: "Damn it, you're completely ungrateful!"

The girl looked into Yu Qingzhou's eyes and gave him a smile that seemed to be one of relief.

"That's great," she said.

【What? What's so great? Even Shuangshuang, you've become a riddle teller now? Ugh, don't just exclude me like that, you two!】

Very good……

If only we could stay in that time...

If it really could be as I said back then.

In just a few weeks, reality proved to Yu Qingzhou once again that people should not harbor illusions, or at least should not yearn for a future that does not belong to them.

I wonder if it's a coincidence—

It seems that all the significant moments in his life were inseparable from the blazing firelight.

This was true in Nancun, and it was the same when I later arrived in Fancheng.

On an ordinary night, a fire broke out in an old residential building that had been almost completely vacated.

Of the five family members, only the adopted son, who managed to escape through a broken window, survived.

——

So, that's when you got the leg injury?

I don't know, maybe, or maybe it was even earlier.

[Even earlier?]

[Yeah, I fell once when I was even younger, from a much higher place. It still seems unbelievable to me now that I survived.]

Yu Qingzhou was lost in thought.

Beneath me was a somewhat familiar treatment bed.

After waking up in the infirmary, the boy originally wanted to leave immediately.

But Shen Yingxue called out to him.

The woman had her hands in the pockets of her white uniform jacket, with the lower half of her face still hidden behind her mask, making her strikingly beautiful blue eyes stand out even more.

Is this some kind of dangerous place, a den of dragons and tigers? I don't want to stay here even a second longer.

Of course... no.

Yu Qingzhou shook her head.

Her emerald eyes narrowed slightly, and Shen Yingxue asked again, "Then why did you run away?"

Yu Qingzhou was somewhat at a loss for words to explain.

The young man had very mixed feelings about Dr. Shen in front of him.

On the one hand, Shen Yingxue is almost the embodiment of all the beautiful feminine qualities in his mind.

On the other hand, this perfect match itself seems to reveal a hint of conspiracy... Could it really be such a coincidence?

I just don't know what to do if I stay.

Yu Qingzhou paused here before continuing, "[Moreover, the main concern is that it might disturb—]"

Then chat with me.

【What? 】

"Let's chat," the woman replied matter-of-factly.

【But……】

Shouldn't this be your working hours, doctor?

Yu Qingzhou couldn't help but think to himself.

As if sensing the boy's concerns, the woman smiled: "Haven't I said that mental health is part of overall health? Besides, I am indeed quite bored being here alone."

[...]

Don't look at me like that. Before being a doctor, I'm first and foremost a human being.

Before the young man could utter a word in rebuttal, she leisurely sat down opposite him on the examination chair, looking at him with a confident gaze: "Let's just consider this a matter of reciprocity?"

Yu Qingzhou took a moment to realize that the other person was referring to the handkerchief from before.

Yu Qingzhou had already washed the handkerchief clean, but she had been hesitant about whether she should return it.

This is a relatively private item. Although Yu Qingzhou didn't actually use it, it had still passed through his hands, so it was hard to guarantee that the other party wouldn't find it offensive.

Moreover, since they were able to give it to him in the first place, they probably didn't care much about it and didn't intend to return it themselves.

If you just accept it for free, it will make you seem shameless.

But after thinking it over, it seems like I really don't have anything worth mentioning.

Whether I return it or not, I feel it's both presumptuous.

And so it dragged on until today, and Yu Qingzhou was still not mentally prepared to face the woman again... if she hadn't suddenly fainted when she stood up from her workstation.

He thought about it and decided to do as the other party said.

This could be a solution that both parties can accept.

Yu Qingzhou lay down on the examination chair, unsure of what to talk about.

Ultimately, it was decided that Shen Yingxue would ask the questions, and Yu Qingzhou would answer whatever she asked.

I don't know if it was because the examination chair was too comfortable, or because of the other person's soft and pleasant voice, or because of the faint fragrance floating in the air.

Yu Qingzhou gradually relaxed and followed the other person's rhythm to recall some things that had happened outside in the past... all the way up to that fire.

As the sole survivor of that "family," Yu Qingzhou was naturally subject to investigation.

In particular, after learning that this so-called "adopted son" actually had some blood relation with the deceased's family.

Isn't that strange?

—Won't you feel resentful because of this?

—We've learned some things about what happened to you at school before, which seems to be related to your deceased family members. Can you answer that directly?

Questions like these are raised repeatedly, and the boy cannot prove his innocence, just as those people cannot prove the boy's guilt.

Originally, this would probably have been the end of it, but unfortunately, things just didn't go as planned.

Someone happened to recognize the boy who had narrowly escaped death in a news report; he turned out to be a missing child from a village that had been reduced to ashes overnight…