The morning light after the snow outside the window, with its crisp purity, shines through the gaps in the thick curtains, casting a narrow and hazy band of light on the floor.
In the guest room, the deathly silence was quietly broken by the faint light. The regular ticking of the instruments and Chao Youye's gradually steady yet still weak breathing intertwined into a cold background sound.
Chao Youye still maintained that awkward and resistant posture - head tilted, eyes closed, body slightly curled up, but one hand stubbornly and tightly grasped the rim of the already cold white porcelain bowl on the bedside table.
A whole night of self-loathing and chaotic struggle was like a violent storm sweeping through the wasteland of the soul, leaving behind only devastated fatigue and a cold numbness that penetrated deep into the bone marrow.
Take responsibility? Face it? Ye Qingliu's words echoed like a cold bell in the depths of his consciousness, but they couldn't penetrate the thick layer of ice called "despair." Face Mu Xinrong? He couldn't do it.
Just thinking of those eyes that reflected his sins made his heart feel like it was being gripped by invisible hands, the pain so severe that he couldn't breathe. Disappearance... perhaps that was the only way to escape.
However, in this dead numbness, the constant hollow pain in his stomach and the intense thirst caused by high fever and dehydration, like the most stubborn beasts, tore at his fragile defenses again and again.
The physiological needs roared loudly on the ruins of the soul, forcing the body named "Chao Youye" to respond.
He closed his eyes, his thick eyelashes trembling slightly like butterfly wings wet with morning dew. The hand grasping the edge of the bowl experienced a silent and intense struggle between the resistance of the mind and the desire of the body.
In the end, that weak instinct of "life" prevailed overwhelmingly with great difficulty.
Extremely slowly, with uncontrollable trembling, her fingertips loosened the cold edge of the bowl. Then, as if pulled by an invisible thread, she trembled, groped, and moved bit by bit towards the porridge in the bowl, which had already cooled and solidified.
His fingertips touched the cold, stagnant rice paste, and the sticky touch made him feel nauseous and his stomach churn.
A wave of resistance surged over him like a tide! He suddenly pulled his hand back, as if scalded! His body, shaken by this violent emotional upheaval, erupted in another weak cough. A broken, hoarse sound emanated from beneath his oxygen mask.
Just when he was about to give up completely again and sink into deeper darkness——
“Crack.”
The door to the guest room was pushed open ever so slightly, and a furry head wearing a pink bunny-ear hat cautiously poked its head in.
It's flowers immersed in the moon.
She had obviously just gotten up. She casually wore a furry cardigan over her pink bunny pajamas. Her little face was still a little sleepy, but her big gray-blue eyes, as clear as a lake in the morning, were full of curiosity and cautious concern.
She was holding a tray with a steaming mug with a bear pattern on it and a small plate of... neatly cut and beautifully arranged strawberry cake!
"Um..." Hua Jinyue's voice was low and soft, like she was just waking up, as if she was afraid of disturbing something, "Brother asked me to bring some hot water... and..."
"Are...are you okay? Do you want to eat some cake? It's very sweet! You'll feel better after eating it!" She pushed the tray forward again as if offering a treasure, trying to let the sweet aroma of the cake drift over.
Chao Youye's cough stopped for a moment because of the sudden sound and the intrusive light.
He didn't open his eyes, but his body tensed imperceptibly. Hua Jinyue... Ye Qingliu's younger sister. The sweet, carefree girl who was like a little sun.
Her presence, her concern, was like a light from another world, so blinding that he wanted nothing more than to hide. What right did he have to accept such kindness? He was nothing but a sinful monster on the verge of collapse.
He turned his head with difficulty and buried his face deeper into the pillow, the meaning of rejection was self-evident. The hand that had just touched the cold porridge unconsciously clenched the sheet under him.
Hua Jinyue looked at Chao Youye's resistance, her little mouth pouting slightly, a hint of grievance flashed in her big eyes, but more of it was stubbornness.
"This cake is really delicious!" Hua Jinyue did not back down. Instead, like a persistent little animal, she took another small step forward with the tray, her voice filled with innocent persistence and clumsy comfort.
"My brother said that people with a fever have a loss of taste in their mouths, and eating something sweet will make them feel better. Why don't you try it? Just a small bite!"
She even used her small fork to pick up a small piece of cake with bright red strawberries and snow-white cream, trying to get closer.
The sweet aroma wafted over even more strongly, mixing with the steam rising from the hot water in the mug.
Chao Youye closed her eyes tightly, but her stomach spasmed uncontrollably and violently due to the double stimulation of the sweet fragrance and heat, making a clear "gurgling" sound like a protest.
The sound was particularly abrupt in the silent room.
Hua Jinyue was stunned for a moment, and then her big eyes suddenly lit up with surprise! It was as if she had discovered some important secret!
"Ah! Brother Chao is hungry!" Her voice unconsciously rose a little, with childish joy and a little pride of "I caught you".
She seemed to have forgotten Chao Youye's resistance in an instant, and walked quickly to the bed, carefully placing the tray on the bedside table - right next to the bowl of cold porridge.
She didn't even look at the bowl of cold porridge, her attention was all on the cake.
"Hurry! Drink some hot water to warm your stomach first!" Hua Jinyue picked up the steaming mug and put it to Chao Youye's mouth without saying a word.
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