"No one will force you." Ye Qingliu's voice was steady and clear, as if he was reading an objective report. "The choice is always in your hands. Hide here, or go out and bear the consequences."
His eyes swept over the gray mark on Chao Youye's wrist, "The chaos at the core of the rules has not stopped. Escape will only accelerate the collapse. You know it well."
His words were cold and direct, without any comfort, but like a scalpel, they precisely dissected the bloody reality.
Face it or perish. There is no middle ground.
Chao Youye's body tensed imperceptibly for a moment, her head still lowered, and she didn't respond. Only her shoulders moved slightly as she sobbed silently.
Ye Qingliu stopped talking. He turned and walked to the center island in the open kitchen, where a white medicine box sat.
He opened it skillfully and took out an electronic thermometer, disinfectant cotton pads and a new bottle of antipyretic medicine.
He took these things and walked back to Chao Youye, but did not squat down. He just stood one step away in front of him.
"Raise your hand." Ye Qingliu's voice was calm and unquestionable like a doctor.
Chao Youye was still curled up, without any reaction, as if she didn't hear anything.
Ye Qingliu didn't repeat himself, nor did he forcefully pull his hand. He simply stood there quietly, holding the thermometer and medicine, his gray-blue eyes gazing calmly through the lenses at Chao Youye's lowered head.
A few seconds later, under the invisible and absolutely calm gaze of Ye Qingliu, Chao Youye's hand that was not receiving an IV drip was raised from her curled up body little by little very slowly and with uncontrollable trembling.
His movements were as stiff as rusted machinery. He didn't raise his head, his arms hanging in the air, his fingertips slightly curled, revealing his inner resistance and struggle.
Ye Qingliu didn't make any unnecessary movements or words. He immediately took a step forward, his movements swift and precise.
He first wiped Chao Youye's forehead very gently with a sterile cotton pad—the cool touch made Chao Youye shudder. Then, he gently placed the probe of the electronic thermometer on his forehead.
"Ding." A soft sound.
"37.9 degrees." Ye Qingliu reported the number without any fluctuation in his voice.
He put away the thermometer, unscrewed the medicine bottle, poured out two white pills, and picked up the little bear mug next to him that Hua Jinyue had brought earlier, which still had half a cup of water left (the water in it was already warm), and handed it to Chao Youye's hanging hand.
"Take your medicine." The instructions were concise and clear.
Chao Youye's suspended hand trembled violently. He looked at the pills and cup handed to him, and a fierce struggle surged in the depths of his violet eyes.
Taking medicine? Did it mean receiving treatment? Did it mean… continuing to stay in this space where Mu Xinrong existed? Did it mean facing unbearable pain?
The feeling of resistance surged over him like a cold tide! He suddenly wanted to retract his hand!
However, just as his fingers were curling up, Ye Qingliu's hand was one step faster! He didn't touch his hand, but simply held the bottom of the cup firmly to ensure that the water would not spill.
"You need it." Ye Qingliu's voice remained steady, yet it carried a penetrating power that saw through everything. "Unless you want the high fever to completely burn this body and end everything prematurely."
His words were blunt and almost cruel, but they accurately hit Chao Youye's deepest fear - the fear of complete annihilation.
Chao Youye's hand froze in mid-air, his fingertips turning white from the force he exerted. Great pain and fear intertwined in his eyes.
He bit his lower lip tightly, tasting the stronger smell of blood. The stomach cramps and the dizziness brought on by the high fever, like his most loyal accomplices, continued to erode his will.
At this moment, that cup of warm water seemed to have become a bridge connecting life and death.
Time slowly crawled by in the stalemate. Every second felt like a century.
Finally, under the physical pain and Ye Qingliu's silent but powerful pressure, the fierce struggle in Chao Youye's eyes was gradually replaced by a deep, resigned fatigue and despair.
Extremely slowly, as if he had exhausted all his strength, he opened the palm of his hanging hand.
Ye Qingliu immediately placed two pills into his cold, sweaty palms, then steadily handed the cup of water to his lips.
Chao Youye closed her eyes, and her thick eyelashes trembled violently like the wings of a dying butterfly.
He tilted his head back, and with Ye Qingliu's hand, he struggled to put the pill into his mouth, then swallowed the warm water in the cup in small sips. His movements were mechanical and obedient, with a heartbreaking fragility that came from someone who had completely lost the will to resist.
The warm water flowing through the dry and burning throat brought a slight relief, but it could not extinguish the coldness and despair deep in the soul.
After taking the medicine, he seemed to have been drained of all his strength. His arms hung limply, his head buried deeply in his curled knees, his body trembling slightly, silently enduring this forced "survival".
Ye Qingliu took back the water cup and looked at Chao Youye, who was curled up in the corner like a broken doll. There was no emotion in his eyes behind the lenses.
He turned around and put the cup and medicine bottle back into the medicine box with meticulous movements.
A heavy, suffocating silence fell once again in the restaurant.
There was only the sound of Chao Youye's suppressed breathing and Mu Xinrong's broken sobs, which could not be completely suppressed even though he leaned against the table and covered his face tightly.
Hua Jinyue sat on the chair, her little face pale and her big eyes filled with tears. She looked at the fragile Chao Youye in the corner, and then at the collapsed Mu Xinrong. She was completely frightened by the heavy and desperate atmosphere.
"Brother..." Hua Jinyue called Ye Qingliu in a crying voice, like a frightened little animal.
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