Like a little dumpling who hasn't woken up yet, he sat cross-legged on the ground, his blank gaze fixed on his exposed calves.
The wounds that I hate most and feel most ashamed of are exposed to the public in their raw, bloody glory.
It was still the person he least wanted to see.
Pei Yushen felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by a hand. His chest heaved violently, and a thin red of pain quickly welled up in his eyes.
No, I can't let her see it.
The wheelchair frantically moved closer to the bed, like a drowning person trying to grab onto a floating reed. He just wanted to grab onto anything, anything, as long as it covered his legs.
But a small hand gently tugged at his robe.
"Brother Yu Shen, can I touch it...?"
The child's sweet, soft voice, though muffled, reached Pei Yushen's ears with perfect clarity, without missing a single word.
Like rotten wood struck by a thunderclap.
The panicked boy suddenly froze, his body stiff as a pale stone statue, his mind completely blank.
Clutching at his robe, Chaochao waited patiently for her brother's answer.
After a long while, his stiff fingers twitched, and he slowly turned his head to look at the child on the ground. With just one glance, he suddenly turned his wheelchair around as if burned, avoiding the serious gaze from the little dumpling.
The boy opened his mouth, closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and his breath trembled and was unsteady: "No."
Chaochao followed the wheelchair around and plopped down on the carpet, her dazed little eyes filled with confusion: "Why...?"
Can't she even touch hands?
Pei Yushen remained silent, locked in a stalemate with the child.
Chaochao blinked slowly, a little deflated: "Is it really not possible...?"
Pei Yu pursed his lips. In just a few minutes, his mouth was extremely parched, and the breath he exhaled burned all the way to his throat. He whispered with difficulty:
"Because it's ugly, it's unattractive."
Even though he massages his legs every day, the muscle atrophy caused by paralysis is unavoidable.
Moreover, it still bears numerous scars that have not yet faded.
It's deformed, embarrassing, disgusting...
Chaochao frowned in confusion.
"I don't see it..." Where is it ugly?
It is clearly straight and long.
Chaochao sat on the ground and compared her short legs to her own, muttering, "They're all longer than my whole leg..."
Oh dear, how are children supposed to live like this?!
Pei Yushen heard Chaochao's undisguised mutterings, and a look of surprise flashed in his slightly reddened eyes. He slowly grabbed the handrail, wanting to say, "That's not what I meant."
Looking at the half-covered calf, Chaochao tilted her head, reached out her small hand, and gently touched the scar that was just exposed in front of her. "Does it still hurt now...?"
The wound was long and thin, just scabbed over, as if a sharp, cone-shaped object had scraped it hard, making one imagine how it must have cut the skin and bled.
The words I wanted to say suddenly caught in my throat.
This time, Pei Yushen's mind went completely blank. His dark pupils widened unconsciously. Although his legs were numb, the places that Chaochao had gently touched felt like they were burning, melting into his blood and flowing to his limbs and bones. Even his breath was hot.
The boy trembled slightly uncontrollably, biting his lower lip hard to suppress the muffled groan that was about to escape his throat.
Chaochao, whose mind was not quite clear, did not notice that her brother was unusually quiet, after all, her brother Yushen had never liked to talk.
"Is this the injury I got from that accident last time...?"
Chaochao still remembers how Yushen refused to tell her where he was injured.
—No, he deliberately cut himself when he was extremely disgusted with him.
Watching it covered in blood, yet feeling nothing at all.
A wave of bitterness and sorrow welled up in Pei Yushen's eyes, and his wet eyelashes trembled: "Don't touch it anymore..."
The low, husky voice drifted through the air like a hazy mist.
It was ugly and filthy there.
Chaochao's little hand stopped. She looked up at him, her soft, childlike voice tinged with guilt: "Did I hurt you, brother...?"
Pei Yushen: "No..."
"Whoosh—" Chaochao's flushed pink face pressed close to his leg, breathing soft air onto the wound. She said softly, "Like this...like this it won't hurt so much..."
Because she blew away all the pain.
She is very familiar with this business.
Pei Yushen looked down at the silly little dumpling, wanting to force a mocking smile, but he couldn't manage it. With each exhale, the boy's suppressed trembling body gradually quieted down.
His legs clearly felt no wind, yet it seemed as if some of the pain had truly been blown away.
Chaochao squinted her eyes and lazily blew in the air, the continuous whirring sound actually making her sleepy, her eyelids drooping. The sleepy little dumpling finally leaned forward, hugged Pei Yushen's leg, and closed her eyes.
The sudden embrace startled Pei Yushen. His dark eyes flickered with a dazed look. His fingers twitched for a moment, then slowly rose, like a moth drawn to a flame. He carefully placed his palm on Chaochao's head.
The little dumpling's soft hair brushed against his palm, and for a moment he felt as if he were petting a fluffy puppy.
Feeling a slight itch on her head, Chaochao slowly opened her eyes and realized that she had actually fallen asleep while blowing on the wind.
Pei Yushen immediately moved his hand away, pretending nothing had happened.
"Brother Yu Shen shouldn't be in pain anymore, right..."
A little embarrassed, Chaochao scratched her head, then sat up straight and noticed faint pink marks on the boy's fair and slender calves. "..."
Chaochao tried hard to think with her muddled brain: Did she do this? She clearly came to help Brother Yushen... huh?
"It's a little red... Will it hurt?"
Feeling a little guilty, Chaochao looked at the young man and her eyes met his lowered dark gaze.
Pei Yushen only stared at him for a second before giving up, hastily looking away. He pursed his lips and said, "...I don't feel anything."
The little dumpling on the ground let out a long "Oh".
Pei Yu paused for a moment, then immediately regretted his answer. He ran his fingertips along the uneven surface of the armrest, and after a few struggles, he finally couldn't resist turning his eyes to peek at her expression.
His gaze lingered on the dazed and confused Chaochao for three seconds before he turned his head away, trying to make his voice sound calm:
"Would you mind?"
The boy's sudden, unprovoked question made Chaochao's already foggy mind even worse. She seemed to think for a long time before finally asking earnestly, "What are you complaining about...?"
Pei Yu's Adam's apple bobbed as he forced himself to turn and look directly at her. A dazzling smile appeared on his lips, but his words shattered that beautiful facade.
"Because I am disabled, and probably always will be."
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