Chapter 241 Epilogue - New World Arc (Thirty-Eight)
Yu Qingzhou had a very, very long dream...
In my dream, towering mountains were covered in snow.
A steep stone staircase winds its way up and disappears into the sky.
The mountain wind howled, like the roar of a wild beast brushing past our ears.
He walked alone against the wind and snow, each step seemingly against an immense force.
The road ahead may never end.
He seemed tireless, moving his feet with difficulty time and time again.
Until the frostbite on the skin surface cracked open inch by inch, thick, black, foul-smelling blood flowed out from the bluish-purple wounds.
One drop, two drops...
Dark red flower stamens were scattered along the way.
From scattered bouquets, a vibrant and dazzling flower path unfolds.
So cold... So painful...
However, what is even more unbearable than the bitter cold and pain is that this suffering itself has no end in sight...
—Will there really be an end?
There are countless moments.
Such doubts arose in my mind inexplicably, only to be suppressed with each breath.
He thought to himself, wasn't it precisely to find the answer that he embarked on this path?
I'd risk my life just to get an answer.
What is that problem...?
Has that self found the answer yet...?
Yu Qingzhou did not see it.
Before we knew it, it got dark and then light again.
Finally, one day, the night never left.
His eyes were burned by that boundless white expanse, and he finally lost his sight.
But he still didn't stop, groping in the darkness, leaning on his blood-stained sword, struggling forward.
The darkness enhanced his hearing.
Yu Qingzhou then heard faint human voices mixed in with the sound of the wind.
Unfamiliar... Familiar...
Those who helped him... those who bullied him...
He gave him hope, and then shattered that hope with his own hands...
So many voices, faint and indistinct, clamorous and discordant, high and low—all of them were saying, "Stop!"
Stop...
Why bother trying in vain?
Stop...
Even if we see the ultimate truth, so what?
Stop...
Let all the pain and suffering come to an end.
No longer struggling, she nestled into a mother's peaceful embrace.
Oh, right...
The moment the word "mother" came to mind, Yu Qingzhou seemed to truly hear a distant voice coming from the darkness.
“Loquat… my poor… poor child…”
Upon hearing this, Yu Qingzhou suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Suddenly, a sharp, pulling pain arose inside my body, which I thought had long since become numb.
Mother……
"Mother..."
"Mother...I...I..."
Yu Qingzhou suddenly opened her eyes.
The glaring white light stung his eyes.
His mind was a complete blank. He clearly remembered that just a moment ago he was climbing alone in the darkness, listening to the distant, ethereal calls amidst the howling wind.
This is... how did this happen so suddenly...?
"Loquat?"
A voice came from the left.
The title, exactly the same as in the dream, stirred something in Yu Qingzhou's heart.
He suddenly turned his head and met a pair of deep blue eyes that held a hint of concern. They seemed familiar, yet they were not the ones he had expected.
However, when she tried to find out who this "one" was, Yu Qingzhou had no clue.
In the end, it was all just a dream; once you wake up, it's all gone.
"...How are you feeling? Is there anything that's bothering you?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Qingzhou belatedly realized that her limbs were weak and that she was covered in cold sweat, as if she had just been pulled out of the water.
But unfortunately, my throat was extremely dry.
"Dr. Chen... Dr. Chen?"
Upon hearing Yu Qingzhou's words, a barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashed across Shen Yingxue's eyes.
But it was fleeting.
"Yes, it's me."
Shen Yingxue calmly replied, "You had a fever all night, and it finally broke. You were just talking nonsense in your sleep; did you dream about something bad?"
Yu Qingzhou shook her head.
He couldn't say for sure whether the previous one counted as a nightmare.
Seeing that the boy looked lost in thought, Shen Yingxue didn't press him further.
Instead, he added some water to the cup, helped Yu Qingzhou sit up from the bed, and said in a low voice, "Drink some water."
Yu Qingzhou was still lost in her own thoughts, feeling completely dazed.
I didn't even notice what the other person said.
The moment their lips touched the rim of the cup, they instinctively parted.
Until the cool water glides through the mouth and soothes the dry throat.
He then realized that he was being fed like an helpless infant...
The action of drinking water suddenly stopped.
The water that she couldn't swallow in time flowed into her trachea, and Yu Qingzhou started coughing uncontrollably.
"Cough cough cough! Cough cough!"
Then I felt a pair of arms wrap around my back and gently pat me.
Yu Qingzhou coughed for a while before she recovered.
As his breathing calmed down, he suddenly realized that after all that had happened, he was now being held tightly in Shen Yingxue's arms.
This posture, this distance.
The refreshing, cool fragrance of plum blossoms emanating from the other person almost directly hit Yu Qingzhou's nostrils.
Her cheeks, which had turned red from coughing, suddenly became even hotter.
Yu Qingzhou instinctively wanted to reach out and push Shen Yingxue away.
Fearing that he might accidentally touch something he shouldn't and offend the other party, he was at a complete loss for what to do.
“Well… um… Dr. Shen, I’m actually much better now, so…” Yu Qingzhou hesitated, carefully considering how to phrase it.
"how?"
Shen Yingxue patiently listened to him continue.
That nonchalant demeanor made it unclear whether he was completely unaware of the current situation or simply didn't care.
Considering the other person's profession, the latter seems more likely.
Fortunately, the stalemate did not last long, and Shen Yingxue finally let go of the boy and returned to a relatively suitable social distance.
At the same time, Yu Qingzhou had almost convinced herself.
And at that very moment—
Do you hate me now?
"..."
Shen Yingxue's tone was as calm as ever, so calm that it was almost disconnected from the content of her question.
This prevented Yu Qingzhou from immediately realizing what the other party had said.
After realizing what had happened, they were plunged into even greater astonishment, and were even more at a loss for how to answer.
—Because this is not something the person in front of me would say.
This was neither in line with the impression Shen Yingxue had always given Yu Qingzhou, nor did it go any further than the actual relationship between the two of them...
For a fleeting moment, another vivid figure suddenly appeared in Yu Qingzhou's mind.
Proud, awkward, utterly childish yet undeniably adorable... If it were "that person," then...
Yu Qingzhou thought this subconsciously.
Coming to my senses, I suddenly realized that there was actually no such person in my memory.
—If I had to choose, E027 would be the closest in appearance.
Yet Yu Qingzhou was perfectly clear that "that person" was not E027, and in fact... it wouldn't be anyone Yu Qingzhou knew in this world.
—That person is not here.
Along with this thought arose in my mind, an indescribable sense of melancholy and emptiness.
At the same time, a vast expanse of white snow before disappearing into darkness flashed before my eyes, along with E027's previous remarks about the existence of another world, and... the other person's ambiguous murmurs in their sleep.
Yu Qingzhou was momentarily lost in thought.
Then, belatedly, I realized that I seemed to have forgotten something.
Oh right, he hasn't answered Shen Yingxue's question yet... it's almost as if he's tacitly agreeing with her statement.
"I'm sorry, I... I didn't have those thoughts at all. On the contrary, I've always felt that Dr. Shen is a really, really good person!"
For Yu Qingzhou, who had almost become accustomed to the closed environment of the detention center, this was a different story.
Shen Yingxue's appearance was like a splash of white snow suddenly falling from a gloomy sky.
It possesses a refreshing coolness that stands out from the dullness and gloom of its surroundings.
It is both visually striking and awe-inspiring.
I fear that I might inadvertently tarnish this beauty.
Besides that... Besides that...
Perhaps because his desire was too urgent, the boy couldn't help but clench the bed sheet beside him as he spoke.
Shen Yingxue clearly noticed it as well, so she let out a barely perceptible sigh.
Do you know?
"What?"
"This is the first time in my life I've ever been friend-zoned."
"Huh?"
Shen Yingxue's gaze was as calm as her tone, so much so that Yu Qingzhou couldn't tell whether what she said was true or false.
I had no choice but to choose a relatively suitable response from the limited social jargon available.
"Dr. Shen, you're really joking—"
As she spoke, Yu Qingzhou had already looked away, revealing an unnatural smile.
Shen Yingxue didn't laugh. Instead, she looked into the boy's evasive eyes and said softly and earnestly, "It's true. I like you."
"..."
Yu Qingzhou finally couldn't keep up the pretense any longer.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the corner of the blanket that had already been crumpled into a ball.
He remained silent for a long time.
Yu Qingzhou never imagined that such a straightforward and frank confession would one day appear between him and Shen Yingxue... and that it was even initiated by the latter.
Are you happy?
Yu Qingzhou should have felt honored.
After all, as he himself said before, the other party's excellence is obvious to all.
Moreover, Dr. Shen was one of the few people in Yu Qingzhou's life who genuinely treated him well—regardless of their motives.
But……
Why did it have to happen at this time...?
Why in a place like this of all...?
To say such unsettling words to oneself like this...
Rather than feeling flattered or disappointed, Yu Qingzhou felt more bewildered.
He could even vaguely sense that this bewilderment actually contained a distinct resentment.
It appeared out of nowhere in my heart, without any reason.
It is annoying and a nuisance.
At that time, Yu Qingzhou did not understand why she thought that way, and then she felt ashamed.
Much later, he heard the story of the devil in the bottle.
Gradually, I began to understand the reason behind it.
If you wait too long for something to happen, it will eventually be too late.
Ultimately, this vague and inexplicable resentment didn't even originate from Yu Qingzhou...
"……sorry."
After an unknown amount of time, Yu Qingzhou finally regained her voice.
He didn't really understand why he had to apologize.
Was he wrong?
—It seems not.
Are there other people who need him to apologize on their behalf?
—It seems not.
After saying this, Yu Qingzhou cautiously looked at Shen Yingxue.
I don't even know what I'm worried about.
Perhaps they were worried that their lack of courtesy would displease the other party.
Upon hearing this, the latter smiled.
It was a very soft sound, with a hint of barely suppressed laughter.
Yu Qingzhou was somewhat bewildered by this laugh.
To begin with, his mind wasn't very clear.
Meeting the boy's puzzled gaze, Shen Yingxue slightly suppressed her smile and explained in a low voice, "Seeing how earnestly you apologized, I was thinking that I should reply that it's okay."
Yu Qingzhou was taken aback.
Then, belatedly, I felt a wave of embarrassment.
The other party's nonchalant attitude immediately made him doubt whether he had been presumptuous or misunderstood.
Perhaps Shen Yingxue was just joking and saying it casually.
The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart and overthought it...
Yu Qingzhou thought about it more and more and more, and felt so ashamed that she almost buried the crumpled corner of the quilt into her palm.
"Alright, you should get some rest. The disciplinary authorities have already spoken to you. You can sleep peacefully here."
Yu Qingzhou noticed that Shen Yingxue seemed to be planning to leave.
Unable to resist calling out to the other person, she asked the question she had wanted to know since waking up.
"...How is E027 doing now?"
"He is out of danger and is fine for now."
Shen Yingxue answered succinctly.
"I see." Yu Qingzhou murmured, letting out a huge sigh of relief without even realizing it.
She paused, then asked hesitantly, "Um, can I go see him now?"
Shen Yingxue did not answer immediately, but judging from the look in her eyes, she clearly did not agree.
Yu Qingzhou wanted to apologize again.
If what happened before could still be considered within the scope of Shen Yingxue's duties as a trainee doctor, then her sudden request now seems a bit like pushing her luck...
"Actually, I—"
"It doesn't matter."
The two spoke at the same time, and then fell silent at the same time.
Finally, Shen Yingxue broke the deadlock.
"If that's what you want."
The boy's undisguised surprise was reflected in his turquoise eyes.
Again, it's that kind of ambiguous dialogue.
Unlike the straightforward "I like you," it clearly conveys a subtle message.
Yu Qingzhou chose to deliberately ignore it.
Of course, in reality, there is no other option.
"Thanks."
He said.
"You're welcome."
This is Shen Yingxue's answer, a standard question-and-answer template, without any unnecessary parts.
Yu Qingzhou breathed a slight sigh of relief.
The next moment, looking at the fair hand extended to him, he couldn't help but feel troubled again.
“I could actually do it myself.”
Yu Qingzhou frowned slightly as she spoke.
He originally thought that the other party would lead the way and he would just follow.
But Shen Yingxue displayed an unprecedentedly tough attitude.
Either Yu Qingzhou stays here and rests properly, or she doesn't go anywhere else.
Alternatively, Yu Qingzhou could obediently listen and accept Shen Yingxue's hands-on help.
While Yu Qingzhou was struggling with her decision, Shen Yingxue waited quietly beside her without urging her on.
Until the boy, as if he had made up his mind, squeezed out a barely audible sigh from between his teeth.
"Thank you for your help, Dr. Shen..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a warm touch on her wrist.
That fair hand had already grasped his hand with a gentle yet irresistible force.
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