Chapter 49: Cousin Encounter - A Separate Side Story - The Fall (Part Six)
White light.
White water vapor.
The sound of pattering water filled the narrow, white space.
Warm water meandered down the body, flowed across the ground, and then swirled and disappeared into the drain.
Yu Qingzhou tilted her head back under the shower, letting the water spray directly onto her cheeks.
A burning, aching sensation suddenly surged deep in his nasal cavity, and he lowered his head and coughed violently a few times.
"A light boat?"
A low voice came from outside.
—It is a deep and resonant tone.
Yu Qingzhou wiped her face, let out a soft breath, and turned her head toward the direction from which the sound came, saying vaguely, "It's nothing, I just choked."
He must have heard Yu Qingzhou's answer clearly.
It quieted down outside.
Yu Qingzhou lost interest in continuing. He hastily dried himself off and reached for his clothes, only to find nothing.
My heart skipped a beat.
Oops……
He actually forgot to bring a change of clothes.
Normally, Yu Qingzhou would have just gone out to get it.
Anyway, it's in my own apartment, and I live alone.
But today—
Yu Qingzhou tentatively called out to Chen Yun.
Fortunately, a response came quickly.
"how?"
What should have been a straightforward matter suddenly felt a little awkward when it came to saying it.
Perhaps because she realized that she had no real blood relation with that family, Yu Qingzhou began to consciously avoid troubling her family, including Shen Yun.
Yu Qingzhou's middle school wasn't far from home, but he still chose to board at school.
When I started university, I moved out of my family home and rented an apartment. I would only go back home occasionally during holidays.
Yu Qingzhou's adoptive parents had mentioned this to their children several times, and even wondered if there was some kind of misunderstanding between them.
Yu Qingzhou didn't know how to explain.
In fact, her adoptive parents, including her brother Shen Yun, never mistreated her.
Yu Qingzhou had reason to suspect that if she had grown up under the care of her biological parents, she might not have been able to have such a carefree childhood.
After all, as parents themselves, they couldn't even be by Yu Qingzhou's side to watch him grow up.
Regardless of the reason.
Intentional... or out of necessity.
The truth is, Yu Qingzhou is still unsure what her parents look like or whether they are still alive.
These were not things that the adoptive parents intentionally concealed; they had even mentioned them vaguely, saying that if Yu Qingzhou wanted to know, she could tell them everything.
But Yu Qingzhou refused.
Perhaps because, by his very nature, he was a selfish coward.
Yu Qingzhou didn't want to bear additional hatred because of any irresponsible abandonment that might have occurred.
Similarly, he doesn't want to try to understand or forgive certain unavoidable choices.
What's done is done.
Yu Qingzhou never pressed for answers. Just as he never liked to explain himself.
He didn't explain why he suddenly distanced himself from his once close family... and from Shen Yun.
Water dripped down the ends of her hair and along the contours of her skin.
Urged on by the chill, Yu Qingzhou finally spoke.
"I forgot to bring a change of clothes."
"etc."
Upon hearing Shen Yun's words, Yu Qingzhou waited where she was.
If you turn on the hot water, it should be warmer.
But Yu Qingzhou did nothing. She just stared at her fingers, which had turned white from being soaked in water, for a while, until she heard faint footsteps outside the door, followed by a soft knock.
"Leave the clothes by the door."
Through the door, the deep, resonant voice sounded somewhat muffled.
"good."
Yu Qingzhou responded softly, not knowing whether the other party heard her.
Wait until the footsteps faded into the distance.
Yu Qingzhou then opened the door and took the neatly folded clothes.
I pulled the T-shirt over my head, and the fabric slipped off my nose, releasing a faint, cool fragrance—a deep, lingering scent.
A freshly poured bowl of ginger soup sat on the coffee table, its steam curling upwards toward the chandelier above.
The television was on for the first time ever, and Yu Qingzhou glanced at it quickly. It seemed to be broadcasting the evening news channel.
A segment that never appears on his program schedule.
Same room, same furnishings.
Just adding a bowl of ginger soup and an turned-on television... seems to have brought about a complete transformation.
To be precise, it has become closer to the home I remember from my childhood.
As he was lost in thought, a dry towel gently landed on his shoulder.
The wet hair was carefully wiped, and the towel was moved down little by little.
Yu Qingzhou felt the warmth of those hands, penetrating the softness of those hands and imprinting on her forehead and ears, then extending towards the back of her neck...
Yu Qingzhou suddenly grabbed those hands.
Shen Yun lowered her head as if asking a question, her warm breath brushing against Yu Qingzhou's shoulder, near the back of her neck.
The latter paused almost imperceptibly.
"It's a little itchy."
Yu Qingzhou explained softly, shrugged and sank into the sofa, while pulling the towel over and hanging it around her neck. She then picked up the ginger soup beside her and drank it in large gulps.
The pungent aroma of ginger immediately filled the air, both spicy and warming.
Yu Qingzhou sniffed, and then heard Shen Yun softly echo her.
"Yes, I'll be more careful next time."
The sound faded away quietly.
Excessively mild.
She was so reasonable that she didn't seem like the Shen Yun that Yu Qingzhou knew.
In my memory, Shen Yun has always been a serious and ambitious person.
Being overly serious can sometimes appear rigid, especially for a young child.
Fortunately, Shen Yun's excellent grades and handsome appearance largely overshadowed this.
Rational, intelligent, polite, and indifferent to everyone.
Everyone is treated equally, so no one seems to be special.
Sometimes even Yu Qingzhou had difficulty guessing what the other party was thinking.
That being said, Yu Qingzhou didn't really care at the time.
Because they are brothers, irreplaceable blood relatives...
But later, Yu Qingzhou discovered the truth.
It was almost as if there was a kind of belated sluggishness in their awareness.
It's kind of funny.
Before this, he had never doubted why he and Shen Yun did not share the same surname, and why he did not share the same surname with anyone else in his family.
From that day on, Yu Qingzhou fell into a state of unease, feeling abandoned.
After all, he has lost his greatest advantage as a family member.
—Since you've been abandoned once, it doesn't mean you won't be abandoned a second time.
In order to escape that state of fear, Yu Qingzhou chose to be the first to abandon everything and flee in panic.
Later, he wondered if he was overthinking things.
Until Shuangshuang appeared and became the special one in Shenyun's life.
Yu Qingzhou had to admit that she had indeed felt some jealousy. But after the initial shock, she felt more of a sense of relief and that everything had settled down.
Then, everything seemed to suddenly return to square one.
But everything is different now...
After Chen Yun sat down next to him, she began to watch TV attentively.
This might sound a bit strange.
But Shen Yun is indeed like that; she takes everything she does very seriously.
Yu Qingzhou took the opportunity to secretly observe the other person's profile.
Her beautiful facial features were given a sharper edge by her eyes.
Thick, long eyelashes concealed pupils as black as a cold pool, her gaze deep and pure.
It seems somewhat cold and unapproachable, as if it were born to keep people at arm's length.
But Yu Qingzhou just couldn't take her eyes off her; she had been like that for a long time...
Now that things have come to this, he suddenly realized...
Those seemingly dead thoughts were never really gone; they were just buried in some dark corner, waiting for a stroke of luck to come their way...
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