Yezhe was clearly startled by Yudong, standing there dazed.
What should he do? Should he explain? Apologize? Or should he try to get her to stop crying first? Not a single thought settled in his mind.
His head was a complete mess. Before coming, Yezhe had thought through every possible scenario he could imagine—except for things spinning so wildly out of control.
Everything felt like an absurd nightmare: first seeing the Video, then running into Yudong, then a barrage of questions right after.
To be honest, Yezhe was starting to wonder if this was all just an illusion.
“Shut up… just shut up!”
A sob choked with anger slipped through her clenched teeth. Yudong’s lower lip was already turning white from being bitten.
“You’re a liar too… you are.”
“You clearly came to find me, so why are you lying to me!”
Her shattered heart was so sensitive it bordered on strange. Right now, even the slightest disturbance left Yudong restless and agitated.
“I, I didn’t…”
“Didn’t what?”
Yezhe wanted to argue, but the girl’s relentless questioning left him cornered.
“Tell me, didn’t what!”
The fabric at the edge of the Bed suddenly went taut. The petite figure sitting on the Bed suddenly sprang up.
Yudong clenched her fists and stormed over to Yezhe, her face filled with anger.
Her fingertips grabbed the white collar of the boy in front of her, and Yudong forcefully shoved him back.
Caught off guard, the boy’s back slammed firmly into the grayish-white wall behind, sending a jolt of pain that made him grunt.
“Tell me, tell me…”
Yudong refused to let go, pinning the boy against the wall. Her voice had softened compared to before, but her gaze was the exact opposite.
Her eyes glared fiercely at that handsome face.
Her eyes were frighteningly swollen and streaked with blood. Both her hands were covered in dirt.
Yudong’s complexion was no different from the one lying in the Bed, the person dearest to her.
The corners of her mouth twisted into an odd angle—was she crying, laughing, or angry? No one could tell.
She’s lost it. She’s gone mad. That was the only thought left in Yezhe’s mind.
Those slender hands exploded with terrifying strength, yanking the collar tighter and tighter, to the point where Yezhe was struggling to breathe.
“Calm down… I really didn’t mean to lie to you!”
He forced the words out. Yezhe lifted his arm to try to push her away, but the moment his wrist hovered in midair, their eyes met.
What he saw were pure black pupils—without a trace of light—like an abyss that had swallowed all illumination, or a gaping black hole, ready to swallow him whole.
Yezhe’s hand froze, suspended in the air, and after a few seconds of hesitation, fell softly back to his side.
Even if he couldn’t breathe, even if the chill ran down his spine, he let her grip him without resistance.
“Tell me… tell… ugh… tell…”
The struggle didn’t last long. Suddenly, Yudong rested her forehead against Yezhe’s chest, her breathing quickening with each gasp.
The hand clutching his collar slowly fell away, as if all strength had been drained from her body, leaving her motionless.
“I… I, I was just worried about you… I didn’t know you’d gone through all that, I… I’m sorry.”
“I just felt like coming here so suddenly was a bit much, so…”
Seeing that the girl finally quieted down, Yezhe tried to say something.
But… something felt off.
Before Yezhe could think more, the girl in his arms suddenly slumped straight down.
If he hadn’t quickly caught her, Yudong would’ve collapsed face-first onto the floor.
“Yudong? Yudong?”
A bad feeling surged up inside him. Yezhe quickly shook the girl lying in his arms.
No response…
“Yudong!? Yudong!”
Silence answered him.
She had fainted.
Her mind and body had taken a double blow—the girl couldn’t take it anymore.
Her consciousness shattered and her vision grew darker and darker. The last thing Yudong saw before she blacked out was the boy’s worried expression
…
…
So cold.
So miserable.
It was as if she’d sunk to the ocean floor—her mind flooded with nothing but agony.
Where… am I?
Her body wouldn’t respond; her eyelids felt impossibly heavy. No matter how hard Yudong tried, she couldn’t open them.
She was just in the Ward a moment ago… the Ward…
What happened in the Ward?
Her head hurt… she wanted nothing more than to forget everything, to just sink away forever…
“Yudong? Yudong!?”
Who’s calling me…
Is it him?
It’s him…
That feeling hidden deep inside her heart was let loose.
She had to admit: even though she’d only known this boy for a few days, she truly felt something different for him.
But what exactly that feeling was—even she couldn’t figure out. Nor did she know the reason.
A teenage girl’s crush on her ideal type?
The excitement of seeing a lighthouse after wandering in darkness?
Or the yearning for refuge after nearly giving up in despair?
She didn’t know, and she didn’t understand why she felt this way about him.
All she knew was that she couldn’t drag him down with her. She didn’t want to depend on anyone.
Even though, once, she’d relied on others more than anyone…
The stubborn girl shut that unlocked door with her own hands.
She knew, better than anyone, that what was behind that door could burst out at any moment.
But what could she do? That thing was heavier than she could ever imagine.
If he didn’t accept her, what would she do?
If he became just like her, what then?
It would be best not to get close to him, to stay far away…
Not to hurt him, not to hurt herself—that was the best outcome…
One outburst was enough. She wasn’t that fragile, nor so easily broken. She could still endure…
She’d thought so, on those nights when she cried quietly under the covers.
…
“She’ll be fine after a bit of rest. It’s nothing serious.”
After Yudong fainted, Yezhe carried her to the Bed and rushed out to find the Doctor.
“Give her some Glucose. She’ll be fine when she wakes up.”
The Doctor scribbled a couple of notes on the chart and hurried off, leaving only the lights in the Corridor to cast a faint shadow behind the White Coat.
Hearing that Yudong was all right, Yezhe finally felt his heart settle.
In the Ward, both the elderly and the young lay in their Beds. Yezhe was the only one still awake.
After a whole night of busyness, he finally had a moment to catch his breath.
Though it was a strangely timed opportunity.
He pulled out his phone and glanced at the time.
Ten fifty…
At this hour… there weren’t even any buses to go home.
But he shouldn’t leave anyway.
Yudong had fainted because of him. No matter what, he had to take responsibility…
Everything quieted down. Yezhe sat by the girl’s Bed, pondering her situation.
So messy. Everything was just so messy…
Maybe… maybe she just got too emotional because she was at the end of her rope. What other reason could there be?
Eyes never lie. When she looked at him, her pupils were void of any light.
But that look was strange too—like something was buried beneath all that darkness.
Was it longing? Or was it resignation? Yezhe couldn’t say.
When the motion-sensor lights in the Corridor dimmed, Yezhe leaned on her Bed’s edge, his forehead resting on the cool bedsheet.
His breathing grew shallower, and Yezhe drifted off to sleep.
He fell asleep, slumped over at the girl’s bedside.
……
“Yezhe!”
Cold sweat slid down from her brow, soaking into the pillow and leaving a dark, damp patch.
Her trembling fingertips clutched the sheet, icy cold, but her palms were sticky and hot with sweat—not just her palms, the whole bedsheet was wet with Yudong’s sweat.
The girl lying on the Bed suddenly sat up, gulping for air as if she’d just escaped drowning.
Just before dawn, Yudong jolted awake.
～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～
Please, handsome guys and beautiful girls reading this, give the author a bookmark and a like! Thank you all! By the way, how are you finding the reading experience?
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.