Chapter 73: New Friend

By the second day, Su Ling felt that the pain in his body was no longer as obvious.

But this wasn’t right.

In the past, he had to wait a long time for his body to recover, but now, his body had mostly recovered by just the second day. He could barely feel any pain at all.

Su Ling propped himself up on his arms to sit up in bed. His fingertips subconsciously pressed against the bruised area on his waist, but only a very slight ache followed. It was nowhere near the piercing, dull pain he usually felt.

‘Was it her?’

Creak!

Su Ling looked up toward the person entering.

“Little Fellow, did you miss me?”

“No.”

“Heh, how have I offended you this time?!”

“I want to go out. It’s uncomfortable here.”

Su Ling frowned. The cold and damp environment made him feel very uneasy. His chest felt heavy, as if a stone were constantly pressing down on it. His body also felt sticky and gross, which was particularly unbearable.

“I said, not right now. Why won’t you listen?”

“I just want to go out, not run away.”

“I don’t believe you!”

“Think about how many times you’ve lied to me. Every time you say you won’t run, and yet… do you really think I would still believe you?”

“I… I didn’t. *Sob…* Why can’t you believe me just once? I really don’t like this place. It’s miserable staying here.”

“If you don’t believe me, you can stay here for one night! The blankets are wet; it’s not comfortable at all.”

Ye Moran looked at the Little Fellow and fell into thought. Looking at his appearance, it didn’t seem like he was lying. She reached out and touched the blanket; it did indeed feel a bit damp.

“See? The blankets and sheets are all wet. I didn’t lie to you.”

Ye Moran withdrew her hand and chuckled softly.

“So what?”

Su Ling was stunned. What did this person just say?

Ye Moran touched the Animal Ears on top of the Little Fellow’s head. The furry ears had completely grown out. With just one more surgery, the Little Fellow would become a cute Little Cat.

“The blanket is wet? I’ll just change it for a new one.”

“You… you bastard!”

Su Ling’s cheeks flushed red with anger, and his thin body trembled slightly. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the damp, cold sheets. His eyes instantly turned red with unshed tears, yet he stubbornly refused to lower his head.

His voice was hoarse, filled with grievance and annoyance.

“You’re clearly bullying me on purpose!”

He bit his lip, and tears uncontrollably welled up in his eyes, though he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

“This place is dark and cold, and the blankets are uncomfortably damp. I feel miserable all over staying here. You’ve clearly seen it, yet you still insist on this!”

Ye Moran looked at the reddened corners of the youth’s eyes. Her fingertips paused slightly, and a very faint trace of softness flickered in her gaze, but it was suppressed in the next instant by the paranoia and possessiveness in her bones.

She looked down from above at Su Ling, who was curled up on the bed. Her well-defined hand rose gently, slowly and deliberately rubbing the newly emerged, furry Animal Ears on top of his head. The soft touch made her heart itch slightly.

“Uncomfortable?”

She gave a low laugh, her voice cool and carrying a hint of nonchalant dominance as her fingertips lightly brushed the soft fur of his ears.

“Can’t you even endure this bit of discomfort by my side? Little Fellow, don’t forget that your life belongs to me now. This bit of dampness… what does it even matter!”

Su Ling abruptly jerked his head away to dodge her touch. His ears pressed tightly against his scalp in resistance. His clear eyes were full of defiance and grievance, and his voice carried a crying tone.

“I said I won’t run! I just want to leave this ghost of a place! Why won’t you believe me! I really didn’t lie to you. Can’t you believe me just once?!”

Ye Moran’s face maintained a smile, but the words she spat out were exceptionally cold!

“No!”

“However, you don’t need to be too sad.”

Ye Moran’s tone suddenly shifted, as if her previous coldness had been Su Ling’s hallucination.

“Today, I’ve brought you a new friend. I hope you can get along with him and, while you’re at it, learn a thing or two from him.”

“Learn what?”

Ye Moran didn’t speak. Instead, she reached out and snapped her fingers.

From the dark corridor, two sets of footsteps slowly approached. Su Ling subconsciously looked over and saw Qin Siyu, as well as the youth beside her.

“Come here!”

Lu Yu glanced at Qin Siyu. Seeing her nod, he gathered a bit of courage and slowly walked over.

Ye Moran frowned. This guy was walking too slowly. Once Lu Yu was close enough, she directly reached out and yanked him over!

Lu Yu’s body trembled. He subconsciously looked at Qin Siyu, but Qin Siyu remained expressionless, showing no intention of intervening.

“His name is Lu Yu, your new friend.”

Ye Moran pressed down on Lu Yu’s shoulder, looking at the Little Fellow with a beaming smile.

Su Ling bit his lip. He hadn’t expected her to actually find him a friend, but…

“Then can I go out and play with my friend?”

Ye Moran froze for a moment before laughing. She let go of Lu Yu and suddenly choked the Little Fellow’s neck. The smile on her face gradually turned cruel!

“Little Fellow, have I been too good to you? So much so that you’ve started to think you’re still a free man?!”

“You… you’re going too far…”

The corners of Su Ling’s eyes grew hot, and tears immediately streamed down his face.

“Too far?”

“Do you know?”

“Back when I wasn’t being ‘too far’ with you, you were always trying to run away. Now that I am being ‘too far,’ so what? At least you can’t run now, can you?”

“I’m leaving. You get along with him. Who knows, you might even become best friends.”

Ye Moran released the Little Fellow and straightened her clothes, preparing to leave.

Seeing that she was about to depart, Su Ling rubbed his reddened neck and hurriedly spoke to stop her. He still had a question to ask; if he didn’t clear it up, he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

“Wait… wait!”

“What else is there?”

“I want to know why my body is like this. Before, when you bullied me, it would take a long time to get better. Now, I don’t feel any pain by the second day.”

Ye Moran fell silent for a moment, appearing to think over her words. After a long while, her voice rang out.

“Your new friend will tell you that. He knows the answer!”

With that, she turned and walked away. She had many things to handle, and more importantly, she had to settle where the Little Fellow would be staying next!

Qin Siyu gave Lu Yu one last deep look and couldn’t help but leave a warning.

“Stay with him well. Don’t say things you shouldn’t say. Understood?”

“Under… understood, Master.”

Lu Yu answered with a trembling voice, his body nearly losing control and kneeling down.

Seeing this scene, Su Ling’s brow furrowed.

Just as he was about to say something, Qin Siyu had already turned and disappeared into the darkness.

In an instant, only the two of them remained in the dim Basement.

The two were silent, neither being the first to speak. Su Ling curled up in the damp blankets, staring at the person in front of him with a puzzled gaze.

After a long time, he tried to speak.

“What… what’s your name?”

Lu Yu looked up at Su Ling and whispered his name in a low voice.

“He… hello, my name is Lu Yu.”

“Lu Yu?”

“Yes.”

“Can you come a bit closer?”

Lu Yu was silent for a moment before slowly walking over. He stood by Su Ling’s bed and continued to remain silent.

“I’m Su Ling. My name didn’t used to be this, but that person changed it later.”

“I hate that person. She’s a bad person who only knows how to bully and restrict me. I don’t like her at all.”

Su Ling slowly hugged himself, his voice low and sounding a bit aggrieved.

As Lu Yu listened, the confusion on his face grew deeper. Finally, he could no longer hold back and slowly asked the question he had been wondering.

“Aren’t you… afraid of her?”