Su Ling woke up once in the middle of the night; he wanted to go to the bathroom.
As he came out of the bathroom, he saw Ye Moran holding a glass of water and what looked like a pill.
“Little Fellow, take your medicine, and then go back to sleep,” she said.
Su Ling looked at her, tilted his head, and asked in confusion, “Am I sick?”
“Yes, just a minor illness. It’s nothing. You’ll feel better after taking the medicine.”
“Alright!”
Su Ling nodded, walked over, picked up the pill, and popped it into his mouth. The medicine didn’t have the bitterness he expected; instead, it had a faint, lingering sweetness.
“Don’t chew. Swallow it.”
Su Ling blinked. He could only suppress the urge to chew it a couple of times and obediently swallowed the pill with the warm water.
“Open your mouth. Let me see.”
Ye Moran was still uneasy. She stepped forward and, without leaving any room for argument, gently pried the little fellow’s mouth open. She checked carefully, and only after confirming he had swallowed the pill did a trace of a smile appear on her face.
“Alright, go to sleep. You should be able to sleep better after taking the medicine.”
“Oh.”
Su Ling didn’t think much of it. He gave a brief response, pulled up the covers, and closed his eyes.
After a while, Ye Moran suddenly frowned and scolded him in a low voice, “Go to sleep!”
Su Ling pursed his lips and lightly punched her arm with his fist.
‘It’s not like I’m trying to stay awake on purpose. It’s not my fault, so is it really necessary to talk to me in that tone?’
“Fine, go to sleep quickly. When you wake up, I’ll grant you a small wish!”
“What kind of wish?”
“Anything at all. As long as I can fulfill it, I will!”
“Then you can’t go back on your word. You can’t lie to me.”
“Alright, I swear. I definitely won’t lie to you, and I definitely won’t go back on my word!”
Seeing how serious she was, Su Ling let out a rare smile and proactively snuggled into Ye Moran’s embrace.
Seeing Su Ling smile, Ye Moran felt a strange sense of relief. She hugged him back and gently stroked his head as she closed her eyes.
***
The next day, when Ye Moran woke up, Su Ling was still sleeping. Seeing that the little fellow showed no signs of waking up, she handled some work first before going to prepare breakfast.
Using the kitchen there, she made two sandwiches and warmed two cups of milk. By the time she finished making breakfast and brought it over, the little fellow had also woken up.
Su Ling opened his large, dazed eyes and instinctively looked out the window. The Sun was shining in at an angle, illuminating a small Bamboo Forest outside. The sounds of birds chirping drifted in from among the trees.
A few birds seemed to be flitting past.
Su Ling stared blankly for a while until Ye Moran placed the breakfast in front of him, drawing his attention.
“How are you today? Do you feel any better?”
“Um… much better. I just feel a bit… tired…”
“Tired?”
“Yes. I want to keep sleeping. I don’t want to move.”
Ye Moran frowned. She had thought the little fellow’s mood would improve after taking the medicine, but it didn’t seem to be the case. It looked like she would have to go ask Lin Qingyu.
“Then go back to sleep after you finish breakfast. We’ll talk again when you have more energy.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Thank you!”
“You little silly, why are you being so polite with me? If you need anything, you can come to me anytime. I’ll always be here!”
Although Ye Moran’s tone was casual, her words were incredibly firm. She would stay by the little fellow’s side and give him everything he wanted!
Su Ling smiled and started eating his breakfast. He ate very slowly, resting every now and then. He didn’t know why he was acting like this.
He was just very tired and didn’t really want to move. He even felt exhausted just by the act of opening his mouth to eat.
‘Maybe I really am sick.’
Feeling heartbroken, Ye Moran hugged the little fellow and planted a kiss on his forehead. Then, she got up, went to the room next door, and knocked on the door.
“What exactly is wrong with him?” she asked coldly as soon as the door opened.
Lin Qingyu was momentarily stunned by the question. “What do you mean, what’s wrong?”
Ye Moran gave her a deep look before describing Su Ling’s state.
“And here I was wondering what it was. This is just the medicine taking effect! Do you think everyone who takes Psychiatric Drugs acts like nothing happened, just like you?”
“Normal people feel very tired and want to sleep after taking the medicine. It’s the lethargy I mentioned to you before; it’s perfectly normal.”
“Is there any other treatment method? I don’t want him to be like this.”
“Didn’t I tell you? Besides this, there’s you. It depends on your own choice. Anyway, adjusting slowly through medication can also lead to improvement.”
“You’d better not be lying to me!”
After Ye Moran finished speaking, she left with a dejected expression.
Lin Qingyu watched her retreating back and shook her head helplessly. In truth, with her abilities, treating Ye Jin through behavioral adjustment combined with medication would be more than enough.
The problem was that this person wouldn’t let her get anywhere near Ye Jin. Moreover, if she proposed such a solution, the other woman would probably suspect she had some ulterior motive.
‘Sigh, if I had known, I wouldn’t have chosen Psychology as my major. I’m really just digging my own grave!’
***
Su Ling slept for quite a while again. By the time he woke up, the Sun was already sinking in the west.
However, he wasn’t as tired as before. He rubbed his eyes, looked around the empty room, and after a moment’s thought, went to the bathroom to wash up briefly.
Just as he came out, he saw Ye Moran setting the food on the table.
“Come over and eat. After we finish, it’s about time we headed back.”
“Going back? Back where?”
“Home, of course. Why? Do you not want to go back?”
“No.”
Su Ling shook his head and pulled out a chair to sit down. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart. He didn’t feel disappointed, nor did he feel happy. It was just like when he first came here.
He came because she said they were coming, and he was leaving because she said they were leaving.
He couldn’t put into words what this feeling was. Overall, it wasn’t pleasant.
He finished his meal in silence and put on his clothes. She then took his hand and led him out, and soon they were sitting in the car on the way home.
“Is there anything you want to say?”
“Or would you like to stay here longer? As long as you say the word, I’m fine with it.”
“No, I don’t want to stay here.”
Su Ling shook his head. Just as he was about to close his eyes again, a sudden flash of inspiration hit him, and he remembered something. To confirm the idea in his heart, he looked up at her.
“You said last night that you would grant me a wish. Do you remember?”
“I remember. What about it? Do you want to use that wish now?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me. What is your wish?”
Ye Moran looked at the little fellow with Tenderness, smoothing out the stray hairs at his temples as she waited for him to state his wish.
“I want… I want you to stop restricting me after we get back. I want to go out for a walk.”
After Su Ling finished speaking, he kept staring at her. A long time passed without her giving him a response.
He felt a bit dejected. ‘I should have known that she would never agree to such a request.’
“Alright, I promise you!”
“Huh?!”
“What did you say?”
“I said, I promise you!”
“What? Are you surprised by my reaction?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just, it’s just…”
Su Ling tried to explain in a fluster, but after struggling for a long time, he couldn’t explain it clearly. It seemed the only explanation was that it was Unexpected?
After all, such an unanticipated answer was truly Unexpected!