Chapter 111: The First Word

Lin Qingxue withdrew her hand, took some cash from the nightstand drawer, counted it, and set it on the nightstand.

Then she threw back the covers, got out of bed, put on her coat, and walked to the door.

She pulled the door open, glanced back at the little thing curled up in bed, and went out.

The living room light was still on.

Luo Xiaoning was curled up on the sofa, wrapped tightly in a blanket. Only a pink head of hair poked out.

She was asleep. Her breathing was light, and every now and then she sniffled, as if still crying in her dream.

Lin Qingxue walked over, bent down, grabbed Luo Xiaoning by the collar, and lifted her off the sofa.

Luo Xiaoning woke to the movement. Before her eyes even opened, her body had already reacted, curling into a ball and wrapping her arms around her head. Her voice came out sharp and shaking.

“Sister Lin! I won’t bully her anymore! Don’t hit me! Please!”

Her voice echoed through the empty living room like a mouse caught under someone’s shoe.

Lin Qingxue said nothing. She just carried her by the collar, the way someone might carry a bag of trash, and hauled her to the bedroom door.

Luo Xiaoning’s feet couldn’t touch the ground. Hanging in midair, still trembling, she kept begging.

“Sister Lin, I really know I was wrong. I’ll take good care of her from now on. I won’t touch her again.”

Lin Qingxue pushed the door open, dragged her inside, and dumped her on the bed, right next to Su Yutao.

Luo Xiaoning landed on the quilt, rolled half a turn, and bumped against Su Yutao’s leg.

Su Yutao jolted in her sleep. Her body twitched, she hugged the penguin tighter, let out a soft “mm,” turned over, and went on sleeping.

Luo Xiaoning didn’t dare move. She shrank into the corner of the bed and watched Lin Qingxue.

Lin Qingxue stood by the bed, looking down at her. Her voice was light, like winter wind.

“You take good care of her. If she gets even one more wound…”

She paused.

“If I come back and she has a single new scratch, you’re dead.”

Luo Xiaoning nodded frantically, tears flying. “I know! I’ll take care of her! I promise! If she loses one hair, you can blame me!”

Lin Qingxue watched her for two seconds. Then she turned, walked to the door, opened it, and left.

The door clicked shut.

Footsteps faded.

A car engine started downstairs, growing quieter and quieter until it vanished into the night.

Luo Xiaoning collapsed on the bed, gasping for air, still shaking all over.

She turned her head to look at the small blind girl curled up beside her. Su Yutao was fast asleep, unaware of anything. Her white hair spilled across the pillow, her pale face was calm, her lips parted slightly, and her breath rose and fell steadily.

Luo Xiaoning stared at that face. A feeling rose in her she couldn’t put into words: hatred, jealousy, grievance, and a little… envy.

She closed her eyes. She didn’t want to look anymore.

She was too tired. Her fingers still hurt. Her legs hurt. Her head hurt.

She rolled over, turning her back to Su Yutao, pulled the blanket over herself, and slowly, evenly, fell asleep.

***

The next day.

Daylight came through the gap in the curtains and fell across the floor like a gray-white ribbon.

Su Yutao woke up.

Eyes still closed, she reached out beside her and touched a body, warm, soft, wearing pajamas.

It’s Lin Qingxue, she thought.

She hasn’t left.

Su Yutao’s stomach growled. Loudly.

She remembered not eating much last night. That pink-haired girl had made her lose her appetite.

Now hunger made her stomach ache.

She shook the body beside her, opened her mouth, and tried to say “hungry.”

She expected what had always happened: only a breathy “heh, heh” from her throat, or hoarse, broken, unintelligible sounds.

But this time, that wasn’t what came out.

“Hungry.”

One word. Light and crisp, like a pebble dropping into water.

Not hoarse. Not broken. Perfectly clear.

Su Yutao froze.

She heard her own voice. Not “heh, heh.” Not “uh, uh.” A word. A whole word.

And it sounded good.

It wasn’t her old voice. Her old voice had been a little hoarse, a little rough, like sandpaper scraping metal.

But this voice was soft, sticky, with a milky baby tone, like a kitten that had just been weaned. Pitiful and fragile.

Su Yutao opened her mouth and tried to speak again, but her throat felt blocked. She strained for a long moment and only managed to push out air.

She called out to Qiansui in her heart: ‘Qiansui! Can I talk now?’

Qiansui’s voice came through, raspy with sleep and carrying a trace of pride.

“Mm… after you fell asleep last night, I used healing on you again.”

“I think you can say one or two words now. More than that, probably not. Another dozen or so days of treatment, and your throat should be fine.”

A strange feeling rose in Su Yutao’s chest. Happy, but a little disappointed.

She could talk. But only a few words.

Still, it was better than not talking at all.

She touched her throat and wanted to try again. But her stomach growled, and she couldn’t bother with that now. She shook the person beside her again.

Luo Xiaoning was jolted awake.

Bleary-eyed, she opened her eyes and saw a mass of white hair bobbing next to her face.

She wasn’t fully awake. Her brain felt like it was soaking in paste. Her voice was muffled and annoyed.

“What… I’m trying to sleep…”

Su Yutao’s hand stopped.

That voice wasn’t Lin Qingxue’s. Lin Qingxue’s voice was cool and gentle, like spring water.

This voice was soft, but it had a sticky impatience to it. It was that pink-haired girl.

Su Yutao pulled her hand back and shrank toward the corner of the bed.

Why was Luo Xiaoning in Lin Qingxue’s bed?

She remembered last night. That pervert who had sucked on her belly said she was going on a mission and told the pink-haired girl to take care of her.

Had Lin Qingxue dragged her into bed in the middle of the night?

Su Yutao felt disgusted, like she had swallowed a fly.

She didn’t want to share a bed with that pink-haired girl. But right now, she was even hungrier.

Her stomach growled again, aching with hunger.

She hesitated, then reached out and shook Luo Xiaoning. She opened her mouth and squeezed out one word.

“Hungry.”

Luo Xiaoning didn’t move.

Su Yutao shook her again. “Hungry.”

Still no movement.

Su Yutao kept shaking and kept saying it.

“Hungry. Hungry. Hungry.”

Each word was louder than the last, more urgent, like a chick that wouldn’t stop peeping.

Luo Xiaoning finally lost it.

She sat up abruptly, her hair a wild mess, eyes not even fully open, mouth already cursing.

“Hungry hungry hungry! Hungry my ass! Go cook it yourself, damn it! I want to sleep! I’m sleeping until noon!”

She finished, pulled the covers over her head, and lay back down.

Her breathing evened out quickly. She was asleep.

Su Yutao sat on the bed, hugging Qiansui, staring in the direction of Luo Xiaoning.

She couldn’t see anything, but she could picture the pink-haired girl wrapped up in her blanket, sleeping like a dead pig.

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