Chapter 13: The Morning After

She curled up in the corner, like a frightened cat.

That woman waited two seconds, her tone even colder.

“Do I need to invite you?”

Only then did Su Yutao react. She pushed herself up against the wall, rising bit by bit.

She groped her way back to the bed.

Climbed up.

Returned to her original spot.

Curled into her original position.

And didn’t move.

That woman lay down too.

The light went out.

Darkness descended again, covering everything.

The breathing sound beside her resumed.

Soft.

Even.

As if nothing had happened.

Su Yutao curled up under the covers, eyes open, staring at that eternal darkness.

Her face still hurt.

Her shoulder still hurt.

Her scalp still hurt.

She curled into a ball, clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh.

Her mind was blank.

And chaotic.

She couldn’t run.

She really couldn’t run.

She couldn’t see, couldn’t speak, couldn’t fight.

She could only lie here, waiting for dawn, waiting for that gentle Lin Qingxue to return.

And then?

Then tonight, that person would come out again.

Would see her again.

Would again—

Su Yutao closed her eyes.

Though they had been closed all along.

She silently begged in her heart.

[System.]

[Big bro System.]

[Big sis System.]

[Whoever you are, just show up, okay?]

[I’m dying.]

[I’m really dying.]

[I was almost beaten to death just now.]

[Please.]

Silence.

Nothing.

Su Yutao twitched the corner of her mouth.

She knew it.

Begging was useless. She could only endure, bit by bit.

Maybe… in other novels, the system always came late.

Maybe hers would come late too…

Su Yutao stared at the eternal darkness, waiting for that faint hope.

—

Su Yutao didn’t know when she fell asleep.

Maybe it was just before dawn.

Maybe she was just too tired, her body couldn’t hold on anymore.

She only knew that when she woke up, her face still hurt, her shoulder still hurt, her scalp still hurt.

But something was different.

Sunlight.

She could feel the sunlight.

It fell on her, warm and pleasant.

And sounds.

Birds chirping outside, cars in the distance, voices of people talking downstairs.

It was daytime.

Su Yutao snapped awake.

Beside her—

She listened carefully.

Breathing.

Soft.

Even.

Still there.

That person was still there.

Su Yutao’s entire body stiffened. She didn’t dare move.

Then the breathing changed.

As if someone had woken up.

The bed shifted.

A voice sounded, gentle and soft, with a hint of morning hoarseness:

“Mm… it’s morning…”

It was Lin Qingxue.

The daytime Lin Qingxue.

Su Yutao trembled all over.

That voice—

It was exactly the same as last night’s voice.

Just a different tone.

But it was the same person.

Su Yutao couldn’t help but shrink back, pulling the covers up a little.

Lin Qingxue seemed not to notice. She leaned closer, then suddenly gasped:

“What happened to your face?”

Su Yutao froze.

Her face. The side that was slapped last night—it must be swollen.

Lin Qingxue’s hand reached out, gently touching her cheek.

Su Yutao flinched back as if electrified.

“Does it hurt?”

Lin Qingxue’s voice was full of concern.

“How did it get so swollen? And your shoulder—didn’t I apply medicine last night? Why does it look worse?”

Su Yutao opened her mouth.

She wanted to say—

She wanted to say someone hit her last night.

But the moment she opened her mouth, that voice echoed in her mind:

“If you dare mention a single word about what happened tonight to her, I’ll cut your tongue out.”

Su Yutao shuddered violently.

As if drenched in ice water.

She closed her mouth.

Shook her head desperately.

Lin Qingxue was stunned:

“What’s wrong? Did you want to say something?”

Su Yutao shook her head again.

She didn’t dare speak.

Not a single word.

She just curled up there, hugging the blanket, trembling slightly.

Lin Qingxue was silent for a few seconds, then let out a soft sigh:

“Did the pain keep you up last night, and you bumped into something?”

Su Yutao was taken aback.

Seeing that Lin Qingxue had already made up an excuse for her, and she herself was worried about how to explain, she nodded frantically.

Yes.

That was it.

She bumped into something.

Lin Qingxue seemed to believe her, her voice full of concern:

“You should have woken me… no, you can’t call out.”

She paused.

“From now on, I’ll sleep lighter. If you need anything, just tap me.”

Su Yutao lowered her head, neither nodding nor shaking it.

She didn’t dare touch her.

She didn’t know which Lin Qingxue would wake up at night.

Lin Qingxue got out of bed.

The sound of rummaging through drawers.

Then something cold was pressed against her face.

“Ice pack. It’ll reduce the swelling.”

Then the smell of medicine.

Lin Qingxue gently pulled aside her collar and applied medicine to her shoulder.

This time it was much gentler than last night.

Careful.

Afraid of hurting her.

Su Yutao’s body was stiff, not daring to move.

That hand was the same as last night.

But the feeling was completely different.

She didn’t know which one to believe.

The medicine was applied.

Her clothes were straightened.

Rustling sounds—Lin Qingxue was changing.

Then the sound of checking her phone.

“It’s only seven… still over an hour before class.”

Lin Qingxue muttered to herself, then turned to her:

“Are you hungry? I’ll go downstairs and buy some breakfast.”

Su Yutao nodded.

Footsteps moved toward the door.

The door opened.

That gentle voice floated back:

“I’ll be right back. Be good.”

The door closed.

The footsteps faded.

The room fell quiet.

Only Su Yutao was left alone.

She curled up in bed, the ice pack still on her face, cool.

Then she felt it.

Her lower abdomen was a little full.

She needed to use the bathroom.

Su Yutao froze.

Bathroom.

Where was the bathroom?

She didn’t know.

Yesterday, when Lin Qingxue helped her in, she only remembered walking from the door to the bed—probably a few steps.

Which direction was the bathroom? Left? Right? She had no idea.

Su Yutao hesitated.

Wait for Lin Qingxue to come back?

But she didn’t know when Lin Qingxue would return.

She said soon.

But how soon was soon?

Five minutes? Ten minutes?

Could she hold it?

What if she couldn’t?

What if she wet the bed?

Would Lin Qingxue dislike her?

Would she think she was a burden?

Would she—

Su Yutao gritted her teeth.

Go.

She had to go.

She took the ice pack off and placed it on the bedside table.

Slowly sat up.

Her feet searched for the floor, stepping down.

Cold.

She held onto the bed frame and stood up.

Then, facing that eternal darkness, she didn’t know which way to go.

She remembered that when she entered the room yesterday, the door was in that direction.

She reached out her hand and groped in that direction.

One step.

Two steps.

Found it—a wall.

She groped along the wall.

Found the door frame.

It was the bedroom door.

She fumbled to open the door and walked out.

Outside was the living room.

She didn’t know what the living room looked like, didn’t know where the sofa was, didn’t know where the coffee table was.

She could only keep groping along the wall, moving forward inch by inch.

The floor was cold under her feet.

She moved cautiously, each step probing with her toes first, afraid of bumping into something.

Found—empty.

Further—empty.

Further—her foot kicked something soft.

She crouched down and felt it.

It was the sofa.

Then the bathroom must be on the other side.

She stood up, turned around, and groped in the opposite direction.

Holding the wall, step by step.

Very slow.

Very careful.

Then she found—another door frame.

She reached inside to feel.

Empty.

There was a smell of moisture.

It was the bathroom.

Su Yutao breathed a sigh of relief, lifted her foot to step in—

Her foot slipped.

She pitched forward, her knee slamming hard into something—probably the edge of the toilet.

Pain.

A piercing pain.

Her mouth opened wide, but only a hoarse rasp of air escaped her throat—she couldn’t scream.

She lay on the ground, clutching her knee, gasping.

Trembling all over from the pain.

But she didn’t dare make a sound.

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