Chapter 14: A Pet’s Place

Afraid of disturbing the neighbors.

Afraid of being discovered.

Afraid of—

She didn’t even know what she was afraid of.

She just dared not make a sound.

After lying there for a moment, the pain subsided.

She pushed herself off the ground and slowly got up.

Her hand found the toilet.

She sat down.

Dealt with the problem.

Then she stood up, leaned against the wall, and fumbled her way back.

Her knee ached, causing her to limp with every step.

Each step felt like a needle prick.

But she clenched her teeth and moved, one agonizing step at a time.

She felt her way out of the bathroom.

Across the living room.

To the bedroom door.

To the bedside.

She climbed onto the bed.

Crawled back to her original spot.

She reapplied the ice pack to her face.

Just as she settled, the door sounded.

The click of the key turning.

The door opened.

Footsteps entered.

That gentle voice rang out: “I’m back. I bought buns and soy milk—still hot.”

Su Yutao shrank under the covers, motionless.

As if nothing had happened.

But the throbbing pain in her knee reminded her of what had just occurred.

She didn’t dare speak.

Didn’t dare move.

She could only curl up and wait for Lin Qingxue to hand her the breakfast.

Lin Qingxue seemed to hesitate for a moment: “What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

Su Yutao shook her head.

It wasn’t that she felt unwell.

It was that she didn’t dare move.

Didn’t dare let Lin Qingxue discover she had gotten up earlier.

Didn’t dare let Lin Qingxue see her scraped knee.

Didn’t dare—

But Lin Qingxue was already leaning in.

“What happened to your knee?”

Su Yutao’s heart tightened.

She had forgotten.

Forgotten to pull the covers properly.

Lin Qingxue’s hand gently touched her knee—right where she had hit the toilet.

It hurt.

Su Yutao sucked in a sharp breath, instinctively drawing her leg back.

Lin Qingxue’s voice changed.

“It’s all bruised and scraped… Did you get out of bed just now?”

Su Yutao froze.

She opened her mouth, vaguely gestured toward the bathroom, and mimed a fall.

Lin Qingxue was silent for two seconds, then let out a soft sigh.

“Why didn’t you call me when you needed to go… No, you couldn’t call.”

She paused, her voice laced with self-blame.

“I should have known. Being home alone must have been inconvenient for you.”

A rustling sound—Lin Qingxue was searching for something.

Then came the smell of medicine, and the cool touch of a cotton swab on her knee.

“Bear with it. I’m just disinfecting it.”

Su Yutao clenched her teeth, not moving a muscle.

Lin Qingxue’s movements were gentle, careful—as if handling something fragile.

After applying the ointment, she put on a band-aid.

“All done.”

Lin Qingxue stood up and handed the breakfast to Su Yutao.

“Eat first. The buns are still warm.”

Su Yutao took them and took a bite.

Meat filling.

Just like yesterday.

But it tasted like nothing.

Her mind was full of what had happened the night before.

Lin Qingxue ate her own portion beside her, quiet for a while, then spoke up.

“Um… I have quite a few classes today.”

Su Yutao froze.

Lin Qingxue continued.

“Two in the morning, two in the afternoon, and an evening elective… I won’t be back until after eight.”

Su Yutao gripped the bun tightly.

Eight in the evening.

What about the rest of the day?

She’d be alone?

Lin Qingxue seemed to realize the same issue, her voice hesitant.

“Will you be okay alone at home?”

Su Yutao didn’t know whether to nod or shake her head.

Was she okay?

Hell no. She couldn’t see, couldn’t call for help even if she wanted to.

Lin Qingxue was silent for a few more seconds, then said.

“I’ll have my friend bring you lunch. Shen Nian—you met her yesterday.”

Su Yutao remembered that voice—crisp and loud, the one that had called her “little beggar.”

Lin Qingxue was already on her phone.

“I’ll call her.”

The sound of the call connecting.

“Hey, Niannian, do you have time this afternoon?”

The person on the other end seemed to say something.

“Yeah, well, it’s like this—the person I picked up… she’s home alone, and I won’t be back until evening. I wanted to ask if you could bring her lunch.”

The other person paused.

Then Su Yutao heard a voice from the phone—she couldn’t make out the exact words, but the tone was clearly complaining.

Lin Qingxue let out a soft laugh.

“I know, I know. Just think of it as doing me a favor.”

The other person said something else, longer this time.

Lin Qingxue listened, and the smile on her face slowly faded.

Then she stood up, walked to the window, and lowered her voice—but Su Yutao’s ears were sharp, and she could still hear.

“Niannian, I know you mean well, but she’s like this now. I can’t just ignore her.”

The other person responded.

Lin Qingxue was silent for a few seconds, then said.

“An orphanage… I thought about that, too. But she doesn’t want to go to the police, and we don’t even know where she’s from. Sending her to an orphanage requires paperwork, right? She has nothing right now.”

The other person spoke again.

Lin Qingxue’s voice grew a bit heavy.

“I know… I know this isn’t a long-term solution. But at least until she gets better, until she can… I don’t know how to put it. I can’t just throw her out now, can I?”

The other person fell silent.

Then Lin Qingxue gave a soft laugh, but it sounded tired.

“You’re right, it is like keeping a pet. But at least a pet has an owner. She doesn’t even know who she is.”

Su Yutao’s hand froze, still holding the bun.

A pet?

Like keeping a pet?!

She lowered her head, staring into the eternal darkness before her.

Something seemed to clog her heart.

Yeah.

She was that pet.

Picked up, fed, medicated, with meals arranged.

No need to speak, no need to think—just stay put and behave.

What difference was there from a pet?

Su Yutao twitched the corner of her mouth, trying to smile.

But she couldn’t.

She had always been an orphan.

The kind nobody wanted.

Now that someone had taken her in, she’d become a pet.

At least a pet had someone to want it.

What right did she have to be upset?

She was indebted—taking their food, their help.

They bought her medicine, bought her buns, let her sleep in their bed.

Even going to the bathroom, she caused trouble.

What right did she have to feel humiliated?

Su Yutao lowered her head and continued eating the bun.

Lin Qingxue finished the call and came back.

“Alright, she’ll come by at noon. Just wait for her to knock… No, listen for the sound.”

She placed something on the bedside table.

“This is my old phone. Even though you can’t see, if anything happens, you can press this button—I’ve set it to speed dial. One press and it’ll call me.”

Su Yutao nodded.

Lin Qingxue checked the time and sighed.

“I really have to go now. Be good, and don’t tear the house down.”

That warm hand gently patted her head.

Then the footsteps receded.

The door opened and closed.

The room fell silent.

Only Su Yutao remained.

She curled up on the bed, still holding half a bun.

A pet.

Like keeping a pet.

She thought about those two words as she slowly stuffed the last bite of bun into her mouth.

Chew, chew, chew. Then she shrank back under the covers.

[System. Big brother system. Big sister system. When will you come?]

[I’m about to become a pet.]

[No. I already am a pet.]

The kind that’s kept.

Silence.

Nothing.

Su Yutao closed her eyes.

Tired.

So tired.

She hadn’t slept well last night at all. She was exhausted.

Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Her consciousness grew fuzzier.

She fell asleep.

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