Chapter 42: The Day After

She remembered the voice on the phone just now—gruff, dismissive, each word dripping with ‘waste.’

Then she remembered how Qiansui said ‘Master’—cautious, timid, ingratiating.

It admired that person so much, but that person didn’t like it at all.

Su Yutao opened her mouth. She asked in her heart: ‘You… don’t you admire your master very much?’

Qiansui was taken aback. ‘What?’

Your master.

She scolded you like that. Aren’t you angry at all?

Qiansui fell silent.

Silent for a long time.

So long that Su Yutao thought it wouldn’t answer.

Then that soft voice sounded, much quieter than usual. ‘I… I don’t know.’

Su Yutao waited.

Qiansui continued, ‘When I woke up, I was in the main system space. Then my consciousness was injected.’

‘I just knew that person was my master, that I was made using her original template.’

A pause.

‘Other than that… I don’t know anything.’

Su Yutao hugged Qiansui tighter.

Qiansui’s voice grew even softer, carrying a sadness it had never shown before. ‘I went to find her… but… I don’t know why, she really doesn’t like me…’

‘I don’t know why. I don’t know why she dislikes me. I don’t know why she calls me a waste.’

Su Yutao’s heart felt like something was twisting it.

Qiansui went on, ‘I… I thought if I just did my tasks well, she would like me.’

‘But just now she said if I called again, she’d have me recycled…’

Another pause, and its voice began to tremble.

‘What does recycled mean? Does it mean… taking me apart?’

Su Yutao lifted Qiansui and pressed it against her face.

She couldn’t speak, but she wanted Qiansui to know—she was here.

Qiansui was startled. ‘You… what are you doing?’

Su Yutao hugged Qiansui back to her chest, over her heart.

Qiansui was silent for a moment.

Then that soft voice sounded again, with a hint of a smile. ‘Are you comforting me?’

Su Yutao didn’t answer.

But she hugged Qiansui even tighter.

Qiansui whispered, ‘Thank you…’

Su Yutao shook her head.

It was she who should say thank you.

Qiansui was scolded by its master to help her get skills.

Qiansui called in the dead of night to heal her injuries.

Qiansui was called a waste so that she could catch her breath.

Qiansui was the best system she had ever met.

Even if it was a waste.

Even if it was only ten minutes.

Even if it was a copy that Qianxia looked down on.

But it was the best.

Qiansui nuzzled against her chest. ‘One more minute… Is anywhere else still hurting?’

Su Yutao shook her head.

She didn’t hurt anymore.

Really didn’t hurt.

Qiansui hummed in acknowledgment. ‘That’s good.’

A minute passed.

The pain returned.

Her shoulder began to ache, the back of her hand started to sting, and her abdomen felt a dull throb.

But it was much better than before.

Not the pain of being shattered, but the pain after injury.

Bearable.

Qiansui whispered in her ear, ‘I can be used again tomorrow… Just bear with it…’

Su Yutao nodded.

She held Qiansui, staring into the eternal darkness.

That person beside her had fallen asleep, breathing softly and evenly.

As if nothing had happened.

***

Dawn broke.

Sunlight filtered through the curtain gap, falling on the floor.

Su Yutao could feel the change in temperature—from cold to warm, from dim to bright.

But she didn’t want to move.

She curled up on the bed, clutching Qiansui, staring into the eternal darkness.

Her shoulder didn’t hurt anymore.

Qiansui’s skill had mended the bones, but the muscles still ached, as if twisted by someone.

The teeth marks on the back of her hand had scabbed, rough to the touch. Her stomach didn’t hurt either, but where that person had kicked, there was still a faint distention.

None of that mattered.

What mattered was—she heard the breathing beside her change.

Not the kind of change from last night.

It was waking up.

The daytime one was awake.

Su Yutao’s whole body tensed.

Lin Qingxue turned over and stretched.

Then that gentle, soft voice sounded, hoarse from just waking. ‘Morning… little mute…’

Su Yutao didn’t move.

Lin Qingxue didn’t seem to mind. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Then she looked down at Su Yutao curled up on the bed and was taken aback. ‘Why are you all scrunched up? Didn’t sleep well?’

Su Yutao still didn’t move.

She didn’t want to move.

She didn’t want to look at that person—though she couldn’t see anyway.

She didn’t want to hear that voice.

That gentle voice.

Exactly the same gentleness as last night.

No, last night wasn’t gentle.

Last night was cold.

The kind of cold that seeps into the bone.

But now this voice was warm.

So warm it made her want to cry.

But she couldn’t cry.

And she didn’t want to cry.

Lin Qingxue, seeing no reaction, assumed she was still half asleep and chuckled lightly. ‘Sleepyhead.’ She threw off the covers and got out of bed, took two steps, then came back.

‘Let me see your hand.’

Su Yutao’s hand was gently pulled over.

The bandages were unwrapped.

Lin Qingxue looked at the hand and blinked in surprise. ‘Oh? The swelling’s gone down? Much better.’

She also checked Su Yutao’s shoulder. ‘The swelling on your shoulder is down too? You recovered pretty quickly.’

Hearing these words, something churned in Su Yutao’s heart.

Swelling gone? Recovered quickly? Of course.

Because the person last night had crushed her and then put her back together.

Because Qiansui had used its skill to heal her.

She remembered last night.

That hand gripping her shoulder.

The bones grinding.

That person saying, ‘You want to die, don’t you? I’ll make sure you can’t.’

She remembered the hand that bit her.

Remembered that satisfied smile when that person licked her wound.

‘More interesting than killing.’

Su Yutao’s hand began to tremble.

Lin Qingxue noticed. ‘What’s wrong? Does it hurt?’ She re-wrapped the bandage and gently patted the back of Su Yutao’s hand. ‘It’s okay, it’ll be fine soon.’

Su Yutao suddenly withdrew her hand.

Lin Qingxue froze.

Su Yutao froze too.

She had withdrawn her hand.

She didn’t want this person to touch her.

This gentle person who bought her buns and let her sleep in the bed.

She didn’t want her touch.

Lin Qingxue looked at her own pushed-away hand, then was silent for a moment. ‘What’s wrong?’

Su Yutao shook her head.

She didn’t know what to say.

She just held Qiansui tighter and curled further into the corner of the bed.

Lin Qingxue watched her like that, a hint of hurt in her eyes. ‘Did you have a nightmare?’

Su Yutao didn’t answer.

A nightmare? No.

It was real.

A thousand times more terrifying than any nightmare.

But she couldn’t say it.

Lin Qingxue looked at her curled up in the corner and sighed. ‘Is it because you fell last night? Are you scared?’ She reached out to stroke Su Yutao’s head.

Su Yutao flinched back.

Dodged.

Lin Qingxue’s hand stopped in midair.

Silence.

A long silence.

Then she let out a soft laugh and withdrew her hand. ‘It’s okay, you’ll get better slowly.’ She stood up. ‘I’ll make breakfast.’

The sound of footsteps headed toward the kitchen.

Su Yutao curled up in the corner of the bed, clutching Qiansui, trembling all over.

She had dodged just now.

She had dodged that gentle person.

That person had done nothing wrong. She was just being gentle.

She was just concerned.

She just wanted to stroke her head.

But she dodged.

Because that hand was exactly the same as the one from last night.

Same temperature, same size, same feel.

She couldn’t tell them apart.

She didn’t know if this hand was coming to stroke her head or to crush her shoulder.

She didn’t know if this voice was coming to ask if she was hungry or to say, ‘The dog you raised yourself bit its owner.’

She really couldn’t tell.

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