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Join the ServerLin Qingxue stood at the stove, slid the fried egg onto a plate, and turned off the fire.
The oil was still sizzling around the edges of the egg. She picked up the plate, turned around, and placed it on the dining table.
She went back to the bedroom, her gaze falling on the bed.
Su Yutao was still asleep, sprawled out with her limbs splayed, the little penguin plushie tossed to one side and the blanket kicked up to her waist. Her white hair fanned out across the pillow, a picture of restful beauty.
But the bandage on her arm was glaringly white in the morning light, the gauze on her ear just as stark, and the straps wrapped around her shoulder made her look like a rescued animal.
Lin Qingxue set the plate on the nightstand and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Those wounds, the cigarette burns, the bite marks, the bruises, the scrapes, were fully exposed in the morning light, every single one clear as day.
She reached out, wanting to touch Su Yutao’s face, but her hand stopped in midair and then withdrew.
She remembered the fantasy from earlier. Had she really done something terrible to Xiao Tao last night?
Could she have been sleepwalking?
She thought about it, and then her head began to ache.
It wasn’t a sharp pain, but a dull, throbbing ache, as if something was blocked inside her skull. Every time she tried to think in that direction, the blockage tightened.
She rubbed her temples and stopped thinking.
She bent down, gently shook Su Yutao’s shoulder, and said in a very soft voice:
“Xiao Tao, time to get up.”
“Breakfast is ready.”
Su Yutao woke up groggily. The eternal darkness was still there.
But she smelled the aroma of fried eggs and heard that gentle voice. She knew it was morning.
This was probably the most comfortable night’s sleep she’d had at Lin Qingxue’s place. Despite everything that happened last night, at least she hadn’t been put through any torment before falling asleep.
Mainly because the pain suppression had numbed her pain, allowing her to sleep unusually well.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say “morning.”
She didn’t know why she wanted to say that word. Maybe because during the day, she would say “morning” to her every day.
Maybe because she wanted to respond.
She just instinctively tried to speak. From her throat, a word trembled out: “Morn…ing…”
Very soft, very short, like wind brushing over a string.
Hoarse, dry, not like a human voice. Like an instrument that hadn’t been used in a long time, suddenly plucked.
But it was a word. It was “morning.”
Lin Qingxue froze.
She looked down at Su Yutao, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, her voice trembling with disbelief:
“Xiao Tao… you… you can speak?”
Su Yutao was stunned too.
She lay in bed, staring at the eternal darkness, her mind blank.
Did I just… speak? Did I really say something?
She opened her mouth, wanting to say “I,” to say “yes,” to say something to confirm.
But her throat only produced a raspy “heh, heh” sound, like a leaky bellows.
No coughing, no pain. Just couldn’t speak.
It was better than before. Before, trying to force it out would cause violent coughing. Now, it just wouldn’t come out.
A strange feeling welled up in her heart, hope, but she didn’t dare too much hope.
She asked silently: Qiansui, wake up. Don’t sleep.
I think I can speak.
Qiansui’s groggy voice echoed, thick with sleep:
“Mm… yeah… It’s morning? You can speak?”
It paused, as if recalling something.
“Mm… that makes sense.”
“After you fell asleep yesterday, I used another round of healing on you right around midnight.”
“I remember that doctor earlier said your throat could recover with long-term rehabilitation therapy. I figured this healing skill should work similarly.”
“So I used it on you last night. Didn’t expect it to actually work.”
When Su Yutao heard this, the heavy stone that had been pressing on her heart seemed to loosen a little.
Great, it can be healed!
She could speak again!
She could speak!
Lin Qingxue lifted Su Yutao off the bed, sliding her hands under her arms and lifting her into the air. Her voice was more excited than Su Yutao had ever heard:
“Xiao Tao! You can speak!”
Her voice was shaking.
Su Yutao was held aloft, her feet dangling, hanging in midair.
She could feel the warmth of those hands, the excitement of that person, the breath hitting her face, warm.
She didn’t know why, but Lin Qingxue seemed even more excited than she was.
Maybe she was genuinely happy for her. If only the nighttime version of her wouldn’t wake up again, that would be best. Then I’d be happy too.
Lin Qingxue set her down, made her sit up straight, then turned around to grab her phone, scrolled to Shen Nian’s number, and dialed a video call.
The screen lit up, and the other side answered instantly.
Shen Nian’s face appeared on the screen, the background showing a hotel nightstand and lamp. She was wearing a silk pajama, hair loose, with red marks from sleep still on her face.
She immediately said:
“Xiao Xue, so what’s the deal with those wounds? That little mute doesn’t have a self-harm tendency, does she?”
“Even Zhou Ye couldn’t be that cruel.”
Lin Qingxue wasn’t listening at all.
She held the phone up to her face, her voice filled with barely contained excitement:
“Nian Nian! She’s not a mute anymore! She can talk now!”
She turned the camera toward Su Yutao, one hand on her shoulder, her voice light and coaxing:
“Xiao Tao, say hi to Sister Shen Nian.”
Su Yutao sat on the bed, the phone camera aimed at her, feeling that gaze through the screen.
Her face began to burn. Her lips trembled, her throat trembled, her whole body trembled.
She wanted to force out that word, to force out “morning,” to force out “hello,” to force out any word.
But her throat only produced a raspy “heh, heh” sound, growing faster and louder.
Her face flushed bright red, her eyes wide, her mouth open, like a fish thrown onto the shore.
Shen Nian watched from the other end, her frown deepening.
She watched Su Yutao’s face turn from white to red, from red to purple. She watched her throat strain, her mouth open and close, but not a single word came out.
Only the “heh heh” sound, like a leaky bellows.
She sighed, her voice carrying a note of “I knew it” resignation:
“Xiao Xue, maybe you should get some more rest? Or go see a doctor again.”
“You’re not having hallucinations, are you? Look at her, so badly injured, her face all red from trying to speak. She doesn’t look like she can talk at all.”
Lin Qingxue looked at the screen, then at Su Yutao.
The little blind girl sat on the bed, face flushed crimson, mouth open, throat making “heh heh” sounds. She seemed to be straining, struggling, but not a single word came out.
Lin Qingxue’s heart sank.
She remembered the word she’d heard this morning, “morning.”
So clear. So real.
She couldn’t have misheard.
She put the phone aside, knelt down, and looked Su Yutao in the eye.
She reached out, gently stroked Su Yutao’s head, and spoke softly, as if afraid to startle her:
“Xiao Tao, you said ‘morning’ just now.”
“I heard it.”
“Say it again, okay? Just once.”
“Take your time. No rush.”
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Did Mr. Villain Cross Into the Wrong Book? is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Did Mr. Villain Cross Into the Wrong Book?
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