“It’s your sister! Don’t be afraid, Lin’er has already left.” Xia Yinuo said, clearly noticing the quilt tremble violently.
A tiny hand peeked out from beneath the quilt, and behind the gaps between its fingers, a pair of aggrieved eyes emerged. They were red-rimmed, as if their owner had been crying. Xia Yinuo gently pulled back the quilt, revealing a small, fair face. Chirp’s body was largely curled up, making him resemble a tiny snail.
“Sister, you’re finally back!” I happily leaped from the bed and plunged into Yinuo’s embrace.
Waaah…
For some reason, seeing Xia Yinuo brought with it a profound sense of relief, as if I had narrowly escaped death. Tears streamed down my face without restraint.
Even though Sister Yinuo and I had known each other for less than a day, at that moment, she felt like my own sister. I couldn’t articulate the feeling, only that seeing her made me feel safe.
Xia Yinuo froze, cradling the little fellow. She hadn’t expected Chirp, who had been so resistant earlier, to suddenly accept her. Seeing his aggrieved expression, it seemed he had genuinely been frightened.
Xia Yinuo fell into thought. Logically, Lin’er hadn’t discovered Chirp.
“There, there, don’t be afraid. Sister is here! No one dares bully you.” Xia Yinuo embraced the little one’s head, gently stroking his back, a doting smile gracing her lips. Her left hand formed a peace sign, as if proudly displaying her success in taming a little brother.
“Where do you live? Shall I take you home, little one?” Xia Yinuo truly hated to part with Chirp, but for the sake of her future ‘rearing overlord’ aspirations, she had to endure it. If she could just take Chirp home this time, she would know his address, and finding him again would be a piece of cake.
Despite her words, Xia Yinuo’s grip tightened, showing no intention of releasing Chirp. She wanted to hold him like this all the way home. There was an indescribable, incredibly pleasant scent about Chirp.
Unconsciously, Xia Yinuo closed her eyes, burying her nose in Chirp’s hair, deeply inhaling the lovely fragrance.
“Ouch!” A cry of pain escaped, and Xia Yinuo’s eyes snapped open. Chirp’s face wore a pained expression. Their eyes met, and Chirp silently lowered his head, murmuring, “You’re squeezing me too hard.”
“I’m so sorry, truly sorry. I didn’t mean to. I just… I just love you too much.” Xia Yinuo felt much better after saying this. It was practically a confession; now it was up to the little fellow to decide. Xia Yinuo released her grip at the opportune moment.
Upon hearing Sister Yinuo’s words, my ears buzzed, and I nervously scrambled off the bed, hastily putting on my shoes.
‘Hallucinations, hallucinations! Have I become so infatuated with Sister Yinuo? My illness hasn’t been cured, and now I’ve developed another. I’m truly beyond saving.’ I didn’t know how to respond to Sister Yinuo. Head bowed, I squeezed my right hand with my left, and walked out in a daze.
‘Sister Yinuo is the goddess of our school! How could she possibly like me? She only sees me as a patient. She just calls me ‘little brother.’ Chirp, how can you be so conceited? So wildly arrogant, you’re nothing but a toad dreaming of swan meat.’
I smiled bitterly and continued walking. By the time I snapped out of it, I was already on the tree-lined path. “Huh? When… when did I get here? I haven’t even said goodbye to Sister Yinuo yet!”
I stopped, standing rooted to the spot, frantically scratching my ears and cheeks. “Should I go back and say something to Sister?”
As I turned around, a white figure rushed towards me.
“Ahhh! I’m falling!”
“Sister Yinuo?”
I had just recognized the face of the person lunging at me, but there was no time to dodge or stop it. Xia Yinuo fell directly onto me, and I instantly hit the ground.
My head made intimate contact with the ground. Fortunately, it was a rubberized surface, so the fall wasn’t too painful. A cascade of hair obscured my vision, and the soft, heavy weight on my body made me let out a sigh of relief.
‘Good thing I broke her fall, otherwise Sister Yinuo would have had a terrible crash. Did… did I protect Sister Yinuo?’ The current position was incredibly awkward, no less so than the situation in the consultation room.
I was scared half to death; this was the campus! With so many people around, and so many gossiping mouths, I was at a loss. To evade responsibility, I could only lie motionless on the ground—playing dead.
Xia Yinuo clearly saw Chirp’s expression and understood his thoughts. She hadn’t expected the little fellow to play dead; she had truly underestimated him.
Chirp had been silent ever since leaving the psychology room. She hadn’t spoken either, just followed behind him, wondering how to get him to open up.
When she saw Chirp turn around, a brilliant idea struck her. She pretended to slip, hoping to make Chirp speak naturally. Alas, the little fellow was not only shy but also possessed a tiny bit of cunning. Still, that wouldn’t deter her.
Hiss!
Xia Yinuo feigned a delayed reaction, drawing in a sharp breath. She propped herself up with one hand on the ground and the other on Chirp’s chest, slowly rising.
“Chirp, are you alright? Does it hurt? Answer me! Chirp, please don’t be hurt! Otherwise, Sister will blame herself for the rest of her life.” Xia Yinuo grabbed Chirp’s wrist, then checked for his breath, and listened for his heartbeat. She exclaimed, “Oh no, no pulse, no breathing, no heartbeat! It looks like I’ll have to give you artificial respiration!”
I was immediately dumbfounded. I was only pretending not to react; how could I have no pulse or breath? I could even hear my own heartbeat. When I opened my eyes, I saw Xia Yinuo squinting, her cherry-red lips puckered, leaning in for a kiss.
“Sister, no!” I immediately extended my hand to block her mouth, feeling a wet, soft sensation against my palm.
Xia Yinuo’s eyes suddenly widened, and she pulled me into a tight embrace. “That’s wonderful! You’re alright, I was so worried I was going to die!”
“Sister, don’t be like that! People will misunderstand if they see us.” I hastily pushed Xia Yinuo away, retreating two steps to the side.
Although it was Sunday, there weren’t many people on campus, but some student leaders and teachers on duty were still around. If someone saw this and it reached my homeroom teacher, I would undoubtedly be lectured.
“I’m sorry, Sister was just too worried about you.” Xia Yinuo raised an eyebrow and smiled, her eyes narrowed. If one plan failed, she’d try another. She refused to believe this little fellow could escape her again.
“Oh dear!”
“What’s wrong?” I was walking when I suddenly heard Yinuo’s cry of surprise. I turned back to see her clutching her left knee, half-crouching, appearing to have suffered a significant knee injury.
‘It’s all my fault, my fault. If I had reacted faster, I could have prevented Sister from falling. I’m useless; I still couldn’t protect her.’ Filled with guilt, I quickly ran over.
‘No injury!’ Sister Yinuo wasn’t wearing stockings, and neither her fair, slender legs nor her knees showed any sign of injury, not even dust. Just as I was feeling confused, Sister waved her hand, pointing to her right calf.
A five-centimeter red scratch, like a tiny earthworm, snaked across her smooth leg.
“Can you still walk?” I reached out to touch it, but my hand recoiled just before contact. That seemed inappropriate. This wound didn’t look like it came from a fall at all; it seemed more like something sharp had grazed it.
Xia Yinuo took a normal step with her left foot, but as soon as her right foot touched the ground, she cried out in pain. Her body started to crouch. I reacted swiftly, running over to let her hand rest on my shoulder.