“Ah… so they were just sleeping in. I worried for nothing.”
Ying Zhiyu breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly walked to the bedside. “The sun’s already high! Get up! You’re ten minutes late!”
She spoke as she pulled back the covers.
Yet, the inner edge of the blanket was clutched tightly, refusing to budge. It seemed Huang Xiu was locked in a silent struggle with her from within.
?
Ying Zhiyu’s brows subtly furrowed. Something felt amiss—this didn’t seem like Huang Xiu just sleeping in.
She settled onto the edge of the bed and asked softly, “Huang Xiu, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should I ask for leave for you?”
“No.”
A low reply came from beneath the covers, dry and hoarse. Ying Zhiyu knew instantly that something was wrong.
‘Huang Xiu was still trying to act tough at a time like this…’
She smiled helplessly, shaking the blanket gently. “Don’t say ‘no’; your state is clearly off.”
At these words, the blanket trembled slightly, but the person inside remained silent.
Ying Zhiyu gently stroked the top of the blanket, where Huang Xiu’s head presumably lay. “I’ll stay with you. You can tell me if anything is bothering you!”
“Aren’t we good friends?”
“Mm.”
The blanket gave another tremor.
“Hm? Where’s your bedsheet?”
Ying Zhiyu noticed another anomaly; Huang Xiu’s bedsheet was missing.
Huang Xiu, from within the covers, was silent for a moment. “It’s… it’s in the washing machine.”
‘The bedsheet was ruined? Wait, could it be…’
‘By my calculations, Huang Xiu’s period should be starting soon…’
Ying Zhiyu’s mind raced.
For once, she was surprisingly astute, having roughly guessed what had happened.
“Honestly, if it’s your period, you should have told us sooner. It was the same last time; you clearly had stomach pain but stubbornly endured it alone.”
She felt a mix of helplessness and heartache.
“I didn’t endure it… I rested.”
Huang Xiu, still hidden in the covers, mumbled a quiet rebuttal.
“You wait here!”
Ying Zhiyu left the room, opened the washing machine, and hung Huang Xiu’s underwear and bedsheet to dry. She then boiled a pot of water, brewed a cup of brown sugar water, and carried it back into the room.
“Drink some brown sugar water; you’ll feel much better.”
The girl in the blanket said nothing.
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”
Ying Zhiyu chuckled mischievously, gently pulling at the blanket. This time, it opened easily.
Inside the covers, Huang Xiu was curled into a tiny ball, her back to the window, her face unseen. She clutched Huang Xiaoxian tightly, refusing to let go.
Huang Xiaoxian, upon seeing Ying Zhiyu, immediately showed a look of desperation on its almost-collapsing face.
‘Save me, please save me!’ it silently pleaded.
Ying Zhiyu understood Huang Xiaoxian’s meaning and couldn’t help but smile wryly.
“Come, Dalang, it’s time for your medicine!”
She gently turned the girl over, and in the sunlight, she saw it. Huang Xiu’s fair face bore two prominent tear stains, her eyes red like a rabbit’s, her eyelids drooped, and her gaze unfocused.
An indescribable aura of sorrow clung to her.
‘She actually cried…’
Huang Xiu’s condition was worse than Ying Zhiyu had imagined.
She placed the cup aside and attempted to gently pull Huang Xiaoxian from Huang Xiu’s embrace.
The first attempt failed; she was holding on too tightly. But on the second try, as Ying Zhiyu softly stroked Huang Xiu’s head and murmured soothing words, the girl’s hands subtly loosened, finally allowing Huang Xiaoxian to escape her grip.
The moment it was free, Huang Xiaoxian darted under the bed without a backward glance, as if in distress.
Ying Zhiyu placed Huang Xiu’s head on her lap, gently tidying her unusually disheveled hair.
“Huang Xiu, why are you so down today? You’re not like your usual self at all!”
“……” The girl turned her head, remaining silent.
“So weak, honestly, it’s making my maternal instincts kick in,” Ying Zhiyu joked lightly.
“I’m not,” Huang Xiu softly retorted.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“It’s just… too uncomfortable… I can’t get motivated to do anything,” Huang Xiu said, her eyes unfocused. “I want to rest for a day.”
“Then why didn’t you tell us? We would’ve helped you ask for leave! You just made us worry so much.”
Ying Zhiyu poked Huang Xiu’s soft, bouncy cheek. “You stubborn little girl, are you uncomfortable but too proud to say anything, so you’re using this method to get our attention?”
“No… I’m not a little girl,” Huang Xiu whispered.
“Really not? Then I’m leaving?”
Ying Zhiyu pretended to stand up immediately, but the next second, her skirt was clutched by a small hand.
“Just a little…” Huang Xiu’s face flushed, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
She felt miserable and lonely, longing for someone to accompany her. Yet, she couldn’t overcome her pride, nor could she bypass the pitiful, fragile self-esteem she still carried from her past as a boy.
She feared her friends knowing her predicament, but also feared them not knowing how much she suffered, that no one cared for her. This overwhelming sense of awkwardness enveloped her, making it hard to breathe, leaving her feeling powerless, which ultimately led her to skip class.
Now that her thoughts had been exposed, Huang Xiu instantly felt mortified. Even facing the usually innocent and somewhat clumsy Ying Zhiyu, she was like a kitten held by the scruff of its neck by its mother, daring not to resist in the slightest.
“Honestly… if you feel bad in the future, tell us. You even forgot about your own period. Next time, tell me, and I’ll come sleep with you.”
Ying Zhiyu seized the rare opportunity of Huang Xiu’s weakness, kneading her cheeks.
“Mm.” Huang Xiu nodded.
“Can you drink the brown sugar water now?”
“Mm.”
“Is ‘mm’ all you can say?” Ying Zhiyu pinched Huang Xiu’s earlobe, causing the latter to shiver.
“I’ll drink it.” The girl’s voice was a little louder.
“See? That’s all it takes.”
Ying Zhiyu handed the cup to Huang Xiu. A hint of triumph colored her face, as if a serf had finally risen to sing their song.
“Oh, without me, with your stubborn little ways when you’re uncomfortable, what will you ever do in the future?”
“Then don’t leave me…” Huang Xiu whispered, clutching the cup.
“How could that be? A lifetime is too long! I’m definitely going to find a boy I can control and marry him someday.”
Ying Zhiyu smiled, tapping Huang Xiu’s nose.
“Also, with the way you are, remember to find a gentle and considerate boyfriend in the future, or you’ll be doomed.”
“I won’t look for a boyfriend…” Huang Xiu shook her head.
‘She’ll be a girl again in her next life, she can consider it then.’
“You’re still being stubborn at a time like this? Are you really going to live alone your whole life?” Ying Zhiyu complained. This Huang Xiu was clearly adorable, yet excessively awkward.
“I still have Huang Xiaoxian…”
“It’s just a plant! It’s a plant!”
Ying Zhiyu shook Huang Xiu gently. “You’re such a beautiful girl, are you really going to spend your life with a plant?”
Huang Xiu silently nodded again.
Ying Zhiyu fell silent, then sighed helplessly. “Alright, if that’s what you like, then I’ll call you…”
‘Even if she likes it this way, so be it.’
Having said that, she paused, about to continue speaking.
But the keen senses of an Awakened individual suddenly flared, making her aware of a gaze fixed upon her.
Ying Zhiyu immediately looked up, following the feeling.
Leaning against the now-empty doorframe was an elegant woman in a ladies’ suit. It was Wen Zhidie.
She had remained somewhat worried about Huang Xiu, who hadn’t come to class, so as soon as the break was announced, she had rushed over.
“Can we talk outside?” Wen Zhidie whispered.
Ying Zhiyu nodded, rising to leave, but Huang Xiu clutched her skirt hem tightly.
“Don’t go…” she whispered.
“I’m just going outside, I’ll be right back, I’m not leaving, not leaving.”
Ying Zhiyu repeated herself several times, but Huang Xiu refused to let go. In helplessness, she had to drag Huang Xiaoxian from under the bed and stuff it back into Huang Xiu’s arms before she could finally break free.
Looking at Huang Xiaoxian, clutched tightly by Huang Xiu, its eyes unfocused, Ying Zhiyu silently apologized in her heart.
‘Emergency, sorry, Xiaoxian!’
The current Huang Xiu was simply too sensitive, too fragile, even harder to handle than her relatives’ children.
Ying Zhiyu quickly exited the room.
“So, what’s the situation now?”
Wen Zhidie was already sitting on the living room sofa with her legs crossed. Seeing Ying Zhiyu emerge, she immediately asked.
“Huang Xiu…”
Ying Zhiyu briefly explained what she knew to the teacher, who nodded as she listened, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Afterward, she asked with a bewildered expression, “It’s just her period, but I don’t know why Huang Xiu suddenly became like this.”
“I think I might know why.”
Wen Zhidie glanced at the doorless bedroom and whispered, “Do you know what Huang Xiu’s lineage is?”
Ying Zhiyu shook her head.
“Her lineage is the White Tower. Before, we never knew what her mental flaw was.”
Wen Zhidie continued with her conjecture. “Now it seems it might be related to emotional connections; she craves them.”
“Huang Xiu got her period early this morning, ruined her bedsheet, felt unwell, and had no one around to stabilize her emotions. All these negative emotions piled up and, in the special environment of late night, finally triggered her mental flaw.”
Her expression was quite serious.
“It’s like that?” Ying Zhiyu’s eyes widened; she hadn’t even considered the mental flaw aspect.
“It’s almost certainly that. She’s very negative and pessimistic right now, which is a symptom of her mental flaw erupting,” Wen Zhidie said.
“Her current state is actually a bit like the indulgence phase in ‘indulgence and defiance,’ letting her mental flaw burst forth. But her mental flaw erupted too quickly; she wasn’t prepared for it.”
“Will there be any problems?” Ying Zhiyu asked seriously.
“If not handled properly, it might make it difficult for her to recover, and her personality could drastically change,” Wen Zhidie said, her expression grave. She wasn’t fearmongering, just exaggerating slightly.
“That serious?” Ying Zhiyu clenched her hands. “How should we handle it?”
While this weak Huang Xiu was quite endearing, she still preferred the cheerful, generous Huang Xiu who always looked out for her.
One pampered, weak little sister was enough!
“I’ll help you ask for leave for Huang Xiu. You stay with her today, don’t leave her. If possible, call her closest friends to come and show their faces,” Wen Zhidie offered a solution.
“What next? Does she need any medicine? Or some Void Energy instrument treatment?” Ying Zhiyu rattled off questions.
“Although it’s serious, it’s not that severe.”
Wen Zhidie carefully chose her words. “As long as she understands that she has many caring, close people, she’ll be fine.”
“Class is about to start, I need to go back to the classroom. If you encounter any problems you can’t solve, just find me.”
Ying Zhiyu nodded in response, then began to ponder who Huang Xiu’s closest friends truly were.
She had initially thought of casting a wide net, calling everyone she knew. But on second thought, she realized that wouldn’t work. With Huang Xiu’s proud nature, she definitely wouldn’t want so many people to see her in such a vulnerable state.
Otherwise, even after she recovered, she’d probably take it out on her.
Thinking of this, Ying Zhiyu shivered. ‘No, no, I can only call a few of the closest people. Hmm, let me think. A’Rou is one, Fang Miaoging should count, and who else? Oh, right… Yun Ning!’
She remembered Yun Ning. Huang Xiu was not only her fellow junior disciple but had also completed missions and fought alongside him several times. She heard they were even recently… these factors combined should definitely make him one of them.
“I should call people first.”
Ying Zhiyu, fearing Huang Xiu’s condition would worsen, quickly sent messages to each person—[Huang Xiu in danger, return quickly!]
She told them to come to the dorm after class. However, when it came to Yun Ning, she ran into a problem. Although Yun Ning and Huang Xiu had a good relationship and he was their class’s teaching assistant, she wasn’t familiar with him and didn’t have his contact information.
Ying Zhiyu quickly came up with a solution.
“Right, I’ll just find Teacher Wen Zhidie!”
As a teacher, even if Wen Zhidie didn’t have Yun Ning’s contact information, she could find Teacher Yuan Fei and ask her to help connect them.
‘My Xiao Yu is indeed the smartest person in 406.’
Ying Zhiyu’s face beamed with pride as she quickly contacted Wen Zhidie, who immediately stated she would find a way to notify Yun Ning.
After notifying everyone who needed to be informed, Ying Zhiyu immediately turned and hurried back to Huang Xiu’s bedroom.
She had only been gone for ten minutes.
Huang Xiu’s condition had visibly worsened. She was curled up in the corner of the bed, clutching Huang Xiaoxian tightly, her eyes unfocused as if in a daze.
It wasn’t until she heard Ying Zhiyu’s footsteps that her eyes shifted, turning towards her.
A look of joy immediately appeared on her face.
“I’m back, Huang Xiu!”
Ying Zhiyu took off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, settling comfortably beside Huang Xiu.
“Huang Xiaoxian is tired too; let it rest for a while. Anyway, you have me to keep you company now.”
“Mm…”
Ignoring the green hamster ball in her line of sight, Ying Zhiyu gently held Huang Xiu’s hand and softly recounted their shared experiences.
“Remember the first time we met, on the high-speed train, when I said you were a good person…”
“Mm.”
Ying Zhiyu spoke, and Huang Xiu listened, only occasionally nodding in response. Yet, Ying Zhiyu grew more animated with each story. Even though their first meeting was only two months ago, every time she thought of it, she felt it was a serendipitous encounter arranged by fate.
“That day at the Touchpoint… I thought I was going to die. But then you and the others suddenly appeared like divine soldiers, it was so cool…”
As she spoke, Ying Zhiyu suddenly heard a faint snore coming from beside her. She smiled softly, ceasing her chatter.
Having slept for less than four hours, cried for a long time, and still bleeding, Huang Xiu was indeed exhausted. Ying Zhiyu dared not leave, nor dared to let go. She pulled the blanket over Huang Xiu and sat beside her, observing her sleeping face, quietly humming the lullaby her mother used to sing.
“Sleep, little baby, I’ll be with you in your dreams, accompanying your laughter and your weariness…”