A Pained Whimper and a Familiar Band-Aid

“Waaah, waah, Si Yi, my finger is bleeding so much! It hurts so bad!”

Serena extended her index finger, her eyes shimmering with tears, and her small nose twitched pitifully. She looked utterly heartbroken.

“Oh, goodness, you truly are too clumsy! Let me take a look at that right away!”

Hearing Serena’s pained whimpers, Chen Si Yi naturally couldn’t ignore her. She swiftly withdrew her hands from my tight grasp and hurried over.

“Serena, don’t move. Let me see how bad the wound is.”

Chen Si Yi reached out, pressing down on Serena’s continuously trembling shoulders. She then leaned closer to examine the small cut, which was still oozing crimson blood.

“Phew, thankfully.” After a few moments, Chen Si Yi’s grave expression finally softened. “It’s a good thing this kitchen knife isn’t very sharp, or else you would have been in real trouble today, Serena!”

“Huh? Is the… the injury not very serious, Si Yi?” Serena asked timidly, her panicked little face visibly relaxing along with Chen Si Yi’s.

Chen Si Yi patted her shoulder, a relieved smile gracing her lips. “Yes, don’t worry, it’s nothing major. Come on, let’s go to the living room; I’ll treat it for you. It’ll heal in just a few days!”

With that, Chen Si Yi took Serena’s wrist, leading her like a small child out of the kitchen and into the living room. She then skillfully retrieved the emergency medical kit from the cabinet behind the television, preparing to begin treating the wound.

Given that my “students” had departed, I naturally had no further reason to linger in the kitchen.

Thus, I found a spot on the sofa close to Serena, placing my hands steadily on my thighs as I sat down obediently.

“Alright, it’ll sting a little in a moment, Serena, so try to be brave.”

After dipping a cotton swab in the disinfectant iodine, Chen Si Yi crouched down and began to gently wipe Serena’s wound.

“Ugh… m-m-m… Ow, ow, ow! It hurts so much, Si Yi, please be gentler! Don’t, don’t press so hard!”

Throughout this, Serena kept her eyes tightly shut out of fear. Yet, as the iodine stung her wound, she still let out a series of pained groans, her lips pursed tightly.

‘Serena, you absolute menace,’ I thought, silently watching the entire scene unfold. ‘I’m begging you, could you please keep your voice down? Even with our excellent soundproofing, it can’t withstand this kind of ruckus!’

‘It’s just a tiny cut, do you really need to cry so tragically? If the neighbors hear you and call my dad to say, “Old Lin, your son is quite… *capable*,” wouldn’t I be absolutely doomed?!’

“Mmm, mmm, Si Yi, are you not finished yet?”

“Almost, almost! Just bear with it a little longer; the disinfection will be done in a flash.”

After a few more dabs, Chen Si Yi tossed the slightly blood-stained cotton swab into the trash. Across from her, Serena finally ceased her wailing, curled up on the sofa with a pale face, clearly still reeling from the shadow of her ‘excruciating pain.’

“Alright, here, just one last thing: a band-aid!” Chen Si Yi rummaged through the medical kit and produced a band-aid adorned with a small cat. A warm smile bloomed on her face. However, Serena, witnessing this, reacted like a startled bird, struggling desperately to escape Chen Si Yi’s ‘clutches.’

But my sister was not about to let her get away. After uttering the slightly insincere words, ‘Don’t worry, it won’t hurt, it won’t hurt,’ she tore open the band-aid’s plastic packaging and forcibly, yet firmly, pressed it onto Serena’s index finger.

“Hiss~ Ow, ow, it really hurts, Si Yi, you lied!” Serena instantly gasped, her vibrant green eyes brimming with an aggrieved expression.

“Oh, who lied to you? It only stings for the briefest moment when it’s applied, that’s all…” Meeting Serena’s aggrieved gaze, Chen Si Yi merely shrugged, her tone a mix of helplessness and an inexplicable lightness.

Meanwhile, I remained on the sofa, silently observing the two of them, my expression so flat it betrayed not a single ripple of emotion.

However, after widening my eyes and clearly discerning the band-aid’s design, I found myself propping my chin, lost in deep contemplation.

‘Hmm… if I’m not mistaken, this band-aid… it looks incredibly familiar…’