A Return Home and Lingering Shadows

Seeing the two people embracing, Qin Ruoxue felt a surge of irritation.

She silently ran out of the room, collapsing onto a bench in the hospital corridor.

She didn’t know what was wrong, but her heart was terribly agitated. So agitated, in fact, that Qin Ruoxue desperately wanted to smash something.

After a while, Qin Ruoxue finally calmed down. She cast one last glance at the three people in the ward before quietly departing.

Not long after she left, Xu Wei also rushed out, her eyes red-rimmed.

She simply couldn’t bear the sight; if she stayed any longer, she too would burst into tears.

Once outside, Xu Wei glanced around. She had seen Qin Ruoxue leave earlier and intended to speak with her, but the other woman had vanished in the blink of an eye.

Without dwelling on it, Xu Wei sent Lin Yi a quick message and headed straight home.

****

The two in the ward held each other, weeping for a considerable time before their emotions gradually settled.

Realizing his earlier lapse, Lin Yi quickly averted his face, utterly mortified.

They were both in their twenties, yet here he was, hiding in his older sister’s embrace like a child. It was simply unthinkable.

His cheeks burned, a testament to Lin Yi’s surging embarrassment. To prevent his sister from noticing his flushed face, he buried his head even deeper.

“Why is Little Yi blushing?”

Lin Yi’s movements, of course, couldn’t escape Lin Yiting’s keen eyes. The moment he blushed, she caught the expression on his face.

Finding her brother rather amusing in this state, Lin Yiting deliberately leaned closer to Lin Yi.

Instinctively pulling away, Lin Yi suppressed his emotions and stammered out a sentence.

“Sister… shouldn’t we… be able to leave the hospital now?”

That question reminded Lin Yiting that this hospital belonged to Qin Ruoxue’s family. Although they weren’t paying this time, staying indefinitely wasn’t a solution.

“Alright, Little Yi, wait for me for a moment. I’ll go handle the discharge procedures for you.”

With that, Lin Yiting hurried out of the room.

Watching her retreating figure, Lin Yi found himself at a loss for words.

****

After a smooth discharge, Lin Yiting drove Lin Yi home on her motorcycle.

The moment she pushed open the door, a small cat darted from the bedroom.

Realizing Lin Yi and Lin Yiting had returned, it quickly scurried to their feet, meowing incessantly.

It was clear the little creature was ravenous.

“Alright, alright, I’ll feed you right away.”

Lin Yiting picked up the tabby cat, casually stroking its head twice before pouring a small bag of cat food into its bowl.

Seeing this, the kitten quickly squirmed out of Lin Yiting’s embrace and darted straight for the food.

Such was the nature of cats: they would only fawn over their owners when hungry, waiting to be fed.

Once satisfied, they would find a comfortable spot to recline. A gentle cat might even purr if stroked at such a moment.

If the cat was particularly timid, it would retreat to an unseen corner to rest.

Changing her shoes, Lin Yiting headed to the kitchen first. It was already lunchtime, and Lin Yi hadn’t eaten a thing during his unconsciousness; he was likely starving by now.

Watching his sister busy herself in the kitchen, Lin Yi felt unsure of what to do.

For the past few days, Lin Yiting had done everything, making Lin Yi feel utterly useless.

Feeling truly apologetic, Lin Yi went to the bathroom, retrieved a broom, and decided to sweep the house.

He wasn’t one to clean regularly, usually only once a week. Certain neglected corners had never seen a broom.

This time, Lin Yi resolved to clean the entire house thoroughly. He had nothing else to do anyway, so it would serve as a change of pace.

From the bedroom to the living room, Lin Yi swept meticulously. The tops of cabinets, the hidden corners beneath the bed, the sofa—he tidied almost every conceivable spot.

After finishing, Lin Yi collapsed onto the sofa, his forehead beaded with sweat.

His body, weakened from the recent fever, was drenched in sweat from just a simple sweep.

Just then, Lin Yiting emerged from the kitchen. Seeing Lin Yi’s state, she initially thought his illness hadn’t fully subsided.

Instinctively, she wanted to send Lin Yi back to the hospital, but then she noticed how much cleaner the room was.

“Did you clean?”

Lin Yi nodded weakly.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yiting’s gaze immediately sharpened.

“You just recovered from a fever! Don’t you know your own body? Get back to bed and lie down, quickly!”

Lin Yi flinched, shrinking his neck back. He couldn’t withstand that gaze; it felt as if he were facing a raging beast.

Obediently lying back on the bed, Lin Yi, feeling a little bored, opened his phone.

There were two messages, one from Xu Wei and one from Qin Ruoxue.

Both were simply farewells, nothing more.

Lin Yi glanced at them, then tossed his phone aside. His mood for gaming had vanished, and he simply stared blankly at the ceiling.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when a black and white tabby cat jumped onto the bed.

It circled Lin Yi a few times before brazenly sprawling across his chest.

For a moment, Lin Yi was torn between laughter and tears, unable to bring himself to push the little creature off.

If it liked it there, he would let it stay. Besides, it might even alleviate Lin Yi’s boredom.

And so, Lin Yi extended his hand towards the kitten. Still fast asleep, it sensed something was amiss, but by the time it tried to escape, it was too late.

Lin Yi’s hands had already firmly secured it, and even its valiant struggles proved futile.

With one hand, he held the kitten down, while with the other, he stroked its body repeatedly.

The kitten, which had just been attempting to resist, instantly relaxed, emitting soft purrs.

The little cat even stretched comfortably.

Seeing it like this, Lin Yi’s mood brightened considerably. Having this little creature at home was quite enjoyable.

*Buzz buzz~*

Just then, the phone Lin Yi had tossed aside suddenly vibrated several times. He turned his head and saw the flashing text on the screen: a call from Li Yan.

At this hour, if Li Yan was calling, Lin Yi didn’t even need to answer to know what he wanted. He was undoubtedly looking for someone to play games with.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Brother Lin, get online quickly! I’ve finished building the camp, and this time, I guarantee we can withstand the zombie horde.”

“Hurry, hurry, what’s the rush? Give me a minute.”

Lin Yi reluctantly got up and turned on his computer. By the time he entered the map, he couldn’t even see a trace of Li Yan.

Lin Yi’s character stood frozen for a moment before he noticed the dense zombie horde in the distance.

A terrifying pressure swept over them, and Lin Yi quickly maneuvered his character to leap onto a building’s balcony.

Fortunately, the semi-infected’s physical abilities were far superior to ordinary humans, otherwise, Lin Yi would have met his end here.

“Damn it, where are you? All I see is the zombie horde!”

“Don’t panic, don’t panic yet. After the zombie horde passes, head into the sewers.”

Hearing this, Lin Yi’s mouth twitched. So, all that time researching, and this was what he came up with?

****

Rubbing his aching head, Lin Yi put down his mouse and gazed at the tall buildings in the distance.

After a moment, Lin Yi shut down his computer and sat back on the bed.

Li Yan had really put him through it this time. If not for his excellent positioning, all his equipment would have been destroyed.

As he pondered, Lin Yiting’s voice echoed from the living room.

“Lin Yi, dinner’s ready!”

“Oh, coming!”

****

In a villa district in Xinshi, Chen Lujun sat sternly on a long bench.

Across from him sat Chen Sishi, her head bowed.

Chen Sishi knew perfectly well what her father was about to say, so she had no intention of arguing or listening to Chen Lujun.

Contrary to her expectations, Chen Lujun merely sighed and departed. Chen Sishi stared blankly at her father’s retreating back for a long moment.

Chen Lujun was indeed angry, but he couldn’t bear to punish Chen Sishi.

Over the years, Chen Sishi had suffered no small amount. If he were to interfere with her emotions, he might well suffer the consequences himself.

After all, Chen Sishi was just like her mother, and Chen Lujun was acutely aware of the repercussions of such actions.

However, his refusal to lash out at Chen Sishi didn’t mean he wouldn’t lash out at the butler.

Upon his return, Chen Lujun had already inquired about the entire situation, learning that the butler had covered for Chen Sishi in this matter.

****

Life briefly returned to peace, with Lin Yi still hunched over his desk, eagerly anticipating the end of school.