The crisp sound of "knock knock knock" came through the thick door panel. Hua Lianxi, curled up in a ball, blinked her long, curled lashes a few times before slowly opening her eyes after struggling for a while.
The sheer floral curtains were faintly illuminated by the bright sunlight outside, casting mottled, scattered patches of light on the room—enough for Hua Lianxi to recall the sorrow of dragging her suitcase alone last night as she fled that castle.
"Xixi, are you awake? If you don't come out soon, I'm going to come in and pull your blankets off! I don't want your fair legs to get sunburned!" Cheng Yi pressed her ear to the door, carefully listening for any movement inside, secretly worrying about her friend's mood and fearing she might do something foolish.
After worrying all night and scrolling endlessly through various online media, Cheng Yi finally fully understood what Hua Lianxi had been going through these past few days at dawn. Her heart ached so much she couldn't sleep and decided early in the morning to go to the market, determined to take good care of her.
Yet now, with the meal prepared, there was still no movement from inside the room.
Blinking drowsily at the scattered light playing on the floor for a few seconds, Hua Lianxi suddenly turned her head away, then flipped onto her side with her face toward the darkness, slowly closing her eyes again.
After waiting a long while with no response, Cheng Yi bit her lip and shouted out the frustration in her heart, "Hua Lianxi, is it really worth it because of that jerk? Besides, isn't it just a contract? Now the accounts are settled, you two have no relationship at all!" Having seen their closeness and ambiguity with her own eyes and despite the media repeatedly describing their relationship as merely that of employer and custom service, Cheng Yi kept speculating whether they had something beyond the contract. It was because of such a relation that Hua Lianxi looked so heartbroken.
Squinting, her voice clearly reached Hua Lianxi's ears. Hua Lianxi quickly fluttered her long eyelashes and then smiled faintly, "Yi Yi, I'm just really tired. I want to sleep a little longer!"
She really was exhausted. In just a few months, from strangers to pure business, then gradually growing ambiguous, and then surrendering herself recklessly—she had prepared herself for the worst and was fearless, yet she never expected it to end so humiliatingly.
She was too tired. It would take time to forget such torment and anxiety, to keep arming herself again and again. At this moment, she preferred to fall into a deep sleep—maybe waking up from a long nightmare and forgetting everything, with nothing left.
Quietly opening her mouth and raising her right hand, Cheng Yi nearly jumped in irritation, instinctively knowing Hua Lianxi was avoiding reality. If she ran from the past now, the person who woke afterward would only be a sham.
Smiling gently, as if remembering something, Hua Lianxi shouted, "Yi Yi, don't worry, I won't do anything stupid!"
It was just a ridge to cross—a wound so deep she thought it crushed her—but it wouldn't completely make her abandon herself, abandon Hua Zhenzhen, or abandon this world still brimming with friendship.
"I'll be home all day today!" After hearing the reassurance, Cheng Yi finally lowered her raised hand and turned toward her own room, but paused and pulled out her phone.
"Brother, it's me…"
Time passed in long, dark stretches. When Hua Lianxi woke again, she could no longer see the scattered light—the room was completely dark.
Moving her body, sore from long sleep, Hua Lianxi turned her head and tried to peek through the drifting curtains for any hint of the time. But unfortunately, the curtains that usually let in patchy light were pitch black.
Slowly propping herself up on her arms, she rubbed her cheeks hard. Still, her mind flashed back suddenly to Kong Chengyi's cold fury.
Pressing her rubbed hands against her eyelids, Hua Lianxi revealed a trace of bitter amusement. After waking, her mind still played back Kong Chengyi's resoluteness—such a scene was like a blade carving into her heart.
Fumbling, she pushed the door open. The glaring white incandescent light overwhelmed her, and she immediately closed her eyes, shielding with her hand.
"Are you hungry? Want to eat?" A deep, mellow male voice suddenly broke the cool silence. Hua Lianxi lowered her hand from her face.
"Sorry, I should have turned the light off. I was worried the darkness might scare you!" Cheng Shaobai rose calmly from the sofa, a slight smile on his lips as he stepped firmly in front of her.
"Hungry? I'll take you out to eat. Yi Yi had something urgent and went back to the office to work overtime!" Upon receiving Cheng Yi's call at noon, he had immediately ended his meeting and spent the entire afternoon quietly waiting on the sofa for Hua Lianxi to wake.
Taking an uneasy step back, Hua Lianxi covered her lips with her hand, remembering how disheveled she still looked. Her voice was hoarse, "Oh, it's Brother Cheng!"
This was Cheng Yi's home, so it was unsurprising he was here. Besides, she trusted Cheng Yi had told him what happened.
"Go wash up quickly. I'll wait for you!" Reaching out, Cheng Shaobai tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. His gentle eyes gazed at the just-awakened woman before him, and a soft spot in his heart twitched painfully seeing her thin, ghostlike figure.
A low hum escaped Hua Lianxi as she turned and hurried toward the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, Hua Lianxi returned, having changed into comfortable home clothes. Her hair was tied up, revealing small earlobes. She interlaced her fingers and reappeared in the living room.
"What do you want to eat?" Cheng Shaobai looked at her resting posture with satisfaction. His eyes filled with fondness, as if he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms, take her out to enjoy all the finest foods, and nurture her until she was rosy and well-fed.
Tilting her face up slightly, Hua Lianxi glanced around the living room and spoke softly, "Brother Cheng, sorry, I'm not hungry. Can I stay home?" She hadn't washed and changed to go out but because with Cheng Shaobai here, she still felt uncomfortable letting herself look so unkempt. With him, she wanted to keep her distance.
Surprised but quickly understanding her state, Cheng Shaobai nodded slightly. He tugged at his tie with one hand, took off his suit jacket, and rolled up his sleeves quickly. "Since you don't want to go out, I'll cook for you. You can't go the whole day without eating!" In fact, from noon until now, he hadn't taken a drop. Perhaps if she refrained from eating and drinking, he wanted to feel it with her, to endure this torment together.
"I really'm not hungry. Brother Cheng, you should go back first." Her eyes fixed on the light overhead, Hua Lianxi momentarily zoned out—a hollow shell with no feelings beyond sleepiness, much less hunger.
The arm with rolled-up sleeves paused. Cheng Shaobai followed her gaze to the light above, then stepped toward her. "Xixi, I haven't eaten either. Just eat with me, okay?" Only separated by a few centimeters, Cheng Shaobai clearly saw his reflection in her pupil. Yet within the dark pupil, there was no trace of her own light—at this moment, she was a lifeless mummy, stiff and silent.
Warm breath brushed her cheek. Hua Lianxi was stunned for a few seconds, then naturally pushed Cheng Shaobai away from her forehead. "Brother Cheng, I don't want to eat!" With that, she quickly turned and slipped back into her room, slamming the door behind her with a "bang."
Her chest was pushed heavily, and Cheng Shaobai took two unguarded steps back. He watched helplessly as the person who had left less than half an hour ago now hid again behind the door. The door slam felt like a blow to his heart, making it hard to catch his breath.
Leaning against the door, Hua Lianxi plunged herself back into darkness. Her right hand pressed to the spot over her heart, which suddenly ached inexplicably.
The person she wanted to get close to loathed her with extreme intensity, while the person she didn't want to hurt did everything to care for her. Such cruel irony made her feel deeply heartbroken.
Could it be that the one she longed to be near was also tenderly caring for that fragile woman—albeit with such a humble attitude?
Throwing herself again into endless darkness, Hua Lianxi fell into a heavy sleep, waking later to a room full of sunshine.
Faintly, the cold face flickered through her mind. Time had passed, but her feelings remained.
Almost at the same moment, the door clicked open with no warning.
Looking up, Cheng Yi stood with her hands on her hips, eyes wide and round. "Hua Lianxi, today you have to get up and come eat with me!" Yesterday she had no choice but to work overtime, but today she insisted Hua Lianxi get up normally and live normally—absolutely not letting her stay bedridden.
"Can I drink alcohol?" Smiling faintly, Hua Lianxi slowly sat up, feeling a momentary dizziness.
"Drink? Eat your meal first!" Surprised, Cheng Yi yanked the still-sitting Hua Lianxi upright. "No food, no drink. If you want to drink, you have to eat first!" Almost pushing her along, Cheng Yi ushered Hua Lianxi into the bathroom.
Suddenly yanked up and hurried forward, Hua Lianxi's mind spun in dizzy waves, but she didn't protest Cheng Yi's roughness.
Leaning both hands on the sink, Hua Lianxi lowered her head waiting for the dizziness to pass. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head again. Her reflection in the bright mirror showed a pale, sallow face with sunken eyelids.
In just a few days, she had lived in a seemingly unreal world—almost indistinguishable from folly despite her constant reassurances.
Scooping cold water, she splashed it heavily on her face. The sudden chilling sensation made her tremble involuntarily, and she clenched her teeth.
Repeatedly dousing her face several times, Hua Lianxi finally stopped her self-punishment.
Opening the bathroom door, she headed straight to the dining table and sat down. Picking up her chopsticks, she hurriedly shoveled a full bite of white rice into her mouth.
Cheng Yi stood to the side, staring blankly at the one eating ravenously—momentarily wanting to step forward and stop her.