"Do you want some medicine, An-An?" Tang Yu tentatively asked as she held up a bowl of medicine to Yin Zhao-an.
Seemingly quite effective, Yin Zhao-an opened her dazed eyes slightly and hoarsely mumbled an "Mhm" in response.
Pleasantly surprised, Tang Yu carefully blew the medicine cool and fed it to Yin Zhao-an's lips. Although some of the brownish medicinal liquid spilled out, Yin Zhao-an managed to swallow most of it.
Afterward, Tang Yu poured a cup of warm water for Yin Zhao-an, but the latter refused to drink it no matter what. Instead, Yin Zhao-an held onto her hand tightly and refused to let her go.
"Do you want to sleep for a while?" Tang Yu didn't struggle to free her hand and simply let Yin Zhao-an hold onto it.
"Don't go…stay here," Yin Zhao-an muttered, her consciousness fuzzy. She worried she might not wake up again once she lost consciousness. And even if she did wake up, she worried Tang Yu might go missing again.
Tang Yu helplessly complied with Yin Zhao-an's request, saying, "Okay, I won't leave."
When Yin Zhao-an ultimately fell asleep, Mo Shu entered the room, leaned against the wall, and looked at Tang Yu as if trying to discern something from the girl.
"Do you know what happened to me?" Tang Yu indifferently asked when she sensed Mo Shu's gaze on her.
Clearing her throat, Mo Shu spoke with a hint of guilt, "I wasn't allowed to intervene."
Tang Yu lowered her gaze, her body emanating a gentle aura as she observed her slumbering beloved. "I understand. There are many unpredictable things in this world."
For example, her and Du Yuqing's reincarnation, Yin Zhao-an's earth-shattering change in personality, the fact that she had a babbling younger brother, and the fact that she managed to escape from Du Yuqing's hands alive.
"Do you blame me for not saving you in time?" Mo Shu asked.
Tang Yu shook her head, her expression unchanged. Resting her gaze on Yin Zhao-an's flushed face, she said, "Blaming others won't help. Perhaps this is the path I have to go through with her. I can only rely on myself to get through it," she paused for a moment, "If I can't get through it, then I can only blame myself for not having such a fate."
Mo Shu nodded, finding the child before her rather understanding.
"Then, I'll leave you two alone now. If you need anything, Chen Ci and I will always be available next door."
"Okay, thank you."
…
It was already noon, and Tang Yu suspected Yin Zhao-an hadn't eaten anything since she was abducted. For the sake of their stomachs, she decided to cook something.
With that in mind, Tang Yu carefully withdrew her hand, grabbed a plushie from the bedside, placed it in Yin Zhao-an's hand, and quietly left the room to make something in the kitchen.
There were no vegetables in the fridge, so she could only take out instant noodles to make do for a meal. People with a cold shouldn't eat eggs, so she only fried a sunny-side-up egg for herself, while Yin Zhao-an's portion was just a plain soup.
It couldn't be helped. She could only try to compensate Yin Zhao-an once she got better.
The water in the pot bubbled and steamed. When Tang Yu placed the noodles in, she heard a loud noise from the bedroom. It startled her, and she hurriedly ran out of the kitchen to see what had happened.
When Tang Yu stepped out of the kitchen, she saw Yin Zhao-an standing dazedly in the living room, tears streaming down her face as she gazed at the empty studio. It also looked like Yin Zhao-an would rush out the door the next second.
Fortunately, Tang Yu noticed Yin Zhao-an's movements in advance and quickly pulled back the person about to rush out. "An-An, snap out of it! I'm here!"
"Let me go! I'm going to find Tang-Tang!" Yin Zhao-an struggled as if she had lost her senses, her eyes turning red from the rush of blood.
"An-An!" Tang Yu shouted, but Yin Zhao-an seemed to be filtering out her voice, completely disregarding her and adamantly trying to leave the house.
Unable to find any other solution, Tang Yu took a big step forward, wrapped her arm around Yin Zhao-an's neck, and bit down on the neck. Yin Zhao-an's movements gradually weakened under the pain, and her missing rationality was gradually returning.
Seeing Yin Zhao-an calm down, Tang Yu decided to release her. But before she could reprimand Yin Zhao-an, she suddenly felt herself lifted off her feet. The next moment, she was lifted onto the dining table, and her lips became sealed by the person above. At the same time, she felt a pair of hands stroking her thighs.
Tang Yu nearly cursed. She hadn't even changed back into her dress yet!
As the situation started to grow more and more out of control, Tang Yu could no longer tell whether Yin Zhao-an was okay or not. All she knew was that the noodles in the kitchen would burn if she didn't turn off the stove soon!
"Noodles... I'm still cooking noodles in the kitchen!" Tang Yu said after pushing Yin Zhao-an off her momentarily. But before she could catch her breath, her lips were sealed again.
Fortunately, Yin Zhao-an still had some safety awareness. Like holding a child, she carried Tang Yu into the kitchen and turned off the induction stove. Then, she swiftly left the kitchen and pushed Tang Yu down on the dining table again…
Tang Yu no longer resisted and weakly lay on the dining table, letting Yin Zhao-an have her way with her while she put her throat to work time and again.
…
When the dust settled, a sudden knock came from the front door.
Yin Zhao-an grabbed a quick drink of water before going to the door. However, she only opened a small crack in the door, blocking the view of everything inside the house.
Failing to catch any interesting sights, Mo Shu retracted her prying gaze from inside the house. Then, she smiled and handed a tray carrying two plates of braised chicken rice to Yin Zhao-an, saying, "You've worked hard, youngsters!"
Yin Zhao-an initially accepted the tray without understanding the meaning behind Mo Shu's words, but realization quickly dawned upon her when she saw Mo Shu's suggestive smile. However, rather than feeling shy, she smiled generously and said, "Thanks."
…
When Yin Zhao-an placed the two plates of chicken rice in front of Tang Yu, her lust for Tang Yu had long been sated, and replacing it was a deep sense of concern and affection. "Quickly eat up! You've expended a lot of energy!"
Tang Yu glanced at Yin Zhao-an indifferently and slowly straightened her sore back. Then, in a hoarse voice, she said, "Water..."
Yin Zhao-an immediately handed Tang Yu the bottle of mineral water she had previously drunk out of.
After her throat was relieved by the refreshing flow of water, Tang Yu looked at the radiant person in front of her with frustration. Eventually, despite her resentment, she still failed to resist the worry in her heart and asked, "Has your fever gone away? Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"
"I don't feel sick anymore. My headache is gone as well," Yin Zhao-an said, shaking her head. She wasn't lying to alleviate Tang Yu's worry, either. The medicine Mo Shu provided was truly something extraordinary.
"Let's eat, then. I'll tell you what happened yesterday after we are done eating," Tang Yu said before letting out a helpless sigh. Then, she picked up a spoon and started eating her share of chicken rice.
Yin Zhao-an agreed. She experienced a long and vivid dream after falling asleep yesterday. When she woke up and didn't see Tang Yu, her heart nearly stopped beating as a pale and lifeless face kept flashing in her mind. Amidst her panic and despair, she even thought about writing a suicide note.
…
After the meal, Yin Zhao-an took the initiative to do the dishes and brought them over next door to return them. But just when she was about to knock on the door, she suddenly heard suppressed moans coming from inside. So, she quietly withdrew her hand and tactfully decided to return later.
Meanwhile, Tang Yu had already taken a bath and changed into a clean set of clothes, and she currently sat on the edge of the bed, blow-drying her hair. Seeing this, Yin Zhao-an walked over and embraced Tang Yu from behind. Then, she took the hairdryer out of Tang Yu's hand and helped Tang Yu dry her hair.
After Tang Yu's hair was dry, Yin Zhao-an put away the hairdryer and put on a serious expression. It was time to discuss serious matters.
"You go first. Tell me where you went, what happened, and why you only came back today." Yin Zhao-an urgently wanted to know what Tang Yu had experienced. Fortunately, through their intimate conversation at the dining table during lunch, she verified that Tang Yu had no visible injuries.
"Mhm…" Tang Yu blinked, seemingly organizing her thoughts. Then, she said, "You should know about Du Yuqing, right? She... She took me away while I stepped out of the residential area, and when I woke up, I was in a small dark room."
Yin Zhao-an's heart suddenly felt a sharp pain when she heard "small dark room." She kept a calm expression but furrowed her brow, trying to dispel the image of a weak and pale face from her mind.
"She placed shackles on me, so I couldn't leave the room. But she didn't touch me or do anything extreme." Tang Yu noticed that Yin Zhao-an seemed emotionally unstable and held her hand in her palm to comfort her. "Later, someone rescued me. They let me out of the room and had someone send me back here."
"Who rescued you? Weren't you restrained?" Yin Zhao-an listened attentively, not missing any details.
Tang Yu recalled the marks and bruises on Four O'clock's neck, and her brow slightly furrowed as she said, "It was probably...Du Yuqing's admirer..."
"I'm sorry." Yin Zhao-an suddenly felt downcast and tightly grasped Tang Yu's hand in fear. "I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most. I couldn't fulfill our promise. I'm sorry..."
Tang Yu remembered saying that should she ever disappear one day, Yin Zhao-an should come to her immediately. Yin Zhao-an had also promised to do so, but it was evident she had failed to make good on her promise. Even so, Tang Yu didn't intend to blame Yin Zhao-an, saying:
"Maybe this was destined to happen. It just so happened that I went out to buy groceries while you were asleep. It also just so happened that you had a high fever when I was abducted. I refuse to believe there isn't a mastermind behind all of this."
"A mastermind?" Yin Zhao-an couldn't quite follow Tang Yu's line of thought.
"Fate," Tang Yu stated without offering any additional explanations.
Yin Zhao-an hugged Tang Yu tightly against her chest. She knew that even though Tang Yu spoke about the whole situation calmly and without much emotional fluctuation, it must have been a terrifying experience to wake up in a completely unfamiliar environment. Tang Yu must have prayed for her to be by her side, just like how the Tang Yu in her dream had prayed for "An-An" to rescue her.
But like "An-An," she never showed up, and Tang Yu must have been very sad and disappointed.
"I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry." Yin Zhao-an tenderly kissed the top of Tang Yu's head. "You must have been terrified at the time."
Tang Yu had indeed been terrified, but only for a while when she opened her eyes and saw Du Yuqing. However, after their initial meeting, Du Yuqing never appeared in the room again. It felt like Du Yuqing treated her like a pet, only making sure that she was fed well and slept well…
Thinking up to this point, Tang Yu put on a serious look and said, "I was terrified at the time."
Yin Zhao-an paused for a moment, a voice in her head telling her something was off. But she couldn't pinpoint what it was, so she decided not to dwell on it.
"Let's go to the police and have Du Yuqing arrested!" Yin Zhao-an firmly declared.
Tang Yu pondered momentarily, the words from Four O'clock still lingering in her mind. Ultimately, she sighed softly and decided to trust the other party once, saying, "Nevermind. Du Yuqing didn't cause any substantial harm to me. We'll observe the situation for a few days. If she makes any other moves, we can go to the police then."
"If that's what you want, we'll wait a few days, then…" Yin Zhao-an nodded solemnly, recalling the moment of panic when she couldn't find Tang Yu.
"What about you? Did you sleep all the way until today?" Tang Yu asked.
"I... I had a very long dream. In the dream, I saw another you and another me."