That night, Su Youtian carried Tuotuo to the entrance of the alley where Yuan Wei lived.
Tuotuo curled up in her arms, staring at her with its tiny eyes.
“Doggy, when we see Yuan Wei later, help say nice things about me and ask him to forgive me, okay?”
The puppy rested its paws on her shoulder and let out a soft whine.
Su Youtian rubbed its head.
Back at the resort, she had seen that no one was taking care of the little dog and felt sorry for it, so she took it with her.
She rubbed its round little belly. Tuotuo panted happily with its tongue out, and its mouth still carried the scent of meat.
The little thing had been starving and whining nonstop, so she softened up and bought a lot of chicken to cook for it. Maybe because it had not eaten anything good in so long, it just kept eating endlessly, rubbing against her pant leg and begging for more.
She had been too soft-hearted to control its portions, and now its tiny belly was swollen round as it whined pitifully.
Looking at the pitch-black alley ahead, Su Youtian shivered while clutching the puppy tighter.
“System, does Yuan Wei really live in this alley? Why does this place feel so creepy?”
【My map data is always accurate. If you’re scared, you could shout here. He might crawl out to see you.】
“Aaaah!!! Can’t you stop scaring me?!”
【I’m not scaring you. Yuan Wei was injured pretty badly, so moving around should be difficult for him.】
Su Youtian rubbed Tuotuo’s head.
“It’s all my fault. I should’ve stopped them. I wonder how bad his injuries really are.”
She glanced at the medicine at her feet and sighed.
The moment she stepped into the alley, cold gusts of wind seemed to blow around her. She hugged the puppy so tightly that Tuotuo struggled to stick its big head out and barked from being squished.
Su Youtian hurriedly loosened her grip.
“Ah, sorry, sorry.”
Stopping in front of a house, she looked helplessly at the iron gate before her.
“Yuan Wei’s inside?”
【This is the place.】
Su Youtian stepped back a few paces, allowing the entire gate to come into view.
Under the moonlight, the cold concrete walls glowed with a chilling pale white. On either side of the gate, weeds stubbornly clawed their way through cracks in the stone. The dark red gate had peeling paint, exposing rusty crimson metal beneath. When her fingertips touched it, the surface felt icy cold, almost frosted over.
“So this is where he lives…”
It was not that she had not known Yuan Wei lived a hard life. To set up the foundation for his later rise to power, she had deliberately written his background to be tragic.
But now that she had truly entered his world and become part of his life, she finally understood just how much impact a few careless lines from her could have on a real person.
Taking a deep breath, she gently knocked on the door.
The dull sound seemed especially abrupt in the silent night.
Holding Tuotuo in her arms, Su Youtian buried her face in its fur and waited quietly.
After a long while, there was no movement at all from inside.
Su Youtian muttered in confusion:
“Why hasn’t he come out yet?”
【Maybe he’s asleep.】
“No way,” Su Youtian rebutted seriously. “At this hour, when the night is deepest and everything is silent, there’s no way Yuan Wei would be sleeping. Maybe he’s lying on the bed right now, reaching his hand toward…”
【Please stop.】 The system’s voice was full of pain. 【You’re still holding a minor in your arms. Can you stop driving your filthy train of thought!】
Su Youtian lowered her head. Tuotuo blinked up at her with innocent little eyes.
“Awooo?”
She coughed awkwardly and covered the puppy’s ears.
“Alright, I know I was wrong. Now let’s continue discussing whether Yuan Wei is inside.”
【He’s home.】
“Then why won’t he open the door? Could his injuries be too serious?”
Biting her finger nervously, Su Youtian knocked again.
Still, no one answered.
Now she was getting anxious. Just as she was about to push the gate open regardless, a creaking sound suddenly rang out beside her ear.
In the dead silence of the night, it sounded as creepy as the strangled scream of a crow.
Su Youtian’s eye twitched, her neck turning stiffly with audible cracking sounds.
At some point, an old man had appeared beside her. His face was deathly pale, his body hunched over, wrinkles layered heavily across his skin. Slowly, he spread his mouth into a grin.
“Little girl, who are you looking for?”
Su Youtian: “……”
Su Youtian’s eyes started rolling back.
【Host, what’s wrong with you? Hold on!】
【Host, don’t faint!】
【Host, do you need emergency assistance?】
Finally catching her breath, Su Youtian staggered and braced herself against the wall with one hand.
“I… I’m still alive. Thanks for your concern.”
Seeing her stumble, the old man realized he had frightened her and quickly apologized.
“Sorry, young lady. Did I scare you?”
It took Su Youtian a while before she found her voice again.
“No, it’s just that I scare easily.”
Old Man Wang chuckled and looked toward the puppy in her arms.
“Oh, isn’t this Tuotuo? Why’s he with you?”
“Tuotuo?”
Su Youtian lowered her head. The puppy drowsily opened its eyes and twitched its nose, apparently catching Old Man Wang’s scent. It immediately stuck out its tongue and wriggled eagerly to climb toward him.
Su Youtian quickly put the puppy down and watched as Tuotuo pounced toward Old Man Wang’s feet in surprise.
“So its name is Tuotuo. You know him?”
Old Man Wang bent down with difficulty and rubbed Tuotuo’s head.
“Yes, this is the dog I raised at the resort. I watch over the lake there, and living alone gets lonely, so I kept him by my side.”
【Just asking, are you embarrassed or not?】
Su Youtian actually was a little embarrassed. She remembered that Yuan Wei had supposedly taken over the resort job for an old man. She had only brushed past that detail in a few sentences and never expected the person to really appear before her. On top of that, she had carried off someone else’s dog without even asking the owner’s permission.
She quickly apologized.
“Grandpa, I’m sorry. I thought he was cute at the resort, so I asked to take him. I never imagined he already had an owner.”
Old Man Wang waved his hand indifferently.
“It’s alright. If you like him, then that’s fate. Not many people like native dogs these days. If you truly like him, I can let you keep him, but you have to promise me you won’t abandon him.”
Under the moonlight, Old Man Wang’s expression was unusually serious.
Su Youtian repeatedly promised him. Then she suddenly thought of how Yuan Wei had beaten up Shen Haolin and the others.
“If I take the dog away, then what about your job?”
Old Man Wang smiled, the wrinkles on his face bunching together like a blooming flower.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Yuan Wei said the resort thought I did a good job, so they arranged for me to work somewhere else as a gatekeeper. That’s much better than guarding the lake.”
Su Youtian found it suspicious.
Would Shen Haolin and the others really be that kind-hearted?
Could Yuan Wei be lying to comfort the old man?
Old Man Wang glanced at the things by her feet and continued:
“You came to see Yuan Wei, didn’t you?”
Snapping back to attention, Su Youtian nodded.
Old Man Wang said, “I heard the gate open this afternoon, but all the way until tonight I never heard him leave again. He told me not to go inside, but I’m worried. Why don’t you go check on him for me?”
Hearing that only made Su Youtian even more worried. She scooped Tuotuo back into her arms and hurriedly pushed open the gate.
Inside was a spacious courtyard, but she had no mood to look at any of the old furnishings around her. She grabbed the door and pulled it open immediately.
The moment she stepped inside, her eyes narrowed sharply from the darkness.
Then, a heavy smell of blood mixed with alcohol rushed straight into her nose.
Covering her nose, she almost could not breathe.
“What is this smell? Was he drinking while coughing up blood or something?”
【If that were the case, he’d already be cold by now.】
Su Youtian: “……”
She put Tuotuo down. After only taking two steps, she tripped over a pair of legs and stumbled.
Letting out a yelp, she quickly steadied herself against the sofa, only to feel scorching breath brush against her cheek.
“Yuan Wei?”
She fumbled for the light switch. The instant the room lit up, she saw Yuan Wei lying on the sofa.
His upper body was bare, sprawled crookedly across the couch. One leg hung off the side, and his chest was covered in horrifying bruises, some still faintly bleeding. Standing close, she could smell the heavy scent of alcohol on him. Turning her gaze, she noticed an opened liquor bottle lying on the floor.
“How did he turn himself into this state… Drinking right after getting injured?”
【No. He just didn’t buy medicine, so he used alcohol to disinfect the wounds.】
Su Youtian’s throat tightened as she looked painfully at his pale face.
Picking up the medicine she had brought, she carefully walked over to Yuan Wei.
Cold sweat covered his forehead. He clearly was not sleeping peacefully. His brows were tightly furrowed, and even his slightly upturned lips had turned pale.
“I should’ve come earlier.”
Su Youtian sighed softly.
Tuotuo whined and scratched at the sofa with its paws, trying to climb up and lick Yuan Wei.
“This isn’t a playground for you.”
Su Youtian picked the puppy up and moved him aside. She found the Yunnan Baiyao spray in the bag and had just started aiming it toward Yuan Wei when her wrist was suddenly seized.
Under the light, Yuan Wei stared at her with bloodshot eyes, locking onto her like a beast. Though his breathing was uneven and his chest rose and fell rapidly, his presence remained terrifyingly oppressive, like a black panther ready to pounce.
Su Youtian shrieked, her wrist jerking violently, and the medicine spray shot straight into Yuan Wei’s eyes.
Su Youtian: “……This is bad.”
【…I really don’t even know what to say about you anymore.】
Yuan Wei hissed and released her wrist, squeezing his eyes shut as he struggled.
Su Youtian hurried forward to check on him.
“How is it? Do your eyes hurt? Can you still see who I am? Is this one or two?”
Yuan Wei struggled to blink a few times. Taking a deep breath, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
“Why did you come here?”
Su Youtian answered, “I was worried about you.”
Yuan Wei said, “I’m fine. Don’t worry. You should go back.”
His attitude was calm, nothing like the explosive anger Su Youtian had imagined. Before coming here, she had already mentally prepared herself to beg for forgiveness and endure Yuan Wei’s rage.
But she never expected him to be this indifferent.
This calmness frightened her even more.
Carefully, she asked:
“You’re angry?”
Yuan Wei turned his face away, using silence as his answer.
Su Youtian pressed her lips together.
“I really didn’t do it on purpose today. I was actually trying to save you.”
Oh no, why does that explanation sound so stiff? Even I wouldn’t believe it.
To her surprise, Yuan Wei actually nodded.
“I believe you.”
Su Youtian’s eyes lit up instantly.
Then Yuan Wei continued:
“You should go back.”
After speaking, his gaze shifted toward the window, silently indicating how late it had already become.
So he still had not forgiven her.
Su Youtian felt disappointed.
【Don’t lose heart, host. Did you forget why you came here?】
“To watch him in bed…”
【Shut up!】
Dejectedly, Su Youtian muttered:
“Fine, I came to ask for forgiveness. But it looks like he doesn’t want to talk to me.”
【Wrong. You came to take care of him. Didn’t you buy medicine?】
Su Youtian’s eyes brightened. She quickly took out the medicated ointment and carefully spread it across Yuan Wei’s chest.
“If you really want me to leave right now, that’s fine. But I have to bandage you up first before I go.”
Yuan Wei struggled to sit up with difficulty. His face was pale, and his brows and eyes were cool and distant.
“No need. Just put the things down and leave.”
Su Youtian immediately switched into shameless mode.
“I’m not leaving until I finish treating your wounds.”
Yuan Wei turned his head and silently looked at her.
Under the lamp, his eyes appeared a warm golden color, like a bright golden moon on the water’s surface, dazzlingly luminous.
Su Youtian was momentarily dazed. She could not withstand the impact of this breathtaking beauty and almost surrendered on the spot.
【Hang in there, host!】
【Don’t be so spineless!】
Fine, she would hold on!
In the end, Yuan Wei gave in. He spread his arms slightly and lowered his eyes, silently allowing Su Youtian to continue.
Su Youtian was delighted, as eager as a client rushing to pounce on a young courtesan. After treating the wounds on his body, she took out a bandage.
Her technique was not very good. After a round of fussing, Yuan Wei’s forehead was covered in even more cold sweat. But throughout the entire process, he did not make a sound. His lashes were lowered, hiding the starlight in his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Su Youtian carefully wrapped the bandage around Yuan Wei’s waist. The two of them were so close, so close that she could feel his scorching breath on top of her head, his strong heartbeat right by her ear, and the warmth of his skin transmitted through the thin gauze to her fingertips.
Su Youtian lowered her head and felt her throat go dry.
【Host, why are you shaking? Parkinson’s?】
“I am nervous….”
At last, Su Youtian finished bandaging him and tied a bow on his chest.
She clapped her hands with a great sense of accomplishment. Just as she raised her head, she saw Yuan Wei looking at her without blinking.
Su Youtian’s cheeks turned slightly red.
“What, what are you looking at?”
【What, can’t he look at you?】
“Get lost!”
Yuan Wei said nothing. He pressed his lips together and slowly lowered his chest.
Su Youtian was shocked. She quickly reached out to stop him, only for the warmth of his chest to make her almost jump up.
“What, what are you doing?”
Yuan Wei still said nothing. He slowly raised one broad hand toward her cheek.
“Don’t go too far. I’m telling you, my self-control is not that strong. If something happens and I end up bleeding all over the bed, do not blame me!”
Yuan Wei curled his thin lips and actually revealed a rare smile.
Su Youtian stared at the slightly upturned center of his lips, her heartbeat pounding like a drum.
If he insisted, then, then so be it, cough.
Su Youtian slowly closed her eyes.
She could feel his hot breath brushing across her face, and her own breathing became faster and faster.
Finally,
She felt a sharp pain on her eyelid.
Her eyelid…
Hurt?
She opened her eyes and saw Yuan Wei holding a small piece of something in his hand.
“There was dirt on your eye.”
“Oh, that’s my double eyelid tape.”