Part Two: An Ordinary Morning
“For some people, waking up is ordinary.
For others, it is the greatest miracle of all.”
Golden sunlight quietly slipped through the pale blue curtains.
Tiny dust particles danced lazily in the warm morning light.
The room was peaceful.
No alarms.
No hurried footsteps.
No anxious voices calling a doctor’s name.
Only…
Birdsong.
Soft.
Gentle.
Yu Mingyue frowned slightly beneath the blanket.
“…Mm…”
She turned over.
Pulled the blanket over her head.
“…Five more minutes…”
Xiao Bai, floating beside the bed, looked utterly dumbfounded.
“…Host.”
No response.
“…Host.”
Still nothing.
“…Host!”
Yu Mingyue sleepily poked one hand out from beneath the blanket.
“…Here…”
“…It’s already nine o’clock.”
“…”
“…WHAT?!”
The blanket flew into the air.
Yu Mingyue shot upright so quickly that Xiao Bai nearly fell out of the sky.
“Nine?!”
She stared at the clock.
9:03 a.m.
“…”
“…I overslept?”
She blinked.
Then blinked again.
“…”
“…I overslept.”
Her lips slowly parted.
“…”
“…I actually overslept.”
She suddenly became very quiet.
Xiao Bai tilted his little head.
“…Host?”
Yu Mingyue slowly lowered her gaze.
Looking at her own hands.
“…”
“…Xiao Bai.”
“…Yes?”
“…Do you know…”
She swallowed softly.
“…I’ve never overslept before.”
Xiao Bai froze.
Yu Mingyue smiled.
A small smile.
“So…”
“…This is what being healthy feels like.”
No pain had woken her.
No racing heartbeat.
No coughing.
No nurse checking her pulse.
She had simply…
Slept until she was no longer sleepy.
Her eyes gradually turned red.
“…”
“…It’s nice.”
Xiao Bai quietly floated closer.
For once…
He didn’t make a joke.
“…Congratulations, Host.”
“…”
“…You slept like a normal eighteen-year-old.”
Yu Mingyue suddenly laughed.
“…That sounds like such a strange compliment.”
“It is.”
“…I’ll accept it anyway.”
She threw the blanket aside.
Then—
Jumped off the bed.
Landing steadily on both feet.
“…”
She froze.
Xiao Bai blinked.
“…Host?”
Yu Mingyue slowly looked down.
Then…
She bent her knees.
Straightened them.
Bent them again.
“…”
She carefully bounced once.
Then twice.
Then three times.
“…”
“…Xiao Bai.”
“…Hm?”
“…Can I…”
She hesitated.
“…Can I really jump?”
Xiao Bai looked completely confused.
“…Of course.”
The moment he finished speaking—
Boing!
Yu Mingyue jumped.
Not high.
Not gracefully.
Just a small, clumsy little hop.
She landed safely.
Her eyes widened.
“…”
“…I…”
She jumped again.
This time a little higher.
Then again.
Then again.
Soon…
She was hopping around the room like an excited rabbit.
“I can jump!”
“I can actually jump!”
“Hahaha!”
“I didn’t faint!”
“I didn’t even get dizzy!”
Xiao Bai hurried after her.
“…Host!”
“Slow down!”
“What if you fall?”
“I won’t!”
“What if you hit the wall?”
“I’ll bounce off!”
“…That’s not how walls work!”
Yu Mingyue burst into laughter.
The cheerful laughter echoed throughout the quiet room.
Outside the bedroom…
A passing maid stopped in surprise.
“…Miss Yu?”
She smiled unconsciously.
It had been so long since that room had been filled with laughter.
Inside…
Yu Mingyue suddenly stopped hopping.
She looked toward the large mirror beside the wardrobe.
Slowly…
She walked over.
The girl reflected in the mirror looked exactly the same.
Long black hair.
Bright eyes.
A delicate face.
But…
Something was different.
She quietly placed one hand over her heart.
Steady.
Strong.
Alive.
No pain.
No fear.
No weakness.
A tear slipped silently down her cheek.
She smiled at the reflection.
“…Good morning.”
“…Yu Mingyue.”
For the first time…
She wasn’t greeting the girl who was dying.
She was greeting the girl who was finally beginning to live.
Behind her…
Xiao Bai quietly smiled.
He didn’t interrupt.
Some moments…
Belonged only to the person living them.
Outside the window…
The morning sun climbed a little higher.
A brand-new day had begun.
And for the first time in eighteen years…
Yu Mingyue wasn’t wondering how many tomorrows she had left.
She was wondering…
What she wanted to do today.