The system’s buff was incredibly potent, Bai Song collapsed the moment it was applied.
Her temperature kept rising, her mind already a swirling mess from the fever.
By the time Tong Yao returned, she had already burned into unconsciousness.
Tong Yao came in to deliver a meal and called her name several times, but Bai Song didn’t stir. Thinking she was just being stubborn, Tong Yao’s expression darkened instantly.
She yanked the blanket aside, grabbed Bai Song’s wrist, and tried to pull her up.
But the moment she touched her, Tong Yao froze. The force of her tug lifted Bai Song’s body slightly, but hesitation made her let go, and Bai Song fell back heavily onto the bed.
Tong Yao’s face paled. She immediately leaned down and pressed a hand to Bai Song’s forehead.
The heat was intense enough to boil water.
Bai Song had always been in good health. Since they’d been together, Tong Yao had never seen her fall ill, let alone in such a state, breathing weakly, nearly comatose.
Fear gripped Tong Yao. She had wanted to punish Bai Song, but she preferred tormenting her mind rather than making her suffer physically.
Her hands trembled as she dialed the family doctor’s number. She forced herself to calmly describe Bai Song’s symptoms while clutching her hand in panic, unwilling to let go.
Even after the doctor arrived, Tong Yao remained dazed.
She stared blankly at the physician, so distraught she didn’t even realize she was in the way.
The family doctor had watched Tong Yao grow up and was well aware of the tangled grievances between these two.
She even knew that Tong Yao had sworn to her parents that Bai Song was just a plaything nothing serious.
Moreover, Tong Yao had promised she would enter an arranged marriage when the time came.
That was the only reason her parents had reluctantly allowed her these years of reckless indulgence.
But seeing the scene before her now.
The dimly lit room, the stale air, the lifeless figure on the bed.
The family doctor sighed, feeling old and out of touch with the younger generation’s ways.
She gave Bai Song a thorough examination.
Though treated in time, the buff was still formidable there were already early signs of pneumonia. While not life-threatening, full recovery would take a while. Even after waking, Bai Song would need careful nursing.
After seeing the doctor out, Tong Yao could still hear the woman’s resigned sigh and earnest admonitions in her ears.
Whoosh!
She pulled open the curtains and pushed the window wide.
A cool breeze rushed in, dispersing some of the suffocating tension.
Tong Yao tidied up briefly before sitting by the bed, gazing at Bai Song’s frail form, her eyes flickering with emotion.
Whether she had deliberately ignored it or the room’s lighting had always been too dim, she only now realized how much weight Bai Song had lost.
Her cheeks were hollow, her complexion deathly pale, even her lips drained of color.
Her eyes were tightly shut, her sleep restless, as if trapped in pain.
“Yao Yao, let go. It’ll be better for her and for you.”
No!
Tong Yao screamed inwardly.
She couldn’t let go.
Letting go meant releasing Bai Song, and releasing her meant she would leave!
Even if she had to keep a corpse, it would stay by her side.
Tong Yao couldn’t bear to endure that despair and agony of losing Bai Song a second time.
As for Bai Song…
She deserved this!
Who told her to deceive her? Who told her to leave? Who told her not to love her?
If she had just loved her, if she had stayed willingly, she wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.
Tong Yao clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles cracked audibly.
Her teeth dug into her lower lip, drawing faint traces of blood that added a touch of vitality to her pallid complexion.
She would never let go!
After the IV drip, Bai Song slowly regained consciousness.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Tong Yao eyes bloodshot, face deathly pale, with traces of blood at the corners of her lips and for a second, Bai Song thought she was staring at a vengeful ghost freshly crawled out of hell. Her pupils contracted sharply, and the spiritual fire on her shoulders flickered out in fright.
Bai Song: “Holy hell, I almost got scared straight out of this world.”
System: “Tong Yao stayed by your side all night without rest, never closing her eyes, and kept staring at you the entire time.”
Bai Song: “…” That somehow makes it even scarier.
System: “She really loves you.”
Bai Song grimaced: “Yeah, but our mission now is to make her let go, not keep loving me. We’re screwed.”
She still hadn’t figured out a solution. Maybe time could heal all wounds, but only if she stayed out of Tong Yao’s sight for a while.
Though she hadn’t drunk any water, Bai Song had received several IV bags, and now an overwhelming urge to pee hit her. She threw off the covers and tried to get out of bed.
But her body was weak. The moment her toes touched the floor, her legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed, if not for Tong Yao catching her.
Bai Song slumped into Tong Yao’s arms, panting heavily, but didn’t refuse her help.
Tong Yao supported her to the bathroom, seemingly convinced that Bai Song was genuinely ill. Her expression held only concern, no trace of suspicion.
Bai Song struggled to control her expression, keeping the corners of her lips from curling up too obviously.
But Tong Yao kept staring at her, making her uneasy.
Tong Yao gazed at Bai Song’s chapped lips, resisting the urge to kiss them, then turned and left.
Just as Bai Song let out a sigh of relief, Tong Yao returned with a steaming bowl of plain congee.
Bai Song’s eyes lit up slightly.
Tong Yao didn’t miss the flicker of delight in her gaze. Her own eyes softened imperceptibly as she helped Bai Song sit up and began feeding her methodically.
“Your body is weak. Don’t expose yourself to the wind unnecessarily. If you’re bored, take a stroll in the courtyard, but…” She suddenly lifted her face, sharp eyes boring into Bai Song’s. “Don’t do anything that would displease me.”
The cold, ruthless tone sent a violent shiver through Bai Song. She swallowed the congee in her mouth and nodded timidly, playing the role of a resigned coward to perfection.
A faint smile tugged at Tong Yao’s lips, as if pleased by Bai Song’s compliance.
She even gently wiped Bai Song’s mouth. “As long as you behave, I won’t hurt you.”
“…” Bai Song lowered her eyes, a flash of shame and unease hidden beneath her lashes.
Her body stiffened slightly, but Tong Yao noticed anyway.
With a mocking smile, Tong Yao murmured, “Song Song, I’ll be with you for the rest of your life. From the moment you agreed to be mine, you should have been prepared for this.”
The moment I started seducing you, I was prepared for everything except being treated like a blow-up doll.
Bai Song couldn’t help retorting, “Without love, do you think?”
“No love?” The curve of Tong Yao’s lips didn’t diminish in the slightest, but her eyes were icy cold. “Songsong, if you’ve fallen for someone else, I’d gladly step aside. But you don’t even have a heart, where would love come from? Scum like you rather than letting you loose to harm society, it’s better to keep you by my side and spare other girls from your poison!”
“…” So in the end, you’re the noble one?
Tong Yao’s fingers trailed over Bai Song’s neck, then clenched slightly.
The airflow was instantly cut off. Bai Song’s pupils dilated slightly.
Tong Yao chuckled, her voice chilling. “If you still refuse to behave, Songsong, the dead can never leave me.”
Tong Yao’s fingers were cold, her voice even colder. Bai Song’s limbs felt as if they’d been plunged into icy water, her entire body on the verge of freezing stiff.
Holy shit, that was a blatant threat.
For that brief moment, every thought in Bai Song’s mind was crushed.
But, she still had to try!
Go all out!