Cold.
So cold.
The chill made Ruan Qing feel as if he were in an icy, snow-covered world. Even wrapping himself tightly in the blanket did not help.
The coldness clogged his breath, making it hard for him to breathe.
Instinctively, Ruan Qing opened his mouth, trying to take a breath.
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, the coldness rushed in, slipping through his teeth and wandering wantonly in his mouth.
It became even colder.
And it made it even harder for Ruan Qing to breathe.
“Ugh…”
Yet, Ruan Qing couldn’t wake up.
He couldn’t tell whether this was a dream or reality.
Although he couldn’t wake up, he instinctively wanted to turn his head away from that cold sensation.
But it seemed he didn’t even have the strength to turn his head, as if something was holding his chin in place, making it impossible to move even an inch.
It felt just like sleep paralysis.
That chill made Ruan Qing's slender body tremble uncontrollably, yet he could only allow it to roam freely.
There was no way to avoid it, no way to escape.
He couldn’t even wake up.
It was as if he were trapped in a nightmare, half-dreaming and half-awake, like when you have a fever.
Since he couldn't wake up, Ruan Qing lay obediently on the bed, his long eyelashes trembling, delicate like a finely crafted porcelain doll.
It was as if he could be easily manipulated, and no matter what was done to him, he wouldn't resist.
And indeed, he did not resist.
His breath was completely taken away, and Ruan Qing was on the verge of suffocating.
The chill seemed to notice this and finally receded, giving Ruan Qing room to breathe.
With his mouth slightly open, Ruan Qing struggled to breathe.
Due to the lack of oxygen, his breathing became somewhat rapid, sounding almost like... a low, panting sound in certain situations.
There was an inexplicable air of seduction and allure.
The panting made one's heart race, and it also made people... lose control.
Moreover, because of the rough treatment just now, Ruan Qing's usually pale pink lips were now tinged with color, like ripe cherries, making one want to take a light, gentle taste.
Ruan Qing's breath was blocked once again.
"Mm..."
Ruan Qing's slender, pale fingers clutched the blanket, curling up on the bed, trying to warm himself.
Yet it had no effect at all.
"No..." Ruan Qing subconsciously murmured softly, wanting to escape this chill.
He also wanted to breathe.
But that was all there was to it.
Because Ruan Qing's mind was in a semi-conscious state, unable to think or analyze, he only knew that he felt very cold.
But he didn't know why he was cold.
Nor did he know how to push away this coldness.
He merely tilted his head slightly, passively enduring it all.
That posture made him look as though he was obediently letting others do as they wished, without any intention of resisting.
As if he was docile and compliant.
The viewers in the livestream couldn't see the scene, but they could hear the sounds.
However, for some reason, the sounds in the livestream became strangely muffled after a noise that resembled kissing was heard.
It became completely inaudible.
This kind of malfunction rarely happened during livestreams, so many viewers thought it was an issue with their phones or computers.
Yet, even after troubleshooting for a long time, the issue remained the same.
One viewer typed in the comments.
[What's going on? Why can't I hear anything? It just sounds like static, like a hissing noise, and I can't make out anything. Could someone kindly record the screen?]
[Huh? Wasn't my phone broken? Did I hear the same thing?]
It was only then that the viewers in the live stream realized that everyone was hearing the same thing.
If the equipment were broken, only the person using it wouldn’t be able to hear anything. But now, since no one could hear, it clearly wasn’t a problem with the equipment.
[...Could it be that this is just the sound of the live stream right now?]
[!!!]
The viewers in the live stream instantly felt a chill run down their spines, and they didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly, fearing that the live stream might abruptly end in the next moment.
Fortunately, even though the sound was strange, the live stream didn’t get cut off.
This meant that the player was still alive.
Although Ruan Qing was not dead, he felt that he was not far from it.
It was so cold.
So cold that his entire body was trembling.
So cold that even curling himself into a ball didn't help at all.
Just when Ruan Qing felt like he was about to lose consciousness from the cold, a creaking sound suddenly echoed, and then the chill disappeared.
In its place was a warmth, akin to the sensation of warm sunlight on a summer day, enveloping his body.
The warmth made him feel comfortable and reassured.
Ruan Qing instinctively moved closer to the source of the warmth until it completely surrounded him, and then he adjusted his position.
And once again, he fell into a deep sleep.
***
Due to the presence of those people, Xu He had no choice but to leave the basement for now. However, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy about leaving the boy alone.
The boy was not suited for a dark, damp basement, nor for being alone.
He would definitely be scared.
Xu He's mind was filled with images of the boy being scared, and he couldn’t sleep at all.
After waiting for the others to fall asleep, he went down to the basement without hesitation and climbed onto the only bed there.
Xu He lowered his eyes, looking at the person in his arms, his brow tightly furrowed, and then he pulled the boy closer to him.
It was extremely cold.
Even with a blanket and a warming lamp, it was still freezing.
It was cold, like a corpse taken out of a freezer—so cold it brought a sense of unease and fear.
If it weren't for the fact that the boy's body was still soft, it would have been easy to believe he was truly dead.
Xu He felt that something was definitely off about the boy's condition.
While holding him in his arms, he took out his phone to look up what exactly Moyamoya disease was.
The information online was very detailed, describing the disease quite clearly, including symptoms like memory loss and other conditions.
Xu He’s eyes landed on one particular sentence.
—"Moyamoya disease is extremely dangerous, and in severe cases, it can even be life-threatening."
Xu He frowned even deeper. He lowered his gaze to look carefully at the fragile person in his arms, studying him more attentively.
The dangers of Moyamoya disease were primarily reflected in two aspects.
The first was cerebral ischemia, and the second was hemorrhage. Both could lead to dreadful consequences.
Therefore, patients with Moyamoya disease must constantly be vigilant against brain hemorrhages and blood flow blockages within the brain.
Xu He carefully studied online tutorials on how to promote blood circulation in the brain through massage. After memorizing them, he clumsily began to gently massage the sleeping boy.
Since Xu He had always done manual labor, his control over strength wasn't great—sometimes light, sometimes heavy. As a result, Ruan Qing's delicate eyebrows furrowed directly.
However, whether it was due to extreme exhaustion or because of his illness, Ruan Qing did not wake up.
Seeing this, Xu He let out a slight sigh of relief. As time passed, he became much more skilled with his hands.
At least the boy’s slightly furrowed brows had relaxed.
The massage shouldn't last too long. When Xu He thought the time was about right, he held the person in his arms and slowly closed his eyes.
Though the construction site above was noisy, the sounds couldn't reach the basement, so they didn't disturb the two of them.
They slept soundly until dawn.
After an unknown amount of time, Ruan Qing's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a few seconds later, he slowly opened his eyes.
His beautiful eyes still carried a hint of drowsiness.
Unconsciously, he sat up, then rubbed his head, which was aching a little.
Halfway through the rubbing, Ruan Qing suddenly stopped. He glanced around, somewhat bewildered.
Where is this place?
Who is he?
And the person holding him... who is he?
He doesn't have a minute to rest...
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chapter!!
Aya~ the shadow doesn't want us to even listen hehe ╮(╯w╰)╭
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