However, considering that she was a child abroad, being robbed was probably a first for her. Being in an unfamiliar place, she would inevitably feel helpless at times.
"It's okay, we can just buy another one," Qin Ruoshui comforted her.
Qi Yi'an has been truly withdrawn these past few days, busy submitting her thesis. After reporting the incident to the police, they spent a long time investigating, but closed the case after only two hours. A sudden surge of antisocial behavior arose within her; she borrowed Zou Yibei's phone to send a message to her parents to let them know she was safe, and then refused to see anyone. She refused to speak to humans, entering a state of complete isolation.
"Without WeChat... I can't contact you," Qi Yi'an explained after complaining about the police in L City.
“You haven’t bought a cell phone in all these days?” Qin Ruoshui was a little exasperated with this strange child, but seeing her withdrawn demeanor… “The police in L City are indeed notorious, but that doesn’t mean you should become antisocial and turn to prostitution…”
Qi Yi'an frowned, staring angrily at the air in front of him, biting his lower lip and pouting.
She had no intention of converting to heterodox religions; she was simply curious. One can only define something by understanding its underlying reasons. And the definition of a heterodox religion is itself a subjective construct of society, much like one's values and beliefs.
"Be careful, curiosity killed the cat," Qin Ruoshui ruffled her hair. "Come on, let's go buy you a cell phone."
Qi Yi'an shook his head. "Then I have a spare phone at home, you can take it and use it for now, okay?"
Qi Yi'an's eyes regained their clarity, and she nodded silently. So she's become so well-behaved again?
Qin Ruoshui leaned close to her ear, "Then tonight... come home with me to get it~"... This woman is at it again, she can't be serious for more than a few seconds.
She tugged at Qi Yi'an's arm. "Come on, I'll treat you to dinner today to comfort you." She paused, then added, "I also need to teach you a lesson."
…
That evening, Qin Ruoshui gave Qi Yi'an a good "lecture".
After turning off the lights, Qi Yi'an lay on his side, gazing at Qin Ruoshui's beautiful profile. Qin Ruoshui simply lay there, seemingly ready to go straight to sleep.
Was she just planning to go straight to sleep...? Qi Yi'an was secretly disappointed and closed his eyes.
The bed on that side shifted slightly, then a warm, almost burning hand touched her face. Qin Ruoshui's breath was already in her nostrils. That alluring breath seemed to say, "Do you want me to touch you?"
Qi Yi'an didn't know how to answer. She couldn't very well say, "Yes, I want you to sleep with me, right now."
"Hmm~?" A seductive female voice pressed her. She opened her mouth, but before she could utter a sound, Qin Ruoshui had already captured her lips. Even after being kissed so many times, she still felt that tingling, electrifying sensation all over her body. Qi Yi'an couldn't resist any longer, responding passionately, giving her a response, demanding more from her.
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Qi Yi'an's body, always slightly cool, balanced their temperatures. Qi Yi'an held her tightly, sometimes worrying that she might never be able to contact her again. Two strangers who met by chance, without any way to contact each other, drifted apart, leaving no trace after the water calmed.
Qin Ruoshui kissed her way down from her forehead, lingering on her soft lips, her nimble tongue teasing Qi Yi'an until her breath became erratic.
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Qi Yi'an suddenly realized what was happening and looked up to stop her, "No...don't..."...It's too embarrassing!
Qin Ruoshui smiled wickedly, "Oh? Why not?" She wasn't going to let her go.
Qin Ruoshui had been holding back for so many days, how could she let her off the hook...
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Qin Ruoshui had been bullying her—no, she was lecturing her. Lecturing her until she begged for mercy, until she didn't even have the strength to stand up and stop her. Finally, she pulled the limp Qi Yi'an into her arms.
I'm so tired that my voice is hoarse.
"Baby..." Qin Ruoshui called her softly. "Hmm...?"
"Give your sister a kiss too~" Qi Yi'an realized that she had only ever responded, never given her anything in return. She reached out and hugged the woman. She stepped forward and kissed her. Qin Ruoshui responded softly. She released her, propping her tired eyelids up to look at the woman in the darkness. She couldn't help but kiss her again. A deep kiss...
I feel so relieved.
Qin Ruoshui watched the girl in her arms fall asleep, feeling a small joy of having regained what she had lost. She probably liked her a little too…
"Good night…"
Author's Note:
Although I've finished writing my thesis, I'm still quite busy. I've discovered that daily updates aren't so easy.
The author may not be able to update daily, but promises not to abandon the project.
See you in other parts of the world.
Chapter 7 Euthanasia.
That night, Qin Ruoshui had the most boring dream she could remember.
In her dream, her body was paralyzed; she could only stare at the white ceiling and the monotonous white light. Occasionally, she could turn her eyes to glance at the green curtains around her. Time stretched on endlessly; her body was numb, and her mind was tormented by the boundless emptiness. Could this be her deathbed?
It's better to die than to prolong this time without dying.
After an unknown amount of time, a figure walked to her bedside.
She strained to turn her eyes, but still couldn't see the person's face.
“Eu…th…a…na…sia (euthanasia)” Qin Ruoshui’s consciousness in her dream strained to control her vocal cords and lips. Speak, make a sound. Let me die, kill me, kill me…
…
A slightly cool touch pressed against her cheek.
"Euthanasia!" Qin Ruoshui finally called out. The sound woke her up; she opened her eyes abruptly and found the little animal pressed tightly against her face, its lips pouting.
Goodness… Qin Ruoshui sighed inwardly. Thank goodness it was just a dream. What kind of dream was this?
She had dreamt of dying before, but even jumping off a building or cliff was not as terrifying as this state of wanting to die but being unable to.
She took a deep breath, nudged the sleeping pig next to her, and said, "Baby, move over a bit." Then she adjusted her position, lay on her side, hugged her, and watched her quietly.
When Qi Yi'an woke up and opened her eyes, Qin Ruoshui was looking at her intently. "Uh... good morning, sister..." Had she been awake for a while?
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Hmm... I had a dream..."
What did you dream about?
"I dreamt that I was lying in bed all by myself... and all I could do was look at the ceiling... It was so boring..." The daisies in my dream slowly withered.
Qin Ruoshui was stunned. Sharing a bed and dreams?
She gently patted the little animal's head and lightly pecked her lips a few times. "So... won't it be boring for the two of us to be in bed together?"
Qi Yi'an drooped the corners of his mouth, made a face, and stared at her speechlessly.
After thinking for a while, he smiled and pecked Qin Ruoshui's lips a few times.
She really does like me a little. Qin Ruoshui was quite pleased with herself, and smiled as she returned the kiss. Qi Yi'an responded to each kiss.
Qin Ruoshui let her lie in his arms, one arm encircling her, xxxxxxxxxxx
"Come here, touch it~"
Qi Yi'an looked up at her, his eyes filled with curiosity and surprise.
The woman's eyes were full of doting affection, xxx
...She's a woman you can't control with one hand...
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Qin Ruoshui looked at Qi Yi'an, who was staring blankly, and carefully, as if she were petting a kitten, very gently. She smiled and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Qi Yi'an was quite fond of it... but she couldn't very well say, "I want to knead it, eat it, bury myself inside it, right now..."
"Thinking about lines from Eileen Chang's *The Golden Cangue* and *The Woman from Nowhere*." "Hmm?"
"...He held it in his hand, stroked it, and shaped it into a form. He felt the little bird's soft beak nestled in his palm...round, with a heart beating inside..."
Qin Ruoshui listened quietly to her finish speaking, gazing intently at that delicate face. What a strange child.
"You remember all the books you've read so clearly?"
Some words are ingrained in our blood, living on in the world alongside those who have read them. So when that person is alive, they are not just living alone.
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Qi Yi'an was almost completely drained last night, but was aroused by the woman's lazy, slightly hoarse voice in the morning.
"Do you like it, little one...?"
"Um…"
"Then... I'll let you have your fill..."
-----
In 2020, Qin Ye, based in China, received the news around noon Beijing time. The board of directors of Qingcheng Group was discussing the acquisition of a company, and Qin Ye hurriedly left the meeting room to answer his father's call.
"...Quickly send someone to Country E to look after your sister, and decide whether to bring her back depending on the situation." Qin Weilin's voice remained calm and composed on the other end of the phone, but Qin Ye could tell he was extremely worried. He would never be at ease if something happened to his youngest daughter, whom the whole family doted on.
"Yes, please don't worry too much. I'll arrange everything... um... okay... I'll come over if necessary..."
He hung up the phone and frowned for a long time. The situation was very bad.
-----
"Good morning, Sera. What's the news today?" Qin Ruoshui lazily stretched and prepared to get out of bed.
"...The Ministry of Health of Country A reported that 11 new cases of viral pneumonia of unknown cause have been diagnosed in Region S of the country, including 7 severe cases. Researchers conducted detailed genetic analysis of the isolated viral strains and found that these viruses are significant mutations of the Covid-19 novel coronavirus. Compared to previous strains, the virus is more contagious..."
Is it happening again? The pandemic just ended a few months ago, and lockdowns were only just beginning to ease around the world. What's going on this year?
The connection and personnel flow between country A and country E are relatively close, so it seems we still need to be on guard.
“Sera, call ‘the kid’ for me.”
"OK."
Qi Yi'an had just received an email from the school. Having learned a painful lesson from the last wave of the pandemic, the school was now extremely cautious and was notifying her that classes might be suspended for a period of time. Fortunately, she had already submitted her thesis, so there weren't many classes left.
"Hello?" she answered the phone. "Good morning, sister."
"Good morning, little one~" Qin Ruoshui's clear, cheerful voice rang out through the receiver. "The news says the pandemic might be coming back, so please be careful." "Yeah, you too."
"When will school be out for break?" "I received news today that we might have to suspend classes."
"Well... how about we go on a vacation to a less crowded island? L City is such a dangerous international metropolis." Qin Ruoshui got to the point.
"Huh? Where?" Qi Yi'an had a feeling of being kidnapped again, but he was still very curious.
"How about we go to the J Islands? It's not far, and there aren't many people."