Seeing countless collapsed houses and trees snapped in half along the way, I finally understood the meaning of the phrase "utter devastation," and how lucky I was to have escaped with my life. Only then did I feel regret, and I gripped Yin Tianyu's hand, my brow beaded with cold sweat. Fortunately, after examining Yin Tianyu, the doctor said his injuries weren't too serious; there were no broken bones or concussions, just some blood loss. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. However, the resort was already in chaos. A large group of people, having heard that Young Master Yin was at the resort, disregarded the weak wind and rain and flocked there to express their feelings befitting their status. In the end, the dutiful doctor chased them all away and assigned two security guards to stand at the entrance before things quieted down.
As soon as I got back, Yin Tianyu forced me to have the doctor examine me from head to toe. The doctor repeatedly assured me that apart from a pimple on my forehead and a corn on my left foot, I was perfectly healthy. Then I was thrown into the bathroom for a hot shower, supposedly to avoid catching a cold. Thinking that A-Lian's house might not have such a comfortable bathroom, I chose to obediently comply, which conveniently saved me from the enthusiastic crowd. After showering and changing into Yin Tianyu's pajamas, I had just stepped out of the bathroom when I tripped over the long pant leg that I had just rolled up, and fell into the living room with a "thud."
"Hey, this is a really creative idea!" Yin Tianyu rushed over and said happily after seeing that I hadn't fallen and was about to drive the tricycle for the disabled.
"Want to learn? It's three hundred yuan per hour, guaranteed to learn, and you can start anytime." I rubbed my knees in annoyance.
"Hmm, not bad, you didn't get stupid from the fall." He patted my head, then picked me up and carried me into the living room without saying a word.
Although Yin Tianyu and I never kept our distance, this was the first time we'd been so intimate. Aside from Willson, he was the first adult man I'd ever been so close to. I froze, and after a few steps, I caught a faint scent emanating from him, different from Willson's. I couldn't help but wonder. Suddenly, I realized my body didn't seem to repel lying in Yin Tianyu's arms; in fact, I felt a faint longing. This terrified me, and at the same time, a strong sense of disgust welled up inside me. I tried to push Yin Tianyu away and jump down, trying to hide it: "What are you doing? You're still a patient. I haven't broken my leg; I can walk by myself."
Yin Tianyu ignored me and only gently put me down when he walked to the sofa.
I sat up from the sofa and realized that it was just the two of us in the room. The air felt a little thin, so I tugged at my hair to hide it.
"You look beautiful when you blush," Yin Tianyu said with a smile.
"You've seemed to be in a good mood ever since you showed up. Did you find a wallet?!" Not wanting that ambiguous atmosphere to continue, I jumped off the sofa. "You're all done now, I'm leaving."
"Am I really that annoying?" Yin Tianyu didn't do anything to stop me, but just lowered his head sadly.
"No, you know that's not what I meant." I hesitated and stopped.
"Go on, I don't want to force you to do anything." I couldn't see Yin Tianyu's face, only the dazzling white bandage on his head. It felt like I'd been shot in the heart, and my legs wouldn't move. I sighed and went back. "Lie down first. The doctor said you lost too much blood and need to rest."
Yin Tianyu ignored me and continued to hang his head sadly.
"Okay, sorry (yeah right), I was worried you wouldn't get enough rest while I was here (you deserve it). If you just go to bed and rest, I'll make you something to eat, okay? (If you dare eat it, I'll poison you!)"
"You said that?!" Yin Tianyu suddenly raised his head, smiling like a morning glory, without a trace of sadness. "I want to drink scallop congee!" I had a vague feeling that something was wrong, as if I had been tricked by someone again.
"I was just saying, why are you taking it so seriously? Besides, there's no kitchen here." I felt like a mouse struggling in a mousetrap.
Yin Tianyu triumphantly pushed open a door to the living room. I covered my eyes in anguish. Why am I always the one who loses to him?!
When I finished cooking the porridge and brought in a few side dishes to the living room, Yin Tianyu was nowhere to be seen. Pushing open the bedroom door, I saw that this fellow was already fast asleep on the bed, sleeping like a child: the blanket was haphazardly tucked under him, and the 1.8-meter bed was stretched out like a 1.2-meter single bed by his sprawling posture.
The central air conditioning in the room was on full blast. I pulled the regulator down a bit, then went over and pulled the blanket over him. My movements weren't gentle, but he didn't wake up. I'd never seen anyone sleep so soundly. Apart from his still somewhat pale face, even his breathing sounded like a comfortable groan, "Sleeping is so blissful." I couldn't help but yawn widely, tucked the blanket around him a little more, and turned to leave. As I closed the door, a sudden pang of reluctance struck me. Had the life-or-death experience just now given me a false sense of privilege regarding our relationship? This typhoon was truly terrifying. I shrank back as I went outside.
Seeing the fragrant scallop congee on the table, my stomach rumbled. I realized it was already past midnight. The rain outside had lessened slightly, but the wind and rain were still strong. Since I was already there, I decided to make the best of it and started to eat heartily. After I was full, I curled up on the sofa and fell asleep.
"You ate my porridge!" These were the first words I heard after waking up from my near-death experience. The first thing I saw was Yin Tianyu's angry face, so close it was distorted. I pushed him away a little to ease the pain. Yawning, I said, "If you ever distort my face like that again to scare my newly awakened nerves, I swear I'll punch the nose closest to me and smash it."
"Who told you to eat my porridge!" Yin Tianyu persisted.
"There's still some left in the pot! Who told you to sleep like a log last night!"
"Hey, what kind of attitude is that? I'm... a patient!" Seeing Yin Tianyu's expression as if he almost choked on the "I'm your benefactor" statement made me burst out laughing: "A patient? Give me a break, look at your face, it's as red as a crystal Fuji apple. You've been faking illness since the first day I met you, you haven't improved at all!" Lying through my teeth is my forte, but based on the little conscience I still have, I took advantage of Yin Tianyu admiring himself in the mirror and walked towards the kitchen.
While heating the porridge, I opened the refrigerator and found some ingredients, so I made an extra stir-fried noodle dish, and the kitchen was immediately filled with smoke.
"What are you doing?" I was startled to see Yin Tianyu standing behind me when I turned around.
"I'm keeping an eye on you so you don't steal food or poison it." Yin Tianyu casually pulled up a stool and sat down comfortably.
"Aren't you afraid of cooking fumes?" I stopped and asked curiously. Because Willson never goes into the kitchen, and he can't even stand the smell of cooking fumes on me, I always change my clothes and wash my hands and face after cooking before sitting down to eat with him. I always thought they were the same kind of people.
"It smells so good!" Yin Tianyu seemed to be starving, wrinkling his nose and sniffing intensely, his eyes burning with hunger. "I love watching my mom cook in the kitchen the most. And this isn't just the smell of cooking oil, it's the smell of everyday life, the most comforting smell."
"Does your mom still have to cook? Are all wealthy people in Taiwan this frugal?"
"It's not about saving money; it's that my mom can't accept her child growing up eating food cooked by other people. So, I've always felt that a woman is most beautiful when she's cooking for the person she loves in the kitchen."
Is that so? If so, doesn't Willson always miss my most beautiful moments? What's wrong with me? Ever since I met Yin Tianyu, the person who makes my heart suddenly lose its warmth keeps appearing out of nowhere, even though I've actually successfully excluded him from my world for a long time.
Part Two, Chapter Fourteen
What are you doing at the resort?
"You definitely wouldn't believe me if I said I was here to inspect business." Only after seeing my eye roll did Yin Tianyu say, "I'm waiting for my girlfriend here."
"Who's your girlfriend?!" When will this guy ever get rid of this habit of groping everyone?
"Her name is DIDO. We arranged to come here for a vacation together. She should arrive today. I'll introduce you then."
That's when I realized he wasn't joking, and that his so-called girlfriend wasn't referring to me. I immediately relaxed, and the wariness I'd been holding since the moment I saw him yesterday vanished completely.
"Oh right, I almost forgot you can live without oxygen and water, but you can't live without love." I said with a smile, but for some reason, I suddenly thought of "Rogue," whose fate is still unknown, and my mood immediately became irritable: "Time for work, I'm leaving." After changing my clothes, I stubbornly didn't even want to say goodbye.
Yin Tianyu seemed completely oblivious to my sudden change in mood, and even grabbed me, saying, "Let's have dinner together tonight?"
I flung his hand away: "Eat my ass! I don't even have a bed anymore, what's the point of eating!"
Yin Tianyu paused for a moment: "You're not thinking about 'thug', are you?"
I looked at him carefully for a moment and finally figured out what the roundworms in my stomach looked like. After pausing for two seconds, I turned around and walked out without saying a word, because I didn't want him to see the tears welling up in my eyes.
I immediately called A-Lian to tell her that I wasn't wearing anything, it wasn't torn, and I was perfectly fine. A-Lian let out a long sigh of relief and said wearily, "I can finally get some sleep." Just those words, transmitted through the cold telephone line, almost brought tears to my eyes.
During my lunch break, I went back to the cabin again, knowing it was futile, but I still held onto a tiny sliver of hope. Even if I found the "thug's" corpse, at least I would know where he was, that he had gone to heaven, and I wouldn't have to imagine how he would wander and be chased away after leaving me, begging for scraps, or even being slaughtered and eaten... I couldn't help but shudder.
The seawater had receded, leaving only the foundation of the hut, which was as ugly as could be, with nothing else left except for a pile of jellyfish lying helplessly on the ground, about to melt in the sun.
"You rascal!" I called softly, only to be answered by the tranquil, serene breathing of the nearby sea. I called again, and suddenly a white blob flashed before my eyes—who says there are no miracles in this world! I rushed over in surprise, only to be chilled to the bone—it wasn't a "rascal" at all, just a crumpled piece of paper being blown around by the sea breeze.
How could I have been so stupid as to leave it alone in the hut? How could I have done something so heartless to a life that depended entirely on me? Ignoring the wet and dirty ground, I plopped down and burst into tears. Since no one was around, I just cried and cried, as if soaking, rinsing, and drying my entire being, but the burden on my heart didn't seem to lighten at all. Suddenly, I remembered the fairy tale of the King with Donkey Ears. An idea struck me, and I dug a hole in the ground with a piece of wood nearby. Then, I bent over and cried out into the dark hole, "'Rogue,' I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" After saying this, I sealed the hole and the suffocating guilt tightly with my hands, and only then did I feel a little better. It was only then that I realized "Rogue" was not just my friend, but also a responsibility I carried. And when that responsibility came at the cost of my life, it was so heavy, so incredibly heavy.