Chapter 122 Chapter 122: Her Silence, Deafening
Chapter 122: Her Silence, Deafening
The living room lights were dim, like the fading light of twilight.
Though the chairs were neatly arranged, by the sofa, objects on the table were scattered everywhere. Things on the nearby counter and coffee table had been swept to the floor, and a hot water kettle had overturned, wetting a large section of the floor.
If anything on the entire table remained undisturbed, it was only a covered white paper and a knife sheath, now empty of its fruit knife.
A robbery?
No, absolutely not.
This looked more like a self-destructive outburst after an emotional breakdown, where everything that could be smashed had been.
Su Tao's eyes gradually became vacant as she frantically searched around.
Not just the living room; throughout the entire house, every light that could be turned on was on!
"Her room, yes, Xiao Cheng must be in her room!"
"She still has Da Wang with her. With a cat to comfort her, she won't do anything foolish."
Su Tao was truly terrified that Chi Xiao Cheng might repeat what happened on the rooftop last time: harming herself, then preparing orange juice and morbidly demanding that Su Tao drink it.
If that happened, she'd have to be hospitalized for a while again.
Hurrying to Chi Xiao Cheng's room, Su Tao could already hear anxious meows from outside, as if tugging at her heart, making it beat faster and faster with each cry.
Su Tao gripped the doorknob and quickly threw the door open. "Xiao Cheng!"
"Meow! Meow! Meow!"
Da Wang seemed startled, instantly darting out from between Su Tao's legs.
Her gaze swept around the room.
The room was a stark contrast to the living room; not only was it clean and tidy, but even items she hadn't had time to sort before were neatly folded and carefully placed aside.
Su Tao didn't pay attention to those details; her mind just buzzed.
Where is she?
If not in her room, then where could she be?!
The utility room, Chi Song Ge's room, the other smaller guest room—Xiao Cheng was nowhere to be seen in any of them!
"Oh, the balcony!"
Su Tao ran back to the living room, then quickly went out to the balcony.
No one.
Still no one!
Her breathing grew rapid, and she felt an inexplicable sense of suffocation.
Drip, drop... drip, drop...
The sound of dripping water slowly began to register in Su Tao's ears.
Was that water coming from the bathroom?
A terrifying thought rose in Su Tao's mind, and her right hand trembled uncontrollably.
Da Wang darted out from the bathroom, running into the living room and meowing anxiously, as if urging something.
For half a month, in Su Tao's absence, Da Wang and Chi Xiao Cheng had become each other's sole companions.
Even though it remained aloof, cats are perceptive animals and can sense their owner's emotions.
Its agitation indicated that something had indeed happened.
Su Tao's lips were dry, even trembling slightly, as she walked step by step towards the bathroom.
"No, it can't be, it can't be, it can't be..."
"Xiao Cheng!"
Su Tao violently pushed open the half-open bathroom door.
Her eyes widened, pupils contracting.
In the dim bathroom, the girl she had been so worried about lay quietly in the bathtub, her body covered in bright red pigment.
Her scattered hair floated on the water's surface like black ink, framing her pale yet delicate face.
Her slender arm hung limply over the edge of the tub, fingertips tinged with a faint bluish hue. Drop after drop of dark red 'orange juice' slowly dripped from her fingertips, signifying that she seemed to be losing all life at this very moment.
The floor was a mess, a bath basket lay discarded nearby, and the mottled tiles on the walls seemed cold and alien in the shadows. A small yellow duck, meant for bath companionship, had fallen to the floor. Except for its eyes, which reflected a chilling gleam, the entire duck had turned completely red.
The reddened yellow duck stared fixedly towards the doorway, casting an intensely mournful and terrifying gaze as Su Tao pushed her way in.
The dripping sound intertwined with the faint rush of water, seeming to silently convey Chi Xiao Cheng's ineffable pain.
At this moment, Su Tao felt her mind go utterly blank.
Her legs gave way, and she collapsed directly onto the floor.
In her mind, Chi Xiao Cheng's hopeful smiling face from her confession on the bridge gradually severed itself from the cold, tranquil visage before her.
Just a second ago, she had been smiling at Su Tao, holding a bouquet of white roses, her gaze filled with fondness and love.
But now, why had it come to this?
Lying cold in the bathtub, eyes closed in slumber.
Su Tao felt that the bouquet of white roses she had brought back from the bridge was incredibly ironic.
This scene now seemed to tell her:
Those white roses should have been dark red.
The water, as if steeped in red dye, gradually seeped into the palm of her hand, which was braced against the floor.
Icy cold!
The biting cold jolted Su Tao back to reality. With dishevelled hair, she looked up at Chi Xiao Cheng, her lips trembling incessantly, yet she couldn't utter a sound.
"This... this must be fake, right?"
"Xiao Cheng... how could she leave without a word?"
"Hey, Xiao Cheng, this is a joke, right? This is your yandere side, isn't it? You're pretending to sleep in the bathtub, waiting for me to come back, just to keep me, right?"
Su Tao stumbled to her feet, only to fall to the ground several times again, her clothes inevitably stained with the color of orange juice.
The closer she got to Chi Xiao Cheng, the more terrified Su Tao became.
A distance of mere steps felt like centuries to her.
Her physical condition seemed fine, yet she couldn't summon any strength.
Everywhere in the room felt so oppressive, and time seemed to freeze.
The girl in the bathtub was submerged in endless darkness, along with all the past joys and sorrows, all drowned in the icy water.
The water, in turn, carried her reluctance, resentment, regret, and longing from her departure, transferring them to Su Tao's palm.
She gripped the bathtub forcefully, the overflowing water rippling. Su Tao's trembling hand reached out to touch Chi Xiao Cheng's right hand.
A bottomless gash seemed to dance upon her major artery.
Her skin felt cold to the point of suffocation; she looked utterly lifeless.
Su Tao's breathing grew even more ragged, and she even felt dizzy.
But she let her tears stream down her cheeks, forcing all her remaining strength to extend a finger to Chi Xiao Cheng's nose.
"One second..."
"Two seconds..."
A faint breath brushed Su Tao's fingertip. She instantly jolted, then excitedly leaned forward.
Her legs gave way, and she fell to the ground again.
Even though her forehead hit the bathtub, Su Tao didn't hesitate from the pain. She quickly scrambled up and continued to hold her finger to Chi Xiao Cheng's nose.
"There's a faint breath, there's a faint breath!"
Su Tao wept with joy. In that instant, she didn't even have time for regret; her mind was racing frantically.
What to do, what to do, what to do!
Anyone seeing such a terrifying sight would be unable to think rationally.
Let alone Su Tao herself, who harbored so many inexplicable feelings for Chi Xiao Cheng. She was utterly distraught, yet dared not touch Xiao Cheng even slightly.
"120... what's the number for 120..."
She rapidly muttered the numbers, but she couldn't even hold her phone steady.
"Just calm down!"
Su Tao gritted her teeth, clenched her fist, and punched herself hard in the face.
Blood welled at the corner of her lips and her nose at that moment.
But this pain was far less than the anguish in her heart.
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!