Chapter 84 Chapter 84: My Affection For You Is Feigned
Chapter 84: My Affection For You Is Feigned
Smooth, tea-colored hair cascaded over her shoulders, cool-toned light and shadow interwoven on Chi Xiaocheng's frail, delicate face.
The moment she saw Su Tao, a smile bloomed, revealing faint dimples.
She looked especially adorable like this.
The smile greatly reassured Su Tao. She brought some fruit and sat down by Chi Xiaocheng's side. "How are you feeling?"
Chi Xiaocheng sat up a little, her voice lively. "The moment I saw Taotao, my body told me I'm perfectly fine!"
Su Tao lowered her head, gently tucking Chi Xiaocheng's fair, tender feet, which had poked out from beneath the quilt, back in. She then glanced sympathetically at her waist.
Almost instinctively, she said with concern, "Xiaocheng, please don't hurt yourself again, okay?"
Chi Xiaocheng blinked, feigning ignorance. "Taotao, what are you talking about? I didn't hurt myself."
Su Tao paused, a bitter smile flitting across her face before she replaced it with an indignant expression. "Damn that Ye Liang!"
Chi Xiaocheng nodded in profound agreement. "My brother told me. Too bad he wasn't crippled. How dare he still try to make you, Taotao, his maid! I hope he's stuck in the hospital forever and never gets out of bed!"
Su Tao's lips parted slightly.
Then she lowered her head and remained silent.
So it was because of the maid, then?
Although the dark room incident had passed, the matter of her becoming Ye Liang's maid had only been shelved.
And in Xiaocheng's eyes, even if it was avoided this time, it would still happen again.
That's why she went all the way...
forcing herself to completely cut ties with Ye Liang!
Su Tao's eyes held a complex expression.
When she looked at Chi Xiaocheng, there was no hint of blame; this was merely another version of her own self-inflicted trouble.
Chi Xiaocheng turning morbidly infatuated, kidnapping herself in the basement, wanting to jump from the rooftop, and now even this self-harm and shifting the blame.
All these consequences were the seeds she herself had sown.
Su Tao closed her eyes, slowly emptying her mind.
She let out a long sigh.
Never mind, what was done was done and irreversible. Since she had made a complete decision, there was no point thinking about Ye Liang anymore; his nature wasn't good to begin with.
The important task now was this:
To soothe Xiaocheng's emotions, to proactively try to accept her obsessive tendencies, and to take the first step towards gradual treatment later on.
After Su Tao had thought this through, she slowly raised her head.
She found that Chi Xiaocheng had been watching her, and their eyes met naturally.
The petite girl tilted her head and smiled. "What are you thinking about, Taotao?"
Su Tao's tone lightened considerably. "I was wondering what Xiaocheng usually enjoys doing."
"Are we going to develop common hobbies?" Chi Xiaocheng's eyes lit up, her expectant expression like a child spotting a toy.
Then she said with a happy expression, "That really is something couples do."
Couples...
Su Tao, of course, wouldn't acknowledge that identity, but wanting to soothe Chi Xiaocheng's emotions, she didn't directly deny it.
"When you're alone, Xiaocheng, what do you like to do?"
"Watch anime!"
Su Tao continued, "What kind of anime do you like, then, Xiaocheng?"
Chi Xiaocheng answered innocently, "Anime about girls and girls."
Instantly, Su Tao's smile stiffened.
How was she supposed to respond to a topic like that? She urgently needed to know how to navigate this.
The observant Chi Xiaocheng noticed Su Tao's expression and slowly asked, "What's wrong, Taotao? Do you dislike girls?"
Su Tao quickly shook her head. "No, I don't dislike them."
"Exactly," Chi Xiaocheng said slowly, looking directly at Su Tao. "Girls are fragrant and soft, incredibly comfortable to hold, and so well-behaved and obedient. They're simply the best treasures in the world!"
The girl, under the direct gaze of those crimson eyes, guiltily averted her own. "Yes... yes, they are."
Chi Xiaocheng sighed again. "Oh, and my brother told me boys are too rough and careless, and that he wants to find a girl to take care of me in the future."
As soon as these words were uttered, they reminded Su Tao of a message Chi Song had sent her last time.
ā Taotao, do you like my sister?
Brother Chi Song wants to find a girl to take care of Xiaocheng, and to be with Xiaocheng.
Is that why he messaged me then?
And just now, Auntie also seemed to imply that I should be with Xiaocheng.
This...
Su Tao instinctively drew back, not daring to think any further.
She also didn't want to continue this conversation.
Fortunately, in her usual state, Chi Xiaocheng was considerate and thoughtful.
Perhaps sensing her discomfort, she yawned and lay back down. "Taotao, I'm a little sleepy~"
Su Tao collected herself. "If you're sleepy, then go to sleep. Your body hasn't recovered yet, so rest is most important."
Chi Xiaocheng nodded, extending a small hand. "Then, Taotao, could you hold my hand? Just until I fall asleep, is that okay?"
"Of course."
Su Tao took Chi Xiaocheng's right hand, offering her own warmth.
She offered a gentle smile and watched Chi Xiaocheng drift off to sleep.
In less than ten minutes, the petite girl on the hospital bed let out a steady, tiny, adorable snore.
Su Tao couldn't help but reach out and smooth her hair.
She continued to sit there, gazing at her face.
Adorable.
Two words summed up everything about her.
The warmth radiating from her palm was also something Su Tao found comforting.
Usually so tense, she wouldn't have noticed so many details about Chi Xiaocheng, but now, feeling it carefully, she increasingly sensed how delicate and soft Chi Xiaocheng's skin was.
Her small hand was easy to hold, its back smooth, her fingertips delicate; the warmth it conveyed made one reluctant to let go.
However, from her wrist upward, the part covered by her long sleeve, fine lines marred the smoothness of her arm.
Gently pulling up the sleeve, she saw fine marks crisscrossing her arm, haphazardly distributed, with clear variations in their depth.
Some faded scars, Su Tao recognized immediately as having been left from the rooftop incident; by now they had almost disappeared.
But new scars had been added on top of them.
Su Tao's mood darkened slightly.
When she was in the dark room, she had vaguely sensed it.
Aside from the orange juice taste in her food and water each time, every so often Chi Xiaocheng would blindfold and gag her with a black cloth, depriving her of sight and sound.
and then she would drink the orange juice Chi Xiaocheng personally fed her.
That taste was the same as the orange juice when she drank water, but her nose could detect something else.
There was a faint metallic scent.
At the time, she had vaguely felt that this metallic-scented orange juice was fresh.
But she had always been afraid to think in that direction, subconsciously avoiding it.
No wonder the medical report stated she had mild anemia in addition to physical weakness.
If she tried to accept her, would things like this continue to happen in the future?
She would self-harm, and then force herself to drink orange juice?
Su Tao dared not think further; she wanted to pull her hand away and rest.
Just as she was about to get up, Chi Xiaocheng pulled her back with a sudden strength.
She looked at Chi Xiaocheng, only to find the girl deeply asleep. The grip on her hand was purely a subconscious reluctance to let go.
The petite girl, in her sleep, murmured softly, "Taotao... don't abandon me..."
Hearing this, Su Tao's heart softened again, and she sat back down. "Don't worry, Xiaocheng, I won't abandon you, never."
Her voice was very soft, but Chi Xiaocheng seemed to have vaguely heard her words, replying in her sleep, "Taotao, I... like you. Do you... like me?"
Su Tao's expression grew complex. She gently patted Chi Xiaocheng's small hand. "Xiaocheng, I like you too."
But, I'm sorry, Xiaocheng, my affection for you is feigned.
After she silently added this thought in her heart, she gently loosened the hand that had held her in place.
Until Su Tao departed, she never noticed that a faint smile had lingered on Chi Xiaocheng's lips the entire time.
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