Oh no! My yandere school beauty is so clingy!

Shen Yu's gaze was fixed on the last few lines of text and the glaring stain.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

He couldn't hear Lin Anran's suppressed, intermittent sobs, nor the sorrowful sighs and low sobs of others, nor even the tireless, seemingly endless wailing of the baby in his arms...

"Hmm..."

A very soft gasp broke the silence.

Shen Yu very slowly put down the letter, which was light yet weighed more than a thousand pounds.

He moved very quietly, as if afraid of disturbing something.

His lips, devoid of all color, were pale to the point of being almost transparent, pressed tightly together into a straight line, trembling slightly.

His face was a deathly pale gray, and fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, sliding down his temples.

Those eyes, now empty and vacant, darted about aimlessly, looking left and right, their gaze unfocused.

It seemed as if it were searching for an escape route, or perhaps it was just an unconscious, instinctive struggle...

He didn't know where to put his hands; they clenched into fists, then relaxed, his fingers twitching unconsciously, making a few grasping motions in the air before finally falling limply to his sides, his fingertips icy cold...

He tried to stand up, but his legs were too weak to obey him.

The moment his body left the chair, he lurched to the side, falling headlong, chair and all, onto the cold, hard concrete floor...

"Excessive!!"

Lin Anran let out a short scream, tears streaming down her face. She rushed forward frantically, using all her strength to hold onto Shen Yu's sliding body tightly.

Her slender frame could barely support Shen Yu's weight; the two stumbled a few steps before managing to regain their balance and avoid falling to the ground...

Shen Yu leaned against Lin Anran's chest, his weight almost entirely resting on the girl.

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, like a fish thrown ashore, opening its mouth in vain but unable to inhale enough air.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back, and the icy touch sent a shiver down his spine...

He blinked, his eyes unfocused, his pupils slightly dilated, unable to focus.

He stared at Lin Anran, who was so close to him, her face streaked with tears, her eyes filled with terror and worry, for a very long time.

It's a protective shutdown of the brain caused by the shock and grief of being overwhelmed.

All emotions, all perceptions, all thoughts, are temporarily suspended and frozen...

After a good ten seconds, or perhaps longer, Shen Yu's unfocused gaze slowly and gradually regained focus.

He saw clearly Lin Anran's tear-streaked face, clearly saw the dilapidated and dimly lit little house, and clearly saw the several elderly people across from him silently weeping, their expressions filled with sorrow.

Upon closer inspection, the tiny baby in Sister Wang's arms was crying even more heart-wrenchingly...

"I..." Shen Yu's lips moved, emitting a broken, breathy sound.

He swallowed hard, feeling a burning pain in his throat.

"I'm going out...for some fresh air...for some fresh air."

He repeated it, as if trying to convince himself, or as if giving himself a simple, actionable instruction.

Lin Anran felt an unbearable heartache seeing him so absent-minded, as if he would shatter completely at any moment.

She dared not let go, still holding him tightly, nodding vigorously, tears streaming down her face, her voice choked with sobs:

"Okay, okay, I'll help you out. Let's go out for some fresh air, Yu Yu, let's go out..."

She half-supported, half-carried Shen Yu, and slowly moved towards the door.

Shen Yu's steps were unsteady, as if he were walking on cotton, each step swaying as if he would fall down again at any moment.

The others looked at them, opened their mouths as if to say something, but in the end they just sighed heavily and stepped aside to make way.

Sister Wang held the crying baby, turned her back, and couldn't bear to look anymore.

Pushing open the creaking wooden door, the afternoon sunlight shone in unobstructed, causing Shen Yu to instinctively close her eyes.

The warm light fell on his pale face, but it couldn't dispel the chill in the slightest.

Shen Yu was helped by Lin Anran to the old locust tree in the center of the courtyard.

He just stood there, head slightly tilted back, motionless.

Lin Anran stood beside him, tightly hugging one of his arms, pressing her face against his cold, stiff arm, and silently weeping.

She knew very well why she was crying, and why Shen Yu was acting this way at this moment.

They'd never even met this younger sister, and had no feelings for her whatsoever, so why were they so devastated by those words...?

Because what they empathize with isn't the person, but the emotion and feeling...

I crave family, I crave love, I crave attention, I crave companionship...

These desires are vividly displayed in Shen Yu and Lin Anran, but they are lucky to have each other...

Having someone who can provide this companionship, who can be like family, and who can give love and attention.

But Shen Yu's sister did not.

In those words, they seemed to see themselves if they had never met each other...

Shen Yu's younger sister seems to be playing a role in their story. Before meeting that man, she was afraid of being alone and longed for companionship, so she went to find her relatives.

She met that man, thought she had found true love, and wanted to be with him every moment, giving him her heart and soul, but... she was betrayed.

Longing, regret, resentment, grief... they could feel it all...

Shen Yu and Lin Anran simply did not let each other down and achieved the best outcome, but Shen Yu's sister was not so lucky.

That's why Shen Yu was so desperate at this moment, her heart felt like it was in her throat, and Lin Anran couldn't stop her tears either.

Because at that moment, they were experiencing the same feelings as that sister they had never met.

Especially Shen Yu, although he had no feelings for her, she was still his own sister.

She's about the same age as him, and she actually... had a child.

Shen Yu couldn't even imagine how hard her life was.

Now...we don't know where she is, or if she's even alive...we can't get in touch with her...

However, the fact that they all entrusted their own children to the orphanages they trusted most shows just how bad her situation was...

Anyone who can raise this child well will never let this hard-won little family member leave her...

Just then, with a creak, the door of the small house behind us was gently pushed open again.

Sister Wang carried the baby and slowly walked out.

Shen Yu looked in that direction, his voice hoarse, and he managed to squeeze out a sentence with almost all his might:

"Can I... hug her?"

Looking at Shen Yu's empty, desperate eyes, which were now fixed on the baby, Sister Wang's heart softened, and she nodded.

She glanced down at the still sobbing baby in her arms, gently handed the swaddled infant over, and whispered a few words of advice:

"Be careful, the child is small, their bones are soft..."

Shen Yu almost held her breath as she stretched out her arms and carefully took the soft little life.

The baby was so light that the moment it landed in his arms, all his muscles tensed...

Just as the baby was fully received...

It was as if the pause button had been pressed.

The continuous, heartbreaking cries miraculously ceased within seconds...

The baby, nestled in Shen Yu's stiff yet firm arms, unconsciously nuzzled against him, his furrowed brows slowly relaxing, and his pouting lips softening...

She even curled up slightly, as if she had found the most comfortable and secure position, and then her breathing became even and long. Before long, she fell into a deep sleep in Shen Yu's arms...

Seeing this, Sister Wang's eyes widened, and she lowered her voice in surprise:

"Huh?! You're not crying anymore..."