The sickly one in F4 was the group's darling.

A very soft voice emerged from the depths of Bai Ci's consciousness.

【in vain.】

Bai Ci did not respond.

"You... haven't eaten anything yet." Xiao Qi's voice was very soft, unlike her usual crisp and clear voice. It even carried a hint of cautious probing, as if she was afraid of startling him, or afraid that he would remain silent.

Bai Ci remained silent.

Xiaoqi waited a few seconds, then asked softly, "Are you... angry with me?"

These words suddenly made Bai Ci's heart ache terribly.

He wanted to say "no." But the words rolled around in his throat, and he couldn't say them. Because he wasn't really angry, but he also couldn't reply to it as easily as before, "Xiao Qi, I'm hungry."

"Xiao Qi." He finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse.

"Yes, I'm here." Xiao Qi responded quickly, as if she had been waiting for him to say it.

Bai Ci stared at the band of light and slowly said, "I'm a little scared."

There was a moment of silence on Xiaoqi's side, followed by a very soft static sound, as if it had moved unconsciously.

[What are you afraid of? Is it... Shen Tinglan?]

"I'm afraid," Bai Ci said, "but I'm even more afraid that I won't even know who you are."

He spoke very softly, but as soon as he said it, both of them fell silent.

After a long silence, Xiaoqi's voice rang out again. It wasn't as confident as usual; it even sounded a little weak:

"Bye, I didn't lie to you." It said, "I don't know what I am, I don't know who put me into your consciousness. I only remember that when I woke up, the first person I saw was you. My mission, my existence, seems to revolve around you. So I want to be good to you, I want to protect you. I... have no other reason."

As it spoke, its voice trailed off, as if afraid that Bai Ci wouldn't believe it, or that he would be even more upset if he did.

Bai Ci closed her eyes and buried her face in the sofa cushions.

"I know," he said, "which is why I know even less what to do."

Xiaoqi stopped talking.

It seems that Bai Ci was not afraid of it being bad, but rather that it was too good, so good that it didn't even know where this goodness came from or whether it could be grasped.

Each person has their own system, and they remain quietly in the darkness, separated only by consciousness.

After a long while, Xiaoqi said in an extremely soft voice, "Bai Bai, you don't have to always believe me anymore. But as long as you turn back, I'll always be there."

Bai Ci didn't move. After a while, he gave a very soft "hmm".

The sound was very soft, like a small patch of moonlight falling on the windowsill at night, melting away as soon as it landed.

-

Shen Tinglan came down the stairs, her hair still damp. Bathed in the warm light of the living room, she looked thinner than during the day.

Ji Huaizhou was sitting in the living room. When he heard footsteps, he looked up and his gaze fell steadily on Shen Tinglan.

"Let's talk," Ji Huaizhou said.

It wasn't a tone of discussion.

Shen Tinglan paused for a moment, then walked over and sat down on the sofa to the side. He leaned back on the sofa, as if he had let go of all his tension, looking very lazy and quiet.

"What happened?"

"What could possibly have happened? I brought him back to you safe and sound, not a single hair was missing."

"Why are you back so late?" Ji Huaizhou asked. "Did you take him out alone and take a long detour?"

"After shopping and having a meal, Lu Ciyuan made a last-minute trip to the Northern Continent, so we escorted him to the intersection. It took a little time."

"He's gone?"

"Well, they said it would take ten days to half a month. Who knows exactly how long?"

After Shen Tinglan finished speaking, he leaned back on the sofa, his posture relaxed, as if he were truly exhausted. He raised his hand and pressed the back of his neck, his fingertips lingering on his skin for a moment before slowly lowering it.

Ji Huaizhou did not move.

"That's all?" he asked.

"Otherwise what?" Shen Tinglan said.

"Bai Ci didn't dare look at me from the moment she walked in," Ji Huaizhou said, his voice completely flat. "Do you really think I'm blind, Shen Tinglan?"

Shen Tinglan remained silent.

Of course he knew that Bai Ci wasn't afraid to look at Ji Huaizhou. Bai Ci was afraid to look at anyone. The boy understood that he might have to look at everyone in this villa again. And that thought was enough to make one feel suffocated.

Ji Huaizhou stood up, picked up the cup, walked to the water dispenser, refilled it with half a cup of warm water, and then came back to sit down. The oppressive atmosphere in the entire living room was brought up by him.

"What happened on the way?" he asked. "Don't tell me nothing happened. After you dropped Lu Ciyuan off, the return trip should have taken at most an hour. It's completely dark now, and the wind is picking up outside. Bai Ci isn't fully recovered, Shen Tinglan. You wouldn't just stop the car on the side of the road for no reason and let him sleep before coming back."

Shen Tinglan listened without refuting, then turned his head to look out the window. It was completely dark, and the trees on the back hill swayed gently in the wind, their shadows indistinct, as if the mist had not yet completely dissipated.

He closed his eyes briefly, as if making a decision. After a few seconds, he spoke softly, "I ran into an old acquaintance."

Ji Huaizhou didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

"People from the Shen family," Shen Tinglan said.

The warmth in Ji Huaizhou's eyes completely vanished.

"They came looking for you?"

"Passing on a message," Shen Tinglan said, "while also using a few underhanded tactics."

Ji Huaizhou's fingers slowly tightened around the cup.

"Bai Ci ran into him?"

"Shen Tinglan, you know what his physical condition is like. I won't stop you from taking him out. But you brought that kind of thing in front of him, and he even saw you—" Ji Huaizhou paused, as if suppressing his anger, "Do you know that he couldn't even speak properly just now?"

"It's unavoidable," Shen Tinglan said. "Since Ayao has found the way, it's not a matter of choosing whether or not to come out."

"And the result?" Ji Huaizhou asked. "Are you satisfied with him now?"

Shen Tinglan chuckled very lightly, her lips barely moving: "Don't try to provoke me with those kinds of words."

"I wasn't trying to provoke you," Ji Huaizhou said. "I'm asking what you're going to do next. He just woke up, his body hasn't fully recovered, and then he had to go through this today. How do you expect him to sleep tonight?"

Shen Tinglan fell silent.

The living room was so quiet that you could hear the wind whistling through the windows.

Shen Tinglan got up, preparing to go upstairs. Ji Huaizhou suddenly spoke.

"hand."

Shen Tinglan paused and turned to look at him.

Ji Huaizhou took a small tube of ointment from the drawer under the coffee table and placed it on the table.

"Apply it yourself, and don't let Bai Ci see it," he said.

Shen Tinglan looked down at her right hand; the red marks on her knuckles were barely visible in the dim lighting of the living room. But Ji Huaizhou still noticed them.

He didn't refuse and walked back to pick up the ointment.

"Thanks," he said.

"No need," Ji Huaizhou said.

Shen Tinglan put the ointment into his pocket, said nothing more, and turned to go upstairs.

Ji Huaizhou sat on the sofa, listening to his deliberately soft footsteps as he went up the stairs. He knew Shen Tinglan didn't really need someone to remind her to apply the medicine. He was just standing downstairs, waiting for a reason to get him to go up.

And he gave it to me.

It's that simple.