Chapter 225: Madness

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=2188414

This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.

If there is a person with disabilities in the family, and the other person is responsible for caring for them, the time, energy, money, and worries they put into caring for them every day are things that healthy people can never truly understand.

Even if one can understand, one cannot truly empathize.

Moreover, this is something they have maintained for many years without fail. People who are chronically ill are more sensitive and fragile. Besides long-term dedication, the caregiver also needs stable emotions in order to comfort them and give them a sense of security.

Lin Tingshuang had difficulty moving around since she was a child, and Lin Tingyu was also very young at the time, yet she had already taken on the responsibility of caring for her younger sister.

“There must have been others who stayed for you before, or were willing to stay for you.” Ruan Yesheng’s gaze was so sincere as she said, “It’s just that you may not have noticed yet. Not noticing doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. You are so wonderful, of course someone would be willing to stay for you.”

Lin Tingyu paused for a moment.

Ruan Yesheng said, "And in the future, there will be more and more people. You should think that you deserve more people's care, and more people will be attracted to you and stay for you, no matter when."

"Ruanruan, you're so good at comforting patients," Lin Tingyu said. "I feel much better now, you're a miracle doctor."

Ruan Yesheng smiled and lowered her head.

"A long time ago, before I learned how to take care of A'Shuang, she would secretly hide under the covers and cry at night. She felt she was a burden." Lin Tingyu looked at the ceiling and said, "I really wanted to comfort her. But I didn't know how. I read books about it, but what those books said was useless. Back then, I didn't know how to do any of this."

Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo listened, feeling somewhat dejected, unsure of what to say.

"Gradually, I thought I had learned, because A'Shuang no longer cried like before." Lin Tingyu murmured. "Actually, I still hadn't learned. A'Shuang became stronger herself. There were many things she could do well through her own efforts. She even went to school in a wheelchair and got first place in the class. Some classmates teased her, looked down on her, and called her a cripple who couldn't walk, but she didn't cry."

Xi Mo said softly, "Have you ever thought about finding more doctors, better doctors? Maybe you'll meet a doctor who can cure her legs. Even if it's only enough to let her stand again and walk a short distance."

Lin Tingyu said, "I've always been looking. I've failed every time. For now, nobody can cure A'Shuang's legs."

"My dad knows many doctors. Those friends of his also know many doctors, famous specialists both in China and abroad. I'll ask around first and tell you what I find." Xi Mo said. "I noticed her legs haven't suffered severe muscle atrophy. It must be because you've taken such good care of her all these years. There is still hope for her to stand again."

Hearing that, Lin Tingyu gratefully said, "Thank you. I don't hope for more. If A'Shuang can regain basic self-care abilities, that's enough. I'll do everything I can to repay you."

The two talked with Lin Tingyu for a while and asked if she was hungry. Ruan Yesheng had made shredded pork porridge earlier, and it was still warm in the rice cooker. Lin Tingyu said she was indeed hungry. Ruan Yesheng brought over the porridge. After Lin Tingyu finished eating, she told them to sleep in the guest room. The guest room was clean, so they should not sleep on the sofa. If they didn't mind, they could temporarily wear her new clothes, which had also been washed.

The two nodded in agreement with Lin Tingyu. Lin Tingyu was a little sleepy and quickly fell asleep again.

After taking showers, Ruan Yesheng washed and dried their clothes, then hung them up. They spent a simple night at Lin Tingyu's home.

The next morning, Lin Tingyu was still asleep. After checking on her, the two came out and received a call from Lin Tingshuang. Before going to sleep last night, Xi Mo had told Lin Tingshuang to call her if she woke up, and she would come to her room.

Xi Mo carried Lin Tingshuang down from the bed. The two busied themselves helping her get ready. They fed the cat, and Ruan Yesheng also made breakfast. While eating breakfast, Lin Tingshuang received a message on her phone. She looked at it for a while, replied, and said, "Jiajia will come later. She called me last night and knew we were at the hospital, but she was on duty then. Just now, when she heard A'Ting had a fever all night, she said she'd come see her."

"About what time will she arrive?" Ruan Yesheng asked.

"Around 9."

Ruan Yesheng nodded. She had been looking for a chance to arrange a time with Cui Jiayu. Since Cui Jiayu was coming today, she could hand over the two videos Miss Yu had recorded yesterday and discuss them with her.

Around 9 o'clock, Cui Jiayu arrived as promised and rang the doorbell.

Ruan Yesheng went to open the door. Even though Lin Tingshuang had already told Cui Jiayu that both she and Xi Mo were here, Cui Jiayu was still a little surprised when she saw them in person.

After entering, Cui Jiayu asked, "Is Lin Tingyu in serious condition?"

Lin Tingshuang lowered her eyes and said worriedly, "A'Ting has never been like this. She's still sleeping."

Cui Jiayu immediately lowered her voice. "I don't have much to do during the day today. I'll stay here for a while. If there's anything I can help with, just tell me. But I'll probably have to leave after five in the afternoon."

"You were on duty last night. You didn't sleep much, right?" Ruan Yesheng noticed the dark circles under her eyes and softly said, "Do you want to take a nap?"

Cui Jiayu waved her hand. "This body of mine has been trained over many years. I'm used to staying up all night chasing leads. This is nothing."

Ruan Yesheng guessed she had not eaten breakfast, so she poured her a glass of milk and brought her breakfast. Cui Jiayu was starving and dizzy. She accepted it, thanked her, and immediately started eating.

The two wanted to wait until Cui Jiayu recovered a little before mentioning the videos. Ruan Yesheng planned to make lunch here, so she asked Xi Mo to go with her to the nearby supermarket. Xi Mo was checking the light in Lin Tingshuang's room. After hearing Ruan Yesheng, she quickly replied, "Okay, wait for me."

Lin Tingshuang said the room light had started flickering in the morning. She tested the switch and found it was indeed turning on and off.

Ruan Yesheng blinked and walked over with her arms folded. "How come I didn't know you could repair lights?"

"...I can't." Xi Mo said. "I'm just looking."

She turned her face and told Lin Tingshuang, "Report it to property management."

After reporting it on her phone, Lin Tingshuang said, "They said they'll come in about two hours. There's still time. I'll go to the supermarket with you. You're not very familiar with this area, and I know what dishes A'Ting and Jiajia like. The supermarket is very close. We can be back within half an hour."

"Okay." Ruan Yesheng agreed with a smile.

The three prepared to leave for the supermarket. Lin Tingshuang said to Cui Jiayu, "Jiajia, we'll be back soon. Stay here and watch over things. If anything happens to A'Ting, tell us immediately."

"I know, I know," Cui Jiayu waved her hand.

The three left. Cui Jiayu glanced at Lin Tingyu's room door. After standing there for a while, she pushed the door open and went inside.

The room was somewhat dim. Cui Jiayu sat by the bed and looked down at Lin Tingyu.

Lin Tingyu's eyes were closed, and there was a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead.

Seeing it, Cui Jiayu wrung out a wet towel and gently wiped her forehead. She muttered, "You're really useless. You actually got a fever."

Lin Tingyu's features looked very peaceful in the darkness.

Cui Jiayu stared at her for a long while. One of Lin Tingyu's arms was exposed outside the blanket. Cui Jiayu's gaze moved to her hand. After a moment, she reached out, grabbed Lin Tingyu's hand, and pressed it against her own cheek.

"...I'm really useless." Cui Jiayu said softly.

Lin Tingyu opened her eyes and stared at Cui Jiayu.

Cui Jiayu was instantly scared half to death. She threw Lin Tingyu's hand back and stammered, "I... I just saw you had a fever. I wanted to check how high it was, whether it was hot enough to burn my face!"

"Oh." Lin Tingyu said. "Officer Cui got scared out of her wits? How are you supposed to catch criminals?"

Cui Jiayu's words became a mess. She wanted to scold her like before, but the words would not come out. Lin Tingyu got out of bed. Cui Jiayu quickly asked, "Aren't you going back to sleep? A'Shuang told me to watch you. Don't wander around if you're fine."

"I'm fine now." Lin Tingyu said.

She carried a folding ladder out of the storage room and set it up in Lin Tingshuang's room. Then she brought over a large box. Judging from the picture on it, it was the same model as the room light.

Lin Tingyu climbed the ladder, removed the old light, and installed the new one. Her movements were very skilled.

"You even know how to replace lights?" Cui Jiayu was worried she might fall from the ladder and watched her every move. But she knew nothing about this and could not help.

"It's not difficult." Lin Tingyu said.

"Lin Tingshuang already reported it to property management. Just wait for them. Why do you have to replace it yourself?" Cui Jiayu said. "And there are actually three boxes of the same light in your storage room. Why did you buy so many?"

Lin Tingyu said, "A'Shuang likes this light. If it breaks, replacing it with a new one makes everything the same as before. Property management won't do it as carefully as I would."

"It's just replacing a light. Is there really so much to it? Do you ever feel that you're kind of a pervert sometimes?" Cui Jiayu said.

"No."

Cui Jiayu got no reaction and could only keep looking up.

Sitting at the top of the ladder, Lin Tingyu looked down at Cui Jiayu.

"Do you like me?"

Cui Jiayu froze.

"Huh?" After realizing what she heard, Cui Jiayu suddenly stepped back two steps. Her cheeks turned red.

"The Dream Wine you drank at the bar before, did you dream about me?" Lin Tingyu said. "What did you imagine me doing to you?"

Cui Jiayu blurted out, "You... I'm telling you, you're a pervert, and you still won't admit it! D... don't be so full of yourself. What made you think I dreamed about you? Do you have any proof?"

Lin Tingyu smiled.

The smile dazzled Cui Jiayu. She blurted out, "Then... then if I say I like you, would you be willing to be with me?"

Her heart pounded wildly. She felt she had gone crazy. But if she did not go crazy this once, it felt like she would never get another chance.

Lin Tingyu said, "I've never been with anyone before. I've never liked anyone either."

"Then do you like me?" Cui Jiayu asked softly.

Lin Tingyu didn't answer. She looked down into Cui Jiayu's eyes from the ladder.

"Maybe we can try it. After all, I've never tried it before. Maybe it'll be interesting?"

Cui Jiayu: "..."

Lin Tingyu said, "If I'm with someone else, A'Shuang will definitely feel lonely. She probably won't like that. But she's known you since childhood. If it's you, she won't be too sad. And you can accept that I'll always take care of A'Shuang."

Cui Jiayu looked up at her in disbelief.

After a long silence, Cui Jiayu finally said: "You don't like me."

She sounded completely certain. There was also disappointment she could not swallow, mixed with an almost mad calmness.

"Interesting?" Cui Jiayu said. "You're always like this. This is interesting, that is interesting. I hoped that even if you liked me a little, I would be able to feel it. Maybe you do like me a tiny bit. But it's no different from liking cats, liking dogs, or liking pet fish. You look at them, think they're interesting, and play with them."

Lin Tingyu said nothing and only studied her.

"In your heart, there's only your younger sister Lin Tingshuang." Cui Jiayu lowered her head and sighed. "You only see her."

After replacing the light, Lin Tingyu easily climbed down from the ladder.

Cui Jiayu said, "It'd serve you right if you fell to your death."

Lin Tingyu glanced at her, carefully tidied up the room, then carried the ladder and left.

….

After Ruan Yesheng, Xi Mo, and Lin Tingshuang returned from buying groceries, they saw Lin Tingyu cleaning up. Lin Tingshuang was surprised, happy, and worried at the same time.

"A'Ting, you're awake. How are you? Do you still feel uncomfortable anywhere? Stop cleaning and get more rest."

Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo also felt relieved.

"I'm much better." Lin Tingyu touched Lin Tingshuang's head and smiled. "Because all of you took such good care of me."

Lin Tingshuang smiled too.

Lin Tingyu said, "I've already replaced the light. Cancel the repair request. No need to make them come for nothing."

Lin Tingshuang froze and quickly said, "You're still sick, and you replaced the light? That's dangerous."

"It's fine." Lin Tingyu said gently.

Cui Jiayu rolled her eyes.

Ruan Yesheng felt the atmosphere between Lin Tingyu and Cui Jiayu was very strange, but she had no idea what happened. After lunch, when Lin Tingshuang went to take a nap, she and Xi Mo found a chance to gather Lin Tingyu and Cui Jiayu in the study and took out the two videos.

After watching them, both Lin Tingyu's and Cui Jiayu's faces turned cold.

Xi Mo said gravely, "I think that woman in the baseball cap is most likely targeting me. Actually, when I was filming with the Suiting crew before, someone threw dead chickens over. Gu Qisong said it was a woman wearing a baseball cap. Later, when I went to Heizhugou, there was a bonfire that night, and a woman in a baseball cap brushed past me too."

Some of it she saw herself, like the bonfire incident. Some happened after she and Ruan Yesheng switched bodies. It looked like Ruan Yesheng experienced it, but Ruan Yesheng had Xi Mo's face in front of others at the time. Xi Mo felt the target was actually herself.

"You think it's all the same person?" Cui Jiayu asked.

Xi Mo nodded. "Yes. And I'm becoming more and more certain. Even though I can't see her face, the feeling is very similar."

Lin Tingyu pointed at the man following them in the video.

"I've never seen this person before. Yang Zhen was following you before, but now Yang Zhen has disappeared."

Cui Jiayu said, "I'll take this back and see if we can identify him through the system."

The group discussed things in the study for a while. By evening, Cui Jiayu left. Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo had dinner at Lin Tingyu's house, said goodbye to the two sisters, and returned to Xi Mo's villa.

Two days later, Xi Mo needed to meet several senior figures in the industry to discuss important work matters. After changing clothes, she said to Ruan Yesheng, "Wait for me at home. Try not to go out. If you have to go out, let Zhou Wenxu go with you."

Ruan Yesheng could not bear to part with her. She raised her head and moved closer. Xi Mo hugged her naturally, and they kissed.

Xi Mo smiled. "If this keeps up, I won't want to leave the house."

Ruan Yesheng lightly bit her wrist.

The clear droplet on Xi Mo's wrist swayed gently.

But Ruan Yesheng was very careful and left no mark. Xi Mo cleared her throat and left.

Ruan Yesheng had specially handmade the cords herself. The two wore the droplets Miss Yu gave them on their wrists. They matched their fair wrists very well and looked like a couple's set.

Xi Mo got into the car, and Gu Qisong drove in front. The journey was quite long, so Xi Mo drank some water and closed her eyes to rest.

She gradually fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, it was pitch black all around. Xi Mo was stunned for a moment, then realized she was lying on the ground, her hands tightly bound behind her back, her feet tied, and her mouth gagged. At that moment, she began to tremble violently, her mind racing, a jumble of thoughts rising and falling in endless fear. Where was she? What had happened to her during this time…?

She…

...she had been kidnapped again.

Who did it?

Where was Gu Qisong? Had he been locked somewhere else, or... was he already dead? Why couldn't she see him?

Xi Mo couldn't see anything and tried hard to hear the sounds around her, but it was as silent as being trapped in a coffin.

Not long after, the door opened, and some light from outside followed the figure who walked in, shining in. Xi Mo quickly looked up and saw Gu Qisong's face.

In that instant, despair and utter disappointment surged over her like a tidal wave.

Gu Qisong closed the door and walked over, holding a small nightlight in his hand, which he placed next to Xi Mo.

Xi Mo couldn't speak, she could only make muffled sounds and stare at Gu Qisong.

She couldn't understand.

She really couldn't understand.

...Gu Qisong had kidnapped her.

Xi Mo struggled. Her eyes were fixed on Gu Qisong, filled with anger and questions.

"Xiao Mo, I won't ask for your forgiveness." Gu Qisong knelt down and said, "Save her."

After saying that, Gu Qisong left.

Xi Mo gritted her teeth and moved slightly, quickly trying to think about everything in front of her, but everything was too chaotic. Before long, the door was opened again.

A thin woman wearing a baseball cap opened the door and came in. She closed the door and slowly walked towards Xi Mo, step by step.

When Xi Mo saw her baseball cap and mask, she tried to back away, but her body was on the ground and she couldn't move back no matter what. She could only watch as the woman approached.

The woman in the baseball cap crouched down, and by the light of the small nightlight beside her, Xi Mo could see her eyes.

Those were young and beautiful eyes, but they were covered with a layer of deathly gray, and were extremely cold.

Xi Mo looked into her eyes and held her breath.

"When you were little, you said my eyes were beautiful. You said that no matter how I disguised myself, you'd definitely recognize me."

Her voice sounded very young.

The moment Xi Mo heard her speak, the string of her thoughts snapped completely.

"How could you not recognize me? Huh?" The woman placed a hand on Xi Mo's face, her voice filled with a kind of madness that was ashen with death.

She said, "Sister."