An Uneventful Night

Clo sat in the living room watching TV, feigning interest as she forced down two cans of soda before finally deciding to go to bed. She felt her stomach acid starting to churn, which was quite uncomfortable, but since she had already brushed her teeth, she didn't really want to eat anything.

The thought of a beauty lying in her bed made her cheeks flush. She felt a strange sense of excitement and agitation, which she attributed to the small amount of caffeine in the soda.

She gently patted her face, feeling its warmth. Could she really be getting tipsy from soda, just like Li Yue?

Was the alcohol content labeled somewhere she couldn't find?

Clo let out a heavy sigh and glanced at the watches in the winder on the counter beside her to get a rough estimate of the time. After thinking it over, she realized more than half an hour had passed. Given Li Yue’s physical condition, she should have fallen asleep by now.

She quietly pushed open her bedroom door, stepped inside with light feet, and pulled the door shut behind her, sealing out the last sounds of the wind and rain. With a soft sigh, she carefully slid into the blankets.

“It’s almost midnight. Is this your normal bedtime?” a voice whispered from under the covers, making Clo’s body stiffen in surprise. “It’s a bit late. Staying up this late isn't good for your skin.”

“How did you know...?”

“I was counting sheep out of boredom,” Li Yue said flatly. “I might have miscounted, but I reached 4,563. I figured about half an hour must have passed.”

“Tomorrow is my day off, so I’m indulging myself a little tonight.” Clo tugged at the blanket, but finding it wouldn't budge, she was forced to shuffle closer toward Li Yue.

“The downside of staying up late is that you get hungry, and eating late-night snacks makes you gain weight.” Li Yue licked her lips. “The noodles you made were delicious. Not only were they tasty, but they were also quick to cook. Does that count as fast food?”

“I don't think so...” Clo answered casually. She wasn't sure if Li Yue’s words had triggered it, but she was starting to feel hungry, making it even harder to fall asleep.

“When I was very young, I loved eating fast food with my parents—what my current father calls junk food,” Li Yue said softly.

“Eh?” Clo was taken aback. Looking at Li Yue’s open eyes, she felt as though those blood-red pupils were almost glowing in the dark. “Your old parents? Your current one?”

“My current father is my adoptive father; there’s nothing to hide,” Li Yue said casually. “My biological parents died from an extremely rare disease. They died in great pain, but to see me for just a little longer, they endured that agony for many years.”

“Oh... I’m sorry.” Clo’s heart sank, feeling a sudden wave of sadness.

“As for my current father, he is my blood relative. We are the same—both loners,” Li Yue mused. “His wife and daughter died in a car accident. He never told me the details of what happened then.”

“I looked up the news later and found out the car door on his side hadn't been closed properly. He was thrown out of the vehicle, which is why he didn't die.” There was a hint of resentment in Li Yue’s voice.

“Occasionally he mutters to himself, ‘Why me?’ and occasionally I think, ‘Why him?’”

Clo froze, swallowing hard. She felt as though hearing all this might put her at risk of being murdered to keep her quiet.

“I look about eighty percent like his daughter, so... haha.” Li Yue gave a self-deprecating laugh. “If only I had been in that car too...”

“...” Clo bit her lip.

“Clo, tell me...” Li Yue’s tone shifted. “Is there a heaven in this world?”

“Heaven... I think it must exist. Otherwise, where would those sad, pained, kind, yet lost souls go?” Clo thought for a moment. “So... there’s a need for heaven to exist.”

“Then... suicides can't go to heaven, right?” Li Yue let out a long sigh and rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. Her expression was indifferent, yet tinged with a flicker of agony.

“The world is a good place, isn't it?” The back of Clo’s hand brushed against Li Yue’s, feeling the slight chill of her skin. In the end, she hesitated and didn't take her hand.

“The world is good, but it has nothing to do with me,” Li Yue said coldly. “I’ve lost my reason for existing. Now, I’m just living like a puppet.”

Li Yue turned around to look into Clo’s deep blue eyes. Her words carried an underlying tone of pain, and the light in her eyes gradually dimmed. Only the blood-red depth of her pupils grew more intense, as if something were festering within them.

“Who could truly like my hypocrisy and my unpredictable personality?” Li Yue’s gaze grew even darker. “If only I had died early from that disease back then... that would have been better. Perhaps death is the key to unlocking my shackles.”

Li Yue let out a long sigh and simply closed her eyes. After venting so much pent-up emotion, she felt her heart grow much calmer. It seemed she could fall into a peaceful sleep tonight even without the help of medication. She steadied herself, feeling the exhaustion of her body, and surrendered everything to gravity and the mattress.

Clo wanted to say something, but after a brief moment of thought, she kept her mouth shut. She knew that if she spoke now, she might truly be able to change the fate between them. But how could she truly shoulder the weight of another person’s life? It was better not to say what she couldn't follow through on.

All she could do was shuffle a little closer, letting her own warmth transfer to Li Yue. Only when Li Yue’s breathing became steady and even did she carefully pull her into an embrace.

She wasn't sure what she was feeling. Pity? She didn't think she had the right to pity Li Yue. It was just a mix of sorrow and that fluttering ache in her heart that left her with an indescribable sensation.

She felt the body in her arms tremble slightly as the coldness was slowly melted away by her gentle warmth.

An uneventful night passed.

When Clo woke up, the room was still shrouded in gray. She pulled back the curtains to see dark, heavy clouds looming low over the city. Fierce winds whipped the torrential rain, and as far as her eyes could see, everything was hidden behind a hazy curtain of rain.