A Sense of Unreality

A bit dazed, with a sense of unreality, Clo gazed at the scenery outside. Her body felt waves of exhaustion. She moved her shoulders and neck, feeling a slight, lingering soreness—likely because she hadn't slept well the night before.

Then again, it made sense. She was the type to toss and turn in the middle of the night; having someone else lying next to her was bound to make sleeping a bit uncomfortable.

Wait... someone else lying next to her.

Clo’s expression drifted for a moment as she seemed to suddenly remember something. She turned to look at the empty bed. The curtain of rain outside showed no signs of letting up; the gale-force winds and thunderstorms continued to ravage the once-scorched earth.

The protests and demonstrations planned by various assemblies and organizations seemed to have fallen through, but the internet was still abuzz with talk of strikes and boycotts. People were shouting slogans about robbing the rich to help the poor, demanding higher taxes on the wealthy instead of cuts to healthcare, unemployment benefits, and pensions.

On this land that had seen countless revolutions, nothing the people did would surprise Clo.

However, raising the wealth tax wasn't realistic. Clo remembered that when the government had tried something similar a few years ago, it had led to capital flight. After the new president took office and abolished the high taxes on the wealthy, Clo and her father had returned to the country.

These matters were too mundane and distant. After a brief thought, Clo realized they weren't her concern right now. She stretched and made a show of tidying the bed; she really wanted to make a good impression on Li Yue, who might be staying with her for the next few days.

Clo opened the door, and a savory aroma wafted into her nose. She thought of the leftovers she had frozen in the fridge. Usually, she would throw them away, but since she was no good at cooking, the alternative would be simply stewing pre-packaged meals from the supermarket for the next few days.

Truth be told, she hadn't even mastered pre-packaged meals. Being able to boil noodles was the extent of her abilities...

“Are you really planning to eat this during a typhoon?” Li Yue asked, wearing an apron as she opened the kitchen door. The sound of something stewing drifted out. In her hand, she waved a plate of half-thawed food that looked like it had been defrosted and refrozen once before.

Li Yue rolled her eyes in annoyance. Clo gave an embarrassed chuckle and ruffled her messy, just-woken-up hair.

“Hurry up and throw that out for the cleaners to take away,” Li Yue said with a sigh. Clo immediately took the hint and ran to the bathroom to freshen up.

Twenty minutes later, the two of them sat at the dining table. Before them were some cold dishes along with the stew Li Yue had just finished, served with some warmed bread. It was quite a decent lunch.

“No wonder you stay up so late. Did you never plan on eating breakfast?” Li Yue grumbled, criticizing Clo’s terrible lifestyle habits. “If you sleep until the afternoon, what do you even do with your day?”

“Browse my phone, play some PS5, or just take a nap right after lunch,” Clo mused, casually tossing her neatly combed hair. Li Yue knew that if she weren't there, Clo probably wouldn't have bothered to comb it at all...

“What a free and carefree life.” Li Yue gave a slight smile. It was hard to tell if she was amused or exasperated, but her smile carried a hint of complexity, and her gaze toward Clo held a certain depth. “Your parents must love you very much.”

“Hehe...”

“How is your blood test report coming along?” Li Yue asked casually. She seemed quite concerned about it; she had only mentioned it briefly a long time ago, yet she had remembered it now.

“I was supposed to get the results these past few days, but because of the typhoon, the private hospital where I did the test has shut down. I’m not sure when I’ll get the report,” Clo sighed. “Is something wrong?”

She felt like Li Yue always had some underlying meaning behind her words.

“It’s nothing major, I just suddenly remembered it.” Li Yue gave a small smile. At the mention of parents, images of blood test reports flashed through her mind. She frowned slightly, and the food suddenly lost its flavor. She lost her appetite instantly, but to keep Clo from suspecting anything, she continued to use her knife and fork as if nothing were wrong.

“Once the typhoon passes, the report should be sent to my email. Do you want to see what my blood type is then?” Clo took a bite of the tender stewed meat, her eyes narrowing with a sense of bliss.

“There’s no need. Blood type shouldn't be a big issue for you. You should focus more on understanding your body’s condition through the blood data,” Li Yue said casually. Her mouth hung open for a second as if she had more to say, but she seemed to hold back, given the current atmosphere.

“By the way.”

“What is it?” Li Yue looked at Clo.

“I have a piano at home. It’s not a Steinway, but it’s still...” Clo had been thinking about Li Yue, her mind frequently flashing back to the girl's elegant figure from that night.

“Give me a break...” Li Yue smiled. “There are no monitors here, no cameras, and no one watching me. It’s a rare day off, and my arm is still injured... Simply put, I don’t want to practice.”

Clo was slightly taken aback.

“Even just staring out the window is fine. Doing nothing is better than doing something.” Li Yue’s expression was a mix of exhaustion and relief as she slumped into the sofa after lunch, looking as if she didn't want to move a muscle.

“Come play one of those games you always play with me.” There was a spark of interest in Li Yue’s voice. She seemed to have thought of something, and she actually looked quite happy.

“Uh... what do you want to play?” Clo asked, still swallowing her food.

“Something I haven’t played before. I’ve only played some old games,” Li Yue said with a shrug.

“How old?”

“Like Tetris and stuff,” Li Yue replied, tilting her head as she thought.

“Hehe, let me show you my collection then.” A look of pride flashed across Clo’s face. She wiped her mouth and pulled a box of game cartridges from the cabinet.