In the midst of the swirling wind and snow, Lin Xiaojue arrived at a hotel, supported by Xia Yao.
The hotel room was luxuriously decorated, featuring a European-style ceiling and oil paintings of landscapes hanging on the walls.
The corners were spotless, marking it as a high-end establishment.
“Senior, rest here for a bit. I’ll take you to see a doctor tomorrow.” Xia Yao’s eyes were filled with worry as she gently helped Lin Xiaojue onto the bed.
Her senior’s clothes showed no signs of disarray, yet she constantly clutched her shoulder. Every time she moved her legs, her face contorted in pain.
Xia Yao tried to sense Lin Xiaojue’s emotions, but she felt only a stillness as stagnant as dead water.
As she watched Lin Xiaojue sit quietly on the bed with her knees pulled up, many guesses raced through Xia Yao’s mind, but she didn’t dare speak them aloud.
‘I’ll wait a little longer… wait for Senior to recover.’
“Um, I’m going to get some medicine,” Xia Yao said. Even though she received no response, she pushed open the door and went downstairs to find some medicine for bruises and bone injuries at a pharmacy.
When she returned with a bag of medicine, Lin Xiaojue was still curled up on the bed, silent.
It wasn’t until Xia Yao finished brewing a packet of granules that Lin Xiaojue finally looked up blankly, her eyes unfocused.
She still wore her disguised appearance: black hair, black eyes, and a high ponytail trailing behind her. Fine bangs cast flickering shadows over her face.
Those black eyes were hollow and spiritless, and the rims were flushed red, making Xia Yao wonder what exactly her senior had gone through.
“Senior, drink the medicine.” Xia Yao held the steaming cup out to Lin Xiaojue, but there was no reaction.
So, she moved a little closer and brought the cup to Lin Xiaojue’s lips.
“If Senior won’t drink it, then I’ll have to drink it for you.”
Xia Yao’s scarlet eyes curved into crescents as she revealed a bright smile.
As if infected by that smile, Lin Xiaojue’s drifting gaze regained its focus, reflecting the bitter, astringent liquid in her pupils. She reached out, forced a painful smile, and took the cup, sipping it slowly.
The air fell into a long silence. It took about five minutes for Lin Xiaojue to finish it all.
Xia Yao pulled out a napkin to wipe her senior’s mouth. She said nothing more, quietly placing the cup on the table.
“We’ll stay here for a few days. Senior seems to be injured, so let’s wait a while before going home.”
As she spoke, Xia Yao fetched hot water from the bathroom and carried it to the bedside in a basin she had bought.
“Fortunately, it’s winter, so we don’t need to bathe every day.” Xia Yao forced a smile, gazing at Lin Xiaojue huddled on the bed.
“The pharmacist said if you’ve been injured by an impact, you shouldn’t bathe for a few days, so…”
“Little Xia.” A raspy voice interrupted Xia Yao. She looked up to find Lin Xiaojue staring at her with bloodshot eyes.
“Aren’t you going to ask me why I didn’t make it to the movie?”
“…Senior must have had her own things to take care of. You can’t be by my side all the time.”
Xia Yao remained silent for a moment after offering that clumsy excuse.
Lin Xiaojue grew quiet as well, a subtle silence permeating the space between them.
She slowly withdrew her gaze, looking down as she felt a tearing sensation beneath her.
She couldn’t even spread her legs. If there was even a slight distance between them, a harsh force would immediately tear at her crotch.
It was exactly what Su Yaqing had done to her moments ago.
Pain throbbed constantly in her shoulder too, as if it had been struck by something heavy and dislocated.
‘Is there a need to tell Xia Yao about this pain?’
Lin Xiaojue knew she had already chosen her answer the moment she equipped the **[Frontier Developer]** title.
Having gained the effects of **[Great Enlightenment]**, her heart was now incomparably peaceful.
Fortunately, the title was truly effective; Xia Yao hadn’t received any information regarding her emotions.
She estimated that in Xia Yao’s eyes, her senior appeared incredibly calm right now.
Even if there really was a problem, it would surely be one that her senior could solve.
A strong senior, a reliable senior—the senior Xia Yao could trust.
That was the image she had always maintained in front of Xia Yao, the image she used to lead Xia Yao away from that family.
Lin Xiaojue would never destroy that image.
So, she lowered her head, quietly hiding the tear tracks on her face even though they were clearly visible.
But why did she ask?
Lin Xiaojue wasn’t sure. It seemed like she had only done it because of the atmosphere, but she no longer knew.
“Senior, let’s wash up.”
Xia Yao moved the basin in front of her, looking at her with a face full of hope.
“You wash first.”
“I already did. I just need to wash my face at night.”
Xia Yao stubbornly leaned closer, her hands propped on the bed as her ink-black hair fell loosely.
“Senior, you must wash tonight. There’s a check-up tomorrow.”
“You already made an appointment?”
“Of course! This is about Senior, so…!”
Disregarding the messy sheets, Xia Yao climbed onto the bed in her slippers and cupped Lin Xiaojue’s face with both hands.
Those gentle, scarlet eyes were forced into Lin Xiaojue’s field of vision. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t look away.
“Little Xia?”
She couldn’t help but reach out, touching Xia Yao’s cheek to feel the warmth of her palm.
It was mild, soft, and warm—like a piece of soft jade, delicate and smooth.
“Since Senior won’t take the initiative, I guess I’ll have to be forceful.”
Xia Yao tilted her head and looked directly at Lin Xiaojue’s legs, half-joking.
Left with no choice, Lin Xiaojue shifted her body slightly toward the edge of the bed.
“I’ll do it.”
“Then leave it to me.”
Xia Yao lifted Lin Xiaojue’s leg. A blue-and-white sock wrapped around the snowy-white foot.
She hooked her finger into the rim of the sock and gently pulled it down, exposing the jade-like, soft foot and a faintly salty aroma.