Chapter 20: I Still Have to Live in the Basement
Expelled from the rare tranquil pavilion by a deity, Lu Zhiyin woke up still lying on the sofa. A cool antipyretic patch was on her forehead, and various pills were placed on the round table in front of her. Just looking at the medicine, which was almost piled into a small mountain, made Lu Zhiyin feel like her head was about to split open.
“Mmm… Ah…”
Her head was still groggy, far less clear than in her dream.
Lu Zhiyin moved her hand and managed to prop herself up to sit.
Her stomach still ached with hunger.
Lu Zhiyin had a headache. She touched her forehead, and even through the antipyretic patch, she could feel her burning temperature.
As Lu Zhiyin sat up, the antipyretic patch on her forehead fell off shortly after. Lu Zhiyin placed the ineffective patch on the round table in front of the sofa.
“Mmm, Zhiyin? You’re awake?”
Beside Lu Zhiyin, Long Qinxin opened her eyes.
After the private doctor came to treat Lu Zhiyin’s wounds and prescribed fever and cold medicine, Long Qinxin fell asleep beside Lu Zhiyin.
She slept very lightly, so lightly that she was awakened by Lu Zhiyin’s movements.
“Mm…”
Turning her head, Lu Zhiyin gave a weak smile as she looked at Long Qinxin’s worried face.
She still remembered Long Qinxin’s confession before she passed out. Now it seemed, she was probably about to break free from her villainous state? Probably.
Lu Zhiyin had no intention of suggesting leaving. She wasn’t sure if Long Qinxin had truly returned to her former angelic self. What she needed to do now was simple: go along with Long Qinxin’s wishes, occasionally act pitiful, and play the victim, to make her willingly let her leave.
“…Your fever hasn’t gone down yet.”
Long Qinxin touched Lu Zhiyin’s forehead, frowning, her voice laced with self-blame.
After sticking a brand new antipyretic patch on Lu Zhiyin, Long Qinxin opened the living room door to ventilate the room, and then went to the kitchen to pour a glass of cool boiled water.
“…”
During the short time Long Qinxin was gone, Lu Zhiyin looked outside. The road and the fields beyond were pitch black, making it impossible to distinguish one from another.
Further in the distance, she could see faint lights. This city wasn’t particularly prosperous, so the scene in the distance was not the bustling cityscape described in various literary works.
There was no clock in the living room, so Lu Zhiyin couldn’t tell the exact time. she guessed it was deep into the night.
“Hoo…”
She exhaled a breath of stale air and took deep breaths. Having been imprisoned in the house for a long time, she felt a sense of pleasure from the rare opportunity to breathe fresh air.
“Achoo…”
This pleasant mood quickly disappeared. A gust of cold wind blew, making Lu Zhiyin shiver. She sneezed.
It had been some time since autumn when she arrived in this world. She had been imprisoned for two months and spent some time in the hospital. Counting the time, it was indeed winter now.
School should be starting its winter break soon. The first semester was ending, with five more semesters to go. Lu Zhiyin wasn’t sure if she would be able to return to school next semester.
Speaking of which, she had been gone for so long, she didn’t know how Leng Qing Qiu was doing. Would she guess that Long Qinxin had taken her? Would she go to school to cause trouble for Long Qinxin?
Lu Zhiyin wasn’t sure. She only felt a sense of vexation and a vague unease.
“Ah, sorry, I forgot to cover you with a blanket.”
Returning to the living room with the cool boiled water, Long Qinxin heard Lu Zhiyin’s sneeze. She hurried to close the living room door.
“I’m fine, Qinxin, you don’t need to apologize.”
Wiping her nose, Lu Zhiyin still faced Long Qinxin with a smile.
After confessing her love and receiving a response, Long Qinxin no longer felt Lu Zhiyin’s smile was out of place.
“Mmm… Eat your medicine.”
Long Qinxin unwrapped a small packet of fever and cold medicine and brought the cup of water to Lu Zhiyin.
She fed Lu Zhiyin the sugar-coated pills and tasteless capsules, then gave her another cup of water.
“Gulp… Thank you, Qinxin.”
Swallowing the medicine and water in her mouth, Lu Zhiyin tilted her head.
Her grayish-white hair fell from her eyelids, covering half of her face.
“It’s no trouble…”
Shaking her head, Long Qinxin’s gaze fell upon Lu Zhiyin’s lips, and her Adam’s apple bobbed.
Lu Zhiyin probably saw through her thoughts.
“Do you want to kiss? It’s fine, you can,”
Lu Zhiyin opened her arms to Long Qinxin.
“…”
Her heart skipped a beat for a moment. Long Qinxin bent down, and they embraced, kissing each other.
“Mmm… Mm…”
Her body, chilled by the cold wind, became warm. Lu Zhiyin hugged Long Qinxin’s back.
She thought, if only she had a knife in her hand right now… She began to fantasize about what the female leads would feel if she stabbed them.
Unlike the resentment in Lu Zhiyin’s heart, Long Qinxin only felt sweetness. She gently bit Lu Zhiyin’s lips, and though there was no taste, Long Qinxin felt as if she were tasting the most delicious dessert in the world, unwilling to end the kiss for a long time.
Unfortunately, as time passed, even if they didn’t want to stop, they had to. The long kiss was finally forced to end due to Lu Zhiyin’s lack of oxygen.
“Ha… Ha…”
Gasping for breath, the girls’ eyes were a little hazy.
Long Qinxin broke free from Lu Zhiyin’s embrace and went to get bread and milk.
“Eat something, you haven’t eaten in a long time, Zhiyin must be hungry.”
Placing the food on the round table, Long Qinxin quietly watched Lu Zhiyin.
Lu Zhiyin naturally wouldn’t refuse. She obediently began to eat, slowly putting the bread and milk into her stomach.
“Ugh, I’m full.”
She had probably been hungry for too long, and couldn’t eat much before feeling full.
“Mmm, let’s go back to the basement.”
Looking at the small piece of bread left on the table, Long Qinxin felt a pang of heartache and became more self-blaming.
Her Zhiyin’s stomach was probably injured, which was why she couldn’t eat much. It was all her fault.
Carefully picking up Lu Zhiyin, Long Qinxin carried her back to the basement.
Even though they had confessed their love to each other, Long Qinxin still wanted to hide Lu Zhiyin in the small basement, afraid that someone else might look at her Zhiyin.
She felt her possessiveness was a bit too strong.
“It’s winter break, I’ll be here with Zhiyin for a while.”
Tucking Lu Zhiyin into that small dog house, Long Qinxin seemed a little conflicted.
“Next semester, I’ll take you to class with me, Zhiyin.”
She really wanted to keep her Zhiyin locked up here forever, but she couldn’t. Her Zhiyin was already sick, and if she kept her locked up here, she would only get sicker.
To avoid losing Lu Zhiyin, Long Qinxin was forced to make a compromise.
“Mmm, I’ll listen to you, Qinxin.”
Hearing good news from Long Qinxin, Lu Zhiyin didn’t care where she would be staying for the time being. She curled up in the narrow dog house, watching Long Qinxin from afar.
Long Qinxin also didn’t seem to want to leave. She went outside to get medicine and two blankets, and made a makeshift bed next to Lu Zhiyin’s dog house, seemingly intending to sleep with Lu Zhiyin.
