NOVPUB"What are you doing?"
Xia Qingrou stared blankly as Shen Mochen lifted Yin Caiyu's clothes, his hands roving over her body.
"How did you get in here?" Shen Mochen was somewhat surprised.
Xia Qingrou shivered, "Is... is this a bad time for me to come?"
Shen Mochen waved his hand, "Ah no, you've come at just the right time. Since you're here, then join us!"
"What are you talking about, pervert!" Xia Qingrou was shocked, covering her chest and retreating.
She truly hadn't expected Shen Mochen to be such a person, to even have such a fetish! She was your sister, you beast! And she's in this condition, yet you're still interested? What's more, you even want me to join you!
Your fetish is really too perverted!
"What are you talking about?" Shen Mochen paused, taking a measuring tape from beneath Yin Caiyu's clothes, "You must have misunderstood something. I wanted you to come over and help me take her measurements."
Xia Qingrou was stunned, then realized she might have misunderstood, but she was still puzzled, "Why are you measuring her?"
"I want to record her changes," Shen Mochen said softly, "I want to know how long she can maintain this state."
Xia Qingrou stepped forward, her expression somber, "I see... then let me help you with that, you go out."
She understood what Shen Mochen meant.
Taking the tape from his hands, she measured various data on the body.
In reality, Xia Qingrou knew that Yin Caiyu was no different from a dead person; in this state, she couldn't even be considered a vegetable because she practically showed no signs of life, only the remnants of her power sustaining a faint heartbeat, creating an illusion of existence.
But once the remaining energy within her dissipates, even that last sign of life would be gone.
Xia Qingrou did not know when Yin Caiyu would breathe her last, and she didn't know about the deal Shen Mochen had made, but even if she did, she wouldn't say anything.
She understood that Shen Mochen's persistence was meaningless, but she could also understand why he was so persistent.
She had heard from Cai Yuncui, the girl before her was Shen Mochen's last family member.
She felt a bit of sympathy for Shen Mochen, or perhaps pity would be more fitting.
He really was pitiable, all alone, with nothing. The girl before him who had been sentenced to death was probably his last pillar of support.
She thought, perhaps Catherine used to count as well, except now they had broken up, so there was nobody left by his side.
Did sister Yuncui count? But after all, they had only known each other for a bit more than ten days.
Xia Qingrou's pity for Shen Mochen grew; this once mighty girl would soon be buried in the earth, and then what would Shen Mochen do?
Hmm, but you still have me... I can become as good a friend to him as Sister Yuncui. When that day arrives and he feels sad, I'll let him know that he's not alone and that there are many people around him who care about him.
Qingrou resolved in her heart... Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Moreover, her relationship with him was rather special; after all, they had that past... Shen Mochen might have some special feelings for her too, she could definitely comfort him well!
After measuring Yin Caiyu's body data, Xia Qingrou stepped out, letting Shen Mochen in.
"Okay, thank you." Shen Mochen smiled and nodded his head.
"It's nothing, well, just a small favor..." Xia Qingrou waved her hand, her expression complex, hesitantly saying, "But, even if you two are close, she's now... not in the best position, and after all, there's a distinction between men and women, so it wouldn't be right for you to just touch her body like that."
"Got it, thanks for the reminder." Shen Mochen smiled.
Qingrou placed her hands behind her back, her gaze flickering slightly, "Ah, of course, I'm not implying that you would do that, well, because the situation is unusual... It's just that it doesn't seem right... So, if you want to measure her again next time, you can call me to come along, I'll help you do it!"
Shen Mochen thought to himself that he had no secrets or privacy left with her, but of course, he couldn't say it out loud now, so he smiled and said, "Alright, I'll trouble you if there's a chance in the future."
"Mhm!" Qingrou smiled and nodded.
Shen Mochen sat by the hospital bed, gently touching her cheek, "You should go. I'll stay with my sister a bit longer before leaving."
Qingrou tilted her head, her tone slightly inexplicably envious, "You and your sister are really close..."
"Yes... If it were possible to trade my life for hers, I would not hesitate to agree, and I think she would do the same."
Qingrou pressed her lips together.
"I was a bastard child from the beginning, with her and Xiaolian never abandoning me. When we were young and couldn't afford school, the two of them worked in factories so that I could be educated. In the beginning, she was only ten years old, and later Xiaolian also began to work, that year she was just twelve. Occasionally, there'd be some chicken or grass carp at home, and they would always let me eat first... You haven't eaten fish jelly, have you? They wouldn't even eat that, telling me I needed to eat well since studying was hard on the brain, they'd only eat fish bones... The place we lived in was so run-down that it couldn't block the wind when it was cold, we could only use newspaper to patch it, and then search through trash cans for discarded old blankets... Xiaolian was clever and skillful, she made me a pair of gloves out of the blankets... I used to hate snow when I was a child because it only snows when it's cold, and the cold was unbearable. Every day they had to go to the factory, and as soon as it got cold, their hands would get chilblains, their fingers red and swollen, rough like radishes... Oh, you might not know, Xiaolian was my first love, and she was killed by a monster."
Shen Mochen rambled on about the past, his eyes hazy as if he was merely reminiscing for himself and not really intending to share with anyone else. Whether Qingrou was there or not didn't seem to make a difference.
But he was indeed telling it to Qingrou, who seemed to start feeling sympathy for him, and according to his years of being a playboy, when a girl begins to feel sympathy for a guy, she was very easy to fall for him.
Although she said she hated boys, to be safe, Shen Mochen thought it was better to guard himself just a bit.
Thus he detailed the relationship between the three of them, hoping she would back off. No girl wants to hear a man speak of his loving past with other women.
"I know... I've heard about it from Sister Yuncui," Qingrou whispered, "The monster that killed your first girlfriend, it was released from our side, wasn't it?"
Shen Mochen was taken aback, then realized what she meant. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
Indeed, it was the case, but he had never thought of them as enemies nor put it together, so at this moment he was somewhat caught off guard.
"Don't worry about it, it has nothing to do with you." Shen Mochen gestured dismissively.
