Charred body
Chapter 22: Charred body.
Li Wei returned to his flat, feeling a sense of happiness he hadn't experienced before. He had already informed Ling Yue that he would drop her off at her office, and she agreed. He decided to go to bed early so that he could arrange everything in the morning.
After a few minutes, Li Wei had taken care of his tasks and was now lying on his bed, checking his phone. He opened the family group chat and found that they had already discovered why he was staying in Blu Moon Enclave and were understanding enough to support his decision. They wanted him to become Ling Yue's best friend within the next three weeks, and they wanted Ling Yue to join them for dinner on weekends. Li Wei smiled and agreed to all their demands. He chatted with his family for a while before turning off the lights and drifting off to sleep.
----------
Ling Yue lay on her soft mattress, gazing out of the window. Today had been completely unexpected. She never expected to make a friend, especially considering her usual rejection of others. However, she accepted Li Wei's friendship because she could sense his genuine emotions whenever he spoke to her. This was why she could easily pick up on his dreams as well.
Though she didn't know much about him, he had extended his friendship to her even after discovering her dangerous nature and past actions. He had investigated her and knew about her past, yet he didn't back off. There was no ulterior motive in his eyes. Ling Yue considered that being his friend might not be a bad thing.
She smiled, realizing that she now had a friend. Ling Yue put the old ring back on her finger, and this time it didn't stick like before, allowing her to remove it easily. There was something mysterious about the ring, but Ling Yue understood the dangers of curiosity. She looked at the ring on her finger before closing her eyes, hoping for a peaceful sleep.
---------------
"Xenxi... XENXI!" Rem's deep voice echoed with desperation, fear, and regret. He called out the name repeatedly, but all he received in response was silence.
BOOM...
"XENXI!" The young man ran towards the source of the loud explosion. As he approached, the temperature rose, and smoke and flames filled his surroundings.
Rem anxiously searched through the flames, disregarding his own safety. He had to find Xenxi. Eventually, he found her, but it was too late. Her body was charred beyond recognition, but he knew it was her.
"XENXI!"
------------------
Li Wei woke up coughing and panting heavily. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he struggled to calm his emotions. He sat on the bed, recalling the dream. Like the previous nights, it was hazy and unclear, but he vividly remembered the ring on the charred body. It was a terrifying dream. He took a few deep breaths, trying to regain his composure.
"BOW...BOW...BOW..." Li Wei heard BaoBao's loud barking outside his door, interrupting his thoughts. Li Wei immediately remembered that Ling Yue now had the ring. He rushed to the door, finding BaoBao banging on it. But the dog quickly ran out and stood by the open door of Ling Yue's flat.
Ling Yue was not there, but all her pets were frantically roaming around. Li Wei hurried into her condo to investigate. DouDou pulled him towards Ling Yue's bedroom, guiding him with its intelligent instincts. Li Wei couldn't fully comprehend the pets' behavior, but he felt anxious seeing Ling Yue's absence, the open door, and the chaotic situation caused by her pets in the middle of the night.
He cautiously peeked into her room, hesitating to enter. However, DouDou urged him on, and he cautiously walked in. To his relief, Ling Yue was peacefully sleeping, seemingly undisturbed. Everything appeared normal. Li Wei wondered why her pets were making such a commotion when she was seemingly fine.
But as he observed, her pets' cries were so loud that the noise must have reached the three floors below. Li Wei couldn't understand why Ling Yue continued sleeping despite the commotion. Worried, he called her name softly, trying to wake her up. However, she remained unresponsive. Li Wei touched her face gently, but suddenly recoiled. She was burning up with a high fever. She was fine a few hours ago.
"Ling Yue wake up..Ling Yue..are you able to hear me? Ling Yue" Li Wei removed her blanket and shook her shoulders while calling her name, hoping to wake her up. He couldn't comprehend her condition. In a panic, he phoned Zhang Chen and asked him to send a doctor to his flat. Li Wei frantically searched for a thermometer and fever tablets, but he couldn't find the first aid kit.
"Ling Yue....Wake up.." He couldn't grasp her condition at all. He ran into kitchen and filled an empty bowl with water and came back into her bedroom. He put a wet towel on her forehead but the towel soon got dried leaving him confused. He was constantly checking her pulse. Her breathing and pulse were normal, but her body was now sweating and tears rolled down from corner of her eyes. Li Wei was never this panicked in his entire life.
He couldn't do nothing till the doctor comes. He carried her in his arms and brought her to the connected washroom, gently placing her in the bathtub and turning on the water tap. Kneeling beside the bathtub, he took her right hand into his, observing her high temperature. He looked at the water level and bent forward to turn off the tap when something caught his eye underwater.
Underneath the water, he noticed her finger bleeding. In a rush, he pulled her left hand out of the water, revealing the ring on her finger. His eyes widened as he realized something. He quickly removed the ring, finding a red burn mark on her ring finger. Trembling, he grabbed some ice from the kitchen and put it on the mark.
"Ling Yue..Are you able to hear me now..Ling Yue" Desperate to wake her up, Li Wei called out to her again, but Ling Yue remained unresponsive. Her temperature, however, gradually returned to normal. Li Wei stayed by her side, trying to wake her up, but she wouldn't respond. He considered a bizarre idea but hesitated to try it. Noticing her body temperature had stabilized, he carefully lifted her out of the bathtub and put a bathrobe on her over her wet clothes. He didn't dare try anything funny. Not like he had something funny on his mind right now. He took her back to her room and laid her on the couch before kneeling behind her.
"Xe... Xenxi? You're safe. Xenxi, wake up," Li Wei gently shook Ling Yue, feeling weird and foolish. Yet, he had a hunch that this might help. "Xenxi... Xenxi."
"Rem?" Ling Yue opened her eyes and looked at Li Wei, her unfocused gaze revealing her confusion. She felt like she was not herself, speaking words she couldn't comprehend. Ling Yue closed her eyes again, trying to regain control. Slowly, she became aware of her surroundings and felt a slight pain in her left palm. Opening her eyes once more, she saw Li Wei looking at her with concern. Her initial instinct was to punch whoever was near her, but a strong hand stopped her.
"It's me. I'm not here to hurt you," Li Wei assured her, anticipating her reaction. However, her strength still surprised him. If he hadn't blocked her punch, he would have been knocked out. Realizing it was Li Wei, she pulled her hand back and glanced at her finger, now wrapped in a damp handkerchief. Ling Yue felt a headache coming on and wondered what had happened.
"What happened? Did I do something?" Ling Yue lay back on the sofa as she weakly asked Li Wei while looking at him? By looking at her three worried pets standing silently beside Li Wei, she can guess that it must be BaoBao who brought him in. Li Wei didn't quite understand her question? What does she mean by 'did I do something'?
"No... Your body suddenly started burning up. I didn't know what to do, so I put you in the bathtub," Li Wei explained, choosing not to mention anything about Xenxi and Rem. He needed time to process everything before telling her anything. Ling Yue simply nodded, her attention turning to her injured finger.
"Well, somehow the ring burned your skin. I don't know how," Li Wei replied, watching Ling Yue's gaze shift to the ring in his hand. Ling Yue hoped she wouldn't have any nightmares tonight but was now plagued by a severe headache. She also felt guilty for causing Li Wei distress. She smiled at him reassuringly.
"Thank you, and I'm sorry. I can manage now. You should go and rest," Ling Yue said, not wanting Li Wei to exhaust himself further because of her. Li Wei understood that Ling Yue wouldn't have a fever again. He had already figured out the reason behind the sudden rise in her temperature. He nodded and discreetly put the ring in his pocket before leaving her home.
Closing the door after Li Wei entered his own condo, Ling Yue turned to her pets. Without further delay, they jumped onto her, expressing their worry and relief. Xiao Bai handed her a jar of green pills, which Ling Yue accepted gratefully. She stroked Xiao Bai's fur gently before taking the pills and returning to bed after changing her clothes. It was already 1 am, and she had work the next day.