“Tianxie, what is it?” Seeing the gravity in Ye Tianxie’s expression, Su Feifei asked softly. “This child… could she be someone Xian’er adopted, or something of that sort?”
Ye Tianxie shook his head, put the note into Su Feifei’s hands, then crouched down, both hands on Xiaoxi’s shoulders, his eyes settling on her closed eyes.
Having read what was on the note, Su Feifei’s own eyes went to Xiaoxi’s in astonishment — whatever happens, you must never let her open her eyes. Were her eyes closed for some reason other than blindness, then? And… why must she not be allowed to open them?
“Your name is Xiaoxi. Is that right?” Ye Tianxie held her steady and asked gently.
“Bro… ther…” Faced with his question, Xiaoxi’s answer was still that same strained, affectionate call.
“I really am not your brother.”
“Bro… ther…”
“……” Ye Tianxie shook his head helplessly and said, “All right. I’ll call you Xiaoxi from now on, then. Xiaoxi, where is the big sister who brought you here?”
“Bro… ther, brother…”
“……”
Ye Tianxie was by now certain that the girl in front of him had a severe impediment with language. Very likely the only word she could say at all was “brother.” That had to be the real reason she had “mistaken” him for one.
But Ye Tianxie had not forgotten the strangeness that clung to this girl… the perfectly even knocking, the excessive stillness, the uncanny ability that had made it impossible for Su Feifei to touch her — and that line: whatever happens, you must never let her open her eyes!
Ever since Guoguo appeared in his world, he had begun to believe that there were a great many things in it that ordinary reason could not explain. And Guoguo’s appearance had been the thing that set all of it off… and now, on a night of lightning and thunder, this girl named Xiaoxi had come into the home he shared with Feifei and with Guoguo.
“Tianxie, stop questioning her for now. Her clothes are soaked through — if we don’t get her changed straight away she’ll catch cold,” Su Feifei said, reminding him. At the same time, the chill coming off her own wet clothes made her shiver the moment she finished speaking.
“Mm, all right. Feifei, you go and change too. Mind you shut your door properly — you never know, I might peek.”
Since Su Feifei could not touch Xiaoxi’s body, getting her out of those wet clothes could only fall to Ye Tianxie. He simply picked Xiaoxi’s small frame up and held her gently against him… He would take good care of Xiaoxi, take care of everything about her. Because this was the girl Xian’er had entrusted to him.
“You’re awful,” Su Feifei said with mild reproach, watching a little dazedly as Ye Tianxie carried Xiaoxi back to his room, and only then hurrying off to her own. At this moment, the lightning that kept flaring and the crashing thunder had suddenly stopped being frightening at all.
A rainy night of thunder and lightning would instead become the most beautiful memory she would treasure her whole life.
Back in his room, he pushed the door shut behind him and set the soaked little girl down. Ye Tianxie suddenly felt he had overlooked something. A moment’s thought and he had it… From the little girl’s appearance until now, Guoguo — who was never quiet, and never happier than when there was trouble to be had — had not made a sound.
Ye Tianxie found Guoguo’s position at once. She was floating above his head, watching Xiaoxi with a blank stare.
“Guoguo? Guoguo.” Ye Tianxie waved a hand in front of her. “Have you seen something strange?”
Guoguo’s eyes flickered. She looked at Ye Tianxie, then shook her head hard. “Ah, ah… yaa, I’m so sleepy, Master, I’m going to sleep now.”
That said, she flew back to the bed at the fastest speed she could manage, hugged her own pillow, hid herself under the blanket, and then did not move at all, exactly as though she really had fallen asleep.
Looking at a Guoguo so plainly not herself, Ye Tianxie glanced at Xiaoxi, thoughtful.
“Xiaoxi, are you cold?” He bent down to ask.
Xiaoxi shook her head. Her two small pale hands held on to his clothes, gently but with complete firmness. Her eyes were plainly closed. And yet Ye Tianxie seemed to feel that she was looking at him… That feeling, which ought not to have existed, was uncannily clear and strong.
After she had stood a little while, a small pool of rainwater had collected at Xiaoxi’s feet, run down off her body. Ye Tianxie held her cold little hand a moment, then stopped hesitating and reached out to begin undoing the small buttons of her dress. “Xiaoxi, let’s get you changed first. You’ll catch cold like this.”
Xiaoxi did not refuse. She quietly opened her arms instead, to make it easier for him.
A soft call came, like cold water poured over his head. Ye Tianxie’s whole body jolted, and his movements froze where they were…
How could this happen… what on earth am I doing!
Biting down hard on his own tongue, Ye Tianxie got quickly to his feet, took the blanket off the bed and wrapped Xiaoxi’s small body up in it, then lifted her and set her on the bed. His breathing was visibly ragged, and he said, slightly out of breath, “Xiaoxi, are you a bit warmer? Wait here a moment — I’ll go and get your new clothes.”
That said, he opened the door with quick steps and went out.
The door closed. The thunder went on as before, and Xiaoxi’s eyes stayed closed as before… Her milk-white little face was turned toward the door, and what showed on it was a deep infatuation, and a small measure of disappointment…
Failed again… Even the brother he was now had resisted her Heart-Beguiling… She wanted so badly for him to love her, to hold her and never be parted from her again.
Her soft lips parted slightly, and out of them came a low murmur. “Brother… never be parted from you again… never let bad people… hurt you again…”
“Anyone who dares hurt Brother… Xiaoxi will make them… fall forever through the cycles of rebirth…”
At some point, without anyone noticing, Guoguo had drifted over beside the window. She stared blankly at the girl wrapped in the blanket, a clear, bewildered light flickering in her wide eyes.
(End of Chapter 197)