Chapter 38: A Bleak Sunday

Morning sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains.

Xia Jiuwei slowly opened her eyes.

Her vision was still slightly blurred.

Instinctively, she turned her head.

Lu Nian'an was sleeping beside her.

Her breathing was soft.

One arm was still loosely wrapped around her, as if she had never let go throughout the entire night.

Xia Jiuwei stared at her for a while.

Then her gaze slowly wandered around the room.

A quiet bedroom.

Soft blankets.

A ceiling bathed in pale morning light.

Everything felt so peaceful that it almost seemed unreal.

For a brief moment, she found herself wondering if yesterday had never happened at all.

But the next second—

the memories caught up to her.

Like an icy tide.

Without warning, they flooded back into her mind.

The faint trace of expression that had appeared on her face slowly faded away.

It felt as though a piece of her chest had been carved out.

Cold.

Painfully cold.

Xia Jiuwei closed her eyes.

Then slowly shifted closer.

Curling herself back into Lu Nian'an's embrace.

As though she wanted to hide inside that small bit of warmth.

If she could just fall asleep again.

If she could sleep—

maybe she wouldn't have to think about it for a while.

But she couldn't.

The harder she tried to sleep, the more awake she became.

Those memories churned endlessly in her mind, pressing down on her until even breathing felt difficult.

All she could do was remain there quietly.

Listening to Lu Nian'an's steady heartbeat.

Again and again.

Relentlessly pulling her back from escape and into reality.

Sunday morning felt unusually quiet.

Unable to sleep, Xia Jiuwei stood in the living room, staring out at the city beyond the window.

Gray skies.

Cold skyscrapers.

Sparse figures moving through the streets below.

The entire city was awake.

Yet somehow—

She didn't feel like she belonged anywhere anymore.

She let out a quiet breath.

Her expression was empty.

As though even sadness had become too exhausting.

After a while, she seemed to remember something.

Her palm turned slightly.

A gray-green bead quietly appeared above her hand.

Grandpa's Domain.

And now—

the only thing he had left behind.

Xia Jiuwei stared down at it.

The next moment, the scenery around her quietly shifted.

She returned to the manor within the Under-Reality.

Energy flowed from her body and poured into the gray-green bead.

But nothing happened.

The bead continued floating there in silence.

It did not unfold.

Nor did it give any response.

For a brief moment, Xia Jiuwei's breathing stopped.

She poured even more power into it.

Dark, iridescent energy continuously flowed into the bead.

Yet the core of the Domain remained completely unresponsive.

Something finally cracked.

Just a little.

"Ah—!"

The emotions she had suppressed for so long suddenly burst free.

She didn't know what she wanted to accomplish.

Didn't even know whether screaming had any meaning.

Something was caught in her chest, suffocating her.

Something that was suffocating her.

So she screamed.

As though she could force all the things driving her toward madness out of her body.

Inside the empty manor, her hoarse, breaking voice echoed endlessly.

But nothing changed.

She didn't know how much time passed.

Eventually, her voice grew weak.

Even her breathing began to tremble.

The fire was long dead.

The entire manor was illuminated only by pale moonlight filtering through the windows.

And outside—

snow continued falling soundlessly.

The cold gradually seeped into her body.

At last, Xia Jiuwei ran out of strength.

Slowly curling herself into a corner.

Holding herself tightly.

Soft footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.

One step.

Then another.

Slowly drawing closer.

The person who appeared was Lu Nian'an, still dressed in her pajamas.

She didn't ask a single question.

She simply walked over and gently draped a thick coat over Xia Jiuwei's shoulders.

The moment her vision was covered by the coat, Xia Jiuwei froze slightly.

Like this...

Lu Nian'an couldn't see her anymore.

Right?

The next moment, familiar warmth wrapped around her from behind.

"It's already noon."

"We should go have lunch."

The voice was soft.

Gentle.

Xia Jiuwei didn't answer.

She simply remained there beneath the coat, held tightly in Lu Nian'an's arms.

The next second, both of them disappeared from the silent manor.

The dining table was covered with the Western-style lunch Lu Nian'an had prepared.

Pancakes.

Cake.

Lightly toasted bread.

And a pot of steaming black tea.

Standing beside the table, Xia Jiuwei paused slightly.

She wasn't really used to meals like this.

Then again—

she was usually the one responsible for cooking.

Quietly, she took a seat.

The food was still warm.

It was obvious it had only been finished a short while ago.

Xia Jiuwei stared at it for a moment before reaching for a small slice of cake.

She placed it on her plate.

The fork had already been prepared for her as well.

Lowering her head, she cut off a small piece and brought it to her mouth.

Rich cream melted across her tongue.

Sweet.

Too sweet.

Xia Jiuwei frowned slightly.

...Way too sweet.

She picked up the tea beside her and took a small sip.

The warm liquid slid down her throat, easing some of the lingering sweetness.

A hand suddenly touched her cheek.

Swipe—

A soft handkerchief carefully wiped away the cream at the corner of her mouth.

Xia Jiuwei stiffened slightly.

Instinctively raising her head.

The first thing she saw was Lu Nian'an's familiar expression.

Gentle.

Quiet.

And carrying concern she couldn't quite hide.

"Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"

Her voice sounded almost as though she were coaxing a child.

Xia Jiuwei looked at her for several seconds before finally looking away.

"...No."

She didn't really have much of an appetite.

Lu Nian'an didn't say anything else.

She simply nodded.

Then quietly began clearing the table.

The sound of running water was soft.

The clinking of dishes was soft as well.

Xia Jiuwei remained seated, silently watching her back.

Before long, Lu Nian'an finished washing everything.

The next moment, the cleaned dishes quietly vanished from the kitchen.

Stored away inside the manor of the Under-Reality.

The afternoon stretched on endlessly.

Xia Jiuwei remained on the sofa the entire time.

Without speaking.

Simply watching Lu Nian'an from a distance.

The sound of typing.

Pages turning.

Occasional phone calls.

The noise went on without end.

There was far more work left behind after the birthday banquet than expected.

And during the past few days, even more had been delayed because of her.

Xia Jiuwei lowered her head.

Her gaze slowly settled on her lap.

The heaviness inside her chest began to stir again.

After who knew how long, Lu Nian'an finally set down the last document.

She gently rubbed her sore shoulders.

Then turned toward the sofa.

Xia Jiuwei was still sitting there quietly.

Long white hair draped over her shoulders.

Lu Nian'an felt her heart tighten slightly.

After a moment of silence, she lowered her head and opened her phone.

Searching for cooking tutorials.

From preparation.

To seasoning.

To controlling the heat.

She followed the instructions while awkwardly trying to imitate them.

Before long, the sounds of chopping vegetables and cooking drifted from the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Xia Jiuwei continued sitting quietly on the sofa.

Listening.

Until dinner finally arrived.

The two of them sat down together once more.

Several simple Japanese-style dishes had been placed on the table.

Though...

their appearance left much to be desired.

Looking at the meal she had prepared, Lu Nian'an showed a rare trace of embarrassment.

"Maybe..."

She cleared her throat.

"I should just order takeout?"

Xia Jiuwei didn't answer.

She simply picked up her chopsticks.

Took a bite.

And quietly chewed.

Several seconds later, she finally spoke.

"...It's not bad."

Her voice was small.

But it made Lu Nian'an pause.

She watched Xia Jiuwei continue eating, one bite after another.

The anxiety in her chest gradually eased.

Maybe...

it only looked bad?

Hesitantly, she took a bite herself.

The next second, her movements froze.

"..."

For a moment, she honestly didn't know how to describe the taste.

But when she looked up, she saw Xia Jiuwei still lowering her head and quietly eating the food that wasn't actually very good.

She didn't frown.

Didn't stop.

A sudden ache spread through Lu Nian'an's chest.

The entire Sunday felt as though it had been covered by a layer of gray.

Xia Jiuwei did nothing.

She simply remained there.

Silent.

Distracted.

Occasionally staring out the window.

Yet the gloom pressing against her chest seemed to darken everything around her as well.

Thinking back on the day, she realized that Lu Nian'an had quietly taken care of everything.

Even the countless little things that normally never needed attention.

Slowly, Xia Jiuwei closed her eyes.

Without realizing it, an image surfaced in her mind.

Lu Nian'an standing in the kitchen.

Watching cooking tutorials.

Awkwardly preparing ingredients.

Occasionally pausing for several seconds whenever she became flustered.

The food she made wasn't particularly good.

But for some reason,

whenever Xia Jiuwei thought about that scene,

the pain inside her didn't feel quite as sharp.

Lying in bed, she slowly shifted closer.

Familiar warmth quickly met her.

Comforting.

Safe.

She quietly nestled herself into that embrace and closed her eyes.

The memories of Grandpa.

The emotions threatening to crush her.

They finally seemed to drift a little farther away.

Her mind slowly quieted.

And before she knew it,

within that faint yet unmistakably real warmth,

she slowly fell asleep.