I Want Her to See Only Me - Chapter 19

Thankfully, Xia Yu’s brain was unharmed, though the cut on her forehead was rather frightening.

“If the injury is here, it may affect the girl in certain ways,” the doctor said.

Xia Xiuyin looked down at the child. Perhaps due to blood loss, she slept soundly in the crook of her arm. With her face nestled in Xia Xiuyin’s embrace, her small features appeared even more delicate, her skin as pale as paper.

Xia Xiuyin suddenly felt that she might crush this child to pieces if she were not careful.

“Thank you. I’ll contact the plastic surgery department for a consultation.”

Since they had come through the emergency room, and the child did require further observation, Liu Zhi was quickly able to secure a hospital bed.

“Miss, allow me to carry her,” Liu Zhi said hesitantly.

Xia Xiuyin’s expression was calm, but it was more like she was suppressing something, ready to explode.

Xia Xiuyin glanced up at him, and just as Liu Zhi was about to continue his suggestion, she said, “Be gentle, Uncle Liu.”

“Got it!” Liu Zhi carefully took Xia Yu’s lower legs and gently switched her over to his arms.

The child was overly obedient; her eyebrows pressed together when she came into contact with the man, but she didn’t cry out or make any noise.

“Miss…”

Xia Xiuyin’s expression was terrible.

“Uncle Liu, take A’Yu to the ward first.” Xia Xiuyin forced a smile onto her lips, assuaging Liu Zhi’s concern. “I’ll… be right there.”

Xia Xiuyin sat in the hospital’s corridor, catching her breath. Liu Zhi’s tall silhouette had already disappeared, but she remained composed. She walked into a hospital room, turned on the lock, and shut the door behind her.

A stifled retch echoed from within the room.

Xia Yu knelt in a cramped space, but she wasn’t afraid. She excitedly counted down from one hundred.

“… ninety-nine… ninety-five…”

“Eight… seven…”

“Three… two…”

Before she could finish, a ray of sunlight seeped through the window.

Fair, slender fingers reached in to touch her face, soft and warm.

“A’Yu, I’m here to take you home,” a voice said.

Xia Yu’s face lit up. She extended her arms, and the owner of the voice embraced her gently.

“Sister…” she murmured.

Xia Yu opened her eyes to see her sister smiling at her. “Good morning, A’Yu.”

Xia Yu saw the white room, thinking, This is a wonderful dream. I must tell my sister when I wake up.

Two minutes later, Xia Xiuyin noticed something was off. The little girl had been staring dumbly at her the whole time, without blinking.

Under normal circumstances, Xia Yu would have long buried her face in the quilt from embarrassment.

A playful thought sprouted in Xia Xiuyin’s mind. She brought the small hand resting in her palm to her lips, gently kissing each tiny finger.

Xia Yu’s eyes glistened, surprised but more so delighted. She smiled timidly, still staring at Xia Xiuyin with wide eyes. The little girl… was still out of her mind.

A smile spread across Xia Xiuyin’s face as she slowly leaned in toward Xia Yu’s blushing face. Warm breaths caressed soft, delicate skin, and Xia Yu’s face slowly turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Her eyes glistened, long lashes quivering slightly as she softly sucked in air.

A gentle kiss landed on Xia Yu’s eyelids.

Xia Yu closed her eyes, her ears already flushed.

Xia Xiuyin whispered into her ear, “A’Yu… it’s time to get up.”

Xia Yu woke from her dream-like state.

She rubbed her eyes and saw Xia Xiuyin sitting beside her bed, peeling an apple.

The young girl’s expression was focused, her neck fine and white, her collarbones delicate. The faint sunlight gently landed on her profile, casting a soft shadow beneath her eyelashes.

“Sister…” Still thinking about the dream and those tiny, fragmented kisses, Xia Yu buried her head beneath the quilt, flustered.

“A’Yu, what’s wrong?” Xia Xiuyin didn’t realize her little sister had been dreaming, and looked at her in confusion.

Xia Yu shook her head shyly. From the safety of the quilt, she secretly peeked at her fingers—those that her sister had kissed. She touched her eyes gently—those that her sister had also kissed. It was only a dream, but she was still so happy.

Xia Xiuyin returned to slowly peeling the apple, her attention, however, on the little gap between the lifted quilt and bed.

Xia Yu continued to recall the events from earlier, thinking it had all been a dream. This silly child…

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Xia Xiuyin’s lips, but the lift of her inner lips was more noticeable.

It took Xia Yu a long while to realize she was in the hospital and, finally, recall that she had been injured. Her forehead was still bandaged. “Sister… where’s Miaomiao?”

When she had started bleeding, she must have frightened Miaomiao very much.

“Oh, her…” Xia Xiuyin paused, then continued, “She’s too embarrassed to see you.”

Xia Yu listened carefully.

“She sent me to apologize to you, because she’s the one who caused you to get hurt and be hospitalized.”

Xia Xiuyin placed the apple on a glass plate, wiped her hands, and fixed the hair sticking out from the girl’s forehead with a hairpin.

“A’Yu, would you be sad if Miaomiao didn’t come to visit you?”

In truth, Cen Ao had been crying so hard before the ambulance came that she begged Xia Shulan to take her home.

Xia Shulan had called to ask about the situation, but she quickly hung up after hearing the little girl’s shriek.

Xia Yu blinked, then slowly responded, “Miaomiao is just a little friend.”

“Little friends are shy, it’s okay.”

Though the words were jumbled, Xia Xiuyin understood what the child meant.

Xia Yu pondered for a moment, then added, “I didn’t stand properly and fell.”

As if to make her point more convincing, she smiled.

Xia Xiuyin didn’t pursue the question further and simply brushed her fingers against the girl’s hair.

She didn’t want to know why, if Cen Ao wasn’t at fault, Xia Yu would bump into the nightstand without reason; she didn’t want to know why, if Cen Ao wasn’t at fault, Xia Yu would be the only one laughing throughout their game.

What was Xia Yu doing at that moment? Quietly pleading? Holding back her voice so her sister wouldn’t hear?

Because the thing she wanted to hide was something her sister disapproved of?

As Xia Xiuyin’s mind wandered, she felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked down to see Xia Yu staring up at her, pleading.

“Sister… have you seen…” Xia Yu trailed off, her voice barely audible.

“Um?” Xia Xiuyin nodded, listening.

“… the thing in my hand.” The rest of the sentence was inaudible, carried only on a whisper.

Xia Xiuyin pretended to examine Xia Yu’s hand. “A’Yu’s hand? There’s nothing there.”

Her sister didn’t seem to know.

Thank goodness.

Xia Yu shook her head, stuttering, “N…nothing.”

Xia Xiuyin turned slightly, suppressing a smile.

Before Xia Yu woke, a director from the burn unit passed by Xia Yu’s room, and Xia Xiuyin asked him to examine the wound on her forehead.

“Oh, this cut is a bit deep.” The doctor pulled his mask down. “Little girl, you really need to be more careful.”

“Doctor, after it heals, will she need more surgery to repair the scar?”

The doctor glanced at her and smiled. “Don’t worry… this little one is still growing. It’ll fade on its own; at most, it’ll leave a small mark, easily covered with a bit of makeup. Besides, it’s not like this is a boy. A girl can easily hide it with a straight bang!”

Xia Yu stayed in the hospital for a week, and every time her sister held her, she felt embarrassed, knowing that her sister couldn’t bathe daily.

“Go home and rest, Sister,” Xia Yu said as she watched Xia Xiuyin fold the army bed.

The narrow bed, rented from the supermarket downstairs, was clearly uncomfortable, and Xia Yu’s heart ached for her.

Xia Xiuyin flashed her a glance, almost smiling. “Will A’Yu cry herself to sleep if I leave?”

Xia Yu felt her face burning up. She squeezed out a timid, “No, I won’t.”

Xia Xiuyin didn’t push her further. Instead, she leaned down and nuzzled Xia Yu’s nose. “A’Yu doesn’t need to be brave… It’s me who’s scared; I want to stay here to keep you company. Please, A’Yu, do it for me, hm?”

Xia Yu’s nose was filled with her sister’s scent, which she couldn’t resist. She mumbled in response before she finally reacted, her face burning as she burrowed under the thin quilt, leaving only her little head exposed. She shuffled over, making space for Xia Xiuyin.

Xia Xiuyin waited quietly. As expected, Xia Yu turned around again, shyly, after confirming her sister hadn’t reacted. She reached out from under the quilt to hold Xia Xiuyin’s hand, then pulled her toward the bed.

“Sister…” she whispered, “will you sleep with me?”

She was so small; she only needed a tiny corner, leaving the rest of the space for her sister. The bed here was admittedly cramped, but it was better than a crib.

Xia Xiuyin almost couldn’t control her expression as she agreed. “Okay.”

Aunt Chen arrived at the hospital at regular intervals with large thermoses filled with nutritious meals, four or five layers’ worth. Xia Xiuyin, Aunt Chen, and Uncle Liu together still couldn’t finish it all, but Aunt Chen would be sad if they didn’t, so they had no choice but to share it with the little girl in the neighboring bed.

When Xia Yu was discharged, the little girl patted her round belly and said, “I’ll miss you.”

“Our little darling is finally coming home.” Aunt Chen sat in the passenger seat, turning back every so often to glance at Xia Yu. “I didn’t realize it when you were here, but the house has been so empty without you. My heart feels heavy, and I’ve lost my motivation to do anything.”

Tears welled up in Xia Yu’s eyes at Aunt Chen’s words. “Aunt Chen, I’ll make sure to spend more time with you in the future…”

Xia Xiuyin, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry at this, chimed in, “Aunt Chen’s so biased. I never heard you say anything like this when I was in school.”

“That’s different… I know where my lady goes when she’s out; she’s smart enough to take care of herself,” Aunt Chen said. “But our little one is still so young, and I worry about whether she’ll have enough to eat when she’s out there.”

Xia Xiuyin fell silent for a moment. From the rearview mirror, she saw the wrinkles lining the corners of Aunt Chen’s eyes deepen with each smile.

Aunt Chen continued, “Little darling, I’ve completely turned over your bed and changed the bedding. The sheets and blanket have all been freshly laundered, so you can snooze comfortably.”

Xia Yu nervously peeked over her shoulder at Aunt Chen. “D-do you see anything?”

Aunt Chen, confused, asked, “Did you drop something, dear? I didn’t see anything when I cleaned the room—”

Suddenly, she recalled that when she had taken the bed sheets off, Xia Yu’s sister had returned home briefly. She had walked straight into Xia Yu’s room and taken something out, but before Aunt Chen could recall what it was, Xia Xiuyin gently tapped her shoulder and pointed, saying, “Look, we’re here.”

The sophisticated yet elegant mansion gleamed like jade under the sunlight.

Xia Xiuyin led Xia Yu inside, while Aunt Chen excused herself to the kitchen to start preparing food.

Almost as soon as they sat down on the sofa, Xia Yu’s eyes darted toward the guest room.

Xia Xiuyin said nonchalantly, “A’Yu, your sister wants to go upstairs and change her clothes. She’ll come back down in a bit.”

Xia Yu’s eyes lit up, but he held himself back and nodded slightly, waving obediently at his sister.

Xia Xiuyin had walked up a few stairs when she turned around, just as expected to see the little boy tiptoeing back into the guest room.

She turned toward the study.

Inside the room, Xia Xiuyin sat at the desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a walnut-colored picture frame.

However, inside—

Instead of the glass case meant to preserve pressed flowers, there was a crumpled piece of bloodstained newspaper.

Xia Xiuyin held the photo frame, playing with it as sunlight streamed through the window blinds.

It was a newspaper clipping featuring Xia Xiuyin’s photo, cut out to exclude the rest of the article.

Perhaps due to being touched over a long period, the printed words were slightly smudged, but unlike smudges made by blood.

Next to Xia Xiuyin’s hand was an old copy of the Xinhua Dictionary.

She picked out a few words from the article that Xia Yu hadn’t learned before and looked them up, noticing that those pages’ explanations and pronunciations had strange marks.

Children learned to read by sounding out words one letter at a time, so they often left traces upon repeated reading.

Ah…ya.

A hint of joy seeped into Xia Xiuyin’s blood, slowly climbing up to her heart.

“Thump.”

“Thump.”

Ignoring her past disgust toward this newspaper article, Xia Xiuyin locked the frame and dictionary inside the safe.

Finally, her experience had another use.

With this newfound lightness, Xia Xiuyin changed into loungewear.

She arrived at the guest room to see Xia Yu’s back facing her, reaching under the bed to pull something out.

Xia Yu’s attention was focused, so much so that she didn’t notice her sister’s arrival.

Xia Xiuyin backed into a corner, standing beside the wall.

Xia Yu, hoping to get lucky, tucked herself under the quilt, moving aside the pillow, only to discover the telltale signs of the newspaper’s presence. Regretting her mistake, she berated herself for not putting the newspaper back beneath the mattress, allowing Miaomiao to find it.

Heartbroken, she got off the bed.

She prepared to leave the room.

Without thinking, she turned her head and noticed the crumpled paper beneath the bed.

Xia Yu joyfully unfolded the wrinkled sheet in her hands. Despite its creases, it remained quite clean.

With reverence, she traced her fingertip along the border of the photo, murmuring, “Sister…”

Xia Yu’s eyes were hidden behind a veil of blood; she did not realize that the newspaper in her hands was also stained crimson.

Xia Yu would never realize that the newspaper in her hands was not the same one she had secretly switched days ago, just as she would never know that her dictionary had been quietly replaced on the shelf.

The memories she had fabricated for herself were locked away in a dark box, becoming mere souvenirs for others to gawk at.

She would never know…

That her sister was listening intently to her whispers from a mere couple of meters away, fingers gently tapping by her side.

She would never know.