Chapter 14: A Body on the Brink of Collapse

“Hiss... Brother Yan, it hurts...”
“Hold on a bit longer!”
“It hurts! It hurts! Please stop for a moment...”
“Relax, this is how it is the first time. Does it still hurt?”
“A little better, but it still hurts...”
“Endure it a little more, it’ll be over soon.”

Seeing Mi Xiaoyue still arching her body in pain, Yan Xuan waved his hand.
“Sister, press her feet more gently.”

In a foot massage room on the third floor of the hotel, Yan Xuan and Mi Xiaoyue, freshly showered and dressed in bathrobes, lay back on the sofa. Two middle-aged women were giving them foot massages.

“All right!”
The elder woman responded, gradually easing her pressure. Mi Xiaoyue’s tense body relaxed slowly, and she exhaled deeply as if a great weight had been lifted.

“Young lady, you have a weak spleen. Do you often stay up late?”
“Hehe...”
Mi Xiaoyue laughed sheepishly, a bit embarrassed.

Taking the opportunity, the woman began to pitch her services: “You should come often. A couple more visits will definitely be more effective than seeing a traditional Chinese doctor.”

The other woman chimed in: “You probably aren’t married yet, right? You must take good care of your health if you want to have a big, healthy baby someday.”

Their words made Mi Xiaoyue blush deeply. Seeing this, Yan Xuan quickly helped to defuse the situation:
“Sister, don’t tease her. She hasn’t even graduated from high school yet.”

“Oh? Then what’s your relationship?”
“Just ordinary friends.”
“Oh, sorry, I misjudged. But I think you two look quite good together.”

The women teased lightly but didn’t pry further. After an hour, they left the room, giving the two some privacy.

Yan Xuan reclined on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting. Mi Xiaoyue sat cross-legged, hugging her knees like she was at an internet café, nibbling on some fruit snacks from the table.

“Brother Yan, what are we doing later?”
“Going online. The computer’s been idle all day; it’d be a waste not to use the internet.”
“Oh... I thought...”
“Thought what?”
“Nothing.”

Mi Xiaoyue rested her chin on her knees, chewing on an apple slice while staring intently at Yan Xuan. Though simple-minded, she wasn’t oblivious; she knew Yan Xuan was teasing her earlier out of irritation.

What puzzled Mi Xiaoyue was why Yan Xuan had been angry. Isn’t it normal for an older sister to buy something for her younger sister?

Suddenly, Yan Xuan spoke:
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I’m wondering if you’re being too good to me.”
“How do you want me to treat you? Like your parents, who hit you at the drop of a hat? Would that make you happy?”

Mi Xiaoyue was left speechless, forced to continue chewing her apple.

Having lacked care and affection since childhood, even a little kindness from Yan Xuan made her uncomfortable.

Yan Xuan pressed on:
“Did you really plan to sell yourself just to buy a cheap bag for your sister? Twenty thousand yuan — do you think you’re worth that little?”

Lowering her head in shame, Mi Xiaoyue asked quietly, “Brother Yan, do you look down on me that much?”

“It’s not that I look down on you. You’re the one who looks down on yourself.”

Yan Xuan spoke earnestly:
“Mi Xiaoyue, can you start thinking about yourself?”

“Thinking about myself?”

That concept had never entered Mi Xiaoyue’s mind.

“Eat well, dress warmly, don’t stay up late so often, exercise more, and occasionally dress up a bit. Make yourself look bright and lively, and your social life will naturally improve.”

“I’ll try...”

It sounded simple enough, but to Mi Xiaoyue, it seemed harder than becoming the top in the national game rankings.

“Go change your clothes; we’re going back to the internet café.”

Change was a long process. Yan Xuan didn’t intend to force Mi Xiaoyue to change her habits overnight, so he planned to stay up with her for a few more nights.

Back in the car, Mi Xiaoyue felt refreshed. The exhaustion from staying up late seemed to vanish in an instant, and she appeared much more spirited.

At the internet café, Wang Chuan handed Mi Xiaoyue two cans of Red Bull as she entered.
“I thought you guys weren’t coming back.”
“Thanks, Brother Wang.”

As usual, Mi Xiaoyue accepted the drinks and exchanged a few words with Wang Chuan before entering the private room.

Yan Xuan lingered a bit longer, opened his WeChat QR code, and politely said,
“Brother Wang, add me as a friend.”
“Brother, what are you thinking?”
“If anything happens to Xiaoyue, please let me know right away.”
“Consider it done.”

Wang Chuan nodded and added Yan Xuan, wondering silently:
Has Mi Xiaoyue really gotten lucky and found a good man?

Inside the booth, Mi Xiaoyue logged into the game, took a sip of Red Bull, but Yan Xuan’s large hand suddenly reached over.
“You need to quit this stuff now.”
“I don’t have energy if I don’t drink it...”
“Then go to sleep. I’ve already booked a room at a nearby hotel.”
“Booked... a... room?”

“Enough nonsense. You lost the bet. You have to listen to me for all eight days of the National Holiday.”

Seeing Yan Xuan’s firm attitude, Mi Xiaoyue didn’t argue and started the game alone.

Yan Xuan, meanwhile, played a movie and lay back to watch.

By the time the movie ended, Mi Xiaoyue had just reached fifteen kills. Yan Xuan glanced at her game stats — a lone green dot amidst a sea of red.

“Not feeling well today?”
“A bit...”
“Is it that bad?”

Yan Xuan was puzzled. It was just skipping Red Bull, why was she acting like she was going through withdrawal?

Mi Xiaoyue blinked her large almond-shaped eyes, looking like a little rabbit who’d just had its winter carrot taken away, pitiful and helpless.

“Here, here, here...”

In the end, Yan Xuan softened and handed her his Red Bull.
“One can, but only one!”

“Thank you, Brother Yan!”

Mi Xiaoyue gulped down more than half the can and immediately revived, full of energy.

Time passed until 5:40 a.m. Yan Xuan was too tired to stay awake and yawned, urging,
“Let’s go. Back to the hotel to sleep and grab some breakfast.”

Mi Xiaoyue took off her headphones and stammered,
“Brother... Brother Yan... I can just sleep at the internet café.”

This time, Yan Xuan didn’t indulge her. He forcibly shut down her computer and half-dragged, half-pulled her out of the internet café.

The sky was just starting to brighten, streets peaceful and calm. Mi Xiaoyue nervously followed behind Yan Xuan, imagining what might happen at the hotel.

Would Brother Yan share a room with me?
Would it be a single room or a double?
If it’s a single room, would we have to sleep in the same bed?

They stopped in front of a steamed bun shop. Yan Xuan broke the silence.
“What do you want for breakfast?”

Mi Xiaoyue shook her head.
“Brother Yan, I don’t eat breakfast.”

Yan Xuan bought four buns and two cups of soy milk, handing half to Mi Xiaoyue and saying firmly,
“You have to eat from now on!”

Under Yan Xuan’s watchful gaze, Mi Xiaoyue reluctantly ate a bun no bigger than a palm and took a sip of soy milk before complaining,
“Brother Yan, I can’t eat anymore.”

“You can’t even finish this little bit?”

Yan Xuan sighed helplessly. He guessed Mi Xiaoyue might already have some chronic stomach issues, worsened by staying up late, sitting too long, poor nutrition, and heavy consumption of energy drinks.

An eighteen-year-old girl, already physically frail and on the verge of collapse...