Su Li suddenly shouted right next to Zhuang Nuo’s ear.
It was like a clap of thunder.
Zhuang Nuo jumped and raised a hand to cover her ear.
“Not deaf?” Su Li asked with feigned concern. “Good. You scared me to death.”
“I heard from your parents that you’ve been bullied at school. Tell me who did it, and I’ll stand up for you.”
Zhuang Nuo pulled the thin blanket higher, covering her face.
“Not talking to me? I’m your boyfriend, you know. We haven’t broken up yet.”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Zhuang Nuo finally retorted.
Su Li curled his lips into a roguish grin. “What am I talking nonsense about? When did you ever say you wanted to break up?”
Zhuang Nuo was at a loss for words and turned over so she wouldn’t have to look at him.
When she ignored him, Su Li simply wandered around her room by himself.
After waiting for a long time and still seeing no sign of him leaving, Zhuang Nuo lowered the blanket and secretly peeked at him.
Su Li was sitting at the desk by the window, flipping through something in his hands.
It took Zhuang Nuo a moment to realize what it was. Her expression changed drastically, and she immediately jumped out of bed to snatch it away.
“Su Li, what are you doing? Give it back!”
Su Li held the notebook high above his head. “So you do remember my name? But it’s too late to panic now. I’ve already read the whole thing.”
Zhuang Nuo’s eyes turned red. She glared at him as tears the size of beans rolled down her cheeks.
Su Li remained unmoved. He was angry.
Angry that Zhuang Nuo didn’t take him seriously. Angry that she had never contacted him. Angry that she had been bullied somewhere he knew nothing about.
Zhuang Nuo looked at him, crying harder and harder.
Su Li stared at her coldly, utterly unlike the way he had always protected her when they were children.
Zhuang Nuo cried until she began to sob. Her vision slowly darkened, and her hands and feet gradually lost all feeling. Her body went limp, and she crumpled toward the floor.
A flash of panic crossed Su Li’s eyes. He caught her in one swift movement and carried her over to sit on the edge of the bed.
Zhuang Nuo’s lips had gone pale. Her fingers curled inward, trembling uncontrollably.
Su Li had taken a first-aid course. This was clearly hyperventilation-induced alkalosis.
He quickly scanned the room, grabbed a clean plastic bag from the desk, and placed it over her head. “Breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly. Don’t hold your breath.”
The plastic bag inflated and deflated as Zhuang Nuo’s breathing gradually slowed from its frantic, ragged pace.
Su Li let out a sigh of relief, removed the plastic bag, and stood up.
Zhuang Nuo opened her eyes, her gaze dazed.
Su Li rubbed his nose. “Good thing your parents didn’t come in. If they’d seen me holding you like that just now, they would’ve beaten me to death.”
Su Li’s own family had a son-in-law nemesis in Su Lang. After seeing how Su Lang treated Yan Yuan, he could understand how Zhuang Yi must have felt about him back then.
Zhuang Nuo lowered her head. She wanted to say something, but nothing came out. She felt exhausted, without even the strength to move.
She knew something was wrong with her, but she didn’t know how to fix it.
She was simply so tired that even the slightest movement felt exhausting.
Su Li glanced toward the door.
Normally, after hearing the commotion inside the room, Meng Lan and Zhuang Yi should have come in to take a look.
But they still hadn’t appeared.
Something was wrong.
Su Li crouched down in front of Zhuang Nuo. “Zhuang Nuo, what do you need me to do?”
Zhuang Nuo lowered her eyes and stared at him blankly.
Su Li sighed and flicked her lightly on the forehead. “What’s with you? You were bullied when you were little, and you’re still being bullied now that you’re grown up.”
Su Li had just read her diary.
To be precise, it wasn’t really a diary at all. It was more like a record of all the times she had been bullied.
Having water thrown on her. Being locked in the stairwell. Having her homework deliberately taken away…
One incident after another, each one more shocking than the last.
Su Li wasn’t only angry with her. He was also angry with Zhuang Yi and Meng Lan.
Weren’t they Zhuang Nuo’s parents? How could they know nothing? How could they let Zhuang Nuo be bullied like this?
If his sister had been treated that way at school, his parents would have torn the school apart.
“Want to go out and get something to eat?”
Su Li didn’t say it aloud, but Zhuang Nuo had become frighteningly thin.
Her eye sockets were sunken, making her eyes look unusually large, yet there wasn’t a trace of life in them.
Zhuang Nuo shook her head.
“What does that mean? You don’t want to go out? You don’t want to eat? Or you don’t want to eat with me?”
Zhuang Nuo remained silent.
“Wait here.”
Su Li closed the door. When he turned around, he nearly collided with the two people standing outside.
“Uncle, Auntie.”
Meng Lan forced a smile. “Li Li, thank you for taking care of her.”
The doctor had said that Nuonuo showed signs of depression. At its core, it was the result of accumulating too many negative emotions while forcibly suppressing and denying her own sadness.
But those negative emotions wouldn’t disappear on their own. They would only turn inward and attack her.
Being able to cry was a good thing, too.
Su Li felt a little guilty. He hadn’t comforted Zhuang Nuo—in fact, he was the one who had made her cry.
He changed the subject. “Auntie, can we eat now?”
Meng Lan hurriedly replied, “Of course. Of course we can. We’ll start dinner right away.”
“Then could you please serve me two bowls of rice? Zhuang Nuo and I will eat together in her room.”
Meng Lan’s eyes immediately reddened. “Yes, yes, of course. I’ll go serve it for you.”
She filled two bowls with rice, packing them down firmly so there wouldn’t be too little. Then she piled food onto the plates and carried everything over to Su Li.
“Take your time eating. Don’t worry about us.”
Su Li took the tray and pushed the door open, returning to the room.
Zhuang Nuo was still sitting in exactly the same position as when he had left, staring blankly into space.
Su Li set the food on the desk, then hauled her over. He found another chair and placed it beside hers before sitting down in a broad, imposing posture.
“Eat!”
Zhuang Nuo didn’t move. She simply stared at him blankly.
Su Li ignored her and lowered his head to eat.
Then he discovered just how tightly packed the rice was.
He glanced toward the door. It was closed, and he had no idea whether Uncle and Auntie were secretly listening outside.
He leaned close to Zhuang Nuo’s ear and lowered his voice. “Your mom packed this rice so tightly it’s almost turned into sticky rice cake. Did she step on it with her feet? Why is it so dense?”
At his words, Zhuang Nuo thought about it for a moment, then let out a sudden laugh before quickly suppressing it.
Su Li didn’t force her to do anything. He continued eating on his own.
Zhuang Nuo turned her head and stared blankly at him. He ate quickly, but his table manners were impeccable; there was nothing rough or uncouth about the way he ate.
Su Li finished his bowl, but Zhuang Nuo still hadn’t touched her chopsticks.
“Why aren’t you eating? Can’t you finish it? Want me to help you?”
Zhuang Nuo stared at him blankly.
Su Li raised an eyebrow and pinched her cheek. “If you want me to, say so.”
“I do.” Her voice was barely more than a breath.
Su Li smiled. With his chopsticks, he transferred more than half of the rice from her bowl into his own, leaving only a thin layer spread across the bottom.
“There. The rest is yours. Don’t say I didn’t leave you any.”
Zhuang Nuo lowered her eyes to the bowl. With only a few bites left, she felt less pressure. Her fingers twitched, and she picked up her chopsticks, putting a bite into her mouth.
Su Li didn’t look at her, simply letting her eat at her own pace.
After she finished everything, he stacked the bowls together, picked up the tray, and went outside.
Zhuang Nuo watched his retreating back, staring at the door. For the first time, she began to feel hopeful again.
Then Su Li pushed the door open.
Zhuang Nuo’s eyes lit up.
“Zhuang Nuo, I’m going home.”
The light in her eyes dimmed again.
Su Li immediately continued, “Do you want me to come see you tomorrow?”
