The Face Beneath the Bandages

Lin Zhenzhen froze, her tears stopping abruptly. Her hand instinctively went to her face, feeling the slightly rough texture of the bandages. Dampened by her tears, they felt cold.

Though the tears streaming down her face were scalding hot, their warmth was quickly absorbed, leaving only a cold sensation.

It was uncomfortable, the bandages getting wet then dry, wet then dry, sticky and stiff, clinging tightly to her face.

But, take them off? How could she?

Every day, Lin Zhenzhen tried her best to forget the face she saw in the mirror, yet every day she uncontrollably remembered that utterly disgusting face.

Her stomach churned, and she felt like vomiting.

But she couldn't throw up anything, only gagging dryly.

Now, she felt that nauseous sensation again.

She lowered the hand that had been on her face and covered her stomach instead.

Her back hunched, curving into an overly delicate arc.

Her shoulder blades seemed about to pierce through the thin layer of skin and flesh, presenting a desolate and pale posture.

"...No."

Lin Zhenzhen's throat worked several times before she finally managed to mumble out a single word.

It was a clear refusal.

Just as expected, Xiao Xiao sighed, his expectation met.

Although he never thought Lin Zhenzhen would obediently do as he said, he couldn't help but hope.

He had indeed been overthinking.

However, persuading Lin Zhenzhen was both difficult and incredibly easy.

"Do you want to heal your face?" Xiao Xiao asked softly, his voice gentle yet carrying an inexplicable allure.

"Yes!" Lin Zhenzhen blurted out without hesitation.

How could she not want to? She thought about it every day, every night, not for a single second did she not think about it.

But what was the use of just thinking about it?

Lin Zhenzhen's mood sank further.

Over this period, Lin Zhenzhen had become irritable, sensitive, fragile, and even a little neurotic.

Not only herself, but her parents were also exhausted by her.

She felt like she was falling apart.

"Since you want to, why are you unwilling to try?"

"I told you, I might be able to heal your face."

"You shouldn't let go of any hope."

"Right now, you can only trust me."

Xiao Xiao's words were not particularly tactful, but they directly pointed out the bloody truth.

Lin Zhenzhen was currently in a desperate situation, so she shouldn't give up any hope. Even if it was only a one percent chance, she had to put in a hundred percent of her effort.

Would temporary pain lead to future "spring blossoms"? Why not try?

"..." Lin Zhenzhen's voice was too muffled and slurred to be understood.

But her rapidly trembling eyelashes revealed some of her inner pain and struggle.

"You can think of this as a doctor's consultation."

"I am the doctor, you are the patient. Don't be afraid of seeking treatment."

"Your face can't afford further delay."

"It's already the worst-case scenario, what more do you have to fear?"

Xiao Xiao spoke sentence by sentence, and with each word, Lin Zhenzhen trembled as if startled.

"...Okay." Her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible, but Xiao Xiao, who was watching her closely, heard it clearly.

A look of relief spread across Xiao Xiao's face.

He had finally convinced her.

"Do you need my help?"

Lin Zhenzhen shook her head.

Her slightly trembling hands, with a hint of unease, went behind her head.

Xiao Xiao did not rush her.

He trusted Lin Zhenzhen; since she had made a decision, she wouldn't back out now.

The bandages were unwound, layer by layer.

Lin Zhenzhen's face was gradually revealed.

It could hardly be called a human face anymore.

Horrifying black and purple lumps covered her entire face, making it impossible to discern any features.

Furthermore, as the bandages slipped away, a foul stench emanated, nauseating and sickening.

Xiao Xiao's expression twisted for a moment before quickly returning to a blank mask.

He even stepped forward, bending down to get closer to the face.

Although Lin Zhenzhen had agreed to have the bandages removed, she felt forced by Xiao Xiao.

With a hint of malice, she looked up directly at Xiao Xiao.

She maliciously waited to see Xiao Xiao's embarrassment.

However, Xiao Xiao, who suddenly leaned in close, made her incredibly flustered.

Under the gaze of those deep, calm eyes, her whole body stiffened, feeling as though she had nowhere to hide, leaving her both helpless and afraid.

She was also a little confused. Wasn't he afraid? Wasn't he disgusted?

By this face?

She herself would vomit every time she looked at it, and with each glance, her despair deepened.

She had lost count of how many mirrors she had smashed.

Sharp edges, glittering cold light, bright red blood, her monstrous face reflected on the shattered mirror shards.

She began to have nightmares, endless nightmares.

In her dreams, an unknown bird seemed to caw incessantly, like crying and laughing, and an bone-chilling cold seized her mind. She struggled in vain, her pleas for help hopeless, ultimately resigning herself to falling into a bottomless abyss, consumed by darkness.

Xiao Xiao examined Lin Zhenzhen's face closely.

The black energy seemed to have grown stronger...

He still remembered the attack from the black energy last time; the heart palpitations from then were still etched in his memory. Although he didn't know what had happened, it seemed to have caused him no harm in the end.

But from the looks of it, it was nothing good.

Xiao Xiao became extremely cautious, carefully leaning closer to Lin Zhenzhen's face.

The black energy churned, constantly moving in and out of the lumps.

The lumps revealed beneath the occasionally dispersing black energy were even larger than the ones he had seen last time. They were a deep, dark purple, the skin stretched taut, almost transparent. From the deep color, streaks of blood seeped out, making one worry that they would burst at any moment.

Xiao Xiao recalled the yellow pus that had flowed when Lin Zhenzhen had scratched the lumps last time – fetid, viscous, and utterly disgusting.

The black energy seemed to be stimulated, gradually boiling.

Xiao Xiao instinctively wanted to retreat, but then he seemed to remember something, his body becoming completely still, his gaze only deepening.

A faint golden light flickered within his dark pupils, like a nimble fish, swaying and darting within Xiao Xiao's irises.

The golden light grew stronger, gradually taking over Xiao Xiao's entire eyeballs.

The black energy suddenly contracted, as if struck by immense fear or a threat. It was forced to retract all its claws and fangs.

Even the covered lumps were revealed.

Lin Zhenzhen's face became clearer.

It was as he suspected; there were indeed changes happening to him that he didn't know about.

Although Xiao Xiao was eager to research this confirmed guess, Lin Zhenzhen's situation was more important right now.

However, with this development, Xiao Xiao felt a bit more confident.

Did he now have a certain degree of self-protection? Coupled with the Monster Compendium, he should be able to handle ordinary situations, right?

Xiao Xiao straightened up. It was indeed the work of a monster.

He just didn't know what kind of monster it was.

Xiao Xiao's current knowledge of monsters was still very limited.

He regretted not bringing the Monster Compendium again; he had a feeling it would tell him something.

It seemed he would have to come back again.

"I've looked closely."

"But some things are still unconfirmed. I need to go back and check."

"I'll come back this afternoon."

Lin Zhenzhen had no objections to this. She had already seen it once, after all. It wasn't just one more time, she wouldn't mind seeing it several more times.

However, she hesitated, wanting to ask but not daring to.

She was extremely anxious and extremely scared.

Yet, Xiao Xiao appeared calm and composed, not revealing anything crucial.

Her rapidly beating heart made her mouth feel dry.

Her throat seemed stuck, unable to make a sound.

She opened her mouth helplessly, her face becoming even more contorted.

"When I come to see you this afternoon, I'll tell you my thoughts then."

With that, Xiao Xiao left.