His consciousness rose, inch by painstaking inch, from a bottomless trench of darkness.
Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was an unfamiliar white ceiling. A faint herbal scent lingered in the air.
Was this... the infirmary?
Huo Yuhao immediately recognized where he was.
He tried to move, but his whole body felt as though it had fallen apart. He couldn't summon even a shred of strength.
Good grief, had he really pushed himself that far?
Huo Yuhao felt a little helpless. It seemed that, for now, that move was still too much for him.
Then he felt a heavy weight on his arm, accompanied by the steady rhythm of someone breathing.
Huo Yuhao struggled to turn his head.
Wang Dong was lying beside his bed, her head pillowed on his arm, fast asleep.
Her lovely pink-and-blue short hair was a little messy, and her long lashes cast a small shadow beneath her eyes. Her fair cheeks still showed traces of fatigue.
Huo Yuhao looked at her, feeling something he couldn't quite put into words.
He raised his other hand, the one he could still move, and gently nudged Wang Dong's shoulder.
"Hey."
"Mm..."
Wang Dong murmured sleepily and furrowed her brow, seeming quite displeased at having her rest disturbed.
Instinctively, she shifted position, rubbed half her face against Huo Yuhao's bedsheet, then went right back to sleep.
Huo Yuhao felt helpless. He had no choice but to nudge her a little harder.
"Wake up, Wang Dong."
This time, Wang Dong's body jerked as if she had finally been startled awake.
She blearily lifted her head and rubbed her sleepy eyes. The moment her gaze focused on Huo Yuyao's face, she froze.
The next second, her eyes flew wide open. All her drowsiness and fatigue vanished,