Careful "Care"

Morning light slipped through a gap in the heavy curtains like a sharp scalpel, precisely cutting through the bedroom's gloom.

Gu Yue lay beneath the covers, feeling that beam of light fall across her eyelids and bring a trace of warmth, yet it could not dispel the bone-deep chill and stomach-churning nausea inside her.

Nearly an hour had passed since Tang Wulin had been dragged downstairs by Ye Xinglan for "hellish special training." During that hour, Gu Yue had gone through the entire process from hazy consciousness to returning senses. Every slight contraction in her abdomen seemed to remind her of last night's foolish decision.

"Gurgle—"

Her stomach rumbled again. This time, it was not merely a sound; it came with a violent, downward-cramping pain. Gu Yue abruptly opened her eyes, her pupils tightening slightly in fear. Before she could even think, her body reacted before her mind, shooting toward the bathroom like a launched cannonball.

The door flew open. Before she could even fully squat down, that familiar, uncontrollable force surged out. This time was more violent than any before, as if it intended to pour out all her internal organs. She clutched the doorframe tightly, her knuckles turning white from the strain as suppressed, pained whimpers escaped her throat.

"I can't... I really can't..." She felt like a punctured balloon, all her energy and spirit draining away with the filth. Dizzy and disoriented, her vision repeatedly darkened. The world spun and twisted before her eyes, leaving only the nauseating sight in the toilet and the sour, rancid smell filling the air.

Who knew how long it took before the torture finally came to an end. Gu Yue slid weakly to the floor, her back against the cold tiled wall as she gasped for breath. Cold sweat had thoroughly soaked her pajamas, making them cling stickily to her skin and sending waves of chill through her.

She raised her head and looked at the pale-faced, unfocused woman in the mirror. For the first time, she deeply doubted her own self-control.

Just then, her phone screen lit up. Tang Wulin had sent her a message: a photo with the lawn in the residential garden as its background.

In the photo, Tang Wulin was doing push-ups in an extremely twisted posture, his expression ferocious and his entire athletic T-shirt drenched in sweat. The caption read: [Gu Yue, I've already done eighty. Twenty more to go. That woman Ye Xinglan wasn't lying. This intensity really is... cough, really is quite a workout.]

A second message immediately followed: [How are you doing over there? Are you okay?]

Gu Yue looked at the photo, and the corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably. On one hand, she felt a little guilty over Tang Wulin's miserable state. On the other, when she thought of proud Ye Xinglan standing nearby with a branch in hand and supervising him, an inexplicable thrill of revenge rose in her heart.

With trembling fingers, she replied: [I'm fine. Very... fulfilled. Keep going. Don't slack off.]

After sending the message, she felt signs of that primordial force inside her reviving again. She covered her stomach in horror, praying she could endure this wave. However, fate seemed determined to make her "whole."

"Splash—"

The world spun again. Gu Yue did not even have the strength to stand. She simply collapsed onto the floor and allowed that force to swallow her. This time, she could not even whimper. She could only keep her mouth open and suffer in silence, like a fish thrown onto shore, futilely working its gills.

When everything finally settled once more, Gu Yue felt as if she had reached the end of her life. She did not even have the strength to lift a finger, and her consciousness hovered between clarity and haze. Just then, someone knocked on the bedroom door.

"Gu Yue, open up. I know you're awake." It was Ye Xinglan's voice. Even through the door, it carried that same unquestionable forcefulness.

Using every bit of strength she had, Gu Yue crawled up from the floor, supported herself against the wall, and shuffled step by step to the door before opening it.

Ye Xinglan stood outside, her golden hair fluttering in the morning breeze. Her training clothes outlined the explosive strength of her figure. She was no longer holding a branch, but the scrutiny in her golden eyes was sharper than one.

Her gaze was like an X-ray, instantly piercing through Gu Yue's sickly shell and seeing the truth beneath.

"Oh? You're still alive?" Ye Xinglan raised an eyebrow, and it was impossible to tell whether her tone held concern or mockery.

Gu Yue leaned against the doorframe and nodded weakly. Even staying upright took effort, and she slid down the frame to sit on the floor. "Xinglan... I... I request... euthanasia..." Her voice was hoarse and choked with tears.

Ye Xinglan looked down at her, frowning tightly. Of course, she could tell Gu Yue was not joking. Her face was white as paper, her lips cracked, and heavy dark circles hung beneath her eyes. She looked like a plant that had been drained dry. This was definitely not an act.

Ye Xinglan fell silent for a moment. Seeing Gu Yue in such a miserable state, she could not help recalling how she had put Tang Wulin through the wringer downstairs for half an hour until his face had turned green.

"You... exactly how much did you eat last night?" Ye Xinglan finally asked the crucial question.

Gu Yue's eyes wandered, and she did not dare meet her gaze. "Just... one bite... really, only one bite..."

"One bite got you into this state?" Ye Xinglan scoffed, but quickly reined in her expression. She sighed, a long sigh, as though it emptied all the anger in her belly. "Forget it. Seeing you like this, I can't really scold you anymore. Get up. Don't sit on the floor; it's cold."

Gu Yue shook her head. "Can't get up... The moment I move, I feel like..."

Ye Xinglan clicked her tongue, stepped forward, bent down, and grabbed Gu Yue by the arm, hauling her up from the floor. Gu Yue was limp as a noodle and could barely stand steady only with Ye Xinglan supporting her.

"What a troublesome little thing." Ye Xinglan complained, but her hands steadily held Gu Yue as she half-supported, half-carried her toward the bedroom. "In your whole life, aside from becoming a housewife, your greatest achievement will probably be eating yourself into the hospital."

Gu Yue leaned against her, breathing in the faint scent of sweat and sunshine on her body, and suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of grievance well up inside her.

"Next time?" Ye Xinglan sneered. "You think there'll be a next time? Let me tell you, Gu Yue, if word of this gets out, you'll have disgraced all of the Shrek Seven Monsters! 'Assault-type Soul Emperor Gu Yue misses morning training due to overeating ice cream, forcing her teammate to take her punishment'—that headline? Tsk, tsk. That kid Xie Xie could laugh about it for a year!"

Gu Yue's face heated up from her words. Even her sickly appearance could not conceal her embarrassment.

Ye Xinglan helped her back onto the bed and ordered, "Lie down. You're not allowed to move around anymore. I'll get you some hot water and medicine, then... then I'll find a way to get you something to eat. I can't exactly let you starve to death."

"I'm not hungry..." Gu Yue protested weakly.

"Not hungry? The army in your stomach just finished a war and is waiting for supplies." Ye Xinglan snapped. "Wait here."

She turned and left the bedroom, her footsteps gradually fading away. Gu Yue closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of Ye Xinglan rummaging through things in the living room, along with fragments of a phone call to Tang Wulin.

"Hey, Wulin, stop doing them! She's almost done for!... What? Fifty push-ups left? Hang in there! I'll be right back!"

The corner of Gu Yue's mouth twitched again. At a time like this, Ye Xinglan was still thinking about those fifty push-ups. Still, this friendship of "hurting the enemy by a thousand while injuring yourself by eight hundred" really was... helplessly absurd.

About twenty minutes later, Ye Xinglan returned carrying a tray. There was a cup of steaming water, several gastrointestinal pills, and a bowl of... plain congee.

The congee had been cooked just right, the grains split open and giving off a gentle fragrance. Beside it was a small dish of light pickled vegetables.

"Drink." Ye Xinglan set the tray on the bedside table, helped Gu Yue sit up, and propped up her pillow.

Gu Yue looked at the bowl of congee, and her stomach churned again. She shrank back slightly. "Xinglan, I can't drink it..."

"You have to drink it even if you can't!" Ye Xinglan's tone allowed no argument. "Do you think this is just diarrhea? Your electrolytes are out of balance. If you don't eat something and replenish your energy, you'll really collapse. Then Tang Wulin's fifty push-ups will have been for nothing, and I'll have made this trip for nothing too."

Gu Yue was left speechless by her retort and could only obediently open her mouth. Ye Xinglan scooped up a spoonful of congee, blew on it, and brought it to her lips.

The warm congee slid down her throat, and Gu Yue felt the burning pain ease slightly. She swallowed mechanically, every mouthful like completing a mission.

Ye Xinglan fed her patiently, spoonful after spoonful, neither urging her nor showing impatience.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell over the two of them, making the scene seem somewhat absurd yet strangely harmonious. One was usually the aloof "cold-faced killer," yet she was now tending to a sick person like an old mother. The other was usually the group's calculating "brain," yet she was now like a spoiled child, allowing herself to be handled by another.

When the bowl of congee was empty, Gu Yue felt she had recovered a tiny bit of strength.

"Xinglan..." she said softly.

"Mm?" Ye Xinglan was clearing away the tray without even looking up.

"Thank you."

Ye Xinglan's movements paused for a moment before she continued tidying up, her tone flat. "What are you thanking me for? I just didn't want Tang Wulin to suffer for nothing."

Gu Yue looked at her awkward back and could not help smiling. The smile was faint, yet more genuine than at any earlier moment.

"And," Ye Xinglan turned around and looked at Gu Yue, speaking seriously, "this ends here. I won't mention it to anyone when I go back, and don't even think about using this to blackmail me."

"Deal." Gu Yue held out her hand.

Ye Xinglan looked at the hand she had extended. After hesitating for a moment, she took it. Her palm was warm and strong, carrying a reassuring kind of strength.

"All right, get some rest. I need to go downstairs and keep torturing Tang Wulin. If he dares cut corners on those fifty push-ups, I'll make him pull out every plant in the entire residential complex's greenbelt." Ye Xinglan stood, straightened her training clothes, and resumed that unapproachable air.

"Go on, witch." Gu Yue closed her eyes, a faint smile on her lips.

Ye Xinglan walked to the door, then looked back once more. She saw that Gu Yue had lain down again. Her breathing was still weak, but much steadier than before. The sunlight fell across her face, and that sickly gray pallor seemed to have faded somewhat.

The room returned to silence. Gu Yue listened to Ye Xinglan's footsteps gradually receding beyond the door, followed by Tang Wulin's listless counting rising once more from the garden downstairs.