"All right, then. Fortune can protect you from now on." Liu Yi placed the kitten in Gao Ming's arms. "Let it chase all your nightmares away."
"Looking at it, I doubt it could even chase away a mouse." Despite his words, Gao Ming couldn't resist stroking the little fellow's head when he saw its adorably dopey expression.
"I bought lots of groceries. I'll make you a proper meal tonight to build your strength back up." Liu Yi washed her hands and went into the kitchen. Gao Ming made Fortune a simple bed out of a spare cardboard box at home, then went to help her.
When he had opened his eyes in the hospital, Gao Ming had never imagined he would live like this. With Liu Yi around, he seemed less resistant to reality. He was slowly accepting everything that had happened to him, gradually breaking free of the nightmare's influence.
At the dinner table, Gao Ming was visibly in much better spirits than the night before. Liu Yi told him about all the amusing things they had experienced together, helping him recall their past.
Through Liu Yi's descriptions, Gao Ming's barren world filled with love, gaining color and something to lean on. It was as though a boat adrift on the waves had found an island of its own. Both lay deep in the ocean, forever alone, yet forever holding each other close.
After dinner, Liu Yi took Gao Ming downstairs for a walk. They wandered through the cluster of rundown buildings, chatting on and off.
Then, just before the supermarket closed, they went to buy some pet supplies for Fortune.
By the time they returned home, it was almost ten at night.
Liu Yi went to shower. While Gao Ming was training Fortune to use the litter box,