I Have Yet to Become a Doll Today

Once, Su Man yanked him awake to feed him medicine, her movements were rough, almost like force-feeding him;

Another time, Su Man removed his shirt to wipe him down and apply a cold compress, her strength was overpowering, the towel rubbing against him almost peeling off a layer of skin;

And yet another time, Su Man insisted on him getting up to soak his feet, claiming it was a method she learned from the Chinese medicine clinic next door. According to her, soaking the feet, followed by a massage on specific acupuncture points, could speed up his recovery.

Lu Yuwen was extremely unyielding when it came to anyone seeing his feet, especially his congenitally disabled one. However, Su Man was stronger than him, and he couldn’t resist her.

Afterwards, he almost passed out from the pain.

He thought he would have half his life tormented away by this woman but unexpectedly, he felt his spirit gradually improving as he slept into the late night.

Although his body was still dripping sweat, his head didn’t feel as heavy anymore.

Lu Yuwen opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath.

Su Man was asleep next to him.

She was leaning against the side of the bed, her eyebrows still slightly furrowed in concern, her right hand holding a thermometer while her left hand was placed beneath it.

He hadn’t looked closely before, but now that he did, her left hand, wrapped up in thick bandages, looked somewhat unnatural, uneven and lumpy. He had no idea what it looked like beneath the bandages…

Lu Yuwen felt a pang of pity for her.

Such a good-looking girl, but her hand was injured. He hoped she could recover in the future and wouldn’t end up like him – always attracting ridicule wherever he went because of the way he walked.

He sat up, intending to reach for some water.

Su Man was highly alert and woke up almost instantly. Her clear, distinct eyes opened wide, like a cat’s in the dark of the night, sharp and energizing! Not the least bit groggy!

Seeing Lu Yuwen awake, the sharpness in her eyes softened as she asked him, “Do you want some water?”

Lu Yuwen nodded, then asked her, “Got anything to eat?”

Su Man rummaged through her bag and took out a packet of compressed biscuits. Struggling to open the packet with one hand, she used her teeth.

Lu Yuwen said, “Let me do it.”

Su Man handed it to him.

He took it, opened the packet and took out seven or eight biscuits, then handed the remaining half packet back to Su Man.

Both of them ate their biscuits with hot water in silence.

The indoor ambiance composed of soothing chewing sounds, the rustling of the packaging, and a small camping kerosene stove in the middle of the room quietly agitating its flames.

After eating for a while, Lu Yuwen said, “When dawn breaks, let’s go back to where they went down.”

Su Man was momentarily startled, and asked, “You worry that they might climb back up?”

Lu Yuwen shook his head lightly and said, “Xiao and Yang Zi should have been crushed to death, but in the end, Yang Zi called out Zhang Ke’s name, which means Zhang Ke wasn’t at the bottom at that time. He might be hanging somewhere in the middle. I’m not certain if he managed to climb up after that, so I want to go back and check again.”

“Zhang Ke is the guy who swung the wrench at your knee?” Su Man asked.

“Mm.” Lu Yuwen nodded, “Yes, him.”

Su Man knitted her brows disapprovingly, “These people are ruthless and vicious, I hope none of them survive!”

“It wouldn’t matter if they did.” Lu Yuwen pondered for a moment, then slowly responded, “Once we get out, he would be trapped in here all alone. Unable to call out for help, that would truly be a fitting fate.”

“No!” Su Man said firmly, “This kind of person should be killed to eliminate future troubles! Otherwise, the next time someone enters the labyrinth, he might harm people again!”

Lu Yuwen was taken aback, then gently smiled.

Su Man glared at him, “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing…” Lu Yuwen laughed, “You are unexpectedly quite righteous and hate evil.”

Su Man fell silent and slowly lowered her head.

“I indeed hate such people, bullies who are underhanded and treacherous … When I think about my friends, who might encounter them in the game or labyrinth, who might even get into trouble because of that, I wish I could kill them all!”

“Your friends?”

“Mm…” She looked out of the window. “I wonder how they’re doing now…”