Chapter 27
Translator: XHu
Editor: Isabelle
Quality Check: Kittsune
First Published on Ainushi.
Mama Yu's words caused a wave of complicated feelings to bubble up inside me. I did feel very sorry for all the frightening things that they experienced at such a young age, but I wasn't a saint. I couldn't forgive them for everything that they did to me.
Teach them how to love? How do you teach love? I'm only a recently-turned nineteen-year-old girl, and I've never experienced what a relationship between a girl and boy ought to be like. If all of this hadn't happened, I probably would have found a boyfriend and gotten in a warm relationship, but…
The wound on my wrist had already healed, but it left behind an ugly and frightful scar.
I'm not going to try something as stupid as killing myself again. I was so close to dying, and I was so resolute about suicide, but now I regret it. Why did I have to pay with my life for someone else's faults?
I had stayed in the hospital for ten days, and apart from the second day after I regained consciousness when Zhao Yi Xuan visited, I never saw the twins. However, since I was living in a luxurious single-occupant hospital room and was visited every day by the hospital president and every possible medical specialist, I knew that they were still paying attention to me even if they did not appear.
Today was my discharge date, and Mama Yu had already packed up my clothes and belongings. I originally wanted to leave the hospital on my own, but Mama Yu said there would be someone who would come pick us up to bring us to the Zhao residence.
I didn't have family in Taipei, and the small apartment that I rented had already been returned. All the money I had on me I left at the clinic, and there was nowhere left for me to go. Hehe~~ The Zhao family ruined me so badly, yet I'm still returning to this gorgeous cage. I laughed ironically at myself.
The person who came to pick us up wasn't one of the Zhao brothers. Rather, it was a middle-aged man who I did not recognize, and he introduced himself as a chauffeur of the Zhao clan. Watching his demeanor, I could tell he was lying. The only benefit that I had gained from all these experiences was that I could see through people more sharply.
The car quickly sped its way back to the Zhao residence, and I carried my own things back to my room. Mama Yu stayed by the door and chatted with the chauffeur whom she had just met.
My room was identical to how I had left it. Nothing had been moved, and even the "running away note" that I wrote before leaving was in its original place next to the bed. This made me feel like I had experienced some kind of strange dream, like I had never left the Zhao residence in the first place.
I laid down and felt the soft touch of the comforter on me as my tiredness once again rose. I was sleeping so much that I bet that I was going to transform into a piglet.
After sleeping for an unknown length, at some point I felt a warm hand tenderly caressing my cheek, cherishing me. Who was it? Mom?
"Mom…"
I whimpered softly from my cloud of haze, and tightly grabbed the warm hand on my face, refusing to let go. I felt it softly and delicately wiping away the tears on my cheek. I almost heard a nearly inaudible sigh next to my ears.
By the time I fully woke up, my hands were completely empty. Could that have been a dream?
I heard a knock on the door, but I didn't respond. In this house, there were only the Zhao brothers and me, and this mansion was their property. They didn't need my permission to enter any room inside this house.
The person who knocked on the door waited a little, and after receiving no response, they took the initiative to let themselves into my room. However, contrary to my expectations, the person who entered was neither of the Zhao brothers, but Mama Yu. Hadn't she retired? Hadn't she been asked to come back to only take care of me when I was sick? I was discharged already, so why was she still here?
"Miss, are you awake? Dinner is ready, and the young masters are waiting for you to dine with them downstairs." Mama Yu chuckled as she walked into my room.
But I didn't feel hungry, and I didn't want to eat together with them. As such, I laid on the bed, unmoving.
"Miss, your body has just recovered. How can you not eat anything? How are you supposed to regain your strength?" She urged me, and her tone of voice was like she was handling a reluctant child.
I resentfully glared at her, and complied with crawling up from bed. After walking into the bathroom to tidy myself up a bit, I followed her downstairs. After spending ten days with Mama Yu in the hospital, I knew better than anyone else on how much she could nag. She was one level above Tang Seng [1]. If you didn't do what she said, she'd nag and nag away constantly at your ears until you vomited blood and surrendered. I didn't want to experience this again, so I decided to go along with her.
In the dining room, the Zhao brothers were sitting neatly at the table, but they hadn't even started eating. Zhao Yi Bo was in the middle of typing something on a laptop, and Zhao Yi Xuan was reading a document. When they saw me arrive, they quickly put away the things in front of them and stood up to welcome me. Zhao Yi Bo even helped me into my chair like a gentleman.
Mama Yu very quickly started to serve the dishes. Perhaps because my taste buds had already been completely spoiled, I felt like her cooking skills were very ordinary. Her dishes were plain and unable to stir up my appetite.
Seeing how little appetite I had, Zhao Yi Bo explained, "Your injury isn't completely healed, and foods that are too stimulating [2] aren't good for the recovery of your wound. This is why I specifically asked Mama Yu to prepare plain dishes."
I wasn't going to fall for their thoughtfulness though. The entire reason why I had fallen to this point in the first place was because of them. Pretending to care at this point was like a cat crying over a dead mouse.
Dinner passed in complete silence.
I very quickly devoured the food in my bowl. I did not care whether or not they were still eating. I rudely stood up and left the dining room [3]. For people like them, there was no need to be polite.
When I returned to my room, I took a warm shower. I changed into comfy pajamas, and relaxed as I laid down on my big bed.
The door opened, and the Zhao brothers walked into my room. Their torsos were naked, and their bottom halves were dressed in pajama pants. They climbed onto my bed with one on the right and the other on the left.
These two brutes! They won't let me go! They say they love me, but it's more accurate to say they only love my body.
"I'll kill myself!" I threatened coldly.
"You won't!" Zhao Yi Bo turned his body and looked at me, his gaze sharp and certain. It seemed like they had already seen through me.
"How do you know? Why don't we test it out?" My expression was indifferent.
Anger flashed across his eyes, but he suppressed it down. "Right now we only want to lie here and go to sleep. If you keep saying things like that, the next thing you know, what we do won't be as innocent as merely sleeping."
I closed my mouth. I could choose to continue provoking them, but if I did this I would ultimately only cause harm to myself. I decided that I should change my strategy.
They turned onto their sides and faced me. Zhao Yi Bo embraced me at my shoulders, and Zhao Yi Xuan hugged me at my waist. We slipped into dreamland like this, and nursed our own broken souls within our sleep.
Translator's Notes:
Tang Seng: The priest character in Journey to the West (novel) who is constantly chastising the monkey king. [back] In Chinese traditional medicine, foods can be classified into “hot” and “cold” (which has nothing to do with the actual temperature of the food). For instance, spicy and savory foods are often “hot”, whereas cucumbers are “cold”, regardless of the temperature of the dish. You are not supposed to eat “hot” foods when you are sick. [back] Standing up before everyone finishes their meal is a big no no in Chinese manners. [back]
Chapter 27
Translator: XHu
Editor: Isabelle
Quality Check: Kittsune
First Published on Ainushi.
Mama Yu's words caused a wave of complicated feelings to bubble up inside me. I did feel very sorry for all the frightening things that they experienced at such a young age, but I wasn't a saint. I couldn't forgive them for everything that they did to me.
Teach them how to love? How do you teach love? I'm only a recently-turned nineteen-year-old girl, and I've never experienced what a relationship between a girl and boy ought to be like. If all of this hadn't happened, I probably would have found a boyfriend and gotten in a warm relationship, but…
The wound on my wrist had already healed, but it left behind an ugly and frightful scar.
I'm not going to try something as stupid as killing myself again. I was so close to dying, and I was so resolute about suicide, but now I regret it. Why did I have to pay with my life for someone else's faults?
I had stayed in the hospital for ten days, and apart from the second day after I regained consciousness when Zhao Yi Xuan visited, I never saw the twins. However, since I was living in a luxurious single-occupant hospital room and was visited every day by the hospital president and every possible medical specialist, I knew that they were still paying attention to me even if they did not appear.
Today was my discharge date, and Mama Yu had already packed up my clothes and belongings. I originally wanted to leave the hospital on my own, but Mama Yu said there would be someone who would come pick us up to bring us to the Zhao residence.
I didn't have family in Taipei, and the small apartment that I rented had already been returned. All the money I had on me I left at the clinic, and there was nowhere left for me to go. Hehe~~ The Zhao family ruined me so badly, yet I'm still returning to this gorgeous cage. I laughed ironically at myself.
The person who came to pick us up wasn't one of the Zhao brothers. Rather, it was a middle-aged man who I did not recognize, and he introduced himself as a chauffeur of the Zhao clan. Watching his demeanor, I could tell he was lying. The only benefit that I had gained from all these experiences was that I could see through people more sharply.
The car quickly sped its way back to the Zhao residence, and I carried my own things back to my room. Mama Yu stayed by the door and chatted with the chauffeur whom she had just met.
My room was identical to how I had left it. Nothing had been moved, and even the "running away note" that I wrote before leaving was in its original place next to the bed. This made me feel like I had experienced some kind of strange dream, like I had never left the Zhao residence in the first place.
I laid down and felt the soft touch of the comforter on me as my tiredness once again rose. I was sleeping so much that I bet that I was going to transform into a piglet.
After sleeping for an unknown length, at some point I felt a warm hand tenderly caressing my cheek, cherishing me. Who was it? Mom?
"Mom…"
I whimpered softly from my cloud of haze, and tightly grabbed the warm hand on my face, refusing to let go. I felt it softly and delicately wiping away the tears on my cheek. I almost heard a nearly inaudible sigh next to my ears.
By the time I fully woke up, my hands were completely empty. Could that have been a dream?
I heard a knock on the door, but I didn't respond. In this house, there were only the Zhao brothers and me, and this mansion was their property. They didn't need my permission to enter any room inside this house.
The person who knocked on the door waited a little, and after receiving no response, they took the initiative to let themselves into my room. However, contrary to my expectations, the person who entered was neither of the Zhao brothers, but Mama Yu. Hadn't she retired? Hadn't she been asked to come back to only take care of me when I was sick? I was discharged already, so why was she still here?
"Miss, are you awake? Dinner is ready, and the young masters are waiting for you to dine with them downstairs." Mama Yu chuckled as she walked into my room.
But I didn't feel hungry, and I didn't want to eat together with them. As such, I laid on the bed, unmoving.
"Miss, your body has just recovered. How can you not eat anything? How are you supposed to regain your strength?" She urged me, and her tone of voice was like she was handling a reluctant child.
I resentfully glared at her, and complied with crawling up from bed. After walking into the bathroom to tidy myself up a bit, I followed her downstairs. After spending ten days with Mama Yu in the hospital, I knew better than anyone else on how much she could nag. She was one level above Tang Seng [1]. If you didn't do what she said, she'd nag and nag away constantly at your ears until you vomited blood and surrendered. I didn't want to experience this again, so I decided to go along with her.
In the dining room, the Zhao brothers were sitting neatly at the table, but they hadn't even started eating. Zhao Yi Bo was in the middle of typing something on a laptop, and Zhao Yi Xuan was reading a document. When they saw me arrive, they quickly put away the things in front of them and stood up to welcome me. Zhao Yi Bo even helped me into my chair like a gentleman.
Mama Yu very quickly started to serve the dishes. Perhaps because my taste buds had already been completely spoiled, I felt like her cooking skills were very ordinary. Her dishes were plain and unable to stir up my appetite.
Seeing how little appetite I had, Zhao Yi Bo explained, "Your injury isn't completely healed, and foods that are too stimulating [2] aren't good for the recovery of your wound. This is why I specifically asked Mama Yu to prepare plain dishes."
I wasn't going to fall for their thoughtfulness though. The entire reason why I had fallen to this point in the first place was because of them. Pretending to care at this point was like a cat crying over a dead mouse.
Dinner passed in complete silence.
I very quickly devoured the food in my bowl. I did not care whether or not they were still eating. I rudely stood up and left the dining room [3]. For people like them, there was no need to be polite.
When I returned to my room, I took a warm shower. I changed into comfy pajamas, and relaxed as I laid down on my big bed.
The door opened, and the Zhao brothers walked into my room. Their torsos were naked, and their bottom halves were dressed in pajama pants. They climbed onto my bed with one on the right and the other on the left.
These two brutes! They won't let me go! They say they love me, but it's more accurate to say they only love my body.
"I'll kill myself!" I threatened coldly.
"You won't!" Zhao Yi Bo turned his body and looked at me, his gaze sharp and certain. It seemed like they had already seen through me.
"How do you know? Why don't we test it out?" My expression was indifferent.
Anger flashed across his eyes, but he suppressed it down. "Right now we only want to lie here and go to sleep. If you keep saying things like that, the next thing you know, what we do won't be as innocent as merely sleeping."
I closed my mouth. I could choose to continue provoking them, but if I did this I would ultimately only cause harm to myself. I decided that I should change my strategy.
They turned onto their sides and faced me. Zhao Yi Bo embraced me at my shoulders, and Zhao Yi Xuan hugged me at my waist. We slipped into dreamland like this, and nursed our own broken souls within our sleep.
Translator's Notes:
Tang Seng: The priest character in Journey to the West (novel) who is constantly chastising the monkey king. [back] In Chinese traditional medicine, foods can be classified into “hot” and “cold” (which has nothing to do with the actual temperature of the food). For instance, spicy and savory foods are often “hot”, whereas cucumbers are “cold”, regardless of the temperature of the dish. You are not supposed to eat “hot” foods when you are sick. [back] Standing up before everyone finishes their meal is a big no no in Chinese manners. [back]
