Chapter 557
She really wanted her cushion doll, she wanted to jump, but she was feeling unwell, as if she was running a fever, so she didn’t jump immediately.
Finally, it was her father who lifted her up, encouraged her not to lose to her sister. She was competitive too. She’s always been second to her sister in everything, and she wanted her parents to see her excellence. So, when her father said he’d throw her into the sea, she replied, “Go ahead, dad.”
Next thing she knew, her father really threw her into the sea.
When she hit the water, she eagerly dipped under the surface, then looked up at her parents and Xia Yanyan on the boat, telling them, she had won.
But Xia Yanyan didn’t jump. The family of three just stood on the boat staring at her, watching her. Then the boat sailed away.
She was bewildered, didn’t understand, and swam to pursue the boat. At first, she could keep up, but then, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t catch up.
She screamed to the boat, “Dad, Mom, sis… I’m not on the boat… Wait for me… don’t abandon me…”
The harder she screamed, the bigger her voice became. Finally, she woke from her sleep with those screams. Xia Ye Zhao, sitting by her bed, heard her cries sinking into sleep talk, and his heart ached.
Without realizing it, he called out her real name: “Qiongqiong, wake up.”
“Qiongqiong…”
“Qiongqiong…”
In her sleep talk, Ye Xingguang was still swimming in the icy sea chasing the boat. As she swam, she seemed to hear her elder brother calling her…noveldrama
“Bro, where are you?” she said, looking around on the surface of the sea.
“Bro, tell them not to leave me…”
“Bro, I’m uncomfortable, I’m scared…”
Suddenly, with those words, she woke up with a start.
After waking up, she stared at the ceiling. For a long time, she couldn’t distinguish between what was a dream and what was reality.
Xia Ye Zhao saw her open her eyes, her forehead glistening with sweat. He took a dry towel, wiped away the cold sweat from her forehead and gently spoke to her, “Qiongqiong, don’t be scared, it was just a nightmare, it’s all over.”
“Bro…?”
It took a while for Ye Xingguang’s unfocused gaze to fall on Xia Ye Zhao’s face; because of her fever, she saw double. She rubbed her eyes, trying to see clearly, and uncertainly called again, “Bro…?”
Xia Ye Zhao was sitting by her side, listening to her call him “big brother” all day long. He didn’t like it but he couldn’t help it. Now, hearing her call him brother in her confusion, his heart felt like it might break. He helped her fix the loose hair on her forehead, his voice unconsciously softening to a near whisper, “Bro is here, don’t be afraid, it was just a nightmare.”
Not just a nightmare.
All that was her own life experience.
They say that when a person is sick, they are at their most vulnerable. No matter how strong they pretend to be when they are healthy, that strength collapses quickly when they are ill.
She did not want to appear so vulnerable, so unable to handle stuff. It wasn’t the first time she had such a nightmare. Usually, she would wash her face when she woke up, calm herself down and then it would pass.
But this time, all her efforts were in vain.
As soon as Xia Ye Zhao wiped away her tears, more sprang up. She despised her own weakness. It was just food poisoning causing acute gastroenteritis. However, it left her feeling so vulnerable and pathetic. With closed eyes, she said resentfully “Bro, am I really pathetic?”
“Nonsense, you’re not pathetic at all, don’t demean yourself like that.” Xia Ye Zhao didn’t allow her to belittle herself like that and he again tucked her in.
“No matter how hard I try, I can’t win other people’s affection. I work so hard, but still get abandoned. Am I really that bad? Things that others can get effortlessly, I have to work hard for. And in the end, I found out that I still can’t hold onto them…”