At 7 PM, the sky was shrouded in twilight, and if it got any later, it would be swallowed by the stars.
In the attic of the villa, the doctor, Liao Li, coldly checked the thermometer reading and said, "Fang Bai, I don't understand why Xia Xia entrusted her daughter, Ji Yuning, to your care. What if Xia Xia finds out how you treat her? Will she come looking for you in the middle of the night?"
Liao Li was a 27-year-old doctor who was friends with the original owner and Lu Xia.
Before Lu Xia's passing, the three of them would often play together, but after Lu Xia's death, Liao Li and the original owner had less frequent contact.
When Liao Li was 24, she met Lu Xia and Fang Bai, who were 32 and 21 years old, respectively.
Despite the large age gap between them, Liao Li was still surprised that the three of them could play together and have so much fun.
But as long as they had fun, who cared about age?
The past few years, Liao Li has been studying abroad and returned home only a month ago.
Since her return, her work has kept her busy and she hasn't had the time to visit Fang Bai's house to check on Ji Yuning.
Despite this, she had been in regular contact with Fang Bai through video calls and, as Ji Yuning appeared to be doing well, she believed that Fang Bai was treating her properly.
However, a former friend recently informed her that this was not the case.
Liao Li had intended to visit Fang Bai's house to verify this information, but was delayed by a surgery.
Today, she finally had time to call Fang Bai and tell her she was coming, but just as she made the call, Fang Bai told her that Ji Yuning had a fever.
Upon arrival at the villa, Liao Li was horrified by the state of things.
She was so angry that she wanted to give Fang Bai an anesthesia needle.
"Three years ago, Ji Yuning was still a chubby little girl, but now she's thin as a monkey! And what kind of room is she living in? It's not even as big as her toilet! Is this the best treatment you were talking about?" she exclaimed.
It was clear to Liao Li that the rumors were true and Ji Yuning had indeed suffered at Fang Bai's home.
However, Liao Li managed to calm down and give Ji Yuning a thorough examination.
Upon doing so, her anger only intensified.
She was shocked to see that the 16-year-old child was in such poor physical condition, with a body age equivalent to someone almost forty.
The numerous bruises on Ji Yuning's body only added to her outrage.
Despite her anger, Liao Li tried to control her emotions and found that the fever was due to an infected wound.
Liao Li kept an eye on Fang Bai as she spoke, hoping to see a sign of guilt on her face, but she couldn't tell if Fang Bai felt any remorse.
She, on the other hand, felt guilty.
Thinking about the fact that Ji Yuning had suffered from so much abuse for three years, Liao Li felt responsible for not giving her enough care.
She also felt guilty for being too trusting of Fang Bai.
As she spoke, Liao Li made a decision to take Ji Yuning away from Fang Bai once she recovered, otherwise, the guilt towards Lu Xia would continue to weigh on her.
Fang Bai looked at the person on the bed and moved Liao Li's words to the back of her mind.
In the current situation, she had no energy to deal with Liao Li.
"Let's give her an IV first," Fang Bai suggested.
"An IV here?" Liao Li replied coldly. "This place is too small and cluttered, it's not suitable."
Mainly because the lighting in the attic was too dark.
The light bulb in the attic had been broken for a long time, and the original owner didn't replace it.
Ji Yuning could only use her saved money to buy a low-watt bulb, but the brightness wasn't even enough to clearly illuminate the corners of the room, let alone insert a needle into a vein.
Fang Bai's tongue was against her palate, and before Liao Li came, she placed her hand on Ji Yuning's forehead.
The temperature was very high and she didn't know when it started to fever.
If she delays any longer, she's afraid she'll burn out.
Fang Bai bent over and supported Ji Yuning, she sat on the edge of the bed, propped up Ji Yuning's upper body on her back, and then looked up at Liao Li and said, "Help me."
Liao Li knew that Fang Bai wanted to carry Ji Yuning.
Liao Li instinctively assisted Fang Bai in carrying Ji Yuning on her back.
Even through two layers of clothing, Fang Bai could feel the heat radiating from Ji Yuning's body.
Without hesitation, she slowly stood up and carried Ji Yuning out of the room.
Ji Yuning weighed about 80 pounds, and carrying her was like carrying a slightly heavy bag, which was not too heavy for her.
Liao Li saw that Fang Bai, with her small frame, was carrying a person and feared that she would drop Ji Yuning after a few steps, so she followed closely behind Fang Bai, supporting Ji Yuning's back.
The two of them were fully focused on the question of "Will Ji Yuning fall?" and did not notice that the person they were worrying about quietly opened their eyes.
--------
In the afternoon, while Fang Bai was taking a nap, Ji Yuning washed the flour-stained clothes.
When washing the clothes, Ji Yuning's eyes glanced at the bathtub and after hesitating for a moment, she closed the bathroom door and took a bath.
Ji Yuning made sure to clean all the places the woman had touched and eliminate the scent she had left on her.
After her bath, Ji Yuning went downstairs and did her homework in the cool pavilion in the courtyard, as the attic was too dark for studying.
When the woman was not paying attention, Ji Yuning would sneak into the study room or living room to do her work, but she was once caught by that woman and as a result, the study room door was locked and the living room was off-limits.
Since then, Ji Yuning has only gone to the courtyard pavilion.
However, since that woman doesn't allow her to do her homework at home, she often finishes it at school.
This time, she was unable to complete it as that woman received a call from her teacher and had her picked up early.
The summer breeze was warm, but as it blew on Ji Yuning, it felt as chilly as winter.
Fighting against her drowsiness, Ji Yuning finished her homework, but eventually felt dizzy and returned to the attic, where she fell asleep with her head buried in the pillow.
In her sleep, Ji Yuning dreamed of her mother, Lu Xia.
Although she rarely dreams of her, this time she did.
She saw her mother's gentle smile and repeatedly called out her nickname, begging her to come closer.
When Ji Yuning tried to run to hug her, she suddenly felt a cold sensation on her forehead, which was so soothing that she couldn't help but squint.
The cold quickly left her forehead, and she hurriedly opened her eyes to chase after it, but instead of her mother, she saw a person in a black robe standing there.
Upon closer inspection, she realized it was that woman.
The woman walked toward her with a wide-open, tooth-filled mouth and laughed.
Ji Yuning tried to run, but she was paralyzed and couldn't move.
Just as that woman was about to bite her, a faint, sweet scent broke through the darkness and approached her.
That woman disappeared after that.
Ji Yuning followed the source of the sweet scent and escaped from the evil behind her.
She stepped into a grassy field filled with the fragrance of flowers.
"..."
Ji Yuning woke up and realized she had been dreaming.
Her head was heavy and dizzy, and her body swayed from side to side.
She opened and closed her eyes several times, taking a moment to rest before opening them again.
Strands of hair covered her face and a few were near her nose, causing her to feel itchy.
Ji Yuning tried to raise her hand to remove the hair, but she couldn't feel where it was.
"..."
"So, that woman finally cut off my hands."
Despite having a fever of 40°C, Ji Yuning's thoughts were clear.
She instinctively arched her back, waiting for the itching to subside before closing her eyes again.
Her movements were subtle and only noticed by Fang Bai.
Fang Bai was momentarily stiff, but continued to walk.
Fang Bai didn't like the scent of perfume on the original owner, so she bathed before taking a nap.
Although the original owner's perfume was unpleasant, her body odor was relatively mild with a sweet, non-overpowering fragrance.
Carrying Ji Yuning downstairs, Fang Bai was covered in a light layer of sweat, making her body odor stronger.
Fang Bai sensed it, but she quickly regained her focus and carried Ji Yuning to the side bed on the second floor.
The room was cleaned daily by Wu Mei, and the bed was spotless and tidy.
Liao Li was the first to remove the blanket on the bed, and she and Fang Bai worked together to place Ji Yuning on it.
Wu Mei, who followed Liao Li's instructions to get the medicine box from her car, just happened to see her miss carrying Ji Yuning into the second-floor room.
The sight of Fang Bai carrying Ji Yuning left Wu Mei in shock.
In fact, before informing her miss of Ji Yuning's fever, Wu Mei had been worried that Fang Bai would be indifferent, even uttering words that would suggest letting Ji Yuning fend for herself.
However, she never expected that upon hearing of Ji Yuning's fever, her miss showed concern, which exceeded Wu Mei's expectations.
"..."
Liao Li took the medicine box from Wu Mei and administered the fluid to Ji Yuning.
She turned to the individuals standing at the bedside and whispered, "Fang Bai, come out."
Fang Bai looked at Ji Yuning, who was sleeping soundly, and nodded, "Okay."
The two of them stepped out of the room, leaving Wu Mei to keep watch over Ji Yuning inside.
Standing in the hallway, Liao Li spoke directly, "Let me raise Yuning."
Fang Bai was taken aback by this unexpected request.
"I didn't expect Liao Li to express interest in raising Ji Yuning, as in the original novel, she only appeared a few times and there was no mention of her wanting to raise Ji Yuning."
"Probably because Ji Yuning didn't have a fever on the novel."
Fang Bai had a hunch, but she still asked, "Why?"
"Why?" Liao Li repeated in disbelief. "You ask why? You have already mistreated Yuning to this point, how can I feel at ease? Can she still survive under your care?"
"..."
"From now on, I will treat her well, before..." Fang Bai couldn't think of a way to cover up the original owner's brutality, she paused, "... before, I was foolish."
Liao Li sneered, "Foolish for three years?"
"... Mm."
"Don't say such things to me, Fang Bai, Yuning is Lu Xia's daughter, how could you..." Liao Li hesitated, a few seconds later, the unsaid words turned into a deep sigh, "Let me raise her."
Fang Bai didn't hesitate for a second and responded directly, "No."
Liao Li had become so angry when she saw Ji Yuning's injuries that she had forgotten her parents would not agree, as they had previously held a prejudice against Lu Xia being pregnant and unmarried.
Fang Bai noticed Liao Li's silence and waited for a moment before saying, "If you're really worried, you can come to my house to check up on her when you're free."
Her sincere gaze made Liao Li's heart waver.
After much consideration, Liao Li finally said, "I'll come once every three days."
"No need, just come on the weekends," Fang Bai said.
"She lives on campus, she only comes home on weekends," Fang Bai added when she saw Liao Li's face rising with anger again.
Liao Li reluctantly agreed, "... Okay."
Liao Li did not wait long as the hospital called and asked her to return.
After Liao Li left, Fang Bai let Sister Wu go downstairs to rest, and she stayed in Ji Yuning's room.
The fluid was quickly finished being transfused, and when the needle was removed, Fang Bai half-held Ji Yuning's hand.
Ji Yuning's hand was thin with no flesh, and felt a bit numbed when held.
Fang Bai gazed at the pale person on the bed.
She pondered on how to fatten up Ji Yuning.
*********************************************************
Author's note:
Ji Yuning: I don't want to get too fat!
Fang Bai: Someone already called you thin as a monkey.
Ji Yuning: T_T I'm being hated... huhu
Fang Bai: Be good. I'm just worried about you.
With these words, Ji Yuning was pacified in an instant.
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Once again feel free to comment any mistakes you've found.