That evening, just before lights out, the two new roommates indeed returned.
Standing before Ye Li, they introduced themselves somewhat awkwardly.
“Hello, my name is Qiao Bei, and this is Duoduo. We'll be roommates from now on.”
Perhaps having already heard of Ye Li's “notoriety,” Qiao Bei spoke cautiously, with a hint of fawning in his voice.
“If there's anything we don't do well as we live together from now on, please bear with us, Big Sister. Or if you have any taboos, feel free to let us know first; we'll definitely do our best to avoid them and not cause any trouble for you!”
His voice was very gentle, his gaze completely clear, and his baby face lacked any trace of aggression, making him look adorably soft and harmless.
At the end of his words, he even earnestly pulled the little girl along to bow deeply to Ye Li.
That timid, utterly respectful look almost made Ye Li burst out laughing.
Calling her “Big Sister” right off the bat—this kid was pretty sharp!
She straightened her expression and asked in all seriousness, “Nothing much otherwise, but I'm a light sleeper. Do you two snore, grind your teeth, or talk in your sleep?”
“No, I don't do any of that, and neither does Duoduo,” Qiao Bei hurried to assure her. “If I ever accidentally snore, you can just wake me up, Big Sister. I can stay awake and not sleep; I promise I won't disturb your rest!”
“All right, then that's fine!”
Since things had been said so thoroughly, Ye Li knew when to quit while she was ahead, not to mention that Zhao Lei had specifically asked her to be lenient.
Hearing that, the boy across from her visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
He immediately squatted down, drew the little girl who had been hiding behind him closer, and said gently, “Duoduo, Big Sister has agreed to let us stay. Shouldn't you thank her?”
Duoduo timidly raised her little head, her big, dark eyes quickly darting toward the older sister sitting on the opposite bed. Her two pigtails swayed as she gave her brother a soft nod.
“Then can you give Big Sister a smile?” Qiao Bei continued to coax her.
Duoduo hesitated for a moment, but encouraged by her brother's supportive gaze, she summoned her courage, looked up, parted her lips, and flashed a big grin at Ye Li.
But that smile made Ye Li unable to hold back, and she snorted out a laugh with a “pfft.”
It wasn't because Duoduo's forced smile looked particularly comical.
Rather, it was because the child was in the middle of losing her baby teeth and had lost one of her front teeth. When she broke into that wide grin, showing off a row of little white teeth, that dark, gaping gap was especially eye-catching.
The sight was comical beyond words!
Seeing Duoduo's little face flush bright red, looking both confused and wronged by her laughter, Ye Li cleared her throat with a cough and stiffly offered some comfort: “Mm, good girl!”
Only then did Duoduo shyly purse her lips, revealing two small dimples, and wrapped her arms around her brother's neck in a clinging gesture.
Having gained their roommate's acceptance, Qiao Bei relaxed completely and took Duoduo to wash up before lights out.
Before going to bed, he even thoughtfully asked Ye Li if she needed him to use his ability to treat her wounds.
But Ye Li declined his kindness.
It wasn't that she was being pretentious or ungrateful, but rather that she had her own reasons.
Ye Li had discovered that as she constantly regenerated after severe injuries, her ability seemed to be continuously strengthening.
Judging from the times she had secretly tracked over these past few instances, the speed at which her severed limbs regrew and healed was visibly accelerating.
Therefore, relying on her own self-healing offered far greater benefits to her!
After nine o'clock, the cell once again fell into darkness.
Ye Li had spent the entire day lying in bed, so she wasn't sleepy yet.
Keeping her eyes open, she quietly stared at the square of light and shadow on the floor, letting her thoughts wander aimlessly.
Occasionally, she could hear the rustling of someone turning over in the opposite bed, the sound very soft, as if they were deliberately keeping their movements light.
After a little while longer, Qiao Bei's voice softly sounded, “Big Sister, are you asleep?”
Her train of thought abruptly broken, Ye Li furrowed her brows. “What is it?”
“Sorry, Big Sister. Duoduo can't fall asleep. May I tell her a bedtime story? I used to tell her one every night, and she's used to falling asleep to them.”
Qiao Bei asked apprehensively, fully prepared to be rejected, but unexpectedly, she only replied, “Go ahead.”
“Did you hear that, Duoduo? Big Sister agreed,” he said softly with a hint of delight to the little girl beside him. “So tomorrow, you must give Big Sister another smile, all right?”
Duoduo's big eyes were wide and round as she nodded happily.
“Okay, let's tell the story now. Once it's over, you have to go right to sleep. Mm... today, we'll tell the story of 《The Ugly Duckling》. On a farm, a mother duck's ducklings had all hatched, leaving only one very, very large egg that hadn't hatched yet...”
The boy's voice was soft and gentle, unhurried and soothing, like an ethereal breeze brushing against her eardrums, stroking her taut nerves again and again, causing one to relax involuntarily.
Unknowingly, Ye Li also drifted off to sleep amid the gentle sound.
The night passed in peace.
The next morning, as soon as the lights turned on at nine o'clock, Qiao Bei quietly got up with Duoduo to wash up.
Before heading out the door, seeing that Ye Li was awake as well, Duoduo remembered her brother's instructions from the previous night and gave her a standard eight-tooth smile.
Oh, no—a seven-tooth smile!
As the days went by, Ye Li's leg gradually grew down to her knee.
After spending these days together, she gained a thorough understanding of her two roommates.
Qiao Bei was genuinely a warm-hearted guy inside and out, meticulous, considerate, gentle, and generous in everything he did.
Every morning, he patiently braided Duoduo's hair, and every evening, he rotated through different bedtime stories for her, taking care of her with meticulous attention.
At bedtime, he let Duoduo sleep against the wall while keeping guard on the outer side, and once Duoduo fell sound asleep, he always turned to face away to give the child ample privacy.
Even toward Ye Li, he bid her good morning and good night day after day.
Before leaving in the morning, he would say to her, “We're heading out,” and upon returning in the evening, he would say, “We're back.”
When he said these things, it wasn't perfunctory or ingratiating, but entirely genuine and heartfelt.
It even momentarily gave Ye Li the illusion that where they stayed wasn't a sunless cell, but a warm home.
As for Duoduo, she was also a sensible and obedient child. Aside from being mute, she was very clever; whatever Qiao Bei taught her, she learned quickly. She was also quite capable with her hands, able to bathe and eat entirely on her own, and even washed her own little clothes, saving everyone a lot of worry.
Thus, up to this point, Ye Li was thoroughly satisfied with her two roommates in every respect.
Rate on N.U.
