Chapter 35
In the dormitory, Lu Jia sat by the door, thinking about the things Qiao Tang had said to her. Feeling unsure about Qiao Tang's words, she had to take a risk because she didn't have a better choice. She couldn't really do anything to Qiao Tang.
Even though Lu Jia had decided to take a chance with Qiao Tang, it wasn't easy for her to let go of her worries. She thought that maybe she couldn't fully relax until she got actual results.
Su Mo stood in front of her, quietly observing.
Su Mo's eyes were slightly red from crying, but she didn't dare to move because Lu Jia had just pushed her away. So, she cautiously reached out and poked Lu Jia's back with her finger.
Seeing Lu Jia's lack of response, Su Mo gained some courage and changed her poking motion to a gentle hook, quietly intertwining her pinky finger with Lu Jia's.
Seeing Lu Jia still not reacting, Su Mo felt a small sense of happiness in her heart. She tentatively extended her finger further, and the tip of her finger softly touched Lu Jia's ring finger, feeling a bit tender.
Just as Su Mo was about to bring Lu Jia's ring finger into her hand, she froze in place because she felt the gaze of the person in front of her. She didn't dare to move anymore.
Locking her gaze on Lu Jia, her nervousness was revealed by a sudden pursing of her lips, allowing Lu Jia to see everything.
So when Su Mo tried to retract her finger out of fear, Lu Jia's pinky finger slightly bent and tightened, stopping Su Mo's motion.
Feeling Lu Jia's response, it was clear that Su Mo's emotions suddenly became bright, she looked at Lu Jia, overflowing with joy.
Seeing her like this, it actually made Lu Jia feel a bit uncomfortable. Is she really this happy? She couldn't help but wonder.
The dried bloodstains on Su Mo's face seemed to be sticking to her completely, giving Lu Jia a strange visual sensation. In short, it was uncomfortable to look at, especially considering the possibility that the blood might be Su Mo's.
So, for now, she pushed Qiao Tang's matters out of her mind, took hold of Su Mo and walked towards the balcony. Along the way, she casually picked up a pair of nail clippers from the table.
Filling the basin with water, she took out Su Mo's special little white rabbit towel. Lu Jia had chosen it for her because they were going to live together and she wanted to find something that suited Su Mo's personality.
Waiting for the water to dampen the towel, she turned her head to look at the person by her side. Seeing Su Mo's eyes firmly locked onto the direction where their fingers entwined, with a very obvious smile, Lu Jia didn't know what to say for a moment. But the feeling of satisfaction welling up in her heart made her mood much better.
So, she took a step towards Su Mo and pressed the towel against her face, then gently wiped away the bloodstains.
Watching Su Mo's skin tremble along with her movements, and with Su Mo not breathing at all, Lu Jia's surroundings suddenly fell into silence.
For some reason, feeling this kind of tranquility, Lu Jia suddenly remembered that dream. The scene in the dream was already becoming blurry, even though she tried hard to recall it, she couldn't remember what happened in the dream, only remembering the beautiful candy wrapper.
Maybe because she was remembering something, her brain became overwhelmed, or maybe the previous impact triggered something. In this kind of situation, a familiar feeling suddenly surged in her heart, as if she had experienced such behavior before.
But when she tried to recall carefully to get a definite answer, her head was empty, and only the pain at the back of her head reminded her of how much she wanted to hurt her brain.
Besides, this kind of thing seems impossible too. Isn't there also a hippocampus effect that makes you feel familiar with what's happening? That should be the reason.
With this in mind, Lu Jia convinced herself not to dwell on it anymore.
Looking at Su Mo wiping her pale face clean, Lu Jia couldn't help but think of Qiao Tang. Seeing such a large bloodstain, and Qiao Tang being taken to the dorm, it was inevitable that she would have to see it. This awareness made her worry about Qiao Tang again.
But ultimately, it was Su Mo's fault for dragging someone to the dorm. How could she think that it was a safe or normal behavior? With these thoughts, Lu Jia unintentionally applied more force while wiping her face. Even though it was already clean, she continued wiping for a while.
During this time, feeling Lu Jia's emotional changes, Su Mo seemed puzzled, not understanding why she shouldn't move. She stood there extremely obediently, resembling a timid child waiting to be scolded, emanating a sense of vulnerability and helplessness.
Seeing Su Mo like this, Lu Jia could only blame herself for being too soft-hearted, trying to find excuses for Su Mo. It's already good enough that she didn't harm anyone, after all, Su Mo is in a special situation now.
But... why didn't Su Mo harm Qiao Tang? Before, Su Mo only avoided hurting others when she was soothed, right?
Okay, she found a reason, and she seemed uncomfortable again.
So she had a cold face and grabbed Su Mo's hands. With a regretful and reluctant expression from Su Mo, she let go of their linked pinkies, and then put Su Mo's hands in the water. She squeezed some hand soap and rubbed it onto Su Mo's hands. After a while, the white foam turned into a dark color, and the water also changed color.
Maybe because the dried bloodstains had been there for a long time, even after the first wash, Su Mo's hands still had some faint red marks. So, Lu Jia had to continue washing Su Mo's hands a few more times.
Even though her emotions were a bit strange now, she still noticed the broken nail on Su Mo's fingers and deliberately avoided them.
After cleaning up, she casually picked up the nail clippers placed nearby. With a "click" sound, she silently trimmed the nails.
Just by looking at these nails that had once caused injuries, she couldn't help but shudder. At that moment, it must have been painful. Instantly, worry and tender emotions once again occupied Lu Jia's mind.
Lu Jia, oh Lu Jia, what are you thinking? She murmured in her mind. Feeling ridiculous about her emotions, she instinctively looked up and saw Su Mo, who was still motionless. The guilt in her heart deepened. She didn't understand why she was getting angry with Su Mo, she wasn't a child anymore.
"Today, you didn't hurt that girl. Well done."
After Lu Jia finished speaking, she applied a little pressure on her hand, and with a "click" sound, the broken nail stuck to her finger was cut.
Listening to Lu Jia, Su Mo was confused. She didn't really understand who Lu Jia was talking about, but she felt happy because Lu Jia praised her.
Although the action is praiseworthy, it could lead to problems later on. When Lu Jia thought about the possibility of others experiencing what Qiao Tang went through, she got a headache and had to warn Su Mo, "But you have to remember, you can't do this again."
So, giving a candy and then slapping is something Lu Jia seemed to excel at with Su Mo. The only unfortunate thing was that Su Mo didn't seem to understand her meaning.
Seeing Su Mo's expressions, Lu Jia couldn't help but find it funny. It seemed like she said those words for nothing. Thinking about this, she couldn't help but laugh, which only made Su Mo even more confused.
I mean, in the future, you're not allowed to bring anyone else into our room, understood?" Lu Jia deliberately stretched out each word, especially the "understood?
With these words, Su Mo dared not act like she didn't understand. She just kept nodding. In short, she remembered well that no one was allowed into her and Lu Jia's room and she strongly followed this rule in the future, causing trouble for many people. But that's another story.
Now, Lu Jia was very satisfied with Su Mo's response. She smiled and praised her, saying, "You're so good～," and continued with her nail-clipping business. As for Qiao Tang and the like, they were temporarily forgotten.
After dealing with Su Mo's matter, Lu Jia looked for something to scrape off the doctor's photo that Su Mo really hated. Although it belonged to Lin Yin as a personal item, she had to destroy the photo for Su Mo's sake.
What's strange is that originally she didn't have any feelings towards that photo, but maybe because of Su Mo's influence, she suddenly felt a chill down her spine because of that photo, so she quickened the cleaning process.
When she finally finished everything, she felt once again that she was barely a patient, feeling the pain in the back of her head. She had to lie back in her bed and planned to rest for a while. Seeing this, Su Mo also laid down next to her.
Lu Jia was already used to situations like this. She turned her gaze away from the bumpy wall opposite and, with an apology for ruining Lin Yin's photo, nestled into Su Mo's embrace, finding a comfortable position and feeling the coolness.
All the things that happened before, accompanied by the headache in her head, were like a tangled mess that made her head hurt even more.
Su Mo's reason for going crazy because of a photo, she wanted to know. And the scenes she saw in her dreams made it hard for her to let go.
It was precisely because of this that she felt a sense of emptiness in her heart, and it felt like something was clogging her thoughts, causing her to be stuck. This feeling not only made her uncomfortable but also seemed to intensify her pain.
Feeling a sudden tightening of strength around her body, Lu Jia knew that she must have worried Su Mo, so she instinctively rubbed her chest, "I'm fine, don't worry."
"Go to sleep~"
Saying that, she truly closed her eyes this time, pushing all the strange thoughts out of her mind. Instead of pondering over confusing matters, the most important thing for her now was to rest and deal with her headache.
Under a faint breath, a slight scent gradually filled her nasal passage. It was the sweet fragrance that only roasted corn could have.
Is there someone cooking corn on this floor? She thought to herself, smelling the sweet aroma. Her headache gradually eased, and with a wave of tiredness, she fell asleep.
At this moment, on the ground floor of the boys' dormitory, inside a tightly closed door, several boys were quietly burning wood boards and roasting some corn. Their eyes were full of hunger.
Can the fragrance really spread from the ground floor to the fourth floor?
