Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 33

Ling Xi’s emotional dullness was beyond remedy, and she was simply unable to bear Qiao Bo’er’s surging emotions.

Clumsy and unsure how to change her ways to comfort the person who was crying sadly, she didn’t even dare to cross the invisible gulf between them to wipe away Qiao Bo’er’s tears.

In the end, she could only clumsily pretend as if she hadn’t noticed anything, breaking the stifling atmosphere: “You seem to really like this brand of ice cream cone.”

Qiao Bo’er sniffed, looking at the melting ice cream in her hand, but the smile was a bitterness that wouldn’t melt away: “Is there a possibility… that it’s because you like it.”

Startled into a daze, Ling Xi immediately took a big bite and held it in her mouth, giving a laugh that was an escape from reality: “It’s delicious, of course I like it!”

“Smiling so happily, are you not sad anymore?”

After going around in a big circle, the topic returned to the origin of the nightmare. Ling Xi sighed: “I’ve been having nightmares lately, and I haven’t been sleeping soundly… It was an unexpected blessing that you came tonight.”

“So you just had a nightmare? Is that why you suddenly said thank you?”

Ling Xi lightly hummed. She originally wanted to ask Qiao Bo’er why she would run over in the middle of the night to stand side-by-side with her eating ice cream.

But she also knew that staying awake at midnight inevitably meant having something on one’s mind, yet she was tongue-tied and afraid that she herself might be the source of Qiao Bo’er’s insomnia, so the words caught in her throat again.

She turned her eyes to the house opposite, changing the subject: “Every time I wake up from a nightmare and can’t sleep, I come out to the balcony to feel the wind. That family opposite is so strange; it’s already so late, yet their lights are always brightly lit.”

Qiao Bo’er looked towards her own home and couldn’t help but smile, realizing that Ling Xi really did notice the small, secretly designed details she had set in motion.

She simply leaned her head against Ling Xi’s shoulder to enjoy the brief moment of comfort and teased: “How about thinking more romantically? Maybe they light the house up brightly just for you, so you won’t be eroded by the darkness and won’t endure loneliness by yourself.”

Amused by Qiao Bo’er’s suggestion, Ling Xi retorted: “Is the neighbor across the street that romantic?”

Qiao Bo’er looked at Ling Xi with absolute certainty: “Definitely.”

“Alright, if you say so, I’ll believe you.”

This time, it was Ling Xi who messed up Qiao Bo’er’s long hair. She even lifted a strand to compare it with the moonlight, trying to discern whether it was the flawless silver-white circle in the sky or the pure platinum smoothness between her fingers.

I followed your footprints to the end. In the boundless, lonely journey, you are my sole belief. Even if you seal yourself off, standing alone in the desolate wilderness.

I only ask you to believe that someone is advancing with brilliant scenery in some corner of the world, just for a long-anticipated reunion with you.

So, my dear, don’t be afraid of the endless night; I will light up everything for you.

The piercing alarm clock yanked at Ling Xi’s nerves, shattering the peace of the early morning.

Like a ‘salted fish,’ she groaned for a long time before struggling out of bed with a bird’s nest on her head. Walking into the living room, she saw the ice cream wrapper on the coffee table, and the memories of last night slowly pieced themselves together in her mind.

She was scratching her head, wondering how she had fallen asleep and when the ‘crazy woman’ had left, when a faint greeting broke her train of thought, “Good morning.”

Qiao Bo’er had changed into a set of exquisite two-piece long dress attire, and her carefully applied makeup concealed her fatigued complexion. Perhaps deliberately remembering Ling Xi’s teasing, the powder on her beautiful cheeks was light, not too thick or garish.

At this moment, she held a bone china plate in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee in the other, leaning against the doorframe between the living room and the dining room, enjoying Ling Xi’s unseemly look with messy hair.

Her leisurely appearance was as if she were the owner of the house.

Ling Xi squinted, thinking she was mistaken, and rubbed her eyes exaggeratedly a few times before confirming that the Qiao Bo’er in front of her was flesh and blood. She exclaimed in disbelief: “Why are you still in my house?”

Sweeping away her late-night melancholy, Qiao Bo’er reverted to her ‘crazy woman’ nature, her smile provocative: “Is there a problem?”

“Did you stay in my house all night?”

Elegantly taking another sip of coffee, Qiao Bo’er scoffed as a matter of course: “You were the one who said it was too late and not to waste resting time on the way home, did you forget? You truly are a salted fish; saying you have seven-second memory is even complimenting your memory.”

Ling Xi rubbed her temples, trying hard to recall. It seemed like she had indeed invited her to stay. Tsk, how did she forget this?

Soon, Qiao Bo’er’s words completely shattered her anxiety.

“You look proper and reserved during the day, but I never thought that when you sleep, you’d hug me so tightly I couldn’t move. You usually act like you have muscle weakness, but your strength is actually that great.”

Qiao Bo’er pretended to be a victim of Ling Xi’s all-night harassment, looking like she hadn’t slept well.

The excessive amount of information in just two short sentences instantly fried Ling Xi’s CPU. She panicked: “Nonsense! I sleep very properly! Besides, there’s clearly a guest room at home, how could I let a viper like you crawl into my bed?”

Qiao Bo’er put down her coffee, grabbed Ling Xi’s arm, and walked toward the guest room.

Pushing open the door, she pointed at the bed covered with a dust sheet and, imitating the tone of the lazy ‘salted fish,’ staged a fragmented sleep-time reenactment: “Oh no, making the bed is too troublesome, forget it. How about you sleep in my room, and I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

With that, she dragged the little weakling back to the living room and continued to imitate: “Tsk! I’m very particular about where I sleep, and the sofa isn’t comfortable. How about this, you sleep on the sofa.”

“Oh, no, no, letting a guest sleep on the sofa—wouldn’t that be too embarrassing if it got out? How about this, you go in and sleep first, and I’ll come in after you fall asleep. That way, I can ensure you won’t get handsy with me.”

After watching Qiao Bo’er’s excellent performance, Ling Xi squatted on the ground and buried her head like an ostrich. She had managed to protect her purity for several years, only to have her lifetime of good reputation ruined by her own kindness. She wailed in agony: “Oh heavens, I’ve invited a wolf into the house!”

Qiao Bo’er smiled wickedly, bent down, pinched her face, and became playful: “So… who did you say was getting ‘handsy’?”

“Get off!” Ling Xi waved Qiao Bo’er’s hand away in distaste and didn’t bother to engage, walking straight towards the bathroom.

Passing through the dining room, she found the table covered with Cantonese dim sum breakfast items. Especially the cage of crystal clear, steaming shrimp dumplings, she couldn’t help but swallow her saliva while leaning on the back of a chair.

“Hurry and wash up, I’ll wait for you to eat breakfast.”

Qiao Bo’er impatiently urged, and Ling Xi looked back suspiciously at her: “You didn’t make Secretary Chu conjure these up early in the morning, did you?”

Qiao Bo’er casually draped her arm over Ling Xi’s shoulder, and hearing her humorous suggestion, she nodded easily: “Bingo—”

“Making such a big table, setting up a feast like the Manchu Han Imperial Feast—it’s wasteful. Who can finish it?”

“You’re too skinny; you need to eat lots and lots of good food so you can grow stronger… otherwise, if someone sells you, you won’t fetch a good price.”

“Ugh, can’t you say something auspicious early in the morning? That’s really bad luck!”

Ling Xi exchanged a few words and then rushed into the bathroom for a lightning-fast wash-up. Qiao Bo’er, however, became her shadow, following her everywhere she went.

Ling Xi had an electric toothbrush in her mouth, looking at Qiao Bo’er staring intently at her in the mirror, a chill running down her spine: “Why are you staring at me?”

“Of course, I’m observing the daily life of a patient with severe laziness who can’t take care of themselves. I need to see if you’re brushing your teeth properly and if you’re washing your face cleanly.”

“What kind of messed-up, perverse enjoyment is this? Get out, get out.”

Ling Xi was gulping down the lean pork and vegetable congee from a large bowl, and casually picked up a custard quicksand bun, taking a big bite. The delicious taste made her eyes squint in satisfaction.

That happy little look was so adorable it made one want to pinch her to death.

Qiao Bo’er, sitting directly opposite, was holding a small bowl, savoring the warm congee one small spoonful at a time.

The dining atmosphere was harmonious; they implicitly chose to eat in silence.

But after a short while, Qiao Bo’er put down her utensils.

Ling Xi paused her posture of drinking congee, examining Qiao Bo’er who was handling work on her phone: “Are you full? Are you a little fairy from the sky or a little sparrow from a tree?”

Qiao Bo’er’s attention was on her work, and she gave a faint ‘hmm.’ Feeling that something wasn’t right, she shot Ling Xi a glance.

Ling Xi had no other great ability, but she excelled at gaining verbal advantage: “Fairies in the sky drink dew, sparrows in the trees peck millet, and Qiao Bo’er on the ground eats air.”

Qiao Bo’er put down her phone and watched Ling Xi smugly biting into the quicksand bun after gaining an advantage, nodding her head as she chewed. Then—

“Hiss!!” The ‘salted fish’ suddenly covered her mouth, wincing in pain as her face wrinkled up.

Serves her right for having a sharp tongue; she must have bitten her tongue.

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