My Wife, So Fierce! - Chapter 36

A pale, slender hand reached out toward Shen Baiyi. Her eyes shimmered as she cautiously tried to intertwine their fingers.

But just as she extended her hand, her sister grasped her fingers instead. Sister’s hand was delicate and long, soft and warm. Shen Baiyi’s heart raced uncontrollably, her thumb pressing slightly as she returned the grip.

Sister’s hand was so warm.

“Why are your hands so cold?” Zheng Yao frowned, rubbing Shen Baiyi’s hand lightly. “Are you cold?”

Shen Baiyi’s eyes curved into crescents, but she didn’t deny it. “Holding Sister’s hand makes me warm.”

Zheng Yao, who had initially thought holding hands was awkward and had planned to let Shen Baiyi just tug at her sleeve, fell silent.

In this weather, she was only wearing a long-sleeved dress she had no extra clothes to give Shen Baiyi.

She had no choice but to relent.

She gave Shen Baiyi’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Your body is still too weak.”

It was because she was too weak that her hands and feet were still icy at this temperature.

Perhaps the nourishing soups she made for Shen Baiyi weren’t enough. Besides soup, she needed to eat other nutritious foods after all, what good nutrition could school cafeteria meals provide?

“Sister, let’s go in from over there.” Shen Baiyi didn’t want to linger on this topic. Seeing the entrance to the haunted house, she gave Zheng Yao’s hand a light shake.

“So eager?” Hearing the urgency in Shen Baiyi’s voice, Zheng Yao chuckled. “Don’t end up so scared you hide in my arms.”

Shen Baiyi’s eyes widened slightly.

Was that even an option?

She stole a glance at her sister, imagining herself hiding in her arms, and instantly flushed crimson.

The two entered through the entrance.

Inside, there were only dim, deliberately eerie lights everything was pitch black.

Feeling Shen Baiyi pressing closer and closer to her, Zheng Yao decided she needed to reassure her. She lifted her other hand to pinch Shen Baiyi’s cheek. “What are you afraid of? It’s all fake.”

The next moment, her waist was seized.

Shen Baiyi suddenly crashed into her.

Zheng Yao stumbled back two steps from the impact, instinctively wrapping an arm around her. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s so scary.”

Shen Baiyi seemed genuinely frightened, her voice trembling.
Zheng Yao fell silent for a few seconds. They hadn’t even encountered any props or NPCs yet, had they? If she was already this scared “Should we leave?”

How could someone get this frightened in a haunted house?

It was so obviously fake.

But she hadn’t expected Shen Baiyi to be the type who was both terrified and eager to play. “Sister always says we shouldn’t give up halfway.”

“But how are we supposed to move forward if you’re like this?” Feeling the grip around her waist tighten to the point where she might snap in half, Zheng Yao’s eyelid twitched.

Who knew someone as petite as Shen Baiyi could be so strong? She was starting to wonder if her waist was already bruised from Shen Baiyi’s grip.

Shen Baiyi loosened her hold slightly. “Is this better?”

Zheng Yao: “…”

Was there any difference?

She decisively pulled Shen Baiyi out of her embrace and slung an arm over her shoulders instead. “If I’m holding you like this, what’s there to be afraid of?”

Since when was she so timid?

Shen Baiyi didn’t say anything more, but before long in the darkness, Zheng Yao felt an arm winding around her waist again.

She instinctively flinched.

The next second, Shen Baiyi’s voice sounded, “Sister, I’ll be gentle.”

The touch was indeed light, just enough to hook around her waist. But Zheng Yao’s waist was somewhat sensitive, and the contact made her scalp tingle, making her want to squirm and avoid Shen Baiyi’s touch.

However, the girl seemed thoroughly frightened, so Zheng Yao suppressed the urge to push her away and reluctantly agreed, “Fine.”

Thus, they awkwardly maintained this intimate posture as they walked forward.

The haunted house wasn’t large, but it had plenty of props and staff. Occasionally, props would drop from above, or someone would grab their ankles.

Zheng Yao remained composed throughout, only fearing that Shen Baiyi might burrow into her arms nothing else fazed her.

By the time they exited the haunted house, over half an hour had passed.

She peeled Shen Baiyi off herself, expecting to see the girl pale with fear. Instead, Shen Baiyi’s face was flushed, her eyes glistening like spring water less like someone who had just left a haunted house and more like someone who had just wandered out of a pleasure house.

“Sister?”

“Let’s go. Where else do you want to visit?” Zheng Yao snapped out of her thoughts and walked ahead. “You’re way too timid. You need more practice.”

“I don’t dare to practice alone,” Shen Baiyi immediately replied. “Will you accompany me, sister?”

Having tasted sweetness, she was now floating on cloud nine, already scheming how to indulge further next time.

“Me, accompany you?” Zheng Yao looked baffled. “How am I supposed to help you practice courage?”

Shen Baiyi was stumped too, racking her brains before answering, “You could take me to more haunted houses, or watch horror movies with me anything like that.”

The request wasn’t unreasonable.

Zheng Yao nodded. “Sure.”

Many people shared this psychology fearful yet eager, the more scared they were, the more the itch grew. But alone, they lacked the nerve, always needing a companion.

Just like one of her online friends.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a cotton candy stall nearby and turned to Shen Baiyi. “Want some cotton candy? I’ll buy you some.”

Without waiting for an answer, she tugged Shen Baiyi toward the stall.

Shen Baiyi obediently followed, but her attention kept drifting to their tightly clasped hands.

Even though they were with Dr. Zhuang and the others, today had been joyful because sister had held her hand for so long.

“One cotton candy, please.”

Zheng Yao pulled out her phone and swiftly scanned the payment code. Having grown up in a remote village, Shen Baiyi might never have tasted this before.

She seemed to have a sweet tooth she’d probably like it, right?

The cotton candy was soon ready, appearing large but weighing almost nothing in hand.

Handing it to Shen Baiyi, Zheng Yao raised a brow. “Try it. See if it’s sweet.”

“Aren’t you having any?” Shen Baiyi asked, surprised.

She’d thought sister wanted it for herself.

“This is kids’ stuff.” Zheng Yao chuckled. “I don’t eat it.”

There was no one left to buy her cotton candy anymore.

A pang of inexplicable sorrow surfaced, but Zheng Yao kept her expression neutral, suppressing the emotion. Just as she was about to ask Shen Baiyi where to go next, the fluffy cotton candy was suddenly pressed against her lips. As they parted slightly, a thread of sweetness melted on her tongue.

“…”

“Sister, is it sweet?”

Shen Baiyi looked up at her, earnest in her question.

Zheng Yao snapped back to reality and took a step back. The fluffy cotton candy had already melted a hole where her lips had touched, leaving behind traces of her lipstick.

The bright mark stood out starkly against the white cotton candy.

For once, Zheng Yao was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say. She wanted to scold Shen Baiyi, but the matter was too trivial making a fuss over it would be an overreaction.

Yet, saying nothing at all might encourage the girl to push her luck even further.

Before Zheng Yao could decide what to do, she heard Shen Baiyi’s amused voice: “So sweet.”

She turned to see that Shen Baiyi had already eaten the entire stained portion of the cotton candy, effectively erasing the evidence. The awkwardness in Zheng Yao’s heart gradually faded.

It was a textbook case of burying one’s head in the sand.

But Shen Baiyi looked so unusually happy that Zheng Yao didn’t have the heart to ruin her mood, swallowing back her words.

The cotton candy was soon entirely devoured by Shen Baiyi. Seeing how much she enjoyed it, Zheng Yao bought her all sorts of other snacks candied hawthorns, ice cream anything a child might love, she got a portion for Shen Baiyi.

But she never expected Shen Baiyi to suffer for it that very night.

At first, Zheng Yao didn’t notice anything wrong. It wasn’t until the next day, when she received a call from Shen Baiyi’s homeroom teacher, that she learned the girl wasn’t feeling well.

When she picked Shen Baiyi up from school, she found her not only listless but with her right cheek swollen to an alarming degree.

“Sister, my tooth hurts,” Shen Baiyi said pitifully.

Her appearance was both pitiful and comical, the swollen side of her face looked like she’d been stung by a bee.

Zheng Yao turned her head away, forcing back a laugh, then realized she was at least 80% responsible for Shen Baiyi’s toothache. She cleared her throat. “Sorry, it’s my fault for letting you eat so much sugar yesterday.”

“It’s not your fault,” Shen Baiyi mumbled, her speech slightly slurred. “My teeth just aren’t strong enough.”

Zheng Yao didn’t dare meet her eyes, afraid she might burst out laughing.

“I’ll take you to the doctor,” she said quickly, ushering her into the car.

They say a toothache isn’t a disease, but the pain can be deadly. On the way to the hospital, Zheng Yao stole several glances at Shen Baiyi, who leaned weakly against the seat, her eyes half-lidded with exhaustion.

“Shen Baiyi,” Zheng Yao suddenly frowned.

“Hmm?”

“Did your tooth start hurting yesterday?”

Though she phrased it as a question, Zheng Yao already knew the answer. If the pain hadn’t started the night before, why would Shen Baiyi be this exhausted? She must have barely slept because of the throbbing ache.

“Just a little,” Shen Baiyi admitted, stealing a glance at Zheng Yao’s expression before adding softly, “Only a tiny bit.”

Zheng Yao didn’t buy it. If it were just “a tiny bit,” she wouldn’t have lost sleep over it.

“If you ever hide being sick again, you won’t be staying at my place anymore,” she warned sternly.

Shen Baiyi was already a repeat offender. If she kept indulging her, next time, the girl might die in her room without Zheng Yao even knowing.

“Sister, I’m sorry,” Shen Baiyi instantly straightened up, her face full of panic. “Don’t be mad. I won’t do it again.”

She was always the fastest to apologize.

Seeing her pitiful expression, Zheng Yao’s heart softened, though she kept up a stern front. “Carve those words into your brain. Don’t complain when I kick you out for not heeding my warnings.”

The words were stern, and Shen Baiyi’s little face turned pale with fright. “I understand,” she said.

Successfully intimidating her, Zheng Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After taking Shen Baiyi to get all her teeth checked, they discovered she had several cavities.

Though not too severe, if left untreated, the entire teeth would eventually be ruined.

However, since there was inflammation now, they could only get some medicine to take home first and schedule a filling after the swelling subsided.

If the medicine didn’t work, she would have to go to the hospital for treatment.

By the time they left the hospital, it was already noon. Seeing Shen Baiyi looking too listless, Zheng Yao took her straight home.

“Take the medicine and get some sleep. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat,” Zheng Yao said, then asked, “By the way, what would you like to eat? I’ll order something for you.”

Shen Baiyi, who had seemed rather lifeless just moments ago, instantly perked up. “I don’t want takeout. I want you to cook noodles for me.”

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