Chapter 68: Companionship

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Chapter Sixty-Eight

After most of Mei's supply of crystals had been depleted, the business with the Ye family finally came to an end.

That night, Mei sat on her bed, trying to soothe her restless spirit, but her efforts were in vain. Mental energy tainted by negative emotions was not easy to control; she first needed to calm her own feelings. Yet, for some reason, her emotions remained on the verge of slipping out of control—she could barely suppress them, but never truly find peace.

Why was this happening?

She had been calm enough by Mo Chen’s side that day, so why had she relapsed now?

Frustrated, Mei raked her fingers through her hair, wondering how much longer this state would last. If she did nothing for a day or two, perhaps she could endure it for a while. But once she tried to do anything, the discomfort became unbearably obvious. The other night, she’d merely used a bit of light energy, and the next day her spirit was utterly depleted. Today, she’d expended a great deal more of her mental energy; now, she was already feeling dizzy, and by tomorrow it would undoubtedly be worse.

If things really got out of hand, she’d have no choice but to take a tranquilizer.

But although Siriel’s tranquilizers could calm both emotions and mental energy, they also made one more alert. If she took one now, she could forget about sleeping tonight.

Weighing the misery of insomnia against her current state, Mei decided that, though sleeplessness was unpleasant, it was still preferable to what she was enduring now. After just a moment’s hesitation, she fetched a small crystal vial from her storage space.

Inside, the blue liquid shimmered with a soothing energy.

Just as Mei was about to drink it, someone knocked on her door.

“Ah Chen, is something wrong?” she asked in surprise, opening the door to find Mo Chen standing outside.

“You’re still awake? Can’t sleep again?” Mo Chen frowned slightly as he looked at her. Though she had tried all day to appear as usual, anyone paying close attention could see her agitation and lack of focus.

Unable to stop worrying, Mo Chen had come to check on her, and sure enough, her condition had not improved.

“Mm, a little. But it’s nothing serious. I was just about to take some medicine—after that, I’ll be fine.” Mei pointed to the crystal vial she’d just set on the table, trying to sound casual.

“What medicine is this?” Mo Chen picked up the bottle and examined it, finding himself once again puzzled by the strange colors of her remedies. The last time, the ointment she’d used on him and Ye Jingxuan’s wounds had been a bizarre dark purple; now this was an opaque blue—couldn’t it ever just look normal?

“A tranquilizer.”

“A tranquilizer? Why haven’t I seen you use one before?” It sounded ordinary enough, but she hadn’t taken one during her previous bouts of instability.

“Because it wasn’t so bad before,” Mei muttered softly. If her condition hadn’t dragged on so long this time, leaving her unable to calm her mind even after a good night’s sleep, she wouldn’t be resorting to medicine now. After all, being unable to sleep and forced to stay alert was hardly comfortable.

Though her voice was quiet, Mo Chen heard her clearly and asked, “Are there side effects?”

“Not really,” Mei replied. “This medicine was originally developed for intense combat situations, to prevent losing control of one’s mental energy during battle. To ensure you could keep fighting after taking it, Siriel added ingredients to keep you awake.”

Siriel, when preparing the potion, had only worried she’d encounter danger; he’d never imagined she might lose control of her spirit without cause. With her original abilities, such a situation had been unthinkable.

“Tranquilizer plus stimulant—is this really how you plan to force yourself through?” Mo Chen’s mood darkened further. He knew she wasn’t well, but the reality was worse than he’d imagined.

“There’s no other way. If I had a better solution, I wouldn’t want to use this, either. By the way, Ah Chen, it’s late—did you need something?” Mei, helpless herself, didn’t want to dwell on the matter and changed the subject.

Mo Chen held the tiny crystal bottle for a long moment before finally speaking. “If I stayed with you, like the other night, would that help?”

“Maybe,” Mei admitted. “But I don’t know how long this problem will last, and it doesn’t feel right to trouble you every single night.” She shook her head. Having someone she trusted close by did help calm her nerves, but since the solution was only temporary, she hadn’t considered relying on him—it simply seemed too much to ask.

Mo Chen gazed at her, seeing she genuinely felt it would be too much trouble, and said, “I’ll stay with you until your emotions are stable and your mental energy is back under control. So put the medicine away.”

Since he insisted, Mei offered no objections. Having him by her side was certainly better than taking tranquilizers—she had no desire to torture herself and preferred whatever brought her the most comfort.

After all, this wasn’t the first time they’d slept together. Not only had they shared a bed the other night, but even before, out in the wild, they’d spent the night huddled together for warmth. Besides, Mei didn’t feel there was anything improper about sharing a bed with a man; in her previous world, she and Siriel had done so as well.

So when Mo Chen made the suggestion, Mei accepted without hesitation.

Clad in her nightclothes, she slipped into Mo Chen’s arms, pulling the covers over them both, not showing the slightest hint of awkwardness or discomfort. In contrast, Mo Chen, despite having made the offer himself, felt distinctly ill at ease—after all, tonight was different from before. Previously, Mei had already been asleep, so her reactions had been unconscious. Now, seeing her consciously nestle into his embrace, burying her head against his chest and resting a hand on his waist, Mo Chen’s body tensed almost imperceptibly.

Mei didn’t notice his discomfort. Feeling her emotions settle at once in his arms, she nuzzled him like a contented kitten.

That small action made Mo Chen even more uneasy. He patted her, trying to hurry her to sleep.

Pressed close to his chest, feeling the peace he brought her, Mei suddenly realized how much she’d come to depend on him. If things continued this way, would she be unable to bear leaving him when the time came?

It was all his fault for being so good to her!

“Ah Chen, why are you so good to me?” Mei couldn’t help but ask.

Mo Chen was taken aback. Did she really think he was so good to her?

But he didn’t feel he’d done all that much. Compared to what she’d done for him, his efforts seemed trivial. At most, he’d looked after her daily needs—was that really enough for her to feel content?

“And you? Why are you good to me?” Mo Chen countered instead of answering.

His question caught Mei off guard. Had she been good to him? She couldn’t recall ever doing anything especially for his sake.

The thought made her feel a little guilty. He treated her so well, yet she’d never made any special effort for him. Though she couldn’t say she’d done nothing, in her own eyes, those things hardly counted—and yet he regarded them as significant. Mei couldn’t help but blush.

Not knowing how to answer, she pretended to fall asleep, soon forgetting her own question.

Mo Chen assumed she’d dozed off and didn’t press further, but her earlier question echoed in his mind.

What had he thought in the beginning?

At first, he’d only wanted revenge. Feeling powerless alone, and recognizing that some things were not his strengths, he’d decided to find a companion. She came from the same place as he did and was highly skilled with computers—skills that would be valuable in his quest for vengeance. That’s why he’d sought her out.

After they formed an alliance, each revealed their abilities to the other with some reservation. He’d thought she would have to rely on him, but soon realized that, more often than not, he was the one depending on her.

Every time they fought zombies, though they divided the tasks, she always noticed when he was in danger. Because of her, he could face enemies without worrying about his back.

When they took turns keeping watch at night, she always let him rest first, keeping guard for most of the night herself.

To help him grow stronger, she’d willingly exposed the uniqueness of her own abilities. Concerned for his safety, she’d confronted powerful foes even when she knew she was outmatched.

All he’d managed was to look after her in daily life. Despite her strength, she was, most of the time, like a child who didn’t know how to care for herself, satisfied so long as there was meat to eat.

That was all he’d done—could it really be called being good to her?

Anyone else could have done what he did. Even today, he wasn’t the only one worried about her—he’d simply gotten there first. If someone else had come in before him, would she have said the same things to them?

So, to her, he was probably not irreplaceable.

Looking down at her sleeping face, Mo Chen felt a pang of discomfort. She had become essential to him, but he was not essential to her. This left him both frustrated and helpless.

“Little one, what would you do if I were even better to you?” Mo Chen asked softly.

Would you finally see me as someone irreplaceable?

Holding her small form tightly, Mo Chen didn’t want to think about why he was having such strange thoughts. All he knew was that the person in his arms had become special to him, and he must become equally special to her—that would only be fair.

He had been alone for far too long.

Aside from the one in his arms, there was no one else he could trust completely or approach without hesitation.

So no one else could have her—no one at all.