SDIWD - Chapter 93
Chapter 93
Hua Mu knew that dwelling on this now was pointless and unreasonable. Back then, she and Bai Zhen weren't involved. From Bai Zhen's perspective, she had met Benu first. So even if something had happened between them, even if there were real feelings, Hua Mu, as the one who came later, had no right to be jealous.
But she couldn't help herself! She was the one who'd met Bai Zhen first, the one who'd cared for her so long ago. All her fantasies had been about this big oaf, yet the oaf had real-world experience with someone else. It was just... so unfair!
Seeing Bai Zhen's anxious expression, Hua Mu felt a fresh wave of vexation, both at herself and at the Sentinel. Why couldn't Bai Zhen remember her? Bai Zhen said she liked her, but when exactly had that started?
A sudden unease crept over her again.
Maybe their current circumstances had deluded Bai Zhen. Maybe it was her loyalty, combined with Hua Mu's own persistence, that had led her to this choice.
What if she was actually in love with someone else?
Like Benu, for instance. If not for that restriction, could they have ended up together?
As the Sentinel remained silent, unable to answer, Hua Mu's heart sank.
"Forget it. It has nothing to do with me, anyway."
She rolled over to face away from Bai Zhen, her heart aching with a sour bitterness.
Bai Zhen grew frantic. Disregarding the risk of angering Hua Mu, she wrapped her arms around her from behind.
"Miss, please don't talk like that. This... this also concerns another young woman's reputation... Benu is royalty, her situation is different from mine, and we agreed to keep it a secret. But we truly didn't do anything. It was only... only kissing. And no tongue, I promise!"
Hua Mu didn't push her away. After a long moment, she asked in a muffled voice, "You really don't like her?"
"Of course not. I don't have that kind of affection for her."
"Then... are your feelings for me like that? Do you really like me?"
She remembered their first meeting, remembered Bai Zhen saving her, remembered her kindness. But what about Bai Zhen?
She had treated Bai Zhen so horribly before. How could the Sentinel possibly like her?
Even after they got together, they had never really talked about this. Bai Zhen never doubted her feelings for Hua Mu, nor did she question the genuineness of Hua Mu's confession back then. Hua Mu, for her part, had been preoccupied with other matters.
This was the first time Bai Zhen became aware of Hua Mu's insecurity. She hadn't realized the other woman could be so unconfident.
"Miss, of this one thing, I am absolutely certain. You may find it hard to believe, and I am not always good at expressing myself, but I truly adore you. It isn't a whim, nor am I compelled by our circumstances. My feelings for you are the same as yours for me."
She felt shy, but not ashamed. If her Miss wanted to hear it, she was willing to tell her everything in her heart.
"Really?" Hua Mu asked, her voice thick with emotion. "When did it start?"
Bai Zhen hugged her tighter. "I think it must have started a very, very long time ago."
Outside the elevator, the lights were bright, but inside, it was pitch-black, encased in a layer of frost. Two young children had been trapped within for a full half-hour. The cold was making their voices grow fainter.
"Big Sister Bai Zhen..."
Hua Mu, nestled in Bai Zhen's embrace, was faring slightly better, but she was still shivering uncontrollably.
Bai Zhen's back was severely frostbitten, and her lower body had gone numb.
"Mumu, are you very cold?"
Hua Mu was indeed cold, but knowing the other girl must be even colder, she obediently shook her head.
But more pressing than the cold was another, more embarrassing problem.
"Big Sister, I... I need to go to the bathroom..."
She had been holding it in for a long time. She'd been eating all evening, and during their escape, she hadn't dared to say anything. Now, she really couldn't hold it any longer.
Though still a child, Hua Mu had been raised well. Even in this perilous situation, she couldn't stand the idea of relieving herself just anywhere.
Even just voicing the need to someone else made her feel ashamed.
Bai Zhen paused. "Is it urgent?"
"Yes..."
Hua Mu's voice was already on the verge of tears; she clearly couldn't hold it any longer.
Bai Zhen stroked her cheek reassuringly. "It's okay. Stay in my arms, I'll hold you."
"But... but I don't want to... This is an elevator, not a bathroom..."
And besides, she didn't want to embarrass herself like that in front of Big Sister Bai Zhen.
Bai Zhen shifted her legs, finally regaining control of them after a wave of pins and needles.
"It's all right. These are special circumstances. I won't tell anyone."
A child's bladder control wasn't like an adult's. An accident now would only make a terrible situation worse. But Bai Zhen couldn't let Hua Mu leave her embrace, either; the precious warmth they'd preserved would be lost.
Hua Mu covered her face, sobbing miserably. "But... but you're here, Big Sister..."
"I won't look. And it's so cold there won't be a smell. No one will notice when help arrives. I'll take you to the corner. Don't worry."
"Sob, but..."
She was a big girl now; for as long as she could remember, she'd never had to go to the bathroom like this. But now, she had to do something so improper in front of the big sister she'd just met today and already liked so much.
"Mumu, can you hear the noise outside? The police and firefighters must be coming soon. But it will probably take them a while to open the elevator doors. What if you can't hold it in until then?"
That would be even more mortifying.
The thought terrified Hua Mu so much that she accidentally let a little bit slip.
"Then you have to promise not to look."
"I promise."
It took Bai Zhen a great effort to get to her knees. Cradling Hua Mu, she carefully shuffled to a corner.
"Mumu, you can pull them down yourself. Just a little is enough."
Hua Mu's small hands were freezing, and she was tense with shame. With some difficulty, she managed to pull her underwear down to her thighs.
"It's going to be a little cold. Try to bear it."
Bai Zhen gently parted her legs. The rush of cold air made Hua Mu shiver, and she could no longer hold back.
She realized just how cold it was without Big Sister Bai Zhen's arms around her, and just how warm her sister's embrace had been. A dull ache spread through her chest at the thought that Bai Zhen was enduring this very cold just to hold her.
"Big Sister Bai Zhen..."
Hearing the sound, Bai Zhen knew she was finished and quickly moved to lift her.
"Mumu, don't move."
"But I haven't wiped..."
Hua Mu was very fastidious.
"Do you have a tissue?"
"I have a handkerchief."
With a trembling hand, Hua Mu pulled a handkerchief from her small purse. Bai Zhen took it without hesitation, settled Hua Mu on her lap, wiped her clean, and then pulled her back into her embrace.
She was used to taking care of Qinqin and didn't consider that Hua Mu might be more bashful than other little girls, so she performed the action in one fluid motion.
It took a moment for Hua Mu to process what Bai Zhen had just done for her. But the returning warmth quickly vanquished her shame, leaving her urge to cry stuck in limbo.
The police and firefighters must have arrived some time ago, but there was still no sign of a rescue. Instead, she could hear the sounds of a fight. Bai Zhen guessed the police had run into the people who were after Hua Mu, which was delaying their ascent.
Though her body was in agony, she was somehow, gradually, growing accustomed to it. She had felt herself on the verge of losing consciousness and control, but Hua Mu's voice always managed to pull her back from the brink.
Under these circumstances, Mumu would be terrified on her own. She had to stay with her. She had to protect her.
It took a long while for Hua Mu to finally push down her embarrassment. Listening to the steady rhythm of Bai Zhen's heart and breath, she slowly began to calm down.
Her aunt had taught her to remain calm and composed in a crisis. She'd never really understood what that meant before. Now, she did.
"Big Sister Bai Zhen, are you scared?"
Bai Zhen nodded. "Mhm, I'm very scared."
She was afraid Hua Mu would get hurt, afraid they wouldn't last until help arrived, and afraid she wouldn't be able to protect her.
Hua Mu, who had been huddled in her embrace, suddenly tilted her head up and planted a small kiss on Bai Zhen's chin.
"Don't be scared. I'm... I'm not scared anymore. My daddy and my auntie are really powerful... And my auntie's guard, she wears a white mask and looks super cool and strong. I'm sure my auntie will send her to rescue us."
The Queen's guard, a white mask... that had to be the Leader.
If the Leader was coming, she could definitely save them.
"Mhm..."
Hua Mu kept talking to comfort Bai Zhen, but Bai Zhen's consciousness was starting to blur.
In truth, Hati had been maintaining the ice on the elevator the entire time, continuously draining her mental energy. The cold was torturing them both, but if she let the ice melt, the elevator would plummet. Their situation was like drinking poison to quench a thirst.
But Bai Zhen had overexerted herself too much. By the time the vibrations of the elevator's slow descent jolted her awake, she had already been unconscious for five minutes.
"Sob, sob, Big Sister Bai Zhen..." It seemed Hua Mu had been blowing air into her mouth before she woke up—a child's imitation of some first-aid technique she must have seen somewhere. Though it had no real effect, Bai Zhen still came to.
The frost was beginning to thaw, and the elevator resumed its slow descent. But Bai Zhen no longer had the strength to summon Hati.
"Mumu!"
A terror unlike any she had ever known seized her senses. Faced with her own powerlessness, Bai Zhen, for the first time, desperately craved strength.
Tears streamed down Hua Mu's face. "Big Sister, are we going to die?"
Bai Zhen could no longer deny it. She held the little girl close and whispered an apology. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's my fault. I dragged you into this..."
"That's not true. I'm so glad I met you. Mumu, if there's a next life, can I be your real sister?"
"Yes, yes..."
Just as the two were exchanging their childish last words, the rapidly descending elevator was suddenly caught by a gentle but powerful force. It slowed to a stop, as if operating normally.
The elevator was still suspended in mid-air, but someone was standing outside the window. The patterns of frost on the glass obscured her from view until she tapped lightly on the pane.
It was a faint sound, yet the bulletproof glass—designed to withstand extreme temperatures and massive impacts—shattered instantly.
"So young, and already saying your last words? Bai Zhen, you still have to return to the Tower with me for your punishment."
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