"Alright, stop thinking so much," Xia Qingtian said, gently patting Xia Qingyu's head. "Are you hungry? Do you want some late-night snacks? Should I have someone make you a bowl of noodles or cook some porridge? Or heat up some milk? What do you want to eat?"
Tonight's party was held on the deck, and for various considerations, they had prepared finger foods and fruits that wouldn't spoil.
These items were already cold, and their high sugar content was not conducive to wound healing.
It would be better to eat something warm and easily digestible to warm the stomach and calm the nerves.
Xia Qingtian was now filled with regret.
If she had known that someone would try to take advantage of her while she was changing clothes, Xia Qingtian would have definitely returned with Xia Qingyu, even if it was one after another, or if she took a slight detour.
She wouldn't have let Xia Qingyu face such a dangerous situation alone.
Xia Qingtian couldn't even imagine what would have happened if Xia Qingyu had encountered danger and lost her life while she wasn't paying attention…
Xia Qingtian felt like she would go mad.
"Sister, don't worry about me, I'm fine," Xia Qingyu said, taking Xia Qingtian's hand and smiling faintly. "I'm much stronger now, I'm fine, it's just a small injury."
"That was a gunshot wound. Although the ship's doctor said it was lucky and just a graze, it didn't hit any bones, but we can't be careless," Xia Qingtian said seriously. "You must pay attention. Tonight, tomorrow, and until we return, you must stay by my side! Do you understand?"
"But…" Xia Qingyu looked troubled.
"But what but!" Xia Qingtian frowned. "No 'buts'! You just need to stay with me! No arguments accepted!"
"I need to go to the bathroom…" Xia Qingyu said weakly.
"Ah… this…" Xia Qingtian chuckled dryly. "That's fine. You go ahead. I'll go call someone to make you some late-night snacks."
Xia Qingyu then giggled secretly, got up, and headed towards the restroom.
Watching Xia Qingyu's retreating back, Xia Qingtian's smile faded. She took out her phone and dialed a number from her contacts. The call was answered quickly. "Hello, Xiaoxiao?"
"Qingtian~" Li Xiaoxiao's voice came from the other end. She said with a smile, "How was your treasure hunt? I tried calling you this afternoon, but you were out of service. It was strange, I was worried."
"We passed through an area with no signal this afternoon. The signal isn't very good even now," Xia Qingtian replied.
"Indeed, there's a crackling sound, but it's okay," Li Xiaoxiao could still hear Xia Qingtian clearly with a little effort.
"I'll make this brief," Xia Qingtian switched the hand holding the phone. "Have your childhood memories recovered?"
"Not yet," Li Xiaoxiao replied. "I've been seeing a psychologist recently, but it hasn't been very effective. The doctor said it's okay if I can't remember. What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I was just concerned about you. By the way, can you have Xiaozhong take the phone? I suddenly remembered something I need to ask him for a favor." Xia Qingtian said.
"Okay, wait for me," Li Xiaoxiao said, knocking on Li Xiaozhong's door and handing him the phone. "Qingtian wants you to take the call, she says she needs another favor."
"A favor?" Li Xiaoxiao found it a bit strange, but she still took the phone and held it to her ear. "Hello? Sister Qingtian, what do you need?"
"Xiaozhong, for what I'm about to say, you only need to answer yes or no, right or wrong," Xia Qingtian's tone was solemn.
Xia Qingtian's words immediately put Li Xiaozhong on guard. He glanced at Li Xiaoxiao, who was rummaging through his bookshelf out of boredom, and replied, "Okay."
"Do you have any recollection of your older sister, Xiaoxiao's, sister?" Xia Qingtian asked.
"Yes," Li Xiaozhong didn't understand why Xia Qingtian suddenly brought up their eldest sister who had passed away many years ago.
"Does she have a tear mole under her left eye, a red one?" Xia Qingtian asked immediately.
Li Xiaozhong pondered for a moment before answering, "I believe so."
"Do you have any photos of her?" Xia Qingtian asked.
"No," Li Xiaozhong said regretfully. At that time, to protect the amnesiac Li Xiaoxiao and to completely cut ties with the past, their eldest sister's photos had been burned.
Even he didn't have any.
"Then do you remember your eldest sister's name?" Xia Qingtian paused and then said, "You can text it to me later."
"But…" Li Xiaozhong hesitated, glancing at Li Xiaoxiao, who was now playing with the curtain tassels, before lowering his voice and asking, "Why?"
"I think… I saw her," Xia Qingtian recalled Gaia, whom she had met earlier. She hesitated and said, "She looks a lot like you, with long hair and she's tall. Based on her age, she seems to be around the same."
If what Mrs. Miao said was true, could the Gaia she met today be the eldest daughter of the Li family who was kidnapped and then [killed]?
That genius girl!
Did the Li family's eldest daughter not get killed, but become an orphan in another form?
Thinking about this sent a chill down Xia Qingtian's spine.
If that was the case, then who was the little girl whose body was never recovered after she was killed?
How many innocent people had Xiang Xueyuan dragged into this to achieve her goals?
If Li Xiaoxiao hadn't suffered head trauma and become ordinary, if Li Xiaozhong hadn't hidden his brilliance and created the illusion of being the "eternal second," then what would Li Xiaoxiao and Li Xiaozhong have gone through?
Xia Qingtian dared not think about it. A chill spread from the bottom of her heart to her limbs.
Li Xiaozhong on the other end of the phone was also stunned. He was silent for a while before asking, "Can I tell my parents?"
If their eldest sister was truly alive, how happy would his parents be!
"Not for now," Xia Qingtian replied. "I'm not sure yet. They've already been through enough setbacks over the years, I don't want to give them false hope. I want to investigate myself before making a decision. Just text me whatever you remember later."
After saying this, Xia Qingtian still reminded him, "And don't tell your sister for now."
"Okay," Li Xiaozhong replied, then looked at Li Xiaoxiao, who was looking at him curiously, his gaze shifting.
After a few more brief words, Li Xiaozhong hung up the phone.
"What did Qingtian say to you? You also said you wanted to tell Mom and Dad?" Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously.
"Sister Qingtian met a very good psychologist on the ship and wants to invite her to see you," Li Xiaozhong immediately came up with an excuse. "But she's afraid the results won't be satisfactory, so she asked me not to tell Mom and Dad for now, so they don't get their hopes up."