"Can you stop being unreasonable? Besides seeing a doctor, what else can we do?" Yu He pushed him away, wanting to leave, but Qin Beiting stopped her.
"What's his condition?" Qin Beiting asked again.
Yu He looked at him in surprise, somewhat taken aback.
He had always been unfriendly towards the Qin family, so why was he suddenly concerned about Qin Xinyao's illness?
"Hmm?" Seeing her silence, Qin Beiting raised an eyebrow and looked at her intently.
They stared at each other without speaking. For a moment, Yu He felt as if he knew something.
But if Qin Xinyao had been feigning madness for so many years to survive in the Qin family, and she were to expose him now, wouldn't all those years of enduring be in vain?
Before finding the culprit, she couldn't casually reveal secrets that people had hidden for years.
"We need to see how the condition progresses for treatment," she said vaguely, then quickly changed the subject, "Is the qingtuan still hot? I want to eat some more."
As she spoke, she sidestepped him and went out.
Qin Beiting's gaze followed her retreating back, his eyes filled with a complex emotion.
He opened his phone's email and retrieved the information Chen Dong had previously gathered about the mysterious person Yu He had met in the park. The file included a photo and personal details, which were none other than Qin Xinyao's.
—
In the evening, after accompanying Granny Yu back to her apartment for dinner and a walk, Yu He finally returned to the siheyuan.
Qin Beiting had just returned from an outing. As soon as he entered, he saw Yu He rummaging through cabinets and drawers. "What are you looking for?"
"Do you still have that star projector you brought last time we went out?" Yu He searched through a cabinet, while the little pot-bellied pig also joined in, trying to squeeze into the cabinet.
Qin Beiting took off his coat and hung it on a nearby rack. "It should still be in the trunk of that SUV. What's up?"
"I want to try it tonight."
Yu He scooped out the little pot-bellied pig that had burrowed into the cabinet, then turned to the cabinet where car keys were kept. She found the key to the George Patton she had driven last time and handed it to Qin Beiting.
"Okay." Qin Beiting assumed she was planning some new romantic endeavor.
Their intimacy was harmonious, but he was usually the one who initiated it. It was rare for the young lady to be so proactive tonight, which made him a little excited. He took the key and, with a cheerful stride, went to the parking lot to find the projector.
When he returned, Yu He had already set up a tripod in the room, positioned the camera facing the bed, and was adjusting the angle.
"You want to record a video too?" Qin Beiting's throat bobbed, his long, narrow phoenix eyes revealing an undisguised desire and anticipation.
The young lady was becoming more and more playful.
"Uh-huh."
Yu He, completely oblivious to his change in demeanor, secured the camera, picked up the troublesome little pot-bellied pig, and placed it back in its pen, putting its toys beside it. She gently tapped its snout and said, "Tiramisu, be good. Mommy and Daddy have important things to do. Play by yourself."
The little pot-bellied pig was clearly displeased but did not follow Yu He into the room.
Qin Beiting quickly connected the projector. "Then I'll go take a bath first."
Yu He was engrossed in studying the projector's functions and waved her hand. "Go ahead."
Qin Beiting opened the bathroom door, then suddenly stopped, looking at Yu He with an inviting expression. "Baby, want to join?"
However, Yu He was too focused on the projector and didn't look at him. "No."
"We can start in the bathroom," Qin Beiting added.
?
Yu He was confused. Just as she was about to ask why they should start in the bathroom, she looked up and saw the ambiguous look on the man's face. She suddenly realized.
He couldn't possibly have mistaken her intentions for a playful intimacy, could he?!
"We can go from the bathroom to the bed, record a whole sequence," Qin Beiting's voice was deep and hoarse, filled with temptation.
He had indeed misunderstood!
Yu He felt her cheeks flush, and she grabbed a pillow, hitting him playfully. "What are you thinking!"
Qin Beiting caught the pillow. "Don't you want to record a little movie with me?"
Yu He: "In your dreams!"
Who wanted to record a little movie with him?!
She didn't have such a perverted hobby.
"Then what are you doing with all this equipment?" Qin Beiting pointed to the camera and projector.
"Of course, it's to continue the way you did last time. I want to try and adapt to the darkness again," Yu He explained.
Qin Beiting: "........."
The little movie was a bust?!
He looked regretful. "But I think recording some little movies to watch when we're old would be quite charming."
"The equipment is all set up. Why don't we record something now?" he said, eagerly approaching Yu He.
Yu He grabbed another pillow and threw it at him. "Get lost! Go take your bath."
After a brief interlude, Yu He turned on the camera's recording function and began to try her previous method, hoping to recall more memories.
She lay on the bed, adjusted her breathing, and said to Qin Beiting, "Turn off the lights."
As soon as the lights went out, all of Yu He's cells became alert and tense. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. The faint starlight and galaxy projected onto the ceiling were still visible, which she could barely endure.
Then, Qin Beiting turned off the projector. The last bit of starlight vanished. Yu He's vision went completely dark, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Qin Beiting noticed her distress and immediately turned on the lights. Seeing her pale face and lips, covered in cold sweat, her hair damp, and her hands and feet cold, he felt a pang of sympathy.
"Baby, are you alright?" He took out a tissue and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
Yu He took a while to recover and drank a cup of warm water. "It's okay, let's try again."
Upon trying again, the result was much the same. The moment she was plunged into darkness, the fear etched into her bones made her tremble uncontrollably. Apart from fear, she couldn't recall anything else in her mind.
In the darkness, Qin Beiting pulled her into his arms, comforting her and telling her not to be afraid.
It had a slight effect at first, but as Yu He remained in the darkness for longer, even this small comfort vanished.
Before her body could trigger its stress response, Qin Beiting turned on the lights. Seeing her panicked and disoriented state, he couldn't bear for her to continue.
"Let's stop here for tonight," he persuaded.
Yu He, curled up in his arms, took a while to regain her senses. She weakly agreed, "Okay."
For the next few consecutive nights, Yu He repeatedly forced herself to try, each time more intensely than the last. However, each attempt ended in excessive fright, a cold sweat, as if she had been pulled from an ice cave.
Watching her, Qin Beiting's heart ached. "Baby, stop trying. Forget it. I won't leave you alone at night anymore."
Initially, he had wanted the young lady to learn to face darkness, so she wouldn't fall into a predicament due to her fear when he was not by her side.
But now, seeing her pale and bloodless after her repeated efforts, his heart felt as if it were being slowly flayed by a butcher's knife.
At worst, he could ensure that there would be no darkness in the capital ever again. He didn't want her to try anymore.
Yu He absorbed the scent of the man, trying to calm herself. After so many attempts with no effect, her mind still couldn't recall anything beyond those few fragmented scenes.
Was this method ineffective?