The delayed pain from the nerves made Yu Sen gasp, and what he found most unbearable was the chilling, scalp-numbing feeling of cutting his wrist.

He’d felt this way before while watching TV dramas about wrist-cutting suicides. The thought of cutting through such thin skin and a major artery was horrifying; only someone truly ruthless could do it.

But a few months ago, when he was still healthy and full of life, he never imagined he would experience such a day.

The unexpected and sudden shock and fear made his adrenaline spike rapidly. With his already poor physical condition, his hands and feet started to tremble and feel cold within seconds. He could only hear his heavy heartbeat, and his vision was filled with expanding black spots.

Yu Sen’s hand, which was covering the wound, could no longer grip tightly, slipping down weakly. Blood dripped from his fingertips, forming red circles on the floor, and his body lost strength.

“Yu Sen!”

Si Xuanyang, his eyes filled with rage, embraced the limp Yu Sen, quickly lifting him and carrying him away from the scene. His eyes were filled with murderous intent, but he managed to hold back from kicking the rotting, disfigured girl’s flesh.

…

As he slowly recovered from the dizziness and panic, Yu Sen realized he had been tightly held by Si Xuanyang and was now sitting in a chair in the theater lobby. His hand was trembling as he pressed it against the wound, and even the nearby sound of Si Xuanyang’s breathing was chaotic.

It seemed that since meeting him, Si Xuanyang had become increasingly frantic and fearful.

Each time Yu Sen was injured or in pain, he had become accustomed to it, but for Si Xuanyang, it was growing into an ever-deepening shadow and fear.

With a sigh, his lips were pressed against Si Xuanyang’s neck as he said softly, “The chance of dying from a wrist cut is very small. The arteries in the wrist are not so easily cut. Don’t worry, Yang Yang.”

Si Xuanyang tightened his embrace and kissed Yu Sen’s tousled black hair, his voice hoarse, “But you almost lost consciousness just now.”

“I was just startled, and my physical condition isn’t great, so I fainted,” Yu Sen nuzzled against the warm skin, feeling it was the most comforting thing in the world, not too concerned about the injury. “I can feel that the wound isn’t deep. Is the bleeding not much anymore?”

Despite his efforts to conceal it, Yu Sen could still sense that Si Xuanyang’s voice, like his hand, was trembling uncontrollably, with an inescapable sense of panic: “No, it’s still bleeding.”

“It shouldn’t be…” Yu Sen felt a chill and, for a moment, thought it was similar to being bitten by Lance and having his blood drained. He shivered involuntarily in Si Xuanyang’s embrace, coughed a few times, and his voice grew weaker, “Could it be that blood coagulation is different in this world? No, you had an injury on your foot before, and it didn’t have this kind of continuous bleeding situation, cough cough cough…”

“Don’t talk, don’t talk,” Si Xuanyang bent down and kissed the corner of Yu Sen’s mouth, his chest heaving with anxiety, revealing his unease. “Si Nan and Luo Yu are getting bandages and hemostatic spray. Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…”

—But the tone and repeated reassurances make it seem like you’re more scared than I am. Yu Sen sighed silently but had no strength to lighten the mood or joke. His body was continually cold and weak, just wanting to stay nestled in Si Xuanyang’s arms.

…

“Here, here! I found the bandages and hemostatic spray! How is Yu Ge?” Si Nan’s voice faintly reached Yu Sen’s ears from a distance. He listened but found it hard to organize the words into meaning.

After a while, he realized he had seemingly fainted again, causing Si Xuanyang’s muscles to tighten and stiffen in response.

He coughed twice. Even with a dull mind, Yu Sen knew his condition was serious, and his cough sounded weak.

This is simply unreasonable! A few cuts, stomach problems, and blood loss—are they more serious than the brain injury from last time?

He felt that if there was another impact or shock right now, this body might just give up.

Is it because he brought his ailments from the real world into here, and thus, all the injuries he suffers here will be compounded? This is so unfair!

Si Xuanyang heard his voice and nervously supported the back of his neck, lifting his head slightly, as if he needed to see his eyes to feel somewhat reassured.

Yu Sen felt he had completely mastered the art of ‘heart-to-heart communication’ and naturally blinked in response to Si Xuanyang’s worried gaze, giving a weak smile: “My complexion must look terrible right now, right? Saying I’m fine would definitely be a lie. I feel so dizzy…”

Si Xuanyang placed gentle kisses on his face, Yu Sen closed his eyes, feeling warm droplets on his face, sliding into his mouth, salty.

In his ear, Si Xuanyang’s voice was a raspy, trembling murmur: ‘The bleeding has stopped. Don’t be afraid. Thankfully, the theater has these supplies. Thankfully… don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…’

“…I’m not afraid. Don’t cry,” Yu Sen made an effort to speak, knowing that Si Xuanyang’s mental state was stretched to the limit, like someone teetering on the edge of a cliff. Even the slightest possibility, he wanted to provide some comfort.

Although he couldn’t see it, Yu Sen knew his face must look equally tragic.

After the bleeding on his wrist stopped, Luo Yu brought some food from the dining area. Losing so much blood meant he needed to replenish it, but the theater’s food was difficult for Yu Sen to eat. Plus, after seeing that girl’s face, his stomach was very uncomfortable, making it even harder to eat.

He hid his face in Si Xuanyang’s neck and asked in a muffled voice, “What about that girl…?”

“She’s dead,” Luo Yu said. “Not just her face, but her entire head… is gone.”

He spoke vaguely and briefly, but Yu Sen quickly pieced together that her head was probably rotted away.

The thought of that scene made his stomach churn and he felt nauseous.

He slumped in Si Xuanyang’s arms, experiencing alarms going off throughout his body, wishing he could just pass out—it would be more comfortable!

Si Xuanyang glanced at the food and then kissed the top of Yu Sen’s head, whispering, “I’ll carry you back to sleep for a while. We’ll eat when you wake up.”

“Mm,” Yu Sen entrusted all his weight to him, murmuring with closed eyes, “If I don’t wake up before the evening program starts, remember to wake me up. If I don’t see the show, there might be trouble…”

Si Xuanyang’s heart felt like it was being pierced by thousands of needles, the dense, sour pain wrapping around him tightly: “Okay, don’t worry about these things. I know.”