Exiled!? Ha! I have An Infinite Space

Chapter 201: Chapter

The kitchen was still brightly lit despite how late it had become.

The rest of the house had gradually fallen quiet as family members retired to their rooms one after another, but Zhao Yue remained inside, standing beside the stove while carefully arranging several dishes into a wooden food box.

The aroma of freshly cooked food filled the room.

A bowl of soup.

Several side dishes.

Fresh rice.

Everything had been prepared with unusual care.

Across the room, Zhao Yin sat on a stool watching her older sister with narrowed eyes.

She had been observing her for quite some time already.

Finally, she could no longer hold back her curiosity.

"Who is all that for?"

Zhao Yue’s hands paused briefly.

Only for a moment.

Then she continued arranging the food as though she had not heard the question.

Unfortunately, Zhao Yin knew her sister too well.

The hesitation alone was enough.

Immediately, her eyes widened.

"No way."

Zhao Yue pretended not to hear her.

Zhao Yin stood up.

"Sister."

Still no answer.

"Sister."

Zhao Yue sighed.

Only then did she finally stop what she was doing and look at her younger sister.

"What?"

Zhao Yin pointed directly at the food box.

"Who is it for?"

The kitchen became quiet.

For several moments Zhao Yue seemed reluctant to answer.

Eventually, she lowered her eyes and spoke softly.

"It’s for Fu Teng."

The moment those words left her mouth, Zhao Yin covered her face.

"Oh no."

Zhao Yue immediately frowned.

"What do you mean oh no?"

Zhao Yin looked at her as though she had just announced she was about to jump into a river.

"Sister."

Her expression became serious.

"Have you forgotten what happened this morning?"

Of course Zhao Yue hadn’t forgotten.

Nobody in the Fu household could possibly forget.

The argument between Fu Sheng and Fu Teng had practically shaken the entire family.

Seeing her silence, Zhao Yin continued.

"Fu Teng is angry."

"Very angry."

"He spent the entire day locked inside his room."

She pointed toward the food box.

"And now you’re planning to walk in there?"

Zhao Yue lowered her eyes.

"He hasn’t eaten."

Zhao Yin nearly groaned.

That answer only made her more helpless.

"Sister."

Her voice softened.

"What if he’s mean to you again?"

Zhao Yue remained silent.

"What if he starts shouting?"

"What if he takes out all the frustration he can’t direct at his brother and pours it onto you instead?"

The kitchen became quiet once more.

For a few moments, Zhao Yue simply stared at the food she had prepared.

Then she let out a small sigh.

A very small sigh.

The kind that carried far more emotions than words ever could.

Finally, she looked at Zhao Yin.

"Then I’ll listen."

Zhao Yin blinked.

"What?"

Zhao Yue smiled faintly.

"If he’s angry, then he’s angry."

"If he wants to complain, then he can complain."

"If he wants to shout..."

She paused briefly.

"Then he can shout."

Zhao Yin stared at her in disbelief.

"Sister."

Zhao Yue shook her head gently.

"I know what kind of person Fu Teng is."

"He isn’t a bad person."

Her voice remained calm and warm.

"He’s confused."

"He’s frustrated."

"Everyone keeps making decisions for him while refusing to explain anything."

She lowered her gaze... although she knew most of the arguments might have had something to do with what she told Su Long she herself didn’t really understand it.

"If I were in his position, I would probably be angry too."

Zhao Yin fell silent.

Because when Zhao Yue put it that way, she could not completely disagree.

Still...

She remained worried.

"What if he tells you to leave?"

Zhao Yue smiled.

"Then I’ll leave."

"What if he refuses to eat?"

"Then I’ll bring food again tomorrow."

"What if he refuses again tomorrow?"

"I’ll bring food the day after that."

Zhao Yin stared at her.

For several moments she genuinely did not know what to say.

Finally she muttered,

"Sometimes I think you’re too nice for your own good."

That made Zhao Yue laugh softly.

Perhaps she was.

But she couldn’t help it.

Ever since she had gotten to know Fu Teng, she had seen things that many others overlooked.

She had seen how much he cared about his family.

How hard he worked.

How fiercely he protected the people important to him.

She had also seen how lonely he sometimes looked when he thought nobody was paying attention.

Which was why she couldn’t simply ignore him now.

Not when she knew he was hurting.

After securing the lid on the food box, Zhao Yue lifted it carefully.

Then she turned toward the door.

Behind her, Zhao Yin immediately stood up.

"Sister."

Zhao Yue glanced back.

Zhao Yin hesitated before speaking.

"Just be careful."

The warmth in Zhao Yue’s eyes deepened.

"I will."

With that, she stepped out of the kitchen and disappeared into the quiet night, carrying the food box in both hands while heading toward the room where Fu Teng had locked himself away from the rest of the world.

When Zhao Yue finally arrived outside Fu Teng’s room, she slowed her steps and came to a stop before the closed door. For several moments, she simply stood there in silence, her gaze fixed on the faint glow of light filtering through the gaps in the wooden frame. The courtyard was unusually quiet, and apart from that dim light, there was no sign of movement from within.

Taking a slow breath to steady herself, Zhao Yue raised her hand and knocked gently.

"Fu Teng."

Her voice was soft, carrying only enough volume to reach the person inside.

No answer came.

She waited patiently for a few moments before knocking again, this time with a little more force.

"Fu Teng, it’s me."

The silence that followed stretched for so long that she thought he might ignore her completely. Just as she was considering whether to speak again, a voice finally emerged from inside the room.

"What do you want?"

His tone was distant and cold, carrying an unmistakable irritation that did not surprise Zhao Yue in the slightest.

Lowering her gaze briefly, she replied calmly, "I brought dinner."

Another pause followed before his answer came.

"I’m not hungry."

The response was exactly what she had expected from the moment she decided to come here. Even so, she had no intention of turning around and leaving.

"You haven’t eaten since morning."

"I said I’m not hungry."

This time his voice was firmer, making it abundantly clear that he wanted her gone.

Unfortunately for him, Zhao Yue had already prepared herself for his stubbornness.

Looking at the closed door, she said gently, "Then I’ll leave it outside."

"No."

Zhao Yue blinked in surprise.

"No?"

"I don’t want it."

The courtyard fell silent once again.

For a brief moment, Zhao Yue almost laughed despite herself. The man behind the door was behaving no differently from an angry child refusing to listen to reason.

After allowing several seconds to pass, she tried again.

"Even if you’re upset, you still need to eat."

The reply came without hesitation.

"I’m not upset."

That answer nearly made her smile.

Anyone who heard his voice would immediately know otherwise.

Still, Zhao Yue wisely kept that observation to herself and instead chose a different approach.

"I made your favorite soup... Your mom told me you love fish soup.. so I made it."

The silence that followed lasted longer than before, and when his voice finally returned, it sounded just as stubborn.

"I didn’t ask you to."

The words landed harder than she expected, but Zhao Yue merely tightened her grip on the food box and forced herself not to react.

After another moment, she called his name quietly.

"Fu Teng."

No answer.

"Can you at least open the door?"

The only response was silence.

Realizing that he had no intention of letting her in, Zhao Yue released a helpless sigh before carefully lowering the food box to the ground. Instead of leaving, she sat down outside the room, resting her hands neatly in her lap.

The movement immediately caught his attention.

"What are you doing?" he asked from inside.

"I’m sitting."

"Why?"

"Because you won’t open the door."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then his voice came again.

"Go back."

"No."

The answer left her mouth so quickly that even she was surprised by how firm it sounded.

Inside the room, Fu Teng frowned as he stared toward the door.

Outside, Zhao Yue remained seated quietly, separated from him by nothing more than a single wooden barrier. Despite the simplicity of the situation, neither of them seemed willing to be the first to leave.

The silence lingered for several moments before Zhao Yue finally spoke again.

"You know..."

Her voice was softer than before.

"I was really worried today."

Inside the room, Fu Teng’s expression stiffened slightly, though he said nothing.

"When everyone started arguing this morning, I kept thinking that something terrible must have happened. I’ve never seen Big Brother act that way before, and to be honest, it frightened me."

Her words carried no exaggeration and no attempt to gain sympathy. They were simply honest.

For the first time since she arrived, Fu Teng found himself listening more carefully.

"I spent the entire day worrying about you," she continued with a small, self-conscious laugh. "And now that I’ve finally come here, I’m being completely ignored."

Something uncomfortable stirred inside his chest upon hearing those words.

He immediately tried to suppress it.

He already had enough problems occupying his thoughts.

He did not need another complication.

Outside the room, Zhao Yue slowly lowered her eyes.

"Even if you’re angry with everyone else," she said quietly, pausing for a moment before continuing, "you don’t have to be angry with yourself."

The words struck him so unexpectedly that he froze.

His brows slowly drew together.

"What does that mean?"

Zhao Yue hesitated.

"Nothing."

"No."

His response came immediately.

"What did you mean by that?"

For several moments, Zhao Yue remained silent as she searched for the right words.

Finally, she answered honestly.

"I just think you’ve been carrying everything by yourself since this morning. You’ve locked yourself away all day, and no matter how much everyone worries, you refuse to let anyone help."

The room fell silent once more.

Because she was right.

Ever since the argument ended, he had shut himself away with nothing but his own thoughts for company. Again and again, he replayed every conversation, trying to understand why everyone suddenly seemed determined to interfere in his life.

He could not understand why Fu Sheng had become so desperate, why his parents had chosen to support him, or why Su Long seemed equally determined to push him in the same direction.

The more he thought about it, the less sense any of it made.

And somehow, that confusion hurt far more than the argument itself.

Outside the room, Zhao Yue slowly rose to her feet and picked up the food box.

"Anyway," she said softly, her voice gentler than before, "I’ll leave the food here."

Her gaze rested on the closed door.

"You don’t have to eat it now."

A faint smile appeared on her face as her fingers brushed lightly across the lid.

"But if you get hungry later, don’t pretend that you aren’t."

With that, she turned around and began walking away.

Inside the room, Fu Teng remained motionless as he listened to the sound of her footsteps gradually fading into the distance.