Chapter 137: Two in One

"A silent hero. I wonder which school he’s from."

"Yeah, they’ve really raised a good student."

"People have grown so cold. You don’t see many heroes like that anymore."

The others nearby also had high praise for Chen Mo.

The woman glanced at a nearby security camera, an idea for later already forming in her mind.

But right now, her child was the priority. She took off her coat, draped it over the boy, and gently rubbed his hands to keep him warm.

...

After leaving the scene, Chen Mo could feel the soft body holding him press closer and closer.

So close that he could distinctly feel the full softness of her form against him.

"Yuqing, I can’t breathe if you hold me this tight." Chen Mo said with a helpless smile, looking at Su Yuqing clinging to him.

But when he looked down, he saw a pair of eyes brimming with tears.

Su Yuqing’s eyes were red-rimmed, tiny droplets clinging to her eyelashes. She was clearly fighting to hold back her tears.

She looked up at Chen Mo, her lips trembling slightly. It was as if a thousand words were stuck in her throat, but all that came out was a soft, nasal plea, "Promise me you won’t get into trouble again."

The night wind blew across his damp shirt, but Chen Mo’s back grew hot from the warmth of her body pressed against his.

The scent of sandalwood from the ends of her hair mixed with the marshy smell of the lake water, filling his nostrils. He subconsciously tried to pull away, but Su Yuqing’s arms tightened around his waist.

The clamor from the pebble beach faded into the distance. He could hear her rapid heartbeat through the thin fabric, overlapping with his own pulse.

"I’m fine, see?" Chen Mo softened his tone. He raised a hand to wipe the moisture from the corner of her eye but noticed his palm was still dirty from the lakeside.

His hand paused mid-air. He ended up just wiping it on his own clothes and smiling. "Let go for a second. You’re going to get your clothes wet too."

His own clothes were already half-soaked from the water still on him. With Su Yuqing clinging to him so tightly, he was afraid she’d get soaked as well.

"Then let them get wet!" Su Yuqing’s voice suddenly rose, laced with a sob. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the hem of his shirt. "If that boy had dragged you down... if you hadn’t come back up..." Her voice broke off, swallowed by the night wind. She buried her face in his chest, and warm tears soaked into the cold fabric.

Chen Mo froze.

He suddenly felt a slight shudder from her shoulders—Su Yuqing was crying, but she stubbornly refused to make a sound.

He sighed silently, placing the hand he had wiped clean on his clothes gently on her trembling back.

"Don’t worry. I’ll be fine."

Hearing the gentle voice by her ear, Su Yuqing slowly stopped crying.

When the boy had started struggling wildly, nearly getting Chen Mo into trouble as well... The mere thought of that scene was too much for her to dwell on.

"Let’s go. We should head home. If we stay out any longer, I’m afraid I’ll catch a cold," Chen Mo said, smiling at Su Yuqing as she tried to wipe her tears away.

Hearing this, Su Yuqing didn’t dare delay any longer.

She immediately hugged Chen Mo tightly again and led him forward at a quick pace.

After they had walked for five minutes, the wail of a distant ambulance siren pierced the night sky.

But they paid it no mind. They finally got into a ride-share and headed home.

During the ride, Su Yuqing held Chen Mo tightly with her right arm while her left hand grasped his, trying to warm his gradually chilling body with her own.

Chen Mo could clearly feel her anxiety and how much she cared for him.

It was then that Chen Mo realized.

’My life isn’t just my own anymore.’

’I’m carrying her life on my shoulders, too.’

’The two of them were one, a single shared existence.’

’If something happened to me, what would Su Yuqing do?’

At this thought, Chen Mo couldn’t help but feel a pang of protectiveness for the girl.

’In this world, besides me, would anyone else truly cherish her?’

He turned and pulled Su Yuqing into his arms. Just like a couple, they held each other, nestled together in the car.

The driver saw this in the rearview mirror and gave a knowing smile.

’Young people these days really have no shame,’ he thought to himself.

’Back in my day, young couples would never have been so bold.’

Since there wasn’t much traffic at night, with traffic lights even turned off on some roads, the trip back was much faster than the journey there.

Soon, Chen Mo and Su Yuqing were back home.

The moment they walked through the door, Su Yuqing rushed to the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "Go take a hot bath. I’ll make you some ginger and brown sugar water."

Chen Mo smiled, nodded, and went to his bedroom.

Meanwhile, Su Yuqing started making the brown sugar water for Chen Mo, adding a few slices of ginger.

She hoped it would help drive out the chill that had seeped into him.

A short while later, Chen Mo’s bedroom door opened, and he emerged in his pajamas.

Su Yuqing, who had been listlessly watching TV, quickly got up and hurried to the kitchen.

Soon, she came back with a warm cup of ginger and brown sugar water for Chen Mo.

"I looked it up. Doctors say it’s better to drink warm water. Hot water isn’t good for you," Su Yuqing said gently, handing Chen Mo the mug of perfectly warm ginger water.

Chen Mo smiled and took the mug, sat on the sofa, and obediently started drinking.

’This ginger water was filled with sweet affection.’

’It tasted exceptionally sweet.’

"It’s getting late. I’m fine now. You should go to sleep," Chen Mo said with concern, looking at Su Yuqing’s weary face.

"I’ll wait for you to finish." Su Yuqing sat down next to Chen Mo, gently keeping him company.

A warmth spread through Chen Mo’s heart. He didn’t say anything more and obediently finished the entire cup of ginger water. Only then did Su Yuqing go back to her room, satisfied.

After washing up and lying in bed, Su Yuqing found that even now, her heart couldn’t settle down.

That terrifying feeling of being on the verge of losing Chen Mo—she never wanted to experience it again.

After forcing herself to calm down, Su Yuqing finally drifted off into a hazy sleep.

In contrast, Chen Mo felt exceptionally tired today and had fallen asleep much earlier.

But in the middle of the night, he began to feel unwell.

At 1 a.m., Chen Mo was woken by a sense of discomfort. His nose and throat were starting to feel sore.

’Looks like the chill has really gotten to me. COUGH, COUGH.’ After a few light coughs, Chen Mo immediately pressed the back of his hand to his forehead. It felt a little hot.

’Good thing today’s Sunday. I’ll just stay in bed all day.’

Chen Mo picked up his phone to check the time. It was only 1 a.m. He immediately went back to sleep.

He slept until a soft knock on his door woke him. He groggily opened his eyes to a voice calling, "Chen Mo, Chen Mo, are you okay? I’m going to use the spare key to open the door!"