TECSBRO-(10)
"Rong Que gege, Rong Que gege?" A worried voice continued to reach his ears.
Startled, Rong Que opened his eyes abruptly, the lingering fierceness in his gaze yet to dissipate. This frightened Lu Xu, causing him to involuntarily retreat a step. Fortunately, there was the edge of the bed behind him, and Lu Xu fell onto his own bed without getting hurt.
Lu Xu didn't care about the bump he just received; fear was evident in his eyes. He had never seen this side of Rong Que before. Most of the time, Rong Que gege made him feel secure and reliable.
Just now, when he woke up and saw the distressed expression on Rong Que's face, as if he had a nightmare, Lu Xu wanted to wake him. However, Rong Que's eyes were bloodshot, and his gaze seemed as if he could devour him, making Lu Xu shiver involuntarily.
Seeing the fear on Lu Xu's face, Rong Que suddenly snapped back to reality.
He had immersed himself too deeply in the dream, and even waking up couldn't completely free him from the painful emotions.
Rong Que rubbed his forehead vigorously, trying to calm his emotions.
"Sorry, little deer. I wasn't myself just now," Rong Que said with a deep tone, a hint of apology in his voice.
Lu Xu, still frightened, tried to calm himself. "Is Rong Que gege okay now?"
Rong Que managed a slight smile, making an effort to return to normal. "I'm fine now, little deer. Just had a bad dream."
It seems that Lu Xu got scared.
Feeling somewhat guilty, Rong Que rubbed his slightly sore temples. He turned over, intending to get off the bed and comfort Lu Xu, but he noticed Lu Xu recoiling backward.
Forget it.
He might only end up scaring him even more now... Lu Xu was originally quite timid.
Thinking this way, Rong Que, unsure of his own emotions, could only force a self-deprecating smile. He closed his eyes, deciding not to disturb Lu Xu.
After having such a nightmare, Rong Que found it impossible to fall asleep. He just lay there with closed eyes, trying to relax.
However, as soon as he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but recall the gruesome deaths of his past teammates.
Were all these nightmares the result of Lu Xu? What kind of experiences did Lu Xu go through to become like that?
He couldn't bring himself to blame Lu Xu, but he also couldn't control the deep-seated trauma within him.
These memories were buried deep, occasionally resurfacing to remind him.
Perhaps in this lifetime, he might never escape from them.
As Rong Que contemplated, he suddenly noticed a continuous rustling sound nearby.
It was getting closer, and even warm breath was spraying on his face.
Feeling that if he didn't open his eyes, it might be right against his face, Rong Que helplessly lifted his eyelids. What met his gaze were Lu Xu's bright red eyes.
Rong Que was stunned for a moment. He and Lu Xu locked eyes for a few seconds, and there was a brief blankness in his mind.
Then he heard his own voice sounding somewhat hoarse, "You're not afraid anymore?"
The young child in front of him shook his head, and his plush ears swayed along, "Lu Xu doesn't get scared when sleeping with Rong Que."
"After all, when Xiao Lu sleeps together with Rong Que, there's nothing to be afraid of."
After saying that, the child took out a cat-shaped ornament he brought from the bed, "And the Xiao Lu cat will keep Rong Que company while sleeping."
Little Lu Xu imitated the way adults comforted children that he had seen before, soothing Rong Que.
Even though Lu Xu himself hadn't been comforted much.
Rong Que stared blankly at this innocent child.
When Lu Xu was scared of him just now, he did feel a bit upset.
But he never expected that Lu Xu would overcome his fear to come and accompany him.
Unable to resist the adorable Lu Xu, Rong Que got up to let him sleep inside, so he wouldn't accidentally fall out.
Lu Xu placed the cat-shaped ornament on the pillow and obediently slid under the blanket, leaving only a little head with bright red eyes peering at Rong Que.
It seemed like he was anticipating sleeping together.
The irritation from the nightmare was cast aside by Rong Que. He smiled and lay down.
Being an adult, he assumed a relatively calm sleeping position; lying flat was sufficient to fall asleep.
Lu Xu wriggled in the blanket, adjusting his posture.
Then Rong Que felt a little hand reaching out from the blanket, grabbing onto his arm.
Lu Xu lay on his side, both hands gripping Rong Que, "Rong Que, are we good friends now?"
Rong Que softly affirmed with a sound of agreement.
Lu Xu seemed delighted, softly murmuring, "I heard that only good friends sleep together."
"Can we be good friends forever?"
Lu Xu's hair carried a faint scent of grass, and Rong Que, smelling it, felt drowsy. Nevertheless, he patiently replied, "Sure."
Satisfied with the answer, Lu Xu was very happy. He wriggled again, pressing his body against Rong Que's arm.
The surroundings finally quieted down, but Rong Que could still feel the piercing gaze of Lu Xu, impossible to ignore.
It was understandable that Lu Xu, sleeping with a friend for the first time, felt a bit excited.
Rong Que initially thought that being stared at would keep him from falling asleep. Surprisingly, without dwelling on those painful memories, he dozed off directly.
This time, there were no more nightmares, and he slept soundly.
He slept until the wake-up bell disturbed the peace.
Rong Que opened his eyes, feeling refreshed due to the good night's sleep.
It seemed that having Lu Xu around made it less likely for him to have nightmares.
Back in the hospital, when they squeezed into a bed together, he didn't have nightmares either.
What could be the reason...
Could it be that even as an adult, he needed the company of a child to sleep peacefully?
But it worked out well that Lu Xu also wanted to sleep with him. Later, he could ask Qi Sui to connect the two beds without railings, turning them into a large bed. That wouldn't be a bad idea.
Rong Que consoled himself, thinking it was for better protection of Lu Xu.
He turned his head and saw Lu Xu, who had just been awakened by the bell.
Due to his uncomfortable sleeping position, the cat-shaped ornament had rolled onto his face, leaving an imprint of a cat on it.
Rong Que placed the small cat ornament beside the pillow, and Lu Xu, with a hint of drowsy redness in his eyes, slightly opened them, indicating that he was still quite sleepy.
However, after the wake-up bell, the noisy sounds of children getting up filled the air, making it impossible to go back to sleep.
That's what Rong Que initially thought until he noticed Lu Xu's eyelids drooping more and more, eventually closing completely.
Observing the gentle rise and fall of Lu Xu's body, it was evident that he had fallen asleep again.
Lu Xu's sleeping posture wasn't the best. He started by holding Rong Que's hand before falling asleep, and now, after waking up, he had his entire arm around Rong Que.
Rong Que's still untrained and fragile forearm was starting to feel a bit numb.
With his legs curled up and his knees holding onto Rong Que's legs, Rong Que didn't want to disturb Lu Xu and found himself unable to get up.
However, because he had just enjoyed a good sleep, Rong Que was quite alert now and couldn't fall back asleep. He could only stare at the ceiling, beginning to miss the days when he had a phone.
Fortunately, Qi Sui noticed that the two of them hadn't left the room and came over.
He handed a new phone to both Rong Que and Lu Xu, ensuring that they could contact each other easily if needed.
Then, he brought a few sets of new clothes and pajamas for both of them.
The clothes were placed in each person's wardrobe, while the pajamas were left by the bedsides.
Rong Que picked up the pajamas with his still free hand and examined them. The pajamas were one-piece, with a zipper in the middle, resembling baby jumpsuits.
The quality felt good, and it seemed spacious and comfortable. There was even a fluffy ball at the back, resembling a small tail.
Rong Que's mouth twitched slightly as he disdainfully said, "I won't wear this kind of thing. Give me regular pajamas."
Qi Sui, amused by his reaction, shook his head, "You know, we went to a cute-themed children's clothing store. There are only jumpsuits and cute nightgowns. Which one do you want to wear?"
Rong Que fell silent, unable to accept the idea of a nightgown either.
He would have to wait and buy something when they went out later.
Qi Sui didn't offer any comforting words and casually said, "It's okay; little deer will like wearing matching outfits with you."
***
Qi Sui had already arranged for them to attend a kindergarten, and they could start reporting with their backpacks tomorrow.
He arranged for Lu Xu and Rong Que to attend a separate kindergarten, so they wouldn't have to run into other children from the welfare institute with whom they had a bad relationship.
With Rong Que's protection, Lu Xu could better integrate into the new environment.
Upon waking up in the afternoon, Lu Xu learned about their upcoming kindergarten adventure and became very excited.
Rong Que was still teaching Lu Xu how to use the phone.
He didn't mention the various entertainment options on the phone, as it was better for children not to spend too much time on it. Using the phone for voice messages and seeking help was sufficient.
Lu Xu proved to be quite intelligent and quickly learned how to send messages using voice or voice input.
In his contacts, there were only Rong Que, Qi Sui, and Little One and Little Two.
Lu Xu, holding the phone that was almost as big as his face with both hands, asked Rong Que to watch him send a message to Qi Sui.
Because of his missing front tooth from the previous fall, Lu Xu's pronunciation wasn't entirely standard. For example, the first message he sent to Qi Sui was, "Qi Sui gege, what are you doing?"
Rong Que immediately praised him, "Our Xiao Lu is really amazing."
The next second, Rong Que's phone also received a message.
Qi Sui: ??? Why is Xiao Lu calling me seven years old?
Rong Que: Don't mind, just chat with him.
Rong Que: Remember to send voice messages or use pinyin; he can't read.
Qi Sui: ???
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