There is no Redemption for A Scum Villain

Chapter 15

"I feel so safe," Shen Jiu said quietly, "Are we dead? Where is Qi-ge?"

"Don't be nonsensical," Shen Qingqiu replied, "We are still here. We are dreaming."

"But we feel so warm," Shen Jiu argued.

"Our head hurts. We're sick. We probably have a fever."

"I miss him..." Shen Jiu muttered.

"We thought we had seen him. But the fever made us hallucinate," Shen Qingqiu replied.

"Was it a hallucination?" Shen Jiu asked with hope in his voice, "Maybe he isn't-"

"He is. We heard what they said," Shen Qingqiu interrupted.

Shen Jiu looked down. Over the course of several days they had spoken a lot now. Shen Qingqiu had been unable to wake up, so he spent his time here. At some time the two of them had started using this strange way of referring to themselves and one another.

"You know why I don't dare hope," Shen Qingqiu continued and his face grew gloomy.

"I know. But we still do. You can't fight against that," Shen Jiu replied.

"We are both weak," Shen Qingqiu said, "We saw the blood. No one can survive that... We heard what they said. And yet we hope. Look at us talking like this. People would think us crazy."

"People wouldn't care," Shen Jiu gloomily replied, "They locked us up. Who doesn't go crazy at that place?"

Shen Qingqiu allowed himself a small smile.

"It feels soft..."

"The ground?" Shen Qingqiu asked, already knowing the answer.

"Everything."

"We could almost believe it's a bed. Are we that crazy?"

"Our hands hurt. They feel like they are cramping," Shen Jiu muttered and looked at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fingers, "They are holding on to something. Fabric?"

"It is fabric," Shen Qingqiu agreed, looking at his own, "Where is it coming from? Why are we holding on to it."

"We need to wake up," Shen Jiu said.

"We need to wake up," Shen Qingqiu agreed, "Soon."

"Maybe we will..."

"Maybe..."

Yue Qingyuan woke up way before sun started to rise. His sleep had been a bit disturbed the past few days mostly to Shen Qingqiu's body being so warm the he had to cool it down hourly, but it was getting better. His temperature had started nearing a normal degree. So tonight the reason he woke up was another.

At first he had only subconsciously registered movement at his stomach, then it had gotten a little cold. It took him a while to realize that this was abnormal. Yue Qingyuan fought to open his eyes and looked down. His heart almost jumped out of his chest when his eyes met Shen Qingqiu's. Shen Qingqiu was staring at him unblinking. For a moment neither of them moved until Yue Qingyuan made a attempt to get up. Instantly Shen Qingqiu gripped his wrist and clamped down on it. He held on so tightly that Yue Qingyuan had no opportunity to move.

Yue Qingyuan had been sure he would be pushed away or yelled at, the moment Shen Qingqiu woke up, but instead Shen Qingqiu said nothing and he didn't move either. The hand around Yue Qingyuan's wrist began clenching tighter and he began fearing that his bones might break under the pressure.

"Shen-shidi?" Yue Qingyuan hesitantly asked.

That seemed to startle Shen Qingqiu. At last he moved forward and pressed his ear against Yue Qingyuan's chest. It was beating. Strong, steady, a little fast, but it was beating. The hand around Yue Qingyuan's wrist relaxed somewhat.