Chapter 164
Seeing Zhao Qi knocking on the door frantically and having lost all composure, Wang Jin sighed, reached out to stop him, and then hesitantly knocked on the door himself. "Cheng Bai, it's me, Xi Yao."
Inside, there was still only silence.
Wang Jin thought for a moment and spoke again, "I know you can hear me. Open the door and let me in. I want to talk to you..." He paused slightly, then countered, "Don't you want to talk to me? Now that I've remembered everything?"
As soon as these words fell, a sound came from inside. Not long after, the door opened, but no one came out for a long time.
Seeing this, Zhao Qi wanted to rush in, but Wang Jin stopped him. Wang Jin pulled his fur robe closer around himself, picked up the clothes he had altered for Cheng Bai, and stepped inside.
The entire room, including the walls and floor, was made of ice. Entering it was like stepping directly into the coldest depths of winter, chilling Wang Jin so much he shuddered.
Walking to the innermost part, he saw an untanned Haiqiong skin placed there.
Wang Jin was not unfamiliar with this Haiqiong; he had seen it at sea... but that was several days ago.
The Haiqiong skin was now perfectly preserved by the ice, seemingly kept with great care, without any unpleasant odor.
And Cheng Bai was sitting not far from the Haiqiong, motionless, as if in a daze.
Wang Jin took a deep breath and walked over. He sat down beside him, adopting the same posture, but the ice-cold ground made him jump up immediately.
Cheng Bai finally reacted. He turned to look at Wang Jin, sighed softly, took off his own outer robe, and spread it on the ground.
Wang Jin waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, it's fine. I'll just stand. You should wear it." It was so cold here, and Cheng Bai was only wearing two thin layers. Now that he had taken one off for him, only a single thin garment remained, clinging to his skin. It gave the illusion that he wasn't afraid of the cold, but Wang Jin could see clearly: his movements when taking off the robe had been stiff, as if his limbs were numb from prolonged freezing. Looking at his face, it was abnormally pale, terrifyingly so, with even his eyelashes dusted with a thin layer of ice.
After Wang Jin finished speaking, the other man made no move to put the robe spread on the ground back on. Helpless, Wang Jin stepped forward, picked up the robe, and draped it over Cheng Bai's shoulders.
The moment he touched his skin, Wang Jin shivered from the cold, realizing his physical condition was much more severe than it appeared; his entire body was like a block of ice.
A faint light flickered in Cheng Bai's dim eyes. He reached out and grasped Wang Jin's hand, which was about to withdraw. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately no sound came out.
Wang Jin trembled from the cold of his hand. This trembling seemed to be noticed by Cheng Bai, who let go and stood up.
"It's cold here. Let's go out." He paused, then glanced at the Haiqiong in the ice room and asked, pursing his lips, "Have you eaten? This Haiqiong... would you honor me by having some?"
Wang Jin was about to reply that he had already eaten when he saw Cheng Bai turn around, wearing a smile familiar to him, yet his eyes were not as bright as they used to be.
Though deeply hidden, Wang Jin could still see a trace of expectation and entreaty in those dim eyes.
Wang Jin recalled how desperately Cheng Bai had fought when they encountered this Haiqiong at sea... He sighed deeply in his heart and put on a smiling face. "I haven't eaten yet."
Cheng Bai regained a bit of vitality. "Then wait outside. I'll go make some food for you."
"You?" Wang Jin was somewhat surprised. In the original owner's memories, Cheng Bai was a young master who couldn't tell the five grains apart. The times he had entered the kitchen could be counted on one hand, let alone cooked.
Cheng Bai smiled faintly. "I didn't know how before, but later I learned for the sake of a ger."
"..." They both knew who this ger referred to. Wang Jin did not reply.
Cheng Bai's voice carried a despondence that made Wang Jin feel uncomfortable.
This Cheng Bai... cared so much for the original owner, so why did he treat him that way before?
Remembering the cold treatment the original owner had suffered from Cheng Bai, Wang Jin found it very difficult to feel sympathy for him.
They walked out together. Zhao Qi, waiting outside the door, hurried up to meet them. He pulled Cheng Bai aside dramatically, his face exaggeratedly drooping. "Oh, my young master Cheng, what on earth has gotten into you?"
Cheng Bai looked somewhat uncomfortable. He pushed Zhao Qi away, indicating that Wang Jin was still beside them.
Zhao Qi quickly came to his senses, released Cheng Bai, and stood to the side, assuming a posture of not disturbing the two at all.
Cheng Bai said, "Please go wait in the main hall first. This robe..." He took the robe draped over his shoulders to return it to Wang Jin.
Wang Jin said, "It's for you."
"?" Cheng Bai looked down at the robe. It looked familiar, but he couldn't place where he had seen it. The color was light pink, the style very simple. The highlight of the garment was the patterns. He didn't know how the little delicate one had done it, but there were many hidden patterns on the robe. Looking straight at them, they weren't visible, but with movement, these patterns would flow like liquid light. Silver, covering the original light pink, making it extremely distinctive.
"This... is for me?" Cheng Bai was pleasantly surprised. "Did you make it?"
Wang Jin gave Cheng Bai a strange look, frowning and pursing his lips as he asked, "You... don't recognize this robe?"
Although considerably altered, this light pink robe... Cheng Bai had probably only ever received one like it in his entire life.
Cheng Bai's face stiffened. After thinking for a moment, he finally spoke, "It seems familiar, but..." He seemed to find it difficult to continue, his voice carrying a slight apology. "Have I forgotten something?"
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