Rain had fallen nonstop since morning, drumming steadily against the windows of Shi Mo's dorm.
She'd spent most of the day quietly cleaning, researching spiritual seal rituals, and pretending she wasn't waiting for any messages.
Fu Yunshen had been silent since Yun Yun's latest appearance.
She told herself it didn't matter.
She was lying.
That evening, her phone buzzed.
Fu Yunshen:"Need help."
Two words.
But urgent enough.
When she arrived at Room 412, she found Zhou Zhi pacing outside the door like a cat on caffeine.
"Oh, thank goodness," he whispered dramatically. "It's bad."
"What happened?"
"He came back soaked. Completely out of it. Barely responsive. I think he walked all the way from the east gate in the rain!"
Shi Mo pushed the door open.
Fu Yunshen sat on the floor, drenched and pale, leaning against the bed.
His eyes were half-lidded. His shirt clung to his frame. His fingers trembled from cold.
"Fu Yunshen," she called softly, kneeling beside him.
He blinked slowly, clearly not fully conscious. "Shi… Mo?"
"Why didn't you tell anyone you were out in the storm?"
"…Had to clear my head."
"In a monsoon?"
He gave the faintest smile. "It worked."
Zhou Zhi hovered awkwardly. "Do I… boil ginger or something?"
"Get hot water and towels," Shi Mo said, already peeling off Fu Yunshen's soaked jacket.
She didn't hesitate.
She didn't flinch.
She just worked.
Carefully.
Quietly.
She filled the dorm's metal washbasin with warm water and began wiping down his arms, his neck, his face. His skin was ice-cold to the touch.
He leaned into her touch without speaking, eyes fluttering shut.
Her chest tightened.
This wasn't about affection.
This was care.
The kind that happened when someone didn't have to ask.
"Your hands are cold," he mumbled.
"You're colder," she replied.
A small silence passed.
Then, gently, he asked, "Have you ever done this before?"
She didn't stop moving. "Done what?"
"Taken care of someone."
She hesitated.
"No," she admitted. "But I've always watched how people fail at it."
He let out a breath—soft, almost a laugh.
"You're not failing."
When she finally helped him into clean clothes and wrapped him in a warm blanket, he collapsed onto the bed with a quiet sigh.
Zhou Zhi peeked in. "I brought ginger tea!"
Fu Yunshen raised a hand weakly. "Don't ever call me sunflower baby again."
"No promises," Zhou Zhi whispered, tiptoeing away.
Shi Mo sat beside Fu Yunshen, watching his eyes grow heavier.
"Thank you," he murmured.
She nodded.
But before he drifted off, he said something else—quietly, almost like a secret.
"…If I lose control again, you'll bring me back, right?"
Her voice was soft. Steady.
"Always."
[System Notification
Emotional Milestone: Intimate Care Achieved
Brotherhood Value +95 (Physical Vulnerability + Mutual Trust)
Current Total: 1,540 / 1,000,000
Shi Mo sat there in silence long after he fell asleep, her fingers curled around the warm cup Zhou Zhi had left behind.
This wasn't how missions were supposed to go.
She wasn't supposed to care.
But here she was—
Crossing boundaries she promised herself she wouldn't.
And finding comfort where she should've kept her distance.