Peach-Orange! – Chapter 526 – I Have Never Blamed You

What met the eyes was a small, grimy figure. A cotton blanket, grabbed from who knows where, covered her feet.

Her knees were bent, her arms wrapped around her calves, her forehead pressed against her knees. Her whole body was curled into a ball, and she was trembling.

Not only that, but the exposed skin on her arms showed clear wounds. The originally dark, tattered clothes seen on the monitor were now stained with fresh blood.

She looked utterly pitiful.

Seeing this scene, Su Tao felt her heart skip a beat.

Fang Ning whispered from the side, “Sister Xiaocheng now… how should I put it… she seems to keep people at a distance. When I tried to get closer earlier, she was very scared and kept shrinking back.

“There was really no other way, and I was afraid of scaring her, so I came to find you, Sister Su Tao.”

As for the raging battle outside with guns and artillery, Fang Ning didn’t seem to care.

‘Anyway, even if I die, there’s no one in this world who would miss me, right? If I can live, I’ll cling to life; if I can’t, then it’s all over.’

After listening to Fang Ning’s words, Su Tao nodded gently. “I’ll go try.”

Keeps people at a distance…

‘Then, to Xiaocheng now, am I considered a stranger?’

Su Tao’s mind was racing, but her footsteps didn’t stop. Fang Ning stood still, holding the also somewhat grimy Da Wang, signaling it not to make a sound.

In the sewer, where only the sound of flowing water remained, the sound of Su Tao’s flat shoes stepping on the ground soon echoed.

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She got closer and closer to Chi Xiaocheng, finally rousing the little one who was curled up as if resting.

When the distance was less than 5 meters, a sharp shout finally stopped Su Tao. “Don’t come over!”

Chi Xiaocheng hurriedly rolled up the blanket at her feet, suddenly covering herself completely, and then pressed herself against the ground.

She was protecting herself in a self-deceiving way, rather than choosing to escape.

Su Tao glimpsed bloodstains on a corner of the blanket and felt even more heartache.

She took another step forward and said softly, “Xiaocheng… it’s me…”

It was “me,” but this “me” didn’t say a name.

But how could Chi Xiaocheng not remember this familiar voice?

The moment Su Tao moved closer again, she suddenly threw off the blanket that was covering and protecting her, lifted her head, and opened her dry lips in disbelief, but no sound came out.

She wasn’t sure if it was an auditory hallucination or if the person she had been thinking about day and night had truly appeared before her.

Because the girl could no longer see anything.

The bloodstains at the corners of her eyes hadn’t been wiped away. A long scar was on her left eye, which had no light, and her right eye was only filled with the white sclera.

The once beautiful eyes had lost their color completely.

Su Tao stood there, less than a meter away from Chi Xiaocheng, staring blankly at her eyes.

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She never imagined that the first time she saw the girl in this dream, the girl could no longer clearly see her face.

“Is it… is it Sister Su Tao?”

Chi Xiaocheng sniffled and stretched out a hand, groping vaguely in front of her, but her body was weak and ill, making it difficult for her to even move forward.

Su Tao’s heart softened instantly. She reached out and grabbed Chi Xiaocheng’s small hand.

With a firm pull, she drew the girl into her embrace.

“Xiaocheng, it’s me. I’m sorry I’m late.”

The girl in her arms stiffened for a moment, and then, large teardrops rolled down from her empty, lightless eyes.

“Wuuu… Su, Sister Su Tao… finally… I finally found you… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Chi Xiaocheng reached out and tightly clutched Su Tao’s clothes. Afraid that the young woman might leave again, she kept patting and grasping at Su Tao’s back.

Resting her head on Su Tao’s shoulder, her words, which started as a murmur of the name, continuously turned into apologies.

Su Tao’s throat felt choked, and her heart ached even more. She held the girl tightly, comforting her constantly, “I’m here, I’m here. Don’t cry, Xiaocheng. I’ve always been by your side. I won’t leave. And besides…

“I’m the one who should apologize.”

Su Tao’s mind flashed back to the misunderstanding in the real world that initially arose because of Ye Liang and Chi Xiaocheng.

She continued, “I shouldn’t have gotten involved with Ye Liang. I shouldn’t have trusted him so easily, leading me to neglect you and let you end up like this.”

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But this comfort didn’t elicit a response from Chi Xiaocheng.

The girl kept crying “I’m sorry” into her ear.

After realizing Su Tao wouldn’t abandon her, the grimy little hand moved from Su Tao’s shoulder, stroking upwards, reaching her chin, and then tracing her cheek.

Tears still hadn’t stopped. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Sister Su Tao… I… I didn’t mean to hurt you. Really, I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean to…

“Please… please don’t throw me away… Wuuuu… please…”

Her voice trembled, and the sensation of the scars under her hand felt so distinct.

Su Tao reached up and grabbed that small hand, her voice suddenly rising a notch. “Xiaocheng!”

Chi Xiaocheng’s body jolted, and she curled up fearfully again.

Su Tao knew Chi Xiaocheng’s emotions had collapsed and she needed a strong reassurance.

This Xiaocheng wasn’t as strong or clever as the one in the real world. Because of that Hei Tao’s interference, this Xiaocheng hadn’t even experienced the growth that her real-world counterpart had.

Her heart aching, Su Tao softened her tone again, “Don’t call me Sister Su Tao anymore. Call me Tao-Tao, okay?”

Su Tao hugged the girl tightly again, one hand stroking the back of her head. She knelt on the ground, her knees aching, but she tried to use her body as support so Chi Xiaocheng could lean more comfortably.

“Xiaocheng, just call me Tao-Tao. Xiaocheng can call me whatever you want. I have never blamed Xiaocheng. I know Xiaocheng must have had your own reasons. Now I’m here with you, so please, stop crying for now, okay?”

Su Tao could tell that Chi Xiaocheng’s voice was already hoarse.

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Blind in both eyes, covered in wounds, it was clear without thinking that she had endured inhuman torture, and her body had reached some kind of limit.

If she kept crying so intensely, in this highly emotional state, the strength that was keeping her going might give out, and she might not be able to recover.

Su Tao tried her best to stay calm, hoping to pass this sense of security to the girl in her arms.

However, her other hand, which was constantly trembling, ultimately revealed that Su Tao’s inner state wasn’t as gentle and steady as her voice suggested.

Still, her words were effective. Chi Xiaocheng’s sobs continued but gradually turned into whimpers.

Still leaning against Su Tao’s chest, she asked weakly in a low voice, “Su… Tao-Tao… Can I really call you that?”

“Of course you can.”

“Then… I hurt you, I caused you pain… you don’t blame me?”

“Since we were little, Xiaocheng has always had her own reasons for doing things, hasn’t she? How could I blame you? I blame myself for not protecting you.”

Yes, she hadn’t protected Xiaocheng.

Not in the past, and not now.

In reality, and in this dream.

Every time, it was because she lacked the ability to protect Xiaocheng that led to her getting hurt again and again!