I tried to piece everything together with a reason that wasn't so far-fetched, trying to link it all into some sort of explanation.
The deeper I thought, the more my head slipped into a strange kind of trance, and I wasn't even sure what I was thinking anymore.
To put it simply… I was spacing out.
It wasn't until the muffled sobs of Xiao Hu in my arms broke the silence that my mind finally snapped back.
I froze for a moment before remembering to look down—his eyes were still shut tight, but tears streamed endlessly from the corners.
I had no idea how long I'd been lost in thought, but his temples were already soaked through with his tears.
Xiao Hu wasn't much older than Tingyun.
Maybe because of long-term malnutrition, though he looked round-faced and sturdy, there wasn't much flesh on his body at all.
Holding him in my arms, I could even feel the sharpness of his bones pressing against me.
I freed one hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of his eyes.
Staring at his small face, I suddenly thought of Brother Qian and Sister Qian who were already gone.
My chest tightened painfully.
Looking at Xiao Hu whimpering with his eyes closed, my heart ached unbearably.
Just a few hours ago, he had still been a little boy loved dearly by his parents and grandparents.
And now, in such a short time… he had been cast into this cold, heartless place.
Even in the past, orphans without parents lived bitter, miserable lives.
How much worse would it be in today's world?
Without his parents' protection, how could a child like him… possibly survive?
I hugged Xiao Hu tighter and pressed my face against his small head.
Maybe he was too tired from crying, or maybe my sudden closeness startled him—either way, his sobbing softened.
Looking out at the people outside the glass room, I let out a bitter laugh.
At this moment, both of us, along with the two others nearby, had already become nothing more than lab rats.
Whether we'd ever have a chance to leave here was still unknown.
And yet here I was, already worrying about Xiao Hu's future.
Some time passed, and the people outside rotated shifts.
Someone delivered food to us, slipping it through a small hatch in the glass door: one bottle of water and two pieces of bread.
When I bent down to pick up the bread that had fallen to the floor, my nose stung and I nearly burst into tears.
Looking at the bread and water in my hands, I felt unbearably wronged.
Back then, one of the reasons I risked everything to escape from Li Jianguo and the others was because I couldn't stand the feeling of being treated like livestock.
Yet now… I had fallen back into the same fate.
I opened the bottle of water and held it to Xiao Hu's mouth, letting him drink.
The child must have been truly thirsty—he gulped down nearly half the bottle before gasping for air and finally stopping.
I looked at his swollen, tear-streaked eyes and didn't want my own negativity to weigh on him.
Forcing my expression to soften, I asked gently, "Xiao Hu, are you hungry? Come on, let's eat some bread."
At my words, Xiao Hu looked at me, whimpered twice, then with a sobbing voice, asked quietly, "Where are my mom and dad?"
I sniffled, my throat tightening with a sour ache.
I didn't answer his question.
Instead, I tore off a piece of bread and fed it to him.
He was obedient—though still hiccuping with sobs, he opened his mouth and ate it.
Piece by piece, I fed him the whole bread with water.
Exhausted from crying, Xiao Hu slumped in my arms, staring blankly without moving.
I wasn't very hungry, so after drinking the rest of the water in one go, I just set the second piece of bread aside.
"Big Sister, where are my mom and dad?" Just as I put the bottle down, Xiao Hu, who had been quiet until now, suddenly asked again.
I glanced at him, tossed the empty bottle aside, cleared my throat, and replied, "You're hurt, so you have to stay here to see the doctor. Your mom and dad are busy working in the fields, so they don't have time to come. But once your hand gets better in a few days, we'll go out and see them."
At my words, Xiao Hu shifted slightly, then after a while, lifted his injured hand in front of me.
His voice choked as he said, "Big Sister, this was bitten by my dad. It really hurts. I wasn't even being naughty… why did Dad bite me?"
I stroked Xiao Hu's face, let out a bitter laugh, and said, "Your dad's a bad guy. Once we get out, we'll let your mom give him a good scolding."
"But…" Xiao Hu started crying again.
"Dad bit Mom too. She was bleeding. I saw it with my own eyes."
"No, no, you were mistaken. That was just a dream, you understand?"
I pulled him tightly into my arms, sniffled hard against the ache in my nose, and said, "Sometimes when people dream, they wake up and can't tell what's real and what's not. You just had a nightmare. In the dream, Dad bit Mom—but in reality, that never happened."
I had no idea if Xiao Hu could really understand what I was saying.
I just blurted out whatever came to mind.
"Then… are Mom and Dad really waiting for me outside?"
"Of course. You're their treasure, and they miss you very much. Your dad even said that when you get out, he'll let you ride a big horse."
"Really?" Xiao Hu lifted his head to look at me, a spark of expectation lighting up his tear-streaked face.
"Of course it's true. Big Sister would never lie to you."
I reached out to wipe his cheeks clean of tears and continued, "So you have to cooperate with the doctors. That way, you'll get better sooner, and then you can go see Mom and Dad, okay?"
"Mhm!" Xiao Hu nodded vigorously.
Then his eyes spun in thought, and after hesitating, he asked, "Big Sister… are you sick too?"
I froze for a moment, then quickly understood, and with a faint smile, I patted his head.
"That's right, Big Sister is… sick too."
"Then when we both get better, we'll go out together. I'll ask my mom to make something delicious for both of us."
"Alright… Big Sister will look forward to enjoying Xiao Hu's treats."
"Hee hee hee." Hearing that, Xiao Hu immediately broke into a happy laugh.
But after a moment, his injured hand must have started hurting again—his little brows knitted tightly.
"Here, let Big Sister blow on it. Blowing makes the pain go away."
I gently lifted his hand and blew on it twice, then asked, "See? Doesn't it hurt anymore?"
Xiao Hu glanced at me and said, "It still hurts a lot."
At that, my face darkened.
I stared at him for a moment.
This little brat—so unlovable!
The next two days, Xiao Hu and I stayed locked inside the glass room.
Apart from the people who came to deliver meals, no one paid us any attention.
In the corner of the room there was a small curtain, and behind it was a squat toilet—that's where we handled everything.
Inside the room, it was impossible to tell day from night.
The lights stayed on twenty-four hours a day.
I could only guess at the passing of time by the rhythm of my hunger and my sleep.
I originally thought Xiao Hu and I would be completely ignored by everyone else, but on the third day, the two people in the neighboring glass room were taken into a small room in the corner of the hall.
They were inside for several hours before finally being brought back out.
When they came out, they looked like they had lost all strength in their bodies—they were carried back and thrown into their glass rooms.
For a long while, they just lay on the floor, motionless.
Xiao Hu didn't really understand what was happening.
He just sat beside me, tugging on my fingers and humming some strange nursery rhymes.
I, however, couldn't stay as relaxed as him.
Watching those two people in the neighboring glass rooms, my nerves tightened more and more.
Sure enough, the next turn was ours.
The moment I realized the glass door was opening, Xiao Hu and I had just fallen asleep.
Judging by the timing, it must have been the middle of the night.
The two people who came in were wearing gas masks and protective suits.
Seeing us wake up, they barked coldly, "Out."
Xiao Hu got scared, and I held him in my arms.
But one of the men in the gas mask impatiently yanked me to the ground.
Before Xiao Hu could even cry out, the two of them dragged me out of the glass room.
With a heavy bang, the glass door slammed shut behind me.
I quickly looked back—Xiao Hu was pressed against the glass, shouting nonstop.
By the shape of his mouth, I could tell he was calling, "Big Sister!"
The two men were incredibly strong.
They didn't give me the chance to walk on my own, instead dragging me across the floor.
Looking at them, and at the white coats nearby staring at me with blank expressions, a wave of dread finally surged over me, swallowing me whole.
It was clear they were going to drag me into the same room where the two people next door had been taken.
I'd watched their condition after they came out for an entire afternoon.
Now, realizing they were taking me there too, I immediately panicked and instinctively began struggling desperately to break free.
But the difference in strength was too great—my resistance was completely useless.
The moment they shoved me into that room, my mind went utterly blank.
Inside were three people: an old man, a middle-aged woman, and a young woman.
When they saw me being brought in, none of them showed any expression.
They pointed at a cylindrical glass container and said to the two dragging me, "Put her inside."
Soon enough, I was shoved into that container.
It was narrow—just enough space for me to stand, my body pressed tightly against the walls.
At least it was tall enough to let me stand upright.
Once the two men stepped back, terror surged through me.
I stared at the old man with all the strength I had, convinced he must be the leader here.
Each of the three held a thick notebook.
After whispering a few words to one another, the old man pulled a large square object from his pocket.
On closer look, it seemed to be some sort of remote control.
The two men who had dragged me inside stepped up beside the cylinder I was trapped in.
Then the old man pressed something on the remote.
I saw a glass door between them and me slowly close from both sides, separating us into two different spaces.
My body was plastered against the inside of the glass cylinder, unable to move.
Staring at the two well-equipped figures beside me, and at the three expressionless people on the other side of the glass, I felt a kind of fear I had never experienced before.
It was a terror of the unknown that seeped out from my very bones.
I could feel every muscle in my body trembling uncontrollably.
And then—the old man suddenly pressed the remote control aimed at my cylinder.
Before I could even react, a violent numbness spread through my entire body…
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