The spirit had quieted.
The whispering had stopped.
But peace didn't return.
Not really.
Fu Yunshen stayed the night—not by request, not by rule—but by instinct.
Neither of them said it aloud, but they both knew:
Something had shifted.
Not just in the wall.
In her.
Shi Mu sat by the window, knees drawn up, a blanket over her shoulders. She stared at the tree just beyond the dormitory glass, its branches still in the windless dark.
No movement.
No rustle.
The world was too still.
As if something was holding its breath.
Behind her, Fu Yunshen sat on the edge of her bed, arms crossed, watching her in the dim lamplight.
"You should try to sleep," he said.
"So should you."
"I'll rest when you do."
She glanced back at him, eyes tired but sharp.
"I'm fine."
"You're not."
The system chimed quietly in her mind:
[System Warning: Host vitals elevated – sleep deprivation detected][Recommended Action: Enter restorative state]
She dismissed it.
Then whispered, "What if she's not gone?"
Fu Yunshen understood immediately.
"Lu Feng?"
"She said she waited. She didn't say she was done waiting."
He stood and walked over, kneeling beside her chair.
"If she stayed this long," he said softly, "then she's used to being ignored."
"Then why is she only acting now?"
"Because something reminded her."
Shi Mu exhaled. "Me."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Fu Yunshen added, "We'll figure it out."
"How?"
"Together."
She met his gaze.
There was no hesitation in it.
No cracks.
No half-truths.
Just him—solid and steady in the middle of all her shifting pieces.
She blinked slowly. "Why do you keep helping me?"
His voice was quiet. "Because I don't know how not to."
[System Notification]
Emotional Anchor Strengthened – Verbal Loyalty Confirmed
Brotherhood Value +80 (Mutual Emotional Recognition + Protective Instincts)
Current Total: 2,505 / 1,000,000
That night, she didn't sleep.
Not really.
But she rested.
For the first time in weeks, her body allowed stillness.
Because someone else was awake beside her.
Holding the weight of silence…
so she wouldn't have to.