Cocoon (Lily ABO) - Chapter 20

Han Jingman went to the bathroom for a basin of warm water and returned to the room to wipe down Ling Yu’s body bit by bit. The girl was drenched in sweat—her forehead, her nose, and even her temples were wet.

Treating Ling Yu as if she were still that little child from years ago, Han Jingman pretended to be unfazed as she unbuttoned Ling Yu’s top, revealing a patch of fair, smooth skin. Han Jingman didn’t dare let her gaze wander; she quickly gave her a general wipe-down and dressed her in a soft, comfortable nightgown. She then let Ling Yu drift back into a deep sleep while she went to the kitchen to boil some water.

Ling Yu’s sleep was far from peaceful. Her head ached, her teeth ached, her throat ached, and every joint in her body was throbbing. She tossed and turned on Han Jingman’s large bed, frowning, gasping, and struggling through a very long dream.

In the dream, she saw her mother and father playing a puzzle with her one moment, then standing side-by-side in that long, dark hospital corridor the next. She saw her kind grandmother looking through a photo album with her, but in the next second, Grandma was lying on a hospital bed with a ventilator. Ling Yu was crouching alone outside the ward, weeping, when Han Jingman finally appeared. She held her and gently told her not to cry, but in the next scene, Han Jingman was holding Chen Yiwei’s hand and telling her she was getting married…

When Han Jingman returned with fever reducers and a glass of water, she found Ling Yu with her hands over her heart, crying as if her soul were breaking.

Han Jingman hurried over to wake her, sitting on the edge of the bed and propping her up while wiping away her tears. Ling Yu woke up with a face full of tears, leaning into Han Jingman’s embrace without knowing where she was. She only felt a pair of hands gently patting her back, offering a temporary reprieve from her grief.

Seeing the girl lying quietly in her arms without a fuss, Han Jingman began to coax her softly. “Ling Yu, let’s take some medicine, okay? You can sleep after you take it.” The glass contained light salt water; Han Jingman had added a few grains of salt because she saw how much Ling Yu had sweated.

The lukewarm water felt comfortable in her mouth, and Ling Yu drank half the glass meant for the medicine. Han Jingman counted out a few pills and brought them to Ling Yu’s lips. The bitter scent of the coating made Ling Yu instinctively turn her head away. Han Jingman had to use her fingertips to gently touch Ling Yu’s lips, signaling her to open up.

As the cool fingertips touched those parched, burning lips, Ling Yu instinctively darted her tongue out to lick them. The slippery sensation across Han Jingman’s fingertips startled her so much she nearly dropped the medicine.

Finally, she managed to feed her the pills. Han Jingman brought the glass back to Ling Yu’s mouth for a swallow of water. Ling Yu held the bitter tablets in her mouth, her tongue resisting, when she was suddenly fed a mouthful of water. Her swollen, aching throat hadn’t yet adapted to swallowing anything but liquids. The water went down, but the pills got stuck. “Cough, cough! Ugh—” Ling Yu choked until tears came out, her eyes squeezed shut as the coughing caused a rhythmic throb in her temples.

Seeing her choke, Han Jingman felt both pained and helpless. She stroked Ling Yu’s back to help her catch her breath while trying to get her to take another sip of water to wash the pills down. After a fair amount of tossing and turning, Ling Yu finally finished the medicine and lay down. It wasn’t until she fell back asleep that Han Jingman realized she herself was covered in sweat.

She found the thermometer and checked Ling Yu’s temperature: 39.3°C. It was indeed a high fever. Han Jingman looked at the sleeping Ling Yu with a complex expression; it was a miracle this fool had managed to stay in the lab all day. Anyone else would have collapsed long ago.

Seeing Ling Yu sleeping somewhat steadily now, Han Jingman felt safe enough to go to the bathroom for a shower. However, when she came out, she found Ling Yu clutching the corner of the duvet and sobbing again, her face flushed deep red and her body shivering in fits.

How could Han Jingman bear to see this? She lifted the covers and climbed in, embracing Ling Yu from behind and stroking her head to comfort her. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. It’s just a dream, it’s not real…”

The moment Han Jingman appeared, her soft voice was like a cool spring flowing over a parched heart. Ling Yu burrowed into her embrace, the warm, soft scent enticing her to press closer, like an insecure infant craving a mother’s arms.

Han Jingman’s face grew hot as she realized the danger of her own thoughts—how had she cast herself in the role of Ling Yu’s mother? She looked down and studied Ling Yu’s refined features. The face that once had a bit of cute baby fat had now fully matured, the shadows of her thick lashes falling across her elegant nose. Han Jingman instinctively traced the clear contours of Ling Yu’s face with her finger, thinking to herself that the child she raised had truly grown up to be beautiful. She had such a lovely, non-threatening face, yet her personality was so stubborn. She wondered who she took after.

Han Jingman had never met Ling Yu’s parents. When Ling Yu’s grandmother moved across the hall with her, Ling Yu was only four years old and her parents weren’t with them. Han Jingman remembered coming home from school and seeing a little girl dressed in all-white standing next to several large boxes downstairs.

While Ling Yu’s grandmother was upstairs discussing furniture placement with the workers, Ling Yu stood alone, obediently clutching a teddy bear and watching the luggage. Han Jingman realized immediately that this was their new neighbor. Having always been surrounded by peers and having no siblings of her own, the sudden appearance of this “carved-from-jade” child in her life sparked a sense of closeness. Han Jingman, usually calm and quiet, pulled a fruit-flavored lollipop from her pocket, leaned in toward Ling Yu, and asked, “Little sister, what’s your name?”

Ling Yu, who had been struggling to stay alert while waiting, was startled and nearly fell over. Han Jingman caught her quickly, blaming herself for being so reckless with such a fragile child. Once steadied, Ling Yu looked up to see the gentle, long-haired Han Jingman smiling at her. Her bright eyes blinked a few times before she stammered, “I… my name is Ling Yu. Hello, Sister~”

So cute.

It felt as if a firework had gone off in Han Jingman’s heart. It took a great deal of effort for her not to pull the sweet-voiced Ling Yu into her arms and squeeze her.

Han Jingman handed her the lollipop. “Are you helping your mommy and daddy watch the bags? That’s amazing. Here, Sister will give you some candy, okay?”

To her surprise, the child didn’t reach for it. She just lowered her small face and declined. “Thank you, Sister, but Grandma taught Xiao Yu not to take things from strangers.”

Well, the education was successful, Han Jingman thought, noticing the girl’s eyes still wandering toward the candy. Pure duplicity.

The corners of Han Jingman’s mouth curved. She tucked the candy into Ling Yu’s hand. “It’s okay. Sister lives right across from you. Our parents will meet in a moment. Consider this a greeting gift from me.”

But even with the candy, Ling Yu didn’t seem happy. She pouted, her voice soft and trembling with a sob. “I don’t have a mommy and daddy.” As soon as the words were out, as if she had touched a raw nerve, Ling Yu burst into a loud cry. Tears fell like broken strings. A panicked Han Jingman tried to wipe them away, but Ling Yu only cried harder, eventually alerting the adults upstairs.

In the end, an exhausted Ling Yu fell asleep on her grandmother’s shoulder as she was carried upstairs, still clutching the lollipop Han Jingman had given her. A guilt-ridden Han Jingman was led home by her own parents. Only later did she learn that Ling Yu’s parents had passed away in a landslide during a photography trip a year prior; she lived alone with her grandmother.

Han Jingman came from a happy family with loving parents who doted on her. Knowing Ling Yu had no parents left her with nothing but heartache and pity. She made a silent vow to take care of the little neighbor and never let her cry.

So, have I broken my promise now?

Han Jingman wiped away a stray tear from the corner of Ling Yu’s eye and pinched the girl’s nose. You little rascal.

Ling Yu dreamed of her mother for the first time in a long while. She had been too young when her parents died to even remember their faces clearly. But in this dream, her mother’s face grew distinct. She was sitting in a large living room looking through her developed photos; she pulled Ling Yu onto her lap and taught her to recognize grand mountains and gentle rivers. Ling Yu felt drowsy, thinking only that her mother’s voice was beautiful. She was on the verge of drifting off.

Then, her mother stood up to pour her a glass of milk. Just as Ling Yu was about to take the glass, her mother’s hand pulled back. With every step Ling Yu took, her mother took a step back. Anxious, Ling Yu called out for her mother and lunged forward, but only managed to catch her mother’s calf. Ling Yu clung to her like a koala, her hands tightly gripping the pant legs.

Han Jingman looked on in shock as Ling Yu suddenly lunged forward and pinned her down. The girl began pulling at her bathrobe with such force that the view beneath her collarbone was nearly exposed. Ling Yu remained pressed against her, rubbing restlessly.

Han Jingman’s face turned a deep red. She called Ling Yu’s name, trying to push her off, but the harder she tried, the tighter Ling Yu clung. Ling Yu even hooked a leg between Han Jingman’s thighs. Finally, the collar of the bathrobe was pulled completely open, revealing her full, glowing breasts.

Ling Yu kicked against her mother’s legs, straining to reach the milk glass being held aloft. Finally, her mother lowered her and brought the glass to her lips. She opened her mouth and greedily took a large gulp.

Pinning her down in the throes of a nightmare, Ling Yu was far stronger than Han Jingman expected; she couldn’t break free. She watched as the delirious Ling Yu mumbled incoherent words like “Mommy… milk…” and then opened her mouth to latch unerringly onto a bud on Han Jingman’s chest.

“Ah!”

The cool nipple was instantly enveloped by warmth and moisture. Han Jingman cried out, pushing Ling Yu’s head away with force. She scrambled to pull her bathrobe together, barely covering the vivid scene at her chest.

Ling Yu had only managed one gulp of milk before her mother raised the glass high again. She was too short to reach it and began to wail in frustration.

Han Jingman had just finished fixing her clothes when she heard Ling Yu whimpering in distress. The girl’s body tensed, her legs kicking restlessly, one knee pressing hard against Han Jingman’s core, making her own body go weak.

Unable to reach the glass and having slid off her mother’s lap, Ling Yu was frantic. Her mother backed away bit by bit with the milk. Ling Yu reached out, unable to hold her, and began to cry helplessly.

Han Jingman suddenly felt a cold wetness on her neck. Looking down, she realized Ling Yu was weeping again, her jaw set as she cried “Mommy” through her sobs. Han Jingman didn’t know what to do, assuming Ling Yu was dreaming of her mother’s death again. Seeing Ling Yu refusing to leave her chest, she gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and took two deep breaths. Finally, with trembling hands, she undid the bathrobe she had just fixed and, with a flushed face, brought her red, lovely nipple to Ling Yu’s mouth.

The mother had returned with the glass. She didn’t just feed her the milk; she placed the glass directly into Ling Yu’s hands. Ling Yu stopped her tears, sobbing as she latched onto the rim and began to drink in small, rhythmic gulps. She held the “glass” with both hands, refusing to let go, afraid that her mother would vanish with the milk again the moment she relaxed.

Blushing furiously, Han Jingman resigned herself to letting Ling Yu’s hand knead her breast while the girl earnestly suckled the firm nipple. The person eating happily finally stopped crying, only letting out an occasional whimper between gulps of milk.

Ling Yu’s burning tongue ground against the fragile nipple, her teeth occasionally nipping the flesh without realizing the force, leaving shallow red tooth marks on the fair, full skin. She even made small smacking sounds as she drank, seemingly complaining that after so much effort, no milk was flowing out.

Whenever Han Jingman felt a sting of pain from a bite, she would withdraw the ravaged nipples, only to be forced to offer the other side’s refreshed flesh to the girl.

And so, Han Jingman, powerless to resist, was pinned beneath Ling Yu all night, letting her “consume” her at will.