Big brother had become numb to the pain, but Yuan Luoyi hadn't. She didn't want these wounds to remain on Yuan Ao's body for long, so she was extra careful and gentle when treating them.
Those small wounds had finally stopped bleeding, and they looked much cleaner. Yuan Luoyi bandaged them up.
"Big brother, please don't get injured like this again. Even if you can't feel the pain, wounds are still wounds. They won't just disappear without being treated, and if they accumulate, they might... "
Yuan Luoyi didn't say the word "death". The feeling of those two syllables rolling off her tongue was suffocating and icy cold.
Yuan Ao sensed his sister's unease and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry, you've treated the wounds so well. Maybe I'll be fully healed tomorrow."
"But you'll just end up with new wounds. I can't always be there to treat them for you. You can't keep ignoring your own safety."
"Thank you for worrying about me. Really, it's okay. I'm closing in on that person. Soon, it will all be over, and no one will ever hurt you again. You'll be able to live carefree."
Yuan Luoyi's words stuck in her throat, unable to come out, and she grew sadder.
The first time she time traveled, Yuan Luoyi saw death photos of everyone in the Yuan family. The host explained Yuan Ao's death.
He killed many people and gathered many clues, mobilizing all the Yuan family's resources until he finally found the culprit.
He thought his path of revenge was nearing its end, that he would finally atone to his sister, but in the end, he was killed by the culprit's gun.
In the photo, he looked deathly pale, emaciated, eyes tightly shut, never to awake again.
Yuan Luoyi could never understand why her powerful big brother was killed by the culprit.
The current Yuan Ao had killed everyone in the photos, inching closer to the culprit, which also meant inching closer to death.
After Yuan Ao's death, the Yuan family fell apart completely. The remaining four brothers all embarked on the path of hunting the culprit, dying one by one.
Yuan Luoyi suddenly had a question: "Big brother, where are the other brothers?"
Yuan Ao replied, "They're all seeking revenge too. Without their help, I couldn't have made such quick progress."
"Yuan Fa is skilled at investigating crime scenes. When he's serious, he's very careful and can notice details others miss."
"Yuan Yong is in charge of hunting down those who flee. He's highly efficient and won't let anyone escape. I have full confidence in him."
"Yuan Si uses his connections to gather a lot of information. His followers are willing to do anything for him. The assassin who came for me today, Yuan Si had warned me about in advance."
"Yuan Rui is still rather young. He thinks we're going about this the wrong way, so he's investigating at hospitals on his own, but he often provides us with useful intelligence too."
Yuan Ao leaned back in his chair, looking somewhat weary. "The culprit is very cunning, covering up all traces very cleanly. Paying people in untraceable virtual currencies, using self-deleting instant messaging to communicate, even using high-tech methods to alter their appearance. But..."
Yuan Ao sat upright and grabbed Yuan Luoyi's small hand, saying earnestly, "I've found this person's flaw. A minute difference in a strand of hair. I'm closing in on them."
Yuan Luoyi observed Yuan Ao's eyes up close. Their shape was beautiful, as deep as the ocean. After big brother broke down, they lost their luster.
Now, Yuan Luoyi could see subtle emotions in Yuan Ao's eyes. His mental state seemed slightly better than before!
This made Yuan Luoyi's heart flutter a little.
If she hadn't time traveled, big brother would have completely fallen apart. But knowing his sister was still alive somewhere and could visit from time to time had clearly invigorated Yuan Ao a bit.
Come to think of it, big brother hadn't really muttered to himself or complained of a headache today.
A thought emerged in Yuan Luoyi's mind. The system imposed many restrictions on her. Whenever she tried to say certain important information, her throat felt constricted, making it impossible to speak.
Last time, when she tried to reveal Zhen Jinjin's identity, she even passed out.
The system didn't allow her to influence the timeline, but now, her actions had undeniably changed Yuan Ao.
Perhaps, if she continued, this world's big brother wouldn't die...
Yuan Luoyi wanted to probe a bit. "Big brother, can I go out later?"
Yuan Ao said, "No."
"Why not?"
"That person isn't dead yet. You can go out after I kill them."
"Can I really go out after that person dies?"
"Yes."
Yuan Ao's gaze didn't change much as he stared intently at Yuan Luoyi, his jet-black eyes flickering with faint light. Like a man dying of thirst in the desert, staring at a mirage of an ocean - illusory, unattainable, yet so desperately wanting to grasp it.
Such a sense of despair made Yuan Luoyi feel that even if the culprit was killed, she wouldn't be able to leave.
After losing his sister once, Yuan Ao's protective instinct had grown too strong. He couldn't bear for her to enter a dangerous environment again.
Yuan Luoyi's gaze swept across the room. The windows were barred with steel rods, and the door had three sturdy locks that even a grown man couldn't break through.
Ever since Yuan Luoyi first time traveled to Yuan Ao's side, he had remodeled the entire room.
She had originally thought this was to prevent the culprit from escaping, but now it seemed it was to prevent her from escaping.
Big brother hadn't gotten better at all...
He was still broken, only putting on a facade of normalcy when facing his sister.
"Big brother, what can make you better?"
Yuan Ao smiled bitterly. "I don't know either. There's probably no way now. Are you afraid of me?"
Yuan Luoyi reached out to hug Yuan Ao, resting her head on his shoulder with reddened eyes. "Not afraid. No matter what you've become, you're still my big brother."
Yuan Ao gently patted her back, just like when they were young and Yuan Luoyi was about to cry - her big brother would pat her like this.
He said, "Thank you for coming to my side. All this time, it seemed like I gave you more, but really, you gave me more."
Yuan Luoyi felt helpless, suffocated by the weight of fate.
But she wouldn't give up, because when she was in the dark, that phone call from her big brother let her know she was loved - how joyful that felt.
The big brother who had once shielded her from wind and rain was now trapped in darkness. How could she bear to leave him out in the rain alone?
