Mu He nodded.
Zhong Mu took a deep breath and continued stitching with her head down. "I know that my condition is a psychological problem, and I also know what the source of my fear is. I used to always avoid facing the source of my panic, but I can't do that now."
His hand holding the thread went from steady to trembling, and then from trembling back to steady, back and forth.
"If I want to protect myself and the doctor in dangerous environments in the future, I must avoid being afraid of non-humanoids. Since I have come to this city where there are no complete humanoids, I have come to a place that can save me."
"Psychological desensitization therapy is about gradually facing the source of your fear, adapting little by little, and gradually increasing the intensity until you can fully accept it."
Zhong Mu raised her eyes to look at Mu He, "With a doctor by my side, I will calm down faster. I think I should try harder for the doctor's sake and stimulate it a few more times. Maybe I can get rid of this problem completely."
After finishing the last stitch on the leg, he turned to look for the tool that had cut the thread, only to find nothing but an axe. So he simply bent down and bit the thread off.
Whether it was Zhong Mu's words or the clear sound of someone biting through the thread on their leg, Mu He's heart, which had been still for a long time, trembled slightly with the taut thread.
Because of the bond to his heart, he seems to be really trying to take responsibility for himself, placing this monster within the scope of his protection.
They are really very innocent.
On the surface, it seems that Mu He easily gave her heart to Zhong Mu, but in reality, it's the opposite.
"There's only one leg left, it'll be sewn up soon." Zhong Mu held up the needle and thread, carefully supporting Mu He's other leg, attaching it to the broken end, and bending over to carefully sew each stitch.
Whenever he felt uncomfortable, he would immediately look up at Mu He. Seeing the unprepared and disheveled appearance of the person in front of him, he would take a breath and continue sewing with his head down.
What would happen to such an easily harmed doctor if he weren't there to protect him?
So let's fight back, work harder, and make ourselves stronger.
Zhong Mu tried her best to encourage herself and sew diligently.
The person in front of him kept stopping and starting, his breathing sometimes rapid and agitated and sometimes steady. Mu He knew that he was trying very hard to overcome his fear.
He unconsciously leaned closer and rested his head on Zhong Mu's shoulder.
Zhong Mu paused, "Doctor, does it hurt a lot?"
Mu He muttered softly, "Maybe... a little."
"Then...then...shall I blow on it for you?" Zhong Mu really didn't know what to do, after all, the painkillers she had snatched weren't working.
"Okay." Mu He's cheerful voice rang out in the dark alley.
Zhong Mu obediently lowered his head and sewed while blowing on the fabric.
Mu He wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but the gentle breath seemed to soothe the pain from her wound.
With each needle insertion, blood would ooze out, wetting Zhong Mu's hands and staining the thread wrapped around his fingers red.
The red thread was sewn into Mu He's wound, stitch by stitch, Zhong Mu's hands burying the crimson thread deep into the crack, where new flesh and blood grew.
After finishing the last stitch, Zhong Mu lowered her head, bit off the thread, and gently smoothed the wound with her fingers.
Two neat, dense red lines stood out starkly against the pale skin. The wounds were torn and swollen, but under the stitches, they healed quickly with a thin layer of skin and flesh.
Zhong Mu carefully tugged at his sleeve to wipe away the excess bloodstains on his leg, then lowered Mu He's rolled-up trouser leg to cover the wound before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
He stopped trembling when he held the needle, but his breathing was still a little unsteady.
"Doctor, it's all done." Zhong Mu said softly, looking down at Mu He who was resting on his shoulder. He noticed that Mu He's long, snow-white hair was disheveled and hanging on the ground, stained with blood, making it frizzy and unclean.
He remembered that doctors didn't like their hair to be messy.
"Doctor, there's still some water. Shall I wash your hair?"
Mu He slowly shook her head, "It's okay, I'm covered in blood anyway, so I don't care about that."
Zhong Mu glanced at Mu He's blood-stained gray-blue robe and frowned. "Indeed..."
Then he helped Mu He's head lean against the wall, picked up the axe and stood up, saying, "I'm going to get the doctor a clean set of clothes. The doctor will wait for me here."
Mu He immediately reached out and grabbed Zhong Mu. His dull and lifeless eyes reflected Zhong Mu's confused expression. He said softly, "Alright, let's stop here. I can handle things myself from now on. Over the years, I've never said that I need a human to take care of me to survive."
Zhong Mu turned around, his face covered in blood, but also full of innocence. "Doesn't the doctor like being taken care of by me?"
Mu He smiled slightly, "I've never really paid attention to many of the injuries on my body. Some of the injuries that were truly fatal to me were born after I let my guard down around people."
He raised his finger and pointed at Zhong Mu, then at himself, "Just like you and me now."
Then Mu He sighed slowly, "After Xiao Si, I swore that I would never let my guard down against humans again, even if they seem very nice."
Zhong Mu looked helpless. "I won't hurt the doctor like they did. I like the doctor very much! The doctor is also very good to me."
"But the people who took my heart all said they liked me a lot, were very grateful to me, and said they wouldn't hurt me." Mu He's words were light and airy. "In my eyes, you are no different from those people."
"...No difference?"
"Um."
In the dim alley, a sliver of light shone down from above the narrow, high walls, reflecting in Mu He's dark pupils like ripples on a deep sea, swaying and wavering.
This was the first time Zhong Mu had seen Mu He's eyes clearly in the light. They weren't dark gray eyes, but rather a deep, dark blue, as profound as the deep sea. However, because they were dim and hidden in the shadows, they were always difficult to see.
But now, he sees it clearly.
The alley was completely silent; the trees were still, and the bell tolled in the evening.
Mu He couldn't see anything, he could only hear Zhong Mu's movements, and the man was so quiet that he couldn't detect any information about him.
After lingering on the filthy Mu He for a long time, Zhong Mu finally sighed heavily, put down his axe, and squatted down in front of Mu He.
A shadow fell, obscuring Mu He's figure. Sensing the change in light and shadow, Mu He shrank back slightly and instinctively raised her hand as if to defend herself.
But the person in front of him simply cupped his face, gently pecked his lips, and then stepped back.
"My feelings for doctors go beyond mere liking; they've blossomed into love..."
"The doctor is trying to get me to say that, isn't he?"
Zhong Mu stared intently at Mu He. Perhaps because he often gave simple answers, the doctor didn't realize that he was actually a very perceptive person.
He had noticed something before.
The doctor said that his binding prop was actually himself, a monster, just like any other monster. So even without removing his heart, he could still be bound. But so many people who betrayed him had all removed the doctor's heart, mistakenly believing that the heart was the prop.
Who misled those players?
The doctor himself said so.
Why do I say that?
They were all testing whether those people would betray them in the face of personal gain.
The doctor claimed that he was harmed after letting his guard down, but that was a lie, because he never let his guard down with anyone.
But the doctor is kind-hearted, truly kind-hearted, and he will still help every player who has had their heart taken away.
What Zhong Mu likes is this kind-hearted yet cautious conman.