DC Chapter 31 – Out from the Bath

TL: Hello! Tapioca here :) I’ll be helping with the translation of ‘Don’t Cry’ from now on. If you find any errors or have any feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below!

Fun fact: The last 2 lines in this chapter were later censored removed by the author.

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At six o’clock in the evening, Tang Ran finished her dinner and the servants from the main residence cleared away the plates. The side residence quietened down and she was left alone once again.

The young girl sat by herself for a while, then laid her head and arms on the square dining table and waited for the sky to get dark.

It wasn’t entirely accurate to say she waited for the sky to get dark. Because in Tang Ran’s world, the sky had always been dark. It was difficult for blind people to accurately judge specific celestial phenomena and determine the corresponding time, so Tang Ran relied mostly on other objects.

For example, there was currently a small pendulum clock on the square table where she was lying.

This small pendulum clock was specially bought by Yang Yilan for Tang Ran. It was similar to the old-fashioned pendulum clocks from the past. At the full hours, it would sound the corresponding number of long bell chimes, and at the half hours, it would only chime briefly.

With this clock, Tang Ran could better estimate the time. During the day, there were specialized tutors to teach Tang Ran various subjects in Braille. It lasted from morning till dinner time. To learn the same content as ordinary people, the amount of time that blind people had to spend was many times or even ten times of what normal people spent.

Fortunately, Tang Ran was studious and intelligent. More importantly, she was focused and dedicated, so she could maintain a pace similar to or even ahead of her ordinary peers in various subjects.

The last tutor would leave before dinner time.

The dinner from the main residence was usually delivered between six o’clock and six thirty. Tang Ran ate rather slowly. The young girl nestled at the corner of the table could eat quietly and slowly for half an hour, quietly bulging her cheeks, all without making a sound.

Yang Yilan once joked that when Tang Ran ate, she always looked like a little hamster, and it made people want to poke her cheeks.

After that, between seven and eight o’clock, the cargo truck carrying the robot from INT Laboratory would arrive.

During this period, Tang Ran didn’t go anywhere. She just lay on the square dining table, listening to the ticking of the second hand on the small pendulum clock.

While listening to the ticking sound, Tang Ran would think about what topic she wanted to talk about with “Luoluo” that night.

She had just begun thinking about tonight’s topic when Tang Ran heard the sound of knocking from the residence entrance.

The young girl lying on the table was stunned for a moment before suddenly sitting up. In the darkness, she vaguely recalled – indeed, it had only been a few minutes since seven o’clock.

Why did the store manager and his team arrive so early today?

Despite her confusion, Tang Ran still groped to find the remote control button device under the table. The store manager had just installed it for her last week. He said it was a new invention that Luo Zhan came up with when he was idle and bored in the lab. After installing a small device onto the door latch, she could remotely control the door latch.

However, Tang Ran didn’t understand; Tan Yunchang clearly said those words himself, but before leaving that day, he quietly sneaked over and told her that the remote control was actually developed and tested by Luo Zhan who had stayed up late for several consecutive nights, but Young Master Luo refused to let him tell the truth.

Tang Ran pressed the button. With a slight click from the direction of the entrance, the door opened.

Tan Yunchang greeted her and pushed the mechanical box in with Lin Qianhua.

Tang Ran groped the corner of the table and slowly got up. Curious, she asked, “Store Manager, you’re really early today. Is something the matter?”

Tan Yunchang laughed and said, “Yes, I have some good news to report to you!”

“Good news?” asked Tang Ran.

“Luo Zhan has already managed to contact one of the country’s most renowned doctors in ophthalmology surgery. Tomorrow happens to be Saturday, and you don’t need to attend classes at home. We will pick you up in the morning and take you there for an examination,” replied Tan Yunchang.

Tang Ran stood stunned without moving.

Tan Yunchang didn’t realize it and continued excitedly, “If the examination goes smoothly, it won’t be long before you can receive treatment and prepare for the surgery!”

“……”

There was silence for a while.

Tan Yunchang originally thought the young girl was too surprised to react, but after waiting for a while, Tang Ran softly asked, “It was Luo Zhan who contacted him?”

“That’s right.”

“Did he come today?”

“…No,” Tan Yunchang gave a guilty glance at the quiet mechanical box. “Luo Zhan has been busy lately. And you know – he’s so unhappy with the engagement arranged by his grandfather, how could he possibly step through the gates of the Tang family?”

After a few seconds of silence, the girl slowly nodded, “Thank you, Store Manager. But I’ll need to trouble you to help me reply to him, that the cost of eye surgery and post-op recovery treatment can be hundreds of thousands or even millions, and in situations like mine, even after surgery the probability of recovery is very low…”

A hint of gloominess appeared on the girl’s eyebrows.

Quickly, she looked up again and smiled lightly, “I am already very grateful for the bionic robot. I’ve long given up on the issue of my eyes, it’s better not to trouble him.”

Tan Yunchang clearly did not anticipate such an answer and was at a loss for a moment. Just as he was struggling with how to persuade her, the phone in his pocket vibrated.

Tan Yunchang took it out and saw the sender of the message. He subconsciously glanced at the mechanical box, then lowered his head to read the message.

After reading it, Tan Yunchang breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Tang Ran, saying, “Little Sister Tang, I don’t have the right to decide on this matter. If you really don’t want to do the surgery, it’s okay. Tomorrow, when we pick you up to go to the lab, you can just tell Luo Zhan.”

Tang Ran hesitated, “He…”

Tan Yunchang thought about it and added, “After all, Luo Zhan spent a lot of time and energy trying to contact this ophthalmologist. If you don’t even go for the examination, all his effort would have gone to waste.”

Upon hearing Tan Yunchang say this, if Tang Ran refused again it would seem too heartless. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly nodded, “I will go for the examination. Store Manager, please help me thank Luo Zhan… Will you be coming tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right.” Tan Yunchang breathed a sigh of relief when Tang Ran agreed. “Tomorrow morning, around eight o’clock. Because it’s quite far from the doctor’s place, we might get delayed along the way, so we need to set off early.”

“Okay.”

“Then we’ll go first,” said Tan Yunchang. “Let your ‘robot’ accompany you.”

“……”

At the mention of “Luoluo”, a small tender smile appeared on the girl’s face.

She answered softly, “Okay.”

After Tan Yunchang and Lin Qianhua left, the side residence became quiet again.

Tang Ran stood alone in the darkness for a while, hesitantly estimating the time. She whispered to herself, “Luoluo probably needs a while more before he can come out. If I need to wake up early tomorrow, I should go to bed earlier tonight…”

Muttering something under her breath, the girl turned around and slowly walked towards her room in the house that had gradually become more familiar.

After about ten minutes, the door of the mechanical box opened. Out of it walked a boy dressed in a white shirt and jeans, and wearing white sneakers.

He swept his gaze across the room and found nothing.

Luo Zhan did not expect this. He raised his eyebrows.

Usually, every time he came out of the mechanical box, he would see Tang Ran lying obediently on the square table. Several times, she had even fallen asleep.

This was the first time that the “robot” came out of the mechanical box and encountered empty air.

Luo Zhan walked further into the house.

Only when he reached the half-opened bedroom door did Luo Zhan finally hear some movement. He stopped and wanted to identify the sound, but the sound disappeared again.

Luo Zhan stood in place for a few seconds. He tentatively opened his mouth.

A mechanical voice whispered in the hallway, “…Master?”

Silence. There was no response.

Luo Zhan suddenly frowned. He no longer hesitated, pushed the half-opened door in front of him, and strode into the room—

Then he froze.

A few seconds later, Luo Zhan found it difficult to look back.

At his side, a few steps away, there was a warm light shining in the bathroom.

The bathroom in the side residence had a half-frosted glass door. Only the middle section was frosted. The upper and lower sections were both transparent. Condensed drops of water hung on the transparent part of the glass door, dazzlingly bright under the light.

Beyond the door, there was still a faint mist rising under the light.

Luo Zhan remained frozen in place, motionless.

Now he knew what the young girl was doing – she had been talking about getting up early the next morning; turns out Tang Ran had brought forward her bath routine that was previously scheduled after INT Laboratory picked up the “robot”.

Unfortunately, now should be the time when she had just finished bathing and was getting ready to come out.

Young Master Luo’s exceptionally intelligent mind was now completely blank. He remained frozen in place for an unknown period of time before he finally snapped out of it, clenched his fists, turned his body and walked out the door.

But just as he took the first step out, he saw out of the corner of his eye, at the lower transparent part of the glass door, a section of lotus-white calves appeared, accompanied by the light sound of water.

The next second, the frosted glass door was gently pushed open from the inside. A girl wrapped in a bath towel came out with her eyes closed.

The first thing that entered Luo Zhan’s vision was the two fair and delicate calves under the bath towel. After coming out from the bath, the skin had absorbed enough moisture and appeared even more tender under the light, as if it could be broken by just a blow of air.

Further up, the light blue velvet bath towel was wrapped around the girl’s body. One could only faintly see under the soft bath towel, the curves of her slightly raised breasts and slender waist.

Above, the girl’s eyes were closed, and her eyelashes trembled lightly with her movements. Her face, which had been made more gorgeous by the steam, was no longer the usual pale color, but had an added delicate pink blush.

Her long wet hair draped down to her delicate neck. Water droplets rolled down the jet black hair and converged into a shallow pool at her clavicle.

A bright sparkling pool.

Luo Zhan looked for a few seconds before waking up from his daze, then averted his eyes with difficulty and panic.

Standing stiffly, the “robot’s” Adam’s apple rolled down lightly.

Luo Zhan suddenly felt like he was…

Extremely thirsty.

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