Think a title for As the little mute slept soundly, Joseph found himself unwilling to disturb her slumber. He felt a strange tenderness towards her that he couldn't quite explain.

His phone kept buzzing, but he ignored it, not wanting to break the peaceful silence of the room. Eventually, the ringing stopped.

He looked at her, noticing the warmth emanating from her soft fur. It reminded him of William's comment about feeling like a father towards her, and he couldn't help but smile at the thought.

After a while, he drifted off to sleep. But he was soon awakened by a persistent knocking at the door. It was Karen, the sight of whom irritated him greatly.

Joseph sat there, bored and uninterested in the little mute's interactions with Karen. Finally, he received a call from the dean, prompting him to wake the little mute to apply her medicine.

He nudged her a few times, but she barely stirred. So he resorted to pulling her up by her arm. She opened her eyes, but quickly fell back to sleep again.

In a moment of teasing, he leaned in close to her ear and threatened to kiss her if she didn't wake up. This jolted her into alertness, and she pushed him away before stumbling out of bed and falling to the ground.

He grinned at her as she got up with a bruised forehead. "You're quite ridiculous," he remarked before helping her back to bed.
Upon meeting her cautious gaze, Joseph's mood soured. "Come here," he commanded.

She clutched her injured arm and retreated to the corner, but her glare remained fixed on him, filled with hatred. Joseph couldn't help but recall the night she had bitten Isabella, how she had looked at herself with the same loathing in her eyes.

Joseph was a superstar, adored by countless women of all ages. But in that moment, he couldn't help but feel bitter and resentful. He had sacrificed his time to stay by her side all night, and this was how she repaid him. He walked towards her on his long legs, his face drawn into a thin smile. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Rose's mind was ravaged by memories of Japan. She didn't even realize at first that she was mute, but the truth cut deep. If only she weren't mute, her brother might accept her. As a result, she despised everyone around her, Joseph included.

"I hate you!" she exclaimed, her lips quivering in anger.

Joseph paused, startled by her words. He took a moment to realize that she was actually directing her loathing inward.

Now he was furious too. He had shown her nothing but kindness, yet she retaliated by glaring at him and sneering. "Who do you hate?" he growled, his intimidating aura permeating the still night air. Rose couldn't help but flinch, realizing the gravity of what she had said. She shrank away and refused to meet his gaze.

Joseph knew that Rose had always struggled with self-loathing. Hearing her say it out loud simply added fuel to his own simmering anger.

"You hate me, don't you?" he asked her derisively.

Rose retreated further into herself, huddling in the corner. This only fueled Joseph's rage further. He searched for her phone, but it was nowhere to be found. Instead, he noticed a piece of paper on the table, filled with Japanese characters.

Rose clung to the windowsill, terrified but anxious to lash out at him once more. Joseph felt a surge of anger, and he forcefully pulled her from the windowsill and dragged her to the desk. Rose tried to bite him again, but he shouted her down.

"What do you hate about me?" he demanded.

Rose shook her head in terror, unable to put words to her emotions. Joseph's anger grew even hotter, and he pointed forcefully at the paper and pen on the desk.

"Write!" he ordered.

Rose was too frightened to even attempt it. She shook her head and tried to dodge away. She'd already begun to cry once more, her shoulders heaving with sobs.

Joseph's wrath remained unabated. In his mind, Rose was the last person who had any right to resent him. She was ungrateful and selfish, lashing out at him when he had shown her nothing but support. He felt that she was using him as an outlet for all the frustrations she'd suffered in Japan.

They were locked in a tense standoff, until Joseph took hold of her shoulders and forced her to face him. Rose was crying openly, a pitiful and helpless sight. Joseph knew what thoughts were going through her head, and he felt a measure of his kindness towards her slip away.

"You think that your being mute is the Jones family's fault, don't you?" he asked pointedly. "You think if you could speak, your brother would love you."
He commented that she cried even harder, gasping for air as she revealed her innermost thoughts.

"If it weren't for my family taking you in for five years, you would have died on the streets. And now, after everything we've done for you, you act like this? Auntie is right, no matter how much we do for you, you're still ungrateful. You're nothing more than a white-eyed wolf."

Tears streamed down her face, and Joseph smirked. "Who are you crying for? Your brother isn't here, and no one will comfort you."

Her sobs only agitated him further. He wished she would just stop crying and be stronger. He saw her as nothing more than a hateful and weak burden, with no human emotions towards her. He was exhausted dealing with such a mute girl.

If he stayed any longer, he knew he would be crueler. Joseph left with a swift motion, only to be stopped by her frantic grip on his sleeve. He glared at her coldly.

Through her tears, she managed to stammer out a few words. Despite knowing she was apologizing, Joseph didn't feel any better.

Thinking he wouldn't understand her words, Rose quickly wrote "I'm sorry" on a blank sheet of paper. But Joseph had already left, not even sparing a glance back.

Rose stood there, scared and sad, unsure of what to do. She even questioned whether or not Joseph was right about her being heartless, making her a target of everyone's hatred.

Joseph drove away in his car, feeling his anger build until he couldn't take it anymore. He drove down the highway, the cold wind blowing through his lowered window until after an hour, he managed to calm himself down.

He felt guilty thinking about the little mute girl crying like that. He regretted his outburst and berated himself for getting emotional over someone whose mental capabilities were not fully developed.

Realizing that Rose hadn't changed her dressing yet, he turned his car around and drove back to the chess house, where he'd left her earlier.

The old man at the door opened the window, glaring at him with suspicion. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night? Aren't you a nuisance?"

"Sorry, Rose is sick. I need to check on her," Joseph explained.

The old man opened the door, allowing him entry. Joseph parked in front of the entrance, then handed over a pack of cigarettes to the old man. "Don't close up yet. I may have to take Rose to the hospital later," he said.

The old man scoffed. "Since she's sick, there isn't much you can do. I've seen you here plenty of times. Who are you to her?"

"My sister," Joseph replied.

He started his car and drove away, hearing the old man mutter under his breath, "Why is it always him? Isn't Rose's brother the Japanese guy?"
The old man had in fact asked the question, but it was clear that he was confused. After explaining it again, Joseph still felt uneasy. He rang the doorbell and waited for the little mute to answer. Her eyes were red from crying, reminiscent of Lin Daiyu's sorrowful gaze. When she saw Joseph, she began to cry again and looked down at her toes. Joseph gently reassured her, "Please don't cry." Rose stepped aside, allowing Joseph to point to her injured arm and explain, "Christopher asked me to take you to get your dressing changed." She seemed unsure of what to do, but eventually followed Joseph downstairs. Inside the car on the way to the hospital, Adam was awakened in the middle of the night and was about to complain, saying "It's time to change the medicine. Why did you bring her here? She'll leave a scar." Joseph looked at Rose and replied, "We can't leave a scar." Adam grumbled, "If I knew I was in a hurry, why didn't I go earlier?" Joseph noticed Rose's head lower once again.