The Unanswered Message and the Fevered Call

‘Yes, this is perfect. It’s concise, devoid of any hints that might lead her to misunderstand, and it naturally paves the way for the next topic…’

‘No matter how strong-willed Young Lady Bai usually is, she is, after all, a Magical Girl. It’s impossible for her to be completely indifferent to the topic of Calamity Beasts, isn’t it?’

‘Should Bai Muxue deny it or express no interest, then so be it. I can still investigate the matter on my own.’

Shen Jingyi considered this quite naturally, yet her clear eyes never once strayed from the chat interface on her phone.

She, who typically maintained a polite social distance from others, now found herself subconsciously fretting over how to continue the conversation.

‘Come to think of it, this is actually the first time I’ve ever initiated contact with Bai Muxue… How ironic. I once believed this day would never come.’

‘I just wonder when she’ll reply…’

‘Of course, given Young Lady Bai’s personality, there’s perhaps an even greater chance she’ll simply ignore me entirely?’

Staring intently at her phone screen, Shen Jingyi instinctively bit her lip, waiting in silence.

However, as Bai Muxue’s reply never came, she could only let out a soft sigh, slip her phone back into her pocket, and resume her part-time work.

‘Perhaps she hasn’t woken up yet? After all, a young lady like her surely turns day into night, then sleeps until she naturally wakes the next day, unlike me, who has to get up early for a summer job…’

For some reason, a self-deprecating smile touched the young girl’s lips.

****

‘Perhaps even Shen Jingyi herself hadn’t realized the truth of her conjecture: Bai Muxue was indeed still asleep. The primary reason, however, was that someone had fallen ill…’

“I’ve caught a fever…”

After handing the thermometer to a nearby maid and dismissing her from the room, Bai Muxue slumped weakly against the large bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as she mumbled to herself.

Her body, heavy and aching as if filled with lead, along with the unnatural soreness in her limbs, all served as undeniable reminders of this fact.

‘Ugh… I really am…’

Though Bai Muxue had indeed felt a vague sense of unease last night, she had meticulously showered and changed after returning home yesterday, and even taken cold medicine before bed.

Yet, despite her precautions, she had still fallen victim to illness.

It could only be said that Bai Muxue had truly overestimated her body’s resilience; it was far more fragile than she had imagined.

The young woman coughed violently several times, enduring the heavy, muddled sensation in her head, and couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

What vexed her most at that moment was not the torment of her illness itself, but rather…

Rubbing her temples, Bai Muxue stared at her brightly lit phone screen, a profound sense of exhaustion washing over her.

[– Xiaoxue, are you awake yet? Or have you not slept at all? Hehe, it’s fine, you can reply to me once you’re fully conscious… I just thought the weather is lovely today, how about we go shopping together? Ah, if Xiaoxue doesn’t want to go, you don’t have to reply to me at all. –]

‘Saying “it’s fine, it’s fine” while actually sending a barrage of messages, subtly piling on the pressure – that’s Qin Xiyao’s style.’

[– I saw the news, the one about the amusement park last night. –]

‘Concise and to the point, yet subtly hinting at a desire for you to extend the conversation… that’s unmistakably Shen Jingyi.’

Bai Muxue’s lips twitched slightly, and she even found herself wondering if these two young girls had conspired behind her back, deliberately sending messages simultaneously to mess with her.

‘Ugh, jokes aside, do Shen Jingyi and Qin Xiyao even know each other?’ Bai Muxue suddenly pondered a serious question.

‘They shouldn’t, right? Although they seem to attend the same school… Miss Shen has always disliked socializing, and Xiyao has barely any friends apart from me…’

Forcing herself to endure the heavy, dizzying discomfort, Bai Muxue’s thoughts began to drift aimlessly.

Hesitating for a moment, she then tapped open Qin Xiyao’s message interface and directly replied:

[– Ugh, sorry Xiyao, I have an appointment with someone later, there’s something important I absolutely have to handle, so I might not be able to make it. –]

Bai Muxue didn’t want to tell Qin Xiyao about her fever.

It was just a minor illness; a little medicine and some sweating would cure it.

Given Xiyao’s personality, telling her would only cause unnecessary worry.

Next, she tapped open Shen Jingyi’s message interface:

[– The amusement park? The one with the Calamity Beasts? –]

Facing Shen Jingyi, Bai Muxue naturally couldn’t use such an intimate tone; she had to maintain her persona as a young lady, after all.

‘But… according to Shen Jingyi, the news about the amusement park incident is already on TV? That’s surprisingly fast…’

‘Then again, it makes sense. The child disappearance case in Wangdu has kept everyone on edge… Now that it’s finally resolved, those people would surely want to publicize it widely, wouldn’t they?’

‘I just don’t know why Miss Shen specifically brought this up with me… I distinctly told those people from the Anomaly Investigation Department (TL Note: A government agency dealing with supernatural occurrences) not to mention my involvement in this incident to the outside world…’

With a ‘ding-dong,’ Bai Muxue snapped out of her contemplation, realizing Qin Xiyao had sent a reply first.

[– Eh, Xiaoxue really is a busy bee… but I guess it can’t be helped… –]

The young woman’s reply clearly lacked its earlier enthusiasm, with faint traces of disappointment palpable between the lines.

‘Though I feel a pang of reluctance… I should prioritize the important matters first. Besides, in my current state, I can’t possibly go out shopping with a young girl…’

Bai Muxue lightly bit her lip, silently apologizing to Qin Xiyao in her heart.

‘There are still many unanswered questions about the amusement park incident. Although Amber said she would investigate… if I leave everything to her, I can’t shake this feeling of unease.’

‘Not to mention, the Bai family is already on her suspect list… If she truly follows that trail, who knows what might happen!’

‘Since I can’t rely on Amber, I’ll have to investigate independently… or ask Shen Jingyi for help.’

As if to confirm the young woman’s thoughts, Bai Muxue’s phone chimed ‘ding-dong’ once more; this time, it was a message from Shen Jingyi.

Bai Muxue shook her head, trying to suppress the nauseous, dizzy sensation, and shifted her gaze to the phone screen.

Shen Jingyi’s reply was a single, simple word: [– ‘Mm.’ –]

Staring at the concise reply before her, Bai Muxue’s eyes widened involuntarily, her lips twitching slightly.

‘Just one word? How am I supposed to respond to that? Reply with “Received”?’

‘Honestly, this girl! If she has something to say, she should just say it directly. Why bother with all these roundabout ways…’

Bai Muxue grumbled inwardly.

Normally, she might have teased Shen Jingyi a bit, laughing at her for being so aloof she wouldn’t even utter a full sentence.

However, at that moment, she truly lacked the energy.

She struggled to prop up her weak, listless body and directly dialed Shen Jingyi’s number.