Unexpected Connections and A Feverish Dilemma

Within Qin Xiyao’s room, the young girl casually glanced at her mother’s daily message of concern, which read, “Remember to eat well today and don’t run around.”

She then effortlessly typed out her usual reply, “Mom, you should also be careful outside.”

Her gaze promptly returned to the poetry collection resting on her desk.

Although Qin Xiyao had proactively invited Bai Muxue out shopping earlier, she wasn’t actually one to enjoy bustling about.

Indeed, staying in her room to read books or compose poetry was far more to her liking than venturing out under the scorching sun.

However, since Xiaoxue was such a lively and playful person, Qin Xiyao didn’t mind becoming a little more “outgoing and fun-loving” herself.

‘But if Xiaoxue has something important to do… it would be quite tactless of me to keep messaging her and disturbing her, wouldn’t it?’

Spinning her pen between her fingers, Qin Xiyao let out a soft sigh.

With Bai Muxue unavailable, her own desire to go out had waned, and she decided it would be better to spend the day at home, finally finishing the book she hadn’t completed earlier.

Suddenly, her phone chimed, a sharp “ding-dong” that broke through Qin Xiyao’s thoughts.

The young girl couldn’t help but frown slightly at the notification sound—she never liked being interrupted while reading, with the exception of a certain young lady, of course.

‘Who could it be… a classmate? A teacher?’

‘It shouldn’t be a teacher… My final exam scores haven’t dropped, so they wouldn’t call me specifically for that, would they?’

‘Or could it be—Xiaoxue?! Has she finished her important business?’

At the mere thought of this possibility, Qin Xiyao’s eyes immediately sparkled with delight, and she instinctively reached for her phone to reply.

Yet, almost instantly, a hint of dissatisfaction flickered across her pretty face.

‘Hmph, for the past two days, she’s been saying she’s busy, busy, and now that she’s free, she remembers to look for me? I have a temper too, you know!’

“’Well, since Xiaoxue reached out first, I suppose I can take a look…’”

Pouting and indulging in a small fit of pique for a moment, Qin Xiyao eventually picked up her phone with deliberate slowness.

However, the swiftness with which her finger tapped to open the chat application betrayed the girl’s hidden excitement and eagerness.

–Xiyao-chan, I’m sorry to bother you at this time…

‘Ah… what, it’s not Xiaoxue.’

Upon seeing the prominent name “Tang Xingwan” on the message screen, Qin Xiyao’s expression immediately froze.

Then, she deflated completely, much like a punctured balloon, collapsing limply onto the large bed.

‘It’s… Tang-chan. Why would she be looking for me?’

While a touch disappointed it wasn’t Xiaoxue’s message, Qin Xiyao truly hadn’t expected Tang Xingwan to be the one contacting her.

Previously, during their school’s cultural performance, Qin Xiyao had been invited by her Chinese teacher to help write a script for Tang Xingwan’s class’s skit.

It was precisely for this reason that she still had Tang Xingwan’s contact information.

However, they didn’t have much interaction beyond that; at most, they shared a common interest in a certain magazine, which occasionally sparked a brief conversation or two.

‘But she said her friend has a fever? Shouldn’t a fever mean going to the hospital? She’s not a doctor.’

Qin Xiyao hesitated for a moment, then replied:

–Fever?

–Ah, Xiyao-chan replied to me?

–Yes, my friend absolutely refuses to go to the hospital! And I don’t know what to do!

–Should I give her fever medicine first? But I saw a short video saying to use ice packs for this situation? If it gets worse, I’ll definitely have to call an ambulance, right!?

–Xiyao-chan, you probably know more than me, right? Can you tell me what to doooooo!?

No sooner had Qin Xiyao replied with two words than her phone began to chime continuously with a barrage of message notifications.

Dense messages, interspersed with emojis, poured in relentlessly, like an overwhelming bombardment.

‘How… how impressive…’ Qin Xiyao secretly clicked her tongue, marveling at Tang Xingwan’s message bombardment.

She couldn’t help but wonder, ‘How can this person send so many messages without taking a single breath…’

‘If only Xiaoxue replied to my messages with such enthusiasm… Ah!’

Pouting, Qin Xiyao, who had inexplicably found herself thinking such thoughts, suddenly snapped back to reality.

She forcefully patted her cheeks, effectively scattering her wandering notions.

‘Her friend has a fever and she doesn’t know what to do; Tang-chan must be so anxious… and here I am thinking about nonsense!’

A blush of shame rose on Qin Xiyao’s pretty face as she quickly replied:

–Mm, don’t panic first. You can try wiping their body with alcohol, then give them fever medicine, and see if their temperature comes down.

–Oh, if your friend’s throat is very sore, don’t forget to drink plenty of hot water!

–If that still doesn’t work, then it’s better to go to the hospital.

–OK, wipe their body with alcohol, then fever medicine, right! I understand!

Tang Xingwan instantly replied the moment Qin Xiyao pressed send, clearly having been waiting for her response.

–Anyway, I’ll try it first! Thank you very much for your help, Xiyao-chan!

Tang Xingwan sent several cute anime girl emojis in quick succession.

‘Seriously… whether it’s Xiaoxue or you, why are your emojis so strange…’ Seeing her screen taken over by anime girls, Qin Xiyao couldn’t help but inwardly grumble.

‘Wait, speaking of which…!’

Qin Xiyao, who had been about to reply with a polite “you’re welcome” to end the conversation, suddenly remembered something else.

She hastily sent a message to Tang Xingwan:

–Speaking of which, Tang-chan, do you know someone named Shen Jingyi? I think they’re from our school…

This time, however, Tang Xingwan didn’t reply instantly.

After a long silence, she finally responded:

–Huh… Xiyao-chan, are you talking about Shen Jingyi?

–I do know her. I feel like she’s a very cool and beautiful girl. I think she works at the convenience store on the street opposite our school.

–Oh? Is that so? Thank you very much, Tang-chan.

‘Working at the convenience store opposite the school…?’

Qin Xiyao, who hadn’t held much hope, stared at her phone screen, her dark eyes unreadable.

Her right index finger and thumb intertwined, unconsciously rubbing her fingernail.

‘A girl who works at a convenience store, why would Xiaoxue be connected to her?’

‘Very cool and beautiful… Heh…’

Sunlight streamed into the room through a gap in the curtains.

Qin Xiyao suddenly lost the desire to read.

Instead, she lay quietly on the bed, her eyes silently fixed on the ceiling, her heart filled with some difficult-to-understand thoughts.

****

Meanwhile, Tang Xingwan, having placed her phone aside, touched her small chin and pursed her lips, deep in thought.

‘Why did Xiyao-chan mention Miss Shen? Did something happen between them?’

‘Well, no matter what, neither Shen-chan nor Xiyao-chan have anything to do with me.’

‘Hmph… anyway, following Xiyao-chan’s advice, I should first give Miss Bai some hot water!’

‘Sick or not, drink more hot water! (TL Note: A common Chinese saying, often used humorously or as a perceived cure-all.)’

However, holding the cup of warm water from the nightstand, Tang Xingwan felt a new dilemma arise as she looked at Bai Muxue, whose eyes were tightly closed and mouth slightly agape.

‘But Miss Bai isn’t waking up, how can I feed her? I can’t force the water down, can I? What if she chokes? Wouldn’t that be torture?’

‘Could it be… uh…’

Tang Xingwan’s mind raced, and suddenly a classic trope popped into her head:

‘Mouth-to-mouth…?’