I Thought She Was Just Late… Until I Found Her Collapsed

Fuzi placed the dish of food onto the round dining table next to the living room, then turned back and gently stroked Chenlian’s somewhat damp head.
She pointed toward the kitchen inside and said, “Chenlian, don’t mind them. Go inside and help Mom bring out these dishes.”

“Mm!”
Nodding obediently, Chenlian walked into the kitchen.

“Hadi! Ye Qing!”
Watching Chenlian enter the kitchen, Fuzi put her hands on her hips and called out to the two men sharply.

“Yes, Lady Fuzi!”
Hadi instantly teleported in front of Fuzi, standing at attention and saluting.

‘So fast! And wasn’t this old man just putting on a tearful face a moment ago?’
Watching Hadi instantly appear in front of Fuzi, Ye Qing immediately roasted internally.

Seeing that Ye Qing hadn’t come over, Fuzi immediately cast a stern gaze at him.
Wordless pressure.
Ye Qing instinctively sensed the danger.
“Yes, Sister Fuzi!”
Ye Qing also instantly teleported in front of Fuzi and copied Hadi’s salute.
‘Hey! When did I learn the old man’s instant-teleport-and-salute technique?’

Seeing that Ye Qing had also come over, Fuzi jerked her chin toward the kitchen, meaning ‘You know what to do.’

Just then, Chenlian walked out carrying a dish of cooked beef in both hands.
Her face was completely serious as she stared intently at the dish in her hands, as if terrified it might fall at any moment.
Because she was straining a bit, her mouth formed an “O” shape, and she made soft “Oh-ho, oh-ho” sounds.

Ye Qing looked at Chenlian like this and broke out in a cold sweat.
‘Is that really necessary?’

With the help of Chenlian, Ye Qing, and Hadi, dinner was quickly laid out.
Looking at the lavish meal Fuzi had prepared in such a short time, Chenlian was already “drooling.”

Having been running around all evening without eating anything, honestly, Ye Qing was also hungry.
Come to think of it, Yuxuan should be hungry too, by now.
Speaking of which, where was Yuxuan?

Ye Qing scanned the living room but didn’t see even a trace of Yuxuan.
Then he looked at Chenlian, who should have been with Yuxuan.
Chenlian was currently resisting the rising urge to eat, sitting quietly in a wooden chair at the dining table, waiting for the meal to begin.
But her purple eyes were wide open, fixed intently on the food before her.

‘Hey, don’t lose control and pounce on it!’
Thinking this, Ye Qing scratched his head and awkwardly spoke to Chenlian.
“Um, Chenlian!”

Hearing someone call her name, Chenlian turned her little head toward Ye Qing and tilted it in confusion.

‘”What?” is that what you mean? And can’t you just speak?’
Ye Qing sighed, then asked calmly, “Where’s Lin Yuxuan? Weren’t you two together just now?”

Reminded by his words, Chenlian seemed to finally notice that Yuxuan hadn’t come down for so long.
Her purple pupils widened slightly, and she answered in her clear, halting voice, “Yuxuan… is upstairs… bathing!”

“Young lad, go up and urge her along.”
Just then, Hadi suddenly spoke flatly from behind with his arms crossed.

‘Whoa! Old man! Are you a ghost?’
Startled, Ye Qing looked at Hadi, who had somehow sat down behind him without a sound, as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Ye Qing, go call her!”
Just then, Fuzi, who was ladling soup into bowls, also said this.

“Got it!”
Ye Qing scratched his head helplessly. He had no choice but to do it.

* * * *

Her feelings could no longer reach him, because Zhang Haoyang no longer existed.
There were still so many things she had wanted to say to him.
There were still so many things she had wanted to do together with him.
Now, she couldn’t do anything anymore.
So this was what they meant by “vanishing from the face of the earth”?
It was truly unbearable to have her friend just vanish like that.
Although Chenlian carried part of Zhang Haoyang’s personality, Lin Yuxuan knew very well that Yue Chenlian could not replace Zhang Haoyang.

“Sigh~!”
As she showered, Lin Yuxuan let out a deep sigh.

But even so, Chenlian was her current, one-of-a-kind friend.
Someone she must protect.
In order not to lose her again, for the reborn Yue Chenlian—
This time, Lin Yuxuan swore: no matter what, she would never leave her side again.

“But Chenlian is so clueless right now. Can she really go back to school?”

If she couldn’t return to school, then the time they could spend together would undoubtedly be greatly reduced.

“What am I thinking!”
Lin Yuxuan shook her head vigorously, her wet hair rustling as she flicked it twice.

Right now, Chenlian still had to get past the inspectors’ blood test.
But what if the swap failed? Would she be shot?

Thinking this, a dark scene seemed to float up in her mind.
Lin Yuxuan instantly dismissed the thought.

She had to trust Sister Fuzi and the others here.
Either way, there was nothing she could do herself, right?
Even with the martial arts her master had taught her…

Suddenly, an encroaching darkness cut off Lin Yuxuan’s thoughts.
‘Did someone turn off the lights?’

But a second later, her eyes saw something again, though very blurry.
She saw the outline of her own hands, and the bright red stuck to them.
Then, suddenly, the scene pulled close to the white tiled floor of the bathroom, water still streaming over it.

‘Hey! When did I collapse to my knees!?’

Her body felt heavy, accompanied by dizziness.
Lin Yuxuan finally realized something was wrong with her body.
She forced her heavy body to stand up.

‘I have to… call for help!’

Her increasingly blurry vision could no longer see anything.
Gradually, even her thoughts became unsmooth.
By feel, she took a step forward and barely steadied herself.
But soon, all sensation faded away, along with her thoughts…

* * * *

Ye Qing walked up the stairs to the second floor.
The lights on the second floor were on.
Soon, he saw Lin Yuxuan’s shoes placed outside the door.
Ye Qing walked up to the bathroom.
The bright light inside the bathroom turned the thick glass door white.

Ye Qing controlled his strength and knocked on the glass door.
“Dong, dong.” A somewhat muffled sound of glass vibrating.
“Yuxuan! Dinner’s ready!”
He said this in an urging tone.

He waited five seconds.
No response from inside, only the continuous sound of water splashing against the floor.

Ye Qing sighed. ‘Ah, so troublesome.’
He knocked on the door a few more times with increased force and called out impatiently, “Yuxuan! Say something if you’re in there! Are you dead or something?”

Ten seconds passed. Still no response.
Ye Qing’s veins bulged.
He knocked a few more times with the same force.
“If you don’t answer, I’m coming in to peep!”
Ye Qing called out helplessly.

‘Wait! Something’s wrong! I don’t recall Yuxuan ever messing around like this. This is too much, no matter how you look at it. Is my voice not loud enough? No, there’s no way she can’t hear me. Ah, how frustrating!’

Ye Qing became slightly agitated.
“I’m coming in!”
With this declaration, Ye Qing first gently opened the glass door a crack and peeked inside.
‘Hey! It’s so foggy in here!’
The dense steam in the bathroom obscured most of Ye Qing’s vision.
Still, he didn’t see Lin Yuxuan.
‘Where is she?’

Ye Qing opened the door completely.
A large amount of steam rushed out at him, covering his body with dampness.
‘She didn’t suffocate, did she!?’
Ye Qing began to search urgently.
Then, finally, he saw a dark figure collapsed on the floor.

Ye Qing’s pupils contracted.
He hurriedly ran to the figure lying on the ground.
Ignoring the warm steam and the showerhead still spraying hot water, Ye Qing lifted Lin Yuxuan and carried her away from the center of the steam.
Finally, he could see Lin Yuxuan’s condition.
There were traces of blood at the corners of her mouth.
Her charming eyes, narrowed in pain, were trembling slightly.
Her consciousness seemed unclear.
Her body was limp, like a doll, without any strength.

Ye Qing laid Lin Yuxuan’s body on the ground and draped a towel hanging nearby over her.
He began shouting loudly for Dr. Hadi.
“Dr. Hadi! Dr. Hadi!”
As he shouted, Ye Qing first checked her pulse.
Her pulse was beating somewhat violently.
Her breathing was rapid.
Her head was slightly warm, but her body was cold.

‘Damn! I can’t move her recklessly now. I have to wait for Dr. Hadi!’
Ye Qing realized how soundproof this place was.

‘Tch! Can’t he hear me?’
Just as he was about to stand up, his hand was lightly tugged.
He turned his head and saw Lin Yuxuan let out a faint moan.
“Ye… Qing.”

“Yuxuan! Wait here. I’ll go get the doctor right now!”
Ye Qing said this in a calm voice, then ran.