The Rabbit Trap

The tug-of-war over the keychain finally ended when Ye Nanzhi’s face turned deathly pale.

One moment she was fine, and the next, her complexion soured. Before long, a layer of cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She clutched her stomach with one arm, her entire body tensed in a painful knot.

Seeing her state, Chu Ran didn’t hesitate and immediately took her to the hospital.

After a brief examination, the doctor gave the verdict: since her stomach was naturally weak, combined with irregular meals recently, spicy and oily food last night, and drinking black coffee on an empty stomach this morning, it was a recipe for disaster. The gastritis that Ye Nanzhi hadn’t suffered from in a long time had come knocking on her door again.

In the hospital bed, Ye Nanzhi had an IV drip in her right hand. She used her left hand to hold a spoon, clumsily stirring the millet congee in front of her.

Ye Nanzhi wasn’t left-handed, so the movement was awkward, but she managed to get some down.

Chu Ran sat by the bed, silently watching her every move without saying a word.

Finally, Ye Nanzhi couldn’t take the pressure. “Stop staring!”

Ever since Chu Ran had questioned her about her name, Ye Nanzhi didn’t dare call her “Senior” anymore.

But she also didn’t dare call Chu Ran by her full name, so she simply omitted the address altogether.

Chu Ran remained impassive, relaying the doctor’s orders. “The doctor said your condition isn’t serious. You can go back once the IV is finished.”

“Oh.”

“However,” Chu Ran’s tone shifted. “The doctor said that for the next month, you must stick to a light diet. No raw, cold, greasy, or spicy food. No coffee for now, and don’t even think about milk tea. Most importantly, you must eat on time to slowly nurse your stomach back to health.”

These were all clichés Ye Nanzhi had heard a thousand times; her ears were practically calloused. She simply gave a listless pout. “I know.”

Ice cream, hot pot, spicy stir-fry, barbecue, and even coffee and milk tea—how could she say goodbye to all of them?

If Ye Nanzhi were actually capable of such discipline, her gastritis would have been cured long ago.

Since starting university and gaining dietary freedom, Ye Nanzhi’s appetite usually lived on the edge. She would regularly treat herself to a “relaxation” day, temporarily forgetting the complicated medical advice, though she always managed the portion size to avoid actual discomfort.

But now, under Chu Ran’s watch, Ye Nanzhi could only obediently eat the millet congee and steamed milk buns Chu Ran had bought from the hospital’s nutrition department.

Once I’m back at school and free, I’ll do whatever I want!

Thinking this, Ye Nanzhi felt a surge of strength. Even the bland congee didn’t seem so unbearable.

But Chu Ran seemed to see right through her. “To ensure you follow the doctor’s orders, for the next month, you will eat every meal on time. Take a photo before you eat and send it to me. I will supervise you.”

“Ah! That… that’s not necessary!” The plastic spoon in Ye Nanzhi’s hand trembled. She put on a determined face, her tone sincere as she tried to guarantee her compliance. “Don’t worry, Senior, I will definitely eat on time and follow the orders. As for the photos…”

Chu Ran’s gaze gave a definitive answer: Not a chance. She was getting those photos.

Seeing that her next month would be spent in the company of bland liquids, Ye Nanzhi didn’t want to look at the congee for a second longer. She leaned back, burying her face in her palms. “This is too much… Senior, why don’t you just come and watch me eat in person every day!”

The words were spoken carelessly, but Chu Ran paused while looking at the lab results. “If that is your request, it’s not impossible.”

Ye Nanzhi: “…”

After returning, Ye Nanzhi assumed Chu Ran was just talking. After all, a top student like her should be incredibly busy; why would she have the time to monitor what a junior student she barely knew was eating and drinking every day?

Thus, Ye Nanzhi passed the day in a daze until evening, when she went to the school canteen with her roommate.

While waiting for her food, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Chu Ran.

The content was just a single, simple question mark, but the meaning was crystal clear.

It was time for Ye Nanzhi to send the photo.

Ye Nanzhi looked up at the stalls for spicy stir-fry and Xinjiang stir-fried rice noodles, sighed to herself, and walked to the noodle stall to order a bowl of plain vegetarian noodles. It was incredibly light, forming a sharp contrast with the spicy beef ramen floating with chili oil being served next to her.

The broth was milky white, garnished with various mushroom bits, some green leaves, and two bright red carrot slices. She had to admit, the red and green made it quite photogenic.

Ye Nanzhi obediently sent the photo to Chu Ran. She stared at her noodles for a long time before resignedly picking up her chopsticks.

–Oh, Xiao Ye, eating so light today?– Feng Linlin sat down with her freshly made yellow braised chicken and rice, handing Ye Nanzhi a bottle of Coke. –Want some?–

Ye Nanzhi shook her head and buried her face in her bland noodles.

–No way. Are you really going to start a monastic diet because of that senior?– Ye Nanzhi’s refusal of the “happy water” completely shocked Feng Linlin.

She had thought the agreement between Ye Nanzhi and the senior was just talk. Who knew the two of them—one daring to ask and the other daring to do—were actually serious.

–Xiao Ye.– Feng Linlin bit her chopsticks, looking at the pitiful Ye Nanzhi with a pang of sympathy. She suggested a workaround. –Xiao Ye, since you already sent the photo, why don’t you go buy another portion? Or maybe get some fried skewers? This is way too vegetarian…–

Ye Nanzhi knew Feng Linlin was right, but if she did that, she wouldn’t be able to finish the noodles. Ye Nanzhi couldn’t bring herself to waste food.

“Forget it,” Ye Nanzhi waved her hand. “Senior is doing it for my own good. I should follow the doctor’s orders.”

Hearing this, Feng Linlin stopped persuading her. After all, the doctor’s advice was for the best.

–But that senior is quite interesting. Didn’t you say she’s usually very busy? Why does she have the heart to watch over you?– Feng Linlin suddenly remembered something. –Right, Xiao Ye, did you return the keychain?–

At the mention of this, Ye Nanzhi sighed again and shook her head.

She had really tried to return it, but the other woman simply wouldn’t give her the chance.

Seeing this, Feng Linlin didn’t press further, offering comfort instead. –It’s fine, don’t worry about it. By the looks of it, that senior’s family must be quite rich. For people like that, if a gift is returned, they feel like they’ve lost face. It’s normal that you couldn’t give it back. Just look for another chance later.–

There is no chance, Ye Nanzhi thought, her chopsticks poking at the noodles.

Chu Ran had shown her the hem of the rabbit’s dress on the keychain. A small “z” was engraved there.

Chu Ran told her that once it was engraved, it couldn’t be returned. If Ye Nanzhi didn’t want it, it could only be thrown away.

With things said like that, Ye Nanzhi had no way to refuse, so she had simply lowered her head.

This was the simplest meal she had ever eaten.

The broth was somewhat thick, and for someone with a light palate, it might be considered a delicacy. But clearly, Ye Nanzhi was not that person.

After finishing, Feng Linlin said she wanted to go to the supermarket on the side of the canteen and asked Ye Nanzhi to wait for her at the entrance.

Seeing that Feng Linlin hadn’t come out after a while, Ye Nanzhi checked the time on her phone. She noticed that the photo she just tried to send to Chu Ran had failed due to poor signal; there was a red exclamation mark next to the message.

Chu Ran hadn’t sent any more messages, so Ye Nanzhi quickly opened her gallery to resend it.

Although she didn’t think a busy person like Chu Ran would be hovering over the phone waiting for her message, Ye Nanzhi’s movements were very swift. Just as she pressed the green send button, someone suddenly bumped into her from behind. Unsteady, the phone slipped from her hand.

At that moment, Feng Linlin happened to come out of the canteen and caught the phone, preventing a disaster.

The person who bumped her was a young boy who looked to be in a hurry, but he still stopped to apologize profusely. Since there was no damage, Ye Nanzhi shook her head and let it go.

Once he left, Ye Nanzhi took back her phone. But the moment she unlocked the screen, she froze.

In her chat interface with Chu Ran, a photo had appeared. It was the one Feng Linlin had taken of her yesterday when they returned to the dorm. On her bright, smiling face, a pair of pink rabbit ears had been edited onto her head, six whiskers drawn under her nose, and a carrot sticker on each cheek.

Ye Nanzhi had originally intended to select the photo of the noodles. But due to the accident just now, her finger had misclicked, selecting the photo next to it instead.

Luckily, less than two minutes had passed. Ye Nanzhi acted quickly and hit “Recall.”

After it was successful, the “cute” photo of herself vanished from the screen. She finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Phew, she definitely didn’t see it.

Unless Chu Ran was literally staring at their chat window the whole time, she couldn’t have seen it!

But how could that be possible?

Relieved, Ye Nanzhi resent the photo of the soup noodles.

But before the image was even halfway through uploading, the “Senior Chu” label at the top of the screen suddenly changed to: [The other party is typing…]

Then, appearing in the chat box even faster than the noodle photo, was Chu Ran’s reply.

First was a simple “Smiling Face” emoji, followed by a sentence.

–Do you like rabbits that much?–