Unexpected Encounters and Hidden Worries

Bai Muxue arrived early by car at the agreed meeting spot with Shen Jingyi, which was just a street away from the convenience store where she worked.

Pushing open the car door, the young woman stepped out, her gait somewhat unsteady.

A pair of sunglasses perched on her delicate, youthful face, yet instead of the cool demeanor she had envisioned, they lent her a rather comical air.

“This weather is just too scorching…”

The young woman, her brows slightly furrowed, murmured as she gazed up at the sky.

The afternoon sun blazed with such intensity that she had to squint whenever she glanced upwards, fearing the searing rays might hurt her eyes.

Few people were visible on the streets, yet a palpable heatwave seemed to permeate the wide thoroughfare, mingling with the air and rushing to meet Bai Muxue head-on.

The moment she stepped out of the car, losing the sanctuary of the air-conditioning, an ineffable sensation of parching heat began to spread through her body.

Along with it, the dizziness she had painstakingly suppressed surged back with renewed force, causing the surrounding scenery to blur.

Though Bai Muxue had deliberately applied extra powder to her face, fearful that Shen Jingyi might notice something amiss, her pallid complexion and unsteady steps clearly betrayed her deteriorating condition.

Yet, more profound than her physical exhaustion was the weariness that weighed upon her spirit.

Just like now…

Bai Muxue let out a soft sigh, her gaze returning to the data on her phone screen, information compiled by a specialist and sent directly to her.

She hadn’t spent the entire morning languishing in bed; Amber’s words—”This amusement park was built by a developer under the Bai family’s banner”—had echoed persistently in her mind.

Gathering her strength, she had commissioned a professional to conduct a thorough investigation into the park.

[Oh… so the amusement park was built by a construction company under the Bai family’s name? But a few years ago, it was exposed for management scandals, so the owner fled?]

[And the owner of that company… it seems she even caused a huge scene at the Bai family’s estate?]

‘So, this owner had a conflict with the Bai family back then?’

‘Interesting.’

Bai Muxue rubbed her throbbing temples, a faint curve gracing her lips as her eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, narrowed slightly.

‘It truly is beneficial to have connections and resources…’

‘All it takes is a flick of a finger, a single phone call, and a whole host of people will naturally ensure everything is handled.’

A subtle wave of emotion stirred within the young woman as she recalled how, when Tang Xingwan was starting junior high, she had to plead with countless people just to get the girl into a better class.

“Young Miss? Do you need me to accompany you?”

The car window rolled down, and the Bai family’s driver poked his head out, asking with concern.

“No need, you can just drive back,” Bai Muxue replied softly, taking off the sunglasses she found rather uncomfortable.

‘If it becomes necessary… I might have to go back to the amusement park with Shen Jingyi for another investigation,’ she mused.

‘I don’t know if we’ll encounter any more strange occurrences, so it’s probably best not to involve ordinary people.’

“Then… Young Miss, please take care, as you’re not feeling well.”

The driver no longer insisted, slowly driving the car away.

‘Phew…’

‘This is unbearable, I feel like I’m melting…’

‘I took fever medicine and slept, so why does my body still feel so awful?’

Bai Muxue wiped beads of sweat from her forehead, and just as she was about to find a shady spot to rest and buy a cold drink, her phone chimed again.

Opening her phone, she saw a message from Qin Xiyao.

[Oh, speaking of which, Xiaoxue, are you going to meet friends to play later?]

[Hmm… no, although I did make plans with a friend, it’s not for fun. I need to take care of some serious business.]

‘If I replied that I was going out to play with a friend, Xiyao would probably explode…’

‘After all, I hurt her feelings earlier, so it’s better to say I have serious business to attend to.’

‘Besides, this isn’t exactly a lie, is it? I am indeed handling serious matters.’

‘I just don’t know if Shen Jingyi counts as a friend… er, probably not?’

‘At the very least, Miss Shen couldn’t possibly have a good impression of me…’

Bai Muxue, suppressing the dizziness and discomfort churning within her, carefully formulated her reply.

[I see, well, serious matters are more important. Xiaoxue, go ahead and be busy, don’t worry about me.]

The message was accompanied by a sighing cat emoji.

‘Alright, if she says so, then it should be fine…’

Bai Muxue sighed, then, swaying slightly, she chose a lotus-themed “Wishing you peace” emoji and turned to buy a cold drink.

****

Meanwhile, at Qin Xiyao’s home.

The young woman was curled up in a corner of her bedroom bed, silently staring at the emoji sent by the other party, lost in thought.

Despite the bright sunshine outside her window, an intractable shadow seemed to cling to Qin Xiyao’s face, and her dark eyes had grown dim and listless.

“Ah…”

A clear sigh echoed distinctly in the spacious room.

Qin Xiyao lowered her gaze, her slender, pale fingers unconsciously tracing over the chat history between her and Bai Muxue from the past two days, finally hovering over the send button as if debating whether to press it.

Finally, as if making a crucial decision, Qin Xiyao deleted the entire message from the chat box: “Xiaoxue, is the friend you mentioned your tutor? If you’re done with your business, could I meet her? It’s okay, I can wait.”

‘What am I even doing… Xiaoxue clearly said she had important matters to attend to… I should be understanding…’

‘I can’t… do anything that would bother Xiaoxue.’

“Just like Mom would prefer an obedient daughter… Xiaoxue would probably prefer an understanding friend, wouldn’t she?”

Qin Xiyao murmured almost inaudibly, an inexplicable, unconcealable melancholy surfacing in her dulled pupils.

At the same time, Bai Muxue, utterly unaware of Qin Xiyao’s emotional turmoil, was confronting an unprecedented crisis of her own.

It wasn’t a terrifying disaster beast she faced, nor a strange, eerie person, but rather…

“Damn it, why would these people put the iced cola all the way up there??”

Bai Muxue was currently straining her arm, trying to press the top button on the vending machine.

‘On such a sweltering day… what’s the point of these people putting things like eight-treasure porridge and carrot juice on the bottom, and mineral water, cola, and fruit juice on the very top?’

‘Are they afraid people might actually reach them?’

‘Did they even consider the feelings of shorter individuals when they installed this machine?’

‘This is too much, my head is so dizzy and I feel like throwing up…’

‘If I don’t drink something soon, I really might die…’

“Ugh… just a little more, just a tiny bit…!”

Already feeling lightheaded and disoriented from the high temperature and fever, the young woman desperately tried to gain more height by standing on her tiptoes.

Just as her trembling fingertips were about to brush the button, another slender hand reached out directly, pressing it for her.

‘Eh?’

The young woman, her consciousness rapidly blurring, instinctively turned her head—only to see a charming girl with twin pigtails smiling mischievously at her.

‘Wait, wait a minute!’

‘Xing, how could Xingwan be here!?’

Bai Muxue froze for several seconds, then, in disbelief, took a few steps back.

“It’s another hallucination, ahaha… I knew my fever hadn’t broken yet…”

The young woman, already suffering from a persistent high fever, was then suddenly startled to this extent.

Subsequently, under Tang Xingwan’s astonished gaze, her vision went black, and she collapsed directly to the ground.