Chen Xuanqiu whimpered in terror, struggling weakly even as she knew her efforts were futile.
Just then, Chen Xuanqiu suddenly felt the warm current reappear within her. It coursed through her body like tap water, and wherever it flowed, the biting cold retreated. Outside, the encroaching black mist melted away silently, much like ice and snow vanishing beneath a scorching sun.
“I didn’t expect the warm current to have this effect.”
Overwhelmed with joy, Chen Xuanqiu felt her heart finally settle. Her legs buckled beneath her, and she collapsed onto the floor.
“Don’t sit on the ground, you’ll catch a cold!”
Ni Shanshan quickly rushed to help Chen Xuanqiu to her feet.
Their physical contact formed an unexpected bridge. The black mist clinging to Ni Shanshan began to spread towards Chen Xuanqiu, only to be systematically eradicated by the warm current within her.
In short order, the black mist shrouding Ni Shanshan visibly thinned.
With some of her strength restored, Chen Xuanqiu docilely allowed the nurse to guide her back to her seat.
“Would you like to return to your room and rest? It’s quite late.”
Ni Shanshan asked tentatively, her voice soft.
“No, I want to be with you.”
Chen Xuanqiu shook her head with unwavering resolve. This hospital was simply too terrifying; she truly didn’t dare to stay by herself.
Being kind-hearted, Ni Shanshan didn’t press the matter. Instead, she gently guided Chen Xuanqiu to the nurses’ station.
“What’s wrong with her?”
Li Rui inquired, a touch of bewilderment in her tone.
Ni Shanshan offered no verbal reply, only shaking her head with a serious expression.
Li Rui quickly grasped the situation, her gaze softening with pity as she looked at Chen Xuanqiu.
Observing Chen Xuanqiu’s distressed state, Ni Shanshan promptly helped her into the nurses’ station, seating her right beside herself.
For the next while, Chen Xuanqiu quietly listened to the two nurses converse, her eyes still intently fixed on the lingering wisps of black mist around Ni Shanshan.
“How peculiar. Why do I feel increasingly cold?”
Ni Shanshan shivered unexpectedly, remarking, “How peculiar. Why do I feel increasingly cold?” By then, a faint black mist had already begun to envelop her entire body.
“It’s not cold at all. How could you be cold in the height of summer? You’re not coming down with a cold, are you?”
Li Rui mused aloud.
“Perhaps.”
Ni Shanshan offered a noncommittal smile, then stepped inside to retrieve a jacket, which she promptly put on.
Chen Xuanqiu wished to offer another warning, but remembering her previous misunderstanding, she swallowed the words that had risen to her lips.
“Ni Shanshan, do you think Zhai Xiaozhen will be here tomorrow morning?”
Li Rui asked.
“I’m not sure. It depends on how well she’s recovered from her illness.”
Ni Shanshan replied in a hushed tone, careful not to startle Chen Xuanqiu, who was sitting beside her.
“If she doesn’t show up, won’t there only be three of us working tomorrow? They won’t make me cover for her again, will they?”
Li Rui complained.
“Stop complaining. As a nurse, you should learn to be more understanding of patients. Besides, don’t you often fall ill yourself?”
Ni Shanshan responded with a slight frown.
“Ugh! We’re already short-staffed, and now with people constantly taking leave, I never get a chance to go on dates with my boyfriend. If this keeps up, we’re bound to break up. I’m honestly starting to dread coming to work.”
Li Rui’s voice was heavy with dejection.
“If it’s truly impossible, I’ll just keep covering tomorrow. You go on your date.”
Ni Shanshan pondered for a moment before offering her suggestion.
“How could that be? You’ve already worked overtime tonight; you absolutely must rest tomorrow, or you risk falling ill from exhaustion.”
Li Rui, however, kindly urged her.
‘So Sister Ni is covering for a colleague tonight. No wonder she worked all day and still has to put in overtime.’
A sudden realization dawned on Chen Xuanqiu.
“A date is far more important. Besides, I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Ni Shanshan quipped playfully.
“Forget it, I’ll resign first thing tomorrow morning.”
Li Rui declared, clenching her jaw in resolve.
“You need to think it through carefully.”
Ni Shanshan urged.
“I’ve thought it through perfectly. I’m not lacking money, so why should I endure such misery here?”
Li Rui stated with a carefree air.
“Alright then, I wish you good luck.”
Ni Shanshan offered no further persuasion. In this day and age, young women could marry into good families with ease, so there truly was no compelling reason for her to struggle.
Chen Xuanqiu watched with a pang of envy, secretly wishing she could one day possess such freedom, doing exactly as she pleased.
Chen Xuanqiu continued to listen quietly to their conversation, gaining a deeper insight into the nursing operations on this floor. It seemed there were six nurses in total, with four typically on day shifts and two on night shifts, and the night shift rotation occurring once a month.
Initially, everything had been fine, but for some unknown reason, nurses began falling ill every few days. This led to a constant cycle of sick leave, resignations, and even inexplicable deaths, making attendance incredibly erratic and ultimately causing widespread discontent among the staff.
‘Could this somehow be connected to those… unclean entities?’
Chen Xuanqiu mused silently.
Having made her decision, Li Rui seemed to let go of her inhibitions. She brazenly stared at Chen Xuanqiu, and after a long moment, finally spoke: “Little bro… no, little sister, is your lovely face natural or did you have work done? Can you tell me which plastic surgery clinic is responsible for this masterpiece? After I resign, I might want to give it a try myself.”
“Li Rui, you’re studying medicine, for goodness sake. Can’t you tell whether someone’s had surgery or not?”
Ni Shanshan, seated beside her, chided impatiently.
“Can you stop interrupting?”
Li Rui’s expression soured slightly.
“I… mine is natural.”
Chen Xuanqiu replied with a hint of embarrassment.
“Ugh! I’m not even as pretty as a boy. What a failure!”
Li Rui let out a frustrated sigh.
“What ‘boy’? She’s a girl.”
Ni Shanshan corrected her.
“Yes, yes, a girl!”
Li Rui quickly pleaded for mercy, though she still couldn’t resist staring intently at Chen Xuanqiu’s chest. “What about your chest then? When you walk, it has such a lifelike bounce, so elastic. Which hospital did you get your augmentation at?”
“Mine are real too. They grew naturally from taking estrogen.”
Chen Xuanqiu quickly clarified, utterly unwilling to be branded with the reputation of having breast implants.
“What? What kind of estrogen makes them grow so large? What’s it called? Tell me, quick!”
Li Rui’s interest was instantly ignited.
Chen Xuanqiu mused inwardly, yet she stated plainly, “Super Estrogen.”
“That name sounds quite impressive.”
Li Rui murmured to herself.
“Cough, cough… Why do I feel increasingly cold? And there’s this indescribable discomfort all over my body.”
Just then, Ni Shanshan suddenly broke into two coughs.
‘Uncomfortable? Could it be caused by those black mists?’
Chen Xuanqiu thought subconsciously, remembering how Fu Yao had also complained of discomfort when he was afflicted by the black mist.
“You’re not actually catching a cold, are you? This is absurd. Why are the nurses on our floor constantly falling ill?”
Li Rui exclaimed, utterly exasperated.
“I don’t know either. I certainly wasn’t like this before I started working here.”
Ni Shanshan delicately sniffled.
“Me too. I’ve always felt there’s something unsettling about this place, and it’s one of the reasons I’ve decided to leave. Why don’t you resign as well?”
Li Rui urged.
“Let’s not. I don’t have the luxury of being as carefree as you. My father’s medical bills alone amount to tens of thousands each month.”
Ni Shanshan gently declined her colleague’s proposition.
“Perhaps you should find somewhere to rest for a bit?”
Li Rui whispered discreetly.
“Forget it, there are cameras.”
Ni Shanshan stubbornly shook her head, yet her delicate brows were painfully furrowed in a tight knot.
Watching Ni Shanshan’s pitiable state, Chen Xuanqiu felt an inevitable surge of sympathy. Remembering how the black mist had been dispelled by the warm current within her, she realized she actually possessed a means to help.
‘They were kind enough to let me stay at the nurses’ station. Can I really just stand by and do nothing?’
The more Chen Xuanqiu pondered, the deeper her sense of guilt grew. She decisively moved her chair closer, pressing her body directly against the nurse, then wrapped her arms around Ni Shanshan’s slender waist. “Sister,” she whispered, “let’s hug. We won’t feel cold if we hug.”
A flicker of gratitude appeared in Ni Shanshan’s eyes. She then reached out, embracing Chen Xuanqiu’s shoulders. Despite being older, her petite frame made her seem like a younger sister as she eagerly returned the embrace.
Chen Xuanqiu rarely had physical contact with the ‘opposite s*x,’ so her body trembled slightly, highly sensitive to the touch.
As they remained pressed together, the black mist on Ni Shanshan once again began to spread towards Chen Xuanqiu, only to be gradually extinguished by the warm current within her.