Chapter 202

Chapter 202

No wonder... there hadn’t been a single sound all afternoon, and because she had been trying to find more things to do to keep herself occupied, Zhong Ning had deliberately ignored the time. By the time she noticed, it was already too late — she had no idea how long this person had been running a fever.

"Shiqing... Shiqing? Wake up."

Zhong Ning gently pushed her shoulder, but Xie Shiqing only furrowed her brows slightly and didn’t wake up.

She quickly ran to the bathroom, soaked a towel with water, wrung it half-dry, and brought it back to wipe the sweat off her face.

The doorbell rang — room service had arrived.

Zhong Ning hurriedly took the medicine and thermometer, immediately measured Xie Shiqing’s temperature. 38.6 degrees Celsius — a dangerously high fever.

She pushed Xie Shiqing again, but the woman still didn’t wake up.

Had she passed out from the fever?

Zhong Ning didn’t hesitate for even a second. Wrapping Xie Shiqing in the blanket, she carried her up and shouted to the service staff who hadn’t yet left, "Please get a car to the hospital! Thank you!"

There were still plenty of taxis waiting outside the hotel.

The staff helped press the elevator button, and they went all the way down to the underground parking lot, where taxis were lined up. The staff opened the car door and helped her get in.

Xie Shiqing lay limply in her arms, her body burning hot like a furnace. Even her breath was scalding, like steam rolling out of boiling water.

"Please drive a little faster," she couldn’t help urging.

"Alright."

But it happened to be rush hour. The roads were packed with traffic. Even if the driver wanted to go faster, there was no way — they couldn’t fly there, after all.

One red light after another. Zhong Ning’s brows were furrowed tight, forming a 川 character. She adjusted Xie Shiqing’s position slightly, then leaned down to press her own forehead to hers, trying to gauge the temperature that way.

"Ning Ning..."

Maybe because of all the movement, Xie Shiqing finally stirred. Her eyelids trembled slightly, then slowly opened a sliver.

"Nn..."

"You’ve got a fever," Zhong Ning held her steadily, just like she had countless times before. "We’re on the way to the hospital."

"It hurts... Ning Ning... I’m so cold..." Xie Shiqing muttered hazily, her eyes shutting again.

Zhong Ning quietly tightened the blanket around her, supported the back of her head so she could lean into her embrace, and said softly, "We’ll be at the hospital soon. Hang in there, okay?"

————————

Zhong Ning: Talking things out is good for everyone. I won’t go soft.

Still Zhong Ning (rushing to get someone to the hospital): I’m not going soft. This is just a normal response to seeing a sick person.

Chapter 71

The traffic on the road flowed and split, each vehicle carrying people struggling for their livelihoods.

Zhong Ning felt that she was, in truth, quite fortunate — she had never suffered financial hardship, nor had she experienced physical suffering in the truest sense.

But fate’s scales were balanced. When it granted blessings on one side, it would press down with tribulations on the other to even things out.

She held Xie Shiqing in her arms, and the sigh in her heart felt like a thick ink stain that couldn’t be dissolved, casting a shadow over her spirit.

The moment she found out that Xie Shiqing was running a fever and couldn’t wake up, it felt like a string had snapped in Zhong Ning’s mind. Her brain went blank. It wasn’t until she was in the car, holding the woman, stuck at a red light with her anxiety gradually rising, that the panic from earlier was finally pushed down.

So much love had been ripped from within her and recklessly thrown out.

Like a piece of severed flesh, it still tugged at her, manipulating her senses.

Zhong Ning closed her eyes, gently caressing the back of the person’s head in her arms. She fished out the hair tucked into the blanket, so it wouldn’t pile up uncomfortably around her neck.

She still couldn’t stop herself from feeling heartache for this person.

Couldn’t stop herself from paying attention to her, from looking at her, from thinking about what was on her mind, from caring about her lows.

But could they really be together again? Zhong Ning asked herself. Could she truly let go of the past and start over? In the ashes that had burned to the end — besides residual warmth — was there any spark left that could reignite?

Zhong Ning didn’t know.

She wanted to be someone who was responsible for herself. Taking care of others’ emotions had to come second to protecting her own.

Could she forgive Xie Shiqing? Could the changes in the present make up for the pain of the past?

Zhong Ning fell into long, wordless contemplation.

A belated attempt at making amends no longer suited the people they had become.

It was better to stay apart.

They both needed space — time to settle, to think, and to figure out what it was they truly wanted.

"When making major decisions, don’t think about sunk costs." The phrase sounded easy, seemed light when spoken. But in truth, putting it into practice was like tearing off skin that had been glued together — the pain was a never-ending river.

But if one didn’t break away from the current environment, didn’t wash off the glue, then they’d be stuck together forever. By then, it wouldn’t be just pain — even the bones would start to rot.

The taxi finally arrived smoothly at the hospital entrance.

Zhong Ning registered for emergency care. After the doctor checked on her, they quickly prescribed medication and arranged for Xie Shiqing to receive an antipyretic injection.

"Do you have a private room? She’s still in the fever period. She needs a tranquilizer."

This kind of volatile medication had to be used in a sealed environment.

A nurse pushed the IV stand ahead. Zhong Ning carried Xie Shiqing, following behind, until they reached a single patient room.

She gently laid Xie Shiqing down, pulled the blanket over her, then called the hotel, asking them to look for the tranquilizer in the room, and to bring water and millet porridge or other food suitable for someone ill — all delivered to the hospital.

The delivery tip was a must — this counted as an extra service, so she directly transferred the money over.

Xie Shiqing was still asleep. Zhong Ning gently picked up the arm receiving the injection and placed it by the bedside, using a small pillow to support it.

Her slender fingertips curled slightly, the nails a very pale pink — almost white. A healthy person’s natural nails were a lovely peach-pink, with full blood circulation and a rounded, glossy shape.

Xie Shiqing had taken countless supplements and nutrition products. Every daily meal was carefully prepared by a chef, well-balanced in nutrition without compromising on taste.