◎Bloodline Suppression◎
The long, white corridor was filled with the sharp scent of disinfectant. People hurried by with worried expressions.
Zhong Yao and Chen Xiang walked into a double room, where a group of doctors and nurses were making their rounds, carefully asking about the condition of the elderly man in the left bed.
Chen Zhu Jing lay on the right bed, his right leg suspended high. He looked completely unbothered, half-reclining while scrolling through his phone, not even noticing when Chen Xiang and Zhong Yao arrived.
Chen Xiang had been a little worried, but seeing him like this suddenly sparked a surge of anger in her.
She briskly stepped forward and snatched his phone. “Look at you! Your leg’s practically crippled, and you’re still glued to your phone! Can’t you live a moment without it?”
Chen Zhu Jing shrugged casually. “The doctor already said it’s fine as long as I rest my leg. I’m bored lying here, what’s wrong with looking at my phone?”
Chen Xiang snorted. “Knew you’d say that. I even brought you professional books. Bored, huh? Then study! If you fail again, do you think your aunt won’t break your leg?”
Hearing the mention of his mother, Chen Zhu Jing visibly flinched, but still tried to act tough: “It’s already broken.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Chen Xiang shot him a glare. He immediately hunched over and took the backpack she handed him. Looking at the bag stuffed full of books, his expression was one of utter misery.
Zhong Yao placed the nutrition supplements and fruit on the small table nearby. Looking at his leg suspended high, she asked worriedly, “Are you really okay?”
With such a thick cast, it didn’t look like a minor injury at all.
Before Chen Zhu Jing could answer, Chen Xiang rolled her eyes. “Look at him acting all smug, does that look like a serious injury to you? I bet he’s secretly happy he doesn’t have to take exams today.”
Chen Zhu Jing hurriedly protested, “I’m not thinking like that! I don’t know why I’ve been having such terrible luck lately, it’s been awful!”
“During the PE exam’s 1000-meter run, I tripped right at the start, I always twist my ankle going down stairs, whenever I order takeout, the place I want is closed that day, and this time, I just went to deliver some materials to the counselor, and a car hit me.” He muttered, recounting his recent misfortunes.
Chen Xiang fired back without mercy. “You fell while running because you don’t exercise and have weak bones, you twist your ankle on the stairs because you’re playing with your phone while going down, if a takeout place is closed, why not just go to the cafeteria yourself?”
“And about delivering materials, if I’m not mistaken, the deadline was yesterday. If you handled things on time and didn’t procrastinate, you wouldn’t have had to go out today. And if you didn’t go out, how would a car hit you?”
Chen Xiang laid out her points clearly, leaving Chen Zhu Jing speechless. He fell silent, not daring to argue, and instead pulled out a book to read.
Zhong Yao smiled quietly. So this is what “bloodline suppression” feels like?
She washed two apples, peeled them, and sliced them carefully with a fruit knife. Then she placed the slices by Chen Zhu Jing’s side, signaling for him to eat.
Chen Zhu Jing gave her a grateful glance, then stealthily peeked at Chen Xiang like a thief, pinching a piece of apple and stuffing it into his mouth.
Chen Xiang noticed his little maneuver and thought he was about to sneak off with his phone again. She suddenly looked up. “What are you doing?”
Startled, Chen Zhu Jing choked, half of the apple got stuck in his throat, causing him to cough violently.
Zhong Yao, standing nearby, hurried over and patted his back, her tone urgent. “Spit it out!”
Chen Zhu Jing coughed so hard that his eyes rolled back, and it took a while before he finally managed to expel the small piece of apple. Before Chen Xiang could even apologize, he acted as if nothing had happened, his hoarse voice croaking out, “See? I told you I’ve been so unlucky lately, even drinking cold water I get stuck, and eating an apple I almost choke.”
Chen Xiang pursed her lips, still looking a bit guilty. Chen Zhu Jing took the opportunity to change the subject, deliberately easing the slightly tense atmosphere. “Sis, considering I almost died coughing, can I just play on my phone to recuperate a bit?”
Chen Xiang’s eyes widened immediately. “This hospital is already a massive buff, and you still want to recuperate? Read your book!”
Chen Zhu Jing sighed in disappointment, glaring fiercely at the book as if it personally owed him a grudge.
He muttered to himself, “Some people are married at twenty, some are fathers of two, and some people at twenty just want to play on their phone but have to be watched over by their own sister.”
Zhong Yao couldn’t help but snicker. Chen Xiang facepalmed silently, too exasperated to respond.
But no matter how quiet it got for a few seconds, Chen Zhu Jing still couldn’t settle down. He kept fidgeting, looking here and there. Half an hour passed, and he hadn’t even finished a single page.
Chen Xiang was about to lose her temper again, but he quickly made an excuse: “It’s calculus, sis, I don’t understand it!”
Hearing the words “calculus,” Zhong Yao instinctively glanced at his book. After quickly scanning the problem, she calmly gave a number, the correct answer.
Both of them looked over immediately. Chen Xiang’s eyes were full of surprise, she had always thought of Zhong Yao as someone who struggled with calculus. Chen Zhu Jing, however, was filled with awe and admiration. In his eyes, Zhong Yao had become a true math expert.
Even Zhong Yao herself only just remembered her feat of maxing out her calculus stats last night, she never expected it would actually manifest in real life.
Feeling an invisible sense of triumph, Zhong Yao just wanted to throw her head back and shout: “Yes!”
But in front of these two siblings, she still forced herself to control the corner of her mouth and her slightly mischievous, darting eyes, putting on an expression that said, “Isn’t it normal to get this problem right?”
Chen Zhu Jing looked at her eagerly, about to lean over to grab her leg, when his body suddenly tilted. The rope holding up his right leg snapped without warning, and his plastered leg swung down instantly. Even with the soft bedding beneath him, the pain was so sharp that cold sweat broke out across his face, which went pale in an instant.
He cried out in pain: “[1]“Wǒcào” (我操) is a very common Chinese expletive, roughly equivalent to “damn!” or “holy crap!” in English. It’s often used to express shock, pain, or frustration—so in this … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1668866_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1668866_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Wǒcào!”
Zhong Yao and Chen Xiang were terrified by the sudden accident. In their panic, they forgot about the bedside call button and dashed straight out the door to find a doctor.
Upon hearing the situation, the doctor hurried over. Seeing the mess on the bed, he forced himself to stay calm while asking about Chen Zhu Jing’s current condition.
With the doctor there, Zhong Yao finally steadied herself. She let out a sigh, slowly stepping back to allow the arriving medical staff to assess the situation.
Suddenly, the phone in her pocket rang. Zhong Yao frowned and quickly stepped out of the ward, not wanting to disturb the doctors and nurses inside.
She took out her phone and saw that the call was from an unfamiliar number.
Standing in the corridor, Zhong Yao answered, her voice tinged with curiosity: “Hello?”
Unexpectedly, the next second, Dou Dou’s voice came through: “Zhong Yao, Chen Zhu Jing is in trouble!”
References[+]