That voice was You Xinghai.
Wen Xiaoyue’s brain felt heavy and muddled. Her body was so limp that she did not even have the strength to lift her head and look.
She realized You Xinghai was holding her hand, and she felt a shameful realization that she was actually becoming somewhat accustomed to the touch.
She wanted to pull away, but You Xinghai, mistaking her movement for slipping, quickly gripped her tighter. Those warm hands supported her as she stood up.
“Come on, Eldest Miss, stand tall. We need to get you to the infirmary right now. My goodness, what a disaster. Is there really someone in this school who wants to be your mortal enemy?”
“Keep going! Move those legs! That is it! You are doing great!”
“Yes, yes, yes! Just two more steps and we reach the stairs! Hang in there!”
Listening to these noisy words of encouragement, which sounded as if she were a comatose patient recovering her motor skills, Wen Xiaoyue’s remaining shred of gratitude and shyness was instantly replaced by irritation. “Shut up!”
However, her voice was soft and weak. It lacked its usual deterrent power, though, to be fair, she had never been able to make this person shut up even on a normal day.
In her daze, thoughts constantly flashed through Wen Xiaoyue’s chaotic mind.
But why is You Xinghai here? She even saved me.
Why does it have to be her? Once again, she has seen me in such a pathetic state.
But maybe it does not matter anymore. This person has already seen too many expressions that I do not usually show.
My body is so cold, yet my face is so hot. I want to sleep.
Sensing that the person she was supporting was losing strength, You Xinghai grew anxious. She did not know what to do. She could not exactly carry her to the infirmary; if someone saw them on the way, who knew how many more rumors would start?
“Eldest Miss? Eldest Miss?”
Wen Xiaoyue let out an unconscious murmur but did not respond.
She was completely deluded with fever.
Just as You Xinghai was at a loss, she suddenly saw a figure slowly walking toward them from the opposite end of the corridor.
The person noticed the commotion, showed a look of surprise, and quickly sped up to approach them.
“What happened?”
You Xinghai scrutinized the newcomer.
This person had long, smooth black hair and a face so exquisite it seemed unreal, like a classical beauty stepping out of an oil painting. Between her brows lay a hint of melancholy typical of a literary girl, and her expressive eyes were full of stories.
The moment she saw Wen Xiaoyue being supported by You Xinghai, her expression changed drastically. She hurried over to brush away the wet strands of hair from Wen Xiaoyue’s forehead. “How is it Xiaoyue? What happened?”
Oh! It looks like an acquaintance. This makes things easier.
You Xinghai succinctly explained the situation: “She was set up and locked in a toilet stall. She has a fever now and her mind is a bit muddled. It is a bit inconvenient for me alone. Can you help me take her to the infirmary?”
The literary girl agreed immediately without a second thought: “Yes, we must get her there quickly!”
However, when taking Wen Xiaoyue’s other arm, a flash of hesitation clearly crossed the girl’s face. Ultimately, her desire to help won out, and she supported Wen Xiaoyue from the other side.
This obvious pause caught You Xinghai’s attention.
In the setting of this novel, Alphas and Omegas have coin-sized glands on their necks used to release pheromones and mark each other.
But You Xinghai could not easily distinguish gender based on appearance. For someone who had only read text descriptions, the difficulty was too high!
Seeing this literary girl’s actions, it was clear she was very cautious about touching an Omega. She likely was not the same gender as Wen Xiaoyue.
A terrifying realization suddenly surged in You Xinghai’s mind.
“Uh, excuse me for asking,” she began in a conversational tone. “Who are you?”
“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself.”
The literary girl looked with her melancholy eyes and said peacefully: “I am Fu Dongxue from the third year, a friend of Xiaoyue.”
“…”
It was actually her!
Fu Dongxue! Why are you in this place!
No! Why did you only show up now!
You Xinghai suddenly felt that the Wen Xiaoyue in her arms was a bit too hot to handle, like a freshly roasted sweet potato.
She quickly processed the current situation in her brain.
Guan Yinqi, who was originally supposed to be locked in the toilet, had been replaced by Wen Xiaoyue.
Fu Dongxue, who was originally supposed to save Guan Yinqi, was now seeing her save Wen Xiaoyue.
The plot where the two were supposed to start an intimate scene in the music room after the rescue had changed. Now Guan Yinqi was struggling alone, while Fu Dongxue had run over to help her support Wen Xiaoyue.
Everything was a mess!
You Xinghai did not understand why the plot had changed, but on second thought, it was probably because she had not pursued Guan Yinqi like in the original story. The butterfly effect had caused slight deviations in the entire plot.
What should she do now? Should she let Fu Dongxue leave to find Guan Yinqi in the music room? But then it would become a situation where she and Wen Xiaoyue were alone again, potentially re-enacting the grand drama of “You Xinghai Gropes the Eldest Miss” and the public demanding the expulsion of the “stinky creep”!
On the other side, Fu Dongxue did not understand why the kind person helping Wen Xiaoyue had suddenly fallen silent after her introduction. She asked proactively for once: “And you?”
You Xinghai snapped back to reality.
And me? How should I introduce myself? Once I say my name, she will probably immediately drag Wen Xiaoyue far away from me, right?
Maybe that would not be so bad?
You Xinghai spoke slowly: “My name is You Xinghai, a classmate of Wen Xiaoyue.”
“Oh.”
Fu Dongxue had no special reaction and said casually: “Then you are truly kind hearted.”
“…”
It seemed Fu Dongxue did not know about her bad reputation. It made sense. In the original story, the literary girl was a shut-in who ignored worldly affairs. Otherwise, she would not have been unaware that the resilient Little White Flower in the music room was actually her friend’s crush.
With the help of plot armor, almost no one saw the three of them along the way. This was particularly rare in a novel where simply showing up usually triggered countless voiceovers.
When Wen Xiaoyue finally lay on the small bed in the infirmary, both You Xinghai and Fu Dongxue breathed a sigh of relief.
The doctor directed them: “You, go to that cabinet and get the patient clothes. You, go get a dry towel; I will wipe her down.”
Under the doctor’s orders, You Xinghai and Fu Dongxue worked hard for quite a while.
The doctor began helping Wen Xiaoyue change her clothes, and the two were naturally asked to wait outside.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Fu Dongxue went to a nearby vending machine, bought a bottle of water, and handed it to You Xinghai.
“Yeah, you too.”
You Xinghai did not stand on ceremony. She took the water and drank it back.
Outside the window, the sky gradually lost its blinding brilliance. The orange light of the sunset was already beginning to leap onto the tips of the green leaves.
On an early autumn evening, even a gentle breeze could make one feel at ease.
“I do not know much about the second-year affairs. Perhaps you know who harmed Xiaoyue like this,” Fu Dongxue suddenly spoke.
You Xinghai lowered her gaze, her mind recalling the novel’s plot.
Although she did not know the specific details, she guessed the people who harmed Wen Xiaoyue were likely the same group that was originally supposed to harm Guan Yinqi. In the original story, school bullying always revolved around the protagonist.
With Wen Xiaoyue’s personality, she would surely pay them back tenfold. Did I really need to worry?
You Xinghai licked a drop of water from her lower lip. Although she had mentally ingrained the motto of “do not cause trouble, do not stick your neck out, and do not get involved,” what came out of her mouth was: “It should be someone from our class. We can check the surveillance footage once she wakes up.”
In the original novel, the Little White Flower was bullied in eighteen different ways and never thought of checking the surveillance, creating a large amount of unnecessary plot.
“I will never allow this to happen again,” Fu Dongxue said, suddenly becoming fired up. “I will surely seek justice for her!”
Well, fine. Let them be busy. I will not participate.
You Xinghai unconsciously tightened her grip on the water bottle. What she thought of instead was the image of the Eldest Miss with wet hair plastered to her forehead and a pale little face.
The physical constitution of Omegas in this world was quite fragile; she probably felt terrible.
Despite being a lady of high status, she had received such treatment. It was likely a significant blow to her spirit as well.
The image of Wen Xiaoyue’s shining profile as she sat at the piano stool flashed in her mind again.
It was a beauty that did not seem mortal.
Seeing that You Xinghai did not respond, Fu Dongxue glanced sideways with a bit of confusion.
She had known Wen Xiaoyue since childhood and naturally knew how much the other girl disliked physical contact.
But when she had stumbled upon You Xinghai supporting Wen Xiaoyue earlier, what she saw was not the distant support typical of ordinary classmates. Instead, it seemed somewhat intimate.
Wen Xiaoyue did not seem to reject this person’s approach. And while this person looked weary on the surface as if she did not want to deal with anything, she had stayed until now.
What was the relationship between these two? Was she a new friend of Xiaoyue? Why had she not been introduced?
Just as she was wondering, Fu Dongxue’s phone suddenly vibrated.
She gave You Xinghai an apologetic look and answered the call: “Hello? It is me. What? Someone is playing my piano?”
“It is fine, no need to drive her away. I am coming over to take a look now.”
She hung up the phone and said apologetically to You Xinghai: “I am sorry, I have to go to the music room immediately. Could I trouble you to look after Xiaoyue for a bit?”
When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a person…
You Xinghai nodded helplessly: “Go ahead. I will watch over things here. Do not worry.”
After seeing off Fu Dongxue and her repeated thanks, the door to the infirmary finally opened again.
The doctor walked out and took off her mask. “Are you the one who was in a fight yesterday morning? I remember you.”
You Xinghai never expected she still had plot lines to follow. She answered hesitantly: “I suppose so, but I have turned over a new leaf.”
The doctor gave a contemptuous laugh and did not say much more. She pointed to the door behind her: “Go in. She is looking for you. Remember to put her clothes in the dryer.”
“?”
Looking for me?
You Xinghai walked in, confused.
There was no one else in the infirmary. It was so quiet it felt like a mortuary.
You Xinghai blinked. At the deepest part of the room, on a clean white hospital bed, the young girl was sleeping peacefully.
The striped patient gown added a touch of fragility to her. She was like Snow White who had eaten the poisoned apple, waiting for her beloved to help her escape the boundless darkness.
You Xinghai stopped by Wen Xiaoyue’s bed.
Is she not asleep? Why did the doctor say she was calling for me?
You Xinghai pulled up a small stool, sat down, and stared without blinking at the princess whose face was gradually regaining its color.
When Wen Xiaoyue’s eyes were closed in peace, You Xinghai realized that her features were not aggressive at all. Instead, they were quite gentle. Her puffed-up cheeks were like peaches that looked as if they could yield water if squeezed, easily stirring her restless desire to tease.
No, that is not right. This is the real world, not a dream where I can play around freely!
You Xinghai shook her head at the absurdity of her thoughts and turned to the side room to help dry the clothes.
When she returned, Wen Xiaoyue still had not woken up. You Xinghai sat down again, took her phone out of her pocket, and scrolled through webpages to pass the time.
Perhaps it was the exhaustion brought by the relaxation after a busy period, but You Xinghai gradually felt her vision blur. The back of her head felt heavier, and her eyelids began to droop.
Finally, she could no longer resist the torture of sleepiness and gently closed her eyes.
Her soul drifted slowly from her body, entering a brief dream.