Lin Yanqiu naturally couldn’t be her biological sister.
But they weren’t in some strange relationship either.
Although it was indeed a bit odd, in the eyes of the law, they were certainly “sisters.”
Lin Yanqiu was the only daughter of the family that adopted Hua Qian.
Now, both parents of that family had died, and Lin Yanqiu, already part of society, naturally took on the role of “guardian.”
One of the reasons Hua Qian chose to attend university in this city was because Lin Yanqiu was here.
If it was only tuition and living expenses, Hua Qian could have tried to get by frugally with subsidies and scholarships.
But unfortunately, Hua Qian was a sickly person.
A large part of Lin Yanqiu’s “debt” was medical expenses.
“Your health is a lot better now than when we first met.”
The hospital gown on Hua Qian looked a bit loose.
Lin Yanqiu looked down at her, able to see through the clothing what was hidden beneath.
Compared to the thin, abused-looking state from their first meeting, Hua Qian had put on a bit of weight under Lin Yanqiu’s care.
“Mm… that’s why I’ve always been grateful to you, sis.”
“I want to repay you.”
Hua Qian said, looking at Lin Yanqiu seriously.
At that moment, her eyes reflected only Lin Yanqiu’s figure.
The latter was obviously vulnerable to such words; the corners of her lips rose unconsciously, betraying her mood.
But this wasn’t a lie either—Hua Qian was indeed grateful to Lin Yanqiu, and if given the chance in the future, she would definitely repay her.
The reason she worked part-time was to minimize accumulating debt, lighten their burdens, and avoid making Lin Yanqiu spend more on her.
One day, when she had saved enough to cover all the debts, she’d pay Lin Yanqiu back in one go.
When she first received her scholarship, she’d even tried to return some money to Lin Yanqiu.
The cold expression when Lin Yanqiu accepted it had made Hua Qian uneasy.
She wasn’t sure what Lin Yanqiu was angry about, but during that time, her attitude toward her had indeed been a bit off.
Hua Qian had given up on the slow repayment plan and decided to quietly save money instead.
Not wanting to think about these things anymore, Hua Qian lowered her head to look at the warm food in her hands.
It was mostly light vegetarian dishes, the kind she’d told Lin Yanqiu she liked.
When Lin Yanqiu wasn’t angry, she was actually pretty good to her.
She patted her own belly.
Although she’d been unconscious for nearly a day, for some reason, she didn’t feel very hungry.
“Repay me?”
“Just don’t go around attracting trouble. That’s repayment enough.”
Lin Yanqiu emphasized the word “attract,” hinting that perhaps she wanted to say something else entirely.
But Hua Qian felt innocent regarding this matter.
She only pretended in front of Lin Yanqiu and a few others; most of the time on campus, she wore a blank, lifeless expression.
Even so, she couldn’t stop the swarm of suitors from gathering around her.
Lin Yanqiu seemed to always dislike those who pursued her.
Hua Qian scooped up some of the food Lin Yanqiu brought with a spoon and put it in her mouth.
She blocked further conversation with food.
“It’s not mealtime yet. I asked the cafeteria to make these separately.”
Lin Yanqiu sat in the chair beside the hospital bed, resting her head on one hand as she watched Hua Qian eat.
“They should all be dishes you like, right?”
Hua Qian didn’t reply, just chewed and nodded.
The sickroom grew quiet, filled only with the sounds of their breathing and the soft noises of chewing and swallowing.
Lin Yanqiu continued to silently watch Hua Qian eat.
“……”
Halfway through her meal, Hua Qian suddenly stopped, placing the spoon flat on the lunchbox and staring silently at the remaining food.
Seeing Hua Qian’s odd behavior, Lin Yanqiu frowned unconsciously.
“Not to your taste?”
Her gaze moved to Hua Qian’s face, and she froze.
“Xiao An?”
Without asking further, Lin Yanqiu stood up and took the thermal lunchbox from Hua Qian’s hands.
The food still gave off the fresh scent of vegetables, nothing seemed wrong.
But Hua Qian’s current state was obviously off.
Setting the lunchbox on the bedside table, Lin Yanqiu straightened up.
She pressed the nurse call button at the front of the bed several times in quick succession.
Hua Qian’s lips were always pale, but now they looked almost white.
She really wasn’t well.
At first, the food had gone down fine, but as it traveled down her throat, a nauseating wave rose within her.
Something churned in her stomach.
She wanted to throw up…
But why?
She hadn’t eaten anything all day yesterday.
Urgh…
Hua Qian covered her mouth with her hand, dry heaving a few times.
Nothing came out.
But she could feel the food she had just eaten pressing against her esophagus, caught between going up and down.
A wave of dizziness and nausea swept over her.
But she was a hundred percent certain the food itself wasn’t the cause.
Was this a side effect of waking from unconsciousness?
A mess of footsteps sounded outside the door.
A woman who looked like the head nurse rushed in, a bit flustered, but steadied herself as she entered, bowing slightly to those in the room.
“Professor, you…”
Lin Yanqiu waved her hand impatiently, cutting off the small talk.
“My sister doesn’t look well.”
She leaned over to help Hua Qian, her tone softening.
“Can you walk?”
The head nurse nodded, understanding.
“I’ll contact the Medical Department right away.”
She then hurried out.
One or two nurses who’d come with her stepped forward to check on Hua Qian.
Lin Yanqiu handed the IV bottle to a nurse and supported Hua Qian herself.
So cold…
Lin Yanqiu looked down at the hand she was holding.
Unlike most people’s warmth, Hua Qian’s temperature had always been on the cool side.
But now, her palm felt ice-cold.
“Xiao An…”
To say Lin Yanqiu wasn’t worried would be a lie.
“……”
Hua Qian, who had been moving, suddenly stopped, looking down at her feet.
Lin Yanqiu and the nurses also halted, waiting for her reaction.
“Thud.”
The sound of bone hitting the floor.
Before Lin Yanqiu could react, Hua Qian collapsed to her knees, clutching her mouth.
Lin Yanqiu motioned for the nurse to keep hold of the IV, then quickly fetched the trash can every sickroom had and placed it in front of Hua Qian.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
The few bites of food she’d eaten at noon came up.
They had been in her stomach less than ten minutes and looked almost unchanged.
Lin Yanqiu knelt beside Hua Qian, gently patting her back.
“You’ll feel better once you get it out…”
But even after vomiting, Hua Qian’s complexion remained poor.
Perhaps because there was nothing left in her stomach, she could only spit out bitter stomach acid.
No…no…
The churning feeling in her stomach hadn’t gone away at all…
“Ugh…”
Hua Qian pressed a hand to her chest, the nausea making it hard to breathe.
She couldn’t vomit anymore…
“Need help?”
Lin Yanqiu’s calm voice sounded above her.
Hua Qian looked up and saw Lin Yanqiu’s sharp-featured face.
She couldn’t tell what Lin Yanqiu meant by that, but she nodded anyway.
Since it was help… it should be fine, right?
Having received permission, Lin Yanqiu, wearing a strange expression, let go of Hua Qian.
She took an unopened pack of medical gloves from her pocket, tore it open, and pulled one out.
Her slender hand looked even more delicate under the milky white latex.
Hua Qian stared blankly at Lin Yanqiu.
“I’ll help you vomit.”
“Open your mouth.”
The scent of latex filled her mouth as two gloved fingers pressed down on her tongue.
Her tongue touched the glove—it felt cool.
Hua Qian was forced to tilt her head back, and the pressure triggered spasms in her stomach, causing her to jerk involuntarily.
“Ugh—”
Her pupils dilated as something foreign surged up her throat.
A tickling sensation wrapped around her esophagus.
Hua Qian instinctively grabbed the person in front of her.
Because of her sudden movement, the IV attached to her left hand was pulled, causing blood to flow back into the tube…
“……”
The object that had been stuck in her stomach was now expelled, landing on Lin Yanqiu’s unwithdrawn hand.
Black and white formed a stark contrast.
The air grew eerily silent.
“……Seaweed?”
Staring at the object on the back of her hand, Lin Yanqiu muttered in disbelief.