Chapter 9: Discharge

“Crash——”

“Cough, cough, cough…”

The floor was now covered with black, band-like objects mixed with some liquid.

Lin Yanqiu kept her brows furrowed as she watched Hua Qian’an.

The glove, along with the foreign substance on it, had long since been thrown into the trash can.

The nurse standing awkwardly in the room looked extremely uneasy, and she handed a pack of tissues to the two of them.

Lin Yanqiu nodded, opened the pack, and wiped her hands.

“…Much better.”

Hua Qian’an took a deep breath, recalling her earlier loss of composure, and looked at Lin Yanqiu with an apologetic gaze.

But at this moment, she was kneeling on the floor, looking utterly miserable.

Her legs felt weak.

“I’m sorry, sis, I got your clothes dirty.”

She glanced at the stained cuffs of Lin Yanqiu’s pants, guilt in her eyes.

“It’s fine.”

Lin Yanqiu’s voice was calm, but her brows remained tightly knit, as if she assumed Hua Qian’an had simply vomited something she’d eaten earlier.

Her thoughts were in chaos, and memories of the mansion flickered through her mind.

She pressed her lips together.

“…I forgot I ate seaweed yesterday.”

“Sorry.”

If she told Lin Yanqiu honestly that what she’d vomited was actually aquatic plants… That would be too strange.

Why would she eat water plants?

Why would she approach the water’s edge?

…More questions would follow.

And Lin Yanqiu was the type who wouldn’t rest until she got answers.

Hua Qian’an herself didn’t know the answer.

Ever since she saw that strange figure in the restroom, these bizarre things kept happening.

First, she fainted and had a strange dream, but there was a red handprint on her neck…

Then she felt nauseous and vomited piles of aquatic plants…

An uneasy feeling lingered in her heart.

She thought of the source of it all—that strange job.

Did that HR know something?

Her mind spun, but since her sister was still here, she couldn’t contact the other party right away.

“Professor, the head nurse says you can go over now.”

The nurse glanced at her phone and reported to Lin Yanqiu.

She kept sneaking glances at Hua Qian’an, clearly worried about her condition.

Hua Qian’an blinked.

She remembered now.

This nurse was the one who gave her water when she woke up.

“Nurse sis, thank you for your hard work too.”

Though her legs still felt weak, Hua Qian’an was already recovering.

After all, it was just a bout of nausea and vomiting—not a real physical problem.

She smiled at the nurse.

Lin Yanqiu took in the scene, snorting inwardly.

“Enough talking, let’s go get re-examined.”

She raised her head, looking at the nurse whose cheeks had turned inexplicably red.

“Miss Nurse, could you find someone to clean this up?”

“Xiao An, I’m taking her with me.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Hua Qian’an felt a firm force on her shoulder—it was Lin Yanqiu’s hand.

She was guiding her out of the room.

Hua Qian’an went along, leaving the room as Lin Yanqiu intended.

“Sis, aren’t you going to change your clothes?”

In the corridor, Hua Qian’an asked Lin Yanqiu a little guiltily.

Every time she looked down, she could see the wet patches on Lin Yanqiu’s sleeves and pants.

“You’re more important.”

In her mind, she was still replaying the moment when Hua Qian’an smiled and called the nurse “sis.”

It made her uncomfortable.

She glanced at Hua Qian’an, the corner of her mouth twitching in a forced, cold smile.

“Of course, none of this is free.”

Hua Qian’an took a deep breath, pressed her lips together, and nodded silently.

There was no further conversation along the way.

—

“No major problems.”

Sitting on a bench in the hospital corridor, Lin Yanqiu held several of Hua Qian’an’s examination reports.

She let out a sigh of relief.

“It looks like you woke up from a coma and your body hasn’t fully adjusted.”

Hua Qian’an nodded.

“So I can be discharged today, right?”

She’d gone to the mansion on Saturday; now it was already Sunday.

“There’s a curfew in the dormitory tonight…”

She was still a university student, after all.

Her school had strict management—apart from Fridays and Saturdays, there was a curfew every night during the week.

But her eagerness to leave the hospital wasn’t because of the curfew.

Although she was generally law-abiding, she didn’t take school rules too seriously.

Mainly, she was worried that staying in the hospital would rack up mysterious debts.

She glanced at the back of her hand, where a bandage was still attached, faintly aching.

She decided she’d be more careful with IV drips in the future.

Clenching her fist, she saw a small trace of red seep through the cotton pad of the bandage from the movement.

The slight pain cleared her mind.

“Understood. I’ll drive you home.”

Lin Yanqiu stood up and patted Hua Qian’an’s shoulder.

But her gaze lingered on Hua Qian’an’s neck, where the collar didn’t cover.

Earlier, they’d applied some medicine there and wrapped it with a bandage.

The slender neck looked even more fragile, bound tightly in white.

“If anyone bullies you, remember to tell me.”

Lin Yanqiu looked away.

“After all, you’re my little sister.”

Since her body was indeed fine, Hua Qian’an quickly completed the discharge procedures and left the hospital.

“By the way.”

Driving, Lin Yanqiu suddenly remembered something and gave Hua Qian’an a cold glance.

“Don’t go to such deserted places again.”

So many unexpected things had happened that even Lin Yanqiu almost forgot the root of it all: Hua Qian’an, for some unknown reason, decided to explore a rundown place.

She’d always known her little sister seemed gentle and weak on the outside, but was actually quite rebellious.

Through treating her, she learned that Hua Qian’an hadn’t always been this frail.

As a child, she’d been lively and healthy.

A sudden, inexplicable illness had ruined everything.

Leaning against the passenger seat, Hua Qian’an watched the scenery whiz by outside.

Lin Yanqiu had changed her clothes for her—the outfit was loose, almost hanging off her frame.

Hua Qian’an was still thin and delicate.

“Okay.”

Staring at her own expressionless face reflected in the car window, Hua Qian’an reached out to touch it.

But all she felt was the cold glass.

With her head turned, Lin Yanqiu couldn’t see her expression.

“……”

Before she knew it, they had arrived at the school gate.

It was Sunday, so there were more students coming and going than usual.

Hua Qian’an said goodbye to Lin Yanqiu, then opened the car door and got out.

At that moment, a girl looked in their direction, an expression of surprise on her face.

“Well, see you.”

Lowering the window, Lin Yanqiu casually waved at Hua Qian’an.

Because of the angle, Hua Qian’an just happened to block the line of sight between Lin Yanqiu and the girl.

Watching Hua Qian’an walk toward the residential area, Lin Yanqiu withdrew her gaze, stepped on the accelerator, and drove away.

“Xiao Qian!”

Hearing the voice, Hua Qian’an turned around in confusion.

She saw a girl with a ponytail waving at her.

Realizing who it was, Hua Qian’an sighed inwardly.

On the surface, she managed a smile.

“Yingying? You just got back from outside?”

One of her roommates, Zhao Yingying.

Zhao Yingying looked excited.

“Who was that just now?”

“And that car—it looked expensive, right?”