Ye Xi did not notice Shen Mingjin’s subtle movements. Her own fingertips gently rubbed her ear, feeling a lingering warmth there. The strange sensation in her heart intensified. Just moments ago, it had felt as if someone had truly touched her ear—the distinct feeling of a woman’s hand. The touch had been soft, delicate, and incredibly smooth, stirring a faint heat and leaving behind a slight itch.
But no one had touched her.
The room held only her and Shen Mingjin, and Shen Mingjin was standing a short distance away.
Ye Xi was still pondering the source of this bizarre sensation when she suddenly felt her waist tighten, as if a soft arm had wrapped around her from behind.
When she looked down, however, her waist was empty.
The odd, heavy feeling in her chest grew.
Noticing Ye Xi looking downward, Shen Mingjin followed her gaze and saw her own hand, tense with anxiety, gripping the Pink Fur Rabbit’s belly. Shen Mingjin’s tender, pale skin reddened, like haitang flowers blooming against snow-white skin.
Shen Mingjin sheepishly loosened her grip and shifted her gaze back to Ye Xi, her heart uneasy.
Ye Xi felt the phantom pressure on her waist ease, the sensation of being encircled by an arm vanishing. She suppressed her bewilderment and turned her eyes back to the Black Bear Doll. Her fingertips absentmindedly stroked its head. Its porcelain chill faded, gradually becoming warm to the touch.
Uncontrollably, Ye Xi’s gaze lifted to the Pink Fur Rabbit Doll. It lay quietly in Shen Mingjin’s arms, its naturally dangling arm seeming to twitch toward the bed. Instinctively, Ye Xi walked over, lifted the floor-length bedsheet without thinking, and peered underneath.
To her surprise, the space under the bed was filled with medicine boxes, each stuffed to the brim.
Ye Xi pulled the boxes out. Her body moved faster than her mind. She opened a white box, retrieving a pack of common cold medicine and a set of fever-reducing patches. After closing the box, she stood, took Shen Mingjin’s hand, and led her out of the Doll Room.
Shen Mingjin followed closely behind, clutching the Pink Fur Rabbit Doll, her pupils reflecting Ye Xi’s determined back.
Unseen by Ye Xi, the Pink Fur Rabbit emitted a faint, barely visible glow.
Once they were in the living room, the white light flickering on the rabbit’s body stealthily slipped into Ye Xi. The instant the light entered her, Ye Xi let go of Shen Mingjin’s hand. As she walked forward, she said to Xiong Xin, “Your daughter just has a fever from a cold. Don’t worry too much. A dose of medicine will fix it.”
In that moment, she sounded like a seasoned doctor; her words were advice she would never have known how to give before.
Ye Xi’s mind remained clear, and she hadn’t lost control of her body, but her actions and speech seemed guided along a fixed path by some external force.
While comforting Xiong Xin, she found a paper cup in the house.
Ye Xi filled it with hot water and mixed in a packet of the cold medicine.
Holding the cup, she pointed at the medicine box with her other hand, gesturing for Xiong Xin to sit on the sofa with the little girl. Xiong Xin’s attitude toward Ye Xi was now worlds apart from when she had first entered. She obediently followed Ye Xi’s instructions and sat down, watching Ye Xi unblinkingly, full of anticipation for the treatment.
Xiong Xin said nothing, but Ye Xi could read the longing in her eyes.
The mother was clearly hoping Ye Xi could cure her daughter, sparing them a trip to the General Hospital.
Ye Xi walked to the opposite side of the pair and curiously asked, “Are the doctors at the General Hospital really that scary? You look terrified to go there.”
Xiong Xin didn’t dare answer and cast a pleading glance at Shen Mingjin. Her initial ferocity was long gone.
Shen Mingjin walked over, hugging the Pink Fur Rabbit Doll, and spoke up in defense of the hospital. “The doctors at the General Hospital are all great. Especially the Dean. She is… very enthusiastic.”
Disbelief nearly overflowed from Xiong Xin’s eyes. Ye Xi didn’t even need to look back at Shen Mingjin’s expression to know that “enthusiastic” was likely a lie. More confusion piled up in her heart. Knowing she wouldn’t get a straight answer, she didn’t press further.
She reached out and gently touched the little girl’s forehead. A scorching heat crept up her fingertip, warming even her own breath.
The high temperature made Ye Xi want to recoil, but she blurted out, “Just a slight fever.”
“…”
Ye Xi had no idea why she had said that. The heat she had felt an instant ago had nearly burned her palm.
She glanced at her finger, her mouth continuing to speak nonsense. “Ms. Xiong, you don’t need to worry too much. This little illness will clear up right away.”
Ye Xi felt utterly ridiculous. Unexpectedly, Xiong Xin and Shen Mingjin both nodded along, clearly believing her diagnosis. In the entire living room, the one who believed Ye Xi the least was Ye Xi herself.
Before she could process her nonexistent medical skills, her body was already moving again.
She placed the medicine box and the Little Black Bear on the table. Her right index finger gently stroked the bear’s head. The jet-black bear suddenly opened its mouth as if triggered, revealing a black object half-stuck to its lips.
Ye Xi reached out, and it dropped naturally into her palm—a small, black Square Candy.
After releasing the candy, the bear closed its mouth. Without hesitation, Ye Xi tossed the black Square Candy into the paper cup. It melted quickly into the medicine, darkening the liquid considerably. Eerie black eddies appeared in the cup, the color so strange that Ye Xi instinctively wanted to dump it out.
The thought had barely arisen when her hand was already offering the medicine to Xiong Xin. Her mouth opened as well: “Feed it to the child.”
Her commanding tone solidified Xiong Xin’s trust. The mother took the cup immediately and pressed it to the girl’s lips, pouring in the steaming medicine. “Xiaoxiao, time for medicine. Once you drink it, you’ll be better.”
Xiong Xin’s voice was as tender as any mother’s, but her feeding was rough. The medicine was still steaming and swirling with black liquid.
Ye Xi feared the child would be scalded or that some accident would occur from the strange medicine. She hurriedly pried open the girl’s lips to check her mouth. To her surprise, the inner walls of the girl’s mouth looked perfectly fine—no burns, not even a tiny blister.
Ye Xi could hardly believe her eyes. “It’s not scalding?”
The groggy, feverish girl perked up almost instantly after the medicine. Leaning against Xiong Xin, she obediently replied to Ye Xi, “Doctor Sister, the medicine tastes great. It’s not hot at all.”
Her speech was clear and normal.
She truly seemed unburned, with no odd reactions. What had been lethargy was now crisp, alert speech.
Ye Xi’s expression grew even stranger. Suddenly, it felt like she was the sick one—everything before her felt too unreal.
Seeing the girl’s condition improve, Xiong Xin’s attitude toward Ye Xi softened further, her eyes full of gratitude. “Doctor Ye, you’re a miracle worker!”
The words “miracle worker” hit Ye Xi like a gong, making her head buzz. Before she could figure out how to respond, her hand had already reached for the fever-reducing patches.
Ye Xi took out a patch, tore it open, and stroked the Little Black Bear’s head again. It opened its mouth once more. As Ye Xi brought the patch close, the bear spat a black liquid onto it, deepening the patch’s color.
Ye Xi held the patch, examining the swirling hues, when her hand suddenly patted it onto the girl’s forehead.
White smoke sizzled from the girl’s forehead. Ye Xi’s gaze went slightly blank, but her words remained calm. “All good. Time to settle up.”
Ye Xi found her own behavior absurd—performing such bizarre treatment and then immediately demanding payment.
Strangely, Xiong Xin didn’t question it. She only asked cautiously, “Doctor Ye, can the consultation fee be paid fully in cash?”
What else would she pay with?
Ye Xi was about to say yes when Shen Mingjin refused on her behalf. “No.”
Shen Mingjin’s voice was cold, her eyes frosting over with a hint of warning.
Ye Xi had always seen Shen Mingjin as easygoing. This was her first time witnessing such a firm refusal. Since she knew Shen Mingjin wouldn’t harm her, she assumed that agreeing to cash-only must mean a huge loss. Ye Xi’s gaze toward Xiong Xin cooled. “No.”
Seeing both of them against her, Xiong Xin relented. “Is seven-tenths okay?”
Ye Xi didn’t answer, looking up at Shen Mingjin instead.
Only when Shen Mingjin showed no further objection did Ye Xi nod. “Fine.”
Xiong Xin seemed genuinely afraid of Shen Mingjin. She placed a stack of cash and a block of Square Candy on the coffee table, glanced fearfully at Shen Mingjin’s still-cold face, then hugged her child and left.
The instant Xiong Xin stood up, Ye Xi touched the girl’s hand. The fever had truly subsided.
Ye Xi found it unbelievable and murmured involuntarily, “All better, just like that?”
After Xiong Xin and the girl vanished, Shen Mingjin set the Pink Fur Rabbit Doll on the sofa. Hearing Ye Xi’s mutter, she exhaled shakily, steadied her breath, and said, “Ye Xi, thank you for today.”
Ye Xi had just been marveling at her accidental cure. Now, hearing Shen Mingjin thank her on Xiong Xin’s behalf, she swallowed all her questions.
She flashed Shen Mingjin her brightest smile. “Sister, since she isn’t your friend, then don’t apologize or thank me on her behalf.”
Ye Xi’s voice was soft, sweet, and slightly coquettish, but Shen Mingjin sensed her underlying displeasure.
Even knowing Ye Xi often said the opposite of what she meant, Shen Mingjin still blanked for a moment.
Seeing Shen Mingjin not respond, Ye Xi absentmindedly counted the money on the table.
Xiong Xin had paid seven thousand in cash and a cloth-wrapped black Square Candy. It was very similar to the one Ye Xi had put into the medicine, but this one was more than twice as large.
A packet of cold medicine and a fever patch cost only dozens of yuan, yet Xiong Xin had given her seven thousand…
Ye Xi felt like she was running a shady clinic.
Just as a wave of guilt washed over her, the panicking Shen Mingjin refocused on her. Seeing Ye Xi poke the Square Candy through the cloth, Shen Mingjin quickly pressed her hand down. “Ye Xi, hurry and eat this candy.”
Eat it?
Ye Xi eyed the black lump, hesitating to put it in her mouth.
Worried the Square Candy might vanish if not consumed soon, Shen Mingjin sat beside her, picked it up, and pressed it to Ye Xi’s lips.
Ye Xi didn’t dodge, but she still hesitated. “Sister, do I have to?”
Shen Mingjin gave her no time to deliberate. As Ye Xi opened her mouth to speak, she shoved the candy in.
Ye Xi hurriedly tried to close her lips, but a sweet taste instantly scattered across the tip of her tongue. She didn’t spit it out. Her tongue sought the sweetness, drawing it deeper and licking freely. Midway, she felt a hard square rolling toward her throat and realized she might not be licking the candy anymore.
The tip of her tongue hooked lightly. The soft, slick sensation made it clear—she had been licking Shen Mingjin’s finger.
Ye Xi glanced at her. Shen Mingjin kept her head low, her neck and ears flushed a deep red. Once Ye Xi’s tongue released her, she quickly withdrew her tingling finger.
Ye Xi’s heart raced as well. She licked her dry lips, where a soft fragrance still lingered. Heat clouded her mind. “Sister, you’re so sweet.”
