Chapter 12: The Arm… It Suddenly Vanished

Su Ye sat on the ground, so stunned she didn’t even notice she had plopped down directly onto a sharp pebble. She could only stare blankly at the palm of her hand.

Faint marks remained on her palm—the indentations of her own fingernails. In that moment when the weight in her arms had suddenly turned to nothing, she had subconsciously tightened her grip, her nails digging deep into her own flesh.

If she hadn’t seen it wrong… in that split second… that arm had truly vanished. It was just like…

Su Ye slowly clenched her fist, pressing her thin lips together. Her heart was a chaotic mix of lingering fear and relief.

It’s a good thing I didn’t actually drag Yue Huan to the hospital. And it’s a good thing I’m the only one who saw that scene.

It seemed Yue Huan was aware of her own “condition,” which explained why she was so resistant to going out.

Su Ye stared at her palm for a while longer before lowering her hand and hanging her head, letting out a slow, shaky breath of cold air.

Truly, she had been scared half to death.

She had almost thought the heavens were about to snatch this treasure named Yue Huan away from her.

She wondered why she trusted this person so much. Yue Huan wasn’t just an exception; she was the “fairy” Su Ye had received after making a wish. Although this person’s brain didn’t seem to work quite right—always treating Su Ye like an elder—Yue Huan was still a precious gem bestowed upon her by fate.

From the moment she appeared, she was willing to be close to Su Ye. She knew Su Ye’s birthday, her habits, and even her career prospects with startling clarity.

Yue Huan, oh, Yue Huan.

This is truly… this has really given me a very sensitive weakness.

Su Ye leaned against the door, her strength failing her. Her near-short-circuiting brain whirred at high speed, contemplating her next move.

What could she do to protect Yue Huan’s secret while also curing this illness that might actually be life-threatening?

That face was truly pale to a terrifying degree, as if the color would bleed out entirely in the next second, leaving her to dissipate into thin air like a misty phantom.

Su Ye didn’t dare delay any longer. She feared her grim imaginings might come true, and she feared missing the city hospital’s closing hours.

She scrambled to her feet, only then realizing she had been sitting on a hard, sharp stone. A jolt of pain shot straight to her brain, making her want to hop around in circles while clutching her backside.

Who kicked a rock right in front of the door?! It hurts like hell!!

But she couldn’t waste time. She hobbled out of the courtyard. The surrounding houses were quiet; only their place still showed signs of life, as the neighbors hadn’t returned from work yet.

If only it were a day off, she could have just gone across the way and dragged Sister Zhang over instead of having to trek to the city hospital to find her.

Fine, maybe this “treasure” isn’t that great. At least, every day since she appeared, she’s been causing chaos and looking for trouble.

I really can’t do anything with her!

*

Evening—

Lin Wanjia pushed open the door while carrying some clothes, only to see little Su Ye sitting by the threshold with her legs pulled up and her chin resting on her knees. She looked pitiful.

“Why aren’t you going inside? Sitting out here like this… you’re going to catch a cold yourself.”

Su Ye shook her head. “I’ll just wait here. Otherwise, I can’t put my mind at ease.”

“Don’t sit there, it’s bad luck,” Lin Wanjia said with a smile, taking her by the arm and gently pulling her up. “Did her fever break?”

Su Ye shook her head again.

She hadn’t been able to find Sister Zhang at the city hospital, so she had simply bought some medicine and returned. She had assumed those meds would be enough to get Yue Huan back on her feet—after all, they usually worked for her when she was sick.

But they had no effect at all. The entire afternoon had passed, and the two bites of food Yue Huan had forced down had just been vomited back up. The girl looked even more fragile now, eliciting a faint sense of… tenderness.

Lin Wanjia said, “It’s alright. I ran into Mingfang just now and told her about the situation. She went back to the hospital to grab some supplies.”

“Why didn’t you just take her to the hospital? Let me go in and check on her.”

Su Ye quickly took two steps to block her path. “Better not, Sister. Your body is in a fragile state right now too. We two youngsters can tough it out, so don’t let it affect you.”

Lin Wanjia let out a dry laugh. She pinched the soft flesh of the girl’s cheek with two fingers and said bluntly, “Are you actually insinuating that your sister is old? Hmm?”

“The two of you ‘youngsters’ managed to get this sick in a single night. You clearly don’t know how to take care of yourselves, and yet you’re turning me away?”

Su Ye couldn’t win the argument, so she simply twisted away from the fingers and lunged forward, burying herself in Lin Wanjia’s embrace. “Sister, just listen to me! This illness of hers is strange. What if it’s some nasty virus? Wait until her fever breaks before you go in to see her, okay?” she pleaded, wrapping her arms around Lin Wanjia’s waist and acting spoiled.

Lin Wanjia couldn’t say anything more. She could only stroke the girl’s head, gently smoothing her hair.

Her gaze lingered on the person inside through the glass, filled with deep worry and concern.

These two silly children… how did they manage to toss themselves into such a state!

Just then, a hearty voice accompanied by laughter burst into the courtyard.

“Hey, hey, hey! I can’t stand watching this display of ‘mother-daughter’ affection. Little Leaf, let go of her!”

A woman reached out an arm and pushed Su Ye’s head, moving her aside. She completely ignored the girl’s aggrieved expression. Once Su Ye had been shoved a safe distance away, the woman’s arm pivoted, familiarly draping itself over Lin Wanjia’s shoulder. Then, as if she had no bones, the woman leaned her entire weight against her.

Lin Wanjia smiled helplessly. She had no choice but to brace herself to support this habitually spineless person, muttering a low scolding about her being a “rascal.”

The woman acted as though she hadn’t heard a thing. With her other hand, she held out some medicine toward Lin Wanjia. “Wanjia, I brought what you asked for. Where’s the patient? Has the fever broken? Any other complications?”

The words were professional, but her smug expression didn’t fade for a second. Her face practically screamed: Hurry up and praise me.

Su Ye grumbled internally: How is this woman still so punchable? I get annoyed every time I see her! So annoying!

The newcomer was surnamed Zhang, named Mingfang. She was thirty-five years old, Su Ye’s diagonal neighbor, and a legitimate doctor working at the city hospital.

She was great at everything, except for being incredibly irritating—at least, in Su Ye’s opinion.

Su Ye often told Lin Wanjia that it was a waste of such a face. Such big eyes, such a pleasing look… how was it paired with such a “cheeky” personality? How did she even survive working in a hospital with that attitude?

Lin Wanjia usually just smiled without a word, patting Su Ye’s head to soothe her resistance.

Over time, whenever Zhang Mingfang was around, she wouldn’t let Lin Wanjia pat Su Ye’s head. She would first wedge herself between them and then lean on Lin Wanjia so that the older woman’s hands were occupied.

However, now was not the time for nonsense. Lin Wanjia didn’t bother correcting the two of them. She looked at the house with worry and said, “She’s in the room, but Little Leaf won’t let anyone in.”

Zhang Mingfang raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Little Su Ye, are you planning to treat her yourself?”

Su Ye stomped her foot in frustration. “I’m only stopping Sister Wanjia from entering because she’s delicate right now! Sister Zhang, hurry up and go in. Since she took the antipyretics, her temperature has only dropped by half a degree. It’s still at 39°C (102.2°F). I’m afraid her brain will fry.”

Zhang Mingfang lazily reached out a hand, curled her finger, and—thwack!—gave Su Ye a heavy flick on the forehead. “No respect for your elders. You call Wanjia ‘Sister Wanjia,’ but you call me ‘Sister Zhang’? You’re making me sound old. Say it again. Either call me ‘Sister Mingfang’ or call her ‘Sister Lin.’ Hurry up.”

Su Ye was both anxious and speechless. Her eyes darted around before she immediately looked at Lin Wanjia with an eager expression. She opened her mouth: “Lin—”

Lin Wanjia’s face darkened. “You dare?”

Su Ye let out a sheepish giggle.

Lin Wanjia then gently pressed down on the arm resting on her shoulder. “Mingfang?” her tone was dark, as if she were about to snap.

Zhang Mingfang immediately cleared her throat and straightened up. “Male or female?”

“A girl.”

“Since when did you have such a friend? Why didn’t I know?” Zhang Mingfang pulled a mask from her pocket and lifted her chin slightly. “Let’s go.”

She looked at Lin Wanjia. “Little Su Ye is right. You can’t go in. Wait for us to come out.”

Lin Wanjia: “…”

Su Ye rushed into the room ahead of Zhang Mingfang and quickly sat by the bed.

When Dr. Zhang approached, she saw Su Ye tightly holding the hand of the sickly beauty, biting her lower lip in nerves. Su Ye’s gaze darted between the sickly beauty’s weak, hollow eyes and the doctor.

Zhang Mingfang followed her gaze. It was a beauty who, despite being haggard from illness, could not hide her natural grace. The frailty brought on by the sickness added a layer of vulnerability that softened the sharpness of her facial structure, making her look even more exquisite and heart-wrenching.

When did such a beauty move into this alley? How did I not know?

Zhang Mingfang asked, “Little Su Ye, where did this friend of yours come from?”

Su Ye bit her lip. “This… this is my distant relative.”

Zhang Mingfang chuckled. “Then please move aside a bit so I can examine your ‘distant relative.’”

Su Ye hesitated. “Can’t I sit here? I’m worried about her…”

Zhang Mingfang’s smile widened. “Then you can stand next to us and watch. I won’t kick you out, alright?”

Su Ye reluctantly let go of the hand she was gripping. After seeing both arms looking solid and real, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

She was terrified that Yue Huan would have another episode like the one this morning. Fortunately, that seemed to have been a minor accident. Now that her state was stabilizing, there shouldn’t be any more issues with body parts suddenly vanishing.

The “cost” of getting sick was far too high. If she managed to fall ill until she literally disappeared, that would be terrifying.

Su Ye made a silent vow.

I can’t let this happen again. At least, I won’t pick the middle of the night to start an argument.

The doctor performed a careful examination and said, “It should be tonsillitis. Nothing too serious. Does this relative of yours have any history of drug allergies?”

Su Ye admitted she didn’t know but listed the names of the antipyretics they had used today. Based on that, Zhang Mingfang took out some IV fluids from her bag, set up the needle, and gave Su Ye several instructions. Seeing the girl’s tense and worried face, she found it even more amusing.

“She’ll be fine. It’s just tonsillitis, she’s not going to die. Her tonsils aren’t even suppurating yet, so don’t be scared, Little Su Ye. What’s this girl’s name?”

“Yue Huan. ‘Huan’ as in ‘joyous.’”

“Got it. Well, tell her to give me the money later. I won’t ask for much—ten yuan.”

Su Ye suddenly fell silent, her face betraying a hint of agony.

So expensive! That’s half a month’s rent! Is this Yue Huan sent here specifically to make me go broke?

Zhang Mingfang acted as if she hadn’t seen the expression—or rather, since it was a rare chance to tease her, she ignored it even if she did see it. She patted Su Ye’s shoulder. “I’ll prescribe some anti-inflammatories later and bring them over after work tomorrow. Remember the money.”

“I’m going over to Wanjia’s. Call me when this bottle is finished~”

Su Ye gritted her teeth. “Goodbye, Sister Zhang.”

Zhang Mingfang was in a great mood. She didn’t bother arguing about the title and even pushed her luck by patting the top of Su Ye’s head before vanishing out the door before the girl could jump up to hit her.

As soon as she went out, she seemingly pulled the waiting Lin Wanjia into a hug and decisively shut the door, preventing anyone in the room from seeing them.

Su Ye sneered. This woman… every time she shows up, she tries to steal Sister Wanjia from me. Sooner or later, I’m going to outshine her in front of Sister Wanjia! As for right now…

She looked at the person lying on the bed with barely a breath left and sighed. She sat down by the bedside and gently covered the hand that was receiving the IV drip.

They said that when getting an infusion, the hand gets very cold.