Xiong Yibai had no choice but to push Feng Miwan further into the sofa to make room for Zhao Shutong. She then covered her with a thin blanket.
Next, she took away the precious empty wine bottle from Ren Queyue’s arms and adjusted her into a relatively comfortable sleeping position.
Finally, she looked at her own racer, who was drooling in her sleep, shook her head helplessly, wiped away the drool for her, tucked her in properly, and murmured softly:
“Little drunk doggy.”
The next morning, the phone alarm rang.
The sound first burrowed into Zhao Shutong’s dream. She smacked her lips, rolled over on the sofa, and mumbled:
“…Turn off the fire, turn off the fire… The water’s boiling… Why aren’t you turning off the fire…”
With that, she buried her head back into the blanket.
Immediately after, the alarm assaulted Feng Miwan’s dream.
“…Who… who’s honking on my hood… Violation… Fine…”
She waved her hand as if shooing something away, then hugged the sofa cushion beside her and continued sleeping soundly.
The only one properly woken by the alarm was Xiong Yibai, who turned it off.
After washing up, she walked over to Ren Queyue and patted her shoulder:
“Queyue, wake up. Time to get ready for the hospital.”
Ren Queyue groaned in pain, rubbed her throbbing temples, and struggled to sit up:
“What time is it…”
“Seven-thirty.”
Xiong Yibai handed her a glass of warm water and some hangover medicine.
“Take this. It’ll make you feel better.”
Ren Queyue took it and swallowed it down in one gulp. She looked at the other two in the living room, who were out cold, and sighed:
“What about those two… What are we gonna do?”
Xiong Yibai thought for two seconds:
“Let them keep sleeping. They don’t have to go to work, but we do. I’ll leave them a note and make some simple breakfast.”
“Good idea.”
Ren Queyue forced herself to stand, still feeling a bit unsteady on her feet.
“I’ll help you.”
The two of them went into the kitchen.
During the breakfast prep, Xiong Yibai found a sticky note and wrote:
To the two drunk cats:
Breakfast is on the table, hangover meds beside it (recommended after eating).
Remember to drink water, ventilate, and… deal with the complicated smell in the house.
We’re off to work first.
— Xiong Yibai & Ren Queyue
She placed the note under a glass of milk.
Everything was ready, and Ren Queyue had changed her clothes.
The two tiptoed out the door and gently closed it behind them.
The moment the door shut, Feng Miwan opened her eyes.
She rubbed her pounding temples as she sat up, blankly scanning the empty living room. Her gaze landed on the breakfast and note on the dining table.
She walked over, picked up the note, and skimmed it quickly. Following the instructions, she took the hangover medicine first, then pulled out her phone to message Xiong Yibai:
“Yibai, how could you just leave like that o(╥﹏╥)o”
No immediate reply.
Feng Miwan pouted: “Probably driving…”
At that moment, Zhao Shutong woke up beside her and let out a pained groan:
“My head… feels like a herd of dinosaurs trampled it…”
She saw the medicine in Feng Miwan’s hand and reached out.
“Give me one too…”
Feng Miwan handed her the medicine and water.
Zhao Shutong swallowed the pill, took a breath to recover, and then asked: “Where’s Queyue? And Yibai? How come it’s just us?”
“They went to work together, duh.”
Feng Miwan wiggled her phone.
“I just messaged Yibai, and she hasn’t even replied.”
Zhao Shutong let out an “Oh”: “I see…”
The two finished washing up and silently ate the breakfast on the table.
After cleaning the dishes, boredom set in.
Zhao Shutong flopped back onto the sofa, stared at the ceiling, and let out a long sigh: “So——bor——ing——ah——”
Feng Miwan mimicked her and sprawled on the other end: “Yeah… I miss Yibai…”
Zhao Shutong chimed in: “I miss Queyue.”
The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously let out an even longer sigh: “Alas———”
Feng Miwan tilted her head: “Aren’t you going to check on your bookstore or whatever other shop?”
Zhao Shutong waved it off: “Employees are handling it. What about you? Don’t you have training with the racing team?”
Feng Miwan explained, “My brother gave me three days off to rest properly…”
The two fell silent again, then sighed in unison once more: “Alas———”
Just then, Feng Miwan’s phone dinged.
She sat up straight immediately, grabbed it, and sure enough, it was Xiong Yibai’s reply:
“Yeah, arrived at the hospital, about to start work. Rest well, remember to eat breakfast.”
Feng Miwan replied swiftly:
“Breakfast demolished o(╥﹏╥)o Miss you.”
Xiong Yibai replied instantly: “Good girl, I’ll come pick you up after work. Gotta get busy now, no more messages.”
Staring at the message, Feng Miwan flopped back down and wailed:
“Shutong, am I sick? I think I have that… separation anxiety! We’ve only been apart this short while, and I already feel off all over!”
Zhao Shutong patted her shoulder sagely:
“Aw, that’s normal! You two just got together not long ago—you’re in that super sticky honeymoon phase where being apart feels like dying. I get it, I get it!”
Feng Miwan shot her a look: “What about you?”
Zhao Shutong feigned composure: “I’m fine! We’ve been through this rhythm before, we’re used to it…”
Before she finished, she cracked first, suddenly sitting up and suggesting:
“Okay, okay, I admit I miss her a bit too. How about… we go to the hospital and get a number?”
Feng Miwan jumped: “Huh? No way! We don’t actually have anything wrong—taking up medical resources and delaying real patients? Yibai would kill me if she found out.”
Zhao Shutong backpedaled:
“Then…”
“We won’t get a number, just go to the hospital to look around? Like… pretend we’re visiting a friend, swing by their departments on the way, sneak a peek!”
“If they’re not busy, we can… play it by ear?”
Feng Miwan perked up and leaped off the sofa: “Yes! Great idea! Let’s go!”
The two quickly freshened up, grabbed their phones and keys, and dashed out the door straight to Tanzhou City Hospital.
In the hospital lobby, looking at the directory, Feng Miwan stroked her chin thoughtfully:
“Trauma Department is on the third floor, Emergency Department on the first… Nearest first—let’s hit the first-floor Emergency Department to check on Sister Queyue?”
“Agreed!” Zhao Shutong nodded vigorously.
The two sneaked into the Emergency Department area.
Compared to other departments, it was a bit quieter here. They craned their necks searching and spotted Ren Queyue in an exam room.
She sat in front of the computer screen, with a printer beside her spitting out paper.
There were no patients inside the exam room or on the corridor benches outside.
Seeing no patients, Zhao Shutong got an idea.
