BNR Chapter 10

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

The sound of a basketball hitting the ground.

“Quick, pass the ball! Damn, can’t you play? Can’t you pass the ball?”

“You think you can do better?”

“Damn!”

Even playing basketball could lead to arguments. Mu Qi had witnessed this scene many times, but each time she just watched from the side. However, today was different; she had a headache.

Maybe it was because she hadn’t fully recovered from yesterday’s illness, or perhaps it was because she had taken off her clothes due to the heat after playing basketball, catching a cold again.

Regardless of the reason, her head was about to explode!

“I’m out!” Impatiently putting on her padded jacket, Mu Qi zipped it up all the way, half of her face buried in the fabric. She waved her hand wearily, turned around, and left.

“Qi Ge?” Hu Ying was still arguing with the others when she saw Mu Qi leaving. Ignoring the others, she quickly caught up.

It was only now that she noticed Mu Qi’s pale complexion. She touched her forehead and felt the heat. Frowning, she wanted to say something but considered that Mu Qi needed quiet for her headache, so she swallowed her words, followed her, and went home.

By now, Mu Qi was already feeling light-headed. When she reached her doorstep, if Hu Ying hadn’t grabbed her, she might have collapsed right there.

“Qi Ge, should we go to the hospital for an IV drip?” Hu Ying helped her sit on the sofa.

Mu Qi had no energy to speak, closed her eyes, and drifted into a drowsy state.

When Su Yanxi received a call from Hu Ying, she had just finished her math homework. Hearing that Mu Qi had a high fever again, she grabbed her phone and wallet, got dressed, and headed out.

Her parents were at work, and the house was empty. It was convenient for her to come out.

She arrived at Mu Qi’s doorstep in ten minutes. Having been here once before, she was familiar with the way.

“How did she get a fever again? Didn’t she rest well last night?” Su Yanxi changed her shoes and entered. She saw both of them wearing padded jackets, fully equipped. No need to ask, they had definitely gone out early.

With the wind blowing outside, Mu Qi, still not fully recovered from the previous cold, would easily catch another one in this weather.

“I’ll take her to the hospital,” Su Yanxi said after checking the thermometer, showing a temperature of 38.5°C, not much different from 39°C.

Hu Ying, feeling guilty, regretted bringing Qi Ge out to play basketball this morning. Any other day would have been fine, why did it have to be today?

“What were you doing outside?” Su Yanxi suddenly asked.

Hu Ying blurted out, “Playing basketball.”

Su Yanxi’s expression darkened. She didn’t say anything but watched Hu Ying for a while. When she saw that Hu Ying hadn’t moved, she frowned and looked at her.

Startled by the cute expression, Hu Ying realized that they needed to take Qi Ge to the hospital.

In her dazed state, Mu Qi felt herself being taken somewhere, but her head was too fuzzy to think much about it. When she woke up again, she found herself sitting in the same position as yesterday, with an IV drip on her left hand this time.

“Qi Ge, I’m sorry.” Seeing her wake up, Hu Ying apologized with a regretful expression.

Mu Qi glanced at her for a moment but was more interested in Su Yanxi, who was sitting next to her. She stared at Hu Ying and asked, “Why is she here?”

Hu Ying touched her nose and whispered, “I couldn’t carry you alone.”

Mu Qi said, “…”

Su Yanxi pursed her lips, looking at her seriously. “Mu Qi, the doctor said if you had come any later, your brain might have been damaged, and you would end up lying in bed like a vegetable.”

“Pfft!” Hu Ying, who knew the whole story, burst into laughter at the absurdity of the serious nonsense. When she raised her head and saw both of them looking at her, she quickly suppressed her laughter. However, she couldn’t hold it in, resulting in her face turning red.

“I’m a vegetable now, will you take care of me?” Mu Qi, amused by her desk mate’s antics, couldn’t help but smile, teasing her.

“Sure!” Su Yanxi nodded.

“Hahaha!” Hu Ying, unable to contain her laughter, let out a burst of laughter. Mu Qi forgot her previous teasing and didn’t care about Su Yanxi’s response.

However, she didn’t notice that when Su Yanxi said those two words, her tightly clasped hands on her knees and the determination in her eyes.

“Little cutie, I didn’t expect you to have the potential to tell cold jokes.” Hu Ying commented, not paying much attention.

Su Yanxi didn’t mention it again, smiled, and stood up. “I’ll go buy some food for you guys. It’s already noon.”

“I’ll go!” Since she bought supper last night, Hu Ying wouldn’t let her go this time. However, after being outside for half a minute, she came back and stood at the door, saying, “Little cutie, you should eat here. Don’t go back for lunch.”

After all, after almost half a semester, she had a slight understanding of Little Cutie’s strict family education. If she didn’t go back for lunch at noon, her parents would have reasons to be angry.

But life is so dull if you always listen to your parents. Youth should be a bit more reckless.

Su Yanxi was about to refuse when her mother called, saying they were going to her aunt’s house for lunch and asked her to stir-fry the meat in the refrigerator.

Because the ward was quiet, Hu Ying naturally heard it. She immediately turned and ran out.

Su Yanxi put her phone in her pocket, turned around, and looked at Mu Qi on the hospital bed. The latter, currently bored, was playing with her phone.

Without Hu Ying’s lively presence, the ward was quiet now. Still, there was no awkwardness between the two. One played with her phone, the other earnestly watched the IV drip.

In a little while, Hu Ying came back with takeout. Normally, when she was sick, her mom always insisted on eating light, and even lunch and dinner would be without spice and meat. So now, she brought several boxes of vegetables, rice, and even ordered three bowls of soup.

Looking at the vegetarian dishes, Mu Qi couldn’t help but say, “Are you planning to become a monk?”

Hu Ying sat down with a thud. She had run around a lot to order these dishes, and now she had to ensure they were tasty. Tired and hearing Mu Qi’s comment, she rolled her eyes and said, “This is all we’ve got. Whether you eat it or not, you have to eat!”

“Hey!” Seeing her getting angry, Mu Qi glared at her.

Hu Ying remained unfazed and started eating without saying anything.

Su Yanxi handed disposable chopsticks to Mu Qi and stood next to Hu Ying, saying, “You have to eat these for the next couple of days. It will help you recover faster.”

“I…” Mu Qi, who loved meat, almost cursed. However, seeing the serious expressions of both girls, she defeatedly touched her face and surrendered, “Okay, okay, I’ll consider it as being a monk for the next two days.”

Hu Ying immediately laughed, her eyes narrowing into slits.

Su Yanxi also smiled, revealing her dimples.

Mu Qi couldn’t help but murmur, “There used to be one old lady nagging, and now there’s another one.”

“You’re too casual on your own; someone has to take care of you,” Hu Ying couldn’t help but say.

However, after saying that, the ward fell silent. Mu Qi lowered her head, hiding the expression in her eyes, and Hu Ying’s face showed a trace of regret, realizing that she had just touched on something sensitive.

Su Yanxi handed the soup to Mu Qi, breaking the quiet atmosphere, and said, “Have some soup; it’s not bad.”

Vegetable soup.

Mu Qi glanced at the girl, not understanding why vegetable soup was considered good. Her nose was stuffy due to the cold, making this meal feel like chewing wax.

“You guys can go back now.” After all, both of them were sitting here with her, as if she had a terminal illness.

It was only half past twelve now, and there was no one at home. Su Yanxi wanted to stay and keep her company, so she shook her head and said, “I’ll wait until your IV is finished before going back.”

Mu qi looked at Hu Ying.

Hu Ying stood up and said, “I’ll go back. I’ll come to see you in the evening.”

“Okay.” Mu Qi nodded.

Finally, the ward was left with only Mu Qi and Su Yanxi.

Looking at the tired look on the other’s face, Su Yanxi said, “Take a nap; I’ll wake you up when the IV is done.”

“Thanks.” Mu Qi didn’t want to be sentimental with her. She was indeed tired, and the IV would take a while. Instead of staring at the girl, it was better to get some sleep.

This illness made Mu Qi spend the past two days in the hospital and on the bed.

On Monday, her nose was still stuffy, but her mind was clear. However, the congestion made her feel like she lacked oxygen, making her want to sleep.

So, she spent the whole day with her head on the desk, not bothering to lift it.

Fortunately, there was no class with the head teacher or the big-eyed girl that day, allowing her to pass the day peacefully.

Su Yanxi didn’t call her that day, letting her sleep quietly with her head on the desk. During breaks, classmates came to ask questions, and she went to their desks to answer, refusing to stay at her own spot.

After school, Mu Qi was awakened by Su Yanxi. She was a bit groggy.

“Let’s go home,” Su Yanxi said softly.

At this moment, Hu Ying rushed over, shouting, “Qi Ge, let’s go, go home. You’ve slept all day.”

Being called like this, Mu Qi woke up with a start. She looked around, and there were only the three of them left in the classroom, with only a few scattered people in the corridor.

“Let’s go.” Having slept all day, her bones felt stiff as if they were frozen. She stretched, yawned, and stood up to leave.

“Qi Ge, your backpack!” Hu Ying bent over and took Mu Qi’s backpack from her desk.

“Okay.” Mu Qi took the backpack from her and slung it over her shoulder. With a yawn, she walked away.

Seeing the limp backpack, Su Yanxi, trailing behind, shook her head helplessly, thinking that she would have to remind her to do homework again tomorrow.

Thinking about it, in the past half semester, the girl always did her homework during the early self-study the next day. She willingly let her copy the homework, although the girl had refused a few times, most of the time she would reluctantly copy it.

Su Yanxi couldn’t help but silently laugh behind her.

She thought that the girl looked impatient and stubborn most of the time, but in some things, she was still easy to talk to.

Little did she know that every time Mu Qi compromised, it was because of her pitiful appearance and the reluctant look that made it difficult not to compromise.

Thinking about it, Mu Qi had never encountered such a crying girl from childhood to now.

Mu Qi’s cold came and went quickly.

Her parents’ monthly gathering, which had been interrupted for three months now, made Mu Qi inexplicably relieved but also a little disappointed.

From her birth until last year, her parents had always been loving, and the family was harmonious. However, starting from May last year, there was no longer a scene of her parents being loving every day; only constant arguments remained.

The constant arguments almost made her run away from home. Finally, when she thought about the uncertainty after running away and the bleak future, she dispelled that impulse and honestly focused on her studies. When she came home, she went straight to her room, ignoring the quarrels.

Now, opening the door, the room was cold and quiet. There was no constant arguing in her ears, and there was no sight of her parents being affectionate.

Standing at the door, Mu Qi looked for a long time. Finally, she took a step back, closed the door, and went downstairs.

Being outside for a long time, she finally went back home because she was too cold.

Her mind was a bit muddled from the wind, and she didn’t have much sentimentality. She directly lay on the bed, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.