My Straight Girlfriend with Skin Hunger Syndrome - Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Ying Yuan held her phone, silent for a long time.
She felt as though she had fallen into a bottomless void, standing at its center, with no end in sight no matter which way she turned.
The dormitory building wasn’t quiet, but all the noise remained outside the void. All Ying Yuan could hear was Yi Shanshan’s labored breathing.
When Ying Yuan didn’t answer, Yi Shanshan didn’t press.
“I’ll hang up now,” she said.
Her voice trailed off habitually, but her throat felt scratchy, and she coughed twice.
The call ended, leaving only those two coughs echoing in Ying Yuan’s mind.
She turned and hurried downstairs, out of the dormitory.
Though she was still mulling over her choices, with no clear answer yet, her feet moved swiftly forward, as if drawn by an invisible force.
By the time she snapped out of her daze, she was already standing at the gate of the Faculty Residences.
Ying Yuan: “……”
I bought all this stuff. I have to give it to her somehow.
I’ve come all this way. I can’t just turn back without seeing her.
Yi Shanshan is sick. It’s my fault—we ran around in the rain that night.
Yi Shanshan is sick. When people are sick, their minds wander and they say things they don’t mean. I can’t take anything she said seriously.
Yi Shanshan is sick. She must be… feeling terrible.
Ying Yuan clenched her fists, convincing herself.
Without further hesitation, she entered the Faculty Residences, followed Yi Shanshan’s directions to Building B12, and arrived at apartment 1603.
Ying Yuan freed one hand to knock.
Footsteps approached, stopping just behind the door. “Who is it?” a voice asked, but it wasn’t Yi Shanshan’s.
Ying Yuan glanced up to confirm the apartment number. She was sure she remembered correctly.
“Is Yi Shanshan home? I’m her classmate,” she called out.
The door swung open, revealing a familiar face.
Lin Feng.
Yi Shanshan’s childhood friend, the one who often brought her gifts, the one Ying Yuan had exchanged distant glances with before.
Meeting Lin Feng’s gaze now, Ying Yuan felt her heart tremble with conflicting emotions.
Lin Feng froze upon seeing her, her scrutinizing gaze sweeping Ying Yuan from head to toe.
A full five seconds of silence stretched between them before anyone spoke.
“Hello, Lin Feng,” Ying Yuan began. “Is Shanshan here?”
“You know my name?” Lin Feng replied.
“Yes, Shanshan mentioned you. You’re her good friend.”
Lin Feng chuckled softly. “What’s your name? Shanshan never mentioned you.”
Ying Yuan fell silent.
She had never imagined her visit to Yi Shanshan would unfold like this.
On the way, she had envisioned many scenarios, each fraught with its own challenges. But all those difficulties centered on her relationship with Yi Shanshan.
Nothing had prepared her for this sudden intrusion of a third person.
Still, it was a relief. If Lin Feng was here to stay, Shanshan wouldn’t bring up those requests that went beyond friendship.
Or, even if she did bring it up, it wouldn’t be Ying Yuan’s place to fulfill it.
With the greatest threat gone, Ying Yuan felt a sense of relief, but no real joy.
“My name is Ying Yuan,” she introduced herself, explaining her presence as an outsider. “I heard Shanshan was sick when I called her, and she gave me this address.”
“Oh, I see,” Lin Feng replied, sounding satisfied with the explanation. She turned to clear the entryway, nodding towards the shoe cabinet. “Slippers are on the bottom shelf. You can put your things on the dresser.”
Ying Yuan didn’t respond, silently following her instructions.
After changing into slippers and putting her belongings away, she followed Lin Feng into the house.
It was a spacious apartment with a bright, airy living room facing both north and south. The interior was simple yet cozy, spotlessly clean with gleaming windows. The kitchen was semi-open-plan, equipped with both Chinese-style stoves and a Western-style island.
Lin Feng had good reason to ask Ying Yuan to leave her things outside.
Most of what Ying Yuan had brought was tailored to the limitations of a student dorm.
Dorm rooms were small and had strict electricity limits, so even making tea required using forbidden appliances. Without a refrigerator, she had to buy fresh food daily. With so many people living together, it could get noisy, so she sometimes needed sleep aids.
But if you had your own place on campus, none of these difficulties would arise.
And if that place came with a good friend to keep you company and take care of you, well, there wouldn’t be much left to want.
Ying Yuan exhaled softly, realizing she was superfluous.
Yi Shanshan would never let herself fall into the miserable, destitute state Ying Yuan had imagined. To the ailing Yi Shanshan, Ying Yuan truly wasn’t that important.
“Shanshan’s in the bedroom,” Lin Feng said. “Go ahead and go in. I’ll get her medicine ready; it’s time for her powder.”
Ying Yuan nodded and walked to the bedroom door.
The door was slightly ajar, leaving a crack wide enough to push open. Ying Yuan raised her hand, but still knocked gently.
“Why are you knocking…?” Yi Shanshan’s voice was muffled, her tone irritable. “You interrupted my game! So noisy!”
Ying Yuan’s heart plummeted like a stone, as if she were drowning, her breath catching in her throat.
Just one look, she reassured herself. One glance, and if Yi Shanshan’s alright, I’ll leave.
Ying Yuan gently pushed the door open. The bedroom was even more beautiful than she’d imagined, decorated in soft beige and pastel pinks, like a princess’s dreamy castle.
Yi Shanshan was sprawled on the plush bed, engrossed in a game on her phone. The quilt was half-tucked, half-flung aside, leaving her limbs exposed.
Her bare feet rested on the edge of the bed, clad only in thin, white lace socks.
The room was brightly lit, with a window ajar. Sheer curtains billowed in the breeze, fluttering like gossamer wings.
Ying Yuan’s brow furrowed. Yi Shanshan, oblivious in her gaming trance, didn’t notice her presence.
Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Ying Yuan walked to the window and closed it.
“What are you—” Yi Shanshan finally looked up, her sentence cut short.
She stared at Ying Yuan, her expression shifting from stunned surprise to utter disbelief. Then, a sudden grin stretched her lips almost to her ears.
She tossed her phone aside, the game’s soundtrack still blaring from the speakers.
Yi Shanshan scrambled to her feet, crawling to the nearest spot beside Ying Yuan. Tilting her head back, she asked in a high-pitched voice, “What are you doing here?!”
Her sudden, dramatic shift in demeanor startled Ying Yuan. Caught off guard, she could only manage a dazed reply, “I came to see you.”
Afraid of sounding too forward, she quickly added, “Didn’t I mention it on the phone?”
“You did,” Yi Shanshan nodded with a mischievous grin, like a cunning little fox. “But I didn’t think you’d actually come.”
Ying Yuan’s sinking heart suddenly floated back to the surface.
In an instant, she drifted from the stifling underwater environment to the vast expanse of the open sea.
The sky was clear and bright, and Yi Shanshan’s radiant smile shone like the brilliant sunlight, reflecting off the water’s shimmering surface in a dazzling display of light.
She had been eagerly awaiting Ying Yuan’s arrival.
She smiled the moment she saw Ying Yuan.
This trip had been worth it.
“Mm,” Ying Yuan murmured, her thoughts drifting, only able to offer a vague response. “I said I’d come.”
“Ying Yuan, you’re so sweet~” Yi Shanshan cooed, her voice drawing out the syllables in a playful, affectionate tone. She patted her cheek. “Do I look pale right now?”
Ying Yuan focused her attention on Yi Shanshan’s face, observing her patient with meticulous care. “Very pale—excessively so. Your lips are a bit dry, there are red veins in your eyes, and… is your nose running? The tip looks a bit chapped.”
“Ah…” Yi Shanshan sighed dramatically, then turned and buried herself completely under the covers. “I asked you to look, and you really looked! And so closely too!”
Shouldn’t one be thorough when examining a patient?
Ying Yuan didn’t voice her thoughts aloud. She took two steps forward and tugged gently at Yi Shanshan’s blanket. “Stop fidgeting. Tuck the blanket in properly and lie still.”
“Okay,” Yi Shanshan replied obediently, quickly lying down and smoothing her bangs.
Ying Yuan noticed the medicine on the bedside table—flu and anti-inflammatory medication.
“Sore throat?” she asked Yi Shanshan.
Yi Shanshan nodded, her nose and mouth buried in the blanket, leaving only her large, bright eyes visible. They darted around, fixed on Ying Yuan.
“You need to rest your voice,” Ying Yuan said, glancing at the phone left aside. “Are you still playing games?”
“No,” Yi Shanshan replied firmly, reaching out to swiftly exit the game and switch off the screen. “Protecting my throat.”
Her obedient demeanor softened Ying Yuan’s heart.
“Tuck your feet under the covers too,” Ying Yuan instructed. “Don’t leave them exposed.”
“Okay,” Yi Shanshan complied.
“Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated will speed up your recovery,” Ying Yuan said, reaching for the water glass on the table. But when she touched it, she found it was ice-cold.
Her brow furrowed involuntarily again.
Lin Feng entered the room, holding a freshly mixed packet of medicine.
Her gaze remained fixed on Ying Yuan as she approached. Only when she reached Yi Shanshan’s bedside did she lower her eyes and hand the medicine to Yi Shanshan.
“Dr. Zhao said you still need to drink this. You can’t skip it just because it tastes bitter. If your throat doesn’t heal, you won’t be able to attend class, submit your assignments, and next week there’s the performance…”
“Aiya, I know, I know,” Yi Shanshan interrupted, reaching for the packet. Lying down made it hard to lift her arm, so she gave up halfway. “Just put it on the table for now.”
Lin Feng grabbed her arm. “Don’t stall on purpose. Sit up and drink it.”
Ying Yuan’s gaze fell on Lin Feng’s hand. Lin Feng was tall, with large hands; her palm completely encircled Yi Shanshan’s forearm. When she tightened her grip, Yi Shanshan’s skin indented, and she let out an angry shout.
“I don’t want it! I won’t drink it!”
Lin Feng glared at her, the cheerful expression vanishing from Yi Shanshan’s face. Her features twisted into a grimace of annoyance. “Can’t you see I have a friend here? Why do I have to drink it right now?”
“Whoever’s here, you still need to take your medicine,” Lin Feng insisted.
Yi Shanshan was visibly furious. Her chest heaved, and she could only gasp through her slightly parted lips, unable to breathe properly through her nose.
Ying Yuan could no longer stand by. She had initially felt she had no right to interfere in the conversation between Lin Feng and Yi Shanshan, but seeing Yi Shanshan’s distress made her heart ache. She saw Yi Shanshan as a trapped, wounded animal.
Ying Yuan reached out and took the glass from Lin Feng’s hand.
“The powder hasn’t dissolved,” she observed, glancing at the medicine. “This kind of powder needs to be dissolved in hot water. Drink it while it’s still warm—it’ll be bitter if it cools.”
Lin Feng froze, her head snapping up to stare at Ying Yuan. Her furrowed brow conveyed a mix of disbelief and a hint of puzzled disdain.
Ignoring Lin Feng’s expression, Ying Yuan walked out with the glass and Yi Shanshan’s cold cup. “I’ll go brew a fresh dose.”
After a pause, she added, “Let go of Shanshan’s arm. You’re hurting her.”