Chapter 24 – Fan
A young girl slapped the edge of Chen Xing's hospital bed with both hands, laughing brightly.
"You're killing me. You were so cautious at lunch, and still ended up in the hospital by night!"
The older woman beside her was laughing too.
Chen Xing looked annoyed. "I gave you the address, not so you could come here and laugh at me."
"Sorry, but I can't help it. You were being so careful around the mushrooms that weren't poisonous, only to end up eating a whole plate of Jianshouqing! Outsiders almost always mess up the first time they try it."
Chen Xing looked over at Sister Su, who was sitting off to the side reading.
Or rather, Aunt Su. Ten minutes ago, Chen Xing had been pressured into calling her that—she couldn't stand being called "sister" in front of two younger women.
But why wasn't she affected at all?
Could it be that after eating food from so many different regions, she'd built up resistance to toxins?
The girl sitting beside Chen Xing's bed was Song Shulan.
He wasn't the type to say no when someone acted cute—she had sent him a voice message, pouting sweetly, and he ended up giving her the hospital address.
He didn't really have any close friends in the area anyway. As for Zhou Peng, there was no way he'd call him—Zhou would probably take photos to use as blackmail later. No thanks.
At least this way, no one else would worry.
Song Shulan was different. As a newly acquainted friend, she'd left a good impression: funny, easygoing.
Spending a bit more time together wouldn't hurt.
Su Fangjie checked her phone and closed her book. "I should get going. Xiao Chen, since you're okay, I can rest easy. Otherwise, I'd have regretted it for the rest of my—"
Chen Xing quickly interrupted, "Sis! Uh, I mean, Aunt Su! I really need to thank you. What I saw tonight was incredible—it felt like I was playing a virtual game from decades in the future. I'm thrilled, honestly."
Those tiny, adorable animals were just too cute. And he had become like a giant in a fairytale, stepping into a miniature world. It awakened a childlike wonder in him that he hadn't felt in years.
He just didn't know if there'd be any side effects.
But thinking of the system's power, he wasn't too worried.
The doctor said he was fine, and he had the system on his side—what was there to be afraid of?
Aunt Su left the hospital and went to rest at the hotel she'd booked earlier. Chen Xing checked the time. It was 11:00 p.m.
Song Shulan had arrived around 9:30. She'd already been here for over an hour.
"Hey, aren't you going home to sleep?"
"Huh? Go home?" She shook her head like a rattle drum, then scratched her head. "Don't you need someone to take care of you? I remember when my mom was sick, my dad always stayed by her side."
Chen Xing was stunned.
"There's nothing wrong with me. Why would I need someone to stay? Didn't you see Aunt Su already left? Usually, only family or partners stay overnight. What are we to each other?"
"Then just be my boyfriend!"
The room went silent.
A nurse nearby, the older woman, and Chen Xing himself all froze.
Song Shulan was looking at him expectantly.
Chen Xing was confused—was she serious? All those hints earlier weren't jokes?
"Wait, this is only our second time meeting, right? The first time was earlier today at your part-time job. How are you saying this to me tonight? Are you serious?"
After speaking her mind, Song Shulan looked a bit shy. "Actually, I've known you longer than just today. When I saw you at lunch, you looked really familiar. Especially your voice—I just couldn't forget it."
Chen Xing stared blankly.
Song Shulan tapped her phone a few times and pulled up a video.
["Just how big is this world? I started wondering when I was ten…"]
Damn!
He hurried to snatch her phone and stop the video.
When he was writing the script, he didn't think anything of it. Watching it alone even felt kind of deep. But playing it aloud here, with all these people around—he couldn't handle the cringe.
Public execution.
"No need to play it. I get it, I get it!"
So she was a fan. No wonder she'd been looking at him strangely during dinner.
"How old are you?" he asked.
"Seventeen!" she said.
"I don't like younger girls," he shot back immediately.
Song Shulan instinctively glanced at the older woman in the next bed. She had noticed earlier that Chen Xing and that woman were chatting and laughing. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it—the age gap was too big.
But now… something felt off.
Chen Xing guessed what she was thinking and said, exasperated, "What nonsense are you imagining? You're already out working this young? Why aren't you in school? You should be in your first or second year of high school, right?"
"First year, but it should be second year by now," she replied. Then she added, "I ran away from school earlier this year. I wasn't good at studying anyway. Might as well start working and helping out at home. It's easier this way."
"You think it's easy now, but you'll regret it later," Chen Xing said.
He had skipped school himself and spent years regretting it.
In the remote southwest provinces like Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, development was already behind. Even the educated struggled to keep up with the fast pace of modern times—what chance did those without education have?
Song Shulan was 17 now. In five years, in 2026, she'd be 22. What would she be doing?
"I don't feel like it's hard now," she mumbled, unconvinced.
She had come here to find a boyfriend, not get lectured. Why was he suddenly acting like her big brother? Just like her real brother at home, always nagging her to study. But even after finishing college, he'd ended up mooching off their parents.
She felt like she was doing better than him.
A nurse walked over, looking at her chart, then at the IV bottle hanging by Chen Xing's bed. "Chen Xing?"
"That's me," he replied.
As she removed the IV needle from his hand, she said, "The drip's finished, and your vitals are normal. Nothing serious. You'll be moved to a regular ward. If there's no change, you can be discharged tomorrow."
"Thanks, beautiful," Chen Xing said.
The nurse gave a slight nod, then glanced at Song Shulan. "You can handle the paperwork. The patient shouldn't be moving around yet."
Jianshouqing's toxins could disrupt the senses. Until the attending physician confirmed Chen Xing was fully recovered, they didn't want him wandering around. What if he mistook someone for a monster?
Song Shulan stuck out her tongue at Chen Xing.
See? I knew you'd need me for something.
(End of this Chapter)