Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Save Me, Female Master...

In the empty elevator, Bai Yiyi’s words were exceptionally clear.

She stood next to Qin Muye, leaning over to press the elevator button. Her finger reached out, but she pulled it back when she saw the button was already lit, somewhat surprised. "We’re going to the same floor."

"Sister Qingli, are you going to see Chi Yun too?"

Bai Yiyi blinked, tightening her grip on the insulated container in her hands, and said with some distress, "I’m sure what I made won’t be as delicious as yours, Sister. I feel a little insecure now..."

"If you know that, are you just fishing for insults?" Jiang Qingli smiled gently. "If I were you, I’d just go die."

Jiang Qingli was still fuming from her morning run-in with Baili Chengyan, so she was in a great state of mind right now.

Bai Yiyi hadn’t expected such a response and looked at Qin Muye with a wronged expression.

But Qin Muye didn’t even spare her a glance, his eyes fixed only on Jiang Qingli.

The Prince was frowning, seemingly in a very bad mood.

’He must have realized how vicious Jiang Qingli is!’

Bai Yiyi thought she had a chance. Just as she was about to speak, she was cut off by a mechanical sound.

With a DING, the elevator arrived at the top floor.

Jiang Qingli was the first to step out, heading in the opposite direction from Bai Yiyi.

’That’s strange,’ Bai Yiyi wondered. ’Aren’t they here to see Chi Yun?’

’Who’s staying on the other side?’

She wanted to follow, but before she could get close, a nurse stopped her. "I’m sorry, miss, but you can’t enter the area ahead without permission."

Bai Yiyi gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, and turned to head in the other direction.

-

When Jiang Qingli entered the hospital room, Qin Shu was eating an apple.

She was lying in the hospital bed, one arm encased in a device, while her other hand held the apple, which she was munching on lazily.

Seeing Jiang Qingli arrive, she beckoned, and a nurse immediately brought a stool and placed it by the bedside.

Jiang Qingli said to the nurse, "Could you please bring another stool?"

"You came too?" Qin Shu raised her eyes, acting as if she’d only just noticed Qin Muye. "Sorry, but you should head out. We females need to have a private chat."

Qin Muye hadn’t wanted to talk to her anyway. He let out a heavy snort and turned to leave.

Jiang Qingli was more or less used to the two siblings not being able to stand each other.

She placed the gift she had brought to the side and asked, "Is your arm injured?"

"It was bitten off by a Mutant Beast," Qin Shu said. "It should be reattached in a few days, but the contamination is pretty severe, so recovery will probably take a few months."

Jiang Qingli winced just thinking about the pain. She offered some comfort, "Thankfully it can be reattached. Thank goodness for technology."

Her deadpan expression made Qin Shu laugh. Mimicking her tone, she said, "Thank goodness for technology!"

Jiang Qingli asked a few more concerned questions and even earnestly inquired if her own Healing Power could help.

It wasn’t just polite talk; she genuinely cared about everyone around her.

Qin Shu’s expression softened. She was starting to understand why her idiot little brother behaved himself in front of Jiang Qingli.

Initially, she had only approached Jiang Qingli because she was afraid Qin Muye would clash with the legendary "vicious female," causing another scandal for the Imperial Family.

But after getting to know her, she found Jiang Qingli more and more endearing.

After chatting for a while, Qin Shu remembered something. "Do you still remember that Vermilion Bird you saved?"

Jiang Qingli nodded. "I do."

Qin Shu leaned against the headboard, choosing her words carefully. "His name is Que Feiling."

"He’s my friend’s younger brother. He was studying at a military academy, but because of that rampage, the school disciplined him. If his contamination levels don’t drop, he’ll have to stay in a supervision facility indefinitely. If things go well, his family will arrange for him to transfer to the Imperial Royal Academy as a visiting student next school year..."

"When that time comes, could I trouble you to look after him a bit?"

Seeing Jiang Qingli’s slight frown, Qin Shu added, "They’re willing to compensate you."

Jiang Qingli didn’t need the money. "But—"

With one hand, Qin Shu pulled up a screen.

An image of a mine appeared on it.

"The Que family controls over 50% of the Empire’s mineral resources," Qin Shu said with a smile. "They promise that if you can look after the young master for one school year, this Red Ruby Mine will be yours. On top of that, they’ll also cover all your Repair Gemstones."

Jiang Qingli looked at the ruby necklace displayed next to the picture of the mine and, quite naturally, wavered.

Qin Shu continued, "Oh, right, I remember Yuan Shimo’s mother is a Grand Justice, isn’t she? And he has a master’s in law. You can bring him along to sign the contract. I’ll be the guarantor. I guarantee you won’t get the short end of the stick."

Jiang Qingli resisted the temptation. "I... I’ll see when Que Feiling actually gets here."

’They’re offering so much. What if that young master is incredibly difficult to handle?’

"Alright." Qin Shu casually patted her hair. "There’s no rush anyway. He’s still in ’jail.’ It’ll be after the semester ends at the earliest, so you can take your time to think about it."

Jiang Qingli nodded.

Qin Shu then asked about the recovery of Jiang Qingli’s spiritual power.

A nurse came in to remind them that visiting hours were over, so Jiang Qingli got up to leave.

"Oh, right," Qin Shu said. "Don’t tell Qin Muye about this just yet."

"He and Que Feiling have gotten into a few fights..." Qin Shu pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "The nearly-killed-each-other kind."

After Jiang Qingli left the room, the glass automatically became one-way.

Qin Shu could see clearly that as soon as Jiang Qingli stepped out, Qin Muye eagerly ran to her side, hovering around her and asking all sorts of questions.

Reading his lips, she could tell he asked, "Did she say bad things about me?"

And he also asked, "Did you really make sweet soup for him?"

Qin Shu: "..."

’Can’t he talk about something of substance for once?’

’Jiang Qingli is just too kind. She hasn’t even dumped him over this.’

Her terminal began to vibrate, and Qin Shu pressed the button to accept the call.

A young female with red hair and red eyes appeared on the other end, her features sharp and stunning.

This was Que Feiling’s older sister, Que Qingqiong.

"Did she agree?" Que Qingqiong asked.

Qin Shu said lazily, "It depends. It’s not a given that she’ll even take a liking to your brother."

"Have you ever heard the saying? The finest of all gems is the Ruby, and the finest of all Rubies is pigeon’s blood," Que Qingqiong said with a confident and proud smile. "That saying perfectly describes my little brother."

"Once she meets Ah Ling, she’ll definitely like him."

-

「Meanwhile, on the other side of the floor.」

Bai Yiyi sat by the bed, scooped up a spoonful of sweet soup, and brought it to the pale, weak-looking Chi Yun. "Chi Yun, come on..."

Chi Yun’s eyes were vacant, and he opened his mouth like a manipulated puppet.

As the sweet soup was poured into his mouth spoonful by spoonful, Bai Yiyi asked with a wide smile, "Is it good?"

"It’s good," Chi Yun nodded, but his eyes seemed to gaze into the distance as if he were thinking of something else.

"Are you touched, then?" Bai Yiyi smiled, her gentle voice like a bewitching whisper from Hell. "Do you love me even more than before?"

When Bai Yiyi heard that Chi Yun had woken up this morning, she couldn’t wait to come and farm some favorability points.

’Once I have enough favorability, I’ll switch to cheaper props to use on Qin Muye or Yuan Shiyao. Even a little bit of favorability from them would be good.’

Across from her, Chi Yun’s expression stiffened.

It was as if a voice in his head was saying: Obey her. Agree to all her demands. She is the person you love most.

"I—"

Chi Yun opened his mouth, but at that moment, an image of another girl walking toward him with a bowl of sweet soup flashed through his mind.

His words were cut short as he was overcome by a violent fit of vomiting.

A nurse rushed forward to clean him up. After he finally calmed down, she quickly helped him sit up.

But when he looked up, everyone froze.

The nurse’s eyes widened in terror. "Young Master Chi, your face—!"

In his line of sight, everyone else took a step back.

"My... face?"

Chi Yun spoke blankly, only to find that his voice had become raspy.

His heart sank. He roared at the nurse, "A mirror!"

The nurse hesitated but handed him the mirror.

Chi Yun saw that his face was covered in disgusting, sickening pustules.

His hand trembled, and the mirror shattered on the floor.

Chi Yun instinctively walked toward Bai Yiyi, seeking comfort, but she took a step back.

Her movement made Chi Yun’s eyes widen.

He asked in disbelief, "Yiyi, are you afraid of me?"

"O-Of course not." Bai Yiyi forced a smile while fighting back her disgust. "Why don’t we let the doctor examine you first, okay?"

As she spoke, she pushed the nurse beside her forward.

Just as the nurse was about to step forward, Chi Yun clutched his head and screamed.

He bolted out of the room like a crazed beast.

As he charged down the hallway, he suddenly caught sight of a slender figure in his peripheral vision.

The stabbing pain in Chi Yun’s head grew more intense. He fell to one knee, stumbling forward before finally crawling with great difficulty, as if he had regressed into an animal.

He finally crawled in front of that figure.

Chi Yun looked up, struggling to reach a hand toward her, his voice filled with an unprecedented, desperate plea:

"Save me, female master..."