Afternoon.
Lin Qinghe, lying on the hospital bed in the school infirmary, blinked her eyelids twice and slowly opened her eyes.
Familiar surroundings, Lin Qinghe was stunned for a moment.
How did she end up in the school infirmary?
Recalling carefully, the memories before she fainted flooded back. Just like yesterday, she went to buy things for You Rong. She saw Lan Ling'er there and also saw Lan Ling'er giving him a lot of things. Thinking he definitely wouldn't accept them, she was about to leave with them when she fainted.
Could it be You Rong who sent her to the infirmary?
Lin Qinghe excitedly clicked on the system, only to be doused with a bucket of cold water from head to toe, chilling her to the bone.
The progress bar hadn't moved an inch, still stuck at five percent.
Just then, the school doctor walked in. Lin Qinghe, not giving up hope, asked, "Doctor Zhang, may I ask, when I fainted, who brought me here?"
Doctor Zhang thought carefully, "That male student didn't say his name. He was tall and thin, wearing glasses. Is he your friend? If so... you should remember him."
Lin Qinghe was utterly despaired.
From Doctor Zhang's description, she knew it couldn't have been You Rong who brought her.
Lin Qinghe, feeling utterly exhausted, lay on the hospital bed, pulled the blanket over her head, and felt incredibly vexed.
"You've recovered from your fever. The medicine is here. Remember to take it when you go back. I'm going to dinner now, and you should hurry back to your dorm to rest," Doctor Zhang advised.
"...Yes, I understand."
After Doctor Zhang left, Lin Qinghe, annoyed, sat up in bed and punched the pillow twice in frustration.
"This five percent progress is definitely an increase in You Rong's hatred! If he had even a shred of affection for the original body, would he have reacted so indifferently even when she fainted! It's infuriating... Why is this You Rong so difficult to deal with? What do I need to do to increase the progress bar!"
Frantic, Lin Qinghe punched the pillow several times, as if venting her anger on You Rong.
When she was tired of hitting it, Lin Qinghe slumped onto the bed, her brows furrowed as she stared at the ceiling.
Tomorrow is the weekend. People like You Rong, who don't live in dorms, won't come to school at all. Forget about finding ways to increase the progress bar; she wouldn't even be able to see him for the next two days.
But she couldn't bear to lie around and do nothing.
Suddenly, Lin Qinghe remembered that Lan Ling'er had mentioned You Rong would be participating in the Math Olympiad next week.
From the original body's memories, You Rong, apart from being a bit chubby, was a very simple person with little social interaction. He was quite a homebody, but his academic performance was top-notch. Since high school, he had won first place in the Math Olympiad every year.
Why not give You Rong a gift to wish him luck in winning first place in the Math Olympiad?
Lin Qinghe thought it over carefully and found the idea feasible.
She decided to give You Rong a pen as a gift!
Lin Qinghe took out her phone and browsed many pen brands online. She shortlisted a few good ones, none of which were cheap. After all, a pen that was too inexpensive wouldn't impress You Rong, and she herself would feel embarrassed to give it.
A pen costing over three thousand yuan. Just as Lin Qinghe was about to place the order, she was stunned when it came to payment. Her linked bank account only had a little over two hundred yuan, and she hadn't even paid off her monthly loan.
Lin Qinghe suddenly remembered that the original body spent money like water, and her family wasn't wealthy. She usually relied on the gifts from her male admirers and red envelopes to get by, truly a "white lotus."
This was the first time in three worlds that Lin Qinghe had encountered a situation where she was stumped by a lack of money.
Lin Qinghe grabbed a handful of her hair, so angry she wanted to slap the original body.
"You're a girl in your early twenties, can't you live a more positive and upward life! What kind of crooked paths are you walking every day!"
Lin Qinghe looked troubled, unwilling to give up on giving You Rong a gift. She had to rack her brains to find a solution.
Borrowing money: This kind of person like the original body had no true friends, so she couldn't borrow money.
The original body's family wasn't wealthy, and she wasn't the original body, so she couldn't bring herself to ask for money.
This left only one option: working part-time.
Lin Qinghe downloaded a part-time job app on her phone. She saw a KTV nearby was hiring temporary staff with a good salary, eight hundred yuan a day, but it required working overnight.
Thinking about it, three days would amount to over two thousand yuan. Combined with tips from working at such a high-end KTV, she should be able to scrape together enough for a pen.
If not, she would think of other ways.
Lin Qinghe made up her mind. She immediately got out of bed, not even bothering to eat, and rushed to the "Brilliant KTV" to apply for the part-time job.
Lin Qinghe was sweet-tongued and looked clever, so her application was easily approved. She was in urgent need of money and started working that same day.
After working all night, doing physical labor like serving drinks, Lin Qinghe returned to her dorm, her back aching so much she didn't even want to move.
Before falling asleep, Lin Qinghe muttered a few curses at You Rong before drifting into a deep slumber.
-------------------------------------
Sunday.
You Rong sat on the sofa with a gloomy expression. Uncle Wang, the butler, walked over, frowning at the sight. After thinking for a moment, he approached and respectfully said, "Young master, Young Master Xiao is back from abroad today and said he wants to see you. Perhaps you should... go and meet him?"
The young master had always disliked socializing and rarely left home. Before, he seemed happy to stay home, but after he returned from outside, looking wet, half a year ago, he had changed.
He forced himself to exercise and lose weight. Now that he had slimmed down and become handsome, he had also become taciturn, rarely smiling, which was quite worrying.
Xiao Ziyi was You Rong's good friend from middle school. He had been studying abroad for a long time and had just returned to the country yesterday.
You Rong asked in a low voice, "Where did he say he'd meet?"
"Young Master Xiao wants to drink with you at a KTV. You don't like such places, shall I call Young Master Xiao and ask him to change the venue?"
To his surprise, You Rong said, "No need. Let the driver take me there."
"Then... alright, young master. I'll have the driver prepare the car now."
Half an hour later, You Rong appeared in the VIP room number one of Brilliant KTV. A young man in his early twenties was already there, holding a beautiful girl in his arms.
Upon seeing You Rong, he greeted him with a roguish grin, "Damn! Little You Rong, haven't seen you in half a year, did you get plastic surgery! You've become so handsome! Where did all your fat go? Come here, let brother feel you..."
You Rong pushed Xiao Ziyi away with disgust.
Xiao Ziyi pouted, "Haven't seen you in half a year, not only has your appearance changed, but your personality has too. You weren't like this before; you used to let me hug and squeeze you..."
You Rong remained silent, his face dark. Without another word, he poured himself a glass of wine and downed it.
For the past two days, the image of Lin Qinghe fainting kept appearing in his mind, which was incredibly bothersome!