After Transmigrating Into A Cannon Fodder Character, I Only Want To Survive (GL) - Chapter 19
In the living room without air conditioning, the summer evening’s sweltering heat reached its peak.
But the two people in the living room weren’t hot at all; they were cold from the inside out.
On the sofa, Fang Bai held a strawberry in her hand, but her attention wasn’t on the strawberry. She was looking at Ji Yuning, who was standing by the dining table, packing her schoolbag.
Fang Bai wondered if it was her imagination, but she felt that Ji Yuning seemed to have grown taller. Thinking that it had only been a week since they last saw each other, was the child developing so fast? Or was she just imagining things?
Fang Bai stared again.
Only then did she notice that Ji Yuning’s thin body seemed to be developing in a healthier direction. Although her elbow bones were still the same as before, her back didn’t resemble a fragile flower branch like Lin Daiyu; instead, it looked like a sapling growing vigorously in warm weather.
Ji Yuning wanted to ignore the gaze behind her, but it was too intense, as if it was going to burn a hole in her back.
Unable to ignore it, Ji Yuning had to give up on her thoughts and let Fang Bai stare at her.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in through the window, calming Ji Yuning’s slightly agitated emotions.
But not Fang Bai’s.
Fang Bai was holding back words. She really wanted to walk up to Ji Yuning and ask if she had seen the whip, but she didn’t because even if Ji Yuning admitted she had seen it, what could she do?
Fang Bai couldn’t carry thorns on her back and ask Ji Yuning to whip her.
So, if she asked, she would only tear open Ji Yuning’s still-healing wounds, and the pain would only deepen Ji Yuning’s memory of what the original owner had done.
For Fang Bai, it wasn’t a good thing.
Ji Yuning picked up her schoolbag and turned to go upstairs.
Fang Bai twirled the bottom of the strawberry between her fingers and asked gently, “Are you going upstairs to do homework?”
Ji Yuning: “Yes.”
“Take the strawberries upstairs. They’re good as after-dinner fruit.” As she said that, Fang Bai stood up from the sofa, picked up the plate, and pretended to bring it to Ji Yuning.
Ji Yuning took two steps towards the stairs, her refusal obvious: “No need. I’m full.”
“Okay then.” Fang Bai stopped awkwardly and said, “Study hard.”
Ji Yuning went upstairs, leaving behind a “yes.”
After Ji Yuning went upstairs and Fang Bai couldn’t hear her footsteps, she ate the strawberry.
9 o’clock at night.
The attic.
Fang Bai held a glass of milk in one hand and a whip in the other, but hesitated when she reached Ji Yuning’s door.
Fang Bai hesitated because she was wondering if her main purpose was to deliver the milk and the secondary purpose was to talk about the whip, or if her main purpose was to talk about the whip and the secondary purpose was to deliver the milk?
“…”
Both seemed important.
Regardless of whether Ji Yuning had seen the whip, Fang Bai had, which meant she couldn’t pretend it hadn’t happened.
She was still here to apologize, but in a different way.
Having made up her mind, Fang Bai cleared her throat and knocked on the door three times with the hand holding the whip.
“Xiao Ning, Auntie brought you some milk.”
“…”
There was no response.
Usually, Ji Yuning would open the door after three breaths.
Fang Bai listened, but there was no sound from inside the room.
Had she gone out?
Fang Bai knocked twice more, and when there was still no response, she said, “Auntie will count to three and then open the door, okay?”
“One…”
“Two…”
“Click.”
Fang Bai turned the doorknob, and white light spilled out from the crack in the door.
When she opened the door, Fang Bai’s first glance went to the desk.
No one was there.
When her gaze moved further inside, Fang Bai quickly entered the room.
Ji Yuning’s legs were hanging off the bed, and she was curled up on her side, one foot still wearing a slipper, as if she had fallen onto the bed while putting on her shoes.
Fang Bai quickened her pace towards Ji Yuning, putting down the things in her hand on the desk as she passed. She jogged two steps, squatted by the bed, and held Ji Yuning’s arm, asking anxiously, “What’s wrong?”
Fang Bai first touched Ji Yuning’s forehead, muttering, “Do you have a fever?”
Her temperature was normal.
She didn’t have a fever.
But there was cold sweat on both sides of her forehead.
Ji Yuning opened her eyes, her eyebrows furrowed, her thin lips moving, and a small voice squeezed out, “…I’m fine.”
“You’re fine?! You have to be reasonable when you’re being stubborn, okay?” Fang Bai, thinking that Ji Yuning didn’t want to show weakness in front of her, scolded her sternly and then asked concernedly, “Is it a stomachache or something? Appendicitis?”
Ji Yuning was too weak to speak.
Seeing this, Fang Bai said, “Wait a moment. I’ll call Uncle Li. We’ll go to the hospital.”
Fang Bai didn’t have her phone, but she caught a glimpse of Ji Yuning’s phone on the bedside table. As she reached for it, she suddenly saw another object on the table.
Fang Bai’s anxious emotions subsided, and she stopped reaching for the phone. She looked at Ji Yuning and asked softly, “You… are you having your period?”
Ji Yuning: “…Yes.”
Fang Bai subconsciously said, “Stomachache?”
Seeing Ji Yuning holding her stomach, Fang Bai stood up, took off Ji Yuning’s slippers, moved Ji Yuning’s legs onto the bed, and pulled the blanket over her.
Fang Bai patted the blanket and said softly, “Lie down on the bed. I’ll get you some painkillers.”
Ji Yuning was in so much pain that she couldn’t open her eyes.
All she could hear was the “tap tap tap” of slippers running on the floor, and the sound gradually faded away.
After a while, the “tap tap tap” sound returned to her ears, but this time, the sound wasn’t as rushed.
Fang Bai carried water, afraid of spilling it if she ran too fast.
Fang Bai sat on the edge of the bed, put her hand on Ji Yuning’s shoulder, and shook her gently, “Xiao Ning, I brought your medicine.”
Ji Yuning had eased up a bit by now and wasn’t in as much pain as before.
Ji Yuning slowly opened her eyes and saw Fang Bai’s anxious and concerned face.
Fang Bai put the water and medicine on the table, helped Ji Yuning sit up, and then brought the water and medicine to Ji Yuning, saying softly, “Take your medicine first.”
As she said that, Fang Bai handed the medicine to Ji Yuning’s lips.
Ji Yuning’s lips felt the hardness of the pill and the softness of Fang Bai’s fingers.
Her lips subconsciously opened, and the pill was put into her mouth.
There was a slight bitterness in her mouth.
Ji Yuning took the water and swallowed the medicine.
Fang Bai watched Ji Yuning take the medicine and then got up to prop the pillows behind Ji Yuning, making it more comfortable for her to lean against.
“I’ll go make you some brown sugar water.”
Before Ji Yuning could refuse, Fang Bai had already turned and left.
This time, the sound of the slippers rubbing against the floor wasn’t the anxious “tap tap tap.”
Five minutes later, Fang Bai watched Ji Yuning finish the brown sugar water.
Taking the cup from Ji Yuning, Fang Bai asked softly, “Do you feel better?”
The medicine had started to take effect, but it was still a bit painful.
Ji Yuning pursed her pale lips, “I’m fine.”
Still being stubborn.
Fang Bai put the cup on the table and held out her hand to Ji Yuning, “Give me your hand.”
Ji Yuning: “?”
Ji Yuning didn’t move.
Fang Bai had to take the initiative and grab Ji Yuning’s left hand, which was resting on her leg.
She held Ji Yuning’s wrist with one hand and pressed on the back of Ji Yuning’s hand with the other.
Fang Bai’s palm was warm, the warmth of a hot summer day, but Ji Yuning’s was as cold as a stream in early winter. Fang Bai guessed that Ji Yuning had been in pain for a while, otherwise she wouldn’t have been too weak to get out of bed.
The warmth of Fang Bai’s palm slowly spread to Ji Yuning’s skin.
The wrist held by Fang Bai began to feel hot.
Ji Yuning wanted to pull her hand away, but when she moved, she realized that Fang Bai was holding her tightly, as if she had expected her to avoid it.
After pressing for ten seconds, Fang Bai looked up at Ji Yuning and, while continuing to press, asked, “I heard that pressing here can help with menstrual cramps. Do you feel anything now?”
Ji Yuning lowered her eyes.
Fang Bai’s fair hand contrasted with her slightly darker skin. Her thumb pressed slightly harder on the area below her thumb joint. Her knuckles were rounded, and due to the pressure, crescent moons appeared at the tips of her fingernails.
As far as she knew, there were no acupressure points on the hand that could relieve menstrual cramps. The points were somewhere between the calf and ankle, but she wasn’t sure exactly where.
For some reason, Ji Yuning suddenly imagined Fang Bai grabbing her ankle and pressing on the acupressure points…
A nerve in Ji Yuning’s calf twitched.
Pushing the image out of her mind, Ji Yuning said calmly, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Fang Bai subtly breathed a sigh of relief. Although she hadn’t pressed for long, her hand was indeed sore. She coughed softly and said cautiously, “So, I’ll stop pressing?”
“Yes,” Ji Yuning’s eyelashes fluttered, “Thank you…”
Fang Bai smiled gently, “It’s what I should do.”
Ji Yuning nodded silently.
Fang Bai looked at Ji Yuning and blinked, “I heard that when two people are close, they can ‘catch’ each other’s periods…”
Fang Bai raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Do you think you caught mine?”
Close?
Ji Yuning denied, “Mine is just two days late.”
Fang Bai smiled softly, “That’s close enough. Mine was three days early.”
Forced closeness.
“…”
The room fell silent.
Fang Bai glanced at the milk glass on the table, “Do you still want the milk? Should I warm it up for you?”
Ji Yuning followed Fang Bai’s gaze and saw the milk, but just as she was about to say no, she saw the dark, coiled object next to the milk glass.
Fang Bai saw it too.
She suddenly remembered the purpose of her visit.
Fang Bai walked to the desk, picked up the whip, and walked towards Ji Yuning.
She wasn’t sure if she was mistaken, but when she turned around, she saw a “as expected” look of realization in Ji Yuning’s eyes.
Finally, under Ji Yuning’s gloomy gaze, Fang Bai walked to the bed with the whip.
Just when Ji Yuning thought Fang Bai was going to ask her to take off her top and whip her as before, she saw Fang Bai put the coiled whip on her lap.
Fang Bai: “This is for you.”
Ji Yuning: “?”
To whip herself?
“Of course, I’m not giving you this to hit me,” Fang Bai said, tucking the blanket around Ji Yuning, “I’m quite afraid of pain.”
Fang Bai withdrew her hand and said softly, “This is for you to dispose of. You can throw it away, or burn it, or whatever you want.”
This was Fang Bai’s solution: disposal.
Ji Yuning frowned, her voice hoarse, “Why?”
Fang Bai looked up and said sincerely, “Because I’ve decided to say goodbye to the past and be a good person.”
Ji Yuning looked at Fang Bai. Hearing this, Ji Yuning’s eyes moved involuntarily, scanning Fang Bai’s face, trying to discern the truth.
One minute.
Ji Yuning scrutinized her for nearly a minute, and Fang Bai didn’t seem uneasy or flustered as she expected.
For a moment, Ji Yuning couldn’t tell if Fang Bai was sincere or acting with her polished skills.
Fang Bai looked into Ji Yuning’s eyes. The girl’s stubborn eyes shone with a dark light. Looking into Ji Yuning’s deep eyes, Fang Bai asked softly, “Are you willing to give me a chance?”