The Female Lead Keeps Forcing Me to Take My Meds [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Shoulder Leans and Hand Touches

The next day was the date Xi Congshuang had scheduled for her hospital check-up. Since the Xi residence was a distance from the hospital, she got up early to prepare.

Before her departure, everyone in the Wen Hai mansion was cautiously holding their breath, afraid of a repeat of past events.

For example, the Young Miss refusing to leave right before going out, completely adhering to her aversion to medical treatment, with no amount of persuasion working.

Everyone only relaxed and prepared for the departure in an orderly manner after seeing Xi Congshuang dressed and seated in her wheelchair, ready to go.

Taking the elevator downstairs, Xi Congshuang left the house and was about to turn left to take another elevator down.

For some reason, Xi Congshuang suddenly recalled the scene from yesterday morning. She instinctively turned her head and, sure enough, saw a familiar figure.

This time, Cheng Zhishu was not leaning her head against the door with her school bag on. Instead, she was peeking out half her body from behind the door, her eyes fixed on the hallway. Her hair swayed in the air as it fell over her shoulders.

Caught off guard when her gaze met Xi Congshuang’s, Cheng Zhishu was startled and subconsciously tried to pull her head back.

Xi Congshuang suddenly smiled and called out to her: “I’m going out today, and I might be back late. Want to come along for a trip?”

After a thought, Xi Congshuang added: “However, we’ll spend most of the time in the hospital, so it might be very boring.”

The word ‘boring’ couldn’t even be fully pronounced before Cheng Zhishu, who had only been peeking out half her body, leapt out, exclaiming with delight: “Really? Sister Shuang is willing to take me with you?”

Even after getting into the car, Cheng Zhishu was in high spirits. She even usurped Xiao Liu’s job and personally pushed Xi Congshuang’s wheelchair for a distance. There was no sign that she had been sick just yesterday.

This made Xiao Liu lament once again how good it was to be young. Although she wasn’t yet thirty, she could no longer be as energetic as Cheng Zhishu.

Xi Congshuang was pushed along, chatting with Cheng Zhishu. Hearing Xiao Liu’s exclamation, she was reminded again of one of the quotes the Red Apple tried to brainwash her with: —This is the heroine!

She supposed so. What protagonist doesn’t experience setbacks and triumph over a difficult fate? Someone with low energy would have already been crushed and lack the strength to stand up again.

As for herself, by her designation, she should be the sickly, gloomy villain, the kind who tells the passionate protagonist, “You don’t understand me at all,” and then is defeated by the heroine at a crucial moment.

“Miss, we’re by the car. Let me help you sit down.”

Xi Congshuang placed her hand on the driver’s shoulder and used the leverage to sit down. The heroine ducked into the car on the other side, reaching out to help Xi Congshuang sit upright so she wouldn’t lean to the side.

For a brief moment of imbalance, Xi Congshuang’s upper body leaned toward Cheng Zhishu. She caught the faint citrus scent on her, and a strand of falling hair brushed against her cheek.

The hair was slightly cool.

Xi Congshuang surprisingly had time to think that she was already the sickly, gloomy villain who oppresses the heroine.

The script given by the System did indeed describe her as a gloomy and overbearing villain, but her acting skills were poor, preventing her from playing the role smoothly.

Once both were seated and buckled up, the driver started the car. The scenery outside the window changed as they drove toward their destination.

Cheng Zhishu hadn’t been anywhere other than her school and the Xi residence since arriving in Anshi. Her commutes to and from school were always rushed, leaving no time to stop and look around. She was naturally curious about places outside these two locations.

Originally, she had planned to work odd jobs on the weekends to save money to move out. That would definitely affect her grades, but for now, all plans had been broken.

Anshi seemed much more prosperous than where she used to live. The rent would likely be much more expensive, probably more than she could afford.

Even if she could find an affordable place, the living conditions would be terrible and couldn’t be compared to Ping’an City.

Having seen enough of the monotonous scenery outside, Cheng Zhishu subconsciously shifted her upper body inside the car, leaning toward Xi Congshuang.

To the driver, this posture lacked proper decorum, judging by the Xi family’s standards. In reality, Cheng Zhishu was just sitting casually.

The Xi family was, after all, a century-old dynasty, with strict requirements for the etiquette of its descendants. Even more so for Xi Congshuang, who had been expected to achieve greatness from a young age; her education would only have been stricter.

To this day, the driver couldn’t understand why Xi Congshuang kept Cheng Zhishu by her side. If she hadn’t seen firsthand how well Xi Congshuang treated her, the driver might have believed the conspiracy theories circulating within the Xi family.

Such as that Cheng Zhishu was being used as a pawn against Xi Hanran.

If that wasn’t the case, why would Xi Congshuang keep a child next to her for no reason?

The driver wasn’t the only curious one. Xi Congshuang finally noticed Cheng Zhishu’s movement and turned to look. Cheng Zhishu was looking out the window, her baby-fat cheek slightly puffed out by the smile on her lips.

She looked like a Snow Mei Niang (a soft mochi dessert), with sweet, soft outer skin and even sweeter cream inside.

Xi Congshuang asked: “You’re in a good mood? Why?”

Xi Congshuang wasn’t a deeply curious person, but when it came to Cheng Zhishu, she always felt a pang of curiosity, so she asked.

Cheng Zhishu turned her face towards her, the sunlight reflected in her amber eyes, the smile evident: “I don’t know, but I just feel very happy. And the weather is very nice today, don’t you think so, Sister Shuang?”

It seemed that since the first time Xi Congshuang met her, Cheng Zhishu was always smiling. Everything she had experienced didn’t seem to have caused her any distress.

If Xi Congshuang hadn’t seen her crying, she would have believed it.

Xi Congshuang glanced at the scenery outside the car window, which was no different from her side—bright sunshine, bustling traffic.

She replied: “It seems quite nice.”

The car arrived at the hospital and pulled into the garage, where people were already waiting to receive Xi Congshuang.

A few nurses wheeled Xi Congshuang away. The remaining two guided the driver and Cheng Zhishu to the VIP reception room to wait, where refreshments and drinks were already prepared.

Even though Xi Congshuang disliked hospitals to her core, she still had to force herself to cooperate with the doctors for the examination to determine if there was any chance for her to stand up again.

After all the check-ups, the nurses tidied Xi Congshuang’s trousers, helped her back into the wheelchair, and wheeled her to the doctor’s office.

The doctor, surnamed Xu, was a key professional the private hospital had poached with a high salary. She had even performed Xi Congshuang’s first surgery but was repeatedly helpless against Xi Congshuang’s aversion to medical treatment.

She was sitting securely behind her desk. When she saw Xi Congshuang enter, she rose, put down the file in her hand, and only sat down again when Xi Congshuang was close.

Dr. Xu wore silver-rimmed glasses and smiled gently at Xi Congshuang: “Miss Xi, you look to be in good spirits lately. How do you feel?”

Xi Congshuang: “I’ve been well. I’m sure the physiotherapist who handles my daily records has already spoken to you. She couldn’t attend in person today.”

Then she got straight to the point: “I actually came today with one question, and I hope Dr. Xu can answer it for me: Is there still a possibility for me to stand up again?”

Dr. Xu’s smile paused and faded slightly.

…

The floor of this private hospital was sparsely populated. Since Xi Congshuang’s car accident, it had been exclusively for her use.

Since her discharge, even fewer people came up. The corridor, dominated by large silver-white surfaces, felt particularly cold and sterile. Even the green plants lining the sides looked fake, conveying a chilling, impersonal feeling.

A passing cleaner with a watering can watered a potted Monstera deliciosa, making one realize it wasn’t a fake plant; it was real.

In stark contrast to the vibrant Monstera was the wheelchair being pushed. Xi Congshuang sat in it, watching the cleaner water the plant.

She seemed to have suddenly developed a profound curiosity about the Monstera. No one knew that she was still replaying her conversation with the doctor.

The doctor knew Xi Congshuang’s condition inside and out. Her survival was already a miracle snatched from the hands of the King of Hell.

“Miss Xi has been diligent with her physical therapy recently. Her muscles are recovering well, and there hasn’t been severe atrophy.”

“Surgery? But the previous car accident caused too much damage to Miss Xi. It wasn’t just her legs; other internal organs also sustained some injury.”

“Another surgery is not possible in the short term. It will take at least a year. During this time, you must continue physical therapy to meet the surgical standards.”

Xi Congshuang heard her own voice asking: “What is the risk probability of the surgery? I want you to tell me the truth.”

“A patient’s request, I will tell you truthfully. The risk probability for Miss Xi’s next surgery is… this number.” Dr. Xu picked up her pen, wrote a number, and pushed it toward Xi Congshuang.

It was a number that suggested the probability of survival was almost one in ten.

“I’ve been on the operating table so many times; one more won’t hurt,” Xi Congshuang tapped her finger on the armrest. “Then what is the probability of standing up after the surgery?”

This time, Dr. Xu gave her a disappointing answer: The probability of being able to stand up was also minuscule.

If she had the surgery, she might die. Even if it was successful, she might not be able to stand up, but it wouldn’t be worse than before.

If she didn’t have the surgery, missing the optimal time, she would have to remain in the wheelchair for life.

Xi Congshuang recalled the Xi family’s final fate in the original novel: The Xi family went bankrupt, and the culprit, who caused everything, remained in her wheelchair until death, becoming even more insane than she was ten years ago.

That was because she chose not to have the surgery, saved her life, sacrificed her legs, and consequently became more cynical.

…

In the reception room, the driver held a cup of coffee. She had only taken one bite of the cake and didn’t touch it again.

She kept using her peripheral vision to observe Cheng Zhishu on the side.

She was also eating the cake. It was obvious she rarely ate cake; with every bite, she let it linger in her mouth for a moment, her eyes slightly narrowed, savoring the taste before taking the next bite.

The driver took a sip of coffee, thinking, Did her adoptive parents really begrudge her even a slice of cake?

The driver, accustomed to accompanying her employers to high-end places, just considered these refreshments commonplace, not worth savoring.

Suddenly, Cheng Zhishu put down the cake and walked toward the door, opening it.

The driver was about to say, “Don’t wander off.”

She had only managed to say ‘Don’t’ when the driver saw Xi Congshuang, who had returned from her check-up, standing behind the door Cheng Zhishu had just opened, her expression placid.

Cheng Zhishu: “I heard someone approaching just now. Sure enough, Sister Shuang, you’re back.”

The driver: “…”

She lowered her eyes.

That’s strange. Does she have super hearing? How could she hear the Miss returning?

Xi Congshuang composed her emotions, and the familiar smile returned to her lips: “Have you been waiting long? Let’s go back.”

Cheng Zhishu didn’t leave. Instead, she reached out and tugged on Xi Congshuang’s sleeve. Xi Congshuang looked up: “What is it?”

Cheng Zhishu lowered her eyes and crouched down, asking from an upward-looking angle: “C-can I touch you?”

Xi Congshuang: “Why?”

Is she shy?

Does she need physical contact with a familiar person to calm her nerves?

It’s only been a short time. I never heard that the heroine was shy before.

Very curious about what she wanted to do, Xi Congshuang said: “Go ahead.”

Cheng Zhishu took both of Xi Congshuang’s hands and held her fingers. They were indeed very cold.

Xi Congshuang’s smoke-gray eyes reflected Cheng Zhishu’s face and movements. She smiled, pursing her lips, and said to Xi Congshuang: “The air conditioning in the hospital is a bit low. I thought you might be cold.”

Xi Congshuang didn’t move. She felt the hands first touch her tentatively, then slowly grasp the back of her hands. Skin met skin, holding tightly.

The driver: “…”

If she could, she would scream: “Hey! Where did this savage girl come from, leaning on my Miss’s shoulder and now touching her hands!”