Twist of Fate (GL) - Chapter 6

“They just like talking dirty. Don’t mind them,” Xie Jing said softly.

“It’s fine, just part of gaming culture,” Qin Ning replied. When she was bored, she’d occasionally copy a few lines herself.

Once the match started, Xie Jing muted her mic. The chaos coming from the YY voice channel made her ears ache.

“Damage reduction! I need damage reduction!” bleated one voice.

“Healer! Heal me!” cried another.

“White Cloud just got one-shotted!” screamed another.

It sounded like an intense battle—yet in reality, they were all lying flat on the floor, already dead.

Xie Jing was hanging by a thread, her health bar nearly empty. She took her hands off the keyboard, an expression of serene resignation on her face.

Whoosh—

Her HP bar suddenly refilled.

She glanced at the team chat and saw Ting Feng had healed her. Touched, she looked at Qin Ning.

“Why?! It’s been five minutes and I haven’t gotten Spring Mud even once! Why does she get Ting Feng and Spring Mud?!” screamed Ji Luo in the group chat.

Xie Jing stared at the screen, a long-lost sense of familiarity washing over her.

It reminded her of a healer who once protected her like this.

When that person was around, she was never afraid of getting ganged up on—because she knew no matter what, she wouldn’t die.

They won the match. Battle stats showed Xie Jing had the fewest knockouts.

The friends on YY were all teasing her, saying she’d landed herself a dedicated healer—a really skilled one, too, with healing output so high it needed ten fingers to count.

Bound healer, my ass, Xie Jing thought. It was just one match. Nothing’s bound.

For all she knew, Qin Ning might think she was trash and never want to play with her again.

“Can I join you for battleground first wins in the future?” Qin Ning suddenly asked.

“Huh? First wins? Of course!” Xie Jing lit up. With someone as good as Qin Ning on her team, those would be a breeze!

Finally, no more hell runs!

Xie Jing was a casual PvP player. Once she finished her daily first win, she lost all motivation to keep playing. After wrapping up, she said a quick goodbye to her friends and smoothly left the party and exited YY.

She’d already finished her 20 arena wins for the week. Her resource farming was being handled by a booster. PvE was all she had left.

“Want to run a 10-man dungeon?” she asked, turning to Qin Ning.

“Sure.”

Since it was a simple 10-man run, Xie Jing created the group herself. She added Qin Ning first, then started recruiting DPS and tanks.

It was evening—and a holiday night at that—so the group filled up quickly. Within five minutes, Xie Jing was standing in front of the boss, sword in hand.

Qin Ning was pounding at her keyboard below her desk. Wincing at the sound, Xie Jing turned on her mic and reminded everyone to eat their buffs.

[Poison]: Party lead’s voice is sooo nice.

[Show]: Party lead is adorable.

[Marten]: Luxurious.

[Meow]: I’m eating, I’m eating!

“Thanks… haha… You’re a very committed tank,” Xie Jing said with a chuckle, then started the ready check.

“Check your gear and skills. Pull in five seconds.”

Since it was an old raid and there was no shared loot, Xie Jing muted her mic again once the fight began.

After clearing the first boss, she distributed loot and materials, then went back to autopilot mode.

It wasn’t until they reached the fourth boss that she turned her mic back on to chat and kill time with the group—this boss had a two-minute unskippable cutscene, which made the wait feel endless without something to distract them.

Mid-chat, she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

“I got you some water. Drink it while it’s warm,” Qin Ning said.

“Wow, thanks! Just what I needed.” Xie Jing was visibly touched as she held the cup.

Though she wasn’t leading the raid, she still gave announcements when handing out loot, and she’d just finished chatting with the team. Her throat was dry—Qin Ning, somehow, had noticed and brought her water without being asked.

[Poison]: Why does the party lead get a pretty girl to bring her water?!

[Show]: I want that too!

[Cannon]: How do you know she’s pretty?

[Poison]: I can tell by her voice!

[Marten]: One’s soft and cute, the other elegant and cool. Perfect match. I’m shipping this.

[Meow]: Party lead is living the dream.

Xie Jing coughed and quickly dragged the team panel over the chatbox to cover the messages.

“Alright, let’s pull,” she said calmly.

After the fourth boss went down, a rare drop appeared, sparking a bidding war between two wealthy players in the group. It finally sold for ten gold bricks.

The team chat buzzed again with flirty banter.

Xie Jing sneaked a peek, then panicked and yanked the panel back over the chat window, hiding it completely.

She glanced nervously at Qin Ning—only to see her gaze fixed squarely on the lower left corner of the screen.

Xie Jing: “!!!”

Busted!

The team was still joking about their “ship”—and Qin Ning definitely saw it all.

Seriously, all this because she gave me a cup of water? Xie Jing thought. These people are starved.

Sensing Xie Jing’s eyes on her, Qin Ning turned her head.

Startled, Xie Jing quickly looked away.

Two seconds later, she paused.

Wait, why am I avoiding her gaze?

There was nothing between them! She had nothing to feel guilty about!

Xie Jing turned back to look at Qin Ning again.

“Is there something on my face?” Qin Ning asked.

“No… your face is very clean.”

[Poison]: OMG the party lead’s a bot.

[Marten]: Switching to human mode.

[Meow]: You forgot to mute your mic, party lead.

Xie Jing: 囧！

She scrambled to turn off her mic and didn’t turn it back on for the rest of the raid.

At exactly 11:00 p.m., Xie Jing logged off.

The temperature had dropped that day, but her face still felt hot. She took a sip of the remaining water on her desk—and remembered it was the cup Qin Ning had brought her.

Her face turned even redder.

She jumped up from her chair and hurried into the bathroom to wash her face.

Qin Ning watched the door slam shut, eyes flickering thoughtfully.

After about ten minutes, Xie Jing came out.

Why do I always blush around Qin Ning? she wondered. It’s all her fault for being so good-looking. And so good at games, too.

She climbed into bed, head bowed.

With the holiday break ahead, she turned off her alarm and planned to sleep in.

That night, for once, she didn’t suffer from insomnia. She slept soundly, dreamless.

But when she woke up, her nose was blocked.

Knew it, she thought grimly. Couldn’t avoid getting sick.

She lay in bed for a while, groggy and feverish.

Hearing rustling, Qin Ning asked, “You awake?”

Xie Jing let out a nasal hum: “Mmm…”

Out of sight, Qin Ning frowned. “You sound… are you sick?”

“Probably… worse than a cold,” Xie Jing mumbled as she sat up slowly.

“Can you get out of bed?”

“I think… yeah.” She wrapped herself in her blanket, waited for her bl00d pressure to stabilize, and finally pulled back the curtain.

Qin Ning was waiting at the top of the stairs. When she saw Xie Jing’s flushed cheeks and glassy eyes, her frown deepened.

Xie Jing didn’t know what expression she had, only that her ears and neck were burning, while her back felt icy cold.

She stumbled on the stairs. Instantly, Qin Ning grabbed her arm, supporting her back with her other hand.

“Careful.”

“Thanks, just slipped a bit.”

Qin Ning helped her into the bathroom to wash up. After brushing her teeth and changing clothes, Xie Jing got ready to head to the infirmary.

“I’ll go with you,” Qin Ning said, clearly worried.

“Thanks… Just take me there. I can come back on my own.”

Qin Ning said nothing, but after they reached the infirmary, she didn’t leave.

Xie Jing’s temperature: 38.7°C. The doctor recommended IV fluids.

Since it was the holidays, she had the time. Xie Jing agreed. “Yes, wise physician, administer thy potion~”

The doctor: “…”

Qin Ning: “…”

She’s clearly delirious.

“Pfft… haha.” Xie Jing laughed until tears came out, her eyes wet and red.

Qin Ning stared at her. How is she still laughing?

“Don’t worry, I get sick every season change. I’m used to it.” Seeing Qin Ning’s serious expression, she couldn’t resist teasing her.

Qin Ning’s lips twitched. She turned and walked out.

Once she was gone, Xie Jing dropped the smile and looked genuinely unwell.

The infirmary was nearly empty. Lying on the bed, one hand on her IV, the other doom-scrolling her phone, Xie Jing sighed.

Three bags of fluids—each dripping slower than a leaky faucet. She wanted to die.

About half an hour later, Qin Ning returned, holding a cup of soy milk, a bag of soup dumplings, and a thick down jacket.

“You might get cold. I brought you this,” she said, placing the food on the table and draping the jacket over Xie Jing’s shoulders.

Wrapped in warm fabric, Xie Jing felt toasty and comforted.

Qin Ning handed her the soy milk and opened the bag of dumplings, picking one up with a toothpick and holding it to her lips.

They were small—Xie Jing could eat one in one bite. The dumpling skin was thin, the filling fragrant, and the broth warm.

But… it tasted like nothing.

She realized—she’d lost her sense of taste.

Damn it. I hate colds. Now I can’t taste a thing.

“Don’t like it?” Qin Ning asked, puzzled by the way she was angrily chewing the dumpling.

She remembered Xie Jing used to love soup dumplings and sweet soy milk.

“My tongue’s broken. I can’t taste anything,” Xie Jing said, sounding wronged.

Qin Ning looked at the doctor.

The doctor: “???”

She’s a doctor, not a miracle worker.

“It won’t last long,” the doctor said, wiping sweat from her brow under their intense gazes.

“Whew… That’s good,” Xie Jing said, relieved.

She puffed out her cheeks and kept chewing. Soon, the dumplings were gone. She drained the last of the soy milk and gave a soft burp.

So full.