Wait, I Got in the Wrong Car (GL) - Chapter 45

Chen Ruiling gently gave Lou Anran two fever-reducing pills, then sat silently nearby, watching Mo Ying curled closely beside her.

The two exchanged glances in silence. The warm air between them gradually turned awkward.

After a long pause, they both spoke at once. “Ah Rui (Xiao Yu’er) —”

Mo Ying blinked and gave up. Lou Xiaohei would probably understand everything when she woke up. She pressed her cheek to Lou Anran’s forehead but felt no noticeable drop in temperature. “Ah Rui, do fever meds even work?”

Chen Ruiling glanced at Lou Anran, who was lost in fevered confusion. “They work.”

If not, she would have to go to the hospital.

As long as Lou Anran regained some consciousness, she could make that decision. Mo Ying, however, truly seemed like a princess raised in a tower. She knew little of real life and panicked easily. Seeing her like this was rare.

How did these two even end up together?

“Xiao Yu’er, do you want to nap a bit more?”

Mo Ying shook her head. Her eyes stayed fixed on her little girlfriend. Lou Anran lay quietly beneath the blanket, looking more well-behaved than usual. Maybe the medicine was working. Mo Ying leaned in and no longer heard Lou Xiaohei murmuring about her mother.

After a few moments of shared sorrow, she slowly returned to her usual playful self and began counting Lou Anran’s eyelashes. One by one. She counted them softly, then whispered into her ear, “Lou Xiaohei. Lou Xiaohei…”

Chen Ruiling watched their closeness and felt a little dazed. The faint morning light gradually pushed back the last of the night. Sunlight pierced the heavy curtains, trying to brighten the room. That was when she finally snapped out of her daze.

Without realizing it, morning had arrived.

She shifted slightly and met a pair of bright green catlike eyes watching her. They stared like a predator sizing up prey. For the first time, Chen Ruiling sensed something in Mo Ying’s gaze that was not human. That cold stare seemed to silently assess how dangerous she might be.

In the next moment, the feeling vanished like a passing shadow. Mo Ying looked drowsy again.

Chen Ruiling rubbed her tired eyes. She would need a nap later.

Mo Ying had dozed off briefly. When she realized Chen Ruiling was still there, she glanced at the sleeping Lou Anran beside her and then at the beam of light cutting through the curtain. Morning had truly arrived. She instinctively bumped her head against Lou Anran. “Lou Xiaohei.”

Lou Anran responded faintly.

Mo Ying suddenly sat up and crouched beside her. “Lou Xiaohei, are you awake?”

Chen Ruiling noticed the redness had mostly faded from Lou Anran’s cheeks. She placed a hand on her forehead. “The fever broke. She appears healthier than she was as a child. Xiao Yu’er, why don’t you take the day off and stay with her?”

Mo Ying nodded quickly. “Okay. But Lou Xiaohei still isn’t fully awake.”

Lou Anran grabbed her hand and whispered in a raspy voice, “Baby, your voice is really loud.”

Mo Ying leaned in curiously. She blew gently on Lou Anran’s closed eyelids until they fluttered open.

Lou Anran’s mind was still hazy. Noisy voices had surrounded her all night, shouting near her ears and leaving her with a pounding headache. But one voice stood out like a spring in the fog. Urgent and fierce, it broke through her exhaustion and called her back.

“Lou Xiaohei, you’re finally awake.”

“Mm.”

Lou Anran took a moment to adjust. When she sat up, she finally noticed Chen Ruiling standing quietly beside the bed. She smiled. “Lingling. It’s been a while.”

Lingling?

Mo Ying immediately pinched her arm. The grip was strong enough that Lou Anran couldn’t ignore it, but her smile only widened.

Chen Ruiling stayed expressionless. “Don’t act like we’re that close. If Xiao Yu’er hadn’t dragged me over in the middle of the night, I wouldn’t have come. You looked half-dead.”

Lou Anran said, “Then thank you on behalf of my little one.”

Chen Ruiling replied calmly, “You should go to the hospital for a full checkup. I’ll be leaving now.”

Mo Ying had been watching the whole time. Once Chen Ruiling left, she clung to Lou Anran’s arm and muttered, “Lou Xiaohei, why did you suddenly get a fever? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

She didn’t want to, but she was Lou Xiaohei’s girlfriend.

Lou Anran was surprised. It took effort to gather the strength to respond. Though still groggy, she could tell who had stayed by her side. “Did you find Lingling on purpose? Baby, just days ago, you were calling her my ex. Now you brought the so-called ‘ex’ to care for me. Were you hoping I’d drop dead from shock?”

Mo Ying puffed out her cheeks and squirmed in bed. “She knows you. You looked so happy. You even called her Ah Rui and Lingling.”

Thinking of that, she picked up Lou Anran’s hand and gave it a fierce bite. But remembering Lou Anran was still weak, she only nibbled gently and followed with a soft lick.

“Lou Xiaohei, if you try to stand on two boats, you’ll fall into the water. You know that, right?”

Lou Anran let out a soft laugh. Her body was frail, but her spirits had lifted. She laughed until she felt sleepy again. “Baby, stay with me a little longer. Once I’m better, we’ll talk about the boat.”

Mo Ying’s cool body brought comfort. Lou Anran pulled her close and kissed her softly before falling asleep again. This time, her dreams were no longer filled with chaos. They were gentle, echoing with the persistent voice of her little one.

“When you’re sick, you should eat light food. Millet porridge. Vegetable porridge… But I don’t have a pot to cook porridge. Or rice…” Mo Ying poked her forehead with a pen, her frustration evident. She lay sprawled on the floor, scribbling furiously. Her handwriting was wild and nearly unreadable. Only her soul knew what she was writing.

“Little beauty, you don’t have to write all this down. You can just search it online. Or call me.”

“My phone was confiscated.”

“Uh…”

This was Chu Shu’s first time meeting someone so unpredictable. She had no idea how to respond. Then she noticed her boss standing in the doorway.

Lou Anran stood with her arms crossed. No one knew how long she had been there. Though still pale from the fever, she carried herself with effortless elegance. She walked over slowly and noticed that Mo Ying had filled a full page with sick-care notes. One character stood out, a chubby, crooked version of “medicine.” The rest was long, thin, and impossible to decipher.

Lou Anran laughed as she read. Then she looked up at Chu Shu, who was still standing there. “You can go now.”

Chu Shu left the porridge and medicine behind and quietly exited.

Mo Ying rushed after her. “Wait, you haven’t told me what kind of rice to buy. Or what kind of pot I need.”

Lou Anran pulled her back onto the couch. They ate porridge at the coffee table. When they finished, she offered Mo Ying a spoonful. “It tastes fine. Want to try some, baby?”

Mo Ying took a tiny sip and refused more. It tasted like water. She gave Lou Anran a sympathetic look. “Lou Xiaohei, you need to get better soon.”

After finishing the porridge, Lou Anran took her medicine. Then she held her little one close and gently patted her back. “What happened yesterday was an accident. I’ll take better care of myself. Don’t be afraid.”

Mo Ying had been scared all night. That one sentence made her feel whole again. “Lou Xiaohei, are you really awake now?”

Lou Anran checked the time. “It’s three in the afternoon. I’m awake now. Why?”

Mo Ying hesitated before asking, “Do you remember what you said before you fell asleep?”

Lou Anran paused and pretended to think hard. Seeing the nervous look in her little one’s wide eyes, she burst into laughter. “I didn’t know you had become so nosy.”

Mo Ying grumbled as Lou Anran pinched her nose.

Lou Anran pulled her down to lie beside her on the sofa. “Baby, if you want to know something, I’ll tell you everything. Just ask.”

Mo Ying hesitated. Chen Ruiling was her friend. Lou Xiaohei was her girlfriend. Their closeness still bothered her. “Ah Rui knows you really well.”

Lou Anran held her hand and played with her fingers. “We lived together for a while when we were young. You could say we were close. Or maybe not.”

Mo Ying tilted her head, confused.

Lou Anran continued tracing her fingertips. “After my mom died, my grandfather took custody. That was the hardest time in my life. Oddly enough, the one who stayed with me most was Lingling. She was five years younger than me, but already mature. She knew I had lost my mom and felt bad. She even said she’d share her own mother with me.”

Lou Anran smiled faintly. Looking back, time had softened the pain. “Later, my grandfather sent me abroad. Something happened in Lingling’s family, and we lost touch. We only reconnected recently.”

Mo Ying rested her chin on Lou Anran’s shoulder. Her heart ached. “Lou Xiaohei, I don’t have a mom either.”

Hearing her soft voice, Lou Anran’s sorrow turned to tenderness. She pressed her forehead to Mo Ying’s. “That’s a shame. But from now on, we’ll take care of each other.”

Bonk.

Mo Ying gently bumped into her like a little calf. “So Ah Rui knew you way back. No wonder…” She thought of the ridiculous things Lou Annie had said.

Lou Anran stroked the spot where her little one had butted her. “Baby, your jealous side is so adorable. I like it. But Lingling is my distant little niece.”

Mo Ying’s eyes widened. “Little niece?”

If she were Lou Xiaohei’s little niece, then… wasn’t that her niece too?