After Saving My Cannon Fodder Omega - Chapter 9

Lying in the ambulance, Chi Wei kept her eyes half-open, staring wordlessly at Feng Zhi and Xie Yueyue, who were squeezed together on the seat.

As if trying to prove she was the closest to “Xiaoyu,” Feng Zhi had pointedly crowded Xie Yueyue into the back. Her concern for Chi Wei seemed far more intense than the previous time.

Xie Yueyue and Chi Wei, however, knew her far too well. Catching the thirty percent of theatrical anxiety mixed into her seventy percent of genuine emotion, their feelings were complex, and a sliver of suspicion arose—

Has Feng Zhi changed her tastes? Has she suddenly developed a thing for Betas?

But hadn’t she emphasized in her New Year’s resolutions that she absolutely had to find an Omega girlfriend this year?

Can someone really be this fickle?

While pondering this, Chi Wei stole a glance at Xie Yueyue, worrying that she might overthink things and start viewing Chi Wei as a romantic rival. If that happened, the dynamic between the four of them would become a genuine mess.

Fortunately, the look in Xie Yueyue’s eyes was one of pure worry and confusion, with no ill-timed hostility surfacing.

Chi Wei looked at the medic sitting on her other side, who reached over to check the thermometer. She blinked her burning eyelids with difficulty: “Actually, I think calling an ambulance for a fever is a bit of a waste of medical resources.”

The “Angel in White” behind the mask noted the scale on the thermometer and looked down: “Not really, considering you’ve already hit 40°C (104°F).”

Chi Wei: “…”

“What? That high?” Feng Zhi’s jaw dropped. According to her understanding of fevers, anything over 38°C was a total emergency.

Xie Yueyue, being more worldly, calmly reached out to check the cooling patch on Chi Wei’s forehead. However, her hand was swatted away midway by Feng Zhi.

Feng Zhi shot a glare at the “extra” hand and felt Chi Wei’s forehead herself. Sensing the little blue patch had turned warm, she ripped it off with a shua and replaced it with a fresh one.

Two of Chi Wei’s hairs were stuck to the adhesive, and the sudden yank made the already weakened girl hiss in pain.

Feng Zhi: “???”

Chi Wei: “…I really can’t thank you enough.”

“We’re sisters, no need for thanks. You’re being too formal,” Feng Zhi waved it off with a smile.

On the other side, Xie Yueyue muttered under her breath: “Who exactly was it that drank the fake alcohol? How can she not tell sarcasm from a compliment?”

Feng Zhi didn’t catch the mutter, but that didn’t stop her from immediately turning to shoot a warning glare. Xie Yueyue took the hint and shut her mouth.

At the hospital, after the routine checks and the IV setup, Chi Wei found herself lying on the exact same bed she had just left yesterday.

The three of them hadn’t eaten all day, from the previous night’s drinking until dusk. Feng Zhi refused to leave Chi Wei’s bedside, so Xie Yueyue went to the hospital cafeteria and brought back three bowls of wonton soup after checking with the doctor.

Siren Hospital’s fees were much higher than other hospitals in F City, but its equipment and service justified the price, so many wealthy people preferred coming here when ill.

For families with backgrounds like theirs, they even had designated rooms and beds. However, F City was full of rich people who took care of themselves, so rooms were still tight. The four of them only shared two designated rooms.

But they rarely got sick at the same time, so two were usually enough. If push came to shove, the private rooms were large enough to add an extra bed on either side, turning a single into a double.

Sitting in bed, Chi Wei held a wooden round-headed spoon, sipping the broth while her other hand was hooked to the IV. Strangely, after one taste, she put it down.

Feng Zhi, about to take a bite herself, looked up: “Not to your taste? What do you want? Should I go buy you a bowl of porridge?”

Chi Wei stuck out her numbed, scalded tongue and said indistinctly: “Too hot.”

Xie Yueyue stirred her own bowl, nodding at the rising steam: “Fresh out of the pot.”

Feng Zhi didn’t wait for a response before shoving a spoonful into her mouth. She immediately let out an “ah!” and spat the wonton into the trash: “Too—too—too—too hot!”

Xie Yueyue frowned, while Chi Wei laughed heartily: “I told you it was too hot.”

Feng Zhi said with a thick tongue: “You told me too late!”

“…” Chi Wei glared at her, thinking, Why don’t you blame yourself for moving too fast!

Xie Yueyue seemingly casually pushed the tissues toward Feng Zhi, but her eyes remained on Chi Wei: “Sister Chui, why did you suddenly open the window last night?”

Feng Zhi, wiping her mouth, looked surprised: “What window?”

Chi Wei hadn’t expected Yueyue to notice, but this time her expression was completely different from when she was facing Ming Rui: “I saw a very beautiful person. She was practically the girl of my dreams! I want to get to know her. Do you guys have a way?”

Feng Zhi’s eyes lit up: “Huh? Are you going to fall in love?”

Chi Wei raised an eyebrow: “I think I already have.”

Xie Yueyue: “…”

Feng Zhi winked and nudged her: “Describe her to me quickly. Wow, I never expected your standards—which are so high—would actually fall for love at first sight?”

Chi Wei rolled her eyes: “What’s wrong with love at first sight? It’s a pure spark. That’s what love feels like.”

Xie Yueyue looked at the two excited girls and tossed a bucket of cold water on them: “What if she’s not single?”

Feng Zhi: “…” It’s so strange. This little sister was so cute when she was small; why does she seem more and more annoying now that she’s grown up!

Chi Wei smiled: “She isn’t. My intuition says she’s single.”

“So what does she actually look like?” Feng Zhi calmed down slightly.

Chi Wei said: “Ethereal, the kind of beauty where one look lasts ten thousand years. A fairy who doesn’t eat the food of mortals. Hmm… she looks a bit like the lady boss of that Xuan’s Tavern we used to go to…”

She hadn’t originally planned to describe her that way, but since she claimed this was the first time seeing her, she couldn’t blurt out Xuan Nian’s name directly. Since the three of them had always been inseparable, she couldn’t explain when she would have “casually encountered” Xuan Nian before.

However, this created a different issue—

“Whoa! That’s a lot of information!” Feng Zhi was shocked.

Xie Yueyue was surprisingly calm: “It wouldn’t be surprising if she’s the lady boss’s daughter. She does have one.”

Feng Zhi turned around: “Is that the point? The point is Xiaoyu has the hots for the lady boss’s family!”

Chi Wei could only flatly deny it: “No such thing! Don’t talk nonsense!”

Feng Zhi laughed a couple of times, then asked Xie Yueyue: “How do you know the lady boss has a daughter? We never ran into her when we went there, did we?”

Xie Yueyue: “The lady boss posted on her ‘Moments’ (social feed). A few months ago before autumn, she went to the grasslands and posted a photo with the caption: ‘The photos my daughter took are so beautiful.'”

Chi Wei loved spicy food, and the Sichuan-Hunan cuisine at Xuan’s Tavern was the most authentic in F City. When they were seventeen or eighteen, they went there every weekend. The place was incredibly popular; on weekdays it was packed, and on weekends you had to call on Wednesday just to book a seat.

Back then, they were swamped with schoolwork and the teachers were strict. Their homeroom teacher was the math teacher, and since Xie Yueyue was the best at math among the four, she was tasked with the great responsibility of borrowing the teacher’s phone to make the reservation.

Later in university, everyone got used to let Xie Yueyue book the seats. She eventually added the lady boss on WeChat through a mutual friend’s recommendation.

Feng Zhi’s eyes lit up: “Is there—”

“No, just the lady boss’s own photos. Her daughter didn’t show her face,” Xie Yueyue cut her off with a firm shake of her head.

Feng Zhi narrowed her eyes unhappily: “You already knew what I was going to say?”

Chi Wei smirked, thinking, Who wouldn’t know what’s on your mind? She looked down and smiled, knowing the lady boss definitely hadn’t posted her; otherwise, when she pointed Xuan Nian out to them in her past life, their jaws wouldn’t have dropped far enough to fit eggs in their mouths.

As they talked, the wontons cooled down, and the three of them lowered their heads to eat their first meal of the day.

Once the bowls were empty, Xie Yueyue spoke up slowly: “However, something happened at Xuan’s Tavern recently. It should be closed for ‘rectification’ right now… right?”

“What?” Among the three, only Feng Zhi was completely in the dark about the tavern’s situation.

Chi Wei had planned to bring it up herself after eating, but Xie Yueyue had beaten her to it.

Good. Another deviation from my past life. The butterfly effect really isn’t to be underestimated.

Chi Wei thought for a moment. She didn’t make any flippant remarks or join the conversation, silently listening to Xie Yueyue explain it to Feng Zhi.

While she was dazed, Xie Yueyue came to the bedside and said thoughtfully: “Xuan’s Tavern has stood strong for decades; this little storm shouldn’t be much. The rumors should be cleared up soon. Once you’re better, shall we go check it out? I heard on my social feed that the restaurant is being run by the owner’s daughter now. Want to go verify it?”

Chi Wei nodded without hesitation: “We can.”

But despite her words, she knew that after such a scandal, business would definitely suffer; the catering industry relies entirely on reputation.

In her past life at this time, she wasn’t clear on the tavern or Xuan Nian’s affairs and couldn’t help. Now that she knew, she couldn’t just stand by. She had to find a way to connect with Xuan Nian and help as much as possible.

The hard part was that she felt an invisible hand was forcibly keeping them apart. Plus, she didn’t understand business management and didn’t know exactly how to help.

As she was brooding, Feng Zhi and Xie Yueyue’s phones rang one after the other. Chi Wei leaned back against her pillow with pursed lips: “Remember our deal: don’t tell Ming Rui I’m in the hospital again.”

Feng Zhi raised an eyebrow: “It’s my mom.”

Xie Yueyue turned back at the door and waved her phone: “It’s my dad.”

Chi Wei let out a long breath, quietly listening to them take their calls. A moment later, the two returned. Chi Wei waved them off wearily: “You guys head back. I’ll be fine on my own. I’ll stay at the hospital tonight, and you can pick me up tomorrow.”

Feng Zhi: “Message me if anything happens.”

Xie Yueyue: “Stay in touch.”

Chi Wei hummed in response. After watching them leave, she adjusted the drip rate of her IV. Ten minutes later, she pressed the call bell to have the nurse remove the needle.

The burning sensation in her body had faded significantly, and her mental state had noticeably improved. Especially her eyes, which had looked listless earlier, were now bright and alert.

Getting out of bed, Chi Wei walked to the window to look at the brilliant city lights. Looking down, she caught sight of a red neon sign as tall as a storefront diagonally across the street. It was shaped like a candied hawthorn stick (tanghulu).

It feels like I haven’t eaten one in forever?

Perhaps the bowl of soup hadn’t quite filled her up. She swallowed, turned to grab her light-green down jacket from the rack, and walked out the door.

The hallway lights in the SVIP ward were very bright. Chi Wei’s room was in the middle, with elevators at both ends. She closed her door and, without even glancing at the corridor to the left, instinctively walked toward the elevator on the right—one she rarely used.

As she got very close to the elevator, Chi Wei suddenly snapped to her senses. She muttered something, turned back to look at the elevator on the other end of the hall, and frowned in confusion. Why was I going this way? Taking this elevator would make the walk to the hospital’s main entrance much longer.

Puzzled, she changed direction and walked quickly toward the other end.

The hallway was empty, echoing with her footsteps. She pressed the button and stepped into the elevator the moment the doors slid open. Before she could figure out what had just happened to her, the elevator stopped one floor down and the doors opened again.

A familiar voice came from outside: “Excuse me, please move in a bit.”