Miss Wheelchair - Chapter 15

Tan Xin’s nosebleed had happened.

But the culprit wasn’t actually Gu Ci—it was her health.

“Her body is still incredibly weak right now. Going through two consecutive surgeries took a massive toll on her vitals. She needs proper rest during this period and shouldn’t overexert herself.”

Lu Ran arrived at this conclusion after meticulously reviewing the medical reports.

Gu Ci, ever cold-faced and detached, commented dryly, “You should be telling her that.”

Lu Ran prescribed the medication in the computer system, selecting the items on her screen while replying, “I’ll definitely tell her, but whether she actually listens is another story.”

“You know her that well?” Gu Ci countered.

“I heard she’s been pushing herself incredibly hard just to land that clinical assistant position,” Lu Ran explained.

“Heard from whom?”

“Zhang Huiqian, her high school classmate.”

“You two are still in touch?”

“Mm.” At the mention of Zhang Huiqian, a trace of a smile surfaced in Lu Ran’s eyes. “She’s alright.”

Gu Ci caught the faint hint of romantic sweetness radiating from Lu Ran’s eyes but chose to ignore it, steering the conversation back to Tan Xin’s application for the assistant position.

“Just as I was preparing to collaborate with Professor Zhou, she suddenly became his clinical assistant. Isn’t that a bit too convenient?”

Lu Ran paused her work and looked up from the computer monitor. Sure enough, there wasn’t a shred of touched emotion or sympathy on Gu Ci’s face. Instead, she looked entirely on guard.

No need to ask—her paranoia was flaring up again.

“You’re still suspicious of her?” Lu Ran asked.

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you say just a couple of days ago that ever since she moved into your place, she hasn’t made a single suspicious move? She hasn’t even stepped foot into your study.”

“Exactly. Which means she wants to use the clinical assistant position to directly involve herself in my project and get her hands on confidential data.”

“As far as I know, she didn’t apply to be a laboratory assistant, so she won’t be involved in your project. Besides, her background isn’t even in medicine, yet she passed the interview after just a single week of preparation. Professor Zhou is notoriously strict. It’s clear she put in some serious effort.”

“Putting in effort could just be a means to complete her mission.”

Lu Ran pursed her lips. She lifted her hand off the desk slightly, then pulled it back, swallowing the words she originally intended to say. Instead, she offered an alternative perspective: “But maybe there’s another possibility. Maybe she really just likes you, and wants to have some common ground with you.”

This was the sole benefit of Tan Xin playing nice with Zhang Huiqian, who in turn was successfully charming Lu Ran and whispering in her ear.

Gu Ci was slightly swayed, but only slightly.

If she were that easily moved, the system wouldn’t have tried to stop Tan Xin from picking this character in the first place.

“Whatever her motives are, she can do her thing, and I’ll do mine.”

Meanwhile, in the patient ward, Tan Xin had finished her examinations and was waiting for the results, her heart as calm as still water.

Zhang Huiqian’s pursuit of Lu Ran was currently reaching a critical phase, so she had been driving Lu Ran to and from work every day. Upon hearing that Tan Xin’s condition had worsened with a nosebleed, she rushed over to pay her a visit.

“Babe, you haven’t caught a single break since you got into this world. Does getting sick inside the system affect your body in the real world?”

She was genuinely worried. After all, pain and touch sensations were transmitted synchronously. If constantly falling sick here actually degraded their real-world health, the risk would completely outweigh the reward.

Tan Xin waved her hand dismissively, acting like it was no big deal. “That’s impossible.”

Then, lowering her voice, she revealed a shocking secret: “My nosebleed wasn’t because I’m sick. I was just totally overwhelmed by Gu Ci’s hotness.”

Zhang Huiqian practically threw a mental question mark at her. “What?”

Tan Xin beamed with pride. “Have you ever seen Gu Ci smoke?”

“She smokes?”

“Cool, right?”

“No, wait, Tan Xin—aren’t you the one who absolutely loathes it when people smoke?”

“Gu Ci is different.”

“How exactly is she different?”

“Hold on.” Tan Xin caught the core detail of the dialogue and questioned, “How did you know I hate it when people smoke?”

Zhang Huiqian replied, “It was in the background profile.”

Tan Xin was bewildered. “You have a profile too?”

“Well, obviously. It’s the standard system prep material. Did you think you were the only one who got a copy?”

“No, it’s just that you never mentioned it before, so I assumed you didn’t have one.”

“Ugh, that’s because I barely looked at it before. But then I saw you flipping through yours every single day like you were doing homework, so I went back and checked mine out. Turns out, there’s a whole chapter dedicated entirely to you.

If I’d read it sooner, I would’ve come looking for you ages ago.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is.”

“You still haven’t answered me though. Why is it that anyone else smoking is a dealbreaker, but Gu Ci smoking acts like she’s cast a literal spell on you?”

Recalling the scene under the streetlight from earlier, Tan Xin felt as though she had fallen headfirst into a jar of honey. The corners of her mouth curled high up, and even her leg in the plaster cast gave a little excited twitch.

“She’s just different,” she said. “The way that cigarette burned in her hand, the way the streetlight cast this incredibly artistic shadow over her wrist. You only need one look to understand exactly why I fell for her.”

Listening to her description, Zhang Huiqian sighed, “Jesus. You’ve got it bad.”

Tan Xin thought she had found a kindred spirit. “You think it’s breathtakingly intense too, right?”

Zhang Huiqian remained entirely immune. “No, I think you’re a lost cause. The system wants her to fall in love with you, but look at you—you’ve barely been here two days and you’re putting on a performance of falling head over heels.”

Yet, Tan Xin felt entirely content. “But I think that compared to being loved by someone, the feeling of loving someone else brings a much greater sense of happiness.”

When you are loved by someone, you constantly worry about what they say, what they do, why they haven’t caught feelings yet, why they haven’t confessed, or why they aren’t coming over to make you happy.

But when you love someone, you don’t care what they say or do, because whatever they do makes you happy anyway. If you find yourself liking them even more, you take the initiative; if you feel a bit tired, you take a step back. Everything remains firmly in your own hands.

By the time she was discharged, it was already night. The medication Lu Ran prescribed was mainly for restoring her internal vitals, packed into two massive bags.

Tan Xin wheeled herself out all the way, a joyful grin plastered across her face. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought the two bags piled on her lap weren’t medicine, but a first-place trophy for a “Make Your Wife Happy” contest.

When she got into the car, Gu Ci was already seated inside, using a tablet to conduct an online meeting.

Gu Ci was incredibly serious when she worked. She listened to the online report while simultaneously utilizing a split screen to take notes, mapping out strategies and solutions.

Tan Xin climbed in gracefully and set the bags of medicine on the floor. To avoid disturbing her, she didn’t say a word.

The assistant in the driver’s seat hadn’t started the car yet. He turned around and gave Tan Xin a hand gesture, signaling her to wait a moment.

Tan Xin understood perfectly—business came first. She placed both hands neatly on her knees and waited obediently.

The meeting concluded quickly, but the content was far from optimistic.

Because Gu Ci had shifted her recent focus toward the hospital, another biotech company under her name had been targeted by competitors, resulting in a severe drop in performance.

“Our immediate priority is to reclaim the stem-cell therapy market,” the marketing manager stated, hitting the most critical point. “I suggest we find a high-traffic celebrity ambassador to endorse our newly upgraded product line.”

The first step to opening up a market was securing a sufficient amount of public attention. In other words, traffic.

Once the meeting ended, a wave of exhaustion washed over Gu Ci’s face. Juggling both the hospital and the biotech company year-round had left her physically and mentally drained.

From the side, Tan Xin stole a quick glance.

She watched as Gu Ci lowered the backrest of her wheelchair, leaned back into a reclining position, and exhaustedly rested the back of her hand over her eyes.

Oh my god, Tan Xin thought, her heart skipping a beat. She looks so incredibly gorgeous right now, like a beautiful, battle-weary warrior.

Tan Xin dragged her eyes away, forcefully suppressing the highly inappropriate, NSFW thoughts running rampant in her mind.

The Colorful Romance System.

Ah, so THAT’S the kind of “color” it meant.

From the driver’s seat, the assistant offered a word of comfort. “President Gu, try not to worry too much. Aren’t we about to launch a new product line? If we can get the sales volume up, we’ll still be in the clear.”

Gu Ci let out a soft “Mm” of agreement. “The problem is, on such short notice, where are we going to find a suitable brand ambassador?”

The assistant sighed. “True. They need to fit the company’s corporate image, have high market relevance, and be available on short notice. It’s definitely a tall order.”

From the side, Tan Xin suddenly piped up. “Um, does it absolutely have to be a celebrity?”

“Hmm?”

Gu Ci lowered her hand from her eyes and turned her head to look at her.

Tan Xin carefully offered her suggestion. “I actually think you’d be perfect.”

She paused for a moment. Seeing that neither of them immediately shot her down, she gained the confidence to press on. “In terms of presence, you’re incredibly striking, and you inherently align with the company’s image—after all, the company is yours. As for availability, if you can just carve out a single day to shoot the commercial, it should be more than enough time. Traffic-wise, you might be a little short on numbers, but that can always be manufactured through a publicity stunt. Zhang Huiqian told me before that in showbiz, a lot of celebrities will stage a fake romance or something whenever they have a new movie coming out.”

Tan Xin had never been particularly smooth-tongued, but if the topic was praising her lady, she could go on for three days and three nights without ever repeating herself.

As soon as she finished speaking, however, her voice trailed off as a wave of self-consciousness hit her. Two high-level executives are discussing high-stakes corporate strategy, so why on earth am I sticking my nose into it? This isn’t a “Praise Your Wife” competition.

Realizing she should stay in her lane, she tactfully shut her mouth and sat back properly in her wheelchair. “It’s just an amateur, half-baked suggestion. Please, carry on.”

They did not carry on.

Gu Ci kept her eyes locked onto her. Her sharp, analytical gaze seemed to discern something hidden beneath Tan Xin’s plain exterior—like a shooting star flashing across a dark night sky, it was gone in an instant, but Gu Ci had caught it.

Feeling intensely self-conscious under that steady stare, Tan Xin began to blink rapidly. “Why, why are you looking at me like that?”

The corners of Gu Ci’s lips curved upward. “Miss Tan.”

Tan Xin responded with instant, soldier-like loyalty. “Present!”

Gu Ci leaned closer to her. “Would you be willing to fake a relationship with me for publicity?”