One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 57

Taking advantage of a break, Mingyi went downstairs to the data analysis group to take a look.

Xiao Shuangyu’s seat was still empty; the computer wasn’t even turned on.

If Yang Shanhe hadn’t wiped the desk in the morning as a courtesy, it probably would have gathered a layer of dust by now.

Mingyi scratched her head and was just about to leave when she was spotted by Yang Shanhe, who was coming out to get water. He smiled and asked if she needed something.

Mingyi shook her head, but seeing Yang Shanhe about to walk away, she couldn’t resist bringing up Xiao Shuangyu.

Xiao Shuangyu was habitually a loner; no one in the data analysis office really kept in contact with her. Even her so-called “leave extension” was something Bian Ya had processed automatically after seeing that Xiao Shuangyu hadn’t shown up.

Furthermore, Bian Ya had never mentioned that Xiao Shuangyu intended to resign, so the others in the office were unaware of the situation.

However, they had all seen Xiao Shuangyu’s condition on the day she requested leave. A perfectly healthy person had looked as grey and defeated as if they had been dead for days; it felt as though her body had reached its absolute limit.

Perhaps something had gone wrong during her susceptibility period, and she hadn’t recovered yet.

Yang Shanhe shared his guesses with Mingyi and added: “Actually, you could go ask Teacher Ji—uh, President Ji. She might have private contact with LianLian and perhaps knows the specifics.”

The friendship between Xiao Shuangyu and Ji Zhuozhou was common knowledge within Huari. Many people even speculated whether Xiao Shuangyu had known all along that Ji Zhuozhou was the general manager, and now that Ji Zhuozhou had revealed her identity, she might be “cleaning house” and getting rid of Xiao Shuangyu.

In any case, rumors of the two falling out had reached Mingyi’s ears, but she didn’t believe them.

Mingyi didn’t say whether she would or wouldn’t; she simply went from the sixth floor up to the ninth.

Before reaching Ji Zhuozhou, Mingyi felt a constant sense of anxiety.

Teacher Ji had always been very strict during work, and Mingyi felt a deep-seated fear of her—not to mention that now, Teacher Ji had become President Ji.

People from headquarters, people from Shengjing, and many clients who had come after hearing the news—Teacher Ji had to deal with too many people lately. Returning to the lab like she did today was a rare occurrence during this period.

If Mingyi hadn’t seen Teacher Ji just finish writing something and set down her pen, appearing to have a moment of leisure, she wouldn’t have even dared to walk over.

Those deep green eyes were cold and clear, staring intently at her face. Mingyi’s voice instinctively grew weaker.

“…She’s been on leave for a long time.”

As she spoke, her voice almost faded into nothingness.

Ji Zhuozhou listened until Mingyi finished, then spoke softly, “You went downstairs?”

Her voice was the same as usual—chilly yet possessing a hint of softness—but it carried a sharp, stern edge.

Mingyi nodded cautiously.

Ji Zhuozhou narrowed her eyes slightly. “Did you go specifically to find her? What for?”

Mingyi suddenly felt afraid to speak.

Mingyi genuinely wanted to be friends with LianLian; that was why she had brought her things several times, and by extension, brought things for the whole data analysis group.

Though it had started because of that pot of mint—it was clearly her own fault for not watching the pot and letting it shatter, yet LianLian had stood in front of her to take the blame. LianLian was also the one who found someone to repair the pot before giving it back to Teacher Ji.

She felt grateful, and she felt guilty.

But she also thought LianLian was very cool—a different kind of cool from Teacher Ji’s strength. She wanted to become close to someone that cool, and she wanted to become a cool person herself.

But she also knew that LianLian was Teacher Ji’s friend—the only friend Teacher Ji had, won through LianLian’s own efforts.

It felt as though she were trying to steal a friend from Teacher Ji.

And Teacher Ji might also feel that Ming Yi was trying to steal her friend.

Realizing this, Mingyi shook her head rapidly, but then said, “No, it’s just that LianLian hasn’t been here for so long. Won’t Teacher Ji be worried?”

Ji Zhuozhou did not look away. She pushed the notebook she was working on toward Mingyi. “That is not something you need to worry about. Do not do unrelated things during work hours. Go and finish these.”

Mingyi was stunned for a moment, but she nodded, took the notebook, and left.

Ji Zhuozhou watched Ming Yi walk away, but she didn’t continue with her work.

She felt an inexplicable sense of irritability.

She opened her phone.

Xiao Shuangyu still hadn’t replied to her messages, wouldn’t answer her calls, and her social feed remained a blank slate as always.

Ji Zhuozhou dialed Xiao Shuangyu’s number once more. After a long time, there was only a busy signal; the call still wasn’t being picked up.

After thinking for a moment, Ji Zhuozhou decided to call Xiao Shuangyu’s friend.

It was the number she had specifically saved after answering the phone when Xiao Shuangyu had come back crying that night.

Yi City.

Even though they were supposedly there for a training camp, the three band members ended up suffering from altitude sickness after a few days of playing.

When A-Nan and Nie Siyu first started lying down to inhale oxygen, Xiao Shuangyu was still able to hand them the oxygen canisters.

But when Xiao Shuangyu felt like she couldn’t hold on anymore, she skipped the oxygen phase and collapsed straight away, giving the other two quite a fright.

The two of them hurriedly rushed her to the hospital. Upon examination, she was taken directly to the operating room.

When Xiao Shuangyu was wheeled out of surgery, her neck was wrapped in gauze, and she was still unconscious.

When Xiao Shuangyu woke up later, A-Nan and Nie Siyu were more anxious than ever, chattering away at her.

Xiao Shuangyu reacted sluggishly, finally understanding that they were talking about her susceptibility period.

Her susceptibility period wasn’t a normal one, and her swollen gland wasn’t normal swelling either.

The doctor asked if she hadn’t felt uncomfortable. How could she have waited until now to come to the hospital?

They said it was because her gland showed signs of continued development. This susceptibility period might have been triggered by some stimulus; pheromones were being overproduced but couldn’t be released, causing her gland to become inflamed.

The inflammation even showed a trend of self-healing.

The doctor made a small incision for drainage and applied medication, saying they would monitor the situation. If the gland could develop steadily, there might be a possibility of secondary differentiation.

However, if there were issues, they would have to see if medical or surgical intervention was needed. In severe cases, the gland might have to be removed.

A-Nan and Nie Siyu were shocked and worried after hearing this, and their retelling to Xiao Shuangyu was full of panic.

Xiao Shuangyu, whose brain hadn’t fully cleared yet, was forced to process all this. She finally found a chance to speak when the two of them stopped to catch their breath.

“I’m fine.”

She said, “And anyway, I’m only D-rank. The worst-case scenario is just removing the gland. Being a Beta wouldn’t be so bad.”

As she spoke, Xiao Shuangyu looked at A-Nan.

A-Nan was a Beta, having been one for over twenty years since birth.

She couldn’t say being a Beta was bad, but being a Beta was one thing; being forced to “become” a Beta after having a gland removed was another thing entirely. They were two completely different matters.

There were very few precedents in the news of people changing their gender by removing a gland. Why? Because it was bad. Unless it was necessary to save a life, who would remove a gland for fun?

Moreover, it wasn’t as if removing the gland made one a Beta. An Alpha who had their gland removed would still be an Alpha. The prognosis was complex and difficult, and it would likely affect one’s lifespan.

A-Nan frowned immediately. “It’s not that simple. You might not even be able to have it removed if you wanted to. Think of how much it would hurt.”

Xiao Shuangyu shook her head. “It’s okay. There are doctors. It won’t hurt.”

Of course, it was “okay”—Xiao Shuangyu wouldn’t let them see her pain even if it did hurt.

They really didn’t know Xiao Shuangyu could endure so much; they hadn’t even noticed anything wrong with her over the past few days.

As for the susceptibility period, Xiao Shuangyu had taken leave last Friday because it had started then.

It had been ten days. It seemed Xiao Shuangyu hadn’t gone to see a doctor at all. The friend she had gone to Qiong Province with probably didn’t know either.

Though it might really not hurt that much anymore since it had begun to self-heal, what kind of person just endures it until it heals on its own?

A-Nan was even more upset.

So was Nie Siyu.

But seeing as the conversation was veering further and further into gland removal, Nie Siyu clapped her hands together. “Alright, don’t think so much. Let’s just observe. It’s best if nothing happens.”

That said, the IV drip still needed some time. A-Nan and Nie Siyu sat by the bed and started lecturing her.

If you’re uncomfortable, say it immediately. If you’re unhappy, say it directly. We play rock music—how can we let bottled-up frustration trigger an illness?

Have some rock spirit! Freedom is number one!

Hey, hey, don’t zone out. Eyes on me. Since things are like this, let’s work hard to win the championship. Let’s get famous. In the future, anyone who wants to see us will have to pay for a ticket.

Ah, it seems some people enter the industry with their own funding. Let’s go back and ask Sister Xunxia to find a way to get someone to promote us. Let’s find ourselves some capital too.

Whether it was reasonable or not, Xiao Shuangyu listened to their speeches, feeling that their words were quite pointed.

Indeed, they were.

Before Xiao Shuangyu had woken up, the two of them had already put their heads together. They believed that Xiao Shuangyu’s stimulus had come from that “sister” they had never met.

After all, Xiao Shuangyu was fine on Wednesday that week, took leave for her susceptibility period on Friday, took leave for “business” on Saturday, and by the time they went to the interview on Sunday, something was wrong.

At that time, it was only the third day of her susceptibility period. Perhaps she had found out the “sister” was on a blind date around the time her period started—which was one stimulus—and then things fell apart later, which was another. It was no wonder she got sick from the stress.

Both were Xiao Shuangyu’s friends; seeing her suffer, they naturally felt some resentment toward that “sister.”

But resentment was one thing; as A-Nan talked, she suddenly became short of breath and desperately needed oxygen.

That was right—their altitude sickness hadn’t disappeared yet.

Nie Siyu adjusted her glasses and stood up to walk out of the ward. “I’ll go buy oxygen.”

A-Nan waved weakly, then forced herself to stand up. “I’m coming too. I want to inhale the first breath on the spot.”

Nie Siyu was helpless and could only tell Xiao Shuangyu they would be back soon. The two of them leaned on each other as they walked out of the ward.

Not long after they left the room, a call came through on A-Nan’s phone.

It was an unknown number.

A-Nan took out her phone, looked at it, answered, and let out a hum: “Mm?”

Then, upon hearing the voice on the other end, she snapped her head toward Nie Siyu.

Despite their obvious height difference, Nie Siyu still heard the volume leaking from the phone.

It was Ji Zhuozhou.

“Hello, are you LianLian’s friend? We spoke on the phone before. Is LianLian with you lately?”

No matter how unwell she felt, A-Nan perked up, her eyes wide as she gestured to Nie Siyu.

Nie Siyu couldn’t help but frown and spoke directly into the phone, “Didn’t she tell you?”

The person on the other side froze. Nie Siyu added: “I have things to do. Hanging up now.”

With that, Nie Siyu ended the call.

A-Nan put her phone away naturally. “How did she get my number?”

Nie Siyu shook her head. “I don’t know.”

But a moment later, a call also came through on Nie Siyu’s phone.

It was the exact same unknown number that had appeared on A-Nan’s phone.