Snuggling for Survival: A Quick Transmigration Tale - Chapter 28

Ye Zi could not process the truth. She simply could not believe that Li Qing was actually in love with her.

If she really felt that way, when did it even begin? Elementary school, middle school, high school, or university? Li Qing had always been so good to her at every stage of their lives. Ye Zi had grown accustomed to relying on her two best friends, but could love really bloom between two girls?

Perhaps Li Qing had spent her entire life revolving around Ye Zi, and as her best friend, she simply had not interacted with enough boys. Maybe she was just mistaking deep friendship for romantic love. As her mind cleared for a fleeting moment, Ye Zi felt her theory was close to the truth. It must be because Li Qing’s social circle was too small.

It was only when Liu Xu called, worried because she had not replied to his messages for so long, that Ye Zi finally snapped out of it.

“Yeah… no accidents. I did not drink much, I am not drunk. Do not worry. Okay, come pick me up here. I will wait for you.” Ye Zi licked her lips. After a moment of thought, she decided not to tell Liu Xu that Li Qing liked her. If he knew, it would probably trouble him. She felt that if she could handle it herself, she should not involve him.

Hanging up, Ye Zi still looked distressed. She was determined to find a solution; she did not want to lose her best friend.

“I want to go back!” Tears began to well up as Yu Yu clutched her stomach. She felt as though Li Qing was doing this on purpose. “My stomach hurts.”

“But it is raining now, and there are five people ahead of us in the queue. We cannot get a taxi immediately.” Li Qing sighed and showed Yu Yu her phone. She had not expected the clear weather to suddenly turn into a downpour.

Yu Yu crouched on the ground, resting her head on her knees. The churning sensation in her gut felt terrifying.

“Let’s not go back tonight. We will stay at the hotel across the street for one night.” Looking at the hotel nearby, Li Qing directly pulled Yu Yu up.

Yu Yu’s stomach was incredibly uncomfortable, but her strength was no match for Li Qing’s. She could only allow herself to be pulled by the wrist across the street, struggling to keep up. While she was happy to be gaining energy, being in this state made her feel completely overwhelmed.

It took another ten minutes for them to get into the hotel room. Yu Yu immediately dashed into the bathroom, feeling as if she were barely clinging to consciousness.

“I am going out to buy some medicine for you.” Li Qing wiped the water from her wrists. Seeing that Yu Yu would not be coming out anytime soon, she left the room.

Yu Yu did not even have the strength to reply. Her face was deathly pale.

System… Liuliu… I think I am going to die.

[You are not. You just have a very fragile digestive system. You will not die.]

Can you give me some medicine? Yu Yu asked piteously.

[This is part of your character setting; your physical condition cannot be fundamentally changed. However, I can make you feel better.]

Liuliu opened the system mall page. This was a feature that had appeared after its upgrade. Since she and the host were not traditional mission-takers, they did not need to change the plot; everything was for their own benefit. While the system mall did not exist for them in a standard sense, Liuliu had linked to another system’s mall during the upgrade. It could purchase items from there, though the cost was thirty percent higher.

[I met a legendary system during my upgrade. It was very kind and let me link to its mall. This mall has everything! It is a bit expensive, but it is worth it!] Liuliu boasted. Each system mall had levels, and the legendary system it linked to was a universal type with almost everything unlocked.

[We need energy points to buy these things, so we should be frugal when our energy is low.] Liuliu pointed at the cheapest potion in the medicine section. [This potion can remove the host’s pain and alleviate some symptoms, but the underlying physical issue will remain. You will still need to take real medicine later.]

Yu Yu was already dizzy from the pain. Without a second thought, she clicked purchase and use.

The effects were near-instant. The sharp pain vanished, her cold sweat receded, and Yu Yu let out a massive sigh of relief. After resting for a while, she took a shower. Her clothes had been partially soaked by the rain, so she washed them and hung them up, changing into the hotel’s bathrobe.

Li Qing had not returned yet. Yu Yu stared at herself in the mirror. Her face was still frighteningly pale, but she no longer felt miserable.

Liuliu, Li Qing told Ye Zi that she liked her today. The plot has already changed.

[That is fine. The host can follow whatever plot she wants. We do not have a specific mission; we just need to stick close. As long as the world does not collapse, you can stay by the target’s side until she dies.]

But… Yu Yu thought. What kind of relationship would allow them to stay together forever? She was not Li Qing’s partner. Only by being together can we stay close until the end of time.

Startled by her own thought, Yu Yu’s heart skipped a beat. Why was she thinking like that? Was it because she had gotten married in the first world?

Frowning slightly, Yu Yu curled up on the hotel sofa and thought about something she had been curious about. Liuliu, why can’t I remember the details of the last world very well? She suddenly recalled that she had married into a family in the previous world, but the specifics were a blur.

[I was upgrading during the last world! There was a tiny bit of data loss. But we brought this back from the previous world.] Liuliu quickly pulled the small red pouch from the corner of the space. [This little bag has been stuck to you, and its energy seems to be growing. I do not know if it is harmful, but we cannot throw it away even if it is. It is bound to us.]

Clutching the red pouch, Yu Yu felt a sudden pang of bitterness in her chest. A painful memory seemed to flicker just out of reach, making her nose tingle as if she were about to cry. She tugged at the bag, but the opening would not budge.

Bound to us?

[Yes, all information is shared. What we know, it knows. But I have observed it for a while; it seems to be a bag sealing something. Our energy points are not missing, so as long as it does not steal from us, there is no harm in letting it stay. If the energy inside ever leaks out, we might even be able to absorb it!]

Oh.

Finding that unlikely, Yu Yu tossed the small bag back into the system space. She watched it for a while; it lay exactly where it landed, motionless and seemingly ordinary. Losing interest, she buried her head back into the pillow.

Yu Yu lay on the hotel bed, feeling weak. Although the pain was gone, her fragile constitution remained. She realized she was incredibly hungry. She should not have refused that bowl of rice earlier. A stomach full of water, a few pieces of salmon, and a bit of shrimp and octopus were not enough to keep her full.

When Li Qing returned, she found Yu Yu sprawled on the bed like a flat pancake.

“You are finally back.” Yu Yu turned her head slightly. Seeing Li Qing was like seeing a savior. She reached out her hand, her voice borderline tearful. “I am so hungry. Did you bring food?”

“I went back to the apartment to get a change of clothes. I did not go into your room, so I just brought some of my own clothes for you to wear.” Li Qing tossed a T-shirt and some medium-length pants to Yu Yu. She placed the medicine on the nightstand along with two takeout containers. “Take the medicine. I checked, and you can take it before eating. We will stay here tonight. The hospital is only a few hundred meters away. If there are no issues, that is great, but if you feel uncomfortable in the middle of the night, it is easy to walk over.”

Everything was perfectly arranged. At that moment, Li Qing looked like a radiant angel in Yu Yu’s eyes.

Yu Yu took the medicine with teary eyes and looked at Li Qing with gratitude. “Why doesn’t she like you? If I were the one cared for like this since childhood, I would have fallen desperately in love with you by now!”

Li Qing froze, looking at Yu Yu in disbelief. Her expression changed. “Do you know what you are saying?”

Yu Yu, happily eating the meal Li Qing had brought, did not think she had said anything wrong. Caught up in her own gratitude and thinking Li Qing doubted her sincerity, she clarified, ” I mean it! If I had been treated like this by you since I was little, I would definitely love you to death! Really!”

Li Qing: “…” Was she confessing right now? Did she not know I just had my heart broken?

Li Qing’s ears turned red, though she maintained an annoyed expression. “Stop talking nonsense and eat your food!”

Not understanding what she had said wrong, Yu Yu simply complied. “Oh.”

Li Qing’s clothes were damp from the rain, but before entering the bathroom, she observed Yu Yu. The girl’s complexion was still poor, but she did not seem to be in extreme pain anymore. Perhaps it is just her constitution? Li Qing wondered if she should take Yu Yu for a full checkup tomorrow. Being this sickly all the time might mean she was lacking certain nutrients. If they could fix it with proper care, Yu Yu wouldn’t have to suffer every day.

The more she thought, the more she worried, until she suddenly startled herself. Looking at the girl who was now heartlessly focused on her food, Li Qing stiffened. I am the one who is crazy. Why am I worrying so much?

She gritted her teeth and went into the bathroom to wash away her chaotic thoughts.

Yu Yu, on the other hand, was not overthinking anything. She just thought Li Qing was wonderful! Because of everything Li Qing did for her today, she decided to treat her as her absolute best friend. Unlike the female lead, Yu Yu vowed to be a loyal friend who would always listen to Li Qing and never do anything to make her sad.

When Li Qing came out after drying her hair, Yu Yu called out from the edge of the bed. Her voice was weak but carried a hint of excitement. “Li Qing! Let me be your best friend! I will never betray you!”

Li Qing felt a twinge of bitterness. She smoothed her hair and looked at the little troublemaker with a complicated expression. “I do not need a best friend.”

“Oh.” Yu Yu’s face fell. She suddenly remembered that Li Qing had fallen in love with her actual best friend. She felt terrible for bringing up such a sore subject. “Then… then I… I will definitely not betray you. I will listen to whatever you say and never do anything to make you unhappy, okay?”

“No.” Li Qing rejected her immediately, her face darkening. She did not know what was wrong with this person.

“Then I…”

“I do not need anything.” Li Qing interrupted her, unable to imagine what else would come out of her mouth. “Just rest and sleep. I will handle my own affairs.”

“Oh.” Being rejected so many times made Yu Yu feel like she was withering away. Her eyes turned red as she sat on the edge of the bed with her head down. She looked soft and easy to bully.

Li Qing sighed and walked over. Perhaps because she had expressed her emotions today, she felt a bit more open. She sat down beside Yu Yu. “I know you are trying to comfort me, but I am really fine. It is normal to be rejected. I knew she did not like me that way. She loves me as a friend, but not as a partner.”

Li Qing had always been level-headed. Although she had moments of confusion, she could quickly find her footing again.

“But you are so good… It is her loss that she does not like you,” Yu Yu muttered, a tear splashing down.

Li Qing was at a loss. I am the one who had my heart broken, so why does it seem like all the pain has transferred to her? Seeing the pale girl looking so piteous, Li Qing’s headache returned. She had not even processed her own breakup yet, and now she had to comfort someone else.

She spoke patiently, “Who she likes is her right. It is normal not to like me back. I expressed my feelings and I accept the rejection. You do not need to feel bad for me.”

“But…” Yu Yu sobbed. When she thought about the potential endings for Li Qing, she could hardly speak. How could anyone bear to waste such a person’s feelings?