Transmigrated as the Chongxi Wife of a Critically Ill Young Lady - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Cen Xia felt a surge of nerves, a thin layer of sweat seeping into her palms. She looked at the frail beauty in plain clothes standing in her wheelchair and was at a complete loss for words.

The light from outside streamed through the window, hitting her slender body and adding a golden sheen to her somber presence. Ji Wanqing just stared at Cen Xia, her dark hair draped over her shoulders, her skin fair and thin, her lips lightly pressed together. Her eyes held a hint of weariness but were no less sharp.

Cen Xia knew she was being interrogated, silently asking her why she had knocked on the door.

She swallowed hard, took a deep breath, met her gaze, and smiled. “Sister, I heard you haven’t had lunch yet. I just came up to check on you.”

Ji Wanqing didn’t reply, her icy eyes fixed on her without moving.

A shiver ran down Cen Xia’s spine. Her hands instinctively pressed against her pant seams, just like an employee who had made a major mistake at work and was being grilled by their manager.

The air grew heavier, so silent that she could hear everyone’s faint breathing. As the clock on the wall ticked by—one second, two, three—Cen Xia finally mustered her courage. With doe-like eyes, she looked at Ji Wanqing and asked sweetly, “Sister, may I come in?”

Ji Wanqing looked away, turning her wheelchair and rumbling inside. Thankfully, the door wasn’t locked.

Cen Xia exchanged a glance with the servant and followed her in as the door closed automatically behind her.

Ji Wanqing rolled her wheelchair toward the floor-to-ceiling window. Cen Xia followed her, her footsteps light, like a breeze or a puff of air.

A meter of distance separated them. Ji Wanqing could feel the “puff of air’s” tension but had no intention of turning around. The atmosphere was even more awkward than it had been outside.

Cen Xia clenched her fists and mentally prepared herself for a few seconds. She took a step forward, about to say something.

Ji Wanqing suddenly turned back. As their eyes met, Cen Xia’s mind went blank. At that moment, a phone call came in. Cen Xia glanced at the caller ID, and in her nervousness, she accidentally hit the speakerphone button when she answered.

The voice on the other end was a little anxious. “Xiaxia, Auntie Gu was in a car accident on her way home. Please comfort Wanqing. Don’t let her be upset anymore!”

Hearing this, Ji Wanqing’s long eyelashes fluttered. She lowered her gaze, her expression unchanged.

Cen Xia quickly switched off the speakerphone and retreated from Ji Wanqing’s room, her phone in hand.

The sensor door automatically closed, and the voice on the call faded away with her footsteps. Ji Wanqing’s chest was seized with a sharp pain. An intense feeling of nausea made her cough, and a mouthful of bright red blood splattered onto her clothes.

The memory of Auntie Gu asking her to sign the document this morning was still vivid. She knew the old woman had two children and was under severe threat, which was why she had been forced to accept that “tempting offer.” Ji Wanqing didn’t want to make things difficult for her, so she took the opportunity to let her go home to enjoy her retirement. She never expected they would go to such lengths to finish the job.

Ji Wanqing pressed her hands to her chest, enduring the pain with great difficulty. Once the discomfort subsided, she rolled her wheelchair to the floor-to-ceiling window to look at the view.

The sky outside was blue, the clouds were light, and the wind was gentle. On a day like this, the old woman would usually push her downstairs to bask in the sun, chattering to her about the flowers and trees.

—Miss, look, these few osmanthus trees are growing so thick.

—When they bloom in a few days, I’ll pick the flowers and make osmanthus cakes for you, okay?

—Back in my hometown, the entire city is filled with the scent of osmanthus in the autumn. Once you’re feeling better, you can go there and travel…

The voice from the past replayed in her mind over and over. Ji Wanqing’s eyes were drawn back from the distant scenery. Her butterfly-like lashes fluttered as she slowly lowered her gaze. She raised her right hand, her fingertips tracing lightly on the transparent glass. She didn’t know how long she had been drawing, but the spot she had repeatedly traced vaguely formed the shape of an osmanthus flower. She then opened her palm and slowly wiped the petals away.

A beautiful butterfly flew past the window and landed on a flower in the grass, fluttering its wings freely. And she, like a specimen with a broken wing, was trapped in a transparent glass jar. She couldn’t get out. Her former brilliance had faded, her colorful dreams were stranded, and in this confined space, all that remained was cold reality.

After taking the phone call in a secluded spot, Cen Xia was on her way back to the third floor when she overheard a small group of servants huddled together, sighing with emotion.

“That eldest daughter of the Ji family is so cruel! Auntie Gu was a nanny who watched her grow up. If she hadn’t signed that agreement, making her so disoriented, how could she have gotten into a car accident as soon as she left?”

“Right? I used to just think she was cold and hard to get along with, but I never knew she was so black-hearted!”

“Auntie Gu was so kind. I had a feeling something wasn’t right when she left today. I never thought… sigh.”

Cen Xia’s heart pounded as she unintentionally overheard their conversation. She then felt a strange sense of injustice. That old woman was obviously forced to leave by the Ji family. How is any of this Ji Wanqing’s fault?

She let out a slight cough.

The servants’ chatter died down. They all nodded respectfully and said, “Madam.”

Cen Xia’s starry eyes looked at them. Just as their hearts were in their throats, she gave a faint smile, circled around them, and continued on her way upstairs.

Ji Wanqing’s room was closed. Cen Xia gently raised her hand and tapped on the door. No one answered. She waited a few seconds, tapped again, and still got no response. She then took out the key and unlocked the door.

The light from the room spilled out as she stepped in. She deliberately made her footsteps light and glanced around the room. She then spotted the overturned wheelchair and a person lying on the floor.

Cen Xia reacted instantly, rushing forward and firmly touching the person’s shoulder.

“Ji Wanqing, what’s wrong? Wake up, can you hear me?”

The person on the floor was unconscious and couldn’t answer her. Cen Xia raised her index finger to check for a pulse under her nose, but her medical knowledge was too shallow, and she couldn’t tell if Ji Wanqing was breathing.

In a panic, she took out her phone, ready to call Mrs. Ji, but she hesitated and put it back.

This whole situation was set up by the Ji family. If they wanted her to live, why would they go to all this trouble? But if I don’t call the Ji family, who else can I call? I don’t know anyone else in this world…

Just as she was in a daze of confusion, the cold system voice appeared.

“Host, Host, can you hear me, Host?”

Cen Xia’s eyes lit up. Yes!

“Host, the mission target’s vitals are weak. She requires artificial respiration.”

Artificial respiration? Cen Xia looked at the pale Ji Wanqing and then at her empty surroundings. Who am I supposed to get to do it?

System: “Of course, you yourself.”

Cen Xia: Are you kidding? I can’t even tell if she’s breathing, so how am I supposed to do artificial respiration?

“No, you can.”

After the system said this, a set of instructions quickly appeared on a blue control panel.

Cen Xia skimmed through it, but before she could object, a line of red text appeared deep in her mind: [Life signs will disappear in 60 seconds].

Countdown:

…

She looked at the red warning numbers and the ticking countdown, and in her panic, she began to follow the instructions from the emergency manual the system had just shown her. She mentally cheered herself on.

—It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m just trying to revive a dead horse!

Cen Xia fumbled to press on Ji Wanqing’s chest. After only seven or eight presses, she was about to tilt Ji Wanqing’s head back to give her a breath.

The system detected her incorrect action and calmly reminded her.

“Incorrect. You must count to 30.”

Cen Xia hurriedly pressed again. After counting to 30, she tilted Ji Wanqing’s chin back and prepared to breathe into her mouth. As she leaned in, she hesitated.

The system, fearing she would miss her chance, quickly spoke up.

“Host, you must use your lips to cover the mission target’s lips and then breathe into her.”

—Now you’re a fountain of knowledge!

Cen Xia complained internally while following the instructions. As the two soft sets of lips met, her heart skipped a beat. She began to breathe into her. Midway through, the person in her hands suddenly opened her eyes. The dark pupils were framed by thick lashes.

Ji Wanqing was dazed for a moment. Then, with a delayed realization, she felt the wetness on her lips and understood what the girl in front of her was doing.

Their eyes met, and Cen Xia’s mind buzzed. Oh no, this is even more terrifying than the countdown…

Ji Wanqing was held in Cen Xia’s hands. Her lips parted, but she couldn’t speak. The coldness in her eyes could instantly freeze the other person into an ice cube.

Cen Xia swallowed and looked at her timidly.

Ji Wanqing narrowed her eyes. Let go of me!

Cen Xia obeyed. She let her hand go, and Ji Wanqing’s head slipped from her grasp. If it weren’t for the carpet, it would have made a loud thud. Cen Xia remained kneeling beside her.

Ji Wanqing slowly regained her weak consciousness, her dark eyes staring intently at Cen Xia.

Cen Xia wanted to explain, but the other woman’s gaze was like a knife, silencing her.

They remained in an awkward stalemate. Ji Wanqing’s heart pounded, and a light pink blush appeared on her pale cheeks. She struggled to lift her arm.

—Get over here!

Cen Xia was surprised that she could understand the hand gesture. Just as she was wondering, the system’s “ding” sounded.

Oh no, the happiness index is going to drop!

Cen Xia’s heart trembled. She frowned, held her breath, and waited for her death sentence.

“Congratulations, Host. The happiness index has increased by 0.0009 percentage points. Your current happiness value is 0.001.”

0.0009 percentage points? An increase, not a decrease?

Cen Xia wasn’t sure if she had misheard or if the system was bugged. She lowered her gaze to Ji Wanqing on the floor.

The other woman’s thin lips were pressed together, and a fine layer of sweat covered her forehead. Her frail body trembled slightly, whether from pain or anger, Cen Xia couldn’t tell. She was struggling to endure. For the first time, emotions seeped into her empty eyes.

Cen Xia suddenly understood. Perhaps the “happiness value” wasn’t just about joy or sadness, but also about a person’s reaction to life’s events. Only a life with joy, anger, and sorrow could prove that it was vibrant and alive.

She mustered her courage and shuffled an inch closer to her.

Ji Wanqing’s body flinched, trying to create distance between them, but she had no strength. Her icy eyes glared at Cen Xia in rejection.

Cen Xia didn’t move any closer. She steadied herself and, with a straight face, explained, “Sister, I’m sorry. You fainted, and I was a little worried, so I…”

The word “worried” burrowed into Ji Wanqing’s heart. Her long lashes trembled, and a momentary confusion flashed in her mind.

Cen Xia couldn’t read her expression and muttered to herself, “This is all that useless system’s fault!”

Ji Wanqing came back to her senses, her complex little eyes meeting Cen Xia’s. She turned her head, struggling to sit up.

Cen Xia hurried to help but was stopped in her tracks by the thousand daggers in Ji Wanqing’s eyes.

Ji Wanqing struggled a few more times. With no strength left, a hint of despair appeared in her icy gaze. She stopped fighting.

Cen Xia looked at her for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and as if making a very brave decision, she reached out her long arms, scooping Ji Wanqing up by her neck and legs, lifting her into her arms with ease.

She hadn’t realized she was so strong. As she walked toward the sofa, she understood: it was because the other woman was weightless.

Ji Wanqing was so light. Over a year of illness and torment had left her a mere shell. She curled up in Cen Xia’s arms, her delicate arms dangling in the air. Her long lashes covered her pale eyes, and she stared at Cen Xia without blinking.

Cen Xia was afraid she might be nervous. She tightened her arms slightly, holding her body close to Ji Wanqing’s. Feeling her gaze, she looked at her and comforted her. “Don’t be nervous, Sister. I’m very strong. You won’t fall.”

Her voice was warm, and even her eyes radiated a soft light, completely different from her timidity just moments ago. Ji Wanqing’s body went rigid, and she looked away.

Cen Xia gently placed her on the sofa and was surprised to see a faint pink color on her ears. Ji Wanqing’s skin was fair and soft, and the hint of pink was like a plum blossom in the winter, especially noticeable.

She’s actually shy. She looked so small and cute huddled on the sofa.

Cen Xia looked at her, her eyes curving into little crescents. “See? I told you it was a safe ride, didn’t I?”

Ji Wanqing didn’t want to answer her question. She turned her head just as a clear knock sounded at the door.

“Ms. Cen, are you there? Could you please come out and give a statement?”

Support Transmigrated as the Chongxi Wife of a Critically Ill Young Lady