A student council member rushed in, their face etched with panic.
“President, something terrible has happened!”
A flicker of displeasure crossed Elena’s face, but she restrained herself, not scolding her subordinate for their frantic breach of decorum.
“What happened?”
“That serial killer in the Imperial Capital has struck again. This time, the victim is one of our student council members. Everyone is panicking now. Mister Karlen has asked you to return immediately to take charge and calm everyone down.”
Right in front of Shiya by the sickbed, the student council member spilled everything as if dumping beans from a bamboo tube.
“I’ll return at once,” Elena said, immediately standing up.
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a twinge of worry.
Would Shiya be upset or throw a tantrum? But when she glanced over, she found Shiya engrossed in flipping through the hospital cafeteria menu, her eyes occasionally sparkling with stars.
It seemed she hadn’t listened to a single word of their earlier conversation.
Feeling Elena’s gaze, Shiya looked up.
A bit sheepishly, she pinched a few strands of her hair and twirled them around her finger.
“Elena, look at this. I don’t have any money for food right now. Could you lend me some?”
Elena sighed, having lost count of how many times she’d sighed today.
She simply took the hospital cafeteria menu, pointed to a few of the most expensive dishes, and placed several banknotes on the table.
“You don’t need to pay this back.”
“Thank you for your generous reward, President!”
Shiya immediately beamed, playfully patting her flat stomach and saying something pleasing.
But all she got in return was Elena’s face, which had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
It was unclear exactly what she was so angry about.
Elena herself didn’t fully understand what was bothering her.
Perhaps it was just the fact that she had to rush off to work while Shiya was lounging around so comfortably.
That was probably all it was.
Finally, Elena gave one last instruction.
“Be wary of Leonora. Don’t let her get close.”
With that, she turned and left.
Behind her, the faint, off-key humming of an unfamiliar tune drifted from the room.
The damaged vocal cords made the song sound unbearably hoarse and unpleasant.
Elena’s heart clenched.
Shiya’s voice was completely ruined.
She had deliberately ignored that fact earlier, and Shiya hadn’t mentioned it either, as if she didn’t care.
Yet, when they were children, Shiya had told her she wanted to become the most dazzling singer on stage.
Shaking her head, Elena cleared away these messy thoughts.
The student council’s work was urgent now.
She could only do her best to look after Shiya.
That would have to be enough to repay the debt she owed to Shiya’s parents for saving her life.
Unnoticed by the Imperial Princess in her corner, specks of dark sludge began to seep and drip from the ceiling.
The food arrived quickly.
When Shiya opened the door, she found the delivery person waiting outside with a beaming smile.
However, their eyes seemed to look at her as if she were a sucker who had just bought grossly overpriced food.
Being unfamiliar with the place, Shiya didn’t understand this.
She paid obediently, only to notice a pink-haired little girl standing furtively by the food cart.
“Scram, scram, you sly little brat!”
Before Shiya could ask if this was the delivery person’s child, the delivery person had already used both hands and feet, shooing the little girl away with exaggerated motions.
Shiya didn’t pay much attention to the scene.
But when she sat back down on the small stool by the hospital bed and opened the meal boxes, she was still astonished by the lavish lunch.
Perfectly prepared, tender pieces of lobster meat nearly overflowed one of the boxes.
There was also a crispy steak drenched in sauce and oysters steamed with garlic.
These were the things Shiya could recognize.
The other foods were completely unheard of, but their enticing aromas made it clear they were anything but ordinary.
As long as it doesn’t involve things she personally cares about, Elena is usually quite generous.
I just wonder if the day I finally confess about that astronomical debt, she’ll be so angry she hangs me up and beats me?
As long as it’s not a public spanking… Elena probably isn’t that childish, right?
Lost in these random thoughts, Shiya couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.
In her original world, she had rarely eaten such delicacies, and her younger sister had never even seen them.
After their parents had suddenly passed away, their family’s circumstances had plummeted.
Their daily meals mostly consisted of plain rice or steamed buns.
Despite that, her younger sister never complained.
Sometimes, she even had to comfort her own useless older sister.
She was like a little adult.
Thinking of this, Shiya walked back and opened the hospital room door.
Sure enough, she found the pink-haired little girl squatting right beside it.
Seeing the little girl look up at her with curious, big eyes, Shiya waved her over.
“Little sister, this big sister can’t eat all this by herself. Come in and eat with me.”
“Thank you, Big Sister!”
Before the words had even fully left her mouth, the little girl had already dashed into the room like the wind.
Shiya smiled, closed the door, and noted that the little girl was quite polite.
She sat on the other small stool, staring eagerly at Shiya, not daring to pick up her chopsticks first.
“Sister, my appetite might be a bit… big,” the little girl said.
Hearing this, Shiya waved her hand grandly.
“Just eat as much as you want.”
After all, it’s Elena’s money.
I don’t feel bad about it.
And how much could a little girl possibly eat?
What followed was a true demonstration of the phrase “devouring everything like a whirlwind.”
Every piece of food, regardless of texture, was grabbed by the little girl, chewed a couple of times, and swallowed.
It seemed those few chews were just a pitiful performance put on for Shiya’s benefit.
Realizing this belatedly, Shiya looked on in horror and lunged forward.
But even with all her effort, she could only manage to snatch half a steak.
Just as she was about to bring it to her mouth, she saw the little girl’s pitiful, still-hungry expression.
With a sigh of resignation in her heart, Shiya finally placed the piece of steak on the little girl’s plate.
This wasn’t due to some sudden surge of kindness, where she, having eaten nothing, was concerned about whether someone else was full.
It was simply because Shiya had suddenly remembered her own severely injured throat.
Forget solid foods like steak and lobster; she couldn’t even eat rice porridge until her wounds had healed a bit more.
This was her first time dying, technically carried out by the original owner of this body, so overlooking this detail was understandable.
As for Elena, it was only natural that she, an outsider, hadn’t noticed.
“Thank you for the feast, Big Sister,” the little girl said, rubbing her swollen belly with a look of satisfaction.
To this, Shiya could only respond with a dry laugh.
The little girl seemed to see through Shiya’s helplessness.
She half-closed one eye and wagged her index finger in front of her face.
“Big Sister gave me a full meal, so you’re my benefactor. Therefore, I can grant you one wish.”
“Alright, alright. Then, help this big sister go find a nurse and ask for a few more bottles of nutrient solution to be hung.”
Shiya patted the little girl’s head, clearly not taking a child’s promise too seriously.
The pink-haired girl humphed, dodging Shiya’s hand.
She stared at Shiya for a long moment before suddenly saying something shocking.
“Actually, contrary to the rumors outside about a love so deep it defies death… you don’t like that Imperial Princess at all, do you, Sister?”
Meeting Shiya’s astonished gaze, the little girl playfully tapped her own lips with her index finger.
“In that case, if I make a move against that Imperial Princess, Sister, you won’t use this wish to stop me, right? How reassuring.”
A sudden, uneasy feeling gripped Shiya’s heart.
But before she could question the person in front of her, the little girl had already darted out of the room like a streak of smoke.
However, she soon poked her head back in from outside.
“Oh, right, Big Sister, one last hint for you. This room, and even this entire hospital building, have already been contaminated.”
“That Imperial Princess can’t protect you. Starting now, run. Quickly.”
Before Elena could give any orders, the door to the hospital room was violently pushed open.
A student council member rushed in, their face etched with panic.
“President, something terrible has happened!”
A flicker of displeasure crossed Elena’s face, but she restrained herself, not scolding her subordinate for their frantic breach of decorum.
“What happened?”
“That serial killer in the Imperial Capital has struck again. This time, the victim is one of our student council members. Everyone is panicking now. Mister Karlen has asked you to return immediately to take charge and calm everyone down.”
Right in front of Shiya by the sickbed, the student council member spilled everything as if dumping beans from a bamboo tube.
“I’ll return at once,” Elena said, immediately standing up.
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a twinge of worry.
Would Shiya be upset or throw a tantrum? But when she glanced over, she found Shiya engrossed in flipping through the hospital cafeteria menu, her eyes occasionally sparkling with stars.
It seemed she hadn’t listened to a single word of their earlier conversation.
Feeling Elena’s gaze, Shiya looked up.
A bit sheepishly, she pinched a few strands of her hair and twirled them around her finger.
“Elena, look at this. I don’t have any money for food right now. Could you lend me some?”
Elena sighed, having lost count of how many times she’d sighed today.
She simply took the hospital cafeteria menu, pointed to a few of the most expensive dishes, and placed several banknotes on the table.
“You don’t need to pay this back.”
“Thank you for your generous reward, President!”
Shiya immediately beamed, playfully patting her flat stomach and saying something pleasing.
But all she got in return was Elena’s face, which had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
It was unclear exactly what she was so angry about.
Elena herself didn’t fully understand what was bothering her.
Perhaps it was just the fact that she had to rush off to work while Shiya was lounging around so comfortably.
That was probably all it was.
Finally, Elena gave one last instruction.
“Be wary of Leonora. Don’t let her get close.”
With that, she turned and left.
Behind her, the faint, off-key humming of an unfamiliar tune drifted from the room.
The damaged vocal cords made the song sound unbearably hoarse and unpleasant.
Elena’s heart clenched.
Shiya’s voice was completely ruined.
She had deliberately ignored that fact earlier, and Shiya hadn’t mentioned it either, as if she didn’t care.
Yet, when they were children, Shiya had told her she wanted to become the most dazzling singer on stage.
Shaking her head, Elena cleared away these messy thoughts.
The student council’s work was urgent now.
She could only do her best to look after Shiya.
That would have to be enough to repay the debt she owed to Shiya’s parents for saving her life.
Unnoticed by the Imperial Princess in her corner, specks of dark sludge began to seep and drip from the ceiling.
The food arrived quickly.
When Shiya opened the door, she found the delivery person waiting outside with a beaming smile.
However, their eyes seemed to look at her as if she were a sucker who had just bought grossly overpriced food.
Being unfamiliar with the place, Shiya didn’t understand this.
She paid obediently, only to notice a pink-haired little girl standing furtively by the food cart.
“Scram, scram, you sly little brat!”
Before Shiya could ask if this was the delivery person’s child, the delivery person had already used both hands and feet, shooing the little girl away with exaggerated motions.
Shiya didn’t pay much attention to the scene.
But when she sat back down on the small stool by the hospital bed and opened the meal boxes, she was still astonished by the lavish lunch.
Perfectly prepared, tender pieces of lobster meat nearly overflowed one of the boxes.
There was also a crispy steak drenched in sauce and oysters steamed with garlic.
These were the things Shiya could recognize.
The other foods were completely unheard of, but their enticing aromas made it clear they were anything but ordinary.
As long as it doesn’t involve things she personally cares about, Elena is usually quite generous.
I just wonder if the day I finally confess about that astronomical debt, she’ll be so angry she hangs me up and beats me?
As long as it’s not a public spanking… Elena probably isn’t that childish, right?
Lost in these random thoughts, Shiya couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.
In her original world, she had rarely eaten such delicacies, and her younger sister had never even seen them.
After their parents had suddenly passed away, their family’s circumstances had plummeted.
Their daily meals mostly consisted of plain rice or steamed buns.
Despite that, her younger sister never complained.
Sometimes, she even had to comfort her own useless older sister.
She was like a little adult.
Thinking of this, Shiya walked back and opened the hospital room door.
Sure enough, she found the pink-haired little girl squatting right beside it.
Seeing the little girl look up at her with curious, big eyes, Shiya waved her over.
“Little sister, this big sister can’t eat all this by herself. Come in and eat with me.”
“Thank you, Big Sister!”
Before the words had even fully left her mouth, the little girl had already dashed into the room like the wind.
Shiya smiled, closed the door, and noted that the little girl was quite polite.
She sat on the other small stool, staring eagerly at Shiya, not daring to pick up her chopsticks first.
“Sister, my appetite might be a bit… big,” the little girl said.
Hearing this, Shiya waved her hand grandly.
“Just eat as much as you want.”
After all, it’s Elena’s money.
I don’t feel bad about it.
And how much could a little girl possibly eat?
What followed was a true demonstration of the phrase “devouring everything like a whirlwind.”
Every piece of food, regardless of texture, was grabbed by the little girl, chewed a couple of times, and swallowed.
It seemed those few chews were just a pitiful performance put on for Shiya’s benefit.
Realizing this belatedly, Shiya looked on in horror and lunged forward.
But even with all her effort, she could only manage to snatch half a steak.
Just as she was about to bring it to her mouth, she saw the little girl’s pitiful, still-hungry expression.
With a sigh of resignation in her heart, Shiya finally placed the piece of steak on the little girl’s plate.
This wasn’t due to some sudden surge of kindness, where she, having eaten nothing, was concerned about whether someone else was full.
It was simply because Shiya had suddenly remembered her own severely injured throat.
Forget solid foods like steak and lobster; she couldn’t even eat rice porridge until her wounds had healed a bit more.
This was her first time dying, technically carried out by the original owner of this body, so overlooking this detail was understandable.
As for Elena, it was only natural that she, an outsider, hadn’t noticed.
“Thank you for the feast, Big Sister,” the little girl said, rubbing her swollen belly with a look of satisfaction.
To this, Shiya could only respond with a dry laugh.
The little girl seemed to see through Shiya’s helplessness.
She half-closed one eye and wagged her index finger in front of her face.
“Big Sister gave me a full meal, so you’re my benefactor. Therefore, I can grant you one wish.”
“Alright, alright. Then, help this big sister go find a nurse and ask for a few more bottles of nutrient solution to be hung.”
Shiya patted the little girl’s head, clearly not taking a child’s promise too seriously.
The pink-haired girl humphed, dodging Shiya’s hand.
She stared at Shiya for a long moment before suddenly saying something shocking.
“Actually, contrary to the rumors outside about a love so deep it defies death… you don’t like that Imperial Princess at all, do you, Sister?”
Meeting Shiya’s astonished gaze, the little girl playfully tapped her own lips with her index finger.
“In that case, if I make a move against that Imperial Princess, Sister, you won’t use this wish to stop me, right? How reassuring.”
A sudden, uneasy feeling gripped Shiya’s heart.
But before she could question the person in front of her, the little girl had already darted out of the room like a streak of smoke.
However, she soon poked her head back in from outside.
“Oh, right, Big Sister, one last hint for you. This room, and even this entire hospital building, have already been contaminated.”
“That Imperial Princess can’t protect you. Starting now, run. Quickly.”
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