Chapter 29: Neither My Current Boyfriend Nor My Ex-Boyfriend Works—Only I Do

Lin Xi had acute gastritis.

“Has she been under a lot of stress or had irregular sleep lately? This is pretty common among students cramming for exams.” The doctor scribbled on the paper, the tip of his pen making a soft scratching sound. “We already did an ultrasound and blood work, and everything came back fine. She needs to take good care of her stomach for the next couple of days—light food only. You said she’s thrown up a few times already, right… I’ll prescribe some acid suppressants and antiemetics. Make sure she stays hydrated when you get home, and she should be better by tomorrow.”

Gao Qinghe glanced at Lin Xi sitting nearby. Her forehead was beaded with cold sweat, but the pain had clearly eased. Still, her body was slightly hunched—a departure from her usual upright posture—as she stared intently at the PPT on her phone screen.

“Are you sure all she needs is rest? My… my friend was in really bad pain just now. Could there be something else going on?” Gao Qinghe’s voice trembled noticeably, her expression still tense and worried.

“…” The doctor looked up at her and let out a muffled laugh. His face was hidden behind a mask, but his eyes crinkled. “Young lady, you really care about your friend. Don’t worry—she’s perfectly healthy. We checked everything.” He tore off the prescription and handed it to Gao Qinghe, giving the paper a light flick. “Go pick up her medicine.” Then he turned to Lin Xi. “No staying up late these next two days, got it?”

Lin Xi gave a perfunctory nod at the doctor’s words, just lifting her head slightly to acknowledge him politely. But she didn’t seem to have any intention of following his advice.

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On the car ride home, Lin Xi kept staring at her phone, occasionally tweaking the PPT.

Outside the window, the night was heavy, and neon lights flickered across her face. Lin Xi casually pushed the stray bangs sticking to her forehead aside without caring about her appearance.

“Lin Xi… are you really not going to rest at home tomorrow? The doctor said it’d be better to take another day off…” Gao Qinghe sat in the back seat beside Lin Xi, still holding the medicine bag. Her fingers squeezed it slightly as she turned to look at the focused Lin Xi.

“No… ugh, I’m getting a little carsick.” Lin Xi finally put down her phone, pressed her fingers to her temples, and leaned back into the seat. She looked more fragile now—her makeup slightly smudged, barely visible in the dim light, but enough to make her seem haggard. “I have a presentation tomorrow. It’s worth 20% of the final grade.”

“Are you still planning to go? What if the pain comes back?” Gao Qinghe hesitated. Even before, she rarely saw Lin Xi so careless about her appearance. She figured Lin Xi was just too stressed with coursework to bother. “You could ask the professor to reschedule. I’m sure he’d understand.”

“No need. I’ve already done the work, and there’ll be other things later.” Lin Xi turned her head wearily to look out the window. Her pale face was reflected in the glass. She licked her dry lips. “The doctor said I’m fine anyway. After the presentation, I still need to study for the next exam.”

“…Should I tell Xiang Bei? Maybe it’d be better if he came to take care of you…”

“No.” Lin Xi cut her off decisively. “What would I need him for? So his chef can make me sea cucumber and cordyceps congee?” She gave a bitter laugh. “You’re here. That’s enough. I don’t need him.”

A wave of warmth surged in Gao Qinghe’s chest, but it was immediately drowned by a following bitterness.

Back when Lin Xi was still with him—when he was still Gao Jingdong—she had gotten sick too. It was right after she had made him yangchun noodles. He had run around taking care of her, but she was never satisfied. One moment she’d complain, “Why order seafood congee? Can’t you just make plain porridge?” The next she’d say Gao Jingdong was too annoying, constantly entering and leaving the room, disturbing her sleep.

He would end up playing games in the living room, and soon she’d get up from bed by herself, saying she wanted water, refusing to let him help—clearly upset that he wasn’t taking proper care of her.

But even that version of Lin Xi had never looked as run-down, or as unkempt, as she did now.

What did she want from her? Gao Qinghe felt she still couldn’t figure it out.

If Lin Xi had just clearly told him—Gao Jingdong—what she needed, why would he have to guess? He was a man; he couldn’t be that meticulous, and he sure couldn’t read a woman’s mind.

When Lin Xi talked about him with others back then, did she wear the same sneer and disgust?

“Hey… between Xiang Bei and my cousin, who’s better at taking care of people?” Before she realized it, Gao Qinghe had blurted out the question that was on her mind.

“…What?” Lin Xi frowned. “Am I supposed to pick the best of a bad lot?” She let out a long sigh, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes.

What did that mean?? Gao Qinghe had expected to hear Gao Jingdong’s name for sure. He always prided himself on being sincere and considerate—how else had he won her over?

Now Lin Xi was telling her that even in taking care of people, he was on par with Xiang Bei? So in Lin Xi’s eyes, he didn’t have a single redeeming quality?

No—on the other hand, shouldn’t she be happy?

If even Xiang Bei, with all his money, couldn’t meet Lin Xi’s standards, then wasn’t it perfectly forgivable that Gao Jingdong failed to take care of her the way she wanted?

Gao Qinghe frowned, unsure whether to feel relieved or angry. Just as she was wondering how to respond, Lin Xi spoke.

“If I’m being honest, neither of them did as much as you did today.”

What? Gao Qinghe was stunned. She looked up at Lin Xi in surprise, opened her mouth, but couldn’t form a word.

“…Thank you, Qinghe. I definitely wouldn’t have gone to the hospital on my own.” Lin Xi turned to her, her expression serious. “You really came through when it mattered.”

Sniffle—

Lin Xi’s words made Gao Qinghe’s nose sting, and she almost burst into tears.

When had she ever been praised like this by Lin Xi before!

“I… I only did what I was supposed to do.” Gao Qinghe felt a bit embarrassed but also a strange little pride. “After all, I couldn’t have done anything alone in that situation.”

She looked down at the medicine bag in her hands, her fingers lightly tracing the edge. The confusion seemed temporarily washed away by a flood of warmth.

“…Though calling an ambulance was a bit much. That was my first time being carried on a stretcher.” Lin Xi laughed, and Gao Qinghe joined in.

“I thought about carrying you to the hospital myself if I had the strength…”

“No, please don’t.” Lin Xi’s voice turned serious. She cut off Gao Qinghe, her eyes earnest. “Guys really love doing that kind of thankless work.”