Chapter 37: Feeding

The moment Bai Xue spoke those words, Jiang Ling’s mind also entertained the possibility, and her hand instinctively pressed against her lower abdomen, which was throbbing faintly with pain.

“Hm… probably, yeah.”

She had never experienced this before, so her answer was vague and uncertain.

Whether it was just psychological or not, the instant she said it aloud, Jiang Ling felt the pain intensify slightly, and a dull ache began spreading through her lower back.

“Don’t you keep track of the dates?”

Bai Xue furrowed her brows and raised her hand to pull Jiang Ling close, gently guiding her back to her room.

At the bathroom door, Bai Xue walked her over and softly reminded her, “There are sanitary pads in the cabinet to the left of the showerhead.”

Jiang Ling silently nodded and stepped inside. Passing by the mirror, she caught a glimpse of her reflection out of the corner of her eye and couldn’t help but click her tongue.

The face in the mirror had lost its usual rosy glow, looking pale and worn. Even her lips were dry. Jiang Ling pressed them together, then followed Bai Xue’s instructions to find the sanitary pads.

Ha… I guess this is how you use them.

After fiddling with it for a while, Jiang Ling felt a bit overwhelmed.

Girl stuff really is complicated.

Exiting the bathroom, Jiang Ling felt a strange bloated pain from below her belly all the way up, and her head was light and dizzy.

“Come sit here.”

Bai Xue grabbed a small blanket, and after Jiang Ling sat down, quickly wrapped her up like a dumpling.

“So hot…”

There was no air conditioning in Bai Xue’s room, and the stuffy heat made Jiang Ling uncomfortable all over. She tried to pull the blanket away but found her arms limp and weak. Her exposed head drooped, swaying slightly in protest.

After a moment’s thought, Bai Xue said, “You should sleep here tonight.”

“You won’t even let me be in this state!”

Jiang Ling tried to protest aloud but found her throat parched, the cramps in her belly hitting again. She instinctively clenched the blanket tighter.

Damn it, nobody told her it was this painful before!

“Little Yu never sleeps well, and you’re feeling bad. You definitely won’t rest well if you go home. Besides, what do you plan to do after you leave?”

Seeing her tightly curled up with a furrowed brow, Bai Xue’s voice softened as she asked.

“Drink more hot water?”

Jiang Ling gritted her teeth and answered, feeling like she was about to be diagnosed as a clueless guy.

But to her surprise, Bai Xue nodded approvingly. “You definitely should drink more hot water, but can you make it yourself? What if Little Yu clings to you all night and won’t let go?”

“…Please, just let me stay.”

Jiang Ling lowered her head and said.

Though she had no experience with this, she could feel her body was in terrible shape—probably because she was too thin and weak, which explained her fragility.

If someone could take care of her, why not be a little helpless?

Convinced by her own reasoning, Jiang Ling peacefully wrapped herself tighter in the small blanket and closed her eyes.

After lying down for a while, she smelled a strong, sweet scent. Opening her eyes, she saw Bai Xue approaching with a cup in hand.

“Drink this.”

Jiang Ling lazily glanced at the cup. It was probably something like brown sugar ginger water. She sniffed it and felt a bit nauseous, shaking her head. “I don’t want to.”

“It’ll hurt less if you drink it.”

Bai Xue wasn’t upset nor did she force her, but gently and slowly explained, “After you drink it, we’ll sleep, okay?”

Touched by such gentleness, Jiang Ling instinctively rubbed her head against the blanket by her neck, eyes watery and fixed on Bai Xue, voice faint, “But I don’t want to drink it. It tastes bad.”

Full of a coquettish tone.

Seeing this, Bai Xue helplessly placed the cup on the nearby table, tidied the messy blanket wrapped around Jiang Ling, and stood up to leave.

Jiang Ling thought she had given up and drifted back into sleep.

But after about a minute or two, she heard Bai Xue’s footsteps approach again. Suddenly, something pressed against her lips.

Jiang Ling blinked in confusion, realizing the thing blocking her mouth was a spoon holding the brown sugar water.

“Ah—”

Bai Xue’s voice was soft as she coaxed her. Jiang Ling still didn’t want to drink and weakly shook her head in refusal.

Seeing this, Bai Xue became a little firmer, prying her mouth open with the spoon. With a flick of her wrist, the brown sugar water poured into Jiang Ling’s mouth.

The sweet, cloying, yet spicy sensation spread across her palate. Jiang Ling frowned but then relaxed, realizing the taste wasn’t as bad as she’d imagined.

“Drink it all, then you can sleep.”

Bai Xue scooped another spoonful and brought it over. This time, Jiang Ling obediently opened her mouth, quietly and slowly finishing it all.

Once the feeding was over, Jiang Ling felt her cheeks flush warmly, and her body heated up. The pain hadn’t gone away entirely, so she twisted a bit before closing her eyes again.

Seeing her so weak and helpless, Bai Xue didn’t say anything more. She first pulled out a tissue to wipe Jiang Ling’s mouth, then fetched a hot water bottle before turning to the kitchen.

“Hey, you’re still up?”

In the kitchen, Mo Ran in pajamas looked surprised. Seeing the hot water bottle in her hands, she asked, “What’s wrong? You feeling unwell? Want me to fill it for you?”

She had originally planned to prepare breakfast ingredients ahead of time.

“It’s not me. It’s that little one.”

Bai Xue smiled and shook her head, pouring the kettle’s hot water into the bottle. The warmth was immediate and intense.

“Ah… period?” Mo Ran instantly understood. “She’s on the weaker side, huh?”

“I think so. Tell Little Yu later, she’s sleeping here tonight. Don’t worry.”

After tidying the hot water bottle, Bai Xue reminded her and went back to her room.

Jiang Ling didn’t know when she’d ended up lying on the bed, curling her body tightly, her eyelids fluttering lightly. Her palms gripped the small blanket tightly, looking like a helpless little beast without a home.

Bai Xue bent down, feeling for a spot to place the hot water bottle over Jiang Ling’s abdomen through her clothes. Jiang Ling immediately whimpered softly, half-opening her eyes to look. “Time to sleep?”

“Yeah, sleep.”

Seeing her like this, Bai Xue lost the urge to tease her. She turned off the light and lay down beside Jiang Ling.

Almost the instant she lay down, Bai Xue felt a burning-hot body press close, the scorching breath warming her arm.

“…Thank you.”

In the dark, Jiang Ling mumbled groggily.

The next day.

When Jiang Ling opened her eyes, it was nearly noon.

She reached out and touched the blanket beside her, feeling no warmth. Bai Xue must have left long ago.

This nap left her drowsy and foggy—waking and sleeping again and again.

Compared to the cramps in her belly, Jiang Ling disliked this drained, spiritless weakness even more.

If she remembered correctly, there was still one class to attend today. Frowning, Jiang Ling unlocked her phone, followed the usual steps to request leave, then opened a chat with Song Meng.

【I’m not feeling well, taking a day off today. If anyone asks, please tell them for me.】

Although the system would notify the teacher, Jiang Ling said it just in case.

【Sick?】

A prompt reply came instantly.

Jiang Ling felt weak; her fingers moved sluggishly while typing, slowing her response. Seeing she didn’t reply, Song Meng sent another message.

【Send me your address, I’ll come find you.】