Chapter Thirty

Before sleeping at night, Xue Lan sent another message to Xu Anze, but she didn't receive a reply until she fell asleep.

At this time, Xu Anze was guarding Zhuo Ran's sickroom. The chat interface on his phone popped up with Xue Lan's message, but he didn't have the mind to open it.

Zhuo Ran suddenly vomited blood and fainted, and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. The examination results were not out yet, but Xu Anze could basically predict them.

It would be the same as before, difficult to find the cause of the illness, but the body would be as fragile as glass.

He actually knew that Zhuo Ran's illness was not caused by any disease, but by a Gu poison.

The Gu poison she had was very rare and cultivated in a completely different way from ordinary Gu worms. The Xu family had painstakingly collected it and given it to the Zhuo family back then.

Coincidentally, Zhuo Ran, taking advantage of the adults' absence, secretly opened the jar containing the Gu. The Gu worm, smelling blood, entered her body.

With the Zhuo family's connections, they couldn't find a way to remove the Gu poison after all these years. They could only force the Xu family to send Xu Anze, using his bloodline to suppress the overly active Gu worm. Until recent years, they somehow obtained a method of substituting life.

The Gu worm would not cause too much harm to the host, but it would not let the host have peace either. It would torment the host repeatedly.

The previous Substitute Life Talisman could transfer the pain suffered by the host to the substitute through the talisman, letting others bear it.

Now that Zhuo Ran's reaction was so strong, the Substitute Life Talisman must have been destroyed.

Xu Anze looked at Xue Lan's avatar on his phone and couldn't help but wonder, was it an accident, or had she discovered something?

As he was thinking, his phone rang.

After seeing the name displayed on the screen, he pressed his lips downward and quickly walked out of the sickroom, only answering the call in the stairwell.

The call was from Zhuo Ran's mother. Her tone was anxious and quite impolite: "Xiao Ze, what's going on? Didn't I ask you to take good care of Ranran? Why was she sent to the hospital right after she got off the plane?"

"Aunt Lin, I'm sorry, I..."

"I don't want your apology," Lin Qiu's voice became sharp. "Isn't there a Substitute Life Talisman? What's the situation with your girlfriend now?"

Xu Anze hesitated, then answered truthfully: "She's fine. Zhuo Ran and I both think the Substitute Life Talisman might have been accidentally destroyed by her."

"Destroyed?" An angry gasp sounded from the other end of the phone. "We allowed you to date that substitute out of consideration for Ranran. You can't even keep an eye on one person? Such a precious thing as the Substitute Life Talisman, destroyed just like that? If anything happens to Ranran, none of you will have an easy time!"

Xu Anze opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but in the end, he said nothing, only quietly listening to the woman on the phone angrily curse him and Xue Lan, who was Zhuo Ran's substitute.

After about five or six minutes, Lin Qiu finally vented enough and said coldly, "Your Uncle Zhuo wants to speak with you."

Xu Anze subconsciously clenched his fists.

After a brief silence, Zhuo Yongqi's steady voice sounded from the other end of the phone: "Xiao Ze, your Aunt Lin is just too angry. Don't take her words to heart."

Xu Anze tried hard to adjust his voice so that it didn't carry any dissatisfaction: "I know. Aunt Lin is just too worried about Zhuo Ran. It's all my fault. I failed to take good care of her."

It had always been like this. Every time Zhuo Ran had an accident, Aunt Lin would blame him.

Then Uncle Zhuo would comfort him and apologize for Aunt Lin. When he was young, he would even feel that Uncle Zhuo was good to him. Only as he grew up did he realize that this was just a means of taming, a stick and a carrot. They never treated him as an equal.

No matter how much they seemed to value him normally, when something truly happened, the couple would always think he was the one at fault.

"This time, it's not entirely your fault. It's fine if the Substitute Life Talisman is destroyed. The ritual is almost ready anyway. We just need to wait for Ranran's birthday in a few days to officially switch lives, and she won't have to suffer anymore," Zhuo Yongqi said unhurriedly.

"You're right," Xu Anze breathed a sigh of relief.

"However... the same mistake must never be made again. Ranran's birthday is very important, and the ritual cannot have any mistakes. Your little girlfriend should be very obedient to you, right? Don't let her disrupt everyone's plan."

Xu Anze took a deep breath and promised, "Don't worry, there will be no mistakes in the plan. Besides, she's just an ordinary person and won't discover anything unusual."

"Very good, I knew you were a reliable child. After Ranran switches lives, you can go home. I will have a good talk with your parents. It's indeed too much that they haven't visited you in so many years," Zhuo Yongqi said in a gentle tone.

Xu Anze was still young and couldn't hold back his impatience. He couldn't help but ask, "Then Xue Lan..."

Zhuo Yongqi chuckled: "You can do whatever you want with her. She's just an ordinary person. However, after the life switch, the Gu worm will be transferred to her body. Your family might be interested in the Gu worm in her body, so you can keep it."

Xu Anze breathed a sigh of relief: "I know, thank you, Uncle Zhuo."

"Alright, you take care of Ranran first. If anything else happens, remember to call home first."

"Yes, I understand."

The next morning, everyone had a bit of post-holiday syndrome and didn't want to get out of bed.

However, Liu Mumu and the others had class during the first period. By the time they finally left the dormitory, it was too late to eat breakfast.

The only one who woke up early and finished breakfast was Xue Lan.

She wasn't in the dormitory at seven in the morning and only entered the classroom when the bell rang.

Liu Mumu and the others saved her a seat. Xue Lan, carrying her bag and a bag of breakfast, sat down in her seat.

She distributed the breakfast she bought to Liu Mumu and the other two: "I bought this for you this morning, but I accidentally came late."

To Liu Mumu and the others, Xue Lan was like a little angel.

Each of them gave her a kiss of affection and then, before the lecturer arrived, took a few bites to fill their stomachs.

While the three of them were busy eating, Xue Lan was distractedly looking at her phone.

Her message to Xu Anze last night had not been replied to. This morning, while eating, she happened to meet his roommate and learned that he hadn't returned to the dormitory last night at all.

She called him several more times, but they were all hung up in the end.

Xue Lan felt uneasy, wondering if something had happened to him.

During the two classes in the morning, Xue Lan was listless, often zoning out while listening. The three people sitting next to her all noticed her unusual behavior.

After class, Wei Xue quietly asked, "Lanlan, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Xue Lan shook her head. "Aze hasn't replied to my messages since yesterday. This morning, his roommate said he didn't even return to the dormitory. I'm a bit worried."

"Don't worry. He's a grown man. Maybe there was a reason for a flight delay, which is why he hasn't arrived at school. Instead of worrying about him, it's more reliable to worry if he lost his phone," Qian Xiaomeng quickly interjected.

Hearing Qian Xiaomeng say this, Xue Lan relaxed considerably.

Liu Mumu didn't disturb them. Instead, she took out her phone and sent a message to Zheng Xuan.

Liu Mumu: Can you help me find out why Xu Anze from the Computer Science Department hasn't come to school? Oh, and what about Zhuo Ran from the History Department? Is she here?

Zheng Xuan was a very sociable person with connections throughout the school. He had specifically told Liu Mumu that she could ask him for help anytime something happened at school.

Since Liu Mumu was willing to accept his goodwill, she naturally wouldn't be polite.

Zheng Xuan: Master, please wait a moment. I'll find someone to ask.

About twenty minutes later, Zheng Xuan sent a message.

Zheng Xuan: Zhuo Ran wasn't feeling well. She was rushed to the Second Hospital by ambulance right after she got off the plane last night. Xu Anze took leave to take care of her at the hospital.

A moment later, Zheng Xuan sent another message.

Zheng Xuan: These two were the ones we saw at the airport that day, right? To be blunt, perhaps junior classmate Xue should find a new boyfriend. This guy really isn't very reliable.

Seeing them tie their shoelaces that day didn't make Zheng Xuan feel much. But this time, being so thoughtful as to go to the hospital to take care of her, the relationship was very subtle.

At least he felt that if a man had no feelings for that woman, he absolutely wouldn't be so considerate.

Liu Mumu: Got it, thank you.

Zheng Xuan: Come find me to hang out again.jpg

Zhuo Ran was admitted to the hospital last night. Liu Mumu pinched her chin. What kind of sudden illness did that school belle have that was so severe she had to be sent directly to the hospital?

Should she tell Xue Lan? Liu Mumu was still hesitating.

Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly inserted herself into the conversation of the three people. "If you want to know where Xu Anze is, I can divine it for you."

Xue Lan was stunned at first, then asked excitedly, "Can you?"

"It's not hard to find someone. Come on, shake the divination coins first." Liu Mumu placed the coins in Xue Lan's hand and gestured for her to shake them.

After shaking the coins once, Liu Mumu fiddled with them, feeling nothing.

It seemed like today wasn't a good day for divination, but it didn't matter. She already knew the address in advance.

She put on a serious act, counting on her fingers, and then said, "The person accompanying him is a hindrance to his health. He should be in the hospital now."

"Who is the person accompanying him?" Xue Lan was a little confused. Xu Anze hadn't mentioned anyone coming back with him.

"Someone of the opposite sex. I don't know the specific identity. Judging by the direction, they should have gone to the Second Hospital. They were admitted last night."

This wasn't the first time Liu Mumu had divined for them, so no one doubted the authenticity of this divination.

Qian Xiaomeng, however, seemed to have thought of something and looked at Liu Mumu with wide eyes.

Liu Mumu winked at her and said, "Lanlan, if you're really worried, we can accompany you to the hospital. We don't have class this afternoon anyway, and only have one elective at night."

"No need, I can go by myself..." Xue Lan didn't want to trouble them. Qian Xiaomeng, however, was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle the shock if she saw something.

"Oh, don't be so polite with us. We can go shopping and buy some things too, right Mumu?"

Liu Mumu quickly nodded.

"Then... okay."

Wei Xue didn't know what was going on, but seeing Liu Mumu and Qian Xiaomeng giving her meaningful looks, she agreed.

Around 2 PM, the four girls from the dormitory took a taxi to Qing City's Second Hospital.

It didn't take long for Liu Mumu to find out Zhuo Ran's ward.

In the ward at this moment, Zhuo Ran was fiddling with Xu Anze's phone. She was looking at something and smiling happily.

The phone kept beeping with message notifications, but she didn't care and refused to return the phone to Xu Anze.

Xue Lan and the others walked to a position a few steps away from the ward and could clearly hear the people inside talking.

A female voice said, "Xu Anze, I want to eat grapes."

Xue Lan's footsteps stopped. She didn't hear her boyfriend's voice.

But the next moment, the female voice sounded again, "I'm watching a video, feed me."

The tone was so natural and expected.

It was then that Xue Lan realized something. She looked at the three good friends who had accompanied her with a dazed expression, not knowing whether to move forward or retreat.

Qian Xiaomeng was already full of anger from being stopped last time. This time, she directly grabbed Xue Lan's wrist and strode aggressively towards the ward.

When she kicked the door open, the grape Xu Anze was about to feed Zhuo Ran hadn't been eaten yet.

In the bright, sunlit ward, the beautiful girl lying on the bed with a relaxed smile and the handsome boy feeding her fruit – what a beautiful scene!

"Lanlan, why are you here?" Xu Anze saw who had barged in and quickly withdrew his hand, standing up from his chair.

Liu Mumu calmly explained from the side, "You haven't been replying to messages, so Lanlan was worried. She asked someone to inquire and heard you were in the hospital taking care of a classmate, so we came to visit."

Zhuo Ran, under the gaze of so many pairs of eyes, showed no sign of nervousness. Her actions didn't change at all, she merely tilted her head slightly, "Who are you?"

"She's Xu Anze's girlfriend, we're her roommates."

After Qian Xiaomeng finished speaking, she specifically looked at Zhuo Ran. She saw Zhuo Ran calmly say, "Oh."

Her gaze swept over the few people, then she said to Xu Anze, "Since they're looking for you, why don't you go outside and talk? Also, bring me my clothes before you go."

She tilted her chin, gesturing for Xu Anze to get the clothes from the closet.

Then, he actually went to get Zhuo Ran's clothes.

The clothes were hung on the back of the chair. Xu Anze subconsciously glanced at her. Zhuo Ran didn't even lift her eyelids, still playing with his phone.

Xue Lan glanced at the familiar phone case and turned to leave.

Originally, she had many things she wanted to say to him, wanting to tell him her body didn't feel as uncomfortable as before, wanting to tell him that she missed him after not seeing him for a week.

But when they actually met, Xue Lan didn't want to say anything anymore.

Outside the sickroom, Xu Anze lowered his eyes, looking at Xue Lan who stood silently before him. He said to the three people beside her, "Can I have a moment alone with Lanlan?"

"You guys talk."

Qian Xiaomeng's disdain was evident. Wei Xue and Liu Mumu each grabbed an arm and dragged her away.

Wei Xue was perceptive. From the scene just now, she had already sensed something was wrong. The two people by her side were too calm.

After walking a distance, she quietly asked Liu Mumu, "Did you guys discover the problem long ago?"

Liu Mumu shrugged, "The day we went to see you off, we saw them. Those two were on the plane right behind you."

Wei Xue frowned and glanced in Xu Anze's direction, her expression not looking good.

Qian Xiaomeng was still grumbling with dissatisfaction, "Why let them talk alone? If Lanlan softens her heart for a moment, she might actually believe they're just normal friends."

"No matter how you explain it, they're just acquaintances, relatives, or something like that. If there was a blood relationship, it would be one thing, but if not..." Wei Xue's voice was cold, "Then they're childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were young."

"So what?" Qian Xiaomeng didn't understand.

"No girlfriend can compare to a childhood sweetheart who grew up together, especially when one person is permissive and the other wants to barge in."

That Zhuo Ran seemed indifferent to Xue Lan being Xu Anze's girlfriend, yet she deliberately ordered him around in front of Lanlan. Anyone with eyes could see it. Xue Lan wasn't stupid either.

"Whether these two are normal or not can be seen with your eyes. Even if Lanlan doesn't believe us, we can make her believe. We're with her every day, all we have to do is persuade her to break up. How hard can that be? You're underestimating my skills from winning first place in the city-wide Debate Competition back then."

She recalled that when she was class monitor, the teacher strictly enforced rules against students dating. She discovered a couple and persuaded them to break up, and they always did. She never failed.

Wei Xue's image instantly became grand in the eyes of Liu Mumu and Qian Xiaomeng.

Especially reliable!

On the other side, Xue Lan remained silent, not speaking.

Her attitude made Xu Anze panic. He quickly explained, "Zhuo Ran and I grew up together. She was in poor health, and then I transferred schools and never saw her again. When we returned together this time, she had an accident and was hospitalized. I couldn't leave her alone."

"During the Welcome Party, why didn't you tell me you knew her?" Xue Lan asked.

"I didn't want you to misunderstand our relationship, so I didn't say anything."

"Last night, I kept sending you messages, and today I called many times. Why didn't you answer?"

"My phone was with her." He couldn't hide this fact, because when they entered just now, his phone was in Zhuo Ran's hand.

The phone case was a matching one with Xue Lan's, chosen by her.

"Lanlan, there's really no ambiguous relationship between her and me. She's just used to bossing people around since she was little."

"You're also very used to being bossed around by her."

Xue Lan looked at Xu Anze before her and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

She thought that the Xu Anze in front of her was different, but the Xu Anze in front of Zhuo Ran was also someone she had never seen before.

No ambiguity, yet he personally fed her fruit.

He didn't even reply to his girlfriend's messages, but he let her play with his phone.

She asked him to get clothes in front of her, and he knew she would mind, yet he still went.

What did they take her for?

"If you don't believe me, I can have Zhuo Ran tell you herself." Xue Lan had always been a straightforward girl. She would tell him directly even if she was jealous.

But regarding Zhuo Ran, he couldn't say anything.

He thought: I just need to endure it for a while. Once my birthday passes, everything will return to normal.

"No need," Xue Lan shook her head. She believed Zhuo Ran didn't have any feelings for Xu Anze. The way someone looks at a person they like isn't like that. But Xu Anze's attitude made her very uneasy.

She thought their relationship was very pure, but she never expected to discover today that there was another person hidden in between.

It was like suddenly discovering that your boyfriend has a very close female friend, someone they are more familiar with, closer to, and more unrestrained with. You feel like an outsider.

"I just came to see if you were okay. Since you are, I'll be leaving now."

Xue Lan turned to leave. Xu Anze didn't follow her, nor did he say he would go with her.

He just said softly from behind, "When I get back, can I explain it to you then?"

She didn't know what illness Zhuo Ran had that made him so nervous. When she turned around, Xue Lan's palms were cold, her fingers trembling uncontrollably.

The three people who came to meet her, Liu Mumu, surrounded her. Qian Xiaomeng held Xue Lan's hand and asked nervously, "Lanlan, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, let's go." Xue Lan's expression was normal, and no one could see what she was thinking at the moment.

This normalcy lasted until evening.

She sat on the bed hugging her knees, lost in thought. Not a single message popped up on her phone.

Everyone in the dormitory was being careful, trying not to speak. Qian Xiaomeng, who was hanging clothes outside, made frantic gestures to Liu Mumu inside the room: "Mumu, lend me a clothes hanger!"

Liu Mumu, looking confused, took out a Snickers bar?

Qian Xiaomeng covered her face, feigning collapse.

Xue Lan saw this from above and finally couldn't help but chuckle.

Seeing her finally smile, everyone else also breathed a sigh of relief.

"You guys, did I overreact today?" Xue Lan asked hesitantly.

Wei Xue put down her book and cleared her throat, "From which angle do you want me to refute your self-doubt?"

Startled, Xue Lan stammered, "A, a normal angle?"

"Xiaomeng, tell Lanlan what a normal person would do?"

"Screw him!" Qian Xiaomeng answered casually while struggling with the washed clothes.

"Be more civilized."

"Beat the crap out of him." Qian Xiaomeng immediately changed her words.

"What if it was a misunderstanding?"

"A misunderstanding after all that? My boyfriend can only be my servant, I won't accept him fawning over other women."

Wei Xue made a gesture to savor it, "This is the normal person's perspective."

"Then... what about the abnormal perspective?"

As Xue Lan asked, she and Wei Xue simultaneously turned to look at Liu Mumu, who was eating a Snickers bar.

Liu Mumu tilted her head and thought, "If it were my boyfriend..."

Then she showed a ferocious smile, "When I was going home, my stepmother's younger brother was not very polite to me, and then his leg was broken. If it were my boyfriend, I could break his whole body."

Holy crap, that's a bit brutal.

The three in the dormitory leaned back.

Finally, Wei Xue summarized, "You don't need to take their words too seriously, after all, they've both been single since birth.

You also don't need to rush to consider breaking up and agonizing over your relationship.

You can continue to be with him. In the first year, you were in love, and hormones left your brain no time to think. Now you can look at him properly and consider whether to continue, and whether you can bear that he has so many secrets he hasn't told you.

He takes good care of you, but his habit of caring for people is based on taking care of Zhuo Ran since childhood. Therefore, you also need to re-evaluate his sincerity towards you."

Xue Lan nodded subconsciously.

Qian Xiaomeng and Liu Mumu looked at Wei Xue with awe. This wasn't emotional advice from a confidante, it was brainwashing!

While advising against breaking up for now, she was also pouring her own thoughts into Xue Lan while her emotions were wavering.

Are the champions of your city's Debate Competition this scary?

"Also, I think since Mumu is already so unscientific, why don't we be even more unscientific?" Wei Xue smiled slightly, looking like she had everything under control.

"How unscientific?" Xue Lan was almost convinced by her.

"If you want to know if Xu Anze can go the distance with you, thinking alone is useless, and you'll easily regret your choices. Why not let Mumu calculate for you if he will eventually become your destined marriage.

If there's no outcome, then just have fun, don't take it too seriously," Wei Xue added.

"Can you calculate it?" Xue Lan looked at Liu Mumu expectantly.

Liu Mumu didn't refuse. If Old Dong stayed home obediently next Saturday and didn't go out gallivanting, it wasn't impossible. She suddenly had some other ideas about the relationship between Xue Lan and Xu Anze.