CH 32.2

now, back to the present, xiao zhenyun took his seat at the frontmost table. meanwhile, xiao nian left midway and went to another table. his role was added as an extra identity when the administrators discovered a book traveler who accidentally broke into the world. he wasn’t present in the original text. to as accurately as possible recreate the plot, he refused to sit at the head table and actively requested to go to a table specially prepared for children.

a bunch of noisy kids were causing a ruckus there, and xiao nian, sitting in the middle, was feeling miserable. but with a strong sense of responsibility, he endured the noise to ensure the plot was perfectly recreated.

xiao zhenyun was deeply touched by this and promised him that he wouldn’t make any mistakes in this scene.

a waiter approached xiao zhenyun, politely asking, “sir, what would you like to drink?”

xiao zhenyun hesitated between red wine and white wine. fortunately, the novel only mentioned ‘xiao zhenyun’ drinking due to jealousy, one glass after another. it didn’t specify what type of alcohol he was drinking. he decided to treat himself better. “give me the one with the lowest alcohol content.”

“alright, would a 3.5-degree white peach wine be okay?”

“…”

this won’t make me explode, right…? i wonder if pretending to be drunk can fool the original plot… but, for xiao nian’s sake, i promised to complete the mission without any mistakes.

but just as xiao zhenyun was about to speak, a hand suddenly blocked him from the waiter. it was a gesture of refusal, and si di frowned, saying, “he can’t handle alcohol. please bring him a pot of hot tea.”

“…” he forgot about this major unexpected factor! xiao zhenyun immediately held si di’s hand and said, “it’s a rare occasion, little chu is getting married, how can i, as his uncle, not drink?”

“no.” si di firmly refused. “xiao zhenyun, with your physical condition, smoking and drinking, do you want to go to the hospital?”

“fruit wine, how about some fruit wine? 3.5 degrees,” the request came.

“that won’t do either.” si di pulled a chair from the adjacent seat next to xiao zhenyun. it was evident he intended to stay put and keep a close eye on him. “you’d better drink hot water, and that’s that.”

xiao zhenyun hesitated, then lifted his head. to his surprise, xiao jingfeng had quietly taken a seat at the opposite table. he was smirking, clearly enjoying the interaction between him and si di. when their eyes met, xiao jingfeng raised an eyebrow and said with a sly smile, “looks like you two are getting along well.”

si di greeted xiao jingfeng, and they engaged in a conversation about health and si di’s application to become an assistant at the white tower.

while the two chatted, xiao zhenyun quickly sent a message to xiao nian, explaining his current dilemma and asking for advice on what to do now.

xiao nian: …

xiao nian: don’t stop me; i’m going to shark him tonight!!!

xiao zhenyun: give me a practical solution.

frustrated, xiao nian replied: i’m thinking!

xiao zhenyun: have you figured it out yet?

xiao nian: …

xiao nian: according to the original plot, shortly after the formal start of the banquet, xiao jingfeng will leave early because of guild business. when that happens, find any excuse to get si di out of here. i’ll keep him occupied, and you take the opportunity to drink heavily.

xiao zhenyun: how will you keep him occupied?

xiao nian: haven’t figured that out yet. we’ll see.

xiao zhenyun: …

xiao zhenyun: just make sure you keep him busy, and i’ll get myself drunk as soon as possible. also, did the guy who’s supposed to help me get in position?

xiao nian: …

as it turned out, everything unrelated to xiao zhenyun’s storyline matched the original content perfectly. as soon as the banquet began, xiao jingfeng received an urgent call. he listened to a few sentences and furrowed his brow before getting up and finding si qiaorong. after apologizing for the sudden departure, he left quickly.

at this moment, xiao zhenyun leaned in close to si di and whispered, “i left my medication in the car. could you please get it for me? it’s in a small white bag with blue text on it, on the back of the passenger seat.”

“what kind of medication is it?” si di didn’t waste any time and immediately put down his chopsticks.

“just a minor issue. i’ll be fine after taking it. don’t worry,” xiao zhenyun replied with a faint smile, watching si di walk away. then, he signaled a waiter with a stern expression and an authoritative tone, “bring me some white wine.”

waiter: …

in the hotel’s underground parking lot, si di easily found the bag xiao zhenyun had mentioned. it was a small white pouch with a handwritten date on it. however, just as he was about to check the medication’s name, he heard an urgent call from behind, “si, si di, big brother…”

si di turned around and saw xiao nian clutching his stomach, standing behind him, his face pale, and sweat forming on his forehead.

“xiao nian!” he immediately rushed over and embraced him. “what’s wrong with you?”

“my stomach hurts so much, big brother…” xiao nian gripped si di’s sleeve, his body curling in pain.

“xiao nian, hang in there. i’ll take you to the hospital right away.” si di scooped him up and placed him in the back seat of the car. then, he got behind the wheel, disabled the autopilot, and floored the accelerator, speeding out of the parking lot.

lying in his seat, xiao nian silently wiped the mineral water off his face and curled up into a ball. though it was quite unethical, for the sake of saving this world, si di, i can only apologize to you…

the nearest hospital to the hotel was a twenty-minute drive away, but si di, with his exceptional driving skills, managed to shrink that to just twelve minutes. he immediately secured an urgent appointment at the pediatric department. luckily, they encountered a doctor si di knew, which allowed xiao nian to cut in line and get into the examination room almost instantly.

this left xiao nian, who had initially planned on waiting for half an hour, feeling somewhat frustrated.

the doctor asked xiao nian if he had eaten something wrong. xiao nian had already prepared to turn his stomachache into a mysterious ailment and shook his head, saying, “no, i ate normally.”

the doctor pressed on the upper part of xiao nian’s stomach and asked if it hurt.

xiao nian: “yes, it hurts.”

he pressed on the lower abdomen, asking if it hurt.

xiao nian: “it hurts.”

the doctor continued to press wherever it hurt, asking about the nature of the pain. xiao nian improvised: “it’s a sharp cramp, with occasional stabbing pains, and sometimes it feels swollen and prickly.”

the doctor…

si di, who was accompanying xiao nian, listened to his descriptions, thinking that xiao nian was in such agony that he might not make it, urgently tried calling xiao zhenyun, but there was no answer on the other end. in his anxious wait, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t given xiao zhenyun the medicine he had in the car. he took out the medication from his pocket and absentmindedly glanced at it. the medication was an imported one with instructions entirely in a foreign language, which most people couldn’t decipher.

but reality is often dramatic in this way. si di had taken a course in this obscure language and recognized the characters on the sheet—

vitamin c tablets.

in an instant, he stood there, frozen in disbelief. he read it again quickly, then opened the paper bag, took out the pale yellow tablets, and sniffed them under his nose, confirming that they were indeed vitamin c tablets, with a citrusy scent.

in that moment, a jumble of thoughts flooded his mind, and countless possibilities sprang forth. he looked up, and not far from the examination bed, xiao nian was still in pain and discomfort, leaving the doctor utterly puzzled.

si di, clutching onto the last glimmer of hope, walked over to xiao nian and said, “xiao nian, your brother needs to go back to deliver medicine to your dad. i’ve called xiao jiali to come and accompany you, okay?”

“no…” xiao nian’s voice was hoarse, and he pleaded like a true child, “brother di, please don’t go. i’m scared…”

but it was this bit of coquettish voice that made si di’s expression turn completely cold.

—yeah, who wouldn’t like puppies?

the author has something to say:

zhenyun: *gulp, gulp, gulp, burp*

hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). i hope you enjoyed the story! if you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ