SCHS - Chapter 80
Chapter 80
The jewelry design exhibition was scheduled from 10 AM to 6 PM. At 8 AM, Qin Zhen rushed Wen Shixue to the hospital, where they thoroughly checked the cause of her illness. Only after confirming it wasn't a serious issue did she feel relieved enough to take her home.
Wen Shixue lay in bed with a fever patch on her forehead. Her head felt swollen, dizzy, and achy. It wasn't excruciatingly uncomfortable, but she cursed the heavens inwardly—she had just promised yesterday that she wouldn't get sick, and today she was proven wrong!
Qin Zhen sat beside her, gently wiping her hands with a towel soaked in warm water, her eyes showing a hint of worry. Having grown accustomed to the usual lively Little Demon King, it was even harder to see her so listless and wilted. This made the always diligent Qin Zhen, for the first time, entertain the thought of slacking off work.
Wen Shixue touched her forehead, her eyes dull and listless. She looked weakly at Qin Zhen, then suddenly crawled up and burrowed into her arms, as if seeking comfort. Qin Zhen immediately reached out and held her, her voice filled with tenderness, "Are you feeling very uncomfortable?"
Wen Shixue was as soft as if she had no bones. She closed her eyes and buried her face in Qin Zhen's embrace, her words like feathers falling to the ground, light and airy: "Uncomfortable..."
Qin Zhen supported the back of her neck, gently soothing her: "It's okay. Shixue, get a good sleep, and you'll feel better when you wake up."
Wen Shixue nodded. Before Qin Zhen could offer to stay and take care of her, she spoke first: "Lao Qin, come back early, okay..."
Although the exhibition lasted until the afternoon, someone at Qin Zhen's level of Vice President could leave whenever she wanted. No one could force her to stay until the end. However, she might be invited to lunch by colleagues, which would take some time.
Qin Zhen paused, stroking her long hair repeatedly with her palm, and asked, "You don't want me to just stay and keep you company?"
Wen Shixue spoke weakly, her voice sounding lazy: "I do, but you said we should keep our promises. Chenfeng promised the organizers we'd be there, so we must go. And for such a big exhibition, it's better not to be absent... As for me, I can just have the auntie from my family come over to take care of me."
Then she mumbled, "But then Lao Wen and the others will know I'm sick..."
Qin Zhen saw that she was actually getting tangled up in this and couldn't help but laugh: "If you don't want them to worry, then exercise properly. The doctor said your immunity is low. Otherwise, what will you do if you get sick again next time?"
After she finished speaking, the person in her arms fell silent for a moment, so quiet it was as if she had fallen asleep. After a while, she let out a pitiful sound: "En."
Wen Shixue: No matter how I calculate it, I can't escape the fate of having to do physical exercise. I'm so miserable.
Qin Zhen comforted her for a couple of sentences, helped her lie down, and called the Wen family to send someone over to take care of Wen Shixue. Before leaving, Wen Shixue reluctantly grabbed one of her fingers and said, "If anyone dares to poach you, remember to put them on the blacklist and tell me when you get back."
"Poaching anyone is unacceptable, and poaching you is even more so."
Wen Shixue: Poaching others might leave a glimmer of hope, but anyone who dares to poach my girlfriend... they are doomed!
Qin Zhen smiled and agreed.
Xu Jianfan and Tao Wanwan had come directly from home to the exhibition, so they didn't know that Wen Shixue wouldn't be attending due to illness until they saw Qin Zhen and Bai Jing.
Qin Zhen's attire today was as steady and elegant as ever, leaving no room for criticism. Black straight-leg trousers, a white satin shirt, paired with a dark black long trench coat outside. A plain white long scarf draped from her straight shoulders, giving her a cool and distinguished aura, as if nothing in the world could shake her. Her black high heels clicked steadily on the ground as she walked towards them, her expression calm and composed.
The cold wind blew her slightly curled long hair, revealing the red rose earring dangling from her earlobe like a star. It was like a stunning rose suddenly blooming in the silence, instantly brightening the eyes.
Xu Jianfan recognized it; it was designed by the female colleague who sat next to his workstation. Worn on Qin Zhen's ear today, it was indescribably fitting, as if the earring was made for her.
Tao Wanwan quietly leaned closer to him and whispered, "Sometimes I'm actually quite curious."
Xu Jianfan leaned slightly and asked, "Curious about what?"
Tao Wanwan: "Curious about who will be able to win over Vice President Qin in the future. Aren't you curious?"
Xu Jianfan wasn't curious, not at all, because he had a hunch that person had already appeared, but for some reason, hadn't chosen to be honest with him yet—yes, he suspected it was Wen Shixue.
"What's there to be curious about?" Xu Jianfan smiled slightly and changed the subject. "Why not be curious about whose work will be selected by Qili Magazine as the best jewelry design of the year?"
Qili is a well-known fashion magazine in China. Anything related to fashion, Qili can analyze thoroughly, with every word insightful, earning it the title of "Fashion Textbook." It holds significant weight in the industry and is highly sought after by contemporary young people. Every year, they also rank the top ten jewelry designs in the country. Being recognized by them is equivalent to being recognized by the industry.
Of course, Qili couldn't miss this jewelry exhibition. It was possible that this year's champion was already at the exhibition.
Tao Wanwan nodded and then said, "New Year's Day is in a few days. Are you planning to go out and have fun?"
Xu Jianfan said he hadn't decided yet, then looked at the approaching Qin Zhen and asked doubtfully, "Vice President Qin, is President Wen not coming today?"
Qin Zhen didn't hide it: "She's sick. I'm attending on her behalf."
Both of them were momentarily stunned.
At this moment, Qin Zhen's gaze inadvertently swept towards the exhibition entrance and saw a man dressed in a low-key manner, wearing a baseball cap, standing at the door waiting for someone. She was very familiar with that face because she had seen it not long ago.
Yang Fangyu was again waiting for his friend who was addicted to being late. They weren't entering the venue ostentatiously today as producers of the "Gui Hong" game, because that would require sitting still and dealing with people afterward, which would hinder their free spirits from gaining inspiration. Hence, they planned to keep a low profile.
Unexpectedly, he didn't see his friend, but first saw Qin Zhen. The moment their eyes met, he knew Qin Zhen had recognized him. His heart immediately leaped into his throat, extremely worried that Qin Zhen would walk over and greet him, causing him to attract attention.
But Qin Zhen didn't. Her expression remained indifferent, neither overly enthusiastic nor cold. She quickly shifted her gaze, as if she had never seen him before.
From his attire, Qin Zhen could tell he didn't want to be recognized. Although she didn't know what he was up to, she was tactful enough not to approach, lest she cause displeasure and lead to the collapse of the cooperation that was still in the discussion stage.
Yang Fangyu breathed a huge sigh of relief, feeling immensely grateful that Qin Zhen was someone with good judgment.
The exhibition opened smoothly as in previous years. Qin Zhen had attended similar events many times and was well-versed in the procedures. Her expression remained calm and composed throughout, leaving no room for fault. But after the speeches ended, Xu Jianfan noticed that she started checking her phone more frequently.
He believed that if it weren't for the need to occasionally chat with people who came to greet her, Vice President Qin would definitely want to live inside her phone.
He looked around at the people nearby and immediately spotted Fu Xiangwen, the boss of Shuangmeng Jewelry. The other party was talking to someone else and hadn't given him a single glance, as if he were just a wisp of air in the venue, not someone he wanted to poach.
He couldn't help but think that perhaps it was because Vice President Qin was present; the other party wasn't foolish enough to poach someone right in front of her. But he didn't have much time to think, as his own work shone brightly at the exhibition, attracting much attention. Reporters drawn to his designs came one after another to hand him their business cards, hoping to get his first exclusive interview, leaving him overwhelmed.
Yang Fangyu also noticed his and Tao Wanwan's works, but before he could look at them for long, he was recognized by someone else. The person seemed not to notice he was trying to keep a low profile and openly put an arm around his shoulder, inviting him to lunch.
Unable to refuse the warm invitation, Yang Fangyu had to agree.
Wen Shixue didn't have much appetite. After eating some simple vegetable and lean meat porridge, she went back to sleep. She woke up groggily around noon, feeling much less dizzy and lightheaded.
The person taking care of her was Auntie Cui, a helper who had been with the Wen family for a long time. She was very familiar with Wen Shixue and was very kind. Seeing her awake, she quickly brought a glass of warm water and helped her drink it, saying with concern, "It's cold now, Miss. You must take good care of yourself."
Wen Shixue sniffled, unable to smell anything, and her breathing was a bit heavy. Then she nodded: "Okay, Auntie Cui."
Auntie Cui asked if she was hungry. She said a little, then added, "Wait, Auntie Cui, did you tell my parents?"
Auntie Cui said as a matter of course: "Yes, I did. You're like this, of course, the Master and Madam need to know."
Wen Shixue nodded weakly, imagining how she would be lectured later.
Auntie Cui went to make her porridge. She slumped back down, feeling weak all over. She picked up her phone and saw that it was already noon. Qin Zhen had specifically turned off her phone's sound before leaving to prevent her from being disturbed.
She scrolled through her emails and messages. There wasn't much work-related stuff, but there was a message from two minutes ago. The head of the Sales Department told her that people from the "Gui Hong" game company had visited their jewelry store and conducted a very detailed inspection of their products. One of them even bought a necklace for his wife while looking around.
Wen Shixue raised an eyebrow. Since Yang Fangyu sent people to investigate, it meant he actually had an intention to cooperate. That reassured her. A potential partner with an intention to cooperate was a hundred times easier to win over than one without.
She scrolled through the message box again. Qin Zhen had sent only one message, the content quite concise: [I'll be back after lunch with others. Send me a message when you wake up]
So she sent two messages.
[Wen Shixue]: Woke up, going back to sleep in a bit
[Wen Shixue]: You have to eat well too!
Qin Zhen replied very quickly, as if she had been holding her phone the whole time, just waiting for her message.
[Qin Zhen]: How are you feeling now? Still uncomfortable?
Wen Shixue wrapped herself up a bit tighter. For some reason, she especially wanted to act spoiled with her and have her coax her.
[Wen Shixue]: Uncomfortable, super uncomfortable, super want to be hugged by my girlfriend QAQ
[Qin Zhen]: Be good, I'll be back soon
Then she sent a "pat on the head" emoji from the system's sticker library.
At this moment, an idea suddenly popped into Wen Shixue's head.
[Wen Shixue]: I know a folk remedy, it's very effective for treating minor illnesses like mine, works every time, absolutely safe, no life-threatening risks
[Wen Shixue]: But I need your help
[Qin Zhen]: What?
[Wen Shixue]: Flower Kiss Therapy
Qin Zhen: "?"
...Something feels off. Is this really a folk remedy?
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