Chapter 227: “Why is Meimei Sick?”

The previously calm private room became awkward due to Zhang Zhiyin’s unusual behavior.

Everyone turned their attention to her. Fang Zhou, concerned, paused what he was doing and said, “Zhiyin, are you okay? Is this dish not to your taste?”

He had noticed earlier that Zhang Zhiyin seemed to have eaten a piece of fish. Could it have been too fishy?

Chu Xinran was allergic to fish, so he hadn’t eaten any. Only his sister and Zhang Zhiyin had eaten the fish.

Fang Wenjing, being clever, quickly grabbed several napkins and handed them to Zhang Zhiyin, letting her spit it out.

“Are you allergic?” she even asked naively.

Chu Xinran blinked, a bit puzzled. Huh? Is she also allergic to fish?

Zhang Zhiyin stood up abruptly, raising a hand to indicate she was fine.

“It’s nothing. Maybe the air conditioning was too cold last night, and I caught a chill.”

She indeed had a slight cold, and the nausea was a sudden reaction.

Having witnessed Fang Zhou’s intimate interactions with Qiao Sisi and others, Zhang Zhiyin wasn’t one to be easily shaken.

But it was just one of those coincidental moments.

“I need to use the restroom.”

Zhang Zhiyin quickly left the room, needing to calm herself.

Plus, she was genuinely annoyed by what she saw and needed to take a breather.

The rest, not understanding what was happening, continued eating.

Fang Zhou, however, was a bit anxious.

He seemed to have guessed something.

He stood up, saying he needed to use the restroom too.

When he reached the restroom, he saw Zhang Zhiyin staring into space at the sink, water running over her hands as she zoned out.

She seemed deep in thought, absorbed in some distant place, oblivious to the water flowing over her arms.

Was everything she had dreamt of just a product of her overactive writer’s imagination?

Had she imagined everything, and Fang Zhou would actually end up living happily with one of his ex-girlfriends, just like what she saw earlier?

Her thoughts were a tangled mess, scattered and disorganized, not knowing where to start.

It wasn’t until another woman exited the restroom, her footsteps jolting her awake, that she turned off the faucet and stepped out.

Just a few steps out, she saw Fang Zhou in the corridor.

Seeing him waiting for her confirmed her suspicion.

“What’s up?”

Zhang Zhiyin had composed herself, asking calmly.

“She cut her wrist because of me a few days ago.”

With no time to waste, Fang Zhou went straight to the point, explaining in one sentence.

A flash of realization crossed Zhang Zhiyin’s mind. She understood!

So Fang Zhou wasn’t actually with her; he was just accommodating her, preventing her from doing anything drastic.

A spark of life appeared in her eyes as she gazed at Fang Zhou intently.

He had taken her words to heart, right?

The change in Zhang Zhiyin’s gaze was evident to Fang Zhou.

The bond they had built over time allowed him to gently nod, affirming her thoughts.

“It’s exactly as you think.”

There wasn’t much more he could say here; they’d talk more when the opportunity arose.

Zhang Zhiyin was silent for a moment before finally saying, “I believe you.”

Since she had chosen him, she would trust him wholeheartedly.

She believed Fang Zhou wouldn’t deceive her. They had known each other for years, and that trust was there.

Fang Zhou visibly brightened.

Nothing could be more reassuring than those words.

“Let’s go back. We’ll finish eating, and then I’ll take you home.”

When they returned to the private room, they found Fang Wenjing and Chu Xinran chatting and laughing, seemingly getting along well.

“If you two don’t come back soon, we’re gonna finish all the food,” Fang Wenjing said playfully, blinking at them.

Fang Zhou raised an eyebrow, looking at his sister incredulously, “With your tiny stomach, you think you’ll eat it all?”

Fang Wenjing huffed, pretending to be angry, “Are you underestimating me? Before I got sick, I was a food warrior!”

This comment made Chu Xinran look over in surprise, “Meimei, why are you sick?”

The question brought an awkward silence over the table.

Zhang Zhiyin instinctively opened her mouth to cover for her, as this illness was a sensitive topic for a girl.

But she didn’t know what position to speak from.

Fang Zhou also didn’t want too many people to know about his sister’s illness.

However, Fang Wenjing herself didn’t mind.

To her, Chu Xinran was already someone close, so letting her know wasn’t a big deal.

The seventeen-year-old girl calmly told Chu Xinran, “It’s nothing, just a kidney disease.”

She still had a shadow over the term uremia, so she used a more common term.

Chu Xinran was shocked and wanted to ask more about the kidney disease that made the three of them so reticent.

But a glance at Fang Zhou’s darkened face told her now was not the time.

Even the most oblivious person would realize now wasn’t the time to dig deeper.

So, she swallowed her remaining questions.

She stood up and gently patted Fang Wenjing’s shoulder, offering encouragement.

“It’s okay, Meimei. It can be cured, right?”

After all, she had her own illness too, albeit a psychological one.

After spending time with Fang Zhou the past few days, it didn’t seem as severe anymore.

Last night, when her psychologist tested her, she even smiled.

“You seem really happy these past two days. If you can keep this up, your depression should improve quickly.”

As they say, happiness brings good health, and Chu Xinran knew this well.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine soon. Don’t worry about me.”

Fang Wenjing smiled brightly, like a little sun.

Her tone was light, as if she didn’t take life and death too seriously.

They had found a kidney source, so everything else would follow naturally.

She wanted to share her happiness with everyone she cared about.

“Alright, enough about that. Let’s eat before the food gets cold.”

Fang Zhou didn’t want to linger on the topic, urging everyone to eat.

He didn’t want Chu Xinran or Zhang Zhiyin to think his sister was seeking sympathy.

She had an independent and complete personality; being sick didn’t change that. She didn’t need anyone’s pity.

Even though he knew they wouldn’t look down on his sister, forgive him for being a protective brother.