After helping Bai Xiying to the hospital, they happened to run into that same doctor from last time.
"What's going on?" The doctor frowned. "Why are you here again?"
He looked the two of them up and down, noting that their meeting was indeed quite soon after the last one.
"This frequent use of the drug isn't a good sign," he muttered.
With years of experience, the doctor could tell at a glance what was happening with Bai Xiying.
When Bai Xiying had come in last time, she had been unconscious and hadn't seen the doctor. After waking up, her mind had been elsewhere, so when she heard his words, she raised her eyes slightly to glance at Lin Xingzhu.
Lin Xingzhu felt a bit awkward. "There are too many heartless people out there."
The doctor didn't say anything more and had the nurse push Bai Xiying into an examination room.
Lin Xingzhu sat outside waiting. When the doctor came out a short while later, she quickly grabbed his arm and asked, "What do you mean by that? What's not a good sign?"
The doctor paused, considering his words. "I mentioned before that a small amount of the drug can enhance the experience and increase intimacy. However, your friend has already been exposed to a powerful new drug once before; she's just recently come out of recovery, and now her body has been stimulated again. If this happens a few more times, her body could start to react in a continuous way..."
Lin Xingzhu's eyes widened, and her brows furrowed tightly.
"...In short, her body will be more sensitive than normal, and she may develop other uncontrollable side effects," the doctor continued. "As of now, I haven't encountered such a case, and what I'm saying is based on my years of professional experience."
After a moment, Lin Xingzhu hesitated, "So if this is the outcome, it's because of that herbal medicine from half a month ago?"
The doctor glanced at her and confirmed her assumption.
Lin Xingzhu paused for a moment, slowly releasing her grip on the doctor's sleeve.
So this was still the result of the original body's misdeeds.
"I understand," Lin Xingzhu said. "You can go in now."
Once the doctor left, Lin Xingzhu leaned back on the bench in the corridor, resting her forehead in thought.
—If this happens a few more times, her body could react continuously...
—Was it because of the herbal medicine from half a month ago?
—Yes.
Lin Xingzhu slowly closed her eyes. To prevent this situation, it meant that they had to eliminate the possibility of any more spring drugs affecting Bai Xiying.
This meant that Bai Xiying, or rather she and Bai Xiying together, had to remain vigilant and prevent future troubles.
Lin Xingzhu exhaled slowly, having made her decision.
When Bai Xiying was pushed out, her expression had already returned to calm, showing no signs of distress.
Lying on the stretcher, Bai Xiying looked a bit pale, and the lip balm on her lips had worn off, revealing her natural lip color, a light pink hue.
She said weakly, "Sorry to trouble you again."
Seeing her so listless, Lin Xingzhu paused for a moment and suddenly asked, "Are you hungry?"
At the banquet, Bai Xiying had only eaten a few desserts to tide her over, hardly having time for a proper meal.
Bai Xiying's expression suddenly changed, and her pale face seemed to gain a bit of life.
"..." Lin Xingzhu touched her nose and added, "If I buy porridge, it will have sugar in it."
Bai Xiying's gaze immediately brightened with satisfaction.
Seeing this, Lin Xingzhu turned on her heel and left the hospital to get food.
Recently, she had discovered that Bai Xiying had a preference for sweets. Thinking back, during her previous hospital stay, Lin Xingzhu had adhered to the stereotype of ordering bland meals for Bai Xiying, mostly light-flavored dishes. It was impressive that she had managed to endure eating them.
After reminding the shopkeeper to add more sugar, Lin Xingzhu picked up the dinner she had ordered.
This time, Bai Xiying was back in the same hospital room as last time. Lin Xingzhu navigated the elevator effortlessly, and upon reaching the corridor, she suddenly heard voices coming from inside the room.
She paused momentarily as she reached for the door, then looked in and immediately saw a wheelchair by the bedside, with a figure sitting in it.
A sudden, indescribable premonition surged in her heart.
As she pushed the door open, the people inside turned to look.
A gentle and graceful face came into view.
"...Lin Xingzhu?" The woman, exuding a soft aura, instinctively frowned.
Lin Xingzhu greeted her, and as she leaned down to place the food, she heard Bai Xiying speak softly to the woman, "Senior, I'm friends with Lin Xingzhu now."
Xie Yunya's frown hadn't completely smoothed out, but her expression had indeed improved significantly.
She surveyed the hospital room and finally noticed the surroundings. Given Xiying's condition, she certainly couldn't stay in a high-end VIP room, but if it were Lin Xingzhu... Thinking this, she glanced at Lin Xingzhu, and it all made sense.
But how did Xiying end up with Lin Xingzhu?
People's inherent impressions are indeed hard to erase. Lin Xingzhu had a poor reputation at school and was someone Xie Yunya would never have interacted with before. But now that they had a mutual friend, Xie Yunya thought she should try to trust Xiying's judgment.
Perhaps Lin Xingzhu wasn't as terrible as the rumors suggested?
Thus, Xie Yunya spoke gently, "I just happened to run into Xiying in the hospital corridor. We haven't seen each other in a long time, so I came here to catch up."
She thought that since it was Lin Xingzhu who had booked the VIP room, she should at least inform Lin Xingzhu.
"I see," Lin Xingzhu smiled lightly and casually asked, "What happened to your leg? Is it serious?"
Xie Yunya was taken aback; she hadn't expected Lin Xingzhu to show concern. She touched her leg and smiled, "It's nothing serious. I should be able to get discharged soon. I just happened to run into Xiying and Doctor Zhao on the fifth floor, and that's how I found out Xiying was here."
The fifth floor... Lin Xingzhu lowered her gaze. Bai Xiying's room was on the ninth floor, while Doctor Zhao's examination room was on the third floor. So why had they encountered each other on the fifth floor?
A fleeting thought crossed her mind. In the original story, Bai Xiying indeed reunited with Xie Yunya at the hospital after graduating, and it was coincidentally on the fifth floor.
The reason Lin Xingzhu remembered this detail so clearly was that she had a colleague dealing with urinary issues at that time, and the description of the fifth floor in the original story happened to align with that specialty. She had glossed over that part but had unconsciously noted it down.
As the memory stirred, Lin Xingzhu quickly sensed something was off.
At that moment, the sense of unease from half a month ago resurfaced.
—"Who did you hear that from?"
—"Maybe it was someone familiar who ran into her at the bar."
Half a month ago, Shang Zengrou had come to the hospital to find her and revealed that the news of "Bai Xiying being hospitalized" had spread. However, on that day when they left the bar, Bai Xiying's face had been buried in her arms, and even Mu Muqing hadn't recognized her.
She had walked quickly, not encountering anyone along the way. As for the familiar person mentioned by Shang Zengrou seeing her, that was indeed a possibility.
But Lin Xingzhu felt that the likelihood was far too low.
Yet, this false rumor spread rapidly and soon reached Qiao Ziqing, who had been concerned about Bai Xiying, leading to her subsequent actions.
Piecing together all these signs seemed logical, yet Lin Xingzhu felt an odd sensation.
Moreover... Xie Yunya was not just a simple senior; she was also one of the antagonists in the original story.
The late-night collision at the bar with Mu Muqing, the false rumors enraging Qiao Ziqing, and the strange encounter on the fifth floor of the hospital.
In a flash, Lin Xingzhu seemed to understand everything.
Xie Yunya looked at the silent Lin Xingzhu with confusion. "Is something wrong?"
Lin Xingzhu raised her head, maintaining a calm expression. "No, I was just surprised to run into you at the hospital; it's quite a coincidence."
Xie Yunya was a year above her and addressing her as "senior" was perfectly appropriate.
Lin Xingzhu then turned to Bai Xiying, concerned. "Did Doctor Zhao take you to the fifth floor for another checkup?"
Bai Xiying subtly withdrew her gaze from Lin Xingzhu.
"No," Bai Xiying shook her head. "Doctor Zhao just took me to find a colleague to get some keys for equipment."
Lin Xingzhu nodded, her tension easing with her words.
Bai Xiying's lashes fluttered as she looked down at the steaming porridge on the table.
The fifth floor...?
At that moment, having finished dealing with Xie Yunya, Lin Xingzhu turned to organize the items on the table, a complex realization flickering in her eyes.
So that was it...
Since she entered the world of this book, the original plot had indeed changed.
But fortunately, this change in the plot wouldn't lead to irreversible consequences or punishments as she had learned from her previous life's understanding of forced narrative structures.
Everything in the world operates with logic; it exists materially rather than as an empty fantasy—even if, as a book, its settings are the author's imaginings. Yet now that this has become a world of its own, it must adhere to its rules and logic.
That's why an unlikely encounter with an acquaintance could disrupt things. Doctor Zhao had no real reason to bring Bai Xiying along, yet he did so when heading to the fifth floor to retrieve keys.
Although the probability of these events happening was low, upon reflection, it made sense.
With that thought in mind, her hasty exit from the bar that led to a collision with Mu Muqing seemed the simplest and most logical explanation.
The world need not follow the flawed plot lines of the original, but perhaps its existence indeed stemmed from the original book, which is why, as events unfold, some original storylines remain intact.
This storyline could perhaps be summarized as the sequence of character appearances.
—From the first antagonist, Mu Muqing, to the second, Qiao Ziqing, and now the third, Xie Yunya.
But Lin Xingzhu wasn't certain if the only aspect the world could influence was the sequence of appearances.
Her eyes flickered; perhaps she could use Qiao Ziqing as a test?