Chapter 238: You Really Don’t Care?

Su Zhaozhao picked some and put them in the refrigerator.

She also took out some other fruits and vegetables, but not too many, lest she arouse suspicion.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Zhaozhao, Zhaozhao!"

It was Li Tiantian.

Su Zhaozhao went to open the door. The moment Li Tiantian saw her, she blurted out, "Zhaozhao, don’t have dinner with Xie Huaizheng tonight, okay? School’s starting for me in a couple of days, and I want to eat with you."

Li Tiantian was the type to act on a whim, just like the last time she’d come looking for Su Zhaozhao.

But after she spoke, she noticed Su Zhaozhao’s pale complexion and paused.

"Zhaozhao, why do you look so pale? Are you sick?"

And look at her lips—once full and rosy, they were now ghostly white. She looked like a delicate flower battered by the elements, a truly heart-wrenching sight.

"Did Xie Huaizheng bully you? You looked so well just the other day. Why do you look so pitiful now?"

Li Tiantian cupped Su Zhaozhao’s face in her hands and gave her cheeks a gentle squeeze.

Still, she had to admit, Su Zhaozhao’s cheeks were delightfully soft.

Su Zhaozhao let her fuss for a moment before gently pulling her hands away. "I had a fever yesterday," she said. "You should probably keep your distance. I don’t want to get you sick."

’Although she suspected the illness stemmed from her own inner turmoil—a case of extreme anxiety and anger.’

’But she couldn’t rule out a virus either.’

’After all, the weather had been getting colder lately.’

"I’m not scared!" Li Tiantian declared immediately. "I’m super healthy. I only get sick once a year, at most."

"Don’t jinx it," Su Zhaozhao quickly stopped her. "But as you can see, I’m sick now, so I can’t go out with you."

’Of course, she herself actually wanted to go for a stroll.’

She glanced outside. The sky was blue, dotted with white clouds, and the sun was blazing. To be honest, she felt a little chilly in the house; going outside to bask in the sun for a bit sounded quite nice.

"But Zhaozhao, honestly, I think that’s all the more reason you *should* come out with me. We should go for a walk, get some fresh air, and soak up some sun. It’ll actually help you recover."

Su Zhaozhao thought Li Tiantian had a point.

’Besides, she needed a plausible excuse for all the things she’d taken out of her storage space.’

’Saying she’d bought them while out shopping would be the perfect cover.’

"Okay, wait for me. I’ll change my clothes, and we can go for a walk."

"Okay."

Su Zhaozhao went back to her room and changed into a long-sleeved shirt and pants. She also put on a hat and even wrapped a silk scarf around the lower half of her face.

"Let’s go."

When she came out, Li Tiantian saw how thoroughly she was covered and couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter. "Zhaozhao, isn’t that a little over the top?"

"Then again, you’re right. You’re sick, so you can’t be too careful. This is actually pretty smart."

Li Tiantian took Su Zhaozhao’s hand and led her downstairs, her movements incredibly gentle, as if she were handling a fragile porcelain doll.

Her extreme caution made Su Zhaozhao laugh.

"You don’t have to be so careful. I’m already feeling much better."

Especially once they were outside, with the hot sun beating down on her, Su Zhaozhao instantly felt a sense of comfort spread through her body.

’Getting out for a walk in the sun really is the best medicine.’

Su Zhaozhao took off the scarf, letting the sunlight touch her face. ’A little UV exposure should be good for disinfecting things,’ she figured.

"There’s not much to see right around here," Li Tiantian said. "I was originally planning to take you into town, but we’ll have to save that for another day."

Li Tiantian had actually already wheeled her bicycle over. But she hadn’t expected Su Zhaozhao to be sick. She didn’t dare take her somewhere far away. If something happened, Xie Huaizheng would definitely kill her.

She had no doubt about that!

"Yeah, let’s just walk over to the market. I want to buy some groceries."

Li Tiantian was surprised. "Zhaozhao, you’re sick. You’re not actually planning on cooking dinner tonight, are you?"

Su Zhaozhao quickly shook her head with a smile. "No, I just realized our fridge is almost empty. I figured I’d buy a few things so Huai Zheng can cook when he gets back."

’She had tasted Xie Huaizheng’s cooking last night. Hmm, it wasn’t bad. If he were to cook for her like that from now on, Su Zhaozhao thought she could definitely get used to it.’

"Then let’s go."

The familiar route made Su Zhaozhao frown.

It reminded her of what had happened yesterday.

She had been on her way to buy things then, too, when she’d run into Gu Qingran and learned about her case of mistaken identity.

But in a way, she was grateful to Gu Qingran. It was Gu Qingran who had told her the truth; otherwise, she’d still be completely in the dark.

’If I see Gu Qingran,’ Su Zhaozhao thought, ’I’ll definitely tell her that I won’t stand in her way with Xie Huaizhen.’

’After all, they were the original male and female leads of this book. Since I’ve found my own happiness, I can wish her well too.’

’To be honest, though, when I was listening to the audiobook, I really don’t remember ever hearing about Xie Huaizheng...’

’Otherwise, with a name so similar to Xie Huaizhen’s, I probably would have gotten them confused.’

’But I didn’t. Does that mean Xie Huaizheng never appeared in the story I listened to?’

’That has to be it. Otherwise, there’s no way I would forget someone so handsome and with such a strong personality.’

’The problem is, I have no idea how the plot develops from here. But who cares? I’ll just take it one step at a time.’

Su Zhaozhao and Li Tiantian bought a few things and started heading back.

As they were approaching the entrance to the military compound, they saw Gu Qingran pacing back and forth.

Su Zhaozhao was taken aback. ’So, has Gu Qingran just been camping out here waiting for Xie Huaizhen all this time?’

Gu Qingran saw Su Zhaozhao and walked up to her. "You still haven’t given me an answer from yesterday."

Su Zhaozhao nodded. "I wish you well. Your pursuit of Xie Huaizhen is your business. It has nothing to do with me."

Gu Qingran breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I hope you mean what you say. In the future, no matter how successful Xie Huaizhen becomes, you’d better not try to fight me for him."

’She was sure Su Zhaozhao had no idea that Xie Huaizhen was destined to be a powerful figure. Otherwise, a social climber like her would be sucking up to him already, wouldn’t she?’

"I won’t," Su Zhaozhao said.

Gu Qingran calmed down, but she couldn’t shake the fact that Su Zhaozhao was simply too beautiful. It wouldn’t do to have her hanging around in front of Xie Huaizhen all the time.

"Then can you promise me you’ll disappear from Xie Huaizhen’s life forever? That you’ll never see him again?"

’Su Zhaozhao doesn’t even have to leave West State,’ she thought. ’As long as she doesn’t run into Xie Huaizhen, everything will be fine.’

Li Tiantian, who had been standing by, couldn’t take it anymore. "Who do you think you are? How can you be so rude? Who Zhaozhao sees is her own business. It’s not your place to say anything!"

Furious, Gu Qingran glared at Li Tiantian.

Just as she was about to say something, a cold, deep voice cut in from the side, tinged with sarcasm. "It seems you really don’t care at all, do you?"