Chapter 87 p1
Back at the hospital, the doctors and nurses were surprised to see Lou Mi return.
“You’re quite something. Even though you don’t have any life-threatening injuries, those cuts would make most people wince in pain with every movement, and yet you’re running around. You truly live up to your name, HighTowerMiyuki.”
Feeling ashamed from the teasing, Lou Mi cooperated fully with her treatment for the next few days.
When Chi Lin was around, forget about cooperating, Lou Mi wouldn’t even lift a finger, acting as if her bones were shattered, insisting that Chi Lin feed her every bite.
Why argue with an injured person? Chi Lin indulged her, hoping she would recover quickly.
Lou Lixing visited a few times, growing increasingly puzzled. He pulled Peng Ziyuan aside in the hallway and asked, confused:
“Is Little Lin back to normal again?”
Seeing his cluelessness, Peng Ziyuan couldn’t help but worry about his company—with his wooden head, would the company go bankrupt?
“It’s not the first time those two lovebirds have had a little spat. They’ll make up soon, what are you worrying about?”
“…Really?” Lou Lixing pondered. “Isn’t Little Lin’s temper a bit too erratic? Does she need to see a therapist or something?”
Peng Ziyuan rolled her eyes: “I know my own daughter. You should go back to your company, that’s your battlefield.”
Lou Lixing left with his doubts, and the members of Nine Heavens arrived with theirs.
Lou Mi had a private room. As soon as her parents left, just as her fingers slipped between Chi Lin’s buttons, pulling her closer for a kiss, Zhuo Jinglan, Xie Buyu, and Fu Tu burst in:
“Sister Mi! Are you feeling better?!”
Chi Lin, startled by the sudden intrusion, almost did a push-up against the bed.
Lou Mi: “…”
She didn’t know if she was feeling better, but she was definitely about to suffer internal injuries from all the commotion.
Xie Buyu and Fu Tu were beaming; they came bearing good news.
Lou Mi, leaning against the bed, already knew: “You played beautifully today, I watched the entire live stream, I’m so proud of you, really.”
Xie Buyu’s eyes welled up: “Sister Mi! I love you!” She was about to hug Lou Mi.
Chi Lin quickly intercepted her: “Sister’s injuries haven’t healed yet, physical contact isn’t advisable.”
Xie Buyu retreated with an “Oh, oh”: “Sorry, Little Sister, I was just too excited. Do you know what the predictions were before the match? Everyone said Nine Heavens would be crushed without HighTowerMiyuki, we were so fired up! And we won! This slap in the face felt so good, my hand is still tingling!”
A passing nurse opened the door and said, “Please keep it down, you’re being a bit too loud.”
Fu Tu quickly apologized for Xie Buyu: “Sorry, we’ll be more careful…” and kicked Xie Buyu’s butt.
Xie Buyu glared at her and pinched her waist behind her back.
The two continued their silent squabble, pinching and grabbing at each other.
The nurse reminded them to keep their visit short, as the patient needed rest.
After the nurse left, they gathered around Lou Mi, discussing the match.
Xie Buyu recounted the events with great enthusiasm, talking non-stop for over half an hour like a stand-up comedian, finally stopping when she got thirsty and asked Fu Tu to pour her some water.
Fu Tu clicked her tongue, annoyed by her demands, gave her a little kick, and then picked up the cup on the table to pour some water.
It was Lou Mi’s cup.
Chi Lin watched intently. Lou Mi also noticed but didn’t stop Fu Tu. Chi Lin looked at her questioningly.
The veteran members of Nine Heavens, especially the core trio of Lou Mi, Xie Buyu, and Fu Tu, were very close.
Teamwork was crucial in holographic esports, and they had to build strong synergy.
When Nine Heavens was first formed, they lived together, the three of them in one room, A Bao and Xiao V in another, often visiting each other’s rooms to get to know each other better.
When they went abroad for competitions, they shared everything, clothes, shoes, even walking around naked after showering without any embarrassment.
However, since A Bao was Lou Mi’s disciple, Lou Mi had always been more reserved in front of her, avoiding anything too unrestrained.
Thinking back now, she was relieved.
Fu Tu using Lou Mi’s cup was completely out of habit; she didn’t think anything of it.
But Lou Mi, newly in love, or rather, almost in love, panicked slightly under Chi Lin’s gaze and urged Fu Tu to use a disposable cup from the cabinet.
Fu Tu, who had already poured water for everyone, including herself: “?”
Lou Mi noticed that Huhu and Slay weren’t there and asked Zhuo Jinglan where they were.
Zhuo Jinglan’s face had been dark since she entered. She hadn’t wanted to tell Lou Mi about this, wanting her to focus on her recovery.
But Lou Mi, who usually didn’t pay attention to such things, was surprisingly perceptive today and noticed their absence, persistently asking about them.
Exasperated, Zhuo Jinglan finally told her the truth:
“Slay had a terrible headache after the match. We just took him for a checkup, Huhu is with him. We have to go back and check on him later.”
“What? A headache? Has he had this before?”
“I haven’t heard him mention it…”
Fu Tu said, “I saw him taking medicine in the hallway once and asked him what it was. He said it was a painkiller. I asked him where it hurt, and he pointed to his head.”
Zhuo Jinglan immediately thought of Lou Mi’s similar symptoms and looked at her.
Lou Mi understood immediately. Slay had the same problem as her: “Holographic gaming syndrome? Is it serious?”
“He powered through the match today, but afterwards, he just lay there for a long time without moving, it scared me.” Zhuo Jinglan said. “We don’t know the details yet, but it seems like an acute onset.”
Lou Mi was worried and wanted to see Slay.
Seeing her about to get out of bed, moving surprisingly quickly, Chi Lin immediately rushed to help her.
Lou Mi hadn’t even warmed the bed yet and was already getting up. Chi Lin wasn’t pleased.
But Lou Mi was worried about her teammate, and she wouldn’t be able to rest without seeing him.
So, Chi Lin said something incredibly outrageous:
“I’ll carry you there.”
Lou Mi stared at her, thinking she had misheard: “Huh?!”
“I’ll carry you, I’ll be careful, I won’t hurt your wounds.”
Chi Lin spoke seriously, not sounding like she was joking.
Well, this serious ancient person probably didn’t know how to joke.
These words were much more potent than a joke.
Afraid that Chi Lin would actually do it, Lou Mi quickly grabbed her hand and whispered:
“Don’t be silly, my teammates are there, what would they think if you carried me?”
Chi Lin didn’t understand. Her Majesty would often fake illness and act weak when she was perfectly healthy, and if she had a slight headache, she would cling to Chi Lin for days. Now Lou Mi was genuinely injured, what was wrong with carrying her, acting as her legs?
“Are you embarrassed because there are other people around?”
“Is there any other reason?”
“Which is more important, your pride or your body?”
“My pride.”
“…”
Later, Chi Lin learned that hospitals in this era were full of wheelchairs.
She went to ask a nurse for a wheelchair, and the nurse brought out a box smaller than her face.
Chi Lin looked at the box, thinking, this was a wheelchair? It was completely different from the four-wheeled carts in Dayuan. How did it work?
Was she supposed to sit on this palm-sized surface?
Confused, she asked the nurse.
The nurse, surprised that a young girl in this day and age didn’t know how to use a folding wheelchair, took the box and, with a flick of her wrists, unfolded it into a wheelchair.
Chi Lin studied the wheelchair as she pushed it towards the ward.
She pushed the wheelchair in and helped Lou Mi sit down.
Chi Lin was completely focused: “Be careful.”
Lou Mi smiled sweetly: “Okay, I’ll be careful.”
Xie Buyu and Fu Tu watched, their eyes gleaming.
These two, their fights and reconciliations were so unpredictable.
And not only were they unpredictable, but they were also force-feeding everyone dog food in broad daylight. It was sickeningly sweet.
They found Slay and Huhu. Slay’s checkup was finished. He was in a lot of pain and had just fallen asleep while receiving an IV drip.
Huhu relayed the doctor’s words: “The results aren’t out yet, but based on Slay’s description of his symptoms, the doctor suspects it’s holographic gaming syndrome. He advised him not to enter the game world for a week, to get some sunlight, read books, watch some light entertainment, and relax his mind. Further treatment will depend on the test results.”
They had all anticipated this outcome, but with Lou Mi injured first and now Slay having problems, and with the last two matches of the Winter World Cup, the most challenging ones, approaching, it was impossible not to worry.
It wasn’t just a lack of substitute players; they couldn’t even field a full team of four.
They fell silent.
Xie Buyu was the first to ask Lou Mi, “Where’s Jun Jun? She went out with you, where is she now?”
Lou Mi’s eyes flickered towards Chi Lin: “She’s gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
“…”
Zhuo Jinglan said, “I haven’t seen her all day. I called the number she gave us, but no one answered. I don’t know what she’s thinking. These young people are so irresponsible. She seemed reliable, but she just disappeared without a word? Is she not coming back?”
Lou Mi saw them all staring at her: “How would I know? I barely know her.”
Zhuo Jinglan: “You barely know her, and yet you gave her a ride?”
Xie Buyu, seeing Zhuo Jinglan’s genuine anxiety, and knowing she shouldn’t say such things in front of Lou Mi’s little sister, quickly coughed:
“The minibus was full, our Sister Mi was just being nice. Sister Lan, why are you so dense? Hey, Little Sister, don’t mind them, are you scared?”
Zhuo Jinglan’s head was about to explode. What were they supposed to do now, three players down?
These brats were so carefree, she wanted to wring their necks.
If Jun Jun were here, she could temporarily fill the gap, but now she had vanished. Some of the remaining trainees had potential, but they were too inexperienced to be thrown into the World Cup.
As Zhuo Jinglan’s head buzzed with worry, Lou Mi patted her arm:
“Don’t worry so much about such a small matter. Leave the day after tomorrow’s match to me, you just relax.”
“Huh? Sister Mi, you’re playing?”
Chi Lin looked at her worriedly, realizing she wasn’t joking.
Lou Mi: “What, you think I can’t swing a sword anymore? Why the long faces?”
Xie Buyu: “It’s not about whether you can swing a sword or not, it’s just that we’ve never seen a wheelchair-bound player before, it’s quite novel.”
Lou Mi kicked at her. Xie Buyu, a professional player after all, dodged swiftly. Lou Mi missed and kicked the wall.
Lou Mi: “…”
Tears welled up as she clutched her foot.
Xie Buyu: “…Sister Mi, are you alright?”
Fu Tu criticized her: “Why did you dodge? Would it kill you to let Sister Mi kick you?”
Xie Buyu repented: “I’m sorry, Sister Mi, I should have just stood there and let you kick me.”
Zhuo Jinglan waved her hand dismissively, shooing away their noise like buzzing flies:
“Can you stop fooling around? Lou Mi, you can’t play, the doctor definitely won’t allow it, and neither will I. I’ll set up a video conference, and we’ll discuss who can fill in. We have to try something…”
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