Mute Beauty

Chapter 050: Listening

Yu Ting stared blankly at the message.

When Ran Ling mistakenly thought she was getting back together with Shi Yi and argued with her, she had sent a flurry of questions without ever calling her "Ting Ting."

Suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, Yu Ting realized that she was struggling to accept this.

Why was that?

Was it because Ran Ling, upon waking and not seeing her, thought Yu Ting had abandoned her? For the past two days, Yu Ting had been hot and cold with her, leaving Ran Ling feeling insecure. She had been accommodating, trying hard to comfort her, only to be met with feelings of abandonment from Yu Ting, especially at such a vulnerable moment... Was she hurt?

[I'll be with you]

[I'm going back now]

[I just went home to get some clean clothes. I didn't expect you to wake up so quickly. I'm coming back now.]

She sent three messages in a row, explaining why she had left. Yu Ting held her phone and waited for a moment, but Ran Ling didn't reply. She didn't continue waiting and went downstairs to let the driver take her to the hospital.

The hospital wasn't very close; it was a thirty-minute drive. During the ride, Yu Ting occasionally checked the message thread, seeing her three lonely messages sitting there unanswered. By the time they arrived at the hospital, Ran Ling still hadn't replied, and Yu Ting had no idea what she was doing. Was she sulking? Or was she feeling unwell?

Once inside the hospital, Yu Ting took the elevator to the correct floor. As she pushed the door open, she immediately heard a fit of violent coughing.

"Cough cough... cough cough..."

There was Ran Ling in a hospital gown, barefoot and leaning against the sink, coughing violently. Her emaciated shoulders trembled, and her long hair hung messily down, her frail body shaking with the force of the coughs. Thankfully, Aunt Song was there to support her; otherwise, she might have collapsed. Aunt Song looked pained as she patted Ran Ling's back while holding the IV bag connected to her hand. "It's okay, it's okay, oh dear..."

"What happened?" Yu Ting quickly put down what she was holding and walked over, taking Aunt Song's place to support Ran Ling's shoulder and steady her hand that was connected to the IV. "What's wrong?"

Aunt Song explained, "I just fed her a bit of congee, and as soon as she drank it, she threw up."

"Threw up right after drinking?"

Yu Ting asked, "Why did you not call the doctor to check on her?"

Aunt Song replied, "She often does this. When she's sick, she can't eat anything, and it doesn't help who comes to visit... But she can't not eat either, sigh!"

Yu Ting frowned, looking down at Ran Ling.

Seeing her trembling back as she entered made Yu Ting's heart sink. Now, holding her close, Ran Ling's shoulder pressed against her collarbone, and the painful sounds coming from her were so intermittent, Yu Ting could feel her pain and helplessness more acutely. Her heart tightened, but she was at a loss for what to do.

Ran Ling's shoulders were so thin, clearly unable to bear such shaking...

Without realizing it, Yu Ting hugged her tighter.

Once Ran Ling stopped coughing and took a moment to recover, Yu Ting took the mouthwash and tissues that Aunt Song handed her, gently supported Ran Ling's waist, and carefully fed her the mouthwash. Afterward, she gently wiped Ran Ling's face with a tissue, tucking the messy strands of hair behind her ear.