The caller was her university classmate, from the same dorm room. Generally, girls from the same dorm tend to be close friends, confiding everything to each other. However, there is always an exception, and the current caller, Li Qian, was precisely that exception.
Every time she received a call from her, it was never good news. Subconsciously, Ling Chuxia did not want to answer it, but since Li Qian’s husband was a local tycoon and had a slight familial connection with the Shi Family, and Li Qian’s mother-in-law and Mrs. Shi were card-playing buddies who met from time to time, maintaining a surface calm was compulsory even though she was reluctant to interact with Li Qian.
Ling Chuxia took a deep breath, cleared her throat, picked up her cell phone, pressed the answer button, and put it to her ear, greeting the caller with a soft "Hello."
Her voice was a bit husky and nasal from crying, and although she tried to disguise it, Li Qian still sensed something was off.
She immediately exclaimed, then added a probing undertone, "Xiaoxia, what happened to you? Have you been crying? It couldn’t be a fight with Shi Che, could it?"
Li Qian was always blunt, and her bluntness wasn’t the caring type like Ji Xinxin’s, but rather the kind that reveled in others’ misfortunes, annoying yet oblivious.
Even though Ling Chuxia might act humble in front of Shi Che, she never showed weakness to outsiders, especially those who purposely picked fights.
Ling Chuxia curved her lips into a smile and responded lightly, "It’s nothing, I just didn’t cover myself well last night and caught a bit of a cold."
Li Qian laughed at the other end, clearly disbelieving her words. She then casually remarked, "Indeed, sleeping without a husband by your side, you might kick off the blankets and no one would be there to cover you back up. You could catch a cold, after all. You really should take good care of yourself, getting sick isn’t pleasant."
Ling Chuxia pursed her lips, saying nothing for a moment.
Li Qian’s words were clearly taunting, having likely caught wind of some rumors about Shi Che, which prodded her to mock Ling Chuxia. Ling Chuxia’s grip on her phone tightened.
Seeing that Ling Chuxia wasn’t responding, Li Qian, thinking she had hit a nerve, became even more smug, "When you’re sick and nobody cares, you have to care for yourself."
Initially, there was no need for Ling Chuxia to engage with her mockery, which was less significant compared to her issues with Shi Che. However, perhaps because she had been suppressing too much, her anger was suddenly ignited.
Ling Chuxia’s pale face flushed slightly, with blood gradually rising, and she chuckled again in a low voice, equally nonchalant in her reply, "I think you misunderstand. I didn’t catch a cold because nobody covered me. It’s just that... Shi Che was making a fuss last night... It rained, right? I forgot to close the window, and we both caught a cold."