Under the streetlight, a couple held hands, the boy's expression tender, the girl's smile radiant like a flower. Their eyes were only for each other.
This was the scene that Ye Jinmeng saw when she looked back.
She had wanted to talk to Xu Wanwan, but now it seemed that interrupting the loving couple would be highly inappropriate.
Ye Jinmeng stifled a laugh, then leaned closer to Shi Shuning's ear and whispered, "Quick, look at Wanwan and He Junting! They're holding hands!!!"
Shi Shuning seemed quite surprised. He turned around to glance at them, then pulled Ye Jinmeng closer.
"I can't believe that guy He Junting has such a tender side. That gentle expression is simply eye-searing!"
Ye Jinmeng couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Haha, Shuning, be careful or He Junting might hear you and give you a beating!"
"Don't worry, he won't hear us now." He was too absorbed in the sweet, affectionate atmosphere to hear anything outside!
When Xu Wanwan looked ahead, she happened to see Ye Jinmeng turning back and covering her mouth, giggling. Xu Wanwan's face instantly flushed red, the sweetness in her heart almost overflowing.
Suddenly, Xu Wanwan's brow furrowed slightly as she felt a twinge of pain in her stomach. She figured she must have overeaten, but it wasn't too uncomfortable yet, just bearable. Mainly, she didn't want to ruin the sweet mood.
However, the abdominal pain did affect her emotions somewhat, and He Junting was the first to notice.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah? It's nothing..."
He Junting's brows furrowed slightly. "Really? I can see you're sweating on your forehead."
On such a cool night, walking at a leisurely pace, having sweat on one's forehead was not normal.
Xu Wanwan felt even more pain now, her face turning pale. "I... I probably just ate too much. My stomach is a bit uncomfortable."
He Junting's frown deepened as he looked around, then pointed ahead. "There's a public restroom over there. Let's go there first."
Xu Wanwan's stomach really hurt, with a stabbing pain, so she didn't care about saving face anymore and followed He Junting quickly.
"Wanwan's stomach hurts, I'll take her to the restroom up ahead first."
As they passed by Ye Jinmeng and Shi Shuning, He Junting quickly explained before immediately leading Xu Wanwan forward.
At this point, Ye Jinmeng and Shi Shuning had not yet realized the severity of the situation, even thinking that He Junting and Xu Wanwan had progressed to the inseparable stage. They just smiled and nodded.
Xu Wanwan hurried into the restroom, but still felt unwell after relieving herself, even a bit nauseous.
Her heart sank - this wasn't just a normal upset stomach, it seemed to be enteritis!
She immediately took out her phone and called Ye Jinmeng.
"Hello, Jinmeng!"
"What's wrong, Wanwan?"
Ye Jinmeng and Shi Shuning were now waiting with He Junting outside the public restroom, a bit puzzled by the call, thinking Wanwan might have her period.
"Jinmeng, I think I have enteritis." Xu Wanwan felt like her intestines were being twisted and yanked painfully, coupled with nausea, making it difficult to speak.
"Help me... go to the pharmacy and buy some medicine for enteritis... I feel so awful."
Ye Jinmeng grew concerned and immediately responded, "Okay, Wanwan, I'll go right away. Hang in there!"
After hanging up, she looked around and saw a pharmacy right across the street. She told Shi Shuning, "Shuning, Wanwan probably has enteritis. I need to go to the pharmacy across the street and get her some medicine."
"I'll go with you." Shi Shuning was startled at first, then intended to go to the pharmacy with Ye Jinmeng.
"You two stay here, I'll go."
He Junting beat them to it, rushing across the street.
Fortunately, it wasn't a major road with heavy traffic, just pedestrians crossing back and forth.
Seeing He Junting go, Ye Jinmeng didn't follow since he was faster.
At this moment, Shi Shuning also felt a twinge of stomach pain, but didn't think much of it and just mentioned it to Ye Jinmeng before also entering the restroom.
Xu Wanwan felt the pain had subsided a bit, so she stood up and walked to the sink to wash her hands. But as soon as she got there, she felt her stomach churning and immediately rushed back into a stall.
"Urgh..."
She vomited up the food mixed with stomach acid, her stomach felt like it was being stabbed by needles, making her eyes tear up from the awful feeling.
He Junting bought the medicine, but then felt his own stomach becoming uncomfortable as he was about to go to the nearby convenience store to buy water. He had a bad premonition, grabbed a few bottles of water, tossed a 100 yuan bill on the counter, and left right away.
The confused cashier ran after him holding the bill. "Hey! Hey! You haven't gotten your change yet!"
There were two strips of pills in the medicine box. He Junting opened one strip, handed the other strip and the water to Ye Jinmeng to give to Xu Wanwan, then took two pills according to the dosage instructions on the foil pack.
But it wouldn't take effect immediately. He endured for a while but still ended up going into the restroom.
Shi Shuning was almost passing out too. He hadn't expected that after squatting for a while, his stomach would hurt more and more. Now his only consolation was that the public restroom had a good supply of toilet paper.
"Shuning, are you in here too?"
The sudden voice gave Shi Shuning a fright.
"He Junting?"
"Yeah, if I'm not mistaken, I think we have food poisoning."
Even in this situation, He Junting remained composed, befitting someone destined to become a business tycoon.
"What!" Shi Shuning was shocked.
At this moment, Shi Shuning wasn't thinking about anything else, only worried that Ye Jinmeng might be feeling unwell since she had just been discharged from the hospital and her wounds weren't fully healed yet. This ordeal would definitely be too much for her body.
As soon as Ye Jinmeng entered the women's restroom, she smelled a strong sour stench and tried to ignore the nausea. Seeing that only one stall door was closed, she quickly knocked on it. "Wanwan, I've brought the medicine."
Just then, she heard the sound of flushing from inside. Xu Wanwan opened the door, her ghastly pale face making Ye Jinmeng exclaim in shock, "Wanwan, you look so terrible!"
Xu Wanwan washed her hands while enduring the pain, took the two pills Ye Jinmeng handed her, and Ye Jinmeng quickly gave her some water to swallow them.
But just seconds after swallowing the pills, the nausea hit again, and she immediately rushed back into the stall, vomiting.
Ye Jinmeng didn't care about the disgust anymore and patted Xu Wanwan's back sympathetically.
Then her phone rang.
"Hello, Shuning!"
"Jinmeng, are you okay? We... must have food poisoning!"
Shi Shuning's voice sounded very weak too.
"Food poisoning! But I'm fine!" Ye Jinmeng recalled what everyone had eaten for dinner. If they ate the same dishes, why were the others affected but not her? Then she remembered not eating the fish or ribs.
"I know now, it must have been something wrong with the fish or ribs! I'm calling an ambulance right away!"
Food poisoning could be minor or severe - medication alone wouldn't be enough. They needed to go to the hospital.
After calling for emergency services, she reassured Xu Wanwan, "Wanwan, hang in there a bit longer. The ambulance will be here soon."
But how could someone with diarrhea endure it? Xu Wanwan immediately rushed back into the stall again...