Forbidden Land – CH 046

The next day was Saturday. After waking up, Zhang Chao again felt dizzy and weak in his limbs. He wished he could stay in bed forever and continue sleeping.

After forcing himself to brush his teeth and wash his face, he couldn’t stay awake any longer and went back to bed for another hour.

Upon getting up again, he felt slightly better but had no appetite. Food tasted bland, and he could only manage to drink a small bottle of yogurt. No matter what, he had to talk to Bai Qiu today to find out why they broke up and what the red down jacket was all about.

He went downstairs to the girls’ dormitory across the street and registered with the dormitory manager at the entrance.

The dormitory manager, a middle-aged woman in her forties, greeted Zhang Chao, saying, “Student, which dorm are you going to? What’s the matter? Did you make an appointment with a girl?”

Zhang Chao made up an excuse, saying, “A classmate asked me to go upstairs to fix her computer; she’s upstairs.”

The woman said, “Oh,” and took out a registration book, saying, “Give me your ID and leave it here so I can register you.”

Zhang Chao took out his student ID, handed it to her, and took the registration book, writing “Building 3, Room 216, Bai Qiu, 10:30 AM, Note: Computer Repair,” and left his mobile phone number.

The administrator took his student card and said, “Come down within half an hour. I have a registration form here.”

Zhang Chao responded and had only taken a few steps up the steps of Building 3 when a middle-aged woman called out from behind, “Hey, student, wait a minute.”

Zhang Chao came back down and said, “Auntie, is there anything else?”

The middle-aged woman pointed to the registration book and said, “You’ve got the room number wrong. Room 216 in Building 3 is empty. Double-check with your classmate.”

“Ah, Room 216 in Building 3 is empty?” Zhang Chao was taken aback. “Auntie, you’ve got it wrong. How could Room 216 in Building 3 be empty?”

The middle-aged woman was somewhat displeased with Zhang Chao’s doubt about her “authority” and said, “I can’t be wrong. Who’s in charge of the girls’ dorms, you or me?”

The girls passing by couldn’t help but laugh at this.

Zhang Chao blushed slightly and whispered, “But I didn’t remember wrong.”

The middle-aged woman returned his student card to him, saying, “Why don’t you call your classmate again to confirm?”

Zhang Chao took back his student card, reluctantly left the girls’ dormitory building, and returned to his room, his mind still a little foggy. He didn’t know why, but his physical strength and mental state had been getting worse lately.

Was it because of Chen Rong’s medicine?

Did the medicine have such severe side effects? But Chen Rong said it was a traditional Chinese medicine formula.

Also, the administrator said that no one lived in Room 216 of Building 3. Was it because Bai Qiu was receiving treatment, and she had deliberately told the administrator not to disturb her?

A vague, uncomfortable feeling seemed to be there, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

He wearily lay back down on his bed, unwilling to think about anything. He felt drowsy but couldn’t fall asleep. He was almost in a state of severe insomnia—very sleepy, but he just couldn’t sleep.

Half-asleep, Zhang Chao lay on the bed for over an hour when he received a phone call. It was Chen Rong who invited him to lunch.

Zhang Chao shook his head, splashed water on his face, and seemed much better than before. He met Chen Rong at the cafeteria.

Upon meeting, Chen Rong stared at his face with concern, asking, “Zhang Chao, what’s wrong with you?”

Zhang Chao sighed, looking bewildered. “I don’t know. Ever since my first cold, my body has been getting weaker day by day. I don’t know why.”

Chen Rong said, “Is it because your body is too weak after that severe cold? Should you take some tonics?”

Zhang Chao shook his head. “Maybe after a while, with some rest, it’ll be fine. I haven’t had much of an appetite lately either; taking tonics isn’t good in this condition.”

Chen Rong nodded, then asked, “How’s your sleep quality lately?”

Zhang Chao coughed a few times lightly, saying, “It seems your medicine is becoming less effective. At first, I slept quite well. But these past few days, even though I’m taking it, I can’t fall asleep. I think I might be developing a drug habit; maybe I need more tranquilizers, or perhaps I should switch to a different medication.”

Chen Rong asked, “Are you still taking two pills a day?”

Zhang Chao said, “This has never changed.”

Chen Rong thought for a moment and said, “How about I ask my advisor again? They should change your medication.”

Zhang Chao asked wearily, “It’s just some sleeping pills; why do you need to ask your advisor?”

Chen Rong smiled. “There are many types of sleeping pills. The one I gave you is mainly made of traditional Chinese medicine ingredients. In theory, there shouldn’t be any drug reactions, but judging from your sleep, I can’t be sure. Western medicine has better short-term effects, but it always has some side effects.”

Zhang Chao smiled helplessly. “Then it’s up to you. Do what you think is best. As long as I can sleep better and not be so sleepy during the day, but can’t fall asleep, I’d be willing to take poison.”

Chen Rong said, “What do you want to eat for lunch? It’s my treat.”

Zhang Chao laughed. “I’ll just get a bowl of rice porridge. I don’t know if it’s because I’m not sleeping well, but I have no appetite. My roommate Bei Bei, on the other hand, has an unusually good appetite every day. Sigh, could this little rascal have stolen my appetite?”

Chen Rong told Zhang Chao to sit and wait while she went to buy the food. After a while, she brought Zhang Chao a bowl of rice porridge and got herself a bowl of noodles.

Zhang Chao scooped the porridge with a spoon, chewing slowly. He really had no appetite, but he knew he couldn’t go without eating, so he forced himself to eat half a bowl.

After finishing his meal, Chen Rong said, “I see the weather is sunny this afternoon. It’s been cloudy for so many days. Why don’t we go for a walk? Maybe some exercise will help you recover faster.”

Although Zhang Chao didn’t want to exercise today, he felt inexplicably comfortable going for a walk with Chen Rong. Although Bai Qiu’s matter still lingered in his mind, he couldn’t see her, so he decided to ask one of the women in his class to go to Bai Qiu’s dormitory that evening and ask her to come downstairs for a talk. He also had many things to ask Chen Rong, so he decided to go for a walk and get some exercise to expend his energy, which would naturally restore his appetite. Once his appetite returned, most of his physical discomfort would disappear.

Thinking this, Zhang Chao said, “Okay, where should we go next?”

Chen Rong said, “How about Beigao Peak? Didn’t we say last time we’d go see that fortune teller again?”

Although Zhang Chao didn’t believe in the fortune teller at all, he figured it was fine to just stroll around and relax. He laughed and said, “Alright, anyway, if that fortune teller tries to swindle me out of a penny, I won’t give him a single cent. Don’t let my current listlessness fool you; if I encounter someone trying to cheat me, I’ll be on my guard. Haha.”

Chen Rong smiled and said, “You seem to be in pretty good spirits now.”

Zhang Chao took a deep breath, seemingly having made a joke, and his spirits lifted considerably. He stood up and said, “Let’s go; I’ll drive.”

“You’re driving?” Chen Rong smiled and wrinkled her nose.

Seeing her expression, Zhang Chao laughed, “Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine when I’m driving.” He then suddenly leaned down and said, “Your lips are quite sexy!” It was meant as a casual joke, but as he said it, both he and Chen Rong blushed slightly.

Zhang Chao quickly changed the subject, laughing, “Alright, beautiful, let’s go!”