Chapter 171 You Have a Fever

"There is one more thing I haven't had the chance to tell you yet."

Jiang Ce suddenly turned to Ruan Mianmian and said.

Ruan Mianmian frowned with a hint of suspicion and asked, "What is it? Did something happen?"

"It's about Fang Xiaoyan."

"Fang Xiaoyan?"

Ruan Mianmian continued, "Have you found out about her identity?"

"I figured out her identity long ago."

Jiang Ce went on, "Actually, she left Crescent Town a long time ago and lived in the countryside with her uncle for all these years, until she returned to Jiangcheng half a year ago. The last time she appeared in Crescent Town, someone deliberately sent her to me. I always felt her appearance might be linked to the massacre from back then, so I kept her around, hoping to uncover the truth of that year. But now..."

At this point, Jiang Ce suddenly fell silent.

Ruan Mianmian could vaguely sense that Jiang Ce had struggled for a long time before finally making up his mind.

Ruan Mianmian did not speak, quietly waiting for him to finish.

"But now, I no longer wish to pursue it, nor do I want to use her to dig up any more information. I have already sent word to her family, and they will come to pick her up the day after tomorrow."

"Mm, alright."

After listening, Ruan Mianmian gave a quiet nod.

Slightly narrowing his eyes, Jiang Ce looked at her with a faint, gentle smile and asked, "Is that your only reaction?"

"What other reaction could I have?"

Ruan Mianmian actually understood Jiang Ce's thoughts. Regardless of what forces stood behind Fang Xiaoyan, to Jiang Ce, she remained special. Back then, Fang Xiaoyan's family suffered destruction as a result of being implicated by Jiang Ce's family. Even if Fang Xiaoyan harbored ill intentions, Jiang Ce could never bring himself to truly harm her. Therefore, rather than dragging Fang Xiaoyan deeper into this mess, it was better to let her return and live out her days in peace.

Ruan Mianmian buried herself in Jiang Ce's embrace and murmured, "I understand everything."

Jiang Ce wrapped his arms around her, a look of profound relief on his face.

That night, Ruan Mianmian slept very deeply. Just before falling asleep, she had felt a slight tickling sensation around the crook of her neck, but she hadn't paid it any mind and drifted right off to sleep.

Yet when she woke up the next day, her vision was initially a blur of gray-white, and it wasn't until she opened her eyes fully that she saw an unfamiliar square ceiling.

Ruan Mianmian instantly realized this was not the bedroom she was familiar with. Just as she struggled to push herself up, a wave of weakness washed over her entire body, accompanied by a dizzy, swirling sensation in her head.

"Don't move!"

Jiang Ce's cold, deep voice sounded beside her ear. Before she could even open her eyes properly, she heard him continue, "You have a fever."

A fever?

Though her body felt entirely sapped of strength, Ruan Mianmian's consciousness slowly began to return. Clearly, she had been perfectly fine before going to sleep last night—how had she developed a fever overnight?

With great effort, Ruan Mianmian forced her eyes open into a tiny slit, tilting her head to catch sight of Jiang Ce's slightly haggard face.

"I..."

Ruan Mianmian originally wanted to ask what had happened to her, only to discover that her throat was painfully dry and hoarse, feeling as though it were swollen shut, unable to produce a single sound.

"Don't speak. Your throat has suffered an allergic reaction as well. Just rest for now."

Jiang Ce's voice carried a steady, grounding strength that instantly set Ruan Mianmian's mind at ease.

After resting for a moment, her awareness cleared further and some strength seemed to return to her limbs. She slowly opened her eyes again to find Jiang Ce still sitting beside her, gently holding her hand. Seeing her wake up, he leaned in closer and asked, "How do you feel now?"

Unable to speak, Ruan Mianmian merely nodded to let him know she was alright.

Jiang Ce let out a sharp sigh of relief, though the gloom in his eyes did not dissipate; instead, it grew even colder and heavier.

At that moment, the soft sound of approaching footsteps echoed from nearby, followed immediately by Chen Ci's voice.

"How is she?"

"Just woke up."

Jiang Ce stood up and turned to face Chen Ci, asking, "Where is Xiangkui?"

"Still unconscious."

Chen Ci's voice was similarly laden with coldness and deep anxiety.

Ruan Mianmian's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly turned her head and looked in the direction of the voice, though regretfully she could see nothing. Yet panic gripped her heart all the same.

Did their words mean Xiangkui was suffering from the exact same symptoms...? What on earth was going on here?

Ruan Mianmian raised her hand to tug at the corner of Jiang Ce's sleeve. Lacking strength, even this small movement took an immense amount of effort. Sensing the subtle pull, Jiang Ce immediately bent down toward her.

Meeting her worried gaze, Jiang Ce instantly understood what she wanted to ask.

"Don't worry, she's out of danger. The doctor has already examined her; she'll wake up soon, just like you."

"Mr. Chen, Miss Xiang is awake!"

A nurse's voice rang out from outside the door, and Chen Ci immediately strode out of the room.

The room fell silent once more. Jiang Ce sat back down beside Ruan Mianmian, his eyes growing exceptionally gentle.

What on earth had happened?

Clutching Jiang Ce's fingertips, Ruan Mianmian looked at him with questioning eyes.

Giving her a silent glance, Jiang Ce soothingly rubbed the palm of her hand and said warmly, "It's nothing, just a mild allergic reaction. You'll be fine after resting for a couple of days. Don't overthink it."

Even so, Ruan Mianmian could tell that Jiang Ce was only saying this to keep her from worrying. Something serious must have happened; otherwise, none of this made sense.

But why her and Xiangkui?

Her gaze turned contemplative as she mentally retraced the events of the previous night, and suddenly, a realization flashed through her eyes.

Sensing Ruan Mianmian's fingers tighten abruptly around his own, Jiang Ce looked at her with renewed concern.

To his surprise, Ruan Mianmian used all her remaining strength to raise a finger and point weakly at the clothes she was wearing.

*Was it because of that pajamas set?*

Jiang Ce fell silent, biting his lower lip as his gaze darkened.

Although he said nothing, his reaction alone confirmed Ruan Mianmian's suspicions entirely. Fang Xiaoyan had entered and left her room twice, and though she had seemed harmless at the time, the trap had been laid for them all along.

She had dragged Xiangkui down with her. Fang Xiaoyan must have left something on those clothes.

Recalling it now, Ruan Mianmian remembered that her skin had already begun to itch by the time she left her room to go find Xiangkui, but she hadn't paid any attention to it back then. Who knew what kind of substance Fang Xiaoyan had used? And she had no idea how Xiangkui was holding up now.

Seeing the worry and self-blame gathering in Ruan Mianmian's eyes, Jiang Ce spoke in a soothing tone:

"You don't need to worry. Although Xiangkui's condition is slightly more severe, the doctor said it is treatable and there's no danger to her life."

At this, Jiang Ce abruptly stopped talking.

The look he cast toward Ruan Mianmian was filled with profound self-reproach and guilt as he slowly murmured, "It's all my fault. It was my negligence."

Back when Fang Xiaoyan had been entering and leaving Ruan Mianmian's room, he had witnessed it with his own eyes, yet he hadn't taken it seriously. He had been far too arrogant, believing that Fang Xiaoyan could never find anything of importance.

Yet, to his utter dismay, Fang Xiaoyan's goal hadn't been to search for anything at all—her true target had all along been Ruan Mianmian!