Chapter 27.2 - Ginseng 当归
Friday’s exam did not go well. Shen Xifan kept feeling as if there was someone singing in her ears, disturbing her concentration. She couldn’t even spell a few professional terms correctly. In the end, she hurriedly handed in her exam paper, leaving her fate in the hands of destiny.
Saturday’s group discussion went more smoothly, but during the defense, she was bombarded with sharp and difficult questions from her team members, pushing her to the brink of collapse. In the end, the discussion ended in a hasty conclusion.
Her paper also ran into trouble. Despite having burned the midnight oil for several nights, using all the materials she could find, and painstakingly revising it again and again, when she submitted it, the professor shook his head and made a large strike across the paper. “Not professional enough!”
It was about the theory of administrative management, and she immediately felt speechless. The theoretical knowledge of management was too abstract, and even she sometimes couldn’t understand it. After all, she wasn’t from a management background. The simpler parts were deemed not professional enough.
Shen Xifan was completely losing her patience. She obediently returned to the library to search for more materials, but as she read, the letters seemed to be jumping around. After reading a line, she didn’t even know what it meant. Sleepiness surged up, and her body uncontrollably tilted forward.
As she teetered on the edge of drowsiness and confusion, she accidentally bumped her head against the thick edge of a book, causing her to gasp in pain, but at least the pain completely woke her up.
Rubbing the spot where she hit her head, she was about to continue reading when she suddenly heard quiet laughter from behind. Turning around, she saw Lin Yishen, standing behind her with a bag on his back, holding a few books, but his eyes were focused on her paper.
Shen Xifan didn’t even want to lift her eyelids. She sighed heavily, “Reworking, please don’t disturb.”
Lin Yishen didn’t leave. He roughly flipped through her paper, then asked, “Where’s the problem?”
“Operations Management theory part!” She supported her head weakly, the pen in her hand absentmindedly spinning. “The professor said it’s not professional enough. Not professional! If I were professional, I would have switched to an MBA instead of MMH.”
Lin Yishen smiled, “Such a small issue, why didn’t you say earlier? Perhaps you didn’t think much of me, your senior who’s actually specialized in this field. This theoretical knowledge is too demanding for you, but for us, it’s a piece of cake. How about this—give me a copy of your paper and I’ll take a look.”
Shen Xifan thought for a moment. It was almost impossible for her to perfect the theoretical part of her thesis by herself. She nodded and immediately transferred all the materials to him.
Lin Yishen looked at her dazed expression and sighed. “How many nights have you stayed up? Your professor is really inconsiderate. Never mind, I’ll look at it right away. You go back and get some rest. Once it’s done, I’ll come find you.”
She felt exhausted, not having the strength to lift even a finger. Yet, she forced herself to smile and tried to make light of the situation. “These past few days with exams and papers, I feel like I’ve aged ten years.”
Lin Yishen responded with a smirk, “You look like you were just dug up from underground. Alright, hurry back, I’ll come find you later.”
She nodded, grabbed her bag, and waved at him as she left the library. The bone-chilling cold enveloped her like a heavy net, freezing her to the core. Looking up, the grey sky over Ithaca was growing darker, and it seemed like snow was about to fall.
Lin Yishen watched her walk away, letting out a soft sigh. He returned to his seat, pulled out his laptop, and his friend, who had been sitting beside him for a while, suddenly snapped out of his daze. “That girl looked a lot like your girlfriend!”
“What girlfriend? When did I have a girlfriend?” Lin Yishen looked at his friend suspiciously.
“Come on, don’t deny it. The one who came to find you last Christmas. Small and delicate.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. I told you, it’s none of your business.” Lin Yishen sighed deeply at the skeptical look his friend gave him. “It’s complicated. Anyway, I was wrong, okay?”
His friend persisted, continuing to gossip. “That little sister you mentioned before—could it have been her? Strange, they really look quite alike.”
Lin Yishen pointed at his laptop. “Work, work. Stop gossiping, or you’ll end up getting scolded for not finishing your report!”
How long she had slept, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that her body felt hot, but she still had an overwhelming sense of coldness, as though she were shivering. Her dreams were shallow and hazy, a blur of nothingness, yet she remained somewhat conscious of reality.
She heard her roommate come in, then leave again, and the faint sound of “shhh” drifted in, like the soft rhythm of falling snow.
After a long while, the doorbell rang urgently, jolting Shen Xifan awake. She opened her eyes, but the room was pitch black. After fumbling around for a while, she managed to put on her shoes. As soon as her feet touched the ground, a throbbing pain struck her head. Someone called from outside, “Shen Xifan, are you there?”
It was Lin Yishen. She responded with a weak “hmm” and stumbled to the door. When she opened it, she saw him standing outside, his hair wet and slightly out of breath. “Why did it take you so long to answer the door? The lights were off, and I thought something had happened to you.”
Still half-asleep, she muttered, “Hmm, is it raining?”
“No, it’s snowing!” Lin Yishen stepped inside, turning on the light, and the room instantly became brighter. Shen Xifan squinted her eyes and looked outside. “It really is snowing!”
He smiled, holding up the materials in his hand. “I’ve organized everything. Take a look. If you don’t understand anything, I’ll explain it to you. I’d hate for the professor to ask you something and you can’t answer.”
Shen Xifan let out a deep sigh of relief, “Senior, I promise that from now on, during every major holiday, I’ll offer you red eggs and burn three incense sticks! And I’ll throw in some cured meat and sausages as well—you’re not a vegetarian, are you?”
“You have a sharp tongue!” Lin Yishen reached out to poke her on the head, but as his finger touched her skin, he was surprised by how warm it was. He quickly withdrew his hand and asked, “Shen Xifan, are you running a fever?”
She touched her forehead and nodded. “No wonder I feel so cold. I really do have a bit of a fever.”
“Lie down!” Lin Yishen furrowed his brows. “How can you be so careless? You don’t even take proper care of yourself. What’s your professor doing to you? How many nights have you stayed up?”
“I’m fine, just a little feverish. No need to make a fuss about it!” Shen Xifan’s stubbornness kicked in. “Quick, let me see the paper. I still have to make revisions tonight; it’s due tomorrow!”
Before she could finish speaking, she felt a wave of dizziness, her heart racing, almost unbearable. She could feel the rapid expansion of her blood vessels and had to press her hand to her chest to steady herself, hoping to feel a little better.
Lin Yishen was alarmed. “Shen Xifan, what’s happening to you? Are you okay? Should we go to the hospital? Lie down first!”
She nodded weakly. “I’ll lie down for a bit and rest. My heart feels uncomfortable.”
At the University of Pennsylvania CVI Institute, the laboratory and data room were brightly lit, with rows of data scrolling across the computer screens, and simulation images flashing by rapidly. From time to time, various complaints echoed through the air: “Wrong again! Damn data!”
He Suye was fully absorbed in his computer screen when suddenly, his right eye began to twitch uncontrollably.
Maybe it was exhaustion—he had barely slept three days in the past two weeks, and even lying down on his bed felt like a luxury, let alone sleeping. To get research results for the project, everyone was working themselves to the bone, and he hadn’t been in touch with Shen Xifan for quite a while.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; it was that he couldn’t.
Suddenly, the phone rang in the distance, cutting through the silence like it was right next to him, ringing again and again, and somehow, it kept going unanswered. It felt like there were thousands of words he needed to say but couldn’t.
A voice from the next room called out, “He, your phone!”
His heart skipped a beat. He quickly stood up and answered the call, recognizing a familiar voice, muffled with restrained anger, “He Suye, what exactly have you been busy with?”
He was startled, but more than anything, he felt concerned. “Lin Yishen! What happened? Is everything okay?”
“Shen Xifan has a fever and her heart is bothering her. What’s going on? Should we take her to the hospital?”
His professional instinct immediately made him think of serious conditions. His mind went blank, and a cold chill ran through his body. It felt like a heavy stone had just slammed into his chest, and he staggered for a moment, overwhelmed by panic. His voice grew hoarse as he asked, “Is she at the dorm? Besides the fever, is she experiencing nausea, difficulty breathing, or anything else?”
“She hasn’t shown any other symptoms. She’s lying in bed now and has already fallen asleep. I saw her today, and her face looked especially pale, like she hadn’t slept for days.”
He let out a long sigh of relief, but the tension in his chest still wouldn’t ease. “Got it. I’m coming right now!”
Lin Yishen hesitated. “It’s snowing heavily here, and it’s so late…”
Before he could finish his sentence, He Suye’s firm voice cut him off. “It’s fine. Keep an eye on her. If anything happens, take her to the hospital immediately. I’m on my way!”
After hanging up, He Suye realized his palms were covered in a thin layer of sweat, and his hands and feet felt numb, as if frozen. He had to move them around a few times to get feeling back. He quickly briefed his team on his work progress, grabbed his coat, and left the lab.
The sky was overcast, pressing heavily on his heart. His breathing became irregular, and the only thought in his mind was: Shen Xifan, please don’t let anything happen. Please, I’ll be there soon.
