Shen Xi Fan had barely stepped through the door when the phone started ringing. She didn’t even need to guess—it was obvious who it was. Kicking off her heels, she lazily sprawled on the bed, letting the phone ring until her patience wore thin before finally picking it up.
The moment she answered, she held the receiver at arm’s length as an angry tirade blasted through. “Shen Xi Fan, you useless brat! You say you’re sick? I think you’re brain-sick, a complete lunatic!”
She sighed and admitted meekly, “Yes, I’m sick. Completely crazy.”
Her father’s voice came from the background, trying to mediate. “Why are you yelling at her? If she doesn’t want to go on blind dates, let her be. She’s an adult, not a child for you to boss around!”
But her mother, enraged, shot back, “Am I wrong? I’m doing this for her own good! You two gang up on me, and no matter what I do, it’s never right in this house. Do I even have the right to speak anymore? Am I even human?”
Shen’s father fell silent, and her mother doubled down. “Shen Xi Fan, let me tell you something—you’d better forget about that Dai Heng! Stop pining for him! Who do you think you are, some kind of Wang Baochuan?” (Wang Baochuan is a legendary figure in Chinese folklore known for her unwavering devotion.)
Feeling a mix of emotions, Shen Xi Fan picked up the receiver and explained, “Mom, I haven’t been involved with him for ages. Can we not talk about him anymore?”
“Not talk about him? You don’t talk about him, but you keep thinking about him! Let me tell you—you’d better find a boyfriend soon, or obediently go on blind dates. If you ever pull another stunt like today, don’t think I’ll recognize you as my heartless, ungrateful daughter!”
After venting for a good while, her mother finally hung up.
Shen Xi Fan sat in a daze for a moment before sighing. Climbing off the bed, she heated up her herbal medicine. The microwave filled the air with a rich, sweet aroma.
Scooping up a small taste, she found it slightly sweet—the bitterness of Huang Qin (Scutellaria root) was masked by the sweetness of licorice and jujube. Pinching her nose, she gulped down the entire bowl, then chased it with plain water to rinse her mouth.
The lingering sweetness of licorice coated her lips and teeth, and after the bitterness faded, the fragrant sweetness remained. Soon, she felt a gentle warmth spreading through her body. Her accumulated fatigue caught up with her, and whether it was the medicine or sheer exhaustion, her head hit the pillow, and she slept soundly.
The next day, she went to work feeling refreshed, as if she had come back to life. Though winter was approaching and the air was damp and heavy, her spirits were high.
She first made a round through Jing Pavilion, where everything was running smoothly. Entering through the back door, she spotted Ding Wei, the lobby manager, looking haggard.
“What’s wrong, Ding Wei?” she asked curiously.
He shook his head. “It’s not a big deal, but not small either. Last night, a man barged into the lobby and grabbed a female guest. Security quickly removed him, but the guest refused to let it go. We were dealing with it all night before finally calming her down.”
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