The waiting always felt endless; even just a few seconds made Lin Yu truly understand what it meant for time to crawl by like years.
Situations that never occurred in his previous life—he hadn’t expected to run into one only a few days after his rebirth.
Though no one close to him had ever experienced “Overload,” he had seen Ability Users with these symptoms before.
He’d witnessed the worst possible outcome, too.
Qin Wuyue was the school doctor at Qiongdian Academy, and also one of the rare Ability Users who could handle this situation on her own.
She didn’t have a code name, but most who knew her simply called her “Doctor.” That was more impressive than any codename.
Just as he was about to knock again, the door opened.
“Eh? Xiaoyu, what brings you here?” Qin Wuyue still had a hint of a smile on her face, as if she’d just been discussing something amusing. Half-joking, she said, “Miss Yanran already missing you after just parting ways?”
A moment ago, her daughter had been telling her about the two of them going out today—according to Xia Yanran, it counted as a date.
“Aunt Qin, please, save my sister!”
The anxiety on his face was unmistakable, so real that Qin Wuyue’s smile faded instantly.
Not even noticing she was still in her pajamas and slippers, she hurried next door.
“Don’t panic. Tell me—what happened to your sister?”
“My sister’s really hot, and… she’s acting strange.” As he said this, embarrassment clouded his face.
“Hot?” Qin Wuyue caught the key word and paused, hand still on the door.
“Yeah, really, really hot. Since you’re the school doctor, Aunt Qin, I snuck out while she was in the shower to find you.”
“Snuck out?” Qin Wuyue raised her eyebrows, trying to imagine what situation would make someone ‘sneak out.’
And as soon as Lin Yu finished, he looked like he’d said too much, quickly shutting his mouth and averting his gaze.
Qin Wuyue gave him a quick look. “Wait here, I’ll grab something.”
She soon returned with a Niupi Bag, with Xia Yanran following behind.
“Aunt Qin, I—I won’t go in, but please, you have to save my sister. Should we have Yanran help you too?”
Xia Yanran blinked. “?”
Qin Wuyue waved her hand. “No need. You two go home for now. I’ll see what’s happening.”
“Okay.”
Watching Qin Wuyue close the door, Lin Yu quietly let out a breath.
He hadn’t mentioned “Overload,” since, at this point in time, he himself knew nothing about it.
It was like entry-level knowledge in any specialized field: completely foreign until you encountered it, but once you did, it was easy to understand.
As for Qin Wuyue being able to resolve “Overload,” that wasn’t something he was supposed to know yet.
Hopefully, he hadn’t slipped up…
If he had to name the person he least wanted to deal with right now, Qin Wuyue would top the list.
Back when he didn’t know her well, he’d thought she was just a kind, neighborly aunt. Only after getting closer did he learn her personality was extremely eccentric… sometimes even a bit twisted.
Maybe it was her life experiences. Whenever Lin Yu mentioned this, Qin Wuyue would smile and stroke his neck.
“You little rascal, you’ve already entered Auntie’s body, and now you want to get into her life too? Aren’t you a bit greedy?”
Whenever this happened, Lin Yu felt like if he said one more word, the next second she’d snap his neck with a ‘crack.’
Just thinking about it made his neck feel cold.
“Hey, what’s wrong with Sister Lin?” Xia Yanran’s puzzled voice came from beside him.
Lin Yu glanced at her, answering calmly, “She’s got a fever.”
“Huh?” Xia Yanran was skeptical. “Ability Users get fevers too?”
“They do, and it can get pretty serious.”
“Fine, let’s go. You don’t want to just stand here, do you? My mom’s gone over—don’t worry.”
With absolute faith in her mother, Xia Yanran dragged Lin Yu back to her home.
Next door, Qin Wuyue entered and turned on the lights.
She glanced at the living room, clothes strewn all over, then at the bathroom, where the sound of running water echoed.
“Hm? No wonder Xiaoyu was embarrassed—he must be worried about seeing his sister’s body.”
Recalling Lin Yu’s reaction, she shook her head with a smile. “What an innocent boy… heh…”
When she heard him say “very hot,” she immediately thought of “Overload.”
She knew Lin Mowei was out on a mission, but didn’t worry about it at all.
It was sudden, but not that serious.
By her estimation, if everything went quickly, it should be solved in a little over two days.
If it only took a single day…
“What could have you so anxious?” Her gaze drifted unconsciously toward the next apartment.
She picked up the clothes scattered on the floor, put them on the sofa, and sat down, spreading the Niupi Bag across her lap. Inside were thirteen Silver Needles, each with a different symbol engraved at the end.
Lin Yu had once asked her about their meaning, and Qin Wuyue had answered, “Secret.”
She took out two, hiding them in her palm, then quietly waited for Lin Mowei to emerge.
Soon, the bathroom door opened.
A wave of steam billowed out, carrying the warm scent of shower gel.
Lin Mowei stepped from the mist, not wearing a thing. Wet black hair clung to her smooth neck and shoulders, water droplets tracing down her spine, over her taut waist, and disappearing along her curves.
Her skin glowed with an abnormal flush, as if burning from the inside. Heat radiated from her body, warping the air around her.
It had been just three minutes since Lin Yu ran next door for help. Even in her confused state, Lin Mowei’s instincts knew that time was precious.
Her gaze was unfocused, stumbling straight toward the living room with unsteady steps.
She muttered under her breath, “Xiaoyu… I… Sis… washed up…”
She seemed completely unaware of the person sitting on the sofa, anxiously searching the empty living room for the figure who should have been waiting.
When her eyes finally landed on the sofa and recognized who sat there, she froze.
“Tea…cher?” She tilted her head, like a broken doll, emotionless as she spoke.
Qin Wuyue narrowed her eyes, the Silver Needles in her palm glinting coldly.
“How did you end up like this? Come here, I’ll get you sorted out.” Her tone held a hint of scolding, but more of the care of an elder for a junior.
But Lin Mowei didn’t react at all. She lowered her head, long hair veiling her face, hiding her expression from Qin Wuyue.
“Mowei, what’s wrong?” Qin Wuyue sensed something off and started to approach.
Lin Mowei’s body began to tremble as she drew near—not from cold, but from an emotion on the verge of erupting, raising the temperature in the room by several degrees.
“Xiaoyu…” she called again, softly, her voice carrying both grievance and a hidden fury.
Just two steps away, Qin Wuyue stopped in her tracks.
Killing intent?
The instant she sensed it and hesitated, Lin Mowei suddenly jerked her head up, bloodshot eyes burning with twisted rage.
“Are you trying to take him away from me again?!”
With a heart-wrenching scream, Lin Mowei lunged forward, shattering the floor beneath her feet, her clenched fist sweeping toward Qin Wuyue’s head with tremendous force.