Age is an insurmountable gap, a fact Mingli realized after falling for Qiao Zhen. However, in his heart, now is Qiao Zhen's prime, and he believes that pursuing an older Qiao Zhen when he's older will surely be much more effective.

Bizarre ideas.

They're just kids, so innocent.

Mingli only realized that age was preventing him from being with Qiaozhen, but what truly hindered them was never age, but societal norms. Being bound by societal norms, yet going against them, he was ultimately abandoned by the world.

Qiao Zhen gently rubbed Mingli's head. She had been walking all day, and had even carried Mingli for a part of the way. Overwhelmed with exhaustion, she yawned, her eyes glistening with tears. "I'll blow-dry your hair for you. After it's dry, you can brush your teeth, wash your face, and go to sleep, okay?"

"Okay." Mingli nodded obediently.

Qiao Zhen dried his hair with a hairdryer, then patted his back and sent him to the bathroom. Afterwards, she stood there blankly, drying her long, wet hair that was draped over her shoulders.

Mingli's feelings for her were not like those of an ordinary child liking a kindergarten teacher; in fact, they were becoming increasingly skewed, somewhat resembling... the shadow of Chu Zhao.

"Sigh—" She let out a heavy sigh. This was clearly a vacation world, so what mission was there? Ming Li's feelings for her were too intense, making her overthink things.

Mingli came back and obediently climbed onto Qiaozhen's bed. He hesitated and stammered, "Um... this bed is so high, I'm a little scared."

Qiao Zhen looked at the height of the bed; it was indeed quite high. Ming Li's own bed was only about thirty centimeters high, while Qiao Zhen's bed was almost a meter high, and it didn't even have a guardrail. Falling off would be a very serious problem.

"It's okay, I'll put some pillows under your bed." Qiao Zhen took out a few pillows from the closet and placed them on three sides of the bed. She also moved a chair and used the back of the chair to block the edge of the bed, providing a second layer of protection for Ming Li, the key member.

Mingli's expectant gaze gradually dimmed. He sat sullenly under the thin blanket, then huddled under the covers and sulked.

Qiao Zhen ignored him and went to the living room with her pillow and thin blanket. She buried herself in the sofa and curled up in a ball. She felt a little sad, a feeling she couldn't quite describe, but it was complicated.

In the dead of night, the little figure slid down the edge of the bed, grabbed a pillow, and sneaked into the living room, then stealthily climbed onto the sofa.

Qiao Zhen slept on the longest sofa, while Ming Li slept on the short sofa next to Qiao Zhen.

When Qiao Zhen woke up thirsty in the middle of the night to get some water, she didn't see clearly and walked past it. When she came back, she noticed a small bulge on the sofa next to her. She sighed helplessly and bent down to carry Mingli to the big bed.

Mingli, still half asleep, tugged at Qiao Zhen's clothes, whimpering and sounding somewhat uncomfortable.

Qiao Zhen turned on the bedside lamp and found that Ming Li's face was flushed. She reached out to touch it and found her palm burning hot. She immediately turned on the light and dressed Ming Li. She then casually put on a coat and took her bag to the hospital.

She did want to use candy beans, but Mingli was too small, and she couldn't control the amount. If Mingli's small body couldn't handle it, he would die!

After arriving at the hospital, it took Qiao Zhen another half hour to register, and Ming Li's condition worsened. Later, a kind person gave Qiao Zhen a seat, and she thanked them profusely before taking Ming Li and the registration slip to the doctor.

Mingli was still somewhat conscious. He groggily opened his eyes and asked, "Where am I?"

He was already panting heavily after just four words.

Qiao Zhen patted his back and coaxed him, "This is a hospital. You're sick. Be a good boy, okay?"

Mingli gave a barely audible "hmm".

The doctor asked a nurse to bring Qiao Zhen a thermometer. While comforting Ming Li, Qiao Zhen helped him hold the thermometer in his mouth. When the nurse reminded her, she handed the thermometer to the doctor and then asked worriedly, "Doctor, what's his fever?"

The doctor shook the thermometer, then shook it again. "This, this is a normal temperature." He then handed another thermometer to Qiao Zhen. "Put it under his armpit."

"Okay." Qiao Zhenyan obeyed. After all, Mingli looked very serious. There was no time to waste. What if she got brain damage from the fever?

When the thermometer was taken out from under the armpit and handed to the doctor, the doctor's brows furrowed even more. "No fever, both thermometers show normal temperatures."

Qiao Zhen took the thermometer and looked at it herself. It was indeed a normal temperature. But she wasn't completely ignorant of medical knowledge. On the contrary, her medical skills were quite good. She could tell that Ming Li's flushed face and weakness were due to a fever.

However, it turned out that Mingli's body temperature was normal no matter how it was measured. Even with the help of the nurse, the thermometer still detected a normal human body temperature.

"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble," Qiao Zhen apologized to the nurse.

The nurse just shook her head and sighed, as if Mingli was a dying person with no hope of being saved.

Qiao Zhen carried Ming Li and hurriedly took a taxi back. She put Ming Li directly on the bed and transferred some of her immortal power to him. Ming Li's condition improved at first, but then his temperature became even hotter.

This is definitely not normal; it's so hot to the touch, yet a thermometer can't detect it.

Qiao Zhen: [Waiter, can you check if there are any outsiders in this world?]

Waiter: [No.]

That origin is the bright carp.

Qiao Zhen calmly sat down in the chair, waiting to see what would happen to Ming Li.

This is really frustrating. It was supposed to be a world of tribulation, and this is only her first week of adventure, and already there's been a plagiarism scandal and the Ming Li incident. She can go with the company to deal with the plagiarism scandal, but she can't just ignore the Ming Li issue, after all, Ming Li is now her bread and butter.

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