Chapter 37: Escalation

　　“Dad, what happened at the construction site? When are you guys coming back?” Yumeng asked, her voice laced with concern.

　　“Don’t worry about it. Just stay home for the next couple of days. Pass the phone to Xia Ning.”

　　Yumeng hesitated for a moment, then quietly handed me the phone.

　　“Xia Ning, I’ve already spoken with your parents. We probably won’t make it back for the next few days. One of the workers got hurt at the site. You and Yumeng just stay put at home, alright? I transferred 500 yuan to Yumeng’s WeChat. Get yourselves whatever you want to eat, and we’ll talk when we’re back, okay?” Yumeng’s dad’s voice carried a heavy tone.

　　He’s already talked to my parents? That’s a bit of a surprise. But thinking about the promise we made for five days from now is making me uneasy.

　　“Okay, no problem. Don’t worry about us,” I replied, trying to sound reassuring.

　　After the call ended, Yumeng sighed deeply and sank into the couch. “They’re always like this, treating me like a kid, never letting me know what’s really going on.”

　　I sat down beside her. “Yumeng, don’t be too hard on your parents. Maybe you can find a good time to have a heart-to-heart with them.”

　　Just as Yumeng was about to respond, her phone lit up. She glanced at the screen and saw that her dad had transferred the 500 yuan.

　　She accepted the payment, but before she could say anything, another message popped up. The contact name read: Monkey?

　　Monkey: “Yumeng, wanna hit the karaoke bar tonight?”

　　Yumeng looked up at me, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “That’s my friend. I nicknamed her Monkey, and it totally fits her personality.” She chuckled.

　　“She’s asking if I want to go sing tonight. Uh… should I?”

　　“I don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s already dark out,” I suggested.

　　Yumeng’s parents wouldn’t let her go out at night anyway. That Monkey must have something else in mind.

　　“Alright, I’ll pass.”

　　Yumeng started typing her response to Monkey: “It’s too late, I’ll stay in tonight.”

　　As soon as she sent the message, a reply came back almost instantly, like Monkey had anticipated her answer: “Knew you wouldn’t come. Let’s do it tomorrow during the day then. And don’t forget to bring that pretty girl with you.”

　　We both froze for a second. “How do you know there’s a pretty girl at my place?” Yumeng quickly typed back.

　　Monkey: “Haha, I saw you two yesterday from afar. She’s really pretty—my brother couldn’t stop talking about her.”

　　“Do you want to go, Xia Ning?” Yumeng asked me.

　　Honestly, I’m not really into the idea of singing with a bunch of strangers, but I saw that sparkle in Yumeng’s eyes. I thought, it’s just singing, and since the college entrance exams are over, it wouldn’t hurt to relax a bit with Yumeng.

　　I nodded, “Yeah… let’s go.”

　　Besides, it’s already been set for daytime; backing out now would just make us look bad.

　　Yumeng quickly typed out her response: “Okay, what time should we meet?”

　　Monkey: “How about 3 PM tomorrow? We’ll drive over and wait at the entrance to your neighborhood.”

　　Yumeng: “Who’s coming?”

　　Monkey: “You, me, that mysterious beauty at your place, my brother, two younger guys, and Wu Jia.”

　　Night came, and we had a quick dinner—just reheated leftovers from the fridge.

　　Later, when we were getting ready for bed, Yumeng said something that caught me off guard.

　　“Xia Ning, could you turn off the lights?” Yumeng yawned, already snuggled under the blankets.

　　I looked at her, a bit surprised, then smiled. “Sure!”

　　I turned off the lights and climbed into bed beside Yumeng. She shifted closer, resting her head on my shoulder, and whispered, “Goodnight” before falling asleep.

　　Yumeng’s really doing better now—I’m so happy for her.

　　“Goodnight!” I replied, pulling the blanket up even though it wasn’t cold.

　　I have this habit: I can’t sleep unless I’m fully covered. If any part of me is exposed, it always feels like there’s a draft, chilling me to the bone.

　　Before I knew it, I was asleep too. But in the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up to a voice calling my name.

　　“Xia Ning…” The voice echoed in my mind!

　　I shot my eyes open, but the only person beside me was Yumeng, sleeping soundly.

　　Suddenly, a sharp pain struck my head, throbbing at my temples. I clutched my head with both hands, trying to ease the pulsing pain.

　　My hands kept massaging, but it didn’t help at all.

　　“Xia Ning…” Yumeng must have noticed my movements and woke up.

　　“Ah…” I groaned in pain.

　　“Xia Ning, what’s wrong?” Yumeng’s voice was filled with panic.

　　Click—the light was switched on.

　　I shut my eyes, writhing in agony under the covers.

　　“Xia Ning…”

　　That familiar voice echoed in my mind again. I knew my condition was getting worse. The last two times my second personality surfaced, it was triggered by intense anger. But this time, it’s happening in my sleep.

　　“Medicine…” I mumbled, barely getting the word out.

　　“You want something, Xia Ning? Should I call 911?” Yumeng’s voice was frantic.

　　“Ah…” My head felt like it was about to explode. I balled my fists and pounded them against my skull.

　　It felt like this would relieve the pain a bit, but in reality, it didn’t help at all…

　　“My medicine… in my pants!” I half-opened my eyes, and everything was tinged in red—this time, a vivid, blood-red hue.

　　“Okay, hold on, Xia Ning.” Yumeng anxiously rummaged through my pants until she found the small paper packet with three pills inside.

　　“Is this it?”

　　I nodded.

　　Yumeng tore open the packet, her hands trembling as she brought it to me.

　　I grabbed one of the pills and swallowed it dry.

　　Footsteps echoed as Yumeng ran barefoot to fetch me a glass of water.

　　“Xia Ning, here, drink some water!”

　　Fighting through the pain, I took the glass, but in my rush, I spilled half of it, soaking the blanket.

　　I tilted my head back and gulped down the remaining water in two swallows.

　　“Xia Ning… heh heh heh…” The low chuckle in my mind grew louder and clearer.

　　Another wave of intense pain crashed over me!

　　“Ah…” I screamed, pulling the blanket over my head.

　　Finally, after a few minutes, the pain began to subside. I lay on the bed, breathing heavily, feeling sweat trickling down my forehead.

　　The blanket was pulled back, and the bright white light hit my face as Yumeng tugged it to the side.

　　“Xia Ning, are you okay? Do you need me to call an ambulance…?” Yumeng’s voice was trembling.

　　“Yumeng… no need for an ambulance… let’s just sleep…” I replied weakly.“But are you really okay?”

　　Yumeng’s worried voice gradually faded as my head throbbed with dizziness. I wanted to say, “I’m fine, just go to sleep,” but I wasn’t sure if I actually said it or if the words even left my mouth.

　　This medicine made me feel much worse than the one I took before—the one that knocked me out completely.

　　I drifted off into a restless sleep and before I knew it, it was already the next morning. When I opened my eyes, my head felt a lot clearer, and Yumeng was still fast asleep beside me.

　　Thinking about last night made me anxious. There are three days left—will the headaches strike again like they did last night? If they hit every night, I won’t have enough medicine to last.

　　I grabbed my phone to check the time—it was already 8 AM. I set it aside and sat up, planning to head to the bathroom.

　　“Xia Ning, are you feeling okay now?” Yumeng mumbled sleepily as she opened her eyes.

　　I smiled at her, “Of course, I’m fine.”

　　“What happened to you last night? And what was that medicine?” Yumeng sat up too, rubbing her eyes, her brows knitted with concern.

　　I thought for a moment, then shrugged it off, pretending it was no big deal. “It was just a painkiller.”

　　“But… last night, you—”

　　“Come on, it’s nothing! I’m going to fix us some breakfast,” I said, placing my hand on her bare shoulder. That’s when I realized she wasn’t wearing any pajamas.

　　I quickly wrapped the blanket around her. “Why aren’t you wearing your pajamas?”

　　Her cheeks flushed, “They got wet last night.”

　　“Come on, let’s tidy up. We’ve got karaoke plans today, remember? We should get the place cleaned up.”

　　“Oh, right! Okay!” she agreed, jumping out of bed and rummaging through the closet for clothes, completely forgetting about the medicine.