Chapter 116: Memory Loss

“Have you really been eating dry rice noodles for two months?”

Shen Sangyu suddenly felt apprehensive about answering.

“I… probably, maybe I haven’t exclusively eaten dry rice noodles for two months. Sometimes… sometimes I have other things,” she stammered.

Wen Qingchuan pressed further, “What did you eat for lunch?”

Shen Sangyu hesitated, then replied, “…Dry rice noodles.”

The ward fell into an awkward silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Sangyu heard a series of chuckles. Then Wen Qingchuan’s voice came from above her: “Shen Sangyu, for the next six months, you will say goodbye to your dry rice noodles.”

Shen Sangyu’s eyes widened in shock, the little girl looked at Wen Qingchuan with tears welling up.

Perhaps she found the reason for her malnutrition too outrageous. After some contemplation, she lowered her head, appearing indifferent to everything.

Shen Sangyu felt embarrassed.

She never thought that she could be malnourished from eating what she thought was a sufficient diet.

She wanted to ask if it was okay to have dry rice noodles once a week, but the words caught in her throat.

The doctor, who had been observing the interaction, also found the situation somewhat ridiculous but maintained his professionalism. “In the future, you should eat more nutritious food.

If conditions allow, consume some meat to improve your health and ensure you’re getting enough sleep. This fainting episode isn’t solely due to malnutrition.”

Shen Sangyu lowered her head, too embarrassed to respond.

Wen Qingchuan took a moment before saying, “Thank you, doctor. I’ll make sure she pays more attention in the future.”

Doctors appreciate compliant patients and their families, and the doctor nodded in satisfaction. “Alright, since the patient is still a student, my advice is to take a leave and rest at home for a couple of days, then return to school when you’re feeling better. Your health is a priority; you can’t keep staying up late like this.”

The doctor spoke for a while longer, with Wen Qingchuan asking questions intermittently.

Normally, Wen Qingchuan maintained a pretty regular schedule unless he had tasks to handle, so he felt a bit anxious hearing the doctor discuss the dangers of sleep deprivation.

Before leaving, the doctor heard Wen Qingchuan promise, “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Feeling a bit like a mushroom hiding in the bed, Shen Sangyu shrank down, trying to avoid the embarrassment of the situation.

Once the doctor had left, she slowly raised her head and asked, “When can I be discharged from the hospital?”

Wen Qingchuan pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down. “You can go home early tomorrow morning.”

Shen Sangyu nodded, feeling a sense of relief at the thought of going home.

However, before she could truly relax, Wen Qingchuan added, “I heard from He Huai that you either stayed up all night or only slept for three or four hours recently to keep up with your work?”

If it were Shen Sangyu from her previous life, she would have nodded without hesitation.

In the realm of scientific research, high pressure is the norm, and working all night is common.

But under Wen Qingchuan’s scrutiny, Shen Sangyu hesitated. “Well… doing scientific research, that’s just how it goes.”

Wen Qingchuan’s expression didn’t ease after hearing this. “You need to take care of your health.

It’s fortunate that you fainted in the classroom today; if it had happened on the street without anyone noticing, the consequences could have been dire.”

Shen Sangyu lowered her head, absorbing his words.

To help He Huai gain more understanding, she had dedicated an entire week to her work, which made her anxious and flustered during the last few weeks.

But with back-to-back classes and experiments, she really had no way to adjust her schedule.

Shen Sangyu knew she was in the wrong and said with a nasally tone, “Don’t be angry.”

Wen Qingchuan remained silent.

As Shen Sangyu contemplated how to appease him, she heard Wen Qingchuan let out a long sigh.

“Sangyu, I’m not angry,” he replied, his voice filled with helplessness.

Shen Sangyu’s ears perked up, and she slowly raised her head.

“When someone asked me to answer the phone today, I was a little scared,” Wen Qingchuan admitted, his dark eyes revealing a hint of concern. “Later, when I heard that you were in trouble, I was even more frightened.”

He hadn’t grasped the extent of Shen Sangyu’s studies. Initially, he thought university life would be easier, but now he realized that it only made her more exhausted.

His respect for Shen Sangyu was predicated on her being safe and well. But now, that seemed to be in jeopardy.

Feeling a bit shaky, Shen Sangyu lowered her gaze and blinked, eventually muttering an apology.

Wen Qingchuan looked at her and said, “Let it go this time, but you must take care of your health in the future, alright?”

Shen Sangyu nodded, “Okay.”

Having not slept much for half a month, she quickly fell asleep again after their conversation.

She got up briefly for dinner, chatted for a while, and then returned to bed to rest.

The next day, Shen Sangyu was back at the military region.

He Huai was also there, carrying an array of supplements.

“Sangyu, you scared me to death yesterday. You fell so fast that I almost couldn’t catch you.”

Shen Sangyu had fainted after standing up for less than a second, her face turning pale and her lips bloodless before she collapsed.

Fortunately, He Huai’s reflexes were quick; otherwise, her forehead would have hit the corner of the table, leading to more serious injuries.

Shen Sangyu didn’t recall much of what happened the previous day, but she was genuinely grateful to He Huai for saving her life again and expressed her thanks sincerely.

He Huai waved his hand dismissively, “Why are you being polite? But are you really okay? Why not stay in the hospital a couple more days?”

The hospital’s disinfectant smell was overwhelming for Shen Sangyu, so she quickly shook her head. “The doctor said I’m fine. I’ll just rest at home and return to school next week.”

“That’s good,” He Huai nodded seriously.

Wen Qingchuan, standing nearby, let the two talk until they finished before addressing He Huai. “I’ll rely on you to keep an eye on Sangyu when she returns to school next week.”

He Huai responded, “Huh?”

Wen Qingchuan’s expression turned serious. “Sangyu fainted because she was malnourished after eating dry mixed rice noodles for several months.”

He Huai’s expression shifted to shock. “Wait, what?!”

This was all too embarrassing for Shen Sangyu, and despite her efforts to suppress it, He Huai couldn’t help but laugh at her predicament.

Feeling like an eggplant hit by frost, Shen Sangyu trudged along, dejected.

However, due to her poor health, Wen Qingchuan insisted on spending twenty yuan to buy a variety of vegetables and meat for her.

Shen Sangyu wanted to object, saying it was unnecessary, but Wen Qingchuan wouldn’t hear it.

“You are different from others.”

Shen Sangyu didn’t see herself as different. After all, she had just eaten rice noodles for two months! Surely, she could return to a normal diet from now on?

But Wen Qingchuan explained, “You’ve had poor health since childhood. It worsened after that high fever in the third year of junior high school. Otherwise, how do you think you ended up in the hospital?”

Shen Sangyu was taken aback.

She subconsciously asked, “Why did I have a high fever in the third year of junior high?”

She vaguely remembered Wen Qingchuan mentioning it before, but the original owner had no recollection at all.

Had the original owner lost too many memories?