Chapter 25 Period Pain

Chapter 25 Menstrual Cramps

Xie Xinyi had no recollection of what happened next. When she awoke, she found herself in a hospital bed, with a visibly anxious Wen Shuhua by her side and Gu Yu being discreetly spoken to by the doctor outside the door.

"...dizziness caused by prolonged malnutrition, coupled with irregular periods. Eating an ice pop in the dead of winter caused contractions due to stimulation, leading to insufficient blood supply and sudden, severe lower abdominal cramps..."

Only then did Xie Xinyi realize that she had been hospitalized due to menstrual cramps.

She had been walking towards the bike shed with Jiang Tiantian at the time, and must have fainted on the main path factory workers took home.

The thought of Xiao Jiang, who cried at the drop of a hat, and the bustling after-work crowd, immediately brought a glaring headline to Xie Xinyi’s mind:

"Frozen Products Workshop Employee Hospitalized After Ice Cream Taste Test—Accident or Sabotage?"

How... how was she supposed to explain this at the factory?

She couldn’t possibly say she was hospitalized because of period pain; she’d be laughed out of the place.

Xie Xinyi was so mortified she wished the ground would swallow her whole. Noticing her distress, Wen Shuhua quickly offered her a cup of hot water, asking, "You're awake! Are you still in pain? Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

The barrage of caring questions only made Xie Xinyi more self-conscious.

Blushing, she shook her head and feigned ignorance, asking what had happened after she fainted.

"...A young woman named Jiang Tiantian from your team brought you to the hospital. She handled all the paperwork and even called us."

Wen Shuhua recounted the entire sequence of events in detail. "She stayed with you until we arrived and only left a short while ago."

She brought Xie Xinyi to the hospital, handled the paperwork, and even called the Gu family.

Who would have thought that Xiao Jiang, usually so flighty, could be so calm in an emergency?

Xie Xinyi was both surprised by Xiao Jiang’s composure and deeply grateful for her help. So when Wen Shuhua suggested they properly thank her another day, Xie Xinyi readily agreed.

"...Let’s get her something practical. Xiao Jiang just got married and is struggling a bit financially."

Xie Xinyi had previously heard from Ms. Liu that Xiao Jiang’s husband wasn’t from the capital. He had moved here a few years ago to live with his uncle and had been working as an apprentice at a steel mill. His wages were low, and his family wasn’t well-off.

No one from the groom’s side attended their wedding, and even the betrothal gifts were scraped together by his uncle. His aunt was no pushover either; knowing Xiao Jiang was determined to marry her nephew, she didn’t even provide the basic "three rounds, one sound, and forty-eight legs" (traditional wedding gifts).

Xiao Jiang’s parents were furious but couldn’t bear to see their daughter suffer, so they paid for a full set of furniture themselves.

The wedding happened, but with one apprentice and one basic-level worker, their combined income was barely enough to get by.

Although Xiao Jiang’s parents occasionally brought them rice or flour, she had two older brothers to consider, so the elderly couple couldn’t keep supporting them indefinitely.

Everyone in the team knew Xiao Jiang was having a hard time, which was why Cui Mama had previously risked getting into trouble by letting Xiao Jiang repair the chiller.

Maintenance staff at the factory earned good wages, and Cui Mama had planned to praise Xiao Jiang's work to management after she fixed the chiller, hoping to transfer her to the maintenance department. But some guy named Ma refused point-blank, saying the maintenance department didn’t hire women.

This infuriated Cui Mama, who spent several days ambushing people in the maintenance department and yelling at anyone she could find.

Xie Xinyi had heard about this from the Sweet Rice Ball Team, but at the time, she didn’t know Cui Mama was doing it for Xiao Jiang.

It was only when Ms. Liu later talked about Xiao Jiang’s family situation that Xie Xinyi realized how fiercely protective Cui Mama could be.

Cui Mama looked out for her own, and the team usually tried to help Xiao Jiang too—leftover pickles, items their husbands got from work... basically, whatever they could manage within their means.

Xie Xinyi had wanted to help before, but she had no extra pickles or husband-distributed goods. If she went to a store to buy something for Xiao Jiang, it would be too forward, not to mention it might even come across as charity, hurting her pride.

This situation was perfect—Xie Xinyi fell ill, Xiao Jiang kindly brought her to the hospital, called her family, and handled everything. Such a significant favor deserved a proper thank-you gift.

Xie Xinyi and Wen Shuhua agreed and were discussing what to buy when the man from outside slowly walked in.

This was the second time Gu Yu had appeared at the hospital in civilian clothes. Xie Xinyi didn’t know why he was in such a hurry; she only knew that from the moment he entered, he kept staring at her—her pale, bloodless face, her frail body that looked like it could be blown over by a gust of wind, and... the lower abdomen that had landed her in the hospital.

Xie Xinyi: "......"

There was really no need to scrutinize her so closely. It was just that she hadn't eaten well during her growth years and had gone hungry for too long, leading to insufficient blood supply and irregular periods.

She had accepted this reality since arriving in this time and was prepared for her period to come only once every few months. The problem was its unpredictability—she never knew when it would arrive, which was why she suddenly fainted on her way home from work and caused such a scene.

She hung her head in shame, not daring to meet his scrutinizing gaze. One was silent, the other frowning; neither spoke. It was only when Wen Shuhua returned with hot water and noticed the tense atmosphere that she broke the silence.

"The doctor said she needs to stay overnight for observation. I have to go back later to change your sister’s bandages, so you stay with Xie Xinyi tonight."

It was a statement, not a suggestion. Gu Yu glanced back at Wen Shuhua. "You know how to change bandages?"

A question, tinged with doubt. Wen Shuhua met his gaze defiantly and nodded. "I’m heading back."

Then, without another word to the stunned Gu Yu, she picked up her bag and disappeared from the room.

Xie Xinyi glanced at the closed door, then at the empty beds on either side, slowly slid down under the covers, and pretended to be asleep.

Gu Yu didn’t speak either. He sat on a chair about two meters away from Xie Xinyi, hands on his knees, back ramrod straight.

Though not newlyweds, they had shared a bed for so long that suddenly being in a different place felt awkward and unfamiliar.

The young couple busied themselves—one pretending to be an ostrich, the other holding what seemed like a strategy meeting—each absorbed in their own thoughts, maintaining a strange harmony.

This harmony continued until Xie Xinyi didn’t even realize when she drifted off to sleep. In her hazy dreams, she found herself doing indescribable things with Gu Yu.

Whether it was the intensity of the dream or her own impulsiveness, when a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen, it jolted her awake.

"What’s wrong?"

The first thing she saw upon waking was the handsome face from her dream, and parts below the neck that couldn’t be described...

But right now, she had no energy to dwell on that. Another wave of cramping pain hit, leaving her too weak to even answer him.

She shook her head slightly to indicate she was fine, half-propping herself up to rummage through the bedside drawer for the supplies Wen Shuhua had prepared for her. But after searching for a while without success, she tried to get up—only for a pair of strong hands to steady her wobbling body just in time.

"What are you looking for?" Gu Yu asked, opening the drawer. "Let me help."

Xie Xinyi pointed to the black bag.

This era didn’t have sanitary pads. Wen Shuhua had prepared a menstrual belt for her, but Xie Xinyi wasn’t quite sure how to use it. After taking the black bag, she simply grabbed a pack of paper and headed to the restroom.

When she came out after changing, she found Gu Yu waiting outside the restroom door.

As soon as he saw her, he immediately stepped forward to support her, his hand firmly gripping her arm as if she might stumble without him, his movements meticulous.

Her personal assistant—no, her husband—thus escorted her back to the room under the gaze of everyone in the hallway. He stiffly tucked her in, asked if she wanted water, and when she declined, refilled the thermos anyway. He also called a nurse to administer an IV, moved the chair from two meters away to her bedside, and even asked the nurse why her face was so pale after the IV drip...

Xie Xinyi really wanted to tell him that the nurse had just rolled her eyes at him, but seeing how busy he was—though she wasn’t sure what exactly he was doing—she decided to keep quiet.

She curled up on the bed again, half-closing her eyes, but it still hurt like hell.

She had no idea how the body's original owner had treated it, making her—someone who had never experienced menstrual cramps in her previous life—want to take back every harsh word she had ever said about people with cramps.

No wonder those so-called "green tea" girls (a slang term for manipulative women) insisted on calling boys when their periods came—this was genuinely more unbearable than a toothache.

Xie Xinyi gritted her teeth and endured, a fine sweat slowly beading on her forehead.

Gu Yu took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her sweat, his gaze growing solemn as he looked at the frail figure lying weakly on the bed.

He had never seen her like this before—her face unnaturally pale, without even the strength to turn over, a far cry from her usual clingy, seductive self.

His eyes darkened the longer he looked. His gaze fell on the area she was pressing tightly, and he reached out, slowly placing his hand over it. "Does it hurt here?"

Beneath his palm was a soft but chilling cold. He had never imagined a human body could be so icy, and his hand stilled for a moment.

"Why is it so cold?"

He tried to ask, but the girl didn’t respond.

The warmth from his palm seeped through her clothes, and Xie Xinyi, basking in the warmth, didn't stir.

In the quiet night, the two of them remained like that in silence until the nurse came to turn off the lights. Only then did Gu Yu gently withdraw his hand.

The girl had fallen asleep, but her body remained tightly curled, her brows slightly furrowed, her long eyelashes trembling faintly. She wasn't sleeping soundly.

Gu Yu watched her for a long while, then, as if suddenly remembering something, he rose quietly and walked out.