Chapter 11

After Orm stormed out, Lingling was left standing there, a hand on her cheek where the slap had landed.

Despite her tough exterior, she felt a pang of guilt and worry for Orm, but she masked it with a hard expression.

"Foolish girl, she can do whatever she wants. It's none of my business."

********

As the morning sunlight streamed through her bedroom curtains, Lingling woke up, feeling surprisingly chipper.

A good night's sleep had left her in an unusually positive mood, and for once, she found herself looking forward to the day ahead.

"Hmm, not a bad start to the day," she mused to herself as she stretched lazily, a small smile playing at her lips.

She busied herself in the kitchen, humming a cheerful tune as she prepared her morning coffee.

She sauntered over to her wardrobe and took her time selecting her outfit for the day, eventually settling on her favorite one.

"Everything's perfect," she murmured to herself, a hint of satisfaction in her voice.

She was excitedly preparing for her date with Prigkhing, a giddy anticipation coursing through her veins.

"Today's the day. I'm going to charm the pants off Prigkhing and make her forget Ying is even there," she muttered confidently.

But as she opened the door to leave, she immediately tripped over something and ended up sprawled on the ground.

Frustration and anger flared within her as she picked herself up, cursing under her breath at the unexpected fall.

"What the hell? The day was starting off so damn well!"

To her astonishment, she realized that it wasn't a 'thing' that made her fall, but rather a person.

And even more shockingly, the girl lying under her looked incredibly familiar.

It was Orm, the same girl she had told to leave just the previous day.

"Orm? Is that you??" Lingling exclaimed, her tone a mix of surprise and disbelief.

She knelt down beside the girl, gently shaking her shoulder.

But as she carefully turned Orm's body and brushed her hair away, she was alarmed to find the girl's skin feeling surprisingly hot.

Concern etched across Lingling's features, and she immersed pressed her palm against Orm's forehead.

"Damn it, she's burning up."

Without hesitation, Lingling reached for her phone and quickly dialed Prigkhing's number.

Her plans and excitement about their day together faded away as she was faced with a more urgent situation.

She hastily called off their meeting, barely saying a word before ending the call.

With a mixture of concern and annoyance, Lingling decided to bring Orm back into the house.

She couldn't just leave the girl there in that condition, no matter how troublesome she was.

So she scooped Orm up bridal style, carrying her towards the house.

"She's surprisingly heavy for such a skinny girl," Lingling muttered, a mixture of surprise and effort evident in her voice.

She carefully placed Orm on the couch, making sure she was comfortable before taking a step back and letting out a sigh.

"Damn, what am I going to do with you?"

With a resigned sigh, Lingling made her way to the kitchen, fetching a small basin and filling it with warm water.

Then, grabbing a clean towel, she returned to Orm's side and began gently tapping her temples and forehead with the damp cloth.

Lingling's cheeks flushed slightly as she removed Orm's blouse, revealing her bra-clad body. She quickly averted her eyes, trying not to linger on her exposed skin.

"Don't look, don't look," she silently scolded herself, feeling her face heat up.

A pang of guilt tugged at Lingling's conscience. Maybe if she hadn't been so quick to kick the girl out, they wouldn't be in this predicament right now.

She shook her head, pushing the thought aside, and refocused on the task at hand.

"No point dwelling on it now," she murmured to herself, her voice soft and tinged with a hint of remorse.

With every gentle pass of the towel, Lingling continued to cool Orm's forehead.

The girl's temperature was still alarmingly high, and Lingling couldn't help but worry quietly as she monitored her condition.

"Come on, wake up, you brat," Lingling muttered under her breath, hoping the girl would open her eyes soon.

Orm let out a weak groan, her body still sluggish from the fever.

She could barely muster the energy to respond, but her defiant nature couldn't help but assert itself.

"Did you just call me a brat..?" she muttered weakly, her voice still groggy from sleep and the fog of her feverish state.

"Yes, I called you a brat," Lingling responded, a flicker of annoyance crossing her features.

"You managed to get yourself sick and fall right in front of me just as I was about to go on a date. Talk about timing."

"You... you didn't strike me as...the dating type," Orm croaked, her voice still raspy from her fever.

"I thought you skipped the whole dating thing and moved straight to...bed"

As Orm made the teasing remark about her date, Lingling couldn't help but roll her eyes at the girl's audacity, even while she was sick.

"Oh, you think I can't do both, huh? Well, I assure you, I'm quite capable... If you wanna find out, that is."

Orm, still feeling weak and disoriented, managed to let out a weak protest, her eyes half-lidded from exhaustion.

"Leave me alone... I just want to sleep."

Lingling reluctantly rose from Orm's side and made her way to the kitchen.

She knew that she had to somehow provide something to nurse the girl's health.

And she grimaced, knowing her cooking skills were severely lacking.

Take-out was always her go-to, but now, with the girl's condition, she needed to find a healthier solution.

With determination, she set about preparing a simple dish -rice porridge - following the instructions she had seen in cooking shows but never really applied herself.

"Ugh, I hope I don't mess this up and end up poisoning her...I know I have zero culinary skills, but this better turn out edible..."

********

With the rice porridge cooked, Lingling approached Orm, who was still lying on the couch, her eyes half-lidded, and her skin still flushed with fever.

She knelt down beside her, gently propping the girl up slightly and bringing the spoon to her lips.

"Here, eat a little. It'll be good for you," she said, her voice surprisingly gentle.

Orm, her lips barely moving, reluctantly took the first spoonful from Lingling, her eyes fluttering open a bit as the porridge hit her tongue.

With a weak but sarcastic tone, she managed to mutter between spoonfuls, "Damn, who made this? It's...so bland."

Lingling rolled her eyes, a mix of annoyance and amusement in her expression.

"Yeah, thanks for the compliment, brat," she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "This is all I can manage right now, so just eat it and get better already, will you?"

"Trust me, I'm not complaining...it's just the truth," Orm managed to say, a flicker of a sarcastic smile on her lips between spoonfuls.

After a moment of silence, Orm surprised Lingling by suddenly looking up at her with a pleading expression, her eyes wide and her lips curled into an adorable pout.

"Can I... stay here a bit longer?" Orm asked, her voice barely above a whisper, a hint of vulnerability in her tone. "Just for a few days... until I find a new place to stay, please?"

Lingling hesitated for a moment, a mixture of reluctance and concern etched on her face.

She knew the girl was a pain in the ass but seeing her in such a vulnerable state made it difficult to dismiss her plea completely.

"Fine, you can stay here until you're feeling better and have found a new place."

But Lingling wasn't going to offer a free room without some sort of exchange.

She spoke up, a hint of determination in her voice.

"One condition, though. If you want a place here, you have to do something for me in return."

Orm's initial surprise at Lingling's condition quickly turned into suspicion as she shot back a retort, the words spilling out a bit faster than her weakened state should have allowed.

"Don't tell me you're going to ask me to, you know, sleep with you or something like that."

Lingling couldn't help but be amused at Orm's suspicion.

She suppressed a smirk and replied with a hint of mischief in her tone.

"Oh, it's not going to be that mundane," she said, a sly smile playing on her lips. "I have something even better in mind."

"Well, I'm listening..." Orm mumbled, her raspy voice laced with a hint of both skepticism and intrigue.

"Here's the deal," Lingling began, her tone now filled with a hint of excitement.

"I want you to help me make someone jealous. I think you're the perfect person to pull it off."

Lingling continued, her voice filled with mischief.

"In return, I'll let you stay here until you find a new place. But, you'll also be expected to pitch in with some of the housework."

Orm, her eyes widened at the unexpected request, but a hint of excitement flickered in them.

Despite her weakened state, she couldn't help but let her stubborn nature win out.

"Alright, I'm in," she responded, her words more assertive than her current condition would suggest.