The Adopted Sister Acts Strange (26)

"Oh, I see." Le Xiaowei murmured thoughtfully while looking at the staff in her hand.

"Then I'll use it on you." With a mischievous glint in her eye, she placed the staff against Yuan Qiaoqiao, pretending to actually activate it.

Yuan Qiaoqiao pressed her lips together tightly, her clear black-and-white eyes brimming with a hint of grievance. The faint flush at the corners of her eyes made her look inexplicably pitiful.

"Just teasing you." With a wave of her hand, Le Xiaowei made the staff vanish.

Seeing Yuan Qiaoqiao like this, the frustration from being confined earlier gradually faded away.

How strange.

Well, perhaps men just have soft hearts.

"Will cold medicine work for this illness of yours?" Le Xiaowei asked doubtfully.

But for now, finding cold medicine wouldn’t be easy. After all, this place was near the Northwest Base—any pharmacies nearby had surely been looted clean by scavenging teams long ago.

The only places likely to have medicine now were the hospital or inside the base.

"It’ll work." Yuan Qiaoqiao’s soft voice was hoarse, her little nose red and sniffly.

"Don’t go to the hospital. It’s too dangerous. Let’s just go to the base instead." She tugged lightly at Le Xiaowei’s sleeve, almost like she was pleading.

Le Xiaowei didn’t dwell on it further. She stored everything in the room inside her spatial storage. Though she wasn’t entirely sure of her current strength, she figured she had enough energy crystals to trade for medicine.

Inside the base, energy crystals were the main currency.

And the pile Yuan Qiaoqiao had collected earlier was practically a small mountain—Le Xiaowei hadn’t held back.

Once everything was packed, Le Xiaowei entered the room to find Yuan Qiaoqiao still miserable, rubbing her nose.

Le Xiaowei walked over and crouched beside the bed.

"Big sister?" Yuan Qiaoqiao blinked in surprise.

"Get on. We’re heading to the base."

Yuan Qiaoqiao hesitated for a moment before wrapping her arms around Le Xiaowei’s neck, resting her head against her shoulder, her cheeks flushed.

Le Xiaowei carried her outside, where feathery snowflakes drifted lazily through the air, settling on the ruins of the city walls and dusting the two of them. The cold was biting yet gentle, turning the tips of Le Xiaowei’s fingers pink.

At least she had a living heater on her back.

Yuan Qiaoqiao dozed off.

Fortunately, the system interface was still accessible, allowing Le Xiaowei to track the locations of the two male leads—otherwise, she wouldn’t even know how to find the base.

The cold was relentless. Outside the base, a small shelter had been set up, its walls lined with glass windows and an old-fashioned iron stove inside—the kind typically found in rural villages. The gatekeeper was bundled under two thick blankets and only reluctantly pulled his hands out when he saw them approaching.

"Got entry permits? If not, fill out these forms." The man handed two sheets to Le Xiaowei.

She took a pen and glanced over the form. She hadn’t seen one before, but it seemed straightforward—basic personal details and whether they were ability users.

After some thought, she decided the light attribute was the least conspicuous among her three abilities.

As for Yuan Qiaoqiao’s form…

Before Le Xiaowei could ask, Yuan Qiaoqiao shook the snowflakes from her lashes.

"Water attribute. I’m a water user."

Once the forms were filled, the man handed them two cards.

"Take these for inspection. Results take about half an hour. If cleared, you can enter the base."

Seeing they carried nothing, he didn’t press further. Normally, the base required an energy crystal fee.

"Thanks." Le Xiaowei took the cards, which displayed their names, abilities, and ID numbers.

Inside, the base wasn’t much warmer than outside—still bone-chilling. But at least a few people were shoveling snow, making the walk less treacherous.

The inspection office was just inside the gate. The staff member took their cards and skimmed the details.

"Not bad, both ability users. And this one…" He glanced at Yuan Qiaoqiao on Le Xiaowei’s back.

"She’s sick. That’s why we came in a hurry." Le Xiaowei offered a faint smile.

The staff didn’t comment, just drew a little blood from each of them for testing.

"Wait here. Results in thirty minutes." He shut the door behind him, stomping his feet against the cold.

"Sit by the stove and warm up."

He was considerate enough to bring them stools.

Le Xiaowei helped Yuan Qiaoqiao sit, and the warmth from the stove eased the discomfort on her face.

"By the way, miss, do you know someone named Le Xu in the base? He’s my brother. We got separated earlier."

Yuan Qiaoqiao didn’t move, just tightened her grip on Le Xiaowei’s hand.

"Le Xu? You’re his sister? He put out a bounty for anyone who could find you. Didn’t expect you to show up on your own. I’ll send someone to fetch him. Once your results are in, he can drive you back—his place is pretty far."

The Northwest Base was massive, nearly the size of a small city.

"Thank you." Le Xiaowei smiled sweetly.

Yuan Qiaoqiao tugged her hand again, but Le Xiaowei ignored it.

She was about to ask more about the base when Yuan Qiaoqiao suddenly lifted her head and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Le Xiaowei: "…"

The two women in the office blinked in surprise before exchanging knowing smiles. Le Xiaowei swore she had the sudden urge to smack Yuan Qiaoqiao.

If she weren’t feverish, Le Xiaowei wouldn’t put it past her to aim for the lips.

"She’s sick. Gets clingy." Le Xiaowei rubbed her tingling cheek, forcing an explanation.

The woman who’d spoken to her left to send word to Le Xu at the base center. Since he’d publicly shared his sister’s name—which matched the card exactly—if this was real, even if Le Xu didn’t reward them, gaining a powerful ally’s favor was worth it.

The remaining woman just watched them with an amused look.

Le Xiaowei wanted to melt into the floor.

She leaned down and hissed through gritted teeth, "If you pull another stunt, I’m dumping you in the snow."

Yuan Qiaoqiao lowered her head. "Oh."

But… she hadn’t used her hands or feet.

What did "oh" even mean?

Annoyed, Le Xiaowei considered standing to pace, but Yuan Qiaoqiao rubbed her temples weakly and slumped against her lap before she could move.

Le Xiaowei: "…"

Definitely intentional.

Avoiding the woman’s teasing gaze, Le Xiaowei sat stiffly, like a block of wood, until the test results arrived and the other woman returned.

"I sent word to Le Xu. He’s on his way."

"Thanks." Le Xiaowei replied flatly.

By the time her legs went numb, Le Xu finally pulled up in a vehicle, clad in a black down jacket and carrying two pale pink bundles. He knocked on the office door urgently.

"Little sister!" His voice was laced with worry.

But when Le Xiaowei turned to face him, he froze.

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