novelraw Chapter 278 - 271: Sudden Onset
Chapter 278 - 271: Sudden Onset
a.m.
Yang Ni was jolted awake by a violent bout of coughing.
"Yuwei, Yuwei, are you okay?" She suddenly felt her own throat burning uncomfortably.
Hearing no response from Ye Yuwei, a sense of alarm struck her, and she hurriedly got up to turn on the light.
"Yuwei, Yuwei..."
Yang Ni saw Ye Yuwei’s face, red like a scorching iron, beads of sweat densely plastered across her skin. Her lips were cracked and dry.
At that moment, unsettling breathing noises came from Meng Meixuan and Qiang Yueting’s direction as well.
Yang Ni herself felt dizzy and unsteady, her chest burning as if a fire had been kindled there.
"Are we... are we contracting some kind of contagious disease?"
Yang Ni stumbled toward the door, barely managing to open it.
"Someone come! Someone’s sick, sick..."
After saying this, she could no longer hold on and collapsed in the hallway.
Luckily, the hallway was monitored by cameras.
The security personnel, sensing something was seriously wrong, immediately notified the resident supervisors.
Yang Xiaoyue, who had already gone to bed, was woken up by an urgent phone call.
"What? Something happened to the people in A3 dormitory?"
"... Hurry, send them to the hospital!"
The entire base was thrown into chaos.
Bang! Bang!
Lv Fangxin, deep in sleep, was utterly terrified by the sound of someone pounding on the door persistently.
"Attention all trainees: wake up immediately, bring your thermos, and head to the main practice room."
The broadcast repeated these words over and over.
"Could it be an earthquake?" Lv Fangxin started to react.
"If it’s an earthquake, we should run outside!" Fu Xiaoyu quickly began changing clothes.
"Perhaps it’s an emergency drill," Wu Zixuan said calmly.
The girls in the other dormitories were also gossiping and speculating.
"Xiao Han, why are you carrying your backpack?" Yang Han stared at her roommate in surprise.
"I have a bad feeling about this, figured I’d bring some stuff just in case," Xiao Han replied.
Yang Han froze for a moment before slinging her own backpack onto her shoulders.
When they stepped out, the hallway was crowded with people—even the director had shown up.
The base’s medical team was checking the temperatures of everyone leaving with individual thermometers.
"It’s possible someone’s sick," Lu Bingbing said nervously.
"Sick?!" Liu Danmeng echoed, her unease growing.
"Oh my God, someone really might be sick!" Lv Fangxin’s sweaty palms clutched Chen Yinghan’s hand tightly.
"It’s okay, medicine today is very advanced," Chen Yinghan whispered, hoping to reassure Fangxin.
"The show won’t be canceled, right?" Lv Xiaoxue murmured under her breath.
"Hard to say. Let’s see what happens." Li Shihan looked equally lost.
Suddenly, Gao Ziyi shouted, "Where did Ye Yuwei and the others go?"
"Seriously, they’re not here—did they already head to the main practice room?"
Hearing Ye Yuwei’s name, Lv Fangxin trembled uncontrollably, her gaze darting around anxiously, but she saw no sign of her.
Chen Yinghan observed Lv Fangxin’s nervousness and felt a tinge of jealousy in her heart.
She knew how deep the bond was between them but had never asked Fangxin directly about it—for fear that once the delicate boundary between them was crossed, their friendship might be lost.
Liu Feiyu was also scanning the area for signs of them, when she suddenly caught sight of Zhu Riri walking incredibly slow, her head hanging profoundly low.
What frightened her even more was that Zhu Riri appeared to be muttering endlessly to herself.
Perhaps noticing Liu Feiyu’s stare, Zhu Riri raised her head, revealing a sinister, ghostly rage behind the curtain of her dense, long hair.
Liu Feiyu instinctively stepped backward in terror, an ominous feeling creeping into her heart.
Lu Bingbing was also focused on Ye Yuwei’s situation, emotions swirling inside her.
Wu Zixuan kept glancing nervously about, wondering if they had truly fallen ill.
Lu Xiaoman was as frantic as a person on hot coals, persistently questioning the staff.
But the staff didn’t divulge any details; they only offered vague reassurances.
When the group arrived at the main practice room, Ye Yuwei and the other three were still absent.
By then, everyone was convinced—something had definitely happened to the four of them.
"Everyone, please remain calm—there’s been an issue at the base,"
At this point, Yang Xiaoyue and the other program managers appeared.
"The girls from A3 dormitory—Ye Yuwei and her group—aren’t feeling well. They’ve been sent to the hospital for tests."
"To ensure everyone’s health and safety, we’ve temporarily gathered you all here."
"Please don’t read too much into it. Take a moment to rest here and wait for further updates."
All Yang Xiaoyue could do now was attempt to reassure the group.
"Director Yang, what’s really going on with Sister Yezi and the others?" Lv Fangxin finally couldn’t hold back and yelled with urgency.
"Yes, Director Yang, what is happening?" Lu Xiaoman’s voice cracked, on the verge of tears.
Several bold trainees chimed in, echoing their questions.
"Fangxin, I don’t know the specifics yet myself. Asking you all to gather here was recommended by the medical team. We should trust the doctors’ judgment,"
Yang Xiaoyue understood that their emotions needed to be stabilized now more than ever.
Though these girls often seemed composed and obedient on the surface,
In reality, none of them were truly "well-behaved."
Moreover, after over two months of intense life within this tightly regulated environment, it wouldn’t be surprising if some psychological strain was surfacing.
"Everyone, take this herbal remedy along with these vitamins,"
The medical team entered at just the right time, hoping to diffuse the tense atmosphere.
"Please rest assured—any updates will be shared with you immediately."
"You’re all here for this competition, and we are responsible for ensuring your health and safety."
"Even if something did happen, you’d be the first to be rescued and sent away safely."
Recognizing the possibility of misunderstanding her previous statement, Yang Xiaoyue clarified with an added line.
Her words conveyed a reassuring message: You’re here for the competition; we won’t take away your freedom. If uncontrollable circumstances arise, you’ll be allowed to leave.
But her reassurance left Wu Zixuan, Li Shihan, and others feeling deeply uneasy.
These girls had high hopes of debuting. If the program were terminated, it would squash their impending fame.
Wang Na, too, was feeling anxious—she had just finalized an agreement with her company via Penguin.
The plan was to strategize her early buzz-building, with Penguin providing screen time and resources, leaving her debut status up to final ratings.
If the program dissolved, her value would crumble along with it.
Liu Feiyu kept her wary gaze on Zhu Riri, noticing that her face suddenly broke into an eerie smile.
"Feiyu, what are you doing?" Zhao Juke’s voice startled her, almost causing her to cry out.
Liu Feiyu said nothing but subtly signaled Zhao Juke to look at Zhu Riri.
Clever as ice, Zhao Juke immediately caught on, her pupils dilating in shock as she imagined the worst.
Liu Feiyu gently shook her head, cautioning the enraged Zhao Juke against acting rashly.
Meanwhile, Luo Tiantian, standing near Yang Xiaoyue and listening intently, felt her arm be suddenly grabbed.
Startled, she turned to see Jiang Mengqi beside her.
Jiang Mengqi remained silent, instead using her fingernails to trace letters on Tiantian’s palm.
"Zhu Riri seems off!"
Luo Tiantian’s heart raced as disbelief engulfed her. She immediately ducked her head, trying not to draw attention.
Coming from a proper idol group background, she knew exactly what her friend meant.
In the early days of her company’s trainee recruitment, envy and desperation led many to engage in deplorable acts to gain an edge.
"That’s impossible! There are surveillance cameras everywhere here," Luo Tiantian replied swiftly using the same method.
"I’m just guessing, but Zhu Riri hasn’t been herself since the first performance."
"For now, we can only wait for news. From now on, we cannot split up."
Luo Tiantian, too, began to feel the creeping grip of fear.