Chapter 11: A Burst of Flame Appears - Internship Task Three

After speaking, she looked at her mother and said, “Also, Mom, you have to come home every night. I’m here with my little brother.”

Before, she hadn’t known her little brother was ill, so their mother had been exhausted, staying at the hospital day and night.

Now that she knew, of course she wanted them to get proper rest.

“This…” The couple looked somewhat unwilling.

Yan Qingyu suddenly said, “Just listen to your sister. If you break down, I really won’t have a way out. If you don’t listen, I won’t cooperate with the treatment either.”

From now on, his sister could stay by his side; he wanted to talk quietly with her in the dark, just like when they were children.

Yan Ningxi didn’t know her brother’s thoughts but playfully declared, “If you don’t listen, I won’t eat or drink starting today until you obey.”

Those two unlucky kids!

The couple had no choice but to comply.

But they couldn’t let their daughter keep watch all the time; after a few days, they would take turns with her.

Yan Ningxi didn’t object either; occasionally having them watch at night made her feel more at ease and relaxed.

That night, the couple returned to the new apartment Yan Ningxi had rented.

To their surprise, it was in a building with an elevator, exquisitely decorated, with three bedrooms, two living rooms, a kitchen, and two bathrooms.

Each room already had a bed set up, and their belongings were arranged according to their preferences.

Yan Xiubai felt a pang of pity. “Daughter, moving alone and setting up the house so nicely must have been hard. You should have told me, and I would have helped.”

Yan Ningxi’s eyes flickered with a hint of guilt. With the space provided, it hadn’t been much trouble.

“Dad, I’m still young. This is nothing. Besides, there are wardrobes here and other furniture and appliances that seem even more upscale than what we have. I’m temporarily storing our things at a friend’s warehouse.”

Yan Xiubai approved of her thoughtful decision. “You’ve really considered everything.”

After seeing her parents rest well, Yan Ningxi cooked and then brought food to Yan Qingyu.

She also brought some toiletries and a folding bed, planning to stay with her brother that night.

At 9:30 p.m., Yan Qingyu saw her unfolding the bed and preparing to lie down. He quickly said, “Sister, that folding bed looks uncomfortable. You’ll probably fall off if you turn over. You should go home to sleep; I sleep well and don’t need much care.”

Yan Ningxi knew he was concerned for her and patiently reasoned, “Have you forgotten the last time you suddenly lost consciousness late at night, and the alarm went off, frightening Mom and Dad? With me here, if anything happens, I can react quickly and call the doctors early. The hospital won’t have to notify our parents in an emergency at night. Mom’s health can’t take any shocks right now.”

Her parents had told her this just before she came to the hospital, asking her to be more vigilant if he woke up at night.

“That’s true,” Yan Qingyu admitted sheepishly. “Then why don’t you sleep on the hospital bed? I’ll take the folding bed.”

“Enough,” Yan Ningxi patted his shoulder. “I’m not that fragile. Get a good rest and don’t worry about anything else. If you don’t rest well and your condition worsens, who do you think will end up worrying?”

Yan Qingyu understood and didn’t argue further.

……

The next day was a workday. Yan Ningxi’s company was close to the hospital, just a ten-minute walk away.

She worked for a fashion design company with excellent benefits and a cafeteria providing lunch.

Since she had slept at the hospital the night before, and so much had happened during the day, plus waking several times at night, she hadn’t rested well.

After a full lunch, she felt sleepy and couldn’t help but nap on the table.

She had originally planned to go home at noon to cook and bring food to the hospital.

But her father insisted that going back and forth was too tiring for her and said he would cook instead.

He also said that with her income, he felt more at ease now and didn’t have to work so hard as before, so she let him take over.

“Ningxi, Ningxi.”

Her head still a bit foggy, Yan Ningxi raised her eyes with them closed. “Xiaoxuan, what is it?”

Chi Xiaoxuan was her closest colleague and senior at the company, having joined a year earlier.

Xiaoxuan said helplessly, “Break time is almost over. Hurry up and fix your hair.”

Yan Ningxi immediately perked up, gratefully thanked her, and rushed to the restroom.

While tidying her hair at the sink, a man suddenly emerged from the men’s restroom beside her.

Seeing the man’s head, Yan Ningxi froze.

She dared not look at him directly but checked the mirror, confirming it once again.

Sure enough, the man in the mirror had a dark cloud hovering above his head.

In the center of that cloud was a flickering flame.

Based on previous experiences, this meant the man would commit a fire-related crime.

[Internship Task Three has started. Completing it can convert it into a formal task.]

Yan Ningxi’s heart stirred. “Will the rewards and points from a formal task be much higher than what I get now?”

[Of course. However, the higher the rewards, the more difficult the task. Please work hard, Host.]

At that moment, the single flame multiplied into two, then three, until the entire dark cloud was suffused with orange.

Yan Ningxi’s hand trembled, and her face turned pale.

This warning was unlike the previous two. Could it be that if she didn’t intervene, the consequences would be unprecedentedly severe?

Chen Yongzhi washed his hands, sensing someone watching him. He turned sharply but only saw Yan Ningxi carefully fixing her hair.

He didn’t think much of it and left.

After Chen Yongzhi walked away, Yan Ningxi exhaled heavily.

Luckily, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

She returned to her workstation without drawing attention.

To avoid attracting Chen Yongzhi’s notice, she stood up, looked around as if searching for someone, and kept him in her peripheral vision.

The office building was crowded, with countless computers and electronic devices on every floor.

If a fire broke out here, the consequences would be disastrous.

But as long as she kept an eye on Chen Yongzhi, with so many people around, even if he tried to start a fire, he could be subdued quickly.

At this moment, Chen Yongzhi showed no sign of abnormality. He was focused, typing diligently.

Strangely, after seeing dark and white clouds over Fang Sheng and Cao Xiangping’s heads the previous two days, incidents had occurred swiftly.

Why was Chen Yongzhi’s situation different, with no sign of movement after some time?

“002, why is this one not happening as quickly as the others?”

[Host, the timing of events is not fixed. Some happen within a minute, others within 24 hours, or even longer. The previous two were quick mainly to help you complete the internship tasks rapidly and earn money, to entice you...]