Chapter 14: What a Messy Circle

Swearing to herself, she suddenly felt a chill.

Could it be that the person she'd met had been sick?!

This kind of pervert definitely wouldn't take any safety measures. If he really was sick, then...

Considering this possibility, Ning Xiaofei had no mood to soak any longer. She climbed frantically out of the bathtub, wrapped herself in a bath towel, and rushed to fetch a thermometer. She tucked it under her arm anxiously and waited a few minutes to check it. Seeing the temperature displayed, she almost dropped the thermometer on the floor.

"3... 37 degrees?!"

Done for!

If she remembered correctly, a low fever was an early symptom of AIDS.

Looking at the number on the thermometer, Ning Xiaofei truly felt like crying without tears, regretting not slapping herself twice. She hurriedly pulled on a set of clothes, grabbed her backpack, and sprinted out of her neighborhood, heading straight for the nearest hospital.

...

...

"AIDS?" The moment the doctor heard this word, he immediately lifted his face to size Ning Xiaofei up and down. "What is your occupation?"

"I work at a TV station."

"What a chaotic circle." The doctor shook his head. "When did the intercourse occur?"

"Last night."

The doctor crossed his arms. "Then go back home for now, and come back in two weeks."

"Why?"

A matter concerning her life, and the doctor was this hasty?

"This disease has an incubation period. It's typically two to six weeks. Even if you're infected, it won't show up yet."

"So you're saying I shouldn't have symptoms now?"

The doctor nodded.

"And even if I was sick, it wouldn't be detectable?"

The doctor nodded again.

"So I... can only wait to die?"

Seeing Ning Xiaofei's pale face, the doctor finally showed a hint of sympathy.

"Of course, it's not completely hopeless. You could try to get your sexual partner to come in for testing. If he doesn't have AIDS, then naturally you wouldn't be infected either."

Ning Xiaofei's heart lifted slightly when she heard there was another way, but the moment she heard that, it sank immediately.

She'd been so drunk last night she couldn't remember even what the man looked like, let alone his name and contact information. How could she possibly find that pervert?

With no other choice, she headed to the budget hotel with the faint hope of trying to find him, but after worn-out lips and all sorts of pleading... the receptionist just responded with a smile.

"Sorry, we have to protect our customers' privacy!"

Ning Xiaofei hit a soft nail and turned away helplessly. She got to the door, then turned back, took out her phone from her bag, pretended to take a few photos, and then, chin up, she walked back to the reception desk, taking out her work ID from the TV station and showing it to the young lady.

"Take a good look, I'm a reporter with A-City Satellite TV. I've just inspected it closely, your fire safety equipment is clearly substandard. If this gets out, I'm sure your hotel will be shut down by tomorrow. When your manager finds out, you won't be able to avoid the consequences."

She gave the ID a shake, and the receptionist only saw words like 'TV station' and 'reporter' on it. How could she know that Xiaofei was just an intern, taking her for a real reporter, the receptionist's eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"This... we're all up to standard. There are smoke detectors in the rooms, and in the hallways... "

Ning Xiaofei stepped forward, patted the already damaged fire box on the desk, and deliberately said in an exaggerated tone, "This case is falling apart, and the fire extinguisher is in such a rotten state. This is what you call up to standard?!"