"It seems like you're the one who's nervous, teacher."
Mao Xianzhi sighed, and even though he tried to suppress it, a hint of regret still crept into his expression: "Have you been feeling alright since the start of the semester?"
Ji Li shook his head: "No."
Mao the Prophet repeatedly instructed: "If you have any questions, be sure to tell your teacher."
There was no hint of impatience in Ji Li's tone: "I know."
.
The physical examination site was located in the gymnasium, and both floors, including the indoor basketball court, were requisitioned.
Ying Yunsheng was among the first to arrive because he stayed at school over the weekend, and when he finished all his projects, he happened to come out right when the crowd was at its densest. Because there was no organized flow of people, the whole place was noisy and chaotic.
On the second floor, students were walking and talking: "Have you had your height measured yet? How tall are you?"
"And you?"
"I asked first, so you go first."
"Well……"
"Pfft, I thought you were at least 1.7 meters tall, no matter how short you are, but you're only 1.68 meters. You must have grown horizontally the whole time, hahaha..."
"Shut up! What's your height?!"
"Hehe, I'm not telling you!"
"Stop right there and I promise I won't kill you!!"
Two boys, one fat and one thin, instantly engaged in a chase down the corridor. The thin boy, just as he reached the stairwell and was about to stop, the fat boy surged forward, grabbing at his collar with both hands—
A muffled thud.
Ji Li was wearing headphones and replying to messages when he was suddenly bumped into, causing him to lose his balance and fall uncontrollably.
The stairs are just ahead.
A sharp feeling of weightlessness seized his breath in an instant, shattering the reflections of colors in his vision. He instinctively tried to grab onto something to stop his falling body, but all he could grasp was air.
Then, suddenly a pair of hands caught him.
"Ji Li?"
"Well……"
"Ji Li?"
His heart was pounding, and the ringing in his ears hadn't subsided. He just shook his head to indicate that he was alright.
Ying Yunsheng breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned and looked up at the stairs: "Why are you running in the corridor? What if you bump into someone?"
The two boys upstairs, realizing they'd caused trouble, shrank back and said, "Sorry... are you alright?"
"Is an apology all it takes?"
The sarcasm in those words was undisguised. The boy, at the prime of his youth, felt a chill run down his spine from the gaze of someone his own age: "I'm sorry..."
People passing by noticed the commotion and curiously looked over.
Before Ying Yunsheng could say anything more, Ji Li, who was standing nearby, had already recovered and pulled him behind her, saying, "It's alright, just be careful next time."
The two boys quickly agreed, too ashamed to stay, and turned to run away.
Ying Yunsheng silently watched the two figures leave, then turned his head and saw Ji Li bending down to pick up what he had dropped. His gaze swept across the room and landed on a card by the wall.
The card has the city hospital's logo printed on it.
The medical staff who came to the school to conduct physical examinations for the students were organized by the city's central hospital. After each test, the medical staff who could spot the problem on the spot would give the students a small card for that test item, saying that they could get a discount at the hospital if they took it. Even he himself was given a small white card for ophthalmology.
When Ying Yunsheng picked up the item, he caught a glimpse of the words on it out of the corner of his eye.
The name field reads Ji Li's name.
But the next department is cardiac surgery.
He was startled, and for no apparent reason, he recalled the other person standing by the window at the opening ceremony, telling him that they had already asked for leave; the privilege of being able to sit in the classroom and read during the flag-raising ceremony; the physical education class they always missed; and their perpetually paler complexion than everyone else's.
It seems that everything has a reasonable explanation at this moment.
Ji Li had already picked up the medical examination report and her phone when she noticed his stunned expression: "What's wrong?"
Ying Yunsheng remained silent.
Ji Li glanced at the card, then casually picked it up and threw it into the trash can.
“You,” Ying Yunsheng glanced at his collar subconsciously, “your sudden transfer to another school was because…”
Ji Li said, "Congenital heart disease."
He pronounced the name of the disease, which is almost universally known but rarely seen in real life, with clear enunciation, like a bell suddenly ringing in people's hearts.
“I went to another place for treatment for a while, but my student status is still here, so I came back after I recovered.”
Ying Yunli, feeling the confusion in her mind, thought to herself, "No wonder."
So that's how it is.
Ji Li still had two tests to complete. He put his headphones back on and prepared to go into the room, but the person next to him suddenly tugged at his sleeve: "Why are you wearing headphones?"
"Well……"
“You didn’t dodge when someone bumped into you just now,” Ying Yunsheng frowned. “What if another accident happens if you keep doing this?”
Ji Li was surprised that the other party's first reaction was this, especially since the other party's words clearly regarded him as a reckless internet addict. After a while, he explained with a bit of a wry smile, "My remaining projects are all on the first floor, nothing will happen."
Ying Yunsheng remained expressionless.
Ji Li stared at him for a while, then took off one of his earphones and handed it to him.
Ying Yunsheng understood his meaning, hesitated for a moment, and then tried to put it on.
Suddenly, the sound of torrential rain filled the air, pattering against the eaves and dripping down.
It is calm and soothing white noise.
"The noise in the stadium is too loud, so I wanted to listen to something else to calm myself down," Ji Li explained patiently. "So, may I go in now?"
.
Half a minute later.
Ji Li never expected that her words would lead to this result.
He stood in the line, while Ying Yunsheng stood like a gatekeeper two meters behind him, within easy reach.
I've tried to persuade him, but the other person seems convinced that he's a fragile object that can't withstand any bumps or knocks, and insists on guarding him every step of the way to ensure his personal safety.
Ying Yunsheng waited for him to get the last stamp, followed him all the way to the classroom door, and was about to leave when someone called him back.
Ji Li entered the classroom first, and came out a moment later, holding a glass bottle in his hand.
"Here, take this."
Ying Yunsheng stared blankly at the scene in the bottle for a long time: "You folded it?"
This was clearly not a quick fix made from a piece of gauze in the infirmary. It was something that had been carefully crafted. A tiger was crouching next to the incredibly realistic rose. It was a mystery how the person had managed to create the colorful pattern with just a few sheets of paper, and how even the edges were so neatly finished that the seams were invisible.
"I didn't see any glass bottles for sale near my home or school, so I found them online, and they were delivered yesterday."
Ji Li said, "That way it won't break."
Ying Yunsheng's heart suddenly raced: "Just because I said I wanted it?"
"You can also consider it a thank-you gift for today."
"Actually, it doesn't have to be so complicated."
“You can’t say that.” Ji Li smiled. “If I die in the future, this will be my posthumous work. You might even get promoted if you keep it…”
Before he could say the word "value" in "appreciation," the other person had already grabbed his arm.
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 15
Chapter 15
basketball hoop
Ji Li glanced at the hand gripping his arm, and from the white fingertips, he could see the other's annoyance. After a slight pause, he understandingly changed his words: "Okay, I won't say anything more."
Ying Yunsheng didn't speak, but his brows were furrowed even more tightly than when he first heard Ying Yunsheng's confession.
Ji Li shoved the glass bottle into his arms: "Keep it safe."
.
After the monthly exam, the tension that had been building in the class suddenly eased, and the usual relaxed atmosphere returned.
It wasn't just because the big exams were over, but also because the homeroom teacher had held back the school sports meet announcement until after the National Day holiday.
For several days in a row, Ji Li went to the playground every evening during self-study.
It wasn't really for exercise; he was just sitting in the stands, casually watching his classmate who was running around the track, panting heavily.
"So why did he call you over?"
Ji Li, who was still holding a book to pass the time, thought for a moment after hearing this and said, "He's probably afraid that he won't have the strength to run back to the classroom."
Ying Yunsheng's gaze remained puzzled: "Why do I have to call you?"
"Maybe it's because he's still angry."
Actually, the person Jian Mingyuan initially called to accompany him on his night runs was not Ji Li, but Ye Ruhui.
After three consecutive days of running on the track, panting and sweating profusely, and finally managing to sit down in the classroom only to watch the student in front of him eating an ice pop, Jian Mingyuan finally couldn't help but ask, "Are you really that hungry?"
Ye Ruhui had half a crushed ice cream stick in his mouth and was holding up the other half in his hand: "How about I give you this one?"
Jian Mingyuan looked surprised: "You didn't poison it, did you?"
"You've only run two and a half laps and you're already like this. If I don't give you some energy to replenish your strength, you might just collapse."