Jian Mingyuan realized what was going on: "Oh right, why are you so late today? You only arrived after we were all in the classroom."
Ji Li put down his schoolbag: "Something came up on the way, so I was delayed for a while."
"Is that so..." Jian Mingyuan didn't think much of it. Just then, the class bell rang, and he quickly pulled out his textbook and started memorizing.
In the classroom, everyone's desk had a bookend or bookshelf on it, stuffing everything from paper materials to mechanical pencils into it, making it look like a moving, living wall. You had to peek out before you could say anything.
Jian Mingyuan didn't notice at first, and it wasn't until after morning self-study that he realized the person next to him seemed a little strange.
Ji Li was unusually not reading or doing practice problems; instead, he was lying face down on his seat with his textbook under his arm, as if he had fallen asleep.
Jian Mingyuan hesitated for a moment, then reached out his hand: "Ji Li, wake up."
After calling several times, the other person finally moved, struggling to sit up while supporting themselves on the desk, their eyes moist and filled with exhaustion: "Class is starting?"
Jian Mingyuan nodded: "Math class."
Ji Li's lips were pale, and his vision cleared after a moment: "Thank you."
His condition was so obviously bad that even someone as oblivious as Jian Mingyuan couldn't pretend not to notice and couldn't help but ask, "Are you sick?"
Ji Li shook his head slightly: "I didn't sleep well last night, I'll catch up on some sleep after class."
It started raining after the performance last night. As an actor, he needed to change into his formal attire after the audience left. However, the performance venue was not far from the classroom, and he thought he could get there by hurrying up. So he declined the invitation from others to wait for him and walk together.
When he woke up this morning, his body had already given him a warning. The school clinic wasn't open yet when he took the long way to get there, which is why he was late this morning.
The classroom windows were all open at the homeroom teacher's instruction, ostensibly as a wake-up call, and a fine chill kept seeping into people's clothes, causing those around to instinctively shiver.
Ji Li had a light sweat on his forehead. He hadn't paid much attention to the lesson. When the bell rang, he sat in his seat for a few seconds before finally getting up.
To get to the infirmary, you have to walk through a long corridor, go down steps, and pass through office buildings and dormitories. The floor tiles are covered with thick rainwater, and there are dirty footprints everywhere.
Ji Li's temples throbbed, his head throbbed, and a suffocating feeling of difficulty breathing welled up in his chest like a tidal wave. As he went down the stairs, he lost his footing and stepped into thin air.
Just as he thought he was about to fall, a hand suddenly reached out from behind and pulled him back sharply.
Just as I managed to maintain my balance, I was met with a barrage of questions: "Can't you watch where you're going?"
Ji Li was stunned for two seconds, then opened his mouth and said, "I'm sorry."
Ying Yunsheng was taken aback: "What's wrong with you?"
Before the other person could answer, he reached out and touched their forehead: "Do you have a fever?"
Ji Li's mind worked slower than usual, and it took him several seconds to react before he said in a hoarse voice, "It seems a little."
Ying Yunsheng didn't ask any more questions, but he didn't let go either, and directly pulled him to the infirmary.
"Thirty-nine degrees Celsius." The doctor in the infirmary recognized him and stared at the thermometer in shock. "How come you only came when your fever had gotten this high?"
Ying Yunsheng asked, "What do we do now?"
"I can't do anything about his temperature here; he needs to go to the hospital." The school doctor opened a drawer. "I can write a sick note now. Will you go with him?"
Ji Li's throat was burning, and he had difficulty speaking. Before he could even open his mouth, the person next to him had already agreed.
The school doctor completely ignored his unfinished question and quickly signed his name: "It's raining outside, did you bring umbrellas?"
Ying Yunsheng shook his head.
"I happen to have one here. You can take it and use it first, then return it to me later."
Ying Yunsheng thanked him and took the leave slip.
Ji Li didn't remember to refuse until she was pulled out of the infirmary: "I can go by myself."
Ying Yunsheng didn't say anything, but pulled him along at a brisk pace.
Ji Li barely kept up with him: "Give me the leave slip, go back to class."
Ying Yunsheng didn't even turn his head, as if he were deaf.
Ji Li was unusually late this morning and hadn't eaten breakfast at all. At this moment, his limbs were weak, and he was only focused on chasing after the other person. Suddenly, he tripped over a cracked and protruding floor tile and fell down uncontrollably.
Ying Yunsheng caught him quickly and steadied him, then suddenly turned around and squatted down: "Get on."
Ji Li didn't have much strength, but he wasn't completely unable to walk. He was about to say "No need" when the other person took a half step back and hooked his knees with both hands.
Caught off guard, he instinctively grabbed the other person's shoulder the moment his vision suddenly rose higher. It wasn't until the other person had taken a few steps that he realized what had happened: "Put me down."
Ying Yunsheng released one hand and handed the umbrella upwards: "Take it."
Ji Li took it: "Put it away..."
Ying Yunsheng stepped directly out of the teaching building.
The cold rain and mist hit them in the face, and Ji Li could only hold up an umbrella to prevent the two of them from getting wet.
The umbrella wings were too small; it was impossible for two people walking side by side to get complete shelter from the rain. In comparison, this became the only way to avoid the rain. Ji Li stopped struggling and sighed after a while: "Why are you so unreasonable?"
Normally, Ying Yunsheng would almost always agree with whatever the other person said, and he couldn't even hold back a few words when talking back, because he knew he couldn't win an argument with him at all. This was the first time he had been so forceful, and every step he took from the infirmary until now had left no room for negotiation.
Hearing this sigh, he didn't turn his head; only his voice came through: "Because of you."
Ji Li couldn't find a way to refute it.
The two walked out of the school gate and took a taxi to the hospital.
Ji Li left in such a hurry that she didn't even bring her phone. She was led around by Ying Yunsheng the whole time, and only gradually felt a sense of reality after she was hooked up to an IV drip.
Because of the change of seasons, there have been quite a few people coming to the hospital these days. The doctor did not arrange a ward for them, so the two of them sat on a metal bench in the corridor for the time being.
The hospital was a little warmer than outside because it was windless, but it wasn't much better. Ji Li stared blankly at the syringe on the back of his hand for a while, when suddenly something burned his face.
Ying Yunsheng shoved the hot water bottle into his hand: "Take it."
Ji Li was taken aback: "Where did you come from?"
"I borrowed it." Ying Yunsheng sat down next to him. "Want to take a nap?"
Ji Li had just shaken his head when the other person suddenly reached out, placed his palm on his cheek, and pressed him against his shoulder.
Ying Yunsheng did all this so naturally that Ji Li was stunned for a few seconds, but ultimately chose to follow her heart's desire and did not refuse. However, she soon fell into a deep sleep.
The hospital benches weren't a good place to rest. Ying Yunsheng saw that he had closed his eyes and realized that his breathing had become steady, so he carefully adjusted his position and let the other person rest his head on his lap so that he could lie more comfortably.
As for why we didn't ask if you wanted to lie down from the beginning, it's because there's a fundamental difference in the intimacy and privacy between leaning on someone's shoulder and resting your head on their lap.
Ying Yunsheng was confident that if he was a little forceful, he could get the other person to lean on him to rest, but he wasn't confident that he could get the other person to willingly lie down in front of him.
Ji Li and Ying Yunsheng are completely different people.
If strangers met them, their first impression would be that Ji Li was easier to get along with than Ying Yunsheng, because Ji Li was always gentle and polite, while Ying Yunsheng seemed cold and indifferent.
However, once you spend some time with him, you'll find that Ying Yunsheng's coldness is only directed outwards. People who grow up amidst disputes and conflicts don't have the confidence to offer pure goodwill to the world. But he still yearns for beauty in his heart. So those who get close to him will find that he doesn't have any haughty airs. Once he truly cares about someone, he will do everything he can to treat them well.
Ji Li is different. Friends think he has a good temper, but he's just as good-tempered with people who aren't friends; classmates think he's understanding, but he's just as understanding with people who aren't classmates; acquaintances think he's gentle and approachable, but he can be just as gentle and approachable with complete strangers. A person is like the sun, shining brightly in all directions. If you receive more of his kindness, it's because you're closer to him, not because he's giving you more warmth out of selfishness.
He may seem warm on the outside and not cold on the inside, but you just can't get in. You can't find that chart in his heart that represents distance, and you don't know how much weight you really hold in his heart.
Ying Yunsheng usually doesn't expect much, but he occasionally thinks about why the other person developed such a personality.
Ji Li lay there quietly, her originally pale face flushed red from the high fever, even her breath was burning hot. Cold sweat seeped out uncontrollably, and she shivered slightly from the cold. When she was awake, she acted as if nothing was wrong, but her instincts revealed her unbearable weakness.
This shows that bodily reactions are much more honest than people's.
A nurse happened to pass by and reached out to adjust the IV drip rate: "Did the doctor prescribe any medication? If so, you can go to the pharmacy now. There aren't many people around right now, so the patient will recover faster if they take the medicine and rest."
Ying Yunsheng nodded.
Seeing that they were both wearing school uniforms, the nurse guessed that they were students who had come together on their way to class. She then told them that there was hot water and disposable cups at the end of the corridor before leaving.
Ying Yunsheng called out in a low voice, "Ji Li."
The other person didn't wake up.
“Ji Li”.
"Uh..." Ying Yunsheng didn't call out again. He carefully helped the person up from the chair and looked down to see the other person's dry, chapped lips.
He stared at it, lost in thought for a few seconds.
People are more prone to impulsive behavior when they are alone.
Or, when something you know is impossible is suddenly presented to you by an opportunity that seems within reach, dark thoughts in your mind will instantly overwhelm your sense of morality.
Ying Yunsheng suddenly lowered his head.
Ji Li hadn't actually slept very soundly; she had already woken up when the nurse came over to talk to her. However, due to physical exhaustion and the warmth and longing of the person beside her, she couldn't help but let her will overcome her usual social distancing even when she heard the other person calling her name.
When the other person helped him up, he was about to open his eyes, but unexpectedly the light in front of him suddenly dimmed, and the breathing of another person became clear and audible. Then something soft slowly pressed against his forehead.
The whole world seemed to fall silent at that moment.
Along with the realization of what this was, my heart suddenly started pounding wildly in my chest.
Each sound was like the beating of drums.
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Floor-to-ceiling windows
Those few seconds felt like an eternity.
Only after the other party withdrew and the footsteps faded into the distance did Ji Li open his eyes, staring blankly at the corner where the other party had disappeared.
This area is specifically for patients. Stainless steel benches stretch for a long distance, and the surroundings are mostly quiet, with only occasional whispers from people.
No one noticed what was happening here; even the surveillance cameras refused to give their attention to this corner.
You don't need to think about what a kiss means.
Ji Li sat motionless in place for a while, and only waited for the other person to return after his heartbeat calmed down.
When Ying Yunsheng saw him, he paused subconsciously before walking over: "When did you wake up?"
Ji Li: "Just woke up."