Just because of that damn exposure, He Siheng felt so ashamed that he had nightmares all night long.
He dreamed that Tan Jing chased him while yelling about catching a pervert, twisted his arm, and dragged him straight to the police station. He spent the whole night shedding tears behind bars.
He must have struggled too violently in the dream because when he woke up in the morning, his pillow and blanket had ended up under the bed. He had also forgotten to close the window the night before, and the weather had just turned cooler. Inevitably, He Siheng caught a cold.
In the morning, it was just a dry itch in his throat, but by afternoon, he started coughing. By evening, the coughs grew even worse. During the break in evening self-study, as he explained a problem to Zhou Yu, he coughed once after every two sentences.
Zhou Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Heng Bro, why are you coughing so badly? Have you taken any medicine?”
“Nah, just a little cold. It’ll get better on its own.” He Siheng coughed several times as he said this.
No sooner had he finished than Tan Jing spoke up from beside them in a low voice, “You don’t have to push yourself so hard for my sake. Your health is more important.”
He Siheng was utterly speechless. “Who said I’m pushing myself for you? I caught a cold because I kicked off the blanket while sleeping last night, okay?”
Zhou Yu burst out laughing. “Heng Bro, you’re not a kid anymore. How do you still kick off the blanket in your sleep?”
He Siheng’s face flushed. “…Shut up. Do you still want me to explain this problem or not?”
Zhou Yu said, “You’re coughing so hard. You should rest your throat.”
“Forget it then.”
He Siheng shooed him away and continued reading his book, but he couldn’t help coughing again. Even though he tried to suppress it, coughing was an uncontrollable physiological reaction.
Tan Jing glanced at him and then stood up from his seat.
The school’s Medical Office had the same hours as the students’ dismissal time, but there was still a school doctor on duty at this hour. A girl who wasn’t feeling well lay on the bed, hooked up to an IV drip.
When she saw Tan Jing walk in, the girl secretly gasped. She immediately sat up against the headboard, straightened her appearance, and pulled out her phone from her pocket.
Tan Jing approached the on-duty school doctor. “Hello, I’d like some cold medicine.”
The school doctor glanced at him. “Caught a cold? What are the symptoms?”
“Just coughing right now, dry cough without phlegm.” Tan Jing thought for a moment, recalling that He Siheng had a bit of a nasal tone when he spoke earlier, and added, “Also a bit congested.”
The school doctor handed over two boxes of cold medicine. “These two should be enough.”
Tan Jing looked at one box of effervescent granules and said, “Can I exchange this one for something else?”
The school doctor was taken aback. “What’s wrong?”
Tan Jing replied, “It’s too bitter.”
The school doctor suddenly laughed. “You’re a high schooler now and still afraid of bitter medicine? Fine, I’ll swap it for capsules. Same effect.”
Tan Jing didn’t explain further. He thanked the school doctor, took the two boxes of medicine, and left the Medical Office.
The girl leaning against the headboard with her IV drip held her phone in one hand and frantically typed away with the other, spamming messages in her dorm group chat: Aaaah, sisters! Guess who I just saw in the Medical Office! It was Tan Jing! He came to get cold medicine and specifically told the school doctor he didn’t want the bitter effervescent kind—he can’t handle bitter stuff!
-This super alpha male god is afraid of bitter medicine? The contrast is too strong!
-Swoon! He’s so cute!
…
By the time Tan Jing returned to the classroom with the cold medicine, class had already been in session for a while. He walked in but didn’t see He Siheng at his seat.
He frowned, walked back to his own seat, and noticed that He Siheng’s desk was cleared out, with no sign of his backpack.
It looked like he wasn’t feeling well and had gone home early.
Tan Jing glanced at the cold medicine in his hand that he hadn’t had a chance to give away and felt a bit helpless.
Fine, it was better for him to go back and rest early anyway.
He Siheng hadn’t gone home early because he couldn’t handle it—he wasn’t that fragile. It was just that the intermittent coughing was too annoying, both to himself and to others during self-study. Even Tan Jing had been bothered enough to leave, so he simply cut out early and went home.
He Siheng had always been tough as nails. Once home, he pinched his nose and swallowed some cold medicine, then lay down and slept soundly. When he woke up, he felt much better overall. He wasn’t coughing as much as the day before and went to school refreshed for morning self-study.
As he walked toward the Class 1 classroom, he spotted Tan Jing standing with a girl on the corridor outside the classroom, talking about something.
The girl looked familiar. He Siheng remembered: during last Monday’s flag-raising ceremony, Zhou Yu had pointed her out as the former school flower from North Middle School.
What were these two doing, acting out an idol drama at the classroom door?
He Siheng grumbled inwardly but didn’t bother avoiding them. He continued walking over—he was in a hurry to get back to the classroom and review his books.
“I heard you went to the Medical Office yesterday. Are you sick?” The school flower girl’s voice was soft and gentle.
He Siheng paused and looked toward Tan Jing.
This guy was sick too?
Had he caught it from him?
“It wasn’t me who was sick.” Compared to the girl’s gentleness, Tan Jing’s tone was much more distant.
Zhang Xunyue was slightly stunned. “Then why did you go to the Medical Office…”
Telling strangers too much about his own affairs would only invite more trouble, so Tan Jing didn’t want to say more on the matter. “That’s my business.”
He paused, then added, “I helped you before simply because I couldn’t stand those Alphas bullying people by leveraging their gender advantage. Saving you was just incidental. Nothing more. I hope you don’t misunderstand.”
He had phrased it tactfully, but it was clear enough. Zhang Xunyue understood his meaning, yet she still wasn’t willing to give up. “I didn’t misunderstand. I just like you and want to pursue you. Whatever type you like, I can try to become that!”
Tan Jing’s cool, detached gaze as he met her eyes didn’t change. “You don’t need to do that for me.”
Tears welled up in Zhang Xunyue’s watery eyes. She bit her lip, lowered her head, and ran off. As she brushed past He Siheng, who was standing there, she accidentally bumped his arm and stumbled. He Siheng quickly steadied her.
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