062. Sick Day
Zhang Shaoqing woke up feeling like his head was about to explode.
He opened his eyes and saw the ceiling fan buzzing above him, looking one bad wobble away from crashing down.
There was a rustling sound nearby. He turned his head and spotted the legs of a chair, and then… Ning Chu’s pristine white feet perched atop it!
“Still awake?”
Ning Chu, crouched on the chair playing computer games, jumped in surprise and quickly spun around, her expression filled with concern and alertness. She promptly slipped into her slippers.
“What time is it?”
“Three in the morning.”
Zhang Shaoqing groaned, covering his head as he tried to sit up. His gaze landed on the suitcase next to Ning Chu. “You planning to go home?”
Nope, just scouting the situation in case he needed to bail.
But he looked pretty normal, didn’t he?
“Just tidying up some useless stuff while there’s time.”
“Wanna drink some water?” Ning Chu turned and handed him a glass of cold boiled water.
“Yeah.”
The dorm fell silent again in the dead of night as Zhang Shaoqing quietly finished his water and fiddled with his mobile phone while sitting on the bamboo mat.
Ning Chu had lost interest in the TV series and occasionally stole glances at him.
Looks like her mood was just average, huh?
Normally, Zhang Shaoqing would have been teasing and joking with her by now.
At this hour, Wen Yang was already fast asleep—it seemed this guy had a pretty normal schedule, rarely staying up past midnight—while Ning Chu, on the other hand, often burned the midnight oil, especially on days off.
“I’m wondering what I’m doing wrong,” Zhang Shaoqing suddenly mumbled as if talking to himself.
Ning Chu instinctively shook her head. “You’re not doing anything wrong!”
Her eyes scanned him, struggling to find something good about this blondie: “You’re handsome, wealthy and generous, your personality is outgoing…”
In a world full of stunning people, appearance was actually the least noticeable advantage, and personality… Definitely not bad, but saying he was ‘popular’ would be a stretch—more like ‘people avoid him like the plague.’
So maybe the only solid point was that he was generous.
Ning Chu paused, trying to gather her thoughts: “Maybe it’s just that you’re not her type? I took a look at Wen Yang and Ling Ling’s boyfriends; they’re both tall and have that steady vibe. You? Well, you look a bit refined, but your personality is… lively.”
Zhang Shaoqing nodded thoughtfully. “You really want to be the wise sister here, huh?”
“……”
“I’m going to the bathroom.”
He flipped over and headed out to the balcony.
Ning Chu felt a weight lift off her heart. At least this guy could still joke around. Compared to last night when he looked ready to morph into a dark villain any second, his current state was a welcome relief.
“What a ridiculous situation~” she lamented as she shoved the suitcase back into the wardrobe. “Thank goodness I dodged that b*llet.”
With no worries about a sudden disaster looming over her, she felt much lighter, but then came the heavy wave of fatigue.
After days of mental and physical strain, her body was finally feeling the toll. Stifling a yawn, she turned off her computer and decided to hit the sack.
As for Zhang Shaoqing’s mental health? Well, he seemed fine for now. She could check in on him again later.
….
When she woke up, the sound of rain pattering nearby filled her ears.
Ning Chu felt extremely heavy and could barely open her eyes. She rolled over on the bed, exhaled, and realized her breath was hot.
Forcing her eyes open, she weakly asked Wen Yang, who was sitting below: “What time is it?”
“12 o’clock. Pulled another all-nighter, didn’t you?”
“Uh-huh, until three.” She glanced around the dorm. “Where’s Shaoqing?”
“He left.”
Left?! In this condition, how could Zhang Shaoqing just walk out the door?!
Great, he might have turned into a villain and snuck out to wreak havoc on unsuspecting ladies!
Ning Chu jolted upright, ready to rush downstairs, but suddenly felt too weak to leave the bed.
Oh no!
After running around with Wen Yang for casual gigs, her body was already worn out, plus the late night and a bit of drinking had knocked her immune system for a loop…
She might be getting sick?!
“Wen Yang, Wen Yang!” She leaned over the bed, her voice taut with worry. “Do you know where Shaoqing went??”
“Probably back home? I didn’t see him this morning. His car keys were gone too.”
Wen Yang looked up at her and then laughed, noticing her face flushed from fever. “Wow, you’re really red. Got a fever or something?”
“Seems like it…”
“???”
Wen Yang blinked, almost thinking Ning Chu was trying to flirt with him.
But then he stood up, walked to her bedside, and gently checked her forehead with the back of his hand.
“Hot. I’ll get the thermometer, let’s check your temperature and then swing by the Medical Room.”
“Uh… what about Shaoqing…”
“Forget about him while you’re sick, will you? Just focus on getting better!”
It was rare for Wen Yang to be so stern with her tone.
“Honestly, I don’t get you. You’re sick and still worrying about Shaoqing? You can care about your roommate later, but take care of yourself first.”
Wen Yang rummaged around until he straightened up with a frown. “I remember bringing a thermometer from home during the school year, but I can’t find it.”
“Wait, I’ll run downstairs to buy one.”
“Hey!”
Ning Chu was about to protest, but Wen Yang was already out the door.
She could only watch helplessly, muttering, “Another one has left. I hope he doesn’t stumble into some plot!”
“At least he could have grabbed an umbrella…”
Worry crept in for Wen Yang, but she felt far too sick to move.
Due to the holiday and rain, the dorm area was ghost town with hardly any students around. Wen Yang dashed through the drizzle from the dorm to the local supermarket.
He arrived at the checkout, urgency written all over his face. “Do you have thermometers? Where are they?”
“Over there.”
He rushed towards the shelf, quickly scanning the items before suddenly smelling something fragrant. He turned instinctively and came face to face with a sly vixen, smile plastered across her face.
Lin Li’s eyes sparkled as she approached him, and just before she could say anything, Wen Yang interrupted. “Have you seen any thermometers?”
“A thermometer?”
She trailed behind him, those stunning fox-like eyes darting around the shelves while her words tried to lure him in: “Wen Yang~ Do you have time later? I’m so bored all alone in the dorm during the break~”
As she said this, she sidled up closer to him, her arm casually brushing against his.
With his face expressionless, Wen Yang glanced down at her, then suddenly smiled.
Gotcha!
Sure enough, men are weak against temptation!
Lin Li’s eyes brightened, her legs crossing as Wen Yang crouched down and picked up a thermometer from the bottom shelf. “Found it. No wonder it was so hard to locate…”
“……”
“Feeling bored? Didn’t you say you were driving back home that day instead of sticking around for dinner?”
As he stood up, Wen Yang’s face went back to its usual unreadable expression as he coolly replied, “What’s this? Just because I wasn’t getting in the car, you figured you were free to leave?”
What a bad woman! If Ning Chu hadn’t saved him that day, he might have only been left with one kidney by now!
“Ah?”
