Chapter 27

"Explain."

"...Explain what?"

"You have the nerve to ask me what I'm explaining!" The homeroom teacher practically poked Wu Qi's face with her finger. "Don't you know the school rules forbid early romantic relationships?!"

Wu Qi pinched the bridge of his nose: "Not in love yet."

"..."

The homeroom teacher said, "You still have the nerve to talk back! Do you know how bad this is? What will people think of us? What will they think of me as their homeroom teacher?"

His gaze swept over Wu Qi twice before settling on me. "And you too! Sang Yue!"

I lowered my head and waited for orders.

"I told you you haven't been in a good mood lately! Is this all you've got on your mind?"

"..."

That's true.

I don't think there's anything wrong with being open and honest. I clenched my fist, organized my thoughts, and said, "Actually—"

"What does this have to do with her?"

Wu Qi stepped in front of me, blocking my way, "I'm going crazy myself."

I froze, then looked at him blankly.

...

Why act so forcefully without distinguishing right from wrong?

The homeroom teacher was incredibly disappointed in him, saying, "Flies don't land on eggs without cracks!"

Wu Qi laughed: "I'm like a fly that loves to bump into walls."

head teacher:"……"

I tugged at Wu Qi's sleeve from behind, trying to get him to talk less, but his ability to throw caution to the wind was far more sophisticated than I had imagined.

He may not actually have this idea, but if someone insists on going against him, he'll definitely go wild, and his adolescence will be resurrected.

The homeroom teacher, feeling a headache coming on, turned to the long-faced man and complained, saying that it was tough for him and that the students were too difficult to manage.

The man with the long, narrow face glanced at us, his expression shifting from serious to somewhat helpless, before finally sighing, "Kids these days, I don't know what they're thinking..."

He probably considered the logic: the school banned early romantic relationships because they were worried students wouldn't study properly, but... this Sang Yue and Wu Qi...

It's hard to say.

The above is purely my own imagination.

Don't take it seriously.

With such a tense environment, I need to keep my mind active.

The guy with the long face discussed something with the homeroom teacher, then nodded and turned to look at us.

"You two should go home today. Neither of you can learn anything staying at school," the homeroom teacher said. "As for punishment..."

Wu Qi interrupted, "Teacher—"

"I won't punish Sang Yue!" The homeroom teacher was almost laughing in exasperation. "It's not even a done deal yet, is it appropriate to be so protective of your own!"

Wu Qi: "..."

Calf: "..."

The man with the long face softened slightly. "Alright, alright, no punishment. The school rules don't say anything about what happens if someone confesses in public. But for the sake of the school's reputation, Wu Qi, you can stay home for a couple more days. Sang Yue can go to school as usual."

We both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Shoehorn face: "But!"

...

We almost swallowed our anger.

"A three-thousand-word self-criticism." He wasn't going to let it go easily, and added, "Also, Wu Qi, you must write out the process from now on."

Class teacher: "No sleeping in class anymore."

Shoehorn: "Don't be late."

Class teacher: "Homework must be submitted on time."

Shoehorn: "Also, no running or playing around in the hallway!"

...

When we went back to class to pack our things, Meng Xiaoqiong asked us with concern if we had received a profound lesson.

I said it was about the same, but in the end, the profound education was directly transformed into a roast session, and even incorporated some crosstalk elements.

Several people in the classroom were watching us, their gazes a mixture of confusion and curiosity, but I ignored them. Outside, a crowd had gathered, gossiping about us, before Xu Feng led the way and chased us away.

"Get lost! Why are you so curious?"

The leader, with his arm around the other's shoulder, said, "No, could you perhaps reveal a little bit of the details?"

Xu Feng got anxious upon hearing this: "I want to know too!"

I overheard this sentence as Wu Qi and I were leaving the classroom.

"Qi-Brother Qi, Sister Yue..." Xu Feng stammered, scratching his head, and then asked, "What's going on?"

"What else could it be? You've just gotten a week off," Wu Qi said nonchalantly. "Your sister Yue is in a worse situation; she only gets half a day off."

I:"……"

That's truly tragic.

A large crowd had gathered outside, and they could already hear the shoehorn-faced man shouting and cursing from a great distance.

Wu Qi coughed, covered his mouth, asked about Xu Feng's legs, then patted his shoulder and pulled me through the gaps in the crowd.

It was like a farce.

The farce ended, and the audience left happily, leaving only Wu Qi and me walking awkwardly, neither of us uttering a single word.

I feel I should explain.

Let me explain: the reason he said those things wasn't his fault, it was my fault. I was blinded by greed, I was indulging in hedonism…

I was so careless!

I tend to bite my hand when I'm nervous, but unfortunately, Wu Qi was holding my wrist, which was quite unbearable.

Wu Qi took two steps and then suddenly stopped.

“Ah Yue”.

"ah?"

"Why isn't your cold medicine working very well?"

……Hold.

My heart skipped a beat, and I abruptly looked up.

He discovered it?

Don't.

What if you had noticed it just two seconds later!

I haven't thought of an excuse yet!

Wu Qi closed his eyes briefly, and just as I was having a mental breakdown, he suddenly turned around and slumped his head heavily onto my shoulder.

With a buzz, my brain crashed again.

He was breathing weakly, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, and he murmured in the crook of my shoulder, "I think I really... have a fever."

-

I only found out where Wu Qi lives today.

Behind my place, on the first floor, there's a small courtyard with a maple tree. The season for red maple leaves is over, and the courtyard is bare, but it's been kept very clean.

Wu Qi's living quarters were very simple, with only a mattress and minimal furnishings.

Several sheets of scrap paper were scattered on the table. Surprisingly, he hadn't thrown away the sports meet registration form yet; perhaps he wanted to keep it as a specimen.

If the world knew that this was the address of the God of Wealth, many temples dedicated to him would likely fall into disrepair.

I put him on the bed, took out the cold medicine from my bag, made some, and helped him drink it all. I ran my fingertips over his glistening lips.

"You were showing off at the sports meet..." I muttered under my breath.

“The mortal body is too,” he licked his tongue, “too useless.”

I quickly pulled my hand back.

"Still not behaving yourself!" I frowned.

He stared at me intently. "Ah Yue, shouldn't you give me an answer?"

reply?

What was the reply?

Is the drug still working? I'm doomed.

"Does this count as a confession?" I asked back.

“Why doesn’t it count?” Wu Qi asked.

"That doesn't count!" I blurted out, leaving Wu Qi stunned.

We exchanged a glance, and I abruptly shook off his hand. "This isn't a confession, don't misunderstand. You should rest first, and I'll explain when you're better."

Wu Qi paused for a moment, "Misunderstanding? What could I possibly misunderstand?"

I got out of bed and paced around the room three times, feeling so anxious I almost exploded. I went back to Wu Qi's side and said in a suppressed voice, "You don't like me. You're just delirious from the fever. Go to sleep."

Wu Qi's expression darkened, and he said in a muffled voice, "I'm not sleeping."

"Don't whine."

"..."

He seemed to laugh in exasperation, saying, "I can't understand a word you're saying. Are you running a fever too?"

I avoided his gaze: "I didn't."

Wu Qi leaned closer to me: "Shall we talk?"

"Don't try to cheat."

"..."

He probably thinks I'm still angry about that day.

Or maybe I'm just delirious from the fever, thinking it all stems from my own heart, but I know it's not; it's me who has wronged him.

But I really wasn't prepared to explain to him. I... I'm so confused. Someone help me.

Inside the room, only increasingly labored breathing could be heard, while outside the window, the wind howled; it had been gloomy just moments before, as if it were about to rain.

I got up from Wu Qi's bed without saying a word, laid him down on the bed, tucked him in, and covered half of his face with the blanket.

Only a pair of misty eyes remained, staring at me unblinkingly with their reddened corners.

My hand paused, and suddenly a thought came to mind: he seemed to be in a lot of pain.

His unbridled arrogance seemed to have been blown away.

Because I rejected him?

No.

I'm not refusing, I didn't.

I'm so confused.

I covered his eyes and hid the tangled mess of yarn. I'm really good at combing, really, just give me a little more time.

"Get a good night's sleep, everything will be alright when you wake up."

I felt Wu Qi's eyelashes fluttering in my palm. I slowly moved my hand away and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw his tightly closed eyes.

I stared at him silently for a long time, until my heartbeat calmed down, and only then did I feel like I had the courage to leave.

A sudden downpour began outside the window.

Wu Qi seemed to be asleep. I got up quietly, and when I was about three meters away from his bed, my wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Pretending to be asleep, huh?

I immediately started yelling at them: "Are you sick in the head?"

Wu Qi agreed without struggling or resisting, and retorted, "I'm just sick, I just act cute and act like a brat."

I:"……"

He used every single curse word I knew, and for a moment I was at a loss for words.

Then I heard Wu Qi take two deep breaths, lower his voice, and almost plead.

"I'm terminally ill, can't you even stay with me?"