"I don't know if your classmates' clothes can be machine washed. What if they get ruined?" Meng Beiyan was very thoughtful.

"Um."

Ying Qian sniffed a few times.

"You caught a cold?" Meng Beiyan shook his head helplessly and scolded, "Why didn't you call me yesterday morning?"

"The homeroom teacher took leave yesterday..."

“That’s not a reason.” He said seriously, “You remember my number, you don’t want to come back, you’re afraid of causing me trouble.”

He delivered these seemingly critical words with a gentle expression.

Ying Qian mumbled an admission.

He sighed: "Why don't you know how to make good use of me? I came to your side and dragged you out of this mess so that you could step on me to pursue your dreams."

"But..." Ying Qian's eyes were filled with tears.

Meng Beiyan wiped away her tears. "No buts, Ying Qian. This is what your mother instructed."

"She actually loves you very much, very much..."

He bent down and hugged her just like he used to hug a baby.

“Ying Qian, I believe in you, so I let you date Chen Wenzhi. I believe you won’t give up your own pursuits because of him, and you won’t compromise yourself. Please believe me too, okay?” He frowned, his voice softly reaching her ears.

In the end, all I got in return were two words: "Thank you."

She didn't know what to thank her for.

What bad luck, she got a fever during lunch in the afternoon.

The homeroom teacher told her to go to the infirmary, but the math teacher, Ms. Zhu, wanted her to go home.

The homeroom teacher said, "There will be a quiz during evening self-study; you can't miss it."

"Tsk! But!"

"Ms. Zhu! Are you the homeroom teacher or am I?"

"..."

Just then, Chen Wenzhi came to pick up the exam papers. Hearing all this, as he and Ying Qian stepped out of the office, he blurted out, "I'll go with you."

"The two of us?" Ying Qian sniffed a few more times. "What's our status, Ah Qiu—"

She sneezed several times.

Chen Wenzhi didn't laugh at her; he took out a tissue from his pocket and handed it to her to wipe her nose.

He avoided the question. "I know about what happened yesterday. Aren't you going to tell me?" He seemed a little angry, his head down so his expression couldn't be seen.

Ying Qian feigned weakness and said, "I was wrong, I was wrong!"

"You've been bullied and you're not saying anything. What are you going to do, Ying Qian?" He said each word clearly, his anger subsiding somewhat. "I also hope you can explain things to me and Gu Xinan."

He could no longer maintain his former composure.

His eyes turned red with anger. "Yesterday, your first reaction was still to avoid me?"

"I'm afraid you'll find me embarrassing."

"I really find you embarrassing!" Chen Wenzhi's voice trembled slightly, filled with disappointment. "You were bullied and you didn't even open your mouth to tell your boyfriend!"

When Ying Qian first heard him refer to himself as her "boyfriend," she was initially surprised, but then realized that he was asserting his ownership, and she couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

"Are you jealous?" she asked with a grin.

"Jealous?" Chen Wenzhi asked coldly. "Whom would I be jealous of?"

"Gu Xinan."

"No," he said, uttering only one word.

This was the first time he had lost his temper since they became familiar with each other.

That's all. My tone was a little harsh, but otherwise, it's nothing.

Ying Qian really likes that he has a stable temper!

"Didn't you go home last night?" he changed the subject.

Ying Qian shook her head and said truthfully, "I went to my brother's place. He's not busy lately, so he decided to pick me up every night until New Year's Day."

"His mother's side?"

Ying Qian sniffled and continued, "It seems that Sister Xuhe has broken a bone and is in the hospital. She won't be discharged until around New Year's Day. Uncle Meng is also coming back soon."

Chen Wenzhi seemed to be deep in thought.

Medical room.

The clinic was warm and cozy with the heating on.

"Your prescription is quite high, why don't you just go home?"

"There's an exam tonight."

One reason left the school doctor speechless: kids these days just don't take care of their health.

"Should I get an IV drip?" The school doctor offered the only option.

"..." Chen Wenzhi handed over the card and swiped it, all in one smooth motion.

Ying Qian had never received an IV drip in the infirmary before.

I was still a little nervous when the needle went into my flesh.

Ying Qian stared at the IV drip for a few seconds, then asked Chen Wenzhi with concern, "How are you going to explain this to your homeroom teacher?"

"I'm not feeling well," Chen Wenzhi said calmly. "Or maybe we're distant relatives, like my mom. I can make things up. Even if you call her, she's better at lying than I am."

Ying Qian laughed out loud.

"Chen Wenzhi, if it weren't for your good grades, which prevented everyone from taking you down, you would definitely be bullied every day."

"Even though you have good grades, you still get bullied?" he asked pointedly.

“Good grades are useless; you have to become strong.” He explained these principles to Ying Qian. “Look at those who bullied you; their grades were average, but looking around, there aren’t many people who can get revenge on them.”

“This isn’t just a matter of family background; it’s mainly because they’re too assertive. You need to be assertive too.” He held Ying Qian’s hand, speaking earnestly.

Ying Qian suddenly remembered what her prickly father had said when he was drunk and chatting casually: "A woman shouldn't be too strong. No man dares to want a strong woman, just like you! You're definitely not doing well now, and you'll have to come back begging me later, hahaha—"

Her nerves were stimulated.

Then, he listened to Chen Wenzhi speak without saying a word.

He told her stories from his childhood, about his ambitions and lofty ideals!

Ying Qian, who had a fever, had a flushed face. The air conditioning was also too hot, so Chen Wenzhi couldn't stand the heat and took off his thick coat to cover Ying Qian.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!