care
When Jiang Yibai pushed open the back door of the classroom, the second period of the morning class was already halfway through. The math teacher was spitting and deriving formulas at the podium, and most of the students below were drowsy.
The door hinges creaked slightly.
Dozens of eyes instantly shot over, all filled with various expressions—curiosity, surprise, gloating. Jiang Yibai was probably the only one in the school who dared to be so blatantly absent and late and then walk in without a care in the world.
The teacher at the podium pushed up his glasses, took in the person, and swallowed back the reprimand that was about to come out of his mouth. He just coughed unnaturally and said, "Go back to your seat."
Jiang Yibai didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he hadn't noticed any of the teacher's gaze, nor did he care about the teacher's reaction. His face was expressionless, his lips slightly pursed, his jawline slightly tense, and he exuded a cold, "don't mess with me" aura. He was completely different from the cautious, soft-spoken person he had been in the hospital just now.
He walked straight to his seat, his strides long but silent. His school uniform jacket was casually open, and the collar of the T-shirt underneath seemed a little messy, as if he had put it on in a hurry.
Lu Panji winked at him and asked in a low voice, "Brother Jiang, where have you been? The class supervisor just came to check on us!"
Jiang Yibai ignored him, took off his schoolbag, and stuffed it into the desk with a dull thud. A classmate in the front row was startled and turned to look back, but when he met Jiang Yibai's cold eyes, he immediately shrank back.
He pulled out a chair and sat down, his movement creating a small breeze. His fingers habitually reached for his pencil case, but his fingertips seemed to smell a lingering hint of disinfectant and ointment, and... the touch of the person's slightly cool skin.
He twirled his fingertips and his eyes fell on the open math book, but none of the complicated symbols and formulas entered his mind.
His mind was filled with the scene just now - Lin Xiyan huddled on the hospital bed with a pale face, his lips bitten tightly when the doctor was cleaning his wound, and the dependent and uneasy look in his eyes when he finally grabbed the corner of his clothes.
I wonder if he sleeps alone? Does the wound still hurt? Did he kick the covers?
The teacher called his name on the podium: "Jiang Yibai, please answer this question."
The whole class fell silent in an instant, and everyone looked at him, waiting to see if this genius student would get into trouble after being late for class.
Jiang Yibai seemed not to hear, his eyes still fixed on a certain point in the void, his fingers unconsciously turning the pen.
"Jiang Yibai!" The teacher raised his voice a little.
Lu Panji kicked his chair hard under the table.
Jiang Yibai finally came to his senses and raised his eyes. His purple pupils were emotionless, even a hint of impatience at being interrupted. He glanced at the question on the blackboard, and without much thought, his thin lips moved as he uttered an extremely concise solution and final answer, clear and accurate, without a single wasted word.
The teacher was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting him to be so distracted and still be able to answer so quickly. He choked for a few seconds before waving his hand: "...Sit down. Listen carefully."
Jiang Yibai sat down without reacting, his gaze drifting out the window again. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, a rather rapid rhythm that betrayed his inner restlessness.
The room is too cold. I need to bring him a thicker blanket tonight. Will the painkillers the doctor prescribed make him sleepy? What should I bring for dinner? It should be light and nutritious...
"Brother Jiang? Brother Jiang!" Lu Panji came closer and asked persistently, "Where did you go this morning? Was it..."
"Shut up." Jiang Yibai finally spoke, his voice low and cold, "It's noisy."
Lu Panji shuddered at the chill in his tone and immediately fell silent, shrinking back. But in her heart, she became even more certain: There is definitely something wrong with Brother Jiang! And it's a big problem!
For the rest of the class, Jiang Yibai maintained his absent-minded apathy. He took a few notes when he should have, and scribbled down answers when he should have been doing exercises. His accuracy was still shockingly high, but anyone could tell he was distracted.
When the bell rang, he didn't stand up immediately as usual, or be surrounded by boys to discuss ball games. Instead, he remained seated, took out his cell phone, tapped it rapidly with his fingertips, frowned slightly, as if he was confirming some important information.
A girl from the next class came over with a red face, wanting to ask him a competition question. But before she got close, she was driven back by the cold aura of "keep away from strangers" around him.
"What's wrong with Jiang Yibai today? I feel like the air pressure is so low..."
"I don't know. I missed a whole morning of classes and came back like this."
"Is there something wrong at home?"
"Who knows..."
He seemed oblivious to the whispers of discussion that rang out around him.
It wasn't until his phone vibrated and a new message popped up, confirming that the item had been delivered to his home, that he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He threw the phone back on the table, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and pressed his fingers between his eyebrows.
The fatigue slowly crept over me. It wasn't physical fatigue, but the weariness that came from relaxing a little after the tension in my heart had been building.
It's only been less than two hours since we last met, he thought irritably. It feels like ages have passed.
The afternoon classes were still a grueling ordeal. Time seemed to be stuck, passing incredibly slowly. When Jiang Yibai looked down at his watch for the fourth time, there was still over an hour until school was over.
He took a deep breath, forced himself to concentrate, picked up his pen, and began to work frantically on the exercises. It seemed that only by completely immersing himself in the complex calculations and reasoning could he temporarily suppress the urge to rush back to the shabby little house.
The tip of the pen slid across the paper, making a rapid rustling sound, with a force that was almost cathartic.
Lu Panji and the people around him looked at each other, no one dared to offend him at this time.
The moment the school bell finally rang, Jiang Yibai stood up almost instantly, his movements so fast that he knocked over the chair, making a harsh friction sound.
Without even looking at the fallen chair, he grabbed his schoolbag and threw it over his shoulder, then pushed through the crowd and walked out, his steps quick and hasty.
"Brother Jiang! Let's go play basketball!" Lu Panji shouted from behind.
Jiang Yibai seemed not to hear it, and his figure quickly disappeared in the crowded crowd at the classroom door.
"Damn, running so fast..." Lu Panji muttered, helping him to lift the chair, looking puzzled.
Jiang Yibai practically ran down the stairs, passing through the bustling campus. The setting sun stretched his shadow very long. He ignored all the greetings and curious glances, with only one thought in his mind -
Hurry up, faster.
He rushed out of the school gate, without even waiting for the car from home, and directly stopped a taxi and gave the address that he had already memorized.
The car sped away. He leaned back in the back seat, watching the street scene speeding backwards outside the window, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of his phone.
I wonder if he's awake yet? Did he take his medicine? Does his foot still hurt?
The feeling of impatience, mixed with worry and longing, wrapped around him like a vine, making him feel uneasy.
So this is what it feels like to care about someone.
Sour, burning, yet with an indescribable warmth.
The taxi stopped in front of the old building. Jiang Yibai practically threw down his money and rushed out of the car, climbing the stairs three steps at a time and stopping in front of the rusty green iron gate.
He took a deep breath, barely calming his overly rapid breathing, before taking out the key - when he left in the morning, he calmly took the spare key from the old key bunch that Lin Xiyan had left on the table.
Insert the key into the lock and turn it gently.
Click.
The door opened.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
