Chapter 15
A crowd of onlookers gathered, and even students from the next class were drawn to the spectacle.
He leaned against the back door, arms crossed, watching He Man surrounded in the crowd. Suddenly, he thought of something, raised an eyebrow, and looked somewhat surprised.
"There are still five minutes until class starts, what are you all doing standing around like this?" His voice rang out, and the people who were standing around moved out a bit, revealing He Man. The person in question had arrived, and things seemed to get lively again. No one left.
Chen Zhou looked at her red, swollen eyes, his brow twitching. What had he done?
"Holy crap, Teacher Zhong and Teacher Hua are here." He said, looking up at the corridor connecting the two buildings. It looked quite realistic and scared away the students from both classes.
The corridor was empty, with only a few people left. Chen Zhoujing patted Zhao Chengyang on the shoulder and said to the group, "Shall I have a word with her?"
Xu Xiaxia glared at him: "It's all your fault!"
"?" Chen Zhoujing remained expressionless. "Yes, it's all my fault. You can go back now."
Xu Xiaxia wanted to say something, but Lin You pulled her away, and the others also left.
"Manman, I'll go down first?" The girl who came with her also had red eyes, and she was holding Manman's hand with a white tissue in her hand.
"Mm." He Man nodded, her eyes lowered.
Chen Zhoujing led her towards the stairwell, avoiding everyone's gaze.
After she composed herself, she slowly asked, "How did I make you cry?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, He Man couldn't hold back her tears again.
Chen Zhou stared in astonishment: "No...!"
"Don't cry," he said helplessly. "Let's be open and honest."
Chen Zhoujing waited patiently for a while until she finished crying before he spoke again.
*
The bell had already rung, and the English teacher slowly walked in from the door. She glanced at the students below, then looked at her watch: "Am I seeing things? What time is it?"
"Teacher, it's 10:05 now," Xu Xiao called out.
"It's already 10:05, why is no one back yet?" She held up the little bee and waved it around downstairs a couple of times.
She swayed behind Jian Sheng and spoke again: "What do you take me for?"
"Some students aren't coming to class again, and some are sleeping at their desks!" Shen Li's voice was loud.
The loud noise pierced Jian Sheng's ears, sounding incredibly harsh. She endured the pain in her abdomen and slowly sat up straight. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and her face and mouth were very pale.
"Holy crap." Qi Jing, who hadn't been paying attention before, was startled when she saw her face.
"What did you say?" Standing behind her, Shen Li frowned as she looked at the English class representative who always seemed quiet and well-mannered.
Qi Jing panicked a little: "Teacher, I think she needs to go to the hospital."
Shen Li was taken aback, put her hand on Jian Sheng's shoulder, and leaned her head close to her: "Oh my gosh!"
"Hey classmate, are you alright?" She pulled the microphone out of her hand, took a small pack of tissues from her pocket, tore open the packaging, and wiped her face with one of the tissues. "What's wrong with you? Did you skip breakfast and have low blood sugar, or is it your period and your stomach hurting?"
Jian Sheng felt ashamed and wanted to lower her head, but Shen Li was too enthusiastic: "I'll find someone to take you to the hospital, or I'll call 120 for you."
For the first time in her life, Jian Sheng spoke loudly, slamming her hand on the table: "No need!"
"Wow, that scared me!"
"Is she alright...?"
"She has been possessed."
"All of you who love watching the drama, shut up and go read your books."
"Why don't you go, little English class representative?" Shen Li looked at Qi Jing anxiously.
Qi Jing nodded: "Let's go, Jian Sheng."
"No need." Jian Sheng held the tissue Shen Li had given her. "That's too much. I'm used to it."
"Teacher, please continue the lesson," she said. "There's no need to disrupt everyone's learning."
“You need to understand your own body,” Shen Li said.
“I know,” Jian replied.
"Are you really alright?" Shen Li asked, looking back at her every few steps, still worried.
"I'm really fine, teacher." After confirming that she was indeed alright, he walked to the podium and said, "Raise your hand if you need anything."
After this interlude, Shen Li had completely forgotten that there were few people in the class. She explained the problem while hovering around Jian Sheng, checking on her every now and then.
Jian Sheng clutched her stomach with one hand and propped her head up with the other. She felt a bit uncomfortable in her abdomen when she woke up in the morning, but it was okay. She had thought she could take a short nap during the long break between classes, but unfortunately, she had to go running. She was too shy to ask Zhong Mei for leave, so she had no choice but to go running. She often didn't eat and had no energy, and she didn't exercise. After running two laps, she was in so much pain that she couldn't speak.
"You seem to be feeling increasingly unwell. If you're really feeling unwell, why don't you go and rest in the infirmary?" While they were doing their exercises, Shen Li walked over, her high-heeled sandals clicking on the floor.
Jian Sheng tried to hold on, but the pain in her stomach was too unbearable, so she nodded and used the table to get up.
"I'll go with you," Qi Jing said.
"Yes, let her accompany you."
He simply said, "No need."
"You go ahead and study, I can manage on my own." After much insistence, the two stopped talking, and she slowly walked outside with her hands on her hips.
After walking a few steps, she felt like her head was about to explode with blood, and her vision started to blur.
*
"I'm so sorry, I only found out about your situation today. If I did hint at something to you but didn't give you a clear response, then I was wrong. But I only found out now, so I'm very sorry. Right now, I'm still thinking about my studies and I won't be in a relationship."
"Let's all study hard, okay?"
Chen Zhoujing softened his tone and spoke to the girl in front of him, hoping she would understand what he meant.
Although I've received many love letters in my life, this is the first time I've been formally confessed to like this, and I'm a little embarrassed.
“You’re Lin You’s friend, right? You’re also very outstanding. You’re first in the grade in English, a position I can’t match. I hope you can continue to develop and grow in your field.” He added, watching her nod with her eyes lowered.
"Okay." He Man finally stopped crying. After confessing her feelings and explaining the situation, she didn't feel particularly upset. Instead, she felt relieved.
"Then go back to class?" Chen Zhou glanced at his watch. "Class is only ten minutes long, I've wasted your time."
"It's nothing, it's nothing. This is PE class, and Xu Shu is absent again..." The redness in He Man's eyes had faded, and the redness had shifted to her face.
There was no one coming or going at the stairwell, and the two were quiet when they weren't talking. Jian Sheng's appearance broke the atmosphere of their amicable conversation.
He Man stood at the back, thinking the teacher had arrived, but only Chen Zhoujing could see her slowly descending.
He straightened up instantly while leaning against the wall: "Why did you come down at this time?"
Jian Sheng didn't respond, and her steps downstairs stopped. Her vision and hearing seemed to be out of balance. In the last second before she fainted, she only saw Chen Zhoujing's pale face.
"Holy crap!" Chen Zhou rushed forward and caught her just before she collapsed. "Are you alright, Jian Sheng?"
"Jian Sheng?" He called out twice before realizing he had fainted.
"Quickly, take her to the infirmary!" He Man followed, raising her hand to touch her forehead. "She seems to have a fever."
“You go, I’ll go find Teacher Zhong,” He Man said.
"Okay, thank you." Chen Zhoujing hugged Jian Sheng in his arms and ran towards the infirmary.
The person on top of him was very pale, her expression one of pain and struggle. She seemed very uneasy, constantly clutching his sleeve, her face covered in sweat.
Chen Zhoujing knocked on the infirmary door twice with his leg, but it didn't open. On the third knock, he kicked it open.
“What’s wrong with your student…” A doctor wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a white coat came out. He had a neat slicked-back hairstyle, wore a mask, and had a refined appearance, but his eyes were cold. When he saw that it was Chen Zhoujing, he opened the door and asked, “What’s going on?”
Chen Zhou was so shocked that he seemed to lose the ability to organize his thoughts, and he gasped for breath as he spoke: "I don't know, quick, you, you've fainted."
"She fainted." He put her on the bed.
The doctor glanced at the girl on the bed, turned around, poured him a glass of water, and handed it to him. Before the water was even placed in front of him, Chen Zhoujing pushed it away, pointing at the bed: "Don't worry about me, go see her."
"She has quite a temper." The doctor walked to the bedside to check her breathing, pulse, and complexion. He then went to the side to clean up the water that Chen Zhoujing had just thrown away. "She has low blood sugar and her period has started."
Chen Zhou was surprised: "?"
"You noticed that already?" He walked to the bedside and, after looking at her for a while, noticed that she looked unwell.
The doctor glanced at him and said, "Don't get in the way."
Chen Zhou was startled and choked, pulling a chair to sit on the edge of the bed as he injected her with glucose.
"I'll just make my assessment. I suggest her family take her to the hospital for a checkup." After finishing the procedure, the doctor turned to pour him a glass of water. "Are you relieved now?"
Chen Zhoujing took a few sips of water from his glass.
"You'd better not get agitated," the doctor said, and then silence fell between them.
When Jian Sheng woke up, she was startled. There were four people around her hospital bed: Lin You, Qi Jing, Chen Zhoujing, and a doctor from the infirmary wearing a white coat.
She struggled to sit up, preparing to get up, but as soon as she moved her hand, a sharp pain shot through her.
"Don't move," Chen Zhou exclaimed in surprise. "You're still getting an injection; moving around could cause your blood to flow back up."
He reminded her, and she finally realized what he meant, saying with a somewhat vacant look in her eyes, "I'm not dead."
The group looked at each other, and Lin You spoke first: "You had low blood sugar and your period, and you fainted. How could you die?"
Jian nodded blankly, "Thank you for coming to see me."
“During your lunch break, check if there’s anything else that’s bothering you and tell him,” Lin You said, stepping back and pointing at the doctor.
The doctor met Jian Sheng's gaze and said expressionlessly, "I suggest you inform your parents and have them take you to the hospital for a check-up. Your body is too weak; it's best to get some treatment."
Jian Sheng nodded.
After confirming that she was alright, Lin You and Qi Jing went back, but Chen Zhoujing stayed behind and refused to leave.
“I’m fine,” Jian said in a low voice.
"I know." Chen Zhoujing sat in the chair, crossed his legs, and put one arm around the back of the chair next to him.
Jian Sheng turned his gaze away and stared blankly at the needle on the back of his hand.
Chen Zhou was surprised to see that she was silent. He got up, pulled up a chair, and moved closer. He said slowly, "Do you want to eat anything? I'll go out and buy it for you."
Jian Sheng was shocked. She looked up and said, "You can't leave the school gate."
"I can apply for it," he said.
“That won’t do.” Jian Sheng frowned, her expression serious.
Chen Zhou chuckled in surprise: "Teacher Zhong agreed, really."
Jian Sheng didn't believe him: "No need to trouble you. Thank you for bringing me here. You can go back now. I'll be back in a bit."
"No, how can I leave you here?" Chen Zhou shook his head in surprise.
"What's lost?" Jian Sheng was still a little dizzy and didn't really want to talk, so she leaned back.
"It's nothing." Chen Zhoujing adjusted the bed for her and tucked the blankets in before sitting back down. "Aren't you hot wearing so much?"
“It’s not hot.” Jian Sheng shook his head.
"The infirmary is thankfully air-conditioned, but the classrooms don't..."
"I'm used to it," Jian Sheng interrupted him, turning her head away and ignoring him.
He added, "Okay, this all happened so suddenly today. When you get back, tell your parents and ask them to take you to the hospital to get checked out. I think some treatment might help..."
“My mother is dead, and I don’t have a father,” Jian Sheng interrupted him again.
The voice was soft and cold, the tone flat, as if narrating an ordinary event, devoid of any emotion.
But when those words were spoken, that frail figure appeared forlorn and lonely.
Chen Zhou was speechless.
Her voice was as cold as ice in a freezer, chilling him to the bone.
He didn't say another word to her until they got back. Jian Sheng was surprised to find some peace and quiet, but there was always a gaze on her back, which made her very uncomfortable.
When school was over, Jian Sheng finally couldn't hold back any longer and turned to face Chen Zhoujing.
A look of surprise flashed across his eyes, but it vanished in an instant, leaving only indifference and a hint of something indescribable.
She couldn't understand his gaze, but she felt that there was always a complex interplay between his emotions and his personality.
"Could you please stop staring at me?" Jian Sheng couldn't help but say.
Chen Zhoujing had been leaning back in her chair with her face propped up, her long legs resting on the table. As soon as she turned her head, he put his hands down. He then slowly lowered his hands, leaned forward, and rested his arms on the table. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Okay, I won't stare."
After saying that, his gaze was still on her face. Jian Sheng had no choice but to turn her head and pack her schoolbag.
As she walked to the school gate, the tall figure behind her followed leisurely.
Jian Sheng got annoyed, stood at the school gate, turned around and looked at him: "What are you doing?"
Chen Zhou stared at her for a moment, then slowly said, "I'm sorry."
Jian Sheng was taken aback.
My eyes inexplicably stung, and along with that stinging sensation came a strong, throbbing feeling in my chest.
The apology seemed to fall heavily on her heart, like a lead weight, causing her back to bend downwards.
"Why are you apologizing?" Jian Sheng said in a low voice.
"I was the one who offended you." Chen Zhou felt a dull ache in his chest. Her words, spoken like an emotionless machine, made him feel suffocated.
"It's nothing," Jian said in a low voice.
“If no one goes with you, I can go with you…” Chen Zhoujing looked at her head and finally said what he had been hesitating to say for a long time.
Jian Sheng's ears turned bright red, and she turned around: "I'm going back first."
Chen Zhou let out a startled cry, and after watching her leave, he slapped himself hard.
"This is far too presumptuous! Chen Zhou is shocked!!!"
"What are you doing!!!"
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