The two people visiting the hospital were tugging at a bra...
The alarm clock had gone off three times in a row, but Lin Shih-ren's room remained quiet.
Xin Xiaomei was making breakfast in the kitchen. She called her name, but no one answered. She frowned, put down the spatula, and knocked on the door. At first, she controlled the force of her knocking, but after three seconds, she turned the lock forcefully, pushed the door open, and shouted, "What time is it? Aren't you going to get up? Aren't you afraid of being late?"
On the bed, Lin Shiren's eyes were still closed, half of his face was buried in the quilt, and the other half of his face was noticeably flushed.
Xin Xiaomei quickly noticed something was wrong. She touched her forehead with the back of her hand and raised her voice, "Oh dear, you have a fever! What happened? Did you catch a chill yesterday?"
Lin Shiren slowly opened his eyes, looking bewildered for a moment: "What time is it?"
"Never mind what time it is, just take the day off today."
Xin Xiaomei helped her tuck herself in, sent Chen Mo a message asking for leave, and then went to the first-aid kit to find a thermometer. As she searched, she muttered, "It's gotten colder these past few days. Are you not dressed warmly enough again? You always get sick when the seasons change. I've been nagging you so much, and you still don't take care of yourself."
Lin Shiren was not fully conscious, but she knew it wasn't a matter of changing seasons; she had been frightened sick by Zhou Lin.
In the darkness, his gaze was intensely intense. Lin Shiren felt as if she were naked and exposed to his sight. She panicked and wanted to retreat and escape, but the young man invaded her territory with a strong sense of aggression, forcing her to make a statement.
"If you really hate me, slap me right now."
I don't know what was said, and I don't remember how I got home. Only Zhou Lin's words lingered in my mind for a long time. It was very similar to the state I was in after drinking RIO that night. My breathing became tight, and my body temperature rose sharply. At first, Lin Shiren thought it was because of him, but later he realized that he really had a fever.
How embarrassing! I got a fever from being scared by a confession.
If she had known she could take the day off from school today, she would have done it last night.
Lin Shiren hadn't been sick for several years, but this time the fever came on suddenly and she looked extremely weak. Xin Xiaomei gave her fever-reducing medicine and nagged her for a while before going to work.
Lin Shih-jen didn't hear a thing; he was completely overwhelmed by a dizzying drowsiness.
He was woken up by a phone call that kept vibrating in the late afternoon. He felt like he had been pulled out of the water. His pajamas were soaked with sweat and stuck to his body, which was very uncomfortable. Lin Shiren took his phone out from under his pillow and pressed the answer button.
Xin Xiaomei asked her if her fever had subsided. She said it had.
Xin Xiaomei reminded her again: "There's porridge in the kitchen. Heat it up before you drink it. If it starts burning again this afternoon, call me."
"Mmm," she replied hoarsely.
"What 'hmm'? Just remember this, or you'll suffer if you get pneumonia."
Lin Shiren was already feeling uncomfortable from her loud voice, and said weakly, "Mom, stop talking, I'm going to eat."
Xin Xiaomei finally hung up the phone. She took a hot shower and changed into a dry set of pajamas, only then did she feel completely revived.
The porridge in the kitchen was boiling. Lin Shiren, wearing a hair drying cap, ladled out a bowl, sat at the table, and sipped it while swiping his phone screen to check messages.
There were many unread messages, some from Xin Xiaomei, some from Dong Rui, and the remaining dozen or so were from Zhou Lin.
Zhou Lin: "You took leave?"
Zhou Lin: "Are you sick, or do you just not want to see me?"
...
Zhou Lin: "Can you reply to my message? I'm really worried about you."
The kiss from last night was still vivid in her mind. Lin Shiren hadn't figured out how to face him yet, but she couldn't bring herself to give the silent treatment to someone who cared about her...
She put the spoon back in the bowl, tapped the keyboard with her fingertips, and replied, "I'm fine."
Almost simultaneously, the phone rang, and Zhou Lin's name popped up on the screen.
Lin Shiren was at a loss. Her phone had suddenly become a hot potato. Her fingers curled up, and she was struggling internally. But the ringtone just kept going, as if she had enough patience to wait.
Just a second before the automatic disconnection, she finally pressed the answer button: "Hello."
His voice sounded sickly, soft and gentle.
After a brief pause, Zhou Lin spoke in a low voice: "Did I make you sick?"
"no."
Lin Shiren didn't want to discuss this topic anymore. She glanced at the time and asked him, "Aren't we in class right now?"
Zhou Lin remained silent.
She heard the whooshing sound of wind coming through the receiver, and her heart skipped a beat. She began to guess, "You're not at school."
The silence on the other end of the phone was unfamiliar to her. Zhou Lin was always calm and composed, and had never been so taciturn before, as if he was holding back.
Lin Shih-jen instinctively asked, "Where are you?"
After a long while, he finally said, "I'm downstairs at your place."
She walked to the balcony with the phone in her hand. Under the swaying camphor tree, there stood a tall young man. Lin Shiren recognized him from just a blurry silhouette.
As autumn drew to a close and leaves fell, frost descended, and in the hazy light of the sky, she couldn't discern what that indescribable emotion was, but something was definitely slowly growing within her, for she could hear her heartbeat become erratic, vibrating incessantly in her chest.
As if sensing something, Zhou Lin suddenly looked up at him, and Lin Shiren immediately turned away and hid behind the wall.
She asked in a soft, nasal voice, "How long have you been waiting?"
"Since you took the day off this morning."
Xin Xiaomei asked for leave for her at seven o'clock in the morning, and now it's one o'clock in the afternoon. It's been a full six hours. Is he just going to wait like this?
Lin Shih-jen almost bit her lower lip until it bled, but she said, "I'm fine, you can go back now."
The conversation ended there, the atmosphere so tense it felt like a blast of wind. Zhou Lin, his voice hoarse, cut straight to the point: "I want to see you."
...
A few minutes later, the wind in the hallway made Lin Shiren shiver, and Zhou Lin stepped in without any hesitation.
Before she could even lay down some ground rules for him, he suddenly hugged her. Her first reaction was how cold he was, but then she remembered that this was the chill he had been waiting for for six hours, and her heart softened instantly.
After giving him a few seconds of warmth, his head started to spin and his cheeks started to burn again. Lin Shiren pushed him away forcefully, his voice so soft it was almost stuttering: "If you take advantage of me again, I... I'll kick you out."
The little girl was still sick, her pale face flushed with an unnatural red, her pupils were lighter in color due to the fever, and her pajamas hung loosely on her body, making her look particularly pitiful.
Zhou Lin looked at her for a while, then said in a restrained voice, "I brought you soup and medicine. After you finish eating and go to sleep, I'll leave."
There were no men's slippers at home; Lin Zhiyuan's had long been thrown away by Xin Xiaomei, so Lin Shiren didn't make him change his shoes.
Zhou Lin went to the kitchen, took out a soup bowl, poured out the pear and kumquat juice from the takeout box, and brought it to her: "This can help with saliva production and phlegm, and also replenish vitamin C. Drink it while it's hot."
Lin Shih-ren stared at the soup in the bowl and muttered softly, "I don't have phlegm, I just have a fever. Is this the right diagnosis?"
Zhou Lin noticed her disgusted expression and hesitated for once. He had never taken care of anyone before. His gaze fell on her slender neck, where a small strand of hair hung down, sticking to his eyes like a little hook. He looked away and said calmly, "You'll sweat a lot when you have a fever, so it's always good to stay hydrated."
Perhaps because the room was too enclosed and too quiet, an ambiguous atmosphere inexplicably arose in the air.
Lin Shiren didn't want to be alone with him anymore, so he finished his soup in a few gulps, then stood up to see him off: "I've finished my soup, you should go now."
Zhou Lin nodded.
As the two were walking towards the door, they suddenly heard the sound of a key locking the door. In an instant, they were so frightened that their souls almost jumped out of their chests. Lin Shiren immediately gestured for him to be quiet.
Before Zhou Lin could react, a supple force came from his wrist, and after a sudden jolt, the bedroom door closed behind him.
This was the first time he had entered a girl's bedroom.
The bedding was pink, and the bedside table was filled with dolls; it was very cozy and smelled wonderful, just like her.
There was a rustling sound of shoes being changed outside. Lin Shiren slapped his arm hard: "Quickly hide!"
Zhou Lin looked around. The 1.2-meter bed, the single wardrobe, the small desk—none of them seemed like a place where someone could hide. He shrugged, giving her a helpless look.
Lin Shiren was getting anxious. He paced back and forth for a few steps, his eyes fixed on the wardrobe. He mouthed, "Hide in the wardrobe."
Zhou Lin compared the height difference and his face was full of rejection.
It was indeed unfair to cram a 1.8-meter-tall boy into a 1.6-meter-tall closet, but Lin Shiren had no time to worry about anything else, because she could already hear Xin Xiaomei's footsteps getting closer and closer.
So she glared at him with wide almond-shaped eyes: "Are you trying to make me sick again?"
Zhou Lin: "..."
Xin Xiaomei had just returned from the hospital after taking an hour's leave. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Lin Shiren rummaging through the closet. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you doing?"
Lin Shiren closed the cabinet door and stood there awkwardly: "It's okay, the clothes are messy, I'll tidy them up."
Xin Xiaomei shook the mercury thermometer, looking puzzled: "Why are you tidying up your wardrobe when you're sick and not resting properly?"
Lin Shiren felt incredibly guilty and quickly took the thermometer, then he changed the subject with a lack of confidence: "Mom, why are you back?"
"I came back to see you."
Xin Xiaomei folded the blanket for her, and from this angle, she suddenly caught sight of the takeout bag on the dining table. She glared at her and said, "Why did you order takeout again? Didn't I tell you to eat a light diet when you have a fever? Eating too much meat and fish is just giving the virus nutrients. Are you afraid it can't beat your immune cells?"
Lin Shih-jen is now a deserter in every cell of her body. She explained nervously, "I ordered pear and kumquat water, which is good for relieving phlegm and replenishing vitamin C."
She repeated what Zhou Lin had said.
Xin Xiaomei pouted and stopped talking. After finally finishing making the bed, she walked past Lin Shiren to open the wardrobe door: "You can lie down now, I'll tidy up the wardrobe for you."
Lin Shiren's inner alarm bells rang, and her face turned ashen, as if she had eaten something bad. She grabbed Xin Xiaomei's arm and said evasively, "Mom, I feel weak all over. Do you think I have a fever again?"
Xin Xiaomei stumbled as she was pulled, turned around and helped her onto the bed, then took the thermometer from under her arm, squinted at it for a while: "Thirty-six and eighty degrees, no fever, why do you seem so weak?"
Lin Shiren pulled the blanket up to his chin and gave a delicate yawn: "Mom, I still want to sleep. You go to work and don't bother me."
"Okay, I'm going back to the hospital then."
Xin Xiaomei walked to the door and told her, "Get some sleep. I'll tidy up the wardrobe for you when I get back tonight."
She closed her eyes and hummed in agreement.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of the front door closing came from the living room. Lin Shiren quickly threw off the covers and got out of bed. She first tiptoed to open the bedroom door to make sure Xin Xiaomei was really gone before opening the wardrobe door.
Inside the cramped closet, Zhou Lin was in an uncomfortable position, his long legs curled up in front of his chest, his clothes piled on either side of his head, making him look quite disheveled. Although his expression was not visible, his dark eyes were lowered, and he remained silent, exuding an aloof and cold demeanor.
Lin Shiren suddenly felt like laughing, and she coughed awkwardly, "Come out."
Zhou Lin didn't move, but lifted his eyelids to look at her: "I'm a respectable person, I came to see you openly and honestly, why did you make me hide?"
The grievances in her words were obvious.
What else could it be?
A man and a woman alone in a room together—it's hardly a legitimate situation.
Lin Shih-ren swallowed hard, trying to reason with him: "It's class time now. You skip class and come to my house. Do you think you can explain yourself?"
“You can tell your mother that I’ve already been accepted into a university and that I’m here to tutor you.” His angular face was almost entirely filled with displeasure.
Well, that's a perfectly legitimate reason, but she hadn't thought of it just now.
Lin Shiren took a step closer to him and sincerely apologized: "I'm sorry, I was too nervous just now."
"You're not nervous, you're just feeling guilty."
Zhou Lin looked at her probingly: "You also think there's something going on between us, right?"
That's not how you do reading comprehension. Lin Shiren couldn't argue with him, so he could only glare at him with a critical look: "Have you forgotten who made me sick?"
Once the trump card was played, Zhou Lin shut up.
The silent standoff lasted for at least a minute, long enough for Lin Shiren's eyes to twitch before he slowly stretched out his legs and stood up, supporting himself on both sides of the cabinet.
I don't know if it was because his movements were too big or because he was too tall, but anyway, the clothes that had been hung up started to fall down with a clatter.
Now I really need to reorganize my wardrobe.
Just then, a small piece of clothing happened to float down in front of him, and Zhou Lin caught it reflexively.
With just one glance, Lin Shiren was furious and embarrassed, feeling as if she were being roasted in a furnace. She wished she could gouge out his eyes immediately. She couldn't help but reach out to snatch it back: "Give it back to me."
Die Zhou Lin.
And his deadly hand.
Zhou Lin's gaze shifted downwards, and the two were pulling at a bra.
Taro pink.
There are letters on the shoulder strap.
Both innocent and alluring.
Seeing the flush of anxiety on her face, he suddenly felt he had leverage to negotiate: "I can give it to you, but you have to promise me one thing."
Zhou Lin didn't pull back, so Lin Shiren couldn't budge her. Her mind was buzzing: "What is it?"
Zhou Lin squinted at her: "Promise me you'll seriously think about our relationship. Don't avoid me, and don't rush to ask Chen Mo to switch seats. Whether we can be together or not, the plan to improve your grades will remain unchanged. Don't feel burdened."
It has to be said that Zhou Lin completely blocked her escape route.
Last night, as Lin Shiren lay in bed, many images flashed through her mind. She didn't know when it started, but Zhou Lin gradually replaced Shen Xuqing's face. The way he twirled his pen when explaining a problem, the way he took apart his chopsticks while eating, and his awkward reaction when he kissed her were all constantly lashing at her nerves.
But their lives are destined to be different.
Lin Shiren doesn't have any particularly lofty ambitions. His target university is S University, a decent job with a salary that can make ends meet, and he just wants to enjoy life. Zhou Lin, on the other hand, has already been admitted to Q University without taking the entrance exam and started participating in AI programming for a Silicon Valley listed company last year. Tang Shi said that well-known domestic technology companies have already contacted him, and his future is definitely bright.
Even if they did get together, they would likely break up due to personality clashes and the long-distance relationship.
Lin Shiren didn't know why he was thinking so far ahead. He had never thought this much when he had a crush on Shen Xuqing.
But looking into those open and honest eyes, Lin Shiren suppressed his fear and nodded slightly.
"good."
-----------------------
Author's note: I'm up pretty early today, so please praise me!
Rinko is really cunning; once she's decided on her feelings, she doesn't miss any opportunity to be affectionate with her "wife."
50 red envelopes~
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