Everyone in School No. 1 Knows My Boyfriend | Chapter 2 | A Feverish Morning | Novela.app

The alarm clock rang three times before a hand finally fumbled to turn it off. In the adjacent bed, a roommate rolled over and began to snore again. Lin Murun opened his eyes. Beneath his long, thick lashes, his light tea-colored eyes were rimmed with a thin layer of physiological tears. Between getting caught in the rain the previous day and a mild case of being unacclimated to the local environment, he woke up in a daze, feeling sore and weak all over. The hum of the air conditioner felt amplified in the quiet dormitory. Lin Murun reached up to check his forehead but couldn't tell if he was running a fever. The weather had cleared. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting streaks across the floor. Lin Murun kept his eyes half-closed, staring at the halo of light for a moment before getting up to change. He had just finished washing up when a series of loud thumps and clatter erupted. His roommate, Cheng Song, leaped out of bed with his hair looking like a bird's nest. "Crap, crap! I'm on duty today!" As he spoke, he scrambled into his clothes, buttoning his shirt as he dashed into the bathroom. Lin Murun pulled a pack of throat lozenges from his suitcase. After a sip of warm water, he popped a lozenge into his mouth and began packing his schoolbag. "Lin Murun, do you have a fever?" Cheng Song emerged from the bathroom three minutes later, his face still dripping with water. "Your face is all flushed. Do you want to head to the infirmary?" Lin Murun’s throat felt painfully tight. He put on his glasses and said hoarsely, "Not yet." "If you can't push through, make sure to ask for leave," Cheng Song said, shoulder-bagging his backpack and opening the door. "I’ve gotta go, I'm on duty. See you tonight." "See you." Lin Murun zipped his bag. Before Lin Murun transferred in, Dorm 309 had only one permanent resident: Cheng Song. His former roommate had been a student in the first Science class, but they had moved out to rent a place together in Jingshan Garden during the second semester of their first year. Now that Lin Murun had arrived, the single room had become a double again. Most boys this age had a strong sense of territoriality, but Cheng Song, a student in the fourth Liberal Arts class, was afraid of the dark and ghosts. After enduring a semester alone, he had finally looked forward to a roommate, so there was no question of him being exclusionary. Summer in the Jiangnan region was always accompanied by typhoons, rain, and sweltering heat. Today was a clear day. The moment Lin Murun stepped out of the dormitory building, the aggressive heat of the "Autumn Tiger" made him squint. The academic atmosphere at No. 1 Middle School was intense; even on the paths, many students walked with headphones on, listening to English. While the second year of high school wasn't as high-pressure as the graduating year, being in an "Experimental Class" meant more competitions and opportunities for early university recommendations. To ensure the quality of study, the school had placed the four experimental classes—both Liberal Arts and Science—on the top floor of the new teaching building. This was a trial for the students who had to climb the stairs every day. In Cheng Song's words: the classrooms were on the top floor, which meant a great view and no distractions, but the moment the bell rang, the first-year "cubs" downstairs had the advantage, and the seniors couldn't even get a hot meal at the cafeteria. By the time he reached the third floor, Lin Murun found it difficult to breathe due to the high fever. He stopped, raising a hand to touch his forehead, and found his cheeks burning. "Excuse me, classmate, could you move aside?" The stairwell was crowded. Lin Murun stepped to the side to let a boy carrying a stack of new exercise books pass. "Thanks, man!" The boy took the stairs two at a time. Lin Murun’s frame swayed slightly. The frames of his glasses were already slick with sweat. His head spun violently. He stood still to steady himself for a moment before leaning against the wall and slowly making his way toward the fifth floor. "Look at that guy in front." Not far behind him, a boy with black-rimmed glasses tapped the girl with the large ponytail next to him. "Who?" she asked. "Him, the one not wearing a school uniform." The boy pointed at Lin Murun’s back and whispered a complaint. "His stamina is terrible. He’s only climbed a few floors and he’s already exhausted." The girl watched for a moment before retorting, "Why do you care so much? Maybe he’s sick. Look, the back of his ears and his neck are all red." "It’s so hot out, it’s normal for skin to turn red. How can you tell if he’s sick from this far away? If you ask me, he’s just out of shape. Right, Bin-ge?" The boy turned to Si Bin beside him. "I think you have too little homework if you have time to mind everyone else's business," Si Bin said. The girl pursed her lips. "Bin-ge, I’m heading to class first." She waved at Si Bin and walked toward the standard second-year classrooms. Si Bin looked up at Lin Murun, who was squeezed into the crowd, but said nothing. Monday mornings were for the flag-raising ceremony. By the time Lin Murun entered the classroom, more than half the class had arrived. These students had either been in the same class in their first year or had gotten to know each other during summer tutoring after the tracks were split. Seeing a fresh face, they began to whisper among themselves. "Did he walk into the wrong room?" a girl sitting by the door whispered to the class monitor in the next row. "He’s a transfer student," the monitor, Huang Hao, replied. He was better informed than the others. "Transferring in the second year?" The girl glanced at Lin Murun and poked Huang Hao, who was busy memorizing a text, with the end of her pen. "He’s really good-looking. Do you know him?" The monitor pushed up his glasses and said solemnly, "Yu Qianyi, take my advice: high schoolers should focus on their studies." "What are you talking about?" Yu Qianyi rolled her eyes at him but obediently pulled out the newly distributed comprehensive humanities mock exam. After the initial curiosity and chatter, the classroom fell silent again. Lin Murun walked to an empty seat, sat down, and took out his stationery and books to begin self-study. Twenty minutes later, the preparatory bell rang. The students of Class 2 finally put down their pens and headed to the playground in small groups for the flag-raising ceremony. "Lin Murun, come here for a moment," the homeroom teacher called from the doorway. Lin Murun put down his pen and followed the teacher into the office. "You don't look well. Do you have a cold?" The teacher pulled an entrance placement test from a drawer and handed it to him. "I might have a fever," Lin Murun said, taking the paper. "I'll hand in my corrections notebook this afternoon." "Don't worry about the corrections yet. Your voice sounds completely hoarse." The teacher took a throat lozenge from her drawer and handed it to him. "I graded your math paper myself. 140—a very impressive score. All the subject teachers say your grades are excellent, especially the Chinese teacher; she was full of praise for your essay." "But you must take care of your health. It’s normal to struggle with the environment when you first arrive in H City. The tracks have just been split for the second year, and the road ahead is long. You can only win the marathon of the Gaokao if you stay healthy, right?" Lin Murun nodded. "Thank you, Teacher. I'll be careful." "Don't go to the flag-raising ceremony for now. Go to the infirmary and get checked out. If you need an IV drip, have the school doctor call me to authorize your leave." The teacher pointed toward the dormitory building across the playground. "The infirmary is on the ground floor of the first dorm building. Go now." "Okay, thank you, Teacher." Lin Murun left the office with his test paper. "Teacher Li, is that the student you were praising yesterday?" After Lin Murun left, the Chinese teacher for Class 3 looked up and asked. "That’s him. I really didn't expect him to solve the advanced bonus question. In the two classes I teach, only he and Si Bin got that question completely right," Teacher Li replied with a smile. "That’s incredible! It’s not surprising that Si Bin could do it, but for a transfer student to have such a strong foundation... his old school was willing to let him go?" The Class 3 teacher continued her praise. "I’ve read his essay. His perspective is much more sophisticated than most students, and he knows how to use classical references. It could definitely be used as a model essay." "Even if his old school didn't want to let him go, they had no choice," Teacher Li sighed. "His grandfather passed away this summer. He’s still a minor, so he came here to live with relatives." "Live with relatives?" The Class 3 teacher asked in surprise. "What about his parents?" "His mother passed away right after he was born, and his father died in a car accident when he was ten..." Teacher Li lamented softly. "The poor child has had a hard life, relying only on his grandfather since he was little." On the other side of the playground, by the time Lin Murun found the infirmary, his hair at the temples was soaked with sweat. He wasn't someone who sweated easily, but he truly couldn't withstand the double torment of the "Autumn Tiger" heat and a high fever. The glasses on the bridge of his nose kept sliding down, so he simply took them off and tucked them into his pocket. The school doctor had just turned on her computer. Seeing him push the door open, she hurriedly handed him some tissues. "Wipe your sweat quickly. The AC is on in here." "What’s bothering you?" The doctor was a middle-aged woman with soft features. She asked as she put on a mask. "I have a fever," Lin Murun replied. The doctor found a registration form and handed it to him. "Fill in the date, class, and name first. I'll get the ear thermometer." Lin Murun took the pen and wrote down his information. "A second-year student? And from the experimental class." The doctor glanced at his class and began registering him on the computer. "Let's check your temperature. If it's high, you might need an infusion. High school coursework is heavy; you can't afford to let an illness drag on." "Okay," Lin Murun nodded. After a basic examination, the doctor prescribed some medicine. "Thirty-nine degrees. That’s quite high." The doctor filled out his medical record and told him to find the nurse for the medication. "Let's start with a fever-reducing drip. You'll need to come back tomorrow and the day after for more infusions to stabilize." Lin Murun gave an affirmative sound, took the slip, and went upstairs to pay and collect the medicine. The wall clock in the infusion room already pointed to 7:30. While waiting for the nurse to prepare the IV, Lin Murun found a seat by the window. When the nurse entered, she saw him marking up a test paper with his left hand. "So diligent, classmate?" The nurse smiled as she set down the tray. "Which hand?" "The right one, please." Lin Murun extended his right hand. "I’ve heard many people say left-handed people are smart. You work so hard, your grades must be great. Have you thought about which university you want to apply to?" After finishing the needle insertion, the nurse asked while tidying up the plastic packaging. "I'll just see how it goes," he said vaguely. After the flag-raising, it was time for the usual speeches from the administration and student representatives. "Respected leaders, dear fellow students, good morning." The voice amplified by the microphone was slightly distorted, but the pronunciation was clear and resonant, carrying a deep, magnetic announcer-like quality. "I am Si Bin from Class 1, second-year Liberal Arts." Lin Murun looked up. Through the glass of the infusion room, he gazed toward the distant playground. "Class 1, second-year Liberal Arts?" The young nurse, who hadn't left yet, looked up and muttered, "Why did Si Bin go to a Liberal Arts class?" Across the distance of the playground, Lin Murun could only see a blurred figure in a school uniform on the rostrum. His fingers twitched, and his pen spun a few times around his slender fingers. "Classmate, you're in the second year, you must know Si Bin, right?" the nurse asked. "I don't know him," Lin Murun said, withdrawing his gaze. Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 程松 | Cheng Song | Lin Murun's roommate in Dorm 309. 黄皓 | Huang Hao | Class monitor of Class 2. 余倩怡 | Yu Qianyi | A female student in Class 2. 李老师 | Teacher Li | Lin Murun's homeroom teacher and math teacher. 秋老虎 | Autumn Tiger | A Chinese term for a spell of hot weather in late summer or early autumn. 文科 | Liberal Arts / Humanities | One of the two academic tracks in Chinese high schools. 理科 | Sciences | The other academic track in Chinese high schools. 实验班 | Experimental Class | An advanced or honors class for high-achieving students. 平行班 | Standard Class / Parallel Class | Regular classes as opposed to experimental/honors classes. 挂水 / 输液 | IV drip / Infusion | Common medical treatment in China for fevers and infections. 字正腔圆 | Clear and resonant | An idiom describing perfect, clear pronunciation. 播音腔 | Announcer-like tone | A professional, clear way of speaking typical of broadcasters.