That night, Lin Murun hardly slept at all. He lay in bed, his mind racing with thoughts of Xu Haiyang, Jiang Yuxi, and so many others...
Fragmented memories flickered through his mind like a slideshow, looping over and over again.
At three in the morning, Lin Murun pulled his phone from beneath his pillow and opened the calendar. A small gray dot marked the date—the icon for a memo.
November 20th, a Sunday.
He stared at the calendar for a long moment before pressing the lock screen button.
Cheng Song’s snoring remained steady. Pillowed by that thunderous rhythm, Lin Murun finally drifted into a light, fitful sleep just as dawn was approaching.
He fell into a surreal dream.
In the dream, there was a school building half-shrouded in shadows, teachers and classmates whose faces were blurred, and voices—magnified and echoing.
"His dad is dead!" a child shrieked at the top of their lungs.
"He doesn't have a dad, and he doesn't have a mom either!"
"Nobody wants him!"
The clamorous voices came from all directions, carrying the naive innocence and raw malice of children who knew nothing of the world.
"What are you all doing?"
A stern female voice rang out, and the huddle of students scattered instantly.
"Teacher Luo is here! Teacher Luo is here!"
"Are you alright?" The woman knelt down, her warm palm cupping the child’s cheek.
The child with the light-colored eyes seemed dazed. He stared blankly for a moment before lowering his thick lashes under the woman’s concerned gaze. "Thank you, Teacher," he whispered.
The phone under his pillow vibrated repeatedly. The alarm pulled Lin Murun from the surface of his dream back into reality.
He sat up, feeling groggy and disoriented. The children’s screams still seemed to echo in his ears. Lin Murun rubbed his temples; a sharp headache accompanied by a faint ringing in his ears made his vision go dark. He nearly tumbled off the bed.
After sitting still for a while, the discomfort finally subsided. He got up, dressed, and walked into the bathroom, his face deathly pale.
Because of Xu Haiyang’s apology statement from the night before, the usual sound of morning reading was absent from Class Two. The students who had arrived early were gathered in small groups, discussing the contents of the post.
"I’m honestly stunned. What was Jiang Yuxi even trying to achieve?" Yu Qianyi asked Zhou Xuan. "He even put that problem from the High School Affiliated to A-University on the confession wall as 'evidence.' Was he that desperate to expose himself?"
Zhou Xuan looked up at Yu Qianyi but didn't answer.
"Oh, come on! Say something, Zhou Xuan!" Since Li Qian and Li Menglai hadn't arrived yet, Yu Qianyi had no one else to gossip with. She tugged at Zhou Xuan’s uniform sleeve. "You two went to the same middle school; you must know him pretty well."
"What other motive could there be?" Zhou Xuan turned around, his tone lazy. "He couldn't stand Lin Murun, so he played dirty behind his back."
"As for being exposed..." Zhou Xuan thought for a moment. "He isn't afraid of being caught doing something wrong. He’s been doing things that harm others without even benefiting himself since middle school."
"But what’s the point?" Yu Qianyi pressed. "In middle school, he tried to steal Huang Hao’s girlfriend and made a scene the whole school knew about. Now in high school, he’s spreading rumors. His reputation is ruined at both schools now."
"I don't know," Zhou Xuan replied. "I wasn't that close to him."
As they spoke, Lin Murun entered the classroom. Yu Qianyi’s sharp eyes immediately noticed his poor complexion.
"Oh my gosh! What’s wrong?"
Once Lin Murun sat down, Yu Qianyi asked with concern, "Lin Murun, you look terrible. Do you want to take a leave of absence and go to the infirmary?"
"No need, I'm fine." Lin Murun took out his pencil case and exercise book. He opened the book, but before he could finish reading a single line, a wave of intense dizziness made him knit his brows.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Zhou Xuan, sitting beside him, also noticed something was off.
"Yeah." Lin Murun put down his pen and buried his face in his arms. "I just stayed up too late last night," he said, his voice muffled.
"It’s all Jiang Yuxi’s fault," Yu Qianyi huffed. "You definitely didn't sleep well because you were worrying about him."
Hearing this, other students turned their heads.
Lin Murun’s temples throbbed painfully. He felt wretched. He managed a weak "It's not that" before slumping onto his desk.
With his head pillowed on his arms, he fell into a heavy, muddled sleep.
It wasn't a peaceful rest; he frowned unconsciously in his half-awake state.
Before long, he heard someone calling his name.
"Lin Murun, Lin Murun!"
After his arm was tapped a few times, Lin Murun struggled to wake up.
"Lin Murun, what’s the matter?"
It was Teacher Li’s voice.
Fighting through the dizziness, Lin Murun slowly raised his head and met Teacher Li’s worried eyes.
"What is it? Are you feeling sick?" As she spoke, Teacher Li reached out to feel his forehead. "Your forehead is quite hot," she said anxiously.
"Teacher, he didn't look well when he arrived this morning," Yu Qianyi explained from behind. "He probably wore himself out before the exams and didn't get any rest afterward."
Teacher Li nodded and said to Lin Murun, "You seem to have a fever. Go to the infirmary and get checked out."
Lin Murun gave a soft affirmation and slowly stood up.
"Wear more clothes, don't catch a cold. The same goes for the rest of you—the temperature has dropped sharply lately, and it's peak flu season. You must take care of yourselves," Teacher Li instructed. She then turned to Zhou Xuan. "Zhou Xuan, walk him to the infirmary."
"Okay," Zhou Xuan nodded.
"No need, thank you, Teacher," Lin Murun said softly. "I can walk there myself."
"Are you sure?" Zhou Xuan asked.
Lin Murun shook his head slightly. "It’s fine. You should stay for class."
Seeing his refusal, Teacher Li didn't insist. She walked Lin Murun out of the classroom, fretting as she gave one last instruction: "If you need to take a leave of absence, make sure the school doctor calls me."
"I will. Thank you, Teacher." Lin Murun coughed a few times and headed down the stairs.
The weather was beautiful that day; even the sky was a clear, piercing blue. But no matter how bright the sun was, it couldn't warm the November chill.
With every breath Lin Murun took, a white mist appeared before his face. He shoved his icy hands into his pockets and walked slowly toward the infirmary.
The infirmary wasn't far from the teaching building, but he had forgotten to wear a scarf. By the time he arrived, his nose and ears were nearly numb from the cold.
As soon as he pushed open the door, a wave of warm air from the air conditioner rushed out. The sudden heat made Lin Murun sneeze.
"Who is it?" A young nurse stepped out from the infusion room. Seeing Lin Murun, she gestured for him to sit down.
"Oh, it's you? I remember you." The nurse studied him for a moment. "You're a student from the Grade 11 Humanities class, right?"
Lin Murun nodded. "Is the doctor in?"
"The doctor stepped out, but she should be back soon," the nurse said. "What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?"
"My head hurts," Lin Murun replied, his eyes downcast.
"Let me take your temperature first." The nurse found an ear thermometer and checked him.
"Thirty-eight point one," she said, looking at the reading. "You have a fever. No wonder your head hurts."
After taking his temperature, she brought over a registration form for him to fill out his name and class, then went back to her own tasks.
Lin Murun sat alone, leaning back in his chair to wait for the doctor. The warm air from the conditioner was lulling; between the midterm preparations and the cheating scandal, he hadn't had a good night's sleep in days. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, he couldn't stop his eyes from drifting shut as he fell into a light slumber.
Ten minutes later, a doctor in a white coat returned. Her movements were quiet, but Lin Murun, sitting near the door, was startled awake.
"Why are you sleeping here?" the doctor asked, putting on a mask. "What’s bothering you?"
"A fever," Lin Murun answered.
The doctor nodded, glanced at the registration form, and said in Mandarin tinged with a local dialect, "Thirty-eight point one. That is quite a fever."
She picked up her stethoscope and began to examine him.
"No matter how busy you are with school, you have to look after your health. Look at you—it’s only been two months and you’re sick again." After the exam, the doctor wrote out a prescription while lecturing him. "You must ensure you get quality sleep. Don't be so greedy for reading that you make yourself ill; it’s not worth it."
Lin Murun nodded as he listened. "Okay, I'll remember."
"Go into the infusion room. It’s best to find a bed and lie down for a bit," the doctor instructed before handing the slip to the nurse in charge of preparing the medicine.
Lin Murun obediently walked into the infusion room, sat on the edge of a bed, and took off his coat and shoes.
"Right hand again this time?" the nurse asked a moment later, carrying the medicine in.
"Yes, please." Lin Murun extended his hand, letting her tie the tourniquet to find a vein.
The nurse found a vein and expertly inserted the needle. Before leaving, she said kindly, "Get some sleep. I’m not busy right now, so I’ll come by later to change the IV bag for you."
Lin Murun thanked her, pulled back the crisp white sheets, and lay down.
There were very few patients in the infirmary; Lin Murun was the only one in the infusion room. It was incredibly quiet, save for the hum of the air conditioner.
The pillow and bedding were soft, smelling faintly of disinfectant. Lin Murun lay there, watching the fluid drip steadily down the IV line. After staring for a while, his eyelids grew heavy. He yawned and drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
He didn't know how much time had passed before he slowly woke up. As his consciousness returned, he felt a dull, faint ache on the back of his hand. Still groggy from sleep, he instinctively tried to pull his hand back.
"Don't move yet," Si Bin’s voice sounded beside him.
He opened his eyes and saw Si Bin sitting by the bed.
"You..." Having had no water all morning, his throat was terribly dry, and his voice was raspy.
"You just had the needle pulled. If you don't keep pressure on the site, it'll bruise easily," Si Bin said.
Only then did Lin Murun notice that Si Bin’s long index and middle fingers were pressing down on the back of his hand.
"Thanks," he said, pulling his hand back slightly. "I can do it myself."
Si Bin nodded and turned to get him a cup of water.
After the IV, the physical discomfort had eased significantly, and Lin Murun felt a bit more energetic. He sat up, took the water, and asked Si Bin, "Why are you here? Are you feeling unwell too?"
Si Bin sat back down on the edge of the bed. "No. I heard you were sick, so I came to check on you."
Lin Murun nodded. "Thank you."
Si Bin smiled. "There's no need to be so polite." He pointed to the back of Lin Murun’s hand. "Remember to keep pressing the puncture site."
Lin Murun set down the water cup and did as he was told.
"What time is it?" he asked, looking out the window.
"Almost half-past one," Si Bin replied. "You were sleeping so soundly, you probably didn't hear the bell."
Lin Murun gave a small smile. "Yeah. Midterm week was exhausting. I haven't slept enough."
"You need to rest more when you're sick," Si Bin said. "I brought you some porridge. It’s still hot; remember to eat it later."
With that, he stood up and put on his jacket. "Get some rest. I have to get to class."
Lin Murun looked at the porridge on the nightstand. "Did you get here a long time ago?"
"...No," Si Bin paused while adjusting his clothes. "I just arrived."
Without waiting for Lin Murun to ask anything else, he gave a wave. "I'm off. Remember to take your medicine on time after you eat the porridge."
A moment later, the bell for class rang. Lin Murun pulled back the covers, got up to put on his coat and shoes, and picked up the porridge, preparing to leave.
"Oh, you're awake?" the nurse said as she came in to tidy the bed. She smiled and asked, "Si Bin came over during the morning exercises and stayed with you the whole time you were on the drip. He just left—did you see him?"
"Morning exercises?" Lin Murun was stunned.
"Yes. You two must be very close." The nurse handed Lin Murun the medicine the doctor had prescribed. "Take these two three times a day. Make sure you take them after meals."
"...Okay." Lin Murun took the medicine, nodded, and left.
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