The moment Lin Murun stepped out of the milk tea shop, the biting wind caught in his throat, triggering a couple of sharp coughs. He lowered his head, trying his best to bury his nose and mouth behind the high collar of his sweater.
He hadn't stayed in the shop for long, and it happened to be the time school let out. Day students were rushing home with their backpacks, and the campus was suddenly teeming with people.
The stairwells of the teaching building were packed. Since Lin Murun was in no hurry to return to the classroom, he simply stood downstairs and waited for a moment.
A faint meow of a kitten drifted from behind him. Lin Murun turned around to look for the source, but someone tapped him on the shoulder.
It was Si Bin.
"What are you looking for?" Si Bin asked.
"I thought I heard a cat," Lin Murun replied. Just as he spoke, a rustling sound came from the manicured low bushes. A small tabby cat darted out and quickly vanished into the distance.
Watching the cat’s fleeting shadow, Si Bin smiled and said to Lin Murun, "Remember to wear a scarf next time you go out."
"Mhm." Lin Murun nodded. "Senior Wu Chuchu wanted to see me just now. I was in a rush, so I forgot."
Si Bin raised an eyebrow slightly. "She wanted to see you?"
"Yes, she came to the area near No. 1 High for some snacks and brought me a jar of autumn pear paste." Lin Murun handed the jar to Si Bin.
Si Bin took the jar, checked the label, and said, "Your cold isn't better yet; you should have some pear paste to soothe your lungs."
Lin Murun nodded. "The Senior also invited us to have dinner together at the end of the year."
Returning the jar to Lin Murun, Si Bin asked, "A New Year's dinner?"
"No," Lin Murun explained. "She and her husband are getting remarried. They plan to host a meal for their relatives and friends."
Si Bin nodded and didn't ask further, only saying, "Once the date is set, let's go pick out a gift for her."
"Alright," Lin Murun agreed.
After that, the two chatted idly for a while. Seeing that the stairwell had cleared out significantly, Lin Murun said goodbye to Si Bin and prepared to go upstairs to pack his bag.
"Remember to take your cold medicine," Si Bin urged.
"I will." Lin Murun turned back. "I'm going now. See you tomorrow morning."
"Mhm." Si Bin smiled at him. "See you tomorrow morning."
Unfortunately, that "see you tomorrow morning" did not come to pass. In the middle of the night, Lin Murun, who had been running a low-grade fever, suddenly developed a high fever.
Early the next morning, Cheng Song woke up right on time as usual. He finished his morning routine like he was fighting a battle, but while packing his bag, he noticed that Lin Murun’s backpack and school uniform were still sitting untouched at his desk.
Cheng Song scratched his head, assuming Lin Murun had simply overslept. He raised his voice and called out, "Lin Murun, time to get up!"
There was no response.
Cheng Song called again, "Lin Murun! You're going to be late!"
Still nothing.
Sensing something was wrong, Cheng Song pulled back Lin Murun’s bed curtains. He found the boy’s face flushed deep red from the fever, drifting in a stupor, unable to be woken no matter how much he was called.
Startled, Cheng Song hurriedly called his own homeroom teacher, who then contacted Ms. Li from Class 2. Together, they rushed Lin Murun to the hospital.
Cheng Song stayed at the hospital for two class periods, only returning to school after Lin Murun’s aunt and Lin Qingqing arrived.
Lin Murun was oblivious to all of this. He remained in a state of high fever, drifting in and out of consciousness, until he finally woke up around noon.
After the high fever broke, he felt a sense of trance-like disorientation. Lin Murun opened his eyes dizzily, seeing the stark white hospital ceiling and the IV bag hanging overhead.
"Mom! Brother is awake."
He heard Lin Qingqing’s voice.
"Awake? Good, that’s good." Lin Murun’s aunt leaned over, placing her hand on his forehead to check his temperature.
"Better, the fever is gone." His aunt let out a sigh of relief. Looking at Lin Murun, her expression was a mix of relief and worry. "Runrun, you scared me to death! Why didn't you tell us you were sick?"
Lin Murun blinked, struggling to sit up. "I'm sorry, Auntie."
"Lie back down." His aunt tucked the blanket around him. "Your fever just broke; you must get plenty of rest."
Lin Qingqing leaned in and whispered, "Brother, you really scared me. How could you not go to the hospital when you had a fever?"
"You child, honestly..." His aunt’s throat moved as if she wanted to say more, but she swallowed the words. She reached out to stroke Lin Murun’s forehead and sighed.
Lin Murun lowered his eyelashes guiltily, softly repeating, "I'm sorry..."
"Alright, let's not talk about it for now. Have some warm water. Your uncle will be here soon. I'll go buy some food for you all. What would you like to eat?" His aunt handed a thermos to Lin Murun.
Lin Murun took the thermos, sat up to take a sip of water, and replied quietly, "Anything is fine."
"Then let's have some porridge. I'll head to the hospital cafeteria. Qingqing, stay here and talk to Runrun for a bit." With that, his aunt picked up her bag and left the room.
"Brother."
Once her mother was gone, Lin Qingqing leaned closer and stuffed her phone into his hand. "Si Bin heard you were sick and couldn't get a hold of you, so he contacted me. Hurry up and give him a reply."
Lin Murun nodded. Using Lin Qingqing’s WeChat, he replied to Si Bin: *Si Bin, it's Lin Murun.*
The moment the message was sent, a WeChat voice call from Si Bin came through.
Lin Murun pressed the answer button with the hand that wasn't hooked up to the IV.
"Hello, Lin Murun?" Si Bin’s voice sounded rushed.
"Mhm, it's me," Lin Murun said. "I didn't have my phone with me. I'm sorry."
"It's good that you're awake." Si Bin breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately asked, "Why didn't you go to the hospital last night?"
Lin Murun paused. "I thought it would be fine."
"Fine?" Si Bin repeated.
"I'm sorry, I—" Before Lin Murun could finish, Si Bin interrupted him.
"If it weren't for your roommate, it might not have been 'fine' at all." Si Bin’s voice carried a hint of coldness.
"A fever is no small matter. If not treated in time, even an adult could suffer brain damage." After saying this, Si Bin seemed to realize his tone was too harsh. He paused and continued, "Which hospital are you in?"
Lin Murun didn't know which hospital it was. He turned his head, silently seeking help from Lin Qingqing.
Hearing their conversation, Lin Qingqing’s eyebrows twitched. She snatched the phone and said, "Si Bin, don't you dare come over. My parents are here. You're in a mood right now; if you meet them and can't hold it back, what if they notice something?"
"Notice what?" Lin Murun asked.
On the other end of the line, Si Bin went silent instantly upon hearing Lin Murun’s question. After a long silence, he regained his usual tone. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper with your brother."
"Then you have to apologize to him yourself. I'm not a messenger." After saying that, Lin Qingqing handed the phone back to Lin Murun. "He's apologizing to you."
Lin Murun took the phone back, puzzled. "Hello?" he said, his voice raspy.
"Hello." Hearing Lin Murun’s voice, Si Bin hesitated for a moment before saying softly, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper with you."
"It's okay." Lin Murun asked, "Are you still coming to the hospital?"
"Not for now," Si Bin said. "I'll wait for you at school. Remember to call me when you're coming back."
"Okay." Lin Murun nodded. After a few more words, he hung up the phone.
Lin Qingqing, who had been eavesdropping intently, looked disappointed. "No way! I just said that and he actually doesn't dare to come?"
"Why would he come to the hospital for no reason?" Lin Murun asked.
"You're sick; of course he should come see you," Lin Qingqing said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"He has classes this afternoon," Lin Murun said, looking down.
"Classes are no excuse!" Lin Qingqing countered. "In a bit, I'll find a way to get Mom and Dad to leave so he can come take care of you."
Lin Murun didn't answer immediately. He rubbed his right hand, which felt sore and swollen from the IV. After a moment, he said, "There's no need. He has no obligation to do that."
"No, no, no!" Lin Qingqing grew anxious. "Brother, you can't really not see it, can you? Si Bin likes you!"
Her words made Lin Murun’s body stiffen.
Sunlight filtering through the clouds spilled into the hospital room, tracing a faint golden line along Lin Murun’s pale, beautiful profile.
"He likes you."
As if afraid Lin Murun hadn't heard clearly, Lin Qingqing repeated what she had just said.
"Don't talk nonsense." Lin Murun snapped back to reality and lay back down in bed, quickly covering his face with the blanket. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep for a while," he said muffledly.
Lin Qingqing was amused by his reaction. She stepped forward and tugged at his blanket. "Brother, are you blushing?"
"Who's blushing?"
Just then, Lin Murun’s aunt pushed open the door with lunch.
"Oh, that..." Lin Qingqing quickly let go of the blanket. Her eyes darted around as she made up a lie. "He said he felt embarrassed that we've been taking care of him."
"What's there to be embarrassed about?" His aunt smiled, handing the food to Lin Qingqing. "Go on, tell your brother to get up and eat."
"He's asleep," Lin Qingqing whispered.
His aunt glanced curiously at Lin Murun, who was buried under the covers. She lowered her voice. "Then let him sleep a bit longer. You eat first."
Perhaps it was the lack of oxygen, or perhaps it was because of what Lin Qingqing had just said, but huddled in the darkness, Lin Murun felt his face grow hot again.
Since Lin Qingqing had just lied to his aunt, he didn't dare pull back the covers immediately. He curled up quietly under the blanket, listening to the mother and daughter whispering. Unknowingly, a wave of drowsiness washed over him again.
He let out a silent yawn, rubbed the back of his hand where the needle was still inserted, and closed his eyes.
Lin Murun was woken up by the crinkling sound of plastic packaging. Having slept for so long that day, he felt a wave of lethargy upon waking, as if even the marrow of his bones had gone soft.
The needle had already been removed, and a white medical patch was stuck to the back of his hand. The sensation of the tape pulling on his skin wasn't pleasant. Lin Murun’s fingers twitched, wanting to peel it off.
However, having just recovered from a fever and slept for so long, his whole body felt weak. His fingertips caught a corner of the patch, but he couldn't muster the strength to pull.
"Ah, Lin Murun is awake!"
He heard Yu Qianyi’s voice.
Lin Murun emerged from the blanket and saw Yu Qianyi holding a fruit basket.
He looked around and saw that his uncle and aunt were gone. Besides Yu Qianyi, Li Menglai, Zhou Xuan, and Li Xi had also come.
Realizing she had been a bit too loud, Yu Qianyi smiled apologetically. "Sorry! I was just about to open the fruit basket. Was the noise too loud? Did I wake you?"
Lin Murun shook his head and sat up, draping a jacket over his shoulders. "I've slept for a long time; it was time to wake up anyway. When did you all get here?"
"Just now," Li Menglai replied. "We came straight after class."
The sunlight outside had turned into the warm orange of the approaching sunset. Lin Murun glanced at the wall clock; it was 6:10 PM. He had slept through almost the entire day.
The group placed the fruit and supplements they had bought on the bedside table and sat down one by one on the empty hospital beds nearby.
"Sorry for making you all worry," Lin Murun said softly.
"Everyone gets sick sometimes." Yu Qianyi picked an orange from the basket and handed it to him. "Have some fruit. My mom says you need to replenish your vitamins when you're sick."
"Thank you." Lin Murun took the orange.
"How are you feeling now? Is the fever gone?" Zhou Xuan asked.
"Much better," Lin Murun replied. "The fever broke this morning."
Zhou Xuan nodded. "We didn't cover much new material today. The class was mostly practice exercises. I took notes; you can catch up once you're better."
Lin Murun thanked him.
The teachers at No. 1 High usually finished all the material for the semester before the midterm exams. Two weeks after midterms, they would start on the next semester's curriculum. Since they were currently in the post-midterm period, it was the most relaxed time of the semester. Consequently, Lin Murun didn't feel too much pressure about falling behind.
"We're relieved to see you're okay," Li Xi spoke up. "Mr. Xia was very worried when he heard you were sick. He knew we were coming to visit and is waiting for us to tell him you're safe when we get back."
"Didn't Si Bin come with you?" Lin Qingqing asked.
The young girl was sharp; she knew Si Bin was worried about Lin Murun.
"He... originally wanted to come," Yu Qianyi said hesitantly. "But my brother said that during the third period this afternoon, he suddenly requested a leave of absence."
"Leave of absence?" Lin Qingqing glanced at Lin Murun, puzzled. "Why did he take leave?"
"Yeah, and he took a full two days," Yu Qianyi added after a thought. "As for the reason... nobody knows. Maybe something happened at home."
"Oh! Right!" Yu Qianyi pulled an unopened box of throat lozenges from her bag and handed it to Lin Murun. "Si Bin asked us to bring this to you. He said you can't have milk candy right now, but throat lozenges are fine."
Lin Murun took the small box and whispered his thanks.
***
