Wen Yan woke up at noon. He saw Su Jingming leaning against the wall by the bed, dozing off. His sleep seemed fitful; his brow was slightly furrowed, his hands were clenched together on his lap, and his lips were pressed into a thin line. An oversized jacket was draped loosely over his shoulders.
Just as Wen Yan opened his mouth to call out to him, a strange middle-aged man walked in from outside.
"Oh, you're awake." Seeing Wen Yan trying to get up, the driver immediately came over to stop him. "This IV bottle isn't finished yet. Wait a bit before you get up."
Wen Yan’s throat was parched and painful. When he tried to speak, he could only manage dry, raspy syllables. "Why is... he here?"
"You fainted from a high fever. He and I brought you here together. This kid is a real stand-up guy," the driver said as he poured a cup of water, helping Wen Yan drink most of it.
"Thank you." Wen Yan felt his voice grow less hoarse. "I’ve caused you trouble."
"It’s nothing. Are you hungry? There’s still some porridge and buns left."
The driver was very warm-hearted. Seeing Wen Yan eat something, he finally felt at ease. "Do kids your age like to choose style over warmth? This weather isn't exactly cold, but it isn't hot either. You still need to pay attention to keeping warm."
Wen Yan gave a faint smile as a response.
He sat halfway up in the hospital bed, a small bandage stuck to the back of his hand where the IV was inserted. His gaze drifted aimlessly before finally settling on Su Jingming.
"How long has he been sleeping like that?"
"About an hour."
Hearing this, Wen Yan felt a part of his heart collapse, sinking into a pool of softness.
His tongue subconsciously flicked across the corner of his mouth, and his eyes held an indecipherable emotion.
Su Jingming’s nap had been restless. When he finally woke up, Wen Yan had already changed into the clothes Su Jingming had brought for him and was sitting by the bed. His complexion looked much better than before.
"You're awake," Su Jingming said, squinting his eyes. "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere else?"
Wen Yan looked up, his voice low and husky. "No, I'm much better."
At this moment, Wen Yan didn't have his usual approachable look; his gaze was more intense and burning than usual.
Su Jingming stood up and stretched his limbs, wrinkling his nose. "You didn't say a word even though you had such a high fever. Do you really think you're Superman?"
Wen Yan gave a soft "mm" in response, offering no further explanation.
Suddenly, Wen Yan seemed a bit cold and detached, lacking any warmth. Su Jingming didn't think too much of it, assuming he was just listless from being sick.
On the way back, Su Jingming leaned against the back of the seat while Wen Yan kept his head down, playing with his phone. His brow hadn't unfurrowed since they got into the car.
Until they returned to the dormitory, there wasn't much communication between them.
Su Jingming had managed to borrow an electric kettle from somewhere. He made a cup of hot water for Wen Yan and didn't forget to nag him: "By the way, remember to take your medicine. That old man's hands were shaking like crazy, but his skill is actually top-notch."
The old man who treated him.
Wen Yan had no memory of him at all.
Su Jingming seemed to think of something amusing and pulled a chair over to sit next to Wen Yan. "Especially when I saw him drawing your blood—his hands were shaking so much they wouldn't stop. I really thought you were going to get poked a dozen times. My own legs felt a bit weak just watching."
He spoke with a hint of a joke in his tone. Wen Yan slowly fixed his gaze on Su Jingming.
Su Jingming was tall and lanky, his legs resting casually. He was very fair, very thin, and looked quite handsome when he smiled.
The emotions that had been suppressed in Wen Yan's heart since he woke up reached their peak at that moment.
What kind of feeling was it?
At first, it was like a feather brushing against the tip of his heart, lightly and teasingly stroking his inner softness.
Then, it dealt him a heavy blow.
Su Jingming waited, but no response came from Wen Yan.
"Wen Yan? You didn't burn your brains out, did you?"
"No." Wen Yan simply didn't know what to say. His heart felt sour and swollen, and a clamoring desire was gradually overriding his reason.
Su Jingming gave an "oh." Seeing the lingering fatigue in Wen Yan's eyes, he said, "Then get some good rest today. I already asked Old Tu for a leave of absence for you. Anyway, with your brain, missing one day of class shouldn't matter."
He stood up from the chair and smoothed out his clothes.
"Are you going out?" Wen Yan couldn't help but ask when he saw this.
"Yeah." Su Jingming picked up his phone from the desk. "If I go to the classroom now, I can still catch a couple of lectures."
However, Su Jingming didn't go to the classroom after leaving the dorm. He went to the spot where he usually ate lunch alone. Stepping on the nearby wall, he climbed up into a tree.
From here, he could see the entire training camp grounds.
Sitting on a branch, Su Jingming scratched his head and realized his mouth felt tasteless.
He hadn't even noticed when he'd finished the candy in his pocket.
It wasn't just his mouth; his heart felt incredibly bitter as well.
He sat on the branch for several hours. It wasn't until he heard the bell signaling the end of classes that he snapped out of it.
It was already evening, and night had fallen.
Old Tu had known they were back at school since early on, but he hadn't found the time to check on Wen Yan. Just before the dormitory lights were turned off, he came to Wen Yan's room.
When Wen Yan heard the knock, he thought it was Su Jingming. When he saw Old Tu, a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes.
Old Tu didn't notice. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better." Wen Yan’s face was still an unhealthy shade of pale. "Thank you, Teacher. I’ve caused you trouble."
"No, no. If you're sick in the future, you must speak up immediately. Don't bottle it up." Old Tu probably understood why Wen Yan hadn't told him right away. "No matter how important the competition is, it can't compare to your health. You can make up for lost studies later, but if your health fails, it's hard to recover."
Wen Yan nodded humbly. "I was indeed in the wrong regarding this matter."
Old Tu patted Wen Yan on the shoulder. "It’s fine. Young people always want to act tough. I was the same when I was young; I understand. Oh, right, these are the problems from today. Take a good look at them with Su Jingming later. Even though you two missed a day of class, it shouldn't be a big problem for you."
Wen Yan’s hand paused. The smile hanging on his lips gradually faded.
Old Tu noticed Wen Yan’s expression and glanced toward the inside of the dorm. "Su Jingming isn't here?"
"He is, he is. He's in the shower." Wen Yan rarely lied; doing it for the first time made his tongue feel a bit clumsy.
Old Tu believed him. After a few final instructions, he left.
After closing the door, Wen Yan stood frozen in place.
Su Jingming hadn't gone to class.
Then where could he have gone?
Wen Yan clicked his tongue, threw on a jacket, and headed out.
It had been a while since classes ended, and there weren't many students on the paths. In the teaching building on the other side, the classroom lights were still on.
Just as he got downstairs, Hu Hai called out to him. "Where are you going?"
His tone was none too friendly.
Wen Yan didn't want to deal with Hu Hai, but he stopped and asked anyway, "Have you seen Su Jingming?"
Hu Hai suddenly regretted calling out to Wen Yan. Nowadays, no matter where he went, he kept hearing that name.
He was still brooding over what happened yesterday.
Hu Hai just couldn't understand why people like Wen Yan and Su Jingming existed in this world.
"I just saw him heading toward the supermarket."
"Thanks."
Wen Yan walked away quickly. Hu Hai still hadn't figured out why he had bothered to stop him in the first place.
Wen Yan strode into the supermarket and actually found Su Jingming there.
Su Jingming was currently standing in front of the rows of candy, his face scrunched up as if he were making a very difficult decision.
"How can they be out..."
Su Jingming leaned down, seriously picking through the candy flavors.
"How is the grape flavor sold out?"
"I shouldn't have come to this competition!"
Su Jingming had his back to Wen Yan and didn't realize he was standing right behind him.
In the end, having no other choice, Su Jingming grabbed a bag of orange-flavored candy. Just as he turned around, Wen Yan’s face appeared right in front of him.
"Holy shit!" Su Jingming cursed. "You really walk without making a sound. You're going to scare me to death one of these days."
The moment Wen Yan found Su Jingming, the anxiety in his heart dissipated.
Without realizing it, his eyes crinkled into a smile and his voice softened when facing Su Jingming.
"Would it be bad for a 'little hero' to be scared to death?"
Su Jingming took the words to heart. Being scared to death really didn't sound good; it sounded even lower than starving to death.
Wen Yan saw him clutching the candy tightly. "If you squeeze it any harder, it'll break."
Su Jingming finally relaxed his grip and asked dryly, "Why are you here?"
"I ran into Hu Hai on the way. He said you came this way."
Su Jingming blinked, gave an "oh," and said nothing more.
"Do you need to buy anything else?" Wen Yan asked, looking down at him.
"No."
After paying, the two walked out of the supermarket one after the other. Su Jingming caught a faint scent of food drifting from the cafeteria and remembered that Wen Yan probably hadn't eaten yet. "Want to get something to eat?"
Wen Yan turned to look at him and agreed.
To this day, Su Jingming still hadn't figured out why the atmosphere between him and Wen Yan felt so strange.
It was so subtle he couldn't find the words to describe it.
He had spent the whole afternoon thinking and felt that Wen Yan getting sick was somehow his fault.
If he hadn't had a brain cramp and taken the guy out to catch the night breeze, would he have gotten sick?
But then again, Wen Yan’s constitution was really weak. He’d only been out in the wind for a little while and ended up this sick.
Wen Yan’s attitude since returning had been somewhat cold, and Su Jingming figured Wen Yan must be blaming him.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was his fault.
After they finished eating, Su Jingming made another trip to the supermarket. When he returned, his jacket pockets were bulging.
Wen Yan glanced at them but didn't ask.
The two returned to the dorm.
Wen Yan was about to take out the problems Old Tu had given him to solve.
*Thud—*
A can of beer was placed in front of Wen Yan.
The noise wasn't small; even Su Jingming startled himself.
*Oh, I’m such a dumbass.*
*I don't even know how to control my own strength.*
Wen Yan didn't know what Su Jingming was playing at. The hand holding his pen paused slightly.
"What... are you doing?"
Su Jingming stood by the desk and coolly cracked open a beer. He drank it quickly right in front of Wen Yan, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down continuously as he swallowed.
Wen Yan’s grip on the pen tightened until his knuckles turned white.
Where Su Jingming couldn't see, Wen Yan’s gaze remained fixed on his neck.
After Su Jingming finished drinking, he let out a sigh.
"Wen Yan, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been such a dumbass and taken you out into the wind, making you get sick."
***
