I returned to the classroom. My arrival drew a lot of attention—specifically, attention to the injury on my arm. Most students glanced and then looked away, but there was whispering, probably discussing where I'd been.
Liu Xiaoyu spotted me immediately and called my name. Then he saw the wound on my arm.
"Ah..." He seemed startled, letting out a small gasp, quickly covering his mouth. "Where did you get a wound that big?"
I slumped into my seat but didn't answer him. Instead, I quickly took out a piece of paper and began writing something. Thankfully, Bai Manwen bit my left arm; if it had been my right, I wouldn't be able to write at all.
"I asked you a question! You were gone for so long, did a dog bite you?" Liu Xiaoyu frowned, looking at my bloody arm, his lips tightly pressed together.
I finished writing, folded the paper, and tucked it into my pocket.
"Yeah, a dog bit me." I suddenly thought of Mistress Extinction, Bai Manwen, and felt Liu Xiaoyu's description was incredibly apt. Her teeth were sharp, and she wouldn't let go. If I hadn't choked her, she probably would have torn a piece of flesh off my arm. Bai Manwen, the mad dog. The description made me smile.
"You can still smile? If you were bitten, you need to go to the hospital right away for a rabies shot! What if the wound gets infected?" Liu Xiaoyu seemed very worried, looking at my smile with a mix of frustration and urgency, a look of disappointment. He glanced at the wound, found it too awful, and looked away. He kept nervously squeezing the corner of his clothing, looking distressed and sympathetic.
"What's the rush?" I glanced at his dramatic, pitiful appearance. Why is he acting like a scared little kid? Regardless, having someone care about you felt genuinely nice.
"You..." Liu Xiaoyu was annoyed by my attitude. He glared at me, then abruptly turned his body away.
"Fine. Just wait for your death then."
I looked at his profile, feeling a little amused. It's just a bite, why is he acting like it's the end of the world?
"Xiaoyu..."
"Stay away from me. Don't die next to me." Liu Xiaoyu said without turning back, even scooting his chair away a couple of times.
"It's not that serious..." The wound on my arm was bad, but the prolonged pain had made me somewhat numb to it, so it didn't feel as bad now.
I asked, "Xiaoyu, do you know where Teacher Li Yue is?"
"Huh?" Hearing that, he immediately spun around, looking at me with disbelief and an astonished expression. Finally, he covered his face helplessly. "Lin Xiaonan, you are incurable! Are you planning to go to the hospital with her? I don't recall her ever being our teacher. Why are you suddenly obsessed with her?"
"..." I looked at him speechless. "What are you thinking? You've watched too many romance dramas. Just tell me quickly. I need to go see her. My arm hurts, and I need to get to the hospital right away."
Liu Xiaoyu scrutinized me up and down, his eyes unwillingly drifting back to my wound. The sight of the blood made him instantly frown. "Argh, brother, please stop wasting time. Just go! I'll text you the address."
He didn't forget to complain, "I swear, I don't know anyone like you."
"I don't have a phone card," I said helplessly. No card, no internet access.
"You don't have any money either, do you?" He suddenly stared at me with his wide, blue eyes.
"Oops..." His words reminded me. I truly didn't have any cash on me. All the cash I brought was loaded onto my card. I intentionally didn't carry much money to prevent myself from spending recklessly, only withdrawing small amounts as needed. "I really don't."
"Speechless... How can a person be like you?" Liu Xiaoyu pressed his hand to his forehead, looking pained. He then stood up.
"Let's go," he said.
"Huh?" I was startled. "Go where?"
"To the hospital, obviously." He looked at me as if I were an idiot, picking up a bag.
Seeing me still rooted to the spot, his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you coming or not? If you don't, I'm leaving you."
"Oh, oh, oh, I'm coming, I'm coming. Why wouldn't I?" Liu Xiaoyu walked a couple of steps, then suddenly stopped, making me nearly bump into him.
"What's wrong?" Being so close, I caught the scent of milk and cream from him. Subconsciously, I felt a slight fondness for it; the creamy scent was pleasant.
"Aren't you going to ask for leave from Teacher Bai?" Liu Xiaoyu asked, looking at me.
"Ask for leave?" I laughed.
"Laugh, laugh, laugh, that's all you do. What in the world are you doing?" Liu Xiaoyu looked at me and pouted.
"What am I doing?" I stared at Liu Xiaoyu, finding him increasingly adorable. What kind of descriptions are those? Liu Xiaoyu acts like a child.
"She's the one who bit me! And I should ask her for leave?" I scoffed internally. She's probably at the hospital herself; Bai Manwen was seriously injured at my hands, too.
"No need," I said, pulling out the off-campus residency agreement from my pocket. "I'm an off-campus resident now, just like you. No need for evening study. Let's go."
Our conversation in the classroom had already drawn attention and annoyance from the other students. It was evening study time, and our voices were too loud. Liu Xiaoyu realized this, quickly waving his hand apologetically to those around us and glaring at me before walking out.
Once in the hallway, he turned to me and asked, "Lin Xiaonan, you're something else. How did you manage that? I thought Teacher Bai saw you as a thorn in her side. How did she agree to this?"
"Hehe," I grinned. "Don't slander me! I'm her favorite student. As the saying goes, 'Deep love demands stern correction.' All those reprimands were just her way of showing she cared about me."
"Cared about you?" Liu Xiaoyu looked at me, then shrugged and shivered. "Tsk tsk tsk," he said, sounding disgusted. "Her care nearly ate you alive."
"Hahaha, anyway, regardless of how, I got my residency application approved!" I triumphantly waved the paper in my hand at him.
"Did you... rob Teacher Bai?" he suddenly asked out of the blue, walking ahead of me.
"Yep," I nodded along.
"Ah..." Liu Xiaoyu glanced at me, then shook his head helplessly.
"You, can you ever stop bragging?"
"Believe it or not..." I was telling the truth! Why wouldn't he believe me?
"I have nothing to say to you..." Liu Xiaoyu complained, then quickened his pace. Following this short kid, it felt quite strange. Liu Xiaoyu carried a bag and looked like a miniature adult. The more I watched, the funnier it seemed. My loud laughter seemed to disturb him.
But whenever Liu Xiaoyu turned and glared at me, I immediately shut up and covered my mouth, and we started walking quickly.
We descended the stairs and headed toward the school gate.
I showed the off-campus residency proof to the security guard at the gate, and Liu Xiaoyu swiped his card. We left the campus and walked out onto the street.
"You," Liu Xiaoyu pointed at me. "You hail a cab here. I'm going to buy something."
"Buy what? I don't want snacks right now," I instinctively replied.
"Get lost!" Liu Xiaoyu said crossly. "I'm buying something for Teacher Li Yue. You said you were going to see her, are you going empty-handed?"
"Oh..." I finally understood and gave him a thumbs-up. "Xiaoyu, you're so thoughtful and considerate! If you married someone, you'd be a wonderful wife and mother... Oh, wait, a wonderful husband and father."
Liu Xiaoyu looked at me, gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and finally sighed in resignation. "You are truly impossible. I have absolutely nothing to say to you..."
I grinned cheekily at him, and he turned and entered the supermarket. I stood on the street and quickly hailed a taxi. To be honest, I was worried Liu Xiaoyu would take too long inside since I didn't have any cash, and the driver was waiting. Fortunately, he came out quickly, carrying a large assortment of items.
Seeing him struggling, I reached out to take the bags.
"Hey... don't," Liu Xiaoyu refused. "Can you please be careful of your arm?"
"My other hand is fine," I suggested, indicating my uninjured right hand.
"Move!" Liu Xiaoyu frowned at me, ignoring my hand, and quickly squeezed into the back seat, placing the items inside.
I shrugged helplessly but got in as well.
The taxi driver started the car and headed toward the tertiary hospital in the city center.
All the way to the hospital, Liu Xiaoyu looked at my arm with a deep, unwavering frown. After getting out of the car, he quickly helped me register for the general surgery department.
When it was my turn, the doctor frowned while cleaning my wound, constantly scolding me for not coming sooner.
Liu Xiaoyu stood there, also frowning at me, silent for the entire time, just short of joining the doctor in scolding me.
The earlier pain had become somewhat numb, but the cleaning and disinfecting process made me realize just how much it hurt. Cold sweat poured down my face, and I grimaced, nearly shedding tears.
Finally, after all the "torture," my wound was bandaged, and the doctor gave me instructions and some medication. I walked out of the room feeling completely drained.
"You see? That's what you get for not rushing..." Liu Xiaoyu walked ahead, carrying the items, chattering away. Looking at his back, I felt a wave of gratitude. Aside from my mother and sister, someone was actually willing to accompany me to the hospital this late.
"Wuwuwu..." I wiped away nonexistent tears, saying emotionally, "Xiaoyu, you're too kind! Coming with me this late... If I were a girl, I'd marry you..."
"Shut up!" Liu Xiaoyu quickly stopped me from continuing, giving me a disgusted look. "Don't be gross..."
I closed my mouth and followed him as he navigated the hospital floors. We took the elevator up to the inpatient ward.
A Moment of Compassion
Arriving at a room door, Liu Xiaoyu knocked and then reminded me, "Don't say anything weird, okay?"
I glared at him, slightly annoyed. "What nonsense are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?"
The door opened, interrupting our conversation. A young, handsome man in a suit came out. He had a great demeanor and looked like a successful business owner.
"You are?" He looked at us, confused.
"We are students from the First Middle School. Teacher Li Yue is a very good person, and we heard she was hospitalized, so we wanted to visit," Liu Xiaoyu said softly.
The man didn't seem surprised and moved aside. "Her condition isn't great. She hasn't woken up yet."
We stepped inside and saw a woman lying in bed with her eyes still closed—presumably Teacher Li Yue. Fortunately, the heart rate monitor next to her showed a stable rhythm, indicating she was not in immediate danger.
"Alas..." Liu Xiaoyu sighed softly, looking at the woman in the hospital bed, his eyebrows furrowed. He handed the gifts to the man.
"We hope the teacher wakes up soon. It's late, so we won't disturb her rest any further..." Liu Xiaoyu said softly.
He started walking out, and I followed suit. There wasn't much to talk about. The young man looked like a CEO, and even talking to him made me feel a little pressured.
The man nodded, thanking us quietly. The table was filled with various gifts, suggesting Teacher Li Yue was quite popular, and others had certainly visited before. The man was clearly no longer surprised by visitors.
He saw us to the door. I paused at the entrance, hesitating for a moment, then pulled out the piece of paper from my pocket and handed it to him.
The young man was visibly surprised but took the paper and opened it. He read it and then smiled, looking at me seriously. "Thank you, little brother."
"It's nothing... I just feel that a kind person like Teacher Li Yue shouldn't have to suffer something like this," I said softly. But then, I recalled the scene I witnessed—Teacher Li Yue and Mu Feipeng going to a bar, then taking a taxi to a hotel. Was this teacher truly the traditional, gentle woman everyone claimed? I started to doubt whether the reality was what everyone believed.
I looked at the young man, whose smile was warm, and fell silent, deciding not to tell him anything.
"My mother is indeed a kind person," the young man sighed softly, his voice then turning cold. "No matter who it is, I will find them."
I smiled faintly, but I knew the actual situation perfectly well. However, whether for personal reasons or something else, I chose not to speak.
He walked us to the elevator and only turned back after seeing us step inside.
In the elevator, Liu Xiaoyu asked me curiously, "What did you write on that paper?"
I looked at him. "The thing you mentioned. Don't you remember?"
"What thing?" He tilted his head in thought, then suddenly remembered something. "Are you talking about that thing? The one I casually mentioned, about someone trying to hurt her in the hospital?"
"Yes," I nodded.
"I just said that off the top of my head! I can't believe you actually believed it," Liu Xiaoyu said, looking surprised.
"Better safe than sorry..." Deep down, perhaps I still felt a trace of guilt. I couldn't bring myself to be a completely bad person, so I made this decision.
Seeing Liu Xiaoyu still staring at me, I felt a little embarrassed. "What? Are you moved by my kindness?"
"Hmph..." Liu Xiaoyu rolled his eyes at me and said nothing more.