Chapter 2 – Sick

The next morning, when sunlight streamed onto the bed, Zhou Liao was so exhausted he didn’t even want to twitch a finger. He had no idea what time he’d finally fallen asleep last night.

Just as he was about to roll over, he caught a whiff of fresh shower gel and a feminine rose fragrance.

“Are you sisters hungry again?”

Zhou Liao instantly snapped awake. He lazily reached out and cupped their nape, pulling them in for a kiss.

……

Perhaps it was the radiant sunshine that day that put Zhou Liao in such a good mood. Before leaving the mall, he impulsively bought the  twins a necklace worth nearly ten thousand yuan.

While not strictly a business transaction, Zhou Liao was happy to indulge. The twins, recognizing their luck in meeting such a handsome and wealthy young man, quickly exchanged WeChat contact details with him.

After seeing the beauties off, Zhou Liao found himself with nothing to do on the weekend. Not wanting to return to his empty house, he decided to head back to campus to play basketball with his friends.

Zhou Liao was popular at school, and whenever he was on the court, girls would inevitably gather to watch him. Despite knowing his reputation, they couldn’t resist his good looks. Most were content just to watch, but more forward girls eagerly sought any excuse to get closer to him. This made playing basketball with him extra motivating for the guys, who saw it as a chance to show off and impress the ladies.

During a break in the game, as Zhou Liao took a few sips of water, his friend Chen Xian sidled up with a mischievous grin. “How was last night?”

Zhou Liao shot him a sidelong glance. “Freaking awesome.”

“You disappeared mid-kiss last night, man.”

“You’d have bolted even faster.”

“Next time, let me have some fun too.” Chen Xian nudged him playfully with his elbow.

“I’ll forward their WeChat. Go wild.”

“Hey! Over there, anyone wants to throw the ball over…?”

Before the voice behind him could finish, a ball slammed into Zhou Liao’s hand. He was in the middle of capping his water bottle, and the impact sent the bottle careening onto the plastic court, spilling water everywhere.

He glanced at the ground for two seconds before turning around. Just moments ago, a group of people had been gathered there, but now only a man with a messenger bag slung across his shoulder remained.

Isn’t this the deadbeat who bumped into me yesterday and didn’t even apologize? Zhou Liao might not have remembered the face, but Qin Zhan stood out like he’d crawled straight out of hell—impossible to forget.

“You again?”

Qin Zhan was hurrying to his part-time job after class and hadn’t even registered Zhou Liao’s shout.

Meanwhile, the person who had accidentally hit Zhou Liao with the ball had bolted like greased lightning, terrified of provoking him. After all, the crowd had been watching the game from a distance, making it impossible to identify the one who had thrown the errant shot.

Seeing Qin Zhan about to walk away, oblivious to him, Zhou Liao’s anger, which had subsided since yesterday, flared up again. Is this guy doing it on purpose?

He snatched up the ball and hurled it, striking Qin Zhan squarely on the shoulder, sending him stumbling forward.

“I’m fucking talking to you.”

Qin Zhan frowned slightly and turned around, glancing first at the ball, then at Zhou Liao.

Zhou Liao, a man who feared nothing and no one, strode forward and stood inches from Qin Zhan. “What, playing deaf? Got your tongue cut off?”

“Are you sick?”

These were the first words Qin Zhan had ever spoken to him, dripping with disdainful contempt.

Chen Xian, standing nearby, broke out in a cold sweat. Normally, no one liked being near Qin Zhan. He exuded an aura of death; even on this sweltering day, the air around him seemed to chill and darken.

“What did you say?” Zhou Liao’s forehead twitched.

“Sick,” Qin Zhan repeated flatly, as if stating a fact. His teaching session was about to begin; he had no time to waste on this idiot. He knew there was a loudmouthed bully like Zhou Liao in the school, but what did it matter to him? He was practically invisible.

Yesterday, Zhou Liao’s group had deliberately bumped into him on the stairs. Today, they inexplicably pelted him with a ball. Aside from “sick,” Qin Zhan couldn’t find a fitting word to describe him.

“Don’t you have a mother? Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?”

Zhou Liao’s anger flared at Qin Zhan’s dismissive attitude, especially with so many people watching. He raised his fist, ready to slam it into Qin Zhan’s forehead. But before the blow could land, Chen Xian grabbed his arm from behind amidst gasps of alarm.

“Come on, Zhou Liao, let it go. So many people are watching.”

In this law-abiding society, even with all the money in the world, you’re still on a university campus in broad daylight, with so many eyes watching. If someone records a video, you’re finished.

Chen Xian understood Zhou Liao’s temperament. Having been pampered his entire life, he’d never been cursed out like that before, so his impulsive anger was understandable. But they were brothers who’d practically grown up sharing the same pair of pants. If Zhou Liao lost his cool, Chen Xian couldn’t afford to follow suit. Besides, having been raised by his grandparents, he harbored a superstitious unease toward people with Qin Zhan’s kind of aura.

Qin Zhan didn’t even glance at Zhou Liao. He adjusted his backpack strap and turned to walk toward the school gate, ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder blade.

“Fuck! Chen Xian, what the hell are you doing?” Zhou Liao, restrained from behind by Chen Xian, watched Qin Zhan leave. He whirled around and shoved Chen Xian in frustration. “That deadbeat threw a rock at me—are you blind?”

Chen Xian gestured with his eyes at the surrounding crowd. Zhou Liao followed his gaze and spotted the furtive, curious stares of onlookers. A headache throbbed behind his eyes.

He shoved Chen Xian aside. “Get out of my way.”

“Why bother arguing with a dead man?” Chen Xian was used to Zhou Liao’s temper—a quick flash of anger that faded just as fast. He followed him with a grin. “Cool down, man. All the girls are watching.”

Zhou Liao had lost all interest in playing basketball. He sat on the bleachers, stretching his long legs out, and lit a cigarette. Just as he took a drag, a bottle of water appeared in his line of sight.

“Want more, Brother Liao?”

“Thanks.” Zhou Liao took the bottle and drank a couple of gulps. Damn it, he thought, how dare a rat from the gutter look at me like that? And call me sick? The more he thought about it, the tighter the knot in his chest became, until he almost laughed in anger. “Chen Xian, what’s Qin Zhan’s background?”

Chen Xian blinked in surprise. He genuinely didn’t know; Qin Zhan was practically invisible at school. Who would even notice him? “No idea. Isn’t he just the top student in the department?”

“What about you?” Zhou Liao tilted his chin toward the guy who’d mentioned last night that his ex-girlfriend’s roommate had a crush on Qin Zhan.

“Probably no background. He dresses really plain, doesn’t have anything expensive on him.”

“Does he live on campus?”

“Nah, I don’t think so. Never heard anyone mention being his roommate. If he had one, their dorm would probably be haunted every night.” The guy scratched his head, telling Zhou Liao what he wanted to hear. “Seriously, Brother Liao, don’t ask me. Someone just said something. Who actually pays attention to him? All we know is he’s got good grades, keeps to himself, and has no friends.”

“Find out more for this Brother Liao.”

“How am I supposed to do that? Has he ever said more than half a sentence to anyone? Where am I supposed to dig up dirt on this social outcast?” The guy looked like he was about to cry.

Zhou Liao lifted his eyelids. “Alright, that’s enough.”

He stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and tossed the butt to the ground.

“Where are you going, Zhou Liao?” Chen Xian asked, looking up at him.

“To sprinkle some water,” Zhou Liao replied without turning around.

The school was sparsely populated on weekends. Though the sun blazed outside, the corridors remained eerily dark. Zhou Liao swiped his card to enter the teaching building, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Just as he rounded a corner, his shin collided with something.

Before he could curse, he realized it was a girl crouching on the ground, trembling. He swallowed back the curse.

“…Are you alright?” Zhou Liao frowned slightly, but his tone was surprisingly gentle with the opposite sex.

The girl clutched her clothes as if in pain. When she heard his voice, she looked up, her face flushed with awkward embarrassment. She didn’t speak, immediately burying her face again.

“Are you alright?” Zhou Liao repeated, his patience wearing thin.

“…I’m fine,” she mumbled.

Her voice shook so violently it belied her words. Still, she tried to force herself to stand.

Zhou Liao initially couldn’t be bothered to get involved, but as he took two steps back, his gaze fell on the girl’s pants, where a few red spots were visible. He glanced up at the deserted hallway and lowered his voice, “Are you having period cramps? Did you forget to bring pads?”

The girl’s face flushed crimson, as if she hadn’t realized she’d leaked. Zhou Liao assumed she was embarrassed, but having interacted with countless women, he probably understood female physiology better than some women themselves, and he didn’t see anything shameful about it.

He took off his jacket and draped it around her waist. “Cover up. I’ll go get you pads and pain relievers.”

With that, he dashed out. Fortunately, the building was close to both the school convenience store and the infirmary, places Zhou Liao knew well. In no time, he returned with water, medicine, and sanitary pads.

“Take the medicine first. The water’s warm—the infirmary only had boiling water, so I bought bottled water and mixed it in.”

Zhou Liao crouched down and handed her the items.

“Thank you…” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“No problem,” Zhou Liao replied. “Wait here a sec—I need to pee.” He still hadn’t relieved himself yet.

When he returned, the girl had braced herself against the wall and managed to stand up slightly, though she still looked visibly weak.

Zhou Liao stepped forward and offered her a gentlemanly hand. “Let me take you to an empty classroom to rest.”

She kept her head bowed almost the entire time, her hair soaked with sweat, so Zhou Liao barely caught a glimpse of her face. After settling her down and seeing the medicine was starting to take effect, he prepared to leave. He was supposed to meet Chen Xian and the others to go racing later.

“…Um, your jacket.” As he turned to leave, the girl hurriedly grabbed his hand, then immediately let go as if realizing it was too forward.

“Oh, just keep it wrapped around you for now. Otherwise, it’ll be too obvious when you go out.” Zhou Liao had her scan his WeChat QR code. “Just message me later to arrange pickup. Add me as Zhou Liao—that’s Liao from ‘Liaoyuan’.”

“Thank you…” She added, “I’m Bai Ling—Ling as in ‘Fu Ling’.”

“Mm-hmm,” Zhou Liao mumbled distractedly, glancing at the urgent messages from Chen Xian on his phone. Years of interacting with women had ingrained a habit: “Remember to avoid cold drinks and keep warm these next few days.”

With that, he left without another word, leaving Bai Ling alone in the classroom.

Once Zhou Liao’s figure had completely disappeared, she lowered her head after a moment, her ears burning crimson. Her period had arrived a week early this month, and yesterday she’d compounded the problem by eating something cold. The pain had struck her so suddenly that she nearly doubled over, breaking into a cold sweat before she could even reach the restroom. Still, it could have been worse…

As she lowered her head, Bai Ling could still catch the faint scent of male cologne lingering on Zhou Liao’s clothes, mingled with the unique aroma of a boy after exercising—not unpleasant at all.

Almost everyone on campus knew Zhou Liao, and his reputation was a mixed bag. But her daily life had little to do with people like him; they weren’t in the same social circle. They were the wealthy, influential party animals of the school, the kind of people she would never come into contact with…

Seeing Zhou Liao’s chat window on WeChat reminded Bai Ling of her actual business. She quickly switched to another conversation:

“Qin Zhan, are you going to the hospital later? Do I need to send this month’s payment early?”

After a long pause, he finally replied, “If that’s possible, thank you.”