In the lighting control room, a boy stumbled inside carrying four large bags of clothes.
Seeing this, his friend teased him.
“Whoa, you just went to buy two cups of milk tea, and the shop gave you this many freebies?”
The boy dropped the clothes onto the floor with a loud, heavy thud.
The commotion was so massive that several people in the lighting crew shifted their gazes over. As the leader of the lighting crew, Jiang Zong was no exception. He walked closer, intending to ask what was going on.
The boy simply waved his hand.
“What freebies? I was out doing a good deed!”
His friend leaned in, glancing at the contents inside the packaging bags. “Performance costumes? Who gave them to you?”
The boy inserted a straw into his milk tea, took a massive gulp, and slowly explained, “I was passing by the theater entrance, and I ran into that girl from our department who is super popular on Douyin. Do you remember her?”
The description was highly specific, and his friend immediately recalled, “Lin… Lin something Xue, right?”
Standing somewhat far away, Jiang Zong couldn’t hear the exact details of what they were saying, but he vaguely caught the fleeting mentions of “Lin” and “Xue.”
A bad premonition stirred in his heart.
Consequently, he stepped forward quickly.
Then he heard:
“Yes, yes, yes!” the boy quickly replied. “I don’t know what happened to her, but she fainted at the theater entrance. The girl traveling with her begged me to bring these inside.”
“She only said they were needed for tonight’s performance. I didn’t know where to deliver them either, so I brought them back to our place.”
Disregarding everything else, Jiang Zong spoke up.
“Did you just say Lin Shuxue fainted?”
The sudden interruption caught both of them by surprise. Looking up to see Jiang Zong’s rather grim face, the boy’s voice began to stutter.
“Y-yes, yes, it seemed to be that name…”
Jiang Zong’s voice was low and cold as he pressed further, “Do you know where she is right now?”
The boy blanked out. “That, I… I’m not entirely sure. The girl who was with her seemed to be taking her to the infirmary.”
Jiang Zong muttered a quick thanks, turned around, and dialed Pei Tianyang’s number.
The other party picked up almost instantly.
“Hello? Brother Jiang? I was just about to call you. What are you having for dinner…”
Jiang Zong frowned and cut him off. “Lin Shuxue fainted. She’s currently in the infirmary.”
“Huh?” On the other end of the line, Pei Tianyang was caught completely off guard. “W-what’s the situation?!”
“Come and take over my shift right now. I’m going to the infirmary to check on her.”
Jiang Zong issued the command brooking no argument, and then ruthlessly hung up the phone, leaving the person on the other end entirely dazed amidst a string of busy tones.
The department head didn’t have specific operational tasks and was only responsible for making rounds to inspect each crew. Pei Tianyang, who had been shooting the breeze with a few hosts, hurriedly scrambled up to the lighting room on the upper floor.
When he arrived, he found that Jiang Zong had long since vanished.
“That urgent? And here I wanted to go show some attentiveness to my goddess!”
The distance from the theater to the infirmary wasn’t considered far, but Jiang Zong was so anxious about Lin Shuxue’s condition that he practically ran the entire way.
When he reached the entrance and spotted Meng Shuyin’s familiar figure through the glass door, his suspended heart finally settled back into place.
The aftereffects of the short burst of violent exercise caught up to him. He braced his hand against the doorframe, panting heavily. His heart felt as though it was about to leap out of his chest, but Jiang Zong knew perfectly well that this wasn’t just from running.
He was nervous.
No matter how deliberately he tried to avoid it, he had to admit that his level of care for Lin Shuxue had already exceeded a safe boundary.
When exactly did it begin?
Was it that bottle of similar apple soda? Or the girl’s soft, warm admonishment? Or perhaps her hand pressing close and her warm breath inside the private dining room that day?
He couldn’t tell.
Having stayed at the entrance for too long, he was noticed by a school doctor on duty who was passing by.
The doctor asked warily, “Student? What are you doing?”
Jiang Zong turned around in a flurry, pushing the door open. “Apologies, I’m looking for someone.”
He happened to run straight into Meng Shuyin, who was coming out to fetch medicine.
Meng Shuyin harbored a deep resentment for everything connected to her grievances. Right now, she had no good facial expressions for anyone in the Arts Department, let alone Jiang Zong.
Immediately, she rolled her eyes at him unceremoniously. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you busy with your crappy gala?”
Very few people dared to speak to Jiang Zong in such a manner. Yet, Jiang Zong responded with a rare silence.
“I heard Junior Sister Lin had an incident. I came to visit.”
Meng Shuyin spat soundly, took a step forward, and pointed right at his nose, thoroughly enraged.
“You still have the nerve to bring it up? You clearly knew that Gu Qingwan couldn’t stand Little Lin, yet you still put the two of them in the same group! A round trip of over three hours by car, and you let Little Lin go alone to fetch the performance costumes for a whole group of twelve people! Are you treating people like donkeys?”
Jiang Zong was stunned.
He hadn’t expected that the reason Lin Shuxue fainted actually had something to do with Gu Qingwan.
His Adam’s apple shifted slightly, his brow furrowing deeply as his sharp, profound features grew rigid. Following closely behind was a profound sense of guilt.
Although he hadn’t been the one to arrange the groups for the gala tasks, the student responsible for the groupings had indeed handed the chart over to him for review after finishing it. He had noticed that Gu Qingwan and Lin Shuxue were placed together. Recalling the previous incident, he had initially wanted to separate the two.
However, because of his own ambiguous, unspeakable little thoughts, and considering that the stage control crew was indeed a very light task and adjusting things for her repeatedly felt improper, he had pretended not to see it and approved the arrangement sheet.
To think it would turn out like this.
Seeing the guy slightly lowering his head without uttering a single word, Meng Shuyin grew even more infuriated.
“What? Do you feel wronged? How exactly did our Little Lin offend you that she has to be targeted by you time and time again?”
“Jiang Zong, you are a complete bastard!”
Jiang Zong abruptly lifted his gaze.
Meng Shuyin was caught completely unprepared as she locked eyes with his pitch-black pupils. Those familiar, slightly upturned peach-blossom eyes were now drawn into a grim line, carrying a trace of chilling frost.
The look sent a shiver through Meng Shuyin. Associating it with Jiang Zong’s various rumors, she instinctively stepped back, terrified that she hadn’t hit the brakes in time and had triggered him into an aggressive response, fearing she might get beaten up just like his former roommates.
But Jiang Zong merely stood rooted to the spot, his throat feeling somewhat dry.
After a moment, he bowed his upper body slightly.
“I am sorry.”
All of Meng Shuyin’s bristling, aggressive energy was instantly defused by this man’s lightweight yet solemn sentence.
Jiang Zong continued speaking, his dark eyelashes half-concealed and trembling slightly.
“It is my responsibility.”
“Can I go in and have a look at her?”
His tone was incredibly sincere. The moment he raised his eyes, Meng Shuyin was dazed for a split second, feeling as though a small dog drenched in rain was standing right before her.
She was someone who could be swayed by kindness but never by force, and she instantly found herself choked up.
“S-seeing as your attitude in admitting your mistake is alright, I’ll let you off this once!”
“If there’s a next time! See how I deal with you!”
Inside the ward, Lin Shuxue heard the door open and smiled warmly. “What took you so long?”
Yet, the person who pushed the door open to enter wasn’t Meng Shuyin.
Lin Shuxue’s smile froze on her face.
Jiang Zong’s stray hairs were messy, his eyes deep and dark, his emotions difficult to discern.
“Senior Jiang?” Lin Shuxue asked politely nonetheless. “Why are you here?”
Only then did Meng Shuyin hurry inside. Jiang Zong had long legs and a wide stride; she had to jog behind him just to barely keep up.
“Shuxue, are you feeling better?” She interrupted the two of them without mercy, poking her head forward to inquire about Lin Shuxue’s state.
“I’m fine. My low blood sugar just flared up earlier; I scared you, didn’t I?” Lin Shuxue responded to her with a smile.
Seeing that her pale lips had recovered most of their color, Meng Shuyin felt relieved, though she began to speak awkwardly.
“Um, well… I have to go home tonight. It’s my grandfather’s birthday, and I have to accompany him for a meal, so I can’t stay to keep you company anymore.”
Meng Shuyin then quickly guaranteed, “I’ve already notified He Xicun! She said she’ll hurry back from the city center very soon!”
After speaking, she still felt a bit embarrassed. If it weren’t for the fact that her grandfather had notified her about this dinner a week ago and it truly couldn’t be pushed back, she would never do something as shameful as abandoning a friend and fleeing!
Meng Shuyin’s home was right here in Hua’an City, which Lin Shuxue knew. She comforted her gently, “It’s fine, go attend to your business. It’s nothing serious anyway.”
Standing on the side, Jiang Zong suddenly spoke up.
“There is no need to notify your roommate.”
Meng Shuyin: “Huh?”
“I will take care of her.”
At this moment, both of them were completely bewildered. Lin Shuxue was even more so. By all accounts, whether it was to keep his distance or for any other reason, shouldn’t Jiang Zong be thoroughly disliking her right now?
“I hold responsibility for this matter. It is only proper that I take care of her.”
No wait, I just hurled a casual curse at you, why did you actually take the blame onto yourself?! Meng Shuyin grumbled in her mind.
Seeing the two of them in silence, the corner of Jiang Zong’s brow twitched imperceptibly as he deployed his trump card: “Or do you really have the heart to recall a roommate who is currently out enjoying themselves in the city center?”
He had gathered from their conversation that the one named He Xicun was likely taking advantage of today’s weekend to attend an activity in the city center. If Meng Shuyin called her now, she would have to halt her plans and rush back.
Evidently, this sentence struck their weak point. Meng Shuyin hesitated, not daring to make the decision.
Lin Shuxue spoke first: “Let Xicun keep enjoying herself.”
“With Senior Jiang…” She paused, her throat feeling a bit scratchy. “With Senior Jiang taking care of me, it will be fine.”
Meng Shuyin opened her mouth with a frown, “Can he manage?”
Lin Shuxue waved her hand at her. “Worst comes to worst, there’s still the school doctor. It’s fine.”
Only then did Meng Shuyin leave reluctantly. Before stepping out, she didn’t forget to wave her phone and instruct her, “Call me anytime if something happens! My house isn’t far away!”
Lin Shuxue nodded with a light laugh.
Jiang Zong pursed his lips, speaking in a muffled voice, “You distrust me that much?”
Lin Shuxue turned her head toward him and blinked.
“I trust you. Senior Jiang, could you please pour me a glass of warm water?”
Her intention was simply to order him around casually; she hadn’t truly believed Jiang Zong would care for her exactly as he claimed. Unexpectedly, this man turned out to be quite attentive. The water temperature was just right, and he even very thoughtfully brought it right to her lips to help her drink.
Lin Shuxue was somewhat surprised, but then she felt a sense of clarity. After all, he was someone with a whole laundry list of ex-girlfriends; if he hadn’t learned a few methods to care for people, how could he have shared such passionate romances with them?
It was just that they were too close. When Lin Shuxue lowered her head, she caught sight of a section of his distinctively bony wrist exposed as his cuff fell back.
Memories of that not-so-wonderful incident inside the private room that day surfaced before her eyes, and her ear cartilage flushed red unconsciously.
“What? Is the water temperature too hot?” Jiang Zong’s gaze didn’t miss her ears quietly spreading with crimson color, and he asked in confusion.
It shouldn’t be; he had specifically tested the water temperature before pouring it.
“No.” Lin Shuxue shook her head slightly, attempting to toss those memories away. “It’s just right. Thank you, Senior.”
Seeing the girl’s expression, Jiang Zong didn’t press further.
Lin Shuxue let out a sigh of relief. When a person was confined to a hospital bed on an IV drip, what they feared most was encountering a talkative individual who would converse back and forth, as it drained too much mental energy. Fortunately, Jiang Zong merely sat quietly on the escort bed, tapping away on his phone while occasionally lifting his eyes to sweep a glance at the remaining volume of medicine in the IV bottle.
The two of them thus coexisted peacefully under the same roof.
Jiang Zong was indeed busy. He was busy urging Pei Tianyang to scout out the entire backstory.
Pei Tianyang’s messages arrived very quickly.
[They say something went wrong with the Dunhuang group’s costumes, and then Ji Yan from the group wanted to accompany Little Lin, but Gu Qingwan absolutely refused to allow it]
[She claimed she and Ji Yan had a rehearsal later, so she made Little Lin go all by herself]
[Little Lin was just getting ready to head out for lunch at the time]
As Jiang Zong read the messages Pei Tianyang sent line by line, his brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
[Why didn’t she notify the logistics crew about this sort of thing?]
Pei Tianyang replied almost instantly.
[Ji Yan is over here telling me right now. Because Little Lin interjected, Gu Qingwan felt she was being challenged. It’s estimated she was deliberately making things difficult for Little Lin!]
[Damn it all, for this kind of menace, who allowed her to roll over to our side from the Organization Department anyway?]
The two small bottles of medicine quickly reached their bottom. Seeing Jiang Zong so absorbed in sending messages, Lin Shuxue assumed he wasn’t watching her side. She was just about to press the call bell to have the school doctor come over and remove the needle.
Yet, as if he had eyes on the top of his head, Jiang Zong stood straight up and walked directly toward the bell.
Their knuckles intersected for a fleeting instant. Feeling the warmth, Lin Shuxue retracted her hand in a panic.
The bell rang, and the school doctor arrived to withdraw the needle. Noticing that the student escorting her had switched to someone else, she stared curiously for a moment.
“Boyfriend?” She raised her brow casually, her words carrying an implication. “Her low blood sugar is quite severe. Usually, you should watch her more closely to ensure she eats on time.”
“You misunderstand, he is merely my senior.” Lin Shuxue explained in a soft voice, her face flushing red.
“Oh?” The school doctor was taken aback. “Merely a senior? Even as a senior, you should watch her more. Kids nowadays just have weak constitutions; exercise more, eat more. Look at her, she’s so thin she looks like a sheet of paper.”
Lin Shuxue was temporarily at a loss for words, not knowing how to rebut.
Jiang Zong, however, chimed in with a trace of a smile: “Mm-hmm, I will. I will definitely supervise her to eat three meals on time.”
After the school doctor left, the lingering heat on Lin Shuxue’s face still hadn’t dissipated. She constantly felt that the conversation just now was a bit strange, but on second thought, Jiang Zong didn’t seem to have admitted to anything either.
“How is your physical condition right now?” Jiang Zong asked in a low voice.
“I am completely fine now.” Lin Shuxue raised her head, looking like a student who had been daydreaming in class and was suddenly called upon by the teacher.
Jiang Zong inquired further, “Then, would it be convenient to accompany me back to the theater for a moment?”
Lin Shuxue let out an “Ah,” and then nodded, flashing an “OK” gesture at him.
“So what if I was the one who made her go? How was I supposed to know she wasn’t feeling well today? She doesn’t have a performance or a rehearsal, she’s the most idle one. Is there a problem with letting her go grab some clothes?”
Gu Qingwan stiffened her neck, her face flushed red as she shouted loudly.
Lin Shuxue never could have imagined that the first thing Jiang Zong would do after having her accompany him back to the theater was to call Gu Qingwan over.
The surrounding students who were spectating had been mostly dispersed by Pei Tianyang. The performances had concluded, and the audience members inside the theater were also leaving one after another. At this moment, only a few of them remained backstage.
Jiang Zong’s smile was chilling, his dark eyes deep.
“She’s the most idle one? As the contact person, do you mean to say you didn’t know we contacted volunteers from other sub-departments to form a logistics crew on the official rehearsal day?”
“When we held the contact person meeting back then, did I not state explicitly that if you encounter an emergency situation, you must contact the logistics crew immediately to seek extra hands for help?”
Jiang Zong had discarded his usual casual and careless tone, each word carrying a sharp edge. It forced Gu Qingwan into a brief choke.
However, she continued to act unreasonably.
“Then how was I supposed to know this counted as an emergency? It was just a matter of picking up some clothes, how much effort could it take? Her own health is poor, and nobody told me!”
Yet, she saw the gaze of the person before her darken by another layer.
Gu Qingwan was inexplicably made to feel a bit timid under such a stare. She was one grade below Jiang Zong and had only heard of his rumors, but the Jiang Zong she usually encountered in the Student Union was mostly of that careless, lazy disposition, easy to talk to and easy to approach. It had temporarily made her forget the long list of notorious misdeeds from Jiang Zong’s past.
Jiang Zong let out a cold laugh. His tongue seemed to poke against his cheek in a careless manner as he slowly rotated his wrist.
“If you don’t even understand what counts as an emergency or how to distribute tasks…”
“There is no need for you to stay in the Arts Department anymore.”
He softly issued the banishment order to Gu Qingwan. Gu Qingwan’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“You want to kick me out? My departmental transfer was personally approved by Chairman Zhuo. You aren’t even the department head, where do you get the authority to transfer me away?” She braced her pride, remaining aggressive.
Standing at the doorway watching the scene, Pei Tianyang shook his head. He sighed in his heart: My dear girl, with this emotional intelligence of yours, it’s no wonder you were kicked out by the Organization Department.
“Approved by Zhuo Li?” Jiang Zong hooked up one side of his mouth, though unfortunately, the smile didn’t reach his eyes and held not a shred of warmth.
He lowered his eyes to operate his phone for a few moments, and then dialed a number, speaking a few brief sentences to the person on the other end.
“Yeah.”
“At the theater.”
“Come over right now, there’s a matter I need you to handle.”
Gu Qingwan’s mouth fell open. This phone call couldn’t possibly be dialed to…
Ten minutes later, her hypothesis was confirmed.
A man wearing gold-framed, half-rimmed spectacles hurried inside from outside the door, speaking in a gentle and polite manner, “Apologies, I’m not late, am I?”
Upon seeing the newcomer, the one who was surprised wasn’t just Gu Qingwan alone. Lin Shuxue’s gaze lingered on this person for a long time, her pupils widening uncontrollably.
This person was…
“What’s wrong, Jiang Zong? What matter is so urgent?” Zhuo Li hadn’t quite caught his breath yet, and Gu Qingwan was even more shocked.
It was entirely obvious that the other party had rushed over without a single stop the moment he received the call.
Jiang Zong lifted his eyelids, gesturing toward Gu Qingwan’s direction.
“There, someone says you personally approved her transfer, and she refuses to acknowledge her mistake.” His words were filled with contempt, carrying an implicit hint of blame.
On the other side, Pei Tianyang leaned in to explain the whole backstory clearly to Zhuo Li.
And simultaneously.
Lin Shuxue took advantage of the gap to send a message to Meng Shuyin, who was far away attending the family banquet.
[I think I’ve found that department head you caught a breathtaking glimpse of that day.]
After listening, Zhuo Li let out an awkward smile.
“My apologies, this is my mistake. I plugged her into your place without fully understanding her style of doing things. My bad.”
Jiang Zong chimed in lazily, “Uh-huh.”
Zhuo Li could only follow up with, “I’ll transfer her department away right now, alright?”
Jiang Zong shifted his eyes, and once again responded with lazy exhaustion, “Uh-huh.”
He didn’t forget to add a contemptuous supplement: “I certainly can’t lift such a grand presence; it takes Chairman Zhuo yourself to be of any use.”
Hearing this, Zhuo Li felt a chill run down his spine, feeling thoroughly gloomy.
Having seen the relationship dynamics among these few individuals clearly, tears welled up in Gu Qingwan’s eyes, though she forced them back from dropping. Her eye rims were red as she spoke through gritted teeth:
“You are merely taking advantage of the fact that she looks beautiful to shield her time and time again!”
Watching from the side, Lin Shuxue hadn’t expected to have a role of her own in this drama, and her apricot eyes turned bewildered.
Yet, she heard that crisp, cool voice interject with sharp authority:
“That’s right, she has a beautiful face. What do you have?”
“A heart as small as the point of a needle, or a high-and-mighty sense of superiority?”
Jiang Zong lifted his eyelids, indifferently sweeping his gaze past Gu Qingwan, as if brushing away some insignificant speck of dust.
Gu Qingwan had nowhere to vent her fury. Stamping her feet with every step, she stormed away in a rage.
Seeing the matter resolved, Zhuo Li raised his brow and asked, “Then I’ll head back too?”
Before Jiang Zong could make a sound, a clear, ringing female voice suddenly sounded out.
“Chairman… Chairman Zhuo.”
“May I please add your contact information?”