Ling An couldn’t see Jiang Shu’s expression at this moment.
He carried Jiang Shu in a princess carry. Jiang Shu was really light.
Ling An felt almost no weight at all as he held him, light as a sheet of paper, as if he might drift away at any moment.
Carrying Jiang Shu, he walked straight out of the dorm.
It was mealtime, and there were only a few people in the dorm building.
When Ling An carried Jiang Shu past them, they all widened their eyes.
Then they immediately pulled out their phones, snapped several photos in rapid succession, and posted them on the confession wall.
Ling An knew people were secretly taking pictures, but he couldn’t be bothered to care.
The school had two infirmaries, located just behind the back doors of the boys’ and girls’ dorms respectively, very convenient.
Coming down from the back door, Ling An spotted the infirmary right away.
He carried Jiang Shu inside. There wasn’t a single student there, only the school doctor playing on his phone.
Seeing a student come in, the doctor glanced up, put down his phone, and asked:
“What seems to be the problem?”
“He took a fall. Take a look at him,” Ling An said, setting Jiang Shu down on the bed.
Jiang Shu lifted his clothes on his own. When the doctor saw the injuries and large patches of bruising on Jiang Shu’s body, he drew in a sharp breath.
He thought for a moment, then said, “This is a fall injury. I’ll prescribe some painkillers first for the pain, then two boxes of medicine to promote blood circulation and dissolve the bruises, and finally some ointment to apply that’ll help it heal faster.”
“Do you have any protein powder in your dorm? If not, you can buy a can, it’ll boost your immune system.”
“If you still feel unwell after taking the medicine, I can write you a note for your teachers so you can go home and rest for a couple of days and see a doctor.”
Hearing this, Ling An nodded, signaling the doctor to get all the medicine he’d just mentioned.
As the doctor turned around, Jiang Shu tugged at Ling An’s pants.
Ling An looked down at him and saw Jiang Shu’s embarrassed little expression.
His delicate peach-blossom eyes were full of refusal.
He even mouthed to him that all of this cost money, it was expensive.
Ling An only felt that this little villain was pitiful beyond words. He really didn’t know what his living conditions were like, how had he ended up living so miserably?
After getting the medicine, Ling An looked at the bill: 530 yuan.
Seeing Ling An look at the bill, the doctor felt a bit guilty.
He explained, “The medicines are all quite cheap. It’s just the protein powder that’s a bit pricey, over 400.”
“Look how thin this kid is. Getting more protein will make his body stronger, so he won’t get injured or catch colds so easily.”
“The other medicines actually come in loose packets that are cheaper. If you think it’s too expensive, you can buy those instead.”
Ling An automatically ignored the doctor’s last sentence. How could he possibly think it was expensive? A single meal out cost Ling An more than 500.
“Then add five more cans of protein powder, and deliver them to our dorm.”
At those words, a startling gleam burst forth in the doctor’s eyes.
He agreed at once, “Yes, yes, of course! But we don’t have that much stock here right now.”
“Give me your dorm number and bed number first, and once our shipment arrives, I’ll deliver it to you.”
Ling An nodded, paid by scanning the QR code, picked up the medicine, and headed back to the dorm with Jiang Shu.
Back at the dorm, Ling An looked at Jiang Shu, who had kept his head down and said nothing since they’d left.
Ling An pinched his chin and firmly tilted Jiang Shu’s face up.
He immediately met a pair of tear-filled peach-blossom eyes.
Jiang Shu twisted his head away, breaking free of Ling An’s grip on his chin, then threw himself straight into Ling An’s arms.
He held Jiang Shu around the waist, his face buried in Jiang Shu’s chest, quietly sobbing, helpless and pitiable.
With a beauty weeping softly in his arms, how could Ling An’s heart not ache?
Ling An held Jiang Shu in return, patiently and gently soothing the sobbing person in his arms.
It took a long while before Jiang Shu’s emotions slowly calmed down and he stopped sobbing.
“Doesn’t the wound on your back hurt that much anymore, right? Why didn’t you say so earlier if it hurt? You just had to hold it in and come back to cry. Come on, get up and take your painkillers.”
Pulling Jiang Shu away from himself, Ling An took out a painkiller pill and a glass of water and held them out to Jiang Shu, his eyes signaling him to take it quickly.
Pulled out of Ling An’s embrace, Jiang Shu felt an emptiness in his heart, as if a piece of it were missing.
He certainly wasn’t crying because of the wound on his back.
It was because Ling An was so good to him. What did he have that was worth Ling An’s kindness? Apart from this pretty face, he had nothing.
Jiang Shu knew he was good-looking. In the past, he had often been bullied, insulted, and slandered because of his looks.
Later, he deliberately hid his appearance, afraid of attracting even greater malice and trouble.
But this was the first time he was glad he had a beautiful face.
Otherwise, Ling An would never have taken a liking to him.
Even though he knew Ling An might soon grow tired of him or get bored.
But this warmth, even having it just once was good. He already carried so many labels on his back; what would one more matter?
Swallowing the pill Ling An pressed to his lips, Jiang Shu felt as if the medicine was sweet all the way to his heart.
Click, the sound of the door lock turning.
Jiang Shu’s head snapped around instantly, terror involuntarily showing in his eyes.
The door was pushed open, and two boys with a thuggish air about them walked in.
One look and Ling An knew they were no good.
They must have bullied his little villain plenty.
Lou Chao and Lin Jiehong, walking in, spotted Jiang Shu at a glance and were just about to say something.
When they looked up, their eyes met Ling An’s.
Goosebumps instantly rose on both of them, and their survival instinct screamed at them to run.
And run they did shutting the door and bolting, terrified that if they were even a step too slow, that demon would catch up and beat them to death.
Only after running downstairs did the two dare to catch their breath and rest.
Lou Chao, still catching his breath, said fearfully, “Damn, that was terrifying. I didn’t even dare look Ling An in the eye. No wonder so many people are scared of him.”
“Yeah, I nearly died of fright. Let’s hurry and ask the teacher to change dorms. The only reason I agreed to tell the teacher to put us in this dorm in the first place was that I wanted to take Ling An as our boss.”
“Forget it now. I value my life.”
“Let’s go, go, go, hurry and switch.”
With that, the two hurried off to find the teacher.
Upstairs, Jiang Shu watched their fleeing backs, his eyes full of astonishment.
His mouth slightly agape as he stared at Ling An, utterly shocked Ling An had scared them off with just one look.
Seeing him looking dazed again, Ling An amusedly leaned in and kissed him, pressing a kiss onto his full lips.
The kiss snapped Jiang Shu back to his senses, and his face instantly flushed crimson, a stark contrast against his fair skin.
Like a peach blossom in brilliant bloom, delicate and dewy.
The flush on his face made his features even more striking, and Ling An found himself liking the sight even more.
Pulling Jiang Shu down to sit, Ling An lifted Jiang Shu’s shirt and applied medicine to his wounds.
After applying the medicine, Ling An gently comforted Jiang Shu, who was trembling from the pain.
Then the two got into bed for an afternoon nap.
After everything that had happened that morning, plus his injuries, Jiang Shu was truly exhausted. Lying on the soft bed with his arms around Ling An’s waist, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Ling An had originally wanted to ask about Jiang Shu’s living situation and family circumstances.