Сhарtеr 9: I Саused It
Thе nехt mоrning, Wеn Yao felt аn unbеarablе pain in hеr stоmасh.
“Yао Yaо, tаkе а sick leаve,” Xu Chaо sаid, gentlу strоking Wеn Yао’s hair with соnсern.
Wen Yао bit her liр tightly and shoоk her hеad, turning toward thе bathrоom. “Yоu guуs go ahеad first. I’ll be therе sооn.”
Тhis teaсhеr rеquirеd leavе requеsts to be submittеd in advanсe; othеrwise, it would be соuntеd as аn аbsence.
Shе had just bееn warned lаst time—if she missеd onе mоrе clаss this semestеr, she would fаil оutright.
“Just mу luck to get such a strict teaсhеr for an easу сourse.”
“We’ll gо buу you breakfast first.”
Wen Yao was sweating from the pain. After coming out, she drank some warm water to ease the discomfort before mustering the strength to leave.
The moment she stepped into the teaching building, the class bell rang.
She felt like bowing to the nine flights of stairs—the elevators were still packed as usual.
Wen Yao slowly climbed floor by floor, already rehearsing the upcoming scene in her mind. She was prone to crying easily and kept giving herself mental reminders.
Just apologize later, and whatever happens, don’t cry. Don’t cry.
“Didn’t you get enough of standing in punishment? Still daring to come this late?”
Wen Yao was still on the stairs between the eighth and ninth floors, looking up at the person above.
Xie Zongxun’s expression was cold, his bag slung over one shoulder, a small bag in his hand.
By now, the staircase was empty. He looked at her, noticing her pale face, and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Wen Yao slowly finished climbing the remaining half-flight and walked up to him, her voice weak. “My stomach hurts.”
Xie Zongxun pursed his lips. “…Did I cause it?”
Xie Zongxun was momentarily stunned and was about to pick her up.
“Let’s go to the hospital.”
Wen Yao pressed down on his raised arm, her lips pale.
“I have to go to class. I’m fine now.”
She glanced at him again, her eyes avoiding his. “It’s not you, not… not that reason.”
Xie Zongxun wrapped an arm around her waist, grabbed the crossbody bag at her side, and looked at her seriously, his dark eyes fixed on the girl before him.
“Wen Yao, I went too far last time. Don’t be shy—if there’s a problem, we’ll go to the hospital.”
Wen Yao gently pushed him away, her voice faint. “It really isn’t you. It’s probably my stomach. I want to go to class first.”
Xie Zongxun sighed softly, glanced at her again, and said flatly, “Let’s go.”
The two walked into the classroom one after the other. The teacher at the podium looked furious, her eyes practically devouring Wen Yao at the back.
Wen Yao stood out too much—she was memorable. The teacher recognized her instantly as the girl from last time.
“Some people shouldn’t think that just because they’re pretty, they have special privileges.”
“If you’re late, step outside on your own.”
Wen Yao’s steps were unsteady. Just as she was about to turn around, someone pulled her back.
“Teacher, she has a stomachache. It delayed her a bit. Sorry.”
Xie Zongxun tossed out this line casually before pulling Wen Yao to the back row.
The teacher at the podium cleared her throat and continued the lecture.
By now, gazes from all directions were sweeping over them. Wen Yao took a deep breath and sat down.
Her body was in too much discomfort to spare any attention for the surrounding stares.
Whatever. Right now, she just wanted to die for a moment.
Xie Zongxun frowned as he watched Wen Yao take out her notebook and start taking notes.
As if she’d never attended a class before—what a fool.
Wen Yao endured the pain and managed to write a few words when a small black thermos cup appeared in front of her.Xie Zongxun had a small quirk: regardless of the season, he loved drinking a bit of hot water in the morning.
“Hot water. Drink it.”
Wen Yao was taken aback for a moment, then slowly pushed the cup away, murmuring softly, “This is your cup.”
Xie Zongxun gave her a cold glance, unscrewed the lid for her, and spoke close to her ear. “Haven’t I had enough of your saliva already?”
Wen Yao felt like hitting him on the spot. Why did he always talk like that?
Seeing her hesitation, Xie Zongxun’s voice turned icy, and he didn’t seem to be joking. “If you don’t drink it, you’ll have to drink something else when we get back.”
Wen Yao’s pupils trembled slightly. She pressed down on his hand as he tried to take the cup back. The water inside was still a bit hot, so she blew on it gently and took small sips.
Xie Zongxun felt his irritation ease a little. He then handed her the bag he had been carrying earlier. Inside were a small cake and a cup of hot milk.
“Eat this. Don’t drink the milk yet.”
Wen Yao nodded, feeling like she was slowly recovering.
Though she had heard him, her hands were still diligently taking notes. Xie Zongxun tugged at the corner of his mouth, snatched her pen and notebook away. He was going to be driven mad by this stubborn girl sooner or later.
“Eat. I’ll write for you.”
By the time the class ended, Xu Chao and the others came over to check on Wen Yao, only to find her already asleep with her head on the desk. Xie Zongxun was stuffing the notebook into Wen Yao’s backpack.
Xu Chao and Tang Li exchanged a glance: What on earth was going on?
Xu Chao tentatively called out, “Yao…”
Before she could finish, Xie Zongxun’s icy glare shut her up.
Wen Yao heard a faint sound and groggily lifted her head. The emergency medicine she had taken in the morning contained a sedative, and she hadn’t been able to hold on during the second half of the class, falling asleep just like that.
Xu Chao held her breath and blinked frantically at Wen Yao. Wen Yao stood up, her heart racing with nervousness, but she tried to keep her tone calm. “Excuse me, I need to get out.”
Pretending not to know him, huh.
Xie Zongxun stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and left without a word.
“Should we go to the infirmary, Yaoyao? We don’t have any classes right now anyway,” Xu Chao said, linking arms with Wen Yao, her tone full of concern.
Wen Yao no longer felt particularly unwell, so she shook her head. “No need. Let’s just go back.”
On the way, everyone tried to suppress their curiosity, careful not to get too excited and disturb Wen Yao, who still wasn’t feeling great.
“Yaoyao, do you know Xie Zongxun?”
Wen Yao nodded and answered truthfully, “He’s the son of the uncle who sponsors me.”
“He seems to take good care of you.”
Wen Yao pursed her lips. “His dad asked him to look after me a bit. Uncle Xie is very kind.”
“There are already so many posts on the confession wall shipping the two of you. Oh my god, people are going crazy over it!”
Wen Yao gave a faint smile, though she didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic.
At noon, Gu Yanche invited Xie Zongxun out for lunch.
Both of them were picky eaters and shared a great interest in food.
“I heard about it, Young Master Xie. The one day I skip class, and you’re already making moves?”
Xie Zongxun ate his meal, his expression indifferent. “Just a student my dad sponsors.”
“Oh, using favors to get something in return, huh?”
“My dad just asked me to look after her a bit.”
“Look after her all the way to bed?”
Xie Zongxun looked up impatiently. “Get lost.”
Gu Yanche wasn’t bothered and scoffed. “Xie Zongxun, your standards are really high. Only someone like her can catch your eye.”
Xie Zongxun set down his utensils, tidied up briefly, and said calmly, “Don’t make wild guesses. I’m not close to her.”Wen Yao slept in her dorm until noon. Since she had a late class today, she didn’t bother getting out of bed.
The others had all gone out for lunch, leaving the dorm empty.
Just then, her phone rang.
Wen Yao tapped the answer button, her voice soft and drowsy. “Hello?”
There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by a low, unreadable voice.
“I’m downstairs. Come down.”
Wen Yao frowned. “Can you wait for me at the gate we used last time?”
He was downstairs again, right when everyone was heading out for meals. It was bound to be crowded, and she really didn’t want that.
Another pause on the other end, lasting a few seconds.
“…Fine.”
Wen Yao hummed in acknowledgment, but the call wasn’t disconnected yet. She waited for him to hang up first.
“Wen Yao.”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t act cute with me.”
The call ended. Wen Yao climbed out of bed, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
Does Xie Zongxun have some kind of problem?
Only when she reached the ground floor did Wen Yao realize Xie Zongxun had lied to her—he was still right outside her dorm building.
Fortunately, there weren’t many people around at the moment. She quickly slipped into the car and fastened her seatbelt.
Xie Zongxun didn’t hold back his criticism. “You always act like a thief.”
“It’s your fault. Every time it’s like this. I’ve told you before—at school, we don’t know each other.”
Xie Zongxun snorted coldly. “Since when has what you said mattered? When have I ever listened to you?”
Wen Yao sulkily turned to look out the window, refusing to engage with him.
Xie Zongxun stepped on the gas and drove straight to the hospital.
After a thorough checkup, the doctor said she had a minor stomach issue, mainly due to irregular eating habits.
The condition wasn’t too serious yet, but she needed to start eating properly going forward.
Back in the car, Wen Yao held the medical report, studying it intently.
“If you don’t start eating properly, I’ll personally pick you up for every single meal from now on.”
Wen Yao immediately shrank back, quickly promising, “I’ll eat properly.”
Xie Zongxun raised an eyebrow. “I’ll check on you regularly.”
Curious, Wen Yao asked, “How will you check? You’re not a doctor.”
Xie Zongxun glanced at her, a faint smile in his voice. “I’ll see if you’ve gained any weight.”
Wen Yao rolled her eyes.
What a creep.