She hugged Zhu Qingjia’s neck, panting softly, her mind feeling as though fireworks were exploding. Though her eyes were open, her vision was a complete blank, only the familiar agarwood scent of the person before her could bring her comfort.
Zhu Qingjia paused, surprised by this reaction, but she simply leaned down to kiss her forehead.
It was a bit different from what she had imagined, an experience unique to the two of them.
Gu Ruoling pinched her arm, her voice raspy. “Can you hurry up and mark me? I feel so sleepy.”
But Zhu Qingjia kissed away the sweat on her brow, turned her over, and pressed her lips against the gland on the back of her neck. The sweet scent of peaches rushed forth, awakening the most primal wildness.
In theory, experiencing it together was the ultimate perfection.
A certain studious person insisted on using practice tonight to prove the theories she had learned.
In the end, the theory held true. The young lady was so exhausted she didn’t even want to lift her eyelids, yet she managed to muster a sliver of strength to curse Zhu Qingjia. “Shameless.”
Zhu Qingjia washed her own slightly messy face, not forgetting to clean up the young lady as well.
By the time they finished tossing and turning, it was already late into the night.
With body and mind completely satisfied, her brain emptied out, making falling asleep easier than usual. However, in the middle of the night, Zhu Qingjia felt her embrace growing hotter and hotter, burning up. She reached out to feel, realizing the source of the heat was the person in her arms.
Instantly shocked awake, she hurriedly changed her clothes and called out to the household.
Gu Ruoling’s body temperature was abnormally high, and special fever reducers had no effect on her.
They had no choice but to have Old Li drive, with Aunt Zhang accompanying them to the hospital for an examination.
Zhu Qingjia sought out the attending doctor who had treated Gu Ruoling last time. Fortunately, she was on duty. Examinations, blood draws, and monitoring were all set in motion.
After an hour of frantic care, Gu Ruoling’s fever finally began to subside.
However, the cause of the illness remained unclear; several pathological analyses could not be obtained within a short period.
The doctor called Zhu Qingjia into the consultation room to ask for more detailed information.
This included, but was not limited to, what they had eaten for dinner, and whether she had been exposed to allergens or animal hair.
Zhu Qingjia answered them one by one.
Looking at the blood analysis report, the doctor muttered, “That’s strange. Why are these R-cells suddenly so active? Their replication and division speed is astonishingly fast, almost catching up to a virus.”
Zhu Qingjia recalled the suppression patch she had applied to Gu Ruoling when rushing from home to the hospital.
Seeing her worried expression, the doctor comforted her, “It’s not a bad thing. The R-cells in Gu Ruoling’s body were originally fewer than a normal person’s. Now that they’ve suddenly increased by so much, it’s normal for the host body to suffer a rejection reaction because it can’t handle it.”
The doctor opened a form on the computer. “We’ll check her pheromones again in a bit.” The doctor’s typing hand suddenly stopped, her curiosity masked by her surgical mask. “Have you two engaged in marital life recently?”
Zhu Qingjia suddenly began to cough, her face turning entirely red.
“Oh, so you have.” The doctor concluded, continuing, “When was the most recent time?”
Seeing the doctor look over, Zhu Qingjia instantly lowered her head, her gaze drifting as she stammered, “About… five hours ago.”
“Five hours ago.” The doctor glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of the computer screen, 4:00 AM. There was no need to ask further. Her fingers resumed typing rapidly. After completing the form, she printed it out and handed it over.
Just as Zhu Qingjia was about to take it, the doctor pulled it away with a click of her tongue. “You’re quite fierce, aren’t you? I really couldn’t tell. For the sake of my patient, I’m going to give you a medical order.”
After Gu Ruoling woke up, she underwent several more examinations. The attending doctor compared them with the archived medical records, noting that many indicators had changed.
From the onset of the fever until now, although Gu Ruoling was awake, her head was still muddled. Zhu Qingjia stood beside her, while she sat on the chair, leaning bonelessly against Zhu Qingjia’s waist.
Across from them, the doctor flipped through the examination reports with loud rustles.
The noise made her head ache. Gu Ruoling tugged at Zhu Qingjia’s coat, frowning as she asked, “When can we go home?” She really couldn’t stand the smell of medicine and disinfectant in the hospital, she felt miserable every time she came.
The doctor, who also wanted to hand over her shift, lifted her head. “You can leave, but she has to stay.”
Gu Ruoling looked over in confusion. Did I hear that wrong? Isn’t the patient me?
“Ruoling, let Aunt Zhang take you to the car first. I’ll come down in a bit.” Zhu Qingjia patted her shoulder, but the young lady didn’t want to leave alone, looking somewhat reluctant. “Be good.” Zhu Qingjia touched her face, half-holding her as she handed her over to Aunt Zhang.
About ten minutes later, Zhu Qingjia emerged from the consultation room. She didn’t head for the elevator, instead leaning against the wall to cool down her palms.
It was supposed to be a mutually anticipated first time, and they had prepared to leave behind beautiful memories, yet it ended with a trip to the hospital.
It was far too dramatic.
And the attending doctor’s medical order pushed the artistic peak of this drama to its absolute limit.
Once in the car, Gu Ruoling felt exhausted and wanted Zhu Qingjia to hold her, but Zhu Qingjia supported her waist and guided her back into her seat. “Sit properly by yourself.”
“But I feel uncomfortable,” Gu Ruoling frowned.
Zhu Qingjia borrowed the doctor’s words, looking entirely serious. “Overcome it. We’ll be home soon.”
The shift in attitude was too drastic, making the young lady want to lose her temper. Or is it that she wasn’t satisfied afterward, and now she wants to maintain distance? The young lady was so angry she wanted to bite her. She complied with everything last night, yet now she plays the rejection card.
The aftercare warmth she deserved had turned into a cold shoulder. Furthermore, from the moment they got into the car until now, Zhu Qingjia hadn’t looked at her directly once.
She changed her mind too fast, and her face changing skills are top-tier.
The young lady endured her anger all the way home. When getting out of the car, she directly ignored the hand Zhu Qingjia extended to help her.
Watching her disappearing figure, Zhu Qingjia smiled helplessly. This is just the beginning, and she’s already angry. I dare not even think about the coming month.
Sure enough, during dinner, Gu Ruoling didn’t give her a pleasant look either. It was as if she didn’t hear her when she spoke. If it weren’t for Aunt Zhang occasionally responding, Zhu Qingjia would have thought she had become an invisible person.
When it was time to sleep at night, Zhu Qingjia sensibly set up a makeshift bed on the floor. The young lady sat on the edge of the bed, arms crossed, staring dead at her.
Feeling like needles were pricking her back, Zhu Qingjia could only steel herself and continue. After spreading out the covers, she said, “I’ll sleep on the floor tonight.”
The young lady replied expressionlessly, “The temperature dropped. The floor is very cold, and it won’t relieve fatigue.”
These were the exact words Zhu Qingjia had spoken previously, thrown right back at her.
“My body runs hot, and I’ve been suffering from insomnia lately. I don’t need much sleep.” Just as Zhu Qingjia gripped the blanket, she felt the atmospheric pressure in the room plummet instantly.
Then, Zhu Qingjia spotted a snow-white foot landing on her blanket. The ankle was slender, swaying with her movements as she kicked the neatly arranged bedding into a mess.
“You’re sleeping here, taking up my walking space,” the young lady continued to pick fights.
Zhu Qingjia glanced at the other side of the bed. It was clearly wider over there, with more than enough room to turn around several times.
“Then how about… I go back to the next room to sleep?” She didn’t make the decision directly, instead handing the choice over to Gu Ruoling.
“If you dare go, don’t ever step foot into my room again.”
In Zhu Qingjia’s ears, this undoubtedly meant: If she dares go, there will be no future between them.
Zhu Qingjia pursed her lips, making a decision. “Let’s sleep, it’s late.”
Seeing her insistence, the young lady stomped her foot and turned around to turn off the lights, but she didn’t shut them off completely, leaving a small nightlight that they usually kept on.
The light wasn’t bright, just enough to discern each other’s blurry silhouettes.
Not two minutes after Zhu Qingjia lay down, her blanket was lifted. Someone crawled in, wrapping her arms tightly around Zhu Qingjia’s waist, touching and taking advantage of her curves without a word.
“Ru… Ruoling…” Her lips were bitten, making her truly unable to form words.
Zhu Qingjia expended quite a bit of effort to catch her erratic hands. By the time she restrained her, her breathing was uneven. “Don’t mess around.”
“You were like this last night. Why can’t we now?” Gu Ruoling struggled, panting.
Zhu Qingjia tightened her grip on her hands, resting her chin against the girl’s forehead. “My self-control isn’t that great.”
“Of course I know that.” The young lady felt a bit better inside, because before the act last night, when she spoke to her, Zhu Qingjia’s gaze had been very direct. At that time, her obedient expression gave her an indescribable thrill of taming her.
Her hands couldn’t move, but her mouth could still kiss. Gu Ruoling planted a kiss on her, coaxing, “Then let’s do it. I agree.”
“No,” Zhu Qingjia used her arm to create space between them.
Gu Ruoling’s eyes welled with tears, wanting desperately to curse her. “You really have changed your mind. Now that you’ve got me, you don’t cherish me anymore.”
With such a massive accusation thrown at her, Zhu Qingjia felt utterly wronged.
“Heaven and earth can bear witness, I haven’t!” Zhu Qingjia could only hold her in a tight embrace to restrain her, explaining hurriedly, “You need to practice abstinence.”
The tears that were about to fall receded. Gu Ruoling sniffled, still feeling aggrieved. “Says who? I’ve only just had a taste.”
“The doctor said so. Knowing it would be useless to tell you since you wouldn’t listen, she told me instead.” Though the effect wasn’t great either, they had nearly crossed the line just now.
“So that’s why you didn’t hug me today.” Gu Ruoling felt the doctor was being entirely unfair. “Is even this much not allowed?”
“Yes,” Zhu Qingjia lied. In truth, she was the one who couldn’t handle it. Hugs and kisses would only deepen her longing, making her unconsciously do things outside of the plan. She couldn’t guarantee the chain reaction it would trigger.
Since that was the case, she had to extinguish it from the root, doing nothing at all.
Zhu Qingjia released her, and the two of them lay flat together in the cramped space.
“Then how long until we can?” The young lady hooked Zhu Qingjia’s pinky finger with her own. The other woman instantly withdrew her hand, overlapping them properly over her stomach in a picture-perfect display of pure asceticism.
“A month,” Zhu Qingjia said. “It’s actually very fast. A standard course is only about four weeks.”
Seeing her firm resolve, the young lady began to play the tragic card. “I’m already dying. Are you really unwilling to satisfy me even in this?”
Zhu Qingjia didn’t buy into this act. Her voice turned cool and detached. “Abstinence is beneficial for your body’s recovery, allowing you to live longer. I want you to live a long life, not just for a moment of fleeting pleasure.”
Her words sounded like a scripture reading, as if a “Namo Amitabha” along with the sound of a wooden fish would pop out in the next second.
The young lady kicked the blanket, feeling that this makeshift bed on the floor was truly uncomfortable, cold and hard. She refused to sleep here, but returning just like this would make things too easy for Zhu Qingjia.
Thus, the young lady sat up. “Let go of your hand. You’re pressing on the blanket, I can’t stand up.”
Zhu Qingjia felt relieved that she was finally letting her off. She obediently let go, but in that split second, the young lady swiftly reached out, squeezing her soft chest. Zhu Qingjia’s eyes widened instantly.
But the culprit had already scrambled back onto the bed.
Forget it… No, I can’t forget it.
Zhu Qingjia battled with her thoughts for over half an hour, only slowly drifting off to sleep once the strange sensation in her chest dissipated.
During a short break in class the next morning, Zhu Qingjia couldn’t help but let out a yawn, which was spotted by Yinzi. “Did you go out thieving last night? You actually dare to douse off in a major subject class. Professor Wang looked at you several times during the last period.”
Especially since the content taught today was incredibly difficult, if you missed a second, your notes would be ruined.
Zhu Qingjia rubbed her throbbing temples, popping a mint chewing gum Jingjing had shared with her. After a moment of silence, she felt much more awake. “I didn’t sleep well last night. A bit tired.”
Xiao Tong turned around from the front row. “Qingjia, is it too exhausting running between school and your girlfriend, plus your part time job? Do you even have time to sleep? Why don’t you move back to the dorms?”
Moving back to the dorms was indeed a good idea. Not only could she sleep well, but she could also maintain physical distance.
But Gu Ruoling would inevitably be furious. She didn’t even need to think about the aftermath, she would be given the cold shoulder until she wanted to vomit.
Before Zhu Qingjia could agonize over it for too long, she received a message from Aunt Zhang, saying that Gu Ruoling was feeling unwell and asking her to return as early as possible.
The moment class ended, she bolted home. Upon arriving, Gu Ruoling was indeed looking sickly. The complexion she had finally managed to build up was completely gone, leaving her face deathly pale as she leaned against the headboard, her gaze drifting toward the void outside the window.
“Ruoling.” Zhu Qingjia threw her backpack aside, pulling out a wet wipe to clean her hands. “Did you take your medicine on time today?”
Gu Ruoling seemed to have just heard her voice, replying listlessly, “Don’t want to.”
Zhu Qingjia turned around to find the medicine, preparing the dose according to the medical order before bringing it to her.
“Aunt Zhang mentioned you’ve had a persistent low fever. How can you get better if you don’t take your medicine?” Zhu Qingjia brought the medicine to her lips, having prepared the water as well.
Gu Ruoling cast a dark look at her. “You should have agreed to my request last night. I feel like I’m going to die.”
Zhu Qingjia: She thought over her wording for a moment but couldn’t find anything suitable, so she could only state seriously, “You do look a bit wilted. I still prefer your usual fierce and unruly self.”
The young lady’s face instantly went through a kaleidoscope of colors from anger. She lifted her arm wanting to hit her, but her limbs were soft and lacked strength. In the end, she glared at her twice. “Give me the medicine!”
Gu Ruoling took the medicine from her hand, her pale pink lips occasionally brushing against Zhu Qingjia’s warm palm like a kitten licking food. Zhu Qingjia endured the itchiness, not withdrawing her hand.