“A new class assistant? And it’s a guy?”
Ye Fei frowned, a faint unease rising in his heart. Something about this didn’t feel simple at all.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Teacher Wang, what’s the new assistant’s name? Let me see if I know him.”
Teacher Wang waved his hand with a sigh. “You really are a good class monitor. Even in this condition, you’re still worrying about the class. Just focus on resting in the hospital. There’s no need to think about all this.”
“But…” Ye Fei tried to continue, unwilling to let it go.
However, Teacher Wang cut him off. “Alright, we came here by squeezing out time. Now that we’ve seen you’re fine, we’re relieved. Take good care of yourself. We’ll head out first.”
As he spoke, Teacher Wang stood up and walked out. The classmates who had come along also said their goodbyes.
“Brother Ye, just focus on recovering. Don’t worry. If we manage to get the final exam scope, we’ll send it to you first!”
With that, they left the ward.
…
Meanwhile, in Jiang Qiuli’s mother’s hospital room, warmth filled the air.
It had been a long time since Jiang Qiuli and her mother had sat together like this, sharing a meal like a real family. The dishes on the table were eaten clean, almost spotless. Even the steamed sea bass had been reduced to nothing but bones.
Jiang Qiuli’s mother, whose appetite had shrunk due to illness and who would usually feel uncomfortable after eating too much, had surprisingly eaten a small bowl of rice this time, along with quite a bit of the dishes.
Looking at Jiang Qiuli and Chen Zhuo, her eyes were filled with quiet happiness.
“Mom, don’t eat too much. Your stomach isn’t strong. It won’t be good if you overeat,” Jiang Qiuli said softly.
It was the first time she had ever told her mother to eat less instead of more. As she spoke, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“I know, I know. It’s just that the food is really delicious,” her mother replied with a smile.
“Then I’ll buy the same kind of dishes tomorrow. But you have to control the portion, not too much and not too little,” Jiang Qiuli said, her tone light.
When she smiled, her eyes curved like crescents, as if bright stars were hidden within them.
Chen Zhuo found himself staring, momentarily lost.
It was the first time he had seen Jiang Qiuli smile so brilliantly… like a princess stepping out of a fairy tale.
“That won’t do! You’ve found a job, but how much can a part-time job really pay? You shouldn’t spend money carelessly,” her mother said quickly.
As soon as she spoke, she seemed to regret it.
Jiang Qiuli paused briefly, then nodded. “I understand. Don’t worry, I know how much money I have.”
“That’s good.”
“Go on, go on. Be careful on the way with Chen Zhuo.”
“Okay!”
After leaving the inpatient building, Jiang Qiuli didn’t walk behind Chen Zhuo this time. Instead, she moved to his side and spoke hesitantly, “Um… sorry. I didn’t tell my mom that the boss was you, and I didn’t say that you paid for the meal.”
Chen Zhuo stopped and turned to look at her. “Now that you mention it, I almost forgot. Why didn’t you tell her the truth?”
He was genuinely curious. Jiang Qiuli was the kind of honest girl who wouldn’t lie without reason. If she had chosen to say it this way, there must have been a reason.
“I was afraid my mom would misunderstand,” she said softly.
“Misunderstand what?”
Jiang Qiuli raised her head and looked into his eyes, but didn’t speak.
Chen Zhuo asked again, “Say it. What would she misunderstand?”
She bit her lip, then whispered, “Misunderstand… that you want to keep me.”
Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, yet in the quiet surroundings, Chen Zhuo heard it clearly.
“Haha…” He couldn’t help but laugh, both amused and exasperated.
He had thought she had some deep reasoning, but it turned out to be this.
“Don’t laugh! Let’s hurry back to school!” Jiang Qiuli stood there, flustered and unsure what to do. She didn’t even understand why she had thought that way.
“Alright, alright, I won’t laugh. But seriously, don’t think like that next time. Forget whether I’d even make such a request. Just these few dozen yuan worth of small dishes and a supermarket cashier part-time job… if that’s enough to keep you, people would laugh hearing it,” Chen Zhuo said, still chuckling as he walked ahead.
He tried to hold it in, but he really couldn’t.
They walked from the inpatient building to the staff dormitory, where Chen Zhuo had parked his electric scooter.
Along the way, Jiang Qiuli kept her head down, her face flushed red, wishing she could disappear into a drain.
“Stop laughing… I was just scared,” she muttered.
“Alright, I’m not laughing anymore. Let’s go, we’re heading back. Evening self-study is about to start, and I still have things to do,” Chen Zhuo said, taking out the key and handing it to her. “You said I ride too fast. You can drive on the way back.”
Jiang Qiuli nodded and took the key.
“No. But I used to ride often. Before my mom was diagnosed with cancer, we had one at home. Later, when I went to university and she got sick, it broke down,” she replied.
“Alright. You go first, I’ll sit in the back.”
The scooter wasn’t large, and Jiang Qiuli easily pushed it out from the parking shed. She sat on it, inserted the key, and started it.
Chen Zhuo swung his leg over and sat behind her. Then, very naturally, he wrapped his arms around her waist.
In that instant, Jiang Qiuli felt as if a 220-volt current had surged through her body. Her entire body went numb.
“Go. Why aren’t you moving?” Chen Zhuo reminded her.
Only then did she snap out of it. “Why are you holding me!” she exclaimed, startled.
Chen Zhuo looked completely innocent. “The scooter is so small. If I don’t hold you, what if we fall? When we came earlier, you were holding onto my clothes too.”
His tone was calm and completely reasonable, making Jiang Qiuli start to doubt whether she was overthinking.
After calming down a little, she said, “Then can’t you just hold my clothes?”
Chen Zhuo smiled. “Have you ever seen a guy sitting on a girl’s scooter holding her clothes? If someone sees that, what would they think of me?”
Jiang Qiuli thought about it… and realized he had a point.
Still, she said weakly, “No… you can’t hold me. I… I’m not comfortable.”
Chen Zhuo thought for a moment, then let go. “Alright, but I need somewhere to put my hands, otherwise I might fall off.”
He paused briefly, then continued, “I’ll just place them on your legs.”
As he spoke, he smoothly rested his hands on the sides of Jiang Qiuli’s thighs.
She glanced down. It felt a little awkward, but it was far better than having him hold her waist. Besides, she was wearing loose jeans, so it didn’t look too inappropriate.
“Fine… but don’t move around.”
“No problem!”
The scooter moved steadily along the small road.
Sitting behind her, Chen Zhuo’s lips curved into a smile he could barely suppress.
Sure enough, people’s tolerance worked in stages.
If he had suggested placing his hands on her thighs from the start, she would never have agreed. But by first suggesting holding her waist, then switching to her legs…
She accepted it.