The classroom was filled with the sounds of coughing rising and falling. It was clear that the students were trying their best to suppress the volume so as not to disturb the teacher, but it seemed difficult to control.
The windows were tightly shut, blocking out the knife-like cold wind, but this also caused the turbid air to stagnate. Most of the students were listless, barely maintaining a facade of listening intently to the lecture.
Luo Ming was also in poor condition. Her head was lowered, and her eyelids were half-drooped as she stared at the blackboard and the teacher. She looked gloomy and fragile, occasionally covering her mouth to let out one or two low coughs.
The dull and tedious lecturing could not penetrate her mind, which felt dizzy and muddled. She gradually shifted her gaze to the side until it landed on the boy’s face.
Gu Yu appeared to be listening quite seriously. He rested his cheek on his hand, staring at the blackboard, and occasionally picked up his pen to jot down some notes in his book. His features were soft, and the lines of his face were handsome. Luo Ming found herself unable to look away as a sense of longing rose within her.
Two kinds of pain intertwined in her body, and she suddenly felt as if she could no longer hear the sounds around her. The cure was right in front of her. She raised her hand, reaching out, wanting to grasp it firmly.
“Gu Yu!” The teacher suddenly called his name, startling the disoriented Luo Ming. The hand that had almost touched its prey retracted.
“Come and answer this question.”
The boy stood up, glanced at the book, and answered fluently. After receiving a nod from the teacher, he sat back down.
He glanced sideways and saw the weak Luo Ming. The girl’s head was resting on her folded arms, her face flushed with a sickly glow. She forced a gentle smile as if trying to act tough and say she was fine.
Gu Yu glanced at the teacher, who had resumed lecturing loudly, and secretly wrote a few words on his scratchpad before sliding it between their desks.
“Are you feeling unwell? Are you sick?”
“I don’t know. My head is a bit dizzy, and my throat is very uncomfortable.”
“Do you have a fever?”
“Maybe.”
The bell suddenly rang. The teacher had just finished the lecture and announced the end of class.
The classroom remained suppressed and gloomy. Most of the students slumped over their desks, appearing lifeless, as if the winter had stripped them of their vitality.
Luo Ming raised her hand and, without any hesitation, touched Gu Yu’s forehead before touching her own to compare. Their temperatures did not seem to differ much.
“It shouldn’t be a fever… Gu Yu?”
“Hmm… Ah?”
The boy reacted blankly. Luo Ming’s habit of ignoring personal distance always easily stirred his green, innocent heart, leaving him to savor the lingering sensation of her touch as if her warmth still remained on his skin.
“Do you have any cold medicine? Maybe you should take some, just in case it gets worse later.”
“Fang Ke gave me a few packets this morning.” Luo Ming took out a small green plastic bag and her water bottle from her drawer. The hot water she had filled earlier had long since lost its warmth. “Did you get this water for me?”
“Yeah. I arrived early this morning and saw your bottle there, so I filled it up for you.”
“Thank you.”
Luo Ming’s voice was weak, and her throat was drier and raspy than usual. She opened the cap and took two sips, which made her feel a little better.
“Aren’t you going to mix the medicine? Do you want me to help you?”
“But there’s still so much water in the bottle. I’d have to pour it out…”
“Then just pour it out. Taking your medicine is more important. Give it to me; I’ll prepare it for you.”
“…Okay.”
Luo Ming dazed resignedly handed the medicine and the bottle to Gu Yu. She watched him take them, stand up, and leave the classroom, his figure disappearing outside the door.
The seat next to her became empty. Zhao Xin, who had been watching the scene from not far away, took the opportunity to sit down. Her face was full of gossipy curiosity as she excitedly asked Luo Ming, “Something is definitely going on! Luo Ming, what’s the deal? And you said you didn’t have feelings for Gu Yu?”
“Do Gu Yu and I look like there’s something going on?” Luo Ming asked back calmly.
“How could there not be? This is the first time I’ve seen you so close to a boy, and Gu Yu is even preparing medicine for you.”
“So you think Gu Yu likes me?” Luo Ming tilted her head, smiling meaningfully.
“Pretty much. What about you, Luo Ming? Do you really not like Gu Yu?” Zhao Xin glanced around and leaned in closer, lowering her voice. “I really support the two of you. Every time I hear those girls talking about their ‘thing’ with Gu Yu, I can’t stand it. Why don’t you just win Gu Yu over and show them?”
Luo Ming did not respond. She smiled at the girl who was still talking incessantly, then looked up to see Gu Yu entering the classroom with the water bottle. The light yellow liquid inside was steaming.
“He’s back,” Luo Ming softly reminded Zhao Xin.
Gu Yu stood by the seat. Seeing Zhao Xin stop talking and start to stand up, he said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. You guys finish talking first. I can stand for a bit.”
“No need, no need. You sit, Gu Yu. We’re done talking.”
Zhao Xin got up and left, giving up the seat while shooting Luo Ming a very obvious look.
Gu Yu sat down and handed the bottle to Luo Ming. “Drink it while it’s hot.”
“Thank you.” She held the bottle and took a small sip, looking quite obedient.
Luo Ming looked up at Gu Yu, her fair skin flushed with red and her beautiful eyes slightly curved. “Gu Yu, do you know what we were just talking about?”
“What were you talking about? Some girl talk? Am I allowed to hear it?” Gu Yu propped his chin on his hand, not particularly caring.
“Come here. I’ll tell you secretly,” Luo Ming said mysteriously with a faint smile.
Gu Yu was a bit curious. He leaned in and pressed his ear closer. Luo Ming covered her mouth with her hand, leaned toward the boy’s ear, and whispered, “Zhao Xin told me to seize the opportunity and take you for myself so that other girls don’t snatch you away.”
“Huh?” Gu Yu was caught off guard by this. The heart in his chest began to race, and a thin blush wrapped around his neck.
“Tell me… Should I seize the opportunity?”
Luo Ming smiled playfully, very satisfied with the effect of her bold move. Her ink-like eyes reflected the boy’s flustered appearance as she watched him stammer, unable to find an answer.
“I… what… Luo Ming, you also…”
“Alright, I’m just joking.” Luo Ming reached out and tapped Gu Yu’s forehead before opening her book to prepare for class as if nothing had happened.
Gu Yu didn’t seem to have processed it yet. He turned back in a daze, gripping his mechanical pencil and spinning it repeatedly in his palm.
The bottle containing the medicine was very warm. The light yellow liquid had a slightly bitter medicinal scent, but when Luo Ming drank it, the taste carried a hint of sweetness that warmed her shivering body.
This kind of time was truly precious. Luo Ming greedily hoped it would never end—with the boy by her side, liking her, and belonging solely to her… But whether looking at it from near or far, the dream was almost over.
He was now standing under everyone’s gaze. Those eyes in the shadows had been greedily staring at him. Luo Ming felt very uneasy. ‘What should I do if Gu Yu is really snatched away? Will this sweetness that belongs exclusively to me end up belonging to someone else?’
The more she loved him, the more she feared losing him.
Luo Ming tightened her grip on the bottle, the heat turning her skin red. She looked at the liquid in the bottle. The calm surface of the water reflected a hideous, greedy beast with dark, turbid pupils.