Chapter 49 (・ω・｀ll)

After He Rou was comforted, the school doctor pulled her to her feet and led her to the hospital bed.

By now, Cheng Ruo had already prepared everything needed on the bed, just waiting for someone to lie down.

He Rou felt the warmth brought by the two of them, and her heart was filled with tenderness.

Such a scene she had only seen in her childhood dreams.

“Dr. Ke, I’m going to class first. If you need any help here, you can’t just order me around, you have to wait until I’m done with class.”

“Do you still need to go to class?”

“After all, I asked for leave to go to the bathroom. If I don’t go back for too long, that would be disrespectful to the teacher.”

“Xiao Ruo is so polite, haha.”

Cheng Ruo looked at the watch on her wrist.

It was already getting late.

She waved at He Rou, who was sitting on the bed, smiled, and without saying anything more, pushed the door open and left.

The infirmary door was gently closed, making a faint sound.

He Rou stared at the tightly shut door, feeling empty inside.

She had troubled Cheng Ruo again, and once more been seen at her most disheveled.

“Alright, stop staring, she’s already far away.”

Dr. Ke walked over carrying a hairdryer and plugged it in.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

The sound of the hairdryer rang out in the quiet infirmary, a bit noisy, but it gave He Rou a strange sense of reassurance.

Dr. Ke held the back of He Rou’s head with one hand and the hairdryer with the other, patiently drying her hair.

The warm wind blew against her scalp, and the cold feeling gradually faded away.

He Rou lowered her head, looking at her intertwined fingers.

Because the cold had directly transitioned to this warmth, her fingertips had returned to their usual soft pink state.

“Does it hurt?”

Dr. Ke turned off the hairdryer, her voice very soft.

He Rou was startled for a moment, then shook her head.

“It doesn’t hurt…”

“If it doesn’t hurt, why are you shaking nonstop?”

Dr. Ke reached out and gently rubbed He Rou’s head, like comforting a frightened kitten.

“Mm… actually it hurts a little. It seems I got hit on the head a few times.”

“Patient… don’t hide anything. I’ll apply some medicine for you.”

Dr. Ke walked into the back of the infirmary.

When she came back out, she was holding cotton swabs and a medicine He Rou didn’t recognize.

The medicine on her head felt cool, but not an unpleasant cool.

It was very comfortable.

Dr. Ke’s movements were gentle, and He Rou enjoyed the whole process.

“Does it still hurt?”

A question reached He Rou’s ears.

She didn’t understand—she was clearly enjoying it, so why did Dr. Ke say that?

“It doesn’t hurt, it’s very comfortable…”

“Then why are you still shaking? Even more violently than before.”

“Eh?”

At this point, He Rou also noticed something was wrong.

She was indeed shaking continuously, and… tears had started streaming down her face without her realizing.

She didn’t say anything.

She didn’t know what was wrong with her, didn’t know how to explain this trembling.

It wasn’t because of pain, nor because of cold.

It was a grievance that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time, suddenly becoming hard to control at this moment.

If warmth comes too quickly, someone who often cries in the cold will often feel even more aggrieved.

Seeing her like this, Dr. Ke didn’t press further.

She just turned the hairdryer back on.

Her hair gradually dried, fluffy and resting on her shoulders.

“Alright, go lie down on the bed and rest for a while. I’ll pour you a cup of hot water.”

Dr. Ke helped He Rou lie down on the hospital bed that had been covered with a blanket.

The blanket was soft, with a faint smell of disinfectant.

He Rou curled up under the covers, watching Dr. Ke’s busy figure not far away.

She watched Dr. Ke take a cup and fill it with water from the water dispenser.

The sound of the running water was crisp.

“Here, drink some hot water to warm yourself up.”

Dr. Ke handed the cup to He Rou.

He Rou reached out with both hands to take the cup.

The temperature from the cup’s wall made her palms feel a wave of heat.

She drank it in small sips.

The hot water flowed down her throat into her stomach, and her whole body seemed to come back to life.

“Thank you, Dr. Ke.”

“I already told you, you don’t need to thank me.”

Dr. Ke sat down on the chair by the bed, looking at He Rou.

Dr. Ke sighed and said nothing more.

The infirmary was very quiet.

She lay on the bed, enjoying this long-missed tranquility without any pressure.

The temperature here was just right, neither cold nor hot.

He Rou closed her eyes, and the messy thoughts in her mind gradually calmed down.

She didn’t want to think about anything now—didn’t want to think about Luo Yun, didn’t want to think about the college entrance exam, and didn’t want to think about the people who bullied her.

She just wanted to stay here a little longer, even if just for a moment.

But time waits for no one.

She hadn’t asked for leave; she still had to go to class.

But her clothes were already dirty, and the clothes she was wearing couldn’t be taken out.

This left her at a loss.

Dr. Ke looked at the person who had been lying still on the bed but now suddenly started moving, and asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“I… I didn’t ask for leave. I still have to go back to class.”

“Class… that might be a bit difficult. Your clothes are dirty. Besides, are the people who bully you really willing to see you go back?”

“Then… what should I do?”

“That’s why I say, just wait here for now. Once you leave my place, you really won’t have any protection.”

Dr. Ke smiled. She wasn’t actually a school doctor by profession; she came here only because of someone.

Otherwise, who would give up a bright future to serve at a school? Although this school wasn’t bad either.

While smiling, the figure of that girl gradually appeared in her mind.

She was so gentle, so beautiful, so sunny, so kind…

Just now, she was right here, helping this poor little kitten—helping herself and also He Rou—by tidying up the bed.

“Thank you.”

“That’s the third time. I told you, you don’t have to thank me.”

“Because I really want to thank you…”

“Xiao Ruo is very gentle and kind, isn’t she?”

Dr. Ke didn’t follow He Rou’s topic; instead, she directly shifted the focus to Cheng Ruo.

“Yes! She’s the best person I’ve ever met.”

“You’re the twenty-seventh person she’s helped.”

“Eh?”

“Surprised, right? That’s just how kind she is. She can’t stand to see any grievance or bullying, even if the person has nothing to do with her.”

“…”

“When I first met her, it was at the hospital. I had just finished a surgery and was resting, and then she burst in, saying she had a friend who was seriously injured. As a doctor, saving lives and healing the wounded is my duty. After that, I gradually became acquainted with her.”

Dr. Ke stood up with a smile.

“After that, I came here, and she comes to bother me every day. Really, what does she take me for, haha.”

The usually quiet doctor kept on talking.