Chapter 11

Looking at Chi Shen’s pale face, Qiao Zhenzhen was speechless for a moment. “…There’s more than just that one thing in the backpack, couldn’t you have picked something else?” She thought, Mom had already slipped one into my desk cubby, so why was there another in the backpack?
Chi Shen pressed his bloodless lips together, his dark eyes staring at her blankly.
She sighed in resignation, snatched the pad back and shoved it into the bag, then leaned in to rummage for the thing she meant to give him. The backpack still hung from Chi Shen’s arm; as she searched, her head came within a finger’s breadth of his Adam’s apple. Her long, dark hair fell naturally and the tips brushed the back of his hand in the breeze, an itch that seemed to travel from his hand to his chest.
Chi Shen stood rigid; his Adam’s apple moved unconsciously, his body hard as stone,even lowering his head to look at her felt like an intrusion.
[Affection +20, current total: 50]
Qiao Zhenzhen paused and looked up at him in puzzlement; her head accidentally brushed his chin and her breath lightly grazed his throat.
[Affection +30, current total: 80]
Qiao Zhenzhen: “…”
She hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took Chi Shen’s arm.
A flicker of resistance crossed his eyes and he stepped back two paces, but when he saw no disgust on her face his shoulders relaxed slightly.
No new affection points appeared.
She’d thought he liked physical contact… If he did, that would be perfect, she was eighteen after all, and she wouldn’t feel guilty about anything. Qiao Zhenzhen indulged in that lecherous thought for three seconds, then stopped caring about his reaction and handed him the messy stack. “Here, take a look.”
He paused, hesitantly took it.
It was a thick stack of medical test reports.
At first glance he saw the bold heading: “Psychiatric Evaluation Report.” Realizing what it was, a faint ripple passed through his dark eyes.
Qiao Zhenzhen watched patiently as he flipped through the pages. When he reached the middle she couldn’t help a little smugness. “I ran all the tests at the hospitals you sent me to over the last few days. Most of the checks overlapped, and the results are all here. You can see, I’m mentally fine, not sick. If I’m nice to you, it’s not because I’m ill; it’s because I want to be.”
Chi Shen kept his head down, focused on the reports, and it was hard to tell how much of her words he took in.
She finished speaking and waited for him to regret it and apologize, then graciously accept her kindness. But after waiting a long time he didn’t speak, his fingers trembled more and more.
At first she didn’t notice, but when his shoulders began to shake she realized something was wrong. Frowning, she asked seriously, “Chi Shen, what’s wrong?”
He said nothing; his fingers clenched the reports tighter and tighter.
“…Say something, don’t scare me.” Qiao Zhenzhen grew anxious and instinctively reached to pull him.
Chi Shen suddenly looked up; his gaze was fierce and cold. She froze, her outstretched hand hanging in midair.
“…Chi Shen, are you okay?” she asked cautiously.
His eyes dropped to her arm. At the joint the skin was porcelain-pale, but there were a few bluish-red dots.
They were the marks left from blood draws.
His gaze grew still again. When he spoke his voice was rough: "Does it hurt?"
Qiao Zhenzhen felt him calm down and relaxed a little too. "Where does it hurt? Did you have a checkup? It doesn't hurt, just a bit of blood drawn and some brain tests."
"You can't have brain CTs too often," he said, looking into her eyes.
Qiao Zhenzhen smiled ingratiatingly. "I, I only did it three times..." She knew they shouldn't be done too frequently, so she hadn't dared a fourth time and only had some basic examinations.
Chi Shen fell silent again; the test report was crumpled in his hand.
Qiao Zhenzhen stepped forward cautiously and asked, "You know now, right? I'm not sick."
"...Mm."
"I just want to be your friend. I want to be good to you."
Chi Shen pressed his lips together and, after a long pause, asked softly, "Why?"
"Because..."
Because you once stood firmly behind me when everyone else had abandoned me; when I was in danger you didn't hesitate to go with me. Because when a villain's blade came at us you shielded me without a second thought; because you lay in my arms, your hand soaked with blood, stroking my face and begging me not to be afraid of you.
Qiao Zhenzhen's eyes curved into a smile. "Because I want to be good to you. Is that okay?"
Chi Shen watched the smile in her eyes and frowned hesitantly.
Qiao Zhenzhen assumed he was still doubtful and immediately offered a solution: "If you think my test results are fake, you can pick any hospital you want and I'll have it done right in front of you..."
"Don't." Chi Shen refused without a second thought.
Qiao Zhenzhen chuckled. "Then don't doubt me anymore, okay?"
Chi Shen was silent.
After spending time together, Qiao Zhenzhen had a rough read on his character; for things like this she knew she had to hear him promise it with his own mouth.
"Do you understand?" Qiao Zhenzhen asked again.
"...Mm." Chi Shen finally agreed.
Satisfied, Qiao Zhenzhen took the report back, stuffed it into her backpack, and reached out her hand to him. "Let's go get something to eat."
Chi Shen looked at her hand and silently stepped back.
Qiao Zhenzhen paused. "Didn't we already clear that up?"
Chi Shen said nothing.
"I'm not crazy," Qiao Zhenzhen insisted.
"Mm." Chi Shen replied, taking another step back.
Qiao Zhenzhen: "..."
Perhaps her speechless expression was too obvious. After a moment of silence, Chi Shen surprisingly spoke first: "Give me time..."
"Okay, I'll give you time to get used to it." Qiao Zhenzhen brightened, and seeing he stood rooted, she took the initiative and headed to the cafeteria. After walking a bit she turned and saw Chi Shen following at the same awkward mid-distance as before, and she was happy again.
They talked on the playground for a long time, and by the time they reached the cafeteria they'd missed the after-school rush. A large area of tables was empty, but Chi Shen still chose a secluded corner.
Qiao Zhenzhen got her food and sat down opposite him. "It's cooler outside, the seats here aren't facing the AC and it's stuffy. Why don't we move to another spot?"
Chi Shen pressed his lips together and, without saying a word, made it clear he resisted.
Qiao Zhenzhen coaxed gently, "There aren't many people outside either."
Chi Shen had lived like an island across two lifetimes; she wanted, as gently as possible, to guide him into the crowd.
Yet Chi Shen remained silent.
Qiao Zhenzhen sighed and gave up.
She hadn't eaten much that morning and was starving. She buried her head in her food and ate until her stomach felt full, then contentedly put down her chopsticks.
When she looked up, she met Chi Shen's dark eyes.
She paused. "Are you full? If you are, let's go back to class."
Chi Shen still stared at her.
Qiao Zhenzhen rubbed her nose. "So...shall we go?"
He still didn't answer.
Qiao Zhenzhen gave up asking and got up to head outside, but after a few steps she turned and saw he was still sitting in the same spot.
He didn't follow? Qiao Zhenzhen was briefly surprised, then turned back at once. "Why aren't you leaving?"
"...Why aren't you eating the zucchini?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
Qiao Zhenzhen blinked and then looked down to find a whole compartment of zucchini on his plate, clearly untouched.
A curious idea popped into her head. Hesitating for a moment, she asked tentatively, "You get this vegetable every day... do you get it for me?"
Chi Shen pressed his lips together.
Qiao Zhenzhen's eyes curved into a smile. She sat back down across from him. "If you hadn't said anything I'd have forgotten, I haven't had my greens today yet."
Even though she was already very full, since he had taken the initiative, rare for him, she felt she had to oblige.
With that in mind, Qiao Zhenzhen deliberately ignored her overly full stomach and ate the entire section of zucchini. Rubbing her slightly aching belly, she said, "Let's go. Since I ate it all, how about we walk side by side now?"
Fearing he'd refuse, she quickly added, "If it's uncomfortable for you, we can keep a bit of distance."
Chi Shen hesitated.
"'...You said you'd need time to get used to it.' Seeing his continued silence, Qiao Zhenzhen pursed her lips in frustration."
Chi Shen's Adam's apple bobbed; after a long moment he gave a small nod.
Qiao Zhenzhen's eyes lit up. She hurriedly scooted over, making space beside her. Chi Shen awkwardly moved closer but stopped two steps behind her, refusing to come any nearer.
For Qiao Zhenzhen, the fact he could take that step at all was significant, so she didn't push. She chatted cheerfully as they walked back to their classroom.
They'd eaten late; by the time they returned two-thirds of the class was already seated. Though people had been hearing rumors that the two had grown closer, seeing it with their own eyes still made an impact, when Qiao Zhenzhen and Chi Shen walked in together, everyone felt a jolt.
Facing the probing looks, Qiao Zhenzhen glanced cautiously at Chi Shen; seeing he showed no reaction, she returned to her seat.
……That last compartment of zucchini was way too much; it made her stomach hurt more and more. Qiao Zhenzhen rubbed her belly in discomfort as the pain intensified; her face soon looked sickly. She had planned to go home, but feeling so unwell she had no choice but to visit the infirmary before the final evening study period.
She was afraid Chi Shen would read into it, so she deliberately waited until he went to the restroom before leaving, trying to be back as quickly as possible.
In the boys' restroom, two guys walked in, chatting as if no one else were there.
"Didn't Qiao Zhenzhen never have stomach problems before? Why is she suddenly having stomachaches?"
"What else could it be? It's definitely from eating lunch with Chi Shen, he's so filthy and stinky, who knows if he contaminated the food."
"Yeah, he's a jinx. Anyone who hangs around him gets unlucky. Qiao Zhenzhen used to be such an aloof beauty, and now that she's with him, I feel like she's suddenly become a common weed."
"Haha, that's true."
As they talked, a stall door in the restroom suddenly opened. Both heard the noise and looked over at the same time, surprise flashing in their eyes.
"Chi Shen?!"