Chapter 32

Shengyi was an upscale villa district, so naturally even its community clinic was a cut above the rest.
At that moment, two students, one tall, one short, were sitting side by side on the lobby sofa.
The boy was hooked up to an IV drip, while the girl sat beside him, phone in hand, replying to messages.
Other than them, only the duty doctor and nurse remained in the clinic. No one spoke. The room was hushed and still.
After sending a message to her mother to say she was staying at the clinic with Qiu Li while he got his IV, Yan Xiao slipped her phone back into her pocket and turned toward him.
“Do you want to go home after this?” she asked.
Qiu Li’s eyelids, faintly pink from the fever, lifted slowly. His gaze was calm, steady. “You should go back,” he murmured. “When it’s done, I’ll head home on my own.”
Yan Xiao frowned. “Did you even eat breakfast?”
He blinked, caught off guard, as if momentarily speechless.
Her temper flared instantly.
“I did,” he said.
She narrowed her eyes.
A soft chuckle escaped him. “Really, I did.”
Seeing she was still unconvinced, Qiu Li smiled helplessly. “You switched topics so suddenly, I just didn’t react fast enough. But I really did eat.”
“What did you eat?” she pressed.
“Fried buns,” he said with a grin. “And porridge.”
She studied him for a moment, then half-believed him.
“Your mom told you to go home?” he asked, shifting slightly to the side.
The clinic was well-heated, and the thick down jacket that had protected him from the cold outside now felt suffocatingly hot indoors. Sweat began to bead on his forehead and neck as the medicine took effect.
He reached for the zipper, meaning to take off the jacket.
But before he could finish, his hand was seized.
“What are you doing?” Yan Xiao demanded, holding his hand still.
“Hot,” he said simply, looking innocent.
Only then did she notice the fine sheen of sweat on his forehead.
She hesitated, until he rasped, “Fever causes the body to overheat. It’s healthy to let it dissipate properly, keeping warm the whole time is”
Before he could finish his scientific explanation, she stood up and unzipped his jacket for him. “Fine, just one sleeve, your other arm’s got the needle. You’re sweating so much”
When she went around to hang up the coat, she noticed the back of his hair was damp with sweat as well.
She fetched some tissues from the nurse’s desk and gently wiped the moisture from his temples and neck. Still worried he might feel dizzy, she even asked the doctor to check on him again. Only after being reassured that everything was normal did she finally relax.
“Tired?” she asked softly, seeing how red-rimmed his eyes were. Though he was smiling faintly, he looked drained. She poured him a cup of warm water and held it out.
A cold and fever weren’t serious, not really, but with the medication kicking in, fatigue set in hard. Normally, he would’ve brushed off such a minor illness, but when she spoke in that soft, caring voice, he suddenly felt every bit of it.
He took a sip, his throat scratchy and sore, then hummed a faint, lazy acknowledgment.
“Then sleep for a while,” she said, scooting closer and patting her shoulder. “Here.”
He’d only meant to act pitiful for a bit, not actually sleep. But seeing her offer so earnestly, he hesitated for a second, then leaned over, resting his head lightly against her shoulder.
He didn’t put his full weight on her; most of it still rested against the sofa. His hair was still slightly damp, cool against her neck, but she didn’t move or complain. When she turned her head slightly, she found him watching her.
“You’re not sleeping,” she said, amused. “Why are you staring at me?”
“Smells like test papers,” Qiu Li teased, sniffing lightly. “You’ve been studying nonstop again, haven’t you?”
“You haven’t?” she arched a brow. “Even when you’re sick, you were still doing hard problems yesterday. Did losing to me really hit you that hard?”
He didn’t answer, just laughed softly.
The vibration of his chuckle, so close to her ear, sent a strange tingling warmth down her neck.
She told herself it was just his fever radiating heat. Fighting the urge to touch her ear, she muttered, “I’m going to beat you plenty more times. If you can’t handle it psychologically, you’d better get used to crying now.”
Qiu Li tilted his head, looking at her with smiling eyes.
Her lashes fluttered as she looked down, and her small, upturned nose twitched slightly with every breath, so endearing it made his heart tighten.
“Mm,” he said after a pause, smiling lazily. “Then you’d better keep it up, knock me down a few more times, toughen me up for the hardships of life.”
That’s the plan, she thought proudly.
But remembering he was still sick, she kept her tone softer than usual. “So hurry up and get better, okay? If you fall behind in your studies, beating you won’t even feel satisfying.”
Only Yan Xiao could turn caring for someone into a competitive speech.
Qiu Li couldn’t help but smile.
“Mm,” he murmured again, then, seeing she might get bored, started another topic. “So, you’ve been studying all break? Haven’t taken a single day off?”
“You fishing for intel?” she shot back, narrowing her eyes playfully.
He laughed. “I am. So, how far along are you in review?”
She wanted to say, none of your business, but then thought about it. He’d always been open with her, sharing his notes, progress, everything. Acting stingy now would feel petty.
Anyway, the first round of review was already over. It wasn’t about who was faster anymore, it was about who went deeper, who practiced more, and who mastered the details. Between the two of them, that was what mattered.
They fell into easy conversation, comparing progress, exchanging small complaints about study schedules.
Then, out of nowhere, Qiu Li asked, “Which university do you want to get into?”
He already knew she wasn’t planning to study abroad.
He’d once worried that she might, he’d even wondered how he could manage to follow her overseas, but once he found out she intended to stay in China, he’d breathed easier. If she stayed in the country, he could follow her anywhere.
Of course, he’d never told anyone the real reason he’d refused early admissions: he wanted to take the national exam with her, apply to the same schools, enter university together.
Her dream school was right on the tip of her tongue, but she caught herself and asked instead, “What about you? Which university do you want to go to?”
Wherever you go, I’m going too, you’re not shaking me off that easily.
A glint of amusement flickered in his eyes, though his hands clenched unconsciously on his knees. “You want to go to the same university as me?” he asked lightly.
His tone was casual, his face calm, but his knuckles were white from how tightly he was gripping his hands.
Yan Xiao didn’t notice. Hearing his teasing words, her heart thudded nervously, and she instantly went on the defensive. Maybe he didn’t want that. She couldn’t control his choices anyway. After a pause, she went for her usual tactic, provocation.
“What, you scared?” she said, lips curling. “Afraid I’ll steal your spotlight at college too?”
For someone as proud as Qiu Li, that kind of jab was irresistible.
Sure enough, his brows lifted, eyes narrowing with challenge. “Then we’ll just have to see who comes out on top in university too.”
“Deal.” Yan Xiao tried not to grin too wide. “I want to go to T University. You in?”
The tension in Qiu Li’s hands eased. He smiled, voice soft. “Sure.”
Yan Xiao was about to ask which major he wanted, after all, same department meant more chances to see each other, but before she could, her phone rang.
It was her aunt.
She answered cheerfully, chatting for a bit and sweet-talking her until her aunt laughed. Only then did she ask, “So, what’s up?”
“I miss you,” Chen Zilu said dramatically. “You’ve been on break for days and haven’t called your poor aunt once. My heart’s broken!”
Yan Xiao coaxed her again, her voice honey-sweet.
Her aunt, thoroughly appeased, finally got to the point. “I’m heading to the Qiu family’s this afternoon. Xiao Yan’s back in town, he just won another award. Want to come along? I’ll pick you up. I already got a gift ready for you.”
Qiu Li, who had been half-dozing and quietly listening to her chatter, froze at those words.
His expression changed instantly.
He forced himself to stay composed, suppressing the surge of dark anger that threatened to spill over.
Even so, a deep line formed between his brows, and the warmth drained from his face.
He held his breath, afraid to hear her answer.
If she said yes, if she said she was going to the Qiu house to see him, then what would he…
“I’m not going.”
The relief hit so hard it was almost dizzying.
For a second, he thought he’d misheard her. He sat up straighter, eyes flicking to her face.
Yan Xiao was still on the phone, not noticing his reaction. Only when the weight on her shoulder lifted did she glance over, speaking into the receiver: “Just drop the gift off for me, okay? Tell them I’m busy studying and don’t have time to go out.”
She said it casually, eyebrows raised, as if to ask why he was suddenly staring at her.
Qiu Li looked at her,
and the icy mask on his face melted like snow in early spring.
A smile tugged at his lips, lighting up his whole expression.
And just like that, even the faint shadow in his eyes disappeared.
Yan Xiao: “?”
She hung up the phone, about to ask what Qiu Li was smiling at, whether his fever had finally gone down or if he just wasn’t feeling sick anymore, when suddenly, in her head, she heard:
[Ding! 900 points!]
Yan Xiao: “??!!”
Seriously?! The points for “going to the same university” just showed up now? Was Qiu Li’s emotional response on a ten-minute delay, or was her system lagging again?

Author’s Note:
Young Master Li: We’re going to the same university soon! I’m so happy (^▽^)
Also, college dorms mean no parental supervision. Double the happiness! (^▽^)(^▽^)