"You’re sick!"

"I have fever reducers and anti-inflammatories at my house."

"..."

A sick Shen Yi was incredibly stubborn. Qin Jiao couldn’t talk him out of it, so she had no choice but to agree to go home first.

She figured that once they got home, Grandpa Du could surely convince Shen Yi to go to the clinic.

A high fever was no small matter. Qin Jiao had even heard of a child, about ten years old, who developed encephalitis from a high fever.

’This can’t be delayed.’

After Qin Jiao unlocked her bike, she turned around and found Shen Yi staring blankly at it.

"What’s wrong?"

"I’m looking at my bike wheel... I think there are four of them."

"..."

’I’m being so patient with Shen Yi in this life. In my past life, I would have slammed that wheel right over his head!’

’His forehead is hot enough to fry an egg. He’s definitely delirious. No wonder his vision is blurry!’

Qin Jiao said helplessly, "Well, in your condition, you can’t ride your bike!"

"Mm, how about this, Qin Jiao... you give me a ride?" Shen Yi looked up, the corners of his eyes flushed red from the fever.

He was already exquisitely handsome, and the illness made him look incredibly weak.

It... made it especially easy for one’s heart to soften.

Qin Jiao grew irritated. She gritted her teeth. ’In my past life, Shen Yi was the one who owed me. Why is this guy still causing trouble for me in this life?!’

And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse. She couldn’t just leave him in the school’s bike shed, could she?

’If he gets encephalitis, what will Grandpa Du do?’ 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Qin Jiao took a deep breath, telling herself she was just doing a good deed. But as she got the bike going, one of Shen Yi’s hands wrapped directly around her waist.

Qin Jiao was so startled she almost lost her grip on the handlebars!

"Shen Yi, let go!"

"But... I’ll fall off if I do."

’Then fall and die!’

Qin Jiao cursed herself internally for her moment of weakness. Things had been going so smoothly lately that she had almost forgotten the hardships of her past life.

Shen Yi was carrying both their schoolbags and had one arm around Qin Jiao’s waist. He felt a slight pang of regret; Qin Jiao’s jacket was a bit thick.

’I should have tried this move in the summer.’

But even so, he still nuzzled the tip of his nose against her jacket.

’Jiao Jiao, don’t ignore me...’

Qin Jiao pedaled home in nearly two-thirds of her usual time. The moment they reached the gate, she leaped off the bike and said in a hostile tone, "Shen Yi, we’re home!"

Shen Yi got off the bike as well. He could feel Qin Jiao’s suppressed anger and figured that if he weren’t sick, she would have thrown him out along with the bike.

His voice thick with congestion, he managed an "Mhm." "Thank you, Qin Jiao."

"Just hurry home and take your medicine!"

"Okay."

Qin Jiao was fuming, but she couldn’t take it out on such a frail-looking invalid. After watching Shen Yi go inside his house, she turned to go into her own.

But as she pushed open her gate, the loud voice of her aunt, Feng Lan, came booming from inside. "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, you must be lying! Why would someone be so kind as to let you live in such a nice house? You must have struck it rich and are deliberately hiding it from us. We don’t mind, but for you to have money and not show any filial piety to your parents... isn’t that just shameless?"

A moment ago, Qin Jiao had been simmering with frustration. The next, her spirits were instantly lifted.

’She couldn’t take her anger out on a sick Shen Yi, but bottling it up isn’t healthy. It could make a person sick.’

And what do you know, someone practically begging for a beatdown had just walked right through the door.

Qin Jiao cracked her knuckles and strode toward the living room.