Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It-Chapter 54 - 53: Can You Take the Pain for Me?
Sensing that the girl was about to get genuinely angry, Xi Zirong cleared his throat and started explaining the problem seriously.
Xu Su had no idea, but the concept of "shipping" a couple didn’t exist yet. Otherwise, fans of them as a couple would have likely been all over First High School.
After the incident where she returned to the classroom with red, swollen eyes from crying, the rumors about Xu Su and Xi Zirong were practically sealed with an official stamp of approval.
Several times in the girls’ restroom, Xu Su could hear other students talking about it.
Every time, she would hide in a stall and only dare to come out after the gossiping students had left... It wasn’t that she was afraid of anything; it was mainly to avoid the awkwardness.
Fortunately, the final exams were just around the corner, and the semester was about to end.
The first-year final exams were set for January 24th. This happened to be the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, five days before Lunar New Year’s Eve. The exams would take two days, and after they were over, the students would stay at school for one more day before going home for winter break.
This year, the first-year students at City No.1 High School had an eight-day winter break, from the 28th of the twelfth lunar month to the 6th of the first lunar month.
On the morning of the final exams, Xu Su was jolted awake by a sharp pain in her abdomen.
Her periods had always been irregular, sometimes only coming once every two or three months, so this unexpected arrival of her period left Xu Su feeling utterly miserable.
There was nothing she could do. The first day was always excruciatingly painful for her. She had been able to take leave during the last military training, but these finals were tied to her scholarship. She had to get up even if it meant crawling.
She found a few individually wrapped pads in her drawer, stuffed them into her coat pocket, and ignored the discomfort in her lower abdomen as she headed out into the cold wind.
’It’s so cold...’
Xu Su tried to find a silver lining. At least it wasn’t raining today.
As soon as she got in the car, Xu Su curled into a ball. Then, thinking of something, she picked up the thermos that was always kept in the car, opened it, and silently prepared to drink the brown sugar water inside.
Zhou Mochen knew today was her final exam. Seeing that the girl seemed to be in a bad mood, he assumed she was just nervous and said gently, "Don’t turn in your test early when you’re done. Just sit inside; it’s cold out. By the way, you get out of the exam hall at five in the afternoon, right? I’ll come pick you up early."
In the days they had spent together, Zhou Mochen had seemed so completely harmless that Xu Su had gradually let her guard down around him. They could now manage to exchange a few normal sentences.
She didn’t answer his question. Holding the thermos, she blew on the opening gently before taking a tentative sip. She frowned and complained, "Zhou Mochen, the water you prepared is too hot."
Perhaps because she was in discomfort, Xu Su’s voice lacked its usual strength. At first listen, it almost sounded like she was pouting.
Zhou Mochen turned to look at her, his eyes glinting. "Didn’t you get tired of the brown sugar ginger tea I’ve been making?"
For the past few days, Xu Su hadn’t touched the drink in the car. It was just that Zhou Mochen was so inflexible, preparing the exact same thing every single day for more than half a month.
Xu Su rested her head against the car window, not daring to move. She felt like any slight movement would cause a gush, and a dense, pulling pain was spreading through her abdomen. Feeling utterly miserable, she said, "It’s not like I want to drink it..."
"Thirsty?" Zhou Mochen smiled. "Tomorrow, I’ll make it a little cooler so you can drink it right away."
Xu Su: "..."
The car stopped near First High School. It was still early. Zhou Mochen took the thermos, used the lid as a cup, and poured some of the liquid out. He blew on it a few times and tested the temperature, frowning slightly. It really was a bit too hot.
Xu Su watched him, her brow furrowed in distaste. ’He doesn’t actually think I’m going to drink something he just blew on, does he?’
"..." Zhou Mochen noticed her disgusted look and laughed in exasperation. "I should just let you die of thirst."
Xu Su was speechless... She couldn’t be bothered with him and was about to get out of the car. But as she prepared to close the door, she decided not to spite her own body. Besides, he hadn’t blown on the water still inside the thermos.
Xu Su held out her hand. "Give me the thermos. I’ll take it to school to drink."
Zhou Mochen froze for a second, then it suddenly dawned on him. "You’re on your period?"
’How can a grown man be so perceptive about this sort of thing and say it so casually?’ Xu Su glared at him. "Hurry up, I have to get to school."
Zhou Mochen got out of the car immediately, walked around the front, and poured out the water in the lid. After screwing the lid back on, he handed the thermos to her. He looked down at her, his brows tightly knitted. "Is it really bad?"
Xu Su took the thermos and shot him a look. "Can you feel the pain for me? No? Then fine. I’m going to my exam."
She turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist. "After your morning exam, don’t go to the cafeteria," Zhou Mochen said. "I’ll wait for you here. I’ll bring you lunch."
He opened the car door again, took out his own phone, and handed it to Xu Su. "Take this. If you need anything, call Huang Chao."
’All this fuss... he’s making it seem like I’m a soldier heading into battle while sick.’
Xu Su didn’t take it. "Why would I need your phone?"
’For someone as busy as him, who juggles a million things a day, missing a single call could have huge consequences.’
Zhou Mochen smiled. "This is my personal phone. Not many people know this number. No business calls will come to this line. Take it. I won’t be at ease otherwise."
Although they were some distance from First High School, many students still passed by. Both Zhou Mochen and Xu Su were very striking in appearance; the longer they stood there, the more attention they attracted.
Zhou Mochen usually never even got out of the car... ’Judging by his stance, if I don’t take his phone, who knows how long he’ll stand here arguing...’
In the end, Xu Su took his phone.
But she couldn’t help but feel frustrated... Perhaps because of her past life experiences, she hated it when people forced her to make a decision, especially when that person was Zhou Mochen.
The rules for this final exam were the same as the midterms: the classes were all mixed up for the tests.
This time, Xu Su was assigned to the classroom for Class Three. The first exam was Language Arts, from 7:30 to 10:00 in the morning, a total of two and a half hours.
For that entire length of time, Xu Su didn’t dare make any big movements. The pain wasn’t even the main issue; it was the feeling of a heavy flow every time she moved. She was worried about staining her pants, which would be terrible.
When she finally made it to the break after the first exam, Language Arts, Xu Su rushed to the restroom. She checked to make sure she hadn’t stained her pants and only then returned, relieved.
On her way back, she felt a vibration in her pocket and realized she was carrying a phone.
She took it out and looked at the screen. The caller ID read ’Huang Chao’.
"..." ’Does he know there’s a half-hour break right now? Did he time this call on purpose?’
She was tempted to ignore it, but she knew Zhou Mochen wouldn’t give up so easily. Back at her assigned seat in the Class Three classroom, Xu Su laid her head on the desk and answered the call.
The moment the call connected, Xu Su saw Xi Zirong walk in.
He headed straight for her, looking like he was about to say something. Xu Su quickly raised a finger to her lips in a "shush" gesture.
On the other end of the line, Zhou Mochen’s voice came through, deep and tinged with gentleness. "Are you okay? Should I bring you a hot water bottle at lunchtime?"
Xu Su’s eyes were on Xi Zirong in front of her, but her ears were filled with the sound of Zhou Mochen’s voice. An untimely sense of panic bloomed in her heart...
