Chapter 2: Illness

Chapter 2: Illness

When the sun shone on the bed the next day, Zhou Liao was so sleepy he didn’t even want to move his fingers. He had no idea what time he went to sleep last night.

Just as he was about to turn over, he caught a whiff of fresh shower gel and rose fragrance.

"Is my sister hungry again?"

Zhou Liao quickly woke up and lazily reached out to hold the back of his sister’s head and kissed her.

.......

Perhaps because the sunshine was pleasant today, Zhou Liao was in an exceptionally good mood. So before leaving, he even bought a necklace worth nearly ten thousand yuan at the mall.

Although it wasn’t strictly a transactional relationship, Zhou Liao was happy to do it. The other party, seeing such a wealthy and handsome young man, hurriedly exchanged WeChat contacts.

After sending the beauty away, Zhou Liao, having nothing better to do on the weekend, decided not to return to his empty home. Instead, he went back to school to play basketball with his buddies.

Zhou Liao was popular at school, and almost every time he played basketball, girls would come to watch him. Although everyone knew what kind of person he was, they couldn’t resist his good looks. Some open-minded girls even hoped for a chance encounter with him, which gave the boys extra motivation to show off in front of the girls.

Midway through the game, while he was taking a sip of water, his buddy Chen Xian came over and teased him, "How was last night?"

Zhou Liao glanced at him, "Amazing."

"You disappeared after kissing for a bit."

"If it were you, you’d probably run faster."

"Next time, let me have a go." Chen Xian nudged him with his elbow.

"I’ll send you her WeChat; do whatever you want."

"Hey! Over here, can someone throw the ball..."

Before the voice behind Zhou Liao finished speaking, a ball hit his hand. He was just closing the bottle cap, and the impact knocked the water bottle onto the plastic court, spilling water everywhere.

He looked at the ground for a moment, then turned around. There had been a crowd behind him, but now only one man with a backpack slung over his shoulder remained.

Wasn’t this the same guy who bumped into him yesterday without apologizing? He might not remember the face, but Qin Zhan standing there looked like he had crawled out of hell—hard to forget.

"It’s you again?"

Qin Zhan had rushed to his part-time job after class and had no idea who Zhou Liao was talking to.

The person who accidentally hit Zhou Liao with the ball ran away like greased lightning, fearing any trouble from Zhou Liao. After all, a group of people had been watching the game from a distance, so no one could clearly see who threw the ball.

Seeing that Qin Zhan was going to walk away without acknowledging him, Zhou Liao’s anger, which had subsided, flared up again. Was this guy doing it on purpose?

He picked up the ball and threw it directly at Qin Zhan’s shoulder, causing him to stumble forward.

"What the hell am I talking to you for?"

Qin Zhan slightly frowned and turned around, looking first at the ball and then at him.

Zhou Liao, fearless of anything, stepped forward and stood in front of Qin Zhan. "What’s your problem? Are you mute?"

"Are you ill?"

This was the first thing Qin Zhan said to him, laced with disdain.

Chen Xian broke out in a cold sweat. No one usually liked interacting with Qin Zhan, finding his aura too eerie. Despite the heat, the area around him seemed to darken.

"What did you say?" Zhou Liao’s forehead twitched.

"Are you ill?"

Qin Zhan repeated it as a statement. He had a class to teach soon and didn’t have time to waste on Zhou Liao. He knew there was a tyrannical person like Zhou Liao at school, but it had nothing to do with him—he was just a nobody.

Yesterday, Zhou Liao and his group had bumped into him on the stairs, and today they randomly threw a ball at him. Apart from being ill, Qin Zhan couldn’t find another word to describe him.

"Don’t you have a mother? Didn’t she teach you manners?"

Zhou Liao was furious at his attitude, especially in front of so many people. He raised his fist to strike Qin Zhan’s forehead, but Chen Xian held him back before he could land the punch amidst a chorus of gasps.

"Forget it, Zhou Liao. There are too many people watching."

In a society governed by law, even if Zhou Liao was rich, it was still broad daylight in a university campus with many eyes on them. If someone recorded a video, it would be disastrous.

Chen Xian understood Zhou Liao’s temper, knowing he had been pampered all his life and rarely faced such insults. He tried to calm him down, especially since he grew up with his grandparents and had a superstitious fear of people like Qin Zhan.

Without even glancing at Zhou Liao, Qin Zhan adjusted his backpack strap and walked towards the school gate, ignoring the burning pain in his shoulder.

"Damn it, Chen Xian, what the hell are you doing?" Zhou Liao, restrained by Chen Xian, watched Qin Zhan leave, feeling frustrated. He pushed Chen Xian away. "Didn’t you see that bastard hit me?"

Chen Xian gestured to the surrounding crowd, and Zhou Liao, noticing their curious gazes, felt a headache coming on.

He shoved Chen Xian aside. "Get lost."

"Why are you arguing with a dead man?" Chen Xian, used to Zhou Liao’s temper, followed him with a laugh. "Calm down, the beauties are watching."

Zhou Liao lost interest in playing basketball and sat on the bleachers, stretching his legs. He lit a cigarette, and a bottle of water appeared in his vision.

"Do you need more, Brother Liao?"

"Thanks." Zhou Liao took a few sips, thinking, how dare a gutter rat look at him like that and call him ill? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "Chen Xian, what’s Qin Zhan’s background?"

Chen Xian was taken aback; he didn’t know either. After all, Qin Zhan was practically invisible at school. "I don’t know. Isn’t he supposed to be the top student in the department?"

"Do you know?" Zhou Liao raised his chin, looking at the person who mentioned Qin Zhan’s popularity with his ex-girlfriend’s roommate last night.

"He doesn’t seem to have much background. He dresses very normally, nothing valuable on him."

"Does he live on campus?"

"I don't think so. I've never heard of anyone being his roommate. If he did, wouldn't the dorm be haunted at night?" The person scratched his head and continued, saying what Zhou Liao wanted to hear, "Really, don't ask me, Brother Liao. No one pays special attention to him unless they have to. We just know that he's good at academics, keeps to himself, and has no friends."

"Can you help Brother Liao find out more?"

"How can I find out? Has he ever spoken more than half a sentence to anyone? Where would I even start with someone like him who's on the fringes of society?" The person looked as if he was about to cry.

Zhou Liao lifted his eyelids: "Alright, that's enough."

As he spoke, he stubbed out his cigarette and stood up, then tossed the butt onto the ground.

"Where are you going, Zhou Liao?" Chen Xian looked at him.

"To relieve myself." Zhou Liao didn't turn his head.

There weren't many people around the school on weekends. Although it was sunny outside, the corridor was gloomy. With his hands in his pockets, Zhou Liao swiped his card to enter the teaching building. Just after turning the corner, he felt something bump into his shin.

Before he could curse, he noticed a girl crouching on the ground, trembling. He swallowed back his words.

"......Are you okay?" Zhou Liao frowned but remained gentle with her.

The girl clutched her clothes, looking pained. When she heard his voice, she raised her head, her face showing embarrassment. She didn't speak and lowered her head again.

"Are you okay?" Zhou Liao asked again, trying to be patient.

"......I'm fine."

Her voice trembled, not sounding like she was fine, yet she tried to stand up.

Zhou Liao was about to leave her alone, but as he took two steps back, his gaze fell on her pants, noticing a few drops of red. He glanced down the empty corridor and lowered his voice, "Do you have menstrual cramps? Did you forget your sanitary pad?"

Her face turned bright red, seemingly realizing the leak. Zhou Liao guessed she was embarrassed, but having interacted with many women, he understood their physiology better than some women themselves and didn't find it embarrassing.

Zhou Liao took off his jacket and draped it over her waist. "Wrap this around you. I'll go buy you a sanitary pad and some painkillers."

He ran out, conveniently close to the convenience store and the infirmary. Soon, he returned with water, medicine, and a sanitary pad.

"Take the medicine first; the water is warm. The infirmary only had boiling water, so I mixed it with bottled water."

Zhou Liao squatted down and handed her the items.

"Thank you....."

Her voice was barely audible. Zhou Liao told her it was nothing and went to the men's restroom to relieve himself.

When he came back, the girl was leaning against the wall, slightly standing but still weak.

Zhou Liao courteously offered her a hand. "Let me take you to an empty classroom to rest."

She kept her head down throughout, her hair damp with sweat. Zhou Liao couldn't see her face clearly. After settling her down and seeing the medicine taking effect, he prepared to leave, as he had plans with Chen Xian later.

"......That, your jacket." The girl grabbed his hand as he was leaving, then quickly let go, feeling awkward.

"Oh, keep it for now. Otherwise, it'd be too obvious if you go out like this." Zhou Liao had her scan his WeChat QR code. "Just message me when you're ready to return it. Note 'Zhou Liao,' the 'Liao' from 'blazing.' "

"Thank you......." She added, "My name is Bai Ling, the 'Ling' from 'Poria cocos.'"

"Mm." Zhou Liao glanced at his phone, where Chen Xian was urging him to hurry. He responded casually, but out of habit, he reminded her, "Remember to avoid cold drinks and stay warm these next few days."

Without lingering, he left Bai Ling sitting alone in the classroom.

After watching Zhou Liao's back disappear completely, she bowed her head, her ears flushed red. Her period had come a week early this month, and after eating ice cream yesterday, the pain caught her by surprise. She hadn't even made it to the bathroom before breaking out in a cold sweat. But fortunately......

Bowing her head, Bai Ling could still smell the faint scent of Zhou Liao's cologne mixed with the unique post-exercise aroma of a boy, which wasn't unpleasant.

Almost everyone at the university knew Zhou Liao, and opinions about him were mixed. However, her daily life had little to do with these people. They belonged to different circles. They were the wealthy and influential playboys of the school, a world she couldn't reach......

Seeing Zhou Liao's chat window on WeChat, Bai Ling remembered her task and hurriedly opened another chat window.

"Qin Zhan, will you be going to the hospital later? Do we need to pay the money in advance this month?"

It took a while for the reply to come: "Yes, thank you."