Chapter 313 The Background Fiancée in Campus Novel (16)

Chapter 313: The Background Fiancée (Side Character) in a Campus Story (16)

He still wasn’t comfortable with physical contact.

Shen Shu lowered his gaze, glancing at Tang Qing’s arm resting on his. Even though it was barely a touch, his elbow inexplicably began to feel warm.

This sensation…

It was weirdly unsettling.

Still processing the feeling, he suddenly heard Tang Qing’s praise beside him, “That’s much better.”

“Who knew Top Student Shen had skills…”

Her voice carried amusement, and Shen Shu instinctively frowned. Praising him like a kid—so patronizing.

When he started running again, his posture did indeed become much more coordinated.

Shen Shu was hopeless at sports. It was the first time Tang Qing had ever seen someone run a 50-meter dash with the speed of a grandpa out for a walk…

Though she thought this, Tang Qing kept her smile intact, drowning Top Student Shen in praise!

“Excellent!”

“Shen Shu, you seem even faster this time…”

“…”

Each lap past Tang Qing, he was met with one or two half-hearted praises. Shen Shu remained expressionless.

Only idiots bought into this.

After completing his fourth lap… out of nowhere, Shen Shu planted himself in front of Tang Qing!

“What’s wrong?”

Thrown off by his sudden stop, Tang Qing looked up and asked, “Not running anymore?”

“That last lap… you didn’t say a word.”

Face as unreadable as ever, Shen Shu locked eyes with her before adding, “Did I do something wrong?”

Only then did Tang Qing realize—

The genius was fishing for praise!

Standing under the sunlight, Tang Qing’s eyes once again sparkled with understanding. Looking him dead in the eye, she said slowly, “Shen Shu, you nailed it.”

From a short distance away, their eyes met. Without even realizing it, Shen Shu’s mouth twitched—almost a smile.

System: “Affection +1. Current total: 14.”

Unexpectedly, that very afternoon, Shen Shu came down sick.

His fever raged on, and when Tang Qing looked over, she caught sight of the unnatural flush on Top Student Shen’s face.

“He’s this fragile? Just from running a bit in the morning, and he’s already sick?” Tang Qing said in surprise. So he’s clumsy AND delicate?

“He totally faked it…”

The system popped up and explained in a low voice, "Shen, the top student, calculated that his speed needs to reach at least 10 seconds to avoid affecting the race results..."

Tang Qing: "So?"

"So Shen Shu decided to withdraw from the race voluntarily..."

"He took an hour-long cold shower after coming back and finally managed to make himself sick."

After Tang Qing left, Shen Shu looked up the data from previous relay races and carefully calculated that finishing within 10 seconds wouldn’t drag the class down. That way, even if Cen Yinghuai wanted to talk trash, he wouldn’t have a reason.

To achieve the 10-second goal, Shen Shu tried running practice sprints several times.

Finally...

Shen, the top student, had an epiphany!

There was absolutely no need to waste time on such a competition!

"Hah, in the original plot, Xin Ke was the first to discover Shen Shu was sick..."

Perhaps Tang Qing, like a butterfly effect, disrupted the normal progression of the plot. This time, when Shen Shu fell ill, Tang Qing was the first to return to the dorm...

Faced with such a chance to earn favor, Tang Qing naturally wouldn’t let it slip.

After only a brief hesitation, Tang Qing got him a cup of warm water for Shen Shu.

Shen Shu, running a high fever, had dry, even slightly cracked lips.

Tang Qing took a wet cotton swab and gently dabbed it on Shen Shu’s lips.

The instant it touched him, Shen Shu instantly opened his eyes!

"It’s you..." His tone carried the signature aloofness of Shen, the top student. He turned his head away stubbornly and began, "I..."

Before he could finish, Tang Qing interjected, "You hate being touched by others, right..."

She placed the cotton swab in Shen Shu’s hand and said, "Here you go."

"Do it yourself, then."

In front of Tang Qing, Shen Shu tried to sit up and drink water on his own, pushing up slightly with his elbows... but the result was not what he expected...

He couldn’t get up.

Refusing to accept defeat, he tried again, but his body felt weighed down like lead—just a slight lift!

And he fell back heavily!

Falling back onto the bed, Shen Shu’s expression even carried a hint of dazed confusion.

He’d miscalculated.

Misjudging how long he should have taken the cold shower, it seemed his condition was worse than expected...

In his fever-addled mind, a straw suddenly appeared at his lips. Tang Qing, with her characteristic bright-eyed smile, asked, "Can you drink water like this?"

Shen Shu, his mind clouded by fever, his usual sharpness was dulled by fever, his reactions lagging.

After a long pause, Tang Qing finally heard his rasp: "Yes."

He took a small sip, and the dryness in his mouth seemed to ease a bit.

"Should we check your temperature?" Tang Qing asked.

She'd somehow dug up an old mercury thermometer.

Dangling the thermometer before Shen Shu's face and gesturing toward his underarm, she asked, "Want to do it yourself?"

The idea of opening his shirt in front of Tang Qing made Shen Shu instinctively reluctant. Frowning, he asked, "Isn't there a forehead thermometer?"

"I remember each dorm was equipped with one at the start of the semester."

Tsk. Apparently the fever hadn't completely addled his brain. Top Student Shen wasn’t wrong—there was indeed a forehead thermometer, right in the entrance drawer...

Not that Tang Qing was inclined to fetch it.

Faced with Shen Shu’s question, Tang Qing gave a knowing smile and said firmly, "Nope."

"This old mercury thing was all I could scrounge up..."

Under Shen Shu’s gaze, the usual gentle smile on Tang Qing’s face was now downright mischievous, like a little fox. She deliberately teased, "Shen Shu, with this kind of mercury thermometer, besides putting it under your arm, you can also put it in your mouth..."

"Or... other places."

Shen Shu, who was still drinking water, spit-taked at the suggestion!

What the hell?!

He shot Tang Qing a glare, but perhaps because of his illness, it lacked any intimidation—if anything, it came off more like a pout.

In the end, Shen Shu went with the mouth option.

As she positioned the thermometer, Tang Qing’s fingers seemed to brush against Shen Shu’s lips—just for a fleeting moment.

Yet Shen Shu couldn’t help but feel his own fingers twitch involuntarily!

A fresh parched feeling clawed at his throat. Despite having just drunk water...

He was thirsty again.