Chapter 35: The Infirmary’s Secret Observer

Departing the classroom, Zhong Tian joined the Class Three line, making his way onto the sports field.

The outdoor air in Taishan City in September remained quite warm, and while it lacked the scorching intensity of July, the sheer number of people gathered was overwhelming.

With the entire student body and faculty assembled, even on the expansive, open-air sports field, the atmosphere inevitably grew stifling.

The prospect of enduring a stifling, interminable opening ceremony led some students to silently curse the weather, then the school, before resignedly remaining in their designated spots, suffering in silence.

Zhong Tian had arrived a little late, placing him at the very back of the line, a position fortunately less oppressive in the heat, for which he felt a quiet relief.

‘Thank you, Li Jianren.’

Zhong Tian offered a silent prayer for Li Jianren.

“Good morning, students and teachers!”

Despite being at the tail end of the line, Zhong Tian, thanks to the school’s “high-quality” loudspeakers, could still clearly hear the principal’s address from the stage, his hairline receding far back on his head.

‘The students at the front must be desperate to cover their ears…’

Truth be told, Taishan High School excelled in most aspects, save for its “high-quality” public address system—a rumored expensive acquisition—which was notoriously faulty and widely criticized by students.

Not only was the sound distorted and grating, but its volume was also astonishingly loud, amplifying all its flaws.

Zhong Tian even suspected the school had somehow bribed the local residents, wondering otherwise why no one had reported the noise disturbance after so long.

“In this beautiful month of September, Taishan High School embarks on a new academic year… I hope that in the coming year, teachers and students alike will…”

As expected, the speech contained the usual boilerplate content for an opening ceremony.

The key takeaways were a few announcements.

Firstly, the cafeteria had been upgraded, promising students access to better meals.

Naturally, the prices had also seen a corresponding upgrade.

Secondly, second-year high school students would begin evening self-study sessions this semester, with the dismissal time set for 8:30 PM to ensure their safe return home.

‘Hmm, it seems Su Linxi and my sister will have to sort out their own dinners then.’

The final announcement concerned the school’s 90th-anniversary cultural festival, scheduled for one week later.

According to the principal, it was slated to last several days and appeared to be a grand affair.

Even Zhong Tian, who typically disliked group activities, found himself feeling a flicker of anticipation.

For even though it was a group event, Zhong Tian could simply choose not to participate!

And even if he were reluctantly drawn in, he possessed a myriad of ways to sneak moments of leisure amidst the busyness!

In short, it meant legitimate slacking off.

‘Hmm, I could even hide in a corner and secretly sketch manga drafts then.’

Zhong Tian was the type who lacked motivation at home but, even during exams at school, would find his thoughts drifting to drawing.

Despite this inclination, Zhong Tian’s academic performance remained excellent, and his well-behaved demeanor and handsome appearance earned him the “favor” of teachers across all subjects—especially the art teacher.

Consequently, even if he were caught drawing during class or an exam, there would be no punishment, at most a gentle reminder.

The opening ceremony lasted approximately half an hour, with the principal speaking, followed by the student representative, and then concluding—a surprisingly swift affair, much to Zhong Tian’s relief.

Wang Changgeng, the homeroom teacher, raised a hand and called out, “Class Three boys! Follow me!”

Zhong Tian, feeling a pang of guilt, averted his gaze.

‘Ahem, good luck, guys…’

Zhong Tian quietly merged with the girls’ line and headed back to the academic building.

****

Inside the classroom, Li Jianren remained fast asleep.

The clamor of over a dozen people entering the room failed to disturb his sweet dreams in the slightest; he merely stirred twice in his seat, seemingly sinking into an even deeper slumber.

‘This is beyond ridiculous.’

Upon reflection, however, this was the same guy who could stand and sleep under the high-decibel assault of the sports field’s loudspeaker—an apparatus akin to a sonic weapon.

In that light, the current situation didn’t seem so unreasonable.

Zhong Tian withdrew his gaze and settled into his own seat.

‘Hm?’

Zhong Tian noticed a crumpled paper ball on the windowsill—a paper ball that certainly hadn’t been there before.

Puzzled, Zhong Tian unrolled the paper ball to find several lines of text inscribed upon it.

The handwriting, sprawling and uneven, was instantly recognizable to Zhong Tian as Li Jianren’s.

“Dad! Help! Please, please take me to the school infirmary! I didn’t do my summer homework! I need to lie low! Please, please! Dad!!!”

The sprawling, uneven script seemed to possess a mysterious power, allowing Zhong Tian to sense the author’s desperate yet frantic emotions within the words, almost hearing a phantom scream of anguish.

“…”

Zhong Tian wore an expression akin to a bewildered old man staring at a phone on the subway.

He crumpled the paper back into a ball, resisting the urge to hurl it at his neighbor’s dog-like head.

‘So, you’re putting on an act!’

‘And I actually worried about you for a moment!’

He turned to Jiang Nanjin and spoke softly, “Nanjin, I’m taking Li Jianren to the infirmary.

Could you explain to the homeroom teacher later?”

Jiang Nanjin glanced at Li Jianren, who lay motionless on his desk, and nodded in agreement.

Zhong Tian rose, approached Li Jianren’s desk, and tapped his shoulder.

Li Jianren, cooperatively, got up and, looking utterly bewildered, followed Zhong Tian out.

Zhong Tian offered a perfunctory arm to support him as they walked towards the infirmary.

The boy looked utterly lifeless, his steps unsteady, his limbs weak, as if his final hour were approaching.

“Hmm, Li Jianren, have you ever considered a career in acting?”

Zhong Tian received no response from Li Jianren.

‘Still in character, I see.’

Arriving at the infirmary, Zhong Tian knocked on the door and, upon receiving permission from the school doctor, pushed it open and entered.

****

Zheng Qiao had been secretly observing Zhong Tian.

She had first noticed Zhong Tian during the opening ceremony, and continued to observe him all the way until she returned to her own classroom.

Having been ignored for nearly three days since sending Zhong Tian a friend request, Zheng Qiao felt a growing resentment towards him.

‘Three days! Do you have any idea what I’ve been through these past three days?’

‘Damn it!’

Back in her classroom, Zheng Qiao pondered when she should go and confront him herself.

Anger aside, she still needed to ask.

‘After textbooks were handed out? During lunch? Both seem plausible…’

As she mused, her peripheral vision caught sight of two figures passing in the hallway outside the classroom.

She cast a casual glance.

‘Holy moly, Zhong Tian!’

She observed Zhong Tian slowly walking, supporting another boy.

That boy looked like he was at death’s door, barely able to walk straight.

‘Hm?’

‘Could that be Li Jianren?’

Zheng Qiao had only seen Li Jianren once before, at a KTV, where she hadn’t gotten a clear look, only remembering him as a rather handsome young man.

Now, the image of Li Jianren in Zheng Qiao’s memory began to merge with that of the boy who looked like a drowned ghost.

‘It really is him!’

Zheng Qiao glanced at Bai Ruijin, her deskmate, who seemed oblivious to the two boys passing by.

She immediately made a decision: she stood up, intending to follow them and get to the bottom of it directly!

Maintaining a discreet distance, Zheng Qiao cautiously trailed them all the way until Zhong Tian led Li Jianren into the infirmary.

‘The infirmary…’

Zheng Qiao immediately conjured some unsavory associations.

‘After all, there are simply too many… *picture books* set in infirmaries!’

‘It’s given infirmaries a bit of a bad reputation.’

‘No, no, this is the real world! How could there be any… *picture book*-related developments here!’

‘A real-world school doctor wouldn’t just disappear without reason!’

Zheng Qiao was about to wait outside the infirmary for them to emerge before approaching, when she saw the infirmary door open.

The school doctor stepped out and hurried away.

‘Huh?’

‘It’s not actually going to happen, is it!’

Zheng Qiao quickly stepped forward, peering through the glass panel of the infirmary door.

****

Two minutes earlier.

Zhong Tian explained Li Jianren’s condition to the school doctor, and after receiving instructions to let him rest on a bed for a while, he helped Li Jianren onto a bed and settled him down.

The school doctor was about to say something more when he was interrupted by a phone call.

He answered the phone, stated he had an urgent matter to attend to, asked Zhong Tian to look after Li Jianren, and then departed the infirmary.

No sooner had the school doctor left than Li Jianren’s eyes snapped open.

This startled Zhong Tian, nearly making him jump up and punch Li Jianren in the face.

He smoothed down his disobedient hair and asked, “What’s going on with you?”

“Oh, what else could it be?” he replied, bouncing up to assume a relaxed, reclining posture.

“Didn’t do my homework, obviously.

The teachers don’t really care about this summer homework, and after today, they most likely won’t collect it anyway, so I just faked being sick to get out of it.”

As he spoke, he swung his legs, causing the infirmary’s flimsy bed to creak loudly.

“What I actually wanted to ask was why you forgot to do your homework,” Zhong Tian said, annoyed by the noise, reaching out to hold his legs still.

“Was your brain completely empty all summer?”

“No, I originally planned to finish it all on the last day, but I forgot school started on the fifth, so I’m screwed.”

“You read the back-to-school notice for nothing, then…” Zhong Tian sighed.

“So, how long do you plan to rest?”

“Until I wake up naturally!”

“…I’m leaving then.”

“Alright, bye-bye~” Li Jianren waved him off.

“Remember to explain things to the teacher for me when you go back.”

…

Because the sickbed was enclosed by curtains, Zheng Qiao, pressing against the window on the infirmary door, couldn’t see the situation around Li Jianren’s bed.

She couldn’t even make out the voices clearly, yet she could faintly hear strange sounds.

‘Was that the sound of a bed rocking?’

‘Huh??’

‘No way!’

Zheng Qiao’s face instantly flushed crimson.

‘It’s not actually turning into a *picture book* plot, is it!’

She covered her mouth with her hand, turned, leaned against the infirmary door, and slowly slid down to sit.

‘How daring of them!’

Just as she was about to listen closely for any other strange noises, the rocking sound ceased.

‘Hm?’

‘Isn’t that a bit too fast?’

Surprised, she stood up and once more peered through the window into the infirmary.

Only to find a beautiful face staring back at her, inches away…

“Wha—!”

Zhong Tian was startled, quickly retreating two steps and nearly falling onto his backside.

The girl on the other side of the window also seemed startled; she quickly regained her composure and dashed away.

Although thoroughly spooked, Zhong Tian quickly got up, opened the door, and followed her out.

For that girl, it seemed, was the very same one who had tailed him and Su Linxi days earlier!

‘He had to figure out what was going on!’

Stepping out, he saw that the girl hadn’t gone far.

The girl looked back at Zhong Tian, their eyes meeting.

Zhong Tian didn’t miss this opportunity; he decisively activated his mind-reading ability!

A golden light flashed in his eyes, turning his pupils blue, and the inner world of the fleeing girl vividly unfolded before him.