Chapter 15: The Cunning Heart of Compassion

“Don’t shout!”

Lin QingYu flinched, startled, and quickly glanced around.

A sigh of relief escaped her. Fortunately, the classroom was noisy, and everyone was busy with their own affairs, so no one noticed them.

‘Good heavens, if word got out about her tripping on flat ground, Lin QingYu might as well face social death.’

She even made an effort to correct him, “It wasn’t tripping on flat ground! I told you, it was on the gravel path outside the flowerbed. It was uneven, full of stones. Isn’t it perfectly normal to fall there?”

“No, no, no… most people wouldn’t trip there…”

Bai YuYang decided not to press the matter further. He carefully pulled her sleeve back down, ensuring the fabric wouldn’t brush against her wound.

“Stop talking for now. Come with me to the infirmary.”

“Huh? The infirmary for what? It’s just a small scratch! I already rinsed it with water at the faucet!”

Despite her increasingly impatient tone, Bai YuYang maintained his unwavering stance. “I said, come with me to the infirmary.”

This time, he even tugged her arm with a little more force.

Of course, he hadn’t used his full strength; otherwise, Lin QingYu’s small frame would have been lifted effortlessly.

“Why are you being so fierce…”

Seeing the seriousness on Bai YuYang’s face, and the clear, non-negotiable expression, Lin QingYu slowly averted her gaze.

This time, however, she obediently allowed Bai YuYang’s pull to help her stand.

“Making a mountain out of a molehill… what’s the big deal…”

Ignoring her continued grumbling, Bai YuYang took her uninjured hand and led her out of the classroom.

The classmates in the room consciously made way for them. Although they didn’t know the full situation, they were well aware that Bai YuYang and the class mascot, Lin QingYu, shared a close relationship. Hadn’t they heard they were childhood sweethearts?

Naturally, Bai YuYang was in a hurry and didn’t notice the slightly unnatural gaze from Mo Sishi, who sat by the window.

***

The infirmary was not far from the classroom, with each teaching building equipped with one for any unexpected needs.

Bai YuYang quickened his pace along the way, and upon reaching the infirmary, he didn’t even knock, simply pushing the door open.

“Aunt Zhang, are you here? Please help my classmate look at… huh?”

No one was inside.

The infirmary door was unlocked, but the room was utterly empty. Not only was Teacher Zhang absent, but there were no students resting there either.

Bai YuYang stepped back a few paces outside the door and glanced at the infirmary entrance. Sure enough, in his haste to open the door, he had missed a small note taped to it.

[Urgent matter. The principal called me to a meeting. I’ll be back in about half an hour. –Teacher Zhang]

“You could at least mark the time you left!”

Bai YuYang was exasperated. ‘Why were all the teachers at this school so eccentric? You write ‘half an hour,’ but who knows when you actually left?’

Lin QingYu shook off Bai YuYang’s hand.

“Oh, come on, come on! I told you, you’re making a big deal out of nothing. It’s just a small injury; there’s no need to rush. If the teacher isn’t here, then forget it. At worst, I’ll just go back to the faucet…”

“It is a big deal. And QingYu, can you please be more careful?”

Bai YuYang, filled with self-reproach, abruptly cut off Lin QingYu’s complaints.

‘Damn it, I should have gone back to the classroom with her. I never expected her to actually fall on the way!’

‘If I had been there, I might have been able to catch her.’

As if discerning the self-reproach etched on Bai YuYang’s face, Lin QingYu’s little heart suddenly felt as though it had been struck by a rapidly galloping fawn.

Her snow-white cheeks flushed crimson, forcing her to avert her head.

“Hmph… hmph! What’s with all the ‘be more careful’? I can’t help it sometimes. When bad luck strikes, you just can’t avoid it, like this fall.”

“Stop talking for now. Go sit on that bed over there. I’ll get the povidone-iodine and gauze.”

“Eh?” Lin QingYu asked, puzzled. “But the teacher isn’t here?”

“The teacher isn’t here, but I am. I’ll clean your wound. Roll up your sleeve first.”

“Oh… alright…”

Bai YuYang first closed the infirmary door, then settled Lin QingYu on the edge of the sickbed. He then went to the medicine display shelf to search for the povidone-iodine.

At the very least, it needed proper disinfection.

Lin QingYu sat on the bed’s edge, swinging her short legs.

She gazed with tender affection at Bai YuYang’s back as he searched for the medicine.

‘You know, being cared for by you truly feels wonderful.’

But the moment Bai YuYang turned around, her expression instantly transformed into that of a fierce little tiger!

Bai YuYang placed the povidone-iodine on the small table nearby, then pulled out some medical cotton balls and tweezers he’d found from somewhere.

Gently lifting Lin QingYu’s arm, Bai YuYang instructed, “It might sting a little, QingYu. Try to bear with it.”

“Heh, for this kind of… *hiss*…”

The little蘿莉 gasped sharply.

The stinging sensation of povidone-iodine touching a wound was always excruciating, no matter the lifetime.

In truth, Lin QingYu was simply too sensitive to pain. Povidone-iodine was relatively mild; if it were alcohol, her reaction would likely be even more dramatic.

Seeing her fluffy pink hair tremble, Bai YuYang’s heart ached. He cleaned her wound as gently as possible, offering constant reassurance.

“Be a good girl, bear with it. The wound needs cleaning and disinfection. Just rinsing it under the tap, like you did, what if it gets infected?”

“I’m not that fragile…”

“You are that fragile.”

Finally, the wound was clean. Bai YuYang then took out medical gauze and lightly bandaged it, leaving a bit of space rather than wrapping it tightly, which would allow the wound to heal faster.

Bai YuYang actually possessed some medical knowledge, largely thanks to Xiao Xi’s frequent reminders to keep a spare medical kit at home.

As he bandaged, Bai YuYang said, “Seriously, you really need to be a little more careful. Since childhood, you’ve been prone to injuries, catching colds, and getting sick. It’s not just Aunt and Uncle who worry; Xiao Xi and I are constantly anxious too.”

“……”

Ah, ah.

How to describe it?

Lin QingYu truly felt incredibly blissful right now, as if she were floating. She watched Bai YuYang, who was half-crouching in front of her, bandaging her wound.

Unconsciously, her eyes welled up with a fine mist.

Just then, Bai YuYang looked up and saw this very scene.

“Eh, eh?! Why are you crying? Does it hurt a lot? I’ll be even more careful…”

“It doesn’t hurt!” Lin QingYu fought back the emotions threatening to burst forth. “It’s just that I feel too stupid, alright! I trip just walking, and I’m always causing trouble for you and YuXi.”

Her voice was laced with a sob, yet she spoke the most tsundere words.

“What are you talking about… why would you care about that? We’ve been together since we were little…”

‘Hmm…’

‘Bai YuYang had clearly decided to minimize his interactions with them in this life, yet when Lin QingYu fell and got hurt right in front of him like this…’

‘How could Bai YuYang not feel heartbroken?’

‘How could he possibly ignore her?’

Lin QingYu lowered her head and suddenly whispered, “You’re too cunning…”

“Eh?” Bai YuYang didn’t understand.

Of course, he wouldn’t understand.

Because from Lin QingYu’s perspective, Bai YuYang perfectly embodied the word “cunning.”

‘In the previous life… you didn’t choose me. You said that was the end of it. But why, in this life, are you still so gentle with me?’

‘How can you expect me to give up again?’

‘Sure enough… no matter what, it’s impossible to let go.’

Seeing her fall silent, Bai YuYang pressed, “QingYu?”

“It’s nothing.” Lin QingYu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Then she lifted the bangs of her cherry-blossom colored hair from her forehead. “Look, I also bumped my forehead just now. Help me disinfect that too.”

“Why didn’t you say so sooner!”