Green Tea Top Student Falls in Love with Me - Chapter 8

Shi Wangui did not respond to the others, merely lowering her head to fiddle with a piece of paper. Her hands rubbed against it, producing a rustling sound, and before long, the neatly folded paper had been crumpled beyond recognition.

She was not at fault. Even if she were starving, she would never steal someone else’s money. Yet, she had no idea how to prove her innocence. A long time ago, someone had taught her that the harder you try to prove yourself innocent, the more suspicious you appear. Once someone targets you, it’s a point of no return.

Perhaps in other matters, Shi Wangui did not care much about being seen as innocent, but when it came to money, she was adamant, she had not taken it, and that was that. She was not the kind of person with sticky fingers. She could support herself, and even if she starved, she would never steal a single cent from anyone.

The homeroom teacher had left, and the classroom remained quiet. There were no strange looks, nor did anyone dare to give her any. Wang Hu from the front row passed her a note.

[We believe in you. If they still dare to bully you, our class won’t take it lying down.]

Shi Wangui couldn’t help but smile. These two friends had known her since middle school, they were her closest friends, the kind you keep for life.

Just then, she felt a bit dizzy. Perhaps she had overthought things the night before and slept too late, leaving her exhausted now. Since morning self-study wasn’t particularly important anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to catch up on some sleep.

With that, Shi Wangui laid her head down. Everyone else assumed she was upset over the injustice she had suffered. Her hair covered her face, so no one noticed anything unusual.

But as the class period passed, Shi Wangui still hadn’t moved. Wen Youren, who had been doing homework beside her, sensed something was wrong. She discreetly touched Shi Wangui’s hand. Though she couldn’t discern much from the touch, she could tell something was off with her body.

Wen Youren brushed Shi Wangui’s hair aside and placed a hand on her forehead. Sure enough, she was running a fever.

Shi Wangui, who had been drifting in and out of sleep, suddenly felt the touch and let out a faint, resistant murmur before burying her face deeper into her arms.

“Teacher,” Wen Youren suddenly raised her hand, interrupting the math teacher’s lecture.

The math teacher adjusted his glasses and asked, “Is something the matter, Wen Youren?”

Wen Youren glanced at Shi Wangui and said, “My deskmate has a fever.”

Hearing this, the math teacher immediately stepped down from the podium and felt Shi Wangui’s forehead. It was indeed burning hot. However, they were in the middle of covering a crucial topic, and with midterm exams approaching, every minute was precious for the students.

“Take her to the infirmary,” the math teacher said. He had initially considered asking Teacher Wang to take her, but remembering that Teacher Wang had classes of her own, he turned his gaze to Wen Youren, who was closest to Shi Wangui. “Call us if anything happens.”

“Teacher, I’ll go,” Sun Yi interrupted their conversation. “Let Wen Youren stay in class.”

The math teacher thought this was a reasonable suggestion. Since they were covering new material, it was better if someone volunteered rather than being assigned.

But Wen Youren refused. “It’s fine. She is my deskmate, after all. I’ll take her.”

With that, she gently shook Shi Wangui awake and, while the latter was still dazed, took her hand and led her out of the classroom.

Although Shi Wangui was running a fever, she could still tell it was class time. The corridors were empty, yet Wen Youren was leading her out of the classroom so openly, skipping class had never felt so brazen.

“Hey, what are you doing? You might want to skip class, but I don’t,” Shi Wangui snapped with all her strength, trying to sound fierce.

“Hearing you say you don’t want to skip class is truly rare,” Wen Youren stopped walking, his tone cold. “You have a fever. The teacher asked me to take you to the infirmary.”

Hearing this, Shi Wangui suddenly became aware of how unwell she felt her head throbbed, her throat ached. It was strange; just moments ago, she hadn’t noticed any of it.

She fell silent and followed him to the infirmary.

The school nurse took her temperature: 39°C, a high fever.

Shi Wangui was forced to lie down on the bed. Dazed and bleary-eyed, she seemed to grit her teeth as she watched the needle pierce her skin.

It really hurt.

Perhaps the fever had exhausted her completely, because she fell asleep almost as soon as she lay down.

When she woke again, the IV drip had finished. Wen Youren was sitting on a nearby stool, doing homework.

How could anyone love studying that much?

Noticing she was awake, Wen Youren packed his things and asked, “Are you going back to class or to the dorm?”

Shi Wangui sat up weakly and murmured, “How much?”

Wen Youren: “What?”

Blushing, she repeated, “I mean, how much did the treatment cost?”

After a brief silence, Wen Youren replied, “Medical care at school is free.”

Shi Wangui’s eyes widened in disbelief. This was her first time being treated at the school infirmary, and she hadn’t expected such a benefit. She mumbled softly, “Oh.”

It was almost noon. The IV had taken two hours, and she had slept through the morning. Wen Youren hadn’t returned to class but had stayed by her side, doing homework.

As the class bell rang, signaling the start of the last period, Wen Youren asked again, “Dorm or classroom?”

Shi Wangui chose the dorm. Her grades weren’t great anyway, and she felt utterly exhausted. Better to go back and sleep. “Dorm.”

Wen Youren thought for a moment. “Do you need me to walk you back?”

“Ugh,” Shi Wangui instinctively grimaced, then remembered this unfamiliar deskmate had helped her. “No, I can go by myself.”

Wen Youren glanced sideways at her, then lightly touched her forehead. The fever hadn’t fully subsided. “Are you sure you can make it on your own?”

Shi Wangui nodded firmly. “Yes.”

Without another word, Wen Youren accompanied her toward the dorm.

Seeing him veer away from the direction of their classroom, Shi Wangui reminded him, “You should go back.”

Calmly, he replied, “I’m afraid you’ll collapse on the way. If you die, I’ll be held responsible.”

Shi Wangui: “…”

He really can’t say anything nice like a dog that can’t spit out ivory. I bet he just wants to skip class. The last period is with the homeroom teacher, whose lessons are so fast even top students struggle to keep up.

Well, since you’ve taken care of me all day, I’ll pretend you’re skipping class and help you out. For now, your score is -97 points.

Upon reaching the dorm, Shi Wangui went straight to bed. She was exhausted her body felt limp, and her head throbbed as if it might explode. If she didn’t fall asleep soon, she feared she might faint. Autumn illnesses struck fiercely, giving no warning, leaving her whole body aching as if she’d rolled over a bed of nails.

Wen Youren hadn’t returned to class either, choosing instead to stay in the dorm and continue studying at her desk. Shi Wangui found it strange they were only in their first year of high school, and the teachers hadn’t assigned much homework, yet Wen Youren seemed like a perpetual motion machine, her pen never stopping.

Shi Wangui slept until school ended in the afternoon, the hours of rest nearly equaling two days’ worth of sleep. When she opened her eyes, the dorm was empty except Wen Youren couldn’t have left, because her backpack was still hanging on the chair.

Dangling from Wen Youren’s backpack was a small white dog keychain, a plush toy with nothing else around it. The toy was clean, its fur swaying in the breeze as if waving hello to Shi Wangui.

“You’re awake,” Wen Youren said as she returned and saw Shi Wangui sitting on the bed in a daze. “Still feverish?”

The question snapped Shi Wangui out of her trance, and she focused her gaze on Wen Youren. Wen Youren must have just come back from the cafeteria, as she was carrying dinner in her hand. Outside in the hallway, occasional footsteps echoed, it was after school.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Shi Wangui replied. She hadn’t realized how unwell she felt until she heard the heavy nasal tone in her voice and noticed how sore her throat had become.

Wen Youren paused for a moment, then placed a container of congee on Shi Wangui’s desk. “I bought some congee. If you have the strength, come down and eat. If not, just keep sleeping.”

Having eaten nothing all day, Shi Wangui was starving. Even if she lacked the energy, she needed to get something into her stomach. Struggling, she made her way to her chair. The congee was still hot, and Wen Youren had also bought a boiled egg though Shi Wangui preferred tea eggs.

She took a few casual sips of the congee, the warmth soothing her throat slightly. Looking up, she said, “Thank you. How much do I owe you?”

Medical care might be free, but buying congee certainly wasn’t. Shi Wangui didn’t want to owe Wen Youren anything, they were rivals, after all. No matter how kind the gesture, they were still enemies.

Wen Youren continued with her homework. Not only had she taken a day off for Shi Wangui, but she’d also taken one for herself. She had already covered most of the first-year curriculum and wouldn’t pay much attention in class anyway, so she figured she might as well stay in the dorm and focus on her assignments.

“No need. I’m not so broke that I’d take money from my little sister for a bowl of congee,” Wen Youren said lightly.

Hearing the words “little sister,” Shi Wangui immediately bristled. “Who’s your little sister?” she croaked, her voice hoarse and strained, sounding like Donald Duck.

Even the usually stoic Wen Youren couldn’t help covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. “Maybe you should stop talking.”

Shi Wangui: “…”

Points for bringing food: -96.
Points for mocking me: -100.

Fortunately, Shi Wangui didn’t have a habit of keeping a grudge notebook. If she did, one percent of the entries would contain something nice about Wen Youren, while the remaining ninety-nine percent would be curses directed at her.

Shi Wangui fell silent. Her throat hurt, and speaking only made it worse. She could only sip her congee quietly.

At this moment, Wang Yuyuan and Liang Jie also returned. The boarding students at No. 8 Middle School had an hour and a half of rest time in the afternoon, which could be used for eating, bathing, or enjoying a moment of leisure.

As soon as Wang Yuyuan opened the dormitory door, she saw the two people inside. Without saying a word, she instinctively opened her bag and began rummaging through it.

After confirming that nothing was missing, she said, “Shi Wangui, you!”

Smack! Before she could finish, Shi Wangui slammed her chopsticks on the table. Already feeling unwell from her illness, the chattering nearby only irritated her further.

Wang Yuyuan grew fearful and fell silent. Liang Jie had no choice but to step in and pull Wang Yuyuan out of the room. Staying in the dorm was no longer an option, she didn’t want a potential fight to affect her chances of awards or honors.

After they left, Shi Wangui picked up her chopsticks again and continued drinking her porridge. In no time, she finished the entire bowl.

She prepared to rest a bit more in bed and noticed Wen Youren was still doing her homework. She asked, “Why haven’t you gone to class yet?”

Wen Youren replied calmly, “I asked for leave.”

“I bet you just want to skip class,” Shi Wangui muttered under her breath as she turned over and pulled up the covers. “Probably using the excuse, I gave.”

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