No One Else Will Do But You - Chapter 8

The mock exam was about to begin.

Students were entering their assigned test rooms one after another, all with serious expressions on their faces. They were taking this exam very seriously.

“Shu Luo, are you okay?” Zhang Feiyang gently patted his back.

Since he had eaten breakfast, he hadn’t been well all morning. He had been throwing up and had diarrhea.

Shu Luo waved his hand, his face pale, and weakly said, “I’m fine. I’ll be okay after I’ve thrown up some more.”

As soon as he said that, he threw up again.

“Hey, does Jiang Mu know?”

“He doesn’t know. Don’t tell him.” Shu Luo didn’t want to affect Jiang Mu’s exam.

Zhang Feiyang pursed his lips. “Why didn’t you say it would affect me, too…”

“Ah, well, you found out anyway. I wanted to keep a low profile,” Shu Luo said with a smile, still looking carefree.

Zhang Feiyang looked at him with a disgusted expression, but he was still a little worried. “What did you eat this morning? Why are you throwing up so much? Don’t you usually eat at home?”

“This morning… my dad made it.”

“Was it good?”

“N-No, it wasn’t.”

“Wow, what did your uncle make for you? The power is too much.”

Shu Luo was speechless. He wanted to know, too… What on earth did his dad make for him? He couldn’t even tell.

“There are fifteen minutes until the exam begins. All students, please return to your seats as soon as possible and wait for the exam to start.”

Hearing the announcement, Shu Luo quickly washed his face, and rubbed some essential oil on his forehead, neck, and behind his ears to feel a little better.

Zhang Feiyang watched him anxiously. Before he left, he was still a little worried. “Are you really okay?”

“I’m fine. Go take the exam. I’ve thrown up everything, and I didn’t eat much this morning anyway.”

As he walked down the hallway, he saw Jiang Mu in a test room, sitting by the window and organizing his stationery.

Jiang Mu looked up and saw Shu Luo, but he frowned. Why is his face so pale?

“Hey!” Shu Luo waved at him.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Shu Luo’s expression froze for a moment, then he pretended to be in a hurry. “Oh, the exam is about to start! I have to go!” So he ran away, feeling guilty, taking a few shaky steps as he went.

Jiang Mu’s frown deepened.

At Shu Luo’s house…

“Oh my god! Shu Yizhi, did you heat up this pancake for Luo Luo to eat?!”

Shu’s mom looked at the mess of dishes and the slightly moldy scallion pancake, completely distraught.

“Yes, what’s wrong?” Shu’s dad was still calm, looking like he had no idea what had happened.

Shu’s mom slammed her hand on the table in anger. “And you went to so much school! Don’t you know that eating moldy things can cause vomiting and diarrhea? Luo Luo has an exam today!”

Seeing Shu’s mom’s frantic face, Shu’s dad was too shocked to speak. Oh no, he didn’t eat it himself because he doesn’t like pancakes, but Luo Luo did… Oh, this is not good.

“Then what should we do?”

Shu’s mom was too angry to speak. She had thought that by sleeping in, his dad could handle everything, but apparently not!

“We’ll see how Luo Luo is when he gets back. I have no idea how you manage your life outside. It was just one breakfast.”

Shu’s dad: “…” It was just a mistake. I’m not usually like this.

The two-hour Chinese exam felt fast for the serious students, but for the miserable ones, it was an agony.

“Oh my goodness, this is so hard.”

As soon as Shu Luo handed in his paper, he collapsed onto his desk, his spirits low. He had felt nauseous the whole time, his stomach churning. He had already gone to the bathroom once, and to avoid making the teacher suspicious, he hadn’t gone again. By now, he was completely drained.

“Luo Luo.”

Shu Luo looked up and saw Jiang Mu standing in front of him.

“Zhang Feiyang told me. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Shu Luo looked at Jiang Mu’s gloomy face again and couldn’t help but shiver. Why does it always feel like I’m the one who did something wrong? I’m innocent!

“Well… didn’t I not want to affect your exam?”

Jiang Mu’s lips curved into a cold smile. “It already affected me.”

Oh no, this dialogue sounds familiar.

Shu Luo immediately pretended to be in a bad state and flopped back onto his desk. “Oh, I’m dizzy, and my stomach hurts…”

Jiang Mu’s brows furrowed, and he immediately pulled him up, ready to carry him on his back.

Shu Luo hadn’t expected him to be so direct and didn’t know how to react.

Jiang Mu was much taller and stronger than Shu Luo, so it was an easy task to carry him.

“Um, Jiang Mu, I actually feel a lot better.”

“Talk less.” Jiang Mu’s voice was cold, just like the time Shu Luo brought him his jersey.

Jiang Mu carried him to the infirmary, where the school nurse was still there.

“Oh, what’s wrong?” The nurse, a middle-aged woman, asked gently.

Jiang Mu glanced at Shu Luo, who had no choice but to swallow and honestly explain, “I’ve been throwing up and having diarrhea since I had breakfast this morning.”

The nurse listened with her stethoscope, then frowned. “What did you eat this morning?”

“Uh… a very strange-tasting scallion pancake.”

The nurse nodded. “It might be gastroenteritis. It’s better to go to the hospital for a blood test. In the future, it’s better to eat clean breakfast. Don’t eat breakfast from outside; it’s unsanitary. If you can, try to eat at home.”

Shu Luo looked like he had learned his lesson, but his heart was screaming. What a terrible dad! Shu Yizhi, how can you be a father?! The nurse said to eat at home, but I got gastroenteritis from eating at home! It’s so unsafe! Where can I even eat?! I’m suffering and I can’t even tell!

Luckily, his body was in pretty good shape. He had thrown up and had diarrhea in the morning, and now he was just weak, but he wasn’t throwing up or having diarrhea anymore.

After leaving the infirmary, Jiang Mu carried Shu Luo again.

“Jiang Mu, aren’t we going to look strange like this?”

“Strange how?”

“Only couples carry each other, or family.”

“Am I not your dad?”

“…”

Shu Luo was speechless.

Jiang Mu smiled, but then he said seriously, “From now on, if something happens, you have to tell me. Anything at all, just don’t hide it from me.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think?”

Shu Luo wiggled on his back. “You care about me, right?”

Jiang Mu seemed to feel the vibration of Shu Luo’s chest on his back as he spoke, resonating with his own heartbeat.

The person on his back wasn’t heavy, but he had a feeling that he wanted him to stay on his back forever, a very special feeling.

“If you don’t say anything, that’s a yes. So you’re not allowed to scold me when I tell you things from now on.”

“Why would I scold you?” Jiang Mu was puzzled by his words.

“Because every time something happens, you get that angry look on your face like you want to scold me. You did it last time, and you almost did it again this time.”

Jiang Mu forcefully lifted the sliding figure on his back and walked straight toward the school gate without saying another word.

Shu Luo was the only one still chattering on his back, listing all his “crimes.”

How could that be a scolding?