It was because of the scrape that Yun Mi’s old injury had flared up, causing her arm to spasm.
Yun Mi silently used her uniform sleeve to cover the unsightly wound.
Knowing he was asking her, Yun Mi asked, “What’s it to you?”
The girl looked down, completely lacking the tenderness she’d shown when comforting Ding Yuan.
Just cold.
With resentment.
Chen Yiyang raised an eyebrow, walked over, and stood against the wall not far away.
The boy had long arms and legs, his hands with distinct joints tucked into his pockets, his blue school pants emphasizing straight calves, creating clean lines. An intense presence, along with his dry and clean scent, made Yun Mi feel his heat even from a distance.
It was just a small injury. Yun Mi didn’t want to waste words with him. “Aren’t we supposed to not know each other?”
Chen Yiyang didn’t reply.
Yun Mi adhered to the principle “if the enemy doesn’t move, I move.” She silently picked up her water cup and stood up.
But the moment she moved, the boy slightly lifted his eyes, cutting to the chase. “Wen Liangyu told me to take care of you. She’d be angry if she knew.”
Oh, so that’s why he came to check on her.
But you actually remember that?!
Yun Mi paused mid-rise, snorted inwardly, and sat back down for Aunt Wen’s sake. She told the truth, “Just getting a shot, not even needing stitches. No need to tell Aunt Wen. Don’t worry.”
Chen Yiyang squinted. He could see it was indeed a tiny wound, the size of a fingernail.
Yun Mi still remembered to keep her distance at school. “You’ve asked your questions now. The scumbag can leave. Goodbye.”
She muttered to herself, expecting the bad-tempered guy to get angry.
But unexpectedly, Chen Yiyang laughed.
A light laugh, a breath of air.
Chen Yiyang hadn’t expected Yun Mi to be so easy to talk to.
He took off his jacket, revealing a black long-sleeve shirt underneath. It looked loose, yet radiated a restrained and upright bearing. His arm, somewhat confined, bent as he pulled something from his school pants pocket.
Yun Mi paused, hearing unhurried footsteps. She slowly looked up to meet the boy’s dark eyes.
Chen Yiyang knew from Wen Liangyu that Yun Mi liked milk candy. Coincidentally, he had one here.
“I thought you were going to cry.”
A White Rabbit creamy candy dropped into her palm from his hand, the warm temperature transmitted through the white wrapper.
But Yun Mi felt as if she’d been burned. Her breathing slowed.
“Consider it a reward.”
Yun Mi froze, hesitantly looking up.
The school clinic’s intercom called for her tetanus shot.
Chen Yiyang bargained, “Don’t tell Wen Liangyu.”
Yun Mi wasn’t used to being quietly taken care of like this, feeling uncomfortable all over. She looked up and frowned, “I…”
Chen Yiyang interrupted, “I’ll go pay the fee.”
The school clinic was usually quiet. Two female school nurses were chatting at the payment counter when they saw a boy in uniform come to pay with medicine packaging.
One nurse said, “Total is seventy-two. WeChat or Alipay?”
Chen Yiyang’s gaze swept over the precautions on the packaging, his brows slightly furrowed. “Isn’t she on her period? Can she use this?”
“Oh, the kid is quite attentive.” Caught off guard by the unexpected question, the nurse paused, then laughed. She looked down, scanning the barcode, assuming Chen Yiyang was checking medication contraindications, and snatched the box from his hand. “Beep,” the scan was done. She looked up, replying, “Don’t worry, it’s fine. We asked. That girl isn’t on her period.”
She looked him over, a hint of teasing in her tone. “Being so careful—is she your crush?”
The nurse tossed the scanned packaging into the trash bin, turning to joke with her colleague, “Kids these days, so meticulous, much more precocious than we were.”
The two nurses laughed together.
Chen Yiyang stood frozen. Memories flashed rapidly, the light and shadow cutting across the teenager’s face as if connecting a broken logical link.
She could get the shot.
Yun Mi had lied to him.
The nurse noticed his expression. “Do you need something else? Are you unwell too?”
The boy pulled back his phone, dropping his gaze with a light scoff.
The nurse teased, “Maybe you want to wait for your ‘girlfriend’?”
Chen Yiyang glanced at the girl in the injection room, holding her sleeve. He said, “Paid,” and left.
-
Yun Mi was afraid of needles. As a child, she was often sick, and taking medicine, getting shots, and IV drips were routine. Her mother always had to coax her to go to the hospital.
Coming out of the injection room, she looked for Chen Yiyang. Her right hand clutched the White Rabbit candy, her heart softening. She wanted to thank him.