CHAPTER 353: 147 RIPPLING SPRING WATER, FLUTTERING SPRING HEART

"Achoo." Shen You’an suddenly sneezed.

In an instant, more than half of the class’s eyes turned towards her.

Shen You’an rubbed her nose, her mind in a fog, body sore and aching.

It seemed that when taking photos this morning, she wore too little and caught a cold.

Her constitution hadn’t recovered; even a minor cold could be life-threatening.

Ignoring the gazes around her, Shen You’an put down her pen, rested her head on her arms, and drifted into a daze.

In the afternoon, there was a PE class. According to the schedule, it was tennis this time, but Shen You’an took leave and slept over her desk.

"An’an, are you having a cold? Shall I take you to the nurse’s office?"

As soon as class ended, Gao Yuyue enthusiastically ran over.

Shen You’an didn’t lift her head, dismissively waved her hand, "I’m fine, just need some sleep. You should go to class."

Zhang Zirui, the sports committee member, was tallying the numbers, calling out Gao Yuyue’s name.

Gao Yuyue glanced worriedly at Shen You’an, and then walked out.

Practical PE classes and credits were linked; if not for special circumstances, no one would miss them.

Shen You’an was different; she could stabilize her credits through grades alone and didn’t care about a few PE credits.

Midway through the class, Shen You’an opened her eyes, gazing out at the gym through the window.

In front of the gym’s floor-to-ceiling windows, several running figures came and went.

Under the blue sky and setting sun, youth and vitality were fully displayed.

After lying down for a while, feeling a slight return of strength, Shen You’an lifted her head and was taken aback.

On the table in front of her lay a blue thermos cup. A pink bunny was embroidered on its cup sleeve, the bunny showing its sharp teeth, with a strawberry hairpin on its head.

Shen You’an’s heart suddenly felt as if it had been struck by something.

Her fingers caressed the bunny embroidery, her gaze tender as if it would drip water.

She was born in the year of the rabbit.

Since childhood, she had no resistance to creatures like rabbits.

Upon opening the thermos, a slightly sweet and bitter medicinal aroma wafted out.

It was a packet of cold medicine.

Shen You’an looked up; the classroom was empty, no one had been there.

She picked up the thermos and found a sticky note on its back.

Tidy and powerful handwriting leapt into view.

—Drink the medicine. I’ve asked Mr. Meng for leave on your behalf. Go home for an early rest.

The boy’s handwriting was too recognizable, having practiced running script since childhood. While he was silent and low-key, his writing was completely opposite, vivid, sharp, and full of spirit.

Shen You’an read it several times, and casually slipped the sticky note into her notebook, picked up the thermos. The temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold.

Warm medicine flowed down her throat, into her stomach, decomposing into glucose through the digestive tract, absorbed by the blood vessels, distributing energy to every cell in her body through the bloodstream.

After finishing a cup of medicine, Shen You’an felt her chilled limbs regain some warmth, her body no longer in discomfort, and picked up her pen to continue her exercises.

As class was about to end, Gao Yuyue rushed in, holding a box of cold medicine.

She plopped down in Gu Bichen’s seat, reaching to touch Shen You’an’s forehead.

"Luckily, no fever."

"I just got a box of cold medicine from the nurse’s office. I’ll get you a cup of hot water..."

Gao Yuyue absentmindedly picked up the blue thermos on Shen You’an’s desk, suddenly uttered a "huh", and said in surprise, "When did you get a new cup? It’s quite nice."

Gao Yuyue stroked the bunny on the cup sleeve, then suddenly said, "This is a limited edition thermos cup from a collaboration between Warm and Disney for the Chinese zodiac series. Each zodiac is limited to 88 worldwide. I couldn’t even get the Money Tiger; An’an, you’re really lucky, the strawberry bunny is so cute."

Shen You’an was momentarily stunned, "Is it hard to get?"

"Of course, Warm is the best brand for thermos cups globally, and Disney, no need to say. Although the limited edition collaboration is a gimmick, rarity drives up value. Do you know that your thermos cup could go for thousands on the second-hand market and still be hard to get? It’s Warm, warming you up, what could be more fitting for winter?"

Shen You’an pressed her lips together, eyelids slightly lowered, "Really?"

Gao Yuyue suddenly glanced at Shen You’an, "Something’s off, I remember you don’t usually care about these things. Is it a gift from someone? A boy pursuing you? Haha, it’s so corny, a cup for a lifelong bond, quite ambitious."

Shen You’an lowered her eyes and said calmly, "You’re overthinking."

Gao Yuyue pursed her lips, "I’m going to get hot water."

Staring at the paper in front of her, Shen You’an’s hand holding the pen suddenly paused, a symbol written wrongly, leading the subsequent steps astray, resulting in an incorrect answer.

A wave of irritability suddenly welled up within her, her flushed cheeks simmering with heat.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the paper, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into the trash can.

When Gao Yuyue returned with the thermos filled with hot water, she saw Shen You’an bending over to pick up a paper ball from the trash can corner, slowly smoothing it out.

Shen You’an searched her pencil case for correction fluid and began erasing on the paper.

Shen You’an naturally had no need for correction fluid, never using fancy stationery items. Yet Gao Yuyue, shopping at a stationery store, had casually bought two, giving one to Shen You’an.

Gao Yuyue found it strange. Having spent time with Shen You’an, she somewhat understood her; academically, she was incredibly strong, rarely encountering unsolvable problems, and even when faced with tough questions, she was meticulous and never made mistakes.

Correction fluid in Shen You’an’s pencil case was probably useless and could collect dust indefinitely.

But here Shen You’an was, actively using correction fluid on her mistakes, her actions methodical and calm, exuding an air of focused composure.

Once correcting the mistakes, she pondered briefly and resumed writing.

Gao Yuyue looked down at the thermos in her hand, seeing the little bunny with the strawberry hairpin, the more she looked, the more it resembled Shen You’an.

"Scheming man, don’t think you can steal my An’an."

Gao Yuyue muttered a line, walked over with the thermos, and placed it onto Shen You’an’s desk with a "thump."

"Take your medicine."

Shen You’an replied softly, "Thank you."

At that moment, the class ended. Students from PE started trickling back inside, and Gao Yuyue left a sentence, "Wait for me after school."

Then returned to her seat.

Hao Yun and several girls walked in, chatting excitedly, "Couldn’t believe God Liu plays tennis so well, almost like a professional athlete! He was so handsome playing; did you see the muscles revealed in his jersey? Simply perfect..."

"Never expected that God Liu, looking so slim, has such a fine physique..."

"I secretly took some photos; anyone interested?"

"Send them to me quickly; I want to keep them private."

Gao Yuyue rolled her eyes at this group of infatuated girls.

Thinking of something, she instinctively looked back at Shen You’an, who was engrossed in her exercises, seemingly unaware of their conversation, and turned back.

She couldn’t help but say loudly, "Annoying, have you never seen a man before?"

Hao Yun and the others exchanged glances, cautiously closing their mouths.

Yan Lu dashed in, grabbing a water cup from the table and gulping it down.

Closing the lid, she excitedly turned to Shen You’an, "An’an, you missed quite a show this class. My deskmate Liu Runxi plays tennis so well; our coach came from the national team and couldn’t even beat Liu Runxi. Who would have thought he’d be such a hidden athletic talent, incredibly handsome while playing."

Yan Lu really didn’t expect her quiet deskmate to have another side.

Say what you will about Liu Runxi, he was indeed low-key. When the coach had everyone practicing serves, Liu Runxi had wandered off somewhere, and when the coach called names, he wasn’t there. When Liu returned, the coach had intended to reprimand him, challenging him with serves, but Liu effortlessly served a perfect shot, catching the coach’s attention. The coach called over his assistant to spar with Liu Runxi, who utterly dominated them.

The coach joined, and wow, nearly embarrassed himself.

The entire place was buzzing, witnessing the indifferent and taciturn boy’s cold and fierce side; impressed was an understatement.

During a smash, the boy leaped, lifting the edge of his jersey to reveal distinct abs.

Even now, Yan Lu’s ears seemed to echo with the piercing screams of the girls, almost lifting the gym’s glass dome.

She herself couldn’t help but see stars.

That moment, unforgettable, forever unforgettable.

Why did the school heartthrob contest end so soon? If she’d known Liu Runxi had this side, she would have voted like mad in support.

Shen You’an was sipping water from her cup, her lips subtly curling as she listened.

Feeling something, she instinctively looked towards the door.

The boy walked in, his indifferent gaze slightly lifted.

When he noticed the blue cup in the girl’s hand, his calm eyes were like a pond struck by stones, rippling endlessly.

In an instant, all waves stilled, and the world seemed to contain only this one person, rippling out gently like water, the blossoms of April scattered across the earth, stirring the spring waters lightly.

This winter seemed a little less difficult to endure.