The feeling of heartbreak. Mu Yao’s feelings for Nangong Ruihui hadn’t reached the point where she wanted to stick to him all day, but seeing him like this still made her worry. She could only pray that nothing bad had happened.

At this moment, Nangong Ruihui’s breathing was already growing weaker...

...

“School nurse, how is he? Is he okay?!” Mu Yao’s brows were tightly knotted together. Her legs trembled slightly after forcing herself to carry Nangong Ruihui, who was heavier than her, for several hundred meters.

“President Nangong is fine. Sleep deprivation, emotional distress, depression, and weakness and anemia caused by not eating enough meat. Let him sleep here until he wakes up naturally. You stay and take care of him. I’ll explain the situation to your teacher for you,” the school nurse said, both hands tucked into the pockets of her white coat.

“I understand... Thank you, school nurse~” Mu Yao nodded politely.

“Oh, right.” The nurse had already turned and taken two steps, but then came back to Mu Yao. “Looks like you two are pretty close, right? There’s no one else here, so let me tell you something in private.”

“President Nangong’s condition isn’t serious right now, but from now on, you need to keep a closer eye on him. If you let minor illnesses drag on, they can turn into major ones. He can’t be picky with food, needs more rest, and should relax and have fun once in a while. Otherwise, he’ll ‘stagnate’ again next time. And each time will be worse than the last.”

“I’ve seen a few patients like President Nangong before. Most of them had autism or social anxiety. President Nangong doesn’t necessarily have those, but he is definitely pushing himself past his limits. ‘Stagnation’ is very painful. Those two words mean someone is right on the edge of repression and collapse.”

“...‘Stagnation,’ huh. Don’t worry, school nurse. I’ll do as you said,” Mu Yao agreed.

Before leaving, the nurse pulled the curtain shut to block the light falling on the bed, so Nangong Ruihui could rest properly.

Sitting by the bedside, Mu Yao used the back of her hand to check Nangong Ruihui’s forehead. He had a slight fever, so she couldn’t help pulling the blanket a little higher over him. The nurse had said the fever would go down after he woke up.

The emotional distress was because of Xia Xi’s provocation. As for not eating meat, Mu Yao knew that already. Last time at Nangong Ruihui’s house, she’d seen him leave the bacon untouched at breakfast. He’d mentioned it to her before too.

‘Could the insomnia and depression be because of me?’

The thought flashed through her mind, but Mu Yao shook her head. It didn’t seem likely. She was so reasonable. If Nangong Ruihui had taken her angry words seriously, there was nothing she could do about that. Besides, he’d been so cold to her last night. It couldn’t possibly be because of her.

Looking at Nangong Ruihui lying there motionless like a corpse, Mu Yao couldn’t summon even a trace of schadenfreude. She just wanted him to wake up soon. Even if the first thing he did after waking up was bully her, that would still be fine.

Mu Yao knew clearly, like a mirror in her heart, exactly how Nangong Ruihui had treated her all this time. He always took care of her without making a show of it. He was willing to crouch down and help her put on her shoes. He’d chased off the thug. He hadn’t made her pay for the expensive blue-and-white porcelain. In fact, later on, he hadn’t even made her keep working as a maid.

He was a good person. If possible, Mu Yao still wanted to ask what had been going on with Nangong Ruihui lately. She hoped they could make up.

“Yao... Yaoyao...”

Nangong Ruihui’s weak voice was caught by Mu Yao, who had been focusing intently on him. She leaned closer and found that he wasn’t awake. He was just mumbling in his sleep.

“Oh? Calling me again? Did you dream about bullying me or something? You hopeless jerk.” Mu Yao crossed her arms and let out a helpless sigh.

“Yaoyao... I’m so cold. Hug... want a hug...” Nangong Ruihui murmured softly, his lips parting slightly.

“? Excuse me? I’ve totally seen through you! So after bullying me, you really are having ideas about my body, huh?! I’m telling you, Nangong Ruihui, I’d rather die than hug you, so give up already! I am—a real man!”

She wasn’t afraid of Nangong Ruihui hearing her. He was unconscious anyway. It wasn’t like he was going to suddenly sit bolt upright from his sickbed.

“Cold...” Nangong Ruihui’s voice started to tremble.

“Fine. I seriously don’t know what to do with you. You’ve got a low fever and you’re still saying you’re cold. If I ever find out you were lying to me, just wait...”

After taking off her outerwear, Mu Yao climbed onto the bed and lay down beside Nangong Ruihui. There was only one blanket in the infirmary. She couldn’t think of any other way to warm him up.

Mu Yao really resisted the idea. Before, when she kissed his cheek and pressed herself against him, it was because she wanted him to like her, just to prove that his claim that she had no charm was nonsense.

And also to disgust him. One day, when he found out she was actually a boy, he’d probably be sick to his stomach. Since they were keeping up appearances, she might as well commit to the act all the way.

But now, there was no need for that at all. Was she doing this out of sympathy? Friendship? Or some other feeling...? Mu Yao found herself at a loss.

This was a bed. Two boys hugging each other in bed—even if it wasn’t ambiguous, what kind of sight was that supposed to be?

Nangong Ruihui had gone quiet. Mu Yao mentally slapped herself twice to wake up, steeled herself, then reached over with one arm and one leg and turned sideways to hug Nangong Ruihui tightly.

“So warm...”

“Are you really asleep...” Mu Yao rolled her eyes, then drifted off to sleep too.

Nangong Ruihui carried a scent somewhere between floral and fresh. It made Mu Yao’s heart restless, and it took her quite a while before she finally fell asleep.

When he woke up, she was definitely going to say something to him. Last time she asked, he insisted he wasn’t wearing perfume. As if. He was probably just embarrassed for people to find out a guy had the unusual habit of using perfume...

...

After getting enough sleep, Mu Yao sat up and looked at the clock on the wall. Two hours had passed. Looks like she’d have to sleep a little less tonight.

She touched Nangong Ruihui’s forehead. The temperature wasn’t high anymore, and he’d even broken into a slight sweat. Mu Yao let out a breath of relief.

“Ruihui? You’re still not awake? You big sleepyhead. Usually it’s either class or student council work for you. This time you finally get the chance to sleep properly, and now you won’t wake up. Seriously.”

Staring at Nangong Ruihui, Mu Yao realized something was a little off with her. His lips looked strangely alluring, almost as if they were tempting her... the kind of temptation a girl gives a boy.

‘Crap, have I been around him so long that I’m starting to think he looks delicate and handsome!? But he already is delicate and handsome. No, wait, how can I think that? I can’t think he’s sexy. Absolutely not!’

...In the end, she still couldn’t resist. Driven by curiosity, Mu Yao’s finger quickly brushed across Nangong Ruihui’s lower lip, then she hurriedly pulled her hand back to her chest, flustered beyond belief.

She was also pretty curious about his chest muscles, so she poked lightly at the side with her hand. The feeling was strange. Firm, but also a little soft, kind of like poking a steamed bun through its wrapper. It wasn’t quite like the rock-hard muscles Mu Yao had imagined. She figured maybe he just hadn’t trained enough.

After poking his chest, she noticed a clear bit of liquid at the corner of Nangong Ruihui’s mouth and wanted to wipe it away for him. Seriously, how old was he already, and he still drooled in his sleep?

Right at that moment, Nangong Ruihui’s eyes snapped open. He grabbed Mu Yao’s little hand, which had been about to continue its “crime,” and pinned down half her body—

“Classmate Mu Yao, what exactly are you doing?”