“W-what’s wrong?” Siyuan Liangxiang asked. Thinking she’d said something wrong, she hurriedly grabbed a tissue and went to wipe Lin Cun’an clean.

“No, it’s nothing…”

Lin Cun’an thought, He passed out because his brain got stuffed♂ full of all that sudden information. How did the doctor conclude it was heatstroke? Or did he get heatstroke while his brain was being stuffed full?

Holy crap, this body’s seriously weak…

“Sorry for the trouble. I’ll do it,” Lin Cun’an said.

Siyuan Liangxiang stood up and carefully wiped the damp blanket and the front of Lin Cun’an’s shirt.

They were very close. Lin Cun’an felt that if they moved any closer, his nose would brush against her black hair.

“No need to be polite.”

Siyuan Liangxiang lowered her bright eyes and wiped him down with great care. “Thanks to you, we avoided getting tricked by Aiyuan Dahe today. Otherwise, Bu and I definitely would’ve fallen for it…”

“Speaking of which, Bu… where’s Songyuan?”

“Oh, he said he was hungry, so he went to find something to eat… Is anything wet here?” Siyuan Liangxiang had finished wiping the damp spot on Lin Cun’an’s front.

She began checking the area beside his pillow.

“I don’t think there’s anything here…” Lin Cun’an had only just answered when—

Siyuan Liangxiang touched the lever that adjusted the bed’s backrest.

Lin Cun’an had just tilted the backrest to a 45-degree angle so he could sit more comfortably.

The moment Siyuan Liangxiang touched it, the bed went—clunk—and flattened out to 180 degrees.

Lin Cun’an was fine. He simply tipped over with the bed and lay back down.

“Ah…” Siyuan Liangxiang let out a startled cry, and her whole weight landed on Lin Cun’an’s chest.

Their chests pressed together…

Lin Cun’an remembered that familiar sensation. Before he’d completely lost consciousness, he’d felt his cheek sink into something soft and squishy… Which meant…

Face·wash·milk?

Come to think of it, though Siyuan Liangxiang was tall and slender, a combination that seemed at odds with the word “curvy,” Lin Cun’an had seen her whole body in doujinshi before. She was pretty well-endowed… No wonder it felt like that.

“A-are you okay?” Lin Cun’an forced himself upright and asked. This was bad… If this kept up, even the lower half of him might start standing at attention.

“…Liangxiang, what are you doing?”

Siyuan Liangxiang hadn’t had time to lift her head and answer when—

Her childhood friend, Songyuan Bu, spoke from the hospital room doorway.

Siyuan Liangxiang sprang up like a carp leaping out of water. She lifted her face, straightened her entire body, and stood ramrod straight.

“I-I wasn’t doing anything…” Her snow-white cheeks were bright red. As if trying to convince Songyuan Bu, she stared straight at him, then stole the tiniest glance at Lin Cun’an. He, on the other hand, was remarkably calm.

“Songyuan, don’t get the wrong idea,” Lin Cun’an said. “I just accidentally shot—cough, sprayed a little water. Siyuan was helping me clean it up, and then she accidentally touched the bed’s adjustment switch.”

He looked perfectly calm, but after accidentally making a bit of physical contact with Siyuan Liangxiang, he’d already silently recited the “holy scripture” five times: “One day, with a blade in hand, I’ll slaughter every NTR bastard under heaven.”

“Th-that’s exactly what happened,” Siyuan Liangxiang said.

“…Oh, is that so?” Songyuan Bu snickered. “I thought Liangxiang had fallen for you and thrown herself into your arms… She might not look it, but Liangxiang’s got a bit of a thing for heroes.”

“S-shut up!” Siyuan Liangxiang snapped. “Bu, if you keep saying stupid things… just you wait…”

Wow, you…

“X-Xiao Lin, why are you looking at me like I’m trash…?” Songyuan Bu could tell Lin Cun’an was glaring at him.

No wonder he kept getting cucked with an attitude like that.

And he’d just left his childhood friend alone with Lin Cun’an, then came back and started saying stuff like that… During the fight earlier, Liangxiang had even been the one protecting him.

Honestly, without this dead weight, Lin Cun’an figured Siyuan Liangxiang could’ve handled that gang of punks just fine—fighting as she retreated, backing herself into a corner with nowhere to go, and still coming out on top…

Looks like he’d need to knock some sense into him later.

“Those guys ran off this time, but there’s no guarantee they won’t come back for revenge. You’d better be careful,” Lin Cun’an warned.

Songyuan Bu hunched his shoulders and looked at Siyuan Liangxiang hopefully. “…Liangxiang, what should we do? Should we call the police?”

“There’s no point calling the police now. Before, we could’ve reported them for assault with a weapon. If the police don’t catch them in the act, all they can do is give them a verbal warning,” Lin Cun’an said.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect Bu,” Siyuan Liangxiang said with a soft smile, though her expression was firm. “Just like always.”

“Liangxiang…”

Siyuan Liangxiang was definitely a strong fighter, but she was so naive that she was easy to fool. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have fallen for Aiyuan Dahe’s trap in the original story.

Lin Cun’an thought it over.

As he was thinking, Siyuan Liangxiang was also considering something.

“If anything happens, call me—” Lin Cun’an had just started to say when Siyuan Liangxiang spoke at the same time:

“For the next few days, Xiao Lin, you should come with me—”

They both stopped speaking at once.

After a brief pause, Siyuan Liangxiang quickly explained, “I’m worried they’ll come after you, Xiao Lin. So for now, why don’t we go to and from school together? That way, we can look out for each other…”

As she spoke, she pressed her lips together.

She’d heard what Lin Cun’an said, too.

She hadn’t expected Xiao Lin to think about her and Bu before worrying about his own safety.

Xiao Lin looked so frail, and yet…

She clenched her fist.

“B-but Liangxiang, you can’t handle that many people by yourself, can you?” Songyuan Bu said worriedly.

“Then I guess it depends on whether you can get stronger, Bu.”

Compared to Xiao Lin, who was willing to take responsibility, Bu seemed to do nothing but dump his problems on her… He’d always been like that, ever since they were kids, and Siyuan Liangxiang was more or less used to it. Still, it was a little disappointing.

Siyuan Liangxiang shook her head, pushing those silly thoughts aside.

“It’s fine. We’ll figure something out, just like we did today.” As he spoke, Lin Cun’an threw off the blanket and tried to get up.

“…Xiao Lin? Shouldn’t you lie down a little longer?” Siyuan Liangxiang asked anxiously.

Was he really thinking of leaving the hospital already? The doctor had said there was no serious problem, but Siyuan Liangxiang still thought they should keep an eye on him for a while.

Or was Lin Cun’an more of a tough guy than he looked?

“Uh…” Lin Cun’an scratched the back of his head as he got dressed, looking a little embarrassed. “…The hospital bed fee’s pretty expensive, isn’t it?”

According to the newly added “orphan” setting, his family was dirt poor. He could barely get by on the money his aunt sent from Hawaii, where she was working.

Damn, things really had gotten rough for him, folks.

Looks like he’d have to find a way to earn some cash…

…

…