CM - 28

Shen Tingwen’s heart pounded the entire way. Though he maintained a calm expression, others could tell how rattled he was.

At the hospital, he pushed his way through the bustling emergency room, asking where Zhou Shuirong was.

The hospital was noisy, filled with solemn faces. Indeed, how many happy occasions bring people to a hospital? Shen Tingwen was like a headless fly, jostled by the crowd. Jing He had told him she was at this hospital, but where was she?

He couldn’t find her; he was going crazy. He was so smart; he clearly had many ways to find a person, but he had forgotten them all.

“Why are you here?”

He sharply turned around and saw Zhou Shuirong. He didn’t care where he was now, or how many people were watching. He rushed over, grabbed her shoulders, checked her front and back, then pulled her into his embrace, saying nothing.

Zhou Shuirong’s chest hurt from his embrace. She pushed him hard: “First, take your hands off me.”

Shen Tingwen didn’t let go.

Zhou Xiyou clicked her tongue behind him: “Did you hug the wrong person, Shen sweetheart? I’m the one who came to the hospital; she just drove me.”

Shen Tingwen looked up at Zhou Xiyou. Her face was pale, her lips dry, and her eyes looked as if they couldn’t stay open. He released Zhou Shuirong and asked her, “You didn’t have a nosebleed?”

Zhou Xiyou walked over and pointed to herself: “Look at her, with her rosy lips and white teeth, does she look like someone who’s lost blood? Can you pick your moments when being so partial?”

Shen Tingwen relaxed.

Zhou Xiyou saw his relaxed demeanor and couldn’t help but say sourly, “So it turns out you don’t dislike girls named Zhou; you just don’t like other girls named Zhou.”

At that time, when she confessed to Shen Tingwen, he didn’t agree. She asked why, and he said, “Because your surname is Zhou.”

She had always thought he disliked anyone named Zhou, but it turned out he just disliked her. Or perhaps, he thought she wasn’t worthy of sharing a surname with the girl he liked. This scoundrel, he couldn’t even pretend, and he unknowingly broke so many hearts.

She wasn’t going to listen to their lovey-dovey talk anymore. She walked towards the door, waving at them with her back turned: “I’m leaving. I need to get some blood back.”

As soon as she left, Shen Tingwen hadn’t even fully enjoyed their brief moment alone when a nurse came over. Zhou Xiyou’s diagnosis certificate had been left on the emergency room bed. Only then did Shen Tingwen realize she had cancer.

Zhou Shuirong briefly explained how she encountered her, then said, “She said that once she joins Li Gun’s band, she can die.”

Shen Tingwen said nothing, closed the diagnosis certificate, and asked her, “Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Zhou Shuirong didn’t eat and walked out.

________________________________________

The school anniversary ended just like that. Zhao Guqing received the award for the most popular performance, finally not disappointing herself. After that day, she sealed everything related to Shen Tingwen in a Pandora’s box and never took it out again.

Zhou Xiyou began receiving treatment, and she also successfully joined Li Gun’s band because of her terminal illness.

On Thursday, the last seating adjustment of the academic year took place. The homeroom teacher fully entrusted the class monitor with the responsibility.

The class monitor proposed two options: one based on monthly exam scores, and one for free choice, then let everyone vote. The result was, as expected, free choice.

Shen Tingwen was tall, and when lining up in the corridor, he was at the very back.

Jing He was beside him, watching students enter the classroom one by one, and asked him, “Are you sitting with Zhou Shuirong?”

Shen Tingwen had his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall, listening to music. His baggy school uniform made him look slender, but it didn’t hide his nobility. Beneath his neat short hair, his closed eyes were also a sight to behold.

There was no shortage of beautiful people in Beijing. This small high school of theirs was a hidden gem, with both male and female students, each with their own unique beauty if you looked closely. But when it came to captivating charisma, Shen Tingwen was unique.

Jing He didn’t understand: “May I ask, what did you see in Zhou Shuirong?”

Shen Tingwen opened his eyes. Zhou Shuirong had already chosen her seat. He slowly walked over and sat beside her.

Zhou Shuirong didn’t even look at him: “Get lost.”

Shen Tingwen’s heart fluttered. He leaned on the desk: “My heart feels uncomfortable; I can’t move.”

“Don’t play dumb with me.”

Shen Tingwen pulled her hand to his chest: “Feel it.”

Zhou Shuirong pulled her hand away: “Don’t play tricks on me, get out!”

Shen Tingwen’s voice was very weak: “Don’t you know you shouldn’t move if your heart feels uncomfortable? If I suddenly drop dead, wouldn’t you be heartbroken?”

Zhou Shuirong scoffed: “If you suddenly drop dead, I’ll buy firecrackers and set them off at the school gate.”

“Then you’ll be taken away by the police station; firecrackers aren’t allowed in the city.”

“Stop wasting words. Are you leaving or not?”

“No.”

Zhou Shuirong grabbed her bag: “If you don’t leave, I will!”

Shen Tingwen reached out his hand but couldn’t grab her, watching her leave.

Zhou Shuirong found a new seat. It was comfortable, so comfortable without Shen Tingwen. Her speed in solving problems visibly increased. But this comfort didn’t last long. The physics test from two days ago was handed back. Zhou Shuirong had made a few mistakes, and she couldn’t immediately figure out where.

She glanced at Shen Tingwen. He was propping his head up, reading a book, seemingly without any of her troubles.

It was normal. Some said his parents were physicists, so physics shouldn’t be difficult for him.

She struggled for a while, then walked to his desk and placed her paper on it.

Shen Tingwen imperceptibly curved his lips, but when he looked up, his face was filled with confusion: “What is it?”

Zhou Shuirong said, “Is there a problem with this big question? I derived it several times, and my answer is always the same.”

“Want to ask for help?”

“Just asking.”

“Oh, just asking. Then why should I tell you?”

“You said you’d take care of all my problems, in black and white. Don’t go back on your word.”

Shen Tingwen nodded: “I did say I’d take care of everything, but I didn’t say I’d tell you immediately when you ask.”

Hmph, playing games with her? Zhou Shuirong walked closer to him, grabbed his collar, and choked his neck: “You’re asking to die!”

Shen Tingwen feigned a cough: “Ouch—”

Zhou Shuirong loosened her grip and said, “Just tell me if you’re going to teach me or not. Stop talking nonsense.”

Shen Tingwen rubbed his neck: “My neck hurts from you choking it just now. If you rub it for me, I’ll teach you.”

Zhou Shuirong tilted her head slightly, glanced at the lights, then picked up her paper and returned to her seat. With her excellent memory, why did she always forget that Shen Tingwen was a scoundrel? He wouldn’t do anything without benefit; it wouldn’t be him if he didn’t negotiate.

She returned to her seat, put away her physics paper, and picked up her math problem set to start solving.

A moment later, a note was passed over. She opened it to find a detailed explanation, complete with diagrams, for the difficult physics problems she couldn’t solve. She instinctively looked at Shen Tingwen; he was watching her, raising his left eyebrow at her.

She finished reading the solution and found a line of text in the bottom right corner, which read: “I am your encyclopedia.”

Zhou Shuirong ignored it, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it away.