╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮
Tang Anfu quickly pulled the car over, honked a few times, and lowered the window, prompting Sun Lu to turn and look at him.
Rainwater had thoroughly drenched him, his entire face covered with raindrops. His eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes slightly squinting, and his thin lips pursed into a stiff, cold straight line. His originally pale complexion now revealed a touch of coolness.
“Hurry up and get in the car; I’ll give you a ride!” Tang Anfu shouted to him.
Sun Lu glanced at the tightly closed rear window, said thanks, made a gesture, and then exerted force on his feet. With a powerful push, he pedaled and rode away again.
As the car window closed again, Tang Anfu was surprised at his persistence and couldn’t help but ask Zhong Youyou, “Did you two have a quarrel?”
Zhao Yinqing paused for a moment and then quickly said, “No.”
Tang Anfu lamented, and said, “This kid is really stubborn.”
Whether it was the driver or the nanny working at the Zhao family, both had a very good impression of Liu Siqi and her son. They acted discreetly, and treated others very politely. No one would dislike people who had self-awareness.
Entering the classroom, Zhao Yinqing glanced at Sun Lu’s seat and then rummaged through her bag looking for several homeworks to submit to the class representatives of each subject.
A few minutes after the morning self-study bell rang, Sun Lu finally walked in.
Someone exclaimed, “Wow, Sun Lu, did you shower in the rain this morning?”
“Aren’t you going to dry yourself? In this season, getting wet like this can lead to a cold sooner or later.”
“Don’t show off. It’s easy to catch a fever showing off like this. Let me get you a towel to wipe off the water.”
The boys and girls around him talked to him in a lively manner.
Sun Lu didn’t say much, seemingly not accepting anything from anyone. He simply took off his coat, rubbed his head vigorously, and then sat down.
After half a day of this, the two bumped into each other in the hallway as they returned to the classroom after having lunch in the cafeteria.
Sun Lu’s face was already flushed, but his eyes remained clear. He looked at Zhao Yinqing steadily.
Zhao Yinqing said, “You’re feeling feverish right now, aren’t you? Are you okay?”
He nodded and dismissed it saying, “Yeah, but it’s not a big deal.”
Facing each other, Zhao Yinqing felt at a loss for words. Expressing concern to him was difficult in the face of his clear gaze.
She wanted to maintain a distance, considering her past life’s unrequited feelings. However, this life’s Sun Lu had never let her down yet. He had even taken care of her quite well. It seemed too cold to ignore him, who was living under the same roof as her, especially when nothing had happened yet.
Zhao Yinqing was in a dilemma, but in the end, she decided that instead of continuing to entangle herself with Sun Lu, it was better to completely let go of the past and treat Sun Lu as ordinary friends.
She had seen her own position clearly, and she wouldn’t be foolish anymore. Wasn’t that enough?
So, Zhao Yinqing spoke up, “Why don’t you go to the infirmary and get some medicine? When you can suppress it, you should still try to suppress it.”
“Can you help me get some?” Sun Lu leaned against the wall weakly. “Although I can hold on for a while, my legs feel a little weak.”
Zhao Yinqing paused for two seconds.
Sun Lu asked, “Is it not okay?”
It’s not that it’s not okay!
Zhao Yinqing nodded and turned to leave.
She walked fast, not noticing Sun Lu’s Sun Lu’s slightly stunned expression.
But just as she reached the stairs, another sweet female voice sounded, “Sun Lu, I have fever-reducing medicine here for you.”
Zhao Yinqing stepped on the stairs, then stopped and looked back.
Classic long black hair, and a slender figure… It was the class monitor that Dou Na mentioned last time.
Sun Lu said, “No need.”
“Your face is red. Why don’t you take the medicine?” she insisted.
“……”
“I specially went to the infirmary room just now to get it for you. You should take it.”
Zhao Yinqing resumed walking back to the classroom. As she passed by, she glanced at them, meeting Sun Lu’s intense gaze.
She raised her eyebrows, the corners of her mouth curled up, and her big round eyes showed a teasing expression as if watching a good show.
It was the first time she had shown such a lively appearance in front of Sun Lu, but before he could see it clearly, Zhao Yinqing had already disappeared like the wind, skipping into the classroom.
“Take it. Whether you eat it or not is up to you, okay?” The girl in front of him looked at him earnestly and added.
Sun Lu felt a bit annoyed for some reason, his headache intensifying.
“No need, just keep it for yourself,” he replied.
・❥・
At around 7 o’clock in the evening, Liu Siqi worked overtime today and didn’t come back for dinner. Zhao Zhengyang has been on a business trip for several days, and Sun Lu, who didn’t feel well, simply didn’t go downstairs.
Zhao Yinqing was alone in the living room on the first floor. She tended to be lazy and didn’t want to move during this period after dinner.
The nanny came over and said, “Yinqing, can you bring some medicine to Sun Lu? I saw him earlier and he didn’t look well.”
She put the commonly used antipyretic and cold medicine on the table and pushed it over.
Except for the two days at the beginning and middle of each month that she had to go upstairs to clean the house, the nanny was not allowed to enter the upper floors at other times. Zhao Zhengyang attached great importance to privacy in this regard.
From the time Sun Lu moved in until now, Zhao Yinqing had not set foot on the third floor. Now suddenly there was a request, and she didn’t know whether to accept it or not.
Sun Lu is a stable and sensible high school student. In theory, he should be able to take care of himself.
The nanny said again, “He didn’t come down for dinner today. Don’t let the illness get serious. If it’s really bad, go to the hospital.”
Zhao Yinqing put her legs down from the sofa, stood up, and took the medicine.
“Got it,” she said with a hint of concern, “you go to sleep first.”
The nanny managed a small nod, gratitude apparent in her eyes.
“If you need anything, call me,” she added.
“Okay.”
Zhao Yinqing went upstairs carrying two boxes of medicine.
There are several rooms on the third floor, and they’re vacant all year round, only used when someone comes to visit.
At that time, whether it was day or night, she would be afraid. The dark staircase leading to the third floor always made her as if something would come out. Therefore, the light on the third floor was always on throughout the year. However, even so, the fear in her heart did not decrease much.
Now, Zhao Yinqing found that she still had an inexplicable fear of this floor.
So she deliberately made her steps heavier, and the sound it made boosted her courage.
Zhao Yinqing didn’t know which room Sun Lu was in.
She knocked on each room, but there was no response, and her heart suddenly felt a little scared again.
When she reached the far east end of the attic, the door finally opened.
It wasn’t locked, just slightly ajar.
Sun Lu was lying on the lazy sofa, his face turned to the side, and the towel covering his forehead was askew.
The flush on his face hadn’t receded, and his lips had dried slightly. The long and dense eyelashes cast a shadow on the bottom of his eyes.
He was only wearing a black undershirt, the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing the youthful and inexperienced lines on the exposed section of his arms.
The lighting was very dim, and the air conditioning was set high. Zhao Yinqing felt like she was about to break into a sweat after standing for just a while.
She turned around and went to open the front window, leaving a gap for ventilation.
However, the window hadn’t been opened for a long time, and the hinges weren’t very flexible. When she pushed it forcefully outward, it made a creaking sound.
A cool breeze instantly rushed in through the gap, and Sun Lu was awakened at the same time.
He was confused for a moment, then turned his gaze towards Zhao Yinqing.
Zhao Yinqing suddenly felt a strange awkwardness. She raised her hand and said, “I brought you medicine.”
Then she pointed upwards, “The air conditioning is too high, so I opened the window for ventilation.”
Sun Lu was still lying on the sofa, but he sat up slightly when Zhao Yinqing approached. He reached up and ran his fingers through his wet hair.
“You sit, I’ll go wash my face.” His voice sounded hoarse due to the fever.
Stumbling to his feet, he slowly entered the bathroom, and soon the sound of water came out.
The attic was smaller than the other rooms, with a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, two chairs, a bean bag, and a set of tatami mats—all visible at a glance.
Zhao Yinqing placed the medicine box on the desk. Next to it was an open physics textbook and several exam papers, most of which had been completed.
When Sun Lu, with his still-dripping wet hair, saw Zhao Yinqing standing with both hands on the desk, showing interest in the questions he had answered, he walked over.
“Have you finished your homework?” He wiped his hair and walked over.
Seeing him in better spirits, with a rosy complexion and bright eyes, he didn’t look like someone who was sick.
“You’re already sick but you’re still showering?”
“I sweated a lot. It’s uncomfortable if I don’t shower.” He tossed the towel onto the back of the chair, then tapped the table with his index finger. “Have you finished?”
“No.”
“Why? Can’t do it?” he asked, a playful glint in his eyes.
Zhao Yinqing quickly glanced at him and replied honestly with a “yeah.”
“Bring it up here then. Let’s work on it together.”
TN:
Hey guys, Soraa here! ヾ(˶ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ˶)
Thank you for reading my translations!
Feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me on Discord if you see any mistakes. Happy reading!
Mouse On AVL Chapter 12