The infirmary was quiet.

The school nurse, a woman approaching forty, was watching a Korean drama, though not very attentively. She would occasionally glance at a locked screen photo on her phone, then return to watching TV, clearly distracted.

It was Sports Day, with long-distance running events, and she suspected someone might faint.

Sure enough, just as this thought crossed her mind, someone pushed open the door.

“Dr. Bai, quick, quick! Three thousand meters, she fainted,” Cai Zhi didn’t bother with greetings, pulling out the infirmary bed slightly and calling to the young man, “Han Zuo, put her down quickly.”

Han Zuo?

Ruan Yu found this name familiar.

Hong Shang University’s campus heartthrob?

No wonder Jian Xiangxiang’s exclamations were so meaningful when he picked her up earlier.

Han Zuo placed Ruan Yu on the bed and was about to step back when the nurse came over, blocking his path.

“Support her.”

“Hm?” Han Zuo didn’t understand.

The nurse helped Ruan Yu sit up and gestured toward her back, “Like this, help support her, don’t let her lie flat for now.”

Han Zuo hesitated. He had carried her earlier thinking she needed help, but now, knowing she wasn’t ill, initiating physical contact seemed ungentlemanly.

He glanced at the three girls present, thinking it might be better if they supported her instead.

Jian Xiangxiang and the others tried to squeeze in, but the nurse and Cai Zhi blocked the passage, making it impossible.

“Hurry up,” the nurse urged.

Han Zuo had no choice but to reach out and support Ruan Yu’s back.

The young man was radiating heat from carrying her all the way, his palm especially burning hot. Ruan Yu felt her back was about to catch fire. This contact made her uncomfortable.

She decided to end it here.

“Ah, she’s awake,” Cai Zhi suddenly called out.

Everyone looked at Ruan Yu as she slowly opened her eyes.

Han Zuo watched her eyes.

The room’s lights were off, with only natural light filtering in. The girl’s pupils weren’t as clear as they had been in the sunlight, but they showed a different kind of spirit—though she tried hard to conceal it.

“Oh good, she’s awake, that’s good,” Cai Zhi sighed in relief.

Ruan Yu supported herself on the edge of the bed and shifted slightly forward. Han Zuo understood her meaning and immediately withdrew his hand.

“Where does it hurt?” the nurse asked.

Instead of answering, Ruan Yu raised her hand to her chest.

“Your heart? Do you have any related medical history?”

How many lies does it take to cover up one lie?

Ruan Yu was about to shake her head when Chen Manbai suddenly stepped forward.

“Teacher Cai Ruan Ruan has been feeling chest discomfort lately because she’s been too tired from her part-time job.”

“You should get checked out if you’re not feeling well,” Cai Zhi pointed at Ruan Yu. “No wonder Tian Cheng said you push yourself too hard. You young people have no sense of crisis—your health is your foundation! Besides, if you weren’t feeling well, you shouldn’t have run three thousand meters! Look how dangerous it was to faint suddenly!”

“Ruan Ruan wasn’t planning to participate in the sports meet. The class monitor forced her to participate, without her consent or even discussing it with her, and arbitrarily signed her up for the three-thousand-meter event.”

Han Zuo glanced at the girl on the bed. She sat with her head lowered, expressionless. Though the fainting was fake, her pale complexion wasn’t.

So this performance was a protest against the class committee’s abuse of power.