After paying the fee and returning, she was already obediently lying on the hospital bed, and the doctor was preparing to insert the IV needle.

When Sang Ru saw him come back, she pulled back the hand she had readied and hastily said, “Wait!”

“What’s wrong?”

Sang Ru didn’t say anything, just gazed expectantly at Zhou Tingzhao.

He strode to her bedside, leaned down slightly, and asked, “What do you need?”

“Sit down,” Sang Ru commanded. After he sat, she reached out to grasp the hem of his clothes, and only then did she offer her left hand back to the doctor. “Okay now.”

The doctor, clearly experienced in such matters, proceeded to insert the needle into her vein. After arranging the IV tube properly, she cleared her throat and pointedly remarked, “You two patients, be careful of cross-infection, alright?”

While Sang Ru verbally responded with “I know,” her hand still hadn’t let go of his clothes.

The doctor went to the other side of the screen. Zhou Tingzhao looked down, gently pulled his clothes from her grip, and replaced them with his hand.

The veins visible on the back of his hand always gave an impression of vigorous strength. When holding hers, it created a natural contrast between firmness and softness, as if they were naturally matched.

Zhou Tingzhao gently caressed her hand, unconsciously softening his voice when he spoke: “Are you still uncomfortable?”

Sang Ru replied helplessly, “How could it work that quickly?”

Zhou Tingzhao knew he was being too anxious and said, “Alright, get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

Sang Ru blinked a few times, her gaze lingering on him for quite a while before she nodded, turned her head, and closed her eyes to sleep.

From the other side came the rustling sounds of someone tidying up. When the school doctor came back, she had already changed out of her white coat. She instructed in a low voice: “I’m going to leave work to pick up my granddaughter from school. Someone will come to take over soon. If you have any urgent matters, call me. My number is on the desk.”

Zhou Tingzhao replied, “Okay.”

Seeing that they were still openly holding hands without letting go, the school doctor sighed and repeated her warning: “Be careful of cross-infection!”

Zhou Tingzhao’s lips curved into a smile as he nodded, still not letting go of her hand.

The doctor soon left, but they could still hear her mumbling softly as she walked away: “These young people, always choosing my infirmary for their romance…”

The person lying on the bed laughed out loud. Zhou Tingzhao lowered his head toward the sound and saw that the person who had just been preparing to sleep was now smiling with curved eyes.

“Not sleeping anymore?” Zhou Tingzhao raised his hand to tuck in the corner of her blanket.

“I am,” Sang Ru’s voice was stuffy in her nose. “Come closer.”

Zhou Tingzhao bent down, and suddenly his lips received a smacking kiss.

“Cross-infecting you a bit.”

Her eyes were bright, showing exceptional youthfulness even while ill. Zhou Tingzhao’s expression softened as he reached out to rub her head, placing her hand back under the covers before coaxing her: “Sleep well now, you’ll feel better when you wake up.”

She was indeed tired; it wasn’t long before her breathing became steady and regular. Zhou Tingzhao sat on the sofa by the window, mindful of the doctor’s reminder, not daring to stay too close to her.

By the time the bell for evening self-study rang in the distance, the replacement doctor hadn’t arrived yet, but a nurse came to check on the situation.

It would probably take another hour or so before the IV could be removed, and she would likely be hungry when she woke up. After some thought, Zhou Tingzhao asked the nurse to watch over her and went back home.

Mr. Zhou had gone to supervise the evening self-study, but Mr. Jin was at home. Seeing his son unusually return home during self-study hours and go straight to the kitchen, he leaned against the doorframe and asked, “What are you making?”

“Some porridge.”

“Haven’t you had dinner tonight?”

“No,” Zhou Tingzhao paused briefly before saying, “A classmate is sick. I’m bringing some for her too.”

Jin Qing stared at his son for a while, then smiled knowingly. Before leaving, he said, “Oh, it’s for someone else. Then I won’t compete with you to make it. You can add more water, don’t let it turn into rice.”

Zhou Tingzhao: …

Carrying the insulated container across the school grounds, he felt the cool breeze and the deep night resembled that night when he had returned here. Though it had only been a couple of days, it felt like a long time had passed. Thinking of the person still lying in the sickbed, Zhou Tingzhao didn’t want to dwell on anything else and quickened his pace.

The replacement doctor had arrived at some point—a male doctor who didn’t look much older than them.

Luo He was engrossed in playing Angry Birds and merely glanced briefly at the newcomer. Seeing it was a student from this school, he continued adjusting the launching direction of the birds while asking directly, “What are your symptoms?”

Such an unprofessional attitude. Zhou Tingzhao kept his expression tight and didn’t answer, walking straight into the inner room.

Luo He wasn’t upset at being ignored. He looked back at where the student had gone, figuring he was probably going to see the patient inside.

Sang Ru was still asleep. The suspended IV bag was dripping transparent liquid, with only a little left.

Zhou Tingzhao cupped his hands together, breathed on them to warm them up, and then placed them on her forehead to check her temperature. She was still warm, but the fever had subsided somewhat compared to when he had brought her in.

Footsteps approached from outside the screen, stopping at the bedside.

Luo He stood with his arms crossed, looking at the two of them, and asked, “Are you this little one’s classmate?”

Little one?

Zhou Tingzhao stood up, facing him directly. They were about the same height, their gazes level.

He replied stiffly, “Obviously.”

The doctor wore an indifferent expression and shrugged, “Just checking on my sister’s social circle, don’t be so tense.”

Zhou Tingzhao’s anger at the doctor’s lackadaisical work attitude immediately dissipated. He repeated, “Sister?”

“Yeah,” Luo said, raising an eyebrow. “Neighbor’s sister.”