Unexpected Kindness and Lingering Doubt

A sudden lurch went through Zhou Yi’s heart.

“Nonsense! How could a cold be good for my throat? It’s a miracle I haven’t lost my voice entirely!”

She cleared her throat, though speaking with her voice deliberately lowered only made her throat feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Chen Hao choked on her sharp retort, scratching his head as he mumbled, “You’re right… a cold really does ruin your voice.”

“But I feel like it’s more than just that. It sounds like there’s something else…”

“What ‘something else’?” Jiang Chen’s voice suddenly cut in.

Unbeknownst to them, he had already moved to Zhou Yi’s side, subtly creating a distance between her and the two boys, Zhao Jia and Chen Hao.

Under Jiang Chen’s piercing gaze, Chen Hao’s inquisitive spirit immediately wilted. He quickly laughed, “N-nothing! I must have misheard! Your cold sounds terrible, Brother Yi! You truly need to take good care of yourself!”

Zhao Jia, ever observant, quickly chimed in, “Exactly, exactly! Health is paramount! As for the cross-dressing… *cough*, well, let’s discuss that another time, okay?”

Exchanging nervous glances and forced laughs, the two boys swiftly slipped into the back seats.

Though the immediate crisis was averted, Zhou Yi felt her legs tremble slightly. ‘It should be… fine, right?’ she thought, a tremor running through her.

Jiang Chen seemed oblivious to her momentary lapse. He merely turned his head, his gaze lingering for a fleeting moment on her subtly trembling eyelashes, before reminding her, “Come on, class is about to start.”

On the podium, the professor had already begun lecturing, his voice reverberating through the microphone in the tiered classroom.

Zhou Yi’s gaze appeared fixed on the front of the classroom, yet her peripheral vision involuntarily darted towards the diagonal ahead.

Han Yan sat ramrod straight, like a stalk of bamboo, his gaze intently fixed on the podium. Occasionally, he would lower his head, swiftly jotting notes in his open notebook.

Lin Wei happened to be seated right beside him. She, too, seemed engrossed in the lecture, yet Zhou Yi distinctly noticed Lin Wei’s gaze subtly drifting towards Han Yan at regular intervals.

Zhou Yi felt as though Han Yan was utterly oblivious to the gaze of the person beside him, completely immersed in his own studies. This diligent focus stood in stark contrast to the other students nearby, who were either secretly playing on their phones or openly dozing off.

The bell for the break had just rung. Zhou Yi was about to duck her head, feigning an interest in organizing her notes, hoping to avoid the deluge of curious or concerned greetings she anticipated from all directions.

Then, a shadow fell over her.

She lifted her head, and through the narrow slit of her heavily wrapped face, her eyes met Han Yan’s.

Han Yan stood beside her desk, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Yi’s thoroughly muffled face from his imposing height. Without uttering a word, he simply unlocked his phone and navigated to a group file.

“Your updated progress on the user profile cross-analysis section shows a more complete logical chain than before. You’ve also found excellent data support points.”

Zhou Yi blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected Han Yan to approach her specifically for this. Her throat still felt parched, so she merely offered a vague ‘Mmm’ as a reply.

Han Yan didn’t seem entirely dismissive of her brief response. His fingertip tapped a specific point on the phone screen. “However, this section’s transition to the third part, the consumption momentum deduction, feels a bit abrupt. See if you can add a smoother transition when you have a moment.”

“Alright, I’ll review it later,” Zhou Yi agreed, her voice emerging even more hoarse and indistinct through the mask.

Only then did Han Yan lift his gaze, looking at her once more. “If you’re not fully recovered, don’t push yourself to come. The project’s progress won’t be derailed by a day or two.”

A warmth spread through Zhou Yi’s chest, and her eyes crinkled at the corners. “Understood, Dad Han. I promise not to be a burden on you, old man.”

Han Yan seemed to let out an almost imperceptible hum, though it might have been merely Zhou Yi’s imagination.

He said nothing further, simply placed a box of lozenges on her desk, then turned and walked back to his seat in the front row.

Zhou Yi looked at the box of lozenges on her desk and smiled silently. As her gaze inadvertently swept over Han Yan’s back, she unexpectedly met a pair of eyes that had not been fully withdrawn in time.

It was Lin Wei. Zhou Yi could sense that throughout her brief exchange with Han Yan, particularly the moment he placed the lozenges on her desk, Lin Wei’s gaze had been intently fixed on their interaction.

The habitually sweet smile Lin Wei wore had noticeably faded. Her lips were subtly pursed, and a complex, unexpected emotion flickered in her eyes.

Noticing Zhou Yi’s gaze, she immediately lowered her eyelashes, nonchalantly redirecting her attention back to her notebook.

Zhou Yi blinked, a touch of bewilderment clouding her expression.

In that fleeting moment, she had distinctly caught a glimpse of a cold, rather unfriendly aura.

‘Was it just her imagination?’ she wondered.

She scratched her head, unable to make sense of it, and too weary to delve deeper into the matter.

Perhaps it was due to constantly forcing her voice lower and speaking too much throughout the day, but her throat suddenly became unbearably dry and itchy.

She cleared her throat, yet failed to suppress the insistent itch. Then, an uncontrollable urge to cough surged violently within her.

She quickly covered her mouth, the mask muffling the sound but making the cough seem all the more violent. Her shoulders convulsed with each spasm, and she coughed so hard that tears welled in her eyes.

As she struggled with the painful coughs, a warm palm gently settled on her back, patting it softly a few times.

It was Jiang Chen.

His gaze paused for a moment on the box of lozenges on the desk. Without hesitation, he tore open the packaging, plucked out a single lozenge, and extended it towards her.

Dizzy from her relentless coughing, Zhou Yi stared blankly at the lozenge suddenly presented before her. She finally managed to suppress her cough, reached out to take it, and rasped out a ‘Thank you’ in her hoarse voice.

Once she had regained some composure, Jiang Chen rose. He casually picked up the almost empty cup from Zhou Yi’s desk, grabbed his own, and headed towards the water dispenser nestled in the back corner of the classroom.

A short while later, he returned, gently setting the cup, now refilled with warm water, before Zhou Yi.

“Drink some water.”

Zhou Yi gazed at the cup, from which gentle wisps of steam curled upwards, and momentarily froze.

The warmth radiating from the cup’s surface seeped through her cold fingertips, slowly spreading. It was a warmth that felt so natural, so perfectly timed.

Her heart abruptly softened. A surge of gratitude mingled with a nascent dependence quietly rose within her. When one felt so vulnerable and unwell, to have someone gently pat their back, offer comfort, and remember to bring a cup of hot water – that feeling…

No, wait!

She eyed Jiang Chen with suspicion. ‘When things are out of the ordinary, there must be a reason,’ she thought.

Only a few days prior, their relationship had been that of ordinary roommates; at most, he might have casually brought back a small item. Yet now… why was he suddenly so remarkably attentive?

‘Was it simply because she looked pathetic and he was offering casual care?’

She might have accepted that explanation in the past. But now, as she herself was terrified and desperately trying to conceal her secret, his actions seemed exceptionally suspicious.

‘Or was it… that Jiang Chen had already discerned something, and was employing this method to subtly test her, to observe her reactions?’

She dared not think any further.

“Th-thank you, Brother Chen,” she whispered, lowering her head to avoid Jiang Chen’s gaze. The faint warmth that had blossomed in her heart from being cared for was instantly crushed by a more potent wave of guilt and suspicion.

Just then, a warm, broad hand suddenly settled on the crown of her head, affectionately ruffling her hair, which was slightly dishevelled from wearing her hat.

‘A head pat!’

Zhou Yi’s entire body stiffened. Almost instinctively, she recoiled backward, nearly toppling the cup of water on her desk.

“Brother C-Chen?!” she exclaimed, lifting her eyes in alarm. The visible portion of her eyes above the mask brimmed with incredulous panic.