AAWOMAHI Chapter10

This really seemed to be Lu Xingmian’s first time fighting someone, and with people from outside of school at that as well.

 

It was a bit thrilling.

 

However, getting into a fight inevitably leads to injuries. Lu Xingmian’s arm was red in one spot; he didn’t know how it got injured. It didn’t hurt at the time, but the pain came later when he was on the bus.

 

He found today’s events quite exciting and really wanted to confide in someone, so he told Lu Shiran about it.

 

Lu Shiran’s first reaction was, “You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

 

“No,” Lu Xingmian said, quite proud. “My body’s pretty strong.” Why did everyone think he couldn’t fight? Chen Che and the others worried about him, and now even Lu Ge was worried he’d get hurt.

 

“My body’s pretty strong.” Lu Shiran thought of that slender figure and found Lu Xingmian’s statement unconvincing.

 

Lu Xingmian’s arm accidentally bumped against the corner of a table, making him gasp in pain. Lu Shiran caught the sound. “Did you still get hurt?”

 

Lu Xingmian rubbed his arm. “It’s nothing, nothing, just accidentally bumped it.”

 

Lu Shiran felt it definitely wasn’t just a simple bump as Lu Xingmian claimed. “Do you have Yunnan Baiyao or anything like that at home to spray on it?”

 

For some reason, Lu Xingmian felt a bit guilty. “I’ve sprayed it, I’ve sprayed it.” He hadn’t prepared any Yunnan Baiyao, not even common cold medicine.

 

Lu Shiran understood; it seemed Lu Xingmian had gotten injured in the fight after all.

 

Lu Shiran’s low voice came through the headphones, “Take good care of yourself. Try not to get hurt.” For some reason, even though Lu Xingmian had never met Lu Ge, he could hear the concern in his tone.

 

And for some reason, Lu Xingmian’s parents had always been cold towards him since childhood. They were constantly busy, never having time for him. During holidays, other children would pester their parents to go to amusement parks or watch movies. Lu Xingmian had once tried to do the same, but each time his parents would vaguely tell him they were busy and to wait.

 

He once accidentally overheard them discussing how Lu Xingmian didn’t look like their child at all. Later, it turned out they were right; Lu Xingmian truly wasn’t their biological child.

 

–

 

Eventually, the school found out about the fight. However, the dean of students recognized that Lu Xingmian and the others had acted out of courage. He didn’t criticize them severely, he only lectured them about the dangers involved. He warned that it was a very risky act, as those men could have used bottles or sharp objects. They should have prioritized their own safety. The dean looked at Lu Xingmian, wondering how the new transfer student, the top of his grade, also got involved in a fight. He blamed Chen Che and the other mischievous boys for leading him astray. In the end, the dean made them stand in the hallway for half of a study hall period as a lesson.

 

Later, when Lu Xingmian and his friends revisited the hotpot restaurant, the owner told them that the three drunk men, after sobering up, not only apologized in person but also compensated for all the damages to the store and wrote a letter of guarantee.

 

When the police station asked about the students that day, the owner claimed he didn’t recognize them, saying too many students came to eat at his place and he didn’t know many of them. The investigating officers were amused by the owner’s response. Finally, the police did contact the school, but they only wanted to tell the students that in similar situations in the future, they should directly call the police.

 

Not long after, the second exam was held, and the results were announced soon afterward. Just as the bell signaled the end of morning exercises, Lu Xingmian was suddenly stopped by someone.

 

Gao Yan looked at him and said, “Lu Xingmian, I’ll definitely surpass you next time!” With that, he left. Lu Xingmian blinked, and Chen Che, who was beside him, confirmed, “That’s Gao Yan.”

 

Gao Yan had once again placed second, still behind Lu Xingmian, and he was naturally unconvinced, so he became even more dedicated to his studies.

 

A couple of days later, Lu Xingmian encountered Gao Yan again. He approached Lu Xingmian with a problem: “How would you solve this question?”

 

Lu Xingmian looked at it, then roughly wrote down the steps to solve it.

 

Gao Yan examined it. “So there’s this method too, thanks.” After thanking him, he left without looking back.

 

From then on, every few days, Gao Yan would bring one or two questions to ask Lu Xingmian. Chen Che remarked that Gao Yan was “secretly learning.”

 

–

 

It seemed as though they had abruptly plunged into the cold of winter, suddenly transitioning from a warm season to an icy one, catching everyone off guard. Many students developed fevers and colds amidst this unexpected drop in temperature, leading to an increase in absentees over the past couple of days.

 

A few days later, Lu Xingmian also came down with a fever. When he woke up in the morning, he felt utterly weak, his whole body limp, as if he were treading on clouds, a floating, uncertain sensation.

 

Lu Xingmian struggled to get up, each step as strenuous as walking on sand. He was thirsty and wanted water. However, the water in the kettle was cold, so Lu Xingmian had no choice but to boil it again.

 

While waiting for the water to boil, he looked out the window; it was pitch dark. It was only five in the morning. After drinking the hot water, Lu Xingmian lay back in bed, still showing no signs of improvement. His head felt heavy, and his feet light. Around 6:40 AM, he called his homeroom teacher to ask for leave.

 

Li Mei heard the weak, listless tone in Lu Xingmian’s voice and asked with concern, “Are you sick with a fever too?” These past two days had been the peak for colds and fevers. Several students in the class had high fevers and had gone to the hospital for IV drips, and other students in the class also had varying degrees of colds.

 

Knowing Lu Xingmian was ill, Li Mei immediately granted his leave, telling him to rest well at home first and return to class once he recovered.

 

What Lu Xingmian initially thought was just a simple cold that would pass with time quickly escalated. With no cold medicine at home, he couldn’t hold out through the morning and eventually had to go to a nearby clinic for an IV drip.

 

By this point, Lu Xingmian was already feverish and disoriented, feeling even dizzier than when he woke up.

 

It wasn’t until a nurse at the clinic took his temperature that he realized he had a fever of 38.9 degrees Celsius. No wonder he felt so lightheaded and his entire face was flushed.

 

The doctor prescribed medication and started him on an IV. This period was the peak for colds, so hospitals were overflowing with people needing IVs, and the clinic also had a significant number of patients.

 

Lu Xingmian sat in a quiet corner, watching the nurse insert the needle into the back of his hand. Students made up a portion of the patients receiving IVs, and most were accompanied by their parents. Lu Xingmian even saw several classmates wearing their school uniforms.

 

Everyone else had their parents with them, offering comfort and care, but Lu Xingmian was alone. He had three large bags and two small bags of fluids, which would take about two hours to finish.

 

People are especially vulnerable when they’re sick, even more so when they’re alone. Seeing his peers accompanied by their parents, offering warmth and concern, made Lu Xingmian feel a pang of sadness.

 

Since his last phone call with his parents, which ended in a scolding, they hadn’t contacted him again. Lu Xingmian had messaged them but received no reply. He thought that by now, his parents should have calmed down, and they should understand that he wouldn’t do such a thing to Lu Sihang.

 

He missed them dearly. Though his parents had always been strict with him since he was little, they were the ones Lu Xingmian longed for most at that moment.

 

Lu Xingmian dialed his father’s number. As the phone rang, Lu Xingmian felt a little nervous. His father would pick up, right?

 

Just as the call was about to automatically disconnect, his father finally answered.

 

Lu Xingmian was a bit excited. “Dad…”

 

He had barely uttered a single word when he heard his mother’s voice from the other end: “How do you even have time to answer the phone? Let’s hurry to the station! Sihang is sick, we need to go see him.”