Chapter 52 Chapter 52: To Be Admired from Afar, Not to Be Profaned (3)
Xu Yecheng fished a thermometer out of the drawer. Just as Zheng Wenxuan walked out of the bathroom, he saw Xu Yecheng tuck the thermometer under his armpit.
Zheng Wenxuan’s gaze fell on Xu Yecheng’s face. “What’s wrong—got a fever?”
Xu Yecheng responded weakly, “Seems like it, a little.”
Being sick wasn’t actually the troublesome part. What was troublesome was the leave procedure. The class this morning was a lab—if Xu Yecheng took leave, he’d have to find another time to make up the missed session…
Xu Yecheng sat on the chair, patiently waiting for the thermometer to finish measuring.
His gaze happened to fall on his own legs, and he froze.
His leg hair, which had once been fairly thick, had somehow become so sparse all of a sudden!?
Xu Yecheng, still dazed, reached out and touched it.
The leg hair had become much finer and softer…
So “deficiency” could cause this too?
Xu Yecheng found it hard to believe.
Zheng Wenxuan saw Xu Yecheng reach out to touch his thigh, then put on a pained expression.
“Baby Cheng, want me to help you buy some medicine or something…?”
“I’ve got some!” Liu Xianlin casually pulled out a box of 666 Cold Remedy from the drawer. “Here you go. No need to thank me.”
A pale smile appeared on Xu Yecheng’s face. He reached out to take it and softly said thanks.
He then grabbed a tissue to blow his nose. When he took out the thermometer, it was already at thirty-eight degrees.
Xu Yecheng rummaged through the drawer for some painkillers and poured a bit of water into a cup.
After stuffing down two hand-torn buns, he swallowed the cold medicine.
“Getting ready for class,” Zheng Wenxuan glanced at the time. “Baby Cheng, are you taking leave?”
Xu Yecheng felt a bit woozy, but when he thought about missing this lab and having to make it up later, which would be a huge hassle…
“I’ll still go.” As he said that, he opened the wardrobe and put on his white lab coat.
He shook his head, and a sharp wave of pain shot through it.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Zheng Wenxuan asked worriedly, seeing him like this.
“I’m fine.” Xu Yecheng picked up his books and got ready to head out.
So Xu Yecheng spent a muddled morning. In lab class he was grouped with Liu Xianlin, but he couldn’t focus on anything the teacher said. The entire experiment was basically completed by Liu Xianlin with He Xiaohan’s assistance.
He Xiaohan’s gaze fell on Xu Yecheng, who was slumped to the side, before Liu Xianlin’s voice pulled him back to reality.
“And then? What’s the next step?”
He Xiaohan let out a soft “oh” and continued with the next step of the experiment.
By lunchtime, Xu Yecheng staggered back to the dorm and took a good rest, finally feeling a bit better.
His body had regained some strength. He measured his temperature again—still a slight fever, but at least he felt more energetic.
He glanced at the time and, with some effort, climbed out of bed. The dorm was very quiet, and a stifling feeling suddenly welled up in his chest.
So tired…
He complained silently, then got down from the bed, packed up his things, and got ready to go to work.
“Ningning~ Your clothes are already dry. I’ll pack them up and bring them over for you~”
“Okay,” Xu Yecheng replied. “Thanks.”
“No problem~”
The gloom in Xu Yecheng’s heart lifted just a little.
Climbing to the fifth floor of the lab building while sick made Xu Yecheng feel like his legs were about to give out.
If only he hadn’t been stubborn last night, standing in the rain like an idiot for so long…
Xu Yecheng let out a helpless sigh, that faint sense of grievance rising again from deep inside.
After changing clothes, Xu Yecheng tugged at the hem of his top. She was wearing a white T-shirt with jeans. When Doudou had told her to buy these clothes, this probably wasn’t how they were meant to be paired…
But going out in a crop top was something Xu Yecheng just couldn’t bring herself to do yet.
It was way too damn embarrassing.
But she’d already bought it…
When it came time to change out of this outfit, if she didn’t wear a skirt, she’d have to face that piece of clothing head-on.
Xu Yecheng sighed helplessly and decided not to think about all this messy stuff for now.
This afternoon, besides work, there was something even more important.
That was getting close to that little bastard He Xiaohan in this identity.
Just thinking about him made a mix of shame and awkwardness surge in her heart.
She scanned her ID and left the campus. The blazing sunlight poured down from above. Xu Yecheng felt her cheeks heat up as she stuffed her phone into the pocket of her jeans.
Honestly, not wearing a skirt was great.
Xu Yecheng secretly reveled in it for a moment. Though skirts were much cooler to wear, that drafty feeling couldn’t give her the sense of security that only jeans provided.
Compared to that, Xu Yecheng would rather wear pants.
Normally, the walk from school to the café was pretty easy, but today, by the time she arrived, it felt more exhausting than usual.
Even with a mask on, her cold didn’t seem to be getting any better.
Xu Yecheng took a deep breath. As soon as she walked in, she saw Doudou.
Doudou immediately broke into a smile when she saw her and handed over the bag in her hands. Xu Yecheng gave a stiff smile in return, took the things, and headed toward the changing room.
As Doudou watched Xu Yecheng’s face, a trace of doubt rose in her heart.
After changing, Xu Yecheng took a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose. Seeing how listless she looked, Doudou asked with concern, “Ningning, did you catch a cold?”
Xu Yecheng smiled a little helplessly. “Yeah, I caught a chill last night.” She said, her voice tinged with nasal congestion.
“How could you be so careless? If you’re sick, you should rest properly. Why are you still coming to work?”
Xu Yecheng shrugged and sighed. “Can’t help it. If I don’t work, I won’t have money.”
Doudou’s expression showed even more sympathy.
“Did you take medicine?”
“Yeah, don’t worry.” Xu Yecheng replied.
“Alright then… don’t push yourself.”
“Mm.” As she spoke, Xu Yecheng reached out and tied on her apron.
And so the busy work began again. Xu Yecheng bustled about like yesterday, but before long, her legs started to ache.
Her head was still a bit foggy. Xu Yecheng ran to the front counter again, and when she saw the order for table twelve, a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes.
It was him.
Xu Yecheng picked up the classic Americano. The rich aroma of coffee flooded her nose, steam slowly climbing up her cheeks. She felt another wave of dizziness.
Maybe it was because of the lingering low-grade fever—her cheeks felt hot.
———
There might only be one update tomorrow. Snow Fox has to catch a ride~
There’ll be another update later today~
It’ll be out before eleven.
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