“Water… give me some water.”
Feeling the searing pain in her throat and a persistent, bitter heaviness in her chest, Meng Huange struggled to open her eyes and pushed herself up from the bed.
She looked around, seeing only the room’s lavish decorations and various paintings of differing styles.
This was… Su Wanli’s room.
‘Am I lying in Su Wanli’s bed?’
Rubbing her aching temples, Meng Huange forced herself to calm down and consider her next steps.
‘Breakfast is already being prepared. All that’s left is to help Su Wanli dress, apply her makeup, and then head downstairs early to set the table so she can sample the recipes I’ve refined…’
If she remembered correctly, she had only just finished tidying Su Wanli’s school uniform and hadn’t yet begun designing her makeup look.
Her brain was operating half a step slower than usual as she instinctively glanced at the flip clock on the desk.
— 7:32 AM.
‘Darn it, it’s already this late?’ Usually, at this time, she and Su Wanli would have already boarded the car to Baiying Academy.
Although she wasn’t sure why she was lying in Su Wanli’s bed, if she moved quickly with the makeup and used the bento she prepared as breakfast to eat on the way to school, there might still be time.
Before that, she needed to find Su Wanli as quickly as possible and do her best to seek her forgiveness.
Meng Huange hurriedly tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and prepared to get out of bed to search for Su Wanli.
“… Hmph, it looks like the Volcano Princess has finally woken up.”
Along with a clicking sound, the petite, black-haired girl pushed open the bedroom door. She watched as Meng Huange scrambled to get up and raised an eyebrow.
“I thought you were going to melt right next to my bed. I didn’t expect you to actually be able to get up. It seems your physical stamina is quite good, isn’t it?”
Hearing the familiar, mocking voice of the girl before her, Meng Huange’s restless heart suddenly settled.
‘Fortunately, Su Wanli didn’t leave for school alone just because time was running short.’
Meng Huange pinched the bridge of her nose and offered Su Wanli her usual gentle smile.
“I apologize, Miss Su. I…”
“I what? Before you say anything, drink that cup of lukewarm stuff on the nightstand. Zhang Ma said it has to be taken before you eat.”
Su Wanli yawned and waved her hand dismissively toward Meng Huange.
“Also, don’t get any strange ideas. Zhang Ma brewed that medicine herself. It has nothing to do with me.”
Looking at the dark liquid in the cup on the nightstand, which emitted a bitter aroma, Meng Huange bit her lip.
“Miss Su, there’s still time. We…”
“Still time? Time for what? You don’t mean time to go to school for classes, do you?”
Su Wanli let out a cold, mocking laugh and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Meng Huange, you’re burning up like this, and you’re still thinking about going to class? Are you really that fond of studying?”
‘Burning up… like this.’
It seemed she hadn’t managed to dodge this cold after all. Furthermore, judging by the current situation, she had most likely fallen asleep by the bed during those few minutes she spent waiting for Su Wanli to wake up.
If she could no longer hide the truth, she should at least try to make her symptoms seem mild.
“Miss Su, I just didn’t rest well last night. It shouldn’t be a big problem.”
Meng Huange straightened her school uniform shirt, tucked her slightly wrinkled blazer under her arm, and gave Su Wanli a reassuring smile.
“As I’ve said before, I used to be an athlete. You don’t need to worry about my health.”
“… Huh? Who’s worrying about you? Talk about wishful thinking.”
Hearing Meng Huange’s words, Su Wanli let out an irritated sigh. She walked to the side of the bed and looked down into Meng Huange’s eyes.
“But you’re right. You bragged about being some Track and Field Level 2 Athlete, yet you caught a cold this easily?”
Su Wanli lightly hooked a finger under her own chin and looked at Meng Huange with a playful smirk.
“Could it be that you… got sick on purpose?”
‘Meng Huange, why would you get sick on purpose?’
In a daze, Meng Huange felt as if she saw her strict mother again. At that time, she had also looked down at her from above, delivering a cold interrogation.
‘However, this time is different from then.’
After her mother left, Meng Huange had dreamed of this scene countless times and had rehearsed exactly what she should say to satisfy the other person.
So, Meng Huange tilted her head up slightly toward the girl in front of her and smiled calmly.
“I apologize, Miss Su. This was just an accident. I won’t let my condition hinder anyone. Please give me a little time; I will handle my own body…”
“Huh? What are you babbling about? You’re already sick, so why are you talking about hindering people? Has your brain really been fried by the fever?”
Interrupting the script Meng Huange had spent so long weaving, Su Wanli shook her head silently. She took a step forward, brushed aside Meng Huange’s bangs, and leaned down.
— She pressed her forehead gently against Meng Huange’s.
It was a cool, soft sensation, devoid of any malice.
It felt like a biological instinct, using direct physical contact to confirm the well-being of another of its kind.
In that instant, the overbearing image of her mother vanished. All that remained before Meng Huange’s eyes was this black-haired girl within arm’s reach, her brow tightly furrowed.
“Miss… Su?”
“Cough, ugh!”
The contact lasted only a second before Su Wanli immediately pulled her forehead away, her gaze darting to a corner of the room.
“You—you’re burning up! You really have gone stupid! And with a temperature like this, you should definitely go to the hospital… No, wait, you have such a high fever and you still crawled onto my bed? Are you trying to infect me!?”
Su Wanli’s eyebrows shot up as she poked Meng Huange’s forehead with her index finger.
“Don’t think I haven’t heard that rumor—that if you pass a cold to someone else, you’ll get better. You despicable person, you actually had the audacity to plot against your own master!”
Snapping out of her momentary daze, Meng Huange instinctively shook her head and protested softly.
“It’s not like that, Miss Su. I just…”
“—I just wanted to get to your side as quickly as possible to admire your brilliance.”
“Shut—up!”