Su Lian let out a soft sigh. This city was perpetually shrouded in fog and oppressively humid - it probably wasn't suitable for him.
Perhaps he should take advantage of this ominous day and move out overnight.
Mars was likely too close...
Where did Ultraman live again?
Chi Wang turned his head to look at Su Lian, his expression grave, fearing this cool guy might snap and massacre the entire class.
It wouldn't be appropriate to turn a celebratory banquet into a bloody crime scene.
He reached out to switch off the speaker, improvising wildly: "What nonsense, how could that possibly be Su Lian's voice? It just happens to sound similar."
Seeing everyone's "we know you're bullshitting" expressions, he added: "I found it online from some store. Why are you all guessing?"
No one bought this unconvincing explanation.
Gu Anjiu decisively declared, leading the charge: "Impossible. That emotionless, impassive coolness - you couldn't find another like it in the entire universe."
Chi Wang gave the chubby boy a pitying look, remembering how last time he wanted to find an auspicious burial site with Lin Yan. At this rate, it seemed he had already picked out a location.
"Young master Wang, what's wrong with classmates helping each other out? Are we supposed to do good deeds anonymously these days?" The troublemaker Qi Tian immediately leaned across the table, patting Su Lian's shoulder. "I quite like it. Could you record one for me too?"
"Me too! I can't get up in the mornings."
"It's really addictive and invigorating. I want a copy!"
"I want to have the cool guy's love too."
"Please, I want the same. If it's too much trouble, you can do one per dorm room."
Hearing this, everyone suddenly got excited, clamoring around the speaker, completely missing the point.
Su Lian, nailed to his metaphorical cross, went from red to blue to pale, sitting motionless in his seat.
Noticing his tightly clenched fists, Chi Wang quickly pressed a hand on them. "Stay calm, stay calm. Life's not easy for anyone. For the sake of our classmate bond, at least leave their corpses intact."
"I am calm," Su Lian said as his frozen brain finally reconnected.
It wasn't midnight yet. As long as he could turn back time, this incident could be erased.
He slowly stood up, walking to the door under everyone's gaze, leaving with the words: "Going to the bathroom."
Then he walked heavily out of room 404, entering the room across the hall to find that watch with the broken strap.
Chi Wang muttered: "Doesn't my dorm have a bathroom too?"
Lin Yan realized: "He's probably embarrassed. Put yourself in his shoes - it is quite humiliating."
Gu Anjiu, with his exceptionally slow reaction time, obtusely said: "But everyone likes it, so it's not embarrassing, right?"
"That would make a perfect epitaph for your tombstone," Chi Wang said, giving him an exasperated look before getting off the high stool to follow Su Lian.
Standing at the door of room 403, Chi Wang stared at the person bent over fiddling with the watch, very confused: "What are you doing? Weren't you going to the bathroom?"
"I'm done," Su Lian casually replied, then asked, "What time did they arrive just now?"
Chi Wang cautiously said: "What for? You're not choosing an auspicious time to off yourself, are you?"
Su Lian: "..."
His fingers touching the watch face, he repeated impatiently: "What time did they come?"
Chi Wang thought for a few seconds: "Around 11-something."
Estimating the time, Su Lian turned the hands back to 11:40. The surroundings instantly changed.
His position shifted, and he found himself back in room 404, with Chi Wang extending a hand to pass him a skewer.
Good, still a few minutes before the incident. The social death was about to occur.
Putting the skewer aside, Su Lian slipped the watch into his pocket and quickly stood up, grabbing the speaker from the small tea table.
Gu Anjiu, sharp-eyed, exclaimed: "Whoa, what's that? Young master Wang, did you join the cheerleading squad?"
"An alarm clock," Su Lian turned around, looking for a suitable spot to hide the speaker.
Unfortunately, Gu Anjiu was fat but quick. He reached out and fumbled with it, accidentally hitting the switch.
Thus, the death alarm once again rang out across the room without suspense, replaying the earlier suffering.
Su Lian stood among the crowd, feeling utterly desolate inside.
It couldn't be saved. Maybe the world should just end.
Was that master a fraud? He had gone back and changed things several times, but none successfully altered the course of events.
Tired, exhausted, no longer caring.
Perhaps this was fate.
One last try. Su Lian mustered his courage to turn the watch hands again. With practiced ease, he walked to the small table, picked up the speaker, and, turning his back to Gu Anjiu, shoved it into Chi Wang's arms.
With the deadly speaker in his arms, Chi Wang looked up and said wearily: "What's this about? You're not expecting me to study now, are you?"
"Put it away. It's expensive. If they break it while fooling around, I can't afford a new one," Su Lian made up an excuse on the spot.
Indeed, Su Lian had spent most of his tutoring money on this lousy gadget, so it should be kept safe.
"Alright," Chi Wang nodded, putting the speaker in the nearby cabinet before sitting back on the high stool.
All was calm. Nothing happened.
Su Lian let out a long sigh of relief. It worked. There was hope after all.
The others were still chattering away. Chi Wang nudged him with his knee: "Are you out of money again?"
Su Lian gave a soft affirmative sound: "Why?"
"This week's tutoring fee. I'll transfer it to you," Chi Wang took out his phone and transferred 2,500 yuan, based on the past couple of days' rate.
Su Lian clicked to accept the payment, thinking that 250 yuan per hour was quite lucrative, easily making over 10,000 a month.
Chi Wang wanted to say something but hesitated, feeling he shouldn't meddle in others' affairs. But this guy was really extravagant; he might end up unable to afford food one day.
After some thought, he still spoke up: "Don't buy such expensive speaker supplements. Try to economize a bit."
"I'll try," Su Lian responded nonchalantly.
Gu Anjiu overheard their conversation and turned around, catching sight of the transfer record: "2,500? The price is going up. Is it really just tutoring fees? Nothing else mixed in?"
Hearing the suggestive tone, Chi Wang smacked him on the forehead: "Can't you get your mind out of the gutter?"
"Oh, right, your hand is injured. Indeed, you can't do much," Gu Anjiu paused, then drawled, "It must be tough on Brother Lian."
Su Lian: "..."
If he didn't know Gu Anjiu was straight as an arrow, he'd suspect he was some sister from a gay bar.
"What gutter?" Qi Tian poked his head over, lowering his voice, "You guys have porn?"
Chi Wang laughed and kicked at him: "Get lost, we don't."
Hormones always ran wild among teenage boys. With this banter and teasing, the topic swiftly shifted from fighting to romance.
As a muscular sports committee member, Qi Tian's level of gossip was ridiculously on par with Gu Anjiu.
He said with a suggestive look: "Last week, I passed by the class beauty's seat. She was secretly watching that calisthenics video. Guess which one she likes?"
"The class beauty, huh? She is quite a looker, definitely out of us mere mortals' league," someone chimed in. "Of course, our calisthenics duo is so handsome, they could definitely win her over."
At the mention of calisthenics, Su Lian felt a splitting headache. He had no desire to join this guessing game.
But someone insisted he participate: "Brother Lian, guess which one of you two it is?"
"Chi Wang," Su Lian answered without thinking, just picking a name at random.
"You just assume it's me," Chi Wang pursed his lips. "It's not necessarily the case."
"The class beauty has been classmates with young master Wang for a year now, with no signs of interest," Lin Yan analyzed rationally. "I think it's more likely to be Su Lian."
Qi Tian suggested: "Then let's make a bet. See who the class beauty ends up confessing to. You in?"
Chi Wang clicked his tongue: "How bored are you guys?"
This proposition piqued everyone's interest. They started throwing in stakes, betting ten or fifty yuan, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
With the bets set, the gathering ended, and everyone went their separate ways.
Only then did Su Lian realize he hadn't changed clothes; his previously soaked T-shirt was now half-dry.
He took a quick shower, slowly lay down on the bed, and remotely set the alarm on the speaker.
-
At 6:30 the next morning, Chi Wang was awakened by the familiar yet creepy alarm. It took him a while to remember the speaker was still in the wardrobe.
Forced to get up, he struggled out of bed, threw on a jacket, found the speaker, and turned it off.
Checking the time, he had to admit it was impressively punctual, as expected from remote control.
After washing up, he sat playing on his phone for a while before picking up his backpack and knocking on the door next door.
Gu Anjiu opened the door with messy bed hair, exclaiming in shock: "How rare! Did the sun rise from the south? You're up so early?"
Chi Wang casually replied: "The room was too noisy. Couldn't sleep."
"..." Gu Anjiu paused for a moment, his back tingling. "Isn't your room empty?"
This guy's train of thought was truly peculiar, transforming into a ghost story in a second. Chi Wang was quite speechless: "Where's Su Lian?"
Gu Anjiu came to his senses and glanced at the bed by the window: "He hasn't gotten up yet. Probably slept late last night."
Chi Wang laughed in exasperation. This person had woken him up early in the morning, while he himself was sleeping soundly.
He quickly walked over, stepped on the stairs, and unceremoniously pulled off the covers: "Get up, it's time for class."
Su Lian frowned slightly, irritably snatching the blanket back to cover his head. A muffled voice came from under the cotton: "Don't bother me."
The blanket was pulled off and covered again, blocking everything neatly.
In that brief glance earlier, Chi Wang had noticed something was off. Usually, Su Lian's skin was excessively pale, but now it had an unnaturally red tinge.
He reached under the edge of the blanket, his palm finding the other's forehead. It was burning hot.
Grumpy from being woken, Su Lian impatiently said: "Stop it, aren't you annoying?"
"You have a fever. Get up, I'm taking you to the hospital," Chi Wang said, gently moving the blanket aside a bit. He met a pair of sleepy eyes, the whole face exuding a haggard, sickly air.
Su Lian blinked very lightly, said nothing, and closed his eyes again.
Gu Anjiu came out of the bathroom and asked with concern: "Does he have a fever? Is it because he got rained on yesterday and didn't change clothes?"
Chi Wang thought for a moment: "Possibly. He also drank a lot of cold stuff. It's my fault."
"Then what should we do? Morning self-study is about to start. We definitely can't leave him alone in the dorm," Gu Anjiu scratched his head, deep in thought.
Chi Wang tossed his backpack on the ground: "Help us ask for leave. I'll take him to the hospital."
"Alright," Gu Anjiu nodded. "Call if anything happens."
The other two roommates gradually got up, each coming to take a look before leaving just in time for class.
As soon as everyone left, the room suddenly became quiet.
Chi Wang leaned diagonally on the stairs, patted the blanket, and said softly: "Be good, get up first."
"Not getting up," the voice was muffled and unclear, lacking its usual icy tone. Somehow, it sounded strangely soft.
The blanket was pulled back again, and Chi Wang's hand touched the forehead, alarmingly hot.
He coaxed in a low voice: "If you don't want to go to the hospital, at least let's go to the infirmary."
Su Lian carelessly touched his own forehead and mumbled indistinctly: "No need to go. I'm a doctor, I know what I'm doing."
He must really be delirious with fever. Chi Wang found it amusing and buried his head, laughing for a while.
"Do you remember what your name is?"
"Su Lian."
"You're a doctor?"
"Mm, surgery."
"... Which university did you graduate from?"
"Peking University Medical School."
The answers came smoothly, but the content was completely nonsensical and truly absurd.
Chi Wang thought, if the fever continues, he might claim he's about to go to the front lines.
He simply pulled off the blanket, supported the back of Su Lian's neck to force him upright, and they faced each other.
Stimulated by the cold air, Su Lian looked around, his eyes clearing a bit. What had he just said?
Damn, he really was delirious with fever.
He licked his slightly dry lower lip and gave an awkward greeting: "Morning."
"Awake now, doctor? I didn't know you had such lofty ambitions," Chi Wang teased. "But with your health-conscious attitude, you do seem quite suited for that profession."
His heart skipped a beat. Su Lian closed his eyes and rubbed his face: "I was talking nonsense."
Whenever he was confused, he always had trouble distinguishing time and situations. Sooner or later, it would cause problems.
Chi Wang didn't take it seriously: "Of course, as if it could be true."
He turned and went down the stairs, picking up the school uniform jacket hanging on the chair and handing it over: "Let's go, I'll accompany you to the hospital."
Feeling guilty, Su Lian wanted to quickly change the subject from their earlier conversation and obediently got up.
Too lazy to change out of his pajamas, he just threw on the jacket, and they headed out.
But after walking just a few steps, he felt his legs weaken. His body suddenly lurched to the side, almost falling.
Chi Wang reacted quickly, supporting him and letting him lean on his shoulder: "How about I carry you over?"
Su Lian shook his head in refusal: "I can walk by myself."
A grown man of 1.8 meters being carried by someone else? What would that look like?
However, he felt that since traveling back in time, his physical condition had deteriorated compared to before.
In the past, when the hospital was busy and he worked around the clock, he would often take cold showers in the dead of winter to stay alert, and he didn't seem to have ever fallen ill. Yesterday he had only been caught in the rain, yet now he had a fever and felt weak. It was very strange.
Su Lian lowered his gaze, thinking this must be an after-effect of time travel.
Still lost in thought, Chi Wang bent down and pulled him onto his back, gripping his thighs as he straightened up and strode towards the building exit.
"If not carrying, piggyback is fine, right? Even when you're sick, your idol image is still so important."
Fortunately, the class bell had rung and the campus was empty, so no one saw them.
Su Lian hooked his arms around the other's neck, leaning against the broad back with his head resting on the shoulder, lips pressed together in silence.
They had been to the hospital quite often these past two days. The day before yesterday, Chi Wang had come due to a cut, and now they were here again. Recently, it seemed their luck was not good.
Su Lian sat pale-faced in the hospital chair, watching as the other busily registered and paid.
After the consultation, his temperature was measured: 39.2°C.
After checking for viral infection and getting an injection for the fever, Chi Wang picked up a large bag of medicine and took Su Lian back to the dorm.
Su Lian sank into the blankets, feeling weak and achy all over, barely able to muster any strength.
When he opened his mouth again, his voice had become a bit hoarse: "Give me the medicine. I'll take it and then sleep some more."
Chi Wang boiled some water, saw there was a powder packet in the medicine bag, mixed it with water, and poured it back and forth between two cups to cool it down before handing it over.
He supported the back of Su Lian's neck and said softly: "It might be a bit bitter. Just close your eyes and drink it down."
Su Lian tossed the capsules into his mouth, mixed them with the powder, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one go.
The action was quick and decisive, without any hesitation.
Chi Wang, who was in the middle of unwrapping a candy: "..."
How fierce. Why was he so different from others when sick? Didn't he know how to act spoiled at all?
"Wasn't it bitter?"
"It was fine."
Probably just putting on a tough act. Chi Wang chuckled softly and popped the candy into Su Lian's mouth: "Then have something sweet."
Su Lian paused for a moment, his tongue pressing against the hard candy as it slowly dissolved. He felt his entire mouth fill with the sweetness of orange.
Whether at seventeen or twenty, this guy always used the same trick to comfort people.
"Is it sweet?" Chi Wang looked at him with a smile, waiting for praise. "I bought it when I was getting the medicine. There weren't many choices, so make do with this."
The candy rolled around in his mouth. Su Lian mumbled indistinctly: "It's too sweet."
His voice was very soft, carrying a hint of feigned disgust, like a child pretending to be aloof. It was quite adorable.
Chi Wang laughed again and couldn't resist reaching out to ruffle the messy hair: "Then little Su Lian should lie down nicely, be good and don't move. I'll go get a wet towel to help bring down the fever."
"No need, I'll just sleep for a while and I'll be fine," Su Lian didn't take it too seriously, casually taking off his jacket and tossing it aside.
He curled up entirely under the blanket, watching the other busily going in and out. His eyelids grew increasingly heavy.
With his head pounding, he drifted off in a daze, his head tilting to the side as he fell back asleep.
When Chi Wang came out with the towel, he saw that Su Lian had already closed his eyes, his breathing shallow.
He very gently brushed aside the bangs on the forehead and placed the damp towel on the burning skin, wiping slowly.
After repeating this several times, he finally felt the temperature go down a bit.
Chi Wang sat sideways on the upper bunk, his legs dangling, staring at the sleeping face lost in thought.
This person was usually so cool and aloof, refusing to show weakness even when sick. So stubborn even with a high fever, who knows what he was trying to prove.
Just as he was pondering this, suddenly the fingers he was using to prop himself up on the bed were grabbed. His palm was lightly stroked by a fingertip, then pulled closer.
Chi Wang looked down. The slender, pale fingers had entwined with his own, gripping tighter as if afraid he would run away.
In that instant, his beating heart seemed to tighten along with the pressure of the hand.
Chi Wang didn't dare move, his whole body tensing as he froze in place.
Then, he heard a very faint murmur from the bed. This time he heard it perfectly clearly.
Su Lian's voice was very low, tinged with the nasal quality of a cold: "Chi-ge, my head hurts."