Cheng Xingzhou's Affinity Points

The two faced off in silence, each sizing up the other without a hint of yielding in their eyes.

For a moment, the atmosphere became extremely awkward.

Bai Kewei looked from one to the other, sensing something was off.

Her new friend seemed to have stumbled into trouble.

Fortunately, the infirmary wasn't far off—Xue Changgui, who had gone ahead, had already fetched the school doctor.

Seeing the doctor arrive, Bai Kewei let out a soft sigh of relief. If those two kept at it any longer, who knew what would happen.

The school doctor was surprised to see Fu Liangxia. "Young lady, you again?"

Fu Liangxia: "..."

Yeah, it was her again.

...

Under the doctor's direction, she was placed in an empty ward. It was bright, much like the one she'd been in yesterday, but a bit larger.

Bai Kewei had a better constitution; a little rain was only enough to give her a cold, so she followed the doctor out to get some cold medicine. Fu Liangxia stayed behind to have her temperature taken.

But anyone could see she was running a serious fever.

"Hiss—"

Cheng Xingzhou didn't set her down hard, but his lack of finesse made her body tilt and land heavily on the hospital bed.

If he didn't want to carry her, he could've just said so—no need for such underhanded tricks.

Fu Liangxia shot him a glare.

Already burning with fever and aching all over, she grumpily wrapped herself in the blanket and curled up, not moving.

She simply had no energy left.

"Sorry."

Unexpectedly, a male voice came from above.

Fu Liangxia struggled to open her eyes and saw Cheng Xingzhou still standing there, staring at her with an unreadable expression, a trace of guilt flickering in his gaze.

She was taken aback, seeming unsure how to react to this rare show of softness from him. After a moment, she said, "It's fine, it doesn't hurt that much. And thanks for bringing me here, I should be the one saying—"

"That's not what I meant."

Her words were cut off.

Fu Liangxia looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

But he didn't say anything more. He just sighed, picked up her thermometer, and walked out.

Fu Liangxia: ?

What was that about? So weird.

Still, she was used to it—Cheng Xingzhou had always been like this, strange and unpredictable. She gave up trying to understand and flopped back onto the bed.

Speaking of which, she hadn't seen Su Xingshu since a while ago. Where had he gone?

Not that it mattered.

"Xiaxia, you should change your clothes first."

The door creaked open, and Bai Kewei came in holding a clean school uniform.

"Thanks, Kewei." She forced herself to sit up and managed a smile.

Girls were truly angels, weren't they? She'd remembered her wet clothes, unlike some guys who couldn't compare.

Bai Kewei set the clothes down and left. Even though they were both girls, they weren't close enough to be that comfortable with each other.

Fu Liangxia endured the dizzying fog, slowly sitting up and beginning to peel off the leg warmers from her calves.

The snowy thin socks were soaked through with dirty water, stained brown and looking particularly unsightly.

Fu Liangxia felt a pang of regret. These were her favorite pair of leg warmers—a classic from the G-brand, costing her half a month's allowance. And now they were ruined.

The Fu family wasn't like the old money conglomerates with deep pockets; most of their money was tied up in the company by her father. On top of that, he'd taken out a huge loan to secure a new project.

So her and Fu Liedong's allowance was pitifully small. But at Saintland, everything social cost money, and the more important the social event, the higher the price tag.

Clothing was a significant expense in that regard.

So Fu Liangxia only dared to buy a few high-quality pieces, sprucing them up with luxury brand details. The cost was far less than formal wear, but it didn't undermine her status.

And the beauty of such classic decor was that she could buy just two pieces and rotate them, never looking out of place.

But now—

It was all because of those two brats who splashed her with water... With that thought, she clenched her hand, her nails digging deep into the fabric, leaving a long, trailing scratch.

Because of those two idiots, she had an unexpected expense.

So annoying.

She tossed the socks into the trash can, took one last, long look at the ruined pair, and silently vowed to make them pay.

Double.

She let out a frustrated breath and began to slowly strip off her clothes. Her school uniform stank of dampness and mildew, like something rotting.

She was almost eager to throw them to the ground. But when she picked up the clothes on the bed, she noticed the size was strangely perfect.

...

After sending Xue Changgui off with the thermometer and having the school doctor summoned, Cheng Xingzhou didn't leave. He leaned against the wall and pulled out his phone.

He had things to handle. It was the start of the semester—the busiest time for the Student Council—and his tasks were piling up.

But there was also the matter of those two troublemakers.

He remembered seeing her drenched and disheveled not long ago, and a nameless irritation churned in his chest.

She was always so sharp-tongued, only ever snapping at him, right?

And that distance—pouring water from the third floor wouldn't have been impossible to hear. The girl next to her had reacted, so she should've been able to dodge too.

Unless she was playing up her misery to win his sympathy. What else could it be?

Recalling her words about "giving him the illusion of a healthy body," Cheng Xingzhou felt a pang. Could she still be sick?

But she'd come to school.

Lost in thought, Cheng Xingzhou didn't notice Bai Kewei hurrying past him.

He pondered for a moment, then straightened up, deciding to go ask Fu Liangxia.

The concept of a "high fever" simply didn't exist in his vocabulary, so he never considered how miserable a feverish person could be—just a bad cold, nothing more.

So Cheng Xingzhou never stopped to think whether Fu Liangxia was in any condition to answer him. He pressed the handle and pushed the door open.

The next second, what he saw made his eyes widen.

On the hospital bed, the girl was half-leaning against the headboard, head bowed as she buttoned up her shirt. Her long, slender legs were slightly pressed together, half-hidden beneath the blanket, revealing a teasing sliver of skin. The top two buttons were done up, showing only a delicate collarbone.

Her dark hair fell over her chest, the damp strands slightly dampening the fabric.

She wasn't showing anything, yet it inexplicably made one's heart race.

"..."

Cheng Xingzhou stood rooted to the spot, his expression unreadable.

Hearing the door, Fu Liangxia assumed Bai Kewei had come back. She blinked tiredly. "Kewei, you're back already?"

Her trembling fingers, weakened by the fever, couldn't manage to fasten the button, and her eyes were starting to blur. Just as she was about to give up, a hand reached out.

Long, elegant fingers deftly caught the button, easily taming what she'd struggled with, securing it neatly at her chest.

But Fu Liangxia felt no gratitude.

Her gaze slid over the boy's slender hand, traveled up his arm, and finally settled on his face.

"What are you doing?" She frowned, not bothering to hide her displeasure.

She clearly saw his long lashes flutter behind his glasses at her question, then quickly steady.

He nonchalantly stepped back two paces, his cold expression sliding back into place. That ruler-sharp, harsh gaze swept over her from head to toe. Without a word, he let out a faint, mocking laugh.

Fu Liangxia: "...?"

What was that supposed to mean?

She felt her head throb even harder.

Too weak to glare at him, she pressed a hand to her burning forehead and slid limply under the blanket.

But Cheng Xingzhou wasn't as composed as he appeared.

He didn't know why, when he saw that scene, he hadn't closed the door, but instead walked in and fastened her button.

He only remembered what Su Xingshu had said as he'd been sent off: "What's gotten into you today? Suddenly caring about a classmate? Never thought you had it in you." His words dripped with mockery.

Caring?

Of course not.

He was just...

An awkward tension hung in the air, and Cheng Xingzhou's gaze fell on the figure curled up under the covers.

The fluffy blanket covered her completely, leaving only a pale, small face visible. Her dark hair lay messily scattered across the pillow, with tiny beads of water sliding from her forehead down her neck, finally disappearing beneath the blanket.

Her cheeks were flushed pink, her full lips bearing faint teeth marks. It inexplicably made his throat tighten.

Cheng Xingzhou curled his fingers in restraint, walked over to the water dispenser, and poured a cup.

He drank it in one gulp.

All the while, his eyes never left her face.

Sensing his gaze, Fu Liangxia opened her eyes and saw this scene: "..."

She felt like he was drinking her, not water.

So weird.

Fu Liangxia stuck a hand out from under the blanket. "I want some too."

Her voice wasn't as deliberately distant as before—maybe because she was sick, it came out with a hint of pouty charm.

Cheng Xingzhou stared at her for a few seconds. Just as she thought he wouldn't help, he turned and walked to the dispenser.

"Glug."

The machine gurgled.

He handed her a cup of water in a disposable plastic cup.

"What's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" Fu Liangxia gave him a puzzled look, pointing at herself. "Isn't it obvious?"

Her forehead was burning hot—she could've fried an egg on it.

"Not now. I mean... haven't you recovered yet?" Cheng Xingzhou watched her closely, not missing the slightest change in her expression.

"Oh, that." Fu Liangxia couldn't explain the world-consciousness rejection, so she vague it. "Almost."

Seeming to sense she wasn't telling the truth, Cheng Xingzhou narrowed his eyes. "You—"

Before he could finish, the door swung open. He turned to see the school doctor enter, holding up something. "Take these meds, and a good sleep should sort you out."

With that, he handed the fever reducer to Fu Liangxia, watched her take it, then led Cheng Xingzhou away, claiming the patient needed rest.

"Young man, if you keep chattering like that, girls will find you annoying..." The doctor's voice faded into the distance.

With a click of the door, the world fell quiet again.

Fu Liangxia let out a soft breath and closed her eyes, content. As she'd expected, life at Saintland was never calm.

But just before she dozed off, she remembered something.

When she'd met Su Xingshu and Fu Haoyao, the System had given her a prompt, but it hadn't for Cheng Xingzhou. Was it because she already knew him before?

With that in mind, she tentatively called up the System in her mind and checked Cheng Xingzhou's current affinity points.

And the number that showed up startled her.

[Target #2 "Cheng Xingzhou" Current Affinity: 53.]

Fu Liangxia: "..."

Fu Liangxia: "??"

Wasn't he supposed to hate her? How did he have such high affinity?

...By the System's standards, this was close to best-friend level. So this was how he treated someone he had such high affinity for? With cold sarcasm and a sour face?

Fu Liangxia: What a poker face.