Smelling the scent of alcohol coming from Liu Yan, Wu Liang awkwardly shifted backward.
He moved his gaze away from her chest and tried his best not to look at her.
"What, you can get shy too? That really is rare."
Liu Yan found Wu Liang's tense body rather amusing. This brat was actually nervous over something like this?
An interesting little brat. Though she had never been particularly close to Wu Liang, she knew that the old Wu Liang would never have gotten nervous over something like this.
The old Wu Liang probably did not even have such thoughts. Had that shot put knocked some sense into him?
"This is for your own good, so no one sees us and gets the wrong idea."
Wu Liang shifted his butt and moved from in front of Liu Yan to the other side.
He awkwardly moved his shoulders and turned to look out the empty window.
He did not know whether it had just been his imagination, but he had felt a chill behind him.
It was as though he had been targeted by a venomous snake hiding in the darkness. That icy gaze made his entire body feel uncomfortable.
"Heh, so what if someone sees? Do you think anyone would believe I'd make a move on a student?"
Liu Yan made a show of sitting beside Wu Liang, crossed her legs, and spoke unconcernedly.
Her smooth thighs overlapped as she lightly flicked away the dust that had gotten on her stockings earlier.
After patting the dust from her short skirt, Liu Yan pointed toward the inner room.
"Aren't you going in to see your 'classmate'? She's in there alone."
Liu Yan rested both hands on either side of the sofa and leaned casually against its back.
Her lips moved slightly before she glanced at Wu Liang beside her.
"You said earlier that she needs proper rest. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to go in now, so let her rest for a while."
Wu Liang stretched hard. Thanks to He Xue, he had managed to get away from Yuwen Xing.
He had not expected a speed that did not even count as a warm-up to directly break the school's long-standing long-distance running record.
It had even made Yuwen Xing take him so seriously. This body was a little too bizarre.
"Heh, that girl isn't that delicate. She's still awake now. Sleeping in there alone must be boring."
"I have something to do outside. Go in and keep her company for a while. Help me watch this place too. I won't lock the door."
Liu Yan smiled and patted Wu Liang's shoulder, placing a ring of keys by his hand.
She tugged at her white coat, hung it on the coat rack, and casually put on a black trench coat.
"How much do you like trench coats?"
Wu Liang picked up the keys beside him and could not help calling out as he looked at Liu Yan's back.
Liu Yan really liked trench coats. In his memories, no matter when he saw her, she was always wearing one—spring, summer, autumn, or winter.
"A personal preference. You have no right to ask."
Liu Yan put on her sunglasses, puffed out her chest, and smiled proudly.
She strode to the door on her long legs, changed out of her slippers, put on her high heels, and quickly left the room.
"Remember to give her the medicine and get her some hot water."
Liu Yan, who had already gone out, suddenly poked her head back in through the doorway to remind Wu Liang.
Then she simply waved and left, looking as though she had come in a hurry and left in a hurry.
"This woman..."
Wu Liang watched Liu Yan leave and smiled helplessly.
But since Liu Yan had instructed him like that, he naturally could not pretend he had not heard her.
Besides, Liu Yan's departure had created a good opportunity for him.
Just as Liu Yan had said, only He Xue and he were left in the infirmary.
If he could use this opportunity to improve his relationship with He Xue and erase the negative impression she had of him, it would be killing two birds with one stone.
If he could become friends with He Xue as well, then when he tried to bring Nan Zhu and He Xue together in the future, his chances of success would undoubtedly be much higher.
"Success or failure hinges on this..."
Wu Liang looked at the medicine on the table and muttered. He would go all in.
Whether he could leave a good impression on He Xue depended on this. No matter what, he had to seize this opportunity.
..
He Xue lay in bed, quietly listening to the conversation between Liu Yan and Wu Liang outside the door.
The pain in her lower abdomen had eased considerably, but she was even less able to calm herself than before.
Her mind was a complete mess. Even though she desperately tried to forget everything that had happened earlier, that vivid sensation lingered in her heart.
"What exactly am I so nervous about?"
He Xue turned onto her side and muttered softly, looking toward the door somewhat unnaturally.
Was it because of other people's opinions? No, that was not it. It was because of something else.
"But I really did misunderstand him this morning. I should apologize to him properly later."
Shaking her head to dispel the stray thoughts, He Xue recalled what Wu Liang had said earlier.
So those people had gone looking for Wu Liang to apologize because he had been hospitalized that morning?
"What happened to that guy? Why did he suddenly become like this?"
Puzzled by Wu Liang's change, He Xue furrowed her brows.
He had clearly been swaggering around arrogantly before. How had he suddenly become so gentle?
Could it really be because he had damaged his brain when he got hit? So that was why Wu Liang was now...
"If that really were the case, it would be great."
He Xue gave a bitter smile. If Wu Liang had truly turned from evil to good after getting hit in the head, that would be wonderful.
At the very least, she would not have to deal with his harassment every day, and this academy would probably become much more peaceful because of his change.
She let out a long breath and looked once more at the ceiling covered in wisteria patterns. An apology...
He Xue's Change of Heart
With an uneasy heart, Wu Liang entered the inner room. Seeing He Xue taking a nap, he fell into deep thought.
At a time like this, should he wake her up, or should he just let her sleep quietly?
If he woke her, he might very well make her unhappy, or make the already low level of goodwill she had toward him fall even further.
But if he did not wake her, the medicine would probably get cold soon.
"Where's Teacher Liu?"
He Xue, who had looked sound asleep just moments ago, suddenly opened her eyes and shot upright in bed.
Her delicate body was taut as a bow, but there was no expression on her face. She merely looked at Wu Liang calmly.
"She went out for something. This is pain medicine. Drink it."
Wu Liang was startled by He Xue sitting up in bed like a corpse suddenly coming back to life.
Did she have springs under her? That inhuman way of getting up was really insane.
"Mm... Thank you..."
After hearing that Liu Yan had left, the tension in He Xue's face immediately softened considerably.
Afraid that Liu Yan would misunderstand something between herself and Wu Liang, she had no choice but to put on a cold expression.
After all, Teacher Liu had always been rather nosy about such things. She did not want Teacher Liu to misunderstand anything.
Eh? No, why had she deliberately put on a cold expression? Wouldn't that make it obvious that she actually cared about Wu Liang?
Suddenly realizing her approach had been wrong, He Xue pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed repeatedly.
Fortunately, Teacher Liu had already left. If Teacher Liu had seen what she was like earlier, she would probably have teased her again.
"It's nothing. It's normal for classmates to help each other."
Wu Liang set the medicine by He Xue's bedside. Then he retreated several steps and sat on the bed behind him, putting distance between himself and He Xue.
It was not as though he was being overly cautious for no reason. The old Wu Liang had harassed her and left an extremely bad impression on her.
If he made her uncomfortable, he would only be making trouble for himself.
"Classmates..."
He Xue held the medicine in her hands and softly repeated those words.
A trace of loneliness appeared on her pretty face. To her, the word classmates was actually very distant.
Although she was a member of Class Five, Year Two, and the others jokingly called her the class beauty.
In a sense, aside from Han Yu, she did not have a single so-called classmate friend.
In everyone's eyes, she was more like an independent existence, someone excluded from the group.
From that point alone, she and Wu Liang were actually somewhat alike. Both of them were isolated.
"Those people aren't classmates to me. They're just strangers I'm a little more familiar with."
After a moment of silence, He Xue spoke slowly. She had no common language with those people.
Nor could she fit into the circles of those young masters and young ladies.
The only reason she had been able to attend this school was because of her outstanding grades, along with the fact that her father had a very good relationship with one of the teachers.
Otherwise, how could someone from a family like hers possibly enter an academy only prestigious nobles were allowed to attend?
"..."
Wu Liang did not speak. He merely sat to one side and silently watched He Xue.
He knew what He Xue's situation was like in Class Five, Year Two, and he could understand how she felt.
Although He Xue was a member of Class Five, Year Two, those students viewed her as an outsider.
If one had to ask why, it was because of the difference in status.
At this elite academy filled only with young masters and young ladies, a family like He Xue's could be called the lowest of the low, completely beneath notice.
Living among such prestigious families, He Xue had no topics she could discuss with them.
The other students even disdained speaking with He Xue, because the gap in their status was simply too vast.
He Xue was someone excluded by all of Huihuangxing Academy. Because of her status, no one considered her part of Huihuangxing Academy.
That was the rule of class hierarchy—a nauseating rule within Huihuangxing Academy, yet one tacitly accepted by every teacher and student.
"Ah, sorry. I said too much. I'm not trying to complain. After all, the gap between me and them really is..."
"No matter how great the difference in status is, you are still a member of Huihuangxing Academy, someone by my side."
"You are a one-of-a-kind individual. You don't need anyone else's recognition. My recognition alone is enough."
The words felt as familiar as though they had been carved into the depths of his DNA, as though he was supposed to say them at this moment.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Wu Liang suddenly snapped back to his senses, covered his mouth, and furrowed his brows.
What had he said just now? Why had he blurted out those words without thinking?
No, he felt like he had heard those words somewhere before.
They were so familiar that he could practically recite them backward, but where exactly...
Before you continue