Bai Chen noticed, but he had no desire to get up. He was too tired to even move his eyelids.
But why did the scent coming from the person beside me seem a little familiar? Bai Chen felt as though he had smelled it somewhere before.
It was faint, clean, and soothing.
Right! Pear blossoms!
The scent on Mr. Lin!
Bai Chen suddenly opened his eyes and looked beside him.
"Boss Lin?!"
The other man sat upright beside him, his hands folded, looking perfectly at ease.
He gave Bai Chen a gentle smile.
He wasn't wearing glasses today, which made him look even gentler.
"Little boss, what a coincidence. Why are you sitting here all alone? Aren't you going to join in?" Lin Jingchen asked.
Still reeling from the surprise, Bai Chen shook his head and said, "I can't dance. Sitting here and watching is nice enough."
"By the way, what brings you here?" Bai Chen asked.
Lin Jingchen said, "The university invited me to give a speech to the students today."
"Oh, right. I almost forgot you graduated from here."
Bai Chen was so muddled by his fever that he had forgotten Lin Jingchen was a distinguished alumnus of North District University. It was perfectly normal for him to come and give a speech.
With that, Bai Chen was ready to lean back and rest again. Although he had plenty of questions for Mr. Lin, his headache and exhaustion were too much.
A moment later, something cool touched Bai Chen's forehead.
"So cool."
Bai Chen was baffled.
Lin Jingchen withdrew his hand and touched his own forehead, his brow creasing slightly. He said softly to Bai Chen, "Your forehead is burning up. You need to see a doctor. Come on, I'll drive you to the hospital."
Hearing that he wanted to take him to the hospital, Bai Chen hurriedly refused. The university had specifically invited Mr. Lin here. It wouldn't be right for him to leave to take Bai Chen to the hospital.
He hastily thanked him over and over, then said apologetically, "N-no, that's all right, Mr. Lin. You've already helped me so many times, and I'm truly grateful, but there's really no need this time."
"Once I've signed in for the university event, I'll sneak out. It won't delay my treatment," Bai Chen insisted as always, even though his eyes had gone unfocused.
Bai Chen couldn't understand it. Didn't he just have a cold? It wasn't some serious illness. There was no need for everyone to get so worried.
Still, he was very grateful for their concern.
Lin Jingchen didn't answer immediately. His lips pressed into an increasingly tight line, as though he were considering something.
"How about this? I'll be going onstage to give my speech in a few minutes. Wait until I'm finished, and I'll take you to the hospital."
He gazed earnestly at Bai Chen, his eyes full of tenderness. As though afraid Bai Chen would refuse, he added, "My home is right near the hospital, so it's no trouble. You won't have to waste money on a taxi."
Bai Chen was even more confused.
Something felt off. Wasn't his home in the same direction as the university? Why was it near the hospital this time?
Unless Bai Chen remembered wrong, those two places were in opposite directions.
He was just about to ask when the other man suddenly rose from the bench and said, "I'll go backstage and look over my speech first. It's almost time. I'll take you to the hospital in ten minutes."
Without even waiting for Bai Chen to answer, Lin Jingchen strode straight toward the backstage area.
Bai Chen was speechless.
"I haven't even said anything yet. Did you have to leave in such a hurry?" Then something occurred to Bai Chen, and he laughed.
He understood. If Lin Jingchen's home being near the university last time had been a coincidence, there would have been nothing strange about it.
But now he was using the same trick again. If Bai Chen still couldn't recognize his kindness, he'd have to be a complete idiot.
"Looks like I owe Mr. Lin more and more. Who knows when I'll ever repay it all? Maybe I should give him a few more pieces of pottery." Bai Chen sighed softly, but deep down, he was happy.
After the other man left, Bai Chen prepared to lean against the wall and go back to sleep.
Five minutes later, the microphone came to life.
The balding, potbellied dean of students was testing the microphone up front, tapping it every so often.
It was a scene of early humans attempting to tame a microphone.
"Hello, hello. Can you all hear me? Am I handsome? I think my hair looks pretty good today," the dean asked.
"Eww!"
His words drew a chorus of jeers from the crowd.
Some of the boys played along, clapping furiously and shouting, "Ah-so handsome! You're drop-dead gorgeous, sir! You're my idol! I'm your biggest fan! Can I have your autograph?"
"Hahaha!" All the students burst out laughing.
Much of the awkwardness between the boys and girls who had been trying to mingle instantly melted away.
The boys grinned broadly, while the girls were more ladylike, covering their mouths as they let out soft, pleasant laughter.
"Well, everyone, have we loosened up a little?" Seeing that the atmosphere was no longer awkward, the dean asked.
He knew these students well enough. They couldn't relax at a mixer and all felt awkward, so he'd found something to talk about. It seemed to have worked quite well.
At that, everyone nodded.
They turned back to their partners, met their eyes, and exchanged smiles.
Before long, the girls shyly lowered their heads, their cheeks flushed.
Watching everyone being so sweet together, Bai Chen wished he had some popcorn to munch on while he watched.
There was no popcorn, but there were desserts in front of him.
Bai Chen picked up the smallest cupcake and brought it to his lips for a taste.
The cupcake was tiny, with a cherry on top.
He ate the cherry first, then popped the entire cake into his mouth with his next bite, chewed a few times, and swallowed.
In short, down in three bites.
Sure enough, seeing other people look happy lifted his spirits too. Even while he was ill, his food tasted good.
Happiness really was contagious.
"Everyone, please be quiet. Next, we have a distinguished alumnus whom our university has warmly invited..."
The audience fell so quiet that they seemed to be holding their breath.
"Please welcome our alumnus, Lin Jingchen, to the stage." The dean announced the name everyone had been waiting for.
The young man climbed the steps to the stage with slow strides of his long, straight legs.
A moment later, screams erupted from the audience, accompanied by thunderous applause.
"Aaaah-Lin Jingchen! Lin Jingchen!" The girls were even more excited than the boys.
"He's actually this handsome? I thought he'd be some science guy wearing thick black glasses!" Some of the girls could hardly believe it.
The dean gestured for silence.
Seeing this, the students quieted down.
The screams had startled Bai Chen awake too. He turned his head and gazed blearily at the young man onstage.
The young man in the suit had put on his gold-rimmed glasses. Behind them were a pair of alluring eyes that tilted slightly upward at the corners, and he wore a smile.
He stood straight behind the microphone.
The girls in the audience were utterly captivated.
He raised the microphone stand a little and leaned closer.
"Hello, everyone. I'm very honored to have been invited by the university to give this speech today..."
His voice was gentle, yet poised.
It felt like a summer breeze slowly drifting into the students' hearts.
Even Bai Chen was taken aback by the sight of Lin Jingchen onstage.
He was dazzling and powerful.
Bai Chen remained in a daze until the speech ended.
"Everyone, that concludes my speech. I'll leave the rest of the time to you."
With that, Lin Jingchen gave the students a slight, graceful bow.
Then he stepped offstage and left through the backstage area.
Before you continue