Chapter 184: Su Peng Who’s Sick
The apartment was a bit far from the main area, so by the time An Han came back, twenty minutes had already passed.
She had bought a meal set that cost about twenty yuan, but since Su Peng was sick, she also bought a small pot of stew, the total came to thirty.
“So expensive…” she muttered.
If she had bought it on campus, the same dinner would have only cost a little over twenty.
After going up and down the stairs several times, An Han was already breathing heavily.
Come to think of it, Su Peng looked strong and healthy, who would’ve thought he’d catch the flu?
Meanwhile, even though she was thin and weak-looking, she couldn’t even remember the last time she got sick.
When she reached Su Peng’s door, her steps slowed. Suddenly, she felt she might be acting too caring. Maybe she should just drop off the food and go back to her room?
After calming her breathing from the short climb, An Han pushed open the half-closed door and peeked inside. She saw Su Peng leaning against the bedhead with his eyes half-closed.
“Dinner’s here,” she said.
“Mm.”
He didn’t look sick at all, that made An Han seriously doubt if he was pretending to be pitiful just to get her sympathy.
She left her wet umbrella by the door, walked in, and put the food on the computer desk. Su Peng dragged his tired body over, sat down, and opened the food container.
But just as he picked up his chopsticks, he noticed An Han half-squatting beside him, staring straight at him with her bright eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he asked with a soft laugh. “You haven’t eaten dinner yet?”
“I already ate before coming back,” she replied.
Leaning forward a bit closer, An Han put on a serious face and said sternly,
“I think you’re lying to me.”
“Lying about what?”
He always looked gentle on the outside, but she knew this guy was full of tricks. She had to be careful!
She reached out her hand and pressed the back of it against his forehead.
The next second, she quickly pulled her hand back, shocked. “You’re burning up! How high is it?”
“About 38.5°C?”
“That’s a high fever! Why aren’t you in the hospital?”
“You usually only need to go if it hits 39°C. I’ll be fine,” Su Peng said, then coughed a few times before continuing, “I went to the hospital this afternoon. The doctor said to take medicine for two days first and see how it goes.”
“Oh~ Where’s the medicine?”
He opened the drawer and took out a big plastic bag. “Can you boil some water for me? I’ve got some medicine powder to mix.”
“Lucky for you I’m nice!” An Han said unhappily, but her body moved faster than her mouth. She grabbed the electric kettle and went to the bathroom to fill it with water.
Her mind wandered as she filled the kettle, wondering how she should act toward Su Peng next. She wanted to stay cold and distant like she had in the past few days. But after finding out he was sick, she couldn’t help feeling softhearted.
While waiting for the kettle, she turned her head toward him and asked,
“Why don’t you live in the dorm? Your roommates could take care of you.”
“I didn’t want to infect them.”
“So you’re not worried about infecting me?”
“How was I supposed to know you’d come looking for me?”
Well, that was true. A few days ago, when Su Peng had tried to talk to her, she’d acted completely annoyed.
Even though they were in the same class every day, they didn’t actually interact much.
From Monday to Wednesday, Su Peng had still been warm and friendly. But these past two days, because of his illness, he hadn’t shown up in front of An Han at all.
She filled the kettle, set it on its base, and switched it on. Then An Han sat on the bed and watched Su Peng eat in big bites.
This meeting with Su Peng felt even happier than their usual time together. Her sudden need to talk and to share things felt strange, like the feeling when a short separation makes everything feel new again.
She stared at the side of his face while he ate, but he only took a few bites before putting his chopsticks down and turning to ask, “Why didn’t you buy a scarf or ear muffs? Your face is all red from the cold.”
“It’s not that cold. Those things feel weird to wear, and I’m lazy to buy them,” An Han explained. “Besides, it’s especially cold today because of the rain. Normally it’s fine.”
She looked down at her hands and, without meaning to, added, “Food outside the school is so expensive. I spent thirty on your dinner. It’s better to order campus food, but they won’t deliver up here, you always have to go down to get it.”
“My hair is getting too long. The counselor said my hair looks messy. I’m thinking of cutting it… Long Xing likes short-haired girls. He said girls who look a little cool are cuter.”
Su Peng understood what she meant and smiled softly. “I like both. Long hair or short hair, it’s all fine.”
“Who asked you?” she rolled her eyes. “Hurry up and eat. I boiled your water already. I’m going back to shower and play games.”
“I can’t eat.”
“Why not? I ran in the rain to buy this for you!”
She stood and paced in the room, complaining, “You won’t believe it, someone randomly added me online and confessed to me a few days ago.”
“It was clearly a copy-paste message. So cheesy and gross.”
“If I find out who it is, I’ll call Long Xing and we’ll beat him up!”
“Remember to call me too,” Su Peng said with a small smile. He rarely interrupted.
An Han suddenly turned to him. “Was it one of your alt accounts?”
“No.”
“Good… Anyway, I already scolded that person.” She muttered as she walked to the door. “I’m leaving. Call me if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
She pushed the door open, then turned back to remind him, “Since you’re sick, eat well. Finish your food.”
“Got it.”
“Your blanket is too thin. I’ll bring my thick quilt over. Sleep with it so you sweat a little, that’s better. But it might smell of camphor.”
Su Peng smiled wryly. An Han had turned into a real chatterbox.
She happily ran out and soon came back carrying her thick quilt. She ripped open the clear plastic cover and spread the quilt over his bed.
“All right, I’m really going now.”
As she left, Su Peng coughed hard a few times. His voice was hoarse and low. He bent over as if trying to pull the cough out of his lungs. He coughed for a good thirty seconds, then spat, rubbed his nose, and forced himself up. He packed away the half-eaten dinner, took his medicine, and lay down exhausted.
But soon the fever made him dizzy and very sleepy. Still, every cough made him jump like a shrimp. His chest hurt from coughing, and he couldn’t sleep.
An Han sat on her own bed next door, listening through the thin wall and feeling worried.
There’s no way I’ll catch this flu just from sitting with him for ten minutes, right?
Is the flu that contagious? If someone as healthy as Su Peng is this bad, what if I get sick too? I’d be half-dead.
Next time I go to his room I should wear a mask…