In the Infirmary
1318 Words
After a long silence, Lucy finally spoke slowly,
“Didn't I say I’m not interested in what you call me?”
Du Zixiu replied casually,
“How can you still say that? You’re not as cold as you appear. If you’d let down that protective shell, you’d be much happier.”
Lucy stared at him, dumbfounded—was it because he’d just repeated what Yan Yishan said, or because he had seen right through her?
“Whatever—it has nothing to do with you, Young Master Du! If you’re bored, your admirers would be more than happy to keep you company,” she snapped, closing her book and rising to leave.
“Lucy, can we be friends?” Du Zixiu asked confidently, flashing a dazzling smile that shone like starlight as he watched her back.
Lucy turned to face him, lost in thought—and didn’t notice a basketball hurtling straight toward her.
“Watch out!”
In an instant, Du Zixiu rushed forward, shielding her with his strong arms. But the basketball collided with his handsome face, and a trickle of bright red blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
When Lucy came to her senses, she realized a small crowd had gathered around them.
“Sorry, Young Master Du—we didn’t mean it,” a tall boy apologized, his face full of guilt.
“Seriously, what’s wrong with you guys? All you do is act like basketball-playing apes,” a girl in the midst jeered.
“We already apologized, and besides, he got hit because he was trying to save you,” another insisted.
“Then why do you keep playing basketball all day if you’re just going to hurt people? You shouldn’t even be playing!” one girl argued.
“We have every right to play here—what business is it of yours?” came the retort.
As the quarrel escalated, Lucy couldn’t stand the noise. She grabbed Du Zixiu’s arm and led him away from the crowd toward the infirmary—after all, he’d been injured saving her.
Holding his warm hand, Lucy felt strangely reluctant to let go. Perhaps she needed that warmth too much; she’d been cold for so long and craved a little sunshine in her life.
Inside the infirmary, sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting both of their silhouettes onto the white walls. Lucy retrieved a white handkerchief from her pocket and carefully dabbed away the blood at the corner of Du Zixiu’s mouth. Seeing her earnest concern, Du Zixiu smiled.
“Why are you smiling?” Lucy asked curiously.
“I already told you—you might look cold on the outside, but your heart is truly kind.”
Taken aback by the look in his eyes, Lucy hurried to explain,
“Don’t get me wrong—I’m not helping you just because you saved me. I don’t like owing anyone!”
“You don’t have to wrap yourself up so tightly. Don’t be so guarded. Both sorrow and joy pass—why not choose to be happy?” he added softly.
Hearing his words, the hand Lucy had been using froze mid-motion. She stared at the gorgeous man for a long moment—her heart racing yet her eyes growing calm, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on her face. Sunlight bathed them completely, scattering them in dazzling fragments across the floor.
“Zixiu, are you okay?”
Anxious, Situ Yue’s voice cut through the moment as she rushed over.
“I’m fine,” Du Zixiu insisted with a smile, even though blood still trickled from his face.
“But you’re bleeding!” Situ Yue said, concern evident in her tone. Turning abruptly, she snatched the medicine from Lucy’s hand and glared at her with a trace of resentment,
“You can leave now—I’ll take care of him.”
Lucy clenched her jaw, her dark eyes growing cold as she watched Situ Yue tenderly treat Du Zixiu while he continued to smile at her. In that instant, the scene between them resembled that of long-time lovers—and soon, a group of schoolgirls began to murmur.
“Turns out he and Situ Yue are lovers!” one exclaimed.
“No wonder they were so cozy on his first day,” another added.
“But why did he get hurt trying to save Lucy?” someone wondered.
Lucy, disliking the commotion, turned to leave—but was stopped by Situ Yue.
“Lucy, your mentor needs you. And while you’re at it, tell him I’m taking a day off!” Situ Yue ordered.
“Situ Yue, I’m not your servant—you have no right to boss me around,” Lucy retorted coolly before storming out. Du Zixiu watched her go, his heart aching.
Word of the incident spread quickly throughout Ying Sheng High School.
“Wow, Lucy is something—probably only she would dare talk to Situ Yue like that!”
“Yeah! Situ Yue just loves bullying others. Even if her grandfather is the chairman of Situ Group, it doesn’t give her the right to boss people around. Lucy might seem cold, but she’s nothing like her!”
A somewhat cute girl added, “Keep your voice down—if she hears you, it won’t end well. Her grandfather is the school chairman, you know!”
Another piped up, “By the way, did you hear? Zixiu got hit in the face by a basketball while saving Lucy!”
“Of course everyone knows—rumor has it Zixiu’s not into Lucy anymore.”
“Who cares? They’d make the perfect couple!”
“If Zixiu ends up with her, I’ll admit defeat—but if it’s with Situ Yue, I’m never on board!”
All the casual chatter reached Situ Yue’s ears. Her jet-black eyes flashed with a chilling glare as she stared at the girl speaking ill of her.
“People aren’t born to be bad—sometimes being cold is just a hard shell of protection,” she seemed to remind them.
Later at lunch, as Lucy and Yan Yishan sat in the cafeteria, a commotion erupted. Distant shouts and curses broke the quiet as a group of girls attacked a frail classmate—pummeling her until her once-clean face was a b****y mess. The relentless a***e was punctuated by jeers:
“Are you so fed up with life that you dare badmouth Sister Yue behind her back?”
“Look at yourself—what a joke! So arrogant and as thin as a toothpick. No wonder ugly people cause trouble!”
“Right, I even saw her boyfriend—he has a thing going on!”
Amid the cruel insults, the beaten girl, exhausted and desperate, mustered her strength. Seeing Lucy—a girl known for defying Situ Yue—she crawled toward her, tugging at Lucy’s skirt and pleading,
“Help me, help me!”
Lucy’s eyes softened briefly as she noticed the girl’s desperate state. She reached into her bag and pulled out a white handkerchief that carried a faint, delicate fragrance.
“Here, you’re hurt—wipe it up,” Lucy said gently. The girl accepted the handkerchief, tears streaming down her face in gratitude.
Before Lucy could move further, Yan Yishan grabbed her arm, urging,
“Lucy, don’t get involved—you’ll only bring trouble upon yourself!”
But Lucy calmly pulled her free and faced the bullies.
“Aren’t you done yet? There’s a limit to how much you can bully someone. It’s none of your business—so mind your own!”
One of the girls, who had once mocked Lucy under the cherry trees, sneered,
“Oh, so if I say I intend to meddle, you’ll beat me up just like her?”
Lucy’s eyes turned steely—sharp like an invisible blade capable of cutting through pretension.
- Writer
