LABMY CH8

Wei Zhenge’s fever came and went quickly. As soon as his temperature subsided, he told Jian Yuanbai that he wanted to be discharged. Out of caution, Jian Yuanbai suggested staying another day, especially since it was the weekend, and there was no rush to return to school.

What worried Jian Yuanbai the most was that, although the fever had gone, Wei Zhenge still looked weak and listless.

Jian Yuanbai, filled with concern, said, “Why don’t you rest in the hospital for one more night and get discharged tomorrow morning? You’ve just recovered from the fever.”

“You look quite exhausted. It’s better to get a good night’s rest.”

Wei Zhenge slowly raised his eyes to look at him. “Do you really not know why I look so drained?”

Jian Yuanbai replied, “I know, it’s because you had a fever. That’s why you need more rest.”

Wei Zhenge silently closed his eyes, lifted the blanket, and got out of bed. “No, you don’t understand.”

His tone carried a sense of desolation, as if he had seen through the vanity of the world, leaving Jian Yuanbai completely baffled.

However, he keenly sensed the hidden grievance in those words and immediately grabbed Wei Zhenge’s wrist. “Did Fu Pengyi and the others bully you again while I was away?”

“Tell me, I’ll go teach them a lesson.”

Wei Zhenge’s heart softened slightly. The frustration he felt from being forced to say such embarrassing words earlier vanished.

Forget it, he thought. At least Jian Yuanbai truly cared about him and had helped him so much.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he shook his head. “No, I just don’t like staying in the hospital.”

This wasn’t entirely a lie. Wei Zhenge genuinely disliked the hospital’s ever-present smell of disinfectant.

Jian Yuanbai relaxed. “Alright, I’ll handle the discharge paperwork. You pack up your things.”

He turned to leave the ward but suddenly remembered something and looked back. “Oh, don’t forget to bring the megaphone.”

With that, Jian Yuanbai left the room.

Behind him, Wei Zhenge’s expression collapsed in an instant.

The system, which had followed Jian Yuanbai out the door, witnessed everything.

“What a flawless display of face-changing skills,” it commented lazily.

Jian Yuanbai was confused but felt happy being praised. “Why do you say that?”

The system replied, “You have the ability to make others master the art of face-changing in an instant.”

Jian Yuanbai looked even more puzzled. “But I don’t even know how to do the Sichuan opera face-changing trick. How can I teach others?”

The system chuckled meaningfully, “That’s your talent. You don’t need to know it yourself. You can make others do it effortlessly.”

“…Tiantian, are you experiencing system burnout?” Jian Yuanbai asked seriously. “I heard that when a system has been lonely for too long without a physical body, it starts watching weird stuff and ends up malfunctioning, saying strange things to its host.”

“Tiantian, seriously… sigh… stop watching that kind of stuff. Your body might be virtual, but your mind needs to stay healthy.”

The system instantly lost its ability to laugh. “I didn’t watch anything.”

Jian Yuanbai didn’t press further, thinking it was the system’s private matter. He sincerely responded, “Good, good. As long as you didn’t.”

In the system’s eyes, however, this response was pure perfunctory nonsense.

The system thought bitterly: Who needs to watch others? I’m the one suffering here.

Oblivious to the system’s thoughts, Jian Yuanbai, as a considerate host, didn’t pry into the system’s private life and quickly completed the discharge procedures.

By the time the two returned home, it was already past nine in the evening.

In the taxi, Wei Zhenge remained silent.

When they arrived at the residential building, noticing there was no motorcycle parked downstairs, he finally asked, “Where’s your motorcycle?”

Jian Yuanbai walked ahead, triggering the automatic light that illuminated the dim surroundings. Under the warm glow, he turned around and looked at Wei Zhenge.

“If I had taken you on the motorcycle when you were burning with fever, the cold wind would have made it worse. I left it by the school gate,” he said casually.

Wei Zhenge pursed his lips. He wanted to say thank you but couldn’t find the words.

He was well aware of Jian Yuanbai’s financial situation. Everything in his home appeared to be rough jade, but in reality, it was all low-grade stone. The most valuable possession Jian Yuanbai had was that sleek, brand-new motorcycle.

Leaving it parked on the street overnight, who knew if it would still be there?

Yet, Jian Yuanbai spoke as if the expensive motorcycle was nothing compared to his concern about Wei Zhenge catching a cold.

Suddenly, Jian Yuanbai remembered something and exclaimed, “Oh! Do you want to go get the bike now? There’s still time.”

“No,” he added before Wei Zhenge could respond. “Why would I ride it back at this hour?”

Then he asked, “By the way, where’s the megaphone I bought you?”

Wei Zhenge’s expression stiffened slightly. “I… forgot it. Sorry.”

Jian Yuanbai’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How could you forget? I ran through three streets to buy that, and it cost me a whole twenty yuan!”

He could leave a motorcycle worth tens of thousands on the street overnight without a second thought, but he wouldn’t let go of a twenty-yuan megaphone.

Wei Zhenge really couldn’t understand this man.

Under Jian Yuanbai’s relentless nagging, Wei Zhenge’s face darkened as he said with zero remorse, “Are you seriously blaming a sick person for being forgetful?”

“I’ll pay you twenty yuan. Now, shut up.”

There was no way he’d bring that stupid megaphone back. The fact that he hadn’t thrown it straight into the trash was already an act of restraint.

Even someone as thick-headed as Jian Yuanbai could tell that Wei Zhenge was angry, so he immediately softened. “How could I blame Little Pillow?”

“It’s just a megaphone. Are you hungry? Want something to eat?”

Wei Zhenge shook his head silently and walked past him toward the door. The trash bag by the entrance had already been taken out.

Jian Yuanbai pulled out the key to open the door. Just as the key slid into the lock, Wei Zhenge lowered his voice and said, “Sorry… I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you.”

Unexpectedly, Jian Yuanbai turned around with a smile. “It’s okay. You’re my Little Pillow. Even when you’re angry, you’re still soft and cute.”

Feeling awkward from the direct compliment, Wei Zhenge quickly stepped into the room.

At that moment, he had no idea that, years later, he would still remember this night.

He would remember the dim, old residential building, the warm light shining on Jian Yuanbai’s face, and the way this man, standing in the light, had become the brightest and most passionate presence in his world.

…

Because Wei Zhenge had just recovered from an illness, Jian Yuanbai didn’t make him cut jade that weekend. Instead, he simply taught him some gambling stone knowledge.

Fortunately, Jian Yuanbai’s motorcycle was still in place the next day, with no missing parts.

On Monday, after dropping Wei Zhenge off at the school gate, Jian Yuanbai rode off on his motorcycle.

Standing at the entrance, Wei Zhenge watched him leave, unwilling to step through the school gate for a long time.

Wei Zhenge let out a deep sigh, his heart sinking as he stepped into the school. His expression remained calm as he entered the classroom, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. However, when choosing which staircase to take, he deliberately took a longer route, passing by Class 28 of Grade 12.

The reason was simple: the other staircase was near Class 5, where Fu Pengyi and his gang were.

Chen Ji, who was sitting at his desk with a bag of soy milk and fried dough sticks, greeted him enthusiastically, “Hey, why are you bringing soy milk and fried dough sticks again? I remember you don’t like eating fried food in the morning.”

Wei Zhenge shook his head. “Once in a while is fine.”

He had already noticed that Jian Yuanbai was used to taking care of everything on his own. He never asked what Wei Zhenge liked to eat or if he had any dietary preferences. He simply bought food based on his own habits.

However, ever since that first time when Jian Yuanbai bought rice noodles and Wei Zhenge didn’t seem to enjoy them, he never bought them again.

Since he was staying at someone else’s place, Wei Zhenge didn’t want to cause trouble or make Jian Yuanbai go out of his way to accommodate him. So, he never mentioned that he didn’t like eating fried food in the morning. Whatever Jian Yuanbai bought, he ate.

Just after the morning reading session, Tong Lerong approached him. She first glanced at Chen Ji and said, “Classmate, can you leave us for a moment?”

Chen Ji, shameless as ever, replied, “Why? I can listen too, can’t I?”

“No,” Tong Lerong’s face turned cold. “Do you really need to eavesdrop on someone else’s family matters?”

Chen Ji pouted but didn’t argue and left obediently.

Tong Lerong sat down and leaned in close to Wei Zhenge, whispering, “Do you know that your family recently hired a master to perform an exorcism?”

Feeling uncomfortable with people getting too close, Wei Zhenge subtly leaned back and replied, “An exorcism?”

“Yeah, I heard that strange things have been happening at night. Your dad hasn’t left the house for days and is completely stressed out.”

Wei Zhenge shook his head. “I didn’t know. But thanks for telling me.”

The fact that he needed others to inform him about his own family’s affairs was truly ironic.

However, he could more or less guess the reason. That slap Jian Yuanbai gave Wei Chengye must have left him overwhelmed and unable to spare time to trouble them.

Tong Lerong replied earnestly, “No need to thank me.” Then she added, “By the way, have you really not considered walking to and from school with me? Did you say something to Fu Pengyi?”

Wei Zhenge’s body stiffened instantly. Despite the early autumn chill, a thin layer of sweat formed on his back.

It took him a while to find his voice and, feigning calmness, he said, “Yeah, I did. Why?”

Tong Lerong looked worried. “Fu Pengyi told his gang that you deliberately called him to the hospital to humiliate him in front of everyone. He’s furious and swore he’d get back at you.”

Under her anxious gaze, Tong Lerong was surprised to see a faint smile appear on Wei Zhenge’s face.

He said in a relaxed tone, “That’s what he thinks? That’s great.”

No social death. What a relief.

As for Fu Pengyi… whether he did something or not, Fu Pengyi would still find an excuse to cause trouble. Wei Zhenge had long gotten used to it.

Tong Lerong: ?

Tong Lerong: ???

Did she just… hallucinate?