Fever Break - Chapter 13

A few clothes hangers were hanging on the small rope on the balcony.

Lu Wuke took one and hung up some clothes on the rope.

The two buildings were so close that one could touch them with a stretch of the hand, and conversations could be heard clearly.

Shen Yixi said to the other end of the phone, “Alright, I’m hanging up.”

Then came the muffled sound of the phone being thrown onto the bed.

Lu Wuke hung up another piece of clothing.

The loose strap dress subtly revealed her curves, her calves pale and slender. Her arms were thin and fair, with the delicate straps sliding down loosely.

After finishing the call, Shen Yixi showed no intention of leaving, sitting there with his legs spread, watching her. His gaze was direct and unreserved, showing no signs of concealment.

This was Shen Yixi, different from those boys who would blush just talking to a girl they liked. He was frivolous and open, yet treated love as something external, always appearing indifferent, with an endless supply of mischief.

Yet those girls were precisely drawn to this type, each one enchanted to the point of distraction.

Lu Wuke knew exactly what kind of bad intentions this person harbored.

She was hanging her outer garment to dry, and once this piece was done, only a few intimate clothing items would remain in the basin. As she hung the clothes on the line, she inadvertently locked eyes with Shen Yixi through the gaps in the fabric.

He stared at her intently.

With a wild, unrestrained gaze, neither retreating nor avoiding.

Lu Wuke quietly met his gaze.

Even without making a face, just looking at him seemed to suggest he was bullying her.

Yet she stubbornly refused to speak to him; she neither took her time nor let him leave, as if she were deliberately confronting him, bending down to pick up the small piece of fabric and her bra to hang them up.

Shen Yixi licked his front teeth and turned his head to smile.

He stopped teasing her, casually getting up from the bed and finally said to her, “Alright, I won’t look.”

Lu Wuke was taken aback.

He smiled as he casually slid the cigarettes and lighter from the table into his pants pocket, then glanced at her before slowly turning around and leaving through the door.

The next day, Lu Wuke woke up early, as usual.

She had a biological clock that woke her up naturally around six or seven every day, and even though today was a holiday, that clock was unwavering.

As dawn broke, she could hear the footsteps of the old lady moving outside her room.

Older people sleep less, and Zhao Jinjun always got up particularly early, so from the sound of those footsteps, she knew the lady had already been to the market and returned.

Lu Wuke lay in bed without moving, suddenly recalling what had happened on the balcony last night.

Waking up felt like coming out of a dream, everything was hazy.

The events from the night had become blurred, hidden beneath the undercurrents, the only clear memory was of that person’s eyes.

The curtains on the balcony are still drawn, and the room is somewhat dim.

Lu Wuke got out of bed and left the room. The elderly woman busy in the kitchen saw her come out and said, “Why don’t you sleep a little longer? You don’t have school today.”

Saying she couldn’t sleep, the old lady would start preparing a bunch of nourishing soup for her, so she casually found an excuse: “I’m hungry.”

“Then hurry up, brush your teeth and wash your face,” the old lady said, “I’ll make you some dumplings to eat.”

After Lu Wuke finished washing up, she returned to her room to change clothes and casually pulled open the curtains.

It had rained a little last night, and this early morning, the puddle in the corner of the balcony had yet to dry in the sun.

The room across was empty, just a big bed and a table pushed against the wall, tidy asThe room across was empty, just a large bed and a table pushed against the wall, so tidy it looked as if no one had ever been there.

After looking around and not seeing a trace of cigarettes or a lighter, Lu Wuke was sure that person had left.

She didn’t pull the curtain shut again, turned around, and went out of the room to have breakfast.

=

This holiday, the days for returning home, wasn’t far from the school’s anniversary celebration. Lu Wuke had only been home for two or three days when she received a call from a senior, summoning her back to school.

The old lady was reluctant to let her go back so soon. If it weren’t for Lu Wuke’s reason of needing to return for dance practice, her grandmother would never have allowed it.

When Lu Wuke left, her grandmother stuffed a big bag of food into her hands.

Ah Shi, used to the wildness outside, quickly grew bored of staying at home. As soon as she heard Lu Wuke was going back to school early, she bragged to her parents that she was going back to study with this top student.

Every day, she would talk about Lu Wuke to her parents, praising her beauty and good grades. After hearing it so many times, as soon as Ashi mentioned Lu Wuke, her mom would rarely stop her from going out.

Back in the dorm, Ah Shi’s first meeting with Lu Wuke was her wailing, “I’ve had such a miserable time at home these past few days! I had to tape my mouth shut while gaming. I’m so used to cursing at my stupid teammates that I’m afraid I’ll slip up and let something out. If my mom hears those swear words, I’m done for; she could slap me all the way to the moon!”

Lu Wuke couldn’t help but laugh; Ah Shi’s name, Wanrou*, was given by her mother, hoping her daughter would be as gentle and soft as her name suggested.

But Ah Shi had been raised by her grandmother since she was little, and by the time her mother took her back, her wild spirit was already set in stone. Her mother was quite upset with her grandmother for a long time because of it.

During the seven-day National holiday, students traveled outside, while others returned home, leaving the school much emptier than usual. Sometimes, when they went out to eat, they hardly encountered anyone on the road.

She used to complain every day about how my schedule was packed to the brim, but now that she has free time, she finds herself a bit bored. Every day, aside from playing games, Ah Shi just accompanies Lu Wuke to the dance studio for practice.

However, after spending two dull days like this, she couldn’t stand it anymore and kept bringing up the haunted house she had been wanting to visit lately, trying to persuade Lu Wuke to go with her.

That haunted house has been really popular lately; it’s been transformed from a piece of abandoned building, and the realistic scene settings and terrifying plots are enough to scare anyone. They say the blood on the hospital floor inside is real, and many of the stories are based on actual events.

Over time, even if there are no ghosts, it feels like there are.

If it were any other time, Lu Wuke would have agreed to go with Ah Shi right away, but this time she absolutely refused.

Ah Shi spent the whole day trying to persuade her in a soft and hard manner, but in the end, it seemed like she discovered a significant secret: “Lu Wuke, you’re not afraid of ghosts, are you?”

At that moment, Lu Wuke had just finished rehearsing her dance and was packing her things. Upon hearing this, she glanced at Ashi and then lowered her head to continue putting her stuff into her bag.

She seemed calm, but Ah Shi, who knew her well, understood that this was basically a silent agreement.

“Wow, you’re really scared, huh?”

“Who doesn’t have something they’re afraid of?” she replied.

Ah Shi, finally finding a weak spot, teased her by making a scary face, “Lu Wuke, look at me.”

Lu Wuke glanced over.

Ah Shi grinned widely, “Are you scared?”

Lu Wuke laughed and tossed a piece of clothing at her, “Aren’t you being a bit childish?”

Ah Shi laughed too, and her hand stopped tormenting her own face as she said, “If you go, I’ll stand in front of you to protect you, okay?”

Without a second thought, Lu Wuke replied, “No.”

Ah Shi pouted, “Then you can come with me, I’ll go in by myself and you just wait outside for me. That should be fine, right?”

“Sure.”

But it turns out that Ah Shi’s mouth is just like that of a deceitful ghost; the next day, she was dragged in by Ah Shi.

Fortunately, Ah Shi kept her word and protected her from behind once they were inside.

But even so, Lu Wuke was still quite scared, and it took a while for her to recover after coming out; her lips had even lost some color.

Ah Shi went to buy two drinks, and the two of them sat under the green bus shelter waiting for the bus back to school.

It wasn’t until half an hour later that a No. 6 bus finally arrived, with only two or three people on board. Lu Wuke and Ah Shi chose to sit in the last few rows.

The bus started off like a heavy old man, swaying as it moved.

Ah Shi must have seen something, nudging Lu Wuke’s arm: “Isn’t that Shen Yixi and Qi Siming with them?”

Lu Wuke, sitting by the car window and leisurely sipping her drink, looked up at the mention.

They must have just come out of the haunted house.

This group of friends couldn’t possibly be without girls when they went out to have fun; several girls seemed to have been scared, their faces pale, and some even cried from fright.

The other guys, however, were completely at ease, clearly not taking the things inside seriously.

Shen Yixi is one of them.

He shrugged off a jacket, casually tucked his hands into his pockets, and laughed, his shoulders shaking slightly.

The person next to him was scared to tears, but he didn’t care; that girl clearly liked him.

Everyone understands the little thoughts of a young girl, so no one went over to disturb the two of them.

In some ways, Shen Yixi is quite cold-blooded. There are countless girls who like him, but he wouldn’t even spare a glance for those he’s not interested in.

I don’t know which boy made a joke, but he turned his head and laughed.

Just then, a bus passed by them, its engine roaring.

His gaze inadvertently swept over in this direction.

Before Lu Wuke could pull her gaze back, he had already seen her.

She averted her eyes and lowered her gaze.

Beside her, Ah Shi noticed Shen Yixi was looking this way and nudged Lu Wuke’s arm: “Hey, Lu Wuke, Shen Yixi is looking over here.”

Lu Wuke responded with a disinterested “oh.”

Ah Shi didn’t care whether she was interested or not and continued, “He seems to be looking at you.”

“Come on, Lu Wuke,” A Shi said, “Is Shen Yixi into you or something?”

The bus had already driven far away, quickly leaving those people behind.

Lu Wuke looked out the window: “You’re overthinking it.”

Ah shi wouldn’t let that face fool her: “Don’t try to fool me.”

She stared at Lu Wuke: “With a face like yours, I figured he would come looking for you sooner or later. He was just looking your way; who else would he look at?”

Lu Wuke pulled her gaze back from the window and shot her a glance.

“You’re mistaken.”

Ah Shi was puzzled: “What do you mean?”

“There’s another girl behind.”

“Huh?”

Lu Wuke said, “He’s looking at her.”

Ah Shi was momentarily confused, completely unaware that there was another person behind.

She turned her head to sneak a glance, and indeed, there was a girl sitting behind Lu Wuke, with earbuds in, listening to music.

She was quite good-looking, vibrant and charming, definitely not the same type as Lu Wuke.

Recalling the girlfriends Shen Yixi had in the past, he might actually prefer this kind.

“……”

She was left speechless by Lu Wuke, and reluctantly turned back: “Alright then.”

=

Time passed by in a blur, and after the holidays, everyone’s lives began to get back on track.

That day, Ah Shi didn’t really want to attend that boring entrepreneurship class. In her words, the class wasn’t teaching people how to start their own businesses and live well; it was teaching students how to end up unemployed and bankrupt.

She skipped that class to watch Lu Wuke dance.

Lu Wuke came over only after her class. She hadn’t come to practice for a few days after the National Day holiday, and today was her first day back.

When Ah Shi arrived, Lu Wuke was stretching her legs.

She pushed open the door to the dance studio and said, “Lu Wuke, are you touched? I skipped class to keep you company.”

Lu Wuke glanced at her in the mirror and replied coldly, “You should be asking that to the game.”

“Damn, that’s true.” She really did come to keep Lu Wuke company, but she also definitely came to play games.

Ah Shi could hum a segment of the music for LuLu Wuke could hum a melody perfectly, no matter the dance. If she kept enjoying it, she might just fall asleep listening.

Rehearsals went on until after five, and the two finally left the dance studio together to grab a bite.

While strolling after dinner, they passed by the little shop where they often bought breakfast. Ah Shi wanted to go in for some snacks; she had no classes tonight and planned to watch a horror movie in her dorm. She couldn’t sit still while watching; she needed something to munch on.

At this hour, students were wandering around the campus after dinner, and the shop was crowded.

Lu Wuke didn’t go in with her, instead waiting outside in a less crowded spot.

Across from her was the basketball court, surrounded by tall iron fences.

There must be a game going on inside, with boys shouting and cheering, fueled by hormones, and girls adding their delicate screams of encouragement.

Lu Wuke felt a bit bored, so she lowered her head and tapped the weeds poking through the cracks in the ground with her toes.

The setting sun cast a red hue over the concrete, and not far away, an old classroom building displayed a sign warning against approaching dangerous structures.

A few girls passed by her, whispering and gossiping.

Lu Wuke heard the name Shen Yixi.

She paused for a moment on her toes, then continued to play with the grass as if nothing had happened.

Outside the basketball court, the sound of basketballs bouncing against the ground echoed, as a few boys led by Shen Yixi each held a bottle of soda glistening with condensation, laughing and saying something.

Lu Wuke was completely oblivious to them.

Minutes passed, and Ah Shi still hadn’t come out of the convenience store. Just as Lu Wuke was considering going to find her, a basketball rolled toward her.

Before she could react, the basketball had already bumped against her toe.

It lightly bounced back and finally wobbled to a stop right in front of her.

Lu Wuke looked up.

She saw those boys outside the court, smiling and looking her way.

Her gaze landed on Shen Yixi, leaning against the iron fence.

He was tossing the soda bottle in his hand, bluish veins on the back of his hand visible, while his long, slender fingers skillfully manipulated the bottle.

Each toss was quite casual.

He looked at Lu Wuke.

When Lu Wuke’s gaze met his, he gave a rather unserious smile and said, “Sorry, my hand slipped.”

He couldn’t even be bothered to pretend, almost as if he was saying it was intentional.

Boys at this age are all so mischievous; as soon as the others heard him, they immediately chimed in, teasingly undermining him, saying, “Classmate, he’s lying to you!”

“He did it on purpose.”

Shen Yixi, being exposed right in front of her, showed no sign of embarrassment at all.

Still that carefree demeanor, completely unafraid of her finding out.

Lu Wuke wasn’t surprised; Shen Yixi was just that kind of person.

He was exactly how he appeared in front of others—partly bad at his core, partly bad on the surface, not the slightest bit restrained by the outside world, unafraid of being known or pointed at.

He looked at her, his gaze seemed a bit different from how he usually looked at her.

But it was hard to pinpoint what was different.

His voice carried a lazy tone: “Classmate, kick the ball over to me.”

If it were any other girl, she would have kicked the ball over by now.

But Lu Wuke didn’t.

Her eyes, which he had seen turn red from choking just a few days ago, were now looking at him, wide open and telling lies.

“I twisted my ankle.”

She knew she had some advantages in her appearance; no one could doubt her honesty when they saw her innocent expression.

It turned out this tactic was indeed effective, as none of the nearby men seemed to disbelieve her.

Everyone believed her, except for the one she wanted to deceive the most.

Unlike the others, Shen Yixi showed no sign of belief on his face and raised an eyebrow.

After a moment, he lowered his gaze and smiled, then lifted his eyelids to look at her.

The next second, she heard him laughingly said, “Can’t kick it?”

“Alright then,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets and getting up from the iron mesh, “I’ll go over.”

1. 許婉柔 (Xǔ Wǎnróu)
   婉 (Wǎn): the original meaning of this character is “obedience” or “tactfulness”, and it is extended to mean “gentleness” or “beauty”.
   柔 (Róu): means “soft,” “gentle,” or “tender.”

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