Sweet Kiss - Chapter 8.1

Early in the morning, Li Yansui groggily opened her eyes.

The curtains were tightly drawn, leaving the room dim and making it impossible to tell the time.

As soon as she moved her fingers slightly, a warm hand caught hers. “You’re awake?”

Bai Tingzhou’s voice was low and hoarse from just waking up, carrying a lazy gentleness.

“Mm…” Li Yansui responded sleepily. Before she could fully wake up, the towel on her forehead was taken away, and a thermometer was suddenly placed in her mouth.

She blinked and met Bai Tingzhou’s gaze. The dark circles under his eyes were heavy, making it clear he hadn’t rested well all night.

After checking the thermometer, Bai Tingzhou gently tucked her hand back under the covers, his voice sound worried. “Your fever just went down. Don’t move around too much.”

Hearing his words, Li Yansui obediently stayed still.

Bai Tingzhou pulled the blanket up snugly around her before getting up to get her some water.

When he returned, Li Yansui was lying in bed, blinking at him with soft, drowsy eyes. A faint flush remained on her cheeks.

Bai Tingzhou sat down on the stool beside her bed, holding a cup in his hands. “How do you feel? Are you still uncomfortable?”

“I feel much better now…” Li Yansui replied, then suddenly remembered something. “Did you carry me back yesterday?”

Bai Tingzhou’s lips curled into a subtle smile as he deliberately teased her, “No, you flew back on your own.”

As he spoke, he pulled out an unfinished test paper from the night before and began writing.

Li Yansui glanced at the clock. 4:10 AM.

“….”

She decided not to engage with this unreasonable person.

Even though her fever had gone down, her head still throbbed. She rubbed her temples and patted her forehead, trying to ease the discomfort.

Just then, Bai Tingzhou’s voice rang out softly, almost as if he were talking to himself. “Witch Suisui, is never afraid of challenges.”

Li Yansui’s eyes widened slightly. He was repeating the phrase she used to say when she was a child.

Back then, she had been obsessed with stories about witches. While other kids played house, she would cling to Bai Tingzhou and whisper, “Bai Tingzhou, I have a secret, but you can’t tell anyone.”

Then, in an exaggeratedly mysterious manner, she would lean close to his ear and declare, “When I grow up, I’ll become the greatest witch in the world! I’ll defeat all the bad guys!” Her childish voice brimmed with determination.

Bai Tingzhou, even as a child, had always been aloof. Watching her confidence, he merely turned his book slightly and continued reading.

Unhappy with his indifference, Li Yansui ran to the front of his book. He turned it again.

She pouted and demanded, “Bai Tingzhou, why are you ignoring me?”

Bai Tingzhou, engrossed in his book, of course, didn’t respond.

Frustrated, Li Yansui clenched her tiny fists and shouted, “Witch Suisui, is never afraid of challenges!”

Then, she rushed back in front of him, determined to get his attention.

She waved her arms dramatically, blocking his view. Bai Tingzhou, still not looking up, simply replied, “Oh. Then go be a witch.”

Li Yansui clenched her teeth. “Once I become a witch, I’ll turn you into a tiny boat!”

Bai Tingzhou: “…”

“Hah! You’re scared now, aren’t you?” She tilted her little face up proudly.

Bai Tingzhou finally lowered his book slightly, meeting her gaze with a poker face. “Wow, how impressive.” His tone was as perfunctory as ever.

Li Yansui blinked, then her eyes sparkled mischievously as if she had just thought of something. Tilting her head, she mused, “Hmm… what else could you be?”

Bai Tingzhou waited for her answer.

Moments later, her eyes lit up as she grinned. “I know! You can be my magician! That way, you can help me, and I’ll become an even more powerful witch!”

Excited by her own idea, she happily imagined her future as the greatest witch.

Bai Tingzhou, however, lost all interest.

He decided he was better off reading his book.

—

Lying in bed now, recalling those childhood memories, Li Yansui’s face grew warmer. She snuck a glance at Bai Tingzhou, who was still quietly working on his test paper.

He had grown up exactly as expected—still the same as before. Handsome as a child, even more striking as an adult. His thick eyelashes cast faint shadows under his eyes, his nose was straight and well-defined, and his lips were thin and firmly pressed together. His entire face carried an air of quiet indifference.

Lost in thought, she stared at him for who knows how long, until Bai Tingzhou suddenly paused, glanced at her, and asked,

“Have you stared enough?”

Startled, Li Yansui quickly changed her gaze, shut her eyes tightly, and pretended to be asleep—as if by doing so, she could erase the last few seconds.

Bai Tingzhou sighed softly and quickened his pace. The pen in his hand moved swiftly across the paper. The scratch of his writing filled the quiet room. On the side, his draft paper was filled with dense calculations. In no time, he had completed his test.

Closing his pen, he set the test paper aside and began tidying up his desk. Then, without a word, he stood up and left the room.

A short while later, he returned with a steaming bowl of porridge.

The warm aroma wafted through the air, making Li Yansui instinctively open her eyes. Her round, bright gaze landed on him, and she mumbled, “I don’t really feel like eating right now…”

Her soft, muffled voice reached Bai Tingzhou’s ears.

“No.” His rejection was firm. “You haven’t eaten anything all night. Have some porridge to settle your stomach, then take your medicine.”

With that, he scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew on it gently, and brought it to her lips.

Because of Li Yansui’s sudden illness last night, the hotpot they had originally planned was canceled.

She pouted in disappointment but still obediently sat up, opened her mouth, and eat the porridge without protest.

After finishing a bowl, her stomach felt much better. She closed her eyes, pretending to rest, avoiding Bai Tingzhou’s gaze. Meanwhile, he sat beside her, staring at her face the whole time.

As he watched, the flush on her cheeks gradually faded, and some color returned to her previously pale complexion.

Bai Tingzhou finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.

If she could eat, that meant she was recovering. Now he could leave for school without worrying too much.

After all, being able to eat was a blessing.

Sensing that Bai Tingzhou had been staring at her for a bit too long, Li Yansui finally opened her eyes and looked at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

He hesitated for a moment before voicing his thoughts. “Did you not cover yourself properly last night? Is that why you got a fever?”

Li Yansui was momentarily stunned, then shook her head. To be honest, she found it strange too.

She never kicked off her blanket while sleeping. And if it was the air conditioner, that didn’t make sense either. The temperature had been set normally the night before, and she had even set a timer for it to turn off automatically.

She shared her thoughts with Bai Tingzhou.

Hearing this, he frowned deeply, as if lost in thought.

While preparing to take her medicine, Li Yansui casually mentioned, “Oh, right. For some reason, the air conditioning in our classroom was blowing directly at me yesterday. I remember feeling cold, but I got so busy and I forgot about it. Maybe that’s what caused it.”

She sipped on warm water as she spoke, nodding to herself like she had just figured out the mystery.

However, the moment Bai Tingzhou heard her words, his expression darkened.

Classroom air conditioners usually had an oscillating function; they wouldn’t continuously blow on just one person. The only explanation for this… was that someone had done it on purpose.

Li Yansui finished her medicine and handed him the cup, then prepared to get out of bed.

Still lost in thought, Bai Tingzhou snapped back to reality the moment he saw her move. “Where are you going?”

She looked at him seriously. “Getting ready for school. There’s an exam today, remember?”

But the moment she stood up, dizziness hit her. She grabbed onto Bai Tingzhou’s arm for support, standing there for a long moment before regaining her balance.

…Yep. That’s what she got for joking about being sick yesterday.

Yesterday, she had casually lied, saying she went to the infirmary. Now, she actually was sick.

Could her words be any more prophetic?

Bai Tingzhou firmly pushed her back onto the bed. “I already took care of your leave. You’re not going to school today.”

“No way!” Li Yansui shook her head in protest. “Today is the placement exam!” She emphasized the words placement exam, then added, “I don’t want to stay in Class Five anymore…”

She refused to be separated from Bai Tingzhou by an entire hallway. Not only would they be unable to see each other, but they wouldn’t even be able to talk. Worse yet, the distance was just too inconvenient.

Bai Tingzhou patiently comforted his “Witch Suisui,” unconsciously reaching out to ruffle her hair. “I know you don’t want to stay in Class Five, but you’re sick today. You’re in no condition to take the exam. Just rest for now. You can go back once you’ve recovered.”

Li Yansui furrowed her brows in frustration. “No way! It’s my body, I make the decisions!”

Bai Tingzhou: “…”