The sickly one in F4 was the group's darling.

"Bai Bai, are you sure you can walk like this?"

Xiao Qi's voice echoed in my mind, filled with utter doubt.

Bai Ci was standing at the door of the ward, his left hand on the door frame and his right hand pressed against his chest, his expression as serious as if he were going into battle. He had maintained this posture for a full thirty seconds.

"I'm sure," he replied in his mind.

"Then why don't you start moving your legs?"

"...I'm preparing myself mentally."

"You've been mentally preparing yourself since you woke up this morning, and it's almost nine o'clock now. Dr. Qin waited for you in the examination room for half an hour, your eldest brother stayed with you in the corridor for half an hour, and your third brother—oh, your third brother just went to get coffee. He said that by the time you're ready, he could practically open a coffee shop in the corridor."

Bai Ci pursed her lips, finally mustered up her courage, and took her first step.

The second step is now complete.

As they reached the third step, Bai Jiheng's teasing voice came from the end of the corridor: "Oh, finally decided to loosen the doorframe? I thought you were planning to take root and grow there."

Bai Ci paused, instinctively wanting to retreat and shrink back into the ward.

The next moment, a warm hand steadily supported his arm, and Bai Yanzhi had walked to his side without him noticing.

"Let's go, there's no rush."

Bai Jiheng approached with a cup of coffee, his gaze sweeping over Bai Ci from head to toe, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Why is your face so pale? The examination hasn't even started yet."

"...Not very white." Bai Ci said stubbornly in a low voice.

"You're as white as paper, and you're still being stubborn." Bai Jiheng handed the coffee to Bai Yanzhi, then walked around to Bai Ci's other side, raised his hand and gently patted his shoulder. "What are you afraid of? It's just a blood test and a scan, it won't hurt. Your third brother broke his leg when he was fourteen and didn't utter a sound."

"Who said you didn't make a sound? Your vocal cords didn't make a sound, but when they broke, the bones made a sound!" Bai Ci looked up, her eyes clear and serious, and gently corrected him.

Bai Jiheng's hand froze in mid-air, and he was speechless for a moment.

Bai Yanzhi held the coffee cup, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Xiaoqi burst into laughter in her mind: "Bye-bye! Your rebuttal was brilliant! Third Brother's expression, hahaha... Wait, let me take a screenshot—"

"You can even take screenshots?"

"A screenshot of the essence! Exclusive collector's item!"

Bai Jiheng took a deep breath, turned to look at Bai Yanzhi, and asked helplessly, "Big brother, was he just arguing with me?"

"I'm not criticizing," Bai Yanzhi said, taking a sip of coffee. "I'm stating the facts."

"State the facts?" Bai Jiheng was both amused and exasperated. "He's clearly saying I can't even tell if I'm speaking up!"

"You really didn't distinguish between them," Bai Yanzhi calmly added.

Bai Jiheng felt that his elder brother was being biased, so he simply shut up.

He turned to look at Bai Ci, who was looking up with a pair of light brown eyes, full of genuine confusion. It seemed that they were simply discussing common sense, without any malice intended to provoke him.

"Fine, you win." Bai Jiheng put the coffee aside, crossed his arms, and said, "Don't come crying to me when the blood draw hurts."

"The blood draw won't hurt," Bai Ci said with exceptional seriousness, her eyes open and pure. "I've been scratched by thorns in the mountains several times before, and it hurts much more than a needle prick."

The corridor fell silent for a moment.

The young man's casual remark caused a slight unease in both of them.

The Bai family mansion was well-organized and elegant, and the campus was clean and safe, with no secluded places overgrown with thorns. Even though Bai Ci was not valued in the Bai family and had a withdrawn personality, he was never sent to remote and dangerous places.

Where did he get his experience of being scratched by thorns, which was far more painful than being pricked by needles?

Bai Ci was completely unaware that she had stirred up ripples in their hearts, and was already discussing another topic with Xiao Qi in her mind: "Xiao Qi, how much blood do you think they need to draw? My body is already weak, won't it make me even weaker after the blood draw?"

"That small amount won't have much of an impact on you, don't scare yourself unnecessarily."

"Can I eat a couple more strawberries to make up for it after I smoke?"

Xiaoqi said with a mix of helplessness and amusement: "...Bai Bai, all you can think about is food."

"Isn't replenishing blood all about eating?" Bai Ci said confidently.

Xiaoqi was silent for a moment: "I can't refute your logic."

The examination room door opened, and Dr. Qin was already waiting inside. Bai Ci saw rows of strange instruments gleaming faintly in the room, and a sense of dread quietly welled up inside her.

"Let's do the routine blood test first," Dr. Qin pointed to the examination table, "just roll up your sleeves."

Bai Ci sat down and obediently rolled up his sleeves above his elbows. His arms were so thin and white that you could almost see the veins underneath. When the nurse was bandaging his arm, Bai Jiheng suddenly spoke up from the side: "Your arms are so thin that even the bandage is too loose."

"...Third Brother, can you please be quiet for a bit?" Bai Ci complained in a helpless whisper.

"No." Bai Jiheng said calmly.

The nurse found the vein, and the moment the needle pierced the skin, Bai Ci's eyelashes trembled, but he did not pull his hand away.

He just kept mentally stabbing Xiao Qi: "Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi—"

"Here you are! Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'll count down for you! Ten, nine, eight—"

"Your countdown starts at ten?!"

"Shall we start with three? Three, two—"

"The needle has been removed."

"—One! Okay! That's it! Bye-bye, you were amazing!"

Bai Ci looked down at the cotton ball on his elbow, then at the blood collection tube in the nurse's hand, and suddenly asked a question that silenced the entire room.

"Can I have this blood back?"

The nurse's hand paused.

Dr. Qin adjusted his glasses.

Bai Jiheng almost choked on the coffee he had just drunk.

Bai Yanzhi raised his hand and rubbed his temples.

Xiaoqi let out a desperate cry in her mind: "Bye-bye! This examination procedure doesn't include returning the blood sample! The blood in the tube is used to verify the muscle texture, and it will be disposed of uniformly afterward, so stop asking!"

"...Oh." Bai Ci pursed her lips listlessly and muttered softly, "That's such a waste."

The nurse suppressed a laugh as she carefully put away the blood collection tubes. Dr. Qin coughed lightly, breaking the silence: "Next, we'll use the visceral ultrasound machine. Lie down on this examination bed."

Bai Ci lay down on the examination bed, and when the cool medicine was applied, he flinched.

"It's a bit cold," he said softly.

Bai Yanzhi took off his coat, folded it twice, and placed it behind Bai Ci's head. Bai Jiheng glanced at it, said nothing, and simply placed his other unfinished drink next to Bai Ci.

"What?" Bai Ci turned her head to look at him.

"To warm your hands," Bai Jiheng turned his face away, "Don't overthink it, I just can't hold any more."

The warmth of the cup dispelled the chill from my fingertips, and the warmth slowly spread through my palms.

Xiao Qi secretly sighed, "Bai Bai, if Third Brother says it's not, then it is."

"……I know."

"You already know, why are you asking?"

"I just want to hear him say it himself."

"It's a pity he didn't say."

"It's okay, as long as your hands are warm."

The entire examination lasted nearly an hour. Bai Ci cooperated fully throughout, turning over when asked and holding her breath when asked, being exceptionally obedient.

When the pulse and fingerprint testing plate was changed, one by one, the cool sensory patches were placed on his chest, and his breathing suddenly became more rapid.

The sudden chill reminded him instantly of the cold wind outside the bathroom last night, and the chill that had seeped into his body when he collapsed to the ground.

Bai Ci closed her eyes, her fingers unconsciously clenching the bed sheet beneath her, and the fear in her heart quietly resurfaced.

The next moment, a warm hand covered his wrist.

"I am here."

Bai Yanzhi's voice was very low, so low that only Bai Ci could hear it. His thumb gently pressed on Bai Ci's wrist.

Bai Ci didn't open his eyes, but his fingers slowly loosened the sheets and instead gripped Bai Yanzhi's sleeve.

Bai Yanzhi did not pull his hand away, letting him hold it.

When the inspection was over, Bai Ci's ears were so red they looked like they could bleed. He quickly let go, sat up, and pretended to straighten his clothes while looking down.

Xiaoqi mentally made a "done" gesture, confirming that all the data had been adjusted.

Bai Jiheng leaned against the doorway, his gaze sweeping between the two men before finally settling on the crease in Bai Yanzhi's sleeve that had been clenched.

A knowing smile flashed across his eyes, but he didn't say anything.

A moment later, he removed the slightly cooled drink and replaced it with a steaming cup of milk, which he gently placed beside Bai Ci.

The test results wouldn't be available for half a day. Bai Ci was taken back to the ward by Bai Yanzhi. She had just lain down when she heard Bai Jiheng making a low-pitched phone call in the corridor.

"Hmm...you're coming back?"