Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

[10:00 AM · Third Period]

The first two classes went well; Su Qinghe persevered thanks to her strong willpower and took plenty of notes.

But by the third physics class, the side effects of the drug began to surface.

Feeling sleepy, weak, and aches and pains.

The classroom doors were open at both the front and back to allow for ventilation, resulting in a strong draft.

Su Qinghe felt increasingly cold.

Her fingers, holding the pen, began to tremble slightly uncontrollably, and the physics teacher's voice on the podium seemed to come from near and far.

"...The key to analyzing the forces in this problem lies in..."

Su Qinghe tried hard to see the force diagram on the blackboard, but the lines in front of him began to blur and distort.

My head feels so heavy.

It feels like it weighs a thousand pounds.

She had to put down her pen and support her forehead with one hand, trying to alleviate the dizziness in this position.

Xie Wang, sitting in the back row, seemed to be listening to the lecture, but half of his gaze was always fixed on the student in front of him.

He noticed that something was wrong with Su Qinghe.

Her ears, which were exposed outside the scarf, had an unnatural flush.

"Qinghe?"

Xie Wang's heart tightened.

While the teacher turned to write on the blackboard, he reached out and gently poked her back, lowering his voice:

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Su Qinghe did not turn around.

She didn't even have the strength to turn around.

She simply shook her head slightly, the movement so small it was almost imperceptible, as if she didn't even have the strength to speak.

Su Qinghe's elbow, which was supporting his forehead, suddenly slid down, and he almost bumped his head on the table.

The noise wasn't loud, but it seemed particularly jarring in the quiet classroom.

"Qinghe?"

Sitting in the back row, Xie Wang kept staring at her back. Almost instantly, he reached out and steadily supported her arm.

Even through her thick sweater, he could feel her body trembling slightly.

Xie Wang's expression changed. No longer caring that they were in class, he immediately got up, walked around the table, half-squatted beside her, and reached out to touch her forehead.

Scalding hot.

The skin I touched on the back of my hand was incredibly hot and covered in cold sweat.

"It's burning so badly..."

Xie Wang frowned.

At this moment, the physics teacher on the podium also noticed the commotion and stopped writing on the blackboard:

"Xie Wang, Su Qinghe, what's wrong?"

All the students in the class turned around.

Su Qinghe, still half asleep, tried to sit up straight and even reached for a pen:

"Teacher... I'm fine, I'm just a little sleepy..."

Her voice sounded off immediately.

Xie Wang directly pressed down on her hand holding the pen, preventing her from being stubborn.

"Teacher, she has a high fever and is a little disoriented. I need to take her to the hospital immediately."

The physics teacher was startled when he saw Su Qinghe's bright red cheeks.

"Xie Wang, help her up first. I'll call Old Li right away and have him drive you there!"

The phone call had barely connected when a series of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Old Li rushed over as soon as he received the call.

"What happened?! What's wrong with Su Qinghe?!"

As soon as Old Li entered the door and saw Su Qinghe, who was delirious with fever, the usually cheerful old man's face was now filled with anxiety.

"Ouch, how did it get so burned! My hand is scalded..."

He reached out and touched Su Qinghe's forehead:

"No, we need to get her to the hospital for an IV drip right away. Xie Wang, can you carry her?"

"able."

Without saying a word, Xie Wang quickly swept all the textbooks and pencil cases from Su Qinghe's desk into her schoolbag and slung it over one shoulder.

Then, in full view of everyone, he half-squatted down, let Su Qinghe lie on his back, and steadily carried her on his back.

Su Qinghe was burning up and felt weak all over. He instinctively wrapped his arms around Xie Wang's neck, his hot cheeks pressed against the crook of Xie Wang's neck, his breath hot.

"Come on, my car is right outside!"

……

Old Li usually drives his beat-up Volkswagen very steadily, but today he drove it with the flair of a race car.

Xie Wang and Su Qinghe sat in the back seat.

Su Qinghe leaned against Xie Wang's chest, her brows furrowed tightly due to the discomfort caused by the high fever.

Xie Wang held her with one arm to prevent her from bumping into things due to the swaying of the car, and held her cold hand with the other to try to warm it up.

Looking in the rearview mirror, Lao Li, who was driving, glanced at the two people in the back seat.

Normally, if Old Li saw boys and girls hugging and cuddling, he would definitely give them a lecture.

But at that moment, Old Li sighed, pressed the accelerator even harder, and simply said in a deep voice:

"Xie Wang, close the window tightly, don't let her get any more drafty."

"Got it, Lao Li."

Xie Wang wrapped Su Qinghe's coat even tighter.

[11:30 AM · Hospital]

"Acute tonsillitis caused by viral influenza, with a high fever of 39.2 degrees Celsius."

The doctor frowned and berated the old man and the young man standing in front of him:

"How could they wait until it was burned like this before bringing it in? What kind of parents and teachers are they? These days, students are willing to risk their lives for studying!"

"Yes, yes, doctor, you're right. It was our oversight."

Old Li stood to the side, nodding and smiling apologetically like a schoolboy who had made a mistake, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a face full of guilt.

"I am her homeroom teacher. It was indeed my fault for not taking good care of her. I will definitely pay attention next time."

Xie Wang didn't say anything. He pursed his lips, took the prescription the doctor had written, and turned to run towards the payment window.

"Hey! Xie Wang, I'll go pay..." Old Li had just taken out his wallet when Xie Wang's figure had already disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Half an hour later.

In a corner of the infusion hall.

Su Qinghe was put on an IV drip and leaned against the infusion chair. Although his face was still pale, his breathing had become slightly more stable.

Old Li stood by, watching the IV drip, and sighed deeply.

"Qinghe, why didn't you say you were feeling unwell sooner?"

Su Qinghe's eyelids twitched, but he didn't have the strength to speak.

Xie Wang sat on the other side, holding the hot water bottle that had just been filled, and gently placed it on the back of her cold hand.

He looked at the bluish veins and transparent tape on the back of her hand, and his heart tightened.

At this moment, Su Qinghe was as fragile as a porcelain doll that would shatter at the slightest touch.

"Water..." Su Qinghe moved his chapped lips and uttered a very soft murmur.

"They're here."

Xie Wang immediately stood up, picked up the thermos, inserted a straw, and carefully brought it to her lips, testing the temperature before bringing it closer.

"It's warm, drink it slowly, don't choke."

Su Qinghe drank a few sips of water from his hand, and his mind finally cleared up a bit.

She opened her eyes and first saw Old Li's anxious face, then Xie Wang's bloodshot eyes and his barely concealed tension.

She weakly forced a smile, trying to ease the tension:

"Don't frown... I'm not made of clay, two IV drips will do the trick."

"And you still say it's not made of clay."

Xie Wang helped her tuck the blanket back in.

"I told you not to go this morning, but you insisted. Now look what happened! Just stay put."

Just then, hurried footsteps approached.

"Miss!"

Uncle Zhong was panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat.

"You've arrived." Old Li stood up, looking relieved.

"Teacher Li, thank you so much. It's all thanks to you for bringing it in time." Uncle Zhong held Old Li's hand and thanked him repeatedly.

"Of course, of course." Old Li glanced at the time. "Well, since you're here, I'll head back to school now. Those monkeys in my class can't be left unsupervised. Xie Wang, you..."

Old Li glanced at Xie Wang, who was sitting there motionless, and sighed:

"You can stay here and help out. I've approved your leave from this afternoon's classes."

"Thank you, teacher." Xie Wang nodded.

After seeing Old Li off, Uncle Zhong went to the nurses' station to inquire about precautions.

In this small space, only the two of them remained.

Su Qinghe was indeed exhausted; the effects of the medicine kicked in, and drowsiness swept over him.

Her head bobbed little by little, eventually tilting slowly towards Xie Wang.

Xie Wang reached out and gently supported her head, letting her rest it on his shoulder, adjusting her into a comfortable position.

This is what Uncle Chung saw when he returned.

The boy sat upright, making it easier for the girl to lean against him.

The old butler paused for a moment, but ultimately did not go forward to disturb them. He simply sat down silently on a chair nearby and watched over the two children.

……

[14:00 PM · Genting Music Room 1601]

After the IV drip was finished, Uncle Zhong took them home. It was already 2 p.m.

Xie Wang settled Su Qinghe in bed, covered her with a blanket, and then went to the kitchen to cook some light millet porridge.

Su Qinghe was sleeping soundly.

Xie Wang sat on the carpet by the bed, watching over her, and took out an English vocabulary book to memorize words by the dim light of the bedside lamp.

"Buzz—"

My phone, which was on the bedside table, suddenly vibrated.

It's Su Qinghe's cell phone.

Afraid of waking her, Xie Wang quickly reached for his phone, intending to put it on silent.

However, when his gaze swept across the screen, he froze instantly.

A newly received WeChat message is displayed on the screen.

The note reads: [Mother].

The content consists of only one short and powerful line:

[Honey, Uncle Zhong said you're sick? I'm back in Jiangcheng, I'll be downstairs in ten minutes.]