Lin Jing’s fall was rather unexpected. The moment she hit the ground, she was stunned for two seconds before a searing pain engulfed her.
The surroundings were chaotic. She knew many people were talking to her, and she recognized Lan Tingting’s voice. However, her mind was so consumed by the pain that she reacted sluggishly to everything around her.
It wasn't until someone picked her up, a foreign scent filling her nostrils, that she blinked her eyes and regained some of her senses.
Seeing He Lin, she instinctively tried to break free from his embrace: "Um, I'm fine, let me down."
He Lin didn't let go: "I'll take you to the infirmary."
"No need, I can walk," Lin Jing struggled with even greater force.
He Lin paused for a moment, then relented and put her down.
As Lin Jing landed, she immediately retreated half a step, widening the distance between herself and He Lin.
Her movement was a bit too quick, and it aggravated the wound on her leg, making her gasp in pain.
He Lin reflexively reached out to support her, but Lin Jing subtly dodged his arm and reached for Lan Tingting, who was following behind.
Lan Tingting quickly helped Lin Jing up.
Lin Jing glanced at He Lin: "Class monitor, you go ahead and take care of your business. Tingting can stay with me."
He Lin was silent for a moment: "It's fine, I'll take you both to the infirmary."
Lin Jing didn't refuse this time.
When the three of them arrived at the infirmary, it was empty. The school doctor was likely attending to something else and was not present.
Lan Tingting sat with Lin Jing on the bed while He Lin sat on a chair opposite.
Aside from Lan Tingting repeatedly asking Lin Jing where she hurt, the infirmary was silent.
Lan Tingting gradually sensed the awkward atmosphere and slowly fell silent.
The space was filled with quiet. After a few seconds, Lin Jing cleared her throat: "Tingting, waiting with me is enough."
He Lin moved his lips, but before he could speak, Lin Jing's phone rang.
She looked down at the caller ID. It was Sheng Kuang.
Without hesitation, she answered: "What's up?"
Sheng Kuang seemed to be out. The faint sound of traffic could be heard from his end: "What are you doing?"
"Huh?" Lin Jing glanced at the white pillow and quilt beside her. She thought of how busy he was with training and decided not to tell him what happened: "Nothing, just the school sports meet."
Sheng Kuang was quiet for a moment: "Why is it so quiet over there at the sports meet?"
Lin Jing hesitated: "...I'm in the restroom."
Because she was lying, Lin Jing felt a bit guilty, and her voice wavered.
"Alone?" Sheng Kuang asked.
Lin Jing: "No, Tingting is with me."
Sheng Kuang hummed, and after two seconds, "It's nothing. I'll hang up."
Lin Jing had a bad feeling about this, but she couldn't pinpoint why. After thinking for a moment, she simply responded with a dry "Oh."
After hanging up, Lin Jing looked at He Lin.
Before she could say anything, He Lin spoke first: "I'll go see where the school doctor is."
With that, He Lin stood up and left the infirmary.
About twenty minutes later, He Lin returned with the school doctor.
The school doctor came in, washed her hands, and disinfected them before asking, "What's wrong?"
Lan Tingting: "She fell and injured herself."
The school doctor came over, examined Lin Jing's wound, confirmed it was all superficial, and then went to get some medicine. As she was bringing a tray filled with various bottles and jars towards Lin Jing, the infirmary door was pushed open.
Lin Jing instinctively looked towards the doorway. Even though Sheng Kuang was wearing a black mask that covered most of his face, she recognized him instantly.
He stood against the light, and she couldn't see his eyes clearly.
She stared at him, stunned for a few seconds, then slowly blinked: "You... why are you here?"
Sheng Kuang didn't speak. He first glanced at her fair legs and, seeing the scrape on her knee, his brow furrowed slightly. His gaze then fell upon He Lin.
The atmosphere in the entire infirmary suddenly became complicated.
If the presence of He Lin had created an unspoken awkwardness, now that awkwardness was tinged with a subtle tension.
The school doctor, oblivious to any underlying tension, placed the items on the table next to the bed and was about to treat Lin Jing's wound when the phone on the side rang.
A student on the school field had suddenly fainted. The school doctor hung up the phone and hurried to leave. After taking two steps, she remembered Lin Jing and turned back: "Her wound is fine. One of you disinfect it for her. Remember to apply the white ointment next to it. It's fifteen yuan. There's a QR code on the table; just scan it yourselves."
The school doctor left, and only four people remained in the infirmary.
No one spoke.
In the silence, Lan Tingting quietly shuffled over to the table and picked up a cotton swab: "Xiao Jing, I'll disinfect it for you first."
He Lin: "I'll do it."
Sheng Kuang: "I'll do it."
It was better when Lan Tingting stayed silent. The moment she spoke, the other two responded in unison, as if they had pre-arranged it.
Lan Tingting looked at Sheng Kuang, then at He Lin, and finally at Lin Jing.
Lin Jing was silent for a moment, then extended her hand to Lan Tingting: "I'll do it myself."
Lan Tingting: "..."
Lan Tingting handed the cotton swab to Lin Jing.
He Lin said no more.
Sheng Kuang, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He took out his phone, walked to the school doctor's desk, scanned a code, made the payment, and then ambled over to Lin Jing.
He lowered his eyelids, looking at the girl who was holding a cotton swab, hesitating to disinfect her wound for fear of pain. After watching her for a while, he sighed softly, reached out, took a few more cotton swabs, dipped them in iodine, and pressed them onto her wound.
Lin Jing instinctively flinched her leg back, but Sheng Kuang reached out and grabbed her ankle.
Lin Jing's whole body trembled slightly, and her gaze fell upon his hand.
His skin was a cool white, but where it touched her ankle, she still appeared slightly fairer.
His palm was very warm, and a heat spread from her ankle throughout her body.
She couldn't help but wiggle her toes, then, with a hint of embarrassment, turned her head away and looked out the window.
Sheng Kuang tossed the cotton swab into the trash can, took a few band-aids from the side, and applied them to the deeper parts of Lin Jing's wound. He then slowly let down her rolled-up pant leg: "Did you injure yourself anywhere else?"
Lin Jing was dazed and didn't react for a moment. After a while, she shook her head: "No, that's all."
Sheng Kuang gave a soft "Mm," and looked down at the person sitting on the hospital bed, seemingly out of sorts. After a few seconds, he let out a small scoff: "Weren't you in the restroom?"
Lin Jing opened her mouth, a flush of embarrassment and awkwardness spreading across her face as her lie was exposed.
However, since she was frequently embarrassed in front of Sheng Kuang, she was already used to it. She quickly calmed down: "How did you know I was injured?"
"Yu Zhou told me," Sheng Kuang replied.
Lin Jing blinked in disbelief: "How did he know?"
Sheng Kuang hummed: "He's a freshman."
Lin Jing: "So Yu Zhou knew about me a long time ago?"
"Mm," Sheng Kuang betrayed Yu Zhou without hesitation: "He saw you around school often and sent me pictures or videos of you."
Lin Jing: "..."
Lin Jing didn't know how to respond for a moment. Just as she was thinking about asking Sheng Kuang to call Yu Zhou over for a meal together, He Lin, who had been sitting beside them and hadn't said much, suddenly called her name: "Lin Jing."
Lin Jing stopped the words that were about to escape her lips and looked at He Lin: "Ah?"
He Lin: "The application form for the exchange student program is ready. I've sent it to your email. Remember to fill it out and send it back to me as soon as possible."