MTB - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Tenderness

So, the third period had already ended.

The sky was a hazy gray, brewing an autumn rain. Yun Yang rubbed her bare knees, exposed below her short skirt, and asked blankly, “Have I been sitting out here for that long?”

“What do you think?”

She looked up from the swing. Tang Yuelou stood opposite her, hands at her sides. Although her words were a question, her tone held no trace of anger.

Yun Yang took her schoolbag, unsure whether to apologize or thank her. She sneezed, then rubbed her nose and held out a hand. “Teacher, I’m a little cold.”

When she realized she was in the wrong, she resorted to acting cute. Tang Yuelou sighed and took off her own coat, draping it over Yun Yang’s shoulders.

“It’s my fault. I forgot to remind you to wear more clothes this morning.”

The coat carried the scent of the perfume she always wore, along with her warmth, making it feel like an embrace. This warmth seemed to possess a kind of magic that truly made the world spin. It felt as if any request, any tantrum, any spoiled behavior would be indulged here—with just a word, Tang Yuelou was there.

So Yun Yang pushed her luck, sniffling. “Still cold.”

Tang Yuelou understood. She took a step forward and hugged her.

“I didn’t think my lectures were that boring,” she teased, stroking Yun Yang’s hair. “What happened?” she asked with concern.

“Nothing, just a little hungry. Thought I’d take advantage of you.” Yun Yang rubbed against her, turning Teacher Tang’s neatly ironed shirt into a wrinkled mess like a crumpled sweater.

Tang Yuelou was speechless.

For a moment, her expression finally faltered. Yun Yang precisely captured that fleeting moment of speechlessness, and her mood instantly brightened. Satisfied, she let go.

“It’s nothing. My head was just spinning from sitting in the classroom, so I came out for some fresh…” As she spoke, she stood up, but her legs suddenly felt weak. She staggered and fell right back into Tang Yuelou’s arms.

“Yangyang?”

Finally sensing something was wrong, Tang Yuelou reached out to feel her forehead. The back of her hand was met with an abnormally high temperature. She frowned slightly.

“Yangyang, you have a fever.”

“Impossible, I don’t have a cold.”

Yun Yang didn’t want to appear too fragile in front of her. She pushed Tang Yuelou away and stood up on her own. She felt that her head was just a little heavy, her steps a bit unsteady, and her breath a bit hot, but other than that, she was perfectly fine. She had only been sitting in the cold wind for two hours, after all. She was still full of life. “I have another class later, so, uh, I’ll get going… Right, your coat.”

Just as she was about to take off the coat, Tang Yuelou grabbed her wrist.

“You need to go to the campus clinic first.” Tang Yuelou buttoned up the coat for her. “I’ll go with you now.”

“No need, I’m really fine.” Yun Yang frowned reluctantly, saying awkwardly, “I’m not a child. If I really feel sick, I’ll go to the hospital myself. Besides…”

Besides, this campus is so tiny I could navigate it with my eyes closed—but before she could finish, Tang Yuelou put a hand behind her back and interrupted her with a smile. “Are you sure you’re not going?”

She stood there with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. One look was all it took for Yun Yang, who was nothing if not adaptable, to change her tune. “…Let’s go, then.”

---

She did indeed have a bit of a fever: thirty-eight point two degrees Celsius.

The doctor put Yun Yang on an IV drip. Lying in bed, she finally felt the drowsiness and dizziness of the fever spread through her body. Her mouth was dry, but she had no strength to sit up. Vaguely, she heard Tang Yuelou speaking in a low voice with the doctor in the hallway.

“…Students these days, caring more about style than staying warm. Wearing so little on such a cold day, who else would catch a cold if not her? In this situation, the most important thing is to get plenty of rest. A good sleep should take care of it. She should pay attention to staying warm and exercising more…”

It was the usual advice. Yun Yang closed her eyes, waiting for the hallway to quiet down. Then, the door to the room opened with a soft click. The person who entered walked very lightly, first going to the water dispenser to get a cup of water before sitting down by the bed.

“Have some water?” Tang Yuelou tested the temperature with the back of her hand before bringing the glass to Yun Yang’s lips.

Yun Yang took a sip, letting her hold the cup. She licked her dry lips and turned to look at her. “What did you tell the doctor our relationship was?”

“You have the energy to worry about that right now?”

“I’m not that sick,” Yun Yang muttered, pushing the cup away.

“I said I’m your teacher.” Tang Yuelou tucked the corner of her blanket in, then paused. “What’s wrong?”

There was nothing wrong with that answer, but perhaps because of the fever, Yun Yang felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest. “Nothing.”

The room fell silent. She lay there for two minutes before a sudden whim struck her. “I want to eat ice cream.”

Tang Yuelou placed the cup on the table and said helplessly, “Yangyang, that’s not a good idea.”

Yun Yang thought for a moment. “Then I want to go home and sleep. It’s not comfortable lying here.”

“Okay. We’ll go back as soon as the drip is finished.”

“That’s more like it.”

Tang Yuelou smiled, her voice softening. “Just get some rest for now.”

Her hand rested on the headboard, gently stroking Yun Yang’s hair in a soothing, off-and-on rhythm. It tickled a little. Yun Yang shifted her neck. Eventually, drowsiness washed over her. She closed her eyes and, in a hazy state, heard a gentle voice by her ear. “Yangyang, you can try to rely on me a little more.”

Half-asleep, Yun Yang nuzzled her palm and finally drifted off as the medicine slowly took effect.

---

Perhaps because the fever was making her uncomfortable, her sleep was restless. She tossed and turned under the covers. No sooner had Tang Yuelou pulled the kicked-off blanket back over her than she would move her arm with a frown. Tang Yuelou held her wrist to keep the IV needle steady, then sat on the edge of the bed and checked her temperature again.

The girl on the bed was pale, which made the lock of hair stuck to her temple by sweat seem exceptionally dark. She wasn’t relaxed even in her dreams. She mumbled some incoherent sleep-talk, her brow tightly furrowed.

Tang Yuelou held her breath and tried to decipher it for a long time but couldn’t understand what she was saying. After tucking her restless arm back under the blanket for the third time, Yun Yang frowned and grabbed her hand. Tang Yuelou paused, then smiled softly.

When she was sick, Yun Yang became both stubborn and clingy, more like a haughty little cat. Her fur would bristle, not letting anyone touch her, but if someone actually managed to hold her, she would clumsily show them her belly. It was strange. This person was clearly adored by everyone, yet it was as if she never knew how to respond to someone’s genuine affection.

Tang Yuelou’s fingers traced over her long, curled eyelashes, then came to rest on her pale lips. Her gaze was involuntarily colored with a gentle tenderness.

“…Teacher?”

As if sensing her touch, Yun Yang opened her eyes. She looked at her, still drowsy with sleep, and unconsciously tightened her grip on her fingers, asking indistinctly, “Is the drip finished?”

Her eyes were still veiled in a blurry mist. Tang Yuelou couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Not yet,” she said softly. “Go back to sleep. I’ll take you home when you’re done resting.”

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