Xia Ruan and Fang Yinan were very close to each other. From an outsider’s perspective, the ball was more likely to hit Fang Yinan. Before Xia Ruan was knocked unconscious by the ball, she thought to herself, “Sure enough, how could the female protagonist get hurt? It has to be me, the cannon fodder, who gets injured at a time like this.” 

When Xia Ruan woke up, she only felt a buzzing in her head. As she was propping herself up on the bed with her elbow, trying to sit up, a cold male voice came from above her head: “Don’t move around. The doctor said you might have a mild concussion.” 

Xia Ruan held back the dizziness and looked up at the person standing in front of her. She asked uncertainly, “Lu Yan?” 

“It’s me. What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Lu Yan said, slightly annoyed by the surprise in her voice. 

Xia Ruan shook her head slightly, but a wave of nausea hit her. She quickly stopped and looked at the young man standing by her bed. She was just curious why it was him who had brought her to the school clinic. Didn’t he dislike her, the cannon fodder, a lot? 

Seeing her furrowed brow and pained expression, Lu Yan bent down and asked, “How are you feeling? The clinic said you might have a mild concussion. They suggest you go to the hospital for a check-up once you wake up.” 

“Okay, I’ll call my parents,” she said as she reached into her pocket to get her phone. 

Lu Yan glanced at her hand. It was simple to grab a phone, but for her, it seemed like a struggle. Yet, she didn’t seem to want to ask for help.  

His patience wore thin at the sight, and with a swift motion, he took her phone from her and handed it to her. “Asking for help isn’t as scary as you think.” 

Xia Ruan didn’t understand where his anger came from—was it because she hadn’t asked him for help? Xia Ruan thought the male protagonist really was different; even his way of thinking was unlike that of ordinary people. As this moment passed, her mind cleared a bit: “Where’s my brother?” 

“He’s next door, talking to the doctor. He’s worried and kept asking the doctor for more information while waiting for you to wake up so he can take you to the hospital.” 

Xia Ruan held her phone without using it, feeling conflicted. She had always been alone before, so now, in this situation, she instinctively wanted to tell her parents, Zhou Jingyi and Xia Longchuan. But it felt like it was something she should just keep to herself. 

Seeing her frown quietly without speaking, Lu Yan asked confusedly, “Why aren’t you calling?” 

Xia Ruan shook her head. “Let my brother take me to the hospital. I don’t want to worry my parents unnecessarily.” 

Lu Yan felt that every time he interacted with Xia Ruan now, she gave him a different feeling. It seemed the arrogant Xia Ruan he imagined was entirely a figment of his imagination. 

Seeing him staring at her, Xia Ruan blinked in confusion, “Is something wrong?” 

After a moment of silence, Lu Yan slowly said what he had been thinking, “You seem very different from before.” 

“People change,” Xia Ruan answered casually. “And besides, we weren’t close before anyway.” She was being honest. The book mentioned briefly that while she liked Lu Yan, they had hardly interacted. 

Lu Yan didn’t say anything. They weren’t close back then, and they still weren’t close now. It seemed like he had been paying attention to her all this time without realizing it. When did that start? His mind wandered back to the beginning, remembering how Xia Ruan confessed to him. At the time, he hadn’t cared much; after all, he was always rejecting others. What stood out, though, was that her confession had been so public. Then, when Xia Fei had carried her home after she fainted, he found her sudden change in attitude interesting. That’s when he started to pay more attention to her. 

Suddenly, Xia Fei pushed the door open, interrupting Lu Yan’s thoughts: “Ruan Ruan, are you awake?” 

Xia Ruan turned her head toward the door: “Brother.” 

“Ruan Ruan, you’re awake! I’ll take you to the hospital,” Xia Fei said, moving to help her up. 

“What are you doing?” Xia Fei asked, feeling his arm being held. Xia Fei looked at Lu Yan with an unfriendly gaze. 

“The school doctor just said she might have a mild concussion. Be gentle,” Lu Yan reminded. 

Xia Fei nodded instinctively but then thought about how odd that sounded. He was her real brother, wasn’t he? Why did it sound like Lu Yan was? 

Xia Fei carried Xia Ruan on his back, letting her rest her head on his shoulder to feel better. After walking a few steps, he looked back at Lu Yan following behind and asked puzzled, “Why are you following us?” 

Lu Yan raised his eyelids and glanced at him: “Is this road yours?” 

Xia Ruan tugged at Xia Fei’s sleeve, “Brother, I feel a little uncomfortable, hurry.” 

Xia Fei glared fiercely at Lu Yan and then carried Xia Ruan out, while Lu Yan stood still, watching them disappear from his sight. 

Xia Ruan rested her head on Xia Fei’s shoulder and thought about the scene when she woke up, curiously asking, “Brother, was it Lu Yan who brought me to the clinic?” 

Xia Fei hesitated a bit, unwilling to say: “Yeah, he was standing next to you. By the time I came, he was already carrying you.” 

Xia Ruan was suddenly surprised. Most of what she knew about Lu Yan came from the book, where he was described as cold and indifferent. But now he actually took the initiative to bring her to the clinic? 

“Are you touched now?” Xia Fei teased from the front. 

Noticing his dissatisfaction, Xia Ruan quickly smiled, “Of course not, I just find it a bit strange.” 

Xia Fei looked indifferent, “What’s so strange? We’re classmates. You were knocked out right next to him; it would be strange if he didn’t bring you to the clinic.” Then he reminded her, “Don’t be fooled by him again. He only did what any normal person would do.” In his heart, Xia Fei muttered, Before I can take him down, Ruan Ruan better not like that guy again, or I won’t be able to get my revenge. 

Xia Ruan didn’t hear his muttering. She slowly smiled and lightly patted his back to reassure him, “Don’t worry, brother, I just want to study hard now.” 

“By the way, Lu Yanzhi originally wanted to come too, but I pushed him back. Let me tell you, Ruan Ruan, that guy clearly has bad intentions. You must not pay any attention to him,” Xia Fei quickly warned, recalling what Lu Yanzhi had said earlier. 

The sky was blue with a few clouds, and a gentle autumn breeze brushed her face, making her feel inexplicably at ease. Xia Ruan felt a little light-headed, but it didn’t spoil her good mood. Even Xia Fei’s constant muttering sounded so endearing. 

“Ruan Ruan, Ruan Ruan, did you hear what I said?” Xia Fei’s tone showed some dissatisfaction. 

“I know, I know. No matter what Lu Yanzhi says, don’t pay attention to him,” Xia Ruan replied lazily. 

“And Lu Yan, you’re not allowed to pay attention to him either,” Xia Fei quickly added. 

Xia Ruan didn’t even bother to lift her eyelids: “Brother, you’re overthinking it. Now that the female protagonist is here, the male protagonist doesn’t have time to pay attention to me, the small cannon fodder.” 

Xia Fei wanted to say more, but the breathing on his shoulder gradually grew steady and long. He was a bit confused—had she fallen asleep or fainted? Thinking the latter might be possible, he hurried up. 

❖❖❖ 

Lu Yanzhi’s frown finally relaxed when he saw Lu Yan come in. Xia Fei finally did something sensible. He sent Lu Yan but didn’t go himself—was it because Xia Ruan had confessed to him? Forget the confession, he had already rejected Xia Ruan. Now, what was the meaning of him trying to get close to her again? Thinking this, Lu Yanzhi looked at Lu Yan with even more dissatisfaction. 

Lu Yan noticed his gaze and glanced up at Lu Yanzhi. Their eyes met, neither willing to look away, until someone beside them quietly said, “The teacher’s here.” Only then did Lu Yan shift his gaze back to his seat. 

Fang Yinan glanced at his deskmate in confusion. Was that stare just now because of Xia Ruan? Thinking of what had happened on the basketball court earlier, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is Xia Ruan okay?” 

“The school nurse said it’s a mild concussion. Xia Fei is taking her to the hospital now,” Lu Yanzhi said. When he looked at Fang Yinan, he suddenly remembered that Xia Fei seemed to have a crush on her. Thinking of how Xia Fei acted all protective, he stroked his chin. Maybe he could ask his deskmate for help, but before that, he had to improve their relationship. So he smiled brightly at Fang Yinan: “Deskmate, which school did you come from?” 

Fang Yinan shot a quick look at Lu Yanzhi, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Though she didn’t understand his sudden enthusiasm, he answered, “Experiment School No. 1.” 

Lu Yanzhi gave him a thumbs up. “So you’re a top student, huh?” Looks like Xia Fei’s chances are slim. Suddenly, Lu Yanzhi felt a bit happy. 

Just as he wanted to say more, Fang Yinan nodded toward the front: “Class is starting.” 

Seeing her serious attitude toward class, Lu Yanzhi found it a bit boring—just like Lu Yan. Hmm, judging by this, his deskmate and Lu Yan seemed more compatible. He pinched the pen he was twirling; this might work. As for Xia Fei having a crush on Fang Yinan, Lu Yanzhi had already forgotten about it. 

❖❖❖ 

At the school gate, Lu Jizhou turned to look at the person next to him with a bit of irritation. “Hey, Lu Yan, didn’t you hear me?” 

Lu Yan finally gave him a glance: “What?” 

“I said, do you want to come over to my place for dinner later? My mom keeps asking about you.” Lu Jizhou pouted as he said this. His mom treated Lu Yan better than him, to the point where he sometimes he wondered if he was just a free bonus for paying phone bills. 

At the mention of Lu’s mother, Lu Yan smiled slightly, and his tone became noticeably gentler than usual. “My mom’s been a little sick these past few days, so I won’t go today.” 

Hearing that Lu Yuwei was sick, Lu Jizhou didn’t push it: “Okay, then we’ll wait until aunt feels better.” 

When they reached the school gate, Lu Jizhou suddenly said, “By the way, the soft girl—is she okay?” 

Lu Yan’s hand, which was holding his backpack strap, paused for a moment before slowly releasing it. “She’ll need to go to the hospital for a check-up.” 

“Hopefully, it’s not too serious,” Lu Jizhou said uncertainly. 

Lu Yan recalled seeing her forehead bruised red in the infirmary and how uncomfortable she looked when she woke up. He blurted out, “Do you have Xia Ruan’s phone number?”