“What’s this?”

I was woken up again, irritation flaring as I was about to explode, but then I saw what Gu Qin was holding.

It was a crumpled piece of paper, already unfolded.

My drowsiness disappeared instantly.

This was the note from the truth-or-dare cookie at the KTV! I had lied about what it said and, afraid of being exposed, stuffed it into my pocket, only to forget to throw it away later.

“It’s nothing!”

I quickly tried to grab the note back.

But it was too late.

Gu Qin had already read it.

His finely shaped eyebrows furrowed, and he looked at me.

“So,” he said, his tone unreadable, “Fang Chi, when you hugged me earlier, was that just something you made up?”

Silence. The air around us fell into an uncomfortable quiet.

Seeing Gu Qin’s cool, expressionless gaze, I knew there was no point in lying anymore. I had to admit it.

“Yes.”

Gu Qin’s eyebrows knitted even tighter. “Why?”

Why?

Obviously, because I want to live!

But I couldn’t say that—I didn’t want Gu Qin to think I was crazy.

So I forced an awkward smile and made something up, “Oh, nothing, just thought it’d be fun.”

I tried to laugh it off, but Gu Qin’s face grew colder after hearing my response.

“Fang Chi,” he said through gritted teeth, “Do you just randomly hug people because you think it’s fun?”

I blinked in confusion. “???”

Was it just me, or did Gu Qin actually seem…angry?

“Don’t be mad.”

Considering that he was practically my lifesaver at this point, I quickly tried to smooth things over.

“If you’re really that upset, maybe…”

I hesitated, then spoke up.

“How about…I let you hug me back?”

With that, I spread my arms wide, looking at Gu Qin with hopeful anticipation.

After all, another hug meant another month of life. That was equivalent to sneaking in thirty touches!

I looked at Gu Qin expectantly, but to my surprise, he shot up from his seat.

“Shameless!”

He spat out the word through clenched teeth, turned on his heel, and walked away.

I stood there, bewildered, question marks practically floating above my head.

Wait, what?

I’m just offering a hug between two buddies. How is that shameless?

…

After the whole truth-or-dare incident, I could tell Gu Qin was even more wary of me.

This was a real headache.

Hugging him again seemed out of the question, and even sneaking in a quick touch was getting harder and harder.

Watching my remaining days tick down bit by bit was making me anxious!

Thankfully, fate finally handed me another chance—

Our dorm assignments were being shuffled.

When I got the news, I felt like I’d been injected with pure energy, and I immediately contacted my mom.

“Hey, Mom.”

Once she picked up, I heard her soft voice over the phone.

“Chi, honey, why are you calling out of the blue? Did something happen?”

Hearing her gentle voice made my eyes sting with emotion.

Because of work, my parents had been living abroad for years, but that had never stopped them from loving me.

When I was first diagnosed, I had wanted to tell them, but in the end, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Right afterward, that so-called “system” appeared in my head, explaining my self-rescue mission.

That was what had convinced me to keep my illness a secret.

If I could somehow cure myself through this system, they wouldn’t have to worry about me.

I pushed down the lump in my throat, forcing a cheerful tone. “It’s nothing serious, just a little favor I need.”

I quickly explained my request to her—basically, I wanted her to talk to my homeroom teacher and request that I share a dorm with Gu Qin for “better study focus.”

I hardly ever asked my parents for anything, so my mom agreed pretty quickly.

She came through—by the next day, I saw that Gu Qin and I had been assigned to the same dorm room, with bunk beds.

I excitedly moved into Gu Qin’s room.

“Hey!”

I greeted Gu Qin with a wide grin.

“Who’d have thought we’d be roommates now too!”

I glanced at him nervously, hoping he wouldn’t pick up on my motives and storm off to request a room change.

To my surprise, he just blinked and, without a word, pulled out a jacket from his wardrobe, zipped it up to the top, and threw it on.

“…”

Wait, was he really guarding against me like I was some kind of creep?

I was speechless, but as long as he accepted being roommates, everything would work out.

Now that Gu Qin was my roommate, I had more chances to sneak a touch here and there.

Hugs were still out of reach, but little brushes while brushing our teeth or bumping into him while getting water were enough to buy me a few more days.

Even with these life-extensions, my illness still brought unbearable suffering.

Having three or even five months left didn’t make much of a difference when I was constantly in pain.

Being sick isn’t just about time running out; it’s also about being tortured by your own body.

For instance, that weekend, most of the students had gone home, leaving just me and Gu Qin in the dorm.

In the middle of the night, I found myself vomiting in the bathroom, the taste of blood filling my mouth.

At that moment, I finally understood just how precious health really is.

After rinsing out the blood from my mouth, I went back to the dorm and saw Gu Qin lying on the top bunk in the darkness.