He Fainted, and Jiang Zhou Rushed to the Hospital

If he moved any slower, he really would miss the bus. Chen Ju clenched his teeth, balled his fists, got out of bed, and went to the bedroom.

His clothes were neatly folded in his bag, which sat in the corner of the bedroom. By the time he had changed, it was already 9:05. Chen Ju rummaged in his bag for a blister pack of pills, swallowed two with cold water, then put on his shoes and, bracing himself against the wall, staggered toward the elevator.

At last, he reached the security office. As soon as he stepped inside, the square-faced uncle let out a cry of alarm and hurried over.

“Little Chen! What happened to you? You look awful!”

Chen Ju pressed his lips together and managed a weak smile. “It’s nothing. I think I still haven’t quite recovered from my cold.”

“That won’t do. Sit down. I’ll ask the manager to give you the day off.” The square-faced uncle grabbed Chen Ju by the arm and, without giving him a chance to argue, ushered him in and pushed him into a chair.

“Really, Uncle, there’s no need!” Seeing the uncle about to leave, Chen Ju hurriedly caught his sleeve and forced himself to sound alert. “I went to the hospital last night. The doctor said I’ll be fine as long as I take my medicine.”

The uncle watched Chen Ju for a while, then sighed and ruffled his hair. “All right. Don’t go running around today. Tell us if you start feeling worse, understand?”

It had been many years since anyone had ruffled his hair like that. Chen Ju’s eyes grew slightly hot. He lowered his head and nodded obediently, murmuring, “Thank you, Uncle.”

Once the painkillers took effect, he could no longer feel the pain, but his body was still weak and aching...