She sighed inwardly and asked again, “What’s wrong? Did something happen to you? If you’re having trouble, just tell me.”

Seeing the worry on her face, Henry Clark shook her head. “No, it’s my deskmate Thomas Reed. She’s resting in the dorm, she has a fever. I’m staying in the dorm today to take care of her.”

The teacher’s wife was surprised. “She’s sick with a fever? Why not notify her family to pick her up? I’ll go ask Old Fang for her family’s contact information.”

“Ma’am.” Henry Clark stopped her. “Thomas Reed came here last night in the rain. Someone hit her in the face. She probably had a fight with her family, that’s why she’s like this. If she wanted to go home, she wouldn’t be staying in the dorm.”

If she could go home, she’d probably want to when she’s feeling this bad. Not going back can only mean that going home would make her feel even worse. Henry Clark could understand that feeling.

“I’ll keep an eye on her in the dorm. If she’s not any better by the afternoon, I’ll take her to the hospital.”

Hearing Henry Clark speak so calmly and logically, the teacher’s wife had nothing more to say. Seeing Henry Clark about to leave, she suddenly remembered something and quickly said, “Wait, neither of you have eaten, right? I made some porridge at home, and also steamed some buns. Take some back with you.”

Seeing Henry Clark instinctively about to refuse, she said, “Thomas Reed is sick, right? Even when you’re sick, you need to eat something. It’s best to have some porridge.”

Only then did Henry Clark stop. “…Okay, thank you, ma’am.”

Carrying the porridge, buns, and two bottles of milk that the teacher’s wife insisted she take, Henry Clark walked back to the dorm. When she opened the door, she found that Thomas Reed, who slept on the upper bunk, was gone. She stood there in a daze for a moment, then put the still-warm food on the table and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Her hand rested on her book as she wondered, did Thomas Reed go home? That would be good. It’s good if she can still go home.

It had rained so hard yesterday, but today was a sunny day. Bright sunlight streamed in through the window, shining on the desk, a little dazzling.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open. Thomas Reed, with messy black hair and wearing a hoodie, walked in carrying a small bag. She was surprised to see Henry Clark sitting there. She had gotten up to go buy medicine and hadn’t seen Henry Clark, thinking she had gone out for something, but unexpectedly she was back so soon.

Henry Clark saw that the bag in Thomas Reed’s hand had “xx Clinic” printed in red on it—the name of the clinic outside the school. She must have gone to buy fever medicine.

Sure enough, Thomas Reed opened the bag, took out some pills, and put them straight into her mouth, preparing to swallow them dry. Henry Clark got up, took the thermos, poured a cup of hot water, and silently pushed it to Thomas Reed’s hand.

Thomas Reed had a unique skill: swallowing pills dry. But this time, for some reason—maybe her throat was too dry—she failed and almost choked. She had no choice but to pick up the cup of water she’d planned to ignore and take a big gulp.

Henry Clark had already unpacked the porridge. “Have some porridge and rest a bit.”

When Thomas Reed felt unwell, her mood would be especially bad, and when her mood was bad, her temper was terrible. She didn’t want to talk to anyone, but since she’d just drunk the water Henry Clark poured for her, she felt awkward about snapping, so she just sat there with a blank face, holding the cup without responding.

She looked at the porridge, thinking Henry Clark must have bought it from a breakfast shop outside. Remembering how she usually ate plain rice and steamed buns, never wasting anything, Thomas Reed forced herself to drink half a bowl despite feeling unwell.

It was probably to repay her for that inexplicable gift last night. Thinking this way, if she didn’t drink it, it would feel like the matter wasn’t settled.

Feeling she’d already repaid the favor, the lone wolf Thomas Reed climbed up to the upper bunk and lay down, leaving her deskmate with a cold back.

Henry Clark: Listless. She really must be feeling awful.

She tidied up the porridge container and sat at the desk to continue studying. But compared to her usual deep focus, now she would occasionally look up at Thomas Reed.

Thomas Reed was running a fever, sweating in her sleep, often tossing the blanket into a heap at the side in irritation. Henry Clark would step on the bed rail and patiently cover her up again and again. Once, Thomas Reed was woken up by her and radiated a furious aura. “I don’t want the blanket.”

Henry Clark grabbed the bed rail and asked seriously, “Do you want some hot water?”

Thomas Reed angrily pounded the bed.

Henry Clark put her hand on her forehead. “Do you want to go to the hospital?”

Thomas Reed rolled up in the blanket and covered her head, ignoring her.

Henry Clark went back to working on her test papers. As she wrote, a smile she couldn’t suppress appeared on her face, and she covered her mouth with her hand to keep from making a sound.

In the end, they didn’t go to the hospital. The next morning, Thomas Reed’s fever was gone. She was no longer gloomy and listless, but back to her usual self—a cool-looking girl who didn’t like to talk to people. She moved a chair to the balcony, sat with her back to the sun, one leg dangling, playing games on her phone, headphones on her ears.

When she got absorbed in her phone, she would relax and unconsciously hum along with the song in her headphones. Henry Clark paused in her problem-solving, quietly listening to the soft humming. She didn’t know what song it was, but it sounded really nice. Thomas Reed’s singing was beautiful, her voice clear and bright.

Her phone vibrated, and Thomas Reed stopped singing. She opened WeChat and saw that her dad had transferred her a thousand yuan, telling her to buy food for herself.

It was always like this. Her dad would scold her and hit her, she’d leave home and wander around, and when her dad thought she’d reflected enough, he’d send her some money. It was a disguised way of brushing her off, a way to account for those two slaps.