The moment he took the first bite, his throat started to itch.
Pei Jiangmu endured the discomfort with difficulty and continued to eat in small mouthfuls.
He was convinced that the allergic reaction could earn him more attention and care from her.
Unlike that useless fiancé of hers, who only resorted to testing and getting angry with her to gain a bit of her concern.
This thought almost made him laugh at his own despicability, but the discomfort in his body quickly stifled his laughter.
"Why do you look so pale?"
Sure enough, Meng Ruozhao soon noticed something was wrong with him.
Seeing his pale face and the difficulty he had breathing, she didn't care about keeping a safe distance anymore.
Her cold fingers touched his forehead.
Pei Jiangmu wanted to dodge, but it was too late.
Large patches of red rashes began to appear on his neck, and his breathing became even more rapid.
"Medicine..." He pointed to his schoolbag with difficulty. "There's some in the bag..."
By the time Meng Ruozhao rummaged through the bag in a hurry, Pei Jiangmu's consciousness was already starting to blur.
Seeing her panicked look, he actually felt a twinge of satisfaction.
"Don't be scared, sister. I'm fine. I'll be okay after taking the medicine."
When Meng Ruozhao saw the red rashes on Pei Jiangmu's Adam's apple as it bobbed, the image of a goldfish floating belly - up flashed through her mind.
Her fingers moved faster than her thoughts and pinched his chin.
"Breathe!"
In her panicked voice, Pei Jiangmu's eyelashes fluttered like a dying butterfly.
Meng Ruozhao's knees also reacted before her brain did, hitting the floor with a "thud".
The dull pain from her kneecaps made her realize that she was already kneeling beside Pei Jiangmu.
Her fingers automatically assumed the first - aid position—quickly stuffing the pill into his mouth, then letting him lean against her and pouring water into his mouth.
This set of actions was frighteningly proficient, as if she had done it many times.
"Don't fall asleep!"
When her fingers inevitably touched his lips, Pei Jiangmu used his last bit of strength to gently lick her fingertip.
Then he allowed himself to sink into darkness.
When he woke up again, he found himself lying in a hospital bed, covered with a blanket that smelled faintly of gardenia.
Meng Ruozhao was sitting in the armchair beside him, looking down at her phone. The warm yellow light cast a shadow under her eyelashes.
"Sister..."
The hoarseness of his own voice startled him as soon as he opened his mouth.
Meng Ruozhao immediately put down her phone and handed him a glass of warm water. "Don't rush to talk. Drink the water first."
After the warm water soothed his burning throat, Pei Jiangmu noticed the infusion needle in the back of his hand.
"Did you bring me to the hospital?" He frowned, his voice filled with self - blame. "I'm sorry. I've troubled you again, sister. I..."
"Do you know that an allergic reaction can be fatal?"
Meng Ruozhao suddenly interrupted him, her voice trembling slightly.
"The doctor said you almost..."
She couldn't go on. She turned around to get the medicine bag on the bedside table, trying to hide her red - rimmed eyes.
Pei Jiangmu was stunned.
He didn't expect her to be so worried.
A strange warm current welled up in his heart, making him feel more dizzy than when he ate the pistachio jam.
"I didn't know I would be allergic, and that medicine used to work..."
He defended himself in a low voice, but he completely surrendered when he saw her trembling shoulders.
"I'm sorry. I'll be more careful in the future."
Although he was the one who had gone into anaphylactic shock, he was now apologizing cautiously, as if he had committed a serious mistake.
Meng Ruozhao took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "The doctor said you need to be observed for one night."
In fact, she couldn't really say where this strong emotional upheaval came from.
They had only known each other for a few hours.
But when she saw him lose consciousness in front of her, she felt as if struck by lightning.
Fear and worry made it almost impossible for her to breathe.
When she panicked and patted his cheek, the cold sweat on her fingertips suddenly activated a fragment of her memory:
On a stormy night, someone had pressed their equally damp forehead against her back.
Although Pei Jiangmu had said he would be okay after taking the medicine before he fainted, she still immediately called 120.
There was a hospital near [Fuyunxuan], so the ambulance arrived quickly.
Thankfully, it arrived in time. Otherwise, Pei Jiangmu might have been in serious trouble today.
"Do you know that your allergy medicine is just ordinary vitamins?"
After her emotions had calmed down a bit, Meng Ruozhao stared at Pei Jiangmu's lips and suddenly spoke.
She remembered that when he was in shock, she had used a cotton swab dipped in water to moisten his chapped lips gently.
The man had unconsciously held the cotton swab in his mouth while he was sleeping, which had immediately made her fingers freeze.
A familiar shiver ran up her spine from her fingertips, as if she had repeated this kind of care thousands of times.
"How could it be?"
When Pei Jiangmu widened his eyes, the shadow cast by his eyelashes under the light overlapped with a vague memory.
Meng Ruozhao suddenly stood up and knocked over the medicine box on the bedside table.
Pei Jiangmu propped himself up to help, but the infusion tube rattled noisily.
This sound triggered her conditioned - reflex scolding: "Don't move!"
The moment those two words blurted out, both of them were stunned.
She didn't know why she could use such a commanding tone so naturally.
And the contentment that flashed in the man's eyes was quicker than she could catch.
"I'm sorry."
Pei Jiangmu lowered his head. The vertebrae protruding from the back of his neck were like an unsheathed knife.
Meng Ruozhao reached out and touched it involuntarily. By the time she realized it, her palm had fully covered the curve.
The man trembled slightly under her hand, like a puppy being stroked on the belly by its owner.
Meng Ruozhao immediately withdrew her hand and tried to act as if nothing had happened, regaining her composure.
"Don't say sorry to me. Think about who knows you're allergic and has access to your medicine."
As she spoke, there was a hint of anger in her voice that she didn't even notice.
Changing the allergy medicine was no different from murder.
What kind of situation was this man living in?
Pei Jiangmu lay back on the bed and looked down, counting the speed of the dripping liquid.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Meng Ruozhao's knuckles turn white from clenching her fists in anger.
The burning pain remaining in his throat suddenly turned sweet, like swallowing a spoonful of scalding honey.
"Sister."
He deliberately let the infusion tube shake gently. The sound of the tube hitting the guardrail of the hospital bed immediately drew her attention back.
"I don't live in the school dormitory... actually because someone has been 'spiking' my food."
The man forced a bleak smile and unconsciously rubbed the pilled thread on the edge of the blanket.
"I'm not very popular at school, so I live off - campus. But I didn't expect not to win the national scholarship this semester."
After a pause, his voice became even lower.
"The guy who took my national scholarship probably needs it more than I do."
He played the role of a poor, bullied victim to perfection.
The moment Meng Ruozhao frowned, he coughed twice in a timely manner.
Immediately, he felt the warmth of her body as she leaned over.
It was really interesting. Although she didn't immediately believe that he was being ostracized and bullied, and there was still suspicion in her eyes, her fingers had instinctively patted the back of his hand to comfort him.
The vigilance towards strangers and the deep - seated concern for him were at war within her.