Chapter 47: The Ex-Boyfriend

The dormitory supervisor auntie was just as surprised as Zhou Anning when she came downstairs to meet them.

There were many campus couples at Huada University, and since she was on duty every day at the first-floor window, she had some impression of the male students who accompanied the girls back to their dorms, especially remembering the good-looking couples.

Last year, Lu Zhixi often escorted Jiang Ying back to the dormitory. Because he was handsome, several dorm supervisors on duty had a deep impression of him and remembered that he hadn’t appeared since the last semester began. At the end of last year, the boy sending Jiang Ying back was replaced by another, and at the start of this semester, the auntie even saw Jiang Ying talking with that boy downstairs.

The dorm supervisor originally thought Zhou Anning would contact Jiang Ying’s new boyfriend, but to her surprise, it was the previous one who came and even drove his car into the dorm courtyard.

After hesitating and asking for a long time, only when Lu Zhixi called the Huada Security Department’s duty office and the administrative staff confirmed that his information was registered in the system did she lead them inside.

When the dormitory door opened, seeing Zhou Anning’s wary expression, the dorm supervisor asked again, “You contacted him?”

When Zhou Anning saw Lu Zhixi, she immediately guessed what was going on. Frustrated, she silently scolded Qi Wen for being unreliable and was about to say “No,” but Lu Zhixi spoke first.

“The car is parked downstairs. Let’s take her to the hospital first. If you’re worried, you can follow.”

Jiang Ying, curled up in the blanket, hadn’t fallen asleep but barely heard the outside voices. Her body felt alternately cold and hot, the soreness seeping deep into her bones.

In the haze of consciousness, a hand reached under her blanket as if to lift her up.

Raising her eyelids, she saw a familiar figure wearing a baseball cap and black mask—someone she had seen not long ago.

Her weak voice expressed surprise. “Meng Shao? Didn’t you say you were flying to Shanghai today?”

Just that morning, he was still in a group chat called “Pretty Girls Choosing Suitors,” saying he would be shooting a runway show for them.

“...”

Lu Zhixi silently helped her sit up from the bed.

Seeing him remain silent, Jiang Ying wearily closed her eyes again, letting him wrap her in a long down coat.

When he was about to help her put on socks, her mind stirred slightly. “I can do it myself.”

Only then did Lu Zhixi mutter, “It’s me.”

The mind during a fever is much like being drunk—thoughts splintered and incoherent.

In her dazed moment, her shoes and socks had already been put on, and Lu Zhixi carefully lifted her up. Through the sweatshirt’s fabric, Jiang Ying could clearly feel his firm muscles and steady heartbeat.

She opened her mouth to speak but coughed several times in a row.

“Rest assured and sleep. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

At times, Lu Zhixi’s voice was genuinely reassuring.

*

“I didn’t do it on purpose! Yu Siyen couldn’t be reached, Meng Shao wasn’t in Beijing, and I thought Qi Wen and the others’ graduate dorm was just behind our building. I didn’t expect that traitor to forward the message with one click!”

By the sickbed, Zhou Anning awkwardly explained the situation, inserting a straw into a cup of fresh orange juice and handing it to Jiang Ying.

“Here, take a sip.”

Jiang Ying propped herself up and sat on the bed, taking the cup with her free hand and sipping. She slowly surveyed the international ward of this tertiary hospital, which resembled a luxury hotel suite.

Outside the glass sliding door was a separate living room area. A widescreen LCD TV hung on the wall, alongside a kitchen and a desk. The walls were decorated with soft leather sofas, wooden floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Bright sunlight poured in, falling on lush potted plants.

“This is too much; I’m just running a fever.”

Zhou Anning touched her forehead. “You’ve been here a day and still haven’t broken the fever. The doctor said you have a new strain of flu. You’ll have to stay here—if you develop pneumonia, that would be bad.”

For Jiang Ying, seasonal fevers were as routine as monthly cycles.

However, each year in Beijing brought new strains of viruses. How severe the fever would be was like opening a mystery box. Last early spring wasn’t so bad, but this time it seemed like she’d drawn the rare variant. Despite injections and medication, her temperature fluctuated, now rising again to 38.5 degrees Celsius.

Zhou Anning was worried and had stayed at the hospital last night, sleeping on the family bed in the suite. Upon waking, meals were delivered, making it more comfortable than the dorm. But she had a group meeting tonight and needed to return to campus to avoid traffic and being late.

Before leaving, she pointed to the closed door of the adjacent family room and lowered her voice: “Lu Zhixi is in there. If anything happens, call me... He’s been pretty decent. With me watching, he hasn’t made any moves while you’ve been asleep.”

After Zhou Anning left, Jiang Ying took out her phone, which showed a dozen unread WeChat messages from Yu Siyen and Meng Shao, both aware of her illness and asking how she was doing.

Scrolling down, there was a message from Ji Xun, who had just added her on WeChat yesterday. After leaving Huada, he thanked her and Zhou Anning for showing them around campus.

As she replied, the door to the side room opened, and Lu Zhixi came out, pulling over a chair to sit by her bedside.

“This period is sensitive. It’s inconvenient to let too many people know where I live, so I could only bring you here to stay. Sorry for the trouble.”

He spoke softly, touching her forehead.

Last year, when they had just started dating, they were still attending classes together and going on dates in the cafeteria. Jiang Ying had suddenly caught the flu in early March. When she mentioned it casually, he immediately took her to his apartment in Chaoyang District.

That was when she first realized novels weren’t lying—wealthy people really could have doctors come to their homes for check-ups and IV drips. Compared to last year’s arrangements, the current hospital suite felt excessively luxurious.

She put down her phone and smiled at him. “Thank you for arranging all this.”

Though polite, it was clear she had finally shown him a smile, and Lu Zhixi felt a surge of happiness.

His complexion was no longer as pale as before. Sitting in the sunlit room, his smile held a youthful vigor befitting his age.

“Taking care of you is my duty. Honestly, I wanted to see you every day. Since you agreed to answer my calls, I’ve been sleeping much better.”

He spoke tenderly.

Just then, Jiang Ying’s phone vibrated repeatedly with new messages.

The gentle expression on his face quickly faded. He silently watched her focus on the screen and couldn’t help but ask, “Who’s messaging you?”

“Lots of people message me daily. Do you want me to list them all?”

“You know who I mean.”

Unlike his earlier fierce reactions, Lu Zhixi now showed some restraint, quietly listening as she mentioned a few names he didn’t want to hear.

She had been walking and dining with Wei Zhen and Ji Xun—although Zhou Anning and Wei Qing were also present, that didn’t matter. Lu Zhixi’s mind was filled with images of Jiang Ying laughing and chatting with those two boys.

He even speculated about how Meng Shao and Yu Siyen expressed concern for her in WeChat and how she responded.

Lu Zhixi had kept himself busy these days to avoid thinking about such things. But even a second spent imagining others bringing joy and warmth to Jiang Ying tore at his heart with jealousy.

When she finished, his delicate features tensed tightly, his face unusually pale.

“Are you okay?”

Noticing something was wrong, Jiang Ying just asked when he suddenly stood and rushed into the bathroom.

The soundproof bathroom door was locked for a full half-hour before Lu Zhixi came out and sat by her again.

Jiang Ying stared at him silently.

His face was damp; water dripped from the stray hairs on his forehead. His complexion was pale, and he carried a fresh mint scent.

“Did you just vomit?”

He said nothing.

“Stress-induced vomiting?”

Lu Zhixi neither confirmed nor denied, only softly said, “I really don’t like you being with them.”

Jiang Ying had thought he claimed to feel nauseous that day just to find an excuse to keep her from meeting friends, but it turned out Lu Zhixi genuinely vomited from emotional distress.

She tried to comfort him. “Zhixi, everyone has friends of the opposite sex, just like Lily is your friend.”

“We’re not friends,” Lu Zhixi said expressionlessly, defining his years of contact with Lily. “I don’t care about her life, and she doesn’t care about mine. We only cooperate when there’s mutual benefit.”

“Well, you should have other—”

“No.”

He said firmly.

Friends require emotional investment, which Lu Zhixi understood but showed no interest in.

He believed friendships between opposite sexes always hovered on a dangerous edge, advancing or retreating. No matter how ambiguous the nature, just imagining Jiang Ying pouring feelings into others made him uncomfortable.

The IV fluid was nearly finished, so Lu Zhixi called the nurse to remove the needle. Jiang Ying’s left hand, cold from prolonged infusion, was gently held by him as he spoke in an incredibly calm tone:

“I want you to look only at me, think only of me, and have feelings only for me.”

“That’s just possessiveness talking.”

Lu Zhixi said heavily:

“How do you define love’s components? A love of possessing and being possessed—isn’t that still love?”

Suddenly, the air fell silent.

Jiang Ying turned her gaze away, lost in thought, while Lu Zhixi quietly watched her, tracing every contour of her face with his eyes.

He was certain he knew her well enough.

A person who longs only for freedom wouldn’t reach ecstasy while being choked near suffocation.

Nor would their eyes, when looking at him, be filled with a yearning to be possessed.

The relationship of possessing and being possessed brings unparalleled satisfaction.

It is an intoxicating pleasure, a salvation-like happiness.