Chapter 25: The Medical Report
“Need any help, Miss Hupo?” Lu Li asked with a smile, finally finding the familiar feeling he had with her in his past life. The Wen Hupo he knew was his white moonlight, noble and calm, taciturn and rational. But this was just a facade. The rising sun was cut in half by the tall osmanthus tree in the botanical garden, the warm sunlight and the chilly breeze intertwined, making it hard to tell whether it was warm or cold. The winter sun was just as complex as a girl’s heart.
“…” Wen Hupo didn’t know how many times she had scrutinized the boy in front of her.
“If you don’t know what expression to make, just smile.” A smile was the most versatile expression in society. If he had to choose one expression to represent human society, Lu Li would choose a smile without hesitation – genuine or fake, kind or malicious.
Wen Hupo’s pupils flickered. There it was again, Lu Li was like a mind reader. How did he know she didn’t know what expression to make? They all said that Wen Hupo was a cold and aloof girl, rarely smiling, her eyes icy. It wasn’t true. She just didn’t know what expression was appropriate in different situations. Mr. Diplomat would tell some unfunny jokes. Should she laugh, tease him, or refute him? When Chu Jingyi introduced her to the history of Chuanhai No. 1 High School, should she show admiration or indifference?
The happiest thing was ignorance, the most painful thing was knowing the truth of the world and becoming hesitant and indecisive.
Any expression was futile, any reaction wouldn’t change the facts. Reality and nothingness had become one in her mind. This was Wen Hupo’s true nature.
Lu Li continued, “Most of the time, you can deal with many troubles in life by just smiling and staying noncommittal.” He walked to the metal fence and grabbed the wire. It was ice-cold.
“I don’t like fake smiles.” Wen Hupo disagreed. “A smile should come from the heart, not used to appease others.”
“If you don’t show any emotion, they’ll think you’re someone they can bully.” Lu Li let go of the wire. “Humans are animals. They instinctively attack and bite the weak. When the weak are wounded and helpless, those who are already full will come out and claim to protect the weak and uphold justice. They dare to gossip about our relationship, to treat you like an object, because they think we’re the easiest targets in this school, right?”
He pointed at himself. “A boy from a poor family.” Then he pointed at Wen Hupo. “A foreign transfer student with no one to rely on, and you happen to be beautiful.”
“Would a smile really be useful?”
“Have you heard the story of Tang Ju?” Lu Li said. “The King of Qin wanted to annex Anling and threatened Tang Ju, the envoy of Anling, saying, ‘When the emperor is angry, a million corpses will lie on the ground, and blood will flow for a thousand miles. If you don’t agree to cede your land, you’ll be trampled by the Qin army.’”
Wen Hupo looked curious. “How did Tang Ju respond?”
“He said, ‘When a scholar is angry, two corpses will lie on the ground, blood will flow for five steps, and the whole world will mourn. Today is that day.’ It means, ‘I’ll fight you to the death.’”
Wen Hupo laughed. “What kind of response is that?”
“At least by smiling, they’ll know that you have emotions, that you’re capable of righteous anger, and you won’t have to go to the rooftop alone to worry.” Lu Li smiled too. “Do you want to be Tang Ju or the Lord of Anling?”
“That’s ridiculous.” Wen Hupo chuckled wryly and looked at the sky. The clouds were thick, the north wind howling. The cold in Chuanhai was a damp cold, piercing through the skin and chilling you to the bone. “Lu Li, you’re a strange person.”
After a long silence, Wen Hupo said, “That was my first kiss.”
I know. Lu Li didn’t answer. It was even your first kiss in both lifetimes.
She turned around and smiled, a smile that was either a facade or genuine. “I’m counting on you, outstanding representative.”
That afternoon, Lu Li asked Chu Jingyi for permission to leave school early and brought lunch back home. An Baili only woke up lazily at this time, taking her time getting dressed. She wriggled around in bed. “My dear Lu Li, can I not go? I… my legs are sore…”
Lu Li pretended to be stern. “No, if it weren’t for taking you to the hospital, I wouldn’t have agreed to let you skip class. We already agreed yesterday, you could sleep in until noon, and then you would obediently go to the hospital with me for a checkup.”
“But, but there’s no such thing as a medical checkup in the afternoon… Didn’t they say some tests have to be done on an empty stomach? I’m so full, how can I get a blood test?” An Baili, half-dressed, grabbed Lu Li’s hand and whined coquettishly. “Can we go tomorrow? I promise I’ll go tomorrow~”
Lu Li knew An Baili’s personality. She would procrastinate whenever possible and would only lift a finger if it was absolutely necessary.
“I called and asked, they can do the checkup in the afternoon too.” Lu Li was prepared.
An Baili rolled around in bed again. “I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go. How about, how about I trick Zou Yameng into doing that thing with us again? Then you won’t have to take me to the hospital, okay?”
This girl would come up with any excuse to avoid going to the hospital.
In the end, Lu Li dragged the reluctant An Baili onto the bus to the hospital. On the way, An Baili whined and clung to Lu Li, acting like a scared animal. She was truly afraid of hospitals. The strong smell of disinfectant, the atmosphere of death and farewell, made her uncomfortable. As long as she closed her eyes, everything would be fine, that was An Baili’s way of thinking. As long as she didn’t get checked, she wouldn’t be sick, and she could continue living happily with Lu Li, pretending the price didn’t exist.
Lu Li accompanied An Baili for a routine checkup. Chuanhai City had ample medical resources, and they could usually get the results on the same day. Lu Li waited at the medical center until 5:11 p.m., finally getting An Baili’s report just before the doctor got off work.
An Baili huddled in her chair, afraid to look at the report.
Lu Li comforted her and opened the stapled document. He read it carefully, word by word, not missing any details or numbers. He even searched online for things he didn’t understand, more meticulous than a freshman medical student.
As he read, Lu Li’s expression became more and more serious. By the time he finished the last word of the report, his expression had shifted from serious to disbelief. He reread the entire report, pausing for a moment on the page about her heart. Finally, he closed the report and remained silent.
An Baili was frightened by his expression. “Li, don’t scare me… what’s wrong?”
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