Chapter 57: The Little Follower at the Aristocratic School (Part 6)

Leigh’s words were not delivered in a commanding tone; they could even be called quite gentle.

Her voice rose at the end, as if she were talking about something very pleasant, without any negative emotions.

But Si Qing felt a stifling sensation in her chest.

She could tell that Leigh was serious.

Si Qing looked toward Shen Ke, who was sleeping soundly on the sickbed.

Shen Ke’s breathing was light, her cheeks flushed with an unnatural redness, and the swelling around her eyes was visible even when closed. Her hair was disheveled, and her collar hung open.

A small patch of skin at her collarbone was also red.

She looked utterly pitiful.

Yet her breathing was steady, and her face serene, as if she were sleeping deeply.

Si Qing’s fingers twitched slightly as she restrained the urge to touch Shen Ke. Her bloodless lips parted. “Leigh, why do you suddenly want her?”

Leigh propped her elbows on the bed and cupped her cheeks with both hands, gazing fixedly at Shen Ke. “Qingqing, my heart might have been struck by Cupid’s arrow today.”

“Come on, Qingqing. You don’t care anyway, right?”

A trace of gloom appeared between Si Qing’s brows. She fell silent for a moment before saying softly, “No.”

Leigh’s smile was radiant. “But Keke said she won’t follow you anymore.”

“I heard that phone call.”

Si Qing’s fingers clenched into a fist, and a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes. “Leigh, even if she doesn’t follow me, she won’t follow you.”

“After all, Shen Ke isn’t someone with a lot of courage.”

Leigh blinked, her long, curled lashes fluttering like tiny fans that partially obscured her eyes.

She knew Si Qing was referring to that incident—the moment when she punished that student.

Damn it. She had thought only Si Qing would be there, so she invited her.

She hadn’t expected Si Qing to betray her and bring Little Cat along too.

Of course, it hadn’t seemed like a big deal at the time, but now, with her mindset changed, the more she thought about it, the more despicable Si Qing seemed.

Leigh lifted her eyelids and shot Si Qing a resentful look, just as Si Qing looked back at her.

At a glance, the atmosphere between them seemed normal, but upon closer inspection, their expressions and gazes carried hidden depths—not just superficial discord, but a deeper hostility.

Leigh narrowed her eyes, her smile deepening. “Qingqing, I won’t ask you for her anymore.”

“But I can pursue her.”

“You’ll allow that, right? You’re not even anything to her. At most, let me think—uh—”

“Oh, I can’t think of anything. You two don’t have much of a relationship anyway.”

“So I’ll pursue Keke and make her want to follow me willingly.” At this point, Leigh was already fantasizing about a beautiful future.

If Shen Ke coquettishly threw herself at her every day, begging for hugs and kisses—wow, just thinking about it filled her with delight.

Leigh’s cheeks flushed, and a glint of greed appeared in her emerald eyes.

Si Qing pressed her lips together. Leigh wasn’t wrong, and she couldn’t refute it, but her heart felt unbearably stuffy.

Si Qing pulled over a stool and sat by the bed, her gaze falling on Shen Ke’s beautifully flushed face. Her expression flickered uncertainly, and the gloom between her brows deepened.

“Leigh, no.”

Those simple words flattened Leigh’s upturned lips. “Qingqing, you really love meddling, don’t you?”

“It’s starting to annoy me.”

Si Qing lowered her long lashes. The flush from overexertion had faded, leaving her pale cheeks and lips making her look exceptionally fragile.

Leigh’s words didn’t change Si Qing’s expression much. Her light-colored pupils reflected a tiny image of Shen Ke as she covered her mouth and coughed muffledly a few times. “Leigh, you’re the same.”

At that moment, an invisible barrier arose between them.

Their relationship had never been deep to begin with. A little friction was all it took for the superficial harmony to collapse completely.

When Shen Ke woke up, dusk was approaching.

Her body felt utterly limp and weak, her eyes sore and dry. The lingering heat made her purse her lips uncomfortably.

Two voices of different tones rang out almost simultaneously.

“Shen Ke/Keke, you’re awake.”

Shen Ke turned her head, her gaze landing nearby. Her eyes still held a dazed look, unfocused.

As if by instinct, she coquettishly called out to Si Qing. “Si Qing, you came to see me.”

Si Qing’s furrowed brows relaxed instantly, and she nodded lightly. “Mm.” Sure enough, Shen Ke must have been delirious from the fever when she said she wouldn’t look for her anymore.

Upon waking, the first thing she did was call her name. Clearly, she still cared.

“If you’re uncomfortable, I can have someone take you off-campus,” Si Qing said coolly, as if casually.

Shen Ke shook her head. “No.” She didn’t want to go at all.

Leigh laughed. “Darling Keke Baby, I’m here too. How come you didn’t call my name?”

Shen Ke turned toward the voice, her gaze shifting to Leigh’s face. Her mind was still foggy, and without her usual spoiled demeanor when awake, her voice came out soft, the end drawn out. “Why should I call you? You bullied me.” And she was terrifying—someone who could smile while stabbing a knife through a person’s palm couldn’t be good.

Leigh’s smile froze as she recalled the time she tricked Shen Ke into buying things for her.

Her spirits deflated completely. Why had she deceived Shen Ke back then?

Talk about self-inflicted suffering.

At that moment, the infirmary door opened.

Qi Yuan’s tall figure burst in and stopped at the other side of Shen Ke’s bed.

Fortunately, the infirmary was spacious enough that even with three people gathered around one spot, it didn’t feel crowded.

Qi Yuan squatted down, seemingly oblivious to Leigh and Si Qing across from her, and reached out to touch Shen Ke’s cheek.

“Mm, still a slight fever.”

Qi Yuan’s hand was large and warm, the calluses on her palm thick. Shen Ke’s cheek itched from the touch, and her mind gradually cleared.

Qi Yuan softened her expression. A bandage covered her forehead, and her school uniform was still disheveled.

That Fox Eyes had been fair enough—after investigating, she let Qi Yuan go, while the others stayed behind.

Qi Yuan had trailed behind at the time. Though she couldn’t hear what Fox Eyes and Golden Hair were saying clearly, Shen Ke’s state had seemed off, so she rushed to the infirmary first thing after being released.

She got lucky and found Shen Ke right away.

“Shen Ke, I’m sorry. I made you fall earlier,” Qi Yuan said sincerely. Her gaze was clear, her features handsome, her words crisp, conveying her remorse unmistakably.

Qi Yuan not mentioning it was one thing; bringing it up instantly sobered Shen Ke’s hazy mind. All her memories flooded back. She widened her eyes, rims reddening as if she might cry again.

“You—you really hurt me when I fell!” Shen Ke tried to sound fierce, but her hoarse voice made it impossible.

Being thrown over the shoulder onto the ground in front of her lackeys was too embarrassing!!!

Qi Yuan took Shen Ke’s hand—the one without the IV—and placed it on her own face. Squatting there, she looked utterly docile.

Qi Yuan said slowly, “Shen Ke, hit me back, okay?”

Shen Ke’s hand was soft and fragrant, perfectly sized in Qi Yuan’s grasp, like it was made just for her.

Shen Ke’s face reddened a bit as she pulled her hand back and huffed fiercely. “I’m not falling for your coaxing. Once I’m better, I’m definitely dealing with you!”

Qi Yuan furrowed her brows slightly. “I’m in Class 2-A. Don’t get the wrong person, Shen Ke.” Every word from Qi Yuan sounded like coaxing.

And Shen Ke ate it up. She liked people who went along with her.

Shen Ke huffed proudly. “I won’t.” Her tone even softened coquettishly.

Si Qing slowly frowned, her gaze settling on Qi Yuan, cold light flickering in her pale eyes.

Leigh’s mouth fell open with an exaggerated “wow,” the expression looking odd on her angelic face. “Qi Yuan, right? You’re so mean. With that big body of yours, why bully Keke?”

Leigh sidled up to Si Qing and said loudly, “This person’s awful. When I saw her, she had Keke in her arms, one hand pressing on Keke’s butt.”

“Qingqing, look at that hand—it’s huge, bigger than Keke’s face. One hand almost covered Keke’s entire butt.”

“Looked pretty strong too. Who knows if she left palm prints on Keke’s butt.”

As someone from M Country, Leigh spoke with terrifying bluntness.

An uncomfortable stuffiness stirred in Si Qing’s chest. This feeling was utterly awful.

Si Qing’s fingers slowly clenched. She looked at Shen Ke. “You—” Just as the syllable escaped, a gentle voice came from behind.

“Classmates, the patient might need rest. You can talk to her after she’s better.”

Zhao Wanjue stood at the door, medical kit in hand, smiling at the students in the infirmary.

Si Qing’s eyes flashed, her expression inscrutable. She unclenched her fingers and left the infirmary without a word.

She didn’t understand why her emotions were always swayed by Shen Ke. So what if someone else hugged her? Why was she so angry?

When she heard Shen Ke had a fever, she’d panicked in a way that wasn’t like her at all.

She was frail from childhood; overexertion could make her faint. Yet her first thought hadn’t been her own health, but whether someone as delicate as Shen Ke would cry for a long time from the fever.

Those words she said must have been from the discomfort of the fever.

Shen Ke had lost her parents at twelve and grew up in Si Qing’s home with her.

So how could Shen Ke possibly stop seeking her out?

Si Qing subconsciously ignored her initial panic upon hearing those words, soothing herself with these unconvincing thoughts.

Leigh followed Si Qing out, with Qi Yuan behind her.

Leigh stopped and turned, her thin lips curving into a brilliant smile, though her words dripped with venom. “You’d better watch yourself. If I see you touch her with your filthy hands again, I’ll chop it off.”

Qi Yuan lowered her eyelids, her long, straight lashes casting shadows. The moment she entered the infirmary, the rules she’d set for herself vanished.

Maybe keeping her head down until graduation would have been fine, but these arrogant types were truly detestable.

Qi Yuan raised her eyelids, coldness in her dark pupils. “On what grounds? What right do you have to warn me?”

Leigh narrowed her eyes and mimed shooting at Qi Yuan’s heart. “My background.”

“Crushing an ordinary person like you is no different from squashing an ant.”

Utterly arrogant, but undeniably true.

Qi Yuan had no retort. She stood there for a long time, until her legs went numb, before stepping away again.

What a godawful world.

This school—even the purple gem class students—represented heights ordinary people could never reach in a lifetime.

In the infirmary.

Shen Ke’s eyes followed Zhao Wanjue wherever she went.

Zhao Wanjue saw the medicines were in order and approached Shen Ke’s bed. “What’s wrong? Still feeling hot?”

Shen Ke shook her head.

Zhao Wanjue asked again, “Hungry, then?”

Shen Ke shook her head again. Zhao Wanjue sighed softly. “Little classmate, it’s just us in the infirmary now. Is there something you want to say?”

Shen Ke lifted her foot pitifully and asked Zhao Wanjue, “Doctor Zhao, is my foot badly injured?”

Zhao Wanjue raised a brow slightly. “No, little classmate. You just had a fever.”

“But it’s gone down now. Your body’s fine.”

Shen Ke bit her lip, instantly realizing Qi Yuan had tricked her.

Qi Yuan was too hateful!!!

Shen Ke’s expression changed rapidly—from a pitiful little cat to a puffed-up bun.

Zhao Wanjue hadn’t seen someone so adorable in ages.

But she thought of the students at this school.

Zhao Wanjue said softly, “Little classmate, if there’s something you can’t handle, you can come to me.”

Shen Ke heard her clearly. She blinked her eyes, her red lips pouting slightly. “Really?” Her expression seemed dismissive, but her lively eyes shone with trust.

Shen Ke was too cute at that moment. Zhao Wanjue smiled. “Really.”

“I might have a little ability.”