William peeled the wrapper off another candy and popped it into his mouth; the candy was grape-flavored, not particularly tasty, nor unpalatable.
It tasted a bit like chewing gum.
Dr. Daniel Green pulled back the curtain and walked in, addressing Ellie, "Feeling better? How about I hook you up to an IV?"
Ellie shook her head and replied, "Much better."
Dr. Daniel Green looked at William, then at Ellie, and said, "Boyfriend?"
"No, just a deskmate," Ellie's voice was soft, and her ears turned a bit red.
"Hahaha, don't be shy, I won't report you. I've seen too many young couples."
He hadn't gotten a good look at the girl in William's arms earlier, so Dr. Daniel Green examined the girl in front of him. She looked very well-behaved, wearing her school uniform neatly buttoned up to the top, with a pair of pretty almond-shaped eyes, clear and pure, her pupils resembling colored glaze.
Standing together with William, they somewhat resembled a big bad wolf and a little white rabbit.
William grinned a bit ruffly and said, "Stop teasing her."
Dr. Daniel Green glanced at Ellie, whose ears were red, and said, "Seeing you rush in here carrying her so anxiously, I thought she was your girlfriend."
William glanced at Ellie and said, "My current deskmate, she insisted on enduring discomfort in class, and fainted halfway here."
After hearing this, Dr. Daniel Green turned to Ellie and said, "Student, if you're not feeling well, seek medical attention immediately. Don't hesitate to tell your teacher just because you feel embarrassed."
Ellie spoke softly, "I understand, thank you."
Dr. Daniel Green continued, "The pressure in high school is intense, it's normal to get sick, also, you're too thin, student, you should eat more."
Ellie looked at her thin arms, knowing she wouldn't gain weight no matter how much she ate, but still nodded and obediently said, "Okay."
"You still have more than one class period until school is over, rest a bit more. There are books nearby; you can read if you want, or you two can chat if you don't feel like reading," Dr. Daniel Green said, then pulled back the curtain and left.
There were a few books on the bookshelf, and William casually picked one up, asking, "Want to read?"
Ellie glanced at the book in his hand, it was "The Little Prince," and she said, "Read."
The infirmary was air-conditioned, not too hot, and the only sound in the room was the rustling of paper.
William, seeing her reading intently, asked, "Is it that interesting?"
Ellie spread the book open; she didn't say they would read together, just placed the book between the two of them.
After finishing a page, Ellie asked him, "Finished? Shall I turn the page?"
William glanced at her and said, "Who said I was reading with you."
Ellie didn't say anything, slowly turned the page, and after finishing another page, before she could turn it, a hand reached over and turned the page.
Ellie couldn't help but smile, then returned her gaze to the book.
They sat like this, one in the chair below and the other on the bed, quietly reading for nearly an hour.
The Little Prince once said to the physicist, "I have a flower, she is more beautiful than all the flowers." When the physicist remarked that the beauty of a flower is fleeting and cannot be preserved for long, a flash of panic and loneliness crossed the Little Prince's eyes.
He later saw many roses, but she was unique.
Even though Ellie had read this book several times, she still felt differently upon rereading it.
The bell for the end of class rang.
Ellie shifted her gaze from the book and said, "Class is over."
William "Hmm"ed, watching her throw off the covers and get out of bed.
Ellie put the book back on the bookshelf.
William said, "I'll walk you to the door directly, in case you faint again."
Ellie said, "I won't faint again."
William followed behind her and said, "No worries, it's on my way."
The air carried a warm temperature, and the cicadas were noisy.
Something indescribable seemed to have changed.
Seemed not to have changed either.
The young man looked at the well-behaved girl beside him and curled the corners of his lips.
At the door, Ellie looked back at William behind her, waved, and said, "Bye."
"Bye."
Ellie got in the car and watched the young man ride out on his bicycle soon after, glancing her way as he passed by.
"I saw this time's grades for Miss, she ranked third in her grade with a score of 690."
Hearing this, Ellie smiled.
SuSan said, "Miss, the grades have been sent to Madam. Madam is not home today, there's soup at home, still warm, just waiting for Miss to come back and drink it."
"Thank you, SuSan."
...
William had just arrived home and opened the door when the dark ball rolled to his feet, meowing.
He turned on the light, picked up the little black cat from the floor, petted it a few times, and said, "Waiting for me?"
Coco meowed a few times, then rubbed against the palm of his hand.
William fed it some food, left his phone outside, and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
...
Ellie returned home and sat at the dining table, sipping the soup from her bowl.
Edward came out of his room, poured a glass of water, and after a few sips, he looked at Ellie sitting at the table but didn't know what to say. He was silent for a while, then said, "Are you feeling unwell today?"
Ellie shook her head and said, "No."
"Are you keeping up with your studies? If you're really not feeling well, we can arrange for a leave of absence."
"The grades have been posted in the parents' group chat, no need."
Edward wanted to check the parents' group chat, only to find he wasn't in Ellie's parents' group chat at all.
SuSan opened the information in the parents' group chat for Edward to see, saying, "Miss ranked third in her school this time, with a score of 690."
Upon hearing this, Edward smiled and said to Ellie, "Ellie is really amazing, do you have enough money? I'll send you some more."
Ellie smiled and said, "Thank you, Dad, I don't need it."
Ellie was very well-behaved and obedient, always ranking at the top of her class, but Edward always felt he couldn't get close to this child's heart. He held his cup and said to Ellie, "Get some rest early."
"Okay."
She finished her soup, took the bowl into the kitchen, and as she was about to wash it, SuSan took it from her, saying, "Ellie go take a bath, I'll wash it."
Ellie said "SuSan, you've worked hard," then went back to her room.
After taking a bath, it was almost eleven o'clock.
Ellie dried her hair and took down "The Little Prince" from the bookshelf again.
She suddenly thought of something, took a photo, and sent it to William.
William was still playing with the cat when he heard his phone buzz.
He unlocked his phone and saw a message from Ellie, a picture.
[Little Prude]: Picture.
[Little Prude]: I have this book, I'll bring it to school for you to see tomorrow.
William chuckled and replied with a message.
[William]: The bedsheet is quite pink.
Ellie was confused by this message, glanced at her pink bedsheet.