Chapter 60: The Uninvited Guest

She had no idea how long she’d slept, but Dong Yanyan was woken by a series of knocks at the door. Groggy and sluggish, she pulled on a sweater and slipped her feet into slippers, shuffling over to open it. Standing outside was Ren Jiaxuan, dressed in a white sweater and casual trousers, his face bright and cheerful. Seeing her disheveled state, he couldn’t help but laugh, teasing her in a broadcaster’s tone, “Dong Yanyan, don’t tell me you just woke up?”

“What’s wrong with just waking up? Who are you looking for?” Dong Yanyan asked weakly.

“I’m looking for you. Did you have dinner yet?” Ren Jiaxuan leaned against the doorway, glancing inside with a hint of surprise. “You’re the only one here in the dorm?”

“Dinner? What time is it?” Dong Yanyan glanced at her watch—it was half past three. She’d slept through both lunch and dinner.

“You’ve been sleeping all day? I bet you haven’t eaten! Perfect, I’ll treat you to a meal!” Ren Jiaxuan grabbed her hand and started to pull her out, and Dong Yanyan nearly stumbled.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? Oh! You’ve got a fever!” Ren Jiaxuan touched her forehead, then his own, exclaiming, “No, I need to take you to get an injection!”

“Huh?” Dong Yanyan uncertainly touched her forehead—it did feel a bit warm. No wonder she’d felt so out of sorts; she was running a fever.

“Can you not shout like someone’s dying? I have medicine. I’ll be fine after I take it,” Dong Yanyan shot him a glare and turned back to look for her medicine.

“Can I come in?” Ren Jiaxuan asked from the doorway.

“There’s only me in the dorm, come in.” Dong Yanyan flashed him a smile, half suspecting her fever might have come from something she caught in the cinema last night. Having a man around might just help balance her energy. She found the leftover antipyretics from last time and swallowed them with the water left in her cup.

“This dorm is really cold!” Ren Jiaxuan felt the radiator by her side, frowning. “Hey, what’s been up with you these days? I saw you this morning by the stairwell, looking all forlorn. Who bullied you?!”

His question made something in Dong Yanyan’s chest suddenly clog up, a heaviness that made her want to cry. Staring at his shoulder, she suddenly longed to lean on it. How long had it been since she’d had a shoulder to rely on?

“Hey, why aren’t you talking?” Ren Jiaxuan draped his arm around her shoulder and asked softly.

Dong Yanyan realized just then how melodramatic she was being and forced a smile. “Weren’t you going to treat me to dinner? I want chicken wings and a burger.” She truly had no appetite, but she was hungry. Those high-calorie fast foods from KFC, though lacking in nutrients, were at least filling.

“No problem, I’ll go to KFC for you. Anything else you want? I’ll bring it all back,” Ren Jiaxuan asked.

“Just a pair of grilled wings and a burger will do, oh, and two extra packets of ketchup,” Dong Yanyan replied offhandedly. She hadn’t been to KFC since returning and didn’t know if they still had egg tarts, corn chowder, or fruit salad, so she just asked for what she was sure they’d have.

“Alright, you lie down for a bit, I’ll be back soon.” Ren Jiaxuan dashed out.

Dong Yanyan was left staring at the closed door. She glanced at the window; the sky outside was nearly dark. The empty dorm was again just her alone. She sat at her desk, bored, and turned on the radio. Ren Xianqi’s voice floated out: “I’ll let you lean on me, lean on me, come into my arms, if you want to cry, just cry, no one will ever know...”

The timing of the song was too perfect, too fitting for her mood. Dong Yanyan listened in a daze for a while, then suddenly buried her face in her arms and wept. Not for anyone or anything in particular, but simply because she suddenly felt lonely and wronged. Loneliness and feeling wronged weren’t terrifying; what made her despair was not knowing how much longer she’d have to endure it.

After a while, the knocking started again. She hurriedly wiped her tears and ran to open the door. Ren Jiaxuan stood outside, carrying a large bag of KFC.

“Wait, I’ll go wash my hands first.” She lowered her head and spoke softly, then quickly rushed to the washroom. She splashed her face with cold water, feeling refreshed. The thought of a heap of food waiting for her made her mood suddenly improve.

Back in the dorm, she closed the door, and Ren Jiaxuan stared at her face for a long time, asking suspiciously, “Did you cry?”

“Huh?” Dong Yanyan thought, oh no—just a short cry and her eyes were swollen again. Crying right when someone came to see her, it inevitably looked like she was putting on an act.

She forced a laugh and said, “I was just bored and cried for a bit to cool myself off, otherwise when the girls come back they’ll see a boiled lobster—not a good look.”

“You’re crazy—cooling down like that?” Ren Jiaxuan rolled his eyes, then grinned. “Oh right, you really are sick.”

Dong Yanyan couldn’t stand the way he looked at her. Alone with a man in a room, things could get awkward. She decided to be straightforward. “I really wasn’t feeling well today. I went out this morning and tried to call several people, but none of the calls went through. When I came back, the girls were all gone, so I took a nap out of boredom, missed both meals, and got a fever. Just now, I was shivering in this cold room, hungry and miserable, and suddenly felt like things couldn’t get any worse, so I cried a bit. But now my mood’s better—who cries when there’s food?” Dong Yanyan took out the pile of food he’d brought and set it on the table. Not only were there chicken wings and burgers, but also fries and cola, and all in double portions.

“This is too much, I can’t finish it.” She picked up a chicken wing and nibbled at it.

“It’s for both of us. The canteen’s serving steamed buns tonight, so I didn’t eat either.” Ren Jiaxuan smiled and patted her head.

Dong Yanyan tilted her head away and laughed, “I don’t like steamed buns. Do you like dumplings?”

“I do, especially sauerkraut dumplings,” Ren Jiaxuan replied with a grin.

“I like cabbage dumplings. Next time, I’ll treat you at Dumpling King, how about it?” Dong Yanyan asked. He’d treated her to dinner, so she had to return the favor.

“Sure, it’s been a while since I went. Hey, why aren’t you asking why I treated you to dinner?” Ren Jiaxuan sipped his cola, watching her with a smile.

Dong Yanyan swallowed her food and smiled at him sincerely. “I was about to say, next time you need something, just let me know directly, no need for all this drama.”

Ren Jiaxuan’s face darkened at her words. “So you thought I needed a favor from you? I just saw you here, cold, hungry, and sick, so I came to look after you.” He said, dissatisfied.