ABMSI Chapter 24

Duan Wei, who had just landed, was startled by the sudden shout. He looked up to see a man not far away, holding a flashlight that shone directly on them — the man was wearing a school security guard uniform.

“We’re screwed, we’re screwed!” Duan Wei stomped anxiously on the spot and looked up at Peng Yan, who was still stuck halfway over the wall. “Hurry up and get down!” he hissed.

Although Duan Wei and Peng Yan bickered constantly, when things got serious, he’d never abandon his friend. So even as the guard drew closer, he had no intention of running away.

Fu Duqiu, too, stood calmly nearby, not moving an inch.

At that moment, Peng Yan was panicking more than anyone. He gathered all his strength, pushed himself up, swung his leg over the wall, and jumped down neatly.

Unfortunately, the moment he landed, his foot twisted on a loose pebble. A muffled grunt echoed in the dark, and Peng Yan stumbled forward, crashing straight into Duan Wei, who was caught completely off guard and stumbled backward.

Fu Duqiu, standing not far away, didn’t even have time to react before the two silhouettes in the dark barreled into him, knocking all three of them to the ground.

“Shit—!”

That came from Duan Wei.

“You’ve got some nerve saying I’m the one who got fat!”

“This isn’t fat, it’s muscle!” Peng Yan grunted from on top of Duan Wei, struggling to get up.

At that point, Duan Wei could barely breathe with Peng Yan pressing down on him — and to make matters worse, he hadn’t landed on the ground… but straight into Fu Duqiu’s arms.

“Which class are you from?!” the security guard shouted, running toward them around a small flower bed.

“Run, run!”

There was no time for Duan Wei to argue about anyone’s diet. He shoved Peng Yan off him and started fumbling around in the dark, trying to push himself up — but his hands didn’t seem to know where to go. One moment he brushed Fu Duqiu’s chest, the next his fingers landed on Fu Duqiu’s abdomen.

Finally, Fu Duqiu couldn’t hold back any longer and said in a low voice, “What exactly are you touching?”

“The ground! I’m touching the ground!” Duan Wei snapped, his face heating up — though thankfully no one could see it. “What, you expect me to push myself up using you?!”

At last, his palms found the cold comfort of solid earth. With a strong push, he got to his feet.

As soon as he stood, he turned toward where Fu Duqiu was and held out his hand. Despite the darkness, their hands found each other without missing — and Duan Wei pulled Fu Duqiu up firmly.

By then, the beam of the guard’s flashlight had already caught them full-on. Without thinking, Duan Wei grabbed Fu Duqiu’s hand and bolted in the opposite direction.

“Stop right there!!” the guard roared.

Of course, they didn’t. They ran as if their lives depended on it — past the fake mountain, through corridor after corridor. The cold night wind whipped through their hair, scattering a few fallen leaves in their wake.

They didn’t know how long they’d been running before the guard’s voice finally faded away. Only then did Duan Wei slow to a stop. He released Fu Duqiu’s hand and bent over, gasping for breath.

“Holy shit,” Peng Yan wheezed, hands on his knees. Even this self-proclaimed tough guy was panting like mad. “That scared me to death! Duan-ge, I swear, every time I do something with you, it’s always a damn adventure.”

“Cherish it,” Duan Wei retorted without even blinking. “Not everyone gets the privilege.”

They were now standing on the narrow path between the art building and the library. Since it was evening study time, the area was deserted — both buildings dark, with only the streetlights still on.

At least there was finally some light. Duan Wei caught his breath and glanced over at Fu Duqiu, his eyes landing on the man’s wrist.

“You’re hurt,” he said, pointing.

Fu Duqiu lifted his hand. It was scraped from when he’d fallen earlier, catching himself on the ground — not deep, but if left untreated, it could easily get infected.

Seeing this, he asked, “Where’s the infirmary?”

“I’ll take you,” Duan Wei said, surprisingly kind for once — partly because the injury was his and Peng Yan’s fault, and partly… because he really didn’t want to go back to night study.

What better excuse is there to skip class than going to the infirmary?

Duan Wei walked a few steps ahead and said to Peng Yan, “You go back to class. Tell old Qin I’m taking him to the infirmary and ask for leave for both of us.”

“…I wanna go too.”

“Then who’s going to ask for leave?”

“Duan-ge, don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to!”

“Be good. Go.”

Fu Duqiu: “…”

Before Peng Yan could argue again, Duan Wei had already grabbed Fu Duqiu and headed toward the infirmary. After several twists and turns through the campus, they finally saw the faint white glow of the fluorescent light ahead.

The infirmary was quiet. Inside sat a young-looking woman wearing only a thin white coat — the air conditioner was on. When she saw Fu Duqiu, she frowned, her gaze falling on the bruise at the corner of his mouth. “Got into a fight?” she asked.

Duan Wei had been wondering that himself. Before the exam, Fu Duqiu’s face had been perfectly fine. But after just a few hours of the open day, there it was — a fresh bruise.

From his years of “hands-on” experience, Duan Wei could tell that wasn’t a fall injury. And with Fu Duqiu’s brains, there’s no way he’d just trip and smash his face like that.

So the only explanation was — he’d been in a fight.

Duan Wei glanced sideways at him. A transfer student like Fu Duqiu shouldn’t have made enemies yet. And he didn’t seem like the kind of guy to go picking fights, either.
Could it be… Li Shao came looking for revenge?

While Duan Wei’s mind was spinning, Fu Duqiu remained calm, completely unaware of the speculation beside him. He simply shook his head without answering.

The doctor didn’t pry further. After checking Fu Duqiu’s scraped hands, she prescribed some ointment for bruises and swelling. Once they paid, the two of them sat down near the small heater in the corner. Duan Wei tore open the package, took one look, and moved to apply the medicine.

But when he leaned in with the cotton pad, Fu Duqiu instinctively drew back, giving him a wary look.

“What?” Duan Wei asked — and then immediately turned away to cough a few times.

Fu Duqiu lowered his gaze and asked quietly, “You’ve caught a cold?”

Duan Wei sniffled. Maybe he’d caught a chill from running earlier, but he didn’t think much of it. “It’s fine,” he said, reaching out again to apply the ointment.

Before his hand could touch Fu Duqiu’s face, the latter’s fingers caught his wrist — not hard, not soft, but enough to stop him.

Under the white fluorescent light, their shadows overlapped on the tiled floor. Fu Duqiu looked at him and said, “Go get checked. Ask for some cold medicine.”

Duan Wei blinked. He’d assumed Fu Duqiu got that bruise from Li Shao. And now this guy — the one who’s actually injured — was worrying about whether he caught a cold. For a moment, Duan Wei was oddly touched. He shook his head and said, “I’m fine. Let me finish this first.”

But from Fu Duqiu’s point of view, the whole exchange looked a little… different. He suppressed the messy thoughts in his head, turned his face away, and said evenly, “No. I just don’t want you to pass it to me.”

“…”

The female doctor chimed in from the side, “He’s right. There’s a flu outbreak lately — anyone with a cold has to wear a mask.”

Seeing Fu Duqiu’s calm expression, whatever warmth Duan Wei had felt instantly vanished. He glared at him. “Yeah, yeah, of course — I live to pass it on to you, right?”

“So you can visit the infirmary with me every day and skip class?”

Duan Wei paused, then grinned. “Now that you mention it… not a bad plan.”

Fu Duqiu chuckled softly and didn’t reply.

Grinding his teeth, Duan Wei slapped the cotton pad on the table and went over to the doctor. After a quick temperature check showed no fever, she gave him some basic cold meds.

With the little plastic bag of medicine in hand, Duan Wei couldn’t help feeling the whole thing was absurd. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had a cold. He’d always been pretty healthy — not a gym freak, but rarely ever sick.

At the infirmary’s water dispenser, he took a paper cup, poured half a cup of hot water, and mixed the powdered medicine. Soon, the bitter, herbal smell filled the air.

He wrinkled his nose and sniffed it a few times before calling over to the doctor, “Sis, did you give me the wrong one?”

At the word “sis,” the doctor’s lips twitched upward. She checked the label and said, “Nope, that’s the right one.”

“Then why’s it so damn bitter?” Duan Wei grimaced. “You got anything sweeter?”

“There is something,” she said after a moment’s thought, smiling.

Duan Wei perked up. “Then give me that one.”

“That’s for kids,” Fu Duqiu interjected dryly. He’d already finished treating his own wound and tossed the cotton pad into the trash. “Idiot.”

Duan Wei’s mouth fell open before he quickly defended himself. “That’s the pharmaceutical company’s fault! It’s discrimination, honestly — why cater to kids but not to adults who don’t like bitter medicine? That’s favoritism!”

The doctor, standing nearby, couldn’t help but laugh. She’d never seen a student like Duan Wei before — he was pure chaos.

“Yes, yes,” Fu Duqiu said mildly. “Now drink your medicine. You can debate market fairness afterward, alright?”

Duan Wei blinked at him in surprise. Wait… was that… agreement?

Fu Duqiu’s eyes were faintly curved in amusement as he looked at him.

It hit Duan Wei a moment later — Fu Duqiu hadn’t mocked him. Not once.

Fu Duqiu actually agreed with me?!

For the first time ever, the man who usually left him speechless had not argued back — and Duan Wei felt like a victim of Stockholm syndrome, absurdly thrilled by that tiny bit of approval. So much so that when he downed the medicine, he gulped it all at once like a good kid.

Fu Duqiu glanced over as Duan Wei grimaced, chugging down the bitter liquid. His brows scrunched together in the shape of the Chinese character for “river,” and even after putting the cup down, his face was still all puckered.

He licked the last trace of medicine from his lips.

Fu Duqiu turned his head slightly, watching him.

He really does look like a kid.

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Author’s note:
Fu: So cute. Wanna ruffle his hair. ❤️
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