Chapter 139: A Profligate Once More

“Buzz, buzz.” The vibration beside his pillow roused Lin Xudong from sleep. He rubbed his weary eyelids and slowly sat up. He knew it was time to get out of bed. Senior year was demanding and monotonous, but there was no choice—one simply had to grow accustomed to the routine. Every morning, Lin Xudong rose early, washed up, and went to the track to recite his lessons.

It did not take him long to get dressed. Just as he was about to wake Xiao Lin, he discovered that Xiao Lin’s bed was empty. Greatly startled, Lin Xudong hurried over and placed a hand on the bedding. The quilt was cold, proving that Xiao Lin had been gone for some time.

“What’s going on? He was drunk out of his mind yesterday, yet he’s up so early today. But what did he get up for?” Lin Xudong muttered as he went to fetch his toiletries. Usually, he and Xiao Lin went to the track together, so the fact that Xiao Lin had left without calling him came as a surprise.

After washing up, Lin Xudong picked up his books and prepared to leave the dormitory. But just after reaching the ground floor, he turned around and went back. It was raining outside. Though only a light drizzle, he still needed an umbrella. Holding it overhead, Lin Xudong set off toward the track, all the while wondering what Xiao Lin was doing.

By the time Lin Xudong reached the track, the entire field was shrouded in darkness and utterly silent, save for the soft patter of rain. Without thinking, he murmured two lines of poetry:

“Flowers drift freely, light as dreams;
The endless rain falls fine as sorrow.”

At that moment, he vaguely saw a figure moving along the track. But with the gray sky and curtain of rain obscuring his view, he could not make out who it was.

A thought suddenly came to him. Could it be Xiao Lin?

Although Xiao Lin usually came to the track with him, he had been thoroughly drunk the previous day and was in a foul mood. Lin Xudong could not believe that he would come here so early. He assumed Xiao Lin had gone somewhere secluded to vent his emotions.

But Lin Xudong was destined to be disappointed. As the figure drew closer, he was astonished to realize that it was indeed Xiao Lin.

Xiao Lin was drenched from head to toe. Every strand of hair clung to his forehead, and wisps of steam seemed to rise from his head. His face was frighteningly flushed, and he was breathing heavily.

“Xiao Lin… Xiao Lin, what are you doing? You didn’t even bring an umbrella. Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?” Lin Xudong hurried forward and shifted the umbrella over Xiao Lin’s head, shielding him from the rain.

Only after reaching him did Lin Xudong notice that Xiao Lin was trembling slightly and shivering every now and then.

“You’re going to come down with a serious cold. Come on, Xiao Lin, let’s go back to the dormitory and warm you up. Then I’ll go with you to the infirmary and get you some medicine.” Lin Xudong frowned as he spoke.

“No need. I’m fine.” Xiao Lin clenched his teeth and forced the words out. Then he shoved Lin Xudong aside and began running around the track again.

“Xiao Lin… you…” Lin Xudong cried out anxiously when he saw him push him away.

Watching Xiao Lin run, Lin Xudong felt his heart sink. This was bad. Xiao Lin’s stubborn temper had taken over. If he kept running like this, he would certainly catch a severe cold. This was their final year of high school; if he ended up hospitalized, it would seriously affect his grades.

But Lin Xudong knew he could not stop Xiao Lin by himself. Besides, he sensed that Xiao Lin’s personality had changed somewhat from before.

“No, I have to wake Wang Tao and the others and get them to help persuade him.” Lin Xudong stamped his foot and hurried toward the dormitory.

Xiao Lin had long since lost count of how many laps he had run. At that moment, he could still feel his brain, but everything below his neck had gone numb.

He had woken at three in the morning, and once awake, he could no longer fall asleep. He could not stop thinking about Wang Yuqing. In the end, he steeled himself, got out of bed, and went to the track to run, hoping exhaustion would drive his thoughts away.

He had risen in silence. From getting dressed to washing up, he had made not the slightest sound. Then he had come alone to the track and begun running laps.

The rain had not started until four, but it did nothing to make Xiao Lin give up. On the contrary, the rain soaking through him made him feel strangely comfortable.

At that moment, Xiao Lin had only one thought: run. Keep running along the track without stopping.

Meanwhile, Lin Xudong returned to the dormitory and woke Wang Tao and Wang Yuqing, who were sleeping soundly. The moment Wang Tao heard that something had happened to Xiao Lin, he sprang out of bed. Yuan Weiye, however, remained lazily curled beneath his blankets until Wang Tao yanked them away. Only then did Yuan Weiye reluctantly get up.

The three of them rushed to the track. When Yuan Weiye saw Xiao Lin’s condition, he was so shocked that he stood there dumbfounded and muttered, “Good heavens, has Xiao Lin gone mad?”

Though Wang Tao was equally stunned, he acted without hesitation. He shouted and blocked Xiao Lin’s path.

“Xiao Lin, what do you think you’re doing?”

Xiao Lin ignored him. He twisted around Wang Tao and continued running.

Desperate, Wang Tao threw his arms around Xiao Lin’s waist and shouted toward Lin Xudong and Yuan Weiye, “What are you waiting for? Come help!”

Lin Xudong and Yuan Weiye snapped out of their daze and hurried over to restrain Xiao Lin. The three of them used all their strength to stop his momentum, then dragged him back toward the dormitory.

Ordinarily, the three of them would never have been able to hold Xiao Lin back. But after running for so long, he had little strength left. The winter morning was bitterly cold, and a fine rain was still falling. The fact that Xiao Lin had remained conscious at all was largely due to his unusually strong constitution.

Even so, he was now at the end of his strength.

Wang Tao and the others forcibly dragged him into the dormitory and locked the door behind them.

“Boss Xiao, even if you’ve been dumped, you can’t abuse yourself like this,” Yuan Weiye said as he removed his outer coat and put on a clean down jacket.

“Xiao Lin, if you’re hurting, talk to us. Don’t treat yourself this way,” Wang Tao added.

Lin Xudong was about to speak, but after hesitating, he fell silent.

Xiao Lin seemed not to hear them. He sat blankly in a chair, water dripping from his clothes onto the floor.

Suddenly, he lurched to his feet. Wang Tao, thinking he was about to rush outside again, hurried over to stop him. But once Xiao Lin stood, his body swayed twice before he collapsed to the floor.

He had held himself together through sheer willpower. The moment he returned to the dormitory and relaxed, overwhelming exhaustion swept over him. His vision went black, and he fainted.

When Xiao Lin awoke, he found himself in the school infirmary with an intravenous drip running into his arm. Yuan Weiye was sprawled beside the bed, snoring.

Xiao Lin frowned and called out, “Yuan Weiye.”

His voice roused Yuan Weiye from sleep. Seeing that Xiao Lin was awake, he cried out in delight.

“Boss Xiao, you’re finally awake! You scared us half to death when you collapsed in the dormitory. We immediately changed your wet clothes and brought you here. The doctor said you fainted from exhaustion and exposure to the cold. Still, it’s incredible—someone built as strongly as you actually fainted.”

The first half of Yuan Weiye’s words was filled with concern, but by the end, his tone had turned to amazement. He even reached over and pinched Xiao Lin’s arm, as though his fainting were utterly unbelievable.

“What time is it?” Xiao Lin asked, ignoring him.

“After ten. Two classes have already passed, but we asked for leave on your behalf. The head teacher told me to stay here and look after you.” Yuan Weiye’s face was full of satisfaction. In truth, he had volunteered because he did not want to attend class.

“Doctor. Doctor!” Xiao Lin suddenly shouted.

“What is it?” A doctor in a white coat and glasses came over when he heard him.

“Give me some medicine. Once this bottle is finished, I’m going back to class,” Xiao Lin told him.

“No. You still have a fever. After this bottle, you need two more. Otherwise, it could develop into a severe cold, and then you’ll be in serious trouble.” The doctor refused without hesitation.

“I know my own body. Just do as I say.”

Xiao Lin’s tone remained firm, carrying an unmistakable air of authority.

The doctor’s brow furrowed deeply. What kind of attitude was this? And what did he mean, telling a doctor to do as he said? It was almost laughable—as though he were the physician.

“I said no. I’m the doctor here,” the doctor replied flatly.

“Boss Xiao, didn’t I tell you that we already got you leave? The head teacher approved it,” Yuan Weiye said, unable to understand why Xiao Lin was suddenly speaking this way.

When Xiao Lin saw that the doctor still refused, he abruptly pulled the needle from the back of his hand. Blood began to flow freely, but he did not make a sound. He threw off the blanket, put on his shoes, and walked straight out of the infirmary.

The doctor stared after him with his mouth wide open. He had practiced medicine at the school for ten years, yet he had never encountered a student like Xiao Lin. Ignoring medical advice was one thing, but to pull the needle out himself was something else entirely.

Only after Xiao Lin had left did Yuan Weiye regain his senses.

“Sorry about that,” he said to the doctor. “He’s always been stubborn. We’re students from Class One of the senior year. We’ll bring you the medical fees later.”

Then he hurried out of the infirmary after Xiao Lin.

“Boss Xiao, what are you trying to do? Your hand is still bleeding!”

“Back to class.”

Xiao Lin uttered only those three words. He glanced at his right hand and pressed the wound with his left. Then he said nothing more and walked toward the classroom of Class One.

Those three words left Yuan Weiye speechless. He looked at Xiao Lin’s cold expression and the sharp, chilling intensity in his eyes, which made Yuan Weiye’s heart tremble.

He had seen that expression somewhere before.

Yuan Weiye thought hard for a moment.

Yes—three years ago.

The first time he had seen Xiao Lin in the classroom of Class One, the impression Xiao Lin had left on him was one of coldness, with a keen and piercing light in his eyes.

Could it be that Xiao Lin had returned to the person he had been three years ago?

Remembering Xiao Lin’s old nickname—Wandering Xiao Lin—Yuan Weiye could not help but feel deeply uneasy.