15: Chapter 15: My mentality is collapsing!

Wang Shuo had already grown accustomed to things like nosebleeds over the past few days. However, hearing the words "thank you" come out of the mouth of the cold girl in front of him left him somewhat flattered.

He instinctively took a small step back, looking at Chen Xin with a slightly wary gaze.

This girl... Could she have developed some weird ideas about him? Otherwise, why was she suddenly being so polite?

Chen Xin didn't seem to notice Wang Shuo's movement. She silently looked at the book in her hands, then reached out and placed it on Wang Shuo's Hospital bed.

She turned and walked out of the Hospital room.

In the room, Wang Shuo looked at the copy of principles of economics in front of him, and then at the closed door, feeling a bit dazed and bewildered.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name, Taiwan Novel Network, to relieve boredom. It's super practical!]

He was a bit puzzled... Chen Xin seemed a bit off today. It was only a little past three in the afternoon. Did she... leave early?

If being hospitalized was treated like going to work or school, then this could count as leaving early.

Wang Shuo didn't take it to heart, picking up some tissues from the side and skillfully plugging his nose.

The next day, he got up early as usual, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and after getting completely ready, he climbed onto the bed to wait. Having been taken care of by Chen Xin for a few days, he had completely integrated into the role of a patient. He had the self-awareness of a patient, lying down to rest at the slightest excuse, too lazy to even walk.

Unfortunately, Chen Xin only ever brought him breakfast. She never thoughtfully opened his cup or poured milk for him, and she rarely even spoke.

This made Wang Shuo quite disappointed, feeling that his career as a patient had a flaw.

If only he could get Chen Xin to peel an apple for him, or peel an orange, or even...

Cough, cough, he was getting a bit off track.

Wang Shuo quickly snapped out of it and checked the time. It was 8:45 AM.

Strange... Normally at this time, Chen Xin would have arrived long ago. This girl was almost fastidious about time. Let alone being fifteen minutes late, even being thirty seconds late was a major failing to her.

Over the past few days, she had practically timed her entrance into the room, and if she said she'd arrive at thirty, she absolutely wouldn't arrive at thirty-one.

She had never been late or left early once. Her punctuality had even conditioned Wang Shuo's stomach, giving him a huge appetite at this exact time every day.

But today, Chen Xin was actually late?

Or... was she not coming today?

Looking at the tightly shut door of the Hospital room, Wang Shuo suddenly felt a bit unaccustomed to it. Although this girl was cold, didn't like to talk, and exuded an aura that warned strangers to keep away, other than that, she was actually quite nice. For instance... she was very easy on the eyes.

Most importantly, he had already grown used to her quietly bringing sandwiches and milk every day, quietly reading on the sofa, and quietly turning to leave. He was even more used to her repeating this routine the next day without fail.

Wang Shuo hadn't even considered what he would do... about breakfast if Chen Xin stopped coming one day.

Hearing his stomach start to growl, Wang Shuo couldn't help but smile bitterly. If he had known, he would have asked his dorm leader to bring him some breakfast. But he hadn't expected this silly girl to leave without saying goodbye.

He turned his head to check the time; it was already 9:40 AM.

"Looks like she's really not coming." Wang Shuo got out of bed and put on his shoes.

"Did this silly girl sleep in today?"

"Or maybe she has something important to do today... something more important than visiting me?"

Wang Shuo muttered to himself as he walked toward the door of the Hospital room, planning to ask the doctor when he could be discharged.

In fact, if it hadn't been for Chen Xin arriving and leaving right on time every day for the past two days, Wang Shuo would have made a scene in the Inpatient Department long ago to show the doctors how well he had recovered, so that his discharge papers could be processed quickly and smoothly.

Just as the door was pulled open...

Wang Shuo froze for a moment, then suddenly spun around, dashed back to the bed, leaned against the headboard, and tried his best to look drowsy.

Just like usual, Chen Xin quietly walked to the bedside table and placed the items in her hand on it.

"You're here."

Wang Shuo opened his eyes, putting on a calm expression.

"Yeah, I'm here." Chen Xin glanced at Wang Shuo. "Your nose is bleeding."

Just as Wang Shuo was about to say something, he touched his nose. Sure enough, his hand was covered in bright red blood. He leaped out of bed and rushed into the adjacent bathroom, immediately followed by a series of loud clattering noises.

A moment later, Wang Shuo walked out with two large tissue balls stuffed up his nose. He smiled awkwardly at Chen Xin, then sat on the edge of the bed without standing on ceremony, picking up the breakfast she had brought and devouring it like a hungry wolf.

Chen Xin's lips twitched slightly, and her eyebrows knitted for a brief second, but she immediately regained her composure. She picked up her book from the table and walked over to sit on the sofa. Instead of opening it right away, she looked at Wang Shuo, who was devouring his breakfast. A slight ripple of emotion seemed to cross her calm face, but it quickly vanished.

She opened her book, seemingly completely unaffected by Wang Shuo. Having finished his breakfast, Wang Shuo tactfully refrained from disturbing her, leaning quietly against the headboard as if resting his eyes.

Time seemed to return to its normal track, as if this was the state that should exist between Wang Shuo and her.

Until the crisp ring of a phone broke the harmony.

Chen Xin, who was reading, frowned. She glanced at the incoming call notification on her phone, then observed Wang Shuo. Seeing that he didn't seem to react, she finally answered the call.

A minute later.

"I understand," Chen Xin said coldly. She then hung up and tossed her phone aside.

The room fell into silence once again.

"Chen..."

"Wang Shuo..."

Both Wang Shuo and Chen Xin were clearly taken aback, and then they spoke in unison again.

"You go first."

"You go first."

This...

"You'd better go first." Wang Shuo rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Ladies first, after all."

Chen Xin shook her head.

"Alright, I'll go first then," Wang Shuo said helplessly. "Miss... Chen. We've known each other for so long, and you've already repaid whatever favor you owed. Isn't it about time you let me be discharged? You have no idea how important this first month of the semester is for a college student. You could say that whether I'll be eating dust on the streets or drinking coffee in an office four years from now depends entirely on this period of time. I can't afford to waste it!"

"Also, as for the hospitalization fees, I am absolutely going to pay you back."

"And you don't have to look at me like that. I'm a man, and this is my bottom line. Besides, I'm not someone who's short on this kind of money."

"Taking ten thousand steps back, as a fine youth of the new era and a future pillar of the nation, helping others is just something I do in passing. In that situation, even if you hadn't said anything, I would have thrown caution to the wind and stepped up. Not to mention, you gave me an out, so how could I just sit by and watch! So you really don't have to take this little matter to heart. You can completely relax and enjoy the happiness and pleasure that comes from being helped by others."

Wang Shuo spoke with absolute certainty, his face full of passion and righteousness, and... he didn't blush at all.

"Are you finished?"

"Uh... there's one more thing, let me gather my thoughts..." Wang Shuo put on an embarrassed expression, then quickly flipped through the records of the Humanoid Race's civilization in his mind. Damn it, with so much stuff, how is there not a single fitting quote?

"Medical fees, hospitalization fees, ICU nursing fees, various examination fees, life support equipment fees, and VIP private room fees." Chen Xin calmly rattled off a list. "A total of 467,890 yuan. Will you be paying by card or scanning a QR code?"

Wang Shuo looked completely dumbfounded. "Wh-what?"

Chen Xin looked at him calmly.

"Is this Hospital trying to rob me? I only stayed for a month and barely used anything, and it's already four hundred and sixty thousand?!"

"Just like that? And you actually paid it?!"

"I... you... I say, Miss Chen, you usually seem so sharp. How can you be so foolish at a critical moment like this? Why didn't you use your brain? Four hundred and sixty thousand! The Hospital said you needed to pay, and you just paid? Even if your family is rich, you can't behave like this!"

"Holy crap! I just took a nap, and this happened!"

Wang Shuo felt like his life had plunged into a massive disaster before it had even begun. He had lost hundreds of thousands just by taking a nap. Who could he even complain to?

"My... mind has completely collapsed..."

Wang Shuo wanted to cry but had no tears. Was it still in time to salvage this?

"Um... Miss Chen Xin. I wasn't finished speaking just now..."

"Regarding things like labor compensation..."

"I can occasionally consider it..."