Demand a Favor in Return (1)
Inside the ward.
Lin Yanming was about to leave with the list of snacks Shi An had given him and had just reached the ward door when the door was pushed open from outside.
A familiar figure appeared at the ward door.
Lin Yanming’s expression turned cold. “Why are you here?”
Shi Rui said, “Naturally, to visit my brother…”
His expression stiffened and he subconsciously looked at Shi An, changing his tone. “… to visit Shi An.”
He had heard that Shi An had participated in the Aiwen District Academy Exchange as a member of the strength system but hadn’t given it much thought. After all, with Shi An’s size and strength, he would be at the bottom of the list even if he went.
The blizzard in the southern canyon had been on the news and Shi Rui had been looking forward to it for a while, but unfortunately, there hadn’t been any casualties, only a cancellation of the event.
Shi Rui turned his head toward Shi An and said, “After Father had heard about the Aiwen District’s matter, he was worried about you, so he told me to come and see how you are.”
He walked around Lin Yanming and displayed the gift box he was carrying.
“A little consolation gift.”
–For some reason, when he found out about the accident in Aiwen District, Shi Zexun seemed very nervous about it, urging Shi Rui to come and visit Shi An, finding out what had happened at the academic conference.
This alerted Shi Rui and a strong sense of crisis came to mind.
Could it be that… Shi Zexun decided to pay attention to Shi An again?
However, no matter what Shi Rui thought in his heart, he still had to do an excellent job on the surface.
Not far away, the young man was sitting on the hospital bed and concentrating on his game, not even raising his head and seemingly not even noticing this.
Shi Rui walked around Lin Yanming, went to the bedside, pulled out a chair, and sat down, asking in a friendly manner, “How do you feel now? If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to tell me. I will help you to explain it to Father…”
“… Oh, by the way, Father entrusted me to ask you: what happened in the Aiwen District during the academic exchange? Even if he’s like that, he cares a lot about you. Stop fighting with each other,” Shi Rui said with a smile on his face, totally faking it the entire time he was speaking to Shi An.
The game’s sound stopped abruptly.
Shi An paused the game and looked up in Shi Rui’s direction.
The young man before him had dark eyelashes and his pitch-black eyes didn’t carry much emotion, but they were inexplicably haunting.
“You’re very noisy.”
The words that Shi Rui hadn’t spoken were stuck in his throat subconsciously.
He swallowed hard and suddenly felt the urge to turn and run, but he reluctantly pulled at the corners of his mouth, getting ready to say something to break the ice.
It was at this point that Shi Rui heard the sound of the doorknob turning behind him.
A firm voice rang out, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Shi Rui slowly turned his head and looked up.
He saw a nearly two meters tall man with a strong, sturdy body and a gloomy face standing behind him. Although he still had wounds on his body, they did not affect his aura.
As Shi Rui remembered, this would be the third-year senior, Zhao She, one of the top figures in the strength system of the entire Ability Academy.
Zhao She narrowed his eyes and looked over towards Shi An. “Did this kid bother you?”
Shi Rui: “!!!”
He hurriedly opened his mouth to try to explain something. “No, no, don’t misunderstand…”
A gentle voice came from behind Zhao She. “Zhao She, don’t scare people.”
A slender, handsome and gentle young man came out from behind Zhao She, carrying comforting gifts in his hand, with a smile on his face but not much warmth in his eyes. “This student must have also come to visit the patient, right? But it would help if you also considered the patient’s mood in this situation, such as whether he is willing and wants to receive a visitor at this time, am I right?”
Shi Rui: “…”
He also recognized this one.
Wang Li, the second-year grade leader, was very talented, born into a famous family, and knew how to conduct himself well. He had already gained a vague reputation and prestige within the academy.
“Why bother to exchange pleasantries?” A cold female voice interrupted him. “Shi An doesn’t seem like he wants to receive him. He is the one stubbornly hanging out here.”
Shi Rui: “…”
He stood still, his mind spinning a bit for a moment.
T-This was…
Fourth-year Chen Meng was a famous ice beauty. She was beautiful and powerful with a good family background but very arrogant and unapproachable.
How could they be here…?
C-Could it be?
No way!
Shi Rui turned his head incredulously to look at Shi An, who was not far away, only to see the young man on the hospital bed flashing a smile at the few people in front of him. “You guys are here?”
“Did you bring ice cream for me?” he asked, eyes shining brightly.
Chen Meng frowned as she walked in. “You only know how to eat.”
She tossed the bag she was carrying to him, the expression on her face still cold. “Here. Chocolate parfait.”
“I didn’t plan to bring it for you. You have a criminal record in this aspect,” Wang Li said with a smile. “Cheng Meng was softhearted–”
Chen Meng grimaced. “Shut up.”
Shi Rui stood dumbfounded in the doorway, feeling awkward and redundant as he could neither enter nor retreat.
Wang Li turned his head to look at Shi Rui, still wearing a polite smile on his face, but it was noticeably fainter.
“Junior, don’t you have anywhere to go next?”
Shi Rui responded with a few words dryly, then turned around wretchedly and left.
The ward door closed behind him, blocking out a room of cheerfulness behind him.
Shi Rui’s eyes were gloomy and his face was expressionless as he left the hospital.
He couldn’t figure it out… how Shi An had been able to get everything so easily, whether it was a flawless birth, a different treatment from the number one strongest man, even perfect interpersonal relationships, and now even his father’s attention was on the line…
He went to an unoccupied corner and reached into his pocket for his long-unused contact device.
Two beeps later, a man whose face was shrouded by the shadow of a hood appeared on the screen, his voice processed by a machine with a zippy current. “Have you figured it out?”
Shi Rui’s face twisted slightly. “… Yes.”
***
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