Chapter 77

As Tao Ruoxiang came out of the library, she found that it had started drizzling again.

The campus was finally quiet in the dead of night.

After walking for a while, Tao Ruoxiang suddenly felt a bit scared, as tonight seemed unusually quiet.

Only then did she realize that the previous times, Qin Lang had always escorted her back to her dormitory, so she hadn't felt afraid. Now, going back alone, she felt a bit uneasy.

At this moment, Tao Ruoxiang realized that having Qin Lang by her side indeed gave her a sense of security.

However, after returning from Qingyun Mountain that night, Tao Ruoxiang had been thinking about her relationship with Qin Lang. On the top of Qingyun Mountain, Tao Ruoxiang had felt Qin Lang's intense affection for her, an affection that had been tested by life and death. Even if Tao Ruoxiang were as cold-hearted as a stone, she would have been moved. Moreover, when she was poisoned, she had made some intimate gestures towards Qin Lang, which now made her feel embarrassed when she thought about it.

But after returning to school, Tao Ruoxiang could only remind herself to keep her distance from Qin Lang. She constantly reminded herself that she was a teacher and Qin Lang was a student, and their positions determined that they could not develop romantic feelings. Today, when she saw Qin Lang and Luo Bin getting along so well, she felt a twinge of jealousy and resentment. Therefore, after tutoring Qin Lang, Tao Ruoxiang refused his offer to escort her back.

Now, thinking about it, Tao Ruoxiang realized that she was clearly acting out of spite.

Just then, a rustling in the nearby bushes startled Tao Ruoxiang.

"Meow!"

A stray cat darted out from the bushes.

False alarm!

Tao Ruoxiang couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"Achoo!"

A cold wind and the night rain made Tao Ruoxiang sneeze suddenly.

Am I catching a cold?

Tao Ruoxiang felt the rainy night getting colder. At this moment, her body and mind were equally fragile. Her nose tingled, and she felt like crying.

Just then, Tao Ruoxiang felt a warm sensation on her body, as a coat was draped over her shoulders.

"Are you catching a cold?" Tao Ruoxiang was startled at first, but hearing this voice, she immediately felt reassured.

Since experiencing life and death with Qin Lang, Tao Ruoxiang felt that having him around indeed made her feel safe. This was not just because Qin Lang was very capable, but more importantly, she knew that he would even risk his life for her.

"None of your business!" Tao Ruoxiang huffed, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized they sounded like a lover's quarrel, so she quickly added, "I'm fine."

Qin Lang, seemingly unaware of the change in Tao Ruoxiang's tone, said with a smile, "You say you're fine, but you're already catching a cold."

"I'm not that delicate—Achoo!" Tao Ruoxiang sneezed again as she spoke.

"You say you're not catching a cold," Qin Lang said, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault for making you help me with my studies, which led to you catching a cold."

"Good to know," Tao Ruoxiang huffed.

"You're right, it is my fault. But why didn't you let me escort you back earlier, Teacher Tao?"

"Studying a bit longer will do you good," Tao Ruoxiang certainly wouldn't reveal the real reason.

"Ah, just for that," Qin Lang said, "Without your guidance, I have no interest in studying, and I'm worried about you. It's dark and you're a beautiful woman wandering around the campus, which is really worrying."

"Please, this is the campus, it's not that dangerous, and I know some martial arts... Achoo!"

"Your basic self-defense skills?" Qin Lang smiled slightly, "They can only handle ordinary perverts."

Qin Lang's implication was that if she encountered a pervert like him, Tao Ruoxiang would be helpless.

"Fine, you're very capable!" Tao Ruoxiang said, "But even if you're very capable, you can't protect me every day."

"I'll protect you every day if you want me to," Qin Lang said half-seriously, half-jokingly.

Tao Ruoxiang knew he was being ambiguous, but she couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed. She said, "That's impossible. In the future, when you have a girlfriend, you'll definitely prioritize her. How could you still take care of me, your teacher?"

"Then if you become my girlfriend, wouldn't that solve both problems?" Qin Lang said with a smile.

Tao Ruoxiang's face turned red, but fortunately, it was night, and Qin Lang couldn't see. She also smiled and said, "Don't joke too much. Besides, you're quite mischievous. By the way, what's your relationship with Luo Bin? I saw you two seemed quite familiar today, and she rarely talks to boys."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Tao Ruoxiang scolded herself inwardly, thinking she must be delirious from the cold to ask such a question, which made her sound like she was jealous.

"Oh, Luo Bin and I were classmates in kindergarten, but we lost touch after that. I didn't expect to meet her again after so many years," Qin Lang didn't lie about this.

"Kindergarten classmates? So you're childhood sweethearts? No wonder..."

"Please, I was just a little kid back then," Qin Lang quickly explained.

"Luo Bin is a great girl. She's beautiful, smart, and talented in music... In short, if you really manage to win her over, you'll have accumulated good karma for eight lifetimes. But I'm afraid she might not look at you, because your grades are too poor... Achoo..."

"Stop it, I'll take you back to your dormitory," Qin Lang, seeing that Tao Ruoxiang was seriously catching a cold, hurriedly escorted her upstairs. This time, Tao Ruoxiang didn't refuse.

Once inside the dormitory, Tao Ruoxiang kept sneezing.

"Why are you so sick?" Qin Lang frowned.

"I felt a bit dizzy in the afternoon," Tao Ruoxiang said, "Did you forget? Today I sent Sun Bo and Cai Weidong to the hospital, and on the way back, I got a little wet in the rain. I felt uncomfortable in the afternoon."

"If you were feeling unwell, why didn't you come to me earlier?" Qin Lang said, a bit worried and reproachful, "If you had let me check on you in the afternoon, you wouldn't be so sick now—"

"Hey, you're running a fever!" Qin Lang touched Tao Ruoxiang's forehead and immediately felt her abnormal temperature, "You really don't take care of yourself! If you had let me check on you earlier, you wouldn't have a fever!"

"Please, I'm your teacher, it's not your place to lecture me," Tao Ruoxiang said, a bit annoyed, "It's just a cold. I'll take a cold pill, and I'll be fine."

"You can't take cold pills randomly!" Qin Lang said in a lecturing tone, "Didn't the doctor tell you that taking medicine randomly can damage your immune system? Wait here, I'll go get you some medicine!"

"It's so late, where are you going to get medicine?"

"Of course, to a pharmacy," Qin Lang said, "In such a big city like Xiayang, there must be a pharmacy open at night."

"Never mind, the school gates are already closed. We'll talk about it tomorrow. It's just a cold, I can tough it out for one night," Tao Ruoxiang, hearing Qin Lang's words, was a bit moved, but with the rain still falling, she didn't want him to go out in the rain.

"No problem, I'll climb over the back wall, it'll be quick," Qin Lang said. Behind Tao Ruoxiang's dormitory building was the school wall. Climbing over the wall would take him to the street outside.

"Forget it, the wall is topped with barbed wire. Don't get yourself castrated," Tao Ruoxiang joked.

"With my skills, is that possible?" Qin Lang looked determined, "Dry your hair, I'll be back soon. You can't let a small illness turn into a big one."

With that, Qin Lang left.

He moved quickly, and a moment later, Tao Ruoxiang saw him from the balcony, climbing over the wall: running to the wall, he stepped on it with one foot, used the momentum to jump up, reached the top of the wall, and easily climbed over. The process was as smooth as a trained police officer.

However, a cold wind on the balcony made Tao Ruoxiang feel even more uncomfortable, so she hurriedly went into the bathroom to take a hot shower.