That night, Chen Mo initially planned to finish his IV drip and then find an internet cafe to spend the night, considering the school's curfew. However, not only did Gou Yiyang not leave, but shortly after Chen Mo started his IV, Si Yan, whom he thought had already departed, reappeared in the hallway. He told Chen Mo to go to the ward because there was an available bed.

Chen Mo didn’t feel like being picky at that moment, so he went along with it.

It was almost midnight.

The nurse hung his IV bottle on the headboard, gave him a few instructions, and glanced at the boy lying on the hospital bed, then looked at the two others standing by the bed.

"Classmates?" the nurse asked Chen Mo.

Chen Mo half-sat up and nodded slightly.

The nurse smiled. "You guys seem to have a pretty good relationship, staying in the hospital with him so late at night. But after midnight, only one person can stay with him, alright? The folding bed next to him can be used; it’s a bit hard, but you young guys can manage."

Chen Mo said, "It’s fine, they’ll leave soon."

The nurse nodded and left without saying anything more.

As soon as the nurse left, Gou Yiyang pulled out the folding bed and said, "I’m not going anywhere; I’ll stay here and keep you company tonight." He then looked at Si Yan, "Yan-ge, you should head back. You’re dressed up; do you have plans for tonight?"

"Nothing special," Si Yan replied, pulling his gaze away from Chen Mo's IV.

Just then, his phone rang.

As he answered, the voice on the other end was clear even in the quiet hospital room. It was none other than the class representative, Sun Xiaoya.

Sun Xiaoya was loud. "Where are you? Everyone’s been asking for you!"

Si Yan responded, "What’s up?"

It sounded like she was in a lively place, with the sounds of fireworks and the laughter of young men and women. Someone must have crowded around her phone, adding to the noise.

"Lao Xi, where have you been all night? Hurry up and come!"

"Xiaoya, tell him to hurry up! We specifically set this up at the beach; someone’s been waiting all night, can’t he see?"

"Liao Tingting, why’s your face all red?"

"Shut up!"

Finally, a young girl’s voice emerged, sounding both cute and angry. Sun Xiaoya seemed to worry that the phone wouldn’t pick up well, so she moved to a quieter area.

Sun Xiaoya said, "How could you ask what’s up? Didn’t I say it’s Tingting’s birthday? What time will you arrive?"

"I can’t make it," Si Yan said, switching the phone to his other hand. "I’m at the hospital."

"What the hell! You’re hiding from her so much that you ended up in the hospital?" Sun Xiaoya’s voice held a note of disbelief, quickly turning into anger. "I don’t care; you have to come tonight. I’ve already told everyone. Yang Shule is here too, and with so many people watching, you’re going to make Tingting embarrassed. Yang Shule will probably laugh himself to sleep tonight!"

Si Yan retorted, "Sun Xiaoya, are you out of your mind?"

Hearing Si Yan curse, Gou Yiyang shrank back, shooting Chen Mo a worried glance.

Leaning against the hospital pillow, Chen Mo watched as Si Yan casually dragged over a chair and sat down. His long legs, wrapped in suit pants, seemed restless as he stretched them out and then bent them again, propping his elbows on his knees while talking into the phone. "Can’t you just leave things alone for one day? It’s a birthday celebration; if you dislike someone, why invite them and stir up trouble?"

"Wasn’t he the one who started it? Besides, everyone else was invited except him, making it seem like we were trying to exclude him. Others may not have noticed, but I’ve seen it clearly; Yang Shule likes you! Just thinking about it makes me want to vomit!"

It was unclear if she was solely attacking Yang Shule or if she was upset about a boy liking another boy.

Si Yan frowned. "You keep saying 'like' without knowing anything about it. Do you even understand what 'like' means, with your head full of anime nonsense?"

"Why are you targeting me? Do you really like him?"

"If you keep talking nonsense, I’m hanging up."

"Are you coming or not?"

"I'm not."

"How do I know you're really at the hospital? Unless you have a more convincing reason than 'I broke my leg.'"

"Just wait."

Si Yan hung up after dropping those words.

The phone call seemed to have irritated him. He furrowed his brow, lifted his phone toward the direction of the hospital bed, and snapped a photo. He then opened a social media app, searched for a name, and hit send.

Waiting for him to finish, Gou Yiyang said, "I didn’t expect the class rep to be so fiery. Class president, you and the class rep seem to be closer than I thought."

Si Yan glanced at him. "She was three years old when she started banging on my front door, crying for me to save her brother Qi Lin. Oh, and Qi Lin once almost ended up in the hospital for stealing cherries from our neighbor."

Gou Yiyang nearly laughed himself to death.

Even Chen Mo couldn’t help but smile.

Before his smile could fade, Si Yan turned his gaze back.

"Does your stomach still hurt?" he asked.

Chen Mo replied, "It’s much better."

"Good. I took a picture of you; I hope you don’t mind?"

"If I do, can you take it down?"

Si Yan glanced at his phone. "Too late; the time has passed."

Chen Mo asked, "…Was it at least a good picture?"

Si Yan looked at his phone again, hesitating before nodding. "It’s… alright, I guess?"

The slight rise in his tone made Chen Mo unsure how to respond, but it left Sun Xiaoya on the other end of the line stunned for a while.

The beach party was lively that night.

Many wealthy kids from Sui City gathered for a beach party to celebrate a beautiful girl in a white dress who had just turned eighteen.

Amidst the seemingly festive crowd, it was clear that more than one person’s mind was elsewhere.

Especially when someone noticed Sun Xiaoya with her phone and called out, "Xiaoya? Did you finish your call? When is Yan-ge coming?"

Sun Xiaoya felt a wave of eager gazes on her from that shout.

Expectant, curious, and somewhat excited.

Wearing a knee-length black dress, Sun Xiaoya walked over and linked arms with Liao Tingting, quietly apologizing, "Tingting, I’m sorry, but Si Yan probably won’t make it."

The hope in the long-haired girl’s eyes dimmed slowly as she replied softly, "Oh, he’s not coming? Got it."

Sun Xiaoya felt heartbroken and quickly added, "He really has something going on; it’s not intentional."

"Yeah," someone chimed in. "Didn’t the Si family have an important banquet tonight? He probably can’t get away. Right, Shule? You went with your parents, didn’t you? You should’ve seen him."

Suddenly called out, Yang Shule stood with a few boys he was friendly with.

The seventeen-year-old boy first looked taken aback, then smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he should be busy tonight. Uncle and Aunt Si specifically told him not to run off."

However, instead of agreement, his words were met with a cold laugh from Sun Xiaoya.

It was as if she had finally seized her opportunity, her expression filled with disdain. "How would you know he’s busy? He didn’t even attend the banquet tonight; he’s in the hospital."

Yang Shule was stunned.

Someone nearby suddenly said, "You all should check the First High School group chat."

Some of the people present weren’t students from First High but were of similar ages. Those who couldn’t see it on their own phones gathered around to look at others’ screens.

This wasn’t an official group chat but a gossip group where many people chatted privately.

Recently, rumors had circulated that a teacher had infiltrated the group to spy, so it had been quiet for quite some time. But tonight, just before 11 PM, someone posted a video that lasted about seven or eight seconds.

It captured Si Yan carrying someone out of a KTV.

Due to the angle, Chen Mo’s face wasn’t visible.

Currently, messages in the group were rolling in at a speed akin to bullet comments.

"It’s been almost an hour; what’s the situation? Has anyone figured it out yet?"

"As expected of the son of a creator, Si Yan is really handsome; carrying a guy makes him even more so."

"Am I the only one who noticed that the guy he’s carrying has a pretty slim waist?"

"I’ll give you ten minutes; I want to know everything about that mysterious guy!"

"Can someone look into the situation? It seems like something serious happened."

"That guy must also be from our school, right?"

…

The commotion on the beach began to fade.

Groups of three or five were discussing the matter.

Meanwhile, the person who had just confidently asserted that Si Yan was busy with the banquet was staring intently at the phone screen, his lowered eyelashes making it difficult to discern his thoughts.

After a while, he looked up and casually asked Sun Xiaoya, "Looks like you know what’s going on."

Everyone turned to look at her.

Sun Xiaoya met Yang Shule’s gaze and, for some reason, a wicked smile appeared on her face.

"Of course, it’s all thanks to your good brother."

Teenage girls couldn’t hold back their frustrations. If someone annoyed them, they’d retaliate in the most direct way. She opened her phone, almost throwing the evidence in his face.

Sun Xiaoya said, "Clearly, he’s unwell. Si Yan skipped Tingting’s birthday party tonight, which shows he can’t leave. He was finally found by your Yang family, but he doesn’t want to trouble your parents, considering you still live in the Yang house while he’s at the dorm with no one around. Since you always say Si Yan is nice to you because of the Yang family, then it’s only right for him to help out now, right? You wouldn’t mind, would you? He should have had the Yang surname all along."

Her words plunged the scene into an endless silence.

They were all privileged kids, and while they had heard rumors about the Yang family, their upbringing prevented them from speaking about it openly. Even during gatherings, they still invited Yang Shule.

But Sun Xiaoya had torn away that veil, exposing the raw truth.

Yang Shule’s expression changed drastically.

He glared at Sun Xiaoya and said, "I know you hate me because of that incident, but I’ve explained; I had no idea that day that Liao Tingting was planning to confess to Si Yan."

Liao Tingting, caught in the crossfire, turned pale, her face reflecting the embarrassment of being publicly exposed.

Sun Xiaoya was furious and shouted, "Yang Shule, are you out of your mind? Addicted to drama, huh? And who are you calling ‘Si Yan’? You’re the one who stole someone else’s identity and flaunted it! If you had any guts, you’d leave the Yang family!"

Everyone watched as Yang Shule stared at Sun Xiaoya for a few seconds before retorting, "Sun Xiaoya, are you really defending Chen Mo? Did I force him to stay in the dorm? Recently, he’s been the center of attention, and suddenly he’s too sick to walk? Only a fool like you would believe that!"

Yang Shule’s barely contained emotions genuinely surprised the group.

After all, Yang Shule, the youngest son of the Yang family, was often seen trailing behind Si Yan, and most people viewed him as polite and sincere.

But Yang Shule could no longer endure it.

Seeing the video in the group chat had pushed him over the edge.

Many recent events had left him feeling unsettled.

His older brother, who had never been to his school, had come unexpectedly for Chen Mo.

His parents were also asking why Chen Mo hadn’t returned for the weekend.

And most importantly, there was Si Yan.

They had become desk mates, and Si Yan had stood up for him in math class, even promising to help him rank in the top ten.

Tonight, during the banquet, he had behaved perfectly in front of Si Yan's family, only to turn around and find Chen Mo alongside Si Yan at the hospital.

How had things shifted so drastically?

He felt lost, and a creeping fear began to settle in.

It seemed as though the world outside had turned upside down.

Meanwhile, in a regular hospital room, the lights were already off.

Having finished his IV drip and feeling no discomfort, Chen Mo lay on the single bed, drowsy and ready to sleep. Just as he was about to drift off, he heard slight noises coming from the folding bed, and his closed eyelids fluttered as if he were waking up, though he wasn’t entirely conscious.

In a daze, he muttered, “Is it that your mattress at home isn’t soft enough, or are your servants not attentive enough? You’re suffering this much just to avoid a girl who has a crush on you. Is the folding bed comfortable?”

After saying that, he heard the person on the folding bed turn over.

A soft snicker followed.

“It’s quite comfortable, actually. Refreshing.”

“That’s a problem. Just don’t move around too much; you’ll wake me up.”

“Tsk.” The person on the folding bed seemed annoyed but restrained himself, likely due to the rhythmic breathing coming from the nearby hospital bed.

The ward fell silent once again.

Only the faint light from a phone screen flickered in the dim room, and there was a soft voice that sounded somewhat amused.

“It’s clear you’re the only one who can sleep soundly.”

With everything quiet, nothing disturbed the two, and they let the moment linger.