"So, for next semester, we should be able to do some collaborative experiments with K University."

Professor Wen coughed slightly, covering the mouthpiece of the phone.

Jiang Shuyi felt that since this morning, the professor had been like this occasionally.

Professor Wen glanced at the waiter taking orders in the restaurant and spoke in a pure London accent:

"Please give me a glass of honey lemon water."

Jiang Shuyi was taken aback for a moment.

"Professor, are you feeling unwell?"

Professor Wen hung up the phone, disregarding Jiang Shuyi's question, and began organizing the documents. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that I've noticed you always drink black coffee. Why are you having lemon water today?"

". . ." Professor Wen shot Jiang Shuyi a glance. "Sometimes I just feel like having it."

"But you never drink sweet beverages like this. Are you feeling unwell? You never drink this kind of drink, right? Are you catching a cold?"

". . ." Professor Wen sat in her chair and didn't say anything.

"Let me check your temperature, okay? My mom happened to pack a thermometer for me before I left—"

Jiang Shuyi placed the thermometer she had just pulled out in front of the professor.

"Looks like it's nothing."

Professor Wen stood up, ignoring the number on the thermometer. She adjusted her collar and pulled out her chair.

—A temperature of 38.4 degrees is nothing?

Jiang Shuyi followed her. "Professor, please take a day off. What if it gets worse?"

". . ."

Professor Wen pinched the corner of her eye as if annoyed, then slowly walked back, quietly took out a pill bottle she carried, skillfully took out a few capsules, and washed them down with the lemon water.

". . ." Jiang Shuyi glanced at the professor's pill bottle.

—Does this person always carry so many pills?

"Alright, I've taken my medicine. Stop talking."

Professor Wen closed her eyes, pressed her temple.

"But, Professor—"

"I know my body the best. I said I'm fine. We have a presentation today, don't waste any more time." Professor Wen headed towards the door.

Jiang Shuyi frowned, picking up the umbrella next to her seat. "It's been snowing in London these days. I heard we're having the meeting in the old auditorium at the hospital today. It's quite outdated, and the air conditioning isn't great. What if your fever gets worse?"

"The meeting won't be canceled just because I'm absent."

"I don't need anyone to worry about me, Jiang Shuyi. Just take care of yourself and do your part, that's the biggest help you can give me."

She said coldly, putting on her coat and walking out of the restaurant.

Jiang Shuyi's finger twitched slightly backwards.

Indeed, whatever Professor Wen needed to do was none of the business of a student like her who was just holding her back.

". . ." Jiang Shuyi nodded.

As the conversation reached this point, Jiang Shuyi didn't dare to speak anymore.

---

Old auditorium of the hospital.

Professor Wen stood at the podium, delivering her lecture with precision.

She was dressed in a gray suit with a loose black turtleneck sweater underneath, holding a paper in one hand while the other rested on the lectern, looking very professional.

Not to mention the people below, raising their hands like in a rapid-fire questioning session, she still answered them without changing her expression.

Surely anyone would find her capable and clear-headed.

Who could imagine that the person standing on the platform was actually running a high fever?

—It's really hard to fathom.

As the session concluded, Jiang Shuyi intended to approach the professor, but a researcher glanced at her.

"You're that student who got scolded by that Omega professor a few days ago?"

The researcher spoke in fluent American English.

". . ." Although Jiang Shuyi's English wasn't great, she could tell she was being ridiculed.

Jiang Shuyi frowned, it seemed her embarrassing reputation had spread in just a few days.

"That woman seems really neurotic, it must be tough working under her. I saw you were almost in tears from her scolding a few days ago." the researcher laughed.

Jiang Shuyi admitted that Professor Wen's personality wasn't great, but at this moment, how could she let others deflate her morale and diminish her own dignity?

Even if she had to put on a brave face, she was going to praise the professor to the skies.

"No, that's not true," she lied stubbornly. "Professor Wen is very kind."

"Really?" The researcher seemed surprised by her words.

"Our professor is very responsible."

—Even with a fever of 38 degrees, she still had to come to the meeting, as stubborn as a bull.

"She also gives me guidance on writing reports."

—Although mostly it was criticism, she had scolded me again just yesterday.

Jiang Shuyi sighed and continued, "She is also very fair, treating everyone equally."

—Treating everyone with an icy demeanor. This morning, she even told me to mind my own business.

"She's such a great professor. I've never encountered anyone like her before."

—Indeed, never encountered such a person before, sigh...

After saying this, Jiang Shuyi felt like she was about to break down from her own words.

"Jiang Shuyi."

A cold voice sounded behind her.

". . ." Jiang Shuyi turned around.

The professor was right behind her.

She instinctively shrank her neck, nervously pursed her lips, "Professor."

Professor Wen looked expressionlessly at Jiang Shuyi and the researcher beside her. "Don't talk too much with others. It's time to go back."

"Oh, okay."

Jiang Shuyi, feeling a bit frightened, followed behind Professor Wen.

---

The two of them got into a taxi back to the hotel.

Jiang Shuyi didn't dare to speak. After a while, she noticed that Professor Wen had leaned back against the taxi seat, eyes closed, resting.

Hugging her own shoulders, still wearing her glasses, there was a sharpness to her demeanor even with her eyes shut.

—Never seen someone like this before.

The taxi stopped in front of the hotel. Sensing the car had stopped, Professor Wen opened her eyes, got out of the car with unsteady steps.

Jiang Shuyi paid the fare and, seeing the professor's unstable steps, reached out to support her shoulder.

Professor Wen frowned, insisting on walking by herself. "Jiang Shuyi, I told you last time not to touch me..."

—The first thing she says after I help her is this...

But this person didn't even have the strength to push Jiang Shuyi's hand away.

"But, Professor, your fever is rising again. Shouldn't we go to the hospital first?"

"I've had someone bring me medicine, you don't need to worry." Professor Wen said dismissively.

—Is this person only capable of saying "don't worry"?

After a brief silence, Jiang Shuyi, observing Professor Wen's abnormal gait, stubbornly said, "Then I'll help you back."

Jiang Shuyi couldn't help but admire how, despite her condition, Professor Wen could still engage in logical debates.

Jiang Shuyi assisted her into the bedroom and onto the bed.

Taking off the professor's glasses and setting them aside, she then covered her with a blanket.

"By the way, Professor, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Let me order something for you..."

"I don't want to eat," the patient said, pulling the blanket up and turning her back to Jiang Shuyi coldly. "You can leave now."

Jiang Shuyi looked at her, falling into silence.

After a while, the door gently closed.

Professor Wen turned over, and Jiang Shuyi's voice was no longer heard.

It seemed Jiang Shuyi had left, and the room became very quiet, a perfect space for closing one's eyes.

After a long time, in the darkness, nightmares began to come one after another.

She often had nightmares and was fully aware she was dreaming, but she could never wake up, so one nightmare seemed to lead into the next, as if it would go on forever...

"Professor, Professor?"

She opened her eyes to see Jiang Shuyi's concerned face. "It looks like you were having a nightmare."

"...Didn't you leave?" She let out a sigh. "How did you get in?"

"I borrowed the room key." Jiang Shuyi shook the key in her hand.

Criminal behavior. Professor Wen frowned.

"I still think sick people should eat. I thought maybe someone who's ill wouldn't be able to eat a sandwich, so liquid food would be better, so I asked the hotel staff."

"But, the hotel staff said they don't make congee here." Jiang Shuyi slowly brought over the items on the table.

". . .This is England." The person on the bed seemed too lazy to criticize and let out a sigh.

"I think the food at this hotel is terrible, so I borrowed the kitchen and made a bowl for you. Of course, I didn't say their food is bad..."

". . ."

—She talks a lot.

—"Made a bowl for you," is she someone who enjoys cooking?

"I've left it here, Professor. If you're hungry, you can eat it."

Jiang Shuyi smiled like a well-behaved student.

"......Thank you." Professor Wen averted her gaze.

After a while, not hearing the sound of the door closing, Professor Wen lifted her head from the pillow and looked at the congee in front of her, then glanced at Jiang Shuyi. "......Aren't you leaving yet?"

"I just thought having someone nearby might make the professor feel a bit more at ease, right?"

"It's just a fever." Professor Wen sat up calmly, dismissing it.

"With you worrying like this, I feel like I'm beyond saving."

Jiang Shuyi found that remark irritating, but considering that this person was a patient and also her supervising professor, she chose to remain silent.

Professor Wen, as usual, expressionless, lifted the lid off the congee in front of her.

Jiang Shuyi pulled up a chair and sat in front of the professor, chattering away.

"Professor, why do you have so many medications?"

"You know that taking too much medication can lead to resistance and harm the immune system, right? Eventually, you'll get sick more often."

"Professor, you're always so busy, and you don't eat on time, that's why your body is so weak."

"I think, having a habit of drinking coffee every day isn't that good either. Unlike me, I don't drink coffee."

Professor Wen shot her a glance.

—She only doesn't drink it because she finds it bitter, but she talks as if it's such a big deal.

"You can't just stay in the lab every day, you should go outside to get some sun and exercise more."

Professor Wen was too lazy to respond. She looked at the congee in front of her, which still had steam rising from it.

She gently picked up a spoon and took a bite.

"Jiang Shuyi." Professor Wen pressed her forehead and let out a long sigh.

"Professor? What's wrong?"

"Have you ever cooked before?" the professor asked.

Jiang Shuyi fell silent for a few seconds, then bit her lip and stubbornly replied, "I, um, have cooked before..."

She glanced at the egg drop congee she had made, feeling a bit guilty. "......Is it not good?"

In truth, she thought it closely resembled the pictures she found online, so she was somewhat confident.

The professor didn't comment on whether it was good or bad, she quietly took another spoonful of porridge and calmly confirmed,

"The rice is undercooked."

She said it very calmly.

Jiang Shuyi paused, "Huh? The tutorial I saw said to cook it for that long..."

"From what you said, you probably made a mistake at some step."

Professor Wen, without any surprise, took another spoonful of congee.

"The cooking time can vary based on the type of rice, the amount of moisture, and the functionality of the cooking tools. It's just like our experiments, one mistake in a step or in the equipment can lead to very different results."

Professor Wen seemed a bit tired, her voice lacking energy.

"You keep making these kinds of mistakes, which is why you carelessly lose documents."

". . ." Jiang Shuyi fell silent, her head hanging low. She hadn't really paid much attention to this before.

Seeing her expression, Professor Wen sighed again and took another spoonful of congee. "I wasn't trying to blame you."

"Professor, please don't eat that. I'll pour it out and make you a new bowl." Jiang Shuyi felt a bit anxious.

"No need," Professor Wen didn't hand the bowl to her. "It's still edible..."

Professor Wen calmly glanced at Jiang Shuyi and slowly brought the remaining congee to her mouth.

Jiang Shuyi thought very few people looked this graceful while eating.

"Anyway—" Professor Wen paused, looking at Jiang Shuyi. "Eating it won't kill me."

---

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