Chương 97: Luo Bingli's Transformation

Lin Che gradually regained consciousness in a blurry yet warm chaos. His eyelids felt so heavy, as if they were glued together, and every attempt to open them was accompanied by intense dizziness.

The harrowing battle with Jingjue last night, and the memory of forcing myself to get home and finding solace in Su Yuqing's arms, flashed back in my mind like a broken film reel.

He vaguely remembered having a long and chaotic nightmare, a dream filled with endless darkness, the distorted smiling mask of Mirror Lord, the ever-widening cracks on "Tears of Stars," and the despair of never being able to transform into Starfrost again.

"Listen—" he let out a low groan, suddenly waking up from the nightmare. He instinctively tried to sit up, but a strong sense of weakness pressed him firmly back onto the bed.

His body felt completely drained; every joint ached, his head was dizzy as if filled with lead, and his forehead was burning hot. The aftereffects of the damage to "Tears of the Star" were more severe than he had imagined.

Seeing the familiar ceiling, Lin Che realized that he was lying in bed. Although it was a little gloomy outside the window, it was obviously daytime and it was already the second day.

Just then, a soft, cautious voice came from beside me. The voice was familiar, but it seemed out of place and at a time that shouldn't be there.

"You're awake?"

Lin Che turned his head with some difficulty. His vision was blurred due to dizziness caused by the high fever. He blinked and tried to focus, finally making out the figure sitting by the bed.

She was a petite girl wearing a light gray knit sweater and dark trousers, her short, ear-length hair lying smoothly beside her cheeks, her clean face showing obvious worry and tension.

It's Luo Bingli.

Lin Che felt something was wrong; how did she end up here?

Lin Che's gaze unconsciously shifted downwards, and he was surprised to find that his right hand was being gently held by a cool, delicate little hand.

The owner of that hand seemed to tremble slightly at his gaze, her fingertips unconsciously tightening a little, with the soft touch unique to a young girl's skin.

Luo Bingli seemed to notice Lin Che's gaze as he looked at their clasped hands. A faint blush quickly rose on her fair cheeks, and she lowered her head slightly.

She moved her fingers somewhat awkwardly and explained softly, "Just now—I saw you seemed to be having a nightmare, and I couldn't wake you up, so—that's why..."

Although her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible, she seemed to realize that her behavior was somewhat abrupt and presumptuous.

But the hand holding Lin Che's showed no sign of letting go, as if trying to give this weak "patient" more support and strength through this slightly clumsy method.

Looking at her flushed ears and her shy yet determined expression, Lin Che felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

A gentle and sincere smile appeared on his face, and although his voice was a little hoarse, it was filled with obvious gratitude: "Thank you, Luo."

As he spoke, he took the initiative to release their clasped hands, not wanting her to feel awkward for any longer because of this kind gesture.

"How did you end up here?"

When Luo Bingli saw him release her grip, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but the blush on her face did not completely fade.

She explained softly, "Yuqing called me this morning and said you were very sick and hadn't woken up. She was very worried about you and asked me to come and help check on you. She's gone to the kitchen to cook you some porridge now."

"So that's how it is—" Lin Che suddenly realized, and the warmth in his heart deepened.

"Thank you for your concern, Luo," he said sincerely again, "and for making you go to all this trouble."

Luo Bingli gently shook her head, looking at him earnestly: "It's nothing. I haven't properly thanked you for what you did before. You helped me, so it's only right that I do this."

She steered the conversation back to his physical condition: "How are you feeling now?"

"Thanks to you, I'm much better now," Lin Che replied with a smile.

He wasn't lying completely. Last night, he felt completely drained and even his consciousness was somewhat blurred, so he couldn't even be sure whether he had fallen asleep or simply passed out.

Although my body is still weak, as if all my strength has been drained, and my head is still dizzy, my mental state is much better than last night.

He now even has a faint illusion that he will recover soon.

Luo Bingli looked at his slightly pale face and the beads of sweat on his forehead, nodded gently, and said nothing more. The room fell into a brief silence.

After a while, seemingly having mustered up her courage, Luo Bingli took the initiative to speak, breaking the silence.

"Um—Lin Che," she looked at him, her eyes serious, "from now on—please don't keep coming to check on me like before, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Che was slightly taken aback, and a hint of embarrassment involuntarily appeared on his face: "--Does doing that still bother you? I'm sorry."

He knew that his previous methods of "chance encounters" and "silent observation" might indeed cause discomfort for someone as sensitive as Luo Bingli, but he couldn't find a better way.

"That's not how it is." To Lin Che's surprise, Luo Bingli gently shook her head, and her face did not show any signs of being troubled.

"If you want to talk to me, or find out where I am, just send me a message on your phone. Didn't we already exchange contact information?"

"I'll tell you where I am."

Lin Che's eyes lit up instantly, and an indescribable joy welled up in his heart.

This was the first time Luo Bingli had taken the initiative to suggest having a more direct and normal conversation with him.

If she had been willing to do this before, I wouldn't have needed to use that method that was easy to misunderstand and seemed somewhat deliberate.

The "chance encounter" solution.

This unexpected development in the relationship made him feel gratified, but it also raised a question in his mind.

After all, under his identity as "Lin Che," his last formal interaction with Luo Bingli was on that night filled with misunderstandings that caused Yu Qing's emotional breakdown.

After that, he was worried that his "concern" would touch her sensitive nerves again, so he didn't send her any messages for several days in a row.

Why did she suddenly make such a change?

He tentatively asked, "Student Luo, why did you suddenly—" Luo Bingli seemed to see through his confusion, and before he could finish asking, she took the initiative to explain, "I told you before that I promised someone that I would communicate well with others and make more friends, do you remember?"

Lin Che nodded immediately. The promise was made to him by the girl in front of him, and he had no reason to forget it.

"If you're just passively waiting, or simply not resisting others when they approach you, that doesn't really count as an 'attempt'."

"So, I've decided that I need to—I need to step up my efforts. I can't let that person down," Luo Bingli continued.

Lin Che felt as if his heart had been gently brushed by a soft feather, and the joy and relief almost overflowed from his eyes.

He knew that the "person" she was referring to was Xing Shuang, the "senior" who had given her warmth and strength with hugs and promises on the rooftop, and also himself.

His efforts, his guidance, and his promises are quietly taking root and sprouting in the heart of this girl who is not good at expressing herself, and blossoming into a flower called courage.

"Hmm!" Lin Che looked at Luo Bingli's eyes, which were shining with a firm light, and smiled from the bottom of his heart.

Looking at the smile on his face, Luo Bingli's cheeks flushed even more, but the corners of her mouth also unconsciously curved into a slight arc.

Just then, she seemed to remember something and added, "However—there's one condition."

Lin Che was taken aback: "Huh?"

"Don't come alone every time—it's best to bring Yuqing along." Luo Bingli's voice was lower, and her eyes were a little evasive.

"I—I'm afraid she'll misunderstand again."

"Okay, no problem." Lin Che nodded with a smile.

"Speaking of which, Yuqing has been wanting to organize a study session with you for a while now."

"Then let's agree on that."

Time passed quietly as the two chatted casually. After a while, Luo Bingli glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table, stood up, and prepared to say goodbye.

"The porridge should be ready soon. I'll go check on Yuqing and then head straight back. You should rest a little longer."

She paused, then added, "Goodbye, Lin Che."

This was the first time she had so naturally used a friendly term of endearment to say goodbye to him.

Seeing this, Lin Che struggled to sit up in bed: "I'll take you—"

"No need, you should rest well." Luo Bingli immediately pressed his shoulder, stopping him from moving.

"I'm going back first."

Lin Che looked at her, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I'm so sorry to have troubled you. I couldn't even invite you to stay for lunch."

Upon hearing this, Luo Bingli gave a somewhat amused look: "Lin Che, are you still half asleep?"

She pointed to the alarm clock from before and reminded him helplessly, "It's already afternoon."

Lin Che looked blankly toward the bedside table, only then realizing that it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.

"soft?"

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