1241 Side Story 20: I’m Allergic to Peanuts
Gu Tingyin carried her tray and obediently followed behind Shen Zhijin.
The food on the second floor of the canteen was slightly more expensive, and there were more dishes to choose from. Therefore, it was relatively quieter than the first floor.
When she saw Shen Zhijin take out a small portion of crispy meat, she quickly followed suit.
When she saw him take a small serving of vegetables, she did the same.
When she saw Shen Zhijin holding a small bowl of soup, she also put a portion on the tray.
Shen Zhijin turned around and saw that she had chosen the same dishes as him. He lifted his hand and returned all the dishes that were on her tray, one by one.
“Hey…”
Gu Tingyin quickly turned around and nervously protected her last small bowl that contained the stir-fried vegetables.
“Didn’t we agree to eat together?”
If he were to eat with just her watching, then what was the point of eating together?
This was the first meal they would be having together!
Shen Zhijin looked at her quietly and finally let her keep the dish of vegetables.
Gu Tingyin heaved a sigh of relief and happily sat opposite him with her small bowl of vegetables.
Although there were not many people on the second floor, all the people that were there were looking over at them with different expressions on their faces.
Gu Tingyin did not mind at all.
She looked at the small bowl of vegetables in front of her, feeling very happy.
“Shen Zhijin, are these all your favorite foods?”
Shen Zhijin paused, but he did not answer her question. He merely looked into her eyes and said softly, “It’s quite a distance from here to the Xijing Academy of Fine Arts.”
The smile on her face froze.
Of course, she understood what he meant.
When her eyes met his calm eyes, she actually felt a little flustered. She quickly lowered her head and took a bite of the vegetables.
“It’s… it’s alright. I think the food here is better.”
Shen Zhijin saw her hurriedly eating without even daring to raise her head. He frowned slightly and hesitated for a moment.
But it was only for a moment.
He could not do this anymore. Every time she came over, he had to stop everything that he was doing.
It did not matter if he was preparing for a meeting, reading documents, or conducting experiments.
He had always been a serious and rigorous person. He was used to arranging everything in an orderly and precise manner.
However, the moment she appeared, all his plans were disrupted.
This feeling of being frequently interrupted was very strange. He had this feeling as if something was becoming out of control.
He did not like this feeling, so he felt that the best option was to nip it in the bud, correct it, and get things back on the right track.
“What happened before was nothing much, but since you insist on thanking me, let’s consider ourselves even after this meal.”
Gu Tingyin paused.
It turned out that he had only agreed to have a meal with her just so he could say these words to her.
It turned out that he only wanted to settle this matter.
Her head was still lowered, and her voice was a little muffled because she was still chewing on some vegetables.
“It’s nothing… If it were someone else, would you have done the same?”
Shen Zhijin was stunned.
That was because he had suddenly realized that there were no ‘ifs’ to him.
He had never even considered the possibility that Gu Tingyin could be replaced by someone else.
However, this moment of silence seemed to be a silent admission to Gu Tingyin.
Her chest felt as if it was being blocked by something, and it was so suffocating that even breathing became difficult.
She suddenly put down her chopsticks and said in a voice that was neither soft nor heavy.
Shen Zhijin frowned slightly.
Had he gone too far with his words just now?
He saw that Gu Tingyin’s brows had become furrowed. Her thick and curly eyelashes were quivering slightly, and she became a little short of breath.
Did she seem to be crying?
Shen Zhijin’s hands clenched slightly. For some reason, he felt as if his heart was being tugged hard by something.
“You…”
He had just started to think about how to continue the conversation when he suddenly saw Gu Tingyin raise her head.
Her porcelain-white face was flushed red, but her lips were pale. She pressed her chest with one hand and gasped for breath.
Shen Zhijin immediately sensed that something was wrong.
“What’s the matter?”
Gu Tingyin was in extreme pain, and her eyes were already filled with tears. She breathed with difficulty and said in a hoarse voice, “Peanut oil… in the dish… I’m… I’m allergic to peanuts.”
Shen Zhijin’s heart suddenly sank.
Gu Tingyin was seriously allergic to peanuts and had even been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment when she was young.
Ever since then, no food related to peanuts had ever been served on the Gu family’s dining table again.
Even the whole family was not allowed to have anything that even resembled a peanut.
As time passed, she had not paid much attention to this matter.
As a result, she had forgotten to ask the servers what oil had been used in their cooking when they came to the second floor for dinner today!
Her face and neck also began to itch.
She could not help but grab it, but before she could touch it, she found her wrist being grabbed by someone.
She did not know when Shen Zhijin had come to her side and was now holding her hand.
She looked up with tears in her eyes. She had difficulty breathing and felt weak all over.
“Shen Zhijin…”
In the next moment, she felt her body suddenly rise into the air, and her entire person fell into a firm and cool embrace.
His cold voice landed on her eardrums and her heart.
“I’ll take you to the hospital.”
…
“Fortunately, she was sent here in time. The patient’s condition has stabilized, but she still needs to be hospitalized for a day.”
The doctor raised his finger and pointed.
“Let’s go downstairs to complete the formalities.”
Shen Zhijin heaved a sigh of relief.
“Thank you, Doctor.”
Subconsciously, he glanced at the ward.
The door was closed so no one could be seen.
The doctor could not help but reprimand him.
“Young man, it’s not that I want to criticize you, but your girlfriend is seriously allergic to peanuts. Why didn’t you take care of her? This time, the young girl has suffered a lot!”
Shen Zhijin pursed his lips slightly.
“I’m sorry…”
“Why are you saying sorry to me? You should tell that to your girlfriend!”
The doctor shook his head.
“Hurry up and go!”
Shen Zhijin nodded. Just as he turned around, the doctor called out to him again.
“By the way, you should buy some fruits with high vitamin C content. They can help with the patient’s recovery.”
He responded affirmatively.
…
When Shen Zhijin returned to the ward, he spotted Gu Tingyin lying on the hospital bed. She was holding a small mirror in her hand and looking left and right.
She sighed with a worried expression on her face.
Sigh.
She had gotten quite a severe allergic reaction so there were red spots on her face and body.
Although she had recovered now, he must have seen everything earlier.
The sound of footsteps came from behind.
“Do you feel better?”
Out of reflex, she quickly hid the small mirror and lifted the blanket to cover herself.
Shen Zhijin was speechless.
He placed the items in his hands on the small cabinet.
She seemed to be much better, but he still did not dare to let his guard down when he thought of the way she looked when she had become ill.
“The doctor said that you need to stay in the hospital for observation for a day. I’ll help you apply for leave from your counselor later, you…”
“What!”
Gu Tingyin popped out from under the blanket with her eyes wide open.
Shen Zhijin thought that it was because she was afraid of being alone. He paused and said, “I’ll be here with you.”
Gu Tingyin quickly shook her head and grabbed his hand.
“No! I’m saying, if you’re going to help me apply for leave, please don’t say that it’s because I’m allergic to peanuts!”
Shen Zhijin’s eyes drooped slightly. He looked at the soft and fair hand that was gripping him tightly. He did not know why, but he felt the same hot feeling on his arm again.
He turned his head slightly, but ultimately, he did not break free. He only asked, “Why?”
Why?
Gu Tingyin was on the verge of tears.
If news of this matter were to spread to her family, the whole family might come over to demand for blood!
After all, she had only been in school for half a month!
“I… I’m afraid that my family will be worried. Um, why don’t you just tell them that I’ve caught a cold or a fever? Just don’t say that I had an allergic reaction!”
Shen Zhijin was silent for a moment.
None of these explanations seemed to be able to explain reasonably why he had carried her out of the cafeteria.
Gu Tingyin grabbed his hand tightly and pleaded, “Is that alright?”
He finally replied in a low voice, “Alright.”
Gu Tingyin heaved a long sigh of relief. She let go of his hand and lay back down.
“Phew… That’s good, that’s good…”
When the soft touch of her hand left him, he suddenly felt an emptiness in his heart.
However, he only felt this emotion fleetingly and he looked at her face.
She was already looking much better…
When Gu Tingyin’s eyes met his gaze, she suddenly exclaimed and she lifted the blanket to cover herself again.
Shen Zhijin stayed silent.
“I bought you some fruits, would you like some?”
The blanket shook as if she was shaking her head and her voice was muffled as she replied.
“I’m not going to eat.”
“Won’t you feel stuffy like this?”
“It’s not stuffy! I feel very good!”
“…”
No matter how Shen Zhijin tried to persuade her, she refused to come out from under the blanket.
However, she had just finished the anti-allergy treatment. How could she continue to remain cooped up in the blanket?
“Come out.”
“I won’t! I’ve fallen asleep!”
Shen Zhijin’s patience ran out.
He grabbed the blanket with one hand.
She tried her best to pull it back, but she could not win against him. In the end, he managed to unearth her from the blanket.
She covered her face.
“You’re not allowed to look!”
Shen Zhijin finally understood what she was worried about, causing him to feel both angry and amused at the same time.
“You’re already fine,” he said.
Gu Tingyin looked at him through the gaps between her fingers, half-believing yet half-doubting him.
“Really?”
“It’s true.” Shen Zhijin paused for a moment. “Didn’t you already look in the mirror just now?”
Gu Tingyin’s face instantly flushed red.
No, there was nothing more embarrassing than this…
She stuttered, “T-That mirror is too small! There are so many things I couldn’t see!”
Shen Zhijin gave her another once-over.
“I’m really fine.”
Gu Tingyin finally calmed down a little, but she was still afraid that he was just trying to comfort her.
She thought for a moment, turned to her side, and brushed her waist-length hair to one side. Then, she tilted her head slightly, pulled down her collar, and pointed to the back of her neck.
“T-then there’s nothing else here? I’m still feeling a little itchy.”
Her actions had been so sudden that the delicate fair skin that appeared before his eyes caught him off guard.
Shen Zhijin’s heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, he pulled the curtain by the bed, blocking the view of the two patients and the patient behind him.
Gu Tingyin heard the sound and looked at him strangely.
“Why– Hey, Shen Zhijin, are you feeling very hot?”
He looked away, but the image of what he had just seen was still deeply imprinted in his mind.
His Adam’s apple moved.
“No, I’m not.”
She saw the red tips of his ears and thought for a moment. Finally, she looked at the oranges that were on the bed.
“Is it because you helped me buy this?”
Shen Zhijin suddenly heaved a sigh of relief.
“Yes.”
Gu Tingyin laughed.
“Thank you! Although I like peaches the most, oranges are also…”
“I’ll buy it for you.”
“Huh?”
Gu Tingyin was at a loss.
“T-that’s too much trouble…”
“It’s no trouble at all.”
Without waiting for her to persuade him further, he turned around and walked out.
For some reason, the young man’s tall, straight figure seemed to look a little embarrassed.
“Wait a moment!”
Gu Tingyin called out to him again.
He stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
Gu Tingyin said nervously, “You… just said that you’d be staying here today, right? Then, you should come back soon.”
She was really uncomfortable being here alone.
Shen Zhijin paused for a moment and agreed in a low voice.
“Alright,” he said.