Give Me a Hug

Chapter 10: Studio

"Lin Shan, I'm going to the bathroom. Can you help me ask for leave when the professor arrives?"

"Sure, go ahead."

During class, the entire corridor was empty.

Xie Jiaran went in and closed the door behind him, turning the tap to the maximum. The ice-cold water continuously washed over the back of his hand, taking away what little warmth he had.

The first thing he wanted to do was call Liang Sunian.

But he quickly remembered that today was Friday. If he remembered correctly, Liang Sunian had a full schedule on Friday afternoons and wouldn't have time for him.

He couldn't make him skip class, he had already caused him enough trouble.

It wasn't until more than ten minutes later that his symptoms began to ease.

Xie Jiaran washed his face and returned to the classroom to continue practicing. His grip on the pencil was loose, and his drawing was intermittent, much slower than usual.

Lin Shan finished a sketch and turned to see Xie Jiaran still outlining. He chuckled and said, "Jiaran, your speed is off today."

As he teased him, he looked at his face and suddenly stopped smiling. "Wait, you don't look too good. Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to take a leave and go to the hospital with me?"

"No," Xie Jiaran shook his head. His condition couldn't be treated at the hospital. "I'm fine, just stayed up too late last night and didn't rest at noon today, feeling a bit tired."

Lin Shan didn't suspect anything. "Then remember to rest early today. Tomorrow is the weekend, you can sleep a bit more to make up for it."

Xie Jiaran: "Hmm."

The free practice time passed quickly, and the bell rang at half past six. The people in the classroom began to pack up and leave.

"Jiaran, do you want to go for dinner together?" Lin Shan invited. "A cake shop just opened near the side door. I heard it's really delicious. We can have dinner there and try something new."

"No, thanks." Xie Jiaran declined. "I'm not very hungry, and I want to finish this practice before leaving. Maybe next time."

Lin Shan regretted, "Okay, I'll go try it out with my boyfriend first. If it's good, I'll invite you next time."

As soon as he left, only Xie Jiaran was left in the classroom.

He stopped drawing and put the pencil on the table, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and picked up his phone. It was the first time he dialed that person's number.

"Hello?"

The voice from the other end of the phone carried the usual laziness, clear amidst the slightly noisy background: "Xie Jiaran, what's up?"

"You're not at the dorm?" Xie Jiaran tried to distinguish his location from the background noise, but a sudden wave of discomfort made his voice tremble.

Liang Sunian had sharp ears and sensed something was wrong. "Are you feeling unwell?" he asked.

Xie Jiaran closed his eyes and muttered in response.

Liang Sunian said, "Wait a moment." He must have walked to a quieter place as the noisy background noise reduced significantly.

"Where are you now, in the studio?"

Xie Jiaran nodded, then remembering that Liang Sunian couldn't see him, added, "Yes."

Liang Sunian asked again, "Has class ended?"