Love Me in Another Universe

Chapter 114. Lang and Soupy in the Time of SARS (3)

April 21, 2003, Monday. Guan Xuchen, Gao Xinglang, and the other students followed a medical worker to the quarantine ward at the university health center. The medical worker led the students into the bungalow. A doctor and a nurse were already waiting at the door. The doctor whispered a few words to the medical worker, then addressed the students in a warm tone, "Hello, everyone. I'm Dr. Huang, the attending physician for the Fever Quarantine Ward, and this is Miss Liu, our nurse. I won't say 'welcome' to you here."

The students all laughed, their tense nerves easing a little.

Dr. Huang went on, "I know you're all a bit on edge about being here. But the reason we set up this Fever Quarantine Ward is to identify and treat any student who might unfortunately have contracted SARS as soon as possible. All of you are here with symptoms like fever or cough, but that doesn't mean you have SARS. Please rest easy and focus on getting better. If you notice any unusual symptoms, let us know right away; if you need any daily necessities or help, don't hesitate to ask. Once your fever has been gone for three days and your follow-up chest X-ray and blood test come back normal, you'll be released from quarantine. I wish you all a quick release, and that this Fever Quarantine Ward will soon be out of use—so I can finally hang up my hat here."

The students burst into laughter at that.

Then Miss Liu, the nurse, spoke to the students with a gentle smile, "We have four quarantine rooms here in total, each with twelve beds. The students who were under observation here before have all been released, so you're the only ones now. As usual, Rooms 103 and 104 at the back, the quieter ones, are for the girls, and Rooms 101 and 102 near the entrance are for the boys. Any objections, gentlemen?"

"No," Several boys replied in unison.

"Alright then. There aren't too many of you right now, so you can pick your own beds—just don't all crowd into one room." Miss Liu continued, "First, unpack your things and get some rest. Lunch will be brought to you. I'll take you for your check-ups this afternoon."

When Miss Liu finished, the students started heading into the rooms. There were nine boys and eight girls in this group of students under quarantine observation. While the girls chattered away, checking out the rooms, the boys stood together to discuss how to divide the rooms and beds.

One of the boys pointed at Gao Xinglang and three other boys and said, "The five of us are on the school basketball team. We'll take Room 101, and the four of you take Room 102. How's that?"

"Sounds good. Maybe we can even shoot some hoops in the ward," another basketball team member chimed in.

Gao Xinglang glanced at Guan Xuchen, who was standing silently beside him, placed a hand on Guan's shoulder, and said to his teammates, "I'd rather share a room with my friend. If you guys want to play basketball, just come get me anytime."

"Whatever you say, Prince Lang," The four basketball players grabbed their luggage and headed into Room 101.

"Come on, let's go in too." Gao Xinglang said to Guan Xuchen and the other three boys, then led the way into Room 102.

When the five of them walked in, they saw twelve hospital beds lined up in two rows of six on each side of the room. Basic amenities were all in place, like nightstands, IV stands, call buttons, and oxygen outlets.

The room was bright and spotless, flooded with natural light. Guan Xuchen felt a little more at ease.

Meanwhile, the four boys in Room 101 were making a racket. The five boys in Room 102 stood together, staring at the ten empty beds in front of them. After a moment of silence, they began discussing how to assign them.