She Is Seriously Ill - Chapter 1:

Chapter 01:

So you finally decided to come back?

After finishing two consecutive classes on Thursday afternoon, Chen Guo finally realized how exhausted she was the moment she removed her microphone. Standing at the podium, her eyelids slightly drooping, she tidied up the teaching aids she had just used one by one. Just as she turned around to erase the blackboard, two boys rushed forward, competing for the task.

Ms. Chen, let me do it!

I’ll erase it, leave it to me!

Chen Guo paused, glanced at the students, and smiled. Thank you.

Then, picking up her teaching materials, she left.

As she approached the office door, she heard an angry voice inside. How many times has the school emphasized it? Don’t go crowding around to watch! Did you not hear it, or are you just treating your teacher’s words as empty air?

It was the homeroom teacher of Class 8 scolding the students. Three students stood before him—two girls hung their heads in silence, while the boy tilted his chin upward, looking utterly defiant and nonchalant.

The homeroom teacher grew even angrier at his attitude and pointed a finger at him. Stand properly! Stop swaying like that. If you keep this up, I’ll call your parents!

The boy sneered coldly. Why should I call my parents? Since I paid to study here, I have the right to explore every part of the school. I don’t get it—I haven’t even complained about the film crew disrupting my studies, yet the school is restricting my personal freedom after class.

The homeroom teacher looked stunned. What did you say?

I said the school is violating my human rights and restricting my freedom.

The office fell silent instantly. The teachers exchanged glances, no one speaking, yet their expressions seemed to say everything.

Ever since the crew of *Who Will Save Her?* started filming at Jinyuan Middle School, the relationship between teachers and students had noticeably grown more tense. Scenes like this—teachers reprimanding students and students defiantly refusing to back down—had become common occurrences in the office, no longer surprising anyone.

Chen Guo walked expressionlessly to her desk, pulled out her chair, and sat down. She unscrewed the thermos on her desk and took two small sips, waiting for the discomfort in her throat to ease. Just as she picked up a chemistry tutoring book beside her laptop and opened it to the first page, she heard one of the female students softly defending herself.

Teacher… I wasn’t there to watch. I was just passing by the big playground on my way to the restroom.

The homeroom teacher stared wide-eyed at the girl, and the next second, his spit flew as he yelled, There are restrooms in the teaching building! Why did you have to go all the way to the one by the playground? Do you think that excuse is foolproof, or do you take me for an idiot?

The girl pressed her lips together, guiltily lowered her head, and fell silent.

The homeroom teacher turned around, hands on his hips, as if too furious to speak. It took him nearly half a minute to calm down before he turned back to his students, his tone filled with disappointment. It’s just a celebrity! What’s so special about them? Do they have an extra pair of eyes or ears? Why are you all acting like you’re possessed, running over to gawk?

Chen Guo’s hand, which had been turning the page, paused. She lifted her head and glanced across the room.

The expression on the girl’s face told her that the homeroom teacher was right—celebrities really could make people act possessed.

The final class of the afternoon was about to end. Not wanting to compete with the students for food, Chen Guo headed to the cafeteria ten minutes early.

As mealtime approached, steam rose from behind the glass panels of various food counters, the mingled aromas making it impossible to tell which window they came from. Chen Guo walked to the second window and ordered a bowl of hand-shaved noodles.

The auntie worked swiftly, and soon the noodles were ready. The chili and chopped scallions are over there. Add as much as you want, she said.

Chen Guo didn’t eat spicy food. After thanking the auntie, she picked up her bowl and sat down near the entrance. She had barely taken a few bites when three girls in first-year high school uniforms walked into the cafeteria, chatting and laughing as they discussed what to eat.

A few more students came in shortly after. Chen Guo instinctively glanced at her watch—it wasn’t yet time for class to end. These students must have come early for lunch after their PE class.

Chen Guo lowered her head and continued eating her noodles.

The first group of girls got their food from the first window and sat down diagonally behind Chen Guo.

One of them brought up with interest, Hey, hey, Jiang Chen is filming on the big field. Should we go take a look later? She’s a triple-crown Best Actress!

A girl with long hair snorted dismissively, What Best Actress? More like a ‘watered-down’ actress. What decent work has she done in the past few years? Her acting has gotten worse and worse. She’s been coasting on her past success and doesn’t care about her reputation at all, just chasing money. I used to like her, but now? Hah, I’ve long since turned against her.

The girl sitting across from her offered a more measured opinion, But to be honest, Jiang Chen actually has acting skills. It’s just that she hasn’t been choosing good scripts lately, giving off the vibe that she’s just cashing in.

The girl who first suggested going to see Jiang Chen immediately chimed in, Right, right, right! Her performance in *Irreconcilable* was absolutely amazing. I cried when her character died. Ah, it’s true—so many people overlook her acting because of her looks.

The long-haired girl softened her stance slightly, Well, she must have some talent, or she wouldn’t have become Best Actress at twenty-two. But haven’t you noticed? Every time she appears on screen these days, she looks more and more worn out. There’s no light in her eyes anymore. I’m starting to think the rumors about her going abroad to have a baby might be true.

I once read a rumor saying she’s into women…

That’s nothing, the long-haired girl lowered her voice deliberately. Didn’t you see the news a few years ago? She’s a pedophile, likes people way younger than her—

Chen Guo still had more than half a bowl of noodles left, but she’d lost her appetite. She set down her chopsticks, and as she stood up, she accidentally bumped the table, making a loud noise.

The girls immediately stopped talking and turned to look.

Chen Guo’s face showed no expression, as if nothing had happened. She picked up her bowl and left.

The girls breathed a sigh of relief and continued their conversation. Anyway, I don’t like her. Because she’s filming here, our PE class got moved to the small field. Who does she think she is? Acting all high and mighty.

As the distance grew, Chen Guo couldn’t hear what else they said. She stuffed her hands into her pockets and walked toward the school gate.

Across from the school was an old residential area. About fifty meters down the narrow path beside the neighborhood was a public restroom. It was quite old, with poor facilities and questionable cleanliness, so few people used it unless they were desperate.

Chen Guo walked to the farthest stall, pulled the door open, went inside, and locked it. Leaning against the wall, she lowered her head, pulled a cigarette out of her pocket, lit it with practiced ease, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

A cigarette didn’t take long, but it was refreshing and cleared her mind. Chen Guo felt much calmer. She stubbed out the cigarette, tossed it into the toilet, and flushed. After stepping out, she stood by the roadside for a while, waiting for the smell of smoke to fade from her clothes before heading back.

During the short time she had been away, the teachers who were off duty had already left, while those with evening self-study sessions had either not arrived yet or gone out for dinner. The office was mostly empty, which suited Chen Guo just fine—she preferred the quiet. She sat down to prepare for the next day’s lessons, disliking the idea of bringing work home.

Just as she immersed herself in her work, a flustered girl rushed in. Spotting the chemistry teacher, she exclaimed, Ms. Chen! Ma Yiming fell while playing basketball and hurt his leg. You should go check on him.

Chen Guo set down her pen and walked over to the girl. Where is he now? Was he taken to the infirmary?

The girl nodded, her words tumbling out in a rush. Yes, he was. The class monitor was there too—he carried him to the infirmary. But he’s bleeding a lot.

Chen Guo gently patted the girl’s shoulder. Don’t panic. I’ll go take a look.

Okay.

In the infirmary, the boy was seated on a chair while the school doctor tended to his wound. Four or five boys stood around him, sweating profusely. One of them even had a basketball tucked under his arm. When they saw Chen Guo enter, their eyes shifted nervously.

Instead of scolding them, Chen Guo approached the doctor and asked, Hello, I’m Ma Yiming’s chemistry teacher. Is his injury serious?

The doctor glanced back at her and replied, Just a scrape—nothing major. If you’re concerned, you can take him to the hospital for a thorough check-up.

Alright, thank you, Doctor.

Relieved, Chen Guo quietly comforted the boy for a moment before stepping aside to call the homeroom teacher. As soon as the teacher heard a student was injured, she grew frantic. Okay, okay, I’ll head over right away. Please stay with him for now. Thank you, Ms. Chen.

No trouble at all. After hanging up, Chen Guo noticed the boys were still lingering. Since there was no need for so many people, she said to them, The doctor said it’s not serious. You should head back to the classroom and not miss your lessons.

They exchanged hesitant glances but eventually agreed and left.

Chen Guo stood by, watching as the doctor finished bandaging the wound in under ten minutes. Removing his mask, the doctor turned and called toward a small adjacent room, Bring a box of amoxicillin.

There was no response, and no one emerged. Frowning, the doctor called again, but still no one answered. Growing irritated, he raised his voice and called the nurse’s name, Xiao Liu!

Since Chen Guo had nothing else to do, she offered, I’ll get it. She had been to the infirmary before and knew the small room was the pharmacy—just a single row of shelves, easy to navigate.

The doctor, busy cleaning up after the bandaging, didn’t react at first. After a couple of seconds, he seemed to realize something and quickly called out to stop her, No, don’t go in there!

But it was too late. Chen Guo had already reached the door in two strides and pulled it open.

The room was unlit, dim inside. At a glance, Nurse Xiao Liu was nowhere to be seen. However, on the sofa near the window, a person lay on their side, legs dangling over the edge. The style of the sneakers they wore was outdated, unlike what the nurse would typically wear.

Disturbed by the sound of the door opening, the person lifted their head. Their face was deliberately made up to look weathered, likely for a film role, but even so, it couldn’t conceal their striking bone structure, which was captivating.

Sorry, no one is allowed in here, the doctor said, striding over and using his arm to block Chen Guo as he tried to close the door.

Staggering slightly, Chen Guo leaned weakly against the doorframe, staring blankly at the woman inside.

Seeing that the door wouldn’t close, the doctor turned and said, Ms. Chen, I’ll get it myself. Outsiders aren’t permitted to enter the pharmacy.

Chen Guo turned her head to glance at the school doctor, her eyes carrying a trace of bewilderment. Her gaze lingered on the unfamiliar face for a few seconds before she nodded slightly and replied, Mm, alright.

She slowly unclenched her tightly balled fist, but her feet remained rooted to the spot, unmoving.

The school doctor frowned and reached out to pull her away.

Just then, a tall young woman suddenly entered from outside. She paused briefly upon seeing Chen Guo’s face, then quickly pulled the school doctor aside and explained with a smile, She’s a staff member from our film crew. It’s fine if she goes in.

The school doctor looked bewildered. Isn’t that Teacher Chen?

When he turned back to look, the door to the pharmacy had already closed without anyone noticing.

The room grew even dimmer.

Chen Guo walked past a row of medicine shelves and stopped about half a meter away from the sofa. A faint smile appeared on her otherwise expressionless face.

Auntie, it’s been a while.

Jiang Chen had taken cold medicine and broken into a sweat, her body no longer burning with fever. She sat on the sofa, her gaze cold and detached as she observed the person before her.

A low ponytail, dark casual clothes, and a perfectly polite greeting.

In the past, she pretended to be obedient; now, she acted mature. Four years had passed, yet her pretentious demeanor hadn’t changed one bit.

Jiang Chen curled her lips into a mocking smile. What made you decide to come back?

Chen Guo could tell Jiang Chen was mocking her, but she didn’t seem to mind. A faint smile lingered at the corners of her mouth as she spoke gently, Well, big cities offer more job opportunities and higher salaries. I wanted to take more risks while I’m still young. Besides—

Chen Guo’s lips curved slightly. I missed you and Aunt Yun too.

Jiang Chen furrowed her brows slightly, as if processing the words.

Chen Guo had already started making arrangements. Auntie, when Grandma Dai and Aunt Yun are free, let’s have a meal together as a family. It’s been so long since we last saw each other. I wonder how they’re doing.

Auntie, Aunt Yun, family… Every term in her words seemed to deliberately distance them from their past relationship.

So, what did their past even mean?

Jiang Chen lowered her head and smiled silently. It wasn’t meant to be sarcastic—she just found it strange.

Then she looked up. Chen Guo stood before her, watching her quietly, like a bystander.

Jiang Chen let out a soft chuckle. The room was quiet, and her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for both of them to hear.

When you went to such lengths to climb into my bed back then, why didn’t you remember we were family?