Because of Liu Zijin’s illness, everyone subconsciously stayed away from him, afraid that they would be infected by his illness.

Su Chong pushed through the crowd and reached out to help Liu Zijin up. He placed his hand on Liu Zijin’s back and sent some internal force into him. Su Chong shouted, “Zijin, wake up.”

Liu Zijin slowly opened his eyes. His body was so cold that he shivered. He looked at Su Chong beside him and smiled. “Su Chong, thank you. I’m fine. Su Chong, stay away from me. Be careful not to get sick from me… Cough…”

After Liu Zijin finished speaking weakly, he coughed lightly. His throat was smoking from the pain, and an extremely uncomfortable feeling spread in his chest, making him want to cough loudly. He held it in tightly.

Liu Zijin’s teacher came over and looked at Liu Zijin solemnly. “Zijin, if you’re sick, don’t force yourself. Your health is a big deal.”

A trace of pain flashed across Liu Zijin’s face. He looked at Teacher Xu firmly and said, “Teacher, Zijin’s body can take it. Please don’t chase me back.”

It hadn’t been easy for his mother to scrape together the travel money. It had been years since he’d had a chance to take the examination. He couldn’t give it up.

Teacher Xu frowned when he saw how insistent Liu Zijin was. In the end, he sighed and said, “Take care of your own body.”

With that, Teacher Xu turned around and left.

Su Chong took out two big white steamed buns and handed them to Liu Zijin. “Zijin, eat something.”

“Su Chong, thank you for your kindness. Please forgive me for not being able to accept it.”

Liu Zijin waved his hand. He could not accept Su Chong’s good intentions because he did not have anything of equal value to return to him.

It was already very nice of Su Chong to come and help him at this time.

He had a sick body. Everyone else was afraid of getting infected. It was enough to have a friend who wasn’t afraid of these things at this time.

“Big Brother.”

Su Xiaolu came up to him.

“Zijin, how are you?”

Su Hua and Zhou Heng also came later. When Su Hua saw Liu Zijin, he also asked.

They had met Liu Zijin during the last county examination. Liu Zijin was knowledgeable and they had a good impression of him.

This time, because they brought Su Xiaolu along, they did not deliberately look for Liu Zijin. They did not expect him to faint and be so sick.

With so many people questioning him all of a sudden, Liu Zijin was touched and also a little anxious. He raised his hand to cover his face and endured the itch in his throat as he said, “Su Chong, Su Hua, Zhou Heng, I have an illness. Hurry up and stay away from me. It’s not easy to take the exam. You can’t be infected by the illness.”

There were still four more days of exams ahead. If they fell sick, it would be easy for them to collapse.

Su Chong said generously, “It’s fine. We’re all in good health.”

“Zijin, you have to see a doctor and take medicine for your illness.”

Su Hua frowned. Liu Zijin’s family background was not good and his clothes were thin. When he returned from the county examination, he looked very pale. It seemed that he had not recovered from his illness.

With Liu Zijin’s family background, he probably didn’t have the money to take medicine.

They didn’t mind helping, but Liu Zijin’s pride was too strong and he refused to accept it.

“Thank you for your concern, Su Hua. After the prefecture examination is over, I’ll go home and grab some medicine to eat. Ahem…”

After Liu Zijin finished speaking with difficulty, he could not help but cough lightly.

His throat itched, but he couldn’t cough. Coughing would take a lot of effort, and it would bring out the sickness.

“No need to wait for the exam. I’m a doctor. I’ll treat you.”

Su Xiaolu coughed and said. Liu Zijin was her brothers’ and Zhou Heng’s friend. In short, he was also her friend.

“Yes, yes, yes. Xiaolu is a doctor. Zijin, my sister is a doctor. Let her take a look at you and give you acupuncture.”

Su Chong was worried and had forgotten about Su Xiaolu. Hearing Su Xiaolu’s words, he said excitedly.

Only then did Liu Zijin notice that there was a child with red lips and white teeth beside him. From her outfit, she looked like a boy, but as soon as she spoke, he knew that she was a girl.

“Show me your hand.”

Su Xiaolu squatted down and looked at Liu Zijin.

Liu Zijin looked at the girl in front of him and was momentarily stunned.

Su Chong grabbed his arm. “Xiaolu, take a look at him. Is it too late to take his medicine? He can’t delay his exam.”

There was probably a reason why Liu Zijin had to come with his illness.

Su Xiaolu took Liu Zijin’s pulse.

Liu Zijin’s health was very poor. He had symptoms of malnutrition, and his body was dehydrated from staying up late all year round. It was hard to imagine that Liu Zijin’s body was so dehydrated even though she looked only sixteen or seventeen years old.

His body was too weak to withstand any illness. A small cold lasted for more than a month. If this continued, it would kill him.

“You’re in poor health. You won’t get better without medication. You’ll die if you don’t get better.”

Su Xiaolu let go of his hand, opened the medical kit, and rummaged through a pile of bottles.

Liu Zijin was stunned. He was stunned for a moment before his eyes dimmed. He lowered his eyes so that no one could detect his thoughts. Then, he smiled brightly and cupped his hands at Su Xiaolu. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll go grab some medicine to eat when I get back.”

“The exam is so hard. Your body can’t withstand it now. I’ll give you a bottle of medicine. Take one pill every six hours. When you reach Anping County today, grab a set of medicine and eat it.”

Su Xiaolu found a bottle of medicine and handed it to Liu Zijin.

Liu Zijin did not reach out to take it. This was too expensive for him.

“Thank you, Miss. Forgive me, but I can’t take it. Please take it back. I know my body well. I’ll definitely take my medicine when I get home after my exam.”

Liu Zijin curled his pale lips and smiled at Su Xiaolu.

Su Chong and Su Hua frowned, not knowing what to say.

Liu Zijin had his pride. Their help put pressure on him. If Liu Zijin was unwilling to accept it, they could not force him to accept it.

Su Xiaolu looked at Liu Zijin. She looked straight into Liu Zijin’s eyes and said, “Is there anyone you care about? It’s already over the limit for you to persist until now. You can’t even walk to Anping County. How can you take the exam?”

Liu Zijin’s pupils constricted and he quickly lowered his eyes. He really didn’t dare to look at such a pair of clean, beautiful eyes that seemed to see through him.

He was definitely exhausted. His body felt heavy as if he’d reached his limit. He didn’t want to admit it, but he figured he’d get through it if he just held on.

“Sometimes people have to learn to be flexible. You’ve read so many books, why don’t you understand the simplest principles?”

Su Xiaolu felt a little helpless. This was the first time she had met someone like Liu Zijin. She didn’t know what to say about him.

“I—I—”

Liu Zijin lowered his head and clenched his fists. In the end, he said nothing. He bit his lip hard.

In times of trouble, the people closest to him would lie and abandon him, and his best friends would turn on him. He had always been lonely and found it hard to find a confidant. He was reluctant to accept help because he was afraid. He was afraid of the hurtful words.