What Causes This Melancholy and Distress

"Su Cheng... young master?"

Hearing this address, he froze momentarily, his mind involuntarily flashing back to the names he'd been called before—orphan, bastard, unwanted child... None of them were kind.

Never had he imagined.

That someone would call him "Su Cheng, young master."

Then, Su Cheng realized his classmates would soon arrive to visit him.

He had never wanted to form connections with anyone, yet somehow, without noticing, he had built ties with so many...

The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn’t know how to describe this complicated feeling—most of all, he didn’t know how to repay such kindness.

And then there was the prestigious club president beside him.

Already, her favors weighed as heavy as a mountain, and now...

Not only had she humbled herself to care for him, she was even feeding him by hand.

He had done nothing to deserve this, yet here he was, burdened by the shame of being fed.

Gratitude beyond words, a debt impossible to repay.

Lost in thought, he turned to look at her. She sat quietly, holding a thermos, stirring ginger soup in a bowl with a spoon. Her expression remained serene, but the evening sun cast a glow on her face—pure, beautiful, almost sacred.

This was also the first time he had seen her in a school uniform. Usually, her attire was refined and elegant, but today, the uniform lent her an air of youthful radiance.

Then, Ji Qingyi extended her slender, pale hand, bringing the spoon to his lips. Su Cheng hesitated briefly before parting his lips and swallowing the soup.

Just as she prepared to feed him another spoonful, Su Cheng suddenly spoke up, "President... my classmates are coming. Maybe you should step out for a while. If people see you here, it might cause unnecessary trouble for you."

Ji Qingyi paused, then shook her head. "It’s fine."

"But—"

"There is no 'but.'"

Ji Qingyi cut him off with a glance. "You need rest. I’ll ask them to leave. These matters can wait until you’ve recovered some strength."

With that, she brought another spoonful to his lips, as if to silence any further protests.

Su Cheng had no choice but to open his mouth and swallow, then fall silent.

Ji Qingyi continued feeding him until the bowl was empty.

"You should lie down and rest now."

She took a tissue and wiped the traces of soup from his lips, her movements practiced and focused, showing no concern for propriety between men and women. This only deepened Su Cheng’s guilt.

"President, you really don’t have to do this for me," he murmured. "I can wipe my own mouth, or the nurses can help."

Ji Qingyi fixed him with an impassive gaze. "The other patients here have family to care for them."

Her voice was steady, deliberate. "Since we’ve both acknowledged the engagement contract, you should understand that I now count as half a family member. And the agreement grants me the right—and duty—to care for you."

At the mention of the contract, Su Cheng stiffened.

"Family...?" After a long pause, he lowered his head, his voice strained. "But... we’re still..."

He couldn’t bring himself to finish.

Ji Qingyi’s eyes darkened, as if she could see straight through him.

"If you don’t want to be taken care of," she said, her tone quiet but carrying an undeniable authority, "then take better care of yourself."

Su Cheng fell silent, unable to respond.

Finally, he retreated into the bed, his expression a mix of resignation and gratitude. "I understand. I’ll be more careful in the future. I won’t trouble anyone again."

Ji Qingyi didn’t reply. Instead, she quietly gathered the empty food containers, placed them on the bedside table, and stood.

Only then did Su Cheng get a full view of her—her elegant, straight legs clad in sheer black stockings, impossible to look away from.

But Ji Qingyi seemed to sense his gaze. She turned her eyes toward him.

Su Cheng instantly flushed with embarrassment and shame, hurriedly pulling the blanket up to cover his face, leaving only his forehead exposed.

Yet in the next moment, Ji Qingyi’s gaze sharpened, shifting toward the door.

"Target has arrived at the hospital entrance. Shall we permit entry?"

A stiff, formal voice—likely that of a female attendant—drifted in from outside.

Hearing this, Su Cheng threw off the blanket and sat up abruptly, staring at Ji Qingyi with hopeful eyes, silently pleading for her to reconsider.

Ji Qingyi glanced at him. "No."

Disappointment instantly clouded Su Cheng’s face, but he refused to back down. "President, my classmate came all this way out of concern. How can I turn them away? I think it’s fine to let them in."

He pressed his lips together stubbornly, holding Ji Qingyi’s gaze as if to say he wouldn’t yield, no matter her answer. "This is the first time..."

He trailed off.

Ji Qingyi’s brows furrowed slightly. Then, after a moment, she nodded. "If you’re willing to accept the risks, then so be it."

Relief washed over Su Cheng, and a smile broke across his face. He was about to thank her when Ji Qingyi raised a hand to stop him.

"Lie down and rest first."

"Then... could you step out for a bit? If word gets around at school after I recover, it’ll only lead to gossip. It wouldn’t reflect well on you either. And if my classmates ask, I wouldn’t know how to explain."

Ji Qingyi fell silent for a long moment, studying Su Cheng’s pale, sickly face. Without another word, she turned and strode gracefully out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

With Ji Qingyi gone, the room sank into silence.

Su Cheng finally relaxed, leaning back against the headboard, though his mind buzzed with curiosity—who could be coming to visit him?

He had interacted with so few classmates that he couldn’t even begin to guess.

But one thing was certain—he didn’t feel so alone anymore.

Lost in thought, he barely registered the soft knock at the door.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Su Cheng blinked. Had the visitor arrived already?

"Come in."

His voice was thick with congestion, a side effect of his fever.

The door opened, revealing a girl with braided hair. Though she seemed healthy, she wasn’t particularly pretty. Dressed in her school uniform, she carried a fruit basket in one hand and a bouquet in the other—clearly the classmate who had come to see him.

This surprised him. He had expected a male classmate.

"Su Cheng, everyone was really worried when they heard you were hospitalized, so I’m here on behalf of the class to wish you a speedy recovery!" Xu Tianyi set the fruit basket and flowers on the bedside table before taking the seat Ji Qingyi had occupied earlier.

Su Cheng tried to sit up properly, but his body felt weak and uncooperative. Giving up, he stayed propped against the bed, forcing a weak smile. "Thank you for coming. I’m already feeling better. I should be discharged in a day or two."

"You should lie down and rest," Xu Tianyi urged, concern in her voice. "You look exhausted just sitting like this."

Su Cheng shook his head. "No, this is fine."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before Xu Tianyi suddenly pulled out two test papers from the fruit basket and placed them beside Su Cheng. "These are the exams the teacher handed out this afternoon. Since you missed them due to your leave, I brought you copies."

"Thanks."

Su Cheng stared blankly at the papers, momentarily at a loss for words.

Xu Tianyi seemed oblivious to his discomfort and continued, "We're cut from the same cloth. If I missed this test, I’d be really disappointed, so I figured you wouldn’t want to miss it either. That’s why I took the liberty of asking the teacher to let me supervise you while you take it. This way, your grades won’t be affected when the results come out."

"Thanks…" Su Cheng hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Actually… I’m not too concerned about the scores for this test."

"Then I’d be winning unfairly!" Xu Tianyi sighed and added, "I know there’s a gap between us in certain subjects, but only by facing it head-on can I catch up. That’s why I took the initiative to bring these for you!"

"Uh… Alright, thanks."

Su Cheng couldn’t quite grasp what she was saying—his head was still foggy—but he could tell she meant well, so he reflexively thanked her.

"No problem."

Xu Tianyi smiled gently, then glanced around the hospital room. Noticing no nurses were on duty, she asked, "Are you the only patient here? Isn’t anyone taking care of you?"

"Ah… no, I told them to go handle their own tasks."

"Oh, I see…"

Xu Tianyi nodded without pressing further. Instead, she pulled a few greeting cards from the fruit basket and handed them to Su Cheng. "These are from our classmates. They all hope you recover soon."

"Thank you."

Su Cheng took the cards and opened them one by one. Most contained words of concern and well-wishes for his speedy recovery.

Wang Guancong.

Zhao Yan.

……

As Su Cheng read the names signed on the cards, familiar faces flashed through his mind, filling him with deep gratitude. He committed each one to memory.

"I think you should rest now."

Xu Tianyi picked up the test papers and stood. "I can see you’re still not in great shape today—probably not in the best condition to focus on the exam. I won’t disturb you any further. I’ll come back to check on you tomorrow morning."

"Alright, I won’t see you out then."

Su Cheng nodded as Xu Tianyi left, watching her go until the door closed behind her.

Silence settled over the room again.

Su Cheng slowly turned his gaze to the bouquet of carnations. He leaned over and placed it in the vase by the bedside—these flowers, a gift from his classmates, could be taken home and planted.

"What a hassle…" he muttered, though the corners of his lips curled upward despite himself. A warmth spread through his chest, unfamiliar yet comforting.

His eyes drifted to the window, where the sun had begun its descent. The golden glow of dusk spilled through the glass, painting a corner of the room in radiant light.

"Huh? That crow…"

He blinked, spotting a crow perched on the power lines outside. It tilted its head, its beady black eyes fixed on him as if studying him.

"Looks like the one near my place…"

Su Cheng chuckled and shook his head. All crows looked the same—black feathers, sharp eyes. What were the odds it was the exact same bird?

Still… he vaguely remembered a crow flying toward him when he’d blacked out.

Had he seen so many that he was hallucinating now?

Su Cheng rubbed his temples, his thoughts a tangled mess. He pushed them aside, closed his eyes, and decided to sleep—rest would help him recover faster, and he could aim to be discharged tomorrow.

As for the hospital bills?

The agreement stated that the Ji family would cover all his medical expenses, so he didn’t need to worry. Better to just rest up and regain his strength.

He couldn’t bear the thought of the club president’s "feeding service" anyway—it was too much to accept.

"Caw—caw—croak!"

Three abrupt crow cries startled him. When he turned to look, the bird had already flown northward.

"Does this mean something bad’s coming?"

Su Cheng massaged his temples, muttering to himself. Since ancient times, crow calls were considered omens of misfortune. Was he about to face some kind of calamity?

He wasn’t usually one for superstitions, but in a world where bizarre superpowers existed, it didn’t hurt to be cautious. He decided to look it up.

He reached for his phone on the nightstand and searched online for the meaning behind crow calls.

"If a crow calls from the north between 6 and 7 PM, it foretells a guest’s arrival the next day—a good omen."

"Pretty accurate…" Su Cheng murmured, amused. Xu Tianyi really was coming to visit tomorrow, and the crow had cried right within that timeframe.

"Sleep… sleep…"

Exhaustion weighed heavily on him. He forced his eyes open one last time to set his phone back on the nightstand, but his hand accidentally bumped the fruit basket.

The entire basket toppled over.

Su Cheng froze, but before he could react, a butler burst into the room.

"Are you alright, sir?"

The man bowed respectfully, then instructed the nurses behind him to quickly tidy up the mess.

"It’s fine, just an accident." Su Cheng waved dismissively.

"Ah, here’s a greeting card…"

One of the nurses picked up a card while gathering the fallen fruit and handed it to the butler. The butler glanced at it, frowned slightly, and slipped it into his pocket.

Su Cheng noticed and immediately asked, "I don’t think I’ve seen that one yet. What does it say?"

He’d placed the earlier cards by his pillow—this one must have been overlooked by Xu Tianyi.

"Just a few brief words of well-wishes…"

The butler adjusted Su Cheng’s blanket and said quietly, "Young Master, your priority now is to rest. Don’t let trivial matters distract you. That’s our main concern."

"Why did you call me ‘Young Master’ just now?"

Su Cheng was puzzled—he’d been addressed as "sir" earlier.

"I report directly to the young mistress."

"Oh, I see."

Su Cheng nodded earnestly. Too tired to argue, he lay back down, ready to sleep.

……

At that moment, Ji Qingyi happened to walk in, carrying a thermal lunchbox—clearly, it was feeding time again. But she found Su Cheng already asleep.

"What happened just now?"

"The fruit basket fell over."

She approached, studying Su Cheng’s peaceful yet slightly furrowed brow. Even in sleep, a trace of worry lingered on his face.

"Young Mistress, this card."

The butler bowed and retrieved the card from his pocket, handing it to her in silence.

Ji Qingyi took the greeting card and flipped it open. As she read the message inside, her expression shifted slightly—the card was from Li Guanqi.

"Wishing you a speedy recovery. I'll come visit you tomorrow."