As she opened her eyes, all she could see was a white ceiling and the faint smell of disinfectant in the air. 

Her limbs felt weak and sore, and she struggled to sit up, propping herself up with her hands.

Yu Xinlu heard the commotion and hurried over, looking anxious. "Chuchu, you're awake. How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," Cheng Chu said weakly, her eyes drooping. "I think I was just too tired."

Looking around, she realized she was in a medical room, with a white curtain pulled beside her.

Yu Xinlu breathed a sigh of relief. "The doctor said the same thing. You just need some glucose to recover."

She grinned mischievously and leaned in close to Cheng Chu's ear. "Your little crush already made you some glucose." 

Cheng Chu gave her a glare, and a blush crept up on her pale cheeks. "Don't talk nonsense."

"Oh," Yu Xinlu smirked and continued, not listening to her. "Tell me, are you two together? He was cheering you on just now, even though he's usually so quiet."

"And when you fainted, he was the one who carried you over. His hands were shaking with fear," she added.

Cheng Chu shook her head and whispered, "No way."

But Yu Xinlu didn't believe her. "Even if you're not together, he must like you. What about you?"

She knew Cheng Chu was always popular, a girl who shone brightly and attracted countless gazes wherever she went. In school, there were many boys who liked her, from her class all the way to the school gate. 

Gu Miao was not particularly outstanding except for having good grades. But it was clear that Cheng Chu treated him differently.

The clean spring light shone through the infirmary, dyeing the snow-white curtains a pale golden color. 

Cheng Chu lowered her head, her butterfly-like eyelashes trembling slightly. She moved her lips a few times, about to speak, when the nearby curtain was gently lifted.

A young man walked towards them against the light, carefully holding a paper cup in his hand. He saw that Cheng Chu had already woken up, and a hint of surprise flashed through his black eyes.

Beside them, Yu Xinlu quickly stood up and said, "The teacher just said they need to see me, so I'll go first." 

She turned her back to Gu Miao and winked at Cheng Chu, but spoke seriously, "Chuchu, rest well."

The door of the medical room was gently closed, and the room fell into a peaceful silence.

The four-sided curtains seemed to outline a small world, and the sound of their breathing was almost audible.

The girl's bright eyes reflected only his figure, and Gu Miao shyly lowered her eyes, taking a few steps forward to hand him the paper cup.

The boy's fingers were distinct, with neatly trimmed nails in a clean arc shape. Even holding a simple paper cup, it was still pleasing to the eye.

Cheng Chu blinked and whispered, "I don't have the strength in my hands."

Her voice was soft and gentle, but it made Gu Miao's heart tighten. 

His hand holding the paper cup trembled as he looked into her clear eyes. 

After a while, he said with difficulty, "I'll go find a straw." 

As Cheng Chu watched his figure disappear behind the curtain, she couldn't help but roll his eyes in exasperation. 

Was this guy made of wood? How could he not understand the meaning behind her words?

And why on earth would the medical room have a straw?

A warm breeze drifted in through the window, causing the cloth curtain to flutter gently.

After what felt like an eternity, the young man burst back into the room, panting heavily and clutching a long plastic straw in his hand.

He approached her and placed the straw in the cup, holding it out to her with one hand while the other gripped the paper cup. Cheng Chu took the straw into her mouth and took a sip.

The glucose water was the perfect temperature, like a sunny day in March with a gentle warmth.

She looked up at the young man, who kept a safe distance from her at all times. 

He held the cup out to her with one hand, and a few drops of sweat trickled down his pale face, flowing over his Adam's apple and slowly disappearing into his school uniform. 

Cheng Chu took a sip and looked up, "Why are you standing so far away?"

Gu Miao pursed his lips and looked at her, his dark eyes showing a hint of confusion.

"Sit here," Cheng Chu pointed to the seat that Yu Xinlu had just vacated, speaking in a gentle tone.

"Oh, okay," he replied, stuttering a few steps forward before finally sitting down on the chair.

He was completely different from the person who had just held the microphone.

But Cheng Chu looked at him, his eyes lowered, his thin but tall body squeezed into the small chair, bending down slightly to accommodate her drinking the glucose water, looking pitiful.

A smile appeared in her eyes as she finished the glucose water in one gulp, stood up and said, "Let's go back to the sports meet, I'm fine now."

Gu Miao frowned, looking disapprovingly at her and whispered, "Take a break." 

"I'm fine now, the glucose helped a lot." Her lips curved into a slight smile, showing no signs of exhaustion from just being in bed.

Gu Miao pursed his lips.

She didn't know how scared he was when she fell on the track just now.

In the noisy playground, his heart suddenly tightened, and the shouts that were surging in his ears suddenly disappeared. 

The world suddenly became very small, so small that he could hear the blood flowing in his body clearly, as if it had frozen.

In this narrow space, the girl's eyes were like the brilliant sunshine in the afternoon. She looked up at him, her voice gentle.

"There will definitely be a lot of people feeling unwell at the sports meet today, it's not good to occupy a bed." 

Gu Miao felt his heart skip a beat out of nowhere. He lowered his gaze and fell into those eyes that always made his heart flutter uncontrollably.

It seemed like he could never resist her. Sometimes, with just a casual remark, he was willing to bend his back, throw away his dignity, and do anything for her without any bottom line.

"Let's go, okay?" The girl saw him not answering and took a step forward, reaching out to grab his clothes corner and shaking it slightly.

Gu Miao's fingers trembled slightly. 

Almost the next second, he lowered his gaze and said in a hoarse voice, "Okay."

The medical room was in the administrative building, and the corridor was very cool. 

The two walked side by side, and the slight footsteps echoed in the hallway.

In fact, the medical room was quite far from the sports meet, and it was Gu Miao who carried her over, as Yu Xinlu had said. 

Her heart was inexplicably anxious. She had been eating a bit too much lately. 

Would he think she was heavy? 

In the quiet hallway, Cheng Chu hesitated and looked up, only to collide with those dark, deep eyes. The bright lights shone like little stars in his slightly cold eyes. 

"Um," Cheng Chu bit her lip and hesitantly asked, "Am I heavy?" 

"What, what?" Gu Miao thought he had misheard. 

"Just...," Cheng Chu's beautiful peach blossom eyes showed a hint of shyness, "Just, Yu Xinlu said that you carried me over when I fainted earlier. Am I heavy?" 

Gu Miao's footsteps faltered as he couldn't help but recall the scene from earlier. The girl's body was soft and light as a cotton ball, her sparkling white face gently resting against his chest. 

He held her tightly as they crossed the bustling playground. The girl didn't smell of sweat, but rather had a light and fresh fragrance that mixed with the scent of blooming flowers in early March, wafting into his nostrils. 

His heart was pounding as if it didn't belong to him. He burst into the infirmary and placed the girl on the bed. As he looked at her closed eyes, he felt relieved that she hadn't woken up yet, so she wouldn't notice his abnormal heartbeat. 

The corridor was dimly lit, not quite like spring. 

His hand was still tingling, and couldn't help but recall the feeling of the girl leaning against him. He lowered his gaze and looked at the girl's slightly flickering eyes, feeling a sense of self-disgust rising in his heart. 

As he held her in his arms, he couldn't help but think of the first spring dream he had when he was young. In that dream, she was also nestled softly in his embrace, her boneless arms wrapped around his neck, her face blushing with a faint red hue.

Gu Miao closed his eyes, his cold brows furrowed tightly, forcing himself to stop thinking about that sensual dream.

But Cheng Chu misunderstood.

She pouted, sounding a little aggrieved. "Was I really heavy? Maybe I should lose some weight."

"Not heavy," Gu Miao interrupted suddenly.

His voice was low and hoarse, and he murmured emphatically, "Very light."

A small, gentle lump settled in his heart, sweet enough to make a little hole in his chest, but the wind blew and the pain turned bitter.

Cheng Chu smiled happily when she heard his words. 

Whether he was lying or not, they made her feel happy. Outside the administrative building, peach blossoms were in full bloom, their petals swaying in the gentle spring breeze.

Cheng Chu turned his head to look at him.

The handsome young man walked beside him, his cold and stern expression softening. His silver-rimmed eyes rested on his high nose bridge, and his usually dark and sharp gaze seemed to be immersed in the bright spring scenery.

He was very good-looking, not the kind of appearance that would stun people at first sight, but he was very pleasing to the eye.

Cheng Chu gazed at his profile, and her calm heart felt like a small stone had been dropped into it, causing ripples to spread out. 

She suddenly felt her heart beating faster.

Suddenly, a car drove onto the narrow path, and the two quickly moved aside to avoid it. After walking for a while, Cheng Chu's body, which had just recovered a bit, felt a little weak. 

She leaned against a tree by the side of the road and watched the taillights of the car disappear into the distance. 

"Wait a minute, let me catch my breath," she said.

Gu Miao's heart suddenly panicked, and he said urgently, "Should we go back and check?"

"No need," Cheng Chu shook her head. She took a few steps forward and leaned her head on the boy's shoulder. "Let me lean on you," she whispered.

The boy's body stiffened, his hand trembling at his side, but his heart exploded like a cluster of fireworks.

Cheng Chu was considered tall among girls, but only reached Gu Miao's neck. At this moment, she lowered her head slightly and leaned on his solid shoulder.

The distance between the shoulder and the heart was clearly so far, but why could she still hear the surging heartbeat as if it were exploding? 

The young man exuded a refreshing scent of laundry detergent, clean and crisp, floating in the March breeze, causing Cheng Chu's heart to race.

On the nearby camphor tree, a bird leapt onto a branch.

Time seemed to slow down suddenly, and Cheng Chu listened carefully, her heartbeat slowly intertwining with the young man's, until she couldn't tell who was faster or slower.

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Gu Miao: Gradually Losing Breath