Yan Yan immediately turned off the overhead light and dashed into the bedroom. He quickly put on the wig and removed the earrings. When he returned to the living room, he was as steady as an old hand.
According to his plan, when the light went on and off, even if Zhuang Yiyun hadn’t seen him come back, he should be awake by now. He would act slightly pitiful, wait for Zhuang Yiyun to come and comfort him, then seize the opportunity to advance their relationship.
So he stood in the living room and waited. He waited for at least five minutes, but there was no movement from the couch. There was no turning over, no sitting up, no walking, and no talking. He finally realized that something was wrong.
“Gege?” He called softly, turning the lights back on. He moved around to the front of the couch, and the person lying there had flushed cheeks, breathing feverishly. When Yan Yan touched his forehead, it was burning hot.
He then noticed that Zhuang Yiyun wasn’t covered with a blanket, and the room’s air conditioning wasn’t on. It was as cold as an icehouse.
“Zhuang Yiyun?” He muttered while tapping his cheeks, but the person didn’t respond. His eyes had dark circles, so his fatigue was evident. He had seen Zhuang Yiyun from a distance that day, so he hadn’t noticed how exhausted he was.
“Was it you who worked overnight at the bar, or me? Weren’t you supposed to be doing research? How did you end up looking like you went out to sell yourself?” Yan Yan complained, his hands moving quickly. He grabbed a thermometer and came over to take Zhuang Yiyun’s temperature.
“38.7 degrees…” What if he hadn’t come back? He could get delirious with a fever like this.
Yan Yan attempted to help Zhuang Yiyun sit up, but he was entirely uncooperative, lying there like a lifeless body. He was tall and big; if he were a bit shorter, Yan Yan might have considered a princess carry… Forget it, the new couch was large and soft; he might as well let him lie there.
He brought a blanket over and covered him with it, then he wrung a cold towel and placed it on his forehead. Only then did Yan Yan open his phone to order fever-reducing medicine and cooling patches. While waiting for the medicine to arrive, he took the remaining ginger from the kitchen and boiled ginger soup, making repeated trips to cover Zhuang Yiyun with the blanket.
This guy was sick and clueless, he clearly needed to sweat out the fever, yet he kept lifting the blanket. The first and second times were tolerable, but within half an hour, he had lifted the blanket thrice. Yan Yan’s patience wore thin. He uncovered the blanket and went directly to undress him.
“Fine, let me strip you. Let’s see if you still don’t want the blanket!” Yan Yan’s tone was harsh, though his actions were only slightly forceful.
After taking off the coat, he saw the shirt clinging wetly to Zhuang Yiyun’s body, with his muscles defined beneath it. Coupled with his pale but slightly flushed face, and light stubble, he looked irresistibly sexy. Yan Yan restrained himself from going further, but couldn’t resist a cheeky remark, “You won’t be able to get it up like this, right? But I heard that it’s really hot inside when you have a fever. Zhuang Yiyun, you better reduce that fever quickly, or I might just take advantage of you.”
After struggling to get him into loungewear, Yan Yan sighed and wiped off his own sweat. He removed the stifling wig and looked at the now obediently wrapped Zhuang Yiyun in bed. ‘This was really a test of my self restraint. Who knew my hands would tremble when I had to undo his belt?’
However, now he was aware of what lay beneath that thin layer of fabric. The advice from the marriage doctor wasn’t without merit… it was so impressive when asleep, then how about when awake? Yan Yan’s thoughts went completely off track, and he started to hesitate. Could he eat this? He was extremely doubtful! Maybe he should take advantage of Zhuang Yiyun’s fever and have his way with him before escaping?
The doorbell interrupted his feverish fantasies, announcing the arrival of the medicine. Zhuang Yiyun, in his fever-induced haze, didn’t know that, for a moment, he had nearly been in a compromising situation with his supposed little husband. He was helped to sit up to take the fever-reducing medication. The medicine was taken with the ginger soup, making him feel hot and irritated. He choked for a moment and woke up. His eyes opened to a blur of brightness, and a voice rang in his ears, “Don’t spit it out, swallow it.”
Due to not swallowing promptly, the capsule partially dissolved in his mouth, blending with the taste of the ginger soup—it was spicy, sticky, and even bitter. He instinctively wanted to spit it out, but hearing those words made him swallow the bitter concoction. Seeing that he had swallowed, another spoonful was brought to his lips. A strong arm supported his back, and with the other hand, he drank the rest of the ginger soup.
“Good boy, Little Zhuang is so good~”
It was Yan Yan’s voice. The voice was somewhat fuzzy. Although it felt different from before, he knew it was Yan Yan taking care of him.
This marked Zhuang Yiyun’s final awareness before he drifted into unconsciousness again. Days of overwork had exhausted him, coupled with a night spent freezing—sickness had struck like a landslide.
After giving him the medicine, Yan Yan placed a cooling patch on him, and Zhuang Yiyun began to sweat profusely. Yan Yan had initially thought about leaving him here. He was a 27-year-old young man. Even after being given medicine for a cold and fever, he couldn’t possibly pass away. Moreover, he had even managed to sit up. But seeing the furrowed brows on Zhuang Yiyun’s face, Yan Yan couldn’t bear it.
Normally, his mother would take care of him when he had a fever. His mother was particularly skilled at nursing, and he had never felt pitiful while being sick from childhood to adulthood. But seeing Zhuang Yiyun like this, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
He thought about how he was laying here when he returned, alone and uncomfortable but not making a sound. How could he not have given him a call when he was like this? If not him, then at least his mother. Even if it’s a forced marriage situation, wouldn’t she care about her sick and feverish son? Okay, at the very least, he could have covered himself with a blanket, was he the legendary level 9 disabled scientist when it came to daily life ?
And the key point was, when he took the medicine just now, he was so well-behaved, it was quite… pitiful.
“Humanitarian spirit should exist, especially since this is a rare occasion to see Zhuang Gege so vulnerable. This kind of fragility won’t last long…” Yan Yan muttered as he diluted alcohol and wiped Zhuang Yiyun down, making him feel more comfortable.
It wasn’t until Yan Yan had helped lower Zhuang Yi Yun’s temperature that he got up to return to his room. By this time, the sun was already fully up.
When Zhuang Yi Yun woke up, it was close to noon. On opening his eyes, he felt a sense of disorientation. His whole body ached from the aftermath of the high fever. After a while, his vision cleared and his memories returned.
Yesterday, he had come back, eaten the meal Yan Yan cooked, and then fallen asleep on the couch. Afterward, he had drifted in and out of consciousness due to the fever. Yan Yan had been taking care of him the whole time. He turned his head and his gaze landed on the coffee table nearby. There were still fever-reducing medicine, alcohol, and other items there, along with an empty bowl.
Ginger soup… Yan Yan had given him ginger soup to drink. The ginger soup he had cooked was really spicy, with very little sugar added. It was much spicier than what he used to drink. When he gulped it down his parched throat, he wasn’t sure if the dryness or the spiciness hurt more, but he felt the warmth nonetheless.
Zhuang Yiyun propped himself up to sit, and suddenly, there was a soft click as the master bedroom door opened. He didn’t know why, but he instinctively closed his eyes and lay back down.
Yan Yan’s footsteps grew closer and closer, stopping by the couch. Then, a hand reached over and covered his forehead. It tested his temperature a few times, and Yan Yan’s gentle voice came from above him, “I had to even disrupt my sleep, fine, as long as your fever doesn’t come back.”
He yawned and the sound of his footsteps went towards the kitchen. Sure enough, the sound of running water soon rang out, then the rinsing of rice, and chopping of vegetables followed. Before long, the aroma of congee grew stronger and filled the entire apartment.
Zhuang Yiyun was stunned, and his chest felt a bit warm. He suddenly remembered something and immediately opened his eyes to confirm. The apple Christmas trees on the coffee table was gone.
Yan Yan had… thrown them away. He had made them specially for him, but since he didn’t come back, it was useless, so he threw them away? It made complete sense, but he felt a bit uncomfortable. Even if throwing them away was the right decision, he didn’t want this correct decision to be executed.
Realizing this, Zhuang Yi Yun began to cough from discomfort, and it became an uncontrollable fit. Yan Yan turned around from the stove and quickly came over to check.
“Drink some hot water.” He poured some water and brought it over, offering it to him.
Before, Yan Yan would bring the cup to his lips to feed him. But now that he was awake, Yan Yan just helped him sit up and handed him the cup, letting him drink on his own.
Even though his thinking was sluggish due to the high fever, Zhuang Yiyun immediately found a reason for Yan Yan’s behavior—Yan Yan was angry.
In reality, Yan Yan had already forgotten about yesterday’s rejection to his invitation. It was just that Zhuang Yiyun felt he was being treated differently. People are more sensitive and fragile when they are sick, and the cold iceberg couldn’t avoid this either.
“Do you still want to drink?”
“No, thanks.”
Wow, this hoarse voice effect was like the roughest sandpaper scraping against his eardrums, creating sparks. Yan Yan was pleased with this voice and his attitude improved a bit.
“Go sleep on the bed. The couch is too cramped.”
Zhuang Yiyun didn’t answer. Yan Yan remembered his previous attitude toward sharing a bed, so he quickly added, “Don’t worry, I won’t disturb you. I’ll sleep on the couch until you get better.”
‘He didn’t even call me “Brother Zhuang” anymore… and his tone had turned a bit colder.’ Zhuang Yiyun, who had just begun to feel better after receiving care, suddenly felt down again.
He was reluctantly pulled off the couch. With the air conditioning turned on in the house, it was warm, yet he still felt cool, probably because his heart was cold.
No, he was wearing home clothes. Once out of the blanket, it was normal to feel a bit cold. ‘Hmm…home clothes?’
“Did you change them for me?” Zhuang Yiyun looked surprised.
“Yeah, you sweated a lot yesterday, and you were wearing a coat while tossing the blanket off repeatedly, so I had to change them for you. You’re not going to bring up that theory from last time again, are you? I told you, being gay doesn’t mean you’ll have feelings for every man you meet. I’m not taking advantage of the situation.”
“No, I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of me.”
“You…” Yan Yan’s initial tone was drowned out by his gratitude. Also, it made him seem petty, which was a bit irritating.
He refused to admit defeat and added with narrowed eyes, “Well, you’re really heavy!”
The bedroom was just a few steps away. When they reached the bedroom door, a sudden tightening of space brought about a change in atmosphere. Zhuang Yiyun, who had been looked after all night, unconsciously let down his guard. They were only a step apart and he didn’t realize it. As they got closer, the two stood In the bedroom facing a large bed. There was a subtle sense of tension between them, gradually pulling tighter.
“Lie down for now. But don’t sleep yet, the congee will be ready soon.” After a few seconds of silence, Yan Yan said this and left.
‘Pathetic. Yan Yan, you actually feel nervous! Isn’t he just sick and his voice is a bit hoarse? He’s wearing home clothes and seems a bit gentler, his breathing is heavier, and he looks better when he smiles. What are you getting excited about?!’
In his heart, Yan Yan silently criticized himself. His actions of cooking congee became more and more mechanical, and his mind was filled with the image of Zhuang Yiyun just now. ‘He had smiled, smiled so… brightly. Fuck, the iceberg actually smiled like this. No wonder I ran away. If I hadn’t, I would have pounced on him. He looked so good! Every curve of his eyebrows, eyes, lips, and nose was just right!’
Thank you for the chapter!