Fever

A pale crescent moon hung in the sky, and the room was utterly silent except for the occasional soft breath.

At two in the morning, in his drowsy haze, Jiang Wenzhe felt Lin Sangyu's hands undoing the buttons of his pajama shirt.

Her soft fingers brushed against the muscles of his chest, the sensation so intense it instantly chased away his sleep.

Jiang Wenzhe: ?

On reflex, he grabbed her wandering hand. Being taken advantage of out of nowhere wasn't exactly acceptable.

Her hand suddenly seized, Lin Sangyu muttered uncomfortably in her sleep and burrowed closer into Jiang Wenzhe's chest: "Mm..."

In the darkness, Jiang Wenzhe looked down. Lin Sangyu's eyes were tightly shut, with no sign of waking. It seemed to be an unconscious movement. He quickly released his grip and raised a hand to soothe the sleeping figure in his arms.

But this touch revealed that Lin Sangyu's temperature was alarmingly high.

All drowsiness vanished. Jiang Wenzhe immediately got up and turned on the light.

The sound of Jiang Wenzhe turning over and the sudden brightness roused Lin Sangyu, who was already in a dazed state.

She rubbed her eyes, her voice a bit hoarse: "What's wrong? Why did you turn on the light? Is it time to get up?"

Jiang Wenzhe crouched in front of a white box, frantically searching for something, his tone stern: "Putting out a fire."

Lin Sangyu immediately sat up, alarmed: "Fire?! Where's the fire?"

"You," Jiang Wenzhe said succinctly.

Lin Sangyu touched herself and realized she was indeed burning up, so she said, "I guess I am pretty hot."

"I'll consider signing you up for a word-usage class later," Jiang Wenzhe said, pulling out a thermometer and walking back to her. "Raise your arm. I'll take your temperature."

The buttons of his dark silk pajamas were completely undone, and with his movements, the chiseled muscles of his chest and abdomen were exposed, with the firm Adonis belt trailing down his waist and disappearing into the waistband of his pajama pants, inviting all sorts of thoughts.

Lin Sangyu merely glanced at Jiang Wenzhe, then quickly lowered her head, showing only the top of her head, and raised her arm.

After he placed the thermometer under her armpit, she said slowly, her ears reddening, "Jiang Wenzhe, can I discuss something with you?"

"What?"

After mulling over her words, Lin Sangyu said, "Can you wear clothes when you sleep with me from now on instead of sleeping naked?"

"..."

Jiang Wenzhe nearly laughed in anger.

He'd wanted to say that she was the one who had sexually harassed him, but on second thought, he swallowed the words and said, "I'll think about it."

Her lashes fluttered, and Lin Sangyu abruptly lifted her heavy head: "No thinking about it! No sleeping naked!"

Jiang Wenzhe brought up the old London issue: "But you used to say you wanted me to sleep naked. Lin Sangyu, you seem to be a bit harsh on me."

Her muddled mind churned; it seemed there was indeed such a thing. Embarrassed, Lin Sangyu said, "Well, from now on, no sleeping naked."

"Oh," Jiang Wenzhe replied flatly, lowering his head to button up his shirt one by one.

Not going to argue with a sick person ^-^.

"Jiang Wenzhe, why don't you go to sleep? Don't worry about me. You have work tomorrow, so I'll go see a doctor myself later." Lin Sangyu said weakly.

During dinner last night, Jiang Wenzhe had taken several work calls in a row, and after getting home, he'd been in the study working right until bedtime. Lin Sangyu now felt a belated pang of regret. She should have picked a better time to run away and not disturb Jiang Wenzhe's established routine on a whim. He was clearly so busy.

Jiang Wenzhe's face darkened. He asked, "Do you know how to get emergency care at night?"

Lin Sangyu mumbled, "I can look up a guide."

A soft sigh echoed in the air, and Jiang Wenzhe's expression shifted slightly. He said, "Why can't you rely on me?"

Lin Sangyu wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt that Jiang Wenzhe sounded a little sad when he said that.

"Cough, cough..." Lin Sangyu said haltingly, "B-But we need to be independent."

Those words again.

What was so good about independence? Severing all ties to the world, living a plain and passionless life—was that noble? Was it impressive?

Not at all.

Jiang Wenzhe suppressed the restlessness inside him and changed the subject impassively: "Give me the thermometer. Let me see."

38.9. High fever.

Without a word, Jiang Wenzhe quickly went to the bathroom to change clothes, then returned with a long coat: "Spread your arms. I'll put this on you. It's cold at night."

"But I'm so hot," Lin Sangyu said, feeling like there was a fire in her chest.

"Spread them," Jiang Wenzhe repeated.

After a two-second silence, Lin Sangyu obediently spread her arms and let Jiang Wenzhe dress her.

Once done, Jiang Wenzhe took advantage of her still-outstretched arms to scoop her up in one smooth motion.

Lin Sangyu let out a startled shriek and, from muscle memory, instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

Jiang Wenzhe said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Let's go. To the hospital. I'll stay with you."

Lin Sangyu tried again: "But..."

Lin Sangyu's words were too unpleasant to hear, and Jiang Wenzhe couldn't take it anymore, so he snapped, "Say one more word, and I'll kiss you."

"You..." Her face, already flushed from the fever, deepened. Lin Sangyu couldn't form a sentence, so she buried her head back into the crook of Jiang Wenzhe's neck like a turtle.

His words really had plenty of deterrent power. Seeing Lin Sangyu fall silent, Jiang Wenzhe only grew more disgruntled.

It was uncomfortable for Lin Sangyu to talk, and uncomfortable for her to stay silent.

Now both of them were displeased, silent all the way to the hospital.

The fogginess of a fever always takes its time arriving, like a thunderstorm that brews for long before striking, but when it hits, it's a violent tempest. Within that ten-minute drive, Lin Sangyu's fever worsened; her skin burned, her head felt filled with lead, and her limbs were limp and weak.

Not going to argue with a sick person ^-^

Jiang Wenzhe told himself again.

He lifted her from the passenger seat as gently as he could, his steps steady, afraid of causing even a bit more discomfort to the person in his arms.

It wasn't until all the paperwork was done and Lin Sangyu was lying on the hospital bed with an IV drip that he finally let out a slight sigh of relief.

Jiang Wenzhe held Lin Sangyu's left hand, which had turned cold from the IV, and said softly, "Does it hurt? Should I slow it down?"

"No need, it's fine. The disinfectant smell in the hospital is a bit harsh, and Lin Sangyu hated it. She just wanted to go home soon.

"Alright, then you sleep first. I'll be right here."

Jiang Wenzhe moved the stool that was leaning against the wall to the bedside, holding Lin Sangyu's hand in one hand to warm it, and propping his head up with the other hand on the table.

This was clearly not a comfortable position. Lin Sangyu lightly poked his palm with her index finger: "Do you want to lie on the bed? This bed is pretty big."

Jiang Wenzhe had arranged for a private room. It wasn't as spacious as their bed at home, but it could still barely fit two people.

Jiang Wenzhe declined calmly, "No need. I have to watch your IV."

"But you've been running around for me, and you won't sleep well. I feel guilty."

"Then remember my kindness," Jiang Wenzhe said, looking up with a slight smile. "Don't be a little ingrate again."

"Oh, I'm going to sleep." Lin Sangyu didn't know how to respond, so she simply pulled the blanket over her face.

"Avoiding again."

"I'm dizzy," Lin Sangyu said matter-of-factly.

"Fine, you're the boss." Jiang Wenzhe got up and pulled the blanket down from her face. "You have a fever and you're suffocating yourself. Aren't you silly?"

Lin Sangyu's cheeks were flushed a light blush from the covering, with a thin film of sweat dampening her forehead and the wisps of hair at her temples, giving her a fragile, delicate beauty. Jiang Wenzhe pulled out a tissue and gently wiped the sweat away, then said softly, "Sleep, good night."

"Good night, Jiang Wenzhe."

She truly felt awful, her eyelids incredibly heavy. Exhaustion and weariness washed over her like a tidal wave, and after saying good night, Lin Sangyu fell into a deep sleep.

In the stark white hospital, footsteps echoed sporadically down the corridor—hurried and chaotic.

Jiang Wenzhe's mind was filled with one thought:

What do I do? My wife seems to be drifting away from me.

He scanned the serene face of the sleeping figure beside him. He gently bit the side of his tongue, then suddenly smiled again.

But then again, she probably can't leave.

After all, spiritual awakening doesn't mean physical escape.

*

The next morning, Lin Sangyu was woken by the sound of Jiang Wenzhe typing on his keyboard.

His eyes were faintly bloodshot, and he looked somewhat haggard. He asked, "You're awake?"

"Mm." Lin Sangyu looked down at her hand and saw that the IV needle was already gone. She didn't know when it had been taken out.

"I thought you'd sleep until the afternoon," Jiang Wenzhe said, setting down the laptop that had been resting on his thighs and getting up to scoop out some mushroom and shrimp porridge from the insulated container.

Lin Sangyu asked, "What time is it?"

"Almost 11:30," Jiang Wenzhe said, lifting a spoonful to her lips. "Careful, it's hot."

Lin Sangyu pulled her head back, refusing, "But I haven't brushed my teeth yet."

"You're not usually this fussy," Jiang Wenzhe teased. "You're sick, haven't eaten, and you're weak. I'm afraid you won't even have the strength to lift your toothbrush later. Eat a few bites first, then go brush."

That made some sense. Lin Sangyu felt even breathing was exhausting; she was completely drained, without an ounce of strength.

She resigned herself and opened her mouth, chewing a bit, then resting a bit, while Jiang Wenzhe patiently adjusted his pace to match her eating speed.

After she finished eating, Jiang Wenzhe carried her to the bathroom.

While Lin Sangyu brushed her teeth, Jiang Wenzhe said, "Once you're better, let's go somewhere."

Lin Sangyu asked, puzzled, "Where?"

"Xie Weiting. Do you remember him? The senior who chatted with me at Tang Lin's engagement party."

"Oh, we're going to see him?" Lin Sangyu had some memory.

"Not exactly. We're going to visit Uncle Xie's farm, to check the quality control. They have their own supply chain making pet snacks, and you can try them all," Jiang Wenzhe said. "Didn't I say I was going to start a pet snack company for you, producing and selling our own?"

Gurgle, gurgle. After finishing brushing, Lin Sangyu walked up to Jiang Wenzhe and said, "Huh? I thought you were joking with your father last time."

"Do you think I'm the type to make empty promises?" Jiang Wenzhe was a bit speechless.

Lin Sangyu shook her head.

In the quiet hospital room, Jiang Wenzhe's voice was steady and firm.

"Besides, Lin Sangyu, don't you want to use my ready-made resources and climb up on my shoulders?"