“What are you doing here?”
Lu Jinghuai, burning up with fever in a daze, suddenly received a notification that someone had arrived at his door.
Struggling to get up, he swayed unsteadily toward the monitor, barefoot.
On the screen stood a figure clad in the navy-blue uniform of S High School, with a head of curly hair, standing stiffly outside the gate, holding a stainless steel thermos.
Lu Jinghuai thought he might be hallucinating from the fever and squinted for a closer look.
It really was Ji Nian.
He asked her to wait a moment before turning back to the living room, yanking open a drawer and fishing out a face mask—not even checking the design—before putting it on.
Just as he was about to greet her, he paused mid-step, suddenly remembering something. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror.
Blue fabric with little bears.
An absolutely elementary-school-level pajama set.
(Courtesy of Lu Zhi.)
He retreated back into his room, swiftly stripped off the pajamas, and pulled on a fresh set.
After waiting a while, Ji Nian finally saw Lu Jinghuai emerge.
Her gaze locked onto the pink face mask he wore.
[So cute, hehe.]
“Why did you come all of a sudden?”
Lu Jinghuai’s voice was hoarse, muffled by the mask.
Ji Nian stepped inside, eyeing his thin sleepwear and urging him to go back in.
“I heard you were sick, so I came to check on you. Did you call a doctor? Have you taken your medicine?”
Lu Jinghuai nodded sluggishly. His usually bright golden hair looked dull, and his reactions were slow.
He nearly tripped over the doorstep.
Ji Nian quickly grabbed him, pulling him closer.
As he bent forward, his oversized collar slipped, and Ji Nian caught an accidental glimpse—
[So pink…]
[Hehe.]
System: [….]
Of course, despite her inner thoughts, Ji Nian maintained a perfectly composed expression.
“Why did you come out in this state? You could’ve just given me access—I’d have let myself in.”
Lu Jinghuai nodded obediently, letting her guide him, coughing intermittently, his slippers even on the wrong feet.
[He looks a little silly.]
Ji Nian thought this as she held the thermos in one hand and supported the feverish, coughing Lu Jinghuai with the other.
She was about to lead him to his bedroom when—
With the last shred of his fever-addled rationality, Lu Jinghuai remembered something.
If his bedroom door opened, Ji Nian would be met with a wall of her own photos.
Originally, there had only been one—a childhood keepsake—but after getting closer to Ji Nian, he’d taken many more, printed them all out, and arranged them into a collage.
If Ji Nian pushed open that door now, she’d be face-to-face with an entire shrine of herself.
Lu Jinghuai froze.
“What’s wrong? Do you need to pee?”
Ji Nian turned to look at him.
Lu Jinghuai lowered his eyes and muttered, “Don’t wanna lie down.”
Then, he tugged at Ji Nian’s sleeve, his voice soft and pleading, eyes glistening. “Stay and talk with me… please?”
Seeing his insistence, Ji Nian didn’t argue. She wrapped him in a blanket and settled him on the sofa.
“We’ll talk later. Eat this first.”
She shook the thermos, then headed to the kitchen to open it. The sweet aroma of stewed pear wafted out immediately.
The softened pear had been hollowed into a bowl, filled with honeysuckle flowers, steaming and appetizing.
Ji Nian scooped it into a dish, added a silver spoon, and brought it back to Lu Jinghuai.
The usually tall and composed boy was now curled up on the couch, bundled in the blanket, still wearing the pink mask, his silver-gray eyes weakly tracking her movements.
“Do you feel like eating?”
She held the bowl out to him. Lu Jinghuai stared at it for a moment, not quite recognizing the fruit, and asked, “Did you make this?”
Ji Nian shook her head. “No, He Xiang did.”
Lu Jinghuai’s sluggish brain couldn’t process the implications.
“Don’t wanna eat.”
His tone was listless.
Ji Nian sat beside him. “Just have a little. It’s good for colds. I want to go to school with you tomorrow.”
Lu Jinghuai turned to look at her.
“Then feed me.”
Normally, he’d never dare to be so bold—but he was sick.
Sick kids had the right to be spoiled, didn’t they?
Ji Nian hesitated.
[This feels a little too intimate.]
Seeing her reluctance, Lu Jinghuai turned away, pulling the blanket up to his sharp chin and leaning back.
He looked downright pitiful…
Ji Nian hadn’t expected him to be this difficult when ill.
Sighing, she tugged at the blanket’s fringe and relented. “Fine, I’ll feed you. Sit up.”
It suddenly reminded her of when Ji Tingzhou had a cold—he’d slept like a log, leaving no room for her filial devotion.
Hearing her agreement, Lu Jinghuai’s lips curled in a hidden smile, his silver-gray eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
By the time he turned back, he was the picture of a sickly patient again.
Ji Nian scooped a spoonful of the stewed pear and gestured for him to remove his mask.
“Don’t worry, I won’t catch it.”
“Not to brag, but my chances of getting sick are as low as biting into a piece of chitterlings and finding… well, you know.”
Why that analogy?
Because Ji Tingzhou hated the smell of offal and banned it at home, so Ji Nian never got to eat any—let alone discover any “surprises” inside. Hehe.
Lu Jinghuai nodded understandingly, reflexively praising, “So impressive.”
He took off the mask, revealing a fever-flushed face.
[Also pink, hehe.]
System: [….]
No one could guess what went on in this seemingly composed woman’s mind.
Thankfully, they weren’t mind-readers—otherwise, Lu Jinghuai would’ve bolted.
He parted his pale, fever-dried lips and took small bites of the pear Ji Nian fed him.
The honeysuckle made the taste a little odd, but it wasn’t bad.
And since Ji Nian was the one feeding him, Lu Jinghuai finished every bite obediently.
After the meal, Ji Nian fetched his medicine and made him take it.
The pills had side effects—within minutes, his mind grew heavy. While Ji Nian sat cross-legged on the carpet, elbows propped on the coffee table as she tackled her homework—
Lu Jinghuai drowsily slid off the couch and sat beside her.
Drawn to her scent, he leaned in, resting his face against her neck and nuzzling lightly.
Deep in battle with the final math problem, Ji Nian suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder. She turned slowly—
Miscalculating the distance, her lips brushed against something soft.
Ji Nian’s eyes widened.
System immediately accused: [You shameless pervert! Not even pretending anymore—kissing the corner of his mouth!]
Ji Nian was horrified.
She’d never mock drama clichés about accidental kisses again.
Who could’ve predicted he’d be this close?!
Before she could recover, Lu Jinghuai’s eyes snapped open.
His silver-gray gaze darkened.
