The next morning, Gu Chengyu was jolted awake by an abnormal heat in his arms.
He opened his eyes abruptly and looked down.
Su Qianqian was curled up against him, her small face flushed, her breathing scorching hot, her brows tightly knitted as if she were deeply unsettled even in her dreams.
Gu Chengyu's heart instantly clenched, all his anger and disappointment replaced by panic.
Forgetting their cold war, he reached out to touch her forehead—it was frighteningly hot.
"Qianqian? Qianqian?" He patted her cheek gently, his voice tinged with panic.
Su Qianqian opened her eyes blearily. Her watery almond eyes were misty and unfocused, and she whimpered in discomfort, "Mmm... I feel so awful..."
Gu Chengyu snatched the internal line phone from the bedside, almost shouting for the doctor to come up immediately.
The family doctor, who had been stationed on the same floor as Auntie Zhang ever since the incident at South Bay, arrived swiftly. He examined her nervously, took her temperature, and asked careful questions.
Looking at the reading on the thermometer—already 39 degrees Celsius—the doctor then glanced at Gu Chengyu's face, which was as dark as a thundercloud. Beads of cold sweat formed on the doctor's temples as he carefully chose his words.
"Young Master Gu, this young lady has caught a chill, which has triggered a high fever."
"Her constitution is naturally weaker than most, and recently... you have been demanding rather frequently. It has worn her out, so this bout of illness is particularly severe."
He didn't dare state it too bluntly; the primary cause wasn't really the chill.
But Gu Chengyu understood perfectly, and his expression grew even more grim.
Bracing himself, the doctor continued his tactful admonition, "You have a strong... vitality. You're young and vigorous, I understand that."
"But this young lady is delicate. After bearing your... attentions for half a month straight, she's ended up in this state. It would be best to exercise a bit more restraint going forward, to give her time to recuperate and rest..."
Gu Chengyu's jawline was taut with tension, his heart a mix of heartache and regret.
Wasn't he supposed to be some great tonic? How could she get sick from being 'supplemented'?
But he couldn't dwell on that now. He waved his hand impatiently. "Understood. Just prescribe the medicine, quickly."
The doctor hurriedly produced fever reducers and anti-inflammatory pills, preparing a glass of warm water.
Gu Chengyu took the medicine and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to help Su Qianqian sit up. "Qianqian, be good. Take the medicine."
Su Qianqian, weak from the fever, turned her head away, refusing to cooperate. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed and resisted, "No, I won't. I want to go home..."
Then she remembered she had no home. In this world, she was all alone. Her grievance shifted, "I want to go back to school..."
Seeing her fragile, helpless, pitiful state, Gu Chengyu's heart softened completely.
He mustered his patience, coaxing her in a low, gentle voice, "Take the medicine and you won't feel so bad. Once the fever breaks, it won't be so hard."
"Be good, open your mouth."
"No... waaah..." Su Qianqian, overwhelmed by her misery, just wanted to cry and refused the medicine.
Her crying was breaking Gu Chengyu's heart, filling him with both guilt and helplessness.
He took a deep breath and finally relented. "Alright. Once you're better, you can stay at the dormitory on weekdays. But you must come back on weekends. Is that acceptable?"
This was his greatest concession.
Letting her go completely was absolutely out of the question.
Su Qianqian's crying subsided a little, as if she were thinking it over.
Burning with fever and muddled, she finally gave a small, reluctant nod, her voice thick with a nasal tone, "Mmm... okay."
Only then did Gu Chengyu breathe a sigh of relief. Seizing the chance, he placed the small pill by her lips and helped her take a few sips of warm water.
Watching her obediently swallow the pill from his hand, just like she used to, stirred a complex mix of emotions within him.
He laid her back down gently on the bed, tucked her in, and used his thumb to tenderly wipe the tears from the corner of her eye.
"Sleep. I'll stay right here with you," he promised softly, as if the man who had hurt her the previous night had never existed.
Su Qianqian seemed to feel somewhat reassured and soon fell into a deep sleep again.
Gu Chengyu sat by the bedside just like that, motionless, watching her.
She would never leave him in this lifetime.
