The girl on the bed had a voice so hoarse it sounded like she’d been blasted by a cannon.
It was impossible to make out what she was saying.
No one expected her to wake up so suddenly.
The private doctor quickly said, “Don’t move. You’re on an IV.”
The butler hurriedly asked, “Miss Lin Mo, you’re awake! What did you say?”
Lin Mo felt her head throbbing unbearably and tried again: “I said…”
But no sound came out.
Her throat burned with pain, as if countless ducks were pecking at it.
Baojuan, my voice!
Never mind. She gave up.
Her eyes flickered toward the doorway—no one was there.
A hallucination!
Xie Guanyan was on a business trip in Europe. There was no way he’d be at the villa!
Why would she hallucinate him, of all people?
It made no sense. Her head was dizzy, aching, and utterly miserable.
Yet Xie Guanyan’s figure kept appearing in her mind.
Two maids noticed how dry and raspy her voice sounded.
One of them immediately turned to fetch water.
As soon as she stepped out of the bedroom, she saw their master filling a glass.
He inserted a straw and handed it to her.
The maid glanced at him and quickly accepted it.
Such a thoughtful man!
She couldn’t help but ship him with Miss Lin Mo!
Returning, the maid crouched by the bed and held the straw to Lin Mo’s lips.
“Miss Lin Mo, drink some water to soothe your throat.”
Lin Mo gulped it down like a traveler in the desert who’d finally found an oasis.
A faint sweetness spread through her throat, easing the sharp pain.
The IV needle was secured in place.
The private doctor said, “Your fever’s at 41 degrees. Close your eyes and rest.”
Lin Mo blinked. “41 degrees? Wow, I’m impressive!”
Her voice was clearer now, at least audible.
The doctor sighed, half-amused, half-concerned. “Just rest, please.”
Lin Mo ignored him, reaching for her phone with her right hand. “What time is it? I need to go to school!”
The cold device felt heavy in her grip. She squinted at the screen—blurry, but she could make out a “6.”
Six-something. Time to get up and get ready.
She tried to sit up.
The doctor frowned. “You’re practically burning up, and you still want to go to school? Take a sick day.”
Lin Mo shook her head, a few stray hairs bouncing with the motion. “No way. I’m a good student—I don’t skip. My little brother would worry if I stayed home. I’m going!”
She pushed herself upright.
Before the butler could signal the maids to hold her down, Lin Mo suddenly pressed her phone to her lips like a microphone and declared with grave seriousness:
“The sun is shining, the flowers smile at me, the birds sing ‘Good morning!’ Why do you carry your little schoolbag? Off to school I go, never late, oh no! Love to study, love to work, growing up to serve the people!”
Ling Zhen’s singing debut.
A sandpaper voice paired with zero sense of rhythm.
It sounded like a squeaky rubber duck’s desperate quacks.
Everyone in the room stared at her, baffled.
Adorable.
But painfully off-key.
The butler rubbed his nose. “Miss Lin Mo, you’re burning up. Lie back down.”
Lin Mo ignored him, sitting upright on the bed, still treating her phone as a mic. Suddenly, she wailed:
“Ohhh, fate! Why must you torment me so—”
“I want happiness, I want freedom, not this cruel suffering!”
The others clapped hands over their ears, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
The butler struggled to keep a straight face. “Miss Lin Mo, we’re all friends here—spare us the performance!”
Finally, we know which window God closed for Miss Lin Mo.
Perhaps this is what people online call "a voice blessed by angelic feces."
Only Xie Guanyan, leaning against the wall outside the door, kept his lips pressed into a straight line, not a trace of amusement on his face.
Was she truly heartbroken inside?
Fate had indeed been unfair to Shanshan.
In the bedroom.
Lin Mo wailed a few lines, forgot the rest of the lyrics, then stood up again, shouting about going to school.
The butler quickly signaled two maids to hold her back, preventing her from leaving.
He then turned to the private doctor with a frown. "What... what’s going on here?"
The private doctor rubbed his balding head. "Delirious from the fever. She won’t remember any of this once she sobers up."
Once, during his own high fever, he had gotten up in the middle of the night and brewed a packet of ibuprofen to drink.
Later, his wife discovered a missing packet of yeast while cooking.
The butler sighed sincerely. "That’s great—pure torment for others."
Lin Mo was as strong as an ox, and the two maids couldn’t hold her back at all.
The IV needle was nearly ripped out of her hand.
The private doctor and the butler, both grown men, hesitated to intervene physically.
The beautiful girl was still wearing a dress, delicate and radiant.
The butler urgently called toward the door, "Sir, sir! Come in and stop her!"
Lin Mo was like a pig breaking out of its pen, charging wildly.
The IV needle was indeed torn out, blood welling up.
Against the porcelain softness of the girl’s hand, it looked especially stark.
She rushed toward the door—
Only to be caught by a man’s long, slender arm.
Her waist was so slender it seemed it could be held in one hand.
The moment Xie Guanyan touched her, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.
A delayed realization—her feverish body burned like a flame.
Lin Mo, blocked from escaping, looked up with fever-flushed peach-blossom eyes.
The next second, they lit up.
"Xie Guanyan?"
Xie Guanyan couldn’t bear to let her go now. He bent slightly,
his well-defined hand slipping beneath her knees as he lifted her.
Lowering his head, his deep eyes met hers.
"Yes, it’s me."
It’s fine if she dislikes him.
She needed to bring down her fever first.
Though it might not be the best time to ship them…
The butler and the two maids were already losing their minds over the couple!
Mr. Xie’s broad shoulders and narrow waist paired with Miss Lin’s delicate, soft frame—an unmatched contrast.
At some point, the man had shed his suit jacket, leaving only a white dress shirt.
The cuffs were folded up a few times, rolled above his wrists.
Now, with slight exertion, veins traced along his pale arms.
The sheer sexual tension was overwhelming!
The private doctor’s mouth twisted to one side.
I knew it, I knew it!
"The Tenant" is a lie!
The girl was far lighter and softer than Xie Guanyan had imagined.
Like a piece of warm, smooth, fever-hot jade.
His body stiffened completely, his waist arching back to minimize contact.
She had a fever—he couldn’t take advantage.
Suddenly lifted into the air, Lin Mo was dazed.
The man’s gentle voice flowed into her ears like a murmuring stream, unbearably soothing.
Her mind was a muddled mess, unable to grasp the situation.
Hadn’t Xie Guanyan gone to Africa to become a chieftain’s wife?
Why was he back home now?
Wait—was it even Africa?
Where was it again?
She couldn’t remember.
Giving up, she tilted her head to look at him.
From this angle, his jawline was flawlessly defined.
His features were exquisitely carved, like Nuwa’s proudest masterpiece.
The tea-colored mole on the tip of his nose was irresistibly alluring.
Lin Mo couldn't resist reaching out a finger to tap the tip of his nose, huffing playfully, "Tempting me, you little tease!"
