"Is that so? You care so much about your colleague, looks like there's hope!"
Su Qi, unable to bear the teasing, thanked them with a blush and left, carrying the heavy bag. She opened the door to find the man had somehow rolled onto the floor.
"Huo Tingyun!"
Su Qi threw down the medicine and ran over barefoot, "The floor is cold! Get up!" She used all her strength to try and pull the man back onto the sofa.
But the man was already heavy, and with his illness, his body felt as if it were cast in lead.
Sweating profusely, the man still hadn't moved.
With no other option, Su Qi laid out a quilt on the floor and rolled the man onto it, pushing him onto the bedding.
Huo Tingyun had a high fever and was groggy.
Su Qi thought about taking advantage of the situation to tease him.
Never mind, taking advantage of someone's weakness is not gentlemanly!
Only a scoundrel like Huo Tingyun would do that. Su Qi, after tidying him up, was breathless. She found a blanket and covered the man.
The two-meter-three-long blanket could barely cover the man's body.
Su Qi's face felt a little warm.
While covering him with the blanket, she realized for the first time how long the man's legs were.
She turned on a desk lamp.
The warm, amber light fell on Huo Tingyun's face.
His messy hair, damp with sweat, stuck to his forehead. His chiseled facial features, due to his illness, lacked their usual sharpness.
At this moment, Huo Tingyun was devoid of his usual fierceness and coldness.
Instead, he looked like a well-behaved big dog.
Su Qi took a tissue and wiped the sweat from his forehead, then applied a cooling patch.
The cooling patch alone wasn't enough; his temperature was frighteningly high.
She grabbed a thermometer, placed it in the man's mouth, and turned to get the medicine.
She carefully read the instructions and prepared a few pills.
She also poured a glass of water.
"You'll get better after taking the medicine."
Su Qi took out the thermometer and put the medicine into the man's mouth.
As she turned to get the water cup, she found that the man had spat out all the medicine.
"Huo Tingyun!"
Su Qi almost forgot; he hated taking medicine the most.
She tried to stuff the medicine into his mouth again, but the result was the same.
This wouldn't do.
Su Qi bit her lip and stared at the man's face for a long time.
She put the medicine into her own mouth, then leaned down, aimed for Huo Tingyun's lips, and kissed him.
After a year of marriage, he had never kissed her.
Every time, it was straight to business.
Su Qi touched the man's lips for the first time; they were cool and thin.
Su Qi had to exert great effort to get the medicine into the man's mouth.
Then she immediately took a sip of water and sent it into the man's mouth.
The man frowned, wanting to spit it out.
But Su Qi was blocking him.
He could only frown and grudgingly swallow the medicine.
Hearing the gulping sound of the man's Adam's apple, Su Qi let out a breath.
Just as she was about to get up, her wrist was grabbed by the man. He had somehow taken control.
"Mmm... Huo Tingyun!"
Su Qi's mind went blank, and she pushed the man away.
Her face was so red it could bleed.
"Water..."
So, he just wanted water.
Su Qi raised the water cup and slowly sent the water into Huo Tingyun's mouth.
The man drank a large cup of water.
After drinking so much, it was no wonder he was thirsty.
She looked at the time; it was already past midnight.
Sleepiness washed over her, and Su Qi, fighting off her drowsiness, stayed awake until five or six in the morning.
As dawn broke, she took Huo Tingyun's temperature again. It had almost returned to normal.
By the time he woke up, he was mostly recovered.
Su Qi stood up, almost blacking out.
Having not slept all night, and being pregnant, it was a bit too much for her.
She tidied the tabletop and left the room. Before leaving, she called Xu Lin Yun.
Huo Tingyun was woken by the sound of knocking.
He struggled to open his eyes; his mind felt heavy as if filled with lead.
He raised his hand and massaged his temples.
It was already bright daylight, and brilliant sunlight streamed in from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The surroundings, which should have been messy, were surprisingly clean, as if nothing had happened.
All the wine bottles and cigarette butts had been cleared away.
He lay on the bedding, still covered by a new blanket.
As he sat up, a cooling patch fell onto the blanket.
Huo Tingyun furrowed his brow deeply.
He was the only one who knew about this residence.
Even Xu Lin Yun didn't know about this place.
Who had entered his dwelling?
The illness was receding like a slow unraveling thread. Although his mind was still a bit foggy, the fever had mostly subsided.
On the table, there was also an opened medicine box.
He couldn't recall when he had done any of these things.
After falling into a feverish stupor, all memories of what happened were gone.
Huo Tingyun, with a stern face, got up and opened the door.
Xu Lin Yun stood prettily outside the door, "Tingyun, are you awake?"
Huo Tingyun stared at the pure and harmless girl outside the door, his brow furrowed, "Were you here last night?"
What?
Xu Lin Yun didn't understand Huo Tingyun's question and was initially confused.
Just as she was about to ask.
She suddenly remembered what Su Qi had said on the phone.
Yesterday, Aunt Qin had said Tingyun was sick.
She didn't even know Tingyun had come to this place.
"Last night, you had a very high fever..."
Xu Lin Yun pursed her lips, giving an ambiguous answer.
Huo Tingyun stared at Xu Lin Yun for a moment.
Besides her, who else would take such good care of him?
"Did you sleep well last night?" Huo Tingyun's tense lips relaxed, and he took Xu Lin Yun's small hand.
"Tingyun, I was worried about you and didn't rest much, but it's okay. Seeing you get better makes me feel relieved!"
Xu Lin Yun blushed, her heart pounding.
She then nestled into Huo Tingyun's embrace.
Leaning against the man's firm chest, Xu Lin Yun tightly gripped his clothes.
This feeling was so wonderful.
Just as her mother had said, only by using means could she keep the man she loved.
Exhausted from staying up all night, Su Qi collapsed onto the sofa as soon as she returned to the villa and fell asleep.
Sister Wu arrived at seven to buy groceries and prepare breakfast.
Last night, Madam hadn't eaten dinner before leaving.
Sister Wu thought Su Qi had gone to take care of Huo Tingyun. She didn't expect her to return so early in the morning.
She wanted to ask something, but seeing Su Qi sleeping so soundly, she couldn't bear to disturb her.
Su Qi slept until the afternoon.
When she woke up, she drank a bowl of soup that Sister Wu had made.
As the sky darkened, the indoor light grew dim. She didn't turn on the lights and staggered towards the second floor.
A few steps away from the stairs, her body swayed uncontrollably, and she fell.
The car stopped in the garden of the Shallow Water Bay villa.
Huo Tingyun pushed open the door and entered the hall. He found it silent. He scanned the area and saw a figure lying at the foot of the stairs.
A scene flashed before his eyes, and the man's falcon-like gaze turned cold.
"Stop pretending, Su Qi. Xu Lin Chuan isn't here, so you don't need to act weak in front of me."
Her head felt heavy.
The man's sarcastic voice echoed in her ears.
It felt so real...
Was she hallucinating?
Su Qi propped herself up with her arms and managed to get to her feet.