The weather in Beijing had been exceptionally pleasant these past few days, with the lingering drizzle nowhere to be seen. The morning sunlight and birdsong arrived as punctually as ever.
Tan Qinyin’s eyelashes fluttered lightly as she lifted her eyelids and glanced to the side. Chu Nanyu was gone again!
She instinctively sat up, her peripheral vision catching sight of a tall figure lying on the sofa.
She scratched her head in confusion.
Had Chu Nanyu sleepwalked again last night?
She had clearly fallen asleep holding his arm—how had she not noticed at all?
Smoothing her hair, she got out of bed and walked over to the sofa.
The person on the sofa was lying on his side, facing outward, his sleeping posture impeccable. He was only covered by a small blanket, which was clearly too thin for Beijing in April.
She turned back to fetch the quilt from the bed, bent over, and gently draped it over the man, tucking it in bit by bit.
Her gaze fell on his handsome face, and Tan Qinyin paused.
His fluffy short hair fell across his forehead, softening the usually distant and indifferent look in his eyes. Below his tall, straight nose were soft, thin lips that rose and fell slightly with each breath.
He looked like he’d be nice to kiss.
Wait, no—that wasn’t the point.
Her fingertips couldn’t resist lightly pinching Chu Nanyu’s cheek. Was this guy really sleepwalking, or was he deliberately avoiding her?
Just as Tan Qinyin was about to withdraw her hand, her wrist was suddenly seized. The man opened his eyes.
Their gazes met, and she blinked. “You’re awake.”
A faint trace of sleepiness still lingered in Chu Nanyu’s eyes. He stared at her for a moment, slightly dazed.
The skin beneath his fingertips was warm and smooth. Realizing he was gripping her wrist, he slowly loosened his hold. “Morning.”
With her wrist freed, Tan Qinyin straightened up and looked at him leisurely. “Morning, hubby. Did you sleep well on the sofa?”
“…”
Chu Nanyu propped himself up to sit, his eyelids slightly lowered. “It must have been another sleepwalking episode.”
Tan Qinyin: “Do you always end up sleeping on the sofa when you sleepwalk?”
Chu Nanyu: “…Sometimes.”
“Do you ever sleep in the bathroom or somewhere else like the hallway?”
“…Occasionally.”
Tan Qinyin, whether teasing or serious, remarked, “Then your health must be pretty good, otherwise you’d get sick often.”
Chu Nanyu fell silent for a moment before replying softly, “I’m used to it.”
Tan Qinyin looked at him, her expression slightly cool as she dropped the topic. “It’s the weekend. Go back to bed and sleep a little longer. I’m heading back to my room.”
With that, she turned and left the room.
Behind her, Chu Nanyu’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only let out a soft sigh.
**
For the entire morning, aside from breakfast, Tan Qinyin stayed in her room writing.
It was a rare weekend, and she had originally wanted to ask Chu Nanyu if he’d like to go out for a walk together.
But the thought that he had instinctively kept his distance from her during his sleepwalking episodes for two consecutive days dampened her enthusiasm.
Around noon, Auntie Liang knocked on the door to say lunch was ready. Tan Qinyin replied with an “okay” and quickly finished typing the last bit of her content.
The injury on her forehead had been causing faint discomfort these past two days, so she hadn’t touched her computer.
When she turned it on this morning, intending to outline her new novel, she discovered a document titled “Iceberg Husband” on the desktop. Opening it, she was surprised to find tens of thousands of words already written.
Had she… started writing it earlier?
She opened the document and skimmed through it quickly. The content was more or less what she had envisioned.
It was a story about a bright, sunny girl and an icy, aristocratic young man falling in love after an arranged marriage.
The male protagonist in the story, Chu Yanjin, shares an extremely similar demeanor, appearance, and even a small mole at the corner of his eye with Chu Nanyu. It was clear at a glance that he was written based on him.
As for forgetting about this, Tan Qinyin didn’t dwell on it too much, only feeling the joy of being able to write tens of thousands fewer words in an instant.
Even though these words were also written by her.
Closing her laptop and heading downstairs, Tan Qinyin noticed that Chu Nanyu was not around.
“Auntie Liang, is Nan Yu not here?”
“He is.” Auntie Liang pointed toward the study. “The young master went into the study after his morning workout. I was just about to call him.”
Tan Qinyin walked directly toward the study. “I’ll go call him.”
Since his sleepwalking wasn’t intentional, she decided not to hold it against him.
She raised her hand and knocked on the study door, receiving a low response from inside.
Pushing the door open and entering, she found Chu Nanyu leaning back in his chair, his brows tightly furrowed.
“Time to eat… What’s wrong with you?” Tan Qinyin noticed his unusual state and quickly walked over.
Hearing her voice, Chu Nanyu opened his eyes, supporting himself on the armrests to sit up. He spoke hoarsely, “Just a bit tired, it’s nothing.”
Seeing the unnatural flush on his face and his exhausted expression, Tan Qinyin immediately reached out to feel his forehead.
So hot!
“You have a fever.”
Chu Nanyu swallowed, his voice raspy. “Just a slight chill, it’s nothing serious.”
“What do you mean, nothing serious?”
Tan Qinyin immediately went to find Auntie Liang to get a thermometer. The reading showed 39.3 degrees.
“Come on, let’s go to the hospital.”
Chu Nanyu wasn’t too keen on going.
“If you’re sick, you need to go to the hospital. What if the fever causes complications? You have to go.”
Tan Qinyin was insistent, and Auntie Liang quickly arranged for a car. He had no choice but to nod.
**
At the hospital, they went to the emergency department. The doctor said Chu Nanyu had a cold-induced fever along with a cold.
After prescribing medication and giving a few instructions, the doctor arranged for an IV drip.
The VIP infusion room was very quiet.
Chu Nanyu’s lips were dry and pale. Tan Qinyin poured a cup of warm water and brought it over.
“Drink some water.”
Chu Nanyu reached out to take it. “Thank you.”
Sitting down beside him, Tan Qinyin glanced at him lightly and said leisurely, “It seems your health isn’t that great after all.”
“…”
Chu Nanyu sighed silently. “Yinyin, are you angry with me because of what happened this morning?”
“I’m not.” Tan Qinyin pouted and muttered, “It’s just instinctive disgust at sleeping with me, no big deal.”
“That’s not it.” Chu Nanyu instinctively spoke up.
After a moment of silence, he raised his hand, his warm palm gently covering the back of her hand. His icy voice was tinged with hoarseness. “Yinyin, I didn’t want it to be like this. Don’t be angry with me, okay?”
At this moment, he was feverish.
His body temperature was scorching.
And those amber eyes, now tinged with a honey-brown hue, were deep and unfathomable.
Meeting his gaze, Tan Qinyin felt as if she had been burned.
Her hand was enveloped by his scorching palm, and so was her heart.
Her slightly cool palm turned over, clasping his burning hand in return. She curved her lips and whispered softly, “I know.”
She hadn’t been angry in the first place.
After the IV drip was finished, Chu Nanyu’s complexion had improved significantly, and his fever had mostly subsided.
The two of them also went to see He Wenzhou, as Tan Qinyin’s head injury needed another dressing change.
While changing the dressing, Tan Qinyin asked with some concern, “Doctor He, will my forehead scar?”
He Wenzhou finished applying the gauze and smiled lightly. “Don’t worry, fairy sister. I’ll prescribe something good for you. Start applying it tomorrow, and in at most a week, I guarantee there won’t be a trace left on your forehead.”
Tan Qinyin breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
He Wenzhou then added playfully, “But remember to come see me once a week on schedule. I’d be sad if you forgot me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Nanyu shot him a cool glance. “Speak properly.”
“Alright, alright.” He Wenzhou raised his eyebrows high. “It’s to come for a weekly check-up, okay, Brother Chu?”
Tan Qinyin knew he was just being his usual unserious self and had gotten used to it over the past few days. She nodded gently. “Okay.”
The two of them made their rounds at the hospital, and by the time they left, it was nearly four o’clock.
Tan Qinyin thought they were heading straight home, but the driver drove the car into a shopping mall.