The family doctor prescribed antipyretics for him once more, gave a few parting instructions, and then left.
Shen Li’s fever was simply a matter of alternating chills and heat from catching a slight cold; there were no other issues.
Ji Zhouye poured a glass of warm water, pressed it into Shen Li’s hands, and then brought the medicine to his lips. “Open your mouth.”
He obediently opened his mouth, and Ji Zhouye placed the medicine inside.
Shen Li took a sip of water to swallow it down. “What is your relationship with Li Ming?”
“Friends. We were friends before, and we still are now. All those rumors are fake,” Ji Zhouye explained crisply, without the slightest hesitation.
Before Ji Zhouye and Shen Li became close, Ji Zhouye had frequently spent time on campus with Li Ming. Because both of them possessed striking looks, some people fabricated stories about their relationship in their own minds, giving rise to the rumors that followed.
Shen Li felt a pang of regret. Matters that could have been resolved with just two simple sentences had instead been needlessly dragged out in circles, highlighting just how important it was to have a mouth.
“Will you still bring the dog back to raise?” Shen Li lifted his gaze to look at him. “I want to raise it with you.”
“I will have Uncle Zhang bring the dog back. Will you come home with me tomorrow?”
Li Ming had been right: Ji Zhouye was both persistent and soft-hearted when it came to Shen Li. Although he could have simply used force to bring him back directly, he instead patiently coaxed him into going home with him.
“Okay.”
Shen Li said, “I am coming back with you tonight.”
He felt he was being entirely spineless. The one whining and begging to go home was him, and the one who wanted to follow Ji Zhouye back immediately the moment the misunderstanding was cleared up was also him.
“You are still running a fever. We will not make a fuss of traveling tonight; we will go back tomorrow.”
Thinking Ji Zhouye was about to abandon him here all alone, Shen Li gave a crestfallen “Oh” and said, “Then be safe on your way back.”
“I did not say I was going back. Lend me a pair of pajamas.”
An ailing Shen Li looked rather blank and completely defenceless, taking quite a while to process even a single sentence. “The clothes are all in the closet.”
Ji Zhouye grabbed a set of black pajamas, consisting of a long-sleeved top and matching pants, and walked into the bathroom.
The grievance and underlying bitterness in his heart dissolved like mist the moment the misunderstanding was cleared away. The corners of his lips curved upward as he secretly guessed:
Does Ji Zhouye care about me even just a tiny bit?
As drowsiness crept up on him, Shen Li fought hard to stay awake. He wanted to say so much more to Ji Zhouye once the latter finished showering and came out.
Twenty minutes later, Ji Zhouye emerged from the bathroom. The pajamas fit him well enough, though the pant legs and sleeves were a bit short, though that did not affect anything.
Shen Li scooted further toward the inside of the bed to make space, and Ji Zhouye lay down beside him.
The main lights were off, leaving only a bedside lamp. Its warm glow was not overly bright, creating a cozy and comfortable atmosphere.
Cautiously, Shen Li turned onto his side to hug Ji Zhouye, wrapping his arms around his slender waist. Ji Zhouye did not push him away. “Ji Zhouye, I swear to you, for the duration of this relationship, I will be absolutely loyal and never betray you. If I betray you, I will be your dog in my next life.”
Ji Zhouye chuckled. “Being my dog has a threshold; not just anyone can be one.”
Shen Li fell silent.
“Shenli can be your dog, so why can’t I?”
“Because Shenli is a stray dog.”
Shen Li said, “Then I will be a stray too. Will you pick me up and take me home?”
“Sure. Pick you up and take you home to make dog meat hot pot,” Ji Zhouye said with a smile.
Shen Li fell silent.
He fell into a state of self-doubt. Exactly where was he inferior to a dog named Shenli?
Why was he the one destined to be eaten?
A warm sensation suddenly touched the center of his brow, causing Shen Li’s body to instantly stiffen.
A kiss landed between his eyebrows, lingering for two seconds before pulling away. “Your fever is gone.”
Shen Li’s earlobes turned red. “There is a digital thermometer for that. Why did you use your head?”
“Too much trouble,” Ji Zhouye said with a playful glint in his eyes. “It is not like we have not kissed before. What are you nervous about?”
Shen Li gave an unnatural, soft cough. “Ji Zhouye, since you have slept with me, you cannot sleep with anyone else, not until our relationship ends, okay?”
Watching Ji Zhouye with someone else brought on a suffocating feeling, much like drowning.
Ji Zhouye did not say anything.
To say he was not disappointed would be a lie, but his current position left him with no choice other than to plead. “It is fine even if you do not agree.”
“Alright.”
Ji Zhouye had actually agreed. Shen Li first found it unbelievable, and then began to suspect whether Ji Zhouye had forgotten who the actual sugar daddy was here.
Shen Li asked, “Am I being too high-maintenance?”
“A little bit.”
Shen Li had expected Ji Zhouye to offer some polite pleasantries, but the man truly spoke his mind with absolute bluntness.
Ji Zhouye pulled him back into an embrace. “Close your eyes and go to sleep.”
“Goodnight.”
Ji Zhouye was his sovereign remedy; the moment he appeared, all his illnesses vanished.
He fell into a deep sleep in Ji Zhouye’s arms. Holding him tight, Ji Zhouye stayed awake until nearly dawn, resting only after confirming the fever would not return.
Yet, Shen Li knew none of this.
Waking up from a sound sleep, Shen Li felt his energy had recovered quite a bit. The moment he made the slightest movement, the person beside him stirred awake.
Shen Li tried to sit up, but Ji Zhouye hooked an arm around his waist and pulled him straight back into his embrace. Shen Li’s back pressed against Ji Zhouye’s chest, allowing them to feel each other’s warmth through the thin fabric of their clothes.
Ji Zhouye rubbed his chin against the back of Shen Li’s neck. “We are not going to the company today. Rest up properly.”
There was nothing critically important at the company lately anyway, so taking a day off would not hurt. He closed his eyes again. As time ticked by second by second, the person behind him showed no sign of getting up, prompting Shen Li to grab his phone and check the time. “Ji Zhouye, you are going to be late for work.”
“Song Yan is at the company.”
Ji Zhouye simply did not trust leaving this patient behind at home all by himself. This guy was always fussy; the moment he felt even slightly better, he would stop taking his medicine.
If he actually took his medicine voluntarily, it meant he was truly feeling awful.
Ji Zhouye understood him better than anyone, and sure enough, as soon as breakfast finished, that guy started acting up again.
Gazing at the medicine sitting on the coffee table, Shen Li cast a stealthy side-glance at Ji Zhouye. “Could you grab the thermometer for me, please? It is in the bedroom.”
“Mn.”
Ji Zhouye stood up and headed to the bedroom for the thermometer. When he came back out, the medicine on the table was gone, and the water in the cup was half-empty, seemingly a rational and normal state of affairs.
“Did you take your medicine?” Ji Zhouye asked.
Lowering his head to play with his phone, Shen Li replied offhandedly, “Mn, took it.”
“Is that so?” Ji Zhouye’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Of course.”
Shen Li acted completely natural, leaving no discernible flaws.
Ji Zhouye used the thermometer to check his forehead; his temperature was normal.
With the reading taken, Ji Zhouye hauled Shen Li up from the sofa and pushed the single armchair he had been sitting on aside. Several stray pills lay right there on the floor.
Caught red-handed with no room for denial, Shen Li’s facade crumbled. “Let me explain.”
“Go ahead. I am listening to your sophistry.”
With his chin tilted slightly upward, Ji Zhouye’s eyes radiated a chill, as if telling Shen Li he was dead meat if he could not come up with a decent excuse.
Rack his brains as he might, Shen Li could not fabricate a defense, so he could only obediently surrender. “I will go take the medicine.”
He pulled the pills out of the medicine kit, shoved them directly into his mouth right in front of Ji Zhouye, and swallowed them without even needing water.
Ji Zhouye bent down, picked up the pills from the floor, and tossed them into the trash can. “After all these years, you still only know how to hide your medicine under the sofa.”
Shen Li fell silent.
Next time, he was going to throw the medicine straight down the toilet and flush it, just to see if the man could still find it then.
Shen Li was simply that kind of rebellious child: as long as he was not suffering, regardless of whether his illness had thoroughly cleared up or not, he flat-out refused to take medicine.
Only when he was on the verge of collapsing would he actually follow medical advice and obediently take his pills.
Ji Zhouye remarked, “With behavior like yours, I genuinely have no idea how you ever recovered from illnesses when you were abroad.”
A fleeting flash of abnormality crossed Shen Li’s eyes. Fearing Ji Zhouye would catch it, he quickly masked it away. “My physical constitution is great; I never got sick abroad.”