Lin Ruohuai’s heart began to thud uncontrollably, the frequency so intense it felt like the rush of blood might burst through his fair skin and leap out of his chest.
It was all… it was all about the money…
He struggled to voice his inner thoughts—though, in truth, he didn’t say a word out loud because Shen Qi was looking at him. Or rather, looking through him.
There was something else in those eyes, a silent hint suggesting that Xie Yusheng was a complete waste of space.
He looked for all the world like someone rushing in to play the role of the “homewrecker.”
The next instant, Shen Qi suddenly closed his eyes. The veins on his neck became faintly visible, and his head tilted, resting against Lin Ruohuai’s chest. He swayed slightly, rising and falling with the rhythm of Lin Ruohuai’s breathing.
What’s going on?!
The muscles in Lin Ruohuai’s back tightened. He suspected Shen Qi’s brain had short-circuited.
His reflexes kicked in and he pushed the man away, stammering out a trembling, “I’ll go get you some water.” Under Shen Qi’s heavy, half-lidded gaze, all that remained was the sight of a panicked, flustered back retreating in a hurry.
In the pantry, Lin Ruohuai’s mind raced. He tried to recall the conversation to decipher Shen Qi’s meaning, but alas, his IQ had its limits.
To keep me from seeing Xie Yusheng, Shen Qi is making quite the sacrifice.
Is he actually… trying to seduce me?
At the thought of this possibility, Lin Ruohuai’s face suddenly flushed red.
There was a small mirror in the pantry. Lin Ruohuai tidied his appearance and tilted his chin up slightly. Being so good-looking, it felt only natural that Shen Qi would treat him well.
He was feeling awkward, narcissistic, and flushed all at once.
Lin Ruohuai gave himself a dry laugh in the mirror, took a pretentious sip of water, paused, and then looked at the glass. His eyes nearly rolled back into his head.
That water was incredibly hot.
Of course it was—he had just drank from Shen Qi’s personal cup!
Lin Ruohuai scratched his hair and gulped down the rest of the water. Heaven knows, Earth knows, but as long as he didn’t say anything, who would know?
When Lin Ruohuai finally gathered his emotions and stepped out, he found that Shen Qi was no longer in the study. He set the cup down and began searching room by room along the corridor, like a game of hide-and-seek. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the old butler waving at him from somewhere.
Lin Ruohuai hurried over. “Uncle Chen…”
Uncle Chen said somberly, “The Young Master got caught in the rain yesterday.”
Lin Ruohuai nearly jumped. “Uncle Chen, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
He thought the man was “getting heated” (flirting), but it turned out he was just running a fever.
Shen Qi was something else, too—didn’t he realize his body was burning up? Talking about how “hot to the touch” Lin Ruohuai was… it was pure nonsense.
In short, it had nothing to do with him, and it wasn’t narcissism; it was all Shen Qi’s fault.
Uncle Chen said, “His body started heating up during dinner. Did Mr. Lin not notice?”
His tone was matter-of-fact, not accusing, but rather genuinely puzzled as to how such obvious symptoms could be missed.
Lin Ruohuai’s lips twitched.
“I noticed, but he’s always like that…” Promiscuous/Heat-seeking, Lin Ruohuai sent a look, leaving the old butler to interpret the rest.
The old butler fell into deep thought.
The manor hadn’t been this lively in a long time. When the eldest young master was younger, he was full of vigor and high spirits, frequently attending banquets and elite social gatherings. As he got older, his life consisted of nothing but work, devoid of any entertainment.
It was a life where one could see the end from the beginning, even more bland and boring than that of an old man like himself.
When can I retire? the butler wondered. He still wanted to try surfing while he was young enough.
Uncle Chen suppressed his “weary worker” emotions. “Dr. Wang has already been notified to come over.”
“Isn’t he an orthopedic surgeon?”
“He has a team specifically for taking care of Mr. Shen.”
Lin Ruohuai was used to sharing things; he felt quite close to the butler. “The first time I met Dr. Wang, he actually tried to poach me. He wanted me to quit this job and work for him.”
Uncle Chen indeed stopped in his tracks. “Do you want to go?”
Lin Ruohuai curled his lip. “I’m neither a doctor nor a nurse, so I definitely couldn’t go. Even though I’m doing the work of a caregiver right now, I only want to look after Mr. Shen… Oh, right, don’t tell him I said that.”
Uncle Chen turned around and told Shen Qi immediately.
After hearing this, Shen Qi was a bit delirious, likely from the fever. He didn’t say a word, his thin lips pressed tight. His bamboo-like finger joints trembled slightly, betraying his far-from-calm inner state.
Who else has Lin Ruohuai said this to? Is he just performing loyalty? Has he said it to others—like Xie Yusheng? To say it so beautifully, it surely wasn’t his first time.
Dr. Wang’s team arrived by helicopter within ten minutes. They first took his temperature—39.2°C, a high fever—and then started an IV drip.
In the room, there were two doctors, two nurses, and the butler. Lin Ruohuai didn’t want to crowd the space, so he waited at the door.
Initially, he leaned against the wall, but eventually grew tired. He squatted down, huddled in the corner, curled himself into a ball, and fell asleep.
Later, Wang Yisen walked over and gave his shoe a light tap with the tip of his own. “This dedicated?”
Lin Ruohuai rubbed his eyes and looked up. He stood up too fast; his vision went black and his legs turned to jelly. Wang Yisen caught him just in time, letting him steady himself.
“How is Mr. Shen?” Lin Ruohuai asked, leaning on the doctor’s arm.
Wang Yisen thought for a moment and quietly pulled away to create some distance. “It’s down to 37.5°C, a low-grade fever. I’ll be staying overnight.”
“The fever should be gone by tomorrow, right? Should I stay too?”
Wang Yisen didn’t speak for a moment, his eyes narrowing inscrutably. “You care about him a lot?”
What kind of question is that? Lin Ruohuai frowned. “I’m his personal caregiver. Shouldn’t I care about him?”
Wang Yisen embodied the phrase “lacking medical ethics” perfectly: “I’m his attending physician, and I don’t even care about him.”
“…”
Lin Ruohuai stayed anyway. Furthermore, he was the only one who stayed, which gave him a sense of panic. What if something happened? What should he do? He didn’t know anything.
Lin Ruohuai watched Wang Yisen pack his things with immense melancholy. He glared at him, his tone betraying his resentment. “Didn’t you say you were staying too?”
“Hmm?” Wang Yisen packed the last piece of cake to go. “You’ve been here so many days; don’t you know Mr. Shen’s rules? Without his permission, outsiders like us aren’t allowed to stay overnight in the main building. I’m sleeping in the side building tonight.”
A surge of irritation rose in Lin Ruohuai. He wanted to shout, but glancing at the sleeping Shen Qi, he lowered his voice: “You’re really that relaxed about this?”
Wang Yisen said meaningfully, “I’m only worried about everyone except you. When Mr. Shen wakes up, he only wants to see you. It’s been nearly a week, and you’re still here.”
Before Lin Ruohuai could ask what that meant, Wang Yisen closed the door and left.
His brain was probably short-circuited too.
Lin Ruohuai was still sleepy, but he hadn’t showered or changed. He was a bit sweaty—would the smell wake Shen Qi up?
If he woke up, would he act crazy? If he acted crazy, would he continue the daytime topic about how much money he’d give him, sounding like he wanted to keep him as a “pet”?
Ultimately, even if his fake boyfriend status was exposed, his status as the “fiancé” still existed, didn’t it?
He lifted his arm to sniff himself and said weakly, “It’s okay,” but Shen Qi had a cleanliness obsession.
Just then, Wang Yisen sent him a message.
Wang Yisen: Fevers often spike again in the middle of the night. If that happens, use physical cooling. It’s not a big deal, very simple.Lin Ruohuai: Fine. It’s still early; it’s okay to leave him alone for a bit, right?Wang Yisen: Where are you going?Lin Ruohuai: Going to the ‘station’ to handle some business….
The bath had a massaging effect. Having washed away his exhaustion, a refreshed Lin Ruohuai returned to the bedroom. Shen Qi hadn’t woken up yet. It was a pity he couldn’t sleep on the rug tonight; after rolling around on it longingly a few times, he yawned, pulled up a stool to the bedside, and rested his chin on his hand to watch Shen Qi sleep.
His breathing was heavy. His eyelashes rested quietly, casting a beautiful curved shadow. His eyelids were so thin you could almost see the shape of his eyeballs. Because the fever lingered, the area around his eyes and his cheekbones were flushed with an unhealthy red.
There were many handsome men here, but not everyone hit his “XP” (preferences). Shen Qi was one—so far, the only one.
Without saying a word, just standing there, Lin Ruohuai’s mood would become very pleasant.
“You really are good-looking,” Lin Ruohuai whispered, looking down. “If you didn’t hate me, we could actually be friends.”
“What do you say?”
“I’ll even give you a discount on the caretaking fees, how about that?”
“But I still need that portion from Xie Yusheng, so I can’t tell you the truth for now.”
The more Lin Ruohuai talked, the sleepier he got. He eventually slumped over, leaning on the bed like he was napping on a school desk. “Anyway, let’s just get along for now. It’s a deal.”
The person on the bed didn’t move, though his breathing rhythm changed almost imperceptibly. No one noticed, including himself.
Lin Ruohuai fell asleep immediately after speaking. This posture—hunched over a “desk”—was second nature to him. He slept like this at school and at his desk at home to prevent himself from collapsing onto the bed and never getting back up.
He slept deeply, like a little pig, not moving no matter how much the world shook. He didn’t notice the signs of Shen Qi waking up.
A faint flush appeared on Shen Qi’s pale, sickly cheeks, along with a sense of confusion.
Why is Lin Ruohuai sleeping next to him?
So close… isn’t he afraid of being caught?
Shen Qi’s mind was in turmoil, but his body didn’t move an inch. The handsome face shrouded in weakness and pallor cleared slightly when he felt a spark of warmth at his wrist. He opened his eyes, his gaze uncontrollably drifting downward.
A narrow, flexible waist was bent over; a head rested in the curve of pillowed hands. The shoulders were thin, the shoulder blades slightly protruding—a look that was both youthful and vaguely sensual.
He had showered and changed into pajamas. The rounded softness of his cheeks extended to his neck, and even his hair smelled fragrant.
Because of his posture, his collar had pulled back, revealing an opening. Under the dim light of the lamp, his fair skin seemed to glow, making one feel that it would only look better if it were marked with red or blue bruises.
Soft, delicate, and caring—he was enveloped in a “house-husband” glow.
A finger brushed near the inside of his wrist, as if monitoring his pulse.
Shen Qi moved his wrist slightly, pressing his pulse against Lin Ruohuai’s fingertips, then slowly sliding it into the gaps between his fingers—as if he were being held, grasped, and enveloped.
The person sleeping slumped over was startled for a moment. Without even opening his eyes, like a dazed bug, he felt the wrist to ensure the temperature was normal, then slumped back down softly.
He muttered in a dream-like state, patting the blanket.
“Get well soon… fevers are hard work.”
Shen Qi’s lips parted slightly in a smile that was faint and nearly imperceptible.
Doesn’t this look exactly like… a worried wife at home, lying by the bedside to care for her sickly lover?