Tossing and turning non-stop through the first half of the night, Xia Yiyan spiked a high fever by the latter half.
Discovering her fever, Xie Junting quickly dialed the family doctor’s number.
Though woken up in the dead of night from a sound sleep, Cheng Yunan showed not a shred of annoyance.
His exorbitant salary meant he had zero objections to being woken up in the middle of the night every day.
Of course, that didn’t mean he was wishing illness upon the young master daily.
He quickly got out of bed, woke up the housekeeper Wen Qi who lived next door, and the two grabbed their medical kits and set off.
It took all of five minutes to hustle from the staff quarters in the back to the main villa where Xie Junting lived.
Xie Junting stripped off Xia Yiyan’s off-the-shoulder nightgown and changed her into a short-sleeved, long-legged pair of pajamas.
As soon as he finished changing her clothes, a knock sounded at the door from Wen Qi.
“Young Master, Dr. Cheng has arrived.”
“Come in.”
His lazy, raspy voice carried a hint of post-satisfaction.
Knowing this was the bedroom and Miss Xia was inside, Wen Qi didn’t enter, choosing instead to stand guard at the doorway.
Wen Qi asked with a worried tone, “Young Master, how are you? Is somewhere uncomfortable?”
“Uncle Wen, Yiyan has a fever. You don’t need to stand guard, go back to sleep first.”
Wen Qi let out a breath of relief; as long as the young master was fine, that was all that mattered.
Yet he didn’t leave, closing the bedroom door to wait outside so he could walk back with Dr. Cheng and catch up on the situation.
On the European-style grand bed, Xie Junting wore only a pair of silk pajama bottoms, holding a soundly sleeping young woman in his arms.
His upper body was bare, featuring a sturdy, powerful chest with tightly knit muscle contours, and a lean, narrow waist with eight distinct, well-defined abdominal muscles.
His robust physique, paired with that aloof, noble, and peerless handsome face, was impeccably perfect.
Every visible inch of his upper body was covered in bloody scratch marks.
Yet far from ruining his aesthetic, it only made the man look wilder, untamed, and darkly alluring.
“Her body is burning up, take a look at her quickly.”
Cheng Yunan swiftly opened his medical kit, handing a thermometer and a cooling patch to the man to avoid any physical contact with Xia Yiyan.
Others might not understand this Miss Xia’s status, but he and Xie Junting had grown up together and considered himself somewhat familiar with the man’s temperament—he wouldn’t dare court disaster.
After checking her temperature, Cheng Yunan took back the thermometer and glanced at it.
“38.9 degrees Celsius, she needs an injection.”
Putting on medical gloves, he skillfully prepared the syringe, the transparent liquid shifting inside the slender plastic tube.
Fortunately, Xia Yiyan was fast asleep and couldn’t see it.
Of all things, she was most terrified of needles.
Xie Junting laid the person in his arms flat, pulled one of her arms out from under the duvet, and rolled up her short sleeve.
Her slender, snow-white arm was densely covered in red marks.
From this tiny glimpse alone, one could easily imagine just how intense things had been.
Cheng Yunan offered a silent second of mourning for Miss Xia.
Swiftly and professionally, he sterilized the skin, injected the dose, and withdrew the needle.
In her deep sleep, the pain of the injection jolted Xia Yiyan awake for a split second, and she let out a soft moan.
The man used one hand to press a cotton swab against the wound while his other hand gently soothed her back.
“Do you have any ointment? When I was washing her earlier, I noticed some tearing.”
Actually, there had been some minor tearing yesterday, but after today’s round, it had worsened.
Xie Junting had never intended to hurt her. In the past, his self-control had been terrifyingly strong, always tender and considerate; the moment she felt pain and cried out with grievances, he would back down, never truly taking his fill.
Yet her attempt to run away and cozying up to another man had sent his fury soaring to the heavens, nearly robbing him of his sanity.
Once he dragged her back, he cast aside all restraint and let himself eat his fill.
It was partly punishment for this disobedient woman.
He had assumed that once she tasted pain, she would behave a bit more.
He had even threatened to cripple the other man’s legs, deciding to base his next move on her reaction—if she knew she was in the wrong, he wouldn’t mind letting the man go.
He had gone to the company early in the morning to handle affairs, only to return in the afternoon to hear Aunt Lin say that if he didn’t let her leave, she was going to starve herself to death.
Yet after using the man as leverage, this woman had obediently eaten her meal instead.
He had been so angry he almost laughed.
Xie Junting clenched his fists, veins bulging across his arms and the back of his hands as his chest heaved violently, his breathing growing heavier.
Did she really care about and like that hypocritical man that much?
Just as he was about to lose control and destroy this woman,
he had walked in to find her lounging lazily on the sofa, happily sipping from a water cup with bright, crafty eyes, the corners of her mouth curved in a smile, her relaxed demeanor a complete transformation from before.
A familiar feeling rushed over him.
It felt as though he had returned to the days of his childhood spent with her.
That period of time in the dark which offered his only solace.
That period when the two of them clung to each other, licking each other’s wounds.
Yet this ungrateful little wretch had completely forgotten him upon growing up.
Suddenly, he found he no longer wanted to destroy her.
Even if it was just a compliant act on her part, he wanted to savor this fleeting happiness.
“I have the ointment.”
Veins throbbing at his temples, Cheng Yunan rolled his eyes at the man.
Such an absolute beast.
He pulled out a tube of topical ointment, handed it over, and warned: “I’ve also prepared her fever medication. Check her temperature again tomorrow morning; if the fever breaks, she can just take oral meds for a couple of days. Make sure she drinks plenty of water and eats bland food recently. Also, no sexual intercourse until her injuries are healed, Big Boss.”
The final sentence carried a distinct, gritted-teeth undertone.
“Got it, stop nagging.”
After Cheng Yunan left, the room returned to quiet.
Xie Junting applied the ointment for her and fed her some warm water.
Afterward, the bedroom lights were turned off again, leaving only the dim, warm glow of the bedside lamp casting a faint, pale light.
Across Xia Yiyan’s smooth, radiant forehead sat a cooling patch, casting a sickly flush over her delicate, oval-shaped face.
With skin like congealed lard, she looked peerlessly beautiful in her fragility.
Her vulnerable appearance stirred an irrepressible wave of deep affection.
Xie Junting stared unblinkingly at the person in his arms, his fingers meticulously tracing the contours of her flawless face.
Because of the fever, her body temperature remained high, the heat radiating through a single layer of fabric to brand itself against his bare chest.
At the same time, recalling the sensation of applying medicine to her just moments ago, Xie Junting shamefully hardened.
This time, he didn’t dare make any reckless moves, relying solely on an embrace to soothe his affection.
Xie Junting stood guard by her side until nine o’clock in the morning. Seeing that her fever had broken and she was sleeping soundly, he headed off to the company to handle business.
Xia Yiyan slept straight through until eleven o’clock. Waking up, her head felt groggy and heavy, completely devoid of strength.
Every bone in her body ached as though she had been run over by a steamroller.
She wanted to cry without tears—she had practically cried all her tears dry last night.
“Sigh~”
Xia Yiyan let out a languid sigh.
Ow, my throat hurts.
Her stomach was growling a bit too.
Her entire body hurt everywhere, rivaling a round of torture.
Gazing at the luxurious room, Xia Yiyan felt bitter inside. She had harbored a faint hope of waking up back in the real world, terrified of being trapped playing substitute to the female protagonist in this universe for the rest of her life.
She vowed never to talk trash about female protagonists ever again.
Before she could indulge her runaway thoughts much longer, Aunt Lin walked in.
She brought a bowl of white rice, vegetable, and shredded meat congee, a cup of water, and some pills.
Supported by Aunt Lin, Xia Yiyan made her way to the bathroom. After a round of washing up and freshening, she could finally eat.
Auntie’s cooking was simply heavenly; even a bowl of congee tasted this delicious, with the fragrant greens and tender, melt-in-your-mouth shredded meat!
Xia Yiyan bit down on her spoon, stars practically twinkling in her eyes.