Yu Huan had just unwrapped a piece of candy when a nurse walked in carrying an ice pack, followed by a middle-aged woman with a kind but slightly aged face.
Before Yu Huan could ask, the woman introduced herself.
“Hello, Miss Yu. I’m the caregiver Mr. Zhu hired. My surname is Zou.”
After introducing herself, Zou Cuilan nervously licked her lips.
She had worked as a caregiver before, but most of her patients were elderly or seriously ill. The work was heavy, and the pay was average.
This job—just a few days of care yet paying more than a month’s salary—was the best opportunity she had managed to secure recently.
Originally, the job hadn’t been hers. The person who got it first immediately passed it on to her after hearing that the patient was a young lady from a wealthy family.
“These kinds of jobs are the hardest. Those rich girls have bad tempers and endless demands. The slightest dissatisfaction and they’ll start yelling.”
“Zou Cuilan, aren’t you short on money? I’ll give this job to you.”
Work others didn’t want could pay for three more days of her daughter’s treatment.
Zou Cuilan had been endlessly grateful, but those words made her uneasy.
She carefully sized up the girl sitting on the hospital bed.
Fair skin, delicate features, wearing a lotus-pink puff-sleeve blouse—she looked as pretty as the Barbie dolls her daughter liked.
Zou Cuilan then glanced at her own clothes—cheap, faded street-market wear and slightly cracked, off-brand sneakers.
The difference between people could be seen at a glance.
She clutched the hem of her clothes, feeling even more anxious.
Afraid of displeasing her employer, Zou Cuilan stayed standing by the door.
Yu Huan’s eyes lit up—she happened to need someone to help apply the ice pack.
“Auntie Zou, help me put the ice pack on my hand.”
She got out of bed, walked to the sofa, and sat down, placing her left hand on the coffee table. “Oh right, also help me bring that bowl of black chicken soup from the bedside table. I’ll drink it later.”
Yu Huan gave instructions naturally. Zou Cuilan had already prepared herself to be looked at with disdain.
She had experienced that before. Between money and dignity, money mattered more.
But to her surprise, Yu Huan—who was dressed so carefully—seemed not to notice her unease at all. She calmly asked her to do things as if it were completely normal.
As if they were simply employer and caregiver.
Zou Cuilan loosened her grip on her clothes and straightened her back.
Yes. They were just employer and caregiver.
She brought the chicken soup to the table as instructed, then wrapped the ice pack in a towel and applied it to Yu Huan’s hand.
After finishing the bowl of soup, Yu Huan felt much better.
She picked out a few pieces of chicken from the thermos and slowly ate them.
Her fever had just gone down, and after arguing with Zhu Heqing earlier, she quickly became drowsy again after eating.
Following the nurse’s instructions, she took her medicine, told Zou Cuilan, and closed her eyes, falling asleep again.
The difficult client Zou Cuilan had imagined turned into an easy job where she barely had to do anything but still received generous pay.
During this time, Zhu Nanxu came by twice. Each time, Yu Huan’s temperature was within normal range.
Zou Cuilan woke up immediately every time, asking the doctor if there were any problems.
Only after confirming the fever hadn’t returned did she dare to rest for a bit.
She hadn’t been on night duty for long when Zhu Heqing arrived.
He walked in quietly, afraid of waking Yu Huan, not even dragging a chair.
After watching Yu Huan for a while, he went to sit on the sofa, reading documents while keeping her company.
In the latter half of the night, Yu Huan’s fever suddenly returned without warning. Everything she had eaten before bed was vomited out.
Her whole body was burning hot, yet her hands and feet were as cold as ice.
Zhu Heqing was so frightened he forgot to press the nurse call button. He ran straight to Zhu Nanxu’s office and dragged him toward the ward.
Zhu Nanxu, who had just fallen asleep, was yanked awake. “What the hell, Zhu Heqing, are you crazy?”
“Fufu’s fever is back. She’s vomiting too.”
Hearing this, Zhu Nanxu didn’t even have time to catch his breath before checking Yu Huan’s pulse.
“This won’t do. She’s too thin—her pulse is weak. Even minor illnesses will keep recurring,” Zhu Nanxu said, frowning as he checked her temperature. “It’s rising too fast. We need to bring it down first.”
“Give her some ibuprofen, then use a damp warm towel to keep wiping her forehead and neck. If her temperature doesn’t drop after an hour, we’ll need other methods.”
…
Yu Huan’s illness came on fiercely, recurring again and again for three or four days before finally stabilizing.
Already thin, she now had no flesh left on her face. Her chin looked sharp as it sank into the blankets. From the fever, her eyes and nose were red, making her look especially pitiful.
Zhu Heqing stayed in the hospital room the entire time. He told Zou Cuilan she no longer needed to come, and she didn’t have to return the money.
Most of his work was handed over to his assistant. Anything that required his decision was brought to him to sign before being taken back.
When Yu Huan’s parents learned she had a fever, they took a red-eye flight back that same day.
As soon as they landed, they didn’t even go home—rushing straight to the private hospital to take care of her with Zhu Heqing.
Only after confirming that her fever had completely subsided did they finally relax.
Yu Huan slowly regained clarity from her dazed state. The moment she saw Zhang Ya, she pouted, her voice carrying a hint of tears. “Mom, I want to eat the braised prawns you make.”
Zhang Ya’s heart ached. She touched her daughter’s overly small face, wishing she could take her place in illness. “Okay, Fufu, be good. Mom will make braised prawns for you soon.”
“Our Fufu has suffered so much. Such a pitiful little girl.”
It was just a fever—something others could recover from easily—yet it had tormented her daughter so much.
Yu Hezhang patted his wife’s shoulder, wiping the corners of his own eyes.
After staying with Yu Huan for a while, they left hurriedly once Zhu Heqing returned from speaking with the doctor, rushing home to buy shrimp and cook for her.
Zhu Heqing hadn’t rested well these past few days. His face showed fatigue, and even his usually immaculate suit had become slightly wrinkled.
It was as if he had fallen ill along with her.
Yu Huan thought about how, a few days ago, she had gotten angry at him over a dream and even kicked him.
She felt she must have been delirious from the fever to do something like that.
But asking Yu Huan to admit her mistake was absolutely impossible.
She leaned halfway against the bed, her small face buried in the blanket, saying nothing—just looking at Zhu Heqing with watery eyes.
Zhu Heqing: “……”
He sighed. “Baby, are you willing to see me now?”
Yu Huan hesitated, then nodded.
The next second, she was pulled into a tight embrace by the tall man.
Zhu Heqing held her firmly, burying his head in the crook of her neck.
“Don’t get sick again,” he said, his voice hoarse.
Seeing his usually lively girlfriend lying in a hospital bed, her cheeks flushed red from the fever, her lips no longer rosy—
Zhu Heqing felt as if an invisible knife was cutting into his heart, again and again.