An unnatural flush stained Jiang Yichi’s pale cheeks.
Xu Qiushi put down the things in his hands and supported the swaying Little Master. Even without a thermometer, he could feel the abnormal heat radiating from the other’s body.
Jiang Yichi leaned into Xu Qiushi’s chest, thinking dizzily: So soft.
“You have a fever. I’m taking you to the hospital,” Xu Qiushi said, his expression grave.
“Don’t want to go to the hospital.” Jiang Yichi buried his head against Xu Qiushi’s chest and rubbed slightly. “I hate hospitals.”
“Don’t be willful.” Xu Qiushi’s tone was firm. “When you’re sick, you see a doctor.”
“There’s a family doctor. Call him and tell him to come over.” Jiang Yichi insisted on finishing this sentence before completely losing his strength, sliding down against Xu Qiushi’s body.
“Boss!” Xu Qiushi grabbed his arms.
Jiang Yichi immediately looked up with a look of resentment: “What did you call me?”
Even at a time like this, he cares about that. Xu Qiushi helplessly called out “Xiao Jiang,” then picked the boy up horizontally and carried him back to the bed in the bedroom.
“How do I contact the family doctor?” Xu Qiushi covered Jiang Yichi with a quilt.
“It’s in my phone contacts, Dr. Zheng.” Jiang Yichi pointed to the nightstand.
Xu Qiushi picked up the phone, unlocked it using Jiang Yichi’s fingerprint, found Dr. Zheng among the contacts, and placed a call.
Lying on the bed, the Little Master’s lips were pale and he was listless. His usually spirited eyes had become dull and lightless.
Xu Qiushi hung up the phone, brought a mercury thermometer to take his temperature, and poured a glass of warm water to moisten his throat.
“I want to brush my teeth.” Jiang Yichi turned his head weakly, refusing to eat or drink anything before brushing his teeth.
In a situation like this, let alone the stars in the sky, Xu Qiushi would find a way to pluck them if the Little Master wanted them—let alone just wanting to brush his teeth.
Xu Qiushi helped Jiang Yichi tuck the thermometer in and immediately went to the bathroom to get the toothbrush.
On the vanity, there were both electric and manual toothbrushes. Xu Qiushi didn’t know how to use an electric one, so he picked a regular toothbrush with bristles that looked soft, squeezed out the toothpaste, poured a glass of clean water for rinsing, and brought an empty cup to place together on the nightstand.
Xu Qiushi propped Jiang Yichi up and stuffed a pillow behind his back: “Rinse first.”
After Jiang Yichi rinsed, he spat the water into the empty cup.
“Show me your teeth.” Xu Qiushi dampened the toothbrush and reached out to gently tilt up the Little Master’s chin. He didn’t dare use force, fearing the rough calluses on his hands would scratch the other’s delicate skin.
Jiang Yichi obeyed and revealed two rows of neat, white teeth, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the man in front of him.
Brushing someone else’s teeth wasn’t something Xu Qiushi was doing for the first time. When Xu Qiuze was young, he could never brush his teeth well, so it was Xu Qiushi who taught him hand-on-hand.
The bristles moved up and down along the growth direction of the teeth, turning from the outside to the inside. The surfaces of the back molars were the focus of his attention. Xu Qiushi brushed very seriously, his movements gentle yet firm.
Jiang Yichi lowered his eyes. He could hear the other man’s deliberately softened breathing, the warm breath brushing against his face. His gaze shifted from the thick eyelashes to the lips, and he unconsciously swallowed, tasting a mouthful of toothpaste.
“Alright, spit it out.” Xu Qiushi handed him the water cup.
After spitting out the foam, Jiang Yichi rinsed once more. Xu Qiushi pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth clean and handed him the glass of warm water again.
Dr. Zheng arrived very quickly—he was there by the time they finished brushing.
Xu Qiushi looked at the refined man in glasses and felt he looked somewhat familiar.
“Have you taken his temperature?” Dr. Zheng asked.
“Yes, 38.5°C.” Xu Qiushi handed him the thermometer to confirm.
Dr. Zheng took out a stethoscope and pressed the chest piece against Jiang Yichi’s chest: “Take a deep breath, and exhale slowly.”
Jiang Yichi did as told.
Dr. Zheng put away the stethoscope and took out a tongue depressor: “Open your mouth, say ‘ah’.”
Jiang Yichi opened his mouth somewhat reluctantly and let out an “ah.”
After a series of examinations, Dr. Zheng gave the diagnosis: “A high fever caused by a common cold. The lungs and bronchi are not affected, and there’s no sign of spreading inflammation. It’s not a big problem.”
Hearing this, Xu Qiushi’s heart finally settled.
“Take fever reducers first, followed by physical cooling. Drink more warm water, eat light food, and it’ll be fine after a nap to sweat it out. Wipe away the sweat promptly; don’t catch a cold again.” Dr. Zheng took several boxes of medicine from his medical bag, told Xu Qiushi how to administer them, and then applied a fever-relief patch to Jiang Yichi’s forehead.
“Okay, thank you, Doctor.”
“He needs to eat something to line his stomach before taking the medicine.”
“Understood.”
Dr. Zheng didn’t leave. He asked Xu Qiushi where the guest room was and went straight there; he intended to wait until Jiang Yichi’s fever broke before leaving.
Xu Qiushi had boiled porridge in the rice cooker before he went out. He didn’t have time to slowly make the lean meat porridge now, so he could only serve a bowl of plain white porridge, pour some meat floss bought for making cakes, and carry it upstairs.
Jiang Yichi only allowed himself to be fed half a bowl before refusing to eat more. Sick people usually have poor appetites, so Xu Qiushi didn’t force him. He cleared the things away and told him to lie down and rest, saying he would take the medicine in half an hour.
Xu Qiushi took a moment to knock on the guest room door: “Dr. Zheng, have you had breakfast? If not, I’ve boiled some porridge, would you like to have some?”
Dr. Zheng opened the door and pushed the frames on the bridge of his nose: “Then I’ll trouble you.”
After breakfast, Dr. Zheng left a message saying, “Call me if anything happens,” and went back to the guest room.
Xu Qiushi fed Jiang Yichi the medicine, tucked him in tightly, and got up to leave.
“Where are you going?” Jiang Yichi reached out and grabbed Xu Qiushi’s sleeve.
“Just to wash the bowls. I’ll be back up in a bit. You sleep for a while.” Xu Qiushi put his hand back under the covers and re-tucked the quilt, ensuring no drafts could get in.
“Are you still going to Xun Wenyao’s today?” The Little Master clutched the edge of the quilt, looking quite pitiable.
“I’m not going. I’ll stay home to take care of you.” With Jiang Yichi in this state, Xu Qiushi simply couldn’t bear to leave him home alone.
“Then wash them quickly.” Having received the answer he wanted, Jiang Yichi was satisfied.
“Mm.” Having soothed the Little Master, Xu Qiushi returned to the kitchen and washed the dishes somewhat absent-mindedly.
At this moment, Xu Qiushi felt incredibly self-reproachful. Back in the early hours, even though he knew Jiang Yichi was wearing very little, he hadn’t brought him back in time and had even stayed out with him for so long. If they had returned sooner, perhaps he wouldn’t have gotten sick.
As soon as he thought of the pampered Little Master, who had never suffered, now being tormented by illness, regret flooded over him like a torrent. He had been too negligent.
The cold water continuously rinsed over the back of his hands until his fingers were almost numb with cold. Only then did he suddenly snap out of it and quickly turn off the faucet.
Xu Qiushi dried his hands and sent a message to Xun Wenyao: [Brother Wanyao, I can’t come over today. Remember to make food for yourself.]
His response was a call from Xun Wenyao: “Qiushi, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“Nothing’s wrong, it’s just… Xiao Jiang caught a cold and is sick. I’m staying here to look after him,” Xu Qiushi explained.
“Oh, the Little Master is sick? Is it serious? Did you see a doctor?” Xun Wenyao asked a few concerned questions.
“He has a fever. The family doctor came to see him. He’s taken medicine and is resting now,” Xu Qiushi answered one by one.
“I didn’t expect the Little Master to be so frail, falling ill just from celebrating New Year’s Eve last night. Well, take good care of him then. Call me if you need anything.”
“Mm.”
When he went upstairs again, Jiang Yichi had already fallen asleep under the effect of the medicine, though his sleep was restless; his eyelashes were constantly trembling.
Xu Qiushi brought a towel and sat by the bed, ready to wipe away the Little Master’s sweat at any time.
Not long after, Jiang Yichi, sleeping hot, began to unconsciously stretch his hand out of the quilt, wanting to catch a bit of coolness.
Xu Qiushi caught his hand over and over, tirelessly putting it back in place. He gently wiped the beads of sweat seeping from the corners of the boy’s forehead, wiping from the neck to the shoulders, not daring to go any deeper.
However, Jiang Yichi himself woke up because the sweating made his body feel sticky and uncomfortable. He turned onto his side and asked Xu Qiushi to help him wipe his back.
As he was being wiped, he fell asleep again.
After several repetitions, the fever gradually subsided.
Midway, Xu Qiushi went to make lunch for Dr. Zheng, while the Little Master was woken up by him to continue drinking porridge.
In the afternoon, Jiang Yichi’s temperature rose again. The heart Xu Qiushi had lowered was suspended once more. He stayed by the bedside without moving a step, the anxiety and worry in his eyes almost overflowing.
Jiang Yichi opened his eyes and bumped into those pitch-black pupils, staring blankly without a reaction.
“How do you feel? Still uncomfortable?” Xu Qiushi gently brushed aside his sweat-dampened bangs, his tone carrying a heartache he hadn’t noticed himself.
“So hot,” Jiang Yichi said softly.
“I’ll help you wipe the sweat. Don’t stretch your hands out.” Xu Qiushi was afraid he would catch a chill again, so he reached his hand into the quilt and groped around with the towel to soak up the sweat on the boy’s back.
Across a layer of fabric, Jiang Yichi could still clearly feel the temperature of Xu Qiushi’s palm.
He felt even hotter.
By evening, Jiang Yichi’s temperature stabilized at 37°C and stopped rising.
Xu Qiushi invited Dr. Zheng over to re-examine him.
“The fever has broken. Pay more attention to resting these next two days, especially to keeping warm. Don’t take a bath today.” Dr. Zheng knew the Little Master loved cleanliness and specifically emphasized the last sentence.
As soon as he heard he couldn’t bathe, the Little Master was about to flare up. Xu Qiushi pressed down on Jiang Yichi, who wanted to get up, and asked on his behalf: “Then when can he wash?”
“Tomorrow at the earliest.”
“Okay.” Xu Qiushi agreed on Jiang Yichi’s behalf.
“I’ll be heading back now. Contact me anytime if there are any problems.” Dr. Zheng packed his medical bag and bid them both farewell.
“I’ll see you out.” Xu Qiushi got up and went downstairs with Dr. Zheng.
Jiang Yichi had regained some spirit. He stared at the ceiling without much sleepiness, waiting for Xu Qiushi to return.
“Is plain noodle soup okay for dinner? You can’t have fried tofu, so how about I make you stewed tofu instead?” Xu Qiushi asked warmly.
Jiang Yichi, who had been feeling happy because Xu Qiushi stayed behind for him, suddenly couldn’t feel happy anymore.
Xu Qiushi could have had a good rest today, but instead, he had spent the whole day taking care of him.
“Xu Qiushi,” Jiang Yichi called out in a muffled voice.
“Mm? Want some water?” Xu Qiushi leaned forward to listen to him.
“I’ll count today as overtime. I’ll pay you triple wages.”
Xu Qiushi said amusingly: “No need to count overtime. I wanted to stay myself.”
“Why are you so good to me?” He wouldn’t even take money. Jiang Yichi couldn’t help but wonder if, to the man, he was already more than just a boss.
“I didn’t take good care of you, that’s why you got sick.” Spending the first day of the New Year being sick just thinking about it was suffering.
“What does it have to do with you? I ran out myself,” Jiang Yichi argued.
“If I had brought you back earlier, it would have been fine.” Xu Qiushi smiled apologetically.
“I said it’s not your business. Besides, I’m not a child, and you’re not my guardian. Don’t take all the responsibility on yourself,” Jiang Yichi frowned.
“Your age is the same as A-Ze’s. Getting along with you always makes me think of the days I spent with A-Ze. I can’t help but want to take care of you a little more.” After saying this, Xu Qiushi felt he had overstepped a bit. The other was a Little Master with a real biological brother; where was it his place to show this kind of devotion?
Sure enough, Jiang Yichi remained silent and didn’t respond, likely wanting to save some face for himself.
Thinking this, Xu Qiushi tidied up the sundries on the nightstand and said: “Lie down a bit longer, I’m going to make dinner.”
It wasn’t until Xu Qiushi’s figure disappeared at the door that the disappointment in Jiang Yichi’s eyes gradually emerged. And as for the reason for that disappointment, even he couldn’t say for sure.