Although both of them felt awkward, neither showed it. After showering, they both let out a sigh of relief. Jiang Wu put on his pajamas, wished Shen Yifeng goodnight, and fell asleep almost instantly.
Shen Yifeng, lying beside him, remained awake for a long time. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Jiang Wu’s naked form from the bathroom. Jiang Wu’s skin was incredibly smooth and fair, feeling like fine silk; no, even better than silk. His waist was so slender that Shen Yifeng felt he could wrap a hand around it, his hips were firm and shapely, and his legs were long and straight. He was exquisite in every detail, like a perfectly crafted figure, so beautiful that it was enough to make one’s pulse race.
As Shen Yifeng lay there, restless, his phone suddenly lit up. He picked it up and saw a message in a WeChat group. A friend named Li Tongyu had tagged another friend, He Chen, asking: “I have a crush on someone, how should I pursue them?”
He Chen teased him a bit before replying: “Use money. There is no one who does not like money. As long as you have enough, you can win anyone over.”
Looking at this, Shen Yifeng thought there was some truth to it. There seemed to be no one in the world who did not enjoy money, himself included.
At 7:00 AM, Shen Yifeng’s internal clock woke him up. The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was turn toward Jiang Wu. He was startled by what he saw: Jiang Wu’s face was flushed red, a clear sign of a fever.
Shen Yifeng immediately sat up, leaned over, and touched his forehead. He was burning up. He jumped out of bed, called the family doctor, and returned to Jiang Wu’s side. “Jiang Wu, wake up.”
After being called a few times, Jiang Wu slowly opened his eyes. He felt his head was heavy, and his body alternated between hot and cold chills. “I think I am sick.”
“Yes, I know. The doctor will be here soon,” Shen Yifeng said, his eyes filled with heartache.
Jiang Wu did not notice; he felt too miserable. Between the headache, nasal congestion, and the soreness in his throat and ankle, his physical discomfort began to affect him mentally. Just as he had thought yesterday, when one is sick, the mind is at its most vulnerable, and one naturally craves the presence of someone they rely on and are familiar with.
Jiang Wu thought of his family in his past world, but they were gone. He felt like an outsider in this world, profoundly alone. A wave of immense sadness surged from his heart, manifesting as tears that trickled down his cheeks.
Shen Yifeng watched the tears, feeling heartbroken and helpless. He wished he were the one who was sick instead. After a while, Jiang Wu felt someone wiping his tears away, and Shen Yifeng’s voice echoed: “Do not cry. I am here.”
Hearing the concerned tone, Jiang Wu felt as if he had found someone to confide in. “Shen Yifeng, it hurts.”
Shen Yifeng looked at him with gentle, unprecedented softness. “I know. The doctor is almost here.”
There are some people who cry harder the more they are comforted, and Jiang Wu was one of them. Tears flowed even more freely. “Shen Yifeng, my head hurts so much, and my ankle hurts too.”
The tone was so pitiful that it made one’s heart ache.
“What should I do to make you feel better?” Shen Yifeng wiped the relentless stream of tears.
Jiang Wu sniffled, choked back a sob, and said:
“Hold me.”
Shen Yifeng stiffened, then replied gently:
“How do you want me to hold you?”
“Hold me.” Jiang Wu repeated stubbornly, ignoring the question. He urgently needed to prove to himself that he was not alone in this world.
Unable to refuse, Shen Yifeng climbed onto the bed and pulled both Jiang Wu and the quilt into his arms. Feeling the warmth and scent of Shen Yifeng, Jiang Wu’s sense of loneliness diminished significantly. His head was swimming, and his hands gripped Shen Yifeng’s shirt tightly, as if afraid he would run away. Shen Yifeng watched the feverish Jiang Wu, gently patting his back.
A few moments later, the doorbell rang; the doctor had arrived. Shen Yifeng felt a sense of joy seeing how Jiang Wu clung to him, appearing so dependent. Usually, he would have loved for Jiang Wu to stay this way, but now he had to see the doctor.
“Jiang Jiang, let go for a moment, okay?”
But before he could finish, he heard Jiang Wu’s tearful voice: “Are you going to leave me too?”
Shen Yifeng immediately explained: “No, the doctor is here. I am going to open the door.” He vowed to him, “Really! You are sick, let the doctor look at you, okay? I will hold you again later.”
“Okay.” Listening to the assurance, Jiang Wu reluctantly released his grip on Shen Yifeng’s shirt.
After a thorough examination, the doctor concluded that it was a high fever caused by the injury. He gave Jiang Wu a fever-reducing injection and prescribed some medicine. By the time everything was settled, it was 9:00 AM. After the doctor left, Shen Yifeng fed Jiang Wu some porridge and medicine, then kept his promise to hold him while he fell asleep.
Perhaps because of the medicine, Jiang Wu felt less uncomfortable and soon fell asleep in Shen Yifeng’s arms. Shen Yifeng looked at Jiang Wu’s red, swollen eyes and sighed. This person was truly more difficult to raise than the Princess and the Pea. As if sensing Shen Yifeng’s thoughts, Jiang Wu dreamed of something pleasant, curved his lips, and unconsciously nuzzled against Shen Yifeng’s chest. He looked like a kitten, causing Shen Yifeng’s heart to soften. He tightened his embrace.
Difficult to raise, but I am happy to do it.
Once Jiang Wu was fast asleep, Shen Yifeng gently set him down and got out of bed. Today was out of the question for going to the office. He had to go to the study to call his assistant and handle some other matters. Plus, there was still Lu Xin to deal with. At the thought of her, Shen Yifeng’s expression darkened. He tucked Jiang Wu in, stepped out of the room quietly, and closed the door.
In the study, Shen Yifeng called Qi Gui to tell him he would not be in. Qi Gui had been confused as to why his boss had not arrived by nine, especially with pressing matters waiting. When he saw the call, he was surprised; in all the years he had worked for Shen Yifeng, he had never seen him miss work for anything. Intuition told him it had to do with the pretty boy who came to deliver lunch. Qi Gui clicked his tongue. He had heard from Xu Gu that their relationship was just a business partnership, but it seemed his boss was taking it quite seriously.