Shi Zhi rolled out of Fu Yuchu’s arms and onto the bed. People who are sick are easily aggrieved. This tumble made his head feel even worse. Shi Zhi buried his face in the pillow and complained in a muffled voice, “Fu Yuchu, you’re bullying me.”
Fu Yuchu felt completely wronged. He wanted to bully him, but how would he dare? He pulled the person out from the pillow and wiped the tear from the corner of Shi Zhi’s eye with his thumb. Staring at his face, Fu Yuchu said, “I am not.”
“You are. You’re just bullying me.”
“When did I bully you?”
Shi Zhi’s tears flowed even faster. He sobbed, “You were mean to me. You were mean to me when we met at the law firm. You’ve been bullying me all along. You used a tie to bind me, you bit my foot, and you even hit my butt.”
Fu Yuchu: “…”
“Alright, I did bully you. I apologize.” Fu Yuchu rubbed Shi Zhi’s lip with his finger. “Can we go to the hospital first?”
“How can you be like this! I feel so bad, yet you still want me to go to the hospital!”
Fu Yuchu compromised. He stood up to get the medical kit, but his hand was caught. Shi Zhi stared with blurry, watery eyes and said, “Where are you going? Are you going to leave me too…?”
“No, I won’t leave you.” Fu Yuchu knew that sick people are exceptionally fragile. He squeezed the hot hand in his palm and kept his voice as gentle as possible. “We won’t go to the hospital. I’m going to get a towel to wipe you down. Wait here obediently, okay?”
“Really?” Shi Zhi pressed. “Really not going to the hospital?”
Fu Yuchu didn’t know why Shi Zhi rejected hospitals so much. It was the same at the bar entrance, and he was still resisting now even though he felt this bad. He didn’t press for a reason, only saying, “Yes, we won’t go. If you don’t want to go, we won’t.”
“Okay then. Come back quickly.”
Fu Yuchu brushed the hair off Shi Zhi’s forehead and left. When he returned with the supplies, Shi Zhi had drifted back into a groggy sleep. He took his temperature: 39.1°C.
Fu Yuchu pursed his lips, thinking that if the temperature didn’t come down soon, he would still have to take him to the hospital. He looked at the person who was frowning even in sleep due to discomfort, lowered his eyes, and silently began to work.
He placed a cooling patch on Shi Zhi’s forehead, wiped his entire body with a warm, damp towel, and then used alcohol to wipe his neck, armpits, and leg joints. Watching Shi Zhi’s brow gradually relax, Fu Yuchu felt a sense of peace.
Finally, the main lights were turned off, leaving only a bedside lamp. In the dim yellow glow, Fu Yuchu lay lightly beside Shi Zhi, quietly watching his sleeping face. In the rhythm of his steady breathing, Fu Yuchu very lightly buried his head in Shi Zhi’s neck and closed his eyes.
Fu Yuchu got up several times in between to repeat the physical cooling process. It wasn’t until dawn approached, when Shi Zhi’s temperature finally seemed to stabilize, that he dared to nap for a short while.
But not long after he fell asleep, he was startled awake by Shi Zhi’s whimpers.
“How is it? Do you still feel bad?”
“Mm, it hurts.” Shi Zhi frowned, looking like he was about to cry.
Fu Yuchu touched Shi Zhi’s forehead; it was burning to the touch, which instantly jolted him awake. He took his temperature: 39°C. The fever had returned.
Fu Yuchu pursed his lips, glancing at the clock: 6:43 AM. Regardless, he found a phone and dialed.
In his grogginess, Shi Zhi heard Fu Yuchu on the phone. He was far away, so he couldn’t hear the person on the other end, only Fu Yuchu’s lowered voice—short, steady, and reliable.
“Yes, I wiped him down.”
“Last night? He only drank half a bowl of ginger soup. Right, no medicine. I don’t know if he has a history of allergies, so I didn’t dare give him anything.”
“Yes.”
“It went down in the middle of the night, but it just came back.”
“I don’t know, let me check.” Fu Yuchu searched the home medical kit for a long time, then said with a cold face, “No. Can you deliver it?”
“Okay, I’ll go pick it up in a bit.”
“Allergies? Let me ask…”
“Roxi… Roxithromycin allergy,” Shi Zhi said in a small voice.
Fu Yuchu glanced at him, naturally took his hand, and said into the phone, “Roxithromycin. Okay, call me when you reach the community entrance.”
After hanging up, Fu Yuchu looked down at Shi Zhi.
“I’m sorry.” Shi Zhi licked his dry lips.
Fu Yuchu fed him some water and asked, “Why are you saying sorry?”
“I didn’t go to the hospital, which caused all this trouble. I’ve inconvenienced you.”
“Then do you want to go to the hospital?”
Shi Zhi shook his head. “I don’t want to.”
“I understand,” Fu Yuchu said. “If you don’t want to go, then don’t. I don’t find it troublesome, so you don’t need to say sorry.” He added, “I’m not angry either.”
“But you seem unhappy.” Shi Zhi gave the hand they were holding a little shake.
Because I’m heartbroken seeing you suffer. Fu Yuchu closed his eyes and said, “When you’re better, I’ll be happy.”
Shi Zhi didn’t speak; he just held Fu Yuchu’s hand and looked at him. Fu Yuchu felt his heart turn sour and soft from that clingy, dependent gaze. He covered Shi Zhi’s eyes with his hand, saying words that didn’t match his feelings: “Don’t look at me like that.” Feeling his palm poked by eyelashes, he hurriedly let go and stood by the bed. “I’m going to the entrance to get the medicine. Sleep for a bit.”
Shi Zhi said nothing, but shook his hand again.
“Good boy.” Fu Yuchu touched his head and left.
In the morning, Shi Zhi took the medicine. After being coaxed by Fu Yuchu into drinking half a bowl of porridge, he fell back into a deep sleep.
Fu Yuchu sent a message to Xiang Jing and handled work from home. He brought his laptop into the bedroom so he could work while looking after Shi Zhi, which was why he saw Fu Yumeng’s call immediately.
He tried calling Shi Zhi a few times, but the sleeping person only twitched his lips and continued to sleep. Fu Yumeng’s call was persistent. Fu Yuchu thought for a moment and answered.
“A-Zhi! You finally picked up!” As soon as the call connected, Fu Yumeng’s excited voice came through. “I sent you so many messages and you didn’t reply to any of them. I thought something happened to you. I was scared to death!”
Fu Yuchu lowered the volume and stepped out of the room before saying, “This is Fu Yuchu.”
“Ah… ah??!!!” Fu Yumeng didn’t react for a moment, asking blankly, “Then where is A-Zhi?”
“He’s asleep,” Fu Yuchu said. Then, fearing she would misunderstand, he explained, “He was in the rain yesterday and has a bit of a fever. He’s sleeping now after taking medicine.”
Fu Yumeng: “Oh. How… how did you end up answering the phone?”
“Mm, he’s at my house.”
There was no sound for a long time. Just as Fu Yuchu was about to explain further, Fu Yumeng spoke: “I see. Um, is A-Zhi okay?”
“He’s fine. I’ll look after him.”
“Thank you…” Fu Yumeng hesitated for a few seconds before asking, “Can I come over and see him? I won’t feel at ease if I don’t see him…”
“Sorry,” Fu Yuchu said. “I’m not used to having people over.”
Fu Yumeng: “…I see. Alright then.” She thought for a moment and said, “How about I make a video call and you show him to me? I just want to confirm he’s safe.”
Fu Yuchu: “…”
“Fine,” Fu Yuchu said. Originally, he wanted to tell her to add his work WeChat, but before he could, she hurriedly gave him Shi Zhi’s phone passcode. “I’ll leave it to you then, Lawyer Fu.”
Fu Yuchu swallowed the words he was about to say, hung up, entered the passcode, and opened WeChat. Fu Yumeng’s video call popped up.
Fu Yuchu switched to the rear camera before answering. He reminded her, “His sleep is unsettled. Don’t make a sound later; just look.”
Fu Yumeng: “…Okay.”
After confirming that Shi Zhi was indeed just sick and not injured, Fu Yumeng felt relieved. Only then did she belatedly realize her earlier actions were a bit hurtful. She gave Fu Yuchu a look, and once he stepped out of the room, she said apologetically, “I’m really sorry just now, Lawyer Fu. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you, it’s just that A-Zhi is a bit naive, and I was afraid of him being bullied…”
Amidst Fu Yumeng’s increasingly convoluted explanation, Fu Yuchu smiled and said, “It’s fine. I know you’re just concerned about him. I don’t mind.”
“Lawyer Fu, you’re a good person. I feel at ease with you looking after Shi Zhi.”
Fu Yuchu automatically ignored the word “looking after” and thanked her in a good mood: “Thank you.” He added, “How did you know his phone passcode?”
Fu Yumeng chuckled. “We’re best friends. He knows my passcode too. There are no secrets between best friends.”
“Your relationship is truly good.” Fu Yuchu’s tone was very sour.
Fu Yumeng didn’t catch it. She finished by saying, “When A-Zhi is better, come to my shop for afternoon tea.”
The video call ended. Fu Yuchu was about to lock the phone and go back, but then his gaze paused on a certain avatar in WeChat. He gave up on returning to the bedroom and walked into the living room with the phone.
He didn’t mean to pry. This wasn’t an invasion of privacy; it was just that the red notification dot on the screen was too annyoing—his OCD couldn’t take it. He was just helping Shi Zhi clear the notification. That’s what Fu Yuchu thought.
Leaning against the wall, Fu Yuchu clicked on the chat with the watercolor sky avatar. Looking at the note “Ning Ge,” the corners of his mouth tightened into a straight line.
Ning Ge. Such an intimate way to call him. He was also older than Shi Zhi; why didn’t Shi Zhi call him “Ge”?
Fu Yuchu pursed his lips and scrolled through the screen. There were many messages, all sent over the past two days:
Ning Ge: [Have you gone back?] Ning Ge: [How are you getting back? Should I pick you up?] Ning Ge: [Wife, don’t ignore me.]
The messages from last night: Ning Ge: [You didn’t go home. Where did you go?] Ning Ge: [Did Fu Yumeng take you out to mess around?] Ning Ge: [Speak, Shi Zhi!]
The last message from this morning: Ning Ge: [Shi Zhi, come back. Let’s talk.]
Fu Yuchu let out a cold snort. Just as he was about to close the phone and go back, it vibrated again:
Ning Ge: [Wife, I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. Please forgive me this once, okay?] Ning Ge: [I miss you. Seeing your things in the room makes me think of you. I really miss you…]
Seeing this message, Fu Yuchu’s eyes turned green with envy. To his surprise, the other person actually made a video call at this moment. Fu Yuchu stared at the vibrating screen, a storm brewing in his eyes.
“Who are you?” On the screen, Xu Yining’s face was distorted. “Where is Shi Zhi?”
“He’s asleep.”
“What did you do to Shi Zhi? Let him answer the video!!!”
“I told you,” Fu Yuchu said calmly, staring at the hated face on the phone, “he’s asleep by my side.”
He deliberately emphasized the words “by my side.”
Sure enough, the person on the other end became fly into a rage and began to twist the facts: “Getting involved with someone who has a fiancé—do you have any sense of shame?”
“No.” Fu Yuchu closed his eyes to help the other side recognize reality. “You are not fiancé and fiancé. He stopped loving you long ago and already said you’re broken up. You’re just sticking to him like a Band-Aid.”
“Even so, Shi Zhi is my wife. As long as we haven’t broken off the engagement, I am Shi Zhi’s fiancé. And you are just a shameless, immoral ‘third party’!”
Fu Yuchu sneered. “So what? Are you so honorable and noble?”
“I’m not noble, but I’ve had years of history with Shi Zhi. What do you have?” The man on the other end mocked, “He drew a custom avatar for me and gave me his most important ‘small building.’ We’re getting married in October. Even if I make a mistake, he’ll forgive me. And you if you had enough confidence, why are you doing this now?”
Fu Yuchu was deeply shaken. The sharp ringtone of the phone echoed in the living room, startling him out of his trance. Shi Zhi’s screen lit up and dimmed, lit up and dimmed, repeating several times before falling silent.
Ultimately, Fu Yuchu did not press the answer button as he had intended, even though he was nearly being scorched by jealousy and resentment. He just couldn’t. He realized he had softened his heart after all not toward Xu Yining, but toward Shi Zhi. He couldn’t allow Shi Zhi to face even a single shred of accusation. Not at all.
The phone vibrated twice more:
Ning Ge: [Shi Zhi, I want to talk to you. For the sake of the injury I took for you, can we sit down and talk properly?] Ning Ge: [I’ll be home these few days. I’ll wait for you to come back.]
Fu Yuchu stared at these two messages for a few seconds. To hell with softening his heart. Under the long string of unanswered messages from Xu Yining, a reply suddenly appeared:
Shi: [Get lost.]
Finally, it was quiet.
Fu Yuchu pursed his lips and thought for a few seconds. He picked up the phone again and moved his finger to delete the messages one by one. He wasn’t being despicable; he just didn’t want Shi Zhi to be morally blackmailed. Shi Zhi was too easily softened. Fu Yuchu thought: From now on, only be soft-hearted toward me.
The phone rang again. Fu Yuchu impatiently answered. “Speak.”
“Dammit, big brother, even if you’re working from home, you can’t just ignore messages and calls. People who know you think you’re so immersed in work you can’t pull yourself out, while people who don’t think you’ve been kidnapped by an opposing party who lost their case.” Xiang Jing ranted before curiously prying, “What were you doing just now? You actually hung up on me.”
Fu Yuchu didn’t want to hear his nonsense. He asked in a cold voice, “Do you have something?”
“It’s not anything major. Yun Sheng contacted us again. They seem quite desperate, saying the price is negotiable as long as you take the case.”
Fu Yuchu’s eyes narrowed. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Wait until I’m back at the firm.”
“When are you coming back?”
“I don’t know.” Fu Yuchu glanced toward the bedroom. “I’ll have to ask.”
Xiang Jing: “???” Before he could ask who he was planning to ask, Fu Yuchu hung up.
Shi Zhi slept exceptionally well. When he woke up, he found he was the only one in the room. The sun was hidden behind the sheer curtains, and the clock on the wall was ticking away. He stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling for a while, then slowly sat up. Wearing the oversized pajamas that didn’t belong to him and dragging his slippers, he sluggishly made his way to the living room.
Fu Yuchu was preparing dinner.
The sunset filtered through the north-facing floor-to-ceiling windows into the room, draping the busy man in an apron with a golden veil, making his usually cold profile appear exceptionally soft. The faint aroma of food filled the air; time seemed to be bathed in warmth.
Shi Zhi sat at the dining table, resting his head on his hands, watching the busy silhouette, his thoughts gradually drifting.
“Awake?” Fu Yuchu’s voice sounded above him. “Why are you up? Do you still feel bad?”
Shi Zhi snapped back to reality and shook his head, saying blankly, “I didn’t see you when I woke up.”
“I came out to make dinner. You were sleeping deeply, so I didn’t wake you. Sorry.” Fu Yuchu spoke words of apology, but his eyes were smiling. He then asked, “Are you better? Do you still feel unwell?”
He was about to touch Shi Zhi’s forehead, but the moment he raised his hand, he remembered he had just washed vegetables and his hand was wet. So, he lowered his head and very naturally pressed his forehead against Shi Zhi’s. Under Shi Zhi’s bewildered gaze, he said, “Not hot. It looks like the fever broke.”
Shi Zhi blinked.
Fu Yuchu stepped back a little, looking into his eyes. “Rest for a bit. Dinner will be ready soon.”
“Oh.” Shi Zhi nodded blankly.
It wasn’t until Fu Yuchu entered the kitchen and the roar of the range hood began that Shi Zhi belatedly realized Fu Yuchu actually had a tear mole at the outer corner of his left eye. He hadn’t noticed it before.
Dinner was light. Shi Zhi had been feverish for a day and a night, so he really didn’t have much of an appetite. After a few bites, he didn’t really want to eat anymore. Just as he was about to put down his chopsticks, he heard Fu Yuchu let out a sigh. “I’m usually alone and rarely cook. If you’re not used to it, don’t force yourself. I’ll order delivery later.”
Looking at Fu Yuchu’s defeated expression, Shi Zhi found he couldn’t bring himself to say he didn’t want to eat. He could only pick up the chopsticks again and slowly eat the vegetables. Although the taste was indeed very mediocre, Shi Zhi said against his own heart, “No, it’s not that I’m not used to it.” He thought to himself: It must be that my sense of taste is malfunctioning because of the cold, not that Fu Yuchu’s cooking skills are poor.
After dinner, Fu Yuchu washed the dishes. Shi Zhi sat slumped in a chair, and only then did he notice that the pajamas he was wearing were not the same set as before. He instinctively asked, “Did you help me change my clothes?”
“Mm.” Fu Yuchu popped a piece of sliced fruit into Shi Zhi’s mouth, his tone casual. “You were sweating from the fever, and the previous clothes were a bit damp.”
Feeling his body clean and fresh, Shi Zhi thought to himself: It seems Fu Yuchu not only helped him change, but also wiped down his body. In that case, hasn’t he been seen completely by Fu Yuchu? But he seemed to have already been seen completely a long time ago. They had already slept together, so it was just being seen. Shi Zhi stopped worrying about it.
However, a person’s bottom line is lowered through such repeated self-persuasion.
When Shi Zhi lay on the bed and saw Fu Yuchu, who had finished his shower and was walking toward him with wet hair, he swallowed. “You… you’re sleeping here?”
“Hmm?” Fu Yuchu looked puzzled. He said, “Where else?”
Where else? You should go to the master bedroom! Oh… this room seems to be the master bedroom; it even has Fu Yuchu’s scent.
Shi Zhi: “…”
“Maybe I should go to the guest room.”
Fu Yuchu looked down at Shi Zhi and didn’t speak. Droplets of water flowed from his hair into his collar and disappeared. His mind occupied by various random images, Shi Zhi felt he was developing a fever again.
“There’s only this one bedroom in the house that’s habitable.” Just as Shi Zhi wanted to say something to break the awkwardness, Fu Yuchu spoke. He said seriously, “Why don’t I sleep on the floor? I took care of you last night and barely slept a wink; the sofa is too narrow to sleep soundly on.”
Shi Zhi felt he was being too much. Taking someone’s bedroom, sleeping in their bed, and then making them sleep on the floor or the sofa after they hadn’t slept all night because they were taking care of him—it was indeed too much.
And what was the big deal about sleeping in one bed? It wasn’t like they hadn’t done it before. He, Shi Zhi, wasn’t some overly dramatic or squeamish person!
So he said generously, “No need to sleep on the floor. Come up; we’ll sleep together.”
“Thank you,” Fu Yuchu said gratefully.
It wasn’t until Fu Yuchu lay down beside him and the strong, unique scent of Fu Yuchu invaded Shi Zhi’s nerves that he realized—this was Fu Yuchu’s home; why was he saying thank you?
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Shi Zhi kicked him through the covers.
Fu Yuchu gave a muffled laugh, and the bed shook slightly.
“How can you be like this?”
Fu Yuchu let out a yawn, looking very sleepy. “So tired. Go to sleep quickly.” Before Shi Zhi could speak, a strong, powerful arm rested over him on the covers, around his waist. Warm breath hit the back of his neck. Fu Yuchu’s voice carried a heavy fatigue: “I really didn’t sleep at all last night.”
Shi Zhi stopped talking. The breathing behind him soon became steady and deep; Fu Yuchu had fallen asleep.
Shi Zhi quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t even know what he was nervous about. He tentatively tried to move to the side, but the arm around his waist didn’t loosen; instead, it tightened, and the chest pressed against his back was unusually hot.
“Don’t move. I’m really sleepy.” Fu Yuchu rubbed against Shi Zhi’s neck and murmured, “Be good. Go to sleep.”
Shi Zhi gave up his struggle. He was swept away by sleepiness amidst the thumping heartbeat against his ears. In his half-awake state, he thought: After dinner, why didn’t he leave? It must be that the fever from the cold had damaged his brain; he wasn’t very clear-headed.