Having been in Hong Kong for a few days, Lu Zhixin had lost quite a bit of weight.

  When Xu Tingsheng got home, she was wearing pyjamas and covered by a blanket, her face pale as she lay on her bed. Seeing him, she struggled up, trying to get into a sitting position.

  Xu Tingsheng said nothing at all, holding onto her with one hand while placing the back of the other against her forehead. No thermometer was still needed at this point. Xu Tingsheng found a woolen blanket, wrapping it around Lu Zhixin and lifting her up.

  “Huh, what is it?” Lu Zhixin said.

  “Sending you to the hospital,” Xu Tingsheng said, “Any more of this and you’ll become a retard.”


  In the living room, Lu Zhixin suddenly said, “I’m not wearing any shoes……and also socks.”


  Xu Tingsheng looked down. Lu Zhixin’s pale feet were sticking out of the blanket.

  People suffering a high fever were especially susceptible to feeling cold.

  Lu Zhixin’s arms and legs were wrapped up by the blanket.

  Xu Tingsheng set her down on the living room sofa. Entering her room, he opened a drawer and found a pair of socks, and then a pair of shoes.

  Upon exiting the room, Xu Tingsheng’s face seemed rather strange, appearing a bit embarrassed as he also seemed a little like he wanted to laugh yet dared not do so.

  Seeing this, Lu Zhixin asked, “What’s with you?”


  Xu Tingsheng crouched down by the sofa and helped her to put on her socks, holding back his laughter as he remained silent.

  Lu Zhixin could not help but utter, “Ah……ah……”


  Xu Tingsheng asked, “What is it?”


  She said softly, “Itchy.”


  For some reason which he could not really explain, Xu Tingsheng reached out and tickled the bottom of her foot upon hearing this.

  Lu Zhixin nearly rolled off the sofa. As she was lifted up again, her face was red as she glared at Xu Tingsheng before she feigned a calm tone, “Why’re you so strange after going to get socks?”


  Xu Tingsheng enquired even as he continued to walk, “You sure you want to hear?”


  Looking at him, Lu Zhixin thought for a moment before saying, “Yes.”


  “It’s actually nothing. I just hadn’t thought that the underwear of a powerful career woman would be like this. I thought that it would be very rigid, just like how your face usually is. But in the end, your underwear is so womanly, so……exciting,” Xu Tingsheng tried to sound casual and objective.

  Only now did Lu Zhixin remember that her underwear and socks were kept in the same drawer, one on top on and one below……from the looks of it, Xu Tingsheng had probably ‘casually’ gone and taken a look.

  Due to her embarrassment, Lu Zhixin tensed up, flailing a little to show her dissatisfaction.

  Xu Tingsheng pretended not to notice it at all as holding onto her tightly, he continued, “It looks like I’ve been wronged now. That kinky underwear from last time……you actually liked it, right? You only got mad with me because you felt embarrassed. You have a few inside that are actually not any inferior……the one that you’re wearing now……”


  A flustered Lu Zhixin struggled more intensely, saying coldly, “I’ll walk on my own.”


  Xu Tingsheng said, “Calm down! Actually, I……rather liked that too.”


  And so Lu Zhixin ceased to struggle, burying her head in Xu Tingsheng’s chest as she did not speak.

  Xu Tingsheng drove her to the hospital.

  As he told the doctor in Emergency that Lu Zhixin was suffering from a high fever, the first thing the attendant nurse asked was, “She’s burning up so much that her face is this red?”


  Xu Tingsheng resisted the urge to smile, remaining silent. Lu Zhixin felt extremely embarrassed.

  It was determined that she had a 40 degree fever.

  Emergency physical cooling was applied on her and an IV drip next hung. Xu Tingsheng really dared not mess around now. He quickly got busy, almost getting into an argument with a nurse who moved relatively slowly as he stayed by her side till 2am, when the IV bottle finally ran dry.

  Lu Zhixin’s temperature was measured and found to have fallen to 38.7 degrees. Xu Tingsheng wanted her to stay behind in the hospital for observation. Still, she was vehemently against it for some unknown reason.

  Xu Tingsheng could only bend down and spread his arms apart.

  Lu Zhixin hesitated for a moment before putting her arms around Xu Tingsheng’s neck, allowing him to lift her up just like that.

  After reaching home and taking her medication, Lu Zhixin restfully lay down on her bed. Soon, it seemed that she had fallen asleep. Dripping with sweat from his exertions, Xu Tingsheng took a bath before changing into his pyjamas……

  When he poured water and walked into Lu Zhixin’s room again, beneath the pale moonlight, Lu Zhixin’s eyes were wide open as she gazed at him, standing over by the doorway.

  “I thought that you’d already fallen asleep,” Xu Tingsheng said.

  “I, I thought that you’d gone back to bed,” Though Lu Zhixin spoke calmly, Xu Tingsheng could sense the melancholy in her tone.

  How rare, how so very rare it was for Xu Tingsheng to see a soft, reliant Lu Zhixin. Feeling moved by this, he said warmly, “You get a good night’s rest. I’ll stay beside you for tonight.”


  After saying so, he moved a small stool over and sat down by her bedside.

  Lu Zhixin shook her head, paused for a bit and eventually nodded, “Okay.”


  Silence reigned for a while before Lu Zhixin who had been lying down quietly opened her eyes, looked right at Xu Tingsheng and confessed, “Xu Tingsheng, I really like being sick beside you.”


  “Huh?” Xu Tingsheng asked.

  Meeting his gaze, Lu Zhixin said, “I really envy Apple, really envy how you stayed by her side and coaxed her each day that she was sick. I was so jealous during that period of time, hated you so very much. Now, it’s finally my turn to fall sick beside you……”


  “I was most afraid of falling sick in the past. Dad would always be away, and there would be no one to look after me. I was all alone as I boiled water, ate my medicine, visited the hospital, hid under my covers and cried.”


  Xu Tingsheng smiled before reaching out and softly pinching Lu Zhixin’s palm. This had been his father’s way of comforting him in the past when he was still just a child and had fallen sick.

  “It really is great this way,” Lu Zhixin said, “Actually, I’m already feeling much better now, just that I can’t bear for this to……Let me be wilful just this once. You’re not allowed to leave tonight. Stay here by my side.”


  Xu Tingsheng nodded, “Alright. You have a good night’s rest. I won’t leave.”


  Hearing Xu Tingsheng say this, Lu Zhixin hesitated for a while before shifting closer to the wall. Leaving a considerable portion of the bed empty, she turned to face the wall and then fell silent.

  After a while, she said, “Sitting down is tiring.”


  Xu Tingsheng thought about it for a moment before carefully lying down on one side of the bed.

  That very moment Xu Tingsheng lay down, Lu Zhixin’s entire body clearly trembled slightly. As her bed wasn’t all that big, Xu Tingsheng dared not move as he lay there. Leaning by the wall, Lu Zhixin dared not move as well.

  It was just that their breathing continually resounded in the other’s ears.

  Moonlight was still filtering into the room through the window.

  Xu Tingsheng said, “You must be nervous. Will it be better if I go over and draw the curtains?”


  Lu Zhixin said, “No need. My eyes are closed.”


  They were silent for some time more before Lu Zhixin asked, “Xu Tingsheng, what time is it?”


  Xu Tingsheng said, “Hmm? It’s 3.30 already. You’re still not sleeping?”


  Lu Zhixin asked, “Xu Tingsheng, do you remember that time when you were sick? Back then, I actually really wished that I could be the one to take care of you. Seeing you rested on Apple’s thigh, seeing her taking care of you just so clumsily……I felt that the two of you……were very cruel.”


  Xu Tingsheng hesitated for a moment before apologising, “Sorry.”


  The truth was that ever since that first day when Apple had moved into the riverside residence, Xu Tingsheng had been very cruel and also unfair to Lu Zhixin.

  Lu Zhixin responded to Xu Tingsheng’s apology with a soft noise of affirmation.

  Then, the bed shook slightly as a burning hot body plunged over into Xu Tingsheng’s embrace.

  Lu Zhixin had her hands on Xu Tingsheng’s body, her head in his chest as one of her legs was resting on one of his.

  Xu Tingsheng could feel how the girl in his embrace was actually shivering slightly throughout. He dared not speak or extend his arm to put around her, dared not move even an inch, dared not breathe too forcefully……he was afraid that he might accidentally make a wrong move and startle away Lu Zhixin in her moment of rare frailty and weakness.

  It was just that this powerful career woman appeared very much ripe for the bullying right now.

  That was a female devil in the eyes of Hucheng’s employees, someone who often said sternly ‘Xu Tingsheng, we need to talk. Recently, you……Recently, the company……’ It was that Lu Zhixin.

  “Bullying a powerful career woman.”


  How incomparably enticing was such a prospect……

  The feeling of conquest was a desire that existed in all men.