Chapter 65
When Huo Youqiao saw Ye Zhi come in with the umbrella, he breathed a small sigh of relief. The rain was neither heavy nor light, but it was enough to drench someone if they walked through it. Huo Youqiao’s main concern was precisely this. Seeing Ye Zhi with the umbrella, some of his worry was alleviated.
Ye Zhi walked very slowly, each step silent as if afraid of disturbing someone. Though Huo Youqiao couldn’t see his face, he inexplicably felt that Ye Zhi was not happy at the moment.
He knew all too well the reason for Ye Zhi’s unhappiness.
Originally, Huo Youqiao just wanted to see Ye Zhi return safely and then go to bed, but an inexplicable urge made him grab a random cup and head downstairs, where he saw Ye Zhi in his wretched state.
Ye Zhi had entered his bedroom, but Huo Youqiao still couldn’t calm down. His uncontrollable worry kept haunting him, and eventually, he found the medicine box, made a cup of cold medicine, and went to knock on Ye Zhi’s door.
He knocked for a while with no response, and a bad premonition arose in his heart. Without further hesitation, he opened the door and went in. Seeing the empty bedroom, he quickly put down the cup and headed towards the bathroom.
The bathroom door was made of frosted glass, so he could see the light inside but not any figure, and there was no sound of water. Huo Youqiao knocked hard a few times, and when he got no response, he opened the door.
Ye Zhi had fainted in the bathtub.
Fortunately, he was curled up, and fortunately, the bathtub was too small for him to stretch out, otherwise, with his current state, he might have drowned.
This scene was enough to make Huo Youqiao’s heart thump violently.
Striding forward, he almost roughly pulled Ye Zhi out of the water. Not caring if his clothes got wet, Huo Youqiao carried him out, dried him off with a towel, and then put him into bed.
The untouched bed was cold, making Ye Zhi frown and curl up, his heavy eyelids showing signs of opening. Huo Youqiao quickly opened the wardrobe and found a set of pajamas among Ye Zhi’s few clothes. He started dressing him, and when he reached the underwear, Ye Zhi finally opened his eyes with great effort. Feeling hands touching his lower body, he instinctively shrank back, “No…”
Huo Youqiao paused, his breath hitching, and he looked away, speaking in a low voice, “I’m dressing you.”
“Oh…” Ye Zhi’s mind was too muddled and buzzing, so his reaction was slow. Huo Youqiao quickly dressed him, then tucked him in again. He touched Ye Zhi’s hair, finding it half-dry, but still went to get a hairdryer to dry it completely.
Ye Zhi let him do as he pleased, apart from curling up, showing no other reaction. His eyelids sometimes struggled to open, but mostly they remained tiredly closed. Once Huo Youqiao dried his hair, he saw that Ye Zhi’s cheeks were no longer pale but flushed and hot to the touch.
As expected, he had a high fever.
Even giving him cold medicine wouldn’t help much, so Huo Youqiao called a doctor. Meanwhile, he tried to feed Ye Zhi the medicine.
It was a difficult process; the unconscious Ye Zhi kept curling up, making it hard to get him to sit up. In the end, Huo Youqiao had to forcibly hold him in his arms, wrapping him tightly in the quilt, and then brought the cup to his lips, using a gentle, coaxing tone, “Drink some hot water, you’ll feel better.”
The medicine had cooled to just the right temperature. It was children’s medicine, so even without tasting, the sweet smell was noticeable.
Ye Zhi fidgeted in his arms, clearly uncomfortable with anyone being around him in this state, so he kept wriggling, trying to escape the man’s grasp. Although Huo Youqiao initially had no such thoughts, Ye Zhi’s movements eventually caused an involuntary reaction, making him frown and speak more sternly, “Stop moving, open your mouth, and drink the medicine.”
Unexpectedly, Ye Zhi complied, opening his mouth obediently. Huo Youqiao lifted the cup and fed him, watching as he drank each sip, so compliant it made his heart ache.
Perhaps the warmth cleared his mind a little, and Ye Zhi managed to open his eyes again, this time focusing enough to search for who was taking care of him. When he recognized Huo Youqiao’s features, Huo Youqiao clearly felt him tremble, as if startled.
Using a tissue to wipe Ye Zhi’s mouth, Huo Youqiao asked, “What are you looking at?”
Ye Zhi tried to hide, curling up and rolling towards the edge of the bed, disoriented and heading for the floor.
Huo Youqiao caught him just in time, preventing him from falling. Seeing how much Ye Zhi avoided him, Huo Youqiao felt a twinge of displeasure, “Do you really not want to see me that much?”
With Huo Youqiao holding him firmly, Ye Zhi, already weak, had no strength to struggle. His feverish mind took a long time to process Huo Youqiao’s words, so he answered slowly, “You don’t like me.”
