The Fever

The song was beautiful. Although Li Changle's voice couldn't convey Lin Yueru's feelings, you could tell from the lyrics that it was a song about unrequited love.

When it came to love, meeting someone at the right time was less important than meeting them early. If Lin Yueru had met Li Xiaoyao first, perhaps the ending of Legend of Sword and Fairy wouldn't have been so sad.

The whole song was sung with a wistful sigh, leaving listeners feeling heavy-hearted—especially those who had experienced the story of Legend of Sword and Fairy.

Wang Siyi could relate to it all too well. If she listened to the song while watching Legend of Sword and Fairy 1, she'd probably cry.

As if something had occurred to her, Wang Siyi sang a little of Always Quiet, too.

Li Changle looked at her in surprise. This woman had quite a gift for singing...

She'd heard him sing it just once, yet she'd already remembered the melody, and she hadn't gotten the lyrics wrong, either.

It sounded lovely—much better than when he'd sung it just now. That was Li Changle's first impression.

But when Wang Siyi finished, she shook her head. This song wasn't right for her.

It wasn't that it didn't sound good. Her voice simply didn't have the right quality; she couldn't bring out the sorrow in Always Quiet.

Her voice was cool and clear, almost ethereal. The song might sound better with a voice that was slightly husky.

If she sang it, it would only come across as an awkward imitation. She shook her head and gave up on asking Li Changle to sell her the song.

Thinking about it, she let out a self-mocking laugh. She'd said she was giving up singing, so why was she still thinking about releasing an album? This song really wasn't right for her.

In a bad mood, Wang Siyi said she wanted to go back to her room and rest. Li Changle had no choice but to help her to the master bedroom.

Wang Siyi lay on the bed without a word, staring blankly at the ceiling. Not knowing what was bothering her now, Li Changle didn't dare ask.

He stepped out quietly and pulled the door shut behind him.

Lying on the bed, Wang Siyi wondered, Did I really have to give up singing now?

She'd already made up her mind, so why did the thought of it now leave her feeling so unwilling to let go?

She didn't notice Li Changle leave. Feeling tired, she simply pulled up the covers and fell into a deep sleep.

Wang Siyi dreamed again. In her dream, she hadn't given up singing, and she'd found a wonderful song just as she'd hoped.

As soon as her album came out, it became a sensation. With that album, Wang Siyi had successfully risen to become a first-tier singer.

But in the dream, she couldn't seem to feel happy. She had the feeling she'd forgotten something.

As a first-tier singer, she had more and more appearances to make and grew busier by the day. She never went back to live at Xingfuli again.

At last, she remembered that Li Changle had written the song for her. She hurried from Shanghai to Yangcheng, only to discover that Li Changle had moved away long ago.

He'd told her he wanted a simple life: to fall in love with a girl he'd never met before, but who was just right for him, then get married and start a life together...

Standing in the empty room, Wang Siyi felt hollow inside. In a daze, she wandered down the street.

Then she spotted Li Changle on a street corner, holding hands with a girl as they shopped together, laughing and chatting. They both looked so happy, so content.

Wang Siyi watched them walk right past her.

Wang Siyi looked at Li Changle, and he glanced back at her, too. But he paid her no mind, walking past as if he didn't know her...

In the dream, Wang Siyi found the sight unbearable. Suddenly, she summoned her courage and walked up to Li Changle and the girl.

With tears streaming down her face, she asked Li Changle, "Don't you recognize me anymore...?"

Li Changle looked at her in confusion and was about to speak.

Then Wang Siyi woke up, jolted from her dream. When she came to, she found tears in the corners of her eyes and on her cheeks...

Wang Siyi sat up and stared blankly ahead, the scene from her dream replaying over and over in her mind. She realized that tears were streaming down her face again...

Why was I crying?

It was perfectly normal for him to date someone else. It was perfectly normal for him to marry someone else, too.

It was she who was acting strangely, clinging to him like this.

He had saved her and helped her time and again. While she'd been staying at Xingfuli, he'd always looked after her.

He'd seen her at her most embarrassing, but he'd never laughed at her, let alone said anything to wound her.

At some point, she'd started finding herself unable to resist acting coy with him.

He was a good man, and he treated her so well. He'd stepped in when she was in the greatest danger, so of course she'd given him a place to stay.

But after that, he'd kept showing up whenever she felt most helpless, bringing her warmth.

Maybe that was why she'd grown so dependent on him.

Wang Siyi had never been in love, and she didn't know if she'd fallen for Li Changle.

But she knew that when Li Changle said he was moving away, it made her sad.

When he cooked for her, it made her happy.

When he applied medicine to her wounds, it made her feel safe.

When he said he was going away to travel for a while, it made her anxious.

When she dreamed of him walking hand in hand with another girl, laughing and chatting, her heart ached, and she even cried.

Wang Siyi sat on the bed for a while and sighed. She realized she was drenched in sweat.

She took the remote from the bedside table and turned on the air conditioner. Then she lay back down, unable to settle her thoughts, and simply closed her eyes to stop thinking.

At seven that evening, Li Changle had already made dinner, but there was no sign that the master bedroom door would open.

Li Changle didn't think much of it. She'd been like this last time, too. She'd probably come out when she got hungry.

He sent her a message on WeChat, but she didn't reply.

Then he called her, but she didn't answer.

Li Changle began to feel that something was wrong. He went to the master bedroom door and noticed a faint chill coming from underneath it.

He couldn't help shivering. It was already autumn, and the weather was cool. Why was this woman setting the air conditioner so low? Was something wrong with her head?

He knocked, but got no response. Unable to sit still, Li Changle opened the door himself. Thankfully, it wasn't locked from the inside.

The moment he stepped into the master bedroom, goose bumps rose all over his body. It was freezing.

Then he saw Wang Siyi, curled up and still sleeping without a blanket.

"You haven't even covered yourself, and you've got the air conditioner on. Were you really that hot...?"

He muttered to himself. Seeing that she was still asleep, he decided to wake her.

He called to her several times, but she didn't seem to hear him. So he simply patted her arm.

She didn't wake. Her arm was cold from the air conditioner. Li Changle hurriedly grabbed the remote, turned off the air conditioner, and covered her with the blanket.

He stared at her, exasperated. This woman hadn't seemed very bright lately.

One ridiculous stunt after another. With a helpless sigh, he decided not to wake her. Instead, he sat down and watched her.

She looked peaceful when she slept, and quite beautiful—like a sleeping princess, eyes closed.

Even in her sleep, though, her brows were furrowed, as if her mind was burdened with worries.

Wang Siyi dreamed again. In her dream, she was walking alone down the street in the rain, letting the water pour over her. The wind chilled her to the bone, and she curled in on herself.

Then the rain stopped. No, someone behind her had opened an umbrella, and warmth began to spread through her body.

It was Li Changle again. He draped his coat over her shoulders.

Feeling warmth spread through her, she was just about to turn and look at him when she woke up again.

She struggled to open her eyes and realized her head hurt. Her forehead felt hot, and her eyes stung until tears spilled out. Her throat was dry, too, and hurt with every swallow.

When Wang Siyi opened her eyes, she saw the blanket over her and Li Changle standing beside her.

"You're awake. What's wrong with you? It's cold enough already, and you still set the air conditioner so low. You didn't even cover yourself..."

Li Changle kept chattering, but Wang Siyi didn't answer. Her throat hurt so much that even making a sound was difficult.

Her head still hurt, her forehead was burning, and she felt dizzy.

As Li Changle went on, he realized Wang Siyi wasn't saying anything. She was just staring at him.

Something seemed off, so he hurriedly asked her,

"What's wrong...?"

"I... I don't feel well."

Wang Siyi managed to speak, her voice hoarse.

Li Changle was startled. How had her voice gotten so hoarse in just one afternoon?

Then he realized what was going on. Without another word, he reached out and felt Wang Siyi's forehead.

"You're burning up. You have a fever!"

Wang Siyi frowned at Li Changle's gesture but said nothing.

She didn't like him reaching out and touching her forehead so suddenly, but when his hand rested against it, she didn't feel uncomfortable.

Instead, his hand felt warm. It was just that she felt unwell, and tears still clung to her cheeks. She felt a little embarrassed.

Women were such a hassle!

Ever since he'd met Wang Siyi by the stairwell, Li Changle had wholeheartedly agreed with that saying.

At first, when he'd just met her, he'd thought she was aloof but not stupid. Later, he realized how wrong he'd been.

How could she be so foolish...?

"Wait here. I'll go downstairs and get you some fever medicine. Is anything else bothering you? Your throat hurts, right?"

Wang Siyi could barely speak, so she only nodded to show he was right.

With a sigh, Li Changle went out. Before leaving, he reminded Wang Siyi not to remove the blanket or turn on the air conditioner.

He was afraid she'd do something ridiculous again. Wang Siyi watched Li Changle leave the room, pressed her lips together, and said nothing.

She lay back down without going to sleep again. She simply stared at the ceiling, but this time her eyes held some light. They weren't empty anymore.

It felt so good to know someone cared. He cared about her, too. He'd gotten worried when he realized she had a fever.

Li Changle returned from the pharmacy downstairs with medicine and saw Wang Siyi grinning foolishly.

He felt like the fever had gone to her head. Why was she smiling when she was sick?