Not a Dream

On his day off, Gu Yuechen finally agreed to come see Yu Yaochen.

Even playing hard to get had to have its limits. If he dragged it out too long and Yu Yaochen truly forgot about him, then all his previous efforts would have been wasted.

Gu Yuechen pressed the doorbell of the little western-style house, but there was no response.

He pressed it twice more. Still, no one came to open the door, so he took out his phone and called Yu Yaochen.

When no one answered again, he could not help frowning.

Had he overdone it? Had Yu Yaochen really started ignoring him?

Gu Yuechen's gaze suddenly turned cold. He would not give up just like that.

He had secretly watched Yu Yaochen enter the password before, so he raised his hand and tried entering it himself.

The door opened, and Gu Yuechen immediately walked inside.

Breaking into someone's home was illegal, but he believed Yu Yaochen would not make trouble for him.

"Chenchen, are you here?"

"Chenchen, I called you, but you didn't answer. I was a little worri—"

His voice abruptly stopped. He saw Yu Yaochen lying on the sofa with his eyes tightly shut, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead and an unnatural flush on his cheeks.

What was wrong with him?

Gu Yuechen slowed his steps and quietly approached, calling his name softly. "Chenchen?"

Yu Yaochen did not react much.

Gu Yuechen sensed that something was wrong. He bent down and placed the back of his hand against Yu Yaochen's forehead.

So hot.

He actually had a fever.

Gu Yuechen straightened up, looking at him with mockery in his eyes.

How obsessed with painting could he be? Staying here even when he was sick—wasn't he afraid of frying his brain?

Gu Yuechen picked up his phone, intending to call Pei Huanyi.

But after opening his contacts, he paused and looked Yu Yaochen over.

How could he still be so beautiful even when sick? Like a broken beauty, even more alluring than usual.

Gu Yuechen gritted his teeth in jealousy and put his phone back in his pocket.

He was not about to let Pei Huanyi come over and take care of Yu Yaochen.

"Such a pain," Gu Yuechen muttered, then turned and went out to buy medicine.

Nearly an hour later, Gu Yuechen returned carrying a bag full of things, grumbling the whole time.

"Living in such a crappy place, and there isn't even a pharmacy nearby. I spent so much on a taxi. Meeting you was seriously bad luck."

Gu Yuechen took a thermometer from the bag and checked Yu Yaochen's temperature first.

When he found it had reached thirty-nine degrees, his frown deepened. He turned and went into the kitchen to pour a cup of warm water.

Returning to the sofa, he bent down and helped Yu Yaochen sit up.

"Chenchen, open your mouth and take your medicine." He patted Yu Yaochen's face. "This is fever medicine. You'll get better after taking it."

Yu Yaochen seemed to regain a little awareness and parted his lips slightly.

Gu Yuechen quickly placed the medicine in his mouth, then lifted the cup and used water to wash it down.

Yu Yaochen choked on the water and began coughing violently.

Afraid that he would cough up the medicine, Gu Yuechen hurriedly covered his lips with his hand.

"Stop coughing. What if you cough the medicine back out?"

He did not know whether it was his imagination, but his palm suddenly became wet.

Realizing something, Gu Yuechen pulled his hand back as if burned and wiped it on his pants.

"So disgusting," Gu Yuechen complained under his breath.

After Yu Yaochen took the fever medicine, Gu Yuechen helped him lie back down. Then he went to the bathroom to fill a basin with water, soaked a towel in it, wrung it out, and laid it on Yu Yaochen's forehead.

Gu Yuechen brought over a chair and sat beside him to look after him.

Seeing that he was sweating badly, he got up to find some clothes upstairs for him to change into.

Yu Yaochen seemed to wake up. He suddenly grabbed his wrist. "Yuechen, you're willing to talk to me again?"

Gu Yuechen was startled by the sudden movement and snapped, "You woke up without saying anything. You nearly scared me to death."

"Yuechen..." Yu Yaochen's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Why did you suddenly stop talking to me?"

Gu Yuechen raised his brows. Had the fever muddled his mind? Why was he talking so strangely?

When Gu Yuechen said nothing, Yu Yaochen's fingers began tightening, squeezing Gu Yuechen hard enough to hurt.

"Hiss—" Gu Yuechen sucked in a breath. How was he still this strong when he was sick? "Let go of me. I need to go upstairs and get you some clothes."

Yu Yaochen stubbornly stared at Gu Yuechen's face, his gaze gradually deepening as though he wanted to swallow Gu Yuechen whole.

His grip only tightened, with no intention of letting go.

Gu Yuechen was in so much pain that he snapped, "If you keep this up, I won't take care of you anymore. You deserve to burn to death. I won't come again."

The moment he finished speaking, the hand around his wrist finally loosened.

"I'm sorry. Don't be angry with me."

Gu Yuechen snorted coldly. He had intended to leave right away, but when he reached the door, he worried that if Yu Yaochen really died, he would become a heartless person who stood by and watched. Pei Huanyi would definitely blame him for it.

There were surveillance cameras by the door. Anyone could find out that he had been here.

Gu Yuechen took a deep breath and repeatedly told himself, Don't act on impulse.

He turned and headed upstairs, finding clean clothes in the small room.

By the time he returned, Yu Yaochen had fallen asleep again.

Gu Yuechen gave a speechless laugh. He had woken up just to torment him, hadn't he?

He was resentful, but the work still had to be done.

Gu Yuechen helped Yu Yaochen sit up and unbuttoned his clothes.

Yu Yaochen was much bigger than him, making it extremely difficult to change his clothes. Gu Yuechen worked until sweat seeped down his back and began regretting not calling Xie Wangchi over.

He should have called Xie Wangchi.

That guy probably would have been thrilled to do this kind of work.

He might even take advantage of Yu Yaochen being unconscious and do something less than human.

Ever since Gu Yuechen had caught Xie Wangchi doing that filthy thing, his opinion of Xie Wangchi had only worsened.

If one day Xie Wangchi pretended to be confused and forced himself on Yu Yaochen, Gu Yuechen would not find it surprising at all.

After a whole afternoon of fussing around, Yu Yaochen's fever finally broke.

Gu Yuechen was exhausted. He went to the small room upstairs to rest, planning to close his eyes for a while before leaving.

Not long after, Yu Yaochen's eyelashes trembled, and he opened his eyes with a trace of confusion in them.

He sat up from the sofa. Having only just recovered from the fever, his movements were somewhat sluggish.

Lowering his head, he saw the basin of water on the floor, and his expression froze slightly.

Yu Yaochen stared at the basin for a long while, seeming to remember something. He immediately stood up.

That had not been a dream.

Gu Yuechen had really come to see him.

Yu Yaochen hurried unsteadily to the door. When he saw that Gu Yuechen's shoes were still there, he quickly went upstairs to look for him.

He finally found Gu Yuechen in his resting room and discovered that he was already asleep. Instinctively, he softened his footsteps, afraid of waking him.

He walked to the bedside and sat down, staring fixedly at Gu Yuechen's sleeping face.

After a while, Yu Yaochen reached out and gently caressed Gu Yuechen's cheek.

First his brows and eyes, then the tip of his nose. Finally, his fingertips rested on Gu Yuechen's lips, pressing down lightly without him realizing it.

Gu Yuechen frowned and gave a soft hum.

Yu Yaochen snapped out of it as though waking from a dream. He abruptly withdrew his hand, turned, and fled the room in embarrassment.