First Round

"Old Xiao!" Ye Wanqing rushed to the bedside, putting down the food. "Doctor, how is he?!"

"He's asleep with a fever, probably dreaming and talking nonsense," the doctor replied. "But all his vital signs are stable, don't worry. The blood sample we just took shows that the Miracle Factor in his body has become exceptionally active, this round of the battle should be coming to an end."

"I see." Ye Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief. The doctor nodded to her and then left the ward.

"Thank you for your help." Ye Wanqing greeted the medical staff before sitting down again next to Xiao He.

The doctors were still whispering among themselves, "It really is Miracle Factor; if the concentration is high enough, it can cure any disease." "It can even repair damaged optic nerves; if used properly, it might even regenerate severed limbs..." "Sigh, if only we could find a way to synthesize it artificially." "Hopefully, we can discover the organ that produces this factor during this battle..."

"They went to so much trouble to make this for you, and now you're not going to eat it... What if it gets cold?" Ye Wanqing muttered softly.

After thinking for a moment, she reached out and took Xiao He's hand.

"His hands are so big, it takes both of my hands to hold them..." Ye Wanqing thought to herself.

She remembered the feel of that hand; it had been holding her the whole time she had a fever, and it seemed like...

Thinking of this, Ye Wanqing pressed his hand against her face and felt it. Immediately, her heart warmed: Yes, that's the feeling.

Although she was in a daze during the dream, she will never forget this feeling.

Ye Wanqing raised her head, glanced at Xiao He on the hospital bed, thought for a moment, and then gently stroked his face.

Ah, stubble... He really is a boy. Ye Wanqing smiled, then quickly scolded herself: What am I thinking about at a time like this...?

Thinking of this, Ye Wanqing glared at Xiao He and muttered, "Hey, the food's ready. Get better and eat already."

But Xiao He simply kept his eyes tightly closed, his brows furrowed, his breathing rapid, and then he trembled slightly, as if he were having a nightmare.

"I told you not to do that, you stubborn fool..." Ye Wanqing scolded him, then felt a pang of heartache. She grabbed a towel and wiped his sweat. "I stopped you, but you wouldn't listen. Did you only understand when I told you 'I'm worried about you'? You stupid straight man..."

But at that moment, Xiao He suddenly opened his eyes and turned to look at her.

Ye Wanqing jumped in fright, almost falling off her chair. She quickly regained her balance, sat up straight, and maintained a calm expression while inwardly panicking: Could he have heard her?! Did he hear me say I was worried about him?

"You're awake? How are you feeling?" Ye Wanqing asked with a stern face.

"I smell the aroma of food," Xiao He said, glaring at her. "I'm hungry... I've been woken up by hunger."

Ye Wanqing glared at him, both amused and annoyed. "Yes, it's ready. Want some? It's still warm."

"Eat! Of course I'll eat!" Xiao He replied decisively. "How can I fight off a cold if I don't eat?"

"Wait a moment," Ye Wanqing said, helping him sit up. Then she picked up the bowl, her face suddenly turning red. "You... do you want me to feed you?"

"No need," Xiao He refused decisively, "You're feeding me too slowly, I'm not satisfied."

"You stinky straight man! You don't even appreciate being fed!" Ye Wanqing glared at him angrily, placed the mini dining table in front of him, and then brought over the food. "Then eat by yourself!"

As she spoke, she pointed to the chicken soup, her tone softening, "You have to drink all the soup, okay? You should drink chicken soup when you have a cold."

"Is that so?" Xiao He asked, frowning with suspicion.

"Of course, every time I catch a cold, my mom makes me chicken soup, and it always makes me feel better," Ye Wanqing said seriously. Xiao He nodded. "Don't worry, I'll drink it whether I have a cold or not."

After taking a sip of the chicken soup, Xiao He raised his eyebrows. "This soup has a truly unique flavor. You can taste the rich aroma of chicken in it, and the red dates and goji berries combine to create a very special sweetness. In addition, there are some other indescribable aromas mixed in."

Most importantly, the soup not only tasted good, but after drinking it, he could feel the soup transforming into energy and quickly spreading to every corner of his body.

This must be an effect of his Superpower. In order for him to fight the disease, his body can absorb the food he eats at the fastest speed and convert it into energy, allowing him to continue fighting the virus.

"Is it to your liking?" Ye Wanqing asked, resting her chin on her hand, feigning absentmindedness.

"It's more than just something I can drink!" Xiao He frowned. "This is the best chicken soup I've ever had! I think this slightly sweet chicken soup is even better."

"Really? I'm glad you like it." Ye Wanqing smiled slightly. "This is how we make soup back home. We usually add herbs like angelica root, red dates, and angelica to it. It tastes good and is good for your health. Although we also have the custom of drinking soup in Beichang City, we never add herbs to our soup. I was worried you wouldn't like it."

Ye Wanqing felt a surge of joy: That's wonderful, he likes it...

"This is really good stuff..." Xiao He exclaimed. "It would be amazing to cook noodles with it..."

Xiao He ate his meal heartily while Ye Wanqing watched him, nagging, "I made a big pot of chicken soup. Drink some now, and later I can use the rest to cook noodles and porridge for you. These foods are easier to digest. By the time you finish this whole pot of soup, your cold should be almost gone."

"Mmm... uh... oh." Xiao He ate heartily while giving perfunctory replies, and even with a fever, he ate with unusual relish.

Seeing his appearance, Ye Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but laugh, "You really are something... even a cold and fever can't stop your appetite."

"How can you fight a cold if you don't eat your fill?" Xiao He said, finishing the last bite and lying down contentedly.

"Are you still running a fever?" Ye Wanqing asked with concern, reaching out to touch his forehead. "It's still a little hot..."

Then, she turned to grab the thermometer, shoved it to his lips, and commanded domineeringly, "Open your mouth and take it in."

You little brat, just you wait, one day I'll return those words to you exactly as they were... Xiao He thought to himself irritably, and put the thermometer in his mouth.

"Thirty-eight and a half degrees..." Ye Wanqing glanced at the numbers on the monitor and said, "Still burning up... but not dangerously high." She then helped Xiao He lie down, changed his towel, and instructed, "Go and rest after you've finished eating."

"Hmm..." Xiao He responded and closed his eyes to rest. He could feel the food he ate being converted into energy and spreading throughout his body.

Seeing that his expression had calmed down, Ye Wanqing breathed a slight sigh of relief and started playing with her phone.

After a few minutes of silence, Xiao He broke the silence. "Could I...?"

"No." Before Xiao He could speak, Ye Wanqing decisively interrupted him.

"I haven't even said anything yet..." Xiao He rolled his eyes, while Ye Wanqing frowned. "Anyway, you definitely just want to play on your phone and talk nonsense? (These two words together would be **)"

"Let's not talk about it, let's all be civilized..." Xiao He muttered. Ye Wanqing blushed slightly, then said angrily, "Anyway, you're not allowed to play! You're going to rest properly, close your eyes, and go to sleep!"

"Well..." Xiao He sighed, closed his eyes again, and his breathing gradually became steady.

Ye Wanqing nodded in satisfaction and sat down beside him quietly.

Actually, he has quite handsome features. Ye Wanqing pretended to be playing on her phone, but secretly glanced at Xiao He's face and thought to herself.

Especially his eyebrows, which were beautifully shaped like swords; his nose, too, was high and narrow; although he had single eyelids, he was still quite handsome, and his face shape was also very good-looking, angular and masculine. Ye Wanqing rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

Suddenly, she reached out and pressed on Xiao He's stomach, muttering to herself, "And he's lost so much weight lately, and he's built up muscles too. I was actually a little attracted to his looks last time..."

After a moment of silence, Ye Wanqing covered her face: What am I doing?! Thinking about this kind of thing at a time like this!

To distract herself, Ye Wanqing picked up her phone and started playing with it.

Medical staff would come in from time to time to check on Xiao He's condition and then draw a small amount of blood from him for observation and research.

It wasn't until 4 p. m. that Xiao He's fever subsided, and he returned to normal, with all his vital signs showing good health.

"I think I'm all better now," Xiao He said with a smile, stretching his arms as he sat on the bed. "Time to play on my phone!"

"Wait a moment," Ye Wanqing said, pressing one hand to his forehead and the other to her own. After feeling it for a moment, she replied, "It seems the fever has subsided... I'll call the medical staff to check you out."

Ye Wanqing picked up the call button and pressed it. Soon, a medical worker arrived to check on her.

"Doctor, his fever has gone down," Ye Wanqing said, pressing Xiao He's forehead. "Can you examine him?"

"Let's draw some blood first. This kind of Flu is very troublesome because it keeps mutating and evading the immune system's detection. We can only find out if it's still hiding in the body by collecting blood samples, throat swabs, and nasal swabs for separate tests," the medical staff explained.

"It's definitely better, I can feel it," Xiao He said energetically, then turned to Ye Wanqing and smiled, "Little Pufferfish, I want braised fish for dinner, and a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes, and..."

"I'll cook you a bowl of chicken noodle soup with a poached egg," Ye Wanqing said, glancing at him sideways. "You've just recovered; you shouldn't eat anything too heavy."

"It's alright, look at me, I ate a lot at noon, didn't I?" Xiao He said confidently. "It's because I replenished my nutrition that I have the strength to fight the Flu. Noodles are fine, but we need to prepare some substantial dishes, right? Otherwise, we won't be full. How can we have the strength to recover if we're not full?"

"Honestly, that's just sophistry..." Ye Wanqing frowned slightly, saying with dissatisfaction, "Then I'll make you some beef stew with potatoes."

"That sounds plausible," Xiao He said, leaning back on the pillow with a smug smile. "Go and prepare, Little Pufferfish."

"Tsk, let you be smug for a while. I'll settle the score with you when you're better..." Ye Wanqing glared at him fiercely, but felt a huge sense of relief: He's better! What a load of rubbish, making everyone worry so much...