The lingering light of sunset fell across the boy's face.
For some reason, Gu Nian'an had felt terribly heavy since morning. He had felt a slight headache when he got out of bed, and after taking medicine following breakfast, he had slept straight through until the afternoon.
With some effort, he raised a hand and touched his forehead.
Sure enough, he had a fever again...
Gu Nian'an felt as though his head would split apart, his body alternating between hot and cold. He struggled to get out of bed and go downstairs for medicine.
But he had barely sat up and moved before he collapsed limply back onto the bed.
The way his vision kept going dark frightened him a little, and he pulled the covers more tightly around himself.
He suddenly remembered his previous life. Back then, whenever he fell ill, he had also gritted his teeth and endured it alone.
If he told his mother, she would surely scold him, going on about how hard it was for her to earn money and how inconsiderate he was. Everything she said implied that he was pretending to be sick and cost her too much money.
He still remembered collapsing with a fever at school one summer, and his teacher asking his parent to come pick him up.
When his mother arrived, she merely gave him a cold glare before taking him to the hospital.
He still remembered how hot it had been that day, and how dizzy he had felt with his fever. Because his mother refused to pay the fare of ten-odd yuan, the two of them had spent an hour walking to the hospital.
After they left the hospital, his mother had tossed the itemized bill at him with an odd smile, every word dwelling on how hard she worked.
As time went on, he stopped telling his mother and became afraid to tell her.
Nor did he tell anyone else.
But now, for some reason, he suddenly thought of Fu Xiuyuan, the man who had quietly looked after him ever since he transmigrated into the novel.
He struggled to reach the phone beside his bed, found the man's number through half-closed eyes, and, after hesitating for a long time, finally dialed.
The call connected quickly.
A cool voice came from the other end.
"What is it?"
For some reason, hearing the man's voice brought waves of hurt welling up inside him. His hoarse voice caught with a sob as he said, "Sir, I have a fever. I feel like I'm about to faint. What should I do, sir? I'm so scared."
The man on the other end had been in a meeting when the call suddenly came.
The conference room had been very quiet, with only the voice of the man at the front speaking. When a phone suddenly rang, everyone wondered who had failed to silence their phone during the meeting.
Then they saw Fu Xiuyuan, seated at the very front, slowly pick up his phone and answer.
Everyone pricked up their ears, wondering who could make President Fu answer a call even during a meeting.
Seeing Gu Nian'an's name, Fu Xiuyuan's gaze flickered. The boy generally would not call him unless something was wrong. With that thought, he answered, and before he could speak, he heard the boy's hoarse, slightly aggrieved voice on the other end.
His heart tightened, and he instinctively lowered his voice. "Sweetheart, have you taken any medicine? What's your temperature? Can you still move?"
Hearing Fu Xiuyuan's voice only made Gu Nian'an feel more aggrieved. He said quietly in a raspy voice, "I took some this morning, but it didn't help. I don't know. Sir, I'm so dizzy. I can't get up. What should I do?"
Remembering how the boy had looked the last few times he had been sick, Fu Xiuyuan could not help feeling a little panicked. But hearing the fear in his voice, he merely soothed him gently. "Don't hang up. I'll be right back."
Then he raised his head and glanced at everyone waiting for him.
"We'll end the meeting here for now. I'll go over the rest online," he said in a low voice. With that, he picked up his jacket, hurriedly slipped it on, and turned to leave.
Watching Fu Xiuyuan's retreating figure, everyone exchanged looks, marveling at who had managed to win over this aloof, unattainable man.
And "sweetheart," too? Tsk, tsk, tsk. His voice had been so tender it was almost sickeningly sweet.
Fu Xiuyuan hurried back to the villa with Li Changyu. Pushing open the bedroom door, he saw Gu Nian'an clutching his phone, his face pale as he curled beneath the covers, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Fu Xiuyuan picked up a thermometer and approached, tucked it under the boy's arm, and touched his forehead. It was burning hot.
Five minutes later, he took out the thermometer and checked it: a high fever of 39.8 degrees.
Li Changyu rummaged through the medicine in his case and gave the boy an injection, then took out a box of medicine and instructed, "Have him take this after his fever breaks. For now, just help him cool down."
Fu Xiuyuan committed the instructions to memory, then had him leave.
Gu Nian'an had also woken up. He opened his eyes slightly, his gaze meeting that of the man sitting beside the bed. His nose stung, and tears instantly spilled from his eyes. His hoarse voice trembled as he said, "Sir, you're back."
Looking at the pale boy curled on the bed, tears falling without pause, Fu Xiuyuan felt a strange emotion well up inside him, aching and tender.
He raised a hand and lightly wiped the boy's damp eyes, coaxing him softly, "I'm back. Don't be afraid. Would you like some water?"
Gu Nian'an's vision was blurred, and he had not heard clearly what the man said. He merely murmured his agreement.
Hearing that, the man got up and went downstairs to bring back a glass of water. He gently helped the boy sit up and held the glass to his lips.
Gu Nian'an took small sips from the glass in his hand, but every swallow sent a dry ache and an itch through his throat.
It made him cough uncontrollably. Fu Xiuyuan gently patted and stroked his back, letting him lean against him.
Gu Nian'an leaned on the man dependently, his tears falling without pause.
The boy's sweat-dampened wisps of hair hung messily beside his face, an unhealthy flush showing through his pallor, yet his tears kept falling.
A trace of tenderness passed through Fu Xiuyuan's eyes. He picked up a tissue and gently wiped away his tears, asking softly, "Do you feel that awful? Why do you keep crying?"
Gu Nian'an said nothing, merely shaking his head slightly as he leaned into the man's arms.
He no longer knew how long it had been since anyone had looked after him like this. All these years, he had kept telling himself it was all right, that he could take care of himself, gritting his teeth and holding on for years.
But now that someone suddenly cared about him so much and looked after him like this, the pain and bitterness bottled up for years seemed to surge out like a tide, leaving him with an anguish he could not put into words.
Seeing that he did not want to speak, Fu Xiuyuan merely lowered his eyes, wrapped the covers around the boy, and silently held him a little closer.
The two stayed nestled together like that.
An unknown amount of time passed before the morning sunlight fell across the boy's face, waking him from his sleep.
Gu Nian'an rubbed his eyes. His head was no longer very dizzy, but his throat still hurt unbearably. Just as he was about to speak, he began coughing uncontrollably.
His coughing immediately woke the man sleeping beside him.
Only then did Gu Nian'an notice that Fu Xiuyuan was holding him in his arms.
Remembering what he had done yesterday, he felt his ears grow warm, a faint pink spreading across his face.
Seeing that Gu Nian'an was awake, Fu Xiuyuan slowly sat up and touched the boy's forehead, his voice a little husky as he asked, "Do you still feel unwell?"
He had looked after the boy all afternoon yesterday, then simply slept beside him when night came. Now that he was finally awake, he could at last feel reassured.
His face slightly flushed, Gu Nian'an stammered, "I'm fine now. My throat just hurts a little."
As soon as he finished speaking, an itch rose in his throat, and he began coughing uncontrollably again.
Fu Xiuyuan handed him a glass of water, and Gu Nian'an took it and gulped it down.
Watching him cough without stopping, the man frowned slightly, got up, and went out to make a call.
When he returned, he brought a jar of syrup for the boy to drink.
Gu Nian'an obediently drank the syrup, then raised his head and asked quietly, "Sir, I'm all right now. Why don't you go to work?"
He had not forgotten that the male lead had been busy with an acquisition lately. If he disrupted it, he would be terribly at fault.
Fu Xiuyuan waved a hand dismissively and said in a low voice, "It's fine. I can give them instructions online."
The boy's illness had struck so fiercely that it was truly frightening. If something happened to him again while he was away...
The man's eyes darkened slightly, and he said no more.
Gu Nian'an was about to say something else when his stomach suddenly churned.
Before you continue