The perks of getting up early included not only a free breakfast, but also first pick in the games.
Wen He received a card from the production crew. Three large characters stood out on it: Bonus Points Card.
Holding the stiff card, he looked at the show's director. "I wasn't the first one up. Lawyer Jiang was. This should be his."
Watching him turn down the card so earnestly, Director Chen smiled and wheedled, "The reward goes to whoever I saw first when I got here."
Wen He considered this for a moment. "All right, then."
I was the first person he saw. Wonderful.
"At noon, we'll be heading to the water park. This bonus points card will give you an advantage then."
It looks like something really important...
Wen He didn't remember this scene happening in his dream. Were dreams really just dreams, after all?
It seemed the problem was still the medication... He might need to have a proper talk with Doctor Wang, because its side effects had already begun affecting him.
Wen He stashed the card from the production crew in his shorts pocket.
He went back to enjoying his food.
Wen He liked eggs. As far as he was concerned, they tasted good no matter how they were prepared.
Fried eggs with soft yolks were especially amazing, but he didn't want any more of this dry toast. He didn't like it.
Still, it was a kind gesture from Lawyer Jiang.
Meanwhile, Ji Chi, who had been woken by a phone call, was irritably rubbing his forehead.
On the other end of the call came Grandpa Ji's cannon fire.
"Why can't you get up a little earlier?! If you keep sleeping, some other man is going to steal Xiao He away!!"
Eyes closed, Ji Chi listened to the scolding. Although he was long used to it, he still couldn't stand being nagged first thing in the morning.
Irritated, he said he understood, hung up, and lay back down in the soft bed.
Knowing was one thing, but doing something about it was another. If he ran off, so be it. At worst, he could steal him back. Nothing was more important than sleep.
He had spent half the night gaming, and even now, Ji Chi had barely slept four hours.
Faint, even breathing filled the room again, only to be replaced shortly afterward by a soft groan.
"Fuck?!"
Ji Chi was forced to open his eyes. Waves of intense pain shot through his abdomen, and he braced himself against the wall as he raced to the bathroom.
"I knew it! That barbecue last night wasn't clean!"
No one discovered the scene of wailing in the bathroom. Wen He returned happily to his room with little steps. He still had to revise his drawings~
By the time Ji Chi emerged, trembling and supporting himself against the wall, it was already past ten.
He lay facedown on the bed, feeling as though he'd been brutally beaten.
He took out his phone and began messaging Wen He.
J: Are you awake?
J: [Wronged kitten sticker]
J: [Kitten feeling unwell sticker]
J: My stomach hurts so much... Could you come check on me?
J: [Sobbing kitten sticker]
After sending that string of messages, Ji Chi switched off his phone screen.
He really had felt awful, but he was better now. He just wanted to pester him a little more.
In the room on the other side, the repeated beeping of Wen He's phone was making him restless and irritated...
He couldn't draw at all, so he had no choice but to open his phone.
The messages were from Ji Chi.
Wen He read through them one by one, his gaze finally stopping on the one about his stomach hurting.
His fingertips paused briefly, and a trace of anxiety unconsciously entered his eyes.
He He He: I'm not a doctor... I can't examine your stomach. I'm just a little artist.
Then he felt that wasn't quite appropriate and added another message.
He He He: Are you feeling any better now? I was working on a drawing just now. I'll come check on you.
Although he wasn't a doctor... Ji Chi had probably turned to him for help because he wasn't close to anyone else in the house.
Wen He hurriedly climbed out of bed and went to the door next door.
Knock, knock, knock-
"Ji Chi, are you okay?"
The wooden door muffled the young man's clear voice. With his legs trembling slightly, Ji Chi got out of bed to open it for him.
With an "Oh!" the door opened, and it wasn't just a shadow that came down over him, but a living body too.
Ji Chi was now draped weakly over Wen He, his normally arrogant voice turning feeble.
"I feel so awful..."
Ji Chi buried his head against the side of Wen He's neck. When his high nose bridge and his breath touched the artery in Wen He's neck, Wen He felt uncomfortable. He turned his head, but could only make out the blue diamond on Ji Chi's earlobe.
Even the diamond isn't sparkling anymore... It must really be serious.
But he's really heavy, too.
Half holding him, Wen He tried to settle him on the bed, only for Ji Chi to yank him over. He landed hard on the soft bed, and in an instant, Ji Chi's scent enveloped him...
Wen He removed the arm draped over his neck and fled, leaving him with just one sentence.
"I'll go get you... some medicine."
The young man's voice gradually disappeared from the room along with his scent. Ji Chi rolled onto his back and stared straight at the blank ceiling, his pale face entirely expressionless.
He smells so good...
After going downstairs, Wen He headed straight for the living room drawers. There was a first aid kit inside, and it should have medicine for stomach pain.
His hurried movements caught the attention of Wei Xun, who was cooking in the dining room.
Seeing him rushing about with the first aid kit, Wei Xun thought something had happened. He turned off the stove and hurried over.
"What's wrong? Let me help."
"Ji Chi has a stomachache. I'm getting him medicine, but I don't know which kind he should take..."
Wei Xun frowned at him and asked for details. In the end, they both went up to check on Ji Chi.
Only then did they learn he just had diarrhea, bringing the false alarm to an end.
Ji Chi remained facedown on the bed, resting with his eyes closed.
Wei Xun left Wen He alone in the room and hurried downstairs.
He wasn't suited to staying in this room.
Ji Chi's room was even cleaner than Wen He had imagined. Seeing that he was all right, Wen He was just about to leave.
Just then, a hand suddenly caught his wrist, its warmth continually spreading over it.
"You're not allowed to leave."
Eyes closed, the young man ordered him in his usual overbearing tone. Wen He froze, at something of a loss. He moved his wrist slightly, trying to escape his hold, only for the grip to tighten.
Pressing his rosy lips together slightly, Wen He said nothing more and followed the pull of his hand to sit on the edge of the bed.
Sigh... Sick children always need someone to keep them company.
Ji Chi is no exception.
Never mind. The drawings aren't urgent anyway. I'll wait a while.
The spacious room was completely silent, with nothing but the alternating sounds of their breathing.
Sitting there doing nothing for so long made Wen He a little sleepy. The cowlick on top of his head bobbed with his movements, as if it might droop at any moment.
His cowlick quivered again, and Wen He shivered. His eyelids were fighting to stay open, and Ji Chi had fallen asleep beside him too. He carefully rose from the bed, trying to pull his now-damp wrist out of Ji Chi's large hand.
"What are you doing?!"