Around 5 p. m., Shang Shujue woke up feeling refreshed and free from the excruciating pain. He had drunk nutrient solution while sleeping, hadn't gone hungry, and had a good night's sleep. He was now fully recovered.
The first thing he did when he opened his eyes was to stretch, but as soon as he moved, he was hugged tightly from behind, his neck was resting on his chin, and half of his head was on his head, which felt very sticky.
" A-Jue... I'm so tired, I want to sleep a little longer..."
Song Yanqing's voice was a little hoarse, as if he had just fallen asleep. After he finished speaking, he nuzzled Shang Shujue's hand, and wrapped both of his hands in his palms. He nestled into Shang Shujue's arms.
Shang Shujue paused, and the memories before he fell into a deep sleep suddenly resurfaced, one after another appearing in his mind like animated images, making it difficult for him to forget them.
Song Yanqing was very close to him, and he could clearly feel the other's heartbeat on his back, vivid and strong, much more steady than when they were kissing.
Shang Shujue's earlobes and cheeks suddenly burned as if he had thought of something, and his heart rate quickened. He turned his head slightly to look at Song Yanqing.
Song Yanqing rested his head on the pillow. He looked extremely tired and didn't wake up even when his head was shaken like that.
" Song Yanqing..."
Looking at Song Yanqing's face, Shang Shujue had a lot to say, but after calling his name, he didn't know what to say.
Should I ask him, "If we're not friends, then what are we?" Or should I ask him, "What's his real purpose in helping me like this?" Or something else entirely?
Shang Shujue withdrew his gaze and looked at the curtains of the French windows fluttering in the wind. He then realized that the French windows were open for ventilation. He had closed them earlier, and it was obvious that Song Yanqing had opened them for ventilation and closed the curtains to keep the light out of his eyes.
Shang Shujue paused slightly, feeling a mix of emotions, but his hand unconsciously gripped Song Yanqing's hand. After thinking for a moment, he turned around and touched the injured area.
Song Yanqing's wound was still bandaged, but it no longer had that sticky, wet feeling. It was obvious that the wound had been treated again and, after this period of recovery, it had almost healed.
"It's good that the wound is alright... Song Yanqing Song Yanqing, you're really hard to understand sometimes... What did you mean by what you said before? Did you hate me, or...?"
He breathed a slight sigh of relief, then looked up at Song Yanqing's face, his gaze tracing his features inch by inch. He raised his hand to smooth his brows, a hint of worry in his eyes.
Unable to get an answer, he looked away, placed his fingers on the man's chest, felt his heartbeat, and lay there for a little while longer before getting out of bed.
" A-Jue... where are you going?"
Just as Shang Shujue sat up from Song Yanqing's embrace, the person who had been fast asleep suddenly woke up, her eyes red, and hugged him tightly, asking him this question in a hoarse and trembling voice, as if she were still in a nightmare.
"You're awake. I'm going to the bathroom to wash up and change my clothes before we get something to eat. Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
Shang Shujue was surprised that Song Yanqing would suddenly wake up. Turning her head, she saw his red eyes because he hadn't slept well, and her heart suddenly ached. Her tone became softer, and she didn't even care about Song Yanqing holding her.
"No! I'll go wherever you go!"
Song Yanqing rejected Shang Shujue's suggestion without any hesitation, hugging him tighter and tighter, as if afraid he would run away, his grip was incredibly strong.
"... Song Yanqing, why is your body suddenly so hot?"
Shang Shujue originally wanted to curse, but when he raised his hand to touch Song Yanqing's hand, he found that the back of his hand was frighteningly hot. He stopped cursing, turned around and touched Song Yanqing's forehead. His forehead was also hot, and he realized that Song Yanqing had a fever.
"Damn it! You have a fever! Didn't you say your wound was healing well? How come you suddenly have a fever?! Don't hug me yet, I'll call the doctor and have him come up to check on you."
Shang Shujue pulled Song Yanqing's hand away. Seeing that he still wanted to come closer and hug her, she immediately stopped him, picked up her phone and made a call, completely ignoring his pitiful eyes.
The doctor staying at the training camp arrived quickly, along with Yu Yang, Yu Zeqi, and Zhang Zhichen. Yu Zeqi and Zhang Zhichen were carrying food, clearly intended for Shang Shujue and Song Yanqing.
"... Mr. Song's wound has almost healed. His fever was probably caused by emotional fluctuations, taking a long bath, and then being exposed to cold wind. It's just a common cold, Mr. Shang, so don't worry. We gave him fever-reducing medicine, and he can take some cold medicine after the fever subsides."
"Okay, thank you very much, thank you so much, Doctor Zhang."
"You're welcome. Get some rest and drink some hot water to help you recover faster. I'll be going now."
"Okay, okay, Xiao Qi will see Doctor Zhang off."
"Okay, all done!"
After the doctor examined him, it turned out to be a false alarm. Shang Shujue finally breathed a sigh of relief, nodded and thanked him, then turned to give Song Yanqing the fever-reducing medicine. Perhaps sick people are a bit fragile and clingy, because as soon as he finished the medicine, he hugged Shang Shujue.
" Shang Shujue, how are you feeling?"
Zhang Zhichen glanced at Yu Zeqi, who had run away, before speaking to Shang Shujue. Her concern was genuine. Yu Yang, standing beside him, ignored Song Yanqing's action of carrying someone and asked him the same question.
"Yes, you scared me to death yesterday! I almost thought my show was going to be canceled. Why didn't you have Doctor Zhang check you up just now?"
Shang Shujue couldn't pull Song Yanqing's hand away. Seeing how listless he looked, she felt a little sorry for him, so she didn't force him to separate from her. Instead, she turned around, picked up a bowl of porridge, and naturally blew on it to cool it down before feeding him.
"I'm fine, no need for a checkup. Yesterday was just Little Yi, and I recover quite well."
Shang Shujue gave them a casual reply, then lowered his head to continue feeding the porridge. At that moment, his eyes and heart were only focused on taking care of Song Yanqing; he couldn't see anyone else.
Song Yanqing felt both sweet and happy. A-Jue felt sorry for him and cared about him, but on the surface she still looked listless and pitiful, and even coughed twice on purpose while drinking porridge.
" Director Yu, I'm really fine. You guys go back first. Song Yanqing is very weak and needs to rest. I'll talk to you about this when he's feeling better."
Shang Shujue patted Song Yanqing to calm him down, then, a little anxious, looked up and dismissed him. Yu Yang and Zhang Zhichen gave Song Yanqing a complicated look before finally leaving.
"Okay, we'll be going now."
After seeing Doctor Zhang off, Yu Zeqi hadn't even entered the house when Zhang Zhichen and Yu Yang grabbed him by the armpits and dragged him away. He was a little confused. "Hey, what are you doing? I need to talk to Brother Jue..."
Yu Zeqi's voice was drowned out. Zhang Zhichen and Yu Yang sighed inwardly, thinking, "Kids, it's best not to bother those young couples. Nobody will pay any attention to you."