Cheng Che rummaged under the TV cabinet for a while and found a small white first-aid kit.
Inside were several boxes of cold medicine, a pack of cotton swabs, and a long, thin plastic box.
He opened the plastic box; inside was a mercury thermometer. It had a glass tube and a silver liquid column; it needed to be shaken before use.
He took the thermometer and walked to the sofa.
Su Miaoyin was still lying on the cushion when she heard footsteps, and her shoulders tensed slightly.
"Take your temperature." Cheng Che handed over the thermometer. "Place it under your armpit, eight minutes."
Su Miaoyin took it, glanced at it, and then hesitated for a moment.
"Turn around."
Cheng Che was taken aback for a moment, then he understood.
To take her temperature under her armpit, she needed to lift her clothes a little. He turned around, walked to the coffee table, and stood with his back to her.
A rustling sound came from behind.
Then it fell silent.
"Okay," Su Miaoyin said.
Cheng Che turned back and glanced at the time. "Eight minutes. Don't move."
Su Miaoyin nodded obediently.
She nodded very slightly, her chin barely moved, only her eyes drooped down slightly.
With her hands at her sides, her fingertips pinched the edge of the knitted blanket, tightening it slightly.
She huddled on the sofa, looking smaller than usual.
Cheng Che glanced at her and thought to himself that Su Miaoyin was sick and seemed like a different person.
The senior student who usually spoke crisply and walked with a brisk pace in the music club was gone; the person in front of me was quiet and attentive, listening to everything I said.
He thought about it and realized it was normal.
People are most vulnerable when they are sick, and that's when they reveal their true feelings.
"Then you stay here," he said with a smile. "I'll finish setting up the washing machine first."
Su Miaoyin nodded again.
This time it's lighter, like a cat that's been soaked in the rain.
Cheng Che turned and went to the bathroom.
He crouched down, reopened the filter cover, and removed the object stuck in the drain pump.
It was a coin, its edges blackened, and it was stuck very tightly.
He pried it twice with a screwdriver, and the coin loosened, falling to the ground with a crisp sound.
He didn't rush to put it back.
He cleaned every part of the washing machine that could be cleaned, tightening any screws that needed tightening and wiping anything that needed wiping clean.
In those few minutes, Su Miaoyin sat up from the sofa.
She didn't make a sound, but simply propped herself up from the cushions, leaned against the back of the sofa, and rested her chin on her arm.
Her eyes peeked out from the edge of the sofa back, across the living room, and landed in the direction of the bathroom door.
Cheng Che squatted on the ground, his back to her. He had broad shoulders and a straight back, and his knees bent in a neat arc when he squatted down.
He reached his hand into the washing machine, his fingertips gently fiddling with the pipe walls.
Every movement was steady, without haste or impatience.
Su Miaoyin knew she shouldn't have looked.
She knew she should lie back down, close her eyes, and calm down.
But she didn't move.
She lay there on the back of the sofa, her eyes peeking out, watching the person in the bathroom.
If I don't see it for a moment, I feel empty inside.
Someone with dating experience, seeing this, would sigh and say, "Wow, you've fallen in love."
Eight minutes have passed.
Cheng Che put the filter cover back on, tightened the screws, turned on the power, and pressed the start button.
The washing machine started spinning, and the sound of water flowing came from the drain pipe.
He stood up, dusted off his hands, and glanced at them with satisfaction.
It's fixed.
He walked outside.
Just as I reached the bathroom door, I heard a series of rapid rustling sounds coming from the sofa.
When he walked into the living room, Su Miaoyin was already lying on the sofa, her eyes closed, her breathing even, and a knitted blanket covering her chin.
Cheng Che didn't think much of it and walked over.
"Let me see the thermometer."
Su Miaoyin opened her eyes, took the thermometer out from under her armpit, and handed it to him.
The movements were slow, like someone who had just woken up.
Cheng Che looked at himself against the light.
The silver liquid column stopped at 38.2 degrees.
"You do have a bit of a fever." He frowned. "I'll take you to the hospital."
Su Miaoyin quickly shook her head.
She had just inexplicably scalded the thermometer's head with hot water, not to go to the hospital.
She deliberately spoke in a hoarse voice, "It's okay, I just took my medicine, an ice pack will do the trick."
Cheng Che glanced at the coffee table.
There was indeed a box of fever reducers on it, and a glass of water next to it.
He nodded. He understood that girls are afraid of needles.
He was afraid when he was a child.
He was sickly as a child, often getting fevers and colds, and his buttocks and the backs of his hands were covered in needle marks.
He still remembers that pain.
Not to mention Su Miaoyin, who was spoiled since childhood, she was probably even more afraid than him.
"Okay," he said, "Go lie down on the bed."
He helped Su Miaoyin to her feet and walked towards the bedroom.
The bedroom is smaller than the living room, but it is equally clean.
The bed sheets were light gray, and a plush rabbit sat next to the pillow.
The curtains were half-drawn, and sunlight streamed in through the gaps, casting a band of light on the blankets.
There was a book and a glass of water on the bedside table, with a bookmark sandwiched between them, as if the book had been read halfway through and the person had fallen asleep last night.
Cheng Che helped her lie down, then went to the refrigerator, took out an ice pack, wrapped it in a towel, and placed it on her forehead.
Su Miaoyin shivered from the cold.
"Bear with it," Cheng Che said, "Let's use physical cooling methods."
Su Miaoyin hummed in agreement.
When the ice pack was placed on her forehead, she suddenly calmed down a bit.
The feeling of a racing heart, dry mouth, and a foggy mind that had been lingering since earlier was suppressed by the cold.
She felt she needed to calm down and think things through.
If Cheng Che were still here, she would do something foolish again.
"You can go now," she said. "I'll be fine after a little nap."
Cheng Che nodded. He thought for a moment and said:
"Then I'll take your key? Otherwise, no one will even notice if you pass out from the fever."
Su Miaoyin was taken aback.
Then a feeling she couldn't quite describe welled up inside her.
It ignited a burning passion within her.
She took the key out of the bedside table drawer and handed it to him.
It was a long, silver key with a small plush charm hanging from it.
Cheng Che took it and put it in his pocket.
"Call me if you need anything," he said. "I'm right across the street."
Su Miaoyin nodded.
Cheng Che is gone.
She heard the living room door close, followed by the sound of the yard gate opening and closing.
The courtyard fell silent.
Su Miaoyin took the ice pack off her forehead and tossed it onto the bedside table.
Then she sighed, buried her face in the pillow, and muttered a curse.
Who do you actually like?
Cheng Che returned to his room, lay down on the sofa, and took out his phone.
He opened the system panel and glanced at it.
[ Charisma Trial - Stage 4: Star of Enchantment, win the favor of 500,000 people. Current progress: 150,000/500,000.]
Five hundred thousand.
He only has 150,000 now.
Moreover, of these 150,000, 50,000 are just ordinary goodwill, not core.
Fortunately, he didn't have 500,000 core fans, otherwise he really wouldn't have been able to achieve that.
He rolled over and started scrolling through his phone.
Then I suddenly saw a message.
It was sent by Zhao Min.
[ Zhao Min: Cheng Che, " North Star " will be released on the platform tomorrow. Could you please post Weibo about it if you have time?]
Cheng Che was taken aback.
How come he didn't know about this? Aren't TV dramas usually announced in advance?
He opened WeChat, found Su Jianqiu, and sent her a message.
Cheng Che: Sister Su, " North Star " airs tomorrow? Why so suddenly?
Su Jianqiu replied quickly.
It's a voice message.
Cheng Che clicked on it.
How dare you ask?
Su Jianqiu's voice carried a hint of melancholy.
"You've been so popular lately, your news is everywhere online, and no one else can even get on the trending topics list when they post promotional material for their drama."
"We were originally going to set a release date last month, but your popularity has held us back for a whole month. Even the publicity for the other main actors has been completely suppressed. Even top celebrities have come out to say they admire you and are trying to ride your coattails. You, a cameo actor, have stolen the lead actors' jobs."
After hearing this, Cheng Che awkwardly touched his nose.
He opened Weibo and glanced at his account.
There are only two posts above. One is a link to a cultural tourism video, and the other is a selfie taken while hiking.
He thought for a moment and typed the third one.
[ Cheng Che Himself: My drama " North Star " will air tomorrow. I have a cameo role in it, it's not a big part, but everyone on the crew is very nice. Please give it your support!]
He stared at the Weibo for two seconds.
Should we learn some technical terminology?
Never mind, I'll just send it directly.
He pressed the send button.
Then he tossed his phone aside, rolled over, and prepared to take a nap.
What he didn't know was that the comment section exploded within ten minutes of the Weibo being published.
[Holy crap! Che Baby posted on Weibo!!!]
[ North Star? When did he act in that? I didn't know!]
[It'll air tomorrow! I've got it!]
What role did he play in a cameo? Was it a large role?
I'll watch whatever it is!
Sisters, let's get this trending topic up there!
The official Weibo account for " North Star " must be laughing their heads off, getting free publicity from a top star.
I'll go make an appointment right now!
[Director Zhao Min is probably secretly delighted.]
Twenty minutes later, the number of people who had pre-ordered to watch " North Star " jumped from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands.
Zhao Min sat in her studio, looking at the backend data, almost dropping the cup in her hand.