As the first rays of dawn pierced through the building, Li Yu awoke first. Jian Suiying buried her head beneath the covers, still snoring softly.
At least he hadn't felt cold all night.
Li Yu tried to pull back his arm, which had gone numb from being pinned down. As sensation gradually returned to his body, he realized he was holding a human furnaceâunusually hot.
Li Yu froze, peeling back the quilt to see an unnatural flush on Jian Suiying's face. Even in sleep, he seemed profoundly uncomfortable, each breath appearing painfully labored.
Li Yu touched his cheek, his hand trembling involuntarily. Jian Suiying had a fever, burning hot.
He forced his stiff body upright, only to be met with a dizzying whirl. He blinked hard for a long moment before his mind cleared slightly.
clearer, though his body felt almost powerless.
He forced himself to turn over, reaching for Jian Suiying's phone. Unfortunately, by the time he picked it up, the battery had long since died.
had died long ago.
Jian Suiying lay as if dead to the world, emitting indistinct mumbling with each shake, yet utterly unresponsive.
Li Yu's head throbbed with anxiety.
Even though the typhoon had subsided and the rain had eased, their crisis was far from over.
Trapped in an unfinished building, both temporarily incapacitated, they faced the onset of night. How would they summon help?
Li Yu found some anti-inflammatory medicine and slipped it into Jian Suiying's mouth. Then he grabbed a mineral water bottle, took a deep gulp, and lowered his head to
her mouth with water from his own.
Jian Suiying unconsciously licked her parched lips, but most of the water spilled onto the quilt. Li Yu couldn't tell if the medicine had
actually reached his stomach.
He dabbed alcohol onto a towel and wiped Jian Suiying's body, trying to cool him down. But he soon realized this wasn't enoughâthey had to get to a hospital immediately.
Battling a pounding headache, dizziness, exhaustion, and nausea, Li Yu struggled to his feet. He wrapped the quilt around Jian Suiying's naked body, intending to lift him up.
But no matter how hard he strained, he couldn't lift Jian Suiying off the floor.
In his current state, forget about carrying someone weighing over a hundred poundsâeven lifting this five-pound blanket and walking out was beyond him.
manage it.
The scorching body pressed tightly against his reminded him of their predicament. Jian Suiying had risked everything to reach him, yet he couldn't bring her away from this place.
For the first time, Li Yu felt furious at his own helplessness.
Just as dizziness from blood loss overwhelmed him again, he faintly heard human voices.
At first, he thought it was his imagination, but as the footsteps grew heavier, he finally realized it wasn't a hallucinationâsomeone was truly coming.
Li Yu half-opened his eyes and saw several muddy feet appear at the stairwell entrance, then running toward them. He finally relaxed.
When he awoke again, he knew he was in the hospital.
Warm, dry blankets covered him. Layers of barriers kept the storm raging outside the window completely isolated from him.
. He slowly turned his head and found the ward empty. He located the emergency button and pressed it. Soon, a young nurse entered, smiling warmly. "You're awake! Here, have some water."
Li Yu took a sip and immediately asked, "Is the person brought in with me here?" "In the next room."
"How is he?"
"He got an anti-fever injection. Nothing serious."
Li Yu tried to sit up, but the nurse pressed down on his shoulders. "Don't move around. You're badly injured." "I'm going to see him."
"He hasn't woken up yet. Rest a bit. I'll bring you some food soon."
Li Yu had no choice but to lie back down. But after sleeping for so long, he felt no drowsiness at all. He could only stare blankly at the ceiling.
Reflecting on the events of this short day, Li Yu still found it hard to believe.
From being knocked unconscious by a falling object, to Jian Suiying's call rousing him, then the long wait, and finally her
appearance, and the two of them falling asleep in each other's armsâall of it left him feeling lost about how to face Jian Suiying afterward.
He knew such thoughts were wrong, yet he couldn't shake them.
No matter how strained their relationship became, Jian Suiying had always liked him. He'd never doubted that, and this incident only reinforced it.
And as for himself...
Li Yu licked his lips. The warm sensation seemed to linger between his teeth, his hands still tingling with the memory of that scorching heat.
After dinner, the nurse came to change his dressing.
Li Yu already felt much better, and after the dressing change, he insisted on visiting Jian Suiying.
Seeing she couldn't stop him, the nurse let him go.
Upon entering, Li Yu saw Jian Suiying still fast asleep, his complexion looking considerably better.
Li Yu sat down beside the bed, touched his forehead, and felt the fever had subsided considerably. Hesitating for a moment, he lifted the blanket
and lay down beside him.
Jian Suiying slept for over thirty hours, finally waking up well-rested.
The first thought upon waking was, Why is it so cramped? Turning his head, he found Li Yu's face mere inches from his own, practically pressed against his ear.
Jian Suiying froze for a moment before nudging Li Yu.
Li Yu woke up too, squinting at him.
Jian Suiying grinned. "What's going on? Did they bring us to the hospital like this, hugging each other? That's so embarrassing."
Li Yu frowned. "...No."
"No?" Jian Suiying blinked. "Then the hospital ran out of beds and we have to share one?"
Li Yu looked awkward. "No."
Jian Suiying pinched his butt cheek and grinned mischievously, "Then you brought me to bed yourself this time, didn't you?" Li Yu felt slightly flustered and tried to sit up.
L i Yu gazed into the depths of his eyes, a wave of warmth flooding his heart. He murmured softly, "Mm." Jian Suiying smiled. "If anything happened to you, the old Li family would eat me alive."
Li Yu relaxed and joked back, "Compensating us with you would be just as good."
Jian Suiying winked and teased, "If you want me to be your son, fine. But you'll have to be my daughter-in-law for the old Jian family."
Li Yu snorted, "Like that'll happen."
Jian Suiying laughed twice, but his throat hurt too much to continue. He coughed several times instead. Li Yu handed him the water cup, and they both took a sip.
Outside, the sky was turning faintly lightâthat awkward hour when getting up felt awkward, and sleeping felt awkward too.
It was arguably the most tender and harmonious moment they'd shared since meeting.