Ye Manman did not close the door to the room, and as she turned her head, she saw the man who had just entered from the front door.
But before she had time to rejoice, her face was quickly filled with worry.
"He Chen! What’s wrong with you?"
His complexion was alarming!
His face was flushed, his lips pale, his eyes unfocused and listless, and his body seemed unsteady. As he entered, he had to steady himself against the wall to avoid falling.
Ye Manman quickly stepped up to him, only to find his breathing was heavy and uneven, and the breath he exhaled was unbearably hot. When she called his name, he took a beat to respond, and only after a while did he manage to sluggishly lift his eyelids to look at her.
A shimmer of light flickered in his eyes instinctively, but then fatigue quickly pulled them down again.
"Honey..."
"...I’m fine..."
He had no idea how bad his condition really was.
After laboriously taking off his shoes, he delightedly embraced her body, his face constantly rubbing against her neck.
"I missed you so much..."
As He Chen spoke, his burning breath scorched Ye Manman’s neck.
Her heart ached terribly, and she immediately led him into the room.
"Sit down."
At her command, He Chen, despite being muddled, obediently sat down and tried hard to lift his eyelids to look at her.
"Honey...is it really you?"
"... you’re back?"
Ye Manman pursed her lips, "It’s me, I’m back."
She had no time for sentimentality; she immediately touched his forehead and cheeks to check his temperature. After confirming he had a fever, she quickly went to the home medicine box to get some antipyretics and antibiotics.
She went to the living room to boil hot water, mixed it with some cool water, tasted it to make sure it wouldn’t burn his mouth, and then brought it over.
"You have a fever. Here, take the medicine."
She handed him the medicine, and without looking at it, he tossed it directly into his mouth.
"Hey! Drink water first!"
Ye Manman couldn’t stop him in time, and watched as he winced from the bitter taste of the medicine, not finding it funny at all, only filled with heartache.
He’s so disoriented from the fever!
"Be good, drink more water, swallow the medicine."
She tightly pressed her lips together, staring at He Chen until he had drunk the entire glass of water before letting out a sigh of relief.
She had never seen him sick before. To think that such a strong man could become so weak when he caught a cold.
His behavior and actions were like those of a child.
She didn’t even know when he started feeling ill, how he managed to make it through the day, and despite feeling so uncomfortable, he still claimed he was fine.
Ye Manman was both heartbroken and indignant.
"Hurry and take off your clothes and go to bed."
She spoke with some irritation, holding the cup in her hand, intending to rinse it.
Unexpectedly, as He Chen undressed, he also headed for the bathroom.
"I haven’t showered yet, I want to shower first."
He was struggling to breathe, mumbling to himself.
Ye Manman had no choice but to put down the cup and pull him to bed, "You don’t need to shower today, just go to sleep."
He Chen was incredibly compliant today, lacking even the slightest resistance, and she easily maneuvered him onto the bed.
As he lay down, his expression was blank, resembling that of a fool.
"Not showering is dirty..."
He didn’t resist Ye Manman, but was subconsciously worried about dirtying the bed and making her unhappy.
Ye Manman was both amused and exasperated.
"Then let me wipe you clean, alright?"
He Chen held her hand, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
"I can wipe myself..."
He was still somewhat aware, but the high fever made all his reactions a bit slow.
By the time he realized it, Ye Manman had already gone to prepare water.
She couldn’t squat for too long, so she placed the basin on a stool, filled it halfway with warm water, tossed a towel in, and brought it to the desk.
By then, He Chen was somewhat delirious.
His eyes were closed, as if already asleep, his lips pale and dry, one hand still clutching the blanket.
Ye Manman had never taken care of anyone before, initially feeling a bit unsure of her actions.
But at this moment, He Chen was too compliant.
She pulled up his sleeve, mimicking how he used to wipe her, meticulously wiping his upper body.
Next were his pants and socks, which she completely removed.
Before doing so, she considerately pulled his shirt down and covered his belly with a quilt to prevent him from getting cold.
All of this was what he had done for her before. Little did she expect she would one day repay him in kind.
Fortunately, He Chen was too disoriented to resist, allowing her to clean the rest of his body with ease.
The man’s feet indeed had a bit of an odor.
Even having bought him new leather shoes, as he walked everywhere outside every day, his feet still maintained a noticeable smell.
Ye Manman pinched her nose, only barely managing to clean his feet, and promptly went to shower herself before returning to bed to sleep beside him.
Perhaps the medicine had taken effect, as He Chen slept soundly.
When she climbed into bed, he was completely unaware, showing no reaction.
It was only then that Ye Manman realized.
This was the first time she was watching him sleep while awake.
He always slept late and rose early, brimming with energy every day. She had never caught him asleep like this before.
So Ye Manman found herself unable to sleep.
She propped her arm up, leaning it against his arm, quietly gazing at his face.
From top to bottom, from his hairline to his eyebrows, bridge of his nose, and finally his Adam’s apple, she scrutinized each feature.
She realized how it felt to watch a beloved one sleep beside her.
Beautiful, happy, warm, wanting to engrave every bit of his visage into her heart.
It would be perfect if he weren’t ill.
Before preparing to sleep, Ye Manman felt his forehead again.
Once assured his temperature had dropped, she rested easy and fell asleep.
After all that effort, she too was exhausted, mainly from the earlier tension. Once relaxed, she soon drifted off, clutching his arm in sleep.
In the middle of the night, He Chen awoke with a thirst.
Forcibly awakened from sleep, he hadn’t decided whether to get some water when he noticed the person sleeping peacefully by his side, and suddenly all his hazy memories from the day coalesced back together.
Those things he thought had occurred in a dream were actually real!
Ye Manman had really come back!
And she had given him medicine for the fever.
She even wiped his body with a towel!
She...
He lifted the blanket to check himself, and his face blushed bright red.
Thankfully, he was still wearing underwear.
But...
What’s going on with him?
It was just a bit of discomfort, how did he end up so disoriented?
Throughout his life, he had endured many hardships. How is it that, after coming to Jing City, living well and dressing well, he fell ill so easily?
Had he known this was a fever symptom, he would’ve taken medicine before going out in the morning.
Had he known she would return at night, he would have come home earlier.
But alas, life is full of things we can only realize in hindsight.
Clenching a fist, he lifted his hand to feel, confirming his strength had returned and his body was fine. He Chen curled his fingers, his gaze lingering as he lightly touched her cheek and lips.
"Thank you... my love."