Chapter 47

Uncle Li woke up early to make breakfast and was shocked to find that the refrigerator door in the kitchen was left open. He quickly checked around and found that the doors and windows were securely closed, with no signs of a break-in. Then he thought, even if someone had broken in, they probably wouldn't have come to steal things from the refrigerator.
Could it be that he had forgotten to close it himself last night?
The thought immediately frightened Uncle Li. He had no recollection of it at all. Was he already developing dementia at just 60 years old??
Uncle Li was quite shaken by his own thoughts. When Shen Yu came downstairs, he quickly told her about it. "I think I should prepare a notebook to write down important things every day, as well as the foods you and the young master like to eat."
Shen Yu found it both amusing and touching and quickly explained, "It was my brother who opened the refrigerator. He probably forgot to close it when he went upstairs later."
Uncle Li looked puzzled, "How do you know?"
"I..."
As soon as Uncle Li asked, her mind naturally recalled Shen Xiao's inexplicable kiss from the night before. Even though it was just on the cheek, it was still strange for a grown man to kiss someone's face, right?
Her entire body broke out in goosebumps at that moment. After pushing him away, she quickly poured water and slipped off, afraid he might get angry.
He had been wearing so little and was drunk, it felt truly terrifying.
Thinking back now, Shen Xiao had been acting really strange lately. He would occasionally look at her with odd expressions and say things that left her utterly bewildered.
He had been emphasizing things like "open crushes" and "secret admirers" and even made Xu Qi call her "auntie", it was all so bizarre. Now, whenever Xu Qi saw her, he would blush shyly.
She had already agreed to participate in the stage play, and they would have to spend a lot of time together from now on. It wouldn’t do for the two of them to remain awkward like this!
In the past, whenever he had one of his "episodes," it would come and go quickly. But this time, it seemed to have lasted quite a while. Ah, who knew when he would recover?
"I went downstairs to drink water last night and ran into my brother. I poured myself a glass and went back to my room. He came up later, probably forgot to turn it off," Shen Yu explained.
Uncle Li asked curiously, "What was he doing opening the fridge? Was he hungry and looking for something to eat? Why didn’t he call me?"
Shen Yu placed slices of bread into the toaster and said, "He drank a bit too much last night and could barely speak clearly. He was looking for ice-cold mineral water."
Uncle Li couldn’t help but grumble, "Drinking ice-cold mineral water in such cold weather, isn’t he afraid of upsetting his stomach?"
The two of them prepared breakfast together, and things went much faster. Shen Yu only made what she liked to eat, while Uncle Li focused on a balanced, nutritious meal.
By the time all the food was laid out on the table, Shen Xiao, who was usually quite punctual, still hadn’t come downstairs.
Unable to sit still, Uncle Li wiped his hands and said, "I’ll go check on him."
Shen Yu had to catch the bus soon, so she didn’t wait and started eating on her own.
When Shen Xiao woke up, he felt completely drained, his limbs weak and sore, his head throbbing as if it were about to explode.
It didn’t feel like a hangover; more like he’d been run over several times.
His body hardly felt like his own!
He’d been drunk before, but back then, he couldn’t remember anything by the time he got home. Last night, though, he hadn’t even drunk that much, and he was still sober when he returned. He even remembered running into his sister in the kitchen, where they seriously discussed abdominal muscles.
Strange, why had he been discussing abs with a kid? And hadn’t his hands even touched her? Wasn’t that giving her the wrong idea? He knew she had a crush on him, yet he’d acted so intimately, even going as far as kissing her in the end!
What had come over him last night?? Was he possessed?
Shen Xiao clutched his head and rolled back and forth on the bed a couple of times.
He wondered: Did the kid get so excited last night that she couldn’t sleep? Did she think he was interested in her too?
"This is such a huge misunderstanding!
Should I explain it to her?
But if I explain it directly, wouldn’t it hurt her too much? She’d probably feel awful. After all, having a crush is tough, pretending not to care about someone you actually like, just thinking about it makes me feel tired on her behalf.
At this thought, Shen Xiao felt another wave of headache, as if a bomb had gone off inside his head.
Maybe I should just act colder toward her from now on? But she’s the one who insisted on having a crush on him, why should I be the one bothered by it?
For a moment, Shen Xiao felt as if he had been split into two people, engaged in a fierce debate.
His head buzzed incessantly, truly on the verge of exploding.
Just then, a faint knocking sound came from the door. Shen Xiao initially ignored it, but the knocking persisted. Irritated, he kicked a pillow by the bed before dragging his head, which felt as heavy as a hundred pounds, to answer the door.
Outside stood Uncle Li, looking calm. Seeing Shen Xiao still disheveled, he couldn’t help but pause. "Sir, aren’t you going to the company this morning? Why haven’t you washed up yet?"
Shen Xiao glared at him, turned around, and walked back to the bed, throwing himself onto it with a heavy sigh. "I’m about to die. What’s the point of going to the company?"
Uncle Li frowned and followed him to the bedside, studying his appearance with concern. "What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You don’t look so good."
Shen Xiao replied weakly, "My head is about to explode. I don’t know if I drank fake alcohol last night."
Uncle Li thought for a moment, then stepped forward and reached out to feel Shen Xiao’s forehead. He was startled by the scorching heat in his palm. "Sir, you’re sick. You have a fever."
Shen Xiao: “…”
He had thought it was just the fake alcohol.
Uncle Li said, "I’ll go get a thermometer. You should rest at home today. If it gets really bad, I’ll call the doctor to give you an injection at home."
Before he could finish speaking, a pillow flew toward him, accompanied by Shen Xiao’s furious roar, "I’d rather die than get a shot!"
Uncle Li: “...”
Uncle Li knew that Shen Xiao had been afraid of injections since childhood. He didn’t argue with him about it and simply turned to go downstairs to fetch the thermometer.
Downstairs, Shen Yu had almost finished her breakfast. Seeing Uncle Li rushing downstairs, she asked curiously, "Where’s my brother? Isn’t he up yet?"
Uncle Li headed to get the medical kit while explaining to her, "Sir has a fever. I’m going to take his temperature. If it’s too high, he’ll need to take some fever-reducing medicine."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yu stopped eating and stood up. "How did he get sick?" Then she immediately recalled the scene from last night.
It was freezing cold. Although the room had heating, the kitchen wasn’t as warm. He had stripped down to his shirt and underwear and was drinking ice water by the fridge, no wonder he caught a chill.
Uncle Li quickly retrieved the medical kit and hurried back upstairs. Shen Yu thought for a moment, then poured a large glass of warm water and followed him. "He needs to drink more water when he’s sick."
Uncle Li nodded and added, "Don’t worry. Sir has always been in good health since he was young, he rarely needs shots or medicine. This time, it’s probably just a cold. A couple of days of rest and he’ll be fine."
Shen Yu nodded.
Uncle Li said, "Finish your breakfast and head to school. I’ll take care of Sir."
Shen Yu felt she probably couldn’t be of much help and agreed. "I’ll just check on him quickly, then go to school. I don’t have classes in the afternoon, so I’ll come back early."
The two of them walked into Shen Xiao's room together. At that moment, he had pulled the quilt up high, covering even his head, leaving only a few messy strands of hair sticking out.
"Sir, let's take your temperature."
Shen Xiao didn't respond for a long time, so Uncle Li didn't stand on ceremony. He took off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, pulled back the quilt, and forcibly tucked the thermometer under Shen Xiao's armpit.
Shen Xiao's face was flushed red, and he didn't have the strength to struggle, so he could only let Uncle Li handle him as he pleased.
Shen Yu walked around the bed to the other side to look at him and asked softly, "Brother, are you feeling really unwell?"
Shen Xiao barely lifted his eyelids to glance at her and snorted, "Hmph."
Shen Yu: “…”
After a while, Uncle Li took out the thermometer and checked it. "39 degrees, how did it get so high? You need to take some fever-reducing medicine."
After that, the two of them hurriedly helped Shen Xiao sit up to take the medicine. Once he had taken it, they laid him back down. Apart from the earlier snort, Shen Xiao ignored Shen Yu the entire time, as if he didn't even know her.
Shen Yu was baffled by his attitude, but she couldn't exactly argue with a sick person, so she simply ignored him. She went downstairs, picked up her backpack, and rushed to catch the bus.
Uncle Li gave Shen Xiao the medicine, then went downstairs to scoop up some porridge. Worried that Shen Xiao might find plain porridge unappetizing, he added some shredded meat before bringing it upstairs.
After taking the medicine, Shen Xiao's headache eased a bit, and he finally found the strength to speak. When he saw Uncle Li come in, he glanced behind him and frowned. "Where's my sister?"
Uncle Li thought to himself, When she was here earlier, you didn't give her a friendly look. Now that she's been driven away by your attitude, you suddenly remember to look for her. You're really hard to please.
"Miss has gone to school. She has classes this morning."
Shen Xiao propped himself up halfway in disbelief and said, "I'm sick, and she still has the mood to go to school??"
Uncle Li: “...”
*Does the world have to stop just because you're sick??Despite his inner complaints, Uncle Li replied patiently, "You've taken the medicine. Get some more sleep, and your fever will go down soon."
Shen Xiao pursed his lips, looking indignant. Is this how a woman who's secretly in love with him acts? He's sick, and she doesn't even know to stay home and take care of him. Is it because of that reward kiss I gave her last night that she's gotten carried away? Does she think she can control him now?
What a joke!
Shen Xiao irritably kicked the quilt, then rolled over forcefully, wrapping himself up in the quilt like a giant worm.
Shen Yu usually ate out before coming home if she had no afternoon classes, so she wouldn't be in a rush. But today, there was a sick person at home, and a neurotic one at that, so Shen Yu felt she should help Uncle Li share the burden. As soon as class ended, she hurried home.
As soon as she entered the house, she saw Uncle Li carrying a bowl of lean meat porridge upstairs, his expression not looking too good.
"Uncle Li, what's wrong?" Shen Yu put down her backpack and stepped forward to ask.
Uncle Li sighed and said, "The young master still hasn't broken his fever. I wanted to call the doctor to give him an injection, but he refused. Now he won't even let me into his room. He barely ate anything all morning."
"Is he... scared?" Shen Yu said, somewhat uncertainly.
Uncle Li nodded. "Yes, as you know, the young master has been afraid of injections since he was a child."
"Pfft..." Shen Yu covered her mouth, trying hard not to laugh. She took the bowl of porridge from Uncle Li and said, "I'll go feed him. Uncle Li, please call the doctor. We can't let him stay like this with a fever."
After giving instructions, Shen Yu carried the porridge upstairs. At that moment, Shen Xiao's room was locked from the inside, and he wasn't letting anyone in.
He's such a grown man, yet he still throws a tantrum when he's sick. Who does that?
She knocked on the door for a long time but couldn't get it to open. Finally, she resorted to a threat: "If you don't open this door, I’ll have Uncle Li bring an axe to chop it down!"
A few minutes later, the door finally opened. The tall Shen Xiao leaned against the doorframe, glaring at her unhappily. "So you finally decided to come back?"
What was with the resentful tone?
"I came back right after class," Shen Yu said, carrying the porridge into the room.
Shen Xiao shuffled back to bed in his slippers and said, "I'm this sick, and you still had the heart to go to class?"
Shen Yu glared at him. "You just have a fever, and Uncle Li is here. There’s nothing I could do to help anyway!"
Shen Xiao: “…”
He felt like today he would either die from his illness or from her infuriating attitude!
Seeing him about to lie down again, Shen Yu quickly grabbed him and said, "Eat this bowl of porridge first before you go back to sleep."
"Not eating," he snapped.
Shen Yu: “…”
After a moment’s thought, Shen Yu said, "Sit up. I’ll feed you."
That was undoubtedly the most comforting thing he had heard all day. Shen Xiao finally shed his irritable demeanor, grabbed a pillow to prop himself up against the headboard, and leaned back, a smirk playing on his lips as he waited for her to feed him.
He had fed her so many times, and now it was finally her turn to feed him. Admittedly, it felt quite novel.
Under his intense gaze, Shen Yu couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious. Her hand holding the spoon grew stiff, and she couldn’t help but complain inwardly: It’s just a fever, not like his hands are broken. Why can’t he eat by himself? Why does he need me to feed him? Is he a giant baby? Not everyone has a weird fetish for feeding others like he does!
Complaints aside, Shen Yu obediently picked up the spoon and fed him, even thoughtfully blowing on it to cool it down before offering it.
After a few bites, Shen Xiao suddenly blurted out, "Are you secretly enjoying this?"
Shen Yu frowned, confused. "Enjoying what?"
"Finally having a chance to feed me," he said.
Shen Yu: “…”
"Don’t deny it," he added.
Shen Yu really wanted to smash the bowl in his face. This guy wasn’t just crazy, he was also a narcissist. Clearly, he was the one who refused to eat by himself, and she was only reluctantly feeding him. Which eye of his saw her secretly enjoying it?
She held back her temper and said, "I’m not like you. I don’t have a fetish for feeding people. If you want to eat, keep going. If not, I’ll take it away!"
So Shen Xiao quietly continued eating the porridge. After finishing half the bowl, he couldn’t resist speaking again. "Tell me, what does it feel like to have a crush on someone?"
Wasn’t this topic a bit of a stretch? Or had his fever already fried his brain?
After feeding him a spoonful of porridge, she thoughtfully considered his question and said, "Having a crush on someone probably feels bittersweet, like a one-sided love affair that has nothing to do with the other person."
Shen Xiao raised his hands and crossed them behind his head, scoffing disdainfully, "That sounds way too cowardly."
Shen Yu pondered seriously for a moment, disagreeing with him. "It's not about being cowardly. There are so many kinds of love, and everyone can choose their own way. I think having a crush is beautiful in its own way, you suffer and you rejoice on your own."
Shen Xiao: “…”
So she really did have a crush on him!
Finally, he said with a tone of exasperation, "You're just a coward!"
Shen Yu: “…”
What on earth was wrong with him? Weren't they just discussing the concept of having a crush? Why did he suddenly start insulting her? What had she done wrong this time??
Feeling angry and unwilling to engage with him, Shen Yu deliberately ignored him. She picked up the spoon, quickened her pace, and fed him the remaining half-bowl of porridge before standing up to leave.
But shortly after eating, Shen Xiao’s fever flared up again, this time more violently, quickly leaving him delirious.
Shen Yu was startled and rushed around, now giving him water, now wiping his sweat. Eventually, she brought a basin of warm water, let it cool slightly, and began wiping his body to bring down his temperature.
Uncle Li saw how exhausted she was, sweat beading on her forehead, and came in to offer help, but she refused. "When will the doctor arrive?"
"It shouldn’t be too long," Uncle Li replied uncertainly.
Shen Xiao vaguely heard the two of them talking nearby, but because they were speaking in hushed tones, he couldn’t make out what they were saying.
His head throbbed painfully. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as lead, only allowing a sliver of a view of her.
Just then, Shen Yu dipped the towel in water again, bent over him, and gently wiped the sweat from his neck and the nape of his neck.
"Brother, are you feeling awful? The doctor will be here soon. Just hang in there a little longer."
She then pressed her cool palm against his forehead, and the sensation felt incredibly soothing.
In his feverish haze, a thought suddenly struck him: Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing for the kid to have a crush on him. As long as she kept liking him, she wouldn’t be fooled by some random guy, and she could stay by his side forever, he could take care of her for a lifetime.
He had never really considered pursuing a relationship with anyone else anyway. Staying with the kid, doting on her and loving her, seemed pretty good.
With that thought, he lifted his arm, wrapped it around her neck, and mumbled indistinctly, "Kid, let’s just live like this from now on."
Shen Yu paused her wiping, puzzling over his inexplicable words. What did he mean by "like this"? Wasn’t this how they’d always been?
"Brother, if you're feeling unwell, don't force yourself to talk. Just rest quietly for a while."
Shen Xiao felt indignant but truly lacked the strength to argue. He thought, Forget it, I'll save these important words for when I'm feeling better.
Soon, he drifted back to sleep.
When he woke again, there was a man by his bedside, their family doctor. Since Shen Xiao was usually strong and rarely fell ill, the family doctor seldom had a chance to be of use.
As soon as the doctor arrived, he decided to give Shen Xiao a fever-reducing injection, worried that prolonged fever might lead to pneumonia.
Though Shen Xiao was dizzy and disoriented, the word "injection" triggered an immediate, instinctive resistance.
"Get away! I don’t need an injection."
Seeing him act up again, Shen Yu grew instantly furious and authoritatively directed Uncle Li and the doctor, "In a moment, we’ll hold him down, and you, Doctor, give him the shot."
The doctor quickly nodded.
So the three of them worked together: Uncle Li pinned down Shen Xiao’s long legs, while Shen Yu tightly held his head, preventing him from getting up or looking.
Giving an injection turned into a scene straight out of a crime investigation.
When the cold, gleaming needle was abruptly plunged into his buttock, Shen Xiao couldn’t help but let out a pained howl. Then, fuming in her arms, he shouted, "Shen Yu! Is this how you treat someone you have a crush on?! Damn it! I don’t agree!!"
Shen Yu: ??