Chapter 48

Shen Xiao had been on the verge of collapse, but as the doctor prepared the syringe and loaded the medication, he suddenly revived with a burst of energy, struggling fiercely.
His strength was nothing like that of a sick person.
It took both Shen Yu and Uncle Li working together to barely hold him down.
Fortunately, the doctor was skilled and experienced. With a glint reflecting off his glasses, he swiftly and accurately jabbed the needle into Shen Xiao’s firm, well-shaped buttock.
It wasn’t actually that painful, most people’s fear of needles is psychological. But Shen Xiao was so terrified he began babbling nonsense.
"Shen Yu! Is this how you treat someone you have a crush on?! Damn it! I don’t agree!!"
"..."
Shen Yu held him tightly, turning her head to wait until the doctor finished injecting the medication before processing what he had just said.
"Have a crush? Who do I have a crush on that you don’t agree?!" His words made no sense at all.
Yet, the moment the doctor pulled out the needle, the person who had been thrashing like a lively carp instantly turned into a lifeless fish, lying motionless in her arms.
It almost made one suspect the doctor had injected poison instead of fever medicine!
After giving the injection, the doctor didn’t leave immediately. He waited to see if Shen Xiao’s fever would subside.
"If the fever goes down, then it’s fine. If it doesn’t, we’ll have to start an IV."
Hearing the words "start an IV," Shen Xiao visibly trembled and buried himself deeper into Shen Yu’s embrace.
Seeing him so uncharacteristically vulnerable, Shen Yu’s heart softened completely. She reached out and gently stroked his sweat-dampened hair, saying, "It’s okay, it’s okay. The fever will go down soon."
Uncle Li led the doctor downstairs to rest, and Shen Yu, drenched in sweat herself from the ordeal, pushed Shen Xiao aside and stood up to go change her clothes.
As she reached the door, she couldn’t resist turning back to ask the person pretending to be dead on the bed, "Brother, what were you saying about having a crush? Can you explain it more clearly?"
Shen Xiao turned away angrily, presenting his backside to her, but it seemed he had pressed against the spot where he’d just been injected, causing him to hiss in pain.
So childish!
Shen Yu turned and walked out of the room, heading upstairs. She went to her room, found some clothes, and stepped into the bathroom for a shower.
As the hot water poured over her head, she suddenly snapped back to her senses.
“Shen Yu! Is this how you treat someone you have a crush on? Damn it, I don’t agree with this!”
In any other context, this sentence might have meant that she had a crush on someone and Shen Xiao disapproved. But in the situation where she had just forcefully held him down, the implication was crystal clear.
You clearly have a crush on me, yet you dare treat me like this? Is this the attitude of someone with a crush? Damn it, I don’t agree!
After mentally processing the meaning, Shen Yu froze completely. For a moment, she forgot she was still in the shower, just standing there dumbly as the hot water cascaded over her.
How could this be? Shen Xiao actually thought she had a crush on him?! But why would he think that? Had she done anything excessive to make him misunderstand?
Shen Yu racked her brains and finally remembered: that time when they were playing pool, she had accidentally brushed her lips against Shen Xiao’s cheek. From then on, he had started acting strangely, as if he’d lost his mind, often making sarcastic remarks.
Lately, she had indeed felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint the reason.
So all this time, Shen Xiao had been imagining that she had a crush on him?
At this thought, Shen Yu felt like her whole world was falling apart.
With Shen Xiao’s twisted way of thinking, who knew what kind of image he had concocted of her? Last time, he even said that whether it was an open crush or a secret one, it should have a beginning and an end. Could it be that when he saw her walking with Xu Qi, he thought she was some kind of fickle flirt?!
Shen Yu quickly stopped herself from overthinking. If she continued unraveling these memories, she was afraid she might impulsively go downstairs and silence that patient for good.
By the time she finished her shower, Shen Yu’s skin was wrinkled from the water. She felt that speculating on her own might not be accurate, she needed to confront Shen Xiao directly.
So, after drying her hair and changing clothes, she marched downstairs with determination.
But the moment she opened the door, a phone came flying straight at her head. Luckily, she reacted quickly and narrowly dodged it.
The phone shot past her, slammed into the doorframe, then bounced off and landed on the floor, its screen shattered into a V-shape.
Another phone.
Before Shen Yu could fully process what had happened, she heard Shen Xiao’s muffled roar, “Damn it, all of you get out! I don’t want the shot!”
Unfazed by his bluster, Shen Yu walked to the bedside, pulled the blanket away from his head to let him breathe, and said, “Brother, smashing your phone won’t help. You still need the shot. But you’re sweating a lot now, so your fever should break soon. Just hang in there a little longer.”
Shen Xiao had thrown his phone in a fit of rage earlier, thinking it was the doctor coming back upstairs. Now that he realized he had almost hit the child, he felt a bit guilty. Hearing her speak gently, he didn’t lash out again but simply closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Shen Yu had been busy all noon and was a little tired. She pulled a chair to the bedside, sat down, crossed her arms, leaned back in the chair, and stared sternly at Shen Xiao.
After a while, she finally spoke, "Brother, do you think I have a crush on you?"
Shen Xiao ignored her and continued to feign sleep with his eyes closed.
Shen Yu watched him closely for a moment and noticed his eyelashes occasionally fluttering, he wasn’t asleep at all!
Unable to hold back, she snapped, "Shen Xiao!"
Only then did Shen Xiao slowly open his eyes to look at her. "What’s all the shouting for? My head hurts."
Shen Yu leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees, and asked sternly, "Why do you think I have a crush on you?"
Shen Xiao had let it slip earlier in the heat of the moment, and afterward, he felt quite awkward. After all, exposing someone’s secret crush is a pretty rotten thing to do.
If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t matter, but this was his own child, and he couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry and regretful.
To make up for his momentary mistake, Shen Xiao decided to forget what he had said and pretend nothing had happened. That way, he could save the child’s dignity. Given how chaotic the situation had been, she probably hadn’t heard him clearly anyway.
But to his surprise, not only had she heard him, she had heard every word clearly. She must have gone back to her room to think it over and then come back to confront him.
This was serious!
What are the usual reactions when a secret crush is exposed?
Anger and denial? Stubborn refusal to admit it? Or a direct confession?
Now, with Shen Yu sitting beside him, looking as if she wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk, could she be about to confess?!
But he wasn’t ready…
If he rejected her outright, she would be heartbroken. But if he agreed, he wasn’t prepared either. The idea of dating his own child had never crossed his mind before.
If she confessed and got angry out of embarrassment, then started giving him the cold shoulder or talking about moving out again, what was he supposed to do? Threaten and intimidate her again?
He had been quite skilled at that before, but after spending so much time together, he rarely lost his temper with her now, let alone threatened or intimidated her. It just wasn’t realistic!
So, the top priority was to play dumb and not give her a chance to confess.
"Can you speak properly?" Shen Yu asked impatiently, feeling too restless to sit still.
Shen Xiao had already made up his mind and replied, "What do you want to say? I’m a patient here, my fever hasn’t even broken yet. Can’t you let me have some peace? Do you have to talk to me right now?"
Shen Yu: “…”
This guy was just being unreasonable.
"You don’t have to say much. I just want to ask, why do you think I have a crush on you?"
Shen Xiao played dumb. "Did I say that? I don’t remember."
Shen Yu: “…”
After a moment’s thought, Shen Yu said bluntly, "Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong. I don’t have a crush on you at all!"
Shen Xiao had been wearing a careless smirk, but upon hearing this, his smile instantly froze.
He propped himself up on one elbow and looked at her. "What did you say?"
Shen Yu was startled by his sudden change in expression and leaned back slightly, but she mustered her courage and said, "I don't have a crush on you. You've misunderstood!"
Shen Xiao froze, his eyes momentarily vacant and bewildered.
The kid actually said she didn't have a crush on him?? How could that be?! It was so obvious, even a blind person could see it, and yet she claimed she didn't?!
Shen Xiao was stunned for a few seconds before another thought occurred to him: When a secret crush is exposed, one possible reaction is to deny it outright!
Shen Yu's current behavior fit that pattern perfectly. Given that she was studying acting, she could naturally perform with such convincing realism!
With this analysis, Shen Xiao felt a wave of relief wash over him. He relaxed completely and lay back on the bed, lazily saying, "Yes, yes, I misunderstood. Whatever you say is right."
Shen Yu: “…”
His reaction and attitude clearly showed he didn't believe her!
But why?? What on earth made him so stubbornly convinced that she had a crush on him??
"I... I really don't!" she said, growing a bit flustered.
"Alright, you don't have a crush on me. I get it now. I'm really thirsty, could you go pour me a glass of water?" He brushed her off dismissively while shamelessly ordering her around.
Shen Yu: “…”
There had originally been a glass of water on the bedside table. Shen Yu picked it up and tested it, it was cold. So she stood up and went downstairs to fetch a fresh one. Before leaving the room, she checked his temperature again and was relieved to find it had dropped significantly.
After she left, Shen Xiao, who had been lying face down on the bed, turned his head to glance at the door.
He hadn't expected the kid to be so stubborn. She clearly had a crush on him but acted as if nothing had happened. Her attitude had completely ignited his competitive spirit.
Just wait. Once he gathered enough evidence, let's see how she could keep denying it!
The thought lifted his spirits so much that he felt like singing. But after humming a few lines, he paused.
Wait, his own reaction to this situation seemed a bit off, didn't it??
When Shen Yu said she didn't have a crush on him earlier, he had been completely stunned, almost as if he'd been startled. Later, when he concluded that she was just putting on a brave face and refusing to admit it out of pride, he had actually felt relieved.
It was almost as if... he was enjoying the idea of the kid having a crush on him!
But why? He had been troubled by it before. How could he start enjoying it so soon? Could it really be that once he accepted this premise, he actually liked it?
Did he like the idea of the kid having a crush on him?
Just as he was questioning his own soul, Shen Yu returned with the water. Not only had she brought water, but also a plate of sliced cantaloupe.
"I just asked the doctor, you can have some fruit in moderation. Look, I scooped out some honeydew melon with a round spoon." Shen Yu held the fruit out to him. When he didn’t react for a while, she added, "Do you want me to feed you?"
Shen Xiao: “…”
Look at this, just look! Now she’s even offering to feed him, and she still claims she’s not secretly in love with him!
Women, tsk!