Xie Zhinan, holding Wen Yun’s suit jacket, arrived on the 22nd floor.
When he arrived, there were still quite a few people around. He tried his best to act as though he was just reporting to work, not even responding to Assistant Lin’s greeting. He just quickly smiled at him and slipped away.
Assistant Lin wanted to say something but hesitated. “…”
It seemed like things were becoming more and more awkward.
The gossiping stares directed at him from all around were almost overwhelming.
It was basic professionalism for an assistant not to gossip about their boss at the office.
Lin Jing remained indifferent, pretending not to notice anything. With his usual expression, he turned around and returned to his office to continue with his work.
Xie Zhinan knocked on Wen Yun’s office door.
“Come in.” Wen Yun’s voice came from inside.
Xie Zhinan pushed the door open… Huh?
It didn’t budge.
Xie Zhinan was confused. What material is this door made of? Why is it so heavy?
Had it always been this heavy the last time he came?
Or was it just that staying up late had weakened his body to this extent?
Xie Zhinan stared at his hand for a moment in confusion, then dragged his sore arm up, gathering strength before pushing hard—
The door opened easily, as someone from inside had opened it. Xie Zhinan lost his support and stumbled forward, only to be pushed back by a finger against his forehead.
With the support, Xie Zhinan wobbled a bit, then steadied himself.
The hand withdrew, and Xie Zhinan looked up in a daze.
Wen Yun stood at the door. It had gotten colder again, and he was wearing a black, loose overcoat. The style was simple but suited his temperament perfectly—clean, sharp, and exuding a coolness.
He glanced down at Xie Zhinan, looking not too pleased. “Do you not want to see me?”
It seemed like he had lingered at the door too long.
Xie Zhinan was misunderstood again and felt a bit wronged. He mumbled, “…No, I just couldn’t push the door open.”
Wen Yun clearly didn’t accept that explanation, narrowing his eyes and stiffly replying with a “Oh.”
It wasn’t the first time Wen Yun had misunderstood him, but for some reason, Xie Zhinan felt a bit unhappy today. He looked up at Wen Yun. Probably due to lack of sleep, his eyes were a bit red and misty, unfocused. He said, “It’s just that the door is too heavy!”
He looked a bit pitiful and stubborn.
It immediately softened Wen Yun’s heart. He paused for a second before replying, “… Yeah, the door is too heavy.”
Only then did Xie Zhinan lower his head again and awkwardly say, “I came to return your jacket.”
His mind was still a bit muddled, and he remembered this wasn’t something he should say in front of the boss’s office door.
Wen Yun watched as Xie Zhinan trembled while closing the door and then shakily turned back around.
“Thank you for yesterday,” Xie Zhinan finally lifted his head to look at him, probably to make his gratitude sound more sincere.
That’s when Wen Yun noticed the abnormal redness on his cheeks, extending around his eyes, and his voice sounded hoarse—dry, raspy, and faint.
“What’s wrong with you?” Wen Yun furrowed his brows and asked.
Xie Zhinan thought he was unhappy again. After thinking for a moment, he quietly explained, “I was going to wash your jacket, but I was worried it couldn’t go in the water. I don’t know which kind of store I should take it to for cleaning…”
He lifted his increasingly red eyes, looking like a pitiful rabbit that had been knocked out, and hesitantly said, “Maybe I could pay for the laundry?”
This time, Wen Yun strangely didn’t get angry.
He didn’t even seem to care about Xie Zhinan’s repeated attempts to give him money, or perhaps he had already gotten used to it.
If their roles were reversed, Wen Yun suspected that Xie Zhinan might give him a five-million-yuan check and awkwardly say, “Hello, could you stay a bit farther away from me?”
…But none of that was the point.
Xie Zhinan’s condition didn’t seem right at all.
Wen Yun furrowed his brows even tighter, and slowly raised his hand. Xie Zhinan, startled, shut his eyes.
Even if he was upset, there was no need to hit him, Xie Zhinan thought, feeling a little wronged.
Wen Yun immediately knew what he was thinking. After a moment of silence, he pressed his palm firmly against Xie Zhinan’s forehead as a form of punishment.
Earlier, he had only tapped with his index finger, not even testing the temperature.
Xie Zhinan, already weak, was pushed back by the force, but fortunately, Wen Yun grabbed his collar, pulling him forward to prevent his head from hitting the office door.
Xie Zhinan was wearing a white, thin sweater that day, the fabric fuzzy with a slightly high collar. Wen Yun’s motion of grabbing his collar directly brushed against his Adam’s apple.
Xie Zhinan had already been a bit short of breath, and with the pressure from Wen Yun’s cold fingers on his throat, he instinctively tilted his head back, feeling the tightness.
His Adam’s apple moved with the pressure, making the sensation even more noticeable, and the air felt thinner. He had just been jostled and now felt even dizzier, instinctively gripping whatever was nearby for support.
…He grabbed Wen Yun’s strong wrist, his palm warm but weak, and opened his eyes just enough to look at Wen Yun.
His palms were hot, his eyes tinged with a faint red, and he looked as if Wen Yun had truly bullied him.
Tsk.
Wen Yun was at a loss.
He hadn’t done anything, yet Xie Zhinan was like a rabbit that couldn’t be caught, always slipping away, ready to run at any moment.
“Sorry, sorry,” Xie Zhinan said anxiously, “I’ll wash your jacket when I get home tonight after work, and then I’ll return it to you.”
Wen Yun: “…”
It was obvious his brain was fried.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be saying things like this.
He sounded almost like a wife waiting for her husband to come home.
Wen Yun pressed his aching forehead with his other hand, took a deep breath, and pushed down all the thoughts, both appropriate and inappropriate, in his mind before saying, “Xie Zhinan, you’re running a fever. Didn’t you notice?”
Ah.
Xie Zhinan froze for a moment, his mind clouded as he thought, “Is that so?”
It was only then that he began to reflect on his strange condition since waking up.
His head had been heavy, his body sore and weak, his chest tight with shortness of breath, and his vision kept going black.
So, it was a fever.
It wasn’t that he lacked basic knowledge of his body; when he was young, he wasn’t very healthy, but his family had been relatively happy. His parents had paid attention to his health, wiping him with alcohol when he had a fever, taking him to the clinic for injections, and he didn’t have to worry about it.
Later, when his parents went to work elsewhere, he stayed with his aunt, and perhaps because he grew older and his body got stronger, or maybe because his small body knew it shouldn’t cause trouble for others, he rarely got sick.
Then, his father passed away, and his mother remarried, which made his situation awkward. No one was around to take care of him anymore.
Without anyone to care for him, he could only hope not to get sick and not cause trouble for anyone else.
Xie Zhinan’s body was very self-aware. He hadn’t had any major illnesses since then, not causing trouble for anyone, nor for himself.
He’d occasionally had minor colds or coughs, but it didn’t affect his classes, and he didn’t need anyone to take care of him. He’d just take some medicine for a couple of days and be fine.
Over the years, from elementary school until now, he had rarely had a fever.
So, he hadn’t realized it and thought it was just dizziness from lack of rest.
Xie Zhinan paused for two seconds, then suddenly released Wen Yun’s hand. The moment he realized he was running a fever, his first instinct was to cover his mouth and nose, panic written across his face.
Wen Yun raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”
“I…” Xie Zhinan’s collar was still in Wen Yun’s grip, and Xie Zhinan let out a sound, his throat trembling. Realizing that his throat was still pressed against Wen Yun’s fingers, he felt his face flush. He slowly said, word by word, “I’m afraid I might infect you.”
His throat felt numb as he spoke softly, almost a whisper, his words muffled and wet, hard to hear clearly.
But Wen Yun heard him clearly.
Xie Zhinan was concerned about him.
Wen Yun stared at Xie Zhinan for two seconds, then smiled and said, “It’s okay, I’m not afraid.”
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[Author’s Note]
Everyone, please take care of your health too!
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