DILLYH Chapter 8

TL: Hua

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Chapter 8: Fever

The doctor they called was the Xie family’s personal physician, Xie Chang. He was only a few years older than Yu Haozhou and Zhou Zizheng. In ancient terms, he would have been considered a “houseborn slave” because he took over his father’s position.

After examining Yu Haozhou’s lower body, Xie Chang tutted a few times. “Young Master Zhou, you have no pity. This is too much.”

Yu Haozhou buried his face in the blanket, not daring to show his face. Zhou Zizheng felt a little embarrassed.

“How do we treat it?”

“A two-pronged approach. Three days of IV drips, combined with a topical ointment. He should be completely fine in about a week.” Xie Chang began preparing the needle. “Oh, by the way, the most important thing is—”

Zhou Zizheng opened the notes app on his phone, ready to write it down.

Xie Chang curled his lips, his gaze lingering on Zhou Zizheng for a moment before he said slowly, “You need to show restraint. You can’t touch him for at least a week. Can you manage that, Young Master Zhou?”

“…” Zhou Zizheng responded with a stiff “yes.”

—

Each IV drip took five to six hours. They started after lunch and ended just before dinner. Other than the three people who knew, Yu Haozhou didn’t tell anyone, and he told Zhou Zizheng to keep his mouth shut. As a result, Zhou Zizheng was so worried about Yu Haozhou being home alone on those three afternoons that he had to come back to take care of him.

On the first day he took leave, Father Xie called to ask what was going on. Zhou Zizheng just said that Yu Haozhou had a fever, without going into details.

Father Xie was silent for a moment. “Son, I’ll have two of our nannies go over to help take care of him. How about that? This is a crucial time for you; just bear with it.”

Zhou Zizheng said directly, “I can’t. Dad, I don’t want to entrust his care to anyone else.”

“I’ll continue to do my work from home. If I can’t finish it, I’ll pull an all-nighter.”

With that said, Father Xie couldn’t force him. He was quite satisfied with his son’s learning progress during this time. At least he was qualified to be an heir. Thinking this, he no longer insisted. “Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing.”

“Your mother and I are free tomorrow at noon. We’ll come over and see you two.”

“Dad, let’s do it another time.” Zhou Zizheng explained, his face and heart betraying nothing. “Zouzhou isn’t well yet; what if you two get sick? Having a fever isn’t fun.”

Father Xie felt his son’s words made perfect sense. He had been a little upset by the repeated refusals, but Zhou Zizheng’s explanation was quite comforting. His son was now proactively looking out for them.

“Okay, good, then we’ll go another time.”

“You take care of yourself too; don’t overwork yourself.”

“Yeah, I know.”

After hanging up, Zhou Zizheng let out a quiet sigh. Even though he had been back for almost half a year, he still occasionally felt unaccustomed and a bit awkward around his birth parents. He could see that they wanted to give him everything they had, but the void of so many years would naturally take time to heal. It was a process they had to take slowly. Just like with Yu Haozhou, their feelings would slowly but surely deepen.

***

Yu Haozhou had been spoiled his entire life, so he was used to people taking care of him. But when that person was Zhou Zizheng, he still felt a little awkward.

“Zhou Zizheng, don’t you have your own things to do? Can you stop hovering around me all day? It’s really annoying.”

Zhou Zizheng was peeling a pomelo for him, with sliced pears and watermelon ready on a plate nearby.

“Once you’re better, I’ll go back to the company.”

Sometimes, Yu Haozhou genuinely couldn’t understand what Zhou Zizheng was thinking. He felt like Zhou Zizheng was acting like he was madly in love with him. At times, Yu Haozhou would get lost in thought, wondering if this was for real.

But then he’d think about all the years in the past when Zhou Zizheng was always so indifferent toward him. The sudden change didn’t add up logically. Was he, like a character in a novel, bound by a system that required him to win Yu Haozhou over or die?

“Hey, Zhou Zizheng, let me ask you something.” Yu Haozhou spoke casually.

Zhou Zizheng looked up. “What?”

“Are you bound by a system?”

“…”

Zhou Zizheng fell silent.

Yu Haozhou continued his wild speculation. “You’re silent! Does that mean I’m right? You can’t admit it, or you’ll self-destruct?”

It was rare to see Zhou Zizheng lose his composure. “You’d rather believe that I’m bound by some nonexistent system than believe that I like you?”

This time, it was Yu Haozhou’s turn to fall silent. He scratched his face, his heart pounding so fast he didn’t dare to speak. He felt like Zhou Zizheng was done with his strange questions.

The peeled pomelo, with its outer and inner skins removed, was placed neatly on a plate. The plate was within arm’s reach for Yu Haozhou.

Zhou Zizheng went downstairs to throw away the trash. He was gone for a long time. Yu Haozhou sensed he was upset, but he felt he hadn’t done anything wrong. It was Zhou Zizheng who was acting strange, and it was only natural for him to be cautious.

However, seeing Zhou Zizheng’s sullen face made him feel as if ants were crawling all over him. He didn’t want to see him like this, but he was too proud to break the ice. He was in agony.

Normally, when Zhou Zizheng was working nearby, he would occasionally strike up a conversation to keep Yu Haozhou from getting bored. Yu Haozhou would complain but still respond.

Today, the room was very quiet. All he could hear was the clicking of Zhou Zizheng’s keyboard. Yu Haozhou absentmindedly scrolled through his phone, stealing glances at Zhou Zizheng, but he couldn’t find the courage to speak first.

Each time he saw an interesting topic, the words would be on the tip of his tongue, but after a long pause, he’d give up. Finally, he slid down the bed frame, curled up under the covers, and decided to sleep.

Yu Haozhou had a dream about his high school days. At the start of the second year of high school, he and Zhou Zizheng were assigned to the same class but didn’t know each other. He first became aware of Zhou Zizheng because a senior he had a crush on was relentlessly pursuing him, but Zhou Zizheng didn’t even give him a second look.

When the senior was rejected, he’d come and complain to Yu Haozhou. Over time, Yu Haozhou grew to dislike Zhou Zizheng. It was just as Zhou Zizheng had said—there was no direct conflict between them; Yu Haozhou just couldn’t stand him.

His opinion of Zhou Zizheng changed in the second semester of that year. One day, their class was playing a friendly basketball game against another class. The game was intense, with a large score difference. Just as their class was about to win, an opponent deliberately pushed Yu Haozhou, who was their key player. Yu Haozhou twisted his ankle, which immediately began to swell. He sat on the ground, in too much pain to cry out. The basketball bounced loudly on the floor, but no one paid any attention to it.

In that moment of confrontation, Zhou Zizheng, who was a substitute, went straight onto the court and pushed the instigator back. When the other group tried to retaliate, their classmates stepped forward to stand their ground. Girls from their class, who had heard what happened, rushed over and joined in the protest.

A girl asked if he was okay. Yu Haozhou, drenched in sweat, tried to play it cool and said it was nothing, that he just needed to rest. Only Zhou Zizheng, without saying a word, lifted him in his arms. The girls around them cheered.

Yu Haozhou didn’t react at first. When he did, he began to struggle fiercely, yelling in his head, “What the hell? Am I shaking hands with my love rival?”

Yu Haozhou felt humiliated. “You bastard, put me down! I can walk myself!”

Zhou Zizheng didn’t put him down. Instead, he tightened his grip around Yu Haozhou’s waist and smiled mischievously. “You move again, and I’ll kiss you in front of them.”

Yu Haozhou’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t dare!” He didn’t cover his mouth; he knew Zhou Zizheng wouldn’t have the nerve.

Zhou Zizheng sneered. “As if I’d want to kiss you. You reek of cheap perfume.”

Yu Haozhou was so enraged that he felt like his injured foot no longer hurt. After a long pause, he retorted, “I’m wearing designer perfume, you uncultured brute!”

Zhou Zizheng didn’t react. Yu Haozhou was so mad he felt like he needed to pinch his own pressure points. At an angle Yu Haozhou couldn’t see, Zhou Zizheng secretly curled his lips into a smile.

At the school infirmary, the doctor took a look and said it was serious, suggesting they go to a hospital for an X-ray. Both boys’ faces grew tense. Yu Haozhou even forgot that the person beside him was his love rival. Instinctively seeking reassurance, he tugged on Zhou Zizheng’s pants. “I’m not going to become a cripple, am I?”

Zhou Zizheng was about to comfort him, but the doctor shook his head. “Hard to say. You might need surgery, and we’ll have to see how you recover afterward.”

Yu Haozhou had never been through anything like surgery, and his face went pale with fright. Zhou Zizheng patted him on the back and said gently, “It’s just a possibility. It might not happen. Don’t scare yourself.”

High school students are at an age where they believe everything they hear. On the way to the hospital, Yu Haozhou kept scaring himself. If he became a cripple, how would he play basketball? Would he look ugly limping, and would people laugh at him?

Yu Haozhou was on the verge of tears. Zhou Zizheng’s words of comfort were useless, so he had to resort to a taunt. “Yu Haozhou, you’re this much of a coward? And you still talk about fighting me? I could use one hand, and you still wouldn’t win.”

Yu Haozhou looked at him pitifully. “If I’m a cripple, I’ll have even less of a chance.”

“…”

Zhou Zizheng swore at himself, abandoning all attempts to provoke him. He requested the afternoon off for both of them and then carried Yu Haozhou around the hospital, running errands for the X-ray, paying the fees, and listening to the doctor’s diagnosis. The entire afternoon passed, and Yu Haozhou didn’t lift a finger. Zhou Zizheng didn’t complain either.

When the results came back, it was a severe sprain with a slight ligament tear—no fracture. He would be fine after a period of rest. Yu Haozhou sighed in relief.

Zhou Zizheng didn’t forget to comfort him. “Feeling better now?”

Yu Haozhou nodded, deeply moved.

As dusk fell, Zhou Zizheng took a taxi to drop him off at his house. Just as they were about to part ways, Yu Haozhou called out to him. He carefully chose his words before speaking. “Zhou Zizheng, thank you for today.”

Zhou Zizheng frowned. “What? I didn’t hear you. Say it louder?”

Yu Haozhou looked at him suspiciously, feeling like he was doing it on purpose but having no proof. Most importantly, he didn’t have the courage to say it a second time!

But since Zhou Zizheng had stayed by his side all day, Yu Haozhou grudgingly raised his voice and repeated it.

Zhou Zizheng stepped closer, cupped his ear, and said cheekily, “The wind’s too loud tonight; I didn’t catch that. Say it again.”

It was the middle of summer; there was no wind. It was obvious he was doing it on purpose. Yu Haozhou was so mad he forgot about his injured foot and kicked him. Afterward, he immediately howled in pain, clutching his leg. Zhou Zizheng’s expression changed, and he cursed him for being an idiot, yet he was ready to crouch down to check on him.

Yu Haozhou’s heart was in turmoil, stirred by the gentle wind. He quickly grabbed his crutches and hobbled away, instinctively avoiding Zhou Zizheng’s intimacy.

Zhou Zizheng stood there until Yu Haozhou’s figure disappeared from view before he finally walked away.

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