As Lu Xingmian walked home, he stopped at a pharmacy to buy various common medications, such as cold and fever reducers, pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, and a thermometer. Lu Ge was right; he definitely needed to have these on hand. If he had noticed he wasn’t feeling well that morning and taken fever and cold medicine, he wouldn’t have let his fever get so high and wouldn’t have needed an IV.
Once home, Lu Xingmian took two cold medicine pills. As the medicine started to take effect, he sat on the sofa, closing his eyes. He couldn’t sleep, feeling drowsy from the medication.
His phone chimed a few times. It was Chen Che and the others messaging him.
When Lu Xingmian took leave, they immediately thought he might be sick, as many students in their class were taking time off for colds and fevers. If Lu Xingmian took leave, it could only be because he was sick. Lu Xingmian replied to each of them, saying he was fine and would likely be back in school tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Father Song and Mother Song arrived in Yancheng. After leaving the high-speed rail station, they took a taxi directly to the Lu family’s residence. The closer they got to the Lu family, the more nervous and excited they became. Although they had seen the Lu family’s villa before, they couldn’t help but be amazed when they saw it again.
They thought they probably couldn’t afford such a house even in three lifetimes. It was indeed a wealthy and influential family, and common people like them couldn’t compare. And Lu Sihang was now being cherished by such a prominent family; their son truly had a good life.
Lu Sihang had fallen ill. He coughed a couple of times that morning, and when his temperature was taken, it was 37.5 Celsius, he had a fever.
Xia Yuefang, eager with maternal love, quickly called the family doctor. After the doctor examined him, he said Lu Sihang was fine and would recover after using a fever-reducing patch and taking some medicine.
Even though the doctor said he was fine, Xia Yuefang remained worried and stayed by Lu Sihang’s side, asking if he was uncomfortable, if he wanted water, or what he wanted to eat.
Last time, when he heard Father Song say that blood ties could never be broken, Lu Sihang was very angry. But he knew that his anger stemmed from an inner fear, a fear that one day, Lu Xingmian, with his blood relation, would triumph over him, who only had the bond of upbringing. Therefore, Lu Sihang seized every opportunity to firmly hold onto his parents’ hearts.
Actually, he didn’t have a fever; he used a trick to make his mother believe he did. Sure enough, his parents loved him the most.
Lying on the bed, Lu Sihang held Xia Yuefang’s hand and whined, “Mom, I don’t feel well.”
Xia Yuefang saw Lu Sihang’s cheeks were slightly red and knew he had a fever, feeling heartbroken, she said, “Be good, Sihang. Thankfully, the fever isn’t too serious. You’ll be fine after taking medicine and getting some sleep.”
Lu Sihang knew best whether he had a fever or not. “Mom, if I go to sleep, will you still stay with me?”
“Of course.” Xia Yuefang looked at Lu Sihang with eyes full of tenderness. “Sleep, Mom will be right beside you.”
Lu Sihang: “Mom, you’ll always love me, right?”
Xia Yuefang: “What silly talk. Of course, Dad and Mom will always love you.”
Lu Sihang smiled: “Then, Mom, can you coax me to sleep like you used to when I was little?”
“Okay.”
Xia Yuefang gently patted Lu Sihang’s back, coaxing him to sleep like a baby. She suddenly recalled someone having told her before that they couldn’t sleep, but who was it? Xia Yuefang simply couldn’t remember.
As Xia Yuefang and Lu Sihang were enjoying their family time, the household helper said that Mr. and Mrs. Song had arrived to see Young Master Lu.
As soon as he heard Father and Mother Song had arrived, Lu Sihang’s eyes immediately changed, then changed back when Xia Yuefang looked at him, reverting to the pitiful, well-behaved Lu Sihang who was supposedly sick.
Xia Yuefang frowned when she heard the Song couple had arrived. However, considering that Lu Sihang was their child after all, she reluctantly suppressed her displeasure.
Father and Mother Song were ordinary people, they were ordinary office workers. They had almost no opportunity to interact with high-society individuals. Upon entering the luxurious mansion and seeing Xia Yuefang, both of them felt somewhat constrained.
Xia Yuefang exuded the aura of an aristocratic family, making them feel like they are from two different worlds.
The two smiled apologetically, and Mother Song said, “We heard Sihang was sick, so we wanted to come see him.”
Xia Yuefang nodded: “Sihang is resting in his room.”
Xia Yuefang led the two of them to Lu Sihang’s room.
When they saw Lu Sihang, they showered him with concern. Lu Sihang politely responded, thanking them for coming to see him, saying he was actually fine, and his parents had already taken him to see a doctor. His demeanor was graceful and proper, clearly that of a courteous young master from a noble family.
Xia Yuefang couldn’t help but nod inwardly, thinking, As expected of the child I personally raised; he’s so well-mannered.
Father and Mother Song stayed in the room for a while until Xia Yuefang said Sihang was sick and needed to rest well. Only then did the two reluctantly leave the room.
After all, they were Lu Sihang’s biological parents and guests from afar, and knowing that Sucheng was not close to Yancheng, Xia Yuefang invited them to stay overnight and return to Sucheng tomorrow. Father and Mother Song were very happy, as it meant more time to interact with their son.
However, that evening, Lu Sihang said he wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to come down for dinner. Xia Yuefang brought the food up to Lu Sihang’s room.
–
Lu Xingmian lay dazed for a while. When he woke up, he took his temperature, and it had finally almost returned to normal.
Feeling a bit thirsty, he drank some water, then noticed four messages on his phone from Lu Ge.
The first asked if he had gotten home.
The second asked if he was feeling better and if his fever had gone down.
The third asked if he had eaten and what he ate.
The fourth asked Lu Xingmian to reply and let him know he was safe if he saw the messages.
Lu Xingmian looked at Lu Ge’s messages and pursed his lips. At least someone still cared about him. This person not only accompanied him during his IV drip but also sent him a red packet and cared whether he had eaten. Even if this person was a stranger, he felt the stranger’s kindness.
Lu Xingmian took out a cup of instant noodles, poured in hot water, and while waiting for them to steep, he messaged Lu Ge back.
Lu Xingmian: [Lu Ge, I’m sorry, I just saw your messages.]
Lu Shiran: [Are you feeling better? Has the fever gone down?]
Lu Xingmian: [Much better. I took medicine after coming home, and the fever is gone.]
Lu Shiran: [Can you show me a picture of the thermometer?]
Lu Xingmian retook his temperature; it was 36.9 Celsius, no longer a fever. He took a picture and sent it to Lu Ge.
Lu Xingmian: [No fever anymore, [image]]
Lu Shiran opened the image and viewed the original. Indeed, the fever was gone.
Lu Shiran: [Even though the fever’s gone, you still need to rest well. Have you eaten?]
Lu Xingmian froze, looking at the instant noodles in front of him. He then remembered Lu Ge saying it was best not to eat instant noodles. But instant noodles were all he had left at home, and they were the most convenient food.
Lu Xingmian: [Eating now.]
Lu Shiran checked the time; it was already three in the afternoon. Eating at this hour, was this lunch?
Was it because Lu Xingmian’s parents weren’t around that even his meals were irregular?
He had never asked Lu Xingmian what had happened or why he lived alone. Yet, his life didn’t seem that dire, and his parents hadn’t even appeared when he was sick.
Normally, children from regular families would turn to their parents when facing difficulties. But Lu Xingmian, when suffering from prolonged insomnia, could only seek help from outsiders.
Although Lu Shiran was curious about these things, he had never asked. Many details were voluntarily offered by Lu Xingmian himself, as they were still just strangers, unfamiliar ones.
Lu Shiran just felt a pang of sympathy for this child. Once their “employer-employee” relationship ended, they would become complete strangers again.
Lu Shiran: [What are you eating?]
Lu Xingmian, who had just taken a bite of noodles, guiltily told Lu Ge on the other end that he had made porridge and stir-fried some green vegetables.
After replying, Lu Xingmian suddenly thought, Lu Ge wouldn’t ask for a picture of my meal, would he? That would expose my lie.
Lu Ge quickly replied, telling Lu Xingmian to rest well and that he could call him anytime if he wanted him to lull him to sleep.
Seeing this WeChat message, Lu Xingmian felt relieved. He was genuinely worried Lu Ge would ask for a picture of his food.
After finishing his instant noodles, Lu Xingmian read for a while and did some practice problems. Even though he missed class, Lu Xingmian wouldn’t indulge himself; his studies absolutely could not fall behind.
In the evening, Lu Xingmian took his temperature again; it was back to normal. However, after the fever, he started to get a cold, and his voice was a bit nasal. Fortunately, Lu Xingmian had prepared cold medicine, and colds were minor issues for him.
Tonight, after telling the story, Lu Xingmian heard Lu Ge say:
“Lu Xingmian, goodnight.”
that green tea bitch is so immature tf everyone in their family is 💀