"Go to the hospital."
"No."
Chen Jin became angry at once. He had never met such a stubborn and foolish woman. She wouldn't even take the car he offered, always rushing for the bus, even in the rain she wouldn't take a cab. A grown person, with such a thick skull, gets sick after walking in the rain—serves her right.
But then, when he saw her, burning up like a roasted sweet potato, he was instantly half-done with his anger. He knew he was partially to blame. After keeping her up all night, he noticed she was warm, and happily thought she was just aroused. It wasn't until this morning, when he woke up and felt the heat of her body like a burning coal, that he realized Lin Wan had a fever. Ah, so this was what they meant by "hormones clouding the mind." His IQ was completely washed away.
With this thought, Chen Jin softened, moved over to her, and gently picked her up. "Behave. Your fever's almost 40 degrees. You really want to become an idiot?"
But Lin Wan held on tightly to the bed's hollow railing and refused to go to the hospital, no matter what. Chen Jin tried to pry her hands off with all his strength, but his usual invincible force seemed useless now. No matter how much he pulled, her fingers stayed firmly latched to the railing. Chen Jin sighed in frustration. "If it weren't for the fear of breaking your fingers..."
Lin Wan, still struggling, muttered, "I hate hospitals. They smell like death."
Chen Jin paused, remembering the first time he met her in a hospital, and the tragic events that happened there. The memory of her crying bitterly softened his heart. He spoke gently, "Fine, we won't go. I'll have someone come over to give you an IV."
He went to the balcony and made a phone call: "Hey, Uncle He, it's Chen Jin. Someone's got a high fever… No, no need for you to come. Just send an experienced doctor… We measured, it was 39.5 degrees… Thanks a lot."
Half an hour later, a middle-aged doctor arrived with a nurse and a large medical kit. She carefully examined Lin Wan, prescribed medicine, set up an IV drip, and left the nurse behind to monitor her, instructing her to report if anything changed.
Lin Wan drifted in and out of sleep, waking up occasionally. The last time she woke up, it was the nurse shaking her, reminding her to eat something. Lin Wan looked at the time—3 pm. She had slept most of the day, and after two bags of IV fluid, she felt much better. Her head wasn't pounding as much, but she had sweated a lot and felt sticky and uncomfortable. However, the nurse wouldn't let her take a bath, saying it would make her condition worse.
She drank a bowl of porridge with a bit of salty pickles and thought she was fine. She wanted to send the troublesome nurse away. The nurse wouldn't leave, saying that her superior had ordered her to stay and monitor her for the day. Lin Wan scoffed. Even when things were worse, no one had been so concerned. The nurse probably just thought there was nothing serious. Rich people were always so delicate. Finally, after some persuasion and promises, Lin Wan and the nurse secretly reached an agreement. The nurse would leave early, and Lin Wan would cover for her.
As soon as the nurse left, Lin Wan rushed to the bathroom and took a comfortable hot shower. When she stepped out, she was thirsty, so she went to the Xituo Lan Ya restaurant to get some water. On her way, she passed the study and heard voices. She thought the person had already left. When she overheard the conversation, her steps faltered, and she left without a word.
Chen Jin hung up the phone and sat in silence for a while before getting up to go to the bedroom. But as soon as he entered, he became angry. "Why did you take a bath? Do you want to get worse?"
Lin Wan, sitting on the bed reading a magazine, lazily lifted her eyelids and said nonchalantly, "I'm fine now, no need to make a fuss."
Chen Jin was stunned at first. A fuss? Actually, maybe there was. When he saw her wet hair, he couldn't help but scold her, "It's so easy to catch a cold with your hair wet. How careless can you be?" He went to the bathroom, got the blow-dryer, and tossed it onto the bed, urging, "Hurry up and dry it. Don't make me suffer again if you get sick again."
Seeing Lin Wan staring at the blow-dryer in a daze, he smiled and asked, "Waiting for me to dry your hair?"
Lin Wan hurriedly grabbed the dryer, saying urgently, "No need."
Chen Jin chuckled nonchalantly, "Fine, hurry up, don't drag it out. I've got stuff to do." With that, he turned and left.
That evening, Chen Jin didn't leave the house. His secretary came by once to deliver some documents, and by ten o'clock, he surprisingly showered and went to bed early. Of course, he wasn't going to sleep just yet, especially with a warm and soft body lying next to him. Given that Lin Wan was sick, he displayed a rare humanitarian spirit, settling for some gentle kisses and touching but not going any further.
However, Lin Wan still felt his obvious change in physical state. Honestly, being held by such a tense man was a kind of torment. The so-called "long pain is worse than short pain," she thought. She bit her lip and tentatively reached for his scorching chest, hesitantly saying, "How about…"
The man, still panting and kissing her shoulder, immediately stopped, his eyes blazing. He tried to reject her but finally gave in, saying, "Help me with your hand."
Lin Wan's face instantly turned as red as a ripe tomato. She wanted to swallow back her words but didn't have the chance. The man didn't give her a chance to refuse, pulling her little hand down and shamelessly saying, "I'll teach you."
The whole process was unbearably awkward, and she inadvertently learned a bit about physiology, although she had no interest in it. His desire surged in her hand, and she felt like she was holding a hot potato—a ticking time bomb. Embarrassed, she wanted to pull away, but his large hand held hers tightly, forcing her to move according to his rhythm.
In the end, he wasn't satisfied with such shallow interaction and flipped her onto her back, completely forgetting his previous restraint.
"Wan Wan, Wan Wan," Chen Jin kept murmuring, savoring the moment, fully satisfied. After a while, though still wanting more, he regained some sense of reason. He brushed Lin Wan's forehead with his hand, hoarsely asking, "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
Before Lin Wan could answer, he spoke to himself. "Not as hot as yesterday. No wonder people say women with a fever are perfect for this." He sighed at the end, unsure whether it was a sigh of relief or regret.