"Who says we'll have a long future together?" Lin Xi slammed her fist on the bed.
It was already 3 a.m., and every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Duan Yiheng kissing her. Frustrated, she scratched her head, "Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it, go to sleep." She closed her eyes for less than five minutes before opening them again.
After her 108th failed attempt to fall asleep, Lin Xi gave up. She opened her phone, scrolling aimlessly, and saw MomentWhisper, which hadn't been logged into in a long time. She clicked on it. Her only friend on MW—Ryan—was actually online?
Lin Xi excitedly opened their chat window. He had obviously noticed she was online too, and quickly sent a message: "It's 3 a.m. in China, and you're still awake?" Of course, Duan Yiheng sent it in English to avoid giving himself away. Lin Xi happily replied: "Are you working?" Ryan: "I'm on vacation." Lin Xi: "Envious, I'm on a business trip." Ryan: "Unbelievable, you're still awake." Lin Xi: "It's a long story." Ryan: "If you don't mind, I'll listen when I have time."
Lin Xi didn't know Ryan's personal life, but the information showed he was 33. Even if he wasn't married, he must have had romantic relationships. It was better than her guessing. Lin Xi replied:
Ryan, you're a man too. You kissed a woman, what does that mean? Ryan: If it were me, it means I like her. Lin Xi's heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. She raised her hand to hold it down, automatically putting herself in Duan Yiheng's shoes.
She remembered Duan Yiheng's words, "I dare to say it, do you dare to listen?" and panicked even more. Taking two deep breaths, Lin Xi replied: Isn't there an answer other than liking someone? Ryan: No.
Lin Xi tried to refute his words, but Duan Yiheng wasn't a playboy who flirted everywhere, so it wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment thing. His behavior tonight was actually quite obvious. Recalling everything that had happened before, Lin Xi felt there were clues.
The most abrupt thing was the trip to Rong County; he suddenly appeared beside her. Having lost all interest in chatting with Ryan, Lin Xi took the initiative to say goodbye, ending the conversation. She idly flipped through the photo album, one picture at a time. Suddenly, Lin Xi stopped.
The album contained a photo of Duan Yiheng taken at the manor in North District No. 1. The surroundings were dark, except for him, illuminated by the flash. Lin Xi zoomed in on the photo and noticed a familiar, gentle smile playing on his lips. Even back then, they weren't particularly close.
Lin Xi stared at the photo without moving, not even noticing when she fell asleep. When she woke up again, she only heard a knocking on the door. "Lin Xi, open the door." Lin Xi opened her eyes, her head still spinning. "Lin Xi." The knocking continued.
Lin Xi struggled to sit up, finding her nose completely blocked. "What—" Lin Xi choked, her throat dry and hoarse. Was she sick? Lin Xi paused, then slowly got out of bed to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Lin Xi swayed slightly, only to be pulled into Duan Yiheng's arms. "Don't…" Lin Xi weakly raised her hand and punched his chest, "Don't bully me so early in the morning."
Duan Yiheng touched her forehead, paused for a moment, then picked her up and placed her on the bed. "You have a fever, I'll take you to the hospital." Lin Xi lay down on the bed: "I don't want to go, I want to sleep." Duan Yiheng brought her coat to the bedside and patiently coaxed her:
"You drank last night, I shouldn't have let you get chilled. Be good, I'll put your coat on." "I don't want to go," Lin Xi whimpered, "I really don't want to leave." Duan Yiheng helplessly covered her with the blanket: "Wait for me a little while."
Lin Xi closed her eyes and hummed in agreement. Duan Yiheng got a thermometer from the hotel reception and asked them to buy medicine. When he returned to the room, Lin Xi was asleep again.
Duan Yiheng took her temperature with an ear thermometer: 38.5 degrees Celsius, just before she needed to take fever-reducing medication. Duan Yiheng was at a loss and called Sister Mei. "You don't need to take medicine."
Sister Mei said, "Make sure to drink plenty of water, and wipe the areas with lots of large blood vessels with warm water." Duan Yiheng quickly poured her some warm water and woke her up. "It's already noon, I'll have the hotel send some food over, drink some water first."
Lin Xi took the cup and sipped it slowly. "We were in the wind together, how come you're okay?" Lin Xi glanced at him, her tone plaintive. Duan Yiheng chuckled: "If something happened to me, how could I take care of you?"
Lin Xi wrinkled her nose, suddenly glad she was sick. Otherwise, she wouldn't know how to face him again. Lin Xi's joints ached all over. She asked Duan Yiheng, "Didn't you buy medicine?" Duan Yiheng replied,
"Sister Mei said this temperature isn't enough to take medicine." Lin Xi said, "It's not like being at home when you're away from home. Bring the fever reducer, take it, and a nap should be enough." Duan Yiheng said, "Then eat something first, and take a good nap this afternoon." "Okay."
Lin Xi nodded obediently. "You kept knocking on my door before, did you know I was sick?" Duan Yiheng said, "I called you so many times and you didn't answer. It's almost noon now, do you think I wasn't worried?"
Lin Xi reached for her phone under her pillow, unlocked it with facial recognition, and the screen was still showing a photo from last night. A pang of panic shot through her, and she quickly swiped to the homepage. Duan Yiheng chuckled softly, "You even look at my photos before bed?"
Lin Xi had a fever, and her mind wasn't working properly. She couldn't find a rebuttal. She simply shut her mouth and remained silent. The hotel had just delivered lunch. Duan Yiheng went to open the door, while Lin Xi went to the bathroom to wash up.
When she arrived at the table, she noticed that Duan Yiheng had ordered mostly vegetarian dishes. Lin Xi didn't have much of an appetite, eating only half her usual amount, but she drank a lot of warm water. After lunch, she took her medicine and went back to her room to rest.
Duan Yiheng, worried, sat in a chair in her room watching her. Lin Xi's phone rang at that moment. Seeing it was her grandfather calling, she immediately answered. Duan Yiheng looked up, his brows slightly furrowed. Lin Xi called for help, and the old man spoke gently on the phone:
"Xiao Xi, when are you and your older brother coming back?" Lin Xi: "Tomorrow afternoon, what's up?" "Alright, I've invited the Tan family over for a small garden party."
Lin Xi instantly understood; this was an opportunity her grandfather had created for Tan Qi and Duan Yiheng. "Don't think I don't know he's hiding. Tell your older brother he absolutely must come back tomorrow night. Don't make me break my promise." Lin Xi lowered her eyes and responded. The call ended, and Duan Yiheng asked, "What did Grandpa say?" Lin Xi didn't answer but asked instead, "Grandpa called you yesterday about Miss Tan, right? Is that why you don't want to go back?" Duan Yiheng nodded. "Grandpa brought it up again?" Lin Xi said, "He invited the Tan family over for a visit tomorrow night." Duan Yiheng raised his eyes. "Don't you have anything to say?" "I'm a little sleepy." Lin Xi lay down, avoiding his topic. Duan Yiheng smiled enigmatically, then sent a text message to Tan Qi.