HW Ch28: Waiting for you

The temperature of the other person was too high. Yun Ci’s hand felt like it had been burned when he touched him. He confirmed, “You have a fever.”

However, Yu Xun seemed not to hear. Just as Yun Ci was about to pull his hand away, Yu Xun moved again—following some sort of instinct, he leaned forward and continued to press his burning forehead against Yun Ci’s hand.

Yun Ci’s attempt to withdraw his hand stopped midway.

“…”

He had just returned from the cafeteria. The weather outside was cold, and his hand was icy.

Yu Xun’s burning temperature slowly transferred to his hand.

Maybe Yu Xun felt that his hand was cool and that pressing against it helped to relieve the heat. It was just a subconscious reaction from having a fever—nothing special.

As Yun Ci thought about this, Yu Xun moved again.

Maintaining this position, he still seemed uncomfortable, so he rubbed his forehead lightly against Yun Ci’s hand.

The rub was gentle, but Yun Ci couldn’t keep his hand extended any longer.

He abruptly pulled his hand back.

What’s with the rubbing?

Like a dog.

But looking at Yu Xun’s face, it was hard to associate him with a stray dog. Judging by his appearance, he had nothing in common with a dog. He probably hadn’t changed his clothes since returning to the dorm, still wearing a black sweater with a collar that had been shifted askew from sleeping.

“You’re really hot.” Yun Ci averted his gaze and said, “Do you have a thermometer?”

Yu Xun responded slowly, “No.”

Yun Ci said, “Wait here.”

Yu Xun, in a raspy voice, guessed Yun Ci’s intention and couldn’t resist joking, “…Wait for me to burn to death and then call an ambulance to carry me away?”

If it were before, Yun Ci might indeed have said, “You can burn to death.”

For the first time, Yun Ci felt so directly how childish he had been before. Gritting his teeth, he said, “…Wait, I’ll go buy one.”

Nanyang University East Gate, Pharmacy.

Yun Ci picked up a thermometer and a box of medicine.

“Hello,” Yun Ci asked while checking out, holding the medicine, “What’s the difference between these fever reducers?”

The female cashier said, “Oh, the characteristics of the drugs are different. Does the patient need pain relief? The one you’re holding has pain-relieving properties. If not, I suggest you choose another.”

Yun Ci said, “He probably doesn’t need it.”

Reminded, Yun Ci carefully read the instructions and finally changed the box of medicine.

Back home, all the medicines were organized by Yan Yue. Yan Yue had obsessive-compulsive disorder and would take various medicines out of their boxes, categorize them into a medicine box, and label them.

Now that he was away from home, there were more things he needed to pay attention to.

To prevent Yu Xun from having any other complications, before leaving, he turned back again and asked, “A sore throat can be uncomfortable when having a fever. Do you have throat lozenges?”

The female cashier replied, “Yes, do you want lozenges or throat candy?”

Yun Ci said, “Throat candy.”

Their pharmacy was located at the school gate, and usually, many university students came to buy medicine. It was the first time she couldn’t help but keep staring at him. Finally, when collecting the money, she added a comment, “So thoughtful, is it for your girlfriend?”

“…”

What girlfriend?

Seeing his reaction, the cashier added, “Ah, sorry, I thought it was for your girlfriend.”

Yun Ci’s hand froze for a moment while paying, “No.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say “a friend.” Describing his relationship with Yu Xun as a friend felt awkward. Saying “classmate” wasn’t quite right either; Yu Xun had always technically been in the neighboring class.

In the end, Yun Ci, holding the medicine bag, said, “He’s my roommate.”

–

When Yun Ci returned to the dorm, Luo Sifang and the others had not come back yet.

He was somewhat unaccustomed to such a quiet dorm, or rather, unaccustomed to being alone with someone.

He walked to Yu Xun’s bed and called out again, “Get up and take your temperature.”

This time, Yu Xun reacted faster than before.

Although he didn’t open his eyes, he did sit up.

Yun Ci was a bit surprised, “You weren’t sleeping?”

“No,” Yu Xun said, opening his sleepy eyes to look at him, “Didn’t you tell me to wait for you?”

“…”

He had indeed said that before he left.

But hearing it said like that, it sounded a bit off.

“It’s wait here,” Yun Ci emphasized the words.

“Wait for you,” Yu Xun’s voice was hoarse.

Yun Ci: “Wait here.”

Yu Xun tilted his head slightly, sleepily looking at the things Yun Ci was carrying, “Just wait for you, what’s the difference.”

The difference is that “wait here” and “wait for you” don’t sound the same.

Yun Ci stopped arguing with him over this topic. He opened the thermometer packaging, handed it to Yu Xun, and let him take his temperature.

After a while, Yu Xun said, “Done.”

Yun Ci stood by his bed and asked, “What’s the reading?”

“Not bad,” Yu Xun seemed to speak lightly about everything, “Thirty-nine degrees, almost forty.”

Yun Ci had experienced a high fever before, missing an exam because of it. He knew it didn’t feel good. By the end, he was almost unconscious. He just remembered sleeping fitfully all day and occasionally waking up, thinking not about anything else but that Yu Xun would probably take first place in the exam this time.

Then he wondered if he could retake the exam.

When the time came, he would make sure to score higher than Yu Xun.

But Yu Xun didn’t come to the exam either, probably because of his aunt.

…

Yun Ci came back to his senses, his gaze falling on Yu Xun’s brow, covered by messy hair.

He realized that Yu Xun really didn’t know how to take care of himself. He had a high fever and didn’t say anything. If they weren’t coincidentally roommates, he would have just slept it off alone.

Even if he was showing some concern, Yun Ci’s words still sounded like mockery, “Not bad. If you keep burning, you’ll have a high fever.”

Yu Xun hummed in response, “I was planning to burn for a while longer and then call Gao Pingyang to get an ambulance to take me away.”

“…”

Yun Ci didn’t respond. He turned and left.

Yu Xun watched his back and was about to speak when Yun Ci turned back, “I’m going out for a bit. Don’t sleep yet.”

Yun Ci fetched some water and, following the instructions, took out two pills for Yu Xun.

Although the dorm had bottled water, especially Luo Sifang, who hoarded several boxes of water in the corner of his bed to avoid moving while playing games, Yun Ci still went to the hot water room to get some hot water. With a high fever, it’s better to drink something warm.

Yu Xun wasn’t asleep, but he was buried under the blanket.

Yun Ci called him up a bit coldly. When Yu Xun touched the warm cup in his hand, he was stunned.

He didn’t expect Yun Ci’s “going out for a bit” to mean going out to get hot water.

But on second thought, it seemed normal.

Like that holiday when they had a one-on-one match at the internet cafe. When he ran out of money later, the internet cafe manager suddenly patted his shoulder and handed him several cups of instant noodles: “The student across from you bought these. He said you looked weak from hunger and were playing too poorly, making his victory meaningless.”

He looked up and saw the boy pursing his lips with a “what are you looking at?” face.

Details like this, Yun Ci probably didn’t even remember.

…

“Two pills,” Yun Ci said with a cold face, handing him the medicine, “Take them and then sleep.”

Yu Xun gave a light “oh” and took the medicine.

This person looked different when sick, especially compared to the memory of him always being sharp, competing for first place in everything, his radiance boundless.

The dorm felt like an individual’s room. In one’s own room, one sheds their outer shell, revealing rare moments.

His hair was messy, his brows and eyes covered by unruly strands, and his face was paler than usual, but his eyes were redder. The standard dorm bed seemed slightly narrow for him. He bent his long legs and quickly drank the water in a few gulps.

After he finished thanking him, there was nothing more to say between them.

Yun Ci said, “It’s nothing, just didn’t want anyone to die in the dorm,” then returned to his original spot, continuing to flip through his book.

The dorm was quiet, with only the sound of flipping pages and some breathing, just the subtle sounds made by him and Yu Xun. Compared to the atmosphere on the day Yu Xun moved in, the mood now could be described as exceptionally harmonious.

After flipping through the book for a while, Yun Ci planned to check out some videos on his phone. When he looked up, he noticed Yu Xun was sleeping intermittently.

Yu Xun seemed to have a light sleep, almost waking up every now and then. Even a faint page-turning sound could wake him. Sometimes he would just look at Yun Ci, then go back to sleep.

When Yun Ci took out his phone, he happened to catch that glance.

“?” 

“What are you looking at?” Yun Ci asked.

Yu Xun was lying on his side, half his face buried in the pillow, “Nothing, just a sleeping habit, a personal sleeping characteristic.”

Yun Ci’s first reaction was that this guy was talking nonsense again.

But the next second, he remembered that he had stayed over at his house before.

Indeed. Yu Xun casually said, “At home, I always worry about her, so I got used to it.”

He rarely got sick. In his memory, there was almost no high fever like this one.

Saying he was healthy was partly a joke, but not completely unfounded.

It was just that he was too busy lately.

College had more free time than high school. From the holiday after the college entrance exam, he had been busy continuously, and with Yu Ying’s condition worsening, many things kept happening. After the dorm manager built the wall, he finally had some free time, and then he got a fever.

“There’s nothing now,” Yun Ci didn’t know how to continue such a topic, and awkwardly said, “You sleep.”

Yu Xun also noticed that the topic was somewhat inappropriate, so he casually changed it, “Of course, there are other reasons too.”

“Exams are coming soon—seeing you studying, while I have to sleep,” he said, “I can’t sleep.”

“…”

Yun Ci squeezed his pen, thinking that this reason was really reasonable and sufficient.

There is only one first place.

If not me, then someone else will be.

If it were him, if Yu Xun was studying in front of him while he was sick, he wouldn’t be able to sleep either.

After saying that, Yu Xun fell asleep again.

This time, he slept more soundly. The first second Yun Ci was watching videos, the sound almost didn’t get muted, and for those two seconds, Yu Xun didn’t wake up.

Yun Ci exited the video app and went back to check his WeChat messages. The dorm group suddenly had many messages.

【608 Brothers Group】

Luo Sifang: [Brothers, I’m out of class!! @everyone]

Luo Sifang: [Are my teammates here?]

Luo Sifang: [Let’s go to the internet cafe, we can still play a few rounds, let’s go? @everyone]

Peng Yi Yuan: [Sure, I’m out of class too.]

Wang Zhuang: [Eat first.]

Luo Sifang: [There’s instant noodles at the internet cafe.]

Wang Zhuang: [I want to eat something good.]

…

yc: [Not going.]

Yun Ci just replied, “Not going.”

Luo Sifang immediately poked him: [What about Yu-ge?]

Yun Ci’s first time engaging in a topic about Yu Xun, still as a representative: [He’s not going either.]

Luo Sifang: [? Did he reply so quickly?]

Luo Sifang: [His typing speed isn’t that fast. You don’t have class and are in the dorm… so are you two in the dorm?]

Luo Sifang sent another message: [Since you’re both in the dorm, what are you two busy with?]

Yun Ci typed, “He has a fever, I…”, but couldn’t continue. What was he doing? Taking care of him, buying him medicine, and handing him water?

Yun Ci deleted the half line of text, one word at a time.

Luo Sifang, worried: [You two didn’t fight, did you?]

Two minutes later, Luo Sifang, who was about to head to the internet cafe, received two seemingly cold and arrogant messages from the white avatar.

yc: [We had a fight when no one was around.]

yc: [Now he’s lying on the bed, unable to get up.]

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