Chapter 375: Is It Nice of You to Treat A Sick Person Like This?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Upon hearing that, Qi Chenglin was even more curious. He rued not being able to tear it open immediately.
Qi Youxuan was also carrying his own gift. It was thoroughly wrapped in wrapping paper and the insides could not be seen at all. Ruan Danchen did not let him open it, causing him to feel incredibly ticklish in his heart.
After entering the house, the boy carried his gift and was about to enter his room. Ruan Danchen, however, stopped him and said, “Wait a minute.”
Qi Youxuan had just halted his footsteps, and before he could even speak, the present was whisked away by Ruan Danchen. She placed it under the Christmas tree in the living room and said, “You can only open it after midnight tomorrow.”
The boy’s expression turned gloomy after hearing that, but Ruan Danchen simply smiled and said, “Didn’t you say you wanted a Christmas present? Since you placed so much importance on Christmas, you should open your gift according to Christmas tradition.”
Qi Youxuan, “…’
He felt that his father was a bad influence on Aunt Ruan.
“You won’t secretly come out in the middle of the night to tear open your gift, right? If you do that, I won’t buy gifts for your next year,” Ruan Danchen remarked.
“…” Qi Youxuan sighed and drooped his shoulders. “I know. I won’t open it.”
He originally had that exact intention in mind, but it seemed that Ruan Danchen took advance precautions against him.
Qi Youxuan sighed helplessly. Aunt Ruan seemed to understand him even more at that time!
…
…
Later that night, Ruan Danchen took a bath and noticed that she was feeling unwell. She could not exert too much energy and her entire body felt lethargic to the bone.
She finally dragged her body onto the bed. Qi Chenglin had his laptop on his lap and was dealing with work, but when he turned, he saw Ruan Danchen’s face looking exceptionally red.
He closed his laptop and turned to her. “Are you sick?”
Ruan Danchen shook her head. “I don’t know, but my head hurts all of a sudden. I feel a bit cold too. Maybe it’s because I just finished my bath.”
Qi Chenglin frowned and reached out to touch her forehead. “It’s so hot. Do you have a fever?”
He postulated that the cause was her rushing here and there. She must have been tired, and her illness probably worsened because her body was unaccustomed to the temperature in the northern district, which was much lower than in the city.
“Wait here. I’ll measure your temperature,” Qi Chenglin said and hurried down to get an ear thermometer and some medicine to reduce her fever.
He measured her temperature and found it to be 37.3 degrees. It was not a high fever, fortunately, so he gave her some medicine and added another layer of blanket so she could sweat more.
Ruan Danchen pulled the blanket to her chin and the remaining parts of her exposed body were incredibly red. Qi Chenglin could no longer focus on his work. He turned to hug her, but to his surprise, she carried her two blankets and got off the bed.
“Where are you going?” Qi Chenglin pressed her back down and covered her firmly with the blanket. “You’re cold right? You keep switching between hot and cold. Do you want the fever to get worse?”
“I’m worried I’ll infect you. I’m going to sleep in the guest room for one night,” Ruan Danchen’s voice was muffled from the fever, and Qi Chenglin locked her on the bed to the point where she could no longer move.
“Stop making a fuss. If it really infected me, it would’ve happened long ago. Other than the few sneezes this afternoon, I’m all okay after eating the medicine. I don’t have any flu,” Qi Chenglin said. He made sure to wrap her even tighter in the blanket before switching off the lights and hugging her tightly.
Ruan Danchen stayed put obediently and leaned into his embrace. She heard his rich voice resounding from the top of her head. “If you have a fever, it’ll get better if you sweat it out. Grandma and Great-Grandma used the same method when Youxuan had fevers.”
She could not resist smiling. Although the fever made her feel cold, her heart was filled with warmth.
The two layers of blankets, coupled with the warm air inside the house, caused Ruan Danchen to begin sweating soon after she slept. Her enjoyable slumber meant that she had no sense of control over her actions, and she moved to push away the sheets.
Qi Chenglin was constantly hugging her and did not sleep too deeply for fear that she would feel even more unwell in the night. The slightest of her movements woke him up, and once he saw that Ruan Danchen was about to push open the blanket, he immediately wrapped her tighter.
Ruan Danchen’s reddened face could be seen clearly, even in the dark of night. Though she was soundly asleep, her face displayed her irritation from all that heat that she felt.
With no idea if she was even able to hear his words, he coaxed her gently, “Be good. Don’t kick the blanket. Just hang on for a bit more, otherwise, it’ll get worse. Listen to me.”
Ruan Danchen slowly became obedient after his cajoling. She buried deeper in his embrace, soaking him with her sweat. Qi Chenglin did not find it disgusting, however — he simply smiled and showed the utmost tolerance.
He hugged her and dared not make a single move because he was worried that the wind would enter into the covers and make her feel cold. Holding her in that manner allowed him to prevent her from moving around.
Throughout the night, Qi Chenglin woke up a couple of times just to check on Ruan Danchen’s situation.
When morning came, he was barely able to pull through, and when he was about to fall asleep, he felt Ruan Danchen move again.
Opening his eyes at once, he saw that Ruan Danchen was awake too. She had her eyes open and was wiggling rather insufferably.
“What is it?” Qi Chenglin looked at her somewhat shy demeanor and asked.
“My whole body is sweating. I’m dirty. Don’t hug me like that, you’ll get yourself icky too,” Ruan Danchen said.
She felt icky all over, and her hair was irremovably sticking to her forehead and neck. Q Chenglin was supposed to wake up fresh, but her sweat made his body feel sticky too.
Ruan Danchen foremost worry was that she had spread the infection to him, yet he gave her a kiss on the forehead without even wiping off her sweat.
He pressed his soft lips on her forehead and remained there for a while before saying, “I think your temperature has gone down a bit. Wait here.”
Once he said that, he turned the other way carefully and grabbed the ear thermometer that he placed near the headboard. He took her temperature. The reading was 36.8 degrees, and the ever had reduced. Qi Chenglin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Are you still going to sleep?” Qi Chenglin asked.
Ruan Danchen shook her head. “I’m not feeling good, I don’t think I can sleep.”
The fever may have reduced, but she was still feeling cold. The symptoms of flu were returning, causing her to suffer from a blocked nose and a sore throat.
“I’ll tell Aunt Zheng to cook some porridge for you,” Qi Chenglin said. He did not tidy himself up, if any at all, and simply wore some clothes before going down.
After a while, he came back and saw the sight of Ruan Danchen covering herself with plenty of thick clothes. She was wrapped firmly in them, and was even sniffling with a blocked nose.
“What happened?” Qi Chenglin asked curiously.
“I’m cold,” Ruan Danchen replied. She coughed terribly and felt that it was much more comfortable to be down with a fever.
Although she felt dizzy when she had a fever, her throat was not painful, and neither was her nose.
Qi Chenglin touched her forehead again. It was not hot. “Let’s go visit the doctor.”
Ruan Danchen shook her head. “I don’t have a fever anymore. A bit of medicine should be fine. We shouldn’t be going to the hospital during a festive time. 1”
Fortunately, Christmas was not a celebration that China usually celebrates. Aunt Zheng was not in a habit of celebrating such Western festivals, and so did not apply for leave. If she did, Qi Chenglin would be left flustered because he probably would not be able to cook his porridge.
After the fever subsided, however, Ruan Danchen’s flu got worse. She coughed repeatedly, even to the point of vomiting out her breakfast of porridge.
Without further ado, Qi Chenglin brought Ruan Danchen to the hospital immediately. She was given a shot to reduce inflammation, and a particularly effective oral medication with the same properties was dispensed as well. She took two pills after getting home, and her throat condition improved immensely.
At noon, Qi Chenglin gave Aunt Zheng the day off for some reason.
Qi Youxuan stared at the Christmas tree in the living room, or more accurately, the present underneath it. He would constantly keep watch on the clock, counting down the minutes and hoping that midnight came soon.
Seeing Aunt Zheng pack her bags and leave, Qi Youxuan could not help but ask, “Dad, what about our Christmas feast now that Aunt Zheng went home? Have you ordered from a restaurant already?”
Qi Chenglin was just about to enter the kitchen and take some more porridge for Ruan Danchen. He wanted her to eat a bit, since she was no longer coughing already and her breakfast earlier had been vomited out.
Before he entered the kitchen, he looked at the boy and said, “No.”
Qi Youxuan got anxious when he heard that. Lack of a feast was a more pressing matter than waiting to open his gift. He rushed into the kitchen and asked, “Then what are we eating tonight?”
“I’ll cook.” Qi Chenglin took the bowl of porridge and said curtly, “You won’t go hungry.”
Qi Chenglin remembered how much admiration Ruan Danchen had when she heard that Qi Chengzhi cooked for Song Yu. He had already decided to give Ruan Danchen a surprise on Christmas, and at the same time, train his skills.
“…” Qi Youxuan was silent. All of a sudden, he ran out of the kitchen and held his toy-like phone. He dialed Aunt Zheng’s number and asked, “Nanny Zheng, where did you put the gastric medicine?”
Qi Chenglin, “…”
With one hand holding the bowl, he whisked away Qi Youxuan’s handphone with his other hand and hung the call up. “What kind of reaction is this?”
Qi Youxuan pouted and tiptoed to try and get the phone back. Sadly enough, he could not reach it no latter now long he stretched his arm, and gave up thus.
He looked up at Qi Chenglin. “Tell me dad. Have you cooked before?”
Qi Chenglin, “…”
“Aunt Ruan is sick, and you insist on cooking for her. Even if it tastes bad, she will still eat it. Is it nice of you to treat a sick person like this?”
“…” Completely at loss for words, Qi Chenglin simply stared at his son.
It was a rare that he would have his heart set on making an impression. Did his son really have to douse his excitement just like that?
“I haven’t even cooked it yet. How do you know it’s going to taste terrible? If it’s really that bad, I’ll order something for you,” Qi Chenglin responded coldly. “Don’t stand in my way. Your Aunt Ruan is waiting for her porridge.”
Qi Youxuan finally let the man pass, but the boy followed closely behind—as though he was Qi Chenglin’s tail—and they went up together.
He laid eyes on Ruan Danchen’s fleece-wrapped body and tissue-stuffed nose, not a very pretty sight indeed.
She did not expect Qi Chenglin to come up so suddenly. She felt shy because he laid eyes on her in all her ugly glory.
Qi Chenglin nearly laughed. He saw her reaching for the tissue and taking it out, to which he said, “Just keep them in.”
Ruan Danchen was still shy, so she did not stuff them in anymore. Qi Chenglin held the bowl of porridge and sat beside the bed. “You vomited your breakfast. You should eat a bit now.”
“Aunt Ruan, are you still sick?” Qi Youxuan climbed up the bed and leaned over.
“Youxuan, stay away. You just got better. Don’t get infected again by me,” Ruan Danchen said hurriedly.
“I got the flu just a while ago, it’ll be fine.” He not only decided to stay further away, he even sat down crossed-legged just beside Ruan Danchen.
Ruan Danchen took the porridge and ate it unknowingly as she spoke with the father-son duo.
She felt a bout of tingling in her nose, but it was not due to her flu. She sniffled to hide the tingling she felt.
In the past, she was always alone in that small little apartment. No matter how seriously she fell ill, no one ever cared about her. She was always left to fend for herself, but she did not think much of it. It was as if taking care of herself was the normal thing to do.
However, Qi Chenglin’s meticulous care and Qi Youxuan’s concern was a warmth that felt incredibly pleasing to her. If she reverted back to being all alone again, she might not have the strength to carry on taking care of herself like she used to back then—she might even bury her head and cry despondently.
Qi Chenglin took the empty bowl and turned to hand it over to Qi Youxuan. “Bring the bowl down.”
Qi Youxuan blinked. If it were any other occasion, he would definitely refuse to carry out the order, even though he would still do it obediently in the end. Seeing Ruan Danchen’s sufferable state made him feel that it was good to do something for Ruan Danchen, no matter how small that thing was. Therefore, he took the bowl and went down without saying anything further.
Qi Chenglin’s black pupils gazed on Ruan Danchen warmly and the corner of his lips curled up in a gentl smile. His slender that well-defined fingers touched the top of her head, and she kneaded it softly as his fingertips penetrated her hair. He combed her hair gently from the root to the tip, and his husky voice rang out, “Don’t think so much. You’ll always have us.”
Ruan Danchen gazed at him in surprise. She did not say anything at all, but for some reason he already knew what she was thinking.
Being constantly pampered by her made her act coquettishly toward him without her even knowing it. Ruan Danchen looked at him lovingly without saying anything and lay her head firmly on his chest, knocking on it soundly. Qi Chenglin coughed because of it.
Feeling pleased, he looked down at the black head on her hair and smiled. His strong palm was touching her head softly, massaging her hindbrain tenderly and rubbing her hair gently.
He lowered his head and his lips searched for the corner of her eye to give it a tender kiss.
Ruan Danchen looked like a timid little puppy in his embrace. She even resembled a little pup with her wet nose. The flu made caused tears to form in her eyes time and again, making her eyes moist and pitiful-looking.
“Infection.” Though she may have said that, she was still rubbing against him in his embrace.
“It’s good then if it infects me. You’ll suffer less,” Qi Chenglin smiled and said.
Ruan Danchen leaned on his chest and was positioned quite near to his collar. She need only roll her eyes downward to see the exposed collarbone outside his shirt—it was very fair and sturdy, like a jade carving.
Just beside his collarbone was his throat. Ruan Danchen was fascinated with men’s throats, and his was particularly prominent and very masculine.
Just above his throat lay a small, domed protrusion. It was like a walnut got stuck, and she was absolutely intrigued by it.
When he chuckled softly, she could feel the vibration in his throat.
Ruan Danchen looked up slightly and stared at his beautiful collarbone. She had the exact same collarbone too, but it looked so much more seducing on him.
“But I can’t bear to see that,” Ruan Danchen whispered. She blushed harder than the red on her face when she had a fever, and after saying that she quickly tucked her throat beneath herself.
Qi Chenglin looked down and searched for her lips. He gave them a kiss and did not even seem to mind her illness, with his lips roaming around inside her mouth. Ruan Danchen’s mouth felt dry and hot because of her flu, but at that time, his originally-warm tongue was quite cold. It was wet, cooling, and extremely refreshing.
Unbeknownst to her, she was pressed down by him. He kissed her so forcefully that his blanket was soon going to be buried under her.
Afraid that Ruan Danchen would be suffocated due to her stuffed nose, he released her, only to see her nose and cheek turn extremely red. Qi Chenglin could not help but give her quick pecks across her red face before pulling her up. He gave her some warm water and told her to eat her medicine.
Due to the medicine’s side-effects, Ruan Danchen felt sleepy and entered into slumber very soon. When she woke up and looked at the time, it was already past four.
