Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Lu Yan drowsily opened his eyes and glanced at the fuel gauge.

Even though they were right at the speed limit, it felt like Gu Xu was racing.

Actually, he didn’t feel unwell when he woke up this morning, but he started feeling a bit dizzy in the supermarket. He didn’t expect to come down with a fever after dozing off in the car.

Though he has a chronic stomach issue, his immune system has always been strong. He rarely gets sick, let alone a fever; even colds have been few and far between in recent years.

When they arrived at the hospital and checked into the emergency room, it wasn’t too crowded since it was mealtime. They were called into the exam room shortly after sitting down.

His temperature was 39.3 degrees Celsius—a high fever.

Since they’d arrived at the hospital, Gu Xu hadn’t said a word. The doctor gave some instructions, and he just nodded.

When it was time for the IV, the nurse clearly recognized him and was extra gentle. After inserting the needle, she blushed and offered to hang the IV bag, saying, “It’s not too busy now. Let me help you hang this up.”

Gu Xu, stone-faced, took the IV bag himself.

The nurse looked embarrassed, so Lu Yan stood up and smiled, “No need, thank you.”

The IV room was about half full. They found a corner seat, and after Gu Xu hung up the IV bag, he turned to leave.

Lu Yan grabbed him and muttered, “You should get some meds too.”

Gu Xu frowned, confused.

“I kissed you today,” Lu Yan looked at him, “I might’ve passed it to you.”

Gu Xu’s heart melted instantly.

He sighed, took Lu Yan’s hand, and held it in his own, “Then we’ll just get sick together.”

Lu Yan grinned, “No, if you get sick too, who’s going to take care of me?”

Gu Xu’s expression finally relaxed a bit, “Hot pot’s off the table. What do you want? I’ll grab something.”

Lu Yan said, “I noticed a dumpling spot nearby when we came in.”

“You’re only allowed porridge.”

“Then why’d you ask what I wanted?” Lu Yan replied.

“What kind of porridge do you want?”

“…Lean meat porridge.”

The chairs in the IV room were too uncomfortable to sleep on. After Gu Xu left, Lu Yan pulled out his phone to kill time.

The comment section on his wristwatch Weibo post had already surpassed 70,000. The top comments were all asking about the owner of the other hand in the photo, while others reminded him not to get injured during the recording of *This Time for Real*.

In a few months, it would mark his eighth year in the industry—not too long, but not short either.

He had learned from the hospital scandal back then that fans could be the most caring, but sometimes the most hurtful. The fans who usually left him messages every day mostly refuted the rumors at first, then fell silent, and eventually questioned him.

Criticism and insults surrounded him. At the time, Weibo was just starting out, and he faced one of the early waves of online harassment.

If it hadn’t been for the small group of fans who privately messaged him with encouragement and unwavering belief in him, he might have left the industry long ago.

This is why he values his fans but keeps his distance.

Bored, he casually replied to a few interesting comments.

After replying, he suddenly remembered something, went to settings, and switched to his alt account.

The comments section also had 999 notifications, all replies to his question under a popular influencer's Weibo post.

He clicked to see, and the top comment was, "Did the nine-point PO owner catch the person he likes?"

Though it was sarcastic, Lu Yan, the real nine-point man, didn’t take it as malicious. He replied, "We're already together, thanks everyone."

Gu Xu walked into the injection room with two bowls of porridge, and Lu Yan quickly switched back to his main account.

Using an alt account to ask netizens how to pursue someone... he didn’t want the other person to know about such a silly thing.

The seat next to him was empty. Gu Xu sat down and said, "Why not rest? You’re on your phone even with a fever."

"The chair’s too hard, I can’t sleep," Lu Yan said, showing him his phone with a smile. "The fans are asking whose hand this is."

Gu Xu glanced at it, opened the lid, and steam rose from the porridge. "Eat, I’ll get some hot water."

After getting the water, Gu Xu sat aside, fiddling with his phone, then opened the other bowl of porridge and took a few bites.

Lu Yan said, "It’s not as good as yours."

"I’ll make it for you later, just eat this for now." The nearby shops were questionable, so Gu Xu walked most of the street to find a porridge shop with a transparent kitchen.

Lu Yan wasn’t very hungry, and his stomach had gotten picky. He ate less than half a bowl before stopping.

The doctor prescribed two IV bags and a big pack of meds. By the time the IV was done, it was almost ten.

When they left the hospital, the spot wasn’t occupied by the flashy Ferrari. Lu Yan scanned the lot and asked, confused, "Gu Xu, was the car stolen?"

Only when he saw the familiar Land Rover did he realize Gu Xu had changed cars.

Lu Yan leaned drowsily against the window, sorting through his thoughts before finally understanding.

He’d thought Gu Xu was upset because he didn’t want to go to the hospital, but it seemed...

"Do you think I got sick from the wind earlier?"

Gu Xu frowned and stayed silent.

Though Lu Yan felt unwell, Gu Xu’s stern expression made him want to tease. "I feel like changing cars again. How about letting me drive that one?"

"Not a chance," Gu Xu flatly refused.

"Stingy," Lu Yan chuckled, then added, "The blanket last night wasn’t warm at all. I was shivering all night, and now I’m sick."

Back home, Lu Yan lay in bed, eyelids heavy. To stay awake, he forced himself to grab his phone.

When he opened his phone, he saw a notification from a special follow.

"Gu Xu V: [Picture][/Angry]"

The picture was of two packed bowls of porridge.

Gu Xu happened to walk in, one hand holding hot water and the other a small medicine box containing six or seven pills. "Take your medicine."

Lu Yan waved his phone and said, "Posting about buying porridge on Weibo? What a kid."

"I want to share something about you."

The phone screen was facing him, and Gu Xu even managed to spare a hand to like the post with Lu Yan's account.

"..." Lu Yan struggled to swallow the medicine, suddenly covering his eyes with his arm, "Mr. Gu, could you warn me before dropping sweet lines next time?"

"No."

Lu Yan moved his arm away: "...Oh, then can I take a shower?"

"No," Gu Xu walked to the wardrobe, picked out two sets of pajamas, and placed one beside Lu Yan, "Change and get some sleep."

Gu Xu's pajamas were all the same style, and Lu Yan couldn't help but think they looked like matching couple sets.

Maybe now, to him, everything they had seemed like matching pairs.

After his shower, Gu Xu slipped into bed and, as usual, wrapped his arm around Lu Yan's waist.

Lu Yan moved forward a bit: "Don’t hug me, you’ll catch it."

Gu Xu tightened his hold, and Lu Yan, too weak to resist, was pulled back. "Sleep."

"I haven’t showered." After a full day on the island and a night in a tent, Lu Yan felt gross.

"I showered," Gu Xu whispered, "Let me share my clean scent with you again."

Lu Yan stopped struggling.

Lu Yan’s eyelids were heavy and burning.

He thought Gu Xu was like the sun, flooding his world with warmth.

-

Early the next morning, Lu Yan’s phone was picked up almost instantly.

Shi Qing's voice came through: "Xiao Yan, let’s grab some morning tea!"

Gu Xu glanced at the person sleeping beside him, got up quietly, and walked out of the room.

The person on the other end changed, and Yun Anqing said: "Bro Yan, can we grab breakfast? I want to thank you."

Gu Xu: "No."

There was a pause on the other end, then Yun Anqing whispered: "Uh… it’s not Bro Yan."

Shi Qing grabbed the phone: "Mr. Gu?"

Gu Xu hummed: "He’s under the weather. Let’s reschedule."

Shi Qing suddenly let out a meaningful "Oh": "Under the weather? Got it, got it. Take care, Mr. Gu, and get some rest."

After hanging up, Gu Xu placed the phone back on the nightstand, checked Lu Yan's forehead, and found that the fever had subsided.

After getting ready, he threw on some casual clothes and slipped out quietly.

He’d forgotten to buy yam yesterday, so he picked some up at a nearby store. As he stepped outside, Lu Yan called.

Gu Xu answered: "You awake?"

There was the sound of running water on the other end: "Just woke up, I'm in the shower. Did you go to work?"

"No, I ran some errands, I'll be home soon."

"Alright," there was a sound of something being squeezed on the other end, "we're out of body wash, could you grab two bottles on your way home?"

"That brand isn't sold here, there's a spare under the sink," Gu Xu said.

Lu Yan opened the cabinet and took it out to look: "Why’s it a different brand?"

"Maybe Xu Fei couldn’t find it in stock."

Lu Yan responded, "Oh, I still prefer the previous brand, you smell like that."

Gu Xu's footsteps suddenly stopped.

"...Enjoy your shower."

After hanging up, Gu Xu turned and entered the pharmacy next door.

When he got home, Lu Yan was lounging on the couch talking to Shi Qing.

"No big deal, I just saw the list," perhaps because he had just been sick, his voice was still a bit hoarse.

Shi Qing suddenly laughed, "Your voice sounds hoarse?"

Lu Yan replied, "Yes, it’s just how it is, it'll be better in a few days."

Lu Yan meant that his throat would get inflamed after a fever, but Shi Qing clearly didn't understand it that way, already jumping to conclusions on the other end.

Seeing Gu Xu return, he quickly said, "Alright, I’ll let you go, let's have a meal together next time."

After entering the house, Gu Xu went straight to the kitchen, putting down the bags before coming out.

He pressed his forehead against Lu Yan's: "No fever anymore, did you take your temperature?"

Lu Yan nodded: "Yes, 37, normal temperature."

"Check it again at noon, fevers can come back," Gu Xu ruffled his hair, "Just sit tight."

"Chef Gu Xu, what are we having for breakfast this morning?"

Gu Xu answered as he walked, "Yam congee."

"..." Lu Yan followed him into the kitchen, "I don’t have a fever anymore, why are we still having congee?"

"Didn't you say yesterday you wanted to have the congee I made?" Gu Xu was cutting the yam without turning back, "Yam congee is easy on the stomach, have more."

Lu Yan rested his chin on Gu Xu's shoulder: "Alright, but I’m craving hotpot tonight."

After speaking, he saw the shopping bag placed to the side, there seemed to be something else inside, he reached over: "What else did you buy besides yam?"

Gu Xu suddenly put down the knife and pressed down on the bag: "Just some seasonings, go wait in the living room, it’ll be done soon."

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow, then after a while let go of the bag: "Alright."