Chapter 8

Chapter 8

This soft, docile appearance was a stark contrast to his usual unapproachable demeanor.

Now, weakened by illness, he had let down all his defenses, making them seem like true friends.

Ying Xi was almost mesmerized by that gentle smile.

"You're so sick you're not even thinking clearly." He snapped back to reality, speaking in a low voice, "I’ll come find you. Stay there, and I’ll take you to the hospital."

Under normal circumstances, Ying Xi would never see this side of Li Yang—only the high walls he'd erected to keep others out.

Li Yang appeared indifferent and aloof, but in reality, he was like a hedgehog.

If you didn’t get close, you wouldn’t see the spines covering his body. But the moment you tried to approach, those thorns would pierce you.

The thought that someone else might be the one to see this side of Li Yang in the future made Ying Xi's eyes darken, his pupils dimming.

Jealousy surged wildly, crawling over his heart and spreading to his brain, overwhelming his reason.

"No need for the hospital." Li Yang’s attention was entirely fixated on "hospital," his resistance absolute. "It’s so late. Time to sleep."

He burrowed under the covers, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket. His phone was placed beside him, and the moment he closed his eyes, he was out like a light.

Ying Xi could barely make out his chin.

"Don’t sleep." Wearing slippers, Ying Xi got into the car and instructed the driver to head to Shengyuan Community.

Ten minutes later, the sound of knocking startled Li Yang awake.

The brief nap had cleared some of the fog, though his body still felt weak. Assuming his parents had forgotten their keys, he had completely forgotten the earlier events. He slipped on his shoes and stumbled to the door, peering through the peephole.

It was now half past midnight. The corridor outside was pitch black, with no motion-sensor lights, making it impossible to see anything.

The person outside seemed to sense his presence, and a gentle voice emerged from the darkness.

"Li Yang, it’s Ying Xi."

The voice cut through his fever haze. Li Yang froze, his sluggish thoughts slowly processing: *How does Ying Xi know where I live?*

The next second, a white light illuminated the space outside.

Ying Xi shone his phone light under his chin, casting a ghostly pallor on his expressionless face. The sight startled Li Yang, instantly dispelling his drowsiness and scattered thoughts.

"Why are you here?" He pressed a hand to his pounding chest, hesitating for a moment before opening the door.

The tall teenager stood there in gray pajamas and slippers, his hair disheveled, a thin film of sweat on his forehead—clearly, he had rushed over in a hurry.

In his hand was a bag filled with medicine.

Buried memories came flooding back. He recalled the phone call, his lips parting slightly, unsure of what to say.

*I must’ve been totally out of my head—I actually talked to Ying Xi for so long.*

Li Yang glanced at the bag of medicine.

"I’m fine," he said. "My fever's broken now. Thanks for coming all this way… but how did you know I live here?"

"The security guard at the gate knows you by sight." Ying Xi stared straight at him, his eyes filled with nothing but worry and concern. "Are you really okay?"

The indoor light bathed the boy’s defined features in soft light. His lips were pressed tightly together, his face inscrutable, but the concern in his eyes was unmistakable.

Li Yang looked at him for a moment before quickly looking away. "I’m better than before."

Then it hit him. "I must’ve accidentally called you, right? Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight earlier."

*How the call happened didn't matter now.*

Ying Xi noticed his discomfort and made no move to enter, simply handing over the medicine. "The instructions are labeled. Take them if you feel worse later."

The bag was heavy, packed with every kind of medicine imaginable, each carefully marked with dosage instructions and warnings about incompatible medications.

Li Yang blinked, at a loss about how to handle the situation for the first time. Seeing Ying Xi turn to leave, he instinctively said, "Aren’t you coming in to rest for a bit?"

Ying Xi, who had been about to leave, paused mid-step, his gaze burning as he looked back. "Can I?"

Under that gaze, Li Yang suddenly felt like some kind of coveted treasure. "...Sure."

He invited Ying Xi inside, poured him a glass of warm water, and put the medicine away.

The fever reducer had taken effect, leaving Li Yang’s mind clear, though a dull ache still pulsed at his temples.

With nothing much to offer as a host, he sat beside Ying Xi, his eyes darting uncomfortably before landing on the bag of medicine. "Thanks for the medicine. But why did you come all the way here?"

"I was nearby and wanted to check on you," Ying Xi said matter-of-factly, holding the cup.

Their eyes met, and both immediately looked away.

Ying Xi silently drank his water, while Li Yang rubbed at his flushed neck.

"Can I stay here to sleep?" Ying Xi suddenly asked.

Li Yang blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"I forgot my keys," Ying Xi said.

The excuse was so flimsy that Li Yang called him out immediately. "Your place has an electronic lock, doesn’t it? And someone’s there to open the door."

"They’re all asleep." Ying Xi set down the cup, his gaze shifting to the tiny couch. "I’ll just sleep there for a few hours. I won’t disturb you, and I won’t do anything."

In their ABO world, alphas and omegas were vulnerable to pheromones at any moment—only betas had no weaknesses.

So Li Yang, a beta, believed Ying Xi couldn’t do anything to him.

Unless pheromones overpowered his senses to the point of delirium.

But that was a secret no one knew except Li Yang.

His parents weren’t home, so letting Ying Xi stay wasn't a problem—it was just that the tiny sofa would be painfully small.

As Li Yang weighed his options, Ying Xi stood up, walked to the sofa, and lay down, closing his eyes like he expected to be thrown out. His breathing instantly evened out, as though he had already fallen asleep.

Li Yang: "..."

The boy with defined features looked completely incongruous on the well-worn couch. Li Yang rubbed his temples, then stood. "Well… goodnight then?"

"'Night," Ying Xi answered instantly.

Even though this was his own home, having someone who was hardly a close friend sleeping in his living room stirred in Li Yang an indescribable tangle of emotions.

He gazed out the window, blinking reflexively, automatically quieting himself to listen for any sounds from the living room.

The surroundings were silent, save for his somewhat labored breathing.

Li Yang shifted in bed, struggling to fall asleep.

Half-conscious, his head throbbed like being split by a blade, his body was burning up, and his throat was dry and scratchy. Almost instinctively, Li Yang covered his mouth and suppressed a cough.

His breathing became totally uneven—now rapid, now stifled—and after a few cycles, his face turned pale. He felt as though he were sinking into a lake, choking on the oppressive discomfort.

Li Yang kicked off the covers, only to shiver from the chill and pull it back over himself, leaving only his head exposed.

He coughed weakly again, unable to suppress it, and instinctively rolled onto his knees on the bed, pressing his forehead into the pillow as muffled, agonized coughs escaped him.

So hot. His throat ached, and even swallowing felt like an exhausting effort.

Guided by subconscious instinct, Li Yang fumbled along the wall to turn on the light.

The moment the light flickered on, footsteps sounded, and a glass of water appeared before him.

Li Yang froze, sitting up in bed to look at Ying Xi, who had somehow entered without him noticing. For a moment, he was too stunned to react.

"No strength?" Ying Xi pressed the glass to his lips. "Li Yang, open your mouth."

His mind seemed disconnected from his body, so even after hearing the words, Li Yang remained motionless.

He felt like he was trying to think of something, but he lacked the energy to focus, only vaguely registering how pleasant Ying Xi’s voice sounded.

It wasn’t until another coughing spell hit him that Li Yang, overcome with misery, desperately grabbed the glass and drank it all in one swallow.

The warm liquid soothed his throat, refreshing him like water to parched earth.

Li Yang wiped the water from his lips with the back of his hand and muttered a groggy thanks. "Thanks… sorry for the trouble."

He set the glass down and lay back, groping for the covers. But with his eyes closed, he groped around for a while without finding it.

In his foggy state, the blanket was suddenly pulled over him. He paused, struggling to steady his breathing.

"Does your head hurt?" Ying Xi sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze lingering on Li Yang’s flushed face before reaching out to touch his forehead.

The moment the cool back of Ying Xi’s hand made contact, Li Yang instinctively leaned into the touch. The fever burned unbearably, and the water he’d just drunk only intensified the burning inside him.

With feeble effort, he reached out and grabbed Ying Xi’s retreating hand, holding it to his cheek.

"No headache," Li Yang slurred. Once this hand grew warm, he reached for Ying Xi’s other one.

After a few switches, his feverish face finally felt some relief, and he brushed Ying Xi’s hands aside.

"I’m fine now. Thanks. You can go back to sleep."

Before Ying Xi could respond, Li Yang answered his own words.

"Okay, I’ll go to sleep. Goodnight."

Ying Xi huffed a quiet laugh and took out a thermometer to check his temperature.

103 degrees. No wonder he was talking to himself.

He put the thermometer away. "Li Yang, what medicine did you take?"

A muffled buzzing filled Li Yang’s head. He heard the words but couldn’t decipher them, only responding with indistinct mumbles.

"Li Yang." Ying Xi cradled his ears gently, leaning down until they were face to face, his voice slow and clear. "What medicine did you take? You have a fever again. I need to find something else for you."

"Fever and cold meds." The tingling warmth from his ears spread, making Li Yang shiver slightly. He batted at Ying Xi’s hands. "Stop touching my ears."

Ying Xi obediently withdrew his hands.

Li Yang rolled over, turning his back to him, and pressed his face into a stuffed animal—only for it to be taken away by another hand.

Ying Xi set the toy aside and hurried to the living room to find appropriate medication. After feeding it to Li Yang, he turned off the light.

He sat quietly by the bed, watching Li Yang in the faint glow from the window.

Li Yang’s lips, still damp from the water, shimmered faintly. Ying Xi swallowed hard, then leaned down to tuck the blanket around him.

Less than half a minute later, Li Yang kicked the blanket off, spreading his legs in a spread-eagle position from the heat.

Ying Xi carefully pulled the blanket back over him.

Li Yang kicked it off again. He slept restlessly, his brows furrowing intermittently, faint, delirious mutters slipping from his lips.

After several rounds, the boy finally fell into a deep sleep, his ragged breaths slowly steadying.

Ying Xi took Li Yang’s outstretched hand, lifting the blanket to tuck it back in—only for his fingers to be clutched tightly the moment he tried to let go.

Their fingertips exchanged warmth, merging seamlessly. Ying Xi froze, his pupils constricting slightly.

The boy didn’t move, simply holding on without loosening his grasp.

In the dim light, Ying Xi noticed the tear trailing from the corner of Li Yang’s eye. He reached out, gently wiping it away, then carefully smoothed the tousled strands of hair.

"Thank you." The sleepy thanks came abruptly, and Ying Xi’s lips curved into a smile.

"Do you know who I am?"

If he did, he probably wouldn’t have let him stay.

"I know." His consciousness grew heavier, as though drowning in dreams, unable to articulate all the thoughts swirling in his mind. In the end, he only managed a murmur. "You’re Ying Xi. Thank you."

In the dark room, the boy gazed down at the figure on the bed, his ears flushing visibly fast.

He slowly sat down, pressing his cheek to the bed, staring at Li Yang from every angle, as if he could never get enough.

Ying Xi reached out, brushing aside Li Yang’s hair, his fingers lightly pinching his cheek. The pliant warmth made him lose himself for a moment, and he absentmindedly squeezed again—only to withdraw his hand immediately when he noticed the faint mark left behind.

Time crawled by. Tentatively, Ying Xi intertwined his fingers with Li Yang’s, locking them together.

The boy, unaware, allowed his hand to be held without resistance.

His heart pounded wildly, excitement surging through him until it felt like his brain might explode. Ying Xi closed his eyes, reveling in the pounding joy in his soul.

He wished this moment could last forever.

But he knew—come morning, this would only remain as a private memory, one that belonged to him alone.