Chapter 32

The next morning, the air was stuffy, humid, and sultry. The sky at 10 a.m. was gloomy, with dark clouds hanging heavily over the sea, as if a downpour was about to happen at any moment.

Zhou Wu was jogging on the treadmill when he received a WeChat message on his phone.

【Qin Yun: Bro, I heard the typhoon is coming soon. Du Yiqing and I might not be able to take the boat back until the day after tomorrow.】

【Zhou Wu: Okay.】

【Qin Yun: ?】

【Zhou Wu: ?】

Qin Yun sent a voice message: “Wait, I thought I sent this to Wen Ci, what’s going on? Why the tone? ‘Okay’?”

The last two words were said in a mocking tone.

Zhou Wu chuckled and replied with a voice message: “Shut up.”

【Qin Yun: Ah, that’s better.】

When Zhou Wu finished his shower and came out, the room door just opened.

Wen Ci, wrapped in his coat, stepped out. Her eyelids were drooping, her lips pale. When she saw him, she was about to greet him but suddenly turned her head, covering her face and sneezing twice.

“Sorry,” Wen Ci’s voice was hoarse, “I might not be feeling well because of the alcohol from last night…”

Before she could finish, Zhou Wu suddenly approached her. Wen Ci didn’t react in time, and their foreheads touched.

Zhou Wu had just finished his shower, his skin still cool. Wen Ci, who had just woken up and felt a little dizzy, felt strangely comforted by the refreshing minty scent of his shower gel.

“It’s not because of the alcohol,” Zhou Wu said. “You have a fever, Teacher Wen.”

“….”

Wen Ci instinctively raised her hand to cover her mouth, trying to stop the spread of the virus. Their faces were too close, and the back of her hand accidentally brushed against Zhou Wu’s nose. She quickly stepped back.

“It’s my fault. I won’t drink outside anymore,” Zhou Wu said casually, reaching out to touch her cheek, which was even warmer than her forehead. “There’s breakfast on the table. Go eat it. I’ve asked someone to bring medicine.”

Wen Ci hurriedly said, “No need. I brought a first-aid kit with medicine.”

Zhou Wu nodded. “It’s in your room? I’ll go get it.”

“I’ll get it myself,” Wen Ci said, covering her mouth. Her voice was muffled. “I’ll take the breakfast back to my room, so I don’t infect you.”

“If it was going to spread, it would have already,” Zhou Wu ignored her suggestion, pulled her hand down, and pointed to the breakfast table with his chin. “Go eat.”

Wen Ci didn’t have much of an appetite because of the fever. As she put down her chopsticks, Zhou Wu came back with the first-aid kit.

Zhou Wu told her to lie down, took out a new thermometer from the hotel supplies, disinfected it, and said, “Open your mouth.”

Wen Ci half-lay in bed, obediently opening her mouth.

Her first-aid kit was small, but it had everything she needed.

Zhou Wu took out several packets of medicine, while updating her on the news that Du Yiqing wouldn’t be back until the day after tomorrow. He checked the instructions and cautions on the medicine.

“Mmm.” Wen Ci made an unclear sound, which seemed like she was calling his name.

Zhou Wu looked up, and the tips of his fingers brushed against his ear. He now wore a disposable mask.

“…Did I put this on wrong?” Zhou Wu laughed.

Wen Ci pointed to the thermometer in her mouth, signaling that it wasn’t a good time.

When the time came, Zhou Wu took it out to check, 38.9℃, a high fever.

“It’s not because of what happened outside yesterday,” Wen Ci said, feeling a little groggy. “I’m just someone who gets sick easily. It might be the change of environment, a bit of discomfort.”

Zhou Wu picked out some medicine, handed them to her with hot water, and said, “If the fever doesn’t go down in two hours, go to the hospital.”

Wen Ci hurriedly swallowed the medicine, then reached for a mask to put it on, but Zhou Wu took it from her.

“It’s uncomfortable to breathe with it on. I’ll wear it; it’s the same effect.”

Wen Ci, who was sluggish from the fever, felt it made sense, so she let him wear it.

Then she rummaged through her first-aid kit. Zhou Wu, about to ask her what she needed, was handed a packet of Ban Lan Gen.

“Zhou Wu, can you brew this for yourself? To prevent getting sick,” Wen Ci sniffled, speaking in a hoarse voice.

Her voice and expression seemed quite pitiful.

Zhou Wu didn’t like taking medicine. He was about to refuse but changed his mind. “Okay, Teacher.”

Wen Ci wasn’t lying—she did have a weak constitution. Every time there was a flu outbreak, she almost always caught it. Fortunately, it wasn’t serious. The worst was just a fever, and after a short nap, she usually felt better.

Not wanting to trouble Zhou Wu with a hospital visit, Wen Ci forced herself to sleep despite the headache. However, before long, her mother’s video call came through.

Seeing who the caller was, Wen Ci instinctively hung up. Her mother quickly sent a message: 【Isn’t today supposed to be a rest day for the training course?】

Wen Ci, enduring the headache, thought back and realized that it was indeed a rest day.

She was relieved that her slow typing had prevented the lie from being sent.

Her mother called again.

In her bed, there shouldn’t have been anything suspicious, but Wen Ci hesitated before answering.

“Why are you still sleeping at this time?” Seeing Wen Ci’s background, her mother asked in surprise, “Why do you look so pale? Are you sick?”

Wen Ci initially wanted to hide it but couldn’t. She nodded, “I caught a cold, but I’ve already taken medicine. I should be fine soon.”

“How did you catch a cold? I checked the weather over there, and it looks fine…” Just as her mother finished speaking, a loud thunderclap sounded outside, and they both fell silent.

“Is it raining over there?” her mother asked.

Wen Ci, feeling her heart race, unsure if it was the illness or guilt, replied, “Yeah, sun showers. Mom, I’m going to sleep now.”

“…Alright. Just a training course, don’t stress too much. If you’re still sick tomorrow, ask the teacher for a leave.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Wen Ci let out a long sigh.

“More lies?” Zhou Wu’s voice was lazy.

Wen Ci froze and then realized Zhou Wu was still in the room.

He sat at the desk by the window, with a laptop on it, as if he hadn’t left. He looked at her with a smile that was almost a smirk: “Teacher Wen, every time you do this, it feels like we’re having an affair.”

Wen Ci retorted, “Aren’t we?”

He didn’t expect her to say that, and after a moment of silence, Zhou Wu subtly raised the corner of his lips: “I guess it’s kind of close.”

After ending the video call, Wen Ci noticed that Dou Yiqing had sent her a voice message, also mentioning that the typhoon wouldn’t be coming back.

Wen Ci coughed lightly and tried to make her voice sound normal: “I heard from Zhou Wu. Be careful on the island, and don’t go near the shore.”

After putting down the phone, Zhou Wu asked, “Aren’t you going to tell her?”

Wen Ci shook her head: “I don’t want her to worry. By the time she comes back, I should have recovered from my fever.”

Zhou Wu nodded and walked over to pick up the thermometer. In a lazy tone, he said, “Open your mouth, let me take your temperature again.”

“Why does Wen Ci’s voice sound strange?”

On the boat, Dou Yiqing replayed the voice message again.

“Enough, stop acting like a mother,” Qin Yun crossed his arms and lazily sat next to her. It was raining outside, and the waves were high, rocking them back and forth. “It’s not a big deal, you’ll see her soon. Why do you have to act like this in front of her?”

“This is called preparation, do you understand? How else am I supposed to surprise her?”

They had originally planned to wait for the typhoon to pass before heading back, but about an hour ago, some staff members informed them that there were two available spots on the last boat before the typhoon, as some passengers had canceled.

With no water activities possible during the typhoon, Dou Yiqing immediately decided to return.

Qin Yun said, “Are you sure it’s a surprise and not a shock? What if Wen Ci has other plans tonight?”

“I’m not there, how could Wen Ci have other plans?” Dou Yiqing knew her friend very well. She nudged Qin Yun with her knee. “Make sure you take care of my fish, don’t let them die. Do you know how hard it was for me to catch them?”

Fish, fish, fish. Is that all you remember, other than these two lousy fish?

Qin Yun was speechless for a moment, then turned to ask her for the umpteenth time: “Dou Yiqing, do you really not remember what happened the night before yesterday?”

“I remember now.”

Qin Yun froze and immediately sat up straight: “Really??”

Dou Yiqing nodded, looking back at him: “That night, I got drunk and beat you up, right? Just tell me, how much do you want for medical expenses?”

“……”

Dou Yiqing gave him a once-over: “I don’t see any injuries. If you try to extort money, we can go to the hospital to check for injuries.”

“……”

“This is your last chance. Give me a number before we get off the boat,” Dou Yiqing said coldly. “After we get off, if you come after me for medical expenses, I won’t recognize it.”

Qin Yun’s tone was sincere: “Dou Yiqing, you’re really an idiot.”

Dou Yiqing immediately attacked with a flurry of punches. Qin Yun covered his arm, shouting: “Hitting me is useless! Dou Yiqing! You’re just a damn mutt! You coward! You dare to do it but not admit it—don’t slap my face!”

The two of them made it back to the resort just before the typhoon hit.

Dou Yiqing suddenly kicked open the villa door, holding up a large bag of live fish: “Ta-da! Wen Ci! Look at my fishing haul—”

The living room was empty, quiet.

So, Dou Yiqing went upstairs, pushed open Wen Ci’s door, and once again shouted, “Surprise—”

Still no one.

Even the bed was neatly made.

Dou Yiqing was puzzled. She looked down and sent Wen Ci a message, but there was no reply. She called, but no one answered.

So she asked Zhou Wu, wondering if he knew where Wen Ci was.

Again, no reply.

Dou Yiqing walked around the villa, but still didn’t find her. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to check Zhou Wu’s place.

—-

After taking fever medicine, Wen Ci slept deeply.

Her phone kept vibrating by the pillow, and she was half-conscious, caught between waking and sleeping.

In a daze, she heard the door open, and footsteps approached.

A finger gently brushed her cheek.

This afternoon, Zhou Wu often came to check her temperature. It was light, not enough to wake her, but Wen Ci could vaguely feel it.

So she reached out and grabbed his hand, pressing her cheek into his palm to prove she was awake.

“I think I’m over the fever, Zhou Wu,” she murmured, her voice soft like a whisper.

The next moment, she sniffed and quietly asked, “…Do you smell fish?”

Also, was she confused from the fever? Zhou Wu’s hand seemed smaller.

Wen Ci waited for a while but received no answer. The hand she was holding didn’t move, so she opened her eyes—

And met Dou Yiqing’s shocked, stunned gaze.