Chapter 30: Fever

Zhu Jia felt that Mo Yichen had been acting a bit strange recently. He often looked at her with an odd gaze, but when she turned to meet his eyes, he would immediately revert to his usual emotionless expression.

At first, Zhu Jia thought it was just her imagination. But after being stared at a few more times, she couldn’t shake the feeling that his gaze was like a sharp thorn in her back, making her scalp tingle uncomfortably.

She had no idea what was going on with him. He had always been reserved, even cold, but this constant scrutiny was unlike him.

One day, as she passed by him in the living room, she caught him staring at her once again. This time, she couldn’t hold back her curiosity and decided to confront him.
“Why do you keep staring at me?” Zhu Jia turned around, pouting as she asked loudly.

“I’m not. You must have seen it wrong.” Mo Yichen replied calmly.

Zhu Jia looked at him suspiciously again. Recently, Mo Yichen had been acting a bit strange.

Mo Yichen also felt that something was off. It seemed like he was paying too much attention to Zhu Jia.

He noticed small details that he had never paid attention to before, like whether she wore a white cotton dress or a denim overalls dress today, or whether she had more of the braised pork elbow or grilled eggplant for lunch, or whether she was yawning in the morning because she had stayed up late again…

Even though he was always busy, with his work and thoughts consumed by the company, he could still precisely recall that yesterday when Zhu Jia took Xiao Wen out for a walk, she had tied her hair into a ponytail with a lake-blue satin ribbon, or whether she had left it down.

His emotions were no longer as calm and still as a stagnant pool; instead, they were filled with uncertainty, fluctuating up and down. And these fluctuations were all related to her.

Mo Yichen thought this excessive attention and involvement made him feel unfamiliar.

Having displayed extraordinary intelligence early on, he grew up under the eyes of others who expected and relied on him. He was able to do everything perfectly, and his growth trajectory was like a ruler, advancing step by step without any obstacles.

There was no peak or limit; he was always able to surpass his past self.

In his work, he could control every piece of data and result, and in his life, he could control the growth of every muscle. He never allowed himself to make mistakes, so rational, like a cold yet powerful machine.

But the more meticulous and flawless he was, with a shell too hard, the more some uncontrollable sparks secretly ignited within him. He harbored a dark and insane side no one knew about. Only when he was alone would he allow these untamed emotions to take control.

Recently, that wild horse inside him kept becoming hard to control and even seemed to want to dominate his body. And all of these abnormalities had started happening after living with Zhu Jia.

Faced with these unknowns, Mo Yichen didn’t rush to define them. He planned to observe them further.

.

Days passed by, and they stepped from the height of summer into early autumn.

Zhu Jia glanced at the supplementary food schedule for Xiao Wen posted on the kitchen fridge. Since Xiao Wen had reached eight months, he had already tried new foods like vegetables, meats, and eggs. Fortunately, no allergens had been discovered.

Zhu Jia then took out the little notebook where she recorded Xiao Wen’s daily activities. Two-thirds of the journal had been filled, detailing Xiao Wen’s daily milk feedings, naps, exercise, solid food, vaccinations, and checkups. It clearly reflected his growth in the first eight months.

It was already 10 PM, and Xiao Wen was fast asleep. Zhu Jia glanced at the records from the past few days and furrowed her brows ever so slightly. Xiao Wen had been eating less recently and seemed somewhat lethargic.

But there was no need to worry too much—after all, Zhu Jia had already gone from being a novice to an experienced “mom.”

It was normal for children to go through phases during their growth, fluctuating in appetite and energy. Zhu Jia closed the notebook and stood up to go to the bathroom to wash up and get ready for bed.

Xiao Wen no longer needed nighttime feeds. After having a bottle around 11 PM, he would sleep through the night until morning, and Zhu Jia’s sleep had improved as well.

But tonight, for some reason, at around 2 AM, Zhu Jia heard Xiao Wen’s soft crying. The cry wasn’t loud, so Zhu Jia lay in bed, waiting to see if he would fall back asleep on his own.

After a while, the crying stopped. But just as Zhu Jia was about to fall asleep again, she heard the cry again, intermittent.

System: “Host, something’s not right with Xiao Wen, you need to check on him!”

Zhu Jia quickly got up from bed and went to Xiao Wen’s crib. The room only had a night light on, so Zhu Jia couldn’t see his expression clearly.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” She bent down to pick Xiao Wen up, and as soon as she touched him, her pupils dilated in shock—Xiao Wen was burning hot!

She immediately lifted him from the crib. His whole body was sticky and hot to the touch—he had a fever!

Zhu Jia quickly turned on the room’s main light and saw Xiao Wen’s face flushed, his eyes dazed, his forehead sweating profusely, and he was making faint, painful noises.

Zhu Jia’s heart raced. This was the first time Xiao Wen had gotten sick and had a fever!

She quickly put on a coat, picked Xiao Wen up, and rushed upstairs to the third floor.

Mo Yichen heard the hurried knock on the door while he was sleeping. He got up and opened the door, seeing Zhu Jia holding Xiao Wen in front of the room, looking very worried.

“Mo Yichen, Xiao Wen has a fever!” Zhu Jia said urgently.

Mo Yichen touched Xiao Wen’s forehead, and saw that his eyes were half-open, his body limp and weak. His forehead and neck were burning with heat.

“Let’s go, to the hospital.” Calling the family doctor would take too long, so Mo Yichen quickly changed clothes, grabbed the car keys, and left.

The wind was a little strong that night. Zhu Jia put another coat on Xiao Wen and hurriedly got into the car. This was the first time Zhu Jia was in the car driven by Mo Yichen. His driving skills were great—fast but steady.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the city’s children’s hospital. Mo Yichen and Zhu Jia took Xiao Wen to the emergency hall.

Although it was already two or three in the morning, the emergency hall of the children’s hospital was still fairly busy. Many parents were pacing back and forth in the hall while holding their children in their arms. Some children were leaning against their parents, looking listless.

Zhu Jia first took Xiao Wen to the nurse’s station to have his temperature measured, and it turned out to be 40.1°C! Zhu Jia was both surprised and heartbroken. Xiao Wen looked weak and seemed to have lost his usual vitality.

“Give him some fever-reducing medicine first, then wait in the hall for your number to be called for consultation,” the nurse in a pink uniform said to Zhu Jia in a familiar tone.

Zhu Jia thanked her and took the small orange fever medicine. She then went to find a seat. At this moment, Mo Yichen also returned after getting a consultation number, holding a ticket for the queue in his hand.

“Mo Yichen, come help with the medicine,” Zhu Jia said as she placed Xiao Wen in Mo Yichen’s arms. Xiao Wen had woken up and saw Zhu Jia bringing a small cap towards his mouth.

Xiao Wen instinctively knew this wasn’t something good, and for some reason, he tried to break free from Mo Yichen’s embrace.

“Xiao Wen, be good. If you take the medicine, you’ll feel better,” Zhu Jia gently comforted him, but her strength didn’t lessen. She was trying to force his mouth open and pour the medicine in.

Xiao Wen realized what was happening. Feeling uncomfortable, he didn’t understand why his usually gentle and pretty mom was being so harsh today, trying to make him open his mouth.

He felt terrible and began to cry loudly, struggling even harder in Mo Yichen’s arms.

At over eight months old, Xiao Wen had a lot of strength. Mo Yichen firmly held him with both arms, while Zhu Jia seized the opportunity when he opened his mouth during his crying and quickly poured all the medicine into his mouth.

“Glug glug,” Xiao Wen tried to spit the medicine out, but it ultimately went down his throat. He shook his head, his face turning red with anger.

This seemed so violent… A few parents nearby exchanged uncomfortable glances. While they had done the same thing themselves, it felt hard to watch from the sidelines.

“Mom, that uncle and aunt are bad. They’re like the big bad wolf from Little Red Riding Hood,” a little girl about five years old pointed at Zhu Jia and Mo Yichen.

The girl’s mother was shocked, seeing the cold profile of the man across from her. She quickly covered her daughter’s mouth and apologized to Zhu Jia and Mo Yichen, saying, “The child is just talking nonsense.”

Zhu Jia didn’t care about the others’ gazes. She quickly picked up the very upset Xiao Wen, softly comforting him.

She had casually thrown on a light jacket over her nightgown, her hair loosely tied up. She looked thin and exhausted. Xiao Wen, now quite heavy at eight months, made her arms sore and numb from holding him.

Mo Yichen stepped forward without saying a word and took Xiao Wen from her. “I’ll hold him. You sit and rest.”

Zhu Jia nodded as the tall man took Xiao Wen from her. Immediately, her arms and waist relaxed. She rubbed her aching wrist and sat back down in the waiting area.

Xiao Wen was very fussy tonight, especially after being force-fed the medicine. He wouldn’t let Mo Yichen sit and had to be carried around to stop crying.

At 3 AM, the normally bustling city was now silent, but the medical staff at the children’s hospital emergency room were still working tirelessly.

Soon, it was Xiao Wen’s turn to be seen. The doctor, wearing a white coat, frowned when she saw Xiao Wen in a thick jacket. “When a child has a fever, don’t bundle them up too much; it’s not good for cooling down.”

So that’s why? Zhu Jia recalled that when she had a fever as a child, the teachers at the welfare home would dress her in many clothes, saying it would help her sweat and reduce the fever. That’s why she had wrapped Xiao Wen up so warmly.

Zhu Jia quickly changed Xiao Wen into a thinner jacket. The doctor briefly inquired about Xiao Wen’s condition, checked his mouth, throat, and listened to his lungs with a stethoscope, then quickly handed them a blood test form before calling the next patient in.

They took Xiao Wen to have his finger pricked. The eight-month-old baby was already exhausted, having endured a fever, forced medicine, and blood draw in just a few hours. He no longer had the strength to struggle, and now quietly rested against Mo Yichen’s shoulder, his face a mixture of helplessness and numbness.

Zhu Jia and Mo Yichen sat side by side in the waiting area, waiting for the blood test results. It was almost 4 AM, and Zhu Jia rubbed her eyes, looking very tired.

Mo Yichen held Xiao Wen with his left arm, while Zhu Jia sat beside him.

“Why don’t you sleep for a bit?” Mo Yichen suggested, pulling her gently towards him and indicating for her to rest on his shoulder.

Zhu Jia, who had been holding herself up with willpower, relaxed and leaned her head against his right shoulder, closing her eyes to rest.

Mo Yichen’s shoulder was wide, firm, and warm, making it a comfortable spot for Zhu Jia to rest. The scent of fresh cedar from his clothes was soothing, and her tightly wound nerves finally began to relax.

The parents sitting across from them couldn’t help but glance at the three of them repeatedly.

The man sitting in the middle was tall and composed, with Xiao Wen sleeping in his left arm and a beautiful woman, fair-skinned with rosy lips, resting on his right shoulder.

The man’s usually cold and indifferent expression had softened into an indescribable tenderness.