Chapter 27

“Lin Qingping.” He sat on the edge of the bed, calling her name. In such a short time, she had fallen into such a deep sleep. Due to the fever, her entire face was flushed red, and there was a faint sheen of moisture at the corners of her eyes. Her lips were dry, cracked from the dryness. Her breathing was heavy. 

“Lin Qingping?” He cradled her neck and helped her sit up, raising his voice slightly. She indeed woke up, her eyes opening just a slit. The light in her eyes was hazy, and she seemed to lack strength, her body soft and limp, immediately leaning against Gu Juncheng’s shoulder.

“Gu Juncheng…” She murmured his name, the breath she exhaled brushing against the skin of his neck, burning him with its heat.

“Here, take your medicine.” Gu Juncheng brought the cup of water to her lips, trying to moisten her dry lips first. But she leaned against his shoulder again and drifted back to sleep. 

Gu Juncheng: …

“Lin Qingping? Lin Qingping?” No matter how much he called, she did not wake up. Gu Juncheng touched her forehead, unsure if it was just his imagination, but it felt even hotter. No, he had to wake her up! 

“Lin Qingping?” He gently patted her face. Maybe his hand was too cold; her warm skin felt comfortable against it, and she unconsciously leaned into his touch, her burning face rubbing against his palm. 

“Wake up! Take your medicine! Lin Qingping?” He slapped her lightly, calling her loudly. Finally, she woke up with a small hum but obediently opened her mouth. 

Gu Juncheng immediately placed the pill in her mouth, not even bothering to moisten her lips anymore, fearing she would fall asleep again.

She wasn’t fully awake and simply held the medicine in her mouth when it was placed there. The next moment, her face scrunched up, her features twisting in displeasure. 

“Bitter…” She grimaced, hazy and trying to spit the medicine out.

“Don’t spit it out!” He ordered, immediately bringing the cup of water to her lips. She lowered her head and took a large gulp, swallowing the pill in the process, but the bitter taste lingered, refusing to fade.

“So bitter…” She stuck out her tongue.

Gu Juncheng placed a small piece of rock candy in her mouth, and only then did she stop complaining. At last, the medicine had been swallowed. 

When Gu Juncheng placed her back on the pillow, she seemed half-awake, half-dazed, and asked: “Gu Juncheng, how did you know I hate bitterness?”

He paused for a moment. “Hmm, I heard about it.”

Lin Qingping turned over and fell asleep again. In her half-conscious state, she thought to herself—it made sense. After all, in the half year since she had married and moved to Gujia Village, her reputation there wasn’t great. Word must have already reached him that she couldn’t stand bitterness or hard work.

“Gu Juncheng, don’t sleep on the floor, it’s cold…” She drowsily remembered this and gave him a reminder.

“Mm.” Gu Juncheng replied, seeing that she had fallen into a deep sleep. He pulled another blanket from the wardrobe, spread it beside her, and lay down. He was naturally a light sleeper, especially with the “task” assigned by Doctor Shi for the night. After a while, he woke up on his own, touched Lin Qingping’s forehead—icy cold… 

He moved his hand lower, finding warmth on her neck, but the real issue was the sweat on his palm. The fever had subsided, but her body was drenched in sweat, as if she had been lying in water. He wondered if that might cause another problem. 

He looked at Lin Qingping, feeling helpless. Fortunately, there was water in the thermos. He poured some hot water and used it to wipe the sweat off her.

He also found some clothes to change her into. The weather was cold, and he completed everything under the blanket.

However, despite the blanket covering her, his hands still inevitably brushed against her skin, which felt smooth and slick to the touch. He hurriedly finished dressing her, trying to avoid lingering.

He thought things would finally calm down. However, she sleepily leaned toward him. 

“Gu Juncheng, I’m cold…” 

Gu Juncheng thought about how she was drenched in sweat and wondered if the sheets and blanket were also wet. As he was still contemplating, he felt something icy and cold brush against the blanket near his legs.

Earlier, she had craved coolness, but now she was seeking warmth… It seemed that she had found the heat source.

At first, it was just a slight coolness testing the waters, but then, her icy legs quickly wrapped around his. 

Then, her cold body pressed into his arms, filling them completely. She had sought him out, clinging tightly to him, her body pressed against his like a large block of ice. It felt as if he was holding a giant ice cube, but no matter what, he couldn’t push it away. He could only hold her close.

The blanket and his own body were warm, and gradually, he felt the coldness in his arms start to warm up.

Lin Qingping, however, had drifted into a dream. 

In her dream, she was dying. She was sick, unable to move, lying in bed. Her nephew came to visit her, and she thought he was there to show filial piety.

But instead, her nephew’s face twisted into something grotesque, and he kept telling her to die.

The moment her nephew removed her oxygen mask, she saw him—Gu Juncheng.

She truly saw him… The young Gu Juncheng, handsome and strong, walking toward her.

Tears filled her eyes as she called his name, asking him: “Gu Juncheng, am I going to die?”

She asked this in her dream, but in reality, Gu Juncheng, who was holding her, heard it.

He heard her mumblings and felt the wetness of her tears soaking into his clothes. 

Upon hearing her words, his brow furrowed. 

“What nonsense are you talking about? It’s just a cold and fever, what do you mean by dying?”

Lin Qingping didn’t hear his words.

She was in her dream.

Only in her dream.

In the dream, she saw Gu Juncheng reach out his hand to her and say: “Lin Qingping, come home with me.” 

At that moment, she broke into tears, nodding vigorously, rushing toward Gu Juncheng. 

“Yes, Gu Juncheng, take me home! Take me home…” 

In the darkness, holding her, Gu Juncheng heard her murmuring again and again: “Gu Juncheng, take me home.” and he froze. 

———o———o———o———

Early in the morning, before dawn, Gu Juncheng was about to get up. The moment he woke, he knew she no longer had a fever because her forehead was pressed right against his lips.

The slightest movement from him caused her delicate skin to brush against his lips. He immediately froze, not moving.

After a while, he carefully pulled the blanket up around her and quietly got up to wash and leave. 

Lin Qingping had slept soundly. When she woke up, she felt much lighter. She looked down and saw that her clothes had been changed.

Her body was dry and fresh, without the sticky feeling from sweating through a fever. She froze for a while, then lay back down. The warmth in the blanket was still there—it was the warmth he had left behind…

If only she hadn’t been so weak, so unable to wake up, making it so difficult for him to take care of her. She lay in bed, lost in thought for a while, before deciding she couldn’t afford to be lazy any longer and got up.

As she stood, she noticed a note on the table. The bold, powerful handwriting stood out clearly: Remember to take your medicine!

Beside it were two small paper bags with medicine, each labeled with instructions on how to take them. 

It could only be said that when someone truly cared for someone, everything about them seemed wonderful.

In her past life, Gu Juncheng had no qualities she admired. She didn’t even bother to read the letters he wrote to her, and her in-laws had to find someone else to read them out loud.

Of course, the letters never mentioned her. But now, all she felt was that everything about Gu Juncheng was perfect. She had seen his handwriting before, but today, every character seemed so well-written!

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Lucia: misunderstanding?? or nah? ( ╹ -╹)?