Chapter 16: So Warm, As If I Have Returned to When I Was Still…

The on-site staff rushed forward, and after confirming that Ji Jingchuan had only fainted due to heatstroke, they immediately sent him back to the villa and called a doctor to administer an IV drip.

The outdoor sports event had reached its final stages. The others stayed behind to record the last award ceremony, and the daytime live broadcast ended as usual.

Back at the villa, Shang Que went upstairs to check on Ji Jingchuan. The door wasn’t locked, so she turned the handle and easily pushed it open.

The bedroom was designed according to the preferences of each guest, as determined by the program team before filming began. Unlike Shang Que’s randomly chosen minimalist style, Ji Jingchuan’s room was flamboyant and flashy.

There was no ceiling light; instead, deep blue and bright pink neon tubes lined the edges of all four walls. His stage posters were scattered across the walls at varying heights, illuminated by dazzling lights, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a live concert.

Yet the vibrant superstar on the posters was now lying weakly on the large, soft bed in the center of the room, eyes closed. A needle was inserted into the back of his left hand, connected to an IV drip, with more than two-thirds of the liquid already administered.

Shang Que stepped forward, pulled over a chair, and sat by the bedside. It was then that she noticed the small plushie she had given Ji Jingchuan resting on his pillow.

It was a chibi-style doll with an oversized head, one eye winking mischievously, making a playful face. Normally, it looked irritating, but now it obediently lay beside Ji Jingchuan’s head, silently accompanying him as he received his IV treatment.

Shang Que’s gaze lingered on it for a few seconds before shifting to Ji Jingchuan. He seemed to be asleep, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. His dark eyelashes cast a shadow beneath his eyes, and his thin lips were pressed tightly together—he still appeared uncomfortable.

Shang Que reached out to touch his forehead. Instinctively, Ji Jingchuan nuzzled against her palm like a small puppy, mumbling softly in his sleep.

This action suddenly brought back childhood memories.

As a child, Ji Jingchuan was full of energy and had an exceptionally strong constitution, whereas Shang Que frequently fell ill.

One year, during a spring flu outbreak, Shang Que inevitably caught the virus and had to take a leave of absence from school. She lay in bed, receiving IV drips at home. Due to the high contagiousness of the virus, her room was temporarily isolated. Other than the doctor who administered her treatment and the auntie who delivered meals, almost no one else entered.

It was the chilly early spring season, and the icy IV fluid flowing into her veins made it impossible for her to sleep. So, for several hours each day while receiving treatment, she could only stare at the ceiling in a daze or count the droplets falling from the IV tube.

It was a dull, long, and torturous time.

However, that afternoon, just as the doctor hung up her second IV bag and left the room, Ji Jingchuan sneaked in. He dropped a thick storybook onto her bed and then climbed up himself.

Shang Que remembered the doctor warning her about the virus’s strong contagiousness. She quickly buried her face in her blanket, covering her nose and mouth, leaving only her big, round peach blossom eyes peeking out as she sulkily said, “Why are you here? I’ll give you the flu.”

“It’s okay, I’m sick too.” He looked surprisingly cheerful and leaned in. “Touch my forehead if you don’t believe me.”

Shang Que hesitated but reached out to check. His forehead was burning hot, like a kettle of boiling water.

Is this a 60-degree fever? Shang Que was stunned.

Ji Jingchuan quickly grabbed her hand and tucked it back under the blanket. Then he sat properly at the head of the bed, holding the storybook. “Sister, I’ll read you a story.”

This was a picture book meant for Shang Que, but Ji Jingchuan was too young to recognize many words. Instead, he made up a story based on the pictures.

“There was a beautiful princess in the castle. Hmm… Let’s call her Princess Queque. The queen was Princess Queque’s biggest fan and stuck her picture on the big mirror. Then, she sent an old lady in black to deliver an apple to Princess Queque. The princess happily took a bite, and then—”

He flipped to the next page, eyes widening. “The apple was poisoned! Princess Queque fainted!”

“But then she woke up and saw one, two, three… seven little old men.” Ji Jingchuan’s small face scrunched up in displeasure. “Why are they old men? I don’t want to be an old man.”

At that moment, Shang Que realized that he was recounting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

…What do you mean the queen is a fan of the princess and sticks her picture on the mirror?

That was supposed to be the Magic Mirror scene!

Shang Que blinked and reassured him, “There’s a prince later.”

“Alright then.” Ji Jingchuan was satisfied and continued, “The evil old lady came back, but then—Sir Chuanchuan appeared!”

Shang Que was confused. “Why a knight? Isn’t it supposed to be a prince?”

“Because knights and princesses belong together. The prince is from another kingdom. Sir Chuanchuan and Princess Queque are family,” he explained logically. “Sir Chuanchuan kissed Princess Queque, and she woke up.”

Ji Jingchuan then confidently closed the picture book, leaned over, and kissed Shang Que’s forehead. With a serious expression, he said, “Sister, I’ll kiss you too. You’ll get better soon.”

Shang Que did indeed recover quickly after that. The price was that Ji Jingchuan caught the flu.

Because, as it turned out, he had never been sick in the first place. That high fever? He had pressed a hot water bottle against his forehead for ten minutes to fake it.

But Shang Que would never forget that evening—when she woke up and saw Ji Jingchuan’s head resting beside hers, his small hands covering hers, trying to use his tiny palms to warm the icy IV fluid flowing into her veins.

Her heart softened instantly. She leaned in to listen to Ji Jingchuan’s murmuring.

“Shang Que annoying ghost, Shang Que annoying ghost, Shang Que annoying ghost.”

Shang Que: …

Her heart had softened too soon.

She pursed her lips, raised her hand, and smacked Ji Jingchuan’s head.

“Ow, ow! That hurts!”

Ji Jingchuan woke up with his nose and forehead throbbing in pain. Clutching his face, he grimaced and asked, “Who hit me in my sleep? Did I get disfigured?”

【Shang Que was here.】 The system reported truthfully. 【Not disfigured, but… you might not want to be seen right now.】

“Did she draw little turtles on my face?” Ji Jingchuan guessed.

When the system hesitated, he grew uneasy. He got out of bed, found a mirror, and looked at himself.

His handsome face now sported a bright red mark running from the bridge of his nose to his forehead—it looked like he had been given a traditional gua sha treatment.

Ji Jingchuan’s eyes widened in horror. How am I supposed to show my face like this?!

“This was revenge! Definitely revenge!” Furious, Ji Jingchuan stormed off to confront Shang Que. He knocked on her door, but there was no response. He then headed downstairs, stopping a staff member along the way. “Where’s Shang Que?”

The person looked up and, upon seeing his face, blurted out, “Oh my, I humbly greet the great Erlang Shen!”

Ji Jingchuan’s face darkened.

Quickly covering his mouth, the staff member pointed toward the backyard. “She’s in the backyard. Everyone’s there.”

The night’s live broadcast was still ongoing. Ji Jingchuan arrived to find everyone sitting around a stone table, chatting and playing a small game.

Jiang Yizhe noticed him first. Just as he was about to greet him, he got a clear look at Ji Jingchuan’s face under the lights and—

“Pfft—”

His reaction caused everyone else to turn and look. One by one, they burst into strange laughter—“Pfft,” “Haha,” “Heh,” “Hee.”

When it was Shang Que’s turn, though she wasn’t surprised, she still joined in, maintaining the rhythm—“Happy.”

Because of Feng Ye’s unexpected arrival, there were originally just enough chairs for six people, but now one was missing. The staff quickly brought over the director’s lounge chair to make up for it.

Ji Jingchuan sat cross-legged on the chair, glanced around expressionlessly, and asked, “What’s so funny? Is it really that amusing?”

【Yes, it’s absolutely hilarious. Hahahahaha.】
【I didn’t even think it would be this funny until he showed up.】
【Everyone else is too polite—if it were me, I’d be laughing so hard I’d start crowing.】
【Who gave him a guasha massage? The technique feels just like my mom’s.】
【He must have had a really bad case of heatstroke.】
【How can you all laugh at Ji Jingchuan like this? I’m not saying anything, but my dog just ran out the door after watching the livestream, thinking it’s the Howling Celestial Dog. I have to go chase it down.】
【You’re laughing at him too, though.】

Ji Jingchuan’s face darkened. His complexion was already pale due to illness, and with the red mark on the bridge of his nose, his entire face looked like a spilled painter’s palette—colorful and chaotic.

Jiang Yizhe barely managed to hold back his laughter, shaking his head vigorously. “I wasn’t laughing. You know I naturally have smiling lips.”

“I wasn’t laughing either.”

One by one, the others defended themselves. When it was Shang Que’s turn, she admitted outright, “I laughed. So what?”

Ji Jingchuan’s arrogance immediately deflated. He let out a soft snort to show his dissatisfaction but muttered, “It’s nothing.”

【Morality unknown—bullies the weak but submits to the strong.】
【Shang Que: So what? What are you gonna do, hit me?】
【Hahaha, I knew only Shang Que could handle him. Ji Jingchuan always ends up losing whenever he’s up against her.】

The group had been playing a game before Ji Jingchuan arrived. Seeing him join, Feng Ye suggested, “Why don’t we have Xiao Chuan be the judge? He can pick the best singer at the end.”

In the middle of the stone table sat a bottle. Whoever it landed on would have to sing a song.

Ji Jingchuan listened to the rules and didn’t refuse. He was too drained from being sick to move much, slouching lazily in the chair. His mind was sluggish, and he kept zoning out.

The game began, and the bottle landed on Ning Sheng. Feng Ye, holding a guitar in his arms, asked eagerly, “What song are you singing? I’ll accompany you.”

Ning Sheng named an old love song. “Do you know this one?”

Feng Ye’s expression stiffened briefly before he offered an apologetic smile. “I haven’t really heard it much.”

“That’s fine. It is an old song, after all. I’ll just—” Ning Sheng was about to say she’d sing a cappella.

But before she could, Lu Zhixu suddenly spoke up. “I’ll play. I know this song well.”

He took the guitar from Feng Ye, strummed a couple of notes, and then looked at Ning Sheng, waiting for her cue to start.

A gentle, soothing melody flowed from his fingertips, and Ning Sheng softly sang along. Though she wasn’t a professional, her warm voice carried a sense of nostalgia and emotion.

When she finished, everyone applauded. Ning Sheng smiled. “I can’t believe I still remember the melody. It’s all thanks to Lu Zhixu’s accompaniment.”

Meanwhile, Lu Zhixu tilted his head slightly to look at her, his gaze gentle and reminiscent.

【Ahhhh, I’m obsessed!】
【This scene has such a vibe—it could inspire an 800,000-word fanfic. No wonder the ‘Zhixu x Ning Sheng’ fandom is so productive.】
【It’s been a minute. Where’s my 800,000-word fanfic? cracks whip】
【Work, you fanfic-writing donkeys! 800,000 words in a minute!】
【Take care of yourself, writer-sama, but also… don’t stop writing.】

The game continued, and the next person the bottle landed on was Feng Ye. He performed one of his original songs, and since he had practiced beforehand, his performance was flawless, earning plenty of applause.

By now, almost everyone had taken a turn and sung at least one song.

The only one left unscathed was Shang Que. Just as she was marveling at her luck, the bottle’s mouth suddenly pointed right at her.

Shang Que: …

Feng Ye, still holding the guitar, offered enthusiastically, “Shang Que-jie, what song are you singing? I’ll play for you.”

“No need.” Shang Que shook her head. If people found out she could go off-key even with accompaniment, it would be even more embarrassing.

With everyone watching, she cleared her throat and began singing softly:

“A little young boy, carefree and bright, Looking around as the sun shines bright…”

She sang with sincerity, though the lyrics were rearranged, making it slightly different from the original. Her final line was gentle, almost tender:

“May it always stay this way.”

When she was young, her parents were going through a divorce, so she and Ji Jingchuan stayed at their grandparents’ house for a long time. Over time, Ji Jingchuan started realizing something was off and would ask if their parents didn’t want them anymore.

Back then, Shang Que always reassured him, “Of course not. They’ll come pick us up soon.” She would then pat his back and sing this song to lull him to sleep.

After everyone had taken a turn, Feng Ye joked, “Teacher Ji, it’s time for your verdict.”

There was no response.

Everyone turned to look and saw Ji Jingchuan sitting in his chair, his expression slightly dazed.

Feng Ye called him again, “Xiao Chuan, everyone has sung already. Pick the one you think was the best.”

Ji Jingchuan snapped out of his trance and, without hesitation, said, “Shang Que.”

“Huh?”

“Is there a problem?” Ji Jingchuan frowned slightly, his tone serious. “She sang with the most emotion.”

【I agree. Shang Que’s voice was so gentle just now.】
【It felt like the song that plays when the protagonist and antagonist face off in a life-or-death battle.】
【So warm… It’s like going back to the time before I became a bitter villain.】