“…… It’s fine if I look at you a few more times since your temporary identity is my husband,” Ning Qiuxiu said defiantly.

“Hmm,” Zhan Qingyue handed her a thermos cup, unscrewing the lid and offering it to her. “Do you need me to print out a few posters to put on the wall for easier viewing?”

“…… Get lost.”

Zhan Qingyue chuckled lightly: “Eat up, then rest a bit. Have your manager cancel all your work for this period. Don’t work again before the next reality show recording—take a break.”

Before he could finish, he saw Ning Qiuxiu stuff all the medicine into her mouth at once, drinking water and swallowing it all in one go.

“……” Zhan Qingyue was momentarily stunned, then said after a while, “I remember when you were about ten years old, and Qingyuan and I visited your home with my dad. You were sick with a cold and refused to take medicine no matter how much Ning… Father-in-law tried to persuade you. I didn’t expect that, in the blink of an eye, you’ve grown into a young lady.”

Time flies, indeed.

“!!!!” Ning Qiuxiu’s alarm bells rang instantly.

She had a guilty conscience and her first thought was that Zhan Qingyue might have discovered something.

Oh no, could it be that she said something she shouldn’t have while she was unconscious?

“I……”

“Hmm?” Zhan Qingyue looked up.

“Actually……”

Seeing her hesitating, Zhan Qingyue immediately understood: “WC?”

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

It seemed like she really needed to go.

In the end, Zhan Qingyue had a servant help her to the bathroom.

Ning Qiuxiu saw that he seemed to have just mentioned it casually and wasn’t planning to discuss it further, so she sighed in relief.

Her disguise was really on the line—she couldn’t afford to slip up.

Relaxing a bit, she started feeling dizzy again.

Her fever hadn’t subsided, and she was feeling quite disoriented.

After chatting with Zhan Qingyue, she was completely drained of energy and fell back into a deep sleep.

Zhan Qingyue stayed with her until her IV drip finished.

The doctor came by again and said it was fine, just to rest. If her fever didn’t go down by midnight, he would be contacted.

Since Zhan Qingyue couldn’t stay up all night due to his own physical condition, he instructed the servant to check on her in the evening.

Ning Qiuxiu slept through to the next morning.

Her fever had gone down, but her throat was extremely sore, making it almost impossible to speak, and her whole body ached as if she had been tossed around and beaten up.

The thought of being tossed around made her remember Zhan Qingyue coming into her room last night.

Given how deeply she slept, she might have been truly “tossed around” and not noticed it.

Cough.

However, Zhan Qingyue’s feelings were likely more than his actions.

Unless she made a move, it would be hard for anything to happen between them.

Ning Qiuxiu was utterly exhausted.

This cold was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

She had a bowl of congee, took her medicine, and fell into a groggy sleep again.

However, her sleep was very uncomfortable.

She even woke up once in the late morning to vomit before going back to sleep.

She remained in this state until evening when she finally woke up feeling more refreshed.

The scene was similar to when she had woken up the night before, and the only difference was…

Zhan Qingyue was working in her room.

Zhan Qingyue was intently focused on his computer, not noticing that Ning Qiuxiu had woken up.

“……” The scene was both warm and slightly awkward.

Ning Qiuxiu quietly reached for her phone, intending to take a picture. But as soon as she made a little noise, Zhan Qingyue noticed.

He turned and smiled at her: “You’re awake. Are you still feeling unwell?”

==

Ning Qiuxiu felt a bit regretful for not getting the photo and stubbornly said, “You…”

Her voice was so hoarse it was almost smoky.

She opened her mouth but couldn’t form a complete sentence.

“……” Now, she was the one who couldn’t speak.

Zhan Qingyue frowned slightly: “Are you still uncomfortable?”

Ning Qiuxiu shook her head.

After sleeping all day, she felt much better, though she was still weak and her voice was rough.

Zhan Qingyue called for someone to bring some congee.

When the congee arrived, Zhan Qingyue tested its temperature and, sitting beside the bed, was about to hand it to her when he scooped a spoonful and tried to feed her himself.

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

Even though she was sick, her hands weren’t useless! She could feed herself perfectly well!

“Lost your appetite?” Zhan Qingyue asked as he noticed she wasn’t opening her mouth. “You haven’t eaten anything all day.”

Ning Qiuxiu had no choice but to open her mouth and take a bite. However, she wasn’t used to being waited on, especially by someone who was also a patient.

Unable to speak, she extended her hand towards Zhan Qingyue, indicating that she wanted to feed herself.

Unfortunately, Zhan Qingyue didn’t yet understand their “eye communication” level and either didn’t get her hint or was deliberately ignoring it.

Under her gaze, he placed the spoon back in the bowl, took her hand, and held it.

Ning Qiuxiu: “???”

He tucked her hand back under the covers and gently patted her head, speaking to her as if she were a child: “Don’t be difficult. Be a good girl and drink some.”

So annoying!

She was fuming inside.

Seeing the resentment in her eyes, Zhan Qingyue stopped teasing her and said, “You took care of me for so long. It’s just a matter of reciprocity.”

“?” What reciprocity?

Zhan Qingyue scooped up another spoonful and offered it to her: “Open up.”

“……” Unable to speak, Ning Qiuxiu locked eyes with him for a moment.

Eventually, she gave in to the unpleasant situation and opened her mouth to drink the porridge.

“If it’s too hot, just blink your eyes,” Zhan Qingyue reminded her.

I’m being held hostage; will blinking even help?

Zhan Qingyue, however, couldn’t sense her internal struggle.

Having never served anyone before and with his hands being somewhat clumsy, he was extremely unskilled.

Several times, he almost accidentally fed her with the spoon aimed at her nose.

— Although Ning Qiuxiu strongly suspected he was getting his revenge for when she stuffed cotton balls up his nose.

Still, Zhan Qingyue seemed quite interested in the act of feeding.

After finishing one bowl, he wanted to serve a second.

Ning Qiuxiu, feeling she couldn’t drink any more, reluctantly put down the bowl.

Ning Qiuxiu deeply felt what it was like when Zhan Qingyue had woken up and she had fed him food and water.

It was frustrating and left her feeling unsatisfied.

“I’m going out for dinner. Rest well,” Zhan Qingyue said after she had taken her medicine.

Finally, this Buddha was leaving. Ning Qiuxiu let out a sigh of relief, almost wanting to wave him off with a handkerchief.

Zhan Qingyue saw her reaction and, without getting upset, patted her head before leaving.

“……” The spot where he had touched felt hot.

Once Zhan Qingyue closed the door, Ning Qiuxiu relaxed and lay back down.

However, having slept so much during the day, she wasn’t feeling sleepy at all. She took out her phone to check.

Qu Hua would send her the schedule for the next day on WeChat every day, reminding her to prepare so she wouldn’t forget.

【Qu Hua: Tomorrow, attend the Shangmei Fashion Gala in City S. Flight is at 11 a.m. Remember to set your alarm.】

Shangmei is a women’s fashion magazine that holds an annual fashion gala, inviting top female celebrities for a glamorous red carpet show.

It’s a high-end event in the red carpet scene, with many second- and third-tier actresses fighting for an invitation.

Although Ning Qiuxiu was a second-tier star and wasn’t initially on the invitation list, her recent popularity led Shangmei to extend an invitation to her.

Ning Qiuxiu was excited about this opportunity to prove herself on the red carpet and show off her beautiful and delicate appearance.

The invitation felt like a perfect remedy for her boredom.

She had been looking forward to this day for a while, but now, at this crucial moment, she had caught a bad cold.

She could still attend while sick, but Zhan Qingyue had told her to postpone all work and rest at home for now.

“……” She needed to figure out how to tell Zhan Qingyue.

After playing with her phone for a while, Ning Qiuxiu’s eyes started to hurt badly, so she put the phone away and tried to sleep.

Just as the medication started to take effect and she was getting drowsy, her phone, which was on vibrate mode on the bedside table, rang loudly.

Annoyed by the noise, Ning Qiuxiu reached for the phone and saw “Song Chu” flashing on the screen.

Her irritation grew.

She answered and sent him a text: “Lost my voice, can’t speak.”

Soon, she received a reply: “Sick? Or… is that old man bullying you?”

“……” Although Zhan Qingyue was a few years older than her, he was still in his prime, not yet at an old age.

Ning Qiuxiu didn’t want to explain too much to him, mainly because she couldn’t articulate it clearly at the moment.

She was about to type out a message, asking him to wait until her voice improved before discussing further, when another message from Song Chu came through.

Song Chu: Quixiu, I like you.

“Cough cough cough!” Ning Qiuxiu almost choked on her own saliva when she saw this message.

The confession was completely out of the blue.

Although she and Song Chu had known each other for a long time, their interaction had been minimal, and they mostly bickered on the Bamboo Rat show.

Like?

Like what?

Song Chu: I can go back to inherit the family business or become a wealthy young master to support you. What matters most is that I genuinely like you and will take responsibility for you. So, will you be with me?

Ning Qiuxiu realized why this sudden confession was happening—he probably thought she was being coerced by an old and sick man.

He wanted to rescue her from the dire situation.

Inherit the family business? So, you have to be famous to avoid inheriting the family business?

Ning Qiuxiu was at a loss.

She didn’t know whether to be touched or to think he was being melodramatic.

Ning Qiuxiu: My relationship with Zhan Qingyue isn’t what you think. Don’t overthink it. I’ll explain when I’m feeling better.

Song Chu: I’m serious! I’m outside your place right now. If you come out, you’ll see me.

“……” Ning Qiuxiu was startled.

She ran to the window and looked.

Her room faced the street directly, and she indeed saw a white car parked across the street.

Ning Qiuxiu: How did you know where I live?

Song Chu: After the recording ended that day, I followed your car home.