After taking a shower, Ming Che felt much more comfortable. When he came out, he saw Wen Lin still sitting upright on the sofa, and he remembered that he hadn’t given him a blanket and pillow yet.

“Sleep early.”

Ming Che walked over with a blanket and pillow, placing them on Wen Lin’s lap.

Wen Lin nodded, responding with a soft “mm.”

[Host, he’s been watching you.]

Ming Che reached the bedroom door when 977 suddenly spoke.

Ming Che turned back, a faint smile on his lips.

“Goodnight.”

Wen Lin’s eyes widened suddenly, but before he could say anything, the door closed in front of him.

He covered himself with the blanket, adjusted the pillow, and lay down. His whole body was enveloped in warmth, which made him relax involuntarily.

In the room, Ming Che also lay down on the bed.

The first step in getting close to the protagonist was a success.

[Goodnight, 977, I’m going to sleep.]

As soon as Ming Che’s head hit the pillow, he felt drowsiness wash over him. He closed his eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

…

The dream got hotter and hotter, and when Ming Che woke up, he realized his whole body was burning, and there was a sharp pain in his throat.

[Host, you’re awake. According to my detection, you seem to have a fever.]

A fever?

[It must be because you got caught in the rain yesterday and kept wearing wet clothes.] 977 said.

Ming Che sat up, feeling dizzy. He paused for a moment, then lay back down on the bed.

[Host, there’s medicine in the cabinet under the TV.]

Hearing 977’s words, Ming Che struggled to get up again. He put on slippers and wobbled out the door.

“Mr. Ming?!”

Wen Lin, who was already up and tidying the bedding, was startled by the sudden appearance of Ming Che.

Ming Che didn’t respond to him. Following 977’s guidance, he squatted in front of the TV cabinet and started rummaging through the drawer filled with all sorts of messy medicines.

The medicine for fever is…

Found it.

Ming Che stared at the box, opened the packaging, and was about to pop a pill into his mouth.

“This seems to be expired.”

Wen Lin had somehow walked up behind him. Ming Che looked up at him, pausing his action of taking the medicine.

[Host, you can’t take it. It’s expired by three months.]

The young man’s condition was clearly not right, with an abnormal redness from his face to his neck.

Ming Che shoved the medicine box back into the drawer. He stood up, and his vision went black, causing him to stumble to the side. Wen Lin quickly reached out to support him, feeling his abnormal temperature—very hot.

Ming Che pulled his hand back and sat down on the sofa, placing a hand on his forehead and letting out a long sigh.

So uncomfortable.

“Do you want to go to the hospital?”

Ming Che turned his head, his voice already hoarse, “No need.”

Wen Lin looked at the person on the sofa, thinking about what else he could do.

“I’ll go buy some medicine.”

It wasn’t a tone of negotiation. By the time Ming Che removed his hand from his eyes to look at him, Wen Lin was no longer in the living room, and the open door indicated where he had gone.

Ming Che didn’t have the energy to care about these things. He closed his heavy eyelids, and his whole being was pulled into darkness.

…

[Host!]

“Mr. Ming.”

Awakened by two different voices, Ming Che opened his eyes to see a cup of water being handed to him.

“I bought some fever medicine.”

“Tha…”

Just saying one word made Ming Che feel the sharp pain in his throat. He raised his hand to take the pills from Wen Lin.

“Take two.” Wen Lin reminded.

Ming Che nodded, broke off two pills, and swallowed them directly.

Wen Lin: “Water.”

Ming Che took the cup, the temperature a bit hot to the touch. He drank it in several sips, but his throat still felt sore.

“I’m going to sleep in the room for a while. You can go home. I’ll bring your stuff over tonight.”

After taking the medicine, he felt even more sleepy. Ming Che walked to the room and lay down on the bed. His head felt heavy, and only by closing his eyes could he feel a bit more comfortable.

In the living room, Wen Lin looked at the remaining pills on the table and then towards the bedroom.

…

Not knowing how long he slept, Ming Che felt heat radiating from his body, but his spirit was better than before. His hair was damp with sweat, and his body felt sticky and uncomfortable.

Ming Che threw off the blanket. When he stood on the ground, he felt dizzy for a moment but quickly adapted. He took a shower, and when he came out, he felt fresh and clean, with a towel on his head, using one hand to dry his hair.

[Host, he hasn’t left yet.]

Ming Che changed his direction from returning to his room and headed to the kitchen, where he found something cooking on the stove. Wen Lin was standing by, and upon noticing his arrival, was about to say something.

“I’ll take over.”

Ming Che said, pushing Wen Lin’s shoulder aside to stand in front, but in truth, he didn’t know what to do either.

“It’s okay, I’ve already finished it.”

Wen Lin spoke up.

Ming Che lifted the lid, seeing a pot of very plain white porridge, clearly prepared for him.

Ming Che turned to look at him, his eyes appearing particularly gentle due to the fever’s watery sheen.

“Want some?”

Wen Lin wasn’t quite used to this kind of interaction. Probably because his life was different from his peers, he didn’t have much time to play and always had to help out at home, so he didn’t have any particularly close friends.

He vaguely knew from a young age that he wasn’t their biological child, so Wen Lin thought he should be more obedient, more compliant, and shouldn’t expect too much. He had long passed the age where he would long for interesting toys in display cases.

Used to being alone, he didn’t have relationships beyond classmates with his peers, but the person in front of him was an unexpected surprise.

“That’s impressive.” Ming Che praised with a bright smile, taking two bowls from the cabinet below. Ming Che felt he should show a bit of an elder’s demeanor.

“Go sit down, I’ll serve it and bring it out.”

“Aren’t you sick?”

Wen Lin didn’t move, watching Ming Che’s actions. His gaze fell on the dripping hair under the towel, suddenly realizing this person didn’t seem to take care of himself well.

“Aren’t you going to dry your hair?” he asked.

Ming Che quickly served two bowls of porridge, carrying them out to the dining table.

“You eat first, I’ll go dry my hair.”

Ming Che spent a few minutes drying his hair, but the rough method made the hair at the back of his head stick up rebelliously.

When he went out, he found Wen Lin still waiting for him. He walked over, sat down, and picked up the spoon that had been placed by the bowl at some point.

While eating, both were quiet, only the sound of spoons clinking against bowls could be heard.

“I’ll take you home later.”

Hearing the voice, Wen Lin suddenly looked up.

“No need, you’re still sick. I can go back myself.”

“Aren’t you afraid…” Ming Che put down his spoon, feeling warm in his stomach after eating, and his complexion looked better.

“I’ll run off with your stuff.”

Usually, they packed up the stall by midnight. At that time, Wen Lin’s adoptive father would finish his night card games and drive over to have Wen Lin pack up and take him home.

But most of the time, he wasn’t punctual. Once at the card table, it was hard to leave, and being pulled to play a few more rounds was common. In such cases, Wen Lin could only wait.

Seeing Wen Lin’s slightly widened eyes, Ming Che decided not to tease him anymore.

“I’m just kidding. Finish eating, and I’ll take you home.”

Wen Lin nodded at his words, still looking like a well-behaved young boy.

Wen Lin’s home was on an old street, with peeling walls and gray roads, all showcasing the place’s age. When they arrived, Wen Lin got out of the car first, took out a key, and opened the courtyard gate.

When the iron gate was pushed open, the wheels below made a harsh noise. Ming Che drove the car inside, finding a spot among the clutter in the courtyard to park.

Wen Lin went to the back of the car, busy unloading the items. Ming Che got down and lent a hand.

“Thank you.”

He thanked him once more, sincerely.

“No problem.”

“I’ll wash your clothes and return them to you.”

The clothes washed last night weren’t dry yet, so Wen Lin continued wearing the ones Ming Che had given him.

“Okay.”

Ming Che got back in the car, waving at him.

“See you.”

The tricycle gradually disappeared from Wen Lin’s sight. He closed the courtyard gate and stood by it for a while.

There was no sign of that person’s car, so he hadn’t come back last night.

The clothes he wore carried a strange fragrance, not the usual detergent smell from home. The soft cotton felt comfortable against his skin.

Wen Lin patted the dust on his sleeve, which he didn’t know when it got there, and walked inside.

…

This was a good start.

First, get close to Wen Lin, gain his trust, and then reveal his true nature, letting Wen Lin see the treachery of human hearts.

After returning home, Ming Che took another nap. He didn’t plan to go out that night, deciding to recover from his illness first.

When he woke up again, it was already evening. A strong hunger gnawed at his stomach, and when Ming Che sat up, he almost fell back down.

[Host, what’s wrong?] 977’s concerned voice came from beside him.

Ming Che pressed his forehead, slowly stood up, put on a jacket, and went out to find food.

There were many street stalls at night. Ming Che ordered a plate of fried noodles and ate at a small table nearby. His stomach was quickly filled, and after wandering around outside for a bit, he returned home.

…

After the class bell rang, the classroom became noisy, but there was always one person who seemed out of place. He quietly worked on his problems, his school uniform looking neater than the others.

Wen Lin rarely let his mind wander.

The clothes had long been washed, but the person named Ming Che hadn’t come for two days. Should he go…

“Wen Lin.”

A sudden voice interrupted Wen Lin’s thoughts, and he looked up.

It was a female classmate from the same class.

“How do you solve this problem?”

Wen Lin found his homework and generously handed it over.

“Huh?”

Wen Lin looked down at the problem again, having already made up his mind.

He should go.

Relying on his memory from last time, Wen Lin found where Ming Che lived. Coming to his house unannounced, he felt a bit uneasy.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door.