Chapter 5  –  Fever

“Seeing you every day, aren’t you tired of it?”

Qin Mohuai’s deep, hoarse voice carried a hint of grievance, “Since I was little, my parents never loved me. When I was kidnapped, they were still on their honeymoon. Now, even my sibling doesn’t love me anymore.”

The drama queen feigned a sob, “I find living meaningless. How about we just lie in bed tonight? It’d be such a thrill.”

Qin Mohuai, a conservative who had lived a cold and abstinent life for twenty-seven years, suddenly dared to say all sorts of sensual and explicit things after his old house caught fire.

“……” Xia Yuan’s beautiful face, pressed against the phone, turned red. Her rosy lips puckered as she blew him a kiss through the screen.

Qin Mohuai’s voice turned fiery and impatient, “Come to the company immediately! You have half an hour, and if you’re late by even a minute, baby, you’ll have to endure another minute of hardship tonight.”

So be obedient.

Despite his torrent of filthy language, she didn’t scold him but instead responded with a soft kiss.

This kind of submissive behavior only made a certain dark, twisted individual feel even more consumed.

—

At the Qin Corporation.

The secretary had long been waiting in the underground parking lot. After picking up Yuan, she took her to the top floor via the president’s exclusive elevator.

She preferred staying at home and wasn’t used to formal settings. Wearing a pink beret, she glanced at the secretary department with her small head tilted.

The busy elites all turned to look at Xia Yuan, startling her. She quickly averted her gaze, too intimidated to look further.

Everyone here seemed so impressive.

Little did they know, in their eyes, she was the most impressive one, managing to tame the domineering President Qin.

It was said that President Qin’s psychologist was overwhelmed; after each session with Qin Mohuai, the psychologist himself had to seek therapy…

Qin Mohuai was reading a document, his eyes lazy and proud. When he saw Xia Yuan appear, his expression darkened.

“Come here.”

Xia Yuan took off her coat and walked over to sit opposite Qin Mohuai. Her peripheral vision caught sight of a photo frame on his desk.

It was a birthday photo of her.

Holding a piece of broken strawberry cake, her face smeared with two lines of cream, her delicate white shoulders slightly turning away, smiling—sweet and adorable.

If she remembered correctly, there should have been her brother and parents in the photo as well, but they were cropped out.

That wasn’t the main point; the main point was that she didn’t know Qin Mohuai when this photo was taken.

He must have investigated her background, liked this photo, and displayed it separately.

Qin Mohuai tapped his tongue against the roof of his mouth, his eyes smiling but lacking patience. He patted his thigh, “Baby, I meant come sit on my lap.”

There was no need to upset him over such trivial matters. Xia Yuan obediently sat on his lap. The proximity was too close, perfect for mischief.

“Will I be interrupting your work like this?”

“Not at all, it will only improve my work efficiency.”

“Then should I stay on your lap all the time?”

“Or else? Whose lap would you rather sit on?”

The secretary walked in with documents and, caught off guard by the intimate scene, quickly retreated.

Qin Mohuai calmly said, “Come in.”

The secretary, eyes fixed ahead, placed the documents on the desk.

He dared not look around, fearful that if he saw something he shouldn’t, this madman might just gouge his eyes out.

Qin Mohuai was holding a pen when he suddenly felt warmth on his shoulder. He hurriedly moved the little head from his neck and discovered Xia Yuan had a fever.

“Baby, wake up. Your forehead is burning.”

“Ugh…” Xia Yuan mumbled incoherently, feeling dizzy, “It’s your fault… it’s uncomfortable.”

“It’s my fault.” Qin Mohuai unhesitatingly took the blame and instructed the secretary to get a doctor.

She was frail, with a weak constitution that couldn’t be cured by modern medicine, only carefully nurtured.

Qin Mohuai had been taking good care of her, and in six months, he hadn’t let her fall ill. But less than a month after she moved out, she fell sick.

All his fault—he shouldn’t have played those teasing games.

A minor cold was trivial, but Summer Yuze had mentioned that every time his sister caught a cold, it would take at least ten days to two weeks to recover. Their parents and he had to take turns watching over her, fearing that if her delicate, pale face tilted, she might be gone.

Xia Yuan was feverish and dizzy, unaware of the trouble her illness had caused.

( The unkind novel author never explained why she was so weak—simply that her mother hadn’t eaten well during pregnancy, leading to her frail constitution. Without meticulous care, she might face an early death. )

Qin Mohuai’s family doctor and buddy, Yang Yi, who was also the man Qin Mohuai had forced to wear lipstick and kiss his shirt—arrived in a hurry.

Yang Yi checked Xia Yuan’s temperature, examined her eyelids and mouth, and took her pulse.

“A fever caused by catching cold, nothing serious. But I’ve seen her medical records; with her weak health, a minor cold means hospitalization for half a month. Tsk tsk. She’s been with you for six months, and her health hasn’t improved at all. Have you taken good care of her?”

Qin Mohuai: “I hired a nutritionist and monitored every meal she ate. I wouldn’t even let her step on a slightly cold floor.”

Yang Yi: “But you allowed her to live outside for half a month.”

Qin Mohuai’s jaw tightened, not offering a rebuttal.

Yang Yi was surprised; the high and mighty Qin family heir had never been left speechless. He was always the one making others unable to speak their grievances.

Like that time he was forced to wear lipstick—dare he resist? Could he win against a trained Muay Thai fighter like Qin Mohuai?

Yang Yi’s gaze shifted to Xia Yuan. She was beautiful enough, but her background was too ordinary. The Qin family likely wouldn’t approve of her entering the family. Grandpa Qin had his eyes on Ouyang Jing, waiting for her engagement with Qin Mohuai to be announced publicly.

—

When Xia Yuan woke up in the familiar yet strange environment, she saw the sunset melting gold but didn’t have the mood to appreciate it. Her head throbbed with pain, feeling like she was dying.

“How long was I out?”

“Three days.” Qin Mohuai’s voice was hoarse as he gently patted her back through the blankets.

He hadn’t expected a cold to leave her unconscious for three days. Seeing her open her eyes, his heart finally relaxed.

“Do you feel unwell anywhere?”

“No.” Xia Yuan had a white towel on her forehead, her eyes red and her nose also red, looking like a sick little rabbit.

“I had a nightmare. I died and wandered by the Bridge of Helplessness for a long time, wanting to see you but not wanting to.”

“Baby.” Qin Mohuai held her hand to his cheek, his gaze unusually clear and tender, “Nightmares are not true. I will make sure you live a long life. Don’t move out again, okay?”

“Mm. Kiss me.”

Qin Mohuai was softened to the core, kissing her feverish face several times, wishing for her to get better quickly.

When Qin Mohuai wasn’t being a madman torturing her, he was a better partner than most men. When she was anxious and sleepless over her feelings, unaware of it, he would hold her hand under the night sky, letting her sleep on his back when tired. He never minded and would even gently pat her behind to soothe her.

The system notified Xia Yuan that the madman’s affection level had risen to 84%, helping her awaken from that inappropriate feeling.

“What if I really died?” she asked.

“Then I would chase after you.”

“Impressive huh!”

“……Get better first before being cheeky.”