Illness

"Cough, cough..."

"Cough, cough..."

In the early morning, the sound of coughing echoed almost incessantly through the apartment. Ye Shuang lay in bed, his face pale yet tinged with an unnatural flush.

"Walk by the river often enough, and you’re bound to get wet," Ye Shuang muttered between coughs. He pulled the thermometer from under his arm and checked it—38°C. His head felt heavy, a clear sign he’d caught something.

Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke stood by the bed, exchanging uneasy glances. Just yesterday, he’d insisted he was fine, but now—

Talk about tempting fate.

"Ye Shuang… are you okay?" Bai Yuyou asked softly, pressing a small hand to his forehead. It was burning.

"I’ve got a fever. You two should keep your distance—it’s contagious," Ye Shuang said. Even though he’d taken precautions at the school clinic, viruses were unpredictable.

"Keke, take Yuyou farther away. Don’t worry about me."

Tang Keke had come over that morning to mooch breakfast, as usual. With her parents constantly busy at work, Ye Shuang had invited her to drop by for meals whenever she wanted, especially since they lived so close.

But when she arrived at the apartment, Bai Yuyou broke the news: Ye Shuang was down with a fever.

"Brother, we’ll take care of you today," Tang Keke declared, thumping her chest proudly. "Heh, didn’t we agree on that yesterday?"

"I just need to rest. It’s not that serious… cough," Ye Shuang replied, his voice oddly hoarse yet strangely magnetic from the fever.

Tang Keke scratched her head, glanced at Bai Yuyou, and then stubbornly shook her head.

"You sound terrible! No way—you have to hang in there!"

"I’m… not dying," Ye Shuang sighed.

"Ye Shuang, lie still," Bai Yuyou murmured, bending down to tuck the blankets around him, mimicking how he’d once cared for her. But a few seconds later—

"Uh…" Ye Shuang realized he’d been wrapped up like a sushi roll. "Yuyou, that’s too tight. I need to stay cool."

Bai Yuyou adjusted the blankets again, this time swaddling him like a baby.

Ye Shuang: "…"

"Alright, let’s not fuss anymore. I just need to sleep."

"Oh."

After being shooed downstairs, the two girls huddled on the sofa, brainstorming how to nurse Ye Shuang back to health.

"Feed him," Bai Yuyou suggested. "Keke… we cook."

"My cooking’s just okay. You’re better at it," Tang Keke admitted. Her culinary skills peaked at instant noodles, while Bai Yuyou, having shadowed Ye Shuang in the kitchen, could now whip up decent meals.

"Then… buy groceries."

Bai Yuyou pulled out her phone and searched for recipes.

A few seconds later, she pointed at the screen. "Keke, look at this…"

Tang Keke took the phone and read: "Water, rice… after boiling, feed it to him mouth-to-mouth. He’ll recover faster."

"…"

Tang Keke checked the title: 100 Ways to Melt Your Boyfriend’s Heart with Love.

"What’s wrong, Keke?"

"Nothing! You’re doing great!" Tang Keke quickly gave a thumbs-up.

Search engines really know how to play matchmaker… or maybe just AI.

"Brother’s probably asleep. Let’s go find some good ingredients. Sick people need lots of nutrients," Tang Keke said.

"Nutrients… what to buy?" Bai Yuyou knew how to shop but wasn’t sure which foods were most nourishing.

"Let me see… why don’t you search again?"

"Mm." Bai Yuyou typed slowly, then read aloud:

"Deer antler, kidneys, oysters, leeks, goji leaves…"

Tang Keke wasn’t an expert, but deer antler sounded medicinal. Mixing all that together had to be nutritious, right?

"Let’s go check the market."

"Okay."

With their plan set, the two girls eagerly headed out.

About an hour later, they returned with all the ingredients. Luckily, there was a large supermarket downstairs. Aside from the pricey deer antler, everything else was affordable.

"Alright, how do we cook this?" Tang Keke asked, unloading the groceries in the kitchen. She was ready to assist.

Bai Yuyou examined the items, then searched for a recipe. "Oyster and leek stew… with deer antler and kidneys."

"Ooh~"

……

Upstairs, Ye Shuang drifted in and out of sleep, feverish discomfort making rest elusive. At some point, he faintly registered the sound of the stove firing up downstairs—Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke must be cooking.

Later, he felt someone gently rousing him. Blinking groggily, he saw the two girls hovering beside his bed again.

"Brother, we made you some medicinal soup. Drink up."

"Soup?" Ye Shuang eyed the bowl Tang Keke held. "What’s in it?"

"Kidneys, goji leaves…" Tang Keke counted on her fingers.

"Pork offal soup? That works. Thanks," Ye Shuang said with a weak smile.

Tang Keke rubbed her head sheepishly.

Ye Shuang took a sip. The broth was scalding, but he couldn’t taste anything—his senses were dulled by the fever.

"Is it good, Ye Shuang?" Bai Yuyou asked.

Not wanting to disappoint her, he nodded. "Yeah, it’s good."

After finishing the bowl, he lay back down. "Alright, you two should stay away now. I don’t want you catching this… cough."

"Don’t you have part-time jobs today? You should go. I’ll be fine."

"No way! How can we leave you like this?" Tang Keke protested.

Ye Shuang chuckled. "You’re underestimating adults. It’s just a few hours—I’ll sleep it off."

"The store needs you. If both of you bail last minute, the manager will be in trouble."

Bai Yuyou pouted. "Ye Shuang… I won’t go."

Ye Shuang smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair—but hesitated, pulling his hand back.

Better not risk passing this to her.

"It’s only for a little while. Staying cooped up with a sick person isn’t good for you."

What he really feared was infecting them.