“Mom, haven’t I already told you many times? Why haven’t you listened to a single word?”
“Fine, fine, fine, no problem. I’ll say it one more time. Until I have completely finished my studies, I am in no mood to fall in love or date anyone at all!”
“What? You’re saying you won’t arrange any more marriage contracts for me from now on, but the catch is that I have to find a boyfriend and bring him home for you to see, and he has to meet your approval?”
“If that is your answer, then my response is fine, sure. However, not right now. It has to be after some time.”
“The reason is simple. You know I’m currently in my Senior Year and approaching graduation. Even if it’s just the first semester, I have absolutely no free time.”
“Since you’ve agreed, then it’s a deal. Cough, cough, cough… No, I don’t have a cold. I just choked while drinking water. You, on the other hand, should take care of yourself; the flu is going around lately.”
“Yeah, I know. Bye…”
Jiang Yingxue hung up the phone and tossed it onto her desk. With a throat that was in sharp pain, she took a deep breath.
“Cough, cough, cough... So annoying. Why did I suddenly catch a cold today?”
“But regardless, at least for a while, I’ll finally have some peace and quiet.”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Outside the office door, Ye Zhou felt the timing was about right. He knocked lightly three times until Jiang Yingxue’s hoarse, coughing voice said,
“Come in.”
Only then did Ye Zhou slowly push the door open and enter.
The scene before him was striking.
Jiang Yingxue was dressed in her usual black, form-fitting sportswear, which accentuated her tall and curvaceous figure.
Her silver hair was tied up loosely and looked a bit messy. Compared to previous days, her makeup was clearly heavier, yet it still couldn’t hide her beautiful, exhausted eyes.
“Ye Zhou, do you need something? Cough, cough, cough…”
Ye Zhou’s throat suddenly felt an itch, and he followed with a few coughs of his own.
“Club Leader Jiang, you definitely have a cold, right? I could hear you coughing non-stop while I was outside.”
“Cough, cough, cough… What a coincidence then, so do I.”
“So, I picked up some medicine on the way and just took a dose. At least my throat doesn’t hurt as much now.”
“If you haven’t gotten any medicine yet, why not just make do with mine for once? Ahaha… though I’m not sure if the effect will be good for you.”
As soon as he said this, Jiang Yingxue couldn’t help but be slightly stunned. She gave another light cough.
“Cough. How much was it?”
“Oh, don’t talk about money when it comes to medicine. Talking about money hurts the feelings between club members.”
Ye Zhou smiled and waved his hand. “Besides, I already told you I just happened to get it.”
As he spoke, he followed the instructions previously given by Tang’antang, portioning out how many pills and how many packets of each medicine to take. He then walked to the nearby water dispenser, filled a paper cup with warm water, and placed everything together on the desk.
Facing this obvious show of concern from Ye Zhou.
Jiang Yingxue felt a faint, soft sweetness welling up in her heart, like she was holding a warm piece of candy. Her soreness and fatigue seemed to fade a little. Even if she was acting tough on the outside, her heart had quietly relaxed.
She never expected that one day she would feel this kind of comforting sensation from a third person outside of her family and close acquaintances.
It seemed that in that moment, she had already confirmed her choice for the fake boyfriend she would use to deal with her mother’s marriage pressure later on.
Seeing Jiang Yingxue dazing off and not taking the medicine, Ye Zhou waved his hand gently.
“Are you okay? Club Leader Jiang?”
“Is the water too hot? Should I blow on it for you?”
Jiang Yingxue shook her head, forcing herself through the exhaustion brought on by the cold. She swallowed the medicine with several gulps of water.
“Ye Zhou, please help me get the blanket. The Blue Blanket. Yes, it’s in that bottom storage cabinet.”
“Club Leader Jiang, are you going to sleep now?”
Ye Zhou followed Jiang Yingxue’s instructions, found the Blue Blanket, and handed it over.
“Mhm. This medicine must have something to make me drowsy, right? In that case, wouldn’t a nap make the effect even better?”
“That’s true, but drinking plenty of water helps too, right?”
As he spoke, Ye Zhou filled another cup of warm water and handed it to Jiang Yingxue. After she finished it in a few gulps, she crumpled the paper cup with one hand and tossed it toward the small trash can under the nearby desk. It followed a clean arc and landed inside with a precise “Thud.”
Immediately after, Jiang Yingxue leaned down and took off her pair of plain black sneakers.
Ye Zhou had originally thought she would be wearing ordinary black ankle socks, but to his surprise, it was a pair of uniquely styled black silk stockings.
Oh! My god! It was actually the rarely seen Stockings under Pants!
Unfortunately, those delicate feet in black stockings, with silver-painted toes peeking through, soon disappeared into the Blue Blanket. Ah, for once, he envied a blanket.
They came in a hurry and left in a hurry.
What a pity, what a pity…
Jiang Yingxue lay flat on the sofa and pulled the blanket up. Obviously, the blanket wasn’t long enough for her height. She could only ensure her feet were completely covered while pulling the blanket up as far as it would go.
Her voice carried an unmistakable hint of hoarseness.
“Ye Zhou, I see a look of regret on your face. What exactly are you so regretful about?”
Ye Zhou coughed lightly, putting on a very serious expression.
“I’m regretting… Pui! No.”
“What I wanted to say is, Club Leader Jiang, sleeping like this by covering your feet but not your head is a very unwise choice.”
“Think about it. Usually, when we sleep, no matter how we sleep, we always cover our chests first. It doesn’t matter as much if other parts are covered or not.”
“It’s all to prevent catching a chill. And since you have a fever right now, you need to remember this even more. Otherwise, the fever will get worse, and the consequences will be unimaginable.”
Jiang Yingxue closed her eyes slightly and said, “Everyone knows that logic.”
“But I can’t help it. This blanket wasn’t meant for sleeping in the first place; it’s only good for a quick nap.”
“And the club doesn’t have any other blankets. After all, who would want to sleep at the club? Don’t you agree?”
“Fine then. Since you’re the one who raised the issue, why don’t you give me a solution?”
Normally, such words from Jiang Yingxue would be teasing. But coming from her while she was currently feverish and weak, there was actually a bit of a spoiled, coaxing tone to it.
“Problems are solved with the brain, not just talked about.”
Ye Zhou smiled faintly, took off his white outer jacket, and covered Jiang Yingxue’s upper body with it.
“It just so happens that this extra layer I wore earlier can be of use now, right?”
Jiang Yingxue didn’t push it away. Instead, she coughed, pulled the jacket up to cover her face, and turned her side toward the inner part of the sofa, hiding her expression.
“Don’t go choosing style over warmth.”
“No way…”
“It smells nice.”
“That’s because Senior Chen recommended the detergent. Anyway, I won’t disturb your sleep any longer…”
Ye Zhou moved quietly, first tidying up the messy desk and then sweeping the trash off the floor.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, planning to go home and sleep off his own illness as well.
To his surprise, with a Thud, Jiang Yingxue rolled over and fell straight onto the floor.
She kept tossing and turning on the ground, her mouth constantly muttering:
“So cold, so cold, so cold…”
***