Chapter 82 (1/2)

In the morning, He Nuo was awoken by the griping pain in his stomach. After his diarrhea, he lied back down on his bed drenched in cold sweat and his pain was mostly relieved. He never even thought that this had anything to do with Shi Yan, and thought that it was due to the cold leftovers he ate after he returned in the middle of the night yesterday.

Shi Yan made an exception and came over in the morning because he had an urgent need to tell He Nuo what he wanted to say. Since it was a Sunday, his younger brothers were at his parents’ side, so the dispirited He Nuo was reading his books underneath his blanket.

When he saw He Nuo on the bed and the look on his face, Shi Yan quickly approached him, “What’s wrong? You’re sick again?”

The exhaustion on He Nuo’s face was apparent and his lips were covered in a pale layer of frost — how could one say that this was the look of a person who had just woken up? More like a look of someone who barely slept.

“I’m not. Why would I suddenly fall sick?” He Nuo smiled indifferently, but it made him look even more haggard.

Shi Yan sat next to him and nervously touched his head, “You’re really okay?” But with this one touch, Shi Yan realised that there was something wrong with its heat, “You have a fever and you still say you’re okay?”

“It can’t be ba, I don’t feel it at all though? Is your hand cold cause you just came in?” He Nuo did feel slightly uncomfortable, but this discomfort was at a whole ‘nother place, so how could he notice if he was hot or not? He pulled Shi Yan’s hand over, “Your hand’s quite cold.”

Shi Yan placed his forehead against his, then stood up, “You definitely have a fever. Do you have a thermometer here?”

“At my parents’ side, I’ll go get it.” He Nuo was about to get off the bed, and before Shi Yan could stop him, Mama He came over. She had brought them some apples that she just washed. Whenever Shi Yan came over, his family would welcome him happily. Mama He told Shi Yan not to leave in the afternoon and stay for lunch, and that she would go out to buy some more groceries soon.

Shi Yan told Mama He that He Nuo had a fever and asked for a thermometer, so she quickly went back to bring one over. After he measured He Nuo’s temperature, he saw that it was 38.3 degrees. It wasn’t too high a fever, so Mama He only brought some fever medication and a warm water bottle over as she urged He Nuo to drink more hot water.

After he fed He Nuo his medication, Shi Yan took the books that were in his hands away and asked him to sleep. It was bright out and early in the morning, so He Nuo could barely lie still, let alone sleep. He Nuo wore his coat and went to the toilet in his yard, but not long after, he went again a second time. After he returned, Shi Yan asked if he urinated any blood. He Nuo only felt a slight pain at the start, and knew that it was one of the early signs of hematuria. He didn’t want to worry Shi Yan at first and thought of consuming the medication underneath his bed after Shi Yan left. But Shi Yan knew this shortcoming of his better than He Nuo himself, so he had already guessed every single one of his thoughts. He Nuo told him that there was no blood, just some slight pain.

After Shi Yan fed He Nuo the norfloxacin, he wasn’t in a very good mood. When he looked at He Nuo, his heart was filled with both sorrow and worry, as well as tenderness and pity. He Nuo wanted to hide it from Shi Yan in the first place because he didn’t want Shi Yan worry about his health. He knew that just one cough of his would make Shi Yan look like he was facing a formidable enemy; he felt like Shi Yan was protecting him like he would an infant. He Nuo’s barren heart had already been reclaimed into an oasis by Shi Yan — his new life was irrigated by Shi Yan’s heart blood, so naturally, their hearts were now connected as they shared weal and woe together.

As he leaned against the bedside, Shi Yan laid his head on his own arm, “Did you fall sick because of last night?”

For He Nuo, what happened yesterday was both physically and psychologically unpleasant. But he wasn’t willing to let Shi Yan bear the burden of his illness, “No, that has nothing to do with this at all.”

Shi Yan turned around and faced him with a warm gaze, “Which college do you plan on applying for this year?”

“I want to go to C College or D College (key colleges).”

“Anywhere else?”

“The standard ones? I haven’t considered the standard ones yet.”

“You never considered other key colleges?” Shi Yan was naturally unhappy.