What happened next was sowhat within Zhou Zhuofei's expectations, yet still carried an elent of surprise. But as she leaned into Xiao Wang's embrace, she couldn’t spare much thought for anything else.
Especially when she realized it was Xiao Wang’s hands—those well-defined, elegantly jointed fingers—moving with purpose. The sheer exhilaration heightened her sensitivity.
She hadn’t exerted any effort, yet exhaustion weighed heavily on her. Her mind had long stopped functioning, her body and spirit in perfect sync. Eventually, she collapsed against Xiao Wang’s chest and fell into a deep sleep.
She woke abruptly after what felt like an eternity, with no warning.
Opening her eyes to complete darkness, Zhou Zhuofei considered going back to sleep, but mories ca flooding back like a relentless tide.
Before she could process them, she noticed the figure lying beside her. The dull ache in her head sharpened her awareness instantly.
This wasn’t a dream! Why was he still here?
Logically, after sothing like this, shouldn’t the man have discreetly left?
Zhou Zhuofei bolted upright, only then realizing she was still wearing her shirt. Vaguely, she recalled Xiao Wang asking if she wanted to change, but she’d been too drowsy to respond.
What happened after that was a blank.
One thing was certain, though: once they both woke up, they’d have to face each other—after everything that had transpired.
The re thought was enough to suffocate her.
She stole a cautious glance at Xiao Wang. Though she couldn’t make out his features in the dark, his steady breathing confird he was sound asleep—unlikely to wake anyti soon.
Maybe… she should leave now?
The room was booked under the company’s na, with no deposit involved. The front desk only cared about the key card; everything else was irrelevant.
She weighed her options. Leaving now ant packing her things—not much, but enough noise to risk waking Xiao Wang. Which was worse: the awkwardness of being caught sneaking out at night, or the inevitable discomfort of facing him in daylight?
After so deliberation, Zhou Zhuofei decided the midnight escape was the lesser evil.
Nightti embarrassnt was fleeting. She could go ho, sleep it off, and spend the next two days processing it all. Daylight awkwardness, on the other hand, would only grow more unbearable the longer she dwelled on it.
With her mind made up, she flipped off the bed, ready to bolt.
The mont her feet touched the carpet, a tingling sensation shot up from between her legs, spreading like an electric current. Her knees buckled, and she barely caught herself on the edge of the bed before collapsing.
Holding her breath, Zhou Zhuofei felt cold sweat trickle down her back, terrified she’d disturbed Xiao Wang. After a tense pause, reassured by his undisturbed breathing, she slowly straightened up.
But even the slightest movent in her hips or waist triggered a reaction.
She grabbed her phone first, using its dim light to haphazardly gather her belongings. Thankfully, she hadn’t brought anything valuable—just so makeup and a handheld console. Even if she lost them, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
Stuffing everything into her suitcase, she threw on her clothes and tiptoed out of the room.
The hallway lights blinded her the second she opened the door, forcing her to shield her eyes.
For a fleeting mont, she felt like a criminal caught in the act.
Not daring to hesitate, Zhou Zhuofei hurriedly dragged her suitcase out of the hotel. With the doorman’s help, she hailed a cab and finally made it ho after a chaotic ordeal.
Exhausted and drained, she couldn’t bring herself to think about anything else. After a cursory pat for her eagerly greeting cat, she abandoned her suitcase, took a rushed shower, and barely toweled off before pulling on pajamas and collapsing into bed.
Everything else could wait until tomorrow.
She slept straight through until noon. When she woke, her head throbbed, and her throat burned as if scorched by fire.
Was this what a hangover felt like?
Zhou Zhuofei had heard Du Yu describe hangovers—headaches, chest tightness—but what about the fever, fatigue, and cold sweats?
A cough wracked her body, sending a sharp pain through her skull, and it dawned on her: she was sick.
Her poor sleep these past few days had weakened her immunity. Coming ho last night, showering without drying off properly, and blasting the AC had practically invited this.
It felt like karma.
Struggling out of bed, she dug out the first-aid kit from underneath. Inside was a chaotic ss of dications. She found cold dicine easily enough, but when she reached for painkillers, the box was empty.
Damn it. She’d forgotten to restock.
With no other options, she took the cold dicine, hoping it would at least take the edge off.
Just that small effort left her utterly spent. Curling into a ball, she bundled herself tightly in the blankets, praying she’d sweat it out.
In the face of physical misery, all other worries seed trivial.
Her phone buzzed several tis. A glance confird it was all ssages from Xiao Wang. She skimd them but didn’t respond.
First, he asked if she’d gotten ho safely. Then, whether she was free to et today.
In her current state, even getting out of bed was a struggle, let alone going outside. And even if she were fine, she probably wouldn’t have agreed to see him today.
Hadn’t she gone to all that trouble last night just to avoid a dayti confrontation?
Hadn’t she embarrassed herself enough yesterday?
If anything, she ought to be grateful Xiao Wang had shown restraint. Initially, she’d only considered him as a candidate for her first kiss. Instead, they’d nearly crossed a line.
He’d been right about one thing: if he’d pushed further, she wouldn’t have stopped him. She might not even have wanted to.
Reason rarely won against desire, especially for soone like her—driven by emotion and appetite, far from disciplined.
If he hadn’t held back, her situation today might’ve been even worse…
Lost in thought, her phone vibrated again. This ti, it was a call from Xiao Wang.
Probably worried since she hadn’t replied.
Ignoring him entirely felt rude. Zhou Zhuofei ant to decline the call and send a text instead, but her trembling fingers accidentally hit answer.
Before she could react, Xiao Wang’s voice ca through.
Maybe it was the fever distorting her hearing, but he sounded unusually gentle. "Just woke up?"
She gave a soft hum, keeping her response minimal to hide her condition. "Mhm."
"Did you check your ssages?"
"No."
"I wanted to ask…" Xiao Wang, seated in his car, paused and straightened unconsciously, his tone firming. "Are you free to et today? Or should I bring your things to you?"
His gaze flicked to the passenger seat, where a bag of local snacks sat alongside a hairbrush—one he’d found in the bathroom this morning.
She must’ve left it behind in her hurry.
He didn’t know when she’d slipped out, but he could guess it had been in a rush.
Since the toothbrush and towel showed no signs of being used, it was highly unlikely that Zhou Zhuofei had left after daybreak. If she had brought her own toiletries, it would have been even less plausible for her to forget her comb while packing.
Realizing this, Xiao Wang’s heart grew restless.
Though Zhou Zhuofei had responded passionately the night before, that had been under the influence of alcohol. Now, discovering her hasty departure made it hard not to overthink.
To make matters worse, he had sent multiple ssages without receiving a single reply.
Xiao Wang waited until noon before finally calling her.
"Just leave it for now. We’ll talk on Monday," Zhou Zhuofei said, but the mont she spoke a few more words, her hoarse voice betrayed her. She imdiately fell silent upon noticing.
Yet her throat was unbearably irritated, and she couldn’t suppress a cough.
"You’re coughing?" Phone calls could distort voices, so Xiao Wang hadn’t noticed at first. But hearing the cough, his concern flared. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"...A little. That’s why I wanted to rest today."
"Have you taken any dicine? How are you feeling? Is there anything you’d like to eat?"
Zhou Zhuofei was about to say she was fine when another tickle in her throat sent her into another coughing fit.
Covering her mouth, she sighed inwardly. Why was she lying? She clearly wasn’t fine at all.
"I took so, but it hasn’t kicked in yet. My head still hurts, and so does my throat."
"Do you have enough dicine at ho? Should I bring you so more?" Xiao Wang’s tone was unmistakably sincere, laced with gentle worry.
The words "no need" lingered on Zhou Zhuofei’s tongue, unspoken. She knew rejecting him would only push him away, so she shut her eyes in frustration.
She didn’t want to refuse—in fact, she wanted him by her side.
But the words wouldn’t co. Years of living alone had conditioned her to handle everything herself, and she was too ashad to show weakness.
No one had taught her this, yet life had ingrained in her the habit of never revealing vulnerability to anyone.
"Zhuofei." Xiao Wang’s voice was low and tender, just as it had been the night before when he’d called her na. "Let co see you, okay? I’m worried if I don’t."
Once her resolve wavered, it was hard to hold firm. Zhou Zhuofei relented. "Then… could you bring so painkillers?"
"Of course. What else would you like? So pear and rock sugar soup? Or red date tea?"
"I don’t feel like drinking anything."
"Then give your exact address. I’ll get the dicine and co right over."
Zhou Zhuofei recited her address, and the call ended shortly after. Surprisingly, she found herself accepting Xiao Wang’s visit more easily than she’d expected.
With sothing to look forward to, her headache didn’t feel as unbearable anymore.
About ten minutes later, a knock sounded at the door. Zhou Zhuofei slowly dragged herself out of bed, while the director (note: unclear reference, possibly a pet or taphor) dashed toward the bedroom at the first sound.
By the ti she reached the door, she was already exhausted, leaning against the fra before even opening it.
She mustered the energy to greet Xiao Wang. "You’re here."
Before she could finish, his hand was already pressed against her forehead. "Have you taken your temperature?"
"Not yet."
"Go rest. I’ve got the dicine."
"Let get you slippers."
"Don’t worry about it. Just tell where they are."
Too weak to bend down, Zhou Zhuofei pointed to the shoe cabinet. Xiao Wang swiftly changed into the slippers, then supported her with one hand while carrying the bag in the other.
"Take the dicine first, then check your temperature. Do you have a thermoter at ho?"
He guided her back to bed, poured her water for the dicine, and rummaged through the disorganized first-aid kit to find the thermoter—all with gentle patience.
This felt even more surreal than the night before.
No one had ever taken care of her like this. Du Yu ant well, but their personalities were too different for her to be this attentive. Xiao Wang, however, noticed every detail and constantly checked on her comfort.
"37.5°C. A slight fever." Xiao Wang frowned at Zhou Zhuofei, who looked completely different from the night before.
Thank goodness he’d insisted on coming. What would she have done alone?
He pulled out a cooling patch from the bag and warned, "This might feel cold," before gently applying it to her forehead.
The instant relief drew a sigh from Zhou Zhuofei.
"Get so more sleep. You look like you need it."
She shook her head, claiming she wasn’t tired—though the truth was, if she slept now, wouldn’t he leave?
His tone softened further, almost coaxing. "Then just close your eyes. It’ll help you recover faster."
With no excuse left, Zhou Zhuofei reluctantly shut her eyes.
Xiao Wang fell silent, and the room grew still.
But the quiet unnerved her, as if he’d vanished without a trace.
She lasted less than a minute before peeking through her lashes.
Xiao Wang was still there, scrolling through his phone with a quiet intensity that exuded steadiness.
He noticed her gaze imdiately. "What’s wrong?" He set his phone aside. "Still feeling bad?"
Not knowing how to explain, she simply nodded.
"The painkillers take ti to work. Try lying on your right side."
She turned as suggested, now facing him fully.
"Rest," he murmured, smoothing the cooling patch before tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
His hand hovered for a mont before finally settling atop her head in a light, reassuring pat.
"Sleep well."
Those words were all the reassurance she needed. Zhou Zhuofei closed her eyes, finally at ease as the painkillers took effect.
With the pain gone, only comfort and drowsiness remained.
She slept deeply, waking much later to find herself significantly improved—her throat no longer raw.
But the room was empty.
The only sign of Xiao Wang’s presence was a full glass of water on the nightstand.
Had he left?
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she realized the cooling patch on her forehead was still icy. Peeling it off, she saw it was freshly applied.
So he couldn’t have gone far.
Zhou Zhuofei hadn’t finished analyzing the situation when she heard so noise from outside the tightly shut door. She distinctly rembered the door being open when she first entered.
It seed the person really hadn’t left, and the commotion outside continued without pause. Curiosity gnawed at Zhou Zhuofei, and feeling sowhat better, she decided to step out and investigate.
Pushing the door open, she imdiately noticed the kitchen light was on—the source of the sounds she’d heard.
The living room also looked different.
Her coffee table and TV stand, usually cluttered, were now neatly arranged. Ga discs and comic books stood in orderly rows.
Director, her cat, was crouched over the food bowl, devouring kibble in big mouthfuls, while the nearby litter box was spotless—clearly freshly cleaned.
There was no need to guess who had done all this. But… was it really necessary to go this far?
Zhou Zhuofei slowly approached the kitchen door, peering through the glass at Xiao Wang’s busy figure.
If relying on others was a sin, then she was already beyond redemption.
“Awake?” Xiao Wang turned and spotted her. He pushed the door open, studying her face carefully. “You look much better. Are you hungry? I stead so egg custard.”
Zhou Zhuofei didn’t answer. Instead, she took another step forward and pressed her forehead against Xiao Wang’s chest. The soft yet firm warmth felt more comforting than any bed.
Surprised but quick to react, he freed one hand to pat her back gently, murmuring in a soothing voice, “No more pain, no more pain.”
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