"Yan Xixi!"

She glared at him.

"Listen, you had better keep your distance from Li Zhen in the future." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"..."

"Whenever that kid sees you, his eyes light up. He has a record, and sending those useless documents clearly shows he has ill intentions. I know you probably aren’t interested in him, but it’s hard to say with him. In matters like this, it’s better to avoid raising any suspicions..."

COUGH. COUGH. COUGH.

She simply coughed dryly.

Angrily, she said, "And on what basis do you think I’m not interested in him?"

He stared, his eyes wide. "I’m more handsome than him, isn’t that enough?"

Yan Xixi was thoroughly speechless.

He chuckled. "Xixi, you’d better be honest. After all, you’re a married woman, and it would be awkward if people got the wrong idea. Besides, no one can compare to how good I am to you..."

A married woman—

She was deeply shocked. What kind of statement was that?!

But her headache—it had begun before her aunt and the others arrived. Her forehead was getting hotter and hotter, and her whole body felt like it was being fried, experiencing both extremes of hot and cold.

She held her head.

"Xixi, why aren’t you speaking?"

Angrily, she replied, "I have heatstroke and a headache, can’t I?"

Wan Donglin quickly reached out to touch her forehead, suspicious. "Could it be because you ate too many lamb chops last night? A fever from overeating?"

"I’m not a child."

"Well, that’s hard to say. Overeating can easily make you sick, especially since you greedily ate so much."

"You’re the one who told me to eat."

"I didn’t expect you to eat that much..."

"It’s all your fault."

After returning home, her condition didn’t improve; instead, it worsened. Her headache was severe, and she barely ate any dinner.

Late that night, her throat began to feel parched.

When Yan Xixi woke up, she was terribly thirsty. Her limbs were cold, yet her forehead was extremely hot. Habitually, she groaned, "So thirsty... I want a drink of water..."

Wan Donglin was fast asleep and didn’t hear her.

Habitually, she went to nudge him, but as soon as her hand touched him, she stopped. After a moment’s hesitation, she got out of bed to get some water herself.

The water dispenser was off. She couldn’t wait for hot water, so she poured a cup of cold water. She had just gulped down a few mouthfuls when she heard a voice call, "Xixi..."

Startled, the cup fell to the floor with a CRASH.

The lights turned on, and Wan Donglin frowned. "Xixi, why didn’t you turn on the lights?"

"I’m thirsty..."

"If you’re thirsty, why didn’t you just call out?"

Without a word, she squatted down to pick up the shattered glass.

He handed her another cup. She took a few hasty sips and returned to bed without a word. He also lay down. Suddenly, he reached out to touch her forehead. "Xixi, do you have a cold?"

She mumbled, "It’s nothing. I’ll be fine after a good sleep."

「By morning」

Not only had she not improved, but she had developed a high fever. Her eyes were watery, her nose was runny, and her throat was almost hoarse.

Wan Donglin grew anxious. "Was it because you ate too many lamb chops last night? Xixi, you’ve caught a nasty summer cold. I’m taking you to the hospital."

"No need."

She said weakly, "There’s spare medicine at home. I’ll be fine after taking some."

He fetched her the medicine and watched her take it.

When he saw the thermometer reading almost forty degrees, he said urgently, "Xixi, I’m taking you to the hospital."

She simply lay in bed, motionless. "Really, there’s no need... I just need to lie down for a bit and I’ll be fine. You go do what you need to do; you don’t have to worry about me."

Wan Donglin hesitated slightly. She knew he had a meeting that day, so she immediately urged him, "Just go. Just come back early."

Still worried, he said, "If you feel uncomfortable, call me immediately."

"It’s just a minor cold; I won’t die."