Chapter 5: Feeding Medicine

Chapter 5: Feeding Medicine

Lu Yu walked to his desk, placed the medicine on the table, picked up a cup, and poured a glass of warm water, handing it to Cheng Miao.

"Drink some. I'll go buy porridge. Take the medicine after you eat."

It was rare to hear Lu Yu say such a long sentence. The guy usually doled out his words one at a time.

"I want mung bean porridge." Cheng Miao said with complete confidence. Opportunity knocks but once—if he didn't milk it for all it was worth now, he'd never get the chance once Lu Yu went back to normal.

Lu Yu said in a low voice, "Mm."

So this was what it meant to get a response to every word. What a rare treat. Cheng Miao thought today was totally worth it.

Even the untouchable ice queen Lu Yu had been won over by him. He was a little excited, but the exhaustion that hit him right after made his eyes droop shut.

Lu Yu walked out of the dormitory, feeling unusually restless.

That guy came around every few days to make a scene—throwing fits, cursing him out, and finally taking some cash to go away.

He was used to this kind of life. Even without Cheng Miao, he could've handled it on his own.

Nothing would've happened today if Cheng Miao hadn't gotten scratched—and on top of that, he seemed to be coming down with something.

Lu Yu suddenly remembered that stupid towel from noon. Was it because he hadn't covered his belly button? Could not covering it make you sick?

He couldn't believe it. He'd seen it at noon, but he'd figured it was pointless. But if he'd helped back then... A pang of guilt crept into his chest.

Lu Yu rarely felt guilty about anything, but at this moment, he felt he should be nicer to Cheng Miao.

He grabbed the biggest bowl of porridge at the cafeteria and hurried back to the dorm. His usual easygoing pace was uncharacteristically quick.

When he got back, Cheng Miao was already fast asleep, still in his clothes, curled up into a tiny ball with his arms wrapped around himself.

The red scratch on the pale arm sticking out from under the blanket was swollen and angry-looking, hard to look at.

Lu Yu gave him a gentle nudge.

No reaction. He called out again, "Cheng Miao."

Maybe he wasn't sleeping deeply. Cheng Miao squinted, taking a moment to realize it was Lu Yu.

He mumbled groggily, "You're back."

Lu Yu brought the porridge over and motioned for him to sit up and eat.

Cheng Miao looked at it, his watery eyes going wide, and whined, "You said mung bean porridge! Why is this just plain porridge!"

Lu Yu said patiently, "Mung beans mess with the medicine. You've gotta take your meds soon."

"Then I'm not eating it!" Sick Cheng Miao was being extra fussy. He turned his head away, his slightly reddened eyes glistening with tears, looking utterly pitiful.

Lu Yu looked at his eyes and suddenly thought of the little yellow dog he'd had as a kid—the same watery, pitiful look.

For a second, he had no idea what to do.

Cheng Miao waited a beat, but nobody came to soothe him. He turned to look at Lu Yu's blank face and suddenly realized what he was doing.

He coughed awkwardly and was about to eat when he saw Lu Yu had already grabbed the spoon.

He scooped up a heaping spoonful and held it to Cheng Miao's lips. "Open up."

Cheng Miao instinctively opened his mouth, but the other guy didn't move.

"Uh," Lu Yu coughed, a little flustered, "Close it for now. It's hot."

Cheng Miao obediently closed his mouth again, waiting until Lu Yu gave the go-ahead before opening it once more. And so, back and forth, open and shut, they got through more than half the bowl.

It wasn't until Cheng Miao squeezed his eyes shut and flat-out refused to open his mouth that Lu Yu was sure he was full.

Sick Cheng Miao had turned back into a little kid, needing to be coaxed every step of the way. But Lu Yu had never coaxed anyone in his life. Watching the cold medicine go lukewarm and untouched, he got more and more irritated, his face darkening.

"Cheng Miao, drink it!" Lu Yu stared him down, pressing the bowl of medicine to his lips with no room for argument.

Cheng Miao flinched, blinking up at him cautiously. Realizing there was no way out, he finally opened his mouth with a hurt look, and Lu Yu took the chance to pour the medicine in.

After downing the medicine, Cheng Miao didn't say a word. He lay back down, turned his back to Lu Yu, and curled into a ball under the blanket.

Seeing he was ready to sleep, Lu Yu tucked the blanket around him and went back to his desk to study.

It was eight o'clock by the time Zhou Ren got back to the dorm.

The moment he pushed the door open, he saw the lights were off. Lu Yu was at his desk with a little night light on, and Cheng Miao seemed to be asleep. He was a bit surprised—this wasn't the usual bedtime.

Just as he was about to go check on him, Lu Yu stopped him and said quietly, "He's sick. Sleeping."

Zhou Ren was even more stunned. He thought: Since when does he care about anyone else? Back when I was puking my guts out in the bathroom, he didn't give a damn.

Still a little worried, he wanted to check on Cheng Miao. But the second he moved, he felt Lu Yu's cold stare cutting through the dim light.

He changed direction mid-step. Eh, forget it—good luck, buddy.

Zhou Ren quietly washed up, then lay in bed, scrolling on his phone.

Glancing up through the gap in the bed curtain, he saw Lu Yu walk over to Cheng Miao's bed, feel his forehead, and smoothly tuck in the blanket.

Zhou Ren's jaw nearly hit the floor. Was this really the same cold-hearted Lu Yu?

No way. He'd sooner believe Lu Yu was a killer than believe he'd tuck someone in.

He angled his phone camera through the gap in the curtain and secretly snapped a photo, saving the evidence.

Zhou Ren kept scrolling while keeping an eye on Lu Yu. Perfect—in just two hours, he tucked the blanket in four times, and he caught every single one.

Eventually, sleep got the better of him. With his last bit of willpower, he turned on video recording.

He thought: Tomorrow, I'm definitely showing Cheng Miao this. Lu Yu's gotta be possessed, doing all this in the middle of the night.

Lu Yu kept checking on Cheng Miao every few minutes, dragging it out till midnight.

Just as he was about to get into bed, he noticed Cheng Miao's face was flushed. He touched his forehead—burning up.

Was he running a fever? Lu Yu panicked. He pressed his whole palm against his forehead—scorching.

Having never taken care of a sick person before, Lu Yu was all thumbs.

Meanwhile, the sleeping Cheng Miao felt like he was lying in a furnace, his throat burning too.

After what felt like an eternity of misery, he suddenly felt something cool on his forehead. He couldn't help but nuzzle into it, wanting more of that relief.

Before long, the coolness faded, and he let out a dissatisfied whimper, then was propped up.

Warm water flowed from his lips down his throat, as if a parched wheat field had finally been watered.

Just as he was starting to feel good, something bitter was suddenly shoved into his mouth. He tried to push it out with his tongue, but a large mouthful of water was poured in right after.

"Swallow it," urged a voice by his ear, firm and insistent. He still tried to push it out.

But a hand gripped his chin. "Swallow it, or I'll feed you more." The voice was stern.

He had no choice but to swallow it down—so bitter!

Finally, another gulp of water was poured in, washing away the bitterness in his mouth.

Lu Yu watched as Cheng Miao finally swallowed the fever reducer, helped him lie back down on the bed, and let out a sigh of relief.

He soaked a towel in cold water and clumsily placed it on Cheng Miao's forehead.

Afraid that Cheng Miao's temperature wouldn't drop, Lu Yu simply sat by the bedside, changing the towel every so often.

In the quiet of the night, the clear sound of breathing gradually slowed, and the heat on his forehead finally subsided.

At that moment, Lu Yu breathed a sigh of relief, his heart settling. He leaned against the railing of the bed, watching the sleeping Cheng Miao, and unknowingly drifted off to sleep as well.

Book Two: First Dream: The Girl in the Ancient Town