Chapter 218: Brown Sugar Water

Lin Yu struggled to open her eyes, her vision still somewhat blurry.

The pain seemed to have disappeared.

‘Did I not die?’

And the sticky, clammy feeling on her body was gone as well.

‘Did I take a shower?’

She subconsciously moved her leg a little.

Immediately, a strange sensation came from between her thighs.

That feeling…

It was as if something thick and soft was wrapped around her.

“?”

Her brain froze for a second.

She lifted a corner of the blanket and glanced inside.

…

Her clothes had been changed.

She was now wearing pajamas and loose sleep pants.

Under those baggy sleep pants, the place that originally belonged to a girl…

Was now wrapped in a white object that looked extremely secure and reassuring.

It was a pair of overnight sanitary pants.

Boom—!!!

Her clothes… had been changed?

Her body… had been wiped clean?

Even her sanitary pad… had been replaced?

Damn it.

Lin Yu’s face twitched violently.

The tips of her ears turned red.

Which meant—

“Creak—”

The bedroom door hinge gave a soft sound.

Like a startled rabbit, Lin Yu instantly curled herself into a tight ball, wrapping the blanket around her body so tightly that only a pair of wary, reddened eyes remained exposed.

Luo Shaotian walked in.

The light from outside framed his silhouette, making him look tall and upright.

In his hand was a steaming mug.

“You’re awake?”

Luo Shaotian’s voice was lowered, careful and cautious.

He didn’t come too close.

Instead, he stopped beside the bed and placed the cup on the bedside table.

“Brown sugar ginger tea. Drink it while it’s hot.”

…

Lin Yu didn’t move.

She didn’t speak either.

She stared fixedly at Luo Shaotian, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.

Shame?

Humiliation?

Grievance?

Lin Yu didn’t even know herself.

She only knew that as long as she saw this guy, her emotions would absolutely refuse to calm down.

Luo Shaotian felt uncomfortable under that gaze.

He awkwardly looked away and stared at the patterns on the floor.

“The fever’s gone… since you’re awake—”

“Luo Shaotian.”

Lin Yu spoke.

Her voice still carried the soft nasal tone of someone who had just woken up, tender enough to make one’s heart tremble.

“…I’m here.”

Luo Shaotian immediately responded, his body subconsciously leaning forward slightly.

“You… what did you do?”

…

Luo Shaotian fell silent.

What was bound to come would eventually come.

He took a deep breath and looked straight into Lin Yu’s eyes.

“You had a fever. It reached 39.5°C. Your entire body was sweating cold sweat.”

“Your clothes were soaked. If they weren’t changed… it would’ve worsened your condition.”

“As for that…”

His gaze lingered on the blanket for a moment before quickly shifting away.

“That was necessary treatment. If it wasn’t replaced, it could’ve caused an infection.”

“So you just…”

Lin Yu bit her lower lip, and her eyes instantly turned red.

“You saw everything?”

“Yes.”

Luo Shaotian didn’t make excuses.

“I’m sorry.”

“Uu—”

Hearing that definite answer, the last line of Lin Yu’s psychological defense completely collapsed.

Tears fell like beads from a broken string, large drops rolling down one after another.

“That’s too much…”

“It’s really too much…”

“I clearly treated you like a brother…”

“I clearly wanted to keep at least the last bit of dignity in front of you…”

“So why… why did you have to rip even that last piece of cover away from me?!”

“Uh…”

Seeing Lin Yu cry, Luo Shaotian instantly panicked.

He subconsciously stepped forward, wanting to reach out to wipe her tears, but froze halfway through the motion.

It was as if he felt his hands were unworthy of touching her now.

“I know… I know this is very hard for you to accept.”

He knelt on one knee beside the bed, bringing his line of sight level with Lin Yu’s.

“How about this—if you feel disgusted, if you’re angry… you can hit me.”

He grabbed the hand Lin Yu had outside the blanket and pressed it against his own cheek.

“Hit me as hard as you want. Call me a pervert, call me scum—anything is fine, as long as it helps you calm down.”

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Under her palm was the rough skin of a man with faint stubble.

His burning body heat traveled through her hand.

“You…”

Lin Yu’s hand trembled.

She raised it high.

She truly wanted to strike.

To knock some sense into this self-righteous idiot.

To wake up this bastard who was always making decisions on his own.

“Smack.”

A soft sound rang out.

Her hand came down.

But it wasn’t a slap.

That slender palm landed weakly against Luo Shaotian’s cheek.

Like a falling leaf drifting onto the surface of a lake.

It didn’t even leave a red mark.

Lin Yu froze.

She stared at her own hand as if looking at a traitor.

‘Why…’

‘Can’t I hit him?’

She was obviously so angry.

Obviously so ashamed.

But why, when her hand touched this man’s face, did a wave of bitter grievance rise in her heart instead?

In the end, Lin Yu could only grit her teeth and say fiercely,

“Are you a masochist or something? Do you really need me to hit you?!”

But her voice trembled, and her eyes were brimming with tears.

“Hit you? What’s the point of hitting you?”

“My mood right now… it’s completely terrible!”

“Especially when I see your face… I just can’t calm down at all!”

She tried to pull her hand back, but Luo Shaotian grabbed it even tighter.

“Then I’ll leave in a while.”

Luo Shaotian’s voice was deep and magnetic, like the sound of cello strings softly echoing in the quiet bedroom.

“Eh?”

Lin Yu was stunned.

She hadn’t expected him to say that.

“I will leave.”

Luo Shaotian leaned forward slightly, his deep black eyes staring straight at Lin Yu.

“But until I’m sure you’re alright… I’m not going anywhere.”

He didn’t release her hand.

Instead, he guided it toward the mug that was still somewhat hot to the touch.

The moment their fingertips brushed, a burning warmth traveled through the cup’s surface.

As if his body temperature had seeped into her cold palm.

“Just now, when I saw you in so much pain, I made the decision on my own and fed you a tablet of ibuprofen.”

“This cup of brown sugar water… I added some shredded ginger. Drink it while it’s hot.”

“Although the doctor said it’s mostly psychological comfort… warming your stomach is still good.”

“In a while I’ll go fill a hot-water bottle for you.”

“If… if you don’t need anything else, I’ll stay in the living room and keep watch. I won’t come in and disturb you.”

Lin Yu held the cup, not knowing how to react.

But her body was indeed extremely thirsty…

“Drink a little. Even just one sip. Consider it a favor to me.”

“Give this guy some face.”

‘It’s not like I actually want to drink it.’

“Gulp.”

She lowered her head and, with his hand still guiding the cup, took a sip.

So sweet.

Sweet to the point of being almost cloying.

The warm liquid slid down her throat, like it was melting the solid block of ice inside her heart.

Her stomach really didn’t hurt that much anymore.

“…That must be the ibuprofen taking effect.”

‘It’s definitely not because of this guy.’

She took another sip.

And another.

Before she knew it, the cup that had been filled to the brim with brown sugar water was completely empty.

“Good.”

Watching her finish it, Luo Shaotian’s lips curved into a very faint smile.

He reached out and very naturally wiped away a drop of water from the corner of her lips.

“Get some rest. Call me if you need anything.”

He tucked the blanket around her more securely.

Then he stood up and turned toward the door.

“Tap… tap… tap.”

His footsteps were light.

Each step felt like it was stepping on the tip of Lin Yu’s heart.

That feeling of being surrounded by warmth was fading away.

That sense of reassurance from being cared for was disappearing.

‘Am I… going to be alone again?’

That thought suddenly appeared in Lin Yu’s mind.

No.

Her body reacted before her brain did.

“Wait.”

Luo Shaotian stopped and turned around.

Lin Yu turned her face slightly to the side.

Her gray hair covered most of her expression, revealing only one ear that was red as if it might drip blood.

She raised the now-empty cup.

“Um…”

“…Another cup.”