Chapter 30: Zhou Zhuoyuan: He seemed to be trying so hard to get his body…

The room fell utterly silent in an instant.

Zhou Zhuoyuan spoke up hurriedly before they could press him further. “Get out. Leave it here and I’ll eat it myself. I’ll finish every bit. But you have to let me go back to school tomorrow morning.”

Zhu Wan leisurely wiped the spilled porridge from the quilt with a tissue, then delivered her verdict without mercy. “I’m not negotiating with you.”

The housekeeper handed her a fresh spoon. Zhu Wan scooped up half a spoonful of porridge and brought it to Zhou Zhuoyuan’s lips once more. Her gaze and her movements carried an unyielding resolve that brooked no refusal.

Don’t force me, Zhou Zhuoyuan wanted to say. But the moment he opened his mouth, that half spoonful slid right in.

His eyes reddened in a flash.

He was a criminal the Zhou Family had captured—a hopeless, worthless wretch. That was why he was locked up here, forced to eat under constant watch.

With that beginning, the rest of the feeding went far more smoothly. Before long, the bowl was scraped clean.

Zhu Wan gently brushed the sweat-dampened hair from his forehead back behind his ear. “More?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan’s nose was clogged. He took a couple of shallow breaths before managing a trembling reply. “No… Tomorrow morning…”

Zhu Wan didn’t let him finish. “Then rest.”

~~~

He slept soundly until evening self-study let out. The alarm jolted Zhou Zhuoyuan awake. Groggy, he sat up and started a video call with He Qinglan. “I might not make it back to school tomorrow.”

The video app’s automatic beautify filter couldn’t mask the exhaustion etched across his face. He Qinglan was walking back to the dorms. Anxiety laced his voice. “Fever again? Where does it hurt? Have you seen a doctor?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan angled his hand to show the IV needle. “I’m on fluids now. Feeling a lot better already. But the Zhou Family won’t let me go back to school. They think I’m disobedient, always lying. I ate a whole bowl of porridge for dinner—they forced it on me. I wasn’t on a hunger strike. The porridge just tastes awful. I want something spicy. Ice cream. The doctor hooked me up to this.”

His words tumbled out in a disjointed mess, as if his mind were still clouded.

The needle jittered wildly against the pale, bony back of his hand. He Qinglan quickly stopped him. “Don’t move, Little Yuan.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan turned the camera back to his face. A faint blush colored his pallid cheeks. He loved it when He Qinglan called him Little Yuan. It sounded so gentle, brimming with affection.

He stared at the phone screen, thinking for a moment. “I won’t move, Little Lan.”

How could anyone be this obedient? This soft? This sweet?

He Qinglan was a touch more mature than most boys his age. He knew this wasn’t just his imagination—Zhou Zhuoyuan was in rough shape, reduced to this uncharacteristic coquettishness that he’d never show when fully lucid.

He stopped in his tracks, lowering his voice as if afraid of startling him. “Little Yuan, can you send me your location? I’ll come see you tomorrow.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan blinked in a daze. “See me?”

“Yeah,” He Qinglan said. “I’ll check how you’re doing. If you’re up for it, I’ll bring you back to school.”

“No!” Zhou Zhuoyuan jolted fully awake, the fog in his head vanishing in an instant. “Don’t come!”

If He Qinglan showed up at the Zhou Family home—if he met Zhou Zhuoyi and discovered just how pathetic Zhou Zhuoyuan really was—he didn’t dare imagine what would happen next.

He Qinglan couldn’t fathom his vehement resistance, but he understood that everyone had secrets they didn’t want exposed. He soothed him gently. “All right, all right. I won’t go. I’ll take notes for you these next few days. Just focus on getting better.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan broke out in a cold sweat. He had no appetite left for chatting. “Mm.”

He Qinglan could tell his mind was elsewhere, but he didn’t get upset. Instead, he tapped the screen over Zhou Zhuoyuan’s eyes. “Little Yuan, I’m really worried about you. Take good care of yourself. I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”

~~~

Everyone assumed that after his defiance the night before, Zhou Zhuoyuan would kick up a fuss later on. Zhu Wan had even steeled herself to go to his room and force-feed him if needed. But the next morning, he was the first one seated at the breakfast table.

Eyes lowered, he was peeling an egg for himself. His eyelids looked puffy and red.

Zhou Fuxuan glanced at him. “What are you doing down here? Why not have someone bring it up to you?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan didn’t utter a word. He focused intently on the food in front of him. When he finished, he turned and left without so much as a goodbye.

Once his figure had vanished completely from sight, Zhu Wan spoke up coolly. “He tried to sneak out this morning. The housekeeper stopped him.”

After breakfast, Zhu Wan went to fetch the doctor to check on Zhou Zhuoyuan’s condition, only to find that the man from yesterday wasn’t in the guest room.

She finally located him inside Zhou Zhuoyuan’s bedroom—and was utterly taken aback. Zhou Zhuoyuan was propped up against the headboard, the IV already hooked up and dripping steadily. He clutched a few instruction sheets, listening with rapt attention to the doctor’s directions.

He seemed to be working so very hard to get his body back on track.

Yet things never unfolded the way Zhou Zhuoyuan hoped. Truth be told, he hadn’t been banking on stirring any sympathy from Zhu Wan or Zhou Fuxuan. He simply wanted to recover quickly enough to climb out the window and escape.

Even such a simple wish went unfulfilled. At lunch, faced with a table full of dishes tailored to avoid Zhou Zhuoyi’s dislikes and cater to his preferences, he couldn’t muster the slightest appetite. He forced down half a bowl of rice before his stomach began roiling violently.

Suppressing the urge to dry heave, he rose to leave. He hadn’t taken two steps before he clapped a hand over his mouth and stumbled toward the bathroom. Clutching the toilet, he retched until the world spun.

Zhu Wan was the first to follow, gently rubbing his back. “I told you not to come downstairs. We’ll have your dad carry you up later. Does it feel any better now that you’ve gotten it out of your system?”

At those words, Zhou Zhuoyuan heaved even harder. Cold sweat beaded on his skin, and the corners of his eyes reddened from the sheer physical strain.

Once he had nothing left to bring up, Aunt Shen wiped his face with a damp towel.

He let her do it without a word—until Zhou Fuxuan placed a hand on his shoulder. Then he shot to his feet with an outsized reaction. “I’ll go back myself!”

He stood too abruptly, and darkness swam before his eyes. Fortunately, Zhou Zhuoli caught him from behind.

Zhu Wan’s brows knitted tightly. “What kind of nonsense is this?”

Zhou Zhuoli jumped in to smooth things over. “Dad’s not as young as he used to be. I’ll carry my little brother back to his room.”

“No…”

Seeing Zhou Zhuoyuan still protesting, Zhou Zhuoli swiftly scooped him up into a horizontal carry, drowning out the rest of his words with the sound of his footsteps.

After tucking the covers snugly around Zhou Zhuoyuan, Zhou Zhuoli poured him a glass of warm water. “Want to rinse your mouth?”

Perhaps deciding there was no point in resisting, Zhou Zhuoyuan complied without argument.

Zhou Zhuoli set the cup aside and sat on the edge of the bed. He tested his brother’s forehead, his own brows furrowing deeper and deeper. “Why is it still so hot?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan replied coolly, “Maybe… it just needs a little more time.”

“Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll go buy it for you.” Zhou Zhuoli remembered how he’d said last time that he didn’t like it one bit. It finally dawned on him that his brother simply didn’t care for the Zhou Family’s cooking.

Zhou Zhuoyuan hesitated, rubbing his stomach.

He had to recover as quickly as possible if he wanted to sit for the Final Joint Exam.

Zhou Zhuoli selected a few dishes from the long list of names Zhou Zhuoyuan rattled off—ones suitable for a patient—and placed the order before driving out to pick them up.

He returned travel-worn, bags in hand, and pushed open the door to find that Zhou Zhuoyuan had already fallen asleep.