As the saying goes, favors breed favors without end, and karma’s wheel spares no one. After pacing back and forth alone in the biting cold wind the previous day, utterly exhausted, Zhou Zhuoyuan had finally fallen ill.
That night, his throat had started to hurt a little. Sensing an imminent fever, he got out of bed and swallowed a handful of medicine. Even so, his preemptive precautions couldn’t hold back the illness crashing down like a collapsing mountain.
The next day, he invited Pei He in from outside the door and regretfully told him that he, as an unreliable travel companion, had no choice but to take the day off.
Though his complexion looked unhealthy, Zhou Zhuoyuan’s spirits were still decent enough that he had the spare energy to open the door for Pei He and ask for that time off.
Pei He leaned close and touched his forehead. “I’ll go buy a thermometer. You head back to bed and lie down for a bit.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan replied, “I bought one for you already, but we never used it. It’s in the bag with yesterday’s medicine.”
Pei He grabbed the bag and rummaged through it. For some reason, all the medicine boxes had been crushed flat. It took him ages to dig out the thermometer.
The thermometer was snapped in half, but mercifully it was still sealed in its plastic case, and the break hadn’t reached the mercury bulb.
Zhou Zhuoyuan blankly lifted his head to stare at him. “It’s broken…”
Pei He awkwardly stowed the thermometer away, preparing to ask the hotel staff for help in dealing with it. “Don’t act all cute about it. I just accidentally sat on it and broke it.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan’s brows furrowed. “You sat on the thermometer I bought and broke it, and now you’re calling me cute?”
Pei He realized he’d gone a bit too far right then. He rubbed his nose. “Sorry. I’ll buy you a better one to replace it.”
He watched Zhou Zhuoyuan climb back into bed and settle down, then turned off the light and headed out to buy a new thermometer.
When Pei He returned with freshly bought fever reducers and a thermometer, he discovered Zhou Zhuoyuan hadn’t slept at all. Hearing him come in, Zhou turned his head to look.
Pei He asked as he unpacked the thermometer. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
Zhou Zhuoyuan sat up. “My legs are killing me—they’re so sore I can’t get comfortable in any position. I don’t want to have a fever again. I never even took off my scarf, and I didn’t get chilled.”
He regretted so deeply not taking proper care of his injury when he first arrived in North City. That had weakened his constitution. His self-discipline wasn’t the strongest, either, and sometimes he let wishful thinking get the better of him.
People often only regret their mistakes after punishment strikes, only to forget the pain once the scars heal. This belated reckoning left Zhou Zhuoyuan wracked with remorse.
Pei He handed him the thermometer. “Sigh, it’s all my fault. I didn’t listen to you, caught that cold, and passed it on to you.”
Zhou Zhuoyuan paused for a beat, then realized he was right. Pei He had fallen ill first, and only after Zhou had been taking care of him did his own symptoms appear.
He took the thermometer and tucked it under his arm, saying magnanimously, “It’s fine. I know you didn’t do it on purpose.”
After checking his temperature, Pei He made him swallow a few pills along with the breakfast the hotel had sent up. As Zhou Zhuoyuan burrowed back under the covers, Pei He spoke up. “Want me to rub your legs for you? My dad taught me how back when my mom had a fever.”
Pei He’s hands were nice and warm. The moment they made contact with his calf through the thin fabric of his sleep pants, much of the soreness began to fade. Keeping his head lowered, Pei He focused intently on recalling his father’s massage techniques, a light sheen of sweat forming on his forehead.
Zhou Zhuoyuan’s legs were on the slimmer side compared to an even, muscular build, which made the lines of his muscles stand out more clearly. The firm flesh felt wonderful to knead. Pei He massaged away even as he inwardly berated himself, the effort draining his energy.
Zhou Zhuoyuan hugged his pillow and watched him, his eyelids drooping lower and lower.
