Chapter 053: Heatstroke
“It’s so hot…”
Standing under the shade of a tree, Ning Chu waved a flyer to fan himself, occasionally stifling a yawn.
This outdoor promotion job isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
His social skills are mediocre, and he’s not very outgoing or shameless. If it weren’t for Wen Yang’s protagonist halo, he’d probably struggle to complete today’s part-time mission.
Ning Chu had already found his niche… Support!
“Wen Yang! How about a break?”
“Sure.”
Wen Yang stretched lazily and returned to the shade, casually plopping down and gulping down half a bottle of icy water Ning Chu handed him.
“Are we done for today?” Ning Chu asked, handing him a pack of tissues. “I’m not good at this stuff, I might be dragging you down.”
Dragging him down? He had no qualms about that! The sun was blazing, and the temperature was nearing forty degrees. Without a breeze, he felt dizzy even in the shade.
It was even hotter than during military training!
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Wen Yang looked at Ning Chu, hesitating, “How about you head home? This outdoor gig pays pretty well.”
“…”
There’s no way I’m agreeing to that!
With a sigh, Ning Chu said, “Fine, I’ll stick with you. At least it won’t be so boring.”
Sure beats sitting in the dorm, blasting the AC and gaming.
He rubbed his temples, but then Wen Yang cautiously suggested, “I actually have a part-time job indoors with AC, pays well. Want to give it a shot?”
“I’m not exactly broke…”
“If you go, I’m definitely going too.”
Indoor AC and preventing flirtatious girls from creeping on Wen Yang? Come on, anything has to be better than sweating it out in forty-degree heat!
“Alright! What’s the job?”
“You agreed?” Wen Yang’s eyes lit up, then quickly became casual as he nodded, “It’s a waiter position. I’ll take you to check it out tomorrow. They’re desperate for help; the pay’s negotiable on-site.”
“A waiter, huh? I can handle that.”
Ning Chu didn’t notice anything suspicious, grinning widely. He had at least some experience being a waiter in the past.
It might be busy, but at least he could chill in the AC and sit down with his mobile on not-so-busy times.
After a moment of thought, he confirmed that there were no waiter-related plot points in his novel.
“I’ll just set up an appointment with the boss for tomorrow morning, right? Can I start right away?”
“Are you in such a hurry?”
“They said they need people.”
Ning Chu nodded and stood up to grab a bottle of water, but suddenly felt dizzy, legs giving way, and he ended up kneeling on the ground.
Wen Yang stared at his little behind for a moment, stunned, before hurriedly reaching down to help him up, “What’s wrong?”
“Probably… a bit of heatstroke.”
Wen Yang supported Ning Chu, looking around and spotting a pharmacy across the street. “Let’s go in, get some medicine and water.”
“Okay.”
With limbs weak and heart racing, Ning Chu’s face felt like he was on fire.
His vision started to blur; half-opened eyes relied almost entirely on Wen Yang for support. He gasped, suddenly feeling himself lifted off the ground.
The sudden loss of balance jolted him awake, and his eyes widened as he found himself cradled in Wen Yang’s arms.
“Whoa!”
Did I just get princess-carried by Wen Yang?!
He didn’t get a chance to voice his resistance before Wen Yang was already sprinting off. The jostling made Ning Chu wrap his arms around Wen Yang’s neck, burying his face in his chest.
What in the world! Why are we running so fast?!
“Stop! Slow down! Slow down! Ah!!”
Ning Chu’s brain went blank from fear, eyes tightly shut, letting out a series of panicked shrieks.
Other than as a baby, he had never been carried while someone was running.
Terrifying!
In what felt like an instant, when he was finally set down, he tentatively opened his eyes.
They had made it to the pharmacy.
He felt like crying, eyes glassy as he looked up at Wen Yang, lips quivering, “I’m… I’m scared to d*ath…”
Seeing his pathetic demeanor, Wen Yang’s anxious expression softened, and he gently reassured, “I was panicking too.”
Heatstroke might not be serious, but your heart might jump right out of your chest from fright.
Ning Chu took a deep breath, suddenly realizing he was still gripping Wen Yang’s collar tightly.
Quickly, he loosened his grip and scooted his b*tt over on the bench to create some space.
The pharmacy’s doctor approached, “What’s going on?”
“He might have a bit of heatstroke.”
“Drink some Huoxiang Zhengqi water.” The doctor opened the glass door of the pharmacy to let fresh air in and pointed a fan towards Ning Chu. “Just take a break; it’s easy to get heatstroke in this weather. Buy a few bottles for later.”
“Got it.”
Wen Yang finally breathed a sigh of relief and scampered to fetch the medicine from the shelves.
But Ning Chu’s face wasn’t looking too good.
The symptoms of heatstroke made him dizzy, but what was harder to accept was yet another instance of intimate contact with Wen Yang.
Princess-carry…
At this rate, before he could become a girl, he might just end up as Wen Yang’s girlfriend.
Forget waiting for plot twists; he’d need to get a card at the proctology department!
“Ning Chu, drink the medicine.”
“Ugh! So bitter!”
“What medicine tastes good?” Wen Yang chuckled at his miserable expression. “You knew to bring me water, why didn’t you bring a bottle for yourself?”
“I didn’t think I was that thirsty…”
“Alright! You need to finish this half bottle.”
Ning Chu’s mouth was full of the strange taste of Huoxiang Zhengqi water. After chugging the rest, he finally felt the weird taste wash away.
But then, his expression froze as he realized something.
This bottle was one that Wen Yang had used, right?!
Could be some saliva in there, so gross…
“You’re not thinking about some indirect kiss, are you?” Wen Yang teased, noticing Ning Chu’s dazed look.
“Straight guys don’t think like that.” After taking the medicine, Ning Chu felt a bit better and retorted wittily, “Looks like you’re the one with a twisted mind?”
“…”
Ning Chu’s expression became even more baffled.
Hey, hey, hey! Respond to me! Don’t just agree!
“Just based on appearances, it’s obvious you’re the once that’s a bit twisted.”
With a sigh of relief, he was glad Wen Yang continued to tease him. Otherwise, he’d really start to worry that Wen Yang had developed feelings for him.
That just didn’t add up! After all, Wen Yang had so many beautiful girls chasing after him. How could he, as a guy, possibly compete with those vixens?
“Just rest. I’ll continue outside.” Wen Yang stood up, looking out to the street from the pharmacy, “I’ll be right at the entrance.”
He had learned to stay in Ning Chu’s line of sight.
To avoid Ning Chu scrambling around looking for him like he did at the amusement park, all teary-eyed and frantic.
“Okay.”
