247. Bedtime Shenanigans
Just a short while ago, Chen Yao had sprinted to the hospital with Lin Nan in his arms, taking just ten minutes flat. Fast forward to now—helping Lin Nan walk home was a whole different ball game. It took them a whopping thirty minutes, complete with stops and starts.
Chen Yao looked worn out. Lin Nan’s sudden fever had put a mountain of psychological pressure on him, although he had to maintain a calm, composed front—he didn’t want to freak her out even more while she was sick.
After a check-up, it turned out to be just a bacterial cold. Phew! But could Chen Yao relax? No way! That high fever was no joke. One day was manageable, but if it dragged on, Lin Nan’s not-so-sharp brain might just cook itself into a dumpling of confusion.
He helped Lin Nan plop down onto the couch and handed her a thermometer. “Let’s check your temperature again. The take-out should be here any minute, and after you eat, you can take your medicine.”
“I don’t wanna take medicine…” Lin Nan scrunched up her face and shoved the thermometer under her arm. Then, with an exaggerated flop, she sprawled across the couch. “I hate the taste of medicine.”
Her weak voice sounded suspiciously like she was pouting.
It had been seven or eight years since Lin Nan last visited a hospital. The one time in elementary school when she had a high fever did not end well; she was eventually cured by a monk, or so the story goes. With her feverish brain, she couldn’t quite recall the whole ordeal, but from this distance, she suspected that the hospital meds only worked after the monk showed up. Naturally, her slightly superstitious grandfather took all the credit for the monk’s expertise.
“How are you supposed to get better if you don’t take your medicine?” Chen Yao sat down beside her, using his most convincing tone. “You’re already feeling lousy with your ‘Aunt Flo’ visiting and the fever. Two strikes! Take the meds so we don’t risk you turning into a complete airhead.”
“You’re the airhead.”
That hit a sore spot for Lin Nan. She shot back, then continued her dramatic lounge on the couch.
Chen Yao was at a loss. You can’t scold someone who’s sick, especially when she’s acting like a brat. Lin Nan was stubbornly refusing to take her medicine, especially that nasty powdered concoction that smelled like something brewed in a swamp.
Feeling a headache coming on, Chen Yao turned on the living room TV just as there was a knock on the door. Off he scampered to get their take-out.
“Alright, time for food!” He placed one of the take-out boxes on the coffee table in front of Lin Nan, kicking back as he held his own meal. “You know, the complex is closing off access soon. Once that happens, no more take-outs. We’ll have to trek to the gate ourselves!”
Lin Nan barely responded, and Chen Yao—who was already feeling his stomach rumble like an old engine—was more focused on finishing his meal so he could get back to being her personal nurse.
When he finally finished, tossed the take-out box into the trash, and turned back to Lin Nan, he found her with a flushed face, staring at the TV with half-closed eyes. Was she actually watching the commercial? Who knows!
“Get up, it’s time to eat.” He skillfully opened her take-out and presented it to her. “I got you some porridge; when you’re unwell, stick to something light!”
“I want roast meat…” Lin Nan mumbled from her couch fortress, pushing herself up just enough to grab the thermometer, and then listlessly leaned over to spoon up some porridge.
As Chen Yao studied the thermometer’s reading, his eyebrows knitted together—oh look, the fever had dropped by a whole 0.1 degrees!
“Once you’re better, I’ll treat you to some roast meat! I’ve still got leftover skewers from yesterday in the freezer.” But before he could finish his enticing offer, Lin Nan suddenly started gagging.
He quickly grabbed the trash can and rushed to her side, his voice laced with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“I feel a bit queasy all of a sudden.” She clutched her tummy, her brows knitting together in distress.
“Pregnant?”
“……”
Lin Nan just stared at him, while Chen Yao hurriedly backtracked, trying to cover up his faux pas. “Not feeling the porridge? Should I call my mom to whip something up for you?”
“Let’s not bother your aunt…”
Lin Nan barely got through half a bowl of porridge before giving up. After much coaxing from Chen Yao, she begrudgingly swallowed the dreaded hospital meds. It was only then that they moved from the living room to the bedroom.
After taking her medicine, Lin Nan’s already fuzzy brain felt like it was in a fog. Sleepiness washed over her like a tidal wave. Lying on the bed, she glared sleepily at Chen Yao, who was still sitting on the floor, oblivious to her deteriorating state.
Suddenly, she realized a rather urgent issue: her pants felt distinctly damp. Oh right! After relatives visited, she had only changed her pad once, and with her fever, her usually reliable purification magic was out of the question…
Silently, she reached back to check and yep—definitely wet.
Her sleepy body, already half-comatose from the meds, felt weaker than ever. Lin Nan propped herself up and tried to wobble toward the bathroom, but in her dazed state came dangerously close to face-planting.
“Not going to bed?” Chen Yao, having kept a vigilant watch, leapt up to support her. But just as Lin Nan’s rear lifted from the bed, they both caught sight of the shocking red stain on the sheets.
Chen Yao froze, equally unsure if Lin Nan’s complexion was due to her fever or pure embarrassment.
“Let’s just pretend we didn’t see that…” he muttered, helping her into the bathroom as nonchalantly as possible.
“Grab me a pair of pants,” Lin Nan sighed from atop the toilet seat, her face planted in her hands. It felt way more humiliating than the last time they shared a bed!
“Sure thing.”
He didn’t see her face but had a pretty good idea of what she was experiencing. He darted out of the bathroom, yanked the sheets off the bed, and tossed them onto the balcony’s washing basin.
After fetching her a clean pair of underwear and some comfy wide-legged pants, he cracked the bathroom door and tossed the items inside.
“Yell if you need anything!” he called, pacing nervously outside.
Ten minutes passed, and when the door finally creaked open, Lin Nan stood in the doorway, head hung low and yawning like a lion.
The bathroom reeked of something peculiar—it vaguely reminded Chen Yao of a similar smell he experienced in the school dorm last month.
Before he could think too much about it, he noticed Lin Nan swaying like a leaf. Quickly, he rushed to steady her.
“Let’s get you to bed.”
“Just let me play with my phone for a bit…”
Lin Nan dove onto the bed, shimmying her way to the far side. Before she could reach for her phone, a heavy blanket suddenly dropped over her like an avalanche.
She poked her head out from under the blankets, eyeing Chen Yao, who stood at the head of her bed.
“Since you’re sick, coziness is key! Oh, and the thermos water doesn’t seem enough—I’ll boil some more so you have warm water when you wake up tonight.” Chen Yao bent down, adjusting the blanket to cover her little legs and tucking her hand back under the covers.
“If you get up in the middle of the night, just call for me,” he added, placing an empty water bottle on the nightstand. “If you throw this at my face, I’ll wake up.”
“Okay…” Lin Nan mumbled, half-asleep, clutching the edge of the blanket with both hands like a sleepy kitty.
“Then I’ll go boil some water?” He stood up, ready to leave, but suddenly noticed Lin Nan had grabbed his wrist.
“Stay until I fall asleep?”
Chen Yao looked at her. Her face was hidden under the blanket, so he couldn’t read her expression, but her big eyes shyly avoided his gaze.
“If you don’t wanna, it’s fine…”
Plopping down at the edge of her bed, he sighed, “Fine.”
