18 Falling Ill

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That evening, Lu Mi confirmed that he had caught a cold.
The ginger tea was ineffective, and Aunt Wang rummaged through the medicine cabinet but dared not give him any medication without caution. “Shall I call the family doctor? How did you suddenly catch a cold? Is the heating upstairs broken?”
Lu Mi was silent for a moment.
Weakly, he admitted, “I washed my face with cold water.”
He had never thought he was so susceptible to illness before; even when his lifestyle was irregular, he hadn’t gotten sick like this.
Aunt Wang sighed. “I’ll call the family doctor right away. You shouldn’t take medicine without guidance.”
Before Lu Mi could stop her, Aunt Wang had already dialed the doctor.
After the call, Aunt Wang paused, realizing this was a serious matter that needed to be reported to Mr. Shen.
Lu Mi looked unwell; Aunt Wang knew he had likely slept all day. At lunch, he showed no energy, and she had not allowed anyone to clean his bedroom.
When she asked if he was feeling unwell, Lu Mi merely said he hadn’t rested well, so she did not press further.
She should have been more alert when Lu Mi asked for ginger tea earlier.
Aunt Wang felt somewhat responsible.
After informing Shen Tan of Lu Mi’s condition, she hurried to find a thermometer, worried that Lu Mi might have a fever.
Indeed, he had a temperature of 38.5°C, but he didn’t feel any other discomfort, only colder than usual. Even with the heating on full blast, he shivered and was sleepier than normal.
After breakfast, he wanted to go to the library but was too exhausted. Thinking he hadn’t slept well the night before, he planned to take a short nap. Unexpectedly, he woke up at noon and remained lethargic through the afternoon, sleeping again for a long time.
Lu Mi wrapped himself in a blanket Aunt Wang brought, sitting on the sofa with a cup of hot water in hand. He glanced at Aunt Wang, who kept checking the time, and said, “Aunt Wang, I’m fine. It’s just a minor cold.”
“Mr. Lu, you have a fever,” Aunt Wang said anxiously. “You should go back to your room. The doctor will be here soon.”
“I’ll wait here for him,” Lu Mi sipped the hot water slowly. Seeing Aunt Wang’s expression unchanged, he pursed his lips and reflected for a moment. “Aunt Wang, it’s my own fault for not taking care of my health.”
He could tell Aunt Wang was worried and blamed herself.
But it wasn’t her fault.
He didn’t want Aunt Wang to be upset because of him.
Aunt Wang glanced at the time again and was momentarily stunned by his words. “How could this be your fault? No one expects to fall ill. You should rest and recover quickly.”
Lu Mi looked guilty. Illness had made his complexion pale, which made Aunt Wang feel even more tender toward him.
She knew Lu Mi was trying to comfort her with his words.
Though she didn’t know what kind of life Lu Mi had led before, after spending some days together, she had a sense of his nature. He didn’t like troubling others and wasn’t used to being cared for or valued.
Rather than being unused to it, it was more likely that he had never truly been valued.
He also didn’t trust Mr. Shen.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have remained so distant in this household all this time, nor would he have kept his discomfort from Aunt Wang and Shen Tan.
Shen Tan returned home late at night.
Aunt Wang hadn’t slept all night, fearful that Lu Mi might wake up feeling unwell and not find anyone.
She dozed briefly on the downstairs sofa but got up quickly when she heard Shen Tan come in.
Shen Tan’s expression was colder than usual. “Is he asleep?”
When Aunt Wang messaged earlier, he was in the neighboring city conducting business. There was an international meeting scheduled for the evening, but now Zhou Feng had to cover for him.
“He fell asleep shortly after receiving an IV drip,” Aunt Wang replied without looking up. Having been with the Shen family long enough, she knew Shen Tan was angry, though he rarely showed his emotions.
“You can rest now. I’ll have breakfast sent up from the kitchen,” Shen Tan said as he took off his coat and gathered the blanket Lu Mi had left on the sofa. He didn’t hurry upstairs.
Having just come in from outside and with the temperature dropping sharply, he wasn’t afraid of the cold but felt the chill in his body and wanted to warm up inside for a while.
Though Shen Tan didn’t say it outright, Aunt Wang understood.
He was blaming her and telling her to rest—meaning she should temporarily stop taking care of Lu Mi. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ordered food delivered from the kitchen.
Yet Aunt Wang felt relieved.
This showed that Shen Tan truly cared about Lu Mi.

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The bedroom was pitch dark, and Lu Mi’s slippers were neatly placed by the door.
Shen Tan glanced down at them, removed his shoes, and entered.
He didn’t turn on the light but could still make out some shapes in the darkness.
The heating was on full blast. Half of Lu Mi’s blanket had been kicked off. Shen Tan touched his face and found it sweaty, not just on the face but also on the neck. His pajamas were soaked with sweat.
Lu Mi was restless in his sleep, breathing more erratically than before—he was clearly still unwell.
Shen Tan covered him properly with the blanket again. When he went to get a dry towel, Lu Mi kicked the blanket off once more.
More restless than usual.
Shen Tan wiped him dry, buttoned his pajamas back up, and tucked the blanket around him. Throughout the process, Lu Mi did not wake.
Only when Shen Tan was about to return the towel to the bathroom did Lu Mi grab his hand.
His palms were sweaty.
To prevent him from catching a chill, Shen Tan turned the heating higher and tucked the blanket tightly around him. Before falling asleep, Lu Mi had already sweated a lot. He could feel he was less cold than before, suggesting the fever was subsiding, so he settled into sleep.
But the deeper he sank into sleep, the hotter he felt. His body instinctively sought ways to cool down.
In a hazy state, he felt the stickiness on his skin lessen and the temperature cool somewhat, but more than that, there was another warmth that brought him comfort.
Lu Mi couldn’t help but hold on to that warmth.
He vaguely sensed who it was but was too dazed to call out the name. Only his subconscious pulled the person closer, thankfully without resistance. The other complied and lay down beside him.
Lu Mi felt along the other’s hand, tracing from wrist to neck. The warm palm touched his cooler skin, making him so comfortable he wished to press his entire body closer.
And he did just that.
Though the clothing made it somewhat awkward, Lu Mi was not yet skilled enough in his sleep to undress the other. Luckily, the other wore only a thin shirt, so even now their body heat could be felt through the fabric.
Lu Mi rested his head against the other’s chest, holding the wrist gently and whispering, “...Shen Tan, is that you?”
Before he could get an answer, Lu Mi suddenly opened his eyes, fully awake.
The darkness was real, but so was the touch. He was truly pressed into the other’s embrace, still holding the wrist, sweat from his palm probably soaking into the other’s clothing.
He instinctively tried to pull back, but the hold was too tight.
“What do you mean by calling me and then wanting to leave?” Shen Tan’s voice came from above him.
In a confined, visually restricted space, their hearing was especially acute; even their breathing and heartbeat were clear.
“I’m sick... I might infect you,” Lu Mi offered as a makeshift excuse, which was truthful.
“I know,” Shen Tan said firmly, taking Lu Mi’s hand and placing it beneath the hem of his shirt.
His palm touched a more comfortable warmth. Lu Mi shivered slightly as if his heart was being tugged along, yet he couldn’t help but feel comforted. Though blind in the dark, his head pressed against Shen Tan’s chest, he felt less fearful of him than before.
Or perhaps it was because when sick, one instinctively seeks protection.
Even though Shen Tan no longer squeezed his hand forcefully, Lu Mi did not withdraw it.
“Now you should understand I didn’t lie to you last time,” Shen Tan said, seemingly unconcerned about illness. “Since you know it was me, you should remember how you pulled me onto the bed just now.”
Lu Mi remembered well, but the word “pulled” seemed inappropriate.
He didn’t recall having such strength to drag Shen Tan.
Still, he didn’t dare argue.
Shen Tan was telling the truth. Lu Mi had indeed “pulled” him onto the bed, seeking the warmth of his body.
Now he was fully embraced by Shen Tan, the blanket nowhere to be found—likely kicked under the bed.
Yet he felt neither cold nor too hot.
The warmth of the embrace was just right.
Lu Mi murmured softly, “...I remember.”
“You can move your hand a little higher, but not to the place where I might lose control. You know where that is, don’t you?” Shen Tan guided his wrist. Lu Mi couldn’t detect any emotion in his tone but sensed more anger than pleasure, as there was no usual teasing smile.
Yet Lu Mi couldn’t guess the cause of his anger. It was unlikely due to being pulled onto the bed; otherwise, Shen Tan could have easily broken free.

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Lu Mi obediently moved his palm upward, touching the muscles of Shen Tan’s abdomen but dared not go further.
Higher up was probably the place where Shen Tan would lose control.
Lu Mi did not dare to touch indiscriminately.
Shen Tan said nothing more but held him tighter, making it difficult to breathe. The skin under their palms was heated, but Shen Tan acted as if unaffected.
When he first woke, Lu Mi was still drowsy, but likely because the fever had dropped and he had overslept during the day, he was now clearer-headed.
He cautiously asked, “Mr. Shen, are you asleep?”
“There’s no ‘Mr. Shen’ here,” Shen Tan’s voice betrayed no hint of sleepiness.
Calling him by his full name had been a slip of the tongue; it sounded too intimate. Lu Mi knew he wasn’t entitled to address him so familiarly, hence the formal title.
After a pause, Lu Mi explained, “I wasn’t fully awake just now.”
“Seems even in your dreams you’re thinking of me,” Shen Tan teased, always skilled at twisting Lu Mi’s words.
Though in this case, it was true.
He had subconsciously thought of Shen Tan in his dream, but it wasn’t entirely a dream—he didn’t feel like he was dreaming.
Lu Mi’s fingers moved slightly against Shen Tan’s muscles, and in an almost embarrassed whisper asked, “Did you help wipe me down?”
He had learned to change the subject.
Shen Tan didn’t press the matter and answered with a grunt, “No one else but me would do that. I helped you out of your clothes and wiped you down. I didn’t want to put your clothes back on—it’s more comfortable this way.”
As he spoke, he felt a slight scratch on his abdomen.
Lu Mi’s nails were neatly trimmed, causing no real harm—just a scratch like a kitten’s unformed claws.
Lu Mi realized what he had done and relaxed, trying not to fidget. But Shen Tan’s words made his face flush.
He clearly remembered Shen Tan only wiped him down and unbuttoned his clothes.
He dared not say more and stayed pressed against Shen Tan’s chest. Soon, drowsiness returned. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he remembered and murmured drowsily, “...I have a cold. I’ll infect you.”
“My body isn’t that weak,” Shen Tan said, restraining Lu Mi’s restless legs. “If you don’t want to sleep like this, just say so. But I probably won’t agree today.”
Normally, Lu Mi would have mentally refused.
But today, he had no desire to refuse.
For the first time, he felt at ease.
At least someone was with him while he was sick, even if that person was Shen Tan.
Thankfully, Shen Tan had come home tonight.
For the first time, Lu Mi fell asleep in Shen Tan’s embrace while fully conscious, soon drifting into a deep slumber.
In the darkness, Shen Tan kept his eyes open until Lu Mi’s breathing steadied. Then he lowered his head and placed a light kiss on Lu Mi’s forehead.
It was not driven by desire.
Early the next morning, Shen Tan made several work calls. When he returned, Lu Mi was still asleep.
Lu Mi’s cold had not improved. In the early hours, Shen Tan had heard his breathing grow heavier again, though the fever did not return.
Sitting by the bed, he messaged the family doctor to come for a few more days. Shen Tan’s expression grew even more indifferent.
Lu Mi looked thinner than the day before, his face haggard and even more fragile than when they had met at the restaurant.
His phone vibrated. Shen Tan silenced a call, his expression dark as he rose to head to the adjacent bedroom to shower. Lu Mi’s phone on the bedside table vibrated again.
The caller ID read “Guild.”
Glancing at the still-sleeping Lu Mi, Shen Tan took the phone outside.
“Why no livestream yesterday? Never mind, that’s not the main issue. The platform has made a decision regarding your matter with A Mo,” the voice on the line was unfriendly the moment the call connected.
The guild management had hesitated to call but decided to after Lu Mi had gone missing without notice, missed his livestream, and left messages unread—most likely due to the issue with A Mo.
As Lu Mi remained silent, the caller was about to lose patience when a low voice interrupted, “What’s going on?”
It was not Lu Mi’s voice at all.