21 : Fever

 When Song Shi returned to the dormitory after evening self-study, Chen Zhoumu was already back. He had almost finished unpacking his luggage, and the newly bought quilt was already laid out. His own quilt was also neatly placed on the top bunk.

As soon as he opened the door, his older brother ran over and surrounded him at his feet, affectionately nuzzling his legs with his head. Song Shi picked him up, and his older brother lazily nestled in his arms.

Chen Zhoumu came in after hanging clothes to dry on the balcony. The first thing Song Shi saw was the other's body, because he wasn't wearing a shirt, although he was wearing pants.

"You have a cold and you're not wearing a shirt? Do you want to make it worse?" Song Shi glanced at him expressionlessly.

"It's still stuffy, it's hot wearing clothes."

It only took Song Shi about a month to go from initial resistance to now being used to it. He put his older brother down, took a change of clothes, and went into the bathroom.

When he went to get the clothes he hadn't washed yesterday, he found there was only one bag left. He turned to look at Chen Zhoumu.

The other person sensed his presence and immediately looked over, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Where are the clothes in this bag?"

"I washed them."

"You washed them?" Song Shi frowned slightly.

"Yeah, weren't they clothes I changed into?"

Song Shi's hand holding the bag stiffened slightly. Inside were not only his changed outerwear but also his underwear. Had he become this close to Chen Zhoumu now?

Or was it common for northerners to hand-wash their deskmate's underwear?

Chen Zhoumu, seeing Song Shi's unmoving expression, explained, "I washed them while I was washing my own clothes, and I scrubbed them really clean."

"Okay."

Song Shi managed a weak "thank you" as he reached the bathroom door.

When Song Shi finished washing his clothes and went to hang them on the balcony, he saw his black underwear being gently blown by the wind, carrying the scent of gardenias.

He looked away, pretending not to see it, hoping to forget about it so he could face those pants.

Back in the room, Chen Zhoumu was already in bed. Song Shi quieted down, closed the bathroom door, and turned to climb into bed.

The older brother lay beside Chen Zhoumu, eyes wide open, watching him.

"Turn on the air conditioner if it's hot," the other said, his voice slightly hoarse, without opening his eyes.

Because someone was sick, the dorm fan wasn't even on, for fear of worsening his cold.

"Okay," Song Shi casually stroked the older brother's head; the fur felt incredibly comfortable. He ultimately didn't turn it on, turning off the light before getting into bed.

Song Shi couldn't fall asleep, perhaps because he'd gotten used to the feeling of that person sleeping beside him. He opened his eyes, staring at the black dot in the darkness.

He felt a little restless. He didn't know how much time had passed before the light filtering in from the window gradually faded.

His throat was dry from the heat, and he sat up in bed.

Just then, the older brother below started barking. Sometimes it would bark a few times at night and then stop, but that was rare.

However, this time the barking continued.

The older brother barking incessantly in the quiet space was very unusual.

Song Shi turned on his phone and, following the light from the screen, got out of bed.

When the older cat saw Song Shi come downstairs, it jumped off the bed and circled around his feet, meowing softly.

Song Shi picked it up and whispered, "What's wrong? Are you hungry?"

Chen Zhoumu usually fed it cat food. He squatted down and gently nudged Chen Zhoumu, "Big brother seems hungry. Where's the food?"

But the other cat seemed not to hear him and didn't move at all. Song Shi knew that Chen Zhoumu usually slept very deeply, but the older cat was meowing right next to his head.

He frowned and reached out to feel the other cat's forehead. Sure enough, it had a fever again.

Song Shi gently put the older cat down beside him, "Chen Zhoumu, you have a fever again? Can you hear me?"

The other cat didn't react. He got up and turned on the room light, the glaring light illuminating the dormitory.

Song Shi had never experienced anything like this before. He checked his phone; it was already past 2 a.m., so he had to search for solutions online.

He followed the instructions on his phone, filled a basin with cold water from the bathroom, and sat back down on the bed. In the illuminated room, he could see that the person lying on the bed had a flushed face.

He reached into the cold water to wet a towel, then used his other hand to straighten Chen Zhoumu's head, gently wiping the other's face with the wet towel.

The hot breath tickled his hands.

After wiping two or three times, the towel became warm, and Song Shi was about to soak it again when

his wrist was grabbed, a hot sensation coming from another hand.

A force pulled him down, and Song Shi, caught off guard, fell into a burning embrace.

Chen Zhoumu's face wasn't just hot; his entire body was burning.

Perhaps Song Shi's constitution was naturally cold, and his hands, having just been washed in cold water, now acted like a heat-resistant miracle.

Chen Zhoumu vaguely felt the cool thing in his arms. He was incredibly hot, uncomfortably hot, his throat dry, his eyelids burning and heavy.

He felt like he was walking naked in the desert, without any thirst-quenching gear.

Just as he was about to die of dehydration, a sudden shower of dew seemed to gently brush against his cheek.

He eagerly reached out to catch him, and then, as if touched by a long-awaited rain, he unconsciously let out a comfortable sigh.

Song Shi was a little dazed from being held so tightly, and tried to struggle to get up, but Chen Zhoumu held him tightly, with such great strength that it seemed as if he wanted to pull him into his body.

Perhaps his body was too cold for someone with a fever, because Chen Zhoumu, who was holding him tightly, unconsciously rubbed his face against Song Shi's neck.

His burning hands also unconsciously slipped under Song Shi's hem, his palms resting on his waist.

He felt the inexplicable touch; the skin around his waist was extremely sensitive, and this person's unexpected touch made

Song Shi's body go limp. The arm that had been supporting him on the pillow as he tried to sit up also loosened, and now he was truly pressed against the person lying on the bed.

Chen Zhoumu wasn't wearing a shirt because of the heat, and Song Shi touched his firm muscles, the other's hot breath hitting his ear.

Heavy, hot, clear.

Song Shi's ears began to burn, followed by his cheeks and neck.

It felt as if the heat was making him feel feverish.

After only a few seconds of hesitation, Song Shi forcefully pulled away the hand that had been slowly rubbing his lower back.

He sat up, his hair slightly disheveled. The person lying on the bed frowned in dissatisfaction and muttered softly, "Hot."

Song Shi had no choice but to wipe his face and neck again. When he put the warm towel into cold water again, the person who had been keeping his eyes closed opened them at some point.

He just stared straight at him.

He glanced at the other man: "Since you're awake, get up and drink your medicine."

The other man didn't move, but Song Shi's hand, which was lying to the side, was gently touched and then tightly grasped.

Chen Zhoumu was holding something cold; he didn't want to think about what it was, he just felt very comfortable.

Then Song Shi watched him take his hand and pull him into his arms, turning his body slightly and closing his eyes again: "Mmm."

"Chen Zhoumu."

"Mmm?"

"Get up."

"Mmm."

"I'm going to get some water now. You'd better get up and finish your medicine next to you. If I come back and see it's still there, you're dead."

Song Shi ignored him, forcefully pulling his hand away, then picked up the basin to get water.

When he returned, he saw Chen Zhoumu leaning against the bed, the cup next to him empty.

Chen Zhoumu opened his eyes groggily, just staring blankly at the other man's every move, watching Song Shi pick up the cup, watching him go into the bathroom, then hearing the sound of water.

Then he watched his figure emerge from the shadows, wipe his hands, and put the cup down.

Song Shi's figure was reflected in his eyes, and he watched as the other person approached step by step, finally settling on the image of Song Shi sitting by his bedside.

Chen Zhoumu's mind hadn't quite processed it yet. He only saw himself slowly open his mouth and hear his own voice, hoarse from the heat, say, "Sleep with me."

"What?"

Chen Zhoumu shook his head and muttered to himself, "No, it's contagious, we can't sleep together."

Song Shi glanced at him, "You sleep first, I'll come up to you when your fever subsides."

The other person lay back down, and Song Shi turned off the lights in the room, leaving only a dim bedside lamp on.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Zhoumu opened his eyes, his head still foggy. He hadn't slept well, and when he tried to lift his leg, he felt a weight on it.

Looking up, he saw that Song Shi had somehow ended up lying on the side of his bed, seemingly asleep.

Chen Zhoumu sat up. His watch showed it was only around four o'clock, and the night air was a bit chilly.

He carefully wrapped the person lying on the side of the bed in the blanket, then lifted him up and placed him on the bed.

Finally, they hugged each other through the blanket and fell asleep again.

Song Shi was woken up by the suffocating feeling; he didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but he reached out to feel the other's forehead.

The temperature wasn't high, so he seemed to be better.

"Get up, Chen Zhoumu." He reached out to pry the other's hands off.

But it was no use. Song Shi frowned and said in an unfriendly tone, "If you don't let go, do you believe I'll kick you off the bed?"

"I'm a patient, how can you treat a patient like this?"

"Want to try?" Song Shi sneered.

Chen Zhoumu had taken a day off because of his illness, but he still went to school this morning.

Song Shi looked at the person who was far away from him, stopped, and turned around, somewhat speechless: "What's wrong with you so early in the morning?"

Chen Zhoumu followed behind Song Shi: "I'm just afraid of infecting you."

"Suit yourself." He didn't care anymore and just continued walking forward.

After a while, a figure appeared beside him, wearing a medical mask that he didn't know where he had found it from.

His voice was muffled: "That's much better, isn't it?"

Song Shi didn't look at him: "If you're afraid of getting infected, you should stay in your dorm instead of becoming a motivational student attending class while sick."

"How can you say that? I was worried that Song Shi would be too lonely and drag his sick body to keep you company."

"Heh, no need."

"You're making me sad.

" "None of my business."

"I'm a patient."

"Then go to the hospital."

"..."

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