Chapter 17

Yu Miaomiao has a fever.

Jiang Cheng pursed his lips, a rare feeling of regret welling up in his heart.

Yu Miaomiao was weaker than he had imagined. He should have paid more attention to the difference in their physical condition, rather than just bringing two extra pieces of clothing.

He took out ibuprofen capsules from his backpack, grasped the girl's thin shoulders, and gently shook her. "Wake up."

The girl swayed gently with his touch, but remained asleep with her eyes closed.

Having no other choice, he pinched Yu Miaomiao's cheeks, forced her to open her mouth, and put the capsule in.

But she seemed to have lost the ability to swallow; the capsule stuck tightly to the tip of her tongue and wouldn't slide down.

Jiang Chengyi had no choice but to insert two fingers into Yu Miaomiao's mouth. Ignoring her resistance, he gently but firmly pushed them deeper until they reached the back of her tongue.

He poured the capsule and water down his throat, gently pressing it against his esophagus to stimulate swallowing. He felt a slight twitching and outward squeezing in that area, perhaps due to the fever, the cavity was surprisingly hot.

After he finished doing all this, he took his finger out, and several thin strands of hair broke off.

Jiang Cheng washed his hands with rainwater, then gently wiped away the glistening moisture from Yu Miaomiao's lips.

Yu Miaomiao's face is usually pale, and the watery red on her lips is one of the few colors on her face. Her lip cups protrude slightly, and they feel soft to the touch when pressed.

Her skin seemed very thin; after being rubbed vigorously, the watery red turned into a scalding bright red, as if it would bleed at any moment.

He sat back down, and Yu Miaomiao tilted her head and leaned against his shoulder again. He adjusted his posture so that the girl could lean on him more comfortably.

Ibuprofen takes about an hour to take effect, and he plans to observe for another hour to see if the fever subsides.

Because of the fever, Yu Miaomiao's brows were furrowed, her face was flushed, and she was breathing with her lips open.

She moved restlessly, turning her head from time to time, sometimes resting her forehead on Jiang Chengyi's shoulder, sometimes rubbing her cheek against it, as if seeking a bit of coolness.

At a certain moment, it suddenly slipped off Jiang Chengyi's shoulder and fell into his arms.

Jiang Chengyi looked thin, but in fact he had a broad chest. When he fell, he almost buried himself in his arms.

Yu Miaomiao tossed and turned in his arms, fidgeting restlessly. After a while, she finally found the most comfortable position, facing Jiang Chengyi, her whole body nestled in his abdomen. Her brows relaxed, her breathing gradually became even, and she fell peacefully asleep.

He remained motionless in his initial position until Yu Miaomiao calmed down, then pulled out his numb right hand, pulled the blanket up to cover the girl's entire body, and unzipped his windbreaker to shield her.

Yu Miaomiao curled up slightly like a cat, with most of her body resting on his legs, but she felt weightless, as light as a cat, her prominent shoulder blades digging slightly into his thighs.

Her right cheek pressed against Jiang Chengyi's left hip bone, squeezing out a thin layer of cheek flesh.

Her nose was buried in the folds of her clothes, and her hot breath blew out, easily penetrating the fabric and hitting the skin on her side, leaving a moist sensation and a slight itch.

His fingers twitched slightly; even though he had washed his hands, he felt a lingering damp warmth in his index and middle fingers.

After a long time, Jiang Cheng felt that the breath spraying on his abdomen was no longer scalding. He reached out to touch Yu Miaomiao's forehead and found that the temperature had dropped.

It was nearly four o'clock. He wanted to check the rain, so he gently lifted Yu Miaomiao's body away. Just as he was about to stand up, he felt a slight tug on the hem of her clothes.

Looking down, he saw Yu Miaomiao tightly clutching the hem of his clothes.

He tugged at the hem of his shirt, but couldn't pull it out. The other person, however, tightened their grip even more, their slender fingers turning white from the effort.

"..."

Yu Miaomiao uttered a sleep-talking murmur, so soft it was almost a whisper.

Jiang Cheng lowered his head, getting closer little by little until their faces were almost touching, and finally he could make out what she was saying.

"Mom...don't leave me..."

Her brow furrowed deeply, and her lips trembled, conveying a sorrow and helplessness far deeper than any expression she had practiced countless times on set.

Jiang Cheng stared at that pale and fragile face for a long time before finally sitting back down. But Yu Miaomiao still clutched the hem of his clothes tightly, as if afraid he would leave again.

He placed a finger in her palm, replacing the corner of her dress. She grasped the finger, finally relieved, her expression returning to calm, though a trace of moisture remained in the corner of her eyes.

-

The next day, Yu Miaomiao awoke from her dazed state.

My eyelids were so heavy I could hardly open them, and fragmented dreams surfaced first.

I think I had another nightmare last night. Strangely, my nightmares used to last all night, but this time I calmed down halfway through.

Gradually, the memories began to return.

It seems like it started raining again after we entered the cave, and my clothes got soaked. Then my whole body started to ache, and I felt dizzy. I must have caught a cold and developed a fever.

But why, after a night, did I feel that apart from a little dizziness, I didn't have any serious symptoms?

Yu Miaomiao knows her body very well. Although she is a monster, at most she is not easy to die, but she does not have such a good self-healing ability.

She mustered her strength and forced her eyes open, only to find herself still surrounded by darkness.

Is it still not dawn?

wrong.

The darkness rose and fell slowly, almost touching her nose, and when they did, there was a warm, moist sensation.

She felt strange, moved her head, and suddenly realized that she was resting her head on something soft and supple.

It doesn't resemble cotton or a sponge; it's more like...□□.

A sense of absurdity washed over her, and she reached out from under the blanket, frantically groping for something to hold herself up.

As the bright sunlight entered her eyes, Yu Miaomiao subconsciously closed them. After adjusting, she opened them again and saw an unbelievable scene.

Jiang Chengyi's face was right in front of her, no, it should be said that it was within arm's reach, so close that she could almost feel his breath; she could almost count the number of his eyelashes.

Further down, her hand rested on the other person's thigh, where there was a clear indentation at the junction of the waist and thigh. It was obvious that this was where she had just rested her head.

No wonder it was pitch black when she first opened her eyes; she had been sleeping all night with her head on Jiang Chengyi's lap, resting against his stomach, and covered by his coat!

Yu Miaomiao thought this was the most shocking thing for her.

However, after she regained her senses, she found that her left hand was tightly gripping Jiang Chengyi's fingers.

She suddenly released her grip, her fingers feeling stiff and sore from maintaining one position for too long.

She stared blankly at her hands, slowly closed her eyes, and then slowly opened them again, hoping to wake up from this absurd dream.

But things didn't go as she wished. When she opened her eyes, it was still the same cave, and there was still Jiang Chengyi—Jiang Chengyi who had already woken up.

The two looked at each other, and Jiang Chengyi raised an eyebrow slightly, as if asking Yu Miaomiao why she was doing such a strange thing.

Yu Miaomiao felt blood rushing into the capillaries of her face, which, in layman's terms, caused her face to turn red.

She even started to stutter, "When...when did you wake up?"

About an hour ago.

Jiang Cheng saw everything that just happened!

She said casually, "Thank you for yesterday."

Jiang Chengyi: "The wind and rain were too strong last night, and you had a high fever, so it's normal for you to subconsciously move closer to the heat source."

So, did she insist on sticking close to Jiang Chengyi?

Yu Miaomiao felt suffocated and hoped the other person would end the conversation quickly.

However, Jiang Chengyi did not receive her signal, and instead showed rare understanding.

He continued, "Moreover, this kind of weather makes it easy to lose body temperature, so it's a better choice for two people to huddle together than to use a blanket."

She recalled the intense heat she felt on her face when she woke up that morning, and the warm muscles she was lying on. It was hardly the case that she would lose her temperature. She felt even more strongly that the other person was just trying to save her dignity.

She quickly changed the subject, "The rain seems to have stopped, I'll go take a look."

But as soon as he stood up and took a step, he fell backward because his legs went numb. Jiang Cheng caught him, preventing him from falling to the ground.

Jiang Cheng put his arm around Yu Miaomiao's waist. Even through her clothes, he could feel the concave curve of her waist, which could almost be encircled by one of his arms.

He had imagined many possible reactions from the other person upon waking up: calm, annoyed, angry? But he never expected it to be like this.

His whole face showed a blank disbelief, and his big eyes were wide open, making them look more like cat eyes.

He then changed the subject, displaying a detached nonchalance, a far cry from his usual indifference and composure.

His heart softened instantly, as if something furry had swept over it.

"Can you please let me go?"

Yu Miaomiao turned her face to the other side, her voice muffled, her exposed neck and cheeks flushed with a faint blush, giving her originally pale skin a touch of life.

Jiang Cheng came to his senses, but did not let go of her hand. A mischievous feeling he had never experienced before surfaced within him.

His voice was very serious: "Your symptoms of weakness in your limbs may be due to a lingering fever. Let me take a test."

After saying that, he reached out and touched Yu Miaomiao's forehead, and used the back of his hand to check her temperature.

Then he saw the other person stiffen as he expected, their muscles tense, displaying a resistant posture, like a cat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck by a human, ready to escape at any moment.

But the next moment, Jiang Cheng removed his hand, and at the same time, he also loosened his grip on Yu Miaomiao's waist.

"You still have a slight fever and need to take the medicine again."

"oh."

Yu Miaomiao obediently took the ibuprofen that Jiang Chengyi handed her, tilted her head back and swallowed it, then sat on the ground and silently hugged her knees.

For some reason, when Jiang Chengyi was taking her temperature just now, she felt like a cat being held in the other person's arms and having her head forcibly stroked.

The feeling was so familiar that she instinctively reached out her paw to slap the other person, but she managed to suppress the urge.

calm.

Yu Miaomiao took a deep breath and told herself that there is always a solution to everything, and with her intelligence, she could handle any situation.

But how do we deal with this situation?

This was a completely unfamiliar situation and emotion for her; even she herself felt like a stranger.

She collapsed, burying her head in her arms like a kitten that refused to face the truth.

I might as well go to the Demon Supervisory Committee and apply for a forgetting agent.