Chapter 58 Poor Physical Condition

Qu Chen stopped wiping, his back stiffening noticeably. He didn't turn around, but simply responded with a low "...Mm."

In the confined space, the sound of rain seemed to be amplified infinitely.

Then, a rustling sound of fabric rubbing came from behind him.

He could imagine the subtle sound of a zipper being pulled down, the faint airflow created as the soaked fabric peeled away from his skin...

He clenched the tissue in his hand tightly, staring at the mottled wall in front of him, as if trying to study the patterns on it thoroughly.

His Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably, and he unconsciously softened his breathing, afraid of disturbing the hidden sounds behind him.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe only a few dozen seconds, but the rustling sound stopped.

Then a sigh of relief came from the other end, followed by her voice: "All done."

After a brief pause, her voice came again, with a hint of urging: "You should change it too, I don't want to watch it."

Qu Chen remained frozen in place, motionless.

Ling Wei waited a few seconds, but heard no sound. She then let out a puzzled whisper: "???"

Qu Chen spoke, his voice much lower and hoarse than usual: "I'm not cold."

It means he doesn't want to change.

Huh? Ling Wei raised an eyebrow.

This guy... could it be that he's disgusted by these rough old work clothes, and the young master's mysophobia is acting up?

Alright, I've already tried to persuade him. If he doesn't want to change it himself, it's not her fault he gets cold.

Ling Wei ignored him and pulled up a relatively sturdy wooden chair to sit down. She picked up the tissues she had found earlier and began to slowly wipe away the thick layer of dust on the table, intending to clear a small clean area so she could lie down and rest. She was really tired after working all night.

The dark blue work jacket was clearly too big for her, with the shoulder line hanging loosely. She found the sleeves too long and casually rolled them up a few times, revealing her smooth forearms.

Qu Chen sat in another chair opposite her, his gaze originally fixed on his own hands, but he was uncontrollably drawn to the moving halo of light.

The shimmering light outlined the lines of her drooping neck.

To make her movements easier, she leaned forward slightly, and the loose neckline inadvertently revealed her prominent collarbones. As she wiped herself, her shoulder blades under the fabric undulated subtly like butterfly wings.

She raised her phone and carefully shone the flashlight on the table to check if it was clean. The light inevitably shifted upwards, illuminating the fine hairs on her face and making her focused, lowered eyelashes stand out even more.

Her hair was still wet, and a few strands clung unruly to her cheeks, swaying gently with her movements.

The loose, rough work clothes accentuated her slender frame, and her forearms, revealed by the rolled-up sleeves, appeared exceptionally fair under the light, creating a striking contrast with the dark blue, rough fabric.

Qu Chen's fingers, which were resting on his knees, curled up slightly.

After wiping the table, Ling Wei lay down to rest for a while. Time passed slowly in the silence and the sound of rain, and the chill of the mountain night grew stronger.

She kept her eyes closed, but her brows furrowed deeper and deeper. She hesitated, but finally, with a "whoosh," she raised her head and addressed the figure beside her, still sitting stiffly in the darkness:

"Take off your clothes!!"

The system gave her a jolt: "???"

Ling Wei grabbed a handful of her hair in frustration: "Given the temperature and humidity in the mountains, if you really get a fever, I won't be able to conjure up medicine to save you."

The more she thought about it, the more she felt she couldn't let this stubborn brat get away with it. "What time is it for him to be so fussy? Quickly change out of his wet clothes."

In the darkness, Qu Chen's barely audible voice rang out: "...It's nothing."

That brat is so stubborn.

Ling Wei stood up angrily, but couldn't resist throwing a punch at the air.

They turned the flashlight back on and conducted a second search of the room, hoping to find some heating equipment that would persuade the young master to compromise.

She rummaged through drawers and cabinets, and just when she was about to give up, the beam of her flashlight swept deep into the bottom drawer of the table, where there was an orange emergency kit.

Pull it out and unzip it; a silver emergency thermal blanket lies quietly on top.

"Found it." She turned around excitedly, but unexpectedly someone was standing right behind her.

Ling Wei instinctively stepped back, but her heel slipped and she tripped over the scattered debris on the ground, instantly losing her balance and falling backward.

The shadow in front of her moved slightly, as if reaching out to pull her. In her panic, Ling Wei reached out to grab something for leverage...

However, amidst the chaos, only the sounds of debris being knocked over could be heard.

"Thump!"

In the end, the two inevitably fell into the pile of debris together, with Ling Wei being firmly pinned underneath.

"So heavy." Ling Wei groaned, pushing away the person on top of her. "I found an emergency blanket, get up..."

Her hand, which was pushing him away, landed on his chest and neck, and the unusually hot body temperature emanating from his palm made her pause abruptly.

She instinctively reached out and touched his forehead.

"You..." Ling Wei's eyes widened, utterly speechless, "You've already got a fever?"

The person on top of her seemed to have listened to her words, and slightly turned his body to the side. Although he did not get up completely, he at least gave Ling Wei some space to struggle.

She scrambled up from the pile of debris, grabbed the phone that had fallen to the side, and the beam of light shone on Qu Chen's face.

The bright light was blinding, and the man squeezed his eyes shut in discomfort. His long eyelashes cast shadows under his eyes. He turned his head to the side, his face flushed an unnatural red. His usual coldness and hardness had evaporated in the high temperature, and he lay there listlessly.

Seeing him like this, Ling Wei was utterly exasperated: "You really are too weak! It's only been a short time and you've already developed a fever?"

The system weakly reminded her in her mind: "He did indeed... when he was little, he was often deliberately kept cold and made to get sick..."

Ling Wei swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue, and in the end, she could only helplessly purse her lips.

That's right. Just now, when he was carrying people in the rain, she was careful to keep the umbrella pointed at the old man, so he got soaked even earlier than her.

Tonight will be a sleepless night.

The hardworking Ms. Ling began her work at three in the morning.

She resignedly wiped the dust off the cot in the corner, then directed the somewhat dizzy man: "Come here, lie down."

Qu Chen was surprisingly cooperative. Since she started working, he didn't say a word, but just followed her with his eyes, which were misty from the fever, and quietly acted according to her instructions.

She told him firmly to change out of his wet clothes, so he slowly put on his old work clothes.

Ling Wei wanted to use an emergency blanket for him, but when she touched his burning hot skin, she immediately gave up. He was already burning up like this; if she wrapped him in that thing, he would surely be cooked alive.

The same oversized work jacket looked loose on Ling Wei, but on him it created a completely different scene.

He had broad shoulders and a wide back, and the shoulder seams of his work jacket were stretched so tightly that it couldn't close properly.

Ling Wei tried it, but the top buttons wouldn't fasten at all; she could only manage to fasten the middle and bottom three.

So, when Qu Chen was forced to lie down on the narrow cot, his ill-fitting work clothes were loosely exposed at the most crucial neckline.

The fabric tautly outlined the contours of his chest, revealing the deep lines of his collarbone. His neck and a small patch of chest skin were flushed red from the fever, rising and falling slightly with his somewhat rapid breathing.

He lay there quietly, only his misty eyes stubbornly gazing at the busy Ling Wei.

His tall frame was curled up on the rather short cot, his long legs having nowhere to go, which made him look even more vulnerable.

Ling Wei glanced at him briefly before immediately looking away.

Although she didn't say anything, the system still heard her swallow.

system:"......"

Ling Wei: "I'm thirsty!!"

system:"."