Chapter 38. The feeling I like during the rainy season is one of peace and security. ...

Lin Fei opened his eyes and asked matter-of-factly, "I like someone, is there any other way to put it? I like everyone around me, and I try my best to become someone I like if I don't like them, or I just stop associating with them altogether."

"I'm not talking about that kind of liking." Suddenly, I realized he really shouldn't have asked.

Lin Fei cupped his face in her hands and said earnestly, "Of course I like you!"

A thoughtless remark.

A very half-hearted confession.

"Forget it, let's go to sleep." Liang Yanzhe felt that there was no future in talking about love with Lin Fei. It seemed that in her heart, everyone was equal, and she could be kind to everyone and pour the same feelings into them.

Liang Yanyi once said that his thoughtfulness and politeness were due to his cold-hearted nature, and at first, I thought her idea was a bit absurd.

Only now, having met Lin Fei, can I understand why Liang Yanyi accused him in that way.

Lin Fei's enthusiasm and extroversion are merely a form of self-protection.

While they appear to be getting closer, they have actually already established a safe social distance between themselves.

She felt safe only with him, and with her family and friends; a friendly distance was necessary for her to feel secure.

Liang Yanzhe lay down and helped her cover herself with the blanket.

How could Lin Fei possibly fall asleep?

His attitude made her uneasy, and she couldn't help but wonder if he doubted her feelings, thus creating a bad impression of her.

She reached out and placed her hand in front of him, racking her brains for something nice to say.

"The feeling of liking someone is just feeling at ease," Lin Fei really tried her best to answer. From childhood to adulthood, she had never seriously thought about what liking someone in love was like, and her romantic history was a blank. Her logic had always been very simple: she wanted to possess and have the boys she liked. This feeling was no different from that of her feelings for family and friends. If there was any difference, it was probably the requirement for exclusivity, while family and friends could be many.

That year, Liang Yanzhe appeared downstairs at the dormitory to fulfill his promise to celebrate her birthday. When she saw him again, she felt more resentment. If she couldn't have him, she shouldn't have any contact with him anymore. This was her consistent attitude towards relationships. She was particularly impatient, let alone deeply consider liking and loving someone. Just like Chi Xin said, she was very self-centered in relationships, egotistically expressing her feelings and forcing the other person to accept them.

She definitely disagreed, thinking that enthusiasm was better than indifference. If both parties tried their best to show enthusiasm and care, what more could the other person want?

Liang Yanzhe understood that her explanation was to prevent him from overthinking and to conceal her true feelings as much as possible.

He turned and wrapped his arms around her: "Okay, go to sleep."

Lin Fei wisely refrained from delving deeper into the topic, deciding to leave it at that and not wanting to strain the relationship.

In the middle of the night, Lin Fei woke up groggily, feeling heavy-headed, weak in the limbs, and unbearably thirsty.

She used all her strength to sit up. Liang Yanzhe, who was sleeping soundly next to her, only changed from lying on his side to lying flat because of her slightly loud movements.

Yesterday was a rare day off, but Liang Yanzhe spent the whole day outside because of Chi Yao's matter. He has to go to work early tomorrow morning and work the night shift. Lin Fei didn't want to trouble him, so she quietly got out of bed and went to the kitchen to get a drink of water.

On such a cold day, she still felt that a glass of room temperature water wasn't enough, so she turned on the ice maker and put in half a glass of ice.

She took another sip and finally felt the fire in her throat subside. She tilted her head back and finished the water, still holding an ice cube in her mouth.

She casually placed the cup on the island counter and dragged herself along. Shunshun kept circling around her aimlessly. She was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open. She felt that the road back to her room was longer than the journey to the West. She collapsed onto the living room sofa and fell asleep.

Shunshun jumped onto the sofa and nudged Lin Fei, but she didn't move. Shunshun meowed a few times, but still didn't respond.

It didn't know what to do either, so it curled up in Lin Fei's arms and licked her hand.

Liang Yanzhe's exposed shoulder woke him up from the cold, and he thought Lin Fei had kicked off the covers again.

He opened his eyes and didn't see her. He instantly woke up, sat up, quickly put on his slippers, and walked towards the open bedroom door.

He cleaned the house, and everything was in its designated place. He could spot if anything was misplaced.

He subconsciously glanced at the lone glass on the island counter, which still contained half-melted ice.

Why did Lin Fei get up in the middle of the night to drink ice water?

Just as he was wondering where she had gone, Shunshun jumped off the sofa and he realized she was asleep on it.

It's no wonder he didn't see it; the back of the sofa faced the room door, so he didn't see anyone on it.

Liang Yanzhe didn't wake Lin Fei. He carried her back to the room and burned her hand when he touched hers. He then touched her forehead.

I have a fever.

He opened the cabinet containing commonly used household medicines, took out a thermometer, and measured her temperature at 39.3 degrees Celsius.

"Feiwen." Liang Yanzhe tore off a piece of cool adhesive tape and applied it to her.

Lin Fei was so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open. He mumbled a couple of times and fell asleep again. He felt his head was finally a little more comfortable, but he was still very sleepy.

Liang Yanzhe got up and went back to the bedroom to get the thickest coat. He came back and helped Lin Fei put it on, zipping it all the way up to make sure she wouldn't get cold. He also made sure she put on socks.

He became much more casual, put on a long black down jacket, and carried her out the door.

When Lin Fei woke up, he was startled to find everything white in front of him. He felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand and his arm was cold.

"Where...where is this?" Lin Fei wondered if he was having a nightmare and had accidentally wandered into a mental hospital!

"You're awake? This is a hospital." Cai Cai walked over with the medicine.

Lin Fei leaned against the headboard, asking in alarm, "How did I end up in the hospital?"

Cai Cai changed the IV fluid and adjusted the drip rate: "It's normal that you don't know. When Director Liang brought you to the hospital, he rushed in wearing pajamas, and the zipper wasn't even zipped up properly. After entering the consultation room, he called you a few times but you didn't wake up, so Dr. Zhang on duty had to prescribe medicine for you first."

"Am I...sick?" Lin Fei only felt sticky and uncomfortable at this moment, and didn't feel much else.

Cai Cai: "Your fever was almost 40 degrees Celsius. It only gradually subsided after you finished an IV drip. Director Liang stayed with you all night. He had surgery scheduled for this morning and couldn't postpone it, so he had to go to work first. He asked Dr. Tian to call every hour to check on you until he was sure your fever had subsided."

"What time is it now?" Lin Fei asked nervously.

Cai Cai took Lin Fei's phone out of the drawer: "It's almost midnight. Director Liang probably hasn't finished surgery yet, but you can call him and someone will answer for you."

Cai Cai thought that Lin Fei's first thing to do after waking up would be to let Liang Yanzhe know she was safe, but she dialed another number instead.

The other side responded very quickly.

"It's me. Have you all gone out?"

"I can't go today, I'm getting an IV drip at the hospital."

"It's nothing serious, just a fever, it's gone now."

"I'm not sick every year. I'm taking good care of myself. Stop nagging me! Let's make plans another day."

"Ah... we rescheduled to the hospital. Are you all alright? You absolutely have to meet today, right?"

"Alright, come on in. The room number is..."

Lin Fei looked to Cai Cai for help.

Cai Cai: "Emergency Room 5, Bed 2"

Lin Fei repeated it.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Fei muttered to himself, speechless, "I'm really fed up with those two. I'm already in a hospital bed, and they still insisted on having a get-together today."

Cai Cai coughed and suggested, "Should we... give Director Liang a call?"

"Didn't you say he was still in surgery?" Lin Fei thought for a moment, "I'll give it to Tian Ying."

Lin Fei opened WeChat and sent a message to the three-person group chat.

Tian Ying replied quickly: [Teacher's wife, don't worry, I'll send a message to the operating room right away.]

Lin Fei asked: [When will the surgery be over?]

Tian Ying: [It's hard to say, today's surgery is quite difficult. My teacher just told me that if you wake up, eat first and get some rest.]

Lin Fei: [I'll give you some food.]

With tears welling up in her eyes, Tian Ying said, "[Teacher's wife, you're simply a goddess descended from heaven! Every time you come to the hospital, we're treated to delicious food.]"

Lin Fei: [No problem, you guys wait.]

Lin Fei unceremoniously sent a list to his two friends who were about to 'visit him' and placed an order, then had the deliveryman bring it directly to the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the Second Affiliated Hospital.

After replying to all the messages, she was hungry, but she could only eat the light porridge and home-cooked dishes with little oil and salt that Cai Cai brought her.

After eating two bites, Lin Fei collapsed on the bed, unwilling to eat any more.

If she keeps eating, she'll become disillusioned with life!

Tu Xia and Liang Yanru arrived quickly, carrying fried chicken, braised food, and milk tea.

Lin Fei noticed that her eyes were red.

"You still bought it even though you knew I couldn't eat it all." Lin Fei covered her eyes with her hands. "The smell is unbearable!"

Tu Xia opened the small table and arranged the food one by one. She even fanned the aroma towards Lin Fei with her hand: "This is a good thing. If you still have an appetite, it means you are almost fully recovered."

“It’s not for you to eat, we didn’t have lunch.” Liang Yanru stuffed a bite of fried rice cake into her mouth.

Lin Fei noticed three cups of milk tea in the corner: "Was one of them bought for me?"

"I'll have two drinks." Tu Xia held up two fingers. "Don't even think about it."

Lin Fei helplessly stuffed a mouthful of plain porridge into his mouth, his heart filled with despair.

"Why did we have to get together today? I'm already in this state," she complained angrily.

Liang Yanru said, "Because I'm off today, but I have to work for the next week."

"No wonder I was wondering why the three of us were getting together less and less; it's all your fault." Tu Xia snatched Liang Yanru's hot dog. "You should reflect on yourself."

Liang Yanru immediately retaliated, snatching the last braised duck wing, which was Tu Xia's favorite duck product.

Tu Xia screamed and pointed at her with her chopsticks: "Spit it out, or I'll French kiss you!"

"Damn, you're disgusting." Liang Yanru only took one bite before quickly putting it into Tu Xia's bowl. "It's really scary."

Lin Fei propped her chin up and watched the two people at the foot of the bed arguing. She thought to herself that her friend was really nice; she didn't treat her like a patient or a human being. She was too good at making things difficult for her.

"Can you two please try to understand how I feel?" Lin Fei tapped the small table in front of him.

They both looked at the same time, and stopped arguing, forming a united front to criticize Lin Fei.

Tu Xia: "It's obvious you haven't been keeping warm. Every winter you catch a cold and get a fever from being chilled."

Liang Yanru nodded: "Reflect on yourself. Have you been exposed to the wind these past two days?"

Lin Fei's smile held a hint of misery.

"Feed me a bite, quick, just one bite won't hurt," she said, ignoring everything else. "I want fried chicken."

Tu Xia dared not make any rash moves and looked at the doctor, Liang Yanru.

Liang Yanru was speechless. After a while, she got up and closed the ward door, saying, "Give it to her. How bad can someone's health be if they can eat junk food?"

"Hurry up, I can't move, I'm still on an IV drip." Lin Fei was already impatient.

Tu Xia picked up a small chicken leg and put it in Lin Fei's bowl: "Eat slowly."

"I want another sip of milk tea." Lin Fei stared at her. "You're not allowed to drink two cups; it's bad for your health."

Tu Xia: ...

Where does a patient get the confidence to say these things to her?

After finishing the chicken leg, Lin Fei felt better. If he drank half a cup of milk tea, he felt like he wouldn't need an IV drip anymore, and he would be full of energy.

Tu Xia held the milk tea to Lin Fei's lips, glancing towards the door several times before urging, "Hurry up, what if someone suddenly comes and catches us red-handed!"

Lin Fei refused, chewing slowly and deliberately: "Put it on my table, I'll drink it myself."

Hearing several footsteps in the corridor, Liang Yanru got up and pulled the curtain of the hospital bed closed tightly: "You two, hurry up!"

Tu Xia wanted to take the milk tea, but Lin Fei ignored her, still with the IV in his mouth, grabbed her arms with both hands, and took two big gulps of it.

The ward door opened, and Liang Yanzhe came in with two students.

Unable to put the milk tea back in its original place in time, Tu Xia had no choice but to hold it with both hands and pretend that she was drinking it.

"Swallow it quickly! Don't savor it!" Tu Xia glared at Lin Fei, who was chewing slowly, and warned him in a low voice.

Lin Fei swallowed hard, finally managing to swallow more than half of it before their pleasantries ended—his cheeks were no longer bulging.

Liang Yanzhe lifted the curtain, his gaze first falling on Lin Fei, then on the milk tea in Tu Xia's hand.

Tu Xia bit the straw, took a small sip, and pretended that she was the one drinking.

"Dr. Liang, you've arrived." Tu Xia forced a greeting, then quickly walked past him and ran away.

Liang Yanzhe nodded: "Have you had lunch?"

“We…haven’t eaten yet.” Liang Yanru pulled Tu Xia to her side, and the two sisters held hands tightly.

"Ye Zhan, take them to the cafeteria," Liang Yanzhe instructed Ye Zhan, who had come along.

Tin Ying enthusiastically said, "I'll go with you."

Before leaving, he didn't forget to thank Lin Fei: "Thank you for the snacks, Professor's wife. On behalf of the Department of Cardiac Surgery, I thank you."

Lin Fei still had something in his mouth, so he didn't dare to open it. He made an OK sign and then swallowed the last bite when no one was looking.

Liang Yanzhe sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced at Lin Fei's bowl: "Is the fried chicken good?"

"Okay...?" Lin Fei almost misspoke. "I really want to eat it."

Liang Yanzhe said helplessly, "There are still crumbs in the bowl, I can see them."

Lin Fei stopped acting and pointed to the milk tea on the table: "I want another sip, give it to me."

"Lin Fei," Liang Yanzhe said solemnly, "your fever has just subsided, you can't eat too much."

"I'm really okay now." Lin Fei held Liang Yanzhe's hand. "Your... hands are so warm. Let me touch them for a while."

She wanted him to feel her body temperature to show that she was feeling well and could eat.

“I asked you to ride with me yesterday, but you insisted on driving the electric car, and you didn’t even keep warm.” Liang Yanzhe took a hot water bottle and pressed it against the IV tube to keep the medicine inside her body from getting too cold.

Lin Fei stared at him: "Dr. Liang, you're just like my cousin now, always nagging people."

I was initially relieved that Zhong Shuwen was away on a business trip and I didn't know she was sick, otherwise I would definitely be nagged to death.

I never expected Liang Yanzhe to mention it too.

"If you don't want me to talk to you, then develop good living and working habits," Liang Yanzhe said. "I haven't been resting well lately, and my immunity has dropped, which is why I get a fever when I'm exposed to wind."

Lin Fei rested her head on his shoulder: "Okay, okay, I know, don't talk about me anymore."

Liang Yanzhe gently put his arm around her and said earnestly, "I support you in doing whatever you want, but you must learn to protect yourself and stay healthy."

Lin Fei nodded quickly, seemingly perfunctorily, but her eyes revealed a seriousness that didn't quite seem genuine.

Liang Yanzhe waited until the others returned from the cafeteria before heading back to his department.

Before leaving, Tu Xia invited Liang Yanzhe to come to the bar together next week.

"You're really bold." Liang Yanru's eyes darted between Tu Xia and Lin Fei. In her opinion, they were both very brave to talk to someone like Liang Yanzhe, who was like a god.

Tu Xia: "Aru, you're just scared when you see someone from the Liang family who's older than you. Dr. Liang has such a good personality, as gentle and refined as jade, what's there to be afraid of saying a word to him?"

“Yes, yes.” Lin Fei nodded.

Liang Yanru squeezed onto the hospital bed and lay down: "You wouldn't understand, having grown up in the very rule-bound Liang family."

Tu Xia also lay down on the bed, leaving Lin Fei sandwiched in the middle. Fortunately, the bed was sturdy enough to accommodate all three of them.

Lin Fei: "Friends, I'm a patient!"

Can't you see she's still on an IV drip?

“Let’s not talk about this, let’s talk about something else.” Liang Yanru put her hand on Lin Fei’s thigh. “I only get to breathe these two days a month.”

Other...

Lin Fei cleared his throat: "I want to ask you all, what do you think 'like' means?"

“That’s how I treat you and TuTu,” Liang Yanru frowned. “What a lame question. Can we stop saying such mushy things to each other?”

"Your answer is terrible." Tu Xia slapped Liang Yanru's arm. "They asked about 'liking' in romantic relationships."

Liang Yanru sneered: "Then I'm really sorry, I wasn't invited."

Then, the two looked at Tu Xia in unison.

"Liking someone... is an indescribable feeling. Even if the sky were to fall, you'd want to be buried with them," Tu Xia said with a smile.

"Do you want to?" Lin Fei asked Liang Yanru.

Liang Yanru pointed to herself: "How did the topic turn to me? My relationship with Ji Chacha hasn't reached that point yet."

"What's wrong? Did you two have a fight?" Tu Xia sat up and looked at Lin Fei. "It doesn't seem like it. I heard he stayed up all night, and he was still wearing his pajamas when he went to the department this morning."

Lin Fei: "Where did you hear that?"

"I just went out to eat with Dr. Liang's students and asked them about it," Tu Xia said. "Could it be that you two are the kind of couple who can still hate each other after a fight?"

Best friends can chat without any restraint; Lin Fei wanted to cover her ears.

Liang Yanru clutched her heart. Even a young lady from a prestigious family would use vulgar language: "Damn, it feels like you're subtly criticizing me."

Their eyes lit up, and their movements were surprisingly synchronized.

Hands clasped tightly, face full of anticipation.

Is there a more detailed version?

They spoke in unison.

Liang Yanru picked up a pillow: "Are you guys asking for a beating?"

Fearing that the pillow of justice might fall on her, Tu Xia steered the conversation back on track: "Mu Mu, you're still too thoughtful and insecure."

"But I was quite enthusiastic," Lin Fei said, not denying Tu Xia's incisive assessment.

Liang Yanru: "Mumu, Ze Ge isn't one of those guys who's easy to fool. He's been surrounded by a lot of fake people wearing masks since he was little. You can see through their true feelings and fake intentions at a glance. Even if you can't tell right away, you'll be able to sense it after spending a lot of time with them."

Lin Fei frowned: "Does it have to be heart-wrenching to show you like someone? Isn't it fine as it is now?"

“Someone who truly loves you will mind.” Tu Xia laughed. “When He Jingshi, whom others call an unattainable beauty, found out that his brother had agreed to get engaged to me, he went crazy and asked me why I had only ever seen his brother since I was a child, and why I still slept with him, even though we had a closer relationship than anyone else. He minded this very much and said these things to me with the determination that our relationship would be over if he exposed me.”

Lin Fei and Liang Yanru were completely taken aback.

“But Mr. Liang never said that.” Lin Fei tried hard to recall the details of their time together, but felt that Liang Yanzhe’s emotions had always been stable and there was nothing wrong with him.

“If you can’t handle his feelings, one day it will erupt like a volcano and overwhelm you,” Tu Xia said. “And if you’ve already sensed the crisis and don’t want to get too involved, then stop in time and don’t go any further. You should also give him a signal that your relationship can’t go any further.”

Lin Fei fell into deep thought.

"Mumu, you can be kind to everyone, but it's hard for you to be willing to sacrifice everything for it. If it's making you conflicted, then don't think about it for now. Maybe you'll figure it out at some point in the future." Tu Xia lay down. "Feelings can't be rushed."

"Fine, I'll be nicer to him." Lin Fei lay down as well.

She refused to engage in internal strife, and perhaps at some point in the future, she would figure it out.

Liang Yanru sat up.

"How about...we change the subject?"

Tu Xia: "Miss Liang, please speak."

"I've decided to have a child of my own."

Liang Yanru announced her decision with a smile.

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Author's Note: [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers] Here I am, still 66! I'm begging all you fairies for some nutrient solution and comments, kisses!