65. Stomach problems

Apart from the chirping of a few insects, the noise in the old house gradually subsided, and the whole world sank into the night bit by bit and slowly became quiet.

But when Jiang Nan was sleeping soundly, he was suddenly awakened by a suppressed groan.

She opened her eyes drowsily, blinking dully and confusedly. After adjusting to the dim environment, she followed the sound and looked towards Chen Yunsheng sleeping on the couch.

In the dim light of the reading lamp, Jiang Nan saw Chen Yunsheng curled up on the couch, one hand pressed tightly against his abdomen, his brows furrowed, and there seemed to be a fine layer of sweat on his forehead.

Jiang Nan woke up instantly. She threw back the covers, got out of bed, stepped barefoot on the cool floor, and quickly walked to the edge of the couch.

"Chen Yunsheng," Jiang Nan woke up instantly, threw off the quilt and got out of bed, running over barefoot, "What's wrong with you?"

Only when Jiang Nan got closer did he clearly see his pale face, which was as white as snow, his eyebrows that were almost twisted into a ball, and his lips that were so pale that they were almost transparent. At this moment, he looked weak and in pain.

"My stomach," he managed to squeeze out a little sound, "it hurts a little."

Judging from the pain he was in, it was definitely more than just a little pain.

Jiang Nan immediately thought of the dinner when he only drank some soup and didn't eat properly at all.

"Wait a minute, I'll go see if there's any medicine or some hot water!" After saying that, she turned around and wanted to run out.

"No," Chen Yunsheng suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, "Don't tell anyone, it's just an old problem, just bear with it for a while."

Jiang Nan was stunned.

——He seemed unwilling to let other people in the old house, especially the elders, know that he was feeling unwell at the moment.

Jiang Nan looked at his distressed expression, feeling anxious and helpless: "What should I do? Are you just going to endure it?"

Chen Yunsheng closed his eyes, shook his head, and his breathing became more rapid. It was obvious that the pain was getting worse.

"I won't look for anyone else," Jiang Nan patted Chen Yunsheng's hand and comforted him, "I'll go by myself." After saying that, Jiang Nan broke free from Chen Yunsheng's hand.

She fumbled to turn on the light, then quickly dimmed it because she was afraid the light would be too bright. "Wait for me, I'll be back soon."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Nan opened the door and ran out. Halfway through, she ran back to put on her slippers. Chen Yunsheng looked at her flustered look, feeling both grateful and amused.

Jiang Nan noticed Chen Yunsheng's gaze and said again, "Wait for me."

Chen Yunsheng nodded weakly.

Jiang Nan looked at him in surprise.

——Now he is obedient.

But she didn't have time to think about it. She put on her slippers and quickly left the room.

The corridor of this courtyard is deep and dark, but fortunately there are a few wall lamps emitting faint light.

Jiang Nan stepped on the little light and, relying on his vague memory from the daytime, carefully walked down the stairs.

Her expression was calm, but her heart was actually beating fast. She was worried about his condition, but also afraid of making too much noise. Fortunately, this small courtyard was not too close to the main house, so it should not attract other people's attention.

Jiang Nan comforted himself and tiptoed down to the first floor.

She remembered that there seemed to be a tea room on the first floor of Chen Yunsheng's courtyard, right next to his small study.

She recalled the location of the small study and groped her way to the small tea room on the first floor. She turned on the light and was disappointed to see that it was tidy inside - there was only a built-in refrigerator, a water dispenser, and some simple cups in the tea room, and no sign of food.

Jiang Nan eagerly opened the refrigerator, hoping to find something special inside. Unfortunately, the refrigerator here was still in accordance with Chen Yunsheng's habit, storing only mineral water. There was nothing edible at all, let alone stomach medicine or food.

She anxiously searched through all the boxes and drawers, but in the end she only found an unopened box of soda crackers - it seemed that she had left it behind during her previous visits and it was then brought here by a servant.

She picked up the biscuits as if they were treasures, and then filled a glass of warm water. Then, she carried the somewhat shabby "stomach medicine" and climbed upstairs again.

When Jiang Nan returned to the room, Chen Yunsheng was still curled up in the same position. Hearing Jiang Nan's footsteps, he opened his eyes slightly and saw her walking towards him quickly, holding a cup and biscuits, with an anxious and worried look on her face.

Watching Jiang Nan, whose demeanor was less restrained and more concerned, Chen Yunsheng felt a strange sensation. He almost immediately sensed the sense of stability that Jiang Nan brought him, as if the sense of wandering that had lingered in his past had instantly dissipated.

Then Chen Yunsheng stared at Jiang Nan's eyes intently, and suddenly smiled softly.

When Jiang Nan saw his smile, she felt suspicious.

——Is Chen Yunsheng going crazy from the pain, or does he think the cookies are not good?

"This is all I have," Jiang Nan said, handing the warm water to his lips, with a tone of apology and helplessness in her voice. "Drink some water first, and then try to eat some biscuits. Maybe it will help."

Chen Yunsheng took a few sips of warm water from her hand. The warm water slightly eased his stomach cramps. Then, Jiang Nan carefully broke off a small piece of soda cracker and handed it to him.

He had little strength, so he slowly bit the tasteless biscuit in her hand, eating it with great difficulty. Jiang Nan looked at his pale face and weak appearance, and her heart ached and softened. She could only feed him small pieces at a time and give him some water from time to time.

After eating half a biscuit and drinking half a glass of water, Chen Yunsheng finally recovered a little. Although his face was still ugly, his breathing was no longer so rapid, and his frown relaxed a little.

"Are you feeling better?" Jiang Nan squatted beside the couch and looked up at him.

"Well," he replied in a low, hoarse voice, "thank you."

"You have stomach problems, so you should eat well. I only left soup for you, so you really only drink the soup? Don't you usually prepare medicine? Do you just endure the illness like this?" Jiang Nan couldn't help asking a series of questions, his tone half complaining and half concerned.

"It only happens sometimes." He looked at Jiang Nan's face and smiled happily. "It's no big deal. I just went to bed late today, so I felt hungry. And then... I got sick from hunger."

He spoke those last words with a guilty conscience, but he also paid close attention to her reaction.

"It's not a big deal yet?" Jiang Nan looked at him, sweating profusely but still cheerful, and felt angry and anxious. "Does it only become a big deal if it hurts like hell? You can't do this again. You must eat on time. I'll supervise you."

Her tone, both accusatory and concerned, made the smile on Chen Yunsheng's lips deepen. His gaze fell on her worried face, then slowly moved to her eyes. She didn't look at him, but angrily lowered her head to cover him with a thin blanket.

So he looked into her eyes without restraint.

Her eyes were clear and bright, with obvious attention paid to them. Most importantly, his shadow was clearly reflected in them at this moment.

"Well," he looked at her and responded softly, "I'll listen to you."

When these three words were spoken by him in a weak and hoarse voice, they were filled with a strange sense of gentleness and dependence.

Jiang Nan felt as if something furry had fallen into her ear, making her whole body numb.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little ambiguous.

Late at night, in a dim room, he was so weak from his illness that he had let down all his guard, and she was squatting beside him, anxious and worried.

Jiang Nan looked away and slowly stood up: "You-you should sleep on the bed. This couch is too small. You can't stretch out at all. It will be even more uncomfortable."

Chen Yunsheng refused: "No need."

"You have to go," Jiang Nan said in a rare firm tone. "You are a patient now, so listen to me. You sleep on the bed, and I'll sleep on the couch."

As she spoke, she reached out to help him. Chen Yunsheng really didn't have much strength at the moment, so she half-pushed him and half-helped him to move to the bed. Lying on the soft and spacious bed, he sighed comfortably.

Jiang Nan tucked him in, then went downstairs to pour a glass of warm water and placed it on the bedside table. She also brought the box of soda crackers over and placed it where Chen Yunsheng could reach it.

"If you feel uncomfortable, eat and drink more." She said like an adult advising a child.

Chen Yunsheng looked at her busy figure and suddenly said, "What about you?"

"Me?" Jiang Nan pointed to the couch by the window. "I'll sleep there. You go to sleep."

She walked over to the couch and sat down, but she wasn't sleepy at all. After the ordeal, her nerves were still on edge, half worried that he would get uncomfortable again in the middle of the night, and half nervous about that little bit of ambiguity.

The room became quiet again, with only the sound of two people's shallow breathing intertwined.

"Did you get scared?" Chen Yunsheng's voice suddenly rang out in the dim night. His breathing sounded much steadier than at the beginning.

"A little bit," Jiang Nan answered honestly, "Your face looks scary."

"Feel sorry."

"Why apologize?" Jiang Nan muttered softly, "Just be more careful next time."

There was another silence.

Perhaps it was because the night made it easier for people to let down their guard, or perhaps it was because illness made people vulnerable, Chen Yunsheng couldn't help but tell Jiang Nan about an old story.

"When I was a kid... I was seriously ill once," he said softly, "also at home. My parents were busy, and my grandfather was tied up in other things. It was the housekeeper and the nanny who found me and took me to the hospital."

Jiang Nan listened quietly without interrupting.

"After that, I rarely let anyone see it." His tone was calm. He didn't want to appear to be complaining, nor did he want Jiang Nan to think he was showing weakness.

Hearing this, Jiang Nan suddenly understood why he had insisted on not letting her call anyone else. It wasn't just a fear of disturbing the elders, but also a long-standing habit of not wanting to show vulnerability to outsiders.

When Jiang Nan heard what Chen Yunsheng said, she easily thought of the serious illness that Su Wanrong mentioned.

"You can let me know later," she heard herself say, her voice soft but firm, "You can tell me when you feel uncomfortable."

There was silence on the other side of the bed for a long, long time, so long that Jiang Nan wondered if he was asleep.

Then she heard him say softly, "Okay."

Before Jiang Nan could let her imagination run wild over this good word, Chen Yunsheng suddenly coughed, startling Jiang Nan and causing her to perk up immediately. She stood up, walked quickly to the bedside, and asked worriedly, "Are you still feeling unwell?"

Chen Yunsheng shook his head: "I just want to drink some water."

Hearing this, Jiang Nan immediately picked up the water cup on the bedside table and took a few sips of water from her hand.

"Are you feeling better?" Jiang Nan squatted beside the bed and asked in a low voice, while observing his expression.

"Much better," he said. "Thank you."

"Are you also a good young man in society?" Jiang Nan put down the cup and said jokingly.

Chen Yunsheng said in a positive tone: "As the saying goes, 'the closer you are to the red, the redder you become.'"

Jiang Nan was stunned by the coquettish tone. She smiled but didn't respond.

Chen Yunsheng's stomachache gradually subsided, and fatigue set in. But he didn't feel like sleeping.

The two chatted idly, talking about the stupid things they did in college to ruin their bodies in order to finish their papers, and also about some meaningless trivial topics.

Jiang Nan had initially maintained a nervous distance, but gradually relaxed. She responded to Chen Yunsheng's words, but her eyelids grew heavier. After a long day of running around and being woken up in the middle of the night, she was truly sleepy.

At some point, her voice gradually became lower and turned into a vague mumbling. Finally, her head tilted and she fell asleep on the edge of the bed.

She was sleeping defenselessly, with her eyes closed and lips slightly open. She looked childish and well-behaved. Her left hand was unconsciously resting on the edge of the quilt, very close to his hand.

——The pink diamond ring sparkled with flowing light under the light.

He just stared at her sleeping face quietly for a long time. Then he carefully reached out his hand and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen from her cheek behind her ear. When his fingertips brushed against her delicate, warm skin, he felt a suppressed joy.

After a while, he tiptoed to sit up, endured the vague discomfort in his stomach and got out of bed. Then, he gently picked her up, laid her flat on the pillow, and covered her with a quilt.

She just mumbled vaguely in her sleep and rubbed her pillow, looking like she was sleeping even deeper.

As for Chen Yunsheng, he did not lie back on the bed, nor did he walk back to the couch by the window. He just sat quietly by the bed and continued to look at her sleeping face.

At this moment, the night was like water, flowing quietly in the distance of only half an arm between the two people.