Warm Sun
Chapter 30: Warm Sunshine
Bai Ke took three days of sick leave.
Chen Yiyu stood at the door, looking at her still pale face, and frowned.
"You can't do it alone," he said, walking naturally into the living room. "I have to stay."
Bai Ke was stunned for a moment: "Don't bother, I'm much better now..."
"What's wrong with you?" Chen Yiyu turned around and said seriously, "My temperature was 37.8 degrees this morning. There was nothing in the kitchen, and I forgot to take my medicine." He listed her crimes, but his eyes were full of worry.
Bai Ke was speechless for a moment. She really always forgot to take her medicine on time.
"I can just sleep on the sofa." Chen Yiyu pointed to the not-so-spacious sofa in the living room. "Anyway, we have to catch up on the project these days, so working overtime anywhere is fine."
"But..."
"Don't say but." Chen Yiyu suddenly smiled, with a cunningness she had never seen before. "Just think of it as taking in a homeless stray cat." He deliberately made a pitiful expression. "My apartment over there is being disinfected, and I really have nowhere to go."
Bai Ke was amused by his expression. Chen Yiyu looked like a child looking for an excuse to stay overnight at a friend's house, completely unlike his usual calm and composed self.
"Well... okay." She finally relented.
Chen Yiyu's eyes suddenly lit up: "Great! I'll go get my luggage now!" He walked quickly to the door, then suddenly turned back and added seriously: "It's mainly to make sure you take your medicine on time."
Bai Ke couldn't help but smile as she watched him hurriedly leave. This excuse wasn't particularly brilliant, but his intentions made her feel warm.
Half an hour later, Chen Yiyu returned with a simple duffel bag, from which he pulled out his laptop, a few changes of clothes, and even his own slippers and toiletries.
"You..." Bai Ke looked at him in surprise at how well prepared he was.
"I've prepared it a long time ago." Chen Yiyu blurted out, then realized that he had let it slip and coughed lightly to cover up his embarrassment. "I mean... I received the disinfection notice a long time ago, so I prepared my luggage in advance."
Bai Ke didn't expose him. Seeing his ears slightly red, she thought Chen Yiyu was very cute.
On the first morning, just as the sky was getting light, Bai Ke heard slight noises coming from the kitchen. She quietly pushed open the door and saw Chen Yiyu, wearing her floral apron, busy at the stove.
He stared intently at the millet porridge in the pot, occasionally checking the recipe on his phone. His serious expression was like conducting a precise physics experiment. The sunlight poured in through the window, gilding his figure.
"Awake?" Chen Yiyu turned around and saw her, revealing a gentle smile. "Go take your temperature first, the porridge will be ready soon."
Bai Ke stood there, a little dazed for a moment. She had seen this scene many times in her dreams.
Seeing that she didn't move, Chen Yiyu walked over and naturally reached out to touch her forehead: "It seems that you don't have a fever anymore. But I still have to take your temperature to confirm." His movements were skillful and natural, as if they had been together like this for a long time.
At 12:30 noon, Chen Yiyu came back on time, carrying fresh ingredients he had just bought from the supermarket.
"Is the company's lunch break enough for you to run back and forth?" Bai Ke asked.
"I asked for leave." Chen Yiyu said lightly, turned and went into the kitchen, "He said there was an emergency at home."
Bai Ke leaned against the kitchen door frame, watching his busy figure, a warm feeling welling up in her heart. This man who was always strict and punctual actually took leave to take care of her.
"When I was in Germany, the owner of a Chinese restaurant taught me a few dishes," he said as he cut vegetables. "She said when I miss home, I should cook hometown food."
Bai Ke noticed a faint scar on his knife-gripping hand, a scar from an injury sustained while working in Germany. She gently grasped his hand, "Back then...it was tough, wasn't it?"
Chen Yiyu paused, then held her hand in his. "Thinking about paying off the debt as soon as possible and coming back to see you sooner, I have motivation."
On the third night, Bai Ke's condition had improved significantly. She insisted on making dinner to thank Chen Yiyu, and she put on an apron and got busy in the kitchen.
Chen Yiyu leaned against the kitchen door, his eyes following her all the time.
"Don't look at me like that," Bai Ke couldn't help laughing, "I don't even know how to cook anymore."
"I'm afraid you'll faint in the kitchen." Chen Yiyu also smiled, with a long-lost sense of ease in his smile. "I have to keep an eye on you."
After dinner, they sat on the sofa and watched TV together. It was an old movie about lovers who met again after many years.
"Bai Ke," Chen Yiyu suddenly said in a very soft voice, "These past three days, I feel like I've returned to my college days."
Bai Ke turned her head and met his gentle gaze.
"Over the years, I've had to wear a mask all the time," he continued. "Only when I'm with you can I completely relax and be my true self."
The light from the TV flickered on his face, and Bai Ke could see the sincerity flashing in his eyes.
She reached out and gently took his hand: "Then don't wear the mask anymore."
Chen Yiyu took her hand in his, his fingertips trembling slightly: "I'm sorry about what happened two years ago. I should have trusted you more and told you everything."
"It's all over." Bai Ke said softly.
In the movie, the hero and heroine embraced each other in the rain. Bai Ke thought of the rainy day when she handed Chen Yiyu an umbrella, and the time they had missed over the years.
"Chen Yiyu," she leaned on his shoulder, "we wasted too much time."
Chen Yiyu gently put his arm around her shoulders and rested his chin on the top of her head: "From now on, let's not waste a single minute."
It was late at night and the movie was coming to an end. Bai Ke was already feeling sleepy, but she was reluctant to let this warm night end.
"You have to go back to work tomorrow." Chen Yiyu said softly, "It's time for me to go back to the apartment too."
Bai Ke raised his head: "Isn't your apartment still being disinfected?"
Chen Yiyu was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "You saw through it." His ears turned red again, "I just wanted to find an excuse to accompany you."
At this moment, they smiled at each other, and all the disguises and excuses were no longer needed.
Those three days felt like stolen time. In this small rental house, they rediscovered the pure excitement they had in college and felt how much they had grown and changed in each other over the years.
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