At that moment, she finally understood that Cheng Xiao was not innocent. He was Cheng Hong's son, evidence of his father's betrayal of his mother, and a thorn in her flesh.
And now, this thorn was sitting across from her dining table, eating breakfast slowly.
When their parents are not at home, they are the only two left at home.
Cheng Hong was away on a business trip, and her father, using the excuse of company matters, stayed out all night. Jiang Zhiran was happy to be alone, but Cheng Xiao's presence was suffocatingly strong.
She was sitting on the sofa reading a book, and he was sitting on the other end of the sofa, doing his homework with headphones on. She stood up and went to the kitchen to get some water, and he also stood up and went to the refrigerator to get some milk.
When she returned to her room, he stood in the corridor, as if waiting for her to close the door, or as if waiting for her to speak.
"Can you please stop following me?" She finally couldn't help but glared at him coldly.
Cheng Xiao looked up at her, no emotion visible in his dark eyes.
"I'm not following you, sister," he said. "I just happened to be going to the same place."
Jiang Zhiran sneered: "Really? So I'm going to take a shower now, and you're going to the bathroom too?"
Cheng Xiao didn't say anything, just turned around and went back to his room.
In the middle of the night, Cheng Xiao stood outside Jiang Zhiran's door, breathing heavily. His hair was soaked with cold sweat and stuck to his pale skin. His cheeks were abnormally flushed, and his lips were chapped, as if they had been burned by fire.
"Sister..." His voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.
Jiang Zhiran suddenly opened the door and stared at him with a frown: "Who told you to call me that?"
Cheng Xiao didn't answer, but simply lowered his head slightly, his eyelashes casting a shadow in the light. His breaths were hot, each one as if forced from his lungs.
His fingers gripped the door frame, his knuckles turning white, as if he was trying hard to prevent himself from falling.
Jiang Zhiran stared at him for a few seconds, and finally sneered: "Pretending to be pitiful?"
Cheng Xiao's eyelashes trembled, and he whispered, "...the medicine box is in your room."
"so?"
"I can't get it."
Jiang Zhiran sneered: "Didn't your mother teach you not to enter other people's rooms casually?"
Cheng Xiao's breathing became heavier, as if he had been stung by these words. His body swayed slightly, and he finally slid down slowly against the wall, his forehead resting on his knees, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Jiang Zhiran felt inexplicably irritated when he saw him like this.
"Get up." She kicked his shin. "Don't stay at my door."
Cheng Xiao didn't move, but just coughed twice, the sound muffled in his arms, as if he was suppressing something.
Jiang Zhiran stared at him for a few seconds, then finally turned back to her room, took out some antipyretic medicine from the drawer, and roughly stuffed it into his hand.
"Eat it yourself."
Cheng Xiao's fingers were very hot, and when they touched her palm, it felt like a burn. He slowly raised his head, his eyes a little unfocused, but he still whispered, "...Thank you, sister."
Jiang Zhiran withdrew his hand abruptly, as if he had been scalded.
She turned to leave, but heard a muffled sound behind her.
She turned around and saw Cheng Xiao lying on the ground, curled up in a ball, breathing so rapidly as if he was about to suffocate.
She stood there, clenching and unclenching her fingers.
Finally, she squatted down and reached out to touch his forehead - it was terribly hot.
"...trouble." She cursed under her breath, but still grabbed his arm and dragged him into the room.
Cheng Xiao lay in bed, his body scalding like a red-hot charcoal. His consciousness drifted in and out of the heat, sometimes lucid, sometimes hazy.
Jiang Zhiran stood beside the bed, looking at him quietly.
His face burned red, and the strands of hair on his forehead were soaked with cold sweat, sticking wetly to his skin. His lips were cracked and bleeding, and his breathing was rapid and heavy, as if he had to use all his strength to take in every breath.
His eyelashes trembled constantly and his brows were furrowed, as if he could not escape the pain even in his dreams.
"Water..." He murmured unconsciously, his voice so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.
Jiang Zhiran didn't move.
Cheng Xiao's fingers curled slightly as he clenched the sheets, his knuckles turning white. His body trembled slightly from the high fever, like a leaf swaying in the wind.
"Sister..." He called again, this time his voice was softer, as if it was about to disappear.
Jiang Zhiran's fingers tightened slightly.
She finally turned around and returned with a glass of warm water.
Cheng Xiao's eyes were half-open, his gaze unfocused, as if he could no longer distinguish between reality and dreams. His eyelashes were damp, perhaps from sweat or something else.
His eyelashes trembled, and he slowly raised his eyes and looked at her. When Cheng Xiao had a high fever, his whole body was limp, like a puppy drenched in rain.
He curled up on Jiang Zhiran's bed, his cheeks flushed red, and the strands of hair on his forehead were wet with sweat and stuck to his skin.
"Sister..." His voice was hoarse and soft, with a little nasal tone, and sounded pitiful.
Jiang Zhiran stood by the bed with medicine and water, his face cold: "Take medicine."
Cheng Xiao shook his head and huddled under the quilt: "It's bitter..."
"You have to endure the hardship."
"Don't..." He buried half of his face in the pillow, revealing only a pair of wet eyes looking at her, with a little moisture on his eyelashes, "Sister, feed me..."
Jiang Zhiran glared at him: "How old are you?"
Cheng Xiao didn't answer, but simply reached out and gently tugged at the edge of her clothes. His fingertips were burning from the fever, and when they touched her skin, they felt like small pieces of burning coal. His eyes were incredibly soft, and his voice was sticky: "Please..."
Jiang Zhiran took a deep breath, finally sat down, and handed the pill to his mouth.
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