Chapter 24, 37.5℃
Remembering the doctor's advice to avoid overexertion, Shang Shu slowed her pace and said after walking for a short while, "It's so cold, let's go back."
Gu Sui rubbed the warm hand in his coat pocket and replied, "Okay."
Back at the hotel, Shang Shu placed the large bouquet of lilies in the center of the table, adding a touch of delicate pink to the otherwise formal suite.
She took off her coat, glanced at the time, felt around in the medicine bag that Song Lan had also prepared, and turned to look at Gu Sui: "About twenty-four hours have passed, we should be able to start applying the medicine."
Gu Sui pulled one hand out of the sleeve of his coat and replied with a "Okay".
Seeing this, Shang Shu quickly stepped forward to help, and said with a hint of reproach, "You can call me if you need help, why do you only know how to say 'okay'?"
Gu Sui took off her coat and smiled faintly, "I know." Then she walked towards the sofa and slumped down on it, feeling somewhat powerless.
She felt something was wrong as soon as she got back; her body started to feel weak, and her head was throbbing with pain.
Actually, she didn't sleep well last night. First, she was woken up by the pain of her wound, and after coaxing Shang Shu to sleep, she kept worrying about her condition and woke up every now and then. Eventually, she simply stopped sleeping.
Having been outside in the wind, Gu Sui thought that she would be fine after a rest.
Seeing that Gu Sui was unusually quiet and sparing with his words, Shang Shu keenly sensed his listless demeanor. She tossed the medicine and gauze aside and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"Okay, I'll rest for a bit. Let's change the dressing first." Gu Sui looked at the person and gave a reassuring smile, then reached out and swept all her long hair to one side.
Alarm bells rang in Shang Shu's mind, and she began to feel annoyed again, wishing she had come back sooner.
She quickly washed her hands, took her things, and sat down next to Gu Sui. When she saw him about to take off his clothes, she gently waved her hand away, saying, "I'll do it. Don't move around."
Gu Sui responded softly, obediently moved her hand away, and let it hang limply on the sofa.
Shang Shu lowered her head, unbuttoned her shirt, and then swallowed hard, pushing the annoying bra strap aside.
She gently removed the original gauze, and when she saw the horrifying wound again, she couldn't help but shudder.
She carefully disinfected the skin around the wound with an alcohol swab, murmuring with some regret, "It'll probably leave a scar..."
Feeling the coldness on his shoulder, Gu Sui flinched slightly: "You care?"
“Of course…” Shang Shu changed her words, “What does it matter whether I care or not? This is your body.” She frowned, avoiding the deeper meaning in her words.
Gu Sui raised his finger: "It's just the shoulder, you can't usually see it."
"What about summer? Don't you love wearing tank tops the most..." Shang Shu blurted out subconsciously.
In the past, Gu Sui always wore tight vests in the summer. She had round neck, V-neck, and high neck vests. No matter how she wore them, she looked sexy and beautiful. Back then, she would be jealous of the looks others gave her and wished she could hide Gu Sui's vests and only allow them to be worn by her.
She said no more, lowered her head and silently took out a cotton swab to apply the ointment.
Gu Sui chuckled: "Then show it off. Didn't I say scars are medals?"
Seeing that she still had the mind to joke with her, Shang Shu felt a little relieved. She gently raised her hand and said, "Then I'm going to apply it. Don't move."
Gu Sui gave a faint "hmm" and subtly bit her lower lip.
Shang Shu applied the ointment very lightly and carefully, but she could still see the pain in Gu Sui's trembling body. She was reluctant to continue, but the die was cast, so she had no choice but to end the battle as soon as possible.
"All done." She fixed the gauze on Gu Sui, put the shoulder straps and shirt back in place, and came in front of him to fasten the buttons.
After Gu Sui and the others finished, he leaned against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes.
"Go inside and lie down for a while. It's uncomfortable to stay cooped up here." Shang Shu felt bad seeing her like this, but she didn't know what else she could do, so she could only persuade her to go inside.
"Hmm." Gu Sui forced himself to stay awake, took a deep breath, and stood up.
Shang Shu followed her into the room, unscrewed and screwed on an unopened bottle of water, and placed it on Gu Sui's bedside table: "Remember to call me if you're still feeling unwell." She pondered, "And remember to tell me if you're hungry too."
"Such good treatment?" Gu Sui joked with a smile, not wanting her to worry.
Shang Shu glanced at her without saying a word, walked straight to the door, and closed the door behind her.
Once she was sure the door was completely closed, Gu Sui stopped smiling. She leaned against the headboard, exhausted, and looked up, feeling incredibly tired.
Shang Shu dared not return to her room, fearing she wouldn't hear Gu Sui calling her later. She sat on the sofa, looked at the vibrant bouquet of lilies, and a blush unconsciously rose to her face.
She couldn't figure out Gu Sui's thoughts either, and didn't know if everything he did was just to play with her again.
The tension in my heart seemed to be loosening, which was very bad.
Whether it's a slap followed by a sweet treat, she has to admit that she is completely powerless against all of this.
Shang Shu picked up her phone and casually scrolled through the hotel menu. Gu Sui definitely couldn't go out to eat in this state. Considering his stomach, he certainly couldn't eat any random takeout. And Song Lan wasn't around either. She didn't want to leave him alone here to buy food herself, so she had no choice but to consider the hotel's food delivery service.
While browsing through a few decent congee spots, Shang Shu suddenly received a message from Lin Lang on her phone. She clicked on the chat box.
Lin Lang: Did Gu Sui come to see you?
Shang Shu was shocked and immediately replied, "How did you know?!"
Lin Lang, on the other side, touched the tip of his nose, pondered for a long time how to avoid giving himself away, and finally posted: 【I ran into her niece.】
Then, he casually asked the real question he wanted to ask in the conversation: "Are you familiar with Gu Xiangyi?"
Gu Xiangyi?
Shang Shu knew of this niece's existence before, but she only met her in person for the first time at Lin Cui's birthday banquet. Why is Lin Lang suddenly asking about this?
She typed suspiciously: "[It's about the same level as yours and hers, what's wrong?]"
Lin Lang's vision blurred when he saw this line of text. He wondered how much Shang Shu would regret saying those words after he told her everything.
She composed herself and said, "We'll talk about it in detail when you get back. When are you coming back?"
Shang Shu paused in her typing, looked at the screen, and breathed a sigh of relief: "It might be a couple of days late; something came up."
Are you with Gu Sui?
Something's up?!
Quickly, confess and you'll be treated leniently!
Seeing that the other party replied to several messages in quick succession, Shang Shu sighed helplessly and sent a speechless emoji: 【What are you thinking...?】
After a moment's thought, he summarized in the most concise language possible: "When I was at the production company, a costume rack tipped over, and Gu Sui covered for me. I needed ten stitches in my shoulder and can't fly for the time being."
Within seconds of pressing send, the other party replied with an exclamation mark expressing amazement: "Damn, a beauty saved a damsel in distress, is she alright?"
Speaking of this, Shang Shu checked the time. Almost an hour had passed, and there had been no movement. She must be asleep.
She tossed her phone onto the sofa, stood up, and tiptoed to Gu Sui's door, opening it a crack.
It was indeed asleep; the person on the bed had their eyes closed, their brows slightly furrowed, and their complexion was not good.
Shang Shu wanted to check on her condition, so she slowly pushed open the door and walked quietly to Gu Sui's side.
Gu Sui slept peacefully, his silky black hair spread out on the pillow, and his aloof temperament was even more pronounced at this moment.
Listening to the person's even breathing, Shang Shu reached out and gently touched the other person's forehead.
It's a little hot.
She touched her forehead again to confirm, still unsure.
Afraid of waking Gu Sui up by going back and forth, she stopped touching him. She was starting to get anxious, and after a while, she remembered that when she got the gauze earlier, she seemed to have seen a thermometer in the bag next to her.
Without hesitation, she quickly went to the living room to get it and came back. Gu Sui on the bed remained still and motionless.
The thermometer was pointed at the forehead, and a soft "beep" sounded. The temperature was 37.5℃, indicating a slight fever.
After measuring several times, Shang Shu's hand became a little unsteady, and many bad possibilities flashed through her mind.
She got up, went to the living room, picked up her phone from the sofa, and dialed her family doctor.
"Could it be a wound infection?" she asked anxiously after describing Gu Sui's condition in great detail.
"Based on your current description, there's no need to worry too much for now," the doctor replied quickly. "Suturing is essentially a minor surgery. It's normal to have a mild fever within 24 hours after suturing due to the wound and immune response. However, if your temperature rises above 38°C or the wound becomes red, swollen, and oozing pus, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible."
"Okay, I understand." He lowered his hand from his ear, his palm damp with a thin layer of sweat.
It's her fault for not noticing something was wrong sooner.
Shang Shu slumped into the sofa, weakly running her fingers through her hair, but less than half a second later, she sprang back up.
No, now is not the time to blame myself.
The most urgent task is to continue monitoring Gu Sui's temperature; she cannot let her guard down.
Thinking about it, Shang Shu pushed open the door again and sat down on the sofa in the corner.
As darkness fell, she gazed at Gu Sui's serene profile, her eyes darkening.
Looking back on the four years they spent together, it seems that Gu Sui always took care of her more, and this wasn't just in terms of daily life.
Perhaps this is an age-old issue between older and younger people, the natural advantage of age. Shang Shu smiled. She didn't know if the other person saw it as an advantage, but that's how she felt.
When she first met Gu Sui, she was indeed an immature child—frivolous, extravagant, and naive. That was probably the extent of the impression she left on others. Perhaps Gu Sui was a naturally tolerant person; otherwise, she would have had no reason to convince herself why the other person would fall in love with her.
However, she didn't really like this kind of backward compatibility, which made her feel frustrated all the time.
Gu Sui was always so aloof and composed, as if nothing could easily intrude into that pool of calm. Even at that time, she could still feel that restrained desire. If she wanted it, the other party would give it to her; if she didn't want it, the other party would never show the slightest desire.
This was probably the only thing she could control in this relationship, but it was better than nothing.
Forget it, she thought, Gu Sui would probably never be like her, blushing and having her heart race at the sight of a bouquet of flowers.
The person on the bed stirred, and the blankets rustled. Shang Shu sat up and glanced at the bedside. The person was still asleep. She looked down at the time and prepared to take the person's temperature again later.
Suddenly, the phone screen lit up again; it was a call from Song Lanye.
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