Once Cheng Yue’s dizziness subsided, he released his grip on the doorframe. He shook his head uncertainly and, seeing that the dizziness had passed, he relaxed. He often experienced brief blackouts when standing up after sitting or squatting, so he wasn’t too concerned. However, he looked down at the dress he was holding and his face turned red again.
At this moment, Ji Xu was sitting in the living room with a small stack of documents. When he saw Cheng Yue approach, he flipped the documents over on the table and noticed Cheng Yue’s flushed face.
He asked, “Can’t you wear it?”
“I don’t know,” Cheng Yue said, feeling his face burn with embarrassment. The heat made him short of breath. He bit his lip and held out the dress, which had been hidden behind him.
“I don’t know how to wear it.”
“What?” Ji Xu took the dress from him, looked at the thin fabric for a moment, and then unfolded it to inspect it more closely. His expression grew increasingly serious.
Cheng Yue wiped the sweat that had appeared on his forehead without realizing it. Blushing and feeling hot, he mumbled, “How do you wear this…”
“This can’t be worn,” Ji Xu said, his face darkening.
“What is this supposed to be?”
Liking to wear dresses was one thing, but this was just two pieces of fabric. It wasn’t suitable for everyday wear, not even at home. Ji Xu frowned at the dress, trying to figure out where it could be worn, and concluded it might be acceptable to wear it in bed.
“So…,” Cheng Yue asked, puzzled, “why did you buy it?”
Ji Xu, with a flat expression, replied, “Bought the wrong one.”
“Oh,” Cheng Yue said, feeling somewhat relieved. He could manage wearing a dress, but this outfit that seemed like it was barely covering anything made him feel awkward.
However, Cheng Yue felt even more uncomfortable as his face grew hotter and his vision started to blur, even though he didn’t need to wear the dress.
Ji Xu, sitting on the couch, frowned and then said, “On Saturday, I’ll take you out to buy something.”
“Huh?” Cheng Yue didn’t quite catch what Ji Xu had just said.
“Why is your face so red?” Ji Xu noticed something unusual when he turned to look at Cheng Yue. Frowning, he stood up and said, “Come here.”
“Oh,” Cheng Yue heard the instruction clearly this time. However, as he took the first step, he suddenly felt dizzy and his legs went weak.
“Cheng Yue!” Ji Xu saw Cheng Yue collapse in front of him and hurriedly caught him.
As he held Cheng Yue, Ji Xu realized how hot Cheng Yue’s body was.
“Cheng Yue!” Ji Xu quickly placed him on the couch, crouched down, and felt his forehead. Seeing Cheng Yue’s half-open eyes, Ji Xu’s expression grew anxious.
“What’s wrong? Can you hear me?”
Cheng Yue’s head wasn’t too dizzy at first, but after collapsing, it felt as though someone had stirred his brain. He felt nauseous, but he managed to nod, indicating that he was okay.
Seeing that Cheng Yue was still conscious, Ji Xu swiftly went to the medicine cabinet, took a thermometer, and placed it under Cheng Yue’s arm.
As Cheng Yue’s dizziness gradually improved, he still felt increasingly nauseous. He tried to endure it, knowing that the wool carpet on the couch made him reluctant to vomit there.
After a while, Ji Xu took out the thermometer and saw that Cheng Yue’s temperature was 38.5°C. Given Cheng Yue’s condition, it was clear his fever was rising.
Ji Xu couldn’t delay any longer. He grabbed some money and a coat, then carried Cheng Yue downstairs.
Throughout the journey, Ji Xu kept calling out to Cheng Yue, who was dozing in the passenger seat. However, by the time they reached the hospital, Cheng Yue had completely fainted.
Ji Xu checked into the emergency room, brought Cheng Yue to see a doctor, and then carried him to a hospital room. After wiping away sweat and removing his clothes, Cheng Yue suddenly began to vomit and cry out in discomfort.
Ji Xu held him, patted his back, and wiped his mouth. It wasn’t until late into the night that Cheng Yue finally calmed down. Ji Xu stayed awake, not daring to sleep, and only dozed off briefly after Cheng Yue’s fever had subsided.
When Cheng Yue woke up, he was startled to see a face come into view, and it took him a moment to realize it was a nurse.
“You’re awake?” The nurse, smiling, looked at him while changing his IV drip.
Cheng Yue looked around the room but didn’t see Ji Xu. He cleared his hoarse throat and asked, “Where’s my uncle?”
“That’s your uncle?”
The nurse was surprised and then playfully said, “I thought he was your boyfriend. You were vomiting and crying all night. Your boyfriend—oh no, your uncle—didn’t sleep a wink, constantly wiping your sweat and comforting you. He only managed to calm you down after a lot of effort. You even had to hold onto him to sleep. I saw him fall off the bed a few times while I was changing your IV drip, and he kept climbing back up…”
Cheng Yue’s face turned increasingly red. He buried his face in the blanket, and only took it out when he heard the nurse leaving. Just as he sighed with relief, the door to the hospital room was flung open, and Cheng Yue recognized the footsteps as Ji Xu’s.
“Awake?” Ji Xu, seeing Cheng Yue’s eyes open, put his phone in his pocket and walked over.
Cheng Yue noticed that Ji Xu was wearing a pair of home slippers and that his usually neatly pressed shirt was wrinkled and stained, with rolled-up sleeves and a flipped collar.
Cheng Yue had never seen Ji Xu like this before. In his eyes, Ji Xu was always calm and composed, meticulous and steady.
Ji Xu had never looked so disheveled.
“Does your head still feel dizzy?” Ji Xu frowned, brushed back Cheng Yue’s disheveled hair, and placed his hand on Cheng Yue’s forehead.
“Are you still uncomfortable?”
Cheng Yue, looking at Ji Xu’s unshaven face from lack of sleep, suddenly felt his heart race faster than usual, and his ears turned red.
Seeing that Cheng Yue was okay, Ji Xu’s expression turned serious.
He straightened up, poured a glass of water, and said in a deep voice, “The doctor said that your high fever, fainting, and vomiting were caused by washing your head with cold water after intense exercise and not drying it off properly.”
“Ah?” Cheng Yue was stunned, suddenly recalling how he had washed his head after running six laps the previous day because he was too hot.
He had done this before without any issues; he wondered why it affected him this time.
“Did you only eat salt?” Ji Xu, expressionless, handed him the water. “What’s got you so worked up?”
Cheng Yue: “…”
As Cheng Yue reached out to take the glass, Ji Xu bent down, supported his head, and brought the glass to his lips. “If you ever make yourself suffer like this again, you might as well stay home. I’ll lock you in for ten days and see if you learn.”
Ji Xu said this with a narrowed gaze and a very serious tone.
Cheng Yue, startled by the expression, choked on a sip of water. He felt that Ji Xu was serious.
Ji Xu took two days off work to stay with Cheng Yue in the hospital and then care for him at home for another day. Cheng Yue’s illness came on quickly and left just as fast. By the third day, he was back to his usual energetic self.
However, the investigation into Tan Minmin was still dragging on. Although it wasn’t urgent, it remained a thorn in Ji Xu’s mind.
Fortunately, there was a breakthrough. Ji Xu discovered a divorce agreement in the email from Ke Miao.
However, the document had not been signed by the male party, only by Ke Miao.
The file had been sent by someone Ji Xu knew.
Ning Zhengyu.
Ning Zhengyu was a university classmate of Ji Xu and now a lawyer, though not in the same city.
Ji Xu had prepared to fly over to find Ning Zhengyu to understand the situation, but Tang Jing stopped him during the handover.
“You promised my uncle you’d give legal lectures at several schools in our city!” Tang Jing glared at him.
“My uncle’s Education Bureau has been promoting this heavily, and it’s scheduled for tomorrow. How am I supposed to explain it if you run off?”
Ji Xu had forgotten about the legal lectures amidst his busy schedule. He furrowed his brow and asked, “Can someone else do it?”
“Brother Ji!” Tang Jing suddenly shouted. “You’re the star of our firm.”
“Shut up.” Ji Xu’s expression darkened when he heard Tang Jing’s attempt to flatter him.
Tang Jing’s eyes darted around, and he started calling out, “Brother Ji! Brother Ji! Brother Ji! That title sounds quite nice! From now on, I’ll…”
“Be quiet.” Ji Xu, looking displeased, sighed and said, “I’ll go.”
“Alright then.” Tang Jing agreed with a smile. “Don’t worry, I’m familiar with Ning Zhengyu. I’ll help you contact him and get him here, so you don’t have to make the trip yourself.”
“Familiar my foot.” Ji Xu, uninterested in Tang Jing’s chatter, turned and walked away.
He remembered Ning Zhengyu because Tang Jing had fought with him over a girl during their school days.
The day Cheng Yue arrived at school, Teacher Chen led him into a large conference room filled with people.
When Cheng Yue saw a sea of blonde and blue-eyed foreigners, he suddenly felt a familiar sense of face blindness. Having spent over ten years in the US, he was mainly in Chinese circles. The main reason was that he really couldn’t remember the faces of foreigners.
He found himself calling Mike “Jerry,” patting George on the shoulder and calling him “John”…
“You’re responsible for this team.”
Teacher Chen led him to a group, introduced him to the people, and then pulled him aside to explain, “Our school has a lead teacher who will take them on a tour and introduce them to the campus culture and architecture. You’ll just need to translate. Today’s task shouldn’t be too difficult. The main thing is that tomorrow our school will have a legal lecture. I’ll send you the details later, and you can review the material and note the technical terms, okay?”
Cheng Yue nodded.
“How’s your health?” Teacher Chen looked at Cheng Yue with maternal concern. Remembering how pale Cheng Yue had been the day before, she couldn’t help but ruffle his hair a few times. After doing so, she noticed Cheng Yue had quietly crouched down again and couldn’t help but laugh.
For the rest of the day, Cheng Yue followed the foreigners around. By the end of the school day, he was so exhausted that he could barely walk. After Ji Xu picked him up, he was too tired to talk and just leaned back in the seat, wanting to fall asleep.
“How come you’re so tired?” Ji Xu handed him some yogurt and a small cake. “Have something to eat first.”
“There’s a legal lecture at our school tomorrow, and a bunch of foreigners insisted that I translate for them. I’ve been showing them around all day, and my mouth is dry,” Cheng Yue complained. He perked up when he saw the cake and yogurt, taking a sip and adding, “Damn lawyers, always picking the worst times. They’re so annoying.”
Ji Xu raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond. He waited until Cheng Yue finished the yogurt before starting the car.
“I wonder if the lawyer will speak fast tomorrow,” Cheng Yue said, leaning back in the seat with his eyes closed, grumbling. “But lawyers usually talk quickly, like machine guns, just to make sure the audience understands and keeps their jobs.”
Cheng Yue took a bite of the cake and continued to grumble, “And I think the lawyers who do these lectures have no real substance. They just talk and fill the gaps with nonsense, thinking they’re funny.”
After saying this, Cheng Yue paused, then looked at Ji Xu, who was driving, and added in a very flattering tone, “I’m not talking about you, though. Even though you’re a lawyer too, I think you’re different from the ordinary ones. You’re the kind who…”
“Go home and copy the math workbook ten times,” Ji Xu interrupted Cheng Yue, narrowing his eyes.
Cheng Yue was taken aback and, not realizing what was wrong, pouted in complaint, “Why?”
