Fever and Secret Names

The warm breath swept across Chu Ci’s earlobe, a numbing itch drilling through his skin and into his bones. Chu Ci’s head suddenly felt like it went “buzz,” and like a startled rabbit, he covered his ear with one hand and leaped a far distance away.

He stared with wide eyes, looking at Ji Yanli in horror, his thin lips trembling as he stammered, unable to form a complete sentence: “You… you…”

Ji Yanli arched an eyebrow. The youth’s reaction seemed to tickle his funny bone. He straightened his back, trying his best to suppress the slight curl of his lips: “You seem quite energetic, so it shouldn’t be anything serious. Since the rain has stopped, hurry back to the dormitory.”

With that, Ji Yanli picked up the black backpack from the chair by the bed and walked past Chu Ci at an unhurried pace.

Feeling the other’s scent slowly approaching, Chu Ci instinctively leaned his body back as if trying to evade an invasion. The earlobe covered by his palm was terrifyingly red, to the point where anyone who saw it would tease him. Chu Ci brushed his black hair over his ear, attempting to hide that ambiguous color.

The two of them walked out of the infirmary one after the other.

The dark sky was tinged with a murky yellow. The air after the rain was still damp, and the cold wind made Chu Ci’s temples throb with pain.

He followed behind Ji Yanli. Ji Yanli was taller than him and walked at a brisk pace; Chu Ci had to jog slightly to keep up. He didn’t know if it was intentional, but whenever the distance grew too large, Ji Yanli would secretly slow down. Once Chu Ci closed the gap, he would return to his original speed.

Consequently, this short stretch of road from the infirmary to the dormitory was exceptionally difficult for Chu Ci. It wasn’t until Ji Yanli stopped in front of the last room on the fifth floor of the boys’ dormitory that Chu Ci had a chance to lean against his waist and pant softly.

He frowned, his chest heaving heavily. His long bangs pricked his eyes. While catching his breath, Chu Ci tilted his head slightly to stare at Ji Yanli’s back as he opened the door.

As a standard configuration in a sweet-pet novel, the protagonist bottom Ji Yanli was described as gentle and kind—not only soft-hearted but also somewhat frail. He was a typical child raised in a honey pot of love, with an exceptionally high sense of morality, unable to even tell a lie.

But why… from Ji Yanli’s series of actions just now, Chu Ci vaguely felt that he wasn’t as simple and easy to fool as the original text described.

Instead… he was a bit inexplicably “bad”?

Chu Ci thought back to the scene in the infirmary and realized it late.

‘He wouldn’t be doing this on purpose, would he?’

Then, with a “click,” the sound of the key turning in the lock interrupted Chu Ci’s thoughts. Ji Yanli turned around and stepped aside, making a path for Chu Ci.

The lights in the room weren’t on, and one of the lights in the hallway was broken. The glow from another lamp a few meters away fell on Ji Yanli’s face, softening his slightly sharp profile.

The youth tilted his head, his tone calm: “Come in.”

Chu Ci blinked and nodded silently. Then, he ducked his head and squeezed past Ji Yanli into the room.

Chengqing High School was a private high school. The students here generally came from wealthy families, so the dormitory facilities were excellent, usually with two people per room. Ji Yanli was the exception; not only did he have a private single dorm, but the room configuration was twice as good as the others.

Ji Yanli turned on the living room lights. Chu Ci stood in place and looked around. The room was clean and tidy, as if someone cleaned it regularly, but there were no signs of anyone actually living there.

The floor reflected Chu Ci’s figure. He lowered his head and twitched his lips, lifting a foot but not knowing where to step.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing him not moving, Ji Yanli put down his backpack and took a pair of new slippers from the shoe cabinet. “I don’t live on campus often, only coming here occasionally. The teachers arrange for regular cleaning, so it looks a bit too clean.”

Saying this, he raised his head and gave Chu Ci a harmless smile: “You don’t need to be so formal, we’re classmates.”

Chu Ci said nothing and silently changed into the slippers.

“The room at the very end is mine.” Ji Yanli pointed to a closed door. “You’ll sleep there tonight.”

“By the way.”

Before Chu Ci could respond, Ji Yanli seemed to think of something.

“It’s so late and you haven’t eaten. How about I make you something?”

Ji Yanli rolled up his sleeves, preparing to walk toward the small kitchenette built into the dorm.

Chu Ci quickly tried to stop him: “Actually, I’m not very hungry, don’t trouble yourself…”

Before he could finish, his stomach betrayed him with a loud “gurgle.”

The sound wasn’t loud, yet it was clear enough for both people present to hear.

Chu Ci: “…”

How embarrassing.

Ji Yanli scanned him up and down, tilting his head with a half-smile. His expression was like that of a cunning fox: “Truly not hungry?”

Fine.

Chu Ci rolled his eyes internally.

It was a lie to say he wasn’t hungry.

The main issue was that he didn’t want to stay with Ji Yanli.

He could feel that because he had just transmigrated, his soul hadn’t fully adapted to this body. This caused the original owner’s subconscious reactions to easily take control whenever he faced Ji Yanli. Having stayed with Ji Yanli for so long, his heart rate hadn’t dropped once.

If there were a deer in his heart…

It would probably have crashed itself to death by now.

Therefore, he desperately needed a space without Ji Yanli!

“I’m not hungry.” Chu Ci met Ji Yanli’s eyes. “I’m full just by looking at you.”

“You are my spiritual food.”

As he said this, he even pretentiously swallowed his saliva.

Ji Yanli was confused for a few seconds before the smile in his eyes deepened: “You don’t seem to like talking much, but when you do… it’s quite strange.”

The last syllable vanished into the air.

In the next second, the atmosphere plummeted.

Ji Yanli watched as the youth’s expression turned from shock to a grimace. Then, as expected, he heard those voices filled with resentment.

‘Fine, fine, fine, the whole world is normal except me, you’re the greatest.’

‘Then could you please stay away from me!’

‘I have trypophobia, I’m afraid of people with too many schemes!!’

‘God d*mn it, I really want to fight you to the death!!!’

Ji Yanli lowered his gaze, looking at the white whorl of hair on the youth’s head. After a long time, he heard the other reply sullenly: “…Where is it strange.”

The voice was pitifully thin. Compared to those thoughts that sounded like they were about to destroy the world, it was like a split personality.

“It’s nothing.”

Ji Yanli gave him a deep look.

Then he turned and walked into the kitchen, rummaging through a cabinet.

“I haven’t been to the dorm in a while, there are only two packs of instant noodles left. I checked the date and they haven’t expired. Let’s eat this.”

He didn’t need Chu Ci’s answer. As soon as he finished speaking, he tore open the packaging, found a clean pot, and began boiling water to cook the noodles.

Chu Ci watched Ji Yanli’s busy back in the kitchen, feeling his temples throb. Was his intention to kick him out not obvious enough, or was Ji Yanli just that thick-skinned!

But since this was Ji Yanli’s dorm, Chu Ci didn’t feel right saying more.

He sat on the sofa, listening to the footsteps coming from the kitchen. His clothes were still wet, clinging to his skin with a bone-chilling cold. In just this short while, light rain began to fall again. The “pitter-patter” of raindrops on the window sill was infinitely magnified in the empty room.

The somewhat hypnotic sound made Chu Ci’s already clouded head even dizzier. He slumped powerlessly on the sofa, his heavy eyelids dropping bit by bit.

Ji Yanli came out carrying the steaming pot. After placing it on the living room table, he turned and saw Chu Ci huddled motionlessly on the sofa.

His eyelashes flickered, and he walked over soundlessly, stopping beside the sofa.

The youth’s head was tilted back against the soft cushion. His black hair was parted, revealing ivory eyelids. His thick, long lashes covered his lower lids, trembling slightly as if he were sleeping fitfully.

His cheeks were abnormally red, and his flushed lips were slightly parted, revealing a faint glimpse of the dark red tip of his tongue.

Ji Yanli raised his hand and touched the other’s burning skin.

He had probably developed a fever from not changing out of his wet clothes and being exposed to the wind on the way here.

The youth’s body temperature was so high it made Ji Yanli’s palm feel hot.

There was no fever medicine in the dorm, not even a thermometer. Ji Yanli rarely encountered such a situation; after all, he usually never brought anyone else back to his residence.

This time… was just an exception.

Ji Yanli straightened up, hesitating whether to go out and buy medicine. Just then, he felt his hem being pulled.

He lowered his gaze. The youth’s slender fingers were unconsciously tugging at his clothes, the fingertips showing a faint flush.

The rosy thin lips parted slightly, murmuring two words like a kitten: “I’m cold.”

No matter when, the person’s voice was always tiny. The light volume hovered in the air, waiting to be caught by Ji Yanli.

Just like in the restroom when the other had inexplicably taken a hit for him, then fainted on his own, leaving Ji Yanli with only the words “it hurts so much,” he had once again thrown himself, defenseless, before Ji Yanli.

Ji Yanli stood there for a long time. Once the “what a bother” feeling dissipated, he let out a helpless sigh.

“In the end, you still have to let me carry you.”

He bent down, carefully put his arms around the youth’s thin shoulders, and easily picked him up.

So light.

Even the bones were a bit prominent against his hands.

Ji Yanli squeezed the youth’s shoulder with his thumb.

The youth huddled obediently in his arms, his fluffy head resting against Ji Yanli’s chest, his soft lips moving as if saying something.

Walking back to the room in a few steps, Ji Yanli placed him gently on the bed. The cold bed caused the youth to tremble violently by reflex, then instinctively curl up.

He was so cold his teeth were chattering. Ji Yanli couldn’t bear to watch and covered him with the quilt. As the temperature inside the covers slowly rose, the person on the bed became still. Even his breathing was light, the rise and fall of his abdomen minimal. Ji Yanli reached out with his fingers several times to make sure he was still alive.

After doing all this, Ji Yanli left the room quietly.

The phone in his pocket vibrated incessantly. The persistent humming seemed particularly abrupt in the silent room. Ji Yanli closed the door behind him and took out his phone. After seeing the caller ID, his beautiful brows furrowed uncontrollably.

He pursed his lips, his gaze sweeping over the already cooled instant noodles. Then, looking down, he noticed something on the floor.

Ji Yanli walked over, knelt down, and picked up a thin student ID card.

The paper name tag lay in his palm. Below the Chengqing High School slogan, the only eye-catching thing was a framed photo.

The person in the photo stared forward expressionlessly. With the bangs tucked away, there was only a pair of dull, lifeless eyes.

Ji Yanli stared at the person in the photo. The hand holding the phone slid across the screen, answering the non-stop call.

But before the person on the other end could speak, Ji Yanli coldly dropped a sentence: “I’m at school tonight. I’m not coming home. Don’t send anyone to look for me.”

The short sentence was spoken rapidly, as if he feared being rejected, and he quickly cut the call.

Silence fell once more.

Ji Yanli’s attention returned to the student ID in his hand.

Beside the photo were three bolded black lines.

In the first position for the name, two words were written.

—Chu Ci.