Lying quietly in bed, all the curtains in the room were drawn, making it pitch - dark. Jiao Jiao's eyes glowed green in the dimness. It lay on the soft quilt and meowed.
Jiao Jiao's meow seemed to fade away. Jiang Yuan could see nothing around her. All that filled her vision was the motionless figure in the bed.
It was late afternoon, approaching evening. Was Chi Xu tired and sleepy? Had he been sleeping soundly under the quilt?
Wasn't he afraid of not being able to fall asleep later that night?
The hand hanging by her waist slowly tightened into a fist. Her nails dug into her palm, leaving red marks.
A sense of panic welled up in her heart. It was as if a hemp rope was tightening around her heart, squeezing so hard that she could hardly breathe.
Jiao Jiao lay on the quilt, tilting its head to look at Jiang Yuan. Seeing that she didn't come closer, it meowed again, but Jiang Yuan ignored it.
Jiao Jiao simply jumped off the bed and bit the corner of Jiang Yuan's pants, tugging her inside. Jiang Yuan was pulled in stiffly, her body rigid.
Jiang Yuan stood beside Chi Xu's bed, looking down at him under the quilt. Her lips trembled slightly as she tried to speak.
But her heavy heart constricted her throat. Every word seemed to weigh a ton.
"Chi... Chi Xu."
She called out softly, but there was no response from under the quilt.
Jiang Yuan swallowed the bitterness in her throat and raised her voice a bit. "Chi Xu..."
Still no response.
All sorts of panicked thoughts flooded her mind.
With a trembling hand, Jiang Yuan grabbed a corner of the quilt and gently lifted it.
The boy's face was pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. His damp bangs clung to his forehead. He looked weak and listless.
Chi Xu felt a sudden bright light through his thin eyelids. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, and after getting used to it a bit, he opened them a crack drowsily.
He saw the girl he had been longing for standing in front of him.
His mind went blank for a moment. Chi Xu felt his whole body aching and burning. His eyelids were sore.
In his dream, she seemed so far away and yet so close.
"This must be a dream," Chi Xu murmured, forcing a smile. "Yes, she never liked me. How could she come to see me on her own initiative?"
He closed his eyes again and drifted into the hazy world of unconsciousness.
Jiang Yuan frowned slightly. She stared at Chi Xu for a while before carefully reaching out her hand to touch his cheek.
The temperature under her palm was extremely hot. Jiang Yuan turned on the soft light in the room. The warm - yellow light filled the bedroom.
Chi Xu felt uncomfortable and shifted his body. He raised his arm and covered his closed eyes.
Looking at Chi Xu, who had fallen into a deep sleep again, Jiang Yuan lowered her eyes and sent a message to Jia Fang, asking him to come over. They would take Chi Xu to the hospital together.
If the fever continued, he might lose his mind.
The temperature had dropped suddenly in the past few days. Chi Xu had caught a cold and developed a fever.
He was so careless about his own health. If she hadn't come, what would Chi Xu have done? Would he really have burned for days and nights in this room?
Jia Fang didn't seem to know what was going on. Chi Xu skipped classes, and he didn't even bother to ask or show any concern.
If he had sent a message, they might have noticed something was wrong earlier.
Jiao Jiao was also a handful. With Chi Xu so sick, it still made a mess of the house. If Chi Xu saw it, he would probably force himself out of bed to clean up and refill Jiao Jiao's food and water.
Jiang Yuan blamed everyone in turn, but deep down, she knew they were innocent. If anyone was to blame, it was herself, the one who had started it all.
If it weren't for her, Chi Xu wouldn't have been heart - broken, and he wouldn't have developed a fever.
Jiang Yuan sat beside him, looking down at Chi Xu. She felt extremely guilty about her actions.
Wasn't it just leaving without saying goodbye three years ago?
Did she have to say such harsh words? Did she have to say she didn't like Chi Xu? And did she really have to... reject his confession in public...
Because she cared so much, she couldn't let it go.
Jiang Yuan covered her face with both hands. Her eyes were filled with tears. When she looked up again, the hot tears fell like broken beads, soaking a small patch of the bedsheet.
Jiao Jiao quietly lay by her leg, nuzzling her gently as if to say, "Sister, don't be sad anymore."
"Chi Xu... I'm sorry..."
She didn't care about the leaving without saying goodbye three years ago. All she wanted now was for Chi Xu to get better. She was afraid he would burn his brain out.
In a daze, Chi Xu was awakened by soft sobs. He opened his heavy eyelids, and a bit of light fell into his eyes.
A blurry but familiar figure sat beside his bed, head down, long hair covering the face, shoulders trembling slightly.
The hand on the edge of the quilt moved. His palm touched the wet bedsheet, and his heart skipped a beat.
He whispered softly, "Yuanyuan, why are you crying... Don't cry, okay?"
The girl ignored him, completely immersed in her own world of sorrow.
His fingers crawled slowly on the bed until he reached Jiang Yuan's side. He pinched the corner of her clothes.
Chi Xu bit his lip, trying to stay awake. Despite his burning body, he used all his remaining strength to tug at her clothes.
Jiang Yuan felt the slight tug and turned her head. Her tear - filled eyes met Chi Xu's dark and bright ones.
"Chi Xu, you're awake?"
Jiang Yuan couldn't hold back any longer. She threw herself into Chi Xu's arms and sobbed, "Wuwuwu, I thought you were going to burn your brain out. It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had a fever."
In the past decade, Chi Xu rarely got sick. Even during the flu season when she was sick and feverish, Chi Xu was perfectly fine.
But now...
"I was just careless, Yuanyuan. Don't blame yourself..." Chi Xu raised his hand and stroked Jiang Yuan's head again and again, trying to comfort her. "Don't cry anymore, okay?"
Jiang Yuan sat up. Her cheeks were slightly red. She wiped away her tears and said dejectedly, "Okay, I won't cry anymore. I won't cry."
Chi Xu forced a smile. His mind was still hazy. He looked at her vaguely, grabbed her hand, and said hoarsely, "I'm so tired. I want to sleep for a while. Yuanyuan, can you stay with me? Just stay with me for a while."
He deliberately dragged out the last word. His voice was hoarse and full of grievance. His dark eyes were not as bright as before, but held a hint of pleading.
"Okay, I promise I'll stay with you. Chi Xu, go to sleep. I won't leave..."
The clear but choked - up voice lingered in his ears. Chi Xu made sure he was holding Jiang Yuan's hand tightly. He exhausted his last bit of strength, took one last look at her, and then fell into a deep sleep with the familiar voice in his ears.
He thought, Yuanyuan finally admitted that she cared about him. She was willing to face her true feelings at last.