Chapter 24: The Sickly Temptress (Part 2)

  I slept soundly.

  When I opened my eyes again, only a small table lamp was on in the room. The orange light warmly illuminated one corner of the bedhead and cast a narrow shadow on the ceiling.

  My throat doesn't hurt that much anymore, but my breathing is still not smooth. Just lying here like this makes me feel like I'm being suffocated by the snot in my nose.

  I struggled to sit up by myself, using my hands to prop up the soft bed, and my limbs felt a bit numb. The back of my head also felt like it had been pressed down by something.

  It's actually come to this... just how long have I been asleep?

  "Ugh..." I couldn't help but sigh, and indeed, when illness strikes, it's like a mountain collapsing. Even if I'm normally full of energy, now I'm completely unable to cope. Who knows what kind of miserable state I'll be in when the illness passes?

  I pulled open the drawer and fished out my phone. I lit up the screen, and my eyes were almost blinded by those square, upright digits.

  "4:44? I woke up too auspiciously, and I actually slept from yesterday afternoon to now. Cold medicine really can't be taken too much." I croaked a bitter laugh, turned my eyes, and saw the thermos on the cabinet and a piece of paper pressed underneath it.

  I pulled out that piece of paper. After reading the content written on it, I was a bit speechless: "Come on, Xiao Qiao, are you treating me like an old man with dementia? Of course, I'll remember to drink water when I'm thirsty."

  I smiled and poured myself a cup of water from the thermos. It was still warm, apparently Qiao had changed the water before he left. At this time, he should be asleep in his own home too.

  Dad and Da Bo are probably back too, Bai Yue is not in my room I was a bit surprised, but maybe he's afraid of being infected by me. So he went to sleep in the empty guest room. I don't plan on going out to take a look either, after all it's already 4 am, I'm not bored enough to go check who else is still awake in the living room.

  After some thought, I threw off the quilt and got out of bed, took a nightgown from the closet and went into the bathroom.

  Although I don't have obsessive-compulsive disorder, in this scorching summer, it's not easy for ordinary people to endure two days and two nights without taking a bath. Anyway, I just woke up and my spirit is still good, might as well take a bath to get rid of the stale air.

  Adjust the water temperature to a few degrees higher than usual. Close your eyes and face the gushing water from the showerhead, scalding hot water instantly sweeping across the body that was still slightly cool, a kind of unspeakable comfort slowly rising from the bottom of my heart.

  I opened my eyes, and a wave of white heat rose from my slightly flushed skin, making the entire bathroom hazy.

  The only benefit of having a cold is that you can take hot showers in the summer without worrying about being scalded to death.

  After coming out, I wiped my hair while sniffing my nose and saw the computer on the desk. Suddenly remembered that I've been busy with the dessert shop business recently and haven't drawn for a long time.

  My hand suddenly itched.

  I didn't expect that after drawing for only half an hour, my head started to ache vaguely. I pinched the water-rich hair on my shoulders and almost slapped myself to death. I was still having a cold, but I didn't blow-dry my hair and did other things instead. I've really been fried into a pig's brain!

  After hastily shutting down, I immediately took out the hair dryer from the bathroom to blow dry my hair. The hot air hit me in the face and my mind started to get dizzy again.

  Okay, go back to sleep then.

  It must be because I just took a bath and my body feels refreshed, now lying on the soft bed is more comfortable than before, I touched the fluffy blanket on my body, I let out a happy sigh, wrapped the blanket tightly and fell asleep instantly.

  After a while, I vaguely heard a familiar yet piercing sound: "Hiss! Hiss!"

  "Yesterday, I only thought about not letting Ayo wake up to the sun's glare, so I pulled all the curtains closed. However, I forgot that a sick person should breathe in fresh air and let it circulate. After returning home, I couldn't shake off this thought for the entire night, feeling increasingly uneasy. So today, I came early to make up for my mistake. Fortunately, the sunlight in this room is great, and since today's sun isn't too strong, Ayo can bask in its warm and gentle rays to help with his recovery."

  Still sterilizing, it should be poisonous, on a hot day like this, you still want me to sunbathe, handsome boy, how much do you want me to become an African girl? As soon as I heard it, I knew it was Cheng Qiao speaking.

  "Senpai is really kind-hearted, never letting go of an opportunity at any time." Another calm voice sounded.

  I was surprised to think that Ah Qian would also be called Cheng Qiao Xue Chang.

  "Thanks, it's already become my conditioned reflex."

  "But Senpai's energy is a bit too overwhelming, right? He probably hasn't slept in three days and yet he still has the spirit to serve Yayao." A shallow paused for a moment, "But I always feel that your overwhelming energy will be a hidden danger for Yayao's future..."

  I vaguely refuted her in my heart, Ah Qian you're wrong, Cheng Qiao slept at my place yesterday, and our home's sofa is your acknowledged comfort king, so Cheng Qiao must have rested very well too.

  Qiao Jing smiled lightly: "Little Qin, your thinking is too long-winded and the content is also too intrusive, which makes me embarrassed. However, you're right, just thinking about serving Yao Yao makes me so excited that I can't sleep, this is a disease, and it's incurable."

  I rolled my eyes at Xiao Qiao, saying that I was being exploited by the capitalist class like a laborer, and it wasn't me who called you here yesterday.

  "You're really... huh, why are your eyes rolling around so fiercely?" A shallow voice approached me, "Sickly one, you've finally slept enough?"

  "A Yao woke up? How come so early, did we disturb you or is the sunlight too dazzling?" Cheng Qiao's voice also drew near.

  I struggled to open my eyes, and on either side of the bed were Ah Qian and Cheng Qiao's faces. I raised one hand to block out the sunlight coming in from the window and said in a daze: "If I don't wake up now, I'll really become a pig."

  "Ah, shallowly residing in a high and lofty position, looking down on me with a cold smile: 'Do you only now know your true nature?'"

  I weakly shifted my gaze to Cheng Qiao: "It's still better to listen to you speak, it won't annoy me."

  Cheng Qiao smiled sweetly: "A Yao, there's no one at home today either."

  "What did you say?"

  "Just now, Bai Auntie and Bai Uncle told me to pass on a message to Ah Yao before they went out. They said that you don't need to go to the dessert shop today, just continue resting at home for another day, and then go back to work tomorrow. Moreover, Wen Auntie has also recruited several capable male waiters, so you completely don't have to worry that the shop will be too busy without us."

  "Wait," I got out of bed, "what 'we' did you just mention?"

  "It's just you and me." He blinked innocently.

  I immediately cast a sincere and hopeful glance at A-Qian: "Dear, will you be here with me all day today?"

  She hugged her arms and said lightly: "Sorry, how dare this annoying person appear in front of you for a long time when you're not feeling well?"

  "I was wrong..."

  "You're useless even if you're broken, I have a tennis date with Tony today and I won't break it for someone like you. As she said that, she suddenly leaned in close to my face, lifted my chin with one hand, and hooked her lips saying, "But don't worry, under Xiao Qiao's beautiful service, you'll definitely have a wonderful rest day."

  "After saying that, she looked at Cheng Qiao: 'Only you and Yaoyao are left, everything depends on you, I'll go first.'"

  Qiao nodded with her eyes curved.

  "Ashallow, you can't be so heartless, I'm a patient now, shouldn't you take care of the elderly, weak, sick and disabled? Now I only have you to rely on, you can't do this to me, Ashallow, Ashallow..."

  Under my wails, the only response was the "bang" of the door closing outside.

  I hung my head in despair.

  "A Yao, don't you like me staying here with you?" Cheng Qiao's voice suddenly sounded low.

  ps：

  Thank you for the encouragement ticket from [Nan Xi Bei Wang]!