She felt a little better after a good night's sleep, but she didn't dare let Qiao Anchen know. Chu Yi could already imagine being scolded mercilessly.
She lied and said that she was going shopping with Cheng Li that night and would be back very late, so that Qiao Anchen shouldn't wait for her.
In the restaurant, Chu Yi was blowing her nose with a tissue while inhaling. Across from her, Cheng Li was wrapped up tightly from head to toe, as if trying to keep a safe distance of ten meters from her. She was wearing a virus-proof mask and a hat, with only her wary eyes showing.
"I'm telling you, kid, you're already like this, so why don't you go out and become a mobile virus spreading to others? Wouldn't it be better to contribute to the harmonious construction of socialism?"
"Do you think I wanted this?" Chu Yi explained the whole story to her, and Cheng Li nodded repeatedly after listening.
"Yeah, if I were Qiao Anchen, I'd beat you to a pulp."
"..."
“But why are you doing this? I’m on the prosecutor’s side this time,” Cheng Li said, adjusting her posture. Chu Yi sniffed her red nose and glared at her.
"What do you know..." Her voice was thick with a nasal tone, muffled and gruff.
"I call this sacrificing myself for love."
“…Fine.” Cheng Li couldn’t stand it anymore and rolled her eyes in disapproval.
"I can only sum up your behavior in three words."
"Love, love, brain!"
...
Chu Yi deliberately stayed out very late before returning home. When she carefully pushed open the door, it was already past Qiao Anchen's bedtime, and the living room was pitch black.
She tiptoed inside, not daring to return to the bedroom, and quietly closed the door to the guest room next door.
The smuggling was complete. Chu Yi breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out her pre-prepared pajamas from under the covers to go to the bathroom to wash up.
After taking a shower, Chu Yi went to the kitchen to get a cup of hot water to take her medicine. She didn't even dare to turn on the light, and carefully used her phone's light for illumination.
After finishing her meal, she turned to go back, but as soon as she took a step, she saw a dark figure not far away. She screamed in fright and almost dropped her phone.
"Chu Yi?"
"What are you doing?" Qiao Anchen spoke first, and activated the light on the wall next to him. Instantly, everything in front of him became bright, and Chu Yi was like a little mouse suddenly exposed to the light.
She swallowed nervously.
"I...I came out to get a drink of water."
"When did you get back? Why didn't you go back to your room?" Qiao Anchen asked, glancing at her pajamas. Chu Yi answered cautiously.
"I just got back not long ago, and I was afraid of waking you, so I went to the guest room next door." After saying that, she added guiltily.
"You've just recovered from an illness, so sleep is very important."
Qiao Anchen looked at her suspiciously, but found nothing amiss. He frowned and was about to tell her to come back to sleep when suddenly, Chu Yi couldn't help but sneeze loudly.
Even its small body trembled, and the loud sneeze seemed to echo in the quiet night air.
The two locked eyes. Qiao Anchen's expression was inscrutable, revealing neither joy nor anger. Chu Yi stood there, not daring to utter a sound.
The world seemed to stand still.
"You have a cold?"
It might have taken a few seconds, or it might have taken several minutes. The judgment of fate came late. Chu Yi mustered up her courage and looked directly at Qiao Anchen, pretending to be calm.
No, it was probably an accident.
No sooner had he finished speaking than another loud sneeze, deafeningly loud. Before Chu Yi could even defend herself, this time, Qiao Anchen's question had turned into a statement, accompanied by a blank nod.
You have a cold.
Author's Note: If you think the female lead is being difficult, please don't criticize her. It's because my writing skills aren't good enough to portray her well. Although if my boyfriend were sick in the hospital and wanted to kick me out for fear of infection, I wouldn't leave either.
PPS, I don't think she's a good girl at all. She's still the girl I like.
I'm giving away 80 red envelopes in this chapter. Wishing everyone happiness every day.
56. Chapter 56
Chu Yi stood there for several seconds, speechless. The scene seemed to freeze. Finally, she couldn't help but reach out and rub her itchy nose, even taking a couple of sniffs.
Upon seeing this, Qiao Anchen noticed her thin nightgown and the unreadable expression on her face.
"Hurry up, come back to sleep."
After he finished speaking, he turned around, and Chu Yi followed behind him, hunched over, head down and dejected.
"Have you taken your medicine?" Qiao Anchen asked as they returned to the room, and Chu Yi nodded honestly.
When did you catch a cold?
"Get up in the morning."
"You deliberately went out to avoid being discovered?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yi secretly glanced at Qiao Anchen, but quickly looked away after being noticed, and answered softly.
"Um…"
Qiao Anchen pressed his temples.
"Is there anything else that's bothering you?" he asked Chu Yi one last time. The latter shook his head and said cautiously, "No, I think I'll feel better after a good night's sleep."
You still think you won't get infected?
Qiao Anchen swallowed his words and didn't say anything.
"Go to sleep." He pulled back the covers and gestured to Chu Yi, who was standing there like she was being interrogated. She said "oh," slowly climbed into bed, burrowed under the covers, and peeked her head out at him.
It was blinking its eyes.
Qiao Anchen suppressed his soft heart, lay down next to her with a straight face, and then reached out to turn off the light.
Chu Yi was quite a distance away from him, with enough room for at least another person to lie down. Qiao Anchen hesitated for two seconds before finally speaking up: "Why are you sleeping so far away?"
"I'm afraid I'll infect you." After a moment, Chu Yi's weak voice came through. Qiao Anchen couldn't bear it any longer, so he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms.
"I'm fine, I still have antibodies, so I won't get infected."
"Oh." Chu Yi was relieved after hearing this and obediently hugged him.
Qiao Anchen's expression softened slightly, and he gently stroked her hair with his palm, patting it lightly.
"Go to sleep."
My cold came on quickly and went away quickly. I rested at home for a few days. Apart from feeling weak and uncomfortable all over at the beginning, I was almost completely fine afterward.
Qiao Anchen has been lukewarm towards her these past few days, or perhaps not, but Chu Yi is just feeling guilty and overthinking things. Besides, he's naturally a man of few words, and they don't have much time to spend together after get off work each day.
Caught between two pressures, Chu Yi couldn't help but feel uneasy, racking her brains for a way to please Qiao Anchen.
That evening, Qiao Anchen, who had just finished working overtime all day, came out of the shower and saw Chu Yi suddenly sit up in bed, smiling at him with an exceptionally charming smile.
"Qiao Anchen, don't your shoulders ache from sitting in front of the computer all day?"
“I don’t sit in front of the computer every day,” Qiao Anchen said without hesitation, sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking at Chu Yi with a puzzled expression.
“I also have to make visits, appear in court, meet with the parties involved, and sometimes I have to conduct my own investigations and collect evidence.”
“…Oh.” Chu Yi swallowed hard and continued her self-directed performance, greeting everyone enthusiastically.
"You must be exhausted after working overtime all day! Let me give you a massage!"
Qiao Anchen: "...?"
"Come on, come on." Chu Yi dragged him by the arm and pulled him over. Qiao Anchen was confused and half-heartedly resisted, tentatively lying on the bed and letting her move him.
Chu Yi knelt down beside him and flexed her fingers.
"Let's begin!"
Qiao Anchen: "Okay...okay?"
Chu Yi suddenly remembered this when she went for a massage with Cheng Li today. Because the masseuse made her feel very comfortable, Chu Yi wanted Qiao Anchen to try it too. However, he was so busy with work, so Chu Yi had to learn it herself and go back to give him a massage.
She wouldn't say it's because all the masseuses here are women... um.
Qiao Anchen felt a moderate pressure on his shoulder, a skillful massage of his spondylosis, and a wave of comfort washed over him, causing him to involuntarily close his eyes.
"Where did you learn it?" he asked lazily, and Chu Yi turned his head to ask him.
"How are you feeling? Are you comfortable?"
"You did a great job," Qiao Anchen replied truthfully. Chu Yi smiled smugly and couldn't help but raise her chin.
"I went for a massage with Cheng Li today and secretly learned a couple of tricks from her."
“Not bad…” Qiao Anchen’s face moved slightly as he found a more comfortable position.
"I've grown up." He muttered to himself, but Chu Yi, who had sharp ears, heard him. She suddenly had the illusion that her daughter had suddenly become sensible and started taking care of her old father.
Chu Yi was dazed for two seconds before snapping back to reality in shock.
She squeezed harder than before, and Qiao Anchen frowned and groaned. Chu Yi said with dissatisfaction, "I just got a haircut recently."
"Um?"
"He hasn't experienced mental degeneration."
Qiao Anchen lowered his head and chuckled, seemingly unable to control himself. His shoulders trembled slightly, and he laughed for a while before stopping.
He nodded seriously, pretending to be solemn, and said, "It's fine."
After saying that, he seemed afraid that Chu Yi would be angry, so he added another sentence.
"It's better than before."
"What was I like before?" Chu Yi became interested and curiously discussed it with him. Qiao Anchen pondered for a few seconds and then slowly spoke.
"You seem more composed, like you keep things to yourself." Qiao Anchen thought about it carefully for a moment, then answered confidently, "Nothing else."
What he didn't say was that the previous Chu Yi was more like a child pretending to be mature, locking his true self in a glass dome, only occasionally revealing a glimpse of himself.
After hearing his explanation, Chu Yi understood and answered as a matter of course.
"That's because we weren't familiar with each other before."