On the weekend, Yu Chun accompanied Old Madam Pei and Qi Yunxi to Jing City, where they met with the rest of the Pei family.
In the end, it’s unclear how Yu Chun negotiated with the Pei family, but they agreed to let her finish the current semester before moving to Jing City. Since Grandma Xin didn’t want to go to Jing City, the Pei family promised Yu Chun that she could return during winter and summer breaks to visit her grandmother.
After Yu Chun returned, Qi Yunxi, due to work commitments, had to frequently travel between the two cities. Every time she came to Jinjiang, she would invite her little cousin Yu Chun out for meals. After a few outings, Yu Chun became much closer to her than to the other members of the Pei family.
Ever since her discussion with Gu Junxing about the "virtual world," Nian Suian had been contemplating whether to tell him that she wasn’t the original host of this body.
She thought Gu Junxing made a valid point—if everyone in a world believes it’s real, then it is real.
During her time living here, Nian Suian no longer observed the world with the detached curiosity of an outsider. Instead, she began to integrate herself into this world, becoming a part of it.
Gradually, she even started to forget that she didn’t originally belong here.
With these thoughts weighing on her mind, she found it hard to sleep at night. One evening, after tossing and turning, she got up and stepped out onto the balcony.
The villa area was sparsely populated, and the night was exceptionally quiet. From the balcony, she could only see the faint glow of a few solar-powered lights in the yard.
She ran her hand along the cool railing, reminding herself that everything here, everything she was experiencing, was real.
Nian Suian had only thrown on a thin robe when she stepped outside. It was late March, and the night air was still chilly. Feeling the cold, she eventually went back inside.
Even after returning to bed, she continued to toss and turn for a while before finally falling asleep at some unknown hour.
Later, Nian Suian was awakened by a series of knocks on her door.
At first, she thought she was dreaming, but after a while, the knocking and the voice calling her name became clearer.
"Madam! Madam, are you awake?"
"I’m awake…" she replied instinctively, though her voice came out hoarse.
Her head was pounding, and when she touched her forehead, it felt warm, though she wasn’t entirely sure.
Nanny Zhang was still calling for her at the door, so Nian Suian dragged her weak body over to open it.
"Nanny Zhang, what’s wrong?"
"Oh dear! Madam, are you sick?!"
As soon as Nanny Zhang heard Nian Suian’s voice, she knew something was off.
After preparing lunch earlier, she had noticed that Nian Suian hadn’t come downstairs. At first, she didn’t think much of it, as the madam sometimes slept in quite late.
But by two o’clock, there was still no movement, and Nanny Zhang grew concerned. She hurried upstairs to check on her.
Nanny Zhang quickly supported Nian Suian with one hand while feeling her forehead with the other.
"Madam, you’re running a fever! Go back to bed right away."
Nian Suian guessed it was probably because she had gone out to the balcony the previous night, lost in melancholy thoughts, and caught a chill. She scolded herself internally—she had been doing fine, living day by day, so why was she suddenly being so sentimental?
Feeling utterly drained, Nian Suian let Nanny Zhang take care of her.
Nanny Zhang helped her back to bed, tucked her in, and then went to fetch a thermometer, placing it under Nian Suian’s arm.
"Madam, are you hungry? What would you like to eat? After we check your temperature, I’ll make something for you."
Nian Suian’s eyes were half-closed, but at the mention of food, she smacked her lips. "Nanny Zhang, my mouth feels bland. I want some spicy hotpot."
"Oh dear! Madam, your throat is in such a state, and you still want spicy hotpot? Let’s pick something else."
"Then I’ll have a non-spicy hotpot, with lots of vinegar."
Nanny Zhang didn’t understand why Nian Suian was so fixated on hotpot, but then she thought about it—hotpot was essentially just vegetables and meat boiled in broth, which wasn’t unhealthy, so she agreed.
"Madam, should I call the master and ask him to come home?"
Without hesitation, Nian Suian refused. "Why call him back? It’s better if he earns more money."
It was just a cold, nothing serious.
A little later, Nanny Zhang took out the thermometer and gasped when she saw the reading. "It’s 38.4 degrees Celsius!"
"It’s fine. Just give me some fever medicine, and I’ll sleep it off."
Back when she was a wage earner, catching a cold or running a fever was almost a relief—it meant she could skip work, take some medicine, sleep until the afternoon, order her favorite takeout, and binge-watch a TV show or variety show. It was practically a perfect day.
Nanny Zhang went downstairs to get the fever medicine, and when Butler Su saw her, he asked about Nian Suian’s condition.
"How’s the madam? Should we inform the master?"
"She’s running a fever. I’m getting her some medicine. The madam said not to tell the master."
Butler Su handed her the medicine box and then immediately called Gu Junxing.
The madam had only told Nanny Zhang not to inform the master, but she hadn’t said anything about him keeping it a secret. As a dutiful butler, how could he not report the madam’s illness to the master?
Unaware of Butler Su’s internal drama, Nian Suian took the fever medicine and lay down to sleep.
"Madam, rest a bit more. I’ll go make your hotpot."
"Okay."
The fever medicine contained ingredients that made her drowsy, and soon Nian Suian felt herself drifting off.
However, her sleep was restless. She kept feeling alternating waves of chills and heat, and her head throbbed as if it might split open.
At some point, she felt a hand gently touch her forehead.
"Why are you back?"
Nian Suian opened her eyes to see Gu Junxing sitting by her bed, his brows furrowed.
"Didn’t I tell you before? If you’re feeling unwell, you must let me know. How long has it been, and you’ve already forgotten?"
As he spoke, Gu Junxing smoothed her sweat-dampened hair, still dressed in the suit he hadn’t had time to change out of.
Nian Suian didn’t reply. She was just a shallow girl at heart—even when sick, she couldn’t help but be captivated by his looks…
"What are you doing?!"
Nian Suian had been admiring Gu Junxing’s handsomeness in his suit when she saw him reaching toward her chest. She mentally scolded him for being so impatient—sure, a sickly beauty might be alluring, but did he really need to be so eager?
"I’m checking the thermometer."
"Oh…"
Maybe the fever had fried her brain. Luckily, her face was already flushed, so her embarrassment wasn’t noticeable.
After checking the thermometer, Gu Junxing’s frown deepened.
"It’s 39 degrees. I’m taking you to the hospital."
"That’s not necessary… Just give me more fever medicine and a cooling patch. I’ll be fine."
Gu Junxing didn’t respond and walked away.
"Hey, you don’t have to get mad just because I don’t want to go to the hospital!"
Well, it seemed he wasn’t leaving after all, but…
"Why are you going to my closet?"
A moment later, Gu Junxing emerged from the closet with a thin coat, a sweater, a pair of pants… and even a bra, which he tossed onto the bed. Then he turned on the room’s heater.