Mo Zi's body was slowly recovering. She had been moved from the ICU to a regular ward. Xiao Jun's smile grew wider, but Pei Hao and Mo Xi's mental states were deteriorating. Mo Xi had been taking cold showers for almost a week. His cold had worsened, and coughing and a runny nose were the least of his worries. Yesterday, he had even started running a low-grade fever. His head felt dizzy, and he couldn't write a single line of code despite staring at the computer for a long time. When he returned to the hostel to sleep this morning, the air conditioning wasn't working, and he was shivering with cold. Even after wrapping himself in two blankets, he couldn't get warm. His face alternated between hot and cold in waves.
Mo Xi called the front desk, asking why the air conditioning was broken. The receptionist nonchalantly responded, "It's normal. Just wait a bit longer. Someone will come to fix it tomorrow. Or do you want to change rooms tomorrow? We're fully booked for today."
"Damn it!" Even the perpetually patient Mo Xi was getting frustrated. He thought, "You can go to hell. Tomorrow, I'm definitely changing accommodations." Mo Xi forced himself to go out and buy a box of fever-reducing medicine. He took a few pills and fell into a deep sleep wrapped in blankets.
In the evening, Pei Hao waited at the hospital until 11 o'clock, and Mo Xi still hadn't arrived. Normally, he would have been there by 9 o'clock. He called Mo Xi's phone, but it was turned off. Something didn't seem right. He greeted Xiao Jun and then took a taxi to the place Mo Xi was staying. He knocked on the door for a while before the person inside sluggishly opened the door to let him in.
Mo Xi had been in a deep sleep, dreaming of a chaotic universe and a vague earth. He was being chased by a group of hideous monsters, running everywhere to escape. Just as he was fleeing, he heard a "thud thud" knocking at the door from outside. He slowly roused himself from the bed, his head heavy. It took him a minute to distinguish between reality and the dream. Only then did he realize that the person knocking at the door was Pei Hao. He had just stood up when he suddenly felt weak all over, almost losing his balance. It took him what felt like a long time to traverse the few steps from the bedside to the door.
As soon as he opened the door, his legs gave way, and he hurriedly grabbed onto a nearby chair, sitting down heavily.
"What's wrong with you?" Pei Hao was startled when he saw the person in front of him with a pale face.
Mo Xi tilted his head back, sweat beads formed on his forehead, and his clothes were soaked from the sweat on his back. He shifted into a position that wouldn't press his back against the chair and opened his mouth uncomfortably, "Not feeling too well."
Pei Hao walked over and touched his forehead; it was burning hot. Mo Xi's face was also flushed red. Pei Hao's heart tightened, and he immediately put a coat and shoes on Mo Xi. He lifted Mo Xi into his arms and headed straight for the hospital.
The doctor said Mo Xi had a severe cold, and his temperature had risen to 40 degrees Celsius. He needed medication and an IV immediately.
After giving Mo Xi his medicine, Pei Hao called Xiao Jun to let him know that there might be no one at Mo Zi's place tonight, so Xiao Jun took another night shift.
Mo Xi slept for a long time. He vaguely remembered that Pei Hao had been holding his hand all along, saying a lot of things. He even seemed to have leaned down and kissed him, but he wasn't sure if it was real or a hallucination. He decided to pretend it hadn't happened.
When he woke up, it was already noon the next day. His high fever had subsided a bit. Although he was still sweating profusely, his mind was much clearer than the previous night. Pei Hao was lying next to his bed, his eyes half-closed, breathing shallowly. One of his palms was resting on the hand where the IV was attached. Once, when he had a cold, he complained that the hand with the IV was cold, so Pei Hao placed his hand underneath to keep it warm until the IV was finished. Mo Xi hadn't expected Pei Hao to remember such a small thing.
Looking at Pei Hao's face just beneath his eyelids, his hair scattered across his forehead, his brows furrowed slightly, and his pale complexion, he didn't seem much better than the patient lying in bed.
Without thinking, Mo Xi wanted to smooth out the creases on Pei Hao's forehead. But his fingers stopped a foot away from Pei Hao's brow. On what grounds did he have to make such an intimate gesture to Pei Hao? They were nothing to each other now.
He withdrew his hand and gave his forehead a forceful pat. He was truly feverish.
The rustling above his head woke Pei Hao up. He opened his eyes drowsily and saw Mo Xi patting his own head, looking concerned. "Do you have a headache?"
"A bit." Mo Xi turned his face away, unable to meet Pei Hao's eyes.
"Then I'll go call the doctor." Pei Hao stood up, ready to leave.
"Don't!" Mo Xi grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back. Then he quickly came up with an excuse, "I want to drink water."
"Alright." Pei Hao went to pour him a glass of lukewarm water and shook it a few times before holding it to Mo Xi's lips. He fed him the water, all the while remembering that he had a headache. "If your head hurts, I'll go find the doctor."
"Let's not do that for now." Mo Xi waved his hand, his gaze unfocused.
Halfway through the glass of water, Pei Hao received a call. He responded briefly with a few "yes" before stating the room number and quickly hanging up.
Mo Xi asked him, "Who's coming over?"
"A colleague, bringing some documents." Pei Hao said.
Suddenly, Mo Xi remembered that today was Monday, and Pei Hao should have gone to work. He turned to Pei Hao and asked, "Aren't you going to the office?"
Pei Hao had one hand supporting his forehead and smiled, saying, "What do you think? If I leave, who's going to take care of you?"
"Oh," Mo Xi mumbled to himself with his head lowered, "I guess I won't die anyway."
When Chen Xu left for work in the morning, he heard that Pei Hao had taken a week off from the company. The week suddenly seemed very long. He felt sluggish while editing documents, but then he received a text message from Pei Hao, asking him to bring some materials to the hospital. In an instant, he felt reinvigorated.
Thinking that Pei Hao was sick, Chen Xu carefully chose some fruits and snacks on his way to the hospital. He wasn't familiar with Pei Hao's private circle of friends and wasn't sure if he was in a relationship or even if Pei Hao was attracted to men. He only knew that Pei Hao seemed to have fallen out with his family, which was why he had come to their company. If Pei Hao wasn't being cared for during this time, maybe he would have a chance to make an impression?
The hospital room was on the sixth floor. When Chen Xu arrived at the door with the heavy fruits and materials, he froze. Pei Hao's back was turned to him, and he was holding a cup of water, feeding the person in the hospital bed. The person on the bed was a young man in his twenties, with delicate features. Chen Xu couldn't see Pei Hao's expression, but he could hear his gentle laughter. The usually cold Pei Hao was smiling warmly at that person.
The man on the hospital bed seemed to notice him. He nudged Pei Hao and looked towards where Chen Xu was standing, asking, "Your colleague?"
Pei Hao turned around, motioned for Chen Xu to come in, and with a hint of surprise in his eyes due to the amount of things Chen Xu had brought, he asked, "Why did you buy so many things?"
"I thought you were sick," Chen Xu said, embarrassed, as he rubbed his head. He used a smile to cover up his awkwardness and discomfort, "Since I brought them, I'll just give them to your friend."
Pei Hao fetched a chair for him and half-jokingly, half-seriously said, "Take them back, so that Sister Fu won't accuse me of bribery later."
Actually, these fruits didn't cost much. He just didn't want to get too close to anyone at the company, especially Chen Xu. Pei Hao always felt that Chen Xu's eyes held something indistinct whenever they were directed at him. He couldn't be entirely sure if Chen Xu had certain thoughts about him.
"Oh." Chen Xu felt a bit disheartened. Pei Hao always seemed to reject him in various ways, as if he was unwilling to have any connection with him outside of work. Chen Xu had always thought that Pei Hao was distant and reserved toward everyone. However, he realized today that Pei Hao could also smile so brilliantly at someone.
"These are the documents you wanted." Chen Xu took out a stack of papers from his bag and handed them to Pei Hao.
Pei Hao took them, flipped through them to confirm they were correct, and then gave Chen Xu a shallow smile, saying, "Thank you."
In the moment Chen Xu looked up, he met Pei Hao's eyes that were brimming with smiles—eyes that he rarely saw so full of warmth. His heart raced, and his mind went blank. He stood there dazed for a few seconds before coming back to his senses and telling Pei Hao it was nothing. He touched his own face with the back of his hand and realized it was warm, probably from blushing.
Looking at the floor guiltily, Chen Xu prayed that Pei Hao wouldn't notice the thoughts he harbored in his heart.
Pei Hao didn't pay attention to these details. Instead, he noticed that Mo Xi's face on the bed had suddenly darkened. He had caught every fleeting emotion in Mo Xi's eyes, those tender and affectionate gazes, the same ones he used to give seven years ago. Carefully cherishing his beloved in his heart, feeling fervent admiration but finding it hard to express, he understood this feeling better than anyone.
Less than five minutes after Chen Xu entered, Mo Xi was certain that he liked Pei Hao. Just like the first afternoon when he met Pei Hao, it took him less than five minutes to notice and be sure that he had fallen for Pei Hao.
Love at first sight, an eternal glance, one-sided affection, then being ignored and hurt, followed by spending several years, or even decades, trying to forget.
This was his humble love.
In theory, it shouldn't concern him if someone liked Pei Hao, but for some reason, a wave of irritability surged within Mo Xi. He knew he shouldn't feel this way, but he couldn't control it. After a few casual exchanges between Pei Hao and Chen Xu, Pei Hao turned to find Mo Xi sitting there with a cold expression, not saying a word. He reached out to touch Mo Xi's forehead, concernedly asking, "What's wrong? Is your headache back?"
Chen Xu's eyelids twitched as he observed Pei Hao's gentle and affectionate attitude towards this person. He felt a bit envious and even a touch jealous.
"I'm fine, just a bit tired," Mo Xi reorganized his emotions, put on a different expression, and smiled at the young man in front of him. He said, "You two can chat, I'm going to take a nap."
"Sure, rest well," Chen Xu nodded. For some reason, he felt that the person on the bed seemed displeased when they saw him.
Chen Xu hadn't been chatting with Pei Hao for long before leaving. Pei Hao's entire attention was on the person in the bed. He would turn his head to glance at him every few sentences, making sure the person was sleeping peacefully without any issues. Even as Chen Xu left, Pei Hao was still tucking in the blankets for the person, not even casting a glance in Chen Xu's direction.
If Pei Hao hadn't greeted him earlier, Chen Xu might have suspected that he had mistaken the person. When had he ever seen Pei Hao care so much about someone else?
Chen Xu had a sleepless night that night. Thinking about the way Pei Hao looked at that person, he couldn't help but feel he didn't stand a chance. But he still held onto a sliver of hope. What if that person was Pei Hao's younger brother?
He decided to find an opportunity to clarify the relationship between Pei Hao and that person.