Chapter 48: That Thing
It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Mu Le naturally didn’t want to spend the whole holiday stuck in the hospital. So, even though she wasn’t fully recovered, she persuaded Mu Cheng to let her go home.
Well… the main reason was really that she didn’t want more injections. Apparently, to get better faster, she would have to endure a few more pricks.
Earlier, while she had been drowsy, she hadn’t paid attention. But once she thought about that sharp little thing clearly, she felt uneasy all over.
All her life, she had never minded taking medicine or IV drips, but she was always terrified of needles. Even thinking about them made her shiver.
Mu Cheng didn’t really agree, but seeing Mu Le lively and energetic, he finally said nothing.
So in the afternoon, he brought Mu Le, still a little congested from her cold, back home.
Her high fever had gone down, but colds didn’t get better in just one day, even with medicine. Two or three days were still needed.
Fortunately, it was only a blocked nose, which didn’t interfere too much with daily life, though it was still uncomfortable.
On the way home, the weather, which had been a bit gloomy, started to drizzle. The faint chill in the air now carried a hint of winter.
Because they had rushed out, Mu Le hadn’t even worn a coat. She shivered the moment she got out of the car.
Luckily, the rain wasn’t heavy. Mu Cheng told her to head straight to the apartment while he parked the car.
Mu Le nodded and quickly walked toward the building.
But unexpectedly, right in front of her door, she ran into someone who shouldn’t have been there.
“…Huh? What are you doing here?”
Seeing Xiao Yuze leaning by the door, Mu Le froze for a moment.
The man didn’t answer, only glanced at her, then walked over.
He gently pushed aside a strand of hair from her forehead and touched her head to check. Seeing that she looked a bit cold, his brow furrowed slightly.
“Why aren’t you wearing more clothes when you have a fever? What if it gets worse?”
As he spoke, Xiao Yuze had already taken off his own coat. Before Mu Le could react, he draped it over her shoulders in a few quick motions.
“You haven’t answered my question, why are you here?” Mu Le frowned delicately, letting him put his oversized coat over her like dressing a doll.
Judging by his expression, he had clearly been waiting here for a while.
“I heard from Uncle Mu that you were sick, so I came to check on you,” Xiao Yuze said with a slightly helpless smile. “Come inside, we’ll talk there.”
Seeing that Mu Le’s puffy little face showed obvious displeasure, he gently rubbed her head with his hand.
Of course, she swatted his hand away the next moment.
Still, she seemed to accept his suggestion and, using the key her dad had just given her, gently opened the apartment door.
The room didn’t have the air conditioner on, but it was clearly much warmer than outside. Mu Le didn’t take off her coat yet.
After being outside in the cold wind for a while, Mu Le, who hadn’t fully recovered, was still feeling a little uncomfortable.
Xiao Yuze’s coat was oversized on her, but she had to admit that it was very comfortable.
It also carried a gentle warmth and a pleasant smell, which made her body feel slightly warm, but not in the uncomfortable way of a fever.
After bringing the man inside, Mu Le had him sit on the sofa before going to make him a cup of tea.
Just then, Mu Cheng returned home as well.
When he saw Xiao Yuze greet him, he didn’t seem surprised, only giving a cold snort.
But when his eyes landed on the coat Mu Le was wearing, he paused for a moment.
In the end, he didn’t say anything, casually greeted Xiao Yuze, and then looked at Mu Le with a slightly helpless expression.
Seeing the girl’s expression so different from earlier, he could only sigh quietly.
“Lele, you and this guy sit for a while. I’ll change clothes and go buy some ingredients. And you,” he said, glancing at Xiao Yuze, “stop looking around. I’ll call your good-for-nothing dad later and tell him you’re staying here for dinner tonight… well, spending the night is fine too. I still have a few guest rooms here.”
Honestly, it wasn’t exactly proper to interrupt someone else’s family gathering on the Mid-Autumn Festival, but Mu Cheng didn’t feel the slightest hesitation.
As long as Mu Le was happy, he wouldn’t care, even if it meant forcing Xiao Yuze to stay for dinner and the night, he could do it without a second thought.
Xiao Yuze wanted to say something, but after catching Mu Cheng’s gaze, he only forced a stiff smile. “Cough… alright, Uncle Mu. But I’ll skip the overnight stay, my mother is waiting for me at home.”
Mu Cheng glanced at him and said nothing, heading to his room to change.
He had rushed out so quickly in the morning that he had worn simple clothes and grabbed his wallet before bringing Mu Le to the hospital.
Actually, the house still had enough food, but supplies were running low, so buying more wasn’t a problem.
More importantly, after seeing Xiao Yuze, Mu Cheng wanted to leave enough time and space for the two of them. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to park the car earlier.
“Feeling any better?” Xiao Yuze asked once Mu Cheng had gone back to his room.
Mu Le rolled up her oversized sleeves and nodded.
“I’m fine, just a little cold and a slight fever. But you… coming all this way, won’t your uncle and aunt get upset?”
“Don’t worry, I asked them first before coming.”
Before coming over, Xiao Yuze’s parents had hoped he could bring Mu Le home for dinner. But that clearly wasn’t possible now.
Even if it were, Xiao Yuze couldn’t have done it.
After all, his parents at least had each other, while Mu Cheng lived alone most of the year. Mu Le only came home for holidays.
Even if Mu Cheng occasionally went out with friends, those people weren’t comparable to Mu Le in importance.
So Xiao Yuze came purely because he was worried.
Although it was just a fever, he knew Mu Le’s constitution well. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone to the hospital.
He couldn’t help but worry if he couldn’t see her healthy.
“Is that so?” Mu Le glanced at him, then sipped her tea.
The slightly hot tea slid down her dry throat, making her close her eyes in comfort.
“Actually, my parents even wanted me to bring you home to stay the night. What do you think… want to consider it?” Xiao Yuze said, unable to resist teasing her a little when he saw her cute little face.
“Pft! Cough, cough…”
His words nearly made Mu Le spit out her tea. Choked by it, she started coughing violently.
She gestured for Xiao Yuze to stay seated and took a moment to catch her breath. Once she felt better, she looked back at him.
She knew very well that most of what he said was intentionally teasing her.
After thinking for a moment…
“Are we staying in the same room? If yes, I’ll consider it.”
Xiao Yuze: “……”
The man, caught off guard by her playful comeback, rubbed his nose, feeling a bit helpless.