Chapter 48: During the Illness
Ji Shuohan carried Ye Zhile to the dining table and sat him down. Three dishes and one soup, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables.
The Leader’s Manor was very quiet, with only the two of them present.
Ye Zhile ate quietly. This time he actually ate quite a bit, even drinking two bowls of soup.
Having eaten his fill, Ye Zhile regained some of his vitality. He lay on the sofa for a moment, but before even a few minutes passed, a dense, needle-pricking pain started in his limbs again. He gritted his teeth and endured it until a cold, clear pheromone enveloped him like a gust of wind.
Ji Shuohan held him in his arms, continuously feeding him pheromones.
Ye Zhile lay weakly in Ji Shuohan’s embrace, unable to summon even a sliver of strength.
Afraid that Ye Zhile would run a fever again, Ji Shuohan carried him back to the room. The Omega curled up from the pain and spoke with a crying voice: “It hurts so much…”
“Zhile…” Ji Shuohan was somewhat at a loss. His usual calm and steadiness crumbled completely in front of the Omega. He could only give him more and more pheromones.
Waves of pain washed over his limbs, hurting so much that Ye Zhile cried out loud. Ji Shuohan held him, grasping his hand to offer comfort.
Ye Zhile fell into a groggy sleep. In the middle of the night, his fever spiked to forty degrees. Ji Shuohan hurriedly used a wet towel to lower his temperature and fed him fever-reducing medicine. Ye Zhile’s head hurt too much to sleep deeply, but his mind remained unclear, stuck in a constant groggy state.
For the first time, Ji Shuohan felt helpless. He called Xiao Yuanqing. “His high fever won’t go away. I’m very worried.”
Since the Capital was locked down and more infection cases were detected, many places were subsequently sealed off. Xiao Yuanqing was trapped in the hospital and couldn’t come over. Even if he could, it would be useless; once his pheromones contaminated Ye Zhile, Ye Zhile would be in even more pain.
“The KB infection virus causes repeated high fevers. Don’t worry too much. Lele is a Top-tier Omega; his pheromones are at least Top-tier as well, which can support him to the greatest extent through the most dangerous period.” Xiao Yuanqing comforted him, “His temperature is too high right now. Lower his temperature, don’t let him sleep too deeply. Try to let his temperature drop before he falls asleep.”
“Okay.” Ji Shuohan hung up the phone. Staring at the steam rising from the towel applied to Ye Zhile’s forehead, he felt a wave of lingering fear.
Of the deaths caused by the KB infection virus, the most were Omegas. Omegas possessed weaker endurance than Alphas and Betas, yet their pain sensitivity was higher than the other two genders. Thus, Ye Zhile’s pain was even more severe than what he could see.
“My Lord…” Ye Zhile grabbed Ji Shuohan’s hand. His eyes were burning red, and even his panting breaths carried hot steam.
“I’m here.” Ji Shuohan leaned over, stroking his cheek. The scorching heat startled even Ji Shuohan. “Zhile, don’t sleep.”
Clear tears rolled from the corners of Ye Zhile’s eyes. He parted his lips and said weakly, “So uncomfortable… I feel like I’m going to die…”
His voice was as faint as a mosquito’s hum, but Ji Shuohan heard it. He wiped away his tears. “You won’t.”
Ji Shuohan changed his towel. Pheromones filled the entire room. He got onto the bed and held Ye Zhile, letting him rest in his arms.
Ye Zhile suffered from a recurring high fever for three days. On the fourth day, the symptom of aching limbs improved somewhat. Having gone through this illness, he had lost a significant amount of weight. A few days ago, he still had a bit of baby fat on his face, but now he was so thin there was barely any flesh left, making his chin look even sharper and more delicate.
Ji Shuohan fed him food. After eating half of it, he shook his head and refused to eat more. Ji Shuohan didn’t force him and went out to take a call.
Ye Zhile sat leaning against the headboard. When Ji Shuohan came in, he handed him the phone. Ye Zhile looked up in confusion, took it, and placed it by his ear. “Hello?”
“Lele, are you alright?” Wen Yumo’s gentle voice suddenly rang in Ye Zhile’s ear. Ye Zhile froze abruptly, then immediately burst into tears. “Wu… Dad is okay, right?”
“I’m fine, Lele. Sorry, Lele, the signal here was bad, so I couldn’t report my safety to you in time and made you worry.” Wen Yumo apologized to him.
“What about Father?” Ye Zhile asked again.
“Father is fine too.” Wen Yumo said worriedly, “I heard from your Big Brother that you were infected with the virus. What happened? How is your health now?”
Ye Zhile wiped away his tears. “I’m fine, much better now.”
“It’s good that you’re fine. You must take good care of yourself. That virus is very serious. If something happened to you, what would Dad and Father do?” When Wen Yumo heard his eldest son’s words, he was frightened out of his wits. He knew his youngest son’s physical condition best; he worried over every little wind or rain.
“I know, don’t worry.” Ye Zhile said softly, “You and Father must also take care of yourselves.”
“Okay, be good. Dad and Father will be back soon.” Wen Yumo reminded him again, “You must definitely pay attention to your health, understand?”
“Understood… Goodbye, Dad.” Ye Zhile hung up the phone. During the days his Dad and Father were missing, he had been on tenterhooks all day. Now he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ji Shuohan brought the breakfast over again. “Can you eat a bit more now?”
Ye Zhile’s face turned red, and he nodded. “Mn…”
Ji Shuohan gave a light laugh and fed him.
Ye Zhile also smiled foolishly. He spoke up, “Thank you, My Lord.”
“Why are you thanking me?” Ji Shuohan blew on the porridge in the bowl to cool it.
“Just… you taking care of me the whole time I was sick.” Ye Zhile widened his eyes. “You didn’t get any good rest either, did you?”
“I’m not tired.” Ji Shuohan didn’t think much of it.
Ye Zhile finished his breakfast. He had been staying in bed these past few days. When he needed to use the bathroom, the Supreme Leader carried him. He felt like his limbs were about to atrophy.
Ye Zhile got out of bed and felt a sore weakness in his limbs. He slowly sat back down. When Ji Shuohan returned, he said, “I want to go wash my face.”
“Sit still. I’ll go get you a towel.” Saying that, Ji Shuohan headed toward the bathroom. Ye Zhile stopped him, “Wait, I-I also need to use the bathroom while I’m at it.”
Ji Shuohan turned back and carried Ye Zhile to the bathroom. Ye Zhile stood in front of the toilet, looking at Ji Shuohan, who wasn’t moving an inch. “Why is My Lord standing here?”
“To help you?” Ji Shuohan maintained a serious face, not feeling that there was anything wrong with his words at all. Ye Zhile shook his head. “No need, I can do it myself.”
“It’s not like I haven’t seen it.” Ji Shuohan looked utterly indifferent. Despite saying that, he still walked out.
“…” Ye Zhile looked deeply embarrassed. Seen it, yes, but that was when he was delirious with a high fever. Right now, he was very clear-headed!
After Ye Zhile finished using the bathroom and pulled up his pants, Ji Shuohan called from outside, “Are you done?”
“Done.” Ye Zhile pressed the flush button. Afterward, Ji Shuohan came in to wipe his face. The teenager’s fair and delicate skin became rosy and translucent in his hands. Ye Zhile closed his eyes, allowing him to wipe his face. His trembling eyelashes were like a butterfly breaking from its cocoon, flapping its wings.
Ji Shuohan’s hand wiping his face unconsciously slowed down. A trace of strangeness flickered in his heart, his eyes darkening indiscernibly.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Zhile opened his eyes. When he looked, the person in front of him had leaned in at some point. The two were only a centimeter or two apart.
Ye Zhile blinked, not daring to move. Then Ji Shuohan lightly kissed his lips…
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