Chapter 130: Hmph
Wen Ling used to ask Cheng Ge to tell him a story every day. In the beginning, Cheng Ge had done so intermittently for a few days, but lately, they mostly spent their time chatting or doing other things, so the stories had nearly stopped.
“Then Iāll tell you one.”
“Okay.” Wen Ling turned his face fully toward Cheng Ge, snuggling even closer.
“Once upon a time, there was a lonely little lion who really needed the company of a friend…”
“…”
“…And from then on, the little lion and the little tiger became inseparable best friends.”
After finishing the story, Cheng Ge turned his head to look at Wen Ling.
The guy had listened so intently that he was now wide awake, staring at Cheng Ge with bright, sparkling eyes.
Wen Lingās hot breath fanned against Cheng Geās neck, feeling quite warm. It was always like this whenever Wen Ling had a feverāhe was hot all over.
Suddenly, a memory flashed through Cheng Geās mind: the moment this morning when he had guiltily tried to touch Wen Lingās face, and Wen Ling had dodged him.
Cheng Ge finally realized that his urge to touch Wen Lingās face back then wasn’t just out of habit; it was because heād noticed Wen Lingās face was slightly flushed.
Furthermore, when Wen Ling used his palms to warm Cheng Geās face, his normally icy hands had been burning, and his lips were hot too.
“Were you already running a fever this morning?”
Wen Lingās eyelashes fluttered. “I… I was invaded by a virus.”
“…Do you even hear yourself, Xiao Wen?” What a nonsensical thing to say.
Cheng Ge realized his suspicion was correct. He felt a bit of anger rising. “Didn’t I tell you that you need to be aware of these things? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Wen Ling remained silent at first, then after a while, told Cheng Ge to stop frowning.
Connecting the dots made everything clear.
Cheng Ge grew angrier the more he thought about it. Wen Ling hadn’t just failed to tell him; he had deliberately hidden it!
Heād dodged when Cheng Ge tried to touch him and lowered his head whenever Cheng Ge tried to get a closer look.
Wen Ling had even warmed his hands over the fire, pretending they were hot because of the flames to imply it wasn’t him that was burning. Then heād emphasized how cold Cheng Geās face was, tricking Cheng Ge into thinking the temperature difference was due to his own health issues…
Wen Ling’s acting had been seamless, perfectly in line with his usual personality. Combined with Cheng Geās own pain and his focus on Wen Lingās mental state, he had completely overlooked Wen Ling’s physical condition.
Normally, Wen Ling could act out however he wanted, but Cheng Ge could not tolerate him making light of his own health.
Besides, for Wen Ling to dare hide it from him under those circumstances was simply asking for trouble.
“Iām seriously going to be driven to death by you.”
Cheng Ge felt a wave of lingering fear. If Wen Ling had fainted while out foraging, Cheng Ge wouldn’t have been able to even crawl over to save him.
If no one had seen Wen Ling when he fainted in the clinic and he hadn’t known, Wen Ling could have burned himself up by the time he came out!
The more Cheng Ge thought, the angrier and more terrified he became, yet he felt helpless looking at Wen Ling’s innocent face.
Wen Ling tugged at Cheng Geās clothes. “What are you doing… youāre being so fierce.”
Cheng Ge suppressed his temper and took a breath. “Iām not being fierce. Just promise me that the next time you feel unwell, youāll tell me immediately. No hiding it.”
Wen Ling was usually a man of his word. Which is why he was now refusing to say anything.
After a long stalemate, Wen Ling leaned in closer, clutching Cheng Geās clothes and calling his name in a soft voice.
After he called a few times, Cheng Geās heart softened despite his anger. He turned his face away, refusing to look at Wen Ling.
“Cheng Ge… youāre so fierce. Stop being fierce and talk to me.”
Wen Ling buried his face in the crook of Cheng Ge’s neck, acting spoiled. His scorching breath against Cheng Ge’s skin only added fuel to the fire.
“Don’t get so close to me,” Cheng Ge said sternly, though he was already providing a way out.
“Every time I feel how hot your breath is, I think about how you didn’t tell me you had a fever. You even hid it on purpose and fainted. And you still won’t give me a promise?”
“Then Iāll stay angry. If Iām angry, I can’t help but give you the cold shoulder. Iām telling you, youāll just have to deal with my attitude.”
Hearing Cheng Ge say this, Wen Ling’s lips pressed into a thin line. A few seconds later, he gave a “Hmph,” rolled over, buried himself in the quilt, and turned his back to Cheng Ge.
Cheng Ge glanced at the lump of blankets once, then twice, then many more times.
He was nearly out of options.
He knew Wen Ling hated it when he was cold; Wen Ling liked his smiles, liked hearing sweet words, and loved being lovey-dovey and coaxed.
Cheng Ge usually did all those things.
But this time, Cheng Ge was truly afraid. He didn’t even want to imagine what the consequences would be if something like this happened again. He just wanted a single promise from Wen Ling.
However, when it came to being stubborn, he was no match for Wen Lingās talent.
Cheng Ge kept a stiff face, but he had already given in. He reached out to touch the bulging quilt.
Just as he was about to make contact, the quilt was suddenly pulled down. Cheng Ge immediately withdrew his hand and turned his face away.
Wen Ling reached out to pull Cheng Ge’s hand back, resting his head on Cheng Ge’s shoulder. “Is this okay now?” his voice came out muffled.
Cheng Ge turned his head and was so amused he nearly laughed. He almost couldn’t bear to look.
Wen Ling was wearing a face mask, with only his glass-like eyes staring up at Cheng Ge.
“Itās because the medicinal wine smell is too bad, but I want to be close to you.” Wen Ling even gave a brief explanation for the mask.
No one could help but feel their heart soften at those words.
Cheng Ge looked away, still feigning resistance. “Seeing you wear a mask only reminds me that you still have a low-grade fever. It makes me angrier.”
“Iām telling you, if you don’t give me a promise, I’ll stay angry.”
Seeing that Cheng Ge still refused to acknowledge him and even tried to turn away again, Wen Ling grew anxious. “Why are you like this?”
Cheng Ge mimicked Wen Ling with a “Hmph.”
But while Cheng Ge would always give in when he saw Wen Ling throwing a tantrum, Wen Ling would panic when he saw Cheng Ge angry, thinking he was being abandoned.
He had to make an even bigger fuss; he had to grab the person and get a clear answer.
“Cheng Ge, why are you being like this?” Wen Ling was already pinning down Cheng Geās upper body as he spoke. His eyes were red with anxiety and his expression was dead serious. “Youāre the same way! You hid it from me and didn’t tell me you had a fever either. You have double standards!”
Cheng Ge argued righteously, “Are our situations even the same?”
“How are they different? Are you not afraid of fevers or pain? Why is it okay for you to hide things from me but I can’t do the same to you?”
Cheng Ge was silenced by Wen Ling’s questioning. He hadn’t told him because he didn’t want Wen Ling to worry or feel pressured; he didn’t want Wen Ling to have to carry all those messy burdens.
But wasn’t it the same for Wen Ling?
Cheng Ge didn’t know how to explain, only repeating, “I… itās different.”
He felt it didn’t matter if he suffered, but Wen Ling shouldn’t be weighed down by those unknowns.
Wen Ling bit Cheng Geās lip, his tone stubborn. “How is it different?”
Cheng Ge felt he was completely right in his heart, but as he faced Wen Ling’s words, he even felt like he had double standards himself.
“That… thatās you not learning the right things… I was wrong, but don’t follow my example. You have to tell me if something is wrong…”
“I will follow your example!”
“Youā”
Tock, tock, tock. There was a knock at the door. Cheng Ge instinctively pulled Wen Ling into his arms and looked toward the entrance.
“Xiao Cheng, are you two asleep yet?”
“Ah, not yet, not yet.” Cheng Ge responded. He wanted to tell Wen Ling to roll over and lie down properly, but Wen Ling was already clinging to him, holding on tight and refusing to let go.
“Then Grandpaās coming in.”
“Ah… ah, okay.”
Cheng Ge had no choice but to pull the quilt up a bit higher, patting Wen Lingās back to keep him quiet.
Grandpa walked in slowly and asked in a stage whisper, “Whereās Wen-zai? Asleep?”
“Ah… ah, yes, pretty much.”
On Wen Lingās side of the bed, the quilt was bunched up, making it look as though someone were actually sleeping there.
“Will he get stuffy sleeping like that?”
“No, no, heās used to sleeping with his head covered.”
Cheng Ge wasn’t lying about that; Wen Ling usually slept either buried under the covers or buried in Cheng Geās arms, with only a tiny part of his eyes showing.
It wasn’t a great way to sleep, but Wen Ling was used to it and couldn’t drift off if his face was exposed. Cheng Ge could only do his best to keep an eye on Wen Lingās breathing.
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