Part 2
Lin Zheng was slumped over the desk, his face turned to one side. The pressure had squished the lower half of his face against his arm, making it look incredibly chubby and cute.
Gu Lin walked over on silent feet, unable to resist reaching out and giving that soft flesh a gentle squeeze. The sleeping person seemed to be disturbed, frowning slightly, but his brow quickly smoothed out, and he continued sleeping peacefully.
Gu Lin glanced at the laptop screen. It showed the work he had given Lin Zheng that day. He looked at the time; it was almost midnight.
Gu Lin raised a finger and lightly tapped the tip of Lin Zheng’s nose, whispering, “You silly fool. Didn’t I say I wasn’t in a hurry? Why did you stay up all night to finish it?”
The file was already completed.
Gu Lin tapped a few keys on the laptop, saved the file, and then shut the computer down.
Seeing that Lin Zheng wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon, he simply bent down and lifted the person from the chair. Lin Zheng didn’t seem to weigh much, but he felt substantial in his arms. It was probably the effect of winter; heād eaten a little too much and put on some weight.
But putting on weight was good. That’s how you grow into a healthy little white rabbit.
Gu Lin didn’t take him upstairs, but carried him directly into his own room. He was afraid that if Lin Zheng woke up the next morning, he would wonder how he had the strength to carry him from the first floor to the second. If he was going to put on an act, he had to go all in. He might as well let this illness drag on a little longer.
After placing him on the bed, Gu Lin lay down beside him.
He propped his head up with one hand, lying on his side as he gazed at the person next to him.
Perhaps sensing the warmth from his side, Lin Zheng, who had been lying flat on his back, hugged the quilt and rolled over, automatically moving toward the heat source.
His cheek came to rest on Gu Linās chest. He knew that direct skin contact would be even warmer, so he nuzzled his face against the already open collar of Gu Linās robe, pushing it even wider before burying his face completely inside.
Gu Lin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Gu Linā¦”
“Mm.”
Even though he knew the person was talking in his sleep, Gu Lin still answered.
“Time for your medicine.”
“I took it yesterday, and I took it today.”
“Gu Linā¦”
“Mm.”
“It’s a little cold.”
As Lin Zheng spoke, his body snuggled closer to Gu Lin.
Gu Lin had originally wanted to maintain a proper distance, but with Lin Zheng like this, what distance was there left to maintain? Lin Zheng was practically glued to his body.
Just when Gu Lin thought this was the limit, a leg suddenly draped over his waist.
Gu Lin froze.
“Gu Linā¦”
Lin Zheng whispered his name, closing the remaining distance between them under the covers.
Lin Zheng’s pajama pants were pure cotton. They weren’t too thin, but they weren’t thick either. Gu Lin, on the other hand, was only wearing a bathrobe.
Gu Linās eyes darkened.
Lin Zhengās head was buried in his chest, his face hidden. The nape of his fair neck, just below his tousled hair, was exposed to his view.
Gu Lin stared at that sliver of pale skin, his gaze sharpening slightly as he fought the urge to lean down and leave his mark there.
He closed his eyes and exhaled, forcing down the sudden surge of desire.
He raised an arm and wrapped it around the slender back of the person in his arms. When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with a tenderness that even the cold couldn’t dispel.
This person was sent from heaven to torment him.
The next day at noon, Lin Zheng had gone to the company to pick up some files for Gu Lin. The doorbell rang. When Gu Lin opened it, he saw Yan Yang standing outside, holding a basket of fruit.
Seeing him, Yan Yang looked shocked. “Didn’t they say you were sick? How come you don’t look sick at all? You seem full of life.”
Yan Yang had been on a business trip for the past few days. He had just gotten back and found out from Lin Zheng this morning that Gu Lin was sick. He had rushed over immediately.
You think he was concerned about Gu Lin?
No, he just wanted to see what this man, who hadn’t been sick in five or six years, looked like when he was ill.
But the result was a huge disappointment.
No matter how he looked at him, Gu Lin didn’t seem sick at all. He looked just like his usual self, full of energy!
Gu Lin glanced at the fruit basket in Yan Yang’s hand, took it without a second thought, and then moved aside to let him in, saying without a trace of emotion, “Thanks.”
“Wait a minute, little chicken-nest head said you were seriously ill, that you’ve been lying in bed for the past few days,” Yan Yang said, his eyes catching sight of the dumbbell on the floor behind Gu Lin. His voice rose. “Whoa, a sick person has the energy to lift dumbbells?”
Gu Lin took an iced beer from the fridge, casually tossed it to Yan Yang, then sank into a single armchair. He opened his own beer with one hand and took a sip. “I was sick, you just came too late. I’m better now.”
“You got better today?”
“Pretty much.”
“That’s not right. Little chicken-nest head was on the phone with me this morning, and he said you were still seriously ill.” A thought occurred to Yan Yang, and he finally understood. “Holy crap! You’re deliberately faking it in front of him to get sympathy?”
So, he was really sick, and now he’s really faking it.
Gu Lin just glanced at him and said nothing, but Yan Yang already knew he’d guessed right.
“Dude, watching little chicken-nest head worry about you, doesn’t your conscience hurt?” Yan Yang asked.
Gu Lin shot back, “What’s a conscience? Is it bitter or sweet?”
Yan Yang: “…”
This guy doesn’t just lack a conscience; he’s completely heartless.
Yan Yang said, “Fine, fine, but I can see that little chicken-nest head is genuinely worried about you. So, play your games, but don’t take it too far.”
Gu Lin chuckled. “Don’t worry, I know my limits.”
Gu Lin always had a limit. Especially when it came to Lin Zheng, he would never push things too far. After all, when his little rabbit got cornered, he was known to scratch with those little ears of his.
He had scratched him so badly last night he couldn’t even sleep.
Thinking about the work he had on hand, Gu Lin stood up, placed the beer he’d barely touched on the table, and told Yan Yang to get him some coffee.
Yan Yang said, “But aren’t you supposed to avoid coffee when you have a cold?”
Drinking coffee when you have a cold can make you feel more restless. It’s generally not recommended, even in less serious cases.
Gu Lin knew what Yan Yang was worried about. “It’s fine, he won’t be back for a while.”
He had already calculated the time Lin Zheng would need to go out and come back.
Yan Yang could only say, “Alright.”
The patient himself had said so, so what right did an outsider have to interfere?
Yan Yang whistled a tune and expertly found Gu Lin’s coffee machine. He was all too familiar with this place; he had even been the one to recommend this coffee machine to Gu Lin.
He put one hand in his pocket, held the steaming cup of coffee with the other, and walked toward Gu Lin.
“CEO Gu, your coffee is here.”
Just as Yan Yang finished speaking, he heard the sound of the front door opening. He turned his head and saw Lin Zheng rushing back with a file in his hand.
Completely forgetting the situation, Yan Yang greeted him like nothing was wrong.
Then, Gu Lin, who was sitting in front of him, suddenly let out a few strained coughs. Yan Yang looked over. The energetic man from a moment ago was gone.
Yan Yang: “!!”
Stunned by Gu Lin’s acting skills, Yan Yang also suddenly noticed the cup of coffee in his hand, which he was holding out to Gu Lin.
Watching little chicken-nest head’s anxious expression, if he found out this coffee was for Gu Lin, it would be like putting a polar bear and a penguin in the tropicsāa crime against nature. And if little chicken-nest head found out Gu Lin was drinking coffee while “sick,” he could only imagine the consequences for Gu Lin wouldn’t be pretty. He had to cleverly defuse this awkward situation.
I’ve got it.
Just as Yan Yang was about to generously claim the coffee as his own, he saw Gu Lin glance at the cup in his hand and then say in a weary voice, “Yan Yang, I asked you to get me hot water. Why did you bring me coffee?”
Yan Yang: “??”
Gu Lin held a fist to his lips, suppressing a cough. “Forget it. You can drink the coffee. I’m going back to my room to rest.”
With that, Gu Lin stood up and left.
Leaving Yan Yang all alone.
Yan Yang: “???”
Yan Yang looked at Lin Zheng, who was standing not far away, a terrifying look on his face. With tears in his eyes, Yan Yang lifted the coffee cup and took a sip. “The beans are pretty good. It’s delicious.”
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