Chapter 50
Light snow was falling outside.
Lin Zheng sat in the car, the window rolled up to shield him from the eyes of passersby.
The temperature inside the car was a world away from the one outside.
Lin Zheng tucked his chin deep into his thick scarf. Not only his face, but the back of his hands felt hot as well. Especially the skin on the back of his right hand near his thumb, which felt as if it had just been pulled from hot water. A small patch of it, in addition to the heat, also had an annoying itch.
Thinking of what had just happened in the restaurant, Lin Zheng tucked his chin, which was already nestled in his scarf, even lower.
His face felt even hotter.
Gu Lin turned his head to look at Lin Zheng. He reached out and pressed down the red scarf that was covering Lin Zheng’s cheek, revealing a small area of clean, pale skin that had been buried by the scarf.
Lin Zheng startled like a frightened bird, his head jerking towards Gu Lin in surprise, only to be startled again. By the time he turned his head away, the tips of his ears were burning hot.
Seeing Lin Zheng’s reaction, a corner of Gu Lin’s heart felt as if it had been gently pecked by a small bird, or brushed by soft cotton. It left him with an itchy feeling in his heart that he couldn’t scratch.
Gu Lin resisted the urge to use his fingers to poke at Lin Zheng’s soft-looking cheek. He simply straightened the scarf that was loosely wrapped around Lin Zheng’s neck, carefully adjusting it before reluctantly pulling his hand back.
Sensing Gu Lin’s withdrawal, Lin Zheng let out a soft sigh of relief.
That shouldn’t be right. It wasn’t the first time he’d had such close contact with Gu Lin, so why was his heart beating so fast this time?
The warmth in the car made Lin Zheng’s head feel a little fuzzy.
“Achoo!”
Lin Zheng sneezed, covering his mouth and nose.
“Achoo!”
After the first one, the sneezes came one after another, as if they were standing in a line.
After a long series of sneezes, Lin Zheng’s voice was tinged with a nasal tone. He rubbed his reddened nose and said, “Oh no, I think I’m coming down with a cold.”
As it turned out, when time is of the essence, whatever you want to avoid most is exactly what comes to pass.
Lin Zheng only had four days left. His plan was to use his abundant energy to complete the painting within those four days, but to his surprise, he hadn’t even started preparing his art supplies when his energy was sapped by the cold.
Lin Zheng was propped up in bed when he took the ginger soup that Assistant Shen handed him.
Assistant Shen said, “Ginger soup helps to ward off the cold. It’s good to drink a little.”
Lin Zheng, with tissue stuffed in both nostrils, nodded. The warmth of the ginger soup seeped through the ceramic cup and into the palm of his hand.
Assistant Shen glanced at the time.
Gu Lin had a meeting today and couldn’t get away. Lin Zheng had originally said he would be fine at home alone, but shortly after he got back, he developed a fever. Gu Lin, not wanting to leave him on his own, simply had Assistant Shen stay behind to look after him.
Seeing Assistant Shen look at his watch, Lin Zheng knew the assistant probably had other things to do later. His fever had already subsided, and while he felt weak, he knew he would be fine on his own.
“Assistant Shen, I feel much better,” Lin Zheng said. “If you have something to do, you should go. You don’t need to stay here with me anymore.”
“How can I do that? I promised President Gu I’d stay until he came back.”
Lin Zheng smiled and said, “It’s really fine. It’s not that serious, and I’m not that weak. You should go ahead and get to your work.”
“But…”
Lin Zheng cut him off. “No ‘buts.’ Go on, okay?”
It was already after working hours, and even if it weren’t, Assistant Shen had other things to take care of. There was really no need for him to stay here and waste his time.
Assistant Shen sighed and said, “Alright. President Gu should be back soon anyway, so I’ll be on my way. If you need anything or have any problems, feel free to call me anytime.”
Lin Zheng nodded obediently and said, “Okay.”
Lin Zheng watched Assistant Shen leave the room, and soon after, he heard the sound of the front door closing downstairs.
He relaxed his shoulders and leaned back against the bed. Thinking the ginger soup in his hand was Assistant Shen’s kind gesture, he brought the cup to his lips. But before the tip of his tongue could even taste it, his nose was assaulted by a strong, pungent smell of ginger.
Lin Zheng grimaced and moved the cup away.
Nope, I can’t drink this.
This stuff smells terrible.
When ginger is used in cooking, maybe because it’s only a small amount, it doesn’t smell too bad. But when it’s the main ingredient in a soup like this, the smell is truly unbearable for the average person.
Just as Lin Zheng was about to put the cup on the bedside table, he heard the clink of the front door opening downstairs again.
It must be Gu Lin coming back.
Sure enough, just a couple of minutes later, Gu Lin walked into his room.
Gu Lin had already taken off his jacket, but as he came closer, Lin Zheng could still smell the cold air he brought in with him from outside.
Gu Lin walked over to the bed and sat down. Concerned, he asked, “Feeling any better?”
“Much better,” Lin Zheng replied, his voice still sounding quite nasal.
Gu Lin noticed the ginger soup by Lin Zheng’s hand. Seeing that the cup was still almost full, he asked, “Assistant Shen made this for you? Why aren’t you drinking it?”
Lin Zheng wrinkled his face and said honestly, “It smells bad, and I’m guessing it tastes terrible too.”
He hadn’t had the heart to say anything when Assistant Shen was here, afraid of hurting his feelings, but now that he was gone, Lin Zheng could be truthful.
Lin Zheng was about to say something else when Gu Lin took the cup from his hand.
Lin Zheng: “Huh? What are you doing?”
Was Gu Lin going to throw it away for him?
He couldn’t do that. It would be such a waste to throw it away. Even if it smelled bad, he could hold his nose and make an effort to drink it.
Lin Zheng tried to reach out and take it back, but he saw Gu Lin lift the cup to his lips, take a sip, and then say, “Mmm, it really doesn’t taste good.”
Lin Zheng’s hand froze in mid-air.
Gu Lin stood up and said to him, “Give me a few minutes.”
And then, Lin Zheng watched Gu Lin leave.
After about five or six minutes, Gu Lin returned. The ginger soup in his hand, which had cooled down before, was now steaming.
Gu Lin sat back down on the edge of the bed and handed him the cup, saying softly, “Want to try it? It’s much better this time.”
The ginger soup’s taste was now richer, but a hint of sweetness was also mixed in.
Lin Zheng took the cup with suspicion, hesitating for a few seconds before bringing it to his mouth. But seeing Gu Lin’s encouraging gaze, he finally took a deep breath, raised the cup, and took a big gulp.
Unlike the pungent smell he’d expected, the hot soup was slightly spicy at first. But as it went down his throat, the spiciness didn’t linger in his mouth. On the contrary, what remained was a sweet flavor, a bit like caramel, which completely diluted the initial unpleasant taste and left a lingering aftertaste.
It didn’t feel like drinking medicine; it was more like a beverage.
Lin Zheng’s expression changed from initial resistance to pleasant surprise.
Seeing the change in Lin Zheng’s expression, Gu Lin’s lips curved into a smile.
Lin Zheng looked at the man sitting on the bed and praised, “It’s delicious!”
Gu Lin smiled. “Good. Then finish it.”
In just a few gulps, Lin Zheng finished the ginger soup he had so stubbornly resisted before. After finishing it, just to be sure he’d drunk every last drop, he even turned the cup upside down and shook it. Sure enough, not a single drop remained.
Gu Lin reached out and patted him on the head. “That’s very impressive.”
Lin Zheng patted his own chest with his other hand, saying proudly, “Of course. What do you expect? It’s me.”
Lin Zheng’s top was a button-down V-neck pajama shirt. As he pulled his hand back, his finger snagged on the collar, unintentionally pulling one side of the shirt slightly open and revealing a small patch of his fair skin above his chest and below his collarbone.
Lin Zheng was already fair-skinned, and his body, which rarely saw the sun, was even more noticeably pale. Gu Lin’s gaze was immediately drawn to it.
Lin Zheng seemed completely unaware of how he looked at that moment, still wearing a proud expression.
Lin Zheng’s collarbones were smooth and defined. As his arm moved, the hollows above them deepened and shallowed in turn.
Gu Lin’s eyes darkened slightly.
The now completely defenseless Lin Zheng looked like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Gu Lin took a deep breath.
But he couldn’t just give in to his impulses.
He forced his gaze away from Lin Zheng.
“Alright, now that you’ve finished, get some rest. I’ll call you when dinner is ready,” Gu Lin said.
Lin Zheng had just asked Gu Lin a question, but not only did Gu Lin not answer, he even changed the subject entirely. Thinking Gu Lin was intentionally avoiding his question, Lin Zheng could only respond with a disappointed, “Oh.”
Gu Lin stood to leave, but when he turned back and saw the man sitting on the bed with his head bowed, he stopped in his tracks.
Lin Zheng looked up at Gu Lin, propping his chin with one hand, and with a slightly sulky tone, said, “Go on, then. Weren’t you going to make dinner?”
After saying that, he nonchalantly looked towards the window.
Gu Lin let out a soft sigh, turned around, and reached out to pull up the collar of Lin Zheng’s shirt, which had almost slipped off his shoulder.
“You were sent from heaven just to torment me,” he said.
Author’s Note:
Today, we have President Gu, who had to resist eating rabbit meat but ultimately had to give in to the rule of the rabbit tribe leader.
President Gu: “So, when can I eat him?”
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