After Sharing Senses with the Paranoid CEO, the Infamous Starlet was Forced into Pampering Chapter 31
Chapter 31: Sharing the Same Bed
Xia Mu was still running a fever. Li Yanzhou forcibly suppressed his urges and continued to sponge down his body. Fortunately, the fever broke quickly, allowing Li Yanzhou to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
However, through their shared senses, he could feel that Xia Mu was still dizzy and sleeping restlessly. It was already 11 PM after all the tossing and turning. Worried that the fever might return, Li Yanzhou simply sat down by Xia Mu’s bedside.
Just as Li Yanzhou expected, Xia Mu’s high fever kept recurring throughout the night. He busied himself with bringing Xia Mu’s temperature down, swapping out ice packs, and wiping his body. One moment Xia Mu complained it was too hot, and the next he said it was too cold. Li Yanzhou barely had a moment to rest.
Qin Yu dropped by a few times in between. Seeing Li Yanzhou attending to everything personally, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Hesitating slightly, he offered a suggestion:
“President Li, should I hire a few nannies or professional caregivers to look after him? Going on like this isn’t a long-term solution.”
Li Yanzhou rubbed his exhausted eyes, looking at Xia Mu, who was tossing uncomfortably on the bed:
“No need.”
Only he could truly feel exactly where Xia Mu was hurting the most. Li Yanzhou couldn’t feel at ease handing the task over to anyone else.
Qin Yu cast a worried glance at Li Yanzhou, silently backed out, closed the door for them, and then pushed tomorrow morning’s copyright negotiations to the afternoon.
It wasn’t until the sky began to lighten that Xia Mu’s fever finally broke completely. Utterly exhausted, Li Yanzhou hastily washed his face and fell asleep as well.
Xia Mu groggily half-opened his eyes. He was still lying on the hospital bed. Because of the fever, it felt as though he hadn’t slept all night, and his body still lacked even a shred of strength.
His eyelids were incredibly heavy. Xia Mu raised a hand to rub his eyes, feeling that the blanket beside him was somewhat weighed down. Turning his head, he finally realized there was someone sleeping next to him.
It was Li Yan.
To be completely honest, Li Yan’s face perfectly matched Xia Mu’s aesthetic preferences. There was no shortage of handsome men in the entertainment industry—plenty of them had high nose bridges and striking brows—but Xia Mu just felt that Li Yan checked every single one of his boxes.
Xia Mu suddenly recalled the night of the earthquake, when he had blurted out that question about whether guys with big noses were also big… down there.
Back then, Li Yan hadn’t answered him. But after what happened in the company van, Xia Mu now knew that the saying was indeed true. However, he hadn’t expected it to be that big. It was already somewhat terrifying even before it was fully upright. If it were to…
Xia Mu couldn’t help but shudder and swallow hard. Putting that thing inside would actually kill someone.
Li Yanzhou was sleeping soundly, likely exhausted. Xia Mu pursed his lips and leaned in closer, able to clearly see the dark circles under his eyes and the exhaustion etched into his brows.
Xia Mu had fallen asleep last night, but in his dreams, he had felt his body burning up. He realized he must have caught a fever, but he hadn’t had the strength to grab the phone on his nightstand, let alone message Li Yan.
He didn’t know when Li Yan had noticed his fever. Thinking back carefully, the touch on his cheek last night had felt like Li Yan’s hand. Had he been taking care of him this entire time?
Xia Mu stared blankly at Li Yan’s face. Was he really worth this man going to such lengths for him?
They were in a hospital anyway; he could have just hired a caregiver to look after him. Why did he insist on doing it personally?
Seeing that Li Yan was so tired from taking care of him that he hadn’t even taken off his clothes to sleep, Xia Mu’s emotions grew even more complicated.
Li Yan must have dreamt of something, as his brows were tightly furrowed. Xia Mu couldn’t resist reaching out to smooth them over. Just as his fingers were about to make contact, Li Yan slowly opened his eyes, scaring Xia Mu into quickly retracting his hand.
“Were you trying to secretly kiss me while I was asleep?”
Li Yanzhou looked at Xia Mu with a half-smile; he definitely hadn’t missed the face magnified right in front of him just moments ago.
“I wasn’t!”
Xia Mu loudly and frantically denied it.
“With a voice that loud, it seems you’ve recovered.” Li Yanzhou turned on his side, propping his head up with one hand, his lips curving slightly.
Xia Mu silently shrank back under the covers, stealing a quick glance at Li Yan. Realizing the man was still staring right at him, Xia Mu’s eyes darted away:
“Last night… were you the one taking care of me the whole time?”
“Mhm,” Li Yanzhou admitted frankly. “Touched? Want to offer your body in return?”
“I am touched, but why are you sleeping in my bed? Shouldn’t you be sleeping slumped over the edge of it?” Xia Mu had been puzzled about this and didn’t want to keep it bottled up, so he just asked.
Sometimes, Li Yanzhou was truly rendered helpless by Xia Mu’s train of thought. He must have watched and acted in too many TV dramas.
“The bed is this big, why can’t it fit one more person? Besides, I was so tired; what’s wrong with sleeping next to you?”
“But… does this count as sharing a bed?” Xia Mu gripped the edge of the blanket, pondering seriously.
“Of course.”
After saying that, Li Yanzhou moved a bit closer to Xia Mu. The back of his hand accidentally brushed against the boy’s body, and he felt it was still slightly hot.
Li Yanzhou sat up and tried to feel for a temperature with the back of his hand, but he couldn’t quite tell if there was a fever. So, he leaned over, intending to test the temperature with his forehead.
Seeing Li Yan’s face suddenly leaning in, Xia Mu thought he was going to forcefully kiss him again. Terrified, he yanked the blanket up to cover his head:
“N-no… what if I’m not fully cured and I infect you?”
Li Yanzhou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his reaction speed. He pulled the blanket down from Xia Mu’s face:
“I’m just checking if you still have a fever.”
So that was it. Xia Mu’s heart hammered in his chest; he had been overthinking it.
Xia Mu gently loosened his grip on the blanket. Li Yanzhou leaned in, his silhouette casting over him and blocking the halo of light from the window.
Their foreheads gently pressed together, and their warm noses inadvertently brushed against each other.
In that instant, Xia Mu felt a buzzing in his ears. His heartbeat instantly lost its rhythm, the heart in his chest hammering away as if it were about to leap out the very next second.
Li Yanzhou froze as well. That tiny, subtle touch felt like a faint jolt of electricity suddenly coursing through his heart, bringing with it a silent, stirring flutter.
Li Yanzhou didn’t dare to move. Their breaths quietly mingled in the close proximity, the warmth brushing across their skin. It was as if time had stopped, and even their breathing had been suspended.
Xia Mu didn’t even realize when Li Yan straightened up. He only felt a wave of daze before hearing Li Yan say:
“You are still a bit hot.”
Snapping back to reality, Xia Mu looked at Li Yan and asked, “Isn’t there a forehead thermometer or a regular thermometer in the room?”
Only then did Li Yanzhou remember. He really had been acting stupid just now; staying up all night must have left his brain a bit foggy.
The forehead thermometer read 37.8°C. Li Yanzhou set it aside: “Still a low-grade fever.”
Xia Mu nodded. That sudden flutter in his heart still hadn’t dissipated. He recalled Li Yanzhou’s comment about offering his body in return. Xia Mu quietly took a few deep breaths before saying:
“Earlier, you mentioned offering my body in return. I-I can’t do that right now. Can we use a different method?”
Li Yanzhou looked at Xia Mu. His current anxious demeanor was exactly the same as when he’d said he would let him sleep with him once. It was so endearing, making him want to possess him even more.