Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 27

Madam’s Room

It was unclear whether Lin Chi caught a chill in the cemetery, but after everything was over, he started running a fever at night.

It was Li Tingyan who noticed.

At night, Lin Chi took Li Tingyan to eat at a noodle shop he used to frequent.

Although he hadn’t been back for years, the owner still remembered him and smiled, asking if he wanted an extra plate of sliced cucumber with vinegar mixed jellyfish.

Lin Chi smiled, “Yes, please also bring a plate of sauce beef and cold sliced beef tripe.”

After the owner left, Lin Chi blew on his hot water in the cup and said to Li Tingyan, “My mom and I used to come here often. At that time, the owner’s daughter was only in elementary school and always liked to play Chinese jump rope with me.”

He smiled with a twinkle in his eyes, his cheeks flushed, as if steamed by the hot air in the room.

Li Tingyan glanced at him a few times, feeling a bit strange, but Lin Chi’s words quickly shifted his attention.

It wasn’t until they finished their meal that Li Tingyan drove Lin Chi back. When they got out of the car, he noticed Lin Chi had his eyes closed and called out to him several times, but he seemed sluggish.

“Lin Chi.”

He called out again.

Lin Chi struggled to open his eyes and looked at Li Tingyan groggily, then around.

“Oh, are we here?”

He wasn’t asleep, just feeling dizzy. Li Tingyan opened the car door on his side, and Lin Chi grabbed Li Tingyan’s hand to get out.

But Li Tingyan pressed him back into the seat and touched his forehead with cool hands.

“Hmm?”

He looked at Li Tingyan in confusion, his eyes perhaps tired and slightly red. “What are you doing?”

“You seem to have a fever.”

Li Tingyan pressed his forehead against Lin Chi’s for a moment, then straightened up and saw a pharmacy nearby.

“Wait here, I’ll get a thermometer.”

Lin Chi looked puzzled.

After Li Tingyan left, he also touched his own forehead, but feeling groggy, he couldn’t tell much.

A few minutes later, Li Tingyan returned. The pharmacy only had an old-fashioned mercury thermometer. After disinfecting it, he had Lin Chi hold it in his mouth.

Lin Chi muttered, “It’s not necessary. I haven’t been sick in years. I was fine even after sitting on the rooftop in the wind for hours…”

“Close your mouth properly, or it won’t measure accurately,” Li Tingyan said lightly.

“…Fine.”

Lin Chi closed his mouth sulkily.

A few minutes later, the temperature reading came out, slapping Lin Chi in the face.

38.7 degrees Celsius.

“What?”

He couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t been sick in years. He had always had a good immune system, hiking and swimming, and even spending hours in a water pool during shoots without problems. A bowl of ginger soup would usually fix him up.

Li Tingyan, however, calmly sat back down and put the car in gear. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Lin Chi opened his mouth to protest, saying he could tough it out, but he met Li Tingyan’s gaze and silently closed his mouth again.

He fidgeted in the car for a while and finally pulled out a mask from the glove compartment to wear.

Li Tingyan glanced at him again, finding it somewhat amusing.

They soon arrived at the hospital. It wasn’t too busy at the emergency room that evening.

After asking about Lin Chi’s symptoms, the doctor wrote a prescription and ordered blood tests, which came back quickly.

Fever caused by adenovirus.

Lin Chi was bewildered. “Isn’t this something only children get?”

“Adults can get it too,” the doctor replied without looking up as he wrote the prescription. “People of all ages can be affected. Don’t rely too much on your good health. Recovering from this illness will still take some time.”

Lin Chi fell silent again.

The doctor prescribed him some IV fluids and medication. Li Tingyan studied the prescription for a moment, then went to pay for the medication.

Lin Chi felt a bit embarrassed.

Sitting in the infusion room, he still wore his mask and occasionally coughed.

He saw Li Tingyan outside the infusion room, on the phone with someone.

Lin Chi stared blankly for a moment.

In fact, he had never had a proper hospital experience. On one hand, his health was generally good. On the other hand, even if he occasionally fell ill, he would endure it on his own.

Lin Zhaofeng certainly wouldn’t bother with him.

And his mother was too busy to worry, even pushing through her own illness. How could he bear to let her worry about him?

A few minutes later, Li Tingyan returned and sat down in the adjacent seat, adjusting the IV tube for him.

The medical conditions in Changyu County weren’t great, but with Lin Chi running a fever, they couldn’t take the hours-long drive back to City C just for better treatment.

Lin Chi coughed again and asked, “Was that a work call?”

“Yes.”

“Then why don’t you go back first,” Lin Chi said seriously, “I don’t have anything urgent here. I feel bad enough already for making you run this errand, especially when you’re so busy at work. You should go first, I’ll finish the IV and take a taxi back to City C tomorrow.”

Lin Chi meant it.

He wasn’t a fragile person. It was just an adenovirus, not much different from a cold in his view.

Li Tingyan had been in Changyu County for several days, and it must have affected his work significantly.

He had heard Li Tingyan take many calls today.

Lin Chi blinked and looked sincerely at Li Tingyan.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m really fine. I may be a model and always dieting, but I do work out.” He flexed the arm that hadn’t been injected and made a strong gesture toward Li Tingyan.

Li Tingyan couldn’t help but find him amusing.

His gaze swept over Lin Chi’s slender shoulders and wrists, his eyes filled with suspicion.

“I don’t have anything urgent and it doesn’t affect my work. You don’t need to worry,” he said calmly. “Just focus on your IV. We won’t go back to your old home tonight. We’ll head straight to City C afterwards.”

“What’s that?”

Lin Chi was stunned. “No, I…”

Li Tingyan looked at him. “Do you have anything else to finish here? Xiao Chen will handle the remaining matters, and I have also entrusted your mother’s situation to him. Rest assured.”

“…Alright.”

Lin Chi scratched his face, thinking it over. “Indeed, there’s nothing else.”

He had planned to leave tomorrow anyway.

Li Tingyan touched Lin Chi’s cold hand from the infusion and explained, “I’m not in a hurry to take you away because of time constraints. It’s just that the medical conditions here are average, and there aren’t good places to stay. It’s not suitable for your recovery. We won’t get too tired on the way, don’t worry.”

Lin Chi thought to himself, ‘I didn’t think that.’

Moreover, Li Tingyan seemed to think he was overly delicate. Lin Chi, who often worked in harsh conditions, could sleep on the ground when busy and had crawled through mud pits for filming. Accommodation conditions were hardly a concern for him.

Besides, even if he returned to City C, he would be alone, not much different from Changyu County.

However, he didn’t remind Li Tingyan, just smiled.

Getting an IV was always a bit boring. Lin Chi had nothing to do and started making faces at the little girl next to him, making her giggle.

Li Tingyan was quietly discussing an upcoming plaza project on his laptop sent by his secretary.

He kept an eye on Lin Chi, and as soon as the IV bag was empty, he called for a nurse.

When the nurse removed the needle, Lin Chi winced. He didn’t have many weaknesses but was somewhat afraid of needles. Earlier, when the needle was inserted, he embarrassingly grabbed Li Tingyan’s hand to cover his eyes.

Now, without needing to say anything, Li Tingyan stood beside him, held him, and turned his face away to shield him.

The nurse was stunned, glancing between Li Tingyan and Lin Chi. She hadn’t seen such a timid adult in years.

But the nurse was professional, swiftly removing the needle, applying a cotton swab, and leaving without a word.

The little girl next to Lin Chi stared at him.

She hesitantly said, “Ge, you’re so scared. You need to be braver.”

Lin Chi felt a lump in his throat.

He could catch snakes with his bare hands.

How was he not brave?

However, his earlier behavior was not convincing, so he could only stare in frustration.

Li Tingyan chuckled, turning his head to seriously explain to the girl.

“Ge is just a bit afraid of needles. It’s not about being brave. Everyone has things they fear, and there’s no need to correct them.”

The girl, unsure if she understood, nodded blankly.

But when Lin Chi and Li Tingyan left, she politely waved goodbye.

Even after leaving the hospital, Lin Chi was still upset, trying to explain to Li Tingyan.

“Actually, I’m usually very brave. I caught toads in elementary school, caught a thief in high school, and performed high-risk stunts at work, even catching snakes with my bare hands…”

The more he spoke, the more nonsensical it sounded.

Li Tingyan glanced at him, thinking, ‘Is this something to be proud of?’

He didn’t seem to care about his own safety at all.

But he didn’t lecture Lin Chi. His phone call was connected, and assistant Xiao Chen was dutifully preparing a car and driver upon hearing the boss was returning to City C immediately.

Lin Chi, listening on the side, was puzzled. “What car? Didn’t you come here in a car?”

But twenty minutes later, Lin Chi understood.

Assistant Xiao Chen had arranged a luxury RV, and was now courteously inviting him inside.

Lin Chi: “…”

He looked wistfully at the calm-faced Li Tingyan, thinking, ‘I’m done with you rich people.’

But once inside, comfortably lying in the RV, with drinks, fruits, and snacks prepared, and a bathroom available anytime, Lin Chi had to admit, capitalism’s luxuries were indeed tempting.

Not ungrateful, he realized Li Tingyan’s thoughtful consideration.

Thinking of this, he diligently peeled an orange with gloves and handed it to the busy Li Tingyan.

“For you, to replenish. Don’t overwork.”

He said diligently.

Li Tingyan looked at the orange and then at Lin Chi, finding the scene odd, almost like Pan Jinlian offering medicine to Wu Dalang.

He had never seen Lin Chi so diligent before.

Still, he accepted it, slowly peeling a segment to eat.

Since Li Tingyan was busy, Lin Chi didn’t disturb him, instead, watching a movie with headphones on. But being ill drained his energy, and he soon fell asleep.

He remained asleep as the RV entered City C, too tired to notice.

Therefore, he didn’t know that the vehicle didn’t stop near his home but drove into a secluded villa area close to the city center.

Li Tingyan’s home was deep in this area, a large estate spanning six acres, almost like a small manor, with three gardens and even an island in a lake.

The RV stopped at the main villa’s entrance.

Staff immediately opened the door, and the waiting butler stepped forward, seeing Li Tingyan carrying someone down.

Late at night, the person was securely wrapped in a crimson blanket, only showing a fair, slender hand, sleeping soundly in Li Tingyan’s arms, undisturbed.

The butler quickly regained composure and quietly inquired, “Welcome home, sir. Is this a guest? Should I prepare a room now?”

Li Tingyan hesitated, “Prepare the room next to mine.”

“Understood.”

Once inside, the butler showed a hint of confusion.

The house was European-style, with two master bedrooms, typically one for the male owner and one for the female, connected by a corridor.

Li Tingyan’s mentioned adjacent room was theoretically the ‘Madam’s room’.

Author’s Note:

Li Tingyan leisurely brought Lin Chi back to his home~

Waking up, Lin Chi: Huh?