Seventh Year Of Separation chapter 61
Can’t get up
As the train carriages brushed past another high-speed train, it caused a slight sway.
Gu Jiahe looked at the brass key in his hand, remaining silent for a while.
Li Zhao raised his hand and touched his hair.
The high-speed train transitioned from daytime into dusk, with Gu Jiahe leaning against the window. The sunlight filtered through the glass, casting a warm glow on his profile.
When Li Zhao turned back again, Gu Jiahe had already tilted his head and fallen asleep, the orange light falling on his eyelids.
After days of exhaustion, Gu Jiahe had hardly slept a full night. Now, with drooping eyelids, he hugged his arms, revealing a glimpse of his youthful appearance.
Outside the window, numerous utility poles flashed by, and flocks of birds flew over the vast plains.
Li Zhao had not spent much time in Pingcheng, and to him, the Northern City was merely a place to work and earn money. Yet, somehow, in this cramped carriage, with Gu Jiahe sleeping beside him, he felt a sense of home.
They were like two weary birds, finally returning to their nest.
As spring transitioned into summer, the weather in the Northern City became capricious. While they had left the high-speed train with the sun still shining, it started raining heavily before they reached home.
Perhaps due to exhaustion, after arriving at the parking lot, Gu Jiahe did not offer to drive. He sat in the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and slept all the way home.
But maybe because of the overcast weather, with the low atmospheric pressure outside, Gu Jiahe’s sleep was not sound. His brows remained furrowed.
As soon as they returned to their small home, Gu Jiahe woke up in a daze, following Li Zhao into the elevator. Once the door to their home opened, he headed straight for the bedroom, shedding his coat and diving under the covers.
Li Zhao assumed he was too tired and let him continue sleeping.
However, throughout the night, Gu Jiahe didn’t speak to Li Zhao at all. He lay under the covers, seemingly cut off from the world.
After Li Zhao finished washing up and lay down, Gu Jiahe turned his back to him.
Li Zhao gently asked, “Aren’t you going to take a shower?”
Gu Jiahe grumbled, “I can’t get up. Can I shower in the morning?”
Li Zhao sighed and got up to go to the bathroom. When he returned, he brought a warm towel and a basin of warm water.
He patted Gu Jiahe’s arm. “Undo your clothes.”
Gu Jiahe, half-asleep, complied like a puppet, doing whatever Li Zhao said without thinking.
He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his clean skin, his eyes squinting as if still in a dream.
Li Zhao had abstained during his week in Pingcheng. Seeing Gu Jiahe’s defenseless state now, he unexpectedly felt a flame ignite in his belly.
Gu Jiahe, who had been enjoying the sensation of the towel, suddenly felt something was amiss after a while.
He raised his head. “Are you still human? What’s the difference between this behavior and taking advantage of me?”
Li Zhao solemnly said, “I’m just helping you wipe down.”
Gu Jiahe believed his nonsense. As soon as the towel left his body, he buttoned up his shirt and closed his eyes, turning to the side.
Li Zhao hadn’t expected him to continue sleeping. Feeling a bit annoyed, he said, “Aren’t you going to change into pajamas? You’re just going to sleep like this?”
“Yeah, too tired,” Gu Jiahe murmured weakly.
“It’s been a week,” Li Zhao suddenly remarked.
“What?”
“We haven’t… in a week. Don’t you want to?”
“Ge..”
Before Gu Jiahe could finish, Li Zhao grabbed his arm.
The next moment, he felt a strange sensation in his palm.
Li Zhao had grabbed his hand!
Five minutes later, Gu Jiahe cursed his lack of willpower. In a daze, he was pulled into this strange intimacy.
Li Zhao must have been holding back his desires, but now, with his spirits relaxed, he seemed to have thrown caution to the wind this night.
Gu Jiahe felt like a peanut, repeatedly ground by the grinder.
Until the end, he only felt aching and soreness in his waist and abdomen. He felt emptied from the inside out, leaving behind only an empty shell.
“I can’t do it anymore. I’m really spent,” Gu Jiahe said, his body weak, and the next moment, he lost consciousness completely.
The room was dim, and the last thing he remembered seeing was Li Zhao getting up.
The next morning, Gu Jiahe woke up with a blanket over his head again.
Li Zhao saw that it was almost time for work and hurriedly called him to get up. But Gu Jiahe did not respond.
Li Zhao called out a few more times, but Gu Jiahe only muttered and fell silent.
Li Zhao sensed that something was wrong, reached out, and felt Gu Jiahe’s face. He discovered that Gu Jiahe’s cheeks were burning terrifyingly hot.
He quickly got up from the bed, rummaged through the cabinets, and found the first aid kit to check his temperature.
The result was, he watched the mercury column soar to 38 degrees.
Li Zhao carefully recalled, he hadn’t been injured last night, so why would he suddenly have such a high fever?
He was about to lift Gu Jiahe’s pants to check.
Gu Jiahe felt Li Zhao touching his pants and suddenly woke up from his drowsiness: “What are you doing?!”
“Let’s go to the hospital.” Li Zhao lifted him up from the blanket.
Gu Jiahe, with his eyes still half-closed, retreated back under the covers: “Don’t want to go, too tired.”
After saying that, he burrowed deeper into the blanket and pulled the corners tighter.
Seeing him feeling dizzy from the fever, Li Zhao had no choice but to drag him out from under the covers and carry him on his shoulders.
“Help, kidnapping…” Gu Jiahe muttered.
Ignoring him, Li Zhao helped him put on a coat and threw him into the car.
During the seasonal transition, the emergency room was crowded. Li Zhao finally managed to get Gu Jiahe to the emergency room.
After a simple examination by the doctor, he was asked to get a blood test.
Five minutes later, Gu Jiahe leaned back against a chair in the emergency room, a cotton ball taped to his arm. Li Zhao sat beside him.
Gu Jiahe suddenly spoke up: “Look, there are stars on the ceiling.”
“What?” Li Zhao looked up, but there were no stars, only a big light bulb.
Li Zhao thought to himself, his mind must be getting delirious from the fever.
Half an hour later, the test results came out. Li Zhao showed them to the doctor, who diagnosed it as a viral infection.
Li Zhao asked, “How could he get a viral infection out of nowhere?”
The doctor handed the test results back to him: “There are many cases of flu during the change of seasons. Overexertion can also weaken the immune system.”
Li Zhao nodded and asked, “Can he get an IV?”
The doctor waved his hand: “His temperature was fine just now. Just go home and take the medicine. Viral infections can heal on their own.”
Li Zhao helped him get the medicine and then drove the sick Gu Jiahe back home.
Viral flu made one feel alternately hot and cold. After returning home, Gu Jiahe would open his clothes for a while and then wrap himself in thick blankets. After several repetitions, Li Zhao couldn’t bear it anymore. He changed him into breathable silk pajamas and covered him with a thin blanket.
Li Zhao had an important meeting with a client today, and he was about to call Qin Yi to ask for a leave when he was stopped by Gu Jiahe.
“You go, It’s just a little cold.” Gu Jiahe persuaded him weakly.
“No, I can’t leave you alone at home.” Li Zhao refused directly.
“You’ll lose two days’ pay if you stay at home, it’s too much of a loss.”
“Even at this time, you’re still keeping accounts? I don’t need the pay, whether I go or not.” Li Zhao tucked him into the blanket.
Soon, Li Zhao opened his computer and started an online meeting at home.
Even with his head under the blanket, Gu Jiahe could hear the sound of Li Zhao typing on the keyboard.
After a while, he stuck his head out from under the blanket: “Can you work in the living room?”
Li Zhao: “I’m afraid you’ll die in the room.”
Gu Jiahe: “Can’t you hope for me to get better?”
But Li Zhao continued typing away at the computer, and Gu Jiahe started to feel annoyed.
He tore open the blanket and shouted pitifully at Li Zhao’s back, “Ge ee~~”
Li Zhao’s hands suddenly paused, as if his rare coquettish tone had shocked him.
Li Zhao turned to look at him: “What did you just call me?”
Gu Jiahe gently repeated, “Ge.”
Li Zhao shook his head: “No, the tone is wrong. You didn’t call me that way just now.”
Gu Jiahe could only try again, mimicking, “Ge ee~~~”
The sound was like that of a little cat scratching, Li Zhao stopped what he was doing, walked over, crouched down, rubbed his face and kissed his nose.
He looked at Gu Jiahe with a half-smile, “Tsk, you even sound cute with a fever.”
Gu Jiahe, annoyed, retorted, “Are you even my boyfriend? You’re trying to kill me.”
Li Zhao, about to tease him, was pushed away by Gu Jiahe, who said, “Please, my body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
Admitting defeat, Li Zhao released his grip and left the room slightly open.
Gu Jiahe would call out if he needed help.
He had taken two doses of fever-reducing medicine throughout the day, and although his temperature had dropped a bit, he still felt a bit weak lying in bed.
In the afternoon, Gu Jiahe received a call from Wu Mou, saying there was an issue with a contract that needed to be reviewed. Despite feeling angry, Gu Jiahe reluctantly opened his laptop and started working.
Hearing the commotion, Li Zhao pushed the door open.
Upon entering, he saw Gu Jiahe leaning over the desk, reading documents with messy hair.
Li Zhao asked, “What are you doing?”
Gu Jiahe squinted, “Reviewing a contract.”
Li Zhao sighed, “What contract? Nothing confidential, right?”
Gu Jiahe shook his head, “Nothing confidential.”
Li Zhao carried him back to bed, then said to him, “I’ll help you review it.”
“Thanks, ge~~” Gu Jiahe’s use of the term was becoming more natural.
“Just remember to call me if you need anything,” Li Zhao said, grabbing an orange from the desk and tossing it to him.
The next morning, Gu Jiahe’s temperature had dropped a bit, but he still felt unwell.
Li Zhao woke up early, cooked a pot of rice porridge in the kitchen, and came back to find Gu Jiahe just waking up.
Li Zhao pulled back the covers, got into bed, and hugged Gu Jiahe from behind.
“Hmm?” Gu Jiahe was a bit puzzled by Li Zhao getting into bed again.
“Let me hold you for a while,” Li Zhao embraced Gu Jiahe and reached out to pinch his waist, “You’ve only been sick for a day, why do you feel like you’ve lost weight again?”
“It’s not true.” Gu Jiahe touched his own stomach.
“Let me feel.” Li Zhao said, slipping his fingers into Gu Jiahe’s pajamas and running them along his abdomen.
“Hey hey hey.” Gu Jiahe quickly grabbed his sinful hand to stop him.
Li Zhao chuckled softly, “Can’t someone who’s sick withstand a little teasing?”
Gu Jiahe retorted, “You really don’t know how to take care of a sick person.”
Seeing that Gu Jiahe could still retort, Li Zhao decided to tease him. He grabbed the hem of Gu Jiahe’s clothes and lifted them up, his fingers continuing to wander despite Gu Jiahe’s protests, causing Gu Jiahe to cry for help.
The two of them played around under the covers for a while, and the atmosphere seemed to be heading in a strange direction.
But just a moment ago, Gu Jiahe was panting his breath heavy, and the next moment, he suddenly fell silent, his body stiffening.
Li Zhao quickly stopped and asked him, “What’s wrong?”
Gu Jiahe turned his head, whispering, “I’m screwed.”
Li Zhao didn’t understand, “What do you mean?”
Gu Jiahe took a deep breath, “I think I can’t get up.”
Li Zhao reached out and patted his thigh, “But your legs are fine, aren’t they?”
Gu Jiahe covered his face and wailed, “I’m not talking about my legs!”