Chapter 489: Which Water?

It was already midnight twelve.

Li Luo had already prepared to sleep.

Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng had both gone to bed early in their own bedrooms.

After answering Xu Youyu's call, Li Luo furrowed his brow, instantly stood up from his chair, pushed open his door, and walked straight to Xu Youyu's bedroom door.

"Can I come in?" Li Luo didn't hang up the phone; holding it, he asked the voice on the other end.

"Mmm…" Xu Youyu responded weakly, "Do we have any medicine at home?"

"I think so," Li Luo replied, then hung up and pushed open the door.

The room was pitch black; only a faint glow could be seen beneath the blankets.

Li Luo hurried to Xu Youyu's bedside and pressed his hand against her forehead.

He didn't need to compare it to his own temperature—he felt at once that her forehead was burning hot.

"Li Luo… I want water," Xu Youyu said, her whole body limp and curled up under the blankets, her face pale and worn.

This version of Xu Youyu was truly rare to see.

But for Li Luo, it was strangely familiar.

After all, in his past life, he had cared for her exactly like this, so it now felt almost second nature.

"Lie still and don't move—I'll be right back," Li Luo said, gently stroking her cheek, then quickly rose and stepped out of the bedroom.

He first boiled a pot of hot water, then began rummaging through the living room.

He remembered that since all of them were in good physical shape, they rarely got sick, so they hadn't bought much medicine.

Using his memory palace, Li Luo reached into the top shelf of the fridge and pulled out several boxes of medicine; one was for colds, but it had expired.

But beside it was a thermometer, which Li Luo picked up.

Then he went to the bathroom, found the towel Xu Youyu used to wash her face, filled a basin with warm water, and returned to Xu Youyu's bedroom.

"The hot water's still boiling—wait a moment," Li Luo said, then took the thermometer and slipped it under Xu Youyu's armpit, telling her to hold it tight.

Next, he dipped the towel in the warm water, wrung it out, gently brushed aside her hair, and softly wiped her face, then took her hands and wiped them too, helping to lower her temperature slightly.

When he heard the kettle boil in the living room, Li Luo stepped out again, brought in the freshly boiled pot of hot water, poured a large cup of cold mineral water, mixed it into lukewarm, drinkable water, and held it to Xu Youyu's lips.

At this moment, Xu Youyu was as docile as a baby, silently accepting Li Luo's care.

Sipping the warm water Li Luo had perfectly prepared, she drank slowly, and her dry, feverish throat immediately eased slightly.

"When did you start running a fever?" Li Luo asked softly after she'd drunk enough, placing the cup on the nightstand and wiping the water from her lips.

"Just tonight," Xu Youyu whispered weakly. "In the afternoon, I had a hint—my throat felt uncomfortable—but I didn't have a fever then."

"Then I took a shower, went to bed, and actually fell asleep."

"But I woke up feeling awful and realized I must have a fever—I felt dizzy even sitting up, and my head was foggy."

As she spoke, Xu Youyu shifted closer to the bed, reached one hand out from under the blankets, and slipped it into Li Luo's palm.

Normally, Li Luo's large hands were always warmer than all three of them.

But tonight, Xu Youyu's hand was hot—like a little heater.

"Is it dizziness? Any other symptoms?" Li Luo asked, concerned. "Should I take you to the hospital?"

"No need… it's not dizziness—I just stood up too fast earlier and got a bit lightheaded, but I'm fine now," Xu Youyu murmured, still weak. "No other symptoms—just no strength in my whole body."

"Let me check the temperature," Li Luo estimated the time was up, pulled the thermometer from under her armpit, and carefully read the number: "38.2°C. You definitely have a fever."

"What do you mean 'definitely have a fever'? Do you think I'd lie to you?" Xu Youyu squinted, groaning as she complained.

"Cough…" Li Luo shifted his gaze guiltily, muttering softly, "I thought you were faking a fever just to skip school."

"You're so mean…" Xu Youyu puffed her cheeks, weakly bumped her head against him with no strength left.

"Alright, alright, lie back down," Li Luo quickly guided her head back onto the pillow. "I'll call in a leave for you tomorrow—you rest at home."

"That should be fine," Xu Youyu whispered. "I'm okay—I'll probably be fine after a good sleep."

"I just checked—the medicine at home is expired. I'll go downstairs to buy some," Li Luo tucked Xu Youyu's hand back under the blankets, wiped her face again with the towel, and gave her another sip of water.

After finishing, he stood up, told Xu Youyu he'd be back, didn't change his pajamas, just threw on a thin coat and rushed downstairs in his slippers.

On the bed, Xu Youyu nodded obediently, watching Li Luo's retreating back, savoring the warmth of being cared for—her heart felt cozy and safe.

She hadn't expected Li Luo to be so reliable when caring for someone.

He seemed so practiced?

Had he ever cared for Chanxi like this before?

As Xu Youyu's mind wandered, she unexpectedly felt a faint pang of jealous emptiness.

On the other side, Li Luo, after stepping out of the elevator, sprinted all the way to the 24-hour pharmacy at the community entrance and bought a box of fever-reducing medicine.

Then he sprinted all the way back home.

Less than ten minutes had passed before he reappeared before Xu Youyu.

Seeing Li Luo panting, the secret jealousy she'd felt inside instantly vanished; she no longer rushed to take the medicine, but reached out and pulled him to sit beside the bed, whispering, "Rest for a bit first."

"I'm fine," Li Luo said, took a deep breath, regained his composure, opened the fever medicine, followed the dosage instructions, gave her two pills, and handed her the warm water.

After watching Xu Youyu swallow the medicine, Li Luo picked up the towel, tested the water temperature, found it had cooled, went to refill the basin with warm water, and wiped her face and hands again.

"Do you feel better now?" Li Luo asked.

"A little."

"Can you sleep like this?"

"Not really," Xu Youyu said, reluctant, quietly tugging his sleeve. "Stay with me a little longer."

"I'm not going anywhere," Li Luo chuckled, pinching her cheek. "I'll wait until you fall asleep."

Hearing this, Xu Youyu finally relaxed and closed her eyes obediently.

Perhaps because the fever made her vulnerable, the normally independent and self-reliant Xu Youyu now seemed unusually delicate and clingy.

After closing her eyes, she snuggled into Li Luo's arms beside the bed and whispered, "Stay and chat with me for a while."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know."

"How about your illness and taking leave?" Li Luo teased. "Aren't you always wondering how to skip school? Now you've got your chance."

"I'm sick, and you're still teasing me," Xu Youyu pouted.

"So how are you going to face your classmates when you go back to school?"

"You're so annoying. Shut up."

"You're the one who asked to chat."

"I don't want to anymore," Xu Youyu sighed weakly. "Be quiet."

The room fell silent again, broken only by the sound of their breathing.

Li Luo didn't know if Xu Youyu was asleep or awake, so he stayed beside her.

Half-asleep, when he woke again, he found himself lying on Xu Youyu's bed.

Outside the window, the night was still dim, not yet dawn.

He reached for his phone and checked—it was just past four in the morning.

Perhaps the sound of him fiddling with his phone was too loud, waking Xu Youyu beside him.

"Mmm… water…" Xu Youyu awoke, her throat still dry; she instinctively burrowed into Li Luo's arms and cooed.

"Where do you want water from?" Li Luo teased, charmed by her rare cuteness.

Xu Youyu lifted her face to him, cheeks flushed, and whispered softly, "Wherever there's water, I'll take it from there."

"Even from here?" Li Luo lowered his head, lips hovering before hers.

"Of course—it'll quench my thirst," Xu Youyu said, leaning in as if to kiss him, then stopped, laughing and pushing his face away. "No, if I infect you, that won't be good."

"I've already slept in the same bed as you—if you were going to infect me, it would've happened already," Li Luo laughed, pinched her cheek, and kissed her quickly. "They say the fastest way to cure a fever is to pass the virus to someone else."

"You're just talking nonsense," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes at him.

He got out of bed, felt the water kettle, then opened the lid to check.

"The water's cold. I'll heat a new pot for you," Li Luo said, rushing to the living room to refill and reheat it.

When he returned to the bedroom, he slipped the thermometer under Xu Youyu's armpit. "Measure again—how do you feel now?"

"Better than last night," Xu Youyu touched her forehead. "But still a bit feverish."

"I'll call in for you later, or I can go ask for you."

"Then go ask for me," Xu Youyu coaxed.

"You don't even have the strength to make a phone call?"

"I'm just too weak~" Xu Youyu continued to pout. "Besides, you said you'd help me ask."

"I was just being polite."

"Then I won't be polite."

"I think you're almost better," Li Luo laughed, pulling out the thermometer and checking it. "37.9°C? Still running a fever?"

"Better than yesterday," Xu Youyu sighed dramatically. "What a shame—I can't go to class today."

"Don't be so fake," Li Luo pinched her cheek. "I'll call in your leave, and maybe I'll even spread the news about your novel-writing. That way you won't be so torn."

"Say it straight if you want to die," Xu Youyu growled, shoving Li Luo onto the bed and kissing him hard. "I'll infect you with every last virus!"

"Mmm… who was the one who said she had no strength?"

…

After playing around on the bed, Xu Youyu grew tired, curled back under the covers, drank a little warm water from Li Luo's hand, and fell asleep again.

Li Luo dozed off too—but he slept straight through until past six.

Only when Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng couldn't find Li Luo in the master bedroom and followed his trail to Xu Youyu's room did they wake him.

"You—you…" Ying Chanxi, seeing Li Luo in Xu Youyu's bed, clenched her lips. "Why are you sleeping in Senior Xu's room?"

"Ahem…" Li Luo, seeing Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng enter, scrambled out of bed, glanced at the sleeping Xu Youyu, then pulled them both out. "She has a fever. I stayed up all night caring for her and accidentally fell asleep."

"Huh? Senior Xu has a fever?" Ying Chanxi gasped, peering into the room. "Is she okay?"

"She took medicine at dawn, slept a bit, and feels a little better," Li Luo said. "But she definitely needs to stay home today—still has a low-grade fever."

Saying this, Li Luo returned to his own room, changed into his school uniform, then went downstairs with Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng. They ate breakfast at a stall by the compound gate, and he bought a meal to take back to Xu Youyu.

Li Luo told Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng to go ahead to school. He skipped morning jogging, carried the breakfast back to Bihai Lanting 1502, and entered Xu Youyu's bedroom.

He moved the chair from her desk to the bedside, placed the breakfast on it—her favorite way to eat in bed was ready.

But Xu Youyu was unusually lazy today; she wriggled like a caterpillar to the edge of the bed and opened her mouth with a soft "Ah~"

Li Luo had no choice but to pick up chopsticks, pick up a fried dumpling, and feed it to her, then unscrew the soy milk and let her sip twice.

After finishing her breakfast, Li Luo took the fever-reducing medicine from last night and gave her another dose.

Watching Xu Youyu lie back obediently after taking the medicine, he reheated another pot of water and placed it by her bedside.

"I'm off to school now," Li Luo adjusted her blanket and stood up. "I'll come back at noon."

"Noon?"

"Aren't you going to eat lunch?"

"I can order takeout."

"Nah, I'll come back and bring you food," Li Luo pinched her cheek, charmed by her flushed, feverish face, and bent down to kiss her again. "I'm leaving."

"You're really going to get infected this way," Xu Youyu whispered weakly.

"If you do infect me, then it'll be your turn to take care of me."

"And then I'll get infected again, so I won't have to go to school?" Xu Youyu tilted her head and asked.

"You're really a clever little thing, huh? A perpetual motion machine, is that it?"

The two shared a knowing smile, then Li Luo stepped out of the room and gently closed the door behind her.