But she couldn't hold on any longer.
A dark, dream-filled slumber invaded Qi Sui's body.
The hotel's soundproofing was average, but at this dead hour, sleep came easily.
Meanwhile, in his room, LEO was wearing plain glasses and handling company affairs. When he noticed the hairdryer next door stop working, he first took off his glasses and rubbed his brow, which was clearly swollen with tension.
Then he opened a portion of the revised document draft Qi Sui had submitted two days ago, marked the spots that still needed correction, and closed his laptop to rest.
He held the anti-allergy medicine in his palm, swallowed a few like candy, and with a slight swallow of his throat, the bitter pills went down into his stomach.
There was still a vague dull pain in the mucous membranes of his throat.
From the small medicine kit in his suitcase, LEO fished out a bottle of anti-inflammatory spray—he had bought it recently after Qi Sui had used cough spray on him.
The man wore a dark black bathrobe and stood before the half-length mirror in the bathroom, his chest covered tightly. He didn't like exposing too much skin. Since childhood, his allergy-prone body always produced strange reactions, forcing him to visit the gym three times a week just to boost his meager immunity.
Moderate exercise was beneficial for a sensitive, low-threshold body. Although he didn't start working out voluntarily, after all this time, his body had indeed improved a lot compared to his college days when he'd often take leave to go home.
Looking down his collar, from behind his ear to below his left collarbone, there was a patch of light red, like a cloud, slightly raised with a layer of skin.
It was itchy and painful, but he couldn't scratch it, or it would get worse.
The man's brows were deeply furrowed.
He opened the anti-inflammatory spray and sprayed it not too gently on his throat; the allergic skin couldn't be medicated yet, only protected from friction as much as possible.
He coughed awkwardly twice, afraid that the poor soundproofing would expose his coughing to the next room.
Strange, wasn't it?
The medicine was almost the same, the method was identical, but when Qi Sui sprayed him, it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable.
He looked at the miserable man in the mirror, his neck red, but he knew in his heart that this was an effect nothing could replace.
Because it was a psychological effect.
Those slender, fair hands controlled his nerves.
When her cool fingertips closed his mouth, he couldn't resist no matter what.
The bitter medicine soothed his throat, but the cool touch of her hand clearly revealed his shame.
If the medicine were effective, he wouldn't be standing so miserably before the mirror late at night, using anti-inflammatory spray to suppress his coughing, trying not to disturb the woman next door.
He stared at his face expressionlessly.
And cursed inwardly.
Xiang Yu, you are truly insane.
When Qi Sui woke from her dazed dream, she felt groggy. She sat on the edge of the bed, disoriented, her head so heavy she nearly fell headfirst to the floor.
Looking up, she felt the cold wind blowing directly on her face—she had left the air conditioner on all night.
She quickly turned off the AC, changed her pajamas for a thicker knit cardigan, ignored the slight discomfort in her body, and slipped on her slippers to wash her face and brush her teeth.
Methodically, she washed her face, brushed her teeth, applied sunscreen, and dusted on powder. Only when the woman in the mirror looked presentable did she change shoes and leave the room.
She had agreed to meet LEO at 7:45 in the dining area.
Qi Sui had hardly prepared anything—just her recording tools in a small backpack. She brought nothing extra.
The man sitting at a table by the window was leisurely pouring something into his coffee cup. As she got closer, Qi Sui smelled the fragrant, hot soy milk from his cup. She couldn't help pursing her lips to suppress a smile.
Who drinks soy milk from a coffee cup? And his manner was quite deceptive—anyone else might think he was drinking some premium coffee beans.
LEO noticed her gaze on the coffee cup and explained lightly:
"I don't like coffee, and I can't drink milk. Soy milk is about the only thing I can have occasionally."
Got it, a delicate showy peacock.
Can't eat this, can't eat that. Life must be so hard.
Qi Sui sat down opposite him. The showy peacock had changed into another set of nice clothes.
For field trips, he couldn't dress like a runway model in the office; it was too hot and easy to get heatstroke. So he deliberately chose comfortable, simple clothes.
But through the open collar, she could see a patch of light red skin. It wasn't severe, but given its size, it looked alarming.
Qi Sui peeled a boiled egg and asked him:
"Is your neck an allergy? Want to put something on it?"
LEO watched her finish peeling the egg and casually stuff it into her own mouth, a flash of disappointment in his eyes.
He asked, "I didn't bring the right medicine. I don't know what to apply."
Qi Sui chewed the still-warm egg, thought for a moment, and said,
"I have some dermatitis cream in my suitcase. You can use some when we get back. It should help."
LEO lowered his eyes. Perhaps because it was morning, his expression seemed unusually docile.
He nodded, softly saying, "Mm."
Qi Sui finished her boiled egg. The man opposite was still slowly drinking his soy milk, but there was nothing else on the table—it seemed he didn't intend to eat anything else.
She glanced at her watch.
It wasn't even eight yet.
She asked, "Can you eat eggs?"
LEO looked up at her as she stood up and nodded.
"Okay, wait a moment."
She got another egg and also picked up two slices of whole wheat toast.
She said, "I just washed my hands."
LEO's gaze fell on her hands, almost focused. Qi Sui thought he might be disgusted by her hands being unclean, so she explained.
The egg was peeled cleanly, the white, tender boiled egg looking quite appetizing.
Qi Sui reached out to LEO, and the next second, he took the egg with a small bowl, eating elegantly.
"Thank you," LEO said, sitting up straight with restraint. His light gray thin shirt was form-fitting, making him appear refined and gentle.
In short—the person at the company who nitpicks others' work omissions? That couldn't be the person in front of her.
When it was eight o'clock, Qi Sui supported herself on the table to stand up. Her head was still a bit dizzy, but it wasn't a big deal.
Actually, she should have taken some fever reducers before going out, but Qi Sui shook her head, thinking it was fine.
Apart from a slight flush on her face, there were almost no other discomfort symptoms. Plus, she wasn't the type with dense capillaries on her face, so nothing showed.
However, LEO, standing beside her, asked first:
"What's wrong with you?"
Author's note:
----------------------
I wrote an outline for the second main storyline yesterday, still thinking about which one to write first—the second or third. Actually, I really want to write a pathetic male lead type; I think it would be quite interesting too [sunglasses]