He leaned on the front seat's backrest and asked the driver: "Can you drop me off at the nearest pharmacy or clinic? My colleague here seems to have a slight fever. I need to buy a thermometer to check."
"Of course, of course. There's no clinic nearby, but I'll take you to the nearest pharmacy."
LEO nodded. "Sorry for the trouble."
The car stopped.
He let go, gently told Qi Sui to hold the cushion tightly, and even took off his light gray thin shirt and draped it over her.
His voice carried a hint of reassurance: "I'm going to buy a thermometer. Bear with it a little."
Qi Sui nodded with a hum, burying her messy head into the cushion. Her cheeks and ears were burning uncontrollably; the pathological effect was taking hold.
They parted in the hotel corridor. LEO hung a bag of medicine on her hand and instructed her to take her temperature before taking medicine as needed. Qi Sui agreed.
The man turned around, and the large patch of wet red on the back of his neck had worsened.
Qi Sui, draped in his thin shirt that carried his scent, stood still, watching him rub his neck with his palm, then quickly lower his hand.
She raised her voice weakly: "Come knock on my door later. I'll get you some dermatitis cream."
LEO turned his head, his eyes still cold with no emotion, but the corners of his eyes slightly lifted. Qi Sui suspected it was a faint smile.
"No need. Mine's not serious."
"How is it not serious?" Qi Sui said irritably. "Allergies are much more serious than a fever. They can kill you."
She had no strength left to stand, so she waved her hand without allowing argument. "That's settled. Come later, and I'll give you the medicine."
Seeing LEO nod subtly, she felt reassured. She swiped her room card to open the door, walked in, and collapsed headfirst into the soft bed.
So tired.
But her body still carried the smell of plastic from the sample factory. Qi Sui struggled to get up, took a shower, and changed clothes—not a single step could be skipped.
She rummaged through the heavy medicine bag. Besides a bunch of various medicines, there was also an ear thermometer.
She pressed the probe against her ear bone. After a faint electric hum, it read 38.6—definitely within the range of a fever.
She boiled water, took out two fever reducers, and set them aside.
After waiting for a while and LEO still hadn't come, she simply turned on her phone and dialed her mother-in-law's number.
On the other end, after a few rings, the call connected.
"Is that Suisui?" The familiar old woman's voice came through, warm and friendly.
Qi Sui hummed in acknowledgment. Her nose was stuffy, and she coughed softly.
"What's the matter, Mom?"
Qian's mother clicked her tongue. "Suisui, are you sick? Your voice sounds hoarse."
Qi Sui sniffled. "A little. I'll feel better after taking some medicine."
Then came a string of nagging from Qian's mother—about how young people should take care of their health, how work can wait, and how ruining one's body would be troublesome, and so on.
Qi Sui could only respond with "mm-hmm" to indicate she understood.
After a moment, Qian's mother got to the point.
"Suisui, isn't next Tuesday your father's birthday?"
"Mm," Qi Sui replied. "Hasn't Qian Jin already booked the restaurant?"
Qian's mother hesitated. "Yes, it's not about that. A-Jin came home today, and I saw his expression wasn't very good. I wanted to ask if you two have been having a falling out lately?"
Before Qi Sui could answer, the other end let out a big sigh first.
"Suisui, if that brat made you angry, I apologize to you on his behalf. Don't always get upset over small things. Between a husband and wife, life needs to be discussed and compromised to work. If he made a mistake, tell me, and I'll teach him a lesson..."
Qi Sui: "..."
She didn't need to say much; the other end could chat up a storm all on its own.
She simply put the phone aside on speaker mode and took her medicine with warm water first.
A light knock came at the door. She went to open it.
The man was still wearing his outdoor clothes, which gave her a psychological sense of safe working distance, as if they were still in a work environment.
Qi Sui made a shushing gesture with her finger to her lips.
LEO nodded and stepped into the room.
The room temperature was just right.
He didn't sit on the edge of the bed or stand around waiting for her to finish her call. Instead, he walked directly to the armchair by the floor-to-ceiling window and sat down, silently watching her face.
There was a faint question in his eyes.
He picked up the office pen on the desk, tore off a piece of hotel letterhead, and wrote something on it, then handed it over.
His handwriting was sharp, the strokes showing distinct pointed tips.
"Should I come back later?"
Qi Sui shook her head, mouthing the words "Almost done."