Quan Jiu didn't know how long she had slept. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a pair of beautiful eyes staring intently at her.
At that moment, they were embracing each other in an extremely ambiguous posture. Quan Jiu's face flushed, and she struggled to get up.
But Chu Rong held her tightly and said weakly, "I'm dizzy, my throat hurts, my limbs are sore and weak, and I'm very cold."
Quan Jiu struggled hard and said impatiently, "You have enough strength to participate in the Olympics."
"It's far from my usual strength," Chu Rong continued to feign weakness.
"Oh, let go of me," Quan Jiu said, embarrassed. "I'll go get you a blanket. Aren't you cold?"
"I'm not cold like this," Chu Rong still refused to let go. Instead, he used his hands and feet, clinging to Quan Jiu like an octopus.
"You're doing this on purpose. If you don't let go... I'll... I'll bite."
Chu Rong raised an eyebrow and pulled down his collar, revealing his handsome, sexy collarbone and shoulder.
Quan Jiu was so angry she felt like she was going to get a stomachache: Fine, you want me to bite, don't you? Who's afraid? Without another word, she bit Chu Rong's shoulder with all her might. When she let go, two rows of clear small teeth marks were visible.
However, the man's skin was thicker than a city wall. He didn't even frown and said gently, "Now I'm yours. You have to be responsible. You can't... just discard me."
"I don't think you're sick. You're in very good health," Quan Jiu said, her face flushed. She pushed him hard, finally breaking free, then quickly flipped over and rushed out of the tent.
After coming out, she realized how warm it was inside the tent and how cool it was outside.
Quan Jiu took a few breaths of cold air. After the heat gradually subsided, she resigned herself to fetching a blanket.
Alas... who made her a benevolent physician?
She re-entered the tent and saw that Chu Rong's face had a feverish flush again. She checked his temperature and found that it had indeed risen.
Quan Jiu put aside the matter of what had just happened and called to ask where the person buying medicine was. Upon learning that they would arrive in half an hour, she was temporarily relieved. Then she went to fetch a basin of warm water and continued to cool him down physically.
However, compared to someone who was asleep, the person who was awake was obviously not as easy to handle.
Quan Jiu only wiped his forehead, cheeks, and arms before preparing to withdraw.
Chu Rong grabbed her and said seriously, "Your physical cooling is not up to par. You need to wipe your whole body. How can you be so perfunctory?"
Quan Jiu said impatiently, "You know I'm being perfunctory. Wipe yourself. I don't want to..."
"You've had a fever all night. If it continues, your brain will be damaged," Chu Rong said weakly, looking at Quan Jiu.
Quan Jiu frowned, then couldn't help but get angry, "Why didn't you say anything when you had a fever last night? Do you really think you're made of iron? Are you still young? You're almost forty, don't you have any self-awareness?"
Chu Rong coughed lightly, sounding a little resentful, "I'm only thirty-seven."
"Yes, you're a thirty-seven-year-old uncle, but you think you're a twenty-seven-year-old young man. You even laughed at Meng Pinglang. I bet he's secretly laughing at you right now," Quan Jiu snorted. She started to act, wringing out the cloth and gently wiping Chu Rong's upper body.
Years of exercise had kept his physique exceptionally good. Even through the cloth, the lines of his muscles were clearly visible. It was fine when he was asleep, but now that he was awake, Quan Jiu felt uncomfortable.
"If you continue to be so unfocused, I can't guarantee I won't do something to you," Chu Rong slowly reached out and touched Quan Jiu's side.
Quan Jiu's face instantly turned crimson. She wiped him haphazardly and withdrew her hand, saying angrily, "Who's unfocused? It's your impure thoughts."
"Yes, I admit it," Chu Rong said, his fingers gently hooking Quan Jiu's hem. "After all, it's been five years."
"You..." Quan Jiu felt like she was about to explode. "I'm not talking to you anymore." She hurriedly picked up the water basin and left.
Watching her embarrassed retreat, Chu Rong couldn't help but smile faintly, but a wave of weakness washed over him. He looked towards the entrance of the tent and fell asleep again.
...
Quan Jiu didn't re-enter the tent until the person who went down the mountain to buy medicine returned.
But she never expected that the person who had been teasing her just moments ago had a fever of 39°. Thinking that he might have really had a fever all night, she became flustered and quickly gave him fever-reducing medicine, then urged the other staff member to find out where they were.
Upon learning that they would arrive in about twenty minutes, Quan Jiu gave Chu Rong another physical cooling treatment and then waited anxiously.
Twenty minutes later, the person responsible for buying medicine arrived, carrying a large bag of items.
With the medicine here, she felt relieved. Quan Jiu meticulously packed things up, hanging the IV bag from the top of the tent. But as she prepared to insert the needle, she hesitated.
Seeing her hand tremble as she held the needle, the staff member asked worriedly, "Can you do it?" Aren't you a medical student? Inserting a needle should be no problem, right?
Quan Jiu squeezed her fist hard, then loosened it, then tightened it again. However, the fear of needles in her memory lingered, and the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't control her palpitations, and her hands trembled more and more.
Seeing the staff member's doubtful gaze, she said awkwardly, "Hehe, it's because of this that I gave up on medicine. I faint at the sight of needles and blood."
The staff member was surprised and asked uncertainly, "Then... can you do it?"
She thought she could, but now... Quan Jiu was not sure.
Just as she was trying hard to suppress the fear in her heart, her trembling right hand was held by a warm palm.
"I'm sorry... Ah Jiu."
Quan Jiu's heart suddenly jolted. The warmth from her hand was like a soothing agent. She looked at the sleeping man, took a deep breath, and steadily held the needle, quickly and accurately inserting it into the vein on the back of his hand.
...
When Chu Rong woke up again, the sky had already darkened. The sleeping face leaning against the tent entrance looked like a sleeping beauty, making him reluctant to disturb her.
He lay on his side, propping his head up with his elbow, quietly watching the sleeping Quan Jiu.
"Teacher Quan, it's time to eat."
A shout from outside instantly woke Quan Jiu. The first thing she did when she opened her eyes was to look inside, and she met Chu Rong's gaze.
Quan Jiu stepped forward, checked his temperature, and breathed a sigh of relief. "It's finally gone down. How do you feel? Is your head still heavy and dizzy?"
Chu Rong shook his head slightly. "I've never felt better."
Quan Jiu brought over a cup of water. "Drink it in small sips."
Chu Rong drank a few sips as instructed, then sat up and reached out to brush away the stray hairs from Quan Jiu's temples.
Quan Jiu froze for a moment before remembering to dodge. She avoided Chu Rong's hand and said faintly, "Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. The fever has subsided, but you still have a cold. You can breathe some fresh air at the tent entrance, but don't go out in the cold wind. The wind in the mountains is strong."
Seeing her leave, a hint of disappointment flashed in Chu Rong's eyes. However, he obediently went to the tent entrance and watched the swirling clouds and mist in the mountains, lost in thought.
Quan Jiu, who had left, returned a short while later with a bowl of porridge. "Eat some porridge. You haven't eaten all day. You have to eat something even if you don't have an appetite."
Chu Rong weakly reached out to take the bowl, but seemed unable to hold it, and lowered his hand.
He looked quietly at Quan Jiu.