Did My Ex-Wife Agree to Remarry Me Today? - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Unbearable Itch

Chi Yun looked up, staring blankly at Li Zhou for a long moment before finally raising her hand and letting her palm settle into Li Zhou’s.

Li Zhou curled her fingers inward, applying pressure to pull Chi Yun up.

Having sat on the ground for too long, Chi Yun’s legs were numb. She struggled to take a step, so Li Zhou held her hand and led her slowly. The fingers she held were icy; Li Zhou, whose body temperature was naturally on the lower side, felt a sudden chill and unconsciously tightened her grip.

Chi Yun hadn’t processed what was happening. She stared at the side of Li Zhou’s face and her retreating back, overwhelmed by a sense of unreality. Li Zhou was leading her by a half-step, and their hands… were indeed joined.

Why did A-Li suddenly confiscate my cigarettes and pull me up? Where is she taking me?

Neither of them spoke. At the gate, Li Zhou used her free hand to open the white garden door. Behind it was a simple latch that Li Zhou usually didn’t lock, just hooked to keep the wind from blowing it open.

Chi Yun had never walked through the front door. Every time she delivered trash, she stood outside the wall and hoisted the bags over, careful not to overstep. She hadn’t realized how easy it was to open.

Like a dream, Chi Yun was led into the house she had yearned for.

In the corner of the yard, the bags she had delivered stood in a long, neat line. She walked past them, leaving them far behind, and climbed the steps into Li Zhou’s first-floor studio.

The interior was more open and minimalist than Chi Yun had imagined. Due to the upcoming exhibition, one wall was lined with crates of 3D-printed fish bones. Once those were moved out, the space would be even emptier. Li Zhou clearly loved open space.

As they walked, Chi Yun saw the design sketches on the walls and the crafts in the display cabinets. She saw a water dispenser and a large window. She saw the stool where Li Zhou sat while working and the cup she used to stay hydrated. Through these details, Chi Yun could imagine Li Zhou focused on a single task for a whole morning, occasionally reaching for her water.

Most striking was the processing equipment that was as tall as a wall. This was where the trash Chi Yun collected was pyrolyzed, reduced to elements, and reconstructed into new materials. Chi Yun hoped Li Zhou would explain the process, but Li Zhou simply led her in a circle and then toward the second floor.

Chi Yun remained silent, following obediently. On the stairs, their joined hands felt heavy and significant, like the ceremonial red ribbon at a grand opening. Chi Yun kept glancing at their hands. They had walked through an entire floor, yet she still felt like she was dreaming. She was terrified that if she spoke or moved too much, the dream would shatter.

They entered the second floor. Biscuit, who had already eaten dinner and was dozing in her bed, cracked an eye open. Seeing it was Li Zhou, she lazily wagged her tail once. But when Chi Yun appeared behind her, the puppy’s eyes went wide. She scrambled up, paws resting on the edge of her bed, and barked an excited “Woof!”

Chi Yun smiled and wanted to say hello, but Li Zhou beat her to it. “It’s late. Go back to sleep,” Li Zhou commanded. The puppy dove back into her bed, covering her face with one leg, though her sparkling eyes peeked through the fur.

Li Zhou led Chi Yun from the foyer to the kitchen, the living room, the bathroom, and finally, the bedroom. The second floor had a large living room but a small, single bedroom.

Looking at the room, Chi Yun stopped Li Zhou and asked, “Is there only one bedroom?”

“Yes,” Li Zhou said. The bed inside was clearly a twin. Two people would be a tight squeeze.

“Then…” Chi Yun hesitated, “where does your sister sleep when she comes over?”

“When she has to stay, she sleeps in the studio downstairs,” Li Zhou said tonelessly. “She uses the 3D printer to make simple boards and props them up on stools to make a bed.” Once Li Hang left, Li Zhou usually melted the boards down immediately for recycling; she hated bulky items taking up space.

Chi Yun suddenly wanted to laugh. The sister has it much worse than I imagined.

Having seen the whole house, Li Zhou felt her task was complete. Back at the foyer, she let go of Chi Yun’s hand and said seriously, “You were curious about the inside. Now that you’ve seen it, is your anger gone?”

“How did you know I was angry?” Chi Yun’s eyes were like water, shining as she looked at her.

“It’s late. Since the anger is gone, go home.”

“I didn’t want to come here because I was curious about the layout,” Chi Yun said, rubbing the hand Li Zhou had warmed. “I want to live with you. That’s what I meant by staying over.”

“Live together?” Li Zhou frowned. “We are divorced. We have no marital relationship. You aren’t still immersed in that past life, are you?”

It was indeed early to talk about living together. They hadn’t made any real progress. Chi Yun had simply been rattled by her encounter with Li Hang.

“Let’s not talk about that for now,” Chi Yun said, moving closer. “Why did you ignore me these past few days?”

Li Zhou’s eyes darkened, and she looked away. “No reason.”

“There’s definitely a reason,” Chi Yun insisted. The shift was too obvious. Even just now, Li Zhou’s warmth had turned into distance. Chi Yun grew anxious, her head spinning slightly from the surge of emotion. “I want to know why.”

Li Zhou met her slightly reddened eyes. “We are divorced. Why are you doing all of this now?”

“Because I like you! I want to be with you…” Chi Yun blurted out.

Li Zhou froze. “You… like me now?”

Chi Yun didn’t catch the deeper meaning of the question. Her head was burning, and her eyes were red as she babbled, “I like you. I get jealous when I see you with others… when you ignore me, I’m always afraid you’ll belong to someone else…”

The more she spoke, the more the light in Li Zhou’s eyes shifted. After a moment, the distance was replaced by a tenderness that was familiar and dear to Chi Yun. They stared at each other, their gazes igniting something in the air.

Driven by her heart, Chi Yun moved in. She cupped Li Zhou’s fair, soft neck, her long lashes trembling under the light. Her gaze dropped to Li Zhou’s lips. Li Zhou didn’t pull away.

But as soon as Chi Yun’s lips touched hers, Li Zhou realized something was wrong. The breath of the person kissing her was scorching. Her lips were like a furnace.

Before Li Zhou could ask, Chi Yun, who had only managed a light graze against her lips, succumbed to her illness. Her eyes slid shut, and she collapsed against Li Zhou’s shoulder, her hand sliding limply from her neck.

“A-Yun! A-Yun!” Li Zhou cried out, catching her.

As she held her, Li Zhou realized Chi Yun’s skin was burning everywhere. How is the fever this bad? Isn’t she recovered yet?

Li Zhou carried her to the bed.

While the night should have been intimate, Pei Pei was alone. Her girlfriend was away on a business trip. After dinner, they had been on the phone for three hours when Li Zhou’s call came through.

Pei Pei was startled. “Honey, I have to go! The boss’s boss is calling, it sounds like an emergency!”

She answered nervously. “Sister Zhou?”

Li Zhou got straight to the point. “How many days did CEO Chi have her IV drips?”

“Let me think… just the first two days. Doctors came to the office, but then CEO Chi sent them away, saying she was fine…”

Li Zhou looked at the delirious woman on the bed. Fine? She’s clearly worse. To have such a constitution and still spend nights smoking in the wind… “Send me the details of the medication she was given,” Li Zhou ordered.

“Right away!” Pei Pei downloaded the files and sent them over. “Is CEO Chi having a relapse? Is it bad? Does she have anyone to care for her?”

“She is at my house. I will take care of her,” Li Zhou said. “I have to call a doctor. Goodbye.”

Pei Pei stared at her phone. CEO Chi is at Sister Zhou’s house? Sister Zhou is taking care of her? What is happening?!

The previous doctor was too far away. Li Zhou called Dr. Wang, a local at Shazhou. Despite the late hour, Dr. Wang was cordial. “Xiao Zhou, who’s sick?”

“A Phoenix here has a high fever. I’m sending you her previous medication list. Please bring the necessary supplies. She is unconscious.”

“A Phoenix?” Dr. Wang scrambled out of bed. “Where did a Phoenix come from in Wuzhou? What’s her temperature? Is she dehydrated?”

By law, any doctor who receives a call for a Phoenix must respond immediately. Negligence could lead to loss of license or even prison time—a condition negotiated between the Phoenix Clan and the government.

“It’s 43°C (109.4°F). I’ve tried cooling her, but it’s not working. Hurry,” Li Zhou urged.

Within ten minutes, Dr. Wang arrived with two assistants. They set up the IV stand. “We’ll start the drip. We can do oral meds once she’s awake.”

Li Zhou guided the doctor. “Her veins are hard to find. And she’s afraid of pain; please try to get it in one go.”

Dr. Wang felt the pressure. With the help of a transilluminator and her twenty years of experience, she successfully inserted the needle. As the medicine began to flow, Chi Yun’s brow finally unfurled.

“Xiao Zhou, she needs twelve bags of fluids. It’ll take about eight hours. Should one of us stay?”

“No need,” Li Zhou said. “I’ll watch her. I’ll message you when it’s done.”

Once the doctors left, Li Zhou brought Biscuit up to the bedroom. The puppy insisted on dragging her bed in to sleep on the floor next to Chi Yun.

“Since when did you two get so close?” Li Zhou whispered. “Did she bribe you with food?”

Biscuit rested her head on the edge of her bed, watching Chi Yun until her eyes finally slid shut. “She’ll be okay,” Li Zhou said softly. “You’ll be able to play with her tomorrow.”

Li Zhou stayed by the bed, replacing a wet cloth on Chi Yun’s forehead. By dawn, the fever had broken. Li Zhou pulled the curtains shut, and as she turned back, she saw Chi Yun opening her eyes.

“A-Li…” her voice was raspy.

“I’ll get you some water. Don’t move your hand,” Li Zhou said. She gave her a cup with a straw. Chi Yun drank greedily, finding that water never tasted better than when it was from Li Zhou’s cup.

“Did I have a fever?” Chi Yun asked weakly.

“You’re lucky it’s just a fever,” Li Zhou lectured. “Why did you stop treatment? Why were you smoking in the wind? Do you know how bad smoking is for you?”

“I was in a bad mood,” Chi Yun pouted. “I had to fix my heart first. I didn’t care about my body. I only smoked because I was sad.”

Li Zhou was silent for a long time. “There is nothing between me and Li Hang.”

Chi Yun’s eyes brightened. “What about Lin Shanyu?”

“Nothing.”

“What about Yu Xialin?”

Li Zhou sighed. “Do you have to ask about everyone? Stop smoking.”

“I can stop,” Chi Yun bargained. “If I get pear juice every day.”

“Why pear juice?”

Chi Yun looked at Biscuit, who was eating breakfast. “Biscuit gets pear juice. I don’t.”

“Is it even that good?” Li Zhou asked. Being a tree herself, she could make it with a breath.

“I like it,” Chi Yun whispered.

Li Zhou brought her a glass of pear juice. Chi Yun noticed it wasn’t the straw cup from earlier. “Why not the other cup?”

“That one is mine,” Li Zhou said.

“I know. I want to use yours.”

“Drink it or I’m taking it away,” Li Zhou threatened, setting the glass down. Chi Yun sipped it slowly, treasuring every drop.

Dr. Wang arrived later to check on her. “You should stay in bed. No running around. This was caused partly by lack of sleep, so rest up.”

Chi Yun nodded like an obedient student. “Thank you, doctor. I’ll rest.”

After the doctor left, Chi Yun burrowed into Li Zhou’s blankets. “The doctor said I have to stay. Are you going to kick me out?”

“If you stay in bed, you can stay one more night,” Li Zhou conceded.

Chi Yun immediately flattened herself into a perfect sleeping position. Li Zhou went downstairs to work, but the wood floors amplified every sound. Aside from a few trips to the bathroom, Chi Yun stayed in bed.

By afternoon, Li Zhou went up to check on her. Chi Yun was sleeping soundly, though she had kicked the blanket off her neck. Her skin was flushed. Li Zhou tried to cover her, but Chi Yun suddenly curled into a ball, shivering.

Li Zhou called Dr. Wang. “It’s normal. Phoenix fevers fluctuate between hot and cold. Keep her covered when she’s cold and watch her when she’s hot.”

Li Zhou decided to move her workstation to the second floor to keep an eye on her. She spent the afternoon drawing dolphin skeletal designs.

When Chi Yun started shivering again, Li Zhou felt terrible. She didn’t have enough blankets to keep her warm. She felt Chi Yun’s hand it was ice cold. Her arms and neck were cold too.

Li Zhou pushed her desk aside, lifted a corner of the quilt, and sat on the bed. Her intent was to use her ability as a Pear Tree to regulate her body temperature and act as a heater for the patient.

She couldn’t quite remember how she ended up lying down. Perhaps it was after Chi Yun wrapped an arm around her waist. Sitting was uncomfortable for long periods, so she lay on her side. The “scheming” patient immediately pulled her closer, soaking up every bit of warmth.

Li Zhou closed her eyes and eventually fell asleep too.

At dusk, Chi Yun woke up first. Finding the soft, warm woman in her arms, she thought she was still dreaming. Real-life Li Zhou was even more vivid her eyelids were thin, her skin like water. Their limbs were entwined. In a dream, Chi Yun would be bold. In reality, she was hesitant.

But with Li Zhou asleep, everything felt blurred. They were so close. Would she notice if I stole a kiss?

Chi Yun thought of the kiss from the night before the one she wasn’t sure had actually landed. It was an unbearable itch in her heart.

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