My Best Friend's Crush Is A Spoiled, Dramatic Girl [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 7

“Zhou She, I only have Tuan Tuan.”

Zhou She’s mind echoed with the words Zhou Wenbai had said to him. By the time he returned to reality, Ji Tan, who had been sitting in his lap, had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

Ji Tan’s burning cheeks pressed against the crook of Zhou She’s neck, the heat from his breath nearly scalding.

“The key to my lounge is on the door frame. If Tuan Tuan is tired, let him sleep on the bed.”

Zhou She closed the message on his phone. The nurse had finished securing the IV line for Ji Tan.

“The hospital does not have any beds available. You can come back tomorrow to continue the IV,” the nurse instructed. “If he develops a fever again in the middle of the night, it is best to bring him straight to the emergency room.”

Zhou She felt it was inappropriate to send Ji Tan anywhere. He did not want to stay at Ji Tan’s house, nor did he want to bring Ji Tan back to his own residence. It seemed the only place where he could monitor Ji Tan’s condition overnight without it being awkward was Zhou Wenbai’s lounge.

“What is wrong?” Ji Tan was jolted awake by the sensation of weightlessness, his mind still heavy and listless.

Zhou She held Ji Tan, using one hand to clamp Ji Tan’s chin and move his head, which was leaning against his cheek, away. “Just sleep.”

Ji Tan’s curly hair brushed against Zhou She’s chin; he tilted his head and drifted back into a deep sleep.

Zhou She glanced at the messy curls on his chest and recalled newborn lambs, whose wool was also short and curly and soft to the touch.

Zhou She had been to Zhou Wenbai’s lounge a few times, but that was long ago. Back then, Zhou Wenbai’s pillow was still a standard white hospital pillow, not a grass-shaped children’s pillow. One look was enough to know who was using it.

Zhou She adjusted the pillow and slowly relaxed his arms to lay Ji Tan on the bed. Even so, Ji Tan felt a momentary sense of emptiness and trembled his eyelashes in confusion.

Zhou She covered Ji Tan’s eyes with his palm and repeated, “Just sleep.”

Ji Tan obediently closed his eyes again. With a click, Zhou She removed his hand, and the room returned to the darkness of the night.

Zhou She used the moonlight streaming through the gap in the curtains to take off Ji Tan’s shoes and socks.

Zhou She had to work the next day and did not want to subject himself to sleeping on the only remaining office chair in the lounge. He pushed the sleeping Ji Tan toward the wall and lay down with his back to him. Since the pillow and blanket were Ji Tan’s, Zhou She only occupied half of the bed.

Ji Tan, who was enjoying the best conditions, did not sleep peacefully. After Zhou She had lost count of how many times he had to move Ji Tan’s arms, which were unconsciously wrapped around his neck, he turned around, pinned Ji Tan’s wrists to his chest, and said to his sleeping face, “If you toss and turn again, I will turn you into a lamb skewer.”

Ji Tan could not hear him; he still felt uncomfortable in his dream and snuggled into Zhou She’s arms, burying his small face in Zhou She’s sturdy chest until he felt a sense of security and finally stopped moving.

Zhou She was exhausted and had no energy to keep wrestling with Ji Tan, so he fell asleep as well.

The next day, although Ji Tan was still listless, his temperature had dropped significantly.

“Dr. Zhou asked me to come over to give the infusion.” Zhou She heard a knock and opened the door to see a tall male nurse carrying a tray and fluids.

Zhang Yao was on good terms with Zhou Wenbai. Since it happened to be his shift, he had been entrusted by Zhou Wenbai to administer the IV for Ji Tan. Zhang Yao manipulated Ji Tan’s thin, delicate hand and assessed, “I need to reinsert the indwelling needle; it has slipped.”

Indwelling needles rarely become unusable after just one night unless the patient is seriously ill or an elderly person with poor vascular elasticity. As for Ji Tan, Zhang Yao concluded, “He was restless while sleeping.”

Ji Tan, having regained a little strength, covered his own eyes and let Zhang Yao reinsert the needle. Zhang Yao found it amusing and teased him, “My technique is even better than the female nurses.”

Ji Tan nodded fearfully, just wanting to get Zhang Yao over with so he could be relieved. Ji Tan did not know Zhang Yao, and Zhang Yao had never met Ji Tan.

When Zhang Yao entered, he had scanned the faint red marks on Zhou She’s neck and roughly understood the relationship between the beautiful, bright boy in front of him and the doctor’s brother. No wonder Zhou Wenbai had called to ask for his help. The brother’s sister-in-law really did need to be well taken care of.

Zhang Yao’s movements were swift. Seeing Ji Tan still nervously covering his eyes, he could not help but laugh. “It is done. You can take your hand down.”

Ji Tan tentatively lowered his hand.

Zhang Yao compared his skills and asked, “Do you think my technique is better than those female nurses now?”

Ji Tan hesitantly scanned Zhang Yao’s upright, if not exactly handsome, face and his clearly well-trained physique. “You did not hurt as much when you inserted it.”

Zhang Yao did not believe him. “My complaint rate is the lowest in the entire department.”

Ji Tan remained suspiciously silent, taking another look at the way the nurse’s uniform stretched tightly over Zhang Yao’s shoulders.

“You must be Dr. Zhou’s twin brother,” Zhang Yao said while picking up the tray. “You two brothers look both similar and different.”

“If you need anything, find me anytime,” Zhang Yao added, “but do not come to me for every little thing. I just admitted a patient with an acute heart attack, so I am quite busy.”

Zhou She nodded. “Thank you for the trouble.”

Zhang Yao smiled and exchanged pleasantries before turning to Ji Tan. “There is a kid about your age, and he looks a bit like you, too.” Zhang Yao asked, “His name is Ji Enyi. Do you know him?”

Ji Tan did. He shook his head decisively. “Never heard of him.”

Zhang Yao left with the tray, and Zhou She used the sink in Zhou Wenbai’s lounge to freshen up. Above the sink was a small mirror that captured Zhou She’s face and neck. Cold water washed over the bridge of his nose, extending down his sharp facial features, with water droplets falling from his thin lips and vanishing along his jawline.

Zhou She suddenly furrowed his brow, staring fixedly at the bright red mark on the side of his neck. There were no blood-thirsty mosquitoes in autumn, only lambs that grazed greedily before the grass turned yellow.

“What are you looking at?” Ji Tan asked, finding it strange that Zhou She was standing silently in front of the mirror.

Zhou She lowered his eyes and naturally pulled out a tissue to wipe the water from his face. “Nothing.”

“Game ‘True Love’ alert: Main lead Zhou She shows little fluctuation in value regarding the hickey left by a man. Main lead Zhou She’s sexual orientation may be shifting. Missioner, please take note! Missioner, please take note!”

“Are you starving?” Zhou She stopped in front of Ji Tan. “What do you want to eat?”

Ji Tan shook his head.

Zhou She frowned. “Do you want to starve yourself to death?” Ji Tan had not eaten anything but water since he developed a fever the day before.

“I want to drink porridge,” Ji Tan said, watching expectantly as Zhou She pulled out his phone as if to order takeout. “I want the porridge Dr. Zhou cooks.”

Zhou She’s fingers paused. He had only just learned that Zhou Wenbai could cook porridge.

“Takeout tastes better than what he cooks.” Zhou She decisively added a bowl of plain white porridge to his basket and paid for it efficiently.

Ji Tan was not a picky eater, but he could immediately taste if something had a plastic flavor.

“Do you insist on eating what Zhou Wenbai cooks?” Zhou She glanced at the porridge box as Ji Tan took a few thin sips, barely making a dent in it.

Ji Tan whispered, “Takeout really has a bad taste. I will eat what you cook, too,” deeply expressing his attitude of not wanting to add trouble for Zhou Wenbai. In any case, as long as it was cooked by a human, he would eat it.

Seeing Zhou She’s expression was still unpleasant, Ji Tan pointed to the room next door and conceded, “I can go eat Ji Enyi’s breakfast too.”

In the end, Zhou She, who still had work to do, did not waste too much time with Ji Tan. He dropped Ji Tan off next door and left once he saw him eating the breakfast prepared for Ji Enyi by the Ji family.

Ji Enyi leaned against the raised head of his bed, watching as Ji Tan clumsily used his left hand to eat the breakfast that should have been his. Ji Tan’s skin was tender, and the area where the IV needle had been removed the night before was bruised and purple. Ji Enyi had a pulse oximeter on his finger, and his own hand bore similar marks.

“What is wrong with you?” Ji Enyi asked.

Ji Tan drank his porridge and said indifferently, “Fever.”

“So, you can get sick too.” The usual sarcastic tone.

Ji Tan ignored him.

Ji Enyi reached out and snatched the half-eaten porridge from Ji Tan. “That is enough. What am I supposed to eat if you finish it all?”

Ji Tan bit his spoon and frowned. “I was eating your leftovers.”

Ji Enyi asked the maid for a new spoon. “I had not touched it before you started eating it, so how is it my leftovers? I am the one eating your leftovers now.”

Ji Tan put the spoon back on the tray and muttered, “I would not have any leftovers.” At least, not if it had not been snatched away by Ji Enyi halfway through.

“Young Master, would you like me to tell the family to make an extra portion for lunch tomorrow?” the Ji family maid asked Ji Tan.

Hearing how the maid addressed him, Ji Enyi’s brow furrowed tightly. “What Young Master? He is my…”

“Yes, please.” Ji Tan thought of Zhou She’s dark expression before he left and figured he probably would not get anything to eat other than the food the Ji family prepared. He did not like takeout.

Ji Enyi’s words were suddenly interrupted by Ji Tan, and his expression turned gloomy again.

“Get out.” Ji Enyi had no mood left to eat breakfast. He signaled for the maid to lower the bed, closed his eyes, and said to Ji Tan, “Unless you are staying here to provoke me into having another episode and want me to die sooner.”

The maid had been specifically instructed by Cheng Jiayan and knew how much her mistress valued this youngest son. After hearing Ji Enyi’s words, she nervously and politely hurried Ji Tan away.

At first, Zhou She really did not intend to cook for Ji Tan. How could takeout taste bad? He had been eating it for over a decade and was still doing just fine. However, Zhou Wenbai was stuck with Zhong Peiyi and would not be able to get out for a while. It was hard to say whether Ji Tan really only ate non-takeout food, but it was a fact that Ji Tan loved to exhaust people. Ji Tan did not even do it on purpose; he simply was not aware of many of his strange little habits. Sometimes he was easy to take care of, and other times he was incredibly difficult.

Zhou She drove back from the law firm at noon. He cooked a pot of meat porridge on his stove and stir-fried two side dishes, placing them in an insulated container he had bought from a supermarket on the way. Zhou She’s home was close to both the law firm and the hospital, and it was not yet noon when he arrived at the hospital.

Zhou She walked to Zhou Wenbai’s lounge and opened the door without looking up. “Ji Tan, I cooked for you. If you do not eat it, I will beat you to death.”

The ambiguous sound of tongues intertwining stopped abruptly.

Zhou Wenbai slowly withdrew his tongue, which had been sweeping wantonly through Ji Tan’s feverish mouth, and affectionately kissed Ji Tan’s flushed cheeks as he struggled for breath. Zhou Wenbai looked helplessly at Zhou She at the door and patted Ji Tan, who was buried deep in his neck and refusing to come out, soothingly. “Zhou She, do you really have to be so fierce?”