Chapter 11: Roses and Longans
The people of Shenzhou had already tried their best to overestimate the impact of the Mulan City outbreak. However, the harsh and absurd reality slapped everyone in the face once again. On the seventh day after the lockdown of Mulan City, RSA cases started appearing in various parts of the country. The vast map of Shenzhou was dotted with red dots representing infections, all thanks to the first batch of unruly guests who had fled the city. The Western media, which had always been weak, finally seized upon the weakness of this superpower and began to condemn the Shenzhou Constitutional Monarchy on international platforms.
Of course, these matters were still too far removed from Lu Li. His only concern now was the safety of those close to him. Fortunately, Chuanhai City was quite far from Mulan City, and the tentacles of RSA had yet to reach this sprawling metropolis.
Lu Li woke up early, filled a basin with hot water, and carried it to Chen Jianing’s room. Chen Jianing was lying listlessly in bed, her face flushed with an unhealthy glow. In recent days, Chen Jianing’s illness had worsened. Her face was pale, her haggard appearance making her slender frame seem as if it could collapse at any moment.
By now, it seemed certain that Chen Jianing had contracted RSA. High fever, coughing, dizziness, photophobia, loss of appetite, back pain… All sorts of ailments had manifested in her. She didn’t look like a young woman in her prime, but a critically ill patient nearing the end of her life.
Lu Li wrung out the warm towel and washed the drowsy Chen Jianing’s face. Chen Jianing had been sleeping for a whole day recently, without even the energy to wash her face. This wasn’t the first time Lu Li had washed Chen Jianing’s face. When they were roommates in his past life, the troublesome girl was also messy. Several times, before meeting important clients, Lu Li would impatiently grab a towel and wipe her face. Every time, Chen Jianing would complain like a spoiled kitten:
“What are you doing…”
Chen Jianing was awakened by the warm towel and uttered those familiar words.
“Your face was dirty, so I washed it for you.”
“Don’t… don’t just enter my room…” Chen Jianing’s eyelids were drooping as she spoke, her words slurred like sleep talk.
“Right now, I’m the only one who can take care of you.” The hotel staff were all staying on the first and second floors, and they wouldn’t go up to the fifth floor unless necessary. As for the other students and teachers, they were still trapped in a villa somewhere.
“Is that so…”
“Yes.” It was pointless to argue with a delirious patient. Lu Li responded softly and helped the girl sit up. She was only wearing a thin nightgown, and Lu Li could clearly feel the girl’s burning body temperature and the touch of her delicate and soft skin. Chen Jianing’s back was completely soaked with sweat, and there was a small puddle on the bedsheet. The air was filled with Chen Jianing’s unique scent, mixed with a hint of sweat, creating a strangely alluring atmosphere.
“I brought you a change of clothes.” Lu Li took out a new set of pajamas.
Chen Jianing squinted her eyes drowsily, leaned against the headboard, and mumbled an “oh.” Her fingers twitched, and she actually fell asleep sitting up.
Lu Li sighed and started unbuttoning Chen Jianing’s pajamas. She was still wearing the kind of tank top that adolescent girls wore, as immature as an unripe green apple. It was inconvenient to change her underwear, so he decided to let her change it herself when she woke up. And the bedsheet… Lu Li wiped his forehead. He had a lot to do this morning.
It wasn’t until one or two in the afternoon that Chen Jianing finally woke up. She immediately realized that her pajamas had been changed. Her expression shifted multiple times, from shock to anger to fear, and finally settled into calmness. Lu Li was sleeping on the recliner in her room, his posture ungraceful, clearly exhausted. Taking care of a patient was hard work. The mental exhaustion was far more overwhelming than the physical fatigue.
Chen Jianing stared at Lu Li blankly, opening and closing her mouth, but ultimately saying nothing.
Lu Li seemed to sense something and woke up. He saw the little tiger staring blankly and, without thinking too much, picked up a thermos on the table. “Awake? I asked the kitchen to make you some lean meat porridge and brew some Pu’er tea with roses. Have something to eat, you haven’t eaten in two days.”
Chen Jianing took the thermos. It was a bit heavy, and her delicate hand couldn’t hold it steady. Lu Li helped her.
“How did you know… I like Pu’er tea with flowers…” Chen Jianing’s words were disjointed, her thoughts clearly still unclear.
“It’s a pity there were no longans left in the cold storage, otherwise I could have added some for you.” Lu Li said regretfully. Chen Jianing loved tea, she loved its bitterness and the sweetness of its aftertaste, but she also liked to add flower petals and fruits to her tea. Lu Li wasn’t originally a tea connoisseur. It was Chen Jianing, in his past life, who introduced him to a whole new world.
Chen Jianing lowered her head, the question still echoing in her mind: How did Lu Li know what she liked?
It wasn’t just tea, but also her food preferences and some small habits in her daily life. Lu Li seemed to know it all. She had been taken care of so meticulously these past few days, so comfortable that she almost forgot she was a terminally ill patient. Rose petals and longans were her two favorite additions to tea. She started adding rose petals because she naively believed the rumors that it would enhance her beauty. Over time, she became accustomed to the aroma of roses in her tea. She added longans because her grandmother, who used to brew tea for her in the countryside when she was a child, said that adding longans to tea symbolized a smooth and fulfilling life, free from worries.
But it seemed like everything had turned out the opposite. Despite adding rose petals to her tea, she hadn’t grown taller, nor had her figure become more slender. Despite adding longans, her life was still full of arguments and frustrations.
I’m so useless. Chen Jianing thought sadly.
She took small sips of the lean meat porridge. The taste was bland, but it gave her an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
“Lu Li…”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“…”
Was he being nice? Taking care of the impulsive Chen Jianing had become a habit for him. It wasn’t intentional flattery. He remembered when he got married to An Baili, Chen Jianing had promised to be the bridesmaid, but she ended up absent. She didn’t reply to messages or answer calls. When he asked her about it later, her explanation was that she felt lost and sad because no one would take care of her anymore.
Before Lu Li could figure out an answer, his phone rang in the quiet room. It was David Tao’s “Black Tangerine.”
“Let me take this call.”
“…Okay…”
Chen Jianing didn’t know what kind of answer she wanted to hear. She focused on her porridge, “accidentally” hearing a girl’s voice from the phone before Lu Li left the room. Who was it? She thought to herself, but her pace of eating didn’t change.
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