IMGH Chapter 38

Jiang Yi Fell 

Jiang Yi slid down limply, and Qiu Rui reacted quickly, anxiously reaching out with both hands to catch him, yet could only watch helplessly as the man’s body slipped through his arms and collapsed onto the floor.

Jiang Yi lay on the floor with his eyes tightly shut, his cheeks flushed with an unnatural redness. Qiu Rui leaned closer and found that his breathing was still relatively steady. He must have fainted because his illness had not yet fully recovered and his emotions had fluctuated too greatly just now. Although Qiu Rui knew in his heart that Jiang Yi was not in serious danger, thinking about how Jiang Yi was now sick with no one to care for him — how he had fallen and was lying on the floor without anyone even knowing — Qiu Rui could not help but worry about him. At the same time, he felt a deep sense of frustration at his own helplessness as a ghost.

Whether it was from the cold or from physical discomfort, Jiang Yi — his eyes still tightly shut — curled himself into a ball, his brow furrowing slightly with a trace of suffering. As Qiu Rui watched, his own brow gradually knitted together without him even realizing it.

The last words Jiang Yi had spoken before losing consciousness continued to echo in Qiu Rui’s ears.

“I like you. Is that wrong?”

The desolation and helplessness in those words stirred a sense of uncertainty in Qiu Rui’s heart. Was it right or wrong to have refused him so firmly?

With a troubled mind, Qiu Rui kept his gaze fixed on Jiang Yi’s face and stood quietly by his side for a long, long time — until the door to the room was pushed open from outside.

….

In his fitful sleep, Jiang Yi felt his body alternating between chills and fever, his head throbbing with a splitting ache. He struggled to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt so heavy that he simply could not lift them.

After drifting in and out of consciousness for what felt like an indeterminate stretch of time, Jiang Yi finally opened his bleary eyes. He propped himself up and discovered that he was lying in bed. His muddled mind had not yet fully cleared, and he sat there in a dazed, somewhat bewildered state.

“Hey! Son, why are you sitting up? Lie back down quickly!”

Jiang Yi raised his head and saw his mother walking in through the doorway carrying a ceramic bowl. “Mom, why did you come?”

“If I hadn’t come, you could have rotted to your bones and no one would have known!” Xiao Wenya handed the ceramic bowl to Jiang Yi. “Hurry up and eat it while it’s hot! Take your medicine after you finish!”

Catching the aroma of food, Jiang Yi suddenly felt the hunger in his stomach. He took the bowl, and in between spoonfuls of congee, remarked, “Mom, the congee actually didn’t burn this time!”

Xiao Wenya’s pretty face fell instantly. She jabbed Jiang Yi on the forehead. “You’re this sick, and you still have the energy to make jokes!”

Jiang Yi chuckled and lowered his head to eat his congee.

“Mom, I’m not that fragile! It’s just a common cold!” Jiang Yi waved his hand dismissively. “Stop making such a fuss over everything!”

“You fainted — how could I not worry? Do you know how terrified I was when I walked in and saw you collapsed on the floor?” Xiao Wenya truly did not dare imagine what might have happened if no one had found Jiang Yi lying unconscious on the floor for an extended period of time.

That lingering fear still made her heart tremble even now. As she spoke, her voice began to crack.

Jiang Yi hurried to console her. “Mom, it’s my fault! Please don’t be upset!”

Seeing her son apologize so obediently, Xiao Wenya gradually calmed down.

Jiang Yi let out a breath of relief and asked, “Mom, what brought you over here?”

“Xuan Xuan told me you were sick, and I wanted to come check on you. I called your phone and no one answered. I knocked on the door for a long time and no one came. If I hadn’t had a spare key, you could have fainted at home and no one would have ever known!”

“Mom, I understand. I’ll be more careful next time!”

Noticing that Jiang Yi’s face showed signs of exhaustion, Xiao Wenya said, “Get some proper rest. I’ll be in the living room — call me if you need anything!”

….

The evening had grown late, and his mother showed no sign of intending to leave. Jiang Yi asked, “Mom, when are you heading home?”

“I’m staying here tonight to take care of you. Now hurry up and lie down to rest!” Xiao Wenya pressed Jiang Yi back down onto the bed without further discussion and tucked the blanket snugly around him.

“Mom, there’s only one bedroom. Where will you sleep tonight?”

“Don’t you worry about that — the sofa is plenty big enough for me!” Xiao Wenya patted the top of Jiang Yi’s head and instructed, “Right now, your one and only job is to rest well and get better as soon as possible!”

How wonderful it is to have a loved one who cares for you, Jiang Yi thought, warmth spreading through his heart. At the same time, he felt a little guilty. “Mom, how about you sleep in the bedroom and I’ll take the sofa?”

“You’re the sick one — stay in bed and rest!” Even as she spoke, Xiao Wenya had already walked out of the bedroom.