NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23.3: Are You Coming Back? (3)
She randomly grabbed a set of pajamas and helped Song Shiyu put them on. She was just about to head to the kitchen to prepare some food when he suddenly asked, “Where are you going?”
“You barely touched the porridge on the table outside. Aren’t you hungry?” asked Ji Fanyin.
“… Are you going to cook for me?”
Ji Fanyin had to ponder for a moment before giving her response.
Ji Xinxin did cook at times though she isn’t good at it, so it should be fine to accept his request.
Paying him a visit → Showing concern → Making food. This should be the standard ‘taking care of an ill acquaintance’ procedure, right?
“Of course. You don’t trust my cooking skills?” asked Ji Fanyin.
“… No.” Song Shiyu was quiet for a moment before he asked awkwardly, “Will you come back after you’re done cooking?”
“Of course,” Ji Fanyin lied.
With those words, Song Shiyu returned to bed at ease.
Ji Fanyin had to ransack the barren kitchen in order to gather sufficient ingredients for a pot of egg congee with spring onions. By the time the aroma of porridge started wafting from the electric pot, Song Shiyu’s service hours were nearly up.
By then, he had already fallen into deep sleep under the influence of medicine.
So, Ji Fanyin switched the electric pot to ‘Heating’ mode lest her porridge turned cold. She took one last look at the clock and saw that there was another minute to go. She used this time to enter his bedroom and meticulously took out the next dosage of medicine for him so that he wouldn’t get it wrong again.
With that, her job was done. She walked out of Song Shiyu’s house coolly.
Will you come back after you’re done cooking?
Of course… not.
Words that are spoken in the midst of a dream—ah no, it should be service hours—can’t be trusted at all.
…
Song Shiyu woke up at six the following morning. The sky was already starting to brighten up. There was no one else in his room, but the lit lamp and the pills sitting on his bedside table were evidence that someone had dropped by to visit him.
Possibly because he had finally eaten the medicine correctly this time around, he felt much more clear-headed than he was yesterday.
He pressed his hand against his forehead, which was still throbbing in pain, as he called out, “Ji Fanyin?”
There was no response.
He slowly sat up. There was a post-it note on the bedside table, and he quickly tore it off and read it: Remember to take your medicine after breakfast! Also, make sure that you take your temperature to check if your fever has gone down. If not, you’ll have to head to the hospital.
The message was written in Ji Xinxin’s handwriting, and it was signed off with Ji Xinxin’s name too.
Song Shiyu read the message a few times before he finally rose to his feet and headed out with a frown. Barely after he took a few steps, he suddenly turned around to grab the thermometer on the bedside table and place it into his mouth before leaving his bedroom.
The moment he opened his door, he was welcomed by the aroma of food.
Despite thinking that he didn’t have much of an appetite, Song Shiyu’s stomach started growling loudly. So, he made his way into the kitchen with pursed lips.
There was no one in the kitchen too, but steam was rising from an electric pot.
He lifted the lid and saw warm congee inside. His frown slowly loosened up.
He served himself a bowl of congee before heading back to his bedroom to grab his phone. There were two seconds of hesitation for a moment there, but he decided to send a message to Ji Fanyin nevertheless: 【You accompanied me for the entire night? Thanks. My fever has subsided. 】
Ji Fanyin’s reply came a few hours later: 【I’d ask you for overtime wages if I stayed with you that long.】
Song Shiyu, who was already in the company by that point, couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. He was starting to think that Ji Fanyin’s claim that she no longer liked him was nothing more than a lie.
Despite saying such words, she still can’t help but worry about me.
Ji Fanyin: 【Would you like to make a reservation? If not, I’ll be meeting other clients.】
Song Shiyu: “…”
She’s just acting… right?