Chapter 306 - 304: Sick

Chapter 306: Chapter 304: Sick

Soon, before Professor Xiao and Professor Fan had even finished their meal, the doctor was brought in. Sister Fang quickly explained the general situation, then watched as he sat by the window to take Zhou Lian’s pulse.

After a moment, Doctor Wang took out a thermometer, glanced at it, and said, "39 degrees. She caught a chill from the wind. It’s nothing serious. She’ll be fine once the fever breaks. Let’s give her some fever-reducing medicine first."

Watching Sister Fang crush the pills and dissolve them in water, Doctor Wang shook his head. "So she still can’t swallow pills!"

Without pausing her work, Sister Fang chuckled. "Yes, her husband spoils her. It’s fine."

With that, she walked to the bedside, placed a towel on Zhou Lian’s chest, and helped her sit up. She said to the delirious Zhou Lian, "Open your mouth and drink the medicine, or I’ll pinch your nose and pour it down!"

Doctor Wang, along with Professor Xiao and Professor Fan who had come over after hearing the commotion, watched as Zhou Lian frowned slightly but obediently opened her mouth, allowing Sister Fang to spoon the medicine in.

After she’d taken the medicine, Sister Fang gave Zhou Lian a few sips of water, wiped her mouth, and gently laid her back down. Turning around, she saw the three of them staring at her in amazement. She smiled and said casually, "Her husband dotes on her and spoils her. Every time she’s sick, he struggles for ages and still can’t get her to take her medicine. I got tired of the fuss, so I just pinched her nose and forced it down a few times. She learned her lesson!"

"Should we have Jin Chen come back?" Professor Xiao asked Sister Fang, her gaze on Zhou Lian lying in bed.

After a moment’s thought, Sister Fang turned to Doctor Wang. "When will she wake up?"

"She’ll wake up once the fever breaks. In two or three hours, probably."

"Then let’s wait until she wakes up. She’s very stubborn. If we go against her wishes, she might not rest properly. We’ll see what she says when she’s awake," Sister Fang said with a sigh, looking compassionately at the unconscious Zhou Lian.

"Alright, let’s do that for now. I’ll come back this afternoon after I get off work. Her condition isn’t serious. It looks intimidating, but this kind of sickness comes on fast and leaves just as quickly!" Doctor Wang told Sister Fang. He was very familiar with the Li family; the Li men were famous for doting on their wives. And this Sister Fang, while she looked like a housekeeper, practically ran half the Li household.

"Okay, thank you for your trouble, Doctor Wang. I’ll have someone pick you up this afternoon," Sister Fang said with a grateful smile.

"You should go eat. Old Fan and I will stay here and watch her," Professor Xiao said to Sister Fang.

Sister Fang smiled. "It’s alright, I don’t have much of an appetite right now. I’ll eat after her fever goes down."

"Is it really okay not to call Jin Chen back? With his temperament..." Professor Fan asked, worried. Li Jincheng valued Zhou Lian more than his own life. Was it really fine not to call him back when she was this sick?

Wiping the sweat from Zhou Lian’s face with a towel, Sister Fang said softly, "We can’t call him. Xiao Lian was the one who sent him and the two boys back to their hometown this time. I don’t know what happened, but Li Xiu can’t be in the Capital City right now. She’s already sick; Li Xiu coming back would be useless, aside from adding one more person to worry and fret over her. Let’s wait until she wakes up and see what she wants."

After thinking it over, they knew Sister Fang was right. At this point, Li Jincheng coming back wouldn’t help. Besides, he was a thousand miles away. By the time he got back, she might already be mostly recovered. Understanding this, Professor Xiao and Professor Fan didn’t say any more.

Feeling Zhou Lian’s labored breathing gradually become lighter, Sister Fang knew the medicine was working and finally let out a sigh of relief. She walked to the doorway and saw the head of the bodyguard team standing there. "Is something wrong?" she asked curiously.

"No, ma’am. I’ll be guarding the door. Just call me if you need anything."

"Alright. Go over to the garden and tell them she’s caught a chill and has a fever. She won’t be going over for the next few days to avoid spreading it. If anyone asks, just say it’s not serious and that she’s taken her medicine and is asleep," Sister Fang instructed him softly, giving him a look.

She watched him nod and quickly depart. Returning to the room, she said to Professor Xiao and Professor Fan, "You two should go get some rest. I’ll have someone call you when Xiao Lian wakes up."

"No, it’s fine. We’re not tired. We’ll just stay here. I’d be too worried otherwise," Professor Xiao said, shaking her head. ’This silly girl really gave us a scare!’

Sighing, Sister Fang didn’t insist they go rest. They were worried too. After all, the elderly couple had always doted on and protected Zhou Lian as if she were their own daughter.

When Zhou Lian’s fever finally broke, it was already four or five in the afternoon. She woke up and stared at Sister Fang, Professor Xiao, and Professor Fan, a bit disoriented. "What’s going on?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

Seeing she was awake, Sister Fang, Professor Xiao, and Professor Fan all gathered around. Sister Fang placed a hand on her forehead, and her stern expression finally softened into a smile. "You caught a chill and had a fever," she said gently. "You were completely delirious."

Zhou Lian closed her eyes for a moment to think, then opened them and curled her lips into a faint smile. "Oh, no wonder my whole body aches. I’m sorry for making you all worry."

Seeing the unconcealed worry and compassion on the faces of Sister Fang, Professor Xiao, and Professor Fan, Zhou Lian felt a warmth spread through her heart. ’Oh well,’ she thought. ’Some people and some things just can’t be forced. Just let it be.’

"You silly girl, you were perfectly fine this morning... But let’s not talk about that. Do you want us to have Jin Chen come back?" Professor Xiao asked gently, seeing that she seemed to be in decent spirits now that she was awake.

Shaking her head lightly, Zhou Lian said nonchalantly, "No, don’t. He’s a thousand miles away. By the time he gets back, I’ll be all better. Besides, it’s not a big deal, just a cold from a chill. Professor, you don’t need to worry about me. Hasn’t the fever already broken?"

"But..."

"Xiao, listen to the girl," Professor Fan cut in. "He’s so far away, she’ll be nearly recovered by the time he could get back. Besides, Jin Chen has the two kids with him. With us here to look after her, she’ll be fine."

Seeing Professor Xiao about to protest again, Professor Fan interrupted her. ’From what Sister Fang said, it seems Zhou Lian deliberately sent Jin Chen away from the Capital City,’ he thought. ’Combine that with the fact she went to the garden right after coming back this morning and developed a high fever right after... There must be something more to this. But the two of them must have their reasons. Better not interfere and mess up their plans.’

A short while later, Doctor Wang was brought back. Seeing Zhou Lian was awake, he went over to take her temperature and check her pulse again. He let out a sigh of relief. "There are no major issues now. As long as the fever doesn’t return tonight, she should be fine. She’s suffering from a bit of pent-up anger affecting her system. Pay attention to her diet. If possible, make her some soups to cool her internal ’heat’ and reduce inflammation. Also, stop giving her those nutritional supplements for a few days. She can resume once she’s fully recovered."

He then turned to Zhou Lian, who was propped up against the headboard. "You’re so young, what’s with all that fiery anger? You need to keep it in check. That said, this fever was actually a good thing; it helped release some of that ’heart-fire’. But be careful from now on. You’ve always had a weak constitution. Although you’ve built it up since becoming an adult, your body is still more delicate than others. So, you have to control your emotions. Try to avoid extreme sorrow or anger."

Zhou Lian smiled and softly replied, "Okay." ’Of course it was pent-up anger,’ she thought. ’I ache for Li Xiu, and I feel so wronged on his behalf. But maybe this is for the best. It’s better to find out sooner and cut my losses.’