Chapter 72: The Temperature Is a Bit High

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: The Temperature Is a Bit High

"Ah?" Su Yunzhou’s mind raced. "What do you mean by ’that’? I’m not sure I follow."

"Just *that*?" Li Yan replied instinctively. Looking at Su Yunzhou’s slightly awkward expression, she realized her phrasing might have caused a misunderstanding. "I... I don’t mean *that*... Ugh... I mean, are you and Yiyi together?"

Hearing this, Su Yunzhou froze. He truly didn’t know how to answer this question. If he had known this would happen, he would have just gone home earlier or insisted that Liu Yiyi stay.

His silence was already an answer in itself.

Li Yan had actually noticed a few clues a long time ago. Having known her best friend for so many years, she could easily guess why Yiyi was reluctant to talk about it. Yiyi had only been divorced for a few months, and the man in question was younger than her; she was naturally too shy to admit it.

The problem now, however, was that if Su Yunzhou hadn’t risked his own safety to climb down the cliff and save her, her emotions might not be so complicated. But from that moment on, this man had left an eternal mark on her heart.

Li Yan was truly torn. She warned herself not to entertain such thoughts, but the harder she tried, the more uncontrollable the thoughts in her mind became. She genuinely didn’t know what to do. On one hand was a best friend she had known for years, and on the other was her irrepressible affection. These two conflicting emotions intertwined and lingered in her heart, making her feel terrible.

That was why, after her best friend left, she couldn’t help but ask. She had hoped the answer would force her to give up and move on. Yet now, all that welled up inside her was disappointment, sorrow, and reluctance.

At this moment, Li Yan finally realized with absolute certainty that she had fallen hopelessly in love with this man.

[Affinity +1]

...

Su Yunzhou had no idea that she was processing so much in this brief moment. To him, she had merely asked a baffling question, followed by a baffling one-point increase in her Affinity.

The system’s notifications chimed in his mind.

[Li Yan’s Affinity has risen to 80 points.]

[Reward: Skill Points x8]

[Total Skill Points: 10 points]

Amidst his joy, Su Yunzhou wondered why it had increased by so much. The system heard his inner thoughts and immediately responded.

[Because emotional connection without a physical relationship is particularly precious.]

He wondered what that meant. A term popped into his mind—a confidante?

The silence between the two made the atmosphere in the ward feel a bit heavy. Su Yunzhou was the first to break the ice. "I wasn’t trying to hide it from you! I just never found the right opportunity to bring it up."

"Mhm!" Li Yan replied.

She had so many questions, but they were all stuck in her chest. She sat up from the bed and shifted her body, dangling one leg over the edge. But just as she tried to stand, she accidentally pulled at her wound. Hissing in pain, she collapsed back onto the bed.

"Ouch!" she cried out softly.

Seeing this, Su Yunzhou hurriedly stepped forward and supported her. "Are you okay? Did you pull your wound?" he asked with concern.

Looking at his quick strides and worried eyes, Li Yan’s thoughts drifted back to that moment in the pouring rain, back to that broad back carrying her as he climbed upward. His back had been wide, sturdy, and warm—completely intoxicating. Yet, this man who had risked his life for her didn’t belong to her. How incredibly...

Whatever!

Unable to suppress her surging emotions any longer, she wrapped her slender arms tightly around Su Yunzhou.

"Hmm?" Feeling the warmth against his chest, Su Yunzhou noticed the change in her expression and the strange glint flickering in her large, watery eyes. "What’s wrong?"

His hot breath brushed across Li Yan’s face, stirring her desires even further. Frightened by the bold thoughts in her own mind, she still couldn’t help but lean in and kiss him.

"Mmph—"

Su Yunzhou’s body stiffened. He was actually... being forcefully kissed! 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

He responded involuntarily. The two embraced and lingered in the kiss. It was as if an invisible thread was drawing their hearts closer and closer together.

Suddenly, a rhythmic KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK sounded from the door, shattering their romantic intimacy.

Li Yan shuddered in fright and abruptly opened her eyes. She wondered, "My God! What am I doing?"

Immediately after, a nurse’s voice rang out from the corridor. "Night shift nurse doing rounds! Please open the door!"

Hearing this, Li Yan instantly snapped back to her senses. Blushing deeply, she pushed him away and shrank entirely under the covers.

Su Yunzhou also snapped to reality and sprang to his feet. "I... I’ll go open the door." He hurriedly turned around and walked to the door. Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, he slowly pulled the ward door open.

Two on-duty nurses walked in, one after the other. Upon seeing Su Yunzhou, they offered him friendly smiles. Perhaps because of his guilty conscience, Su Yunzhou felt like those smiles carried a rather suggestive meaning.

Li Yan kept her head down, her cheeks crimson, pretending as if she had just woken up.

He thought, "Every woman really is a natural-born actress!"

Seeing that the nurses were about to examine her, he immediately hunched over and slipped out of the room. Leaning against the wall in the corridor, he exhaled a long breath, and his mood gradually settled. He wondered, "They didn’t notice anything, right? But... what exactly was she thinking?"

Still, he had to admit—Li Yan’s figure was even more stunning than it appeared. Those lofty twin peaks and a waist so slender he could easily wrap his hands around it... It was a temptation no ordinary man could resist. Thinking it over, the title of Mr. Mo’s famous literary masterpiece described her most aptly.

From inside the room came a nurse’s surprised voice. "Huh! Your temperature was perfectly normal this afternoon. Why is it so high tonight? Ms. Li, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Faced with the nurse’s questions, Li Yan’s beautiful face flushed even redder. She scrambled for an excuse. "No... I’m not feeling unwell anywhere else. Maybe... maybe it’s because I suddenly fell asleep earlier and was wearing too many layers..."

Because Dean Ma had specifically instructed them to take extra care of her, the female nurse asked very detailed questions. But the more detailed the questions became, the more awkward and shy Li Yan felt. After all, she knew exactly why her body temperature had spiked.

One of the female nurses said, "Then we’ll observe you for now. We’ll come back every two hours to check your temperature. As long as it goes down, you’ll be fine."

"Okay! Sorry for the trouble!"

With that, the nurses turned and left. Seeing them go, Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief. But then she heard a certain someone walking back in. She silently pulled the quilt higher to cover her burning cheeks.

Su Yunzhou scratched his head, utterly bewildered by her attitude. He thought, "What am I supposed to do now? One second she’s bold, the next she’s shy, and then..."

His gaze drifted toward the bottom of the quilt, where her slender, long legs were faintly visible beneath the thin blanket. This highly immersive scene made it impossible for Su Yunzhou not to think of certain classic Japanese adult movie tropes.

An empty private hospital ward.

A female patient pretending to be asleep.

Should he play the role of the doctor?

All the classic elements were gathered in one place, after all. It almost felt wrong not to do *something*, didn’t it?

He was getting desperate! What should he do? Waiting online for answers!