Jiang Shuyi looked at her wistfully. "Wen Yao..."

"It's cold outside, let's go to my place first."

Wen Yao's voice was a bit hoarse, and she didn't say much more, just led Jiang Shuyi forward.

The two walked in silence through the corridor of the old building, one in front of the other.

In November, the weather was cold enough to make anyone shiver.

Jiang Shuyi looked at her hand being held by Wen Yao, unsure whether to feel happy or sad, and couldn't help but sniffle.

"There are some boxes around the corner; be careful not to bump into them."

Wen Yao's voice came from ahead.

Jiang Shuyi nodded like a well-behaved child.

They turned the corner and walked into the corridor.

The doors of each unit here looked unusually worn.

On the walls and doors, there were many small advertisements, like "locksmith" stickers, which seemed to have been neglected for so long that they had yellowed and looked difficult to remove.

Wen Yao lived in the innermost unit.

Wen Yao let go of Jiang Shuyi's hand and pushed the door open.

Jiang Shuyi looked at her hand, realizing it had become a bit cold.

Wen Yao glanced at Jiang Shuyi's ears and nose, which had turned slightly red from the cold, and sighed again. "Stop standing there like an idiot, Jiang Shuyi."

Jiang Shuyi seemed at a loss for words and nodded repeatedly.

The room was dark, with no lights on.

After entering, Jiang Shuyi stood at the doorway, feeling a bit unsure.

Wen Yao looked at Jiang Shuyi, who was frozen in place, staring at her shoes. "...You don't need to take off your shoes at my place."

Jiang Shuyi was taken aback for a moment, feeling a bit uneasy as she walked in. "Oh, okay."

Wen Yao turned on the light, and the room was illuminated. "How long have you been waiting?"

Jiang Shuyi bit her lip, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Just... a little while."

Wen Yao glanced at Jiang Shuyi's red knuckles and understood without needing Jiang Shuyi to say that "a little while" was not short.

Jiang Shuyi looked around the room, feeling a bit awkward about where to place her hands.

This was actually a small room that would feel cramped for two high school students. Just by looking, one could see how small it was.

In fact, this place was even smaller than Jiang Shuyi's bedroom.

The white walls, faded from sunlight, had some old ceramic sinks, a small refrigerator that had lost its color, and a lonely cup sitting next to the sink.

Everything was neatly arranged, simple and unadorned, restrained to the bare minimum.

Everything in the room was tidily organized, resembling a future office for Wen Yao in college, and like her future office, it lacked any hint of a lived-in feel, it didn't seem like a home where someone lived alone.

Looking at Wen Yao's usual demeanor, Jiang Shuyi couldn't imagine her living in such a shabby place, in such a room.

Jiang Shuyi bit her lip. "Wen Yao."

"Mm?"

Wen Yao walked over to the stove, twisting the knob.

"Where are your parents?"

Jiang Shuyi felt a sense of loneliness emanating from the room and couldn't help but grow curious.

"..." Wen Yao paused for a moment, not answering. She placed the kettle on the stove and took out a cup to wash. "We don't have tea or coffee, just plain water. You can make do with that."

"..."

She was avoiding the topic, Jiang Shuyi thought.

But Jiang Shuyi didn't press Wen Yao further, as this avoidance was an answer in itself.

Thinking about how Wen Yao had been alone until just now made Jiang Shuyi feel uneasy. "Sit down, I'll pour it myself."

Wen Yao looked at her and silently made room for Jiang Shuyi.

Before long, the water boiled.

Jiang Shuyi poured the boiling water into a cup.

Steam spread throughout the room, condensing on the glass window.

Jiang Shuyi glanced at Wen Yao, asking with some concern, "Have you eaten today, Wen Yao?"

Wen Yao lowered her gaze and didn't respond.

Jiang Shuyi understood her reaction.

Professor Wen was like that too.

Often, when she was busy writing papers, she would skip meals or just grab a rice ball or bread from a convenience store to get by.

"How can you not eat anything?" Jiang Shuyi said, her tone carrying a hint of reproach.

Wen Yao coughed. "That's none of your business, is it?"

"How is it not my business?" Jiang Shuyi stiffened.

She muttered unhappily, "It absolutely matters..."

Wen Yao looked at Jiang Shuyi without saying anything.

Jiang Shuyi walked over to the refrigerator.

"... I'll make you something to eat."

Wen Yao frowned for a moment.

In her heart, Jiang Shuyi, like her name, exuded a sense of ease and abundance.

This made Wen Yao hesitant to have any expectations of this Alpha.

"No need." she replied cautiously, keeping her distance.

Hearing her refusal, Jiang Shuyi furrowed her brow sternly.

"You're a patient now, Wen Yao."

"How can you be so careless about your health?"

Jiang Shuyi lamented how someone studying medicine could neglect their own well-being.

She gently pushed Wen Yao away from the stove. "Don't just stand there. You should go lie down in bed and rest. I'll call you when the food is ready."

"......" Wen Yao was pushed back to bed by the Alpha, who then carefully covered her with a blanket.

"Rest up, that way, you'll get better faster."

Jiang Shuyi gently patted her head, as if soothing a child.

Feeling the gentle touch on her head, Wen Yao fell silent.

Forget it, even if Jiang Shuyi couldn't cook, she probably wouldn't burn down her house.

She thought.

Perhaps it was because she was sick, or maybe the noise from the stove had a hypnotic effect, or perhaps it was the clean scent of lemon balm that Jiang Shuyi brought into the room that made Wen Yao unknowingly fall asleep.

----

Jiang Shuyi rummaged through Wen Yao's fridge and found some eggs, rice, and chopped green onions.

She nodded, planning to make congee.

Although, in reality, she could only make congee.

So, it had become a given that Wen Yao would be drinking congee.

There was no other way, she thought.

Before long, the congee in the pot began to boil.

Jiang Shuyi cracked the eggs and poured the boiling congee into a bowl.

After stirring it, she added a bit of the chopped green onions.

Looking at the bubbling egg congee, Jiang Shuyi fell into silence.

What would Wen Yao do if she hadn't come?

Would she really not eat as she said?

Jiang Shuyi knew she was not very imaginative, but just thinking about Wen Yao living alone in such a dark, cramped place, sick and without anyone to care for her, made her feel uncomfortable.

"..."

She carried the plate and pulled out a chair, sitting down somewhat conflicted in front of Wen Yao.

The scent of rose pheromones filled the air, and Wen Yao lay before her, defenseless, with her eyes closed.

Wen Yao looked peaceful in her sleep, her fair cheeks appearing very soft.

"Wen Yao?" Jiang Shuyi gently called her name.

"..." Wen Yao didn't respond.

Looking at Wen Yao's defenseless face, Jiang Shuyi felt a mischievous thought arise.

She glanced around, feeling a bit guilty, and quietly extended her index finger, poking it playfully at the Omega's face.

"..." She muttered under her breath, biting her lip in dissatisfaction. "Big ice block."

But as soon as her finger poked down, she froze.

"......" So soft.

How could this big ice block be so soft?

Jiang Shuyi was a bit startled and couldn't help but poke again.

When Jiang Shuyi poked for the third time, Wen Yao suddenly opened her eyes, looking sternly at the Alpha in front of her.

"Jiang Shuyi," her tone was neither warm nor cold, "Is my face fun to poke?"

Jiang Shuyi jumped in surprise and instantly stood up from her chair.

She hadn't expected Wen Yao to be awake, so she immediately acted like a child caught doing something wrong, putting her hands behind her back.

"...When did you wake up?"

Wen Yao struggled to sit up. "When you were staring at my face with that silly expression."

Jiang Shuyi's embarrassed expression was hard to maintain.

"I was just wondering what you would do."

Wen Yao looked at her calmly. "As expected, you're doing something so boring again."

"You always treat me coldly for no reason and ignore me for no reason."

To cover up her embarrassment, Jiang Shuyi couldn't help but complain about Wen Yao.

"If I poke you, what's the big deal..."

Wen Yao's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Shuyi immediately regretted it, Wen Yao was sick, and she shouldn't have said that.

"..." Jiang Shuyi felt like she wanted to apologize.

"It's not without reason."

Before she could finish her sentence, Wen Yao said lightly.

"Do you think I'm angry with you for no reason?"

Jiang Shuyi looked up at Wen Yao with wide eyes. "..."

"Then why?"

Wen Yao stared at Jiang Shuyi's face without answering.

For a moment, Jiang Shuyi felt a bit uncomfortable under her gaze.

She couldn't tell if it was Wen Yao who had a fever or if she herself was feeling hot, as her ears felt unbearably warm.

"Aren't you going to make me something to eat?" Wen Yao broke the silence, as if changing the subject.

Jiang Shuyi quickly cleared her throat, sat back down, and picked up the congee.

"Ah, oh, this is the egg congee I made."

"This is the first time I've cooked something for someone—"

She scooped a spoonful of congee from the edge of the bowl, blew on it, and brought it to Wen Yao's lips.

"Here, try it and see if it tastes right..."

Faced with the spoon naturally held in front of her, Wen Yao paused for a moment.

She glanced at Jiang Shuyi and finally opened her mouth slightly to take the spoon into her mouth.

"Is it good?" Jiang Shuyi asked, looking at her with concern.

Wen Yao chewed slowly and swallowed the egg congee, looking at Jiang Shuyi in disbelief. "Mm..."

"It seems to taste okay." Jiang Shuyi smiled.

"Mm," Wen Yao looked at Jiang Shuyi, completely swallowing the congee in her mouth. "...It tastes familiar."

Jiang Shuyi paused, and after a moment, she laughed. "Really?"

"Congee is made like this," Wen Yao said lightly, smiling again as she took another spoonful, allowing Jiang Shuyi to feed her.

Wen Yao glanced at Jiang Shuyi, who was holding the spoon confidently, looking completely selfless.

Wen Yao silently took the spoon into her mouth.

Seeing Wen Yao eat, Jiang Shuyi scooped up another spoonful of congee, blew on it, and fed it to Wen Yao.

"It's okay if you eat a little less, but you have to eat something so you can take your medicine."

Noticing that Wen Yao's hair was slightly in the way, Jiang Shuyi reached out to tuck it behind her ear.

Feeling her hair being tidied up, Wen Yao silently swallowed the congee and opened her mouth again.

Jiang Shuyi scooped up another spoonful of congee and brought it to her lips. "I also prepared plain congee for you, it's in the fridge. If you're hungry, just heat it up and eat."

Wen Yao nodded.

Before long, Wen Yao had finished the small bowl of congee that Jiang Shuyi had fed her.

Due to her habitual restraint, Wen Yao usually couldn't eat much.

But the egg congee was easy to swallow.

Perhaps it was because the taste of the congee felt familiar, or maybe she had been hungry all day, and the warm congee entering her stomach made her realize she was indeed empty.

Or perhaps it was because someone was feeding her, which made Wen Yao unknowingly eat a bit more than usual.

"Would you like another bowl?" Jiang Shuyi asked as she set the bowl aside.

"......" Wen Yao looked at the spoon in Jiang Shuyi's hand and silently nodded.

---

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