No Ghosting Allowed

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Pei You’s expression changed, and he almost immediately jolted up.

He first touched Zhou Qingbo’s forehead with the back of his hand, then used his fingers to brush the collar of his clothes and check the temperature on the side of his neck. His expression became somewhat grim and he looked concerned.

If one’s nerves were too tense and suddenly relaxed, it was indeed possible to fall ill. However, Zhou Qingbo’s fever was quite severe. Even the corners of his eyes had a thin layer of red spreading across them. It didn’t look like a simple effect of exhaustion.

Fortunately, the medical kit he brought along the previous night was still in the tent. Pei You took out a digital thermometer and gently touched Zhou Qingbo’s forehead with it. He checked the reading on the thermometer screen.

— 39.1°C, a high fever.

Pei You furrowed his brows and fixed Zhou Qingbo’s collar for him. He didn’t dare to move him recklessly. Instead, he got up and lifted the tent’s curtain to step outside.

The young man who had come to wake them up was still standing by the tent’s entrance. Pei You walked over, smiled apologetically to him, and gestured.

“I’m sorry,” Pei You said, “Qingbo might not be able to continue with the team — he’s sick and running a high fever.”

The young man was momentarily taken aback by his words. He peered inside and then asked, puzzled, “How did he suddenly fall ill?”

“I’m not sure. He was fine last night, but he suddenly developed a fever this morning,” a touch of worry appeared on Pei You’s face as he continued, “I checked his temperature, and it’s quite high. I want to take him to see a doctor as soon as possible.”

“I see… that would be best.” The young man seemed to be concerned too. He tiptoed to look inside the tent a couple more times before retracting his gaze. He kindly suggested, “The rescue team is about to transfer the injured to the city. You can go with them.”

 Pei You breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him, “That would be great.”

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The young man quickly went back to help coordinate the transportation. Pei You returned to the tent and knelt by the bedside, gently patting Zhou Qingbo’s face.

“Qingbo,” Pei You called out with worry, softly, “Qingbo?”

Zhou Qingbo vaguely heard his voice but couldn’t tell if he was still dreaming. He felt sore all over, his eyelids seemed glued shut, and his entire body felt as if it were immersed in concrete. Whenever he tried to move, he’d become dizzy as if the world was spinning.

However, Pei You’s voice sounded too urgent. Zhou Qingbo furrowed his brows and, after struggling for a while, managed to break free from the fog of the high fever, though barely.

“…What?” Zhou Qingbo squinted his eyes, his voice hoarse, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“You have a fever.” Pei You touched Zhou Qingbo’s forehead again, worry evident in his tone, “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere right now?”

Pei You had asked this question once last night too, but Zhou Qingbo was so exhausted at the time that he only wanted to sleep and didn’t pay much attention. Now that Pei You was asking again, Zhou Qingbo furrowed his brows and placed the back of his hand against his forehead, trying to feel it carefully.

“It feels… a bit sore,” Zhou Qingbo said softly.

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“Where?” Pei You inquired.

Zhou Qingbo didn’t answer directly. He just gently moved his right leg’s knee, indicating.

Pei You moved to the other side of the bed, lifted his pants, and took a look. He suddenly realized that there was a wound on Zhou Qingbo’s right leg, extending from the side of his calf all the way up to above his ankle. The wound was both deep and long, and because it hadn’t been treated promptly, its edges were turning red and swelling.

Pei You involuntarily sucked in a breath of cold air. The hand that was lifting his pants slightly trembled. He was too afraid to pull them up or let them down.

Zhou Qingbo sensed something was off from Pei You’s reaction and asked, “What’s wrong, did it get worse?”

“It looks serious, why didn’t you say anything before?” Pei You said.

Zhou Qingbo slowly recalled, starting from the day he met Pei You, that Pei You had always been gentle and considerate. It seemed like he was the type of person who wouldn’t get angry easily, even in the face of big issues. Now that he was unexpectedly being scolded, he found it a bit refreshing.

He had become used to Pei You’s spoiling and indulging him, so he wasn’t afraid. Instead, he opened his eyes, looking interested, and playfully poked Pei You’s shoulder. “Are you angry? Did you just scold me?”

Pei You: “…”

Pei You found Zhou Qingbo’s response quite puzzling. He was both angry and worried, but he couldn’t bring himself to say harsh words to Zhou Qingbo. So, he simply closed his mouth, lifted Zhou Qingbo up, and gently helped him put on his clothes.

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Zhou Qingbo, on the other hand, wasn’t feeling well but couldn’t resist teasing. He took advantage of the situation, leaning against Pei You’s shoulder from time to time, and in a sticky manner, he asked, “Why are you ignoring me? Are you really angry with me?”

Pei You couldn’t avert Zhou Qingbo’s playful antics. Busy as he was with fastening buttons, he was getting frustrated. Ultimately, he leaned his head and kissed him.

Zhou Qingbo made a soft sound of surprise but responded quickly, exchanging a tender kiss with him.

“Alright, Qingbo,” Pei You smoothed down his collar and helped him stand up from the bed. He whispered gently, “Don’t make me worry,we need to get you checked.”

His voice was low and soft, and if listened to carefully, one could hear a faint quiver beneath it. Zhou Qingbo’s heart softened, and he responded with a vague “mm-hmm,” refraining from making any more playful remarks.

Zhou Qingbo’s mobile phone had only five minutes of call time. Thankfully, before it ran out of battery completely, Pei You had informed his colleagues, notified their management, and then, together with the rescue team, helped Zhou Qingbo onto the vehicle and headed for the city.

“The injury on Zhou Qingbo’s leg was scratched by gravel in the sewage area. After not being treated well, it was now infected. It required antimicrobial treatment. However, the major hospitals in the southern province were currently admitting injured people from the disaster area, and medical resources were somewhat scarce. So, Pei You took Zhou Qingbo to a hospital in the neighboring province.

Fortunately, leaving the disaster area made everything smoother. After settling in the hospital, Pei You used the hospital’s phone to call his mom and sister to let them know about the situation and that he was safe. Then he returned to the ward, waiting for Zhou Qingbo to wake up from his unconsciousness.

In the evening, Zhou Cangshan called Zhou Qingbo’s phone which was now charging, twice. At that time, Zhou Qingbo was still asleep. Pei You hesitated for a moment but afraid that Zhou Cangshan might worry too much, he decided to answer the call, briefly explaining the current situation.

“Hospital?” Zhou Cangshan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Zhou Qingbo to get himself injured, sounding somewhat anxious as he asked, “Is it serious?”

“It’s not too bad.” Pei You glanced at the person sleeping on the bed, pulled up the blanket for him, and casually said, “he just needs his wounds cleaned, anti-inflammatory treatment, and antibiotics. He might need to stay in the hospital for a few days. But don’t worry, it’s not too serious, and it’s under control. A few more days of fluids will help.”

“That’s good.” Zhou Cangshan breathed a sigh of relief, then realized what he said, and asked, “Have you already left the disaster area?”

“Yes, we’re in Chongqing now.” Pei You said, “Once Qingbo gets better, we’ll return to Beijing.”

“Okay,” Zhou Cangshan responded without much follow-up. He was somewhat puzzled about the whole situation with Zhou Qingbo desperately wanting to find Pei You, which in turn made his attitude towards Pei You a bit awkward, not easily understandable.

Over the phone, Pei You didn’t notice Zhou Cangshan’s discomfort. After a while of silence, he couldn’t help but ask, “So, that’s the situation… Mr. Zhou, do you have any more matters to discuss? If not, I’ll hang up?”

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“No that’s all,” Zhou Cangshan snapped out of his thoughts, subconsciously saying, “just keep me posted.”

“Will do.” Pei You politely said, “When Qingbo wakes up, I’ll have him call you back.”

After Pei You finished speaking, he hung up the phone. Zhou Cangshan looked at the call ended screen of his phone and suddenly felt a clear sense of discomfort.

When did they become so familiar? Zhou Cangshan wondered. Despite being biological brothers with Zhou Qingbo, the way Pei You spoke about Zhou Qingbo seemed even closer. His tone was natural and intimate, as if he unconsciously merged himself and Zhou Qingbo into one. After this call, Zhou Cangshan suddenly had the feeling that he was the outsider.

Did I overthink things? Zhou Cangshan puzzled over.

This subtle sense of discomfort persisted until the next day. In the evening, since Zhou Qingbo’s condition was more stable, Zhou Cangshan took the initiative to make a video call.

In the video, Zhou Qingbo looked okay. He was leaning against a propped-up pillow on the bed, holding a bowl of small grapes in his hand, adjusting the phone holder with the other hand.

“You lazy person.” Zhou Cangshan saw that he was fine, slightly relieved, and with a stern face, said, “You found him, and now are you satisfied?”

“Satisfied, very satisfied.” Zhou Qingbo narrowed his eyes,smiled and winked “Thanks to Big Brother’s help. When we’re back in Beijing, I’ll have Pei You bring you a gift.”

“Don’t flatter me.” Zhou Cangshan didn’t buy it, “Since things are resolved, come back to work soon, don’t wander aimlessly, and as soon as you recover, come straight home.”

The mere mention of going to work gave Zhou Qingbo a headache. A bitter expression crossed his face, and he was about to say something to change the topic when he suddenly looked to the side, his gaze shifting off-camera.

He looked outside the frame of the camera, and Zhou Cangshan didn’t know what was there, but he noticed that Zhou Qingbo’s expression suddenly became livelier, with a hint of a smile at the corners of his eyes and lips.

“Alright, alright.” Clearly, whatever was outside the camera was very captivating. Zhou Qingbo swallowed down what he originally wanted to say and played along, looking at the camera for a couple of seconds before saying casually, “Got it. I’ll be back in a couple of days. The doctor is here to check on me; I’m hanging up now.”

He didn’t give Zhou Cangshan time to respond before he hung up. But his hand had a few water droplets on it, and when he touched the screen, the phone’s response was delayed by a couple of seconds due to the water, and then he managed to hit the hang-up button.

So, in the split second before the call ended, Zhou Cangshan saw a hand suddenly and abruptly extend from the side of the camera. The hand’s fingertips holding a thin slice of apple, and it skillfully and intimately fed it to Zhou Qingbo’s lips.

Zhou Qingbo naturally turned his head to accept it, and it seemed like he even bit the person’s fingertip.

Zhou Cangshan: “…”