FIO CH6

Chapter 6: Interlocked Fingers

Zhou Zheng simply couldn’t get up. He agreed verbally, but his body didn’t budge an inch. After the third unsuccessful attempt to wake him, Lu Fangchi reached out and yanked Zhou Zheng up from the bed. He then went to the closet, grabbed a set of clothes, and tossed them at Zhou Zheng, looking into his drowsy eyes and admonishing, “Get dressed and get up. Do you hear me?”

Zhou Zheng half-opened his eyes, nodded listlessly, and murmured in a barely audible voice, “I hear you.”

After Lu Fangchi finished washing up in the bathroom, he came out to find Zhou Zheng still unmoving, holding the clothes in his hand and having fallen asleep again. His head was nodding involuntarily in all directions before he collapsed back onto the bed. His fingers still struggled to move, attempting to get up, but ultimately, he couldn’t resist the softness of the bed and fell into a deep slumber.

Lu Fangchi walked over to the bedside and looked down at Zhou Zheng, whose face was flushed with an unnatural redness. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his plump, sensual lips were pursed downward, giving him an inexplicably vulnerable appearance.

Forget it, there was no point in troubling him further in this state.

As Lu Fangchi reached out to take the clothes from Zhou Zheng’s hand, the movement jolted him awake. He suddenly opened his bloodshot eyes, which looked like those of a rabbit, and mumbled, “I’m getting up right now…”

Lu Fangchi placed a hand on his shoulder and softly said, “Alright, go back to sleep. Don’t get up. Give me the clothes.”

His voice was gentle, like the soft light of sunshine after a quiet rainstorm.

Only then did Zhou Zheng relax, his eyes slowly closing again, and his grip on the clothes loosening.

Lu Fangchi hung the clothes back in the closet, then went to the living room to fetch the first aid kit. Back in the bedroom, he used a thermometer gun to take Zhou Zheng’s temperature, which beeped twice at his forehead—38.7°C.

Thankfully, it was better than the anticipated 40°C.

He took out a cooling patch and applied it to Zhou Zheng’s forehead, then broke two fever-reducing pills and placed them by Zhou Zheng’s lips, saying, “Open your mouth and take the medicine.”

Like an obedient child, Zhou Zheng opened his mouth, his tongue curling around the pills. The soft touch left a damp trail on Lu Fangchi’s palm, an intimacy that made him quickly withdraw his hand and wipe it on his trouser leg.

The tea fragrance emanating from Zhou Zheng’s nose grew even more intense. Holding his breath, Lu Fangchi opened the bedside drawer, took out a barrier patch, tore it open, and applied it to Zhou Zheng’s gland area. He then tucked the blanket around him before getting up and leaving the bedroom filled with the lingering tea scent.

In one go, Lu Fangchi walked out of the house and closed the door, finally shutting out the pervasive orchid tea fragrance. The scent had stirred something restless within him, and it took two quick cigarettes to somewhat suppress the overwhelming sensation.

That brat, when sick, didn’t know how to control his pheromones.

Lu Fangchi stayed outside for a while longer until he felt completely calm before going back inside. The air still carried a faint trace of tea fragrance, but it was no longer so overwhelming, or perhaps his sense of smell had developed a sort of immunity.

Zhou Zheng’s face was still flushed, but his sleep was much more peaceful. Lu Fangchi picked up the thermometer and took his temperature again—it beeped at 38.1°C, much better.

He woke up in the middle of the night twice to change the cooling patches for Zhou Zheng. By eight in the morning, his temperature had returned to normal, and the fever had subsided.

Zhou Zheng, drained from the fever, listlessly got up in the morning, drank a bowl of plain porridge, and then lay back down to continue sleeping. Lu Fangchi had planned to take the day off to stay home and look after him, but unexpectedly, a program bug had emerged at the company that required his immediate presence.

Lu Fangchi didn’t intend to wake Zhou Zheng; he just left a note explaining the situation and placed a glass of water on top of it.

The conference room was filled with a heavy atmosphere, and everyone was silent, secretly observing Lu Fangchi, who sat at the front. His expression was stern, his brow slightly furrowed, hinting at an impending outburst.

Lu Fangchi was indeed furious. Such a basic mistake should never have been made!

“The models are so distorted they’re about to jump out of the screen. Do you think this is acceptable?” he demanded.

The team members bowed their heads, speechless.

“Who worked on this copy?” Lu Fangchi asked.

A trainee quietly raised his hand.

Lu Fangchi closed his eyes briefly before questioning further, “Who was in charge? Wasn’t there any internal testing before the release?”

Such an error couldn’t be the fault of just one person; it was likely a series of mistakes throughout the process.

He was so angry that his temples throbbed. The computer in front of him beeped with notifications, “Ding-dong, ding-dong,” then was abruptly cut off, followed by a rapid succession of messages.

Caught off guard by the onslaught of notifications, or perhaps too flustered by the low-level bug, Lu Fangchi momentarily forgot that his computer was connected to the projector, which was displaying the content on the large screen at the front of the room.

He clicked on the messages and saw:

Little Zhou Zhou: [Voice call canceled]

Little Zhou Zhou: [Crying]

Little Zhou Zhou: [Crying][Crying]

Little Zhou Zhou: [Crying][Crying][Crying]

Little Zhou Zhou: Xiao Chi, I probably won’t make it. My bank card password is 191918. I’m leaving all the money to you, but could you spend a little to burn a paper effigy of yourself for me?

Little Zhou Zhou: A cheap one would do, but the cheap ones look too fake and ugly. Maybe a more expensive one would be better…

Lu Fangchi was bewildered. What was all this about?

The next second, the sighs around him brought him back to reality. He looked up and saw the large screen, where Zhou Zheng’s messages were displayed for everyone to see. At that moment, even Lu Fangchi’s usually calm demeanor couldn’t prevent his ears from turning red. He quickly turned off the projector, stood up, and left the room, saying, “Deal with the bug yourselves,” before fleeing the scene.

After Lu Fangchi left, the meeting dispersed as well. Everyone appeared nonchalant on the surface, but behind the scenes, they were furiously typing in a group chat, with the screen constantly refreshing and messages piling up one after another.

1: “Whoa, is Boss Lu in a relationship?”

Maoqiu: “I’m also shocked. I can’t picture someone as detached from worldly affairs as Boss Lu being in love…”

He: “What else could it be? Just look at the notes for ‘Little Zhou Zhou.'”

Maoqiu: [Facepalm] So everyone acts the same way when they’re in love.

Bubble Loves MeowMeow: [Curious] So the tea scent I smelled on Boss Lu today wasn’t my imagination.

1: “Yeah, I smelled it too. So it’s a tea-scented little omega?”

He: [Laughs through tears] Men really do have a thing for these coquettish little sprites.

Lu Fangchi was completely unaware of these discussions. He quickly walked to the parking garage, pulled open the car door in one go, got into the driver’s seat, started the car, and stepped on the gas to head home.

Embarrassing as it was, it was genuinely strange. Why would Zhou Zheng randomly leave a will? Maybe his fever had addled his brain?

Lu Fangchi floored the accelerator all the way home. As soon as he opened the door, he saw the lump on the sofa. Upon hearing the noise, Zhou Zheng looked up, revealing his eyes, glistening with moisture, his cheeks flushed from under his eyes, and his mouth slightly downturned, looking vulnerable and wronged.

While Lu Fangchi bent down to change his shoes, Zhou Zheng got up from the sofa and walked unsteadily to Lu Fangchi, then threw himself into his arms.

Zhou Zheng’s tall frame at 1.9 meters was quite heavy. The impact made Lu Fangchi stagger backward, only managing to keep from falling by leaning against the door.

Ignoring the burning sensation on his back, Lu Fangchi felt as if a large furnace had been placed in front of him. Zhou Zheng had indeed spiked a fever again.

Zhou Zheng must have been extremely uncomfortable, making noises and clinging to Lu Fangchi, unwilling to let go no matter what. Lu Fangchi could only half-embrace him and move them both to the sofa, where he gently coaxed him to let go after a few soothing words.

He went to the bedroom and took out a thermometer to check Zhou Zheng’s temperature. The thermometer beeped incessantly, and the red screen displayed 40°C.

Repeated fevers, and such a high one at that, were not right.

“Get up, we’re going to the hospital,” Lu Fangchi decided immediately, pushing Zhou Zheng to the closet to change clothes.

Though Zhou Zheng was burning up, he had slept enough and was not in the state from last night where he couldn’t open his eyes. He cooperated fully and got dressed.

However, he stopped just before leaving, his eyes fixed on Lu Fangchi.

Weakened by illness, Zhou Zheng looked fragile, his eyes misty and constantly seeming to be coquettish, like a large dog whining softly.

No one could resist such a display of vulnerability. Lu Fangchi patiently responded with a questioning “Hmm?”

Zhou Zheng pursed his sensual lips, his right hand in the pocket of his hoodie, while his left hand swung slightly, hanging by his side.

Lu Fangchi raised an eyebrow, belatedly realizing what he wanted. He wanted to hold hands?

Seeing that Lu Fangchi hadn’t moved, Zhou Zheng took the initiative, tugging at the other’s sleeve and giving it a small shake.

Alright, when you’re sick, you call the shots. Lu Fangchi reached back and interlocked his fingers with the restless hand, leading him outside.

This feeling was somewhat strange. It was the first time Lu Fangchi had held a man’s hand. Unlike an omega’s, an alpha’s hand was broad and strong, with long fingers that firmly interlaced, creating a tight grip.

Noticing Zhou Zheng’s subtle movements, Lu Fangchi glanced at him.

Zhou Zheng’s eyes wandered, but he spoke with a certain boldness: “It’s cold. This way is warmer.” His breath fogged up as he spoke.

Unbeknownst to them, snowflakes began to fall again from the sky, drifting like dandelion seeds and landing on their hair, melting instantly.

Zhou Zheng’s eyes sparkled, and his lips curved upwards as he secretly rejoiced in his heart at this romantic moment of “growing old together.”

Lu Fangchi didn’t understand. Seeing the snow, he quickened his pace, thinking it would be troublesome if it got heavier and the road conditions worsened.

But Zhou Zheng stopped again. His extra four centimeters in height made it impossible for Lu Fangchi to pull him along.

Lu Fangchi stopped and looked back, asking, “What now?” He was almost tempted to call him “Your Majesty.”

Zhou Zheng didn’t respond but quietly looked to the side.

Following his gaze, Lu Fangchi’s eyes fell on the children’s playground equipment not far away.

No way.

The next second, he heard Zhou Zheng say, “I want to play on the swings and experience the feeling of flying.”

Lu Fangchi: …

Lu Fangchi was exasperated and tried to pull him away.

Zhou Zheng still didn’t budge and said in a low voice, “Usually, there are too many kids in line, and I’m always in a hurry to get home. I’ve never had a chance to play. Now that no one is around, I want to.”

This plea was so pitiful and touching that it struck a chord with Lu Fangchi.

Alright, he really did owe him.

Lu Fangchi sighed softly and coaxed in a low voice, “Let’s go to the hospital first. It will be hard to drive if the snow gets heavier, and you’re in no condition to swing with this fever.”

Hearing that he wouldn’t be allowed to play, Zhou Zheng’s eyes drooped in disappointment, and he started walking again.

All the way to the car, Zhou Zheng remained silent, his eyelids drooping and his expression gloomy, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Seeing that he wasn’t moving, Lu Fangchi leaned forward, reached over to fasten his seatbelt for him, and casually patted his shoulder, saying, “Once you’re better, we’ll go to the amusement park.”