ABFMV Chapter 45

“Qiye?”

Xu Linlang called softly. The person on the bed didn’t respond.

Her heart tightened.

Closing the door, she walked quietly over. His hair was damp and messy across his forehead, and there were still traces of water on his skin.

Did he not bother to get out of the rain?

Why didn’t he dry off before lying down? He was bound to catch a cold like this.

She hesitated, then reached out and touched his forehead with her fingertips.

Sure enough—burning hot.

Before she could fully register it, his cold fingers clamped around her wrist and pushed her hand away.

“You have a fever,” she said matter-of-factly.

“It’s nothing serious.” His voice was hoarse, his expression unreadable as he looked at her.

Frowning, she went to the bathroom, soaked a towel in cold water, wrung it out, folded it, and laid it across his forehead after brushing his damp hair aside.

Even through that brief touch, she could feel how hot his body was.

This won’t do. If it keeps up, he’ll be in real danger.

“I’ll call a doctor.”

Qiye shook his head. “No.”

It was just one downpour—seeing a doctor over that would be pathetic.

Xu Linlang didn’t understand what he was being so stubborn about. She dug out a fever-reducer from the dorm’s first-aid kit, poured a glass of warm water, and handed both to him.

He took the water, sipped, tilted his head back, and swallowed the pill.

Not another word.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He was quieter than usual, his mood darker, heavier. She had never seen him this way.

Did something happen that he wasn’t telling her?

She draped a bath towel over his shoulders and carefully pressed it against him, soaking up the water clinging to his body.

“Did something happen?”

He kept his head down and shook it.

Through the towel, she could feel his muscles tense beneath her fingertips. She lifted her gaze to meet his.

His eyes were rimmed with red, especially at the corners. She couldn’t tell if it was the fever or something else.

His skin was unnaturally pale, making his lashes look even darker, sharper. Combined with his damp hair, it gave him a fragile, dangerous kind of beauty.

Her heart skipped a beat for no reason at all.

When she realized she’d been staring too long, she turned away quickly, covering her embarrassment with a cough. “Even if you don’t want to see a doctor, you should at least take medicine. If I hadn’t come today, no one would’ve noticed, and you could’ve burned yourself silly.”

“But you did come.” His voice was quiet.

Yet every word landed squarely in her chest.

Like a feather—light, but with just enough touch to stir something inside her.

She tucked the towel more securely under his neck. “What if I hadn’t come? You should always prepare for the worst. Don’t let this happen again.”

Qiye held her gaze. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

And since she had—he wasn’t about to let her go.

Before she could react, he reached out and yanked her into his arms, holding her so tightly it was as if he wanted to press her right into his chest.

Xu Linlang froze.

She could feel him trembling faintly.

Drops of water from his hair slid down into the hollow of her neck. His voice was raw, almost pleading. “Don’t move. Just stay like this for a bit.”

Her heart was racing. Logic told her to push him away—she was half-lying across a boy’s chest, which was completely improper.

But she couldn’t bring herself to reject him in such a vulnerable moment.

Forget it. She closed her eyes.

Maybe he just needed comfort, treating her like a big stuffed toy to hold onto.

She remembered something she’d once read: lonely people crave physical contact, and sometimes a warm hug can heal more than words.

Whatever it was that weighed on him, she wanted to ease it, even a little.

“So warm.” His eyes half-closed, his face pressed into her, almost like a sigh.

She stiffened, patting his back lightly. “That’s only because you’re soaked through. Compared to that, of course, I feel warm.”

He finally released her, leaning back slightly. “Thank you… I feel better now.”

She caught the look in his eyes—hesitation, maybe even guilt. Did he let go because he didn’t want to get her wet?

“In the future, if you’re sick or hurt, you have to tell me. Otherwise, it means you don’t see me as a friend.” She put on a mock-serious face.

He chuckled softly, eyes fixed on her. “Alright.”

When she went to grab another towel, she noticed a book on his bed.

She picked it up and flipped through it—it was about C-class mech parts again.

On the title page, bold handwriting spelled two characters: Lu Xiao.

Xu Linlang blinked. “Since when did you get so close with Lu Xiao?”

Qiye frowned. “Me? With him?”

Xu Linlang lifted the book and waved it in front of his eyes. “Exactly. All his books are here with you. But he’s in the piloting department—why would he even have books on mech parts?”

Qiye was silent for a moment before lifting his gaze to her. “What if I said it was because of you? Would you believe me?”

“Because of me?” Xu Linlang pointed at herself, even more puzzled.

He looked away. “Maybe he likes you. So he’s learning about mech parts for your sake.”

Xu Linlang scoffed. “Don’t joke with me. You know he already turned me down. He can’t avoid me fast enough—how could he possibly like me?”

Qiye asked flatly, “Has he avoided you these past few days?”

She thought about it carefully. Actually… no. If anything, he’d shown up quite a few times on his own.

Noticing her hesitation, Qiye studied her. “So, do you still like him? If you do, maybe this is your chance.”

Under the blanket, his fingers slowly curled into a tight fist.

As if waiting for a verdict.

Xu Linlang instinctively shook her head. “He and I aren’t even the same kind of people. Even if I once liked him, that was the old Xu Linlang. Right now, I don’t like anyone.”

“Don’t like anyone… huh?” Qiye murmured under his breath.

Good.

Not liking anyone was better than liking someone else.

Xu Linlang nodded. “I’ve figured it out—I can’t just be all about romance. I need to focus on my future. Too many people are eyeing the Xu family, and I can’t even help.”

Then another thought struck her, and she looked at him curiously. “Why are you suddenly so interested in my love life?”

In the game’s storyline, Qiye was the type who was cold and tight-lipped. There was no way he’d gossip about someone’s relationships.

His face stayed calm. “Did you forget? We’re engaged.”

“!”

Oh. She had forgotten.

No wonder he cared so much—it wasn’t idle curiosity. It directly involved him.

“Sorry… this engagement might have to stay for a while. Right now, there really isn’t anyone I like, let alone anyone I’d date. So I still need this engagement to ward off matchmaking and arranged marriage stuff.”

“But don’t worry—if you ever fall for someone, I’ll break off the engagement right away. I won’t hold you back.”

Qiye pressed his lips together. “I don’t have anyone I like. Looks like this engagement will be sticking around for quite some time.”

She knew his situation, and it did seem unlikely he’d fall for anyone. Still, hearing the word engagement from him made her heart stir.

She forced herself to remember—it was just a mutually beneficial arrangement. Nothing more.

Yet another voice whispered: in a sense, Qiye was her fiancé.

Xu Linlang abruptly stood up, distracting herself. “Why haven’t I seen Snowball around?”

Qiye: “…”

Reluctantly, he answered, “Haven’t seen it. Maybe it ran off to play somewhere.”

“It’s pouring outside. I’ll go look for it,” she said, worried.

In his panic, Qiye reached out and grabbed her wrist. “It’s not stupid. It knows how to stay out of the rain. It’ll come back on its own.”

Xu Linlang gave him a look. “It’s not stupid, it knows to stay dry—so why didn’t you?”

Qiye: “…”

She caught the speechless look on his face and smiled. “From now on, you’d better behave. Don’t let Snowball outdo you.”

He gave a weary nod.

Somehow, Xu Linlang felt a rush of satisfaction, like a parent teaching a child. “That’s better.”

Qiye’s ears burned red—half from annoyance, half from embarrassment.