Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 678 My Sister 13

Six months later, in the dead of winter, a severe flu swept through the city.

Yun Chu, who rarely falls ill, eventually succumbed to the weakened immune system caused by days of intense work, and was also drenched in a sudden cold rain, causing her to fall ill.

The severe cold struck suddenly, with high fever, cough, and body aches. Even with her amazing willpower, she was so weak that she could only work from home.

The security system of the top-tier apartment was not open to Shen Bai, but he always had his own "channels".

Yun Chu's personal assistant, Xiao Lin (the secretary who had returned the money transferred to Shen Bai), has always been his most crucial point of observation.

Through continuous and high-quality "external cooperation," Shen Bai had already quietly established a professional but mutually favorable relationship with Kobayashi.

When Xiaolin posted a very subtle message on WeChat Moments, "XX oral liquid is sold out at the pharmacy near the company. This wave of colds is too strong," along with a sigh emoji, Shen Bai almost instantly realized something—there are very few people with colds who could make Xiaolin show such worry.

He immediately made a phone call to another senior executive at Yunduan Technology who was in contact with the Yunchu project team (a "source of information" carefully selected by Shen Bai and with whom he frequently exchanged value), and in a few words, he "concernedly" talked about the project's progress, while also expressing his "worry":

"By the way, I heard that President Yun has also recently caught the virus? I noticed that she's been slow to approve project briefings via email. Is it serious?" The other person casually replied, "Yes, I heard from Xiao Lin yesterday that she had a high fever and is resting at home."

Sufficient information confirmed Shen Bai's guess.

Shen Bai didn't call Yun Chu immediately—he knew he would be turned away. He drove straight to the apartment building and bought top-grade propolis, loquat syrup, several boxes of effective cold medicine, a thermos of congee and side dishes, and several boxes of heat patches to relieve muscle soreness.

He contacted Xiao Lin directly, his tone unusually urgent and demanding: "Assistant Lin, I just learned that President Yun is very ill. I bought some things, they're downstairs. Could you please notify security so I can put them upstairs? Or... could you come down and get them?"

Xiao Lin naturally didn't dare to make the decision herself, so she could only inform Yun Chu. Yun Chu had a splitting headache and just wanted peace and quiet, and was impatiently trying to refuse. Xiao Lin added in a low voice, "President Shen... seems to be in a hurry, and his tone is different from usual. He bought a lot of things, and they're exactly what he needs."

Perhaps her physical weakness had clouded her will, or perhaps Shen Bai's "meticulous" and assertive presence over the past six months had made her subconsciously accustomed to his "service," but Yun Chu ultimately lacked the strength to argue. She said in a hoarse voice, "Have him hand the things over to the property management. You handle it." This was an unprecedented tacit consent.

Shen Bai's goal was certainly not just to deliver the items. He didn't leave, but waited downstairs for a while, estimating that the items had been delivered, before dialing Xiao Lin's number again:

"Assistant Lin, Ms. Yun is sick at home alone and needs someone to take care of her. I'll go upstairs for a few minutes to check if she has any fever reducers and see if there's anything I can help with. Could you... remotely unlock the door for me?"

He cleverly exploited Xiaolin's concern about Yun Chu's health and her impression of Shen Bai as "harmless" and "extremely reliable" (the result of Shen Bai's long-term efforts).

After hesitating for a moment, Xiaolin thought that Yun Chu was indeed weak and Shen Bai was extremely careful and reliable, so he remotely authorized the temporary passage of the elevator (only to the floor where Yun Chu was).

Shen Bai didn't knock or disturb them. He used Xiao Lin's brief remote access to open the door and quietly slid open the heavy apartment door a crack.

The living room was cold and simple, with a gray city skyline visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows. He entered like a shadow and gently closed the door behind him.

He first scanned the living room and noticed that medicine boxes were scattered on the coffee table and the water glass was empty.

He walked silently to the kitchen, skillfully found the water dispenser, and filled it with warm water.

Then, he approached the slightly ajar bedroom door and gently pushed it open. The bedroom was dimly lit, and outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was a gloomy sky.

Yun Chu curled up on the huge bed, her whole body buried in the blankets, only half of her flushed cheeks showing. Her brows were furrowed, and her breathing was heavy and noisy, clearly indicating that she was not sleeping soundly.

Shen Bai held his breath, his gaze greedily sweeping over her pale lips and sweat-dampened temples.

He approached the bedside, raised his hand, and first hovered it to feel the temperature of her forehead (it was hot), then gently placed the warm water glass in his hand on the bedside table.

He carefully rummaged through the scattered medicine boxes and found an electronic thermometer, gently taking her temperature: 39.1°C. His eyes darkened.

He knelt on one knee on the carpet beside the bed, his voice low but clear and steady: "President Yun? Yun Chu?" This time he called her by her name directly.

Yun Chu opened her eyes with difficulty, her gaze somewhat dazed. When she saw it was him, a flash of anger and resistance crossed her eyes, but more than that, she felt the confusion and helplessness of illness.

She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a cough.

Shen Bai immediately took the water glass, held it to her lips, and carefully helped her drink two sips. He then quickly handed her the prepared fever reducer and anti-inflammatory medicine.

The whole process was so familiar and welcoming, it felt like something I'd done countless times before.

Seeing that she was having difficulty swallowing, he took out a portable humidifier, filled it with purified water, added a few drops of the essential oil he had brought (to aid breathing and clear the nasal passages), and gently placed it by her bedside.

Then, he picked up the heat patch and carefully placed it on her sore lower back and thighs through her thin silk nightgown (he could imagine the pain she was in).

The soothing warmth made Yun Chu's tense body relax imperceptibly for a moment.

He quietly tidied up the messy coffee table and took away the takeout boxes (which had hardly been touched).

I opened the thermos, scooped out some warm, fragrant white porridge, and placed it on the bedside table. I also took out a small jar of peeled, lung-nourishing pear flesh and placed it beside it.

“The fever is too high; it will take time for the medicine to take effect. I'll stay here and watch over it.” His tone was calm, yet carried an unyielding authority.

He pulled up a chair and sat down at a spot not too far from the bed, taking out his laptop to work. The soft blue light from the screen illuminated his focused profile.

He transformed himself into a silent, undeniable presence in the room, a silent declaration: I am here, watching over you.

Throughout the afternoon, Shen Bai was like an invisible yet omnipresent shadow.

He regularly took her temperature, wiped her sticky neck and elbows from sweat, and changed the water in the humidifier promptly. Feeding her water and administering medicine became increasingly natural.

He doesn't waste words; when he speaks, it's always essential.

"37.8°C, that's better. I'll eat two pears to moisturize myself."

"Assistant Lin said that the international conference has been moved to the afternoon of the day after tomorrow for you, so you can rest assured."

"Sleep a little longer, I'll stay here and watch over things."

In the evening, Yun Chu briefly woke up, her mind clearing slightly. Seeing Shen Bai still there, she finally frowned and asked in a hoarse voice, "Shen Bai, you've crossed the line. Who told you to..."

"You." Shen Bai interrupted her, his gaze fixed on her weak but sharp eyes, his voice low and hoarse yet clear and powerful, "I will only leave if I feel at ease with your condition. In your current state, leaving you alone is not an option."

He said this with such confidence, as if taking care of her was his duty.

More importantly, he picked up the glass of warm water and, as if it were something fragile, fed it to her lips.

This time, his warm fingertips brushed against the back of her hand that was supporting the bottom of the cup with an extremely natural and almost imperceptible touch.

It wasn't a touch of lust, but more like a touch asserting ownership—like a wild beast leaving its scent at the edge of its territory. "Drink it; you need to rehydrate." The tone was commanding, yet the gaze held an unquestionable focus.

As night fell, Yun Chu's high fever finally subsided to a low fever, but she continued to cough and had difficulty sleeping.

In her dazed state, she sensed that Shen Bai had not left.

He turned off the overhead light, leaving only a dim wall lamp. He didn't say anything more, but when she coughed badly, he immediately brought her a glass of warm water to her lips.

Sometimes, even in a half-dreaming, half-awake state, she would feel a cool hand briefly touch her sweaty forehead, the movement so fast it felt like a hallucination.

As dawn approached, Yun Chu finally drifted into a relatively peaceful, light sleep, a rare occurrence for her.

Shen Bai quietly got up and went to the outer room.

He poured out the cold porridge and ladled out fresh, piping hot porridge from the thermos (which he kept warm in a small electric pot), and then cut a new fruit platter.

Then, he took out his phone and sent a message to Xiaolin: "President Yun's fever has subsided and she's sleeping now. I'm leaving at 9 a.m. You can come up around 9:30 a.m., she might need to eat something."

"I've put the medicine and instructions on the coffee table in the living room (with a clear photo attached). It's clearly marked that you must take the cold medicine X minutes after meals."

As the morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the blinds, Shen Bai tidied everything up and left silently.

The apartment was spotless, as if nothing had happened the night before.

The only things on the table were a thermos of warm honey water by the bedside and neatly labeled medicines and snacks.

The lingering moisture from the humidifier and a faint scent of disinfectant mixed with Shen Bai's usual pine perfume silently testified to how meticulously and forcefully that man had enveloped her sick nights.

What he left behind was meticulously prepared "care," but it was also another deep mark left by his obsessive possessiveness—she had recovered under his "protection," an unchangeable fact.