bayedsolid Chapter 335 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (46)
Chapter 335 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (46)
Lu Liruan really couldn't eat. When her headache was severe, she would feel nauseous, and even the slightest movement would cause her stomach to churn.
"I'm not eating anymore..."
Lu Liruan gently pushed Jin Shuhe's wrist.
Jin Shuhe felt that Sister Li Ruan's hands were icy cold, and he didn't know if it was because of the cold or because of a fever.
"Let me turn the air conditioning up a bit..." He turned around to reach for the remote control.
But Lu Liruan caught her in her grasp.
"No...please keep me at a constant temperature. Even if I catch a cold, I'm still a warm-blooded animal."
Jin Shuhe: ...At a time like this, let's not tell jokes anymore, shall we?
But he didn't say those words out loud. At that moment, the clearest feeling in his mind was the touch of Sister Li Ruan holding him, her delicate, cool palm skin pressed tightly against him.
Jin Shuhe didn't know why, but he suddenly became so concerned, as if a part of his mind was out of his control.
The spontaneous emotions that arose made her hold her breath, feeling so hot that she was about to sweat even in the constant temperature.
He and Sister Li Ruan usually had some contact, so why was he suddenly in such a state of confusion...?
I can't make sense of it at all.
Lu Liruan was completely oblivious to his sluggishness and stiffness; her attention was entirely focused on fighting the pain.
"Give me the painkillers..." Lu Liruan said weakly.
"Where is it?"
Jin Shuhe only bought fever reducers and cold medicine, but he knew he had them at home.
Sister Li Ruan sometimes eats it during her period.
Living together, Jin Shuhe knew everything, but during adolescence, he always felt inexplicably shy about these common physiological phenomena.
"In the drawer by my bedside."
"Oh, I'll go get it."
Jin Shuhe nodded, hurriedly stood up, and took a step forward. Only then did he realize that his legs had been in one position until they went numb, but he hadn't felt it at all just now, as his attention was completely elsewhere.
Lu Liruan took a pill of ibuprofen, frowned, and swallowed it. She closed her eyes and dared not move, waiting for the drug to take effect.
"You should go and rest first..."
"I'll stay here with you," Jin Shuhe said hurriedly. How could he feel at ease doing anything else with Sister Li Ruan like this?
Li Ruan is usually cheerful and lively, and it's rare to see her so vulnerable.
Jin Shuhe felt helpless, wanting to help but not knowing what to do, as she lacked common sense and was clumsy.
All she could think about was how she could feel pain for Li Ruan; it was better for her to feel pain than to see Li Ruan suffer.
He hopes that Sister Li Ruan will always be well.
Lu Liruan sensed his unusual silence and gently patted his leg: "It's okay, don't worry. I have this problem once or twice a year. When I was in high school, there was a period when I didn't get enough rest and the pain was so bad that I couldn't lift my head. I had to stay at home for a week."
"At first, my mom thought I was faking illness to avoid going to school. After all, headaches are something only you can feel; others can't tell..."
"Later, they took me to the hospital for an EEG, and the results showed that my intracranial pressure was much higher than normal. My mom felt really guilty and told me that she would always trust me from now on..."
Lu Liruan spoke softly and gently, soothing Jin Shuhe's sudden distress and unease.
As she spoke, Lu Liruan adjusted herself, trying to find a more comfortable position.
Jin Shuhe thought for a moment, then took a cushion, placed it on his lap, and gently and carefully turned Lu Liruan's shoulders to help her lie down.
“Sister Li Ruan, let me rub it for you…” He had just noticed that Sister Li Ruan was using her hand to support one side of her body, either rubbing or impatiently tapping.
The boy's hands were already quite large, with distinct knuckles, and the side of the first joint of his middle finger was slightly deformed from holding a pen.
He spread his fingers, his entire hand almost as long as Lu Liruan's profile, looking slender and strong, yet so gentle as if afraid of hurting her, and slowly placed it on the girl's hair who was lying on his lap.
Jin Shuhe gently massaged her, hoping to alleviate her pain as much as possible...
The boy looked at it with seriousness and earnestness, as if nothing could be more important than this.
After an unknown amount of time, Jin Shuhe heard steady breathing; Sister Li Ruan had fallen asleep with her head on his lap.
His brows were slightly furrowed, and he shrank into a very small figure.
Jin Shuhe had never realized that Sister Li Ruan was so petite. It was as if he had suddenly come to know Sister Li Ruan in a completely new way.
Lu Liruan had been in pain all afternoon. When the ibuprofen took effect, she felt dizzy and fell asleep without a care in the world.
When I opened my eyes again, I didn't know what time it was.
The living room was dimly lit, with only a small nightlight by the bedroom door illuminating a thin wisp of light.
Fortunately, her eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. Lu Liruan moved her neck and found herself resting on a pillow, covered with a blanket, with a fever-reducing patch on her forehead that was no longer cold.
My headache has subsided considerably, leaving only a dull ache. My neck and shoulders are also a bit stiff, so curling up on the sofa to sleep isn't really comfortable.
Lu Liruan used her weak arms to support herself as she tried to sit up.
"Well--"
As soon as I sat up and looked under the sofa, I was startled!
On the carpet, right at my feet, there was a shadowy figure lying on its side facing me, seemingly still unconscious.
If Lu Liruan had acted more hastily just now, she would have stepped on him!
Jin Shuhe is a light sleeper. As soon as he heard the sound, he opened his eyes.
Looking up, they saw Sister Li Ruan leaning closer. In the dim darkness, only their eyes shone brightly, revealing their slightly surprised expressions.
"You scared me! Why are you lying down like that..." Lu Liruan exhaled and asked softly.
Jin Shuhe sat up, looking slightly guilty: "I... I can't sleep even if I go inside."
Jin Shuhe originally wanted to wake up Sister Li Ruan and let her lie down and sleep in the room, but he was worried that she had finally fallen asleep and waking her up now would make her feel uncomfortable.
After hesitating for a while by the sofa, Jin Shuhe finally tiptoed into the room, took a blanket, and covered her with it.
Then he sat cross-legged on the ground, not knowing what to do for a moment. He just watched quietly, without thinking about anything, yet he felt very at peace.
When Sister Li Ruan is asleep, she is very quiet. She has long hair and long eyelashes. Sometimes her mouth is slightly open. I wonder if it's because she has a stuffy nose due to a cold.
Jin Shuhe stood up, went into her room, and after a while... came out again and slowly lay down on the carpet.
Even though the carpet in the living room had long, soft fibers, it still felt a bit uncomfortable to lie on. He shifted slightly, but didn't get up. Facing Sister Li Ruan, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
It seems that this... can alleviate his worries and make him feel that he can do something for Sister Li Ruan.
Even if it's just standing by...
But now that Sister Li Ruan has discovered him, he suddenly feels a little uncomfortable.
"I'm worried about you." He wanted to explain, but after saying it, he felt even more uncomfortable.
Before he could say anything more, he heard Sister Li Ruan make two fake sobs: "So touching, sob sob sob, so touching, could you go get me a glass of water, my throat is burning!"
Jin Shuhe: ...
Lu Liruan's heart skipped a beat just now. The boy, whose hair was messy from sleeping, sat dazedly at her feet. Perhaps because the light was too dim, his gaze as he looked up at her was full of unwavering affection.
If she had to pinpoint where she had seen that look before… Lu Liruan subconsciously came up with an inappropriate analogy.
It's like going to a friend's house and seeing a big dog that insists on sleeping at the foot of her bed at night, its eyes so watery and loyal that it's impossible to refuse it.
Lu Liruan had no choice but to interrupt the scene that she found a little strange, but she also felt a tightness in her chest for some reason.
Once the bright lights in the living room were turned on, the hazy, enchanting atmosphere that had been hidden in the shadows was immediately dispelled.
Jin Shuhe breathed a long sigh of relief. When she went to pour water, she also reheated the porridge in the pot.
"Sister Li Ruan, you didn't eat much tonight, why don't you eat something later?"
Lu Liruan looked up at the decorative clock hanging on the wall.
It was already past 1 a.m., but she actually slept soundly for quite a long time on the sofa.
After the nausea from the intense headache subsided, Lu Liruan realized that her stomach was indeed empty.
She initially thought it was just a simple cold and headache, but she didn't expect it to be so serious. By the time Lu Liruan realized she was unwell in the afternoon, she couldn't eat anything.
All told, I only had a quick breakfast today, and now my stomach is rumbling.
Lu Liruan felt a bitter taste in her mouth from taking the medicine, and she had no desire to eat white porridge at all.
"I'll make some noodles, you should eat some too, it's hard work taking care of me!" Lu Liruan's feet felt like they were stepping on cotton.
"Sister Li Ruan, let me do it!"
"Then I need to move around a bit. I've been lying down for too long and my joints feel like they're rusted..." Lu Liruan moved her hands and feet.
While Jin Shuhe was boiling water, she took out a few side dishes from the refrigerator and slowly washed them. The aroma gradually spread throughout the kitchen and room, and it seemed as if the sickness and strange atmosphere had been broken away and dispelled all at once.
It seems like nothing has changed, yet it also seems... something has changed.
"Xiao He".
While eating noodles, Lu Liruan stared at Jin Shuhe with a serious expression and suddenly said solemnly.
Jin Shuhe was already in a bad mood today. Seeing her suddenly serious expression, her chopsticks trembled. She didn't know why she felt so uneasy, and quickly raised her head.
Then I saw Sister Li Ruan use her chopsticks to viciously pierce the soft-boiled egg in her bowl: "You keep an eye on me. If I stay up all night again, I'm a dog!"
Jin Shuhe: ...
"Sister Li Ruan." He lowered his head and took a bite of noodles.
"Ok?"
"I've heard that at least twenty times a year."
Lu Liruan: ...Do you need to tell me?
"This time it's definitely for real, I promise."
"Okay, I believe it's for real this time."
Lu Liruan looked at the boy with his head down, unable to tell whether he was just being perfunctory or mocking her.
While Lu Liruan wasn't paying attention, Jin Shuhe breathed a long sigh of relief.
When Jin Shuhe finally lay down on his own bed, he suddenly felt very tired.
Never before had a day been so long, so long that he felt as if he had suddenly grown up.
So this is what liking someone feels like? Jin Shuhe wasn't sure, but as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, he felt at peace.
When Jin Shuhe first entered university, Lu Liruan was still a little unaccustomed to it.
Although it's located in the city, universities require students to live on campus, especially military and police schools, which still adopt a closed management system.
Lu Liruan sometimes couldn't even get in touch with him.
Later, Jin Shuhe thoughtfully gave Lu Liruan a very detailed schedule, marking all the time periods when she could contact him.
Lu Liruan thought he was thoughtful, but Jin Shuhe did this not only because he was disappointed that he couldn't reply to the messages sent by Sister Liruan on his phone.
He was also worried... that since Sister Li Ruan couldn't reach him, maybe... she wouldn't want to contact him anymore?
He couldn't bring himself to say things like, "Sister Li Ruan, you can't forget me, you can't ignore me..." but he did put them into practice.
For a while, Lu Liruan felt that he was quite clingy. Whenever he had time, he would send messages, almost to the point of being meticulous about everything.
This made Lu Liruan worry that he might not be adapting well to school.
This separation was not a reaction, and it took almost half a year for the two of them to adjust before they gradually improved.
"Are you coming back this week?" After putting a plate of bread into the oven, Lu Liruan took off her gloves and leaned against the counter to send a message to Jin Shuhe.
Now is the time when communication is possible, and Lu Liruan has unconsciously memorized those time periods.
"Okay, come back~"
Jin Shuhe replied instantly. The message he sent on his phone was much cuter than when he spoke in person.
Lu Liruan felt that he used emojis even more than she did.
But Jin Shuhe learned all of this from Sister Li Ruan. It seems that as long as Sister Li Ruan likes something, he will subconsciously imitate it, so that... he can make Sister Li Ruan like him more.
Okay~ I'll wait for you~
"Oh, by the way, your Aunt Zhang came over a few days ago and brought you some things."
After the college entrance examination, Zhang Chunxia and Zhao Lizhu, who had a good relationship with his parents back then, came to visit Jin Shuhe.
Aunt Zhang left Pucheng to work in other places for many years, but only returned to Pucheng to work as a housekeeper in the last two years.
After decades of hard work, the family finally bought a house and settled down in Pucheng. At the beginning of this year, their son also got married.
Uncle Zhao returned to his hometown and didn't marry until he was almost forty. He married a divorced woman from his hometown, who had known Jin Shuhe's mother since childhood.
The two were quite surprised to hear that Jin Shuhe had been admitted to the police academy, and they came to thank Lu Liruan.
Aunt Zhang is a very simple and warm-hearted woman. Her life is much better now, and she cares more about Jin Shuhe.
A few days ago, she went back to her hometown to attend the funeral of an elder and brought back some local specialties, which she specially sent to Lu Liruan.
"Li Ruan, thank you for taking such good care of Xiao He... When he comes back, tell him he must study hard and not let down the school and you who raised him. He must be successful!" Aunt Zhang would earnestly instruct him every time she came.
"Okay, Aunt Zhang, then when Xiao He is on vacation, please come over and have a meal with me!" Lu Liruan wanted her to stay, but she insisted on leaving.
The two chatted for a few more minutes.
"Sister Li Ruan, I miss you~"
Lu Liruan hurriedly took out the small cakes from the oven. When she came back after finishing, she saw the sentence on the screen and slightly raised the corners of her mouth.
She's so good at acting cute...