38: Chapter 38 Antipyretic Suppositories

A hint of abnormal warmth came from his fingertips; he frowned slightly, bent down to open the bedside table drawer, and took out the medicine kit kept inside.

The silver box opened, revealing neatly arranged medicines. He skillfully took out a thermometer, shook it vigorously, confirmed the scale had reset, and handed it to Su Manqin: "Put this under your arm and take your temperature."

Su Manqin obediently took it and placed it under her arm.

"Have you taken cold medicine?"

"I just mixed a cup."

Lin Yu glanced at the clock on the wall and then at her: "Are you hungry? I'll have Sister Zhang make something to eat."

"Not hungry at all. I ate a lot at noon."

"Then close your eyes and rest for a while. We'll check your temperature in four minutes."

He didn't leave, but sat on the chair by the bed, keeping a quiet watch.

The warm yellow light fell on her well-defined profile, lessening his usual composure and adding a touch of tenderness.

Su Manqin looked at him, and the discomfort in her body seemed to ease a little.

When the four minutes were up, Lin Yu gently reminded her: "It's time."

Su Manqin took out the thermometer and handed it to him.

Lin Yu held it under the light and looked: 37.5°C, a low-grade fever.

"You have a bit of a fever. I'll take you to the hospital," he said.

Su Manqin shook her head gently, her eyes full of concern: "No... Wanwan is most afraid of going to the hospital. If I take her with us, she'll be scared. And I can't rest easy leaving her home alone."

Thinking of her daughter trembling in fear at the hospital, she refused to go.

Lin Yu watched her persistence, sighed inwardly, and finally softened: "Fine, no hospital. But you must cooperate with me—drink plenty of water and rest. I'll check your temperature every hour."

"Mm." Su Manqin agreed obediently.

Lin Yu picked up the empty water glass from the bedside table and turned to walk out of the master bedroom.

Returning to the dining room, Mu Wan had already obediently finished her porridge, her eyes looking at him longingly.

Lin Yu patted her head and soothed her gently: "It's okay. Mom just has a slight fever. With me taking care of her, she'll be fine soon."

Mu Wan's heart, which had been hanging, finally settled slightly.

Lin Yu turned to Sister Zhang nearby: "Sister Zhang, cook a pot of light white porridge. If the Madam is hungry tonight, I'll have some with her. Once the porridge is done, you can head home. Thank you for your hard work."

"Alright, I'll go do that now."

He poured a glass of cool boiled water, added some hot water, felt the temperature of the glass with his fingertip—neither hot nor cold, just right to drink—before returning to the master bedroom.

"Come, drink some water."

He carefully helped Su Manqin sit up slightly and placed a soft pillow behind her back.

Su Manqin leaned against the headboard, drank half a cup from his hand, and then shook her head gently: "I can't drink any more."

"Alright, no more." Lin Yu took the cup, put it back on the bedside table, helped her lie down slowly, and carefully tucked the quilt under her shoulders: "Sleep for a while. Don't let your mind wander; I'll be right outside."

"Mm." Su Manqin closed her eyes, her breathing gradually steadying.

Lin Yu tiptoed out of the room and returned to the dining room to eat something simple.

Looking at Mu Wan, he asked softly: "Have you taken a bath?"

"I took one before dinner."

"Then go pick a movie you like. I'll watch it with you after I take a bath, okay?"

Mu Wan's eyes lit up, and her previous unease vanished: "Okay!"

Twenty minutes later, Lin Yu finished his shower and changed into loose pajamas.

Sister Zhang had just finished cooking the porridge. He gave a few instructions and let Sister Zhang clock out and go home.

In the living room, Mu Wan was already sitting on the sofa holding a cushion, the movie chosen was a heartwarming animation.

As soon as Lin Yu sat down, Mu Wan naturally leaned into his arms, like a little kitten that had found support.

Halfway through the movie, Lin Yu checked the time and gently patted Mu Wan: "You keep watching. I'm going to go check on Mom."

He walked into the master bedroom again and took out the thermometer to take Su Manqin's temperature.

37.7°C, the temperature was still climbing.

He frowned slightly, went to pour a glass of water, added a small spoonful of honey, stirred it, and helped Su Manqin drink half a cup.

Returning to the living room, Mu Wan immediately looked up and asked in a low voice: "Brother Lin Yu, is Mom better?"

"Much better. She will be in good Spirit after a sleep." Lin Yu patted her head, deliberately sounding relaxed, not wanting Mu Wan to worry.

Mu Wan bowed her head, her hands picking at the cushion, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum: "Brother Lin Yu, am I useless... Mom is sick, and I don't even know how to take care of her."

Lin Yu's heart softened; he pulled her closer and gently counseled her: "Silly girl. No one knows how to do these things from the start. I didn't understand anything before either, but I learned slowly. Wanwan is already very good—being quiet and not making a fuss is helping Mom."

Mu Wan looked up, her eyes watery, and nodded.

After watching for a while, Mu Wan's eyelids began to droop, her head bobbing.

Lin Yu smiled, picked her up horizontally, and said softly: "If you're sleepy, go to sleep. I'll stay with you."

"Okay, you sleep in the middle so it's easier to take care of Mom."

"Okay, good girl, Wanwan!"

He carried Mu Wan into the master bedroom. Su Manqin on the bed was breathing evenly; she must have fallen asleep.

Mu Wan didn't dare make a sound. Lin Yu gently put her down and covered her with the quilt.

He sat by the bed, his fingertips gently brushing the stray hairs from her forehead. Before long, she was breathing steadily and had fallen into a deep sleep.

Lin Yu stood up and walked to Su Manqin's bedside again, reaching out to touch her forehead—his fingertips were damp. She was sweating.

Not daring to disturb her, he tiptoed to the guest bedroom, washed a hot towel, wrung it out until half-dry, and returned to gently wipe the sweat from her forehead.

At this movement, Su Manqin slowly woke up, her eyes still a bit dazed.

"Awake? Let's take your temperature again."

Lin Yu handed her the thermometer. When the time was up, he took it out and looked—his pupils constricted slightly: 38.2°C, the fever was higher.

"You must take fever medicine." His tone was a bit heavier. He found fever and antiviral medicine in the kit, poured warm water, and handed it to her.

Su Manqin opened her mouth weakly. As soon as the pills went in and she took a sip of water, her throat tightened, her stomach churned, and she vomited on the spot.

Lin Yu was quick and picked up the trash can to catch it, then used a hot towel to clean her mouth. He felt both heartbroken and anxious.

"You vomit when taking medicine, so we can only use physical cooling first," he said in a low voice. "Bear with it."

He had Su Manqin turn onto her side, and the hot towel gently wiped her forehead and neck, then he slightly lifted the clothing on her back and slowly wiped it to help dissipate heat.

Once, and again.

Afterward, he rinsed the towel with hot water again and wiped the soles of her feet, every stroke gentle and earnest.

Su Manqin lay on the bed, feeling the warm wiping on her back; her nose tingled and her eyes quietly turned red.

She had grown up, and no one had ever taken care of her so meticulously.

An hour later, he checked her temperature again.

The moment he saw the number, Lin Yu's expression sank completely: 39°C.

The high fever wouldn't break; if it dragged on, something bad could happen. "You must take the medicine again, or the fever will damage your body," he said firmly.

Su Manqin weakly let out an "Mm." She knew she couldn't be willful anymore.

Lin Yu brought fresh warm water and pills, extremely patient: "Take it slowly, swallow in small sips."

He placed the pill at the root of her tongue and quickly fed her water.

But Su Manqin's stomach was already upset; as soon as the pill went down, the nausea surged again, and she vomited into the trash can once more.

Having failed to feed her medicine twice, Lin Yu's heart sank little by little.

Looking at Su Manqin, who was pale and weak on the bed, he gritted his teeth, opened the medicine box abruptly, and searched quickly.

Finally, he found a blister pack of suppositories—antipyretic suppositories.

He took one out, stood up, walked quickly to the kitchen, dripped a few drops of sesame oil on the tip of the suppository for lubrication, took a deep breath, and returned to the bedroom.

"Cooperate with me one more time. You vomit when taking medicine, so we can only use this. It breaks the fever quickly."

Su Manqin was feeling terrible all over and nodded dazedly.

Lin Yu helped her lie on her side and gently pulled down the clothing on her lower body, his movements as gentle as possible to minimize her embarrassment.

He held the suppository and approached slowly. He felt a bit of resistance but did not hesitate.

Life was at stake; there was no room for hesitation.

He steadied his hand, applied a little force, and the suppository was successfully inserted.

Only after confirming it was secure did he tidy her clothes, cover her with the quilt again, and exhale a long breath. A thin layer of sweat had already beaded on his temples.

"Okay, lie still and don't move around. The medicine will take effect soon."

He sat by the bed, and another long hour passed.

The night outside had faded to a light gray, and a faint fish-belly white was appearing on the horizon.

Lin Yu fought off heavy drowsiness, picked up the thermometer again, and gently leaned toward Su Manqin.

His movements were gentle, fearing to disturb her sleep.

He took out the thermometer, squinted at the faint daylight, and looked—37°C.

It was normal.

At that moment, the nerves Lin Yu had kept taut for most of the night finally relaxed completely.

The heavy stone in his chest fell with a thud, and even his breathing became much smoother.

He gently brushed away the sweat-soaked hair from Su Manqin's forehead. His eyes were filled with undisguised fatigue, but also a hidden, gentle peace of mind.

He poured half a cup of warm water, tested the temperature, carefully lifted her head, and fed it into her mouth with a spoon, bit by bit.

Su Manqin was sleeping heavily but swallowed subconsciously, like an obedient child.

After feeding her water, Lin Yu could no longer withstand the overwhelming drowsiness.

He just lay down gently beside Su Manqin, trying his best not to touch her.

After a whole night of tossing and turning, his eyelids were as heavy as lead. Within a few breaths, he fell into a deep sleep.

His breathing was steady, long, and calm.

The sky was bright.

Golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, slanted into the bedroom, and fell onto the floor and the two people.

Su Manqin's eyelashes fluttered gently, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Before her consciousness was fully clear, her body felt a warm and solid embrace first—her back pressed against a warm chest, a steady and powerful heartbeat coming through thin pajamas, deep and shallow, clearly audible.

She stiffened abruptly and woke up instantly.

Her pupils dilated slightly, and her heart began to beat wildly, "thump, thump, thump," almost wanting to burst out of her chest.

She didn't dare to turn her head too much, only able to shift her gaze slightly, extremely slowly and extremely carefully.

What came into view was Lin Yu's sleeping face, just inches away.

At this moment, his brows and eyes were relaxed, his nose bridge high, his lip line clean and sharp.

His long eyelashes drooped, casting a small shallow shadow under his eyelids; he was sleeping exceptionally deeply and was exceptionally exhausted.

The faint dark circles under his eyes silently told the story of him watching over her all night last night.

Thinking of last night—

She had a fever and was uncomfortable, feeling hot and cold intermittently;

He patiently measured her temperature, fed her water, wiped her sweat, and used physical cooling;

She vomited twice while taking medicine, and he was so anxious his brows were tightly locked;

Finally, when using the suppository, his movements were gentle, his eyes full of worry, with not a hint of impropriety.

One by one, scene by scene, they flashed through her mind.

This man could have just ignored it and taken her to the hospital, but he chose to watch over her all night himself.

Su Manqin's heart constricted sharply, then softened into a mess.

Her face burned uncontrollably, turning red from her cheeks to her ears, and even her neck was tinged with a faint pink.

She held her breath and didn't dare move at all, afraid that if she moved even slightly, she would wake up the person beside her who was exhausted.

He was too tired.

For her, for Wanwan, for this family.

Ding! Su Manqin Intimacy +10

Current Intimacy: 80

Su Manqin turned her head slightly and watched Lin Yu's sleeping face quietly.

Smelling the masculine scent on him and feeling the warmth from his chest, an unprecedented emotion slowly washed over her heart like warm water.

It was reliance, peace of mind, and also a trace of something she didn't dare to admit—stirring feelings.

She lay there quietly, letting the morning light flow, letting her heartbeat run out of control.

At this moment, she suddenly wished that time could move a little slower, just a little slower.

The system prompt in his mind was still echoing softly, and Lin Yu's eyelids were as heavy as if they were weighted with lead.

Drowsiness flooded his consciousness like a tide, but only one thought remained in his mind—Su Manqin still had a fever, he had to see how she was.

He gritted his teeth and used a lot of effort to pry his eyelids open just a crack.

His vision gradually cleared, and his nose was filled with the faint scent of medicine and her soft hair fragrance.

Looking down, the person in his arms was quietly resting on his arm, her cheeks flushed with the faint red of post-illness, her long eyelashes drooping, like a fragile and docile kitten.

Lin Yu's heart constricted gently, and he subconsciously lightened his breathing.

"Damn... stay calm." He muttered silently in his heart, afraid of disturbing her.

He slowly, extremely slowly, pulled back the arm she had been resting on all night. His arm was already numb and had lost all sensation. He moved it slightly, and a soreness spread along his veins.

His body felt sticky. He lowered his head and touched Su Manqin's back; his fingertips immediately touched a damp coolness—she had been sweating all night, and her pajamas were already soaked through.

Just as he was about to get up quietly, the eyelashes of the person in his arms fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Su Manqin had just woken up, her voice hoarse, with a hint of confusion: "Lin Yu...?"

"Awake?" Lin Yu softened his voice. "Don't move around. You've sweated a lot. I'll go get you a hot towel to wipe off."

He turned and went into the bathroom, quickly wringing out a moderately warm towel and returning, steam curling around it.

Lin Yu sat by the bed, his movements as light as a feather, first wiping her feverish cheeks, then wiping down along her neck.

When he touched her back, Su Manqin's body stiffened slightly, her cheeks turned bright red, all the way to her ears, and even her breathing lightened.

"Bear with it, it's more comfortable when you're dry." Lin Yu's tone was natural, but his handling was perfectly measured—gentle and attentive, without a hint of overstepping.