Chapter 46: Yan Yichen Has a Fever (1)

The next day, Meng Yier woke up rather late. The heavy rain that had poured through the night had ceased, the sky had cleared, and sunlight streamed through the curtains, filling the room with an unusual brightness.

She stretched languidly, picked up her phone from the bedside table, and glanced at it—nearly ten o’clock already. It reminded her of the promise she’d made to Yan Yichen: to work in his house in place of his housekeeper.

Almost immediately, the memory of what Yan Yichen had said and done to her last night surfaced, and anger bubbled up again. After the events of the previous evening, she was even less inclined to go to his home and be at his beck and call, to endure his tyranny.

Meng Yier pouted and muttered to herself, “I couldn’t care less what happens to him. Let him do whatever he wants—Miss Meng will not serve him anymore.”

She flopped back onto the bed, pulled the covers over her head in a fit of pique, and resolved to sleep a little longer. Yet, barely a minute later, she sat up abruptly.

In that brief minute, her mind had been embroiled in a fierce internal struggle. Regardless of what kind of person Yan Yichen was or what he’d done, she had given her word. To promise something and then not fulfill it, not even bother to explain, and simply evade—such conduct was decidedly improper.

Meng Yier made up her mind to find him and clarify matters. She got up, washed, changed her clothes, and went to knock on Yan Yichen’s door.

She knocked for quite a while, but no one answered. The thought of Yan Yichen’s drunkenness last night made her uneasy—what if something had happened to him?

She returned home, fetched a key—one that Yan Yichen had specially given her two days prior, so she could come and clean while he was away.

Opening the door, she was greeted by a wave of alcohol. At once, she saw Yan Yichen sprawled on the sofa, eyes closed, seemingly in a deep sleep. The coffee table was a chaotic mess, three empty wine bottles lying askew.

She walked over to the sofa and found Yan Yichen’s cheeks flushed, sleeping heavily. She called his name several times, but he did not respond. Meng Yier reached out, attempting to pat his face to wake him. “Yan Yichen—”

The moment her hand touched his cheek, she recoiled in shock at how burning hot he felt. She placed her hand on his forehead again; it was just as feverish. His breathing was heavy, and his body trembled faintly.

Meng Yier frowned, thinking, “He’s got a fever. No wonder his cheeks are so red—it must be from getting soaked in the rain last night.”

He lay unresponsive to her calls and touch, most likely unconscious from the fever.

Meng Yier gazed at him helplessly. Suddenly, Yan Yichen stirred, startling her. She thought he was waking, so she rose in alarm and stepped back. He merely rolled over, brows furrowing in discomfort, tugging at his shirt collar until a large expanse of his chest was exposed.

Seeing how feverish and miserable he looked, Meng Yier realized that if she left him unattended, he might really go into shock or worse. She found herself unable to be so heartless.

After a moment’s hesitation, she sat on the sofa, propped him up, and draped his arm over her shoulder, trying to help him to the bedroom to rest.

It took all her strength to lift him from the sofa. Yan Yichen was tall and broad, while Meng Yier was petite—a stark contrast in strength. After only a few steps, his body sagged heavily, pulling her down with him. She lost her balance and tumbled to the floor with him.

Frustrated, she stared at Yan Yichen sprawled like a heap of mud. “You’re heavy as a rock—”

She lay on the floor for a moment to catch her breath, then got up and tried again. She had abandoned the foolish idea of dragging him to the bedroom; instead, she used all her might to get him back onto the sofa.

She fetched a basin of water, soaked a towel, and laid it across Yan Yichen’s forehead. Then she found some fever medicine. Not daring to give him anything too strong, she decided to start with the fever remedy, hoping to bring down his alarming temperature.