Chapter 275 I Feel Unwell

Tan Zheng sat down on the rug in front of the fireplace with Song Ni in his arms, warming her body with his own and continuously rubbing her. "Aren't you being silly, waiting on the floor?" Song Ni hadn't recovered yet, clutching Tan Zheng's clothes tightly and leaning into his embrace. She had been frozen for too long, and her lips were chapped. After Song Ni's body had warmed up a bit, Tan Zheng got up to pour her some warm water. He brought it to Song Ni's lips, letting her moisten them before slowly tilting the cup. Song Ni was able to speak. "Are you feeling any better?" Tan Zheng only adjusted the blanket, not directly answering Song Ni's question. Knowing he didn't want to talk about it, Song Ni didn't press further. She shifted to lean closer to Tan Zheng, but suddenly winced and gasped. "What is it?" Tan Zheng immediately looked down and asked, lifting the blanket. Upon seeing Song Ni's subconscious movement, he immediately held her ankle. Song Ni had a wound on the sole of her foot, likely from accidentally stepping on something when she went into the study. At the time, her mind was entirely on Tan Zheng, and she hadn't noticed. Later, sitting on the cold floor for so long, her feet had gone numb, and she hadn't felt the injury. Tan Zheng stared at the wound on Song Ni's foot for a long time. He retrieved the first-aid kit and treated it without a word. Song Ni disliked Tan Zheng's suppressed and silent demeanor; it pained her heart. "It's just a small injury, it doesn't hurt." Tan Zheng put away the first-aid kit, looked at Song Ni's still pale face, and after a long sigh, pulled her back into his arms. He didn't know how to tell Song Ni, or even how to convince himself. The guilt of the past five years felt like a joke. Did he hate Xi Jin Jiang? Not exactly. That night, the two simply held each other, by the fireplace, on the rug. ... Song Ni had caught a cold. Perhaps her body was unaccustomed to London, and sitting in the hallway for so long the previous night had caused her to catch a chill. When she woke up, she was already in the bedroom. The curtains were half-drawn, letting in the light without being harsh. Tan Zheng was not in the room. Song Ni sat up and touched her forehead; she still had a slight fever, a headache, and a sore throat. On the bedside table was a glass of water. Song Ni took a sip; it was still warm. Song Ni got out of bed and opened the door. As she reached the top of the stairs, she heard Tan Zheng on the phone downstairs. Tan Zheng seemed to be busy in the kitchen, his phone on speaker. It was Chang Li's voice. "Xi Jin Jiang came to see me yesterday." Chang Li was planning to open a clinic in China after returning. It was still in the preparation stage. It had only been after the New Year, and Xi Jin Jiang had traveled all this way to find Chang Li, so it must have been something urgent. Tan Zheng paused in his actions and asked, "What did he want with you?" Chang Li didn't know how to explain. He sighed deeply. He had always known that Xi Jin Jiang kept things to himself, and he knew that Xi Jin Jiang's feelings for Tan Zheng were strange. But after hearing what Xi Jin Jiang had to say, he could only feel a sense of sorrow. Sorrow for Tan Zheng. "You should prepare yourself for this." Chang Li's hesitation made Tan Zheng's heart stir with a vague premonition. He washed his hands and wiped them with a paper towel. "Just say it." "Xi Jin Jiang said that during the preparation period for the competition back then, he deliberately went to you to give you food, which is why you tested positive for stimulants." Chang Li said this very quickly, so fast that if you weren't paying close attention, you wouldn't be able to hear it clearly. Song Ni stood at the top of the stairs, covering her mouth. She had never imagined that the events of that year had unfolded this way. That meant Xi Jin Jiang had deliberately caused Tan Zheng to test positive for stimulants and then calculated that Tan Zheng would come to him. In other words, the accident Xi Jin Jiang had in his competition back then was entirely his own doing. So, what did Tan Zheng's five years mean? Tan Zheng had been consumed by guilt for these five years, tormented by it, even abandoning his professional career because of it. What did it all amount to? Song Ni's chest heaved, and an endless rage welled up within her, her body trembling slightly from the sheer anger. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from making a sound, wanting to hear Tan Zheng's reaction. To her surprise, Tan Zheng only responded with a cold, "Mm." Chang Li on the other end of the line was about to explode. "Holy shit, how can you be so calm? Xi Jin Jiang's actions were utterly contemptible! He was jealous of your talent, your achievements, your reputation, and he called himself a brother? Would a brother do something so low-down?" "I was so angry after hearing it. I kept wondering why he hated you so much, and what did the events of that year have to do with you? It turns out he was just jealous." "Heh, I asked for five years and couldn't get it out of him. This kid really kept it deep." Look, even as an observer, Chang Li was this angry. How devastated must Tan Zheng, the protagonist of this event, have been? But Tan Zheng remained indifferent. "I understand. Is there anything else? If not, I'm hanging up." Chang Li was confused. "Did you even hear what I was saying? This is your reaction?" He couldn't comprehend it. But Song Ni finally understood. She finally understood why Tan Zheng had been so emotionally volatile last night, and why there had been a murderous glint in his eyes the night before. Song Ni crouched down, unable to contain her emotions. How difficult it must have been for Tan Zheng. The brother he valued, the elder he respected, had turned out to have done such a thing. Song Ni knew that Tan Zheng was fiercely passionate about the things he liked and deeply cherished the people he respected. The more loyal he was, the more painful it would be to realize he had been betrayed. Cheng Jing had said that Tan Zheng often drank late into the night abroad. He claimed it was for work, but what work required staying up late every night? Tan Zheng had suffered for five years because of Xi Jin Jiang and their friendship. And now he was being told that it was all in vain, and the person wasn't worth it. Chang Li realized something belatedly. "You... you already knew, didn't you?" Tan Zheng didn't answer and directly hung up the phone. The congee was ready. Tan Zheng scooped a bowl, placed it on a tray, and prepared to take it upstairs. The sound of his footsteps on the stairs echoed in Song Ni's heart. She quickly returned to her room before Tan Zheng could see her. Tan Zheng looked at the person sitting on the bed and smiled faintly. He placed the tray aside and reached out to touch Song Ni's forehead. "How long have you been awake?" Song Ni's eyes were a little red, and her throat felt tight. She didn't know what to say. She shook her head and pointed to the glass of water on the cabinet. Tan Zheng brought the water to her lips. "Is your throat bothering you?" Song Ni drank the remaining half of the water, took a moment to compose herself, and then buried her face in Tan Zheng's embrace, hugging his waist. "I'm not feeling well." Tan Zheng immediately reached out and gently patted her back. "You still have a slight fever. You'll feel better after taking some medicine and sleeping." Song Ni blew her nose and nuzzled into Tan Zheng's embrace.