Chapter 14

Chapter 14: 2. eden lake-05

“What time is it now?”

Although Liu Yi’s throat was still sore, he could speak, though his voice was dry and rough, as if sandpapered.

“Almost eleven at night.”

Qi Shanyu replied, handing him a cool wet towel to wipe the sweat off his face.

Liu Yi wiped his face while glancing at the side of the bed.

He noticed a small basin on his little coffee table. Could it be that Qi Shanyu had been using the wet towel all this time to help lower his temperature?

He felt a little surprised, realizing his body wasn’t sticky with sweat. The wrinkled shirt he had been wearing had been replaced with a clean, dry set of cotton pajamas.

“Thank you.”

He hadn’t expected Qi Shanyu to be so considerate, and in that moment, Liu Yi’s impression of him improved significantly.

“But… why are you here?”

“You sent the text to me.”

Qi Shanyu swiped his phone screen, waving it at Liu Yi: “As for your address, I asked your graduate student.”

Liu Yi thought for a moment and immediately understood what had happened.

He had just saved Qi Shanyu’s number. Back from abroad, his contact list wasn’t long. The initial “M” of Xue Haofan’s English name ended up next to Qi Shanyu’s “Q” by four letters. In a feverish daze, he accidentally sent the message to Qi Shanyu. Luckily, Qi Shanyu understood the confused plea and actually came over, staying by his side to take care of him.

“You haven’t eaten much since this morning, right?”

Qi Shanyu noticed Liu Yi’s slightly pale lips and flushed cheeks, and embarrassedly looked away.

Earlier, when helping Liu Yi change into pajamas and wipe him down, Qi Shanyu had clearly seen his body.

Even though Qi Shanyu asked himself if he had any impure thoughts, he had to admit that Liu Yi wasn’t just good-looking—his body was very attractive.

His skin was fair, slim but toned, clearly someone who exercised regularly. Smooth, proportionate muscles, long limbs, a flexible waistline—very appealing to those who appreciate the same sex.

“I made porridge. Have a little.”

Liu Yi didn’t have much appetite, but knowing his long fasting plus drinking a lot last night, he needed to eat something to avoid stomach pain before the cold got better.

He nodded, indicating he wanted to eat. Before Qi Shanyu left with the porridge, he tugged lightly at his hem.

“Could you pour me a glass of water?”

When Qi Shanyu turned back, Liu Yi rasped: “I’m a little thirsty.”

“Okay.” Qi Shanyu responded simply, walking out.

Five minutes later, he returned.

With his right hand, he carried a large tray Liu Yi couldn’t even recall where it had been stored, neatly holding a porcelain bowl and three small dishes. In his left hand was a glass filled with orange liquid.

“Here, drink this first.”

Qi Shanyu handed the glass to Liu Yi, leaning against the bedhead.

Liu Yi took a sip, and after tasting, widened his eyes slightly.

It was fresh-squeezed orange juice, slightly warmed, with a subtle salty taste besides the sweet and sour.

“Electrolyte water?” Liu Yi looked at Qi Shanyu.

“Mm.”

Qi Shanyu nodded: “You sweated a lot earlier. I thought you might need this.”

Liu Yi wanted to tease: hadn’t expected someone so young to be so experienced at caring for a patient. But his throat was too uncomfortable for long sentences, so he only smiled and drank the juice, sip by sip.

After Liu Yi finished, Qi Shanyu took the empty glass, placed the tray on the bedside, adjusted it to a convenient spot, and sat nearby, watching him finish the long-delayed dinner.

“By the way…”

Liu Yi tasted the porridge. The rice was thick and translucent, soft and smooth, clearly simmered for a long time. The three small dishes—stir-fried snow vegetables with egg, sweet and sour cucumber, and minced meat with eggplant—were all appetizing. Despite his low appetite, he had already eaten over half a bowl of porridge unconsciously.

“Any progress on the Su Ruirui case?”

Qi Shanyu found it amusing that even sick, Liu Yi still thought about work. Apparently, he wasn’t as carefree as he appeared; at least in work obsession, they were similar.

“The victim’s parents finally arrived at the station this evening.”

Qi Shanyu explained: “But after learning that the surveillance captured their daughter jumping into the river, the parents refused an autopsy. They wanted to take the body directly for cremation.”

“Why refuse?”

Liu Yi looked incredulous.

“They said since it was suicide, there’s no need to waste time on it.”

Qi Shanyu repeated what the parents said at the station, looking conflicted, struggling to understand how parents could be so indifferent. A stepmother not caring was one thing, but the biological father acting so coldly at his daughter’s death…

“…”

Liu Yi remained silent, unconsciously holding his spoon, frowning, both angry and bewildered at Su Ruirui’s parents’ response.

“What about the surveillance? Did you investigate it?”

He paused, changing the topic.

“Yes, the footage is real, the time stamp is correct.”

Qi Shanyu replied: “However, even with tech enhancement, the resolution cannot improve much.”

He thought a moment and added: “Also, there are two suspicious points I’ve been considering…”

“How so?” Liu Yi placed the empty dishes back on the bedside, listening intently.

“First, the library camera is on the right side of the artificial lake. According to her roommate, Su Ruirui attended the class monitor’s birthday in the girls’ dorm before jumping. She should have taken the normal path from dorm to lake and not passed in front of the library.”

Qi Shanyu explained: “However, the footage shows her not wandering by the lake, but walking straight to the lakebank, climbing the railing, and then jumping.”

“You mean…”

Liu Yi thought for a moment, then realized: “She deliberately let herself be captured on camera?”

“Just a possibility.”

Qi Shanyu left it open.

“Also, there’s a buffering platform behind the railing. From the footage alone, if she jumped, she would land on the platform, not necessarily the lake.”

Liu Yi felt his throat itch, coughing slightly: “But her body was found in the lake.”

“Mm.”

Qi Shanyu nodded.

Whether she intentionally positioned herself for the camera or jumped immediately after climbing over, the result was the same—she “jumped into the lake” successfully.

The two remained silent, the room falling into brief quiet.

“Work can wait until you feel better.”

Qi Shanyu ended the topic, taking some medication from a small bag, measuring a single dose, pouring a glass of warm water, and handing it to the patient in bed.

“Take this, then get some good sleep.”

Liu Yi examined the pills, recognizing common fever and cold medicine, then drank them all in one go.

While taking the pills, he wondered:

Even in his feverish daze, he remembered he had just opened the door for Qi Shanyu and immediately passed out. He hadn’t taken medicine yet…

Could his nearly scorching fever really have subsided from just the physical cooling Qi Shanyu did?

…Is my body really that resilient?

Liu Yi silently marveled, letting go of the thought, then burrowed under the blanket, closing his eyes, letting the sedative effect of the cold medicine take hold.

“Thanks for today.”

Liu Yi said with closed eyes to Qi Shanyu: “I should be fine now. You can go back.”

“Okay. I’ll leave once you’re asleep.”

Qi Shanyu’s voice was gentle, soft, almost like coaxing a child.

Liu Yi mentally noted the incongruity—Qi Shanyu, half a year younger, using a fatherly tone to put him to sleep. But with the severe cold and fast-acting medicine, within ten minutes, Liu Yi was curled under the blanket, breathing steadily, asleep.

Qi Shanyu sat by the bed, gazing at Liu Yi’s sleeping face, only able to think: “He’s really beautiful.”

Before opening Liu Yi’s door, Qi Shanyu hadn’t imagined that the seemingly suave and elegant chief medical examiner would live alone in such a luxurious but empty apartment, with no one to care for him even when sick.

However, he had seen a family photo on the living room TV cabinet. In it, Liu Yi looked younger, standing with parents and two older brothers, all smiling brightly—a happy, harmonious family.

…So, he works alone in Xinhai City?

…And what is the relationship with the “Michael” he initially wanted help from?

Qi Shanyu pondered endlessly about Liu Yi, unaware that his curiosity had crossed an invisible line.

He stayed by Liu Yi’s bed for another half hour. After confirming the fever had completely subsided, he cleaned the cups, bowls, and dishes, tidied the messy living room, closed the doors and windows, and went home.