Even though the three roommates’ attitude toward him was flawless right now, they stopped pressing about his connection with Giselle Frost. Instead, they stared at his wounds with unyielding determination. "We’re putting dicine on those for you."
Elias knew there was no point arguing; he didn’t need to. He let them have their way.
But before the next morning even arrived, a cool, refreshing sensation jolted Elias Kane awake.
[System Theta: Host, you have a fever.]
He pressed a hand to his forehead. Sure enough, it burned like fire—hotter than the last ti.
He tried to stand, but his legs felt like jelly. At least they still worked.
Elias glanced at the three roommates still sound asleep and decided not to wake them. He could handle the Westbridge University health center on his own...
[System Theta: At this hour, the Westbridge University health center should be empty, right?]
Or did the host have so other sche in mind?
Elias: "..."
He didn’t. He had simply forgotten.
This fever was genuinely outside his calculations this ti. Still, it wouldn’t interfere with anything major. Who knew—maybe he could swing by Longhaven Hospital and "accidentally" run into Yvonne Quinn?
But apparently his luck with her wasn’t strong enough. He never crossed paths with her.
It made sense. A doctor of Yvonne Quinn’s caliber wouldn’t waste ti on sothing as trivial as administering an IV drip.
The fever was hitting him hard this ti. Pills did nothing; only the needle would bring relief.
Elias silently counted his blessings. At least it wasn’t tetanus. Otherwise last night’s "saliva disinfection" would have been hilariously ironic.
"Sigh." He watched the young male nurse slide the needle into his vein and let out a quiet internal sigh. "In the original storyline, Yvonne Quinn used to push Elias into high fevers on purpose. Then she’d double down, because a body burning up like this made exploring the mysteries of life feel so much more intense. She really missed out on this high-fever play session."
[System Theta: ...] It pretended not to understand the host’s utterly depraved innuendo.
The hospital was nearly deserted in the early morning. Elias sat alone in the quiet infusion area, boredom gnawing at him. He wanted to check his phone, but the battery had died overnight. All he could do was chat with the system.
Before long, a little girl was led in by her father for her own shot.
She was at that age where pain terrified her. The nurse hadn’t even touched her yet and she was already wailing—just like the previous incident. Even with her father and the young male nurse coaxing her gently, her cries showed no sign of stopping. It sounded like she might scream herself hoarse.
Elias: He hadn’t wanted the place so deathly silent, but this was a bit much.
Unable to endure the sonic assault any longer, Elias slipped off his glasses and offered the girl a gentle smile. "Hey, little one, no more crying. Big girls don’t cry, you know?"
The girl stared at the beautiful big brother and instantly fell silent.
The young male nurse: "..." Kids really were picky.
The girl’s father was pleasantly surprised by how well it worked. "Thank you. Say thank you to big brother, sweetheart."
"Thank you, big brother!" The little girl’s voice turned sweet as sugar, nothing like the earlier tantrum-throwing terror.
Elias smiled back warmly, but inside he mused, "Now this is the kind of little girl that’s actually adorable. Unlike that bunch of worthless won... They’re only good for one thing in bed. Off the bed... heh. Every single one of them deserves a hard reset!"
When Liora Voss finally located Elias, this was the scene that greeted her: the boy gazing at a little girl with a gentleness she had never witnessed before, a smile so soft it seed capable of soothing any pain.
No—she had seen it once before. The last ti she brought him to the hospital, when he had cald another crying child. But hadn’t that been nothing more than a calculated move to hook Yvonne Quinn?
The realization left Liora montarily dazed. She had spent the entire night digging into Elias’s background, and the version of him she uncovered with Giselle Frost was an entirely different creature.
Liora approached slowly and gave his shoulder a light tap.
Elias had just been about to pull out his phone to snap a quick photo of the adorable girl when the sudden touch made him jolt. The phone nearly slipped from his fingers. He looked up, saw it was Liora, and relaxed with a small, reproachful pout. "Why’d you have to scare like that?" His voice and expression carried a faint, endearing whine.
Liora looked down at him—cheeks flushed crimson, eyes misty and unfocused from the fever—and gave a faint smile. "That’s what you get for refusing to co to the hospital last night."
Elias blinked slowly. His reddened eyes grew watery, staring up at her with a pitiful, glistening gaze. "I didn’t expect it to get this bad. If I had known, I definitely would’ve co last night."
"It’s not too late now," Liora replied with a cold chuckle. "At least you’re not dead yet."
"Mm."
To Liora’s surprise, Elias simply accepted her mockery. He lifted the hand not attached to the IV and gave a weak little wave. "Can you co closer?"
"What for?" she demanded, but she moved nearer anyway.
Elias patted the empty chair beside him. "Sit."
Liora hesitated. Before she could decide, he caught the edge of her sleeve and tugged—his strength almost nonexistent in his current state. Still, she let herself be pulled down into the seat.
Then Elias’s head leaned toward her shoulder, carrying the scorching heat of his fever. His voice ca out hoarse and raspy. "Just let lean on you for a second..."
Liora’s entire body went rigid. She wanted to stand up imdiately, but the unprecedented dependence in his posture made it impossible to move.
She glanced down at him. Elias was staring right back, and the mont their eyes t, a familiar glint of sly mischief sparkled in those damp black irises. He winked playfully.
Even burning up with fever, he executed the move with practiced ease—seductive as ever.
Liora’s gaze turned icy. In the end, it was still the sa shaless teasing.
She had to admit that even soone as experienced in the ga of romance as herself couldn’t quite figure out what Elias wanted from her. These repeated provocations—what exactly was he after? Money? But he already had a full ten million...
As she pondered, Liora suddenly felt a heavier weight settle against her shoulder. She turned her head and discovered that Elias had fallen asleep at so point, his whole body now leaning trustingly against her.
His expression wasn’t faked in the slightest. Eyes closed, lips slightly parted, breathing slow and peaceful—he looked almost angelic.
He? An angel?
Liora narrowed her eyes. Right now she was only thinking how satisfying it would be to stand up suddenly and let him crash to the floor—another lesson for deceiving her...
Just as she was about to rise, Elias’s phone—still clutched in his hand—suddenly rang, drawing her attention.
Giselle again?
Liora glanced at the sleeping boy. The dication had knocked him out cold. She quietly took the phone and answered. "Hello?"
"Elias, where did you run off to this ti... wait, who is this?"
It was a young man’s voice—probably one of his roommates.
Liora imdiately lost interest, but basic courtesy kept her from hanging up. She replied lazily, her voice dripping with sultry nonchalance, "He has a fever. He’s getting an IV right now."
"Oh... so you’re the one taking care of him?"
Liora paused for half a second. Given the way she was letting him lean on her like this... perhaps she was.
"Mm."
On the other end of the line, Tim Reed and the other two roommates froze in stunned silence.
Another woman!
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