Chapter 794

“Ryan, I can break things off with him, but promise me–don’t come looking for me again, okay?” I said seriously, my eyes fixed on his profile.

“So what does that make us? Just a bunch of losers, huh? No one gets to win.” Ryan let out a bitter laugh. “Guess we all lost.”

“Let’s just go back to our own lives and treat this whole thing like it was just a dream,” I pleaded.

Ryan turned his head to look at me, then reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from my ear. “A dream like that… who’d ever want to wake up?”

“It’s already turned into a nightmare,” I murmured, dropping my gaze and shutting my eyes.

Ryan’s fingers froze in midair, and then he gave a wry, self–mocking smile. “So I’m the beast haunting your nightmare, huh?”

“Doesn’t matter what you are,” I said quietly. “I never tried to put a label on it.”

Ryan’s face fell, shadowed with disappointment. “Alright.”

That night, I sent a message to a few higher–ups, then switched off my phone.

I wasn’t in the mood to cook for Ryan, so he spent a while in the kitchen and ended up bringing out a plate of steamed buns, a couple slices of toast, and a bowl of plain noodles.

The stars outside were barely visible. I dozed off on the couch, half–asleep from afternoon way until night fell. When I finally woke up, I stayed in a daze for a long time.

Ryan took a bite of his own noodles and immediately spat them out. “Still raw!”

I got up from the couch. “I’m not eating. You handle it yourself. Which room am I staying in?”

Ryan tossed his fork aside and followed me upstairs. He pointed at a tidy, clean room. “You can have this one – it’s mine. I’ll crash in my grandpa’s room.”

I nodded and walked in.

“I’m kinda tired, gonna get some sleep,” I said.

“Not even a bite?” Ryan reached out, holding the door as I tried to close it.

“Nope, you eat. I’m good,” I replied.

Ryan’s grip on the door faded bit by bit, and in the end, I closed it.

The room had that unmistakable scent of a young man–dry, clean, and a little rough around the edges. When I opened the bathroom door, there was nothing but a bottle of men’s body wash and some face wash on the counter.

I washed my face, then lay down on one side of the bed without even bothering to change. Maybe I hadn’t really rested earlier, because now I was dead tired all over again.

I had no idea how long I’d been out when I heard someone calling my name.

Groggy, I cracked my eyes open and saw Ryan crouched beside me. “Vic, you’re burning up. Looks like you’ve caught a fever.”

I reached up and pressed my forehead–yep, it was scorching hot.

“Don’t you have a first–aid kit? Just grab me some fever meds,” I mumbled, rolling over and turning my back to him, not even bothering to hide how done I was.

Ryan’s tone went all serious. “No way. You can’t just pop random pills. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“Seriously, it’s fine. I know what fever meds look like. Just bring the kit up,” I muttered, too tired to care.

Ryan didn’t argue. He headed downstairs, grabbed the first–aid kit, and brought it back. He nudged me. “Come on, sit up and check.”

I dragged myself upright, rummaged through the kit, and groaned. “No fever meds in here.”

Ryan didn’t say another word. He just scooped me up in his arms, bridal style. “Quit being stubborn. We’re going to the hospital.”

“Let’s just go to a clinic,” I mumbled. After all, with Ryan’s status, he couldn’t just show up at a regular hospital without drawing attention.

Ryan ignored me. He carried me straight downstairs, got behind the wheel himself, and drove us out.

I lay sprawled across the back seat, every muscle and joint aching like there were knives twisting inside me. My head was spinning, and my ears were ringing nonstop.

I’d heard that when someone gets a real scare, they can come down with a fever—and it’s way worse than your average cold.

When we got to the hospital, Ryan handled the registration for me. Lucky for us, it was the middle of the night, so the place was almost empty. The doctor checked me out and said I needed an IV drip.

Ryan sat with me in the IV room, mask on. I was half–asleep, totally out of it, but I could feel his arm holding me up, letting me rest my head on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Vic…” Ryan’s voice was soft in my ear.

But my ears kept ringing, and his words sounded like they were coming from miles away.