Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Illness? Why Now?
The day passed by with no major events. Yue Ning had tried to convince Huo Yan to visit her parents’ grave, but she declined stating she wasn’t in a good state of mind to visit.
When Huo Feng returned, the villa was silent, only the maids moved silently to complete their chores.
When he found the living room empty, his brows furrowed. Guilt pricked at him, though he quickly suppressed it before summoning a maid.
"Young Master," the maid greeted with her head bowed.
"Where are my wife and sister?" He demanded, his voice deep and steady.
"Young Mistress and Young Miss are in their rooms respectively," the maid replied.
The look in Huo Feng’s eyes deepened as he dismissed the maid. "You may leave."
She bowed before leaving. Huo Feng exhaled then walked up the stairs.
He stopped by Huo Yan’s room, and he let out a deep breath before knocking. He only went in when he heard a hum of acknowledgement.
"Xiao Yan," he called softly at the girl who was laying on the bed listlessly.
Huo Yan raised her head only to see her brother walk in. Her expression was blank as she forced herself to sit up straight on the bed.
"May I have a seat?" He asked softly, and she nodded, gesturing for him to take a seat on the sofa.
"Yan," he started, his voice deep, and his gaze searching. "It has been twelve years."
He didn’t say much but Huo Yan understood, and her eyes darkened slightly.
"Twelve years," she repeated, the words heavy on her lips.
"Did you visit their graves?" He questioned her, and she shook her head in response.
"I couldn’t... I can’t face them," Huo Yan stammered as tears filled her eyes. She remembered her mother’s laughter as she fed her spoonfuls of soup, her father’s steady back as he carried her around the villa like she was his whole world. But death was cruel—it had stolen them both away.
Huo Feng’s chest tightened. He hated seeing tears in his sister’s eyes. He promised his parents that she wouldn’t have the opportunity to cry, but how could he console her when she was grieving?
"Yan..." he drew out softly. "Mom and dad won’t want you to be this grief-stricken. Dry your tears."
Huo Yan raised her tear-filled eyes and stared straight at her brother. "What about you?"
Huo Feng’s brows furrowed, confused by her statement.
"You are consoling me, but there is no one to do so for you." Huo Yan didn’t say much but Huo Feng understood what she meant.
He was taken aback by her thoughtfulness, and he grinned softly. "I don’t need anyone to console me to feel pity for me. I think it’s enough that my pain is hidden."
Huo Yan shook her head, and sniffed. "You should learn to show a bit of weakness. It makes you human."
She sniffled, hesitated, then whispered, "Someone is willing to stand by your side... but it’s up to you to let her in."
After she said her piece, she lowered her head, unwilling to look at him anymore.
"You should go, Sister-in-law is probably waiting for you." Huo Yan said softly when she sensed that Huo Feng was still in the room.
As though he was controlled, Huo Feng rose to his feet and walked out of the door, not without giving one last glance at Huo Yan who had already lowered herself on the bed.
He sighed one last time before he walked out completely. When he got to his room, he found Yue Ning sleeping on the sofa.
On the center table, there was a neatly stacked folder as well as a meal which had already gone cold.
Seeing her on the sofa, his heart twisted with unrestrained pain. He clicked his tongue softly before fully waking in.
"Why do you have to hurt yourself?" He murmured under his breath, and picked her up in a princess-carry style.
With just a few steps, he got to the bed, and carefully placed her. But when he was about to leave, he was stopped by his grip.
"You are back," Yue Ning’s voice sounded hoarse.
Huo Feng frowned, and turned to look at her. He saw that her face was pale, and she seemed to be sweating. Her slightly opened eyes were a bit red.
He instinctively placed his hand on her forehead, and he was quick to remove it.
"You are burning up," he commented as he tried to help her sit up.
"I am fine. I just need to rest a bit," she protested, struggling to free herself from his grip.
Huo Feng paused in his actions as he fixed his cold gaze on her. "You are burning up, it is not a matter of resting. You need medical attention immediately."
Sensing his cold tone, Yue Ning shut up instantly, daring not to argue with him.
After she had successfully sat up, he poured her a glass of water. "Have this. It would help you with your hoarse throat."
Yue Ning accepted the glass of water, and Huo Feng breathed out. He wanted to scold her—she didn’t care about her health, always overworking herself.
"You..." His words got caught when he saw her big, red eyes staring at him. He swallowed the scolding which was at the tip of his mouth.
His chest felt stifled. As always, she was the only one who could affect him.
"I will call the doctor to check on you," he said, and fished out his phone from his pocket.
As he spoke with the doctor, Yue Ning held her head and groaned softly. She was okay this morning and even up till this evening—then why did she have such an immense headache.
"The host hasn’t been resting properly. Falling ill was inevitable," the mechanical voice dropped. "At this rate, success in the mission will become... difficult."
Yue Ning pursed her lips. She should have known if she was about to fall ill. The illness came at the wrong time. And now, she was at a risk of failing the mission.
"Yes, thank you Doctor." Huo Feng disconnected the call, and turned to Yue Ning, snapping her out of her reverie. "The doctor will be here soon. Have you had something to eat?"
Yue Ning’s gaze strayed to the cold food on the centre table, her meaning clear—she hadn’t had anything to eat.
Huo Feng glared at her but it was from a place of protectiveness and doting. Yue Ning pouted her lips, and his expression softened.
He walked to the table and picked the plate. "I will ask the maids to heat it up for you." He informed her, and walked out.
Yue Ning watched him leave, and her lips slowly rose up. "It isn’t bad to be sick. I get to see his doting side more clearly." She murmured, momentarily forgetting about the risk of her failing the mission.
The system heard her words and was tempted to scoff. But behind its cold tone, it was already calculating—her fever wasn’t just an inconvenience. It might cost her this mission.