Chapter 60: …

She wasn’t sure if it was the cold and heat in that house.

By evening, Yue Yiyue felt drowsy and had a slight headache, her body shivering with chills.

This feeling was completely unfamiliar to her. Gu Nanqiu pointed out that she looked off—her breath was scorching hot.

She casually tucked a thermometer under Yue Yiyue’s arm.

Yue Yiyue touched her forehead, but it didn’t feel hot.

To reassure Gu Nanqiu, Yue Yiyue still took her temperature.

Gu Ye had already fetched the medicine box, along with cups of warm and cold water.

Under Gu Nanqiu’s directions, she entered the room, grabbed a small blanket, and tossed it onto the sofa.

She also closed the balcony door tightly.

Gu Nanqiu turned on the projector and played a movie.

It was an old film from the last century.

Yue Yiyue glanced at it; it was a road trip movie shot over a decade ago, about the fun adventures of two women from different social classes traveling together.

“Looks pretty good.” Yue Yiyue stood up and took a few steps, but the dizzy feeling—head heavy, feet light—left her unsteady.

She shook her head, then grabbed some snacks from the nearby cabinet. “What else do you want to eat? Beef tendon? Where’s my phone? Order milk tea yourselves; I want it hot.”

Gu Nanqiu waved Yue Yiyue’s phone. “I’m using it to look up some info.”

At this point, Gu Nanqiu gave a meaningful glance at Gu Ye, who was bustling about nearby: “No drinks tonight; tomorrow. I’ll make you some ginger tea and boil some warm water. Just in time—the weather’s been cooling lately, so I bought you an insulated cup; perfect to use now.”

“You’re acting like I’m really sick.” Yue Yiyue was annoyed that Gu Nanqiu was treating her like a full-blown patient. Nearby, Gu Ye quietly reminded her that the time was up.

Under the daylight lamp, Yue Yiyue looked up as the mercury passed the red 37°, finally settling at 38.2°.

The words on the tip of her tongue fizzled out. Now Yue Yiyue felt heat rising all over her body: “Where’s the medicine?”

Gu Ye pointed to the small table nearby: “Take the capsule with cool water, then sit on the sofa, watch a movie, and relax.”

Worried that Yue Yiyue might push through her fatigue to watch with them till the end, Gu Ye added: “It’s the hypnotic kind that Gu Nanqiu specially picked. If you get sleepy, just sleep; you’ll be fine after a nap.”

“Thanks.” Yue Yiyue appreciated Gu Ye’s thoughtfulness—she’d grown into a reliable adult.

At least when facing something like a cold, they handled it with ease.

Yue Yiyue had fevers before, but rarely, and her body was pretty sturdy. Usually, she just lay in bed and sweated it out.

This was her first time being wrapped in a blanket while someone handed her medicine.

In the kitchen, the pot bubbled as Gu Nanqiu boiled ginger tea.

This feeling of being cared for felt a bit strange.

When Gu Ye pressed her to lie down on the sofa, Yue Yiyue still felt a little unaccustomed.

But after Gu Ye drew all the curtains, leaving only a dim yellow floor lamp, Yue Yiyue wrapped the blanket tighter around herself and thought it was pretty nice.

At least she wasn’t lying alone in that small room with takeout boxes piled at her feet.

Gu Ye stood by and stared at the living room for a moment, then sat on the fluffy carpet, leaning against Yue Yiyue’s leg: “You’ll be fine by tomorrow morning.”

“I didn’t know you were such a divine doctor, Gu Ye,” Yue Yiyue teased. “You two too—you knew I had a fever before the thermometer even finished. Got some special secret trick?”

Gu Ye looked up at Yue Yiyue, her gaze sliding to the watch on Yue Yiyue’s wrist, where the numbers steadily rose toward 85.

“It’s a secret. You’ll know naturally when you remember later.” Gu Ye listened to Yue Yiyue’s breathing, which was a tad faster than usual due to the fever.

She couldn’t reminisce anymore; even if she did, she didn’t want to leave.

On the projection screen were green mountains, clear waters, and beautiful scenery. The leads laughed heartily, holding local specialties in their hands, performing their leisurely vacation for the camera.

Everything looked particularly wonderful.

Gu Nanqiu brought in ginger tea at just the right temperature. She looked down at Gu Ye, who resembled an abandoned puppy, and sighed inwardly. If only Gu Ye were as obedient as she pretended.

But Gu Ye had to go back. Deep in Gu Nanqiu’s heart, her malicious side uncorked a bottle.

After tonight, she would turn the Gu Ye in Yue Yiyue’s memories into a mere passing NPC in her life—a little punishment for Gu Ye.

Deliberately losing to Wu Zhen, putting on that broken appearance, only tolerated because she was young.

But seeing the text messages, Yue Yiyue hadn’t told Gu Ye where she went or if she needed her.

That explained Wu Zhen’s mad attempt to seize her power afterward.

Just one puzzle remained: with shared memories, why could Gu Ye still make small moves?

It didn’t matter anyway; only she could truly stand by Yue Yiyue’s side.

Gu Nanqiu tried hard to make her feigned affection seem less fake. She patted the chair nearby: “Gu Ye, wouldn’t this seat be better?”

Gu Ye looked up, barely suppressing an eye roll: “No need; I chose this myself.”

She bit down hard on the last two words.

Yue Yiyue didn’t understand the little schemes between them.

She just downed the ginger tea in her hand, pulled Gu Nanqiu to sit on the sofa, and quietly told her what had happened in the previous plot.

Afraid of passing the cold to Gu Nanqiu, Yue Yiyue kicked at Gu Ye by her feet, signaling her to move farther so she and Gu Nanqiu could have some distance.

Before Yue Yiyue could shift, Gu Nanqiu explained first: “It won’t happen, Yiyue. Yours isn’t the flu; it won’t spread to others. Trust me.”

Hearing that voice, Yue Yiyue blanked out for a moment, then leaned on Gu Nanqiu’s shoulder.

Gu Nanqiu quietly regretted it.

If only it could spread to her—then their bodies would both burn hot, and she’d have reason to hold Yue Yiyue, murmur in her arms, stroke her soft skin.

She could bury herself in her chest, and while the other was half-asleep, casually leave her mark on that beautiful body.

Yue Yiyue wouldn’t mind such small details anyway.

As long as it didn’t go all the way, she’d find a fitting excuse herself.

Yue Yiyue sensed two inexplicable gazes fixed straight on her.

“You’re not watching the movie; why stare at me? Think it’s rare for me to have a fever?” She grabbed snacks from nearby and stuffed them into their arms: “I’m just an ordinary person too.”

“If I fall asleep later, remember to cover me with a blanket.” Yue Yiyue yawned; her fever-clouded brain wasn’t turning quickly: “Feels like the medicine’s kicking in.”

Half an hour later, only the movie diligently played on in the living room, with peaceful, serene music over beautiful grassland scenery.

The living room had long been empty.

————

Gu Nanqiu looked at Yue Yiyue beside her on the bed, fine sweat beading on her forehead.

The tentacles placed freshly prepared hot water and a towel nearby.

After the sound of splashing water, Gu Nanqiu took a towel at the perfect temperature and meticulously wiped the sweat from her body.

Gu Ye dug out pajamas similar in color to her own and placed them on the bed. “Too bad I can’t join this event, Stingy Nanqiu.”

“What’s the big deal? When Yue Yiyue took care of you before, wasn’t it the same?”

Remembering those times, Gu Nanqiu’s gaze softened again: “Treated you like an unweaned baby, fed you milk, bathed you—that’s treatment we can’t get. Be content.”

Gu Ye listened to her sour words, jealous of herself.

Of course, she wasn’t some good monster either.

“But so what? Under the Rules, she already forgot me.” With Yue Yiyue in deep sleep, Gu Ye dropped the good-child act. She slung her long leg over the chair arm, sat down nearby, pulled a cigarette from her pocket, and held it in her mouth without lighting it, mindful of Yue Yiyue.

“So what? She’s still good to you on instinct.” Gu Nanqiu caressed that rough face, weathered by hardship; she liked the little freckles more and more.

“But you still want to defy Yue Yiyue’s will, kill me, replace me, stay by her side.”

“If the Main God hadn’t arranged the Coroner to watch, you’d have teamed up with Wu Zhen and the rest to counter-kill me, right?” Gu Nanqiu glanced at Gu Ye standing nearby: “Don’t forget, I’m different from you all. I’m the strand she personally chose, her designated female lead.”

As soon as the words fell, her phone vibrated wildly, and outside the window came pattering sounds.

As if something urgently expressed its displeasure.

Gu Nanqiu glanced at the one who had lost her composure, spamming messages till they hit 99+.

“She’s hopeless—not even a good dog. If she makes trouble for Yue Yiyue later, dying a thousand deaths would be too kind.”

Gu Ye lounged casually, unembarrassed at having her thoughts exposed: “I know, duh. I’m you, you’re me. Only when we all return to the Main Body and hear those words does the Wager truly end.”

“I’ve done well completing it, haven’t I? Sure, I arranged that idiot to lock you up there along the way, but it didn’t succeed in killing you—you’re still alive.”

Gu Ye’s eyes lost all innocence.

She thought tricking Wu Zhen into seizing Gu Nanqiu’s power had been covert enough.

Including mimicking that voice afterward.

She must have appeared too quickly then, raising Gu Nanqiu’s suspicions.

Flipping through Yue Yiyue’s phone, she saw Yue Yiyue hadn’t notified her of the location—she’d just checked the nutjob’s messages.

What came after she’d also learned from that nutjob—head not clear, but a fine monster nonetheless.

“I’ve honored the bet, haven’t I? All the info I gave you was real.”

“By the way, some of them have leveled up to not share memories anymore—that’s something I picked up from the nutjob.” Praise aside, Gu Ye didn’t hesitate to sell her out: “I’m heading back now, or the nutjob will eat me up and merge again.”

Gu Ye shed her pitiful look, raised a brow, glanced regretfully at Yue Yiyue on the bed: “Hope next time, she remembers I was once in her past.”

“Oh, if you really wiped my memories, Yue Yiyue would get mad, right? The nutjob did it and got locked in A City, all miserable.”

“Guess if she’ll do it again this time?”