"Alright. See you soon."

I squeezed my eyes open and woke up to a warm voice that resonated in my ears. Cheng was giving me his back as he put his phone in his pocket and turned to bend over me, placing his palm on my forehead. I was lying utterly exhausted on his bed even though it felt like I'd slept for a whole day, "I've called my family doctor," he explained when I was about to complain.

"You're too hot; I wanted him to give you a proper check-up," Cheng rummaged something from the night table beside me and took out a thermometer, "Come on, open up." he incited me as he poked my lower lip with the metallic tip, and smirked after I obediently did as he said. I blushed shamelessly when I noticed his eyes sparkled when he stared at my lips, holding the thermometer up.

"You do get embarrassed easily." he mocked me but was interrupted by the doorbell sound. "I'm coming right back, don't move." I simply nodded in response and breathed in sharply as I felt drowsy.

"When you're in front of him, you only speak English. Am I clear?" I heard Cheng ordering as I imagined him welcoming the doctor inside.

"Yeah, he slept for five hours straight. I told you already what happened, don't waste my time and go check on him." Cheng said with anger filling his every word. I've never heard him talking like that to someone. It felt like he was forcing himself to be that way, or maybe I didn't get the chance to know that side just yet...

I pushed myself to keep my eyes open since their steps were getting closer; I didn't want to worry Cheng any further; he had done so much already. He and a short Asian man came into the picture, which started to scrutinise me from afar behind his delicate, firm gold glasses.

"Forty point five... And you were fine?!" he lectured me, removing the thermometer from my lips as the doctor left his suitcase on the floor beside the bed. He pulled the blanket swiftly off my body without any warning.

"W-wait!" As soon as he was about to lift my t-shirt, I mumbled, "I'm okay!" I complained, panicking, removing his hand from me and sliding over the headboard with a painful huff. I had to calm down; I had to breathe and relax. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but it was just a reflex.

"Xiao Luo, I have already explained the situation…." Cheng intervened as he took his place by sitting composed next to me.

"Young Master, please understand that if I don't visit him, I cannot proceed." his doe brown eyes pierced into mine, making me soon feel guilty and uneasy. I know I was annoying but-

"Can I help in any other way?" Cheng asked Xiao Luo and placed a hand on my knee, squeezing it to show compassion.

"Young Master, please." Xiao Luo exasperatedly looked at me before bustling into his suitcase. "I can use a tranquilliser if you want me to." he offered and smirked, trying to keep it from growing.

I shook my head, and somehow Xiao Luo's facial expression turned into disappointment. I laid down on my back and waited anxiously for him to raise my clothes, feeling nausea and disgust already taking over me. Cheng stiffened as he observed Xiao Luo examing me, and crossed his arms against his chest, waiting.

"The wound is infected." After a few long minutes, Xiao Luo woke me up from the small trance I got sucked into. He pressed my abdomen firmly in various spots while I clenched my jaw tightly each damn time, forcing myself not to show the pain I was feeling but failing miserably.

"Are you eating properly?" he asked, looking at me with dull eyes. I bit the inside of my cheek and avoided Cheng's gaze.

"More or less… Agh!" I groaned, grasping the bedsheet. "E-every time I eat something that is not water or coffee, I throw up, so..." I explained, avoiding both deadly looks. I gulped down heavily.

"I need to come back with an IV." Xiao Luo looked at Cheng. "I'm sorry Young Master; I hope this is not a problem. I underestimated the situation." he bowed and rushed to put back some of his equipment. "He needs to take antibiotics, and I will show you how to medicate the wound-"

"I think we pay you enough to come yourself and do it." Cheng interrupted and glared at him like he was about to end his life.

"Sure, I'm sorry young master." Xiao Luo bowed once again without objecting "Please sit down now," he asked me gently, avoiding my eyes. I sat before him but looked at the floor as he checked my pulse. "Is… beating way too slow," he affirmed, panicked. "We need to take him to the hospital; I don't have enough equipment to check-"

"He's not going anywhere." Cheng objected without even blinking, and I quietly sighed in relief. I felt reassured by the firmness of his voice and how he respected my will even though he disagreed. "Go and take what you can, and don't say to anybody you've seen or did, am I understood?" he concluded and stood up, glaring at him.

"Sure… Excuse me, then." the doctor bowed in respect and walked out of the room without looking back. Cheng sat next to me only when he was sure that the doctor had made his way out of the apartment, and then he lowered my t-shirt gently as it was still rolled up in some way.

"Don't worry; you're in good hands," he affirmed and smiled as he removed some hair from my damp face. "I'll get you some pills and tea before Xiao Luo arrives. And before I forget, I have to write an email to the tutors to excuse our absence from tomorrow-" he was about to reach for his phone, but I stopped him.

"Cheng, after getting something to eat, I'll be okay," I started quickly with a hoarse voice, trying to hide the fact that I wasn't feeling well and was somehow... scared. Cheng pushed me down onto the bed, grabbed my wrists tightly and placed them next to my head. I gasped at the sudden movement as it caused so much pain in my whole body, noticing how he regretted it. Maybe he expected me to fight back, but when I did nothing, as I had no strength, he released the tight grasp but kept his 'rebel bad boy' attitude on.

"Don't ever interrupt me while I'm talking, Chin Mae." he leaned closer to my face, "And when you're with me, you do as I say," he smirked as he threatened me. With our faces so close, I could feel his breath on my lips that I bit not to make them quiver. I looked at his soft lips being damped by the tip of his tongue and shook my focus elsewhere, which were his eyes.

Cheng tightened his hold and brought me back to reality, "Y-yeah. I'm sorry." I mumbled, embarrassed when I recognised what the spark in his eyes that I saw before was. Was that... excitement? "Sorry," I repeated as I turned my head to the side and tried to calm down. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but I have been in a situation like this many times, and each time was ending badly so-

"Why don't you rest a bit now? And please don't make me worry like that again." he suddenly requested as he got up. I was bewildered by his sudden change in behaviour before he disappeared into the living room.

"You're going to make me go insane, Cheng..." I mumbled, rubbing my damp face. I crawled under the bedsheets again, also shivering at the thought of what to do with him as our relationship was developing too fast; and I couldn't seem to stay at pace with my thoughts and actions. But more importantly, I had to figure out how to earn money quickly because my hostel payment was due in two days. I needed to prioritise my job search and university and to reorder my mind; this situation and my relationship with him were confusing to my very core.

I just didn't understand why I even allowed him to stay with me when I was so committed to ending all this before it was too late. Besides looking pitiful in his eyes at my sudden health problem, which confused me as my body had always been healthy, I recognised that when he looked after me... I couldn't seem to push him away.

I mean, it was evident that I was trying to keep my distance, but he just seemed not to care. And deep down, that was what I liked the most. I liked his persistent way of getting what he wanted to not judge a person from their appearance and his ability to take out the best of each person he gets in contact with. 

I liked how he tried to be the bad guy, but in the end, he was the one who looked after a complete stranger and made him sleep in his apartment without looking over his shoulder, worrying that I could be somehow dangerous or ill-intended. Nowadays, these traits are somehow admirable, or at least they were for me.

With my whole body throbbing, I plunged my head into the pillow, hoping to suffocate. I felt calm hearing my heartbeats resonating in my ears even though they were pushing painfully against my chest like it was going to explode in a moment or another... But I was fine. It was going to be okay; I just needed to rest a bit more.

 I've come a long way to give it all up now.