Yue Linze thought for a moment and dialed his assistant's extension. When the call connected, he said coldly, "Inform all company staff to leave within half an hour. No one is to stay."

Tao Yu was stunned. Before she could stop him, he had already hung up. She said helplessly, "That's unnecessary. I can wait until everyone has left before leaving."

"There are people working overtime in the company even at two in the morning." Yue Linze glanced at her.

Tao Yu's lips twitched. "I don't think I can last that long…"

She might look alright, but in reality, her arms and legs felt like they had been run over by a steamroller. She was utterly exhausted.

With 29 minutes left until the deadline, Tao Yu was already too sleepy to keep her eyes open. Leaning against the sofa, she drifted off to sleep.

When she groggily awoke, she was lying in her soft bed at home. Tao Yu stirred, her head throbbing. She subconsciously glanced at her right hand, relieved to see it free of handcuffs and chains.

Tao Yu's gaze swept across the room, but Yue Linze was nowhere to be found.

After she was more awake, she got up to pour herself a glass of water. Before she could take a sip, Yue Linze entered. She quickly put down the glass. "When did we get back…?"

She trailed off mid-sentence, shocked by the hoarseness of her voice.

Yue Linze looked at her, his gaze heavy. "You have a fever."

"...." 

Tao Yu stared at him, then after a moment, asked inexplicably, "And?"

"And what? Now that you're awake, take your medicine." Yue Linze frowned, sitting on the edge of the bed and handing her the pills.

Tao Yu's lips twitched. His serious expression made her think there was more to it. It was just a fever—she had thought this world had some defense mechanism that would give her, an outsider, a terminal illness.

Tao Yu obediently took the medicine. Looking up, she saw his brow still furrowed and couldn't help but sigh. "It's just a low-grade fever. I probably caught a chill. It's no big deal."

Yue Linze looked at her deeply. "It's my fault." If he hadn't been reckless today, she wouldn't be sick.

"...Don't worry too much. I'll be fine soon." Tao Yu said helplessly.

Yue Linze remained silent. Tao Yu, still fatigued, felt even sleepier after taking the medicine. She patted Yue Linze's hand and lay down to rest.

"Sleep. I'll stay with you." Yue Linze said softly.

Tao Yu nodded and closed her eyes, Yue Linze's image filling her dreams.

She slept for three or four hours straight, waking up feeling much better. As usual, Tao Yu lingered in bed for a while before sitting up. Glancing out the window, she saw that it was completely dark.

Yue Linze wasn't in the room. Tao Yu wandered around and noticed the bathroom light was on. As she approached, she heard the sound of running water and knew it was Yue Linze showering.

She stood there for a moment, then, remembering that Yue Linze probably hadn't eaten dinner yet, she ordered some light dishes to be brought up, intending to dine with him when he came out.

However, she waited for nearly half an hour. Wrapped in her robe, Tao Yu glanced at the bathroom door repeatedly, finally unable to resist knocking. "Linze, are you done yet?"

The water stopped instantly, and Yue Linze's slightly hoarse voice replied, "I'm finished."

As soon as he spoke, he emerged wrapped in a towel. "When did you wake up?"

"Almost half an hour ago. Why did you take so long this time?" Tao Yu asked, taking the towel from him. As she helped him dry off, her fingers brushed against his skin. She froze, exclaiming, "Why are you so cold?!"

"It's nothing." Yue Linze took the towel back, dried himself perfunctorily, and put on his robe. Glancing at the food on the table, he asked, "When was this delivered? Should I have the servants prepare something fresh?"

"...No need. It just arrived. It's still warm." Tao Yu mumbled, her mind still on the coldness she felt on her fingertips.

Yue Linze nodded and went straight to the table to sit down. Tao Yu pursed her lips and sat opposite him, looking at him seriously. "I took my temperature while waiting for you. It's back to normal now."

"Even if your temperature has gone down, you still need to continue taking your medicine." Yue Linze instructed gently.

Tao Yu nodded, hesitatingly glancing at him, but ultimately saying nothing.

Tao Yu picked up her chopsticks. Seeing Yue Linze hadn't moved, she asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I already ate while you were asleep." Yue Linze remained seated.

Tao Yu was suspicious, but seeing his calm expression, she didn't know where to begin her questioning. She lowered her head and focused on her food. Yue Linze watched her eat, relieved to see her appetite hadn't been greatly affected.

It was a rare silent meal for them since they started living together.

After dinner, Tao Yu cautiously glanced at Yue Linze's flushed face and hesitated. "Should you take your temperature?"