"Baby, get up, I made you breakfast," Xuan Tianyi ran a hand along Hua Zhendan's hair as he spoke this time around.

Slowly, Hua Zhendan's opened his eyelids. He stared at his lover who bequeathed him with the most gentle smile he'd ever known.

Hua Zhendan sat up. "I had the most terrifying nightmare," he told Xuan Tianyi.

"Oh!" Xuan Tianyi's creased his brows in worry. "What happened?"

"I don't remember the details," Hua Zhendan shook his head. "I just remember that I was saddened because we couldn't be together."

Xuan Tianyi laughed, "That's silly. We'd always be together."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Xuan Tianyi said with a smile. "Come eat."

Hua Zhendan watched Xuan Tianyi picked up a small bowl from the top of the nightstand beside his bed. He stared into the bowl and saw the most inedible noodles Xuan Tianyi had every prepared. Instant noodles barely soaked in water with two raw eggs sprinkled on it.

Hua Zhendan shook his head, "I'm not going to eat that."

A small frown settled on Xuan Tianyi's face. "But you've not had anything to eat in days."

"I don't feel hungry, I'm just going to go back to bed."

Amidst protests from Xuan Tianyi, Hua Zhendan lay back down and closed his eyes to sleep.

Soon, or maybe a couple of hours later, when Hua Zhendan woke up again, he scanned the room for any sign of Xuan Tianyi, but found none. Just as he was about to close his eyes again, he noticed the bowl of noodles from earlier still seated on the nightstand.

Just then, he heard a rumble in his tummy that told him he was hungry. So, he sat up and picked up the bowl. Immediately he did, he threw the bowl on the floor because the inedible noodles was no longer in it but instead, they had been replaced with a handful of small spiders that scrambled over one another in the bowl. Hua Zhendan looked down and watched the spiders escape. He sighed and went back to sleep.

When Hua Zhendan woke up the third time, his mind felt empty but for the memory of both previous events. The one with the spider was the most persistent.

He blinked for a few minutes to adjust his eyes to the light in the room.

Fatigue seeped through his veins and he felt like he didn't have the strength to lift up his arms.

As he stared at the ceiling, he realized that it wasn't the brown pvc boards that decorated his room, but was rather a white 3d motif he recognized from his childhood.

Lazily, he looked around and realized he was in his room. Not his room in his apartment, but his room in Shen Rui's house. How on earth did he get here?

As he closed his eyes, he tried to recall what had happened to him. Different memories came flooding in at the same time. One of him and Xuan Tianyi talking about getting married. When that was supposed to fill him with excitement, it only made him sad.

Slowly, he sat himself up on the headboard. That was when he noticed the needle stuck in his left hand. It was connected to a drip. His first instinct was to remove the drip but he didn't have the strength for that either.

He closed his eyes again and thought about what had happened and he remembered everything. Everything. From the fight that made Xuan Tianyi stay at his sister's to his and Shen Rui's talk.

He remembered the devastation he had experienced when Shen Rui had told him what she was there to say.

"Why did you tell me?" He had asked. His tone sober.

"Would you rather I didn't tell you? It was important you knew," She had reb.u.t.ted.

"No. I would rather not know something like this. I would rather n.o.body told him either. We were just talking about getting married, for G.o.d's sake," His voice was angry. Yet shaky.

"Getting married? Is it that serious?"

"Yes, mum, it's that serious. We are in love with each other." He had fallen to the chair in despair. Then he had buried his head in his hands. Silently, he had sobbed.

"Oh! My baby," Shen Rui had scooted closer to him and ran her hand on his back.

Hua Zhendan had raised his head from his hands and with tears-filled eyes had stared at Shen Rui. In a tone that pierced her heart with a thousand needles, he had muttered, "Mum, I have all THESE feelings for Xuan Tianyi. What do you want me to do with them?"

Shen Rui didn't say anything. Instead, she pulled her son into a big hug and ran a hand along his sides.

Hua Zhendan had pushed her away gently and stood up with a start. "I don't feel so good, mum."

Shen Rui had said in reply. "This is just a phase, baby. Something to look back on."

Hua Zhendan shook his head and pacing around, had muttered, "No, I don't feel good."

"That's what I'm saying. Remember when you were with the other one and thought you couldn't love anyone else?" Shen Rui persisted. "When you find the right person for you, it'll be a whole lot easier."

Hua Zhendan stood still and shook his head. "I don't feel good. I feel sick, I want to go home."

He had hurriedly walked out of his office with Shen Rui trailing fast behind him.

Once he got to the park, he had doubled over and threw up beside a bright-red Chevrolet Tahoe whose owner he didn't know.

When Shen Rui appeared, he was still throwing up. She ran a hand along his back and handed him a water bottle from her bag.

Hua Zhendan had washed his mouth and fumbled through his pocket for his phone.

"You're running a temperature," Shen Rui's voice was panicked.

"My car... w.a.n.g Zi... I  can't find my phone. I think I left it upstairs." He had managed to say between gritted teeth. A cold was making it hard for him to speak.

"I'll go get it for you," Shen Rui said.

"No." Hua Zhendan shook his head. "Take me home."

"Get in my car," she supported a weak Hua Zhendan till they got to her car.

When she started the ignition, she had said, "I'll take you to the hospital."

Hua Zhendan shook his head again. "No hospital. Please, take me home." With those words, he had closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.

Sleep from which he had woken up twice before. The first time, he had seen Xuan Tianyi. The second time, he had seen the bowl filled with spiders. 

Now that he thought back, he couldn't really tell either of those things happened or if he had been dreaming or hallucinating. He remembered being awake and experiencing these things. Yet, he felt like he had only just woken up.

As he tried with difficulty to differentiate what was real from what wasn't, the door opened and Shen Rui walked in.

"Why did you bring me here?" He asked. Then cringed at the bitter taste in his mouth; he only just noticed that as well. 

"You said to take you home." Shen Rui sat by his bedside and touched his forehead with her palm.

Hua Zhendan closed his eyes at the feel of her hand. Her palm was cold yet it spread a warmth to his heart. "I meant my apartment."

"Oh! I thought you meant your home and not your house." Shen Rui replied glibly.

Hua Zhendan wasn't in the mood to argue with her. "What happened to me?"

"High fever. It was sudden. But you're better now. And the doctor said to tell you to stop smoking. You know why."

"Mum, I'm fine. It doesn't do anything to me." He grumbled.

"That's what you think."

'I detox regularly. I take care of myself. Can you let me have one thing I like?"

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"It's dangerous for your health."

Still not in the mood to argue, he changed the topic again. Complaining, he said, "I don't think I can go to work today. I'm exhausted."

"That... Won't be necessary. Everything you need to worry about has been delegated to the right people. Meetings, photoshoots, doc.u.ments. Everything."

"Thank you." Hua Zhendan said and Shen Rui nodded. "What time is it, by the way?"

"It's..." Shen Rui hesitated. After a moment and a questioning look from Hua Zhendan, she continued. "It's... Emm... Eight."

"Eight?" Hua Zhendan peered through the window's open blinds at the city. "Why is it still so dark out?"

"Because it's Eight. In the Night."

Confused again, Hua Zhendan closed his eyes. It was almost night when he fell sick. He felt like he slept long but not like he'd been sleeping for over twenty-four hours. Opening his eyes, he sighed. "I could've sworn it was morning."

"Well, it was morning the last time you woke up."

Right. The last time he had woken up, he'd seen the bowl full of spiders. So perhaps, that actually happened. Then maybe Xuan Tianyi had come to him the night before. Considering this was Shen Rui's house, that didn't make sense. "Mum?"

"Son?"

"How long have I been on this bed?"

She paused before replying. "Two days."

It still didn't make sense to Hua Zhendan. "How many nights have I slept here?"

"Two." She pa.s.sed again. Hesitating. Finally, she said, "This will be the third."

Now that made sense to Hua Zhendan. Perhaps, Xuan Tianyi was here the day before. For the sake of clarity, he decided to ask. "Was Xuan Tianyi here?"

"No. Why would he come here?"

"But I saw him," Hua Zhendan said. His brows creased.

"He wasn't here." Shen Rui's voice was stern as she spoke.

"But I felt him touch. And he put the bowl there." He pointed to the nightstand.

"What bowl?"

"The bowl with the..." Hua Zhendan trailed off. What he had felt couldn't have possibly been a dream. His fever had made him hallucinate. Realizing Xuan Tianyi hasn't heard anything from him in two days, cursing, he sat up with a start. "s.h.i.+t."

As Hua Zhendan tried to get up, Shen Rui stopped him, "Don't get up."

Hua Zhendan stood but was too lightheaded to carry his own weight. He quickly sat back down and cursed at his body's weakness. "Dammit. Did you get my phone?"

"Yes." Shen Rui nodded. She put her hand in the side pocket of her gown and pulled out the phone. Giving it to Hua Zhendan, she said, "Here."

Hua Zhendan looked at the phone sceptically. The battery was full and that didn't feel right. Hurriedly, he opened it and looked through his call history. When he didn't see any missed calls from Xuan Tianyi, he asked Shen Rui, "Did you touch my phone?"

"No. Of course not. I don't even know your pa.s.sword. I only charged it. In case you had an important call."

"So, Xuan Tianyi didn't call?" Hua Zhendan's voice sounded like he looked. Weak and lacking energy.

"Son..."

"He didn't see or hear from me in two days and he didn't call?"

"I'm sorry, Hua Zhendan." Shen Rui said sympathetically.

"Don't be." Hua Zhendan sat back and resting his head on the headboard, closed his eyes. "If he can get on with his life without me in it, then I can very well do the same."

Shen Rui moved closer to him and ran a hand through his hair. "You'll find someone better," She said.

Hua Zhendan shook his head. "I'm hungry, mum. Please make me something to eat."