Chapter 55: Fever

"Your hand is so hot." Monica pried his hand from the side of her neck and said, "To say such things... it's unlike you."
Steven leaned his elbow against the car window, his gaze locked onto her. "Is that so? Then what do you think is the real me?"
"... Aloof, calculating, constantly seeking rewards in everything." She lowered her gaze. "I'm starting to have trouble distinguishing if this is truly your means to win the game."
"What difference does it make?"
"Of course, there's a difference." She emphasized, "It's the difference between sincerity and falsehood."
He was so clever and cunning that Monica started to doubt if all of this was just a carefully woven web, he created for her. Maybe after she falls into it, she will realize that it was all just a deception.
"But in my opinion, it's not contradictory at all." He said slowly. "Because to me, they are all the same."
Both genuine and strategic.
Using his own emotions to find a way to win her heart.
Seeing Monica remain silent, he smiled. "I really didn't lie to you. If you don't believe me, you can ask anything."
She casually asked, "How many girlfriends have you had?"
"None."
"... Am I your first?"
"Yes."
He answered such a personal question very candidly, which made Monica somewhat uncomfortable.
She shifted her gaze away from his face. "I'm done asking."
But Steven caught her hand. "Is that it?"
"What else is there?" She struggled to free her hand, but didn't pull away.
He lowered his head. "Don't you have any other questions? I will honestly answer them all."
She anxiously said, "Why do you have to force others to ask questions?"
Steven opened the car door, leading her out, suppressing her reluctance as he gently embraced her.
"I will gradually let you understand me."
He added, "All of me."
When they arrived at the private room, Ryan was already nearly falling asleep. Hearing the sound of the door, he breathed a sigh of relief. "You finally came."
With a quick glance, Monica saw that there were only two people sitting at the large round table, giving it a desolate appearance.
She spoke, "You can start eating first."
"The protagonist hasn't arrived; how could I dare to start?" Ryan beckoned to the waiter and said, "Bring the dishes."
Eric tapped his fingers on the table, gently knocking twice. "Today Ryan is treating, don't be polite with him."
Steven pulled out a chair for her, and Monica sat down accordingly, curious. "Why is it you treating?"
"Your brother helped me out, so I said I'll treat him to a meal. I didn't expect you to come back from your trip, and I thought it would be better to seize the opportunity and invite both of you to have a meal together."
Eric raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by helping you? Don't overestimate yourself."
"Turns out you're inviting both of us"
"Ah?" Monica deliberately glanced at the person beside her, "So how come there's an extra person here?"
Steven remained calm and unaffected by Monica's teasing sly gaze.
"Ignore him, he's shamelessly crashing our meal," Ryan approached with a bottle of red wine, "Come on, you two drive, only the two of us can drink here, let's have some."
With a flick of his chopsticks, the conversation at the dinner table became lively.
Ryan raised his glass to toast Eric from afar and raised his thumb with his other hand, "Seriously, you're amazing. I heard that the matter went directly to the old man of the Xu family. That waste won't be able to leave the house for another month or two, and even if he does, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble in my territory."
Eric smiled with an unclear expression.
After the meal, Monica pulled Ryan aside and didn't let him leave.
When Eric drove over, she took out a box from the trunk and handed it to him, "A souvenir."
"Wow!" Ryan was pleasantly surprised, "My sister is so thoughtful, and there's one for me too!"
Monica took out a slightly bigger box and handed it to Eric, then deliberately said to Steven standing on the side, "There's none for you."
"Hmm," he just stood there and calmly responded.
Not seeing the expression on his face that she wanted to see, Monica felt a bit disappointed, but quickly cheered up and waved to them, "Let's go then."
As they got in the car, Monica fastened her seatbelt and heard Eric ask, "There really isn't anything for him?"
She paused for a moment and hummed, "Of course not."
Eric glanced at Monica while turning the steering wheel and chuckled, "He's not doing so well. He was supposed to pick you up today."
"...then why was it you in the end?"
"I was afraid he would drive while fatigued, risking both their lives."
Monica sensed that he had something else to say and asked, "...what do you mean?"
"In the past few days, he has only slept for four to five hours in total. Tonight, I didn't even want him to come, he hasn't recovered from the fever yet, but he insisted on coming."
"Fever?" Monica recalled the kiss in the parking lot and vaguely remembered he was a bit warm at the time, but she thought it was just a physical reaction to intimate contact and didn't think much of it.
He actually fell ill, with a fever, and didn't even tell her. He still insisted on coming over to have this meal with her, and spent so long in the cold wind at the parking lot.
The more Monica thought about it, the more worried she became, "Did he take his medicine?"
"How would I know?" Eric chuckled, "You should just call him."
Neon lights flickered outside the window, towering buildings passed by, Monica hesitated for a while, then dialed Steven's number.
"What's wrong?" His voice was low, and compared to usual, there was a hint of instability in his breath.
"My brother told me you have a fever? So why aren't you resting at home tonight and insisted on coming over?"
"I'm not running a fever." Steven responded swiftly, "He lied to you."
Monica gave a skeptical look, and Eric leisurely said, "I'm your real brother, would I lie to you?"
She gritted her teeth.
"Steven, tell me the truth."
"I didn't burn anything."
"Eric, turn around, let's go to his house." Monica spoke into the phone, the tone carrying a hint of impatience.
"Wait for me at home, I'll come over now to check it myself. If you dare to lie to me, you're done for."