Chapter 124: Snap! Snap!! Snap-snap-snap!!!

Tucked under the quilt, Zhou Sinian realized belatedly that his clothes had been changed. He blushed, shrinking into the blankets while looking at Ming Dai.

"Ming Dai, did you change my clothes?"

Ming Dai froze as she set down the bowl, feeling a bit awkward. The situation had been urgent that morning, and since she had been a doctor in her past life, she hadn't thought twice about stripping him down. Now that the person in question was bringing it up, she felt flustered.

"Ahem, well, you see, your clothes were soaked with sweat, that's why I changed them. I wasn't looking at anything I shouldn't have!"

Zhou Sinian’s face turned even redder. He looked at Ming Dai with watery eyes, wanting to say something but hesitating, appearing quite embarrassed. Ming Dai panicked even more, her own face heating up. Would Zhou Sinian blame her? People these days were supposedly very conservative. After all, he was a young, innocent man, and she had seen him completely exposed! That did seem rather excessive. Should she take responsibility? If he asked her to, how could she politely explain that she was still young and it wasn't exactly convenient?

While Ming Dai agonized, Zhou Sinian’s mind was racing with different thoughts. *Oh! Ming Dai is so wonderful! She cooks for me, and it tastes so good! She gives me clothes to wear, and even gave me a red headscarf and a red silk scarf! And now, Ming Dai even changed my clothes herself! It’s just like what the other kids said!*

Seemingly making up his mind, he spoke up shyly: "Ming Dai, you are so good. You give me food, you give me clothes, and you even changed my clothes yourself. You’re just like Gou Dan's mom! Gou Dan's mom gives him food, gives him clothes, and changes his clothes too. I think you're even better than Gou Dan's mom. So, can I call you Mom?"

*Crack! Crack! Crack!*

Petrified, Ming Dai stared blankly at the shy, bashful Zhou Sinian, unable to react for a long time. Zhou Sinian, however, mistook her stunned expression for pleasant surprise, thinking she truly wanted to be his mother. He couldn't help but pull the quilt over his head and giggle beneath it.

The giggling snapped Ming Dai out of her petrification. She mentally slapped herself ten times! *That’s what you get for not learning your lesson! That’s what you get for letting your imagination run wild! Look at you now, you've become a mother without even trying!*

Meeting Zhou Sinian’s eyes peeking out from the quilt, Ming Dai forced a smile that looked worse than a cry. "Go to sleep, my dear big son!" If he wanted a mom, so be it; at least she wasn't the one losing out!

From that point on, Ming Dai never dared to entertain wild thoughts about their relationship again. Consequently, when he eventually confessed his feelings, she dismissed it as a misunderstanding, making his path to a successful proposal quite rocky. Ming Dai could only lament that she had brought this upon herself.

After playing for a while, Zhou Sinian’s eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep. Ming Dai quietly slipped out to eat a quick dinner. Worried he might spike another fever during the night, she moved her massage bed into his room, intending to keep watch.

Sure enough, in the middle of the night, a muffled groan from Zhou Sinian startled Ming Dai awake. She bolted upright, turned on the light, and rushed to his bedside. He wasn't awake; he seemed to be having a nightmare. The bulging veins on his forehead and his twisted expression showed he was in great pain. Ming Dai held down his thrashing hands, checked his pulse, and once again brought out her golden needles to sterilize and insert them.

Only after the needles were in did Zhou Sinian settle down. He lay on the bed, exhausted, his eyes closed under tightly furrowed brows. His lashes trembled from time to time, revealing the turmoil within. Watching the Zhou Sinian who was so different from his daytime self, Ming Dai felt a headache coming on. As long as his inner knots remained untied, his emotional volatility would inevitably lead to further fevers. His body, currently as fragile as a drafty house, couldn't withstand many more high fevers.

But Ming Dai dared not ask him directly. Zhou Sinian’s evasion during the day—whether intentional or not—showed he didn't want to bring it up. If she pushed, she feared she might trigger him, and he might lose control, potentially worsening his condition. For now, she was at a loss.

Once he was completely calm and deeply asleep, she removed the needles, wiped him down, and changed his pajamas and bedsheets. This time, her mind was clear and devoid of any distraction. *He’s my son, what’s there to be afraid of?*

Throughout the night, Zhou Sinian woke up in a panic three times, each time with a contorted face, shouting, "Blood! So much blood! Run! Run!"

Finally, as Ming Dai held him down to keep him from struggling, Zhou Sinian suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils unfocused, he stared blankly at Ming Dai’s figure and whispered, "Mom."

Ming Dai watched as his eyes closed again, unable to recover for a long time. She could feel that the "Mom" he had just called out was not meant for her. Was Zhou Sinian missing his own mother? Sighing, she resigned herself to continue caring for her "dear big son."

After a night of tossing and turning, they didn't wake up until 10:00 AM the next day. Zhou Sinian was the first to stir. He blinked his eyes, looked at the ceiling, and then his attention was drawn to his stomach, which was growling incessantly. He also noticed that his pajamas had been changed again.

*Oh! He knew it! His Mom Ming Dai was even better than Gou Dan's mom! Gou Dan said his mom only changed his clothes once, but Ming Dai had changed his twice!*

Ming Dai: *Heh, you lost count!*

Ming Dai was woken by his giggles and for a moment thought she was raising chickens in her pocket dimension. She climbed off the massage bed like a sleepwalker, moved to Zhou Sinian’s side without even opening her eyes, and placed her fingers on his pulse.

Zhou Sinian was startled by her prominent dark circles and didn't dare to speak, obediently extending his left hand and then his right. Only after checking his pulse did Ming Dai open her eyes and stifle a yawn. "You stay in bed for the next two days. I'll bring your meals to you. Rest up and get healthy before you go play, understand?"

Zhou Sinian hesitated, but upon seeing Ming Dai’s gaze, he nodded vigorously.

Ming Dai left, satisfied, needing to wash up and make breakfast for them both. When she returned with the meal, Zhou Sinian was wriggling on the bed under the quilt like a giant maggot.

Ming Dai frowned. "What are you doing? Why aren't you lying still?"

Zhou Sinian’s voice, thick with tears, came from under the covers: "Ming Dai, can I get down? I need to pee!!!"