・・・☆・ Twenty Nine ・・・☆・

Yingyue was foreign to the feeling of being unwell, she was rarely ill. Therefore, when she was it hit like a tonne of rocks, hard heavy and rather difficult to do anything else whilst it was upon her. 

So waking that morning feeling like she was in a sauna before rushing to the toilet to throw up, wasn't the nicest feeling. It almost completely struck her down, and she found herself barely able to move yet alone able to work out what was going on around her. Her vision was blurry and all sounds were loud and bouncing around her head. 

"Yingyue, baby are you okay?" Her brain felt like it had turned to mush as the time it had taken her to even register what he had said to her, he'd moved closer to her and had crouched down so that he was now level with her as she sat beside the toilet. "Jesus Christ, you look rough." Ximen exclaimed as he took in her appearance. Pale as a ghost with beads of sweat dripping down her forehead was definitely not the sight he expected to see that morning.

"Love you too." She managed to utter out as a response there was no cheek to her response like there would have normally been. Rather it sounded like pure exhaustion. She attempted to push herself up from the floor and to stand though the amount to effort it was requiring was something she didn't have in that exact moment. "Help me Xi?" 

With the aid of her fiancé, who didn't look the happiest with her state after all she had seemed perfectly okay the night before, she was soon standing. The room was spinning and she found herself gripping onto him with more urgency than she had been beforehand. They took very small steps as they eased their way from the ensuite back towards the bed. Yingyue almost collapsed onto the bed before crawling her way under the covers. 

It wasn't much past 7am so she hoped she could sleep it off and still attend university that morning. Today was the day of the big match between Si and the team consisting of Lei and Shancai and she wanted to be there to support her friends. Well maybe prevent a full blown fight from happening would be a better description. She loved all the boys, truly, yet she knew that the could easily get out of hand and this would be one of those instances. Ximen had lied down beside her on top of the covers, his urge to stay with her intensifying as the time passed. He'd only seen her sick a couple of times prior though this seemed the worst yet and he couldn't wrap his head around how she had been okay the night prior yet today she was completely under the influence of this illness whatever it may have been. The pair continued to lay on the bed as it ticked closer to 8am, her eyes were shut as she slowly drifted back to sleep her body begging for the chance to sort itself out, whilst he was propped on one elbow as he watched her his hands brushing her hair away from her face. 

"Yeye, do you want me to stay behind with you? I don't mind missing the day's worth of lectures if you want me here." He questioned his mind already preparing itself to call the lecturers up to report both of their absences. He waited on her response questioning whether she was even awake at this point.

"Hmm, no Xi you need to go. Isn't today the day of the bridge match? They need a referee and I need someone to ensure their friendship isn't completely destroyed." Her voice was sluggish and slow yet he could work out exactly what she meant and he wasn't overly happy. He didn't care about this dumb game between his two friends and the stupid girl who was successfully destroying his entire friendship group. He cared about the woman lying next to him and all he wanted was to spend the day with her and make sure she got better. 

"I'm sure the others won't mind they know you're my priority and will always come first." He moved his hand from her hair to rest upon her cheek and watched as her eyes slowly opened so that they were making eye contact. 

"I'll be okay here. We'll both kick ourselves if they do something dumb." She tried to encourage him to agree with her though he was still reluctant. How was he meant to go and stop his friends from doing dumb things if he was so distracted thinking of the woman he'd left behind that morning ill. 

"They're both grown adults, they can stop themselves." He grumbled though he knew it was the exact opposite. He often felt like he was the father figure to the two quarrelling boys in his friendship group. He was the one to talk to them when they were troubled and normally stopped them from doing anything irrational.  

"We both know that isn't true."

"But I can't leave you." He pouted hoping this would help him win his case against the young woman, even when ill she was a stubborn as.

"I promise I'll be okay on my own for the day, if you stay around you'll only get ill yourself and then I'll feel really bad." She had moved one of her hands so that it took the hand of his that had been resting on her cheek. He could feel how clammy her hand was and was very against the idea of leaving her at all in this state. 

"But-"

"No buts get get your cute self out of bed and head to school. I'll be here when you get back." She spoke with more force than she had prior and this was a statement not something she would allow to be argued against. He chose in that moment to listen to what she was saying and get ready for the day. Despite not liking what he was going to have to do he knew he had very little choice in staying behind for the day. Rather he accepted his fate and just knew he'd be distracted for most of the day and would be calling her every hour to check in, just in case she needed him.

The pair argued a little bit more as he finished getting ready. It wasn't an argument fuelled by rage, more of one where two stubborn people were trying to get their way. And it would appear just like normal Ximen would bow down to the power that is Yingyue as he finally completely agreed to go to university that day. 

"Just promise me to call me if you need something, anything no matter how big or small." He pleaded with her watching as she struggled to stay awake her eyes closing as she went into sleep like her body desperately needed. 

"I promise, I love you."

"I love you more princess." He slowly walked out of the room hoping she would call after him and say she wanted him to stay. But she didn't and he could hear her breathing evening out as she slipped into a slumber. He had passed two of her staff in the kitchen on the way out and had begged them to call him if anything was to happen. 

Ximen had been right about being distracted the entire day. He found himself slipping into thoughts on how she was doing the entire time. It had made the game very difficult to focus on as he pretended to know what was happening whilst he was acting as the referee. Yet he found himself meeting the eye of Meizuo many a time as the other boy only raised an eyebrow. Though Meizuo had been rather forgiving reading the whole situation especially when Ximen had explained that Yingyue was in bed ill and all he had wanted was to be with her at that moment and not officiating his dumb friends essentially argue over a girl through a game. And when they had mentioned going back to Si's place to celebrate the results of the game with i's older sister he was reluctant... he really wanted to be back with Yingyue but everyone was looking at him expectantly. No he wasn't going to go with them, he was going to go back to Yingyue where he belonged by her side. 

"I can't I need to be back with Yingyue." He argued as he looked at the others surrounding him a look of disbelief on his face as to why they'd suggest he'd come considering the love of his life was ill and he needed to be back with her, it wouldn't feel right being there without her. 

"Give her a call and see if she's feeling better and up to coming." Qinghe offered and the older man turned on the younger one for suggesting and even more preposterous idea. Though the looks of the others seemed to back this new idea, all except Meizuo who seemed to understand that if Ximen wanted to be back with Yingyue he should be. Though reluctantly Ximen gave in and found himself hovering over her ID on his phone. He clicked the call button and listened to it ring. It was nearly on the fourth ring and he hoped she wouldn't answer so he could go back to her.

"Xi? Hello?" He could hear Yingyue's voice through the phone and felt himself let out a little sigh, he was happy she had answered in one way for that meant she wasn't in the worst state possible, but it also meant she would be able to tell him to go with the others. 

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He questioned his voice possibly the softest some of the newer people to their little group had ever heard. 

"I'm feeling a little better the rooms not spinning all the time anymore. I've just had the second lot of medication Auntie E got for me. Is everything okay?" Her voice called back and he could hear it sounded stronger than it had that morning which was a good sign. 

"Everything's fine I just wanted to hear your voice." And it was true, he didn't realise just how much of a difference he would feel without her by his side. He heard her let out a little giggle from the other side of the phone before she coughed slightly.

"I missed you too my love." He could also hear Meizuo let out a laugh at his expense and found himself moving to whack his friend. He got a little signal to ask her about going to celebrate.

"Hey Ye? The others are talking about celebrating the fact that the two idiots didn't completely destroy their entire friendship. Are you feeling up to coming?" He knew she would say no and hated the fact that he had allowed himself to be peer pressured into asking her this question.

"No baby I'm not, you can go ahead and I'll wait for you here. Go and have some fun with the boys yeah? I'll be waiting for you." He could hear her trying to reassure him she would once again be fine and he could see the faces of the other young adults around him. He knew he was screwed and would have to spend the next couple hours spending time with the group when he could be watching a film with his fiancé and relaxing. If only he wasn't such a push over. 

Hours later he found himself sat at the sofa of Si's house with the group consisting of himself, Meizuo, Shancai, Lei, Qinghe and Si's elder sister Zhaung Jie. Meizuo had challenged him to a game of trying to see who's memory was better. The pair had easily fallen into the routine of calling out the mobile numbers of their ex's.

"19665367891" He pronounced proudly giving a small smirk towards Meizuo with most of the group knowing exactly who's number that is.

"Isn't that Yingyue's number?" Lei spoke confusion in his tone.

"Aren't you and Yingyue still together?" Shancai questioned and Ximen found himself letting out a laugh.

"She's my latest ex-girlfriend, she's my wife." He replied full of confidence.

"Not yet she isn't." Meizuo snorted as he spoke though bringing her back into the conversation made Ximen once again evaluate how the room felt without her present and he was once again convinced on how much he didn't like it. Though his inner monologue was interrupted by his phone ringing. He pulled it out from his trouser pocket to see her contact name flash up and the photo of them on their 1st engagement appear. 

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear, ew dude your contact for her is 'my everything' you disgust me Yan Ximen." Meizuo once again spoke and Ximen once again found himself going to hit his best friend. Ximen quickly stood from the sofa and excused himself from the room to answer his phone.

"Hey baby." He spoke as he left the room not before turning around and sending his best friend the bird. 

"Hi Xi, I was just wondering how much longer you'll be. I don't want to sound clingy but I miss you." He heard the whiney voice of Yingyue come through the phone and could feel his heart pick up in speed as he listened to her on the phone and his cheeks turn red slightly. 

"Not much longer Ye, I promise. Let me tell everyone good-bye and I'll head back yeah? Then we can cuddle hmm." Despite not being there he could tell 100% that she was smiling on the other side of the phone for he had easily agreed to going back to her. But why wouldn't he, he'd been desperate to head back to her all day.

"I haven't interrupted anything have I? I would feel really bad if I had. I just miss you and want you here." He could hear her start to question her request over the phone and found himself rushing to inform her it was anything but that. 

"No, no baby. Remember this morning I told you to call me if you needed anything. This is anything I'll be there as soon as I can. Screw the others you're my number one priority and you always will be." He reassured and found himself walking back towards the room he had just left he finished the phone call with a simple 'I love you' before entering the room.

"Everything okay mate?" It was surprisingly Qinghe who asked him this question.

"Yeah but I'm gonna head out. Yingyue's still not right and I feel horrible leaving her alone at the moment. I'll see you all come morning?" He explained before sending a wink towards Lei as a silent encouragement for the night said boy would be spending with Shancai in a room alone. 

10 minutes later he walked through the doors of the room the pair were currently inhabiting at Yingyue's parents house. Lied out on her bed was Yingyue who did in fact look much better than when he had left her that morning. Colour had returned to her face and it had looked like she had managed to have a shower at some point during the day. He quickly kicked his shoes off before clambering in beside her. She had responded almost instantly to his presence rolling so that her head was now pressed into his chest. His arms wrapped their way around her one at her waist and the other slightly further up her back and he placed a small kiss to the crown of her head. 

"How was your day" Her voice was muffled yet he could just about make out the words she had spoken. And thus he jumped into an explanation of the day, from how Si had sacrificed the game in order to ensure that no one was kicked out of Mingde, to the idea of Lei and Shancai spending the night together so they could get it on. 

"Do you think they'll actually do anything?" Once again he had to strain a little to hear what she said

"I can't see Lei doing anything with a girl that isn't Jing." Ximen replied and he could hear her hum of agreement. He knew things were still strange between the two girls since the elder had yet to reply to any of Yingyue's messages and decided to move the conversation onwards. Yet it felt like he didn't have to do too much as he continued to talk at her her breathing got deeper as she went back to sleep. 

"You know I only called you back because sleep is much better when you're here I can't wait for us to be like this every night in our own house." Was the last thing Yingyue said before he heard her let out a little snore.

"Me neither, not long now."