Burnt

Not only was Xia feeling awful, she didn't look too hot either. Her plump lips were now pale and dry. Her radiant skin was pale and dull. Her dark under eyes were even darker than the day before.

There was no energy left in her body to cook, so she called ahead and placed an order for the kitchen in Skylight Condos to prepare a rich chicken soup for her. In the parking garage, she felt like the temperature had dropped and her teeth started to chitter.

Before she reached the lift, she saw a familiar figure waiting. His aura was strong and radiating full of charisma. She stopped in front of him, "Mr. Xue, what can I do for you?"

Her steps looked heavy and her complexion was as pale as a ghost. She even looked like she lost some weight as her cheeks weren't as full and she was ghastlier looking. "Xia Biming, what you saw the other day at the mall isn't what you think."

"It doesn't matter what I think. We have no relation; you can carry on with whomever you'd like." Xia Biming had no energy left to argue with him. "Please move, I am needing to go home right now."

"Please Biming. Please listen to me, that girl you saw me with is a like a little sister. I was serious when we had dinner the other night." Xue Changmin wasn't going home defeated today.

"Mr. Xue, you don't need to explain to me. I understand that it was just the elders pushing you. Now please go home." She tried to push him out of her way, but she barely had any strength and ended up falling onto him.

"You sure have guts, Biming. You say one thing and then do another. Now you're wanting a hug from me?" Xue Changmin caught Biming in his arms when she tried to push him and fell towards him.

He didn't get a response from her. Her body started going limp in his arm before he realized something was wrong. He flipped her so that one arm was supporting her back and her head rested on his shoulder. Her face was now pointed up at him and her eyes shut tightly.

"Biming, what's wrong? Did you get another headache?" He touched her forehead with his hand. Her head was burning! She had a fever and she was even a little wet from the rain.

He picked her up in his arms and brought him to his Maybach. He sped to her to the most reputable hospital near them. It only took fifteen minutes and Xia Biming didn't wake up yet.

The doctor informed Xue Changmin of the patient's condition. "She has a very high fever. From the looks of it, she probably got soaked by the storm last night and it didn't help that her clothes were wet from today's rain as well. Not only does she have a fever of 39.6˚ C, but she also seems to be somewhat malnourished and over exhausted."

Xue Changmin listened intently as the doctor continued to explain to him, "We did a scan on her body to make sure no other damages were made from the high fever. She should be okay as long she takes the medicine now, but her brain activities indicate that she's very stressed as well. If she keeps this up, she might burn herself out and it would be a difficult recovery."

He thanked the doctor and then made a call to the Xia Family. He informed him of the exact same thing that the doctor had told him. They were on their way and would arrive in about twenty minutes. Xia Biming was transferred to one of the nicer hospital rooms to stay.

Changmin sat in the chair near the bed and stared at her pale face. 'How could you do this to yourself? Were you not hurting, or did you push yourself on purpose?' He lightly caressed her cheek and then moved to sit on the couch to wait for her family.

He heard frantic footsteps approaching the room and stood up to go greet them. As he stood up, Mother Xia came running in. She caught sight of Xue Changmin and then ran over to Xia Biming on the hospital bed.

"Oh my sweet girl, what happened to you?" her mother grabbed her cold hand and tears started to roll out of her eyes. She then turned to Xue Changmin.

"Changmin, thank you for bringing Biming in. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't with her. Did the doctors say anything else? When will my Biming wake up?"

Xia Huanting and Father Xia then made their way into the room as well. "Mom, the doctor said she'll be okay as long as she rests and eats her medication well. She needs to watch her diet as well. He said she's not eating enough. She should wake up by tomorrow morning."

Li Wei Shu offered to stay the night with Biming and ordered the rest of the men to go home. Xue Changmin didn't want to leave but had no choice. "Mrs. Xia, I will bring you breakfast tomorrow and some soup for Biming as well. Please let the nurses know if you need anything else."

He bowed and left the two ladies in the room. He was followed out by the Xia men.

When Xue Changmin reached his villa, he took out chicken, some rich leafy greens, ginger, lemongrass, garlic and other nutritional herbs. He chopped the chicken into small bite size pieces and simmered all the ingredients in a spot at medium-low heat. In the meantime, he went to his room and took a shower before prepping the vegetables to cook breakfast for mother Xia in the morning.

He woke up at 6 am and started simmering the soup from the night before again. He wanted the chicken to be soft and tender and the broth to be filled with nutrients. He made mother Xia a rolled egg omelet, some blanched veggies, and a miso soup. He packed it all up himself and headed to the hospital in casual attire.

He reached the hospital just shy of 8 am. To his surprise, the Xia ladies were already awake and chatting when he entered the room.

"Oh Changmin, you're here so early. You beat my husband and son here." Mother Xia help Xue Changmin set his things on the table. "Look at you! You not only brought Biming here last night, but you also cooked so much food." She patted his back with praises.

"It was nothing Mrs. Xia. Here, I made this for you. Please eat up, you've been here all night as well." He pushed the dishes he made for towards her.

He then brought the bowl of soup he made for Biming to her hospital bed and set up the portable table for her. He also poured a cup of warm lemon honey tea for her.

Xia Biming was bewildered to learn that Xue Changmin brought her to the hospital last night. To be honest, her memories were a jumbled mess after she reached Skylight Condos. And now he brought her food when she was sick. 'Just what is this guy playing at?'

"Eat this Biming, I made it for you to replenish your energy. You really scared me last night. I though you were having another migraine but then you passed out." He set up her food for her and then sat next to her.

She politely thanked him and quietly ate her food. She kept her guard up around him and didn't say much.