Chapter 356: Chen Jianhai Has a Fever

The sound of trickling water blended with the waves, forming a modest arc in the night. With a little shake, Xiong Anping helped Xiong Shuai pull up his pants and casually continued watching the movie with him.

Xiong Shuai lay quietly on his father's chest, his bright black eyes fixed on the movie screen, and he let out a tiny yawn.

Though the distance of the stream wasn't enough to reach the nearby boat, it was clear enough for the passengers on the picnic boat behind them to see.

Soft murmurs arose from the boat behind them. Chen Jianhai, Xiao Lang, and Da Bo curiously turned to look back at the source of the noise.

"Brother, don't those two people on that boat look familiar?" Xiao Lang asked.

"They do look a bit familiar..."

Chen Jianhai squinted, using the movie's light to carefully observe the couple on the boat.

Xu Bo glanced over and said directly, "Isn't that An Xia? You two see him every day and still can't recognize him?"

"When did he get a girlfriend? I didn't hear about that..."

At these words, Chen Jianhai and Xiao Lang were taken aback.

Their gazes, like gossip reporters, fixed intensely on the girl's face.

The joyful atmosphere of watching the movie instantly turned somber.

Though they didn't want to admit it, the girl was none other than the teacher from the island school in the sundress who had asked An Xia for his contact information on the beach!

At the island's New Year bonfire party, this sundress-wearing teacher had even led the children in singing.

Now, she leaned gently on An Xia's shoulder, her face nestled softly in his neck. She looked as delicate and obedient as a little cat, occasionally lifting her head to steal a kiss on An Xia's cheek.

It was a shameless and oblivious display of love's sweetness on the sea.

Chen Jianhai and Xiao Lang's mood soured instantly.

They had all met on the beach, so how come An Xia was so lucky? Not only had the girl actively asked for his contact information, but he had also successfully gotten into a relationship!

"Hey!" Xu Bo, unable to stand it any longer, spoke disdainfully. "Can you two stop staring at other people in love? You look like perverts."

Chen Jianhai and Xiao Lang reluctantly turned their heads.

As if to add insult to injury, the pirate movie was followed by a romantic love story: "The French Chef's Affairs."

Though the name sounded questionable, it was indeed a romantic culinary love story lost in translation.

Xu Bo watched with great interest, especially when the male and female leads cooked together in the kitchen. He was itching to dive into a kitchen himself.

"Back then, Da Bo wanted to watch Explosive Chef, but you insisted on a love story," Xiao Lang complained lazily.

"Yeah," Chen Jianhai sighed from the couch, "I regret not listening to you and picking the human meat bun movie..."

The sea movie marathon continued until late into the night.

During the second movie, guests started to gradually sail back to the hotel to rest. Xiong Shuai had long fallen asleep on Xiong Anping's chest.

By the time "My Little Pony" started playing, the vast dark sea had almost emptied, leaving only Chen Jianhai's boat drifting alone, braving the sea breeze.

The night wind blew through the blanket, making Chen Jianhai's skin break out in goosebumps. In contrast, Xu Bo and Xiao Lang seemed unaffected, each holding a bucket of popcorn, engrossed in the movie.

Feeling cold and sleepy, Chen Jianhai carefully suggested, "Lang Ge, aren't you sleepy? Shall we head back to the hotel?"

"No way! I want to finish 'My Little Pony!'" Xiao Lang insisted firmly.

Tonight's marathon had three movies. After Chen Jianhai's pirate movie and Xu Bo's culinary romance, it was finally Xiao Lang's turn with his animated film. He was determined to stick it out!

"What do you think?" Chen Jianhai turned his hopeful eyes to Xu Bo.

"I find this movie quite interesting, let's watch it," Xu Bo replied earnestly.

Damn... Fine, let's watch!

Chen Jianhai didn't dare to argue further. He could only tighten the blanket around him and brace himself to watch the animated film with his friends.

As he watched, Chen Jianhai's eyelids grew heavier until he eventually collapsed onto the couch, falling into a deep sleep.

When he woke up the next day, he found himself back in the hotel bed. His nose was stuffy, his head dizzy, and he felt utterly exhausted.

His entire back ached as if someone had pinched him, causing him great discomfort.

Chen Jianhai instinctively raised his hand to touch his forehead, finding it alarmingly hot.

"Ring ring~"

The phone rang.

"Hello?" Chen Jianhai croaked, his voice hoarse and heavy with nasal congestion.

Wen Zifan's voice came through the phone, "Boss, your voice sounds hoarse. Are you sick?"

Chen Jianhai replied weakly, "I have a bit of a fever. Is something wrong?"

Wen Zifan paused for a moment before saying, "The city's approval for the public operation of Golden Jellyfish Lake has come through. Are you okay, Boss? Have you taken any medicine?"

"Mhm. Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

Chen Jianhai, feeling unbearably dizzy, ended the call and went back to sleep.

He wasn't sure how long he had been sleeping. At one point, he thought he heard knocking, but he was too weak to get up, his body drained of energy, covered in a cold sweat.

His sticky clothes clung to his body, making lying down feel like being in a furnace, roasting him with unbearable discomfort.

In a daze, as the room darkened, the soft golden glow of dusk filtered through the white curtains, casting a lonely light into the room.

It felt like he was the only person left in the world, as if he could die alone in this room without anyone noticing.

"Knock knock knock,"

The knocking came again.

"Boss, are you inside?" Wen Zifan's voice faintly reached from outside the room.

Chen Jianhai felt like he was hallucinating,

"Isn't Fan Ge supposed to be at the Langai Hotel? How could he be on the island?"

As he pondered groggily, the sound of a key being inserted into the lock followed,

and with a "bang," the door opened.

Light from the hallway spilled into the dark room,

Chen Jianhai barely managed to open his eyes to see a group of people rushing to his bedside as if mourning.

"Boss!"

"We thought you went out. We never expected you to be in the room."

Voices of surprise echoed around his bed.

Someone turned on the room lights, and the sudden brightness made Chen Jianhai feel extremely uncomfortable, prompting him to raise his arm to shield his eyes.

"Turn off the light!" Wen Zifan's voice commanded from beside the bed.

With a "click," the harsh light went out,

leaving the room lit by a soft ambient light that wasn't glaring but felt comforting.

A pair of cool hands touched his forehead.

Chen Jianhai mumbled, "You came... What about the hotel?"