CHAPTER 66: CHAPTER 66: "MALE FRIEND?

When people are vulnerable, especially when they’re sick, their mental defenses are at their lowest.

Their willpower weakens, making it easy to rely on others for hope of relief.

If she weren’t sick, Renee wouldn’t have been hoping for Jack Yates to come see her once she got home.

She took some antipyretics and drank plenty of water, but lying in bed, she couldn’t fall asleep. Her mind was a jumble.

One moment, she felt inexplicably excited at the thought that Jack would soon arrive.

The next moment, she felt a bittersweet ache, reflecting on their current relationship, feeling deeply uncomfortable.

Soon the medication took effect, and she drifted into a doze. She didn’t know how long she slept before being awakened by the sound of her phone ringing.

She opened her eyes and picked up her phone, seeing it was Jack calling, and quickly sat up to answer: "Hello, are you here?"

Jack’s voice came from outside: "I’m here, open the door."

Renee immediately became fully awake, tossed her phone onto the bed, and rushed to the door without bothering to put on shoes.

Seeing Jack standing outside the door, all her pent-up grievances from the past two days were released without restraint in that moment.

"Jack." She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest, crying, "Jack, I’ve missed you so much."

Actually, it wasn’t that she missed Jack, but she felt so miserable—both physically and emotionally—that seeing him was like finally grabbing onto a piece of driftwood while adrift in a vast sea.

Jack couldn’t tell if her feelings were genuine or not; his heart simply melted, becoming a soft mess, as though it was about to dissolve.

He lifted Renee gently with one arm and carried her into the house.

Renee clung to his neck, her face rubbing lightly against his: "Jack, you’re so kind."

Jack carried her to the bed, feeling her forehead. It was still somewhat warm; the fever hadn’t completely subsided.

Picking up a nearby digital thermometer, he measured her temperature—it was still a low-grade fever.

Renee leaned against the bed, gazing at him softly: "I’m okay. I’ll be fine after sleeping a bit."

Jack poured her a glass of warm water and sat by the bed, helping her drink.

The plain water tasted bland to her, so after a few sips, she didn’t want more.

Jack said, "Finish it."

Renee pouted: "It doesn’t taste good. I don’t want to drink more."

Jack’s expression became stern: "Be good, finish it."

Under his intense gaze, Renee reluctantly drank the entire glass of water.

After finishing, she threw herself into Jack’s arms and cried.

Jack gently patted her back, letting her cry for a while to release her emotions, then lifted her from his embrace: "Change clothes, we’re going to the hospital for a check-up right now."

Renee clung to his arm, whining: "I’m too weak, I can’t muster any strength."

Jack turned to get her clothes, and then sat at the bedside to help her dress.

However, he was only skilled at undressing, not dressing—his movements were clumsy and awkward as he helped Renee put on her clothes.

He ended up hurting her arm, prompting her to push him away: "Enough, I’ll do it myself." She grumbled, "You’re only good at taking them off."

Jack didn’t deny it, simply responded: "Mm."

Renee gave him a reproachful look and quickly dressed herself.

Jack carried her out of the hotel and they got into the car arranged by Matthew Shaw. At the hospital, Jack carried her again to the outpatient clinic.

By the time they finished at the hospital, dawn was breaking. Jack carried her back to the hotel—though not to the one she had originally booked, but rather to the luxurious suite they used to stay in.

Renee took her medicine and continued sleeping, not waking until noon.

When she woke up, her fever had completely subsided, and she no longer felt dizzy, but her throat was still sore and she even began to cough.

Only then did Jack begin to settle accounts with her, looking at her sharply: "Who were you originally planning to call?"

Renee didn’t hide anything and answered truthfully: "I was going to call my friend, but I ended up dialing your number."

Jack squinted his eyes: "A male friend?"

Renee exclaimed: "How could that be? I was calling my best friend. She was my classmate from primary school, and we attended the same school in middle and high school. Later, her parents bought a house in Vintara, and she lives there now."

Jack said, "But you called out ’brother’."

Renee hesitated for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Her name is Sanga. In our local dialect, the first and second tones sound the same, so ’Sanga’ sounds a lot like ’brother.’"

After speaking, she supported herself with her hands on the bed, leaned her head towards Jack, and looked at him with a smile: "Are you jealous?"

Jack smirked, about to say "no," but before he could speak, Renee’s phone rang.

Renee picked it up and glanced at it, seeing an unfamiliar international number.

Her heart gave a fierce jolt, and she instinctively furrowed her eyebrows.

Jack sneered: "Answer it."

Renee didn’t dare answer, planning to hang up, but Jack took her phone and pressed the answer button.

Caleb Yates’s voice came through the phone: "Renee, have you returned home yet?"