He's an Animal

Ying Huai sat on the small sofa, completely sleepless.
Outside was very quiet. Xie Qi Zhi walked around for a while, then retreated to his room. He didn't know what he was doing; through two doors, intermittent coughing could be heard.
Ever since Xie Qi Zhi moved in, Ying Huai often heard such sounds. Dry coughs in the morning, rapid breathing, along with late-night coughs. These sounds startled him awake from some state, suddenly reminding him that there was another person in the house.
However, Xie Qi Zhi rarely expressed his discomfort in front of others. He always appeared full of energy, making Ying Huai sometimes forget that he actually felt pain even when breathing.
Thinking of this, he stood up, walked to Xie Qi Zhi's door, knocked a few times, then turned the doorknob and entered.
Xie Qi Zhi was lying face down on the bed, swinging his legs and playing on his phone. As soon as he saw Ying Huai, he immediately scrambled up like a mouse encountering a cat, hiding his brightly lit phone behind his back.
Ying Huai didn't step in, just stood at the door and asked, "Have you taken your medicine?"
Xie Qi Zhi replied, "Not yet."
"You still had a fever this afternoon, it hasn't gone down yet." Ying Huai glanced at the thermometer on the bedside table and said, "Take your temperature again."
Xie Qi Zhi hummed, sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the thermometer, shook it a few times, then placed it under his armpit.
A mercury thermometer takes at least five minutes to measure body temperature. The phone "dinged" a few times, probably a message from Zhan Xin Jia. Xie Qi Zhi didn't dare to discuss Ying Huai in front of him, so he placed his hands on his knees, obediently like an elementary school student listening to a lecture.
Ying Huai remained standing at the door. Xie Qi Zhi gently looked up, meeting his calm gaze.
Only the bedside lamp was on in the room, the light somewhat dim. At a not-too-close, not-too-far distance, the hallway behind him was brightly lit, as if outlining a soft silhouette for his tall figure.
Xie Qi Zhi quickly lowered his head, pretending to intently stare at his wristwatch. The numbers ticked rhythmically, like his heartbeat. His heart swelled, swaying with confused emotions. Five minutes felt incredibly long.
When the time was up, Ying Huai saw Xie Qi Zhi take out the thermometer. His loose collar was pulled slightly to the right, revealing his slender, pale neck and shoulder.
"It's gone down a bit," Xie Qi Zhi said, looking at the thermometer. "Only 37.8 degrees Celsius."
Only then did Ying Huai step forward, adjust Xie Qi Zhi's crooked collar, then took the thermometer and looked at it. He placed the back of his hand on Xie Qi Zhi's forehead, saying with a hint of confusion, "Then why is it still so warm?"
Xie Qi Zhi blinked a few times, saying nothing.
Ying Huai lowered his hand, seeing Xie Qi Zhi turn his head, staring intently at the bedside lamp, as if trying to discern something special from it. Then, he scratched his cheek with a hint of guilt, his knuckles brushing past his wispy sideburns, revealing one earlobe flushed red as if it might bleed.
Ying Huai seemed to guess something, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly called out, "Qi Qi."
Xie Qi Zhi looked up: "Huh?"
Ying Huai frowned slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't. He put the thermometer back into its plastic case, placed it on the bedside table, then asked Xie Qi Zhi, "Have you eaten anything tonight?"
Xie Qi Zhi shook his head. If it weren't for Li Ye's blunt refusal and insistence on money, he would have finished dinner before coming home. Remembering Li Ye, he was about to tell Ying Huai about it, but Ying Huai spoke first: "I'll make something simple. I'll call you later."
Xie Qi Zhi blinked, smiling, "Yes, thank you, Brother Ying Huai."
Ying Huai hummed in acknowledgment, turned and walked out. After closing the door, he went to his own room first, picked up his phone, and sent a message to Xie Zhi Lan:
[I agree to your suggestion of finding a housekeeper to cook for the kid.]
Xie Qi Zhi rolled around on the bed a few times before picking up his phone and messaging Zhan Xin Jia: [He's not angry, he's cooking for me.]
Zhan Xin Jia gave a thumbs-up in praise: [So capable!]
Rewind twenty minutes. Zhan Xin Jia had sent a screenshot, asking: [Is this you?]
The text content on the screenshot was the question Xie Qi Zhi had casually sent:
[How do I confirm that the guy I like also likes me?]
Xie Qi Zhi was shocked, replying to her: [Didn't I send it to the anonymous Q&A box? How do you know it's me?]
Zhan Xin Jia: [Oh, I didn't know at first, but now I do.]
Zhan Xin Jia: [I sent a mass message to everyone, and you're the only fool who walked right into the trap.]
Xie Qi Zhi: [...]
Zhan Xin Jia: [Little Xie Qi Zhi is in love?]
Xie Qi Zhi: [I don't want to talk to you anymore.]
Zhan Xin Jia: [Then don't you want to know how to determine if the person you like likes you?]
Xie Qi Zhi: [...]
Xie Qi Zhi: [Tell me.]
Zhan Xin Jia: [Just ask directly. Don't you have a mouth to speak?]
Xie Qi Zhi: [? ]
Xie Qi Zhi: [Thank you, if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known I could speak.]
Zhan Xin Jia: [Hahaha, just kidding. If you don't tell me who you like, how can I help?]
Xie Qi Zhi: [I'm afraid I'll scare you.]
Zhan Xin Jia: [It's not that annoying You Ran, is it? [shocked