He Teng was also relieved, thankful that the quilts in winter are thick, so Zhilan lying next to him wouldn't notice his.. typical male reaction.
In fact, He Teng was also feeling quite frustrated. Since he began his hospital stay, he had been tortured constantly. His wife was always flirting with him, and yet he couldn't touch her at all. The frustration!
Consider that they're newlyweds who gave up being vegetarians after over two decades, with Zhilan lying next to him, her hand holding onto his arm. His arm was practically her body heat. He Teng was feeling extremely thirsty, being tortured, but was also mindful of Zhilan's injured hand. He was afraid that once he got carried away, he'd forget about her hand and accidentally hurt her.
Zhilan made a sound and then tightly closed her eyes, chanting in her heart, "I can't hear it, I can't hear it..."
