《Fortunately, I Met You》


 Chapter 1: Dr. Cheng

    ¡°Any patient suffering from mental trauma is someone worth listening to. The primary goal of psychiatric care is not to provide patients with an unachievable state of happiness, but rather to help them build up their own patience and resolve to confront their own struggles.¡±


    ¡°Professor, does that mean that you believe that mental illnesses can¡¯t be treated?¡±


    ¡°No, quite the opposite in fact. Mental illnesses can be treated, as long as we provide these patients with sufficient patience and resolve.


    ¡°Then, professor, what if your patient ends up falling in love with you because of that?¡±


    Cheng Xi raised her head and smiled at the student who had asked the question, a young, pretty girl who immediately hid behind her neighbor upon noticing Cheng Xi¡¯s gaze.


    Cheng Xi was a psychiatrist and, at the same time, a lecturer at a medical university. Because of her age, wit, and looks, she was very popular among all the students, and her lectures every Thursday were almost always filled to maximum capacity. Of course, this meant that she also received all sorts of strange questions at the end of every lecture.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time she had been asked such a question, and so she was able to answer it handily. Smiling, she said, ¡°I think I¡¯d be very happy, because that would mean that the patient¡¯s mind is under a wonderful misconception.¡±


    Someone else followed up and asked, ¡°Professor, do you think that love is a misconception?¡±


    ¡°Rather than that, I¡¯d call it more of a temporary illusion.¡±


    ¡°Have you had such an illusion, professor?¡±


    ¡°No, because I¡¯m already old.¡±


    ¡°Boo----¡± The whole crowd of students playfully booed her comment. ¡°Pretending to be old is shameful!¡± A bold student even jokingly asked, ¡°Professor, I don¡¯t mind that you¡¯re old, so can I date you?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled as she nimbly shot back, ¡°A date in the lab as my test subject?¡±


    The student who had just asked her about dating quickly recanted with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Love between students and faculty isn¡¯t permitted. Professor, I¡¯ll do my best to work on my self-restraint.¡±


    Everyone laughed, including Cheng Xi. ¡°How regretful.¡±


    The classroom once again filled with laughter. The bell rang not too long later, signaling that it was time for the students to file out of class. While saying goodbye to her students, Cheng Xi packed up her books and teaching materials. But just as she was about to leave, she noticed a male student that was resting his head on his desk, sound asleep.


    She walked over to him, and quickly prodded him awake. The male student rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at her.


    ¡°Do you want some candy?¡± asked Cheng Xi as she extended her hand, a colorfully wrapped sweet resting on her palm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that my class made you feel so bored.¡±


    The student looked at her in a daze, as if she were a monster.


    Cheng Xi smiled, left the sweet on his desk, and stepped out of the classroom.


    While walking, she received a call. ¡°Cheng Xi, where are you?¡±


    The phone call was from Cheng Xi¡¯s own professor, Madam Cai Yi. She was both Cheng Xi¡¯s doctoral advisor and a national authority on psychiatry. After retiring, she felt restless about doing nothing, and subsequently opened up her own office and lab.


    ¡°I just finished teaching.¡±


    ¡°Good. Come to my office.¡±


    Cheng Xi left her things in her office and immediately headed over. Madam Cai¡¯s office was right next to her home, and its surroundings were the definition of natural beauty. By her office was a lake, and by the lakeside was a flock of pigeons. The surroundings were filled with vibrant shrubs and blossoms, and, even more unusually, the water itself was clear and limpid. It was truly a relaxing place to be.


    The only problem was that it was a bit far from the school, and the evening rush hour only exacerbated the long drive. By the time Cheng Xi arrived, it was already late enough that the early winter¡¯s dusk was only being held at bay by the surrounding lights.


    She pushed the door open and entered, bringing wisps of the winter cold in with her. Madam Cai¡¯s hair was streaked with gray, and her gold-rimmed glasses giving her a classic scholarly air. She was sitting on the sofa in front of her desk, talking with the young man sitting beside her.


    Upon hearing Cheng Xi enter, both people looked over at Cheng Xi. Madam Cai smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re here already? It¡¯s cold outside, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Cheng Xi cheerily replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine, just a little windy.¡±


    The two made small talk as Madam Cai motioned for Cheng Xi to sit by her side. She pointed at the young man and introduced the two, saying, ¡°This is the CEO of Donglai, Lu Chenzhou, or Director Lu.¡± And to Lu Chenzhou, she said, ¡°This is the young, pretty, and creative Dr. Cheng that I¡¯ve been telling you so much about.¡±


    Cheng Xi knew of Donglai, a large drug manufacturer; many of Madam Cai¡¯s projects were supported by the company.


    She just hadn¡¯t expected their CEO to be so young. He was a relatively handsome man, and probably not even thirty yet.


    However, Cheng Xi¡¯s first impression of Lu Chenzhou was not only that he was young and handsome, but also cold and aloof. When their gazes met, it was as if she were but a speck of dust in his eyes.


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 2: Mr. Lu

    Having seen all sorts of patients, Cheng Xiwas very tolerant towards people with slightly unusual behavior, and didn¡¯t mind his demeanor that much. Since her teacher had introduced her, she smiled and greeted, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou kept staring at her, his forehead slowly creasing. ¡°You only have one dimple?¡±


    Cheng Xi, slightly baffled, automatically replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How ugly!¡±


    This unexpected evaluation left Cheng Xi speechless. Cai Yi also looked on blankly for a moment before laughing heartily. ¡°Your students would probably cry if they ever heard that someone evaluated a professor renowned for her beauty as ugly, haha.¡±


    She laughed so happily that Cheng Xi felt a bit exasperated, and she said to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disgusting you with my ugliness. Do you want me to cover up that side of my face?¡±


    This sparked another bout of laughter from Cai Yi, but it was as if Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t sense the humor in her tone. He expressionlessly looked down at his watch. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Cai Yi wiped the tears of laughter off of her face. ¡°Your grandparents aren¡¯t here yet.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re late. Do we need to wait for them?¡± Lu Chenzhou responded indifferently, his voice detached.


    Cheng Xi had some more time to look at him now. Lu Chenzhou was indeed expressionless, his handsome face as apathetic as still water.


    She raised her eyebrows slightly upon seeing that Cai Yi was blinking rapidly at her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°To get food with us.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Cheng Xi helped her teacher up, and then followed along somewhat confusedly.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents never showed up, so it was only the three of them at the dining table. Lu Chenzhou was reticent, and it was mainly Cheng Xi and Cai Yi doing the talking during the meal.


    But just as the waiter served the last fruit platter, he did say something. ¡°Remove it.¡±


    The waiter hesitated, and Cheng Xi and Cai Yi stopped talking.


    Lu Chenzhou pointed at the platter a little impatiently. ¡°What are you thinking, plating the fruit in such an ugly fashion?¡±


    The waiter, Cai Yi, and Cheng Xi all looked at the platter. Quite honestly, the fruit platter was plated beautifully, with care and precision. The platter consisted of half a honeydew carved into the shape of a flower, which was then filled with a variety of vibrant fruits; it was a natural piece of art.


    But Cheng Xi quickly noticed that on that platter was a lopsided cherry tomato, the likely reason for Lu Chenzhou¡¯s distaste.


    As expected, this person has a very serious form of OCD.


    Cai Yi did not seem to find his behavior unusual, and waved at the waiter with a smile. ¡°Take it away, will you?¡± And, as if nothing had happened, she turned to Cheng Xi. ¡°Keep talking about that patient from just now.¡±


    Cheng Xi continued explaining, ¡°Her family invited a spirit medium to purge all the ghosts from their house, claiming that she must have been possessed. During the ritual, the girl was badly scared, and in her panic, accidentally killed her grandmother. When I saw her during my daily rotations, her condition had already reached a very severe state; she firmly believed that someone had cut her head off, and that she was a headless corpse.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at Cheng Xi after she finished talking. It was perhaps the first time he had directly looked at her after having commented on her lone dimple.


    Cheng Xi was talking about one of the patients currently in her care, one with a serious case of Cotard¡¯s syndrome, colloquially known as the walking corpse syndrome.


    Cai Yi responded, ¡°This is truly a classic case of Cotard¡¯s syndrome. It¡¯s a very rare illness in this country. How do you plan on tackling it?¡±


    But before Cheng Xi could respond, Cai Yi¡¯s phone rang. Cheng Xi heard her say a few words into the phone, before saying to the group, ¡°Something urgent came up at the office, I have to go.¡±


    Cai Yi stood up. ¡°Let me walk you outside.¡±


    As a doctor, there were always sudden, unexpected situations, especially in the psychiatry department¡ªwhen patients¡¯ illnesses flared up, most people wouldn¡¯t be able to handle them. Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t bothered by Cai Yi¡¯s sudden departure, only thinking about how she might be able to help out.


    But Cai Yi stopped her. ¡°It¡¯s fine, my assistant is coming to fetch me, and there are enough people on the scene already. You should stay here and enjoy a nice meal with Director Lu.¡± She then looked over at Lu Chenzhou. ¡°You¡¯ll help me take care of Cheng Xi, won¡¯t you?¡±


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 Chapter 3: Oh, it’s a Date?

    Lu Chenzhou, indifferent as usual, replied, ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    Cai Yi smiled and patted Cheng Xi¡¯s hand. Before long, Cai Yi¡¯s assistant had arrived, and Cheng Xi was walking Cai Yi to the door. By the time she returned, Lu Chenzhou had already put down his chopsticks. ¡°Are you full?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded.


    Cheng Xi retrieved her jacket that was draped on a nearby chair. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go as well.¡±


    She kept thinking about what Cai Yi had mentioned. In general, patients that could alarm even her teacher were quite remarkable, and she very much wanted to observe her teacher in action.


    However, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t move. His distant gaze, as if covered in a thin layer of frost, landed on her face. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re really quite unaware,¡± he sneered. ¡°Did you think that your teacher really had an emergency? Or why my grandparents said that they would come, but never showed up?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Their actions were all premeditated.¡±


    ¡°Premeditated?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°How on earth did you become a psychiatrist? This is a blind date in disguise. Could you really not tell?¡±


    Cheng Xi was at a loss for words.


    She coughed violently to break the awkwardness. ¡°Hem hem, I didn¡¯t know.¡± She had thought that the reason behind her teacher introducing Lu Chenzhou to her was for something important, like helping her raise funds for a grant she was writing.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face remained expressionless, and Cheng Xi felt a bit embarrassed. ¡°Sorry, I really didn¡¯t notice Professor Cai¡¯s plan.¡± Cai Yi had been single her entire life, so Cheng Xi had never imagined that she would try to be a matchmaker for her.


    Lu Chenzhou snorted lightly. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± His knuckles rapped on the table as he continued, ¡°You still haven¡¯t mentioned how you planned to deal with that patient of yours.¡±


    It seemed like he had really taken an interest in the subject. Cheng Xi thought for a bit, sat down again, and started outlining her rough plan. ¡°Patients suffering from Cotard¡¯s syndrome generally find social interaction difficult, but can often be savants in their personal areas of interest. I¡¯d like to have her start doing personally interesting activities. That way, she can immerse herself in her fantasies and I can slowly help her accept reality using her fantasies as a medium.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have imagined that you would start by restraining her or locking her up.¡±


    ¡°Unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary, I don¡¯t support severely restricting patients in general.¡±


    ¡°How confident are you of curing her?¡±


    ¡°Doctors can only be fully confident in patients who firmly aim to get better.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou remained silent for a while, before finally asking her, ¡°Would you sleep with one of your patients?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Cheng Xi didn¡¯t understand.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone was as tepid as if he were discussing the weather. ¡°What if you accidentally got into bed with your patients?¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°But what if it happened?¡± Lu Chenzhou was unexpectedly insistent on this point, and looked at her intently. ¡°Would you continue treating him?¡±


    Cheng Xi was unable to follow his logic, and was still confused at how the subject had suddenly changed from a patient suffering from Cotard¡¯s syndrome to a patient getting into bed with their doctor. But she could see what kind of answer Lu Chenzhou wanted, so she responded, ¡°No.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou laughed lightly. This was the first time Cheng Xi had ever seen him laugh. His lips curved slightly up and his eyes were without any sense of warmth, but his mien had an unexpectedly handsome coolness.


    After that, Cheng Xi ate dinner patiently. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s behavior seemed similar to that of a robot with a pre-programmed routine: he wouldn¡¯t do anything else before finishing a given task.


    For example, with regards to this blind date that seemed unfathomable to Cheng Xi, Lu Chenzhou instead seemed determined to check all the boxes. Once the duo left the restaurant, Lu Chenzhou said, ¡°Next in the schedule is watching a movie, taking a walk, or drinking at a bar. Which do you want to do?¡±


    His businesslike tone left Cheng Xi¡¯s lips twitching. ¡°...¡­can I skip all of those activities?¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go drinking.¡± His matter-of-fact tone had already made the decision for her. Snapping his fingers, Lu Chenzhou signalled an approaching taxi to stop. He pulled the door open, waiting for Cheng Xi to get in.


    This series of actions was really quite smooth, Cheng Xi noted silently.


    She hesitated for only a few seconds before getting into the car. Reflecting upon it later, Cheng Xi dismissed her actions as the occupational habit of a doctor: Lu Chenzhou¡¯s actions dripped with oddities, and such oddities boasted a near-instinctual attraction for psychiatrists.


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 Chapter 4: My Partner

    Despite saying that they were going to a bar to drink, Lu Chenzhou instead brought Cheng Xi to Phoenix Stage, a famous local nightclub. He was on his phone inviting people all throughout the drive, so by the time they arrived, the private room was already filled to the brim.


    Upon seeing their arrival, those people all stood up and greeted Lu Chenzhou. Some called him Director Lu, some as Chief, and some, like Cai Yi, simply as Zhou. But without exception, everyone noticed Cheng Xi, who was standing behind Lu Chenzhou. Someone who seemed to be on very good terms with Lu Chenzhou even directly asked, ¡°Who¡¯s this young lass?¡±


    ¡°My partner.¡±


    The room fell quiet, and Cheng Xi almost tripped over her own feet. She stumbled, only regaining her balance after grabbing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s sleeves.


    Her fingers even accidentally brushed over his hand, and the warmth of his skin caused her heart to skip a beat. As she lifted her head, she saw that everyone¡¯s gaze was focused on her hand, which was still holding on to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s sleeve. Her fingers were fair and delicate, but who knew whether the germophobic Mr. Lu would suddenly become infuriated and cut her hand off.


    Somewhat discomfited by all the attention, Cheng Xi silently withdrew her hand, patted Lu Chenzhou¡¯s sleeves down, and pretended that nothing had happened. ¡°Mr. Lu¡¯s just joking. My name¡¯s Cheng Xi, and I¡¯m a doctor.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t refute her, merely looking at her once before taking his jacket off.


    The room was a little warm. Meanwhile, Cheng Xi tried to convince herself that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s behavior wasn¡¯t because he resented her for wrinkling his sleeve.


    But the truth was that he did, because he immediately threw the jacket at her. ¡°Return it to me after you¡¯ve washed it.¡±


    Cheng Xi was left speechless once again.


    Was this a form of selective germophobia? Where he can have lunch outside, but not bear someone else¡¯s touch?


    Lu Chenzhou turned and walked away as Cheng Xi was busy diagnosing Lu Chenzhou in her mind. The man who had just asked her who she was smiled at her. ¡°Hi, Doctor, I¡¯m Xu Po, one of Zhou¡¯s friends.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded at him. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Sit here.¡± The man called Xu Po led Cheng Xi over to a seat, directly next to Lu Chenzhou. Cheng Xi made sure to stay as far away from him as possible this time.


    The atmosphere in the private room quickly grew rowdy again, the young men and women clumping together as they sang karaoke. Next to Cheng Xi, Xu Po asked Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Zhou, what do you want to play tonight?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou lounged on the sofa as he looked at the singing people with a supercilious look on his face. He pointed at Cheng Xi and said, ¡°Whatever, as long as you take care of her.¡±


    Xu Po smiled. ¡°Are you trying to let your partner see what your world¡¯s like?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou reiterated, ¡°Anything¡¯s fine.¡±


    Xu Po, still smiling, turned to look at Cheng Xi. ¡°What do you want to play, Doctor?¡±


    Cheng Xi actually didn¡¯t want to play anything. She didn¡¯t enjoy partying, and almost never thought of drinking, going to bars, or singing karaoke. But since she was already here, when Xu Po asked her, she also replied, ¡°Anything¡¯s fine.¡±


    Her answer was really quite careless, and was something she would regret countless times in the future. But she had no choice: that was the unfortunate answer she had given.


    And so Xu Po called a bunch of people over to play a simple game of guessing dice with her. To Cheng Xi, this wasn¡¯t anything challenging, but the key point was that she hadn¡¯t played before. This meant that before she could fully grasp the trick behind the game, she had lost, and was subsequently forced to drink some alcohol.


    The alcohol consisted of a vibrant liquid in a beautiful glass cup, on top of which faint flames were dancing. Before this, Cheng Xi had never drunk any liquor but beer, being both a studious and obedient girl.


    She didn¡¯t know how strong this alcoholic drink was, and she didn¡¯t think much of it upon seeing its beautiful appearance, and so she downed it in one gulp.


    Then, she collapsed.


    An almost instantaneous collapse, right as she finished the alcohol.


    The last thing she remembered was the man called Xu Po exclaiming beside her, ¡°Damn, is her tolerance that low?¡±


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 Chapter 5: One-night Stand

    When she awoke, Cheng Xi found herself lying in a strange place, with a strange man sleeping by her side.


    The man¡¯s back was facing her. From her angle, all she could see was his smoothly cut short hair and his slender back.


    Yes, the man was naked¡ªat least, his upper body was.


    Cheng Xi looked down at herself. Very good, she was almost naked too. A thin undershirt on her upper body, and underwear covering her lower body. She could see the rest of her clothes flung recklessly about the room. The jeans she had worn yesterday were lying haphazardly on the tatami mat by the window, as if publicizing the roughness, or rather, the raw desire of the person who had taken them off.


    The curtains weren¡¯t completely shut; a ray of light was shining through a small crack.


    She sat up, rubbing her swollen forehead. The man woke up almost as she moved. As he turned around, he revealed a youthful face, quite handsome, with robust facial features, a piercing gaze, and a cool, indifferent mien.


    It wasn¡¯t quite appropriate to call him a stranger. At the very least, they had met yesterday.


    To sleep together right after meeting¡­ Cheng Xi rubbed her forehead.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression remained as insouciant as ever, his gaze roaming over her body that was currently covered by a blanket. ¡°You climbed into my bed yourself last night.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s lips twitched as she replied, ¡°I climbed into your bed?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± The man did not seem able to bear her asymmetrically dimpled face. After resting his head on his hands and making that one sound, he offered no further explanation.


    She looked at him, somewhat expressionlessly, but her inner self was close to falling apart¡ª after all, she couldn¡¯t remember last night, and had absolutely no impression of climbing into his bed like he said! Of course, this wasn¡¯t strictly true¡ªat the very least, she remembered that her curiosity had caused her to follow Lu Chenzhou into Phoenix Stage, play a game with the crowd there, and then be forced to drink a colorful glass of alcohol as a penalty.


    And after that? No clue.


    But even while knowing nothing, she strongly suspected the veracity of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words. Now, however, wasn¡¯t the time to probe for the truth; as they were half-naked and lying in bed, anything they said would feel somewhat strange. She averted her gaze, bent over to pick up her coat lying beneath the bed, covered herself up with a blanket, quickly put the coat on, and then got out of bed.


    Wrapping her coat tightly about herself, Cheng Xi industriously pretended that nothing unusual had happened. She picked up the rest of her clothes and entered the bathroom. During this whole ordeal, Lu Chenzhou had just lain in bed quietly, eyes closed.


    Only when she was about to enter the bathroom did the man behind her speak. ¡°Do you want to go again after you¡¯ve cleaned yourself?¡± His tone wasn¡¯t inviting, and was still that same casual tone that one would use to discuss the weather. ¡°I¡¯ve got great technique. Perhaps you didn¡¯t feel it last night, as drunk as you were.¡±


    Cheng Xi almost tripped over her feet again, and her response was a quick ¡°Bang!¡± from slamming the bathroom door shut.


    When Cheng Xi got out, Lu Chenzhou had shifted to a different pose. He was now lying on his side and facing the bathroom directly. ¡°Already dressed?¡± he asked indifferently. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to consider my earlier proposition?¡±


    This was perhaps the strangest invitation that Cheng Xi had ever heard, because his tone was so indifferent that it made her want to smack him.


    After a moment¡¯s pause, Cheng Xi turned sharply on her heels, walked to the side of the bed, and leaned over slightly to look at him.


    He impassively looked back at her, his gaze dark like the ocean waves in the eye of the storm, deep and profound, cool and resolute.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s appearance was really quite compelling; at the very least, Cheng Xi had never seen anyone who looked better than he did. Of course, perhaps it was his aloof nature that made Cheng Xi feel that way.


    She extended her hand, her fingertip lightly touching his lips. ¡±Are you serious?¡±


    The alcohol had left her voice with a note of hoarseness, unexpectedly adding a dash of sexuality.


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 Chapter 6: It’s Your Trea

    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face remained expressionless, but Cheng Xi saw goosebumps rapidly climb up his neck.


    Cheng Xi laughed. In the bathroom, she had seen the many bruises on her body, including an especially large one on her thigh. For a couple minutes, she had really thought that she had experienced a wild night with Lu Chenzhou. But seeing his reaction now, she could silently breathe a sigh of relief.


    Given his germophobic nature that wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to even touch him, how could he let a stranger like her climb into his bed?


    She didn¡¯t want to expose him. Although she didn¡¯t know what his intentions were, it was clear that he didn¡¯t want to have a regular doctor-patient relationship with her and needed such a veneer to cover up their relationship. Cheng Xi would reluctantly accommodate his whims, as long as she didn¡¯t suffer any losses from doing so.


    But some retaliation was surely necessary. Just as Lu Chenzhou was reaching the limits of his endurance, Cheng Xi let him off the hook. She turned around to pick up her handbag from the floor, took out her wallet, and asked, without raising her head, ¡°How much money do I owe you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Cheng Xi turned around and laughed. With her one-sided dimple half-showing, her visage was unexpectedly beautiful. ¡°Thanks for your ¡®patronage¡¯ last night. What I mean is, including the taxi fee and lodgings, how much do I owe you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou finally understood. ¡°You¡¯re treating me like a prostitute?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± Of course, whatever he thought was up to him.


    Cheng Xi took out all the cash from her wallet that she had just withdrawn yesterday and left it on the table, 2,000 yuan in total. ¡°If this isn¡¯t enough, you can call me.¡± She lowered her head, wrote her phone number down on the message pad on the table, and summarily turned around to leave.


    ¡°Hey!¡± the man called after her. He kicked off the blankets, revealing a fair and slender chest, coupled with faintly showing abs.


    Cheng Xi stopped, her gaze landing by the bedsheets next to his feet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that this is rather cold of you?¡± he spoke in a robotic tone. Even as he looked at her, it was as if he were reciting lines from a script. ¡°At the very least, we were a couple for a single night.¡±


    Cheng Xi almost wanted to laugh, as a way of letting him know that he shouldn¡¯t try to pick up girls if he didn¡¯t have the skill for it, as doing so made his actions seemed ludicrous. Sighing, she said, ¡°Mr. Lu, perhaps you¡¯ve forgotten that I¡¯m a doctor.¡±


    He paused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Meaning, I can examine my body to understand what I¡¯ve experienced.¡±


    This was nonsense; if she were to base her judgment solely on how her body felt and the state of her bruises, she was hardly able to make such an analysis. However, she didn¡¯t want to reveal that her judgment was solely based on her psychiatrist¡¯s instinct.


    Lu Chenzhou, however, didn¡¯t seem to have thought of this, and was now glaring at her somewhat unrepentantly.


    Cheng Xi was worried that he would rashly grab her and actually force her into bed with him, but luckily he made no further abnormal movements.


    After leaving the room, Cheng Xi let out a deep breath that she had been holding onto for a while. She walked calmly out of the hotel, and after she exited, she found an isolated corner where she could bang her head against the wall in private.


    Why on earth was her alcohol tolerance so poor?!


    And what in the world was that fellow trying to do, pretending that they had had a one-night stand after she got drunk? She couldn¡¯t accept such a clichd plotline that sounded like it came straight out of some vulgar novel!


    After spending a significant amount of time shoring up her mental state, she finally calmed down enough to take her phone out of her handbag. She had a few missed calls, some from her parents, some from her elder brother, and some from her teacher, Cai Yi.


    Cheng Xi called each of them in turn to assure her family members that she was alright before finally calling Cai Yi, who asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you go home last night?¡±


    ¡°No, something came up, so I didn¡¯t go back home. Were you looking for me for some reason last night, Professor?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that your parents called me after they couldn¡¯t reach you. Right, what did you think of Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    Was she actually trying to play matchmaker? Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t believe that Cai Yi would have time for such an inane thing. ¡°Emotional detachment¡ªthat Mr. Lu has a physiological inability to feel emotions, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, an accurate diagnosis.¡± Cai Yi smiled with praise.


    Cheng Xi was momentarily stunned. ¡°He¡¯s really suffering from that?¡± She had made that diagnosis up. Recently, she had looked at some medical case studies of patients who had an inability to feel emotions; during her interactions with Lu Chenzhou, she had noticed that he seemed to exhibit some of those symptoms and had proposed it on a whim as an outlandish hypothesis.


    ¡°Yes, really. But his situation is a bit special. With regards to how, you¡¯ll just have to find out after you interact more with him. I won¡¯t tell you now so as not to impair your professional judgment.¡±


    Cheng Xi remained silent, and her teacher continued, ¡°His entire family didn¡¯t realize that this was an illness until now, mainly because Lu Chenzhou still doesn¡¯t have a partner even though he¡¯s already thirty. His grandparents found me, and hoped that I could find a solution to their problems. Cheng Xi, Donglai is a major partner and sponsor of my laboratory, and Lu Chenzhou is like a dear child to me. Since we¡¯re so familiar with each other, I¡¯m unable to have a proper doctor-patient relationship with him. Thus, I¡¯m hoping that you can help me in this regard.¡±


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 Chapter 7: Would You Get in Bed with Your Patient?

    Since it was November, the weather was very cold. Even though Cheng Xi had a thick layer of clothing on, she was still sneezing fiercely.


    Even though she was clutching her arms and shivering, goosebumps were all over her body as she called a taxi and got into it. The driver noticed her plight from his rearview mirror and asked if he should turn the heater on for her.


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but glance back. The words ¡°Donglai Grand Hotel¡± shone clearly in the morning light.


    She finally recognized where she was¡ªin Nan¡¯an, far from Phoenix Stage, the nightclub where she had been partying last night, and farther still from her home.


    She rarely ever came to this area, so despite being a local, she found the surroundings unfamiliar.


    ¡°Please make the next left turn and go to Phoenix Stage.¡± After finally seeing a familiar landmark, Cheng Xi gave some instructions to the taxi driver.


    ¡°At this time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The driver looked at her with a funny expression, then smiled and asked, ¡°Do you work there?¡±


    Cheng Xi, stone-faced, replied, ¡°No.¡±


    The driver chuckled, decided not to say anything else, and turned left ahead.


    Cheng Xi took out her phone and googled ¡®Donglai.¡¯ Only one piece of news mentioned Lu Chenzhou, and even that was a year old. All it said was that Donglai was to be passed down from father to son, with Lu Chenzhou taking over and becoming its new CEO.


    The rest of the many news articles dealt almost exclusively with Donglai¡¯s corporate expansion plan. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t read these articles, as she was not interested in such matters.


    It was indeed quite early. They reached Phoenix Stage right around 9 AM, but the doors were already open, and a worker was cleaning the floors. Cheng Xi walked in and found the manager. ¡°I left my handbag here last night. Could you let me check the security cameras?¡±


    The manager was on guard towards her request and perfunctorily replied, ¡°Which room were you in? I apologize, but under normal circumstances, we¡¯re not allowed to let customers look through the security footage.¡±


    Cheng Xi reported the room number. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in anything else except for the footage near the exit. My handbag has some very important information that I need to reclaim, so could you please help me out?¡±


    The manager thought for a while before replying, ¡°Would it be fine if you stated the approximate time at which you lost your bag? That way, we can review the security footage for you.¡±


    No matter what Cheng Xi said, the manager seemed reluctant to agree, and he was even starting to suspect her true motives. Exasperated and helpless, she suddenly thought of name-dropping Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Do I need to have Mr. Lu talk to you, then?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lu?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lu Chenzhou. My missing handbag has his documents inside.¡±


    The manager looked at her suspiciously before finally giving in. ¡°Please wait here.¡± He turned and went into the office, most likely to talk to his boss. After a while, he returned and brought Cheng Xi in to look at the security footage.


    The footage had no audio. At 11:18 PM, she saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s driver lift her out of the private room. Lu Chenzhou walked by his driver¡¯s side, and the three of them left directly by car.


    Throughout the whole process, no other people entered or exited the room.


    11:18 PM---it shouldn¡¯t have been more than half an hour since Cheng Xi had first entered the room. Additionally, the time she had been drunk was far shorter. Within that period of time, then, nothing much could have happened.


    So, Cheng Xi was quite certain that, last night, not long after she had gotten drunk, Lu Chenzhou had brought her away to Donglai Hotel.


    As for his motives.... she suddenly remembered a question that Lu Chenzhou had asked her. ¡°Would you get in bed with your patients?¡±


    Then, she had replied ¡®no.¡¯


    As she remembered this, Cheng Xi laughed softly.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 8: Reunion

    After leaving Phoenix Stage, Cheng Xi returned home, took a bath, and changed her clothes. After refreshing herself, she arrived at the hospital at 11 AM sharp. She had a lunch meeting, and then, for the rest of the afternoon, was on duty at the psychiatry division.


    Cai Yi had sent her a few documents related to Lu Chenzhou. Cheng Xi flipped through them briefly and found that the recorded information was quite straightforward: the Lu household was a family of merchants and businessmen, rich and affluent. Their family tree was simple: Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father was an only son, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother had died in his youth due to an accident. Thus, the Lu household, beyond Lu Chenzhou himself and his grandparents, consisted solely of his father and his younger brother Lu Chenming.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s life was no different from that of an ordinary nouveau riche, whether in terms of his birth, education, and grades, nothing was particularly prominent, good or bad. He had left the country at eighteen before returning to Donglai at twenty-four to take charge of a project to build the country¡¯s first aquatic sci-fi themed hotel, the Donglai Hotel. And finally, he formally took over at Donglai at thirty years old.


    The Lu family did not have a history of mental illness, and the reason for and when Lu Chenzhou had been stricken by illness were both unclear. According to his family, Lu Chenzhou had been introverted from youth, but had displayed no unusual symptoms beyond being somewhat indifferent to others.


    Even when Cai Yi had met him for the first time, she didn¡¯t think that he was suffering from emotional detachment, only that his disposition was unusually calm.


    Cheng Xi could empathize with her teacher¡¯s ¡®misdiagnosis.¡¯ Many people in the modern world suffered from emotional detachment, only to varying degrees. From Lu Chenzhou¡¯s behavior, Cheng Xi guessed that he already knew that he was suffering from such an illness, and that it was also the real reason why Cai Yi had introduced her to him. Had he been pretending to treat their introduction as a blind date and then brought her to Phoenix Stage to embarrass her and force her retreat voluntarily?


    Mm, he was a surprisingly logical patient, but his methods were overly simple and rough. Given his upbringing and decisiveness as a businessman, such a series of actions didn¡¯t seem to suit his personality or habits. So, there must have been another reason why he would deliberately stage a one-night stand besides not wanting treatment from her.


    Cheng Xi was unable to even guess at what Lu Chenzhou¡¯s other goals might be. She knew far too little about him, even after she had carefully perused the patient file that Cai Yi had sent her again.


    She decided to let it be for now, disregarding the issue of whether Lu Chenzhou¡¯s actions were premeditated or a result of his illness. She had no way of knowing that her next meeting with him would come so quickly.


    On Saturday, Cheng Xi¡¯s high school classmate Shen Wei got married.


    Cheng Xi had studied medicine all the way up from the postgraduate level. Most of her classmates had long since gotten married and had children, and even delaying marriage till Shen Wei¡¯s age was already considered late. As for Cheng Xi herself¡­... according to a classmate of hers, she was destined to be a model example of someone who married late and had children even later.


    This was because she had never expressed any interest in falling in love or finding a man.


    Shen Wei¡¯s wedding was at the city¡¯s most luxurious double five-star hotel, Yunding Hotel. By the time Cheng Xi arrived, the wedding was just about to begin, with Shen Wei and her bridegroom standing at the door to welcome guests.


    Cheng Xi smiled and walked forward, hugging her. ¡°Congratulations on your marriage, and may it last for a hundred years.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Shen Wei smiled, gaze sweeping over her face as she tersely commented, ¡°You¡¯re late.¡±


    ¡°A few things delayed me, but I¡¯m not too late, right?¡± Cheng Xi said that as she turned toward the bridegroom. ¡°Congratulations.¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s bridegroom¡¯s surname was Fu, reportedly also the son of some company¡¯s CEO, and naturally a member of an affluent household. But Shen Wei herself was also outstanding, with a good pedigree, good looks, and good personal ability; the two were well-matched in all respects.


    The bridegroom, Fu Mingyi, was very polite. He smiled and thanked her. ¡°Thank you for keeping Weiwei company. It¡¯s really helped abate her recent anxiety.¡±


    Shen Wei had a slight phobia against marriage, and Cheng Xi and a few other classmates had kept her company during a few rough times.


    Cheng Xi smiled, but Shen Wei clearly didn¡¯t like his mentioning this matter, and she poutingly complained, ¡°Why would I worry? Should I be afraid that you won¡¯t treat me well?¡±


    Hearing this, the bridegroom responded somewhat begrudgingly, ¡°Who else would I treat well except for you?¡±


    Shen Wei poked him bashfully as her face radiated happiness, and then grabbed Cheng Xi¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Sign in at the guestbook, and then go upstairs. Rou and the others are all waiting for you.¡±


    Rou¡¯s full name was Tian Rou. She was another one of Cheng Xi¡¯s high school classmates, and she was the one who¡¯d said that Cheng Xi would be a model example of marrying late and having children even later. Cheng Xi signed in and went upstairs, expecting to receive a warm hug from Rou. But when she found her classmates¡¯ table, no one, Tian Rou included, paid any attention to her.


    Even Cheng Xi herself, when she saw the man sitting at the other end of the table, was slightly taken aback.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 9: The Peerless Duo

    A male classmate noticed her first, and subsequently waved at her. ¡°Ah, Cheng Xi¡¯s here.¡± He motioned toward a seat by his side. ¡°Sit here with us. We left a seat open just for you.¡±


    The others at the table turned around, looking at her. Normally, they acted like lascivious wolves, but on this occasion, they were reserved and smiling. ¡°You¡¯re here, Cheng Xi?¡±


    Rou hissed at her, ¡°Come join us instead. That¡¯s a den of wolves, don¡¯t go there.¡±


    She hollered to the people at her table and finally cleared out a seat next to her for Cheng Xi. Cheng Xi had just sat down when she heard a mellow, gentle voice call out, ¡°Long time no see, Cheng Xi.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart thumped. She sucked in a slight breath, and looked directly at him. ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember me?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Lin Fan makes it sound as if Cheng Xi¡¯s memory is quite poor, despite her being one of the top students in our class. She scored full marks on history and geography just by studying casually!¡±


    ¡°Lin Fan¡¯s a top student himself. Remember when they were hailed as the peerless duo?¡±


    Cheng Xi was struck speechless upon hearing these comments. ¡°Was there anyone in our class who wasn¡¯t good at studying?¡±


    ¡°Not half as good as you!¡±


    Everyone began reminiscing about old times. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t join in, and instead pulled at Rou¡¯s hand to get her attention. ¡°Why are you all acting like this today?¡±


    She was quite unsettled by how well-behaved everyone was acting.


    Tian Rou looked at Cheng Xi, her face clearly indicating that she¡¯d remain single for the rest of her life if she remained this clueless. ¡°My male idol is here; how long has it been since I last saw him? I have to leave him with a good expression.¡±


    Soon, Cheng Xi received a text. She looked at her phone and found that it was from Rou, who was¡­... sitting next to her. ¡°This is something that only happens in dramas, right? Having a reunion with my crush after a long period of separation, followed by us discovering a blazing passion for each other, and ultimately reconciling, right?¡±


    Cheng Xi ducked her head. Tian Rou covered her face with a teacup, smiling at her devilishly.


    Cheng Xi coughed lightly when she heard someone ask, ¡°Lin Fan, were you abroad all these years?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°All this time? Were you studying over there?¡±


    ¡°No, I studied for a few years and then worked for a few years after that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, work, huh? What business? Given your capabilities, definitely a Fortune 500 company.¡±


    Lin Fan, smiling, replied, ¡°Unfortunately not. But before I returned, I quit my job.¡±


    ¡°Quit¡ªyou¡¯re not planning on returning?¡±


    ¡°No. My mom¡¯s health is deteriorating, and I need to stay here to take good care of her.¡±


    Upon hearing this exchange, Cheng Xi smiled. At this point, Lin Fan suddenly looked toward her, asking, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re now Dr. Cheng?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded.


    ¡°Wonderful, you really did manage to fulfill your dreams.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s eyelashes trembled as she recalled the past. He had once asked her, ¡°Cheng Xi, what are your dreams?¡±


    ¡°To become a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because of my grandma.¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s parents operated a diner and worked late hours, so Cheng Xi and her elder brother had been brought up by their grandmother. Cheng Xi¡¯s grandmother was a classic housewife: kind, gentle, and maidenly. However, she had led an unlucky life by marrying a man as cantankerous and bad-tempered as her grandfather. While she was in middle school, her grandmother had gone mad from the oppressive, long-term mental strain. From then on, Cheng Xi¡¯s dreams were to become a doctor, and, in particular, a psychiatrist.


    Lin Fan was very envious of her clear answer. His high school life had been very difficult, their third year in particular. During that period of time, he would constantly ask her, ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of studying so hard? What can we do even if we get into a good university?¡±


    He used to be clad in gloom and despair.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 10: Male Idol

    Now, he probably wouldn¡¯t ask the same type of question. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know how to answer his question either; luckily, there were other classmates around ready to interject themselves into the conversation. ¡°Right, Lin Fan, if your mother¡¯s not doing too well, you should talk to Cheng Xi! She works at Renyi Hospital, and helping you expedite her treatment shouldn¡¯t be too inconvenient for her.¡±


    Renyi was one of the best hospitals in the south, and it was famed for how difficult it was to have an appointment there.


    Lin Fan asked, ¡°Would you be willing to do that?¡±


    Given her classmates¡¯ reassurances, Cheng Xi could only reply, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not a problem, but I work in the psychiatry department and don¡¯t really know any other people from the other departments. So, I¡¯m not sure how much help I can be.¡±


    Her classmates, again reiterated, ¡°It can¡¯t be worse than we outsiders trying to help, right?¡±


    Cheng Xi remained silent. The topic quickly fizzled out, because the wedding had begun in earnest. The marriage officiant stood on stage, dressed entirely in white. As the wedding march started to play, Shen Wei¡¯s father slowly walked her down the aisle.


    Everyone took out their phones to take pictures, even Cheng Xi. When she later looked over the photos she had taken, she couldn¡¯t help but notice that Lin Fan was in all of them.


    At that point, he had been looking at the stage, so only half his face appeared in the photos. Her photography skills were terrible, but in one photo she had managed to capture his aesthetic. His face was particularly clear, slender and neat, with an arched nose and a head tilted slightly upwards; his aura was not one of breathtaking beauty, but rather of his own refined charm.


    She had always thought that Lin Fan had a scholarly air about him, just like Dai Wangshu¡¯s poem, ¡¶Rain in the Alley¡·: in the drizzling rain, from afar he came, drenched in melancholic motes.


    Tian Rou turned around, having shot enough pictures, and Cheng Xi quickly turned her phone off. Tian Rou held up hers and smiled at Cheng Xi. ¡°Look, I secretly took so many photos of my male idol. Handsome, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Quite handsome indeed.¡±


    A nearby female classmate overheard their conversation and also turned around. ¡°Where, where?¡±


    The two females gathered together to look at their crushes, chatting the whole time, right until the bride was about to toss her bouquet into the air.


    Before Shen Wei threw her bouquet, she called her single classmates to the front, her crisp and melodious voice emitting from a microphone, ¡°Good luck, sisters. Snatch my bouquet and quickly get married yourselves; it¡¯ll be hard to find bridesmaids if you keep holding out.¡±


    Everyone laughed, including Cheng Xi. Shen Wei stood on her tiptoes and suddenly threw her bouquet into the air.


    The girls squeezed together to try to catch the bouquet, pushing Cheng Xi aside. In the mayhem, she stepped on something, her body off balance.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± A pair of steady, strong arms caught her.


    Cheng Xi turned around, and saw that Lin Fan was standing only a few steps behind her, the backs of his hands supporting her back.


    She suddenly recalled the fitness checkups from her school days. Her health hadn¡¯t been so good then, and she would get dizzy whenever she had to have her blood drawn, so he had always stood at her back. Whenever she turned around, she would see him.


    Till now, Cheng Xi still kept the note he had given her in her bookshelf. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll always be with you.¡±


    But, in truth, he wasn¡¯t. After graduating, he had gone abroad without even leaving her a single message.


    Cheng Xi took a few steps back, and was about to thank him when a girl caught the bride¡¯s bouquet. None of her single classmates had been able to snatch it, and funnily enough, the bouquet had landed in the lap of a girl who hadn¡¯t wanted to catch it at all.


    Everyone sat back down. Tian Rou sighed dejectedly and said, ¡°It looks like we won¡¯t be able to get married. What should we do?¡± She leaned against Cheng Xi¡¯s shoulders, pretending to cry, but her gaze was always directed at Lin Fan. ¡°My male idol, do you have a girlfriend yet?¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 11: Your Condoms

    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by how persistent Tian Rou was in her efforts to snatch him up. However, she too pricked her ears up at her question.


    And then she heard Lin Fan reply, ¡°No.¡±


    Tian Rou rubbed her palms together as she exclaimed, ¡°Oh, wonderful.¡±


    Her antics made the others laugh. ¡°Are you actually that happy to find out that Lin Fan¡¯s single?¡±


    Tian Rou half-seriously replied, ¡°Of course! This is my chance to get together with my male idol, no?¡±


    Her statements made Lin Fan¡¯s face go ‡å, but he was no longer the youth of before, who would blush bright red whenever someone flirted with him. Instead, he smiled politely and said, ¡°Rou, you really haven¡¯t changed at all. You¡¯re still so amusing.¡±


    Tian Rou was elated at his praise. She grabbed Cheng Xi¡¯s hands from under the table and shook them wildly, her emotions clearly visible.


    Because it was someone else¡¯s wedding, everyone¡¯s behavior was more or less restrained. And after dinner, there was another class reunion. For this one, Shen Wei had booked several rooms in the hotel, and they also had access to a spa with a mineral spring and a game room. With these accommodations, everyone would definitely have a good time and relax.


    Tian Rou and the others whooped as they heard the news, and then headed back to their rooms. Cheng Xi was near the tail end of the crowd, having hung back to help Shen Wei with a small problem. As she turned the corner, however, she found Lin Fan waiting for her. Startled, she asked, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you gone up yet?¡±


    ¡°I had a call, and then waited for you.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Thanks. Well then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The two walked towards the elevators together. While waiting for it to arrive, Lin Fan asked, ¡°Have you been well all these years?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And you?¡±


    ¡°Life¡¯s been a little hard.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him strangely.


    ¡°It¡¯s true¡ªduring my toughest period, I couldn¡¯t call anyone even if I wanted to.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s head drooped as she looked at the ground. She understood that he was trying to explain that long period when he¡¯d fallen out of contact with her. Lin Fan stopped walking, and then suddenly called out to her. ¡°Cheng Xi¡­¡±


    She stopped. However, at almost the exact same time, another voice called out to her as well. ¡°Hey!¡±


    Lin Fan stopped talking, and along with Cheng Xi, turned toward the voice. They saw a young man walking toward them from the shadows.


    When the light illuminated his face, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but gasp for a moment.


    He walked closer, step by step, his gait somehow reminding Cheng Xi of a prowling beast that was unhurried and confident in its abilities. He said, ¡°You left something behind at the hotel.¡±


    After saying this, he handed her a wad of money and a pack of condoms.


    ¡°You bought the condoms, so you should be the one to take them away.¡±


    As he spoke, his expression remained calm, his tone placid, and his actions cold¡ªbut it was because of this demeanor of his that Cheng Xi almost believed that the condoms and money he was handing her was indeed hers.


    And the implication of him handing her condoms made even Cheng Xi, a doctor, feel lightheaded from the blood rushing to her head.


    But at the very least, she could still throw up a superficially calm mien¡ªalthough she was afraid of looking at Lin Fan, she didn¡¯t want to indulge Lu Chenzhou in his unusual malice either. She silently took the proffered items. ¡°Is anything else the matter?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t seem to expect that response from her. His gaze shifted to Lin Fan for a brief moment before he calmly said, ¡°You forgot to wash my clothes.¡±


    Having said that, he turned around and left.


    For quite a while after Lu Chenzhou¡¯s departure, the atmosphere between Lin Fan and Cheng Xi was awkward and tense. It was only until they entered the elevators that Lin Fan forced a smile onto his face and asked, ¡°Was that your boyfriend just now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Upon hearing her answer, Lin Fan¡¯s eyes shone and then dimmed again quickly, because Cheng Xi had no intention of explaining herself.


    If he had asked, Cheng Xi certainly would have told him. However, during the time they spent catching up to the larger crowd of people, Lin Fan did not ask.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 12: He’s My Idol Too

    Cheng Xi and Lin Fan¡¯s late entrance attracted considerable attention. Tian Rou came up to her from behind, smirking. ¡°What were the two of you doing all the way back there?¡±


    Cheng Xi calmly replied, ¡°He said that he had to take a call. As for me, Shen Wei¡¯s husband drank too much, and she wanted to ask me if I had any kidney medicine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re familiar with that stuff too?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    Tian Rou looked at her, and then at Lin Fan. She suddenly asked, ¡°Cheng Xi, do you like Lin Fan as well?¡±


    Cheng Xi was somewhat startled by the abrupt question, as she didn¡¯t quite understand how the topic had suddenly jumped there. However, she still answered truthfully. ¡°Yes, he used to be my idol in the past too.¡±


    Tian Rou, her face shell-shocked, exclaimed, ¡°Oh no! How am I possibly going to defeat you?¡±


    Cheng Xi only laughed in response. Tian Rou deflated for some time, only recovering when Shen Wei called them over to go to the spa together. ¡°I thought that I was the female lead, but it turns out that I¡¯m just a supporting character! If you think about it carefully, you two are the true ideal couple: male and female protagonists blessed by Heaven.¡± After saying that, she grasped Cheng Xi¡¯s hands, and with seemingly painstaking care, said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave Lin Fan to you. If he chooses you, please treat my male idol with care.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. Shen Wei walked over, only having heard the last snatches of conversation between them. ¡°Treat whom well? What¡¯s the matter, Rou?¡±


    Tian Rou sighed. ¡°I¡¯m distraught from loneliness.¡±


    Cheng Xi split her sides from laughing.


    When the boisterous crowd headed toward the spa, Cheng Xi, however, refused to go as she was saddled with her thoughts about the earlier encounters. Additionally, she generally did not enjoy such activities. After a big argument, Shen Wei finally relented, and brought the rest of the crowd there. But before long, she returned.


    Cheng Xi was astonished. ¡°Why on earth are you back already?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my husband was there, and I don¡¯t like those activities either. So, I might as well come back and keep you company.¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed. ¡°Should I be scared? The bride left her groom behind just to keep me some company.¡±


    Shen Wei ignored her comments. ¡°It¡¯d be more accurate to say that he left me behind first. His friends spirited him away right after he took some medicine and recovered slightly. There wasn¡¯t much choice, with Lu Chenzhou being such a big figure. Honestly, I¡¯m quite surprised that he even bothered to show up.¡±


    Cheng Xi, surprised, asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s very hard to invite to events. He¡¯s known to be cold, and he has never attended any private gatherings in the past.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Cheng Xi laughed in a noncommittal manner even as she silently thought to herself, Why would someone who didn¡¯t attend any sort of social gatherings in the past suddenly accept Shen Wei¡¯s wedding invitation?


    She wanted to ask Shen Wei how much she knew about Lu Chenzhou, but since it was her wedding, she dropped that idea. Instead, she changed the topic to something more relevant. ¡°What does it feel like to be married?¡±


    Shen Wei rolled her eyes. ¡°Just one word: tiring! I¡¯m never doing anything like this again. It¡¯s a torment!¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Were you planning on doing this multiple times?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s to say. Who knows what will happen in the future?¡±


    Cheng Xi shoved her lightly¡ªit was her wedding night, and she was still saying things like this?


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. In this day and age, even staying married for life is a miracle.¡±


    ¡°It might just come true if you keep thinking like that,¡± Cheng Xi rebuked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were so superstitious, Dr. Cheng.¡± Shen Wei pinched her cheeks as she rested her arms on Cheng Xi¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Was Tian Rou telling the truth?¡±


    The subject had changed so quickly that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t fully follow. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That Lin Fan¡¯s also your crush.¡±


    ¡°...how did you find out about that?¡±


    ¡°Rou mentioned it, of course.¡± Shen Wei smiled deviously as she teased, ¡°Prepare yourself. To liven up the festivities, the rooms tonight are male and female suites. The males¡¯ rooms are right next door, so¡­ you know.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 13: I’m Not Scared of Death

    Cheng Xi got up. ¡°Why don¡¯t I leave first?¡± But she was quickly dragged to a halt by Shen Wei, who had chased after her while asking, ¡°Is it true? Were you really in love with Lin Fan?¡±


    ......How had the rumor transformed into her being in love with Lin Fan? Gossip truly grew wilder as it spread. She had said that he used to be her crush, alright? Used to be! Used to be!!


    Shen Wei couldn¡¯t hold her laughter back anymore. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have told Rou this, then!¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to talk about this subject anymore. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be heading over? Given these co-gendered suites and all these beautiful women, you should be careful lest someone steal your newlywed groom away.¡±


    Shen Wei stated domineeringly, ¡°Just let them try! If he can be stolen away, he wouldn¡¯t be worthy of me in the first place.¡±


    As she said this, her phone rang; not long after, Fu Mingyi found his way here.


    Cheng Xi opened the door, and Fu Mingyi poked his head in. A few other people came right behind him. Next to the door were two attendants supporting a female in a pink suit. Cheng Xi recalled that she was the girl who had caught the wedding bouquet earlier, as well as one of Shen Wei¡¯s bridesmaids.


    Fu Mingyi was swaying as he walked, and an alcoholic blush was still present on his face. Despite his intoxication, he was still clear headed enough to have the attendants to carry the girl in. Astonished, Shen Wei asked, ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡±


    Fu Mingyi rubbed his forehead as he explained, ¡°She went to take a bath after drinking too much, and almost drowned in the bathtub¡­¡­ This is a break room for the females, isn¡¯t it? Can you let her stay here tonight? The hotel¡¯s full, and there¡¯s no space for an extra person.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind. But instead of focusing on the girl, her gaze was directed outside, to a man leaning on a lamppost with only half his face showing.


    Lu Chenzhou.


    Because of the lighting, his expression seemed somewhat sullen. For some reason, he looked unhappy, and his negative emotions seemed to emanate outward.


    Upon noticing her gaze, he glanced back at her indifferently.


    Cheng Xi broke eye contact when Lu Chenzhou headed inside. Shen Wei was helping the attendants take care of the drunk girl, all the while asking, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just let someone send her back? Why are all of you here? Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to enjoy the hot springs?¡±


    Cheng Xi raised her eyebrows. In the first place, would a germaphobe like Lu Chenzhou ever take a bath in this sort of place?


    Indeed, Fu Mingyi replied, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Just as we were about to take off our clothes, Director Lu had something come up. So, it was convenient for me to take Hengjin back at the same time.¡± Hengjin was the drunken bridesmaid, supposedly a distant relative of Shen Wei. As Fu Mingyi said this, he looked at Cheng Xi, somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Cheng Xi, you didn¡¯t drink tonight, did you? My friend has to leave urgently, but he¡¯s too drunk to drive, and we can¡¯t find a chauffeur at this hour either. Could I trouble you to give him a ride? It isn¡¯t far¡ªjust a half hour¡¯s drive there and back.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t respond, only looking at Lu Chenzhou again. He was standing to the side of the room, and he seemed quite sober and completely capable of driving himself.


    This time, he acted quite politely, turning toward Cheng Xi and clasping his hands together as soon as Fu Mingyi finished talking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you.¡±


    Nothing like the man who had purposefully given her condoms just earlier.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t understand what he was thinking, and was reluctant to agree. It was only Fu Mingyi and Shen Wei¡¯s earnest gaze, as well as Shen Wei¡¯s whispered words¡ª¡±Send him away quickly. He¡¯s going to ruin my wedding night if he stays here much longer¡±¡ªthat finally got her to agree.


    Cheng Xi wanted to sigh. Tactfully, she replied, ¡°I don¡¯t drive frequently, and might not be a very good driver¡± in an attempt to decline.


    This time, Lu Chenzhou spoke to her directly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not scared of death.¡±


    His words left Cheng Xi speechless, and it was Shen Wei who started worrying this time. ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t I just find one of my male classmates? Honestly, I¡¯m somewhat worried at having Cheng Xi drive as well.¡±


    Fu Mingyi shook his head. ¡°Forget it, they¡¯re currently all bathing. It¡¯d be too inconvenient to drag someone else out. Don¡¯t worry, Cheng Xi¡¯s a doctor with a dependable personality. As long as she drives slowly, there won¡¯t be a problem. Right, Director Lu?


    Lu Chenzhou nodded.


    Meanwhile, Shen Wei looked at Fu Mingyi wordlessly. The couple exchanged a gaze, and Shen Wei finally stopped speaking up. The two of them sent Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou to the garage. As Shen Wei watched the car roll away, she couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°What are you and Lu Chenzhou planning?¡±


    Fu Mingyi laughed and hugged her. ¡°What could we be planning? I¡¯m just having your classmate give him a ride.¡±


    Shen Wei turned to stare at him. ¡°Really? The two of you are acting so strangely, especially that Lu Chenzhou. It¡¯s even weirder that he came at all today.¡±


    Fu Mingyi kissed her. ¡°What¡¯s so strange? Isn¡¯t your husband worth him coming? And I want him to leave right away because if he stays, tonight we¡¯ll¡­¡±


    The rest of his words were drowned out in their quiet laughter. Shen Wei pushed him lightly. ¡°Act properly.¡±


    ¡°With my wife, what¡¯s the point of being proper?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 14: I Want to Woo You

    Cheng Xi had had her driver¡¯s license for a long time, but she rarely drove. And considering how fancy Fu Mingyi¡¯s car was, it was only normal that she was on tenterhooks the entire drive. Even so, she couldn¡¯t ignore the serious glances that Lu Chenzhou was shooting at her from the passenger¡¯s seat.


    He sat there on his side with his hand resting on the armrest between them and his eyes staring at her with rapt attention. After finishing his inspection, he detachedly stated, ¡°You look very ordinary. Why do they all call you beautiful?¡± Having been at the spa just earlier, he had heard all of Cheng Xi¡¯s classmates¡¯ conversations. This earnest commentary was just a continuation of those conversations. ¡°Especially given that you only have one dimple. How disgusting.¡±


    Cheng Xi tried her hardest to pretend he was just air.


    He even seemed confused as to why Cheng Xi was ignoring him. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you speaking today?¡±


    Honestly, Cheng Xi was even more mystified by his attitude. After thinking about her teacher¡¯s request, she drove even more slowly and asked, ¡°Why are you speaking so much today?¡±


    During their first meeting, he had barely spoken at all.


    Lu Chenzhou remained quiet. Just as Cheng Xi was about to reflect on whether she had phrased her question too directly, he suddenly spoke up again. ¡°I want to woo you.¡± He looked at her directly as he asked, ¡°May I?¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh upon hearing his words. ¡°Don¡¯t tease me. I really can¡¯t drive all that well.¡±


    ¡°Why are you laughing? Am I not being serious enough?¡±


    No, Cheng Xi thought. Who would care if a calculator were serious? Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone didn¡¯t contain any of the bashfulness of a youthful man yearning for love. Rather than being nervous, he sounded more like an office worker merely trying to accomplish a task.


    She decided to have a good chat with him, from the stance that he was one of her patients. ¡°Mr. Lu, have you ever been in a relationship before?¡±


    ¡°Is this related to my chasing you?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°If you¡¯ve ever been in a relationship, then you should know that your actions are different from those of someone who¡¯s truly smitten and wholeheartedly trying to woo someone else.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± His tone was as apathetic as ever. ¡°Then what should my actions be like?¡±


    ¡°What should it be like?¡± There was a red light ahead, and Cheng Xi decelerated the car slowly, her white fingers slowly rapping on the steering wheel in thought. ¡°To truly woo someone earnestly involves treating a lover with a reserved, modest, and even somewhat shy attitude. It definitely does not involve sudden passion or premature affection.¡±


    ¡°Says who?¡±


    ¡°The great pioneer of the proletariat, Karl Marx.¡±


    ¡°Marx really said something like that?¡± Lu Chenzhou clearly didn¡¯t believe her words. ¡°On the other hand, the great French novelist Balzac stated that love is the indulgence of rationality. A positive, grave enjoyment.¡±


    After hearing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words, Cheng Xi started smiling. He was a more interesting man than she had previously given credit for; at the very least, he had been thinking about love, or he wouldn¡¯t have remembered this quote of Balzac¡¯s.


    Or, perhaps, these words only served to support his detached emotions.


    An indulgence of rationality, a grave enjoyment¡­ his attention was solely focused on the words ¡°rationality¡± and ¡°grave,¡± wasn¡¯t it?


    She stopped debating with him. After the red light turned green, she started driving again. Lu Chenzhou received a call, probably the one that was rushing him. She heard him say, ¡°I¡¯m almost there¡ªturn right.¡±


    ¡°Turn right¡± was directed at Cheng Xi. He had said it promptly, and Cheng Xi was able to follow his directions. Not far ahead, she saw a big metal gate.


    After they finally arrived, Lu Chenzhou hung up. ¡°Drive inside.¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at him, and he also turned his head to look at her. She somewhat awkwardly asked, ¡°Can you walk inside by yourself?¡±


    She remembered that there used to be a mountain here, but the mountain had clearly been levelled and replaced with bungalows some time ago. This now unfamiliar place, walled up behind a big metal gate, looked like a dark castle in the deep night, and it was a castle that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to enter.


    Lu Chenzhou seemed to see through her pretense. ¡°Are you scared?¡± He seemed a bit amazed and tried to reassure her, though his tone wasn¡¯t very reassuring. ¡°We¡¯ve already slept together, so what else could you be scared of?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 15: The Rumored Partner

    Cheng Xi ended up driving Lu Chenzhou inside, for no other reason than his ultimatum. ¡°It¡¯s quite a long walk from here. Either you get out of the car and I¡¯ll drive myself in, or you can do so.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s only reasonable choice was to drive him in.


    Of course, Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t lied to her. The front entrance was indeed quite a long distance away from the front door. The path was tortuous, so much so that when Lu Chenzhou finally said, ¡°Okay, this is the place,¡± Cheng Xi was almost about to faint from dizziness.


    At almost the exact same time that they arrived, the main entrance of the mansion opened, and a young man of about thirty years old walked out. He had a light woolen shirt on, which, coupled with his pleasing appearance, gave him a refined air. He walked briskly, and arrived at the door of the car almost as soon as Cheng Xi stopped it.


    Cheng Xi had met him once before; he was the person who had given her the glass of alcohol that had led to her overdrinking.


    He was a friend of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s, whose name seemed to be Xu Po.


    Lu Chenzhou rolled down the window, and Xu Po tilted downwards to look inside the car. He also recognized Cheng Xi, and greeted her first. ¡°Hi, doctor!¡± And then he grumbled to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Why did you only get here now? Xie Ziming couldn¡¯t wait any longer and already left. How are we going to deal with a missing player?


    Lu Chenzhou turned around and asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Do you know how to play mahjong?¡±


    Cheng Xi: ¡°......No.¡±


    ¡°Then get off.¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    Fine, she¡¯d say ¡®Yes.¡¯ Was that good enough? But it was too late already. When Lu Chenzhou got out of the car, he had also taken the keys with him. If she didn¡¯t want to walk all the way back to the hotel, she would have to go inside and play a few games with them.


    Xu Po was worthy of being called Lu Chenzhou¡¯s friend, given how well he understood Lu Chenzhou¡¯s behavior. As Lu Chenzhou walked away, he stayed behind to explain the situation to her. ¡°We¡¯re missing a player, but conveniently enough, you¡¯re right here. So please, come join us.¡±


    Cheng Xi asked him, ¡°Can I refuse?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± Xu Po¡¯s tone was tinged with sarcastic humor as he explained, ¡°Generally speaking, anything that Zhou wants to be done, has to be done. Otherwise, everyone will suffer. Aren¡¯t you his partner? Don¡¯t you know at least this much?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    In the end, Cheng Xi got out of the car, because she would rather play mahjong with unfamiliar men than walk home alone.


    Xu Po consoled her by saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Oh, don¡¯t be afraid of losing money. If you win, it¡¯s yours; if you lose, Zhou¡¯s the one who¡¯ll pay. Think of it as going through a program with him.¡±


    ¡°A program?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like a computer program. Once you hit the ¡°go¡± button, you can¡¯t stop it. Isn¡¯t he just like one?¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed at this comparison; it really was accurate.


    By this time, they had reached the doorsteps. As the doors opened and Cheng Xi entered, she finally realized that this wasn¡¯t a private manor, but rather a rebuilt clubhouse where the ground-floor living room had been transformed into a large lounge. Beautiful women in cheongsams elegantly walked forward to greet them. ¡°Director Xu¡­¡±


    Xu Po waved them off lazily before they could say anything else. The women retreated quickly, and Cheng Xi followed him into a room upstairs.


    When they walked inside, they heard the sound of running water coming from the restroom to the side. Lu Chenzhou was washing his hands. Inside the room sat a bald man, seemingly overcome with boredom as he listlessly scrolled through TV channels. Upon seeing the two of them enter, he threw the remote to the side, and his gaze landed on Cheng Xi. ¡°Ey, Po, where did you find such a beautiful girl, and when did they start having such innocent girls here?¡±


    Cheng Xi had dressed up for the wedding, but it still seemed rather simple and unadorned to these people. She was dressed in a white sweater and black pants, with a brand new orange jacket draped around her shoulders, culminating in an elegant and refined look. Her face didn¡¯t have a single dab of makeup on, contrasting sharply against the rest of the women in the club; it wasn¡¯t strange that he would make such a comment.


    Cheng Xi remained silent. Xu Po said, ¡°Don¡¯t speak such nonsense. This is Zhou¡¯s partner.¡±


    This time, the baldy started choking in shock. ¡°Damn, Zhou¡¯s partner?¡± His tone was exaggerated. ¡°You¡¯re Boss Lu¡¯s rumored partner who got drunk after a single shot?¡±


    ...It seemed like she had already made a name for herself in a single night. For lack of a better option, Cheng Xi explained herself once more. ¡°Mr. Lu¡¯s just joking. I¡¯m not his partner.¡±


    But the people who hung out around Lu Chenzhou were probably unlikely to listen to others; or at least, the person in front of her seemed that way. He stood up, circled around Cheng Xi with a look full of interest, and then shouted into the bathroom, ¡°Boss Lu, did you guys just come from Yun Ding Hotel?¡±


    Amidst the running water came an indifferent grunt of confirmation.


    ¡°Then you guys are moving rather quickly,¡± Baldy said with a devious smile. ¡°You¡¯ve remained a virgin all these years, so are you finally unable to control your urges now that you¡¯ve found someone? How did a fifteen-minute drive turn into a forty-five minute one? You guys couldn¡¯t possibly have gone at it on the road, right? Success in love leads to losses everywhere else, you know. Be careful not to lose your pants while gambling today.¡±


    Cheng Xi decided to make Baldy eat his words, specifically, to make him lose his pants while gambling.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 16: Acting Dumb

    Lu Chenzhou walked out of the bathroom, ignored Baldy, and directly say down in front of the mahjong table. He then rearranged the stools that had been somewhat out of place, chose one, and sat down.


    Baldy couldn¡¯t help but comment on his antics. ¡°Why do you insist on arranging them so nicely if we¡¯re just going to sit on them anyway?¡± But he too went over and sat down on a stool. Cheng Xi noticed that, despite his sloppiness, he didn¡¯t dare to touch Lu Chenzhou directly. Instead, Baldy took a mahjong tile and lightly tapped it on the table in front of him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to introduce your partner?¡±


    ¡°Her name is Cheng Xi.¡± He rang the bell on the table and lifted his eyes up to look at Cheng Xi. ¡°Do you need someone to carry you to a seat?¡±


    Baldy jeered, ¡°She probably wants you to carry her.¡±


    Xu Po also sat down. ¡°Zhou, the doctor says that she doesn¡¯t have any money on her.¡±


    With a leer, Baldy said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you use your body as collateral? As a rational man, Zhou would definitely be in high spirits then.¡±


    This man in front of her really couldn¡¯t seem to keep his mouth shut, and Cheng Xi had already formed a distinctly bad impression of him. At this point, an attendant came into the room, bringing a whole tray of poker chips with him that he neatly placed in front of the three people. Without looking, Lu Chenzhou took half of his stack and pushed it to the empty seat next to him. ¡°Come here.¡±


    His tone wasn¡¯t particularly commanding, but it brooked no refusal. Patients suffering from emotional detachment generally didn¡¯t have much patience¡ªCheng Xi thought for a moment before obediently sitting down without further ado.


    Baldy rubbed his fingers together, clearly eager to get started. ¡°Two on two. Po, do you think we can win?¡±


    Xu Po, smiling, replied, ¡°Take it easy. Our good doctor¡¯s unfamiliar with this game.¡±


    ¡°Heh, really?¡± Baldy glanced at Cheng Xi disbelievingly.


    Cheng Xi smiled and didn¡¯t reply, but her awkward tile-handling spoke volumes by itself. Just as Baldy was about to say something to Lu Chenzhou, her phone rang.


    It turned out to be from Lin Fan. ¡°You drove off?¡±


    His voice was concerned.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± After saying just this one word, Cheng Xi was interrupted as Tian Rou¡¯s voice suddenly rang out from the other end. ¡°Why are you being so gentle with her?¡± She shouted toward the phone, ¡°Hey, Dr. Cheng, why are you taking so long? Are you sending him to outer space?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want them to overthink anything, so she said, ¡°Something urgent came up, so I won¡¯t be able to make it back. Please let Weiwei know that I left the car with Fu Mingyi¡¯s friend.¡±


    Tian Rou immediately started jumping up and down. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re really leaving me halfway? What happened to staying up the entire night? Cheng Xi, you¡¯re really disloyal! I don¡¯t care, if you aren¡¯t coming back, your crush is mine!


    A hand crept over, picked up Cheng Xi¡¯s phone that was resting against her neck, and forcefully terminated the call. A finger brushed against Cheng Xi¡¯s ear, a cold sensation, cool but itchy.


    She resisted the temptation to rub it with her hand, and accidentally knocked over some of her mahjong tiles instead, and ended up hastily trying to reorganize them. Baldy, seeing the situation, couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you alright? Why don¡¯t you just admit defeat and surrender your body?¡±


    Cheng Xi ignored him, meticulously arranging her tiles and starting to focus on the game. However, her tiles were too crooked, her playstyle too untrained, and her hand movement unbearable to look at. Even Xu Po started worrying for her. ¡°Do you need someone to teach you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    And then she threw out a pair of tiles, one of the pairs that she had picked up from the table previously. Xu Po and the others were speechless. ¡°Chief Lu, you¡¯ve really managed to find a woman who¡¯ll lose your entire fortune,¡± said Baldy.


    But before he could finish, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Seven pairs form a set, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xu Po answered, preparing to explain the rules and the combos to her in a detailed manner. ¡°A set of seven pairs¡ª¡±


    Cheng Xi displayed her tiles one set at a time and flatly declared, ¡°Then I¡¯ve won.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 17: You’ve Been Paid a Prostitution Fee

    Lu Chenzhou smiled upon seeing the situation, a slight curve on his lips. His eyes were unexpectedly clear, good-looking, and even showed a glimpse of mirth. That, combined with a sense of kindliness, actually dispelled some of his body¡¯s natural frigidity.


    Cheng Xi looked at him out of the corner of her eyes and unconsciously held her breath. Xu Po and Baldy, on the other hand, seemed used to this behavior. The latter even unhappily grumbled, ¡°Does winning once make you this happy? Your winning streak won¡¯t last long. We¡¯ll slowly whittle you guys down until you lose your pants.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou, indifferent as always, merely replied, ¡°Speak for yourself when you win.¡±


    Xu Po looked at Cheng Xi¡¯s tiles. ¡°If you were going for seven pairs, then why did you throw out so many pairs earlier?¡±


    Cheng Xi innocently said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know what I was going for back then.¡±


    Baldy thumped the table as he heard their conversation. ¡°Just beginner¡¯s luck afterall!¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled as each of the two gave her a small stack of chips from the piles in front of them. She had already received plenty of chips from winning this round.


    She returned the chips that Lu Chenzhou had given her initially. Baldy snickered as he saw this. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t think that everything¡¯s going to go well just because you won this round, do you?¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head. ¡°I just don¡¯t want you guys to label me as someone who squanders money.¡±


    ¡°Good, you should be ambitious!¡± Xu Po praised her as he laughed.


    Even as the game continued, Cheng Xi¡¯s technique remained poor. One round after Xu Po had won, he leaned over to look at her tiles and couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°You even threw out your reclaimed tiles?¡±


    She was still at a loss for how to play.


    But regardless of how poor her technique was, it couldn¡¯t mitigate her good luck. She didn¡¯t seem to win with low-scoring tiles at all, but when she did win, it was always with a high-scoring hand. Her combinations like the previous seven pairs easily trounced everyone else at the table.


    It was because of this that Xu Po said, somewhat humorously, ¡°Are the tiles themselves favoring the pretty lady?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou also won a few small hands, but Baldy remained the only one who hadn¡¯t won since the start of the game. He had to call another attendant over to get some more chips, grinning at Cheng Xi as he did so. ¡°Keep winning while you still can.¡±


    And Cheng Xi did keep winning. At the start, Lu Chenzhou and Xu Po had won a few rounds intermittently, but after midnight, Cheng Xi had finally solidly grasped the rules of the game. At that point, even they couldn¡¯t win anymore. The three of them looked on balefully as Cheng Xi made move after move for another two hours. No matter how little they cared, even they were growing exasperated; who didn¡¯t want to win?


    Baldy knocked his tiles over as his frustration overflowed. He directly asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Did you really not know how to play, or were you just acting dumb?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never gambled before in my life,¡± Cheng Xi said dispassionately as she threw out a few more tiles and picked new ones up, before pushing her whole set down once again. ¡°Set of flowers, same suit.¡±


    The other three people in the room couldn¡¯t even find words to respond.


    Baldy couldn¡¯t help it, and he also threw his tiles down. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m not playing anymore!¡±


    The other two shared his sentiment.


    Over the course of the entire game, everyone else¡¯s tokens had migrated in front of Cheng Xi. The club attendants came over to help her convert her tokens into earnings, and she tallied it up silently: a few million dollars. Given the current housing prices in the city, just these few hours of gambling was enough for her to buy a house near the hospital she worked at.


    As she walked out of the room, she found that Lu Chenzhou and the others had already left. Luckily, the club had the contact information of all their club members, and Cheng Xi managed to get ahold of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s number and call him. ¡°You forgot to return the car keys to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Then what am I going to do?¡±


    ¡°Find a solution yourself.¡± Given his cold tone, was he throwing a fit after losing money to her? It couldn¡¯t be¡ªLu Chenzhou had always been calm and indifferent from the beginning.


    Luckily, one of the attendants at the club saved her. ¡°If you register for a membership, we can send you out for free.¡±


    Cheng Xi was relieved. ¡°How do I get a membership?¡±


    The attendant helped her set one up and then asked her, ¡°Would you prefer to keep your earnings here or have them transferred to your bank account?¡±


    It was only then that Cheng Xi remembered that she had earned a large sum of money. ¡°Is Mr. Lu a member here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then put it all into his account.¡±


    ¡°All of it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She loved money, but was even more conscientious about her money¡¯s provenance. The money she had received today was nothing more than ill-gotten gains; to avoid any future problems, it was better to return it all.


    The attendant was sure that there was some gossip hidden in there somewhere, but he didn¡¯t pry and efficiently handled all the requested transaction.


    ¡°Do you want to leave a message to go with the transaction?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled lightly. ¡°Prostitution fees.¡±


    Given how considerate he was to send her condoms, then shouldn¡¯t it be normal for her to be polite and settle the score?


    Still holding a grudge from being abandoned, Cheng Xi had thus done a very irrational thing. She regretted her words almost as soon as she said them, but it was already too late.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 18: Why Don’t You Be My Girlfriend?

    Knowing that the message had already been sent out, Cheng Xi bashed her head against the table.


    The attendant carefully asked, ¡°Are you alright, Miss?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied haltingly. Hoping against all hope, she asked, ¡°Is there any way Mr. Lu would be unable to receive the message?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± The attendant stuck out his chest, his posture proud. ¡°Our fund transfer system is fully modernized and secure. We¡¯ve never had a problem before.¡±


    Indeed, the fund transfer was surprisingly rapid, and Lu Chenzhou received a notification almost immediately after it was sent through. At that point, the three men were discussing whether or not Cheng Xi had swindled them, and the other two had only mildly criticized Lu Chenzhou for leaving her stranded in the club.


    The fund transfer message was voice-recorded, so all three men heard the notification as he tapped on it. ¡°Mr. Lu, at 1:48 AM, you were paid prostitution fees. Please check your account balance.¡±


    The interior of the car fell silent. Xu Po was driving at the front seat, but as soon as he heard the notification, he quickly dialled down the volume. Baldy, meanwhile, was dumbstruck. ¡°What, what, did I hear wrong just now? What kind of fee did you receive, Boss?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou also didn¡¯t hear the message clearly¡ªmore precisely, he didn¡¯t dare believe what he had heard, so he tapped the notification again. This time, the interior of the car was silent enough to be alarming; they all heard the phrase ¡°prostitution fee¡± loud and clear.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t react, but the other two started laughing their lungs out. Baldy in particular, grabbed his phone and started asking, ¡°Who¡¯s this, how much money?¡± When he saw the amount, he gasped. ¡°Damn, this is a large sum. You¡¯re doing pretty well for yourself, aren¡¯t you, Boss! Is this just for one night?¡±


    Xu Po started laughing even harder, so much so that he had to pull over and stop by the side of the road. He turned to the backseat and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the brave soul that treated our Master Lu as a prostitute? Let¡¯s see who it is and pay our respects to them!¡±


    Baldy risked batting Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hands away so that he could see his screen, and finally succeeding after a few failed attempts. ¡°Miss Cheng, which Miss Cheng?¡±


    Even after playing a whole night of mahjong with Cheng Xi, he still didn¡¯t know her surname.


    Xu Po, on the other hand, praised her. ¡°Damn, she¡¯s quite the character!¡±


    ¡°Do you like her?¡± Lu Chenzhou raised his head, his expression and tone seemingly indifferent, but his tone notably sinister. ¡°Shall I introduce her to you then?¡±


    All night long, Xu Po had seen him protect Cheng Xi and help resolve her issues.


    Xu Po¡¯s smile froze on his face. If Lu Chenzhou was going for someone, then how could he possibly win against him? ¡°Thanks for the offer,¡± he said seriously. ¡°But I¡¯m going to quit cold turkey this moment!¡±


    Cheng Xi let one of the club chauffeurs send her home. Because it was the weekend, she was supposed to be visiting her parents. However, it was so late and they lived so far away that, by the time she got there, it would probably be early morning, and her parents would be preparing to open their diner. They would surely nag at her if they saw her arrive so late. So instead, she went back to her house.


    The apartment that Cheng Xi was staying in was very close to the hospital. Her parents had bought it for her while she was in graduate school. And by the time she graduated with her PhD, her twin brother Cheng Yang had earned enough money to help her renovate it. So even though the decor of the apartment was a bit strange as it was a potpourri of Eastern and Western styles, the workmanship was meticulous and it was a very comfortable place to live in.


    She was so tired from the day¡¯s events that she immediately fell asleep right after showering haphazardly. The next day, when she woke up, she saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s text. ¡°I¡¯ve received the prostitution payment.¡±


    For some reason, Cheng Xi felt like she had been marked by a wolf. She decided to bluntly call him back. With a sincere tone, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have pulled such a base joke. If it made you uncomfortable, then I apologize.¡±


    Honestly, she herself didn¡¯t know why those words had sprouted from her mouth last night; it was simply too uncouth for her.


    Lu Chenzhou was silent for a moment, and then he asked, ¡°How did you win so much last night?¡±


    Cheng Xi was very open about the truth. ¡°My uncle used to cheat in mahjong. When I had nothing to do as a child, I learned some of his tricks.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou laughed without much emotion. After a while, he suddenly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you become my girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Cheng Xi stared blankly at the wall in front of her.


    ¡°That is, if you feel sorry for me.¡±


    Cheng Xi understood the logic in his words right away. ¡°If you feel sorry for me, then you can be my girlfriend.¡±


    Was he asking her to give herself up for a joke? Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. She responded, ¡°On the other hand, I think we can be friends. That is, if you¡¯re willing.¡±


    Regarding her response, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he hung up.


    Cheng Xi fell into a daze, clutching at her phone. She had a premonition that Lu Chenzhou wouldn¡¯t be an easy patient to treat. She¡¯d very likely end up with nothing to show for her labor, and even possibly a heap of trouble for herself.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 19: Are You Surprised?

    Of course, Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t afraid of trouble. There were many patients even more troublesome than Lu Chenzhou. For example, Chen Jiaman, the patient that she had been discussing with Cai Yi during that first dinner with Lu Chenzhou, was first and foremost. Walking corpse syndrome was so rare that, even throughout the entire world, only a few paltry cases had been reported. Many of the doctors around her were interested in that patient, but those who were confident or even willing to treat her were few and far between.


    But Cheng Xi was willing to take her on as a patient. She was prepared to use all her patience and skill to treat Chen Jiaman because she knew how much her patient needed it, regardless of how little time she would have left for herself.


    And as for Lu Chenzhou, he clearly didn¡¯t want a doctor. His actions of trying to trip her up and intentionally stating that he wanted to woo her were simply attempts to change the potential doctor-patient relationship into a more familiar romantic relationship.


    This was, clearly and unambiguously, a refusal on his part¡ªif you want to get close to me, then you can¡¯t do it as a doctor. You have to be my girlfriend.


    She was very curious about what would have happened if her professor had instead found him a male doctor.


    After sighing about her conundrum, Cheng Xi tidied herself up, ate what she could find at home, and went to the hospital to care for Chen Jiaman.


    This was Chen Jiaman¡¯s seventh day at the hospital. Her symptoms hadn¡¯t improved at all; she still slept in the morning and was only active at night. Cheng Xi had just arrived when the nurse responsible for her started complaining. ¡°She caused trouble overnight again! She almost managed to get into the mortuary, and was constantly muttering about the king of hell, little ghosts, cutting off tongues, and other things like that. In fact, she scared the new nurse so much that she started crying.¡±


    Cheng Xi closed the folder of medical records that she held in her hands, and patted her shoulder. ¡°Thank you for all your hard work.¡±


    She went to Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward. The girl was only fourteen, and her figure was naturally thin and small. She was currently sleeping quietly, her posture perfect¡ªor, more precisely, stiff and rigid. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her stomach, her legs spread straight and angled slightly apart, her eyes shut tightly, and her face covered with a white cloth that she had torn off of her pillow cover.


    Cheng Xi had personally dressed her grandmother¡¯s corpse, so she clearly knew what Chen Jiaman¡¯s posture represented. She observed her silently for quite a while before turning to the nurse again. ¡°Have you been able to contact her family members?¡±


    Chen Jiaman had previously lived with just her old grandmother. When the grandmother had died, only her father was left. But since he was a fisherman, he spent more than half his life at sea.


    The incident with the Chen family had taken place not long after he left.


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve just gotten information that Chen Jiaman¡¯s father has returned from his trip, and that he will be here within a week.¡±


    Cheng Xi released a breath that she had been holding in. There would finally be somebody who could help her understand a bit about Chen Jiaman¡¯s past.


    Having made headway into Chen Jiaman¡¯s case, Cheng Xi found new troubles awaiting her. She was supposed to be providing outpatient service this month. However, since Tuesday, none of her patients had shown up for their appointments.


    This kind of situation was very rare, because Renyi¡¯s psychiatry department was renowned nationwide. Given the high stress endemic to modern life, it was almost impossible for a doctor to have no patients during their outpatient service hours. Beyond that, it was definitely impossible that people would schedule their appointments and not show up.


    The nurse on duty with her was very shocked by these circumstances. On the other hand, Cheng Xi felt an uncomfortable premonition creep over her.


    She turned on her computer and looked at her list of appointments again, but found nothing unusual. The patients had all registered with their real names, so she could see that her patients came from all over the country.


    Could it be that people had scalped her appointment slots? No, that was impossible¡ªCheng Xi wasn¡¯t her professor Cai Yi; she wouldn¡¯t be worth the effort.


    Cheng Xi was thus left to ruminate in her own thoughts. At 10:30 AM, a somewhat familiar person finally showed up at her office.


    It was one of the people she had played mahjong with that night¡ªLu Chenzhou¡¯s friend, Baldy.


    ¡°Hi Doctor, it¡¯s good to see you again.¡± He stood at the door and waved at her as a whole group of lackeys showed up behind him. After throwing his leather coat to them, he sat down imposingly in front of her.


    ¡°Are you here for a diagnosis?¡± Cheng Xi asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Baldy cracked a smile as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m here to convey Boss Lu¡¯s message.¡±


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Boss Lu wants me to tell you that he empathizes with your workload and is worried that you¡¯ll be too tired. Thus, he had someone preemptively book all of your appointment slots for today, tomorrow, and the day after. Heh heh, Dr. Cheng, are you surprised? Aren¡¯t you thrilled?¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 20: Is This for Real?

    At this point, perhaps only Cheng Yang¡¯s catchphrase could truly express her feelings: ¡°I¡¯ve had it with this asshole!¡±


    Her premonitions from a few days ago had finally manifested into reality. Had she known earlier that giving her winnings to Lu Chenzhou would have spawned such ¡®inspired¡¯ actions, she¡­ she would have taken all the money and left. And she definitely would not have let the club attendant send such a message.


    As expected, not thinking carefully was her ultimate downfall.


    There was a sudden commotion by the clinic door. It was the nurse who was on duty along with Cheng Xi. When she had seen the doorway filled with people, she had assumed that the patients had finally come. So, she had quickly returned, but right after entering, she had heard Baldy¡¯s eye-boggling announcement and almost tripped over her own feet.


    She knew that Cheng Yi¡¯s beauty would definitely lead besotted men to chase after her. However, even she didn¡¯t expect that these men would be so intrepid as to book all her appointment slots like this¡­ Was this for real? This gossip was so juicy that she had to share it right away!


    But after Cheng Xi noticed her, the nurse tried to dampen her excited expression. She hiccupped once before resetting her mentality into something more earnest. ¡°Dr. Cheng, are the patients here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°No.¡±


    Two voices spoke out at once, giving contradictory responses. Baldy peered at Cheng Xi as he smiled, and then gave the nurse a flirtatious glance. ¡°Dr. Cheng¡¯s partner is worried about her workload and has booked all her appointment slots for the next couple of days. Congratulations on your luck¡ªenjoy your few days off.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Cheng Xi¡¯s forehead veins started throbbing angrily. The nurse, meanwhile, stared at Baldy with an open mouth. ¡°Dr. Cheng¡¯s partner¡­ But, but Dr. Cheng¡¯s a doctor¡­¡­¡± She looked over at Cheng Xi. ¡°Is this really compliant with hospital policy?


    Cheng Xi remained silent for a brief moment, and then looked at the nurse who had clearly been shocked dizzy by the caliber of this gossip. She calmly said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go out first?¡± But before the nurse could fully exit the room, she loudly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Lu? Playing such an obnoxious prank really makes things difficult for me. So, can you let him know that I¡¯d like to have a word with him.¡±


    But her statement was useless; after just a single hour, the whole department had heard that she had found a very rich boyfriend who had booked up all her appointment slots. And by the afternoon, even Cai Yi had found out, and had called her for this very reason. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Who¡¯s causing this kind of trouble? Cheng Xi, this is a hospital, not some place where you can fool around.¡±


    Evidently, she didn¡¯t know that the perpetrator of this event was the very man she had introduced to her, Lu Chenzhou. Cheng Xi massaged her forehead as she replied, ¡°Professor, the man responsible for this is Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed. After Baldy left, she had tried to contact Lu Chenzhou. But unfortunately, he didn¡¯t want to see her, and he wouldn¡¯t even pick up his phone.


    She didn¡¯t try to hide this from Cai Yi. After hearing this, even Cai Yi didn¡¯t know whether to cry or laugh. ¡°This man¡­ Fine, I admit that this is my fault. I¡¯ll let him know for you. As for the hospital¡­ After such a big fuss, has the administration made any trouble for you?¡±


    ¡°Well, the silver lining is that the director of the hospital isn¡¯t around. But unfortunately, the department head told me to meet him after work.¡±


    Cai Yi couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°You must be the first doctor that¡¯s been forced into such a situation by a patient. Alright, don¡¯t worry too much about it. I¡¯ll help you deal with your department head.¡±


    Cheng Xi instantly found the cause of her headache dissipate and she clasped her hands together in gratitude. ¡°Thank you, professor.¡±


    Cai Yi tended to work quickly; before Cheng Xi¡¯s shift was even over, she had been notified that the department head wouldn¡¯t be inviting her over for tea.


    And then, after work, she even saw Lu Chenzhou.


    It was drizzling lightly outside then, and he had sent a chauffeur over specifically to pick her up. After driving around for awhile, the car pulled up at an indoor tennis court.


    As she pushed the car door open, his ball swerved toward her face; if Cheng Xi¡¯s reflexes had been even a step slower, the ball could have blinded her in one eye.


    But instead, the yellow-green ball brushed against Cheng Xi¡¯s temples, hit the doorframe, and bounced back onto the court like a bullet.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help sweating. As she looked at Lu Chenzhou again, he didn¡¯t seem flustered at all. Instead of greeting her, he merely lifted his racket and continued to practice his brutal, fast serves.


    Cheng Xi breathed out, trying not to disturb him. Only when he was tired did she finally walk over.


    ¡°Mr. Lu, can we talk?¡±


    He wiped the sweat off of his head with a towel, and peered down at her from above. ¡°Are you willing to accept my proposal?¡±


    Truly a machine that won¡¯t stop before reaching his goal.


    Cheng Xi stopped going around in circles with him, and directly addressed the issue. ¡°Mr. Lu, I think that you clearly understand that my professor introduced you to me not for us to go on a blind date, but rather for me to assist you as a doctor.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hands stopped moving. He threw down his towel, wiped his smile off of his face, and walked toward her. As he approached, his imposing manner pressured Cheng Xi so much so that she felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe.


    He pushed her against the wall, maintaining just a slight bit of distance between them, and placed his hand against the wall. ¡°As a doctor?¡± He sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re special just because you¡¯re a doctor. Here¡¯s a question. Do you believe me when I say that I can make your title of ¡°doctor¡± disappear?¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 21: I Have More Money Than You

    All of a sudden, Cheng Xi¡¯s phone rang. But instead of alleviating the tension between the two, her crisp ringtone only made the atmosphere even more oppressive.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t pick up the call. She tried her hardest to ignore the tension emanating off of Lu Chenzhou by looking at him straightforwardly without any intent of deflection. ¡°Do you have any particular misgivings against doctors?¡±


    ¡°Misgivings? Is it a misgiving to rightfully deny that I am ill?¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice was steeped in disdain and an indistinct anger when he replied. ¡°If being aloof is truly an illness, then how many people in the world are currently suffering from this incurable disease?¡±


    Clearly, he was quite self-aware and even unexpectedly logical about his own situation. Cheng Xi was even starting to doubt her own diagnosis.


    She didn¡¯t intend to argue with him, though. For a psychiatrist, listening to one¡¯s patients was a necessary skill to have. When she did reply, she deliberately spoke very softly and warmly. Her voice, already pleasing, became as soothing as the March wind, comfortably caressing one¡¯s ears. ¡°Are you disgusted when they act like that towards you?¡±


    ¡°Would you like to be treated differently, like a monster?¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head. ¡°No one¡¯s saying that patients who have unusual mental diseases are different or are monsters. Mental diseases are just that: diseases. Just like how we can catch the cold and become feverish and cough, mental diseases are just the result of a key part of our body malfunctioning. It is wholly unrelated to age, unrelated to level of education, and certainly unrelated to monsters or things of the sort.¡±


    Such an explanation was feeble at best, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face returned to his normal frosty expression, aloof and grim. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why are you unwilling to be my girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling. Rather¡­¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± He interrupted her halfway, and immediately turned around and left shortly after, leaving Cheng Xi with no time to react.


    She decided to follow him. ¡°Where to?¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer. The driver drove towards them, and then he opened the door to let her in.


    Cheng Xi stood still, not moving.


    ¡°Are you scared?¡± He cocked his head back slightly as he looked at her.


    ¡°No. But I feel like you should inform me of our destination, as a basic courtesy.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou simply replied, ¡°My office. Are you coming?¡±


    Even though she didn¡¯t understand why Lu Chenzhou wanted them two to go to his office, Cheng Xi nonetheless still got into the car.


    At this point, she couldn¡¯t shirk back from her duty as a psychiatrist.


    During the drive, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t speak a single word. Cheng Xi, on the other hand, finally answered the call from before; it was from her colleague.


    Once the call connected, she immediately heard her colleague¡¯s exaggerated tone say, ¡°Oh, Dr. Cheng, you¡¯re famous! Go on WeChat, quickly!¡±


    She refused to explain to Cheng Xi exactly what was going on, so Cheng Xi had no choice but to hang up and open WeChat, just as she had been instructed to. The first thing she saw was an image that had been posted on the psychiatry department¡¯s group chat. It was from an unknown person¡¯s friend group¡¯s chat. She opened it and read the caption: ¡°This actually happened in our hospital! In order to lighten his girlfriend¡¯s workload, some rich guy booked all of her appointment slots for the next few days.¡±


    The colleague who had sent out this image then said, ¡°Someone posted this image onto Weibo, and then it started trending from there.¡±


    The others laughed. ¡°Hahaha, will there be reporters here to interview us tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t talk about tomorrow. Just this afternoon, the media has already been calling us to confirm the story.¡±


    ¡°Then has our Dr. Cheng really become famous this time?¡±


    ¡°Call her out; we¡¯ve got to get her to treat us to a meal.¡±


    ¡­


    The group chat kept getting peppered with new messages. Cheng Xi looked at the shrinking scroll bar, sighing in dismay.


    ¡°Mr. Cheng,¡± she said as she showed him the chat messages. ¡°Thanks to you, I¡¯m famous now.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her phone, and then coolly said, ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°......¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was sincere as she said, ¡°Actually, being famous is burdensome to me.¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou only replied with one word. ¡°Oh.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him, took her phone back, and then purposefully kept her mouth shut for the rest of the drive. She hadn¡¯t known him for very long, but she understood one point clearly: as soon as his responses devolved to be monosyllabic, it meant that he had lost all interest in that subject, and that any further conversation on that matter would be useless.


    Lu Chenzhou actually did bring her to his office. His office was located at the Donglai Hotel¡ªthe hotel where Cheng Xi had spent a night earlier.


    The morning after that night, Cheng Xi had finally clearly seen the face of the flourishing Donglai¡ª it took was a whole block wide, and the lamps along its walls lit up half the sky. With the scenic river behind it, the hotel was as beautiful as a castle out of a fairytale.


    Unlike the hotel¡¯s outer opulence, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s office was decorated quite simply in black and white colors, its furnishings practical and without any unnecessary flourish. Upon entering, Cheng Xi¡¯s first impression was that everything was precisely placed. All the items seemed like orderly troops, arranged by height and charmingly positioned. The ambience of the office was so neat and tidy enough that it didn¡¯t feel like anyone had ever worked here.


    After sitting down at his desk, Lu Chenzhou immediately picked up the desk phone. ¡°Call Lawyer Du over.¡±


    Before Cheng Xi could even guess why he had called a lawyer here for, the lawyer arrived.


    Lu Chenzhou gestured toward Cheng Xi with his chin as he said, ¡°Produce a contract for us two, and it should state that Ms. Cheng Xi will be my girlfriend. We will remain financially independent from each other. If this relationship persists for a year, I¡¯ll give her¡­¡±


    As he said this, he turned around and asked Cheng Xi, ¡°How much would be a reasonable amount to give you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi blinked, and then jokingly replied, ¡°A hundred million yuan?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou thought about it, and then seriously said, ¡°You¡¯re not worth that much.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Her professionalism told her that, at this point, the only proper reply was, ¡°Whatever makes you happy.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded, and then gave the lawyer a value multiple times higher than Cheng Xi¡¯s current salary. Actually, it wasn¡¯t too far off from her mahjong earnings from that one night.


    The lawyer seemed somewhat nonplussed by his strange request, clenching his pen tightly before finally reacting after seeing that Lu Chenzhou was getting impatient. After calming down, he recorded down the conditions that Lu Chenzhou had proposed and asked, ¡°Are there any corresponding privileges or responsibilities?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou dictated, ¡°One party has the right to ask for marriage, and the other party must be loyal.¡± He turned to Cheng Xi again. ¡°Does that seem problematic to you?¡±


    ¡°......Can I even make any changes to the contract?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had already turned back around to the lawyer before she had finished speaking. ¡°Then, just this.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The lawyer looked at her somewhat sympathetically. ¡°Is this all?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou replied with a nod, ¡°Yes.¡±


    The lawyer nodded, leaving to formally draft the contract. Lu Chenzhou then explained the structure of the payment to Cheng Xi, but the information went into one ear and came out the other. Despite the unusual situations she had been seen and maneuvered through as a part of her job, this was the first time that she had ever encountered what Lu Chenzhou was doing.


    In fact, she was somewhat curious as to his motives. ¡°Why do you want such a contract?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, his gaze serene. ¡°Because I like making things simple. This way, there are clear gains and losses: if we mesh well with each other, great. If not, we¡¯ll split up. Isn¡¯t that nice?¡±


    Systemizing and relegating emotions to contracts is a self-defense mechanism that people often use to deal with emotional trauma. Cheng Xi noted this peculiarity down in her heart, and then asked, ¡°Then why isn¡¯t it me who gives you money?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone was as if he were declaring that there were stars in the sky and the moon at night. ¡°Because I have more money than you.¡±


    That...was a completely irrefutable fact.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 22: Generations of Frauds

    The lawyer worked quickly. Before Cheng Xi could even finish thinking about what she should do next, the contract had already been written up.


    After the lawyer brought the contract back into Lu Chenzhou¡¯s office, Lu Chenzhou motioned for him to show her the document first. Cheng Xi¡¯s original impression that this was nothing important had changed to something resembling anxiety. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words were simple, but the contract that his lawyer produced was surprisingly formal. It followed the standard contract format: it laid out the terms and conditions, rights and responsibilities, as well as a hefty fee for violating anything very clearly.


    Upon seeing that sum, she couldn¡¯t help but become more serious. Jut moving her eyes across all the numerous zeros was enough to make her dizzy. She then said, somewhat agonizingly, ¡°Mr. Lu, even if we can¡¯t be a couple, we can still be regular friends.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was sitting on the other side of the table, playing with a jade-colored teacup in his hands. After hearing Cheng Xi¡¯s words, his posture didn¡¯t change, and neither did his expression. However, Cheng Xi suddenly felt a chill creep into her heart.


    Then he said, ¡°Send Ms. Cheng out!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lu¡­¡± Cheng Xi attempted to speak up, but as she opened her mouth, Lu Chenzhou had already turned to look at his lawyer. Originally somewhat hesitant, the lawyer now quickly approached Cheng Xi, insistent but polite. ¡°Ms. Cheng, please.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t move. She looked at Lu Chenzhou, but he didn¡¯t look back at her, only coolly playing with the jade teacup in his hands. He constantly exuded a cold, chilly air that prevented others from getting close.


    She had a feeling that this was her one and only chance to get close to him, a chance that wouldn¡¯t ever happen again.


    Seeing her lack of motion, the lawyer stretched out his hand out to grab her, but Cheng Xi avoided his grasp. ¡°I can sign the contract, but can I consult my own lawyer first?¡± Seeing the two both turn towards her, she weakly explained, ¡°The fee for breaking the contract is simply too high¡­¡±


    Silence. After a while, Lu Chenzhou finally waved his hand at her.


    The lawyer sat back down, and Cheng Xi let out a sigh of relief before quickly moving outside to speak on her phone.


    In truth, she didn¡¯t have a lawyer at all; her actions were simply to delay signing the contract. Although she had many people in her contact list, most of whom were doctors, patients, relatives, and friends, and some of them were lawyers, Cheng Xi had no actual plans of contacting any of them. Instead, her fingers moved unconsciously on her phone¡¯s keyboard and punched in on Lin Fan¡¯s name. Somehow, she ended up calling his number.


    As she listened to her phone ring while the call was connecting, her anxiety almost consumed her. What would she say if he did pick up? But as the ringing repeated, she became calm again.


    But Lin Fan didn¡¯t pick up.


    Cheng Xi put her phone away, smiled, and then walked back into Lu Chenzhou¡¯s office. ¡°Give me the pen.¡±


    The lawyer handed her a pen, and Cheng Xi signed her own name on the somewhat ludicrous contract.


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her lazily. ¡°Your lawyer didn¡¯t give you any advice?¡±


    As she signed her name, Cheng Xi said, ¡°His only advice was to not break the contract once I¡¯ve signed it. But¡­¡± She put down her pen, smiled at him, and then finished her sentence. ¡°If you end up finding someone else that you truly love and want to break the contract because of that, then I won¡¯t force you to pay any reparations.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, merely looking at her with a penetrating gaze while smiling coolly.


    And it was that smile that finally erased any doubt left in Cheng Xi¡¯s heart. It made her feel like, even if she really did pay that astronomical fee, as long as she could reduce the despair in his smile by even a fraction, then, as a doctor, it would be worth it.


    Having signed the contract as well, Lu Chenzhou brought Cheng Xi out again. This time, she was too lazy to even ask where they were going, and the result of her laziness was that they ended up going to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s house.


    Cheng Xi only realized this as she stepped inside. In her nervous haste, she stammered out some nonsense. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ going to your house?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded.


    ¡°For¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°After entering a relationship, we naturally have to meet each other¡¯s parents, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s long legs propelled him forward with just a few strides. Cheng Xi lagged behind, alone and assaulted by her thoughts.


    Just a few days ago, Tian Rou and the others had joked that they were going to give her an award for being a model late-blooming wife and parent. But now, she was already at the stage where she was meeting her significant other¡¯s parents.


    But since she had already signed that ludicrous contract of her own will, the rest¡­didn¡¯t seem to matter so much, Cheng Xi despondently rationalized. The next time she met her classmates, she was certain that she would receive a caring doctor award instead.


    The Lu family lived close to the southern shore, not far from the Donglai Hotel, and was situated in a very prosperous neighborhood. Their courtyard was exquisite and refined: there were two gigantic cherry apple trees in the courtyard, but despite the leaves turning yellow in the autumn air, not a single fallen leaf could be seen on the ground. The entire yard was clean and tidy. The stark contrast to the bustle and noise of the city led to an unusual feeling of peace and serenity.


    Since it was still quite early, and Lu Chenzhou had shown up unannounced, only his grandparents were home. The two were both wearing glasses and playing poker. Strangely enough, both of their faces had been drawn on with colored markers. Upon seeing Lu Chenzhou suddenly bring a girl home, they quickly started cleaning up.


    But the sofa and the table¡¯s mess was too big to be cleaned away that quickly. Lu Chenzhou glanced at his surroundings idly as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I¡¯m just here to tell you that I have a girlfriend now. There¡¯s no more need to set me up on anymore blind dates.¡±


    Having spoken his piece, he quickly turned around to leave, but his grandmother ran behind him, calling out, ¡°Aiya, aiya! What¡¯s the hurry, we¡¯re almost done packing!¡± His grandfather, on the other hand, simply rushed forward and grabbed Lu Chenzhou¡¯s clothes.


    Lu Chenzhou stopped walking and lowered his head to look at his grandfather¡¯s hand. His grandfather let go of his clothes, which now had a big black spot on them; it was a memento from the poker game the grandfather had been playing with his wife, which involved the winner drawing on the loser¡¯s face.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather laughed and patted at the spot on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s clothes. ¡°It¡¯s dirty, go get it washed.¡±


    Cheng Xi saw green veins bulge out on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s forehead. However, he managed to restrain himself, not saying anything and instead turning around and briskly walking up the stairs. Cheng Xi stopped herself from laughing. Turning around, she saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather smiling at her. ¡°Come here and sit with us! That boy¡¯s a clean freak, so he probably won¡¯t be down until he¡¯s washed it for at least one or two minutes.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother obligingly pushed everything off of the table and the sofa before the housekeeper could get to it, kicked it all underneath the sofa, and then waved her hands at Cheng Xi. ¡°Come, come. Sit here.¡±


    As they said, there was usually a reason behind people becoming clean freaks. Cheng Xi suddenly felt a bit of compassion towards Lu Chenzhou. She sat next to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents, who were adorned with benevolent faces still marked from their poker game, which stressed her out an unusual amount. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to wash your faces?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Oh!¡± The two finally realized the state their faces were still in, and rushed to the washroom to wash their faces. When they returned, they had become two hale and hearty grandparents, meticulous in their appearance: Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather had brushed his hair and combed it back, and his grandmother had changed into new clothes and styled her hair into a tidy bun.


    The three people looked at each other, six eyes between them. Before Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents could react, Cheng Xi finally recognized them. ¡°It¡¯s you two,¡± she said, somewhat surprised.


    ¡°You recognize us?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Not too long ago, we met at my teacher¡¯s place.¡± Then, she reminded, ¡°My teacher is Cai Xi.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember!¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother stroked her palm as she complimented, ¡°You were that eloquent, kind, caring, pretty doctor!¡±


    Cheng Xi blushed at her direct praise, smiling bashfully. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a doctor.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather also seemed to remember her now. ¡°Oh yes, you¡¯re Professor Cai¡¯s student; you treated my wife for her insomnia before. Let me tell you, my wife thinks very highly of you! She even wanted Professor Cai to introduce you to our grandson, but Professor Cai refused to do it, saying something about curing illnesses¡­ Was she unable to cure his illness and so introduced him to you for you to try?¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    His wife patted him on the back, expression serious. ¡°What are you talking about? Our grandson¡¯s totally normal!¡± She turned toward Cheng Xi with a smiling expression as she said, ¡°Our little Zhou¡¯s such a good man, handsome and capable and wealthy. Don¡¯t listen to what his grandfather¡¯s saying!¡±


    Cheng Xi also smiled at this scene. Because they had met before, she wasn¡¯t too surprised at their antics¡ªone had to remember that, during their first meeting, they had already said that they wanted her to be their grandchild¡¯s wife. So, their current behavior could already be considered quite reserved.


    But despite her being willing to accede to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s request, she had never intended to mislead others. Once the two calmed down, Cheng Xi explained the situation to them. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not Mr. Lu¡¯s girlfriend, but rather his doctor. And this was done on my teacher¡¯s request.¡±


    ¡°His doctor? Impossible! He clearly said you were his girlfriend!¡± Both of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents refused to accept this reality.


    Cheng Xi was very patient in her explanation. ¡°That¡¯s false. The reason he did that was in hopes that you two stop pressuring him on that front. Actually, that¡¯s the reason why I came here with him today¡ªto ask you to, as his family, be more patient with him and reduce his stress.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no stress of any sort,¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather said innocently. ¡°We haven¡¯t given him any stress either. As long as you become his girlfriend, he gets married, and then you both have a little baby, we won¡¯t give him any stress at all.¡±


    Hearing this, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but want to caress her forehead. Goodness, did this whole family consist of generations of frauds?


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 23: Chen Jiaman

    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t come back down the rest of that day. Instead, he called a driver to send Cheng Xi back home.


    Originally, Cheng Xi had wanted to chat some more with Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents to understand Lu Chenzhou¡¯s background and his home environment while growing up. However, they were too agitated. Regardless of what topic she brought up, they were always able to maneuver the conversation back to questions like: ¡°When do you and Zhou plan on getting your marriage certificate? Do you want a grand wedding feast?¡±


    Or, they would say something like, ¡°The two of you aren¡¯t young anymore. Why don¡¯t you prepare to have a baby? His father doesn¡¯t care, but we¡¯re still young and can help you raise the kids.¡±


    In front of two grandparents excitedly hoping for great-grandchildren, even the psychiatrist Dr. Cheng was completely and utterly defeated.


    When Cheng Xi returned home that day, she almost felt like there would be more surprises lying in wait for her. The entire day had seemed like a dream¡ªfrom Lu Chenzhou forcefully booking all of her appointment slots, to Baldy¡¯s appearance, to signing that contract with Lu Chenzhou¡­ everything seemed so unrealistic.


    She fell into her bed, exhausted. But then she saw that Chen Jiaman¡¯s nurse had sent her a video of Chen Jiaman; it was getting close to nighttime and she had started becoming active again, this time by repeatedly hitting the doorframe in an attempt to get out.


    Cheng Xi packed up some supplies and rushed to the hospital. On the way there, she received a call from Lin Fan, his tone apologetic from the very beginning. ¡°Sorry, I was busy and haven¡¯t been looking at my phone. Did you call?¡±


    Cheng Xi rapidly walked past a traffic light. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°...Nothing. I just wanted to see how you were doing.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The two didn¡¯t know what to say to each other.


    Time had caused them to drift apart. In the past, even when passing notes, they had an unlimited amount of subjects to talk about. But now, with cell phones to their respective ears, a slight awkwardness permeated even the sound of their breathing.


    Cheng Xi had already reached the hospital. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, then I¡¯m going to hang up. I¡¯m busy right now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have any time to reminisce about the past; she went straight to Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward. When she arrived, she encountered a crowd of doctors and nurses on duty coming out from the room.


    ¡°Dr. Cheng, you¡¯re here?¡± One of her colleagues greeted her. ¡°We¡¯ve taken care of it.¡±


    Cheng Xi responded without much thought, and instead turned her gaze into the ward. She saw Chen Jiaman tightly bound to the bed; her four limbs were spasming, her gaze expressionlessly staring at the ceiling, and her mouth emitting low moaning noises like a wounded beast.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you guys going to wait for me?¡± Cheng Xi asked as she headed inside, her voice taking on a rare edge of censure.


    Behind her, the doctor that had just greeted her replied dismissively, ¡°What would have changed? Wouldn¡¯t we still have used a tranquilizer needle in the end? Rather, if you run around on such a cold night, wouldn¡¯t your rich boyfriend be worried?¡±


    Cheng Xi stopped and turned to look at him, finally recognizing him. When she recalled more, he was even her senior¡ªboth of them had been Cai Yi¡¯s students When Cheng Xi had started her doctoral program, he had been on the cusp of graduating; but when Cheng Xi had graduated, he was still at that cusp. Cai Yi had frequently said that he had a good family, a good background, but not good brains. She didn¡¯t understand why he wanted to be a doctor when he could simply lie back and relax.


    Cheng Xi huffed in exasperation even as she smiled at him. Before he could reciprocate, however, she steeled her expression and said seriously, ¡°Chen Jiaman is my patient. Thank you for your help tonight, but I hope that you¡¯ll ask me before administering any other kind of treatment to her in the future.¡±


    Having said this, she turned and went into the ward, closing the door with a bang.


    As the door shut, she heard him outside, shouting, ¡°Eh, is she blaming me?¡±


    Several of the nurses holding Chen Jiaman down released their hands. At this point, Chen Jiaman was slowly calming down.


    ¡°Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Xi waved her hands in dismissal. ¡°I know how hard you all have been working these past few days, but you should all be familiar with the reason why I don¡¯t want to use tranquilizers. They can certainly make her calm down faster, but what about afterwards? Have you realized yet that every time you forcibly inject drugs into her body, she resists it more and more the next? Whether this is making her better or making her worse, others might not know, but shouldn¡¯t you all?


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have a choice either. She isn¡¯t the only patient that¡¯s staying here; once she starts making a disturbance, all the other patients will, too.¡± Upon seeing Cheng Xi¡¯s expression relaxing, the speaking nurse used her eyes to direct the others to leave, before she lowered her voice and said to Cheng Xi, ¡°Dr. Cheng, the other doctors said that your accepting of this patient would be a lot of work for no reward because even if you cure her, even if she becomes rational again, she would realize that she was the one who killed her grandmother, with whom she was living with¡­ Do you think that, with her mental condition, she could ever recover?¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Cheng Xi looked at her. ¡°Should we let her live in her delusions, going about life like this?¡± Smiling, she continued. ¡°Ms. Zhang, I¡¯m a doctor. The first day I put on this white coat, my professor told me that this attire represents eight words: a worker for health, a caretaker of life. Before I met her, perhaps I could have pretended to not know. But after having met her, having her becoming my patient, I must do my very best to help her. At the very least, I want to wake her up, so that she can make that decision for herself.¡±


    After everyone left, Cheng Xi stood alone in front of Chen Jiaman¡¯s bed for a long time. Such a small, frail child, lying there without sound or breath, pitiful and lonely.


    She bend down in front of Chen Jiaman, waving her hand lightly. ¡°Chen Jiaman, do you want to get better?¡±


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t reply. She had fallen asleep, but wasn¡¯t sleeping well. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what Chen Jiaman was experiencing in her dreams, but tears were streaming down her face.


    She wiped the tears from Chen Jiaman¡¯s face time and time again, sitting in front of her bed for half the night. When it was close to midnight, Chen Jiaman woke up briefly. At that time, the room was dim, and the only light source was the soft starlight shining in from a window.


    Chen Jiaman touched Cheng Xi¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you a ghost?¡±


    This was perhaps the time of day at which she was most normal. Without hysteria infecting it, her tender voice carried with it a confused innocence, characteristic of girls her age.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How did you die?¡±


    ¡°Someone chopped off my head.¡±


    Chen Jiaman then brightened up, clambered to her side, and whispered into her ear, ¡°Someone also chopped off my head. It¡¯s not so bad.¡± She started giggling, and then suddenly stared at Cheng Xi¡¯s back, somewhat frightened. ¡°There are so many ghosts, so many¡­ Shh, don¡¯t startle them.¡±


    She pulled her blankets back and lay back down, covering herself tightly. It was the same position that Cheng Xi had seen her in earlier that morning, when she had been sleeping like a corpse.


    When Cheng Xi walked out of Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward, it was already bright outside, and the comforting sunlight of deep autumn was shining in from the depths of the corridors. But it only illuminated a white wall.


    Instead of heading home, she went straight to the classroom. Originally, she had decided to work for awhile, but she had been told that the head of her department had sent word that she was to rest for a while.


    Cheng Xi immediately felt like she had taken two arrows to the knee, her face so hot that one could fry eggs on it. All these years, she¡¯d been a diligent worker. Perhaps she wasn¡¯t the best performer in the department, but she had certainly never encountered as unusual a request for leave as this.


    The person who informed her looked at her expression, and comforted her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it; a break¡¯s a break. If I were you, I¡¯d take a long vacation and just forget about work.¡±


    Cheng Xi tried to stem the rumors. ¡°I really don¡¯t have a filthy rich boyfriend. Booking my appointment slots was all someone else¡¯s nasty prank.¡±


    Her colleague merely dismissively replied. ¡°Yes, yes, I know. A prank.¡± She raised her head toward the ceiling and sighed. ¡°I also want a prank like this. Please, give me one!¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    With nothing to do, Cheng Xi could only return home. She slept the whole morning, and then called Cheng Yang in the afternoon. ¡°Do you have time? If you do, drive me somewhere.¡±


    Since she was free, she had decided to explore Chen Jiaman¡¯s neighborhood before her father returned.


    But Cheng Yang rejected her. ¡°I¡¯m busy! Find a boyfriend to play with---only a boyfriend will be at your beck and call.¡±


    And then Cheng Xi suddenly thought of her brand new boyfriend Lu Chenzhou. She cradled her phone and considered her options for a moment before she took the contract out of her bag and called him. ¡°Mr. Lu, can I ask you a question?¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if Lu Chenzhou was busy, but it took him a while before he coolly responded, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°As my boyfriend, will you perform some tasks for me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°For example, driving me around and all that.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou thought for a moment before replying, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    Cheng Xi reported her address.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send a chauffeur to fetch you.¡±


    ¡°A chauffeur? You aren¡¯t coming yourself?¡±


    ¡°Why should I go?¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice was filled with confusion. ¡°I have money, enough to hire a dedicated chauffeur. Why should I go through the bother of driving myself?¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed. ¡°Then, can I travel via plane?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Chenzhou replied without hesitation. ¡°Just let me know where the nearest airport landing bay is.¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    After taking an arrow to the knee, she then hit her foot with a stone she had picked up herself; this time, she even had to patiently persuade Lu Chenzhou to dismiss the idea of picking her up in a helicopter!


    Only now did Cheng Xi finally realize that Lu Chenzhou was really that rich, and that he couldn¡¯t take a joke!


    Cheng Xi almost wanted to cry. ¡°No, no, I¡¯m really kidding. Don¡¯t take it seriously. Really, I don¡¯t need a helicopter, I promise!¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 24: Can’t Bear to Look her in the Eye

    Cheng Xi seriously felt that her understanding of patients suffering from emotional detachment was really too limited! She resolved herself to focus on Lu Chenzhou after Chen Jiaman¡¯s illness improved. It wasn¡¯t just because of that astronomical contract-breaking fee, but also so that she could happily be friends with a rich guy.


    ¨r(¨s_¨t)¨q


    Speaking of Chen Jiaman, Cheng Xi suddenly remembered that Lu Chenzhou seemed to have displayed some interest in her condition, so she mentioned it just as Lu Chenzhou was about to hang up. ¡°What I¡¯m planning to do involves that patient with Cotard¡¯s syndrome. Her family lives somewhat far away, so I might be borrowing your chauffeur for quite a while. Is that fine?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything, but when his chauffeur arrived and Cheng Xi got in the car, she found that Lu Chenzhou was sitting in the backseat.


    She couldn¡¯t help but smile. Under the sunlight, her eyes seemed to reflect the morning clouds in the sky. ¡°Hi. I¡¯m very happy to see you, Mr. Lu.¡±


    The chauffeur couldn¡¯t help but glance at her a few more times. However, Lu Chenzhou merely looked at her coolly, and then lowered his head and refocused his attention on the laptop in his hands.


    He still had unfinished work; the time he was spending with her had been squeezed out from an extremely tight schedule.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t bother him any further, and sat at the front to help the chauffeur navigate. Chen Jiaman¡¯s family lived in a small town by the next county. Even when driving at high speeds, it took them almost two hours to get there.


    The small town wasn¡¯t too prosperous, but it wasn¡¯t poor, either. On the streets were mostly newly built apartments. The Chen family lived at the end of the street, where a number of other families were clustered. Because the ¡°accidental murder¡± incident had happened not too long ago, it was essentially still fresh in all the townspeople¡¯s minds. So, after asking around briefly, Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou quickly found the house they were looking for.


    The house seemed to also have been rebuilt recently and looked quite new. It was a three-story building with a medium-sized backyard, a tall wall, and a big metal door. Its features made it stand out even amongst a crowd of newly refurbished buildings.


    It looked as though her family was quite well-to-do.


    The metal gate was closed but not locked. Cheng Xi asked the woman who had led them there. ¡°Can we go inside and look around?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± she replied casually. ¡°But the door to their house is locked, and you can¡¯t enter.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded, pushed open the metal gate, and entered the backyard. This was a classic suburban courtyard, quite tidy,except for the junk and charcoal briquettes haphazardly scattered about a corner of the wall. Two small loquat trees had been planted near the wall, spreading a weak greenness in the rustling autumn wind.


    There were few traces remaining of that hair-raising scene of more than a month ago. If not for the seal on the door and a small, dark red bloodstain by the corner of the porch, perhaps nobody would notice that something like that had ever happened here.


    The woman that had led them here was quite cordial. After noticing that Cheng Xi had taken interest in the two loquat trees, she said, ¡°These trees came from my own backyard and were planted the year they renovated their house because the elderly lady said that her granddaughter enjoyed eating loquats.¡±


    ¡°Did the elderly lady get along well with her granddaughter?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, of course. She would skimp on eating and buying new clothes for herself to support her, but that lass was no good. She didn¡¯t attend school or do anything productive; she fought the old lady all the way. From my perspective, Miss Lawyer¡±¡ªCheng Xi had introduced herself as Chen Jiaman¡¯s defense lawyer upon asking for directions¡ª¡°that lass wouldn¡¯t have had a good time here even if she were released from the hospital as she wouldn¡¯t be cared for by her father or wanted by her mother, especially not after going crazy. Why not leave her in prison. What if she kills someone again when she gets out? Insane murderers aren¡¯t responsible for their actions under the law, are they?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t answer her questions, and instead asked, ¡°Has Chen Jiaman always lived with her grandmother? Where¡¯s her mother? Do they have any other relatives?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. Their grandfather even moved in to live with his wife¡¯s family; what other relatives could they have? They just one aunt, who stopped coming after Chen Jiaman¡¯s father gambled her money away. As for her mother, she¡¯s bad too. Since she despises her family¡¯s lack of wealth, she ran away after giving birth to Chen Jiaman, and even took their eldest son with her. They say that she didn¡¯t have enough money and even had to sell her son to get by.¡±


    ¡°...But their house isn¡¯t too shabby. They can¡¯t be considered poor, can they?¡±


    The woman leading them fumbled for a moment, before finally responding, ¡°That only happened in the last two years, when Chen Jiaman¡¯s father broke his gambling habit and went out to sea. There, he managed to get a bit of money to fix the house; they used to be really poor before.¡±


    ¡°And her mother never returned?¡±


    ¡°Never, why would she? After selling her son off and meeting the boss of a big corporation, why would she come back now that she¡¯s living a well-off life? Don¡¯t joke around.¡± Saying that, she turned and looked around tentatively, before coming closer and softly whispering, ¡°Given that woman¡¯s promiscuous behavior, we all suspect that Chen Jiaman isn¡¯t truly a member of the Chen family. However, her grandmother would have none of it, treating her like a little princess. But then¡­¡± She shrugged her hands. ¡°An accident happened.¡±


    Cheng Xi was silent. Regardless of how much she had just heard was truthful, she could imagine what sort of personality Chen Jiaman would develop in this environment: introverted and self-abasing; and if not undisciplined and out of control, then timid and strange.


    Sighing, she then asked, ¡°When did Chen Jiaman start skipping school?¡±


    ¡°About two years ago.¡±


    ¡°Why was she unwilling to attend?¡±


    ¡°She just didn¡¯t want to go.¡± After saying this, the madam patted the nonexistent dust on her clothes. Cheng Xi noticed that her gaze had started avoiding hers, and her expression had become somewhat artificial. So, she quickly changed the subject. ¡°I say, Miss Lawyer, the police have already asked about all these things, so why are you still asking about them? We were all here when she killed her grandmother. She looked just like a little wolf child, frightening beyond belief. Even after that, even after she¡¯s gone crazy, are you still going to defend her?¡±


    Cheng Xi duly replied, ¡°That¡¯s the due process of the law.¡± She wanted to keep talking about Chen Jiaman¡¯s school life, but the madam clearly didn¡¯t want to stay on this topic. Even when Cheng Xi asked her about where Chen Jiaman¡¯s school was, she replied disdainfully, seemingly not wanting to answer. ¡°Why would you go to her school? Since she quit going to school, do you think that her teacher would have been able to stop her?¡±


    Her tone was caustic. Cheng Xi frowned, clearly realizing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything else out of her. She walked around the Chen estate again, thanked her, and then got back into the car.


    The madam came out with her, but didn¡¯t leave. Instead, she walked to another house and stood under its roof. Out of that house came a lady about the same age as her; the two of them started talking and occasionally glanced at Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou.


    Cheng Xi drew her gaze back. ¡°Where to next?¡± the chauffeur asked.


    Cheng Xi opened an app on her phone, looking for nearby schools. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t too hard to figure out where Chen Jiaman had gone; the town only had one kindergarten, one elementary school, and the only middle school was over in the next town.


    Two years ago, Chen Jiaman had been twelve, and thus she should have been enrolled in middle school. She turned around and talked to Lu Chenzhou about what she had heard, and then asked, ¡°At twelve years old, she should have been in sixth grade, just entering middle school. If I want to understand what her school life was like, do you think that I should go to her elementary or her middle school?¡±


    As she said this, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze was fixed to his screen, completely unresponsive. She didn¡¯t think he would respond, but unexpectedly, he replied, ¡°To the middle school.¡±


    Cheng Xi was slightly shocked. ¡°Why?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face looked like he was unable to bear it any further. He raised his head and asked, ¡°Were you really top of your class in school?¡± His tone was mocking. ¡°With this sort of intellect, are you sure that the teacher wasn¡¯t just going easy on you?¡±


    Cheng Xi remembered that he had heard this on the night of Shen Wei¡¯s wedding, so she seriously responded, ¡°I think that it¡¯s more likely that my classmates went easy on me. They saw how pretty I am, so they let me pick up the first place position.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything, merely focusing his attention on her one half-dimple, his thoughts self-evident.


    Cheng Xi guessed that discussing whether or not her half-dimple was beautiful or not with an obsessive-compulsive maniac would be a pointless endeavor, so she hurriedly covered up that half of her face, and then continued asking. ¡°You haven¡¯t explained why we should go to her middle school over her elementary school.¡±


    ¡°What was her elementary school performance like?¡±


    ¡°I saw that her living room had many certificates and prizes, so I¡¯m sure that she did fine there.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s it,¡± Lu Chenzhou said coolly. ¡°As someone who got through elementary school just fine, why would she quit just as soon as she entered middle school?¡±


    After hearing this, Cheng Xi clapped her hands together. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± Smiling, she praised him, ¡°You¡¯re awesome, I never thought about that.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou turned around, unable to bear looking her in the eye.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 25: Don’t Smile at Me

    Regardless of other things, flattering Lu Chenzhou appeared to be effective; at the very least, he paid attention to her more now. Also, after arriving at the school, Lu Chenzhou shut his laptop and got out of the car with Cheng Xi.


    But he didn¡¯t go far. As Cheng Xi went to speak with the guard, he leaned against the side of the car, took out a cigarette, and started smoking.


    The guard at the school gate was a middle-aged man in his forties. Cheng Xi revealed her identity and mentioned that she wanted to meet Chen Jiaman¡¯s former homeroom teacher.


    ¡°She was sent away, sent away a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Sent away?¡± Cheng Xi was shocked. ¡°But what about her other teachers?¡±


    ¡°She was only here for a semester, so the other teachers don¡¯t know her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, I¡¯d like to ask them a few questions anyway.¡±


    The guard was somewhat unwilling, but nonetheless, still made a call for her. Before long, a young teacher, who introduced himself as Mr. Liu, hurriedly walked outside.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Chen Jiaman¡¯s defense lawyer, Ms. Cheng.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± As Mr. Liu said this, he looked at her somewhat strangely. ¡°Isn¡¯t Chen Jiaman suffering from mental illness? Why does she have a defense lawyer?¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    She had forgotten that teachers knew more than the average old lady from a small town, and couldn¡¯t help but smile awkwardly. ¡°She hasn¡¯t been fully diagnosed yet, so we still have to confirm her situation.¡±


    Luckily, the teacher didn¡¯t request to see her lawyer license or anything. He was very cooperative when Cheng Xi asked him her questions, but he didn¡¯t know very much. ¡°I only taught her a semester of math. That child didn¡¯t like speaking very much, so it was easy for the teachers to forget about her.¡±


    ¡°How were her grades?¡±


    ¡°Alright. Not too good but not too bad either.¡±


    ¡°How were her relationships with her classmates?¡±


    The teacher looked apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, sorry. I wasn¡¯t her homeroom teacher, so I really knew very little about her.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you remember any important incidents that involved Chen Jiaman?¡±


    ¡°I only remember one thing, which I also told the police officers. There was one day where she wasn¡¯t paying attention in class and was instead drawing in her notebook. I confiscated it, and her reaction was extreme: she screamed loudly, yelled, and even bit me.¡± As he spoke, he pointed at a section of his wrist. ¡°Right here. The swelling only dissipated after several days.¡±


    ¡°She likes drawing?¡±


    ¡°Probably. At any rate, if she had nothing to do, she would just draw. However, she never let others see what she was drawing.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you know why she quit school?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about this. At any rate, after a school break, she never came back to school again. Her former homeroom teacher even went to speak with her, but she seemed to have made her mind up to not come back.¡±


    Cheng Xi frowned. A child whose grades weren¡¯t too bad surely wouldn¡¯t start hating school for no reason. Her final request was to meet with Chen Jiaman¡¯s classmates, but the students who had been in Chen Jiaman¡¯s year had already graduated and had gone to high school elsewhere, with only a scant few remaining in this region. And not only that, but neither they nor their parents were willing to talk about this classmate who had killed her own grandmother. So, meeting them wouldn¡¯t have been very beneficial.


    The math teacher was trying to decline Cheng Xi¡¯s request politely. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t push further either; it would have been useless. Once she left the school, she used purchasing things as an excuse to interview more people around the neighborhood, and even returned to Chen Jiaman¡¯s elementary school. The information she received there was essentially the same as what Mr. Liu had told her.


    Normally, Chen Jiaman seemed to be a quiet, introverted, untalkative, beautiful, but particularly gloomy girl.


    Those who lived a stifling life were very likely to develop some sort of extreme mental condition. This was the conclusion that Cheng Xi arrived at after spending the entire afternoon collect information.


    Seeing that it was past noon, Cheng Xi started to feel hungry. She asked Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Do you want to eat anything? I¡¯ll pay.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou gazed at his surroundings and said nothing.


    This meant that he was disdainful, so Cheng Xi turned around and asked the chauffeur, ¡°Mr. Lu doesn¡¯t seem to be hungry yet, but do you want to get lunch with me?¡±


    The chauffeur looked at Lu Chenzhou, and, after seeing that he didn¡¯t object, got out of the car and walked to a little restaurant that looked somewhat clean.


    This place was quite far from the Chen family house, close to the middle of the town. From this restaurant, one could barely see the front gate of the middle school that Chen Jiaman had attended.


    The owners of the restaurant were a middle-aged couple. Because it was already past lunchtime, there were only two people eating noodles in the restaurant. The wife was sitting at the door of the kitchen plucking vegetables, and the husband looking over bills from the counter. Seeing the two come in, he enthusiastically asked, ¡°Would you like something to eat?¡±


    Cheng Xi and the chauffeur looked at the menu and ordered three dishes and soup. The chauffeur was worried that his boss would be hungry, and so, he considerately asked for a new bowl from the owner, washed it, and then brought it over to Lu Chenzhou. However, it was returned in the exact same condition.


    Cheng Xi, upon seeing his dejected expression, smiled. ¡°Was he unwilling to have it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The driver wanted to sigh. ¡°He said that he wasn¡¯t hungry.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s eat by ourselves.¡± Cheng Xi was indifferent towards Lu Chenzhou¡¯s predilections. By this point, their food had arrived. Cheng Xi tried a bite: the taste wasn¡¯t too good. It was too oily. But the portions were big, and they didn¡¯t care too much because they were hungry.


    After the owner¡¯s wife brought the food out, she even took the initiative to ask, ¡°Are you two here to hear about Chen Jiaman¡¯s story?¡±


    Given how many people there were in the little town, there were essentially no secrets in this place, and Cheng Xi was eye-catching in terms of both her attire and her looks. So no matter what she asked, people would learn about it in no time.


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± She smiled at the owner¡¯s wife. ¡°Do you know her?¡±


    ¡°Of course, who wouldn¡¯t know her in this town?¡±


    ¡°Then are you familiar with her?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat, My restaurant is right here, so I essentially know all the students who study here.¡±


    ¡°Then what was your impression of Chen Jiaman?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. She didn¡¯t like to talk and was always alone. Ah, what¡¯s she to you? Why are you here asking about her? Isn¡¯t she crazy now?¡±


    Cheng Xi only answered her first question. ¡°I¡¯m the defense lawyer that the court appointed to her. Do you know whether she had good friends or classmates with whom she was close?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that. At any rate, I always saw her alone. According to me, if she¡¯s crazy, then she should be locked up in a mental institution; if she¡¯s not crazy, and actually was willing to kill her own grandmother, then she should be locked up all the more. How frightening.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Cheng Xi could only laugh bitterly. This was the stance of almost the entire town¡ªeveryone hoped that Chen Jiaman would vanish from the world, or, at the very least, never come back.


    Cheng Xi kept feeling that these townsfolk¡¯s enmity and rejection were somewhat strange because, throughout her entire time here, she heard almost no one express sympathy for the girl. It was mostly deep hatred and fear.


    Cheng Xi felt very perplexed. ¡°Despite the fact that Chen Jiaman killed someone, given her state of mind, it wouldn¡¯t be out of place to say that it was accidental. So why are you all so afraid of her?¡±


    The owner¡¯s wife wanted to say more, but the owner loudly slapped the table by the counter. ¡°Stop chatting. Can¡¯t you smell the dishes burning in the kitchen?¡±


    The owner¡¯s wife quickly retreated back into the kitchen. Cheng Xi turned around, and saw the owner smile at her. ¡°The women here are generally quite timid; please don¡¯t pay them any attention, Ms. Lawyer.¡±


    Such an explanation was pushing it a little bit, but Cheng Xi didn¡¯t comment on it any further. She could see that the owner didn¡¯t want her to continue pursuing this thread of conversation, even to the point of forbidding his wife from speaking any further.


    After eating, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t leave immediately. Instead, she decided to wait until school was over. Perhaps, if she was lucky, she would be able to meet one or two students who knew, or rather, were familiar with Chen Jiaman.


    But Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hunger was also problematic. Luckily, just as she was leaving the restaurant, she saw an old lady pushing a small pushcart and selling roasted sweet potatoes. The small charcoal-cooked sweet potatoes gave off an enticing aroma from far away.


    She ran over to buy a few, but when she returned, she found that Lu Chenzhou had gotten out of the car at some point, and was smoking not far away from the car. His posture was very handsome; one hand was grasping the cigarette, the other in his shirt pocket, a small indent between his eyes, and his expression ultimately cool. From afar, he seemed just like a mountain stream in a distant forest, shrouded in an aura of mystery.


    Cheng Xi waved the roasted sweet potatoes in front of his nose. ¡°Do you want some?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even glance at it.


    ¡°Are you worried about it being dirty? Cheng Xi smiled, took one out of the bag, and slowly peeled it. ¡°The nature of clean freaks is to like dirty things. This potato looks gray and patchy, black and dirty, but once you peel off the outer layer of skin, the inside is sweet and tasty¡ªwon¡¯t you try it?¡±


    Saying this, she held out the now peeled sweet potato to him, smiling.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t take it, instead looking critically at her. ¡°Don¡¯t smile at me,¡± he said calmly, ¡°When you smile, you look repulsively ugly!¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    Just as she was about to take her hand back, Lu Chenzhou lowered his body and bit the proffered sweet potato that she had peeled.


    He swallowed one bite and then commented somewhat distastefully, ¡°It isn¡¯t sweet enough.¡± After saying this, he took another bite. The small sweet potato that Cheng Xi had peeled was finished off in just two bites.


    And he even ate it very elegantly; after he was done, his mouth was clean and stainless.


    Cheng Xi thought to herself, This is a patient, don¡¯t bother bickering with him. Just as she was about to ask if he wanted more, her gaze suddenly turned sharp, and she pulled him aside.


    A big splash could be heard, and then Cheng Xi suddenly found that her back was damp, and her body chilled to the core.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 26: An Ache in the Hear

    A slop bucket that had been left out for who knew how long, dirty and smelly, had just been thrown at Cheng Xi. Almost immediately, a thick, sour odor assaulted Cheng Xi¡¯s nose.


    She was petrified with shock, standing there frozen and wet. The one who had thrown the dirty water all over her was an old grandmother with a slightly bent back. When she had approached them with a dirty bucket, Cheng Xi thought that she was planning to dump out her trash somewhere. But only a moment later, she had seen her hoist the bucket up high, and aimed its contents at Lu Chenzhou.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s taking the shot for Lu Chenzhou was a subconscious act; she had originally planned to merely pull him out of the way. However, because he was tall and heavy, even though she managed to pull him away, she had also thrown herself into the line of fire.


    The old grandmother didn¡¯t leave even after pouring the filthy water all over her, staring at her with a fierce expression as her mouth mumbled foul words in a dialect Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t understand.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s chauffeur had been listening to music on his phone in the car, but upon hearing the commotion, his heart almost stopped beating. He immediately ran over and grabbed the old grandmother, but just as he was about to shove her, Cheng Xi quickly stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t touch her!¡±


    The old grandmother looked frail and elderly. If anything were to happen, they would be in big trouble.


    The chauffeur looked at Lu Chenzhou. He coldly nodded, so the chauffeur slowly let go of the old lady. But he didn¡¯t leave, and stood in front of Lu Chenzhou and Cheng Xi alertly. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, don¡¯t think that you can get away with things just because you¡¯re old! You can¡¯t suddenly pour water on people. Are you crazy?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t totally clear if the old grandmother had understood him, but she spat at the chauffeur and loudly scolded him.


    The surroundings were quickly filled with people gawking at the scene. Even the restaurant owner¡¯s wife came running out. When she saw Cheng Xi and the two men being scolded out of the blue, she hurriedly tried to dissuade the old grandmother from provoking them further. ¡°Old grandmother, please don¡¯t scold them anymore. They¡¯re here because they were appointed by the court. They don¡¯t want to be part of it either.¡±


    The old lady didn¡¯t care, and kept on scolding them even after throwing the bucket at them.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say a single word. The restaurant owner¡¯s wife got some people to restrain the old lady and pulled Cheng Xi aside. ¡°You¡¯re young, so please don¡¯t get too worked up by what old people say.¡±


    Despite the calamity that had befallen Cheng Xi, she really didn¡¯t want to pursue the matter with the old lady any further. However, she had to understand what was going on. ¡°Who is this old lady, and what¡¯s she so angry about?¡±


    The restaurant¡¯s owner wife knew her. ¡°She¡¯s just an old woman who lives alone right around here. She used to have a son, but he was spirited away by Chen Jiaman¡¯s mother when they were young. Then, Chen Jiaman¡¯s mother found another man to live a good life with, whereas her son ended up dying in an accident. Thus, she hates the guts of the Chen family. I don¡¯t know who told her that you were serving as Chen Jiaman¡¯s defense attorney, but she was so angry that she came right over to cause trouble.¡±


    After hearing the background, Cheng Xi was rendered speechless.


    The restaurant owner¡¯s wife then tried to persuade her, saying, ¡°If you¡¯ve already cleared things up, then leave quickly. That old lady¡¯s really stubborn, and she might come back again later. Given how old she is, regardless of whether you win or lose against her, it won¡¯t end up well for you.¡±


    This was true. Cheng Xi¡¯s scalp felt numb when she glanced back at that old lady whose frail body belied her surprising attack power. She thanked the woman, and then told Lu Chenzhou, ¡°You guys can leave first.¡±


    She was still drenched in the disgusting slop, so she couldn¡¯t get in the car with them.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say a word. He seemed to be in a daze, thinking about something.


    And it was then that he looked different from regular people.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to disturb him, and only wanted the chauffeur to take him away quickly. She didn¡¯t know if the chauffeur knew about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s unique disposition, as he was a bit anxious, even asking her, ¡°What about you?¡±


    Before Cheng Xi could respond, Lu Chenzhou said, ¡°Go on ahead and find a hotel, get a room, and buy a set of new clothes.¡±


    Once he finished speaking, Cheng Xi and the chauffeur looked at each other, exhaling simultaneously.


    His plans were thoughtful and Cheng Xi had no problems with them. The chauffeur followed his orders and drove off. Only then did Lu Chenzhou look in the direction of the old lady again before directly leaving.


    He walked quickly. Because Cheng Xi was scared of bothering him with her smell, she didn¡¯t rush to catch up with him, and instead walked slowly behind him.


    As they walked, even though Cheng Xi had discarded totally ruined jacket long ago, she still attracted all sorts of attention. As she shivered in the cold, she had to continuously tell herself, Don¡¯t worry. Only random strangers who don¡¯t know you are looking at you.


    It was just that there were a few bystanders who were also taking pictures of her with their phone, so she had to lower her head and hope that her face hadn¡¯t been exposed.


    Luckily, the hotel that the chauffeur made a reservation at wasn¡¯t too far away, and he was back in ten or so minutes.


    The hotel wasn¡¯t large, but the lobby was very new; the hotel had probably opened quite recently. Lu Chenzhou waited at the front of the hotel, watching her walk over while covering her head and face.


    ¡°Here?¡± Seeing him standing still, she asked.


    Lu Chenzhou nodded.


    The chauffeur had just finished checking in and was about to buy a new set of clothes for her. Seeing her, he quickly said, ¡°The room card is at the front office. Please go up first, and I¡¯ll have someone bring the clothes over when they¡¯re ready. Right, what sizes do you wear?¡±


    Letting a random man buy her clothes made her somewhat want to go ¡®‡å.¡¯ ¡°Thanks, just a small jacket will do, please.¡±


    The chauffeur nodded. After Cheng Xi entered the room, she heard him ask, ¡°Director Lu, will you be finding a place to stay too?¡±


    She didn¡¯t pay too much attention to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s reply. The only thought in her mind now was to take a shower and change her clothes.


    Her body was simply¡­ too smelly!


    Cheng Xi took the longest and most careful bath she had ever had in her entire life, even washing her hair thrice. When she finally came out, she was unable to smell even a trace of sourness.


    After picking up her phone, she saw an unread message from Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Your clothes are at the door.¡±


    When she opened the door, she indeed found a large paper bag outside. She took it inside, opened it, and noticed that the inside contained not only a jacket, but also a pair of jeans, a warm undershirt, and a box of disposable underwear.


    When she remembered that a man had bought all of this, Cheng Xi felt uncomfortable from head to toe. But since it had already been bought, no matter how she felt, she had to change. Her original set of clothes was too smelly and oily, completely unwearable.


    Besides her new jeans being slightly too large, the rest of the clothes fit her well. After Cheng Xi finished changing into her new set of clothes, she went around in a circle downstairs, and then finally found Lu Chenzhou¡¯s car parked outside. The windows were down; Lu Chenzhou sat inside on the phone, his laptop on his knees as normal.


    His chauffeur, on the other hand, seemed to be gone.


    Cheng Xi waited for Lu Chenzhou to hang up before approaching him. As she came closer, Lu Chenzhou unconsciously moved away from her.


    She felt slightly embarrassed. She stood still, smelling herself delicately. ¡°Do I still smell bad?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her. Perhaps it was because she had just taken a bath, but Cheng Xi¡¯s whole body exuded a warm and inviting feeling. It was as clear as a polished crystal, and so clean that it made others want to take a bite out of her.


    It was a pity that she didn¡¯t realize that herself, instead turning around to gaze at her surroundings. ¡°Is it just you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou ignored her.


    Cheng Xi continued, saying, ¡°The chauffeur, Mr. Chen, bought the clothes, didn¡¯t he? Where is he? I¡¯ll pay him back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Lu Chenzhou said coolly. He looked at her. ¡°This is your payment for helping me avoid a calamity.¡±


    ¡°Er,¡± Cheng Xi stuttered. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be me reaping what I¡¯ve sown?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou shut his laptop, casting sidelong glances at her. ¡°But you seem to be happy about reaping what you¡¯ve sown?¡±


    Cheng Xi shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Then what should I do? Cry? Unfortunately, crying can¡¯t solve my problems. Furthermore, after cleaning myself, I¡¯m as good as new again. So what¡¯s there to be mad about?¡±


    Her words were humorous, and Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t help but curl up his lips slightly upon hearing them. ¡°It¡¯s getting quite late. When are the two of you planning to return?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand, which was resting on his laptop, shook. He raised his head. ¡°You two?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I plan on staying here for a night because I keep feeling like there are still some questions that I haven¡¯t investigated fully.¡±


    ¡°Of course there are problems,¡± Lu Chenzhou said with a laugh. ¡°At the very least, that old widowed grandmother who tossed a bucket at you has problems. If she were really living by herself, then her bucket wouldn¡¯t have been filled with so much stuff.¡±


    Cheng Xi blinked. ¡°What stuff?¡± She really hadn¡¯t noticed this, mainly because she had been so shocked at the time that she hadn¡¯t been able to think about anything else.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice was ice cold as he replied, ¡°The most identifiable objects that she flung out at you were potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes, and noodles. Perhaps if there were only one type of food it would be a coincidence, but what about multiple types?¡±


    Cheng xi understood immediately. The items that Lu Chenzhou had mentioned were exactly what they had ordered for lunch. The leftover vegetables and rice in a restaurant were usually poured into a bucket to be dealt with later.


    Something like that could be sold for money; for example, some people would buy it specifically to feed their pigs, and people wouldn¡¯t generally throw it away carelessly. If the old grandmother¡¯s bucket of foul water had really come from the restaurant, then the behavior of the restaurant owner¡¯s wife afterwards was worth considering carefully.


    ¡°She truly seemed to be trying to help us, but it felt more like she wanted to quickly scare us away¡­ Does this mean she doesn¡¯t want us to keep investigating?¡±


    Although Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything, his face revealed an expression of disdain at how long it had taken her to figure it out.


    Ignoring his facial expression, Cheng Xi merely sighed again as she said, ¡°So the crux of the matter lies with the restaurant owner¡¯s wife? Not only does she know Chen Jiaman, but she also probably has some deeper connection with her.¡± Upon realizing this, she became agitated. In her excitement, her two hands extended into the car and grabbed hold of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Ah, what are you looking at?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou slightly tilted his head, his gaze landing on her hand, her fingertips just like spring onions, as white as jade.


    Unexpectedly, he didn¡¯t find it dirty. Instead, an ache in his heart sprang out of nowhere. Her fingertips reminded him of the jade tea pet that he often played with in his office, which was the same shade of translucent, warm white.


    But the teacup was cold and hard. He idly wondered what her fingertips would feel like.


    And, as he thought of this, Lu Chenzhou raised his left hand and lightly caressed Cheng Xi¡¯s hand.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 27: The Emperor’s New Clothes

    Cheng Xi¡¯s hand was very warm. Warm and soft, a completely different feeling from his tea pet.


    Lu Chenzhou grabbed his own hand and put it down. Throughout the whole process, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even realize that Lu Chenzhou had ¡®gently¡¯ caressed her. She even felt somewhat bad that she had touched her patient like that, laughing awkwardly and saying, ¡°Sorry to offend you. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou answered suavely with a nonverbal grunt.


    Cheng Xi asked Lu Chenzhou about his sincere thoughts. ¡°I think that the townsfolk are acting very strangely. Chen Jiaman hasn¡¯t done anything particularly vicious or evil besides the incident with her grandmother, but from start to finish, I haven¡¯t heard a single word of pity or regret for her.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t paying much attention to her question. He lowered his head to look at his fingertips, which seemed to possess remnants of the softness and fineness that he had felt earlier. Lightly stroking them, he put his hand to his nose and sniffed. Upon raising his head, he found that Cheng Xi was staring at him, eyes wide.


    Lu Chenzhou sat up straight, put down his hand, and with his face unflinching, said, ¡°How smelly!¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    She instantly understood the phrase she had heard on the Internet, ¡®smiling on the outside and looking down disdainfully on the inside.¡¯ Even though she knew that Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t be understood through normal means and that he couldn¡¯t be simply asked to behave like a regular person, but after she had washed her hair and bathed three times, almost rubbing an entire layer of skin off of her body, for her to still hear such an evaluation, it really¡­...made her heart clench!


    She struggled to maintain her disposition, only able to awkwardly apologize again. ¡°Sorry for disgusting you with my smell.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou grunted once again.


    "¡­¡­"


    His responses really made her want to hit him. She took a deep breath, firmly deciding not to make life difficult for herself. ¡°Hm, I think that this will only be harder with three people. Given how busy you are, why don¡¯t you go back first? I can take the car here myself tomorrow.¡±


    Unfortunately, her suggestions to him were always viewed as useless words. Lu Chenzhou got out of the car and nonchalantly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Go¡­ go where?¡±


    He turned his head around, expression grave and stern. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to investigate some more?¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m scared of disgusting you with my smell again.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Lu Chenzhou said lightly. ¡°Since you said that the nature of clean freaks is to like dirty things, I¡¯ve decided to give it a try.¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    It was often said that, when doctors had to treat intelligent patients, or when police encountered intelligent criminals, they often ended up scratching their heads. This was because, from just a moment of inattention, these intelligent people would entrap you in their routine.


    But Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words were much more problematic than that. Put in a different way, it sounded as if he were confessing to her that he would try to like her out.


    Unintentional words often held a grain of truth in them, but at this moment, neither Cheng Xi nor Lu Chenzhou had realized it yet.


    Cheng Xi was more or less an easygoing person, so despite her sugggestion being rejected by Lu Chenzhou, she wouldn¡¯t stop him from coming along if he insisted.


    Thus, the two of them left the hotel and returned to the school. This time, Cheng Xi had prepared herself adequately; in order to avoid being drenched with foul water again, she was wearing a hat and a scarf now, covering herself up from head to toe. The little town¡¯s resources were limited and her clothes were of average quality, so she seemed quite inconspicuous.


    As for Lu Chenzhou, well, he simply decided to not walk with her. By the time they got there, the restaurant had already closed, and it was about when school was out. The traffic on the road and streets had increased suddenly, and little stalls had also popped up by the roadside near the school.


    At once, the smell of food and the dust brought about by the traffic mingled through the air. Lu Chenzhou had stopped far from the scene and was frowning at the sight, almost as if he were watching a horror flick set in another dimension.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t force him and walked slowly forward alone. From Lu Chenzhou¡¯s viewpoint, she seemed like a strange auntie. She was waving around a piece of ham sausage and twisting and turning around, sometimes drawing close to one or two lone children. She knew to pick out the older children, but she still had little luck in her endeavors.


    When most of the crowd had dispersed, she walked back toward him, expression dejected.


    Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows.


    Cheng Xi said, ¡°No luck. Most of the children don¡¯t remember her, or even if they have heard of her name, they only have a superficial impression of her. Either she¡¯s a murderer or a crazy person.¡±


    As expected. ¡°Are you going to keep trying?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have to at least try.¡± She didn¡¯t have much vacation time accrued, so given that the hospital had given her a small ¡®vacation,¡¯ she had to make the most of it before going back and facing Chen Jiaman. ¡°Staying here for a night is just like a vacation, even if we¡¯re not able to find anything out.¡±


    At least she¡¯s very mentally healthy. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything, his gaze stopping on the remaining ham sausage in her hand.


    The ham sausage looked somewhat evil, but it also smelled surprisingly good.


    Cheng Xi immediately realized what was on his mind. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Her palm lightly touched the ham sausage. ¡°It isn¡¯t tasty if it¡¯s cold. Since everyone¡¯s about to have dinner, we can¡¯t investigate right now either. Why don¡¯t we find a place to eat too?¡±


    As she said this, she threw the ham sausage away and took out her phone. She asked some friends, ¡°I¡¯m at ¡­ Does anyone know if there¡¯s a clean, sanitary, decent place to eat around here?¡±


    It turned out that one of her classmates did know a good place nearby; he had been a safety engineer who had worked in the region for a decent amount of time, and was relatively familiar with the place.


    He sent over the name of a restaurant, which Cheng Xi searched up on her phone. It was a small agricultural restaurant, not too far from Chen Jiaman¡¯s home.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± she asked as she held out her phone to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face.


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at it for a moment, seemingly uncaring. ¡°Do as you like.¡±


    ¡­¡­That was the most annoying answer to give when two people were trying to decide where to eat, because those who said they were fine with anything were usually the hardest to satisfy. Cheng Xi sighed, deciding that she needed another person to deal with Lu Chenzhou. She then said, ¡°Let¡¯s call Mr. Chen over as well.¡±


    Mr. Chen was Lu Chenzhou¡¯s chauffeur.


    And Lu Chenzhou said, ¡°No, he already has plans.¡±


    So it¡¯ll only be the two of them, and she would have to pamper him? Cheng Xi very much wanted to refuse, but after thinking about how he had come so far accompanying her, she relented. Fine, she would pamper him in order to understand him better as a patient.


    Cheng Xi quickly dispelled her mental block, and the two drove over to that restaurant. Honestly, the scale of the place was larger than Cheng Xi expected, and the service they received was surprisingly good. Lu Chenzhou requested a new, never-before-used plate, which they procured rapidly.


    It was just that the dishes themselves weren¡¯t great. Lu Chenzhou clearly didn¡¯t enjoy the food very much, and only ate a small portion of each dish. Cheng Xi was quite embarrassed, resolving once again to finish her investigations early so that they could return by nightfall.


    After having dinner, they went back to the newly renovated plaza. Apparently, it was very crowded at night: parents brought their children out here to have fun, some people danced, and others played ball.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to call her luck good or bad, because even though the plaza wasn¡¯t particularly big nor particularly small, she still managed to run into someone she recognized¡ªChen Jiaman¡¯s middle school math teacher.


    And the math teacher even recognized her first, running over to greet her. ¡°Ah, Lawyer Cheng? You¡¯re still here?¡±


    Cheng Xi hesitated for a moment before recovering with a smile, and then pointed at Lu Chenzhou, who was by her side. ¡°Yes, I saw that the environment here seemed pretty nice, so I¡¯ve been staying in the area with my boyfriend.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at them coolly, without any intention of playing along. Cheng Xi started sweating.


    Luckily, the math teacher seemed to believe her, and even started pointing out the scenic areas around to her.


    As they were talking, a four or five year old girl ran over and hugged his leg. ¡°Daddy! I want to play with that.¡± As she spoke, she pointed at a thing that was jumping into the sky like a falling star.


    There were also toy stalls at the plaza, and Cheng Xi guessed that the little girl wanted to play with some kind of toy.


    Following behind the little girl was a woman about the same age as Mr. Liu. Seeing the child behave the way she did, she stated somewhat angrily, ¡°Ignore her. She wants everything that she sees. It won¡¯t do for us to indulge her too much.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the little girl began to cry and make a fuss, kicking and tearing at Mr. Liu¡¯s feet.


    Mr. Liu and his wife were unable to deal with their child¡¯s fuss. Neither harsh words nor scolding seemed to be effective.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stand to watch any further, and helped them coax the little girl into calming down. ¡°If you stop crying, this auntie will give you some candy, alright?¡± She retrieved a handful of sweets from her bag, holding it up in front of her.


    The candies were wrapped beautifully in vibrant colors, and were quite eye-catching when she held them in her hand. The girl didn¡¯t seem all that pacified, but she still quickly grabbed them from Cheng Xi¡¯s palm.


    Her small hands couldn¡¯t grab all of them, and a few dropped onto the ground. Cheng Xi helped the girl pick them up and put them in her clothes¡¯ pockets, and even placed one into her mouth.


    This sort of candy was cloyingly sweet, but the child seemed to like it, finally quieting down as she patted her pocket.


    Mr. and Mrs. Liu were grateful for her assistance, and Cheng Xi waved her hands in embarrassment. ¡°It was nothing.¡±


    The little girl¡¯s mother saw that she was pretty young, and asked, ¡°Is your child in middle school?¡±


    She thought that Cheng Xi was the parent of some kid from her husband¡¯s class.


    Cheng Xi shook her head. ¡°No.¡± She then repeated what she had said in the morning. ¡°I¡¯m the court-appointed lawyer for Chen Jiaman¡¯s case. Originally, I came here to investigate a few matters pertaining to the case, but after seeing that this place was pretty nice, I stayed for a few extra days to look around.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Chen Jiaman¡¯s lawyer¡­¡± The little girl¡¯s mother glanced at her husband before asking, ¡°Isn¡¯t she crazy? Does a crazy murderer need a lawyer too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The main purpose is to verify whether or not Chen Jiaman¡¯s mental illness is real.¡±


    ¡°It should be real. She was always running up that hill for some unknown reason, hiding in the graveyard at night. If she were normal, why would she do something like that?¡±


    ¡°Really? Did you know her?¡± Cheng Xi felt invigorated by the promising information. ¡°Then do you know when Chen Jiaman started exhibiting such behavior?¡±


    ¡°Probably a year or two ago.¡±


    ¡°And in these last two years, did she encounter anything unusual?¡±


    ¡°Something unusual¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Before she could finish, the little girl eating candy by the side crisply replied, ¡°She was bullied by her classmates, and then she went crazy.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying!¡± Both the Lius reprimanded her at the same time. Mr. Liu even forsook his kind demeanor, pulling at the little girl¡¯s arm harshly.


    The little girl, shocked and frightened, dropped all of her candy onto the ground and started to cry again.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 28: Can You Kiss Me?

    Cheng Xi wanted to go over and pacify the little girl, but Mr. Liu blocked her. He quickly pushed the child behind him and said, ¡°Sorry for the bother, our child was speaking nonsense. If there isn¡¯t anything else, then we¡¯ll be leaving.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Liu,¡± Cheng Xi said in an attempt to stop him. ¡°Your behavior makes me suspect that you¡¯re related to Chen Jiaman¡¯s bullying incident.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Mr. Liu, who had wanted to walk around Cheng Xi, stopped short, glanced at his wife to instruct her to leave with their child first, and stayed behind to look at Cheng Xi. ¡°What do you mean, related? As a lawyer, aren¡¯t you aware that libel is a crime?¡±


    ¡°Pardon me, but I¡¯m not accusing you. I¡¯m just saying that your actions could potentially spur misunderstandings.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstandings? What misunderstandings?¡± Mr. Liu completely dropped his warm and caring demeanor, and spoke fiercely. ¡°Just based on what a little child said?¡±


    ¡°Children¡¯s words can indeed serve as evidence in court, as long as their words are logical.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you have her go to court? If we hide her away, what can you do?¡± And with those words, Mr. Liu turned around and left in a hurry.


    Cheng Xi chased after him for a few steps, but given that the light sources in the plaza were rather weak and how many people there were, she lost sight of him quickly.


    Turning back, she found that Lu Chenzhou was still standing at their original location, completely nonchalant as usual.


    ¡°Ah, you should have helped me stop him from leaving.¡± She wasn¡¯t grumbling, just saying whatever popped into her mind.


    But who would have expected Lu Chenzhou to reply, ¡°How¡¯s it my problem?¡±


    Given that he had been so helpful this entire trip, his sudden question left Cheng Xi lurching in surprise. After she recovered, she joked, ¡°Aren¡¯t we friends? As friends, don¡¯t you have a moral obligation to help me?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her deeply, until even Cheng Xi felt embarrassed. She touched her nose, and changed the topic. ¡°Eh, shall we go then? It¡¯s fine even if we didn¡¯t stop him. He has a name and a position, and I can always find him later whenever I want.¡±


    Cheng Xi had conscientiously found a way out of her embarrassing situation. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything, but after the two got back into the car and had driven far away, he suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best!¡±


    At that point, Cheng Xi had been looking at Cheng Yang¡¯s WeChat. After he had finished his duties, he had seen her post, remembered her request, and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not on break today, so why are you travelling so far?¡±


    Cheng Xi was just thinking about how to respond when she heard Lu Chenzhou¡¯s statement. Her face clueless, she asked, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I will do my best to treat you as my girlfriend.¡±


    Cheng Xi blinked for a moment, before finally understanding that this was his response to her joke from earlier. She couldn¡¯t help but go ‡å from the shock. ¡°It¡¯s alright, you don¡¯t have to force yourself¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was even quite proud of his answer. ¡°It¡¯s no problem.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. Communicating with him was really unexpectedly difficult. She had planned to smooth things over with him and to understand him better, but was diverted from her plans by a call from Cheng Yang. After the call ended, she noticed a problem. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we here yet?¡± Looking outside, the surroundings were pitch black, and the city lights were very far away. ¡°Where are we going? Aren¡¯t we returning to the hotel?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou responded, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why? I still have the room card, and what about Mr. Chen? Are we just leaving him on his own?¡±


    She asked a whole slew of questions, but Lu Chenzhou answered them all with a single short sentence. ¡°Mr. Chen will handle it on his own.¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    She had thought that, having finally received a breakthrough, that she could just go find the math teacher tomorrow and dig out the truth through an emotional appeal. ¡°Alright.¡± Given how things had played out, she could only relent, jokingly shed a few tears, and understandingly say, ¡°Going back is fine too. You haven¡¯t eaten much today, though.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her through the rearview mirror. ¡°Your words don¡¯t match your feelings.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face fell. ¡°Even if you¡¯ve realized that, you don¡¯t have to say it out loud.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou smiled, his usual, very light smile, but Cheng Xi could see that he wasn¡¯t feeling bad today.


    And so the happy Lu Chenzhou decided to try a bit harder. ¡°Given the way those people were all hiding the truth from the outside world, you won¡¯t be able to dig out more information without resorting to tricks. Don¡¯t worry about these kinds of things. I¡¯ll have Mr. Chen handle it for you.¡±


    ¡°Is that fine?¡± Cheng Xi was worried.


    ¡°Money solves all problems.¡±


    Cheng Xi was once again struck speechless by the behavior of the rich.


    When they finally got back to the city, it was almost 11 PM. The two lived quite far apart, and Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to bother him too much, so she planned on having Lu Chenzhou to drop her off somewhere and taking a taxi back home.


    But before she could get off, she received another call from the hospital. There had been another incident related to Chen Jiaman. The residual effects of her repeated tranquilizer shots were finally manifesting, and she was even more rambunctious than usual tonight, going as far as to harm herself.


    The nurse keeping watch didn¡¯t dare to restrain her again and had to call Cheng Xi.


    And now, even if she didn¡¯t want to trouble Lu Chenzhou, she had to do so regardless. At the very least, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything upon hearing her story. He wordlessly directly drove her to the hospital.


    Cheng Xi thanked him in a hurry before getting out of the car and running into the hospital.


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward was a mess. A group of nurses had surrounded her on all sides. Meanwhile, she was hiding by the foot of the bed, spasming as she continually knocked her head against the wall. ¡°No, no, I didn¡¯t see anything. I saw nothing. Scram! Scram!¡±


    She grasped the foot of the bed with both hands, and was using all her strength to try to flip it over, almost as if she were trying to shield herself against something.


    Cheng Xi switched off the light.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± The nurses in the room were momentarily shocked, but Cheng Xi quickly shushed them. ¡°Nobody talk.¡±


    No one in the room moved. Cheng Xi motioned for everyone to get out under the dim moonlight. Perhaps the darkness gave Chen Jiaman an additional sense of safety because after the light was shut off her moaning noises slowly weakened until she simply curled up in her corner, trembling.


    Cheng Xi stood there for quite a while before realizing that she was scared. As she prepared herself to help Chen Jiaman, she suddenly noticed that someone else was standing by her side. She couldn¡¯t help but frown, and was about to remind them once again, but then she turned her head and realized that that person by her side was Lu Chenzhou.


    She didn¡¯t know when he had followed her into the hospital, but he was standing by the doorside and looking deeply at Chen Jiaman, who curled up in her corner. His tall, wide shadow was blocking the light rays from the outside.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t push him out; instead, she dragged him into the room and then closed the door.


    The blinds on the window had been closed and the lamplight from outside couldn¡¯t get in. The room became even darker.


    Chen Jiaman began sobbing, the fear in her voice evident.


    Cheng Xi remembered that Lu Chenzhou smoked, so she got on her tiptoes and lightly whispered into his ear, ¡°Do you have a lighter?¡±


    She used her palms to cover up her mouth, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but a wisp of breath still escaped and lightly dissolved on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s ear.


    There was a slight itch, as if a soft wind had just blown by his ear, bringing with it a nice-smelling scent.


    Lu Chenzhou swallowed his saliva, silently pulled out a lighter from his pocket, and put it in her hand.


    Cheng Xi took the lighter. In the deep autumn air which was cold as ice, she took off her shoes, walked over to Chen Jiaman, and stopped about three paces away. ¡°Hi,¡± she whispered softly as she leaned down. ¡°Do you still remember me? I visited you yesterday.¡±


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t make any noises, and even her sobs lowered in volume. However, Cheng Xi could still feel the fear and anxiety coursing through her body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep you company.¡±


    She tried her best to keep her tone level, caring, and without a single hint of any negative emotion. ¡°It¡¯s so dark in here. Shall we light something?¡±


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t responded. Cheng Xi hesitated for a moment, and then flicked the lighter on.


    The stubby fire silently lit up a small area with its blue flame. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t look at Chen Jiaman, and instead used her other hand to shield the light. Then, with a dreamy voice, she whispered, ¡°Look, it¡¯s the light. Can you see it?¡±


    ¡°Inside the light is a little rabbit. It was snowing, and so the little rabbit stayed at home alone. She had on a very warm coat, a very pretty scarf, and in her hands was a cup of hot water. However, she still felt cold, as if something were missing.¡±


    ¡°What was she missing? She kept on thinking, until she finally understood. Perhaps what she was missing was a warm hug.¡±


    After saying this, Cheng Xi knelt on the floor, leaned forward, and stretched her arms out to Chen Jiaman. She moved slowly, probingly, trying to hug her.


    Chen Jiaman pushed her hands away, quickly scrambled up the bed, and covered herself up securely in her blankets.


    It was already very late when Chen Jiaman finally fell asleep.


    Cheng Xi told the nurse to give her some medicine, put on her shoes again, and finally stepped out of the ward.


    Throughout this entire process, Lu Chenzhou had stood there at the doorway without moving or speaking.


    As she left, he too, left. After the door closed, she asked, ¡°Are you tired?¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer.


    The nurse on duty peeked her head out, and greeted Dr. Cheng. She looked curiously at the man by her side.


    Cheng Xi turned around, smiling. ¡°The patient¡¯s calm now. Nothing much should happen for the rest of the night. I¡¯ll get here early tomorrow and devise a new plan of treatment for the patient.¡±


    The nurse made an OK symbol with her hands, and then pointed at Lu Chenzhou and mouthed, ¡°Boyfriend?¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head, not answering as she pulled on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s sleeve and quickly left the hospital. Only when they got to the carpark did she finally let go of him. But upon seeing his dazed expression, she couldn¡¯t help but wave a hand in front of him and ask, ¡°Hi, are you scared?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She asked lightly.


    ¡°Can you tell me a story?¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know why Lu Chenzhou wanted to hear a story right now, but she didn¡¯t refuse or find it strange. After thinking for a moment, she told Lu Chenzhou a story that was related to his illness: ¡°One day, a little rabbit secretly fell in love with a fox. Every day, it would run into an unoccupied valley and yell, ¡®Little fox, I like you!¡¯ And from the valley would come an echo, ¡®I like you.¡¯ The little rabbit yelled like that for many days, and, just as it was about to give up, it heard the valley¡¯s echo for the last time. At this point, from it came back a light reply. ¡®I also like you.¡¯¡±


    As he listened, Lu Chenzhou shook a bit. Actually, Cheng Xi¡¯s story was somewhat boring, uneventful, and without any creativity. Perhaps it was because of the dark night and the silent surroundings, but her voice felt unusually warm in the chilly cold, making him unconsciously want to lean in and listen in closer.


    His eyes drooped and he laughed. In the dim yellow lamplight, his smile looked a bit cold. ¡°I like you too.¡± He mumbled this sentence repeatedly, until he finally lifted his eyes up again. ¡°Can you kiss me?¡±


    Cheng Xi, who was analyzing his response seriously, was at a loss for words.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 29: Torrential Gossip

    Once she understood what he was saying, metaphorical black lines streaked across Cheng Xi¡¯s face. ¡°Why?¡±


    Had her story made him misunderstand something?


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression was innocent. ¡°Aren¡¯t we a couple?¡±


    ...Cheng Xi¡¯s only response was to be more innocent than him. ¡°But a couple doesn¡¯t need to ask each other beforehand when doing something like that. Asking implies that the feelings between us aren¡¯t deep enough, and suggests that we should return to being regular friends.¡±


    After hearing Cheng Xi¡¯s explanation, Lu Chenzhou looked at her, deep in thought, not saying anything.


    Cheng Xi thought that this episode was over with that, and didn¡¯t pay it any mind. The next day, she went to the hospital immediately. Surprisingly, Chen Jiaman wasn¡¯t buried under her blanket, and was actually sitting straight up in bed, her gaze dully inspecting the sunlight that was filtering in through the window blinds.


    Cheng Xi tried to get close to her. When she was about five steps away from the bed, Chen Jiaman turned around. Her expression was frightened, her spine taut, her eyes wide, and her mouth was grinding her teeth hard, almost as if she were about to turn violent at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t approach any further. She passed the sketchbook that she had bought on the way to the hospital to Chen Jiaman and said, ¡°Can I give this to you?¡± She opened the sketchbook, and drew as she explained, ¡°It can produce many things that you want, just like that little bunny who just wants a hug.¡±


    Her drawing skills left much to be desired, but while critically inspecting the four unseemly bunnies that she had drawn, Cheng Xi blinked, hoping that Chen Jiaman had a vivid enough imagination to look past her drawing skills. ¡°Look, the little bunny is waiting for you to hug it.¡±


    Chen Jiaman was expressionless, and seemed completely wooden. However, her body hadn¡¯t loosened up at all, remaining anxious and fearful. Cheng Xi¡¯s trip to her hometown made Cheng Xi somewhat able to understand her gut reaction, and so she left the sketchbook and pencil on the far side of the bed before slowly leaving.


    When Cheng Xi returned to the nurse¡¯s office, she looked at Chen Jiaman via the security camera. In the camera feed, Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t move. She completely ignored the sketchbook and instead turned her head to look outside the window, her mouth mumbling something that Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t quite make out.


    After realizing that they weren¡¯t going to make much progress today, Cheng Xi decided to head over to the clinic area. However, before she could open the door, someone stopped her. That person¡¯s hand held a recording pen, and she asked, ¡°Excuse me, are you Dr. Cheng Xi from the psychiatry department?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at her warily. ¡°Sorry, who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a reporter from XX website for the XX department. May I interview you for a moment with regards to the incident in which your wealthy boyfriend booked all of your appointment slots?¡±


    Fuck! As soon as she heard the reporter introduce herself, Cheng Xi, who never cursed, couldn¡¯t help but do so in her mind. How long were they going to harass her for this incident?


    Cheng Xi rejected her brusquely. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t.¡± Turning around, she quickly walked towards the exit.


    The reporter followed behind her. ¡°You¡¯re the female lead implicated in the incident, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But, it has to be a young, pretty doctor in the psychiatry department of Renyi Hospital. I checked, and the only person who matches that description is you¡­¡±


    ¡­¡­


    ¡°Seriously, it¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t have any bad intentions. It¡¯s just that the netizens are quite curious and want to understand more details.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re willing to be interviewed, then I can also conduct the interview anonymously¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, you can¡¯t enter this place.¡± Shocked, Cheng Xi quickly walked into a restricted area that the public couldn¡¯t enter, leaving the reporter behind.


    Finally she had some peace and quiet. Cheng Xi released a breath that she had been holding for a long time. She thought that these people were making a mountain out of a molehill, as reporters were even beginning to crowd around her¡­¡­ When she turned her head around, she suddenly found herself facing a slightly pale face. She was startled and stepped back unconsciously.


    Standing in front of her was a female doctor in her forties. She was tall and skinny, and her face was stark white.


    ¡°He- hello!¡±


    The female doctor frowned. ¡°Which department are you from?¡±


    ¡°The psychiatry department.¡±


    ¡°The psychiatry department¡­ Cheng Xi?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Cheng Xi didn¡¯t expect to actually be recognized, and smiled respectfully back. ¡°Good morning, doctor.¡±


    But that doctor ended up saying, ¡°You¡¯re that doctor whose appointments got booked, aren¡¯t you?¡± She looked her up and down. ¡°Since someone wants to pamper you, why are you out here being a doctor?¡±


    After saying that, she left swiftly, leaving Cheng Xi standing there alone, stunned speechless.


    At this time, a few more doctors and nurses walked out. Cheng Xi quickly turned around and followed that female doctor out of the room. After exiting, she couldn¡¯t help but turn back around, and look at the department sign clearly¡ªit turned out that she had wandered into the gynecology offices.


    Cheng Xi was somewhat dispirited, and didn¡¯t hurry back to her office. She got on the phone and checked in with her colleague. ¡°Am I still on vacation?¡±


    Her colleague laughed. ¡°You can still come to work. The head of the department, who was just swarmed by a horde of reporters, probably wants to have tea with you and talk about your life.¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    She firmly decided to continue her break. Besides visiting Chen Jiaman, she barely stepped foot into any other work location. Even so, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t escape the fate of constantly being teased and mocked by her colleagues in the department. The teasing really started to make her hate Lu Chenzhou, the instigator of this whole fiasco. The key was, even though he knew that he had caused trouble for her, he was still unwilling to cancel the appointments. When she asked him why, he responded, ¡°It¡¯s too troublesome!¡±


    Cheng Xi really wanted to ask why he didn¡¯t find it too troublesome to make the appointments in the first place.


    This series of gossip lasted for a few days. When Cheng Xi went to go teach, even her students asked her about it. Like the majority of people on the Internet, these excitable kids were poor and bored. Because the matter involved doctors and rich people, they passionately wanted to learn more about the male and female leads implicated in the whole scenario. This led to news articles popping up about many of the rich people in town; the buzz had ended up causing many of them to release statements clarifying their lack of participation in this affair.


    Whenever something like this popped up, Cheng Xi would end up going ‡å‡å. Even her parents had heard about the news, and her mother had even specifically called her to ask, ¡°Who was it that got all her appointments booked in your department?¡±


    Cheng Xi bluntly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Her mother was disdainful. ¡°Then what are you doing at work? Everyone¡¯s saying that that woman is from your department, but you don¡¯t even know who she is?¡±


    Cheng Xi was so ‡å that she couldn¡¯t ‡å any further. At least those reporters had some semblance of decency and hadn¡¯t reported her name.


    Her mother implored her to find out more about this gossip, and her brother made even more excessive demands. He asked, ¡°See who was it that managed to tame such a generous man, and find a way to introduce me to her; I¡¯m doing business and really need to be familiar with such people!¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t respond. While she was glumly waiting for this fiasco to blow over, Lu Chenzhou suddenly called her. ¡°That man named Liu is here. Do you want to meet him?¡±


    ¡°Chen Jiaman¡¯s math teacher?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cheng Xi was quite shocked. These past two days, she had actually been following up with the police about Chen Jiaman¡¯s affairs. At the beginning, they had investigated for quite a significant period of time, but their conclusion had solely been that Chen Jiaman¡¯s mental condition was caused by her loneliness and sensitivity. In other words, they hadn¡¯t heard about any bullying at all.


    Cheng Xi believed the police, and slightly suspected that what the little girl had said was untrue. She was still debating on whether or not she should return to the town to speak with Mr. Liu. But unexpectedly, he had shown up here.


    ¡°Sure, where is he? I¡¯ll go and meet him.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou told her to meet him at the caf on the third level of Donglai Hotel, in a private room. When Cheng Xi arrived, she saw Lu Chenzhou and Mr. Liu already sitting face to face; the former wore a cool, bored expression while the latter was antsy, fidgeting, and constantly looking around.


    Seeing Cheng Xi¡¯s presence, he even seemed to relax. This time, he put on the face of the kind and caring teacher she had seen first. ¡°Lawyer Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Hello.¡± She looked at Lu Chenzhou, and he coolly looked back at her before saying, ¡°He has something that he wants to tell you.¡±


    Cheng Xi then turned to Mr. Liu. ¡°Please, do tell me.¡±


    Mr. Liu rubbed his hands together. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me about why Chen Jiaman quit school? Actually, I know the reason why, but I hope that you¡¯ll keep it amongst the three of us, and that you won¡¯t request me to be a witness on any occasion.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart started pounding. From this first statement, she could already imagine that the truth behind Chen Jiaman¡¯s illness was not simple indeed.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 30: One Bite

    After thinking it over for a moment, Cheng Xi replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mr. Liu then looked towards Lu Chenzhou, who nodded his head nonchalantly.


    ¡°What you promised me earlier, I expect it in full.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou merely replied coolly, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked him over once. ¡°What did you promise him?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t deign to reply. ¡°You can start talking now.¡±


    Both men fluidly ignored Cheng Xi¡¯s question. After hesitating for a long moment, Mr. Liu started talking. ¡°The reason why Chen Jiaman decided to quit school was, as my daughter said, because she was bullied. More specifically, she was a victim of schoolyard violence.¡±


    ¡°Chen Jiaman¡¯s personality was reclusive and eccentric. Not only that, but her parents were frequently gone, so she only had her old grandmother by her side. For most of her school life, she was crowded out by her peers. When she was small, the kids couldn¡¯t do all that much to her, but in middle school, as they grew older, the students developed more ways of bullying her.¡±


    ¡°Not long after she entered middle school, she became very popular with the boys due to her looks. You know how jealous and rebellious teenage kids can be, more so than at any other age. Some of the other girls didn¡¯t like the fact that she was so popular, so they gathered a crowd of people to surround her after school. Perhaps at that time, with so many people there, the bullying got out of control, and what they did...... was particularly vicious. And from that time on, Chen Jiaman never came to school again.¡±


    This sort of thing seems to be happening everywhere lately. Cheng Xi sighed. Despite her already being able to largely guess what had transpired, in order to understand Chen Jiaman¡¯s condition more thoroughly, she could only say, ¡°May I ask, how bad?¡±


    Mr. Liu silently retrieved a phone from a bag. After pressing a couple of buttons, he held it out in front of Cheng Xi. ¡°I have a video here that you can watch.¡±


    Cheng Xi took the phone and opened the video. It was very short, fewer than twenty seconds long, but its contents were a ghastly sight.


    Despite her being prepared for a brutal scene, she was still flabbergasted, and a righteous fury consumed her.


    She hadn¡¯t imagined that kids could be this vicious. ¡°This is illegal!¡± She looked at Mr. Liu, stood up, and slapped her stack of documents on the table. ¡°As a teacher, while knowing the truth, how could you not call the police, but instead actually try to cover it up?¡±


    Mr. Liu¡¯s head drooped slightly. ¡°....I also didn¡¯t have a choice. As a paltry math teacher, I could only meekly follow what my superiors told me to do. As you¡¯ve seen, the children who took part in the violence weren¡¯t just one or two kids; it was a whole crowd of them. Two of the children¡¯s families have deep connections, so that entire crowd was essentially able to do whatever they wanted. Furthermore, they are all underaged children. Even if we had called the police, what could they have done? Chen Jiaman¡¯s grandmother thought that this was a very embarrassing thing and also decided to keep quiet about it, not pursuing the matter any further. She was especially quiet after she received a bit of money as reparation fees. If the victim doesn¡¯t call for an investigation, then the school will always the matter drop, regardless of the severity.¡±


    Mr. Liu¡¯s words weren¡¯t very logical; clearly, this matter was a large burden on his chest, so even just mentioning it again made him anxious and defensive.


    Cheng Xi shut her eyes, thinking of the newly restored three-story house that Chen Jiaman had lived in. She remembered that the woman who had brought her to the house said that it was only in the last two years that they had been able to refinish it¡­¡­ After letting out a deep breath, she tried to calm down. ¡°Was Chen Jiaman¡¯s house built with those reparation fees?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Chen Jiaman¡¯s grandmother¡¯s thought process was that, if she had a big house, then despite her granddaughter being bullied, they would have enough money to not need to worry about her not being able to get married.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart almost stopped. ¡°Did Chen Jiaman¡¯s father know about this?¡±


    ¡°Probably not. He was out fishing and rarely returned home. Even when he did come back, it would only be for two or three days at a time. I heard that, because Chen Jiaman looked very much like her mother, he didn¡¯t want to see her all that much. Thus, the two didn¡¯t like each other very much.¡±


    ¡°...Did Chen Jiaman¡¯s mental illness develop after that incident?¡±


    ¡°More or less. But after that, she rarely left the house, so I also don¡¯t really know when it became a big issue.¡±


    ¡°And then you also said that when she was in school, when you confiscated her artbook, she made a big fuss about it with you and even bit you. Was that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was.¡±


    ¡°And how was her mental condition at that time?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I think¡­ she just didn¡¯t talk very much, and I wouldn¡¯t have remembered her if not for that incident.¡±


    Cheng Xi was quiet. Mr. Liu, upon seeing her ugly expression, couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°Actually I¡­¡­ did report the incident to the police, but it wasn¡¯t of much help. My phone had only these scant few seconds of video, and none of the kids are identifiable. Besides Chen Jiaman, no one else¡¯s face is in it, so even the police couldn¡¯t find out anything.


    Cheng Xi mockingly replied, ¡°It¡¯s not that they couldn¡¯t find out anything, but rather that all the people who knew about it decided to keep mum, right?¡± She then recalled her own investigation. If not for Mr. Liu¡¯s four-year-old daughter, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to find anything either.


    Mr. Liu rubbed his face. Cheng Xi asked him a few more questions, but upon seeing that he wasn¡¯t very clear about the details either, she let him off the hook, as he wanted.


    After Mr. Liu left, the atmosphere became somewhat depressing. Of course, that was only Cheng Xi¡¯s mood, because her attitude after this whole debacle was terrible. Lu Chenzhou still looked calm and collected, and even somewhat excited at seeing her angry.


    It was only after a while that Cheng Xi noticed that he was looking at her. She took a moment to collect herself and then asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°At you.¡±


    ¡°What have you noticed?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very angry,¡± he said,with a trace of confusion in his voice. ¡°Why are you so angry? You¡¯re just a doctor.¡±


    Cheng Xi let out a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s a righteous fury, wholly unrelated to my person and my occupation. It¡¯s a natural emotion that people who have to deal with unfair and dishonest situations feel.¡±


    Perhaps it was because she was still feeling upset, but Cheng Xi¡¯s words were quite harsh.


    Lu Chenzhou understood her words, but he merely smiled in response. ¡°The strong man¡¯s anger is directed towards those even stronger than he, while the weak man¡¯s anger is to those even weaker than he. That¡¯s the way of the world; what¡¯s there to be furious about?¡±


    Cheng Xi was surprised. She didn¡¯t expect that Lu Chenzhou would use Lu Xun¡¯s words to respond to her.


    She reorganized her thoughts and then responded, ¡°The most important part of life is to develop and grow in response to one¡¯s own fury. So, if the road is unequal, then someone has to flatten it.¡±


    If he was going to use Lu Xun¡¯s words, then she would use Balzac¡¯s in response. Lu Chenzhou was clearly familiar with Balzac too; his expression didn¡¯t change, but his eyes did become warmer. ¡°It¡¯s all useless,¡± he lamented.


    ¡°If it were all useless, then why did you help me by bringing Mr. Liu here?¡± After saying this, she suddenly remembered. ¡°Right, what did you promise him that would get him to say all this?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t immediately answer, and instead pointed at the seat next to him. ¡°Sit down here.¡±


    Cheng Xi thought that what he was about to tell her was a secret and very important, so she sat down without hesitation. Then, she lifted her head towards his, waiting for him to explain.


    The overhead light shone on her white skin, as translucent as a well-cut piece of jade.


    Lu Chenzhou again had that aching feeling in his heart, just like back in the small town. It was as if there was a feather lightly scratching the tip of his heart.


    Very lightly, but enough for him to feel a difference.


    He leaned down slightly, intending to kiss that rosy-hued jade. But despite being nonplussed, Cheng Xi was able to dodge it, and his lips landed on her half-dimple instead.


    He opened his mouth, biting down without hesitation.


    "¡­¡­"


    1. Lu Xun is one of the most well-known Chinese writers of the 20th century


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 31: I’ll Kiss Her Whenever I Want To

    Cheng Xi instinctively clutched her face. At the very least, there wasn¡¯t any saliva or anything of the sort on her cheek, and the kiss didn¡¯t hurt either. However, this sort of behavior was¡­¡­ Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was emotionless and it didn¡¯t feel like he was trying to take advantage of her, so she didn¡¯t want to make things too complicated. All she did was jokingly say, ¡°It seems like you really dislike my half-dimple, so much that you even want to bite it off. Should I wear a mask next time then?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was still in his half-crouched posture, looking at her blankly.


    Did he dislike it? Actually, no. Perhaps he had gotten used to it now, but her half-dimple no longer seemed so displeasing to his eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±


    Cheng Xi made an ¡®Oh¡¯ sound. ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry to have made you feel wronged.¡±


    Just as she was planning to return to her seat, Lu Chenzhou suddenly said, ¡°I originally intended to kiss you.¡± He sat upright again, and crossed his hands in front of his chest as he seriously explained, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I shouldn¡¯t need to ask to kiss my girlfriend, and that I could kiss her whenever I wanted to?¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    So, he still hadn¡¯t forgotten about that? That wasn¡¯t what I meant, though, was it¡­¡­ ¡°Actually, you can¡¯t just kiss whenever. You also have to consider the surroundings and general atmosphere.¡± Having been reminded of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s astonishing ability to misinterpret words and actions, she felt that she needed to explain things even more explicitly, and then she decisively changed the topic. ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered me. What did you have to give that Mr. Liu to coerce him into telling the truth?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou responded lazily, his answer simple and rough. ¡°Money.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her intently. ¡°Are you planning on reimbursing me?¡± He pulled out a receipt from his bag heartily, put it in front of her, and then told her, rather kindly, ¡°Old Chen¡¯s not too bad. He didn¡¯t end up giving away too much money.¡±


    Cheng Xi silently counted the zeroes in that receipt, quickly calculated the overall sum, and then felt¡­¡­ a complicated mix of emotions.


    She really shouldn¡¯t have agreed to let him help. Really. Mr. Liu at least had some sense of moral decency; if she had stuck to him stubbornly, she definitely would have eventually gotten him to open his mouth.


    But now, she could only try to reimburse Lu Chenzhou for the money. Cheng Xi sighed and then asked, ¡°Can I return it in installments?¡±


    ¡°Up to you.¡± After a while, he asked, ¡°How many installments are you thinking of?¡±


    ¡°Two¡­ twenty years?¡± She was quite afraid of saying one or two years, because the amount that Lu Chenzhou had paid was really quite significant. At her current income level, she would have to keep a tight budget and completely refrain from eating or drinking out if she wanted to pay it all off in two years.


    There weren¡¯t many rich people out there, and there was a big gap between them and regular people.


    Lu Chenzhou laughed. He refrained from saying anything, but he didn¡¯t take the receipt back either.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face blushed red, but she didn¡¯t have the courage to simply brush this bill off. She silently put the receipt away, and then automatically started calculating in her head how much she would have to pay him monthly¡­¡­


    ¡­...honestly, a doctor living the way she was planning on living was probably unprecedented throughout history.


    Regardless of her disapproval for Lu Chenzhou¡¯s problem-solving strategy, Cheng Xi was still very grateful for his help.


    Because of this, she decided to invite him to lunch. But just halfway through the meal, the hospital called her again, saying that Chen Jiaman¡¯s guardian had arrived and was requesting that she return.


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s guardian was evidently her father, who had finally come back.


    After Cheng Xi received the news, she put down her chopsticks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Something¡¯s come up at the hospital, so I have to leave now.¡±


    Before she could get up, however, Lu Chenzhou grabbed her hand. ¡°Finish eating first.¡± His expression was very serious.


    ¡°But I have to go¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had already put her chopsticks back into her hand. After that, he continued holding her down with one hand while using the other to slowly continue eating.


    After looking at his expression, Cheng Xi realized that he probably wouldn¡¯t let her go until she finished eating.


    ¡°I hate seeing things left unfinished halfway.¡±


    Cheng Xi disdainfully replied in her head, Actually, this is just your obsessive-compulsive disorder speaking, isn¡¯t it!


    But she didn¡¯t insist on leaving. Instead, she picked up her chopsticks, matched his rhythm, and finished the meal.


    After finishing the meal, Cheng Xi returned to the hospital. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t intend on sending her over, and Cheng Xi had no intention of letting him do so either, but when she saw him leave so bluntly, she couldn¡¯t help but call him back. ¡°Mr. Lu,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry. If you don¡¯t mind, could you send me over to the hospital?¡±


    When Lu Chenzhou heard her words, he looked at his watch and nodded. Cheng Xi looked at him unflinchingly. Despite his lack of facial expressions, a wisp of annoyance flashed through his eyes.


    He didn¡¯t want to speak on the way to the hospital, so she didn¡¯t open her mouth either. Instead, she ran through her head about what she would do upon meeting Chen Jiaman¡¯s father.


    If she could, she very much wanted to help Chen Jiaman get justice for what was done to her, and the best person to help her do this was undoubtedly her father.


    Lu Chenzhou sent Cheng Xi to the hospital personally and even went upstairs with her. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t refuse.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t have let her refuse.


    Upon seeing Chen Jiaman¡¯s father, Cheng Xi felt a sense of dissociation. In her mind, Chen Jiaman¡¯s father had been someone poor and dejected, and because he liked to gamble, perhaps even somewhat sloppy or wretched.


    While the man standing in front of Cheng Xi might have been a bit poor, he didn¡¯t look sloppy at all, and certainly not wretched. He was dressed in a light blue windbreaker and dark blue jeans. Despite his age showing through his clothes, they were clean and not the least bit unkempt.


    If she hadn¡¯t known better, she would have said that he looked more like a scholar than a fisherman who sailed far out into the ocean.


    Cheng Xi was so shocked that she was momentarily at a loss for words. Chen Jiaman¡¯s father spoke up first, asking, ¡°Are you Dr. Cheng?¡±


    Even his voice was quite warm, which helped Cheng Xi recover quickly. ¡°Are you Chen Jiaman¡¯s father?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded, looking somewhat nervous. ¡°I heard the police say that you wanted to see me.¡±


    The way he spoke made it seem like he hadn¡¯t been planning on meeting her if the police hadn¡¯t mentioned it. Cheng Xi frowned. ¡°Have you seen your daughter yet?¡±


    He nodded, but then shortly started shaking his head. Seeing this, Cheng Xi quickly called a nurse over to bring him to Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward. She herself returned to her office, both to change into her white coat and to observe the camera footage for the ward. Inside the ward, Chen Jiaman had already fallen asleep. Her orderly but unusual posture clearly sparked some amount of sadness within her father; he¡¯d turned away almost as soon as he saw her.


    On the screen, Chen Jiaman¡¯s father cut a sorry figure. Regret, sadness, self-incrimination, and vexation could all be seen flickering through his face.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart dropped as she saw him. Lu Chenzhou had been standing by her side ever since he had entered, and at this moment he retracted his gaze. ¡°He knew about it.¡±


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s father¡¯s behavior clearly indicated that he must have known about everything that his daughter had been going through.


    Cheng Xi nodded as she finished with the last button on her coat. Before leaving, she asked Lu Chenzhou, ¡°I¡¯d like to speak with him. Do you want to come?¡±


    Actually, this was a hidden reminder that he shouldn¡¯t go over with her. She didn¡¯t know if Lu Chenzhou understood her intentions, but he glanced at her and didn¡¯t move.


    Cheng Xi pushed the door open and went out. By the time she had retrieved Chen Jiaman¡¯s medical records, her father had already returned.


    She noticed that his expression had returned to its usual calm, and only his slightly trembling fingers revealed his unease.


    She poured him a glass of water. He didn¡¯t drink it, merely holding it in his hands, his gaze vacant.


    Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Do you want to go inside and speak with her?¡±


    It seemed to take him a long moment to understand what she was saying, and he seemingly became shocked in slow motion. ¡°She¡­¡­ can recognize me?¡±


    ¡°You seem to know that she doesn¡¯t recognize anyone.¡± Cheng Xi looked at him again. ¡°I heard that you left home three months ago. Doesn¡¯t that mean that the patient was exhibiting similar symptoms at least before then, or even earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°About how long ago?¡±


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s father somewhat arduously forced out his words. ¡°About a year ago, but at that time, she only had occasional moment where she couldn¡¯t recognize people and mumbled nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Did she have any other symptoms?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Then when did it start becoming more serious?¡±


    ¡°About half a year ago. When I returned home, I realized that things couldn¡¯t go on the way they were with her, and wanted her to go learn more.¡±


    Cheng Xi stopped taking notes and raised her head. ¡°You forced her back to school?¡±


    ¡°......Yes.¡± As Chen Jiaman¡¯s father spoke, he started shaking and brought out a pack of cigarettes, but he couldn¡¯t seem to light one with his trembling hands and finally gave up, clutching his head. ¡°At that time, none of us knew how sick she really was. We once dragged her out of her room, kicking and screaming, making a huge fuss. Then I got angry and hit her. She ran out, and it took us a whole day before we found her in a half-forgotten graveyard.¡±


    As he recounted this event, he shivered. Clearly, that experience had left him semi-traumatized.


    Cheng Xi asked, ¡°What happened afterwards?¡±


    ¡°After that, she would head there daily, right after dark, and she was always saying things that scared others. Slowly, she started being unable to recognize people as well.¡±


    ¡°You never took her to see a doctor?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°My mother said that she wasn¡¯t ill, only possessed, and that it would be fine once we burned some incense and prayed to the gods. And since she was still young, we were afraid that any news of her mental illness would be bad for her¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t keep listening to this. ¡°Afraid that it would be bad for her, or afraid that it would look bad on you?¡± When Chen Jiaman¡¯s father lowered his head without answering, she changed the topic, tired of this conversation. ¡°I want to investigate the reasons behind her illness so that I can come up with a treatment plan for her. As far as I know, she only started exhibiting those symptoms after she quit school. Do you know why she quit school? Her elementary school grades weren¡¯t bad, so why would she quit right after entering middle school?¡±


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s father spoke softly. ¡°She¡­. she didn¡¯t listen¡­¡±


    ¡°Only that?¡±


    He lowered his head.


    Cheng Xi brought out her phone. ¡°I have a short video here¡­¡±


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s father was so shocked he stood up, his chair screeching as he got up. ¡°Wh-what video?¡±


    Cheng Xi tried to remain calm as she replied, ¡°A video that explains why she quit school. Do you want to see it?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Chen Jiaman¡¯s father refused her suggestion right away. He was extremely surprised, and even the expression on his face seemed to distort slightly. ¡°Why do you have that? Didn¡¯t they say that all of it had been deleted?¡±


    ¡°So you know what happened,¡± Cheng Xi stated slowly. Despite her growing anger, she didn¡¯t want to provoke him. ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever thought of getting justice for her? No, more accurately, didn¡¯t Chen Jiaman ever want you to get justice for her, to punish those bullies?¡±


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s father didn¡¯t respond. He glanced at her and said that he needed to look at her phone. Then, almost as if he had seen a monster, he ran off, stumbling.


    Cheng Xi quickly stood up and chased after him. ¡°Mr. Chen!¡±


    But he ran even more quickly, entered the stairs not long after, and disappeared from her sight after that. By the time Cheng Xi reached the stairway, she couldn¡¯t even see his shadow. At the bottom of the stairs, there were only some bystanders who didn¡¯t know what had happened.


    She stood there without speaking. The nurses who had heard the commotion and chased after her had finally caught up. ¡°Dr. Cheng, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even know what to say, and could only ask, ¡°Did the patient in ward no. 24¡¯s guardian leave his contact information behind?¡±


    ¡°No. When he got here, he asked about the patient¡¯s situation, and then just sat there in a daze, not responding to any questions.¡±


    The nurse seemed quite displeased, but Cheng Xi only frowned at the situation. Chen Jiaman¡¯s father¡¯s behavior was really unexpected; it seemed like his mental condition wasn¡¯t the best, either.


    ¡°Cheng Xi!¡± Just as Cheng Xi was thinking about what she should do next, the elevator doors opened, and a male and two females walked out. Leading them was Shen Wei, the new bride fresh from her honeymoon. She was dressed brightly and fashionably, and her face was filled with the happiness and joy of being a newlywed. Holding her hand was the girl who had been her bridesmaid.


    Cheng Xi was overjoyed. ¡°Why¡¯re you guys here?¡± And when her gaze passed over both of them and landed on the man behind them, she was barely able to suppress her smile.


    Lin Fan also smiled back at her.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re still here.¡± Seeing the two start to communicate with their eyes, Shen Wei tried to get their attention.


    Cheng Xi looked at her. ¡°Who are you? I don¡¯t recognize you. What difference does your being here make?¡±


    After everyone laughed at the light joke, Cheng Xi brought them all back into her office. As they walked over, she asked, ¡°Where did all of you find the time to come here?¡±


    Shen Wei replied, ¡°Oh my fair doctor, as busy as you are, if you don¡¯t have any time to meet us, then we can only come and bother you. I also brought along some gifts from my honeymoon especially for you. Aren¡¯t I nice?¡±


    As Shen Wei said this, she retrieved an intricate box from her bag and handed it to her. Just as Cheng Xi was about to express her gratitude, Lin Fan clarified what had actually happened. ¡°Shen Wei¡¯s friend¡¯s uncle also works in this hospital, and my mother made an appointment with him because she wasn¡¯t feeling well. I invited them to accompany my mom over, and, since we had extra time, we decided to drop by and see you too.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled, glanced at Shen Wei, and then kindly asked, ¡°Is Mrs. Lin alright?¡±


    Lin Fan shook his head. ¡°The checkup isn¡¯t finished yet.¡±


    Shen Wei hissed, ¡°Lin Fan, why do you have to be so honest? While she¡¯s feeling emotional, you should take the opportunity to get together with her¡­¡± By this time they had reached her office, but Shen Wei¡¯s words dropped off upon noticing who was sitting inside. ¡°Direc- Director Lu? Er, why are you here?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had walked out of the office at some point, and was now sitting on a chair while on his phone. Upon hearing the commotion, he lifted his head, looked at them, and then coolly said, ¡°I¡¯m accompanying my girlfriend to work.¡±


    Shen Wei jumped up in fright. ¡°G-g-girlfriend? Who?¡±


    Cheng Xi stroked her forehead as she felt a headache coming on.


    Lu Chenzhou suddenly stood up. This time, it was Cheng Xi who was scared, watching him warily.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 32: You’re Mine

    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression was calm as he ignored the others and walked over to Cheng Xi. When he was within arm¡¯s-length, he said, ¡°Something came up at work, so I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    Cheng Xi exhaled. ¡°Okay.¡±


    But she had let her guard down too quickly, because Lu Chenzhou suddenly turned around, kissed her on the cheek, and, before she could react, nodded to the petrified Shen Wei and abruptly left.


    No one spoke.


    Cheng Xi laughed dryly. ¡°That¡¯s just a standard goodbye routine, nothing more.¡±


    But before she could finish making an excuse, the door opened and Lu Chenzhou walked in once more, caressed her face, and kissed her firmly on her lips.


    Of course, the kiss didn¡¯t linger for long; his lips merely brushed against hers. From Cheng Xi¡¯s perspective, his actions felt more like he was just going through the motions, without any sense of desire or love.


    But in others¡¯ eyes, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s behavior could already be considered arrogant, high-profile, and intimate! This was partly because after they separated from their kiss, Lu Chenzhou then even used his hand to slowly rub Cheng Xi¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re mine.¡±


    After Lu Chenzhou finished saying those words, he finally left. Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t too annoyed by his kisses, but his parting remarks had left her shaking from head to toe. This time, however, she didn¡¯t dare say anything afterwards; who knew if he would come back yet again!


    Fortunately, he seemed to be gone for good.


    The room was silent for a good long while afterwards. It was Cheng Xi who finally spoke up. As she brought each of them a stool, she said, ¡°Sit down, please. Sorry, I don¡¯t have any chairs that are more comfortable.¡±


    Then, she poured each of them a glass of water. When Lin Fan took the offered glass of water, he couldn¡¯t even bear to look at her, and his lips were silently quivering from the shock.


    Shen Wei finally recovered when she was handed a glass of water. ¡°So, Cheng Xi, you¡¯re Lu Chenzhou¡¯s girlfriend?¡±


    Cheng Xi straightforwardly replied, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still denying it even after that kiss? You¡¯re not being honest, Cheng Xi.¡± Shen Wei looked at Lin Fan, and then clicked her tongue in annoyance. ¡°Why are you hiding your romance? Are you trying to date two men at once?¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    She realized only now that her predicament was actually quite difficult to explain. After all, she couldn¡¯t outright tell them that Lu Chenzhou had some abnormal tendencies and that he was just her patient, could she?


    After a long time, she finally thought of a passable explanation. ¡°There¡¯s really nothing going on between Lu Chenzhou and me¡­ If anything, it¡¯s that my professor once introduced the two of us and set us up on a date.¡±


    ¡°A date?¡± This question was from Lin Fan.


    ¡°A date between you two? Was this before or after I got married?¡± This was from Shen Wei.


    Cheng Xi answered both questions with just one word. ¡°Before.¡±


    ¡°No wonder!¡± Shen Wei looked as though she had suddenly understood something. ¡°I knew that Fu Mingyi was behaving oddly that day, especially when he intentionally requested for you to send Lu Chenzhou out. Additionally, you never came back after you left! Adultery, I say, adultery!¡±


    She was so excited that she didn¡¯t even notice Lin Fan¡¯s expression, but Cheng Xi did. At this point, she just felt exasperated¡ªthis matter really couldn¡¯t be explained cleanly, as doing so would infringe on a patient¡¯s privacy. And given how reluctant Lu Chenzhou was to discuss his illness even with her, she didn¡¯t want to hurt him unintentionally.


    So, she could only look at Lin Fan apologetically. But to Lin Fan, it seemed like she was tacitly agreeing to Shen Wei¡¯s accusations.


    Lin Fan instantly lost all interest in speaking about the subject, but Shen Wei was still chattering away. ¡°Then what did the two of you do the day after? Did you go on a date? Did you?¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head. ¡°No. I just played a few rounds of mahjong with him and his friends.¡±


    This was the actual truth, but, clearly, no one believed her. Shen Wei even said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. When did you know how to play mahjong?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m quite good.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you at all! Such a peerless beauty like you, how could you be playing¡­ ah, I remember now! That incident where a rich man booked all of a doctor¡¯s appointment slots, that has to be you and Lu Chenzhou! A doctor from the psychiatry department and her extremely wealthy, mysterious boyfriend!¡± As she spoke, Shen Wei couldn¡¯t help but grab hold of Cheng Xi and start tickling her. ¡°You brat, you even said that you didn¡¯t know when I asked you last time.¡±


    Cheng Xi was deathly afraid of being tickled, and quickly fell prey to Shen Wei¡¯s antics. The attack reached such a frenzy that Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even make any noise. All she could do was try to dodge and bite her lips as she intermittently pleaded, ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m still at work¡­¡±


    Shen Wei, unresigned, continued tickling her for quite a bit after that, and only stopped when Lin Fan¡¯s phone rang.


    When Lin Fan took the call, she still hadn¡¯t let go of Cheng Xi, the duo in a koala-like hugging posture as they listened in on Lin Fan¡¯s call.


    Lin Fan turned around to look at them. ¡°My mother said that her checkup is complete, so I have to head downstairs.¡± As he said this, he glanced at Cheng Xi again, but refrained from saying anything.


    Everyone was looking at him, but he only said one last word. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    And then he left.


    Cheng Xi and Shen Wei were somewhat at a loss for words for his attitude. The two of them looked at each other, and then Shen Wei turned her head to call her friend over. ¡°Would you mind accompanying Lin Fan for a bit? I¡¯ll catch up with the two of you later.¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s friend graciously responded, ¡°Sure.¡± As she left, she even waved goodbye familiarly to Cheng Xi, and Cheng Xi responded in kind.


    When everyone else had all left, Shen Wei finally let Cheng Xi go, looked at her, and then laughed. ¡°You¡¯re quite something, breaking your idol¡¯s heart into little pieces like that.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who was messing around?¡±


    Instead of helping her resolve her dilemma, Shen Wei¡¯s words had only misled Lin Fan further.


    ¡°I¡¯m not messing around. I¡¯m trying to help! Lu Chenzhou is a wonderful man; he¡¯s rich, influential, capable, and lacks neither family nor background. Of course, I¡¯m not saying Lin Fan¡¯s bad either. But, regardless of how you compare them, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s clearly the superior one.¡± Shen Wei didn¡¯t hide her favorable impression of Lu Chenzhou at all, and her tone was seemingly somewhat agitated as she enumerated his good features. ¡°I¡¯m telling you. He has a wonderful reputation in his line of work, and his dating life is almost completely rumorless. In fact, he¡¯s so clean that he¡¯s barely like a regular mortal.¡± As Shen Wei spoke, she laughed and then whispered in Cheng Xi¡¯s ear, ¡°I don¡¯t mind telling you this secret. Before I met my husband, I also liked Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    Shen Wei scrunched up her nose. ¡°What kind of expression is that?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Cheng Xi exclaimed with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about how I should tell Fu Mingyi that.¡±


    ¡°Pah!¡± Shen Wei pushed her. ¡°He loves me too much. No matter what you say, it won¡¯t matter.¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed before glancing at her contemplatively. ¡°Did Lu Chenzhou really not have a single girlfriend before this?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, no. And not just no girlfriend, either. I heard that once, someone tried to dump a naked girl on his bed when he was drunk, but he didn¡¯t even respond!¡±


    Upon hearing this story, Cheng Xi was quite impressed with how daring that man¡¯s actions were. Curiously, she asked, ¡°Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t get mad at that man?¡±


    ¡°Of course he did! Fu Mingyi told me that Lu Chenzhou then fed a sexual stimulant to that man and sent him into a room with four women, almost permanently disabling him! Ah-¡± Her eyes gleamed, and Shen Wei¡¯s fingers landed lightly on Cheng Xi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And here you were saying how the two of you barely knew each other. But look at how familiar you are with him; how else would you know that he would get mad in that situation? Wouldn¡¯t the normal thing to ask be whether or not he enjoyed it?¡±


    Heh, when you consider Lu Chenzhou¡¯s personality and his mental condition, it would be a miracle if he could enjoy a situation like that. Of course, she couldn¡¯t voice this thought, so Cheng Xi instead calmly responded, ¡°Have you forgotten about my profession?¡±


    ¡°A psychiatrist can even sense something like that?¡± Shen Wei wasn¡¯t easy to fool, and she narrowed her eyes at Cheng Xi in suspicion. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell me what I¡¯m thinking about right now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking, ¡®Hmm, Cheng Xi has really gotten lucky! She actually managed to get into a relationship with Lu Chenzhou! I have to tell Tian Rou right away that someone actually got into a relationship, and that her partner is even tall, rich, and handsome! She¡¯ll get engaged today, married tomorrow, and maybe there¡¯ll even be a baby coming out shortly.¡¯¡±


    Shen Wei stared at her, mouth wide-open. Half a second later, she angrily prepared to tickle Cheng Xi again. ¡°What kind of a gossiper do you take me to be!¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed, and the two of them playfully tussled for a fair bit after that. Shen Wei only left when Cheng Xi mentioned that something had come up. But before she left, she asked, ¡°Ah, now that you¡¯ve landed a rich boyfriend, does that mean that you won¡¯t be getting into a relationship with Lin Fan?¡±


    Sensing that her words held more than met the eye, Cheng Xi raised her eyebrows to show how perplexed she was. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°That friend of mine¡¯s also interested in him.¡± Shen Wei blinked as she explained, ¡°You know, my friend¡¯s not young either, and she has high expectations. Since she¡¯s finally found someone who she likes, I¡¯m doing my best to pair the two compatible people together. Aren¡¯t I doing a remarkable task?¡±


    ¡°That girl who was with you just now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t she pretty?¡±


    She was indeed pretty, but was she really interested in Lin Fan? Cheng Xi thought back to the girl¡¯s overly calm and collected expression when Shen Wei had tried to get Lin Fan and her to walk downstairs together. Cheng Xi almost wanted to say that Shen Wei must have misunderstood something, but she decided not to worry too much about this. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. But have you considered Rou¡¯s feelings?¡±


    ¡°You know how she always says things without ever acting on them. If we really let her chase after Lin Fan, I bet that she won¡¯t even do it. Alright, it¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t mind!¡± As Shen Wei finished talking, she patted Cheng Xi¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Don¡¯t worry, and enjoy your days. I¡¯ll make sure that your idol¡¯s happy too.¡±


    Maybe it was because Cheng Xi had confessed that Lin Fan was her idol too quickly, but every time Shen Wei brought up that subject, it was through some kind of banter. And now, she was even publicly helping her friend steal Cheng Xi¡¯s idol away. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but rub her forehead at Shen Wei¡¯s antics.


    After being misunderstood by Lin Fan, Cheng Xi originally thought that she would feel quite uneasy, that she¡¯d be falling all over herself trying to prove her innocence. In reality, she was more concerned about Chen Jiaman¡¯s father¡¯s sudden departure. After Shen Wei and the others left, she talked to the police herself and finally obtained his contact information.


    But when she called his number, no one picked up.


    For lack of a better option, Cheng Xi temporarily gave up on pursuing Chen Jiaman¡¯s father and went to deal with other matters. As she walked off, she coincidentally passed by Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward, and noticed that Chen Jiaman had woken up.


    The room was still dark, its only light source being the moonlight shining through the half-drawn windows. Cheng Jiaman sat at the foot of the bed, and was clutching a pen in her hand as she drew something that Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t see.


    After thinking about it for a moment, Cheng Xi went to her office to retrieve the other sketchbook and a set of crayons. Once she got within five paces of the bed, Chen Jiaman stopped drawing and her whole body grew taut just like last time, even though she wasn¡¯t looking at Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t go any closer. She directly sat down on the floor, and started seriously sketching in the sketchbook.


    This time, she colored her drawings in. The drawing was once again of a somewhat deformed little bunny, but Cheng Xi tried her best to use the colors to make her bunny warmer to the eye.


    After finishing, she left the sketchbook and the crayons in their original position, and then silently walked out.


    Throughout the whole process, Chen Jiaman had never once looked her in the eye. But Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind; when approaching someone who had been hurt and hurt again, patience was the only path.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 33: I Want to Kiss You Again

    After returning to her office, Cheng Xi took out her phone and found that Lin Fan had sent her a single message.


    ¡°Congratulations.¡±


    From the timestamp, it didn¡¯t seem like it had been sent that long ago. During that time, she should have been accompanying Chen Jiaman.


    After thinking for a moment, Cheng Xi replied back, ¡°Congratulations for what?¡±


    This time, she waited a long while, but didn¡¯t receive a response. As she was waiting, the police officer in charge of Chen Jiaman¡¯s case coincidentally called her. Cheng Xi told him about the results of her own investigation through the phone, and the officer appeared to be quite shocked at her findings, saying, ¡°We didn¡¯t know about this. Please give me a moment, and I¡¯ll go to you right away.¡±


    When Cheng Xi saw the importance that the police placed on this information, she felt like she could finally breathe. Perhaps the final outcome still wouldn¡¯t be what she desired, but she fervently hoped that the people responsible for this would have to at least pay a portion of the deserved price.


    As such, once the policeman arrived, Cheng Xi told him about her own experiences in the little town in detail, and also gave him the video footage that Mr. Liu had given her.


    Despite disagreeing with Mr. Liu¡¯s attitude of protecting himself first, she had nonetheless promised to keep him anonymous. So, she could only say that the footage had come from a stranger¡¯s number. As to whom that number belonged to, honestly, Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t sure if the police could track it.


    As soon as the police took the footage away, this matter was out of her hands.


    After the police left, Cheng Xi felt a strange unease creep over her. Lowering her head, she found that there was a string of missed calls from Shen Wei, as well as Lin Fan¡¯s unread reply. ¡°Congratulations on finding your true love.¡±


    Cheng Xi abruptly changed the topic, and immediately replied back, ¡°Are you still at the hospital?¡±


    This time, Lin Fan responded quickly. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Has Mrs. Lin finished her checkup?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at the clock; it was already time to leave work. ¡°Let me treat the two of you to a meal.¡±


    Lin Fan asked, ¡°Are you still at the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Give me ten minutes, then?¡±


    Cheng Xi agreed, and then decided on a place to meet. She packed up and started walking down the building¡¯s stairs. At this time of the day, there were quite a large number of patients taking the elevator, so Cheng Xi instead took the stairs down. As she walked, she tried to call Shen Wei, but her phone was busy the entire time.


    In front of the psychiatry building was an expansive carpark. As Cheng Xi walked to the entrance, she raised her head and found a black car parked on the opposite side. The car pulled up by her, and Lin Fan walked out.


    Shen Wei¡¯s call finally connected at this time, and the first thing Cheng Xi heard was her grumbling, ¡°I kept calling you but you didn¡¯t respond. Are you off work yet? Come over and eat¡­ That heartless Lin Fan said that he would treat us, but just as we finished ordering, he ran off again¡­ Hey, hey!¡±


    Before Lin Fan could spot her, Cheng Xi retreated into the building once again, and then hid in an alcove as she sighed, ¡°I got it.¡±


    Shen Wei seemed displeased. ¡°What did you get?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to go over, so enjoy your meal.¡±


    Shen Wei got even more upset at those words. ¡°Gosh, you too? Even after I visited you at the hospital today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you next time.¡± She saw Lin Fan briskly walk into the building, stop by the side of the elevator, and then quietly wait in a noticeable spot.


    Cheng Xi also stood where she was, watching him silently. Time passed by quickly; after their most recent reunion, she constantly felt like he had changed greatly. But after she looked at him more carefully, he actually hadn¡¯t changed all that much; he was still that youth with a slight tinge of silliness, someone who would drop everything and rush over in a heartbeat.


    Almost as if he could sense her gaze, Lin Fan suddenly turned his head around and noticed her standing behind him. After the glimmer of recognition passed, his face slowly morphed into a smile.


    Even though he wasn¡¯t as handsome as Lu Chenzhou, when he smiled, anyone who looked at him would feel his golden sunshine-like smile wash over them, making them feel warm and happy.


    He walked over, a few minor hints of anxiety on his face. ¡°Did you wait long?¡±


    ¡°No, I just got down.¡±


    ¡°About that, Shen Wei and the others left early, and so did my mom. Although she won¡¯t be able to have dinner with you tonight, she said that next time, she will definitely catch up with you.¡±


    Perhaps Lin Fan himself didn¡¯t notice this habit of his¡ªwhenever he was nervous or trying to lie, he talked an abnormal amount.


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lin Fan became even more flustered from her simple response. His current behavior no longer reflected his calm demeanor that day at Shen Wei¡¯s wedding. Right now, he actually gave Cheng Xi feel a sense of comfortable familiarity.


    As a youth, Lin Fan and his family hadn¡¯t been too well off. He had no father and lived alone with his mother. The mother and son pair lived quite a frugal life. The food at the school¡¯s cafeteria wasn¡¯t great, so all of the students there had brought their own lunches to school, and ate bits and pieces of everyone else¡¯s food.


    Lin Fan was the only student that never brought food from home; during lunch, he would always stand silently to one side. Cheng Xi brought her own food several times, but she stopped once she noticed his situation. After all, it was more fun to be thick-skinned and steal food from Rou and share it with Lin Fan.


    In the end, Lin Fan was able to gather lots of food even without Cheng Xi¡¯s help, because he had a habit of speaking whenever he received food, which would make Tian Rou laugh. She had once said to Cheng Xi that if giving Lin Fan food could make him, her idol, speak a few more words to him, then she would gladly do it.


    Because of this, when Lin Fan started bringing his own food, his lunch box disappeared after just a few days.


    Now, many years later, while he was sitting down with Cheng Xi and recounting the old times while having a meal together, Lin Fan asked her, ¡°Back then, were you the one who incited Tian Rou to take my lunchbox away?¡±


    Cheng Xi innocently replied, ¡°No.¡±


    He didn¡¯t believe her, and looked at her suspiciously with squinting eyes. Cheng Xi laughed at the image, and then honestly said, ¡°It¡¯s true. Tian Rou really likes you.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s face blushed slightly. Barely glancing at her now, he shyly asked, ¡°Then what about you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you really like your boyfriend?¡±


    Could she really say that he had improved compared to before? He hadn¡¯t been able to bear his curiosity any longer and had ended up asking her after all. Back then, a similar situation had occurred; while they were studying, a male classmate had, of his own accord, announced that Cheng Xi was his girlfriend. Lin Fan didn¡¯t even check with her regarding the truth of his words; when he saw the two of them walking together, he¡¯d automatically assumed that they were indeed in a relationship. From that point onwards, he had started slowly drifting away from her.


    ¡°If I said that he wasn¡¯t my boyfriend, would you believe me?¡±


    Lin Fan hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°Yes.¡±


    But Cheng Xi knew that he didn¡¯t actually believe her, and she could understand that; after all, even an ordinary couple wouldn¡¯t just kiss left and right so cavalierly¡­¡­but she also couldn¡¯t explain this situation because of doctor-patient confidentiality.


    She looked him right in the eye. ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself to believe me. Honestly, if I were you, I probably wouldn¡¯t believe myself either.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s expression became agonizing. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve seen through me¡­¡­ But the thought that someone loves and is protecting you isn¡¯t bad, either.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled lightly, an unfathomable emotion wrapping around her heart.


    It tasted of some disappointment, probably, and a dusting of sadness. Whether in the past or in the present, it seemed like he still couldn¡¯t take that final step.


    This was why she thought that love was actually like being trapped in an illusion; crazy people would go even crazier, but it could also make logical people even more logical.


    After thinking about it, she didn¡¯t want his misunderstanding to grow any deeper. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯ll be disappointing everyone because Lu Chenzhou and I really aren¡¯t a couple. At the very least, our feelings haven¡¯t reached that level. From my perspective, he¡¯s just using me as a shield; one day, sooner or later, I¡¯ll become useless to him and be set free.¡±


    These were Cheng Xi¡¯s actual thoughts. She didn¡¯t expect that Lu Chenzhou had started to fall for her. To her, something like love at first sight couldn¡¯t possibly exist for a man like him. So, she believed that just like how she was treating him as a patient to be observed, the converse, him treating her as an object of observation, was also very likely to be true.


    Naturally, he was observing if she could, if she would help him.


    Lin Fan got to the heart of what she was saying. ¡°Freedom, you said? Did he do something that made you feel like you were not free?¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but admire his sharpness. ¡°Of all that I said, that word is the one that you paid the most attention to?¡±


    Lin Fan laughed. Clearly, this time, his smile was tinged with genuine mirth. ¡°I-¡±


    He could only get one word out before Cheng Xi¡¯s phone suddenly rang. Her phone was placed on the table, so when Lu Chenzhou¡¯s name appeared on the screen, both of them could see it.


    Lin Fan¡¯s remaining words were like a burr in his throat. Cheng Xi caressed her forehead in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Let me take this call.¡±


    She quickly picked up the phone, as calm as ever.


    Lu Chenzhou was as direct as ever. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    Cheng Xi lifted up her cup and was about to drink some water. ¡°Is something up?¡±


    ¡°I need to see you.¡± His inflection was surprisingly severe.


    Cheng Xi instantly became more serious, thoughts flitting across her mind. Did something worse happen to Chen Jiaman, or did her father get into some sort of accident after rushing out like that today? Or, did Lu Chenzhou¡¯s condition worsen? He¡¯d even ignored his germophobia to kiss her today, after all.


    She sat straight up and gave him her location. ¡°Are you coming over now? What happened?¡±


    And then Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words made her realize that she should¡¯ve stopped over-complicating things.


    ¡°Yes, I want to kiss you again.¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 34: I Don’t Need Love

    Cheng Xi started coughing violently and hung up reflexively.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lin Fan asked, worried.


    Cheng Xi shook her hands, covered her mouth, and coughed for quite a while. It wasn¡¯t until she nearly reached the point of crying that the alarm and shock from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words finally settled down.


    Despite her being a psychiatrist, she wasn¡¯t too familiar with Lu Chenzhou¡¯s way of thinking, and was still occasionally caught off-guard by his actions and words.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, is there?¡± Lin Fan asked again.


    ¡°No, everything¡¯s fine,¡± Cheng Xi replied. ¡°Lu Chenzhou said that he needed to see me for something.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡­ should I leave?


    ¡°Probably.¡± Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t keep him here, because she really wasn¡¯t sure what would happen after Lu Chenzhou arrived. From her limited knowledge of him, if he really wanted to kiss her, then he would completely disregard whether or not other people were present.


    Pretending not to notice the disappointment in Lin Fan¡¯s eyes, Cheng Xi stood up and walked him outside the restaurant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait here for him here. You can leave first.¡±


    Lin Fan nodded and got into his own car, sitting there for quite a while before finally starting the engine and leaving.


    It was already winter; at night, it was as cold as ice. The car window wasn¡¯t closed, and blustering gusts of wind blew in from the night air, cold and chilling.


    Lin Fan didn¡¯t feel much of anything even while half-frozen. He looked at the rearview mirror and saw Cheng Xi hugging her shoulders, standing there without moving.


    The wind lightly lifted one corner of her scarf into the air, as if it were a butterfly tied to her back.


    That delicate butterfly scintillated with a colorful light. When he was overseas, that hue had been the shore where his dreams would have taken off; however, when he returned, he belatedly found that it had long since merged with the city, becoming a rainbow arc that he might never be able to touch.


    Lu Chenzhou arrived quite a while after Lin Fan left. He had driven the car himself, refused Cheng Xi¡¯s offer to find a place to talk, and directly asked her to get into the car.


    After she got into the car, he turned around to look at her. His gaze was fixed upon her lips, as if he were considering how best to kiss her.


    Cheng Xi found the scene strangely funny. Before he could do anything, she said, ¡°Can I ask, why do you want to kiss me?¡±


    She didn¡¯t feel all too awkward or taken advantage of. After all, he was a patient, and you couldn¡¯t use standard logic to evaluate their actions.


    Having drawn a line in the sand, Cheng Xi was very calm even in this situation.


    Lu Chenzhou behaved very coolly, as always. ¡°I¡¯ll kiss you if I want to; wasn¡¯t that what you said?¡± Impatiently, he then commanded her, ¡°Come over here.¡±


    But of course, Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t just going to go over. She treated him as if he were a familiar friend that she had conversations with, and, as if giving advice, said, ¡°Mr. Lu, I truly think that you should go read some romance novels. A kiss doesn¡¯t take place just because you want it to. If a man and woman truly love each other, then they don¡¯t have to kiss to demonstrate it; if they don¡¯t love each other, then even kissing won¡¯t make a difference.¡± She had always thought that love was a basic act that everyone instinctively understood, but after seeing Lu Chenzhou, she finally understood that some people naturally lacked love. And as a result, naturally could not love.


    So, with regards to kissing, the psychiatrist part of her felt that it was her responsibility to correct him. ¡°Any intimate action that doesn¡¯t have love as its foundation is immoral. So, please don¡¯t do this in the future anymore, okay?¡±


    ¡°Love?¡± His forehead slowly scrunched up, even as his expression remained calm. ¡°Why do we have to make it so complicated? Don¡¯t we already have a contract?¡±


    Cheng Xi had no words to respond to him, and could only trying to persuade him further. ¡°Your thoughts are wrong. Love is one of the most beautiful emotions that mankind has; you should try it out.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need love.¡± Lu Chenzhou snorted at her words disdainfully, and then looked straight at her. ¡°Don¡¯t expect to receive any love from me. The only reason I want to kiss you is because I want to.¡±


    In this world, there really wasn¡¯t much that Lu Chenzhou desired, and it wasn¡¯t clear whether the fact that Cheng Xi had sparked this desire in him was a blessing or a curse.


    But right now, Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t realized that she had ¡®gotten lucky¡¯, and she was trying her hardest to find the right words to convince him otherwise. But disregarding her feelings, Lu Chenzhou was growing impatient, and while she was still unprepared, he suddenly leaned over, turned her face towards his, and lightly kissed her.


    More accurately, he lightly stuck his lips, onto hers.


    After a brief moment of panic, Cheng Xi quickly relaxed. Without making a fuss or unnecessary motions, she just stood there, silently waiting.


    Before too long, Lu Chenzhou let go of her.


    He sat down two palms-lengths from her, and looked at her, his eyes clear and bright.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t move at all. She even smiled as she asked, ¡°How does it feel?¡±


    ¡°Like nothing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s normal, and it¡¯s because you don¡¯t love me. Only when we love each other will we feel our hearts race and our blood warm when we kiss.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never loved anyone.¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice was collected as he continued, ¡°But I like kissing you.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have a sufficient enough understanding of his illness to realize what ¡®liking¡¯ meant to the present him.


    But she instinctively turned serious as she explained, ¡°I¡¯m very honored, but I would still like to interact more in different ways before we kiss again. As you know, we haven¡¯t known each other for very long, and even if we have a contract, we¡¯re still essentially strangers.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t deny her words. Cheng Xi felt somewhat relieved, and smiled as she asked, ¡°Alright. Now, can you tell me why you want to kiss me?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou turned his head around and looked her in the eye.


    Why? It was because he couldn¡¯t sleep, because life was boring, because he wanted to find something to do, and kissing her was about the only thing that he could think of.


    So he had come to find her.


    But Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t want to reveal these thoughts to anyone. He opened the window, lit a cigarette, inhaled, and only then, with some amount of distaste, said, ¡°You have too many ¡®whys.¡¯¡±


    Cheng Xi made a brief choking sound.


    As she observed the cold expression on the side of his face, she felt that she couldn¡¯t break so easily under his lack of emotion. Thus, she pretended to not understand his words, and continued to harangue him. ¡°Am I too curious? Can you tell me why you think so? You need a reason to think so, surely. For example, back in the hospital, you were jealous that¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Lu Chenzhou started laughing, turning his head, and blew a layer of smoke into her face, his behavior so cool that it made people want to scream. However, the words that he said next instantly cleared her mind. ¡°Jealous? No. Our contract has a section about loyalty. I think that, before you can pay the fee for breaking it, you won¡¯t be doing anything.¡±


    ¡°......¡± Cheng Xi opened her mouth slightly, but it took her a moment to find her words. ¡°Then why would you kiss me out of the blue?¡±


    Actually, he also couldn¡¯t explain why he had done that. Perhaps, it was just the nature of men? Lu Chenzhou wanted to ignore her, but she wouldn¡¯t stop talking. He got annoyed, and said, ¡°Because doing is easier than speaking. Is that enough reason for you?¡±


    The face that he made when he frowned and became completely cold without a single hint of warmth in his gaze was somewhat frightening. Cheng Xi weakly replied, ¡°Yes, I just want to know why you would randomly kiss me.¡± She tried to suppress the fact that she was the one who had been kissed. ¡°Was it because you suddenly realized that you were starting to like me, or because of your own desire, because you¡¯re curious? Or did you realize that kissing was a beautiful thing that you wanted someone to experiment with?¡±


    If the actual reason was the last option she presented, then that was a big step forward. It would mean that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s illness wasn¡¯t that serious; was his aloofness just because he hadn¡¯t realized the charm of intimacy?


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, smiling, but also at the same time not. Under his gaze, Cheng Xi found it very difficult to keep speaking, and slowly stopped talking.


    But her gaze was obstinate, and her expression showed her determined resolve to get an answer.


    Lu Chenzhou found this behavior of hers surprisingly cute, and he asked, ¡°Is the reason that important to you?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t important to her personally, but it was very important to her understanding of his illness. Cheng Xi nodded her head fervently as she loudly replied, ¡°Yes!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou then gave her a perfunctory reason. ¡°Because of my desire.¡±


    She would be crazy to believe him!


    But Cheng Xi didn¡¯t expose his lie. She followed his lead and asked, ¡°Then, before this, did you have similar notions with any other women?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    His tone was blunt and crisp; evidently, he really hadn¡¯t.


    Cheng Xi was flummoxed. ¡°Then, to you, am I anything special?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou gazed at her. ¡°Especially ugly. Does that count?¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    Seeing her speechless expression, the smile at the corner of his lips became much fuller. This time, his smile was relaxed and mirthful, and his whole body seemed softer.


    Cheng Xi liked his current smile, and intentionally teased him. ¡°Mr. Lu.¡±


    He turned around.


    She made a mockingly-serious expression. ¡°Let me tell you this¡ªeven though the truth is a form of beauty, but, sometimes, lies make people happier. So, in the future, will you not speak as bluntly anymore?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou thought about it for a moment before responding in an even more serious tone, ¡°Sorry, no.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 35: Partner

    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone was relaxed, even jokingly so as he refused her. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but be startled, and then started laughing.


    She thought that she had more or less learned how to get along with him as a friend, and that she was approaching their relationship less from a doctor-patient one. But she had suddenly thought of Chen Jiaman. When she was living with that kind of family life, had anyone ever joked with her, or laughed with her without caring for decorum?


    Perhaps the reason why she liked the graveyard was because only there could she say what she truly wanted to say.


    She suddenly wanted to go to the hospital to look at Chen Jiaman again, so she said to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Sorry, are you still busy? If not, I¡¯d like to go back to the hospital.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her questioningly.


    Cheng Xi explained, ¡°I want to go look at Chen Jiaman.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything, and started the car to drive her back.


    He accompanied her even up the stairs and followed her into the office. The doctor on the night shift wasn¡¯t there, and the room was completely quiet.


    Cheng Xi changed into her work clothes and came out. When she saw that Lu Chenzhou was still there, she said, ¡°I might be a bit late, so you should head back first. Thank you for bringing me over.¡±


    Because she wanted to verify her thoughts as quickly as possible, Cheng Xi left immediately after saying that.


    Chen Jiaman was currently entering the stage when she was the most active. But unlike before, after she had been given the sketchbook, she had clearly become much quieter. She sat there in the darkness, holding her pen, and drawing something that no one else had seen.


    Cheng Xi pushed the door open. After her eyes acclimatized to the darkness, she slowly walked over, still sitting five paces away from Chen Jiaman.


    The sketchbook that she had left behind in the morning was still there. She picked it back up, and muttered to herself, ¡°What should I draw?¡± Her voice was very light. In this dark room, it was as light as a gentle wind, not frightening at all.


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t hear it, or if she did, she didn¡¯t respond. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind, and continued to speak softly. ¡°I¡¯ll draw a little bunny, then, a little bunny afraid of the dark. It yelled out in a dark house, ¡®Is there anyone there? Please speak to me. I¡¯m scared, and it¡¯s too dark in here.¡¯ There was another bunny locked inside with it, a bunny who was very old. When he heard the other bunny¡¯s behavior, he said, ¡®What use are your actions? It¡¯s so dark in here that you can¡¯t even see me.¡¯ The little bunny replied, ¡®That¡¯s quite alright. As long as there¡¯s someone speaking, there¡¯s light.¡¯¡±


    That whole night, Cheng Xi repeated this story over and over again. The sketchbook that she had drawn in was a mess, and because she couldn¡¯t see, she didn¡¯t even know what she had drawn.


    Chen Jiaman never responded to her. After tiring herself out from drawing so much, Cheng Xi fell asleep by the corner of the table.


    In the morning, when she woke up, the sky was already bright. The nurse on duty had walked in and woken her up. By then, Chen Jiaman had also fallen asleep. Cheng Xi slowly walked over, and noticed that a corner of the sketchbook in her lap consisted of a large pile of messy lines.


    Walking out, Cheng Xi could only feel her four limbs aching. The nurse asked her, ¡°Dr. Cheng, how did you end up sleeping in there?¡±


    Cheng Xi rubbed her eyes without speaking, and the nurse continued to say, ¡°You¡¯re really close with your boyfriend, aren¡¯t you? You fell asleep in the patient¡¯s ward, but your boyfriend kept watch over you the entire night in the control room¡­ Dr. Cheng, you¡¯re really lucky.¡±


    Cheng Xi froze for a moment, then quickly ran into the office¡¯s inner room, leaving the nurse behind. Lu Chenzhou was truly still there, sitting in front of the monitors. Upon seeing her enter, he raised his head and glanced at her coolly.


    ¡°You¡­¡­¡± She could only say one word before the door behind her opened again. The morning shift doctors had come in; at the very front was the doctor who had had a run-in with her, her senior Ceng Xing.


    ¡°Hey, everyone, come look. Our great Dr. Cheng is really diligent. Didn¡¯t the head put you on leave? What are you doing back here?¡±


    Cheng Xi gulped down the words she was about to say, and beckoned to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As Lu Chenzhou stood up to follow her out, the people outside naturally all saw him. Ceng Xing yelled out, ¡°Hey, who¡¯s this? How could you let a stranger into that area?¡±


    Cheng Xi ignored him, pulling Lu Chenzhou out at a brisk pace. Even from far away, she could still hear Ceng Xing. ¡°How arrogant, completely lacking all respect for law and order. Wasn¡¯t she put on leave? What¡¯s the point of running to the hospital daily? Who¡¯s she trying to impress?¡±


    After entering the elevator, Cheng Xi was finally able to take a deep breath. It was only then that she realized that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand was still clasped in hers.


    She quickly released her hand, carefully glancing at him.


    Lu Chenzhou was looking at her with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Cheng Xi rubbed her face as she asked, ¡°Are you alright? You sat there the entire night?¡±


    It was partly her fault. Last night, her attention had been entirely focused on Chen Jiaman, and she had totally forgotten that this Mr. Lu was somewhat abnormal too.


    Lu Chenzhou just continued looking at her. Only after quite a while did he say, ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    Cheng Xi, slightly relieved, replied, ¡°Oh¡­¡­ then go back quickly and get some rest.¡±


    ¡°So tired,¡± Lu Chenzhou emphasized again.


    Only then did Cheng Xi inspect him closely. He was clearly barely awake, and his eyes were even somewhat red.


    ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± But before she could finish speaking, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s head drooped onto her shoulders, and his expression seemed like he was about to fall asleep right then and there.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t speak.


    In the end, she could only bring him into her own bedroom.


    Cheng Xi was a very detail-oriented person. Her room was neat and tidy, and even the corners of her room were free of dirt and grime.


    Lu Chenzhou would be very happy with its condition.


    Cheng Xi left him on the guest room¡¯s bed. The sheets were clean and well-folded; when she was preparing the bed, she could even smell the sunlight that had seeped into them.


    Lu Chenzhou was probably extremely tired, as he fell asleep almost immediately after getting into bed. Cheng Xi had originally wanted to cook him something to eat, but by the time she was done, he had already fallen into a deep sleep.


    Cheng Xi bathed herself and ate a light, unseasoned breakfast. Because she still had class in the afternoon, she then made some preparations for it and then rested awhile. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t wake up even after she made lunch.


    She didn¡¯t wake him up either, only leaving him a note, and leaving for the university right after she ate. That day, Cai Yi was also at the office dealing with her affairs, and Cheng Xi set aside some time to go discuss Chen Jiaman¡¯s illness with her. Cai Yi agreed with her plan of treatment. ¡°If the reason for her illness is indeed as you said, then she clearly lacks trust. To make her accept treatment, obtaining her trust is the first step.¡±


    Cheng Xi said, ¡°I intend on drawing with her daily. Hopefully, that¡¯ll be effective.¡±


    Cai Xi laughed. ¡°They say that doctors have to be humane; so you really made the right decision to become a doctor. But for something like this, isn¡¯t it better for her family members to do that? Didn¡¯t you say that she has a father? Isn¡¯t he back yet?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s back.¡± While remembering Chen Jiaman¡¯s father¡¯s behavior, Cheng Xi frowned. ¡°I just received a call from the police, and they say that he refused to reopen the incident. Given that the matter¡¯s already done and past, he doesn¡¯t want anything come up again. It happened too long ago, and given Chen Jiaman¡¯s current condition, if her guardian decides to not take the initiative, then it¡¯d probably be very difficult to regain justice for her.


    Cai Xi looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re disappointed by this turn of events?¡±


    Cheng Xi let out a deep breath. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still too young.¡± Cai Xi shook her head. ¡°This was such a vicious incident, so why did nothing come of the investigation two years ago? Do you think that after two years, some video footage without a clear start or end can change anything? If the Chens wanted to, or rather, if they were able to reopen the investigation, then they would have done so a long time ago. Their unwillingness to do so now is only human nature. There¡¯s nothing to be disappointed about. There are too many unfair things in the world. As a doctor, you can¡¯t impose your own judgment into yours patients¡¯ affairs. Just focus on what you can do. Chen Jiaman¡¯s illness is very special, and being able to treat her will also be good for you.¡±


    Cheng Xi knew that Cai Yi¡¯s words were right, but they still left her with a heavy feeling in her heart. ¡°This is different, it¡¯s illegal¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to learn something: there is always a darkness that the law cannot penetrate. If you try to dredge up everything, then I¡¯m scared that one day¡­¡­¡±


    Before Cai Yi could finish, someone came inside and said, ¡°Professor Cai, the principal is here for you.¡±


    She clearly couldn¡¯t continue the conversation. Cai Yi stood up. Just as Cheng Xi was about to send her off, she stopped her and said, ¡°Go back to teaching. I can go over by myself just fine.¡± After saying that, she patted Cheng Xi¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Everything will be fine given time.¡± As she was preparing to leave, she suddenly turned her head around again. ¡°Oh, right, I heard that you and Lu Chenzhou ended up visiting his parents¡ªwhat¡¯s going on?¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    ¡°His grandparents are already preparing to build a new house for you, and they asked me about what sort of bridal room you¡¯d prefer¡­¡­¡±


    ! ! !


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 36: Living Together?

    Cheng Xi was dazed by Cai Yi¡¯s sudden news. ¡°Really?¡± She was somewhat frantic. ¡°I thought I¡¯d explained things very clearly to his family that time.¡±


    Because the principal was waiting for Cai Yi, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t explain to her what had transpired in detail. ¡°Professor, please help me and clearly tell them what¡¯s going on. This is all a misunderstanding.¡±


    Cai Yk tutted, pointing her finger at her forehead. ¡°Silly girl, you must be stuck in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s trap.¡± Upon seeing Cheng Xi¡¯s dazed expression, she even smiled innocently. ¡°But if you really don¡¯t feel particularly strongly about love, then marrying him isn¡¯t a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°¡­What do you mean, Professor?¡± Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t understand her professor¡¯s words one bit!


    Unfortunately, Cai Yi didn¡¯t explain. Cheng Xi tried to chase her down and ask her a few more questions, but all she got in response was, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m just guessing. Don¡¯t ask me now, as that might affect your diagnosis of his condition. But you don¡¯t need to worry. If you really want to break off the contract, then I¡¯ll make him give you a discount.¡±


    ¡°¡­Should I thank you for that, professor?¡±


    Cai Yi laughed heartily, and then headed into the principal¡¯s office.


    Cheng Xi went to teach even as her face was ‡å‡å‡å. As class was being let out, she received a call from Cheng Yang. She didn¡¯t answer it then,so he texted her instead. ¡°I¡¯m here with Mom to see you, so come home quickly after work.¡±


    Seeing this, Cheng Xi jumped up in fright. Lu Chenzhou was still sleeping over at her place; who knew if he had left yet? If he hadn¡¯t, then with the circumstances combined with his direct style of communication, Cheng Xi could only feel her head go numb.


    She quickly called Cheng Yang. ¡°You guys are here?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Just you and mom?¡±


    ¡°Who else would be here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Cheng Xi rubbed her forehead as she replied, ¡°A friend¡¯s resting over at my place, and I¡¯m not sure if my friend left yet or not.¡±


    ¡°A friend? Who? Male or female?¡±


    ¡°¡­Female.¡±


    Cheng Yang chuckled. ¡°Then no.¡±


    Cheng Xi let out a breath of relief. She had originally wanted to go back to the hospital, but since her mother and brother were here, then she could only go back home first.


    When she got back, the first thing she saw was her mother, her brother, and Lu Chenzhou sitting in a triangle in the living room, the atmosphere awkward beyond description.


    More importantly, Lu Chenzhou was naked! He was solely draped in a blanket, coolly looking back at Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s and brother¡¯s glares.


    Cheng Xi entered, and the trio¡¯s gazes landed on her immediately. Her mother was very polite as she asked, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±


    Her voice was warm enough to make Cheng Xi tremble.


    And then Lu Chenzhou also said, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± But then he quickly followed it up with, ¡°I don¡¯t have any clothes to wear anymore.¡±


    Cheng Xi and her family were momentarily stunned and couldn¡¯t even think of a response.


    Her mother was the first to become furious, and threw a fierce ¡°Get over here!¡± at her, before entering her room.


    Lu Chenzhou looked at Cheng Xi with a dignified and noble air, his expression seemingly stating, ¡°Your mother¡¯s mad, but it¡¯s got nothing to do with me.¡± It made Cheng Xi desperately want to hit him.


    Cheng Xi shifted her gaze to Cheng Yang, who shrugged her shoulders at her, as if he had no part in all this.


    As Cheng Xi walked over into her room, she leaned down and whispered to him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there wasn¡¯t anyone else home?¡±


    Cheng Yang innocently replied, ¡°Yes, but you only asked about females.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She wanted to keep arguing, but her mother was already shouting for her. ¡°You¡¯re still not coming?¡±


    Cheng Xi could only reply, ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡±


    As she entered the room, she saw her mother with hands on her hips, rotating on the spot.


    Cheng Xi closed the door gently, and obediently called out, ¡°Ma¡­¡±


    ¡°¡±Not even calling out for your ancestors will save you now!¡± Her mother looked at her with a fierce expression. ¡°That man outside, is he really your boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Aaa~~¡±


    ¡°Stop aaa-ing at me!¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was furious. ¡°What sort of eyes do you have? How could you find such a¡­¡± Glancing outside, she lowered her voice even more as she angrily whispered, ¡°Do you know what he was doing when we entered? He was eating while naked! He frightened me so much, but he didn¡¯t even care, and continued to slowly eat his fill before draping himself in a blanket. When I asked who he was, he said that he was your boyfriend¡­ Oh my goodness, my heart!¡±


    Cheng Xi quickly rubbed her mother¡¯s chest, and help her sit down on the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t be too agitated. Speak slowly!¡±


    ¡°How can I not be agitated? That behavior of his, I feel upset just looking at him! Daughter, are you looking for a boyfriend or a master? And even if it¡¯s the latter, can you at least find someone more respectable? Not even putting on clothes when his elders are here, could he act any more disrespectfully? Just like a hoodlum¡­¡­ Stop smiling!¡±


    Cheng Xi really couldn¡¯t help herself from smiling, because her mother¡¯s choice of words were just too incompatible with Lu Chenzhou.


    Seeing her heartless behavior, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother became even more agitated. ¡°Can you take this a bit more seriously?!¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Why are the two of you here today?¡± Her parents were usually taking care of the shop and were generally very busy. Under normal conditions, they wouldn¡¯t go anywhere else.


    ¡°It¡¯s all your brother¡¯s fault. He said he heard from your classmates that you had a boyfriend? Naturally, I came over to ask about your situation¡­¡­ When we ask you about such things, you always say you¡¯re not in a rush. But who knew that you could act so quickly when you wanted to¡ªyou¡¯re already living together with him!¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    Cheng Xi really felt maligned! She already told her friends not to spread the word, but they¡¯d still done so. Rven worse, news had even somehow gotten into her mother¡¯s ears.


    Cheng Xi could only imagine her life getting even more complicated from here on out, so she decisively chose not to explain the situation. Instead, she waited patiently as her mother nagged at her, and at the end, she promised once again, ¡°I¡¯ll break up with him for sure, Mom. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Seeing her compliant behavior, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was finally satisfied. However, she couldn¡¯t help but warn her one last time. ¡°Remember to be kind, and don¡¯t hurt his feelings¡­¡­ he seems a bit dazed in the head, so don¡¯t offend him.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh again. What she had taken to be a blunt personality was, in her mother¡¯s eyes, a person dazed in the head.


    Even though Cheng Xi¡¯s mother disparaged Lu Chenzhou, she still made a sumptuous dinner for everyone¡ªshe was primarily trying to take care of her daughter, who seemed to have gotten even skinnier since the last time they had met.


    Being a doctor was tiring.


    While making dinner, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother didn¡¯t let Cheng Xi help. Instead, she got Cheng Yang to buy Lu Chenzhou a new set of clothes. While Cheng Xi was pouring water to drink, she heard her mother instruct Cheng Yang, ¡°Buy something nicer and treat it as your sister¡¯s fee for breaking up with him.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Cheng Xi was rendered speechless. She returned to the sofa in the living room, sat down, and then noticed that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s whole body was curled up under the blanket as he calmly looked at his phone.


    She glanced over at it, seeing that he was sending an e-mail in English.


    When he finished, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°If you didn¡¯t have any clothes to wear, why didn¡¯t you just stay in the room?¡±


    With a very righteous tone, Lu Chenzhou instead asked her, ¡°If my wife¡¯s mother is here, shouldn¡¯t I go and meet her?¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    She had thought that she was very well-mannered and had gone through considerable ethical training, but Lu Chenzhou was somehow always able to get her riled up and furious.


    She really wanted to knock her head hard on this sofa and end it all. ¡°She¡¯s not your wife¡¯s mother! Alright, this isn¡¯t even the key point. Rather, my mom said that when they entered, you weren¡¯t wearing anything. How can you do that?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± As Lu Chenzhou said this, he lifted up the blanket, showing the underwear within. ¡°I was wearing this.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°My goodness!¡±


    Two exclamations at the same time. Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou turned their heads around, and saw her mother and Cheng Yang at the door of the kitchen. The pot in her hand clattered onto the floor, and Cheng Yang knocked his head against the doorframe. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± He had clearly hit his head, but he said this while covering his eyes. Then he gingerly stepped past the living room and out the door, running outside to get some new clothes.


    Slowly and carefully, Lu Chenzhou arranged the blanket about himself again, whereas Cheng Xi¡¯s mother balefully stared at her son and her daughter.


    During dinner that night, besides Cheng Yang, everyone else was in low spirits.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t rest properly, so her appetite was poor. As for Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­ His dining etiquette was perfect, slow and elegant, but anyone watching him eat would have their appetite drained away: eating was nothing more than a task to him, and it didn¡¯t matter if he were hungry or the food were tasty.


    As the cook, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was somewhat displeased with his behavior, and even more displeased when she saw her daughter¡¯s gaze land on his body.


    She planned to give her daughter a stern talking-to at night, but Cheng Xi told her that she had to work the night shift. Additionally, her mother had to wake up early in the morning to open her diner, and it was unrealistic for her to stay overnight and dump everything on her husband. Thus, Cheng XI¡¯s mother could only go home with a head full of worries.


    Even so, before she left, she made sure to see Lu Chenzhou out first.


    With regards to all of this, Cheng Xi just did as she was told. At any rate, time would be able to resolve everything; she wasn¡¯t in a hurry.


    After sending her mother and brother away, Cheng Xi returned to the hospital. Once it was time, she went to Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward and accompanied her in drawing. She persisted in doing this for quite some time¡ªthe hospital had finally let her return to work and had asked her to return to the clinic¡ªbut the results were still insignificant. Chen Jiaman still did not permit anyone to come closer than five paces to her.


    During this period of time, Chen Jiaman¡¯s father had come to visit her just once, to pay her hospital bills and an additional hundred thousand yuan.


    At that time, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know that he had paid so much money. She met him in her office. Compared to that day, Chen Jiaman¡¯s father looked much paler, and he was wearing an attire similar to what he had worn that day, a black armband on his arm.


    Seeing Cheng Xi¡¯s gaze land on his armband, he covered it with his hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for coming here like this, but today was my mother¡¯s funeral, so¡­¡­ Please excuse me.¡±


    From just his appearances, he certainly seemed like a dignified man.


    ¡°My condolences.¡±


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s father¡¯s lips curved up imperceptibly as he said, ¡°I apologize for my actions that day; it was all my fault. In the past few days, the police came to talk to me. I know that you¡¯re a good doctor, and Jiaman¡¯s very fortunate to have met you. But those things are long past, and I don¡¯t want to pursue them any further. I¡¯d also like to ask you to not meddle in this affair any longer¡­ If Jiaman can get better, that¡¯s great; if not, I¡¯m willing to keep paying for her stay here.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what sort of expression to make. She looked at him, not saying anything for a long while, before finally taking out a sketchbook from a drawer and placing it in front of Chen Jiaman¡¯s father. ¡°This is a book of sketches drawings that your daughter has drawn while here. Take a look at it. If you still think that that matter¡¯s unimportant afterwards, then I will respect your choice. But I have to say that, as a parent, if you cannot love your children, then at the very least, do not become an accomplice to her problems.¡±


    Just as Cai Yi had said, she was only a doctor. The only thing she could do was to cure illnesses and treat patients. She couldn¡¯t become a savior for the masses, and neither did she want to.


    After leaving Chen Jiaman¡¯s father alone, Cheng Xi walked out. Chen Jiaman¡¯s nurse walked over, curiously looked inside the room, and then whispered in her ear, ¡°Dr. Cheng, Chen Jiaman¡¯s fees are paid in full now, and her father even paid an extra hundred thousand yuan. Her father spent so much money at once; is he trying to keep her here for her entire life?¡±


    Cheng Xi could only smile coolly. ¡°Who knows?¡± She looked through the security camera as Chen Jiaman¡¯s father slowly flipped through Chen Jiaman¡¯s sketchbook. The nurse lamented, ¡°Chen Jiaman really has a talent for drawing. What a pity.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t respond. She looked at Chen Jiaman¡¯s father as he flipped through the book, page by page, clutching his chest as tears started slowly dripping from his face.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 37: Breaking the Ice

    If Cheng Xi could have predicted what would happen later, she probably wouldn¡¯t have used those drawings to force Chen Jiaman¡¯s father into action. Or, at the very least, she would have tried a gentler approach, so as to slowly uncover the past with him.


    Just as the nurse had noted, Chen Jiaman was very gifted at drawing. Her drawings were filled with emotion. Cheng Xi had seen one, and just that single picture had made her feel as if her own heart had been dipped in a bitter brine.


    The drawings that she had made in the darkness were filled with dark emotion. The main body of the drawing was composed of uneven, messy lines. But in the messiness, you could always see a hint of something else: anger, despair, and a sense of helplessness.


    The nurses said that her drawings were likely of ghosts and malicious spirits, but Cheng Xi knew that that interpretation was false. Chen Jiaman was drawing the world as she saw it: ugly, dismal, and corrupt. Compared to a flower by the roadside, even a maggot in a coffin would be cuter.


    And just as Cheng Xi knew this, so too did Chen Jiaman¡¯s father.


    After seeing those drawings, he left without saying a single word. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t question him.


    She continued to stay by Chen Jiaman¡¯s side in the evenings and through the night, the period when she was most active. For this reason, after Cheng Xi finished her work in the clinic, she had applied for a month¡¯s worth of night shifts that the other doctors were all too happy to hand over. Her personality was serious, and once a patient was handed over to her, she felt that she should do as much as she could to cure them.


    And she hadn¡¯t wasted her efforts in vain, because, after almost a month since Cheng Xi had started accompanying her every night, Chen Jiaman finally responded to her.


    There were no signs that it would happen that day. As Cheng Xi entered, Chen Jiaman had ignored her as usual. As Cheng Xi drew and talked to her, she didn¡¯t respond either. Honestly, Cheng Xi had become somewhat disappointed at that point, and was planning to adjust her strategy for the longer term. However, she was so tired that day that she fell asleep by a corner of the wall again. In the middle of the night, she suddenly woke up, roused by movement to her side. When she opened her eyes, she saw Chen Jiaman half-kneeling beside her. Under the dim light, her eyes gleamed bright, just like the eyes of a little animal.


    And then she felt something on her neck, something very sharp. She realized that it was most likely the drawing pen that she had given to Chen Jiaman, whose nib was sharp enough to be used as a weapon.


    Behind her, the door opened. The doctors and nurses on duty had realized that something was wrong and rushed in. As the door opened, light leaked into the room. However, the ones who entered were still careful enough to not rush in like a crowd of bees. The nurse on duty was the first to poke her head in, and she slowly called out, ¡°Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t going to die from being struck by a pen; she was more scared of startling Chen Jiaman.


    Seeing this, the nurse didn¡¯t come in, but she didn¡¯t leave either. Everyone just stood at the door and watched them alertly.


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t seem to notice any of the commotion at the door. She just continued to watch Cheng Xi with all her attention, the tip of her pen slowly sliding across Cheng Xi¡¯s neck as it traced her artery up and down.


    Cheng Xi was afraid even of swallowing her saliva. She looked up at her, and then softly called out her name. ¡°Chen Jiaman.¡± Softly, again. ¡°Chen Jiaman.¡±


    The pen on Chen Jiaman¡¯s hand finally stopped moving. She listened for a while, and then looked at her.


    Cheng Xi tried very hard to relax, and made her voice as soft and warm as she possibly could. ¡°Do you want to listen to a story? Shall I tell you a story? There was once a girl named Chen Jiaman. She was very scared of the darkness. In a pitch-black house, she yelled out, ¡®Is anyone there? Please speak to me. I¡¯m scared, and it¡¯s too dark in here.¡¯¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡± Chen Jiaman suddenly spoke up.


    Cheng Xi stopped breathing. She almost thought that she had misheard, but just a moment later, she heard her say, ¡°That¡¯s not right, it¡¯s a little rabbit.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled, and lightly replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s a little rabbit. A little rabbit was scared of the dark, who yelled out in a pitch-black room¡­¡­¡±


    She retold the entire story from the very beginning. Chen Jiaman listened very attentively. The pen nib next to her throat made Cheng Xi very uncomfortable, but she didn¡¯t move, almost as if she wasn¡¯t cognizant of it.


    After finishing the story, she asked Chen Jiaman, ¡°This place is so dark. Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said, then quietly shushed Cheng Xi. ¡°Be softer. Don¡¯t wake them.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Ghosts, evil. Very evil ghosts.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ are they?¡±


    ¡°Ghosts, there. So many of them.¡± Chen Jiaman knelt by her ear, started muttering ¡°so many¡± multiple times in quick succession, and then finally let go of Cheng Xi while shivering. She climbed back into the bed, sat down, and started ceaselessly drawing again.


    This seemed to be the start of the barrier between them breaking down. When Cheng Xi entered her ward again the next night, Chen Jiaman let her stand even closer to her. Occasionally Chen Jiaman would even talk to her. When she finished drawing and Cheng Xi asked if she could see it, she would even show her the drawings. Her antics, very reminiscent of a little girl sharing her secrets, made Cheng Xi¡¯s heart ache and her mouth sigh with sorrow.


    After that day, Chen Jiaman¡¯s father never visited again. Despite the arduous task ahead of them, the police were also making progress little by little. They had found some new information and were following up on it now.


    Everything seemed to be progressing in the right direction, but her perilous situation that day eventually made its way to the head of the department. First, her head came to talk with her, and then the director. In the end, Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t able to avoid her fate of being brought into their office ¡°for tea.¡±


    Her head called her reckless. ¡±Don¡¯t you know that she¡¯s considered a dangerous patient? And you dared to stay in the same ward as her without taking any precautions?¡±


    The director, meanwhile, even brought her professor into the mix. ¡°She was already off the beaten path, but you, you¡¯re even further off than she was. What can I say!?¡±


    Cheng Xi simply sat and nodded at the appropriate moments. Using one of her colleague¡¯s favorite catchphrases, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll admit it when I¡¯m wrong, but I¡¯ll never regret it.¡±


    Because she had broken standard protocol, Cheng Xi was criticized by the whole department, and even had to reflect on her actions during a department meeting. But to her, if this was the price to have a breakthrough in Chen Jiaman¡¯s illness, then it was a paltry price to pay.


    After Cai Yi found out, she called her, and, after hearing her thoughts, could only smile and say, ¡°Not bad, you¡¯re growing quickly. As a psychiatrist, you certainly can¡¯t use the same treatment for everyone. If mental illnesses could all be solved by tying the patients up, giving them shots, and feeding them drugs, then what would be the use of us psychiatrists? All you would need would be some strong guards at that point. Ignore those people. They¡¯re just scared of having to deal with responsibility. But-¡± As Cai Yi said this, her tone grew more serious. ¡°Your behavior is still too dangerous. You can¡¯t just put yourself in dangerous situations like this either.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Yes, I understand. I won¡¯t do it next time.¡±


    ¡°You sound very insincere.¡± Cai Yi shook her head.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t dare say anything more.


    Cai Yi relented and said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯m not trying to criticize you. I just want to tell you that being a doctor isn¡¯t like being an academic. In your eyes, your behavior might just be you trying your best to treat an illness. But in other people¡¯s eyes, it¡¯s easily seen as a shortsighted action of someone pushing ahead while disregarding danger. You¡¯re still young and have a bright future ahead¡ªthe road of a doctor is very long, so walk steadily and don¡¯t let unnecessary things trip you up.¡±


    Cheng Xi noted Cai Yi¡¯s advice down seriously.


    Cai Yi smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just a little piece of advice from my end. I¡¯ll be happy as long as you keep it in mind. Actually, the reason I called you in today was to tell you this: Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather¡¯s birthday is tomorrow, and they¡¯re quite serious about inviting you. Do you have any spare time to attend?¡±


    After thinking a bit, Cheng Xi said, ¡°This is a bit improper, isn¡¯t it?¡± She had earlier asked Cai Yi to clarify to them her situation with Lu Chenzhou, and it seemed that his grandparents had accepted the truth and understood Cheng Xi¡¯s worries. Thus, they had indeed stopped applying stress on Lu Chenzhou by bringing up marriage in front of him. As a result, she felt somewhat inappropriate by accepting this invite from them at this time.


    Cai Yi replied, ¡°Then it¡¯s up to you. The two of them haven¡¯t given up yet, but it¡¯s also fine if you don¡¯t go.¡±


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t planning on going, but the next day, Lu Chenzhou came over himself to fetch her. Recently, he had been travelling abroad for work, whereas Cheng Xi worked at night and slept during the day. This all meant that she hadn¡¯t seen him for quite a few days. When she saw him for the first time in a while, she even felt slightly uncomfortable¡ªthe key issue being that he seemed to have gotten even more handsome. Or perhaps, the sun wasn¡¯t so bright in the winter, so he was turning even more paler.


    He was originally quite handsome; his lips were thin like an elegant wood carving, his nose high and prominent, and his eyes like jet-black ink. When his skin paled even more, it accentuated his refined features to the point that he looked almost like a work of art.


    But, as usual, he was still cool and composed, and his tone was hard enough to pound someone into paste. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°My house.¡±


    When she repeated her question, he said, ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriend. How can you not attend my grandfather¡¯s birthday celebration?¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    Despite the fact that she had cleared things up with Lu Chenzhou¡¯s family, she clearly would never be able to clarify the situation with Lu Chenzhou himself.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 38: Acciden

    Cheng Xi had no choice but to get dressed and follow Lu Chenzhou to his grandfather¡¯s birthday banquet. Anyway, his family all knew what was going on and about his mental illness, so Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind being dragged every which way by him.


    The banquet wasn¡¯t a big affair¡ªafter all, his grandfather¡¯s wasn¡¯t reaching a nice round age¡ªbut it couldn¡¯t be considered small either. There were still at least a few tables full of people, and Cheng Xi had even run into someone she knew.


    ¡°Cheng Xi.¡± It was Lin Fan who saw her first, and he immediately came over and greeted her when he saw that she was alone.


    He wasn¡¯t all that surprised, but his mother behind him was. ¡°Cheng Xi?¡±


    She actually still remembered her! Cheng Xi smiled and responded, ¡°That¡¯s me. It¡¯s good to see you again, Mrs. Lin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too.¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother looked her up and down, a few notes of regret in her familiar tone. ¡°How long has it been? You¡¯ve grown more and more pretty over the years.¡± Realizing where they were, she asked, ¡°You¡¯re quite familiar with the Lu family?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat. My professor is very familiar with Mr. Lu¡¯s grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Professor¡ªyou¡¯re still in school?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s been two years since I graduated. I meant to say that it¡¯s my professor back when I was in medical school.¡±


    ¡°Medical school, oh. You must be a doctor, then¡­¡­ or a nurse? A nurse is quite a respectable profession for females.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled without saying anything, but Lin Fan was so embarrassed that he couldn¡¯t help but interject, ¡°Mom, Cheng Xi¡¯s a doctor at Renyi Hospital.¡±


    ¡°Oh, at Renyi, huh. That¡¯s a good place. I was even there to get my illness treated a while ago.¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s response was very natural, and she even rebuked Lin Fan a little. ¡°This child didn¡¯t even tell me that you were there.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say. She could only note that Lin Fan¡¯s mother had changed greatly since the last time she saw her. From her memory, she seemed to be a pretty but somewhat anxious woman, always wore cheap clothes, and, in order to let her and her son live a somewhat better life, worked multiple jobs a day.


    But now, his mother was now wearing a white fur coat over a black silk dress. After ten years, she looked younger than ever, but the anxiety in her eyes had been replaced by an arrogance and snobbishness that left others slightly uncomfortable.


    They didn¡¯t talk for long before Lin Fan¡¯s mother dragged him away. Cheng Xi saw that Lin Fan was being helplessly pushed toward a well-dressed man by his mother, and, not knowing why, she sighed lightly.


    Besides Lin Fan and his mother, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know anyone else in the house¡ªCai Xi hadn¡¯t come, and Lu Chenzhou was busy. Although his grandparents were somewhat close to her, their intimate way of interacting with her made Cheng Xi quite uncomfortable. With nothing else to do, she hid in a corner and started playing games on her phone.


    She hadn¡¯t played this game in a long time; it was a webgame called ¡®Escape from the Apocalypse.¡¯ The year that she graduated, she had given her account to Cheng Yang and never logged in again. As she tried to start playing again, she found that Cheng Yang had even changed her password.


    Cheng Xi stared at her phone, dumbfounded. Just as she was about to call Cheng Yang to ask for the new password was, Lin Fan suddenly walked in from behind the curtain. ¡°How did you end up sitting here?¡±


    Cheng Xi put her phone away again, and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s quiet.¡± Seeing him, she asked, ¡°Did you escape?¡±


    Lin Fan could only laugh bitterly. ¡°It seems like you always end up seeing my family¡¯s unruliness and my difficult situations.¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s not a big deal.¡± She changed the topic quickly as she said. ¡°Your mother is looking younger and younger with each passing year. When you stand by her, you look more like her brother than her son.¡±


    Lin Fan smiled, but his jovial mask betrayed the underlying bitterness. ¡°Thank you. She remarried, and her new husband¡¯s background is pretty good, so these past years¡­..¡± He lowered his head, held his face with his hands, and pulled on it with both hands in anguish. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My mother behaved quite rudely just now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I didn¡¯t feel like she was rude.¡± After thinking for a moment, she pulled two sweets out of her bag. ¡°I only have these two left, but do you want them?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡­¡± Lin Fan raised his head, and looked dazedly at the sweets in her hand. The colorful wrapping and the little squirrel with a smile so wide that one could see its teeth but not its eyes brought a comforting sense of familiarity to him.


    In the past, he had owed her many a favor that he couldn¡¯t return. All he could give back to her were sweets: ten little squirrels for a single yuan, cloyingly sweet.


    He had found an excuse and said that, ¡°Sweets are sweet. If you eat more sugar, you¡¯ll find that life isn¡¯t as hard anymore.¡±


    From then on, she gladly took some of his sweets, and, slowly, developed her own habit of buying some wherever she went.


    Cheng Xi said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m still eating them. The more I eat, the more that I feel that your words back then held some truth to them.¡± She unwrapped the sweet and gave it to him. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Lin Fan looked at the sweet, and felt his heart surge with emotion. ¡°Cheng Xi, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Fan¡¯er! Why are you here?¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother found him at that moment. Originally her face had been full of reproach, but she started smiling a bit when she noticed Cheng Xi¡¯s presence. ¡°Ah, Cheng Xi¡¯s here too?¡±


    She looked at the two of them somewhat sternly. ¡°The two of you are already old classmates, so what are you doing here hiding from the gathering? Go outside, it¡¯s so lively! Young people should interact with others more.¡±


    As she said this, she pulled Lin Fan up, and also was about to pull Cheng Xi up too if Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t avoided her hand. Cheng Xi then took out her phone again, and waved it as an excuse. ¡°Mrs. Lin, please don¡¯t wait for me. I¡¯ll head over once I make a call.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother said, ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll be going first.¡± She turned around to look at Lin Fan, her gaze somewhat severe. Despite his unwillingness, Lin Fan could only begrudgingly follow her out.


    Before he left, he looked at Cheng Xi again and said, ¡°I¡¯ll come find you again later. Will you wait for me?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled, but didn¡¯t answer. She thought that perhaps Lin Fan¡¯s mother didn¡¯t want her to say yes. Evidently, as soon as she went out to catch a breath, she heard his mother lecturing him. ¡°Why are you so impatient? What am I doing all this for? I only obtained this chance for you to be here after bothering your uncle for so long; why can¡¯t you cherish it more? If you don¡¯t want me to plan out a path for you, then at least do more for yourself, like Shen Wei from last time. Her background and her groom¡¯s background were both pretty good. Since you¡¯re all old classmates, you definitely could have taken the chance to borrow some of her influence. But what did you do? You said that you were going to invite them out to eat, but you left the lunch halfway through¡ªyou, what do you want me to say!¡±


    ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t like this sort of behavior.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you like? That doctor Cheng Xi? Son, you can reminisce about the past with her at any time, but why must you do it now? I heard that she was only a doctor, and even one from the psychiatry department at that. She won¡¯t be able to help you one bit¡ªwhat¡¯s the point of sticking with her?¡± After saying this, she suddenly remembered something, and then looked critically at her son. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you like her.¡±


    Lin Fan remained silent.


    His mother could only sigh. ¡°Regarding matters of love, I really shouldn¡¯t be meddling with your life, but, Lin Fan, you have to remember that love isn¡¯t all there is to life, and it isn¡¯t a necessity either. You¡¯re still young. This is the best time to start and develop a foundation for your career, so I hope you¡¯ll place more focus on that. As you know, your uncle has his own children, so the resources that he can provide you with are limited. I also don¡¯t want him to think that the two of us need his support to do well, so please make something out of yourself and live well for others to see. If you don¡¯t want to use marriage as a tool for advancement, then at least find someone with the same mindset as you, who can help you out in your career. Lin Fan, I don¡¯t want your life to be as tough as mine¡­..¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t keep listening. She put on a smile and turned around to enter the house once more.


    Once she entered, she found that Cai Yi had arrived and was chatting happily with Lu Chenzhou¡¯s family. As she came in, she heard her ask, ¡°Ah, where¡¯s your second grandson. Is he not here on this occasion?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mention that little brat. Being the introverted that he is, he said that there were too many people, and I really¡­¡± As Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was talking, she spotted Cheng Xi and quickly smiled and waved at her. ¡°Ah, Dr. Cheng¡¯s here! Quickly, come over.¡± She went forward and grabbed her hand, smiling amiably. ¡°Zhou¡¯s father is here too. let me introduce the two of you.¡±


    "¡­¡­"


    Could she refuse?


    Honestly, no. She couldn¡¯t, because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother had already called Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father over. ¡°Come, this is your son¡¯s¡­...um, friend, Cheng Xi. Isn¡¯t she pretty?¡±


    Cheng Xi was quite certain that the old lady had skipped over the word ¡°girl,¡± but she couldn¡¯t argue. Instead, she made her best attempt to smile at his father and greeted, ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr. Lu.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father was about fifty years of age, large and tall. Lu Chenzhou looked somewhat similar to him, but younger and with more refined features.


    Regardless, his father was certainly a charming silver fox.


    His voice was especially nice, as it held the special charm of a man of his age. His gaze landed on Cheng Xi¡¯s face as he smiling greeted back, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you. Nice to meet you.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. Trying to act like a virtuous and dignified woman was tiring on her heart and soul, and she wished fervently that an angel would come and rescue her.


    As if answering her plea, just as Cheng Xi was starting to feel out of it, her phone rang. It was the hospital.


    Just like a pardoned convict, Cheng Xi felt like she had been freed as she excused herself from the crowd. At that point, she had already made her mind up to find an excuse to leave after taking the call. But once the call connected, the first thing she heard was Chen Jiaman¡¯s piercing screech. ¡°Aaaaaahhh!! Aaaaaahh!!¡±


    Upon hearing her sudden scream that carried with it an uncontrollable fear, Cheng Xi jumped up in fright and quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The nurse anxiously replied, ¡°Come quickly, Dr. Cheng! Something happened, something happened to Chen Jiaman! Come quickly!¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 39: Kiss

    Cheng Xi quickly hung up and was about to leave immediately when Cai Yi noticed that something was wrong. She quickly stopping her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Professor, there¡¯s something¡¯s wrong with a patient, and I have to leave for the hospital immediately.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go ahead,¡± Cai Yi replied as soon as she heard Cheng Xi¡¯s answer. As she watched her leave hurriedly, she called her back again a moment later. ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯ll call Wu to drive you there.¡±


    ¡°No need, let Zhou send her. He drives quickly.¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather had intercepted her as well, and he quickly called for Lu Chenzhou, who had been talking to someone by his side. ¡°Quick, quickly send Dr. Cheng back to the hospital.¡±


    The whole room was in somewhat of an uproar at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather¡¯s words, but during this time, Cheng Xi had already raced outside. Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows, not saying anything, and stepped out quickly.


    As Cheng Xi walked outside, she ran into Lin Fan and his mother.


    Lin Fan called out, ¡°Cheng Xi¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi reluctantly stopped, and apologetically said, ¡°Sorry, but I have something urgent to attend to. I¡¯ll be leaving now. Goodbye, Mrs. Lin.¡±


    After blurting out a quick couple of sentences, she left immediately. Not long after, Lu Chenzhou came, following her footsteps. Just as Lin Fan¡¯s mother was about to greet him, even calling out ¡°Zhou,¡± Lu Chenzhou had already walked across the corner of the garden, and not even his shadow could be seen a second later.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother was somewhat upset, her face sinking. Before she could say anything, she heard her own son say, ¡°Mom, something seems to have happened to Cheng Xi. I¡¯ll go find out what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°What are you going for?¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother quickly tried to restrain him.


    But she wasn¡¯t fast enough to do so this time. Lin Fan pulled away and chased after the two, leaving his mother standing in her original spot, so angry that her lungs were beginning to hurt.


    Cheng Xi evidently didn¡¯t know who was following her. She had originally intended to take a taxi, but before one could arrive, Lu Chenzhou had driven in front of her with his car. He didn¡¯t say anything, merely stopping the car by the roadside, rolling down the windows, and looking at her beckoningly.


    Cheng Xi glanced at him and then got in the car. It wasn¡¯t rush hour yet, so there weren''t that many cars on the road. With some good luck, they quickly arrived at the hospital.


    When she got there, she saw Chen Jiaman once again strapped onto her bed. She was struggling and screeching like a wounded beast. In fact, she was making so much noise that the other patients in the ward had also started yelling, keeping the whole floor in a constant state of uproar.


    The doctor on duty was once again Cheng Xi¡¯s senior, Ceng Xing. Just as he was about to perform electroconvulsive therapy on her, the instruments in his hand millimeters from touching her skin, Cheng Xi arrived. ¡°Dr. Ceng,¡± Cheng Xi said as she grabbed his hand. ¡°Thank you for your work, but can you leave my patients to me?¡±


    Ceng Xing turned around, smiling. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re quite unconventional in your methods and particularly dislike using ECT. Show us what you¡¯ve got, then.¡±


    Cheng Xi ignored his strange behavior. She walked in front of him, pushed him out of the way, and then looked at the medical personnel holding Chen Jiaman down. She took a deep breath and ordered, ¡°Let go of her. You guys can leave now.¡±


    She started removing the constraints keeping Chen Jiaman tied to the bed, but a concerned nurse stopped her. ¡°Dr. Cheng, she¡¯s in terrible condition right now.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Cheng Xi really wanted to sigh. A whole month¡¯s of hard work, but had it all gone down the drain? She put her gloves on. ¡°You guys can all go out first. There are too many people, and she¡¯s too scared right now.¡±


    Not only were there too many people, but the light in the room was also too bright. Someone had opened all of the blinds that had been kept closed ever since Chen Jiaman entered the ward, causing the sunlight to land squarely on Chen Jiaman¡¯s ghastly pale face.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Cheng Xi emphasized again, and then she went forward, grasped Chen Jiaman¡¯s hand tightly, and started calling her name lightly as she loosened her constraints. ¡°Chen Jiaman, Chen Jiaman¡­¡­ Can we quiet down a little?¡±


    Just as Chen Jiaman¡¯s hand constraints were released, her upper body suddenly sprang up. She wanted to run out, but her feet were still tied down, and she continued screeching and struggling uncontrollably, closing her eyes and flailing her fists around.


    Cheng Xi got hit quite a few times, and she had to hug her tightly in an attempt to pacify her.


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s energy was actually almost completely used up. When she realized that she couldn¡¯t push Cheng Xi away, she lowered her head and fiercely bit down on Cheng Xi¡¯s arm.


    It had been pretty cool the last couple of days, so Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t wearing very thick clothing. Chen Jiaman¡¯s bite penetrated quite deeply, and a throbbing pain immediately shot through her bones, making her feel as if her hand had been half-bitten off.


    But she didn¡¯t do anything, only hugging Chen Jiaman even more firmly with one hand and unceasingly patting her back with the other. ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯re fine. Chen Jiaman, everything¡¯s okay.¡± She lightly whispered into her ear. ¡°It¡¯s bright, and we¡¯re not scared anymore.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if her month of accompanying Chen Jiaman through the night had been effective, but Chen Jiaman gradually calmed down, and then released Cheng Xi¡¯s arm from her mouth.


    Cheng Xi released the breath that she had been holding in. If Chen Jiaman hadn¡¯t let go, her hand might have been crippled. She supported her, her hands lightly running over her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s bright. Aren¡¯t you going to open your eyes and see the light?¡±


    But Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t open her eyes. She lay in her lap, her whole body trembling and shaking.


    Without any other recourse, Cheng Xi eventually had to give her a shot so she could fall asleep slowly.


    After shutting the blinds and restoring the room to its usual state, Cheng Xi walked out of the ward. Her entire body was damp, as if she had just been pulled out of a pool of water. There were quite a number of people standing outside Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward, including doctors, nurses, and even colleagues from other departments who had heard the news and had come to help. Among these people, Cheng Xi even saw Lu Chenzhou and Lin Fan.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong, is it?¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head, smiling at them tiredly. Her gaze turned toward the nurse on duty, and she asked, ¡°What exactly happened? How did she suddenly end up like this?¡±


    ¡°It was Chen Jiaman¡¯s aunt. She came to visit her, and something she did seemed to trigger Chen Jiaman.¡±


    ¡°Aunt?¡± Cheng Xi frowned. If she remembered correctly, then Chen Jiaman shouldn¡¯t have an aunt, only a great-aunt. However, that great-aunt had a terrible relationship with her family. She took a deep breath, and then asked, ¡°Where is she now?¡±


    The nurse ran out to look for her, but returned not long later. ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but ground her teeth in frustration. ¡°Go look around and try your best to find her.¡±


    She really wanted to yell at someone, but given the situation, who could she yell at? Chen Jiaman¡¯s situation was stabilizing, and it was natural for her family to be allowed to visit her. Who could she yell at?


    The doctors and nurses left quickly as Cheng Xi¡¯s mood became obvious. But she remained standing there, taking her time to recover and wrestle her emotions back under control.


    Lin Fan asked, concerned, ¡°Are you alright?¡± He sighed as he lamented, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a doctor who cares as much about her patients as you.¡±


    Cheng Xi could only laugh bitterly. As she was about to reply, her gaze inadvertently landed on Lu Chenzhou.


    He looked very normal, his body straight, as quiet as a pine tree. But if one looked closely, it was evident that something was wrong. His gaze was dim and the atmosphere around him frigid, just like a bowstring pulled too tight, one that could snap at anytime.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart contracted. Just as she was about to approach him, Lin Fan stretched out his hand and touched her. ¡°Your hand¡­¡­ You should take care of it first.¡±


    Only now did Cheng Xi realize how much it hurt!


    She yelped lightly, shook her head, took two steps forward, and then grabbed onto Lu Chenzhou¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Lu Chenzhou.¡± Her voice was caring and warm, calling for him gently. ¡°My hand hurts. Can you help me?¡±


    He looked as if he didn¡¯t hear her. Instead, his gaze seemed to be focused on the emptiness beyond as he stood there, stock still. She repeated herself, and only then did he seem to come alive again, turning his eyes to look at her.


    Cheng Xi also looked at him, seemingly ignoring his unusual behavior, and instead smiling charmingly. ¡°Are you not going to help me? Then are you really my boyfriend?¡±


    When Lin Fan heard this, his face darkened.


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her in a daze for quite a while before he stretched out his hand, and pulling her along steady.


    Cheng Xi relaxed and started thinking about what else she could say to make him feel more comfortable. But then his hand pulled tightly, and she fell into his bosom.


    She had originally wanted to push him away, but his body was trembling. And in this moment of hesitation, Lu Chenzhou leaned down and kissed her.


    "¡­¡­"


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 40: Crime and Evil

    When Cheng Xi regained her wits, she found that she and Lu Chenzhou were the only two people on the street, and that Lin Fan had left some time ago.


    She was still a bit dazed and somewhat scared because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s kiss this time was quite different from the previous two times. He had learned to stick his tongue out somewhere, and despite not having any finesse, had licked her lips and face like a little dog. This kiss had shocked Cheng Xi more than any other.


    When he tightly embraced her, she could also feel that he had gotten an erection.


    This was¡­


    She clutched her face. At the very least, he hadn¡¯t done anything about it, but she guessed that it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to, but rather that he¡­¡­didn¡¯t know how to? This guess came from the fact that he was currently looking strangely at the lower half of his body, and even reaching his hand out as if to touch it.


    When Cheng Xi saw his movements, she felt black lines streaking across her forehead, and she quickly grabbed his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. My hand¡¯s really about to break off.¡±


    She pulled him back to the office with her, only relaxing once she saw that he had calmed down¡ªgiven his earlier behavior, she was worried that if her colleagues saw him, they would beat and throw him out as if he were a hoodlum.


    Cheng Xi had Lu Chenzhou sit down. He did so obediently, like a deep thinker sitting with his back straight and head held high and coolly. His indescribable antics made Cheng Xi want to laugh at the absurdity.


    She pursed her lips, not thinking about him, but not leaving the room either. She took her jacket off and prepared to look at the arm that Chen Jiaman had bitten.


    When she rolled up her sleeves, even Cheng Xi herself was a bit shocked by the sight. Chen Jiaman¡¯s bite had been very fierce indeed, and there was a clear set of large and round tooth marks embedded into her skin.


    Luckily, since it was winter, she had been wearing a jacket. If it were summer, she probably would have had a large chunk of flesh ripped out of her arm.


    She was also trying to be brave. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to cause any more trouble, so she scavenged some iodine and cotton swabs, intending to privately disinfect her wound.


    But she was quite sensitive to pain. As she poured iodine onto her wound, she immediately felt pain course through it again. It was as if there were thousands of mouths gnawing on her flesh, and she was almost unable to continue.


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡± Lu Chenzhou had finished thinking some time ago, and had come over to watch her treat herself.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s forehead was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She forced herself to raise her head to look at him. ¡°Regret what?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou took a cotton swab and poked at her wound.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t handle it anymore, and her head hit the tabletop out of exhaustion as she powerlessly said, ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss, Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    When he noticed that she hadn¡¯t called him Mr. Lu, he felt rather happy. He decided to let her off the hook, and even kindly offered, ¡°Let me help.¡±


    And then he took another cotton swab, poured alcohol on it, and helped her clean her wound.


    A rich young master like him had never done such a thing. As the cotton swab penetrated deep into Cheng Xi¡¯s wound, so much pain wracked her body that she started quivering. After stubbornly bearing it for a while, she gave up, and exerted just enough strength to stop the cotton swab in his hand. ¡°Alright, you can stop now.¡±


    If he were to continue, her arm might really break off!


    This time, she didn¡¯t even dare let him help wrap her wound. She did it herself casually, rolled her sleeve back down, and then put her jacket on.


    ¡°Just that?¡± He raised his eyebrows questioningly.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll go get some medicine from the surgery area later, and I might also have to get a shot.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked as she tidied up the table.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Why help her like that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the doctor whose responsible for her.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Lu Chenzhou smiled coolly, but didn¡¯t say anything more.


    His grandfather¡¯s banquet was still going on, and Lu Chenzhou naturally couldn¡¯t stay out for too long. Once they called him and asked about his situation, he left quickly.


    Cheng Xi never returned. She didn¡¯t know what Chen Jiaman would be like when she woke up, and she didn¡¯t feel comfortable leaving before finding out.


    But she also was somewhat worried about Lu Chenzhou, and she forcibly found him a substitute driver, even calling Cai Yi to warn her. ¡°His condition doesn¡¯t seem too stable, as if he was scared by Chen Jiaman¡¯s incident. Once he returns, please help take care of him, professor.¡±


    Cai Yi replied, ¡°Okay.¡± Perhaps it was because she could hear the note of remorse in Cheng Xi¡¯s voice, but she also reassuringly added on, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s not a novice, and won¡¯t truly be scared from something like this.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Not long after Lu Chenzhou left, her colleague came back and said that she couldn¡¯t find Chen Jiaman¡¯s ¡®aunt,¡¯ who had presumably left during the disturbance. Even the phone number that she had left was fake. When Cheng Xi went to go review the security footage, she realized that this so-called aunt looked quite familiar. Her memory was quite good, and after thinking for a moment, she quickly realized that this mystery person was actually the restaurant owner¡¯s wife that worked near Chen Jiaman¡¯s school.


    ¡°Call the police,¡± Cheng Xi said.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Her colleague jumped up in fright. ¡°Th-there¡¯s no need to, is there?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything else, and instead immediately sought out the head of the department directly. After hearing about the situation, he stared at her and finally squeezed out some words. ¡°Dr. Cheng, do you think that our reputation is too good?¡±


    Cheng Xi understood what the head was saying. If word of this incident got out, their hospital would have to take responsibility for negligent personnel. If they really called the police, then it wouldn¡¯t reflect well on them either.


    Cheng Xi comforted the head by saying, ¡°Self-reflection is also a form of improvement.¡±


    The head only gave her one word in response: ¡°Scram!¡±


    And Cheng Xi did so, heartily. Of course, she still ended up calling the police, and the police responded quickly. ¡°That restaurant owner¡¯s wife has a daughter a year older than Chen Jiaman. After our investigation, we¡¯ve proven that her daughter was the instigator behind the bullying from two years ago, and have currently taken preventative measures against her child. Because we¡¯re still in the process of investigation, we didn¡¯t tell you about this. Presumably, this is why she went to seek out Chen Jiaman.¡±


    And finally, the police even told her some additional news. ¡°There¡¯s something you should be aware of, Dr. Cheng. Regarding Chen Jiaman, even if we fully investigate the children who bullied her, they won¡¯t receive too severe of a punishment. At the time of the incident, most of them were younger than fourteen years of age. Given that it¡¯s already been two years since then, that the Chens have already received financial reparation, that they¡¯ve decided not to pursue the matter further, and that we¡¯ve even received a joint petition from the children¡¯s classmates and neighbors pleading for leniency and saying that they¡¯re all intelligent, kind children¡­¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re all intelligent and kind, whereas Chen Jiaman is terrifying and evil. Thus, she deserved to be driven mad?¡±


    But no one answered this question of hers. Cheng Xi was sitting in her office, and despite the heater running strongly, she felt an unexpectedly chill.


    ¡°Dr. Cheng, a family member for the patient in bed 24 is here.¡±


    Cheng Xi broke out of her daze, frowning. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    The nurse didn¡¯t answer, but she didn¡¯t need an answer anymore. Cheng Xi could already see the man who had come, Chen Jiaman¡¯s father.


    He was still dressed very neatly, in a black down shirt and long black pants. Perhaps it was his clothes, but he looked even older than last time; his spine was even starting to look crooked.


    ¡°Is Jiaman alright?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him. The anxiety on his face seemed like he was truly worried about his daughter. ¡°Dr. Cheng, the police said that someone intentionally came over here to provoke her. Is¡­ is she alright?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Cheng Xi tried very hard to calm herself down, but couldn¡¯t help herself from shooting out some prickly words. ¡°I thought that you wouldn¡¯t care about her anymore after leaving some money. But it seems like¡­ you actually still worry about her?¡±


    Her father mumbled, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°What use is saying sorry to me?¡± She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not feeling very well. If you¡¯re truly concerned about her illness, then I¡¯ll find a doctor to speak with you.¡±


    She stood up and prepared to leave. At this time, she was unable to face this man¡ªin Chen Jiaman¡¯s miserable life, he too had been an instigator of her suffering.


    ¡°Dr. Cheng¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi did not stop walking.


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s father pleaded from behind, ¡°I know why she came. She managed to get a petition, a petition to absolve her daughter of her crimes. She believes that only if Chen Jiaman truly becomes crazy will she be able to offset the grievance that her daughter has faced in the meantime¡­ Dr. Cheng, I hope she can get better, please!¡±


    With a loud ¡®Peng,¡¯ Cheng Xi turned around and found that Chen Jiaman¡¯s father was actually kowtowing on the floor.


    She almost jumped with fright and dodged instinctively. ¡°You don¡¯t have to act like this.¡± She scrunched up her forehead in stress. ¡°If you truly feel this way, then you should treat your daughter better. You should know that giving birth to her and not raising her is a sin.¡±


    After saying this, she stopped paying attention to him, not caring whether he left afterwards. She went to get some medicine for herself and gave herself a tetanus shot. When she returned, she found out that Chen Jiaman had woken up.


    She seemed to have reverted to the original condition that she had come in as. She was scared of light and of people, her mouth was constantly mumbling something no one could make out, and she stayed curled up in a corner with her torn up sketchbook. She had scattered the pieces all over her body, almost as if by doing so she could bury herself once more.


    Cheng Xi stood by the door, quietly watching her. When night came and Chen Jiaman started frantically looking for her head, Cheng Xi recalled all those people in the little town who had helped the bullies go unpunished and Chen Jiaman¡¯s father whose repentance had come far too late. This entire situation reminded her of a poem:


    Demons hide in the masses.


    Hiding from notice,


    They share our beds,


    They share our food.


    At the same time, another common aphorism came to mind: This is the way that evil follows us through our lives, as nondescript as crimes are eye-catching.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 41: Spreading Poison

    When Cheng Xi walked out of the main lobby of the hospital, it was already very late. She was unbelievably tired, both physically and mentally, and the hand that had been bitten by Chen Jiaman had been throbbing this whole time. It probably wouldn¡¯t recover anytime soon.


    She clutched her arm, and just as she was about to start squeezing it to try to relieve the pain, a person suddenly appeared in front of her.


    She stopped. ¡°Lin Fan? You never left?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say; perhaps it was because of her grief and indignation, but she had completely forgotten about him.


    But Lin Fan couldn¡¯t help a smile from creeping onto his face. ¡°I¡¯m kidding.¡± His voice was warm, almost tender. ¡°The banquet at the Lu household just ended. I was a bit worried about you, so I came to see how you were doing.¡±


    Cheng Xi paused, a slight desire to cry suddenly welling up in her heart. It was at this moment that she realized that she, too, felt wronged and unwell.


    ¡°Lin Fan¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°I want to drink. Will you accompany me?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    And so, the two went to go drink at an alley near the hospital. There was a famous night market in that area. At this time of the night, the yellow streetlights illuminated a simple and quaint street market suffused with a wonderful smell.


    In the cold night, Cheng Xi¡¯s white breaths marked the air. As the warmth from her breath dissipated, a slender, long arm reached out towards her.


    In its palm was a few offered sweets, a bunch of laughing squirrels wrapped in colorful wrappers. ¡°For you.¡±


    Cheng Xi took one of the squirrels. ¡°This sort of candy is so hard to find nowadays. You¡­¡±


    Lin Fan smiled. ¡°As long as you keep an eye out, you¡¯ll always be able to find some.¡± In fact, it had really been quite difficult for Lin Fan to find the candies. After leaving the hospital, he¡¯d driven aimlessly through the streets, trying to satisfy his sudden craving for candy. And perhaps only the cloying sweetness of that childhood candy could make him temporarily forget about the bitterness that had tainted his heart and mouth.


    He spent the whole night searching, but when he finally found them for sale, he suddenly lost the desire to eat them. It was possible that the only reason he couldn¡¯t forget about them was solely because she had always liked them.


    Without her, even the sweetest thing in the world would taste bitter.


    Cheng Xi understood the meaning of his words. She looked at him, her expression somewhat conflicted.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The way you say it makes me feel like I¡¯m misunderstanding something.¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding what?¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding that you like me.¡± She laughed with a relaxed tone, but her actions belay her palpitating heart.


    She didn¡¯t want to play guessing games with him anymore; some things were better said early and outright.


    Luckily, Lin Fan didn¡¯t disappoint her this time. He poured himself a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp before saying, ¡°Yes, I do like you, and I have for quite a while. Ever since high school, I¡¯ve always thought that it would be wonderful if you were to be my wife.¡±


    He looked at her, his voice calm, his expression tinged with relief.


    Cheng Xi gaped.


    Lin Fan chuckled bitterly at her response. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m overestimating my own capabilities, that I¡¯m a toad trying to get together with a swan? You¡¯re pretty, outstanding, kind, generous, and considerate¡ªeveryone likes you, but what about me?¡± He clasped his hands together and buried his face in his hands out of grief. ¡°I don¡¯t have a good background or a complete family, and mine even has an odd and reclusive temperament. But even despite all this, Cheng Xi, I still want to love you. I worked hard and studied even harder, leaving everything to go abroad in order to make myself a better person, a person more compatible with you. But I always seem to be late, always unable to catch up to you¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi grasped his hand lightly. He didn¡¯t continue, and instead raised his head.


    Her expression was serious. ¡°Did you hear what Tian Rou said at the spa after Shen Wei¡¯s wedding?¡±


    He suddenly became anxious. ¡°......Yes. I know that she was joking.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not joking.¡± Cheng Xi laughed as she explained, ¡°You were truly my idol.¡± Of course, that was back when she was a young girl. During her adolescence, when she was melancholy and moody, it was particularly easy to become infatuated with a youth like Lin Fan, whose pride and aloofness, though self-abasing, made him stand out from the crowd.


    ¡°So, please don¡¯t think of yourself like that, okay? You¡¯re wonderful.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s face reddened quickly, and his still gaze quickly turned bright. ¡°Cheng Xi,¡± he murmured.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you know? I¡¯ve waited for ten years for you to tell me you like me.¡±


    Lin Fan gazed at her, and after processing her words, his heart swelled up and he grasped her hand out of disbelief. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true. Even though it might be useless to say this now, but you really don¡¯t have to disparage yourself. You¡¯ve always been great.¡±


    He looked at her carefully. Whenever she spoke, her face carried a light smile, making him recall the year he¡¯d failed an exam. His teachers were shocked and his mother scolded him, but only Cheng Xi smiled and told him, ¡°You look particularly handsome when you pay attention in class.¡±


    Even after so many years had passed, she hadn¡¯t changed at all, and was still as pretty and kind as ever. As long as he stayed by her side, he would always feel a warmth permeate his body.


    He wanted to hug her tightly in his arms.


    This sort of feeling seemed to grow more intense the closer he got to her. A despicable thought enticed him to snatch her away. He grasped her hand tightly and said, ¡°How could your words mean nothing to me? Won¡¯t you let me love you?¡±


    He looked at her breathlessly, his gaze fiery, his passion almost enough to melt her.


    Cheng Xi stalled again for a moment. At this moment, she really wanted to drop everything and say yes, but she couldn¡¯t. At least, not until she had treated Lu Chenzhou.


    She took her hand back. ¡°As you know, I can¡¯t promise this to you right now.¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡­ of him?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded.


    ¡°Do you love him?¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t nod.


    Lin Fan¡¯s eyes sparkled again. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± His gaze and tone were resolute.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t express the emotion rampaging through her heart at that moment. Perhaps happiness was the closest, but a bit of incomprehensible anxiety was also mixed into it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured. Liking you is my own matter. Even if you never come back to me, I won¡¯t blame you.¡±


    His tone was already relaxed again. Cheng Xi knew that some of her emotions had to have leaked out for him to behave like this, and she couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t want to string you along. It¡¯s just¡­..¡±


    ¡°I know, you want me to be happy.¡± He smiled and comfortingly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll certainly get better. Actually, even before I came back, I thought that you might have already fallen in love with someone else, become married, or even have had children. The current situation now couldn¡¯t be better, so I don¡¯t care what the matter is between you and him. As long as you haven¡¯t fallen in love with him, and as long as you¡¯re willing to give me a chance, then I¡¯ll keep waiting for you.


    Cheng Xi stared at him. He smiled, poured both of them a new glass of wine, and changed the topic. ¡°Is your hand alright? You¡¯re injured, so you should stop drinking after this glass. If you still want to drink more, then I¡¯ll drink it all for you.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t actually want to drink anymore. She couldn¡¯t tolerate alcohol well; one or two cans of beer was alright, but any more and she was afraid that she would get drunk.


    Given what had happened last time when she got drunk with Lu Chenzhou, she had since become very sensitive about drinking too much.


    She raised her glass. ¡°This glass is to welcome you back, as well as to thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank me for what?¡±


    ¡°For drinking with me.¡±


    Actually, it was also to thank him for his sudden confession, and it served to give her a sense of closure as well.


    Lin Fan clinked glasses with her. ¡°No need to thank me. Whenever you need me, I¡¯ll be there for you.¡±


    Cheng Xi finished her glass in a single gulp. Drinking cold beer next to a warm stove in the brisk chill of the night gave her an ineffable pleasure. As the cold liquid slipped down her throat, her whole body felt alive.


    She stopped drinking, and he didn¡¯t coax her to continue to do so. The two sat amiably, and as they chatted about their youth, their hearts became bright and spacious once more.


    Perhaps it was because of her drinking, but that night, Cheng Xi slept warmly and had sweet dreams even without the heater.


    In the morning, she woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. She was still muddleheaded, and it took her quite a while before she became clear-headed to pick it up.


    She lazily answered her phone. On the other end, a foreign, severe voice asked, ¡°Are you Dr. Cheng Xi from Renyi Hospital?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m a police officer from XX Town, Officer Zhang. Last night, we had a nasty poisoning incident. The suspect has since been resuscitated and woken up, but he requested to see you before he would cooperate. Are you free?¡±


    XX Town was where Chen Jiaman¡¯s house was.


    Cheng Xi asked doubtfully, ¡°Who¡¯s the suspect?¡±


    ¡°Chen Fuguo. He said that you were the doctor responsible for his daughter, Chen Jiaman.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 42: Remorse

    When Cheng Xi arrived at Chen Jiaman¡¯s hometown, it was almost noon. The town¡¯s scenery remained the same; only the number of travellers on the road had increased.


    When she arrived at the hospital, she saw a few familiar faces. There was the auntie who had led her through the town, the restaurant owner¡¯s wife, and some of the town citizens who she had met and asked for directions from.


    Without any exception, their eyes were all red, anger spilling into their faces. Luckily, the police were at the hospital to maintain order, along with some strangers who were simply taking pictures and videos without stopping.


    Once Cheng Xi arrived, a number of supercilious looks were immediately aimed at her. The auntie who had led her through the town even spat a glob of saliva at her from afar as she angrily scolded, ¡°An entire cabal of villains! Only helping each other spread evil; what a waste of your beauty!¡±


    Cheng Xi shifted her gaze, expressionless. The police officer who had called her ignored the heckling words and quietly explained the situation to Cheng Xi. ¡°...He prepared some blowfish meat, said that he was treating the other parents to a meal as an apology, bowed down to everyone to invite them over, and in the end, all of them ended up being poisoned. Some of the older folks weren¡¯t able to handle it and passed away last night, and there are still a few people in the intensive care unit.¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked after hearing that piece of news, and only after recovering a while later did she ask, ¡°Chen¡­ How¡¯s Chen Fuguo?¡±


    ¡°He was also poisoned, though he recovered right before dawn today. The first thing he wanted to do when he woke up was see you.¡±


    ¡°You said earlier that the poisoning incident was deliberate?¡±


    ¡°Yes. According to our preliminary investigation, this was a premeditated poisoning. In his backyard, we dug out a large number of dried blowfish organs. Chemical tests revealed that the blowfish meat that they consumed last night had a high degree of toxins within it, much more than would ordinarily be present. But the suspect refuses to confess to his crime or answer any of our questions, and says that he¡¯ll only reveal the truth after seeing you.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say. She didn¡¯t expect that Chen Jiaman¡¯s father would want to see her, and definitely didn¡¯t expect him to use it as a bargaining chip.


    The police brought her to the door of Chen Jiaman¡¯s father¡¯s ward. When Cheng Xi pushed the door open and entered, she saw Chen Fuguo alone in the two-patient room. At present, he was half-sitting up on the bed, his face was deathly pale, and his right hand was clutching at the side of the bed. On his wrist was a bright handcuff.


    When he saw Cheng Xi enter, he turned his head to her and smiled.


    Cheng Xi felt very uncomfortable as she walked to the side of his bed. ¡°The police said that you wanted to see me. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Despite having just been at death¡¯s door, the man in front of her seemed the same as before, save his wan and sallow expression. As always, he was dressed very neatly with his hair combed and tidily swept behind his head. He looked at her with a very sincere expression. ¡°I know that you¡¯re a good doctor. I¡¯m very happy that you care this much for Chen Jiaman, and that she was able to meet you even after suffering through so much sadness and tragedy in her life.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him quietly, not saying anything.


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s father didn¡¯t want her to say anything either. He turned around again to gaze outside the window, slowly reminiscing about the past as a calm expression surfaced on his face. ¡°I let her down by ignoring her all these years. But she¡¯s very determined, even getting the top score of the town upon graduating from elementary school. At that time, I thought, ¡®I can¡¯t keep living life like this.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t for myself, but for her, for my mother. I knew that I should also settle down, so I started fishing in the open ocean with some companions. But life just seemed to bear a grudge against me. As soon as I finished my preparations, that happened to Jiaman.¡±


    ¡°Jiaman was originally introverted but obedient, never bringing either of us any trouble. Even if there was trouble, all she would do was hide at home, not saying anything, unwilling to go to school or even to leave the house. If I hadn¡¯t seen that video, even I wouldn¡¯t have known what had happened. Does that make me a failure of a father in your eyes?¡±


    He paused for a moment to murmur, ¡°To give birth to a child without raising her is not kindness but sin¡­... I¡¯ve let her down miserably. Even after this happened to her, I couldn¡¯t reclaim justice for her. And I even listened to the others, and thought that it would be better for her to quash everything down. To that end, I even forced her to go to school by beating her. If those people were the culprits, then I, I¡¯m the executioner who drove her crazy.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to hear these remorseful words which had come far too late. If he hadn¡¯t taken the opportunity to help her when it was there, then any feeling of remorse on his part was by definition insincere¡ªthe most important condition to repentance was how one recovered and made amends for the mistakes they committed. ¡°She¡¯s only fourteen. If you truly want to save her, there¡¯s still time.¡±


    Chen Fuguo shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no time left.¡± He laughed bitterly as he lamented, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to face her. Maybe, in this lifetime, I won¡¯t ever know how to face her.¡± He turned back around to face Cheng Xi. ¡°Jiaman...... will she be able to recover?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was unusually calm. ¡°Originally, this sort of condition is best treated by the company and love of her family members. But after she accidentally hurt her own grandmother, and especially since you¡¯ve given up on her now, I don¡¯t know if she can still recover, or if she even wants to recover anymore.¡±


    Actually, she felt that Chen Jiaman understood everything in the inner depths of her heart. However, what she had experienced far exceeded what she could bear, so she could only bury that clear-headed version of her deep within herself and close her eyes, plug her ears, and pretend that she didn¡¯t know anything, just like a corpse.


    Her illness was her subconscious response to her trauma. If she didn¡¯t want to get better, then no one would ever be able to wake her up.


    Upon hearing this, Chen Fuguo shut his eyes and remained silent for a long, long time. Afterwards, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket. ¡°This is Chen Jiaman¡¯s mother¡¯s phone number. I might not be able to get out of here; Dr. Cheng, please help me find her and tell her what happened to Jiaman.¡±


    ¡°The day that you handed over that much money¡ªdid you already have this in mind?¡±


    Chen Fuguo didn¡¯t answer, only pushing the slip of paper toward her.


    After thinking it over for a moment, Cheng Xi took it. The slip of paper wasn¡¯t large. The only writing on it was a series of numbers.


    She held that piece of paper tightly. Chen Fuguo¡¯s silence spoke volumes. ¡°When you did those things, did you ever consider what would happen if her mother turns out to be unwilling to take responsibility? A hundred thousand yuan doesn¡¯t last that long. If she runs out of money, then your daughter will be kicked out of the hospital because she can¡¯t afford the bills. Given the state that she¡¯s in, if she doesn¡¯t receive treatment, then even the government won¡¯t be able to place her anywhere. Without any family, she could very well end up roaming the streets homeless. She can¡¯t register cold or heat, hunger or fullness. She might after just a few days. If you¡¯re truly remorseful, if you think that you¡¯ve let her down, then have you never considered these things?¡±


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s father clutched his face out of anguish, unable to say a single word in response.


    Their time was up, and Cheng Xi was sent outside by the police. After she came out, she found out that another victim had died, and the victims in intensive care weren¡¯t doing too well either.


    The family members of the poisoned townsfolk were agitatedly shouting outside the ward, ¡°He did it intentionally! Give him the death penalty! Kill him!¡±


    Because Cheng Xi had introduced herself as Chen Jiaman¡¯s lawyer back then, she was also attacked by the people who recognized her. Those people pointed at her nose and scolded, ¡°Don¡¯t they say that lawyers have a duty to uphold law and order? Don¡¯t they say that lawyers have to help speak out for victims? On the other hand, you¡¯re helping defend a murderer. What kind of lawyer are you?¡±


    The police officers who had escorted Cheng Xi out looked at her skeptically upon hearing these accusations. Cheng Xi¡¯s face fell, and she didn¡¯t declined to provide any further explanation.


    She was only able to escape the crowd after being escorted out with the police on all sides. After they finally got through the crowd, the police said, ¡°In order to avoid any conflicts, you should leave right away, Dr. Cheng.¡±


    And so Dr. Cheng got on a car and rode back to the city, leaving as quickly as she could. That was the worst situation that Cheng Xi could ever remember encountering; she felt like she was just running away out of fear.


    Not long after she left, Chen Fuguo confessed: he did plan it. Ever since Chen Jiaman started showing signs of mental instability, he would bring some blowfish organs home every time he went out to sea.


    Originally, he hadn¡¯t planned on doing anything with the organs, but then Chen Jiaman accidentally killed her grandmother and was sent to a mental ward.


    After Chen Jiaman¡¯s grandmother¡¯s funeral, he had gone out to sea again, catching and buying blowfish in bulk. Despite being poisonous, blowfish flesh was fresh and tasty, and cooking a good meal out of it wasn¡¯t hard. He had then invited a chef that he knew well, used the pretense of apologizing for the mess he had caused to gather the family members of the kids who had bullied Chen Jiaman all together, and then fed them all poisoned blowfish.


    Twelve people were poisoned, of whom three had died.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 43: Admitting One’s Mistake

    When Cheng Xi saw the news on her phone, she sighed deeply.


    That news article described Chen Fuguo as a suspect in poisoning his neighbors. The article wasn¡¯t long; it coldly introduced his motives, actions, and then concluded the story. Because Chen Jiaman¡¯s case was still under investigation, the article had only mentioned that Chen Fuguo¡¯s possible motivation for killing was due to an old feud, and that those neighbors had fallen for his trap because of their unsuspecting natures and the temptation of delicious blowfish.


    And three lives were lost, just like that.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± A colleague by her side had come to get a glass of water, but asked Cheng Xi this question upon seeing her face.


    Cheng Xi forced herself to laugh in response. ¡°Nothing. I might not have slept well last night, so I¡¯m not feeling too well.¡±


    ¡°Oh, were you keeping guard over the patient in bed 24 the whole night again?¡± Although Renyi Hospital¡¯s psychiatry department was quite famous for its novel treatment methods, her colleague rarely saw people like Cheng Xi, who would tire themselves half to death trying out a new treatment plan. ¡°Are you sure that you can keep going like this?¡± Her colleague was skeptical, trying to convince her to take it slower. ¡°Her illness was already rare to begin with, and even then, people with similar symptoms can be suffering from entirely different illnesses. You¡¯ve been pushing for your so-called humane treatment methods, but they don¡¯t seem to be particularly effective on her. I¡¯m telling you¡ªsometimes, patients suffering from mental illnesses are just like badly behaved children. Trying to persuade them gently won¡¯t always be effective, but a simple, crude strategy might work wonders. Do you want to try that?¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed upon hearing her colleague¡¯s vivid analogy. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll consider it.¡±


    After chatting with her colleagues a little more, Cheng Xi got up to patrol the wards again. When she got to Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward, she stopped at the door for quite a while, eventually deciding to not enter.


    After the incident with the restaurant owner¡¯s wife, Chen Jiaman seemed to have reverted to her old ways. Although she wouldn¡¯t make a big fuss, she had completely given up on drawing and refused to listen to anyone. The door in Chen Jiaman¡¯s heart that seemed to have been half-opened to Cheng Xi had been completely shut now.


    Cheng Xi had classes in the afternoon. Because she wasn¡¯t in her best condition, she made a few mistakes in a row. And after being corrected again, she couldn¡¯t help but caress her forehead out of exasperation.


    The students attending the lecture were all laughing, and a male student by the front row even jokingly asked, ¡°Dr. Cheng, you aren¡¯t this distracted because you just broke up with someone, right?¡± And then he even consoled her. ¡°Even if you really just broke up with someone, then it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to teach. Just sit down and watch us self-study.¡±


    When Cheng Xi was feeling well, she would laugh along with them. But today, she really wasn¡¯t feeling up to it, so she really did just pull a stool over and sat there until the end of class.


    Her students were all relatively obedient: no one came up to tease her; instead, everyone sat patiently at their desks and studied for the remaining half of the session. Even after class, they each sincerely said goodbye to her, and some even secretly handed her notes. Cheng Xi looked at them, and every one of them had something along the following lines: ¡°Keep it up, Dr. Cheng!¡±, ¡°Dr. Cheng, there are so many men in the world, why waste your time pining over one?¡±, or ¡°Dr. Cheng, turn around, turn around and look. I, your student, will always be here for you.¡±


    Cheng Xi could only laugh at their innocent humor, but her heart warmed at the messages. Despite how much these kids teased her, she could feel how much they cared for her.


    That male student who was always sleeping in her class was once again the last one out. Surprisingly, he hadn¡¯t slept today. Somewhat embarrassed, he walked up to her and stood there for quite a while before extending his hand toward her.


    In his palm were two plain but elegantly wrapped sweets.


    ¡°Are these for me?¡±


    The boy nodded.


    Cheng Xi took one piece of candy from his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat them together.¡± She unwrapped the candy and stuffed it into her mouth. It was chocolate-flavored, not as sweet as the version with the little squirrels, and even had a hint of bitterness that contrasted well with its refreshing aftertaste¡ªan unusual combination.


    The boy smiled quite happily as he saw her eat the sweet. His ears blushed red and he ran out of the classroom, still holding the other sweet in his hand.


    Cheng Xi thought him too introverted to be a university student, but given that he was only auditing the class, she didn¡¯t bother putting too much thought into it. She smiled at his back, picked up her things, and went to Cai Yi¡¯s office.


    Cai Yi was somewhat surprised to see Cheng Xi coming over, but her sharp eyes saw through her emotions in one glance. She pushed everyone else out of the office, leaving the two of them alone, and then asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look well today.¡±


    Rather than merely unwell, Cheng Xi actually looked like she was about to burst out into tears at any moment now.


    In fact, she actually did: right after Cai Yi asked that question, tears started streaming down her face.


    Cai Yi wasn¡¯t too shocked. After all, psychiatrists were people themselves, with feelings that were difficult for them to process. Instead of anxiously asking her questions, she motioned for her to sit down by her side, to cry in as comfortable a position as possible.


    After Cheng Xi finished, Cai Yi gave her a glass of water. ¡°Are you thirsty?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded, blew her nose, took the cup of water, and downed it in one go.


    Her unusually childish actions made Cai Yi smile as she looked at her. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Cheng Xi was still a bit upset, and she played with her glass of water for quite a while before explaining. ¡°That patient I took on with Cotard¡¯s syndrome relapsed because she was provoked by external stimuli. After that, her father gathered all the kids and family members who bullied her in the past together, and treated them to poisoned blowfish meat, killing three of them. I asked a lawyer what would happen to him; given the situation, even if he were spared the death penalty, it would be at most be a deferred death sentence.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when he started planning that event in his mind, but I¡¯m very upset by it. I must have pushed him to it. I knew that helping reopen Chen Jiaman¡¯s case would be difficult, but I still forced him to do it¡­¡­¡±


    Cai Yi looked at her. ¡°So you think that you¡¯re in the wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Cheng Xi covered her face, and with great effort, answered her question. ¡°I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have ignored your advice, and I forgot about my own duties and tried to act as a messenger of justice.¡±


    She had only wanted to get justice for Chen Jiaman, to right the wrong that had been done to her by making those who had bullied her suffer the punishment that they ought to suffer. However, she never sought to have Chen Fuguo do so in such a terrible manner.


    And now, she only felt a terrible guilt eat at her, the guilt that she had single-handedly orchestrated the poisoning incident between Chen Fuguo and the bullies¡¯ parents and family members.


    Cai Yi simply sat by her side and listened. Cheng Xi was the most gifted and empathetic of all the students that she had ever advised, and that latter point was both her greatest strength and weakness.


    For psychiatrists, being empathetic was a particular compliment, because it meant that they wouldn¡¯t blindly follow the rules and would instead genuinely try their best to help their patients through more humane means.


    But such actions had to be taken in moderation. Cai Yi believed that what had transpired this time would help Cheng Xi realize this, and this failure would help her become an even better doctor than the one she was today.


    All good doctors needed to grow, so Cai Yi didn¡¯t do anything to hinder that growth, only saying, ¡°Don¡¯t think of yourself as the most important actor in this play. Perhaps the role you had in this wasn¡¯t so important after all.¡±


    Cai Yi¡¯s words were simple, but they immediately woke Cheng Xi up. In truth, after she had cried and revealed all her worries to Cai Yi, her reasoning had finally returned to her.


    She knew that she was shouldering far more responsibility than she should. Chen Fuguo had been planning this for quite a while; after his initial return, he had only visited Chen Jiaman once, dealt with his mother¡¯s funeral, and then immediately went back out to sea to purchase fresh blowfish. From his actions, Cheng Xi could see that he had already been planning this for a long time.


    Perhaps he had wanted to get justice for Chen Jiaman a long time ago, but just in his own way.


    And perhaps some of his motives were selfish: some of the people that he had invited that day were not the parents of those that had bullied Chen Jiaman.


    Even so, Cheng Xi still felt that she had made a mistake. She had gone too deep, to the point that even she had lost her balance. She was this way with Chen Jiaman¡¯s illness, as well as with Chen Fuguo.


    When Cai Yi saw Cheng Xi realize the truth, she finally let out the breath she had been holding. ¡°Alright. Now that you¡¯ve thought everything over, why don¡¯t you treat me to a meal as the fee for seeing you.¡±


    Cheng Xi knew that Cai Yi didn¡¯t want her to keep thinking about these matters so she responded, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to make it a big affair; your fees aren¡¯t cheap, professor.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know that.¡± Cai Yi stared at her seriously. ¡°Don¡¯t just come crying to me aimlessly next time.¡±


    Cheng Xi was very embarrassed, but did sincerely treat Cai Yi to a meal in the end. Of course, she invited not only her but also her assistant, the other seniors and juniors in Cai Yi¡¯s office, and everyone else she saw in the lab.


    Since they knew that Cheng Xi was paying, they all smiled and responded, ¡°We¡¯ll treat it as a free get-together, then.¡±


    The whole crowd split up into several different cars, all driving to the restaurant excitedly. The place that they¡¯d decided on was close to the foot of the river, very famous for its fish-head dishes. Even better, it was just the right kind of weather to get together for a spicy fish-head hotpot.


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t particularly hungry, but since everyone else was eating, she¡¯d naturally do her best to keep up with the crowd.


    But the meal didn¡¯t end up costing Cheng Xi anything after all as they coincidentally encountered Lin Fan there having dinner with a few friends of his. The two were each with their own separate parties, and so could only greet each other briefly.


    The two tables were even next to each other, and from that distance, Lin Fan had probably overheard that Cheng Xi was paying for her party¡¯s meal. Thus, when she flagged a waiter over to pay the bill, she was told that it had already been paid.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t understand what had happened at that point, so she could only smile and ask around sheepishly. ¡°Alright, which of you guys were so noble as to save me some money? I¡¯m so embarrassed.¡±


    No one claimed the honor, and it was finally the waiter who said, ¡°It was Mr. Lin from table 9. He said that he¡¯d treat everyone to this meal for you.¡±


    Cheng Xi had no response to the waiter¡¯s words.


    The people beside her all went crazy, excitedly yelling out a long ¡®Ooooo¡¯ from their mouths in unison. ¡°Is that rich boyfriend of yours finally showing up?¡±


    They all knew that Cheng Xi had had all of her appointment slots booked by a rich man, but they didn¡¯t know who he was. But now, when they saw that someone had paid the bill for her of his own accord, they remembered this incident again, and quickly stuck their heads out to try and catch a glimpse of that mysterious ¡®Mr. Lin.¡¯


    Luckily for Lin Fan and his friends, they had finished their meal first, and he had sent his friends out right after paying to save Cheng Xi from her party¡¯s interrogation.


    Cheng Xi covertly wiped the sweat from her forehead. But when she raised her head, she saw Cai Yi smiling at her, a mote of caution in her gaze.


    Cheng Xi sighed.


    Actually, even without Cai Yi saying so, she already knew that her actions with Lu Chenzhou were very ill-advised. Chen Jiaman¡¯s matters had also shown her that she couldn¡¯t interfere with patients too much, even if she had good intentions.


    This was especially true given that she now had a ¡®Mr. Lin¡¯ by her side.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 44: Settlement Fee

    Cheng Xi and Cai Yi left in different directions after dinner, and because everyone else also had to work tomorrow, they all left on their own as well.


    Once everyone had left, Cheng Xi waited by the roadside for a taxi. But before long, someone tapped her right shoulder, causing Cheng Xi to look towards her left.


    As expected, Lin Fan was standing slightly behind and to the left of her. When he saw Cheng Xi turn around, his face lit up into a slight smile. ¡°Ah, I couldn¡¯t fool you after all.¡±


    This was a little game that the two of them had played when they were small. For a decent period of time, Lin Fan had sat behind Cheng Xi in class. Because they were seated next to a window, Cheng Xi would always gaze into the distance to relax after class. Whenever he saw her like this, Lin Fan would tap her on her left shoulder but lean to her right, or tap her right shoulder and lean to her left.


    But Cheng Xi never fell for his track, not even once; she was always able to turn around and spot him every single time.


    Cheng Xi laughed at his antics. ¡°Do you want to try again?¡±


    And so Lin Fan went back into his original position and tapped her shoulder again. Cheng Xi turned around, saw no one, and then turned to the other side as she amazedly said, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you!¡±


    Her acting skills were so exaggerated that Lin Fan couldn¡¯t help but laugh, as did Cheng Xi.


    It was a very boring game, but it was one that let the two of them laugh at each other for quite a while. After they finally calmed down, Cheng Xi said, ¡°Thank you. I won¡¯t try to return the money.¡±


    He looked at her, half-smiling. ¡°You can try to bring it up. But every time you do so, I¡¯ll kiss you once, alright?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Cheng Xi looked at him with an expression like she was looking at a stranger.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°I just discovered that you can also pick up girls now.¡±


    Lin Fan lowered his head and looked at her from underneath his bangs, his gaze smoldering. ¡°If I couldn¡¯t, then I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t ever find a wife in this life.¡±


    When Cheng Xi heard him say the word ¡®wife¡¯ so warmly and bluntly, her smile actually deflated slightly. She looked at him with a strained expression. ¡°Lin Fan¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, you can¡¯t reciprocate my feelings right now¡­¡­ Sorry, I only wanted to make you happy. However, you don¡¯t look too well right now.¡±


    Cheng Xi was very shocked. ¡°Really?¡±


    Had she really exposed herself to such a degree that anyone could read her emotions?


    Lin Fan nodded as he gently caressed the corner of her lips with a finger. ¡°Perhaps you never even noticed it yourself, but when you¡¯re truly happy, you don¡¯t smile like that.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but become dejected. She had thought that she was hiding her emotions very well.


    Lin Fan looked at her gently. ¡°Do you want to tell me about it?¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed. ¡°Actually, it isn¡¯t much. Something just happened with a patient of mine.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± A wisp of disappointment leaked into Lin Fan¡¯s expression, but he didn¡¯t continue pressing Cheng Xi about it. ¡°Then I won¡¯t ask. But if you ever need my help, just let me know.¡±


    Cheng Xi was about to nod when a flashy race car drove by them. Not long after, that car reversed directions until it was in front of them.


    The window rolled down, revealing Baldy¡¯s arrogant face. ¡°Hi, doctor. Is that really you?¡± Then he turned to the passenger side, smiled, and said, ¡°Look, I told you I was right, it¡¯s really your partner.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Race cars were usually a bit shorter than other cars, and since this section of road wasn¡¯t particularly well-lit, only now did she realize that Lu Chenzhou was actually sitting next to Baldy.


    She couldn¡¯t see his full face as the car door obscured most of it. The only thing that was revealed was a chiseled, cold, and hard jaw. This was the first time meeting after Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather¡¯s birthday. After Chen Fuguo¡¯s incident, she hadn¡¯t had time to look for him, and he hadn¡¯t gone searching for her either.


    I wonder if the events of that day left a shadow in his mind?


    After mulling the situation over for a moment, Cheng Xi bent her head, and then greeted him. ¡°Mr. Lu.¡±


    Baldy sneered. ¡°Heh, this polite? You might as well remove the ¡®Lu¡¯ too and just call him mister.¡±


    No one paid any attention to him, and Lu Chenzhou coolly asked in response, ¡°Do you need a ride?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at Lin Fan; he was silently standing there silently with half-lidded eyes and an unclear expression. She shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I can get back on my own.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou then turned his head slightly. ¡°Get her in the car.¡±


    The back door of the car opened, and a young man all dressed in black walked out. He bowed courteously towards Cheng Xi before gesturing toward the car. ¡°Dr. Cheng, please.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Once again, she had forgotten about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s personality. When he asked you a question, it was never an actual question. Rather, it was just a veil of politeness that was better treated as nonexistent.


    If it had been the past her, then she would have accepted his intentions blandly. However, today, she resolved herself to draw a line between them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m still busy and don¡¯t need a ride from you.¡±


    After speaking, she immediately pulled Lin Fan away and prepared to leave. But just when she had taken a few steps, the man clad in black stretched out his hand to stop her.


    Cheng Xi frowned. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Director Lu is cordially inviting you into the car.¡±


    Cheng Xi usually had a pretty good temper, but she couldn¡¯t help but grow angry now. ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡±


    That man smiled lightly, unyieldingly polite. Cheng Xi¡¯s frown grew tighter, and even Lin Fan couldn¡¯t help but move in front of her.


    ¡°Hey, doctor,¡± Baldy sniggered from his corner. ¡°Boss Lu asked if he needs to carry you into the car?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart dropped. Given Lu Chenzhou¡¯s personality, he really might do something like that.


    Lin Fan could also see that Cheng Xi probably wouldn¡¯t be able to leave with him tonight without considerable friction. He didn¡¯t want to distress her, so he unwillingly forced himself to say, ¡°Why don¡¯t you let him send you back? Something also came up for me, so I won¡¯t be able to do so. I¡¯d be worried if you went home alone this late.¡±


    Saying this was a huge insult towards himself, but he had understood very early on in his life the importance of being flexible.


    Sometimes, being soft and taking a step back was not due to cowardice, but rather a move made after weighing the benefits and losses.


    He actually wanted to reach out and irresistibly caress Cheng Xi¡¯s hair, but in the end, all he did was clench his fist behind him tightly and push her away.


    Baldy leaned against the car window as he looked at them lazily, his expression seemingly both a smile and not one at all.


    Cheng Xi and Lin Fan were both smart people, so they were well aware that Baldy and Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t like Lin Fan and had no intention of talking to him at all. She walked over as Lin Fan waved before turning and leaving.


    He left very quickly, not turning back. Upon seeing this, Baldy deliberately asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Who¡¯s that fellow? Why didn¡¯t you introduce us to him? He looks somewhat handsome. My, you¡¯re not trying to make our Zhou a cuckold, are you?¡±


    After spouting these inflammatory words, he glanced at Lu Chenzhou, but the latter didn¡¯t even bother looking at him.


    Cheng Xi ignored him as well, climbing into the car expressionlessly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to leave? This is a restricted parking zone.¡±


    ¡°At worst, I¡¯ll get fined,¡± Baldy responded blithely.


    Cheng Xi was caught speechless by his response. Baldy did drive off after saying that, but he didn¡¯t stop yammering, and even brought up the appointment-booking incident again. ¡°That incident really ended up hurting a lot of rich folks, and even my mom started asking my dad if he was raising a vixen. Haha, they¡¯re fighting at home every day now. How funny.¡±


    ¡°.....Is it really alright for you to talk about your parents like this?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Baldy stared at her superciliously, as if she were a novice to the ways of the world. He drove slowly and started gossiping about his father¡¯s Casanova-like escapades. As Cheng Xi listened, black lines began streaking over her face, but he only seemed to get more and more invested as he spoke.


    When she took another look at Lu Chenzhou, he had evidently heard enough, as he was not responding to Baldy at all. Since he was looking out the window, she could only see the back of his head from her angle.


    Somehow, along the way, Baldy had shifted topics from his father¡¯s romantic dealings to that day they had spent gambling. ¡°...We¡¯ve never lost that badly before, Dr. Cheng. So you want to play another round? If you¡¯re that lucky again, then I¡¯ll give you a chance and let our Zhou be your escort again.¡±


    When he mentioned the word escort, he even slapped his thighs and started cackling maniacally, as tears of laughter leaked out. Honestly, making the situation that awkward was a talent at that point.


    Cheng Xi really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, so she sat up and poked Lu Chenzhou¡¯s shoulder.


    He responded surprisingly quickly, catching her offending finger at once.


    Cheng Xi wanted to pull it out of his grasp but wasn¡¯t able to; thus, she could only pretend that she didn¡¯t mind it much. ¡°I want to discuss something with you. Can we talk in private?¡±


    Since they¡¯d met by coincidence, she might as well have a conversation with him.


    As usual, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t reject her request. He let go of her, and, ignoring Baldy¡¯s protests, apathetically said, ¡°Go to Donglai Hotel.¡±


    The emotions vanished from Baldy¡¯s face. It was fine if the two of them ignored him, but he was very displeased that they were even going to ditch him and go off gallivanting somewhere else. ¡°You helped me deal with that old Deng, but what happened to giving me a chance to thank you? Po and the rest are already waiting there.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou chuckled as he dryly said, ¡°Do you all want to be third wheels?¡±


    ¡­...These words were really too provoking, so much so that even Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but cough out of shock. Baldy, on the other hand, silently spat out a mouthful of blood, parked the car by the roadside, and started pounding on the steering wheel, making the car horn blare so loudly that even the cars driving by started to protest before finally yelling, ¡°Scram! You talk as if no one else has ever had a romantic encounter before. Just watch me bring seventeen girlfriends over tomorrow and make you drown in jealousy!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t fazed at all, and calmly stepped out of the car.


    As soon as the two of them were out, Baldy immediately drove off loudly. Despite Cheng Xi quickly following behind Lu Chenzhou, she was still just slightly too slow and was inundated with the car¡¯s exhaust fumes.


    Lu Chenzhou saw her lean back and choke a little, and was unable to stop himself from smiling at the sight.


    It was a pity that Cheng Xi had been covering her face just then and hadn¡¯t seen it.


    Baldy¡¯s parking skills were surprisingly skillful, as he had stopped right across the front door of Donglai Hotel, just past the street.


    Lu Chenzhou brought Cheng Xi into the building. She originally thought that he would lead her towards the caf, or even to his office. But instead, they ended up going directly into a suite.


    From the decoration, it looked exactly like the suite they had ended up in after she had gotten drunk that one night. In fact, given Lu Chenzhou¡¯s fervent desire for cleanliness, it was probably the exact same room.


    At the very least, Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t been traumatized from that event, and he didn¡¯t have anything that would cause her to be defensive, so she walked in briskly and confidently.


    The room was surprisingly cozy, as the normal sense of pervasive stuffiness endemic to a regular hotel room was absent here. The first thing Lu Chenzhou did when he entered was take off his jacket and wash his hands and face. Cheng Xi, on the other hand, did nothing. She merely picked up a chair, sat down to the side, and as she waited for Lu Chenzhou to finish up, thought about what the best way to explain her thoughts regarding that contract was.


    In the beginning, she hadn¡¯t treated that contract too seriously because she had thought that, after he recovered slightly, he would automatically void the contract of his own accord. However, Chen Fuguo¡¯s incident had made her suddenly realize that she wouldn¡¯t ever be able to deal with everything on her own. Her unintentional gestures could very well end up hurting others.


    As she sat there, she thought about many things: how to begin, how to end, how to comfort him. But all these thoughts were thrown into disarray after just one sentence from him.


    After Lu Chenzhou finished washing up, he sat down on the sofa opposite her, folded up his sleeves, and watched her carefully. After he finished observing her, he opened his mouth and coolly said, ¡°How does it feel to like someone enough to make you not care about the settlement fee?¡± And then he took out his phone and messed around with it for a while. Not long after, Cheng Xi¡¯s phone rang.


    Lu Chenzhou raised his chin to face her. ¡°This is the settlement fee that you have to pay. According to Cai Yi¡¯s request, I¡¯ve already given you a twenty percent discount.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 45: Do You Want to Make a Bet?

    From Lu Chenzhou¡¯s behavior, it didn¡¯t seem like Chen Jiaman¡¯s relapse that day had affected him at all.


    And could his observation skills be any stronger? Clearly, she hadn¡¯t been doing anything with Lin Fan, and even tonight, they had only been standing there chatting ordinarily¡ªat least in the eyes of any normal passersby, they had been very normal. Had he not noticed that even Baldy had only teased them for a sentence or two before dropping it?


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t in any rush to look at her phone. ¡°Why do you think that this is what I came here to speak with you about?¡±


    ¡°What else could there be? Would you be speaking to me about anything else?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless, because this really was what she wanted to talk with him about.


    But she first had to explain why she wanted to talk about it. ¡°I did want to talk with you about this, but not because I¡¯ve started liking someone. Rather, it¡¯s because I feel like I need to clarify in detail that I promised to be your girlfriend not because I love you, but because I wanted to have you trust me in a way that is more acceptable to you.¡±


    ¡°Trust.¡± He smiled coolly as he raised his head to look at her. ¡°Are the rest of the doctors like you? Able to give up anything to gain their patients¡¯ trust.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Chenzhou was too intelligent and logical, so Cheng Xi didn¡¯t plan on hiding anything from him. ¡°From a psychiatrist¡¯s viewpoint, being empathetic towards your patients is a necessary part of treatment. So, sometimes, in order to help our patients, we doctors will even temporarily abandon our viewpoints, ethics, and justice, all so that our patients can trust us.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you telling me all this now?¡±


    His question was framed from the perspective of a patient, indirectly signaling that Lu Chenzhou was very aware of his own situation.


    And it also meant that he was starting to trust her a little.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to destroy this rare connection that she had established through this conversation, and so she chose her next words slowly, trying her best to be as warm and truthful as she could. ¡°I¡¯m doing so because Chen Jiaman¡¯s father¡¯s incident made me realize that, sometimes, even despite my best intentions, I might end up significantly harming others. I don¡¯t want to become an instrument that hurts others.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou actually knew what had happened. But he didn¡¯t even frown after hearing Cheng Xi mentioning it, only continuing to coolly question her. ¡°What do you have to do with all that? Don¡¯t tell me that you think his actions were your fault.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right. I do think that it¡¯s my fault. If I hadn¡¯t forced him to get justice for Chen Jiaman, then he wouldn¡ª¡±


    But before she could finish speaking, Lu Chenzhou interrupted her as he looked her up and down. ¡°You are so stupid that I don¡¯t even want to look at you directly anymore.¡±


    ¡­¡­This man really did have a vicious mouth, but Cheng Xi was actually not at all deterred by his words. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re dumb,¡± he replied without hesitation.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She looked at him, speechless.


    At that point, Lu Chenzhou started laughing in a particularly vile fashion. ¡°Do you think that he poisoned all those people in order to get revenge for his daughter? Ha-ha, stop joking. The truth is that when he went out fishing in the ocean, he gambled with the other fishermen and lost a significant amount of money. Originally, he could have used Chen Jiaman¡¯s bullying incident to extort reparation fees from those families. However, after his mother died and his daughter went crazy, and especially after you exposed the whole incident, he certainly wouldn¡¯t have been able to get any money back. Thus, saddled with debt, he was forced to do something big.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him in a stupor. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s revelations shook her to the core; when she thought about Chen Fuguo kneeling down to her in her office and his remorseful and conflicted face in Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward, a cold surge of realization hit her as she realized how especially foolish she had been.


    She believed that Lu Chenzhou wouldn¡¯t lie to her; he simply had no reason to.


    But she still couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is this true? ...How do you know all this?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t answer her. He tilted his face so that he didn¡¯t have to face her, his expression as cold and obstinate as ever.


    Perhaps even he didn¡¯t realize it, but his expression was exactly that of a lonely and aloof child. In other words, it was a way for him to protect himself from others by distancing himself.


    Cheng Xi knew that she had also ended up hurting him.


    His investigating all this was most likely because he wanted to help her. No matter the reason, she seemed to always fail to live up to his expectations.


    She wanted to save the conversation, and did her utmost to sincerely say, ¡°Thank you for telling me all of this. Really. I¡¯m very, very grateful. You don¡¯t know how ashamed I felt before you told me, as I was constantly feeling like it was my fault that Chen Jiaman¡¯s father had gone to such extreme lengths to take revenge on those families. All I ever wanted to do was get justice for Chen Jiaman, but I never intended to implicate so many innocent people.¡±


    ¡°Heh, innocent? In order to help their children get off scot-free, they helped destroy evidence after the crime, bought off witnesses, and drove the victim crazy. How could they be innocent?¡±


    ¡°...At most, their actions constitute covering up a crime. They don¡¯t deserve to die.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only your opinion.¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice was unusually cold, even for him. ¡°As for me, I don¡¯t think their deaths are worth shedding a tear over.¡±


    Even the corners of his eyes betrayed his sudden coldness. Cheng Xi had the odd feeling that he wasn¡¯t talking about the victims of the poisoning, or at the least, not about just them.


    A blurry conjecture slowly took shape in her mind, but before she could develop it any further, she was distracted by his next few words. ¡°Leave. I¡¯ll have my lawyer contact you later.¡±


    She could tell that his feelings were in a mess right now.


    ¡°Mr. Lu¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    Cheng Xi clammed up. It was the first time that she had ever felt that words had power: a cold, icy power that could stop someone from breathing.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If my carelessness has caused you distress or even hurt you, then I¡¯m really very sorry. I¡¯m very serious about wanting to help you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond.


    He just sat there, completely still like a statue carved out of ice that radiated a frigid chilling aura that drove others far away.


    After an unknown amount of time that felt like an eternity to Cheng Xi, he finally asked, ¡°What do you plan on helping me with?¡±


    ¡°To build trust with others, to help you¡­¡­ believe that there is love in this world.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his head slowly and looked at her. Today, she was wearing a stone-green jacket. The color was too dark on her, and gave her an old and weary look. It was completely lacking the customary freshness of her normal attire.


    But her eyes were as bright as ever. Her pupils were distinct, like a pool of water that reflected a person¡¯s innermost desire.


    His face started forming a smile, but that smile never reached his eyes. ¡°Love¡­ just like what you have with that man?¡± Then he called out to her. ¡°Cheng Xi.¡± For as far as she could remember, he seldom ever referred to her by her full name. And every time he did, her heart would shudder. ¡°Do you want to make a bet with me?¡±


    ¡°...A bet about what?¡±


    ¡°Whether or not you and him will get married. If so, I won¡¯t take even a cent of the settlement fee and will instead donate it all to the two of you as my blessings for your marriage. How about that?¡±


    ¡°...And if we don¡¯t?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice turned taunting. ¡°Do you lack that much confidence in your mutual love? He¡¯s your idol, isn¡¯t he? How can you not get married after thinking about each other for so many years?¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 46: Heartstopping

    After Cheng Xi left Donglai, her feelings suddenly felt lighter than before. She didn¡¯t expect that the heavy stone in her heart that was Chen Fuguo would be so easily removed by Lu Chenzhou.


    She still felt somewhat guilty, but that guilt was no longer directed towards Chen Fuguo.


    As for the bet that Lu Chenzhou had proposed, she understood what Lu Chenzhou was aiming at. He didn¡¯t believe in love, so as a consequence, he also didn¡¯t believe that something good could come out of Lin Fan and her.


    He wanted her to realize that their love was worthless and meaningless.


    But did that mean that she now had to enter a romance with Lin Fan, and then act in such a way that Lu Chenzhou would believe it? This was too laughable; she felt that Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t possibly be such a shallow man. What did the emotions of others have to do with him?


    But if that were the case, then why did he say what he did?


    Was it truly because he... liked her? Did he like her so much that he couldn¡¯t bear to make things difficult for her? And had he then found this ludicrous reason as an excuse to give up on that contract?


    As she thought about this, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Rather than saying that Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t bear to upset her because he liked her, it was perhaps more accurate to say that he¡¯d gotten tired of her. In other words, after he realized that he wouldn¡¯t be able to experience the feelings he wanted from her, he had found a reason to get rid of her.


    And his kiss was just an experiment.


    His helping her was him simply performing the tasks expected of a boyfriend, just like how he said he would fulfill all of her requests for the duration of the contract.


    In this doctor-patient relationship, she seemed to be the one who was being led around by the nose.


    This realization left her incredibly frustrated and defeated, and it even haunted her dreams that night. In her dreams, she¡¯d suddenly become a super-rich person, and when Lu Chenzhou scolded her with his poisonous mouth and she couldn¡¯t defend herself anymore, she used her endless wealth to win the argument by instigating Baldy and the others. ¡°Scold him for me; I¡¯ll give you ten thousand dollars for every word you throw at him!¡±


    When she woke up in the middle of a particularly vigorous scolding from Baldy, she even wanted to say to her dream self, ¡°Scram, I want to take part in this scolding match myself!¡±


    As she slowly roused herself from sleep, she couldn¡¯t help but laugh when she thought back to the contents of her dream.


    She picked up her phone out of habit and saw that her mother had sent her a text. ¡°Today¡¯s the weekend, are you coming home?¡±


    And there was also one from Lin Fan. ¡°Have you woken up?¡±


    Cheng Xi was feeling lazy and didn¡¯t want to move, so she replied to Lin Fan first. ¡°I¡¯m awake.¡±


    And almost right after replying, Lin Fan called her. ¡°Let¡¯s get lunch together at noon. I¡¯ll be at your hospital doing something in the morning.¡±


    His tone was very natural, as if it was just a meeting between regular friends as he asked, ¡°When did you return last night?¡±


    Yes, even his conversational skills had gotten far better since then.


    Despite Chen Fuguo¡¯s likely deception, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t plan on giving up on Chen Jiaman. She preferred to deal with things as they came and still wanted to first meet with Chen Jiaman¡¯s mother, who had allegedly left the family. As a result, she said, ¡°I might not be able to do noon. I want to meet a patient¡¯s family, and I¡¯ll probably be doing so at noon.¡±


    Lin Fan sighed. ¡°You really do work hard. Sometimes I even wish that I were your patient.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Cheng Xi shook her head as she replied, ¡°You should do your best to live your life under the bright sun.¡±


    She clambered out of bed and pulled the blinds open. It was bright outside, and the shining rays made her involuntarily squint.


    ¡°Cheng Xi¡­¡­¡± Lin Fan was still coming from her phone.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t cause you any trouble last night, did I?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t help but ask about it again. Cheng Xi looked at the bright sunlight outside, unsure whether or not to respond.


    In truth, she could have been frank and told him that she had simply had a conversation with Lu Chenzhou and that they had settled everything. They were no longer together, and she could calmly accept being in a relationship with him now¡­ but in her head, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s aloof and obstinate face suddenly appeared. And, when she thought about the bet that he¡¯d made with her, her finger lightly slid over the windowtop, and she replied, ¡°Nothing much. How about you. Did your things go alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still on my way.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Another lapse of silence. Both parties felt somewhat embarrassed and awkward. Cheng Xi thought that Lin Fan had to have noticed her change, because his feelings had clearly turned downcast. When he said goodbye to her, his earlier high spirits were gone.


    Cheng Xi reflected on her utter lack of skill at love and romance. She understood it all in theory, of course; but in reality, it was a big mess.


    That night¡­ being truthful with Lin Fan had been her biggest mistake. It seemed like all she had done recently were stupid things.


    Knocking her head against the wall, Cheng Xi vigorously spurned herself to action. She knew that this was all because she had been putting too much pressure on herself to obtain results, which was why she had originally taken the risk of accepting Chen Jiaman as a patient. She also strongly desired the recognition of her professor, so she had chosen to ignore everything besides her to get close to Lu Chenzhou.


    Her professor was right. She really was too young and too rash, and her work had become too entangled with her personal life. And now, she was starting to pay the price.


    Cheng Xi took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. After eating a hodgepodge of fridge leftovers, she practiced yoga while she waited for her mind and body to relax. When she was ready, she sat down on the yoga mat and pulled out the phone number that Chen Fuguo had given her.


    As she entered the unfamiliar digits into her phone and listened to the ringing tone, it felt like an eternity before the person on the other end finally picked up. A tender female voice came through from the phone, very politely greeting her. ¡°Hello, who is this?¡±


    Cheng Xi indistinctly felt that this voice was somewhat familiar, but she didn¡¯t think too much of it. She stated her identity and then said, ¡°I¡¯m a doctor from Renyi Hospital, Dr. Cheng. A man named Chen Fuguo asked me to contact you. Do you have some time to talk with me? If possible, I¡¯d like to meet in person.¡±


    The other party didn¡¯t respond for quite a while. Cheng Xi even thought that she had hung up and was just about to check her phone to confirm, but then she finally heard a response. ¡°You¡¯re a doctor.¡± This time, her voice was no longer kind and soft, but cold and frosty instead. ¡°Did he ask you to contact me because he¡¯s ill and about to die?¡±


    This time, the other party spoke for quite a while, and without the politeness masking her voice, Cheng Xi immediately realized why she found it so familiar.


    Because this was actually someone that she knew, it was¡­ Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s!!!


    Cheng Xi hung up, somewhat dazed.


    And then she immediately picked up her phone and called Lin Fan again. ¡°Are¡­ your matters dealt with? If so, I¡¯d like to invite you to¡­ um, breakfast?¡±


    ¡°At this time?¡± Lin Fan¡¯s voice carried a hint of laughter with it as he responded, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m almost done. Where should we eat?¡±


    ¡°My place?¡± Actually, it would be better to meet at her office in the hospital because they would have more privacy there. However, there was no way she could meet him at the hospital, so her only alternative was to invite him to her house.


    ¡°Alright, give me ten minutes.¡±


    He said ten minutes, and indeed, ten minutes later, Cheng Xi met him at the ground floor of her building. She didn¡¯t know where he had run from, as despite the bright sunlight outside, the wind was strong, so strong that it made one¡¯s ears hurt. She was already feeling chilly from head to toe just from standing outside for a moment, but he was sweating from his whole body.


    He stood in front of her, smiling brightly and looking handsome as normal. ¡°Am I late?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Cheng Xi looked at his refined face, her heart skipping a beat. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to make it yourself?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too. But I have to say, I¡¯m not great at cooking, and there isn¡¯t much at home. So as long as you don¡¯t hate it¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if you made poison, it would still be delicious.¡±


    Because Cheng Xi¡¯s heart was troubled, she didn¡¯t even hear what he said clearly, and she only glanced at him briefly before leading him up the elevator.


    Lin Fan was a very sensitive person. When he noticed her absentmindedness, his heart spontaneously began beating faster. He reflexively took out his phone and pretended to look at it, even calling Cheng Xi¡¯s number.


    Cheng Xi, upon seeing that Lin Fan had called her, waved her phone and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem too happy, so I¡¯m just confirming that it¡¯s actually you and not someone impersonating you to meet up with me.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh at his lame joke, finally realizing that she had indeed been absent-minded. When she had recollected herself, she apologetically replied, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m thinking of something else.¡±


    ¡°Then let me guide you so that you don¡¯t accidentally fall.¡±


    After saying this, he stretched out his hand and wrapped it around hers.


    Unlike Lu Chenzhou, Lin Fan¡¯s hand was warm and dry, and she could feel a thick layer of calluses over his palm.


    Cheng Xi wanted to break free, but he said, ¡°Please don¡¯t move. I won¡¯t cross the line again.¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t cross the line, but he would slowly push it, and then eventually move it.


    This was how many an illicit romance started, but Cheng Xi and Lin Fan were just an ordinary couple. She even knew that she shouldn¡¯t refuse him, especially since she¡¯d liked him for so long and since her heart had even fluttered during their reunion.


    But strangely, she didn¡¯t feel all that strongly about him at this moment. She vaguely remembered what she had once jokingly said to a student, that love was just another illusion.


    Beautiful, but just a fleeting illusion.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 47: What a Coincidence

    Lin Fan didn¡¯t feel the same ruefulness that Cheng Xi was savoring. Although he noticed that Cheng Xi was still distracted, he couldn¡¯t have imagined that she was already reevaluating their relationship in her mind.


    He was still very happy because this was his first time coming to Cheng Xi¡¯s house, the house that belonged solely to her. He felt that this was an intimate gesture in and of itself.


    Cheng Xi refused his offer to help cook, entering the kitchen alone and busying herself. Lin Fan held the glass of water she had poured for him and slowly took in this house that had been filled to the brim with Cheng Xi¡¯s presence.


    Her house was very clean and tidy. Despite her interior decoration being somewhat at odds with itself, with maple-colored furniture and European-style marbling, the house was filled with a faint fruity smell that naturally made him relax. Because Lin Fan liked her so much, he couldn¡¯t seem to find a flaw with any part of her home; everywhere he looked, it felt pleasing and intimate.


    After looking around in a circle, he sat down on the sofa that she liked to lounge on and picked up the books that she looked at, all related to medicine, complicated and arcane. But the sight of her notes penciled in that oh-so-familiar script, slim and graceful, threw him back to those childhood years.


    He was engrossed in his reminiscing as he leafed through her books.


    By the time Cheng Xi finished making breakfast, she had decided how she would break the news to him. But when she saw looking through her books, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Do you like them?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded seriously.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s smile grew even wider. ¡°Not bad. As someone who studied abroad, reading books like these must be a piece of cake for you. If there¡¯s something that I don¡¯t understand, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to help explain it to me.¡±


    Lin Fan playfully bowed in the manner of a scholar. ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡±


    This was a conversation that they had often had while studying. Although it sounded like it would be an awkward conversation, when Lin Fan said it, it was surprisingly intimate¡ªperhaps because his posture was so refined and natural.


    The two of them laughed together. Lin Fan put down the books and walked over happily. Cheng Xi¡¯s breakfast was very simple: a simple bowl of noodles with a poached egg that was topped with a few stalks of green onion and flavored with a dash of red oil. The golden yolk and pale white noodles contrasted with a few splashes of onion-green; while it looked quite ordinary, it tasted remarkably good.


    When Cheng Xi heard Lin Fan¡¯s praise, she laughed. ¡°It¡¯s the seasoning that my mother made for me that¡¯s truly tasty, this red chili oil.¡± As she talked, she picked up a small bottle of chili oil from the table. ¡°It¡¯s a true miracle seasoning that can turn even the most unpalatable meal into something indescribably tasty. Without it, I really wouldn¡¯t have had the courage to invite you to eat my food.¡±


    Her exaggeration made Lin Fan laugh. ¡°Your parents really do make delicious food. When I was overseas, I would long for their noodles and dishes every now and then¡­ But since I¡¯ve been gone for so long, I do feel somewhat afraid of going to see them again now.¡±


    Because Lin Fan had been poor in the past and his mother always busy, he often either ate cup noodles or whatever he could scrounge up. Luckily for him, Cheng Yang¡¯s grades were poor, and, as his younger sister, Cheng Xi found it embarrassing to help tutor him. So, she had gotten Lin Fan to do it for her instead. For this reason, Lin Fan was quite familiar with the Chens, and had frequently had meals with them.


    After Lin Fan went abroad, they hadn¡¯t heard from him again. Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had even asked about him a few times, and still brought him up occasionally, always starting off with the words, ¡°That refined and particularly responsible classmate of yours¡­¡±


    After Cheng Xi swallowed the food in her mouth, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not free this weekend, but next weekend when I¡¯m free, I¡¯ll invite you to have my mother¡¯s food again.¡± She paused, and then added, ¡°Call Shen Wei and Tian Rou and the rest of them over too. My mom will be delighted.¡±


    Lin Fan stared blankly before accepting happily, his eyes curving upwards like small crescent moons. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be free in the afternoon, so I¡¯ll go pick out some gifts for them right after. I still have some things from overseas. Oh, you should help me pick some things out when you¡¯re free, something that they¡¯d like¡­¡±


    He said a whole lot all at once, and Cheng Xi could immediately tell that he was nervous.


    She smiled comfortingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about all that. What¡¯s most important is that you go.¡±


    Lin Fan shook his head. ¡°How can that do? I used to freeload from your place so much. If I still did that now, then I¡¯m afraid they¡¯d chase me out.¡±


    ¡°How was that considered freeloading? You helped too. If Cheng Yang hadn¡¯t had you around, then he probably couldn¡¯t have gotten into even the most ordinary of universities.¡±


    Upon Cheng Yang being mentioned, Lin Fan asked, ¡°How¡¯s he doing now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he dropped out of university and got a job doing construction, which made my mom really angry. But he has a small business now, so I guess he¡¯s doing alright.¡±


    Lin Fan smiled. ¡°I guess he did get what he wanted in the end. Even when he was studying, he always said that he wanted to be a boss in the future.¡±


    As they ate, they talked about some other funny childhood stories related to Cheng Yang. When they had almost finished the noodles, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Lin Fan, do you remember that patient that you met last time at the hospital?¡±


    ¡°The one that bit you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is your hand better now?¡± He immediately looked at her with a gaze full of concern, and then urged once again, ¡°Don¡¯t be so foolish next time. It must have hurt! I think it wouldn¡¯t be so bad if you just behaved like the other doctors, locking them up or strapping them down if they misbehave.¡±


    When Cheng Xi heard this, she looked at him with a complex expression.


    ¡°What is it?¡± He asked.


    Cheng Xi could only sigh and tiredly explained, ¡°My patient¡¯s situation is a bit complicated. Before she became ill, she received some very severe mental trauma. If we restrain her, then it would only make her resist more. So, I don¡¯t want to do that.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t just let her bite you. What if something happens?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Cheng Xi stopped arguing with him at this point. ¡°It¡¯s just that she¡¯s a very pitiful child. She suffers from Cotard¡¯s syndrome¡ªoh, that¡¯s walking corpse syndrome. The patients with this disease often experience very severe hallucinations, and sometimes they even believe that they themselves are dead, and that the only thing still existing in this world is their corpse. As a result of this illness, she accidentally killed her grandmother, the sole relative she was living with. The police sent her over to me. Earlier, she was showing signs of recovery, but she was suddenly provoked that day, which caused her to relapse once again. I¡¯m trying my best to help cure her.¡±


    ¡°But even if I do cure her, she¡¯ll still have a hard time living in the future because she has no family anymore. Her father was imprisoned a few days ago for a crime that he committed, and patients suffering from mental illness usually require the love of their family members even more so than usual patients. Before her father was imprisoned, he told me that she had a mother who left with her older brother not long after she was born. Because she no longer has anyone to take care of her, I could only try to find her mother and brother on her father¡¯s behalf. It¡¯s been ten years or so since their separation, and I don¡¯t know whether they would be willing to take her in and take care of her.¡±


    Cheng Xi talked as she ate, her voice steady and slightly indifferent, as if she were just chatting about a random patient with him. In the beginning, Lin Fan didn¡¯t pay much attention, and he only revealed a hint of surprise when she said ¡®a mother who left with her older brother.¡¯ When she finished telling Chen Jiaman¡¯s story, he raised his bowl and swallowed a couple mouthfuls of soup before asking, ¡°Where¡¯s she from?¡±


    ¡°XX Town.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s hands trembled slightly. He put down the bowl, his fingers still tightly clutching at its rim.


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ still pretty young, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Fourteen, almost fifteen.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lin Fan responded, seemingly thinking hard. He lowered his head and gulped down another mouthful of soup, not saying anything.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything more either. The two of them, in a somewhat somber mood now, finished the remaining food on the table.. When she was getting ready to clear the table, Lin Fan¡¯s phone rang. She went inside the kitchen, and by the time she came out, Lin Fan was clutching his phone and sitting there silently at the dining table, his face pale.


    Hearing her come out, he stood up. ¡°Something came up, and I have to go.¡± His smile was very obviously forced. ¡°Cheng Xi¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for breakfast.¡±


    She smiled, knowing that what he wanted to say right now was not this. However, she didn¡¯t press the matter. ¡°Are you being this polite just so that you can get me to treat you to another two meals?¡±


    When he heard this, he actually didn¡¯t respond, instead turning around and leaving as his state of mind was slightly disturbed. Cheng Xi wanted to send him out, but he refused. ¡°It¡¯s cold outside, so don¡¯t bother. I can find my way.¡± He pressed the button for the elevator and stood with his back facing her for quite a while before turning around at the last second as if he had just thought of something. ¡°Did you end up setting up a meeting between you and the patient¡¯s family member whom you contacted?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She calmly looked at him.


    ¡°You¡­¡± He looked at her, wanted to say something but hesitated. Only after quite a while did he ask, ¡°Is she¡­ easy to get along with?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll only know once I meet her.¡±


    He forced a smile onto his face again. ¡°Actually, I think that you don¡¯t need to do something like this at all. Perhaps, there might be a reason why her mother walked out? Reaching out from the blue¡­ I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll feel wronged.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll try my best regardless.¡±


    He nodded and entered the elevator while Cheng Xi stood outside. As she looked at the elevator doors closing slowly, looked as he slowly disappeared from her sight, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh deeply.


    The world¡­ was truly so small.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 48: Unbearable

    Cheng Xi picked up her phone and called the hospital, instructing them to inform her first if anyone tried to inquire about Chen Jiaman¡¯s condition, even if they were a member of her family.


    She actually didn¡¯t know if Lin Fan would go there straight away, but she knew that he would definitely go at some point.


    Indeed, right when she was about to leave her house, she received a call from the head nurse, informing her that a man had come to visit Chen Jiaman. Because it wasn¡¯t visiting hours, she hadn¡¯t let him in, but she did explain the patient¡¯s condition to him in detail.


    Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Did he mention his name?¡±


    ¡°He said that his surname was Wang. He seemed like a somewhat young and tall lad, quite handsome.¡±


    The hospital also had security footage so that Cheng Xi could take a look for herself. Because of the disaster last time a ¡®family member¡¯ had visited Chen Jiman, the head nurse had been especially careful this time, and was able to send Cheng Xi a picture taken by the security camera.


    The image wasn¡¯t very clear, but it was good enough that Cheng Xi could easily recognize just who had visited Chen Jiaman.


    Even though the man in the image had covered his face the entire time, the body very clearly belonged to Lin Fan.


    A refined and handsome look, but somewhat thin.


    Cheng Xi waited for a long while at the place where Lin Fan¡¯s mother had agreed to meet her. It was almost past lunchtime when Lin Fan¡¯s mother finally appeared.


    She came alone and was dressed plainly today, wearing a long shirt, pants made of white down, and a green facemask. If not for the fact that her eyes were exposed as she entered the room, Cheng Xi would not have been able to recognize her.


    Cheng Xi stood up, and Lin Fan¡¯s mother walked straight up to her. She stood there for a while, looking at her, before taking off her face mask and sighing, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that it would really be you.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother clearly hadn¡¯t managed to identify Cheng Xi¡¯s voice over the phone, so when she said, ¡°It would really be you,¡± it was clear that Lin Fan had informed her about it beforehand.


    Cheng Xi smiled and invited her to sit. ¡°Would you like to eat something?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She looked at Cheng Xi directly. ¡°Did you already know that it was me?¡±


    ¡°No, but I identified your voice in the middle of our phone call.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother was somewhat surprised, and she laughed at herself. ¡°I, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t identify you at all.¡± Her eyes drooped as she played with her facemask. ¡°I only realized it was you after Lin Fan told me that it was you who wanted to see me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t intentionally try to hide my identity it from you, I was also very surprised by this coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Right, surprised. Who knows,¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother mumbled, only breaking out of her stupor after a while. ¡°Alright. What happened to that family?¡±


    Her voice wasn¡¯t as cold as when she had answered the phone, but it was clear that she didn¡¯t like them either. Cheng Xi explained what she knew, but when Lin Fan¡¯s mother heard that Chen Jiaman¡¯s grandmother had died at Chen Jiaman¡¯s hands, Lin Fan¡¯s mother only laughed coldly, as she said, ¡°Truly, a just retribution!¡±


    And when she heard Cheng Xi recount what Chen Fuguo had said in the hospital, she laughed even more coldly. ¡°He¡¯s really gotten better at acting, hasn¡¯t he? Being better to his daughter? If he had really wanted to do that, he would have done it before she became a victim. It¡¯s more that he was desperate and just wanted to drag at least a few others down with him, right?¡±


    Cheng Xi had to admit, as someone who had once shared a bed with Chen Jiaman¡¯s father, Lin Fan¡¯s mother knew him very well.


    Cheng Xi also didn¡¯t know what to say because she could hear that Lin Fan¡¯s mother didn¡¯t need her acknowledgment.


    After getting up to speed on the situation, Lin Fan¡¯s mother finally asked about Chen Jiaman. ¡°Can her illness be treated?¡±


    ¡°That will depend on what happens in the future. Even if a patient suffering from mental illness is able to leave the hospital, there¡¯ll be a long period during which she¡¯ll need her family members¡¯ support and accompaniment. This is necessary for her to slowly reintegrate into society and get back on track again.¡±


    ¡°And if not? Will she just stay crazy, as she is now?¡±


    Cheng Xi remained silent, agreeing tacitly.


    When Lin Fan¡¯s mother saw Cheng Xi¡¯s reaction, she took a cigarette out of her bag and lit it. Only after taking a few deep breaths did she say, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s fine even if she¡¯s crazy. This way, at least she won¡¯t know everything, so she won¡¯t have to be pained by her father and her own actions.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Lin!¡± Cheng Xi frowned.


    ¡°Can you not bear to listen to my words?¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother glanced at her and smiled, beautiful in its own grimness. ¡°I¡¯m just telling the truth. How hard it is to live! You¡¯re only free after you go crazy or die, just like that man. Ha, if he wanted to toss that girl to me and have me raise her, then why didn¡¯t he do it fourteen years ago? At that time, I would have taken her away with me even if I had to suffer a bit---but he waited until she was crazy and silly before throwing her to me. What kind of person does he think I am?!¡±


    She was obviously emotionally agitated, and nothing Cheng Xi could say now would help. Instead, she chose to say nothing and listen passively.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother, as expected, complained a great deal. The general gist of her words matched what Cheng Xi had gleaned from other sources. Chen Jiaman¡¯s father loved to gamble, and he did it so often that he even developed good acting skills from it. Thus, those who didn¡¯t know the truth all thought that he was a good, honest, responsible man.


    In truth, however, his actions were so vile that all his relatives kept him at arms length and all his friends had severed their relationships. Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s leaving him was not without cause; it hadn¡¯t even been a month since Chen Jiman¡¯s birth when debtors came to collect his debts. However, what could he do with the little money she made? So, he had decided to prey upon Lin Fan. ¡°He didn¡¯t try to sell off his entire body, but he somehow found a connection to an organ buyer and wanted to sell off his organs, Cheng Xi.¡± As Lin Fan¡¯s mother explained their history, tears started streaking down her face. ¡°You¡¯ve seen him, that despicable man. Do you believe that he could have done this?¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head. She couldn¡¯t believe it, but she believed that Lin Fan¡¯s mother had spoken the truth. Honestly, once she had found out that Lin Fan¡¯s mother was also Chen Jiaman¡¯s mother, she had also realized that much of what she had heard in the town wasn¡¯t necessarily true.


    At the least, she had some prior knowledge about what kind of person Lin Fan¡¯s mother had been during those few years of her high school. If she were truly as promiscuous as the townsfolk suggested, then she wouldn¡¯t have struggled so hard by taking on multiple jobs at once just so that Lin Fan could receive a proper education.


    Only, Cheng Xi never imagined that the truth would be far more horrifying and extreme than she could have ever anticipated.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother gently wiped her tears, but she continued sobbing intermittently as she spoke to Cheng Xi. ¡°Given how kind-hearted society is these days, even if Chen Jiaman had a mother who ran away and a useless father¡­ As long as she could stand on her own two feet, then why would she be ostracized? Rather than being bullied, she must have been implicated, implicated by those actions of his, causing the other parents to sic their kids on her!¡±


    Cheng Xi suddenly felt a chill creep down on her back upon realizing the implication behind Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s words. She somewhat arduously asked, ¡°That couldn¡¯t be, right? Perhaps he became¡­ better later on?¡±


    ¡°Better?¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother could only laugh at Cheng Xi¡¯s response, her beautiful face turning somewhat sinister. ¡°Then do you know why I had to remarry? Why, even though Lin Fan did so well on the gaokao, I still sent him overseas? Because he found me! He asked me for money, and if I didn¡¯t give him any, then he said that he would harm my precious child. He¡¯s crazy, he¡¯s capable of doing anything! So why is the world so unfair? Why wasn¡¯t he the one sent to a mental hospital? Why is he still alive, even after hurting so many people?!¡±


    But wasn¡¯t Lin Fan his son? Would that man would really ruin his own son just for money?


    Cheng Xi had seen her fair share of ugliness, but even she couldn¡¯t guarantee that there weren¡¯t such parents in the world.


    She didn¡¯t want to discuss Chen Jiaman¡¯s father with Lin Fan¡¯s mother any further. The past was clearly too hard for her to bear, and her old wounds had never healed properly either. But this discussion had shed a light on why Lin Fan¡¯s personality back in high school had been so awkward, introverted, and reticent. It explained why he wished so hard to be invisible despite his good grades.


    She grabbed Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s hand with her own. She was trembling; what had happened in the past had left an indelible trauma on her body.


    ¡°He¡¯s been punished now, so let bygones be bygones. And, Mrs. Lin, you¡¯re really an amazing parent for having raised Lin Fan so well.¡± Cheng Xi consoled her gently. ¡°Even for Chen Jiaman, leaving such a family behind would only be a fortunate thing for her. She¡¯s a very well-behaved child, talented at both school and drawing. When she recovers, with your love, not only will she be able to lead a regular person¡¯s life, but she will also be able to love and show filial respect to you.¡±


    ¡°Respect? Love? I don¡¯t hope for those things anymore.¡± Though Lin Fan¡¯s mother said this, she did calm down slowly. She snuffed out her cigarette and rubbed her face out of exhaustion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I gave birth to her, and I¡¯ll take care of her. Chen Fuguo knew this, which is why he foisted her onto me. I¡¯m not like him, but I won¡¯t be able to spend that much effort on her. Cheng Xi, as my son¡¯s childhood classmate, I don¡¯t fear your laughter. The family I remarried into is too rich, so much so that they think everyone¡¯s just out for their fortune. They don¡¯t even want Lin Fan to join the family, let alone someone like Jiaman.¡± After saying this, she opened her bag and gave a card to Cheng Xi. There¡¯s a bit of money in here. Lin Fan knows the pin number. Take it. If she doesn¡¯t recover, then let her stay in the hospital; if she does¡­¡­ then please give her this money and help her rent a house and enjoy life on her own in the future.¡±


    After saying all this, she prepared to leave. Cheng Xi was shocked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­¡­ aren¡¯t you going to see her? Visiting hours for the day are just about to end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother turned away from Cheng Xi as she coldly said, ¡°Ever since she was born, I haven¡¯t raised her for a single moment. She probably doesn¡¯t want to see me in the future either.¡±


    Before Cheng Xi could say anything else, Lin Fan¡¯s mother had opened the door and quickly left.


    Cheng Xi rushed out and saw Lin Fan standing there in the middle of the outside corridor, staring at her with a vacant gaze.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother walked past his side, pulled at his hand, and dragged him away.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t try to chase after them. Afterwards, she received a call from Lin Fan. He didn¡¯t speak for a long time. Through the static of the radio waves, she could only hear his repressed and labored breathing.


    It was just like that year, when he had called her from a faraway country, when it was snowing heavily at the end of December. And just like then, Cheng Xi sat by the window, looking out into the white world. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond. The only sound that came from the phone was a light breathing noise. She asked for his identity a few more times without response, and was just about to hang up when she suddenly thought of him.


    ¡°Lin Fan.¡±


    And finally, he answered, lightly whispering back, ¡°Yes.¡±


    She fell silent, not knowing what to say next. The two of them remained in that silent vigil until he finally hung up.


    This time, it was he who called her first. ¡°Cheng Xi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was shocked numb by that piece of news.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s voice was gentle. ¡°It¡¯s understandable. I was very shocked too.¡±


    Lin Fan laughed bitterly. Sometimes, he felt that fate was really always against him; every time, whenever he arduously mustered up enough courage to start a new life, something like this would always happen.


    Ten years ago, he had done his best to enter the same university as her. But then his mother had remarried and he had been sent abroad.


    Ten years later, he had mustered up his courage to confess to her, but just when he thought that they had a chance of working out, his past had been dredged up and somehow made even worse than before.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 49: Adultery!

    Cheng Xi could only say that one sentence before Lin Fan hung up. Afterwards, no matter how much she called, she couldn¡¯t get through to him.


    He had turned his phone off.


    Evidently, he was still that sensitive youth of the past, embarrassed of his own background and reflexively isolating himself from everyone else.


    But the fact that he had taken the initiative to call her made it clear that he had matured quite a bit compared to that time. At the very least, he had the courage to face her now.


    As Cheng Xi mulled over the situation, she sent him a text. ¡°I¡¯m at my home. If you need someone to talk to, I¡¯ll be here waiting for you.¡±


    After that, she did obediently go home and wait there. Even when Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had finished work and was packing up, she was still there, waiting. Cheng Xi¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t help but call her. ¡°How long has it been since you¡¯ve come back? Are you lost? Should I send out a palanquin for you?¡±


    Sweat dripped down from Cheng Xi¡¯s forehead. She quickly responded in an ingratiating tone. ¡°I¡¯m a bit busy right now. I¡¯ll be sure to come home next week.¡±


    ¡°Busy? Busy with what?¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s mother didn¡¯t listen to her words at all, and instead started thinking about that dolt who had randomly showed up at her daughter¡¯s house. The thoughts incensed her, and her voice immediately deepened. ¡°It can¡¯t be that you still haven¡¯t broken up with that man, can it?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°No, something really did come up.¡±


    ¡°Why is it that I can¡¯t seem to bring myself to believe you?¡±


    Cheng Xi spread her hands in the air as she responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    Her mother refused to believe her, and demanded a video call. Cheng Xi could only accept, turn on the camera on her phone, and swivel it around to reveal the entire house. But her mother was still somewhat dissatisfied. ¡°What if you hid him somewhere?¡±


    Cheng Xi had no response to this, and simply pointed the phone at herself while she sat on the sofa and read.


    After looking at her for a while, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s anger dissipated as she continued to watch her merely sit there quietly. Her next words were spoken caringly. ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯ve gotten even thinner? Have you been eating properly? I put so much food in the fridge for you. Did you remember to eat?¡±


    ¡°......Yes.¡±


    But in her head, she mentally slapped herself in. My goodness, she had totally forgotten that there was food in the fridge. She had actually served Lin Fan a bowl of simple noodles that morning! Every time her mother came, she would stuff her daughter¡¯s fridge full. It was mostly prepared meals that only required simple cooking processes, like rice balls, dumplings, and beef jerky. Cheng Xi especially loved the beef jerky made of meat that her mother had specially procured from the countryside; it was tasty and hunger-relieving¡­¡­ but she had forgotten to eat any of it!


    When Cheng Xi¡¯s mother saw her behavior, she began to doubt her daughter¡¯s words. ¡°You finished it all?¡±


    Cheng Xi was very worried that her mother would want her to open the freezer to verify it, but luckily, she didn¡¯t because she quickly thought of something even more concerning. ¡°All you¡¯re doing is staying at home, reading? You call this busy?¡±


    Cheng Xi had to choose her next few words carefully. ¡°There¡¯s an examination next month that¡¯ll heavily impact my career and future. I¡¯ve been really busy recently and haven¡¯t had much time to study up on it. Also, I have to meet a patient¡¯s family later, and at night, there¡¯s a meeting at the hospital.¡±


    To sum it up in one short sentence, she was extremely busy.


    After hearing her excuses, her mother turned to her father. ¡°In the past, I thought that being a doctor was a good profession¡ªat the very least, you didn¡¯t have to worry about losing your job. While it¡¯s true that we don¡¯t have to worry about that happening to Cheng Xi now, with her life being like this, I¡¯m worried she won¡¯t even have time to get married and have children. And what if she ends up living at home alone, even in old age?¡±


    Of course, what she had said at the very end was aimed directly at Cheng Xi. But she merely continued to flip through her books dispassionately, ignoring what her mother had said.


    Her mother could only tug at Cheng XI¡¯s father and say, ¡°Your daughter isn¡¯t listening to me. You talk to her.¡±


    Her father felt somewhat embarrassed because even though Cheng XI was all grown up now, he hadn¡¯t ever given her much advice, or even much scolding. Furthermore, given how sensible she was, he wasn¡¯t too worried about her. Despite all that, he still had to carry out his wife¡¯s order. In the end, he ambled to the screen, and softly urged Cheng Xi. ¡°Darling, please listen to your mother¡¯s words.¡±


    Cheng Xi crisply replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    And with that, her father felt like he had finished his task, so he turned around and said to his wife, ¡°Look, I talked to her and she listened.¡±


    Her mother stared at him, open-mouthed, and couldn¡¯t decide as she vacillated between haranguing her daughter and criticizing her husband¡¯s shortcomings.


    With her mother¡¯s harsh scolding as background noise, Cheng Xi continued to calmly read her books. Because her parents didn¡¯t drag her into their conversation, she quickly forgot about them. She became quite engrossed in her books, enjoying even the densest and most monotonous of medical tomes; luckily, this book wasn¡¯t uninteresting at all. It had been a gift from one of her classmates that had been specially bought overseas, an original English copy. The case studies within were very enriching, and one of them even mentioned Cotard¡¯s syndrome. In this book, the patient was a middle-aged woman. After going through a divorce, being fired from her job, and losing her child all in a row, she had developed that illness. Her doctor had attempted to use some antidepressants to treat her. Initially, the treatment had seemed to be working well, and the patient was able to leave the hospital. But not long after she went home, she committed suicide.


    The conclusion of the case study was that the patient did not receive sufficient care and love from her family members and had consequently lost her motivation to live. The takeaway message was that patients suffering from mental illnesses require more care and depend on their family members more than patients with conventional illnesses.


    After reading this passage, Cheng Xi¡¯s heart fell. She held her book, dazed, for quite a while, and was so entranced that she even forgot that she was still in a video call with her mother.


    When the doorbell rang, she finally put down the book and realized that it had gotten quite late; the living room was draped in the setting dusk sun with only a sliver of light.


    She rubbed her eyes, casually flicked the light on, and opened the door.


    It was Lin Fan, but his whole body was steeped in the sour smell of alcohol, and he was haphazardly leaning back against her door frame. When he heard the door open, he turned around somewhat slowly.


    ¡°Cheng Xi,¡± he called out, his voice low and unfocused.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, only smiling at her briefly before his body stumbed and he landed in her lap.


    ¡°Ah-¡± Cheng Xi was flustered by his actions, and had to put in some serious effort to support and slowly drag him into the living room, eventually letting him fall asleep on her sofa.


    When she noticed his red face and high body temperature, Cheng Xi got up to pour a cup of water for him. However, he unexpectedly reached out with his hand and abruptly caused her to slip on top of his body.


    ¡°You-¡± But before she could finish speaking, she heard her mother¡¯s voice from behind her. ¡°You! Cheng! Xi!¡±


    She turned around fearing the worst, realizing too late that the phone she had placed on the coffee table earlier was still recording. The screen showed her mother¡¯s dumbstruck face.


    But soon after, her face disappeared from the screen, and Cheng Xi¡¯s father¡¯s big hand appeared again, this time ending the video call.


    On their side was undoubtedly another big argument, but Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t worry about it right now. She turned around, and saw that Lin Fan was watching her. He had a very nice pair of eyes; they were large and slightly bent at the sides, and they always held a somewhat hazy look when he looked at people, along with an unfathomable drop of melancholy.


    That melancholy was particularly eye-catching, like the stained-glass lamp her grandmother made for her when she was small. In deep winter nights, it always made her want to remove the lampshade to see the colored light more clearly.


    This time, his attractive eyes were accompanied by a half-smile dancing about his lips. The rims of his eyes were red, but his pupils were bright and alluring, more than enough to make one¡¯s heart drunk.


    She asked him, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    He only looked at her.


    ¡°Lin Fan?¡± She carefully said, ¡°Let me go. You¡¯re drunk. I¡¯ll get you a glass of water.¡±


    These words finally shook him awake. ¡°No!¡± As he said this, he pulled harder with his hand, tightly grasping her arm. ¡°Cheng Xi¡­¡­¡± He mumbled her name as he incoherently said, ¡°Did you know? I¡¯m so happy that he¡¯s finally in, finally in!¡±


    Cheng Xi stared at him blankly for a moment before asking, ¡°He? As in, your father?¡±


    ¡°Father? Ha, father!¡± Lin Fan laughed as if he had heard a funny joke, and looked at her with smiling eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t have a father. He¡¯s not my father!¡± He grabbed her even harder; Cheng Xi had originally been using her hands to keep herself steady on the sofa, but this time, she was completely pulled forward by his strength, and helplessly fell onto his chest.


    He slowly raised himself toward her head, and then lightly whispered into her ear, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a secret. I¡¯m not his son!¡±


    Cheng Xi gave him a look of surprise. His face still carried a smile, almost as if he had said something amazing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± he asked.


    Cheng Xi shook her head. ¡°No.¡±


    Actually, she just didn¡¯t want to keep listening to him in this kind of situation, but this wasn¡¯t a decision she could make. Lin Fan was still smiling, but that smile made her feel even worse than if he was crying. ¡°I¡¯m a bastard. My mom was already carrying me when she married him. At that time, he said that he wouldn¡¯t mind and would take care of both her and me. However, when I was born, he and his mother almost drowned me. My mom said that they tried twice, but I didn¡¯t die either time. In the end, they only let me live because they couldn¡¯t keep trying.¡± When Lin Fan saw the shock on Cheng Xi¡¯s face, he looked even happier. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me, do you? Actually, I don¡¯t either. That man, with his refined and polite look, doesn¡¯t look at all like someone who would do something like that. But in truth, he¡¯s a parasite, a leech, a gambler, and a fraud. My mom didn¡¯t dare have another child for a long period of time, so he beat her and he beat me. When she finally gave birth to a daughter, he ignored her. And when my mom was unable to get out of bed, he¡­ So, to sum it up, Cheng Xi, I¡¯m actually very happy that he¡¯s finally gotten what he deserves. His mother is dead, his daughter is crazy, and he himself is in prison. In the end, with nothing to his name, he even has to rely on us to take care of his daughter. Hahaha, karma actually exists, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    After he poured his heart out, Lin Fan started laughing loudly, so much so that he started choking and curled up into a ball in response, so much so that he even started tearing up.


    But he was still holding onto to her desperately, his hand gripping her exactly where Chen Jiaman had bitten her, where her wound was wide and deep, and where the swelling had just died down. This hold was so painful that Cheng Xi involuntarily sucked in a deep breath and could only lay there, paralyzed, by his side.


    The two of them had been positioned in quite the suggestive position earlier, and now it was even more so after he had clambered forward. As she fell down, her head had landed on his abdomen. She didn¡¯t feel like it was a big deal, but the person who just burst in was so surprised that he almost jumped up in shock. ¡°F*ck! Am I blind? Are you really hiding a man behind Lu Chenzhou¡¯s back, Dr. Cheng? Are you crazy?!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 50: Are You Trying to Seduce Me?

    A familiar voice and an equally familiar style of speech.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s friend, Baldy, loved to appear in extremely unconventional means.


    When Cheng Xi suddenly saw him appear in her house unannounced, she was naturally very surprised. As she struggled to climb up, she turned around to look at him before dealing with her current situation. ¡°How did you get in?¡±


    After Baldy had finished jumping and yelling in shock, he immediately took out his phone to take some pictures as evidence. Kacha kacha, photo after photo was saved. When he was satisfied, he angrily shouted, ¡°Your front door was open wide; I just walked in, of course!¡± He narrowed his eyes and looked at the two of them. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to be like this, Dr. Cheng. You¡¯ve got some guts! You¡¯re quite arrogant, aren¡¯t you? Engaging in intimate acts without even closing your door!¡±


    The words that he used were really disgusting. Cheng Xi frowned, and ignored him to focus on Lin Fan. He seemed a bit more clear-headed now, as he was no longer messing around now that he realized that someone else had entered; he just lay there on the sofa, silent.


    Feeling his grip loosening, Cheng Xi quickly moved away from him.


    Baldy said, ¡°It¡¯s useless even if you get away from him. I¡¯ve already collected all the evidence I need.¡±


    Cheng Xi continued ignoring him, and walked over to her kitchen to get Lin Fan a glass of water. ¡°Do you want any?¡±


    He curled up and shook his head, then covered his face with his hands, as if he were an ostrich. Cheng Xi sighed lightly, putting the glass of water to the side. ¡°Then rest a bit first.¡± Then she took out a blanket from the side cupboard and covered him up. ¡°Rest well, and you¡¯ll be fine once you wake up.¡±


    After saying this, she gently caressed his hand. His finger moved slightly and returned the motion.


    When her fingers touched his face, he couldn¡¯t help but tighten his fingers into a grip, and Cheng Xi silently endured him rubbing his face against her fingers.


    Her fingers suddenly encountered a warm dampness.


    Cheng Xi was a bit surprised, but he didn¡¯t try to struggle this time. Instead, she patted Lin Fan¡¯s back with her free hand. These intimate actions between the two people, carried out as if nobody else present, annoyed Baldy very much. ¡°Hey, do you two have any sense of decency? I¡¯m right here! Originally, I thought that it might have just been a misunderstanding, and I wanted to give you a chance to explain yourself. However, now, it looks like you don¡¯t have to explain anything.¡± He picked up his phone and called Lu Chenzhou, his voice unusually serious. ¡°Come quickly. Yes. You have to come over right away¡­.. Yes, something came up. It¡¯s big.¡±


    On the sofa, Lin Fan¡¯s body suddenly stilled. Cheng Xi rubbed her forehead out of annoyance, let go of Lin Fan, and then dragged Baldy to one side. ¡°Can you be quiet for a minute? And stop looking at me like that, First of all, I already broke up with Mr. Lu. Secondly, I certainly haven¡¯t been doing anything as intimate as you think. And finally, I¡¯d like to ask why you¡¯re here to see me.¡±


    She said a whole bunch all at once, but Baldy only focused on one sentence. ¡°What? You broke up with Zhou? Heh, then were those ghosts that I saw last night? Were the people who mocked me for being a third wheel ghosts, too?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him exasperatedly, not knowing where to begin her explanation. In the end, she could only push it onto someone else. ¡°At any rate, Mr. Lu understands what our relationship is now. If you want to know why, then go ask him.¡±


    After hearing her words, Baldy actually believed her, and he scratched his head as he muttered, ¡°How quickly the world changes! You two already broke up? You were even getting intimate all last night.¡± After glancing briefly at Lin Fan, who was lying on the sofa, he became bold and confident again. ¡°Then it has to have been your fault. At the very least, I thought that you and that guy were quite intimate last night.¡± He turned and pointed at Lin Fan as he said, ¡°He¡¯s the man who was with you last night, wasn¡¯t he? With a man like Zhou, you can¡¯t just judge him by his cold outer exterior. I¡¯m telling you, he has a raging fire inside, and he¡¯s a clean freak through and through. There¡¯s no chance he¡¯d want you if you were messing around with another man late in the night!¡±


    ¡­¡­He was certainly very skilled at endlessly pestering someone. Cheng Xi looked at him and couldn¡¯t decide whether to smile or to cry, but her impression of Baldy had actually improved slightly.


    At least, given Lu Chenzhou¡¯s terrible personality, it couldn¡¯t have been easy for Baldy to defend him like this.


    So despite his guesses being far from the truth, and despite his flinty gaze that left Cheng Xi speechless, she didn¡¯t get mad. Instead, she calmly asked, ¡°Did you find me for a reason?¡±


    ¡°Originally, yes. But now, no,¡± Baldy said with a supercilious look. ¡°No wonder he wouldn¡¯t come even after I shouted at him for half a day. But actually¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue as he looked Cheng Xi over again. ¡°You¡¯re quite something, able to act normally even after dumping him a day ago.¡±


    ¡°But your eyesight must be terrible, since it looks like you picked up a sesame seed by dropping a watermelon in the process.¡± He laughed coldly. ¡°I¡¯ll see how you fare in the future!¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him, her interest somewhat piqued.


    Baldy fiercely replied, ¡°What are you looking at? Are you trying to seduce me, too?¡± He was actually very mad, really, very mad. He had been friends with Lu Chenzhou for many years, and naturally understood how difficult it was for someone like him to like someone. Originally he had even been quite happy for him, but this¡­ this had been the result.


    Thinking of this made Baldy feel as if someone had lit a fire in his soul. Besides his stuffy personality, what aspect of Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t ideal? And she had even dared to dump him! Was she blind?


    As Cheng Xi looked at his changing expression, she became very worried that he would go on a rampage to vent his frustrations, given how much like a gangster he talked and acted. However, he only paced back and forth in a few circles before he stopped and pointed his finger at her before saying, ¡°You, you better not appear in front of us ever again!¡±


    And then he flicked his sleeves dramatically and prepared to leave. But, just when he turned to face the door, he stopped once again.


    At some point, Lu Chenzhou had arrived, and he was now standing at the door with a cool expression on his face. In the soft lamplight, he cut a fine figure with his straight body emanating elegance from every inch of it.


    When he saw the two people look at him, he finally knocked on the door, and even amiably asked Baldy, ¡°Why did you get so angry? You¡¯re being somewhat unreasonable.¡±


    Cheng Xi was still fine, because the only impression she had of him was that he was a bit too cold. However, Baldy looked like he had seen a ghost, and his mouth was opened so wide that he could have swallowed an egg whole.


    It took quite a while, but after Lu Chenzhou took off his shoes and entered the house, Baldy finally recovered. He walked in front of Lu Chenzhou and closely examined him over and over again. ¡°Is this really the Lu Chenzhou that I know?¡±


    Usually, when faced with a joke like this, Lu Chenzhou would have ignored him. But today, he was surprisingly tolerant, and answered with a grunt.


    It made Baldy feel like he should leave and go clear his mind. For him to be this calm, this easy-going, even after being dumped¡­¡­ Perhaps he should consider letting this guy get dumped several more times.


    But all of this was nothing compared to his attitude towards Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Did something come up? Why are you guys here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Cheng Xi froze for a moment and then turned around to look at the time. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s already 5:30. I guess we can eat now. If I have to make food, it¡¯d take too long, but I do have some beef jerky, meatballs, and dumplings that my mom made¡­ What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡±


    And so Cheng Xi rolled up her sleeves and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll get you a bit of everything.¡± After saying this, she headed to the kitchen.


    Lu Chenzhou was very pleased. He followed behind her and sat down at the dining table, waiting for the meal, almost as if he hadn¡¯t seen the man lying on the sofa in the living room.


    Baldy merely watched him, open-mouthed.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 51: A Warm Scen

    Baldy also followed behind Lu Chenzhou as they sat down, asking, ¡°So, what¡¯s the situation between the two of you?¡±


    Was he too old to know the newest trends anymore? He always felt that the world was moving too quickly! Even after they had allegedly separated, the two of them still acted so naturally towards each other; one had said that he was hungry, and the other, just like a dutiful wife, had immediately run off to cook something. But on the other hand, if they weren¡¯t separated, then it was way too unusual for Lu Chenzhou to not react even after seeing a strange man sleeping at his partner¡¯s house!


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s patience with Baldy was clearly limited to before he entered the doorway, because he didn¡¯t deign to respond to him now. Instead, Lu Chenzhou lowered his head and started to play ¡®Extreme Racing¡¯¡ªan app that he¡¯d become obsessed with recently, a particularly childish and boring kids¡¯ game about little flying cars. What¡¯s more, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s skills were particularly horrid. Ten times out of ten, he¡¯d crash his car against a cliff. Despite his having played it for over half a month, Lu Chenzhou still hadn¡¯t gotten past a single checkpoint.


    This time was no different. Baldy had just sat down and was about to say something when he saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s car smash down with a big ¡°Bang!¡± sign filling the screen¡ªhe had crashed into a roadblock. The crash destroyed the car entirely and instantly killed the driver, only leaving a bunch of glass shards and blood spurting out from within the car.


    Baldy¡¯s eyes twitched, and he pretended that he hadn¡¯t seen anything. He earnestly urged Lu Chenzhou, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t play this game, alright? Even if it doesn¡¯t lower your intelligence, it¡¯s very damaging to your image¡­ Anyway, tell me what you plan on doing about that man. Do you want to chop him up or smash him to pieces with a hammer? I¡¯d be very happy to lend you a hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s the guy we met that day near the river, isn¡¯t it? F*ck, then he must have gotten together with her before the two of you broke up! Are you really going to let him off just like that?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that you should eat anything that she cooks. With her skills as a doctor, who knows if she¡¯ll add something else inside?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    He spoke until his mouth became parched and his tongue dry, but Lu Chenzhou impassively continued to play his game. Baldy couldn¡¯t help but grumble, ¡°Say something, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even raise his head as he replied, ¡°Oh.¡±


    What a particularly gloomy man. Baldy was unable to incite a response from him, so he decided to switch to a different tactic. ¡°Do you know what I saw when I first came in? They were¡­¡± He extended his hand to within Lu Chenzhou¡¯s range of vision, and made a particularly vulgar hand gesture as he noisily sucked in air with his mouth. ¡°It was nearly too unbearable to look at! I even took a picture. Do you want to see?¡±


    He assumed that Lu Chenzhou would ignore him just like before, but right as he finished speaking, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s car once again crashed viciously into an obstacle. The charred metal of the wreckage rolled off into the horizon, somersaulting through the air until it finally landed heavily on the ground.


    Lu Chenzhou mashed furiously at a button, turning the car to scrap instantly.


    Only after this did Baldy realize that all of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s actions in the game were violent. His back covered in a layer of cold sweat, Baldy quickly became submissive, saying, ¡°...don¡¯t accelerate when you¡¯re turning a curve; don¡¯t rush it; do it slowly. Actually, there must be something wrong in the settings of this broken game. Wouldn¡¯t it be better if the roads were straight? How stupid must the creator be to make so many curved paths, cliffs, and obstacles¡­¡±


    When Lu Chenzhou looked over at him, he immediately flashed a gentle smile at him. ¡°Let me ask you something, why are you eating here?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou lowered his head again and coolly replied, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± His reason was just this simple.


    ¡°......Oh.¡±


    He was somewhat dazed, because he could smell a wonderful scent, and then he realized very lamentably that he too was hungry.


    Very, very hungry!


    Last night, Lu Chenzhou had abruptly left him in the restaurant halfway through, and then he had to leave because he had something to do. He had even slept late last night and was busy the whole day today, accidentally skipping lunch on top of that. In the afternoon, Xu Po and the rest had booked a place and insisted that he and Lu Chenzhou make up for their missed gathering. To meet up with everyone, he had gone to find Lu Chenzhou right after work, so he hadn¡¯t eaten anything decent for the whole day.


    As he kept thinking about food, he got hungrier; as he kept sniffing at the air, he got even hungrier. By this point, his stomach was almost inflamed with desire.


    Baldy pounded the table. ¡°I¡¯m hungry too!¡±


    The two of them cried out pitifully for food, and Cheng Xi didn¡¯t disappoint them, preparing a sumptuous dinner: a big plate of dumplings, a dish full of beef jerky, a bowl of meatballs, and a pan of fried eggs.


    Baldy was salivating just from looking at it, but he still disdainfully said, ¡°There aren¡¯t any vegetables here.¡±


    Cheng Xi turned around and unceremoniously took out two big leeks from the kitchen. ¡°This is green. Do you want it?¡±


    Baldy had no response to Cheng Xi¡¯s quip.


    A hint of a smile flashed across Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyes. He put down his phone, picked up the chopsticks and bowl that Cheng Xi had set out for him, and began to eat slowly.


    Baldy tried his best not to stare at those leeks. He was very suspicious that Lu Chenzhou had said something to Cheng Xi¡ªhow else could she have known that that very thing she had taken out was what he¡¯d most hated and despised?


    ¡°Take it, take it away.¡± He really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.


    ¡°You won¡¯t eat it?¡± Cheng Xi put on an innocent look, and then continued selling it enthusiastically. ¡°It helps prevent cancer.¡±


    Baldy turned his face around, vowing not to give in.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh upon seeing his antics. After she¡¯d teased him sufficiently, she finally put the leeks away, took out another dish of steamed dumplings with one hand and a bowl of soup with the other, a very simple dish made with ham and tofu, random leftovers from the fridge.


    The smell was quite mixed, but as soon as Cheng Xi put in a bit of the red chili oil that her mother had made, it instantly smelled appetizing.


    When Baldy confirmed that she hadn¡¯t put any leeks inside, he finally approved of the meal. ¡°It¡¯s good now.¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed. Seeing that the two of them were having a good time, she went to the living room to check up on Lin Fan. He was sleeping soundly, his breathing calm and his posture relaxed.


    She didn¡¯t wake him up. Instead, she returned to the dining room, poured herself a bowl of soup, and started eating together with them.


    Baldy ate until he was perspiring all over his body¡ªa thin sheen of sweat adorned his shiny head. Cheng Xi found his appearance surprisingly funny. She asked casually, ¡°Is it tasty?¡±


    Perfectly satisfied with the meal, Baldy forgot all about his annoyance towards her and praised her generously. ¡°It¡¯s great! Especially this beef jerky, ah, it¡¯s super tasty! The meatballs aren¡¯t too bad either. It¡¯s only the dumplings that don¡¯t have a great consistency¡ªyou probably left it in the fridge for too long.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled mysteriously. ¡°No, I just added a little something to them.¡±


    While the two were talking earlier, Baldy hadn¡¯t spoken softly, so she¡¯d overheard the sentence where Baldy was talking about how he was afraid that she would add something to their food.


    Baldy didn¡¯t feel a single hint of embarrassment at getting caught saying something behind her back. Instead, his only response was to laugh slyly, pick up a dumpling, and stuff it into his mouth. Then he turned around to look at Lu Chenzhou and blamed him shamelessly, ¡°Who said that? Was it you, Zhou? How could you doubt Dr. Cheng like that? She helps the dying and heals the injured. She¡¯s a veritable angel in white, a miraculous healer! How could she do something as despicable as messing with our food? Even suspecting her is profane, alright?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou finished the last drop of soup in his bowl and wiped his mouth, completely ignoring Baldy.


    Cheng Xi, on the other hand, was quite impressed. ¡°You¡¯re very difficult to deal with.¡±


    Baldy clasped his hands together modestly. ¡°I¡¯m just a normal person.¡±


    Cheng Xi was amused enough by his expression to start laughing. She dropped the topic, turned to Lu Chenzhou, and asked, ¡°Did you really come find me for no reason?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was already starting to stack up his dirty plates; he couldn¡¯t bear even a bit of messiness on the table. When he heard her question, he coolly replied, ¡°He wanted to call you over and play mahjong with us.¡± His slender fingers pointed at Baldy.


    Cheng Xi made an ¡°Oh¡± sound, and then said, ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t go. I have a meeting at the hospital at 7:30.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou grunted, not saying anything else.


    Baldy speared a steamed dumpling with his chopsticks, and then looked askance at Lu Chenzhou. ¡°No? Just like that?¡± Tonight, Xu Po and the others had raised the stakes; if they managed to bring Cheng Xi over, then just based on her luck alone, they¡¯d probably win a full casket¡¯s worth of money, right?


    But Lu Chenzhou was going to leave her here just because of some meeting?


    Lu Chenzhou thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s have some tea.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Baldy couldn¡¯t even think of a response.


    Lu Chenzhou had already moved on. ¡°Do you have any?¡±


    His tone didn¡¯t seem to have changed, but Cheng Xi could hear a bit of impatience in its undertones. He was really saying, ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to do anything? I even had to speak up and ask.¡± She found it somewhat funny, so she really did get up to brew tea for the two of them. Fortunately, she had a couple satchels of high-quality tea leaves that some friends and patients had gifted her, as well as a very nice tea set. It was another patient¡¯s gift, the glaze the color of the sky after a heavy rain. Because she rarely drank tea, she had always treated it as a piece of art to be displayed on her cabinet.


    She hadn¡¯t planned on using it for this occasion, but Baldy spotted it instantly, knocking his chopsticks together and pointing at that tea set as he said, ¡°Use that tea set, it¡¯s good!¡±


    He had surprisingly good eyes, but Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind. She put the set in her hands down and went for the one Baldy pointed out.


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at it, but when his eyes landed on it, his body immediately stilled. Touching the exquisite tea set, Cheng Xi¡¯s slender and white fingers looked staggeringly beautiful, like a ray of light shining through the grey fog and haze against the blue backdrop of a saturated sky after a spring rain.


    Lu Chenzhou immediately recalled the visceral feel of that hand; it was warm, exquisite, and just like a piece of top-quality jade, it even left a calming scent afterwards.


    Without any warning, he¡­¡­ got an erection.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 52: No Such Thing as an Inseparable Relationship

    Lu Chenzhou got up almost immediately, and then walked out of the room without turning back.


    Baldy and Cheng Xi were both somewhat startled. The two looked at each other, and then the former quickly ran out after him.


    Cheng Xi was slower than both of them, and by the time she put the tea set down and rushed out, they had already gotten into the elevator. As the doors closed, the only thing she glimpsed was Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression, calm as water, his eyes like two cold stars.


    He was exuding an unusually cold atmosphere. Ever since Baldy had met him, he¡¯d only been like this once before, when someone had thrown a woman onto his bed.


    It was so ominous that it felt as if misfortune was about to strike. Baldy felt a sudden exhilaration. He believed, with unusual self-confidence, that the unfortunate person wasn¡¯t himself.


    But when Lu Chenzhou¡¯s feelings became particularly intense, anyone nearby could be implicated. Baldy didn¡¯t want to be that person, so he hugged his chest with both hands and made a pitiful trembling motion. ¡°So cold, so cold!¡± He curled up into a corner of the elevator, looked at Lu Chenzhou, and with a cautious tone, asked, ¡°What made you so angry all of a sudden? It wasn¡¯t me, was it?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at him indifferently.


    Baldy patted his chest in relief. ¡°Thank goodness it¡¯s not me.¡± He guessed again. ¡°Then was it Dr. Cheng who made you mad? Gosh, I¡¯m not happy either. My stomach started hurting right after I ate her food. Ouch, it really hurts¡ª¡±


    He wasn¡¯t exaggerating when he said this, because his stomach really was hurting¡ªthe food was simply so tasty that he had overeaten!


    Baldy moaned as he clutched at the elevator wall. But this time, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even spare him a glance. Once the elevator stopped and opened its doors, he took the lead and walked out without a look behind him.


    Baldy followed him out in a rush, and successfully climbed into the driver¡¯s seat before Lu Chenzhou¡ªwhen he was unhappy, you definitely couldn¡¯t let him drive. This was a lesson that Baldy had learned after an uncountable number of bloody tears.


    Luckily, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t fight for it, and casually sat down in the backseat. After he entered the car, his head drooped down, and he looked at the two hands on his knees.


    Baldy asked, ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°The Mei manor.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Ah, the Mei manor?¡± The manor was where they had agreed to meet Xu Po. Lu Chenzhou had been disinterested in the whole affair, and it was only Baldy had pleaded with him relentlessly that he had finally exited his house.


    This time, when Baldy heard Lu Chenzhou directly ask to go of his own accord, Baldy was really very surprised.


    But Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t seem to want to give him an explanation. He kept staring at his hands, his expression a profound mystery.


    Baldy was afraid that Lu Chenzhou might suddenly have an outburst during the drive, so he didn¡¯t dare to provoke him any further, and drove around honestly. In his heart he was thinking, What on Earth happened to this guy? He got mad at the drop of a needle. He was clearly fine before, even when he saw that man lying on Cheng Xi¡¯s couch, and he was even acting coyly with Dr. Cheng right before that.


    That¡¯s right, the tone that Lu Chenzhou had used to tell Cheng Xi he was hungry, was totally just him acting coyly.


    And even after they had finished eating, the man on the sofa was still just lying there motionless. Since Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t paid any special attention to him even when he was hungry, he surely wouldn¡¯t after he was full and satiated.


    And, as for Baldy himself, he had just been sitting there, waiting for tea, so it couldn¡¯t have been him either.


    Out of the three of them, after eliminating two parties from the list of possible offenders, it could therefore only have been Dr. Cheng. What was she doing then? Taking out the tea set. After she touched the tea set, Lu Chenzhou had suddenly left without saying a word.


    Could it be that the tea set had been given to her by that guy?


    Baldy immediately thought that he had stumbled upon the truth, and his pity for Boss Lu deepened infinitely. His reactions seemed to be a bit strange; he didn¡¯t care at all upon seeing a stranger sleep there, but when he saw a gift that he had given Cheng Xi, his reaction had been so extreme!


    Baldy was still wallowing in his self-delusions when he suddenly heard someone ask from behind, ¡°Baldy, was your love with Xiao Qianyu one-sided?¡±


    Baldy was so surprised by the question that the car swerved in a huge S-shape. Luckily for them, there weren¡¯t any cars on the road just then, or he¡¯d have caused a big accident.


    Baldy quickly pulled over by the roadside, turned around, and fiercely yelled, ¡°F*ck, who would love that wench one-sidedly! Can you not speak of trash like that?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stared back at him calmly, asking, ¡°What does it feel like to have that kind of relationship with someone?¡±


    Baldy stared at him, his face looking like it was about to burst like a balloon, but then his anger deflated in a quick puff. He took out a cigarette, gave one to Lu Chenzhou as well, lit both of them, took a few deep puffs, leaned against the car seat, and finally said with a somewhat sore tone, ¡°It¡¯s a terrible feeling, and you want to just forget about it. However, you won¡¯t ever be able to let it go, because aside from her, you¡¯ll never find another woman who can enter your gaze.¡±


    After hearing his words, Lu Chenzhou fell silent again, as if he were thinking hard about something.


    Baldy glanced at him superciliously, and then maliciously said, ¡°What, have you finally felt the taste of unrequited love after being dumped?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not at that point yet.¡± Lu Chenzhou thought about it for a moment, and then replied, particularly truthful, ¡°But I do very much want to have sex with her.¡±


    Baldy choked on his own cigarette, to the point that tears were streaming down his face. He pointed at him in disbelief. ¡°You¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at him curiously.


    Baldy finally stopped coughing and wiped the tears from his eyes. ¡°You walked away so suddenly. Could it be that¡­¡± He clambered onto the back of the seat, paying special attention to a part of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s body, and then was speechless for a period of time. ¡°F*ck, do you have to be so exaggerated?¡±


    Baldy could understand his physical reaction when someone was wearing something sexy or making overly flirtatious moves, but Cheng Xi had been dressed very conservatively. Her clothes were both plain and thick, and her actions were plain and modest. What on Earth was Lu Chenzhou reacting to?


    ¡°You¡¯re not built like other people, are you?¡± Baldy couldn¡¯t help but roast him a little.


    Lu Chenzhou ignored his jab, looking through the car window with dull eyes.


    He was indeed different from others. If he wanted something and didn¡¯t get it, he would easily become irritable. As a result, he had never repressed himself, and this was the first time that he had done so.


    It was a very unfamiliar sensation, so unfamiliar that he almost didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Sensing his unusual loss for what to do, Baldy chuckled, motioned with his jaw towards Lu Chenzhou¡¯s bulge, and then asked, ¡°Do you need me to find someone for you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou turned his head around and looked him in the eye, giving Baldy a warning glance to stop saying any more nonsense. But after they had gotten back on the road for a while, Baldy couldn¡¯t help but ask out of curiosity, ¡°So, Zhou¡­¡­ did you really break up with Dr. Cheng?¡±


    The headlights of a car gleamed from afar, flickering in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze. The light was so white it was blinding, making him think of Cheng Xi¡¯s fingers again. They were so white and slender, like a flame burning in the depths of his heart.


    He calmly corrected Baldy. ¡°Not a breakup, but the end of our relationship.¡±


    ¡°How is that any different?¡± Baldy didn¡¯t understand Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words at all. ¡°Given that you¡¯re acting like this, how can you be willing to let her be together with that man?¡± That¡¯s right¡ªhe was certain that Cheng Xi and Lin Fan had gotten together. Even though he did eat her food, it was only because Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t mind; if Lu Chenzhou had minded, then he would have immediately vomited all of it back out even after eating it all.


    That¡¯s right¡ªBaldy was this shameless of a man!


    Upon hearing this, Lu Chenzhou smiled coolly. There was no such thing as an inseparable relationship.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 53: I Love You

    As Baldy and Lu Chenzhou were discussing Cheng Xi, Cheng Xi was also thinking about them.


    The expression that Lu Chenzhou had made when he left made her feel a certain sense of unease, so she had tried calling him, but it went unanswered. So she had sent a text message, but that too was unread. Despite being a good psychiatrist, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know why Lu Chenzhou had suddenly up and left like that.


    As she pondered the situation more, but still failed to understand why, Cheng Xi eventually gave up, turning around to clear the table. By the time she was done, it was almost time for her meeting at the hospital. Lin Fan was still not awake, so she left him a note and left her apartment.


    By the time the meeting was over, it was nearly ten, and a few unread text messages had built up in her phone. Most of them were from her parents, who probably hadn¡¯t yet gotten over what they had seen earlier. Her mother had warned her that she had to make a clean break with that dolt from before, that their family wouldn¡¯t allow such a man as their son-in-law. Meanwhile, her father gently tried to persuade her, saying that she¡¯d always been obedient and that he hoped she would think this matter through carefully without making her parents worry.


    Essentially, their meaning was: be dignified, have some self-respect, and, most importantly, choose your boyfriend carefully!


    Every time Cheng Xi heard her mom say that Lu Chenzhou was a dolt, she wanted to laugh. She believed that, if he had a choice, Lu Chenzhou definitely wouldn¡¯t have met her parents without dressing properly; however, it was also true that he¡¯d rather dress improperly than be dirty.


    And now that they¡¯d already seen his entire body, then...... they wouldn¡¯t bother her about it in the future, right?


    But even if she explained all this to her mother, she wouldn¡¯t have listened. So, Cheng Xi decided not to say anything at all, only replying sincerely, ¡°Alright, I know.¡±


    But her parents seemed to be worried that they hadn¡¯t pressured her enough, so they even called Cheng Yang, and she had a whole bunch of missed calls on her phone from him. Cheng Xi called him back and he immediately asked, ¡°Just how did you provoke Mom last night? Why did she insist that I call you and persuade you right away? While growing up, wasn¡¯t I the only one treated like this? When did you steal that away from me?¡±


    He teased her ruthlessly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding. Nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you and that, that Lu Chenzhou¡­ are you two broken up now?¡±


    He actually knew Lu Chenzhou¡¯s name, which surprised Cheng Xi immensely. ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ he said it himself last time.¡± Cheng Yang then said fiercely, ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic. I still have to teach you the importance of choosing a proper boyfriend.¡± But then he chuckled, and said in a relaxed tone, ¡°But if you really did marry him, it wouldn¡¯t be that bad either. You¡¯d be a rich young lady from a wealthy family, and then I¡¯d get to use your connections.


    Their conversation had devolved into meaningless drivel, and, with Cheng Xi just having received another call, she hung up.


    When the call was over, Cheng Xi saw another message on her phone. Surprisingly, it was from Lu Chenzhou. She thought that he was going to explain to her why he had left hurriedly, but when she opened it, it turned out to merely be, ¡°I want to hear you tell me a story.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a difficult request, but what surprised her was his tone, very calm and without the sudden coldness that had accompanied his departure in the afternoon.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t dispirited or sad either; this request felt like he purely wanted to listen to a story from her.


    So Cheng Xi told him a story on the spot via voice message. It was a little story about a lamb and its friends. After the lamb encountered some danger, its usual friends ran away, and only a little dog had come to help it. Afterwards, those friends who had fled blamed the lamb for not telling them that she had been in danger, and only then did the small dog silently leave.


    Once upon a time, this story had been an exam question for Cheng Xi, and even now, she had a strong impression of it. She also felt that it was an appropriate story for Lu Chenzhou¡ªits motto was that friends didn¡¯t need to stay together all the time; it was sufficient for them to stand up when you were in times of need.


    Just like her. She didn¡¯t need to be his partner, but she was willing to be someone who would sincerely help him.


    After she sent the story over, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t reply, and she didn¡¯t ask him to. Having visited Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward again out of habit, she returned home.


    By then, Lin Fan had woken up. He didn¡¯t leave, only tidying himself up and sitting back down on the sofa. When Cheng Xi entered, his expression was dark and gloomy, his gaze deep.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t seem to have noticed his unusual behavior, normally walking over and putting her bag down. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake! Do you feel alright? I left you some porridge in the kitchen. Did you eat it?¡±


    Her tone was warm and calm. It reflected the perfect amount of concern, and would make anyone relax and feel very comfortable.


    Lin Fan eased up and replied, ¡°Yes, I ate it. It was very tasty.¡± His complexion wasn¡¯t too good, his voice was hoarse and rough, and his gaze probed her carefully. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I seem to have troubled you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Cheng Xi smiled, poured him a glass of warm water, and then sat down opposite him. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought that being able to vent your feelings when you¡¯re bothered is a very healthy means of coping¡­ Have a glass of water, your voice is really hoarse.¡±


    Lin Fan thanked her again, took the glass, and drained it all in one gulp before drooping his head back down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have come here earlier, but at that time, I didn¡¯t have the courage to face you, so I turned to alcohol to give me more courage. But, unfortunately, I drank too much.¡±


    After having tempered himself alone overseas for so many years, his attitude was much more frank than before. On the other hand, Cheng Xi felt that this Lin Fan had lost some of the cuteness he had had in his youth.


    She explained her thoughts frankly. Lin Fan was somewhat at a loss for words, and his first reaction was to laugh bitterly. ¡°If hiding would have prevented all that from happening, then I wish I had hid.¡± He rubbed his face. ¡°My mom. She¡­ didn¡¯t say anything overbearing, did she?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± He lowered his head, his thumb anxiously pressing down on his palm. One could see that he still hadn¡¯t calmed down inside, but he still said, ¡°Thanks for telling me this beforehand. I was too shocked back then and didn¡¯t dare believe it. But if there¡¯s anything that you need me to do, I¡¯ll do my best to help.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t be modest then.¡± Cheng Xi smiled slightly. She actually could understand Lin Fan¡¯s indecision, anger, and loathing. If Lin Fan¡¯s mother and the drunken Lin Fan¡¯s words were both true, then the traumatic experience that they had suffered at Chen Fuguo¡¯s hands was more than sufficient to traumatize them for their entire lives. Just like his mother, perhaps what was most triggering to him was not Chen Jiaman or this incident itself, but rather that nightmarish period in the past.


    Those who hadn¡¯t experienced something similar for themselves could never understand how painful it had been.


    She tried to change the topic to something more relaxing. ¡°Would you like me to tell you about her?¡± After receiving his assent, she proceeded. ¡°She draws very well. Do you want to see?¡±


    Lin Fan actually didn¡¯t have much interest in it, but after seeing her hopeful expression, he nodded.


    Cheng Xi opened her phone and showed him the many drawings of Chen Jiaman that she had taken pictures of. Lin Fan originally just glanced at them, but as he looked, he couldn¡¯t help but become entranced and take the phone.


    ¡°...She drew all this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She doesn¡¯t talk to anyone, but she really likes to draw. I heard that she never took any lessons, but look at this piece, and that one. Doesn¡¯t she have tremendous talent?¡±


    Lin Fan nodded. Even though he had studied the sciences, he still appreciated art and had even been a model at an art gallery when he was overseas, so he understood a bit of art.


    Even though Chen Jiaman¡¯s drawings were dark and gloomy, and her skills were quite inexperienced, her lines all flowed naturally to one another, and the feeling at the tip of her instruments seemed to explode from those lines, leading to a particularly eye-catching result.


    This was no longer just mere talent; she could almost be considered a genius.


    Cheng Xi finished looking at all of Chen Jiaman¡¯s artwork with him. These pieces of art, which seemed like the horrifying truth in Chen Fuguo¡¯s eyes, had instead led to a heartfelt resonance in Lin Fan.


    It was because he had experienced these dark and terrifying experiences himself as well.


    After he finished looking at all the drawings in Cheng Xi¡¯s phone, Lin Fan¡¯s feelings had returned to normal. This time, he said very seriously, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll take good care of her. As for my mother¡­ I¡¯ll persuade her somehow. No matter what, she¡¯s still my sister.¡±


    This time, he spoke much more firmly.


    Cheng Xi gazed at him. ¡°I know that this must be somewhat surprising for you, and I¡¯m very happy that you¡¯re responding in this manner. I¡¯ll try my best to help her improve, at least to the point where she can live on her own, so that she won¡¯t be a burden to anyone. In the early stages, however, you guys might have to invest more effort on her, because mental illnesses are unlike regular bodily ones. For this sort of illness, besides medication, what¡¯s most important is familiar company and familial love. Curing such illnesses is a long and arduous process; I might be able to get her well enough to be released from the hospital, but I can¡¯t promise that she won¡¯t relapse in the future. At this time, she needs friends, and particularly family.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just that I was unable to accept it at the beginning. Don¡¯t worry, I know what to do. She¡¯s only fourteen, and her life is full of untapped potential. I will also do my best to help her.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled upon hearing Lin Fan¡¯s declaration, her gaze as bright and clear as the pear blossoms blooming in April; her expression was pure white and radiant.


    She stood very close to him, no longer like the person of his dreams who stood far away. Even though she knew of his private matters, no disdainfulness or hint of teasing showed on her face, and no pity either. She simply looked at him, with just her honest feelings, with a warm and gentle smile. Here sole presence made others feel content for no other reason at all.


    He wanted to stay by her side, for the rest of time.


    He remembered vaguely hearing in his alcohol-fuelled haze that she had said that she had broken up with Lu Chenzhou¡­ Now sober, he was afraid that he had possibly misheard, so he wanted to verify it, and spoke up. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± She replied with a lilt in her wonderfully pleasant voice as she looked at him seriously.


    But before he could ask, her phone suddenly rang. She turned around to look for her phone, saying, ¡°It could be from the hospital.¡±


    In reality, it wasn¡¯t from the hospital, but instead a call to find him. Lin Fan could tell because he heard her answer, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s with me¡­ Alright, I¡¯ll tell him to return immediately.¡±


    It seemed that the person on the phone with her said something else, because she began looking a little exasperated.


    After hanging up, she told him, ¡°It was from Shen Wei. She said that your phone was off and that your mother was very worried about you.¡± As she said this, she stood up. ¡°Come on, you need to go back home. I¡¯ll walk down with you.¡±


    She walked him down outside the residential area. Once they reached the lobby, Lin Fan began regretting it. Given how cold it was outside, he shouldn¡¯t have let her come out with him. But he didn¡¯t want to part with her, and he¡¯d take advantage of anything just to stay with her a moment longer.


    As the wind blew wildly, her cute little nose reddened immediately and her face turned as white as snow.


    Lin Fan felt his heart blaze with an uncontrollable heat of passion.


    ¡°It should be that car.¡± She stood by the side of the road, looking into the distance.


    His gaze, on the other hand, was focused solely on her. When the headlights got closer, he suddenly spread out both hands and hugged her tightly.


    She was somewhat surprised and turned her head to look at him.


    He ignored her reluctance, moved his face closer to her, and lightly kissed her cheek as he softly whispered, ¡°I love you, Cheng Xi¡± into her ear.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 54: Wash Cleanly

    This was the first time that Lin Fan had ever done something as bold as this, so he was understandably nervous. In his nervousness, he quickly let go of her and ran into his car after the single kiss.


    He was so fast that Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even react before the car had already left, far away.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± She was speechless.


    She hadn¡¯t seen Lin Fan that embarrassed for many years.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the situation before putting both of her hands in her pockets and preparing to walk back inside. As she was turning around, she found herself looking at a car parked by the side of the building. It was black and hidden in the dark, just like a monstrous shadow.


    When she looked at it a bit more closely, the headlights of the car suddenly turned on, and the strong, bright light shining directly into her face almost blinded her.


    Even without seeing who was driving the car, she could feel the driver¡¯s malicious intent. She quickly covered up her eyes, frowned, and prepared to leave.


    At this time, there weren¡¯t many cars and pedestrians on the road, and Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want an accident to occur either.


    But just as she started to step away, a piercing honking sound shattered the quiet night air right next to her ear¡ªpaa, paa, paa, paa, paa, paa¡ªa conspicuous disturbance in the dark and silent night.


    When she turned and looked back more closely, she saw the car¡¯s interior light up and then blink. Cheng Xi found that a familiar face was actually sitting in the driver¡¯s seat.


    Lu Chenzhou.


    Why was he here this late?


    After mulling over it for a moment, Cheng Xi slowly walked up to him. The car window slowly rolled down. Lu Chenzhou was alone in the car, sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, with both hands clasped on the steering wheel. As his fingers tapped on it rhythmically, his gaze noncommittally looked at her.


    ¡°Eh, why are you here? Did something come up?¡±


    ¡°Get on.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    He tilted his head, his gaze still on her face. He said nothing and merely pressed the middle of the steering wheel again, causing the deafening noise to blare out again.


    It sounded as impatient as his mood.


    Cheng Xi quickly got into the car.


    She wasn¡¯t worried that Lu Chenzhou would do something to her. Even though his personality was cold, she felt inexplicably like she could trust him with her safety.


    Lu Chenzhou ended up bringing her to Donglai, immediately throwing her inside a beauty parlor. The female proprietor had already closed up shop for the day, but he called someone to get her over, pointed at Cheng Xi, and then said, ¡°Clean her face.¡±


    Both Cheng Xi and the salon owner, who had rushed over hurriedly, were somewhat speechless, looking at each other out of shared confusion. Cheng Xi was the first to say, ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡±


    The salon owner coughed and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not a problem.¡±


    Then she took out some appliances and creams and indeed began washing her face as Lu Chenzhou waited in the lobby. Cheng Xi lay on the bed, feeling the owner¡¯s soft fingers comfortably pinching and kneading her face. Not long later, the salon owner took out a large set of tools. ¡°Are the two of you having a big event tomorrow, to clean your face this late?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face was dripping as she pondered Lu Chenzhou¡¯s intentions. When she heard the salon owner¡¯s question, she casually asked back, ¡°What big event?¡±


    The lady owner smiled. ¡°Getting married, of course.¡± She put a facial mask on Cheng Xi, and her voice now sounded somewhat indistinct. ¡°When I went out just now, Mr. Lu even told me specifically to do the deepest cleansing possible¡­ I said that our deepest cleaning is generally for new brides right before they put their bridal makeup on, and he said to do that one¡­the two of you are getting married, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She immediately remembered Lin Fan kissing her.


    Lu Chenzhou¡­.. couldn¡¯t possibly be doing this because of that, could he?


    She very much wanted to rub her forehead, a sense of terror overwhelming her. But she controlled herself, smiled vaguely, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t joke around. How could that be possible?¡±


    The lady owner likely also thought that the probability of them getting married was very low, and when she saw that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to keep talking about it any further, she immediately dropped the topic and concentrated on washing Cheng Xi¡¯s face.


    The facial wash was very intricate but unexpectedly comfortable. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t feel particularly tired before the wash, but afterwards, she couldn¡¯t help but yawn complacently.


    The lady owner supported her face as she said, ¡°This is going to take some time. Why don¡¯t you sleep first? I¡¯ll wake you up when we¡¯re done.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to sleep, but she still ended up dozing off during the comfortable massage.


    When Cheng Xi woke up, she was still in the beauty salon, on the bed where she had had her face washed last night. The salon owner was sleeping next to her, and her clothes were to the side. What had woken Cheng Xi up was her phone, vibrating right next to her ear.


    She sat up straight and took her phone out from her pocket. After looking at the soundly sleeping owner, Cheng Xi put on her shoes and walked out quietly. There was no one outside, not even Lu Chenzhou. She answered the call. ¡°Hello, Shen Wei?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°What happened to you last night? I sent you so many text messages but you never responded.¡±


    ¡°Really? Let me see.¡± Cheng Xi inspected her phone for a moment and indeed found a large number of messages from Shen Wei. After casually glancing at them, she found that they were essentially variations of two questions: ¡®Did you dump Lu Chenzhou?¡¯ and ¡®Are you together with Lin Fan now?¡¯


    Clearly, Shen Wei was desperate for an answer.


    Cheng Xi sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that you liked gossip this much in the past.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m bored because I had to wake up early to catch a flight.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going this early?¡±


    ¡°The capital¡­ Don¡¯t try to change the topic. Answer me honestly¡ªare you together with Lin Fan now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you! You¡¯re saying that even though you were with him that late at night yesterday?¡±


    ¡°If I said that I had a reason, would you even believe me?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t believe others, but if it¡¯s you, then probably, yeah. But really, I have to remind you. If you don¡¯t plan on entering into a romantic relationship with Lin Fan, then you shouldn¡¯t act so intimately with him.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Cheng Xi was somewhat surprised by Shen Wei¡¯s comment. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because he clearly likes you. Didn¡¯t I mention that I was going to introduce my friend to him last time? However, his reaction was to tell me that he first developed feelings for you in high school, and that he¡¯d continue to wait for you. Ah, his feelings for you are really deep. If not for the fact that you already have Lu Chenzhou, even I would say that the two of you are really compatible.¡±


    ¡°......Just when did I get Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Isn¡¯t it true? Everyone¡¯s saying that the two of you have met each other¡¯s parents and are even living together now. Are they wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ev- everyone?¡± Cheng Xi was dumbstruck, so much so that she started to stutter.


    ¡°Yes. My Fu Mingyi saw it back in Donglai too. Heehee, don¡¯t try to hide it from me. You know how fussy Lu Chenzhou is; everyone who has met him knows it. My Fu Mingyi told me that he has a room at the Donglai hotel that even Baldy and his other longtime friends can¡¯t enter. However, that day, he saw Lu Chenzhou bring you inside. Oh, Cheng Xi, you¡¯re really lucky to receive the love of two male idols. Oh, my youthful heart¡­¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have married this early; otherwise, I could have lived a life like yours!¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. She¡¯d only been to Donglai two or three times, and only inside Lu Chenzhou¡¯s room twice. But Fu Mingyi had somehow seen her during one of these times; just how lucky was she?


    And as she thought about this, she suddenly became mystified. She used to believe that Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t feel that way towards her. To her, his actions of resisting her but getting close to her were a sign of the inherent contradiction in his heart: he wanted to be treated, but didn¡¯t want to acknowledge that he was ill.


    Forcing her to sign a contract and become his girlfriend was, in Cheng Xi¡¯s eyes, just a pretense for his mental dilemma. The reason why she had been so honest with him was because she was trying to break down his mental wall, and it wasn¡¯t in any way to give Lu Chenzhou the impression that she was truly his girlfriend.


    Was she too late? It was the first time that she had felt uncertain about her judgment. She hesitated for a moment and then asked Shen Wei, ¡°If a man saw someone else kiss your face and then brought you to have your face washed, then¡­ What does that mean?¡±


    It took Shen Wei only a little while to understand. ¡°Hahaha, is ¡®that man¡¯ Lu Chenzhou? He saw Lin Fan kiss you and then he took you to get your face washed? Hahahahaha, how cute!¡±


    A hand suddenly leaned over and took her phone away. Cheng Xi turned around, greatly shocked, only to see that Lu Chenzhou was standing right behind her.


    Looking down, he hung up on Shen Wei and, as he returned the phone to her, said, ¡°You could always just ask me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 55: More Lovely Than a Summer Day

    After saying his words, Lu Chenzhou looked at her expectantly, his expression as if he was waiting for her to ask a question.


    Cheng Xi also felt that it would be better to clarify things; asking a clear question and receiving a clear question couldn¡¯t possibly lead to a misunderstanding. But as she prepared to ask her question, he shifted his gaze to the rest of her body. ¡°You should clean yourself first.¡± He then frowned, looked behind her, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you females usually clean yourselves up first thing in the morning?¡±


    Cheng Xi turned around and saw the beauty salon¡¯s owner rub her eyes as she woke up. Upon hearing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s pointed remark, the bleary sleepiness instantly disappeared from her face, and the two of them both looked at the only male in the room, only to see that that man was wearing a simple white shirt and black pants. His shirt was perfectly uncreased, neat and tidy. Lu Chenzhou was originally quite handsome, and his attire only served to accentuate his features further¡ªthe white-clad youth was so handsome that he seemed like a juicy fruit, emanating a tempting aura.


    Cheng Xi and the salon owner then looked at each other, and noticed their own state of disarray in the other¡¯s eyes. After sleeping for the entire night, their clothes were now wrinkled, their hair messy, and, compared to this Mr. Lu, they looked just like dried prunes¡ªtheir clothes so shriveled that they made one feel sad just from looking at them.


    Neither of the two spoke; after silently looking at each other one last time, they quickly went inside the washroom specially prepared for customers.


    The washroom was large and spacious. As they stared at their current somewhat disastrous state through the mirror, the two started laughing.


    This laugh closed the previous distance between the two. The salon owner was somewhat distressed, and said, ¡°Director Lu is quite particular, isn¡¯t he.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The lady boss sighed regretfully. ¡°I still remember the first time I met him, in his office. I told him that I wanted to open a beauty salon in Donglai, and he looked at me out of the corner of his eye with a particularly disdainful look. Then he said, ¡°Isn¡¯t the role of a beauty salon to make people beautiful? You clearly haven¡¯t been able to apply that to yourself, but you¡¯re going to try to do it to others?¡± My goodness. Even after all this time, I still don¡¯t dare to walk in front of him after that comment from him.¡±


    Her humorous storytelling made Cheng Xi laugh. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m in the same boat as you. The first time I met him, he asked me, ¡®Do you only have one dimple? Unbelievably ugly.¡¯¡±


    The two finished roasting him and then laughed together again. The salon owner then said, ¡°So even you receive such treatment? I thought that he would treat at least you differently.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s smile shrunk slightly. ¡°How different can it be? We¡¯re all the same.¡±


    ¡°No, definitely not. At least in all my time in Donglai, I¡¯ve never seen any other woman appear by Director Lu¡¯s side, and that¡¯s not even mentioning him bringing someone for me to wash her face. Though...¡± As the salon owner started her next sentence, she peeked outside cautiously, lowered her voice, and then continued in a whisper. ¡°Did you do something to make him angry? After you fell asleep last night, he stood to one side and observed you for such a long time that, honestly, judging from his expression, I thought that he was going to pinch you awake. But then¡­¡± She originally wanted to say ¡°throw you out,¡± but after considering that Cheng Xi might be upset with her words, she pivoted and instead said, ¡°¡­and then he told me to let you sleep and to not disturb you. As he said this, he was even gnashing his teeth, clearly upset that you had left him to sleep alone. It was the first time I¡¯ve ever seen that expression on his face¡ªactually, he was both awkward and cute at the same time! Haha, remember to pamper him a little when you see him. He doesn¡¯t have a good temper, but I feel like he really does treat you well.¡±


    Cheng Xi had heard two people call Lu Chenzhou cute in the morning, and suddenly felt slightly dissociated, almost as if she were living in some strange fantasy. From the salon owner¡¯s word choice of ¡°gnashing his teeth¡± and ¡°concerned,¡± it seemed that she must have been projecting her own impressions onto Lu Chenzhou. Given that man¡¯s cold and nearly stone face, how could she have seen him gnash his teeth or be concerned?


    And she had also clearly misunderstood the relationship between them, making Cheng Xi somewhat embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯m not in that relationship with Mr. Lu. We¡¯re just regular friends.¡±


    ¡°I get it, I get it.¡± The lady boss smiled as she replied half-heartedly.


    In the end, Cheng Xi was unable to clearly explain the relationship between her and Lu Chenzhou. In truth, she herself had realized that since she wasn¡¯t able to explicitly state their doctor-patient relationship, some of their actions were truly inexplicable.


    For example, the ¡°interest¡± she showed towards Lu Chenzhou, the attention she paid him, her unbelievable forbearance, and so on and so forth.


    As Cheng Xi reflected on her and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s relationship, she felt more and more certain that she should explain things to Lu Chenzhou again. However, when the two of them returned to his room, and when Cheng Xi asked him why he had brought her here to have her face washed, he looked at her, and replied in a shocked tone. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel dirty? His saliva was all over your face!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cheng Xi was once again rendered speechless by his logic.


    She looked at him with a somewhat weak expression, feeling that it was necessary to explain these basic things to him. ¡°Hugging and kissing are both actions used to express intimacy-¡±


    But before she could finish, he cut her off coldly. ¡°But I find it dirty, very dirty.¡± Having said that, he looked at her provocatively.


    Cheng Xi caressed her forehead. ¡°But you¡¯ve kissed me too¡­¡±


    ¡°I washed myself afterwards, about seventeen or eighteen times each time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi glared at him, and then after taking a while to gather her thoughts, squeezed out, ¡°Then you must have felt quite wronged.¡±


    And Lu Chenzhou even responded affirmatively, seriously nodding as he said, ¡°Yup!¡±


    Cheng Xi clutched her chest. She had truly been overthinking it when she was worried that he would misunderstand, hadn¡¯t she? She decided to ignore this topic, and instead ask, ¡°You¡­ came back last night to find me, didn¡¯t you? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    He didn¡¯t speak, and instead gave her a recording device.


    ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°Tell me a story.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him strangely. Since this man wasn¡¯t interested in her body, could it be possible that he was infatuated with her voice?


    She really should have stopped overthinking it because, as if he had read her thoughts, Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows and said, ¡°Your stories are boring enough that they¡¯re the best lullaby.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Curses immediately sprung up in Cheng Xi¡¯s mind. While she still had a smile on externally, her internal emotions were raging tumultuously. Did he have to attack her so savagely? She¡¯d always thought that her own stories were rather good!


    That weekend, Cheng Xi took a break. The first day, she spent waiting for Lin Fan and his mother, and the second, she dedicated to Lu Chenzhou.


    In his hotel, she recorded a full day¡¯s worth of stories for him. Cheng Xi put all of the stories she knew into the recording device, but when Lu Chenzhou saw that it still wasn¡¯t full, he wanted her to add more.


    In the end, Cheng Xi had to take out a collection of Shakespearean plays from his bookshelf. It was even in the original Elizabethan English, so most of the words were antiquated and unfamiliar to her. But since it was just to help Lu Chenzhou sleep, it didn¡¯t really matter.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t do anything else that whole day. He just sat by her side and listened to her record the stories. Occasionally, he would get on his phone to handle some business, but he spent most of the time asleep. By the time he woke up, Cheng Xi had already gotten to Shakespeare¡¯s Sonnet XVIII.


    ¡°Shall I compare thee to a summer¡¯s day? Thee art more lovely and more temperate:¡±


    He suddenly woke up and said, ¡°¡®Thou.¡¯¡±


    She was surprised, and raised her head to look at him. After her facial wash from last night, her skin was more radiant than ever. A slight flush of red peeked out from her porcelain-white skin, only serving to further emphasize her beauty. Her clear eyes were reminiscent of the sky after a heavy rain, pure enough to drown one¡¯s heart in longing.


    As his heart began to itch again, Lu Chenzhou closed his eyes.


    ¡°What did you say just now?¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to answer, but his brain unconsciously repeated the words she had been reciting. Shall I compare thee to a summer¡¯s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate:


    She had mispronounced a word, reading ¡°thou¡± as ¡°thee.¡± He was very picky by nature, not being able to tolerate even the slightest mistake or error. But while she had been reciting Shakespeare, despite her countless mistakes, he didn¡¯t find them unbearable at all.


    Perhaps it was because her voice was too moving, so moving that he could neglect her mistakes.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he heard himself say. ¡°You just disturbed my sleep, that¡¯s all.¡±


    She didn¡¯t continue speaking. Even though he didn¡¯t open his eyes, he could still imagine her speechless expression. When he felt Cheng Xi¡¯s footsteps quietly creep away, his lips curled up into a cold smile.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 56: Helping Him

    As the door closed, Lu Chenzhou opened his eyes and stared at the recording device she had left on the table for a long while before calling Baldy. ¡°You said that the Wang siblings wanted to chase their stepmother out of their house, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Their father¡¯s quite old now, and his mind¡¯s a little muddled. They¡¯re trying to prevent him from giving all his assets to their stepmother in his will¡­ Honestly, their stepmother isn¡¯t innocent either. She pretended to be ill to summon her biological son back from overseas. Apparently, he graduated from a famous school, worked at a renowned company, and is much smarter than the Wang siblings; there¡¯ll be exciting drama ahead, I¡¯m sure.¡± Baldy¡¯s voice was filled with schadenfreude as he gossiped about the other family¡¯s affairs. Only when he finished did he realize that this wasn¡¯t something that Boss Lu usually deigned to partake in. He even thought that it might have been because he was planning to profit from the fight. ¡°What, you¡¯re interested in their companies?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Lu Chenzhou lowered his gaze, looking at his hands. They were currently clutching his jade teacup, which was allegedly made from a warm piece of jade. However, stone was just stone, and it emanated a coldness that annoyed him. He used an even colder tone to tell Baldy, ¡°You have lots of women, so go find a girlfriend for the Wangs¡¯ stepmother¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®I have lots of women?!¡¯¡± Baldy started jumping around again, and, when he realized what he had said, he started shouting again. ¡°When did you become a matchmaker for other people? Did the Wang siblings ask you for help? To use a woman to ruin their half-brother?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou ignored him and simply said, ¡°Find a woman who has a strong background and valuable skills, someone who can¡¯t be rejected.¡±


    Baldy kept yelling his grievances. ¡°You¡¯re trying to help his stepmother? Will the Wang siblings cry themselves to death if they knew your stance? Even though the youngest one¡¯s a bit unreliable, and did throw a woman at you¡­¡±


    He continued speaking long-windedly nonsense, but Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t want to listen to him and irresponsibly threw four words at him. ¡°That¡¯ll be all.¡±


    And then he hung up.


    Baldy was furious.


    On the other hand, Lu Chenzhou held his phone and laughed coolly. Did Baldy say that he wanted to help the Wangs¡¯ stepmother? No, he was solely helping himself. He was helping Lin Fan recognize his own reality by finding him a suitable woman.


    As for him being Cheng Xi¡¯s idol? Hah!


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what sort of thoughts were going through Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mind. Even though she was a psychiatrist, if patients weren¡¯t willing to share any information, it wasn¡¯t as if she could forcefully read their thoughts.


    Right now, she only felt that her stomach was somewhat uncomfortable ¡ªshe had drunk too much water and eaten too much fruit earlier.


    She hadn¡¯t been ill-treated while doing tasks for Lu Chenzhou; the tea was exquisite, the fruits were plentiful, but the result was unsatisfying. Even after how hard she¡¯d worked, he had still complained that she was bothering him and preventing him from sleeping.


    She tried hard to get close to him, but it seemed like her efforts had all been made in vain. Could it be that all her compliance and forbearance was futile?


    As Cheng Xi sat in the car, she reflected on her actions. Though she was being honest with him, it might be time to adjust her strategy.


    But he was too indifferent towards everything, even Chen Jiaman¡¯s case. After what had happened last time, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s interest in her seemed to have dipped.


    Cheng Xi tried to think of something that she could have done differently. Of course, at this time, she was completely unaware that she didn¡¯t even need to do anything more¡ªshe had already stirred up plenty of interest from him.


    The first thing Cheng Xi did when she got home was take a nice, long bath, and then immediately afterwards, she went to bed and had a comfortable sleep. The next day, she went to work as usual. But because her throat was slightly sore, she decided to cook some porridge for lunch. As she was staring at it, waiting for it to finish cooking, she suddenly thought, If Lu Chenzhou could be lulled to sleep with my stories, then couldn¡¯t I do the same with Chen Jiaman?


    If she recorded some stories and played them by Chen Jiaman¡¯s ears, then even if Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t listen to them, would she become more familiar with her voice? Familiarity could reduce the distance between them, and similarly, reduce the wariness in her heart.


    Inspired, she put her thoughts to action. Lowering the fire, Cheng Xi started rummaging through the house for a recording device. She remembered that she used to have one that she had used while studying; was it still functional even after so long?


    When Lin Fan called her, Cheng Xi had just found her old recording device. As she continued digging around for a charger, she picked up. ¡°Hello.¡±


    Lin Fan noticed the change in her voice, and was silent for a few seconds. ¡°You¡­ is something up?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m just looking for something.¡± She finally found it. All of her chargers had been tidied up by her mother when she had moved places. They were all tied up with a thick piece of string, and then everything had been knotted together tightly. It was very difficult for Cheng Xi to untie everything, so she had to exert some strength, causing her voice to become slightly strained. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Lin Fan relaxed. ¡°I¡¯m just about to get food with some friends, near where you live. Do you want to join us?¡±


    She could hear him anxiously trying to maintain a calm tone, which reminded her of the sneaky kiss that he had given her before running away. She laughed at the memory and said, ¡°Alright, I haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡±


    Lin Fan was very happy, and he sent the address over immediately after hanging up. It really wasn¡¯t far from her house, just a few minutes by taxi.


    Cheng Xi set the porridge on the stove to simmer, changed her clothes, and went to where Lin Fan had directed her. When she got out of the car, she saw Lin Fan standing on the second floor of the restaurant, waving at her from afar. She arrived at the entrance at about the same time as he did.


    He asked, ¡°Are you cold?¡± Cheng Xi was wrapped up tightly with a red woolen scarf that covered up half her face and made her look even smaller and more exquisite than usual.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡±


    The two of them went into the building, and Lin Fan introduced her to his friends, all colleagues from his new company. Only now did Cheng Xi realize that he had found a job and had started working.


    ¡°Not far from the hospital,¡± he explained to her secretly, the slight smile of his mouth particularly attractive.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but smile back.


    All of Lin Fan¡¯s colleagues seemed relatively carefree and young. When they heard that she was a psychiatrist, a girl by her side even looked at her carefully before asking in a small voice, ¡°Can I add you on WeChat?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Later, she found out that that girl was the niece of the Lin Fan¡¯s company¡¯s CEO, and she had an especially pretty name, Meng Qingyang.


    As Cheng Xi was enjoying lunch, Baldy was sitting in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s office with his legs crossed jovially while acting very proud with himself. ¡°I¡¯ve found someone for you, with an absolutely perfect background and skills; she¡¯s someone whom a regular person definitely can¡¯t reject.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou continued to look at his laptop, indifferently asking, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°The niece of Longjing¡¯s CEO, the daughter of his dead brother. His brother died saving his life, so he¡¯s given her whatever she wanted, even handing over half of the company¡¯s shares, so she definitely has a good background. Coincidentally, the Wang siblings¡¯ stepmother¡¯s son was just hired at Longjing, so they¡¯re in quite close proximity to each other.


    ¡°Perhaps it''s because the CEO is so protective of her that her temper¡¯s particularly soft, like a pure little bunny. If the Wang siblings¡¯ stepmother is really that ambitious, then she¡¯ll definitely like her. As a wealthy and powerful girl with an easily manipulable personality, she¡¯s the perfect match for her son.¡±


    Only then did Lu Chenzhou become a bit interested, raising his head. ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±


    ¡°Meng Qingyang.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 57: Untitled

    Lin Fan¡¯s party with his new colleagues was quite lively; everyone was around the same age, so they all got along pretty well.


    For most of the lunch, Cheng Xi made herself inconspicuous and acted as a quiet listener. Lin Fan himself also didn¡¯t have much to say, but she could tell that his social skills were leaps and bounds better than before. Occasionally, he would even tell some interesting stories about what he had done abroad, but his storytelling ability was really quite poor, and his colleagues all ridiculed him playfully for it. ¡°Lin Fan, even when you talk about this, it¡¯s not as interesting as when you talk about computer programming. How did you ever manage to land such a beautiful doctor girlfriend with the way you are?¡±


    They all thought that Cheng Xi was his girlfriend.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t bother explaining, and Lin Fan was also silent on the matter. When he heard their joke, he looked at her, smiled very sweetly, and cheesily replied, ¡°Because I have a good eye.¡±


    ¡°Peh!¡± Everyone began to heckle him and they started pushing alcohol at them. Cheng Xi was unable to decline and drank a little, but Lin Fan ended up drinking most of it. His alcohol tolerance wasn¡¯t bad, but his face would become red with even once drink, and his eyes would glass over, as if they had been dipped in the dew of the April peach blossoms, glossy and alluring.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t dare look at him. At the same time as this commotion was going on, one of Lin Fan¡¯s colleagues tenderly pushed some food toward a girl by Cheng Xi¡¯s side. ¡°You didn¡¯t eat anything last night, so why don¡¯t you have some of this? I remember that you liked it a lot last time we came here.¡±


    The girl pushed the bowl aside. ¡°I don¡¯t want any.¡±


    The male colleague didn¡¯t become deflated even after the rejection, and he picked up something else with his chopsticks before asking, ¡°How about this? You have to eat something¡­...¡±


    But before he could finish speaking, the girl shoved her bowl away forcefully. ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t want it. Can¡¯t you understand what I¡¯m saying?!¡±


    Her loud voice and furious tone made the entire party suddenly quiet down, as everyone awkwardly looked at the two of them.


    At this point, the male colleague was so embarrassed that his face had turned bright red, and the female looked somewhat vexed. She pursed her lips, didn¡¯t say anything more, got up from her seat, and then left.


    As she left, she also took the convivial atmosphere of the gathering away with her. A colleague quickly addressed the situation. ¡°Hey, hey you. Quickly leave with her so that she doesn¡¯t have to go alone.¡±


    And someone else suggested, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we all just leave? We¡¯re mostly finished anyways.¡±


    And so, everyone left. Cheng Xi and Lin Fan followed them down, some chasing after the enraged female coworker, and the others paying the bill. When they got to the door, they found the male colleague who had enraged her defending himself, innocently saying, ¡°I just saw that she hadn¡¯t eaten and wanted to persuade her to eat something. After all, as the boss¡¯ niece, she might as well be our manager. If she comes out with us, then we can¡¯t let her leave hungry, can we?¡±


    Someone else laughed. ¡°You¡¯re into her, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The male colleague tried desperately to defend himself. Seeing that Cheng Xi seemed interested in the drama, Lin Fan gave his own take on the situation. ¡°This guy¡¯s pretty enthusiastic and considerate of others. He¡¯s probably trying to take care of her, but also likes her at least a little.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled, neither nodding nor shaking her head.


    ¡°What, am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Cheng Xi smiled again. A colleague came over just then, and the two dropped the topic.


    While Cheng Xi said goodbye to the others, she suddenly remembered that she hadn¡¯t gone out with any friends to eat for quite a while now. Even though the atmosphere at the end had been somewhat disagreeable, Cheng Xi¡¯s mood on the whole did seem to improve.


    When she mentioned this to Lin Fan, he smiled. ¡°Then it sounds like I should call you out more often in the future so that you don¡¯t end up becoming detached from society.¡±


    So he had finally admitted that this was just a disguised date on his part. She glanced at him. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Lin Fan laughed again, his bright eyes looking straight at her. He tended to express his emotions subtly, but after living in a capitalist country for so long, he seemed to have greatly improved his ability to express his emotions with his face---like what he was doing now, even putting his natural charm to use, staring at her with eyes that felt like they were sparking with electricity.


    Cheng Xi felt that returning his stare would be too dangerous, so she instead changed the topic. ¡°Are you liking your new job?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad. At least so far, everyone has been pretty friendly, but I¡¯m still somewhat inexperienced with my duties. In an eight-hour day, it seems like people are only really working seriously for around half that time. I was probably working too hard when I first got here, and even annoyed some people with my attitude. Because of that, I decided to treat everyone to a meal today to develop rapport with them.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled, and was reminded of that girl who had disturbed the gathering. ¡°Is she from your department too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s even a major shareholder of the company. Even though her skills are somewhat mediocre, her position is undeniably important, so everyone was somewhat worried when she left in a huff.¡± This at least explained why such a lively gathering had dispersed so casually.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you anxious?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a newbie,¡± he responded seriously.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh at his answer. ¡°Does she usually act like this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But I heard that her personality used to be pretty good in the past, but for some reason, she suddenly became somewhat irritable recently. Besides losing her temper easily, she¡¯s also become particularly sensitive too.¡±


    ¡°Only recently?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    As he looked at her thoughtful face, Lin Fan smiled. ¡°You¡¯re not trying to diagnose her right now, are you?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I am.¡± Cheng Xi laughed as well. ¡°She added me on WeChat today. If it¡¯s possible, I might chat with her a bit.¡±


    Lin Fan looked at her strangely.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She blinked innocently.


    ¡°You really think something¡¯s up?¡±


    Cheng Xi comforted him. ¡°It¡¯s not serious. A lot of people nowadays have some form of mental issue. It¡¯s not a problem as long as they resolve it before it becomes too serious.¡±


    ¡°Then do I have anything like that?¡± he asked as he stood in front of her.


    ¡°You?¡± She looked him up and down, patted him lightly on the shoulder, and then smiled. ¡°You¡¯re such a handsome and sunny youth. There¡¯s absolutely nothing wrong with you.¡±


    As she was about to take back her hand, he suddenly grasped it with his own. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t struggle, just looking back at him with a smile.


    ¡°Cheng Xi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I was very happy tonight.¡±


    Cheng Xi thought back to their night together. Actually, she was very happy too. After encountering all sorts of patients in the hospital, she had come to miss the lively days when she would get together with her friends and go home together, talking about their lives as they walked back.


    She had thought that interacting this way with Lin Fan was normal behavior, and that their social interactions and friendships, that their conversations and communications had all been normal. It was not at all like her interactions with Lu Chenzhou, where she had to constantly scrutinize his expression, consider the deeper meaning behind his words, and ponder whether or not each and every one of her words would impact him negatively.


    Doctors were people too, and they also had times when they wanted to relax, so she nodded and returned the smile. ¡°I was happy too.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ the words that I said to you that night¡ªcan I say them to you again, formally this time?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°ÎÒ°®Äã¡£¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Ich liebe dich. Je t¡¯aime. §ñ §Ý§ð§Ò§Ý§ð §ä§Ö§Ò§ñ.¡±


    He restated it in a few different languages in a row. In the cold night, every sentence he said came out with its own puff of mist. His face seemed to be hidden in light clouds that his smiling eyes pierced through like stars in the night sky.


    Finally, he said it in English: three simple words, ¡°I love you.¡±


    She smiled, and asked, ¡°Why did you say it over and over again?¡±


    A noisy car drove past and gossiping pedestrians walked by them. However, at that moment, Cheng Xi seemed only to be able to hear his voice. ¡°Because I want to tell the whole world that I love you.¡±


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 Chapter 58: What About Him?

    When Cheng Xi arrived at work the next day, she entered with an unintentional smile on her face. The head nurse was surprised upon seeing her expression. ¡°You seem very happy today. Did something good happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± As Cheng Xi took out a recording device, her voice was light and lively as she replied, ¡°I found this.¡±


    The head nurse inspected it curiously. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Something that will tell stories.¡±


    ¡°For Chen Jiaman?¡± The head nurse understood Cheng Xi¡¯s thought process quite well by now, and she had realized its purpose almost as soon as she saw it. ¡°You really care about her.¡±


    Cheng Xi chuckled before entering her office to put her white coat on. ¡°How has she been these last two days?¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t been making a fuss, but she hasn¡¯t been particularly cooperative either. Dr. Cheng, are you sure that you want to keep treating her like this?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s footsteps, which had been steadily heading out, faltered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°The department head was inquiring about Chen Jiaman¡¯s situation earlier today.¡± The head nurse leaned in closer, and then softly whispered, ¡°It seemed like Dr. Ceng has been talking to him, so¡­ if you have the time, then you should probably go talk with the head.¡±


    Cheng Xi thought for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Alright, thanks for letting me know.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Next time, tell Mrs. Cheng to teach me how to make that beef jerky of hers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy! Just let me ask my mom, and we can head over to her place next week.¡±


    The two chatted for a couple more minutes, and then Cheng Xi went over to the doctor¡¯s office to prepare for her ward inspections. The doctors did the rounds every Tuesday, and this included all of the experts and even the head. When they reached Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward, Ceng Xing smiled maliciously at Cheng Xi, and, as if on queue, Cheng Xi ended up being called out by the head. ¡°This patient has been here for more than a month by now, hasn¡¯t she?¡±


    Ceng Xing gave out a clarification. ¡°A month and twenty days, chief.¡±


    The department head gave him a severe look from the side. ¡°You know quite a lot about someone else¡¯s patient, don¡¯t you!¡±


    Ceng Xing blushed scarlet red, and the other doctors had to restrain themselves from laughing, either by turning away or by pretending to look down at their medical reports. Cheng Xi, on the other hand, lowered her head and stood to the side, waiting for the chief to continue.


    As expected, the chief criticized her on the spot. As Cheng Xi listened, she sighed. If this had happened to her a few days earlier, she probably would have been so embarrassed that she wouldn¡¯t have come back to work for several days.


    But ever since she was punished with a public self-reflection, she had found herself much more thick-skinned.


    After the round of ward inspections, Cheng Xi was called into the chief¡¯s office alone. ¡°Why has that patient of yours not shown any improvement even after having undergone treatment for so long? Some doctors have even reported that you¡¯re treating your patients like test subjects.¡±


    Cheng Xi had originally held an indifferent attitude towards this talking-to, but when she heard these accusations, her expression quickly became serious. ¡°That¡¯s not true at all. I¡¯m simply trying to determine the best and most well-suited treatment plan. Chen Jiaman isn¡¯t a typical patient. Her illness, the rare Cotard¡¯s syndrome, has few precedents for treatment, and she¡®s very much unstable herself. If we force her to take drugs, I fear that her illness will only be temporarily suppressed at best.¡±


    ¡°So you want to reject the methods that we¡¯ve developed in modern medicine?¡±


    ¡°No, chief. I only think that we psychiatric doctors can¡¯t rely too much on external symptoms and medicine. If these two things are sufficient to treat all illnesses, then there wouldn¡¯t be so many people with mental illnesses in this world.¡±


    When Cheng Xi spoke about her specialty, she was able to do so frankly and with solid confidence, so much so that even the chief wasn¡¯t able to persuade her. Failing to convince her to change anything, the head once again chased her out of his office.


    Not long afterwards, everyone in the department learned of what had happened. After Cheng Xi finished her clinical duties in the afternoon, a great many doctors sent congratulatory messages. ¡°I heard that you made the chief so angry that he fell ill again, right? Congratulations, you must be the first one to do so in our hospital¡¯s history.¡±


    And then, ¡°Eat and drink as much as you can. It seems like you won¡¯t have any chance of being promoted in the future.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. When Lin Fan came over with lunch, he too noticed the other doctors¡¯ strange and ambiguous attitude towards her, asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Have you done something particularly impressive?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve accomplished something never before seen in the hospital¡¯s history. Does that count?¡±


    Lin Fan was shocked and surprised. ¡°Really?¡± And then, after thinking about it, he felt like it was something inevitable. ¡°You¡¯ve always been smart, so it¡¯s only normal that you would¡¯ve done accomplished something like that.¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed boisterously until she couldn¡¯t anymore, and then she opened the lunchbox that Lin Fan brought for her and prepared to eat. Just then, the head nurse popped her head into the office. ¡°Are you having lunch?¡± When she noticed Lin Fan, her tone became somewhat apologetic. ¡°Dr. Cheng, Dr. Su from the gynecology department just called and is looking for you. She was asking if you¡¯re free.¡±


    Cheng Xi blinked. ¡°Dr. Su?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Right now? Where is she?¡±


    ¡°The gynecology building. According to her, they have a pregnant woman who seems to be suffering from postpartum depression, and they want you to take a look.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll head over right away then.¡± Cheng Xi stood up and said to Lin Fan, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Something just came up, so I¡¯ll have to eat this later.¡±


    Lin Fan was very understanding as he considerately replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, and go do what you have to. But make sure that you eat once you¡¯re done.¡± After the head nurse left, he took out a small piece of braised rib and offered it to her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you first eat a few pieces as a stopgap?¡±


    Looking at it, Cheng Xi opened her mouth, bit the meat off the bone, and then somewhat unclearly mumbled, ¡°Thanks.¡± After putting on her white coat, she was about to go when Lin Fan suddenly pulled her to a stop.


    When she turned around, Lin Fan leaned in close and pecked her lips with his own. ¡°Go, I¡¯ll see you later tonight.¡±


    Seeing his happy face, Cheng Xi suddenly felt a very special feeling well up, as if something had hit the innermost part of her heart very, very softly.


    And then she said something that spoiled the intimate atmosphere. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, you should go and see Chen Jiaman. I¡¯ll have someone set it up for you; if she¡¯s willing, you can even try to approach her.¡±


    Lin Fan looked at her somewhat speechlessly.


    Only then did Cheng Xi realize that she hadn¡¯t read the mood very well. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m a bit lacking in social intelligence these days, so don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    Lin Fan chuckled. ¡°Slightly, yes, so you should be punished.¡± He leaned in again, pecking her lips once more.


    This time, they weren¡¯t so lucky. The head nurse, after noticing that they still hadn¡¯t come out, popped her head inside again right as the two were kissing.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face immediately blushed a deep red that spread all the way to the tips of her ears.


    The head nurse and Cheng Xi went to the gynecology building together, and Lin Fan walked them to the elevator. As the elevator doors closed, the head nurse didn¡¯t say anything yet because other people were in it, and Cheng Xi similarly tried her best to behave seriously.


    But once they were alone, the head nurse lightly rapped Cheng Xi with her wrist. ¡°You got a new boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    After a moment of speechlessness, she gravely said, ¡°No.¡±


    The nurse clicked her tongue for a long while. ¡°I might be old, but my eyes are still working properly. The two of them are totally different men, alright? That one from back then was more handsome.¡± Then the nurse turned her head around and looked Cheng Xi in the eye before saying, in a tone that displayed her worry for Cheng Xi, ¡°Settle down. If you really like one of them, then you should settle down quickly so that you don¡¯t end up being blinded by beauty.¡±


    ¡®Otherwise she would be as miserable as if she kept going as she was now.¡¯ The head nurse didn¡¯t say these words, but Cheng Xi understood her warning clearly.


    What could she do? Cheng Xi¡¯s only option was to say, ¡°Alright, I understand.¡±


    Lunch break had just ended when Lin Fan returned to his office.


    At the door of the elevator, he saw Meng Qingyang in a furious mood. Her steps were wide and quick, so much that the two of them almost collided.


    Lin Fan quickly supported her and stopped her from falling. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    She glanced at him, said nothing, and then turned around to enter the elevator.


    As she left, a colleague rushed out of their department, clearly chasing after her. Upon seeing Lin Fan, he looked as if he had just seen his savior, and asked, ¡°Did Manager Meng just leave?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you free this afternoon?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Would you mind helping me accompany Manager Meng in sending this document to general headquarters? I offended her just now, and I¡¯m really scared that she might kill me if she gets annoyed on the way there. Really, she¡¯s been so frightening lately. Please, I¡¯m begging you.¡±


    He clasped his hands tightly, truly hoping that Lin Fan would help him out. When Lin Fan recalled that he didn¡¯t have anything else urgent to do in the afternoon, and that he also had to stop by headquarters soon, he agreed.


    His colleague couldn¡¯t stop thanking him, but Lin Fan only smiled in response before getting on the other elevator and chasing her down the building.


    When he reached the lobby, Meng Qingyang had just exited the main door. Lin Fan ran up to her and called out, ¡°Manager Meng.¡±


    Meng Qingyang turned around, looking him in the eye. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I also have something to do at headquarters, so it was more convenient for me to accompany you.¡±


    Meng Qingyang didn¡¯t say anything more. It was evident that she was still somewhat unhappy.


    Lin Fan was also a quiet person, so they didn¡¯t exchange any words the whole way to headquarters. Once there, they turned in the document together, and then the CEO even chatted with him and asked if he was doing well in the branch company.


    Lin Fan responded perfunctorily and left. Meng Qingyang didn¡¯t leave, instead lounging around in the CEO¡¯s office lazily. When the CEO saw her behaving that way, he felt somewhat sorry. ¡°Who made you mad? I can tell as soon as you entered with your mouth pursed like that.¡±


    ¡°No one. I¡¯m just vexed and exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Meng Qingyang didn¡¯t have a reason.


    And so he said, ¡°You must feel too restrained. If you¡¯re tired of work, then you should go out and play around, or if not that, then go find a boyfriend.¡± Glancing outside, he then said, ¡°Someone like the guy who came in with you. What do you think of him?¡±


    Meng Qingyang turned toward the CEO.


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 Chapter 59: If You Like Him, Then Snatch Him Away

    ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it. He already has a girlfriend.¡±


    Even though Meng Qingyang¡¯s tone was calm, the CEO could tell that she was at least a little interested. He chuckled in response as he personally poured her a glass of water. ¡°Just a girlfriend, not a wife.¡± Honestly, even if he did have a wife, Meng Qingyang would still be able to easily snatch him away. Just look at how many similar cases there were in the news recently! As long as you want to, then it¡¯s no big deal. What¡¯s more, I specifically hired this lad as I originally wanted him to oversee a part of the company. However, he thought that it would be better for him to start from the bottom because he just returned from overseas and is still unfamiliar with the inner workings over here. Thus, I put him over where you are.¡±


    ¡°Uncle seems to like him quite a bit?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I met him while working abroad. I can tell that he¡¯s a very steadfast man. In our house, neither your brother nor sister are interested in my business, and you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s willing to help me at all. So, if you can make him our son-in-law and by doing so add a reliable helper to the business, then, as your uncle, I¡¯m all for it.¡±


    Meng Qingyang was resentful after hearing the explanation. ¡°So you¡¯re just looking for someone to help you manage your business!¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not what I said. That¡¯s only if you like him.¡±


    Meng Qingyang ignored him, angrily standing up to leave.


    She left in a huff. For lack of a better option, her uncle could only call Lin Fan back in. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s been going on with Qingyang lately, but she¡¯s been very irritable. As young people, you two should have some things in common. If you¡¯re free, please help me out and talk to her.¡±


    Lin Fan smiled. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Honestly, he wasn¡¯t sure what they would even talk about, but after he remembered what Cheng Xi had said, he took the initiative to start a conversation with Meng Qingyang on the way back.


    He started off by asking, ¡°Have you not been resting well recently?¡±


    Meng Qingyang¡¯s reply was cold. ¡°What of it?¡±


    Lin Fan smiled as he gestured to his eyelids. ¡°You have big eyebags over here. My girlfriend is a psychiatrist, and she¡¯s very good at treating insomnia and other similar illnesses. Do you want to talk with her?¡±


    Meng Qingyang didn¡¯t reply. After a while, she asked, ¡°Do you like her very much?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± At this point, Lin Fan had started driving and since her voice was so quiet, he didn¡¯t clearly hear what she said. Naturally, his response was to turn his head around and look at her.


    Even though Lin Fan¡¯s facial features weren¡¯t as well defined as Lu Chenzhou¡¯s, he had his own delicate charm. His demeanor was gentle and kind, like a medieval scholar from a book.


    Meng Qingyang felt her dormant heart stir. She clutched her chest and asked, ¡°Do you love her very much?¡±


    Lin Fan nodded as he affirmed, ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    Meng Qingyang unconsciously smiled before turning her gaze towards the hustle and bustle of the outside world. She let her mind wander among the people and cars outside, no longer continuing the conversation.


    As Lin Fan and Meng Qingyang were driving back, Cheng Xi had just pacified a patient and was just about to leave when Dr. Su called her again.


    Dr. Su was the doctor who Cheng Xi had met when she had accidentally walked into the gynecology department while hiding from reporters. They hadn¡¯t seen each other for a month, and Dr, Su looked even thinner than before, almost as if she would be blown away by any stray wind.


    Cheng Xi looked at her carefully, and then seriously said, ¡°Dr. Su, I think that you need to make sure to get some more rest.¡±


    Dr. Su laughed. ¡°As a psychiatrist, you really do have sharp eyes.¡± She rubbed her temples before saying, ¡°Do you have some free time after work? I¡¯d like to spend some time talking with you.¡± As she looked at Cheng Xi, she added. ¡°I can pay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be honored. If you need to, feel free to find me at any time.¡± Cheng Xi gave Dr. Su her address. ¡°I can treat you to dinner this time.¡±


    Dr. Su laughed as she accepted, ¡°Alright.¡±


    As Cheng Xi left the gynecology building, she remembered that she had actually already scheduled to have dinner with Lin Fan, and so she sent him a message. ¡°Something came up this evening. Can we reschedule dinner for another time?¡±


    Lin Fan sent her a crying emoji, and then a simple reply: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed and went to buy some groceries after getting off work. But she still didn¡¯t have enough time to finish cooking before her doorbell rang.


    Cheng Xi opened her door and let Dr. Su in. She was wearing casual clothes, and after taking her white coat off and replacing it with a pale blue coat, she no longer seemed as thin or frail.


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t introduced myself properly. I¡¯m Su Feng,¡± she said.


    ¡°Come in, Su Feng!¡± And then Cheng Xi handed her a pair of slippers.


    There was music floating through the house, a soft and relaxing blues tune with a thick and deep bass male voice singing soulful melodies. The living room was lit solely by a small lamp, from which a pale yellow light set the warm tone.


    The sofa was very clean and tidy, and a cup of hot tea and a vase of fresh flowers were placed on the coffee table. There weren¡¯t that many flowers in the case¡ªonly two or three stalks, but they were arranged beautifully in a white vase patterned with blue flowers. The gentle aesthetic added a delicate and independent beauty to the center of the living room.


    All this gave off such a comfortable atmosphere, that anyone who saw it would feel a nearly irresistible urge to curl up on the sofa and fall into a comfortable and restful sleep.


    Su Feng smiled happily before turning to look at Cheng Xi. ¡°Thank you for all your effort.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem. Please, sit first. I¡¯m almost done with the meal, so let me prepare a bit longer.¡±


    Su Feng nodded, and Cheng Xi returned to the kitchen. By the time she was done, Su Feng was already asleep, half-laying down on the sofa.


    Cheng Xi smiled, lowered the volume of the music, and brought out a blanket to cover her body. She ate alone in the kitchen, a modest meal of a bowl of rice and a small dish of soup.


    After she finished dinner, she read a book on her carpet. Su Feng slept by her side, not for too long though. After about an hour or so passed, she awoke once more.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± asked Cheng Xi. When she heard the rustling sounds of movement next to her, she knew that Su Feng had woken up.


    Perhaps Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was too familiar and too natural, but Su Feng had a somewhat perplexed look on her face when she looked at Cheng Xi. After a while, when her mind had cleared up, she said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I actually fell asleep.¡± And what a sound sleep it was! She had fallen into such a deep sleep that all her stress seemed to have vanished, and she was able to ignore all the issues normally plaguing her. That one hour nap had felt like a long, fulfilling sleep. Su Feng looked deeply at Cheng Xi as she said, ¡°You¡¯re really quite different from the other psychiatrists I know. No wonder so many people in the hospital say that you¡¯re strange. Of course, I now know that it¡¯s praise for you.¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed. ¡°The food¡¯s still warm. Do you want some? I think you should eat.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Cheng Xi served her some food. She could only make simple dishes, so dinner was quite modest, just a soup, some meat, and a dish of sauted green vegetables.


    She was somewhat embarrassed. ¡°These are my best dishes, so please help yourself.¡±


    Su Feng smiled. ¡°At least you have a few dishes that you¡¯re comfortable making, while I have none.¡± She picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and started eating slowly. Cheng Xi drank a bit of soup while she accompanied her.


    Su Feng didn¡¯t eat much. When she was done, she looked at Cheng Xi. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me something?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was waiting for you to finish eating first.¡±


    Su Feng looked at her, smiling after a moment¡¯s pause. ¡°You¡¯re really¡­ overturning my understanding of psychiatrists. I thought that, in order to cure an illness, you would first start with a heart-to-heart talk, follow that up with an inspection, and end by prescribing some medicine.¡±


    Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Do you need any of that?¡±


    ¡°No. I just need to sleep and eat more.¡± After saying that, she stared at the empty bowl in front of her for quite a while. Then she stood up. ¡°I¡¯m going to go. Thank you. Before I leave, I¡¯d like to retract what I said that time. You should be a doctor, and you¡¯re honestly a very good doctor.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s the best praise I¡¯ve ever heard. And to think that I even got scolded by our chief today.¡±


    ¡°Your chief doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s what.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think so too.¡±


    The two shared another laugh as Cheng Xi accompanied Su Feng to the door. From start to finish, Cheng Xi had never asked a single question, but she believed that, no matter what, Su Feng already knew what she needed to do.


    Sometimes, the main reason people felt frustrated was because they had forced themselves into a dead end. When someone gave that person a cup of tea, sat her down, and let her have the rest she needed, she would realize that her path forward was blocked off, and that she should turn around.


    After all, Su Feng was a smart person.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 60: A Young Hussy

    Only later did Cheng Xi hear about what sort of problem Su Feng was dealing with.


    It was Saturday, and Cheng Xi, as planned, had met up with the head nurse and some of her colleagues to all go over to her mother¡¯s house together. Because her parent¡¯s house was in the country, the head nurse and Cheng Xi¡¯s other coworkers had searched around beforehand and found that there was a reservoir nearby. Thus, they had animatedly decided to go fishing and brought their gear with them.


    The weather that day wasn¡¯t bad; after a long streak of cold days, they had been rewarded with a rare, sunny one. As her other colleagues went to climb the small hill by the reservoir, the head nurse walked up to Cheng Xi and began to gossip. ¡°Dr. Su got a divorce.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Cheng Xi didn¡¯t react in time.


    ¡°Dr. Su from the gynecology department. You haven¡¯t forgotten her, have you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember.¡± As Cheng Xi said this, she assembled her fishing rod and then asked, ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    ¡°She got divorced,¡± the head nurse repeated with a bemoaning tone as she looked at the lure in the water with her hands in her pockets. ¡°Apparently, she found out that her husband was having an affair. Originally, she wanted to forgive him, and the man was also willing to work on their relationship again. However, two months after that, Dr. Su ultimately decided to get a divorce.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say, so she nodded and merely said, ¡°I understand.¡±


    The head nurse was very dissatisfied with her reaction. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What else can I say?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really boring.¡± The head nurse pouted.


    Wary of spoiling the trip, Cheng Xi followed along with the head nurse¡¯s wishes and asked, ¡°Is she alright?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s gotten really thin. I¡¯m telling you. When you saw her that day, that¡¯s not at all what she used to look like. I started working at the hospital at around the same time that she did, and she used to be so pretty: tall and well developed. However, the present her is, gosh, barely recognizable. Apparently, her husband started his affair because she was too busy at work, and became entangled with a young girl from his office¡­ Aish!¡± After the head nurse finished summarizing the gossip, she let out a loud sigh. ¡°That¡¯s why, nowadays, even being a doctor is a high-risk profession as you have to worry about both your patients and their family prodding you whenever they think that you¡¯re not doing a good job, and also about what¡¯s going on with your own family.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. When the head nurse noticed this, she glanced at her. ¡°You should pay more attention! I¡¯m telling you, the three major problems of modern doctors are dying, getting injured, and having an unfaithful partner! While you¡¯re young, you have to learn to train your man to be faithful. Don¡¯t think that he¡¯s treating you well just because he brings you a healthy lunch every day. While your emotions are strong, he¡¯ll be willing to submit to you at every turn, but you have to keep in mind what might happen later! Aren¡¯t you a psychiatrist? You have to keep him continually entranced. He needs to believe that he won¡¯t be able to live if he leaves you, that you¡¯re the only fairy in this world, and that everyone else is a worthless hussy.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help laughing loudly at the head nurse¡¯s last remark.


    But the head nurse was still talking. ¡°Don¡¯t laugh. I¡¯m really being serious here. You don¡¯t know how devious those little hussies are¡ªmany doctors at our hospital are actually suffering from this.¡±


    At this time, a young, warm, and male voice spoke up from beside them. ¡°Um, this miss? Actually, even if Cheng Xi doesn¡¯t hypnotize me, I would still think that she¡¯s the only fairy in this desolate world.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the head nurse¡¯s expression looked as though she had swallowed a whole duck¡¯s egg. It was only quite a while later that she recovered and started laughing dryly.


    Clearly, the man who had recently been bringing Cheng Xi lunches was standing right behind them. She secretly pinched Cheng Xi and greeted him. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± Lin Fan was also a bit embarrassed, as he wasn¡¯t here alone. Standing beside him was one of the ¡®young hussies¡¯ the head nurse had mentioned.


    Cheng Xi felt the urge to laugh well up within herself again. Instead of giving in, she stood up and nodded politely to the girl. ¡°Hello.¡±


    Meng Qingyang was expressionless.


    After everyone had greeted each other, the head nurse snuck off to find her colleagues, extremely embarrassed. Lin Fan went to get something from the car, and Cheng Xi took out a fishpole to teach Meng Qingyang how to fish.


    She was actually the one who invited Meng Qingyang. Just a day ago, Cheng Xi had suddenly received a message from Meng Qingyang on WeChat. ¡°Are you going somewhere this weekend?¡±


    Although Cheng Xi was surprised, she still answered, replying back, ¡°Yes.¡±


    And then Meng Qingyang asked very straightforwardly, ¡°Can I come too?¡±


    What else could Cheng Xi say? Nothing but ¡°Alright.¡± Anyways, the head nurse and her colleagues would be there too, so Meng Qingyang¡¯s presence or absence wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    Additionally, Lin Fan had mentioned that Meng Qingyang seemed to be under mental duress, which was another reason why Cheng Xi had asked him to bring her along.


    Because Meng Qingyang lived quite a distance away, Lin Fan had been a bit late since he had to pick her up. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t think that, just as they arrived, they would hear the head nurse lecture her about taming potential husbands.


    Meng Qingyang didn¡¯t care too much about what the head nurse had said, and Cheng Xi didn¡¯t bother spending time explaining it either¡ªbecause there was no need. Instead, Cheng Xi focused on carrying out a very simple test with Meng Qingyang: asking her to put the fish bait on the hook. Actually, this should have been a very simple task, as one merely had to roll the fish food into small balls and then string the hook through it until the sharp end pierced through slightly. This way, the food wouldn¡¯t float unnaturally in the water, and it would also be easier for the fish¡¯s mouth to catch on the hook.


    Because she knew that Meng Qingyang would be coming, Cheng Xi had specially chosen fish food that wasn¡¯t very sticky and thus would require some patience to knead and rub into the right shape. Meng Qingyang tried it twice and failed. On the third time, as Cheng Xi was about to explain it again, she threw the fishpole down out of frustration. ¡°I quit!¡±


    And then she got up and left.


    Coincidentally, Lin Fan returned just then, as he had gathered the supplies they needed. When he saw Meng Qingyang rush off angrily, he asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Did she get angry again?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled and affixed the properly baited pole by the water. After she was finished, she said, ¡°Look after my pole, and I¡¯ll go bring her back.¡±


    ¡°Cheng Xi,¡± Lin Fan said as he pulled her aside. ¡°Just give her a simple diagnosis. If she really needs treatment, then I¡¯ll talk with Director Meng on Monday and have him send her to the hospital to receive regular treatment. But it¡¯s the weekend right now. I brought her here because you wanted me to, but I don¡¯t want you to spend too much time on her. Furthermore¡­¡± He looked at her, and softly whispered into her ear, ¡°You¡¯re the only one in my eyes.¡±


    After saying those sweet words, he double-checked that no one was paying attention to them before quickly pecking her on her face and letting her go.


    Cheng Xi went over to find Meng Qingyang. She hadn¡¯t gone far¡ªjust next to a willow tree near the reservoir. She was squatting down and digging near the ground with a random wooden stick she had picked up.


    ¡°Do you find this boring?¡± Cheng Xi asked as she stooped down next to her.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I also find it quite boring, fishing and all that. it¡¯s the most boring thing in the world. I¡¯d rather stay at home and read my books than come and fish.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Because there are other things that I like here.¡± Cheng Xi smiled, as she breathed in deeply and looked around, appreciating the brilliant sunlight and verdant scenery. ¡°Things like interacting with my friends, this lovely sunlight, and the fresh country air. They¡¯re all very nice.¡±


    Meng Qingyang remained unmoved. ¡°I don¡¯t find these things interesting at all. Before this, I also had the thought that I should come out and walk around, and my uncle also persuaded me to not just stay at home. However, after coming out here, I realized that everything is boring here.¡± She looked at her intently. ¡°Do you understand how I feel?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    Meng Qingyang laughed, a sharp, sneering laugh. Clearly, she didn¡¯t believe her.


    Cheng Xi ignored her scorn and went on to say, ¡°When my grandmother died, I also felt the same way you do now, thinking that nothing I did was meaningful. If I picked up a book, the only thought I¡¯d have is that I¡¯d forget the knowledge after reading it¡ªwhat¡¯s the point? If I played a game that I liked, I would get tired of it minutes after starting. It was annoying to talk to everyone because they were never on the same page as me¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi went on for a while, and Meng Qingyang finally quieted down. When Cheng Xi finished, Meng Qingyang asked her, ¡°Then, how did you¡­ escape?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°I was lucky. When I was at my lowest, my teacher forced me to enter a math competition. In that competition, I met a boy. He was very handsome, and his tone very gentle. During the exam, my nose started bleeding, and he gave me a napkin. The proctor accused us of cheating, so I crumpled up my test and said that I wasn¡¯t going to take it anymore, and he followed suit. We escaped the testing area together and played games outside for a whole afternoon. Afterwards, I told myself, ¡®I should really live well. If I don¡¯t, then such a handsome boy would belong to someone else.¡¯¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 61: Invitation

    Cheng Xi, her colleagues, Lin Fan, and Meng Qingyang all stayed at the reservoir until the late afternoon. Afterwards, they went over to Cheng Xi¡¯s parents¡¯ home.


    Lin Fan was within a crowd of Cheng Xi¡¯s colleagues, so Cheng Xi¡¯s mother actually didn¡¯t recognize him at first. Only after Cheng Xi introduced him did her mother say, amazed, ¡°Ah, are you really Lin Fan? You¡¯ve changed so much!¡± She looked him up and down. ¡°You¡¯re even more handsome than you were before!¡±


    The head nurse made beef jerky with Cheng Xi¡¯s mother, and even helped prepare a sumptuous dinner for everyone. Everyone kept eating and eating, only going home late into the night.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t leave. It was rare for her to be able to return home, so she had to stay with her parents for at least another day. When she sent them off, Lin Fan was one of the last to leave. He was aggrieved that the first weekend of his official relationship with Cheng Xi had been filled with so many third wheels.


    Cheng Xi consoled him, ¡°It¡¯s alright, there are so many days ahead of us.¡± Glancing at Meng Qingyang sitting quietly in the car, she then said softly, ¡°It¡¯s probably depression. It¡¯d be somewhat hard to treat all on my own, so it¡¯s best if she goes to the hospital to get official mental help.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He looked at her deeply as he continued, ¡°I¡¯ll come back to see you tomorrow.¡±


    His meaning was clear: only he would be back here tomorrow.


    Cheng Xi smiled, pushed him into the car, and waved goodbye to Meng Qingyang.


    Meng Qingyang also waved back at her.


    Cheng Xi turned around to go inside, only to see her parents sitting upright on the sofa. As she entered, her mother waved at her amiably. ¡°Come, come. Sit here.¡±


    Cheng Xi was wary of their ostensibly congenial attitude. ¡°What are the two of you up to?¡±


    Her mother, now impatient, hit the sofa fiercely. ¡°Sit down! Why do you keep asking questions?¡±


    Cowed, Cheng Xi obediently sat down next to her. Her father felt sorry for her, and tried to mollify her mother by saying, ¡°Be more gentle.¡±


    She only stared back at him in response.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s father didn¡¯t say anything else, feeling somewhat sorry for his daughter.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind much as she prepared herself for a lecture. She was sure that the contents would include the classics: ¡°even if you¡¯re busy, remember to come home,¡± ¡°eat regularly,¡± ¡°you¡¯re even thinner now, don¡¯t go on a diet arbitrarily,¡± and other similar refrains. She listened intently, satisfying her mother¡¯s desire of thoroughly instructing her daughter. She and her mother used to be somewhat estranged, and her mother¡¯s mode of getting close to her seemed to involve lecturing her.


    At least it didn¡¯t last too long. Once her mother had said everything that she wanted to say, she coughed lightly and changed her tone as she asked, ¡°That Lin Fan, when did he get back?¡±


    ¡°About two months ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh, have the two of you been in touch?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but only quite recently.¡±


    ¡°Did he look for you as soon as he came home?¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was trying to be subtle, but she soon dropped the pretense and shot out a round of questions. ¡°Is he married? No? Does he have a girlfriend? Where is he staying? Where¡¯s he working? How¡¯s his salary and his prospects at the company? Is his mom doing alright? Have you met her?¡±


    Every mother was a detective. During the day, Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t interacted much with Lin Fan, but her mother had still somehow caught onto the fact that something seemed to be going on between them. Now, she was indirectly probing the situation by asking questions nonstop.


    Honestly, Cheng Xi was very impressed by her antics.


    She hadn¡¯t intended on telling her family the truth so early because of Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s attitude. She wasn¡¯t particularly pessimistic about the future, but neither was she optimistic.


    The next day, Lin Fan didn¡¯t end up seeing her. He called her early and said that something urgent had come up, and that he had to immediately depart for a business trip.


    And so, Cheng Xi stayed at her parent¡¯s home and accompanied her parents for the day. In the morning, after she woke up at five in the morning, she helped them out with the business. In the bitter winter wind, Cheng Xi cozied up in the small kitchen with her family as they steamed buns, made beancurd, simmered porridge, and wrapped dumplings and potstickers.


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t used to so much kitchenwork, and she even cut herself by accident. Her father felt very apologetic and even said, ¡°Ah, stop working. Go to the side and rest. You can just talk with us.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t listen to him. Instead, she took out a bandage, wrapped it around her wound, and continued to work. Because she had some extra time, she even carved some carrots into flowers, steamed them inside a pot, and then used them to garnish some dishes when they were ready. Later in the morning, when customers started coming in, they saw the decorations and said, ¡°Ah, is your little Dr. Cheng back now?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents were particularly proud as they replied, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s here.¡±


    And then when the sun reached its zenith, their neighbors started waking up as well. An old lady who had trouble walking even came over to find Cheng Xi. ¡°Dr. Cheng, can you help me out? I feel uncomfortable in this region.¡±


    And then, ¡°Dr. Cheng, I can¡¯t sleep well. Can you take a look and tell me why?¡±


    For the rest of the morning, Cheng Xi served dishes for her parents, helped her neighbors with their minor illnesses, and exchanged pleasantries with the other customers. At the same time, as Lin Fan and Meng Qingyang were getting ready to board a plane to a distant part of the country, Lu Chenzhou exited the airport. Baldy and Xu Po personally went to fetch him. When they met up, Xu Po exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re finally back! My old man told me that I¡¯d better bring you to this event, or else.¡±


    The event they were talking about was no more than a boring business event. Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t interested in it at all, and hadn¡¯t planned on attending. However, he didn''t expect that they still hadn¡¯t given up on the matter.


    His expression turned cold. Although he got in the car, he didn¡¯t say a single word.


    The atmosphere in the car froze up, and Xu Po kept glancing at Baldy. Seeing how pitiful he was, Baldy relented. He turned to Lu Chenzhou with a smile and said, ¡°Po also invited Dr. Cheng. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go, Zhou?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his head and directly looked at him. Although he still didn¡¯t say a word, Baldy and Xu Po both felt the tension in the air dissipate, allowing them to breathe a lot more easily.


    The two of them looked at each other without saying anything more. Meanwhile, the car drove straight to the Donglai Hotel. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t go home frequently; ever since the hotel opened for business, he had permanently reserved a suite in it for himself. And from then on, he¡¯d called Donglai his home.


    After they arrived, the first thing Lu Chenzhou did was wash his face and change his clothes, as was habitual. While he washed up, Baldy and Xu Po waited for him in another room. As they walked in, Xu Po surreptitiously asked, ¡°When did you invite Dr. Cheng? I didn¡¯t know about that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± Baldy groaned and yelled at him. ¡°Call her now! Boss Lu clearly doesn¡¯t want to go, and the only reason he¡¯s willing to go now is because of Dr. Cheng. If he doesn¡¯t see her there, then you¡¯re screwed.¡±


    Xu Po was speechless. He picked up his phone and was about to call Cheng Xi when he realized something. ¡°I don¡¯t have her phone number.¡± He looked hopefully at Baldy and tentatively asked, ¡°Do you have it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Damn, I don¡¯t have it either!¡±


    The two of them were flustered, and used every trick they could think of to get her number. Eventually, they managed to do so from a friend¡¯s friend¡¯s friend¡¯s brother¡¯s sister-in-law.


    Once they got her number, Xu Po asked, ¡°What should we say? As a doctor, she probably wouldn¡¯t want to attend a business event like that, would she?¡± And they weren¡¯t even Lu Chenzhou, so they didn¡¯t have any reason to randomly invite her.


    ¡°Of course we can¡¯t say it directly.¡± Baldy gave Xu Po a supercilious look. ¡°We have to invite her in a roundabout fashion so that she¡¯ll come.¡±


    Xu Po unashamedly asked, ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°For example, if we said that you were crazy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    But after thinking about it for a moment, he realized that Baldy wasn¡¯t cursing him, and he didn¡¯t think it too difficult to pretend to be crazy. So, he planned out a little skit with Baldy and let Baldy make the call.


    Baldy was a decent actor, starting to scream and yell as if he¡¯d been possessed as soon as the call connected. ¡°Dr. Cheng, I¡¯m Baldy, Zhou¡¯s friend. I need help! Please come quickly! Come quickly!¡±


    It was very loud on Cheng Xi¡¯s end. Through the noise, they seemed to hear her ask, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Someone suddenly went crazy over here, and he¡¯s going around hitting and smashing things. It¡¯s truly frightening!¡± As Baldy said this, he made a hand signal and Xu Po began making a ruckus in the room. However, the carpet was so thick that smashing furniture against the floor seemed to have no effect. Xu Po had no choice but to strangle himself as he shouted, ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡±


    Very satisfied with Xu Po¡¯s performance, Baldy put the phone closer to Xu Po¡¯s mouth in an attempt to make the choking sound clearer.


    They heard nothing from Cheng Xi for a while, as if she were trying to carefully listen and figure out just what was going on. Just as Baldy and Xu Po were winking at each other in celebration of their impending success, they heard Cheng Xi¡¯s gentle and pleasant voice once again. ¡°What kind of livestock are you slaughtering over there, a chicken or a duck? How festive.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 62: I Want To

    Baldy clutched his phone, and hurriedly asked Xu Po, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear wrong, did I? Was Dr. Cheng mocking us?¡±


    At this time, even Xu Po couldn¡¯t help but want to laugh. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear wrong. She was indeed mocking us.¡±


    ¡°Damn. I¡¯ve never been mocked like this my entire life.¡± As Baldy said this, he picked up the phone again, and fiercely said, ¡°Just now, you mocked me and damaged my reputation. I demand that you pay me for¡ª¡±


    Only then did he realize that she had already hung up.


    Baldy cautiously asked, ¡°...Is this really something that Dr. Cheng would do?¡±


    Unsure, Xu Po replied, ¡°Probably. After all, she is quite smart.¡±


    Baldy called her again, and thankfully for him, Cheng Xi picked up again. However, this time, she only said a single sentence. ¡°I¡¯m a bit busy today, so if you have a friend who needs a diagnosis, please make an appointment. If it¡¯s something else, then sorry, but I don¡¯t have time.¡±


    And then she hung up again before Baldy could even get a single word in.


    Baldy put his hands on his hips and spun around twice as he exasperatedly loosened his collar. Xu Po thought that he was about to get furious, but all Baldy did afterwards was drink a full glass of water. After he finished it in a single gulp, he said in an unnervingly calm tone, ¡°Let¡¯s forget about it and think of another strategy. What if we let Boss Lu mess with us after he finds out?¡± He then turned to look at Xu Po. ¡°Who said that Dr. Cheng was going to go just now? Was it you?¡±


    Xu Po was silent for a moment before he staunchly replied, ¡°It was you.¡±


    Baldy cursed, particularly indignant. ¡°Why the hell did I ever stand up for you for something like this?¡±


    But it was already too late, as he¡¯d already done it. Baldy was panic-stricken the entire way to the event, whereas Lu Chenzhou seemed to be rather calm. Even after the event was over, besides the discussion and the final wine reception that he hadn¡¯t attended, Lu Chenzhou was perfectly cooperative throughout. Xu Po¡¯s father even asked his son, ¡°That Lu fellow seems particularly easygoing today. Did something happen?¡±


    Xu Po laughed dryly, and when he met up with Baldy again back at the hotel, the two of them curled up in a corner, both of them shivering in fear. ¡°I feel like something big¡¯s about to happen.¡±


    Their premonition was very accurate; before they could finish commiserating, an attendant clad in white came over and said, ¡°Mr. Xu, Mr. Gao, Director Lu would like to invite you both over for a moment.¡±


    This time, they didn¡¯t go back to the venue. The attendant instead took them to the tennis court right behind the hotel. Lu Chenzhou was standing in the innermost court, and was just wearing a white-sleeved shirt and black pants after having taken off his jacket. His right hand held a tennis racket, and his left hand was slowly and carefully rolling up his sleeves.


    At his foot was a large basket, about half-full with tennis balls.


    When he saw the two arrive, he didn¡¯t even raise his eyelids, only saying, ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    The attendant threw Baldy and Xu Po a racket each, and before the two could even react, Lu Chenzhou had already raised his racket and sent a tennis ball smashing from the other end of the court towards them as fast as the wind.


    ¡°F*ck!¡± Baldy¡¯s face turned pale with fright, but he¡¯d at least gotten some practice with this over the years. He waved his racket and barely blocked the ball.


    But by the time he¡¯d done so, the next one had already arrived.


    The balls were like guided missiles, all heading towards Baldy. Xu Po tactfully stood to the side and passively watched their match¡ªthough it would be more accurate to call it a one-sided slaughter by Lu Chenzhou, Baldy barely able to hold his own. If he missed a return, then the balls would hit his body, all of them slamming at high speed into a particularly sensitive region. Tennis balls weren¡¯t that heavy, and they usually wouldn¡¯t hurt all too much, but when they all struck the same area at high speed, the resulting sensation was¡­¡­ hard to describe.


    At any rate, Xu Po didn¡¯t want to ever experience it.


    At the start, Baldy was still able to return some of the balls. However, he gradually lost his strength as the beating continued. In the end, he felt like his hand was about to break just from trying to block Lu Chenzhou¡¯s serves. In the end, he flopped down lifelessly onto the court with his four limbs akimbo. ¡°I¡¯m not playing anymore! Just kill me now.¡±


    As he finished speaking, a ball brushed by the corner of his eye. He was so scared that he screamed sharply as he rolled over to one side.


    Lu Chenzhou ignored him, picked up his racket, and pointed at Xu Po, coldly declaring, ¡°It¡¯s your turn.¡±


    Xu Po desperately asked, ¡°¡­¡­Can I surrender?¡±


    The answer was no, and he ended up in an even worse condition than Baldy. At least Baldy exercised regularly; Xu Po, on the other hand, never did anything of the sort!


    Lu Chenzhou launched ball after ball at him. Xu Po was never good with sports to begin with, and as he frantically tried to parry these attacks, besides getting hit passively, he could only¡­ be hit passively.


    But he also couldn¡¯t give up right away because Lu Chenzhou would not stop until he was fully satisfied. Unfortunately, Xu Po¡¯s skills were just too lousy; Baldy had lasted for over half an hour, but he couldn¡¯t even last twenty minutes. His shoulders had been hit seventeen or eighteen times, and his face had also suffered a few blows; once, a ball hit his left cheek so hard that he thought his teeth were going to break.


    Finally unable to go any further, Xu Po swiftly collapsed onto the floor. Of course, he received the same ¡®splendid¡¯ treatment of having one last ball brush past his eye.


    He didn¡¯t avoid it, and this time, the ball brushed by the corner of his eye, scraping his face. He reached out and even thought that he saw a few flecks of blood.


    Lu Chenzhou slowly walked over. After their strenuous exercise, Baldy and Xu Po¡¯s clothes were a mess, and sweat covered their bodies. However, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t seem to be sweating at all; his body was clean and his clothes still tidy.


    He didn¡¯t stop walking when he reached the two of them, dispassionately continuing onwards.


    Baldy knew that Lu Chenzhou was mad. Whenever Lu Chenzhou was mad, he became even more reticent; if you let him go at you until he was satisfied, it would be fine. However, otherwise¡­ he would simply ignore you.


    ¡°Boss Lu!¡± Baldy called out as he chased after him.


    Lu Chenzhou put the racket back, picked up his jacket, and prepared to leave, as if he hadn¡¯t heard Baldy¡¯s pleas at all.


    ¡°Zhou, Lu Chenzhou!¡± Baldy didn¡¯t give up.


    He was still ignored.


    Baldy chased after him, enduring the pain resounding throughout his whole body. ¡°Boss Lu, listen to me. We really invited Dr. Cheng, but she didn¡¯t show up¡­¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, Lu Chenzhou had grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall. ¡°My temper¡¯s a bit better now,¡± Lu Chenzhou coldly said as he stared right at Baldy, ¡°But don¡¯t provoke me.¡± He turned to look at Xu Po and ordered, ¡°The car keys.¡±


    Xu Po didn¡¯t want to give them to him and cautiously said, ¡°...I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s lips curled up derisively. ¡°As you want.¡± He let go of Baldy, coldly walking out.


    Lu Chenzhou sat in the back, took out a recording device and put on some earphones, listening to something that Xu Po couldn¡¯t make out. He seemed calm, his eyes drooping, but Xu Po felt even more fearful than before.


    In truth, Lu Chenzhou also felt like he was about to lose control. His heart felt like a blazing furnace that was about to overheat and burn his body to a crisp. In the recording device, Cheng Xi¡¯s voice was unusually soothing. The stories she was telling were silly and dumb, but he still listened to her recite them over and over again, just as he did during those long sleepless nights, playing them on repeat until he fell asleep.


    But today, it was abnormally hard to calm himself down.


    He knew what he wanted, as he had been suppressing this particular desire for a few days now. Today, after Baldy had brought it up, it became even more difficult to control.


    He didn¡¯t go back to the hotel. He gave Xu Po his address and returned to his home. He hadn¡¯t been back here in quite a while¡ªhis own house, which he¡¯d bought after returning to the country and moving out.


    The reason he had bought this place was because it had its own swimming pool. Right then, in the winter, the pool water was bone-freezingly cold. But despite the frigid temperature, Lu Chenzhou entered almost without hesitating, even neglecting to remove any of his clothes.


    It was that same feeling, that craziness¡­ like he wanted to destroy the whole world, only seeking destruction, wanting everything to¡­ die!


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 63: Not Intimate Enough Yet?

    Peng! Peng! Peng!


    Cheng Xi was abruptly woken up by someone knocking on her door, causing her to quickly spring up from her bed. She rubbed her hair to rouse herself and confusedly walked towards the door.


    ¡°Your phone¡¯s about to die from ringing too much.¡± Her mother handed her phone over, her own face also still hazy with sleep.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Cheng Xi yawned, but quickly covered her mouth and frowned when she saw who was calling.


    Since Cheng Xi had woken up earlier than usual this morning and ended up working for the entire day, she was exhausted by the time the restaurant closed. She obligingly ate a few bites of dinner before going to sleep; in that interval, she had somehow left her phone in the living room.


    Her mother looked at her unhappily. ¡°Who¡¯s this Lu Chenzhou? He¡¯s calling you so late and incessantly¡ªyou¡¯d think his house is on fire or something.¡±


    ¡°A patient,¡± Cheng Xi dryly remarked with a laugh. Then she hugged her mother, and went back inside her room with her phone.


    Before she picked up the call, she quickly glanced at the time; it was 11:25 PM. For people like her mother who had to wake up early in the morning, it was essentially the middle of the night.


    Who knew what Lu Chenzhou was calling her about.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to answer the phone all that much, but after thinking about it some more, she finally picked up.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Even through the phone, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice was conspicuously devoid of warmth. ¡°I want to see you.¡± His attitude was as direct as ever: simple and rough.


    Cheng Xi, with her sensitive perception, immediately noticed that something was amiss with him. Lu Chenzhou was naturally aloof, but his normal coldness still carried with it at least a little refinement and courteousness. This wasn¡¯t at all like his current tone, which was unapologetically frigid.


    She recalled the earlier phone call from Baldy and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡± He kept pressing for an answer.


    Cheng Xi could only tell him the truth. ¡°I¡¯m with my mom. It¡¯s a bit far from the city.¡±


    Doodoo! The call suddenly dropped. Cheng Xi clutched the phone in her hand, only remembering to call Baldy after a while.


    She didn¡¯t save his number, so she could only scroll through her caller history. It took her two tries before she found the right number, and Baldy exploded once he realized it was her. ¡°And to think you¡¯re a doctor! You didn¡¯t even come help me when I was almost dead. F*ck, I almost died after the beating Boss Lu gave me. My hand¡¯s half-crippled! You better compensate me!¡±


    After he finished ranting, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    ¡°Hm? What do you mean what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°He called me just now, but he sounded off, so I¡¯d like to know if something happened to him.¡±


    ¡°If something happened to him¡­ Does wanting to see you but not being able to do so count?¡±


    Cheng Xi frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not joking.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not either. He really does just want to see you.¡± Baldy was serious, but it also felt like a joke to him. ¡°Really, that guy¡­ I think he really is crazy about you. He wants to see you beyond a shadow of a doubt, but because you cuckolded him, he refuses to do so. Dr. Cheng, our Boss Lu¡¯s such a great guy, but why would you be so blind as to fall for that pretty guy instead?¡±


    Cheng Xi took a deep breath, barely restraining herself from cursing, and hung up silently.


    Ordinarily, it would take about one and a half hours to drive from the city to her mother¡¯s place. But about thirty minutes after Lu Chenzhou had hung up, Cheng Xi got another call from him.


    She¡¯d guessed that he was going to drive to her, so not only did she give him her mother¡¯s address, but she also changed her clothes in advance and crept to the front door as soon as his call arrived.


    Suburban buildings weren¡¯t as strictly guarded as those in the cities, and Lu Chenzhou had parked his car right underneath the building. As soon as Cheng Xi went outside, she saw the bright car headlights illuminating the nearby area.


    Lu Chenzhou was sitting at the head of the car, the headlights like beacons against the backdrop of the night sky. Under the harsh light, Cheng Xi could barely make out his outline. His familiar figure was tall and handsome, but with an edge of coldness tonight.


    Only when she walked a bit closer did she notice his unusual behavior. Despite the cold weather, Lu Chenzhou only had a thin shirt on. His gaze was firmly locked onto her, and he had a cigarette in his mouth.


    When he saw her walk over, he flicked his cigarette to the ground. His heel crushed it a second later, and the star-like glow vanished into the night.


    ¡°Are you¡­ alright?¡± Although Cheng Xi was worried about his mental condition, she didn¡¯t dare approach him, and maintained a distance of a few paces from him.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t speak, only looking at her silently for quite a while. Then, he got up and slowly approached her, his figure leaving the lamplight.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but feel like her head was about to explode. She was getting a dangerous vibe from him, and had to force herself to remain still and look back at him. Her voice was gentle as she asked, ¡°How are you? Why are you wearing so little? It¡¯s so cold outside, so why don¡¯t you get into the car first?¡± As she said this, she stretched out her hand to pull him into the car, but when she touched him, she was shocked. His clothes were wet, and his whole body was as cold as a block of ice!


    ¡°You¡­¡± She stared at him in disbelief. ¡°¡­didn¡¯t fall into a river, did you?¡±


    Cheng Xi disregarded everything else and tried to push him into the car, but Lu Chenzhou twisted his arm and firmly clutched her wrist instead.


    His hand was cold and hard. Before Cheng Xi could even react, she had been pulled into his embrace, sticking tightly to his body.


    She felt like she had been wrapped up by a block of ice. Her nose was touching his chest, and she was being hugged so tightly that the pain made tears well up in her eyes.


    She thought that he was trying to hug her to warm himself up, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s next moves were completely out of Cheng Xi¡¯s expectations. After he hugged her, he backed up a few steps, turned around, and pinned her against the car. Then, with his free hand, he pinched her jaw, forced her to raise her head, and without another word, kissed her.


    His lips were as cold as his personality, but very soft. Because he liked cleanliness, he was always clean-shaven and had no stubble. Despite his present condition, he still smelled good, his scent carrying a hint of smoky tobacco.


    Cheng Xi was very impressed with her ability to process so much information despite her circumstances. But she was very quickly left incapable of thought, because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s next move was to kiss her enthusiastically. He showered her with kisses, from her tightly closed lips to the bridge of her nose, her eyes, and finally her forehead. Unlike his lips, his tongue was warm and soft, raising layers of goosebumps as he licked her skin.


    Cheng Xi tried to avoid his kisses, but he pinned her down tightly. As one hand pressed her down, the other even pulled open her jacket¡¯s zipper, snaking into her clothes and down her collar.


    Only then did Cheng Xi start to panic. She struggled forcefully, and yelled desperately at him as she wriggled in fear. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, what¡¯s gotten into you? Wake up!¡±


    But he ignored her. As she spoke, he kissed her lips again. This time, he started sucking on her tongue without any sort of technique. It was instinctive, like the desperate struggle of someone who had been poisoned.


    Cheng Xi knew that she couldn¡¯t let the situation continue any longer. Her head was spinning as she tried to think of a way to extricate herself from this. As her logic slowly came back to her, she tried to relax her body. Once she stopped struggling, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s actions also became more gentle. He wasn¡¯t as forceful anymore, but he was still as rough as before¡­


    As he was tearing her underclothes apart without any care for the consequences, Cheng Xi finally decided on her plan of attack. She leaned as far back as she could, and then punched him squarely in the nose.


    Lu Chenzhou, who had been acting crazily for a while now, slowly fell down at her feet.


    At this moment, someone in the house upon which the strong headlights were aimed poked his head out the window. When he saw the two of them hugging, he couldn¡¯t help but yell out, ¡°We¡¯re almost blind from this light. Haven¡¯t the two of you gotten intimate enough yet?¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even think of a response. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 64: Is He a Beast, Or Is He a Beast?

    The Chengs had lived in this apartment for many years; in other words, their neighbors had essentially seen Cheng Xi grow up.


    Cheng Xi knew the man who had opened the windows and yelled at them. He wasn¡¯t too much older than Cheng Xi¡¯s father, but he was technically from her grandfather¡¯s generation. His favorite food from her parents¡¯ store was their alkaline noodles.


    His voice was very loud, shattering the silence of the night. It woke almost everyone in the apartment complex. Soon after the yell, Cheng Xi could see vague movement in the windows on the floors above and below his, and also from the rooms to his left and right.


    Creaking sounds echoed in the night as Cheng Xi clutched at Lu Chenzhou. Alright, I probably won¡¯t be able to hide the fact that I found a dolt as a boyfriend and was kissing him in public.


    It was cold, and she couldn¡¯t just stay curled up there without moving. Even if she didn¡¯t freeze to death, something would happen to Lu Chenzhou. But since she was unable to push or lift him off of herself, she could only ask someone for help. In the end, she decided to ask the person nearest to her: the old man who¡¯d shouted at her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, he¡¯s drunk. Could you help me carry him into the car?¡±


    Hearing her voice, the old man belatedly realized who it was. ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s Dr. Cheng! Sure, give me a moment.¡±


    Cheng Xi started sweating. Someone from the apartment above them quickly shouted, ¡°It¡¯s Dr. Cheng? Dr. Cheng, your boyfriend came looking for you this late?¡±


    Cheng Xi felt that, despite her recent thick-skinned behavior, she still wasn¡¯t accustomed to this level of scrutiny. She buried her head in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s shoulder; at that moment, she really wanted to fiercely gouge a hole in it.


    Why did he have to harm her like that?


    She pretended not to hear any of the heckling, intending to run away as soon as Lu Chenzhou was dragged into the car. Then, whether or not she destroyed or abandoned his corpse would be up to her. But the old man who came up to help her was surprisingly enthusiastic. When he noticed that his clothes were wet, he exclaimed, ¡°Did he fall into a river? It¡¯s so cold out that he might catch a cold. What are you thinking, dragging him into a car while he¡¯s in that state? Go home! Go home and change his clothes for him.¡± When he saw that Cheng Xi was unwilling to do so, he frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t get mad just because he¡¯s drunk. The fact that he came to find you despite how drunk he is implies that you¡¯re the only person in his heart. It¡¯s just that this situation is quite dangerous. If he gets caught by the police, he¡¯ll have to go to prison, and it wouldn¡¯t be good if an accident happened either.¡±


    He kept talking, his voice as loud as ever. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to explain anything at all, because things would only become more muddled the more she tried. Ultimately, she clenched her teeth and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m very thankful for your help.¡±


    The old man was surprisingly strong for his age, and was able to carry half of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s body weight on his own. He even had enough extra energy to move around and feel Lu Chenzhou¡¯s body. ¡°Even though he looks skinny, he¡¯s quite heavy and pretty solid! Your boyfriend¡¯s physique isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say in response. She found the car keys still stuck in the car, and pocketed them as she turned the headlights off and closed the car door. With that taken care of, she silently helped carry Lu Chenzhou into her parent¡¯s house.


    Her parents had originally been sleeping soundly, but they were promptly awakened by the noise of three people entering the house. The couple climbed out of bed, and upon seeing the man that their daughter had picked up in the middle of the night, made identical faces that clearly said, ¡°My goodness, am I blind?¡±


    But the man helping them didn¡¯t notice, and he started off by saying, ¡°Old Cheng, I¡¯m helping you bring your daughter¡¯s boyfriend home. He¡¯s drunk and his clothes are wet. You should quickly help him get changed.¡±


    He actually very much wanted to study ¡®Cheng Xi¡¯s boyfriend¡¯ some more, but was quickly yet politely sent away by Cheng Xi¡¯s father.


    Once they closed the front door, Cheng Xi and her parents looked at each other, both sides unsure of what to say. After a while, her mother finally pointed a trembling finger at Lu Chenzhou, who was lying on the sofa. ¡°What¡¯s this? Didn¡¯t you say that the two of you broke up?¡±


    Cheng Xi coughed awkwardly. ¡°This is a misunderstanding¡­¡±


    Her mother exploded. ¡°Misunderstanding?! If it were a misunderstanding, then why would he keep looking for you? It was him last time too, wasn¡¯t it? He¡¯s so drunk that he pounced on you as soon as he got in the door. Is he a beast, or is he a beast?¡± At this point, she even started scolding her husband. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! Last time when I wanted to go see her, you wouldn¡¯t allow me to, saying something about how she¡¯s grown up and knows what she¡¯s doing¡­ Is this what knowing what she¡¯s doing looks like? Sneaking someone into the house in the middle of the night¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi and her father both ended up getting berated by her mother. After she calmed down a bit, they went to tidy up the place and sort out the aftermath. Her father first softly told her mother, ¡°Now that it¡¯s come to this, we might as well get him settled down. He¡¯s as cold as ice. If he gets sick, he¡¯d really blame our daughter then.¡±


    Upon hearing this, her mother fell deep into thought. She fiercely glared at Cheng Xi one more time, and then went into Cheng Yang¡¯s room to look for some clothes that she could let Lu Chenzhou change into.


    Cheng Xi just stood there obediently, her head bowed as she emanated remorse. But internally, she was thinking that it was good that Lu Chenzhou really wasn¡¯t her boyfriend as his image had already been ruined in her parents¡¯ eyes.


    As for ¡°dolt¡± becoming ¡°useless dolt,¡± well¡­


    While her father was helping Lu Chenzhou change, Cheng Xi hid in her room, but that only caused her mother to show up, grab her by the ear, and scold her once more. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Her mother glared at her. ¡°You don¡¯t know why he came looking for you in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s ill.¡±


    Cheng Xi was telling the truth, but her mother didn¡¯t believe her and even continued to scold her. ¡°You¡¯d even get together with someone who¡¯s mentally unsound? Is the stress of being a doctor getting to you?!¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t refute her mother, because she felt that her mother did have a point. In some sense, from a doctor¡¯s perspective, she was unduly attracted to Lu Chenzhou.


    She also felt somewhat guilty; her parents normally got up very early and barely had any time to rest during the day, which made their sleep all the more important. Tonight, however, their rest had been disrupted over and over again.


    She pulled on her mother¡¯s hand anxiously and pleaded, ¡°Mom, please go back to sleep with dad for now. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be sure to handle this properly.¡±


    Her mother looked at her suspiciously.


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Cheng Xi smiled and decided to try to clear up Lu Chenzhou¡¯s name a little. ¡°He¡¯s not going to blame me. Don¡¯t worry. Oh, if you don¡¯t trust me, you can even ask Cheng Yang. He knows too.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother raised her eyebrows. ¡°He knows too?¡±


    ¡°Er¡­¡± Cheng Xi evaluated her position and decided that since they were siblings who had stayed in the same womb for ten months, it would be fine for him to take the fall every once in a while, right? So she nodded without any further deliberation. ¡°Yes, he knew it all.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what was going through her mother¡¯s mind, but she was so angry that her teeth couldn¡¯t stop grinding. Cheng Xi felt that, if Cheng Yang were in front of their mother right now, he would immediately receive a big beating.


    Her father knocked on the door. ¡°His clothes have been changed.¡±


    Cheng Xi and her mother walked out. Out of habit, Cheng Xi inspected Lu Chenzhou¡¯s condition. She first checked his skin temperature, then peeled his eyelids back to examine his pupils, and finally checked his heart rate through his wrist. Once she was finished, she nodded. ¡°Thank goodness¡­¡±


    Raising her head, she saw her parents looking at her strangely. Only then did Cheng Xi explain. With a soft cough, she said, ¡°Thank goodness he¡¯s not displaying any symptoms of a cold.¡± Looking at her father, she continued, ¡°Dad, when he wakes up tomorrow, let him thank you.¡±


    The only thing on her father¡¯s mind was that his own daughter was too simple-minded and somewhat silly. He couldn¡¯t bear to look at her anymore, so he merely waved his hand before retreating to his room.


    Her mother pointed a trembling finger at her again. ¡°You, you, you, you¡­ All my lectures have been for naught! Make him scram once he wakes up tomorrow. At any rate, I¡¯ll never accept someone like him.¡± After taking two steps back, she yelled at her again. ¡°Go sleep! Stop worrying about him!¡±


    Unfortunately, the misunderstanding between her and her parents seemed to have grown even deeper. They wouldn¡¯t believe that Lu Chenzhou was ill; naturally, her actions after they called her out would be misinterpreted as her caring for him.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stop herself from rubbing her temples. Once her parents had both left the room, she stood to the side and looked at Lu Chenzhou for a long while. She thought about what his cold face had looked like the first time she had ever seen him. It was hard for her to believe that one day, he would end up where he was now: wearing clothes one size too small for him and sleeping half-curled up on a sofa in her parents¡¯ house, looking pitiful and harmless.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 65: Would You Resist?

    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know if something had happened to him since she had last seen him, but his condition really wasn¡¯t that good. He had large eyebags, and when Cheng Xi pulled back his eyelids, she could clearly see red striations on his eyeballs, which was a common symptom of long-term sleep deprivation.


    Patients suffering from emotional detachment shared several symptoms with depression, and insomnia wasn¡¯t unusual. However, the fact that he could sleep even in this situation was somewhat strange.


    Cheng Xi was certain that her punch hadn¡¯t knocked him out, and he didn¡¯t look like he was in a coma either. The fact that he hadn¡¯t woken up yet meant that he was really asleep.


    Anyways, regardless of why, if he could sleep, then she hoped that he would have a good night¡¯s sleep tonight.


    Cheng Xi turned off the overhead lights, only leaving a small wall lamp as a source of light. As she prepared to return to her room, her father brought out a large quilt. ¡°Get that blanket off of him and replace it with this one.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at the quilt in her father¡¯s hands briefly before silently removing the blanket currently on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s body. Then, she watched her father push the heavy quilt onto his body. Instantly, the tall and long-limbed Mr. Lu had been submerged in endless piles of cotton.


    Once her father was finished, he even caringly dug out Lu Chenzhou¡¯s head as he said to Cheng Xi, ¡°The living room¡¯s cold, and this blanket is warm.¡± Since he was worried that the quilt would fall down, he even pushed all of the chairs in the room in front of the sofa so that he could drape the edges of the quilt on the chairs.


    Cheng Xi started sweating internally. The quilt that was currently covering Lu Chenzhou was, in Cheng Yang¡¯s words, a family treasure; Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had bought cotton and specially commissioned someone to stitch it. It weighed fifteen pounds, and Cheng Xi had once had the dubious fortune of being covered by it. Ever since then, she had been unwilling to use it again.


    Nothing was wrong with it; it was simply too heavy. If Lu Chenzhou woke up in the middle of the night with the blanket draped over him, he would feel paralyzed.


    Under her father¡¯s burning gaze, Cheng Xi returned to her own room with a thin blanket in her hands. She was usually able to fall asleep quickly easily¡ªeven after this whole mess, she had started feeling sleepy once she lay in bed and read a few pages from a random book.


    When she woke up, it was already morning, and there was a decent amount of light peeking through the window. She had even momentarily forgotten that Lu Chenzhou was here. When she got out of bed to use the restroom, she saw him covered in a thick, thick quilt. His posture reminded her of a large silkworm in its cocoon, half-sitting dazedly on the sofa. The sight caused her to freeze in her tracks, somewhat stupefied.


    After quite a while, she finally reacted. Oh yeah, that happened last night. She walked over and asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her without speaking.


    Cheng Xi noticed that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was actually bright red. In fact, it looked like he had caught a cold. To properly diagnose him, she removed all of the chairs by the sofa, pushed aside the quilt, and put her hand to his forehead.


    His temperature was indeed quite high. She then compared it to her own forehead before firmly asking, ¡°Are you awake? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou just looked at her for some time before finally slowly utterly two sentences: ¡°Where am I?¡± and ¡°Did you lie on me the entire night last night?¡±


    Cheng Xi was struck speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Although she knew that her parents wouldn¡¯t be home at this time of day, she still turned around to confirm that their door was closed, before turning back and saying, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? The quilt was just probably too heavy for you.¡± And then she answered his first question. ¡°This is my mom¡¯s place. I don¡¯t know what happened to you last night, but you ran over here completely drenched. Then, you even fainted so I had no choice but to let you sleep here for the night.¡± She asked again, ¡°Do you feel unwell anywhere?¡±


    As she said this, she noticed that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyes slowly sobered up until they finally returned to their usual coldness.


    There was a moment of silence before he replied, ¡°My throat hurts.¡±


    Cheng Xi was somewhat surprised because she didn¡¯t expect that he would actually answer. Regardless, she quickly recovered and nodded in response. ¡°Then you¡¯ve probably caught a cold. Wait here a moment.¡± She went to go find a thermometer so that she could check his temperature.


    Lu Chenzhou actually took it from her obediently, putting it in his mouth without complaint.


    When Cheng Xi had finished washing up in the bathroom, he was still biting down on it. Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Alright, give it to me now.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou gave her the thermometer and Cheng Xi looked at it: 38 degrees Celsius. ¡°You have a fever. Do you want to go to the hospital?¡±


    He looked at her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a doctor?¡±


    She laughed at his simplistic response. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to treat a cold.¡±


    His eyes drooped, and he didn¡¯t say anything. His body language obviously showed that he didn¡¯t want to go to the hospital.


    As a doctor, Cheng Xi naturally had a medicine kit at home, with pills for common colds and headaches. Without any other option, she said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll try to help. However, if you don¡¯t get better, then you can¡¯t blame me.¡± When she came closer, she could clearly see his face and the eyelashes curling up from his eyes. At this moment. they were drooping, just like a quiet butterfly¡¯s folded wings.


    What was the point of a man having such long eyelashes? Cheng Xi sighed before saying, ¡°Lift your head up.¡±


    He lifted his head, still looking at her coolly with his chillingly frosty pupils.


    She was actually somewhat at a loss for words. A moment later, she coughed dryly and said, ¡°Open your mouth.¡±


    He opened his mouth. Cheng Xi hesitated for a moment before she grasped his jaw, tilted his face back, and looked at his throat under the lamplight.


    ¡°Make an ¡®Aaah¡¯ sound.¡±


    He did, a rare moment of cooperation.


    ¡°Yes, it seems that your throat¡¯s slightly swollen.¡± When Cheng Xi finished examining his throat, she looked at his tongue, and then took his wrist and measured his pulse.


    He looked at her, his eyes constantly following her hands. ¡°You know how to do this too?¡±


    As Cheng Xi carefully measured his pulse, she said, ¡°I took a few classes while in university because I was curious.¡± She let go of him before giving her diagnosis. ¡°From your symptoms, it seems like it¡¯s a common cold. I have some medicine at home that you can try first. But if the symptoms persist, then I recommend that you go to the hospital.¡±


    She got up, preparing to get him some medicine. However, Lu Chenzhou suddenly stretched out his hand and clutched her wrist tightly.


    His hands were normally cold, but his palm was warm right now, which made her feel like if her skin had caught on fire.


    She didn¡¯t make a fuss or show any repulsion on her face, only turning back and looking at him with a neutral expression. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask why I came here looking for you?¡±


    Cheng Xi actually didn¡¯t want to ask, and she barely wanted to remember what had happened last night at all. Her current calm was entirely predicated on her pretending to not be aware of the rumors that were definitely spreading by now and her mental stance of viewing him as a patient.


    From his expression, his answer definitely would not bring her any comfort.


    When Lu Chenzhou saw that she wasn¡¯t going to answer, he smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s because I can¡¯t control myself. I really want to have sex with you. These few days, it¡¯s been a constant urge, during the whole day. Why am I like this?¡± He tugged at her wrist, his pupils dilated.


    She heard him ask, ¡°If I do something right now, would you resist?¡± in a refined and courteous manner completely unbefitting those words.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 66: Cheng Xi, Do You Want to Die?

    Cheng Xi felt like her hair was standing on end. She looked at Lu Chenzhou, tightened her hand into a fist, and prepared to punch him again as she calmly asked, ¡°Have you ever had this sort of feeling in the past?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Sexual desire.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou shook his head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Never? Or yes, but never as uncontrollable as this? Or has it been so long since you¡¯ve had any sexual activity that these urges have become uncontrollable? You¡¯ve probably had some experience with sexual activities in the past, right?¡±


    She immediately reverted to a doctor¡¯s perspective and handled his response in a practiced and proficient manner. Originally, her plan had been to delay until she could formulate a more comprehensive strategy to deal with him. However, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s response to her prepared questions was entirely unexpected. He raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°What does this have to do with the fact that I want to have sex with you?¡±


    As he said this, he even tugged at her so forcefully that Cheng Xi had to grab onto the edge of the sofa with all her strength to avoid being dragged any closer to him.


    Right now, Cheng Xi felt that Lu Chenzhou and Baldy were truly meant to be friends; they both shared the same tendency of saying things in a direct and unpleasant fashion.


    She frowned and replied, ¡°Of course they¡¯re related. Only after understanding your specific situation can I help you control these urges of yours. If we approach this from the perspective of animal behavioral studies, then we start with the assumption that all uncontrollable urges are bestial. Thus; the best thing you can do, Mr. Lu, is to learn how to control your body better so that a situation like what happened last night doesn¡¯t happen again. You might not have realized it, but what you did last night was in fact very dangerous. Driving at high speeds while in that sort of condition could have, at any point¡ª¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was particularly sincere, and everything she said was to help him. However, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t have the patience to listen to another word. While she was still in the middle of talking, he suddenly pulled at her body with one hand while holding her waist with the other, and Cheng Xi fell onto his body.


    Luckily for Cheng Xi, there was a thick quilt between the two of them, sufficient to cushion her fall. But while she was still feeling thankful, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand moved as though it were about to snake into her clothes.


    That was the last straw. Resigning herself to the fact that she wouldn¡¯t be able to reason with him, Cheng Xi decided to use the same strategy she had last night and tried to punch him to calm him down before talking with him any further. But this time, the clearheaded Lu Chenzhou reacted quickly; just as her punch was about to land, he tilted his head, almost sheerly through instinct. Peng! Her fist landed on his jaw instead.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou fiercely sucked in air through his teeth. Because the sudden spike of pain was so strong, his eyes teared up, but he also let go of her.


    Even Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in sympathy. It must really have hurt because even her hand hurt; her fingers almost felt like they were broken!


    This was all because her punch had applied force incorrectly and in the wrong position.


    ¡°Hey.¡± She quickly extricated herself from the sofa, and watched on from a few paces away. ¡°I didn¡¯t intentionally try to hit you there. Are you alright?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her as he rubbed his jaw, his gaze becoming more lucid with each passing second. Evidently, the pain had caused his urges to wane.


    Cheng Xi relaxed, releasing a long breath. ¡°If you feel like something¡¯s wrong with your body, I recommend that you go to the hospital and get a diagnosis. Now, are you finally going to leave?¡±


    She was even chasing him away. Lu Chenzhou was angry enough that he started laughing, no longer caring about the pain. He looked at her dimly. ¡°You¡¯re actually chasing me away?¡±


    ¡°You can think of it that way. After all, given your condition, it isn¡¯t suitable for you to remain here. I already have a boyfriend, so you doing those things to me is unethical.¡±


    Boyfriend¡­ if she hadn¡¯t brought it up, Lu Chenzhou would have forgotten about it. He¡¯d really taken precautions against that too late, given that she even knew to use it as a warning against him.


    How exasperating!


    And his lower jaw was pulsing with pain¡ªno, his entire face was pulsating. Thinking back to last night, he said, ¡°You punched me twice.¡±


    Cheng Xi was stunned speechless by his rebuttal. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She watched him return to lying down on the sofa. When he stretched his hand out to pull the quilt back over himself, he noticed that his shirt sleeves were shorter than usual, so he lifted his arm and looked at it quizzically. ¡°Whose clothes are these?¡± He smelled them gingerly and his frown deepened. ¡°Where are mine?¡±


    The expression of disdain on his face was so evident that Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but suspect that the clothes that her mother had found for him were ones that Cheng Yang had worn but hadn¡¯t washed yet.


    And then she saw him, without hesitation, start to unbutton his shirt and remove his clothes. Cheng Xi instantly turned away. ¡°My mother¡¯s coming back soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lu Chenzhou continued unabated after already having removed his shirt, which revealed his pale and well-toned upper body. He looked at her, and then a rustling sound coming from within the quilt; he was obviously taking off his pants too.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. ¡°Can¡¯t you wait even a minute? Let me see if your clothes are dry.¡±


    She walked to the balcony and saw that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s clothes were indeed hanging up there. But since they had been hand-washed, they were still dripping wet. Her hardworking mother couldn¡¯t stand having piles of dirty laundry in the house, so she must have washed them in the morning before she left.


    But she had forgotten to dry them¡­ so was he going to end up naked in front of her mother again? Cheng Xi already felt a headache forming.


    It was precisely this sort of thing that Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t care about at all. It wasn¡¯t that he was shameless, but rather that he just didn''t care at all about what other people thought, because his own comfort was the most important thing to him¡ªfrom this perspective, the fact that he had been able to suppress his urges for so long was amazing to Cheng Xi.


    And last night, all of his repressed desires had probably exploded forth, his actions no longer under the control of his reason. In other words, Lu Chenzhou had been acting purely on instinct last night.


    After this thought popped into her head, Cheng Xi decided to treat him a bit better, but this decision lasted only until she reentered the living room. The first thing she saw was Lu Chenzhou, utterly naked and exposed to the air after having left the confines of his quilt.


    At least his back was facing her. He was standing there, meticulously inspecting his body for any anomalies. When he heard her approaching, he turned around.


    Cheng Xi swiftly raised her hand to cover her eyes, turned around to avoid looking at him at all, and said, ¡°Do you really have to behave in such an exaggerated way?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice was fierce. ¡°I have a rash on my body.¡±


    Cheng Xi helplessly said, ¡°...Put your clothes on first. I¡¯ll look at it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t put them on!¡±


    ¡°Then get back into your quilt first!¡±


    ¡°Is that necessary? If I remember correctly, we seem to have already gotten in bed together.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s voice suddenly rang out. Before Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou could even react, they heard her shrill, high-decibel yell. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaah! Why aren¡¯t you wearing any clothes?!¡±


    Neither Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou could respond.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s house had an entranceway that was separated from the living room by a thick wall, so neither of them had realized that her mother had entered the room earlier.


    And as Cheng Xi¡¯s mother entered, she heard Lu Chenzhou and her daughter¡¯s conversation filled with explosive details, so she hurriedly ran inside. The first thing she saw was the incomparably and unusually provocative naked body of Lu Chenzhou.


    Her mother was about to collapse. ¡°Cheng Xi!!! Do you want to die?!¡±


    The first precept of the Cheng family¡¯s child-rearing method: if someone¡¯s at fault, it¡¯s always your children. Even if someone else started it, it¡¯s still your children¡¯s fault---who asked them to provoke others?


    Cheng Xi had a premonition that, if she didn¡¯t handle this matter well, she would have a very hard life in the future.


    Previous Chapter Next Chapte

 Chapter 67: Do You Like My Daughter?

    At the very least, Lu Chenzhou had enough shame to cover himself up with the quilt when he realized that Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was in the room. He was even obedient enough to apologize to her. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t expect you to be here.¡±


    This time, he really wasn¡¯t wearing anything. Luckily for Cheng Xi¡¯s mother, all she saw was his naked backside---but just that was shocking enough already.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother glanced at him, summarily ignored him, took a deep breath, and glared at Cheng Xi. ¡°Come out here right now!¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at Lu Chenzhou, causing the latter to say in a particularly serious tone, ¡°I really do have rashes on my body.¡±


    When Cheng Xi and her mother stepped out to the corridor outside, her mother immediately started questioning her. Cheng Xi responded, ¡°He has rashes on his body, so he took off his clothes to see how serious it was.¡±


    Her mother stared at her in annoyance. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m an idiot? Even if he has rashes, would he have to strip naked for you to look at him?¡±


    Cheng Xi blinked innocently. ¡°We had to conduct a thorough inspection.¡±


    Her mother was so angry she began to yell incoherently. ¡°Thorough¡­ are the two of you thoroughly crazy?!¡±


    Somehow, she had hit the nail on its head. Cheng Xi nodded seriously. ¡°Actually, he is, so please don¡¯t mind what he does too much. He¡¯s somewhat abnormal in the head.¡±


    Cheng Xi was truly speaking her true thoughts, even if her mother didn¡¯t believe her. But her mother pointed at her head and said, ¡°I think that your head¡¯s also abnormal! Make him leave! Make him leave quickly!¡± As her mother said this, she clutched her chest; whenever she thought about that scene just now, she felt like her eyes were really going to go blind from shock.


    Cheng Xi also wanted Lu Chenzhou to leave as quickly as possible, but the key problem was¡­ ¡°Erm, he doesn¡¯t have any clothes to wear¡­ Brother¡¯s clothes are too short for him.¡±


    In their family, both her father and her brother were shorter than Lu Chenzhou, so naturally, they didn¡¯t have any clothes that would fit him.


    At this point, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was so angry that she was about to burst out into laughter. ¡°So there¡¯s nothing you can do, is there?¡± She ran inside the living room angrily, preparing to roll up her sleeves and chase Lu Chenzhou out of the house herself; dolts could only be dealt with by force! But when she entered the room, she heard Lu Chenzhou making a call: ¡°...Send me a set of clothes. Yes, right now. I¡¯ll send you the address.¡±


    Once Lu Chenzhou finished making the call and saw that Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had entered the room, he lowered his body and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I might need to bother you for a little while more.


    He was quite handsome, so when he said these courteous words with his eyes lowered, it could almost make one forget all the unreasonable things that he had done.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s anger was immediately halved, and her voice softened. ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to chase you out, but¡­ do you realize that your actions have been highly inappropriate?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The feeling he gave to others was still very cold, but now, it was a charming coldness, like a white lotus blooming on a snowy mountaintop.


    Last time, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had been so angry and shocked that she hadn¡¯t looked at him that carefully. This time, however, when she looked closely, she noticed that the fellow actually looked quite handsome; no wonder her normally obedient daughter would secretly defy her for him.


    She gradually relaxed and then asked, ¡°How long have you been dating my daughter for?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his head and vigorously shook it. ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re not dating.¡±


    At this moment, Cheng Xi quickly interjected, ¡°Mom, I already told you this. He¡¯s not my boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Chenzhou added on, still in a cool tone, but with an additional tinge of grievance.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother twisted her head around to glare at her daughter, the meaning in her eyes particularly obvious: Step to the side and stop talking nonsense! She turned back around and kept talking to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°If you¡¯re not my daughter¡¯s boyfriend, then what¡¯s your relationship with her?¡±


    When she entered the house, she had definitely heard him say that the two of them had even been in bed together. That wasn¡¯t a hallucination, was it? Definitely not!


    Lu Chenzhou remained silent, like he was reluctant to say anything.


    Cheng Xi, who had been forbidden from ¡®speaking nonsense,¡¯ couldn¡¯t bear it any further. She stepped in and said, ¡°Mom, we¡¯re just friends. Regular friends.¡±


    This time, Lu Chenzhou responded, glancing at Cheng Xu as he did so. ¡°Oh.¡±


    My goodness. Is he really trying to paint himself as a white lotus on a tall mountain and me as the evil boss of a crime syndicate? Cheng Xi huffed in anger¡ªshe didn¡¯t know that Lu Chenzhou was this skilled at acting. She glowered at him as she threatened, ¡°Hey, Mr. Lu, can you speak properly?¡±


    Her mother stared at her. ¡°You¡¯re the one who should speak properly! Go to the side. I didn¡¯t ask you anything!¡± Looking back at Lu Chenzhou, she then straightforwardly said, ¡°Do you like my daughter?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dislike her.¡±


    Without a doubt, he was speaking the truth¡ªhe indeed did not dislike Cheng Xi. As for like, well, he really just ¡®liked¡¯ her. Unfortunately, her mother thought that Lu Chenzhou was trying to be tactful as there were some things that he didn¡¯t dare to say. She sighed, and comfortingly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll have Cheng Xi make it up to you.¡±


    Cheng Xi made an ¡®orz¡¯ expression on her face [TL: ¡®orz¡¯ looks like a person kneeling down with his head on the ground], and finally felt that this misunderstanding couldn¡¯t be allowed to deepen any further. She stretched out her hand and pulled her mother towards her. ¡°Mom, come here. I¡¯ll explain everything to you.¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou reacted quickly and smiled coolly as he said, ¡°Mrs. Cheng, actually, nothing much happened. We¡¯re truly not in a relationship, and she owed me nothing. The first time we met, something happened that shouldn¡¯t have, but that was my fault.¡±


    Cheng Xi was about to explode. ¡°What do you mean something happened that shouldn¡¯t have?! Nothing happened, alright?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her casually, nodding. ¡°Oh.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mouth was open, but she had no response to give. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She really couldn¡¯t clear things up anymore! Even if she dragged her mother into a room and told her the truth, that Lu Chenzhou was only her patient with an abnormal mental condition, her mother most likely wouldn¡¯t believe her, would she?


    Evidently, her mother couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore, and started scolding her loudly. ¡°I told you not to talk. Don¡¯t you understand?!¡± She looked at Lu Chenzhou again, her tone as amiable as could be. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I said that she would make it up to you, and she will. As for last night, why did you come looking for Cheng Xi so late at night?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was silent, and only after a little while did he say, ¡°Actually, I have nothing. I also don¡¯t know how I ended up here.¡± Looking towards her mother, he said, ¡°And again, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t intentionally strip in front of you. I really am having an allergic reaction. Look.¡±


    As he said this, he stretched out his hand. The wrist he revealed did have a large lump of red rashes; because his skin was white and he¡¯d been scratched himself, it was particularly striking.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother believed him with absolute certainty now. She stood up and said, ¡°It really does look quite serious. Sit down, and I¡¯ll get some medicine for you. It¡¯ll get better in no time. You come too, help Mom take a look if this medicine is fine.¡± The last sentence was directed at Cheng Xi. Disregarding her willingness, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother pulled her into another room and closed the door. The first words out of her mouth were, ¡°I don¡¯t know when you became like this. How can you be so wild with intimate relationships?¡±


    And then she asked, ¡°Do you really have another boyfriend?¡±


    Cheng Xi was still trying to process the situation, speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t laugh or cry. ¡°Mom, can you not cause more trouble? The relationship I have with him isn¡¯t what you think it is. I promise.¡±


    ¡°You promise? Last time, you even promised to break up with him. But, what was the result? Through the video call, your father and I clearly saw that he pounced on you as soon as he entered! And, last night, old grandfather Li even told us that, in the middle of the night, you ran downstairs to be intimate with him! Cheng Xi, if you¡¯re unwilling to admit what your relationship with him is because of our objection, that¡¯s nothing. Last time, your dad also convinced me that you younger generation will do fine even without my supervision. Given your age, it¡¯s also normal for you to get a boyfriend. I just think that he¡¯s a bit dazed. But after looking at him again today, I guess he¡¯s alright, a bit empty headed, but he does truly like you. If the two of you want to get together, then that¡¯s fine too. As long as his family¡¯s background is alright and he truly treats you well, then as your parents, we won¡¯t object. So don¡¯t pretend to have another boyfriend to dodge our questions. Really, I¡¯ve seen those two-timing people, and they make my heart worry for them.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother waved her hand, and in a clearly exhausted voice, she said, ¡°Go out. Go look at his rashes. Tell him that if he¡¯s serious, then we should make plans for our two families to meet and get food together sometime.¡±


    ¡°...Mom, haven¡¯t you changed your mind a bit too quickly?¡±


    Her mother became incensed again. ¡°If we didn¡¯t change our mind, then would we have to wait for you to become pregnant before acknowledging the two of you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    A doorbell rang outside. Cheng Xi¡¯s mother glared at her one last time before walking out.


    Cheng Xi followed her out, and somewhat felt exhausted when she saw Lu Chenzhou curled up on the sofa like a mealworm.


    Her mother had gone to open the door when she heard her somewhat forced laughter. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Lin Fan? What¡¯re you doing here so early?¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s warm voice responded, ¡°Good morning, Auntie. I¡¯m here to bring Cheng Xi to work.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Lu Chenzhou tilted his head at her.


    As for Cheng Xi, well, she really didn¡¯t know what to do now.


    At this time, she really wanted to make an anonymous forum post: my real boyfriend¡¯s at the door, and he¡¯s about to see my purported boyfriend sleeping in my home. But really, nothing happened. How can I explain the situation to everyone involved? Waiting online, quite urgent!


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 68: Untitled

    Since she didn¡¯t understand the full story, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s heart was forlorn upon seeing Lin Fan. This was the perfect son-in-law for her daughter: capable and thoughtful, possessing a good pedigree, a good education¡ªand from abroad, no less! This was someone she¡¯d be proud of bragging about.


    More importantly, he was old classmates with her daughter, so they knew each other through and through.


    But since her daughter already had Lu Chenzhou, she could only restrain her feelings and say, ¡°Picking up Cheng Xi? How could we trouble you to do something like that? Her boyfriend¡¯s already here to pick her up.¡±


    Although Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t see Lin Fan¡¯s face, she could imagine what kind of expression he was making. It was undoubtedly a complicated one, impossible to describe.


    She quickly walked out, already exasperated with her mother. ¡°Mom, what are you saying?¡± And then she looked at Lin Fan. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here? Why don¡¯t you come in for now.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t just leave him standing outside; if she did, his questions would only increase.


    Her mother and Lin Fan both looked at her with very different expressions. Her mother looked like she was blaming her, as she probably felt that she was being too intimate with Lin Fan. But Lin Fan, on the other hand, was quite calm and was even smiling at her.


    Her mother sighed in her heart again, and she reluctantly opened the shoe cupboard to retrieve a pair of slippers for him. When Lin Fan walked in and saw Lu Chenzhou, who was draped in a quilt and lying on the sofa, he clearly became flustered; in his confusion, he looked at Cheng Xi once again.


    Cheng Xi looked back at him hopefully, but he didn¡¯t say anything. With his eyes half-closed, he remained silent for a while before putting the things he was carrying on the table.


    They were fruits that he had bought on his way over. There were some farmers growing strawberries by a shed on the roadside. He had seen them and specifically picked them out himself, choosing the freshest ones that were bright, vibrant, and still glistening with morning dew.


    As if her mother was afraid that Lin Fan¡¯s misunderstanding wasn¡¯t deep enough, she introduced the other man in the room. ¡°This is Lu¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou finished Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s sentence for her. ¡°Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    ¡°Right, Lu Chenzhou, Cheng Xi¡¯s boyfriend. Lin Fan, if you¡¯re here so early, then you must not have eaten yet, right? I¡¯ll go and make something for you to eat.¡± After saying this, she ran to the door to do exactly that. The rumors that the neighbors were spreading outside left her incapable of staying in the shop, so after Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had finished all her errands in the morning, she used the excuse that she needed to bring her daughter breakfast to go back home and see what Lu Chenzhou and her daughter were up to. But right as she entered, she had been so shocked by what she heard and saw that she had completely forgotten about bringing them food.


    Before she could enter the kitchen, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother even called her over. ¡°Come help me, quickly. Old Li¡¯s helping too, but I¡¯m afraid that your dad won¡¯t be able to handle the diner on his own.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at Lin Fan with a somewhat helpless expression, but she still followed her mother into the kitchen.


    As the two of them worked, her mother initially didn¡¯t say anything. But when breakfast was almost ready, she softly said to Cheng Xi, ¡°There¡¯s nothing going on between you and Lin Fan, is there?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t respond. The situation outside was way too complex to explain right now, and while her mother was trying to help, she was only making matters worse.


    Her mother clearly misunderstood her and sighed---not to scold her, but to express her sentiments. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you¡¯re planning, but since you¡¯ve already got someone and aren¡¯t planning on ending the relationship, you should wrap up all your other intentions. Do you hear me?¡±


    As a closing remark, her mother even earnestly said, ¡°In life, what¡¯s most important is knowing when you have enough!¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at her mother, her feelings complicated. After the lecture, all she could say in response was, ¡°¡­¡­Oh.¡±


    Breakfast was particularly quiet. Lu Chenzhou ate from the sofa, Cheng Xi and Lin Fan ate at the dining table, and as for Cheng Xi¡¯s mother, once breakfast was prepared and her husband called for her, she had left hurriedly.


    Once Cheng Xi¡¯s mother left, Lu Chenzhou put down his bowl of noodles and used his chopsticks to pick up a little steamed bun. He ate it slowly as he watched Cheng Xi and Lin Fan.


    Cheng Xi was trying her hardest to pretend that he didn¡¯t exist. After a few bites, she felt that the atmosphere in the room was too strange, and she talked to Lin Fan in an attempt to disperse it. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to go on a business trip for a few days? Why did you end up returning so quickly?¡±


    ¡°After arriving, I realized that they didn¡¯t need me. So, I took the overnight flight back.¡±


    As he explained, his expression was somewhat strange. Cheng Xi noticed it and thought that he was still offended by Lu Chenzhou¡¯s presence. To assuage him, she quickly reached out and grabbed his hand. ¡°Lin Fan, do you trust me?¡±


    Lin Fan looked at her in a daze.


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou and I really aren¡¯t what you think you¡¯re seeing, I¡¯ll explain it to you later, but for now, will you believe me?¡±


    As she said this, even Cheng Xi herself felt pale and feeble. Lin Fan strove to smile, but was unsuccessful. He put down his bowl and chopsticks, rubbed his face, and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just got off the plane and am still a bit tired. If it¡¯s fine with you, I¡¯m going to leave first. Is that okay?¡±


    Cheng Xi stared at him for an indeterminate length of time before finally quietly saying, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Lin Fan got up very quickly. Cheng Xi sent him to the door, and he didn¡¯t even turn around as he left.


    When she returned to the living room, Lu Chenzhou was still nibbling at his little steamed bun. With a casual glance at Cheng Xi, he said, ¡°He¡¯s mad.¡±


    ¡°All thanks to you.¡± Thinking about it some more, she sat in front of him and seriously asked, ¡°Mr. Lu, what exactly are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°I told you already. I want to have sex with you.¡±


    ¡°And besides that?¡±


    ¡°I want to marry you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°As for whether I should marry you first and then have sex with you, or have sex with you first and then marry you, I¡¯m still considering.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She took a pillow by the sofa and threw it savagely at him. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re considering?! Have you ever stopped to consider how I feel? I don¡¯t like you, so I¡¯ve never even considered marrying you! Can you stop thinking about yourself? And it must have been a while since you last had any sexual activity, right? As a fully grown adult, if your body is normal, abstinence is harmful to your body. In serious cases, both males and females might experience symptoms such as insomnia, loss of appetite, reclusive and eccentric behavior, violent tendencies, and so on. You should consider releasing your pent-up desires appropriately and not just fixate on a single person or a thing, okay?!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stared at her, his gaze profound.


    She returned the stare fiercely. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you not understand?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou asked, ¡°Are you like that?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you experience insomnia, loss of appetite, reclusive and eccentric behavior, or any violent tendencies?¡±


    Originally, out of concern for his feelings, she had tried to be tactful, but he had used those exact words to mock her.


    Cheng Xi glared at him, a feeling of helplessness washing over her yet again. She shrugged her hands, too lazy to say any more, and got up to wash the dishes.


    She only had one notion in her mind now: to hurry up and tell Cai Yi that she was of humble talent and shallow learning; that surely she couldn¡¯t treat this fellow.


    Behind her, Lu Chenzhou was still looking at her back, and he was unable to stop himself from clutching at his chest. When he heard her say that she didn¡¯t like him and that she wasn¡¯t planning on marrying him, he had felt his chest suddenly start throbbing. It was an indescribable and strange feeling, as if the blood coursing through his heart was overheating, or as if someone was gently, subtly, and incessantly poking him with a needle.


    It hurt so much that he couldn¡¯t calm down.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 69: He’s My Boyfriend Now

    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to face Lu Chenzhou right now, so she started to slowly clean up the dining table. Once she felt like her emotions had settled back to normal, she went out again.


    Lu Chenzhou was curled up in his quilt and sitting there like an old monk deep in meditation. When he saw Cheng Xi enter the room, he opened his eyes and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your house number?¡±


    Cheng Xi had originally decided to ignore all his words, but when she heard this question, she could only stifle her indignation and answer.


    Lu Chenzhou picked up his phone to make another call. Not long after, the doorbell rang again. Cheng Xi opened the door, and, as expected, someone was here with Lu Chenzhou¡¯s clothes. It was Mr. Chen, who had driven them to Chen Jiaman¡¯s hometown.


    He was carrying a large pile of miscellaneous things, including quite a number of bags. Seeing Cheng Xi, he smiled, removed a bag, and then gave the rest to her. ¡°These are presents that old Mr. and Mrs. Lu have prepared for you, to make up for Mr. Lu¡¯s inconvenience.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say.


    She twisted her head around to look at Lu Chenzhou, who was sitting upright and still. He maintained an impassive expression, ignoring Cheng Xi¡¯s questioning glance.


    With Lu Chenzhou refusing to intervene, Cheng Xi could only say to Mr. Chen, ¡°Please take these things back. Old Mr. and Mrs. Lu are too polite. I can¡¯t accept these gifts.¡±


    Mr. Chen had already walked in and given the bag of clothes to Lu Chenzhou, and he smiled upon hearing her words. ¡°I don¡¯t have any choice either. Old Mr. Lu told me that even if you refuse to take them, I¡¯m not allowed to bring them back. Dr. Cheng, please don¡¯t make things difficult for me.¡±


    After saying this, he immediately left. Without any other choice, Cheng Xi could only say to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°These gifts¡­¡­¡±


    But before she could finish speaking, she quickly turned around again; Lu Chenzhou, the shameless prick, had just tossed his quilt aside and shamelessly started changing his clothes without any misgivings whatsoever.


    Cheng Xi flew into a rage. ¡°Can¡¯t you cover yourself up a little?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± he responded simply before meandering in a circle in front of her and then finally entering the bathroom.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say anymore. Once he entered, she went through the gifts that she had been given. They weren¡¯t too expensive, and, perhaps it was because they knew Cheng Xi¡¯s parents worked in a diner, but the gifts mainly consisted of seafood that could be used to make stock?¡ªCheng Xi had even seen some of them in her parents¡¯ diner before.


    No one in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s family was simple to deal with; even their gifts were carefully selected so that people couldn¡¯t find a reason to refuse them.


    Once Lu Chenzhou had changed clothes, Cheng Xi asked him, ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring these back with you?¡±


    He stood in front of her without looking at the gifts. After quietly staring at her for a long time, he finally said, ¡°Are you worried that if you take these things, you¡¯ll be entangled with us?¡±


    ¡°No. I only feel that I shouldn¡¯t receive these for having done nothing.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou lowered his head, rolled up his sleeves, and coolly replied, ¡°Then think of it as the fee for letting me stay over last night.¡±


    After saying that, he prepared to leave. However, as he did so, Cheng Xi called him back. ¡°You still have clothes¡­¡­¡±


    As she said this, he kept walking; but before she could finish speaking, the door was slammed shut in her face.


    Some time later, Cheng Xi realized that Lu Chenzhou had been angry, but she couldn¡¯t fathom why.


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t sure what had caused it, and she didn¡¯t want to think about it either. She didn¡¯t have to go to the hospital in the afternoon, but she still had classes at that time. If she didn¡¯t leave now, she would be late.


    She rode the bus to campus, which shook over and over on the bumpy road. In the meantime, she tried to call Lin Fan, but he didn¡¯t pick up and instead replied with a terse text message. ¡°Something came up. I¡¯ll call you later.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at his message, sighed silently, and then called Cai Yi. She had originally wanted to discuss Lu Chenzhou¡¯s case with her, but it turned out that Cai Yi was also on a trip, and she would only return after two days.


    Thus, Cheng Xi could only discard her thoughts about him and focus on teaching and working. When she had time, she would ponder Chen Jiaman¡¯s illness. She currently had two very troublesome patients: Lu Chenzhou, she¡¯d already decided to get rid of, but she very much wished to cure Chen Jiaman. Not only because she¡¯d promised Lin Fan that she would do so, but also because this was the only way that she could prove to herself that she hadn¡¯t completely failed as a doctor.


    That day, after Cheng Xi had got out of a meeting, the head nurse told her, ¡°There¡¯s a pretty lady looking for you. I told her to wait in your office.¡±


    Cheng Xi thanked her and went back to her office. The first thing she saw as she entered was a well-behaved back sitting upright and facing away from the door. When that person heard the door open, she turned around, her face showing a slight smile.


    ¡°Dr. Cheng.¡± She stood up, greeting her.


    It was that colleague of Lin Fan¡¯s, Meng Qingyang.


    Cheng Xi was a bit surprised, not because she had come to find her, but rather because her condition seemed to have improved considerably. Even though it had only been a few days since Cheng Xi had seen her, she no longer looked as gloomy, and even her eyes had brightened up considerably.


    Cheng Xi nodded back, and then asked Meng Qingyang how she was doing, if she were an old friend. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me before coming over?¡± Then, as she put her documents down, she asked, ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Do you have coffee?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°I recommend water instead. It¡¯s better for you.¡±


    ¡°Doctor, it¡¯s not that you don¡¯t have any coffee, is it?¡± Meng Qingyang was even making jokes now; her tone was a bit pampered, but at least, she hadn¡¯t gotten mad from her demands not being met.


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re right. So do you want a glass of water?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Cheng Xi poured her a glass, and then one for herself as well. She looked at Meng Qingyang as she commented, ¡°Your complexion looks much better.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because¡­¡± Meng Qingyang rubbed the glass in her hands and smiled lightly as she drew out the words in her answer. ¡°I also found a very beautiful boy.¡±


    Cheng Xi raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Really? Then, congratulations.¡±


    For patients suffering from depression, being able to fall in love and having someone to look after them was a very good thing. Cheng Xi was truly quite happy for her, even if she thought that the speed at which Meng Qingyang had found love was somewhat fast. But in modern society, a fateful encounter that led to romance could take place in the blink of an eye.


    Meng Qingyang asked, ¡°Doctor, will you be happy for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Cheng Xi answered with a nod. ¡°In the future, you have to continue telling yourself that you¡¯ll get even better. There¡¯ll be many more wonderful experiences for you to discover in life.¡±


    Meng Qingyang stared at Cheng Xi with a focused gaze for some time before she cryptically said, ¡°Doctor, you¡¯re a good person.¡± She then stood up and politely said, ¡°I¡¯m going to leave now. I came here today to thank you. If not for what you said that day, then I really might have dug myself into a dead end.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°No problem. It¡¯s your own strong will that dug yourself out of there .¡±


    She got up to send Meng Qingyang to the door. But right before Meng Qingyang was about to step out, she suddenly paused, her hand on the door handle but not making a move.


    Cheng Xi found it somewhat odd, and carefully called out to her. ¡°Miss Meng?¡±


    Meng Qingyang turned her head around and abruptly asked, ¡°Dr. Cheng, what happened with you and the boy you met?¡±


    Was she trying to find strength from her? Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Em, he¡¯s my boyfriend now.¡±


    Meng Qingyang raised her head to look at her again. Cheng Xi thought that her gaze was a bit strange; it felt like she was very interested in her story and that she also wanted to try to do the same. At that moment, Cheng Xi thought that Meng Qingyang¡¯s longing gaze was because she also wanted to get together with the beautiful boy she¡¯d met. But not long after that, Cheng Xi found out that she was wrong.


    Nothing was as she¡¯d thought it was.


    After Meng Qingyang left, Cheng Xi thought of Lin Fan again and sent him another message. ¡°Just now, your colleague Meng Qingyang came to talk to me.¡±


    Almost instantaneously, Lin Fan called her, even though he hadn¡¯t picked up any of her calls that day. He sounded particularly anxious. ¡°She went to find you? Did she say anything¡­ bad?¡±


    Was he concerned about her? Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°How could she? Unless you think I look like someone easy to bully?¡±


    Lin Fan didn¡¯t speak. Cheng Xi softly asked, ¡°Are you not angry anymore?¡±


    Lin Fan responded, ¡°Yes.¡± After a pause, he said, ¡°I know what sort of person you are, so I believe you.¡±


    If he really believed her, then he wouldn¡¯t have ignored her calls for a few days in a row. But Cheng Xi was willing to let it slide as long as he thought it through in the end; who didn¡¯t have a bit of a temper? It was ok as long as it wasn¡¯t excessive.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Alright. Since you¡¯re being so obedient, I¡¯ll treat you to dinner tonight, ok?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up, Cheng Xi pondered what she should make for dinner today. When she thought about it, this was their first real date after their relationship started, so she had to do a good job.


    Lin Fan liked rustic flavors, so she decided to make dinner by hand. She also planned to later explain to him what was going on between her and Lu Chenzhou. Despite his saying that he believed her, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to leave a twisted knot inside of his heart.


    Between two people, an appropriate level of trust was also a type of respect.


    After she got off of work, Cheng Xi went out of her way to buy a Western-style cookbook along with some vegetables. She was planning on making a candlelit dinner with red wine and steak. Given how long Lin Fan had been overseas for, he would probably enjoy it immensely.


    But as soon as she returned home with her supplies, without even having any time to change out of her shoes, she received a call from Cai Yi. ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡¯s sick. Did you know that?¡±


    Cheng Xi was slightly shocked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He went down with a serious flu as well as an allergic reaction. He¡¯s only half-alive right now. If there¡¯s nothing urgent right now, then you should go over and see him. I¡¯m flying back right now, and I¡¯ll be there early in the morning tomorrow.¡±


    Cai Yi¡¯s tone was unusually solemn; clearly, there was more to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s illness than just that.


    But as soon as the call ended, the doorbell rang. And on the monitor appeared Lin Fan¡¯s youthful and gentle face, smiling at her through the screen.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 70: A Cute Weakness

    Cheng Xi opened the door and Lin Fan entered, hugging her before saying, ¡°I missed you so much. Even if I get mad in the future, I won¡¯t ever ignore you again. It wasn¡¯t as much a punishment for you, as it was one for me.¡± He then lowered his head and looked at the ingredients by her feet, smiling. ¡°Steak? Do you need any help?¡±


    But when he saw Cheng Xi¡¯s look, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Cheng Xi opened her mouth, but nothing came out.


    Lin Fan released her. ¡°Did something come up?¡±


    This was the first time she had ever truly been at a loss for words. ¡°Lin Fan,¡± She grasped his hands and strugglingly pushed out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t have dinner with you today.¡±


    Lin Fan chuckled lightheartedly. ¡°You really scared me with your severe look and everything. It¡¯s just a meal. What¡¯s the big deal? Is Jiaman acting up again?¡±


    ¡°Not her.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s the hospital, right? Don¡¯t worry, I can cook too. I¡¯ll send it over to you once it¡¯s done, alright?¡±


    After Lin Fan said this, he was about to grab the ingredients and start cooking when Cheng Xi stopped him again. ¡°It¡¯s not the hospital.¡± She exhaled and steeled himself. Originally, she had planned to tell him all the details about what was going on between her and Lu Chenzhou. But given the situation, while she couldn¡¯t explain it right now, she also didn¡¯t want to hide anything from him. ¡°My professor just called me, saying that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s ill. She¡¯s not here, so she wants me to go and look after him.¡±


    Lin Fan paused before asking, ¡°Really? What illness?¡±


    ¡°A severe cold and a serious allergic reaction.¡±


    Lin Fan smiled wryly. ¡°Can you treat those things? As I recall, you¡¯re a psychiatrist.¡±


    ¡°Lin Fan¡­¡­ this isn¡¯t about whether I can treat him or not. He got sick after leaving my place, and his allergic reaction also first started at my place. Thus, as my professor¡¯s sponsor, and with her request, I really do have to go and see how he¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°Is it really just that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lin Fan looked at her, and Cheng Xi looked back at him, her gaze completely devoid of evasion or hesitation.


    He finally released her. ¡°Alright. Then go and come back quickly.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± She smiled and consoling said, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to return early. If you¡¯re hungry, then you should order something to eat. There¡¯s a Chinese restaurant near my place that makes great beef dishes?¡ªI¡¯ll give you their number later. If you¡¯re bored, you can also read some books or watch TV. I¡¯ll be gone for a bit and will be back quickly.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Cheng Xi turned around to head out, but just as her hand touched the doorknob, Lin Fan hugged her from behind. ¡°I really don¡¯t want you to go. What should I do?¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond, and instead gently leaned into his caress, comfortingly rubbing the back of his hand as she did so.


    She knew that he wasn¡¯t someone who would endlessly pester her. Sure enough, after a short but intense hug, Lin Fan let go of her. Cheng Xi turned around, reached up on her tiptoes, and then kissed him lightly on the cheek. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He shook his head and lightly caressed her lips as he lovingly replied, ¡°Go. I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± Cheng Xi smiled, eventually turning to leave.


    Bathed by the bright and resplendent lamplight, Cheng Xi was waiting for a bus by the side of the road when she saw a roadside food cart selling scones. Even from a distance, the crispy, golden brown toasted scones emanated an enticing aroma.


    It had been a very long time since Cheng Xi had last eaten something like that. She used to eat them every so often back when she was a senior in highschool. Whenever she studied late into the night, she would walk back home with Lin Fan. It was often so late that the roads would be empty. They would slowly stroll back, and at the halfway point, they would always see a young man pushing a food cart and selling scones. Cheng Xi would always buy two without fail, and then eat them side by side with Lin Fan, the two of them basking in the lovely scent of the scones.


    Even long after she had graduated from high school, Cheng Xi would dream of their scent.


    She walked over, bought quite a number in one go, took two out for herself, and then packed the rest away in a bag, which she gave to the security guard office nearby. ¡°Could you please help me find someone to bring this back to my place?¡±


    The security guard was familiar with Cheng Xi, so he readily agreed without any questions.


    Cheng Xi then got on the bus with her twp scones. Cai Yi had sent her Lu Chenzhou¡¯s address; it wasn¡¯t the one in Donglai or the Lu¡¯s manor. Rather, it led to a small area that had a very homely feeling.


    It was a bit far away. When Cheng Xi left, it was only six. However, it was already eight when she arrived. She called Lu Chenzhou twice, but he didn¡¯t pick up either time.


    So with no other choice, Cheng Xi called Cai Yi, who said, ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    After a while, Cheng Xi received a four-digit number with the description, ¡°This is the passcode to his main door. He¡¯s at home, and you can just enter. If the inner door is locked, then just bash it open. There¡¯s no problem even if you break it.


    Cheng Xi started sweating and nervously asked Cai Yi, ¡°Is this really alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it. I just called his grandfather, and he told me that Lu Chenzhou only started not picking up anyone¡¯s calls recently.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone else inside?¡±


    ¡°No. This is one of the quirks of our dear Director Lu; he doesn¡¯t like there to be anyone besides him in his house. But I believe that you¡¯ll definitely find a way to stay there.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. She didn¡¯t know where Cai Yi had found so much confidence. Cheng Xi herself had no expectations because she didn¡¯t know what Lu Chenzhou would end up doing.


    Without any helpers, the stress was a bit overwhelming.


    After exhaling slowly to calm herself down, Cheng Xi stepped forward. This area seemed low-profile, but the security was quite strict. Cheng Xi reported Lu Chenzhou¡¯s name and house number, and even had to take out her ID to register her visit before she could obtain a temporary pass to enter the community.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s house was in the innermost region of the area. It was a small standalone bungalow with its own wall and backyard. As Cheng Xi walked up, she didn¡¯t see a single light on inside. When she got to the door, she first pressed the doorbell, but no one answered. Then she used the passcode that Cai Yi had given her to open the front door.


    After stepping inside, she found that the house was silent, and it was lit solely by a little wall lamp on the other side of the main corridor. As she followed the light, she found that the living room¡¯s door was half-closed, which she then pushed open lightly.


    It opened smoothly, so silent that even Cheng Xi was surprised. Luckily, the living room was bright and well lit. When the door opened, the first thing she heard was her own voice. ¡°¡­Little fox, I like you!¡± And then she saw Lu Chenzhou, asleep on the sofa with his head tilted towards the sofa and a trailing hand touching the ground.


    Her own unfamiliar voice reverberated inside the room. ¡°¡­Then, a voice echoed from behind. ¡®I like you too.¡¯¡±


    And then it kept repeating the same story about the little rabbit liking the little fox. She had recorded many stories inside that device; it seemed like this was the one that he liked best.


    Cheng Xi stood at the door, hesitating about whether she should first enter and look around, or whether she should wait around for him to wake up. Suddenly, as if he had sensed something, Lu Chenzhou turned around. His jaw dragged on the sofa, but he still managed to look at the door.


    Cheng Xi felt a sudden sense of anxiety overcome her. She explained, ¡°Sorry, your door was unlocked¡­¡­ May I enter?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou maintained his original posture, not moving or speaking; he merely continued to watch her silently.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll assume that you¡¯re ok with it.¡± Cheng Xi walked inside. Only when she got closer did she realize that he was visibly thinner, and his complexion was sallow. Nonetheless, he was still very tidy and clean-shaven.


    He looked weak, as if he¡¯d just woken up, and his eyes were still bleary with sleep. This created a bit of an innocent aura about him, stripping him of his usual aloof attitude and replacing it with a bit of cuteness instead.


    He seemed like a big, sickly dog lying pitifully on the ground, waiting for his owner to pat him on the head.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 71: She is a Germ

    Even Cheng Xi was a bit scared by her own thoughts. She coughed quietly and softly asked, ¡°Are you feeling okay? Have you taken any medicine?¡± She put down the things in her hands and continued, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a checkup, alright?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was still looking at her, as if he was trying to confirm whether or not the person standing in front of him was real. After a while, he finally said, ¡°I remember the front door being locked.¡±


    Cheng Xi started sweating, but she still nodded in response and said, ¡°It was locked, but I have the passcode.¡±


    His forehead scrunched up slightly as he turned around and slowly sat up to look at her. Cheng Xi noticed that his body was very weak; even this simple action caused him to start breathing heavily.


    She stretched out her hand, preparing to help him, but he shoved it away in rejection despite the pain. He closed his eyes and rested by leaning against the sofa for quite a while before asking in a tired tone, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I heard that you were sick, so I¡¯m here to see you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen me. Now leave.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lu¡­¡­¡±


    He opened his eyes, completely lucid by this point. His gaze held a familiar disaffection, reminiscent of his look the first time they had met; under that cold examining gaze, anyone would feel like a worthless speck of dust.


    ¡°Scram!¡± His voice wasn¡¯t loud, and a sense of fatigue could be heard within it. ¡°...It¡¯s dirty now.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at her own pair of shoes¡ªshe had indeed forgotten to take off her shoes when entering the house. The main problem was that she hadn¡¯t even seen a shoe cabinet. Additionally, she was anxious to ascertain his condition, so she hadn¡¯t even thought about this normal courtesy.


    Realizing that she had unintentionally triggered one of his pet peeves, Cheng Xi put on an extremely apologetic tone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t see a pair of slippers that I could change into¡­¡±


    A pillow came flying at her, and along with it, a very familiar recording device. The pillow harmlessly fell by her feet, but the recording device bounced off of her leg, ultimately coming to a rest on the underside of the coffee table. Her voice hummed out from within. ¡°The little rabbit secretly fell in love with a little fox¡­¡±


    When Lu Chenzhou realized that he had accidentally thrown the wrong thing at her, he got even angrier. ¡°Scram!¡± he shouted, panting. When he saw that his shout had no effect on Cheng Xi, another pillow came flying at her. Actually, if there were enough items by his side, Cheng Xi believed that he would have thrown them all without hesitation.


    The look in his eyes was very scary, heavy and gloomy. She had only seen him for a couple of minutes, but the evident weakness that he had shown while she was by the door seemed like a mirage, which had completely evaporated.


    His loss of control came even quicker. Almost immediately after running out of things to throw, he exploded. He grabbed his head with both hands and shouted hoarsely, ¡°Scram! Scram immediately!¡±


    Cheng Xi immediately took off her shoes and walked closer, barefoot. She had planned on consoling him gently, but he forcefully shook her off. Even while weakened, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s strength was way beyond what she could contend with, and she was pushed away before she could get any closer, almost falling down.


    Cheng Xi took a deep breath, about to try again, when a voice suddenly called out to her from the door. ¡°Dr. Cheng!¡±


    Cheng Xi turned around to see Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents by the door.


    She glanced back at Lu Chenzhou, who was cradling his head in pain, and then walked out.


    It wasn¡¯t just Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents standing outside; there were also a few doctors in white coats that had come along with them. One of them was particularly old, likely someone who had been specifically called over.


    Indeed, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather introduced him as such. ¡°This is Dr. Xie from the central hospital. The reason we weren¡¯t here just now is because we were specially entreating him to come over.¡±


    And then he introduced Cheng Xi to Dr. Xie, saying, ¡°This is Dr. Cai¡¯s student, Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Xi knew of a very famous old general practitioner in the central hospital who was also called Dr. Xie. Most likely, he was the man standing in front of her. Because he was an esteemed senior, Cheng Xi still politely greeted him despite her rush. ¡°I¡¯m honored to have the opportunity to meet you.¡±


    Dr. Xie was a kindly man, and he smiled at her briefly. Because of the occasion, the two didn¡¯t have any time to exchange pleasantries. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was even more rushed than she was; once Cheng Xi had finished greeting them, she pulled on her hand and anxiously and quietly asked, ¡°What do we do? Zhou¡¯s been locked up in here for a few days and he hasn¡¯t eaten anything in that time. When we came over in the evening to check on him, he was still running a high fever, and his skin was red and blotchy all over. He refuses to see a doctor, he refuses to take medicine, and he refuses to let us touch him. What do we do?¡±


    Cheng Xi patted her hand reassuringly and asked, ¡°When did you discover that he was sick?¡±


    ¡°Just today. Someone from the office was looking for him but couldn¡¯t get into contact him, so they called us instead. We searched all over town for him before we ultimately found out that he had fallen ill and locked himself in here.¡±


    ¡°We want to enter, but given his condition, can we?¡±


    Upon hearing their tone, it seemed as if something like this had also happened in the past. Thus, this time, not only did they call Dr. Xie over, but they also had Cai Yi call Cheng Xi over too.


    Cheng Xi then asked, ¡°Did he behave the same way when he was last ill?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother glanced at her husband before hesitatingly answering, ¡°......Yes.¡± And then she hurriedly explained, ¡°He has a very strong cleanliness complex, which intensifies when he¡¯s ill. It¡¯s so severe that almost no one else can touch him because he claims that they¡¯re all dirty.¡±


    It was understandable, and a common physiological symptom of patients suffering from emotional detachment. Cheng Xi¡¯s medical books contained a case study with patients suffering from the exact same problem. She had originally thought that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s strong willpower would allow him to overcome his desire for cleanliness, but she didn¡¯t expect his cold rationality to be so easily destroyed by illness.


    But when she reexamined this situation again, her actions did seem to have been a bit too excessive that day. Despite knowing that he had contracted a cold and was possibly also having an allergic reaction, she had reacted to his provocations and lost control. In the end, she had even ignored all his symptoms and was going to let him leave just like that.


    After taking a deep breath, Cheng Xi rolled up her sleeves. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll find a way so that at the very least, Dr. Xie can help inspect his condition.¡± As she said this, she looked at the doctors standing behind Dr. Xie. They were all very young; clearly, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents had planned on using force if Lu Chenzhou refused to cooperate. ¡°I hope that it won¡¯t be necessary for you guys to handle the situation, so give me a bit of time, alright?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather and the rest immediately nodded. Cheng Xi smiled, turned around, opened the door, and went back inside. Before she entered, she lifted her feet and removed even her socks¡ªthe corridors outside looked clean, but who knew if Lu Chenzhou thought the same.


    Cheng Xi also removed her outer jacket. Inside, she was wearing a sweater with a similarly colored long skirt; the whole outfit accentuated her figure, making her look particularly slim and graceful. She was usually fond of this style of clothing because it was both comfortable and warm, but she was regretting it a little now because her skirt might make the next couple of actions a bit difficult.


    As she rolled her sleeves up, she turned around and asked, ¡°Did you guys bring any food?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother immediately said, ¡°Yes, yes.¡± A young man walked up to Cheng Xi with a massive lunchbox. Cheng Xi opened it and peered inside, satisfied.


    She took the lunchbox, closed the door, and walked inside. When psychiatrists treated their patients, they tended to isolate themselves to ensure that there would be no distractions and that the patients¡¯ privacy would be protected. Naturally, this meant that she didn¡¯t plan on letting people observe her.


    Lu Chenzhou had already stopped throwing things around and he seemed to have calmed down, but his gaze remained cruel. Cheng Xi felt that, if not for his enervating hunger and illness shaving away at most of his vitality, he would have thrown her out of the house as if she were a piece of garbage.


    At this point, he had almost completely forgotten that he had once told her that he wanted to woo her despite his straightforward confession of wanting to have sex with her.


    In his eyes, perhaps she was no more than a germ, a human-sized germ that he abhorred with all his being.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 72: I Don’t Have Any Feelings

    Cheng Xi stooped down halfway. She first picked up the recording device that was under the coffee table, turned down its volume, and then opened the lunchbox.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents really did love him, and their love could clearly be seen in the food that they had prepared, particularly refined and meticulously made. It even took his feeble physical condition into account: most of the dishes were supposed to be good for the body and easily digested.


    There wasn¡¯t much of each dish, but everything looked wonderfully delectable.


    Ignoring his gaze, Cheng Xi brought out a bowl of yam and jujube porridge. As soon as she lifted the cap covering it, a delicate fragrance filled the room. Cheng Xi had only eaten two scones that night, so as soon as this enticing aroma wafted towards her, her hunger pangs became painfully clear. Her craving for food was so great that it felt like her heart and lungs were aching with desire.


    She put the bowl of porridge down on the coffee table in front of the desk and lightly stirred it. ¡°Mmm, it smells quite fragrant. Do you want some?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t move at all, only continuing to stare at her coldly.


    Cheng Xi ignored his lack of reaction. Instead, she picked up one of the pillows that had fallen on the floor and sat on it before leisurely starting to eat the porridge. The lunchbox had more than enough food to spare, and since Lu Chenzhou wouldn¡¯t be able to finish everything, it wouldn¡¯t matter if she had some.


    Cheng Xi ate in a particularly alluring manner, even smacking her lips every few bites. As she ate, she praised the food. ¡°Yum, it¡¯s really tasty.¡± She smiled at Lu Chenzhou and asked, ¡°Do you want to try some?¡±


    Her expression made Lu Chenzhou want to beat her up.


    Cheng Xi felt like Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze was getting even gloomier. If she looked closely enough, she would have seen his eyes about to burn up from anger.


    When she was almost done with the porridge, she brought out another dish: stir-fried meat with sauted celery. To Cheng Xi, this dish was pretty light, but it must have been something that Lu Chenzhou particularly liked, because she could clearly see him swallowing his saliva.


    Even the craziest person in the world had to eat.


    She picked up a large piece and waved it temptingly under his nose. ¡°Do you want to eat it?¡± She even lightly teased, ¡°I remember telling you that the nature of clean freaks is to like dirty things. Last time, you ate the sweet potatoes that I peeled, and how dirty they were! Buried in the ground, plucked from a damp and dark environment with earthworms and bugs crawling all around¡ªbut didn¡¯t you still enjoy it nonetheless?¡± She pushed the food on the coffee table closer to him, commandingly saying, ¡°Try some.¡±


    It was already right next to his mouth; if Lu Chenzhou merely opened his mouth, he¡¯d be able to eat it. However, he didn¡¯t. Besides his frown deepening and his gaze turning even colder, Lu Chenzhou remained stoic.


    But a lack of reaction was in and of itself a reaction, so Cheng Xi kept going. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m being particularly annoying right now? Then eat. Only if you eat and regain your vitality can you throw me out, and remove my annoying presence from your eyes.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Lu Chenzhou glared at her for another period of time before suddenly opening his mouth and biting down fiercely on the chopsticks. Then, he¡­ he sucked in a breath, evidently having hurt himself from biting down too hard.


    Cheng Xi tried to stop herself from laughing outright as he stared at her fiercely.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry. Laughing at someone else is wrong, but you can laugh at me too. Once, I was so hungry that I even started chewing on my own fingertips.¡± After saying this, she brought him another dish. After he finished it, she took out a bowl of fish porridge and placed it by his side. He didn¡¯t take it, so Cheng Xi had to move next to him and feed him with a ladle.


    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t reject her again this time.


    Cheng Xi smiled at his compliance, and fed him the entire bowl of porridge quite naturally. A patient was similar to a child, so she didn¡¯t mind doing this. After she finished feeding him, she gathered up all the dishes. Lu Chenzhou stared at her, unsatisfied, with his gaze landing on the lunchbox by the coffee table.


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°You haven¡¯t had food for a while, so you can¡¯t eat too much at the beginning. Eat some more later after you¡¯ve had some time to digest. Now, can you let me give you a checkup?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond. Perhaps the food had helped his rationality recover somewhat, but he could recognize her now. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t angry anymore?¡±


    When she heard this, her heart seemed to ache out of pity. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she sighed. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let you leave like that that day.¡±


    He smiled, very faintly and very coolly, and with a taunting air.


    Evidently, he understood that, in her heart, Lin Fan was far more important than he ever would be.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t give an explanation; this simply wasn¡¯t something that she could explain. She treated his response as a silent acceptance of the situation and grabbed his hand. Indeed, it was quite warm to the touch. She lightly rolled up his sleeve, only a little, but it was enough for her to see lines upon lines of welts. Some were from scratching, and others¡­


    She wanted to continue examining him, but Lu Chenzhou had already snatched his hand back. He lazily said, ¡°Leave. I don¡¯t want to have sex with you right now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave. But I can¡¯t just leave you like this. You¡¯re my friend. When you¡¯re sick, I can¡¯t just abandon you.¡±


    ¡°Friend.¡± He smiled. Right after Cheng Xi detected the danger in his eyes, he exploded forth. He suddenly grabbed her, and then she felt a twinge of pain in her shoulder. He was biting down deeply on her just like a vampire.


    Cheng Xi felt like she was about to be bitten to death, and she was too afraid to struggle and too afraid to provoke him. As she endured the pain, she said, somewhat helplessly, ¡°My body¡¯s really dirty. I was at the hospital the entire day, and was even in close contact with two patients who just entered the hospital. One of them even spat at me in his agitation. Hmm, it¡¯s about at the same place where you¡¯re biting me¡­¡±


    Although she had told him that the nature of clean freaks was to like dirty things, this description was evidently beyond Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tolerance. He froze before slowly letting go of her.


    Cheng Xi leaned backwards as she extended her hand into her clothes and touched the area that had been bitten. As expected, there was blood.


    This was truly an unlucky year for her, being bitten by both of her patients. Who knew if this time the injury would be more serious than the last?


    But when she saw the unbearable expression on his face, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°I¡¯m joking.¡± Afraid that he was about to pounce on her again, however, she shook her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t bite me. I¡¯m all skin and bones. What if I hurt your teeth?¡±


    The pain was so intense that her face was contorting, but she was still joking with him. Even though he had just hurt her, she didn¡¯t shy away from him.


    Lu Chenzhou was reminded of that day when she had been hugging that little girl, not letting go even though she had been painfully biting down on her.


    Cheng Xi might not ever know that, when he witnessed that scene, only his greatest efforts had been able to restrain the brutality in his heart.


    In this moment, he had realized that his nature was just like that of the little girl¡¯s: equally crazy, equally¡­ ill.


    He shut his eyes, trembling. ¡°...Aren¡¯t you afraid of me?¡±


    Cheng Xi was curious, and asked, ¡°Why would I be afraid?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any emotions.¡±


    ¡°No, you do.¡± Cheng Xi looked at him seriously. ¡°You care about your family, and you¡¯re afraid that they¡¯ll worry about your marriage affairs. So, you tried every trick you could think of to make me your girlfriend; this is kinship. You accompanied me to Chen Jiaman¡¯s hometown and helped me interview local residents, discover what made everyone so suspicious, and investigate Chen Fuguo; this is sympathy. You also help your friends by helping them close business deals they wouldn¡¯t have been able to on their own; this is friendship¡­ You have all of these emotions, so why do you keep saying you don¡¯t?¡±


    Her voice was so pleasant to the ear, so gentle. It was just like a long forgotten dream that he had once had. In that dream, he was surrounded by darkness on all sides. But then, a beam of light appeared from afar, so bright it chased the darkness away.


    He unconsciously confessed what he had never told anyone before. ¡°That¡¯s all fake, all of it. I only did it because they told me that it was time for me to date someone and get married. At that time, coincidentally, Cai Yi wanted me to meet you, and so I did. Then I read some books that said that I had to help my girlfriend with anything she wanted, which was why I accompanied you to the Chen family house and helped you investigate them. It has nothing to do with sympathy; who¡¯s Chen Jiaman, and who¡¯s the Chen family? How are they related to me? The only reason I made friends and helped them is because I don¡¯t want to be a lonesome freak¡­ Honestly, I hate people. I hate social interaction, marriage, romance, family, friends¡­ To me, none of them have any meaning! I live only because I haven¡¯t died yet.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 73: Sleeping Beauty

    ¡°Are you going to call that a pretense? I didn¡¯t think so.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou even looked a little proud of his speech, opening his eyes to observe Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi responded, ¡°At least it¡¯s not just me who hasn¡¯t noticed. I think that your grandparents haven¡¯t either because they¡¯ve always believed that you¡¯re an intelligent, capable, righteous, and kind child. Your friends haven¡¯t noticed. Baldy is very protective of you. Because he thinks that you¡¯re loyal and always willing to help, he treats you as his best friend. If so many people haven¡¯t noticed, then how do you know that that¡¯s not the real you? Perhaps those words are the actual lies. Perhaps in reality, you really are intelligent, handsome, and sympathetic and passionate¡­¡­ It¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t noticed.¡±


    As Lu Chenzhou listened, the pride in his face transformed into doubt, almost as if he were asking himself, Could that really be the case?


    Cheng Xi smiled, and reached out to grasp his hand. ¡°Alright. You can think about this problem yourself later. Now, let¡¯s look at your condition, okay?¡± Her finger lightly pressed down on where she had seen scratch marks. With a sigh, she asked, ¡°You¡¯ve scratched away all the skin in this region. Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it hurts.¡±


    ¡°Does it itch?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it itches.¡±


    ¡°It hurts and itches? How uncomfortable that must be! Shall we call the doctor in to take a look at you?¡±


    He stared at her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a doctor?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my specialty, and you¡¯ve been sick for quite a while. Thus, you need a holistic checkup.¡± She went on, asking, ¡°You¡¯re tired, aren¡¯t you? If you¡¯re tired, then you should go to sleep for a while. The checkup will be very quick.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou frowned and he adamantly refused. ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s just a cold. Many people go to a doctor for this.¡±


    ¡°You too?¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°You are a failure of a doctor.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    His tone was so serious that Cheng Xi almost accepted it as a fact. But then, Lu Chenzhou yawned and simply said, ¡°I¡¯m tired,¡± before falling forward and landing in her lap.


    She had seen what had happened last time he was tired, so Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t surprised when it happened again. She steadily propped him up until he was comfortably resting against her body with one hand clutching hers and the other unrestrainedly reaching into her clothes and pinching her waist as he sighed, ¡°How comfortable.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Once he was sound asleep, Cheng Xi carefully extricated herself from Lu Chenzhou and went outside to call for Dr. Xie. ¡°Let¡¯s just have Dr. Xie enter, it¡¯s better to have as few people inside as possible so that he doesn¡¯t wake up.¡± She looked toward Lu Chenzhou¡¯s anxious grandparents. ¡°Would the two of you mind waiting awhile?¡±


    Despite their worry, they didn¡¯t object. Dr. Xie followed her in. He first put a hand to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s forehead, before taking out a thermometer from his medicine box and giving it to Cheng Xi. ¡°Take his temperature.¡±


    Cheng Xi took it and carefully maneuvered his hand around before putting the thermometer in his armpit from his collar. The cold sensation shocked him awake, and Lu Chenzhou opened his eyes.


    Cheng Xi explained, ¡°You have a fever. I need to take your temperature.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, and merely looked at her, but he didn¡¯t object either. After a while, he took her hand and used it to prop his head up like a pillow.


    Cheng Xi was speechless, as now she was forced into a half-kneeling position to serve as his human pillow. Their postures were embarrassingly intimate, but Dr. Xie ignored them. He put on his stethoscope and very seriously moved it about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s body for some time before asking Cheng Xi, ¡°Can you have him stick his tongue out for me?¡±


    This was a highly difficult request, and Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t sure if she could accomplish it. The key was that she didn¡¯t know what would happen if she woke him up, so after a moment¡¯s thought, Cheng Xi said, ¡°Can you look at something else first? He¡¯s still suffering from an allergic reaction.¡±


    The old doctor nodded and removed Lu Chenzhou¡¯s clothes, but the resulting sight caused both of them to suck in a breath.


    Underneath the clothes, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s back was all but covered with lacerations; the key point wasn¡¯t just the wounds, but the fact that the edges of those wounds were turning white from infection¡ªa few places even showed signs of serious ulceration.


    No wonder Lu Chenzhou had been sleeping on his front when Cheng Xi had entered. Even now, he wasn¡¯t in a normal sleeping posture.


    Dr. Xie looked at him severely. ¡°Did he scratch himself with a blade and then dunk himself in water? How could it get so bad? I can¡¯t treat this; with the way he is now, he has to go to the hospital and receive specialized treatment for infection. We can¡¯t delay this any further, or he¡¯ll really lose his life.¡±


    When he was finished with his diagnosis, he peeled back Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyelids to check on his pupils, took his pulse, and then went out with a serious expression, saying nothing more.


    Cheng Xi also wanted to go out, but Lu Chenzhou was holding her hand so tightly that she couldn¡¯t move.


    The door outside wasn¡¯t shut completely, so she could hear snatches of the conversation going on. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather seemed to be calling his son, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father. ¡°Your son¡¯s so ill that he¡¯s about to die. Even if you can¡¯t come back right now, can¡¯t you think of a solution? He has to go to the hospital now, but the way he is, who can send him there?¡±


    Not long after the call, she heard Dr. Xie angrily shout, ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of having all these people come over? In his condition, he needs a perfectly germ-free environment to recuperate in, and he also needs a fair number of examinations to ascertain how deep the infection is¡­ To think of building a germ-free environment here and to even bring the diagnostic machines over? You guys are really¡­¡±


    Silly but rich. Cheng Xi finished Dr. Xie¡¯s evaluation that he couldn¡¯t say out loud in her head before looking at Lu Chenzhou and smiling. All of you are so similar, just waving money around to get your way.


    Lu Chenzhou slept quietly. It was the first time that Cheng Xi had ever been this close to him. Only now did she realize that the man in front of her was really a beautiful man; his skin was white and delicate and his facial features exquisite, cool, and grave. After meeting his father, Cheng Xi felt that his mother either had to be a peerless beauty or Lu Chenzhou had inherited the best features of his parents.


    The way he slept very much made him look like a sleeping beauty.


    Cheng Xi sighed, thinking that even if she couldn¡¯t be a prince, then she could at least be a manly enough woman to wake up a sleeping beauty¡ªas a doctor, she very much understood Dr. Xie¡¯s exasperation when the Lu family had proposed bringing a whole hospital¡¯s worth of equipment to the Lu estate. If Lu Chenzhou still refused to cooperate, she was prepared to punch him in the face again and forcefully bring him to the hospital while he was dazed.


    He was different from Chen Jiaman, so¡­ being a bit rougher wouldn¡¯t matter.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t sleep deeply; his illness had made his whole personality a bit dazed, sometimes clear-headed and sometimes not. When he saw her after waking up again, he frowned as he repeated, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Probably thinking that she was too close to him, he even pushed her away.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry at this point, but at least she didn¡¯t have to serve as his pillow anymore. Before he could get angry again, she quickly poured him a glass of water. ¡°Have some water. Your lips are parched.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was really quite thirsty, and he took a big gulp of water from the glass in her hands. After taking in some fluids, he seemed to become more clear-headed, and he even leaned up and sat upright as he rubbed his forehead. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Cheng Xi ignored his muddle-headedness and sincerely said, ¡°You¡¯re seriously ill. You have to go to the hospital.


    After hearing this, he put his hands down, looking at her.


    She also looked back at him, her eyes completely devoid of hesitation. ¡°Under normal circumstances, you should already be lying in a hospital bed, so let¡¯s go there now, alright?¡±


    Because he always had a specific sequence that he did things in from start to end, Cheng Xi wanted to implant in his mind the need to go to the hospital when he was sick.


    She wasn¡¯t sure of her chances of success, so she could only look at him anxiously.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 74: Hurdle After Hurdle

    Within the room, time seemed to pass even slower. The door to the living room wasn¡¯t closed, and the voices of the people talking outside could be intermittently heard. Cheng Xi was very worried that this might upset or rile Lu Chenzhou up.


    Luckily, her hint was successful, and Lu Chenzhou said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    It was said in a cool tone, but one that made Cheng Xi feel as though she had been relieved of a great burden. She stood up, and reached out with a hand to support him. He glanced at her and then leaned on her arm.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. He naturally noticed and asked, ¡°What are you laughing at?¡±


    Mmm. Indeed, when looking at him, he seemed like he had returned to normal, as long as he didn¡¯t flare up again. Cheng Xi said, ¡°I feel like, if my waist were any lower, then I¡¯d essentially be a eunuch from ancient times helping his emperor up.¡± After she said this, she even asked, ¡°Should I ask if you¡¯d like to rise?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her haughtily, and imperially responded, ¡°Rise.¡±


    He stood up, his spine completely straight. Originally, he wanted to do it in a domineering manner, but his forehead uncontrollably scrunched up as he got up. Cheng Xi guessed that his clothes must have touched his infected skin, making him uncomfortable.


    When Cheng Xi thought back to that wound-riddled back that was unbearable to even look at, she started feeling guilty and also somewhat sympathetic. She really wanted to call and ask her mom when she had last washed or dried the quilt and Cheng Yang¡¯s clothes that he had used. Had it been the reason why Lu Chenzhou¡¯s allergic reaction was this bad?


    That¡¯s right. Her intuition told her that only those two things could have triggered Lu Chenzhou¡¯s allergic reaction. As such, this was naturally one of the reasons why she felt particularly guilty and apologetic towards Lu Chenzhou.


    If something truly happened to him, then she felt like she would carry that weight for the rest of her life.


    But even in this state, Lu Chenzhou insisted on changing his clothes. Cheng Xi asked, confounded, ¡°Why not just put on an outer jacket?¡±


    He shook his head, and stubbornly insisted on changing his clothes. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t dissuade him and could only help him up the stairs to change. By the time he was finished, his grandfather was already starting to contact people to have the various medical instruments sent over; when he was halfway into his call, his wife suddenly pulled on his arm. He turned around and saw his grandson standing straight and imposing by the door.


    ¡°That¡­¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather was at an advanced age, but this was the first time he had stammered in a long while. ¡°Zhou¡­ are you alright?¡±


    Dr. Xie couldn¡¯t keep watching, and started ridiculing from the side. ¡°Look at how he¡¯s barely standing up straight. Does it look like he¡¯s alright?¡±


    Oh, that¡¯s right. Only now did Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather see that Cheng Xi was standing by his grandson¡¯s side and trying her hardest to hold him steady, so much so that her petite body was about to fall over.


    A couple of the young doctors walked up to help, but Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t let them. So, Cheng Xi could only grit her teeth and say, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can handle it.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather almost sighed at this sight, his only thought being that it was so fortunate that a person who his grandson didn¡¯t despise had finally appeared. He clutched the phone that was still connected and said to Cheng Xi, deeply moved, ¡°Then I¡¯ll trouble you, Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled, but she was sighing in her heart. If you have the time to say this, then get in the car!


    At least Dr. Xie was reliable. He truly understood that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s situation was very precarious, so he immediately readied the cars, decided who would go where, and assigned tasks to everyone.


    As Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother watched on anxiously, Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou got into the first car.


    Once he had assigned everyone their respective roles, Dr. Xie commanded from outside, ¡°Go to the central hospital. Quickly.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou immediately scratched Cheng Xi¡¯s palm. They were the only two people in the backseat. He was leaning on her shoulder, so when he scratched her, she turned around.


    His black eyes were gleaming enigmatically at her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Go to Renyi Hospital.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Xie¡¯s a famed specialist in treating your illnesses. If he takes care of you, you¡¯ll also recover quicker. You don¡¯t want to stay in the hospital for too long, do you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stopped talking, but some coldness nonetheless seeped through his mask; clearly, he wasn¡¯t in favor of this decision.


    For lack of a better option, Cheng Xi could only say, ¡°Dr. Xie personally came here to treat you, so it would be rude to dismiss him at this point.¡± Of course this was just an excuse; in truth, she could see that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s reliance on her was unhealthy, so she wanted to maintain as professional a doctor-patient relationship with him as possible.


    But even though she wanted to put some distance between them, other people always got in the way. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, peeked her head back and smiled at them as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We can go to Renyi Hospital. I¡¯ll just let your grandfather know.¡± As if to alleviate Cheng Xi¡¯s earlier concerns, she added, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Dr. Xie and my husband are on good terms with each other. Even if we go to Renyi Hospital, we can still invite him to perform the medical examination.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked silently at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother, who had spoiled her plans.


    His grandmother then quickly called her husband to inform him of the change in plans. ¡°Tell Dr. Xie that we¡¯re going to Renyi Hospital.¡±


    Her phone was set to speaker mode, so Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather¡¯s voice rang out through the car. He first asked, ¡°Why are we going to Renyi?¡± But then he seemed to have thought of something, and his voice quickly changed. ¡°Alright, alright, we¡¯ll go to Renyi. I¡¯ll tell all of them. Leave quickly and let me handle the rest.¡±


    Once Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother finished the call, she turned and smiled at them again. This time, her gaze was directed particularly strongly toward Cheng Xi, which made her feel very uncomfortable.


    She knew what these two old folks were thinking. Undoubtedly, it was something along the lines of how compatible their grandson and she looked.


    With regards to this, Cheng Xi felt both speechless and helpless.


    The Lu family was in complete control of Donglai¡¯s medical branch, so they had connections in the medical field that Cheng Xi could only dream of. In fact, they had managed to arrange everything in the hospital mid-ride. Once the car arrived, Lu Chenzhou was immediately sent to a VIP-level intensive care unit.


    Because of his high fever, he had fallen into another stupor during the ride over. Cheng Xi sat outside the ward for a very long time, waiting all the way until Lu Chenzhou finished his general inspection, took a few doses of medicine, and fell into a deep sleep. Only then did she tiredly head home.


    When she finally got home, it was past midnight. The lamp in the living room was still lit, but Lin Fan had already left. On the dining table was the food that she had bought after getting off work earlier.


    When she lifted the plastic covering the food, it only revealed cold steak and spaghetti that had already congealed into tasteless lumps.


    Then she noticed that the scones she had asked to be delivered back had been left to the side. She had sent six back for him, but there were still six left; Lin Fan hadn¡¯t eaten a single one.


    Cheng Xi sighed and took out her phone to call him. He didn¡¯t pick up.


    Unfortunately, it seemed like he was angry again. Cheng Xi caressed her forehead, thinking about what she could do now to make it up to him.


    Right now, Lin Fan was drinking at a bar with some colleagues. With music being blasted at ear-splitting levels, nothing could be heard from the other end.


    Meng Qingyang was sitting by his side, watching Lin Fan drain glass after glass of beer with the pretense of being punished for being late. All of his colleagues were cheering him on, so he poured himself another glass. But just as he was about to down it, Meng Qingyang stopped him.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± she asked as she squeezed closer.


    Lin Fan turned to look at her, causing the girl by his side to quickly flush red, her eyes seemingly flashing underneath the bar¡¯s strobe lights.


    He shook his head and said nothing as he pushed her hand away and drank another glass. As the beer slowly fell down his throat, he felt the coldness seep all the way from his mouth down to his heart.


    His colleagues were partying crazily. The effect of the alcohol even caused two colleagues who were mutually interested in each other to finally break through their barrier and kiss, causing everyone to clap for them. But even then, Lin Fan only felt the cold sensation of desolation in the laughter of the crowd.


    He also wanted to love someone like that, without a care for anything else. However, he didn¡¯t know if his timing was off, but he kept feeling like he was running into hurdle after hurdle, even after they had successfully made their feelings clear.


    The owner of the hand came closer, immediately filling his nostrils with an enticing scent. ¡°Lin Fan, this isn¡¯t fun. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 75: You Care That Much About Him?

    Perhaps it was because she was too tired, but Cheng Xi didn¡¯t sleep well that day. She dreamed throughout the whole night, but her dreams were filled with scenes of neither rhyme nor reason, a large number of people and random things flitting through them. When a loud knocking sound came from her door, she was dreaming of walking barefoot along a cliff as loose stones cut at her like sharp knives.


    On some level, dreams reflected the inner self. As a psychiatrist, Cheng Xi clearly understood that this dream represented the danger that she felt from Lu Chenzhou.


    The intense knocking on her door shattered her dreams of danger. When she raised her head, she saw Lin Fan¡¯s face through the screen door. She was very surprised because he exuded an aura of absolute dejection; his clothes were a mess and his hair disheveled.


    Once the door open, he immediately leapt over, hugged her, and started kissing her passionately. Cheng Xi was very unsettled; unlike Lu Chenzhou¡¯s dazed actions that one night, Lin Fan¡¯s passion seemed to be fueled by anger and suppressed emotions. His body¡¯s stench was hard to bear, as it was the smell of stale beer mixed together with bitter tobacco and a cloyingly sweet perfume.


    She tried to block his advances. ¡°Lin Fan, what¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t be like this.¡±


    He ignored her and grabbed her hands. This never before seen impatient behavior felt like he was urgently trying to obtain something from her. Cheng Xi had never liked this sort of out-of-control intimacy. When he started pinning her hands down, she leaned back to build up some momentum before headbutting him with her skull when he kissed her behind the ear.


    The headbutt hurt Lin Fan enough to make him suck in a deep breath, forcing him to release her and grab his nose. Not long after, fresh blood seeped through his fingers.


    Unfortunately, Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t been very accurate and had accidentally smashed his nose.


    Even though her own face also hurt, Cheng Xi was still concerned for him first. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Lin Fan shook his head, clearly having sobered up from the shock. Faced with Cheng Xi¡¯s clear-headed and somewhat cool expression, he was so embarrassed that he couldn¡¯t even look her in the eye. Cheng Xi pretended not to have noticed his embarrassment and poured some cold water into a basin to serve as a compress to stop the bleeding. Then she even grabbed a wad of cotton for him to stuff up his nose.


    Once she had prepared everything, Cheng Xi stooped to a side and watched him wash his nose. Her expression was filled with concentration, her expression oozing gentleness, and her clear eyes carrying a faint hint of a smile; her entire mien made one calm down quickly.


    Lin Fan couldn¡¯t help but splash her with a bit of water. Cheng Xi was unable to dodge it, and the water droplets dripped down her face like pearls.


    After a mess of a night, he could only marvel at how wonderful it was to see her again. Unable to resist the temptation in his heart, Lin Fan leaned in closer, trying to lick her lips.


    Cheng Xi dodged, wiping her face while simultaneously laughing at him.


    ¡°What¡¯re you laughing at?¡±


    ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t have chosen to hit on someone at this time.¡±


    She stretched out her hand, pointing at his nose. Only then did Lin Fan remember that two wads of cotton were still stuffed inside his nostrils. He quickly lowered his head and mumbled, ¡°You¡¯re quite fierce.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I only wanted to hit you lightly.¡±


    As she said this, she couldn¡¯t help but think of Lu Chenzhou and the two punches that she had given him; that was truly fierce. She could still see a bit of bruising by his jaw last night.


    And for some reason, men always seemed to like trying to be intimate while they were out-of-control. Just what did they think they could achieve in that state?


    Lin Fan had completely sobered up by now, saying, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll treat it as the price I have to pay for being frivolous.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Cheng Xi patted his head. ¡°Keep reflecting. I¡¯ll go wash up. If the bleeding doesn¡¯t stop after a few minutes, then I¡¯ll look at your face again.


    Her expression was so natural, it was almost as if his losing control wasn¡¯t surprising at all. Although Lin Fan had felt somewhat guilty at first, not wanting her to ask about what happened that night, he actually felt somewhat depressed when she didn¡¯t bring it up at all.


    He nodded as he responded somewhat stuffily, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Cheng Xi was actually somewhat curious about what had happened. The reason why she didn¡¯t ask was because she was trying to be conscientious; he would definitely tell her if he wanted to talk about it.


    She didn¡¯t think too much of it, so she went to wash her face with a relaxed heart. When she returned, Lin Fan was still kneeling in front of the wash basin. She walked over and his expression was one of extreme shock as he looked at her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± His expression was too obvious, so much so that Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but ask him about it. She asked, ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Fan clutched at his nose, forcing himself to laugh. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll dislike me.¡±


    ¡°Dislike you for what?¡±


    ¡°For running over to your place and doing all that after I became really drunk¡­ Don¡¯t you blame me?¡± He glanced at her, his tone sincere. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I originally wanted to wait for you to return, but my colleagues asked me to go drink, and I couldn¡¯t blow them off. So, I had to head over¡­ Oh, right. Is Mr Lu alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit serious. He scratched the hives that were caused by his allergic reaction and that broke the skin, which then led to a serious infection. In the end, he has to stay in a germ-free environment for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Lin Fan responded, before asking a while later, ¡°Did he actually not know that he can¡¯t scratch himself after an allergic reaction?¡±


    This was said somewhat maliciously, but Cheng Xi knew what he was feeling and could sympathize with his reaction, so she pretended to not hear it. ¡°He probably knows that, but he wasn¡¯t paying attention. Actually, not only did he break through his skin, but he also immersed it in water, making it even more serious. Alright, let¡¯s not talk about him anymore.¡± She stood up and rolled up her sleeves. ¡°I¡¯m planning on making up for last night¡¯s dinner. Do you want to help?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Fan had also realized that he was being petty, so he jokingly said, ¡°I made all the food yesterday, so you have to make all of it today if you want to make it up to me.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Alright. Then just go wait outside for a big meal.¡±


    After saying this, she went into the kitchen. Lin Fan looked at her back, his smile slowly vanishing until his face was completely expressionless.


    The steak from yesterday was already cold, and it wouldn¡¯t taste good even if she heated it back up. Cheng Xi felt that it would be a waste to throw it away, so she called her mom and asked her for advice on how to best revise it.


    As a chef with many years of experience, her mother quickly responded with a method. After she taught it to her daughter, she casually asked, ¡°What¡¯s Lu Chenzhou¡¯s phone number? Give it to me.¡±


    Admittedly, Lu Chenzhou had clearly been more excessive on that day than her. In her mother¡¯s eyes, he had already gone from ¡®that dolt¡¯ to Lu Chenzhou.


    Black streaks marred Cheng Xi¡¯s forehead. ¡°Why do you want his number?¡±


    ¡°You refused to let us parents meet up, so I want to talk to him about his aspirations and goals. Can¡¯t I do even that?¡±


    Cheng Xi chuckled. ¡°No, mom. Don¡¯t cause any more trouble for me.¡±


    And then she hung up.


    When she turned around to grab some starch, she saw Lin Fan standing by the door. Her heart jumped a little, but she didn¡¯t let it show. Instead, she put on a smile and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you decide that you couldn¡¯t bear have me work alone and came to offer me help?¡±


    And Lin Fan indeed did wash his hands and start to help her. As Cheng Xi covered the steak in starch, he washed the vegetables by her side. As he washed them, he asked, ¡°What do you like about me, Cheng Xi?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him, still smiling. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure. Perhaps it¡¯s because you stood out from the crowd?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Lin Fan also laughed, responding, ¡°Then how long will you like me for?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t change, then I probably won¡¯t change either.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Lin Fan just looked at her as his laugh started to turn somewhat forlorn.


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t as skilled as her mother at cooking, so she had messed up the modified steak dish. In the end, it was Lin Fan who saved the day by making two ham sandwiches.


    When breakfast was finally served, Cheng Xi¡¯s phone rang. Lin Fan had come to her house very early, at almost six in the morning. So, they were also having an early breakfast, at around seven.


    The call was from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother, who was almost crying while on the phone. ¡°The results are out. He has septicemia. What do we do?¡±


    Even though she could predict that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s condition was quite serious from Dr. Xie¡¯s expression last night, it was still hard for Cheng Xi to accept that the worst had actually happened.


    After the phone call ended, she put down her utensils. Upon seeing her expression, Lin Fan quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡¯s examination results are out. He has septicemia.¡±


    Lin Fan didn¡¯t like her serious expression, and after a while, asked, ¡°......Is it hard to cure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, somewhat.¡± She stood up and said, ¡°I have to go to the hospital.¡±


    Lin Fan pulled her down. ¡°Can¡¯t you eat something first?¡± He tried to restrain his anger as he looked at her. ¡°It¡¯s not your specialty, so being late isn¡¯t a big deal. Please eat something before heading over, alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really can¡¯t eat anything right now.¡± She broke free and was about to walk away, truly very worried.¡±


    Peng! In his anger, Lin Fan threw his utensils onto the plate. He suddenly stood up. ¡°Do you really care that much about him?!¡±


    Cheng Xi stopped in her tracks, slowly turning around to look at him.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 76: You Only Care About Him

    Lin Fan was still angry. He knew that, at this time, he should calm down, act kindly, and be considerate of her actions.


    But he couldn¡¯t stand it.


    His mind was consumed by agitation and a tinge of sorrow, but his tone did become gentler. ¡°Do you care that much about him? What about me? Even after I came here in this wretched state, why didn¡¯t you ask why? When I said that I was drunk, did you really believe that? Why was I drunk, what did I do while I was drunk¡ªdon¡¯t you care about any of that? Do you only care about him?¡±


    Cheng Xi took a deep breath. What he was saying wasn¡¯t technically correct; in reality, she had asked him all those questions when he had first entered through the door. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t care, but rather that she could tell that he didn¡¯t want to answer.


    But now wasn¡¯t the time to worry about this. She looked at him directly. ¡°Lin Fan, I already know why you got drunk, and I also know why you¡¯re not feeling well. But I can only say one thing: I¡¯m not romantically involved with Lu Chenzhou at all. As I said yesterday, he¡¯s ill, and there¡¯s a reason why I have to personally take care of him. If you believe me, then I¡¯ll be very happy, but if not, then I also understand why.¡±


    ¡°This again.¡± Lin Fan smiled a desolate smile. ¡°You say all this as if I¡¯m a petty person. You always ask me to believe you, but how can I? Don¡¯t you feel that your care and attention to him is way beyond what¡¯s normal? Cheng Xi, I really want to be generous and gracious, but I don¡¯t like that you¡¯re so close to him. No matter what you think, I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    He had finally revealed his deepest thoughts. With his heart bare, he looked at her, his expression pleading for her to consider his feelings.


    Before, Cheng Xi had always felt that Lin Fan was too introverted and that he was bottling all his emotions up in his heart. She didn¡¯t expect that a day would come when he could be so forward.


    But this was fine too, as it allowed them to exchange thoughts candidly. She didn¡¯t get mad, turning back around instead. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry. I was too hasty when deciding just now.¡± She reached out for his hand and guided it to her face. ¡°I know that it¡¯s not good for me to act like this since it bothers you. However, please don¡¯t be angry, alright?¡±


    ¡°Then are you still going to go?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t respond, so Lin Fan slowly retrieved his hand and left without another word.


    Cheng Xi called out to him a few times, but he never responded. In the end, she had no choice but to let him go.


    She felt that, since he was still angry, it would be better for her to wait for him to calm down before explaining everything, but she didn¡¯t realize that, when Lin Fan saw no sign of Cheng Xi chasing after him as he walked out, the disappointment in his heart was almost enough to drown him.


    All men held an insatiable desire within their hearts. Before Lin Fan and Cheng Xi¡¯s relationship had solidified, Lin Fan had been able to wait for her patiently despite her other ¡°boyfriend¡±. However, now that their relationship was confirmed, Lin Fan found that he wasn¡¯t able to stand seeing her care so much about any other man.


    Especially after what happened last night.


    After Lin Fan¡¯s outburst, even though Cheng Xi was certain that she would be able to get back together with him, she didn¡¯t feel very well.


    She rubbed her face vigorously, and then did so again. Only after she felt like she had rubbed all her unease away did she rush to the hospital.


    The Lu family was arranged in a neat little row. After a night had passed, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father had also arrived, and he was currently standing with his parents in front of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s ward. Apparently, his brother had also come, but Cheng Xi didn¡¯t see him anywhere. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother explained, ¡°He¡¯s still a kid in school. It¡¯s useless for him to be here, so we made him leave first.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind, and instead tried to persuade Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents to rest. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing to do, then the two of you should go rest as well. Mr. Lu will have the best doctors taking care of him. If you persist, then not only will be delaying his recovery, but the two of you might also get sick.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father was also trying to persuade his parents to leave.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother, however, was very stubborn. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. With the way he is now, how can I leave without worrying?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father logically rebutted, ¡°But you can¡¯t help even if you¡¯re here.¡±


    He was trying to take care of his mother, but this was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was originally just worried about her grandson, but when she heard this, she became so angry that she stopped caring about her image and turned to her son, prepared to give him a public scolding. ¡°Then, how about you? Are you of any use right now? As his father, are you even worried about your son? If I hadn¡¯t called you so many times last night, would you have come home at all? When have you ever cared about your son? You¡¯re already middle-aged; a failure of a father leads to a failure of a son. If someday the two of us die, then this family¡¯s going to fall apart too!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father was a middle-aged man in a position of power, and he was made so discomfited by this public humiliation that he turned to leave, not even properly greeting Cheng Xi.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother began to tremble in anger, and his grandfather¡¯s expression also turned more serious as the corners of his mouth drooped.


    Cheng Xi felt very awkward about stepping into this situation and was getting ready to leave when Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother suddenly pulled on her hand, complaining, ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to our little Zhou? He¡¯s never been close to his father even when he was young, and now he¡¯s fallen ill¡ªhe¡¯s still not married. What can he do in the future?¡±


    Only then did Cheng Xi find an excuse to leave. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even though septicemia is a troublesome disease, it¡¯s not hard to treat once we determine the bacteria responsible for it. Please don¡¯t be too anxious. I¡¯ll go look at him, alright?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother finally let go of her.


    Cheng Xi then proceeded to look at Lu Chenzhou. He was lying in a germ-free ward, still deep in sleep. If not for his hospital gown, this would have been the most peaceful that Cheng Xi had ever seen him.


    She really felt quite guilty as she headed to the doctor in charge of Lu Chenzhou, an authority in the field. He had already finished looking at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s file, and wasn¡¯t in a hurry to answer her questions. Instead, the first words out of his mouth was, ¡°He¡¯s the boyfriend who booked all of your appointment slots because he was worried you¡¯d be tired, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Was this gossip not over yet? She was speechless, but still had to say something in response. ¡°It¡¯s all a misunderstanding. Could you please tell me how he¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡°Not well at all! Despite his good physique, he¡¯s taken such poor care of his body that he¡¯s lucky he¡¯s not dead yet.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything, and only looked at him with pleading eyes until the doctor smiled and said, ¡°Alright, stop looking at me like that! And to think that your professor said that you were her best student¡ªit doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re anything special. Don¡¯t worry. We just have to treat him slowly. At the very least, he won¡¯t die on my watch.¡±


    Even though he didn¡¯t mention any specifics, Cheng Xi still relaxed. Next, she went over the possible reasons for his illness again, saying, ¡°I asked my mom. She washes and dries that quilt every year, so we don¡¯t know how he ended up getting an allergic reaction. If you need it, I can get you a sample of it.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Please do so, as we have to check everything.¡±


    And so, Cheng Xi went to her department, took a day¡¯s leave, went home, got a sample of the quilt, and then sent it to the lab before receiving yet another call from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother. ¡°Dr. Cheng, are you at the hospital? Can you come over quickly? Our little Zhou refuses to stay in the hospital and wants to leave. What do we do?!¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 77: Suggestive

    After Cheng Xi rushed over to the hospital, she found that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother had been exaggerating. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t plan on leaving, but he had woken up, and was sitting by the head of his bed with a severe mien as he listened to the doctor explain his illness to him.


    It was true that his expression wasn¡¯t good, but he certainly wasn¡¯t ¡°crying and shouting¡± about leaving the hospital.


    From the monitor, Cheng Xi saw that Cai Yi was also inside the room, and immediately calmed down. She didn¡¯t rush in, and silently observed the scene for a moment before heading outside again.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather had already left, and his grandmother was the only family member outside. She was somewhat embarrassed that she had called Cheng Xi over for nothing, and said, ¡°He really was shouting about leaving the hospital just now. Luckily, your professor arrived and convinced him not to.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. She could understand her worry and didn¡¯t mind it much, comforting her with a warm voice instead. She was quite good at it too; not long after, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was convinced by her words and indeed did calm down.


    Upon noticing her wan and bleary expression, Cheng Xi was about to persuade her to leave and rest¡ªthe truth was that she wasn¡¯t doing much here; Lu Chenzhou was in a germ-free environment and receiving the best possible treatment with a professional nurse and doctor attending to him. The presence of his family members was unnecessary.


    There was only one thing they could provide: because Lu Chenzhou had septicemia, besides the necessary medical treatment, he also needed to be well nourished. In the Lu household, this was no problem at all.


    And so, Cheng Xi began discussing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s future diet with his grandmother. But before they could finish, the door opened and Cai Yi and the others came out. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was called away by the doctor in charge, while Cheng Xi and her professor stayed behind.


    ¡°Sorry to bother you last night.¡±


    ¡°It was fine.¡± Cheng Xi shook her head and glanced at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s ward before asking, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the early stages, so it¡¯s not difficult to treat. As long as he cooperates, it won¡¯t be a big deal.¡±


    Cai Yi¡¯s words were concise, her tone calm. Cheng Xi clutched at her chest as she sighed, ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± When she raised her head, she saw that her professor was looking at her with a half-smile, and she blushed. ¡°I was worried that I was responsible as I suspected that he fell ill at my place.¡±


    Cai Yi was somewhat shocked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Cheng Xi explained what had happened that day briefly, only leaving out the fact that he had hugged and kissed her right after seeing her.


    When Cai Yi had heard everything, she started shaking her head. ¡°You love to take responsibility for everything, don¡¯t you? Do you know why he¡¯s such a clean freak? It¡¯s because his skin is naturally sensitive, and just a bit of carelessness can lead to endless problems. Who knows whether or not he touched something dirty beforehand? As you said, he ran to find you while dripping wet.¡±


    Cheng Xi had no reply.


    Cai Yi stopped comforting her, and instead said, ¡°But his situation really was quite dangerous. If it took us any longer to get to him, then he might not have been saved. Go and take a look at him first. If there¡¯s anything wrong, we can talk later.¡±


    So Cheng Xi tidied herself up and put on a face mask and isolation suit before entering the ward. Lu Chenzhou was still sitting by the head of the bed, his complexion pale and stark white, even his lips¡¯ color bleached out.


    He seemed like a flower past its prime whose petals were wilting pitifully, completely devoid of its previous cold and haughty demeanor.


    Cheng Xi walked over. She first picked up the medical records by the head of his bed in a smooth manner. Good¡ªhis last few temperature readings showed that his high fever had broken.


    Although she wasn¡¯t a specialist, she knew that, given his situation, as long as the fever broke, the rest would be far easier.


    She put down the records and finally turned around to face him. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but smile¡ªLu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t see her smile, but he could tell that she was smiling because her eyes, the only part of her body that was exposed, had curved into crescents.


    ¡°Are you better?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond, turning instead to face the other side of the room. A nurse pushed a cart inside; on the pushcart were cups filled with medicine, needles, and other medical paraphernalia.


    Cheng Xi almost immediately noticed Lu Chenzhou¡¯s anxiety, and couldn¡¯t help but be momentarily startled. It couldn¡¯t be¡ªthe brilliant Lu Chenzhou, who acted as though he didn¡¯t care much about anything, was actually afraid of needles?


    He was really quite scared, so much so that he even ignored Cheng Xi as he stared rigidly at the needle in the nurse¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou?¡± The nurse pinched the needle tip, verifying his identity.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t speak, so Cheng Xi had to answer for him. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    The nurse glanced at her, and then lowered the needle, preparing to give him an injection. Lu Chenzhou stretched out his hand rigidly, and the nurse had to tap his wrist several times before finally saying, ¡°Relax.¡±


    But despite the request, Mr. Lu¡¯s hand remained as taut as ever. Even though he was trying his hardest to cooperate, his muscles contracted of their own accord.


    His physique wasn¡¯t bad, and the muscles in his hand were well developed. Once he got nervous, his muscles became bundles of steel.


    Seeing this, Cheng Xi suddenly grabbed his other hand as she lightly called out to him.


    Lu Chenzhou turned around subconsciously, his mind relaxing for a moment. And in that moment, the nurse found the correct vein and thrust the needle into his skin.


    Good, there was blood flowing.


    Beautiful people always received preferential treatment. Were he an ordinary man, the nurse might have sneered at him and left upon realizing that such a big fellow was afraid of a needle. But because he was so handsome, the nurse even comforted him. ¡°Look, it doesn¡¯t hurt, does it? Don¡¯t be so anxious.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh, which made Lu Chenzhou glare at her. When the nurse left, he snatched her hand, pulled it next to his face, and ran his teeth over it.


    There wasn¡¯t any blood, but he did leave a neat row of teeth marks; it didn¡¯t hurt, but it was quite suggestive.


    Cheng Xi took her hand back, somewhat embarrassed, but Lu Chenzhou behaved like nothing had happened. He closed his eyes and shamelessly requested, ¡°I¡¯d like to hear a story.¡±


    His tone was cold, but his voice was hoarse. Without his usual power, he sounded like an awkward child acting coyly with an adult.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t refuse and told him a story, his favorite one. Lu Chenzhou must have been exhausted, because he fell asleep before she could even finish. Cheng Xi adjusted his bed a little to help him sleep easier, only leaving when she saw him sleeping soundly.


    As she exited the room, she saw Cai Yi looking at her strangely.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but touch her face as she asked, ¡°What is it? Is there something on my face?¡±


    Cai Yi merely responded, ¡°Cheng Xi, how old are you?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-nine.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, age isn¡¯t the problem. At least now I know why, despite your looks and personality, you¡¯ve never been in a romantic relationship until now.¡±


    Cheng Xi was very surprised, as this seemed like a random topic to bring up; when had Professor Cai started behaving like an ordinary woman, gossiping about such things? But she didn¡¯t correct her; the main reason why she had never been in a relationship was because that person wasn¡¯t here. Once he returned, however, she had indeed quickly gotten into one.


    Somewhat amused, she asked, ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because the way you look at other people is too benevolent. From their point of view, your eyes probably remind them of their mother¡¯s.¡±


    Cheng Xi choked quite abruptly.


    Cai Yi laughed loudly, and then she dragged Cheng Xi to her office. Instead of first discussing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s illness, she instead asked, ¡°Cheng Xi, even though you¡¯re more of a mother than me, what will you do if someone particularly likes that aspect of you? Let me ask you something¡ªtell me honestly, have you ever considered getting into a relationship with your patients?¡±


    After running around for the entire morning, Cheng Xi had been thirsty and had naturally poured herself a glass of water and taken a sip right as she entered. When Cai Yi asked such a bizarre question, she almost choked again.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 78: Let’s Get Married

    Cheng Xi could only reply very seriously. ¡°Professor, I already have a boyfriend.¡±


    Cai Yi made a soft ¡®Oh¡¯ in response as she inspected her closely. The girl in front of her had a very youthful face and was young, pretty, and filled with an exuberant vitality. This really made her admire Cheng Xi. She had known her for quite a while now: the first time Cai Yi had met Cheng Xi was when the latter was a senior in college, following behind a bunch of students doing a practicum. While the others had been somewhat frenetic and wary about the prospect of facing a mentally ill patient, she had already started approaching him.


    Even after all these years, her vitality had not been depleted one bit; it wasn¡¯t just a matter of youth, but also her passion and love towards her career.


    But Cai Yi put all this aside and casually asked, ¡°How long has it been going on for?¡± After hearing that it hadn¡¯t been too long, she clicked her tongue. ¡°You should still be in the passionate stage, but I don¡¯t see any of that sweetness in your face.¡±


    Cheng Xi responded somewhat drolly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you could read faces too, professor.¡±


    Cai Yi was proud. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m a psychiatrist! I¡¯ve been very interested in psychoanalysis lately, and my ability to glean information from other people¡¯s expressions has improved.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been reading fewer books than I should lately.¡± Cheng Xi was ashamed at hearing that even a famous psychiatrist like Cai Yi was still working hard to advance herself.


    Cai Yi was very understanding. ¡°You¡¯re working and have a lot of busy work too. As long as your heart is there, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    The two of them discussed their studies and some medical cases for a while when Cai Yi suddenly asked, out of the blue, ¡°How¡¯s your research on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s illness progressing?¡±


    Cheng Xi nonchalantly responded, ¡°I¡¯d like to request that you assign him another doctor, professor.¡±


    As soon as she made her request, she knew there was going to be trouble. Originally, even if she was going to ask that the case be re-assigned, she should have brought up a good reason first before proposing it. However, now that she had brought it up with a worried tone¡­ Indeed, Cai Yi clapped her hands together, excited. ¡°He likes you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cai Yi laughed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing strange about that. Patients who suffer from mental illnesses find it very easy to latch onto their doctors. As a young pretty woman, it¡¯s actually quite natural for people like you. But it¡¯s not too appropriate if you withdraw from his treatment in the middle of it. You know how particular Lu Chenzhou is. He probably won¡¯t accept a new doctor taking his case.¡±


    Cheng Xi lowered her gaze, not speaking.


    Cai Yi asked, ¡°What, is it really that big of a problem?¡±


    ¡°What happened last time caused Lin Fan to have a misunderstanding with Mr. Lu.¡±


    ¡°Is it just that? Cheng Xi, you¡¯re not that helpless of a woman.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart was shaken. After that, Cai Yi said something else about being lazy and applying a quick patch. This was the crudest method of solving problems; she was all but admitting that she had no confidence in extricating herself from her problems.


    A mental patient¡¯s mind was often a big mess, with particularly strong deviations in their thoughts and actions. When facing such patients, psychiatrists often had to ignore what was right or ethical, because they needed to empathize with their patients before they could accept them on a psychological level. Cheng Xi had always been very good at this aspect of being a psychiatrist, and Cai Yi really hadn¡¯t expected that there would be a time when she too would falter.


    Last time, Cai Yi¡¯s words had only been a reminder for Cheng Xi. But this time, when she saw and heard about how differently Lu Chenzhou treating her, Cai Yi¡¯s question about whether she would consider entering a romantic relationship with one of her patients was actually a reminder in disguise. But the response that she got from her was quite unexpected. Cai Yi couldn¡¯t help but caress her forehead. ¡°I didn¡¯t imagine that Lu Chenzhou would be this charming.¡±


    Cheng Xi blanked for a moment before realizing that her teacher had misunderstood. However, she had no words to say: she was originally afraid that her presence would influence Lu Chenzhou too much. But now, she was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t have enough strength to see matters through. She also couldn¡¯t directly mention Lu Chenzhou¡¯s erratic behavior, so Cheng Xi could only try to salvage things. ¡°It¡¯s not that¡ªI¡¯m just a bit worried.¡±


    Cai Yi nodded with an understanding expression on her face. She even gave her some advice. ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t feel particularly strongly about your boyfriend. So, be careful to not randomly choose someone just because you¡¯re being pressured. A matter as important as marriage can¡¯t be rushed.¡±


    Truly, it couldn¡¯t¡ªlook at her, she was the model of waiting patiently. In response, Cheng Xi said, ¡°I¡¯m not in a rush. I¡¯ve already known him for so many years.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, so you¡¯re childhood sweethearts.¡± Not letting Cheng Xi relax, Professor Cai added, ¡°But so what? Sometimes, even a childhood sweetheart can¡¯t beat a new contestant. As psychiatrists, we should understand that time alone doesn¡¯t mean very much.¡±


    ¡°Time represents mutual understanding, a deepening of emotions and affections.¡± Cheng Xi was forced to rebut. ¡°We really love each other, and it¡¯s unlikely that we¡¯d be easily replaced.¡±


    Everyone said that one shouldn¡¯t speak carelessly of love, and Cheng Xi would soon have to eat her words.


    But in that moment, because she wasn¡¯t aware of what would happen in the near future, she had declared her love very calmly. But Cai Yi only treated it as a last-ditch effort. She gave up on fighting with her any further, instead smiling and saying, ¡°Alright, what you do is up to you. As long as you¡¯re happy, that¡¯s fine. Anyways, emotions are a very small portion of your life, so let¡¯s stop talking about it. Let¡¯s go see your patient instead.¡±


    Cheng Xi felt like she had just been steamrolled, but she still took Cai Yi to see Chen Jiaman, first taking out her medical reports and her observation diary; it was a habit of hers to record daily observations of each of her patients in a diary. Her observations were particularly detailed, even including her insight on how their treatments were progressing. Cai Yi thought highly of this practice, and she had requested that all her future students do the same. But no matter what, Cheng Xi¡¯s were still the best.


    Cai Yi¡¯s observation lasted for half the afternoon. She even personally observed Chen Jiaman for quite a while. In the end, she said to Cheng Xi, ¡°I think that your treatment methodology will work, but hospitals care more about efficiency. Luckily, with the way her situation is, she doesn¡¯t have any family members pressuring her to leave the hospital. Thus, you can take your time and observe her while trying to find the best method to treat her. Who knows, you might even make a major finding in our current understanding of this syndrome.¡±


    Cheng Xi had never been thinking about any of that. All she wanted to do was her duty as a doctor. What Cai Yi appreciated about her the most was this quality that Cheng Xi embodied: her ability to forge ahead, devoid of selfishness or desire for fame; all her passion rested with her patients. If not for the fact that Cheng Xi had already signed a long-term contract with the hospital, Cai Yi would have snatched her up for her own laboratory.


    And as for Chen Jiaman, Cai Yi had previously thought that her illness was too unusual to be studied as a part of a larger set of medical cases. But after reading through Cheng Xi¡¯s observation diary, Cai Yi became much more interested in the case¡ªnot only did Chen Jiaman suffer from Cotard¡¯s syndrome, but she also had the classic symptoms of autism and depression. As a test subject, she would definitely be a valuable addition to her clinical study.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t yet know that Cai Yi¡¯s thoughts were steering this way towards her patient; after she sent Cai Yi away, she went back to look at Chen Jiaman again. Thanks to her recording device, Chen Jiaman was now very familiar with Cheng Xi¡¯s voice, and even if Cheng Xi were to stand in front of her, she would no longer have an extreme violent reaction. But they still couldn¡¯t communicate; Cheng Xi had tried to play games with her, simple finger games where she would twist her fingers together and stretch them in front of Chen Jiaman in different ways, saying things like, ¡°Look, this is a piece of ginger.¡± ¡°This is the moon.¡± ¡°This is the wind in a willow tree.¡±


    Chen Jiaman only ever looked at her expressionlessly, as if she were staring at a foolish mortal.


    What the mortal Cheng Xi was diligently trying to accomplish was probably about the limits of what Chen Jiaman could tolerate. Seeing no response from her erstwhile patient, Cheng Xi could only leave in defeat.


    It was already time to get off work, and the nurses were getting ready to change shifts at their station. Cheng Xi made one last stop at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s ward to check up on him.


    Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t woken up yet, but his entire family was all here, neat and orderly as they waited outside. And then Cheng Xi finally saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s little brother, Lu Chenming. The two looked at each other, and Cheng Xi was the one to react first. ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±


    Lu Chenming was actually the student auditing her class, the one who loved to sleep and who always blushed upon making eye contact!


    Lu Chenming¡¯s face immediately flushed red, all the way to the tip of his ears, and he scrambled behind his grandfather. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother asked curiously, ¡°Dr. Cheng, you know our little Ming?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him around school a couple of times.¡±


    ¡°Wow, really? You must share a connection.¡± Although his grandparents found it somewhat curious that their grandson, an applied math major, would know Cheng Xi, who was a psychiatrist, they were both very pleased. It clearly showed on their faces, and Cheng Xi felt that interacting with these two old folks would only increase her stress, so she instead went to look for Lu Chenzhou¡¯s head doctor. She found out that, despite the fact that they had yet to identify the bacteria responsible for Lu Chenzhou¡¯s health issues, his response to the medicine was very good.


    Cheng Xi could finally relax. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was grabbing her hand and trying to chat with her some more when Cheng Xi¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from the nurses¡¯ station: ¡°Dr. Cheng, haven¡¯t you left yet? Your boyfriend¡¯s here for you!¡±


    Cheng Xi was somewhat surprised and also a little excited, because, judging by Lin Fan¡¯s personality, it was quite unusual for him to pick her up the afternoon after they had had a fight in the morning.


    She didn¡¯t tarry any longer, and quickly returned to her own department. Once she entered the room, the nurse pointed in the direction of her office. Cheng Xi smiled and thanked her before pushing the door open and entering.


    Lin Fan was facing the window, his back to the door. He was dressed in a suit, which only further accentuated his smart and handsome looks, truly an elegant man.


    Cheng Xi crept over, trying to tease him, but Lin Fan turned around before she could stretch her hand out.


    ¡°Eh~¡± Cheng Xi stuck her tongue out cutely, retracting her claws. ¡°You caught me.¡±


    Lin Fan looked at her seriously.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Cheng Xi, let¡¯s get married.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 79: You’re Not Happy?

    Lin Fan was very serious, his tone and expression earnest.


    Cheng Xi was suddenly reminded of a time when they were still in school. One day, he had abruptly said, ¡°Let¡¯s skip school.¡±


    Without any premonition, a usually industrious and model student had suddenly proposed to skip school, and he had even dragged another good student along with him. As two of the top students in the best class, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even need to think to know what the consequences would be.


    At that time, however, she was calm and cool-headed, and had first asked him, ¡°To where? For how long?¡± Afraid that he would start seriously planning, she even added, ¡°If we¡¯re gone for too long, I have to get some more money.¡±


    Lin Fan hadn¡¯t thought about any of that; he just wanted to skip school, to run far, far away.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s think about it first.¡±


    And so they thought about where they would go, how much money they would have to bring, what might happen on the way, what they would do if an emergency happened¡ªbut after making all their plans, though they had skipped school in their minds, nothing ever came of it.


    Why? Because it was too troublesome.


    And to extend that to now, getting married wasn¡¯t like skipping school. It was a far more troublesome event with even larger aftershocks¡ªpresently, they were only aftershocks because, having not met each other¡¯s parents yet, they hadn¡¯t really settled their relationship. Thus, they were still, in many ways, unprepared for marriage.


    All of these thoughts raced through Cheng Xi¡¯s head, but her expression remained unchanged. She even smiled and naturally asked, ¡°Why are you suddenly talking about this now?¡±


    Lin Fan stubbornly asked, ¡°Are you unwilling?¡±


    Of course, because the conditions weren¡¯t ripe yet! Cheng Xi smiled, pulled him into a seat, and then poured him a glass of water as she said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unwilling, but rather it¡¯s that there are too many things that we haven¡¯t yet considered, like are we going to have a banquet afterwards? Oh, we probably have to¡ªmy mother only has me and my brother, so she¡¯s been thinking about our marriages for a long time. But where would we host it, and how many people would we invite? Who would help us? We¡¯re both new to all of this, so we definitely have to get someone else to help, but before that, we still have to meet each other¡¯s parents, don¡¯t we? And then we¡¯ll have to think about where to stay after we get married, how to set up our bridal chamber, who¡¯s going to take care of the baby if we have one soon¡ªmy mother and your mother are both too busy to help, you know¡ªso we¡¯ll have to hire a nanny. But since we¡¯re both busy with our work, our baby would then be with a stranger for the entire day, so we definitely have to choose a good nanny well in advance, or it¡¯ll be easy for all sorts of incidents to crop up¡­¡­¡±


    In one breath, she listed out a whole pile of incidents that could happen and lead to all sorts of developmental and educational issues with their child. Then, she continued talking about the problems that came about from all sorts of parents getting married, expected or otherwise.


    Lin Fan just looked at her dumbstruck. It was because marriage was just a thought that had popped into his head, and the rest¡ªhe hadn¡¯t thought about it at all.


    He couldn¡¯t even tell her to not overthink it, because Cheng Xi was very seriously planning their future. After she finished speaking her thoughts, she even looked at him seriously, waiting for his response.


    But he couldn¡¯t even answer her first question about the banquet. It wasn¡¯t that he was unwilling, or that he couldn¡¯t, but just that he wasn¡¯t sure if his mother would prevent it.


    All he wanted to do was get married, just the two of them, and after properly (in truth, secretly) getting their marriage certificate, they would move in together; his plans didn¡¯t account for anyone else.


    Cheng Xi was still looking at him, waiting for his answer.


    He smiled. ¡°Cheng Xi, do you really want to get married?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t object to it.¡±


    Yes, no objections, but not a commitment either. Lin Fan thought she would have been shy and pleasantly surprised about it, or even astonished and unpleasantly surprised. However, Cheng Xi displayed neither of these two sets of emotions. Instead, she theorized coolly about the future, her words like a cold basin of water that had splashed him awake.


    Only then did he realize his own hurry and carelessness¡ªhe didn¡¯t even have a ring with which to propose to her.


    After being silent for a moment, he asked, ¡°Then when are you free? I¡¯d like to bring you to meet my mother.¡±


    This time, it wasn¡¯t like skipping school, because he wouldn¡¯t give up on his plans so easily.


    Cheng Xi agreed. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Lin Fan left with a heavy heart, but only when he reached the lobby did he remember that it was time to leave work; hadn¡¯t he come here to fetch her?


    But how was he to return now? Ha, all it would do was clearly show Cheng Xi how careless he was towards marriage.


    In truth, Cheng Xi really hadn¡¯t noticed his carelessness, because she had been focused on herself¡ªLin Fan¡¯s proposal made her realize a very surprising thing, which was that, even after they had become a couple, she didn¡¯t really want to get married.


    She had never planned on being single for the rest of her life like her professor, but in her current plan for the future, she hadn¡¯t really thought about marriage, and she wasn¡¯t looking forward to it at all.


    This really made her quite vexed. Cheng Xi caressed her forehead and sighed, only breaking out of her reverie when the nurse came in, looking for her. After Cheng Xi dealt with the nurse¡¯s request, she contacted a few of her friends, specifically, the ones who were still single at Shen Wei¡¯s marriage, and asked them to go out. One responded, ¡°I¡¯m at my boyfriend¡¯s house.¡± Another, ¡°I¡¯m not free today. I¡¯m going on a blind date.¡± Only Tian Rou laughed loudly upon picking up. ¡°Wahaha, I¡¯m finally not single anymore. Did you call because you found out and are planning on celebrating with me?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you secure your own affairs first?¡±


    Unable to help herself, she even tried calling Shen Wei, who had just gotten married, but she was also busy, with a business trip as her excuse.


    Everyone was preoccupied with their own affairs.


    With no other option, Cheng Xi could only make herself busy as well. Coincidentally, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather called her just then. ¡°Could we trouble you to come over? My wife¡¯s gone home to rest because she was exhausted, and our grandson¡¯s unwilling to eat.¡±


    So Cheng Xi went over, bumping into Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father on the way there. When they met, he stopped and asked, ¡°Are you really Lu Chenzhou¡¯s friend?¡±


    Cheng Xi blinked, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father¡¯s expression warmed up several degrees from its previously frosty state as he nodded appreciatively at her. ¡°Given his temper, it must have been hard on you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Only upon seeing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather did she realize the whole story. The old man was yelling at his son in front of a few young men. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any patience? All you do is keep flaring up. Zhou¡¯s body is weak, so isn¡¯t it normal for him to be unable to eat?¡±


    After she walked closer, she found that most of these people were actually already familiar: Baldy, Xu Po, and someone she didn¡¯t seem to know. When Baldy saw her, he introduced the third person to her. ¡°This is Xie Ziming.¡±


    Cheng Xi thought back long and hard until she finally remembered something. During the first time she had played mahjong with Baldy, it seemed as though a man had had to cancel on them, which was why she had to stand in for him in the first place.


    Xie Ziming looked pretty average, but his smile was cordial. ¡°In the few months while I was out, yours was the name that I heard the most. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you.¡±


    Cheng Xi was somewhat embarrassed, and she didn¡¯t bother asking what he had heard about her, instead exchanging a few pleasantries before quickly saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to go inside to look at him first.¡±


    This was her way of hiding.


    She much preferred working with her patients over social interactions.


    Baldy and the rest exchanged a knowing glance with each other behind her back. Xie Ziming said, ¡°This doctor seems so gentle. Can she really do anything?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather trusted her completely, and nodded confidently. ¡°Of course she can. I¡¯ve never seen Zhou so obedient before.¡±


    Everyone grew even more curious, but unfortunately, the door to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s ward was tightly closed. In general, visitors weren¡¯t allowed in; Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father had only been allowed in because Lu Chenzhou had refused to speak or talk to anyone. However, he had gotten so angry that he had been forced to leave.


    Cheng Xi again put on her mask and isolation suit before entering. Lu Chenzhou was sleeping peacefully, a sumptuous and nourishing meal by his bedside. The nurse was watching him from the side of the room. Upon seeing Cheng Xi, she quietly said, ¡°He refuses to eat anything. This isn¡¯t good for his recovery.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled understandingly and walked over. Lu Chenzhou was only pretending to sleep; when he heard her footsteps, he opened his eyes.


    ¡°Do you want to eat something?¡± She pretended to not know anything, and asked this question naturally as she sat down in front of his bed.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond, only looking at her.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you have something. Won¡¯t it be nice to get out of here earlier? How terrible it must feel to be cooped up in here.¡±


    She took a bowl of porridge and held a spoonful up to his mouth.


    The two stayed still until Lu Chenzhou finally relented, opening his mouth¡ªit truly was quite uncomfortable to stay here. He felt trapped in this pure white room, which was too small and hard to bear.


    But after seeing her, it didn¡¯t feel as hard to bear anymore.


    He finished the bowl of porridge and ate some of the other dishes as well. Throughout the whole process, Cheng Xi kept talking about random things, like how much his grandmother was worried about him, how often his grandfather thought of him, and how she had met Baldy and the rest, including a man called Xie Ziming.


    Her voice was very pleasant to the ear, neither hurried nor slow, and neither anxious nor impatient. It was soft and gentle, like a relaxed spring breeze.


    But Lu Chenzhou could still detect something off in her voice. He looked at her, suddenly asking, ¡°Are you unhappy?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 80: Are You Shy?

    This was perhaps the first time that Lu Chenzhou had ever asked about someone else¡¯s emotions since she had met him.


    Honestly, Cheng Xi was a little surprised. She wanted to support this sort of behavior from him, so she reached out and touched her facemask with her glove as she sighed and said, ¡°You can tell even though I¡¯m dressed up like this?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou snorted lightly, and Cheng Xi decided to put down the bowl. The nurse came over to clean everything up, and once he was done, Cheng Xi propped her head on her hand and observed him carefully.


    Her eyes were slightly curved up as her bright pupils stared straight into him, as if they were piercing through him and gazing upon his heart. Lu Chenzhou had once read in a sappy romance book that if she loves you, then her eyes would be filled with stars. He used to scoff at such sayings, but now, it really did seem like her eyes were filled with stars. He didn¡¯t know why he felt this way; perhaps it was because of her gentleness and voice, her eyes that always held a smile no matter what she encountered, and her resolute will that never seemed to be afraid of anything.


    Cheng Xi found that the Mr. Lu in front of her had suddenly taken on a serious expression, but his ears were flaming red. In the past, she probably would have assumed that she had somehow accidentally made him mad. But given Lu Chenzhou¡¯s novel behavior, she was guessing¡­ that he was probably embarrassed right now?


    Upon realizing this, Cheng Xi¡­ also became embarrassed. She wasn¡¯t deliberately staring at him. My goodness, this guy wasn¡¯t having any wild thoughts, was he? Cheng Xi quickly shifted her gaze away and changed conversation topics. ¡°I¡¯m not unhappy. It¡¯s just that something happened to me recently, which made me suddenly understand something.


    She spoke in a very vague fashion. Lu Chenzhou glanced at her briefly. ¡°You¡¯re hiding something.¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed. ¡°I¡¯m a bit unsure of what to tell you.¡± After thinking about it a little, she asked, ¡°Why did you want me to sign that contract in the beginning?¡±


    After a period of silence, Lu Chenzhou noncomittaly replied, ¡°Romance, marriage, isn¡¯t it necessary?¡± He looked at her. ¡°You¡¯ve got guts.¡±


    Actually, not only did she have guts, but she was also very calm and not at all annoying. He put on the pretense that they had had a one-night stand, but not only had she not made a fuss or cried about it, but she had even calmly investigated the situation on her own afterwards. And in the end, she didn¡¯t mind letting him know that she knew everything.


    At that time, he had felt that, if romance and marriage were indeed necessary, then he¡¯d choose her to be his partner.


    He didn¡¯t speak very much, and because of his body¡¯s condition, his words were spoken somewhat softly, but Cheng Xi understood him nonetheless.


    It was just that the wise and strong Mr. Lu had gotten so sick of his grandparents insisting that he had to get into a relationship and get married that he had thought that he might as well choose a girl who he found pleasing.


    Cheng Xi laughed when she heard this even though his answer didn¡¯t surprise her at all. When Lu Chenzhou saw her stop talking, he frowned, looking at her.


    Was he waiting for her to continue? This guy must be bored to death, languishing in here all day. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t tell him that Lin Fan had proposed to her, so Cheng Xi instead found another reason to explain away her unhappiness. ¡°I was scolded by my department head again.¡± She thought that she had stumbled upon a good excuse. ¡°So much so that now, I understand that I can¡¯t just butt my head into random affairs anymore.


    Lu Chenzhou kept looking at her. After a while, he unexpectedly said, ¡°Did that guy propose to you? And you don¡¯t want to get married?¡±


    ¡­...Cheng Xi¡¯s eyes widened involuntarily. She wanted to deny it, but the time had already passed. ¡°It seems like that¡¯s the case.¡±


    Cheng Xi was once again rendered speechless. ¡°If you¡¯re this perceptive, then you¡¯ll lose the rest of your friends.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou started smiling, very faintly, but he was truly smiling now.


    Cheng Xi asked, ¡°How did you know?¡± But in her heart, she wondered if her hesitation was that obvious.


    Lu Chenzhou must truly have been bored because he patiently explained, ¡°It¡¯s not your expression, but rather your words. If you had been scolded by your director, then why would you start off by asking me about our agreement? You clearly haven¡¯t studied psychology properly.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face was red from embarrassment.


    She had actually been told by her own patient that she didn¡¯t have a good grasp of psychology. How mortifying.


    She clutched her face in mock shock. ¡°No wonder I always end up kicking myself in the foot when I¡¯m with you. It must be because you know more about psychology than I do.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that to be expected? After all, you¡¯re stupid.¡±


    ¡°Are you consoling me? What sort of response am I supposed to give if you talk to me like that?¡±


    Mr. Lu didn¡¯t care at all how she would respond, and just coolly grunted in response. However, his eyes subconsciously revealed a bit of mirth.


    The two kept talking like this. When she confirmed that Lu Chenzhou seemed to be feeling better, Cheng Xi finally got up and left.


    When she left, her head started hurting about the prospect of having to meet Lin Fan¡¯s mother. At that time, she thought that Lin Fan had proposed out of the blue because he had been provoked by Lu Chenzhou. It was not until afterwards that she had found out that it actually had nothing to do with him.


    Lin Fan worked quite quickly. A day later, he told Cheng Xi that he had arranged things with his mother. The appointed date was set for Christmas Eve; old folks here didn¡¯t celebrate that sort of Western holiday, so Cheng Xi didn¡¯t need to go home to be with her family. And because they had scheduled it beforehand, she couldn¡¯t just push it off, either.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to push it off because she had thought it through very carefully. Although she felt that their relationship hadn¡¯t reached the point of marriage, if the groom was to be Lin Fan, then it didn¡¯t seem like a big problem¡­¡­ They had known each other for so many years, so whether they got married first and then developed their romance later or vice versa, both were about the same to her; both required some commitment.


    After preparing herself mentally, Cheng Xi waited to meet Lin Fan¡¯s mother. She hadn¡¯t mentioned this to anyone else, but Lu Chenzhou had noticed it when she went to see him¡ªhe really was a patient now, as his illness had scared the Lu family half to death. So, upon their request, the virology department had asked a doctor from the psychiatry department to meet him for a consultation.


    Cheng Xi was that doctor, which meant that she would see him for a routine checkup and his daily treatments. When Lu Chenzhou was clearheaded, he didn''t need any counselling, and she couldn¡¯t do any physiological therapy either, as he was so bored from staying in the hospital that more often than not, Cheng Xi ended up being his research subject instead. He would always find some gap or loophole in her words, and then use it to analyze her feelings from that.


    That day, he told Cheng Xi, ¡°You¡¯re very nervous.¡±


    Cheng Xi was silent, now finally understanding the envy that her senior Ceng Xing must have felt towards her. ¡°If you were to switch professions, then you would leave all of us with nowhere to go.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou proudly raised his jaw.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Then, great master, please help me understand why I¡¯m nervous.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Lu Chenzhou finally looked somewhat speechless, somewhat helplessly asking her, ¡°Do you think of me as a fortune teller?¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed.


    This topic passed without any further comment. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t explain why she was nervous, and neither did Lu Chenzhou ask. As he watched her leave, his gaze slowly became cold.


    Perhaps it was because of him, but Cheng Xi¡¯s feelings eventually calmed down at the final juncture.


    But, that day she wasn¡¯t able to meet up with Lin Fan on time because his mother had directly come to the hospital.


    At that time, Cheng Xi still hadn¡¯t gotten off of work. While she was arranging the last batch of medical records for her patients, she received a call from Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s.


    On the phone, her voice was superficially calm and gentle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the short notice, and I know we¡¯ll see each other soon. However, before then, I¡¯d like to meet you first. Is that fine?¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at the hospital.¡±


    Cheng Xi went out, and indeed saw Lin Fan¡¯s mother right outside. But she wasn¡¯t alone; with her was another girl that Cheng Xi also recognized. That girl had a very youthful face and a delicate and charming look. Before she spoke, she was the epitome of grace and demure elegance.


    Upon seeing Cheng Xi, she raised her eyes slightly. Within her gaze was an unsavory hint of provocation.


    Before Lin Fan¡¯s mother could speak, she said, ¡°Dr. Cheng, we meet again.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 81: I Will Do My Best to Break You Up

    After hesitating for a brief moment, Cheng Xi greeted Meng Qingyang back with a smiling expression. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Miss Meng.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother, somewhat surprised, asked, ¡°Do the two of you know each other?¡±


    Meng Qingyang nonchalantly said, ¡°Yes, Dr. Cheng¡¯s a good person.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother looked at Cheng Xi again curiously. ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡± She patted Meng Qingyang¡¯s hand. ¡°Let me speak with Cheng Xi for a little bit. Wait here for me, alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Meng Qingyang even waved at Cheng Xi amiably. ¡°Goodbye, Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Xi had seen how temperamental Meng Qingyang could be, so her demure behavior now only felt strange to her. However, she didn¡¯t say anything and brought Lin Fan¡¯s mother into her office instead. ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Let¡¯s just talk.¡±


    Cheng Xi nonetheless still poured her a glass of water before sitting down, facing her.


    The gaze that Lin Fan¡¯s mother was directing towards Cheng Xi was exceptionally kind, reminding her of a similar gaze that she had seen many years ago, when Cheng Xi and Lin Fan had been walking through the streets on a school-sanctioned extracurricular activity. When they ran into Lin Fan¡¯s mother, she had looked at her with a similar gaze that was part kind, part gratifying, and part frustrated, saying, ¡°My little Lin Fan also has a friend now.¡±


    At that time, Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t noticed her frustration, but now, as Lin Fan¡¯s mother kept talking, Cheng Xi finally understood what it meant.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s speech was long-winded, with two main points. ¡°Cheng Xi, you¡¯re a good child, and I like you very much. I¡¯ve liked you since your high school days. However, you¡¯re not compatible with Lin Fan¡ªhe¡¯s suffered through a rough childhood with me, and I don¡¯t want him to suffer anymore. I want him to have an outstanding and successful career.¡±


    So while she did like Cheng Xi, she felt that Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help Lin Fan.


    Cheng Xi listened passively. Only when Lin Fan¡¯s mother finished talking did she ask, ¡°Mrs. Lin, does Lin Fan know that you reached out to me today?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told him, but I know that you¡¯re a sensible child, and I¡¯ve always liked you. So, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t do anything that would embarrass both of us later on.¡± She then leaned in and asked surreptitiously, ¡°You don¡¯t want to do this either, do you?¡±


    Cheng Xi had long since predicted that Lin Fan¡¯s mother would oppose their relationship, having heard all about her aspirations and plans for Lin Fan. All of this was within her predictions, but she didn¡¯t treat it like an obstacle. Lin Fan wasn¡¯t a piece of dough to be kneaded and rolled around, and neither was she. She felt that she and Lin Fan could definitely be happy together. Although she wouldn¡¯t be able to further his career very much, she definitely wouldn¡¯t be pulling him down either.


    Furthermore, if Lin Fan wanted to start a business, she had a few connections of her own.


    With that in mind, Cheng Xi asked her second question. ¡°Mrs. Lin, what would you consider a successful life?¡±


    Without missing a beat, Lin Fan¡¯s mother replied, ¡°Money and power! We don¡¯t have any power, so we can only focus on making money. Lots and lots of money.¡± She looked at Cheng Xi, her gaze revealing her naked ambition, so calm that one couldn¡¯t even dislike her. ¡°I know that you definitely can¡¯t understand my thoughts. But no matter what, I only want Lin Fan to be able to live a carefree life, without needing to suffer through hardships or be forced to do something he doesn¡¯t want to because of money.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Lin, do you feel that having both money and power will allow one to lead a carefree life?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    She was so certain, so full of confidence, that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t try to persuade her otherwise¡ªsomeone who felt this deeply about a subject wouldn¡¯t be easily persuaded by mere words.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother hadn¡¯t come to be persuaded by her, either; these words were ones that she had always kept in her heart, hidden away from everyone else. Once she revealed them, she could only forge forward on that path of hers relentlessly.


    Cheng Xi then asked her final question. ¡°If I¡¯m unwilling to separate with Lin Fan, then what will you do, Mrs. Lin?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to make you two break up.¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s expression was severe. ¡°Cheng Xi, do you know how I managed to escape with him that year? He had to threaten to kill himself. He was only twelve, but he put a knife by his neck and told me, ¡®Mom, if I die, will there be peace again?¡¯ Do you know how I¡¯ve lived all these years? I¡¯m 38, but I married an old man whose hair is turning white. So many people have looked down upon me, and even my stepchildren guard against me as if I were a thief. They look down on Lin Fan in the same way. I was weak for half of my life, so I caused him to suffer so much. Now, I don¡¯t want him to have to suffer anymore. I don¡¯t want him to be looked down upon for the rest of his life¡­¡­ Though you might feel that wealth won¡¯t necessarily bring you respect, it¡¯ll definitely at least shut their mouths! It¡¯s just like how, if I bring their old man out to discipline those sons and daughters of his, what can they do?¡± As she said this last sentence, her face reflected a bit of pride, as if she had won a spiritual victory.


    ¡°Did you see that girl just now? If you know her, then you should know that she and Lin Fan are colleagues, but only colleagues. She¡¯s a board member of Longchang Commerce¡ªoh, perhaps you don¡¯t know about Longchang Commerce. It¡¯s the domestic proxy for a number of large global brands, which you¡¯d probably recognize if I mentioned them.¡± She rattled off a few companies, and even though Cheng Xi herself didn¡¯t care about these things, she knew that most people in the country would go mad over those companies¡¯ products.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother didn¡¯t think that this sort of relationship was immoral, and she didn¡¯t even acknowledge the fact that if Lin Fan had such a girlfriend, people would think that they were only together because he was eyeing her position and connections. ¡°It¡¯s just that we¡¯re trying to find a higher starting point. Marriage is nothing more than a job; doing it well will bring happiness.¡±


    It was rare for Cheng Xi to be unable to counter an argument, but she was actually struck speechless after hearing Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s ¡®confident¡¯ speech. She didn¡¯t argue back, as she knew that Lin Fan¡¯s mother wouldn¡¯t listen to her; if she talked with reason, Lin Fan¡¯s mother would appeal to emotion; if she appealed to emotion, then Lin Fan¡¯s mother would switch to reason.


    If they weren¡¯t on the same page, then what was the point of talking any further?


    Cheng Xi politely sent Lin Fan¡¯s mother out. They didn¡¯t see Meng Qingyang at the entrance, and Lin Fan¡¯s mother directly left after making a phone call.


    Cheng Xi stood by the elevator. As she watched the doors close, the smile on her face finally collapsed. She rubbed her exhausted face, lightly breathing out.


    As she turned around, she unexpectedly saw Meng Qingyang, who had told Lin Fan¡¯s mother that she had already gone down. She was standing by the elevator on the other end of the corridor; it wasn¡¯t clear if she had just come up or if she had always been standing there.


    At this hour, there weren¡¯t many people left in this area of the hospital. Only the two of them stood in the corridor.


    Cheng Xi stopped moving, merely looking at Meng Qingyang.


    Meng Qingyang slowly walked in front of Cheng Xi as a brilliant smile lit up her face. ¡°Mrs. Lin likes me very much, and wants me to be her daughter-in-law. Dr. Cheng, I really want to reject her because you¡¯re a good person, and because I like you very much.¡±


    At this point, Cheng Xi wanted to laugh. Today, she had been told that she was a good person by two different people; they both said they liked her very much, but hidden behind their liking was a ¡®but.¡¯


    Meng Qingyang¡¯s ¡®but¡¯ was that ¡°Lin Fan¡¯s genuinely a very gentle person, and he looks so beautiful when he smiles. At first, I didn¡¯t want to steal him away, but Dr. Cheng, why did you have to make him unhappy?¡±


    After being lectured in psychology by Lu Chenzhou, Cheng Xi was now being taught how to be a better girlfriend by Meng Qingyang. This girl who had just broken free of her depression said, ¡°Dr. Cheng, you¡¯re not doing a very good job at being a girlfriend. Even if we ignore the fact that you don¡¯t have any time to spend with him, you still have an unclear relationship with another man. You always make him unhappy, forcing him to drink, making him wan and sallow. For you, he even hurt me.¡±


    As she said this, she rolled up her sleeves and stretched out her hand with an innocent expression on her face. ¡°Look at how forceful he was. He even left such a big bruise. It hurts so much.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 82: I Came to Accompany You

    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what she was feeling at that moment, but it was probably something akin to the feeling of accidentally swallowing a shard of bone while eating chicken feet. It wasn¡¯t a big piece, but it had gotten stuck in a particularly aggravating spot; she couldn¡¯t swallow or cough it out, which made it all the more disgusting.


    She looked at Meng Qingyang, who seemed to have been completely cured of her depression. Her mien was entirely devoid of her earlier gloom and reservation, her eyes bright and vivacious.


    When Cheng Xi had told Meng Qingyang her own story of redemption and rebirth, she had not imagined that it would help the girl in front of her find such a ¡°novel¡± path forward.


    Suppressing her disgust, she asked Meng Qingyang, ¡°Are you certain that you like him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. She sympathized with Meng Qingyang, but she refrained from saying anything more.


    When she got back to her office, she received a text message from Meng Qingyang that consisted of three photographs. The backdrop of the first photograph was some hotel; in it, Lin Fan was hugging Meng Qingyang, and she had clearly used her phone to covertly take this picture. The photograph was time-stamped out of ¡®consideration.¡¯ Cheng Xi had a good memory, and recognized the date as the second day of the fishing expedition by Cheng Xi¡¯s house. Lin Fan had originally said that he would accompany her, but then, his office had needed him for a sudden business trip. He wasn¡¯t gone for too long, only a single day, and he had come to her house the next morning, saying he would take her to work. That was when he¡¯d encountered Lu Chenzhou.


    The backdrop of the second photograph was a bar. In the dusky lighting, a man¡¯s hand was tightly entangled with a woman¡¯s. This photograph was also timestamped; if Cheng Xi remembered correctly, it should have been a few days ago, when she had insisted on seeing the ill Lu Chenzhou. What had Lin Fan said when he saw her the next day? Oh, that he had been drinking with his colleagues. Then, he had pounced on her in a drunken haze.


    In the third photograph, Meng Qingyang was lying by Lin Fan¡¯s side, and their heads were propped up next to each other. Meng Qingyang was smiling towards the camera, and Lin Fan was asleep by her side.


    This last photograph was the most recent one, and that day after it, Lin Fan had proposed to her out of the blue.


    The phone suddenly rang, and Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t see the photographs anymore. In their place was a screen with the characters ¡®Lin Fan.¡¯


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t pick up. After thinking about it for a moment, she forwarded the three photos to Lin Fan. If Meng Qingyang was so brazen as to send her these photographs, then she probably wasn¡¯t afraid of Lin Fan seeing them either.


    Lin Fan quickly called again, and Cheng Xi picked up this time.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°The hospital.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come and find you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± Cheng Xi sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave now.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to your house!¡±


    Actually, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to see him right now. However, his voice was so ridden with anxiety that she relented. To be fair, she couldn¡¯t just take Ming Qingyang¡¯s story for granted?¡ªshe should also let Lin Fan explain his side of the story too. Meng Qingyang¡¯s mental condition was clearly somewhat abnormal, and what she had said might not be the whole truth.


    But if Meng Qingyang were making things up, then Lin Fan¡¯s tone should have been angry, not flustered and exasperated.


    Cheng Xi went home. Because her departure had been delayed, she ended up returning a bit later than planned.


    In the end, Lin Fan never showed up. He called her, saying, ¡°Sorry, but something came up with my mom. I can¡¯t go over at the moment.¡±


    Cheng Xi had just reached her front doorstep when the call came. As Lin Fan talked, she smiled and thought back to Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s ¡°I will do my best to separate the two of you.¡± She was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that she had been blind; despite knowing Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s attitude, she had still fallen into this situation unknowingly.


    Was I too confident, thinking that I had the ability to deal with this?


    Cheng Xi¡¯s lack of response made Lin Fan even more anxious. ¡°Cheng Xi, even though I can¡¯t go over, can you still listen to me explain? Those photographs aren¡¯t real. That day, the company suddenly notified me that I had to go on a business trip with Meng Qingyang. When we arrived at the hotel, she twisted her ankle and was unable to walk, so I had to carry her up the stairs. And that day, when I was drinking, it really was with all of my colleagues, and they can confirm this. I only drank that much because I was mad that you had insisted on seeing Lu Chenzhou that night. All she did was try to persuade me to not drink so much. How could I have known that a colleague sitting opposite us would take that picture, and, and that time¡­¡­¡± In the middle of his explanation, he suddenly stopped for a moment, and Cheng Xi faintly heard him yell out exasperatedly, ¡°Can you let me finish my call!?¡± Then, he continued explaining to Cheng Xi. ¡°The last picture is something she set up. Cheng Xi, I always thought that she was just ill, and the reason I was nice to her was because, as you said, she was ill, and she needed patience and care. I only ever treated her like your patient, and I¡¯ve never had any unfaithful thoughts about her. I don¡¯t like her, and I won¡¯t marry her. The person I love will always be you.¡±


    ¡°Ha. If you only love her, then does my Qingyang deserve to be thrown away after being used by you?¡± A strange voice suddenly came from the other end of the line before the call hung up in a very timely fashion.


    A total mess.


    She unlocked her phone expressionlessly, wanting to send him a text message. As she aimlessly stared at the screen, she realized that she had nothing else to say.


    Her friend feed, however, was bursting with colors and excitement. Some people were being lovey-dovey, as usual, others were showing off their presents and purchases, others uploading pictures of the crowds on the streets, and yet others sighing. It really made her feel like everyone was enjoying themselves while she was the only one working.


    In her classmates¡¯ group, Tian Rou was sending red packets into the group chat. Shen Wei even messaged her to ¡°Go snatch Rou¡¯s red packets!¡±


    Even she, who didn¡¯t lack money, felt happy upon snatching up a red packet with 8.8 yuan in it.


    As for Cheng Xi, her luck was pretty good, and she picked up one of the largest red packets that Tian Rou sent. Everyone hollered for her to give out some red packets, too, so Cheng Xi magnanimously sent out ten with 88 yuan each inside.


    She very rarely snatched or sent out red packets in that group chat, so her actions caused a commotion in the chat, and everyone asked her if something good had happened.


    Cheng Xi very seriously replied, ¡°Someone tried to give me a lesson, and I realized that I¡¯m quite dumb. Does that count?¡±


    Everyone laughed, and someone even posted a horrified emoji in the chat. ¡°If a doctor like you is dumb, then what about the rest of us?¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed, and elected not to respond. Tian Rou called her and Shen Wei messaged her at the same time, both asking the same thing. ¡°Who, who did that?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t respond. She slammed her head into her desk, very much overwhelmed. She wasn¡¯t actually all that sad, but it felt like there was an immovable fireball in her heart that she couldn¡¯t expel.


    In the past, she thought that she would succeed in anything she did. But recently, she¡¯d suffered defeat after defeat, always having to reflect critically on her own actions afterwards.


    She wanted to read a book, but couldn¡¯t calm down enough to do so, so she posted a message on her feed: I want to go out and explore the town. Does anyone want to accompany me?


    She quickly received many responses, but they were almost all persuading her against it. Going on the streets at this time?¡ªare you mad?


    Cheng Yang also responded with, My sister¡¯s finally ready to have fun! My heart¡¯s reassured, but can you pick another time?


    But the person she was waiting for never answered her. It wasn¡¯t until around 8:30 that Lu Chenzhou suddenly called her. ¡°Are you home?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Come down.¡±


    Cheng Xi hesitated. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to go for a stroll?¡± His tone was as cool as usual.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s shock quickly turned into anger. ¡°You left the hospital? How could you leave the hospital?¡± She hurriedly ran out without even changing her clothes.


    Lu Chenzhou was indeed waiting outside her apartment, accompanied by old Mr. Chen. He was sitting in the backseat with a face mask and a bundle of clothes.


    ¡°How did you convince the doctor on duty to let you out?¡±


    Despite the fact that Lu Chenzhou was responding very well to his treatment and had been transferred to the regular wards yesterday, he was still technically in a critical period. How could the doctor have possibly let him out?


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s style was to ignore anything that he didn¡¯t like. He looked at her disdainfully as he asked, ¡°Why are you dressed like this? Do you think that it¡¯s suitable to go outside when you¡¯re this ugly?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 83: Should I Kiss You?

    Cheng Xi was fuming with anger, but she still subconsciously looked down at herself after Lu Chenzhou commented on her appearance.


    She didn¡¯t look that bad. After getting home, she had changed into her regular clothes. They were a little old, but not worn out or anything.


    She looked back at him. This time, she wasn¡¯t as confrontational, and her tone had softened somewhat. ¡°Why are you out of the hospital? There are too many people roaming around outside. It won¡¯t be good for your body.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou responded with a single word, saying, ¡°Long-winded,¡± as if she were a meddlesome mother. Cheng Xi scrunched up her face, gave up on him, and instead called the doctor on duty to ask him about the situation.


    That doctor explained, ¡°Oh, have you seen him? He took two hours to go see his girlfriend. He insisted on going, so I let him dress himself up properly and go. Part of it was because his grandmother said that he¡¯s already thirty-something and still hasn¡¯t been able to get into a relationship, so since he finally has someone that he likes, it wouldn¡¯t be good to stop him from pursuing that.¡±


    When Cheng Xi heard the word ¡°girlfriend,¡± her face started to redden, but she stayed calm enough to hear the rest of the explanation before her face truly started burning up. ¡°Were his family members there?¡±


    ¡°Of course. With the way his situation is, I definitely had to ask the department head and inform his family members before I could let him go. He¡¯s doing fine outside, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at Lu Chenzhou. He was sitting there in a composed manner, his face calm and serene. As he watched her talk on the phone, he seemed even more lively than before his illness.


    Afraid that the doctor would worry too much if she reported such astounding results, she could only say, ¡°Oh, he looks just fine at the moment. I coincidentally met him outside and was a bit shocked to see him, so I just wanted to call you to confirm that everything¡¯s ok.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright. Since you¡¯ve met him, then help him out a little bit. Make sure that he doesn¡¯t go crazy outside, and¡­,¡± the doctor lowered his voice before mysteriously continuing, ¡°I forgot to tell him. If he wants to do something with his girlfriend, then he should take it easy and not go at it too fiercely.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    This sort of thing was too hard to explain to Lu Chenzhou, so she hung up expressionlessly.


    The chauffeur, Mr. Chen, had already come over and opened the car door for her. After thinking about it for a moment, Cheng Xi got in. Before she could settle in, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice rang out from next to her ear. ¡°You¡¯re feeling uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡­¡­She knew that this would happen. Recently, he had gotten very good at grasping her feelings.


    Cheng Xi maintained her serious expression. ¡°Why would I be?¡±


    ¡°Did he tell you that I came out to see my girlfriend?¡± Lu Chenzhou asked in an especially serious tone. Cheng Xi became visibly frantic, and he sighed. ¡°You¡¯re really overthinking it. What I wanted to say was that, an idiot¡¯s unhappy, and I wanted to stare at her for a little bit.¡±


    This tone¡­ Cheng Xi instantly felt that her shyness and conjectures had been wasted, all gone to the dogs. She consciously ignored the first half of his reply and asked, ¡°How do you know that I¡¯m unhappy?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou answered with a rejoinder. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to go out on a stroll? Also, don¡¯t women only go out and buy things if they want to feel better when they¡¯re unhappy?¡±


    It was so reasonable that Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t refute it.


    And so they ended up strolling around town. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to be called an idiot; she really hadn¡¯t planned on buying anything, and it had been so long since she last went out she didn¡¯t really care much about shopping. The crowds milled about in the streets; whenever there was a holiday, regardless of what holiday it was, it always felt like everyone in China would come out. It was hard to find a place to rest even in the middle of the city, and Cheng Xi wanted to go home as soon as she stepped foot into the streets. However, since Lu Chenzhou had said that he would accompany her, he wouldn¡¯t let them return before she bought something. Helpless, Cheng Xi ended up buying a jacket each for her mother and father, a little razor for Cheng Yang, and two small handicraft pieces for her. On the streets, there were many children ¡°experiencing life¡± by selling apples and Christmas ornaments. Because their parents were accompanying them, they were particularly lively, energetically shouting out for customers. But despite how cute they tried to act, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t buy anything from them. Instead, she bought a huge bundle of knickknacks from a girl dressed in little more than rags.


    After they left the little girl¡¯s stall, Mr. Chen asked her, ¡°Dr. Cheng, why did you buy from that little child?¡± His curiosity stemmed from the fact that, amidst the huge crowd of children, that little girl wasn¡¯t eye-catching at all; not only were her items ordinary, but she was also inarticulate, silently standing by her stall as she watched everyone pass by.


    Cheng Xi turned around to look at that girl again, smiling as she did so. ¡°Because she¡¯s the only one out there who¡¯s doing this in order to live.¡±


    Hmm? Mr. Chen didn¡¯t understand.


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at him. Cheng Xi was all too familiar with that glance, having been a recipient of his disdain for stupidity far too many times to count.


    But the disdained Mr. Chen didn¡¯t seem to notice. Cheng Xi felt a subconscious desire to laugh, and she picked out a box and gave it to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°A gift for you, as thanks for accompanying me.¡± And then she gave the remaining bag of items to Mr. Chen. ¡°Do you have any kids at home? These are gifts from me.¡±


    As Mr. Chen took the gifts with a smile, Cheng Xi explained why she chose to buy from that child in more detail. ¡°She was dressed plainly, but tidily. Her hands had calluses, but her fingernails were very evenly clipped. She was obviously poverty-stricken, but neither helpless nor impatient, and her gaze was clean and gentle. While this child might be poor, her family clearly cares for her. The fact that she¡¯s standing out there by herself at a stall and selling ordinary things can only mean that she¡¯s not out there to ¡°experience what life¡¯s like for a regular person,¡± but rather because she truly wants to help her family make a bit of money.¡±


    After hearing Cheng Xi¡¯s extended explanation, Mr. Chen praised her. ¡°You really have an eye for detail.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°This is nothing. You should look at your own boss.¡±


    Mr. Chen chuckled; he didn¡¯t dare to speak carelessly about his boss. When he noticed that the car was parked just in front of them, he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you wait here? I¡¯ll drive the car over.¡±


    Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou agreed and waited in place. The latter was still carrying a bright red box, which contrasted with his cool demeanor and refined clothes to create a strange atmosphere. Cheng Xi smiled at the sight. ¡°Shall I take a photo of you?¡±


    He didn¡¯t object, and though his expression remained aloof, it seemed agreeable enough.


    Cheng Xi considered it as him tacitly agreeing, so she took out her phone and backup slightly to take a picture. People would frequently walk by in the background, but he stood still in the middle of the moving crowd. Even before the picture was taken, the scene held the ambiance of a desolate landscape portrait: alone, but calm and lofty.


    As Cheng Xi depressed the shutter, a string of gorgeous fireworks suddenly emerged from the plaza behind him. They whooshed magnificently through the skies, a long tail of sparks following behind them.


    The plaza quickly became jam-packed as everyone started cheering and heading over. Cheng Xi put down her phone and also immersed herself in silently watching the sky that was being brilliantly dyed by the light of the fireworks.


    Against the fireworks¡¯ bright glare, she saw the lights in the tallest tower dim and brighten repeatedly as the lamplight mixed with the incessant splendor of the fireworks; everything seemed like a dazzling light show, almost blinding everyone¡¯s eyes.


    This sudden firework performance lasted for quite a while, only slowly dissipating after it had grabbed everyone¡¯s attention. The sparkling lights by the building opposite them also gradually stopped blinking, slowly settingly into several clear words. ¡°Dr. Cheng, I love you.¡±


    Cheng Xi, who was also a Dr. Cheng, was struck speechless.


    Lu Chenzhou was uninterested in the fireworks, but when he saw her unusual expression, he raised his eyebrows slightly and turned to see what the matter was. As soon as he saw those words spelled out in fireworks, his face involuntarily turned green with envy.


    Upon seeing his expression, Cheng Xi actually calmed down. Good, it had nothing to do with her. With that settled in her mind, she was able to calmly watch the rest of the show, and she even took a few pictures of the glittering words in the sky.


    Then, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s phone rang. He answered the call, and his eyes revealed a trace of shock a seconds after he answered. He turned around to look at Cheng Xi strangely.


    Cheng Xi noticed his gaze and walked closer.


    Lu Chenzhou hung up before she could say anything, still gazing at her.


    Cheng Xi somewhat anxiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    By now, everyone was swarming toward the plaza, and there was a short-lived moment of calm around them, which let Cheng Xi hear Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words especially clearly. He slowly said, ¡°The fireworks were from my grandparents. They said that it was to help me woo you.¡± After he finished explaining, his gaze landed on her glistening red lips as he asked, ¡°Should I listen to them and kiss you right now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 84: Do You Like Her?

    Lu Chenzhou had asked to kiss Cheng Xi seriously. It was so serious that she wanted to simultaneously laugh and be serious. In the end, Cheng Xi responded in an equally serious tone. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t have to listen to them.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou made an ¡®Oh¡¯ sound, showing a hint of dejection. Cheng Xi was afraid that he was about to say something else even more shocking, so she didn¡¯t even dare to mention the fireworks or his grandfather. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t the car come yet? Now¡¯s a great time to leave.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou called Mr. Chen, and not long after, he drove out. His expression could hardly conceal his anticipation; once Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou got into the car, he immediately and delightedly asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Dr. Cheng, did you enjoy the fireworks just now?¡±


    What could Cheng Xi say but ¡°Yes¡±?


    Mr. Chen then looked at Lu Chenzhou through the rearview mirror. However, his expression was neutral, and his thoughts completely hidden.


    Cheng Xi turned away and looked outside the window. Despite Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents¡¯ making life difficult for her, as Lu Chenzhou¡¯s doctor, she still felt their warmth¡ªnot for her, but for Lu Chenzhou. He clearly had family members who would help him make thoroughly detailed plans. At the very least, he wasn¡¯t lacking for love.


    As the final minutes of Christmas Eve slipped away, more and more people appeared on the road. The car inched along slowly, letting its passengers clearly see the red lamplight illuminate people¡¯s smiling faces, showing a world seemingly dyed in peace and happiness.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s vexation started to dissipate.


    The car first drove to Cheng Xi¡¯s house. Mr. Chen tactfully reminded his boss, probably having received an order from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather, by saying, ¡°It¡¯s a bit late.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at the time.


    Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Are you late?¡±


    ¡°Almost.¡±


    Cheng Xi turned to say to Mr. Chen, ¡°Then let¡¯s stop at the roadside. I can walk home myself.¡±


    ¡°How could we do that to you? It wouldn¡¯t be safe for you to walk back on your own so late.¡± Mr. Chen then looked at Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Do you want to send Dr. Cheng upstairs? There¡¯s still some time, so we can still make it.¡±


    At this time, who cared about whether or not they would get back to the hospital on time? The most important thing was to send the girl home safely, and while the night was still bright and their emotions running wild, do some ¡®wonderful¡¯ things!


    As a fellow man, Mr. Chen cheered Lu Chenzhou on in his head.


    But all Mr. Lu did was raise his head and look at his driver, frowning.


    He clearly didn¡¯t like anyone meddling in his affairs, so Mr. Chen quickly adjusted to an honest and earnest expression as he drove the car single-mindedly.


    The car went directly to Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment. When they arrived, Lu Chenzhou asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Do you feel safe?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded in satisfaction, and Cheng Xi got out of the car with her bag. Mr. Chen could only sit in the driver¡¯s seat and watch her walk up the building alone.


    Actually, Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t as indifferent as he appeared to be; he was tightly clutching the apple that Cheng Xi had given him. Of the many gifts that she had bought him, there were many apples like the one he was holding, but the one in his hand was the only splotchy one.


    He gently stroked the apple in his hand, not even letting go even when he reentered his ward. After Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather had helped his grandson out on their ¡®date,¡¯ he had naturally come over to the hospital to see the outcome. But when he and his wife excitedly ran into the ward, they saw that their grandson, whom they had expected to be flirting cutely with Cheng Xi, was instead sitting dazedly on the sofa by the bed, his hand clutching a silly little red apple.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather immediately shouted, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was startled, and he raised his head to look at them.


    His grandparents looked each other in the eye before they faced their grandson¡¯s cold and aloof gaze together, saying in sync, ¡°Zhou, why are you still here?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou perfunctorily asked, ¡°Where should I be, then?¡±


    His tone, which was as cold as the winter wind, immediately deflated his two grandparents¡¯ eagerness. They sat down on one side of the sofa and looked at each other with wooden expressions. But then, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother finally remembered what Cheng Xi had told her¡ªdon¡¯t think that his heart is cold just because of his expression. Don¡¯t worry about upsetting him, don¡¯t be afraid of his aloofness, and definitely don¡¯t do as he wishes. Instead, it¡¯s best to treat him like a normal family member: tell him if you¡¯re happy, and tell him if you¡¯re unhappy¡­ With this in mind, she gathered her courage and asked Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Zhou, did you like the fireworks that we released?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou fidgeted with the apple in his hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t look at it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Then you didn¡¯t do what we told you to do either, right?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression became even more chilly, and a sensation of rejection emanated from his body. ¡°She didn¡¯t let me.¡±


    You didn¡¯t do it just because she didn¡¯t let you? My goodness, I didn¡¯t think that our Lu Chenzhou was such an obedient boy. How unexpected!


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother retreated, defeated by the cold atmosphere surrounding him. She quickly looked at her husband, her eyes saying, ¡®Your turn!¡¯


    His grandfather hurriedly tried to pick up the conversation by putting on a fierce expression and asking, ¡°What¡¯re you going to do with that apple? Is there anything nice about it?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone was still apathetic. ¡°Nothing much.¡±


    His grandmother anxiously butted in. ¡°Then stop looking at it.¡± When she confirmed that he wasn¡¯t angry, she felt like she could proceed. ¡°Dr. Cheng¡­¡­ How do you feel about her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s ugly.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother almost spat out blood. ¡°She¡¯s ugly?!¡± She seriously felt that her grandson¡¯s sense of beauty had to be reworked. ¡°She¡¯s actually very pretty. Just look at her facial features and temperament¡ªshe¡¯d be considered beautiful anywhere in the world.¡±


    ¡°She has a single dimple.¡±


    My goodness, she had forgotten about this fellow¡¯s severe dislike for asymmetry!


    Neither of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents knew what to say in response, until his grandfather finally ventured to say, ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it if you look at it enough¡­ A single dimple isn¡¯t all that important.¡±


    He had made that comment off-handedly, but Lu Chenzhou had still heard it, and he nodded in agreement. ¡°It isn¡¯t that important.¡±


    He had finally had enough of playing with the apple in his hand, so he put it down and went to wash his hands. After he returned, he saw that his grandparents were still there, so he asked, ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡­¡­Does trying to help you get a girlfriend count?


    His grandfather stared at him anxiously. ¡°You said that it was fine if Dr. Cheng was a bit ugly. Does that mean that you don¡¯t dislike her?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at him strangely as he responded, ¡°Why would I dislike her?¡±


    ¡­¡­Aren¡¯t you an extremely picky person? You shun anything that¡¯s asymmetric!!! His grandfather swallowed his saliva before carefully asking, ¡°Then do you like her?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®like?¡¯¡±


    As they looked at their grandson¡¯s serious expression, his grandparents¡¯ hearts ached. No wonder he still didn¡¯t have a girlfriend even at such an age! Not knowing what liking someone was, how pitiful! His grandmother resolutely forged ahead and tried to teach her grandson this concept. ¡°Liking someone means that you always think about her, that all you can think about is her. When you see her, you become nervous, you blush, your heart beats faster, you¡­¡± When she ran out of words, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother waved her hands to clear her mind before concluding, ¡°Anyway, if you like her, then you¡¯ll feel like she¡¯s a wholly unique person, separate from everyone else. Do you feel that way about Dr. Cheng?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents stared at him together, both holding their breath.


    But Lu Chenzhou just stood there, as youthful and handsome as ever. After pondering his grandmother¡¯s eloquent speech for a long while, he finally said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest, but I want to have sex with her. Does that count?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    This was a devastating bombshell, causing even Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents to stare at him open-mouthed. My goodness, if my grandson was this bold and unconstrained, then he¡¯d scare away any potential granddaughter-in-laws!


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 85: Am I The One Whom You Like?

    When Cheng Xi returned home, it was still early in the night. Without any pressing concerns, she decided to do some yoga.


    Practicing yoga could help people relax and calm down.


    After she finished her session and her heart had returned to its normal pace, she picked up her phone and started scrolling through. Her feed was inundated with photos of the impromptu fireworks show and fiery from proclamation that night. They were taken from a myriad of different angles, capturing the scene from various viewpoints. But their captions were all essentially the same: at the end of XX year, I saw a nouveau riche¡¯s expression of love!


    She even received a few direct messages along the lines of, ¡®Heh heh heh heh, your surname¡¯s also Cheng, and you¡¯re a doctor. Are you the recipient of this message?¡¯


    Black lines marred Cheng Xi¡¯s forehead as she rubbed her temples. Out of frustration, she bluntly discarded her phone and ignored it for the rest of the night. Gossip was a very strange phenomena; a good piece of gossip could gain popularity quickly, but if there weren¡¯t any follow-ups, then it would die down just as fast.


    She prepared to bathe and sleep, pretending that none of this had happened. But just as she laid out clean clothes to change into, the doorbell rang. Through the front door¡¯s camera screen, Lin Fan¡¯s face was looking steadily at her.


    Cheng Xi hesitated for a moment before opening the door.


    When Lin Fan entered he immediately noticed that Cheng Xi was in her pajamas with a light smile on her lips, a warm gaze, and slightly damp hair.


    ¡°You just came back?¡± This was the first thing he said.


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t surprised; tonight¡¯s incident had even ended up on the local news, so it would be more strange if Lin Fan hadn¡¯t heard about it.


    She didn¡¯t answer his question. ¡°Are you done with your tasks?¡±


    In the afternoon, Lin Fan¡¯s mother and Meng Qingyang had personally come to find her, but he hadn¡¯t had the time to do so. Now, after hearing about this incident, he had come over so late at night¡­¡­ Even if Cheng Xi had no intentions of interrogating him, asking him such a question at this time nonetheless made it feel like an interrogation.


    Lin Fan slightly stilled for a moment, a sense of gloom flickering through his eyes. ¡°You want to give up.¡±


    His tone was certain.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Lin Fan seemed to lose all energy, his figure deflating against the doorframe. He looked at her despondently, almost pleading, ¡°If it¡¯s because of Meng Qingyang or my mother, then I can explain.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She responded straightforwardly, but Lin Fan found that her responses only made his mouth dry up even quicker.


    By now, Cheng Xi had moved to the side of the door. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come in first?¡± She was still warm and thoughtful, but her warmth and thoughtfulness lacked their usual intimacy.


    Lin Fan followed her inside. Her room was as clean as always with a book and a vase of flowers tastefully sitting on the coffee table. The flowers were thin and elegant, while also silent and independent, as if they had some of Cheng Xi¡¯s unique charm.


    Cheng Xi poured him a glass of water and sat down in front of him.


    After a moment of silence, Lin Fan started talking. ¡°Meng Qingyang¡¯s my colleague, and the only reason why I took care of her was because you told me that she was depressed and that her thoughts would easily tend towards the extreme. Thus, I was more patient with her than others, as I thought that doing so would help you. I never thought that my actions would give her the impression that I treated her differently from others, and that she would end up thinking something I never expected.¡±


    Cheng Xi silently listened to him talk. Honestly, his avoiding the main points and focusing too much on the trivial ones made her slightly disappointed. ¡°Before she set you up, did she really not display any suggestive actions toward you? And, Lin Fan, do you feel like you¡¯re truly happy when you¡¯re with me?¡±


    Lin Fan quickly replied, ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy. When I found out that you liked me back, Cheng Xi, you don¡¯t know how happy I was!¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled bitterly. ¡°You¡¯re talking about when you found out. Then what about afterwards?¡±


    Lin Fan was in a daze. ¡°Was there an afterwards?¡±


    Right, was there? After they had confessed their mutual feelings and started their relationships, they had barely even had a chance to have a normal date. The closest that they ever got was probably them visiting Chen Jiaman together; only then had nothing been able to disturb them.


    Cheng Xi was mute for a moment before she apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Even though she was a professional psychiatrist with a major in psychology, even though she had always had an academic answer, she was still learning to apply that knowledge in her personal life, including her love life. ¡°I think that I overreacted.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but admit her own faults. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have decided to start this romance so carelessly. Perhaps we should spend some more time together to understand each other better.¡±


    This was why she always felt that love was just a beautiful illusion; it made people lose their logic and rationality, and it easily created unrealistic expectations in people.


    Cheng Xi thought that she had been perfectly honest in this relationship, but Lin Fan couldn¡¯t accept her honesty. He knew that when Cheng Xi admitted her carelessness and impetuousness, it also implied that she regretted their relationship, and her regret meant that she had already decided to cut him off.


    Almost frenetic, he shouted, ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that! I¡¯m not unhappy! I¡¯ve been happy all this time!¡±


    When Cheng Xi saw him act like this, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Then why were you set up when you went out drinking with your colleagues? Lin Fan, even though we¡¯ve only confessed our feelings for each other recently, we¡¯ve already known each other for ten years. In the past, I¡¯ve never had a relationship because no one was able to move my heart¡ªthat was, until I encountered you again. I thought that, maybe for these past ten years, the person I was waiting for was you. I thought that you would feel the same way as me, but you were set up by someone else while we were still in a romantic relationship. That makes me think that you might not truly love me, or at least, not love me as much as you thought you did. How else could the Lin Fan that I know be so easily set up by someone else?¡±


    Upon hearing her emotional confession, Lin Fan¡¯s heart trembled. Cheng Xi¡¯s words were too much for him to bear, each word piercing and terrible, forcefully triggering memories of that night when he had gone drinking with his colleagues. Meng Qingyang had invited him to leave with her; they were both tipsy and so had chosen not to drive back. Instead, they slowly meandered through the streets.


    After a long round of drinking, he had been feeling gloomy, and in that state of mind, he had wanted to unburden the heavy thoughts weighing on him. As he talked with Meng Qingyang, the conversation had actually turned to Cheng Xi, about her experiences with Lin Fan in the past. And Meng Qingyang, despite the fact that she was talking about another person with Lin Fan, had actually smiled brightly. Her smile had thrust Lin Fan into the past, conjuring an image of when he had been by Cheng Xi¡¯s side---she had a savory scone in her hands and was smiling as she asked, ¡°Lin Fan, will you come home with me? I¡¯ll give you this, alright?¡±


    When he had been abroad for all those years, whenever he felt lonely or upset, he would think of this scene. And then without fail, he would always wake up in a melancholic mood¡ªhe had been by her side for so long, but he had never found the appropriate moment to tell her that he loved her, to kiss her.


    Their childhood nights together were lovely, but there always remained some intangible distance between them; they were neither too close nor too far, but just close enough for him to watch her.


    It had been right before dawn, when the streets were very, very quiet, so quiet that it seemed as if they were in a dream. Unable to restrain his emotions, he had stretched out his hands and pulled her into his embrace. But when the dream ended, he had realized that the person he was embracing wasn¡¯t Cheng Xi, but rather someone entirely different¡­ He didn¡¯t know how to process the confusion that he was feeling, so he followed his instinct and hurriedly ran away to find the actual woman of his dreams. Once he did, he¡¯d hugged and kissed her anxiously, wanting to convince himself through his actions that he had only hugged the wrong person because of his drunken stupor.


    At that time, Cheng Xi¡¯s cool-headedness had made him calm down, but he had also felt an exceedingly strange feeling from her: a little bit of disappointment, but also relief from a burden¡­


    And when he listened to Cheng Xi reveal all her thoughts, Lin Fan found that he actually couldn¡¯t refute her words. Perhaps she was right, perhaps the person who he had loved might have just been a childhood fantasy of his, the product of her offering a small kindness in a time of hardship.


    He loved her, not the present her, but the youthful her, the young girl who only cared about him. And she was no longer her, her heart now filled with too many people and far too many things.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 86: Did You Break Up?

    Lin Fan looked at Cheng Xi. She appeared to be calm, impassively analyzing everything with neither sadness nor disappointment.


    He couldn¡¯t help himself from asking, ¡°Then, what about you? Did you really love me?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°You never liked me either, right?¡± He suddenly felt that this realization might be harder to bear than the fact that the Cheng Xi he truly loved was just his childhood memory. ¡°When you said all those things, were you lying to me? About how you were only his shield. But actually, I¡¯m your shield, aren¡¯t I? You love him, but the difference in your social standings made you hesitant of accepting him. So, you used me¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Lin Fan!¡± Cheng Xi had to stop him there. She looked him squarely in the eye. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for so many years. Don¡¯t you know what kind of person I am?¡±


    ¡°Then why can¡¯t you give me another chance?¡± He buried his face in his hands. ¡°Why must you analyze everything so coldly and logically? Cheng Xi, we never even had a good start.¡±


    Even before their relationship could properly start, a third party had already been thrown between them.


    Lin Fan knew this, and the only reason Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t mentioned it was because she wanted to preserve both their dignities. In the end, they were the ones who knew each other the best, so all he was hoping for was another chance from her. But rather than wait for a reply, Lin Fan had already gotten up and was preparing to leave.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t send him out.


    After he left, she remained sitting there, frozen in the same posture for an indeterminable amount of time. Only when her sweat had evaporated and her body gone chilly did she bathe and sleep.


    The next morning, Cheng Xi woke up and went to work as usual, running into Dr. Su at the hospital gates. She had on minimal makeup and was wearing a tan overcoat that fluttered in the breeze with her steps. Despite still being somewhat thin, she looked full of vitality.


    Clearly, she had already moved on from her divorce.


    Upon seeing Cheng Xi, Dr. Su said, ¡°You don¡¯t look too good.¡±


    Cheng Xi rubbed her face tiredly as she replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep well last night.¡±


    ¡°Breakup?¡±


    Cheng Xi choked out of surprise.


    Dr. Su smiled and patted her shoulder. ¡°In return for last time, I¡¯ll accompany you for a night.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I might take you up on that.¡±


    After she stepped into the elevator, Cheng Xi carefully inspected her reflection on the elevator walls. Besides her dark eyebags, she couldn¡¯t identify any trace that she had gone through a breakup.


    But it was true that she wasn¡¯t feeling too good.


    As Cheng Xi made her usual rounds, when she got to Chen Jiaman, she noticed that Chen Jiaman was speaking far less than usual. Perplexed, Cheng Xi turned off the recording device and sat there, looking at her dazedly. Then, Chen Jiaman raised her head to look at her.


    Cheng Xi belatedly realized that something had changed.


    That was the first time that Chen Jiaman had ever looked someone in the eye after her illness. Her gaze carried a very careful doubt within it; Cheng Xi maintained her posture without moving, not shifting her gaze or posture even a little.


    It felt as if the air around them had congealed. Only after a while did Cheng Xi finally hear a somewhat low and hoarse voice pierce the silence. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to talk?¡±


    Cheng Xi lightly replied, ¡°What do you want me to talk about?¡±


    Chen Jiaman thought for a moment before replying in an equally light tone. ¡°The little rabbit.¡±


    The little rabbit was the protagonist of all of Cheng Xi¡¯s stories; no matter which story she told, there would always be a little rabbit in it. After hearing Chen Jiaman¡¯s request, Cheng Xi finally released a pent up breath: her persistence had finally paid off! Chen Jiaman had gotten used to her voice, her company, and the little rabbit in her stories.


    So, Cheng Xi told her a story, a brand new story. ¡°There was once a little rabbit, a very cute rabbit. She had snowy white fur and big beautiful eyes. Everyone who saw her immediately fell in love with her. She rarely went out because her grandmother told her that obedient children didn¡¯t carelessly go outside as there were bad people in the streets. So, the little rabbit never left her home. But as she grew up, her desire to see the outside world also grew; she wanted to make friends. And one day, she finally couldn¡¯t resist the temptation anymore.¡±


    When Cheng Xi reached this point in the story, she stopped. Chen Jiaman was hugging herself tightly with both hands while her small body was curled up in a corner. It seemed like she was trying very hard to prevent something.


    Afraid that Chen Jiaman wouldn¡¯t be able to accept the story, Cheng Xi revised the ending. ¡°But the little rabbit was too afraid. She only stepped out a little before running back in. She breathed in the outside air through a slightly ajar door and told herself that she had already gone very far, and that she could see the horizons ahead.¡± After finishing, Cheng Xi asked Chen Jiaman, ¡°Do you think that the little rabbit went far enough?¡±


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t answer, only retreating further into her blankets, just like that little rabbit who had retreated back into her home.


    But Cheng Xi knew that Chen Jiaman had already cracked open the door, and that perhaps not long after, she would take her first step outside.


    Cheng Xi was very happy with Chen Jiaman¡¯s progress, and she called Lin Fan as soon as she left her ward. Only when the phone started ringing did she remember that they had broken up last night. But since the call had already connected, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t hang up.


    Lin Fan picked up very quickly. The eagerness and indistinct excitement in his voice was so palpable that it made Cheng Xi feel a little awkward, but she forged on and asked, ¡°Are you free now? I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Go for it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about Chen Jiaman¡ªshe just responded to me.¡± Cheng Xi tried to calmly and professionally describe Chen Jiaman¡¯s response. When she was done, she concluded by saying, ¡°If her condition continues to improve, then she¡¯ll officially be in the recovery phase. At this point, if you have time, then please visit her more often.¡±


    Lin Fan had listened attentively throughout her report. Only when she was finished did he bitterly say, ¡°Did you know? I thought just now that¡­¡­¡± What he thought, he didn¡¯t say. Instead, he mockingly laughed at himself in a low tone. ¡°Evidently it was wrong for me to have hoped for something else. If I let go of Chen Jiaman and stopped caring about her, then would you be disappointed in me?¡±


    Cheng Xi seriously responded, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be disappointed because she isn¡¯t your responsibility.¡±


    ¡°And your personal opinion?¡±


    Cheng Xi remained silent, taking a while before saying, ¡°I think that you can take on this responsibility.¡±


    As for Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s, even ignoring her attitude, her ideology alone would be problematic. In any case, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t think that it would be good for her to take care of Chen Jiaman.


    Lin Fan smiled wryly as he said, ¡°Alright. If this is your last request to me, then I¡¯ll definitely handle it with care.¡±


    Then he hung up.


    It was this conversation that triggered Cheng Xi¡¯s pain. A faint and subtle pain dwelled deep in her heart, and this conversation was like a small dagger that had pricked her heart. From that small hole, pain was flowing out with each heartbeat, infusing itself into her every breath.


    She took a deep breath.


    At least she was so preoccupied at work that she could ignore it; she didn¡¯t have any time to register her emotional pain before she was called away for a pre-surgery consultation. Afterwards, it was time for Lu Chenzhou¡¯s daily treatment.


    The ward he was staying in was the best in Renyi. It was quiet and comfortable, and felt less like staying in a hospital room and more like staying at a very nicely furnished rehabilitation resort.


    The room was a suite, with a living room outside and the ward inside. When Cheng Xi entered the living room, she saw the nurse that the Lu family had hired sitting there. Meanwhile, she could also hear a voice from inside the ward that was clearly Baldy¡¯s. In an agitated tone, he was complaining about something. ¡°......it¡¯s actually your Dr. Cheng? Damn, why didn¡¯t you tell me anything?¡±


    Cheng Xi was somewhat curious, as she was not entirely sure what they were talking about that would involve her. She wanted to listen in some more, but the nurse spotted her and had already stood up to greet her. ¡°Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Within the ward, Baldy seemed to have suffered a big fright, as he suddenly started coughing violently.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 87: I Like You in This Way

    Cheng Xi quickly pushed open the door. Luckily, Baldy wasn¡¯t too close to Lu Chenzhou, and he was also wearing a face mask.


    It seemed that Baldy was as skilled at pushing the blame onto others as ever. Even before he finished coughing, he had started criticizing Cheng Xi. ¡°Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?¡±


    Cheng Xi really wanted to dismiss him with a supercilious look, but after deciding that she probably couldn¡¯t win in an argument against him, all she did was gave him a serious reminder. ¡°The patient needs to rest, so I highly recommend you avoid coughing or sneezing in front of him at this stage.¡±


    Baldy wanted to talk back, but Lu Chenzhou warned him with a stern glance. Stymied, he could only stuff his words down and pretend that he hadn¡¯t been about to say anything. After he stopped coughing, he put on a smile as he told Cheng Xi, ¡°Dr. Cheng, you sound just like an outsider right now. In fact, it makes my teeth hurt even just watching you. I really miss the you who would pay ¡®prostitution fees¡¯ to Boss Lu.¡±


    Cheng Xi was stunned by Baldy¡¯s shamelessness.


    Her scalp prickled, and she distanced herself frostily. ¡°Mr. Gao, you did pretty well just now by consciously distancing yourself from the patient when you started coughing.¡±


    Baldy laughed out loud, and even Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyes crinkled out of amusement.


    Cheng Xi ignored them both and instead focused on performing her job. She walked over to check Lu Chenzhou¡¯s daily medication, and Baldy followed behind, asking, ¡°So you can prescribe medicine for infections?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Having finished reading though the drug records, she put them down as she continued, ¡°But I can get a sense of how the illness is progressing from the change in drug dosage and administration.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ has Zhou¡¯s illness gotten any better?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What a decisive response, Dr. Cheng. Can I take this to be a sign that you want to keep Zhou in the hospital so you can see him every day?¡±


    One of Baldy¡¯s unique talents was to make Cheng Xi want to throw something at him every time he opened his mouth. How on earth had he come up with such a ludicrous conclusion?


    She looked at Lu Chenzhou with an amused expression. ¡°You really have unusual standards for your friends.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was sitting by the bed with a laptop in front of him. But when Cheng Xi had entered the room, he had stopped looking at the laptop.


    Right now, he was looking straight at her, and his gaze deepened even further after hearing her words. He nonchalantly replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    You too.


    Cheng Xi could read these two words in his gaze.


    A small smile unconsciously crept into her face. When Baldy noticed the two of them making eyes at each other, he grabbed at his own and exaggeratedly complained, ¡°My eyes are going blind just from watching you two! Alright, I¡¯m going to leave. You two have fun doing whatever you¡¯re doing.¡±


    And with that, he went out swiftly.


    Luckily for the two people remaining in the room, they weren¡¯t regular people who would feel awkward from what Baldy had said.


    Instead, Cheng Xi continued that train of thought and asked Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Have you ever thought about what your girlfriend or wife would be like?¡± When she didn¡¯t get a response, she laughed a little and said, ¡°Hmm, I can guess a part of your thoughts. From the nature of your friends, I think that you most likely prefer girls who are lively and open-minded, right?¡±


    Baldy, Xu Po, and Xie Ziming: Lu Chenzhou considered all three of them to be his friends, but Lu Chenzhou was clearly closer to Baldy than the other two. From a psychological perspective, this was most likely because they had complementary natures: people who were introverted and more serious preferred to spend time with easygoing and simple people.


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t planning on conducting any sort of therapy. Rather, she only wanted to find a topic to talk about that could further her understanding of him. Earlier, whenever she brought up kinship and friendship before, Lu Chenzhou had been uninterested without exception.


    But it seemed like she had finally found a good topic this time because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze sharpened, as if he were seriously considering this question. After quite a while, he asked in response, ¡°Are you lively and open-minded?¡±


    Cheng Xi thought for a moment before replying, ¡°No, not really.¡±


    ¡°Then no, I don¡¯t.¡±


    And then he gazed at her.


    Cheng Xi briefly thought about the subtext of his response for a moment, and then stilled. ¡°Are you saying that you like girls like me?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything, but Cheng Xi didn¡¯t change topics. ¡°That really surprises me. I still remember that when we first met, the first thing that you told me was that I was really ugly.¡±


    ¡°I have a peculiar sense of beauty.¡±


    This was him using her words against her, and Cheng Xi was speechless at his brazenness. ¡°If you always chat like this, then you¡¯ll kill off any conversation you ever have.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like my responses?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that anyone would, no.¡±


    ¡°Then what should I say? Something like, ¡®I like people like you?¡¯¡±


    ¡°...That works.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou sat upright and placed both of his hands on his knees, giving off a regal aura as he did so. From this position, he looked seriously at Cheng Xi and said, ¡°Cheng Xi, I like girls like you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Her face heated up, and she was barely able to continue the conversation.


    When Cheng Xi finally remembered her capacity and responsibility as a doctor, she mustered up all her will and put on a serious expression. ¡°Can I ask what you feel when you like someone?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou paused, thinking back to what his grandparents had said about how, when he liked someone, he had to be reserved and tactful, or else he would scare them away. At that time, he hadn¡¯t thought much of this advice because he had already spoken unreservedly to Cheng Xi a few times before, and she hadn¡¯t been scared away those times.


    The reason why she was unable to accept his feelings was simply because she didn¡¯t like him and because she persevered in maintaining a distance between them; it had nothing to do with directness.


    After this random thought, Lu Chenzhou suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. He frowned, before directly saying, ¡°I want to have sex with you.¡± Afraid she would misunderstand, he even added, ¡°Whenever I see you, it makes me want to know what making love feels like.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    At least he looked cold and aloof. Otherwise, Cheng Xi really would have wanted to drag him outside and give him a beating like he were a hoodlum.


    Instead, she scratched her face awkwardly. ¡°That¡¯s just a physiological reaction. I don¡¯t think that it truly counts when you think about a girlfriend or wife because, when you truly love someone, you¡¯ll want to be close to her both physically and mentally. Many types of love have nothing to do with sex or desire, and instead focus on mutual understanding and cooperation.¡±


    Hoo~~ She had finally dragged the topic back to the original one she had started with.


    Lu Chenzhou actually understood her, and remarked in a deep voice, ¡°A platonic relationship.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You want a relationship like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He looked at her, his gaze as deep as ever. After a while, he calmly concluded, ¡°That man can¡¯t give you this.¡±


    ¡®That man¡¯ referred to Lin Fan; Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t remember his name.


    Cheng Xi smiled bitterly. ¡°Why are you so perceptive?¡±


    ¡°Because your eyes are melancholic.¡± And you seem hurt. Of course, her eyes were also brimming with tears, but Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t want to mention these things; why would he point out her grief for other men if he could help it?


    Once Lu Chenzhou took his medicine, Cheng Xi¡¯s rounds for the day were done.


    She still hadn¡¯t had a successful conversation with him. In the end, it had become another dissection of her feelings. If Chen Jiaman had bundled herself up securely as a safety measure, then Lu Chenzhou¡¯s safety measure was to equip himself with logic.


    As long as he was clear-headed, Cheng Xi had never gotten anything out of him, which made her feel like her intellect was of little use.


    Metaphorically speaking, she was a little girl climbing a hill with a shovel. And on this hill was a tough wall in the way, preventing her from climbing up any further. Her only option was to slowly scrape away at it with her shovel. The wall was very thick, and the shovel very small, so her progress was minuscule.


    Cheng Xi felt like she should continue talking about this issue with Cai Yi, and coincidentally, Cai Yi ended up coming to see her at around that time. When the head nurse saw Cheng Xi, she asked, ¡°You¡¯re back? Professor Cai was just here. She has something to tell you, so she wanted you to go to the head¡¯s office to find her when you get back.¡±


    After being informed, Cheng Xi turned around and headed to the head¡¯s office.


    But the head wasn¡¯t there; Cai Yi was the only one in his office. She was wearing reading glasses, and she was looking at a copy of a patient¡¯s medical records in her hands. When she noticed Cheng Xi walking over, she smiled and said, ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    Cheng Xi sat down. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, professor?¡±


    Cai Yi didn¡¯t answer her, and instead started talking about Chen Jiaman. ¡°I heard that her condition had a breakthrough?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Upon mentioning Chen Jiaman, Cheng Xi¡¯s feelings instantly improved, and she began describing Chen Jiaman¡¯s earlier behavior to Cai Yi in detail, and Cai Yi listened very seriously. After Cheng Xi finished, she smiled at Cheng Xi. Her face was naturally good-natured and kindly, and her smile accentuated those aspects of hers.


    But the words that she spoke next chilled Cheng Xi¡¯s body to her core.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to have a breakthrough at this time. As your professor, this¡¯ll look like I¡¯m trying to snatch away your contribution.¡±


    ¡°Professor?¡± Cheng Xi was somewhat shocked.


    Cai Yi was still smiling. ¡°But what can I do? Chen Jiaman¡¯s family has already officially started her transfer proceedings. Tomorrow, she¡¯ll be transferred to my laboratory.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 88: Schism

    Cheng Xi¡¯s brain seemed to explode; it took her a significant amount of time for her to process this new development.


    Cai Yi looked at her, unable to help herself from laughing. ¡°Alright, this reaction of yours makes me feel like I¡¯ve snatched some precious thing of yours. Don¡¯t worry. Even if she is transferred over, she¡¯ll receive the best treatment. Your hard work hasn¡¯t been for naught.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that¡­¡± Cheng Xi finally finished processing the news, and her expression slowly calmed. ¡°Professor, who was the patient¡¯s family member that you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Her birth mother, Madam Lin.¡±


    Cheng Xi ground her teeth in frustration. ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, she¡¯s been divorced from Chen Fuguo for many years now. After they lost contact with each other, she should have long since lost custody of Chen Jiaman¡­¡±


    Cai Yi looked at her, still half-smiling, as if she knew that Cheng Xi was going to say something like that. Then, she took out a piece of paper from her bag and placed it in front of her.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t look at the contents; the first thing that caught her eye was the signature on the bottom, Chen Fuguo¡¯s. Only then did she read the neat, calligraphed words above it. I hope that you can take on the responsibility of being a mother and take good care of her¡­


    Cai Yi looked straight at Cheng Xi as she explained, ¡°Madam Lin came to me two days ago, and I told her what you said. Then yesterday, she handed this paper to me. She knows about the relationship between us, and she also wanted me to tell you something: back then, she was forced to give up this daughter of hers, and because of this, she feels like the only way she can make up for it is to transfer Chen Jiaman into the best possible hospital and have her receive even better treatment.¡± Then, Cai Yi waved her hands, motioning for Cheng Xi to continue listening to her. ¡°Of course, Renyi¡¯s psychiatry department is already considered one of the best in the nation, and since you¡¯re my favorite student, I¡¯ve never doubted your ability. Initially, I truly wasn¡¯t planning on taking her.¡±


    Cheng Xi felt like someone had shoved a block of ice into her heart, and that the cold was seeping into her flesh and piercing her bones. ¡°Then why did you agree to take her in, professor?¡±


    Cai Yi fell silent, taking some time to gather her thoughts before finally sighing.


    Cheng Xi smiled coldly at her reaction. ¡°Let me guess, professor. You¡¯ve always taken care of me, and fundamentally speaking, there¡¯s not much of a difference between me treating her and you treating her, unless¡­¡± When Cheng Xi reached this point in her thoughts, she couldn¡¯t stop her eyes from reddening, and she took a couple of breaths to gather her wits before continuing. ¡°She gave you an offer you couldn¡¯t refuse.¡±


    And just what could be so irresistible as to tempt Cai Yi? As a student, Cheng Xi was perfectly aware. It was this awareness that made her sad, that made her seethe with rage.


    Cai Yi remained calm as she looked at Cheng Xi. ¡°I invited you to join my research laboratory after you graduated, but you refused. At that time, I already knew that you didn¡¯t support my research that focused on standardizing treatment for clinical depression. I didn¡¯t say anything back then¡ªafter all, everyone has their own aspirations and no one can force someone else to do anything. But Cheng Xi, you have to understand, not all doctors are as smart as you. The majority of them aren¡¯t willing to give their all, like you are, to help their patients recover. Rather, they prefer to subject their patients to standardized treatment, which means removing all other disruptions at the very beginning and then performing a routine set of targeted tasks specific to the illness¡­ As such, researching a better standardized procedure for treating clinical depression, the leading mental illness in the modern world, is an aspiration that I don¡¯t think is wrong.¡±


    ¡°I also don¡¯t think that it¡¯s wrong either,¡± Cheng Xi replied. ¡°In fact, I approve of such research, but scientific research is filled with cruelty and coldheartedness. I¡¯m not suitable for such an environment, and I respect those who can work in one. But, professor, Chen Jiaman¡¯s different. Her mind has been damaged far too deeply, and her ability to trust much too impaired. She¡¯s not a suitable test subject.¡±


    Cai Yi stopped Cheng XI there. ¡°As you well know, she¡¯s perfectly suited for that. But I also understand why you¡¯d say that to my face, why you only talked about her symptoms with regards to Cotard¡¯s syndrome, and why you cried like that in front of me. Cheng Xi, I understand your worry for her being handed over to a for-profit corporation like mine. When Chen Jiaman¡¯s sole guardian lost his ability to take care of her, you were already trying to give me a heads-up, right?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Actually, I really wanted to help you, especially after I read through your treatment records. As a doctor, you¡¯re more qualified to treat her than anyone else. But Cheng Xi, scientific progress demands that some people be sacrificed. What¡¯s more, just because Chen Jiaman is being transferred to my laboratory doesn¡¯t mean that she¡¯ll be sacrificed. Although she is a test subject, she¡¯s also my patient.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting your ability, but I still disapprove of her being a test subject. If you used an incorrect approach with other patients, they may still be salvageable, but not her. Her mentality is already so weak that, if this treatment fails, she might never be able to recover.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating too much.¡± Cai Yi was somewhat angry now. ¡°Didn¡¯t she receive a huge mental shock last time? But she¡¯s alright now, isn¡¯t she? And our goal is, after all, to treat patients; we¡¯ll only help her, not provoke her.¡±


    ¡°But your methods are clearly not suited for her case, professor.¡±


    When Cai Yi heard these words come out of Cheng Xi¡¯s mouth, her gaze immediately sharpened. She finally shed her identity of Cheng Xi¡¯s familiar and amicable mentor and instead donned the guise of the cold-hearted head researcher of her laboratory. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s suitable for her? You might think that her condition is improving, but I don¡¯t mind telling you this. Before you came here, I was investigating similar illnesses. I don¡¯t think that she¡¯s truly recovering, Cheng Xi. Your method might not work either!¡±


    ¡°I believe that it will work.¡±


    ¡°You believe?¡± Cai Yi started to laugh incredulously. ¡°Science isn¡¯t about intuition. If intuition were useful, then what would be the point of having all these diagnostic devices? Will your belief help her recover? Will your belief help her lead a normal life after she leaves the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s response was resolute and decisive.


    Cai Yi laughed disapprovingly.


    Cheng Xi looked straight at Cai Yi and solemnly said, ¡°Professor, will you make a bet with me? If I can cure her, and have her ultimately lead a normal lifestyle, then will you give up on making her one of your test subjects?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cai Yi smiled, feeling like she had been blindsided by one of her students. ¡°Curing illnesses and treating patients aren¡¯t something to gamble about.¡± Upon seeing that Cheng Xi was about to continue speaking, Cai Yi shook her head again, finally calming down. ¡°Furthermore, it wouldn¡¯t matter even if you do convince me. The person you actually need to convince is her guardian.¡± Cai Yi stood up as she prepared to leave. ¡°I believe that you¡¯ll be able to delay the transfer procedure for one or two days, but not any longer than that. I came here today to tell you that I¡¯m not about to reject such an ideal and willing test subject, and that you don¡¯t have much time to do anything about it.¡±


    After she finished speaking, Cai Yi left. Cheng Xi went over to help her up out of habit, but Cai Yi just smiled. ¡°Leave me be, and go think of a method to convince Madam Lin instead. I don¡¯t want to lose a student like you quite yet.¡±


    Cai Yi¡¯s assistant came in then, and with that, she patted Cheng Xi¡¯s hand and left.


    Cheng Xi stood at the door as she watched them depart. The department head, who normally didn¡¯t treat her very well, suddenly appeared beside her, popping up from who-knows-where.


    ¡°Department head.¡±


    The department head made a hmph. ¡°Get back to work.¡± He walked inside with his hands clasped behind his back. ¡°Stubborn girl, you can come to me if you need any help. I may not be your professor, but I am still your department head.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s eyes blurred as a wave of emotion overcame her. She took a deep breath to calm herself, bowed at the department head, and then ran off.


    After returning to her office, Cheng Xi thought for a little before ultimately deciding to first call Lin Fan¡¯s mother. The reason why she didn¡¯t call Lin Fan was because he couldn¡¯t truly be considered Chen Jiaman¡¯s guardian; while it might be fine to ask him to spend some time to take care of Chen Jiaman, if something big happened, she couldn¡¯t ask him for any help.


    Luckily, Cheng Xi still had Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s number. As soon as Cheng Xi pressed the call button, the line connected.


    ¡°Cheng Xi.¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s voice was eerily cordial. ¡°I was just at the hospital, but you weren¡¯t there. It¡¯s good that you called me. We¡¯re thinking of transferring our Jiaman to a different hospital. If it¡¯s convenient for you, could you sign the transfer request?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Lin, regarding this issue, can we meet up and discuss it in person? I can meet you at any time you¡¯re free.¡±


    There was silence on the other side.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 89: Frightening

    Cheng Xi waited patiently until she finally heard Lin Fan¡¯s mother sigh lightly. ¡°Cheng Xi, why are you making this so difficult?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known you for so many years, Mrs. Lin. Won¡¯t you satisfy even this one small request of mine?¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother fell silent again, mulling it over before finally saying, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send you an address. I¡¯m free this afternoon, so you can come then.¡±


    Not long after, Cheng Xi received a text with an address in it from Lin Fan¡¯s mother. When Cheng Xi looked it up, it was a private residence in the best area in the city, and not too far from the hospital.


    The head nurse suddenly knocked on the door. ¡°Time to eat.¡± She already knew that Chen Jiaman was being transferred, and her gaze toward Cheng Xi was filled with sympathy.


    Cheng Xi stood up. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As they walked through the hospital corridors, the head nurse tried to comfort Cheng Xi. ¡°Actually, isn¡¯t it good that she¡¯s switching hospitals? You won¡¯t have to worry over her anymore. We all know how troublesome Chen Jiaman can be, and you should be happy that she¡¯s being transferred.¡±


    Cheng Xi only smiled wryly, and the head nurse covered her eyes. ¡°Alright, alright, you shouldn¡¯t force yourself to smile.¡± She patted Cheng Xi back as she repliably said, ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling well, then I can give you a massage to relieve some tension.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart warmed, and she leaned against the head nurse¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thank you. I already feel better just by hearing this from you.¡±


    Indeed, even though Cheng Xi was a bit angry, she wasn¡¯t all that sad; perhaps it was because she had a team supporting her by her side.


    In the afternoon, she had to request time off to go see Lin Fan¡¯s mother. The department head gave her no trouble at all; he simply waved his hand and said, ¡°Go, go.¡±


    He then personally scheduled a doctor to fill in for her.


    Cheng Xi was very grateful.


    She took a taxi directly to the address that Lin Fan¡¯s mother had sent her. Despite the cold winter winters, the streets were still crowded, and Cheng Xi¡¯s ride over was plagued by traffic jams.


    When she finally arrived, she waited at the doorstop for quite a while before a housekeeper-like figure came over to answer the door. ¡°Are you Ms. Cheng?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Only then did the housekeeper open the door and let her in. Lin Fan¡¯s mother was on the second floor. When Cheng Xi walked over, she was trimming flowers by the corridor. The temperature had been unprecedentedly cold these last few days, and even though they were indoors, she was dressed very warmly with a white wool sweater and a sapphire-blue marten coat with a white fur collar trim. Framed by the dusky rays of the sun, Lin Fan¡¯s mother looked far younger than her actual age.


    But she was clearly not in a good mood, and her mood was reflected in her pruning; a perfectly good banyan tree had been ruined by her terrible trimming.


    Cheng Xi noticed that upon seeing Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s handiwork, the housekeeper by her side snorted lightly with a speck of disdain in her eyes. Then she curtly announced, ¡°She¡¯s here,¡± before leaving right away.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother ignored the disdain in the housekeeper, put down the scissors, and then smiled at Cheng Xi. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to see my old man first.¡±


    The old man she was referring to was the owner of this house, as well as Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s current husband. She had said that he was old, and she hadn¡¯t been exaggerating at all; the man who appeared in front of Cheng Xi was old, very old. His head was completely bald, his body thin and skinny, and his skin covered in liver spots.


    His bedroom had long been converted into a sickroom. In front of the bed were some common medical apparatuses, and two people who looked like doctors were sitting by his bedside. The master of the house was lying in bed with one hand outside the blankets. There was an IV by the bed, with fluid slowly dripping down from it.


    Upon hearing the noise of two people entering the room, he opened his eyes slightly. Lin Fan¡¯s mother walked in, leaned by his side, and said, ¡°This is Lin Fan¡¯s classmate. She¡¯s here to see you.¡±


    The old man¡¯s dusky gaze meandered over, landing on Cheng Xi¡¯s face. After quite a while, he opened his mouth and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go and talk with her now. Stay well.¡± After Lin Fan¡¯s mother finished talking to the old man, she considerately helped him arrange his blankets before pulling Cheng Xi out of the room.


    Only after they exited the room and were once again breathing the fresh air outside did Cheng Xi slowly release a pent up breath.


    ¡°Were you scared?¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother asked with a smile.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Lin Fan has always thought that this was an embarrassing affair, but I thought that it wasn¡¯t so bad. These past years of being married to him are some of the most peaceful days of my life.¡±


    She brought Cheng Xi to a small living room on the side of the house, sat down in front of her, and started chatting. She had neither the gentleness and grief of her early years nor the snobbishness and affectation that Cheng Xi had seen in her recently. Lin Fan¡¯s mother was very calm today. ¡°Do you know why I wanted to meet you here? It¡¯s to show you that Lin Fan¡¯s different from you, that the burdens he¡¯s been carrying is different from the average person¡¯s. Don¡¯t even try to convince me to let Jiaman stay in Renyi Hospital. I don¡¯t want her to become his burden.¡±


    Cheng Xi tartly replied, ¡°She won¡¯t be his burden.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother looked at her with a placid smile. ¡°Just because you say so? What if she doesn¡¯t improve for the rest of her life? As you¡¯ve said before, her illness can¡¯t be solved through money¡ªshe also needs familial care, ceaseless kindness¡­¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother had actually used the word ¡®kindness.¡¯ Cheng Xi¡¯s heart stiffened, but she didn¡¯t stop her from speaking and silently listened as Lin Fan¡¯s mother continued. ¡°Lin Fan¡¯s not willing to follow the path that I chose for him. He wants to bear all these burdens alone, and I have no choice but to let him do so. However, this shouldn¡¯t be his responsibility, and I don¡¯t want him to be forced to carry this burden. I don¡¯t care about why you want him to care for Jiaman. Whether it¡¯s because of your duty as a doctor or because of your selfishness as a woman, none of it matters to me.¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at Lin Fan¡¯s mother, her eyes limpid and determined. ¡°Mrs. Lin, do you think that the reason why I want Lin Fan to take care of Chen Jiaman is because I want to woo him?¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother didn¡¯t reply, but it was clear that she did indeed think so.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face turned red. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that, in Mrs. Lin¡¯s eyes, that I¡¯m an undignified girl who doesn¡¯t have any self respect. What if I promised to never be romantically involved with him again? Would you¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother shook her head, cutting Cheng Xi off. ¡°Cheng Xi, I don¡¯t want to take any risks. Even though I do want him to choose a wife who can help him achieve his goals rather than choose one out of impulse, as his mother, I do want him to both have a successful career and marriage. He likes you. I don¡¯t want to deny this, and neither can I deny it. However, if he has to see you from time to time while still harboring feelings you, Cheng Xi¡­ Then do you think this would be good for him?¡±


    ¡°Also, I don¡¯t understand why you wouldn¡¯t agree to transfer Jiaman to another hospital. Professor Cai was your professor and a national authority on psychology. Her laboratory is well-funded, and as long as Jiaman volunteers to be a test subject in her laboratory, then even if she can¡¯t recover, she will still receive very good treatment and care. Isn¡¯t this the best outcome for everyone involved?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s voice was trembling as she replied, ¡°But do you know what she¡¯ll have to face as a test subject? Her mind¡¯s already so fragile. If the methods that they use aren¡¯t suitable¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think that you¡¯re more experienced than Professor Cai? How are you so sure that she won¡¯t receive suitable treatment over there? If your method is indubitably the right one, then why hasn¡¯t she improved even after spending such a long time in the hospital? Cheng Xi, we¡¯ve known each other for a while, and I don¡¯t want to hurt you by being too blunt. You¡¯re so young and so talented, and you¡¯ll surely encounter many more men and patients in the future¡ªwhy spend so much time on this one?¡±


    ¡°So, Mrs. Lin, you really do think that I want to keep Jiaman here because of Lin Fan, don¡¯t you?¡± Cheng Xi took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m still young, and there¡¯ll be many more men and patients in my future. Men, I don¡¯t care too much about¡­¡­ As for patients, while you might not understand my attachment to them, you should understand the disgrace and humiliation I feel from knowing that I can cure Chen Jiaman but not being able to do so. I don¡¯t doubt my professor¡¯s work, and I¡¯m certainly not brash enough to claim that I know more than Professor Cai. However, I¡¯m also a psychiatrist in my own right, and I know what sort of treatment my patients need. That¡¯s enough reason for me.¡±


    After Cheng Xi finished speaking her mind, she got up, ready to leave. After taking two steps towards the door, she stopped again, turned around to Lin Fan¡¯s mother, and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think this in the past, but I feel like there¡¯s something I have to say to you now. It¡¯s really frightening that anyone can become a parent.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 90: Can You Give Me a Reason?

    Cheng Xi seldomly spoke harshly towards others, but today, she couldn¡¯t help herself.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s extreme way of thinking had led to her abnormal condition; she stubbornly wanted others to follow the plans that she deemed to be the best, but she never respected their wishes.


    When she was young, she had been weak and powerless, unable to protect Lin Fan and Chen Jiaman. And now, she was still powerless to protect them.


    After she left Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s place, Cheng Xi contacted the officer who had initially brought Chen Jiaman to her. ¡°I¡¯d like to see Chen Fuguo. Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°At this point, normally, only a lawyer would be permitted to see him. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Cheng Xi then left to find a lawyer. She had two lawyer friends, but coincidentally, neither of them were around. One of them was on good terms with Cheng Xi, but he was out of the country on vacation. When he heard her explanation, he couldn¡¯t help but scold her. ¡°Are you crazy? Why do you care so much about others¡¯ affairs!¡±


    And he even posted about it on his feed: ¡°I just met the stupidest doctor of the year!¡±


    But despite his obvious misgivings, he still helped Cheng Xi get in contact with a friend of his. ¡°He¡¯s a bigshot lawyer who doesn¡¯t take on just any kind of case. See if he¡¯s willing to help you. But I¡¯m warning you: I don¡¯t think that you stand a chance unless you can prove that your professor¡¯s laboratory treats its test subjects inhumanely beyond a shadow of a doubt.¡±


    How on Earth would she be able to prove that? And Cai Yi¡¯s methods of treatment weren¡¯t inhumane; most of them fell within the scope of standard treatment methods used worldwide. It was just that in Cheng Xi¡¯s opinion, they were overly simple and too rough for Chen Jiaman.


    The lawyer that her friend recommended had some time to talk, and, coincidentally, he was even at Renyi right now. Cheng Xi rushed over and found him standing in the main lobby. Surprisingly, she saw a familiar face¡ªhe was the lawyer that Lu Chenzhou employed, the one who had drafted that ¡°relationship contract¡± for her and Lu Chenzhou.


    The lawyer wasn¡¯t particularly surprised upon seeing Cheng Xi, and he even smiled as he said, ¡°We meet again. I¡¯m just about to go see Director Lu. Do you want to talk on the way there?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s current mental state wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to see Lu Chenzhou; she was too fretful. The lawyer didn¡¯t push her to do so either. ¡°Then I¡¯ll come find you afterwards.¡±


    And so, Cheng Xi waited in her office. Because it was still visiting hours when went back to her office, a patient¡¯s family member immediately came up to her and started talking to her. Without much of a choice, she could only tamp down her emotions and carefully help him analyze the patient¡¯s condition.


    Before she could finish helping him, her phone rang. It was Lu Chenzhou¡¯s lawyer. Cheng Xi thought that he had finished his tasks, but it turned out that he actually wanted her to go to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s ward. ¡°Director Lu also wants to hear about the situation. Are you willing to come?¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed---she could only acquiesce.


    After sending the patient¡¯s family member away, the first person Cheng Xi saw after stepping out was Lin Fan. He was wearing a sky blue dress shirt and holding a similarly colored jacket draped over his arm as he gracefully stood by the nurses¡¯ station and chatted with the nearby nurses. Maybe it was because he was paying close attention to the area around him, but he turned around at almost the same instant that she stepped out. When he saw Cheng Xi, he momentarily stilled before taking big strides toward her.


    Cheng Xi recalled Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s words, and couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly at the situation.


    Lin Fan was already standing in front of her by the time she reacted. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Jiaman¡­ Cheng Xi, I heard that my mother¡¯s trying to transfer her away. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    His forehead scrunched up. ¡°Why?¡± But after looking at Cheng Xi¡¯s calm gaze, he realized that he had asked a silly question. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have asked you that. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll talk to my mom about it. Jiaman¡¯s doing very well here, and I don¡¯t feel like she needs to be transferred.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him. The concern in his gaze hadn¡¯t been diminished at all by the souring relationship between the two of them. She knew that, as long as she asked, he would definitely talk with his mother and use every means at his disposal to stop it from happening. But since Lin Fan¡¯s mother already thought that Cheng Xi was using Chen Jiaman to deepen the feelings between her and Lin Fan, none of Lin Fan¡¯s words would work. Also, she didn¡¯t want to intensify the conflict between Lin Fan and his mother.


    So after briefly thinking about it, Cheng Xi said, ¡°Thank you, but you don¡¯t have to say anything to Mrs. Lin. As Chen Jiaman¡¯s birth mother, if there¡¯s anything that needs her attention, then I¡¯ll let her know myself.¡± Cheng Xi was feeling thankful for the slight break she had just now, as she had been able to calm down considerably. At the very least, it had been enough that Lin Fan hadn¡¯t detected anything unusual.


    He looked at her with a dazed expression.


    But Cheng Xi didn¡¯t look back. Instead, she stretched out her out and pointed at another room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m still busy right now. If there¡¯s anything else that you need to know, you can go ask Dr. An.¡±


    Right after saying this, Cheng Xi turned to leave, but Lin Fan called her back. ¡°Cheng Xi.¡±


    Cheng Xi stopped, and quietly turned around to look at him.


    Her gaze was too calm, so calm that it naturally commanded one¡¯s silence. The pressure was so intense that Lin Fan felt like he couldn¡¯t say anything, as anything he said would be extraneous. So he could only laugh bitterly and say, ¡°Alright. Sorry for the trouble.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled and left. When she entered Lu Chenzhou¡¯s ward, the first thing she saw were Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents sitting outside. The scene was reminiscent of a silent movie, as the two were playing cards without making a single sound. When they saw Cheng Xi enter, they became excited and happily whispered to her, ¡°Dr. Cheng, you¡¯re here?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded and looked into Lu Chenzhou¡¯s ward. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother chuckled. ¡°They¡¯re inside.¡± After gathering her cards, she happily shouted inside, ¡°Zhou, Dr. Cheng¡¯s here.¡±


    After her announcement, the lawyer came out and led Cheng Xi in. Lu Chenzhou was sitting by the bed; one hand was connected to an IV drip and the other was holding a stack of documents, all while an elite-looking man stood by his side. Clearly, the three of them had been discussing business matters.


    Cheng Xi stood by the door, assessing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mental condition. He seemed to be doing fine¡ªfor someone like him, maintaining his normal cold and aloof demeanor meant that he was normal. She asked, ¡°Should I wait outside?¡±


    ¡°No worries, we¡¯re almost done,¡± the lawyer said.


    At that moment, the elite-looking man started packing his things up. As he left, the lawyer said, ¡°I¡¯ll send him out. Please wait for me, Dr. Cheng.¡± Then the two left.


    Now, only Cheng Xi remained in the room with Lu Chenzhou. Out of habit, she started checking his medicine before realizing that Lu Chenzhou was still sitting there; his legs were stretched out, his hands folded by his abdomen, and his gaze coolly directed at her.


    ¡°Are you feeling alright today?¡± Cheng Xi asked.


    ¡°I thought that your relationship with Cai Yi was pretty good.¡±


    This, Cheng Xi would never deny. ¡°She¡¯s my professor, and I respect her very much so.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou laughed mockingly. ¡°Respect, but also disagreement.¡±


    ¡°She is a respected professor, but I don¡¯t necessarily have to agree with all of her thoughts and viewpoints. Even in the ancient times, conflicts between a teacher and their student was a normal occurrence.¡±


    ¡°Like with Plato and Aristotle?¡±


    She had just discussed platonic love with him, and now he was even bringing up the schism between Plato and Aristotle; truly, he was a studious patient. Cheng Xi sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t dare compare myself to the great sages. It¡¯s just like what my professor said. I¡¯m ill-suited for scientific research.¡±


    ¡°Ill-suited, but you even want to prevent it from happening?¡±


    Cheng Xi was serious. ¡°She¡¯s my patient. She came to my hands, and I¡¯m responsible for her¡­¡­ Even if I know that it might be useless, I still want to work hard and try to help her. I¡¯m not a saint, as I¡¯m just trying my best to maintain a clear conscience. So if it¡¯s convenient, I¡¯d like to request your lawyer to help me.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything. His eyes drooped slightly as he looked at his folded hands. Over the course of his illness, he had gotten quite a bit thinner. His slim body had even become a bit bony, and his skin even paler. Under the ward¡¯s harsh lighting, his long eyebrows made his severe expression look a little more gentle.


    But when he spoke again, his words were as detached as before. ¡°Then you should also know that Donglai is the largest investor in Cai Yi¡¯s research laboratory. As the current CEO of Donglai, why should I help you rather than her?¡±


    He looked straight at her. ¡°Can you give me a reason?¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 91: Another Kiss

    After Lu Chenzhou asked his question, Cheng Xi felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her out of the blue.


    She had actually forgotten about the relationship between Donglai and Cai Yi, and had even foolishly tried to ask Lu Chenzhou¡¯s people to help her stop her own professor.


    No wonder the lawyer had insisted that she come over; she¡¯d thought that Lu Chenzhou had taken a personal interest in the matter¡ªall right, he had indeed taken an interest in the matter, but a professional one. As the CEO of Donglai, of course he¡¯d be interested in the going-ons of one of Donglai¡¯s most important laboratories.


    However, she wasn¡¯t prepared at all for this!


    Cheng Xi was feeling frantic: her intellect didn¡¯t seem enough to handle a problem as large as this, and she was quite annoyed that she even had to deal with it in the first place. Honestly, shouldn¡¯t it be enough for doctors to just focus on treating their patients? Why did she have to be involved in all these bureaucratic affairs?


    But she quickly halted these defeatist thoughts. Cheng Xi quickly readjusted her mental state by rubbing her face and letting out a long breath. ¡°My apologies, I forgot about that.¡±


    Cheng Xi felt like Lu Chenzhou was about to make a disdainful expression again, and she was exasperated at the thought of it alone. ¡°But it¡¯s alright if you¡¯re not able to. If your lawyer isn¡¯t able to help me, then I¡¯ll find another way on my own.¡±


    As for what Lu Chenzhou had said about giving him a reason, she ignored it.


    But Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t. ¡°Perhaps the person who introduced Lawyer Du to you didn¡¯t make it clear, but if he can¡¯t handle the case, then no one else can.¡±


    Cheng Xi stared at him.


    Lu Chenzhou repeated himself seriously. ¡°I can let him help you, but you need to give me a reason to do so?¡±


    If this were a drama, then at this time, Cheng Xi¡¯s response might have been something like, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give myself to you then.¡±


    But this wasn¡¯t a drama, and Cheng Xi would never say something like that. She looked at him and ground her teeth as she begrudgingly asked, ¡°What sort of reason do you want?¡±


    ¡°How about bringing down Donglai Pharmaceuticals? If Donglai Pharmaceuticals falls, then Cai Yi¡¯s laboratory will definitely be affected, and she won¡¯t be able to conduct any further experiments or take in Chen Jiaman. At least, not in the near future.¡±


    ¡­¡­This wasn¡¯t a drama, and Lu Chenzhou definitely wasn¡¯t one of those brain-addled tyrannical CEOs who were only interested in pretty women!


    Cheng Xi very much wanted to praise him for his reasoning. ¡°Great idea! But would you help me?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d accept it, then yes.¡±


    In that instant, Cheng Xi was stupefied.


    Because she had realized that Lu Chenzhou was serious, and when she remembered his personality, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°You¡¯re¡­ kidding, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou smiled nonchalantly. ¡°You don¡¯t dare to?¡±


    Cheng Xi choked, walked over, and inspected him carefully.


    Lu Chenzhou looked back at her, his gaze as calm as usual. There was neither a ridicule nor jest in his eyes; these were his true intentions.


    He truly wanted to bring down Donglai Pharmaceuticals.


    This was really too shocking.


    Cheng Xi restrained the shock in her heart. She didn¡¯t make a big fuss, but she felt herself suddenly relax, as if a big boon had fallen into her lap for no reason¡ªafter chatting with him so often these last few days, a breakthrough had just landed in her lap today! She responded cautiously, ¡°Yes, I dare! If Donglai Pharmaceuticals is guilty of poor business ethics, like if they replace their products with inferior ones, or if their business constitutes a major threat to society, then I would definitely dare to do it. But, does it?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou smiled. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡± As he said this, he suddenly leaned in toward her.


    Cheng Xi almost jumped back in fright, but she forced herself to not back down. She saw her image reflected in his pupils. That Cheng Xi seemed like she was forcing herself to calm down while looking¡­ very timid.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyes was utterly devoid of his previous smile. He stretched out his hand and lightly lifted her lower jaw up. ¡°Are you scared? Let me guess¡ªin the eyes of psychiatrists like you, cold-blooded humans don¡¯t have any sense of morality, and they sometimes even hope for the destruction of the world, giving them the potential to do things that would frighten normal humans¡­¡­ You think that I want to bring down Donglai because my mental condition is worsening, don¡¯t you?¡±


    This was why they said very intelligent people were frightening; they could see through everything.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t deny his accusations. ¡°I almost had that notion, but after talking to you now, I don¡¯t think that your condition has deteriorated at all.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t,¡± he said with absolute certainty as he continued gripping on her jaw.


    Cheng Xi wanted to free herself from his grasp, but she wasn¡¯t able to do so. She could only give him a reminder. ¡°This is a very impolite gesture, you know.¡±


    He smiled again. ¡°How strange. Why am I so interested in a person as dumb as you?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless because she realized that she might have just fallen into his trap: his statement about bringing down Donglai was just a test for her, wasn¡¯t it? And to think that she had ever believed him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it when you do this,¡± she said gloomily. ¡°Do you feel like your high intellect makes you amazing when you suddenly test people like that? She raised her head and looked at him before realizing that she had no other choice but to advise him. ¡°Sometimes, you should act a bit dumber, so that other people can feel better about themselves.¡±


    After saying this, Cheng Xi sincerely felt an impulse to throw down all her responsibilities and walk out. This job used to be her sole passion and love, but the recent setbacks it had thrown at her were nearly unbearable.


    When a doctor admitted defeat in front of a patient, that was also a disgrace.


    But someone like Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t be understood through common logic. The stopgap measure that she¡¯d implemented to lighten the tension was something that he took seriously. His pupils stared straight into hers for quite a while even as he continued to hold onto her face. The lamp¡¯s glare made Cheng Xi¡¯s eyes stream, its harsh intensity almost bringing Cheng Xi to tears. However, not only did Lu Chenzhou not release her, he instead lowered his head and kissed her.


    ! ! !


    Cheng Xi was so taken aback that she couldn¡¯t even react; a teardrop that she had spent great effort to squeeze out coalesced in one eye, reflecting her image like a fool.


    The mood had changed so quickly that she couldn¡¯t keep up at all!


    Mr. Lu¡¯s identity as the quintessential tyrannical CEO had evaporated so quickly that Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even escape from him if she wanted to. After a few trial runs, his skills had improved significantly. He first kissed her directly, and then before Cheng Xi could react, rapidly extended his other hand underneath her shoulder, lifting her up and pushing her down. In the end, Cheng Xi was left pressed up against him in an embrace without any way to resist.


    Peng! As she was forced up, she knocked over the stool she was sitting on. In comparison to the silent room, the resulting noise was as loud as an earthquake.


    Cheng Xi felt a pinch of pain in her heart, but even as she tried and failed to stop him with her hands, the door behind them opened from the outside.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The two cries came from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather and grandmother, respectively, before the door quickly closed again.


    Cheng Xi could hear Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather complaining to his wife. ¡°Why did you go in? Didn¡¯t you see what they were doing?¡±


    His wife whispered back in a rather loud voice. ¡°His hand¡¯s bleeding!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a man. What¡¯s the harm in a little blood? Rather, what he should be scared of is not ever finding a wife!¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 92: Come Chase After Me

    Cheng Xi¡¯s body seemed slim, but she practiced yoga whenever she was free, so she wasn¡¯t all that weak. Since Lu Chenzhou was still ill, she actually managed to break free from his grasp.


    She took two steps back and looked at him. Her eyes were so bright that it seemed like sparks of flame would come out of them at any moment; meanwhile, her lips had become red and swollen from his biting, and they looked just like ripe peaches that had been slightly pinched, which gave them an unusual charm of their own.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s fingers moved a little, and the IV drip was pulled taut against the back of his hand, sparking a jolt of pain. He regained his senses and found that the needle had been half pulled out. The medicine was now mixing with his red blood, and the resulting blend was slowly dripping down the side of the bed.


    He decided to just rip the whole needle out, throw it to one side, and use his other hand to tightly press against the bleeding one.


    When Cheng Xi saw this series of actions, she became quite disconcerted, so much so that she eventually called the nurses¡¯ station. ¡°The VIP room¡¯s patient is bleeding from his hand.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her, put on his shoes, and got off of the bed as Cheng Xi looked at him warily. ¡°If you keep messing around¡­¡± Before she could finish, he had already left the room without looking back, all the while clutching his hand.


    Cheng Xi heard his impatient tone. ¡°The bed¡¯s dirty!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The nurses quickly came over. Some changed the bedsheets, others mopped the floor, and some others changed the IV drip; the room was suddenly filled with bustling activity.


    Cheng Xi had calmed down by now, and was currently standing to one side. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents noticed that she was forcing herself to stay calm, and when they thought to their grandson¡¯s ¡°valiant¡± actions, they felt a bit guilty. But they didn¡¯t even mention anything about him to her, instead trying to fawn over her. ¡°Dr. Cheng, do you want something to eat?¡±


    Or, ¡°Dr. Cheng, are you tired?¡±


    As Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was asking if she was tired, her husband pulled on her arm.


    Cheng Xi pretended to not have heard anything. Given how convoluted it all was, what could she say?


    Upon hearing the commotion, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s primary doctor also rushed over. After finding out that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s IV drip had had a problem, he was very displeased. ¡°Was he playing around with it?¡± First, he scolded all the bystanders. ¡°What were all of you doing? His hand¡¯s as swollen as a steamed bun. Do you think that his illness is funny?¡± And then he scolded Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Mr. Lu, I know you have a bad temper, and honestly, my temper¡¯s worse than yours. However, you shouldn¡¯t think that you can relax just because your condition has improved a lot these last few days. If septicemia were that easy to treat, then you wouldn¡¯t have been sent here in a hurry that night! Your life is your own affair. If you think that it¡¯s funny to play around with it, then fine. Please turn right as you exit, and stop causing trouble for the hospital!¡±


    Besides Lu Chenzhou, everyone else was scolded so much that their faces turned green. The primary doctor grew more and more mad until he finally left in a huff with a cold face right after he finished inspecting Lu Chenzhou.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather quickly chased after him.


    On the other hand, Lu Chenzhou acted as if nothing had happened. His face was still frowning as he complained, ¡°The bed¡¯s dirty.¡±


    Nurse A replied, ¡°We¡¯ve already replaced the bedsheets, they¡¯re all clean.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still dirty!¡±


    Nurse B explained, ¡°It¡¯s really not dirty. We¡¯ve already disinfected everything, and the floor¡¯s been mopped clean too.¡±


    Even his grandmother coaxed him, trying to get him to relax, ¡°It¡¯s really not dirty anymore. I just inspected it. It¡¯s really clean.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou still felt that the sheets weren¡¯t clean, so he sat on the sofa as he continued to frown heavily with pursed lips and an expression saying that he wouldn¡¯t tolerate it one bit.


    While they were stuck in a deadlock, Cheng Xi stood up. ¡°Do you feel like your blood¡¯s dirty too? Then do you also know that you used to stoop and poop near the dining table in your home? And who knows how many people¡¯s saliva, sweat, germs have touched the road that you walk on daily. And that¡¯s not even mentioning the children and pet feces and urine¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother anxiously cried out, ¡°Dr. Cheng!¡±


    Cheng Xi ignored her, continuing to look at Lu Chenzhou and monologue. ¡°Do you think that when you wash yourself after going home that you¡¯re really clean? Do you think that, after you disinfect yourself, everything will be just fine? Yes, at least you¡¯ll be clean and free from germs, but so what? You¡¯re a clean freak through and through, but do you think that your unnaturally sensitive skin is actually natural? No, it¡¯s not. It¡¯s a result of your overly fastidious habits. Your body¡¯s immune system has lost its capabilities, which is how such a small allergic reaction could lead to such a severe cold and even to septicemia! Do you remember what I told you that time? About how the nature of clean freaks is to like dirty things? It¡¯s not you who likes it. It¡¯s every cell in your body, every strand of hair and every gland in your skin! They¡¯re all particularly susceptible to dirtiness and attractive to all sorts of bacteria! Do you understand?!¡±


    She said this with such vigor and conviction that the two nurses listening had been struck dumb. She waved them away. ¡°Leave, let him do what he wants! As the doctor said, this illness is his to treat or not treat. This body is his. As to whether it¡¯s dead or living, why should we care? All he¡¯s doing right now is throwing a tantrum because he knows that there are others who are willing to coddle him!¡±


    ¡°Doctor¡­ Dr. Cheng¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Leave!¡±


    Nurses A and B looked at Lu Chenzhou, who was sitting on the sofa with a face like biting cold, and then at the severe expression of Cheng Xi, before wordlessly deciding to leave together.


    The door opened and closed again. The lawyer who was sending someone out had returned. But when he popped his head in and noticed the heated atmosphere, he quickly closed the door again and retreated.


    The sudden silence left the room feeling like a bottle devoid of oxygen, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother felt like she was unable to breathe¡­ My goodness, what sins had she wrought, that she was forced into a situation such as this?


    ¡°Cheng¡­ Cheng Xi, should I also leave?¡±


    Cheng Xi turned towards Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother, her tone calming down. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Coincidentally, I have something to say, and it¡¯s better if you listen to it too.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother made an ¡®Oh¡¯ sound before obediently standing to the side of the sofa and looking at Cheng Xi anxiously as she clutched the hem of her clothes.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She could only look away from her and refocus on Lu Chenzhou instead. His face was still like a mask of cold indifference as he stared at his hands.


    Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Do you want to go back inside and lie down?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face twisted. Despite his refusal to answer, it was clear that he had been truly disgusted by her words.


    But Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s fine if you stay here too.¡± She dragged a stool over and sat down in front of him. ¡°Mr. Lu, there¡¯s something that I¡¯d like to confirm with you.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything; his grandmother had responded for him.


    Cheng Xi looked at her.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother tried to explain, slightly embarrassed. ¡°He¡­ Ah, he doesn¡¯t like to speak very much. It¡¯s fine if you just talk. He¡¯ll listen.¡±


    Cheng Xi was silent. If this was how Lu Chenzhou had been brought up as a child, then this was the source of his tendency to only care about his own actions, wasn¡¯t it? In her heart, she sighed before she openly said, ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll say it. I want to confirm that you like me. Don¡¯t you? No matter what kind of ¡®like¡¯ it is, you feel something towards me, right?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou finally looked at her.


    ¡°Alright, I understand you. But I won¡¯t be in a romantic relationship with any of my patients because that¡¯d violate my ethics as a doctor.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°As I recall, before I became your patient, we¡¯d already been in bed together.¡±


    ! ! !


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother, who had been prepared to be a wallflower, was badly startled. Her old eyes suddenly widened as she looked at the two of them with both shock and a desire for gossip.


    Cheng Xi, on the other hand, had no words to respond to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s brazen words.


    She once again regretted her rashness that night, that she had rashly left with him, that she had rashly drank the alcohol that another person had given her, and that she¡­ had been unable to absolve herself from blame!


    She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sure that you know better than me what exactly happened that day.¡± She then abruptly changed topics. ¡°This isn¡¯t my main point. What I want to say is that, given that our doctor-patient relationship has already been corrupted, that I plan on requesting the hospital to assign you another psychiatrist.¡± She waved her hands with a rare conviction, stopping Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother from interjecting.


    ¡°And now, I¡¯m single once again, and I don¡¯t have someone I like anymore. If you¡¯re really sure that you¡¯re interested in me, no matter what kind of interest, then you can try to woo me. Lu Chenzhou, I won¡¯t accept a kiss from you as a friend, but I¡¯m very much willing to accept a kiss from a man that I love. If you¡¯re truly interested in me, then do your best to make me love you! Again, I believe that any kind of intimacy not founded on love is immoral. You¡¯ve read through so many books about love and romance that I think you know what to do.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 93: She Wants Me to Woo Her

    As soon as Cheng Xi finished speaking, she pulled the door open and left without giving Lu Chenzhou any time to respond.


    A whole throng of people were crowded outside the door, including the two nurses who had just left, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s lawyer, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather, who had left earlier to chase after his primary doctor.


    The reason why everyone had crowded here was probably to eavesdrop on their conversation. However, none of them had expected Cheng Xi to leave right when they had gotten into position. Cheng Xi looked at them all while maintaining her dominating presence. Finally, she called out Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather by saying, ¡°May I have a few words with you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure! Sure!¡±


    Cheng Xi went to one side with him.


    He immediately said, ¡°Dr. Cheng, what¡¯s the matter? Tell me!¡± He patted his chest, his expression indicating that he would take care of everything, as if he hated the fact that he couldn¡¯t immediately have Lu Chenzhou marry her.


    The corners of Cheng Xi¡¯s mouth wiggled in amusement. She paused and said, ¡°First, I¡¯d like to apologize. My emotions today have been a mess, and I irrationally got angry at Mr. Lu just now.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather replied in a somewhat embarrassed manner, ¡°It¡¯s alright. He deserves a scolding, and you were still too kind. He probably doesn¡¯t mind at all.¡±


    ¡°......Anyways, if he¡¯s not feeling well or anything, please let me know.¡± Afraid that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather would say another shocking statement, she quickly continued, ¡°May I ask, what¡¯s Mr. Lu¡¯s view on Donglai Pharmaceuticals?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather turned pale with fright. ¡°You¡¯re not really going to try to destroy it, are you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    So they were indeed eavesdropping, weren¡¯t they?


    Looking at her face, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather rubbed his head awkwardly but then resolutely said, ¡°But if destroying it will help you achieve your goals, then it¡¯s alright with us.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but massage her forehead. Given Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather¡¯s personality, it wasn¡¯t surprising that Lu Chenzhou had turned out the way he had.


    In a somewhat powerless manner, she said, ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m not that desperate yet. There¡¯s no need for such trouble. Mr. Lu¡¯s attitude towards Donglai Pharmaceuticals is very important, and it would be very helpful if you could explain it to me. Or, if you could help me find someone who understands his viewpoints, whom I can talk to, that would be even better. It¡¯s very possible that this could be a breakthrough point in Mr. Lu¡¯s illness.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is he still ill?¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather sounded disappointed. ¡°I thought that he¡¯d recovered. Look, he already knows how to be in a relationship now.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather started smiling again toward the end of his sentence.


    Cheng Xi looked at him severely. ¡°Grandfather Lu, that¡¯s not romance.¡± Following instructions like a robot was completely unrelated to love, joy, or anger. But in his attitude towards Donglai Pharmaceuticals, Cheng Xi could feel something hidden beneath the surface.


    Actually, it would have been fine if Lu Chenzhou had repressed his urges and emotions this way for his entire life. As long as he could control himself, he wouldn¡¯t do any harm to society. But on the other hand, given his intelligence and capabilities, if he focused solely on his career, then he could probably achieve miraculous results.


    But clearly, for the Lu family, rather than Lu Chenzhou having an exceptional career, they would much prefer him to marry and have children like a regular person, for him to experience happiness and anger, sorrow and joy. Lu Chenzhou himself likely felt this way as well, or else he wouldn¡¯t have become interested in her.


    Cheng Xi thought about a lot, but in reality, only a little bit of time had passed. When she saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather forcefully calming himself down to think about her words, she relaxed. ¡°There¡¯s something else that I need to do, so I¡¯ll leave first. Due to Mr. Lu¡¯s attitude towards me, I¡¯ll have the department assign another doctor to him.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather, who had been secretly happy that his grandson¡¯s relationship seemed to have noticeably improved, anxiously asked, ¡°¡­¡­Would you please reconsider? Zhou¡¯s very picky.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. His new doctor will surely be excellent.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather looked at her desperately, as if his teeth were sore.


    This was why he had said that being too direct would scare people away. Why didn¡¯t his grandson listen? And now she¡¯d found an excuse to run!


    He quickly tried to think of excuses to bring the two closer again. ¡°Then, as for what you need Lawyer Du¡¯s help with¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll think of a method on my own. Please, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make things difficult for you.¡±


    In his heart, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather regretfully thought that he was very willing to be worried and overthinking things, and that he very much wanted things to be made difficult for himself.


    But Cheng Xi had already made up her mind, and she submitted her request as soon as she returned to her office. Then, at the end of the day when the other doctors were getting off work, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s family met the new psychiatrist who had replaced Cheng Xi for a medical consultation¡ªhe was the director of some psychiatry department, as well as a famous old psychiatry professor with a face full of wrinkles.


    Although he was gray-haired, his features were very balanced with a square face and big ears. Perhaps Cheng Xi was trying to appeal to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s unique sense of beauty as, while this replacement might have been a little old, his face was perfectly symmetrical, and even the eyebags and wrinkles by his cheeks on either side of his face were equally sized.


    The first thought that went through Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents mind was that it must have been hard for Cheng Xi to find and invite such a renowned professor like him. They were happy because, given how much effort Cheng Xi must have spent, she must have been serious about telling Lu Chenzhou to woo her.


    Because of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s willful behavior, he had ended up being saddled with a few more tests and inspections in the afternoon, two of which they¡¯d been told could be skipped upon entering the hospital. From this, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s family all guessed that this was actually a covert reminder from the primary doctor who had been angered earlier. Don¡¯t you have money? Don¡¯t you like messing around? Then mess around a bit more, why don¡¯t you?


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t care either way, as that was just his personality. Before he went to the hospital, he hated it and would avoid it by any means possible. But once he was there, he would adapt to his situation¡ªas long as everything was as he requested.


    He wasn¡¯t very responsive when Cheng Xi was scolding him, nor when Cheng Xi had asked him to chase after her. After Cheng Xi left, he had simply continued his previous activity: discussing an acquisition contract with Lawyer Du. His grandparents were sitting by his side, so anxious for him that they were scratching themselves raw.


    When the new doctor arrived, the first thing he did was make Lu Chenzhou fill out a questionnaire. He looked at the responses and started smiling right away.


    Cheng Xi had never made Lu Chenzhou fill out any questionnaires, but he was very familiar with the questions on this one. She had slightly disguised each of them and asked him about them over the course of their regular conversations.


    He quickly answered the questionnaire. After the doctor read through Lu Chenzhou¡¯s answers, he looked curiously at him before he stretched out his hand out and, in a somewhat kind tone, asked, ¡°Shall we shake hands? In the future, I¡¯ll be working with you.¡±


    This doctor even had a nice voice¡ªparticularly mellow and rich, and imbued with charm.


    Lu Chenzhou stared at the proferred hand, indifferent. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have mysophobia.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The doctor smiled as he retrieved his hand, a fingertip resting on an answer from the questionnaire. ¡°You answered that you didn¡¯t mind on here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    It had been an instinctive response; old people were wily, and this man was evidently much more sly than Cheng Xi. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression was cold, without a single sign of emotion showing on his well proportioned and handsome face. His hands nearly folded on top of his abdomen as he changed the topic. ¡°Are you familiar with Cheng Xi?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the doctor answered tactfully. ¡°Despite her age, Dr. Cheng¡¯s a very responsible doctor with considerable skill in what she does.¡±


    ¡°She wants me to woo her.¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression was cold and his tone insipid when he very calmly threw down this bombshell. ¡°Do you have any advice?¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 94: Young Madam Lu

    Cheng Xi was once again sent to her department head¡¯s office.


    When the head nurse came over to fetch Cheng Xi, she was accompanying Chen Jiaman. In the end, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mobilize Lu Chenzhou¡¯s high-profile lawyer. Instead, she had contacted another one through her lawyer friends. After having done everything that she could, she was now calmly waiting for the news.


    After Chen Jiaman heard another new story, she covered herself in her blankets again, but not completely this time. There was a small hole from which she was ¡®secretly¡¯ observing Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi smiled upon seeing her behavior. Cai Yi had once told her that she was very well suited to be a psychiatrist; she was beautiful but not flirtatious, plain but not bland, warm and graceful but also bold and daring, and even her voice was melodious and moving. Presently, Cheng Xi was taking full advantage of her strengths by stooping down, lying by the side of the bed, looking into the little hole that Chen Jiaman had dug out, and saying, ¡°You know, I was like you when I was little. You were brought up by your paternal grandmother, and I by my maternal one. She would often tell me stories, mostly horror stories that were popular in the countryside. I loved listening to them, but afterwards, I would always be very scared. Every time I tried to sleep after she told me a story, I would be afraid that a ghost would float in from the windows, or that something would crawl onto my bed from underneath it. So, I would always cover myself in my blankets, thinking that the ghosts wouldn¡¯t be able to see me even if they showed up.


    ¡°And then when I got a little older, I realized that there were no ghosts in this world, that ghosts only exist in your heart. If you¡¯re afraid, then they¡¯ll appear. But if you overcome your fear, then they¡¯ll vanish as well.¡±


    ¡°Jiaman¡­¡­ Can I call you this? I know that you can definitely understand what I¡¯m saying, and I hope you will too. I want you to understand that I very much want you to get better. Even though staying in this little room might be safe, it¡¯s too small, and it¡¯s unable to shield you from the wind or rain. The only way to free yourself from the evil ghosts in your heart is to walk out and become a braver and stronger version of yourself.¡±


    When the head nurse walked in, this was the scene that she saw¡ªDr. Cheng, who was intelligent, capable, and sophisticated, was currently lying on her patient¡¯s bed, completely unconcerned for her own image, and saying something profound to a little lump of blankets. She looked particularly childish and particularly adorable.


    The head nurse was wholly impressed by Cheng Xi¡¯s patience. Young doctors tended to be somewhat fickle and impatient, but she couldn¡¯t see any of that in Cheng Xi.


    When the head nurse pushed the door open lightly, Cheng Xi felt it but didn¡¯t turn around. Instead, she waved her hand at her, dismissing her.


    The head nurse retreated. After a while, Cheng Xi came out. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°The department head¡¯s invited you over.¡± When the head nurse saw Cheng Xi who seemed like she had a headache, the head nurse couldn¡¯t stop herself from laughing. ¡°It¡¯s the first time that someone¡¯s ever been in your situation¡ªno one else has had the honor of getting called in by the head so often.¡±


    Cheng Xi wryly replied, ¡°Thanks for the praise. I¡¯ll keep doing my best.¡±


    The head nurse laughed herself to tears.


    Cheng Xi went over. The head, who had been surprisingly nice to her the day before, gave her a full scolding today. And this time, he even pointed to her forehead all the while. ¡°You, you, you. Why do you cause so much trouble? Do you know what you¡¯ve done this time, hmm? Those of us who understand know that it¡¯s a little trick to help treat a patient, but those who don¡¯t will think that you¡¯re trying to climb the social strata by ignoring your professional ethics for money! You, you, you¡­¡­ you have the intelligence and the ability to use any method you please. But why did you have to come up with such a drastic tactic?¡±


    Cheng Xi noticed that, while he was scolding her, he was also making meaningful glances at the room inside, and once he finished his tirade, he mouthed, ¡°The patient¡¯s here.¡± Cheng Xi was momentarily speechless¡ªif the patient were here, then did that mean that Lu Chenzhou had come over? Shouldn¡¯t he be getting his shots right now? Did he run here to proclaim that he was officially going to woo her?


    Cheng Xi very much wanted to scold him again, but at this point, she could only pretend to not know anything about it. So, she clutched her forehead and joked with the head, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve always demeaned me, and I even thought that you didn¡¯t like me¡ªI never expected your evaluation of me to be so high.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! If I actually didn¡¯t like you, then I wouldn¡¯t have recruited you.¡±


    That¡¯s right. When Cheng Xi had joined Renyi, the department head had been the main recruiter associated with her.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s eyes happily curved up; her ignorant and blissful expression really made one so angry to the point that their liver would hurt! The head had originally been joking with her too, as this was just a ploy to clarify her intentions and redeem the reputation of the hospital¡ªthis sort of affair might have been a romantic encounter in any other department, but in the psychiatry department, it was a disaster because their ethics didn¡¯t permit it! Cheng Xi, as an excellent student of Cai Yi, could not have been unaware of this point.


    And so, he really was getting a bit mad as she maintained her uncaring and evasive mindset, and his scolding even became a bit more serious. ¡°Stop changing the topic. You have to settle this matter. ¡®Doctors wooing patients¡¯¡ªyou¡¯re lucky that this wasn¡¯t overseas, or it would have been considered harassment, and you could have easily lost your reputation from getting sued. Don¡¯t you know this? Even if you¡¯re just trying to treat your patient, you don¡¯t have to use such a stupid method!¡± Perhaps the head felt that he was being too vicious, so he awkwardly softened his last sentence.


    Cheng Xi had naturally already guessed the head¡¯s intentions, but he was unaware of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s condition, and she was worried that their conversation might reveal her true intentions to Lu Chenzhou. She blinked before quickly, correcting him. ¡°Who said that I was trying to treat him? Why can¡¯t it be because the two of us fell in love at first sight? After all, Mr. Lu¡¯s handsome, wealthy, young, and intelligent. He¡¯s very attractive to all females, and as a female, especially an older, single female, after meeting such an outstanding and compatible single man, isn¡¯t it normal for me to lose my head like that?¡±


    Upon hearing this, the head became so angry that he started trembling and pointing at her. ¡°You¡­¡­ you- you- you- you¡­¡­¡± He was so furious that he picked something up from the table and was about to throw it at her when someone suddenly ran out from the room and grabbed the head¡¯s hands at lightning speed. ¡°Don¡¯t hit her! You can¡¯t hit her! This is my granddaughter-in-law! You can¡¯t damage her!¡±


    Cheng Xi and the head were both stunned speechless from this turn of events.


    Cheng Xi was instantly dazed. Why was Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother the one to rush out; how had ¡®the patient¡¯ turned into ¡®the patient¡¯s relative¡¯?


    Cheng Xi twisted her head around to look inside the room. The door was open, and the room was clearly empty!


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother stopped the head, and then turned around to look at Cheng Xi, smiling with joy from the bottom of her heart as she pulled on Cheng Xi¡¯s sleeve and said familiarly and excitedly, ¡°Dr. Cheng, oh, no¡ªCheng Xi, I knew that my grandson would be able to find a wife someday. Look at how good his taste is¡ªoh, wait a moment.¡± After she said this, she patted Cheng Xi¡¯s hands, rushed inside, and brought out a lunchbox. ¡°Zhou said that you were working too hard, so we brought some soup specially made for you. Drink it while it¡¯s warm! He highly regards you, so if you told him what you said just now, he¡¯d surely be so happy!¡±


    Cheng Xi disagreed; at the most, Lu Chenzhou might say, ¡°Oh.¡±


    She hugged the lunchbox in front of her chest and wanted to explain, but Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother didn¡¯t give her the chance to do so. After his grandmother finished talking to Cheng Xi, she immediately followed up with, ¡°I have to go. I won¡¯t keep you from your work any longer.¡± And then she turned around to instruct the head. ¡°Our Zhou and Cheng Xi are fianc and fiance. There¡¯s no harassment, so don¡¯t scold her anymore!¡±


    And then she left in an energetic buzz.


    Cheng Xi felt like she was about to collapse as she looked at the head sullenly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Lu Chenzhou was inside?¡±


    After Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother rushed out, the head¡¯s expression had become cold and indifferent. ¡°What difference does it make anymore? Congratulations, you¡¯re about to marry into the Lu family, and soon, you¡¯ll be the most influential person in our hospital, young Madam Lu.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±


    The department head had gone crazy from anger!


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 95: Did My Heart Rate Quicken?

    The department head was wondering why on earth Cheng Xi would even bother fighting with Cai Yi over a patient if she was this well connected. Couldn¡¯t she just ask the Lu family to withdraw their investment? Since they were the main sponsor of Cai Yi¡¯s laboratory, it wasn¡¯t like Cai Yi would fight with them over a mere patient.


    He had really wasted his time worrying about her affairs!


    And to think that he had even called the patient¡¯s family member over to help her quell those rumors¡­¡­ Just how foolish was he?


    Cheng Xi also understood that the head was genuinely trying to help her, and she was naturally very touched by his actions. With eyes brimming with tears, she tried to assuage his despondency. ¡°Head, you¡¯re really a good person. With you as a boss, it¡¯s no wonder our psychiatry department is so great! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll work hard and won¡¯t bring shame to you or Renyi!¡±


    Unable to hold his emotions back, the head brusquely waved his hands. ¡°Stop, stop. It¡¯s enough if you don¡¯t cause trouble for me. Just think about what you¡¯ve done in the last two years¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi quietly protested, ¡°But I haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡± She carried out her duties, behaved ethically, worked hard, and was undoubtedly a model citizen and excellent worker.


    The head glared at her.


    Cheng Xi blinked. ¡°Then, can we change topics?¡± It actually wasn¡¯t too hard to persuade the head to her side; she just had to tell him the truth. Despite his recent proclivity towards bureaucracy, he was ultimately still a doctor of psychiatry at heart.


    After Cheng Xi finished explaining her story, he finally understood what was going on. However, he only became even more concerned, and his response was to coldly laugh and say, ¡°With this sort of affair in your history, how many people do you think you can date in your lifetime?¡± He was almost starting to feel resentful. ¡°Do you really think that you can avoid the gossip? And even if you¡¯re not afraid of gossip, what if he really starts to like you after he¡¯s cured? What do you plan on doing then? I can see that his grandmother very much likes you¡ªshe can hardly wait for you to sign a marriage certificate with her grandson tomorrow, and I bet she thinks that the best thing would be if a child popped out right away!¡±


    ¡­¡­The department head wasn¡¯t the head for nothing, as his eyes were particularly discerning. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was as he described. Cheng Xi joked, ¡°If so¡­¡­ then I guess I¡¯ll become Miss Lu.¡±


    The head stared at her, unable to speak for quite a while. Finally, he shouted one word. ¡°Scram!¡±


    And so Cheng Xi scrammed away. During her afternoon break, she visited Lu Chenzhou again. He had finished his shots in the morning, and was currently resting.


    There was no one in this massive ward besides him, His eyes were closed and his body lying in bed, while he had earbuds in, clearly listening to something.


    His resting posture was reminiscent of Chen Jiaman¡¯s when she had first entered the hospital: straight and still with the hands neatly folded on top of the abdomen. But Chen Jiaman had preferred to cover herself up from head to toe while Lu Chenzhou¡¯s blanket only extended up to his waist. In some sense, his orderliness gave off an adorable feeling to Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether or not he was asleep and was standing there, hesitating, when his long eyelashes fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes.


    It was the first time that Cheng Xi had realized how pleasing it could be to watch someone open their eyes; it was like watching a flower slowly bloom. In that tranquil moment, it felt almost as if she could hear the rustle of flowers swaying in the breeze.


    He was handsome enough to violate common sense, Cheng Xi thought as she sighed.


    If a person like this didn¡¯t have any mental issues, then even if he didn¡¯t have power or wealth, girls would still chase after him in wave after wave, wouldn¡¯t they?


    She walked over, and Lu Chenzhou looked at her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed the time of your visits.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. It was very much like him to notice details that others would overlook.


    ¡°Are you not used to it? Sorry, but I¡¯m not your doctor anymore. I can only come see you after work.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything, though he seemed to silently accept this change.


    Cheng Xi asked him, ¡°What are you listening to?¡±


    He handed one earbud to her, and Cheng Xi a long speech in English. Cheng Xi was about to praise Mr. Lu for being studious and hardworking, and then she heard the contents. ¡°¡­¡­I dreamt of him, his gaze, his uniform, his long legs, his slender fingers, and his mysterious atmosphere¡­¡­¡± The syntax was suspiciously evocative of a cheesy romance novel.


    She took the earbud out. ¡°What¡¯s this? A novel?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Its title?¡± She asked somewhat innocently.


    ¡°Fifty Shades of Grey.¡±


    Oh my god! Cheng Xi almost choked on her own saliva. She knew this book, as it was a famous foreign erotic romance novel; of course, she hadn¡¯t personally read it, but there was a time when Rou had been fervently proselytizing it in their group chats. She had even run around trying to find a place to watch the movie upon its release, which was about all Cheng Xi knew of it.


    She restrained her shocked expression and calmed herself down, shifting her facial expression to one of curiosity. ¡°How did you end up listening to this kind of book?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou continued speaking in his usual calm tone. ¡°Baldy recommended it. He said that it would be suitable for me and you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    A tyrannical CEO and a debutante dipping her toes in high society, was it? What in the world was Baldy thinking? Cheng Xi caressed her forehead as she wearily asked, ¡°And what do you think of it?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou frowned. ¡°It was hard to read.¡±


    ¡°And because it hurt your eyes to read it, you chose to listen to it instead?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows; clearly she had guessed correctly. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh, but after she finished, she pitied him a bit. Lu Chenzhou might not have said it, but he must have been truly lonely in his heart. His inability to understand other people¡¯s happiness and anger, or sorrow and joy meant that he had resorted to reading books and studying so that he could still pretend to understand everything, and that he didn¡¯t lack those emotions.


    He was neither crazy nor a freak. Sighing in her heart, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°If it¡¯s too hard to read, then how does that make it easier to listen to? If it hurts your eyes, then it¡¯ll also hurt your ears. You should just stop listening to it.¡± After saying that, she leaned over to pull his other earbud away. When she stretched her hand out, he instinctively tried to block her hand half-heartedly. It was an action born from his subconscious revulsion when others came near him, but he quickly caught himself and put his hand down, pretending that nothing had happened as he craned his head to look at her.


    Cheng Xi smiled, also pretending that nothing had happened as she took his earbud off. This time, she was successful, but he still moved a little, and her fingertips brushed by his ear.


    That ear immediately turned red!


    Cheng Xi blinked once, took a second glance in case she had seen wrongly, and momentarily froze, unable to look at him.


    She was too innocent; her first thought was that she¡¯d accidentally hurt him, but Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression was very calm. His lips curled up slightly and he didn¡¯t give off his usual oppressive feeling, which meant that he had to be in a pretty good mood.


    Cheng Xi tried hard to think of a topic to talk about when Lu Chenzhou suddenly said, ¡°My grandmother¡¯s back.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She turned around, but didn¡¯t see anyone enter, so she asked, ¡°Are you saying that she went to our department and then came back here again?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you happy?¡±


    ¡°The usual.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That means that you must not like me that deeply, or that your interest towards me is unrelated to your feelings because otherwise, you would¡¯ve been elated to hear her words and subsequently experience excitement, emotion, a quickening in your heart rate¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou suddenly grabbed her palm and placed it against his chest.


    Cheng Xi expressionlessly finished her sentence. ¡°......and other similar reactions.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her seriously. ¡°Did my heart rate quicken?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 96: You Scared Her Away

    In the heat of the moment, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say. During her indecision, Lu Chenzhou clutched her hand even tighter and pressed it against his chest again as he repeated, ¡°Is it beating quickly?¡±


    His voice was calm but serious, and in this moment, Cheng Xi felt a bizarre gentleness in his demeanor, and even his cold voice seemed warmer than usual.


    But, in reality, his heart wasn¡¯t beating any quicker. It was just that he was wearing one of those thin hospital gowns, so Cheng Xi could feel each distinct heartbeat. Back when she had been a student, she had once gotten bored and decided to experience traditional Chinese medicine and to learn to feel people¡¯s pulses, so she had taken a year¡¯s worth of classes and practice on the subject. She didn¡¯t really learn how to feel pulses that much better, but she did had gotten significantly better at understanding the significance of others¡¯ heart rates in different situations.


    Right now, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s heart was not beating any quicker than usual. In fact, it was actually beating a bit slower. When Cheng Xi remembered his unusual body condition, she had a hunch that he wasn¡¯t feeling anything at all.


    His excitement was closer to a guise, but one that could trick even himself.


    Regardless of the truth, she still said, ¡°Yes, a bit faster.¡±


    And then Lu Chenzhou smiled, a truly joyful smile that contained a bit of childish innocence and sincerity; it was just like the dark clouds that Cheng Xi had once seen before, the ones that had silently blossomed in the biting cold.


    Joyful, and heart-wrenching.


    Such was the power of handsome people. Cheng Xi was dazed just from looking at him, until an ¡°Oh!¡± rang out from the door.


    The two both regained their senses at the same time and turned towards the door, but all they saw was someone hurriedly running out.


    It was one of the Lu family¡¯s private attendants.


    Cheng Xi calmly pulled her hand away, slightly tilted her head, and looked out the door. ¡°You scared her away.¡± She then looked at him. ¡°You should smile more in the future. Smile if you¡¯re happy¡ªyou look so wonderful when you¡¯re smiling.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou responded with a simple ¡°Oh.¡±


    Still cool and aloof, but it was missing a bit of the tyrannical tone that he usually displayed.


    Yes, she had made at least a little progress; the flower blooming on the high cliff was now willing to look towards people below it.


    Cheng Xi felt slightly gratified. But then her phone rang, a call from her department. ¡°The patient in ward 24 is in the process of leaving the hospital. Dr. Cheng, are you still in the hospital?¡±


    Cheng Xi froze for a moment. The patient in ward 24 was Chen Jiaman; although she had managed to delay the proceedings for all of yesterday, it had just ended up happening today instead.


    Keeping the phone line open, Cheng Xi said, ¡°I¡¯m going to leave, so rest well.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re unhappy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a bit.¡± She didn¡¯t hide the reason from him. ¡°Chen Jiaman¡¯s family¡¯s here to transfer her out of the hospital.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou asked, ¡°Do you want me to help?¡±


    ¡°Would you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Even though she knew that this was the inevitable outcome, and even though she had never expected his help to come, his cold and firm rejection still caused her to feel a bit depressed.


    Lu Chenzhou was feeling good, so he even tried to explain why he couldn¡¯t help her. ¡°As an investor, I¡¯m contractually obligated to not interfere with the workings of the laboratory. So unless we bring Donglai Pharmaceuticals down and I file for bankruptcy¡­¡­¡±


    Even mentioning filing for bankruptcy¡­ Cheng Xi sucked in a breath to stabilize her emotions. ¡°It¡¯s not that important, really.¡± She was honestly starting to get afraid of what he was saying, and quickly found an excuse to leave. ¡°I really have to go. Rest well.¡±


    Then, Cheng Xi hurriedly left, as if ghosts were knocking at her door. When she thought back to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s serious expression, her heart started bleeding again; she was frightened that he would actually bring down Donglai Pharmaceuticals, and then she would undoubtedly be lambasted by the media.


    Don¡¯t underestimate the lengths a patient suffering from mental illness is willing to go to, especially if that patient is stubborn and intelligent!


    Cheng Xi returned to her own department. Lin Fan¡¯s mother was waiting there, and she wasn¡¯t alone. She had brought along a crowd of unfamiliar people, each of them rubbing their palms as if they were preparing to enter battle.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother was still dressed as exquisitely as ever, just like a perfect wealthy housewife. That day¡¯s unhappiness seemed to have vanished without a trace, and her smile at Cheng Xi remained warm and amiable. However, this amity veiled her true feelings of disaffection and arrogance.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I must be interrupting your afternoon. But as you know, I was busy all morning, and I only became free just now¡­ Jiaman¡¯s exit procedures¡ªcould I trouble you to help me with them?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at the nurse by her side. The head nurse wasn¡¯t present, and only one of the other nurses on duty was here. When she noticed Cheng Xi glance over, that nurse coolly pursed her lips and said, ¡°We already told her, but she said that she knows you, and was insisting that you were present.¡±


    Without any change in her facial expression, Cheng Xi pivoted to look at Lin Fan¡¯s mother. ¡°Please follow me.¡±


    Leaving the unfamiliar people outside, Cheng Xi brought Lin Fan¡¯s mother with her to her office. But instead of proceeding with the procedures as she wanted, Cheng Xi instead sat in front of her desk and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Jiaman¡¯s exit procedures can¡¯t be processed at this time.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°My lawyer¡¯s currently in contact with Chen Jiaman¡¯s father. Before receiving his personal confirmation, I don¡¯t think that I can continue with this process in good faith.¡± She made a hand gesture, stopping Lin Fan¡¯s mother from speaking, and continued talking. ¡°It¡¯s because I initially promised him that I would finish treating her before I let her out of the hospital. Right now, even though she¡¯s improved greatly, her emotions still aren¡¯t very stable, and she still desperately lacks a sense of security. Changing her environment at this stage will not benefit her at all. Out of my consideration for the patient, I don¡¯t recommend that she switch hospitals.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother frowned. ¡°Not even if I move her to a better hospital?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Perhaps not expecting Cheng Xi to make this move, Lin Fan¡¯s mother stared at her for awhile before saying, ¡°Cheng Xi, you¡¯re joking, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. And Chen Jiaman was sent here by law enforcement. So, before she is given a directive from the corresponding office, no one can move her away. Even if she fully recovers and is able to leave, she has to submit an application before doing so.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you say so beforehand?¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother became shrill.


    Because I forgot about it, Cheng Xi thought as she very calmly said, ¡°Because it was a notice that I just received.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s mouth was left hanging open in shock.


    She felt like Cheng Xi was deliberately targeting her and that Cheng Xi was obfuscating her own personal interest in the matter, so Lin Fan¡¯s mother became quite angry. Even as she tried to restrain her anger, she asked, ¡°Cheng Xi, can¡¯t you accommodate us even a little?¡±


    Cheng Xi was quiet as she unyieldingly answered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to go against me just because I won¡¯t let you and Lin Fan be together? Cheng Xi, I honestly thought that you were a better person!¡±


    ¡°Even if I said that this had nothing to do with him, you wouldn¡¯t believe me, so I won¡¯t bother explaining.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother clearly didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°It¡¯s more like you can¡¯t explain it at all, right? Honestly, I¡¯ve seen plenty of girls like you. Regardless of whether or not you have a job, all you can do is try to catch a good man and climb the social ladder that way, not even caring if you can handle it! It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t imagine that you wouldn¡¯t let go even after I talked to you so candidly that day. Hah, if I can¡¯t make it clear to you, then I¡¯m going to find your director and give him a piece of my mind!¡±


    After she said this, Lin Fan¡¯s mother got up and prepared to leave. At this point, Cheng Xi almost thought that Lin Fan¡¯s mother, whom she¡¯d known in the past, was a fake all along! What did she say just now? That time that she called her over to Lin Fan¡¯s stepfather¡¯s house, when she had displayed both her weakness and her aptitude for being endlessly bothersome, was that all to dissuade her from marrying Lin Fan?


    Cheng Xi was honestly quite impressed by Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s train of thought. She could deeply feel how her mental compass had been twisted and distorted by her long years of fighting with her stepchildren over the Wang inheritance. To a person like her, no amount of reason could explain anything.


    ¡°Mrs. Lin, I hope that you won¡¯t make this messy.¡± When Cheng Xi saw that Lin Fan¡¯s mother was about to head out, Cheng Xi quickly spoke out. ¡°Or it¡¯ll be hard for me to promise that you¡¯ll get what you want.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lin Fan¡¯s mother turned around to glare at her. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Cheng Xi sighed. ¡°I only wanted to advise you to be prudent with this matter. Renyi has reporter correspondence connections to the major media outlets. If you make a big fuss, I can¡¯t promise that news of this matter will be suppressed, or how deeply the reporters will investigate. Regardless, if you really want Lin Fan to marry a wife that will be of use to him, like Miss Meng, then I think it¡¯s better if you save him some face.


    ¡°Additionally, I¡¯d also like to tell you that I indeed like Lin Fan very much. However, it¡¯s not enough for me to eschew everything else. With a mother like you, it will be difficult for him to ever have a happy marriage, and I don¡¯t plan on taking on such a difficult challenge.¡±


    After Cheng Xi finished her speech, she walked over and opened the door for Lin Fan¡¯s mother. ¡°Please choose wisely.¡±


    And then she saw Lin Fan standing outside the door, his face stark white, looking at her with a mournful expression.


    Cheng Xi was at an utter loss for words.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 97: Aren’t You the One Wooing our Boss Lu?

    It hadn¡¯t been that long since Cheng Xi had last seen Lin Fan, but he seemed to become much thinner, his face was now wan and sallow, and his overall demeanor exuded exhaustion.


    She felt like she was once again looking at that miserable high school youth who was silent and dyed with a melancholy unbefitting of his age.


    He looked at her for quite a while before he turned towards his mother and hoarsely said, ¡°Ma, I¡¯ll promise you, I¡¯ll promise you anything. Please, can you drop this matter about transferring Jiaman away?¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother glanced at Cheng Xi before responding, ¡°You promise?¡±


    Almost as if she were asking Cheng Xi.


    Lin Fan looked down. ¡°Yes.¡±


    And then his mother left; of course, before leaving, she also dragged Lin Fan away, and warned Cheng Xi one last time. ¡°I¡¯ll still transfer her away if her illness doesn¡¯t improve.¡±


    Of course, this warning was more of an excuse, a pretense that gave off the impression that her ardent desire to transfer Chen Jiaman out of Renyi was purely because she cared about her illness, and was worried about Cheng Xi¡¯s medical expertise being inadequate.


    But Cheng Xi ignored her two-faced excuse. She was feeling very gloomy¡ªin the end she had had to rely on Lin Fan to resolve this problem, and it even seemed like he had been forced into a disadvantageous compromise to do so.


    Her heart was in shambles, an indescribable feeling. So, when Lin Fan later invited her out to dinner, she ultimately decided to go.


    Lin Fan had always been considerate, but this time, he had chosen a restaurant that was quite far away from her. Only when Cheng Xi arrived did she realize that it was next to a middle school. And by that time, school had already ended; the students were all gone, and the area by the school doors was deserted. As the car drove past it, she clearly saw the school name.


    The nearby surroundings had all changed; only that school door remained the same.


    When she arrived at the designated restaurant, Lin Fan was already standing outside, staring into the window. His face was bathed in the soft glow of the twilight sunset, giving him a somewhat bleak appearance.


    Cheng Xi walked over. He didn¡¯t turn around as he said, ¡°I remember the first time we met, when we were both competing in a math competition here. I didn¡¯t expect that, even after all these years, this school would still be around.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°How old were we back then? Fourteen, I think?¡±


    Lin Fan nodded. ¡°I was fifteen, and we were in the eighth grade. Middle school was really the most relaxing period of my life. At that time, even though our family was so poor, he hadn¡¯t found us yet. My mom was doing her best to support me, and I wanted to give up on school to help her make more money.


    So at that time, the reason why he had purposefully failed his test wasn¡¯t to accompany her. Rather, it was to lower his mother¡¯s expectations of him so that he wouldn¡¯t have to continue going to school and could instead go find a job and start earning money.


    And here, Cheng Xi had always thought that it was to accompany her.


    Yes, this world was truly filled with misunderstandings.


    Cheng Xi remained silent for a while, and then smiled. ¡°No matter how good the past was, people have to look forward¡­¡­ Today, thank you for your help.¡±


    ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± He turned around as he asked, ¡°For arguing with my mom?¡± He then smiled, a self-deprecating smile. ¡°She¡¯s still my sister, my mother¡¯s daughter, and you¡¯re¡­¡­¡± Whatever Cheng Xi was to Chen Jiaman, he didn¡¯t say, only staring at her. There was another period of silence before he said, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s I who should be thanking you. I know why you said it that way. You wanted to help wake up my mom.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help herself from wanting to sigh, but she refrained herself and instead put on a smile as she said, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t mind me being nosy.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s voice was gentle. ¡°How could I?¡±


    At this moment, the waiter knocked on the door. ¡°Are you ready to order?¡±


    The two of them returned to their table and began ordering. Cheng Xi looked through the entire menu seriously, and eventually decided on a plate of pork chops.


    After she said the name of the dish, Lin Fan couldn¡¯t stop himself from laughing. ¡°Just this?¡±


    Given her serious expression, Lin Fan was half-expecting her to order some rare and expensive dish.


    Cheng Xi plainly replied, ¡°Just this. We¡¯re a small party, so we won¡¯t be able to finish everything if we order too much. Thus, I might as well order something familiar that I like.¡±


    Lin Fan stilled for a moment before smiling again.


    After the waiter left, Cheng Xi straightforwardly asked him, ¡°Did you call me out for a reason?¡±


    Lin Fan looked at her seriously. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you to take special care of Chen Jiaman from now on. With the state that my mother¡¯s in, I don¡¯t think that it¡¯d be a good idea to let her participate in Jiaman¡¯s treatment.¡±


    Of course, these words of his carried a hidden meaning: that he wouldn¡¯t be able to take as much care of Chen Jiaman as he had in the past.


    Cheng Xi frowned. He was still looking at her, focused on her pretty face which was as elegant as a waxing crescent moon and as calm and warm as a spring flower about to bloom.


    Cheng Xi seriously asked, ¡°Lin Fan, have you thought about how you¡¯re going to face your mother? Is following her every word actually any good for her?¡±


    After a while, she continued talking. ¡°You actually understand, don¡¯t you? You¡¯ve already done very well for yourself overseas, but then you willingly started over from the bottom when you came back. Why? Isn¡¯t it just to, again, lower her expectations of you? But have you succeeded? Regardless of whether or not you have the capability, she keeps pushing you to achieve her dreams and desires, and you can only compromise. It¡¯s the same for Chen Jiaman¡¯s affairs. You¡¯re willing to take care of her, and you have the ability to do so, but simply because your mother said so, you have to avoid her¡­¡­ Regardless of whether it¡¯s good or not, or right or not, you only follow her desires. Lin Fan, are you really that devoid of your own opinions?¡±


    Lin Fan smiled bitterly. ¡°I also don¡¯t want to be like that, but¡­¡± He clutched his face as he confessed, ¡°I¡¯m the only thing she has.¡±


    Upon seeing this scene, Cheng Xi suddenly understood Lin Fan¡¯s thoughts: he was full of guilt toward his mother, so he would always compromise with her, and could only compromise.


    And with that, the dinner ended on somewhat bad terms. Lin Fan¡¯s mental condition left Cheng Xi somewhat worried, and when they left, she sighed as she told him, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve seen the movie ¡®Gaslight¡¯ before, but it gave rise to a word, ¡®gaslighting.¡¯ Lin Fan, you were once my imaginary rival, and beyond that, we¡¯ve also been competitors, friends, and, even if only for a short time, lovers. Thus, I hope that, no matter what, you can always maintain an independent personality, a healthy mind, and an irrepressible vigor.¡±


    After leaving, Cheng Xi felt a bit stifled. When two people were in a close relationship, it wasn¡¯t uncommon to see these supposedly intimate people start manipulating each other. In the study of psychiatry, gaslighting referred to someone twisting and manipulating their victim¡¯s reality in order to control their feelings. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what sort of things had happened between Lin Fan and his mother, but evidently, the confident, unhurried, and generous Lin Fan was vanishing.


    Cheng Xi could only hope that, after she provided some unbiased perspective about his situation, the clever him would be able to react accordingly.


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s affairs also seemed to return to a calm after Lin Fan¡¯s compromise with his mother. Afterwards, Cai Yi even called her to say, ¡°Don¡¯t think of me as a bad guy, Cheng Xi.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. We simply have different standpoints. I¡¯m just the doctor of Chen Jiaman, and professor, you want to be the doctor of many such Chen Jiamans.¡±


    ¡°After hearing you say this, I¡¯m very relieved.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled.


    Later, she went to see Lu Chenzhou, and even discussed these events with him. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s body was responding well to the medical treatment; after two weeks of treatment, his vitals had all returned to normal. But out of prudence, the doctor still recommended that he stay the full three weeks.


    Lu Chenzhou had also started treating the hospital like it was his own house. Every afternoon or evening, after she left work, Cheng Xi would go visit him. Sometimes, she would bring him some soup or flowers, and whenever she did that, Baldy would always jokingly tease, ¡°Dr. Cheng, actually, it¡¯s you who¡¯s wooing our Boss Lu, right?¡±


    But Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s discussions were entirely unrelated to romance. For example, today, their discussion was about the schism between Cai Yi and herself. For Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother, who was nearby, it almost bored her to tears.


    But Lu Chenzhou very seriously said to Cheng Xi, ¡°I support you.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled, and his eavesdropping grandmother smiled as well. My goodness, her grandson was finally starting to understand relationships! Wonderful!


    But right after celebrating, she heard a particularly shocking set of words from her grandson. ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of both Donglai Pharmaceuticals and Cai Yi¡¯s laboratory!¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 98: As Beautiful as a Fairy!

    My goodness, those words sounded particularly savage due to the contrast of how calm Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone was.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was greatly shocked, and she was even momentarily unable to breathe. But Cheng Xi, who was sitting by Lu Chenzhou¡¯s side, didn¡¯t seem to be shocked at all. She instead asked in a somewhat interested tone, ¡°How?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at Cheng Xi and then glanced at his grandmother, who was still clutching her chest lightly behind them before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    He had purposefully altered his words because his grandmother was here. Cheng Xi wrung her wrists, thinking that his wariness was still too strong as she joked, ¡°We¡¯d surely fail if you listened to me¡ªI¡¯m not smart enough.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s lips curled up slightly. ¡°You understand yourself quite well.¡±


    Despite the disdainful ¡°compliment¡±, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t get mad. ¡°That¡¯s also a virtue.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glared at her, and Cheng Xi smiled in response. When Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother saw these two behave like this, she became a bit flummoxed again. Sighing, she went outside to call her husband.


    Cheng Xi had already changed topics to Lu Chenzhou leaving the hospital. ¡°The doctor said that tomorrow¡¯s fine?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou seemed like he wasn¡¯t too happy about it, casually responding with a grunt.


    Did he not want to leave? Cheng Xi put her chin in her palm as she smiled and said, ¡°What a coincidence, the day after is Shen Wei¡¯s birthday.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t understand what the coincidence was, and shot a confused glance at her.


    ¡°That day will be very lively.¡±


    For Shen Wei¡¯s final birthday in her twenties, Fu Mingyi wanted to host a grand birthday banquet for her. He had invited their families for the day celebrations and Shen Wei¡¯s close friends for the night festivities, a huge, themed party. Everyone in her classmates¡¯ group chat had been posting about this for the past couple of days. Rou was even asking her day and night, ¡°Do I look good in this outfit?¡±


    Her classmates had participated in many activities together, but this was the first themed party they would ever attend.


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t particularly interested in this sort of event, but she felt that Lu Chenzhou, who had been living a more and more secluded life ever since he had been admitted into the hospital, very much needed to go to such a lively place. So, she asked, ¡°We can bring family members to the party. Do you want to be my plus one?¡±


    Out of habit, Cheng Xi had used the words that Shen Wei had used to invite them, not realizing that ¡®family¡¯ had inexplicably given Lu Chenzhou a warm feeling inside. He nonchalantly nodded his head as he responded, ¡°That¡¯s acceptable.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s settled. The event¡¯s at night, so you have the afternoon to rest when you get home. The theme is ¡®holy angel.¡¯ What you wear and how you wear it is all up to you, so feel free to explore and be creative.¡±


    The next day passed by in the blink of an eye, and then it was Friday. Cheng Xi had something to do in the morning, but she was free in the afternoon. Earlier in the morning, Tian Rou had asked, ¡°Have you decided what you¡¯re going to wear?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A doctor¡¯s costume¡ªdon¡¯t they say that all say doctors are angels in white?¡±


    And then Tian Rou bashed her. ¡°Scram! With such a half-hearted outfit, it¡¯s no wonder you couldn¡¯t steal my male idol away despite your temperament and looks!¡±


    Tian Rou¡¯s male idol was none other than Lin Fan; Shen Wei had at least kept her lips sealed and never revealed Cheng Xi and Lin Fan¡¯s relationship, so Tian Rou still thought of them as sisters in hardship. Naturally, she had to share the newest hot gossip that she had just heard. ¡°He¡¯s engaged now, apparently to a rich heir. My goodness, I¡¯m also a rich self-made woman. Why didn¡¯t he choose me?¡±


    Cheng Xi was slightly dazed by the news, and bitter feelings slowly seeped out from her heart.


    Tian Rou continued gossiping. ¡°I never expected that we would be the last ones left. Honestly, I can¡¯t accept this situation!¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°We broke up. He hates going out, so he should just stay home single his entire life. What¡¯s he even doing, trying to find a girlfriend?!¡±


    Tian Rou¡¯s tone was very relaxed, and it didn¡¯t sound like she had been hurt at all by the breakup, so Cheng Xi only comforted her superficially.


    ¡°Hng, I¡¯m not upset at all. As long as you¡¯re still with me, I¡¯ll be reassured!¡± And then she happily planned out what they would do at the party. ¡°What if the two of us go as a couple together? Based on our looks alone, I bet that we¡¯ll get lots of attention.¡±


    So all her earlier talk had been leading up to these last few sentences. Cheng Xi almost couldn¡¯t bear to tell her that she had already found a male partner. But conveniently, when Lu Chenzhou got out of the hospital, Baldy had come along with him, so Cheng Xi had extended an invite to him on Tian Rou¡¯s behalf.


    Yes, at that time, she had purely been trying to help Rou find a suitable partner for the party, with no other thoughts at all.


    Upon hearing her offer, Baldy accepted at once. ¡°Zhou¡¯s going? Then I have to go too!¡±


    She just didn¡¯t expect that Rou would actually get outfits for the both of them: a set piece with a white angel and a black demon costumes. As soon as Cheng Xi arrived, Tian Rou was dragging her doctor¡¯s outfit off and insisting that she change into the angel dress.


    Shen Wei and the others were standing to the side and enjoying the excitement, but none of them responded to Cheng Xi¡¯s pleas for help. In the end, she could only plead, ¡°I already have a male partner, and I even found you one too. Can I not change?¡±


    Cheng Xi could tell, even without wearing the clothes that Rou had found, that they were far too risque for her tastes; Rou¡¯s black dress exposed a large part of her bare back that her demon wings didn¡¯t cover.


    She really couldn¡¯t go out dressed like that, alright?


    She wanted Shen Wei to testify that she had indeed brought two other people, because her doing so had to be approved by Shen Wei beforehand. But Shen Wei was very dissatisfied with Cheng Xi¡¯s doctor outfit; it was just too different from everyone else¡¯s! So, she lied and said, ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    In the end, Cheng Xi still had to change into the angel outfit. At least her outfit wasn¡¯t as exaggerated as Tian Rou¡¯s; it was just particularly skintight and had a small exposed patch by her chest.


    Cheng Xi thought that she looked fine, but when she came out, she shocked Tian Rou, Shen Wei, and all the others. The first two reacted the quickest and immediately hugged her as they possessively squealed, ¡°Alright, you¡¯re my wife! You¡¯re not allowed to run away!¡±


    Cheng Xi coolly replied, ¡°Do you have a dick?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­My goodness! Dr. Cheng¡¯s been corrupted!¡± Tian Rou was rubbing against Cheng Xi, dabbing some oil onto her body.


    It took Cheng Xi some effort to push her away, but then it was Shen Wei¡¯s turn. She jokingly said, ¡°With the way you look right now, I¡¯m afraid to show you off to my man¡ªyou¡¯re too sexy!¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart trembled. She trusted that Shen Wei¡¯s words were a joke, but after that, she was very careful to spend most of her time with her female classmates and to not talk too casually with any of her male classmates¡ªmost of the males in their group were already married, and those that weren¡¯t tended to have girlfriends.


    And so, Rou happily monopolized most of Cheng Xi¡¯s time, all the way until Lu Chenzhou showed up.


    Lu Chenzhou had shown up a little late, and Cheng Xi was half expecting him to not show up at all. But in the end, he and Baldy had ended up appearing in the lounge almost without a sound.


    The party lost control for a moment because these two people were too just eye-grabbing; they were wearing a pure white outfit and standing straight. Baldy¡¯s looks were only decent, though he had a surprisingly imposing manner. And as for Lu Chenzhou, he was¡­¡­ too handsome with his elegant facial features that contrasted with his cool gaze. Dressed all in white, he seemed like the epitome of purity, cleanliness, and restraint.


    Someone immediately sighed, ¡°He looks more like an austere monk than an angel, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    Many people immediately agreed.


    Even Fu Mingyi and Shen Wei were surprised. The two of them, hand in hand, handsome, and pretty, greeted their two new arrivals; all in all, the four of them looked like they were from a painting.


    Baldy was quite pleased with himself, but his behavior, like a peacock spreading its tail, quickly destroyed his bad-boy persona. Lu Chenzhou, on the other hand, ignored the gazes directed at him, and turned around as he scanned his surroundings and asked, ¡°Where is she?¡±


    Shen Wei didn¡¯t expect him to only care about Cheng Xi, and with slightly raised eyebrows and after exchanging a glance with Fu Mingyi, she answered, ¡°Oh, she¡¯s upstairs. Follow us. We¡¯ll bring you there.¡±


    And so they went upstairs. Quite a few people were standing by the stairwell, all of whom had run out upon hearing the commotion. Cheng Xi was also there, but she had been accosted by one of Shen Wei¡¯s relatives¡¯ children; the little girl very much liked the wings on Cheng Xi¡¯s back, and she had managed to find an exact replica from somewhere else and was now insisting that she put it on for her.


    So when Lu Chenzhou entered the room, all he could see of Cheng Xi was her slightly leaning down to affix the wings onto the little girl¡¯s back.


    He was facing her side, where he could see her back curving in a graceful arc as her head was slightly lifted, which exposed her snow-white and thin neck. It had to be said that that night, her attire perfectly suited her; the skintight white dress clearly delineated each curvaceous line of her body. When coupled with her long black hair that was slightly curled and extended to her waist, and the circlet of flowers on her head, Cheng Xi was as beautiful as an ethereal fairy, as if the two wings on her shoulders were angel¡¯s wings that would flutter once and carry her away at any moment.


    The lamplight illuminated her figure, as resplendent as the starry sky. She was so beautiful that she seemed to transcend reality, almost as if she were a figure in a classic scroll who had been drawn carefully with a brush, every stroke enchanting, each brush mesmerizing.


    Anything and everything next to her became but a foil. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyes only contained her in this moment; he very much wanted to run over and hug her, to touch her delicate stance with his own hands.


    He put his thoughts into action. Lu Chenzhou no longer felt like he had to restrain himself. She had invited him over, and she let him woo her. Wasn¡¯t that giving him the power to be a bit presumptuous?


    And so, he walked over, ignored everyone¡¯s glances, and hugged her from behind.


    At that moment, Lin Fan had also just the room as he had noticed Shen Wei walking up the stairs due to everyone else¡¯s reactions. He hadn¡¯t yet noticed Cheng Xi, but was wondering why everyone else seemed to be entranced by something. As he followed their gazes, he raised his head, and immediately saw Lu Chenzhou and Cheng Xi together.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 99: I’m Her Fianc

    Actually, it wasn¡¯t just Lin Fan who saw their romantic display, but also Tian Rou and the other passersby who had run out to see the hot guys. Everyone witnessed the abrupt hug, and they all stared open-mouthed at the two of them.


    Tian Rou was the first to react, almost immediately putting both hands on her hips and jumping out as she exclaimed, ¡°Who on earth are you, and what¡¯re you doing, casually hugging my wife?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou lifted his eyes and glanced at her before releasing Cheng Xi and standing to one side. His gaze travelled from Tian Rou¡¯s long hair to the area between her legs as he bluntly asked, ¡°You¡¯re male?¡±


    Tian Rou subconsciously closed her legs at his brusque remark.


    And then Lu Chenzhou asked the same question that Cheng Xi had earlier. ¡°Do you have a dick?¡±


    Tian Rou immediately thought, Oh my god¡ªnow I know where Cheng Xi became corrupted!


    Cheng Xi made a ‡å face while Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression was as uncaring as ever. He turned around to look at Cheng Xi and casually commented, ¡°This is quite beautiful.¡±


    He touched her wings.


    The crowd was speechless. Was he praising Cheng Xi, or was he praising her wings?


    Baldy even clutched at his face as he sighed. With the way his boss was, he was destined to be alone for life.


    At least Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind. She leaned back down to tie down the last strap on the little girl¡¯s set of wings, and then removed her own set from her back. ¡°Do you want it?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded.


    Cheng Xi summarily strapped her wings onto his body. The wings were very small, so when she put them on her body, he looked like a little bird that had just grown wings, imbuing him with an indescribable cuteness.


    Lu Chenzhou even stretched out his hand to touch them.


    ¡°Haha!¡± Shen Wei couldn¡¯t stop herself from laughing. ¡°Director Lu, I didn¡¯t expect you to look so good with those wings.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond, but he was clearly pleased. After Shen Wei opened her mouth, it was as if she had broken the silent curse on everyone, and they all started chattering right away, asking, ¡°Cheng Xi, who¡¯s this? Is he your boyfriend?¡±


    Or, ¡°How handsome! Can I get an autograph?¡±


    Or, even fiercer, ¡°He¡¯s a pretty cute young guy, isn¡¯t he? Cheng Xi, are you sure that you¡¯re not an old cow chewing on green grass?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s made a -_-|| face at that comment.


    She wasn¡¯t that old, was she? And did these people really have to be this excited? She felt like her hand was about to be jabbed to pieces, and meanwhile, Rou was standing to the side, just looking at her and laughing!


    What had happened to accompanying her to the end of time?


    Cheng Xi felt a headache coming on, but Lu Chenzhou was being unusually nice today; he was even willing to talk to them, and slowly answered each question. ¡°She¡¯s not an old cow chewing on green grass as I¡¯m older than her.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t give you a signature.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not her boyfriend.¡± When the crowd fell silent at that answer, he continued to say, ¡°I¡¯m her fianc.¡±


    Cheng Xi and the crowd were both shocked speechless.


    Someone then asked, ¡°Is there a difference between these two?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A boyfriend¡¯s motive isn¡¯t necessarily to get married, but a fianc¡¯s is.¡±


    Everyone in the crowd made a (¡Ño¡Ñ) face as they thought, ¡­How logical.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s only reaction was to complement Lu Chenzhou¡¯s memory in her head; how long ago had she said those words? And to think that he still remembered them.


    Rou was still chuckling to the side, and she stretched her hand out and looped it around Cheng Xi¡¯s neck. ¡°Ah, Cheng Xi¡¯s fianc. Can I borrow your fiance and have a word with her?¡±


    And before he could respond, she had already dragged Cheng Xi away from the encirclement.


    The two went down an empty set of stairs, coincidentally running into Lin Fan on the other side. He was dressed fully in black today with a black overcoat and a black pair of pants. He had also cut his hair short. With his mouth slightly pursed, he gave off a sense of coolness that accompanied his usual melancholy and gentleness.


    Tian Rou immediately became dazed when she saw him, only regaining her wits when Cheng Xi pulled on her back.


    The first thing she did when she regained her senses was to let go of Cheng Xi, who was pulling on her clothes, and start posing with her body as she did her best to make a flirtatious expression at him. ¡°Hey, idol!¡±


    She revealed her intentions as soon as she opened her mouth.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t bear to look at Tian Rou out of embarrassment. Lin Fan didn¡¯t look at Cheng Xi either, instead only responding to Tian Rou. ¡°The two of you are here quite early.¡±


    Tian Rou played her hair as she coquettishly said, ¡°We¡¯re bored.¡± Then she shot him a teasing gaze as she asked, ¡°You¡¯re here alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were engaged? Why didn¡¯t you bring your gi¡­¡­¡± But when she recalled Lu Chenzhou¡¯s distinction between a fiance and a girlfriend, she sourly corrected herself. ¡°¡­¡­your fiance over?¡±


    After all, Shen Wei was already married. So in tonight¡¯s party, she had specifically instructed the attendees to bring their ¡°family members¡± over.


    Lin Fan replied, ¡°Something came up and she couldn¡¯t come.¡± He then raised his head and looked in Shen Wei¡¯s direction. The couple was currently trying to help Lu Chenzhou extricate himself from the crowd, and coincidentally, the latter was glancing over at him at the same time. Their gazes met, but Lu Chenzhou was expressionless as ever; he only glanced at him briefly with an air of indifference and arrogance, as if he were looking at an ordinary speck of dust.


    Lin Fan thought back to his mother¡¯s words again. When he had pleadingly begged, ¡°Why do you look down upon Cheng Xi so much? Don¡¯t you know that the Lu family can¡¯t wait for her to marry into their family?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because their surname is Lu, because they¡¯re the Lu family! Do you know what the difference between a kid from a rich family and a kid from a poor family to going to work and washing dishes is? The former¡¯s looking for new life experiences while the latter¡¯s trying to live!¡±


    These words rang true, and they were so cruel that Lin Fan couldn¡¯t say anything in response. And in this moment, when he saw that man being revered by the crowd and when he received his glance, he once again understood the true meaning behind those words that had been said so long ago.


    He didn¡¯t hear a single word of Tian Rou¡¯s, carelessly finding an excuse to keep walking downwards.


    Behind him, he could indistinctly hear Tian Rou ask in a perplexed tone, ¡°My idol isn¡¯t angry, is he?¡±


    And then a familiar and gentle voice responded, ¡°No, he¡¯s not.¡±


    Lin Fan paused. His hand clutched the handrail as he tightly clenched his eyes shut.


    Tian Rou looked on, disappointed, as her idol walked further away. ¡°He looks more and more handsome¡­¡­ but why does it also feel like he¡¯s getting further and further away from me at the same time?¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at Lin Fan¡¯s back with Tian Rou. He was only down there a few moments before he was tugged away by some male classmates, who hooked their arms around his shoulders as they said who knows what and pressed down on him so much so that his waist seemed like it was about to break in half.


    After this, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t see Lin Fan again for the rest of the night. After Rou had had her fill with her, Cheng Xi was dragged off by Shen Wei to be interrogated in another corner. Her first question was naturally, ¡°What¡¯s going on between the two of you? Is Lin Fan¡¯s mother not okay with you two being together?¡±


    Cheng Xi was a bit surprised, but soon remembered that it was very normal for Shen Wei to know about things; even though her circle of friends didn¡¯t overlap that much with Lin Fan¡¯s, she was intimately connected to his stepfather¡¯s family.


    She rubbed her face, exasperated. ¡°Can we not mention it?¡±


    Shen Wei stubbornly denied that request. ¡°No. As your good friend, I have to tell you something. It¡¯s actually a really good thing that the two of you didn¡¯t get together! Did you know about this? Lin Fan¡¯s mother used her illness as an excuse to trick him to return home from overseas, all so that she could use him to fight with her husband¡¯s stepchildren for their family assets. Lin Fan was initially unwilling to do so, so she forced him to marry the Meng¡¯s daughter. This sort of mother, honestly¡­ I wanted to tell you this earlier, but I was afraid that you¡¯d get upset, so I held it in until now.


    Upon hearing this bombshell, Cheng Xi was slightly dazed. She knew that something had been up, but she could never have expected it to be this dramatic


    Shen Wei prodded her again. ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡¯s better, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say, and only after quite a while did she answer, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, are the two of you really going to get married? It feels very quick. How did you two end up together anyways?¡±


    What could Cheng Xi say to that? She still hadn¡¯t fully recovered from Shen Wei¡¯s first question. She was really rendered speechless by Shen Wei¡¯s behavior.


    Luckily, Fu Mingyi came over to find them at that moment, and Cheng Xi managed to escape from a tribulation without needing to make an excuse or to lie.


    After Cheng Xi escaped, she spent the remainder of the party with Lu Chengzhou. Baldy and Rou weren¡¯t very comfortable with each other in the beginning, but after Tian Rou praised Lin Fan and then subsequently mocked by Baldy, animosity arose between the two. They started ridiculously and unfathomably mocking each other, which generated a particularly lively atmosphere around them, a rather unique form of attachment.


    All in all, the party was quite successful: a large group of people had split up according to Shen Wei¡¯s circle of friends and then played a team game where they teased each other and drank so much that the party almost devolved into a frenzy. Because Cheng Xi was worried about Lu Chenzhou, who was still recovering, she had helped him drink some of his alcohol. However, this only made Baldy start targeting her, and she ended up having to drink a few more glasses on top of all that.


    She managed to drunkenly stagger away after the game, and she secretly maneuvered herself to the lounge in the Fu family¡¯s garden, where she tried to sober up and regain her wits.


    A moment later, a cup was thrust towards her from behind. She turned around, and when she saw that it was Lin Fan, her heart shook a little.


    ¡°It¡¯s warm water. Here, have some.¡±


    Cheng Xi remained silent for a moment, and then she accepted the glass of water after thanking him. The temperature of the water was just right, neither too cold nor too warm. After drinking it, Cheng Xi wiped her lips and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be leaving.¡±


    ¡°Are you still only acting as his shield?¡± Lin Fan suddenly interjected.


    Cheng Xi stopped.


    She couldn¡¯t not stop, because she had seen Lu Chenzhou. He had appeared out of nowhere, and was coolly standing under a tree, looking at her¡ªoh, at them.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 100: I Want to Woo You

    Regardless of how long Lu Chenzhou had been there, he must have heard Lin Fan¡¯s question because he directly asked, ¡°What shield? And who¡¯s ¡®he?¡¯¡±


    When Lin Fan heard these questions, he turned around, a little shocked.


    Cheng Xi was now standing between the two men, trying hard to balance her emotions. She opened her mouth.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t even have time to utter a single word before Lin Fan interrupted her. ¡°The ¡®he¡¯ we¡¯re talking about is you. Cheng Xi once told me that the two of you weren¡¯t romantically involved, and that you were only using her as a shield.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou seemed very perplexed by Lin Fan¡¯s answer, but his eyes remained fixed on Cheng Xi. ¡°Why would I have to use you as a shield?¡± His tone was calm, and he spoke with a slow and methodical cadence that he normally only reserved for when he was being accommodating. He asked one question after another. ¡°Haven¡¯t we slept together? Haven¡¯t I kissed you? Isn¡¯t our relationship intimate enough?¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even think of a response.


    All she could do was try her hardest to act dull and lifeless.


    But Lin Fan was shocked, and his face turned red. After a few moments of silence, he left without another word.


    Only Cheng Xi was left to face Lu Chenzhou. She didn¡¯t know what to say. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was still wearing that ever present cool expression of his. He didn¡¯t even glance back when Lin Fan departed; he had only ever looked at Cheng Xi from start to finish, even as he slowly said, ¡°Your idol¡¯s gone.¡±


    That unhurried tone, without any hint of mockery, made Cheng Xi subconsciously blush.


    She stiffly responded with an ¡°Oh¡± as she tightly clutched the cup in her hand. The night¡¯s wind blew at her until she started to feel dizzy, which made her so uncomfortable that she almost wanted to vomit.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t forget to remark, ¡°He ran away too easily. He really has no combat strength!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi rubbed her temples, as she even felt more drunk after the nausea caused by the blowing wind. Her brain was still wooden, but a fire and anger had been lit in her heart by his mocks and taunts. Without thinking, she stretched out her hand, pinched his forehead, and maliciously said, ¡°And what about you? Getting a cold and a severe allergic reaction¡­ Ah!¡±


    Cheng Xi tripped. Though she flung her hand out quite quickly, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s body responded even quicker. She barely touched a clump of his hair, but for some reason, maybe she had used too much strength or something, it had made her fall forward and almost hit the ground head-first.


    The reason it was only ¡°almost¡± was because Lu Chenzhou had caught her in time.


    He had grabbed her from the back, one hand snaking underneath her armpit and clutching her chest, and the other firmly grasping one of her¡­ breasts.


    The chest of a young woman was plump and luxurious, with a wonderful elastic feel to the touch. Lu Chenzhou found it quite nice, and didn¡¯t let go even after he pulled her up. Instead, he actually began squeezing it harder and harder.


    Cheng Xi looked at his hand in a somewhat delayed fashion. ¡°You¡­..¡±


    She only had enough time to say one word before he grabbed one side of her face, forcibly tilted it to the side, and then kissed her.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know how she was supposed to react after this plot twist¡ªhad they discussed anything ever like this before?


    And even at this time, she was still pondering if she was even fluent enough to speak. After all, she still hadn¡¯t spoken a full sentence tonight without being interrupted.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s kiss was somewhat rough because of his inexperience. At first, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t feel good at all, but she wasn¡¯t able to break free this time. The alcohol had left her whole body feeling woozy, weak, and lazy.


    As her struggles weakened, Lu Chenzhou relaxed his grip, and the hand pulling on her face became much gentler as it stroked her long and thin neck. This part of her body was beautifully sculpted, the curve reminiscent of a swan¡¯s: pretty and long, and white as jade. Lu Chenzhou had wanted to touch it the first time he laid eyes on it, and he could finally fulfill that desire tonight. He felt a warm and satiny response from his fingertips, and continued to fondle it admiringly.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t feel anything in particular from his kiss, but his touches made her scalp tingle. His palm was quite large, his fingers cold. As his cold fingertips slowly and lazily drifted across that little area of skin, electric shocks coursed through her whole body, from the tip of her head, through her heart, and then to her toes.


    She slumped into his embrace as she moaned out, ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­¡±


    Even she couldn¡¯t even tell if she was trying to stop him or entice him further.


    The surge of both emotional and physical numbness gave her a few moments to reflect on her actions, but that quickly all turned to shame¡ªgoodness, who would have known that her neck was her sensitive spot!


    All this time, Cheng Xi had devoted herself to reading and working, to liking and waiting for Lin Fan. She had excelled at the theoretical aspects of relationships, but in practice, she had never entered into a real relationship before, and especially not one with such intimacy. She was getting quite nervous, but she was unable to break free. So what could she do? Only close her eyes, accept it, relax her body, and slide down with gravity.


    Unable to prevent it herself, she could only pretend to be drunk.


    Lu Chenzhou had originally been hugging her, and when he felt her body sag down, he conveniently lifted her up¡ªit wasn¡¯t easy to pretend to be drunk, especially with someone like Lu Chenzhou who always acted unusually.


    He picked her up and then sat down where she had originally been sitting. Now, his two legs were clamped against hers, one hand pulling her waist in, and the other very impolitely slipping into her clothes though the space between her breasts.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi immediately sat up and stretched out her hand to clutch that hand of his.


    Lu Chenzhou lowered his head and lightly nuzzled her face with his as she smiled and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve woken up from your stupor?¡± Then he even breathed lightly into her ear and, with an unusually happy tone, said, ¡°You were as nice to touch as I expected.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    If not for him trapping her legs with his on and him also clutching her hands, she really would have wanted to knee his groin and then punch his face.


    But it was just a thought. Since she was unable to actually do it, she could only concede. ¡°Stop messing around,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°We¡¯re at someone else¡¯s house.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t listen to her; his entire being was too stimulated, his breathing heavy, his eyes slightly reddened. Cheng Xi turned her face, ready to persuade him again, but all she saw were his scarlet lips, swollen from their kiss, and his deep brows and distinct features. His eyes were shining with delight, just like a rippling pool of water. The wind had blown his usual coldness away, and his whole body radiated a bottomless adulation.


    ¡°I want to woo you.¡± He lightly pecked her lips, pressed his forehead against hers, and then softly said, ¡°Without a contract, and without you feeling any obligation towards me. Just me and you, a man and a woman.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words made Cheng Xi¡¯s heart skip a beat. Only after a while did she finally ask, ¡°Why?¡±


    He pulled her hand into his chest and asked, ¡°Can you feel it?¡± His burning gaze was focused solely on her, and she could clearly see his slightly inclined face under the contrasting illumination of the lambent lamplight in the garden. His lips curved slightly up, his smile for once somewhat warm and refined with a few glints of gentleness that made it hard to resist. ¡°It¡¯s beating very quickly, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 101: Public! Display! Of! Affection!

    Cheng Xi, now lightheaded, was dragged back by Lu Chenzhou, which only made her feel more uncomfortable. Baldy opened the door for the two, and she heard him ask, ¡°Is she really that drunk?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded, and Baldy clicked his tongue before replying, ¡°She must really like you. Just look at how much she was willing to drink on your behalf even when her tolerance is crap!¡± After a lengthy pause, he continued, ¡°Why¡¯d you bring her back here? Take her away! If nothing happens while you¡¯re drunk, then wouldn¡¯t it have been a waste for me to have poured her so much alcohol?¡±


    So he was plotting this all along! Cheng Xi stared fiercely at Baldy, but it just made her feel dizzy. She rubbed her temples and incoherently rambled, ¡°Baldy, don¡¯t you dare be too excessive.¡±


    Her tongue was lolling around, almost dangling out of her mouth. Instead of being threatening, her words had the opposite effect. Baldy leaned over and innocently replied, ¡°Dr. Cheng, I¡¯m being perfectly honest. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    But behind Cheng Xi¡¯s back, he urged Lu Chenzhou on. ¡°Go on, go on.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou pulled her away. His gaze was profound, almost as if he were seriously considering the feasibility of Baldy¡¯s suggestion. Cheng Xi felt a cool sensation on the back of her neck; his other hand had suddenly started caressing her neck, his fingers lightly stroking the tender skin there.


    She struggled and tried to pull away, but she was much too weak to succeed, and when she tried to withdraw into her clothes, he simply extended his entire hand into them¡­ His touch didn¡¯t make Cheng Xi angry, though. Instead, she softly called out, ¡°Lu Chenzhou!¡±


    She actually wanted him to stop messing around, but the lazy positioning of her body and the soft tone of her voice made it appear as if she were simply being coy.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand, which was caressing her neck, suddenly stilled. He lifted his head to look at her, suddenly leaned down, and bit her lips. Before anyone could react, he raised his head and randomly said, ¡°I want to buy a cat!¡±


    Baldy was struck dumb.


    Who could possibly predict Boss Lu¡¯s train of thought? He had acted so intimately, and then suddenly blurted out something like that. Were the two things at all related?


    Rather, how was wanting to buy a cat relevant to anything happening right now? Baldy looked at Lu Chenzhou blankly, still pondering the relationship between him and Cheng Xi, when he suddenly saw Cheng Xi point her slender finger at Lu Chenzhou and say, ¡°You¡¯re a clean freak. You can¡¯t- can¡¯t raise one.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou lowered his head and bit her lips again.


    Baldy balked at their display as he made a weird sound. ¡°Urk!¡±


    Their intimacy was blinding him! Was Lu Chenzhou provoking him on purpose by not leaving when Baldy told him to?! It was just because he didn¡¯t want to see a Public! Display! Of! Affection!


    ¡°You¡¯ll face retribution!¡± Baldy said discontentedly.


    And retribution came quickly indeed, in the form of Tian Rou and the others running over. They had been playing a game, and Tian Rou was trying to escape from her punishment. She had been chased into a tight spot by the others, and her eyes gleamed when she spotted the three of them. She quickly ran over and grabbed Cheng Xi¡ª¡°Cheng Xi, help me! They¡¯re bullying me!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re shameless! You lost a gamble and now you¡¯re trying to act dumb! Cheng Xi, you can¡¯t help her!¡±


    The crowd swarmed around the two women. Before they got close, however, Lu Chenzhou let go of Cheng Xi and coldly retreated a few steps. The others didn¡¯t notice his abrupt behavior in their revelry. The pitiful Cheng Xi was swallowed up by the crowd of people, their dragging and pulling only intensified her dizziness.


    She felt like she was in a spaceship soaring through the sky, the g-forces sending her stomach turning and tossing as a resplendent starry landscape appeared in front of her eyes. She waved her hand around helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m about to vomit.¡±


    No one heard her, and she started dry heaving. Tian Rou noticed Cheng Xi¡¯s plight at this moment; but she was trying to escape her own plight, so Tian Rou immediately yelled out, ¡°Cheng Xi¡¯s pregnant! She¡¯s pregnant!¡±


    Cheng Xi was stunned speechless.


    She was dazed and dizzy, but her mind was still clear. When she heard Tian Rou¡¯s slander, she tried to punch Tian Rou, but ended up hitting her shoulder in a drunken haze instead.


    But Tian Rou was committed to her lie. She turned pale with fright and exclaimed, ¡°There¡¯s a baby! Don¡¯t make any big motions!¡±


    By the time she said this, everyone had stopped moving, so her statement seemed particularly loud against the silence.


    Baldy tried to confirm that he hadn¡¯t heard wrongly by turning to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°You¡¯re a father now?¡±


    Actually, he really wanted to ask if the baby was Lu Chenzhou¡¯s, because he knew that Cheng Xi had been with Lin Fan before this.


    And when he considered the timing of things, it seemed to work out very well! But he was afraid of receiving a beating, so he had phrased his question neutrally.


    Lu Chenzhou ignored him¡ªhe didn¡¯t need to respond because Cheng Xi vomited, and as she vomited she also listlessly scolded, ¡°Tian Rou, you¡¯re a pig!¡±


    After Cheng Xi finished vomiting, she finally passed out even as she thought about how ¡®impressed¡¯ she was with her own alcohol tolerance.


    When she regained consciousness again, her ears were filled with buzzing chitter-chatter, as if she were in the middle of a flock of ducks.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Tian Rou¡¯s huge face appeared in front of hers, as if magnified.


    Cheng Xi had a big headache now, and she stretched out one hand to cover her eyes. ¡°Where am I?¡±


    She felt the other side of the bed sink down, and then Shen Wei¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°My home, of course! Are you still drunk? You really sleep soundly after drinking.¡±


    Only then did Cheng Xi put down her hand and look at her. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°Eleven.¡±


    ¡°At night?¡±


    Tian Rou looked at her superciliously. ¡°At night!? Even if you sleep soundly, do you really think that you could¡¯ve slept that long? Why not just sleep till the end of time at that point?¡±


    Shen Wei smiled and calmly replied, ¡°But then what would happen to Mr. Lu? He¡¯d lose his fiance that way.¡±


    Cheng Xi froze for a moment as she recalled what had happened last night in the garden, and also Lu Chenzhou¡¯s unusual heartbeat.


    Even while drunk, she could tell that he did indeed have an intense emotional response.


    But why? Was it because he had been provoked by Lin Fan, so much so that his emotions had finally emerged from the deep?


    After Shen Wei¡¯s mention of Lu Chenzhou, Cheng Xi started pondering last night¡¯s events very seriously. Before her thoughts could get very far, however, even more people came up to her to talk about Lu Chenzhou.


    One said, ¡°Cheng Xi, where did you find such a boyfriend? He¡¯s so adorable!¡±


    Another asked, ¡°Ah, are you really pregnant? It¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it? If your child looks like the father, then please arrange a marriage between your baby and mine!¡±


    Cheng Xi was shellshocked!


    She remembered the mess that had taken place before she vomited, and she looked tenderly at Tian Rou as she gently asked, ¡°Rou, I¡¯m pregnant?¡±


    Rou¡¯s heart trembled as she wiped away the non-existent sweat on her forehead. ¡°I was joking!¡± She grabbed Cheng Xi¡¯s wrists and coyly replied back, ¡°I know that you were just drunk. I¡¯m sorry, will you forgive this baby?¡±


    Then she mimicked a baby¡¯s face, making everyone laugh. ¡°Cheng Xi, I feel like you¡¯ve been corrupted by your fianc. Look at that tone you used with me¡ªit¡¯s frightening.¡±


    Cheng Xi immediately clarified, ¡°He¡¯s not my fianc¡­¡­ what could I learn from him?¡±


    Another classmate interrupted. ¡°That¡¯s right, how is Dr. Cheng¡¯s Mr. Lu scary? He¡¯s as suave as anyone else, alright?¡± Then she looked at Cheng Xi briefly before saying, ¡°When he was playing games, he never lost. So, everyone heckled him, and do you know his response?¡± She coughed once, and then imitated Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone and his cool expression as she said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if I lose, but my punishment has to be for me to kiss Cheng Xi, or for her to kiss me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Besides her pitch, that female classmate had really imitated him to perfection. Her impersonation instantly caused a hubbub to break out as everyone fell off the bed, laughing.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 102: Small Thoughts

    Cheng Xi started sweating when she heard this story about Lu Chenzhou¡ªafter all, she knew Lu Chenzhou best out of everyone there. He was totally lacking in shame, and to him, kissing was a minor thing. At least he had exercised some restraint and not said something even more shocking.


    To top it all off, Lu Chenzhou had never been penalized; his intelligence was one thing, but Cheng Xi¡¯s male classmates were also very protective of their female cohorts. How could they allow a mysterious ¡°fianc¡± who had sprung out of nowhere take advantage of one of their class¡¯s idols?


    Yes, Cheng Xi felt that her male classmates were very adorable!


    Cheng Xi was satisfied with their behavior in her heart, but after satisfaction came exasperation: in a single night, she had not only become ¡°pregnant¡± out of nowhere, but also found a fianc. Her decision to invite Lu Chenzhou to this sort of gathering as her plus one had clearly been a mistake.


    But what could she do now? She couldn¡¯t explain the situation away, so she could only let it be.


    And she had still succeeded in her goal. Lu Chenzhou actually didn¡¯t leave even after she became incorently drunk, staying and nicely playing games with everyone else. It was truly a rare and precious achievement. Besides mahjong, Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t ever seen Lu Chenzhou and Baldy play anything else; the main reason why he had participated in the social activities last night was to not appear as aloof as he usually did.


    Of course, a good temper for Mr. Lu was also relative. His cold demeanor seemed arrogant and unapproachable to men, but handsome, adorable, and extremely charming to women.


    In this time and age, beauty was everything.


    Because Cheng Xi had found such a good ¡°fianc¡± and yet not told her classmates about him, she had been ravaged by a band of female classmates. Only after she escaped them did she finally get to wash up and change her clothes.


    She was still wearing the angel outfit from last night, which was now rumpled and wrinkled after sleeping through the night. After Cheng Xi got out of bed, she quickly ran into the washroom for some privacy and called Lu Chenzhou. The response she got to her greeting was, ¡°Buy a cat.¡±


    She paused. ¡°A cat?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want one?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond, and Cheng Xi didn¡¯t understand why he was suddenly interested in cats. Instead, she warned him, saying, ¡°Cats shed hair all over the place. Are you sure?¡±


    After saying this, Cheng Xi felt like she had done her due diligence by reminding him, and then hung up.


    On the other end, Lu Chenzhou, who had just been reminded, turned to look at the cat carrier on the passenger¡¯s seat next to him¡­ the cat inside was silent.


    It was a white Scottish fold with big eyes and a small, red nose. It was currently lying on its stomach and looking at him with a particularly sweet expression.


    He had searched for half a day before finally finding a cat that reminded him of a specific someone¡­ and then she told him that cats would shed hair!


    His nose was already starting to feel itchy, and it was getting harder to breathe as well. His mysophobia seemed to manifest almost immediately upon hearing her words; unable to bear it any further, Lu Chenzhou stopped by the roadside and was just about to throw the cat away when his phone rang. The hand on the cat carrier¡¯s handle stilled. He took his phone out, and on it was a text message from Cheng Xi. ¡°I feel like it¡¯s not a bad idea for you to get a cat, but a cat¡¯s life is still a life. So if you buy one, please take good care of it.¡±


    He returned to his office and looked at the cat for the entire morning before eventually calling his assistant over. ¡°Send this cat to my grandmother.¡±


    When Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother received the cat, she was pleasantly surprised. She could feel in her heart that, after she introduced Cheng Xi to her grandson, he was behaving much more personably. Look, he even knew to give her gifts now! And such a cute little cat at that!


    She was so happy that she immediately called Lu Chenzhou after receiving the cat, saying that she would definitely take good care of it, and that she even wanted him to give it a name.


    Lu Chenzhou put down his pen, closed his eyes, and thought for awhile before saying, ¡°Call it Daggry.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Daggry meant daybreak in Danish.


    Why Danish? Because Cheng Xi liked telling children¡¯s stories! ^o^ [TL: Hans Christian Andersen, prolific writer of fairy tales, was Danish.]


    Cheng Xi had completely forgotten about the strange conversation that she had had with Lu Chenzhou about cats, and naturally knew nothing about Mr. Lu¡¯s thought processes. After washing up and exiting the bathroom, everyone had finally gotten tired of Lu Chenzhou and moved on to an even more extreme topic.


    It wasn¡¯t clear who first suggested it, but a few girls were playing a game that tested the loyalty of their husbands and boyfriends. Despite Tian Rou having neither, she was still energetically throwing out ideas left and right. And when Cheng Xi came out, she could hear her cackling voice. ¡°Change to this one, this one. This one is sexy!¡±


    One of her classmates had a secondary WeChat account, which her classmates were planning on disguising and then using to catfish their husbands and boyfriends. Upon hearing this plan, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but caress her forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have anything better to do?¡± She advised them very seriously. ¡°With how fragile feelings are, how many tests can it withstand? If it fails, you¡¯ll be happy, but your husbands and boyfriends definitely won¡¯t be happy if they find out; if it succeeds, then even if you know that you¡¯re just joking, and even if he doesn¡¯t cheat on you, it¡¯ll be something lurking in the back of your mind for the rest of your relationship. What¡¯s the point? Why create trouble for yourself?¡±


    No one listened to her.


    Shen Wei teased her for being a female Xuanzang [a famous monk, the protagonist of Journey to the West], and another classmate of hers even said, ¡°Don¡¯t preach at us! We know just how much your Mr. Lu¡¯s enthralled with you. As for us, our husbands and boyfriends don¡¯t have as much wealth as the Wei family, or look as handsome as yours. So, they have to at least be loyal, don¡¯t they?¡±


    They had brought up Lu Chenzhou again. Cheng Xi sighed and weakly protested, ¡°He¡¯s not as good as you guys think he is¡­¡­¡±


    And then everyone ignored her.


    She could only helplessly watch on as they sent out friend requests. Besides Tian Rou, the four women waited fervently for a response. Everyone here had drunk too much, and their partners were all staying in the other wing of the Wei estate.


    If the men were all staying together, then the fact that these requests had all been sent out at once¡­ Even a fool would realize that something was fishy, right? Regardless, Cheng Xi had given up on trying to persuade them, and she let them do whatever they wanted.


    But it turned out that there were still fools left in this world after all. One such was the husband of her classmate. The two had grown up as childhood friends, and the man had always seemed sincere and earnest; however, he was the only one who had accepted the unknown woman¡¯s friend request.


    Even though her husband ignored the messages that she sent, anyone could see that her smile was a little forced.


    And the second fool was Shen Wei.


    Cheng Xi originally thought that this spur-of-the-moment event would peter out after the incident. After a sudden fit of anger, her classmate listened to Cheng Xi¡¯s advice and blacklisted her husband¡¯s WeChat, and refrained from testing his limits anymore.


    But Shen Wei had been extremely bored and was inspired by this incident instead. After they all left, she actually made another WeChat account to catfish Fu Mingyi. This time, she set the profile picture to a cute little girl that gave off a pure and fresh image. She had known Fu Mingyi for a few years by now, and naturally knew his tastes¡ªwhat he liked was mature women, like herself.


    But this time, Fu Mingyi accepted the friend request from that fake account of hers.


    Not long after the party, Cheng Xi received a call from Shen Wei¡¯s family. ¡°Cheng Xi? You¡¯re Cheng Xi, aren¡¯t you? Could you please come over? Fu Mingyi was caught in an affair. Cheng Xi, she¡¯s about to go crazy from anger.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even think of a response.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 103: Gifts, Dates, and Kisses!

    When Cheng Xi picked up her phone, she was in the midst of a heated and somewhat arduous discussion with Lu Chenzhou¡ªwho knew which book Mr. Lu had read this time, but after he had announced that he was going to woo her during Shen Wei¡¯s birthday banquet, he had started faithfully performing the three daily tasks required for wooing a girlfriend: giving gifts, going on dates, and asking for kisses!


    After leaving Shen Wei¡¯s place, Cheng Xi had originally planned on heading to the suburbs to see her parents, but when she was halfway there, she received a call asking her to sign for a gift that had been delivered. She asked the management office to hold it for her, but an employee there embarrassedly replied, ¡°Sorry, but this gift is one we can¡¯t hold at the moment.¡±


    Helpless, Cheng Xi could only turn around and head back home, where she saw a pickup truck¡¯s worth of flowers. It was an uncountable number, so much so that the two couriers had to make multiple trips to move all the flowers upstairs.


    The security guards at Cheng Xi¡¯s place even thought that she had changed careers to become a florist.


    The flowers were even the pink roses that famously entranced young girls. When they were all moved into her apartment, half of her living room was occupied. Mr. Lu had even included a very artistic handwritten note from himself, which read, ¡°Love only blossoms when you¡¯re carefree.¡±


    The words had a deep philosophical meaning, but Lu Chenzhou¡¯s usage of it in this situation made Cheng Xi feel a bit awkward.


    Looking at all these flowers, her first thought was that, at the very least, it was a Sunday, and that the flowers had been sent to her home rather than her workplace. Otherwise, after that appointment booking incident last time, she would probably become infamous in Renyi Hospital.


    Her second thought was that once these flowers wilted, there would be so much trash¡­


    Somewhat powerlessly, she called Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Thank you for the gift, but what¡¯s the purpose for this?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou coolly responded, ¡°To woo you, of course.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Thank you, but can you not spend so much money?¡±


    In his usual nouveau riche manner, Mr. Lu replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I make a lot.¡±


    Cheng Xi had to first praise him before she could try to persuade him. ¡°You¡¯re really amazing, able to make so much money despite being so young. But no matter how much you make, you can¡¯t be so wasteful. The flowers are pretty, but once they dry up, they¡¯ll just become useless piles of trash!¡±


    Mr. Lu fell silent, the word ¡®trash¡¯ striking him in his mysophobic heart.


    The next day, Cheng Xi received something in place of flowers. He invited her out for dinner, and afterwards, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go watch a movie.¡±


    Dinner and a movie, a standard date for a couple. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t refuse because she was the one who wanted him to woo her, and she wanted to see how far he would go in pursuing her. Thus, she went along with him.


    Because it was almost Chinese New Year, there weren¡¯t any good films showing. So, the two of them had no choice but to watch a dreary, mediocre romance flick. Then, it was another round of gifts, dinner, and movies again.


    After Cheng Xi explicitly said to not send anything to her because she wasn¡¯t lacking anything and that she would have to work to find a place for anything he did send her, Lu Chenzhou began to send breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Like clockwork, meals would appear by her side at the same time everyday.


    The first time it happened, Cheng Xi was a bit surprised and somewhat touched. The second time, she felt somewhat embarrassed that he was spending so much money on her. To console herself, she started recording all of the meals that he sent her in a little notebook, planning on repaying him after he regained his emotions.


    The third time she received a meal, she was already very calm. Everyone in the department admired her delivered meal, and she responded, ¡°My brother insisted on ordering it for me, saying that I¡¯m too skinny.¡±


    Everyone looked at her skinny body, unsuspecting of her white lie. Lu Chenzhou had been busy with his own affairs recently, so even though he regularly sent gifts, he never actually delivered them himself, and thus her lie was never exposed.


    She managed to muddle through the gifts in this manner, but the dates were somewhat harder. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s dates were on a fixed schedule; they took place once every two days, regardless of how busy he was. Though Cheng Xi was sometimes preoccupied and couldn¡¯t go, but when she had the time, they would go out without fail.


    And so, the two of them thus started ¡®dating.¡¯ Lu Chenzhou¡¯s performance conformed with societal norms. Cheng Xi felt that this wasn¡¯t bad, and she treated it as if they were just friends.


    But those thoughts were quickly overturned because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s actions soon transcended the realm of friendship.


    On that day, they had gone out for food as usual, but they didn¡¯t go to a movie afterwards, as they had seen them all by now. Instead, the two of them started playing tennis. Given Cheng Xi¡¯s fitness, yoga was fine, but trying to match Lu Chenzhou in a sport was an entirely different matter. Losing was one thing, but after three matches, she was exhausted.


    Afterwards, she wasn¡¯t even able to walk steadily, and her racket slipped out of her hand as she slumped down to the floor, panting. Lu Chenzhou slowly walked up to her from the other side, put his racket underneath his arm, and crouched down in front of her.


    Cheng Xi waved a hand at him in resignation. ¡°I¡¯m done, I can¡¯t keep going¡­¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t even say anything else because Lu Chenzhou had started wiping her sweat away with his towel. She wanted to avoid it, but was unable to do so as Lu Chenzhou was firmly yet gently grasping her head as he dabbed at her face. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Cheng Xi had no choice but to stiffen up her body and let him wipe her sweat off. Although he wasn¡¯t particularly gentle, he was very detail-oriented as he gradually and exasperatingly slowly moved down her forehead.


    After waiting for such a long time and not seeing any significant progress, Cheng Xi gave up, closed her eyes, and let him take his time.


    And after who knows how long, she felt a strange softness on her lips. She quickly opened her eyes and saw his dark brows.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Her voice was hoarse and her throat dry. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Kissing you, of course,¡± he said as if it were to be expected. His voice tended to be cool and chilly, as if he were detached from the natural world. And, as usual, his face was calm and refined, without a hint of embarrassment regardless of the situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s time. We can kiss now.¡± Then, he knelt down on one knee, bent his head, and began sucking on her lips. After Cheng Xi¡¯s strenuous exercise, her lips had become a little dry, so he patiently and slowly caressed her lips with his own. Because of his patience and care, it ended up being somewhat touching.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t clearly identify the emotions that were welling up endlessly from her heart; perhaps she was a little frenetic, and maybe even a little¡­ happy, a kind of sweetness that she couldn¡¯t control.


    As she lightly exhaled, Cheng Xi pushed him away. ¡°Did your heart beat faster again this time?¡±


    He felt his chest for a moment, and then shook his head. ¡°But shouldn¡¯t we be proceeding to the next step around now anyways?¡± When he saw Cheng Xi¡¯s confused look, he even smiled a little. ¡°Giving gifts, having dates¡­ Don¡¯t couples always kiss in the end?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless.


    My goodness, so it was all a trap! Return my sweetness and take this panic back!


    And so she immediately launched a rational discussion. ¡°That¡¯s moving a bit too fast. You still haven¡¯t felt what love is, so it¡¯s not appropriate to act so intimately yet.


    He made an ¡°Oh¡± sound, and then, with his unusual brand of logic, said, ¡°Then, you kiss me.¡±


    ¡°Why should I kiss you?¡±


    ¡°So that I can fall in love with you more quickly. Don¡¯t they say that a male chasing after a female has to scale a mountain, whereas a female chasing after a male only has to lift a veil?¡±


    ¡­¡­It sounded quite logical when he put it that way.


    Shen Wei¡¯s family called Cheng Xi right when she was at a loss for words. Even through the phone, Cheng Xi could hear the unusual shrillness in Shen Wei¡¯s voice.


    Cheng Xi immediately became serious, and despite her flailing limbs, managed to stand up. ¡°I have to go somewhere right away.¡±


    She didn¡¯t intend to let him tag along because she didn¡¯t know what sort of situation Shen Wei was in and didn¡¯t want to stimulate him. However, when she turned around, he pulled her back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re still on our date.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡­...couldn¡¯t think of a rebuttal.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 104: I Want Him to Die!

    Cheng Xi looked at the hand holding onto her, and then at Lu Chenzhou.


    He seemed to be quite serious, and his face was clearly unhappy¡ªhis date being interrupted made him feel quite uncomfortable.


    Cheng Xi suddenly felt an urge to laugh, but she resisted the temptation. ¡°Shen Wei might cause a big commotion.¡± She was afraid that it would scare him.


    Lu Chenzhou adamantly stated, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if she does go crazy, it won¡¯t frighten me.¡±


    He seemed to have completely forgotten about how badly Chen Jiaman¡¯s relapse had affected him.


    In the first place, Shen Wei wasn¡¯t very likely to have actually gone crazy. She had a pretty robust mentality, and even if Fu Mingyi was truly having an affair, she was more likely to be overreacting because of excessive stimulation¡ªcalling her ¡°crazy¡± was most likely an exaggeration.


    But Cheng Xi really didn¡¯t want to bring Lu Chenzhou with her. Shen Wei¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t be able to accept her former idol seeing her in such a disarrayed state.


    On the other hand, Mr. Lu wouldn¡¯t be able to accept such an abrupt end to their date either¡­ Cheng Xi thought for a little while and then said, ¡°Send me home, will you?¡±


    If he sent her home, then the date would be over.


    As expected, Lu Chenzhou happily agreed and sent her home, but there was a small incident when Cheng Xi tried to leave the car. When she went to open the door, he pulled her back into the car.


    Cheng Xi thought that he still wanted to tag along to the Shen estate, and she preemptively said, ¡°It¡¯s really not too convenient¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Say goodbye and then we¡¯ll kiss.¡± Having said that, he tilted his lower jaw up, looking at her expectantly.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She leaned over, quickly kissed his forehead, threw a casual ¡°Bye¡± at him, and then ran off without looking back.


    She didn¡¯t dare look at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression after her haphazard farewell, so she didn¡¯t see his shallow smile and pursed lips. Cheng Xi was mainly concerned for Shen Wei, and when she returned home, she grabbed a few common over-the-counter drugs for mental stabilization before taking a taxi to the Fu household.


    Neither the Shen family nor the Fu family were lacking in money, so when the two of them had gotten married, both bride and groom each had their own house. One was the villa where Fu Mingyi had hosted Shen Wei¡¯s birthday party, which they occasionally stayed in, and the other was in the city. While the latter wasn¡¯t as big, it was in an optimal location, and was where the couple generally resided after their marriage.


    Today, Shen Wei was staying in the city. As soon as Cheng Xi arrived at the building¡¯s front entrance, she could already hear Shen Wei¡¯s shrill yells. There were quite a number of residents gathered around, looking up at the building as they gossiped wildly.


    Cheng Xi calmly took the elevator up and knocked on the house¡¯s door. Fu Mingyi¡¯s aunt opened the door for her. Inside, there were quite a few people sitting in the main living room: Shen Wei¡¯s parents, two brothers and sisters-in-law, Fu Mingyi¡¯s parents, her aunt, and Fu Mingyi himself.


    So the direct relatives of both families were here. Presently, they were sitting far from each other, Shen Wei¡¯s family members guarding the bedroom door while Fu Mingyi¡¯s family sat obediently in the living room.


    The living room, which had originally been designed to be comforting and relaxing, had become a total mess, destroyed beyond recognition. Shen Wei herself was in the bedroom, yelling out helplessly.


    She wasn¡¯t scolding anyone, but rather howling out her raw anger, despair, and helplessness to the world.


    Cheng Xi and Shen Wei were quite good friends, so both families instantly recognized her, causing them to relax. Fu Mingyi was crumpled up on one side of the living room sofa, but even he couldn¡¯t help but raise his head.


    His face was full of scratches, as if a violent beast had clawed him.


    Cheng Xi only spread him a glance before turning away and greeting Shen Wei¡¯s distraught parents. ¡°Mr. Shen, Mrs. Shen.¡±


    ¡°Cheng Xi.¡±


    Before Shen Wei¡¯s mother could say anything more, she broke down in tears. She was a very gentle woman, thin and skinny. ¡°Please help me look after Shen Wei. What¡¯s she going to do?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded, not asking about the situation as she went into the room to first look at Shen Wei.


    The room was even more devastated than the living room. Shen Wei was being pressed against the bed by her brothers and sisters-in-law, like a beached fish stranded on a land full of despair with nothing she could do but yell her heart out.


    Cheng Xi took a set of medicine that she had prepared earlier out of her bag. ¡°Her voice is completely hoarse. Take this and prepare some water for her.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± With trembling hands, Shen Wei¡¯s mother took the medicine and turned around to pour out some water.


    Cheng Xi stepped over the jumble of random items on the floor as she called out Shen Wei¡¯s name from the foot of the bed. Shen Wei didn¡¯t respond, so Cheng Xi grabbed her hand to check her pulse, ¡°How long has she been like this for?¡±


    ¡°Almost half an hour,¡± Shen Wei¡¯s brother replied. ¡°We¡¯re too afraid to release our grip on her. One time when we did, she tried to kill him before trying to jump off the building.¡±


    ¡°Seeing Shen Wei like this¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± Cheng Xi softly shushed him, and then pushed him aside and grabbed one of Shen Wei¡¯s hands in his place. Shen Wei¡¯s strength was much greater than she expected; she had been struggling for so long, but in the short time when Cheng Xi took over, Shen Wei almost struggled free.


    Cheng Xi had no other option but to lie down on Shen Wei¡¯s hand, using her entire body to hug Sheng Wei as she incessantly called out, ¡°Shen Wei, Shen Wei, Shen Wei, beautiful Shen Wei, adorable Shen Wei, the most perfect Shen Wei who we know¡­ Will you calm down?¡± Then, Cheng Xi whispered into Shen Wei¡¯s ears, ¡°I know that you¡¯re certainly very mad, and you want to kill him, don¡¯t you? I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely help you!¡±


    Cheng Xi repeated this phrase a few times. Maybe it was because Shen Wei was finally tired from venting, but her howls weakened soon after, and then when she recognized Cheng Xi¡¯s voice, she turned her head around to look at Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi raised her voice. ¡°If you¡¯re quiet, then we¡¯ll let you go, alright? Promise me, and believe in me!¡±


    Shen Wei started panting as she continued to look straight at Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t shy away, looking straight back at Shen Wei, her gaze calm and resolute. Shen Wei slowly calmed down, but the expression on her face remained as malevolent as ever. ¡°I want him to die!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Cheng Xi didn¡¯t hesitate to agree at all.


    ¡°Now, immediately, right away!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Cheng Xi responded even more decisively. Then, she turned around and said, ¡°Go and pour two glasses of water for us,¡± as she looked at Shen Wei¡¯s mother.


    The requested water quickly came. Shen Wei saw Cheng Xi drop two pills into one glass, and then call Fu Mingyi in.


    Upon seeing him, Shen Wei couldn¡¯t hold the enmity in her eyes back, and she started shrieking shrilly again. Cheng Xi hugged her tightly and said to Fu Mingyi, ¡°Shen Wei¡¯s thirsty, and she wants you to feed her a glass of water.¡±


    Fu Mingyi hesitantly looked at Shen Wei, and then picked up a glass of water.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Cheng Xi stopped him. ¡°She¡¯s afraid that you¡¯ll poison her, so drink this glass of water first.¡±


    An embarrassed expression emerged on Fu Mingyi¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t protest as he downed the glass of water in one gulp.


    And then, he collapsed onto the floor in a heap.


    He had fallen so suddenly that everyone was shocked, and Shen Wei¡¯s two sisters-in-law even yelled out in fright for a brief moment. All of Fu Mingyi¡¯s family members were standing by the door and were subsequently shocked upon seeing the situation. Fu Mingyi¡¯s mother and aunt quickly ran forward as they desperately shouted, ¡°Fu Mingyi! Mingyi!¡±


    Fu Mingyi didn¡¯t respond at all, almost as if he was dead.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t look at either of them, focusing solely on Shen Wei as she conspicuously spoke by her ear, ¡°That was a prohibited drug from our laboratory. Those who ingest it will fall into a deep coma. Not long after, he¡¯ll start to have difficulty breathing and then his heart and lungs will collapse. The cause of death isn¡¯t very different from a sudden heart attack, and even forensic investigators will have a hard time identifying his true cause of death.¡±


    She hugged Shen Wei as she asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it better this way?¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 105: The Intrepid but Soft-hearted Dr. Cheng

    Shen Wei completely quieted down, now looking at Cheng Xi dazedly. Cheng Xi smiled in response, and then said to Shen Wei¡¯s equally dazed brother, ¡°Shen Wei¡¯s thirsty. Get her some water to drink.¡±


    When the water was brought over, Cheng Xi personally helped Shen Wei drink it. As Cheng Xi held the glass up, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, and don¡¯t worry. Drink this and go to sleep. After you wake up, everything will be fine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If anything happens, I¡¯ll shoulder the blame with you.¡±


    Perhaps it was because Fu Mingyi¡¯s ¡®death¡¯ had shocked her too much, or perhaps it was because Cheng Xi¡¯s words had warmed her heart, but for whatever reason, Shen Wei actually cooperated and drank that glass of water.


    Not long later, amidst the sobs of the Fu family, she closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.


    Only then did Cheng Xi lightly exhale, put down Shen Wei, and turn to address the distraught Fu family. They were all clustered around Fu Mingyi, hugging him, crying, and calling for help. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s not dead. He just ingested a few sleeping pills.¡±


    Even though she had been ¡®whispering¡¯ into Shen Wei¡¯s ears, she hadn¡¯t done it very softly, so most people in the room had heard at least a little of that exchange. In this sort of situation, it was honestly already quite level-headed for them to only embrace Fu Mingyi instead of rushing up to Cheng Xi to beat her up.


    Nevertheless, when Cheng Xi spoke, despite her gentle tone, a cold indifference permeated her words.


    Fu Mingyi¡¯s mother and aunt both choked at her callousness, and then his aunt criticized her. ¡°As a doctor, how can you frighten someone like that?¡±


    ¡°Then, should I wake Shen Wei up and let her stab him?¡± Her tone was practical and realistic as she continued, ¡°I do have to say, she¡¯s currently in a bad mental state. Even if she does stab him, it would be a waste.¡±


    Fu Mingyi¡¯s mother and aunt, who were familiar with Shen Wei¡¯s crazy behavior, were rendered speechless.


    Luckily, Fu Mingyi¡¯s father was reasonable, and he went up to talk to the two of them. In the end, the three of them lifted Fu Mingyi up and brought him out.


    Only then did Cheng Xi look at the Shen family. Right now, they were still a bit dazed, mainly because Cheng Xi¡¯s behavior today was very different from normal. Before this, they had all thought that she was a pure and soft-hearted woman. Someone pretty with a good character, good temperament, and a kind, generous, and understanding heart.


    And only now did they even realize that the familiar woman they thought they knew had such a daring side to her.


    The intrepid but soft-hearted Cheng Xi then said, ¡°The way this place looks will negatively impact Shen Wei¡¯s mood. I¡¯d like to take her back to my place.¡±


    ¡°The hospital?¡± Upon hearing Cheng Xi¡¯s request, Shen Wei¡¯s mother¡¯s voice started trembling.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t respond, and instead asked a few questions. ¡°When did she start having these abnormal feelings?¡±


    ¡°Two days ago, when she found out that Fu Mingyi cheated before they got married. At that time, she was very angry, but just angry. She wasn¡¯t throwing things around or hitting people¡ªshe was just saying that she wanted to divorce Fu Mingyi. We all thought that she might have been acting a bit rash, so we advised her not to be so impetuous, to think it through carefully. However, this merely made her feel that none of us understood her and that we wanted to see her die.¡±


    ¡°Aside from this, did she display any other unusual behavior?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She said that Fu Mingyi wanted to kill her, and she said that he married her all to do that. But we thought that she was just spouting nonsense after being excessively angered. So we didn¡¯t place much importance on it.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Then what happened today?¡±


    ¡°Today, the two families got together to see if we could persuade the two of them to reconcile¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi interrupted her. ¡°Is it true that Fu Mingyi had an affair?¡±


    Actually, she was hoping that it was false, and that it was all in Shen Wei¡¯s imagination. But after a mild silence, Shen Wei¡¯s brother said, ¡°It¡¯s true. When she made a fake account to test Fu Mingyi¡¯s loyalty, he mistook it for another woman¡¯s account and immediately warned her to stop harassing him, saying that they were over¡­¡­ After Shen Wei led him on some more, she found out that, before they got married, Fu Mingyi had had multiple girlfriends besides her. One of them had gotten pregnant and threatened him, so Fu Mingyi had found someone to forcibly cause her to have an abortion before breaking off all connection with her¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­and you still want them to reconcile after this?¡±


    ¡°What else can we do?¡± Shen Wei¡¯s mother interrupted through her tears. ¡°Shen Wei¡¯s also pregnant now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    When Shen Wei¡¯s mother said this, everyone¡¯s expressions revealed various levels of annoyance and exasperation. It wasn¡¯t just Cheng Xi¡¯s; even Shen Wei¡¯s father looked ashen.


    Cheng Xi was similarly at a loss for what to say. She remained silent for quite a while before asking, ¡°How long have you known?¡±


    ¡°We only found out after it was all revealed. Shen Wei was so mad that she fainted, and we were afraid that something more serious had occurred, so we sent her to the hospital for an inspection. It was then that we found out that she was pregnant.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    A happy occasion that couldn¡¯t be considered joyful was preceded by tremendous anger and sorrow¡­ No wonder the normally strong-willed Shen Wei would collapse like this. Cheng XI sighed and then asked, ¡°Then what¡¯s all this today?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still not sure about the overall picture. Originally, the atmosphere was still manageable, and Shen Wei was willing to listen to reason for the sake of the baby. But then, out of nowhere, she received a phone call and suddenly went crazy. She started scratching and clawing at Fu Mingyi, and even grabbed up a knife while saying that she would kill him.¡±


    Luckily, there were plenty of other people around today. Otherwise, something truly horrific might have actually happened.


    Shen Wei¡¯s brothers were a bit scared as they recounted this, and one of her sisters-in-law quickly asked, ¡°Is Shen Wei¡­ truly insane now?¡±


    Everyone in the Shen family looked towards her indignantly, and Shen Wei¡¯s father frowned. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Shen Wei¡¯s just lost control of her rage! Are you going to believe that nonsense too?¡± Shen Wei¡¯s father had a severe demeanor, and he rarely talked, so everyone went silent at his sudden tirade.


    After a while, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Do you know who called her?¡±


    Everyone shook their heads. ¡°We asked Fu Mingyi, but he said that he didn¡¯t know. Shen Wei also smashed her phone, so we can¡¯t find out even if we wanted to.¡±


    Cheng Xi stopped her questioning, and after thinking for a while, started muttering to herself. Finally, she stated, ¡°I feel like it¡¯s in Shen Wei¡¯s best interests to go to the hospital. She seemed to have a strong inclination towards death, and I¡¯m worried that something drastic might happen when she wakes up.


    When Cheng Xi saw Shen Wei¡¯s family hesitate, she continued pushing them. ¡°We have to make a decision quickly. The medicine I gave her was a mental suppressant, and the only reason she fell asleep was because she was fatigued from all that struggling. It¡¯s better to have everything planned and ready to go before she wakes up.


    Shen Wei¡¯s mother looked at Cheng Xi, tears still brimming in her eyes. ¡°Is Shen Wei doing that badly right now?¡±


    ¡°At the moment, it¡¯s not clear. We have to wait for her to wake up before we can ascertain her situation. However, staying here is evidently not suitable for her.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll move her!¡± Shen Wei¡¯s father made a decisive statement. ¡°But not to the hospital. We¡¯ll first go to our house. We¡¯ll watch over her there, and she should be fine, right?¡±


    This last question was directed at Cheng Xi.


    Shen Wei¡¯s mother anxiously added, ¡°Shen Wei cares a lot for her appearance, and sending her to a place like that¡­¡­ I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯d really ruin herself.¡±


    Regular people were always somewhat fearful and held huge misconceptions towards mental asylums and mental illness¡­¡­ Cheng Xi sighed, finally relenting. ¡°Alright, but she should come to my apartment. My home is closer to the hospital, so if anything happens, we can always resort to that. Additionally, I feel like it¡¯s better for her to be as isolated from her past as she can right now. Perhaps it¡¯ll aid in her recovery.¡±


    This suggestion was approved by everyone from Shen Wei¡¯s family; as for the Fu family¡ªat this time, who would listen to their opinions?


    They were pests that had to be chased away!


    Finally, Shen Wei was sent to Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment. Her parents accompanied her; they stayed in the guest room, Shen Wei the master bedroom, and Cheng Xi the living room.


    Everything was settled on the way there, but once they entered the house, Cheng Xi saw that her house was still full of flowers. She instantly remembered that she still hadn¡¯t dealt with these things, and felt a small impulse to make a ¡°‡å¡± face.


    Even though they were concerned with Shen Wei¡¯s situation, the Shen family was still slightly shocked by this house full of flowers. Shen Wei¡¯s elder sister-in-law even joked, ¡°Cheng Xi, are you¡­ switching jobs to become a florist?¡±


    Cheng Xi muddled through the question before instructing Shen Wei¡¯s elder brother to carry her to Cheng Xi¡¯s room. The reason why the flowers in the living room were shocking was because of their quantity, and also because of their artistic presentation. All the pink roses were grouped up by the balcony, and from them was a little road interlaced with ivy and orchids that extended to the living room. From afar, it seemed as if fresh flowers had overtaken the room.


    The fragrance of the flowers permeated everyone¡¯s nose, and their pink color saturated their eyes, but otherwise, they didn¡¯t inhibit anybody¡¯s activities.


    Before Shen Wei woke up, the Shen family had already divided up the tasks that they had to accomplish. Her elder brother would go and fix Shen Wei¡¯s phone to see if he could find out why she had gone crazy earlier. Her second brother and sister-in-law would go back and fetch some of her casual clothes. Finally, Shen Wei¡¯s parents and elder sister-in-law would stay here so that they would have enough people to deal with Shen Wei if she went berserk again.


    Shen Wei didn¡¯t end up sleeping for very long, and she woke up almost right after they finished planning. Cheng Xi walked inside upon hearing her stir, and saw that she was already sitting upright.


    Shen Wei opened her eyes wide and looked right at Cheng Xi. ¡°Is Fu Mingyi dead?¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 106: Who’s Worse Off than Whom?

    Before Cheng Xi could respond to Shen Wei, Shen Wei¡¯s mother, who had followed Cheng Xi in, anxiously replied, ¡°He¡¯s dead. Completely dead!¡±


    ¡°Dead?¡± Shen Wei stilled, and then started laughing loudly. ¡°He¡¯s dead? Hahaha, is he finally dead?¡±


    And then she suddenly started crying loudly, ¡°He¡¯s a murderer, he wanted to kill me! Why didn¡¯t you guys believe me? Why?¡±


    As Shen Wei monologued, she gritted her teeth and stared at everybody in the room. Her eyes were slightly discolored, and her normally beautiful face now seemed sinister and frightening. Her demented expression scared Shen Wei¡¯s elder sister-in-law so much that she shuddered and slid back as she tremblingly said, ¡°If she goes insane, she¡¯ll kill someone. Why not¡­ why not send her to the hospital?!¡±


    Shen Wei suddenly stood up, and her sister-in-law was so scared that she let out a shriek. Cheng Xi turned around and tried to push everyone else out, but just as she was about to close the door, Shen Wei¡¯s father stopped her. ¡°You alone? Why don¡¯t I stay here too?¡±


    Cheng Xi twisted her head to look at Shen Wei, and then tacitly approved of Shen Wei¡¯s father¡¯s suggestion. In that time, her mother also took the opportunity to squeeze back into the room.


    She wasn¡¯t reassured about her daughter¡¯s condition.


    Glistening tears were still dripping from Shen Wei¡¯s face, but she was laughing while standing on the bed with one hand on her hip and the other pointing at them. ¡°A madman, a lunatic. Kill him!¡±


    She normally liked to be clean and pretty, but she was unabashedly wearing yesterday¡¯s dirty and creased clothes, her hair in a complete mess. Shen Wei¡¯s parents had two sons and a single daughter, and they loved her as dearly as could be. But they didn¡¯t expect that their daughter, whom they had raised with all their heart, would end up like this.


    Shen Wei¡¯s mother had to bite down on her hand to keep herself from crying out, and her father was just standing there, dazed. He might have considered her earlier condition a fluke, but was no longer able to do so after hearing her shout about killing someone while turning in circles to try to find a weapon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s send her to the hospital.¡± Shen Wei¡¯s father said even as tears fell from his face. ¡°I¡¯ll make the call.¡±


    Cheng Xi said nothing as she walked up to hug Shen Wei, who was getting ready to jump off the bed and head outside.


    Shen Wei struggled forcefully against Cheng Xi¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you, Fu Mingyi! It¡¯s better that we die together!¡±


    She howled and continued screaming even after her throat went hoarse. Shen Wei¡¯s mother was scared and tried to snap her out of her reverie. ¡°Shen Wei! Shen Wei!¡±


    She then turned to her mother and yelled, ¡°Who¡¯s Shen Wei? Who? I¡¯m not Shen Wei! I¡¯m not! Shen Wei¡¯s dead! She¡¯s dead!¡± Her expression looked as though she was about to rush out and murder someone.


    Cheng Xi was almost unable to restrain her, but her father responded quickly, rushing over to also stop her. He was stronger than Cheng Xi, and the three of them fell off of the bed together.


    Shen Wei was unable to break free from their grapple, and resorted to howling out like before. In the end, Cheng Xi had to roll up her sleeves. ¡°Are you quite finished yet?!¡±


    Her sudden outburst shocked Shen Wei¡¯s parents, and Shen Wei¡¯s mother even weakly tugged at her in protest. Cheng Xi ignored her, continuing to stare at Shen Wei. ¡°Yes, Shen Wei¡¯s dead! Killed by Fu Mingyi, that murderer! So are you going to go crazy because of that? Who¡¯s going to benefit from this?¡±


    ¡°Shen Wei, I¡¯m telling you, Fu Mingyi isn¡¯t dead. He¡¯s living happily and well. Even if you go crazy or die, he¡¯ll still live well. After a few years, he¡¯ll once again get together with another woman¡­¡­ Either way, the two of them will go on to lead a happy life.¡±


    ¡°Are you satisfied with things turning out this way? To admit defeat like this? To give everything you have up to someone else? If you¡¯re willing, then alright, I¡¯ll satisfy you. If you want to die, then I¡¯ll stab you. If you want to go crazy, then we have spots open at our hospital. And even if we didn¡¯t, I¡¯d leave you a spot!¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s throat had long gone hoarse from yelling, and now, when she was provoked, she couldn¡¯t say a single word. So, Cheng Xi¡¯s voice easily dominated over hers.


    She started yelling again, and Cheng Xi let her, only hugging her tightly and preventing her from moving. The three of them, Cheng Xi and Shen Wei¡¯s parents, were prepared this time and handily suppressed her.


    Cheng Xi thought that Shen Wei would do what she did before: yell until she lost her voice. Then, without any other alternative, they would have to send her to the hospital. She didn¡¯t expect that this time, Shen Wei actually gradually calmed down before finally laying her head against Cheng Xi¡¯s shoulder and crying miserably.


    Shen Wei cried as she collapsed, but not very loudly, possibly because she wasn¡¯t physically capable of making that much noise at this point. But when Cheng Xi heard her soft sobs, she knew that Shen Wei had truly woken up this time.


    She put her hand on Shen Wei¡¯s back and slowly patted her, letting her cry her heart out.


    When Shen Wei finished crying, Cheng Xi could see that Shen Wei had truly calmed down. Next, Cheng Xi had Shen Wei¡¯s parents leave the room before closing the door, leaving only herself and Shen Wei in the room.


    Cheng Xi poured her a glass of water. ¡°Have some.¡±


    Shen Wei gulped it down. Her emotions had finally stabilized, but she was still feeling a bit dazed and lacking her usual quick-wittedness.


    Shen Wei remained in that state for quite a while before she seemed to jolt awake. She quickly covered her face as she laughed bitterly. ¡°Cheng Xi, why was I so dumb? Why didn¡¯t I notice anything? She said that she wanted to be my bridesmaid, and I even agreed. Ha, she didn¡¯t want to be my bridesmaid! She just wanted to stand by his side in front of everyone! But I was so stupid that I agreed!¡±


    Cheng Xi was stunned speechless by Shen Wei¡¯s words.


    A bridesmaid, and even someone who could provoke Shen Wei into madness¡­ Cheng Xi had a good idea who Fu Mingyi¡¯s illicit lover was.


    Shen Wei had once even wanted to help that homewrecker get together with Lin Fan. Given Shen Wei¡¯s pride and arrogance, how could she not go crazy from anger?


    Her best friend and her newlywed husband¡­ Why did her life have to be filled with so much drama?


    Shen Wei gritted her teeth furiously. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t he be with someone else? Anyone else! Why her?¡±


    Cheng Xi silently listened on as Shen Wei kept ranting. Only when Shen Wei¡¯s emotions started deteriorating did she interrupt. ¡°I remember that you once said that a man who could be enticed away wasn¡¯t your man. If he¡¯s not yours, then why would you be upset over him?¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand at all!¡± Shen Wei looked at her with red eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve always excelled in everything you¡¯ve done. It would have been fine if all you did was leave us in the dust in school alone, but you even have the same capability with men. Lin Fan, Lu Chenzhou¡­ after losing one, you still had another. Both are wonderfully talented men, and you¡¯d be happy no matter whom you ultimately chose. How could someone like you understand me?¡±


    Actually, Cheng Xi was wondering why she had to have a man at all. She didn¡¯t expect that Shen Wei¡¯s unrestrained appearance was actually just a facade.


    But she couldn¡¯t say this, as Shen Wei¡¯s emotions were about to go haywire again. Instead, Cheng Xi quickly said, ¡°I can understand you.¡± She looked at her friend, who had almost gone crazy due to love, as complicated emotions filled her gaze. ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to talk about my difficulties. You¡¯re right. Lin Fan¡¯s a good man, and I¡¯ve liked him for many years. Didn¡¯t you use to always ask me why I didn¡¯t look for a boyfriend? It¡¯s because I felt that no one was better than Lin Fan, and that no one understood me better than him!


    ¡°When he first returned, I thought that it was a miracle brought about by fate. I ignored my instinct and disregarded the timing and recklessly confessed to him. But then, a few days later, a girl came up to me and told me that she and Lin Fan were already in a relationship, and that the one he loved wasn¡¯t the me of the present! She even sent me photos of Lin Fan acting intimate with other girls, and when I sent them to him, his response was that he had been set up. Do you know how disappointed I felt? Even if he had frankly said that he had fallen in love with her, it would have been better! When I later suggested breaking up, he didn¡¯t show a single sign of wanting to fix the relationship! As for me, I had to hold myself back as I didn¡¯t want to ruin my name as a psychiatrist. I didn¡¯t even dare to curse him or shed a tear. Instead, I had to force a smile onto my face and say, ¡®Ah, it must be fate. Please bravely seek true love! I¡¯ll give you my blessings!¡¯¡±


    Shen Wei looked at Cheng Xi, shocked.


    Cheng Xi continued pouring out her feelings. ¡°As for Lu Chenzhou¡­ I don¡¯t love him, so no matter how good he is, what good can come out of it?¡±


    When she said, ¡°I don¡¯t love him,¡± Cheng Xi felt a trace of discomfort surface in her heart, but she forcibly repressed this feeling. After telling her whole story, she looked at Shen Wei and concluded, ¡°Do you understand now? I¡¯m also suffering, and also feeble. Even worse, when a disaster befalls you, you can vent and go crazy, but I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t because I¡¯m afraid of losing my job, and even more afraid that I¡¯ll provoke the other party enough to become my patient. Then, I would even have to treat his illness, and having to deal with that¡­¡­ honestly, it¡¯s too terrible. I don¡¯t want to live that kind of life.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Shen Wei couldn¡¯t help a laugh from slipping out, and as soon as she did, she hugged Cheng Xi again. She was still crying as she said, ¡°Cheng Xi, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t expect that you would also have to deal with these things.¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed, and then relaxed.


    Comparing misfortunes really wasn¡¯t a good thing, but it was a very useful method to ease patients, psychologically speaking.


    Compared to someone else¡¯s misery, especially an outstanding person¡¯s, one¡¯s own misfortunes usually didn¡¯t look so bad after all.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 107: Kiss Me Once

    Shen Wei seemed like she had truly recovered. After she cleaned herself up, she was once again the intelligent and capable eldest daughter of the Shen family.


    The only signs of her previous condition was her still-hoarse voice and puffy eyes. Thus, she temporarily didn¡¯t want to see anyone.


    Cheng Xi went out and relayed Shen Wei¡¯s desire. Shen Wei¡¯s father and the others didn¡¯t mind, as Cheng Xi¡¯s professionalism had already convinced them that she would be able to appease Shen Wei.


    He only asked, ¡°Does this mean that Shen Wei¡¯s recovered?¡±


    ¡°I still have to observe her for a bit more.¡±


    The Shen family became anxious at her uncertainty, and Shen Wei¡¯s mother eyed her nervously. ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s voice was calm as she reassuringly replied, ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since the onset of her mental condition, and given how rapidly it developed, it¡¯s very likely that it¡¯s an acute but brief issue. As for the specifics, we have to watch over her. The best thing to do would be to get her a checkup at the hospital.¡±


    This time, Shen Wei¡¯s father didn¡¯t object. ¡°When?¡±


    They didn¡¯t want something like this to ever happen again; it felt like they had lost ten years of their life in just a couple days.


    ¡°I¡¯ll convince her to go with me. But afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Shen, you might have to keep an eye on her and have regular talks with her to stabilize her mentality.¡±


    This sort of rapid-onset mental illness was usually rooted in external causes. And although the mental condition would develop rapidly, if it was handled well, then the patient would recover just as quickly. However, the most important to be aware of were the aftereffects. Cheng Xi was worried that even if Shen Wei recovered, she would wind up doing something extreme.


    But she couldn¡¯t mention this sort of worry at the moment, as all she could do was help her family steer her towards the light.


    After grappling with the mad Shen Wei for so long, Shen Wei¡¯s parents had become exhausted. But they still had to go back and discuss what to do about Shen Wei and Fu Mingyi¡¯s marriage¡ªeven though the two had married out of love, they had only been in a relationship for a few years, and the two families had already received quite a few benefits from each other. Thus, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for the two to get a divorce, especially considering the fact that Shen Wei was now pregnant.


    But Cheng Xi ignored all of this. After sending Shen Wei¡¯s family away, she reentered the room. Shen Wei was currently sitting by the head of the bed, with her gaze directed away as she thought about something that Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t discern.


    Upon seeing Cheng Xi enter, she softly asked, ¡°Rapid-onset mental condition?¡±


    Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t deliberately lowered her voice when she was speaking to Shen Wei¡¯s family outside, and Shen Wei had easily heard her words by leaning against the door.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t try to hide it from Shen Wei and nodded affirmatively. Then, she sat down in front of her and casually said, ¡°When regular people are overwhelmingly stimulated by their surroundings, they often experience this sort of thing, though in varying levels of severity. In a xianxia novel, they would call it something like falling into an illusion, oh rather, more like fighting against your inner demons. There¡¯s nothing to be upset about¡ªyou just have to slowly and steadily walk out of it.¡±


    Shen Wei looked at Cheng Xi, her expression looking like she was about to laugh and cry at the same time. Only after a while did she cover up her face and finally say, ¡°Heh, illusion¡­ that does seem to be the case.¡± She put down her hands again. The corners of her eyes were still wet, but she was smiling now. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Dr. Cheng would be familiar with the world of xianxia novels.¡±


    ¡°Yup, I know a little about it.¡±


    Shen Wei laughed again.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t laugh. Instead, she clutched Sheng Wei¡¯s hands and lightly squeezed her fingers. Shen Wei gradually relaxed and unclechened her hands, letting Cheng Xi knead and pinch them.


    The house was incomparably quiet. After a while, Shen Wei said, ¡°You and Lin Fan¡­¡­ Honestly, I feel like the two of you were incompatible from the very beginning.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart warmed up slightly. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s too weak and unable to protect you.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled radiantly. ¡°I don¡¯t need his protection¡­¡­ But you¡¯re right. The two of us really aren¡¯t compatible.¡±


    ¡°Forget about him.¡± Shen Wei stretched her body, ending the conversation. Then, she sat up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡± Looking back into Cheng Xi¡¯s curious gaze, she explained her actions. ¡°Even though I feel like I¡¯m perfectly alright right now, I think that I should listen to you and get a mental checkup at the hospital. An illusion or whatever it was, experiencing it once is enough for me.¡±


    Being able to think like this meant that Shen Wei really was free from the worst of the problems. But just in case, Cheng Xi brought her to the hospital the next day as requested.


    After a whole bevy of tests, Cheng Xi could finally confirm that Shen Wei had indeed been suffering from an acute but temporary mental condition. She then prescribed Shen Wei a couple common pills. ¡°If you feel like you have difficulty breathing or an extremely fast pulse, you can eat some of this. Normally, if you feel your emotions fluctuate wildly, you can also take some, but otherwise, don¡¯t take it¡­¡­ Also, because I¡¯ve owed someone money recently, I¡¯ve been quite poor for awhile. Do you want to move in with me for now? I¡¯ll cover food, and rent will be very cheap.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t kidding; Lu Chenzhou had helped her weasel information out of Chen Jiaman¡¯s teacher and made him tell the truth, but he had spent quite a lot to do so. Cheng Xi had established a payment plan to fully repay him in installments over a period of twenty years, but each payment was still quite significant.


    In addition, Cheng Xi regularly helped her parents with their living expenses, so when she said that she was poor, she really meant it.


    Shen Wei laughed lightly. ¡°Are you afraid that I¡¯ll relapse?¡±


    ¡°No. This is preferential treatment I¡¯m giving to an old classmate of mine.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Shen Wei responded indifferently.


    And so, Shen Wei ended up living with Cheng Xi. The next day, when Lu Chenzhou invited her out on a date, Cheng Xi had a brand-new excuse. ¡°I have to take care of a friend, so I can¡¯t go out.¡± She was very sincere in her reply. ¡°It¡¯s also almost time for Lunar New Year. Why don¡¯t you work on your things first, and then we¡¯ll go on a date afterwards?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond to Cheng Xi at that time, but after she got home and started making dinner with Shen Wei, he suddenly showed up.


    He brought flowers, a bottle of wine, and a whole pile of snacks with him. Also, behind him was an unfamiliar young man. According to Lu Chenzhou, it was someone from a big family. Shen Wei knew of him, but Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t even heard his name before.


    After all, she wasn¡¯t well connected with high society.


    Nevertheless, Cheng Xi was still relatively surprised that Lu Chenzhou had brought anyone over at all. She even thought that this was a possible sign that he was recovering from his mental disorder and had made a new friend. But unexpectedly, after Lu Chenzhou introduced his companion, he looked directly at Shen Wei and said, ¡°I¡¯m introducing him specifically to you. His background, character, education, and intellect are all superior to Fu Mingyi¡¯s.¡±


    Upon hearing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s distasteful words, Cheng Xi barely stopped herself from chasing him out the house with the gifts that he¡¯d brought.


    He even went on to calmly turn his head around and say to that man, ¡°Isn¡¯t she pretty?¡± And then he pointed at Cheng Xi. ¡°At least, much better looking than her.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s brazen behavior.


    Shen Wei was initially a bit disgruntled, but she found Lu Chenzhou¡¯s last statement so funny that she couldn¡¯t help herself from letting out a hearty laugh.


    All right, Mr. Lu indeed had some talent to be able to make her laugh like that. Exasperated, Cheng Xi welcomed the two of them inside. The friend whom Lu Chenzhou had brought along didn¡¯t show even the slightest hint of embarrassment after Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mortifying introduction. Later, behind Lu Chenzhou¡¯s back, he explained his situation to Cheng Xi and Shen Wei. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m here on a mission. My grandmother¡ªoh, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother is my mother¡¯s godmother, so I also call her my grandmother¡ªshe¡¯s always wanted my brother to invite you to their house, but my brother was never able to do so. And she was apprehensive of randomly showing up in person to invite you over, so she had me come over with my brother.¡± He then paused and scratched his head awkwardly as he said, ¡°As for a blind date or whatnot, that was just an excuse to come over.¡± He looked at Shen Wei. ¡°Of course, Ms. Shen is truly outstanding.¡±


    Shen Wei naturally knew that he was just being polite, and she coolly smiled back at him and thanked him. ¡°His family seems to truly care for you quite a bit. I feel like Director Lu isn¡¯t a bad choice at all.¡±


    Cheng Xi was unable to explain her relationship with Lu Chenzhou, so she simply smiled, turned around, and went back to cooking. She silently added two more cups of rice to the rice cooker and prepared two additional portions of the other dishes.


    The four subsequently ate dinner, and, afterwards, with nothing to do and no desire to go out, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s godbrother suggested, ¡°How about we play some cards?¡± He ran downstairs to buy a deck, and the four of them started playing Hearts.


    Cheng Xi and Shen Wei were partners, sitting opposite each other, and Lu Chenzhou and his godbrother sat to Cheng Xi¡¯s left and right, respectively. Cheng Xi was very lucky at mahjong and very talented at studying, but at Hearts, she was a total mess.


    Shen Wei was dragged down by Cheng Xi¡¯s lack of skill, and the duo were unable to win even a single game. Ashamed by their string of losses, Cheng Xi began to count cards. At the very end of the next round, Cheng Xi and Shen Wei finally saw a shot at victory. Before playing their remaining two cards, Cheng Xi flipped through everyone else¡¯s discarded card piles seriously.


    When she went to inspect Lu Chenzhou¡¯s stack of cards, he suddenly grabbed her hand midway.


    Cheng Xi was shocked, and Shen Wei opened her eyes wide to look at the two of them. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s godbrother stilled for a moment before happily saying, ¡°Good block! We can¡¯t let her check the cards. If we win this round, then we¡¯ll have the overall victory too.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou ignored him as his gaze was focused solely on Cheng Xi. ¡°Kiss me.¡±


    The three, in unison, went, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you my cards if you do it.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s godbrother took a moment to process those words before an expletive ran through his mind.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 108: You’ll Scare the Little Children

    After abruptly witnessing a public display of affection, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s godbrother¡¯s eyes were about to go blind!


    This effect was especially magnified by the fact that Lu Chenzhou and Cheng Xi had behaved pretty coolly toward each other during the rest of the night. But just when the other two were beginning to suspect that they weren¡¯t an actual couple, their eyes had been struck by an overwhelming glare of sappiness.


    My goodness! Who was it that said Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t know how to pick up girls?!


    Even as all these thoughts raced through the two bystander¡¯s heads, Lu Chenzhou continued to hold Cheng Xi¡¯s hand and look at her with a cool expression. It was as if all he had merely said was something like, ¡°Quickly play your cards. I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    A crack had appeared on Cheng Xi¡¯s detached veneer, but she was at least used to his antics by now, and could quickly adapt to his erratic behavior.


    At times, she could even act in concert with him and reply appropriately, like now. She firmly wrenched her hand out of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grasp and then warned him seriously, ¡°Next time, don¡¯t say it so suddenly.¡± She looked at the other two. ¡°You¡¯ll scare the little children.¡±


    The two little children were speechless.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s godbrother slapped the table angrily. ¡°Keep playing, keep playing! Don¡¯t go easy on them!¡±


    He was one of those people who turned very serious when playing games, so Cheng Xi naturally followed suit. The last two cards in her hand were enough to give her and Shen Wei a strong finish, allowing them to eke out an arduous and timely victory against Lu Chenzhou and his godbrother.


    Cheng Xi started to play more seriously, and the luck of the draw slowly started favoring her more and more. One full deck of cards lasted them the entire night; Cheng Xi and Shen Wei eventually ended up losing by two games, so they only had to pay up 100 yuan per person, which was about the cost of a round of drinks.


    Except for Lu Chenzhou, the other three were quite tired after the game, and even Shen Wei commented, ¡°Losing these 100 yuan was quite difficult.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s godbrother gave her a supercilious look. ¡°Then you should¡¯ve admitted defeat earlier.¡±


    ¡°How could I do that? A defeat has to be glorious! With the way you do things, would you be excited even if you won?¡± Shen Wei¡¯s words seemed to have a hidden meaning. Cheng Xi¡¯s eyelids twitched, and she looked towards her.


    But Shen Wei¡¯s smile was casual, as if she were just discussing the game.


    As the two bantered back and forth, they all looked toward Lu Chenzhou, who was sorting the cards meticulously. He moved them one at a time, neatly and tidily, and even smoothed out the corners that had become somewhat creased during the game.


    The other three were somewhat impressed by his meticulousness, and for a moment, all conversation paused as everyone watched his thin and slender fingers pick out the cards one at a time. Only when he finished everything did they breathe out simultaneously.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s godbrother said, ¡°It¡¯s already quite late, so we¡¯re going to go back now. Brother, you¡­¡­ are heading back?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded, put the sorted cards in the middle of the table, and stood up.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s godbrother looked at Shen Wei, swallowed the words ¡°you could stay¡± down, and then once again reiterated Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother¡¯s request. ¡°Ms. Cheng, if you¡¯re free, then you should come to our house and play some time.¡± Then, with a frustrated look at Lu Chenzhou, he muttered to himself, ¡°Now that I¡¯ve broached the topic, why aren¡¯t you inviting her and setting up a time?!¡±


    All he¡¯d done today was tease her just now. And then¡­ nothing?


    But Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even look at him. He was calmly putting on his shoes, and only when he finished did he stand up and look at Cheng Xi. His worrying godbrother thought that he was finally about to extend her an invitation. However, he simply leaned down slightly until his face was right in front of Cheng Xi¡¯s, and then lightly licked her lips. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    And that was it. He left.


    The other three found them shocked speechless yet again.


    Even long after Lu Chenzhou and his friend had left, Shen Wei was still laughing.


    Although it was a good thing that Shen Wei could laugh after her hardships, this laugh had lasted far too long for Cheng Xi, and she was getting exasperated. ¡°Haven¡¯t you laughed enough?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± She started laughing again, and even as she laughed, she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Director Lu to be so interesting.¡± She put her face in front of Cheng Xi¡¯s. ¡°Why don¡¯t you like him?¡±


    Shen Wei wasn¡¯t stupid, and she could see that while Cheng Xi treated Lu Chenzhou indulgingly and leniently, it was devoid of a woman¡¯s romance when she interacted with her beloved.


    Of course, it was also possible that Cheng Xi was just hiding her affection, like what she had done towards Lin Fan. Who could have noticed that she had liked him that much?


    Cheng Xi pondered the question briefly. ¡°Perhaps I will, later.¡±


    But right now, she couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t dare to.


    A patient suffering from emotional detachment who had never developed feelings for anyone even at this age, who had just met someone whom he didn¡¯t detest¡­ Cheng Xi felt that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s feelings were very likely just a temporary flood of emotions.


    Shen Wei didn¡¯t know what was going through her mind, and was even under the impression that Cheng Xi was opening up to that possibility. She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as she said, ¡°Yes, you definitely will in the future.¡±


    Playing cards had been surprisingly taxing on the brain, and both of them were mentally exhausted. After exchanging a few more words, they went to clean themselves up before going to bed.


    Cheng Xi thought that Shen Wei would sleep more soundly that night, and didn¡¯t make her take any medicine to calm her emotions. What she didn¡¯t expect was that, in the middle of the night, Shen Wei suddenly told her, ¡°Cheng Xi, I¡¯m going back tomorrow.¡±


    The shock instantly cleared her mind as Cheng Xi turned to face Shen Wei.


    Shen Wei had been sleeping by her side, but her eyes were currently wide open. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t tell if she had just woken up or if she had never fallen asleep in the first place.


    She inspected Shen Wei for a brief moment. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t avoid this situation forever.¡± She laughed emotionlessly as she continued, ¡°I want to deal with this matter as quickly as I can. If it drags on¡­¡­¡± She then lightly caressed her stomach as her eyes drooped. ¡°It would be bad for the child, and for me too. I¡¯ve wasted enough of my time on a piece of garbage.¡±


    Her words were logical, and even though Cheng Xi knew that her mental condition might not have fully recovered, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t forcibly keep her here. ¡°Then get a daily check-up at the hospital, or at least call me daily, alright?¡±


    Shen Wei smiled back. ¡°You¡¯re this worried about me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Shen Wei smiled and obediently nodded.


    Shen Wei¡¯s brothers and parents all came to fetch her the next morning. Cheng Xi told each of them about the doctor¡¯s instructions; she¡¯d originally thought that, after Shen Wei¡¯s nervous breakdown earlier, the Fu family would be scared of her and would accept a divorce, even if the pregnancy made things a little complicated.


    But Fu Mingyi was actually unwilling to accept a divorce.


    Not only was he unwilling, but he even called Cheng Xi in his desperation. ¡°Can you help me change Shen Wei¡¯s mind? She¡¯s the one I truly love, and ever since I married her, I¡¯ve never wanted a divorce.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even think of a proper response.


    Truth be told, Cheng Xi really wanted to look him in the face and say, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a more shameless person!¡± But as a professional, she had to maintain a certain level of propriety, so she couldn¡¯t reply so bluntly. Instead, she asked, ¡°Then, why did you have an affair?¡±


    ¡°That was all before the marriage¡­¡±


    ¡°Before the marriage¡­ so, while you and Shen Wei were dating?¡±


    Fu Mingyi then used the all-purpose phrase that every man used to push the blame away after sinning. ¡°She was the one who seduced me!¡±


    ¡°She was the one who seduced me!¡± and ¡°I was framed!¡±


    To Cheng Xi, these words were even more loathsome and detestful than ¡°I made a mistake that all men make.¡± Without a second thought, she immediately responded, ¡°Just because she seduced you, you fell for it? Are you a fish? Even fish know how to spit out bait after they realize their mistake! As for you, not only did you just bite down even more, but you even got the other party pregnant! Fu Mingyi, you-¡±


    Considering that he was still married to Shen Wei, Cheng Xi felt that it wasn¡¯t quite appropriate to call him ¡°worse than livestock,¡± and tried very hard to restrain herself.


    ¡°The most important things in life are work and love. In both these cases, people have to learn to master their own emotions in order to avoid hurting important people and making mistakes. There are two ground rules: they can¡¯t take money obtained through illicit means, and they can¡¯t take emotions that shouldn¡¯t have been offered to them. And since you took those illicit emotions, then you should deal with the resulting consequences. Rather than tormenting yourself with your tattered relationship, just break off ties with Shen Wei instead.


    ¡°Shen Wei isn¡¯t a weakling. The reason she was so mad that she went insane was not because she loved you that deeply, but rather that she hated herself. So you¡¯d better not come pining after her, or something that we can¡¯t even imagine might happen.¡±


    As harsh as it sounded, Cheng Xi was giving Fu Mingyi her earnest advice. When Shen Wei left, she had seemed calm, but the emotions that were boiling right beneath the surface¡­¡­ Cheng Xi was honestly scared of them.


    Unfortunately, Fu Mingyi didn¡¯t listen, and his fate was tragic.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 109: Shock

    All this time, Fu Mingyi had thought that Shen Wei still loved him, the prodigal son who was nevertheless accepted by his family, someone who disgusted outsiders but thought of his own actions as moving and compassionate.


    Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t interacted with him that often, and she only knew him to be somewhat shallow and superficial. However, she didn¡¯t expect that he would actually be so shameless. Since he wouldn¡¯t take her advice to heart, she decisively hung up.


    Some people wouldn¡¯t learn their lesson until something truly catastrophic happened to them.


    On the other hand, Shen Wei¡¯s condition was steadily improving. From her behavior in the morning alone, everyone thought that she had vented out all of her negative feelings and was feeling hale and hearty again. This was the biggest reason why Fu Mingyi felt that the two of them could get back together; she¡¯d beaten him and scolded him, so naturally, in his mind, she should forgive him.


    But in reality, she hadn¡¯t slept well at all. After an arduous battle to fall asleep, she had been shocked awake by her emotions in the middle of the night. Afterwards, she had stayed up until dawn.


    Sometime during that night, Cheng Xi had asked her, ¡°What¡¯re you thinking about?¡±


    She drily responded, ¡°Killing people, of course.¡± And then a second later, ¡°I¡¯m joking. Actually, I¡¯m not thinking of anything, but I just can¡¯t fall asleep.¡±


    But actually, her first sentence was true, and her second false. Even though she wouldn¡¯t actually kill anyone, her heart was still dripping with an untold fury.


    All Cheng Xi could do was try her best to enlighten her and prescribe her some mild medication. However, Shen Wei was pregnant and wasn¡¯t sure about whether or not she wanted to keep the baby, so she had to be very careful about what she consumed. Even the medicine that she had been prescribed wouldn¡¯t be good for her in large doses. Given this situation, Cheng Xi was speechless that Fu Mingyi thought that she would forgive him if he just put in a little bit of effort.


    Two days later, it was Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s vacation only started on the first day of the new year, so she had to work even on Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve. In the morning, she stayed at home to accompany her parents and had a traditional Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve meal. Then in the afternoon, she had to return to the hospital to work. Her brother Cheng Yang had it slightly better than her, but he too was only free after the twenty-ninth.


    Since the two of them were both busy, their parents ignored the fact that the new year was supposed to be joyous and festive and instead used their time to nag at Cheng Yang. As soon as they finished their meal, they started talking about how he was old enough to be looking for a girlfriend by now, how if he didn¡¯t, he¡¯d remain single for the rest of his life, and that even his sister was getting married before him.


    Cheng Yang was shocked. ¡°My sister¡¯s dating someone? She¡¯s going to get married?¡±


    And then the subject suddenly shifted to Cheng Xi. She was speechless, whereas her parents were smiling even as they grew angry. ¡°Yes, quite. They¡¯ve been together for half a year, or even a year by now. So, are you two planning on getting married at the end of next year?¡±


    Cheng Xi was relieved that they had at least left her a year¡¯s buffer, but then she heard her mother continue, ¡°You would always say that the two of you were very, very busy, and so I didn¡¯t nag at you. However, you must have a few days¡¯ leave now that it¡¯s the New Year, right? Talk to his parents so that we can meet them sometime during the fifth to the eighth and have a family meal together.


    ¡°Of course, don¡¯t keep mentioning it to Lu Chenzhou. Just remind him once or twice. If he doesn¡¯t arrange it, then he probably doesn¡¯t care that much about you, in which case you should quickly give up on him. In my opinion, that someone¡¯s someone¡¯s son is pretty good, and you can meet up with him on the way back. Even if the two of you aren¡¯t compatible, you can still find new friends, and having more friends will broaden your opportunities and stop others from thinking that you¡¯ve unwisely saddled yourself with a burden.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at her own mother, unsure whether she should laugh or cry.


    Cheng Yang honed in on one particular part of their conversation. ¡°Lu- Lu Chenzhou? Sis, your boyfriend¡¯s Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    During these last two months, he had been busy working on an engineering project in the countryside, and truly hadn¡¯t had any time to worry about his sister¡¯s romantic life.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Her mother triumphantly stated, ¡°That¡¯s him!¡± She looked at her daughter, and then unabashedly continued to throw shade at her without restraint. ¡°If you¡¯re unwilling to recognize him as your boyfriend, then stop bringing him home.¡±


    And that was already her holding back to preserve her daughter¡¯s face. After all, the two had already slept together, but for some reason she still wouldn¡¯t admit that he was her boyfriend! Did she want to be known as a promiscuous woman that badly?


    Her own daughter was secretly immoral¡­ Oh, how Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s heart hurt!


    This time, it was Cheng Yang who was rendered speechless. He looked at his own sister as he said in disbelief, ¡°You even brought him home? You¡­ damn, you¡¯re moving quite quickly!¡±


    And then his father scolded him without missing a beat. ¡°It¡¯s the new year. Why are you cursing?¡±


    The nagging continued until both their faces were drained and devoid of color, and their parents never stopped talking until Cheng Xi had to leave for work once more.


    Cheng Yang obediently offered to send her out, and Cheng Xi accepted with a smile. The disaster-stricken siblings escaped from their parents¡¯ house as if they were running away from a calamity. As the two hastily walked along towards the hospital, Cheng Yang asked her with some concern, ¡°Is your relationship with Lu Chenzhou¡­ real or fake?¡±


    ¡°Fake.¡±


    ¡°Then why did <om say that you brought him home? And before that, he was even at your place naked¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all a big misunderstanding.¡± Cheng Xi was much more direct with her brother. ¡°The two of us are in the same boat. At any rate, you have to believe me?¡ªyou can¡¯t start making a disturbance like mom!¡±


    ¡­¡­Having a sister like Cheng Xi truly exhausted one¡¯s heart! Cheng Yang shook his head. ¡°If you¡¯re not with him, then don¡¯t act so intimately with him. It¡¯ll cause misunderstandings.¡±


    Cheng Xi was surprised that Cheng Yang would make such an insinuation. ¡°Why do you care so much about this?¡±


    It was just an innocent question, but Cheng Yang gulped.


    ¡°What opinion could I even have? It¡¯s just that I feel like you¡¯re not very sincere about this. In fact, your ambiguous statements about your relationship with him only makes me even more curious. It wouldn¡¯t be bad if you were really in a relationship, since I could even get some useful connections out of it.¡±


    ¡°Aside from business, is there anything else in your mind?!¡±


    ¡°You, and our parents. Besides money, the three of you are the people I love the most in this world.¡±


    Cheng Xi harrumphed. ¡°Actions speak louder than words, and just having a silver tongue won¡¯t save you.¡±


    Cheng Yang chuckled.


    The siblings were extremely close, so close that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even notice the small bit of guilt in his laughter.


    As they talked, they reached the hospital. Cheng Xi went to work, and Cheng Yang, not wanting to return home and be nagged at again, said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you to finish. Call me when you¡¯re done with work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to wait for that long? It¡¯s only about noon right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll wait for you no matter how long you take.¡± Cheng Yang waved his phone as he continued, ¡°My friends are asking me to go play cards with them. Just let me know in advance when you¡¯re ready to leave.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded, and as Cheng Yang was about to drive away, he got a message on his phone: ¡°It¡¯s the new year¡­ I really didn¡¯t expect that this would still happen in the end¡­ I clearly met you first.¡±


    The tone of the message was so bitter that Cheng Yang¡¯s teeth ached just from looking at it. He glanced at his sister standing out the window, cowardly deleted the message, threw his phone to the side, and summarily left without another word.


    His phone was thrown into a corner of the passenger seat, so he didn¡¯t see the following message: ¡°He sees you in broad daylight, but I can only hide in a corner.¡±


    The car drove away. It was still early in the day, but there were already the sounds of fireworks in the air. As that weak light from the phone, along with that line of text, slowly faded from view, silence reigned once again.


    Cheng Xi was only able to say, ¡°Be careful,¡± before Cheng Yang¡¯s car rapidly drove out of sight. She shook her head in annoyance as she walked up the stairs to the hospital, her hand carrying her lunch box. When her colleagues saw her, they rapidly swarmed her. ¡°What food did you bring us?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Cheng is the only one who remembers that we¡¯re here.¡±


    Everyone happily dug in as Cheng Xi looked through the day¡¯s records. As she flipped through the pages, a nurse came up to her. ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you, Dr. Cheng, your boyfriend came over to visit Chen Jiaman.¡±


    Cheng Xi was a bit surprised, and immediately put down the records and walked over to Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward. When she reached the corridor, she saw a man wearing a windbreaker.


    It was Lin Fan, not Lu Chenzhou.


    At the same time that she realized the visitor¡¯s identity, she also realized, somewhat shockingly, that she had started tacitly considering Lu Chenzhou as her boyfriend in her heart.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 110: The Gift, Please Accept i

    As a psychiatrist, Cheng Xi was very clear on what accepting Lu Chenzhou as her boyfriend in her heart represented: while not necessarily love, it meant on some level that she had acknowledged him.


    She had been too overconfident about treating Lu Chenzhou¡¯s illness with her relationship strategy, and now, she had become embroiled in this whole affair.


    Cheng Xi caressed her forehead as she stopped in place with a somewhat bewildered expression on her face. By that time, Lin Fan had already turned around and was looking at her.


    She could only steel her expression and walk over.


    ¡°Happy New Year,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Happy New Year.¡±


    Beyond the standard greetings, there weren¡¯t many other words for the two of them to exchange. Lin Fan awkwardly said, ¡°Since it¡¯s the new year, I came to check on how she¡¯s doing.¡±


    The two of them then turned to the window together to look at Chen Jiaman. She was doing much better than before. Although her thoughts were still somewhat chaotic and disordered from time to time, and although she still didn¡¯t like bright environments, she was already able to communicate normally with the people she was familiar with.


    And she had also picked up her old hobbies again. Today, there were constantly fireworks and firecrackers going off in the streets outside, and the loud noise drew almost all the patients to their windows. But Chen Jiaman remained in her bed, just drawing very seriously under the little lamp by her bed.


    Of course, her drawing posture was still very different from the norm. She gripped her pen forcefully, and her expression was always somewhat fierce, as if she were venting her emotions rather than creating a piece of art.


    ¡°She¡¯s much better now, as she can already hold a normal conversation with people and think for herself. However, her recovery process still has a crucial hurdle that she has yet to overcome?¡ªshe has to restore her personality and to properly understand and accept her past. In other words, she has to face reality.¡±


    Once Chen Jiaman regained her personality, she would naturally start recovering and move towards a healthy mindset; but if she didn¡¯t, then she might very well relapse and degenerate into her previous state. Chen Jiaman¡¯s past was, without question, filled with pain and hardship. She was already fifteen, but her life was almost completely devoid of normal kinship or love. Her memories were filled with constant fear of being harmed and frightening humiliation, so Cheng Xi had to be very careful, slow, and methodical about how she approached her mental condition.


    ¡°Before we start trying to bring her personality back, I¡¯d like to try my best to establish a familiar and stable environment around her until she feels sufficiently secure. For this reason, there may be a period of time during which her family will be unable to directly meet with her.¡±


    In truth, bringing a patient¡¯s personality back usually worked better with more family members around, and this was the reason why she had initially wanted Lin Fan to visit Chen Jiaman more often. Unfortunately, before any kinship could develop between the two of them, all kinds of things had happened between him and Cheng Xi. To express his stance towards Cheng Xi, he had avoided visiting Chen Jiaman for quite a while, and was naturally unable to be of any help now.


    The words ¡°patient¡¯s family members¡± caught Lin Fan somewhat off guard. He turned to properly look at Cheng Xi. She was wearing a white doctor¡¯s coat, her hands were in her pockets, and her tone and expressions were calm and natural, as if she were talking to a stranger.


    Her countenance had no trace of sadness, anger, disappointment, or loss. She was truly treating him as just another patient¡¯s family member.


    She had recovered so quickly that it seemed as if there had never been anything between them at all. It was as if the Cheng Xi who had once told him, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you to tell me that you liked me for ten years,¡± in a simple but bright alleyway had never existed.


    Lin Fan¡¯s heart plunged, and he quickly turned around to shove the emotions rising up to his throat down and recollect himself. ¡°It¡¯s not too bad, just observing her like this.¡±


    Not as bad as observing you like this.


    This bitter sentence remained locked tightly in his heart. After one last glance at Chen Jiaman, he left the hospital.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t send him out. She returned to her own office, silently sitting in a daze for quite a while.


    Then, someone knocked on the door, waking her from her reverie. Dr. Su walked in. ¡°Why¡¯re you in a daze?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about my patients¡¯ affairs.¡± Cheng Xi smiled upon seeing the bags in her hands. ¡°Why are you here? Are you also on duty today?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m all alone, remember? So, I might as well help out my colleagues who do have families and mouths to feed,¡± Su Feng flippantly replied as she set the bag down in front of her. ¡°I recommend you try some. It¡¯s a morning¡¯s worth of labor.¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed as she opened the bag. Inside were a few boxes of small biscuits of various colors, wonderfully pretty.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯d be perfect as a snack for afternoon tea. Wait a moment. I¡¯ll go brew some coffee.¡±


    The hospital wasn¡¯t too busy today; even the normally very busy gynecology department was more or less empty, which was why Su Feng had the time to come over and chat. As the two relaxed, they leisurely sampled the biscuits that Su Feng had made.


    In the middle of their downtime, Shen Wei called Cheng Xi, saying that she couldn¡¯t come in today, but that she was feeling calm and stable. However, Shen Wei¡¯s tone sounded a bit like she was trying to curry favor with Cheng Xi; it was quite a bit cuter than her usual.


    But Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t forget about how Shen Wei had nonchalantly said, ¡°I want to kill people.¡± The more adorable Shen Wei acted, the more worried Cheng Xi became.


    When she hung up, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Su Feng casually asked, ¡°Your patient?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Is she difficult to treat?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat.¡± And then Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help herself from adding on, ¡°Actually, from a doctor¡¯s perspective, the hardest thing to deal with isn¡¯t a rare or difficult illness or something like that. Rather, it¡¯s a patient who¡¯s too clear-headed and too opinionated, someone who confidently acts in a self-serving manner.¡±


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t very lucky, as she had two such patients, Shen Wei being one of them. Then her phone rang, and she sighed again. ¡°My other trouble is calling as well.¡±


    The one whom Cheng Xi had designated as her ¡®other trouble¡¯ was Lu Chenzhou. His first words were, ¡°You¡¯re at the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    And then he hung up. Su Feng raised her eyebrows. ¡°Just that?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Cheng Xi stood up. ¡°Our afternoon tea session has to end here. I¡¯m sorry, but I have to go out for a moment.¡±


    And then, before Su Feng could react, Cheng Xi ran off. Su Feng tried to follow her, but only saw a vanishing silhouette running down the stairs.


    Cheng Xi quickly ran down two floors and then pressed all the elevator buttons. It was probably because it was New Year¡¯s Eve, but there were quite a number of delivery workers riding the elevators. Only on the third try did Lu Chenzhou appear.


    When he saw her, he first looked at the floor number on the elevator before raising his eyebrows at her.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even need him to say anything to be at a loss for words.


    She looked at the people by his side, who were each carrying a huge bundle of something, and then took a deep breath. ¡°Did you bring all these people with you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded, and she pulled all of them out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but please go back. Go back to where you came from, thank you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou watched as she bustled about. And when she had finally chased everyone out, he smiled at her, still in the elevator. ¡°Did you think that would be effective? Some people are already upstairs.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    So all those delivery workers she had seen earlier were his people?!


    In the end, Cheng Xi became famous in the hospital once again; her mysterious nouveau riche suitor sent her an entire feast on Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve. It was so much food that even all of her colleagues in the psychiatry department couldn¡¯t finish it. They had to invite all the hospital workers over to help, and only then did everyone witness their plight.


    In truth, everything had been sent over by Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents, who were concerned that Cheng Xi had to work even on Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve. So naturally, they had to comfort her with food and drinks.


    But Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t comforted; instead, she was somewhat incensed as she dragged Lu Chenzhou outside.


    ¡°I have to work, so I have no choice but to accept your good intentions. But with that, you can go back now.¡± She pushed him into his car forcefully, a rare thing for her.


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t given you my present yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve received all that just now.¡± Even though she had been forced to do so.


    ¡°That¡¯s not from me. That¡¯s from my grandparents.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She beat her chest in frustration. ¡°Then what do you want to give me? Let me make this clear: I don¡¯t want food, tools, or any flowers, because storing them and dealing with them is very troublesome.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded obediently.


    ¡°Then give it to me.¡± She stretched out her hand.


    Lu Chenzhou rested his head against the window with one palm supporting his lower jaw as he looked at her. ¡°Are you sure that you want to receive it here?¡±


    Under the dim yellow glow of the streetlights, his calm and indifferent expression was unusually handsome, but it only gave Cheng Xi a very bad premonition. After rethinking the situation, she decisively said, ¡°Go to my house first, and I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±


    This ¡®shortly¡¯ ended up being quite long, because when Cheng Xi returned to her department, she received an unprecedented welcome. Even the head nurse, who was on leave, called her to comment on the situation. ¡°How¡¯s your boyfriend going to feel when he hears of this?¡±


    Yes, they all still thought that Lin Fan was her boyfriend.


    Her head hurt.


    Cheng Xi felt that this Lunar New Year was going to be a horrendous mess, but the truly aggravating incident had yet to come. When she finally got home, she encountered a naked Lu Chenzhou sitting on the sofa with just a blanket to cover himself.


    At least he had prepared a blanket for himself, but he had also redecorated her living room. It was quite the sight to behold, adorned with large swathes of red ribbons, the hue so vibrant that it hurt her eyes.


    While she stared at the scene open-mouthed, he pulled off his blanket and presented his stark naked body to her. ¡°This gift, please accept it.¡±


    He even dared to act demurely!!!


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 111: Your Face is Red!

    Despite feeling shocked, Cheng Xi continued to shamelessly ogle Lu Chenzhou¡¯s exposed body. After letting the blanket fall, his stark naked body was on full display. The large and rough red blanket contrasted strikingly with his white and smooth skin. Additionally, his body was perfectly proportioned as his toned muscles rippled, giving off a sense of strength; when he lay down, the smooth contours of his body were so beautiful that it should have been illegal.


    After just one glance, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stay angry?¡ªit was already taking all she had to stop herself from salivating! My goodness, this was the first time Cheng Xi ever realized just how much she could be attracted to the human body!


    She walked over and quickly covered up his whole body with the blanket as she said in a concerned tone, ¡°The heater isn¡¯t on, so don¡¯t get cold.¡± She then rubbed the blanket between her fingers. ¡°This blanket is really high quality! Did you bring it over?¡±


    ¨q(¨s¦Å¨t)¨r She simply didn¡¯t know what to say.


    But Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t let her off the hook just yet. As his gaze swept past her face, he commented, ¡°Your face is red. Oh, the tips of your ears are completely red.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you embarrassed?¡±


    You don¡¯t have to say it out loud just because you can see it, you know? Cheng Xi flew into a rage as her embarrassment peaked, grabbed Lu Chenzhou¡¯s head, and started fiercely kneading her frustrations out. Afterwards, when he was left in a daze, she defiantly said, ¡°Yes, my face is red. Are you satisfied?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou actually didn¡¯t avoid her this time, and placidly let her knead his face. He watched Cheng Xi¡¯s face turn an even deeper shade of red before bursting out in a fit of laughter.


    This laugh was more hurtful than any words he could have said, and Cheng Xi¡¯s face became flaming red. ¡°What on earth are you trying to do? Whose terrible idea was this?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was very direct. ¡°You seemed to like it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t expect that Cheng Xi¡¯s reaction would be this extreme, though he very much liked seeing her blushing face. During the entire time they had known each other, she had always treated him gently and leniently, but rarely ever intimately; even if he teased her, she mostly reacted in a speechless or exasperated manner. But her behavior today made him feel like he had unexpectedly pushed open an unknown door and found a huge reward behind it.


    Since Cheng Xi was unable to defeat Lu Chenzhou in an argument, she could only scurry away; she threw out a weak ¡°Put your clothes back on¡± before retreating into the washroom to calm down.


    Cheng Xi stared at her own image in the mirror, seeing for the first time what she looked like when she lost her self-control: her face was flushed scarlet, like blood, and her expression couldn¡¯t hide her inappropriate thoughts at all. Her gaze was distant, and her mind woozy?¡ªit was filled with the image of that beautiful white flesh!


    She herself didn¡¯t understand why her reaction was so extreme. Compared to doctors from other disciplines, psychiatrists had far less opportunity to inspect or even dissect the human body, but they still saw their fair share of them. After all, when their patients went crazy, quite a number of them would strip naked and then shamelessly run all over the place!


    The only explanation was that she had been teased too much by her colleagues at work, and those repeated hints had amplified the effects of seeing such a beautiful nude body¡­ All right, as long as she understood why she had lost control of herself, that was enough.


    You¡¯d better ignore the rest! Cheng Xi warned herself mentally as she splashed some cold water onto her face. The tap water in winter was bitingly cold, almost like ice, and the effect of the nearly freezing water was unexpectedly good, as all the emotions on Cheng Xi¡¯s face were washed away.


    When Cheng Xi left the washroom and reentered the living room, Lu Chenzhou had already gotten dressed, though he didn¡¯t put on his jacket. His black trousers covered up his unusually long legs, and as her gaze traveled farther up, it would land upon his white shirt tucked into his trousers. He dressed in the same manner that he did all things in¡ªperfectly and meticulously. His clothes were neat and clean, perfectly pressed and without wrinkles, and evenly buttoned up all the way up to his throat. When his cool gaze met her¡¯s, even though she had just calmed down, it once again filled Cheng Xi¡¯s brain with tantalizing images that weren¡¯t suitable for children.


    My goodness, his beauty should be illegal!


    She hurriedly looked away, but then a whole stretch of red filled her vision. She couldn¡¯t help but think that, perhaps for a long time afterwards, she wouldn¡¯t be able to look at anything red the same way again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve received your present, so let¡¯s go.¡± Cheng Xi said as she coughed, trying to dispel the atmosphere.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t move.


    Cheng Xi could only ask, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Her tone was pleasant; she would do anything to get him out quicker.


    Of course, if he asked why she received the gift but didn¡¯t use it, she would vehemently respond with something like ¡°What kind of person would send such a gift,¡± punch him in the face, and then pull him out the door while he was still dazed.


    Thankfully, Lu Chenzhou, even after seeing her gaze, didn¡¯t ask such a question, but he still asked one that gave Cheng Xi a headache. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to give me anything back?¡± He sounded slightly shocked, and his reason was fair. ¡°Today¡¯s Lunar New Year¡¯s Eve.¡±


    Cheng Xi could only stuff her indignation down and find him something. She did have some suitable gifts, all of them from Cheng Yang¡¯s recent trip. One of them was a box of twelve little phone ornaments inspired by the Chinese zodiac; the workmanship was beautiful and their surfaces well-polished, making them both beautiful to look at and pleasant to touch.


    Cheng Xi had read through Lu Chenzhou¡¯s patient folder, and she remembered his year of birth and naturally also his zodiac animal. Thus, she casually passed a little dragon to him.


    After Lu Chenzhou took it, he placed it in his palm, looked at it curiously, and then lightly put his thumb on the dragon¡¯s head. ¡°What use is this?¡±


    Cheng Xi awkwardly replied, ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s not very useful. Maybe you can use it as an ornament on your keychain or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a little snake as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Give it to me.¡±


    The snake was Cheng Xi¡¯s zodiac animal, but since he wanted it and Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind, she also handed him the snake figurine.


    Lu Chenzhou took it, rubbed his fingers over it, and then took out his keys. He attached the dragon and the snake to his keychain side by side, so that they almost seemed to be kissing.


    Mr. Lu nodded. ¡°They¡¯re symmetric, so they fit well together.¡±


    ¡­¡­Did he know that her zodiac animal was the snake? Cheng Xi didn¡¯t dare ask, and instead just waved her hands in resignation. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time for you to leave. I have to go to the hospital.¡±


    She had come back home especially for him, but only received a series of jolting shocks in return.


    But when Cheng Xi entered the elevator to leave, she remembered his happiness upon receiving the two little animals, as if he couldn¡¯t bear to part with them, and she felt somewhat sorry. No matter how good the carvings were, they were still too cheap compared to all the things he had given her.


    Somewhat guiltily, she said, ¡°The workmanship on those two figurines isn¡¯t that great. If you really like it, then next time, I¡¯ll buy you two even better ones.


    Lu Chenzhou raised his head upon hearing her words. His gaze was still filled with his familiar coldness, but the lifted corners of his eyes clearly told Cheng Xi that he wasn¡¯t feeling bad. ¡°Alright,¡± he replied coolly. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for it.¡±


    ¡­¡­She suddenly felt a lot more pressure. What was she going to do?


    Cheng Xi deeply regretted how much faster her mouth moved than her mind, but since she had promised, she naturally had to deliver. She was not at all talented in the art of giving gifts, but that was fine, since she had Cheng Yang.


    She worked until midnight, and Cheng Yang didn¡¯t pick up any of her calls. She could only guess that her brother had gotten so engrossed in playing cards that he had forgotten about her. But unexpectedly, half an hour later, he came back to the hospital again.


    He had even run to her department to find her.


    Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your phone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t know where I lost it,¡± Cheng Yang replied between pants. He patted his left and right pockets before asking, ¡°Can we go now?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± The siblings walked out, got into Cheng Yang¡¯s car, and started towards home. As Cheng Xi sat in the passenger seat, she looked around for his phone. When she called his number, a ringing sound came out from underneath her butt, and she had to expend a great deal of labor to fish it out from the little slit that it had fallen into. ¡°You¡¯re too careless¡­¡± she said to him as she glanced at his phone. ¡°You have tens of unread messages.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably mostly from Mom.¡± Cheng Yang glanced at the screen before continuing to say, ¡°They¡¯re welcoming the New Year in, so they¡¯re probably still awake right now. Call them back and say that I was fetching you.¡±


    This was the excuse that they had planned. Cheng Xi understood him well and didn¡¯t mind helping him, so she unlocked his phone. She knew Cheng Yang¡¯s passcode because he told her each and every passcode and password he had; he was lazy and his memory surprisingly poor, so he used her as a backup.


    After she opened his phone, she started maneuvering to look at the missed calls when she accidentally clicked on one of the unread messages.


    ¡°¡®He sees you in broad daylight, but I can only hide in a corner¡¯¡­¡­ Who¡¯s this¡­¡­ Oh!¡± Cheng Yang abruptly stopped the car, causing Cheng Xi to almost fly out of the window.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 112: Because I’ve Been Thinking of You

    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t expect that Cheng Yang¡¯s reaction would be so extreme, and was unable to stop him from snatching the phone away.


    ¡°No, what¡¯s the matter?¡± After quite a while, she recovered and looked at him as if she were looking at a headache. ¡°Are you a two-timing bastard who¡¯s cheating on someone?¡±


    Cheng Yang was already feverishly inspecting his phone, and only felt a sense of relief wash over him when he confirmed that he¡¯d kept the identity of that person secret, listing the name only as 001 on his phone.


    Then, when he heard his sister¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help but want to vomit blood. ¡°Am I that kind of person in your heart?¡±


    Cheng Xi harrumphed. ¡°Who knows?! That sentence was very problematic. What did she mean by ¡®He sees you in broad daylight, but I can only hide in a corner?¡¯ It sounds just like a line out of heart-rending drama! It¡¯s as if you¡¯ve swindled an innocent naive little girl, who, even though she knows that you already have a girlfriend, couldn¡¯t bear to leave you. And in her grief, she silently became your mistress. And whenever she sees you going out with your actual girlfriend, she¡¯s reminded that she can only hide in a corner and sneak glances at you, jealous and hurt.¡±


    As she continued describing the setting in her head, she started to believe her words more and more. ¡°You said that you went out to play cards with a friend, but who knows what you were actually doing? And why was your phone even here? You must¡¯ve arranged dates with both of them at the same time, and since you couldn¡¯t go to both at once, you had no other choice but to throw your phone aside!¡±


    She accused him with such absolute conviction, it was enough to make Cheng Yang angry enough to laugh. ¡°You can really make things up!¡±


    He was a proficient liar, unlike Cheng Xi. Cheng Xi would only lie if she had to, and she even preferred to awkwardly remain silent. Cheng Yang, however, could lie to anyone and everyone without a single hint of guilt or remorse when he did so.


    ¡°Please, stop trying to make me out as some kind of two-timer. The guy who texted me is crazy, and he¡¯s always pestering me endlessly for some reason or another because he thinks that everyone around him is a love rival. Who knows where he saw me, and what kind of craziness he has going on in his mind?¡±


    As he spoke, Cheng Xi fixed her gaze on him. His expression was very calm. Back when Cheng Xi had been studying psychoanalysis, she had frequently practiced it on him. So, although he couldn¡¯t analyze someone else as shrewdly as she did, he could at least cover up his tells quite well.


    Unfortunately, he was up against Cheng Xi.


    After he finished his spiel, Cheng Xi said, ¡°Hmm, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re lying. I¡¯ll believe you.¡±


    Cheng Yang relaxed at her placid words. Cheng Xi then casually asked, ¡°Did you drive over by yourself yesterday?¡±


    Cheng Yang was flummoxed by the seemingly random question, and he reflexively nodded and answered, saying, ¡°Yup.¡±


    He thought that he had dodged a bullet, but then he suddenly heard Cheng Xi say, ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    Cheng Yang automatically rebutted, ¡°What do you mean I¡¯m lying? I clearly drove here alone¡­¡­¡± As he continued to look at Cheng Xi, he fell silent before becoming flustered and exasperated. ¡°Cheng Xi, stop doing this to me!¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°You didn¡¯t deny it, did you? Lying so naturally like that¡­¡­¡± As Cheng Xi¡¯s words trailed off, she stopped smiling. Then, her tone turned severe as she castigated him. ¡°Brother, to me, you¡¯ve always been a good man. I think that you¡¯re a very capable person, so don¡¯t do something that¡¯ll make me look down upon you, okay? Earlier, I even had to tell someone else that there were two guiding principles that one should always follow to maintain their humanity: not take money you shouldn¡¯t take, and not reciprocate feelings you shouldn¡¯t reciprocate. Loving someone and receiving that person¡¯s love in turn, generously and under broad daylight, is a form of respect to that person, and also a form of respect to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Once she started morally lecturing him, Cheng Yang couldn¡¯t stand her anymore. In defeat, he mumbled, ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    But he still didn¡¯t confess to anything.


    Cheng Xi sighed, wanting to say more. But before she could do so, Cheng Yang started the car and preemptively said, ¡°I¡¯m driving. I can¡¯t be distracted right now, so I can¡¯t talk to you.¡±


    It was a total refusal to communicate. Helpless, Cheng Xi could only ignore him for the moment, taking solace in the thought that she would have a proper chat with him later.


    Later, she would be busy, so busy that she forgot all about this conversation. And when she finally remembered¡­ At that time, Cheng Xi would wish that Cheng Yang had merely been a two-timing bastard.


    When they returned home, it was already way past midnight, and Cheng Xi¡¯s parents had fallen asleep as soon as the new year arrived. Cheng Xi herself was similarly exhausted, and fell asleep right after she finished washing up.


    However, despite how tired she was, she started thinking of Lu Chenzhou even as she tried to sleep, the image of his white and flawless skin creeping into her mind. She became so gloomy over it that she rolled about a few times in bed, hatefully pounded on her bed, and resolved to herself that, next time, she would tell him again that casually undressing himself and revealing his naked body was too unacceptable!


    And so, during the first night of the fresh new year, Dr. Cheng, who led a sunny life and rarely had any sexual desires, had a very embarrassing dream. It was almost pornographically obscene, and when she was woken up by her mother in the morning, she almost yelled out, ¡°You hoodlum!¡±


    But as soon as she said, ¡°ho-¡±, she saw her mother¡¯s face and her mind immediately regained some clarity. She quickly rolled around in her bed to hide her flaming red face. A few seconds later, she finished the rest of her sentence, saying, ¡°-me! Leave me at home to look after the house. I¡¯m so tired!¡±


    And then her mother ruthlessly pried the blankets off of her.


    She woke up, got dressed, ate, and greeted her relatives. For the first three days of the new year, she had to visit her relatives, dine with them, and entertain them by playing cards with them. Amidst all this hustle and bustle, Cheng Xi also had to make sure that Shen Wei was doing fine. She¡¯d been slightly troubled these last few days, mostly because her pregnancy had reached the stage where it was causing nausea. Perhaps it was her turbulent feelings that were exacerbating the degree of her nausea, but regardless of the reason, Shen Wei threw up almost everything she ate.


    Cheng Xi very much wanted to drop everything and go visit Shen Wei, but she was always busy. On the fourth day of the new year, her parents had to host a whole crowd of visitors at their house; in preparation, they had set up quite a few tables for cards, and even took over Cheng Xi¡¯s room for the day.


    Cheng Xi was forced to play a few rounds of mahjong with the guests, but was quickly kicked off of the tables for being too ¡°lucky.¡± She wasn¡¯t upset at all, and her response was to smile and say, ¡°I¡¯ll go and buy something for everyone to eat!¡± before running out the door to catch a breath of fresh air.


    She went to the supermarket and bought the snacks and drinks that were running low back at the party. As she started walking back with her bags of refreshments, she received a call from Lu Chenzhou. ¡°It¡¯s time for a date.¡±


    Cheng Xi was caught off guard. This sort of systematic wooing routine was hard for her to handle, and she tried to say, ¡°I¡¯m busy¡­¡± But before she could finish, she felt something hit her foot. When she turned around, she saw that it was Lu Chenzhou¡¯s car, which slowly following behind her.


    He was sitting inside the driver¡¯s seat, his strong jaw supported by the hand holding the steering wheel. The afternoon sunlight was warm and soft, and it framed his calm and cool face with a harmonious sense of peace.


    She dodged aside as his car stopped in front of her.


    ¡°Get in.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at the bags in her hand. ¡°I still have guests at home.¡±


    He got out and said, ¡°Give me a moment,¡± and then entered the supermarket. Not long after, he emerged with a whole slew of supermarket employees, all pushing shopping carts filled with various items like fruits, drinks, cigarettes, alcohol, sweets, snacks; all in all, there were three full shopping carts¡¯ worth of food.


    Lu Chenzhou then instructed those people to load everything into his car. Cheng Xi felt that something was amiss and cautiously asked, ¡°What are you¡­ planning on doing?¡±


    He turned around and coolly answered, ¡°Going to your place.¡± And then he added, ¡°I don¡¯t mind having our date at your home.¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked at his audacity!


    But I do mind very much, thank you!


    In her desire to stop him, she entertained the thought of yelling out, ¡°I¡¯ll go out with you!¡± And then they would lug all that food around while they went on a date on the fourth day of the new year. By this point, Cheng Xi was haggard in both heart and soul. She couldn¡¯t even dredge up the will to speak to him, and just pouted and stared outside the window like a stone statue.


    Then, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s phone rang. She heard him grunt several times before handing the phone to her. ¡°It¡¯s Baldy.¡±


    Because it was the start of the new year, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t very well reject it, so she had to stop pouting and accept the phone.


    Baldy had naturally called to give her his New Year¡¯s greetings. But after that, he said, ¡°That guy went to your apartment on the second day and stayed there for the entire day. Then, the next day, he dragged me out and made me accompany him for half a day. I asked him why he didn¡¯t just call you, and he said that you were busy¡­ This is the first time that I¡¯ve ever seen him act so caringly. I feel like I¡¯m talking to another person!¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t pay attention to Baldy¡¯s next words. She put the phone down and turned around to look at the man beside her. ¡°You came to my place on the second?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Her voice was somewhat unsteady as she asked, ¡°Because that day was a date day?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she heard him say with his stereotypical cool voice and cold tone, but with a gentleness that seemed to have been missing previously. ¡°Because I¡¯ve been thinking of you.¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 113: Danger!

    At this point in Cheng Xi¡¯s life, she had received countless love letters, and heard many confessions?¡ªshe was quite pretty, and her temperament was good; it was normal for her to be a target for many people, all right?


    But those love letters and confessions rarely ever moved her.


    Previously, she had thought that it was because she didn¡¯t love any of the people professing their love to her. However, in this moment, she learned that moving confessions weren¡¯t all that related with love; rather, it had more to do with the person¡¯s character, with how sincere and earnest their feelings were.


    Even though Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression was as calm as ever, just that tiny bit of sincerity from him was priceless.


    Because he was suffering from emotional detachment!


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t speak for a moment, and Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything either, because he was driving. But he could see that his words had touched Cheng Xi. Secretly, he thought to himself that, given her reaction, they could surely progress further in their relationship tonight, right?


    And so, he narrowed his eyes and happily decided to speed up the progression of their relationship. Perhaps after they kissed, they would get into bed together or something. But Cheng Xi¡¯s next words jerked him out of his fantasies. ¡°Let¡¯s go see Shen Wei.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Hmm?¡±


    He suspected that he had heard wrongly, but then Cheng Xi repeated her words, crisp and clear. ¡°Let¡¯s go see Shen Wei. She¡¯s responding badly to her pregnancy, vomiting out everything she eats. You should know that she wasn¡¯t feeling great before, and I¡¯m somewhat worried about her.¡±


    This was the first time that Lu Chenzhou had ever been rendered speechless by Cheng Xi¡¯s words. He simply could not fathom how his thinking about her and her worrying about Shen Wei were related.


    Cheng Xi naturally couldn¡¯t read his inner thoughts; she just instinctively felt that staying with him alone like this would be somewhat dangerous. And naturally, the best way to avoid danger was to run into a crowd.


    She even used his earlier words against him. ¡°Weren¡¯t you okay with going to my house? Then you surely wouldn¡¯t mind accompanying me to Shen Wei¡¯s place, right?¡±


    As she spoke, she slightly tilted her head towards him, purposefully revealing the small dimple on her left cheek that was so cute that it constantly tempted one to poke it. Lu Chenzhou tried to resist but was ultimately unable to do so; he stretched out a finger and poked her cheek lightly. ¡°Did I invite you out so that I could accompany you to see someone else?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled and tossed out a rejoinder. ¡°Watching a movie is also seeing someone else.¡±


    ¡­¡­He couldn¡¯t refute that!


    And so, Lu Chenzhou bedgrudgingly accompanied Cheng Xi to see Shen Wei. Because she was still trying to divorce Fu Mingyi, Shen Wei was temporarily staying at her parents¡¯ place. On the fourth day of the new year, most people¡¯s houses would be crowded and festive, but the Shen family¡¯s was unusually cold and quiet. Shen Wei¡¯s brothers and sisters-in-law weren¡¯t home, but Shen Wei¡¯s parents were. Cheng Xi called to let them know beforehand, and when they arrived, she bluntly took two fruit baskets, two boxes of tea leaves, and a few beautifully packaged gift baskets from the pile of stuff that Lu Chenzhou had bought.


    The two of them knocked on the door with their four hands filled with gifts, and when Shen Wei¡¯s mother opened the door and saw them with their hands full, she was even a bit angry. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite!¡± And then when she saw Lu Chenzhou, who was standing behind Cheng Xi, she became slightly shocked. ¡°You¡¯re from the Lu family, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was cold, but his behavior and manners were perfect. He nodded calmly. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    It was a very reserved greeting.


    Shen Wei¡¯s mother¡¯s gaze flicked back and forth between Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou a couple times, but in the end, she didn¡¯t ask why the two had come together as Cheng Xi was already asking about Shen Wei¡¯s condition. Shen Wei¡¯s mother sighed remorsefully as she replied, ¡°It would be all right if she was only suffering from nausea. However, she can¡¯t sleep well either.¡± She remained silent for a moment before continuing to say, ¡°The happier she smiles, the more worried I feel. Cheng Xi, is Shen Wei going to recover?¡±


    Cheng Xi could only comfort her. ¡°She¡¯s doing this because she doesn¡¯t want you two to worry. Do you know if she wants to keep the baby?¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s mother¡¯s face became even more worried, and she glanced at her husband, who was currently exchanging pleasantries with Lu Chenzhou, before sighing and saying, ¡°We don¡¯t even dare to ask. Rather, we don¡¯t dare to ask anything.¡±


    Cheng Xi was silent. She understood Shen Wei very well; Shen Wei liked to take care of her affairs by herself, and even if someone asked, they probably wouldn¡¯t receive any meaningful response. That day, if not for her unexpected emotional breakdown, Shen Wei probably wouldn¡¯t have revealed the existence of a third party in her relationship with Fu Mingyi to Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi quickly advised, ¡°Then let¡¯s not ask. It¡¯s just that, Mrs. Shen, you shouldn¡¯t treat her like a porcelain doll. Just treat her normally, as Shen Wei.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou and Shen Wei¡¯s father went to drink tea downstairs while Cheng Xi went upstairs to check in on Shen Wei. Once they reached the second floor, Shen Wei¡¯s mother even softened her footsteps as much as she could, whispering to Cheng Xi, ¡°She can¡¯t stand loud noises. She says that they hurt her head.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart trembled, as sound sensitivity was a common onset symptom for insomnia. Following Shen Wei¡¯s mother¡¯s example, she also lightened her footsteps as the two of them gingerly entered Shen Wei¡¯s room.


    But Shen Wei wasn¡¯t alone. Cheng Xi was extremely surprised to see Gong Hengjin sitting on the bed beside Shen Wei.


    Shen Wei was very happy to see Cheng Xi. A perfunctory glance didn¡¯t reveal anything; she seemed normal, with not even a trace of wanness or sallowness blemishing her complexion?¡ªshe even had a light layer of makeup on.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get up.¡± Cheng Xi urgently stopped her as she tenderly asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t eat anything, which is annoying.¡± Shen Wei smiled and even pouted at Cheng Xi. ¡°Actually, I vomited again just before you came in.¡±


    Cheng Xi clutched Shen Wei¡¯s hand in concern. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. And even if you can¡¯t, that¡¯s fine. I know a doctor from the gynecology department. She¡¯s great, and I¡¯m sure that she knows of a remedy for this.¡±


    Her caring words made Shen Wei smile, but as she smiled, she also lightly caressed her forehead. Seeing this, Cheng Xi naturally helped Shen Wei massage her temples. As she did so, she turned and said to Shen Wei¡¯s mother, ¡°I¡¯d like to speak to Shen Wei alone. Is that alright?¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s mother hurriedly agreed. Ever since she and Cheng Xi had entered, Gong Hengjin hadn¡¯t said anything beyond an initial greeting. At this moment, she also stood up and said, ¡°Shen Wei, since Dr. Cheng¡¯s here, I¡¯m going to go first, ok? Rest well, and I¡¯ll see you again in a few days.¡±


    Shen Wei was blissfully enjoying Cheng Xi¡¯s massage, and she didn¡¯t even open her eyes as she casually waved goodbye at Gong Hengjin.


    After everyone left, she finally opened her eyes, looking straight at Cheng Xi. ¡°What sort of gaze is that?¡±


    Cheng Xi curtly replied, ¡°A gaze of disapproval for you.¡±


    She had already forgotten that she had talked about her issues with Cheng Xi a bit, and was somewhat surprised. ¡°You¡¯ve already guessed it? Psychiatrists can really find out a lot from a little, huh.¡± Shen Wei smiled. It was a faint and cold smile. ¡°Don¡¯t tell the others. I have to make her act nice to me for a few more days so that I¡¯ll feel a bit better about all the stupid things I did in the past.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know that you know?¡±


    ¡°Yup. None of them know.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at her somewhat skeptically. Shen Wei firmly said, ¡°It¡¯s true. The two of them thought that they covered themselves up quite well, and they never expected me to find out. Ha! Unfortunately, nothing that happens in this world is untraceable. Just as geese honk, so too do actions leave traces. No plan is flawless.¡± After a moment¡¯s pause, she continued. ¡°But I will admit that they hid it pretty well, so much so that I only discovered it just now.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was calm as she consoled Shen Wei, saying, ¡°It¡¯s just that you never even thought of suspecting them before. After all, who would be so small-minded as to suspect her husband and best friend to be meeting in the dark if they don¡¯t act suspiciously?¡±


    As Cheng Xi said this, Shen Wei smiled again. ¡°You always scold people in a roundabout fashion, but why do I feel so much better when you do so?¡±


    ¡°As long as you feel better, that¡¯s good enough.¡± Cheng Xi put down Shen Wei¡¯s hands and started running her hand through the hair by Shen Wei¡¯s temples. ¡°Shen Wei, you¡¯re extremely smart, but I still have a few words for you. No army can remain victorious forever, and no water stays in a rigid form. Setbacks and failures, just like successes, are all a part of life. Having a failed marriage isn¡¯t unusual, and finding out that your friends aren¡¯t who you thought they were isn¡¯t shameful either. What¡¯s more frightening is if you get trapped in your own thoughts, and suffer through others¡¯ shameless actions to punish yourself. You should know that ruining your marriage is better than having your marriage ruin you. We¡¯re still young, and there¡¯s no need to get fixated on a boring little thing. Once we let it go, our vision will naturally expand.


    This was Cheng Xi¡¯s philosophy, so despite how stubbornly she latched onto some things, she would release them just as quickly.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 114: Pursui

    Of course Shen Wei understood Cheng Xi¡¯s advice; it was just that she was unwilling to accept the situation as it stood. She tiredly leaned against Cheng Xi¡¯s body as she grumbled, ¡°You said that you weren¡¯t going to say much, but then you went and said all that.¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°Alright, I understand. I won¡¯t ruin myself over the two of them.¡± As she said this, she gently rubbed her belly.


    That single action told Cheng Xi that Shen Wei actually still cared very much for her child, regardless of whether or not it had come at an appropriate time. And as long as she had some lingering attachments, it would all be fine as it was essentially insurance against her doing anything too extreme.


    Shen Wei really was quite tired, and Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was so gentle and soothing that she unknowingly fell asleep, still leaning against Cheng Xi¡¯s shoulder.


    Cheng Xi gently lowered Shen Wei back into the bed and watched her sleep peacefully for a while before getting up and going downstairs.


    The atmosphere was somewhat stiff there, mostly because Shen Wei¡¯s parents had never really interacted with Lu Chenzhou before. Lu Chenzhou only exacerbated this awkwardness with his holier-than-thou behavior; the end result was that whenever the three of them tried to chat, it would quickly fall flat.


    When Lu Chenzhou noticed Cheng Xi come out, his demeanor remained about the same as before, but Shen Wei¡¯s parents visibly relaxed as they enthusiastically called her over. ¡°Come sit here.¡± And then they even pushed food and drinks into her hand.


    Cheng Xi smiled as she politely declined. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯m about to leave.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± Shen Wei¡¯s mother really couldn¡¯t bear for Cheng Xi to go so soon. She hadn¡¯t realized it earlier, but Cheng Xi¡¯s presence truly comforted her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave after you have dinner with us? Where¡¯s Shen Wei? I¡¯m sure that she can¡¯t bear to see you go so soon either.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s already asleep. Mrs. Shen, if there¡¯s nothing urgent, then please don¡¯t wake her up and just let her sleep. And if you can, please spend some more time just talking to her. If her body allows it, you can even go shopping with her and help her decorate the nursery. Actually, as long as she feels healthy, you can find her something suitable to do.¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s parents were a bit shocked. ¡°Nursery? Shen Wei¡­¡­ has decided to keep the child?¡±


    ¡°I think she will.¡±


    ¡°Then she and Fu Mingyi¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°That I can¡¯t guess. But no matter what, Shen Wei isn¡¯t a headstrong person. So if you can support her, then please do.¡± The most important thing was to keep Shen Wei happy. As long as she didn¡¯t go crazy or start thinking about getting revenge on the two of them, or on society, then everything could be left up to her.


    Shen Wei¡¯s parents sighed as they replied, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we support her? All we want is for her to be happy.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. Having said her piece, she bid farewell and promptly left.


    When she left the Shen household, Cheng Xi¡¯s feelings were a bit heavy, and so she didn¡¯t notice Lu Chenzhou sneaking a few glances at her.


    Finally, Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and straightforwardly asked, ¡°Are you always like this after holding a therapy session?¡±


    Cheng Xi became reinvigorated when she heard his question. In response, she shook her head and said with a troubled expression, ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m just more worried about Shen Wei. I feel like she¡¯s planning something big.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou indifferently said, ¡°Given how old she is, I¡¯m sure that she can bear the consequences of her own actions. Why worry about her?¡±


    Cheng Xi turned around to look at him.


    When Lu Chenzhou had said this callous statement, his tone had been calm, his eyes bright, and his expression unperturbed. Evidently, he didn¡¯t think that Cheng Xi had any legitimate reason to worry about Shen Wei.


    A pang of sympathy moved Cheng Xi¡¯s heart, and she fixed her expression as she asked, ¡°Then if something happened to that big baldy, would you worry about him?¡±


    Her phrase ¡®that big baldy¡¯ made Lu Chenzhou smile slightly, but without even thinking about his response, he said, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s his business.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­But don¡¯t you help him out at times? I remember that during the last time I talked to him, he said that he wanted to thank you because you did him a big favor.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s example made Lu Chenzhou chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s because it benefitted me as well.¡± He then asked her, ¡°Do you benefit from helping Shen Wei?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± When Cheng Xi saw Lu Chenzhou getting ready to open his mouth again, she quickly continued. ¡°But if she can get better, then as a friend, I¡¯ll be happy for her, and as a doctor, I¡¯ll feel accomplished.¡±


    There was a red light ahead of them, and as Lu Chenzhou braked, he also jeered at her. ¡°She can make you happy and give you a sense of accomplishment?¡±


    His tone was calm, but hidden within that calmness was a bit of shock, a shock that clearly revealed Lu Chenzhou¡¯s feelings towards her words. Lu Chenzhou looked askance at her as if she were an idiot.


    Cheng Xi was very protective of her friends, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s behavior seriously upset her. ¡°Of course she can!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tongue then really became vicious. ¡°Ha! She¡¯s a stupid idiot who would go insane over something as small as that. Why on earth would you feel happy for someone like that?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless at the sheer callousness of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words!


    It seemed that discussing emotions with a patient suffering from emotional detachment was just making life difficult for herself. So instead, Cheng Xi changed how she approached the subject. ¡°Then, if you were Shen Wei, what would you do?¡±


    The red light turned green, and Lu Chenzhou accelerated smoothly as he stared at the road ahead. ¡°I¡¯ll destroy all that he cares about and take back what¡¯s rightfully mine. What else could I do?¡±


    Cheng Xi could faintly feel a savage bloodthirst in his words and couldn¡¯t help but blink twice in surprise. ¡°I¡­¡­ I haven¡¯t offended you, have I?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou thought for a moment before turning around and grinning at her with all of his teeth exposed. ¡°Yes, you have.¡±


    She was very shocked. ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Does changing our date plans on your own count?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t count. I already obtained your approval.¡± She very much wanted to directly head home, but now, she could only say, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go watch a movie together?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou actually didn¡¯t object. Cheng Xi looked up some tickets online, but she found that the only ones available were in the early morning. Reluctant to do so, she asked quietly, ¡°Can we get food instead?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou ignored her request this time, instead driving to Donglai Hotel. Once they arrived, some attendants came over to receive them, and as Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou walked inside, they reported, ¡°Director Lu, we¡¯ve prepared everything.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what he was planning, and just walked alongside him. As they were walking, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother called, saying that everyone was going to go out and get a meal together and asking where she was.


    Cheng Xi vaguely brushed it off with an excuse about how she was busy and couldn¡¯t go back. She asked them to just eat without her, and then also asked her mom to help her apologize to her relatives and friends.


    As she was saying all this, Lu Chenzhou suddenly leaned towards her and said, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    Cheng Xi was startled and hurriedly tried to cover up the microphone.


    But her mother had already heard his voice, and started yelling. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    Cheng Xi slammed the phone shut and quickly put it back into her pocket. Her expression after recovering from a slight shock contained a sliver of self-deceiving foolishness. Lu Chenzhou found it so cute that his lips unconsciously curled up slightly; as he did so, a wisp of gentleness seeped into his fair and handsome features like the pure mountain snow after the first spring thaw.


    Cheng Xi awkwardly touched the corners of her mouth as she looked around. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    She had been at Donglai a few times now, but only to three places: the cafe, the office, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s room.


    This location was entirely new to her. It seemed just like a private room in a restaurant as it was exquisitely decorated, but it also seemed like an entrance to somewhere.


    Lu Chenzhou made a grand gesture, inviting her in. The doors to the room opened, and she followed him in. Inside was a spherical room with elegant and refined interior decorations, a table, chairs, and exquisite refreshments ready to be served.


    Cheng Xi originally thought that this was just a place for dining, but then she saw the doors close. Lu Chenzhou briskly walked further inside of the room and pulled the thick curtains apart.


    Behind the curtains was a huge wall of glass, and behind the glass was just a blue¡­¡­ screen of water. ¡°Are we underwater?¡± She asked, quite shocked.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond, merely looking at her silently. Once she walked over, he snapped his fingers, and then the room suddenly turned dark, all the lights clicking off at the same time.


    As the darkness settled in, Cheng Xi remained still, not daring to move. She saw that a lamp had been lit beyond the water screen; the lamplight felt remote and seemed far away, but then, the light intensified and grew larger, causing the screen of water to become a huge curtain. Above the curtain was the sky, vast and boundless, while the colorful, dazzling lights shimmering overhead were like an aurora. As the sparkling lights mixed and weaved together, they created a scene that looked just like fireworks in the night sky; the whole display had a sense of elegance and beauty that caught the spirit, as if its charm was something one could grab by extending their arm.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s waist tightened at the beautiful scene as Lu Chenzhou suddenly hugged her, turned her face around, and kissed her against that magnificent backdrop.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 115: Don’t Tease Me Like That!

    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t kiss Cheng Xi for very long, and actually released her before she could react to his move.


    She had to admit, this kiss was pretty decent. Cheng Xi had always felt that she wouldn¡¯t like to fall for someone that easily. Case in point, when she broke up with Lin Fan, she didn¡¯t feel all that upset; she even truly believed that she might end up like her professor Cai Yi, dedicating her life to medicine and to her patients.


    But this kiss by Lu Chenzhou made her realize that she didn¡¯t actually subconsciously reject Lu Chenzhou as her boyfriend, and she wasn¡¯t even repulsed by being intimate with him.


    Furthermore, under the resplendent backdrop, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s already handsome face was enhanced with a soft glow, giving his skin the healthy appearance of a well-toasted bun, one that she wanted to take a bite out of.


    Cheng Xi tried hard not to drool too much, but this was extremely difficult! He was so close to her that their foreheads were about to touch; she could even smell his clean scent and the rich smell of his male pheromones.


    She involuntarily thought back to the pornographic, shameful dream that she had had on New Year¡¯s Eve. And then in her moment of weakness, Lu Chenzhou asked her, ¡°Do you like the view?¡±


    His voice was low and hoarse, sexy and titillating.


    Cheng Xi tried to remain calm. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou directly said, ¡°I mean me.¡± He tilted her jaw up with one hand, making her look at him. Meanwhile, his other hand grabbed her hand and guided it to drape across his sculpted jaw, past his fine and slight Adam¡¯s apple and his lean but strong chest, until it finally reached his narrow waist. He then squeezed her fingers and made them press hard against his equally hard abs. He remembered that her glance had lingered in that area earlier for a few seconds; her face flushed a deep red. ¡°Do I look good?¡±


    Unable to resist her own desires, Cheng Xi¡¯s face turned red again. By that time, the light from the water screen had slowly dissipated, and the screen had turned into the dark cosmos, shining stars blinking amidst the darkness.


    This was more than just a light show?¡ªthis date was also a test of extreme endurance for Cheng Xi¡¯s mind!


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t a coy person. When she realized that her feelings had already gone out of control, she didn¡¯t waste more energy struggling to control it. Instead, even with a red face, she tried hard to calmly say, ¡°Yes, you look good.¡± And then after a brief pause, she continued to say, ¡°The room¡¯s very beautiful, you¡¯re also beautiful, and your physique is even more beautiful.¡± When people feel anxious, they can relieve some of the tension by talking more. With her free hand, Cheng Xi gently touched Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face as she asked, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, do you know what the term is for someone who uses a face as handsome as yours and an expression as cool and calm as yours to tease someone?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou pursed his lips, not answering. He was certain that this was a leading question, and that whatever term she was thinking of would be derogatory.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind, and she answered her own question. ¡°Byronic. Do you know what a Byronic hero is? He¡¯s someone who¡¯s as beautiful and eye-catching as a masterpiece drawing, someone who dresses well and constantly wears an elegant, erudite expression. However, he¡¯s also someone who, despite that refined appearance, speaks vulgarly and does vulgar things. These men, who display a stark contrast between their actions and their appearance, are supposedly very popular among women. They disregard everything to rush up and push you down, to tear your clothes apart, to pull off your mask of pride and arrogance, to make you fall deeply into the affairs of regular human beings, where you¡¯re inextricably mired yet still unable and unwilling to free yourself.¡± After this outburst, she suddenly pulled tightly on his collar and bit down fiercely on his lower jaw, grinding her teeth as she somewhat viciously said, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, as dashing as you are, don¡¯t try to tease me like this, alright?¡±


    Cheng Xi only wanted to interact with Lu Chenzhou as a patient, so that he would quickly scram after being treated. She simply had no confidence in keeping a man like him.


    Lu Chenzhou tilted his head curiously. In the moments after Cheng Xi bit him, a layer of goosebumps had rapidly risen along the path that her teeth had traced upon his body. Before, this had been an instinctive reaction that represented the revulsion he felt towards other people touching him. But now, this represented pure excitement.


    He clamped down on this newfound excitement as he disparaged her. ¡°And so what if I tease you?¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t be responsible for the consequences!¡± Cheng Xi responded without a trace of hesitation.


    He laughed, a light, low and throaty laugh. And underneath the starry sky, he once again lowered his head and kissed her lips.


    She heard him softly whisper, ¡°Then don¡¯t take responsibility. I will.¡±


    Cheng Xi found it agonizingly difficult for her to resist the charm of a mature man and his repeated sincere advances.


    Or perhaps it was that the starlight was truly beautiful. Even if it were fake, she also deeply desired to experience a romantic encounter at least once in her life, especially when the man wooing her was so breathtakingly beautiful.


    Cheng Xi shut her eyes, temporarily putting aside all thoughts of illnesses and patients, and even of how rational Lu Chenzhou was?¡ªeven if he only saw her as a piece of driftwood or even a piece of straw, she would accept it in this moment.


    Ever since Baldy had told her that Lu Chenzhou had waited outside her door for an entire day, ever since she had heard him say ¡°I missed you,¡± her heart had been touched.


    She¡­¡­ was actually also very desolate, just like the aurora that lay at the farthest ends of the world, just like the starry sky that extended beyond the Milky Way and into the cold universe.


    The stars were so small; perhaps all they could do was sink into the nothingness of space.


    ¡­¡­


    Cheng Xi was woken up by her phone¡¯s ringing. After countless missed calls, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had deviously decided to send her a video call instead.


    The phone was in her shirt pocket, and while the two of them had been rolling around (?!) in bed, the call had somehow connected!


    And then she heard her mother¡¯s penetrating shrill voice. ¡°Cheng Xi! What on earth are you doing?!¡±


    Cheng Xi was so shocked that she shivered briefly before her fear took over. She shoved Lu Chenzhou aside and frantically climbed out of bed, only to find that, despite her clothes and jacket being worn properly, her undershirt was completely unbuttoned. She quickly and clumsily dealt with her clothes before slipping her hand into her shirt pocket and turning the screen off.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s demonic voice finally vanished.


    Only then did Cheng Xi relax, and only then did she realize that they had actually ended up on a bed! A bed? She automatically asked, ¡°Why is there a bed here?¡± She then turned around and saw that the room they had entered earlier was past another door. Evidently, this room was designed as a suite, and it was very likely to be a suite designed for couples.


    After enjoying a good meal and enjoying the scenery, then, while their spirits were high, he had done something to her in bed. How shameless!


    Cheng Xi buttoned herself up as the previously shoved aside Lu Chenzhou climbed closer to her; he seemed reluctant to let her go, and even wanted to push her down again.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t struggle, and instead patted his face brusquely. ¡°I have to go back now.¡± He ignored her, his hand slipping into her clothes, clearly still unsatisfied?¡ªthe truth was that the two hadn¡¯t done much. They had just kissed and entered the room, with their clothes still partially on, when Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had interrupted them.


    But Cheng Xi had a foolproof method to stop Lu Chenzhou in his tracks. She confidently said, ¡°Neither of us have even bathed yet, and I spent the whole day visiting my relatives, so I¡¯m all sweaty. And after that, I played cards, bought snacks, and even rubbed Shen Wei¡¯s face.¡± She looked at him earnestly. ¡°Do you really want to continue?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was yet again at a loss for words.


    The hand that he had snuck into her clothes quickly removed itself, and his infatuated gaze quickly cleared up. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help herself from wanting to laugh, because it was quite ironic that the key to his aloofness and unusually austere behavior was the same key to stopping him cold.


    If she stayed here any longer, then she was sure that something would happen! So, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t dare to stay, and took advantage of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s still muddled senses to quickly jump off of the bed and quickly put on her clothes.


    Lu Chenzhou remained where he was, by the head of the bed, unmoving, just like the first time they had been in this position. That morning, she had woken up early and cleaned up after herself while he coolly looked down at her from a high vantage point.


    However, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t dare poke him anymore, and as she tidied herself up, she even tried to make idle conversation with him to ease the awkwardness. ¡°Have you been reading any new books these last few days?¡± It felt like his techniques for picking up girls had matured greatly, both in terms of his words and his actions.


    Before this, whenever he got in the mood for ¡°it,¡± he would directly strip without any foreplay!


    Lu Chenzhou seemed to be quite disgusted with what she¡¯d had just asked him, and lazily replied, ¡°Xu Po¡¯s girlfriends recommended me quite a lot of novels. They¡¯re all something like, ¡®The CEO¡¯s Private Lover,¡¯ ¡¯The Boss¡¯s Romantic Sweetheart,¡¯ and so on and so forth. There¡¯s a whole pile of them.¡±


    Cheng Xi made a o(¨s¡õ¨t)o face as she thought to herself, ¡­What?!


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 116: How Shameful!

    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t hesitate at all before going up to Lu Chenzhou and taking his pulse.


    Thankfully, even though it had been a while since their kiss, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s heart rate was clearly elevated, and his body wasn¡¯t as cold as it usually was.


    Yes, he had clearly experienced emotions just then.


    Lu Chenzhou easily understood what she was doing, and he started smiling, his eyes curving into beautiful crescents. ¡°How stupid,¡± he said in a belittling tone as he used his long arm to pull her back into bed and underneath him. ¡°Do you really believe everything I say? Did you really think that I would read such trashy books, whose titles alone sound idiotic?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. But if your earlier actions were just something born from skill and technique, then wouldn¡¯t that make me too easy of a target?¡±


    Actually, what she really wanted to say instead of ¡®just something born from skill and technique¡¯ was ¡®just a script that you followed¡¯?¡ªthis fellow¡¯s brain was just like a calculator. After identifying a goal, he would work solely to achieve that goal, putting any notions of emotions or morals aside. After Cheng Xi expressed interest in having him woo her, he similarly became interested and decided to do it. To this end, he had come up with all sorts of tricks and ruses, but they were all in pursuit of this final goal, and nothing else.


    As for actual, genuine emotions, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t find the space to consider them at this moment.


    But Cheng Xi was already quite satisfied with his progress?¡ªat the very least, his feelings seemed to now have some slight physiological effects. However, she didn¡¯t know if Lu Chenzhou understood the deeper meaning behind her words. His lips were cold, and he wasn¡¯t speaking. Instead, he was rudely trying to unbutton her blouse again, but from a combination of Cheng Xi¡¯s resisting and his using too much strength, he even broke off two of her buttons by accident.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face fell flat: £þ-£þ


    Lu Chenzhou stilled for a moment before he comically tried to put the buttons back onto her clothes. But when he found that they no longer stuck to the fabric, he started pondering the situation silently.


    Cheng Xi just lay there underneath him. When she saw the struggle on his face about what to do, she felt unable to watch any further. But just as she was about to tell him to forget it, that it didn¡¯t matter if her blouse was missing some buttons, he said, ¡°Take it off and have someone sew them back on. That¡¯ll be just enough time for us to take a bath.¡±


    After coming up with a suitable excuse, he promptly started trying to strip her clothes off. He moved so quickly that Cheng Xi was stuck halfway between anger and amusement at the absurdity of it; she dodged around as she said, ¡°Wait, wait, wait. I can do it myself. This is a dining area?¡ªwhere would we even bathe?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou paused briefly, and in that moment, he must have touched something hidden somewhere because Cheng Xi then saw the left wall, which was displaying a landscape painting, slowly roll up to reveal a washroom hidden behind it.


    It also had a natural design, with a heated pool that encompassed a rather significant area.


    Cheng Xi was struck dumb ¡­¡­Just how much did this all even cost?


    ¡°Are we really at the bottom of the river?¡± She asked this question again. It was a natural one because Donglai was close to the Mei river, but then she remembered the reason behind the Donglai Hotel¡¯s fame; according to the ads she¡¯d seen, it was the country¡¯s first aquatic sci-fi hotel.


    Lu Chenzhou shook his head before he pulled out a remote control from the side. Once he pressed a button, the entire scene of the washroom changed. This time, the theme was terrestrial: there was a forest all around them, and it even had extremely realistic bird chirps and animal howls! If she had been distracted for even a moment, she might really have thought that they were in a bed in some large forest!


    When Lu Chenzhou noticed her interest in the adjustable environment settings, he started flipping through the landscapes one by one; after the forest came a burning desert, then a long river amidst the setting sun, an endless grasslands, and the most fantastical one was set in outer space. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know how such special effects were made, but when the landscape changed to outer space, it felt like even the bed was rocking and shifting beneath her.


    Cheng Xi¡­¡­ Cheng Xi suddenly realized that she was still underneath him, and when the bed shook, the two of them also started rocking around! How shameful!


    Lu Chenzhou was entranced by her blushing red face, and couldn¡¯t help himself from caressing it with his hands. As they rocked back and forth, he explained, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s all just made from 3D effects, and it¡¯s targeted towards those who want to pretend to be wild soldiers but are afraid of actual danger.¡±


    Cheng Xi had no response.


    In order to make it clear that she wasn¡¯t someone who enjoyed or would participate in such ¡®battlefield operations,¡¯ Cheng Xi firmly pushed Lu Chenzhou off of her. The latter removed himself quite unwillingly, and even futilely said, ¡°We can continue after we wash up!¡± But Cheng Xi said that she was hungry, and after they ate, she then had to go back.


    Cheng Xi had to go back because after her parents had finished dinner and sent their relatives away, they made Cheng Yang drive them into the city to search for her.


    However, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t let Lu Chenzhou drop her off. Instead, she called for a taxi herself. Mr. Lu had a remarkable intellect but a remarkably low emotional quotient; when Cheng Xi said to not send her off, he didn¡¯t insist on doing so as he probably thought that this wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    After Cheng Xi finally got home, she was immediately interrogated by both of her parents. ¡°Something really did come up! Ever since Shen Wei became pregnant, she hasn¡¯t been doing well. She¡¯s been unable to eat or sleep, so her parents called me over. I really had no choice but to go.¡± And then Cheng Xi said that she had been accompanying Shen Wei this whole time, and was unable to answer her phone because Shen Wei¡¯s emotions were too unstable. She even offered to call Shen Wei¡¯s mother¡¯s as a witness, telling them, ¡°You can call them to confirm it. I¡¯m serious.¡±


    Her expression was sincere.


    Her parents begrudgingly believed her because they couldn¡¯t really call Shen Wei¡¯s parents, could they? But they still didn¡¯t let her off the hook, and they instead shifted topics to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°If he didn¡¯t do anything with you during the New Year¡¯s, then he clearly doesn¡¯t think of you seriously. Thus, I think you might as well drop this matter.¡± The key thing was that Cheng Yang had told them about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s background. Although the Lu family wasn¡¯t as well-known in the suburbs, Cheng Xi¡¯s parents still knew of his family. Even though they did feel better about Lu Chenzhou as a potential son-in-law, they also felt that there was no need for Cheng Xi to try to jump so high up on the pecking order. After all, they prioritized their daughter¡¯s future happiness.


    In fact, the main reason why they had rushed over so hurriedly tonight was to emphasize this matter.


    Cheng Xi naturally agreed with whatever they said. Her relationship with Lu Chenzhou was too complicated to explain, and given the current stage of their relationship, it was also unnecessary to explain it.


    By the time they were done talking, it had gotten very late in the night, and Cheng Xi had to work out the sleeping situation for everyone. Her place only had two bedrooms and a single living room. Her parents would take the guest room, so Cheng Yang had no other option but to sleep in the living room.


    Luckily for him, the living room had a heater, and this spring was quite warm. So, Cheng Yang wouldn¡¯t freeze even if he was a bit uncomfortable.


    After their parents retired to their room for the night, the two siblings had their own conversation. Cheng Yang and Shen Wei were more or less acquaintances, and the two even had some business connections, so he started off by asking about her condition. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t really reveal much about Fu Mingyi, so she vaguely replied, ¡°It¡¯s somewhat awkward for her to receive visitors right now, so it¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t go visit her.¡±


    Cheng Yang nodded before suddenly asking, ¡°Did you go to the Donglai Hotel tonight?¡±


    No matter how skilled Cheng Xi was at psychiatry, she still couldn¡¯t fully conceal her own emotions. Caught off guard, she could only eventually truthfully reply, ¡°Yes. How did you know?¡±


    ¡°My friend was eating there and he saw you.¡± Cheng Yang looked at his sister, his tone severe. ¡°Is there really nothing going on between you and Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    Cheng Xi fell silent. Before tonight, she could have firmly claimed that there was nothing going on between them, and that she was only treating him as a special patient. But after the night¡¯s events, she clearly knew that their relationship wasn¡¯t that simply described.


    After thinking it over briefly, she cautiously said, ¡°If there¡¯s something, then I might not reject it.¡±


    Cheng Yang¡¯s expression became somewhat complicated, as he probably wanted to congratulate her but did not know where to start. After quite a while, he finally said, ¡°The Lu family isn¡¯t a regular family, and Lu Chenzhou isn¡¯t a regular person.¡± He was silent for another stretch of time before asking, ¡°Have you met his family?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded.


    ¡°He¡­¡­ has a brother. Have you met him too?¡±


    Cheng Xi raised her head, surprised.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 117: She Gave Herself to Me

    ¡°You¡¯ve investigated him?¡± This ¡°him¡± was referring to Lu Chenzhou. It wasn¡¯t strange for Cheng Xi to think this, because Lu Chenming was still in school. As a businessman, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for Cheng Yang to know of Lu Chenzhou, but him knowing Lu Chenming was a bit strange.


    Cheng Yang paused for a moment before quickly inflating with confidence and vigorously declaring, ¡°Of course! I only have one sister! Don¡¯t I have to be more careful?¡±


    Cheng Xi harrumphed in annoyance. ¡°Lying again!¡±


    Cheng Yang desperately thought to himself, ¡­¡­What can I do?! He was used to making these moves all the time in his business dealings, but he had to be very careful with his words at home; when he was faced with Cheng Xi¡¯s pellucid gaze that refused to let him get away with even the smallest thing, he could only touch his nose in shame and admit, ¡°I wanted to do business with the Lu family in the past, so I thought of some ways to form connections with them. Lu Chenzhou is particularly hard to get close to, so I asked someone to investigate the people around him to see if there were any easier targets.¡±


    ¡°And what did you find?¡± But as soon as Cheng Xi said this, she suddenly remembered the answer to her own question. ¡°Not only did you find something, but you even found the target that you were looking for, didn¡¯t you? I remember that your engineering project in Hainan was from the Lu family.¡±


    This engineering project in Hainan was the project that Cheng Yang had been working on right before the start of the new year. He had never mentioned it before, but Cheng Xi had suddenly recalled that the backdrop of one of his work photos on his social media feed was the banner of the Donglai corporation.


    Cheng Yang begrudgingly admitted to it. ¡°You do have quite the good memory.¡± He then sighed before explaining, ¡°I did do that project, but I wasn¡¯t the one who obtained the contract. I bought it off of someone else, and even had to fork over a large intermediary fee to him.¡± Afraid that Cheng Xi was going to keep pressing him for information, he hurriedly said, ¡°So since you¡¯re on really good terms with Lu Chenzhou now, please don¡¯t forget about me.¡± He grabbed her hand and rubbed it greedily. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about your dear brother when you make it rich.¡±


    Cheng Xi pulled her hand back as if she were about to slap him in the face.


    Cheng Yang chuckled. As the two siblings messed with each other, Cheng Xi suddenly heard her mother calling for her.


    Cheng Xi went into the guest room and immediately saw that the guest room¡¯s cupboard was wide open. Her parents were both stock-still in their pajamas, as if they had just seen a frightening creature come out of the cupboard.


    Cheng Xi peeked in. Ah, oh dear. The big red blanket that Lu Chenzhou had used to wrap up his nude body as a present was still there! Cheng Xi¡¯s mother walked over, pointed at the blanket, and asked, ¡°When did you buy this?¡±


    Actually, the blanket wasn¡¯t the problem; its color was the real issue. Cheng Xi¡¯s taste had never included such bright colors. She might have one or two red pieces of clothing to match with the rest of her outfit. But with regards to a blanket, and especially to this sort of big, red blanket that was normally only bought for a marriage or a particularly joyous occasion, Cheng Xi wouldn¡¯t buy something like that even if she weren¡¯t thinking straight!


    But what she said was, ¡°I¡­¡­ I bought it when I wasn¡¯t thinking straight.¡±


    And then her infuriated mother yelled, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t buy something like this even if you weren¡¯t thinking straight! Is this something that you think can be explained away by that silly excuse? This damn thing is something that you only use when you get married! Tell us, did you already secretly get married with that dolt?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was so mad that her imagination was running rampant, causing her to even start cursing! And the more she thought about it, the more sense her theory made to her, and she even started running around the entire apartment, trying to unearth evidence that Cheng Xi had gotten secretly married without telling her family.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had never forcefully searched through Cheng Xi¡¯s belongings in this fashion before: Cheng Xi had always been an obedient child, a diligent student, and a responsible adult. It was only in the last two years that Cheng Xi¡¯s parents had started worrying about her relationships; before that, they had never really interfered with her life. As a result, when they did get serious, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t really do anything to stop them. As for Cheng Yang, the siblings usually teamed up to get away from their parents¡¯ nagging, but he didn¡¯t want to join in to just attract their attention and be scolded for not having any relationship progress.


    Cheng Xi looked pitifully towards her father for help, but just one sentence from him caused her mother to turn on him too.


    Helpless, Cheng Xi could only concede to her mother¡¯s fury. Her mother scolded all of them, and finally, Cheng Xi even had to call Lu Chenzhou.


    Once the call connected, she was stripped of the privilege of speaking. Her mother took over the phone, and personally talked to Lu Chenzhou. Of course, her mother¡¯s tone was still quite kindly; in order to not lose her daughter any face, she didn¡¯t act too brusquely. She steered the conversation through a tortuous line of small talk before finally saying, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, given that you¡¯ve been with my daughter for this long, why don¡¯t we officially meet up?¡±


    She hadn¡¯t asked for the two families to meet up, but rather just him and her family.


    Lu Chenzhou was unusually patient with Cheng Xi¡¯s mother. Even though he thought that her call was a bit random and out of the blue, when he recalled the romance books that he¡¯d read, he was about to take a treasure away from her hands. Thus, it was only natural for him to act nicer to her.


    And so, when Cheng Xi¡¯s mother requested for them meet up, Lu Chenzhou decisively agreed without any hesitation, and even made sure to choose a date that wasn¡¯t the sixth?¡ªthat day was supposed to be a date day for him and Cheng Xi, and he¡¯d force it through even if it were raining frogs outside.


    After Cheng Xi¡¯s mother confirmed the time for the meetup with Lu Chenzhou, she became paranoid about her daughter colluding with him and coming up with a fake story. So, not only did she confiscate Cheng Xi¡¯s phone, but she even slept with Cheng Xi during the night, and she even came up with a decent excuse for doing so: your brother¡¯s so tall that it wouldn''t be good for him to sleep on the sofa.


    Cheng Xi had suffered through so much torment over the course of the day that she had no energy left to rebuff her mother. Giving up, she just accepted whatever her mother said. Originally, because of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s thoughtful and romantic behavior, she had been a bit happy inside, but after all of this hassle, those feelings had long since disappeared. The only desire on her mind now was to sleep.


    And when she woke up, she realized, Ah, today¡¯s the fifth.


    Cheng Xi was very impressed with how much trouble her mother was willing to go through to cause trouble. However, she had no choice in this matter, and she even had to wake up early to try to curry favor with her mother. After breakfast, she proactively said, ¡°Ma, since we have some free time, let¡¯s go shopping, buy some nice outfits, and get our hair done. You¡¯ve worked hard all year long, so when you have time off, you should take care of yourself.¡±


    Her parents worked in their diner every day for the whole year. In terms of eating, they were doing fine, but their appearance left much to be desired, as they were not even willing to wear the new clothes that Cheng Yang and Cheng Xi had bought for them.


    Cheng Yang also helped her out in trying to convince their mom. ¡°That¡¯s right! If you dress up well, Dad¡¯ll look at you with fresh eyes.¡±


    But that only provoked his mother¡¯s scolding. ¡°What do you mean? Are you resenting me for nagging at you? Are you saying that I¡¯m old, garrulous, stale, and that your dad should swap me for someone fresher?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s father, who had been innocently lazing around, was attacked out of nowhere. ¡­¡­How unjust!


    Cheng Xi knew that her mother was just taking her anger out on her brother, so she put in some real effort to comfort her. Only after bringing up Lu Chenzhou and the Lu family did her anger finally abate.


    As the family left the apartment, Cheng Yang and Cheng Xi sighed from the front. ¡°Our mother¡¯s so hard to please. It feels like our mother¡¯s transformed into a wicked stepmother just because we haven¡¯t found partners and gotten married yet.¡±


    Meanwhile, Cheng Xi¡¯s father was saying to his wife from the back, ¡°This wasn¡¯t what we planned¡­ And why did you also start scolding me?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother gave him a supercilious look. ¡°Look at how good the results were! Didn¡¯t Cheng Xi obediently schedule a meeting for us and little Lu after? Even when we harried her before in the past, she didn¡¯t treat it as something important. We were definitely too nice to them before!¡±


    After thinking about it for a moment, Cheng Xi¡¯s father sighed in defeat. Yes, she was right. So, he continued to act out the role of the good cop to his wife¡¯s bad cop, all the way until they successfully met Lu Chenzhou.


    Lu Chenzhou had come alone, bearing a large number of gifts while also dressed cleanly and neatly. He was wearing a buttoned up jacket that could have come from a uniform. That, combined with his calm, handsome, and austere face, gave off an elegant, noble, and gracious demeanor, completely unlike the dolt who had casually stripped naked in someone else¡¯s home.


    Cheng Yang didn¡¯t come because he had prior plans, so besides Lu Chenzhou, it was just Cheng Xi and her parents. When Lu Chenzhou arrived, his appearance left all three of them somewhat dazed.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s father was the first to react; he stepped in front of his wife and daughter as he said with a stern face, ¡°You¡¯re really Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    In a cool but not impolite tone, Lu Chenzhou replied, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s nice to meet you, and Happy New Year to both of you.¡± And then he waved his hands, first giving them his prepared gifts.


    He was quite adept at choosing appropriate gifts. They were not too expensive, but were clearly very presentable. ¡°These are just a few trinkets, not as valuable as what Cheng Xi has given me.¡±


    Cheng Xi immediately thought, ¡­¡­What valuable thing have I given him?


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents curiously asked, ¡°What did Cheng Xi give you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked straight at Cheng Xi. He was sitting solemnly on the other side of the table; his posture was straight, and his bearing upright and unafraid as he very seriously and severely said, ¡°She gave herself to me.¡±


    Cheng Xi and her family opened their eyes in shock!!!


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 118: Do You Really Like Me?

    Cheng Xi immediately blurted out, ¡°Don¡¯t speak such nonsense¡­¡­¡± But she was silenced with one hand from her mom.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother stared at Lu Chenzhou in horror, as if she were about to collapse. ¡°Have you two gotten married yet?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t understand why Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was asking this, but he insipidly replied, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then just what do those words of yours mean?!¡±


    A faint hint of shyness appeared on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face?¡ªso faint that the three of them wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if they weren¡¯t attentively staring at him.


    A very bad premonition surfaced in Cheng Xi¡¯s heart. She was about to open her mouth to stop him, but she was too late. ¡°I meant that she¡¯s willing to get into bed with me now.¡±


    Cheng Xi thought, ¡­¡­Did you have to be so direct?!


    While Cheng Xi¡¯s parents couldn¡¯t even think of a reply.


    They seemed to have lost all of their HP¡ªboth of them were sitting there stunned with indignant red faces, wanting to roar out in defiance. Who on earth would say something that directly?! And someone like you, whose relationship with our daughter is still undetermined¡­ For you to say something like that in front of us, her parents, are you really trying to be beaten to death?


    Lu Chenzhou blinked, and was surprised to see the three people in front of him show signs of extreme agitation. He raised his eyebrows in confusion. Should I not have said those words?


    His experience in interacting with a ¡®girlfriend¡¯s¡¯ family was really just too limited. In his own family, his mother had died early while his father had never cared about these kinds of things. Although his grandparents did ask a lot of questions, Lu Chenzhou always answered them simply and roughly.


    Case in point, his grandmother loved asking him, ¡°How¡¯s your relationship with Dr. Cheng going?¡±


    He would mechanically answer, ¡°chasing after her,¡± ¡°kissed her,¡± and ¡°can try to get into bed with her.¡±


    After trying to ask him a few times, his grandmother didn¡¯t dare ask again, because the answers were growing more and more provocative. Instead, she decided to just happily wait for the outcome.


    Lu Chenzhou innocently thought that Cheng Xi¡¯s parents would behave the same as his grandmother, so he described the situation truthfully. No matter what, honesty was a virtue. Even when he conducted business, he particularly disliked roundabout discussions where each party gave evasive answers. Instead, he preferred to straightforwardly delineate his bottom line. If the business deal worked out for both of them, great; if not, that was also fine. He hated it people who just kept blabbering on the most.


    And since he was accustomed to everyone indulging in his preferences, Mr. Lu really didn¡¯t understand how to be indirect, and him spending this much effort to chase after Cheng Xi was already an abnormal venture for him. Of course, it could also be interpreted that he immensely enjoyed doing so; otherwise, he would have just done what he did before: sign a contract and save himself all that trouble!


    And so, Cheng Xi¡¯s pitiful parents received a tremendous shock¡ªit was so bad that they were unable to regain their senses for quite a while: they simply didn¡¯t know how to respond to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s brazen words!


    They were angry, but their words remained choked up in their chests.


    Finally, Cheng Xi stood up. She was exasperated, but she was at least mentally prepared for a situation like this, so she quickly recovered from her shock and regained her calmness?¡ªwhat else could she do? All he had done was say his inner thoughts out loud.


    But she also didn¡¯t have any way to soften the impact of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words, so she could only attempt to nicely placate her parents. ¡°We haven¡¯t done anything inappropriate so far, have we? Mom, please stop worrying.¡± She placed her hand on top of her mother¡¯s hand, her tone earnest. ¡°We know what we¡¯re doing, so please trust me, mom.¡±


    Her face was still flushed red, which somewhat lowered her credibility. However, she had at least found an excuse for her parents to extricate themselves from this conversation. They gladly accepted as they didn¡¯t dare prod at this topic anymore, not even at the big red blanket¡ªwho knew what shocking thing would come from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mouth next time? Her mother glared at Cheng Xi, hissed, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you later,¡± from the side of her mouth, and then looked toward Lu Chenzhou as she asked, ¡°What are your future plans?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou calmly responded that he planned on marrying Cheng Xi. Perhaps his earlier shocking remarks had conditioned Cheng Xi¡¯s parents, but they actually both released a deep breath after hearing his relatively normal response.


    After this, the meeting between Lu Chenzhou and Cheng Xi¡¯s parents finally returned to normal, and next, her parents asked if his family knew about the relationship between the two of them.


    Lu Chenzhou replied, ¡°Yes, they know.¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re supportive of it?¡±


    Even Cheng Xi¡¯s father, who normally spoke very little, solemnly stated, ¡°I won¡¯t dance around the topic. There¡¯s a very wide gap between the statuses of our two families, both in terms of social and financial positions. Our Cheng Xi has worked very hard for herself, and all we¡¯ve ever wanted is for her to be happy, not to clamber around for wealth or position. Even if this means her not marrying, we won¡¯t let her suffer even a bit of grievance.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s father was very earnest and mindful of the differences between them, and Cheng Xi noticed that after Lu Chenzhou heard her father¡¯s words, he stilled a little. This was the first true emotional response that he had given tonight, and she noted it down in her heart.


    Lu Chenzhou had already lowered his gaze, and after a while, he coolly replied, ¡°I won¡¯t let her suffer any grievances. I want to marry her, and I definitely won¡¯t let her suffer if we do so.¡±


    His words were spoken calmly, and his expression was also calm; however, it was this calmness that made his words feel heartfelt. This, along with the dash of pride and arrogance that was unique to him, gave his words a reliable feeling?¡ªwouldn¡¯t he be able to protect his own woman?


    And with that, they were essentially done talking. The food was served, and they began to eat and drink. Cheng Xi¡¯s father normally only drank once or twice throughout the course of the year, but today, he actually tried to compete against Lu Chenzhou in drinking! It was all to get a sense for Lu Chenzhou¡¯s actual personality?¡ªafter all, one¡¯s moral character was invariably revealed under the influence of alcohol!


    But before he could see what Lu Chenzhou was like drunk, he fell drunk himself. And as he continued drinking and drinking, he eventually rolled underneath the table and fell asleep.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was very angry. Didn¡¯t he know what his alcohol tolerance was after all these years?


    Lu Chenzhou, on the other hand, glanced at Cheng Xi, finally understanding whom she had inherited her pitiful alcohol tolerance from.


    Just like Cheng Xi, her father was a good drunk. He didn¡¯t make a mess or fuss about; he just wanted to sleep peacefully.


    He was tall and heavy, and generally, even two or three people wouldn¡¯t be enough to support him. Luckily, the location of the restaurant they were eating at was pretty convenient, as there was a hotel right upstairs. Lu Chenzhou helped them book a room, and afterwards, Cheng Xi¡¯s parents went there to rest.


    Once Cheng Xi¡¯s parents settled into the hotel room, Cheng Xi went out to send Lu Chenzhou off. The new year¡¯s celebrations in the city were hardly festive; despite the particularly glamorous lights and shiny ornaments decorating the storefronts, there were very few pedestrians wandering about.


    As the two of them stood by the roadside, Cheng Xi finally found a chance to privately speak to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Sorry. My mother insisted on meeting you, so please excuse her actions.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her strangely. ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it because, despite getting into bed with me, you never planned on marrying me?¡±


    This question put Cheng Xi in somewhat of a bind. While she was indeed a doctor, she was also a woman, and it made her uncomfortable when he kept throwing around phrases like ¡°getting into bed together.¡±


    But she didn¡¯t shift her gaze away. She met his glance straight on and smiled as she replied, ¡°Today, when my father said that he¡¯d rather have me not marry than allow me suffer, you seemed very surprised, no?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou pursed his lips.


    Cheng Xi continued, saying, ¡°You were shocked because you realized that there are parents who are alright with their children not getting married, right? I don¡¯t know what your precise stance on this issue is, but I feel like people needing to do certain things when they reach a certain age is a preposterous notion. We only have one life, so why do we have to get in a relationship or have to get married? The world is so large, and our choices are so numerous. Neither love nor marriage are necessities in our modern world.¡±


    ¡°Just now, you asked me if, despite getting into bed with you, I had no plans to marry you. I can answer you now: yes. But marrying you and falling in love with you are two completely different things, because I can choose whether or not I want to marry you, but I can¡¯t choose whether or not I love you. What about you, Lu Chenzhou? Are you chasing after me because you want to get married, or because you truly love me?¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 119: Dangerously Suggestive

    When Cheng Xi finished her monologue, she exuded a calm and unhurried aura; there was a slight smile on her face, and her gaze was gentle.


    She didn¡¯t want to give Lu Chenzhou any impression that she was interrogating him or causing any discomfort to his mental state.


    She simply wanted him to let go of his ¡°life plan,¡± and then take a moment to think about whether or not it was truly necessary to walk down such a path.


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, and she looked right back at him. Under the resplendent lamplight of the street, this man stood ramrod straight in his standard uniform, proud and aloof. The backdrop was pretty and dazzling, but his presence seemed to make everything felt muted, even somewhat illusory.


    ¡°Am I chasing after you because I want to get married, or because I truly love you?¡± As he slowly repeated Cheng Xi¡¯s words, he smiled, stretched his finger out, and cupped her cheek. ¡°You¡¯re not even pretty, and whenever I see this half-dimple of yours, I want to pull it off. To top it off, you¡¯re even a little stupid in your constant endeavor to do your best for everyone. So¡­ why am I doing this?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked on as he seriously reflected upon his actions. The anxiety even gave her a stomachache as she silently swallowed the blood that had welled up from his comments. She was just about to help him analyze his feelings when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the area where he had touched her; Lu Chenzhou had leaned over and bit down on her ¡®ugly dimple.¡¯


    Cheng Xi instinctively tried to pull back, but couldn¡¯t do so. Lu Chenzhou had extended his arms and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her into his embrace.


    The expression on his face didn¡¯t change as he did this. It remained as cool as always, but his lips did take on a hint of a smile?¡ªbut it might have been better if he didn¡¯t try to smile, as this hint would only make people terrified.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s head hurt because, given his shockingly shameless attitude, she was truly afraid that he would do something to her in public. Even worse, she didn¡¯t even know how she had set him off. She desperately pounded against his chest, doing her best to remind him of where they were. ¡°We¡¯re still on the streets.¡±


    So could you be more clear-headed, please?


    Lu Chenzhou smiled. When he smiled, his visage was truly beautiful; even a blossoming winter flower couldn¡¯t compare to its unusually refined gracefulness. He caught Cheng Xi¡¯s hand, and as she tried to push him away, he trapped her between himself and a tall tree. With her locked firmly in place, he stared at her, calm and unruffled. He put his jaw against her shoulder, and softly whispered into her ear, ¡°Are you scared? But why didn¡¯t you feel scared when you asked me that question?¡±


    His voice became even softer. ¡°You¡¯re still treating me as your patient, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    After he said this, he bit down on her ear, and Cheng Xi immediately felt like her whole body was about to go numb, and she quickly admitted defeat. ¡°No! I¡­¡­ I just suddenly recalled it, and then casually asked¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that right? He asked in a low voice as he rubbed himself against her face. His every action seemed to emanate danger, and they were also in a very suggestive position. ¡°Then I¡¯ll also say something casually,¡± he said as he kissed her earlobe. ¡°Whenever I see you, I become hard and want to drag you into bed. Do you think that this is because I want to get married, or because I really love you?¡±


    Cheng Xi stood there stiffly, not daring to move a single muscle. Her head was a complete mess, and she didn¡¯t know what to say in the heat of the moment.


    But Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t wait, and he scraped his teeth against her earlobe, not too lightly or too heavily. ¡°Come on, say it.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but shiver, feeling like a bolt of electricity had run through her entire body. Her face was entirely red; how on earth could she think properly under such a stressful situation? Finally unable to bear it any longer, she buried her head in his shoulder, and sullenly said, ¡°How can I answer when you¡¯re acting like this? It¡¯s too much to ask from me!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou made an ¡®Oh¡¯ sound.


    Cheng Xi seriously said, ¡°There are too many people around, and your handsomeness is distracting me, so I can¡¯t answer you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou unexpectedly actually released her, looked at her, and then suddenly said, ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s the sixth.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    And then¡­¡­ there wasn¡¯t an ¡®and then¡¯ after that. He waved in the air, and a car that was parked nearby slowly drove over. Before he got into the car, he lightly pinched her cheek one last time. ¡°Alright, you should head back now. Your face is so hot that I could cook an egg on it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She very much wanted to curse at him; who was the one who had made her face red in the first place? But she could only choke her words down and watch as Lu Chenzhou got into the car and left.


    Only when she went upstairs into the hotel room did Cheng Xi finally realize what Lu Chenzhou had meant when he had suddenly stated tomorrow¡¯s date.


    Tomorrow was the sixth, the day of their planned date.


    So what was he trying to do by mentioning it so solemnly?


    Cheng Xi had a feeling that Lu Chenzhou was going to try something big tomorrow, and she was also very curious about what it would be. It was only now that she started to slightly understand Cai Yi¡¯s motivation for setting research as her career and her entire life, and Cheng Xi also suddenly understood Einstein¡¯s words?¡ª¡°I¡¯m not particularly intelligent, just particularly curious.¡±


    Curiosity was a major driving force behind the progress of humanity.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s self-indulgent flights of fancy stopped in their tracks when she saw her mother. Her father had drunk himself to sleep, and Cheng Xi was worried that her mother wouldn¡¯t be able to handle him herself, so she had offered to sleep with her mother tonight.


    Lu Chenzhou had booked a suite, so there was no concern about the space.


    It was already quite late at night, but Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was still awake, as if she were waiting specially for her.


    Cheng Xi obediently sat down in front of her mother.


    Her mother looked at Cheng Xi, her daughter who was almost thirty years old. In her memories, she still seemed like the little girl who followed shyly behind her grandmother, the little girl who sobbed and begged them to send her grandmother to the hospital when she had a mental breakdown. But who would have known that, in the blink of an eye, that same little girl would grow up, become a doctor, form her own opinions, and move out of her parents¡¯ place.


    As Cheng Xi¡¯s mother reminisced on the past, her heart softened, and even the anger that she had originally harbored about Cheng Xi¡¯s outwardly compliant but inwardly unruly behavior dissipated. She tenderly asked, ¡°It¡¯s going to be him, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Cheng Xi truthfully replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was stunned by this reply.


    Her gentle mien broke down, and she stared at Cheng Xi with eyes wide open in disbelief. ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t know?¡±


    When she had said that she would prefer for Cheng Xi to not marry than to suffer, that was only if Cheng Xi would actually suffer; otherwise, Cheng Xi¡¯s parents very much wanted her to quickly get married.


    It was a bother for them to have such old children at home.


    Cheng Xi smiled and lovingly grasped her mother¡¯s wrists. ¡°Mom, can you not be in so much of a hurry? I know that it gets harder and harder for a girl to find a suitor when she¡¯s older, but suitors also don¡¯t just drop down from the sky. So, rather than marry unhappily, I¡¯d rather not marry at all¡­¡­¡± But when Cheng Xi glanced up, she saw her mother¡¯s murderous expression, prompting her to quickly change her tone. ¡°Although I saw this, I¡¯m seriously looking to get married. I can promise you this: I won¡¯t insist on remaining single like my professor. But will you also promise me not to be in such a rush? Something like marriage needs to go through the proper process, and who knows if something will go wrong during this process?¡±


    And, in this time and age, marriage was hardly a permanent thing?¡ªthough Cheng Xi didn¡¯t dare say something like that to her mother¡¯s face.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had heard what she wanted to hear, and thinking that Cheng Xi¡¯s logic was sound, said, ¡°That¡¯s true. It seems like all the rich kids tend to lead a somewhat chaotic life, so it¡¯s better for you to understand what you¡¯re getting yourself into.¡± But then she cautioned, ¡°As a woman, you have to take pride in yourself, and not just casually promise yourself to anyone. As a doctor, you shouldn¡¯t need me to repeat this.¡± After her word of caution, she looked Cheng Xi up and down, and her expression started to turn to disdain. ¡°You should also dress up a little, and buy some beautiful clothes to wear. Look at this drab attire of yours! Those who don¡¯t know you might even think that you¡¯re a country bumpkin from who knows where, but you have a doctorate, and you¡¯re even a doctor at a famous hospital¡­¡­¡±


    Her mother¡¯s nagging made Cheng Xi want to fall asleep, and she propped up her lower jaw to keep herself awake as she thought about how Lu Chenzhou had actually noticed that she was still treating him like a patient¡­¡­ Then had he also noticed that she was a little moved by his wooing attempts?


    If they continued down this road, Cheng Xi felt that it would become very dangerous for her; if their doctor-patient relationship were to veer from the professional and to the personal, its failure would be extremely hurtful to both of them.


    But she didn¡¯t actually resist the change in their relationship, perhaps because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s beauty was just too alluring. At this moment in time, Cheng Xi was treating Lu Chenzhou just like a normal man, trying to love him and be loved by him.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 120: What Would Happen if You Lost Control?

    Because Cheng Xi¡¯s father was drunk, he slept very well through the first half of the night. But after that, he started making a big fuss, and grumbled about his head hurting for so long that Cheng Xi was forced to run out, buy him medicine, and then give him a massage. Only then was he able to sleep again.


    So she woke up in the late morning, and the first thing she saw was her mother sitting by her bedside, holding her phone, and chatting endlessly with someone unknown.


    And she must have been feeling pretty good, as there wasn¡¯t even a trace of the evil stepmother¡¯s face that she had worn until finally meeting Lu Chenzhou yesterday. She even greeted Cheng Xi particularly warmly. ¡°Good morning, daughter.¡±


    Cheng Xi was caught by surprise, speechless.


    She felt as if the mother in front of her was a fake. Her father¡¯s behavior last night had made her mom deathly angry, but in the morning, she wasn¡¯t even lecturing her husband, and instead even felt good enough to be waiting by her daughter¡¯s bedside¡­¡­ What was going on?


    Cheng Xi rubbed her temples. ¡°Good morning. How¡¯s Dad doing?¡±


    ¡°Sleeping like a pig. I can¡¯t be bothered to deal with him.¡±


    Cheng Xi stilled for a moment before climbing out of bed to check on her father. Good, his temperature was normal, his heart rate was normal, and his face was normal?¡ªdespite causing a big fuss last night, he at least hadn¡¯t damaged his body with his drinking.


    Cheng Xi went into the restroom to clean her face and wash up, but she didn¡¯t have a change of clothes prepared. So, she had to wear her old clothes from yesterday, though she was able to wash her hair, which was feeling gross and sticky.


    When she came out, she saw that her mother was still chatting with someone on her phone. Cheng Xi found it strange, and sat down by her mother¡¯s side as she dried her hair. ¡°Mom, who¡¯re you talking with¡­¡­¡± When Cheng Xi glanced at the phone screen and saw that the nickname of the person in the chat was Sister Feng, one of her mother¡¯s best friends, she relaxed. But then she heard a snippet of their conversation and became speechless again. ¡°Why are you telling her about all this?¡±


    Her mother was bragging to her close friend. ¡°Ah, my daughter has a boyfriend now. He¡¯s a really, really handsome lad, who even has a good family background¡­¡­¡±


    What happened to not rushing and taking things slowly?


    Her mother fiercely responded, ¡°What do you know? Your Auntie Yang said that it¡¯d be very hard for you to get married because you¡¯re too well educated and your job¡¯s too good. So, I just wanted to provoke her a little.¡± She pushed Cheng Xi aside. ¡°If you¡¯re done packing, then head back first. Go home and dress up. Aren¡¯t you going to go on a date with Lu Chenzhou later?¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked. ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    ¡°He told me. Look.¡± She handed Cheng Xi her phone and tapped on another conversation.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother: Good morning, thanks for coming yesterday.


    The other person: It was nothing.


    Are you busy today?


    Yes, I¡¯m going on a date with Cheng Xi in the afternoon.


    The nickname that Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had given this other person was ¡®Daughter¡¯s Boyfriend, Lu Chenzhou¡¯.


    Cheng Xi caressed her forehead in distress. She didn¡¯t even know that the two of them had added each other on WeChat, and this gave her a bad premonition.


    In truth, her premonitions were startlingly accurate, because in the future, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother and ¡®Daughter¡¯s Boyfriend, Lu Chenzhou¡¯ would have many conversations, each of them simple and short, just like the following example:


    On a certain day, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother asked: Did the two of you not go out today?


    Lu Chenzhou: We did.


    On another day, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother asked: No plans today?


    Lu Chenzhou: I¡¯m accompanying her to look at her patients.


    And on yet another day, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother asked: The two of you aren¡¯t together?


    Lu Chenzhou: We had a fight, and she¡¯s ignoring me.


    He always responded very quickly and never hid anything from her. Cheng Xi¡¯s mother felt that he was far more honest than her daughter!


    But all this would happen in the future, and even if Cheng Xi felt a bad premonition from this, she couldn¡¯t simply ask her mother to unfriend Lu Chenzhou. All she could do was say, ¡°Don¡¯t bother him too much. He¡¯s a very busy person.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother quickly responded, ¡°Do you think that I don¡¯t know that?¡± She looked at her daughter superciliously. ¡°Worry about yourself! Quickly go home and change your clothes. How can you go out and meet anyone like that?¡±


    And so Cheng Xi was chased out of the door heartlessly.


    At least Cheng Xi was able to take solace in her father being all right. Cheng Xi then called Cheng Yang, had him pick the two of them up, and then returned home as her mother had commanded.


    But instead of going home right away, she instead went to the hospital first. On the sixth day of the new year, the psychiatry department normally wouldn¡¯t have been very busy, but this year, there was a big commotion in the department. On the third, they had accepted a new patient who was suffering from an emotional impediment. When she first entered the hospital, she was only a little depressed. But on the morning of the sixth, as the doctor on duty, Dr. Ceng, was performing psychotherapy on her, that child had suddenly exploded, saying that the doctor had teased her with vulgar words¡­¡­


    Because the girl hadn¡¯t been exhibiting any serious symptoms when she first entered the hospital, she had been assigned to an unrestricted ward. And since her family was worried that she wouldn¡¯t acclimate to her new surroundings well, they visited her daily.


    And they had been present on the morning she had made her allegations. When they saw her make such a big fuss and repeat those hurtful words that were incongruous with what a teenager would say, they immediately believed her. In their anger, they rushed into the therapy room and started making a big fuss too.


    When Cheng Xi arrived, the fight was still going strong. The patient¡¯s family did admit that their child was mentally ill, but they had never heard her say anything akin to those words before, and what¡¯s more, would a teenager even understand what they meant? So, it could only have been the doctor who did something to the girl, and the hospital had to provide them with an explanation.


    Ceng Xing was red-faced from arguing with the patient¡¯s family while the nurses were trying to placate the other patients and their family members. Because it was still a holiday, there weren¡¯t many doctors on duty, and as the accused party, he was clearly waning in strength as he tried to argue against three people alone.


    His only piece of evidence was the security footage, but that didn¡¯t contain any audio. In the end, Ceng Xing had no way to prove his innocence despite his desires.


    As the argument continued to grow more and more heated, the nurses even wanted to call the department head over. It was at the point that Cheng Xi finally stepped in. She walked over and authoritatively said, ¡°I have a method to definitely prove whether or not Dr. Ceng actually said those words.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Ceng Xing¡¯s eyes lit up and as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, he ignored his earlier feud with her and called out to her. ¡°Dr. Cheng!¡± It was a rare sight to behold, him looking at her like a savior.


    Cheng Xi smiled at him while the patient¡¯s family members looked at her suspiciously. ¡°You? What if you can¡¯t prove it?¡±


    Cheng Xi obstinately replied, ¡°If I can¡¯t do it, then I¡¯ll stop being a doctor. How about that?¡±


    Ceng Xing became flustered and discomfited. ¡°Dr. Cheng!¡±


    Cheng Xi ignored him, continuing to look at the patient¡¯s family. ¡°Give me two minutes, alright?¡±


    Of course that was fine. And with the patient¡¯s family¡¯s approval, Cheng Xi put on her doctor¡¯s coat and went into the ward with the family and Ceng Xing.


    Because of the earlier commotion, the patient was currently staying in a room with a single bed. She was sitting on it, and her face revealed traces of unease.


    Judging just by her outer appearance, she was a beautiful girl, with an oval face in the shape of a goose egg and elegant eyebrows like willow leaves. Her skin was a pale white and her eyes were big, giving her look a delicate and refined look.


    Cheng Xi made Ceng Xing and the patient¡¯s family members wait outside. ¡°You guys can all wait for me out here.¡± And then she pushed open the door and entered alone.


    Ceng Xing saw Cheng Xi walk in front of the girl, spread her palms, and say something he couldn¡¯t make out. Then, the girl became angry and yelled at Cheng Xi. ¡°I¡¯m not ill! I want to go home! Why won¡¯t any of you believe that I¡¯m fine? Would a mentally ill person know how to frame a doctor, to think as clearly as I have?¡±


    Everyone understood everything now, because the door to the ward wasn¡¯t completely closed tightly, so the girl¡¯s words reached those standing outside.


    Cheng Xi was even able to pacify the girl after that. In just two minutes, she calmly came back out, as if nothing had happened inside.


    It was almost fantastical.


    Ceng Xing¡¯s face was red in embarrassment. It seemed like he finally understood the difference between him and Cheng Xi, and that perhaps it wasn¡¯t just those extra few years that he had spent as a doctoral student.


    After resolving this affair, Cheng Xi went to check on her own patient. Ceng Xing wasn¡¯t thick-skinned enough to ask Cheng Xi what she had done, and it was one of the nurses on duty who ended up doing so. ¡°Dr. Cheng, how did you do it?¡±


    Cheng Xi casually replied, ¡°It was very easy. I just showed her some pills, and then I told her that I was her new doctor, here to give her medicine.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just like that.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you calm her down?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I told her that if she calmed down, then I would tell her the quickest way for her to go home.¡±


    ¡°It was that easy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that easy.¡± Actually, was it really that easy? No. It was just that Cheng Xi¡¯s luck was pretty good, and that the patient¡¯s mental illness wasn¡¯t too serious. She knew what she was doing, and she was very clearheaded; it was just that she couldn¡¯t control herself.


    Cheng Xi was suddenly reminded of Lu Chenzhou. He also knew what he was doing, and he was also very clear-headed, but he had always been able to control himself very well.


    If¡­¡­ he didn¡¯t control himself so strictly, and lost control even slightly¡­¡­ What would happen?


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 121: A Man and Woman Alone, What Could They be Doing?

    It was quite hard for Lu Chenzhou to lose control of himself because there weren¡¯t many things that could interest him and provoke a strong reaction from him. This was magnified by the fact that he treated trying to pick Cheng Xi up as one of his responsibilities. He did lose control sometimes, but those incidents were too small for anything to really happen.


    I won¡¯t actually get into bed with him, would I? Thinking about this wouldn¡¯t be of any use. As she continued to think about this subject, Cheng Xi started daydreaming instead of continuing her conversation with the nurse. In truth, they were both very busy, and even finding time for these few snatches of conversation was difficult.


    Even though Cheng Xi was finished with her duties, she didn¡¯t feel at ease. In her anxiousness, she visited her patients¡¯ wards again. As she met with them, she talked with them in passing about their lives and dreams. Chen Jiaman was a little more troublesome than the others, as she was unwilling to even try to interact with strangers. Because Cheng Xi had gone on vacation for a few days and hadn¡¯t seen her during that time, she was no longer willing to respond to Cheng Xi. She wordlessly held onto her sketchbook at the head of her bed. No matter what Cheng Xi said, Chen Jiaman just grunted in response. Only when Cheng Xi was about to leave did Chen Jiaman secretly turn around to look at her.


    Everything seemed to be going fine, and of course, no one really cared about the earlier incident with Ceng Xing. The doctors in the psychiatry department encountered far too many strange things and people, and it was even normal for them to be scolded or beaten. The worst case was when a new female doctor had almost been molested while conducting psychotherapy with her patient. Meeting the patients¡¯ strange family members was even more common, so Cheng Xi completely put the matter aside after the incident. When she returned to her office and started flipping through her medical records and books, the only thing on her mind was thinking of a way to stimulate Lu Chenzhou¡¯s emotions.


    But the more she thought about it, the more she felt that this was like trying to pluck a hair from a lion¡¯s mane.


    She needed a method that would be both precise and safe, and this required meticulous planning.


    As she was pondering over the conundrum, the phone rang; it was a call from Tian Rou.


    ¡°I had a big fight with someone! Gosh, I¡¯m so angry. Come and accompany me out, please?¡±


    Fighting with someone while celebrating the new year? Cheng Xi was impressed with her friend¡¯s ability to pick fights. As she continued to flip through the records in her hands, she smiled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Some scumbag was spreading rumors about how Shen Wei and Fu Mingyi are going to get a divorce. Hmph, I just talked to Shen Wei this morning! She¡¯s pregnant and resting well at home, with Fu Mingyi by her side. You tell me, isn¡¯t it immoral to curse someone out of nowhere during the new year? Of course I had to yell at him!¡±


    Cheng Xi stilled at Tian Rou¡¯s rant. ¡°Fu Mingyi¡¯s staying with Shen Wei?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! The two of them even reaffirmed their love for each other in front of me¡­¡­ Ah, it feels like I¡¯m about to have a bad year. On the first day of the new year, I had a big fight with my mom. Then, today, if you discount the fact that I witnessed a public display of affection in the morning, I got into yet another fight with someone. Cheng Xi, comfort me!¡±


    ¡°Alright. But I already have a date in the afternoon, so would you want to tag along?¡±


    ¡°That Lu fellow?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Tian Rou was somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Is that okay?¡±


    Cheng Xi confidently replied, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Even if Lu Chenzhou wanted to try something, the presence of a stranger should dampen his enthusiasm a bit.


    And given how lonely that man was, he needed someone loud like Tian Rou around.


    And so Tian Rou happily accepted. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled! It¡¯s a good thing that he¡¯s handsome. That way, I¡¯ll be able to sneak a few glances at him and recalibrate myself.¡± After confirming the date and time, she cheerfully hung up.


    Cheng Xi then called Shen Wei, but she didn¡¯t pick up. Rather, her mother did, and she joyfully told Cheng Xi, ¡°She went for a walk with Fu Mingyi. Ah, she¡¯s probably thought it through by now, and I hope that the two of them will be able to have a happy life together. Everyone makes mistakes now and then, right? It must have been really hard on you during this period of time. I¡¯d like to treat you to a meal whenever you¡¯re free.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Please let me know if anything comes up.¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed, not knowing what was on Shen Wei¡¯s mind. But regardless of what Shen Wei was doing on the surface, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t believe for one bit that she could overlook that incident and forgive Fu Mingyi.


    Shen Wei had never been a magnanimous person, and she wasn¡¯t someone who would do this even for her baby.


    But Cheng Xi also didn¡¯t have a better treatment plan for Shen Wei than to just check up on her regularly. No matter how worried Cheng Xi was for Shen Wei, she couldn¡¯t do anything about it for the moment. She could only hope that Shen Wei would really think things through¡ªit would be fine as long as she didn¡¯t take any drastic measures.


    With most of her tasks completed, Cheng Xi went home after tidying up her desk. She then casually ate lunch, took a bath, and napped for a short while. At 3 PM in the afternoon, she got up and did half an hour of yoga before leisurely changing and preparing to go out.


    While she put her outfit together, she recalled her mother¡¯s words about her fashion sense and inspected her reflection in the mirror. She usually wore loose clothes for comfort, and naturally, all the clothes she had worn this season were shirts and sweaters. If it was a bit colder outside, then she might put on some extra layers; if it was warmer, then a windbreaker or a jacket.


    Since she was going on a date, she should really treat her attire a bit more seriously. After some careful consideration, she picked out a black dress and a bright red wool jacket to compliment it. As her mother had said, Cheng Xi very seldomly wore bright colors. This jacket was something that Cheng Yang had gifted her during the last new year, and she had hung it up in her wardrobe for an entire year without ever wearing it.


    When she tried it on, she felt that it was fine, and that it was pretty compatible with the outside celebratory atmosphere of the new year. Pleased with the look, she had chosen to wear it.


    And since she had put special care into her outfit, she might as well style her hair too¡ªinto a simple bun, which was simple, convenient, and not much of a hassle.


    After she finished getting ready, she walked outside and tried to hail a taxi. For the entire first month of the lunar year, finding a free taxi was a difficult ordeal. Cheng Xi waited for quite a while, but the taxi that she was waiting for never showed up. However, Ceng Xing did.


    He was getting off work then, and when he saw Cheng Xi dressed all in red and standing by the roadside, he hesitated for a moment before pulling up to her.


    ¡°Where are you going? I can drop you off.¡± Even though he said this, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, for no other reason than the fact that the two of them had been fighting against each other for a long time. Thus, acting amicably with her made him feel very conflicted inside.


    Cheng Xi was also a little shocked by his offer, but she quickly regained her calm and asked, ¡°Where are you headed?¡±


    ¡°Anywhere¡¯s fine. In any case, I¡¯ll drop you off wherever you need to go!¡± When he saw that she wasn¡¯t planning on responding, he became even more impatient. ¡°Stop dilly-dallying and get in the car. I¡¯m not supposed to stop here!¡±


    Without any real choice, Cheng Xi could only hurriedly get into the car.


    As the two of them had studied under the same professor and were even colleagues now, the relationship between them should have been pretty good. However, they had never been able to mesh well. And besides their incompatibility, Ceng Xing often obstructed her at work and spoke to her with barbed words, like right now. When Cheng Xi gave him the location she was going to, he briefly glanced at her before sourly commenting, ¡°You¡¯re meeting up with your rich boyfriend again, aren¡¯t you?¡± And then, ¡°I thought that the kind of men you liked would be compatible with you in heart and soul. I never thought that you¡¯d be one of those women who prized wealth and material possessions.¡±


    Cheng Xi wanted to ignore him, but when she realized that he could keep talking the whole way even without a word from her, she finally replied exasperatedly, ¡°Senior, you¡¯re also a rich man. Why¡¯re you discriminating against the wealthy? If you¡¯re saying all this because you¡¯re thankful for my help, then let me tell you that there¡¯s really no need. I really didn¡¯t do much. And if it¡¯s not because you¡¯re thankful, then it¡¯s even more unnecessary because we don¡¯t even know each other that well.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s words made Ceng Xing¡¯s face turn green, but he did shut up, and the world was quiet once again.


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t at all afraid of offending him because she was quite confident that, despite his caustic mouth and somewhat limited abilities, he wasn¡¯t a bad person at heart.


    But she didn¡¯t expect that he would be so indefatigable today. After Cheng Xi got out of his car, he seemed to have suddenly thought of an irrepressible question. He followed her out, pulled her back from behind, and calmly asked, ¡°Cheng Xi, do you look down on me?¡±


    Cheng Xi had no idea what he was insinuating. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking it.¡± She tried to struggle free, but was unable to do so. Because the two were both good-looking, they normally drew a significant amount of attention, and the minor tiff between them immediately drew much more.


    Baldy and Lu Chenzhou had arrived at the building quite a while ago, with Baldy having been called over by Tian Rou. The two of them had met at Shen Wei¡¯s birthday banquet, and after that, they had developed a certain camaraderie.


    Tian Rou wanted to stare at a handsome man, but she also didn¡¯t want to be blinded by their displays of affection alone. So after she received an invitation from Cheng Xi, she had called Baldy up. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a third wheel for my sister. Do you want to be one for your brother too?¡±


    Baldy was very, very bored from visiting his friends and family for the New Year, so he had eagerly come over, even hitching a ride with Lu Chenzhou.


    The two men were currently sitting by a table near the window, and they suddenly heard someone say, ¡°There are two people quarrelling downstairs.¡±


    Baldy loved to gawk, so he excitedly turned around and looked at the scene before exclaiming in surprise, ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that Dr. Cheng? A man and woman alone, what could they be doing?¡±


    Cheng Xi was currently being held back by Ceng Xing, as if they were playing out the role of a couple trying to settle a dispute.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 122: Does the Kiss Feel Good?

    Cheng Xi was clueless and exasperated as to what Ceng Xing¡¯s intentions were. However, because of her good temper and her inability to break free from his grasp, she decided to stop struggling in order to avoid gathering more attention. She looked straight at Ceng Xing and asked, ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡±


    Ceng Xing actually didn¡¯t know what he was doing either. But for some reason, he felt extremely stifled whenever he looked at Cheng Xi. ¡°There¡¯s no reason. I just want to ask you something. If the two of us don¡¯t really know each other that well, then why did you help me out in the morning?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. ¡­¡­What, would you rather have me not help you?


    ¡°You even said that I was rich earlier.¡± Ceng Xing looked at her somewhat strangely, and she became even more lost. ¡°Cheng Xi, you like me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Two voices shouted the same line in sync; one was from Cheng Xi, and the other¡­¡­ Cheng Xi and Ceng Xing both turned around to see a shiny and polished bald head standing close to them with a stupefied face.


    Baldy turned around and exaggerated to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°There¡¯s clearly something going on between these two! This fellow says that Dr. Cheng likes him.¡± Then, pointing at Ceng Xing, he said with his characteristic arrogance, ¡°Dr. Cheng, are you blind? Would you really toss such a rich, powerful, handsome guy aside for some useless passerby?¡±


    From start to end, he didn¡¯t even look at Ceng Xing, only looking at Cheng Xi with an expression that seemed like he was about to burst into laughter.


    Cheng Xi massaged her forehead out of annoyance, and Ceng Xing¡¯s face turned ashen. He wasn¡¯t dumb and could clearly see that Baldy and Lu Chenzhou weren¡¯t any ordinary men. They weren¡¯t dressed quite as well as he was, but the atmosphere around them commanded a presence independent of their attire.


    Ceng Xing wasn¡¯t particularly accomplished, but he did have some experience with reading people.


    But as a nouveau riche himself, who had grown up with everyone acquiescing to his whims, it would take more than an intimidating aura to make him back down. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t think that he had to back down. These two fellows who had suddenly appeared might not be simple, but what right did they have to stop his conversation with Cheng Xi?


    He and Cheng Xi were colleagues and students under the same professor, and this was as close a relationship as you could get.


    When his thoughts reached this point, Ceng Xing¡¯s initial anger dissipated, and he instead took a gentle approach. ¡°There are too many bystanders here, so it¡¯d be inconvenient to keep talking. When we get back to the hospital¡­¡­¡±


    Ceng Xing couldn¡¯t continue, because Lu Chenzhou had already walked up to Cheng Xi, kissed her on the face, and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go wash your hands. They¡¯re filthy.¡±


    Ceng Xing was caught off guard and rendered speechless.


    Even Baldy¡¯s thoughts were delayed. ¡­¡­Damn!


    Lu Chenzhou ignored the bystanders¡¯ reactions. After he finished speaking, he casually glanced down at Ceng Xing. He instantly felt a chill shoot down his spine, and subconsciously released Cheng Xi¡¯s hand.


    When Ceng Xing finally reacted, his embarrassment turning into anger, Cheng Xi had already left with Lu Chenzhou.


    Lu Chenzhou did exactly as he had said, actually bringing Cheng Xi to the washroom.


    As she washed her hands, he stood by her side, doing nothing else but look at her.


    Cheng Xi felt very self-conscious, and she washed her hands with the same mentality and rigor as a surgeon before an operation: from her fingertips to her elbows, making sure to reach into every crevasse and under every fingernail. When she was done, she stretched them out in front of him, and asked with a smile, ¡°Is it clean?¡±


    She was willing to humor these small habits of his that didn¡¯t matter too much to her.


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her hands. Under the light, they were white and flawless, just like a beautiful piece of jade that had just been polished.


    A dark shadow flitted through his eyes, but his face remained impassive. ¡°Wash your face too.¡±


    When Cheng Xi had put her outfit on, she had also put on a thin layer of makeup. And upon hearing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s order, she replied, ¡°My face isn¡¯t dirty. Why should I wash it?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou dispiritedly replied, ¡°All the better to smooch with.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She pretended to not have heard him clearly, leaned towards the mirror, and turned her head left and right as she closely examined herself.. ¡°It¡¯s not besmirched in the slightest. It¡¯s perfectly clean.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lu Chenzhou harrumped, suddenly leaned over, and bit down on her face. ¡°And how about now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She silently leaned down and washed her face clean.


    Lu Chenzhou stood by her side, looking at both of them through the mirror. His gaze was still as clear and cold as always, a gaze that Cheng Xi was used to seeing. However, even now, she didn¡¯t dare to stare into his dark eyes.


    They were emotionless, so cold and grim that it made her heart palpitate.


    She turned away, and Lu Chenzhou rested his jaw on her shoulder. ¡°Better to smooch now?¡±


    ¡­¡­Feeling stifled by his requests and slightly out of sorts, Cheng Xi reluctantly replied, ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡±


    Then Lu Chenzhou smiled slightly. His lips didn¡¯t move much, but the atmosphere wasn¡¯t as tense anymore. He wouldn¡¯t say something as dramatic and clich as ¡°How obedient.¡± Instead, he was far more direct, tilting his head, and briefly licking her dimple before gently turning her head and kissing her.


    This was perhaps his fiercest kiss yet; he first ground his teeth against her lips, to the point that Cheng Xi tasted a tang of iron in her mouth. Then, he pried her lips open, and his tongue forcefully roughly scoured her mouth as it lashed against her tongue.


    ¡°Are you mad?¡± She only realized it now, as she tried to force her words out even with Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tongue stuck in her mouth.


    Could there really be such a coincidence? Just earlier, she had been thinking about how she could safely but accurately stir up his emotions. But now, he seemed to already be all stirred up, as his heartbeat was racing. Cheng Xi was normally bad at perceiving the mood, but at this moment, she forced herself to be calm, grasped his face with both of her hands, pulled it backwards, and with a burning gaze, she looked at him and asked. ¡°Are you really mad?¡±


    She felt happier the longer she looked at him.


    This time, Lu Chenzhou was the one who didn¡¯t have anything to say.


    He didn¡¯t respond at all, using his actions to tell her what ¡®truly mad¡¯ meant.


    ¡­¡­.


    Cheng Xi was almost devoured alive by Lu Chenzhou in the washroom. As a result, when she exited, her body was filled with wounds.


    The most obvious one was her broken lip, and there were also clear teeth marks on her neck.


    The situation was exacerbated even more by the clothes she was wearing today. The dress was a V-neck, the collar of her coat was loose, and she hadn''t brought a scarf with her, leaving her absolutely no way to hide the imprints.


    By the time Cheng Xi got away, Tian Rou had arrived. But when she saw the ¡®marks of love¡¯ on Cheng Xi¡¯s body, she stopped, put all thoughts of hot guys out of her mind for a moment, and bawled out, ¡°Cheng Xi, do you have to be so immoral? It¡¯s fine that you called me over to be a third wheel, and it¡¯s fine even if you didn¡¯t come find me and made me wait here for half the day. But to shock my single self like that the moment I got here, is that really appropriate?¡±


    Cheng Xi helplessly shoved a piece of cake into her mouth to shut her up.


    Baldy also started chuckling when he saw Lu Chenzhou. After he finished laughing, he started praising Lu Chenzhou. ¡°You¡¯re really amazing! Even your skill at dealing with chicks has improved by leaps and bounds. I saw that fellow leave with a green face, completely wrecked!¡± He conitnued staring at Lu Chenzhou, looking up, down, left, and right. ¡°Are you really the Lu Chenzhou I know, the one with a negative emotional quotient? How on earth did you think of this?¡±


    It was time to eat, and Lu Chenzhou sat down calmly. He was seriously looking at the menu, completely ignoring Baldy.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to respond to him either. Tonight, she was prepared to practice ignoring everyone and everything. So she sat there, holding a glass of water and unresponsive sipping from it.


    Even as she tried to dampen her anger¡­¡­ a shameful arousal welled up in her heart.


    Baldy told Tian Rou a wildly embellished version of the events that had just transpired, and his conclusion was particularly smugly this time. ¡°Have you seen Planet Earth? Back there, Boss Lu gave off the image of a lion running out of the savannah, running over, and peeing to mark his territory!¡±


    Upon hearing Baldy¡¯s ¡®charming¡¯ and extremely innovative word choice, Cheng Xi involuntarily started to laugh, and the mouthful of water that she hadn¡¯t yet swallowed almost sprayed onto the entire table.


    Tian Rou also clutched her stomach, laughing until she fell down and rolled underneath the table.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 123: The devious Mr. Lu

    When the three other people heard Baldy¡¯s crude wordplay, only Lu Chenzhou remained calm and indifferent. He showed no reaction even as he watched Cheng Xi spit out the water in her mouth.


    There was no disdain in his gaze, only some helplessness and exasperation; his attitude was like a parent ruefully thinking about how silly his child was.


    And then he summarily flagged a waiter down and started ordering dishes. When Lu Chenzhou ordered food, he wouldn¡¯t ask for anyone¡¯s opinions and they would have to volunteer it themselves if they wanted a say. With four people sharing eight dishes, there was almost surely one that would suit each person¡¯s taste.


    After he finished ordering, he finally spared the others another glance. He first looked at Tian Rou, who was still rolling on the floor, laughing, and criticized her. ¡°You fool.¡± And then he followed suit with Cheng Xi. ¡°You too.¡±


    As for Baldy¡­¡­ He was already used to his dumb antics, so he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to chastise his actions.


    Tian Rou couldn¡¯t accept being one-sidedly scolded. She quickly recovered, picked herself up from the floor, and started picking a fight even as she rubbed her stomach. ¡°Why¡¯re you scolding us like that?¡± She then pointed at Baldy. ¡°He called you a beast, so why aren¡¯t you criticizing him?¡±


    Baldy indignantly cried out, ¡°When did I say that? Don¡¯t malign me! I was clearly praising Boss Lu¡¯s domineering and manly aura.¡±


    Tian Rou booed and then tried to think of a comeback, but was unable to. She remained somewhat at a loss for what to do before Cheng Xi calmly took over. ¡°A lion¡¯s natural instinct is to mark its territory with its piss, a bestial behavior. By comparing Lu Chenzhou to a lion, aren¡¯t you essentially calling him a beast? There¡¯s nothing wrong with that logic.¡±


    She was just trying to get back at Baldy for his earlier slander that something was going on between her and Ceng Xing. When Lu Chenzhou heard Cheng Xi¡¯s scathing rebuttal, his lips curled as he shot a provocative look toward her. ¡°Calling me bestial is nothing. There are much more animalistic things I can do. Do you want to see?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mouth was left hanging open.


    What was he doing? Spouting such immoral words with such a serious expression¡­ How shameless! She twisted her face away in rejection.


    Tian Rou was similarly speechless.


    She also twisted her face away, but then she started putting on a play with Baldy. ¡°Hey Baldy, have you been blinded?¡±


    Baldy, without missing a beat, replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been blinded!¡±


    ¡°So, why are we here again?¡±


    ¡°To roll around like the good little third wheels we are, of course.¡±


    It was as if the two of them had become an impromptu comedy duo; after finally getting over their differences, they had teamed up against Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou. Tian Rou then comically described Cheng Xi at length. ¡°They say that she¡¯s a doctor at Renyi, which sounds prestigious, to be sure. However, her work environment¡¯s a nightmare. If she¡¯s not careful, then a crazy guy might run up to her and say, ¡®Doctor, doctor, my intestines have fallen out! Please help me pick them back up.¡¯ My goodness, I¡¯m all scared stiff just by that thought! I went to visit her once, but I¡¯ll never go back again.¡±


    And Baldy¡¯s rendition of Lu Chenzhou was, ¡°He¡¯s an old virgin, old and pitiful, and he¡¯s never chased a single girl even at his advanced age. You might not believe me when I say this, but a few days ago, he even asked me this: ¡®What¡¯s the right way to woo a girl?¡¯ And then I had to patiently teach him that there were three things he had to do daily: give gifts, go on dates, and kiss!¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°! ! !¡±


    No wonder Lu Chenzhou had changed so much so quickly¡ªCheng Xi thought that he had been reading cheesy romance novels, but in truth, it was this dog-headed buddy of his that had spurred him on! After this revelation of hers, she heard Baldy continue to say, ¡°Not long after that, he asked me what he should do if she didn¡¯t accept flowers, food, appliances, jewelry, clothes! At that moment, I really wanted to crack open his head and take a look at his brain for myself to see how he¡¯s able to be such a shrewd businessman and yet such a foolish boyfriend. It¡¯s truly maddening!¡±


    Tian Rou threw her head back and uproariously laughed again. This time, she even bit down on her sleeves, her eyes gleaming as she kept asking, ¡°And then what?¡±


    ¡°And then I said, ¡®Don¡¯t you know even this much? If she doesn¡¯t want anything else, then clearly, what she wants is you. Why don¡¯t you gift yourself to her?¡¯¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even retort.


    Tian Rou slapped the table. ¡°And then? And then?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. When she saw that Lu Chenzhou had no intention of stopping this conversation at all, she could only speak up and say, ¡°Is it really appropriate for the two of you to discuss this in front of the involved parties?¡±


    And then she was pushed aside by Tian Rou¡¯s palm. ¡°Go to the side and don¡¯t make a fuss!¡± Then, freed from distractions, she continued spurring Baldy on.


    The rest of Baldy¡¯s story was exactly as Cheng Xi guessed: it was his damn idea all along to have Lu Chenzhou buy a big red blanket, cover himself up with it, and then gift the bundle to her to unwrap!


    ¡°Restoring the olden days of a candlelit wedding night. How beautiful, how romantic!¡±


    Romantic, my ass! But when she recalled the ‡å expression she had made that night, Cheng Xi unfortunately started blushing again. She shot another look at the calm and collected Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Are you really not going to stop them from gossipping?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou peered at her curiously. ¡°Why would I care?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±


    She had completely forgotten that he thought differently from a normal person, and that he didn¡¯t care about things like this at all.


    Baldy and Tian Rou laughed loudly at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s response, becoming even more unrestrained. Lu Chenzhou had been very busy in the past couple of weeks, as he had to both deal with company matters and set up dates with Cheng Xi. So, Baldy had been eagerly awaiting the results of his devious plan. When he saw Cheng Xi¡¯s reaction, he easily deduced that Lu Chenzhou had indeed done as he had instructed. He smiled exaggeratedly as he directly asked Lu Chenzhou, ¡°What happened after? Was the effect good?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou opened his mouth and was about to answer, but Cheng Xi immediately guessed what he was about to say. She tossed all her misgivings to the wind and ran over to clamp his mouth shut. ¡°You better not say anything!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows in surprise, taking the opportunity to pull her waist toward him. The faint medicinal smell lingering on her body was calming, and he still seemed to be affected by their little encounter in the washroom. As if moving purely on instinct, his head arched over to her ear, where he lightly sniffed her before softly whispering, ¡°Are you going to call them over next time?¡±


    Cheng Xi was somewhat shocked, turning around to look at him properly. He looked back at her coolly. Although he didn¡¯t say anything else, Cheng Xi could see the threat in his gaze.


    My¡­ my goodness. Who knew that Mr. Lu was such a devious person!


    Cheng Xi wanted to cry, but she had to instead obediently admit her wrongdoing¡ªotherwise, if he really told everyone what happened that night, she would be humiliated, alright? She clasped her hands together, softly pleading for mercy.


    Baldy and Tian Rou saw that Lu Chenzhou was about to succumb to Cheng Xi¡¯s antics, but how could they let that happen that easily? They still hadn¡¯t heard the juiciest part of the story yet.


    Baldy made an emotional appeal. ¡°You¡¯re not going to act like this, are you, Zhou? I spent so much effort helping you, by answering all of your questions and doing whatever you asked. It was all to support you chasing your girlfriend, and you- you- you¡­ Are you so heartless that you would leave me stranded without a conclusion?¡±


    Tian Rou, on the other hand, tempted him with an equally alluring trade. ¡°Mr. Lu, you want to get together with the girl you¡¯ve been wooing, right? Ask me, ask me! I¡¯ve been friends with Cheng Xi for over a decade, and I even know her favorite underwear color.¡±


    Cheng Xi was struck speechless. ¡­¡­With friends like these, she was seconds away from flipping the table over and attacking them!


    Luckily, after Cheng Xi had promised him, Lu Chenzhou quickly dealt with the two of them. After letting loose a cold snort, he dissed Baldy first. ¡°If you¡¯re so capable of romance, then why are you still single even after all these years?¡±


    Baldy¡­...vanquished.


    And then he turned his attention to Tian Rou, his gaze disdainful. ¡°If I wanted to know what color underwear she¡¯s wearing, then why would I ask you? Can¡¯t I just undress her myself?


    Tian Rou¡­...vanquished.


    When Cheng Xi was the only one left alive, she obediently sat back in her chair, looking at him with a ‡å‡å‡å expression.


    But Lu Chenzhou nonethless turned his gaze to her next. Though his facial features were sharp, his expression was somewhat gentle. ¡°On our next date, if you bring another wagon of third wheels along¡­¡­¡± He leaned in close to deliver his punchline, softly saying, ¡°I¡¯ll ravage you!¡±


    Cheng Xi¡­...also vanquished.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 124: They Don’t Feel Good to the Touch

    After the three of them had each been trampled by Lu Chenzhou in turn, they stopped bawling and yelling. Coincidentally, it was then that their food was served, and they obediently picked up their chopsticks and started eating.


    Cheng Xi sat with Lu Chenzhou to her left and Tian Rou to her right. After a while, when Tian Rou regained her vigor, she stretched a finger out and poked Baldy. ¡°He called you single. Aren¡¯t you going to retaliate?¡±


    She didn¡¯t have the guts to retaliate on her own¡ªLu Chenzhou¡¯s aura was too intimidating. So, she urged Baldy on instead.


    Who could have expected that Baldy would be even more fearful of Lu Chenzhou than her; he caught her hand and, on the surface, said, ¡°He¡¯s speaking the truth to begin with.¡± His heart, however, was crying out, Please stop talking! Boss Lu¡¯s getting a little upset.


    And so, after dinner, the two of them left almost immediately after making an excuse. Baldy said, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m going to go have a smoke.¡± Tian Rou said, ¡°Oh, I have to make a call.¡±


    But after they left for their smoke and call, they never returned.


    Cheng Xi received a text from Tian Rou soon after she disappeared. ¡°Your Mr. Lu¡¯s angry, I hope you¡¯ll be alright.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless at how fast her friend had abandoned her.


    She raised her head. Lu Chenzhou had finished eating long ago, and he was resting his head in his hand as he gazed at her meaningfully. His stare was so intense it made Cheng Xi¡¯s hair stand on end.


    She felt that she should try to extricate herself from this situation, so she tried to chat with him and lighten the gloomy atmosphere around them. ¡°They¡¯re gone now.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond, only continuing to look at her calmly.


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t someone who would give in that easily. She earnestly continued speaking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t tell you in advance. Inviting my friends along without asking you was quite impolite of me. However, my thought was that, since it¡¯s the New Year¡¯s, it¡¯d be better to have more people around. That way, there¡¯d be more liveliness and excitement.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded. She didn¡¯t see wrongly¡ªhe had indeed nodded, but what he said was, ¡°You¡¯re dressed very beautifully today.¡± It turns out that while Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t actually mad, he did find Baldy¡¯s and Tian Rou¡¯s presence to be somewhat annoying.


    So once they were gone, he no longer had any incentive to hold back.


    Given the abrupt shift in topic, Cheng Xi became somewhat embarrassed. ¡°¡­¡­Thanks.¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou remained his usual cool, calm, and collected self. ¡°Your body is very well suited for this kind of dress.¡± The long dress was close-fitting and had a soft texture, which accentuated her curves and gave her an exquisite quality. ¡°However, the quality of the dress is somewhat poor, and it doesn¡¯t feel very good to touch.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face went: ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ


    She looked at him, her expression ‡å again. Then, she said, somewhat speechlessly, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stood up. He really had improved, as he even knew to offer her his hand now. He stretched out his hand as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Cheng Xi hesitated momentarily, but eventually accepted his hand, stood up dazedly, and asked, ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°To buy new clothes.¡±


    Without an opportunity to reject him, Cheng Xi was dragged away on a shopping trip.


    The place where they had just eaten was within the heart of the city, and there were all sorts of famous brands and luxury goods retail outlets in the area. Originally, Cheng Xi had been very worried that Lu Chenzhou, with his tyrannical personality, would bring her to one of these extravagantly luxurious stores and buy overpriced clothing. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t even glance at these storefronts; they went to his car and quickly drove away.


    Cheng Xi took a deep breath, thinking that, as long as they didn¡¯t shop in this area, then no matter where they went, she would probably be able to afford at least one or two new articles of clothing¡­¡­ right?


    In the end, Lu Chenzhou still brought her to some high-class custom-made boutique. The storefront wasn¡¯t eye-catching, and it didn¡¯t look particularly grand or imposing, but the interior was tastefully elegant.


    Lu Chenzhou was a frequent customer here, and the employees treated him very well as soon as he arrived. Not long after they entered, the female boss came out herself, and when she saw Lu Chenzhou dragging Cheng Xi behind him, a glimmer of astonishment crept through her eyes, before being quickly buried. She put on a smile and asked, ¡°This must be your fiance, Director Lu?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded in affirmation.


    Cheng Xi was left speechless by this exchange.


    She felt as if everyone in the world except for her knew that she had been promised to someone. It was a particularly tart and acrid feeling that hit her deep in her stomach.


    But Lu Chenzhou had already started talking to the boss, directly asking, ¡°Do you have any dresses?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯re currently designing some new ones for the spring season.¡± She glanced over at Cheng Xi and smiled again. ¡°Her stature¡¯s good and her skin¡¯s white. You can tell from a single glance that she¡¯s a good clothes rack¡ªshe¡¯ll look good in anything she wears.¡±


    And then the boss led both of them upstairs and had them sit down. Right away, four employees appeared, each one carrying a set of clothes.


    They were all dresses of various styles, running the gamut from long to short, sexy to conservative, and stylish to cute. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even have time to look through all of them before Lu Chenzhou waved his hands dismissively. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything too complicated, just something like what she¡¯s wearing right now.¡±


    The lady owner inspected Cheng Xi¡¯s dress a bit more carefully and immediately understood. The next few dresses that she brought out were all long, body-hugging dresses. They were made of some sort of soft material and were particularly nice to the touch.


    Before Cheng Xi could even speak up, Lu Chenzhou had already picked out a white one and a red one for her.


    Since the dresses themselves seemed moderate and proper, and since Cheng Xi could already picture herself wearing them out with a little jacket on a daily basis, she didn¡¯t say anything and went to the dressing room to try them both on.


    When she displayed the white one, the female boss praised her looks¡ª¡°You look just like a good wife and loving mother.¡± But Lu Chenzhou merely glanced at her coolly.


    And when Cheng Xi came out with the red dress on, the lady owner smiled and sighed, ¡°This is just a sample, but it looks as if it were specifically designed for you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou sat down on the sofa, leaned back, and carefully looked at Cheng Xi with a hand supporting his forehead. It took him quite a while before he finally got up and walked over with his hand held out.


    When Cheng Xi saw his outstretched hand, her scalp went numb and she subconsciously tried to shy away, but Lu Chenzhou had already grabbed her waist. However, before she could respond, he let go of her just as quickly, his voice slightly hoarse as he asked ¡°Is it new?¡±


    The boss clearly knew about his habits, and immediately replied, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s brand new. It was just made yesterday, and not even a model has tried it on yet.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded, and then looked at Cheng Xi again. ¡°Will you wear it out?¡±


    ¡­¡­Had he decided to buy it just like that? She hadn¡¯t yet expressed her opinion at all, ok? Unwilling to cave in that easily, she said, ¡°I think that the white one looks prettier.¡±


    Unfortunately, no one listened to her, and the female boss even said, ¡°You do look very pretty in the white one. You can just buy both of them.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t care about her opinions, and leisurely ordered, ¡°Get them both.¡±


    Cheng Xi was stunned by his decisiveness.


    Custom-made clothes didn¡¯t have any price tags on them, but Cheng Xi could tell just from the material and the design that they wouldn¡¯t be cheap. But even after she prepared herself, her heart still ached when she finally saw their prices: for just two plain dresses, without any diamond inlay, silver threading, or any fanciful embroidery, it actually cost 12,000 yuan, and this was even after the top VIP discount was applied!


    Hmm, anything custom-made is definitely high-class, and I rarely indulge myself¡­ I¡±ll just consider this a treat for herself, Cheng Xi thought as she comforted herself. When she saw Lu Chenzhou move to pay the bill, she quickly intercepted him and took out her own wallet. ¡°I¡¯ll pay for myself.¡± And she handed her card over.


    The boss looked at Lu Chenzhou, who looked at Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi said, pretending to be calm, ¡°Both of these dresses look pretty, but I prefer paying for things with my own money.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou put down the pen, and Cheng Xi released a pent up breath. Since the status between the two of them was still unclear, she would feel very stressed about spending his money no matter how wealthy he was.


    But before she could breathe out fully, he twisted his head around and said, ¡°Wrap up all of the dresses in the shop.¡± He then pointed at Cheng Xi. ¡°She¡¯ll pay.¡±


    Cheng Xi made a ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ face. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 125: Are You Crazy?

    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t doubt for a single moment that Lu Chenzhou would make someone send all these dresses to her house even if she refused. His next words clarified his stance even further. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her being unable to pay. She¡¯s a doctor at Renyi, so she¡¯s rich.¡±


    Cheng Xi: ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ


    A wise man submits to his circumstances, so why did I have to offer to pay! Even as Cheng Xi regretted her previous decision, she decisively moved the bill in front of Lu Chenzhou. ¡°I¡¯m poor, so please pay for me!¡±


    Upon seeing their behavior, the female boss and the store employees couldn¡¯t help themselves from smiling; they even turned away to hide their laughter. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression, however, didn¡¯t shift at all. Instead, he seriously asked her, ¡°But what if that decreases your enjoyment of shopping?¡±


    ¡­¡­Cheng Xi believed that she was rather knowledgeable about psychology, but right now, she really didn¡¯t know whether he truly believed her blatantly false excuse that she ¡®enjoyed using her own money to shop,¡¯ or if he was just mocking her.


    Of course! If I take what he said earlier into consideration, then this fellow is clearly mocking me!


    Cheng Xi steeled her expression, pretended to not understand his words, and used the same earnest tone to say, ¡°No. I¡¯m actually happier when I use someone else¡¯s money.¡± o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    Only then did Lu Chenzhou take the bill and sign it.


    Everyone else in the shop was about to roll over from laughing. Cheng Xi¡¯s face was a scarlet blood red, and the boss even joked, ¡°Miss, Director Lu¡¯s really in love with you, huh.¡± This female boss was actually quite familiar with Lu Chenzhou, and they even exchanged jokes between each other quite often. She continued her teasing, saying, ¡°Director Lu¡¯s always been on his own, and I¡¯ve never seen him bring any other girls around. I used to even think that he would focus on his career his entire life and never think about marriage. But who would have thought that he¡¯d find such a beautiful and interesting fiance as you?¡±


    And then her gaze flickered over to the hickey that Lu Chenzhou had left on her neck.


    What could Cheng Xi say? She could only wordlessly smile and bear the burden of being ¡®Lu Chenzhou¡¯s fiance.¡¯


    After they left the store, Cheng Xi said, ¡°It¡¯s a bit late, and I have to go home soon.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou actually didn¡¯t refuse and calmly sent her home, leaving Cheng Xi in a state of discomfort¡ªit wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t bear to see him go, but rather that her instincts were screaming that he was planning something big even though she couldn¡¯t see anything of the sort. Was he really just going to gift her two dresses and be done with it?


    Lu Chenzhou really didn¡¯t seem like someone who would just give up on his plan that easily!


    And when her thoughts reached this point, she subconsciously felt somewhat stifled. As Cheng Xi moved to leave the car, she even said, somewhat uncertainly, ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯m going?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou dispassionately asked, ¡°What else?¡­¡­ Are you inviting me up?¡±


    ¡­¡­Cheng Xi finally managed to squeeze out a quick ¡°No, goodbye!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou smiled shallowly, making Cheng Xi blush as she turned to open the car door.


    But then, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Cheng Xi, startled, asked, ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡±


    She had barely finished saying ¡®doing¡¯ when he forcefully pushed the word back into her mouth. Lu Chenzhou took advantage of that opportunity to stick the tip of his tongue into her mouth, and start sucking on the tip of her own tongue. As they were still inside the tight confines of the car, the sucking and kissing noises were very distinct.


    Cheng Xi was very embarrassed, but she also couldn¡¯t deny the happiness that she felt. But this sort of happiness still had its own bottom line, and when she felt his hand creeping up the bottom of her dress, it was also about to cross that line. Cheng Xi immediately stopped him from going any further, opening her eyes.


    She struggled against his hold, and he didn¡¯t keep continuing forcefully this time. Lu Chenzhou calmly removed himself from her mouth but kept his cool palm on her thigh, rubbing it gently and meticulously.


    Cheng Xi grabbed his hand and tightly held it still.


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, at her clear, pellucid eyes, as he slowly sobered up. As his mind regained its clarity, he could see the line separating him and her briefly disappear and then reappear.


    His grip on the back of her head tightened, and an indistinct impatience surfaced from the bottom of his heart, born out of greed and ruthlessness. He felt a primordial desire to ravage her ferociously, bestially.


    But he restrained himself, not wanting to scare her again. Thus, when Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, can we not progress that quickly,¡± he repressed the primordial urges in his heart. Instead, he once again bent his head down, lightly licked the corners of her lips, and rubbed his face against hers as he said, ¡°Wear that red dress next time.¡±


    His hand was still placed dangerously on her thigh. Cheng Xi was reminded of the money that he had paid, thought, All right, I guess I do owe him a favor, and nodded.


    With that answer, Lu Chenzhou let go of her happily.


    That night, Cheng Xi had another dream filled with pornographic content. She didn¡¯t remember the exact details, but there was one very memorable scene that she remembered even after waking up: on a bright and sunny day, a woman had been cornered by a man. His slightly cold fingers had stroked her waist lightly before dipping inside of her body¡­¡­


    When she woke up, her body felt indescribably limp and numb while her heart was somewhat drained. Cheng Xi clutched her face, both impressed and horrified by the capabilities of her own imagination.


    In her dreams, besides the location, what that man had done to that woman was essentially what had happened to her yesterday, in that washroom!


    The good student Cheng Xi had finally experienced the feelings of youthful love, leaving her speechless.


    She lay in bed for quite a while, recovering from her shock. Only when that strange feeling in her heart went away did she lazily get up and dress herself.


    She was even late to work. Because it was the first day of work after the New Year, the head had arrived early. Following their workplace custom, he had prepared red packets in advance and had stood by the door, giving one to each colleague who walked in. There wasn¡¯t much money inside them, but it made everyone feel happy and appreciated.


    When the elevator door opened, the first thing Cheng Xi saw was the head standing there with a smile. She immediately wanted to turn around and leave, but the head had already spotted her. ¡°You¡¯re trying to run away after being so late?¡±


    Caught red-handed, Cheng Xi could only go over obediently. ¡°Happy New Year, department head.¡± And then she pitifully pleaded, ¡°It¡¯s the first day of work after the New Year. Could you not scold me, please?¡±


    The head glared at her, but he didn¡¯t say anything else. He merely stuffed the red packet into her hand before saying, ¡°Come to my office.¡±


    Cheng Xi could only head over. She had some idea of what was going on; indeed, the head immediately asked about what had happened yesterday when they were alone. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Cheng Xi explained the matter concisely, even saying, ¡°The patient¡¯s family wanted to transfer the patient to me, but I disagreed. Dr. Ceng did not handle this matter inappropriately at all.¡±


    The head chuckled. ¡°Worry about yourself first. Did you know that that patient¡¯s family filed a complaint about you?¡±


    ¡°A complaint?¡± Cheng Xi was dazed.


    ¡°Yes, directly to the chairman. It was something about how you, as a doctor, refused to provide treatment.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Although she had been slightly dazed at first, her head immediately cleared up afterwards. It seemed that her colleagues had already known that someone had filed a complaint against her, because when she left the head¡¯s office, those heartless fellows laughed with schadenfreude at her misfortune. ¡°Congratulations, Dr. Cheng. It seems that you¡¯re going to get a promotion this year, since you were called to the head¡¯s office on the first day of the new year.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. When she turned around, she saw Ceng Xing and wondered why he was at work¡ªhe had requested to go on vacation, starting today. While she was still confused, he walked straight up to her, ignoring the bystanders¡¯ glances, and dragged her into his office.


    ¡°Dr. Ceng, you¡¯re being too impudent!¡± Cheng Xi was angered by his actions, shaking off her hand.


    ¡°Me, impudent? What about you?¡± Ceng Xing looked at her, and accused through gritted his teeth, ¡°That man yesterday was Lu Chenzhou, right? Isn¡¯t he your patient? Dr. Cheng, you¡¯re actually dating your patient. Are you crazy?¡±


    Cheng Xi was struck speechless by his sudden accusation.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 126: Without Desire

    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t expect that Ceng Xing would say this, and she choked on the words stuck in her mouth.


    Ceng Xing continued rebuking her. ¡°If people heard about a doctor from the psychiatry department being in a relationship with her patient, do you know what they would think? This is made even worse by the fact that the Lu family has both prestige and power¡­¡­ He¡¯s ill, and as a doctor, instead of treating him properly, you even fell in love with him! If word spreads, then you could drown in just the saliva that people would spit at you! You, you, you¡­¡­ Why don¡¯t you know to cherish your reputation?!¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t refute his words.


    She really didn¡¯t expect that Ceng Xing would say something like this. Hadn¡¯t he always thought unfavorably of her? Hadn¡¯t he always erected roadblocks in front of her, trying to chase her out of the department? His sudden outpour of sincere advice for her really left her feeling out of sorts.


    Cheng Xi blinked, her anger dissipating, and actually made a joking jab at him. ¡°Are you concerned for me? ¡­¡­Is this really the Senior Ceng that I know?¡±


    Yes, although she didn¡¯t act unfamiliarly with him anymore, why would Ceng Xing feel his heart become even more stifled?


    Cheng Xi accepted his good intentions, but she didn¡¯t intend on explaining her relationship with Lu Chenzhou in detail. Instead, she perfunctorily replied, ¡°Thank you for your consideration, but I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± And then she nosily asked, ¡°You know Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    As for how Ceng XIng knew about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s illness, she didn¡¯t need to ask. As long as he had the name, he could find out everything about Lu Chenzhou from their hospital database. Although Lu Chenzhou had never officially been registered as a patient of the psychiatry department, he had come for medical consultations a few times, and his records were naturally in the database.


    Ceng Xing stiffly replied, ¡°No. Why would I care as to who he is?¡± He really didn¡¯t know who Lu Chenzhou was. But yesterday, he had ended up tailing them and, in the end, had taken a picture of Lu Chenzhou from afar.


    Despite Lu Chenzhou¡¯s low profile, there were still quite a few people who knew him, as he was a businessman. So when Ceng Xing shared the photograph of Lu Chenzhou and asked his friends about this man¡¯s identity, he quickly found the information he was searching for.


    And after that, he even looked up Lu Chenzhou¡¯s medical records; after all, everyone went to the hospital at some point for an illness or something, right? So coming at it from a medical perspective would be a good starting place to understand Lu Chenzhou better.


    But Ceng Xing could have never guessed that he would find out that Cheng Xi had been Lu Chenzhou¡¯s primary doctor in the past, and his medical records clearly stated: ¡®physiological emotional detachment, severe mysophobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.¡¯


    Even if he ignored the other two, emotional detachment was exactly what it sounded like: a combination of symptoms that included lacking emotions and having an abnormal thought process. In severe cases, people suffering from this disorder might even have no qualms about killing people or doing vile things. Even in light cases, they often didn¡¯t feel regular emotions at all.


    So he had no idea what Cheng Xi was trying to do!


    When he saw her brush off his advice, Ceng Xing immediately became weary. He felt like his sleepless night of worry and anxiety was almost like a joke to her, and the unhappiness on his face became palpable. ¡°Fine, just treat it as me being nosy then!¡±


    He was wholly irritated now. Cheng Xi scratched her head, at a loss for what to do. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not really used to your concern, senior. You don¡¯t really think that I like you, do you?¡±


    But her words seemed to have touched a sensitive spot, and he exploded in fury. Ceng Xing thought back to his impetuous behavior yesterday, and he felt an intense instinct to bury himself. He hurriedly countered with a ¡°I¡¯d rather you did!¡± and then rushed out.


    But then he came rushing back in just as quickly. ¡°This is my office! You get out!¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the absurd situation before leaving as he¡¯d asked. Perhaps it was because she¡¯d angered him, but Ceng Xing went back to his cold demeanor of before, raising his nose and slanting his eyes at her as usual. Whenever she began discussing treatment plans, he would always criticize them harshly. Others thought that he was just being petty, that he merely wanted to prove himself after Cheng Xi had helped him out that one time. However, Cheng Xi knew that it was because he honestly couldn¡¯t approve of her treatment methodologies¡ªif she was daring enough to enter a relationship with a patient suffering from emotional detachment, then how could he trust her treatment plans? Thus, he had no choice but to criticize them!


    But during department parties, he would at least be a bit nicer to her, often saying a few noncommittal words to her, like ¡°Dr. Cheng, come, have a glass of wine,¡± or ¡°Dr. Cheng, why don¡¯t you perform something for us?¡±


    But Cheng Xi still had a whole host of problems on her mind.


    She had been very busy ever since the start of the new year, not only because of this critical senior, but also because of Shen Wei. That afternoon, Shen Wei called her to go out. ¡°Rou said that you and Lu Chenzhou were doing well, right? Let¡¯s have dinner together, and bring him along as well.¡±


    Her tone was easy and relaxed, and she even teased Cheng Xi a little.


    Shen Wei¡¯s condition was special, so if she extended an invite, Cheng Xi would undoubtedly go. But she didn¡¯t ask Lu Chenzhou to come, and when Shen Wei saw that Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t come with Cheng Xi, she urged Fu Mingyi to call him. ¡°Give him a call. Cheng Xi¡¯s here, so I bet that he¡¯ll come.¡±


    The two of them sat there together in harmony, as if they¡¯d never had a disagreement.


    Cheng Xi decided to observe them carefully. If Shen Wei had truly forgiven him and desired to have a good life with Fu Mingyi, then she didn¡¯t plan on saying anything. They were both adults, and they could make their own choices and live their own lives.


    But she could see that Shen Wei was looking at Fu Mingyi unemotionally and without any affection.


    On the other hand, Fu Mingyi seemed to be at his wife¡¯s beck and call, doing anything and everything she asked of him. He smiled pleasantly and said, ¡°Alright.¡± And then he really did call Lu Chenzhou right there and there.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stop him, so she simply decided to ignore whatever Fu Mingyi was saying to Lu Chenzhou and instead turn her attention to Shen Wei. ¡°Your complexion¡¯s a lot paler now. Are you still unable to sleep well at night?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± When Shen Wei faced her, her smile became much more genuine. She even coyly whispered, ¡°My complexion only seems pale because I¡¯m not wearing any makeup.¡±


    ¡°Shen Wei¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Shen Wei pinched Cheng Xi¡¯s hand under the table. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that here, alright? As you know, being pregnant naturally makes a woman feel uncomfortable and ugly. So if you keep going, I¡¯ll have no choice but to ignore you.¡±


    What was that? There was no such thing as a true joke, as all jokes had at least a kernel of truth within them. Shen Wei¡¯s tone may have been joking, but it was evident that she was also quite serious.


    She clearly didn¡¯t want to talk about her body at all.


    And so Cheng Xi could only drop the subject. At this point, Fu Mingyi¡¯s call had finished, and he announced, ¡°Director Lu¡¯s agreed to come over.¡± As he said this, he even smiled suggestively at Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s eyes hurt just from looking at him, and she had to glance away. But then, Shen Wei said to Fu Mingyi, ¡°There are so many eligible bachelors by Director Lu¡¯s side, so let¡¯s call Hengjin over as well. Last time, we didn¡¯t manage to introduce her to Lin Fan, and I told her that I¡¯d definitely find her a better match.¡± She pushed him on. ¡°Go on, call her.¡± She clutched her tummy, smiled innocently, and gently said, ¡°I won¡¯t make the call, in case any radiation affects me.¡±


    Cheng Xi could clearly see the corners of Fu Mingyi¡¯s eyes twitch and his facial muscles unnaturally clench when Shen Wei told him to call Gong Hengjin over.


    He hesitatingly replied, ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea, is it? ¡­¡­We¡¯re already all paired up.¡±


    Shen Wei smiled nonchalantly. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? We¡¯re just having dinner with friends. After that, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to be disagreeable. It¡¯s Director Lu and Cheng Xi who¡¯re in the romantic stage of their relationship.¡±


    Fu Mingyi eventually ran out of excuses and had to call Gong Hengjin. He was just about to get up and leave, but Shen Wei pulled him back. ¡°Call her here. Isn¡¯t it a hassle to keep running around like that?¡±


    Cheng Xi took a deep breath.


    Not long later, Lu Chenzhou came, and so did Gong Hengjin. They arrived at almost the same time. For some reason, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t notice Lu Chenzhou, and her attention was instead drawn to Gong Hengjin.


    In her mind, she was a very introverted and dainty girl¡ªnot too pretty, but her neat facial features made one unconsciously want to protect her.


    Her demeanor and mien was completely different from Shen Wei¡¯s.


    Lu Chenzhou greeted Shen Wei and Fu Mingyi, and then very naturally sat down beside Cheng Xi. When he noticed her staring at Gong Hengjin, he frowned and bluntly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Everyone looked over.


    Cheng Xi was caught by surprise. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She could only stammer out, ¡°Miss Gong¡¯s really pretty.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her again, nodded, and said, ¡°She is indeed prettier than you.¡±


    Cheng Xi internally went o(¨s¡õ¨t)o.


    Lu Chenzhou continued, ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t like her.¡±


    Cheng Xi thought, ¡­¡­No one was hinting that, alright?!


    Shen Wei was a little unhappy to hear him praise Gong Hengjin and bash Cheng Xi, but when she heard his followup, she almost fell down laughing. She even intentionally provoked him by asking, ¡°Why not?¡±


    Fu Mingyi and Gong Hengjin listened on very seriously.


    And then they heard Lu Chenzhou¡¯s emotionless voice say, ¡°She¡¯s too thin, too short, and her body¡¯s too shriveled. I don¡¯t desire her.¡±


    Everyone made a ¡Ñ£ß¡Ñ face.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 127: I’ll Bring You on a Date Today

    Cheng Xi was certain that Lu Chenzhou had expressed his true thoughts, without any malicious intentions.


    My goodness, it became even more hurtful because it wasn¡¯t intentional! Can¡¯t you tell, geez?


    Gong Hengjin had initially been a bit pleased with herself, as she had heard of Lu Chenzhou before. She didn¡¯t expect that he would call her pretty, and even less so that he would call her prettier than this Cheng Xi in front of her. Yes, she couldn¡¯t help a feeling of pride from welling up.


    And so, even though he had said that he didn¡¯t like her, she thought that it was simply a part of the flirtatious banter between him and Cheng Xi, that it was wholly unrelated to the truth. This caused her to smile slightly and try to look reserved, so as to not make her pride too obvious.


    But then, what did she hear next?


    Cheng Xi thought that Gong Hengjin looked like she was about to cry, and even Fu Mingyi¡¯s face stiffened awkwardly.


    Shen Wei slammed her head against the table three times as she burst into a gleeful laughter. Only after that did she recover; she rubbed her face, lifted her head up, and delightedly said, ¡°Director Lu always makes jokes like this.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone was insipid as he responded, ¡°You think that I¡¯m joking?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t like where this conversation was going. If they continued down this route, who knew what Lu Chenzhou would say? Even she had fallen prey to his vicious tongue before! And although she wasn¡¯t all too pleased with Gong Hengjin supposedly being Fu Mingyi¡¯s mistress, everyone who had ever studied psychiatry knew not to provoke someone who gave off an introverted and honest image. As the saying went, ¡®dogs who bite don¡¯t bark.¡¯ In other words, the more honest and sincere a person seemed, the more mercurial their behavior when they were enraged. Like Gong Hengjin: if she were really as pure and guileless as she looked, then how would she have gotten involved with Fu Mingyi while knowing that he was dating and planning on marrying her best friend? Even if one discounted her friendship with Shen Wei, they were still distant relatives!


    So at that point, Cheng Xi had to interrupt and derail the conversation. ¡°Alright, jokes are jokes, but I need food. Let¡¯s order something. I¡¯m famished.¡±


    And with that, she took the lead and pressed the bell to call a waiter over. She truly wished for them to just drop the topic, but someone was clearly being obstinate.


    While they were waiting for a waiter to come, Fu Mingyi, who had regained his senses, actually smiled and said to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Hengjin isn¡¯t so bad, is she? Dr. Cheng seems pretty thin too.¡±


    Why!?


    Cheng Xi looked at him expressionlessly, not even wanting to reply.


    Shen Wei had collapsed onto the table with a face full of smiles, but when she heard that comment, she immediately made a gagging sound. Cheng Xi immediately stood up, concernedly asking, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just one of the side effects of pregnancy.¡± Fu Mingyi stretched his hand out to pat Shen Wei¡¯s back, but Shen Wei pushed him aside and instead grabbed ahold of Cheng Xi.


    Without a moment of hesitation, Cheng Xi walked around him and helped her outside.


    Gong Hengjin was about to stand up and accompany them as well, but Cheng Xi cut her off. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I can handle it myself.¡± She then forcibly dragged Shen Wei away before Gong Hengjin had a chance to respond.


    In the restroom, Shen Wei dry-heaved a few times over a toilet before vomiting in earnest. Only when even her gastric juices started coming out did she feel slightly better.


    Cheng Xi brought her some water for her to gargle, and helped her wipe her face as she asked, ¡°Do you feel a bit better?¡±


    Shen Wei leaned against the wall, raised her head, and took a deep breath before smiling without any genuine happiness. ¡°Quite well.¡±


    Cheng Xi clutched her hand concernedly. ¡°Do you want me to send you back?¡±


    Shen Wei turned around and looked straight at her. ¡°Cheng Xi, tell me. Am I being stupid?¡±


    Cheng Xi pursed her lips and thought for a moment before seriously saying, ¡°You¡¯re really are acting quite stupidly, very much unlike the Shen Wei I know. The Shen Wei I know would smoothly adapt to any circumstance. She let things go when she had to, and focused on new things when she could. She lived life without worries, free and at ease. Given what you¡¯re doing now, do you even recognize yourself anymore?¡±


    Tears started falling from Shen Wei¡¯s eyes, but her smile remained glued onto her face. ¡°I just want to hurt myself more. When I feel numb, there¡¯s a compulsion to poke at my wounds a bit to remind that it¡¯s right there. I only feel comfortable when it hurts.¡±


    When Cheng Xi heard this confession, she sighed, and her voice relaxed as she consoled, ¡°If you want to lead a happy life with him, then why bother hurting yourself?¡±


    Shen Wei covered up her face with her hand, though she was still smiling. ¡°I can¡¯t stand living this kind of life¡­¡­ If they want me to forgive them just like that, then who¡¯ll forgive me?¡±


    So it was indeed this! Cheng Xi frowned. ¡°You fool! If a man is bitten by a dog, must he bite back? Your path is your own to tread. You can¡¯t stop moving forward just because you tripped over a few pebbles.¡±


    She wanted to keep persuading Shen Wei against her current course of action, but at that moment, Fu Mingyi¡¯s voice came in from the outside. ¡°Shen Wei, Cheng Xi, are you in there?¡±


    Cheng Xi could only stop talking. She took a moment to look at Shen Wei, who was trying to wipe away her tears, and then coldly answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    When they went out, Cheng Xi¡¯s face was still cold, but Shen Wei¡¯s expression was once again plastered with a fake, broad smile.


    Fu Mingyi said, ¡°There¡¯s a washroom right inside. Why did you run all the way over here?¡±


    Shen Wei replied, ¡°We were just about to eat. Wouldn¡¯t it be disgusting if I vomited in the restaurant?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that. You¡¯re pregnant!¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at the two of them from behind, feeling helpless. Even though Shen Wei had momentarily lost her calm, her acting skills immediately recovered to their peak in a millisecond. When she reentered the restaurant, she let Gong Hengjin, who had come up to her to welcome her back, support her. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just the baby.¡±


    And then she even apologized to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My reactions have been pretty extreme lately, and I even feel the urge to vomit at random intervals.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was unbothered. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal.¡± His gaze swept over Cheng Xi¡¯s face, and once she sat down, he asked, ¡°Are you unhappy?¡±


    Cheng Xi remained silent.


    He hadn¡¯t lowered his voice, so Fu Mingyi and the others all heard him and looked over, shocked. Shen Wei even blinked before asking, ¡°Cheng Xi, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at her. ¡°One of my patients has a problem.¡±


    If it was a work problem, then no one could help her. All they could do was simply commiserate with her before dropping the subject.


    That meal really was devoid of any enjoyment. All throughout dinner, they watched Shen Wei and Fu Mingyi display their ¡®love¡¯ for each other and the baby in her stomach. Fu Mingyi was quite disgusting in how calmly he behaved in front of two women who both had unclear relationships with him.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t feel like eating, and Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even bother picking up his chopsticks.


    Shen Wei teased him mercilessly. ¡°Director Lu, if you¡¯re not here to eat, then what are you here for?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s answer was simple and direct. ¡°For her, because she¡¯s here.¡±


    Shen Wei and the others laughed, but Cheng Xi didn¡¯t. She looked at him, searching his face for a hint; his expression was as calm as ever, and she couldn¡¯t detect any deep emotion. But the fact that he would say something like this was more than enough to show how profound his feelings were.


    She stretched out her hand and grabbed his from underneath the table. As her fingers slid across his palm, their fingers interlaced together.


    That was the first time that she had ever taken the initiative to hold hands with him.


    He looked over, and his lips slightly curved up. The mirth in his eyes was easily recognizable, softening his sharp facial features.


    What Cheng Xi gained from this meal was a sudden deeper understanding of her own feelings: I simply can¡¯t resist him, so why not truly accept him?


    I could treat him as my real boyfriend and man, and love and cherish him.


    And as for later, why think about that now?


    So when they split up from Shen Wei and the others, Lu Chenzhou said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    Cheng Xi pulled him back. ¡°Just like that?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou mechnically replied, ¡°It¡¯s not the eighth today.¡± But what he really meant was that it wasn¡¯t one of their date days yet.


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Then why did you come over?¡±


    And Lu Chenzhou seriously answered, ¡°I missed you.¡±


    These serious responses used to make Cheng Xi speechless, but now, she felt that these responses were so cute that they were irresistible. There were many pedestrians on the street, but she threw all caution to the wind, thinking that no one would recognize them here anyway. She stood on her tiptoes, quickly kissed him on the lips, smiled, and leaned in as she whispered, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll bring you on a date you today, alright?¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 128: Your Sweetness

    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even have the chance to speak before Cheng Xi retreated. She then heard a crisp voice by her ear. ¡°Dr. Cheng? Lu¡­¡­ Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    What happened to no one recognizing us?


    She turned around, and her elated heart came crashing down. There were two people standing beside them, and they were more than mere acquaintances; their relationship with her was actually quite complicated.


    Lin Fan and Meng Qingyang.


    How could there be such a coincidence?


    The two seemed to have just finished shopping, as the two were holding hands while Lin Fan was carrying a few bags, both large and small, in his free one.


    When the two of them saw Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou, Meng Qingyang¡¯s face was one of shock while Lin Fan¡¯s was expressionless.


    Lu Chenzhou was rather expressionless himself. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn¡¯t even bother greeting anyone he wasn¡¯t ¡®familiar¡¯ with, and even glancing at them was an honor. His coldness was especially apparent at a time like this; making a sound and interrupting them was very impolite, no?


    So Cheng Xi had to intervene. Perhaps it was because she had just been ¡®secretly¡¯ kissing Lu Chenzhou, but her face still had the remnants of a smile. After a brief moment to recover from her slight daze, she smiled and said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the two of you¡­¡­¡­ Happy New Year!¡±


    Meng Qingyang politely responded with a ¡°Happy New Year¡± of her own. She looked at Cheng Xi, and then at Lu Chenzhou. ¡°The two of you¡­¡­¡± She made a vague hand gesture. ¡°Are you two dating?¡±


    It seemed as if love was magical. After she had gotten together with Lin Fan, not only did her emotional stability improve, but even her mood seemed to have livened up.


    Cheng Xi smiled as she nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then did we interrupt you?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled without responding.


    At this point, Lin Fan suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Stop bothering them.¡± He pulled on Meng Qingyang¡¯s hand, trying to leave.


    Meng Qingyang followed along, but at the last moment, she turned her head around and said, ¡°Dr. Cheng, we¡¯re getting married at the end of the month. You have to come!¡±


    Cheng Xi was still frozen.


    Her emotions were still running amok when she felt a sudden pressure on her hand: slightly cold fingers were pulling at her fingers.


    When she turned around, her face once again had a smile on it. She looked at him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go on our date.¡±


    And then the two walked down the other side of the road and into the theater to watch some mindless movie. o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    When they exited the cinema, Cheng Xi suddenly had a small breakthrough in understanding why Lu Chenzhou had to ask Baldy for ideas and advice about dating. Even though she had said that this was a date, she also didn¡¯t know what young men and women did.


    Eating¡ªthey just ate.


    Playing sports¡ªshe would only get wrecked.


    Shopping¡ªeven Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t interested in this, let alone Lu Chenzhou.


    So, in the end, out of ideas, they could only watch a movie.


    The good thing was, despite the movie being quite poor, their relationship had nonetheless deepened considerably. They had entered holding hands, and they also exited holding hands.


    When they were finished, it was already past 10 PM. Under normal circumstances, if Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything, Lu Chenzhou probably would not think to send her home. But today, he did so on his own.


    When they arrived at Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment complex, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t even eat dinner today. Are you hungry?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou staunchly replied, ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then quickly go home, eat something, and go to bed.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything in response, only shooting a steady gaze at her. His face was still expressionless, but Cheng Xi felt that she could some hidden bitterness in those stoic features.


    She couldn¡¯t stop herself from laughing out loud before she waved her hand at him to bid goodbye. ¡°Good night.¡±


    As she prepared to leave the car, Lu Chenzhou locked the car door, started the car up again, and started driving towards the parking garage.


    Cheng Xi quizzically asked him, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her and then slowly replied, ¡°Weren¡¯t you inviting me in just now?¡±


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t upset. ¡°Sure!¡± As an excuse, she continued, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if you don¡¯t eat anything when you get back home, your stomach will hurt.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou turned around and provokatively said, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll eat all right.¡±


    Cheng Xi was struck speechless.


    This time, it was her turn to look at him bitterly. She even wanted to grab his ear and sarcastically ask, ¡®Do you know how to chat? Can you speak properly? At this time, shouldn¡¯t you silently accept my good intentions and then escort me home diligently?¡¯


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything; instead, the sides of his mouth curled up, clearly signaling that he found Cheng Xi¡¯s exasperated and speechless expression amusing.


    Since she was afraid of Lu Chenzhou being hungry, the first thing she did when they arrived at her apartment was to make something for him to eat. There wasn¡¯t much food at her place, but there were quite a number of items that she could prepare with little effort, like noodles, dumplings, and the like. In fact, her mother replenished her stock almost weekly.


    Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou had eaten together quite a few times by now, and she knew that he preferred light foods. So, she made him a bowl of noodles that suited his tastes, and then made a bowl of thick congee with black rice, beans, and red dates for herself.


    She wasn¡¯t full from tonight¡¯s meal either.


    When she remembered the night¡¯s lacking dinner, she was also reminded of Shen Wei, and then of Lin Fan. Once the noodles were busy boiling, she took out her phone and scrolled through her social media feed, but couldn¡¯t find anything about Lin Fan getting married at all.


    He barely updated his feed, and his most recent post was when he had just returned from abroad and was attending Shen Wei¡¯s wedding. It was a picture, with a single sentence as a caption: ¡°I hope that you¡¯ll be happy.¡±


    The photograph was of Shen Wei getting ready to throw her wedding bouquet into the air. She had in mid-turn, laughing, and the bridesmaids were at the bottom of the stage, happily rubbing their palms and getting ready to catch the bouquet.


    The happiness and liveliness of the wedding felt as fresh as if it had taken place yesterday, but Shen Wei and Fu Mingyi¡¯s marriage had clearly already come to its end.


    ¡°What¡¯re you looking at?¡±


    There was a hot puff of air by her ear, and then Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice rang out from behind her back.


    Cheng Xi showed him her phone screen. ¡°I¡¯m looking at photographs of Shen Wei¡¯s wedding.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at it for a moment and then turned his head around disinterestedly to look at the pot. ¡°Is it ready yet?¡±


    Cheng Xi also glanced at the boiling noodles. Then she put her phone away, picked up her chopsticks, and stirred it a little. ¡°It¡¯s almost ready.¡±


    A few minutes later, she removed the noodles and poured out the congee, and with that, the two of them had a very simple supper. Thankfully, Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t a picky eater, and he slowly but diligently ate his noodles, leaving the bowl clean at the end.


    He had finished his noodles before Cheng Xi could finish her congee, so Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Was it tasty?¡± She wanted to show off a little. ¡°My dad personally made these noodles from scratch, and I¡¯ve always loved eating them.¡±


    Since she was sitting by his side, he could see her gleaming eyes, and her white and lustrous face seemed to glow under the lamplight. But in contrast to that ethereal aura, there was a little black spot of rice congee by the side of her mouth, just like a little mole; the slight imperfection actually increased her attractiveness.


    She was still asking him, ¡°Is it tasty?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand that had been lying dormant underneath the table moved instinctively. He raised it and wiped off the little ¡®mole¡¯ by her mouth.


    Cheng Xi looked at that black dot on his fingertip, but before she could blush in embarrassment, she saw him put it in his mouth and suck it down like he was drinking water. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s not as tasty as this¡­¡± He put down his hand and then looked at her. ¡°Your sweetness, that is.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t stop her face from turning pink; how could she not? There was no sugar in the congee at all! What sort of sweetness¡­¡­ She tried her best to maintain a serious expression, but her face was still warm with embarrassment, and she couldn¡¯t help but cover her face with her hand as she suspiciously looked at him. ¡°Mr. Lu, did you really not have any relationships in the past?¡± Then in an extremely daring move, she stretched out her hand and kneaded his handsome face, which was so serious that it made one want to touch it even more. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t seem like it, given how good you are at teasing me.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou snatched her hand out of the air. Cheng Xi¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and just as she was about to give up, she heard Lu Chenzhou laugh. ¡°Let¡¯s get into bed together. Although I¡¯ve never done it before, my technique¡¯s pretty good. Do you want to try it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 129: Untitled

    Between men and women, many things would occur naturally once the conditions were met. However, to say that outright just like that¡­¡­


    Right now, Cheng Xi really wanted to throw her bowl of congee at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face!


    She puffed up her cheeks and glared at him fiercely. ¡°Aren¡¯t you trying to move too quickly?¡±


    She had just prepared herself to enter into a relationship with him, but he was already proposing that they get into bed together¡­¡­ She really couldn¡¯t catch up to him even if she rode a rocket.


    The way she puffed up her cheeks reminded Lu Chenzhou of his little toad tea pet, which was white and tender. Whenever it became wet, it made Lu Chenzhou really want to pinch it.


    But since they were discussing ¡°official matters,¡± Lu Chenzhou decided to resist against that temptation. ¡°Is that too fast?¡± He looked down as he listed off all the various things they had done. ¡°Disregarding what happened before I started wooing you, we¡¯ve had fifteen dates and twelve kisses so far. And during that time frame, your attitude has gradually gone from somewhat unwilling, to reluctantly accepting, to indifferent, and today, you even kissed me of your own volition. So given how our dates have progressed, I do feel like it¡¯s time.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even argue back.


    She truly felt that her own bashfulness belied her lack of experience! Suppressing the indignant emotions within her heart, she asked somewhat curiously, ¡°Where¡¯d you come up with this dating timeline of yours?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, his expression pedantic, like a model student discussing an abstract theory. ¡°If you extrapolate from your experimental and theoretical results with probability theory, it naturally leads to this result.¡±


    Cheng Xi almost choked on her congee. ¡°¡­¡­Urk!¡±


    She felt like discussing romance with Mr. Lu was an ordeal in and of itself because he had the capability to instantaneously turn a charming and gentle atmosphere into¡­¡­ nothing.


    But this sort of feeling was novel, and, what¡¯s more, Cheng Xi had been a model student herself in the past. So when she saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s analytical behavior, she quickly went into model-student mode herself, and seriously laid out her criticisms. ¡°Then, have you researched the possible results of a whirlwind romance? Such rapidly developing cases have an 80% rate of breaking up before marriage or divorcing after marriage. If you don¡¯t believe me, then all you have to do is take a look at the friends besides you. Any relationship that progresses to the intimate stage or marriage within a month usually doesn¡¯t end up well. In psychiatry, there¡¯s a field of research that focuses on relationships. The most stable relationships are those where the partners first spend more than half a year to affirm their feelings, and then have a one or two year long romance before finally engaging in intimate behavior or marriage. This is because love is actually an illusion, and it needs time to be verified. Only then can an illusion become a reality. Feelings that haven¡¯t survived the test of time are fated to only be short-lived, a spur-of-the-moment passion.¡± She looked at him as she smiled. ¡°Is what you want? A short-lived passion?¡±


    This time, Lu Chenzhou was the one struck speechless.


    He thought about her points for a moment and found that he agreed with her conclusions. However, ¡°Two years is too long.¡± He curtly explained his reasoning by saying, ¡°I might not have enough time to date you for that long.¡± As the current head of Donglai Corporations, he was very busy. It was already a tall order for him to spend any time with her during the New Year, and while this was feasible in the short term, he definitely couldn¡¯t maintain it for the long term. ¡°Even a year would be difficult,¡± he said as he looked at her. ¡°It would be very difficult for me to guarantee that I wouldn¡¯t try something else, such as trying to trick you into having sex with me.¡±


    His last few words were so crude that Cheng Xi felt a compulsion to smack him, but his tone was so serious that she didn¡¯t know where to even begin.


    He continued, even saying, ¡°Cheng Xi, I want you. Every night after I return home from one of our dates, I have to change my pants a few times through the night. This has caused me a lot of distress.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    If anyone else had said these words, then he would definitely have been called a hoodlum, but when Lu Chenzhou said it, it surprisingly actually made her want to reflect on their own actions. Was she truly treating him too harshly?


    As Cheng Xi reflected on her actions now, her inner self was in a state of distraught. o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    She thought of a sentence she had once read in a textbook, ¡°All biological problems would lead to mental problems, and all mental problems would lead to biological problems.¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s physical issue might have something to do with his long-term lack of release.


    Of course, this sort of release was not only physiological, but also mental and emotional.


    She was now very seriously thinking of a way to help him with his biological problem. Then, in her innocence, she made a terrible suggestion. ¡°Have you ever tried using some other method to relieve yourself? For example, your hand?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, not speaking for a moment before asking, ¡°Are you offering to help me?¡± He seemed very eager by the thought, and even made to take off his pants immediately.


    Cheng Xi was dumbfounded by his reaction.


    She quickly moved to stop him, and then she somehow found herself sitting in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s lap.


    He was hugging her, with one hand on her waist and the other hand behind her head, pulling her into a passionate kiss. Once Cheng Xi was entrapped by him, she realized just how different he was today: this time, his kiss was particularly forceful. It was as if he wanted to swallow her alive; his movements were fierce and somewhat brutal, as his tongue pried open her teeth and wrangled with hers.


    Not long later, Cheng Xi felt her tongue go numb, and she couldn¡¯t even close her mouth, causing a thin line of drool to drip out.


    I feel like a plate of food on the dining table, while he is a ravenous wolf¡­¡­ Cheng Xi trembled all over, but she couldn¡¯t tell whether it was due to fear or agitation.


    Perhaps she really did accept him in her heart, because she didn¡¯t push him away. That encounter in the washroom seemed to have opened some forbidden door in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s heart. As he kissed her, his hand on her waist naturally slid into her clothes. It knead and pinched her soft skin sensually, and her heart was quickly enshrouded by an unfamiliar and indistinct delight.


    Her young yet also mature body was too easily excited.


    Luckily, her earlier words had affected Lu Chenzhou because he didn¡¯t do much more than that. After having tasted his fill, he pulled her hand to his heart, and as he kissed her one last time, he softly whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t have much patience, so don¡¯t delay too long and test my fortitude.¡±


    And with that, he let her go and left.


    He got up...and left.


    Cheng Xi looked at the closing door, still somewhat numb.


    But he really had left, as if he wouldn¡¯t be able to ever leave if he were even a bit slower.


    Cheng Xi looked at her hand and fell into a deep daze. She could still feel his lingering touch, a strange mix of hardness and softness.


    She released a pent up breath, picked up her phone, and sent Lu Chenzhou a message. ¡°Why me?¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond.


    After a long time, as Cheng Xi was flipping back and forth in bed trying to fall asleep, her phone suddenly beeped.


    She hurriedly opened it, and it was a reply from Lu Chenzhou, only three short words. I don¡¯t know.


    She didn¡¯t know how long he had thought for before giving her this response.


    She knew that this wasn¡¯t a half-hearted reply. And as she looked at it, she felt a sense of calmness and contentment fill her heart, and she couldn¡¯t help a small smile from creeping onto her face.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 130: First Love?

    Later, Cheng Xi sent Lu Chenzhou another text message. ¡°If two lovers truly have intense feelings for each other, then there¡¯s no reason for them to stick together from dawn to dusk. No matter how long they are separated, their feelings for each other will be reaffirmed through their gazes the moment they meet. The same is true for dates. Regular dates aren¡¯t always at a fixed time. Two people deeply in love are still independent people, with their own responsibilities and hobbies. They¡¯ll work when they¡¯re busy, and they¡¯ll meet when they¡¯re not. That¡¯s a normal relationship.¡±


    She was almost blatantly telling him, ¡®Dear, don¡¯t be so fixated on having pre-scheduled dates. Love isn¡¯t a computer program, and if you¡¯re busy, then we can just have fewer dates during that period, ok?¡¯


    This time, Lu Chenzhou responded very quickly, but with only five words, though that was two more than before. ¡°You¡¯re trying to dupe me.¡±


    She spat out a mouthful of tea.


    Cheng Xi had been cradling her phone and accidentally choked herself wide awake.


    Because it was really too late, and because she still had to work tomorrow, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t reply. But in her heart, she thought that, if she had time, that she definitely had to properly discuss this with him. She also couldn¡¯t handle having a date every two days over the long term.


    Since it was around the time for classes to start back up again, Cheng Xi would have to start working and preparing lectures. It would be impossible for her to not work overtime.


    The next day, at noon, Cheng Xi went out to get lunch with Su Feng. Somehow, they even picked up a patient along the way.


    Su Feng had originally invited Cheng Xi out to lunch yesterday, but Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t been free as Shen Wei had already made an appointment with her. Thus, she could only push the lunch with Su Feng back a day, to noon today.


    As soon as Cheng Xi got off work, she went to the gynecology department to look for Su Feng. Coincidentally, she also ran into one of her middle school classmates there.


    He was the husband; his wife had just given birth a month ago, and the two of them were here for a checkup.


    When Cheng Xi came over, Su Feng was currently scolding the two of them, but mainly Cheng Xi¡¯s classmate. ¡°Do you live in a forest? Do you have to cross a mountain to get to the hospital? If there¡¯s any discomfort, then you have to go to the hospital. This is common knowledge! And as for you, just because you married him, it doesn¡¯t mean that you sold yourself to him. Your body¡¯s irrevocably yours. If you don¡¯t take good care of it, then who will?¡±


    When Cheng Xi poked her head in, Su Feng stopped shouting, and the man getting scolded immediately recognized her. ¡°Cheng Xi?¡±


    Once the two started reminiscing, Su Feng stopped scolding them, and the wife even stopped crying.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s former classmate lived somewhat close to her parents¡¯ home, but after they had graduated from middle school, the two of them had gone to different high schools. And since Cheng Xi spent very little time at home, they almost never ran into each other.


    It was already surprising that he had recognized her at first glance.


    And then all four of them went out for food; they had to, after all, from Cheng Xi¡¯s classmate¡¯s point of view. One of them was an old classmate he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, and the other was the doctor taking care of his wife; he couldn¡¯t neglect either of them.


    Afterwards, Su Feng laughed at her. ¡°You¡¯re really even busier than a CEO. I can¡¯t even get a private lunch with you even with an advance appointment.¡±


    Cheng Xi was also helpless. After all, what could she do about this situation? When the classmate and his wife went to their car, she quietly asked, ¡°What happened to them?¡±


    Su Feng massaged her forehead as she explained, ¡°Her womb prolapsed, and because they didn¡¯t see a doctor in time, it wasn¡¯t treated properly. Now, it¡¯s all a big mess. I gave her a device to help her recover, but she was so afraid of it that she started crying. My god, what''s the matter with these people?¡± She shot another glare at Cheng Xi. ¡°If not for you, then I wouldn¡¯t be having lunch with patients like these. They only give me headaches!¡±


    Cheng Xi clasped her wrists reassuringly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll treat you to a big feast some other time.¡±


    Su Feng lightly harrumphed.


    But Cheng Xi¡¯s classmate was actually quite witty as he had been working in business for quite a while, and his words flowed naturally, almost like a comedy routine.


    The wife, on the other hand, seldomly spoke, and her gaze always ended up landing on Cheng Xi¡¯s body. It contained a sense of examination and wariness, and also a confused mix of envy and admiration.


    Cheng Xi could understand her behavior, as it was the almost instinctive nature of a female to prevent their mate from going after fresher meat. Thus Cheng Xi remained very self-aware throughout the entire lunch, making sure not to proactively start up a conversation with the husband. She felt that her behavior clearly showed that she wasn¡¯t interested in him, but halfway through the lunch, the wife started crying out of nowhere.


    The other three were all startled, and Cheng Xi¡¯s classmate turned angry after he recovered from his initial shock. As he looked at Cheng Xi and Su Feng awkwardly, he ground his teeth and reprimanded, ¡°What¡¯s the problem with you?¡±


    But that only made his wife start crying more violently. She didn¡¯t make any noises, and just laid down on the table looking particularly upset, completely unresponsive to her husband.


    Her condition didn¡¯t improve even after everyone tried to pacify her, and Cheng Xi¡¯s classmate became extremely infuriated. He even hoisted her up and said, ¡°It looks like we can¡¯t continue this lunch, so we¡¯ll be leaving first. Cheng Xi, I¡¯m sorry about this. Let¡¯s catch up next time.¡±


    He was right about to leave right after speaking, but Cheng Xi¡¯s heart felt unwell when she got a glimpse at the wife¡¯s face. She stopped him. ¡°Wait. Give us a moment, as she might not be feeling well. Let¡¯s let Dr. Su talk with her alone first.¡±


    And then she forced him to let go of her, pulling him outside.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s classmate was spinning in circles outside. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with her, always going crazy like that!¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at him from the side. ¡°Was she always like this?¡±


    She received a glare back from her classmate. ¡°Of course not! If she acted like this in the past, then I wouldn¡¯t have married her! However, after she got pregnant, I don¡¯t know what happened. She just keeps crying. Even when I tell her that crying too much will hurt the baby¡¯s development, she continues to cry! If I tell her that it¡¯ll hurt her to sit for too long, she cries! If the baby messes around at night, then even before the baby starts bawling, she cries! I really can¡¯t stand it anymore!¡±


    ¡°Besides crying, has she exhibited any other abnormal behavior? For example, suicidal thoughts.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s classmate casually responded, ¡°No. She did mention it a few times when she got upset, but those were just words spoken out of anger.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless by his callousness.


    She turned around and reentered the restaurant again. Su Feng was still trying to calm down the new mother, and when she saw Cheng Xi enter, she discreetly shook her head.


    Cheng Xi kneeled down by the mother¡¯s side. ¡°Shall I have someone pour you some water and help you wash your face? It¡¯s all dirty from crying. You won¡¯t look nice like this.¡±


    And then she called a waitress over to do just that, helping her clean up. The mother cooperated this time, but she obstinately did everything herself, refusing any of Cheng Xi¡¯s help. When she finished, she started tearing up again upon seeing her swollen eyes in the mirror. Then, she looked at Cheng Xi and said, ¡°I know you. He always talks about you. He even has your photos at home, and always says that you were his first love.¡±


    Cheng Xi and Su Feng were both shocked by this revelation, with both of them left dazed and open-mouthed.


    When she regained her senses, Su Feng started laughing at Cheng Xi. As for Cheng Xi, she continued to look earnestly at her classmate¡¯s wife as she consoled, ¡°One¡¯s first love never lasts. You¡¯re the lucky one who ended up marrying him in the end.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Upon hearing this, the wife started laughing mirthlessly, her face revealing an ashen expression that Cheng Xi was all too familiar with. ¡°Lucky? But why do I feel that I¡¯m pitiful?¡± She looked at Cheng Xi forlornly. ¡°I used to be just like you, wearing beautiful clothes, smiling easily and naturally¡­¡­¡±


    And then she broke down into tears again.


    This time, even Su Feng stopped smiling, her face quickly turning severe.


    Cheng Xi went out and told her classmate, ¡°Your wife might be suffering from postnatal depression. I recommend that you take her back to the hospital.¡±


    Common people like her classmate, however, were largely unaware that such mental problems even existed. As soon as she said this, her charming and witty classmate even replied, ¡°What? She¡¯s depressed despite having such a good life? Is she crazy?¡±


    Su Feng said from the side, ¡°From your words, with a husband like you, it¡¯d be abnormal if she weren¡¯t depressed.¡±


    Without any further ado, Cheng Xi brought both of them back to the hospital and added the wife to her list of patients.


    After the check-up and interview, she conclusively identified it as a somewhat more severe case of postnatal depression. Her classmate¡¯s wife was mired in very heavy thoughts, and had even tried to kill herself a couple of times before.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 131: Acciden

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that jokes are just jokes. Every joke has a grain of truth within it. To patients suffering from depression, jokes about wanting to die, wanting to kill someone, and wanting the world to end are all matters to be taken seriously.¡±


    On the first day of class, Cheng Xi used her classmate¡¯s wife as a case study for her students. ¡°The patient¡¯s husband made the worst possible mistake by assuming that the immediate months after childbirth would be a pleasurable time for the patient. This is because he thought that she would merely sit in bed and rest while he provided food and drinks for her, and thus that her depression was just her being unreasonable. In practice, however, many new mothers feel emotional pressure due to the pain, anxiety, and the shift in attention from close family members. This pressure is sometimes alleviated by their newborn baby and their love for their family members, but can otherwise lead to depression of varying severity.


    ¡°Thus, as gentlemen, I hope that all of my male students will be understanding and caring with their wives when they become fathers. Though you won¡¯t be able to alleviate all of their pain, you can at least give them all of your encouragement and love. For new mothers in this time of duress, every bit of tolerance and doting from their most intimate partner can become a piece of salvation. And as doctors, you must remember to be good listeners. Any doubt that you show may push your wife closer to the abyss.¡±


    The classroom was silent for a while as the students tried to absorb as much of Cheng Xi¡¯s words as they could. A couple minutes passed before a student asked, ¡°Professor, what happened to this patient in the end? How did you deal with it?¡±


    ¡°This patient¡¯s emotions have currently stabilized. As long as she isn¡¯t stimulated any further, she¡¯ll likely recover very quickly. As for how I dealt with it, the first step was to lecture the husband. It¡¯s a frightening thing that there aren¡¯t any qualifications to become a parent. Similarly, it¡¯s very frightening when men don¡¯t act as proper husbands after getting married.¡±


    At this point, a male student spoke up. ¡°Professor, you¡¯ve been targeting us guys a lot today. This isn¡¯t fair! What about our female classmates? Don¡¯t you have any recommendations for them?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± As Cheng Xi said this, her gaze swept over the young students. She was somewhat surprised, because she once again saw Lu Chenming in the crowd. There was a period of time when he had stopped coming to her classes, so she didn¡¯t expect him to come again, especially not now, at the start of the new year. Diverting her gaze away, Cheng Xi continued, saying, ¡°The suggestion I have for you girls out there is that, if you¡¯re not prepared for it, then don¡¯t rush things. Getting married and giving birth is a huge event in one¡¯s life, and you should only do so after careful consideration. And once you¡¯ve prepared yourself, then you should remember to love yourself while also loving others. The world is so large, and society so free, that there will be numerous opportunities for everyone. Thus, there¡¯s really no reason to fixate on any particular person. Remember this: you¡¯re most charming as an independent person.¡±


    By the end of the lesson, Cheng Xi had wandered severely off-topic, going from depression to independence. At the very least, it was an interesting and meaningful conversation, and no one seemed to care all that much.


    The class seemed to fly by. When the discussion concluded and Cheng Xi saw Lu Chenming pack up and prepare to leave, she quickly called him back.


    When Lu Chenming heard her call out to him, he stood dazed, his face flaming red out of embarrassment, almost as if steam were about to come out of his head.


    Cheng Xi paused, unsure of what to do. He was so shy that she was really worried that he might faint.


    She packed up her teaching materials and walked over with her kindest and most genial expression. However, Lu Chenming remained paralyzed behind his desk. As he looked at her, his body started shaking, and his eyes almost teared up.


    Cheng Xi was still speechless.


    She couldn¡¯t help but inspect herself, and she touched her face as she asked, ¡°Do I look scary?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s good.¡± Cheng Xi smiled and took a sweet out of her pocket. ¡°Would you like this?¡±


    She placed it next to his hands. His fingers twitched, but he didn¡¯t take it, though Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind. She smiled again as she asked, ¡°There was a very long period of time where I didn¡¯t see you. Are you free in the afternoon? Can I treat you to lunch?¡±


    She actually wanted to chat with Lu Chenming, as she wanted to see if she could understand Lu Chenzhou more through him. She had always felt that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s illness stemmed from some earlier event in his life, and since she was now mentally ok with being in a relationship with him, she naturally wanted to speed up his treatment.


    Actually, she could have asked Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents about his past as well, but the two of them looked at their grandson with rose-tinted glasses. For them, besides the fact that he hadn¡¯t married yet, everything else he did was fine and free from problems. Thus, Cheng Xi had turned to Lu Chenming instead.


    But she had underestimated Lu Chenming¡¯s shyness. Right after she spoke, he shuddered and glanced at her as if in fear before running away, crying!


    He was actually crying, and Cheng Xi could tell because there were a few teardrops on his desk.


    Of course, the proffered sweet was gone, as he hadn¡¯t forgotten to grab it before he ran away.


    Cheng Xi stared open-mouthed as she stared at Lu Chengming¡¯s back, which was moving farther and farther away by the second. She slowly shook her head as she retracted the still-extended hand.


    Later, when Cheng Xi was going home, she called Cheng Yang and asked him, ¡°How much do you know about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s brother?¡±


    She had just tossed this question out casually because she felt that Lu Chenming was seriously too shy and a bit strange. But unexpectedly, her brother anxiously responded, ¡°Why are you asking about him all of a sudden?¡±


    Well attuned to her brother¡¯s moods, Cheng Xi quickly noticed that something was amiss and instead of replying, she asked, ¡°Why are you so nervous?¡± She frowned before suspiciously asking, ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything to him, did you?¡±


    Cheng Yang¡¯s side was silent. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    A long silence.


    Cheng Xi had to repeat ¡°Hello?¡± a few times before Cheng Yang eventually said, ¡°Huh? I was busy just now. What did you say just now?¡±


    The siblings knew each other too well after spending so many years together, and his reaction was so natural that even though Cheng Xi was suspicious, it gave her no hint as to what had happened between him and Lu Chenming. Thus, she just asked the question again.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t discover anything. That fellow¡¯s even harder to get close to than his brother. He¡¯s too shy, and it¡¯s nearly impossible to get anything out of him.¡±


    Cheng Xi was a bit surprised. ¡°You actually managed to get some information about him? Then what about Lu Chenzhou? Do you know anything about him?¡±


    Cheng Yang chuckled wryly. ¡°You¡¯re investigating your own boyfriend? Don¡¯t worry. He doesn¡¯t care for alcohol, women, or wealth. In fact, the only thing he does is play cards on the side. Even then, he always plays with the same group of people, and he usually doesn¡¯t play with strangers. From the standards you women look at men with, he¡¯s fine. But in my opinion, he¡¯s a bit too boring, though he does fit your personality.¡±


    Cheng Xi ignored the last derogatory remark, and was actually very impressed that her brother had found out so much. She was about to say something when her phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Shen Wei, so Cheng Xi said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll talk to you more later.¡±


    And then she hung up and answered Shen Wei¡¯s call.


    Shen Wei had recently moved back in with Fu Mingyi, and Cheng Xi had visited her there twice. Besides her intense reaction to her pregnancy, her other problems seemed to be gradually improving, and Shen Wei herself seemed to have calmed down greatly. Thus, Cheng Xi had slowly lowered her guard.


    Because the two had been conversing quite regularly recently, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t think much of the call. When it connected, Shen Wei¡¯s voice was as calm as ever. She insipidly asked, ¡°Cheng Xi, can you do me a small favor?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Fu Mingyi arranged a meeting with Gong Hengjin at Donglai Hotel, and I want to know which room they¡¯re in. Can you ask Lu Chenzhou to help?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


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 Chapter 132: She Wants to Catch Them in the Ac

    Right then, Cheng Xi fervently wished that she could fly. Then, she cursed that Fu Mingyi wasn¡¯t in front of her; if he were, she would have kicked him in the face a few times first!


    Was he a person? How long had it been? Including today, it hadn¡¯t even been two months since Shen Wei¡¯s incident!


    Cheng Xi was so infuriated that she started trembling, but when she met up with Shen Wei, she was startled to see that Shen Wei almost seemed serene. Shen Wei even smiled at Cheng Xi as she grumbled, ¡°Donglai Hotel¡¯s security is too good. I can¡¯t find out which room they¡¯re in no matter who I ask.¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at her, and only after confirming that Shen Wei was truly calm and not just pretending did she take a deep breath and ask, ¡°What in the world is going on?¡±


    The two of them were in Shen Wei¡¯s living room, sitting on a sofa. Cheng Xi had to know the entirety of the situation before she could decide what the best way to help Shen Wei was¡ªhonestly, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to ask Lu Chenzhou for help. No matter what Fu Mingyi was doing in Donglai Hotel, as long as he wasn¡¯t breaking the law, it would be illegal for a hotel staff member to reveal a client¡¯s private information.


    Regardless of the legality, Cheng Xi was furious with Fu Mingyi¡¯s actions.


    Shen Wei didn¡¯t say anything, and just handed her phone to Cheng Xi. On the screen was a map of Donglai Hotel, and on the map were two dots: one labeled ¡°bastard,¡± and the other ¡°slut.¡±


    Shen Wei was very blunt.


    At this moment, the two dots were very close to each other, somewhere within Donglai Hotel.


    Cheng Xi, in disbelief, asked, ¡°¡­¡­You planted a tracking device in their phones?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cheng Xi gaped.


    Shen Wei smiled. ¡°You want to chastise me and say that it¡¯s illegal, right? But I also have no other choice. I want to get a divorce, but no one around me is alright with that. Since the two of them are so inseparable, then instead of letting them skulk around in the shadows, why don¡¯t I just reveal their actions to everyone, and let them be happy?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Her tone, as Fu Mingyi¡¯s legal wife, was righteous and magnanimous. However, why did it feel so incompatible with her words?


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even know what to say anymore.


    Shen Wei continued, saying, ¡°Before you came over, I already contacted Lu Chenzhou, and he refused. Thus, I could only ask you to convince him. Cheng Xi, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t make a big fuss, and I won¡¯t make people feel uncomfortable. I just want to verify my theory, and to let them know that I¡¯m not an ignorant fool.¡±


    Cheng Xi was silent. After a while, she sighed lamentably. ¡°I might not be able to convince him.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was a particularly principled man, and she could almost write an entire book on the walls that he had erected around himself. Furthermore, something like this would clearly be damaging to Donglai Hotel¡¯s reputation.


    Shen Wei then said, ¡°Please try. If it works, then it works. Otherwise, that¡¯s fine as well. Since they¡¯re still meeting up, they surely won¡¯t only meet at Donglai Hotel, and not all hotels are as secure with their clients¡¯ privacy as Donglai Hotel.¡± After Shen Wei said this, she lowered her gaze and smiled lightly. ¡°It¡¯s just that I want to stop thinking about him as soon as I can.¡±


    This last sentence sounded normal, but Cheng Xi¡¯s eyelids involuntarily twitched, as she had the creeping suspicion that Shen Wei was planning something again.


    It was only later on that Cheng Xi realized why Shen Wei needed Lu Chenzhou¡¯s help. Although Donglai Hotel¡¯s system seemed normal at first glance, and although any of the hotel employees could get into the system, there was one part that no one else could access.


    ¡°The virtual space is what distinguishes Donglai Hotel from other hotels, and apparently, the architecture is patterned like a honeycomb. The rooms aren¡¯t connected anywhere, and even if I did get inside, I wouldn¡¯t know where their room was. Thus, I need the hotel staff¡¯s help.¡±


    Only after Cheng Xi asked did she realize that this so-called ¡°virtual space¡± was the underwater adventure that Lu Chenzhou had taken her on that time.


    Honestly, that really was a good place to do illicit things.


    With that, Cheng Xi called Lu Chenzhou without much hope.


    Ever since Cheng Xi had told him that their dates didn¡¯t have to be at a fixed time, Lu Chenzhou had finally started dating her only when he had time. However, he had also started ignoring her when he didn¡¯t, causing Cheng Xi a fair amount of grief. o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    She had been busy recently, and it had been a few days since she had last seen him.


    When Lu Chenzhou received her call, he was in a meeting. He had been out on a business trip for the last few days, and when he returned, there was a veritable mountain of tasks for him to do in the office.


    Cheng Xi concisely explained Shen Wei¡¯s request, and Lu Chenzhou reply was, as expected, ¡°Do you really think that I¡¯d betray my clients¡¯ privacy just for this?¡± His tone was cold, and despite knowing that that was just how he was, Cheng Xi¡¯s face still turned red, and she could only pretend that she didn¡¯t mind, saying, ¡°Then, alright, sorry to bother you.¡±


    And then she hung up.


    Back in his conference room, Lu Chenzhou glanced at his phone briefly before continuing the meeting. During a break, the lawyer by his side nosily asked, ¡°Director Lu, who¡¯s trying to investigate our clients¡¯ affairs?¡±


    He thought that it might have been the police or some government department doing it unauthorized, because one of Donglai Hotel¡¯s biggest selling points was its confidentiality and its fierce protection of its clients¡¯ privacy.


    Lu Chenzhou looked down at his file. ¡°Cheng Xi.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The lawyer nodded, and then he suddenly realized¡ªwait, wasn¡¯t Cheng Xi the Dr. Cheng from Renyi? This lawyer was the one who had helped the two of them draft an exceedingly strange relationship agreement, and he had also visited Lu Chenzhou¡¯s ward frequently while he was in the hospital. Thus, he clearly understood that, even if his boss hadn¡¯t said anything, his grandparents had already long since decided on her as their granddaughter-in-law.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother even called him quite often, saying, ¡°Our little Zhou¡¯s not very adept at chasing his girlfriend. So please help give him some pointers if you have the time.¡±


    As he observed Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression, he carefully said, ¡°Is it really alright for you to reject her like that?¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t you hurt her with such a direct and officious tone? It¡¯d be fine if you cushioned it at least a little. She is someone you love, after all!


    Lu Chenzhou glanced back at him.


    The lawyer realized that he had made a blunder, and quickly backpedaled, saying, ¡°Dr. Cheng doesn¡¯t seem like a nosy person. Did something come up?¡± And even if you can¡¯t cushion it, you could at least say a few words about how it¡¯s just standard company policy or something like that.


    Lu Chenzhou flipped through his files, coolly replying, ¡°She wants to help someone catch her husband in the act.¡± He raised his head. ¡°Do you want to help her?¡±


    The lawyer was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi and Shen Wei were just planning on leaving when Cheng Xi said, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a meal.¡± A new grilled fish place had opened up nearby, and her friends had all given it good reviews. And now felt like a good time to try something new.


    Shen Wei used to like grilled fish very much in the past.


    Shen Wei smiled dispassionately and stood up unhurriedly, but before the two of them could reach the door, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s lawyer had arrived.


    He hurriedly called out, ¡°Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Xi turned around. She recognized him, and naturally stopped, waited for him to approach, and greeted him politely. ¡°Lawyer Du.¡± And then she introduced him to Shen Wei.


    Lawyer Du smiled as he saw the two of them. ¡°Are the two of you planning on going somewhere?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to wait here with Shen Wei. It was still early in the day, and who knew how long Fu Mingyi and his mistress would stay in there for? What¡¯s more, the excuse that Fu Mingyi had given to Shen Wei was that he was having business dealings. If a man were to indeed engage in ¡°dealings,¡± then it wouldn''t be strange for him to stay out even through the night. Though, they couldn¡¯t stay there the entire night, could they?


    Waiting was tiring, and Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want Shen Wei to keep tiring herself out like this. What¡¯s more, even if they stood watch here, the hotel portion of Donglai had three exits, and the underwater club portion, out of safety considerations, had even more. Thus, they wouldn¡¯t know which entrance to cover even if they wanted to do that.


    But the hotel employees clearly knew which exits were connected to which rooms.


    Because the two of them were at the door, Lawyer Du requested them to move one side, and then said with a smile, ¡°Director Lu wishes to invite you both to Wangjiang for a meal. It¡¯s quite popular, but given the current time, we won¡¯t have to wait a long while, and the dishes will come out very quickly. It might be annoying for them to serve one dish at a time, so we can ask them to serve it all at once.¡±


    Wangjiang was another auxiliary venture of Donglai¡¯s, opposite them behind a set of large doors. If Cheng Xi didn¡¯t misunderstand Lawyer Du¡¯s words, then he was hinting that it was possible for them to catch Fu Mingyi and Gong Hengjin in the act, as long as they waited outside that door and thought of a way to call them out together.


    Cheng Xi was silent, but Shen Wei suddenly asked, ¡°Could it be that there aren¡¯t that many rooms associated with each exit?¡±


    Lawyer Du¡¯s eyes opened wide.


    ¡°Twenty?¡± A shake of the head.


    ¡°Ten?¡±


    Another shake.


    ¡°Eight?¡±


    Lawyer Du¡¯s head shook even more violently.


    Cheng Xi looked at him carefully. ¡°There are eight,¡± she told Shen Wei after some consideration. ¡°When you asid ¡®eight,¡¯ his pupils and his facial muscles both contracted. This means that you were right, because he became slightly nervous.¡±


    Lawyer Du¡¯s face fell.


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Yup, eight rooms, alright.¡±


    Lawyer Du couldn¡¯t even think of a response. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 133: Let Them All Go Crazy

    Shen Wei smiled, walked to the front desk, borrowed Cheng Xi¡¯s ID, and then forced Lawyer Du to help them out. Finally, she booked all the rooms by the Wangjiang exit, allegedly for a large group.


    This wasn¡¯t against the law; Shen Wei had merely requested the rooms closest to that exit.


    Fu Mingyi was either too unlucky or Shen Wei too lucky, but because it was just after the New Year, the hotel¡¯s business wasn¡¯t doing so well. And since that area was specially designated as a luxury area, the prices were expensive, meaning that there were even fewer people in that area than the others.


    All in all, there were seven rooms remaining.


    Shen Wei booked all of them, and then left a room key by the front desk. ¡°There¡¯ll be someone looking for me later. Have them come over directly, please.¡± Then, she took the other set of room keys and went inside with the hotel staff.


    Cheng Xi stood silently to one side as all this happened, looking on as Shen Wei made a few calls. ¡°Come over to Donglai Hotel for a moment, and get a room key from the front desk by using my name.¡±


    Lawyer Du¡¯s mouth was still agape when he heard this. What happened to not making a fuss and just quietly taking a peek? Didn¡¯t Shen Wei¡¯s actions seem to be calling a big group of people over? My goodness, I never knew anything about this. I just came here to help our future lady boss book a few rooms¡­¡­


    Lawyer Du squinted his eyes, emphasized that he didn¡¯t know anything about this, and hurried back to his meeting.


    When Cheng Xi had come to this mysterious area of Donglai Hotel with Lu Chenzhou, she hadn¡¯t noticed the surroundings at all. This time¡­ she still didn¡¯t notice them, as she was very worried about Shen Wei. The only thing Cheng Xi could think about the entire way over was what she could say to Shen Wei. But before Cheng Xi could speak, Shen Wei said, ¡°Yes, I know. I¡¯m not going to make a fuss, and the real reason I¡¯m calling people over is so that I won¡¯t have to deal with the aftermath.¡±


    And Shen Wei really didn¡¯t make a fuss. Once she confirmed the locations of the seven rooms that she had booked, she calmly knocked on the remaining door, Fu Mingyi¡¯s door.


    Gong Hengjin was the one who opened the door. She was dressed simply in a bathrobe and her hair was down, loose. But when she saw Shen Wei, she was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t even say anything, only able to stand there, dazed at the door.


    And then she subconsciously tried to close the door, but before she could, Shen Wei pushed her aside, grabbed her hand, and threw her onto the bed, causing Gong Hengjin to collapse in a heap with the equally shocked and dazed Fu Mingyi.


    Cheng Xi then noticed the projections on the walls. My goodness, it was actually the area outside Wangjiang, a real-time image complete with the sound of heavy traffic reverberating from every corner of the room.


    Cheng Xi felt somewhat unwell, as she didn¡¯t expect that these two people would have such a fetish!


    But Shen Wei didn¡¯t seem to have even noticed. She merely took out her phone, snapped a few pictures, and then, without saying anything, prepared to leave.


    Gong Hengjin, terrified and flustered, tried to hide behind Fu Mingyi, but Fu Mingyi pushed her away as he desperately called out, ¡°Weiwei, Shen Wei, listen to me¡­¡­¡±


    Shen Wei didn¡¯t even turn her head around. Fu Mingyi clambered out of bed, wanting to chase her, but then he remembered that he was still naked, so he hurriedly covered himself up again.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t bear to look at these two sorry people, and she promptly left with Shen Wei.


    Back in the room, when Fu Mingyi realized that he wasn¡¯t going to be able to sway Shen Wei, he instead called out to Cheng Xi, ¡°Cheng Xi, please help me look after Shen Wei! She¡¯s still pregnant.¡±


    Upon hearing those words, Shen Wei hesitated for a moment, and Cheng Xi¡­¡­


    Cheng Xi stopped moving. Unable to bear it any further, she rolled up her sleeves, rushed back inside, picked up a teapot from the desk, and threw it at the head of the bed without a second thought. The teapot shattered into a million little pieces, and the two were so scared that they started shrieking shrilly.


    Amidst their screams, Cheng Xi coldly yelled, ¡°Shut up!¡±


    And then she left.


    When Cheng Xi came out, she saw that a huge group of people had congregated; it was everyone from the Shen and Fu families.


    Shen Wei stood in front of all of them, saying in a voice as cold as ice, ¡°You¡¯re all here? Then go inside.¡±


    She then moved away from the door, letting them enter. Cheng Xi stood by one side, supporting her.


    Everyone asked, ¡°Weiwei, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out once you go in, won¡¯t you?¡±


    And so they did. When they saw what was going on inside, they didn¡¯t need to ask any more questions. A few furious and startled shouts emerged from inside. ¡°Fu Mingyi!¡±


    And someone else exclaimed, ¡°Gong Hengjin? Do you have no sense of propriety?!¡±


    Shen Wei apathetically stood there outside the room. When Cheng Xi tried to hold her hand, it dodged away. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go over there.¡±


    They went into the closest unoccupied room. Shen Wei went to wash her hands. She was in there for quite a while, slowly and methodically using the soap to rub each of her fingers. When she was done, she called out to Cheng Xi, ¡°You should wash your hands too.¡±


    With how serious Shen Wei¡¯s tone was, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to go against her will. She also went inside and washed her hands carefully.


    When she was done, Shen Wei said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± This time, she took the initiative to grab Cheng Xi¡¯s hand.


    They passed by Fu Mingyi¡¯s room on their way out. No one had remembered to close the door, so everyone could hear the big commotion inside. Shen Wei hesitated for a moment, and then asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Cheng Xi, can you help me bring my mom and the others out, please?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked toward her questioningly. Shen Wei smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll wait right here for you. I promise I won¡¯t go anywhere.¡±


    From start to end, Shen Wei had been so deathly calm that Cheng Xi was starting to become very worried. But in the end, she did enter to bring Shen Wei¡¯s parents and brothers out.


    When Cheng Xi stepped inside the room, Shen Wei¡¯s two brothers were fiercely kicking and punching the bed, whereas the Fu family was trying to stop them. Shen Wei¡¯s parents stood to the side, shouting out at the two of them.


    It was absolute bedlam.


    Cheng Xi honestly didn¡¯t think that she would ever see such a scene in her life, and she had to sacrifice a teacup before she could grab Shen Wei¡¯s family¡¯s attention to direct them out.


    Their faces were all as heavy as lead as they continued to shout and yell. However, when they came out and saw Shen Wei standing outside, they instantly fell silent.


    Shen Wei calmly opened her mouth. ¡°Do you think that I can keep going like this?¡±


    Her second brother said, ¡°Even if you¡¯re going to get a divorce, you can¡¯t just let them go like that! Fu Mingyi¡¯s actions are intolerable, and especially Gong Hengjin¡ªwhat kind of person is she!?¡±


    Both of Shen Wei¡¯s parents had ugly expressions on their face, but they didn¡¯t say anything.


    Shen Wei unemotionally said, ¡°Then please help me talk to them about it. I don¡¯t want to see them for another second. Also, stop fighting. Don¡¯t get your hands dirty.¡±


    Her family was shocked by her incisive words, as they expected her to be the most vocal out of all of them. Everyone looked at her.


    Shen Wei added, ¡°I¡¯m serious. With the way it is now, what¡¯s the point of hitting him? Let¡¯s talk about something more practical instead.¡±


    And with that, she walked away as she pulled Cheng Xi along.


    Cheng Xi was pretending to be a wallflower, and she exhaled lightly once they exited.


    Shen Wei glanced at her. ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± But when Shen Wei saw that Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t taken her words to heart, Shen Wei leaned against Cheng Xi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m serious. I already went crazy once, so now, it¡¯s time to let the rest of them all go crazy for a little.¡±


    At that moment, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t understand Shen Wei¡¯s meaning; she thought Shen Wei was just referring to the big commotion earlier, but only later did she find out that Fu Mingyi had contracted AIDS, apparently from Gong Hengjin, and Gong Hengjin had supposedly slept with a man at a nightclub¡­¡­


    Currently, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know the events that had already transpired, so she just felt slightly discomfited by Shen Wei¡¯s behavior. All she could do was do her best to clear up her mind. Shen Wei was also very obedient, even pulling her and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s all go eat some grilled fish. Call your Lu Chenzhou over too, and Rou, and Shuang¡­¡­¡± She mentioned a few more names, both male and female. They were all her classmates from high school, with whom she¡¯d maintained good relationships.


    Cheng Xi was indifferent towards the classmates, but she said, ¡°Let¡¯s forget about Lu Chenzhou, shall we? He¡¯s been quite busy lately.¡±


    But as if he were trying to make her eat her words, Cheng Xi¡¯s phone rang immediately after she finished speaking. Cheng Xi took it out, and the two of them looked at the three characters on the screen: Lu Chenzhou!


    Shen Wei looked at her with laughter spilling from her chest.


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 134: Let’s Lift the Ban

    Cheng Xi was somewhat speechless. Before she could even decide whether or not she was going to pick up the phone, Shen Wei had already answered it for her.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s cool voice could immediately be heard from the phone. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    Shen Wei answered for Cheng Xi. ¡°Right outside Donglai.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stilled for a moment. ¡°Give her the phone.¡±


    Shen Wei clicked her tongue in annoyance before turning away, uninterested.


    Cheng Xi turned off the speakerphone setting, and answered with a ¡°Hello?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou directly said, ¡°I¡¯m free today.¡±


    Cheng Xi wanted to smile, but her heart was still heavy from the recent events. She sighed. ¡°We¡¯re going to get some grilled fish. Do you want to join us?¡±


    ¡°Anything¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    And so, the two of them sat there, waiting for Lu Chenzhou. Shen Wei had already called up the others on her phone. Because today wasn¡¯t a weekend, not many people were able to make it. Tian Rou was self-employed, however, so she came over right away.


    Shen Wei didn¡¯t give up despite the setbacks, and managed to wrangle up a few other people. It seemed as if it would be a lively gathering.


    In the end, they were actually able to get a whole table of people. When Rou saw that Lu Chenzhou was also present, she nudged Cheng Xi teasingly. ¡°If you drag so many lightbulbs along behind you, aren¡¯t you afraid that he¡¯ll get angry?¡±


    Cheng Xi sarcastically replied, ¡°Are you going to leave if I¡¯m afraid?¡±


    ¡°I will when I¡¯m full.¡±


    Cheng Xi nudged her back, and Tian Rou dodged away with a smile, and then went to bother Shen Wei. ¡°What¡¯s the matter today? You called me up so enthusiastically.¡±


    Shen Wei cryptically answered, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you yet.¡±


    Tian Rou stretched her hand out and rubbed Shen Wei¡¯s stomach caringly. ¡°It¡¯s not that you have twins, is it?¡±


    Shen Wei shook her head. Cheng Xi saw that Shen Wei¡¯s expression seemed perfectly comfortable, and she consoled herself with the fact that Shen Wei seemed to have finally gotten over Fu Mingyi now.


    Her attention was still all focused on Shen Wei, so she naturally neglected Lu Chenzhou. However, he had a pretty strong presence, and even if he just sat there without speaking, no one would disregard him.


    It was because he was too handsome, all right?


    According to Tian Rou¡¯s words, ¡°He¡¯d be able to get an extra bowl of rice just based on his looks.¡± Besides his looks, there was another reason behind Lu Chenzhou¡¯s strong presence. It wasn¡¯t his conversing ability; rather, it was his ability to grill these small river fish that were about the size of a hand. Compared to the others who were either horribly disfiguring their fish or just eating the ones prepared by the restaurant, only he was grilling them until they were perfectly golden-brown on both sides, the mouthwatering aroma spreading everywhere.


    He didn¡¯t eat the fish himself, and instead handed them over to Cheng Xi when he was done. Cheng Xi gave the first one that she received to Shen Wei, and she only kept the second one.


    Tian Rou cheekily stretched out her hand from the side. ¡°Your fish¡¯s getting cold. If you don¡¯t want to eat it, I will.¡±


    Cheng Xi was currently conversing with Shen Wei, and didn¡¯t think too much about Tian Rou¡¯s words. She handed the fish over to the outstretched hand in front of her. But then, while she was talking with Shen Wei, the hand that was holding her face up felt a sudden sting of pain. When Cheng Xi turned around, she saw that Lu Chenzhou was prodding it with a bamboo skewer meant for grilling fish.


    Cheng Xi was speechless. Did he have to be so childish?


    She silently lowered her hand, grabbed that skewer, and then grasped his hand. She could feel Lu Chenzhou¡¯s fingers stiffen slightly as they fell into her palm, and then they very quickly relaxed, obediently allowing her to hold them.


    Lu Chenzhou stopped grilling fish, sat by her side, propped up his jaw with his other hand, and started just looking at her. He looked until Cheng Xi felt like his gaze was about to burn a hole into that side of her face. Without any other choice, she turned around and asked, ¡°Do you want to have some fish?¡±


    His tone was cool. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Only then did Cheng Xi let go of his hand to help him grill some fish. Her technique wasn¡¯t as good as his, but her posture was beautiful. She moved neither too slow nor too fast, and her fingers holding the skewer were long and white, very pleasing to look at.


    In the end, she burned one side of the fish, and as she embarrassingly picked off the charred side with a red face, she asked, ¡°Do you still want it?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded, so she delicately removed the intact meat, and in passing, also removed all of the bones. As she diligently worked on the fish, from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s angle, he was looking at her drooping eyelashes, refined nose, and tightly pursed red lips. The temperature in the grilled fish store was quite high, so she had long since removed her jacket, leaving on only a knitted dark blue crew neck that showed off a glimpse of her collarbone. Despite the fact that she hadn¡¯t put on any makeup or was wearing any accessories, she still looked elegant and sexy.


    Arranged around her in a circle were her friends, talking and conversing without a care. Framed in the lively atmosphere, she was as pretty as a spring flower in full bloom, exuding a quiet joy that came from her vibrant blossoming. Lu Chenzhou used to hate this sort of environment, but in this moment, he suddenly felt that it wasn¡¯t too bad: staying by her side, socializing with friends along with her, going home together. Throughout it all, his heart felt warm and fuzzy.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t realize that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s heart had softened, and she placed the fish on his plate. ¡°Alright, try it. It should be ready.¡± He didn¡¯t react, so she raised her head quizzically. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    He still didn¡¯t answer, only lowering his head and using his chopsticks to silently eat the fish.


    ¡°Is it alright?¡± she asked as she leaned over, bringing her faint fragrance towards him.


    Lu Chenzhou picked up some of the fish and held it in front of her mouth. Cheng Xi hesitated a little, but still ate it as her face blushed faintly.


    Their intimate behavior didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the people next to them. Cheng Xi¡¯s classmates, unable to ignore it further, finally clapped the table raucously and said, ¡°Hey, hey, hey! We¡¯re all still here!¡±


    Tian Rou even rolled up her sleeves. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that I have to watch the two of you go at it all the time. I can¡¯t live like this! Drink, drink, drink! Cheng Xi, if you don¡¯t drink three glasses of wine from me, then I¡¯m going to break off our friendship!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had to drive, so he was able to avoid drinking, but Cheng Xi was forced to down the three cups. Then they made up excuses to make her drink two more cups, and by the time they were done with the meal, she was tipsy and stumbling around.


    Shen Wei was brought away by her brother, and the others left clear-headed. Thus, the dazed Cheng Xi was left to be brought home by Lu Chenzhou.


    Once they reached her building, Lu Chenzhou dragged her out of his car. She leaned on his shoulder, trying hard to recognize him and even called out to him. ¡°Lu Chenzhou.¡± Her mouth was filled with the scent of alcohol and grilled fish, but he actually didn¡¯t mind, lowering his head to kiss her gently on the lips. ¡°Can you walk?¡±


    She nodded, particularly obedient.


    Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t help but smile at her cute reactions. He patiently looked at her for quite a while before half-carrying and half-hugging her up the stairs. Once they were inside her apartment, however, he couldn¡¯t resist anymore, and started kissing her frantically and continuously. He kissed her with a bit too much strength, to the point where Cheng Xi felt uncomfortable. She pushed his head to one side, but Lu Chenzhou roughly shoved his hand inside her clothes and kneaded her breast, feeling the silkiness and warmth of skin and the pulse of her heartbeat.


    The coolness of his fingers counteracted the alcoholic heat suffusing her body. She lazily leaned against him, passively allowing him to do whatever he wanted. However, her consciousness was still there, and she slowly reprimanded, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, we can¡¯t do this.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything, only burying his head further in and kissing her. They traveled down her neck, his hands still constantly rubbing against her. When his hands started unbuttoning her pants, she had no choice but to stop him. ¡°Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    Her voice was soft and cottony.


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her, kissed her mouth, and as he did so, he said, ¡°As you once said, suppressing my sexual desire is harmful for me.¡± He lifted her up. ¡°Dr. Cheng, let¡¯s lift the ban.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even think of a reply. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 135: Fight, Fight!

    Cheng Xi could actually feel Lu Chenzhou¡¯s excitement. They¡¯d been apart these past few days not only because Cheng Xi was busy, but also because she was partially trying to avoid him.


    When they weren¡¯t in close proximity, it was still all right. But once they actually got close, there was a chance of him losing control of himself.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know how she could stop him, actually. There wasn¡¯t much wrong with just going along with the flow. In this era, relationships between men and women were just that, but Cheng Xi always felt somewhat apprehensive and unwilling about doing the deed¡ªrather than physical satiation, she preferred platonic love.


    She hadn¡¯t reached that level of intimacy with Lu Chenzhou yet.


    After Cheng Xi drank some alcohol, even though her mind was more or less clear, she was still a bit muddleheaded¡ªshe only knew that the time was wrong, but not how to stop him. In the end, she let him do as he pleased, thinking, Alright, if I can¡¯t prevent him, then I¡¯ll let him be.


    And then the big door behind them opened up a crack.


    Lu Chenzhou turned around, and it was his turn to be speechless, because Cheng Yang was standing there.


    Cheng Yang was also very depressed, allright!? When the two of them started acting intimately as soon as he entered, he felt like he was about to go blind.


    He subconsciously averted his gaze. ¡°Damn, did I come at the wrong time?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou pretended to not have seen him at all, and obstinately carried Cheng Xi inside. In the end, it was Cheng Xi who stopped him, clutching at the door frame and calling out, ¡°Lu Chenzhou!¡±


    This time, she really was awake.


    Lu Chenzhou bit her lips fiercely. ¡°Do you want to see him like this?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She went inside to put on her clothes properly while Lu Chenzhou sat by the side with an ugly expression on his face. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have the time to care about him and left the room as soon as she was properly dressed. Cheng Yang had yet to leave; he was meandering around outside the bedroom door and wondering whether or not he should enter.


    When Cheng Xi came out, he exaggeratedly let out a deep breath and grumbled, ¡°Answer your phone next time! You didn¡¯t pick up, so I thought that you were asleep. And since I wouldn¡¯t be a bother, I was just going to crash with you for the night.¡±


    Cheng Xi felt that, after meeting Lu Chenzhou, her skin had started thickening at a rapid rate. Even in this situation, she was able to calmly say to her brother, ¡°My phone¡¯s probably dead. Why are you sleeping over here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too tired and lazy to go back. I picked up a new engineering project right by your hospital, and your place is close by.¡± After Cheng Yang said this, he glanced inside Cheng Xi¡¯s bedroom, walked over to Cheng Xi¡¯s side, and pushed her aside. He seemed to want to say something, but his nose twitched and he frowned. ¡°You were drinking?¡±


    Cheng Xi made an ¡®Oh¡¯ sound.


    ¡°My god!¡± Cheng Yang rolled up his sleeves. ¡°He wasn¡¯t trying to take advantage of you while you were drunk, was he?¡±


    Given Cheng Xi¡¯s terrible alcohol tolerance, he could actually see this happening. Cheng Xi looked at him curiously. ¡° Are you going to fight him?¡± Then, she waved her hands dismissively. ¡°Go for it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Yang sat back down again. ¡°Don¡¯t be so cruel to me. I¡¯m your brother.¡± He rolled down his sleeves again, and his expression turned severe and his tone serious. ¡°What¡¯s more, it¡¯s not like I have a say in you two¡¯s affairs.¡± And then he added on very shamelessly, ¡°I¡¯m going to go to sleep. Don¡¯t make too much noise during the night¡ªjust remember, your brother¡¯s outside.¡±


    Cheng Xi threw a pillow and blankets at him; Cheng Yang jumped up, grabbed them, and slid into the guest room.


    Along, Cheng Xi lay down on the sofa. She felt so embarrassed that she knocked her head against the armrest a couple of times, but instead of becoming more clearheaded, her headache just worsened.


    When she returned to her bedroom, Lu Chenzhou was sitting in front of her desk, so gloomily that she could almost see mushrooms sprouting around him. His eyelashes were drooping, and he had one hand on the table, a finger picking restlessly at the surface.


    ¡°Stop that. You¡¯re going to dig a hole in the desk.¡±


    He ignored her, continuing to pick at it. Cheng Xi decided to try to reason with him. ¡°How about you go and take a cold shower?¡±


    He continued to ignore her, still picking at the table.


    That rustling noise sounded like a mouse gnawing at food, and it was enough to drive someone crazy. Cheng Xi had to walk over and forcefully grab his hand. ¡°Really, stop¡­¡­¡±


    But she was cut off because Lu Chenzhou had stopped picking at the table and had instead pushed her whole body onto it. He grabbed her hand, thrust it by the tent in his pants, and hoarsely demanded, ¡°Deal with it!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi wanted to curse, but she steeled herself, curled up her fingers, and ground her teeth instead. ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared that I¡¯ll break it off?¡±


    He tore off his pants with one hand. ¡°Then break it!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi was forced to lower her standards, and helped this uncouth person deal with his personal problem. Even when her arm became sore, he still wasn¡¯t satisfied. ¡°It still feels uncomfortable.¡± He stared at her with a burning, lustful gaze.


    It made Cheng Xi furious, so much so that she leapt on him and fiercely bit down at him indiscriminately. In response, Lu Chenzhou hugged her as he also rolled onto the bed. Then, they fought.


    They just wrestled, not doing anything else; of course, as they wrestled, they rolled all over the bed and pressed their bodies against each other. Lu Chenzhou also took advantage of this opportunity to fondle her all over her body, so besides the very last step, they had essentially done everything else.


    As to why they never ended up taking that last step, it was because Cheng Yang was in the room directly opposite them! Mr. Lu had read books, and he had also heard his friends talk about how during a woman¡¯s first time, she would make a big commotion. So, last time in the washroom, he¡¯d resisted the temptation to do it, and he wasn¡¯t going to do it now for the same reason: the environment wasn¡¯t appropriate!


    Finally, once both of them were tired of tussling, Lu Chenzhou even dragged Cheng Xi into the bathroom to shower. Then, they had to change the bedsheets before he was finally ready to sleep.


    When Cheng Xi woke up the next day, she saw Lu Chenzhou sleeping in an orderly fashion by her side. The disparity between last night¡¯s events almost made her think that she¡¯d jumped a few months back in time, only regaining her senses when she realized that she was in her apartment.


    And then she noticed a red mark by Lu Chenzhou¡¯s neck, almost like a shell necklace. In her memories, she recalled one scene that seemed to involve her biting and gnawing at his neck. ¡°If you bite me, then I¡¯m going to bite you too!¡±


    ¡­...Honestly, could I have been any more childish?!


    Cheng Xi had never done anything crazy while drunk, so she didn¡¯t know what had come over her last night. And Lu Chenzhou had no intention of hiding it at all; he woke up not long after Cheng Xi, and because he didn¡¯t have a change of clothes, he walked around just draped in a towel, fully putting his ¡°wounded¡± body on display¡ªand the only reason he even used a towel was because Cheng Yang was there.


    Cheng Yang was woken up by the fragrant aroma coming from the kitchen, and when he came out, he immediately came face-to-face with Lu Chenzhou. He was so shocked that his lower jaw looked like it was about to fall off. ¡°My goodness, is my sister really this fierce?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked down at his body, ignored Cheng Yang, went into the kitchen, and declared, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    And then Cheng Yang heard his sister¡¯s exasperated voice. ¡°Why did you come out dressed like this?!!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s calm voice replied back, ¡°I don¡¯t have any clothes.¡± After a short pause, he added on, ¡°You made it dirty.¡±


    Cheng Yang was struck speechless by this exchange. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Nope, he wasn¡¯t thinking of anything dirty at all¡­ ¨q(¨s¦Å¨t)¨r


    Breakfast that morning was an embarrassing affair. Of course, it was only embarrassing for the Cheng siblings. Mr. Lu had a very comfortable time because even though Cheng Xi was angry, she was still concerned about him. When she served breakfast, Cheng Yang picked up a bowl, and Cheng Xi said, ¡°That¡¯s not yours, yours is the other one.¡±


    Cheng Yang confusedly asked, ¡°Is there a reason?¡±


    Cheng Xi fiercely replied, ¡°There¡¯s poison in this bowl. Do you still want it?¡±


    And then she handed that bowl to Lu Chenzhou. He glanced at it and recalled that this was the one he¡¯d used last time. He immediately felt strangely touched upon realizing that she had left it specially for him.


    After breakfast, Lu Chenzhou wiped his lips and told the Cheng siblings, who were about to slip away, ¡°I¡¯m planning on moving in.¡± He then first looked at Cheng Yang. ¡°In the future, if you¡¯re planning on sleeping over, please make a reservation beforehand.¡± Then, he looked at Cheng Xi. ¡°The interior decoration of this place is too strange. Before moving in, I intend on refurbishing the entire apartment.¡±


    Cheng Xi and Cheng Yang¡¯s faces: ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ


    Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 136: What Can I Change?

    After quite a while, Cheng Yang asked his sister, falteringly, ¡°Did you sell this apartment?¡±


    Cheng Xi staunchly replied, ¡°No.¡±


    Cheng Yang hit the table. ¡°My god, if you didn¡¯t sell it, then why did he say that in such a justified manner? Does he even understand who the owner of this apartment is?¡± He raised his eyes, looking straight back at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s still gaze.


    Lu Chenzhou calmly asked, ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    Cheng Yang laughed. ¡°Ha!¡±


    ¡°Donglai¡¯s project in Hainan¡­ You¡¯re part of it, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha! As the young head of the household and the inhabitant¡¯s brother,¡± Cheng Yang said as he suddenly had a shamelessly dramatic change in his attitude, ¡°I feel like this apartment¡¯s decor is indeed very strange. If you don¡¯t like it, then feel free to change it! Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be here in the near future, and neither my father, mother, aunt, or anyone from my family at all will be here in the near future! So please feel free to do whatever you please!¡±


    Cheng Xi had no reply to this shameless display. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Yang covered his face with his hand, avoiding looking at the sister who he had just betrayed. ¡°Sayonara, I¡¯m off!¡±


    And he ran away even faster than a rabbit.


    Cheng Xi massaged her forehead in agony. Having such a brother really¡­ Brought! Shame! Upon! The! Family!


    She looked severely at Lu Chenzhou. ¡°You can¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t have a place to live at while you refurbish the apartment.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too far!!!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lu Chenzhou thought for a moment, and then shrugged carelessly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll move in today.¡±


    Cheng Xi was so exasperated that she couldn¡¯t help herself from asking, ¡°Aren¡¯t you even going to ask if I¡¯ll agree?¡±


    ¡°Will you?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice was cool. ¡°But what can that change?¡± He was getting tired of arguing with Cheng Xi over this, even though he was being so shameless with a straight face. ¡°We¡¯ve already gotten in bed together, so stop wasting time! I can either move in today and slowly renovate this place, or I can slowly renovate this place before moving in. You choose.¡±


    ¡­¡­If you¡¯re going to renovate my place anyways, then what¡¯s the difference?


    She looked at him speechlessly, and eventually gave up and chose to have him renovate the place first before moving in. As for where she¡¯d live while her apartment was being renovated¡­¡­ she¡¯d have to find a place herself.


    She had to try to delay this for as long as she could. She still wasn¡¯t mentally prepared to move in together so quickly.


    Cheng Xi definitely wouldn¡¯t admit that she had given in just because she was scared of his actions last night!


    When she left, she was forced to tell him her apartment¡¯s passcode, and then to save his fingerprint in the scanning device. However, what Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know was that, when Lu Chenzhou came back later, he changed the passcode and removed all other saved fingerprints except for Cheng Xi¡¯s. So, when Cheng Yang remembered to retrieve his change of clothes from his sister¡¯s place, he failed to get in. He tried entering the passcode and failed, and then he tried to use his fingerprint¡­¡­ he used all ten fingers, but none of them worked!


    What was going on? His sister hadn¡¯t moved out, had she!


    Back then, neither Cheng Yang nor Cheng Xi had realized how completely Mr. Lu had taken over Cheng Xi¡¯s place in the blink of an eye.


    That day, when Cheng Xi wore a scarf to work. Naturally, the head nurse asked her amidst a gaggle of women, ¡°Do you have hickeys again? Tell your man to be more gentle! What¡¯re you going to do when it gets warm and you can¡¯t wear scarves anymore?¡±


    Cheng Xi made an o(¨s¡õ¨t)o face.


    Her uncomfortable expression made everyone start laughing, and Cheng Xi could only put on a serious face in response. ¡°Aren¡¯t you all going to get to work? Are you this free? If you¡¯re this free, then go and check on the patients some more.¡± And then everyone rubbed her face before going back to work.


    Cheng Xi ran to the confined wards as if she were escaping from her coworkers. And because she was so used to going to Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward, she subconsciously headed there.


    Chen Jiaman was currently drawing. The curtain that was usually closed off had been pulled open today, bathing her in soft rays of sunlight and causing her face to tilt upwards.


    As Cheng Xi stood by the door, she started shaking with emotion, and she almost wanted to cry. How long has Chen Jiaman hid in the shadows for? She didn¡¯t walk in and startle Chen Jiaman, and instead just stood there and watched her, until Chen Jiaman turned her head around and smiled at her.


    Chen Jiaman was almost completely back to normal now; she woke up in the morning, went to bed at night, ate her meals properly, and smiled at others.


    And now, she was even unafraid to stand in the sun.


    Cheng Xi smiled back at her, her expression so warm that it felt like she would treat anything Chen Jiaman did as normal. Cheng Xi walked into the room. ¡°What¡¯re you drawing today?¡±


    The canvas was still blank, and Chen Jiaman pointed at it as she said, ¡°The sun is the artist today.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t howled in a long while and her throat had noticeably improved. Her voice had also returned to its original sweet tone, which was particularly soft because of her timidness.


    The sunlight danced across the white canvas through the window, leaving spotty and translucent shadows on the page. ¡°It does seem like it, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Cheng Xi said as she looked at the canvas, ¡°The sun is a very good artist. It can create the form of green mountains and sparkling water, draw out the vibrant redness of peaches, greenness of willows, and all the hues of a maple forest, and display a thousand worlds, letting people feel the beauty of nature. The sun represents heat, warmth, and even coolness¡ªit all comes from the sun.¡± She lowered her head and caressed Chen Jiaman¡¯s head lightly. ¡°Jiaman, do you want to go out and look around? To see the wonderful world of the sun?¡±


    Chen Jiaman shuddered and withdrew into herself, the smile on her face quickly turning into fright.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t force her. Cheng Xi¡¯s decision making process was very patient, and when she saw Chen Jiaman¡¯s behavior, she quickly consoled her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. When you want to see the outside world, just let me know. I¡¯ll bring you out whenever you¡¯re ready. By the side of the river, there¡¯s a full grove of sakura trees. In the spring, they¡¯ll all bloom at once. It¡¯s really a pretty sight.¡±


    And then Cheng Xi led Chen Jiaman down another conversation path and accompanied her for quite a while before leaving.


    As Cheng Xi was walking back to her office, she ran into her middle school classmate and his wife. They were back for a checkup. Cheng Xi never acted too formally with her patients, and she greeted them amiably, poured both of them a glass of water, and then, because they brought their baby with them, even played with the baby.


    This little baby, swaddled in a bundle of blankets and sleeping with a red face, looked particularly cute.


    Cheng Xi filled the time by asking about how hard it was to raise one, how the baby¡¯s health was, how it was sleeping, and so on.


    When they finished talking, she said, ¡°Alright. It seems that your illness has improved a lot already.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s classmate and wife were both slightly taken aback. ¡°Just like that?¡± His wife even cautiously asked, ¡°Is there really nothing else that has to be examined?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled kindly. ¡°What else is there to do? If you¡¯re in the state of mind to ask something like that, then that already shows that you¡¯ve improved a lot since last time. People don¡¯t have to be worried about always being clear-headed. Rather, they should be worried about living in a messy state of mind. And right now, you¡¯re certainly very awake. For example, you didn¡¯t even cry when we talked about how tired you were from raising your child. Thus, I feel like you¡¯re already in a much better place. Postnatal depression originally stems from not being able to adapt to an entirely new set of circumstances after giving birth. So, you just have to remember that, whether it¡¯s your first pregnancy or your fourth, we¡¯re all new to this, and since it¡¯s something new, we¡¯ll inevitably make some mistakes and have to correct them as they come. But that¡¯s alright, because as we keep moving forward, we¡¯ll learn how to deal with all these problems. As long as we try our best, things will always get better.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s voice was warm and gentle as she encouraged the couple, and even as she said these truisms, it didn¡¯t sound long-winded. Both her classmate and his wife were captivated by her monologue.


    After a while, Cheng Xi¡¯s classmate sighed in admiration. ¡°You¡¯re getting better and better at talking, and your charm has only increased.¡±


    This classmate of hers hadn¡¯t progressed very far in his studies, and nuanced words like ¡®affinity¡¯ didn¡¯t exist in his vocabulary. Instead, he had chosen to use the unusual description of ¡®charming.¡¯ Cheng Xi noticed that his wife¡¯s expression faltered slightly, but Cheng Xi could only pretend to not have noticed anything. Instead, she smiled and told the wife, ¡°See, he likes long-winded people. So whenever something comes up, or whenever you feel tired, wronged, in pain, or exhausted, just tell him. Tell him everything. Men rarely pay attention to these things, so don¡¯t expect him to anticipate your needs from just a glance. If you try to do so, you¡¯ll just be stifling yourself, and on the other side, he¡¯ll think that you¡¯re trying to act coy.¡±


    The young wife started chuckling, and Cheng Xi¡¯s classmate was somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t talk about me like that. I¡¯m still a very good, caring, and affectionate man.¡±


    ¡°Yes, keep being a good man, then.¡± Cheng Xi said with a smile, ending the day¡¯s consultation.


    Because she had been at the university for the whole day yesterday, there were a lot of tasks on her plate today. Thus, Cheng Xi was preoccupied and didn¡¯t have time to think about anything else. Only after she got off work, returned home, and saw her empty apartment did she recall that Lu Chenzhou had said that he was going to renovate her apartment.


    But was there a need to be this efficient and thorough? My goodness, all of her furniture had been dismantled and removed, her clothes and shoes were gone, and her apartment was truly devoid of anything besides its four walls.


    At least leave her undergarments. Otherwise, what was she going to change into at night?


    Moving everything away so quickly would leave even Dr. Cheng in shock, all right? Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 137: Super Comfortable and Safe

    Cheng Xi clutched at her forehead, staring at her desolate and empty apartment for quite a while in disbelief before finally calling Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Where are my clothes?¡±


    ¡°At my place.¡±


    She tried to stay patient. ¡°If they¡¯re all gone, then what am I supposed to change into at night?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou seemed very surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t you know where I live?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Trying to communicate with someone who didn¡¯t understand her was too difficult, and she was honestly quite exasperated that she had fallen for such a self-centered man. She could only comfort herself with the same words that she had used to to comfort someone else earlier: It¡¯s all right. Men are just like that sometimes, and Lu Chenzhou is a man amongst men. So, hoping that he would be considerate or give advance notice was just a delusion!


    After she comforted herself, she left to find a place to stay for the night. Tian Rou and Shen Wei¡¯s places were too far away to even be considered, but Su Feng¡¯s might not be a bad choice.


    Su Feng lived very close to the hospital, but in the opposite direction of Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment; she lived in the north, and Su Feng in the south.


    Su Feng had just gotten off work when she received her call. After she picked up and heard Cheng Xi¡¯s plight, she immediately said, ¡°Then, let me come fetch you.¡±


    See, women were so thoughtful and considerate.


    When Cheng Xi climbed into Su Feng¡¯s car, she immediately leaned back against her seat and exhaustedly said, ¡°I think that I should find a wife rather than a husband to marry.¡±


    Su Feng threw an unopened cup of yogurt at her. ¡°What kind of craziness are you spouting now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy, just casually grumbling.¡±


    Su Feng smiled. ¡°Did your rich boyfriend do something to annoy you again?¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help herself from frantically unloading all of her complaints. ¡°¡­¡­Seriously, he said that he was going to move in, and he just expected me to accommodate him like that. And to top it off, he even insulted my interior decor! Alright, it¡¯s fine if he wants to renovate it¡ªhe¡¯s rich enough to not care about eighty or a hundred thousand yuan. Fine! But was there really a need to say that he was going to do it in the morning and then take everything from my apartment out before nighttime? All without telling me anything? Is this really okay? Is it?!¡±


    Su Feng was laughing uncontrollably at this point. She had never seen Cheng Xi angry before, and her complaining made Su Feng feel like she was about to go crazy from laughter. She even had to park by the side of the road as she clutched at her stomach and guffawed.


    Cheng Xi was gloomy. ¡°Is it that funny?¡± She looked outside, bit down on her yogurt¡¯s straw, and reminded Su Feng, ¡°We can¡¯t stop here.¡±


    Su Feng was shedding tears from laughing too hard, and as she wiped them away, she said, ¡°Then stop teasing me.¡±


    Even Su Feng had rendered Cheng Xi speechless tonight. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at Su Feng accusingly. ¡°Dr. Su, I¡¯m really trying to talk to you seriously. I¡¯ve suddenly fallen from being a nice little member of the bourgeoisie to a homeless person. I don¡¯t have clothes to change into, a place to stay, or anything to eat or wear. Can you pity me a little?¡±


    Su Feng patted her comfortingly. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you some things to eat, a place to stay, and even someone to sleep with. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you wander the cold world alone.¡± But after she said this, she started uncontrollably laughing again. ¡°But even if he didn¡¯t notify you beforehand, then did he not at least prepare a place for you to stay?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to talk anymore. Su Feng glanced at her as she asked, ¡°So he did prepare one, huh? You don¡¯t want to stay there?¡± She stretched out her hand and tugged at Cheng Xi¡¯s scarf.


    Cheng Xi resisted warily. ¡°Keep your eyes on the road!¡±


    Su Feng was driving attentively, and clicked her tongue several times in response. ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice to be young, to mess around like this?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at her exasperatedly. ¡°You¡¯re young too.¡±


    Su Feng shook her head, looked at the rearview mirror, and focused on backing the car up. ¡°As you said, why should I find a man to marry? At this age, with my money, a car, a house, and kids, there¡¯s no reason for me to find a man who will only make me feel uncomfortable.¡±


    After she said this, Cheng Xi stopped trying to persuade her. Everyone had their own way of living, and as long as it was healthy, there was no need for her to force Su Feng into something she didn¡¯t want.


    And so, the topic was dropped just like that.


    Cheng Xi was too tired from work and didn¡¯t want to make dinner, whereas Su Feng never cooked. So, the two of them ate out. Halfway into dinner, Lu Chenzhou called her. ¡°You¡¯re not coming?¡±


    Cheng Xi very much wanted to play ignorant. ¡°Go where?¡± Her apartment was completely empty right now! But since she was spending his money for the renovation, she couldn¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth. ¡°I¡¯m staying with a colleague.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was flustered. ¡­¡­Damn, I miscalculated! o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    Now, all he could do was start whipping the lash and hurry the renovation process up. There wasn¡¯t any need to change out the foundations; all he needed to do was order new furniture, buy a new sofa, and other similar surface adjustments. Everything proceeded very quickly, and the renovation was finished in half a month.


    When Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents found that he was helping Cheng Xi renovate her apartment, they became particularly happy, and the two of them even personally went to his office to instruct him. ¡°When you renovate the place, remember to have any formaldehyde scrubbed away. Your skin¡¯s very sensitive, so you want to make sure that the place is spotless when you move in.¡±


    This point was fair, and Lu Chenzhou noted it down.


    And then Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother said, ¡°You need to marry her quickly, or else the wedding ceremony will be annoying to manage once she¡¯s pregnant.¡±


    Mr. Lu was shocked. He was just thinking about getting Cheng Xi in bed, and hadn¡¯t thought about babies at all!


    Yes, this was also a fair point. He didn¡¯t want a baby, so he had to use contraception!


    The move-in day was scheduled relatively soon. It was actually close to Qingming Day, and the weather was returning to a nice temperate band again. Conveniently, the move-in day was on the weekend, so Cheng Xi would have time to clean up after moving back.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s first look at the new place was when she moved back in. She was normally very busy, and couldn¡¯t be bothered to visit while it was being renovated. Since her suggestions wouldn¡¯t be taken into consideration anyways, she might as well leave it be.


    She had expected that, like Lu Chenzhou¡¯s personality, the apartment would be cold, ascetic, and perfectly symmetrical. However, in reality, her new apartment was bright and sunny. The blues and whites on the wall paired well together, and the overall atmosphere was very tasteful and stylish.


    Cheng Xi made a few turns once inside. The master bedroom hadn¡¯t changed much, but what shocked her most was the guest room, which had become a study. The original wardrobe had been removed, and the neighboring wall was replaced by a full row of bookshelves. The tatami mat by the window had also been removed, replaced by a big study desk, and there wasn¡¯t a bed or wardrobe anywhere in sight. Mr. Lu¡¯s plan had thus come to light¡ªhe didn¡¯t want anyone staying over with them at all, and neither did he want any interruptions.


    After seeing this completely different room, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say. All she could do was massage her forehead and console herself that it was fine. If she didn¡¯t have a bed, she could just buy another again later. o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    Even with regards to moving, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s personal style shone through. A few large trucks came to move all of his things up the building and into the apartment, and then all the workers left. Then, he rolled up his sleeves and started to unpack everything.


    Well organized boxes filled the entire living room, and Cheng Xi wryly asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to find people to help unpack?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her. ¡°It¡¯s our home. Why do we need others¡¯ help?¡±


    Cheng Xi fell silent, before finally nodding. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± And then she also rolled up her sleeves and started unpacking and putting things in their proper places.


    Actually, although there were many boxes, most of them were filled with books. Since they now had many large bookshelves, they had to fill them all. While unpacking, Cheng Xi realized the benefits of having a partner with OCD, as everything was packed nicely into the boxes. He had packed all of Cheng Xi¡¯s things meticulously: her clothes, her pants, her shoes, her underwear (-_-||£©, and even her books were all organized neatly. Cheng Xi¡¯s books were organized by subject, and each had a note on it, detailing where it had originally come from.


    As a result, although they had plenty of things, once it was all unboxed, they were placed rapidly. It moved along without a hitch, until Cheng Xi reached an unmarked and unlabeled box. She was somewhat curious, and as she prepared to open the box, she asked Lu Chenzhou, ¡°What¡¯s inside this box?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou turned around and glanced at the box before coolly saying, ¡°A gift from Baldy.¡±


    Huh? Baldy was the type to give gifts? Curiously, Cheng Xi cut open the wrapping tape with a pair of scissors and removed the tape, only to see a whole box of condoms!


    The condoms¡¯ packaging were particularly striking, all packed neatly, labelled with descriptions like ¡°original,¡± ¡°super thin,¡± ¡°super comfortable,¡±¡°super safe,¡±, and a variety of other similar words.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 138: A Little Itchy

    Who would send something like that as a gift to celebrate a new home? Whoever does so, come over! Dr. Cheng wants to discuss your dreams and aspirations with you.


    When Lu Chenzhou saw Cheng Xi¡¯s sour face, he walked over and asked, ¡°Is this bad?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good!¡± Cheng Xi said, her teeth aching as she did so. ¡°But buying so many¡­¡­¡± How often are you planning to use these? Did you know that condoms have an expiration date?


    Lu Chenzhou took one out of the box and looked at it. ¡°Are there that many?¡± He opened it and counted the smaller packets within. ¡°24 boxes with 12 small boxes in each one,¡± His calculation skills weren¡¯t bad. ¡°288 small boxes. They won¡¯t last for even a year.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re planning on using one small box a day?¡±


    ¡°There are three condoms in each box. Is that too little?¡±


    ¡­¡­Mom, mom, can I move back home now? Department head, I¡¯m regretting my earlier decision. Can I send this guy to jail?


    When she saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s justified expression, Cheng Xi actually thought back to when she was still in school. Her roommates had once tried to prove that it was reasonable for men to have sex three times a night based on psychology and physiology. What had been their conclusion then?


    She turned frantic. ¡°Why did you let him buy all these?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re cheap.¡±


    Aren¡¯t you rich? Did you have to save and skimp on this, of all things?


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face turned a deep red again. When she thought of Baldy¡¯s mocking face, she decided in her heart that she didn¡¯t want to see him for the next year!


    Lu Chenzhou watched Cheng Xi grow enraged, and reluctantly tried to pacify her. ¡°Alright, I admit my real reason isn¡¯t this. I¡¯m not lacking money.¡±


    Cheng Xi, in her heart, thought, That¡¯s not what I¡¯m concerned about!!!


    Then, Lu Chenzhou continued to say, ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want him to disrupt us. So, when he said that he wanted to come over, I told him that there were two conditions.¡± As if he felt that the trauma that Cheng Xi had just suffered wasn¡¯t enough, Mr. Lu clearly explained, ¡°First, we are going to do it, so third wheels aren¡¯t welcome. Second, if he wanted to give any sort of gifts, then he could just send me condoms.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡­¡­ Cheng Xi spat out a glob of blood.


    She clutched her chest and despairingly moaned. ¡°Mr. Lu, just how thick is your skin?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou coolly replied, ¡°Quite thick, thank you.¡± He had taken over her apartment, but this wasn¡¯t enough for him, because he went on to say, ¡°I don¡¯t like outsiders at my place, so don¡¯t call people over in the future. As for your parents, I¡¯ve already bought the neighboring apartment, so when the renovation for that one is finished, they can move in at any time.¡±


    Cheng Xi beat her chest forcefully, completely giving up on communicating with him.


    Since the boxes were very well organized, it didn¡¯t take long to unpack everything and put them in their proper places. After just half the day had passed, everything was already done.


    More specifically, they officially finished moving in at 3:30 PM. Cheng Xi had always felt that she was pretty decent at packing and unpacking, but compared to Lu Chenzhou, she suddenly felt like she had been living a rough, uncultured life.


    Lu Chenzhou often made her feel like this. For example, although she liked flowers, she didn¡¯t know how to arrange them artistically. Thus, she usually bought just one or two of them and arranged them in a basic small long-necked vase, considering that sufficient. Lu Chenzhou, by comparison, actually did know flower arrangement, and after they tidied everything up, he ordered a large bouquet of flowers. When they arrived, he brought them over to the balcony, where he sat, basking in the setting sun as he slowly and meticulously arranged the flowers. Gradually, a beautiful vase took form!


    And what¡¯s more, Lu Chenzhou also knew how to cook, and it wasn¡¯t anything like Cheng Xi¡¯s instant-noodles-with-egg kind of cooking. Rather, he made a proper Western meal: a saut¨¦ed steak, pizza, salmon, lobster, and even a mouth-watering chocolate cake from scratch!


    Of course, it did take a lot of time¡ªat any rate, when Cheng Xi saw him dressed in an apron and preparing food in the kitchen, her initial comments were, ¡°Wow, you can even make food! Your movements seem both handsome and practised,¡± but they quickly became, ¡°Is it ready? I¡¯m about to starve! Just make something. I really don¡¯t care anymore.¡± Even when Cheng Xi offered to help, he disdainfully told her that she was in the way and chased her out.


    Finally, when it was almost eight o¡¯clock, Lu Chenzhou told Cheng Xi, who was so ravenous that she was sitting on the sofa and reading a book upside down, ¡°We can start eating now.¡±


    Cheng Xi expectantly went over and saw a luxuriant and exquisite dinner laid out in front of her.


    The decadent food, bottle of red wine, fresh flowers, and even candles all contributed to the extravagant atmosphere. However, the most striking part of the picture was obviously the handsome man standing by the side of the table, who was dressed in a simple outfit of a white shirt and black pants, with a clear and picturesque look in his eyes.


    But Cheng Xi was instead thinking, Goodness, am I a fake person? Despite how romantic the dinner in front of her was, she nonetheless felt somewhat regretful, because she actually preferred Chinese-style cuisine¡­¡­


    But she still had to thank him, of course. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    While Lu Chenzhou opened the bottle of wine, he murmured, ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard. Before I eat you, I have to let you at least eat something good.¡±


    Cheng Xi, dumbfounded, thought to herself, ¡­¡­Can I not eat this meal?! Even as her face remained serious. ¡°Are you joking?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou thought for a moment and then rephrased his words. ¡°According to what I¡¯ve read, if a male establishes a romantic atmosphere before getting into bed with a female, it will allow the female to climax more easily.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even think of a retort. ¡°¡­¡­¡± She massaged her forehead to ease the oncoming headache as she asked, ¡°Mr. Lu, when you have these underlying intentions, can we still even have a proper meal?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was a little perturbed by her stance. ¡°Do all doctors avoid talking about sex?¡±


    Cheng Xi very much wanted to shoot him a supercilious glare. ¡°I¡¯m also a woman, thank you very much.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou fell deep into thought, and then stopped talking about the subject, instead pouring her a glass of wine before obediently starting to eat.


    As they said, if you encountered someone who didn¡¯t understand romance at all, then even something like a candlelight dinner was pointless. If you encountered someone who was so hungry that they didn¡¯t care about what they were eating, it would be a waste of effort and resources; if you encountered a schemer, it would be the setting for a tragedy! And unfortunately, the two of them satisfied all three of these conditions, so this extravagant and romantic meal ended very quickly.


    Once Cheng Xi finished her meal, she leaned back, drained her remaining red wine in one go, and yup, she was done.


    Because she had drank too quickly, Cheng Xi¡¯s face quickly turned red from the alcohol. She supported her face with both hands, and then looked at Lu Chenzhou.


    Like a good househusband, when the meal was over, Lu Chenzhou immediately started clearing the table, washing the plates, and mopping the kitchen. Cheng Xi watched him meticulously complete all this busywork as she thought to herself, A boyfriend like this isn¡¯t bad. He¡¯s able to make food, do chores, clean the place, and even rejuvenate the eyes. How good was that?


    And then, just when she was starting to relax, he took off his apron, hung it up, and walked in front of her before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s take a bath and then go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She looked at the time; it was only 8:30 PM!


    With a slight tinge of disbelief, Cheng Xi asked him, ¡°It¡¯s too early, isn¡¯t it? Why don¡¯t we eat some fruit and chat awhile?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou lowered his head and sniffed her body judgmentally. ¡°You smell dirty.¡±


    And then he pushed Cheng Xi into the bathroom. The reason why she was so obedient was that, in her mind, she thought, Alright. Given how stubborn he is, then he can do whatever he wants. It¡¯s only a matter of time anyway. After many days of careful consideration, she had thought everything through.


    After the two of them took a bath and Cheng Xi blew her hair dry, they got into bed. It felt formal, and even though Cheng Xi had mentally prepared herself, she still felt a bit shy. Lu Chenzhou was actually quite nervous as well; when he took out a condom, he even naively asked, ¡°Do I wear this beforehand or afterwards?¡±


    Cheng Xi almost sprayed spit at him. ¡°Do you think that it¡¯d even be useful if you wore it after you¡¯re done?¡±


    Only then did Lu Chenzhou realize that he had asked a stupid question, and he became somewhat embarrassed. But since his face was normally cold and unmoving, his embarrassment wasn¡¯t very obvious. After a quick glance at Cheng Xi to verify that she hadn¡¯t noticed, he took off his pants.


    Cheng Xi twisted her head away, not knowing what to say anymore. But even if she didn¡¯t see it, she could feel him put on the condom and then lean over to hug her.


    She was currently wearing a white cotton sleeping gown, and her black hair was draped over her shoulders, giving her a soft and tender look.


    Although the start was awkward, both of them were young and vigorous, and the atmosphere slowly loosened up. Lu Chenzhou really hadn¡¯t skimped on his reading about sex, and when they actually started doing it, he was particularly gentle and patient, sparing no effort to make it easier for her.


    The conditions were right, and success naturally followed.


    They gradually reached the most enjoyable stage.


    But then, Lu Chenzhou suddenly stopped. Cheng Xi opened her eyes. Right now, her face was flushed red, her eyes lustrous with desire, and her half-clothed body particularly enchanting.


    But Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t not stop.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked, somewhat lost in thought.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything, just looking at her with an ugly expression. Then, he suddenly sat back and tore off the ¡°raincoat¡± on his little Lu Chenzhou. ¡°It¡¯s a bit itchy,¡± he said in annoyance as he lightly scratched its tip.


    ¡°An all¡­¡­ allergic reaction¡­¡­¡± Cheng Xi said, half in disbelief.


    Lu Chenzhou: o(¨s¡õ¨t)o Previous ChapterNext Chapte

 Chapter 139: Learning to Love You

    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s little buddy had at first been pinkish, not ugly at all, and even quite imposing. But right now, Cheng Xi felt that it looked quite pitiful, because after his big buddy scratched him, two little red lumps had appeared near its tip.


    Cheng Xi had concluded that this was just an allergic reaction through a very simple chain of deduction. Between this being a newly renovated apartment, the condom material, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s abnormal body¡­¡­ it seemed almost inevitable for little Lu to not develop an allergic reaction to something.


    Cheng Xi tried her hardest to stifle her laughter, to the point where she started tearing up and was unable to look at him. However, when she saw that he was about to scratch himself again, she quickly stopped him and said, ¡°Stop scratching yourself and go wash it off.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou obediently went to the washroom, albeit with a dark expression on his face. Once Cheng Xi was sure that he was out of earshot, then she turned around, bit down on her fist, and started guffawing so hard she fell off of the bed.


    But while she was lost in her delirium, she felt someone grab her shoulder and drag her upright. Lu Chenzhou looked at her dimly. ¡°You seem very happy?¡±


    ¡°N¡­¡­ No.¡±


    With such an obvious smirk on her face and lips curled up so high that she couldn¡¯t even force them down, she wasn¡¯t convincing at all. Who¡¯d believe that she wasn¡¯t laughing?


    Lu Chenzhou pushed her down.


    Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t found a chance to catch her breath, since she had laughed so hard all her muscles had relaxed. She breathlessly asked, ¡°What¡¯re you going to do to me?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stuffed another condom into her hand, and fearlessly said, ¡°I feel like we should try again. Put it on for me.¡±


    He was so confident that Cheng Xi felt like she had to give him the proper respect. However, she also felt ethically obligated to remind him, ¡°That¡­¡­ Ahem, I don¡¯t really mind trying again, but are you sure you want to do so? Your allergic reaction may very well worsen, causing swelling, festering¡­¡­ and you might even become impotent for a long period of time.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou felt unbearably stymied. ¡°¡­¡­Damn!¡±


    He flipped them around, moved his face to her shoulder, opened his mouth, and fiercely ground his teeth against her white and tender shoulder. He continued until Cheng Xi was so itchy that she broke into laughter and fell into his lap.


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, curled up like a tiny prawn from laughing, and felt speechless. He had started biting her to vent his frustration, but the more he bit, the hotter his anger was stoked. His heart had an unbearable itch, as if it had been scratched by a cat.


    He finally stopped biting her. Then, he climbed up the bed, kissed her lips and tongue passionately, hugged her hard, and finally grumbled incoherently, ¡°¡­¡­It feels bad!¡±


    Cheng Xi patted him on the back insincerely. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Just don¡¯t agitate it any further.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou bit her lips frustratedly again, picked up her hand, and guided it towards his nether regions. He wanted to physically show her how badly he was feeling.


    Cheng Xi patiently asked, ¡°Do you want to take a cold bath? Or maybe rub some balm on it¡ªOh!¡±


    He had forced her legs open and then suddenly slid his fingers inside her. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t expert such an abrupt move, and she groaned in displeasure. However, the roughness also stimulated her on some level, so when his fingers moved around, she felt¡­¡­ quite pleasurable. Lu Chenzhou raised his upper body slightly, and when he saw that she had completely succumbed to his dextrous hand strokes, and was almost about to explode, he mercilessly pulled his fingers out and slowly declared, ¡°Think of a solution for me.¡±


    He had stopped so abruptly that Cheng Xi was caught off guard. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Honestly, when he teased her like that, she really wanted to smack him in the face! She covered her blushing face with her hand, tried to to calm her urges, and softly replied, ¡°Alright¡­¡­ Go wash up first. I¡¯ll help you think of a solution.¡±


    And only then did Lu Chenzhou finally let go of her and go into the washroom.


    But what else could Cheng Xi have said? As a doctor, if he had a cold or fever or something like that, then she could give him a prescription. But something like a penile infection¡­¡­


    Helpless, she could only call Su Feng, and in the most serious tone she could muster, ask, ¡°What¡¯s the best solution for a male experiencing an allergic reaction to a condom?¡±


    Su Feng immediately guessed at what was going on. ¡°Your rich boyfriend? He¡¯s allergic to condoms?¡±


    Cheng Xi coughed awkwardly.


    Su Feng started laughing crazily. ¡°Hahaha, really?! You just moved back today, and you even told me that I didn¡¯t need to come over for a housewarming party. I even thought that you two were going to¡­¡­ Anyways, what¡¯s up with this allergic reaction?¡±


    Cheng Xi pleaded, ¡°Hey, hey, Dr. Su. Please keep your professional ethics in mind.¡±


    Su Feng started laughing even more uproariously. ¡°Dear, you¡¯re a really amusing person.¡±


    Cheng Xi: o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    Cheng Xi felt very exasperated, but also that this situation was actually very funny. Mr. Lu had prepared so diligently for tonight, and even made Baldy send him so many condoms. But in the end¡­¡­ He was defeated by a mere condom.


    Cheng Xi also started laughing along with Su Feng.


    When they were done, Cheng Xi patted her face to sober up a bit. ¡°Alright, please help me think of a solution.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also not quite sure what the best course of action is. After all, I work with women.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Dr. Su, do you believe that I¡¯ll beat you up?¡±


    Su Feng started laughing again. ¡°Come and beat me! It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to do anything with your rich boyfriend tonight anyways.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced guiltily at the door. If Lu Chenzhou heard Su Feng say that, he¡¯d probably grind her to death, wouldn¡¯t he?


    Without any other options, Cheng Xi could only say, ¡°Alright, stop talking trash.¡±


    Only when Su Feng stopped laughing did she agree. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you find an expert, and I can ask him about how to best resolve the condition.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but make sure to tell him that the patient¡¯s skin is very sensitive, and he even had septicemia not too long ago.¡± After Cheng Xi finished describing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s medical history, she was afraid of Su Feng saying something degrading next time they met. She knew that she¡¯d suffer the consequences if Lu Chenzhou overheard such comments, so she made sure to add, ¡°When you¡¯re done asking, please send me the prescription via text and not voice. Thank you.¡±


    Even after Cheng Xi disconnected the call, she felt like she could still hear phantoms of Su Feng¡¯s laughter.


    But even though Su Feng had laughed at the situation, she was a very reliable person. By the time Lu Chenzhou finished his bath, Cheng XI had already received the prescription. There was both medication to be ingested and a paste to be externally applied, but the most important thing was the following directions: Scratching and washing it with hot water were prohibited, and he had to abstain from sexual activity for the next two weeks during the treatment and recovery periods.


    When Cheng Xi finished reading the instructions out loud, she blinked, and then obediently handed her phone over to Lu Chenzhou.


    Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­ had an interesting expression on his face.


    Cheng Xi had originally calmed down, but when she saw his expression, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from bursting out into laughter again. She lowered her head and tried to stop herself, but Lu Chenzhou lifted her jaw. She bit down on her fingers, her almond eyes tearing up as she looked at him.


    ¡°That funny, huh?¡±


    His tone had a dangerous edge to it, and Cheng Xi hugged his waist in forgiveness as she buried her head in his embrace, laughed, and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that it was funny¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t help but start smiling at the ridiculous situation as well.


    ¡­¡­


    The medicine that Su Feng had prescribed was standard medication for an allergic reaction, which Cheng Xi had at home. After applying it, he couldn¡¯t do anything of that kind anymore, so Lu Chenzhou just lay in bed like a zombie with Cheng Xi by his side, her fingers lightly caressing his face.


    Lu Chenzhou tilted his head and looked at her. ¡°You want it?¡± He turned his body.


    Cheng Xi grabbed his hand lightly. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around.¡± She moved his hand to the side of her face and looked at him as she rested her head on the pillow. Because he¡¯d just applied the medicine, his lower body was still naked, only covered by a blanket. The exposed skin revealed slender and straight muscles. His body seemed especially lithe and sleek, coursing with power.


    The muscle that he¡¯d lost from his earlier illness had regrown quite well, it seemed.


    Cheng Xi admired his body for a little, but didn¡¯t have the guts to reach out and start groping him. Noting the small amount of disappointment still on his face, she said, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I¡¯m not laughing at you. I¡¯m just¡­¡­ somewhat happy.¡± Amidst his bright, clear gaze, she gently touched the back of his hand. ¡°I¡¯m really very happy, because I can feel how much effort you put into tonight. In this day and age, intentions might not be worth very much, but diligent attention is a rare thing indeed.¡± And this was especially so for someone like Lu Chenzhou. The fact that he had put this much thought and effort into this for her made her feel very surprised and moved.


    She then coyly said, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I¡¯m really starting to like you.¡± She paused, before reaffirming her feelings. ¡°Very much.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou gazed back at her. She was lying softly by his side, her cherry red lips glistening with moisture, her eyes as clear as water, and the dimple by her cheek as if filled with a drunken laughter.


    He couldn¡¯t help himself from caressing her face, gingerly rubbing the tender skin underneath his hands.


    It was the first time he had ever confronted his own mental issue, the first time he had ever worked up the courage to tell her, ¡°I¡¯ve never loved anyone. But Cheng Xi, even if I never love anyone in my lifetime, I will learn to love you. I will be unwavering in my attention towards you, just as if we were star-crossed lovers in some book.¡±


    As he said this, his expression wasn¡¯t particularly serious, and he didn¡¯t display any particular signs of care either. His face remained as calm and impassive as ever, but Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help from letting out one last burst of laughter.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she agreed lightly.

 Chapter 140: So Thrilling That Everyone’s Spreading the Word

    If someone had told Cheng Xi half a year ago that she¡¯d fall in love with one of her patients who was suffering from emotional detachment, she probably would have thought that the other party was telling an unfunny joke.


    But now, she knew that this joke was real, because the feelings in her chest were more than just a casual liking, deeper than liking.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s dazed and silly expression, his stupid liking, his stiff textbook-like manner of wooing her, and his serious expression when looking for love¡ªall of this made her inexorably fall for him a little bit more.


    Cheng Xi hugged the hand by her face tightly, lifted her head, and kissed it lightly as she said, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, it¡¯s fine even if you can¡¯t love me, because I¡¯ll love you in your stead. This will be our house, and over here, you can do whatever you want. You can laugh when you¡¯re happy, cry when you¡¯re sad, and when you¡¯re tired, my shoulder will always be here for you. I¡¯ve never been anyone else¡¯s other half, but I¡¯ll do my best to love you and accompany you.¡±


    After listening to Cheng Xi¡¯s words, Lu Chenzhou quieted down.


    Then, after a while, he hoarsely said, ¡°I want to have sex with you, but I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi almost choked on her own saliva, feeling like someone had just spat into her mouth after she passionately confessed to him.


    She slapped him in the face as she angrily said, ¡°At this time, we should be talking about love and feelings. Stop thinking about other things!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou caught her hand and lifted the blankets. ¡°Take a look.¡±


    Cheng Xi reluctantly glanced down, only to see little Lu slowly lift up, dazedly nodding at her with two small red bumps on its head.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Unable to hold herself back anymore, she leapt onto his body, ¡°Alright, neither of us are going to sleep tonight!¡±


    He hugged her back, letting her roll around on his body, his heart feeling fuller than ever before.


    ¡°Ouch, don¡¯t bite my neck again!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I surrender.¡±


    It was already too late to surrender, and he pressed Cheng Xi down and ravaged her once more, until Cheng Xi was both riled up and wholly unsatisfied; her heart felt like it had reached maximum stuffiness.


    Mr. Lu sagaciously said, ¡°This is called sharing life¡¯s joys and sorrows.¡±


    ¡Ñ©n¡Ñ


    If this was going to happen for the next three more weeks, Cheng Xi was tempted to immediately move out and come back three weeks later!


    And after messing around for the entire night, Cheng Xi was woken up by a phone ringing the next day, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s phone.


    She handed him his phone and went back to sleep, but Lu Chenzhou turned on the speakerphone, and a weaselly voice snaked into her ear; it was Baldy¡¯s shrill and high-decibel voice. ¡°Hey, hey, did you have a good time last night? Were my condoms useful, my friend?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even open his eyes, and just hung up without saying a word. And after that, he even turned off his phone, hugged Cheng Xi from behind, buried his face into her shoulder, and continued to sleep.


    Yup, he was feeling upset.


    No matter who it was, if someone was restricted from doing something, if they were stimulated for an entire night while being unable to seek release, and then congratulated for that, then no one could stay happy, could they?


    Cheng Xi wanted to laugh, but she managed to stop herself this time. After this, she was clear-headed again. She usually didn¡¯t sleep in as she didn¡¯t want to complacently develop too many bad habits. But today, she lay in bed lazily, not wanting to get up.


    The person at her back was cuddling her snugly, but she didn¡¯t feel too hot at all, just slightly warm. In the brisk April morning air, she felt comfortable and just right.


    Perhaps Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t go back to sleep either, because as he ¡°slept,¡± his hand wandered into her clothes where his fingers slowly started rubbing against her skin. ¡°I¡¯m itchy!¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled and tightly pressed his hands together before turning around and facing him. ¡°What do you want to eat for breakfast?¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled, offered her hand up to his mouth, and graciously said, ¡°Then, have at it.¡±


    He gently pressed his teeth against her hand, not daring to do anything else at this point. He too felt uncomfortable after being aroused for an entire night, all right?


    And so the two of them played around in bed childishly. Not long later, Cheng Xi¡¯s phone also rang, and she gave herself a moment to collect herself before turning over to pick up.


    It was a call from Tian Rou, and she asked the same thing as Baldy. ¡°I heard that you guys bought a few hundred packs of condoms last night. Darling, how¡¯s your body doing?¡±


    Cheng Xi really wanted to smack her.


    This sort of feeling, of the whole world thinking that the two of you had spent the night together in hedonistic ecstasy when, in actuality, nothing had happened, and to top it off, when people started congratulating you for it¡­¡­ My goodness, it felt tart and acrid.


    She suddenly felt somewhat sympathetic towards Lu Chenzhou.


    Cheng Xi cleared her throat, and then, feeling that something was wrong, asked Tian Rou, ¡°How did you know that I bought a few hundred cases of condoms?¡±


    Tian Rou bluntly replied, ¡°Because Baldy told me so.¡±


    ¡°Baldy?¡± When did the two of them get so close that he would tell her something like this? ¡°There¡¯s nothing going on between the two of you, is there?¡±


    Cheng Xi had successfully changed the topic, as Tian Rou panickedly stammered, ¡°N- No, there¡¯s nothing going on between us!¡± But the inflection in her tone had already betrayed her; it was the secret excitement and happiness of a little mouse stealing oil, so happy that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even want to expose her.


    But before their call even ended, Cheng Xi¡¯s doorbell rang.


    Truly, waves upon waves of excitement were crashing down upon her.


    Cheng Xi was curious as to who would be here at this hour, and as she continued chatting with Tian Rou, she went to answer the door. But when she peeked through the screen door, she was shocked. It was actually her mother, aunt, and uncle, and they had even brought her little cousin over!


    What had happened to her parents, aunts, and relatives not coming in the near future?


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t care about her conversation Tian Rou anymore, and she quickly hung up without a farewell and rushed into the bedroom. ¡°Get up quickly. Get up quickly! My mom and the rest of them are here!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was still groggy from sleep. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Quickly, put on your clothes!¡± She pulled the blanket off of him, only to realize that this fellow was actually nude underneath. A ‡å expression appeared on her face, and then she quickly threw the blanket back on top of him again as she desperately turned around in circles, trying to find some clothes for him. ¡°Quickly, quickly. They¡¯re coming right up!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her accusingly, not moving a single finger, and Cheng Xi was almost brought to tears. She rushed over and started hugging and kissing him all over his face as she begged, ¡°Please, please! Not only is my mom coming, but my aunt and uncle are also here¡­¡­ You can tell them whatever you want.¡±


    Ding dong, ding dong! Knock, knock! The doorbell rang again, accompanied by the sound of knocking.


    Cheng Xi looked at him imploringly.


    Lu Chenzhou coolly looked at his lower body before saying, ¡°Make it get better more quickly.¡±


    ¡­¡­My goodness, how long are you going to dwell on that for? Cheng Xi nodded anxiously. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think of something!¡±


    Only then did Lu Chenzhou get up and put on some clothes.


    Cheng Xi calmed down, and was about to go and open the door when she realized that she was still in her pajamas. Her expression became a big ‡å, and she hurriedly tried to find a change of clothes for herself. By the time she was done, her phone had rung for a third time, and the doorbell was about to be smashed to bits.


    At least the two of them were dressed by now.


    Cheng Xi went to open the door. As it swung open, she smiled at her mother and aunt. ¡°Mom, aunt, and uncle.¡± She was about to praise her little cousin when she found that his expression was a bit awkward, so she quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with little Yuan?¡±


    Yuan twisted his face aside, not saying anything, and her mother glared at her. ¡°What were you doing, taking so long to open the door?¡± But she was cut off by Cheng Xi¡¯s aunt. ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±


    When everyone took off their shoes and entered the house, they were all stupefied. ¡°My goodness, when did this place change so much?¡±


    And then they saw Lu Chenzhou come out of the bedroom. A combination of ¡°Who are you?!¡± and ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± was shouted out simultaneously.


    Lu Chenzhou, on the other hand, played the model gracious host as he unemotionally but politely greeted his guests. ¡°Mom, aunt, and uncle. It¡¯s good to see you again.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother, aunt, and uncle were all stunned by this presumptive response. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Who in the world does this fellow think he is, greeting us so intimately? Cheng Xi, get over here! We¡¯re going to have a chat!

 Chapter 141: A Pampered Arrogance

    Cheng Xi¡­¡­ Cheng Xi pretended to be dead.


    Actually, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was all right with this, although she was a bit surprised and resentful that Lu Chenzhou had moved into her daughter¡¯s place so quickly. Her aunt and uncle, on the other hand, were genuinely shocked to the core.


    My goodness! While they were in the car, they were even worried that if Cheng Xi waited any longer to get a boyfriend, she might become too old to be marriageable. But when they entered her apartment, a man had appeared out of nowhere and shamelessly called them aunt and uncle. Their surprise had reached its peak!


    Cheng Xi¡¯s aunt and uncle looked at each other, and then simultaneously turned toward Cheng Xi¡¯s mother. She had already regained her senses, and was doing her best to put on an amiable appearance. She coughed to dispel the awkwardness and said, ¡°Let¡¯s all sit down first.¡±


    After they did so, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Do you want anything to drink?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s aunt glanced at Lu Chenzhou, who was sitting there bright and clear, and went straight to the heart of the matter. ¡°Cheng Xi, who is this? Aren¡¯t you going to introduce him to us?¡±


    ¡°Aunt, uncle, this is my boyfriend.¡± She looked toward her mother. ¡°My mom has met him before.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s aunt and uncle looked critically at their sister-in-law. Why did she tell them on the car ride over that Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t find a boyfriend even after meeting her future husband?


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother, on the other hand¡­¡­ her heart cried out indignantly. Didn¡¯t Cheng Xi say that they were just trying out a relationship and that they didn¡¯t know what was going to happen? So, she had said those words to plant some seeds in preparation, thinking that she¡¯d be covered for any occasion. However, who could have known that the two of them had already started living together without letting her know!


    But no matter what, this boyfriend of Cheng Xi¡¯s had still called her ¡°mom¡± and Cheng Xi¡¯s aunt ¡°aunt.¡± So even if she had to pinch her nose, she still had to recognize him¡ªluckily, she didn¡¯t even have to pinch her nose to do so, because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s appearance was very presentable.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s uncle was the first to break the silence. He smiled as he said to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Nice to meet you. Are we bothering the two of you?¡±


    He was polite, and so Lu Chenzhou also responded politely, a bit of the coldness dissipating from his eyes. ¡°A bit.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s uncle was caught off guard by his response. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    This fellow isn¡¯t very polite, is he?!


    Black streaks lined Cheng Xi¡¯s forehead as the atmosphere soured, and she quickly pushed Lu Chenzhou into the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯m hungry, so can you make something for me?¡± Then she turned around to look at her mom and the rest of her visitors. ¡°Have you all eaten breakfast yet?¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t, at this hour?¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s mother shot back as she fiercely glared at her.


    Cheng Xi stuck her tongue out at her in defiance before pushing Lu Chenzhou into the kitchen and closing the door behind him.


    By now, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother and the rest had recovered from their shock. They started by asking about the drastic change in interior decoration. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you renovate the place? And you even changed the lock?¡±


    Cheng Xi intentionally ignored the last question and vaguely answered, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She looked at her aunt and silent cousin. From start to finish, her uncle¡¯s hand had been laid on his cousin¡¯s, and she naturally asked, ¡°Did you come over with something in mind?¡±


    Let¡¯s quickly change the subject, please.


    At this point, a worried expression crept over Cheng Xi¡¯s aunt¡¯s face. She stood up and anxiously said, ¡°Come, Cheng Xi. Come over here, and I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s going on.¡±


    She pulled Cheng Xi toward the old guest room, which was now a big study. When she saw the rows of books lining the wall, she gaped in amazement. ¡°So many books¡­¡­¡± She put this aside, as she was in a hurry to tell Cheng Xi about what had happened.


    It turned out that there was a problem with her cousin, Yuan.


    The eighteen-year-old high school senior was in his last semester, but the previously excellent student now refused to keep studying.


    ¡°Did something happen to him?¡±


    ¡°In his last mock exam, he did really poorly, ending up around thirtieth in his class, which isn¡¯t even in the top 200 in his school. His father scolded him for that, but that only exacerbated his behavior. His temper also grew worse, and he started breaking things, yelling at people, and howling in rage all the time. Yesterday in class, he even fainted all of a sudden, but when we brought him to the hospital, he wasn¡¯t ill. I honestly don¡¯t know what to do anymore, so when I thought of you, I had to see if you could help. Please, what¡¯s wrong with our son¡­¡­ Is he suffering from mental illness?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s aunt was really anxious, and she seemed like she was about to burst into tears as she spoke. Cheng Xi patted her lightly on the back. ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry. Let me first talk with Yuan before I comment on his condition, alright?¡± And then she wiped her aunt¡¯s tears away for her. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. If you do, Yuan will become more anxious as well.¡±


    After Cheng Xi comforted her aunt, the two of them went back out together. There was just her uncle and Yuan in the living room, and the two of them were currently playing tug-of-war: Yuan wanting to break free from his father¡¯s grasp, and his father obstinately stopping him. They seemed about ready to explode into a fistfight right then and there.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t there. When Cheng Xi glanced around some more, she saw that her mother was in the kitchen, talking to Lu Chenzhou about who knew what.


    At this point, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have the bandwidth to think about what she was doing. She focused her attention on Yuan and his father by smiling at them before calmly saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You must have waited for a while.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s uncle and Yuan looked at each other, quickly put down their hands, and while Yuan¡¯s father wasn¡¯t paying attention, he slipped out of his grasp.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s uncle¡¯s expression sank, and he was about to say something when Cheng Xi stopped him. She turned to Yuan and asked, ¡°I bought a new game for my laptop. It¡¯s pretty fun. Do you want to try it?¡±


    Yuan unhesitatingly nodded, but his father anxiously protested, ¡°The reason his grades have slipped so much is because he keeps playing games. And now when he doesn¡¯t even want to study anymore, you¡¯re still letting him play?!¡±


    Cheng Xi ignored him, brought Yuan into the study, and then turned on the laptop for him. When she came out by herself, Cheng Xi¡¯s uncle criticized Yuan without even stopping to take a breath. ¡°Such a disappointment! He must have mixed with a bad crowd, because he wasn¡¯t like this before! What illness, what worry? They¡¯re all excuses. The way I see it, he¡¯s just degenerating!¡±


    Cheng Xi listened to him quietly for a while, and after her uncle let out all of his frustrations , she went over and sat down besides him. ¡°I was the one who asked him to play games, Uncle. Are you angry at me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry at you. I¡¯m angry at him!¡± Her uncle sighed ruefully. ¡°There are only a few days until the gaokao [1] I¡¯m really worried about him.¡±


    ¡°Then, if Uncle trusts me, please leave him here with me for the moment.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s aunt and uncle looked at her in surprise.


    Her aunt said, ¡°I¡¯d be reassured if he could stay with you for a while.¡± This was her intention from the very beginning; if Yuan¡¯s condition couldn¡¯t be easily resolved, then the next best thing would be to let Cheng Xi treat him. However, she didn¡¯t expect that Cheng Xi would have a boyfriend living here as well. ¡°But would it be too much of a bother?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled brightly. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    In truth, Lu Chenzhou was very unhappy with her decision, because he was one of those people who hated troublesome things. Cheng Xi¡¯s mother and the rest didn¡¯t stay for very long, so he was able to bear their visit, but he was truly unhappy with Yuan¡¯s presence.


    And when Mr. Lu was upset, he wouldn¡¯t even get mad. He showed it by merely sitting on the sofa and pouting as he played with his jade tea pet.


    Cheng Xi called out to him. ¡°Hi!¡±


    He ignored her.


    ¡°Mr. Lu.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even look at her.


    ¡°What did my mom say to you? She looked so happy when she left, and she wasn¡¯t even mad at me anymore.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou continued to feign ignorance.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go and play games with Yuan now.¡± Helpless, Cheng Xi could only get up and leave.


    When he heard her footsteps fade into the distance, Lu Chenzhou grasped his tea pet tightly, the coldness in his eyes startling. He threw the tea cup to the side and prepared to leave, but just as he stood up halfway, there was a tightening sensation around his waist. A soft and gentle body was clinging to him, forcing him back down.


    ¡°Are you really angry?¡± she whispered into the side of his ear. ¡°If you¡¯re angry, then you need to let me know. If you don¡¯t, then how would I know? And if I don¡¯t know, then I¡¯ll only make you even madder.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He shut his eyes with restraint before suddenly opening his mouth, pushing her hand aside, and coldly saying, ¡°I don¡¯t like too many strangers being in my life. I¡¯m surprised enough that I could accept someone like you. Cheng Xi, don¡¯t be so arrogant. Just because I pamper you doesn¡¯t mean that this will work on me.¡±


    1. The high-stakes high school exit examination of China, for which students aiming to get into the top universities spend their last two years of high school studying day and night. Lauded and criticized in equal measure, the gaokao is at once a quintessentially meritocratic opportunity and an archaic system with an arguably misguided emphasis.

 Chapter 142: He’s Angry

    For regular women, they¡¯d take it badly enough if their boyfriend forcibly moved in with them, but if the boyfriend was incensed by them taking in a relative and called them arrogant because he was pampering her¡­¡­, most people would probably cough out blood, right?


    But Cheng Xi knew that the words Lu Chenzhou spoke were truly what he thought. He could learn to love and pamper her, but only her.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t cough out blood; in fact, when she heard him say this, she even felt at ease, as if the other shoe had finally dropped.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have asked you before I made that decision. But Lu Chenzhou,¡± Cheng Xi apologized as she gripped his hand hard, making him listen to her words, ¡°he¡¯s not an outsider. He¡¯s like a brother to me, and if he¡¯s in trouble, then I have a duty to help him. I know that you don¡¯t like troublesome things, and I promise that he won¡¯t affect you, alright?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll accompany me rather than him?¡± He struck at the core of the problem.


    Cheng Xi fell silent, slowly interlacing her fingers with his. ¡°If I don¡¯t accompany you, then you can accompany me, too.¡±


    In response, Lu Chenzhou exasperatedly shook her hand off of his and wordlessly exited the apartment before slamming the door shut.


    Even though she was prepared for such a response, when she actually received it, Cheng Xi found that being a doctor and being a girlfriend were completely different occupations.


    As a girlfriend, she really did feel somewhat uncomfortable. Cheng Xi smiled lightly, released the deep breath she was holding in, and took a while to compose herself before grabbing her knees and standing up.


    The door to the study was slightly askew, and Yuan was standing behind the door.


    She walked over and fully opened it.


    Yuan looked at her. ¡°He¡¯s angry.¡±


    Cheng Yi smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have taken me in,¡± he said. As an eighteen-year-old boy, his face still held a trace of his youthful chubbiness, but he was pretending to be mature and wise. ¡°I¡¯m not sick at all.¡±


    ¡°No one said that you were sick.¡± Cheng Xi leaned against the doorframe as she looked at him. ¡°The reason I wanted you to stay here was because I thought that your dad¡¯s feelings were too heated. So, I wanted to let you stay here for a while while he cools down.¡±


    Yuan¡¯s expression showed that he clearly didn¡¯t believe her.


    Cheng Xi smiled before pulling him to sit down on the sofa. ¡°Come, let¡¯s chat.¡±


    Yuan was somewhat uncomfortable about the sudden request. ¡°About what? Aren¡¯t you going to go after your boyfriend?¡± He looked at her with an interesting expression. ¡°He¡¯s pretty handsome, but also somewhat bad-tempered.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. His temper¡¯s quite bad.¡±


    ¡°You like him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Yuan¡¯s expression turned to one of pity . ¡°If you stick with such a bad-tempered boyfriend, you¡¯ll have a hard life in the future.¡±


    This fellow¡ªCheng Xi raised her hand and rubbed his head vigorously. ¡°This is called being self-aware. It¡¯s something that I¡¯m doing willingly, alright?¡±


    Yuan wrinkled his nose.


    Cheng Xi flicked his forehead with her finger. ¡°Don¡¯t make those weird expressions! Why were you watching us fight? Isn¡¯t playing games more fun?¡±


    ¡°I play that game to relieve my stress¡ªI wouldn¡¯t really play it all day!¡± After Yuan said this, he looked at her superciliously. ¡°It¡¯s only my father who says that I¡¯m becoming a degenerate whenever he sees me playing games.¡±


    ¡°Then do you want to just play without worrying for a while, since you¡¯re at my place? Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell on you, because I play games quite often myself. You didn¡¯t know that, did you? I even reached the boss level in¡¶Escape from Apocalypse¡·When that game came out, I was preparing to get into doctoral school. Honestly, I almost drove myself crazy from studying because Professor Cai Yi¡¯s doctoral examination was very hard to pass, but I wanted to have the best teacher regardless.¡±


    Yuan¡¯s head drooped. ¡°You¡¯ve always been smart. My parents always use you as an example, saying that we¡¯re all stupid.¡±


    Cheng Xi said, ¡°That¡¯s only what they think of me. In reality, I¡¯m not all that smart. When I was in high school and was trying to get into university, I¡¯d go to bed at midnight and wake up at four in the morning to study. While others were reading books, I was also reading books, and when they were sleeping, I was still reading. I did the same thing when I went for my Ph.D. after my masters. In fact, I started preparing from the very start of my masters program. As I prepared for my examinations, I simultaneously started preparing for my doctoral studies. My belief has always been that, if I weren¡¯t as smart as others, I would succeed based on my hard work and dedication.¡±


    ¡°But why do you work so hard? Why do we have to get into university? And why must it be the best university? So many people live normal lives, and don¡¯t they do well enough for themselves?¡±


    Yuan was very agitated, so much so that Cheng Xi was caught slightly off guard. The way Yuan was acting today made her feel a lot like she was looking at Lin Fan¡¯s old self. He had once worn the same dazed and agitated expression and looked at her as he desperately asked, ¡°Cheng Xi, why do we have to go to university?¡±


    When Lin Fan came up in her mind again, she actually didn¡¯t feel much emotion towards him anymore. This was despite the fact that, a few months ago, she had clearly believed that she liked him and was waiting for him.


    When Cheng Xi broke out of her reverie, she smiled a little and then said to Yuan, ¡°Maybe what they want for you is to stand on the highest precipice and look downwards while you aren¡¯t sure yet as to what you want to do in the future. But actually, as you said, getting into a good university, or even getting into university at all, isn¡¯t all that important. University is just a small part of life, and if you think that it¡¯s important, it¡¯ll be important; if you don¡¯t think that it¡¯s important, then it won¡¯t be important at all. Take my brother, for example. He¡¯s one of those people who are dead set against attending university from the beginning. Instead, he worked hard to become an apprentice craftsman in high school without even graduating. After all these years, hasn¡¯t he done pretty well for himself? If the ability to make money is a measure of one¡¯s success, then he certainly makes a lot more than I do, and he¡¯s a lot more successful than I am. However, there are both hard and easy paths in life, and our society values university and schooling. Doing well in your studies and getting into a good university is a far easier path. Of course, life is a one-way street: once you choose which path to go down, it¡¯s almost impossible to turn back.¡±


    After hearing Cheng Xi¡¯s heartfelt lesson, Yuan stilled for a moment, and although he agreed with her sentiments, he was reluctant to give in. He instead obstinately pursed his lips and murmured, ¡°If only my father were as open-minded as you are.¡±


    ¡°Why not tell him?¡±


    ¡°If I did, he¡¯d kill me!¡± Yuan hugged his head as if in pain, an agonized expression surfacing onto his face. ¡°All I do is annoy him, and all he focuses on are my grades. He never praises me for doing well, and he always criticizes me for doing badly. Doesn¡¯t he know that I want to work hard too? I don¡¯t know why, but whenever I look at those big numbers on the blackboard stating how far we are from the gaokao, I become so nervous that I can¡¯t pay attention to anything the teacher¡¯s saying. And even during exams, even though I know how to do all of those problems, I somehow get them all wrong! I¡¯m so worried that I¡¯ll just keep doing worse and worse!¡±


    A phobia of exams brought on by anxiety... Yuan¡¯s condition was probably caused by excessive stress.


    Now that Cheng Xi had deduced the root cause of his illness, she was able to help him relieve his stress in a much more targeted fashion. After they chatted and ate lunch, they even played a cooperative game together. When Yuan noticed that it was almost afternoon, he said, ¡°I think that I should go back now. He¡¯s still not back yet.¡±


    He really is such a thoughtful child, Cheng Xi thought as she said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. If you want to stay, that¡¯s fine too.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, it¡¯s really fine. It was already very helpful to just have this day to play and relax. I feel a lot better now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Cheng Xi looked at him. He truly did seem much less agitated than when he had first come in. At the very least, the anxiety and gloom on his face had diminished considerably. Cheng Xi wrote him a note as a reminder of their conversation. It contained three questions: Why does one study? What is the purpose of studying? How important are grades? When she handed it over, she said, ¡°When you have time, look at this piece of paper and ponder your answer to these three questions carefully. All I can tell you is, there are many paths in life, but you only have one life.¡±


    When she finished, she called Cheng Yang. Thankfully, he was close by.


    When he heard that she wanted him to send Yuan home, Cheng Yang was slightly surprised. ¡°Why¡¯s Yuan over at your place? That brat, isn¡¯t he taking the gaokao this year? Is his uncle so lax that he¡¯d let him come out and play?¡±


    He ran over quickly, and didn¡¯t even bother going upstairs into Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment. ¡°I¡¯m not going to go up. Otherwise, if that boyfriend of yours sees me, he might deliberately try to find fault with my engineering project.¡± Cheng Yang then put on a saccharine tone as he playfully bemoaned to Cheng Xi, ¡°Engineering¡¯s such a hard discipline. In front of my boss, I have to act like an obedient little kid. It¡¯d be good if you married quickly. That way, I¡¯ll have a big tree that¡¯ll shield and shade me.¡±


    Not waiting for Cheng Xi¡¯s reply, he threw her a sickeningly coquettish glance before taking Yuan far away.


    He left Cheng Xi behind in a plume of dust, who was thinking about how she was going to transplant that tree that had just walked away.

 Chapter 143: I Bought a Watch Last Year

    TL: The chapter title is a euphemism for cursing.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t feel like she had done anything wrong. As a doctor, she¡¯d do her best to humor her patients, but as a girlfriend, she needed to have her own personality. This was a natural part of any relationship; both partners would have to learn and adapt to each other¡¯s habits and behavior.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t go back inside. Instead, she remained outside and called Lu Chenzhou, but his phone was off. When he stormed out, he probably hadn¡¯t brought anything with him, and his phone was probably somewhere in her apartment still. Cheng Xi could only think to call Tian Rou and demand, ¡°Give me Baldy¡¯s number.¡±


    Tian Rou harrumphed. ¡°You swindled me in the morning. First, tell me about what you did with your Director Lu last night.¡±


    ¡°We had a big battle that lasted over three hundred rounds. Is that enough for you?¡±


    Tian Rou chuckled and was finally willing to give her Baldy¡¯s number. But when Cheng Xi called Baldy, he said that he hadn¡¯t seen Lu Chenzhou yet, and he even laughed at her desperate moves. ¡°My, it seems that Chief Lu¡¯s skills aren¡¯t bad. You¡¯re even missing him before nighttime! Yup, Dr. Cheng, I know that you miss him. You don¡¯t have to explain, I understand.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even formulate a response. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Given Baldy¡¯s offensive mouth, how had someone like Rou ended up liking him?


    And then, with an inordinate amount of patience, she managed to wrangle Lu Chenzhou¡¯s office¡¯s phone number from Baldy. It was during this ordeal that she suddenly realized that she really didn¡¯t know very much about Lu Chenzhou. She didn¡¯t know the phone numbers of his close friends and family, his frequent haunts, what he¡¯d do when he was angry¡­¡­ She knew absolutely none of these things.


    She reflected on this missing portion of their relationship.


    And as she reflected, she continued looking for him. It turns out that he hadn¡¯t gone back to the Lu household or to his office. Then, perhaps the only place he could go to was his own house?


    Cheng Xi took a taxi there, but was still unable to find him.


    In the end, she even reached out to a police officer for help, and he reminded her, ¡°Is his car still parked where it was earlier?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless that she had missed such a crucial detail.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s car was lying quietly in the district¡¯s parking lot. Cheng Xi caressed her forehead, feeling like she had wasted her entire afternoon.


    If he didn¡¯t drive away, didn¡¯t take his phone with him, and when she went back to her apartment and confirmed that his wallet was still at her place, then Cheng Xi could easily deduce where he actually was.


    He¡¯d mentioned that he had also bought the place next door.


    Cheng Xi found a key in his wallet and tried opening the door next door. The floor she was living on only had two apartments on it; ever since she¡¯d moved in, no one had ever lived in the other apartment. She slid the key in, and it opened with a smooth click.


    Cheng Xi blinked before walking in. To her surprise, this apartment was actually already furnished, but because it had been uninhabited for a long time, the furniture looked somewhat old and in disrepair. This place was cleaned very well, however, almost to the point of being completely dust free. The cleanliness even somewhat intimidated Cheng Xi; she first went back to her place to grab a clean pair of shoes first before entering.


    Lu Chenzhou was indeed inside. After circling around the apartment interior, she found him next to the balcony. He was currently cleaning, with a rag in his right hand and a spray bottle in his left as he stopped on the floor and seriously wiped down the furniture and the corners of the room. Behind him, the sunset gave the clouds a fiery tint as it also dripped down the side of his face, creating a quiet but dazzling moment.


    Cheng Xi exhaled, walked over, and hugged him.


    He paused for a moment. Cheng Xi was afraid that he¡¯d break away from her grip again, so she hugged him even tighter as she whispered into his ear with a slightly sour tone, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, why are you cleaning this place so thoroughly? Are you planning on raising a mistress here? Since I¡¯ve made you mad, are you going to find a mistress to accompany you?¡±


    Cheng Xi had absolutely no experience with coaxing a man, and as she said this, her heart and liver were trembling in trepidation. Indeed, Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t even be bothered to deal with her antics. He lowered his gaze and coldly said, ¡°Scram!¡±


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t.¡± Cheng Xi decided to double down on her nonsense, refusing to let go of him. ¡°We¡¯re a couple. If you¡¯re about to raise a mistress, I can¡¯t leave, and I can¡¯t let you leave either.¡±


    Yup. She would make up an imaginary enemy to resolve their all-too-real conflict from earlier.


    Lu Chenzhou smiled coldly. ¡°So you¡¯re also this shamele¡­¡­¡±


    But before he could finish his insult, Cheng Xi leaned down and, imitating his previous actions, tilted his head towards her and kissed him.


    For couples, although it was a bit shameless to forcibly kiss the other party while arguing, it was also quite an effective strategy to resolve conflict.


    Cheng Xi was a good student. She implemented all that she had learnt, but her kissing skills were somewhat rusty, and she didn¡¯t go any further than kissing his lips.


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, and she looked back at him with her bright eyes. He was very, very close to her, so close that his nostrils were filled with her gentle fragrance and the only thing that he could see in her eyes was the reflection himself.


    Almost unconsciously, he opened his mouth and accepted her kiss.


    Under the scarlet clouds of sunset, the two of them melted together, and all of their previous conflict dissipated away.


    Lu Chenzhou said, ¡°I waited here for you for so long.¡± His tone was cool, but there was still a trace of grievance within it.


    Cheng Xi thought about how he must have looked as he cleaned and waited for her, and her heart melted into a little puddle of water. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I made you wait for so long.¡±


    She kissed him again, but he avoided it this time, softly saying, ¡°I¡¯m dirty.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind it.¡± She smiled, pecked at his lips again, and also kissed his eyes and face. ¡°I love you, as well as every speck of dust on your body.¡±


    Cheng Xi honestly felt that she had never said anything this mushy before, but at least the result was good. Lu Chenzhou smiled, touched his forehead to hers, and cutely said, ¡°Cheng Xi, you¡¯re just trying to coax me into accepting other people.¡±


    ¡°Then, are you willing to accept them?¡± She wrapped her arms around his neck, and seriously said, ¡°I¡¯m an independent person, so I need to have my friends, family, and a career I love. All of these things are non negotiable for me. I cannot abandon them, so can you learn to love them as you love me?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything, instead responding by embracing her with his arms and a long and fierce kiss.


    And so their conflict ended, just like this. Lu Chenzhou had learned how to compromise, and now knew that Cheng Xi had a bottom line, one that even he couldn¡¯t cross.


    He didn¡¯t try to step past this bottom line again, but he still did a very childish thing. He put all of Cheng Xi¡¯s old furniture in the apartment next door. The floor plans for the two apartments were the same, and after he ¡°decorated¡± it with her old furniture, it felt almost exactly like her old apartment.


    And then he even changed the directory; there was now a beautiful and eye-catching sign by the elevator that ¡°considerately¡± labeled the apartment as ¡°Dr. Cheng¡¯s home.¡±


    But it was pointed at the fake apartment next door.


    ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    When Cheng Xi first saw it after getting off of work, she couldn¡¯t believe that Lu Chenzhou would do something like this, and was slightly worried that someone would actually be misled by it. In a bizarre turn of events, Gong Hengjin was standing by the fake apartment¡¯s door. When she saw Cheng Xi, she immediately stood up and timidly called out, ¡°Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at the fake sign, and then back at Gong Hengjin before unemotionally asking, ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡±


    Gong Hengjin looked at her resentfully, and when she saw that Cheng Xi had no intentions of inviting her in, she could only bite her lips, bear with her shame, and say, ¡°I¡¯m here to find you because I¡¯d like to ask a favor of you. Weiwei¡¯s not willing to meet with me, and I¡¯d like you to help me say something to her. Could she please not target me anymore¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t intentionally try to ruin her happiness. I¡­¡­ it¡¯s just that I love that man to death. I didn¡¯t want them to get a divorce, and I didn¡¯t want to have him to myself¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait.¡± Cheng Xi massaged her own forehead, feeling a headache developing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t quite understand your logic. However, if you need counseling, you can go to Renyi Hospital, area B, sixth floor, the psychiatry department. You can schedule an appointment with any doctor there, and they¡¯ll help you. But I¡¯m off of work right now. I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not accepting any appointments right now.¡±


    After Cheng Xi firmly rejected Gong Hengjin, she was about to head in, but then the elevator dinged. Cheng Xi turned around, and saw Lu Chenzhou walk out with an imposing appearance. Gong Hengjin took advantage of her dropped guard and suddenly leapt on Cheng Xi, pulling on her sleeves. ¡°Dr. Cheng, you understand me, don¡¯t you? Don¡¯t you also love Lin Fan, while being with Director Lu anyway? Loving and having someone aren¡¯t the same thing. Don¡¯t you know that too?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless at Gong Hengjin¡¯s audacity.


    She lifted her head. Lu Chenzhou had stopped moving. He was standing there, looking coolly at the two of them.

 Chapter 144: You’re By My Side

    After Gong Hengjin finished speaking, she followed Cheng Xi¡¯s gaze and only then did she finally see Lu Chenzhou.


    Gong Hengjin immediately let go of Cheng Xi, trembling as if she were a little white flower in the freezing wind. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­ I¡­¡­ I also don¡¯t know what kind of nonsense I¡¯m spouting.¡± And then she looked toward Lu Chenzhou, calling out in a soft and gentle manner, ¡°Director Lu¡­¡­ I¡¯m just speaking nonsense, please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    Not only were Cheng Xi¡¯s teeth aching, but her stomach was also twisting now.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even look at her. He just scrunched up his forehead and expressionlessly replied, ¡°Cheng Xi, I¡¯m going to tell you this again. Don¡¯t bring your patients home.¡±


    Gong Hengjin was a bit stupefied by his reaction. Lu Chenzhou was simply too cold of a person for her to even think about pouncing on him. Thus, she could only turn around and look at Cheng Xi pitifully. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dr. Cheng. Did I cause more trouble for you?¡±


    She had perfectly ignored Lu Chenzhou¡¯s evaluation of her as a ¡°patient.¡±


    Cheng Xi carefully examined Gong Hengjin and realized that her condition really was quite poor. Although her appearance hadn¡¯t degraded too much, there were noticeable signs of weariness; her eyes were bloodshot, her mien weary and listless, and when she talked, her mouth would twitch at random.


    Cheng Xi opened her mouth, about to say something to her, but her neck was suddenly grabbed by someone. Lu Chenzhou was holding her from behind as if she were a small chick, and then he pulled her inside the apartment.


    Cheng Xi was speechless at how easily Lu Chenzhou had picked her up. She really needed to fatten up and put on some more meat!


    She turned around to hug him while crying out, ¡°If you lift me up like that, you¡¯re going to make me lose all of my face!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her coolly before letting go and pushing her away.


    All right, Cheng Xi decided to dispense with her tricks, and obediently change into slippers and make dinner. With Lu Chenzhou here, Cheng Xi could barely do anything substantial, so she fell naturally into a supportive role in terms of household tasks. It was only after they started living together that Cheng Xi found out that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s cooking skills extended beyond Western cuisine and into Eastern cuisine as well; it was just that he was far too slow. If Cheng Xi started washing the vegetables while he was descaling the fish, then by the time she¡¯d finished washing the vegetables, he was still descaling.


    Would he ever finish?


    ¡°Let me do it!¡± Cheng Xi rolled her sleeves further up, walked over, pushed him aside, took the knife, and, in a few quick swipes up, down, and horizontal, made all the scales fall down on the chopping board like snowflakes. She rinsed it and then the board briefly in the sink before setting both of them on the counter. ¡°All done!¡± The stripped fish was laid out on the chopping board, flapping its tail weakly and without any strength.


    Lu Chenzhou turned a blind eye to her churlish behavior as he leaned back against the countertop with a single hand solidly supporting his body. His posture remained graceful and charming no matter his stance. He raised his lower jaw a little. ¡°Kill it.¡±


    Cheng Xi frozen in place: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Her proud attitude instantly crumbled to pieces. ¡°Killing fish is my sole weakness.¡± With her fishy hands, she reached out to hug him. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯re so handsome! Give me a kiss~¡±


    He was going to reject her, but when lips as soft as feathers lightly landed on his, and a tongue lightly swept past his, it was as if he had tasted a morsel of the most delicious thing in the world. He couldn¡¯t reject it even if he wanted to.


    His eyes drooped as he stood still and enjoyed her kisses. His gaze remained cool, but his lips were engorged and glistening, and his reserved and endlessly patient appearance made Cheng Xi want to tease him even more.


    But afterwards, he still mercilessly chased her out of the kitchen.


    He explained, ¡°Your being here distracts me from preparing the food.¡± But just a short while later, he called her back in to ask some random question. ¡°Where¡¯s the sugar?¡± Or, ¡°These vegetables haven¡¯t been washed cleanly,¡± or, ¡°Where are the peppers?¡±


    Cheng Xi ran around in circles due to his constant requests, and was unable to sit down and do anything. Finally, she saw through his charade; he wanted her next to him even though he had chased her out earlier. So, she just stood in the kitchen and accompanied him without trying to help out.


    Most of their conversation revolved around her talking and him listening; she chattered about funny work stories, interactions with her students, and other occurrences throughout her day. The two of them actually had a very lively time.


    Tonight was the same. She called Shen Wei on the phone while by Lu Chenzhou¡¯s side, and he passively overheard Cheng Xi say, ¡°Shen Wei, Gong Hengjin came over to find me today. Did you do something to her?¡±


    The phone was on speaker mode, so Lu Chenzhou could also hear Shen Wei¡¯s lazy voice drift over. ¡°She went to find you? She must be crazy. What¡¯s she trying to do by finding you?¡± And then, somewhat nervously, Shen Wei commanded Cheng Xi, ¡°Ignore her and don¡¯t talk to her. That way, she can¡¯t harm you.¡±


    Cheng Xi unhesitatingly said, ¡°That isn¡¯t why I shouldn¡¯t talk to her, is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is!¡± Shen Wei replied resolutely. ¡°Anyway, just ignore her. Even if she tries to stand back up, she won¡¯t be able to stand for much longer. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Why did her words sound so ominous? Cheng Xi frowned in disapproval as she chastised, ¡°¡­¡­What on earth are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. I¡¯m just going to get a divorce with Fu Mingyi and then casually ruin her life. She¡¯ll lose her job, her future, and get tangled up with a nasty person. It¡¯s a very light punishment for what she did.¡± Cheng Xi could feel Shen Wei smile through the phone, and then she abruptly changed the subject. ¡°I heard that you and Director Lu are entering the honeymoon phase of your relationship. When are you getting married? You have to let me know¡ªalthough I can¡¯t be a bridesmaid for you, I can at least be a marriage consultant. Also, if the wedding takes place a bit later, my little baby might even be able to be a flower child for you.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even process how quickly the topic had changed. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The topic had shifted just like that. After Cheng Xi hung up, she muttered somewhat worriedly, ¡°I keep getting this feeling that Shen Wei¡¯s going to do something big. Gong Hengjin looks like a little white flower, who¡¯s unable to handle even the slightest of setbacks, but when people are pushed to the brink, no one really knows what they¡¯ll do.¡± Cheng Xi placed her face in front of Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, do you think that I should check to see if she¡¯s still outside, to try to pacify her?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stuffed a mouthful of food into her mouth. ¡°Is it ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied uncertainly.


    ¡°Then prepare for dinner.¡± He lowered his gaze, moving the food from the pot onto plates.


    With regards to other people¡¯s business, what did any of that have to do with them?


    Cheng Xi tried to calm her emotions and went to prepare the bowls and chopsticks, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t help herself from going out to take a look. Gong Hengjin wasn¡¯t there anymore. She felt somewhat uncomfortable by her disappearance, as if she had forgotten something. After dinner, the two of them were relaxing on the sofa; he was working while she was reading. Then, she suddenly remembered to ask Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Oh, right, are you really not going to ask me about Lin Fan?¡±


    Lin Fan had gotten married last month, completely out of the blue. The ceremony was very simple, and he hadn¡¯t invited a single classmate of his. Meng Qingyang¡¯s family was originally dissatisfied with the planning, but the reason that he gave was, ¡°I haven¡¯t achieved anything of importance yet, and all I can give her is my love. As for the ceremony, give me five years. During our fifth anniversary, I¡¯ll put on a magnificent ceremony for her.¡±


    And it was only because of those cheesy words that showed off his deep love and consideration for Meng Qingyang that news of their marriage had ultimately spread. When someone posted this news in Cheng Xi¡¯s group chat, it had caused a huge commotion.


    So, Cheng Xi had overheard this from someone else, not even from Lin Fan himself.


    She didn¡¯t expect that something like this would be brought up today under the current circumstances.


    ¡°What is there to ask?¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand stopped shuffling through his pile of papers as he turned around to look at her. ¡°Regardless of whether you love him or not, aren¡¯t you by my side right now?¡±


    He said it so indifferently and so confidently that Cheng Xi involuntarily let out a small laugh. ¡°Alright, alright. My Mr. Lu is a little darling who doesn¡¯t get jealous very easily.¡±


    Of course, when Lu Chenzhou said this assured statement to Cheng Xi, neither of them could have expected that there were indeed circumstances that could make Mr. Lu jealous, or that his jealousy would be so overpowering that it would leave the both of them wounded.

 Chapter 145: Harm

    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyebrows didn¡¯t even twitch when he heard Cheng Xi¡¯s ¡°praise,¡± and he nonchalantly turned back around to focus on his work again.


    Because of his earlier allergic reaction, he¡¯d been particularly quiet recently. It almost felt like he had embarked on the path of Buddhism, as he even slept on a regular schedule. Sometimes, Cheng Xi would tease him a little, or climb on top of him when she was excited. However, regardless of the stimulation, he would always indifferently reply, ¡°Can we sleep properly?¡±


    It made her feel very conflicted inside, so much so that she felt like she had to adopt his asceticism alongside him.


    But just having another person in the house felt different, and after Cheng Xi got used to it, she quite liked it. Despite the peace and quiet that she had when she lived alone, it would sometimes get lonely, whereas with two people, there would always be someone to banter and talk with. In fact, it felt as if the air was even permanently suffused with joy and happiness.


    The halcyon days passed by calmly, and it just so happened that, just as Lu Chenzhou recovered from his allergic reaction, Chen Jiaman was also finally willing to leave her little ward. That day, Cheng Xi was helping Chen Jiaman prepare for her mental therapy when Chen Jiaman suddenly tilted her face up and asked, ¡°Are the flowers by the riverside blooming?¡±


    Cheng Xi hesitated for a moment before quickly saying, ¡°Yes, they are.¡± And after another momentary pause, Cheng Xi continued to say, ¡°The flowers by the courtyard are blooming too. If you¡¯re willing to do so, we can go out and look at them now.¡±


    Chen Jiaman looked at her, half-yearning and half-timid. Cheng Xi stretched out her hand towards Chen Jiaman and reassuringly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll accompany you the whole way.¡±


    And then she led Chen Jiaman outside. When Chen Jiaman saw the throngs of people outside, she hid behind Cheng Xi¡¯s back like a frightened little bird, trying futilely to hide herself in Cheng Xi¡¯s clothes.


    When they were halfway to the courtyard, she suddenly scampered back inside.


    Cheng Xi followed closely behind Chen Jiaman. She was hiding behind the door, crying as she asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Do you think badly of me?¡±


    Cheng Xi calmly replied, ¡°No, of course not. You¡¯re already very brave, being willing to go out as far as you did.¡± She knelt down, meeting Chen Jiaman¡¯s eyes. ¡°If you¡¯re willing to do so, then I can walk with you like this daily. Every day, we¡¯ll take an additional step, and be one step closer to where the flowers are blooming. As long as you don¡¯t give up, we¡¯ll eventually see the beautiful scenery outside for sure.¡±


    Chen Jiaman was very scared, but she still nodded bravely.


    When Chen Jiaman returned to her room, Cheng Xi saw a few doctors and nurses crowding around outside her ward. After hearing that Chen Jiaman was finally willing to walk outside, they had all come here to congratulate her. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve really cured her now.¡±


    Cheng Xi honestly replied, ¡°Recovery is a long route, and this is only one step.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t being modest. Chen Jiaman walking outside only meant that she had entered the recovery phase; her most important hurdle was still yet to come.


    Ceng Xing was also here, and as he looked at her, he gave her an unusually pertinent remark. ¡°The efforts that you¡¯ve spent on her probably would have been sufficient to treat ten other manic patients.¡±


    Cheng Xi stubbornly refuted, ¡°Can we quantify the value of patients? Dr. Ceng, you have to be careful with your words.¡±


    Ceng Xing¡¯s look turned supercilious with that remark. ¡°Try that with all of your patients and see if you don¡¯t die from overwork!¡±


    Cheng Xi really was quite tired, partly because it was close to graduation, which meant that she had to advise her students on their theses and also help recruit students to the university on top of everything else. Starting from this year on, the head was even going to let her take on her own medical students¡­¡­ There were a plethora of things to work on.


    At least Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t taking up much of her time recently. The two of them were just like parallel lines, not interacting at all beyond sleeping together at night.


    That day, Cheng Xi was prepared to work overtime, but Shen Wei unexpectedly went to the hospital to get a checkup quite late in the day. Thus, they arranged to get dinner together after work.


    ¡°Call your Mr. Lu over! Ever since you got together with him, we never get to see you at our gatherings,¡± Shen Wei grumbled to Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi thought that her words made sense. Thus, she decided that it was finally time to formally introduce Lu Chenzhou to her own classmates, and since it was a Friday, she said, ¡°Then, why don¡¯t we call Rou and everyone else over? The more the merrier!¡±


    After making the suggestion, Cheng Xi called Lu Chenzhou and asked if he was fine eating dinner with her classmates. She knew that he found running back and forth very troublesome, so she only asked him to arrive at the restaurant when dinner was served.


    She didn¡¯t expect that he would actually come over to personally pick her up. As Cheng Xi and Shen Wei walked out of the hospital, Cheng Xi received an unexpected and pleasantly surprising call from Lu Chenzhou.


    Shen Wei even joked, ¡°If he arrived with a bouquet of flowers, then I¡¯d certainly feel like the Lu Chenzhou I¡¯ve known till now was just an illusion.¡±


    Because everyone was getting off work right now, there were a fair number of people outside the hospital. Without anything else to do, the two of them had a nice chat while they waited at the curb for Lu Chenzhou to arrive. But before Lu Chenzhou arrived, Ceng Xing and several of her colleagues also left the hospital. It was already spring, and the pleasant weather made the bachelors in her department feel lonely and impatient, and they had actually arranged a get-together with some female colleagues from another department. When they saw Cheng Xi, they all quickly ran over to try to convince her to tag along. ¡°Dr. Cheng, come with us, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Ceng Xing just huffed at them from the side. ¡°She¡¯s not single! Her boyfriend¡¯s quite amazing, don¡¯t you know?¡±


    While they were chatting amicably, Cheng Xi suddenly heard a crisp female voice from behind. ¡°Shen Wei!¡±


    Everyone turned around and saw Gong Hengjin standing not far from them. She was looking at Shen Wei with a complicated expression. ¡°Can we talk?¡±


    Shen Wei glanced at her emotionlessly, completely ignoring her.


    Cheng Xi immediately felt a headache coming on, and she chased her colleagues who were sticking around to watch the show away. ¡°Alright, alright, alright. Get going, you all. It¡¯s a bad look if you arrive late to a gathering as gentlemen.¡±


    She chased all the bystanders away and then pulled Shen Wei in an attempt to leave. ¡°Lu Chenzhou should be here soon. Let¡¯s go over and wait.¡±


    But Gong Hengjin wouldn¡¯t give up. She cut them off, and perhaps it was because she had been pushed to the brink by Shen Wei¡¯s actions, but when Shen Wei refused to talk privately with her, she threw caution to the wind and publicly aired her laundry. ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it? You¡¯re the one who did this to me, right? Shen Wei, why do you have to be so ruthless? Why?¡±


    Shen Wei raised her hand, lowered her head, and gently patted her stomach. This action was very provoking¡ªat the least, it was very provoking to Gong Hengjin. She had once been pregnant, but before she could experience the joy of motherhood, Fu Mingyi had forced her to get an abortion.


    At that point, even after Gong Hengjin¡¯s eyes had long since turned red, Shen Wei calmly smiled and innocently asked, ¡°And just what did I do to you?¡± She looked at her with a false veneer of warmth. ¡°Gong Hengjin, you snatched away my man and broke apart my family even after I treated you like my friend all this time. So tell me. Just what did I do to you?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡­ That day, you intentionally did it, didn¡¯t you? You intentionally led me over, got me drunk, and then you were also the one who convinced that guy to come over too, weren¡¯t you?! Make him leave, tell him to scram! I don¡¯t care what you do, but I never want to see him again! As long as you do that, I promise that I¡¯ll never see Fu Mingyi again, and I¡¯ll break off my relationship with him permanently.¡±


    As Gong Hengjin laid out her desperate pleas, she started crying. However, this only aroused feelings of disgust within Shen Wei, who became so angry that she started laughing viciously. ¡°Ha, just who do you think you are? Do you think that I¡¯d want someone who you¡¯ve already sullied? If you want him, then take him away! Gong Hengjin, I¡¯ll tell you this again: I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, and I don¡¯t know what drunken man you¡¯re referring to! All I know is that if you really have the ability, and if you really love Fu Mingyi to pieces, then you should make him sign his name! I¡¯ve waited so long to leave him behind! I¡¯ve already given him my divorce papers a long time ago, but it¡¯s he who keeps leeching onto me and refusing to make you happy, not me! Stop following me around. You disgust me! The only reason I haven¡¯t exploded right now is because I have a conscience. But if you keep bothering me until I snap, then you won¡¯t even be able to imagine what¡¯s in store for you.¡±


    As Shen Wei carved those cruel words into Gong Hengjin¡¯s heart, she grabbed Cheng Xi¡¯s hand and turned around to leave. However, Gong Hengjin yelled out to her from behind, ¡°What else can you do to me? I have a home that I can¡¯t return to, a workplace that fired me, people spit at me and put up posters wherever I go, and there¡¯s even a strange nasty man stalking me everywhere! Shen Wei, you¡¯ve already harmed me so much! What else do you want?!¡±

 Chapter 146: What Do You Like About Him?

    Shen Wei smiled. Whatever it was that she planned on doing, she certainly wouldn¡¯t tell Gong Hengjin, so regardless of how loud Gong Hengjin yelled, it would all be for naught. However, Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t so hard-hearted. When she turned around to glance at Gong Hengjin, she saw clearly that the previously refined, pretty, and frail girl had changed into a haggard woman with a wan and sallow mien.


    Gong Hengjin cursed Shen Wei despondently. ¡°Shen Wei, you¡¯ll receive retribution for your behavior!¡±


    With Shen Wei¡¯s personality, even if she had already walked away from Gong Hengjin, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from turning around and replying. ¡°Feh, if there¡¯s anyone who deserves retribution, it¡¯s you. Give it some time. Your largest hurdles are still ahead of you.¡±


    Her tone was ice cold.


    Gong Hengjin trembled, still looking at her desperately.


    After that, neither Cheng Xi nor Shen Wei dwelled on the subject because they saw Lu Chenzhou at that moment, and he also saw them. His car immediately pulled up by the roadside.


    Cheng Xi grabbed Shen Wei¡¯s hand and slowly walked over, but when the car was only a few steps away from them, something unexpected happened. Gong Hengjin rushed forward and desperately latched onto Shen Wei. ¡°Don¡¯t go! Please, help me make things clear to him. Make him go away! I¡¯m begging you! I regret my actions now, is that enough?!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Scram!¡± Shen Wei angrily tried to shake her off, but even though she was angry, her fear was visibly apparent. Cheng Xi thought that Shen Wei was just afraid for her baby, so she went forward to stop Gong Hengjin as she told Shen Wei, ¡°Get in the car. I¡¯ll talk to her first¡­¡­¡±


    But before she could finish speaking, Shen Wei suddenly took a few steps back and started screaming. ¡°Aaaaaaaah!¡±


    Her voice was so shrill that Cheng Xi and Gong Hengjin both jumped up in fright. Gong Hengjin took advantage of Cheng XI¡¯s shock to break free, but Shen Wei continued to scream. She crouched down, grabbed her head in agony, and then quickly hugged herself, her expression clearly etched with fear, vexation, and helplessness.


    At first, Cheng Xi thought that Gong Hengjin might have accidentally hit Shen Wei¡¯s stomach, but her extreme behavior soon proved that theory wrong. Her next best guess was that Shen Wei¡¯s emotional agitation had triggered another mental breakdown for her. In an attempt to calm Shen Wei down, Cheng Xi rushed over and hugged her. ¡°Shen Wei, Shen Wei, calm down. You¡¯re safe.¡±


    But Shen Wei just continued to scream in terror, squatting down and hugging her head.


    Ceng Xing and the others had just gotten into a car and were about to drive off, but when they saw the situation, they quickly ran back out again. Two of the male colleagues supported the bewildered Gong Hengjin, and the other two jogged up to Cheng Xi and Shen Wei. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What happened?¡±


    Cheng Xi actually didn¡¯t know. All she did was hug Shen Wei tighter, preventing her from harming herself. Cheng Xi anxiously lifted her head and noticed that the commotion that Shen Wei was causing had grabbed the attention of everyone by the door. Most of the people who hadn¡¯t left yet were now all crowding around them, pointing and staring from the side.


    This was very detrimental to Shen Wei¡¯s mental state.


    Cheng Xi was just about to say something when her eyes met Lu Chenzhou¡¯s. He was still standing by the side of the car, just a few steps away from them. Even after Ceng Xing and the others had rushed here from all the way over on the other side of the plaza, he was still standing at his original location, just looking at them nonchalantly.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart trembled. She retracted her gaze, and urgently said to Ceng Xing, ¡°The car¡¯s right there. Get her into the car first!¡± And then she tried to placate Shen Wei again. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s leave this place first, alright?¡±


    The others tried to lift Shen Wei and support her as they moved her towards the car, but Shen Wei refused to budge. Because she was pregnant, they didn¡¯t dare use too much force, and the situation was caught at a standstill.


    Gong Hengjin was very scared. As Fu Mingyi¡¯s ex-mistress, she naturally knew that Shen Wei had once gone insane, and if she went crazy again¡­¡­ She ground her teeth, shook off the people holding her, and while everyone else¡¯s attention was focused on Shen Wei, she quickly ran off.


    No one could be bothered to stop her. After letting her go, they all came over to help Cheng Xi.


    But what was more people going to do when they had an uncooperative pregnant woman to handle?! Cheng Xi didn¡¯t anticipate that this would happen when they had merely arranged to get a meal together, and she was completely exasperated. When she realized that they wouldn¡¯t be able to calm her down anytime soon, she could only say, ¡°Gong Hengjin already ran away. Shen Wei, are you really going to do this? Are you really going to oppress her even as you torment yourself? Are you really going to watch your enemy leave in joy and you yourself remain in sadness? Are you really going to be like this?¡±


    Strangely enough, these words actually did pacify Shen Wei, and she slowly calmed down and regained her sanity, her tight grip faltering.


    Cheng Xi took this opportunity to move Shen Wei into the car.


    Since having too many people around could be detrimentally stimulating, Cheng Xi thanked her colleagues who had helped her and then closed the door.


    The world was finally quiet once again. Lu Chenzhou also got into the car, but just as he was just about to start the car, Shen Wei suddenly cried out, ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡±


    Cheng Xi looked over and saw that Shen Wei was still rational, but her body seemed to be paralyzed with fear as she was uncontrollably trembling violently.


    Cheng Xi patted Shen Wei¡¯s back, trying her best to soothe her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    ¡°Is she really gone?¡± Shen Wei asked timorously.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s had an ambivalent expression, as if she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. She slowly turned around as she stretched her arm out towards Cheng Xi.


    There had been too many people around them, so only now did Cheng Xi notice the scratches on Shen Wei¡¯s arm. It had been moderately warm these past two days, and while Cheng Xi had draped a jacket around herself, Shen Wei was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, allowing Cheng Xi to clearly see a long, long laceration crawling up Shen Wei¡¯s jade-like arm, revealing a few skeins of blood.


    But at least it was just a superficial injury. Cheng Xi was about to console Shen Wei again when she noticed Shen Wei¡¯s face go pale and her shivers intensify. ¡°Cheng Xi, I need to get out of the car and go to the hospital.¡±


    Cheng Xi immediately noticed that Shen Wei¡¯s emotions were off-balance. Shen Wei wasn¡¯t a squeamish person, and this light wound from Gong Hengjin¡¯s fingernails should have been far from enough to make her turn ashen.


    Cheng Xi clutched her hand tightly. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Shen Wei was close to tears by now. She retracted her hand, and with trembling lips, she stuttered, ¡°Gong Hengjin¡­¡­ She may have contracted AIDS.¡±


    This single sentence sent Cheng Xi reeling in shock, and even Lu Chenzhou, who was sitting in the front and pretending to be an innocent bystander, was left open-mouthed in shock.


    ¡­¡­


    Ceng Xing and the others were still worried and hadn¡¯t gone far as a result. They were just waiting quietly by the side, carelessly tossing out random reasons and half-baked theories for the whole debacle.


    But before they could guess the right reason, however, they saw the tightly shut car door suddenly open. Cheng Xi then emerged as she helped her friend out of the car with an ugly expression on her face.


    Ceng Xing quickly rushed over. ¡°Is everything fine?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Thank you for all your help. Have fun tonight.¡±


    And then she walked Shen Wei towards the hospital.


    Ceng Xing glanced at Lu Chenzhou. He hadn¡¯t actually left the car, and was just sitting inside it with a disdainful face. Ceng Xing turned around and said to the rest of his group, ¡°You guys go first. I¡¯ll head over later.¡±


    They were all colleagues, and since Shen Wei¡¯s state of mind was clearly out of sorts, they were worried that Cheng Xi wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it herself. Thus, nobody argued against Ceng Xing.


    The rest of them separated into two parties accordingly.


    By then, Cheng Xi had already brought Shen Wei inside to seek treatment. Thankfully, there were actually still some doctors around, and Cheng Xi was actually familiar with one of them.


    She dragged Shen Wei in front of him, and succinctly explained the situation. The doctor said, ¡°AIDS is usually transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids. So if you were only scratched, and haven¡¯t had contact with the other party¡¯s blood or body fluids, then you shouldn¡¯t have been infected.¡± [1]


    ¡°But she was scratched until she bled. Is that still fine?¡±


    ¡°Usually, yes.¡± The doctor¡¯s words made Cheng Xi and Shen Wei relax, but as a precaution, Shen Wei still took a blood test.


    While Shen Wei was getting tested, Ceng Xing found Cheng Xi in the lobby. Shen Wei had gone inside to get her blood drawn, whereas Cheng Xi and Ceng Xing waited for her outside.


    ¡°Why is she getting her blood drawn?¡± Ceng Xing asked curiously.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t respond. At this point, her brain was a mess, and her vague guesses at what had transpired left her truly frightened.


    Ceng Xing was still rambling on. ¡°Is that the kind of man you like? Someone who just watches from afar even after seeing you get in trouble?¡±


    Just then, in her line of sight, a familiar pair of legs appeared, with bright leather shoes covering the feet. Cheng Xi lifted her head and saw the ¡°innocent bystander¡± slowly walking towards them.


    But Ceng Xing felt like he hadn¡¯t said enough. He stared right back at Lu Chenzhou provokingly as he continued, saying, ¡°He¡¯s cold towards others and emotionless toward you. What¡¯re you trying to get from him? Money? I have money too.¡±


    Cheng Xi had no energy to respond. ¡°¡­¡­.¡±


    1. More precisely, HIV is what¡¯s transmitted, and AIDS results as a consequence.

 Chapter 147: Let’s Make Love to Each Other!

    In this world, there were always some self-proclaimed chivalrous knights, who would point fingers at others in the name of justice.


    If Cheng Xi had known that helping Ceng Xing would have endowed him with such a strong sense of ¡°justice,¡± then she¡­¡­ All right, she still would have helped him out, but she wouldn¡¯t help him for his sake, but rather for the hospital and for the patients¡¯ sake.


    Cheng Xi massaged her forehead. ¡°Stop making things worse, will you?¡± Then she greeted Lu Chenzhou with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, and then at Ceng Xing. ¡°You seem quite dissatisfied with me?¡±


    Ceng Xing made a sarcastic ¡°hah¡± sound, but it wasn¡¯t to show his displeasure with Lu Chenzhou, whom he thought of as just a patient; instead, he was displeased with Cheng Xi.


    Lu Chenzhou spread his palms open. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not sure who she is to you, but we¡¯re already living and sleeping together. So, no matter how dissatisfied you are, you¡¯ll have to just bear it.¡±


    Ahem ahem, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s poisonous tongue revealed itself again after a long hibernation, and Cheng Xi and Ceng Xing both choked a bit on his caustic words.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh, whereas Ceng Xing became even angrier. In the end, Ceng Xing decided that it would be better to avoid Lu Chenzhou, so he promptly left.


    Before Ceng Xing was out of earshot, Cheng Xi said to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say ¡®and sleeping¡¯ next time.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll sound more domineering.¡±


    Ceng Xing turned around, and for the first time, saw the two of them standing side by side. Just by appearances, they did look quite compatible: the male was tall and handsome, and the female gentle and graceful. It wouldn¡¯t even be inappropriate to describe them as a match made in heaven. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh ruefully.


    But Cheng Xi didn¡¯t care about her senior¡¯s gloominess, because at this point, her own head was buzzing, and the only reason she was still even talking to Lu Chenzhou was to appease his jealousy. When her words didn¡¯t have any effect on him, she could only turn around, look him straight in the eye, and directly say, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I know what type of person I like.¡± You don¡¯t have to care about Ceng Xing¡¯s words at all.


    Lu Chenzhou grunted. Since it was after work hours, the hospital was quieting down, and only occasionally did someone walk down the long corridor.


    Cheng Xi leaned her head against the wall and thought about what Shen Wei had revealed at the entrance of the hospital. She haphazardly tried to piece together what Shen Wei had done to Gong Hengjin, but her suspicions were so frightening that she was somewhat afraid of uncovering the truth.


    Amidst a patch of somber silence, Lu Chenzhou suddenly spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m not cold and detached.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him with shock, and when she saw his serious expression, she nodded and responded equally seriously. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t.¡± He looked like he had been somewhat maligned, but his tone remained as calm as ever. ¡°I know that she¡¯s pretending. I can see it very clearly. All she wants to do is get rid of her, and she can get rid of her.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words, and the truth that she wanted to ignore, but couldn¡¯t, had been brought to the forefront, just like that.


    Why did Shen Wei know that Gong Hengjin might have AIDS when even Gong Hengjin herself didn¡¯t? And from Shen Wei¡¯s reaction, she was quite certain!


    At that moment, Shen Wei came out. She immediately noticed the strange atmosphere between Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou, and was slightly surprised by it. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± But before they could answer, she grabbed Cheng Xi¡¯s hand and animatedly said, ¡°Cheng Xi, I just heard them say that there¡¯s an interception drug that¡¯ll be effective as long as I take it within 72 hours of the transmission event, and pregnant women can take it! Let¡¯s go find a doctor and have him prescribe me some, alright?!¡±


    Shen Wei was visibly nervous, and for good reason too; AIDS was massively stigmatized in the public eye. During the earlier bedlam, who knew if Gong Hengjin¡¯s hands were clean, or if her saliva had somehow gotten into Shen Wei¡¯s wounds?


    But Cheng Xi knew that the likelihood of this was almost zero. From the start, Shen Wei had been guarded against Gong Hengjin, and the only reason why she had been scratched was because she had been too nervous and had resisted too much.


    Shen Wei didn¡¯t appreciate Cheng Xi¡¯s silence. She grabbed Cheng Xi¡¯s hand tightly, clenched her teeth, and venomously said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to take even the slightest of chances.¡± Her tone hardened even further as she cursed, ¡°I also don¡¯t want to ruin myself for a wench like her!¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed in her heart, and gave up on persuading Shen Wei. She could only let Shen Wei do what she wanted.


    After Shen Wei picked up her medicine, it was already a little late, and Tian Rou and the others had already called them a number of times. Shen Wei said, ¡°In my condition, I can¡¯t head over. But you guys should still go.¡± She looked toward Cheng Xi, wanting to say more, but she stopped herself, ultimately saying nothing.


    Cheng Xi only said one thing in parting. ¡°Think of a way to let her know. Shen Wei, don¡¯t spread even more misfortune in this world.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know if her words reached Shen Wei, as she had always been a stubborn and obstinate person. Once she set her mind to do something, then even an ox wouldn¡¯t be able to hold her back. The main reason why Cheng Xi had refrained from saying anything was because she didn¡¯t want to destroy Shen Wei¡¯s plan and expose her in front of everyone¡ªCheng Xi was almost certain that Shen Wei had caused Gong Hengjin¡¯s illness, but for Cheng Xi, between her friends and her ethics, she¡¯d rather discard her ethics and save her friend.


    But this sort of choice left her with a weary heart.


    When Shen Wei left, Cheng Xi relaxed imperceptibly. Later on, Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou went to see Tian Rou and the rest as planned. Because they were late, they were forced to drink a few cups of wine as penalty, and perhaps it was because of all the thoughts consuming her mental resources, but Cheng Xi fell drunk quicker than usual. Originally, they had planned on going out to karaoke after dinner. However, since Cheng Xi was drunk, she could only return home first.


    When she woke up, she was in her own house. The small lamp by the bedside was emitting a soft lambent glow, and more importantly, Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t here.


    She looked at the time: it was already 11 PM. She soon realized that her clothes had already been changed, and that she felt fresh and relaxed all over. She couldn¡¯t help but smile: ever since a particularly attentive person had moved into the apartment, her quality of life had improved greatly.


    Her head was still spinning a little, a symptom of her drunkenness. Cheng Xi laid in bed, just staring at the ceiling in a daze with the same small smile on her face, until Lu Chenzhou came in again.


    He had also changed. Whenever he went outside, he would always dress appropriately and formally, but at home he was a lot more relaxed. Tonight, he was wearing an ocean blue set of pajamas, giving him an unusually languid aura.


    He sat down by the side of the bed, reached out and patted the hair by her temples.


    Cheng Xi asked him, ¡°Is it troublesome to bathe a drunken person?¡±


    He shook his head, looking at her. ¡°You¡¯re unhappy.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She stretched out her hand towards him. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, will you hug me?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand paused for a moment, but Cheng Xi had already climbed onto him and wrapped herself in his embrace. She played with the buttons on his clothes. At this moment, even though her emotions were heavily repressed, she knew that Lu Chenzhou must have guessed everything that had happened by now. In a moment of weakness, she couldn¡¯t help spilling out her true feelings. ¡°I feel like everything that happened in the afternoon was just a dream. Shen Wei has always been rational, independent, a perfectionist, and maybe a little petty. However, she¡¯s not a bad person. I always had a feeling that she wouldn¡¯t let Fu Mingyi go so easily, but I never expected that she would do something so¡­¡­ extreme.¡±


    AIDS. Just how on earth did she do it? It was only now that Cheng Xi finally understood why Shen Wei had refused to admit that Gong Hengjin was the mistress. Perhaps it was all for this day.


    Gong Hengjin still thought that Shen Wei had only found a man to harass her, but when she found out that she had even contracted AIDS and realized what had happened to her, she would certainly realize that it was Shen Wei who had set her up, and then¡­¡­ Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even want to think about what would happen then.


    She was worrying frantically for Shen Wei.


    ¡°Is this considered fierce retaliation?¡± Lu Chenzhou asked indiffierently as he wrapped her hair around his fingers one curl at a time, breaking Cheng Xi¡¯s train of thought.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± She tried to sit straight up and look at him, but she had forgotten that her hair was tangled up in his fingers, and her movement only yanked her hair and caused her to hiss.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t let go, continuing to hold her hair tight, a bit of mirth in his eyes. He coolly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking about, but I think that I should recant my evaluation of her. That woman isn¡¯t stupid, she actually did quite well. Why be polite to people who betray you? If you do something wrong, then you have to pay a price. Otherwise, there¡¯d be no pain in betraying someone.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words.


    She felt as if Shen Wei¡¯s incident had unleashed something terrible from within Lu Chenzhou¡¯s heart.


    She grabbed his hand tightly, and, trembling, said, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I¡¯m a good woman who won¡¯t betray anyone.¡± No matter what, it was important to first state this clearly to him.


    Lu Chenzhou started smiling. ¡°Yes.¡± His fingers lightly brushed over her face. ¡°Good woman, today was the last day of my treatment. Let¡¯s make love to each other. I¡¯ve been waiting for this for a very long time.¡±


    Cheng X just couldn¡¯t keep up. ¡°¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 148: What Do We Need To Prepare?

    When Cheng Xi heard Lu Chenzhou¡¯s shocking request, her whole body went numb, and then she felt like a lightbulb had turned on above her head. She had been suddenly enlightened as to why this fellow had come over to pick her up today.


    Her thoughts meandered back through the past; for his first attempt to get her into bed, he had remodeled her house and then prepared a sumptuous candlelight dinner. Compared to that day, picking her up and then attending a dinner party with her was a paltry preparation.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even know what expression to make towards him.


    His desire for sex had come on so abruptly that she was somewhat unable to respond.


    She stuttered, ¡°Bu-But I¡¯m not prepared.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows, looking surprisingly patient. ¡°What¡¯s there to prepare?¡±


    Cheng Xi hesitatingly replied, ¡°¡­¡­My emotions ¡­¡­aren¡¯t too stable.¡±


    ¡°Because of what happened this afternoon?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lu Chenzhou had a perplexed look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s not like you said anything.¡±


    Cheng Xi carefully explained, ¡°Because I didn¡¯t dare to. I knew that if I spoke up, I¡¯d definitely start arguing with Shen Wei, and I don¡¯t want to argue with her. Although she has very likely carried out a very scary deed, I feel that, at this time, she also needs support the most.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, a piece of softness surfacing in his eyes. He remembered the first time he had seen her, in Cai Yi¡¯s office, sitting in front of Cai Yi. Back then, she had smiled freely as she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor, but I can¡¯t stand this sort of experimental treatment. As a psychiatrist, my hands should hold the key to their recovery, not cold, hard data.¡±


    Then, as she left, she brushed by his side. Her face had still been smiling, but her eyes had held a clear evident sadness within them.


    She hadn¡¯t noticed him, but he had noticed her, a laughably determined¡­¡­ doctor.


    Cai Yi had told him then, ¡°Her determination is a precious thing, and I don¡¯t want her to lose it.¡±


    That¡¯s right, a precious determination.


    He lowered his head and gingerly kissed her newly washed hair. It smelled nice and clean, and Lu Chenzhou felt that he could wait awhile longer for her. ¡°Then, what do you want to do right now?¡±


    What did she want to do? Of course, it was to not have sex. Somewhat pitifully, Cheng Xi said, ¡°I want to let Gong Hengjin know that she might have contracted AIDS, and that her best option is to get tested and receive treatment immediately. And we should let Fu Mingyi know as well. I believe that Shen Wei certainly won¡¯t let him go either. The two of them right now know nothing about their situation, and if we leave them be, they¡¯ll be two walking bombs¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Then do it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Cheng Xi raised her head as she frowned. ¡°But what about Shen Wei? No matter how guilty the two of them feel towards Shen Wei, if they found out that they¡¯d fallen for her scheme, they¡¯d surely kill her, wouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Then just don¡¯t let them know.¡±


    ¡°N¡­¡­ Not let them know? Isn¡¯t that hard to do? And I also think that Shen Wei¡¯s still planning something big¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing hard about this.¡± Lu Chenzhou turned around, let go of Cheng Xi, and grabbed his phone from his desk. Then, as he was preparing to make a call, he asked, ¡°If I solve your problem, will you feel sufficiently at rest to make love to me?¡±


    He had noticed that she had felt uncomfortable when he said ¡°have sex,¡± so he had ¡°considerately¡± changed it to ¡°make love.¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked speechless at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s audacity. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    At that moment, she realized that she wouldn¡¯t get through this night without doing it at some point, and Lu Chenzhou also knew that she had accepted this fact, so he immediately called a number. ¡°Tomorrow, have someone go to these two branches and say something about how, due to the recent influenza outbreak, the company¡¯s providing free testing. I don¡¯t care what reason you use, but you have to get a blood sample from every single one of them, and then, with the fastest method you can think of, send it all to the lab to test for HIV. At those addresses, there are two people in particular that you have to test. I¡¯ll send you their corresponding information later.¡±


    After he hung up, he rapidly typed out a text message and sent Fu Mingyi¡¯s information out. When it was Gong Hengjin¡¯s turn, he raised his head and asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Where does she stay?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She was still dazed, alright? She couldn¡¯t have expected that Lu Chenzhou would be so direct and rough in his plan, and the feeling that having a boyfriend who managed a pharmaceutical company was a powerful tool surfaced in her heart.


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her silly expression and shook his head somewhat exasperatedly. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t. Since they both stayed at the Donglai Hotel at some point in time, Gong Hengjin¡¯s contact information is probably still recorded down there. I¡¯ll have someone retrieve it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    After he received the information and sent it over, he looked at her and gently asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head vigorously.


    And with that, Lu Chenzhou put his phone away as Cheng Xi continued to fidget, even more nervous than before. Lu Chenzhou was one of those people who despised saying a single more word than necessary; thus, once he heard her say that she had no more requests, he stood up and started to strip. Once he was fully naked, he leaned over, licked her lips lightly once, and then again. His appetite whetted, he half-knelt by the bed, caressed her head, and kissed her deeply.


    Cheng Xi tilted her head in response to his advances, and then his lips landed behind her ear as a hot breath enveloped her being. It was somewhat itchy, and as she squirmed around, she breathlessly asked, ¡°What¡­¡­ about contraception?¡±


    His allergic reaction was honestly a pain!


    Who knew that Lu Chenzhou had actually already made preparations in anticipation of that issue. He paused for a moment as he lightly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already calculated it for you. Today¡¯s safe.¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked. ¡°¡­¡­How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, after the last time I had an allergic reaction, I started thinking of a way to avoid having to use contraception.¡± He turned around and opened the drawer by the bed. Cheng Xi looked inside, only to find that a whole drawer of¡­ Ovulation. Testing. Strips. had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. He took one box out as he told her, ¡°If you¡¯re concerned, we can test it right now.¡±


    This time, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even have words to respond. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She fell limply back onto the bed, and somewhat helplessly said, ¡°Alright, do whatever you want.¡±


    This level of thoroughness¡­¡­ She¡¯d even feel slightly sorry if she didn¡¯t satisfy him!!!


    With her permission, Lu Chenzhou climbed up on top of her, pressing down on her body. The two of them started to embrace each other and kiss again. In the beginning, it had taken her quite a while to get into the mood, because she wasn¡¯t really someone who could go from being worried in one moment to being ready to ¡°jump around¡± in bed in the next.


    Cheng Xi patiently followed his lead, only putting her hand on his back, and, like placating a patient, intermittently rubbed it back and forth from the small of his back to the nape of his neck.


    He slowly became excited; his breathing became labored, and even his body temperature rose. And wherever Cheng Xi¡¯s hand went, goosebumps emerged on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s back. In the past, Cheng Xi had thought that this phenomena was a manifestation of his body¡¯s instinctive rejection against strangers, but after ¡°cohabiting¡± with him for this long, she had realized that it wasn¡¯t rejection it represented, but rather his attraction to her.


    He particularly liked her touching him, no matter where. Even if they were just holding hands, he would react in an extreme manner; his palm would get sweaty almost immediately, and if she paid a little bit more attention, she¡¯d see that little Lu Chenzhou was also secretly raising a little tent.


    As Lu Chenzhou grew more and more excited, she stopped moving her hand, hesitating if she should continue stroking him. But then, Lu Chenzhou suddenly sat up and, with a calm face, seriously said, ¡°Can you change your clothes? Your clothes are too ugly, and I can¡¯t feel a thing.¡±


    Cheng Xi inwardly swore. This son of a¡­¡­!


    She slowly pushed herself up, and when she saw his red face, pink ears, and the slight bulge beneath his underwear that he couldn¡¯t hide even if he tried, she smiled slowly. ¡°You don¡¯t feel anything?¡± She leaned over, reached out to touch his bulge, and seductively whispered, ¡°Then what¡¯s this? Are you hiding a stick in your pants?¡±


    And then¡­¡­ And then, Cheng Xi felt the rod in her hand twitch a few times violently; with a few small sounds, little Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­ had erupted!


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even fathom what had just happened. ¡­¡­ ¡Ñ ? ¡Ñ

 Chapter 149: My Technique is Poor?

    This was a grave matter that concerned a man¡¯s dignity. She mustn¡¯t laugh. Yes, she mustn¡¯t laugh at all!


    Cheng Xi released her hand as if nothing had happened, pretending to not feel the wetness on her hand as she nodded and said, ¡°Yes, these clothes are really ugly. Let me go change.¡± She got out of the bed and nonchalantly mumbled, ¡°What should I wear? Oh, what do you like?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­ didn¡¯t say anything. He silently got up and walked into the washroom.


    As Cheng Xi picked out a new set of clothes to wear, she laughed silently. She had to hold so much back that it was slightly painful.


    Of course, in her heart, she felt very sympathetic towards him. Poor Mr. Lu, wasn¡¯t he just trying to break his abstinence? And to think that he¡¯d receive three setbacks; it couldn¡¯t have been easy. When she recalled Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression when he had gone into the washroom, Cheng Xi had a feeling that they weren¡¯t going to try to have sex again today. Then, she wondered if she should do something to make it up to him a little¡ªfor example, dressing up nicely and then going out to supper with him.


    After dinner, where she was forced to drink wine as a penalty, she had fallen drunk after barely consuming anything else.


    Since Mr. Lu had called her ugly, Cheng Xi decided to put on the flowing red dress that he had bought for her, as he would surely satisfy his own tastes. After she put it on, she stood in front of the mirror and truthfully evaluated herself¡ªthe scarlet red was much too vibrant for her tastes, and just as she was about to change again, Lu Chenzhou came out.


    He stood by the doorframe, looking at her with a gloomy expression.


    It seemed like his premature ejaculation had affected him quite significantly, because even his hair was sagging down in a dispirited manner.


    Cheng Xi maintained her guileless expression, wide-eyed pretending that nothing had happened. She tugged at her dress as she smiled at Lu Chenzhou. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit hungry. Shall we go out and find something to eat?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond, only continuing to look at her. Cheng Xi¡¯s scalp started tingling from the intensity of his stare, and she became very worried that his over-stimulation would cause him to do something drastic. So in her desperation, she tried to drag him out the door as quickly as possible. As she walked over to do so, she found his clothes, and passed them over to him proactively. ¡°Come, come. Change into your clothes.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his hand, batted the clothes away, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into his embrace.


    Cheng Xi subconsciously supported herself against his chest. Since he was nude, his skin was a little slippery. Her first thought was that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s flesh was really top-quality: firm, glossy, very white, nice to look at, and even better to touch. ¡Ð_¡Ð She couldn¡¯t help herself from squeezing on his muscles with her hand, even as she put on a serious expression and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go out, we can also make our own fo- Urk.¡±


    Even if they didn¡¯t have a chance to make food, they could still make love, and Lu Chenzhou quickly plugged up her mouth with his own. He seemed unbelievably stimulated, even more so than before. He moved just like a famished puppy, licking her all over her face as both of his hands freely roamed across her body.


    Cheng Xi was quite exasperated, as she felt that men were really unreasonable animals. He was clearly unable to actually have sex, but he was still pawing at her relentlessly. o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    Lu Chenzhou flipped her over onto the bed and pressed her underneath him, and only when he lifted her dress and tried to thrust himself in did she realize that he¡¯d already regained his vigor.


    Cheng Xi was startled.


    Honestly, for a thirty-something man who¡¯d never done this before, actually having sex from this position was somewhat difficult, and Cheng Xi felt him continue to poke at again and again. Each poke was an indication that he was unable to get into the right position, and he even started hurting her by doing it from an awkward angle. She resisted the temptation to slap him and instead said, ¡°Let me change out of this dress first.¡±


    It was such an expensive dress that it would be a waste to dirty or wrinkle it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t change it. It looks nice,¡± he panted from behind her, as he continued to spare no effort in poking her from behind. At first, Cheng Xi found it quite shameful, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t keep letting him aimlessly stab at her, so she grabbed his rod from behind and valiantly directed it towards the correct entrance.


    Just a moment later, she regretted creating such trouble for herself, because she was really in a lot of pain! She didn¡¯t expect that it would be so painful¡ªAaah! She crawled forward in an attempt to escape, but he caught her and dragged her back. Then, he firmly grabbed her waist, and she was just like a fish nailed to the chopping board; Lu Chenzhou had free rein to do whatever he pleased to Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi was in so much pain that she was nearing tears, but Lu Chenzhou merely hugged her excitedly and moaned in her ear, ¡°This feels great....¡±


    Great, my ass! She tearfully moaned back, ¡°It hurts~~¡±


    He ignored her, continuing to do as he pleased, not slowing down or being even a bit gentler. Cheng Xi¡¯s feigned ignorance had backfired; after Lu Chenzhou had fully recovered from his earlier mishap, he was using his body to prove his manliness.


    Once, and then once again! He didn¡¯t even rest in between! And then he finally became tired of penetrating her from behind, so he flipped her over and climaxed twice more in the traditional posture.


    Who was the senior in her dorm who had sworn that men could have sex three times in one night, but that they needed to rest in the middle? Come out, we¡¯ll have a long chat!


    ¡­¡­


    When Cheng Xi woke up the next day, she felt like her body had been crushed by a heavy-duty machine. Her entire body was tired and every muscle sore. She even had some difficulty breathing, because of how tightly Lu Chenzhou was hugging her!


    Cheng Xi moved a little. Lu Chenzhou noticed it and also woke up, stretching as he rubbed her skin fondly.


    Only now did Cheng Xi realize that she was still wearing the red dress from last night.


    She rubbed against his arm, wanting to act coyly, and Lu Chenzhou responded with a gentle kiss to her forehead. His eyes curved up as he said with an unusually happy tone, ¡°This dress is really pretty.¡±


    Cheng Xi almost exploded with anger. The first thing that he said to her in the morning wasn¡¯t to ask how she was feeling, but rather to praise her for the dress? My goodness! Once she got out of bed, she¡¯d burn this dress to ashes! It felt like all the torment she had suffered for an entire night was worth less than the dress she was wearing in his eyes!


    She laughed coldly, and then shut her eyes and started ignoring him.


    He actually didn¡¯t think anything of her rejection as he continued to rub her body with his hand. Soon enough, Cheng Xi felt something amiss near her buttocks; Lu Chenzhou was shamelessly pressing her waist against his, as if he was gathering up his energy for something.


    Cheng Xi immediately turned around. ¡°No, stop! I¡¯m hurt, very hurt!¡±


    It had been her first time last night, and after having sex with this beast for an entire night, she was so sore that it hurt just turning around!


    But the beast said, ¡°I feel uncomfortable.¡±


    Cheng Xi obstinately replied, ¡°¡­¡­I also feel uncomfortable.¡± She put on a pitiful expression that she¡¯d never used before in her life. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you can¡¯t ignore my will like this.¡±


    His hand was still latched onto her chest, his grip not letting up in the slightest. His gaze remained resolute and unmoved by her words.


    When Cheng Xi was reminded of his personality, she really felt like crying, and then she really did, tearfully pleading, ¡°Really, it hurts! I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s swollen and sore! If you do it again, then I¡¯ll die from the pain! Mr. Lu~~¡±


    Mr. Lu¡­¡­ Mr. Lu¡¯s heart softened, which meant that he instead grabbed her hand and made her jerk him off instead.


    Cheng Xi shouted back, ¡°You beast!¡±


    She¡¯d gotten involved with a beast!


    After it was all over, she felt tired, hungry, and uncomfortable. In her distress, she curled up into her blankets, passively let him wipe her hand down, and thought to herself, ¡°Dating an old virgin is too hard on my body. Next time, I¡¯ll find someone with better skills.¡±


    She had really only thought it, but she didn¡¯t expect that she would actually be so bitter that she actually¡­¡­ said it out loud.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand, which had been wiping her down, immediately stopped. He looked towards her. ¡°You think that my skills are poor?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She was dead!

 Chapter 150: The Ever Capable Mr. Lu

    Cheng Xi pretended to be dead; she wouldn¡¯t move no matter what Lu Chenzhou did. Lu Chenzhou prodded her in the face a few times, but she still didn¡¯t respond.


    In the end, perhaps due to how pitiful she seemed, he stopped bothering her and left the room, bathed, changed clothes, and once again assumed his role of the diligent househusband.


    As Cheng Xi pretended to be dead, she eventually ended up falling asleep. When she woke up again, it was from her hunger, which was being stimulated by a concentrated, mouthwatering aroma of tasty food wafting into her nose. She almost floated off of the bed and towards the smell, and discovered Lu Chenzhou in his apron and frying the last dish with a chef¡¯s posture in the kitchen.


    There were already a few finished dishes on the counter, and the most eye-catching one was a plate of twice-fried pork cutlets. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even think as she reached out with her hand, but even though Lu Chenzhou was concentrating on frying the last dish, he seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He deftly blocked her hand without even looking as he coolly asked, ¡°Have you washed up?¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. ¡­¡­She felt like she was about to die from starvation!


    A lightbulb went off in her head. Inspired, she walked behind him, hugged his waist, and started rubbing against his body. ¡°What a fragrant smell, Mr. Lu.You¡¯re so capable.¡±


    The capable Mr. Lu asked, ¡°Have you stopped hurting?¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m going to go and wash up now.¡± Her demeanor instantly frosted over as she swiftly let go of him and rushed out of the kitchen. But before she left, she nimbly stole a slice of cutlet and ate as she ran off. She even provokingly commented, ¡°How fragrant.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou put down his pan and turned around. Sensing that something was amiss, Cheng Xi slipped away like an eel.


    Looking at the doorway that she had vanished into, Lu Chenzhou smiled slightly.


    When Cheng Xi next came out, she had finished washing up and had even changed her clothes. Lu Chenzhou was sitting in front of the dining table, typing out something on his phone. The meal in front of her was as beautiful as a landscape painting, and the beautiful man¡­¡­ she ignored. Cheng Xi sat down and started eating right away.


    She really was about to starve.


    Lu Chenzhou also knew her condition, so he had made barley porridge and other easily digestible dishes. He even started introducing the dishes one by one. ¡°This one reduces swelling, so you should eat more of this.¡±


    ¡°Yup yup!¡±


    Then he pointed at the cucumber and pork liver dish. ¡°This enriches the blood!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Cheng Xi said with her mouth, but her hand reached out for the cutlets instead. However, she was stopped by a pair of chopsticks. ¡°Eat less of this. There¡¯s too much sodium, so it won¡¯t be helpful for your recovery.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She laughed. ¡°I¡¯m getting a piece for you.¡± Her chopsticks picked up a piece of cutlet and headed towards his bowl, but at the halfway mark, when Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t watching, Cheng Xi quickly changed course and stuffed it into her mouth. With a full mouth, she even said, ¡°Let me see if it¡¯s salty.¡± There was a crunchy bone in the cutlet, and it made a crisp crunching sound as she bit down, and as she did so, she nodded with clear eyes smiling like a crescent moon. ¡°It¡¯s not salty at all. It¡¯s really quite tasty!¡±


    Her actions were just to vent her anger, but she didn¡¯t realize that Lu Chenzhou merely saw her behavior as very juvenile. He placidly looked at her and coolly replied, ¡°If it¡¯s not too salty, then have a bit more. In either case, you¡¯re the one who¡¯ll be in pain if you eat too much, whereas I¡¯ll be quite comfortable regardless.¡±


    Cheng Xi instantly thought, You beast!


    She really was unable to stand him sometimes, and she severely reprimanded him. ¡°Can we not talk about this at the dining table?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou actually agreed. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Cheng Xi found it quite shocking, and was happy that she was able to eat a peaceful meal without hearing any more ¡°reminders¡± from him and stuff her stomach with a whole table of food meant to enrich her blood and reduce swelling. Since it was the weekend, they even leisurely lazed around after they finished their meal. Cheng Xi was still thinking about Fu Mingyi and Gong Hengjin¡¯s situation, and she asked Lu Chenzhou to make another phone call and ask about the progress of the blood drawing. The reply she got back was, ¡°Both of these people have quite severe throat pain and fever. However, they¡¯ve been treating it as if it were the common cold.¡± This year¡¯s flu season was unusually bad, and many people around them had exhibited similar symptoms. So, the two of them didn¡¯t suspect that anything was wrong with their body, and hadn¡¯t gone to the hospital. They had simply bought some over the counter medicine to use at home.


    When Lu Chenzhou¡¯s men showed up to provide free medicine and a blood-drawing test allegedly in response to the flu outbreak, both of them were very cooperative. Their blood samples were taken without issue and then sent to the corresponding lab for analysis. The two of them had also been instructed, for safety reasons in the name of preventing the spread of the flu, to abstain from close contact with other people, which temporarily relieved the potential problem of them unknowingly spreading the disease to others.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s call was made on speakerphone, and the other person spoke clearly and with a well thought-out plan. When Cheng Xi heard all of it, she was finally able to relax, saying, ¡°This person¡¯s pretty capable.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou, however, replied, ¡°His technique isn¡¯t very good.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°If it were, then maybe his wife wouldn¡¯t have divorced him.¡±


    ! ! ! !


    Cheng Xi slapped his face. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you silly dolt!¡±


    Honestly, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t expect that the new-and-improved Lu Chenzhou would be like this. Unable to stand his salacious comments anymore, she decided to take a leisurely two-day break¡ªlast night¡¯s reverie had seriously traumatized her, ok? Even now, she was still aching inside!


    Of course, she still gave a pretty good reason for her solo vacation: ¡°It¡¯s been a few weeks since I last visited home. Conveniently, I have some time off this week, so I¡¯m going to return and see my parents.¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou¡¯s reply was, ¡°I¡¯ve already talked to them.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I told your mother that you weren¡¯t feeling well today, so you can¡¯t go back.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Did my mom call?¡±


    ¡°Mm, to be accurate, she sent me a text.¡±


    ! ! !


    A very bad premonition surfaced within her heart. She started walking back into the room, but on second thought, she walked out again. ¡°What were you guys talking about?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was sitting comfortably on the sofa with both legs extended as he generously handed his phone to her. The first thing Cheng Xi noticed was that her mother had been stickied on his WeChat.


    Clearly, the two of them chatted quite often. All of it was initiated by Cheng Xi¡¯s mother, as she asked him almost daily, ¡°What are the two of you doing today?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s responses originally started off very terse. ¡°Busy.¡± ¡°At work.¡± ¡°She¡¯s working overtime.¡± Then, perhaps Cheng Xi¡¯s mother found it boring, there were a few days where she didn¡¯t ask anything. But after Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment renovation had finished, she had started asking the questions daily once again.


    This morning, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had texted: What are you two doing?


    Lu Chenzhou: She¡¯s sleeping, and I went to get groceries.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was clearly shocked: This lazy brat¡¯s still sleeping, even at this time?


    Lu Chenzhou: Because she¡¯s not feeling well.


    Oh, is she sick? Tell that girl to take better care of her body.


    Then, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother linked a few articles that weren¡¯t particularly credible with titles such as, ¡°What you should eat when you have a cold.¡± These articles were ubiquitous on mothers¡¯ and aunties¡¯ feeds throughout the country.


    Up to here, everything looked normal; the shocking news was at the very end. After a while, Lu Chenzhou responded: She doesn¡¯t have a cold. She said that it¡¯s because I hurt her.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s feelings were about as complicated as Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s.


    As soon as she read this, she grabbed his hand and started grinding her teeth. Crazy, crazy, crazy! Why did he have to tell her mother about this!!


    This time, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother took a very long time to reply: Give her some good food to supplement her body¡­¡­ And then she added on in a second text: If it¡¯s too uncomfortable, tell her to rest well at home.


    From Cheng Xi¡¯s understanding of her mother, she was almost definitely typing these sentences out, one letter at a time, with a malevolent and fearsome expression on her face.


    Her intuition was spot on. When Cheng Xi returned to her room and picked up her own phone, she saw a message from her mother: You dirty little brat! You¡¯d better not come home this weekend, or I¡¯m afraid that I might be unable to control myself and beat you to death! Tell him to prepare to get married. Your place is already renovated, so just choose a date and have the ceremony then!


    Cheng Xi had no response.

 Chapter 151: Adult Videos

    Cheng Xi had always felt that she wasn¡¯t a bad child; she had found a respectable job, made a decent amount of money, and was always filial towards her parents. However, her mother¡¯s words always made her feel like she was trying to pass her off to someone else, like a burden.


    And so, Cheng Xi texted back: I¡¯ve decided to depend on you for my entire life.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother instantly replied: I¡¯m not strong enough to carry you. Please latch onto someone else!


    Cheng Xi was out of replies. -_-||


    She was being forced to abandon her family and leave home! But even if she did so, she couldn¡¯t do so alone; she had to bring Lu Chenzhou with her because leaving him alone in the house would be too dangerous. That fellow¡¯s mind was filled with pornographic intentions, and he¡¯d act on them anytime and anywhere, without warning or shame.


    As such, any indoors activity would be too dangerous. Luckily, it was a nice day outside with a clear sky and a splendid view of the spring atmosphere. So, Cheng Xi decided to go cycling with him. She initially tried to ignore her discomfort, but was only able to bike a few miles out before becoming too exhausted. To that end, she even discarded her bike and fell down in a heap by the roadside, like a dead dog.


    Lu Chenzhou was already very far out when she collapsed. When he finally noticed that she had fallen behind, he turned back to look for her. A short while later, he saw her lying underneath a cherry blossom tree. The tree¡¯s swaying leaves let a few soft rays of sunlight pierce through, leaving a mottled pattern on Cheng Xi¡¯s skin. As the spring wind ruffled the branches, sakura blossoms slowly drifted down; some landed in her hair, some on her white cheek, and others on her plain clothes.


    When Cheng Xi sensed that Lu Chenzhou had arrived, she immediately opened her eyes. Her clear pupils were filled with the drunken radiance of spring. As she basked in the warm sunlight, she smiled and stretched her hand out towards him. ¡°Hello there. The scenery here is really nice. Do you want to stop and take a break?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou wordlessly dismouted from his bike, headed toward her, knelt down half way, and then, without any warning, hugged and kissed her.


    Cheng Xi was so surprised she didn¡¯t even react.


    A few seconds later, she pushed him away even as her face had turned a deep red. ¡°We¡¯re still out in public! Show some restraint, you big oaf.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t help but laugh, but he did eventually let go of her. Cheng Xi shifted her posture slightly so that she was now half-resting on his knee. ¡°The weather¡¯s really great today. It feels really nice to just sit here and appreciate the view with you.¡±


    She was just saying whatever came to her mind, but also partially reminding him to not to engage in anything overtly sexual. Luckily, Lu Chenzhou honestly agreed that it was very nice to just sit here with her like that. Whenever he saw her smile, he felt as if even his heart calmed down and became more peaceful.


    Of course, if they could kiss and then make love, it¡¯d be even better. ^ _ ^


    For today, the two of them left their busy and tiring lives behind, and under Cheng Xi¡¯s insistence, finally behaved like a regular couple, enjoying a small and relaxing date. After that, Cheng Xi¡¯s life started growing hectic again, and over the weekend, she was called to the university for a meeting. Halfway through the meeting, she received a preliminary report from Lu Chenzhou about Fu Mingyi and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s HIV test results. The results had come out a while ago, and both of them tested positive for HIV.


    Given Shen Wei¡¯s vindictive mindset, Cheng Xi assumed that these results were likely to be correct.


    During a break in the meeting, she called Shen Wei and told her everything. Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was very calm, and she even advised, ¡°I think that this result will be quite shocking to the both of them. You should take care of yourself.¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s tone was relaxed. She languidly replied, ¡°It¡¯s no wonder Gong Hengjin came to my place and made a ruckus. She must have figured out what had happened to her. Don¡¯t worry. I know what you¡¯re worried about, and their affairs won¡¯t implicate me at all.¡±


    She was so confident and unhurried in her response that Cheng Xi was momentarily at a loss for what to say. Only after spending quite a while to recollect herself did she finally ask, ¡°Do they really deserve this?¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s tone was blunt and cold. ¡°From my point of view, yes. I don¡¯t believe in retribution from heaven, not unless I do a little something myself. You might not know this, but my motivation to live was to see them suffer their just retribution. And now that I¡¯ve seen it, I¡¯m very happy.¡±


    As Shen Wei continued her harangue, she grew more and more excited, and an almost feral happiness consumed her. In the end, she couldn¡¯t suppress it and impatiently hung up on Cheng Xi.


    Actually, Shen Wei headed straight home, because Gong Hengjin had appeared at her house. This time, she was smarter, and immediately called the cops. After Shen Wei¡¯s mental state had improved, she had temporarily moved into her sister-in-law¡¯s place. Thus, Gong Hengjin couldn¡¯t find her, so she had brought the police to blockade Shen Wei¡¯s parents¡¯ home.


    When Shen Wei arrived, Gong Hengjin was crying at the front door. Shen Wei¡¯s parents were impatiently talking to the police: according to them, their own daughter had gotten hurt. To then be accused by the assailant was ludicrous.


    As soon as Shen Wei showed herself, Gong Hengjin immediately stopped crying and her gaze focused on Shen Wei with inconsolable hatred. Gong Hengjin had rid herself of the fear that Cheng Xi and Shen Wei had seen when her mental condition had been breaking down, and now, all she felt towards Shen Wei was hatred, a boundless hatred.


    Shen Wei had ruined her, so she would ruin Shen Wei back!


    But Shen Wei didn¡¯t care. In her eyes, today¡¯s Gong Hengjin was no more than a lump of garbage. She directly asked the police, ¡°What¡¯s she suing me for?¡±


    ¡°Are you Shen Wei herself?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Miss Gong is suing you for intentionally harming her person. According to Miss Gong, on the 24th of February, you invited her to drink at a bar to complain about your marriage, and then after she fell intoxicated, you commanded a man with AIDS to sexually assault her. Afterwards, you even made that man harass her for the next month and a half. We also have video evidence that shows that you indeed went drinking with Miss Gong at a bar on XX street, and that after you left early, Miss Gong was brought away by a strange man. According to Miss Gong¡¯s testimony, the man who led her away was also the one who has been harassing her recently.¡±


    Upon hearing the accusations all laid out, Shen Wei laughed and then pointed at herself. ¡°Me, harm her?¡± She spread her hands innocently, set her smile, and then apathetically continued, saying, ¡°What is she to me that she would be worth attacking? Has she told you that, on the 12th of March, she was caught doing the deed with my husband at the Donglai Hotel? And before then, I never even knew that my friend, my dearest friend, was actually my husband¡¯s mistress. On that day, when I went drinking with her, I didn¡¯t drink very much because I had just found out that I was pregnant. It was she who said, of her volition, that she¡¯d drink it all for me, to drink my misery away. It¡¯s impossible that I intentionally got her drunk.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying! You¡¯re the one who purposefully led me to do so! And I didn¡¯t even drink very much. Based on my usual alcohol tolerance, I shouldn¡¯t have gotten that drunk from that much alcohol. It¡¯s you- you must have put something in the drinks!¡±


    Shen Wei looked at the police unemotionally. ¡°If she¡¯s saying this without any evidence, then can I sue her for libel and slander?¡±


    The police replied, ¡°That¡¯s your right. But before that, we still hope to clarify a few things. This is the male that Miss Gong is referring to. Are you certain that you don¡¯t recognize him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! You have to recognize him. However, he disappeared, and nobody can find him anywhere. It must be because you had him killed! You knew that when I found out that I had contracted AIDS, I would definitely seek you out. Thus, you must have killed him beforehand! Shen Wei, how could you!? You¡¯re a murderer! Police, arrest her! She¡¯s murdered someone! Arrest her!¡±


    But neither the police nor Shen Wei made a move; Shen Wei¡¯s gaze made Gong Hengjin feel like she was a little clown, which deeply provoked her. But before she could say anything else, one of the police officer¡¯s phones rang. After a quick conversation, he definitively announced, ¡°That strange man has been found. According to him, he¡¯s been at an Internet cafe during these past couple of days, and the reason why he was harassing Miss Gong was because Miss Gong told him that she was about to become the young miss of a rich household. Thus, he wanted to extort some money from her. Furthermore, he has a health certificate that proves that his body is healthy, and that he doesn¡¯t have AIDS.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Shen Wei¡¯s family all started smiling, whereas Gong Hengjin went even crazier. ¡°That¡¯s impossible! You must be the one behind this whole conspiracy. It must be you! I never said anything like that to him!¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s mother venomously spat at her. ¡°What do you mean, ¡°impossible?¡± What do you mean, ¡°you never said anything like that?¡± Instead of being a productive member of society, you¡¯ve chosen to be a loose woman¡ªwho knows how many strangers you¡¯ve slept with, how many diseases you¡¯re carrying. How dare you slander our little Weiwei like that! Officer, we¡¯d like to sue her for libel and slander!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    As a massive conflict developed at Shen Wei¡¯s place, Cheng Xi returned home.


    Lu Chenzhou had already made dinner, and he was currently sitting on the sofa, comfortably watching TV. When Cheng Xi walked in, he turned the TV off and said, ¡°Go wash up. Let¡¯s eat.¡± He then reached out to comfortingly touch her face.


    He could see that she was upset again.


    Cheng Xi hugged him back. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t want to eat at the moment.¡± She pushed him down onto the sofa, but Lu Chenzhou disdainfully pushed her away. After running around outside for half the day, she had become quite dirty.


    Cheng Xi refused to let go of him. ¡°I washed my hands before I came back, so be nice. Let me hug you.¡±


    The hand on her shoulder relaxed, and he let her hug him tightly. His body actually wasn¡¯t all that comfortable to hug¡ªhis muscles were too hard, but he had a very nice scent, and Cheng Xi was feeling guilty and terrified all at once. So, smelling him helped her calm down.


    ¡°What were you looking at just now?¡± After hugging him for a while, she asked him what he was up to. But as soon as she asked her question, she found that Lu Chenzhou was actually a little uncomfortable, so she teased, ¡°You weren¡¯t looking at something unhealthy, were you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou unconvincingly replied, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Somehow, I don¡¯t believe you at all.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her meekly, and then turned the TV on.


    Cheng Xi looked over. The television in her place had also been brought over by Lu Chenzhou, and it was a high-definition TV and a very large one at that. But now, this super-high-definition screen was showing a naked couple in high definition!


    He was actually watching a Japanese porn movie.


    Cheng Xi could only swear in her mind. ¡­¡­My God!

 Chapter 152: Not a Good Person

    Cheng Xi quickly got up, snatched the remote, and promptly turned the TV off.


    Since the porn wasn¡¯t all that nice to look at, Lu Chenzhou let her.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s gaze seemed to gravitate towards his groin of its own free will.


    Lu Chenzhou innocently defended himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t get hard.¡± And then he even pulled his pants down a little to prove it.


    Cheng Xi very much wanted to hide her face in shame. She put a palm on his forehead as she lectured, ¡°Moral principles are a good thing. Don¡¯t drop your pants like that so casually, Mr. Lu!¡± Then she got up and prepared to wash up; it was very dangerous to be with him right now, wasn¡¯t it?


    A sixth sense was a good thing to have, because almost immediately after she let go of him, Lu Chenzhou grabbed her waist from behind and pulled her back into his embrace. A musky male scent invaded her sense of smell, and Cheng Xi was very much shocked as she feebly rejected him. ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss. I¡¯m dirty.¡±


    ¡°You made me hard,¡± he replied somewhat hoarsely as he buried his head in her shoulder.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    And Cheng Xi could indeed feel it. Since she was sitting on his thigh, she was at the angle where she could feel it directly!


    Honestly¡­¡­ Once again, she felt like dating a man who had just lost his virginity was truly too troublesome! She froze in place, obediently sitting in his lap and letting him touch her, but she still earnestly advised, ¡°If you keep getting aroused out of nowhere like this, you¡¯ll be no better than an animal. A man as handsome, tall, and elegant as you can¡¯t be this unrestrained as well..¡±


    Lu Chenzhou sniffed the back of her ear like a big dog, and then softly whispered, ¡°Doesn¡¯t a handsome, tall, and elegant man deserve to eat meat?¡± He then lightly bit down on her neck. ¡°If not, then I¡¯m not one.¡±


    His bite was hard enough that Cheng Xi hissed in pain as she said, ¡°You scumbag! Don¡¯t leave a mark!¡± Now that the weather was starting to warm up, she couldn¡¯t wear a scarf anymore. So if he left bite marks anywhere, it¡¯d be very annoying to deal with.


    Lu Chenzhou ignored her pleas; he seemed to especially enjoy leaving marks on her body. When Cheng Xi realized that her persuasions were failing, she could only change tactics and start playing coy. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I¡¯m really about to starve!¡± She then led his hand over to her stomach. ¡°Can you feel it? It¡¯s already caving in!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou bluntly said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that you didn¡¯t want to eat anything?¡±


    That was because I wasn¡¯t feeling well and just wanted to sit in peace, ok? But it seems like I can¡¯t even do that now! Somewhat weakly, she replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to eat because I wasn¡¯t feeling well. However, I feel much better now after seeing you. So, I really am quite hungry.¡±


    Her expression was so pitiful that Lu Chenzhou finally relented, saying, ¡°Alright.¡± And with that, he let her go wash up and eat.


    After all of this, Cheng Xi¡¯s feelings actually did end up improving. She was even able to put Shen Wei¡¯s recent behavior out of mind, perhaps because there was someone even more abnormal right next to her.


    Dinner was another pork liver dish, along with pork belly, pork blood, and a well-simmered chicken soup. If she ignored the ¡°malicious¡± intentions of the one who had made the meal, the taste of the food was really wonderful. Because Cheng Xi felt that they needed to have more diverse conversations, she asked, ¡°Why do you know how to make so many kinds of food? Do you usually cook for yourself?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou tersely replied, ¡°No.¡± Then he looked at her as he explained, ¡°This is my first time making these dishes.¡±


    Cheng Xi was surprised. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There are tutorials online.¡± His expression became much more thoughtful as he thought for a while before finally saying, ¡°Perhaps I should watch a few more videos so that I can improve my technique.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him, with a sinking feeling that he wasn¡¯t talking about preparing food. o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    After dinner, Cheng Xi helped him clean up, and then told him, ¡°I have to do something tonight, so I won¡¯t be able to mess around with you. If you feel bored, you can go outside and play.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond. He didn¡¯t go out and play, but neither did he bother her. Cheng Xi stayed in the study and quietly did her own thing. When she was about halfway done, she came out to stretch her legs and found him sitting lazily by the sofa, a laptop on his legs.


    She thought that he was busy working on something of his own and so, she politely asked, ¡°Do you want a glass of water?¡±


    He nodded.


    Cheng Xi went to pour him a glass of water, but just as she was about to hand it over, she unintentionally glanced at his laptop screen. Oh god, he was watching another adult video!


    But instead of a Japanese one, it was an even more revealing Western one!


    Cheng Xi was speechless.


    ¡°Forget it. It doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re thirsty.¡± She stood back up, finished the glass of water in one gulp, turned around, and promptly went back into the study.


    When she finally finished and came out again, Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t looking at his computer anymore. Now, he was talking on the phone with a particularly relaxed tone.


    When she listened in a bit more closely, she heard him say, ¡°Yes, they¡¯re all not nice to look at. They¡¯re disgusting.¡±


    The other side most likely asked back what type he wanted, and as Cheng Xi walked by him, he glanced at her as he said, ¡°Are there any with doctors in them?¡±


    Cheng Xi was stunned speechless for the second time tonight.


    She massaged her forehead, very much regretting her mouth that had despised his lack of skill! When he finished his call, she said quite earnestly, ¡°Your technique is already quite good. You don¡¯t have to study, really.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t actually think that watching adult videos were that bad; she also looked at them when she had nothing better to do, to be fair. However, for someone like Lu Chenzhou, who seemed to be seriously watching it to improve his technique, and then who even asked around for more resources and things like that¡­¡­ she really couldn¡¯t bear to watch or think about him doing it afterwards.


    Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows. ¡°Then let¡¯s try it.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Throughout the night, Cheng Xi was forced to try some of the new things Lu Chenzhou had learned. She didn¡¯t know if Lu Chenzhou had ended up satisfied, but she was so ¡°satisfied¡± that she was about to die!


    The next day, Cheng Xi felt like she had woken up into a nightmare, as she had to climb out of bed and go to work after such a night. She had intended on catching up on sleep in the evening when she got home, but Cheng Yang came over to find her before she could do so.


    But before Cheng Yang met up with Cheng Xi, he had first called Lu Chenzhou. He didn¡¯t know Lu Chenzhou¡¯s personal number, so he had called his office. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s assistant responded, and didn¡¯t confirm whether or not Lu Chenzhou was free in the evening .


    Cheng Yang was just following orders; honestly, he was a lot more relaxed when he heard that Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t around. So, he didn¡¯t say anything about this to Cheng Xi. Out of consideration for Cheng Xi, who didn¡¯t have a car, he found a restaurant close by the hospital to eat dinner at.


    When the two of them sat down, Cheng Yang immediately noticed her dispirited face. Unwilling to let go of the opportunity, he joked, ¡°Looks like Lu Chenzhou isn¡¯t just a pretty face!¡±


    Cheng Xi annoyedly responded, ¡°¡­¡­Can you be more serious? I¡¯m your sister!¡± And then she asked, ¡°Why did you come to find me?¡±


    ¡°Em, according to mother¡¯s wishes, I¡¯m here to ask, ¡®How¡¯s the marriage planning coming along?¡¯ Also, shouldn¡¯t the Lu family meet with us about now? Mom said that she would reimburse them for your apartment¡¯s renovation. She also said that when you two get married, she¡¯ll also give you a car. Anything within 600,000 yuan.¡± Then, Cheng Yang¡¯s tone turned bitter as he complained, ¡°And when I asked her what she¡¯d give me when I got married, she said, ¡®A whole bag of debt. Do you want it?¡¯ Aren¡¯t we twins? Didn¡¯t we both climb out of her stomach? Why is the difference between us so big then?¡±


    Cheng Xi hesitated for a moment. 600,000 yuan, in addition to the cost of the apartment, would be about half of her parents¡¯ savings, wouldn¡¯t it? She said somewhat agonizingly, ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I can make my own money.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this? Mom¡¯s gotten you this worked up over just 600,000 yuan?¡±


    Cheng Xi pursed her lips. ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± She refused to admit to her softheartedness. ¡°I just feel wronged. It feels like Mom can¡¯t wait to get rid of me.¡±


    Cheng Yang shot her a supercilious look. ¡°Alright, stop it. If she spent 600,000 yuan to get rid of me, then I¡¯d leave our house right away.¡±


    ¡°Feh!¡± Cheng Xi spat at him, but she did end up laughing from his antics.


    Then, Cheng Yang said, ¡°Pick out a car you want. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s got a pretty good eye, so you can probably just let him choose one for you. And if it¡¯s a bit over 600,000 yuan, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll put up another 400,000 yuan, so as long as it¡¯s within a million yuan, it¡¯s fine. Of course, if you exceed it by a little, that¡¯s fine too. Just look around and choose something you like.¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head as she rejected his offer. ¡°I don¡¯t want your money. And I¡¯m really not going to get married this early.¡±


    Cheng Yang yelled, ¡°Early? You¡¯re about to turn thirty!¡±


    Cheng Xi glared fiercely at him, and Cheng Yang immediately mimed zipping his mouth shut. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I made a mistake. I meant to say that you¡¯re about to turn eighteen, so you¡¯re right of age to marry someone now.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to marry someone like that just because I can?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®just like that?¡¯¡± Cheng Yang fidgeted with his sleeves. ¡°Are you saying that Lu Chenzhou isn¡¯t a good person?¡±


    At this time, the door was pushed open, revealing the aforementioned Lu Chenzhou who was suspected of not being a good person. As he stood outside, he coolly asked, ¡°Can I come in now?¡±

 Chapter 153: Lu Chenzhou, Get Over Here!

    When Cheng Yang saw Lu Chenzhou standing outside, he subconsciously sprung upright in his seat and rolled down his sleeves, as if he hadn¡¯t said anything provocative at all.


    Cheng Xi noted her brother¡¯s disappointing behavior from the corner of her eyes and gave him a supercilious look. Then, she amiably said to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Come in.¡± She pulled a stool over for him, let him sit down, and then asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou responded by looking at Cheng Yang.


    Cheng Yang quickly said, ¡°I invited him over.¡± But when faced with his own sister¡¯s gaze, he coughed somewhat uncomfortably before continuing, ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you: Mom wanted me to call him over to discuss his marriage with you. After all, our parents are still working. Thus, it¡¯s a bit inconvenient for them to be here.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at Cheng Xi. ¡°Marriage?¡±


    This time, it was Cheng Xi who was uncomfortable. She gave her own awkward cough before trying to brush it off. ¡°That¡­ well¡­ Old folks are always more impatient, you know.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded in agreement. ¡°We should talk about it.¡±


    Cheng Yang looked at him in shock.


    Lu Chenzhou restated, ¡°We should indeed plan out our marriage.¡±


    Cheng Yang¡¯s mouth was now open so wide that any more and his jaw would just drop off of his face.


    And then Lu Chenzhou said, ¡°After all, you¡¯ve already made love to me.¡±


    Cheng Xi: -_-||


    Cheng Yang: ¡Ño¡Ñ


    Cheng Yang weakly asked, ¡°Director Lu, surely you mean, ¡®I¡¯ve already made love to you?¡¯¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone was cool as he replied, ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I¡¯m living at her place; it¡¯s not her living at mine.¡±


    His logic was so formidable that Cheng Yang actually couldn¡¯t refute it. He immediately said to his sister, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already made love to him, then you should take responsibility and¡ªouch!¡±


    Cheng Xi had forcefully pinched him under the table.


    His sudden shout and distorted face made Lu Chenzhou look at him curiously.


    Cheng Yang tried to hold back his tears as he randomly said, ¡°Oh, oh, oh, I just remembered. My money isn¡¯t ready yet, so don¡¯t have the ceremony too early.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded slightly. ¡°Perhaps in the fall. It¡¯s too warm in the summer, and as for spring¡­¡­ We probably wouldn¡¯t make it in time.¡±


    Cheng Yang was like a little chick pecking at grains as he repeatedly nodded up and down. ¡°Fall is good. Fall is quite good.¡±


    And so, the two of them settled the issue just like that. They even decided on when the two parties¡¯ parents would meet before the two men asked Cheng Xi as a superficial courtesy, ¡°Is that alright?¡±


    Cheng Xi had just been eating her dinner while they had conversed. ¡°Heh, congratulations to the two of you. I hope you¡¯ll have a long-lasting marriage and give birth to a child soon.¡±


    ¡°Feh!¡± Cheng Yang almost choked on his soup when he heard Cheng Xi¡¯s sarcastic jab, whereas Lu Chenzhou looked at her calmly. ¡°You don¡¯t want to get married.¡±


    He was certain; it wasn¡¯t a question.


    Cheng Xi knew that he was being serious, and so seriously responded, ¡°No. I just feel that we don¡¯t have to be in such a rush. What¡¯s more, after we get married, our lives will only get more troublesome. For example, there¡¯ll be more events that both of our families will have to attend, and if we end up getting a divorce, then the division of our assets will also be problematic.¡±


    ¡°Why would we get a divorce?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, if we do.¡±


    ¡°There is no if.¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone wasn¡¯t intense, but he spoke as if it were a self-evident truth. ¡°As long as you can be faithful in our marriage, I won¡¯t ever divorce you.¡±


    At this point, even Cheng Yang couldn¡¯t accept his logic, and on behalf of his silly little sister, he argued, ¡°And what if you don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Then there won¡¯t be any division of assets.¡± Lu Chenzhou looked him square in the face. ¡°Before our marriage, I¡¯ll itemize my entire estate, and if I¡¯m disloyal, then all that I own will go to her.¡±


    Upon hearing his drastic words, Cheng Yang quietly clicked his tongue, and rubbed his jaw as he did some mental calculations. What a profitable venture! If Cheng Xi marries into this family, then regardless of what happens, she¡¯ll take over at least half of Donglai Corporation!


    While his eyes turned into dollar signs, he heard Cheng Xi ask, ¡°And what if I¡¯m unfaithful?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice, as still as water, resonated within the room. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take your life.¡±


    His voice wasn¡¯t loud or fierce, but it was precisely his calm and unwavering tone that scared Cheng Yang so much that his mental abacus cracked. He pondered over what he should say for quite a while before finally gently consoling, ¡°That isn¡¯t fair, is it? If you can¡¯t do it, then all you have to do is pay some money, However, if she can¡¯t, then she has to give you her life?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou capriciously replied, ¡°If you can take my life, then feel free to do so.¡±


    Cheng Yang was at a loss for words. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Damn, for a second, he had actually thought that Lu Chenzhou was being serious. This guy was really horrifying, huh? He threw a glance at Cheng Xi, wordlessly asking, This guy¡¯s joking, right?


    Cheng Xi ignored him, because Lu Chenzhou was still talking. ¡°If we get married, then we¡¯ll sign another contract. This time, it¡¯ll be much harder for you to breach the contract, so I¡¯ll give you some time to think about it.¡±


    And then Cheng Yang saw his silly sister think about it for a moment before decisively nodding. ¡°Alright.¡±


    He was about to cry himself to death!


    After dinner, Cheng Yang dawdled around until Lu Chenzhou left, and then rushed up to Cheng Xi and asked with trepidation, ¡°Sister, the contract that Director Lu¡¯s talked about, when he said that he wants your life¡­¡­ That¡¯s all a joke, right? The law doesn¡¯t allow for such a thing, right?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t think at all that Lu Chenzhou was joking; would a man like him even care about the legality of such a contract? But when she saw how serious Cheng Yang¡¯s anxiety and fear was, she didn¡¯t want to scare him, and so she said, ¡°It¡¯s true that he doesn¡¯t want to get married, but all of you are forcing it. Are you actually scared of the conditions that he proposed? If so, then be nice, go back home, and tell mom not to push us that hard. I¡¯ll figure out my own affairs on my own.¡±


    With a sullen face, Cheng Yang had no other choice but to watch Cheng Xi rush off to work, feeling that his sister finding a man like this was akin to her committing a sin.


    But Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t scared of Lu Chenzhou at all. Perhaps it was because she was still subconsciously treating him like a patient, and that she believed that once his condition improved, he would have a different perspective on romance and marriage. At that time, perhaps all this nonsense about a contract and him giving her all his assets in exchange for her life would just be a joke for them to laugh about.


    She truly wasn¡¯t even going to consider marriage in the short term, or at least, not before Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mental illness was fully treated.


    She went to work, did what she was supposed to do, and then when she returned home at night, she discussed the topic of marriage with Lu Chenzhou again. She asked him, ¡°Why do you want to get married?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s response was simple. ¡°That¡¯s the best promise a man can give to a woman, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    That¡¯s right. It was the best promise, but to him, this was just the next step in the flowchart that was their relationship. As such, Cheng Xi threw all thoughts of marriage out of her mind, but she still engaged in romantic activities with him.


    After Lu Chenzhou finished expressing his viewpoint on marriage, he too didn¡¯t take their conversion to heart, and instead focused on improving his technique. Over the next few days, he went through multiple Japanese and Western adult videos, until he finally found something that he was able to watch¡ªerotic Korean movies. During this period of time, Cheng Xi was quite busy, and she had also entered the danger zone with regards to her fertility. Additionally, Lu Chenzhou had also gone on a business trip, so Cheng Xi initially didn¡¯t realize that he hadn¡¯t given up on improving his technique.


    But one day, Lu Chenzhou, who was out on a business trip, suddenly sent her a message: I¡¯m coming back today. And then, at around 10 AM, a man who identified himself as Lu Chenzhou¡¯s assistant called Cheng Xi and said that Lu Chenzhou had something to give to her.


    When Cheng Xi received the call, she had just finished bringing her students around the medical wards, and they were currently in the office discussing medical cases. After hearing that Lu Chenzhou had something to give to her, she casually said, ¡°Then please bring it up.¡±


    And so the assistant did, and even specially told her, ¡°Director Lu says to please use this in a timely fashion.¡±


    Use it in a timely fashion¡­¡­ Everyone was curious about what it was, and when Lu Chenzhou¡¯s assistant left, all the students began to create a ruckus about the delivery. ¡°Was the person who sent this to you your boyfriend, Professor? What did he send you? Look at this colorful wrapping! Professor, please open it. Let us all see it too.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mind her students¡¯ curiosity, primarily because despite the box¡¯s somewhat small size, its design was quite exquisite. She even thought that Lu Chenzhou had bought some little trinket or gift from afar, and was feeling pleased that he had learned to send her little surprises.


    And so she handed the box to one of the louder girls, saying, ¡°Alright, you guys can open it.¡±


    But she regretted her decision just a few seconds later as she saw her students take a set of ovulation testing strips out from the box. As doctors, even though they were all just future psychiatrists, which one of them wouldn¡¯t recognize these things?


    The students¡¯ eyes were so wide that they were about to fall out of their sockets. ¡°Professor, are our eyes mistaken? Are these actually gold bars wrapped in testing strips?¡±


    Cheng Xi: o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯d better get back here! I promise that I won¡¯t beat you to death!!!!

 Chapter 154: Mr. Lu, That’s Enough!

    Lu Chenzhou returned home quite late that night, and by then, Cheng Xi had already had dinner and finished a round of yoga. Currently, she was taking a bath. She had been working very hard recently, and this was her little reward. But while she was enjoying herself, Lu Chenzhou suddenly intruded on her space, abruptly pushing the door open and dominantly striding in. He scared her so much that she almost drowned herself in the bathtub.


    She couldn¡¯t help herself from becoming furious. ¡°Why are you in here? Get out! Get out!!¡±


    No matter how close they were, she wasn¡¯t even close to being ready to bathe together, and she even had unfinished business to talk to him about. If they did this now, she wouldn¡¯t be able to discuss it with him later.


    But before she could say another word, he interrupted her. As he lazily leaned against the doorframe and completely ignored her attempts to chase him away, he asked, ¡°Did you test yourself today?¡±


    ¡­¡­Mr. Lu was perhaps the only person who could ask something like this with a straight face.


    Cheng Xi immediately understood what his intentions were, and she definitively replied, ¡°Yes! We can¡¯t!¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t react to her unfavorable response. Instead, he stretched out his hand and opened his palm, revealing a square-shaped piece of paper that he then slowly unfolded. ¡°Then why is this blank?¡±


    Cheng Xi swore in her head. ¡­¡­Crap!


    She had forgotten that besides ovulation strips, the box that this fellow had sent her in the morning also contained a little note, which detailed the results and times at which she would have to test herself.


    If her students had seen this demeaning note, she would have lost all authority as a teacher. How could she have tested herself there?! She couldn¡¯t! So she had no choice but to bring them home to throw them at his face, all right?


    But Cheng Xi had never expected him to come home at this time, or that he would question her about the tests while she was taking a bath.


    The poor Dr. Cheng was rendered speechless.


    Having gained the upper hand, Lu Chenzhou smiled coolly. ¡°You didn¡¯t test yourself, did you?¡± He rolled up his sleeves and walked inside. Cheng Xi curled up pitifully in the bathtub, looking at him warily. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stooped down, stretched out his hand, and swirled it in the water. Not long after, Cheng Xi noticed that the water level was diminishing rapidly. Then, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s long and slender fingers snapped in the air as he said, ¡°The water¡¯s dirty. You should change it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi remained silent for a moment, and then said, ¡°Thanks, but I don¡¯t need your help. Can you go out first, please?¡±


    But if he obediently listened to her words, then he wouldn¡¯t be Lu Chenzhou anymore. He looked at her and earnestly asked, ¡°How can I go out?¡± As he said that, he actually started taking off his clothes.


    Cheng Xi gave up, and said, ¡°In that case, then please go shower first. You can just ignore me, as if I¡¯m the air.¡±


    There¡¯s a shower outside! Go shower over there, go!


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond, and neither did he move towards the shower. Instead, he curled up his lips, threw his shirt down, undid his belt, took off his pants, and climbed into the bathtub naked, all in quick succession.


    Cheng Xi jumped up in rejection. ¡°If you¡¯re going to bathe, then I¡¯m going to shower.¡± She tried to clamber out of the bathtub.


    But just like their tennis match, she was still unable to defeat Lu Chenzhou. Even though she rushed out as fast as a bullet, Dr. Cheng¡¯s speed was still slower than Lu Chenzhou¡¯s. He simply moved his feet a little, and then Cheng Xi ¡°rushed¡± directly into his lap.


    His stance was surprisingly solid, not even going off balance when Cheng Xi ran into him. He hugged her tightly and stood steadily in the bathtub.


    Her skin, which had just been soaking in water, was still wet and slippery, and its texture was so pleasurable that Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t bear to stop squeezing Cheng Xi. His hands lightly caressed her back, and his mouth playfully licked her ear. ¡°You can¡¯t run.¡± His tone was surprisingly serious. ¡°If you¡¯re bad, then you¡¯ll be punished.¡±


    Cheng Xi was frightened by his antics. Honestly, it wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t want to do it, but she was scared of him. Why did his current expression remind her so much of that night when they had first had sex?! After that endless night, she had been sore for the next few days, ok?!


    Even though he had terrible technique, he insisted on doing weird things with a weird posture¡­¡­ Lu Chenzhou, that¡¯s enough!


    Cheng Xi said in an indignant and justified manner, ¡°I¡¯m not done bathing!¡±


    But he merely pushed her down and refilled the bathtub with water.


    Cheng Xi started begging him. ¡°¡­¡­I haven¡¯t tested myself, but today should still be dangerous for me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± he said as he kissed her tenderly. ¡°I won¡¯t shoot inside.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Between then and when they finally got in bed, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have a single chance to speak a complete sentence.


    What had happened to getting angry with him over what he¡¯d sent her?


    At any rate, that night, it was Cheng Xi who was given a fierce lesson by him. But unlike before, she actually did feel an entirely different level of both comfort and oppression.


    When she was finally allowed to sleep, she couldn¡¯t even move her toes anymore. As for criticism and education, they paled in comparison to her desire to sleep.


    For the rest of the night, Cheng Xi dreamed of trying to catch a car. Perhaps it was because Cheng Yang had bothered her about it in the morning, but she had spent some time looking at cars earlier. And that night, she dreamed that Lu Chenzhou had found her a car, a bright red one. She had then brought her whole family out for a day of fun, but on the way back, her car had disappeared. She pressed the alarm button on her car keys continuously, but the car key was acting strangely. Then, out of nowhere, her new car had zoomed out, twisting and turning onto a big road outside.


    She had chased after her car, trying to get it to stop, but it moved erratically and drove itself very quickly. There were quite a few moments where it was about to hit either a pedestrian or someone else¡¯s car.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart was exhausted, and she chased after that car in her dreams for the entire night. When she woke up, she still felt a bit dazed. Lu Chenzhou had gotten up before she did, and was leaning by the side of the bed while browsing through his phone. After Cheng Xi¡¯s eyes fluttered open, the first thing out of his mouth was, ¡°You didn¡¯t give me money this month.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Oh, that¡¯s right. She owed him money and paid installments to him every month. But because she had been extra busy this month, she had forgotten to send him anything.


    Out of extreme exhaustion, Cheng Xi casually threw her phone at him. ¡°The passcode¡¯s 652847. Transfer the money yourself.¡±


    She was still thinking of that car in her dreams. Her dreamscape had been extremely strange, but the out of control car was a metaphor for her feelings¡ªsomething was gradually going out of control, as if it didn¡¯t belong to her anymore.


    But it wasn¡¯t all that bad. People aren¡¯t always rational, Cheng Xi thought to console herself. Then, she turned to Lu Chenzhou, who had actually logged into her bank account and was currently transferring money to himself.


    Cheng Xi defiantly asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that if we got married, that all of your money would be mine? What¡¯s the point of transferring it over?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou continued to tap at her phone as he answered, ¡°It makes me happy.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s more that you feel happy when you see my empty balance, right?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou lowered his head, slightly smiling at her.


    His smile actually reminded Cheng Xi of what she was going to do last night. She immediately sat up straight, turned around and saw that the box of testing strips was still on the shelves by the bedside, picked it up, and threw it into his lap. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I forgot to tell you last night, but next time, you¡¯re not allowed to send something weird like this to my hospital!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou picked up the box and curiously asked, ¡°Is this that weird?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Cheng Xi sat down in front of him. ¡°Who would send something like this to their girlfriend, and at their workplace at that? Do you know who opened this? It was my students. Ha, do you know what they said? They said, ¡®Professor, we must be seeing things, right? These are actually gold bars wrapped in testing strips, right?¡¯¡±


    Lu Chenzhou picked up a random strip. It seemed like he had also picked up the art of lying recently, because he effortlessly said, ¡°¡­¡­It does seem like it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She leapt on top of him and fiercely bit him as she yelled, ¡°You dare! My goodness, don¡¯t you think that I want to throw my face away? Don¡¯t you think that my authority as a teacher is important? Uuuu, Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯d better compensate me!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe~~¡± Lu Chenzhou unexpectedly suddenly started laughing. Even though they had been together for so long, this was the first time that Cheng Xi had ever heard him laugh. It was so soft that she almost thought that she had misheard him.


    Her entire body was on his lap, and after a momentary hesitation, she stretched out her hand and grabbed his face. ¡°Are you laughing at me? Then keep laughing. Keep doing it!¡±


    And he really did. His laugh wasn¡¯t very loud, but it was filled with a genuine happiness.

 Chapter 155: Why Are You So Stupid?

    Cheng Xi lay down against Lu Chenzhou¡¯s chest, feeling the movement of his diaphragm through his skin as she held her breath involuntarily. However, her hands didn¡¯t stop moving, continuing to tease him. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, do you dare to smile any wider?¡±


    She didn¡¯t know why he was smiling, because she didn¡¯t find this situation funny at all. However, when she saw him act so happily, she actually¡­¡­ didn¡¯t want to make a big fuss about it anymore.


    Lu Chenzhou caught her hand, twisted it around, and pressed her against him. After locking her in place, he held her there for quite a long time as he freely laughed. Cheng Xi¡¯s hands and legs were both restrained, so she could only helplessly watch on as he pressed himself against her and laughed.


    In the end, she gave up all resistance, and just laid there and felt his happiness.


    When Lu Chenzhou raised his head next, she saw that even his eyes were filled with mirth. His gaze had always been somewhat cold and severe, but now, it was as if a green bud had appeared on a snow-filled plain, with its own calm charm and liveliness.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t resist pulling his head down and then passionately kissing him. Lu Chenzhou never seemed to let an opportunity go; he immediately responded by grasping her head and kissing her back even deeper, ignoring the fact that the two of them had just woken up and hadn¡¯t washed up yet.


    After a whole night¡¯s rest, Mr. Lu was feeling hale and hearty. Cheng Xi detected something amiss and tried to struggle free in vain. But her struggles only worsened the situation, as Lu Chenzhou used her struggles to remove all of her clothing.


    Cheng Xi hastily yelled. ¡°I still have to go to work!¡±


    He ignored her, raised his ¡°spear,¡± and pointed it inwards in a very practised fashion. At the end, when they climaxed, he hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear, ¡°Cheng Xi, why are you so stupid?¡±


    His voice was still filled with mirth.


    Cheng Xi shoved him aside. ¡°Dear, at this point, people usually say, ¡®I love you!¡¯¡±


    He started laughing again, and the vibrations from his chest shook Cheng Xi¡¯s body, making her feel particularly uncomfortable. ¡°I¡¯m going to die if you keep crushing me like this!¡±


    He childishly pushed down on her even harder for a brief moment, before getting up and letting her lie on top of his chest instead. Cheng Xi looked at his happy countenance and couldn¡¯t refrain from asking, ¡°Are you really that happy?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Cheng Xi looked at him again before lightly pressing her lips to his. ¡°You look too charming when you¡¯re laughing. If you laugh more in the future-¡± she paused for a moment as she leaned over ¡°-I¡¯m liable to become an incapable ruler, and give you whatever you want.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows slightly. ¡°Really?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded and then said, ¡°Mr. Lu, when you¡¯re happy, always remember to smile. You¡¯re very handsome, so it¡¯s an inherent advantage of yours.¡±


    She said those words very seriously because she really did wish that he would smile more¡ªno, to display his emotions more. She wished that he would laugh loudly when he was happy, cry a little when sad, and overall just learn to express his emotions, so that he could better understand life¡¯s ups and downs, love and hate, and gloom and fear.


    Emotional detachment could be simply described as one locking up all of their emotions; if there was no love or hate, then there couldn¡¯t be happiness or despair either.


    Lu Chenzhou asked her again. ¡°Will you really do whatever I want?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then, don¡¯t go to work today,¡± he said as he hugged her tightly. ¡°I haven¡¯t touched you for so long¡­¡­ I want to spend an entire day having sex with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±


    She looked at him and simply said, ¡°Then smile for me.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou smiled, but Cheng Xi suddenly covered his face with a palm. ¡°Your smile is clearly fake.¡± Then, she pushed down on his chest and escaped from his grasp. With her newfound freedom, she swiftly picked up her clothes and then made a run for it.


    Still on the bed, Lu Chenzhou looked at her sorry figure, smiling soundlessly.


    Because of Mr. Lu¡¯s capricious mood, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even have breakfast after she washed up¡ªof course, it was also because she was about to be late. Although she hurriedly rushed to the hospital, she was still a little late to work, and when she arrived at the hospital, everyone else was already there. All of them had even gathered in the big meeting room, and, when they saw her arrive, looked over simultaneously.


    Cheng Xi was stunned by the reception. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± she asked with a tremble.


    ¡°Mmm. Someone just called, and we¡¯re getting ready to pick up a patient.¡± Ceng Xing spoke up first.


    Cheng Xi made a quiet ¡°Oh¡± sound, and was about to walk inside, but another doctor smiled and said, ¡°Dr. Cheng didn¡¯t sleep very well last night, it seems. Her eyebags are showing.¡±


    ¡°And she¡¯s even wearing a scarf. Today¡¯s highest temperature will be 33¡ãC. Dr. Cheng, are you sure that you won¡¯t be too warm, dressed like this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You¡¯re in the honeymoon phase, aren¡¯t you? We won¡¯t laugh at you.¡±


    In truth, these people had been laughing at her as soon as she arrived. Even the head nurse couldn¡¯t help herself from doing so, but she at least pretended to ask considerately, ¡°Can you keep going like this?¡±


    Her students were even worse; they gave her a large turtle as soon as she walked into the lecture hall, saying, ¡°Professor, this is for your body. It¡¯s a female, so it¡¯s the most nourishing!¡±


    Cheng Xi: o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    She really wanted to drag Lu Chenzhou over here and give him a fierce spanking in front of everyone!


    She couldn¡¯t deal with her colleagues, but she had plenty of methods to deal with her students. She accepted the turtle gracefully, and then she said with twinkling eyes, ¡°During this period, you¡¯ve already learned about quite a few mental illnesses. On account of the turtle, I¡¯ll be nicer. So, choose one mental illness that you¡¯re familiar with and write a detailed illness observation report about it. It must be no less than five thousand characters. If it¡¯s less than that, or if there¡¯s anything that¡¯s factually incorrect, your practicum grade will look quite disheartening.¡±


    The students were all speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    As she saw their faces all turn green with regret, Cheng Xi finally felt like she¡¯d gotten back at someone. Afterwards, her head remained high and her chest out as she went on with the rest of her day.


    After a completed therapy session with a patient, she found that everyone in the department was making a big fuss. The head nurse was currently trying to clear out a confined medical ward, and everyone else looked as though they were anticipating a serious problem. Cheng Xi hurriedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Before the head nurse could speak up, a small nurse by the side said somewhat agitatedly, ¡°Dr. Ceng and the others are bringing back a patient who¡¯s infected with AIDS, and a particularly infectious strain at that. Isn¡¯t this frightening? If it were just a mental illness, that wouldn¡¯t be so bad. However, she has AIDS too¡­¡­ My goodness, it¡¯s fearsome just thinking about it!¡±


    The head nurse hurriedly stopped her from speaking any more. ¡°Stop speaking nonsense, and quickly go prepare.¡± And then, somewhat exasperatedly, she went to Cheng Xi¡¯s side and explained, ¡°According to what we know, this patient¡¯s hobby was to kiss strangers in a crowded public area. Allegedly, quite a few people tried to take advantage of that, but after they found out that they were infected, they¡¯re about to go crazy.¡±


    Cheng Xi was struck speechless at the disaster. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°This is really a tragedy.¡± At that time, she didn¡¯t think further of it, only getting a little uncomfortable at the mention of AIDS.


    The rumored patient arrived quickly. At the beginning, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even recognize her as Gong Hengjin because when she was admitted, she was wearing a black dress with her hair in disarray, thick makeup caked on, a big and thick mask clamped over her mouth, and her hands tied down. Even worse, she was brought in while strapped to the gurney.


    Cheng Xi stood by the side, observing with her students and directing them to make a preliminary diagnosis based on the patient¡¯s behavior. But then, she suddenly heard Ceng Xing call out, ¡°Can Gong Hengjin¡¯s family members please come over here to fill out the admission procedures.¡±


    Only then did she look over in shock, only to find that, no matter how hard she looked, she was unable to equate the maniacal patient struggling on the gurney to the tender, gentle, and beautiful Gong Hengjin that she¡¯d seen at Shen Wei¡¯s wedding.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even imagine that this person in front of them was the same person who had waited in front of Shen Wei¡¯s house, the same Gong Hengjin who had looked as pitiful as a white lotus.

 Chapter 156: Artificial Panic

    Actually, even Ceng Xing didn¡¯t recognize Gong Hengjin. When Cheng Xi later went to search for him in an attempt to better understand the situation, Ceng Xing sourly replied, ¡°We had to ambush her in the city plaza. My god, she was running and jumping around as she nonsensically scolded people and bit at them. It was enough to torment someone to death.¡± He then glanced at her, before mockingly saying, ¡°It¡¯s lucky that you weren¡¯t the one to go. Otherwise, with how you usually deal with these situations, you¡¯d probably have to take leave, go home, and enter quarantine.¡±


    ¡°Patients suffering from AIDS don¡¯t need to be quarantined, Dr. Ceng.¡± Cheng Xi ignored his ridicule and coolly reminded him of basic medical knowledge. ¡°Has she¡­¡­ infected a lot of people?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Allegedly, more than ten.¡±


    Cheng Xi frowned. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± From what she could tell, Shen Wei had only done something in February, and in the two months between February and April, even if Gong Hengjin had had sex as often as she could, it would have been quite difficult for her to reach a two-digit number.


    This was because, before Gong Hengjin knew that she had AIDS, she had wanted to pull Shen Wei down with her. Thus, she wouldn¡¯t have gotten involved with any other man besides Fu Mingyi during that period.


    ¡°What makes it impossible?¡± Ceng Xing stared at her strangely. ¡°Apparently, she started acting abnormally about half a month ago. She suddenly went crazy and started hunting all over for men to have sex with. Even after that, she would repeatedly haunt the streets, and once she found a single man, she¡¯d pounce on him and try to kiss him, kiss and even bite. By the time we arrived, we heard that last night, when she was roaming around the city plaza, ten hoodlums had gathered around her and played a kissing game with her. So even saying it¡¯s merely a two-digit number is a conservative estimate.¡± As he said this, he suddenly realized something. ¡°You know her?¡±


    ¡°:¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Yes. Half a month ago, she came to the hospital. You and a bunch of other colleagues were there with me, on the ground floor.¡± Since Ceng Xing didn¡¯t recognize her, Cheng Xi had to remind him of this incident, as this was an important clue to understand the patient¡¯s current behavior.


    Ceng Xing was somewhat stupefied. ¡°My god! That means that she¡¯s been doing this for over half a month?¡±


    Cheng Xi replied, ¡°No. I think that, at that time, she was still clear-headed, and just felt somewhat anxious. I don¡¯t think that she knew that she had AIDS yet.¡±


    AIDS was a horrifying monster in people¡¯s minds; however, the possibility that it could cause someone to go crazy just from having it wasn¡¯t something that Cheng Xi had anticipated.


    The whole department was on edge due to Gong Hengjin¡¯s arrival. Just like the little nurse had said, patients solely suffering from mental illness weren¡¯t scary, and patients solely suffering from AIDS weren¡¯t scary; what was truly scary was when a patient with both mental illness and AIDS had a tendency to attack people.


    What was even more scary was when they found that her oral cavity was damaged.


    Usually, kissing wouldn¡¯t put people at risk for contracting AIDS; however, if the infected person¡¯s oral cavity was damaged, and then she bit people¡­¡­


    That night, Cheng Xi saw the aftermath of this incident on the local news. The headline was sensational: a businesswoman had contracted AIDS at a bar, and then frantically spread it to almost a hundred people.


    Along with the news was a picture of Gong Hengjin before she went crazy. She was dressed in a green blouse and white skirt, emanating a quiet elegance. Because the censoring in the picture was imperfect, even someone like Cheng Xi, who was relatively unfamiliar with her, could recognize that it was Gong Hengjin with one glance.


    Cheng Xi carefully combed through the news. When Gong Hengjin had first started hunting for unaware people to kiss on the streets, many people had thought that this was a new hidden-camera-type game. Due to how pretty and fashionable she seemed, quite a few men took advantage of her, but when they let their guards down, she bit them.


    Since none of her victims had known that she was infected with AIDS, no one had thought anything more of it. At most, they scolded her or smacked her away after being bitten.


    That was, until this morning, when she was stopped by a ¡°good-intentioned person¡± while she was roaming the streets. That person wanted to send her home, but while the two were tussling, she suddenly shouted that she was ill. Only then did someone call the police. When the police arrived, they noticed that she seemed to be mentally unstable, and only then did they finally notify her relatives and call some psychiatrists from Renyi over.


    Cheng Xi immediately sent the news article to Shen Wei and then called her. ¡°Do you know anything about this?¡±


    Shen Wei started laughing. ¡°She¡¯s not a particularly renowned person! How would I know what she¡¯s been up to?¡±


    ¡°Shen Wei!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suspecting me?¡± Shen Wei¡¯s tone cooled down, as if she had become faintly agitated. ¡°Then call the cops! See if they can catch me! And you¡¯re probably unaware, but she called the cops on me the day she was confirmed to have AIDS. At that time, the police proclaimed me innocent, and all her accusations were tossed out as unfounded ones. This is all a result of her wanting too badly to be Mrs. Fu. In her hallucinations, she thought that I had hired someone to hurt her and that I killed someone. But now that she¡¯s been sent over to you, isn¡¯t that just more evidence for her insanity? She¡¯s gone crazy and inflicted suffering on an untold number of people. What does that have to do with me?¡±


    Cheng Xi fell silent, only saying slowly after a while, ¡°If I¡¯ve misunderstood you, then I apologize. However, I hope that you understand what you¡¯re saying and what you¡¯re doing. People always say that one should repay their debts and avenge their grievances. However, doing so in an uncontrollable fashion is simply evil with a motive. Revenge is a poison. While it offers a temporary reprieve, it will inevitably lead to damnation. Shen Wei, in my heart, you¡¯re the most perfect woman I know. You¡¯re willing to love and hate freely, fiercely independent, intelligent, rational, but still gentle and kind. We¡¯ve been good friends for so many years, so I won¡¯t suspect you. I¡¯ll stand by your side to the end, but you have to love yourself. Don¡¯t make me turn around in the end only to find that all the people by my side have vanished.¡±


    Then Cheng Xi hung up without waiting for a response. She covered her face in agony and remained silent for a long stretch of time. When Lu Chenzhou saw her, he rubbed against her a little. She ignored him, and then his hand directly reached into her clothes.


    Cheng Xi forcefully stopped him. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I¡¯m in a very bad mood right now.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou obstinately replied, ¡°I¡¯m also feeling very bad. We should be rolling around in bed, but we¡¯re currently wasting our time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, and his face once again became the taunting expression of a faraway god looking down at a stupid mortal. ¡°What are you worrying about? You¡¯re not the one who commited evil deeds, you¡¯re not the one who harmed others, and if you couldn¡¯t have stopped it or dealt with the aftermath, what¡¯s there to worry about?¡± As he said this, he pulled out a strip of paper. ¡°What you should be worrying about right now is that you haven¡¯t tested yourself today, and I very much dislike shooting it outside!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was already hugging her again and trying to pry her clothes off. Cheng Xi noticed that his movements were surprisingly gentle, and as she continued to hold onto his hand, she hesitatingly asked, ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­ are you trying to console me?¡±


    His hands stilled for a moment, and then he fiercely yelled, ¡°Shut up!¡± before he kissed her.


    But on that day, he really didn¡¯t go at her too ferociously. For the most part, they hugged and silently cuddled in bed.


    Even though he still ended up harassing her for most of the night, Cheng Xi was surprisingly touched by his thoughtful actions. o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    But just as she started feeling a little better, an unexpected person came to find her the next day.


    Fu Mingyi.

 Chapter 157: He Too, Can Get Jealous

    Honestly, Cheng Xi had no desire to see Fu Mingyi ever again in her life, since he was the source of this whole affair. But he had called her again, and so Cheng Xi could only acquiesce to his request to meet for a little after work.


    They met in a small coffee shop by the hospital. Fu Mingyi had specifically requested a corner table. He was much thinner, had uncut hair, an unkempt face, and was even wearing a hat. He gave off such a different impression than usual that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even recognize him at first glance.


    But she wasn¡¯t too sympathetic; after all, he was the root cause of all that had led up to today.


    She sat down with a serious expression. When a waitress came over to ask what she wanted, Cheng Xi coldly said, ¡°Give me a glass of water for now. I¡¯ll order the rest later.¡±


    But she had no intention of having a meal with him at all; when the employee left, Cheng Xi directly asked him, ¡°Why did you come looking for me?¡±


    Fu Mingyi looked at her, deadpan. ¡°Do you know everything?¡±


    ¡°Know what?¡±


    ¡°That I was hurt badly by Gong Hengjin, that slut?¡±


    Cheng Xi actually understood the mindset of people like Fu Mingyi: for them, it all came down to the fact that, whatever happened, he wasn¡¯t the one at fault. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to argue over semantics with him because, by this point, the fallout from his marriage¡¯s drama had left no winners behind.


    She disdainfully replied, ¡°Is this why you came here to find me today?¡±


    Fu Mingyi spread his hands out, and only then did Cheng Xi realize that he had concealed an ATM card beneath his hands. He pushed it toward her. ¡°A million yuan. If you make her rot in there, this money¡¯s yours.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at that card, and almost wanted to laugh. She didn¡¯t say anything, merely getting up and preparing to leave.


    ¡°Is it too little? With Lu Chenzhou as your backer, Dr. Cheng, is a million yuan just peanuts to you?¡±


    Cheng Xi stopped. The waitress had just brought the water over, and Cheng Xi raised the glass in front of her. When the waitress saw Cheng Xi¡¯s posture, she became a little frightened, and quickly ran off with her tray. As she did so, she kept looking backwards, and even Fu Mingyi looked somewhat nervously at the¡­¡­ glass in Cheng Xi¡¯s hand.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s hand was trembling slightly. She lifted the cup, and Fu Mingyi instantly dodged aside. The water that he¡¯d expected to land on his face never arrived; instead, she had drowned it in one gulp in an imposing manner, and then walked out.


    As she passed by the waitress, she casually took out 50 yuan from her bag. ¡°For the water. I don¡¯t need any change.¡±


    At the time, Cheng Xi had felt that her actions were really cool. If she could even afford to buy fifty-yuan tap water, then what need did she have for his money? But by the time she arrived at her apartment, her anger had dissipated, and there was only regret remaining. Fifty yuan for a glass of tap water; how expensive!


    Later in the night, when Lu Chenzhou returned, Cheng Xi told him about her encounter. ¡°Someone insulted me with money today.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was confused. ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°A million yuan to buy my professional ethics.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too cheap.¡± Cheng Xi was just about to agree when she heard him continue. ¡°Given your current salary, five million yuan seems more accurate.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. ¡­¡­Is the profession that I plan on dedicating my life to only worth five million yuan?


    Lu Chenzhou felt that she looked very interesting when she glared at him with her cheeks puffed out. He thought that she was about to get mad, but then in the blink of an eye, she gritted her teeth and praised, ¡°Five million yuan. Mr. Lu, you¡¯ve got quite the eye.¡±


    In that situation, Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t stop himself from laughing. He had recently realized that, whenever he was together with Cheng Xi, he would invariably feel very happy and be able to relax without any pressure at all. No matter what he did or what he said, it all seemed all right to her.


    It really seemed like he was starting to like her. Even though he didn¡¯t know what it felt like to like someone, he wanted to see her daily and wanted to go home right after work. That counted, didn¡¯t it?


    ¡­¡­


    And so this matter passed without another mention. Fu Mingyi never came to find her again, and sometimes, when Cheng Xi was free, she would review Gong Hengjin¡¯s case. The diagnosis that Ceng Xing and the others had given her was ¡°traumatic mental impediment.¡± From Cheng Xi¡¯s point of view, this diagnosis was quite accurate.


    As expected, after a targeted treatment, Gong Hengjin¡¯s emotions quickly calmed down, and not long afterwards, she was transferred to a regular ward.


    Cheng Xi would often see her walking around, and sometimes, the two of them would even cross paths. When they did so, Gong Hengjin would only glance at her coolly, not saying a single word to her.


    At the start of May, Chen Jiaman was finally able to follow behind Cheng Xi and walk all the way to the big hospital courtyard and see the large peach tree growing there. Besides this professional success for Cheng Xi, the Chen and Lu families also finally met up. During this period of time, Cheng Xi was extremely busy. In fact, on the day of the meeting, she spent the entire day in thesis defenses, and when her parents and Lu Chenzhou called her, asking where she was, she could only ignore all of their calls and send them a hurried text message back, saying that she would be there slightly late.


    The two families had agreed to have dinner by the Mei river, at a private restaurant that had a reputation for very good seafood. It wasn¡¯t very big, and the location was also remote, so when Cheng Xi finally arrived, all she could see were the lights by the two shores of the river and the thread-like pedestrians connecting them. Even after meticulously searching around, she couldn¡¯t seem to find the location, so she could only call Lu Chenzhou and ask him to pick her up. While she waited for him to arrive, she stood by the side of the road, overcome with boredom as she looked at children playing by the park near the shore.


    As if from a dream, she suddenly heard a familiar voice call out to her from behind. ¡°Cheng Xi.¡±


    She turned around and saw Lin Fan.


    He was standing there quietly under the lamplight. His gaze was as clear as ever, and his expression gentle; however his lips were slightly blue and his face a bit sallow.


    That hint of sallowness gave him a much more timid demeanor, reminding Cheng Xi of when he had sat behind her in class in their youth.


    But her heart had already anchored in another harbor. When she glanced at the female jacket draped over his shoulder, she smiled. ¡°Hello. What a coincidence.¡±


    He also smiled. Then, he unconsciously tightened his grip on the clothes in his hand as he asked, ¡°You¡¯re here¡­¡­ waiting for someone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m having dinner with my family, but I can¡¯t find the restaurant. So, I can only wait for them to pick me up.¡±


    Lin Fan grunted awkwardly. At this time, they didn¡¯t really have much to say to each other. However, Lin Fan also didn¡¯t want to leave, so he asked her about Chen Jiaman¡¯s situation. After getting married, he hadn¡¯t visited Chen Jiaman since, and although Cheng Xi knew that he had his own reasons for doing so, she was still a little disappointed in him, which was reflected in her detached answers.


    As they chatted, Cheng Xi suddenly looked happily past Lin Fan. ¡°He¡¯s here.¡±


    Lin Fan turned around and saw Lu Chenzhou.


    Lu Chenzhou was walking toward them at a slow and unhurriedly pace. As he approached them, he neglected to greet Lin Fan and only extended his hand towards Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi smiled, grabbed his hand, and then said to Lin Fan, ¡°I¡¯m going to go first. See you around.¡±


    Her greeting wasn¡¯t particularly impolite, but it was precisely this sort of unintentionally politeness that best expressed how far they had drifted apart.


    But Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t understand what her farewell meant, that it was only because she had really let go of her feelings towards him that she was able to act so calm, so at ease. As the two held hands and walked towards the restaurant, he saw her smile as brightly as a flower. Unbidden, his thoughts kept going back to what Gong Hengjin had said that day: ¡°Aren¡¯t you also like that, thinking about Lin Fan in your heart, but staying with Director Lu instead?¡±


    In the past, he hadn¡¯t cared about whom Cheng Xi wanted to be with in her heart. However, when he actually saw her standing next to that man in person, he couldn¡¯t stop an unfathomable annoyance, vexation, and unease from surfacing in his heart.


    He thought back to that wedding countless months ago, when he had seen her chatting with him with a happy gaze and gentle lips. Then, he thought about how he himself had then suddenly gone over and handed her condoms.


    As it turned out, when he first met her, even before he had learned to love, he had experienced what it was like to feel jealous.


    He too could get jealous.

 Chapter 158: With Malicious Inten

    t


    Perhaps it was because they¡¯d been together for quite a while, but Cheng Xi detected Lu Chenzhou¡¯s abnormal emotional state very quickly. The private restaurant was deep in an alleyway, and the lighting wasn¡¯t very good here. She raised her head, noticed his slightly clenched lower jaw, and immediately grabbed his hand tightly.


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou, are you upset?¡±


    He turned around, glanced at her briefly, and then honestly replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like seeing you around him.¡±


    Cheng Xi stilled for a moment, and asked in disbelief, ¡°Are you jealous?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou replied with a serious expression, as if it were to be expected, ¡°I¡¯m learning to.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She wasn¡¯t able to hold her laughter back and a chuckle or two spilled out. Lu Chenzhou looked at her with a dissatisfied expression, and Cheng Xi quickly said, ¡°I¡±m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to intentionally laugh at you. We only met up coincidentally, and we were talking about Chen Jiaman¡¯s affairs. Don¡¯t worry. We probably won¡¯t see each other for quite a while.¡±


    But when Cheng Xi was saying this, she didn¡¯t anticipate that, she¡¯d actually be forced to meet frequently with Lin Fan for this entire month. At the time, she was just clutching Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand and saying with a smile, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯re too cute! But even if you¡¯re learning to be jealous, you have to do so for the right reason. Lin Fan and I¡­¡­ Even if he were an angel sent from heaven, I wouldn¡¯t get involved with a married man.¡±


    Only then did Lu Chenzhou¡¯s facial expression improve slightly. On the surface, however, he looked as though he was even colder and more inapproachable than usual. In the end, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t dare to laugh too much at him, and just happily walked to the restaurant with him.


    Of course, the main reason why she was happy was because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s awareness over his own emotions seemed to be improving, as signified by the fact that he responded to them, unlike before.


    Cheng Xi was ultimately late to the dinner because of her work, and the elders of both families took that into account, but in quite different fashions. Her mother grumbled, ¡°You arrived so late! Everyone¡¯s waiting for you, almost as if no one else has anything important to do!¡±


    Meanwhile, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents graciously replied, ¡°Aiya, work is important. It¡¯s fine even if we wait a little.¡± They then even commented on how hard Cheng Xi had to have been working, and lovingly pulled her next to them.


    Even Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father said, ¡°It¡¯s good for young people to work hard.¡±


    Upon hearing all this, Cheng Xi smiled a little, and her gaze landed on Lu Chenming, who was sitting opposite her. He had found a corner seat and was originally sneaking secret glances at her with his head low, but when he saw her look over, he quickly turned his head away with a red face.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but smile at his antics, and then she greeted them all in turn. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s family had all gathered here today, and as for her own family, Cheng Yang was on a business trip, so he was the only one who was unable to make it. After Cheng Xi¡¯s mother finished enumerating her daughter¡¯s multiple shortcomings, she didn¡¯t forget to mention her son either. ¡°Don¡¯t say something like that! You¡¯re going to over-coddle them and make them think that their work is as important as the president¡¯s. My son¡¯s like that too. He said that he was going to come, but then something came up at work that required his urgent presence so much that he had to take an overnight flight over.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather replied, ¡°It¡¯s far better for young people to be working hard than to be sitting at home idle.¡± And then he criticized his own grandchildren as well, tossing out some vague descriptions. ¡°The older one doesn¡¯t come home, and the younger one stays home far too much.¡±


    Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou were sitting side by side, and, along with Lu Chenming opposite them, the three of them suffered in silence as their elders castigated them. Luckily, the food arrived quickly, and they didn¡¯t have to listen for too long.


    After all, since this was the first time the two families had met, they didn¡¯t discuss anything too important. According to Cheng Xi¡¯s mother, this was just a part of the process for the two families to get to know each other, and there wasn¡¯t a need to rush into marriage. But Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother jumped into the topic, saying, ¡°With the way they are now, their marriage can be in whatever style they¡¯d like. However, I still feel like we shouldn¡¯t have one of those new-fangled marriages where they drop the banquet in favor of travelling around. Neither of our two families have a lot of children, so we really do need to have a ceremony. After all, in a woman¡¯s entire life, how can she not go through a few ceremonies?¡±


    These words spoke to Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s heart, and the two of them sat side-by-side for the rest of the dinner. One called the other auntie, and the other sister. Yes, they were really getting along quite well.


    On the other hand, Cheng Xi¡¯s father and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather quickly began discussing financial affairs¡ªeven though Cheng Xi¡¯s father was only in charge of a small diner, he tended to pay close attention to national matters, and always watched the daily news. He wasn¡¯t able to come up with grandiose statements, but something general like,¡°The price of raw goods has really skyrocketed these last few years. It¡¯s getting so much harder to do business,¡± was something he could easily chat about.


    Lu Chenzhou and Lu Chenming didn¡¯t talk very much, but Cheng Xi would occasionally exchange a few words of conversation with the both of them. Overall, this dinner was quite lively and harmonious. After the dinner concluded, it had been prearranged for Lu Chenzhou to take Cheng Xi and her family home, whereas the rest of the Lu family would be driven home by Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father. As Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother left, she even pulled on Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s sleeve and said, ¡°Let¡¯s meet and talk more in the future.¡±


    As for Cheng Xi¡¯s mother, she invited Lu Chenzhou¡¯s family over to their place. ¡°If you¡¯re ever free, please feel free to stop by our place. We don¡¯t have much, but we can still get you some things that are hard to find in the city.¡±


    The two seemed unable to separate.


    That night, Cheng Xi¡¯s parents stayed in the apartment opposite Cheng Xi¡¯s. When they first saw the signpost by the door, their lips twitched, rendered speechless by Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s antics.


    Once they entered the apartment, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother quickly chased Lu Chenzhou away with an excuse about trying to find something, and then Cheng Xi¡¯s parents dragged her Xi into a discussion about the dinner¡ªthey had to rush it, because Cheng Xi was still working the next day, even though it was a weekend. Afterall, she had to finish all her tasks by the time graduation came around.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother went straight to the point, saying, ¡°The Lu family seems to be pretty easygoing.¡±


    Her father was also pleased with what he had seen. ¡°They really don¡¯t seem like a rich family at all, and don¡¯t have the normal pretentiousness that you often see.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. Not only were the Lu family not pretentious, but she also honestly felt that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents were a very well-grounded couple.


    Her mother then said, ¡°When talking about marriage, you really have to take a close look at the other party¡¯s family. If everyone else in the family is kind and understanding, then the person himself also won¡¯t be too bad. And as far as I can tell, everyone from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s family is pretty decent. Lu Chenzhou himself also isn¡¯t too bad, and besides the fact that he talks too little and always looks a bit dazed, he seems trustworthy.¡±


    Cheng Xi started smiling upon hearing her mother¡¯s evaluation. It seemed like Lu Chenzhou wouldn¡¯t be able to rectify his image as a dolt in her mother¡¯s mind that easily, but at least it didn¡¯t affect the overall picture. After all, her mother continued with her assessment, saying, ¡°Being a bit dazed also implies that his personality¡¯s pretty direct, and that he won¡¯t be sly, devious, or anything like that.¡±


    In summary, the Cheng family was very pleased with the Lu family, who was rich but not ostentatious. With Lu Chenzhou growing up in such a family, it wasn¡¯t strange for him to become enamored with Cheng Xi despite their differences in background, and Cheng Xi wouldn¡¯t be at a disadvantage if she did marry into their family.


    The Lu family also were quite satisfied with Cheng Xi¡¯s parents. Additionally, they had no problems with Cheng Xi herself, and honestly, even if they did, as long as Lu Chenzhou was willing to marry a female, then they would be fine with whomever he chose. And since they really had a good opinion of Cheng Xi, they were very open-minded about Cheng Xi¡¯s parents.


    And since both sides were satisfied, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents very much wanted them to get engaged quickly. ¡°Getting engaged is a good idea because then you can wait a little before getting married.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father seldomly commented on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s affairs, and he didn¡¯t do so now either, only saying, ¡°Do whatever you like.¡±


    This comment angered his grandparents quite a bit. ¡°Is he even your son? We even had to prod at you endlessly to get you to dinner tonight. You¡¯re not even going to give an opinion for something as important as this?!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father raised his eyebrows, and then coolly said, ¡°Does he treat me like his father? The two of you can handle his affairs however you¡¯d like, and if you need me to be around, then just let me know.¡± And with those words, he swished his sleeves and left.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents could only stare at his back. But when they remembered that their little grandson, who was already twenty-something years old and about to graduate, was still there, they reluctantly dropped their anger and asked for his opinion as a gesture of goodwill. ¡°Chenming, what do you think about your brother¡¯s girlfriend?¡±


    Lu Chenming lowered his head, his eyes red, and only after quite a while did he say, ¡°Not good.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    Lu Chenming gritted his teeth. ¡°She¡¯s a vile person!¡±


    ???


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents were dazed.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 159: She Seduced Me!

    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents had only asked for Lu Chenming¡¯s opinion out of goodwill, and didn¡¯t expect to receive a serious answer.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Dr. Cheng?¡±


    ¡°What did she do to you to make you feel that she¡¯s a bad person?¡±


    But Lu Chenming stopped speaking, and his grandfather became so angry that he started pounding at Lu Chenming¡¯s shoulder. ¡°All you know how to do is spout nonsense!¡±


    Lu Chenming buried his head and stubbornly replied, ¡°I¡¯m not spouting nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Then tell us what she did! Why do you think that she¡¯s not a good person?¡±


    Lu Chenming kept his head down and refused to respond. His grandmother stooped down to look at him, and to her shock, his eyes were red with tears welling up. She couldn¡¯t help herself from trying to comfort him. ¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯re not blaming you, but if you know something, then you have to tell us. Saying that she¡¯s a bad person out of nowhere¡­¡­ What are we going to think? You know how hard it¡¯s been for your brother to find a girlfriend, and yet you¡­¡­¡±


    But before she could finish, Lu Chenming had escaped from them and rushed up the stairs.


    ¡°Ah, what¡¯s wrong with this child?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents looked at each other, both concerned. With how strange Lu Chenming¡¯s behavior was, the two of them really were starting to suspect that something was wrong. Afterall, even though Lu Chenming didn¡¯t speak up very often and was quite timid, he almost never lied. If he said that Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t a good person, then it could very well be true that he had found out about something bad that she¡¯d done.


    But if he just threw down such a crazy proclamation and then ran away, of course the two of them would feel anxious and worried, all right?!


    So, the next day, Lu Chenzhou was summoned back home by his grandparents. But since he didn¡¯t know why, he had brought Cheng Xi with him. They had come straight from Cheng Xi¡¯s workplace, so she was still wearing her professional work. Since she had been working on preparing for thesis defenses these last two days, her clothes were very formal and mature; today, she was dressed in a blazer and casual pants that were the same shade of light purple, giving her a smart and dashing appearance.


    Cheng Xi had brought some considerate presents for everyone as well: a small bracelet for Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother, an ornate snuff bottle for Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather, tea leaves for his father, and a pair of earphones for Lu Chenming. None of the gifts were particularly expensive¡ªshe didn¡¯t have much time to pick them out as Lu Chenzhou¡¯s invitation had come at the last minute. Actually, she had bought them from a shop on the way over. Lu Chenzhou knew nothing about what his family liked, so she even had to call Lawyer Du and ask for his advice. Her gifts didn¡¯t look like much, but she had put quite a considerable amount of thought into them.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents could tell how thoughtful Cheng Xi¡¯s gifts were, and so, despite scrutinizing her carefully from every angle, they couldn¡¯t see anything about her that would make Lu Chenming so upset: the woman in front of them smiled gently, was pleasant to listen to, and had a bright gaze and a warm attitude. Could it have been a misunderstanding?


    When Cheng Xi saw their faces, she thought that they had something to discuss with Lu Chenzhou. As she searched around for an excuse to leave, she conveniently saw that the housekeeper was about to bring the cat outside, so she said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out and take a walk outside with Daggry.¡±


    When Lu Chenzhou first bought this cat, Daggry, it had been thin and small, but by now it was already starting to border on becoming fat and rotund. In consideration of its future health, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents had decided that it had to be walked around a little once at morning and once at night.


    Lu Chenzhou nodded coolly.


    And so Cheng Xi went out with Daggry and the housekeeper. As she left, Lu Chenzhou and his grandparents stared at her back, all of them a little dazed. Only after quite a while did Lu Chenzhou break the silence, asking, ¡°Alright, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Both of his grandparents found it hard to broach the subject. Only after a while did they tactfully ask, ¡°You and Dr. Cheng are getting along fine, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything bad about her, is there?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked towards them, his tone a little colder this time as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Outside the house, Cheng Xi looked at Daggry, who was happily walking along on its small stubby legs, and felt a small urge to laugh. She had never raised a small animal before and thought that this little cat was quite cute. In her mirth, she asked the housekeeper, ¡°Can I lead it along?¡±


    The housekeeper handed the leash over, and Cheng Xi walked at the front with the little cat following slightly behind while the housekeeper brought up the rear slowly. They didn¡¯t walk too far, just circling around the Lu family¡¯s backyard. In the beginning, Daggry was quite happy, but as it kept on walking, it slowed down and eventually refused to move anymore. It had spread its body on Cheng Xi¡¯s feet and was pretending to be dead, refusing to move no matter how she prodded it. Cheng Xi poked at it with a finger, and it seemed to think that she was going to rub its fur. In an adorable move, it twisted around and exposed its cute little belly for Cheng Xi to poke some more. When she turned it back around, it stuck its little legs up and turned itself back around again.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry.


    As she happily played around with the cat, she suddenly heard Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice drift out of the house from above her. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of what you said to our grandparents?¡±


    It was from an upstairs bedroom.


    Cheng Xi was right below that window, and the window wasn¡¯t closed, so she could clearly hear the conversation.


    It seemed as if the Lu siblings were talking about something. Cheng Xi felt that it would be impolite to eavesdrop, but just as she was about to carry the cat away, she heard Lu Chenzhou ask, ¡°You know Cheng Xi? What has she done to make you feel like she¡¯s not a good person?¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked by the accusation. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Her hands, which had picked up the cat, subconsciously lowered again. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words were a bit mystifying to her, really. Did Lu Chenming think she was a bad person? Just what could she have done or said that would make this shy and introverted fellow still attend her class with that opinion of her?


    So while she wasn¡¯t intentionally trying to eavesdrop, she was a little curious. In the end, she remained half-standing by the window. When she saw the housekeeper approaching her from afar, she even waved her away, and the housekeeper stopped, somewhat puzzled.


    Lu Chenming didn¡¯t respond to his brother¡¯s question, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone turned impatient. ¡°Lu Chenming, I¡¯m not a patient person, so I¡¯ll give you one last chance to respond. If you want to say something, then this is your last chance; if not, then keep it bottled shut for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you three seconds to decide.¡± And then Lu Chenzhou began to count down unhurriedly. ¡°One, two, three!¡±


    Honestly, Lu Chenzhou was already being pretty warm towards Lu Chenming by giving him three seconds to decide. If it were anyone else, then he probably wouldn¡¯t even have wasted his time counting down.


    Such was Mr. Lu¡¯s personality.


    As soon as he said ¡°three,¡± Cheng Xi heard some footsteps approach the door. Evidently, Lu Chenzhou had lost his patience and was directly walking away.


    But at the same time, Lu Chenming¡¯s voice rang out, and he hoarsely yelled, ¡°She seduced me, but then she turned around to marry you!¡±


    ¡­¡­!!! So this was what he had meant when he had said that she was a bad person!


    But when had she seduced him?


    Clearly, Lu Chenzhou was also wondering the same question, because she heard his cool voice ask, ¡°When?¡±


    Perhaps Lu Chenming felt like he had already said the scandalous important part, so Lu Chenming unhesitatingly answered, ¡°Before she got in a relationship with you!¡± He even sounded a bit sulky, as if he was thinking, Brother, you¡¯re a small-minded person. How could you steal my woman away from me.


    Perhaps Lu Chenzhou was also thinking the same thing, because he fell silent for quite a while.


    And then Cheng Xi heard Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother¡¯s trembling voice, ¡°Are you sure that it¡¯s her?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°She said that she liked you?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather¡¯s panicked voice came out from the window. ¡°Wait, old woman, old woman¡­¡­ Don¡¯t be like that, don¡¯t be so anxious. Calm down¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother began to cry. ¡°How could something like this happen?!¡±


    Given the huge mess developing upstairs, even though she was shamelessly eavesdropping, Cheng Xi felt like she had to stand up and speak out for herself. She straightened herself up, walked a few steps into the line of sight of the window, and yelled out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you, but can I say something?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s entire family was stunned by this turn of events.

 Chapter 160: I’ll Forgive You

    When all the Lu family members suddenly heard Cheng Xi call out from below, they all felt their scalps go numb. Lu Chenming was the first to regain his senses, and he drew back the curtains and yelled out, ¡°What else do you have to say? I even gave you my blessings, but why did you have to go for my brother? You¡¯re too loathsome!¡±


    As soon as he yelled this out, he started to cry. As he wiped his tears away, he shut the curtains again, ran into his bed, and buried himself in his blankets.


    Cheng Xi was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She swore, she really didn¡¯t do anything!


    She earnestly looked up at the window. This time, Lu Chenzhou appeared in front of the window. He looked at her and coolly said, ¡°Come up.¡±


    And so, Cheng Xi went upstairs with the cat still in her hands. The housekeeper had clearly heard Lu Cheming¡¯s yell just now, and when she saw Cheng Xi move to go back into the house, she quickly stretched out her hands and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give Daggry to me.¡±


    Even she was looking at Cheng Xi with a funny expression.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have the luxury to care about what the housekeeper was thinking, so she handed the cat over, brushed some remnant cat hairs off of her body, and headed upstairs.


    She had to say, the Lu household really was quite large. When she had been walking around slowly just now, she hadn¡¯t realized its full extent, but when she was actively trying to rush back indoors, she felt like she had to walk a very long way.


    However, Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t in that much of a hurry. It was just a troublesome issue to clarify; she was certain that she and Lu Chenming hadn¡¯t had any sort of excessive contact, and the only reason why he would think that she had seduced him was that he had some sort of mental conditions brought on by unrequited love. She had seen this sort of patient before; one of the most common symptoms was that the patient would stubbornly stalk the other party, and even extrapolate from any brief encounters with the other party that the two of them were in a relationship. Afterwards, when the patient found out that the other party had a boyfriend or husband, they would feel as if they¡¯d been betrayed, and, in the most severe cases, might even lead the patient to commit murder.


    Such patients tended to be antisocial, gloomy, and find holding conversations with other people difficult. As a result, they would push all of their emotion baggage onto their unrequited lover, and Lu Chenming¡¯s personality did indeed seem to match that of such patients¡­¡­ In the blink of an eye, Cheng Xi had already thought up a few treatment plans. However, she never expected that, when she finally entered Lu Chenming¡¯s room, he really did have evidence of the two¡¯s ¡°romance.¡±


    There were rows upon rows of chat logs, all of them kept encrypted within his phone as if they were treasures. There were even some photographs of Cheng Xi, and the backdrop of each photograph was always Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s house or even Cheng Xi¡¯s own house. There was even one of her in a doctor¡¯s lab coat in the hospital!


    Cheng Xi rarely ever posted pictures of herself on social media, so these could only have been sent over privately.


    At this point, she really wanted to yell out, When on earth did this happen? Why didn¡¯t I know about this at all?


    She glanced at Lu Chenming, who had given her his phone and then retreated back inside his blankets like a turtle, and then asked, ¡°Can I see these chat logs?¡±


    She didn¡¯t get a response.


    When Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents saw these things being pulled out, they instantly became mentally and physically weary. Unable to bear it any longer, they stood to the side and didn¡¯t say anything.


    Lu Chenzhou walked toward the side of the bed, leaned over, and roughly prodded the blanket. ¡°Come out and unlock your phone. If it¡¯s true, then I¡¯ll return her to you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s harsh words rendered Cheng Xi speechless.


    Even though she knew that Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t an ordinary person, her heart still went cold whenever she heard him say things like this. She took a deep breath, only able to mask her discomfort.


    Lu Chenming hesitated for a moment before actually coming out. He first looked at her with eyes as red as a rabbit¡¯s before lowering his head and taking his phone back from Cheng Xi¡¯s hands. He slowly unencrypted the files and then returned the phone to her even as he stole another glance before retreating back into his blankets like a frightened rabbit.


    Lu Chenming¡¯s actions also rendered Cheng Xi speechless.


    She was really curious about how the Lu family had managed to raise two siblings with such contrasting personalities.


    Lu Chenming had evidently built up quite a number of files in this folder, but they were all labeled very cleanly¡ªhe had also carefully sorted all the chat logs by both date and topic.


    In this aspect, he was somewhat like Lu Chenzhou, neat, tidy, clear, and ordered.


    The most recent folder was from February, around Lunar New Year, and the earliest folder was February from four years ago. Back then, Cheng Xi had been getting her Ph.D. under Cai Yi¡¯s direction, and given how much Lu Chenming¡¯s looks and personality made him stand out, Cheng Xi was absolutely certain that she hadn¡¯t met him then.


    As she pondered over all this, she opened the first chat log. Originally, she had been calm and composed, but when she saw the log, her face blanched.


    Lu Chenming¡¯s chat log had been copied directly from the messaging program, and not only were the chats timestamped, but they even had both parties¡¯ IDs.


    There were two IDs, one, ¡®smiling_and_proud,¡¯ and the other, ¡®icey.¡¯


    The only time Cheng Xi had ever used the moniker ¡®icey¡¯ was in a game that had gotten really popular a few years back, ¡®Escape from the Apocalypse.¡¯ It had been snowing on the day she had registered for an account, and so she had called herself ¡®icey.¡¯


    The first stranger that she had befriended in ¡®Escape from the Apocalypse¡¯ was ¡®smiling_and_proud.¡¯ The two of them had met on a battlefield, and Cheng Xi had thought that his skills were very good, and he had also thought that Cheng Xi was quite a decent player. So, the two of them had added each other as friends after the battle.


    She had never expected that this ¡®smiling_and_proud¡¯ who seemed to be lively and cute in-game would actually be the shy and introverted Lu Chenming¡­¡­ The gap between them was so large that she really couldn¡¯t comprehend it!


    The chat logs revealed that the two of them¡¯s conversation was really quite boring. It was mostly them praising each other¡¯s performance in battle, and occasionally, there¡¯d be an, ¡°Are you free today? Let¡¯s team up and join a match.¡±


    Cheng Xi flipped through the logs of quite a number of days, and all the content seemed to be the same. She then realized that she had only played this game until May. And then, it had become graduation season and she had gotten really busy, so she had quit.


    She hadn¡¯t touched the game since, but there was a period when Cheng Yang was so bored that he had wanted her to help him level up. Since Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have the time to do so personally, she had simply given him her account details.


    At this point, Cheng Xi could essentially guess at what had transpired afterwards. Evidently, at first, the Cheng Yang who had taken over her account only responded to ¡®smiling_and_proud¡¯ when he felt like it. Then, one day, when ¡®smiling_and_proud¡¯ told him that his surname was Lu, the chat logs between the two of them inflated rapidly.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s expression suddenly changed.


    Lu Chenzhou was watching her quietly, and then he saw her expression change suddenly¡ªeven if it was all but imperceptible, he was still able to detect it. His eyebrows raised themselves subconsciously, and his lips tightened.


    Cheng Xi continued to scroll through the chat logs for quite a while before hurriedly putting the phone away and asking, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Perhaps this is a little too inappropriate, but Chenming, can you send me these records?¡±


    As Cheng Xi lowered her head to continue to scroll through the records, the other three members of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s family looked at her. When they saw her calm demeanor, they couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly hopeful, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother even asked, trembling as she did so, ¡°It¡¯s all fake¡­¡­ isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t reply. She didn¡¯t even know where to start explaining, and she could only give her an apologetic look as she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t clarify this right now. However, please believe me when I say that I¡¯ll give all of you a thorough explanation for all this.¡± And then she looked towards the blankets and gently said to Lu Chenming, ¡°Chenming, please give me some time to explain all of this to you, alright?¡±


    The person hiding the blankets was silent for a moment, and then finally responded, ¡°Alright. If you can explain everything clearly to my brother, then I¡­¡­ I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±


    Cheng Xi had no response. ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

 Chapter 161: You Like Men?

    Lu Chenming¡¯s statement did not merely mean that he would forgive her.


    Rather, he was actually saying that, after she cleared things up with Lu Chenzhou, he would forgive her... and be willing to be with her.


    To abandon the elder brother and go for the younger one instead¡­¡­ Just what in the world had Cheng Yang used her account to do in the last four years?


    When Cheng Xi thought back to the dinner with both of their families, she remembered how Cheng Yang had suddenly ¡°needed to go on a business trip.¡± Before that, he had even asked her, unprovoked, about whether or not she had met Lu Chenming yet. And even before that, when he had first heard that she was dating Lu Chenzhou, Cheng Yang¡¯s behavior had been very strange.


    Clearly, Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t imaginative enough, because she had always thought that Cheng Yang just wanted to pull a bit of business over his way after establishing a connection to a family as influential as the Lus. However, she never could have ever imagined that he would use her game account to fool around with other people on the Internet!


    She was really about to go crazy! If Cheng Yang were in front of her right now, then Cheng Xi thought that she¡¯d undoubtedly beat him up ruthlessly.


    Her hands were even itching to find a knife!


    Cheng Xi forcefully suppressed the anger in her heart, and after transferring the chat records to her inbox, immediately left.


    No one stopped her; in fact, when she stepped out of the room, a small hole appeared in Lu Chenming¡¯s blankets. He looked at her balefully through that little hole, and Cheng Xi looked back at him with complicated feelings in her heart.


    But she didn¡¯t dare tell him a joke or even speak to him at all this time. Instead, she twisted her head around and left as soon as their eyes met.


    It was only when she walked out of the Lu household that she realized that she¡­¡­ Didn¡¯t! Have! A! Car! On top of that, there was no public transportation near the Lu family¡¯s house, and if she tried to walk¡­¡­ She¡¯d have to walk pretty far, and Cheng Xi didn¡¯t intend on doing so.


    Instead, she opted to call Cheng Yang. ¡°Where are you? Come pick me up.¡±


    Cheng Yang unknowingly replied, ¡°Ah, where at? I¡¯m out on a trip.¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going to give you my location. You can either come yourself or call someone over. It¡¯s up to you.¡±


    And without waiting for a reply, she hung up, sent Cheng Yang her coordinates, and sat down by the roadside to rest¡ªshe had to rest, because she was so angry that her chest was hurting. She really couldn¡¯t walk!


    Not long after she sat down, Lu Chenzhou actually drove by in his car. When Cheng Xi saw him, she felt somewhat at a loss for words. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t look angry, and he stopped the car by her as he leaned against the car window and lazily asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you moving?¡±


    Cheng Xi stared at him somewhat sulkily. ¡°I just seduced your brother. If you¡¯ve learned to be jealous, then why aren¡¯t you jealous of him now?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her as if he were looking at an idiot. ¡°Who am I supposed to be jealous at, given how angry you are?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi waved her hands powerlessly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to leave?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou frowned. ¡°You¡¯re really going to walk back?¡±


    Cheng Xi took a deep breath and managed to hold herself together as she said, ¡°Can you please stop looking at me like that? If you don¡¯t stop, I¡¯ll really start doubting my own intellect.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou actually listened to her and changed his gaze. However, it merely went from looking at her like she was a fool to looking at her like she was a foolish mortal.


    She didn¡¯t want to waste her energy bickering with him, so she said with resigned fatigue, ¡°You can leave first. Someone else is going to pick me up in a bit.¡± She really couldn¡¯t spend too much time with Lu Chenzhou. Otherwise, her anger would dissipate and she might be too nice to Cheng Yang when she saw him next.


    Lu Chenzhou suspiciously asked, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her again, and then really did drive away. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t expect that he would just leave like that, so she ended up with a mouthful of exhaust.


    Oh, very good. I¡¯m actually even angrier now!


    At the beginning, Cheng Xi had only wanted to see how Cheng Yang would respond to her accusations; she wasn¡¯t certain that her hypothesis was right¡ªor at least, perhaps she just wanted to keep hoping that moral standing wasn¡¯t that poor. However, she didn¡¯t expect that, after Lu Chenzhou left, Cheng Yang would drive up and personally fetch her himself.


    When he arrived, Cheng Xi had already walked out of the Lu family¡¯s household¡¯s district and was sitting outside the big iron gate, waiting for him. Cheng Yang got out of his car and glanced inside the gate. ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± His expression turned serious, as if he were about to get into a big fight with someone. ¡°Did the Lu family chase you out?¡±


    Cheng Xi expressionlessly replied, ¡°Yes. Are you going to help me relieve my anger?¡±


    Cheng Yang rolled up his sleeves, but when he saw that Cheng Xi was looking at him with a cold and silent stare, he quickly stopped, rolled his sleeves back down, and eased his expression into something less serious. Then, he got close to her and chucked. ¡°You¡¯re teasing me again, aren¡¯t you? For a talented person like my sister, you¡¯re the only one who would be chasing other people out. Who could chase you out?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him with a weary heart, and then got into the car without saying a word.


    Cheng Yang attentively followed her in. Even after they started driving off, he still continued to put on a show for her, trying to make her laugh. Cheng Xi only looked on coldly, and she even felt a little sad for him.


    Honestly, he was really nice toward her.


    But when he discarded his moral principles, he really didn¡¯t have a baseline left at all. Cheng Xi took another deep breath, reminding herself to not argue with him and to remain rational. When they arrived at her apartment, Cheng Xi invited him up, but Cheng Yang refused. It was then that she lost all patience with him; she lifted him up by his collar and furiously stated, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Cheng Yang yelped out a string of, ¡°Ah~ Ah~ Ah.¡± Then, he pleaded, ¡°You¡¯re going to strangle me to death, to death! I¡¯ll go up with you, alright?!¡± He quickly got out of the car, locked it, and went up. Even as he did so, he kept muttering, ¡°Sister, ever since you started your relationship with Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯ve gotten a lot fiercer.¡± He even poked her in the arm a few times. ¡°I keep feeling that the sister I brought back is a fake.¡±


    His ¡°fake sister¡± didn¡¯t even bother giving him a supercilious look.


    Only then did Cheng Yang really start to feel a little afraid. When he recalled that she had come from the Lu family¡¯s house, he¡­¡­ really wanted to run¡­¡­


    Cheng Xi exited the elevator and saw that her brother wasn¡¯t following behind her anymore. However, without turning around, she placidly said, ¡°Run away if you dare.¡±


    And Cheng Yang¡­¡­ didn¡¯t dare. Even though he was the older brother and Cheng Xi¡¯s temper was generally gentle, when she truly became angry, he couldn¡¯t do anything but comply.


    Cheng Yang bitterly entered Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment with her. Because he was still preoccupied with his own thoughts, he didn¡¯t even notice that Cheng Xi had brought them into the apartment next door.


    The two of them sat down on the sofa, with Cheng Xi in the middle and Cheng Yang on the side. He was so nervous that his butt was slightly smushed against the side of the sofa, giving him a pitiful appearance.


    Cheng Xi glanced at him. ¡°It looks like you also know what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    Cheng Yang stubbornly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. But given your expression, you¡¯re angry at me¡­¡­ right? Are you angry that I picked you up late? Or are you angry that I didn¡¯t show up for the dinner between the Lu family and our family? Or are you angry¡­¡­¡± The rest of his words trailed off as he automatically swallowed them as Cheng Xi¡¯s quiet gaze only deepened. His head drooped. ¡°Alright, what did I do? Tell me, my sister.¡±


    He still refused to admit to it.


    But Cheng Xi could understand him a little. After all, it was the nature of man to indulge in wishful thinking, for them to not admit to guilt even when the evidence was right before their face.


    She unlocked her phone, opened up the screenshots that she¡¯d grabbed from Lu Chenming¡¯s phone, and then put her phone in front of him. ¡°Explain yourself.¡±


    Just like Cheng Xi a few hours ago, Cheng Yang¡¯s face instantly contorted uncontrollably as soon as he saw the ID in the chat logs. He silently cursed in his mind. Crap, there¡¯s so much evidence here that I can¡¯t even lie.


    Cheng Xi knew that he was very good at lying and deception, and she didn¡¯t want to hear any of it. So, she preemptively shot down his final excuse. ¡°Don¡¯t try to tell me that you gave my account to someone else. Cheng Yang, you shouldn¡¯t be so cowardly.¡±


    Cheng Yang was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Who said that I was cowardly?¡± Cheng Yang slapped his palm on the table a bit too forcefully, hurting his own hand. As he grimaced and rubbed his hand, he said in annoyance, ¡°Yes, I was the one using your account. I used it to pretend to be you to play a joke on Lu Chenming. Are you satisfied?¡±


    ¡°Just a joke?¡± Cheng Xi stared at him, enunciating every word clearly. ¡°Or has my brother always liked men?¡±


    Ka-blum! Cheng Yang¡¯s lower jaw dropped so far that it almost hit the ground.

 Chapter 162: The Power of Love

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around like this,¡± Cheng Yang said, with a tinge of traumatized shock. ¡°Your brother¡¯s a straight male, a steely type.¡±


    He thought that his words were witty, but Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even crack a smile. She looked coldly at him. ¡°You know, brother, I wish that the truth was that you were truly attracted to him. Otherwise, you would be intentionally manipulating his attraction towards me.¡±


    Cheng Yang muttered, ¡°Mom would kill me.¡±


    ¡°If she didn¡¯t beat you to death, then would you really like him?¡±


    Cheng Yang glared at his sister, but then deflated in the next moment. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you do all that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The reason was honestly too embarrassing to say out loud, and he braced himself as he spoke his next words. ¡°Can you not interrogate me like a criminal? It¡¯s really quite scary.¡±


    ¡°Brother!¡± Cheng Xi was about to slap the table herself.


    Cheng Yang could only surrender. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll say it. It was just a joke¡­¡­¡± He squinted and glanced at Cheng Xi. When he saw that her face was still frosty, he changed his story again. ¡°Alright, I was trying to do some business with Donglai Corporation through him.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do business with Donglai Corporation in broad daylight?¡±


    ¡°See, this is why I didn¡¯t want to tell you the truth.¡± He even sounded justified as he explained, ¡°Do you know how hard it is to do business? Do you know how hard it is to do business with Donglai Corporation in particular? Your brother doesn¡¯t have any connections or a big company, so even if I praise myself as a lovely flower in my bid document, no one would even glance at it.¡±


    ¡°So you¡­¡­ made use of Lu Chenming?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s too hard to get close to?¡±


    ¡°Cheng Yang!¡±


    Cheng Yang trembled. Cheng Xi only ever yelled at him like this once in a blue moon. Throughout the span of his entire memory, she had only ever done so once before, when they were both in middle school. Their grandmother had been sick, and nobody at home had enough spare time to pay any attention to him. He became a bad student, hanging out with other hoodlums and skipping class, either by going to an Internet cafe or by going to a cinema and secretly watching age-restricted movies. Then, they would run around with some other delinquents and peek on girls in the area¡­¡­ Then one day, as he was sneaking out from someone else¡¯s house, he saw his sister standing outside with an ashen face and a big stick in her hands, as broad as his arm. As he fell to the ground in fear, she had swung it at his leg.


    Cheng Yang had become extremely scared of her ever since the beating, and even though his school life didn¡¯t improve by much, it also didn¡¯t degrade further.


    This time, however, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t beat him up. Instead, she started crying, huge tears steadily rolling down her face. In truth, this was even more scary than a beating. Cheng Yang jumped up in shock. ¡°Why are you crying? I¡¯m wrong, alright? I made a mistake!¡± He couldn¡¯t find any tissues, so he leaned over and used his clothes to wipe her tears away. ¡°I really didn¡¯t have any malicious intent behind those actions. I thought that it was all just a joke.¡±


    Cheng Xi was really disappointed in him. ¡°If you truly thought that it was just a joke, then why did you avoid meeting Lu Chenming? Why would you have such a guilty conscience that you wouldn¡¯t even dare to meet him? It''s because you know that it wasn¡¯t a joke, or at least, that it wasn¡¯t a joke at all to Lu Chenming. Right?¡±


    Cheng Yang pursed his lips, not saying anything.


    ¡°Brother, how could you be like this? Do you know what the one thing that you absolutely can¡¯t play around with in this world is? It¡¯s other people¡¯s emotions! Some things can¡¯t be resolved just because you brush it off as a joke. The moment you sent those words over, you sentenced Lu Chenming to pain and suffering! Especially so given his personality. He¡¯s sensitive, detail-oriented, introverted, and bad with words. He put his entire being and all his emotions into the Internet, believing that you¡¯re female, believing that you¡¯re a kindred soul, believing that, even through the Internet, that you really do love him. Thus, he put all his effort into loving you back. Over these past two years, he¡¯s attended almost all of my classes, through wind and rain. Doesn¡¯t this show how much effort he¡¯s put into this relationship, into believing and loving the fake persona that you¡¯ve crafted over the Internet? And then you¡¯re just going to dismiss this as a joke? Brother¡­¡­ how could you be like this?¡±


    She stared at him, her passion fading as she slowly asked, ¡°Have you forgotten about Grandmother? About why she went crazy? About why she died? Have you forgotten?¡±


    ¡­¡­


    When Cheng Xi finally returned home, she felt completely drained and exhausted.


    Lu Chenzhou was sitting on the sofa with his laptop on his lap. When she went over, about to lean on his shoulder, she saw that he was actually watching¡­¡­ A! Sexual! Movie!


    To be specific, it was a third-category movie [TL: for sexual or violent content] from Korea. No matter how good the plot was or how pleasing the aesthetics were, it was still a third-category movie, alright? And what¡¯s more, the scene she had happened to look at really hurt her eyes!


    She wasn¡¯t sure whether she should feel happy that Lu Chenzhou was still interested in sex after all that had happened at his family, place, because he didn¡¯t seem like he cared about her ¡®cheating¡¯ on his brother at all! But she still felt an additional dose of exhaustion: after having dealt with one worry, she found that she still had another one waiting for her at home.


    Cheng Xi closed his laptop and then looked at him seriously. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, don¡¯t you care about the truth? Aren¡¯t you angry?¡±


    He didn¡¯t even change his posture as he looked at her and coolly replied, ¡°I already know the truth. There is only one person who could get so many pictures of you, and also make you that mad: your brother. As for why I¡¯m not angry¡­¡­ Why should I be angry that someone was stupid and got swindled by someone else?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­But he¡¯s your brother, and this could be a very traumatic experience for him.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m a cold-blooded person? That I¡¯m scary, because I don¡¯t even care for my family?¡±


    Cheng Xi took a deep breath, and then quickly relaxed. ¡°Why do you have to make it sound so serious? What does any of this have to do with being cold-blooded? It¡¯s just that you¡¯re calmer than the average person, and able to see the problem from an overall perspective.¡± She tried to lean in closer, and when he didn¡¯t reject her, she relaxed. ¡°You¡¯re actually quite angry as well, aren¡¯t you? Usually, you won¡¯t talk to me as severely as you are now.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou remained silent. He didn¡¯t agree with her, but if she wanted to think that, then he didn¡¯t mind.


    Cheng Xi continued to talk. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It really was my brother who did something that stupid and made Lu Chenming misunderstand.¡± Regardless of whether Lu Chenzhou wanted to hear it, Cheng Xi still told him everything. She started with how when she had gotten busy, she had stopped logging into the game for a long time. When her brother logged on with her account for the first time in awhile, Lu Chenming naturally contacted him. Cheng Yang wasn¡¯t all that interested in responding until he found out that Lu Chenming was a member of the Lu family. Only then did Cheng Yang suddenly become very interested. He¡¯d been salivating over Donglai Corporation¡¯s installation projects for a while, but Lu Chenzhou was too hard to get close to, and he had no connections to larger businesses to beg from either. Lu Chenming gave him a strand of hope, so he had pretended to be Cheng Xi, teasing Lu Chenming and leading him on over the Internet unscrupulously¡ªas an experienced businessman, swindling a newbie like Lu Chenming wasn¡¯t difficult at all. But since he was afraid of being exposed, he had even pretended to be two people by using the game account to introduce his real self to Lu Chenming. Then, when Donglai Corporation¡¯s hotel in Hainan was inviting bids, he had Lu Chenming help him get some benefits.


    Cheng Yang had intended to make their ¡°breakup¡± take place more naturally, but he had never expected Cheng Xi to actually become familiar with Lu Chenzhou, or that the two of them would actually get into a relationship together. Cheng Yang had sped up the breakup, and accidentally made ¡°Cheng Xi¡± seem like she had discarded the powerless younger brother for the more powerful older one.


    After Cheng Xi explained the entire situation, her face was burning red in shame. Lu Chenzhou rubbed his lower jaw thoughtfully as he commented, ¡°The power of love really is great.¡±


    Cheng Xi was confused by his reaction. ¡°¡­¡­???¡±


    She had to try very hard to restrain herself from calling him silly.


    As the older brother, did he understand the negative influences that this could have on his younger brother if it wasn¡¯t handled well at all?

 Chapter 163: Let’s Fight!

    After Lu Chenzhou made that empty observation, he even glanced at Cheng Xi, and his meaning couldn¡¯t have been more clear. Why haven¡¯t I seen you do something like this in the name of love?


    Cheng Xi was rendered speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou seemed to take her silence as an indication that she didn¡¯t understand what he had said. So, he elaborated, saying, ¡°Chenming usually acts like a wallflower, but I was surprised that he almost started a fight with me because of you!¡±


    This was an exaggeration; Lu Chenming wasn¡¯t really about to fight anyone. Rather, he was just proclaiming his ¡°priority.¡±


    Cheng Xi facepalmed. ¡°That wasn¡¯t me!¡±


    ¡°Someone pretending to be you is still you.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even respond, because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong¡ªfrom Lu Chenming¡¯s point of view, someone pretending to be her might as well be her. Additionally, Cheng Yang and she were even twins. Not only did that fool take her name, but he also imitated her speech patterns and mannerisms and talked about her hobbies and interests. Of course, those who knew Cheng Xi well would still be somewhat doubtful as to whether it was truly Cheng Xi talking. After all, Cheng Xi wouldn¡¯t have such a sly and crafty undertone even if she were making a joke, but Lu Chenming didn¡¯t know her well at all. After he discovered that ¡®icey¡¯ taught at a medical school and found out when her classes were, he¡¯d go over daily just to secretly watch his ¡°sweetheart.¡± And from what he knew of Cheng Xi, she was intelligent, talented, and even humorous. Just like ¡®icey¡¯, right?


    Cheng Xi looked at Lu Chenzhou. She could tell that Lu Chenzhou thought highly of his little brother, but for some reason, he truly wasn¡¯t mad even when his little brother was being ¡°teased.¡± Instead, he was merely confused about how ¡°love¡± could make someone change so much.


    She started getting slightly choked up, and only after quite a while did she ask, ¡°When you said that you¡¯d give me to him if it was actually me messaging him, was that for real?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou straightforwardly responded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cheng Xi stared blankly at him.


    ¡°But you weren¡¯t the person who responded, correct?¡±


    Cheng Xi ground her teeth in frustration. ¡°And what if it were?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even think before answering. ¡°Then I¡¯d give you to him!¡±


    Cheng Xi clenched her teeth, preparing to beat him to death, but then Lu Chenzhou said, ¡°Of course, I¡¯d beat you up first before doing so.¡±


    How¡­¡­ how savage.


    But what was even more savage was that Cheng Xi was a little pleased by his savage response. She relaxed her jaw, and looked at him expectantly. ¡°So in the end, is it because you¡¯d be jealous?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lu Chenzhou sharply countered. ¡°It¡¯s just that in that situation, I feel like no matter who you end up with, it¡¯ll be troublesome for my brother and me.¡±


    ¡­¡­It was so reasonable that Cheng Xi had no response.


    She could only accept his explanation for why he had been prepared to give her up, and in the process, she also had an epiphany that it was unrealistic to hope for this guy to unlock his emotions through jealousy. There was no fast way to absolve his mental condition. Thus, she stopped talking about these little things, and instead directly said, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, let¡¯s fight.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou evidently misunderstood what she meant by ¡°fight¡± as he immediately agreed with an ¡°Alright.¡± He started taking his clothes off when he paused and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take a bath first.¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked. ¡°!!!¡±


    She abruptly stopped him, her forehead lined with black streaks. ¡°Not this sort of fight.¡± She grabbed his hand and raised it to her face. ¡°Will you slap me twice?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face was serious. ¡°Hit me hard. It¡¯d be ideal if you left some sort of mark or something.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was really confused now. ¡°Why?¡±


    Cheng Xi replied, ¡°My brother was too rash and reckless this time, so I have to give him a harsh lesson. Otherwise, he won¡¯t understand just how big of a mistake he made this time.¡±


    ¡°So, because he bullied my younger brother, you want me to bully his older sister?¡±


    Cheng Xi thought for a little before nodding.


    Lu Chenzhou retrieved his hand and his expression turned similarly severe. ¡°I don¡¯t hit women.¡± But as he said this, he leaned closer and bit her face. ¡°But I can bite you.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face was then bitten until it was swollen red all over.


    ¡­¡­


    Cheng Yang was staying next door. Currently, he was scrolling through his chat records with Lu Chenming. This fellow wasn¡¯t reflecting on his actions, but was rather searching for a loophole in the logs and a way to get off of the hook.


    Then, just as he thought that he might have seen something promising, he heard a sudden ¡°Peng!¡± come from next door. It was muted, almost as if something had smashed onto the floor. He was so shocked that he jumped up.


    His sister was next door, and for something like this to be happening now¡­¡­ He quickly jumped off of the bed. When he opened the front door, he saw Lu Chenzhou step out of Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment. His gaze was even frostier than usual, and his departure forceful.


    Cheng Yang was shocked.


    Were they fighting?


    When Lu Chenzhou saw Cheng Yang, he didn¡¯t even look at him as he slammed the door behind him with a loud ¡°Bang!¡± and then stomped off furiously into the night.


    This scene gace Cheng Yang a bad feeling. He leaped over towards the other apartment and scanned his fingerprint, only to find that it was invalid. He hurriedly entered his code, found that it too was invalid, and so could only resort to slamming on the door while shouting, ¡°Cheng Xi! Cheng Xi! Are you alright?¡±


    Cheng Xi calmly opened the door; her cheeks were red, her eyes watery, but her expression remained exceptionally calm.


    ¡°Jesus, he hit you?!¡± Cheng Yang was furious, and he rolled up his sleeves, about to rush out after Lu Chenzhou.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t hit me.¡± Cheng Xi called her brother back, her tone still cold.


    Cheng Yang resentfully replied, ¡°You¡¯re even going to cover for him?¡± He pointed at her face. Right now, he felt like his blood was burning and his heart was pounding madly, as if the skin under his finger was about to erupt. Honestly, he was so mad that his eyes were even about to turn red. ¡°If he¡¯s not the one who hit you, then who else could have done it? You?!¡±


    Cheng Xi obstinately replied, ¡°Yes! I hit myself.¡± She tilted her face towards him as she then said, ¡°I feel like, given what¡¯s happened, I don¡¯t have the face to be with him anymore. So, I decided to break up with him. He refused, so I could only hit myself until he was willing to do so.¡±


    Cheng Yang frustratedly yelled, ¡°Are you crazy?!¡±


    Cheng Xi adamantly replied, ¡°What else could I have done? Do you think that I could still be with him after all this?¡±


    The siblings glared at one another, one calm and still, and the other angry and huffing. Finally, the angry and huffing one surrendered, stamping his feet and squatting on the floor. ¡°Alright, I just need to tell him the truth and get his forgiveness without hurting him, right? I¡¯ll do it!¡± Cheng Yang looked up at Cheng Xi, gritted his teeth, and unwillingly said, ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you say, alright?¡±


    He was such a cowardly man that he didn¡¯t even have the courage to own up to what he had done.


    Cheng Xi really wanted to strangle him!


    Luckily, Cheng Yang at least truly did care for her, and he would do anything to pacify his only sister when she was upset. Thus, he had reluctantly promised to think of a way to explain things clearly to Lu Chenming without hurting him further, and he actually did find such a way.


    It wasn¡¯t a good idea to go to the Lu household¡ªthat would be too overt and public¡ªthis kind of matter was best settled privately.


    On Monday, Lu Chenming had class, so Cheng Yang planned on finding him then. That day, Cheng Xi coincidentally also had to go to the university, so they drove over together¡ªthe two schools were adjacent to each other, and even the front doors were right next to each other.


    But because she didn¡¯t feel at ease, Cheng Xi secretly tailed Cheng Yang. As if nothing had happened, he walked up to Lu Chenming¡¯s classroom with large, confident strides and asked a random passerby, ¡°Ah, you, can you call out Lu Chenming for me?¡±


    Lu Chenming was called out. He had a suspicious expression on his face, and when he saw Cheng Yang, he shyly asked, ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡±


    Cheng Yang curled his finger at him, beckoning for him to approach.


    Lu Chenming carefully took two steps forward.


    Cheng Yang abruptly grabbed his neck, dragged him to a corner, and elbowed him viciously. ¡°You little brat, are you the one who¡¯s slandering my sister? Who¡¯s saying that she¡¯s a fickle and licentious woman?¡±


    Cheng Xi, who had been following behind them all the while, saw the entire thing. ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

 Chapter 164: Are You Stupid?

    Cheng Xi wished that she could drag Cheng Yang out and kill him right now.


    But the following sequence of actions were so bizarre that she was frozen in place as she watched on, speechless. After Lu Chenming figured out Cheng Yang¡¯s identity, he was actually quite happy to see him. After a moment of panic and blank stares, he said somewhat shyly, as if he were pleasantly surprised, ¡°Brother~¡±


    He truly was Lu Chenzhou¡¯s brother only in name, as evidenced by his sweet and intimate call towards a non-family member.


    Cheng Yang was somewhat disturbed by his response, as was Cheng Xi, who was still hiding in a corner.


    Cheng Yang hesitatingly asked, ¡°¡­¡­If you knew that I was her brother, then why would you slander my sister?¡±


    What surprised Cheng Xi the most was that, even though Lu Chenming behaved a little awkwardly in front of Cheng Yang, he was more courageous than usual. With a red face, he then stammered out, ¡°You really don¡¯t look like ¡®icey¡¯ at all.¡±


    This time, it was Cheng Yang¡¯s turn to be speechless, and he fiercely replied, ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense! Don¡¯t expect me to let you go just because you helped me out before. I¡¯m only going to tell you this once. If you keep smearing my sister¡¯s name and make her any more upset, I¡¯ll give you a big beating!¡±


    As Cheng Yang said this, he even waved his fist around threateningly, and his big fist finally roused Lu Chenming from the reverie he had fallen into upon seeing his ¡°sweetheart¡¯s¡± brother. With a wronged tone, he quickly protested, ¡°I didn¡¯t slander her. I was the one who met her first.¡±


    ¡°You stubborn mule!¡± Cheng Yang pulled him upright and slapped his head. ¡°What did I tell you before? Was that all for nothing? Everything over the Internet is just a lie, alright? A lie! At one point, I had ten female characters as a wife at the same time over all the games I played. Do you think that I had to take responsibility for any of that in real life? Are you crazy?¡±


    When Cheng Xi heard her brother¡¯s words, she felt like she had a good idea of what he was planning. This fellow wasn¡¯t actually going to admit to the fact that he had used a female character to tease Lu Chenming. Instead, he was probably going to try to persuade Lu Chenming to think more clearly using his identity as Cheng Yang.


    After mulling over Cheng Yang¡¯s strategy for a little bit, Cheng Xi felt that it might have a chance of working. After all, even though Cheng Yang had been a terrible student, he had deep insight into how people thought. It was so much so that it made Cheng Xi a little jealous. When they were small, both siblings helped out at their parents¡¯ diner, and no one, from a five-year-old kid to an eighty-something old grandmother, had ever disliked him at all. Her brother had a big mouth, and was able to make others laugh and feel at home from the very beginning. Even Lu Chenming seemed to have bought into his act.


    If Cheng Yang could merely hide his guilt and convince Lu Chenming of the truth, it would likely work.


    Since Cheng Yang wasn¡¯t just messing around this time, Cheng Xi felt relieved. Even though she would still have to bear the crime of seducing Lu Chenming, as long as it was a result of her brother¡¯s actions and there was peace afterwards, she didn¡¯t mind.


    When Cheng Xi returned home that night and told Lu Chenzhou about Cheng Yang¡¯s plans, she also asked him, ¡°What do you think the probability of my brother succeeding is?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou replied with three terse words. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see.¡±


    He had replied to her lazily, as if he couldn¡¯t care any less about it.


    But Cheng Xi wouldn¡¯t let the topic go that easily. She insisted that he talk about Lu Chenming some more, even requesting, ¡°Please help me check up on Chenming. And if you¡¯ve got nothing better to do, you should chat with him a bit.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou frowned in annoyance. ¡°Why do you care so much about this?¡± From his perspective, this wasn¡¯t a big deal at all.


    Cheng Xi staunchly replied, ¡°He¡¯s your brother. If we don¡¯t deal with this problem thoroughly, it¡¯ll affect the relationship between us.¡± Cheng Xi knew that Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t care too much about Lu Chenming¡¯s situation because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s stance was that since the person who had played around with Lu Chenming wasn¡¯t Cheng Xi, then if Lu Chenming couldn¡¯t wrap his head around the truth, then it was his own stupidity to blame. As a result, Cheng Xi had to bluntly say, ¡°If his thoughts don¡¯t change, I¡¯ll start to feel guilty, and in order to absolve that guilt, then even if it meant going bankrupt and destitute, I¡¯ll definitely break up with you.¡±


    Despite what Cheng Xi said, and despite her attempt to be reasonable with him, and even despite her threat to break up, it was the word ¡°guilty¡± that finally convinced Lu Chenzhou.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    And after that, he would always take some time to check on his brother once in a while.


    Of course, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s method of giving attention to his family members was also very strange. In this instance, he called Lu Chenming and merely asked, ¡°Are you free?¡±


    After Lu Chenming said that he was, Lu Chenzhou sent someone to pick him up and drive him over to his place. There, the two brothers sat there and stared at each other for a few minutes. After Lu Chenming inevitably became uncomfortable and started sweating nervously, Lu Chenzhou finally asked, ¡°Do you still want her?¡±


    Lu Chenming nodded shyly. Even though he was afraid of Lu Chenzhou, he was also very clear on what he had to say in front of his brother.


    The truth. Nothing more, and nothing less.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t get mad. He just cooly replied, ¡°Oh,¡± and then didn¡¯t speak another word.


    With that, he sent Lu Chenming back, leaving him very confused.


    That night, Lu Chenzhou told Cheng Xi, ¡°It didn¡¯t work.¡±


    How could Cheng Xi have extrapolated what had happened from those few words? So, all she said in reply was, ¡°It¡¯s fine. As long as his feelings haven¡¯t intensified, that¡¯s good enough. Just let my brother try talking to him a little more.¡± And then she instructed, ¡°Keep checking up on him too.¡±


    And so, whenever Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t too busy, he¡¯d call someone to bring Lu Chenming over and sit down with him for a few minutes. It would always last until Lu Chenming¡­¡­wanted to die. However, he was stubborn enough to never relent in front of Lu Chenzhou.


    At the same time, after Cheng Yang and Lu Chenming ¡°got to know each other,¡± they started to become ¡°close friends¡± in real life even though the former thought that the latter stayed at home too much and went out too little. In fact, Cheng Yang even said, ¡°Given what you do in real life, how many females have you actually met? It¡¯s because you¡¯ve seen too little of the real world that you grew so attached to an online relationship, you know?¡±


    So, whenever Cheng Yang had the time, he would drag Lu Chenming out to a nightclub. Of course, they started with something mild, like just inviting a few drinking buddies along and having fun. Lu Chenming was soft, delicate, and liked to blush, so all the girls treated him like a younger brother, and they particularly enjoyed teasing him. Every time this happened, Lu Chenming would hide behind Cheng Yang, and Cheng Yang would pretend to scold everyone. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s my brother! You¡¯re not allowed to tease him like that!¡± In Lu Chenming¡¯s eyes, his ¡°sweetheart¡¯s¡± brother was a larger-than-life personality.


    And perhaps because Cheng Yang¡¯s personality gave him more courage, or perhaps it was because he¡¯d grown used to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s aura after meeting him so often over these past days, but one day, right when Lu Chenzhou was about to send him away, he asked, ¡°Brother, do you really like her?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded without a trace of hesitation. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you like her to the point where she¡¯s the only person in the world for you, where she¡¯s the only person you¡¯d ever be willing to marry?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou seriously considered his question for a little, and then calmly responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I know that I¡¯ve never loved anybody else as much as her before.¡±


    Honestly, this really wasn¡¯t a deep confession or anything for Lu Chenzhou; these were just his heartfelt thoughts. For this fellow who loathed troublesome affairs, finding a girlfriend was troublesome enough that he greatly desired to tightly bind Cheng Xi to himself. Otherwise, he¡¯d have to start over from the beginning, make a new plan, pick out more presents, and look at trashy books and ridiculous ¡°action flicks;¡± the energy that he¡¯d have to spend to find a new girlfriend was just too much, ok?!


    But Lu Chenming was really shocked by his brother¡¯s words¡ªas Lu Chenzhou¡¯s brother, even if they weren¡¯t very close, he was still very familiar with what kind of person Lu Chenzhou was. For someone who didn¡¯t even care about his family that much to care so much about Cheng Xi was¡­¡­ incredible. Lu Chenming felt his heart ache, ache with tremendous pain.


    Lu Chenming looked at his brother in a daze. ¡°Brother, what does liking someone feel like?¡± He clutched at his chest and wanted to ask him if it really felt like what the books described: where your heart raced, your soul felt like it was departing, and for her to fill your heart and eyes. However, his heart was aching too much for him to say anything.


    ¡°It feels terrible.¡±


    ¡°???¡±


    Lu Chenming looked at his brother with a stupid expression.


    And then, he heard his brother, who seemed to never partake in worldly affairs, say, ¡°It feels terrible. Whenever I see her, I really want to have sex with her. However, I still have to restrain myself.¡±


    Lu Chenming was speechless.


    Lu Chenzhou asked him with a severe expression, ¡°Do you want to have sex with her whenever you see her?¡±


    Lu Chenming¡¯s face caught on fire with a ¡°Ping!¡± He blushed a deep red, and quickly responded by shaking his head and waving his hands in refusal.


    ¡°Oh, so you don¡¯t really love her then.¡± He looked at the silly little brother sitting in front of him and aloofly lectured, ¡°If you still insist on saying that you love her even if you feel this way, then wouldn¡¯t that just be silly?¡±


    Lu Chenming: ! ! ! ( ¡Ñ o ¡Ñ ) ! ! !

 Chapter 165: Spanking

    Mr. Lu was an elegant and refined man, but he had a particularly crass friend named Baldy. Thus, his understanding of relationships and romance were discussed in conversations like, ¡°Are you doing it today?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You want to do her, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes!¡±


    Although Lu Chenzhou of course knew how to be tactful, he felt that being vulgar sounded better, perhaps because of Baldy¡¯s ¡°education.¡±


    o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    This side of Lu Chenzhou really scared Lu Chenming silly.


    He looked at his older brother, and his entire face and neck area turned a deep shade of red. However, he didn¡¯t dare to admonish his brother for being too crass. In the end, after quite a while, all he said was, ¡°Oh.¡±


    After Lu Chenzhou forcefully transmitted his incorrect understanding of love and relationships to his younger brother, Lu Chenzhou even thought that he had finally enlightened him. He felt somewhat gratified and a little proud. And when he returned home to Cheng Xi that night, he immediately told her, ¡°Chenming has seen the truth.¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked. ¡°Really?¡± She had assumed that for someone as introverted and stubborn as Lu Chenming, it would be very difficult to change his way of thinking. Thus, she asked, full of genuine interest, ¡°You convinced him? How did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Chenzhou seemed to be trying to act modestly. ¡°He¡¯s still young, so he doesn¡¯t know what love really is.¡±


    ¡­¡­The words ¡°doesn¡¯t know what love really is¡± didn¡¯t seem like they should be coming from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mouth, and it made Cheng Xi feel discombobulated. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t fully trust Lu Chenzhou¡¯s appraisal, but she nonetheless smiled and said, ¡°Actually, I think that you¡¯re right. He¡¯s too introverted, so if you have the time, you should find some more opportunities for him to temper himself on.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s choice of words was already very neutral: Lu Chenming wasn¡¯t just introverted; at this point, he was most likely already starting to develop a social impediment. If his environment didn¡¯t quickly change for the better, his future life and emotional development would be greatly impaired.


    In Cheng Xi¡¯s opinion, the best course of action for Lu Chenming would be to immediately undergo therapy. However, because of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s instinctive dislike for doctors and hospitals, she didn¡¯t explicitly say this. Perhaps she¡¯d have a chance to mention it to some other members of the Lu family in the future.


    But Lu Chenzhou actually understood her insinuation, and he asked back, ¡°Are you sure that it¡¯ll be effective?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that he¡¯s still young? If so, then his personality is still forming. Also, in my opinion, it¡¯s always better to do something than nothing.


    Lu Chenzhou thought her words over for a little and then nodded. The next day, he called Lu Chenming over again, this time throwing him into a job as a basic salesperson for Donglai Corporation. Since Lu Chenzhou knew that his younger brother was still in school, he didn¡¯t assign him much work, and even gave him some choices. ¡°You can work wherever you want¡ªhotels, pharmaceuticals, supermarkets, or something else. I don¡¯t care where, but the main point is that you have to go out and help the team with sales on the weekends. Treat it like an internship or something.¡±


    Lu chenming¡¯s mouth made a wide round ¡°O,¡± and it seemed like he was about to burst out into tears. ¡°Brother~~¡±


    But his brother remained hard-hearted, merely glancing at him coldly. ¡°Yes?¡±


    And Lu Chenming had nothing else he could say.


    When he returned to school, he felt completely disheartened; he was studying applied mathematics, and even if he wasn¡¯t a nouveau riche, he had the credentials to become a future engineer. What was his brother thinking, forcing him to enter sales?


    He didn¡¯t even have any real life friends to complain to, so he tapped around on his phone, aimlessly trying to find someone to talk to. And, almost as he thought that he wouldn¡¯t, he finally did. Yes, it was actually ¡°¡®Sweetheart¡¯s¡¯ Brother, Cheng Yang.¡±


    Lu Chenming didn¡¯t dare directly call Cheng Yang, so he instead texted him: Brother, I¡¯m about to die¡­¡­


    When Cheng Yang received this message, he was busy and didn¡¯t see it. However, when he did, he was so shocked that his heart skipped a beat. Poor Cheng Yang was surrounded with people who rarely ever exaggerated; when they said that they were about to die, they meant it. For example, his grandmother, on the day that she had killed herself, had called her grandchildren on the phone and merely said, ¡°Grandma¡¯s going to leave now. Take good care of yourselves in the future.¡±


    And then she really did leave, forever.


    Due to this incident, the Cheng family never talked about death frivolously, not even as a joke. When Cheng Yang suddenly read this message, his horror was only exacerbated by the fact that it had been sent by someone who was suffering from mental trauma and wasn¡¯t in a good mental state to begin with. So when Cheng Yang read the words, ¡°about to die,¡± he automatically assumed that Lu Chenming was being serious.


    In that moment, he disregarded everything else at hand, quickly turned his phone on, and called Lu Chenming. Crap! His phone was off! Cheng Yang¡¯s scalp went numb, and he became so scared that he started sweating buckets. He threw down everything he was working on, ran outside, and called Cheng Xi as he did so. ¡°Sis! Something big¡¯s happening! Something really big! Lu Chenming sent me a text about an hour ago, saying that he was about to die! Contact his family, and tell them to contact the university!¡±


    Lu Chenming normally lived in the university dorms whenever classes were in session.


    Cheng Xi also jumped up in shock, and subconsciously muttered, ¡°It can¡¯t be, can it? His brother even said yesterday that he was getting better.¡±


    ¡°Better, my ass!¡± When Cheng Yang became flustered, his hooligan-like personality surfaced. ¡°That stubborn mule! Even after I spent all my efforts to brainwash him, it seems that all of it just went in one ear and out the other. Quickly, contact his family! I¡¯m running to the university now!¡±


    Cheng Yang then hung up, and Cheng Xi quickly contacted Lu Chenzhou¡ªbetween her brother and Lu Chenzhou, she trusted Cheng Yang¡¯s judgment more. While Lu Chenzhou might be better in all other areas, in terms of emotions and feelings, Cheng Yang was lightyears ahead of Lu Chenzhou. While she had naturally discounted what Lu Chenzhou had said yesterday, she didn¡¯t expect that he would be this far off the mark!


    The Cheng siblings were so anxious that they felt like organs were about to burst into flames. However, when Mr. Lu heard this, all he said was, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be in such a fuss.¡±


    Cheng Xi barely restrained her impatience as she politely asked, ¡°Then, can you contact a professor at the university? Or perhaps one of his close classmates?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had no idea whom he could call. Luckily, he had a reliable assistant, who had already collected all the other students in his dorm¡¯s phone numbers in case he couldn¡¯t reach Lu Chenming when he needed to bring him over to Donglai Headquarters.


    When Cheng Xi called some of them, it turns out that there were no classes in the afternoon, which meant that¡­¡­ No! One! Had! Seen! Him!


    There was no one in his room either.


    All right, it seems that something really had happened.


    Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou both rushed towards Lu Chenming¡¯s university. He had to be there, as Lu Chenzhou¡¯s people had dropped him off there themselves.


    The three of them scoured the entire university and ultimately did find him, all thanks to Cheng Yang¡¯s sharp eyes. They had been about to climb to the tallest local building¡¯s rooftop to get a better view when Cheng Yang turned his head around and suddenly spotted Lu Chenming walking listlessly out of the art building, amidst a whole throng of other students.


    He anxiously yelled out, ¡°Lu Chenming!¡±


    The listless fellow raised his head, and then all three people noticed him.


    Cheng Yang was the first to rush over, ignoring the curious glances from the nearby bystanders as he pulled on Lu Chenming¡¯s collar. ¡°Where on earth were you?!¡±


    Lu Chenmin was shocked by their sudden appearance, and he immediately turned pale and stammered, ¡°In¡­¡­ in class.¡±


    ¡°What class? Don¡¯t you have no classes in the afternoon?¡±


    ¡°I- I- I¡¯m auditing a class.¡±


    For Lu Chenming, auditing classes was a standard, everyday thing; hadn¡¯t he often gone to the medical university next door to attend Cheng Xi¡¯s classes, through wind and rain?


    And since he was even willing to go to a neighboring university, then taking a class in a different college of the same university was no big deal.


    When Cheng Xi heard Lu Chenming¡¯s bewildered reply, she didn¡¯t know whether she should laugh or to cry, but at the very least, she did feel a sense of relief in her heart. As for Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­ from start to finish, he had been cool, calm, and collected. Even when he was accompanying them and searching for Lu Chenming, she hadn''t seen him look anxious even once. Now, he wasn¡¯t angry either, and he merely looked silently at his brother as if he were just another bystander.


    Of the three of them, Cheng Yang was the most agitated. When he saw Lu Chenming¡¯s innocent bunny-like expression, an irresistible urge to smack it welled up, so, ignoring the fact that his brother was right there, Cheng Yang grabbed Lu Chenming¡¯s collar, dragged him to a nearby enclosed park, pushed him against a rock, and started spanking him.


    The pitiful Lu Chenming didn¡¯t even know what was going on.

 Chapter 166: No title

    Chapter 166: [No title]


    After Lu Chenming was thoroughly beaten by Cheng Yang, he became a lot less shy; he didn¡¯t even hide when he saw Cheng Xi, although his face still turned red.


    Cheng Yang hit the back of his head. ¡°Call her ¡®Sister¡¯!¡± And so, Lu Chenming obediently called out, ¡°Sister.¡±


    His voice was very soft, almost as if a mosquito had spoken. Cheng Yang was having quite a bit of fun hitting him around, and was just about to smack Lu Chenming¡¯s head again when he noticed that Cheng Xi was staring at him, retracted his half-raised hand, coughed, and parted his hair awkwardly instead.


    Compared to Cheng Yang, Lu Chenzhou was so calm that he was worse than the bystanders staring at the commotion.


    When he noticed Lu Chenming, he lazily asked, ¡°Why did you send that message?¡±


    Lu Chenming stammered out, ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s just¡­¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything more for what seemed like half the day. Impatient, Lu Chenzhou asked again, ¡°You can¡¯t handle what I asked of you?¡±


    Lu Cheming¡¯s body shuddered imperceptibly, and he softly replied, ¡°No, I can.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded in satisfaction. Cheng Xi and Cheng Yang waited by the side for quite a while, thinking that he was about to say something else, but in the end, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go eat.¡± And that was it.


    The Cheng siblings were both struck speechless by this vague exchange. As they went to get food, Cheng Yang secretly whispered to his sister, ¡°Lu Chenming and Lu Chenzhou aren¡¯t actually brothers, are they?¡±


    Cheng Xi elbowed him to get him to shut up. Actually, she somewhat understood Lu Chenzhou¡¯s thought process¡ªit didn¡¯t matter how loudly one answered or whether or not one¡¯s attitude was problematic; in either case, once the promise was made, all Lu Chenzhou had to do was wait for the results.


    In summary, Lu Chenzhou was an entirely results-oriented person.


    After Cheng Yang got the message that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want him to talk about this anymore, he obediently didn¡¯t bring it up. Succumbing to the mighty force of Cheng Xi¡¯s elbow, Cheng Yang fell backwards in a very exaggerated fashion. He actually landed on Lu Chenming¡¯s body and took advantage of his position to land a hook on his neck.


    Cheng Xi was preparing to slow down when she heard her brother say to Lu Chenming, ¡°Don¡¯t ever do this in the future again. You really almost scared me to the point of crapping my pants.¡±


    She turned around, saw Lu Chenming lower his head, smiling, and she also smiled herself. In her joy, she skipped a couple steps forwards to catch up with Lu Chenzhou, and then linked arms with him while the others weren¡¯t paying attention.


    Lu Chenzhou tilted his head to look at her curiously. ¡°We¡¯re in public,¡± he said seriously.


    Cheng Xi nodded back, just as serious. ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still fighting.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She had completely forgotten that she had been pretending to be on bad terms with Lu Chenzhou in front of Cheng Yang.


    She quietly whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m the type of girlfriend that¡¯ll keep harassing you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows and moved as if to remove his hand from hers, but Cheng Xi read his movements and grabbed onto his hand tightly. They ended up childishly pulling at each other for a while. In the end, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t look at her again, but he couldn¡¯t stop the corners of his mouth from curling up.


    Since Lu Chenzhou was too picky with his food, the four of them ultimately drove to Donglai Hotel for dinner. Neither of the Lu siblings liked speaking very much, so the noble goal of keeping the conversation alive landed on Cheng Yang.


    Thankfully, he was used to such duties, and as he had been in business for so long, he wasn¡¯t afraid of awkward silences either. With the heavy pressure of preserving his sister¡¯s happiness on his shoulders, his primary task was to brainwash Lu Chenming into compliance. While Lu Chenzhou was washing his hands and cleaning his bowl and chopsticks with scalding hot water and Cheng Xi was taking a call, he tried his hardest to defame Cheng Xi in front of Lu Chenming. ¡°I¡¯m serious! She¡¯s so particular at home that it¡¯s about to drive me crazy. There was this one time: she came home and when she saw the socks that I¡¯d just taken off lying on the sofa, my goodness, she immediately grabbed a stool and started beating me!¡±


    His tone was so exaggerated and humorous that Lu Chenming couldn¡¯t stop himself from smiling. He glanced at the door and softly asked, ¡°Does she¡­¡­ hit people often?¡±


    So as Cheng Xi walked back into the dining room, she heard Cheng Yang dramatically shout out, ¡°Of course she hits people! She looks refined, cultured, and gentle right now, right? But I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s all a lie! My sister¡¯s extremely vicious when she starts hitting people. Now that she¡¯s an adult, she only uses a stool to hit others, but when she was small and even more savage, she used to beat me with a rod this thick.¡± As he said this, he stretched his hands out. ¡°One time, she chased me through eight whole streets. In the end, she almost crippled me! I¡¯m not exaggerating! Really, I¡¯m not.¡±


    Lu Chenming gasped. ¡°That fierce?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you to not be deceived by her facade. A person like my sister can¡¯t be handled by just any random person. Only someone like your brother¡±¡ªhe then shot a subtle glance at Lu Chenming, conveying something along the lines of, ¡°You understand, don¡¯t you,¡± as he continued to say, ¡°Could perhaps just be able to tolerate her.¡±


    Lu Chenming started imagining a person as cold as his brother being chased around by Cheng Xi, who was trying to spank him, and he couldn¡¯t help himself from starting to chuckle.


    Since the two of them were having such a good time, they completely forgot about the fact that Cheng Xi was right outside, and that Lu Chenzhou had only gone into the washroom to wash his hands. By the time they finished messing around, both of the people they had just insulted were standing behind them.


    Mr. Lu walked over and methodically wiped his hands clean with a towelette as he asked with a raised gaze, ¡°So what am I like, hmm?¡±


    Meanwhile, Ms. Cheng crossed her arms, looked at the two of them with a spurious smile on her face, and said in a particularly polite tone, ¡°Cheng Yang, it sounds like eight streets was far too few for you. Shall I chase you down a few more?¡±


    ¡°Oh my god!¡± Cheng Yang looked around, so scared that he started trembling, and then hid behind Lu Chenming. ¡°Brother, save me.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t make a move, but Cheng Xi deftly reached oved and pinched the tip of Cheng Yang¡¯s ears. ¡°So you¡¯ve learned to defame me. Not bad.¡± She dragged him into the washroom, keeping a solid hold on Cheng Yang¡¯s ear all the while, slammed the door shut, and then started to brutally ravage him.


    Outside, the two people could only hear Cheng Yang¡¯s screams. ¡°Aaaaah!¡±


    It almost sounded like they were performing an opera.


    Lu Chenming stared at the washroom door open-mouthed, wanting to help but unable to think of a way to do so. In the end, he just twisted his hands anxiously and looked at his brother, particularly helpless.


    Lu Chenzhou, on the other hand, pressed the bell on the table and called a waiter over. ¡°Start the meal.¡±


    The Cheng siblings fought all the way until all the food had come out. Cheng Xi¡¯s face was normal, but Cheng Yang had to limp out.


    Lu Chenming went to his side and fearfully asked, ¡°Are¡­¡­ are you alright?¡±


    Cheng Yang grimaced. ¡°My ass is about to split open.¡±


    Lu Chenming was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    So the Chengs actually did have a tradition of hitting people. He secretly glanced at Cheng Xi: currently, the tyrant-in-hiding, Dr. Cheng, was sitting on the opposite side of the table, and gently trying to curry favor with his elder brother. ¡°Do you want some of this?¡±


    His brother coldly replied, ¡°No.¡±


    Cheng Xi made an ¡°Oh¡± sound and then lowered her gaze.


    Truly, everything had a weakness.


    This false alarm was the final event that helped Lu Chenming get over his feelings for Cheng Xi, the best possible result. Cheng Yang was the only one who ended up suffering, as he had to teach Lu Chenming about sales, ending up as tired as a dog afterwards.


    *********


    By May, Chen Jiaman had become able to sit in the hospital plaza for a short period at a time. As her mental state improved, she finally entered the most important stage of her recovery. However, when Cheng Xi noticed that Chen Jiaman¡¯s feelings were steadily worsening as she blamed herself more and more for killing her own grandmother, she bit her lips and finally called Lin Fan¡¯s mother.


    The hurt and lonely Chen Jiaman needed someone to rescue and redeem her¡ªshe had lost all of her close relatives at too young of an age, leaving her with only feelings of horror and despair towards the future. She needed a sense of security, and this security wasn¡¯t something that Cheng Xi could provide as a doctor.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother picked up the phone, but she never showed up. Instead, as the downpour continued for the fourth day, it was Lin Fan who pushed open the doors to her office.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you for a favor.¡± He stood in front of her, wet and cold, as he spoke in a somewhat miserable tone. ¡°My wife seems to have relapsed. Could I trouble you to take a look at her?¡±

 Chapter 167: I’ll Return Him to You

    Cheng Xi looked at Lin Fan in shock. Of course, what shocked her the most wasn¡¯t that he had come looking for her¡ªhe¡¯d made an appointment under someone else¡¯s name¡ªrather, what shocked her the most was that he had come looking for her at all, rather than someone else.


    She cautiously asked, ¡°Are you sure that you want me to help?¡± She glanced at the fake name he¡¯d booked an appointment under, Meng Yao, and then said, ¡°Actually, I can recommend you to some other doctors that would be more suitable.¡±


    She knew he understood her underlying meaning.


    But Lin Fan shook his head, and in a somewhat apologetic tone, said, ¡°She said that she only wants to see you, and that she only trusts you.¡±


    Cheng Xi was silent, and only after a while, asked, ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°At home.¡± He continued explaining the general situation. ¡°She may be showing signs of a miscarriage, so it¡¯s inconvenient for her to leave the house right now. I wouldn¡¯t have troubled you like this otherwise.¡±


    Cheng Xi muttered under her breath as she thought out loud for a moment. Then, she reluctantly agreed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take a look at her. However, this has to wait until after I get off of work.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Should I pick you up then?¡±


    ¡°Give me your address. I¡¯ll head over myself.¡± As she said this, she handed a notepad to him, gesturing for him to write the address down.


    Lin Fan didn¡¯t press her any further. Only after Cheng Xi finished all her rounds did she learn that he had also visited Chen Jiaman. For him to come all this way here just to entreat her to make a house call, and even doing so during visiting hours¡­¡­ Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether she should think of his actions as considerate or cold.


    Sometimes, intentional consideration was just another form of coldness.


    Cheng Xi asked the nurse on duty, ¡°How did Chen Jiaman respond?¡±


    She was very afraid, but I did sense that she was somewhat curious towards him.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded, and then went to see Chen Jiaman again. She wasn¡¯t feeling all too bad right now, and was currently sitting on the bed with a pile of snacks in front of her. When she saw Cheng Xi, her eyes lit up, and she cutely called out, ¡°Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡±


    She pointed at the snacks in front of her, and then tilted her face as she asked, ¡°Dr. Cheng, is he really my brother?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s expression became slightly dazed, and only after a while did she tighten her grip and quietly say, ¡°They all told me that he¡¯s a bad person.¡±


    This ¡°they¡± naturally referred to the people who had been by her side back then: her relatives, neighbors, and perhaps even Chen Jiaman¡¯s father and grandmother.


    Cheng Xi asked her in a neutral tone, ¡°Then, what do you think of him?¡±


    She shook her head, perplexed. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Good. Don¡¯t make snap decisions. Actually, I¡¯ve known him for many years now, and we were even classmates in the past.¡± She then explained her past history with Lin Fan. ¡°He¡¯s a very studious and hardworking person. When I first met him, he refused to talk, but he had a good heart. One day, there was a thunderstorm, and lightning nearly struck the window by me. I was so scared that I couldn¡¯t even sit down in my seat, which was by the window. But at that moment, he unexpectedly stood up and offered to switch seats with me. After that, I got to know him better, and he¡¯s really not a bad person at all. However, no one¡¯s perfect, and the words ¡®good¡¯ and ¡®bad¡¯ are both relative. As long as people have a baseline that they won¡¯t cross, then they¡¯re good people.¡±


    What Cheng Xi told Chen Jiaman was quickly proven to be correct. Whether or not people were good or bad was relative, and it depended solely on the person judging.


    That evening, after work, she went to the address that Lin Fan had given her. He had long since moved out of the original apartment that he¡¯d been renting; after he got married, he had bought a new house. The location wasn¡¯t the best, but the house was very big, as it was a duplex with almost 650 square meters. The interior decor wasn¡¯t particularly luxurious, but it was still a comfortable home.


    Cheng Xi knew that Lin Fan had truly put his best effort into marrying Meng Qingyang just by looking at this house.


    Since Meng Qingyang was pregnant, the Lin family had employed a nanny to look after her. On the ride over, Cheng Xi had carefully perused through Meng Qingyang¡¯s pregnancy medical records, and she indeed had the initial symptoms for a miscarriage. After staying at the hospital for forty days and then going home to recuperate, she had reported a poor appetite, low sleep quality, and sudden mood swings. The gynecologist had instructed her to rest in peace, avoid any kind of stimulation, stay calm throughout her pregnancy, and consult a psychiatrist as necessary.


    When Cheng Xi arrived, Lin Fan was also at home, and the nanny was currently feeding Meng Qingyang dinner.


    That¡¯s right, she was really being fed. At their feet, Cheng Xi could see some leftover food scraps that hadn¡¯t been cleaned off, and there was even a bowl and chopsticks by the foot of the bed.


    When Meng Qingyang saw Cheng Xi arrive, she pushed the nanny away. ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat anymore.¡±


    The nanny glanced at Lin Fan, who waved his hands to shoo her away, and only then did he bring Cheng Xi inside.


    Meng Qingyang was sitting on the bed, looking at her steadily. ¡°You go out as well. I want to have a private conversation with just Dr. Cheng.¡± It had been almost half a year since Cheng XI had last seen Meng Qingyang, and she hadn¡¯t changed very much. However, her complexion had obviously gotten a bit paler, and her cheeks slightly spottier. Her slightly uplifted cheekbones only added to her jaundiced look.


    However, Lin Fan stood still without moving, which triggered Meng Qingyang. She suddenly exploded as she lifted the cellphone by her bed and threw it at him. ¡°Scram! Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡±


    An embarrassed look appeared on Lin Fan¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Without even glancing at Cheng Xi, he quietly picked up his phone and put it back on the nightstand before walking out without a word.


    As the door closed, Meng Qingyang started laughing, but shortly after, she steeled her face and coldly said to Cheng Xi, ¡°I hate him. I¡¯ll return him to you, alright?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at Meng Qingyang. Half a year ago, she had lost her will to live. Now, she seemed desperate, almost hysterical.


    She gave off the impression that she was mired so deeply in her struggles that she couldn¡¯t escape from them, no matter what she did; that was how deep her despair ran.


    Cheng Xi calmly asked her, ¡°Do you want to fight me?¡±


    Meng Qingyang coldly replied, ¡°Would you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Meng Qingyang actually began chuckling at Cheng Xi¡¯s response. ¡°Of course you won¡¯t.¡± Then she gritted her teeth angrily as she yelled, ¡°None of you will! Actually, you¡¯re just the same as him! You look so nice and gentle, but in reality, you¡¯re as cold as ice!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Cheng Xi and Meng Qingyang ended up talking for almost an hour. When Cheng Xi came out of the room, she saw Lin Fan instructing the nanny. ¡°Heat up all of those things again¡­¡­ I know that it must be hard for you, but she¡¯s pregnant and has a bad temper. Please, if you could, empathize with her.¡±


    He had changed clothes; right now, he was dressed in casual white home clothes, and his hair was stuck gently to his forehead, giving him an extremely gentle look as if he were a considerate male host.


    When he heard her exit, he immediately turned around. ¡°Is she alright?¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head with complicated feelings in her heart. ¡°She¡¯s already asleep.¡±


    He softly said, ¡°Thank you,¡± before asking, ¡°Is it prenatal depression?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no.¡±


    He stilled for a moment at her unexpected response. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at the nanny who was looking at them curiously. She then said, ¡°I have to leave, but I¡¯m not too familiar with this place. Can I trouble you to send me out?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    And so, he sent her out. Originally, he had intended on driving her home, but Cheng Xi refused. It was raining outside, a heavy downpour intermixed with thunder and lightning. Since the lighting in this area wasn¡¯t very good, the two of them stopped and stood in the walkway underneath the building. Cheng Xi opened her umbrella to block the onslaught of the rain and then turned around to look at him.


    Before talking to Meng Qingyang, she had felt like he had returned to his youth with that dark melancholic aura present once again. However, after meeting with Meng Qingyang, she now understood that that youth was lost for good.


    Her voice wasn¡¯t very audible in the dark and stormy night, but it was enough for him to make out her words. She said, ¡°You asked me just now whether or not she has prenatal depression, and now I can tell you. Lin Fan, the one who¡¯s truly ill isn¡¯t her, but you.¡±

 Chapter 168: Is This Love?

    Cheng Xi¡¯s voice was infused with a few motes of bitter cold, and Lin Fan felt like they were like silken threads sinking into his heart, as if she had stabbed him countless times with a fine knife.


    ¡°Emotional abuse is also a form of abuse, and a prison woven from consideration and attentiveness is still a prison. Unintentional harm is fixable, but if it¡¯s premeditated¡­¡­ Lin Fan, I feel like I don¡¯t know you anymore.¡±


    After Cheng Xi let all her words out, she raised her umbrella and rushed into the pouring rain. It was falling so heavily that she became wet all over almost immediately.


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t able to call a cab because the streets were thoroughly waterlogged, almost to the point of flooding. She wanted to wade past this stretch of road, but when she looked all around, all she could see was a vast expanse of water. There were a few cars lying by the roadside, and as their powerless owners stepped into the water, they looked just like fallen leaves floating along the currents.


    She was reminded of Meng Qingyang¡¯s words again. ¡°Do you know how I was finally able to see you? I had to tell him that if he didn¡¯t let me see you, then I would starve myself to death. The same thing happened right before we got married, though what I said then was that if he didn¡¯t marry me, then I would go look for you every day.¡±


    So it turned out that all that bluster about how the person he had loved was a memory was just a lie. The real reason why he had given up on their relationship that quickly wasn¡¯t that he¡¯d fallen in love with somebody else. Rather, he just didn¡¯t want her to be hurt.


    Meng Qingyang had also said, ¡°In order to protect you, he was willing to do anything. Why can¡¯t he love just me a little bit more? I¡¯ve found a reason to live, but why can¡¯t he love me even a little? Everyone around me thinks that he loves me a lot, but is that truly love? He accedes to every whim of mine. He lets me hit him, lets me scold him, and even arranges everything for me. However, he doesn¡¯t ever speak to me of his own volition, he won¡¯t say sweet nothings or even argue or talk badly about me! All he does is stay silent. He¡¯s so silent that I feel like I¡¯m infinitely far away from him but can¡¯t say anything, because the whole world knows that he treats me well! But is being patient and accommodating truly love? Can this be love? Dr. Cheng, can it?¡±


    Meng Qingyang had spent a long time asking her whether Lin Fan¡¯s actions were love. It was as if she were a little lost child wondering if she was crazy for thinking that Lin Fan was callous and heartless.


    Cheng Xi had simply replied, ¡°No.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t love, and the one who was ill wasn¡¯t Meng Qingyang.


    At her response, Meng Qingyang finally smiled happily and said, ¡°I knew that you would understand me. When I first saw you, I knew that you were a good person.¡±


    Meng Qingyang had conveniently and completely forgotten that she had been as cold and grim as Lin Fan at that time.


    And now, the good person, Cheng Xi, was trapped in the torrential downpour, making her doubt whether she would make it home safely. Luckily, after she forded the mostly flooded street, she finally managed to hail a cab.


    The cab driver was a young male and very talkative. Even when he saw that Cheng Xi was completely drenched, he didn¡¯t seem to mind at all; merely handing her a towel and considerately saying, ¡°It¡¯s clean. I¡¯ve never used it.¡±


    Cheng Xi thanked him with a smile and took the towel. It was very warm to the touch: in her current state, even the smallest show of kindness from a stranger was enough to make her feel warm inside. On the other hand, a long-lasting attentiveness from someone close to you could make you turn cold.


    The driver asked for her address and then started chatting. ¡°So what dragged you out at this hour? The streets are flooded everywhere, and you¡¯re lucky that my car¡¯s chassis is pretty high up. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t even be out here in this rain.¡±


    Cheng Xi softly responded, ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice. It¡¯s for my job.¡±


    The driver nodded, and as he started speaking at length about how hard life was, he drove her home. Along the way, his tone remained amiable, but when it came time for her to pay the fare, he didn¡¯t charge her a cent less: additionally, because the roads were flooded, the fee was doubled.


    Cheng Xi paid him in full with a smile, feeling like this wasn¡¯t too bad; he had driven her a certain distance, and she had paid him an equivalent amount of money. A straightforward give-and-take relationship.


    She suddenly understood why Lu Chenzhou had such a simple and rough mentality.


    Given his illness, if he were any more meticulous in how he interacted with other people, he¡¯d probably drive himself crazy, right?


    She pondered over these wandering thoughts during the rest of her walk back. When she finally opened the door, she found that Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t returned yet. Since it had been raining for a few days now, the water level of the Mei river had risen a huge amount, and Donglai Hotel was also right on the shores of the Mei river; thus, it was reasonable that it¡¯d been a few days since he last returned. Cheng Xi changed her wet clothes as she called him. ¡°It¡¯s pouring. Are you alright over there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± He was as curt as always.


    ¡°Is there any chance of danger?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Then, not even really sure why she was saying it, she continued, ¡°I just got back home. I¡¯m drenched all over.


    Lu Chenzhou coolly replied, ¡°Oh,¡± before seriously instructing, ¡°Remember to shower.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stop herself from bursting out into laughter. That was truly a classic Lu Chenzhou response. When he heard her say that she had come home drenched, instead of commiserating or asking how she was doing, he had instead instructed her to take a shower.


    She nodded and replied before hanging up and showering. Perhaps it was because of the soft drumming of the rain, but she felt a bit dizzy. As she settled into the sofa for her nightly reading, she unknowingly fell asleep there and then.


    When she woke up, she was in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s lap. He was hugging her, but hadn¡¯t fallen asleep yet. The soft lambent lamplight lit up his handsome face, and he seemed so handsome that he couldn¡¯t possibly be real. She pinched his cheeks, still a little muddleheaded with sleep. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were afraid that something might happen to Donglai Corporation because of the heavy rain? Why¡¯re you back?¡±


    He ignored her questions.


    Cheng Xi laughed sillily. ¡°You didn¡¯t come back because you heard that I came home dripping wet and became worried, did you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He leaned over and kissed her garrulous mouth passionately before saying, ¡°I missed you.¡±


    His hands dexterously slid into her clothes as they had so many times before, physically telling her with his body what he missed.


    After an entire night of howling winds and torrential rain, the following day was surprisingly bright and sunny. Everyone relaxed, except for Cheng Xi, who had gotten the cold and, along with it, a stuffed nose.


    At least this meant that she didn¡¯t have to work and could stay home and rest. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything as he left for work, and Cheng Xi slept in for half of the morning. However, she did take some of the medicine that Lu Chenzhou had had someone drop off along with a sumptuous lunch.


    It had been personally brought over by Lu Chenzhou¡¯s assistant. That person had a silver tongue, and even said, ¡°A warehouse flooded by Donglai Pharmaceuticals, so Director Lu had to go there and oversee it personally. Since he can¡¯t accompany you while you¡¯re ill, he asked me to bring you some items and tell you to rest and take care of your body.¡±


    He had overspoken. Cheng Xi smiled and replied, ¡°Actually, all Director Lu said was to bring some medicine over, right?¡±


    The assistant laughed wryly. ¡°It¡¯s just that Director Lu¡¯s not very good at expressing his thoughts.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded, agreeing, thanked the assistant, and then received the package. Now that she knew that Lu Chenzhou was busy right around now, she didn¡¯t call him, just sending him a text message.


    But when she hadn¡¯t even typed half of the message, she received a phone call.


    It was from Lin Fan.


    She didn¡¯t actually want to see him, but he was unexpectedly persistent. When Cheng Xi didn¡¯t pick up, he texted her instead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but if you¡¯re free to meet, I¡¯m downstairs.¡±


    In the future, Cheng Xi would often wonder about how everything might have been better if she hadn¡¯t gone down to meet him. However, she couldn¡¯t change what she had done. After clutching her phone and thinking it over a little, she eventually left her apartment and went downstairs.


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 Chapter 169: No title

    Chapter 169: [No title]


    Lin Fan really was waiting for her right beneath her apartment. There were still traces of last night¡¯s downpour all over the streets, but the day¡¯s weather was really good; one could even see the bright and beautiful sunlight filtering through the dense foliage.


    Lin Fan was standing underneath a tree by her apartment. His back was tall and straight, and his bearing was particularly graceful today.


    Cheng Xi guessed that he might have come looking for her because of what had happened last night, but contrary to her expectations, the first he said was, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I didn¡¯t know you called my mother. Regarding Jiaman, is there any way I can help?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him strangely. ¡°You came just for this?¡±


    Lin Fan fell silent, but Cheng Xi patiently waited for him to speak up. She knew that he preferred to keep his troubles to himself, but for this issue, staying silent wouldn¡¯t help either of them.


    Lin Fan squeezed out somewhat arduously, ¡°Yesterday¡­¡­ I have an explanation for what my wife said. Would you be willing to listen to them?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him again. ¡°Have you tried giving your explanations to your wife?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t believe me.¡± He smiled bitterly as he continued. ¡°She doesn¡¯t believe anything that I say. I¡¯m not intentionally treating her like that, but I just don¡¯t know what to say to her. No matter what I say, she refuses to believe it, and it¡¯s purely because she doesn¡¯t ever believe me that I lost all will to ever say anything. Cheng Xi, I¡¯m not that much of a bastard. When I first decided to marry her, of course I wanted to treat her well! But everyone gets tired, and her mercurial nature left me weary hearted. You know what kind of environment I grew up in¡ªI loathe fighting. Thus, no matter what she wants, I¡¯ll try my best to satisfy her. But I never expected that even this would leave her dissatisfied and unhappy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll also admit that I didn¡¯t want her to see you because I didn¡¯t want to embroil you in my affairs. However, this only made her feel like I was trying to shield you, so she decided to go on a hunger strike to threaten me into acquiescing.¡±


    Cheng Xi listened to him quietly. When he finished explaining, she asked, ¡°So, all of this was just a misunderstanding on her part?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then, did you marry her because you loved her?¡±


    Lin Fan didn¡¯t answer, so she asked again. ¡°She was depressed even before she married you. You should know this. After you two were married, did you really spend any time understanding her, accompanying her, or learning more about her?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been married for so long. But do you even know her favorite dish, her hobbies, her favorite book genre, what she thinks about when she¡¯s bored, or what plans she has for her baby¡¯s future? Do you know any of these things?¡±


    ¡°Lin Fan, the reason why she doesn¡¯t trust you is because she can¡¯t feel your sincerity. If you always push the blame onto others when you interact with them, that¡¯s not an explanation¡ªthat¡¯s just a flimsy excuse, and a sign of incompetence. When you asked me what you could do to help with Jiaman¡¯s affairs and I didn¡¯t answer, that was because I too don¡¯t trust you. If you can¡¯t even take care of your wife, then how can you take care of others?¡±


    Lin Fan stood there, dazed as he listened to her words. Each word was like a knife being shoved deeper into his heart. It felt like the knives from last night¡¯s conversation were still buried in his heart, and as she spoke, those knives trembled and reopened those freshly healed wounds until he was paralyzed in agony.


    He couldn¡¯t remove the knives; he couldn¡¯t even touch their handles.


    He used to think that she was the gentlest person in the whole world, but in reality, she also had another side to her.


    She could also harm people.


    He thought that she of all people would understand him, but she still spoke such words¡­¡­ He staggered back a couple steps and asked in disbelief, ¡°Cheng Xi, you¡¯re truly angry at me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    This time, it was Cheng Xi who didn¡¯t respond.


    After all, given how much time they¡¯d spent together, he knew her mannerisms nearly perfectly; he was certain that Cheng Xi was really quite fed up with him. And what made her particularly fed up was that he was harming people in the name of love, like how parents over-pressured their children, or a couple in a romantic relationship smothered each other. Lin Fan¡¯s tale of ¡°loving her but so afraid of others harming her that he couldn¡¯t marry her,¡± and the supposed ¡°protection¡± and ¡°true love¡± that it represented was even more ridiculous.


    Don¡¯t be silly. If you don¡¯t even have the courage to look at your difficulties in the face, then how can you truly love someone?


    Lin Fan slowly replied, ¡°I understand.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand. Furthermore, I don¡¯t feel suited to be your wife¡¯s psychiatrist. If her condition doesn¡¯t improve, I recommend that you look for Renyi¡¯s Dr. Zhao. She primarily works with people suffering from prenatal and postnatal depression, and she has a strong research program that targets depression. Of course, I hope that your wife can recover without any treatment. For her, regardless of how good the psychiatrist is, I¡¯m sure that she¡¯d prefer even a drop of your sincerity.¡±


    This was the main reason why she had decided to meet Lin Fan today. Her stance was already quite firm and clear, but she really didn¡¯t understand how some people, like Meng Qingyang, thought. Three days after Cheng Xi¡¯s talk with Lin Fan, Meng Qingyang, who was supposed to be resting at home, came to Renyi. On that day, Cheng Xi was in charge of the outpatient service. But in the lull between two other patients, Meng Qingyang was brought over by one of the hospital¡¯s bigshots. He said, ¡°There¡¯s a patient here. Cheng Xi, please help out and take care of her.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at Meng Qingyang, who was sitting in her wheelchair, and then at the hospital bigshot accompanying her. What could she say? Nothing but, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Once she accepted the patient and the bigshot left, one of Cheng Xi¡¯s students stepped up to help her with the check-in procedures, but Meng Qingyang rejected him and said, ¡°I¡¯d like to talk to Dr. Cheng directly.¡±


    The student was bewildered by the request, but Cheng Xi nonetheless took over his duties and had the student deal with the next patient instead. As Cheng Xi filled out Meng Qingyang¡¯s patient information, she asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t your husband tell you this? I¡¯ve already recommended you and given your medical files to another doctor.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Meng Qingyang replied softly, ¡°But I only trust you.¡±


    Cheng Xi was scribbling rapidly, but when she heard this, she looked up and smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Meng Qingyang then asked, ¡°Did he go to find you again? When he got home, we had a fight because I insisted on looking for you.¡±


    The tip of Cheng Xi¡¯s pen stilled.


    Meng Qingyang continued, saying, ¡°So, that¡¯s why I insisted on coming to find you.¡±


    Cheng Xi raised her head. ¡°Do you like fighting with him?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Meng Qingyang immediately denied it. ¡°I hate fighting, and I don¡¯t think that he likes it either. However, if we don¡¯t fight, then I won¡¯t ever know what he¡¯s thinking. Dr. Cheng, didn¡¯t I tell you that I was willing to return him to you? Actually, that was a lie. I don¡¯t ever want to give him to anyone else in my life. I love him, and I¡¯ve loved him ever since I first saw him. It¡¯s only because I met him that my life has been filled with purpose. The reason why I tried so hard to steal him from you really wasn¡¯t just so that I could give him back.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Cheng Xi hated patients like her, because she didn¡¯t know how to respond to them at all.


    Especially when Meng Qingyang spoke with such conviction.


    Meng Qingyang then grabbed the questionnaire on Cheng Xi¡¯s clipboard, which was a questionnaire that tested for prenatal depression. She filled it out quickly and then handed it back to Cheng Xi. ¡°Look, I¡¯m severely ill, aren¡¯t I? Treat me. I want to get better. I want to make him love me. I want him to treat me gently. I want him to dote and cherish me like he did you.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 170: I Got Together With Him

    It was very rare for a patient to strike Cheng Xi speechless, because she believed that even the weirdest patients had some sort of a consistent thought pattern that she could analyze and understand them through.


    But trying to understand someone like Meng Qingyang was¡­¡­ quite difficult.


    Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Are you sure that you want my help? After all, in a certain sense, we¡¯re love rivals.¡±


    Meng Qingyang¡¯s expression was as innocent as a pure white bunny¡¯s. ¡°Then are you going to hit me? I¡¯m not afraid of fighting or shouting.¡±


    Cheng Xi thought to herself, ¡­¡­I can see that.


    ¡°Furthermore, when I snatched him away, I asked you what you felt and you said that you were happy for me.¡±


    Cheng Xi thought for a while, but couldn¡¯t remember ever saying anything like that to her, but it didn¡¯t matter anymore. She picked up the questionnaire that Meng Qingyang had filled out. There were twelve questions, and Meng Qingyang had marked ¡°No¡± for ten of them.


    Cheng Xi then asked, ¡°What does your insecurity stem from?¡±


    ¡°Lin Fan. I feel like he doesn¡¯t truly love me. Everyone else says that he treats me very well, but I know that he doesn¡¯t love me. He¡¯s just taking care of me, like the nanny that my family hired.¡±


    ¡°What do you think about when you can¡¯t sleep due to your insomnia?¡±


    ¡°Him. I want to have a big fight with him. I want to shock him awake and force him to talk to me.¡±


    Cheng Xi continued asking a series of similar questions, and all of Meng Qingyang¡¯s answers showed that all of her fretfulness, restlessness, and negative emotions had to do, in some form or another, with Lin Fan. Cheng Xi then asked her two final questions. ¡°What would you consider true love to be?¡±


    Meng Qingyang unhesitatingly answered, ¡°To be willing to live and die for the other party, and to give the other party everything that you have.¡±


    ¡°And you? What will you leave for yourself?¡±


    Meng Qingyang stared stubbornly at Cheng Xi, as if she were really willing to give her whole body and soul up for love.


    Cheng Xi had to admit: Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s eyes were really sharp. She had wanted to give Lin Fan a helpful wife, and this woman in front of Cheng Xi was willing to give everything she had to Lin Fan.


    And, more importantly, she had the power and leverage to help him.


    Cheng Xi sighed, not wanting to discuss what love was with her anymore. ¡°But I feel like love can only be established between two independent people. If one person has to carry too much of the weight, then even if they love the other party with all their heart, it may be too much for them to bear. More importantly, if a person loses sight of themselves because they fell in love with someone else, then they¡¯ll be nothing in that person¡¯s eyes. And how could that person love them back? The only way true love can exist is if, no matter what, two people remain independent entities. The only thing that can¡¯t be replicated is you yourself.¡±


    This therapy session left her unusually exhausted. As Meng Qingyang left, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Do you know Shu Ting¡¯s A Delicate Oak?¡± Meng Qingyang nodded, and Cheng Xi became relieved. ¡°Copy it down ten times every day. Whenever you feel like he doesn¡¯t love you, copy it down. If you can¡¯t sit still for too long, then recite it silently.¡±


    ¡°When you find yourself and when you regain your independence, you¡¯ll know if he truly loves you.¡±


    When Meng Qingyang went back home, she sent Cheng Xi a picture of her collection of Shu Ting¡¯s poetry, as well as a handwritten copy of A Delicate Oak, leaving Cheng Xi uncertain if she should be happy or not that Meng Qingyang trusted her word so much.


    Meanwhile, Cheng Xi¡¯s students asked her, ¡°Professor, will this really help her?¡±


    Cheng Xi could only say, ¡°We¡¯ll wait and see.¡±


    In the end, it turned out to be quite effective; otherwise, Lin Fan¡¯s mother wouldn¡¯t also have come looking for Cheng Xi. On the day that Lin Fan¡¯s mother showed up, Tian Rou was also searching for Cheng Xi. In the bright and early morning, Tian Rou ignored Lu Chenzhou¡¯s sideways glance and shamelessly pushed her way into Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment. When she arrived, she even feigned ignorance, saying, ¡°My goodness! Why do you have two apartments, Dr. Cheng?¡±


    She had knocked so hard that she even woke Lu Chenzhou up. He was walking around in a thin morning gown and stared coldly at Tang Rou from the bedroom door as he unhappily said to Cheng Xi, ¡°Make her leave!¡±


    This guy was indeed cranky in the morning.


    But something big must have happened to Tian Rou, because she was gutsy enough to bicker back against Lu Chenzhou. ¡°I¡¯m not going to scram! I won¡¯t, so what¡¯re you going to do about it?¡± She clung to Cheng Xi so tightly that Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t separate them even if he tried.


    Black streaks marred Cheng Xi¡¯s forehead, and she felt like the green veins on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s forehead were about to explode. She quickly brought Tian Rou next door and asked her, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Why¡¯re you here so early in the morning?¡±


    Tian Rou looked at her pitifully, and then dropped a bomb on her. ¡°I got together with Baldy last night.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Cheng Xi yawned unresponsively. She¡¯d stayed up too late last night, and she wasn¡¯t completely awake yet. Her head was still slightly muddled, and her thoughts weren¡¯t clear yet.


    Tian Rou slapped the table out of frustration. ¡°What¡¯re you yawning for? What I mean is that I slept with him last night!¡±


    Cheng Xi slowly said, ¡°¡­¡­Oh.¡± Her mouth formed an ¡°O¡± shape, and then slowly morphed into a ¡°__¡± shape. She then asked, ¡°Is that strange?¡±


    Tian Rou stopped smiling. ¡°No. He only treated me as a replacement for someone else, so I beat him up.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mouth turned into an ¡°O¡± again. ¡°Did you beat him up¡­¡­ badly?¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t have run here otherwise, right?


    Tian Rou innocently replied, ¡°Hmm, I don''t think it was that serious? I just smashed his body with a beer bottle, and there was quite a bit of blood.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi had figured out very early on that Rou was a very fierce sister figure; however, she never really knew just how fierce.


    ¡°Then where is he right now?¡±


    ¡°Lying down in his house.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s eyes bulged wide open. ¡°He fainted?! And you just left him lying there?!¡±


    Rou¡¯s eyes opened even wider than Cheng Xi¡¯s. ¡°What else should I have done? I even wanted to castrate him! It¡¯s not like it matters whether or not he has one or not anymore!¡±


    Cheng Xi felt a sudden weariness rise in her heart.


    And with that, she left Tian Rou behind and went home to find Lu Chenzhou. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s reaction was even calmer than Tian Rou¡¯s. ¡°Oh, not bad.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s weariness only intensified, and she started pulling on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s sleeve, hugging him, and kissing him until he was finally willing to bring her over to Baldy¡¯s house. Didn¡¯t Tian Rou come here precisely to get her to take a look at Baldy?


    Luckily, Baldy didn¡¯t seem like he was doing too badly; Tian Rou hadn¡¯t smashed his head with the glass bottle, but rather his hand. The only fallout was that his wrist was slightly injured.


    And the reason why Tian Rou had run over to find Cheng Xi was because she had been scared off by the sight of the blood on his body. She had wanted to bring Baldy to the hospital, but he had refused to go. So, she had no other choice but to find Cheng Xi.


    Before she left, she even knew to clean and bandage his wound.


    When they arrived at Baldy¡¯s place, he was lying paralyzed in bed, spread-eagle. The blood had dyed half of the sheets a deep red, and he was lying on the bloody half, his gaze unfocused as he thought about something.


    Lu Chenzhou walked over and pinched Baldy¡¯s crudely bandaged wrist. ¡°It¡¯s not broken.¡± He pinched him again, causing Baldy to almost jump up, turned around, and then said to Cheng Xi, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t done sleeping yet.


    Cheng Xi was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    At the very least, Baldy listened to her advice this time, or perhaps he did it just to mess with Lu Chenzhou. + _ +


    Either way, when Cheng Xi mentioned it, he finally got up and went to the hospital with them.


    Cheng Xi brought him to Renyi. On the way there, she asked Baldy, ¡°Were you intentionally trying to scare Tian Rou?¡±


    Baldy begrudgingly admitted, ¡°Yes.¡± He gritted his teeth as he continued to say, ¡°That wench, I have to teach her that she can¡¯t just hit people like that. What if she gets addicted to it in the future?¡±


    He had even mentioned ¡°the future,¡± which was clear evidence that Baldy wasn¡¯t actually involved with another woman, like Tian Rou thought. Thus, Cheng Xi relaxed, casually directed Baldy to the appropriate section of the hospital, and then called Tian Rou. ¡°Baldy¡¯s in the hospital. You should come over.¡± She then decided to spice things up and frightened Rou a little as well. ¡°Did you know that your bottle ended up piercing one of his major arteries? If we were any later, he would¡¯ve died! He¡¯s not looking too good right now, so you¡¯d better come immediately.¡±


    It was an obvious lie, but Rou actually fell for it and rushed over in a mess.


    Cheng Xi left without waiting for Tian Rou to arrive; there was still a sleep-deprived Mr. Lu waiting outside in the car after all.


    But when she stepped out of the hospital, the first thing she saw was Lin Fan¡¯s mother. At that time, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know that Lin Fan¡¯s mother had seen Lu Chenzhou and talked to him. And when Cheng Xi walked up to her, Lin Fan¡¯s mother said that she was here to visit Chen Jiaman. Thus, Cheng Xi had to walk over and apologetically say to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but some things came up. Why don¡¯t you go home and get some rest first?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had woken up with a grouchy expression in the morning, and it got even grouchier now. He coldly replied, ¡°If I say no, will you still stay here?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled and pinched his face playfully. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around. I have to go to work anyway.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou pridefully turned away. Cheng Xi smiled, stood up on her tiptoes, and kissed the side of his face before returning to the hospital. As she walked inside, she turned around, only to see that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s car had already driven away. By then, she could barely see its shadow off in the distance.

 Chapter 171: Boyfriend?

    Cheng Xi could tell that Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t very happy, and she was already thinking about what she could make for dinner to pacify him. After all, being woken up without enough sleep really was quite annoying, and recently, Lu Chenzhou seemed to have taken a liking to watching Cheng Xi cook.


    Cheng Xi quickly decided on a menu for tonight and then swiftly went on to think about other matters instead.


    There were currently a lot of people in the hospital. Lin Fan¡¯s mother was walking slowly through the crowd when Cheng Xi rushed up to her.


    ¡°Mrs. Lin, you¡¯re here very early today,¡± Cheng Xi greeted in a tactful manner.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother acted rather distantly towards Cheng Xi. In the past, she gave off the feeling that she was looking down on her, but now, it was just simple displeasure. ¡°Unlike you, I don¡¯t have the time to worry about other people. I¡¯m busy enough just worrying about myself.¡±


    There was no way for Cheng Xi to respond after such a curt response, so she decided to just shut up. But after they walked into the department, Cheng Xi solemnly said, ¡°It¡¯s not quite visiting hours yet, but since you¡¯re so busy, Mrs. Lin, I can make an allowance for you this one time. However, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to tell you beforehand. Chen Jiaman¡¯s illness is quite different from the norm, and there¡¯s a possibility of her emotions getting out of control. If that or something unexpected happens, please don¡¯t let her see that you¡¯re afraid of her.


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother stared right at Cheng Xi as she replied expressionlessly, ¡°She¡¯s my daughter.¡±


    Fair enough; Chen Jiaman was her daughter, even though she hadn¡¯t taken any responsibility for her over all these years. Cheng Xi said nothing else, and just silently arranged her visit with Chen Jiaman.


    Of course, before the two met up, Cheng Xi asked Chen Jiaman for her consent beforehand. They¡¯d discussed her mother before, and Chen Jiaman knew a lot about her¡ªof course, it had all been from the people that used to be around her, and it wasn¡¯t anything that put her in a good light.


    However, Cheng Xi felt that even if the entire world disparaged her mother, Chen Jiaman would still have a puerile admiration for this mother of hers that she had never met.


    Cheng Xi cut directly to the chase with Chen Jiaman, saying, ¡°Your mother wants to see you.¡± She paused for a brief moment before continuing to ask, ¡°Do you want to see her?¡±


    Chen Jiaman was dazed.


    She sat there by the windowsill, the morning light falling gently down onto her young and tender face.


    And then she ran and withdrew into her blankets, shivering. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to see her. My grandmother will beat me to death if I do!¡±


    This was her illness acting up again; after she had recovered enough to remember that she had killed her grandmother with her own hands, she would fall into such confusion from time to time, and every time, Cheng Xi would patiently remind her, ¡°Your grandmother¡¯s already dead. She can¡¯t hit you.¡±


    And then, after Chen Jiaman took some medicine, her head would clear up again, and she would always seriously say, ¡°I killed my grandmother, but it was an accident.¡± Sometimes after that, she would cry, and sometimes she would defend herself woodenly. ¡°I¡¯m not a bad child.¡±


    Cheng Xi pacified her like normal, and once Chen Jiaman took her medicine and quieted down, she told Chen Jiaman about her mother coming to visit her again.


    This time, Chen Jiaman seemed entirely clearheaded. She blinked once and them pitifully asked, ¡°Dr. Cheng, does she still want me?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Of course she does.¡±


    And so Chen Jiaman nodded.


    But when the two actually met up, there wasn¡¯t the tear-jerking scene that one would normally expect at such a reunion; tears didn¡¯t run down Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s face, and she didn¡¯t show any signs of sorrow or regret, for that wasn¡¯t her personality. Instead, all she did was look at Chen Jiaman evaluatively. A few long seconds passed before she finally said, ¡°You¡¯ve grown so big.¡±


    Those words were a signal for Chen Jiaman¡¯s tears to fall. They rolled down her face in big, fat drops that she couldn¡¯t stop.


    On that day, besides crying, Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t say anything else at all, and Lin Fan¡¯s mother only said two sentences to her daughter. Besides, ¡°You¡¯ve grown so big,¡± the other one was, ¡°Get well soon, and then I¡¯ll bring you home.¡±


    When she left the ward, her eyes were red, but when she saw Cheng Xi, her expression turned cold once again.


    As Lin Fan¡¯s mother left, she told Cheng Xi, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t originally intend on seeing her today. I mostly came here to find you, but now, I don¡¯t regret that I saw her.¡± She looked at Cheng Xi. ¡°I have to admit, you¡¯re quite skilled as a doctor. As you wish, I¡¯ll shoulder my share of the responsibility for her, but I hope that you can promise me one thing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I hope that you¡¯ll stop meddling in Lin Fan¡¯s affairs.¡±


    Cheng Xi frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother laughed coldly. ¡°During this period, have you been treating Meng Qingyang?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What illness does she have?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you should ask her this yourself, or perhaps her partner. Without express permission, I can¡¯t reveal any personal details of my patients.¡±


    But Lin Fan¡¯s mother just smiled at her response. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Regardless of whether her illness is real or fake, if you¡¯ve ever loved Lin Fan, Dr. Cheng, I hope that you won¡¯t urge Qingyang to target him. Lin Fan has had an unfortunate life. Please don¡¯t make his misfortune worse just because he loved the wrong person.¡±


    After making this request from seemingly nowhere, Lin Fan¡¯s mother then left without even waiting to hear Cheng Xi¡¯s response.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to think.


    In the end, she found out that it was because Meng Qingyang had asked her uncle to fire Lin Fan. At the time, Lin Fan was in the middle of a new project, and his firing, which came out of nowhere, meant that all of his work would only go to benefit the person who would take over. Furthermore, Meng Qingyang and the Longchang Corporation even took steps to prevent him from working in a similar field for the next five years. The thirty-year-old Lin Fan would have to abandon everything he¡¯d built up so far and start afresh from nothing.


    No wonder Lin Fan¡¯s mother was mad.


    Cheng Xi found out all this when Meng Qingyang came for her next regularly scheduled therapy session. She explained all this with a mystified air. ¡°He was the one who wanted me to do all this. He said that he didn¡¯t want anyone to say that he had only accomplished so much because he married me.¡±


    Then, still in an understanding tone, she said, ¡°I think that I now know what you mean when you said that two people who love each other should be independent, Dr. Cheng. We were the happiest when there was nothing between us; that was when he was gentle and kind to me. At that time, I was just his colleague, but now, everyone thinks that he¡¯s just leeching off of my position. And I think that¡¯s the main reason why he¡¯s unhappy and isn¡¯t treating me well.¡±


    She said everything in a winding manner, but Cheng Xi understood that Lin Fan was just trying to change the nature of the relationship between the two of them. From what she had seen so far, this sort of change would indeed be beneficial to them, or at the least, be beneficial to Lin Fan and Meng Qingyang¡¯s relationship.


    From a doctor¡¯s perspective, it was certainly a good thing to see a patients¡¯ family members accommodate their desire for change, and this was certainly a positive thing for everyone involved. Cheng Xi decided that this happiness wasn¡¯t born out of her selfishness, so she ignored Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s words. On that day, Lin Fan brought Meng Qingyang to her therapy session himself, and on the way out, Cheng Xi spoke to him with a calm heart; her emotions no longer rippled in his presence.


    After Cheng Xi¡¯s approval, Lin Fan started bringing Meng Qingyang over to see Chen Jiaman regularly. For some reason, he would also come see her almost everyday during visiting hours, sometimes with Meng Qingyang and sometimes alone.


    As a result, Cheng Xi basically saw him every day. Their conversation topics were more or less limited to Meng Qingyang and Chen Jiaman. The unfortunate part about his visits stemmed from the fact that she had originally introduced Lin Fan to her colleagues as her boyfriend, and she had also never overtly explained that she had broken up with him afterwards.


    And since Lin Fan came over so often, even if they knew that he was Chen Jiaman¡¯s brother, some of her colleagues had started teasing Cheng Xi, saying that Cheng Xi and Lin Fan were dealing with their private matters in public and giving Cheng Xi no opportunity to explain herself. As the rumors started growing out of hand, Cheng Xi had no choice but to announce to everyone during a departmental meeting that Lin Fan was already married, and to stop joking around about them too. Only then did they stop harassing her about it.


    But one of her colleagues, who was on maternity leave during her announcement, never heard the update. One day, Lu Chenzhou, who disliked stepping into a hospital at all, happened to arrive early to pick Cheng Xi up. And while Cheng Xi was talking with him, that oblivious colleague yelled out to her, ¡°Dr. Cheng, your boyfriend¡¯s here.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at Lu Chenzhou.


    Lu Chenzhou looked back at Cheng Xi.


    After a long moment of silence, Lu Chenzhou chuckled mirthlessly and then asked expressionlessly, ¡°Boyfriend?¡±

 Chapter 172: I’m Offended

    After Lu Chenzhou said that single word, he walked out, wanting to see who this supposed ¡°boyfriend¡± was.


    And then he saw Lin Fan.


    Lin Fan wasn¡¯t employed at the moment, so he was dressed very casually. Today, he was wearing a deep blue shirt that paired well with a simple pair of black pants, still giving off a very gentlemanly look.


    After the inappropriate shout from Cheng Xi¡¯s colleague, both Cheng Xi and Lin Fan felt quite awkward. However, since he was unable to explain himself properly, he could only awkwardly say, ¡°I¡¯m not here for her. I¡¯m here to visit my sister.¡±


    The colleague who had yelled out earlier smiled. ¡°Yes, to visit your sister, I understand. Don¡¯t worry. Dr. Cheng should be quite free right now, so you can go into her office and talk with her.


    And then Lu Chenzhou and Cheng Xi came out.


    When Lu Chenzhou saw Lin Fan, his facial expression barely changed. In fact, his first move was to smile casually.


    But that seemingly innocent smile made Cheng Xi feel absolutely terrified. Unfortunately for her, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to start shouting and explaining herself in the situation; she couldn¡¯t shout out, ¡°Don¡¯t yell out like that in the future. Lin Fan¡¯s not my boyfriend!¡± But actually, by this point, some of her other colleagues had already gone over to explain what had transpired in her absence. After that, the previously oblivious colleague immediately quieted down and left.


    When the other colleagues noticed that the atmosphere between the two of them was starting to get heated, they wordlessly withdrew from the vicinity, acting as if they were very busy and hadn¡¯t seen or heard a single thing. But Lin Fan couldn¡¯t extricate himself as easily, and he walked over after glancing at Cheng Xi and her coworkers.


    He acted quite graciously and calmly, first nodding at Lu Chenzhou, then turning to Cheng Xi and saying, ¡°Sorry, I arrived a bit later than usual. Is there still time for me to see Jiaman?¡±


    With that one sentence, he had explained the details of the situation quite clearly.


    Cheng Xi knew that he was just covertly trying to help her out of an awkward situation. Normally, it would be fine for her to accommodate him back a bit, but currently, she really did have to draw a line between them. She looked at her watch and then apologetically said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but visiting hours are over. Why don¡¯t you come over tomorrow? I¡¯ll let Jiaman know.¡±


    Lin Fan paused for a while, not saying anything. Then, after a brief thank you, he prepared to leave.


    But would Lu Chenzhou let him just leave like that without saying anything? Ha, of course not. It would be very impolite to interrupt him, and showing his jealousy and starting a fight wasn¡¯t something that Mr. Lu would do either. Instead, he merely walked over to the nurse¡¯s station and found Cheng Xi¡¯s colleague, the one who had created trouble for Cheng Xi and then pretended to work while actually listening in on the gossip. He asked her, ¡°Hi, can I have a few words with you?¡±


    That colleague glanced at Cheng Xi quizzically before walking out of the station and responding somewhat doubtfully, ¡°Oh, hello. Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°My name is Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    The colleague was flummoxed. ¡°......It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°I live with Cheng Xi.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡­ huh?¡± Her eyes were about to pop out at this comment out of nowhere. ¡°You guys are¡­¡­ living together?¡±


    So are you actually saying that you¡¯re Dr. Cheng¡¯s boyfriend now?!


    Lu Chenzhou nodded calmly. ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you think.¡± Then, he took out a card from his wallet with a lukewarm expression as he said, ¡°This is a VIP rewards card for Donglai Hotel. I¡¯ll treat you to a meal, but please, don¡¯t call someone else her boyfriend next time, alright?¡±


    The colleague was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Her face was a little red, but this was a VIP rewards card from Donglai Hotel! A mythical card that represented free food and lodging! She¡¯d be embarrassed if she didn¡¯t accept it.


    She grabbed it decisively, as she replied crisply and shamelessly, ¡°Yes, Cheng Xi¡¯s husband!¡±


    This time, it was Cheng Xi who was rendered speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    And before Cheng Xi could react, a crowd had formed around Lu Chenzhou, and then she heard everyone start exclaiming, ¡°Cheng Xi¡¯s husband!¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Cheng Xi¡¯s husband!¡±


    ¡°Cheng Xi¡¯s husband, you¡¯re really handsome!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    By the time Cheng Xi finally got off work, Lu Chenzhou had received the ¡°acknowledgement¡± of everyone in her department.


    Cheng Xi dryly asked them all, ¡°Where are your morals?¡±


    ¡°What are morals? Can you eat them? If not, why do we need them?!¡±


    Luckily, the department head wasn¡¯t there that day, or else Cheng Xi would have likely earned herself another afternoon tea time chat with him.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t care about his expenditure at all, and he handed out a card to everyone who called him ¡°Cheng Xi¡¯s husband.¡± What would happen when he ran out of cards? Cheng Xi would cover it, of course! ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just head over and give the employees my name. I¡¯ll tell them that Cheng Xi¡¯s covering the tab.¡±


    Out of nowhere, Cheng Xi owed Lu Chenzhou yet another huge sum.


    No one noticed when Lin Fan left, because the whole department was still in an uproar; the entire atmosphere was reminiscent of the New Year¡¯s. Cheng Xi¡­¡­ Cheng Xi felt a little apprehensive about it all, and after work, she even volunteered to take on the heavy burden of driving. Lu Chenzhou was surprisingly easy to convince; when she said she would drive, he tossed the keys without a word.


    Cheng Xi sat down in the driver¡¯s seat, ready to navigate. Yes, Mr. Lu hadn¡¯t come to pick her up for nothing. Today was Baldy¡¯s birthday, and Tian Rou had invited her and Lu Chenzhou to dinner a few days ago¡ªostensibly to thank her and Lu Chenzhou for their help in saving Baldy¡¯s life.


    After Cheng Xi got the GPS up and running, she didn¡¯t immediately leave. Instead, she first turned around to glance at Lu Chenzhou. He was sitting in the front passenger seat. As his dark gaze reflected her look back at her, his jaw clenched tightly, his mien cold and severe.


    He was taut, restrained, and silently enduring whatever emotions were running through his brain.


    Cheng Xi carefully held his hand as she said, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I feel like I should give you an explanation regarding what happened earlier. That colleague of mine took a few months of maternity leave, and she never heard that Lin Fan broke up with me and married someone else. And this was her first day back at work, so she also didn¡¯t know you were my boyfriend.¡±


    In truth, not many people at the hospital knew that Lu Chenzhou was her boyfriend. Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t someone who liked talking about herself, and especially when it was related to someone with an identity as sensitive as Lu Chenzhou.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond. He removed his hand from hers and then reached out to grasp her slender neck. He started slowly caressing it as he expressionlessly asked, ¡°Why was he there?¡±


    Cheng Xi rubbed back against his fingers in an attempt to curry favor. ¡°Because Chen Jiaman¡¯s his sister, remember? She¡¯s at the most crucial stage of her recovery, and she needs her family¡¯s help to overcome this trial. Thus, he¡¯s been coming around fairly frequently to see her.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou remained silent, his fingertips now resting lightly on her collarbone. After a while, he coolly said, ¡°I don¡¯t like my things being touched by other people.¡±


    Cheng Xi thought that he was explaining his thoughts, but only later on did she find out that it was actually an announcement.


    After that exchange, Lu Chenzhou retrieved his hand, and when Cheng Xi looked over, his expression was less severe than before, so she was finally able to relax. During Baldy¡¯s birthday banquet, he formally introduced Tian Rou to his friends as his girlfriend. However, the pair had an unusual habit in that their conversations seemed destined to devolve into a quarrel, and almost nine out of every ten sentences were statements of mutual dislike.


    And since Baldy had a different stance than Tian Rou on a certain matter, he was immediately locked onto as the target for Tian Rou¡¯s derision. ¡°Of course no one¡¯s like you. Who would actually ruminate on all of their ex-girlfriends for years on end? And to think that you were even planning on going celibate because she left you. Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect you to be the type at all.¡±


    Baldy felt humiliated by her scathing words and became furious. He shot Tian Rou a supercilious glance as he countered, ¡°You¡¯re a pot calling the kettle black, huh? It¡¯s not like you pined for your pretty boy male idol for years on end, right? Oh wait, don¡¯t you still have his photos on your phone?¡±


    ¡°So what if I have his photos? So what if he¡¯s my idol?¡± As Tian Rou continued arguing, she even dragged Cheng Xi down with her as she next grabbed Cheng Xi¡¯s hand and raised as he said in a particularly proud tone, ¡°Lin Fan¡¯s Cheng Xi¡¯s male idol too! When they were studying, the two of them were the model students for the entire class, the peerless duo. But look at what Lin Fan is to Cheng Xi now!¡±


    Cheng Xi instinctively looked at Lu Chenzhou.


    Luckily, Lu Chenzhou seemed preoccupied with talking to someone else, almost as if he hadn¡¯t heard Tian Rou at all.


    Then, three days later, Lin Fan¡¯s mother forcibly transferred Chen Jiaman out of the hospital with Chen Fuguo¡¯s guardianship transferral letter.


    Lin Fan called Cheng Xi in desperation. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do anything about this, as Lu Chenzhou decided to help my mother. Cheng Xi, I didn¡¯t know that even my insignificant presence was something that someone else would detest so much.¡±

 Chapter 173: Exchange

    When Lin Fan¡¯s mother and Chen Fuguo¡¯s lawyer came to take Chen Jiaman away, Lin Fan didn¡¯t go with them. It was only when Cheng Xi realized that the transfer was about to be irreversible that she called Lin Fan.


    But he didn¡¯t answer, and he only called back after his mother had finished all of the transfer proceedings.


    When he heard that his mother had come to pick Chen Jiaman up, he was also very surprised. At the same time, he said that he would try to think of another method to coax his mother to drop the matter. However, not long after that, he called Cheng Xi again, and that was when he made the aforementioned despairing proclamation.


    Cheng Xi instinctively rejected his words. ¡°Are you sure that it was him? Lin Fan, Lu Chenzhou isn¡¯t someone who would meddle in others¡¯ affairs.¡±


    If Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t have to, then he wouldn¡¯t even care about his own family¡¯s affairs, let alone an outsider like Chen Jiaman.


    ¡°You trust him a lot, don¡¯t you.¡± Lin Fan started chuckling ominously. ¡°Do you know where I am right now? XX city. I came here to interview for a job, and I thought that they had offered me the interview because of my expertise. However, my mother just told me that this opportunity was given to me by Mr. Lu, in exchange for Chen Jiaman. I¡¯ve also confirmed this with him. Cheng Xi, he really does put in a lot of effort for you. He¡¯s even banished me away forever; though this new job¡¯s a bit further than I¡¯d like, the prospects and compensation are both far better than Longchang¡¯s, to the point where neither my mother nor I can even think about rejecting it.¡± After saying all this, he lowered his voice letting a few motes of self-mocking and frustration drip out. ¡°I never even knew what I meant to you.¡± However, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t hear this last sentence; honestly, when Lin Fan had brought up Lu Chenzhou coldheartedly carrying out a transaction with Lin Fan¡¯s mother, Cheng Xi had already started to believe him. After all, Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­ was someone who truly liked making transactions.


    His transactions, whether just or unjust, were always fair for all parties involved.


    After the conversation with Lin Fan, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stop herself from thinking back to what he had said on that day. ¡°I don¡¯t like my things being marked by other people.¡±


    So this hadn¡¯t been an explanation, but rather an announcement, an announcement of his displeasure towards her actions.


    Cheng Xi rubbed her temples, apologizing to Lin Fan before hanging up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She didn¡¯t have a better explanation, and she wouldn¡¯t even know where to begin if she did have one. After hanging up, she went to see Chen Jiaman one last time. The nurse assigned to her had already cleaned everything up, and Chen Jiaman was calmer than expected even though she had already been informed that she was about to leave the hospital. Although she was still somewhat fearful, Cheng Xi could also feel her faint expectation.


    Lin Fan¡¯s company during the past couple of months had had a very clear effect on her.


    She was currently tugging at the nurse¡¯s sleeve; when Cheng Xi entered the room, Chen Jiaman swapped to pulling on Cheng Xi¡¯s sleeve as she called out weakly, ¡°Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled wryly. ¡°Congratulations. You¡¯ll be heading home soon.¡±


    Since Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t display negative emotions in front of Chen Jiaman, she could only be happy for her instead.


    Chen Jiaman pursed her lips, and a visible gloominess welled up within her eyes. This action of hers actually reminded Cheng Xi of Lin Fan.


    Chen Jiaman then motioned for Cheng Xi her to lean in closer, so Cheng Xi obediently bent down and looked at her.


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s fingers, which were tugging at her sleeve, were starting to turn slightly pale. ¡°Dr. Cheng, I still feel a bit bad for my grandmother.¡±


    Cheng Xi understood what she meant. Chen Jiaman blamed herself for her grandmother¡¯s death, and that translated to her feeling like she didn¡¯t have the right to be happy in her lifetime. Her earlier shame, unease, gloom, and depression most likely all stemmed from this.


    Cheng Xi reached out and caressed Chen Jiaman¡¯s head lovingly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. Your grandmother loved you, and I¡¯m sure she¡¯d hope for you to lead a good life in the future regardless of what happened. Jiaman, when you return home, remember that seeking happiness is a natural thing for humans, but encountering difficulties is a staple of life. As long as you remain brave and persevere, you will eventually transform all the vicissitudes of life into your gains.¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, remember that you can say no. Say no to anything that¡¯ll make you upset, whether it be people, things, or events.¡±


    Chen Jiaman nodded, slightly confused.


    The head nurse came over then. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re all set.¡±


    Cheng Xi led Chen Jiaman out of the hospital herself. She had already provided a lot of detailed advice and suggestions on the hospital discharge forms, but when she saw Lin Fan¡¯s mother, she couldn¡¯t help herself from repeating them. ¡°The patient¡¯s feelings are unstable, so please don¡¯t provoke her or push her into any unfamiliar environments. Additionally, it¡¯d be ideal to continue encouraging her to develop her own interests and hobbies. And please, keep having her take the medicine, and bring her back to the hospital for therapy regularly¡­¡­¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s mother listened to Cheng Xi¡¯s complete explanation patiently. Perhaps she was feeling particularly good that day, but she didn¡¯t make any mocking jokes, and the only thing that she said wasn¡¯t even unpleasant. ¡°Dr. Cheng, you really put all of your heart into treating your patients.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t tell whether Lin Fan¡¯s mother had meant that as a compliment or not, but she decided to just take it as one.


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s departure caused much less of a commotion than her arrival, and only those who were in the know said anything in passing. ¡°Dr. Cheng, you¡¯re truly a miracle worker. You were even able to cure a patient as far gone as her.¡±


    Even the department head said, ¡°With a patient like Chen Jiaman, you could write a whole report about her.¡±


    This was a huge accomplishment for the hospital, as well as her, but the entire affair left Cheng Xi drained and apathetic. In her opinion, Chen Jiaman was far from fully recovering.


    Of course, going home could help speed Chen Jiaman¡¯s recovery along, but that was predicated on the conditions of there being a loving environment and people who were willing to patiently guide her.


    And Lin Fan¡¯s mother¡¯s¡­¡­ failed to meet both of these conditions.


    Cheng Xi forcefully quashed the unease in her heart and turned her attention to other matters. She successfully distracted herself until it was late at night. Then, Lu Chenzhou returned.


    He had had a dinner party that night, so he returned quite late. By then, Cheng Xi had already had dinner and just finished a one-hour yoga session. The weather was getting warmer, and Cheng Xi also hadn¡¯t turned on the air conditioning. Thus, by the end of her yoga session, she had collapsed onto her mat, drenched in sweat as if someone had poured water all over her.


    When Lu Chenzhou stepped into the living room, her gaze was automatically drawn to his face. She traced out a line moving from the bottom of his chin to the top of his forehead; she first saw his slim and handsome jaw, and then slowly moved up towards his dark gaze.


    A dark gaze that was looking coldly at her.


    Cheng Xi immediately bolted up straight.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze landed on her exposed waist and then focused in on her round belly button; her skin was as white as jade, and as equally tender and beautiful. It roused a primal urge within him to fill his hands with it, to fiercely ravage and break her.


    Cheng Xi seemed to be unaware of his morbid and salacious thoughts as she patted the open space next to her and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re back? If you don¡¯t mind, then can you take a seat here?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t sit down. Instead, he walked over and squatted down by her side. She was still panting slightly, and there were a few rogue strands of hair casually sticking to her temples. Her eyes were lustrous, her lips scarlet red, and her shapely body¡¯s curves were accentuated by the tight fitting yoga outfit. Her vigorous appearance combined with her slight breathlessness meant her entire body was exuding a sensual sense of maturity.


    Languid, indolent, and amorous.


    He was certain that she didn¡¯t know how appealing she looked right now.


    He reached out, rearranged her hair properly, and then leaned down to kiss her. However, Cheng Xi tilted her head slightly, and his lips landed on her cheek.


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou, let¡¯s talk.¡±


    She really hadn¡¯t been trying to stimulate him; the reason why she¡¯d deliberately made herself all sweaty and sticky was to ward off any physical advances.


    They really did need to have a good talk.


    ¡°About what?¡±


    She didn¡¯t beat around the bush, and directly said, ¡°You made a business transaction with Lin Fan¡¯s mother, and my patient Chen Jiaman was one of the conditions, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered without any hesitation.

 Chapter 174: I’m Jealous!

    ¡°Could you tell me why?¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was gentle; she was trying her hardest to refrain from sounding interrogative.


    Lu Chenzhou hesitated for a moment. He looked at her as he replied in an indescribably derisive tone, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that he was there to see her? If Chen Jiaman leaves the hospital, then he no longer has a reason to visit the hospital anymore.¡±


    Cheng Xi grabbed his hand, her expression serious. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, did I do anything to make you misunderstand something? Do you really distrust me so much that you think that I would have an illicit relationship with a married man?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even think about it before nodding affirmatively. ¡°Yes, you would.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Am I that morally depraved in your mind?¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou was already growing impatient. ¡°I want to~ make~ love~¡± He retrieved his hand and started to unbutton and strip. ¡°Take your clothes off!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi caressed her forehead weakly. ¡°Will you at least let me finish first? Lu Chenzhou, this is a serious matter. If we don¡¯t discuss this properly¡­¡­ Hey, I haven¡¯t showered yet!¡±


    But even her dirty sweat wasn¡¯t enough to dissuade him. Lu Chenzhou grabbed her wrists and pushed her beneath him before she could finish protesting. It was only then that Cheng Xi realized that he was about to go into a frenzy; his insistence on sex wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t want to discuss this subject with her.


    At any rate, it wasn¡¯t like he would ever discuss a decision that he¡¯d already made with her.


    This truth was difficult for Cheng Xi to accept. What¡¯s more, she didn¡¯t even know how she¡¯d aroused him¡ªhe was even more bestial than usual tonight. She¡¯d drenched herself in sweat to set the mood for a serious conversation and not to arouse him, alright?!


    Cheng Xi gloomily tried to resist him. She pushed on his chest as she said, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I¡¯m very tired.¡±


    An appeal to emotion: unsuccessful.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do it tonight. Can you respect me?¡±


    A serious objection: unsuccessful.


    By now, Lu Chenzhou was almost done stripping her naked.


    Cheng Xi felt helpless and exasperated, and she mustered up enough resistance to shout out one last appeal. ¡°Then, can you at least let me say somethin¡ªOh!¡±


    He had suddenly bitten down on the flesh by her waist, and Cheng Xi almost jumped out of bed in shock.


    In the end, she wasn¡¯t able to say what she wanted to. Instead of talking about Chen Jiaman¡¯s affairs, she ended up furiously shouting, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you pig!¡±


    The aforementioned pig then flipped her over and, with great effort, sowed the fields for the entire night. Cheng Xi fell asleep with a weary, gloomy, and emotionally repressed heart.


    When Cheng Xi woke up the next morning, she wasn¡¯t sure if it was due to last night¡¯s yoga session or Lu Chenzhou¡¯s subsequent torture, but either way, her waist felt as if it was about to break in half! When Cheng Xi sensed him stir, she crawled over, hugged his wrists, and tried to continue last night¡¯s conversation. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, let¡¯s have a long, serious talk about Chen Jiaman.¡±


    He looked at her.


    Cheng Xi forged ahead. ¡°She¡¯s at the most crucial period of her recovery. If she is forcibly relocated to a completely unfamiliar place right now, then just a slight misstep could negate everything that I¡¯ve done. Do you understand this?¡±


    ¡°What does any of that have to do with me?¡± he responded coolly as he sat down and peeled Cheng Xi¡¯s hands from his wrists.


    Cheng Xi looked at his back in a daze. ¡°But I remember that you cared about her well being a decent amount in the past.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice was devoid of any inflection as he said, ¡°No. I was only ever interested in you.¡± Then, he turned his head around and shook his finger at her, his figure so handsome that Cheng Xi felt like biting him. ¡°I never cared about her. Don¡¯t mistake my actions for affection.¡±


    ¡°......Alright. Then, do you care about me?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Thank goodness. Cheng Xi relaxed slightly. Then, she waved her finger at him, beckoning him over. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou tilted his head, glanced at her, and ultimately deigned to move closer to her. Cheng Xi then asked, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, as someone that you care about, can I make a request?¡±


    He looked at her, tacitly agreeing.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was particularly serious as she said, ¡°In the future, if you feel dissatisfied or unhappy with me, then can you tell me directly rather than interfering with my job or my patients? Lu Chenzhou, I don¡¯t like it when you act tyrannically. It offends me.¡±


    ¡°Then who do you like? That pretty boy who¡¯s halfway into the Wang household?¡±


    It took Cheng Xi a moment to realize that ¡°that pretty boy¡± was actually referring to Lin Fan. This man was so arrogant that he wasn¡¯t even willing to directly say Lin Fan¡¯s name.


    She unconsciously frowned. ¡°Those are two separate things.¡±


    ¡°But, to me, it¡¯s the one and the same. Cheng Xi, stop bringing him up.¡± His eyes curved up, as if they were smiling, but his tone remained icy cold. ¡°I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    He even went on to say, ¡°I¡¯m already trying my hardest to control myself, so don¡¯t make me do anything that¡¯s even worse.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­This isn¡¯t how you should act when you¡¯re jealous¡­¡­¡±


    ¡®Peng!¡¯ But before she could finish speaking, he had pushed her down even as a fist smashed the pillow by her face.


    His expression was as calm as always, but that only made Cheng Xi shiver even more. She was frozen in place, unable to say a single word in response.


    Perhaps she had forgotten because of how close they¡¯d recently become, but he was still¡­¡­ her patient.


    Cheng Xi closed her eyes, took a moment to recollect herself, and then said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He let go of her.


    After that, he still made breakfast, a charming dish of spaghetti. Cheng Xi tried her best to finish her portion, and left for work right after.


    But when she got off, she couldn¡¯t bear to return, and instead ran to Su Feng¡¯s house. Su Feng was on leave that day, and when she saw Cheng Xi show up at her doorstep out of the blue, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from laughing at her. ¡°Your rich boyfriend¡¯s willing to let you out now?¡±


    Actually, this wasn¡¯t true at all; the reason why Cheng Xi didn¡¯t go out that often was because she was busy, not because Lu Chenzhou wouldn¡¯t let her.


    But Cheng Xi had no intention to correct Su Feng¡¯s mistake. Once Cheng Xi entered, she immediately asked, ¡°What room of yours has the best soundproofing?¡±


    Su Feng raised her eyebrows quizzically, and then slowly pointed suspiciously at a room.


    ¡°May I enter?¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    Cheng Xi took her time shouting her lungs out inside. When she finally came out, Su Feng calmly handed her a glass of water and morbidly asked, ¡°Is this how you psychiatrists relieve your stress?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Cheng Xi shook her head. She had screamed so loudly and so much that her throat was already starting to get hoarse, and it only eased a bit after she got a gulp of water. ¡°It¡¯s just that I have too many emotions bottled up in my heart.¡±


    Su Feng instantly latched onto the scent of drama, teasing her, ¡°Bottled up in your heart? When people talk about you these days, they all say that you¡¯ve won at the game of life! You have a rich boyfriend who loves you to death¡ªI mean, he even gave out money as soon as people started calling him ¡®Cheng Xi¡¯s husband.¡¯ Your career is also wildly successful, as you¡¯ve treated a severely mentally ill patient by going so far as to create a novel treatment plan¡ªgosh, the hospital¡¯s about to publicize your actions as a model doctor. And yet despite all that, here you are, saying that you have too many emotions bottled up in your heart? You¡¯d better believe that others would beat you to death if they heard that!¡±


    But what truly surprised Su Feng was that Cheng Xi really did look gloomy and depressed, and she clearly didn¡¯t have the strength and energy that she had in the past. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t respond to her teasing comments; she merely finished her glass of water in silence. Then, as if she¡¯d just accomplished something big, she said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    Su Feng was speechless. She watched on in slight shock as Cheng Xi got up and put on her shoes.


    Su Feng swallowed the words she was about to say and only squeezed out a ¡°Hey!¡± as Cheng Xi was about to leave.


    Cheng Xi turned around.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to you, and I can¡¯t be bothered to ask. However, you can come scream at my place whenever you want. Also,¡±¡ªSu Feng patted Cheng Xi¡¯s shoulder¡ª¡°I have a shoulder you can always lean on.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled slightly, a bit of warmth finally reappearing her eyes. She waved goodbye at Su Feng, and then left.

 Chapter 175: No title

    Chapter 175: [No title]


    When Cheng Xi first entered Su Feng¡¯s house, she was honestly and truly dejected. However, when she left, she felt rejuvenated once more.


    When Lu Chenzhou returned home that night, he could sense that the entire house¡¯s atmosphere had shifted as soon as he opened the door. Specifically, it felt particularly clean. Their house wasn¡¯t originally dirty by any means, as Lu Chenzhou the neat-freak lived there and Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t a naturally messy person either. However, the house was currently gleaming, as if every corner of the house had been polished to the point of shining.


    He raised his eyebrows in surprise, and wandered around until he finally found Cheng Xi in the study. She was kneeling down in a corner of the study and determinedly wiping away at the dust gathered there. When she heard him step into the room, she stopped, turned around, and smiled at him. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± She waved the rag in her hand. ¡°Isn¡¯t the house clean?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded pleasantly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite good.¡± Satisfied, he went to change and shower.


    When he finished, Cheng Xi had moved on to watering her plants. She didn¡¯t have many plants at home, just a few bunches of common hanging orchids. She cared much less for plants than she did for humans. With her orchids, she watered them when she remembered to. For the most part, they lived and died on their own. Surprisingly, these few surviving orchids were actually thriving under her care, and they had a particularly vibrant appearance.


    When she saw Lu Chenzhou walk out, she waved at him, and Lu Chenzhou ambled over. Cheng Xi smiled at him. ¡°Aren¡¯t I taking good care of my plants?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou repeated his praise. ¡°It¡¯s quite good.¡±


    Cheng Xi wrinkled her nose in annoyance. ¡°You could praise me with a couple different words, you know.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou scrutinized her face. It was calm: her facial muscles were completely relaxed, much more so than in the morning, and she looked as if she had completely recovered from their argument.


    Lu Chenzhou was very pleased as he didn¡¯t like arguments. Additionally, he had felt terrible after their dispute in the morning. Because of this, he had chosen to go to a business function in the evening even though he disliked such business engagements and parties. In other words, he feared facing her wrath even more. Thankfully, she was back to normal, and he didn¡¯t realize that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He subconsciously took her advice and remarked, ¡°It¡¯s very good.¡±


    Cheng Xi glared at him.


    Her expression made Lu Chenzhou reminisce about their past. He instinctively reached out and touched her face. ¡°Go wash up,¡± he said seriously, ¡°You¡¯re really dirty.¡±


    Cheng Xi barely restrained her immediate impulse to throw the dirty rag at his face. However, this Lu Chenzhou that hated messes was the sort of Lu Chenzhou that she could relax around. Thus, Cheng Xi also secretly relaxed as she handed the rag over. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±


    She bowed jokingly and then went to take a shower.


    That night, they rolled around in bed as usual; their previous disagreement about Lin Fan, and by extension Chen Jiaman, seemed to have evaporated away. Of course, it only seemed to have done so.


    Cheng Xi found it unusually difficult to sleep afterwards, and she woke up in the middle of the night. The curtains were fluttering from the night breeze, and she could barely make out the hazy outline of the moon, clear and desolate.


    Restless, she was unable to fall back asleep, so she got out of bed and rummaged around, looking for a book to read. This was the first time she had actually had any time to read in the study after its renovation. These days, it seemed like her life was always filled with either work or messing around with Lu Chenzhou.


    That¡¯s right, she really was a pig. She had completely forgotten about her original motivation for getting together with him; there was even a period of time where she¡¯d almost completely forgotten about his mental illness.


    By chance, she stumbled upon the book that she had been reading when she first met Lu Chenzhou. That book contained a formal record and introduction of emotional detachment within it. She reread the book from cover to cover, and when the new dawn was looming over the horizon, she ran into a sentimental quote from the confession of a patient suffering from emotional detachment. ¡°I can treat everyone well, but I don¡¯t care about their feelings.¡±


    Her heart ached a little, but she didn¡¯t know whether it was for herself or for Lu Chenzhou.


    When she closed the book, she saw Lu Chenzhou standing by the doorway, dressed in just a light morning gown. In the dim light of the morning twilight, his presence felt unnaturally cold, as if he were a silent deity judging the world.


    Cheng Xi stilled for a moment before putting on a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t wake you up, did I? Perhaps I tired myself out too much, but I can¡¯t seem to fall asleep.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything in response. He merely walked over and looked at the book in her hands: Light amidst the Darkness: A Psychiatrist¡¯s Medical Records.


    He looked away almost as soon as he read the title, and Cheng Xi exhaled. With a slight grumble in her tone, she continued, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling a bit out of shape lately. Let¡¯s play tennis this weekend.¡± But playing tennis against Lu Chenzhou was just asking to be beaten, and Cheng Xi felt like she definitely couldn¡¯t do it alone. Thus, she dragged two teammates along with her. ¡°Call up Baldy and Tian Rou as well.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    During the weekdays, when Cheng Xi was at work, she would secretly research and work on a treatment plan for Lu Chenzhou¡ªcurrently, she was planning on investigating the origin of his illness and then having directed and guided therapy sessions with him.


    Although everyone from the Lu family claimed that they didn¡¯t know how he had developed his condition, Cheng Xi felt that there must be an underlying reason or event behind it, and she also felt that she had to discover this reason before she could actually earnestly start treating him.


    At this point, she had asked everyone in the Lu family besides Lu Chenming. Cheng Xi had tried to ask him, but when Lu Chenming saw her, he had instantly become tongue-tied. And when she asked him to meet up, he wouldn¡¯t come out. Cheng Yang, on the other hand, could always get a quick response. However, Cheng Yang was currently away for work, which meant that she could only wait for him to come back before setting up a chat with Lu Chenming.


    Her only option left was therapy. If it were an official therapy session, then Lu Chenzhou wouldn¡¯t be cooperative or take her words seriously at all. However, conducting an unofficial one surreptitiously was still possible. As for what it would do, Cheng Xi temporarily marked it down as a question mark in her work journal.


    Once Cheng Xi decided that Lu Chenzhou was going to be her highest priority for the coming days, she started working much more rapidly. She first arranged a tennis date with Tian Rou this weekend. Tian Rou responded, ¡°Alright, Baldy should also be back by then. I¡¯m planning to give all of you a surprise, so don¡¯t be too shocked when you see me!¡±


    Tian Rou¡¯s surprises weren¡¯t something a normal person could handle. As such, Cheng Xi wearily responded, ¡°As long as it¡¯s not as bad as last time. I¡¯m getting old now. My heart can¡¯t take it!¡±


    Tian Rou replied with a loud ¡°Peh!¡±


    When the time for their tennis date came, Cheng Xi, Lu Chenzhou, and Baldy all arrived early, but Tian Rou was nowhere to be seen. As Baldy looked at Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou, he felt frustrated that he still seemed to be a third wheel even though he had a girlfriend himself. In the end, he called Tian Rou. ¡°If you don¡¯t show up, then I¡¯m going to call another woman over! Don¡¯t cry when that happens.¡±


    Who knew what Tian Rou said in response, but when Cheng Xi came back after getting a drink of water, she heard Baldy coaxing her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry and just come. No matter how ugly you are, I¡¯ll still love you.¡±


    And then, not long after, Cheng Xi and the others saw Tian Rou¡¯s surprise¡ªit really was quite shocking, as evidenced by Baldy¡¯s noisy shouts.


    ¡°My god, who¡¯re you?¡±


    Tian Rou had cut her hair short¡ªno, cut was the wrong word. Her hair had been butchered, as if a dog had mangled it. When she appeared, she demurely asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you recognize me? I¡¯m your girlfriend.¡±


    Baldy seriously replied, still in shock, ¡°That¡¯s impossible! My girlfriend surely isn¡¯t as ugly as you!¡±


    Tian Rou¡¯s face fell flat. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi¡­¡­ Cheng Xi waved Lu Chenzhou over to gawk at the two of them. Honestly, when Tian Rou first arrived, she also hadn¡¯t recognized her, mostly because of her¡­¡­ ¡°unusual¡± hairstyle. While the old Tian Rou was somewhat of a tomboy, she had still maintained a very feminine appearance with a head of straight black hair, much better maintained than Cheng Xi¡¯s.


    But now, her long black hair had vanished. For some reason, she had chosen to get it cut so short that it looked like a dog had chewed it off. Not only that, but she even dyed her hair gray¡ªhonestly, Tian Rou couldn¡¯t look uglier even if she tried!


    By now, Tian Rou was already chasing Baldy around and beating him mercilessly. Baldy seemed like a masochist in disguise; as soon as he started getting hit by Tian Rou, he changed his tone and said, ¡°Alright, I believe you¡¯re my girlfriend now! You¡¯re my genuine girlfriend.¡±


    His genuine girlfriend smacked him one last time, and when he was done yelping, Tian Rou walked over with him in tow. Then, she asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Is it really that bad?¡±


    Cheng Xi shot back with an evasive rejoinder. ¡°What made you decide to change your hairstyle?¡±


    ¡°I went to see Shen Wei and thought that it looked good on her, so I also wanted to try it out.¡± As Tian Rou said this, she patted her hair, not giving up on passing it off as pretty. ¡°Is it that ugly?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Cheng Xi hesitated for a moment when Tian Rou mentioned Shen Wei, and then tactfully responded, ¡°It doesn''t seem suited for your style.¡±


    Having gathered Cheng Xi¡¯s response, Tian Rou naturally turned towards Lu Chenzhou next. He was currently drinking water, standing there straight and still. As long as he didn¡¯t open his mouth, he was the very definition of a dreamy idol. Tian Rou had already received two negative comments about her hair, but she was angling for a third here by asking this ¡°idol.¡± ¡°Cheng Xi¡¯s Mr. Lu, what do you think?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou lifted his head and examined her.


    Tian Rou awaited his comment with bated breath.


    Lu Chenzhou responded with two terse words. ¡°Old, ugly.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Cheng Xi and Baldy couldn¡¯t stop themselves from chuckling.


    Tian Rou wasn¡¯t able to do anything about Lu Chenzhou, so she ended up chasing Baldy around again. When Baldy became tired of covering his head and fleeing, he turned around and hugged her tightly. ¡°Alright, are you done yet?¡± When he saw Tian Rou¡¯s face soften, he continued, saying, ¡°Alright, no matter how ugly you are, I¡¯ll accept you. What¡¯re you so afraid of?¡±


    Tian Rou¡¯s angry expression immediately transformed into a happy one, and she hugged him back and kissed him.


    The two of them had started to get intimate without any thought for the people around them.


    With this unexpected turn of events, Cheng Xi found herself blinded by their affection. However, an uneasy feeling made her turn around, only to see Lu Chenzhou focusing his attention on her.


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re admiring them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 176: Is It Convenient?

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not admiring them,¡± Cheng Xi said as she coughed lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t have a hobby of watching others publicly display their affection.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her, smirking slightly.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s head drooped.


    Alright, she could only admit that she was wrong. Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t an ordinary man, and he could clearly see through her facade. What she truly admired wasn¡¯t Baldy and Tian Rou¡¯s public affection, but rather their understanding atmosphere; she admired the fact that they were such a free and unconstrained couple that showed their love for each other without fear.


    It was something that Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s relationship didn¡¯t have.


    She suddenly felt that it had been an abominably bad idea to drag Baldy and Tian Rou over today¡­¡­ Even though Cheng Xi had seen them recently, she no longer knew how far their relationship had progressed.


    A few days ago, they were still waving knives at each other, weren¡¯t they?


    Cheng Xi smiled wryly as she tapped her racket against the floor. ¡°I really don¡¯t admire them,¡± she said, trying to convince herself. ¡°Love comes in many shapes and sizes. Some people love their enemies, some are soulmates for life, some ignite with a fiery passion, and naturally, there are also others who are as calm as water.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou asked, ¡°Which type do you like the most?¡±


    ¡°I like our type.¡± She looked at him with a faint smile on her face. ¡°I understand what


    you say, and you know what I¡¯m thinking.¡±


    She was hoping that he would one day come to understand love, for him to empathize and learn what loving someone actually meant. One day, he would not love just because it was what he was supposed to do.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression relaxed, and he didn¡¯t say anything more. Meanwhile, after Baldy and Tian Rou finished their fight and wrapped up their intimacy, they happily got up and walked over to play some tennis. Two men and two women made for an even pairing. When Baldy played against Lu Chenzhou by himself, he¡¯d get wrecked any day of the week. However, now that he had a girlfriend, he clearly didn¡¯t want to be destroyed so badly. Before the match, he wrapped his arms around Lu Chenzhou¡¯s shoulders and sneakily said, ¡°Chief Lu, give me some face. Please don¡¯t defeat me too badly.¡±


    Whether Lu Chenzhou actually agreed or not, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know, but Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t play overly fiercely today. Cheng Xi and Tian Rou were roughly evenly matched in their tennis abilities, and Baldy was barely able to hold on against Lu Chenzhou.


    In the end, Lu Chenzhou and Cheng Xi won by a small margin, the game¡¯s conclusion leaving everyone delighted and satisfied.


    As Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t exercised vigorously for quite a while, she felt physically drained after the match, but surprisingly, also emotionally rejuvenated. Her state of mind had calmed down significantly, and when they returned home, she even praised Lu Chenzhou for his actions. ¡°You¡¯re really quite nice to Baldy! You even gave them a chance to play today.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou thought for a moment before obliviously saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you wanted to play longer?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­So you were actually thinking of me? Were you afraid that if you went too hard that they¡¯d stop playing with us?¡± Cheng Xi felt like she had lifted a heavy rock only to drop it on her own feet. If she had known about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s thoughts earlier, she would have fallen down much earlier. She had almost died from exhaustion, alright?!


    Her words about them understanding each other was clearly just a wishful desire.


    And so, Cheng Xi decisively said, ¡°Nice job! Let¡¯s come back again later.¡±


    From then on, Cheng Xi would regularly play a few matches with Tian Rou and Baldy from time to time. As someone who didn¡¯t like exercise, even if she didn¡¯t play that badly, these games were almost like torture to her. But for Baldy, it was a fun time. Honestly, both he and Lu Chenzhou enjoyed exercising, and they often played tennis when they were free, and cards if they were even more free. In terms of lifestyles, they had quite a healthy one compared to most other people.


    One day, perhaps because Tian Rou really couldn¡¯t stand playing without breaks any longer, Baldy called Xu Po over as well. And Xu Po also brought his girlfriend along. Thus, Cheng Xi and Tian Rou both found some time to rest as reserve players.


    Once Tian Rou got off the court, she throttled Cheng Xi¡¯s neck. ¡°If you call us over to play tennis one more time, I¡¯m going to strangle you to death!¡± She then leaned on her shoulder as she complained, ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve played an entire lifetime''s worth of tennis in the past month.¡±


    Cheng Xi rubbed Tian Rou¡¯s face comfortingly. ¡°A lifetime¡¯s a lot longer than you think.¡±


    Tian Rou felt her vision grow dark from Cheng Xi¡¯s stubbornness. ¡°You¡¯re not planning on dragging me to tennis for the rest of your life, are you?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled playfully. ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡± When she saw Tian Rou noticeably relax, however, Cheng Xi went on to say, ¡°But your Baldy might.¡±


    Tian Rou rubbed her face and sighed lamentably.


    As the two of them continued chatting, Cheng Xi eventually shifted the topic to Shen Wei. ¡°Is she doing alright?¡± Out of their shared group of friends, Shen Wei was the only one who was pregnant, so Tian Rou often went over to see her.


    ¡°Pretty well. She¡¯s able to eat and sleep now. Oh, right, she¡¯s divorced now. Did you hear about that?¡± Tian Rou lowered her voice as she whispered, ¡°She didn¡¯t want me to tell you that, so just pretend that you don¡¯t know.¡±


    Cheng Xi made a soft ¡°Oh¡± sound.


    Tian Rou shot a sidelong glance at her as she remarked, ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be surprised at all!¡±


    Cheng Xi pretended to be surprised. ¡°Really? I just didn¡¯t expect it at all!¡±


    But her acting skills were so bad that Tian Rou brushed her excuses away with a shake of her head. ¡°Did you hear something after all?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°For example, something like ¡®Fu Mingyi had an affair.¡¯¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at her seriously. Tian Rou clearly wasn¡¯t aware that Fu Mingyi had contracted AIDS¡ªit seemed like this had all been buried deeply. She nodded.


    ¡°When did you hear that?!¡± Tian Rou¡¯s eyes went wide with excitement. ¡°Gosh, you never mentioned that to me!¡±


    Cheng Xi could sense that Tian Rou was about to pounce on her, so she evasively answered, ¡°What¡¯s there to say? It¡¯s Shen Wei¡¯s own business.¡±


    Tian Rou mulled over Cheng Xi¡¯s words for a moment, and found that she had no choice but to nod in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s true. Given Shen Wei¡¯s personality, if she knew that we were talking behind her back, then she¡¯d certainly get mad. However, you must have no idea just how surprised I was when I saw her! Even though Fu Mingyi was the one who cheated, the two of them don¡¯t seem to be on horrible terms. When I last visited her, I saw Fu Mingyi bring her a gift, and the two of them even seemed to be talking calmly. If Shen Wei hadn¡¯t personally said that they¡¯d divorced, I wouldn¡¯t have believed it!¡±


    After saying all this, Tian Rou even went on to remark, ¡°It seems like motherly love really can change a person. If even someone as proud as Tian Rou can actually bear to be with a bastard like Fu Mingyi, even friends, then motherly love must be incredible. If it were me¡­¡­¡± She glared at Baldy, who was running around haphazardly on the court, as she fiercely said, ¡°I¡¯d castrate him without a doubt! After all, my motto is, ¡®If I cannot bend the heavens above, I will move Hell!¡¯¡±


    Tian Rou had come up with this motto while flipping through Cheng Xi¡¯s book; it was a classic statement from Freud¡¯s The Interpretation of Dreams. After Cheng Xi briefly mentioned it, Tian Rou had flipped through the book and saw the statement at the end. It struck a chord with her and from then on, she had started using it as her motto, telling others about it from time to time.


    But Cheng Xi felt that Tian Rou was only tomboyish in appearance; her inner self was far softer and gentler than even Cheng Xi¡¯s. She looked at Tian Rou, who was smiling at Baldy. When Baldy, that funny fellow, saw his girlfriend raise her fist at him, he even thought that she was cheering him on, and he became so happy that he raised his fist too.


    The two of them smiled at each other in surprising harmony, and Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help herself from joining in. She was about to say something when her phone rang.


    When Cheng Xi took her phone out, she hadn¡¯t even looked at the called ID when Tian Rou cried out, ¡°Lin Fan? What¡¯s he doing calling you?¡±


    Cheng Xi panickedly clutched her phone.


    But Tian Rou continued to chatter away. ¡°Do you talk to each other often? My goodness, this fellow¡¯s really disloyal! He didn¡¯t even send out a wedding notice, but he¡¯s also ignoring all of us when we asked him to hang out, huh!? Why didn¡¯t I notice that he was such a dedicated husband before? Pick up! Pick up and scold him well for us. Even though he¡¯s your idol, you can¡¯t be softhearted toward him.¡±


    Cheng Xi really couldn¡¯t bear to hear any more of Tian Rou¡¯s words, and she quietly shushed her. Only when Tian Rou calmed down did Cheng Xi finally pick up.


    ¡°Jiaman wants to see you.¡± Lin Fan¡¯s voice seemed faraway. To Cheng Xi¡¯s ears, however, it just sounded somewhat fake.


    She looked up. On the court, Lu Chenzhou was facing a tennis ball flying towards him. His expression was calm and his posture perfect, but his returning volley had a particularly vicious spin.


    Then, he suddenly looked at her as he swung violently with his racket, sweeping away the ball that was just about to touch the court.


    The yellow ball spun through in the air, landing by Xu Po¡¯s side of the court with a heavy thud as if in slow motion. Cheng Xi¡¯s mind filled in the heavy ¡°Peng!¡± sound as it struck the court, as if it were also hitting her heart.


    Over the phone, Lin Fan asked, ¡°Are you free?¡±

 Chapter 177: Shall We Make A Bet?

    Xu Po and the others quickly ran to where the ball had landed. ¡°Damn! It¡¯s right on the line!¡±


    Baldy crowed sycophantically, ¡°Zhou¡¯s a beast, isn¡¯t he? You¡¯ve lost, so pay up quickly!¡±


    Yes, they had bet on the games, wagering a decent amount for every match. Xu Po had lost quite a bit today.


    But Xu Po was unwilling to give up. ¡°Get Zhou get off the court! Call your girlfriend over, and then we¡¯ll see how good you actually are!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will! Do you think that I¡¯m afraid of you?¡± Baldy waved at Tian Rou, beckoning her over. ¡°Girl, come over! We¡¯ll team up, beat them black and blue until they¡¯re crying, and then have fun spending their money!¡±


    And so, Tian Rou ran onto the court, and Lu Chenzhou off of it.


    Cheng Xi was still on the phone with Lin Fan, and she asked back, ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯d prefer today, and right now if you could.¡± His tone was somewhat apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I tried my best to pacify her, but she really insists on seeing you.¡±


    When Lu Chenzhou walked over, Cheng Xi had just gotten the address from Lin Fan and hung up.


    She held her phone in her hand as she handed a bottle of water to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Are you tired?¡±


    He shook his head in a relaxed manner as he took the proffered bottle, tilted his head back, and drained it all in one smooth motion. Some of the water leaked out and ran down his jaw and onto his upper chest. His shirt was wetted, and the now see-through material revealed the rippling muscles underneath.


    Cheng Xi unconsciously gulped, not out of appreciation, but rather anxiety. She suddenly recalled the raw strength that he had shown on that morning when he had punched the bed by the side of her face.


    When Lu Chenzhou finished the water, both of his hands fell onto his knees as he lowered his head slightly and focused on breathing. Cheng Xi took the empty bottle from his hands and said, ¡°You should relax a little when you play again next time. If you win by too much, I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to find anyone to play with.


    Perhaps it was because they had been exercising quite often lately, but Lu Chenzhou seemed to have warmed up considerably. Although he was still cold and calm, anyone familiar with him knew that this was about as amiable and approachable as he could get.


    When he heard Cheng Xi softly chiding him, he even started joking around. ¡°Are we slowly fattening up our livestock?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°You see through things too easily.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou also started smiling in response. It was a very faint smile, but one that Cheng Xi was very fond of.


    The two of them continued to chat as they watched the match play out.


    Cheng Xi curiously asked, ¡°Who do you think will win?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at the game, and then replied without hesitation, ¡°Xu Po.¡±


    ¡°I think that Tian Rou and Baldy will.¡± Cheng Xi was in high spirits. ¡°Shall we make a bet?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression was that of a deity¡¯s distaste at the foolish antics of a mortal.


    Cheng Xi blinked expectantly. ¡°Well, shall we? How about the stakes be that the loser has to do one thing for the winner?¡± Lu Chenzhou still didn¡¯t seem very enthusiastic, so she upped the ante. ¡°If I lose, then I¡¯ll give you my body for the rest of my life. How about that?¡±


    He turned around, his tone still somewhat disdainful. ¡°What can you do?¡±


    ¡°Cook, do laundry, and make the bed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a housekeeper.¡±


    She leaned in closer, and sensually whispered into his ear, ¡°But I can also warm up your bed.¡±


    Her hot breath tickled and caressed his ears.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was expressionless, but his hands had long since clenched together tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t try to seduce me. If you don¡¯t want me to do something to you right here and now, then you¡¯d better move further away.¡±


    Cheng Xi moved away obediently. ¡°Then, do we have a bet?¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡±


    After receiving a confirmation, Cheng Xi stood up, stretched her body slightly, threw a splendid smile at Lu Chenzhou, and then walked over to the four people still on the court. ¡°How about I substitute for Tian Rou?¡± She looked at Xu Po, her eyes gleaming. ¡°If we lose, then I¡¯ll reimburse you for the money that you¡¯ve lost today.¡±


    ¡°And if I lose?¡±


    ¡°Double the bet?¡±


    Swayed by her charms, Xu Po waved his hand. ¡°You¡¯ve got a deal.¡±


    Tian Rou couldn¡¯t have been happier to be kicked off the court; she was completely out of breath, ok? Actually, she had run off even before Xu Po had agreed, and once he¡¯d agreed, she happily clapped Cheng Xi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you!¡±


    Cheng Xi grabbed her racket, turned around, and asked Lu Chenzhou, who was still sitting on the benches by the side of the court, ¡°Is this alright, Mr. Lu?¡±


    The tennis court was very well lit, so much so that Cheng Xi¡¯s figure was dazzling in the bright light. Lu Chenzhou subconsciously leaned back as he nodded.


    With everything set in place, Cheng Xi ran onto the tennis court happily. Her technique was about as good as Tian Rou¡¯s, but she was far more fit and had higher endurance. Additionally, she had just finished resting, so the tide turned in their favor as soon as she started playing.


    In the end, they won 7-5 victory; it was¡­¡­ somewhat arduous, but it was a victory nonetheless.


    Tian Rou was very happy to have picked up a win out of nowhere. After the match ended, she ran up to them, cheering, picked up Baldy, and then spun around in circles with him in tow. She never hesitated to praise her man, and as expected, she loudly exclaimed, ¡°My Baldy¡¯s amazing!¡±


    The two of them hugged each other like hyperactive children, and Xu Po and his girlfriend were struck slightly dumb by the sight. They merely stood to the side of the court, supporting themselves with their rackets, as they didn¡¯t even have the energy to ridicule them.


    Meanwhile, Cheng Xi was so tired that she didn¡¯t want to move a single muscle. She sat on the floor, and when Lu Chenzhou slowly ambled over, she stretched out her hands towards him, coyly complaining, ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou picked her up.


    The others made a loud clamor, and Tian Rou even started shaking Baldy as she demanded, ¡°I want to be carried. Carry me, carry me!¡±


    Baldy shouted, ¡°Scram!¡± in response. Although he didn¡¯t have the stamina for a bridal carry, he did hoist Tian Rou onto his shoulders and run around in circles.


    Tian Roy¡¯s shrill laughter filled the court.


    Cheng Xi felt like Tian Rou¡¯s exuberance had also infected her, and Lu Chenzhou even more so. He was barely able to contain the amorous feelings swelling up from deep within his heart; he rubbed his head against Cheng Xi¡¯s face as he asked, ¡°What did you want me to do?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face was smiling, but her heart was filled with hesitation. If she could, then she really didn¡¯t want to spoil the current mood.


    Xu Po, who had lost miserably, didn¡¯t want to look at the other two couples blatantly flirting in public, so he ran over to the benches to pick up everyone¡¯s bags.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s bag was amongst them. When Xu Po felt it vibrating in his hands, Xu Po loudly yelled out, ¡°Dr. Cheng, your phone¡¯s ringing,¡± completely unaware of Cheng Xi¡¯s conflicted feelings.


    Cheng Xi then jumped down from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grasp, picked up her bag, and found that she had quite a few missed calls.


    All from Lin Fan.


    Cheng Xi sighed lamentably.


    That match marked the end for their tennis session, so everyone went to shower and change their clothes. When Cheng Xi came out, she saw Xu Po handing Baldy money. The latter was smiling so brightly that the glare seemed to blind her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go and have some fun!¡±


    Baldy and Tian Rou started making plans, chattering away happily, but Cheng Xi pulled Lu Chenzhou aside. ¡°You guys should go first. We have something we need to do, and we¡¯ll head over once we¡¯re done, alright?¡±


    Tian Rou had originally been quite happy, but when she heard Cheng Xi¡¯s excuse, she glared at her. ¡°What could you possibly be doing this late? Cheng Xi, you¡¯re not a loyal friend!¡±


    But Baldy easily saw the rare look of arousal on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face, so he shielded his eyes as he said, ¡°I really can¡¯t bear to look at the two of you anymore! Do the two of you have to be this way? You¡¯re already an old couple, but are you guys still unable to hold yourselves back?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him superciliously; Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even deign to reply, and he just dragged Cheng Xi into his car.


    Baldy yelled out from behind, ¡°Brother, do you still have enough condoms?¡±


    It was clear that everyone had heard about Baldy¡¯s ¡°gracious¡± gift to Lu Chenzhou, as they all started yelling furiously soon after his inflammatory words.


    Cheng Xi uncontrollably blushed, and she nudged Lu Chenzhou as she said, ¡°It¡¯s a waste to keep those things lying around. Why don¡¯t we send them back to the fellow over there?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her, using his gaze to convey how childish he found her suggestion. He completely ignored it, and once they had left the tennis courts, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± His tone implied that if she didn¡¯t reply, his offer would expire and he wouldn¡¯t ask again.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s smile faded as the delight in her heart became weaker and weaker. She rested her hand on the lowered car window. Tonight was a typical May night; the night breeze was so gentle that it felt like a lover¡¯s caress. By comparison, the gaze of the man beside her had never been as tender.


    She really wanted to delay this issue and deal with it tomorrow, but her phone rang yet again. It was on silent mode, but the vibrations seemed to ring out deafeningly in the quiet interior of the car: a loud, intermittent buzzing reminder.


    A scene of a helpless Chen Jiaman relapsing flashed by her eyes. She was only sixteen years old. Cheng Xi immediately said, ¡°Stop by the side of the road, and I¡¯ll tell you then.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was very obedient, and he smoothly stopped the car once he found a suitable spot.


    Cheng Xi turned to look straight at him, and he at her. His expression was as calm as ever, but his gaze and lips were noticeably softer than usual.


    She could see the expectation in his eyes, and a faint happiness. However, as her hesitation continued, his emotions slowly faded away into nothingness.


    And he once again returned to that cold and calm Lu Chenzhou.


    ¡°Is it a difficult request?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Cheng Xi said slowly, ¡°As long as you trust me, it¡¯ll be very easy.¡±


    He seemed to have picked up on something, because his gaze now turned icy.


    Her phone started vibrating yet again, and a cold laugh emerged from his lips. ¡°Whose call is it?¡±


    ¡°Lin Fan,¡± she heard herself say. Once that admission came out, the rest of the words seemed to spill out from her mouth easily. ¡°Chen Jiaman¡¯s been experiencing some abnormal moods, and she wants to see me. Lu Chenzhou, I don¡¯t want to secretly see her without letting you know, because I don¡¯t want you to misunderstand. So, the one thing I¡¯d like from you is for you to accompany me and see her. Is that alright?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond.

 Chapter 178: Can’t Humiliate Me

    When Lu Chenzhou¡¯s cold voice finally rang out, she was momentarily frozen in place.


    ¡°Get out.¡±


    The atmosphere around him was so cold that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even dare respond. She simply unbuckled her seat belt and was about to get out of the car when he suddenly slammed on the accelerator, causing the car to shoot down the road like a loosed arrow.


    Luckily, it was quite late in the evening, and this was a relatively remote stretch of road. Otherwise, given this speed, Cheng Xi would have been deathly afraid of a possibly fatal traffic accident.


    She¡¯d made a huge blunder; she should have offered to drive!


    These ridiculous thoughts filled Cheng Xi¡¯s mind even as her body was flung forward and almost pushed up against the front windshield. Strangely, she wasn¡¯t all that scared. Even as the howling gales rushed in through the still open window, she regretted saying those words just now. A lover¡¯s hand could just as easily wield a killer¡¯s knife.


    The cutting wind whipped at her face and skin painfully.


    She closed her eyes and fingers tightly held onto the armrest. She didn¡¯t try to urge him to slow down, and instead did her best to yell out, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I love you!¡± However, her words were swallowed by the shrill wind, leaving only a broken string of connected sounds.


    Even she could only vaguely hear herself say his name.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know how long Lu Chenzhou drove for, but when the car finally stopped, her whole body was stiff and rigid, and her fingers had clutched at the armrest for so long that they were a pale white and about to cramp up.


    But they actually weren¡¯t that far from the tennis court where they had just played tennis. By the looks of the scenery, they were on the banks of the Mei river.


    Lu Chenzhou got out of the car, slammed the door shut with a ¡°Bang,¡± opened the door on her side with another ¡°Bang,¡± and squeezed into her seat.


    Before Cheng Xi could even react, he had lowered her seat and pushed her down with his body. His thigh was positioned right between her legs, and his fingers were already stretching under her clothes.


    Cheng Xi could tell what he was about to do, but she was so tired that she didn¡¯t even want to waste her breath ridiculing his actions that were so clich¨¦ that they could have come out of a third-rate drama. She didn¡¯t squirm, either, because she knew very well that her struggling, while effective when he wasn¡¯t clear-headed, would likely just provoke him further right now.


    She spoke up, her voice gentle but firm. ¡°I can bear my boyfriend¡¯s inconsiderateness, roughness, inability to lie, and even his inability to express himself. I can bear his excessive demands and his fussiness because he¡¯s handsome, smart, wealthy, powerful, because I¡¯m the first person that he¡¯s ever loved. That¡¯s enough to counterbalance all his flaws. However, my tolerance isn¡¯t infinite. No matter what he does, he can¡¯t humiliate me.¡±


    She grabbed his hands firmly. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, are you sure that you want to continue along this path?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou closed his eyes firmly and leaned against her body. His intense, laborious breathing made it clear that he was trying to restrain himself.


    Cheng Xi slowly extracted one of her hands from underneath him and used it to pat his back very lightly, trying to calm him down. ¡°Shall I tell you a story?¡± Then, she retold the story of the little rabbit who liked the little fox, and who would go to the valley every day to shout, ¡°Little fox, I love you!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had heard this story many times before. In the MP3 recording that Cheng Xi had made for him, there were many other stories that were deeper and more meaningful, but he seemed to be particularly fond towards this one. Even after the two of them had started dating, he¡¯d still occasionally bring out his audio recorder and play it to ease himself.


    And after listening to it multiple times, Cheng Xi¡¯s feelings toward it also changed. As she finished the story, she softly said into his ear, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I feel just like that little rabbit. I¡¯m declaring my love for you within the valley, but you¡¯ve never once responded to my declarations of love.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s body slowly softened up, and Cheng Xi finally relaxed¡ªor she was about to when her phone rang again.


    She hugged him tightly, and seriously considered the best way to destroy the phone in a humane fashion¡­¡­


    Lu Chenzhou suddenly asked, ¡°Where is she?¡±


    Cheng Xi was somewhat dazed.


    Lu Chenzhou bit down on her collarbone, causing her to hiss in pain and instantly regain her senses. She quickly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was not pleased with her response. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He bit down again, and Cheng Xi pitifully replied, ¡°Since you didn¡¯t promise me, I didn¡¯t have a chance to ask.¡±


    This was a lie, but strangely enough, it managed to pacify Lu Chenzhou.


    He finally let go of her. Then, he got up and returned to the driver¡¯s seat without looking back at her.


    When he started the car back up again, Cheng Xi pretended to call Lin Fan back. ¡°Is Jiaman feeling a bit better? I¡¯ll be over immediately, so please send me the address.¡±


    In reality, she already knew the address; Lin Fan had texted it to her before. He had housed Chen Jiaman at the apartment that he had lived at before marrying Meng Qingyang. He had kept the lease on that apartment up till now, and it was a very appropriate place for Chen Jiaman to temporarily stay at. His original reason for doing so had been that it was close to Renyi, and hence, close to somewhere Chen Jiaman was familiar with.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t dare to provoke Lu Chenzhou again, and she obediently activated the GPS on her phone, placed it in front of him, and said in an almost shy tone, ¡°She¡¯s here.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at the screen expressionlessly before flooring the gas.


    This time, the speed of the car was more or less normal. It was still a bit faster than usual, but compared to earlier, Cheng Xi felt the knife that had been in her lover¡¯s hands had finally been thrown away.


    The drive from the Mei riverbank to Lin Fan¡¯s apartment was long, and Lu Chenzhou had even ¡°maliciously¡± taken the scenic route. Thus, when they finally arrived at Chen Jiaman¡¯s place, it was already very late at night.


    Lin Fan and Chen Jiaman were the only two people living there at the moment. When Cheng Xi entered, the first thing she was Chen Jiaman curled up in the innermost corner of the living room, trembling and mumbling aimlessly to herself.


    Lin Fan was about to fall apart by the time they got there. When he saw Cheng Xi come in, he immediately relaxed, his gaze sliding past Lu Chenzhou, who had followed her in. ¡°You¡¯re finally here! Please, go in. I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯s going to try to climb out the window again.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked over at Chen Jiaman, and as she entered the apartment, she softly asked, ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡±


    A tinge of embarrassment colored over Lin Fan¡¯s face. He hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°My mother brought her out to an event, but she accidentally frightened her¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi stopped moving.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t expect that my mom would do something like this¡­¡­ The main point is that Jiaman looked like she was doing just fine the first few days.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything else, and quickly stepped into the room. Lin Fan was about to follow her in when she blocked him off. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I want to talk to her alone.¡± As she fully entered the room, she saw Lu Chenzhou calmly standing by the door with no intentions of entering.


    She shut the door behind her.


    Chen Jiaman seemed to be completely immersed in her own little world. Her hands were making small pleading gestures, and she didn¡¯t even notice Cheng Xi as she walked towards her.


    ¡°Jiaman,¡± Cheng Xi called out.


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t respond to the first call, or even the next several ones. It took Cheng Xi several repeated tries before Chen Jiaman suddenly lifted her head. ¡°Dr. Cheng, I didn¡¯t do it intentionally,¡± she said, frightened and terrified to the bone.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s tone remained calm. ¡°Intentionally do what?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t stop drawing intentionally. I didn¡¯t hide intentionally. I was afraid! There were so many people. I was so scared, Dr. Cheng. I¡¯m scared.¡± She was close to hysterics.


    Cheng Xi slowly knelt down in front of Chen Jiaman. ¡°It¡¯s alright. If you¡¯re scared, then hide. If you don¡¯t want to draw, then don¡¯t draw. These are all very normal things to do and feel. However, Jiaman, do you remember what I told you before? Those people are just like the flowers that we saw. If you look at them from afar, it may seem like there¡¯s a whole field of them, vibrant and loud. However, when you actually walk closer, there aren¡¯t actually all that many, and they¡¯re not scary or worth hiding from at all.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s familiar warm voice finally helped Chen Jiaman calm down. Cheng Xi remained stooped in front of Chen Jiaman, patiently and meticulously talking everything through with her.


    After a long talk, she texted Lin Fan and had him bring some medicine in. Chen Jiaman consumed it obediently, fell asleep, and then was carried to her bed by Cheng Xi and Lin Fan. When Cheng Xi tried to stand up, however, she almost fell over¡ªshe had been squatting for so long that her feet had gone numb. As soon as she tried to move, she was struck by a prickling pain.


    Lin Fan had just carried Chen Jiaman to bed when Cheng Xi stumbled. He quickly tried to catch her, and he even unconsciously let go of Chen Jiaman and reached out for Cheng Xi instead.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡±


    Cheng Xi was in such pain that she couldn¡¯t respond, Instead, she leaned down and tightly massaged her legs. When she raised her gaze again, she found that Lu Chenzhou had walked in out of nowhere, standing by the side of the door.


    She heard him ask in a completely flat tone, ¡°Are you able to walk now?¡±

 Chapter 179: The Best Birthday Gif

    t


    Cheng Xi felt a shiver run down her spine as she struggled to stand up. She quickly thanked Lin Fan and then extricated herself from his embrace. She looked towards Lu Chenzhou. ¡°My legs hurt. Can you carry me, Mr. Lu?¡±


    She had called him Mr. Lu, which was technically a formal and polite form of address, but for some reason, it sounded particularly intimate coming from her.


    But unexpectedly, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t walk over. He continued to stand there, looking coolly at her. Cheng Xi sighed. ¡°Alright. If you¡¯re not going to come over here, then I¡¯ll go to you.¡± But her legs were so numb that a sharp pain shot through her as soon as she tried to move. Even these few steps felt like a long and weary trek.


    Cheng Xi grit her teeth and limped over, a smile still hanging on her face. She didn¡¯t mind Lu Chenzhou¡¯s callous behavior all that much: after all, she had low expectations for him, and she would actually be more worried if he were overly caring.


    But Lin Fan couldn¡¯t bear to watch her struggle like this, and he bit his lips and ultimately stepped forward to support her.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Cheng Xi pushed him away.


    But he just gripped her even more forcefully. ¡°Are you that scared of him?¡± He looked at her figure, sadness washing over his face. ¡°No matter what happened in the past, I still consider you a dear friend. And, Cheng Xi, as a friend, I can¡¯t bear to watch you behave like this any further. What happened to the Cheng Xi that I knew, the talented, intelligent, bold, and fiercely independent woman who was my friend? Would she debase herself like this for someone else?!¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t expect that Lin Fan would become so furious. Her slight smile vanished, and she pried his hands apart. ¡°You¡¯re overthinking things. I don¡¯t feel wronged, and the reason why I¡¯m willing to do this is because I like him.¡±


    ¡°Also, let me tell you this once more. Jiaman isn¡¯t ready to interact with strangers in a social setting. If you truly care about her, then please tell Mrs. Lin to give the patient some more time and patience, and to let her develop more trust in the two of you first. If her condition doesn¡¯t improve after she wakes up, then both for her good and for yours, I hope that you¡¯ll send her back to the hospital.


    After saying this, Cheng Xi hobbled around him and headed outside. Actually, what she really wanted to tell Lin Fan was to stop meddling in her affairs. Wasn¡¯t it laughable for him to be worried about her when he couldn¡¯t even take care of his half-sister?


    But she didn¡¯t want to overly provoke him. After all, Lin Fan truly cared about her¡ªand even if she didn¡¯t need his care, she didn¡¯t want to embarrass him either.


    She acted according to her own moral compass, regardless of what others thought.


    Even if that meant saying those heavy words to Lin Fan.


    Lin Fan clearly understood the deeper meaning behind her words, because his face paled slightly. Although he had known what he had given up on before, no matter what, he had still harbored a faint hope within his heart. He had always felt that she still had a bit of warmth towards him.


    But between Meng Qingyang¡¯s attitude last time and Cheng Xi¡¯s attitude today, he was fully cognizant that she had truly moved past him. That girl who had once helped him save up money, who had walked him home in the night, who had once said, ¡°Lin Fan, I waited ten years for you.¡±¡ªthat girl had truly moved past him now.


    Lin Fan smiled wanly, his face as pale as snow. He stood still, watching as she slowly and painfully walked out of sight.


    He then heard a voice speak out from behind her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything else, perhaps because he was only paying attention to himself. However, Lin Fan heard Cheng Xi reply, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, as my fianc¨¦, you should act more considerately in this situation.¡±


    Then, he heard a small gasp, and although he didn¡¯t want to, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from turning around, only to see Lu Chenzhou walk away, with Cheng Xi in his arms.


    Neither of them looked back, as if he were only an unimportant passerby.


    And, in truth, that was all he was.


    ¡­¡­


    Lu Chenzhou carried Cheng Xi all the way to the ground floor in one smooth trip. Only when they sat back down in the car did Cheng Xi¡¯s legs feel slightly better.


    They were still stinging slightly, but the prickly sensation had at least abated slightly. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re here. Otherwise, I would have had to crawl back home today.¡± She leaned closer and pecked him lightly peck on the cheek.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was as still as water, and his expression didn¡¯t relax even a millimeter from her fawning. On the drive back, he even thoughtfully asked her, ¡°Do you feel wronged when you¡¯re with me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Cheng Xi responded quickly and naturally, ¡°I enjoy being with you, and as I said before, you¡¯re handsome, wealthy, skilled, and righteous. No matter how badly you behave, I can always forgive you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou smiled coolly. ¡°Is that so? Do you recall what you said earlier?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re taking it so seriously that I want to take back what I said. What should I do?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s only reply was a snort and another smile.


    Cheng Xi had a bad premonition.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s premonitions were usually extremely accurate, and not long afterwards, she indeed regretted her words.


    That next day was Cheng Xi¡¯s birthday, and she had taken the latter half of the day off to celebrate in the afternoon. Her parents had also closed their diner early to join in on the festivities. She was twenty nine now, and a nice large pile of gifts had accumulated in her living room. The first one that she opened was from Cheng Yang, and it was a bunch of shells inside a large chest that he¡¯d sent her from Hainan, once again demonstrating his unique aesthetic taste that left others speechless. When she spread out the shells inside the chest, from afar, it looked like a vibrant and multi-colored dress; however, upon closer examination, it was actually made from multiple dense clusters of seashells. They were very small and closely packed together, and the compactness made the originally very beautiful dress feel almost claustrophobic.


    There were also a few other miscellaneous items inside, mostly flowers and food. But there were whole waves of them, so much so that her mother couldn¡¯t help herself from exclaiming, ¡°How wasteful! How much money did this all cost?¡± They were particularly displeased with Cheng Yang¡¯s gift. ¡°He sent such a gaudy but useless gift. He¡¯s really good at wasting money, isn¡¯t he!¡±


    But even as they grumbled, they carefully packed everything up, arranged all of the notes and cards neatly, and even wrote down the names of everyone who had given her a gift. When Cheng Xi¡¯s mother looked over the list, she raised her eyebrows as she questioned, ¡°Doesn''t the Lu family know that it¡¯s your birthday?¡±


    Cheng Xi really wasn¡¯t sure if they knew or not, but Lu Chenzhou definitely did. It was just that he didn¡¯t even celebrate his own birthday, so Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t sure if he had gotten her anything.


    She didn¡¯t care very much about this, but since she didn¡¯t want her mother to think too much of it either, she said, ¡°They¡¯ve all already given me gifts.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was quite curious. ¡°What did Lu Chenzhou give you?¡±


    As a common woman, although she didn¡¯t think that it was a great idea for her daughter to have such a wealthy boyfriend, she didn¡¯t mind it as long as her daughter was happy and her partner acceptable. In fact, she had even started bragging about him to her friends and relatives.


    And right now, she was very curious about what such a rich person would give as a birthday present.


    Although it might not be appropriate for her to directly ask Lu Chenzhou, she could certainly ask her own daughter.


    Cheng Xi vaguely replied, ¡°He¡¯s not back yet, so I don¡¯t even know myself. However, he did say that he had prepared a gift.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had left for a business trip two days ago, and she wasn¡¯t sure whether or not he¡¯d be back today. Of course, the rest of what she had said to her mother was a complete lie.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother clicked her tongue, dissatisfied.


    Cheng Xi smiled and took the list that her mother had compiled. As she read through it, the department head suddenly called her. Cheng Xi was a bit surprised that her birthday was enough of an occasion for someone of his position to call, and she was about to thank him when the head¡¯s words stunned her. ¡°I told you that you¡¯d get into trouble if you didn¡¯t break off your relationship with that patient! Come to the hospital immediately! Someone just reported you for using your identity as a doctor to manipulate a patient into a relationship with the intentions of marrying into a rich family! Ha, you¡¯d better prepare for an internal investigation!¡±


    Yup, Cheng Xi¡¯s largest birthday present had arrived.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 180: Birthday Presen

    t


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t dare tell her parents the truth, and just gave an ambiguous excuse, saying that something had come up. She quickly dropped her things and hurriedly ran to the hospital.


    The department head and assistant head were both in the department head¡¯s office. When Cheng Xi arrived, the head immediately handed her a pile of documents. ¡°Look this over, and then prepare to defend yourself. People from the Bureau of Internal Affairs are going to be interviewing you soon.¡±


    Cheng Xi opened the folder and found that the folder just contained a report that Cheng Xi herself had written regarding Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mental state, as well as a few intimate pictures of her and Lu Chenzhou together.


    The contents may have been simple, but its implied meaning struck Cheng Xi like a hammer.


    As she looked through the files, she felt like her head had caved in, and she was so dazed that she didn¡¯t even want to think about the possible consequences.


    She had only ever made two copies of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s diagnosis: one was held by the hospital, and the other was given to Lu Chenzhou. When she had copied out the diagnosis for Lu Chenzhou, she had made a mistake and scribbled out a word; that scribble was on this copy, and it was so clear that it couldn¡¯t have been a photocopy.


    As for the photos¡­¡­ There weren¡¯t many photos of her and Lu Chenzhou together, and the ones that did exist had all been taken by her. And after she took them, she would always send them to him, sometimes praising him with a comment like, ¡°Look at how handsome you are when you smile!¡±


    And sometimes, she felt helpless and exasperated, and had to force him into taking a photo. Those times, she would caption the photo as something like, ¡°A serious-looking Lu Chenzhou trying to pick me up. He makes me want to bite him.¡±


    At that time, she had thought that it was a normal thing for couples to do, but now, it had become evidence against her. These files with his fingerprints all over them felt like he was arrogantly declaring, ¡°Look, I¡¯m the one who reported you!¡±


    Cheng Xi glared at the offending items in front of her for quite a while. After the initial wave of dizziness in her head retreated, she apologized to the head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but can I make a call first?¡±


    When the head saw her strained expression, he sighed. ¡°As you wish.¡± But his tone was clearly still very upset.


    Cheng Xi went out to make a call, and happened to encounter the head nurse on her way out. ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re here even when you¡¯re on vacation. Are you going to treat us to a meal?¡±


    Cheng Xi forced out a smile, and didn¡¯t even know what she said herself. She then hurriedly found a secluded area to call Lu Chenzhou; the call connected, and he sounded like he was at the airport as he was slightly out of breath and there was the pleasant voice of an attendant reminding him to board the plane in the background.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± His cool and clear voice was invigorating.


    Cheng Xi swallowed her saliva as she tried her best to make her voice calm and clear. ¡°The hospital received an anonymous report. Inside it is the diagnosis I wrote for you when you were at the hospital, as well as a few photographs. Did you know about this?¡±


    ¡°I had someone send it over.¡± His tone was particularly calm, and she could almost imagine the justified and aloof air about him as he said this with his head held high.


    She tried to tamp her fury down. ¡°Why did you do this? Lu Chenzhou, do you understand that I might be fired from the hospital because of this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I can take care of you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Take deep breaths, take deep breaths. You can¡¯t get angry with him! After calming herself again, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Tell me why you did this.¡±


    ¡°I love you. Is that enough?¡±


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou!¡±


    She could imagine him smiling lightly in response. ¡°Cheng Xi, I already told you, I don¡¯t like my things being marked by other people. If you can¡¯t bear to leave them, then I¡¯ll have to have you leave your job. It¡¯s fine. I can give you all of my money. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    And then he hung up, likely because he¡¯d gotten on the plane, leaving Cheng Xi unable to contact him anymore!


    Cheng Xi returned to the head¡¯s office. By this time, the officers from the Bureau of Internal Affairs had already arrived, and the head immediately announced, ¡°While you¡¯re being investigated, you will stop all of your work in the interim. As for any time sensitive issues, I¡¯ll have someone else take over.¡±


    As the head said this, the expression on his face became complicated. Although Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t worked at the hospital for that long, she had already entrenched herself in multiple difficult problems, and everyone who knew her also knew of her passion and ardent love for her work.


    He also knew about this, but what was the point even if he knew? Like his earlier warning, it was fine for this sort of romance to happen in any department other than psychiatry; it might have even been a whirlwind romance anywhere else, but in psychiatry, it was a disaster! Even if both parties consented to the relationship, the most important part was how the whole situation was perceived. Due to the special power dynamic between a psychiatrist and their patients, this sort of thing was honestly nearly analogous to pedophilia!


    And so, he could only hint to her, ¡°You should go and find that patient of yours. However, you better not threaten or mislead him!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Cheng Xi could only smile bitterly in response. Was the head trying to tell her to mislead Lu Chenzhou into giving a favorable testimonial for her?


    Hah. It was a pity that Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t someone that she could control.


    The officer from the Bureau of Internal Affairs was expressionless, perhaps because he didn¡¯t catch onto the deeper meaning behind the head¡¯s words. When he saw that the two of them seemed to have finished talking, he brought Cheng Xi over to the bureau.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s phone was turned off for the whole ordeal, and when she finally returned home, it was already very late at night. As she entered the apartment, she saw Lu Chenzhou standing in the living room together with her parents, although he was somewhat aloof and distant from them. He seemed to also have just returned, as a thin jacket was draped over his shoulders.


    When the three of them heard the door open, they all looked over simultaneously. Her mother was the first to walk up to her. ¡°Why did you come back so late?¡±


    As Cheng Xi moved through the room, she finally saw what they had been looking at; it was a painting dominated by shades of white and pink, as if it were depicting a charming and gentle dreamland. The painted sunlight filtered through the almost three-dimensional leaves, forming a warm halo of light. A pair of green eyes shone out from the shadows, quietly looking at the pair of hands illuminated by the mottled light. It was a woman¡¯s hands, with long and slender fingers, with an appearance like jade in the soft glow of the sunlight. There was also a petal that had landed on the fingertips, and the combination of deep and light pinks gave off a deeply sensuous feeling that left Cheng Xi¡¯s scalp numb.


    The first thing she saw was that hand, and only then did she see the signature of the artist underneath the drawing. Cheng Xi¡¯s mother curiously asked, ¡°Who¡¯s Jiaman? An artist? She seems to be quite accomplished.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled bitterly. When her father noticed her fatigued expression, he quickly rolled up the drawing and said, ¡°You must be exhausted. Go wash up, and then we¡¯ll have a meal.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded and obediently returned to her room with Lu Chenzhou. As she changed her clothes, Cheng Xi saw that he was holding a folder in his hands.


    He looked at her, as if gauging her emotions, and then handed her the folder.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s brows arched upwards. Given what had happened at work today, folders were now somewhat traumatizing to her.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She didn¡¯t take it from his hands.


    ¡°A birthday gift.¡± He shoved the folder into her hands, and then turned to enter the washroom.


    After hesitating for a moment, Cheng Xi finally decided to open it. Inside was a contract, or more accurately, a prenuptial agreement regarding the transferral of assets. To be specific, beneath the main heading was an exhaustive list of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s current assets. As long as Cheng Xi signed her name on the bottom, all of it would be hers!


    There was so much wealth and assets that she likely wouldn¡¯t be able to amass this much even after a few generations; however, it could all be hers if she just signed her name.


    All hers!

 Chapter 181: No title

    Chapter 181: [No title]


    Cheng Xi clutched the absurd piece of paper as she grit her teeth and reminded herself, He¡¯s a patient, a patient, a patient! Patients who suffered from emotional detachment were normally petty, selfish, and aloof. Lu Chenzhou was clearly trying to salvage their relationship by trying to give all his money to her after reporting her!


    Honestly, he might have been trying his hardest to mollify her, but his actions couldn¡¯t have enraged her more!


    Cheng Xi put the contract down and had to chat with her parents for a while before she finally calmed down.


    Lu Chenzhou came out not long after Cheng Xi; for him, that was a very fast shower. Only after everyone settled in did Cheng Xi¡¯s birthday celebration finally begin. Cheng Xi¡¯s parents seized this opportunity to anticipate the future. ¡°If you got married this year, had a baby the next, and then twins the year after that¡­¡­ That¡¯d be wonderful, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Unfortunately, they only received two cold stares in response.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents didn¡¯t respond either. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    Cheng Xi would behave like this whenever this topic was brought up, so her mother plastered a fake smile on her face and shifted targets to Lu Chenzhou instead. ¡°Chenzhou, don¡¯t you want kids?¡± Why¡¯s your face so cold?! Do you not want to have children with my daughter?


    Lu Chenzhou bluntly replied, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want my daughter to give birth?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want children.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother sucked in a deep, cold breath as she glanced at her husband. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a large family property? If you don¡¯t have heirs, then who¡¯s going to take over your business?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face remained cold. ¡°It¡¯s not all mine, and what I do have, I¡¯ve already given to Cheng Xi.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents were stunned. ¡°What?¡±


    Cheng Xi had been daydreaming, and she only came to her senses when her parents burst out in confusion. While she was still catching up, she heard Lu Chenzhou say, ¡°The reason why I married her wasn¡¯t so that she could make babies for me.¡±


    Cheng Xi was struck speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had a rare talent of somehow making her feel moved while also making her want to strangle him to death.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents couldn¡¯t understand his logic of wanting to marry but not wanting to have any children. However, this wasn¡¯t the part that caught their ear. ¡°Did you really give all your property and assets to Cheng Xi?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded. ¡°She signed the contract, so I¡¯ll have my lawyer start the transfer proceedings tomorrow.¡±


    Tomorrow¡­¡­ He said all this calmly and evenly, and Cheng Xi¡¯s mother became curious. Just how much money he was worth? He couldn¡¯t only be worth about a million yuan or so, right? Her lack of wealth somewhat restricted her imagination; thus, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother decided to not mention money at all, opting to instead ask, ¡°Why? What made you decide to do this? This isn¡¯t a small thing. How could your family agree?¡±


    As she peppered him with all kinds of questions, she even pinched Cheng Xi. You little wench! It wasn¡¯t you who asked him for all this, was it?


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even want to respond. In the first place, she hadn¡¯t accepted anything, all right? So no matter what they said, none of it was going to happen!


    ¡°They will agree. This is nothing much. I¡¯m giving my assets to her so that, even if she loses her job, she¡¯ll still have money.¡±


    Hmm? Cheng Xi¡¯s parents were bewildered. ¡°Why would she lose her job?¡±


    Cheng Xi tried to stop this conversation in its tracks before her parents became even more shocked. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him. He¡¯s just spouting nonsense.¡± Lu Chenzhou had already made a huge mess, and she didn¡¯t want her parents to be wrapped up in it too.


    Lu Chenzhou ignored Cheng Xi. He sat upright with his palms placed on his stomach, looking like the perfect obedient child; however, his next words almost shocked Cheng Xi¡¯s parents to death. ¡°I reported her.¡±


    ¡­¡­There was silence.


    After a lengthy pause, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother asked her husband in confusion, ¡°I heard wrongly, right? He reported whom?¡± And then she asked Lu Chenzhou, ¡°You¡¯re joking, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he adamantly stated, ¡°The hospital initiated an investigation into her case this afternoon.¡±


    Cheng Xi, who was about to stop him, froze. She involuntarily massaged her forehead in pain.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s father became furious. ¡°What the hell has my Cheng Xi done?! Why would you report your girlfriend?!¡±


    After bursting out, he got up and was about to grab Lu Chenzhou¡¯s collar and punch him. However, his wife and daughter quickly got between them and stopped him. His wife was the first to grab him. ¡°Why¡¯re you acting like this? Let¡¯s hear what he has to say for himself first!¡± She dragged her husband aside, and then stared balefully at Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Why? Tell us!¡±


    Cheng Xi started to speak up. ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­¡± But then her mother shoved her aside.


    Lu Chenzhou pursed his lips, his eyes half-closed. ¡°I wanted her to lose her job.¡±


    My goodness, what kind of reason was this? This time, it was Cheng Xi¡¯s mother who lost her calm. ¡°Are you crazy?! What good does it do you for her to lose her job?! ¡­...Stop holding me back! I¡¯m going to beat him until his head clears up!!!¡±


    The roles had swapped; this time, it was Cheng Xi¡¯s father who held his wife back. ¡°Don¡¯t get furious. Don¡¯t get furious!¡±


    But Cheng Xi¡¯s mother just started yelling at her husband as well. ¡°How can I not be furious? Do you know how hard she¡¯s worked to get this job? Is she to throw it all away just because he wants her to? What¡¯s she going to do? Let him raise her like a pet?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡­¡­ was deeply touched by her mother¡¯s words. But she still stopped her from hitting Lu Chenzhou. In the end, both of her parents had to be sent to the apartment next door to calm down. Cheng Xi went with them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I definitely won¡¯t lose my job, and he won¡¯t raise me like a pet either.¡± Only after many repeated assurances did she finally convince them to not worry about this and to let her handle it.


    When Cheng Xi returned to her own apartment, Lu Chenzhou was mopping the floor. She wanted to help clean up, but he had already cleared the table and washed the dishes.


    So, she simply waited for him to finish, and when he finished, she called him over. ¡°Come sit down. Can we talk?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou obediently sat down.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t immediately dive into the report against her; instead, she handed the prenuptial agreement over. ¡°Keep it. Is it that easy to make money? I can¡¯t believe you would hand all of it over to someone else just like that.¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou nodded calmly without accepting the folder. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s easy.¡±


    Cheng Xi wanted to smile but couldn¡¯t. She could only shake her head and gently say, ¡°Even so, I don¡¯t want it. Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯re actually perfectly aware of your own mental condition, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou pursed his lips. Although his expression remained cool, she could see his anxiety building, and her voice softened. ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for so long. If you trust me, then let me help you, alright? Lu Chenzhou, I hope that what ties us together isn¡¯t some sort of contract or financial benefit; rather, I hope that it¡¯s my love for you, and your love for me that holds us together.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her as his lips curled somewhat mockingly. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been trying? All this time, you dragged me to play tennis with others, intentionally told me to take care of Lu Chenming, and even to chase you. Didn¡¯t you do all this to cure me?¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t refute his accusations.


    Lu Chenzhou softly asked her, ¡°Do you love me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    He pointed at the folder. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you want that? This is the most precious thing that I have, so why won¡¯t you take it? It seems like you never planned to stay with me. You consider yourself a passerby, a transient part of my life, don¡¯t you? You¡¯ll leave me one day, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Cheng Xi was somewhat frightened by his tone, and she stared at him in shock. But the moment she did that, she realized that she had made a mistake. Although he still had a light smile on his face, his gaze quickly fell in temperature. ¡°You really think that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    He leaned in closer, and his two hands reached up to caress her neck. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t care if you love me or not. However, I can¡¯t stand the thought of you leaving me, or of anything dragging you away from me. Do you understand?¡±


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 182: Are You Scared?

    Those who lived in the light would never understand how much those who lived in darkness thirsted for the light. Lu Chenzhou, who had wandered a desolate wasteland devoid of emotions by himself for his entire life, had finally found an oasis of emotions in someone, and his intense desire to possess her made Cheng Xi unconsciously take a step back.


    He had hidden it and restrained himself before, but now, he revealed all of his pent-up feelings for her.


    Cheng Xi pulled Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand tightly. ¡°Nothing can last forever in this world. But while love can¡¯t withstand betrayal, it should allow for independence, disappearance, and separation. Lu Chenzhou, if I ever do leave you, the reason won¡¯t be related to anyone or anything else. I¡¯m just used to planning for the worst, and it¡¯s something that might never end up happening.¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    His voice was very calm, but Cheng Xi felt an unfathomable sadness in it.


    Despair and helplessness.


    She had never seen Lu Chenzhou express these emotions. It made her heart clench, and she was just about to say something when Lu Chenzhou suddenly grabbed her with both hands, driving all of her thoughts away.


    He hugged her tightly, but not at his full strength. Cheng Xi had just relaxed into his body when Lu Chenzhou pushed her away, onto the sofa. Then, he bit her lips until a bloody iron taste filled her mouth. Only then did he let go of her, climb up on top of her, and looked at her coldly as he said, ¡°That¡¯s why I chased away anyone who could sway your heart!¡±


    Cheng Xi gasped, heaving for air, as she somewhat arduously said, ¡°They can¡¯t sway me. Lu Chenzhou, when I started this relationship with you, I had already fallen out of love with Lin Fan. Just like you, I won¡¯t forgive a betrayal.¡±


    But what if that so-called betrayal was all someone else¡¯s ploy? Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t speak these words, and instead merely lowered his head and wordlessly kissed her again.


    Throughout this entire ordeal, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s heart was insatiably vexed. He inadvertently thought back to Shen Wei¡¯s wedding, where his gaze had first landed on Cheng Xi, who had been sitting close by him, by accident, but she had never looked back at him.


    Her attention had been focused towards a singular object, a young man, gentle and refined. It had only taken Lu Chenzhou a single glance to determine that he and she were the same type of person.


    They were the same type of person.


    The type of person he yearned to be: warm, sunny, honest and calm.


    He had never ever felt so strongly towards someone before. His desire was irrepressible, and when he saw the two of them walking together, it childishly drove him to have his assistant buy him condoms. Then, he ran up to her with them to try to get her attention.


    He had orchestrated his own rejection, but he couldn¡¯t convince himself to ignore her. He didn¡¯t know why he was drawn to this woman called Cheng Xi so much, but he undeniably was.


    Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t able to shove this feeling aside, and its constant presence left him feeling particularly uncomfortable. He had patiently stood by her side, patiently wooed her like a regular man, and patiently loved her. However, he knew himself, and he knew that his patience wasn¡¯t unlimited. As Cheng Xi¡¯s circle of friends continued to expand, and as her attention became more and more divided among the people around her, his temper burned shorter and shorter. He knew that he would never be able to control her: she was like a proud eagle flying freely in the sky. While she might lower her head, glance at him from time to time, and maybe even stop for a moment, one day, just like everyone else, she¡¯d fly away.


    Without a doubt.


    When Lu Chenzhou¡¯s thoughts reached this point, he felt his heart explode into flames, as an irresistible urge washed over him. He had to do something¡­¡­ something dark, something almost bestial.


    If Lu Chenzhou had had the presence of mind to describe exactly what he was feeling to Cheng Xi, she would have told him that this was a mental issue brought about by an acute sense of insecurity. However, he didn¡¯t say anything. The hands around her neck tightened, he kissed her, and as he looked at her writhing beneath him, a twisted sense of euphoria filled his heart.


    ¡­¡­


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what was going through Lu Chenzhou¡¯s head. She had initially intended on placating him, and so she had kissed him back. However, then, the hands around her neck had suddenly tightened, plunging her into a suffocating breathlessness. Blood rushed into her head, and she felt like she was drowning. She kicked, scratched, and even tried to bite him¡­¡­ But he had long since plugged her mouth with his own. Then, as she ran out of oxygen, her struggles slowly ceased. Her mind started to go fuzzy, and she began seeing double.


    Then, her phone suddenly rang, breaking the atmosphere. The incessant ringing cleared her mind a little, and Cheng Xi used the rest of her energy to call out, ¡°Lu¡­¡­ Zhou¡­¡­¡±


    And he slowly unclasped his hands.


    As the sweet, fresh air rushed into her lungs, Cheng Xi quickly rushed out from underneath him, leaned over by the sofa, and started coughing violently.


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­¡± She called out his name, tears about to fall from her face due to the choking. However, she didn¡¯t have any words to say¡ªshe really hadn¡¯t expected him to do something like that. For a moment, she really thought that she was about to die!


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond. He merely stared at his hands with a dazed expression before walking off with a gloomy face.


    When Cheng Xi heard the door open, she looked up, but it was already too late. She simply lay there, her body weary and aching, as she continued hacking up her lungs.


    Her phone rang again. Cheng Xi struggled but managed to pick up this time: it was a call from Cheng Yang. ¡°Mom said that Lu Chenzhou reported you to the hospital, right? My god, is he crazy? What right does he have to do that?¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed soundlessly, hung up without answering, and then called Lu Chenzhou. However, she could hear his ringtone coming from the bedroom.


    Cheng Xi apathetically let her phone fall out of her hands as she closed her eyes and lay on the sofa, overcome with emotion.


    She stayed up the entire night, waiting for Lu Chenzhou to come back; however, he never did. Actually, no one saw him for the next few days. When Cheng Xi finally regained her breath and state of mind, she called his office number, planning on using the excuse of returning his wallet and phone to talk to him. But the reply she got was, ¡°Director Lu¡¯s out on a business trip.¡±


    ¡°I still have his ID.¡±


    ¡°Then, I don¡¯t know where he is.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way I can contact him?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, no.¡±


    The person who had picked up was his assistant. Though outwardly polite, a coldness and aloofness permeated his bones, much like Lu Chenzhou himself.


    The next day, Cheng Xi¡¯s parents came over, looking for their daughter. When they saw the faint bruising on her neck, her mother turned severe and judgemental. ¡°Did the two of you have a fight? I think that you should break up with him. You clearly don¡¯t have complementary viewpoints, and I didn¡¯t raise and have you study so much to just marry a rich man and live as his pet.¡±


    Yes, her mother was a devout feminist. She wanted her daughter to get married, but she didn¡¯t want her to give up everything for her new family¡ªshe herself had ignored her two children in order to make money during her adult years.


    Cheng Xi suddenly felt quite relieved that Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t here right now, but she replied in an equally serious tone to her parents. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this myself. Please, trust me.¡±


    ¡°Do you need us to do anything regarding the report?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents looked at her with an uneasy look of worry for quite a while. When the two of them got back home and found out what Cheng Xi had been reported for, they discussed it between each other for half a day before transferring all of their money to Cheng Xi¡¯s account, and they even forced Cheng Yang to give her a bit as well. Then, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother texted Cheng Xi: If the hospital insists that you¡¯re together with Lu Chenzhou for money, then wave this card in front of your department head¡¯s face! Our family doesn¡¯t lack money at all!


    Cheng Xi rarely ever saw her mother act this domineeringly, but she didn¡¯t have time to deal with her right now.


    When she received the text, she was already in the middle of chasing down Lu Chenming. Cheng Xi had found his tutor, and persuaded him to drag Lu Chenming into his office and leave him there.


    As soon as Lu Chenming saw Cheng Xi, he tried to hide. Cheng Xi asked him somewhat gloomily, ¡°Are you still afraid of me?¡±


    Lu Chenming shook his head, and when he realized that he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape this time, he blushed and stammered out, ¡°I- I- I¡­¡­ I don¡¯t like you anymore. I like your brother!¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 183: Kiss Him

    Cheng Xi had built up quite a bit of repressed anger over these last two days, so regardless of how good her temper was, she became vexed upon hearing Lu Chenming¡¯s offensive words. She squinted at him, smiled, and calmly asked, ¡°You like my brother?¡±


    Without saying another word, she dragged him outside by his collar.


    ¡°Aaaaa! Where are you ta- ta- taking me?¡±


    ¡°To see the person you like.¡±


    Cheng Xi decisively dragged Lu Chenming all the way back to her place. Cheng Yang was slated to return home today, and the news of her suspension from work made him rush over to her place immediately.


    Cheng Yang got home faster than Cheng Xi had expected, and he was already waiting outside when Cheng Xi arrived, with Lu Chenming in tow. However, he couldn¡¯t get inside as he wasn¡¯t able to get past Mr. Lu¡¯s security measures, and was thus forced to stand outside the door and glare and curse at the lock.


    When he saw the two of them, he didn¡¯t even greet Lu Chenming. Instead, the first thing he said was, ¡°Give me the passcode, or even the key to that apartment next door. Can¡¯t you at least do that?¡±


    Cheng Xi ignored his request and opened the door.


    Only then did Cheng Yang glance at Lu Chenming. ¡°Oh, not bad. You¡¯re willing to walk with my sister now?¡±


    Lu Chenming¡¯s face was sullen.


    Cheng Yang slung his arm around Lu Chenming¡¯s neck. ¡°Hey, since we¡¯re getting along so well, tell me this. If I fight your brother, would you help me or him?¡±


    Lu Chenming¡¯s sullen expression morphed into shock, though his expression looked a bit funny.


    It was so funny that Cheng Yang even started laughing, and was about to say something when Cheng Xi suddenly turned around. ¡°If you guys get along so well, then why don¡¯t you kiss him?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Before Cheng Yang could figure out what she was saying, Lu Chenming had already¡­¡­ collapsed into a heap on the floor.


    Cheng Xi pointed at Lu Chenming, and then calmly said to Cheng Yang, ¡°He said that he likes you, brother. Shouldn¡¯t you kiss him? Otherwise, you¡¯d be letting him down.¡±


    Cheng Yang was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Yang instinctively recalled the plot of a cheesy drama: the main character had fallen irretrievably in love with his older brother¡¯s girlfriend, which angered the older brother so much that he broke up with his girlfriend. Then, in order to get revenge, the petty older brother even reported his girlfriend to her workplace. The girlfriend, who wanted to keep her job, had then coerced the main character into cooperating with her. She wanted him to officially state that the person he truly liked was his older brother¡¯s ex-girlfriend¡¯s older brother.


    Yup, this situation was just as convoluted as a cheesy drama.


    But now that Cheng Yang was ¡®informed¡¯ about what was going on, he removed the arm looped around Lu Chenming¡¯s neck and looked at Cheng Xi, seriously trying to figure out if he had understood her words correctly.


    Cheng Xi nodded.


    She nodded.


    She actually nodded!


    Cheng Yang¡¯s headache intensified even more, but when he recalled his parents¡¯ commands, and then the mutual assistance that he and Cheng Xi had given each other over the years (which wasn¡¯t actually that much), he resolutely said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    He leaned in towards Lu Chenming, about to kiss him.


    Lu Chenming was so scared by this turn of events that he turned pale with fright, covered up his mouth surprisingly quickly, and yelled out, ¡°Nononononono-¡±


    Only then did Cheng Xi separate the two of them. She calmly told Cheng Yang, ¡°Brother, go wash up over there. I want to talk with Chenming alone.¡±


    Without waiting for a response, she pushed Cheng Yang out the door, along with his luggage.


    Cheng Yang was struck speechless by her actions. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Had his kind and gentle little sister been replaced by an alien?


    He rolled up his sleeves and was about to pound on the door when it suddenly opened up. Cheng Xi appeared again, and she handed him a ring of keys. ¡°Go on.¡±


    Her tone had a faint pleaing quality to it.


    Cheng Yang sighed, touched his nose in capitulation, took the keys, and obediently went over next door.


    Back inside the apartment, Cheng Xi led Lu Chenming to the living room. ¡°Sit down. Do you want anything to drink?¡±


    Lu Chenming was the living example of the saying, ¡°Silence is golden.¡±


    ¡°I have water, coffee, orange juice, cola, and milk tea. What do you want?¡±


    Lu Chenming finally responded, ¡°¡­¡­Milk tea.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but it looks like I¡¯m out. Is water alright?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi started laughing, but in the end, she really did make him some milk tea. ¡°I was just kidding. My milk tea isn¡¯t very tasty, but you can still try it if you want.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s little joke actually helped Lu Chenming relax a little. However, he was still very nervous, and he fiddled with his pants as he continued to sit there. It seemed that the longer he sat still, the more anxious he became.


    Cheng Xi had always thought that Lu Chenming had had some sort of social impediment; this was made even more evident by his current behavior, although Cheng Xi could also tell that it wasn¡¯t very severe yet.


    She had made Lu Chenzhou arrange a job for Lu Chenming and also told Cheng Yang to bring him along on sales calls as a means to forcibly cure his impediment. Since he¡¯d stopped hiding whenever she entered the room and was instead able to sit still in a room with her for this long, he¡¯d clearly improved.


    Cheng Xi began by casually bringing up a mundane topic that he was familiar with. ¡°Do you still play ¡®Escape from the Apocalypse?¡¯¡±


    ¡°What level¡¯s your base at now?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t my brother suck at the game?¡±


    She would usually have to ask Lu Chenming ten or so questions before receiving a response. However, today, just one was enough. When Lu Chenming heard Cheng Xi¡¯s poor evaluation of Cheng Yang¡¯s gaming skills, he instinctively started nodding fervently, clearly having suffered from Cheng Yang¡¯s lack of skill.


    ¡°How many levels did you drop?¡±


    ¡°Three.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not too bad.¡± Cheng Xi smiled as she recalled, ¡°One time, he insisted that I play with him. However, our levels fell so quickly that by the end, I couldn¡¯t use some of my weapons and special abilities anymore. Thus, the two of us ended up being surrounded by zombies, and I almost had to start over from scratch.¡±


    Lu Chenming nodded dismally.


    ¡°You had a similar experience?¡±


    He nodded again.


    ¡°What happened? How many levels did you drop?¡±


    Under Cheng Xi¡¯s careful guidance, Lu Chenming slowly started talking about how he had been fighting mobs with Cheng Yang but ended up being surrounded by zombies. In the end, he had barely avoided having to restart from nothing. In the beginning, his speech was a bit slow and awkward, but as he continued to talk, he slowly sped up. By the time Lu Chenming noticed the change in his speaking habits, he was already able to recount the details to Cheng Xi at a fast and fluid pace.


    Lu Chenming was quite surprised, almost as if he didn¡¯t dare believe that he could talk so naturally with a female he had a crush on.


    He actually did it.


    Cheng Xi smiled at him.


    ¡°I¡­¡­ I know that you like my older brother, and I¡­¡­ I respect your choice.¡±


    He didn¡¯t sound particularly frustrated, just anxious.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t deal with this matter properly.¡± She didn¡¯t intend on explaining that Cheng Yang had impersonated her, at least not right now. ¡°But please don¡¯t say that you like men out loud. My brother¡¯s somewhat stupid, and I¡¯m afraid that he might take it seriously and do something to hurt you.¡±


    Cheng Xi was merely referring to Cheng Yang teasing him with some nonsense, but Lu Chenming clearly misunderstood her. He instinctively thought back to when Cheng Yang had almost kissed him, froze up, nodded, and then said particularly obediently, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled, and then the conversation naturally shifted to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Actually, the main reason why I wanted to talk was to ask you about your brother. If you could, please tell me about it. If it¡¯s not, then that¡¯s fine too.¡±


    Lu Chenming raised his gaze, levelling a careful look at her.

 Chapter 184: Acciden

    t


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t hold any hopes of obtaining any useful information from this conversation. After all, given how much younger Lu Chenming was compared to Lu Chenzhou, it was very likely that he wouldn¡¯t know anything about how Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mental condition had developed.


    But, unexpectedly, he actually did.


    And he told her everything. ¡°The first person who ever called my brother a ¡®cold-hearted monster¡¯ was my grandmother, and it was for what he did when my mother died. My brother was by her side when it happened. He didn¡¯t call the police or shout for help¡ªall he did was watch her slowly burn to death.


    Cheng Xi was shocked and speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Perhaps it was because she didn¡¯t expect to hear something like this, but Cheng Xi had a hard time believing what Lu Chenming was saying. But then she noticed that Lu Chenming¡¯s tone was unusually calm, as if he were talking about something utterly unrelated to him.


    She couldn¡¯t help herself from asking, ¡°How old were you then?¡±


    ¡°T¡­¡­ two?¡±


    So he was so young that he didn¡¯t have any recollections of his mother. No wonder he could talk about her passing away so calmly.


    ¡°Before your mother passed away, did your brother have a good relationship with him?¡±


    ¡°My grandmother said that my mother was always very busy with her work.¡±


    If she were extremely busy, then she could have neglected her child, which would have led to the relationship between the two of them not being particularly good.


    ¡°What about your father?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± This time, Lu Chenming¡¯s expression went completely blank, as if Cheng Xi had asked a very strange question.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father clearly didn¡¯t interact with his two children very much either. But at that moment, a knock on the door interrupted Cheng Xi¡¯s chain of questions, forcing her to walk over to the door. It was Cheng Yang, and he had come back after he changed his clothes. He glanced inside the apartment as he asked, ¡°Is Lu Chenming still around?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Cheng Yang clicked his tongue in annoyance, swallowing the words he was about to say. Then, he entered after taking his shoes off. With Cheng Yang around, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to ask Lu Chenming about his brother anymore. So, without anything else to do, Cheng Xi went to prepare some food instead.


    As she busied about in the kitchen, she checked the veracity of Lu Chenming¡¯s words. When she googled the keywords ¡°Donglai fire,¡± she eventually found a link to a very old article titled, ¡°Donglai Pharmaceuticals burned down in a conflagration, killing one researcher.¡±


    There was a significant discrepancy between the headlines and what Lu Chenming had said. This inconsistency almost made Cheng Xi want to talk to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents again.


    But then, she suddenly heard Cheng Yang ask Lu Chenming, ¡°Is your brother crazy?¡±


    Lu Chenming didn¡¯t know that his brother was on Cheng Xi¡¯s side, so he quietly defended Lu Chenzhou. ¡°My brother isn¡¯t crazy. He¡¯s really smart.¡±


    ¡°Smart my ass! If he were really that smart, then why would he be so petty? Did you know that he reported my sister to her hospital? Does he think he¡¯s still in kindergarten, playing around and reporting people like that?¡±


    Lu Chenming was very surprised by Cheng Yang¡¯s accusation, but he continued stalwartly defending his brother. ¡°My brother wouldn¡¯t do something like that. He likes¡­¡­ Professor Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Yang chuckled mirthlessly. ¡°Kid, would I lie to you? My sister¡¯s already been suspended from work, alright?¡± He then patted Lu Chenming¡¯s head again. ¡°You too¡ªwhy¡¯re you fighting with him over someone? With so many fish in the ocean, if you can¡¯t find anyone you like, then you can like me. I¡¯m quite good, aren¡¯t I?¡± He patted his chest confidently.


    Black streaks marred Cheng Xi¡¯s forehead as she overheard all this from the kitchen. She wasn¡¯t able to stop herself from calling out, ¡°Brother, can you come over for a moment?¡± as she sharpened her knife threateningly.


    Cheng Yang ran over, innocently saying to Cheng Xi, ¡°Look at me! I¡¯m cooperating with you and doing my best to make Lu Chenming like me.¡± He stole a mouthful of food, and as he chewed, he made a coy expression at her, quietly asking, ¡°Did Lu Chenming get befuddled again and try to snatch you away from his brother, thus angering him and provoking him into reporting you? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure that he¡¯ll understand that the one he truly loves is me, not you. He¡¯s only holding onto you because he¡¯s just afraid that our families will oppose our being together.¡±


    Cheng Xi had no response. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t even know how these ludicrous thoughts had formed in her brother¡¯s head. All she could do was grab her forehead and miserably ask, ¡°Can you stop causing trouble?¡±


    Cheng Yang glared at her. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®causing trouble?¡¯ Even if you don¡¯t end up marrying Lu Chenzhou, you can¡¯t let him tarnish your reputation like that. I¡¯m hoping that my sister will become a legendary doctor.¡±


    She was touched¡­¡­ but she also wanted to hit him at the same time.


    Cheng Xi could only lower her voice and quietly say, ¡°The reason why he reported me isn¡¯t related to Lu Chenming at all.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Cheng Yang was shocked by this reveal. ¡°So he¡¯s really trying to raise you like a pet? Crap, when did Lu Chenzhou become so tasteless?¡±


    ¡­¡­Honestly, she wasn¡¯t sure if raising one¡¯s girlfriend like a pet was more ¡°tasteless¡± than snatching one¡¯s younger brother¡¯s girlfriend away.


    Cheng Xi sighed softly. ¡°It¡¯s neither of those two. I¡¯ll take care of it. Don¡¯t worry, and don¡¯t try to fix this yourself. I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡±


    Cheng Yang looked askance at Cheng Xi, clearly not believing her words. But he still reluctantly agreed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you some time to work things out then.¡± But then, afraid that she would be too stressed, he added on, ¡°But even if you don¡¯t, it¡¯s fine. There¡¯s always another path forward. At worst, we¡¯ll just start our own practice, right?¡±


    Cheng Xi involuntarily smiled when she heard her brother¡¯s sweet words. Then, when she saw that her mother had transferred funds to her bank account, a warm and fuzzy feeling welled up inside her, sweeping all the gloominess that had accumulated over the last few days away.


    Her family was her stronger support pillar; with family members like these, she really didn¡¯t need to worry or be frustrated at all.


    So when they ate dinner, the three of them did so happily, and Cheng Xi even showed them the drawing that Chen Jiaman had given her. She hadn¡¯t looked at it very carefully before, but when she held it in her hands now, it felt somewhat strange. Perhaps it was because she had become used to her darker style, and her producing such a bright and warm piece of art felt unusual.


    When Cheng Xi studied it more closely, however, she felt that this drawing was more complex than it appeared. Although it clearly depicted a beautiful and sunny scene, it gave her a surprisingly strong feeling of melancholy.


    While Cheng Xi tried to analyze the emotions that Chen Jiaman was trying to portray with this painting, Lu Chenming suddenly muttered, ¡°It¡¯s a really good painting. You could probably submit it to an exhibition.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Cheng Xi turned around. ¡°What exhibition?¡±


    ¡°An a-art exhibition. It¡¯d probably win a prize.¡± Lu Chenming had become nervous again, perhaps because Cheng Xi¡¯s gaze was too intense.


    His words reminded Cheng Xi of Chen Jiaman¡¯s peculiar situation. She would probably find it too difficult to go back to school again, or even to maintain a normal job. Why not work as a freelance artist?


    Cheng Xi put this thought aside for when she next saw Chen Jiaman. Then, she smiled at Lu Chenming and said, ¡°Hmm, thanks for reminding me. Chenming, you¡¯re really smart.¡±


    Lu Chenming blushed a bright red when he heard her praise, his eyes glittering.


    After a bit more idle chatter, Cheng Yang left with Lu Chenming in tow. As they left, Cheng Xi gave Lu Chenzhou¡¯s wallet and phone to Lu Chenming. ¡°If you see your brother, please give him these things.¡±


    She also handed him a sealed bag; Lu Chenming couldn¡¯t figure out what was inside, and he looked at her quizzically.


    But Cheng Xi didn¡¯t explain herself.


    She had also left a note for Lu Chenzhou in his wallet. If he saw it, then perhaps¡­¡­ he¡¯d contact her?


    But in reality, Lu Chenzhou never contacted her. During this period, the hospital also tried to contact him, but the response they got was the same as Cheng Xi¡¯s. ¡°He¡¯s out on a business trip and hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡±


    Cheng Xi even personally went to Donglai Hotel to look for him, but she wasn¡¯t successful.


    Since Lu Chenzhou¡¯s report was now unverifiable, Cheng Xi could only be suspended indefinitely. With her newfound free time, she found a friend and learned more about upcoming art competitions, and they even found out about the exhibition that Lu Chenming had mentioned.


    It was a national-level art exhibition. During the exhibition, there was a section where a panel would select the best young and upcoming artists and artworks; if Chen Jiaman were able to win such a prize, it¡¯d undoubtedly be beneficial for her future.


    Her friend sent pictures of Chen Jiaman¡¯s drawing to all the professionals she knew, and they were all shocked that Chen Jiaman had produced such a high quality without formally studying under anyone. Their comments were all along the lines of, ¡°Although the drawing style¡¯s a bit unpolished, it¡¯s full of emotions. It¡¯s worth submitting it to the exhibition.¡±


    Cheng Xi was very happy for Chen Jiaman, but she couldn¡¯t do this on her behalf without her knowledge. After considering her options for a moment, she chose not to call Lin Fan¡¯s mother, and instead directly called Lin Fan.


    Lin Fan was somewhat surprised to be called by her. ¡°I thought that he would have disallowed any further contact between the two of us¡­¡­ In any case, Jiaman¡¯s back in the hospital, but not at Renyi. That wonderful fianc¨¦e of yours helped my mother contact your professor, Cai Yi, and she¡¯s been transferred to her lab. I couldn¡¯t stop her¡­¡­¡± His voice was low and soft as he forlornly said, ¡°Thank you for letting me know how weak and powerless I am.¡±


    After saying those words, Lin Fan hung up. A dark silence clouded Cheng Xi¡¯s heart. It was so quiet that all she could hear the movements of the wind outside.

 Chapter 185: Is She All Right?

    Cheng Xi gripped her phone tightly, lost in thought. It wasn¡¯t until the driver reminded her, ¡°Miss, we¡¯re here,¡± that she broke out of her reverie.


    She quickly gave the driver Cai Yi¡¯s laboratory¡¯s address. ¡°Please send me here instead, sorry.¡±


    The driver squinted as he typed the address into the GPS. After a quick glance at the route, he started his car up again. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send you over before I go get lunch.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled slightly, and then turned to stare outside the window. It was almost June, and the sun had transformed into a cruel ball of fire; being outside felt like being slowly baked to death in an oven. She had visited Cai Yi¡¯s laboratory quite often, but she had never found it as unfamiliar as now.


    Ever since she had argued with Cai Yi about Chen Jiaman¡¯s transfer to her laboratory, Cheng Xi had never returned. Even the communication between them had dwindled; the last time they had talked was during the New Year, when Cheng Xi sent a greeting to everyone on her friend list, and Cai Yi had replied with a simple, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    When Cheng Xi arrived at her destination, it was just past one, and Cai Yi was still taking her afternoon nap. Cheng Xi was familiar with everyone in the laboratory, and everyone behaved more or less naturally around Cheng Xi. One of her seniors even pinched her face as she remarked, ¡°Gosh, how long has it been since you last came to see us?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve been a little busy since the new year.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve started taking in students now? You¡¯re doing so well for yourself even at Renyi. It¡¯s really impressive.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what else to say, so after she exchanged a few more pleasantries with her senior, she asked, ¡°Did the lab recently take in a patient called Chen Jiaman?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Her senior was particularly forthright. ¡°She was your patient before, right? Follow me. The professor said to bring you over to see her if you came, but she just got here, so her condition isn¡¯t the greatest.¡±


    Even though Cheng Xi was prepared for it, and even though her senior had warned her beforehand, when she saw Chen Jiaman, Cheng Xi was still dismayed by the sight.


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s four limbs were strapped to the corners of the bed, and she even had a gag in her mouth. Her saliva was dripping out of the corner of her lips, and her gaze was terrified and fearful.


    ¡°When she was first sent here, she wouldn¡¯t stop hitting her head against the wall, so we had no choice but to strap her down for two days. While we weren¡¯t paying attention yesterday, she even tried to commit suicide by biting her tongue off¡­¡­ Even Risperidone (a medication for calming a patient¡¯s emotions) is starting to taper off in effectiveness. It¡¯s really strange, and even if you hadn¡¯t come today, we would have called you sooner or later. When she was at Renyi, was she like this too?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at Chen Jiaman¡¯s image on the monitor. As she watched her writhe about helplessly, Cheng Xi¡¯s heart¡¯s pounding sped up faintly.


    ¡°Senior, are you responsible for her?¡± After receiving a nod, Cheng Xi pulled out a thumb drive from her bag. ¡°She likes listening to stories, so if you have the time, why don¡¯t you try recording the story inside here and then play it for her? Perhaps it¡¯ll help her get better.¡±


    Her senior raised her eyebrows curiously. ¡°Really?¡± She then smiled and took the proffered thumb drive, but didn¡¯t make any promises.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t request to go inside and see Chen Jiaman. She knew the rules of the laboratory; despite her familiarity with everyone here, they still wouldn¡¯t let her interact with their patients without a reason.


    After showing Chen Jiaman to Cheng Xi, her senior ran off to perform her own tasks, and Cheng Xi was left sitting alone in her professor¡¯s office, waiting for her to wake up from her afternoon nap. Cai Yi led a healthy lifestyle, so she didn¡¯t sleep for very long, and Cheng Xi was able to meet with her without waiting too long.


    When Cai Yi saw Cheng Xi, she smiled as she said, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    As if they¡¯d never had that argument.


    Cheng Xi nodded tersely. She didn¡¯t have the same self-imposed calm that Cai Yi did, and when she recalled Chen Jiaman¡¯s current situation, she was still a little pale.


    Cai Yi also noticed her uneasy complexion. ¡°You saw Chen Jiaman?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Professor, I remember telling you before that, due to Chen Jiaman¡¯s past, she¡¯s particularly scared of violence and of violent treatment. This sort of thing can be devastating to her psyche.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So I hope that you¡¯ll reconsider her current conditions and method of treatment. After all, patients are still people, and different people respond best to different treatments¡­¡­¡±


    Cai Yi didn¡¯t directly address her plea, and instead asked, ¡°Do you know how many patients we¡¯ve accepted in the last few years? A hundred twenty eight. And do you know how many of those recovered with this systematic treatment that you disdain so much? A hundred fifteen. So many people in our country suffer from maladies of the mind and heart, but for one reason or another, they can¡¯t even get the most basic of treatments.¡±


    ¡°Cheng Xi, in the past, you said that systematic treatments wouldn¡¯t be as efficient or authentic, and that psychiatry should focus on personalized treatment plans, right? But only when we¡¯ve developed a solid set of standards can we really start working on personalized mental healthcare.¡±


    Cheng Xi listened to her professor¡¯s arguments carefully, nodded, and then said, ¡°I agree with your viewpoint, and I too would like to see a systematic set of standards for dealing with patients be developed. However, professor, I still think that patients¡ªnot their relatives, but the patients themselves¡ªshould ultimately be the ones who decide whether or not they should take part in experimental or research-based studies.¡±


    Cai Yi began laughing. ¡°That¡¯s paradoxical!¡±


    ¡­¡­


    While Cheng Xi and Cai Yi were debating about the ethics of psychiatric research, Baldy was at a tennis court. As he opened the door to the training room, he exclaimed, ¡°My god! Are you getting ready to hatch an egg in here?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was splayed out on the ground, his whole body drenched with sweat, and tennis balls lying all around him.


    Baldy squatted down by his body, and when he saw the bruises all over his face, he felt an itch to jab him, but didn¡¯t have the guts to do so. Instead, he clicked his tongue a few times and exaggeratedly shouted, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you now?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stared at the ceiling, not even bothering to look at Baldy.


    ¡°Li said that Donglai¡¯s about to stop running because you¡¯ve been out of contact for so long.¡±


    Still no reaction.


    ¡°Dr. Cheng¡¯s looking for you, did you know that?¡± Baldy noticed that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s fingers twitched slightly when he said that, and he instantly cursed in his heart. Something clearly went wrong between the two of them! With this in mind, he asked Lu Chenzhou about it, mentally preparing to be punched and beaten up by him. However, all Lu Chenzhou did was take out his wallet, remove a slip of paper, and pass it to him. He then expressionlessly said, ¡°Look at this. What is it?¡±


    Baldy was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He was so worried that he treated it as gingerly as a vial of lethal poison! He carefully received the slip of paper, and his face turned green once he looked at it. ¡°Do you think I can understand something like this? As a math whiz, why¡¯re you asking someone like me about this? Isn¡¯t this discrimination?¡±


    That¡¯s right, the note had what appeared to be a very simple math question: Given x and y, find x + y + 2xy.


    But what in the world were x and y? Baldy didn¡¯t even understand what the piece of paper was trying to say!


    Lu Chenzhou snatched the note back with a cold face. He had originally wanted to tear it up, but he clearly couldn¡¯t bear to do so. He glanced at it again before finally folding it up and putting it back into his wallet.


    Baldy gasped in amazement when he saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s actions, and couldn¡¯t help himself from asking, ¡°Did you and Dr. Cheng¡­¡­ really break up?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Oh my god, he even admitted it!


    More importantly, ¡°Is Dr. Cheng still alright?¡±


    She really had some guts to dump Boss Lu!

 Chapter 186: If You Want To Catch Me

    Lu Chenzhou ignored Baldy and instead handed him a tennis racket. ¡°Let¡¯s play.¡±


    Baldy waved the racket around with a dead-tired expression. ¡°Are you sure? If you¡¯re already this tired, then I¡¯ll win even if I don¡¯t do anything!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou chuckled.


    Baldy quickly found that he was wrong; their scores proved that, despite how weary Lu Chenzhou appeared, he insisted on winning, and he also had the ability to do so.


    His tennis was particularly sharp today. After just two rounds, Baldy felt even more tired than Lu Chenzhou seemed.


    At that point, he had also collapsed onto the ground. ¡°Stop, stop, stop. I¡¯m done.¡± Baldy tried to stop the game halfway, but his protests were useless, as tennis balls continued to fly at him like miniature cannonballs. If he didn¡¯t want to end up battered and bruised like Lu Chenzhou was, then he¡¯d have to give it his all.


    When their game finally finished, Baldy was so tired that he forcefully dragged Lu Chenzhou away from the tennis court. ¡°Let¡¯s go do something else, alright? We can play mahjong, go racing, or even mess around with some women! Anything besides this!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression remained disinterested until Baldy said, ¡°mess around with some women.¡± At those words, he suddenly nodded and said, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Baldy was momentarily at a loss for words. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He blinked and then, as if afraid that Lu Chenzhou would change his mind, quickly pulled him to his car. Only after they were both inside did Baldy ask, ¡°What did you say you want to do?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked outside the car window, his gaze insouciant. ¡°Women.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Baldy rubbed his ears in disbelief. ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Baldy glanced at him through the backseat mirror, saw that he was serious, and clicked his tongue faintly. Dr. Cheng¡¯s not bad. She even fixed him up to this extent¡­


    They had known each other for many years now, but this was the first time that Lu Chenzhou had ever expressed interest in women.


    But Baldy didn¡¯t know too much about how to mess around with women either. Xu Po and Xie Ziming, on the other hand, were much more familiar with things like this; the two of them combined had dated enough girls that they could make a chain around the entire city. He immediately called the two of them, ordering, ¡°Find a quiet place and get a few pretty girls to come around.¡± And then he secretly sent the two of them a WeChat message as well: Boss Lu broke up with his girlfriend. Make sure that the girls are pure and fresh!


    Xie Ziming was busy, but Xu Po handled it all calmly. He casually reserved a good place, one that was surprisingly quiet and elegant. He then called a few girls over, one of whom bore a striking resemblance to Cheng Xi. She was wearing a dark blue floral dress, had skin as white as snow, a tall body, and a refined and graceful demeanor.


    Baldy¡¯s heart thumped as soon as he saw her, and he couldn¡¯t help but poke at Xu Po. ¡°Where¡¯d you find someone like her? She looks just like Cheng Xi!¡±


    Xu Po smiled as he glanced at that girl. ¡°Are you blind? She looks nothing like her!¡± He then turned to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Is there anyone you like in particular?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even look up, indifferently saying, ¡°Just pick any two.¡±


    ¡°Just any two¡­¡­¡± Xu Po didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, but he nonetheless picked out two girls to accompany them, one of them the girl who looked like Cheng Xi.


    The two girls sat down by Lu Chenzhou, one on each side. It was dinnertime, and they all had a meal together. With so many girls at the table, it was bustling with noise and excitement.


    Lu Chenzhou had either completely stopped caring or finally become a common man, as he wasn¡¯t picky or disdainful about the food at all. However, he was still as reticent as ever, and he only ate and drank whatever was placed in front of him.


    As everyone else joked around, Lu Chenzhou poured himself a glass of wine. He was about to drink it when a jade-like hand stretched out in front of him. Her skin was particularly white, her fingers were as slender and thin as green onions, and her fingernails were painted in vibrant colors. All in all, the hand was so beautiful that it could have been a piece of art.


    That gorgeous hand lightly held onto Lu Chenzhou¡¯s glass, and then the owner of the hand said, ¡°You seem to be injured. It¡¯s best not to drink alcohol.¡± Then, ignoring the looks of the people around her, she poured him a glass of water. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have some water instead?¡±


    The table instantly quieted down, as everyone stared at Lu Chenzhou and that reckless and daring girl.


    Lu Chenzhou was a bit surprised by the girl¡¯s actions, and he shot her a glance from the side with a gaze as still as water. ¡°Remove your hand.¡± He then put down the glass and called an attendant over. ¡°Get me a new glass, please.¡±


    The girl bit her lips, her face flushed as red as blood. She wanted to leave but didn¡¯t dare to. So instead, she shyly looked over at Xu Po, who had brought her over.


    Xu Po didn¡¯t even return her look, and instead whispered to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°She¡¯s quite meddlesome, huh? Do you want a different one?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t chase the girl by his side away, instead warning her with a cool expression, ¡°If you really want to hook up with me, then the best thing to do is nothing.¡±


    The girl was struck speechless. How was she supposed to please him if he didn¡¯t want her to do anything?!


    But she was also very obedient. For the rest of the dinner, she didn¡¯t do anything, and just sat by his side. After dinner, as Xu Po and the rest planned out the rest of their night, Lu Chenzhou pointed at her. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    The girl was overjoyed upon hearing his words, and she glanced briefly at the girl next to her before blindly following behind Lu Chenzhou. All the girls here had heard of Lu Chenzhou, who was handsome, wealthy, very difficult to catch, but once caught, more generous than anyone else.


    The girl naturally thought that she had just been chosen, but from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s perspective, she was just a warm body casually chosen to accompany him in passing.


    When Xu Po saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s behavior, Xu Po also picked one out casually, but Baldy didn¡¯t dare do so¡ªactually, he was about to, but then he got a sudden call from Tian Rou. His finger trembled, and then he waved his hand at the rest of the girls, saying, ¡°All of you can leave now. We won¡¯t need you for the rest of the night.¡±


    Xu Po couldn¡¯t help but turn around in surprise, and Baldy chuckled in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I already have a partner!¡± He confidently answered Tian Rou¡¯s call, but before he could say anything, she asked, ¡°Are you with Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    Baldy instinctively replied. ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, good. Cheng Xi said that she has something to talk to him about. Send me your location, and I¡¯ll come over with her.¡±


    Baldy was shocked speechless by the turn of events. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He immediately hung up, looked at Lu Chenzhou, who had already walked so far away that Baldy couldn¡¯t even see his shadow, and then cursed a few times. He quickly asked Xu Po, ¡°Dr. Cheng wants to come. Do you think that we should stop her?¡±


    Although Baldy had framed the question like this, his eyes were already starting to gleam; he was very curious about what would happen, after all.


    Lu Chenzhou clearly still felt very strongly about Dr. Cheng, but the two of them had broken up all of a sudden. If he hadn¡¯t called Lu Chenzhou¡¯s assistant, then even he might not have known about it!


    Of course, the most surprising part wasn¡¯t that they had broken up, but rather that Dr. Cheng had left with her mind and body intact. This was simply a miracle. They had to witness it!


    Xu Po also wanted to see what would happen, but he was sly and immediately distanced himself from this decision, lightly replying back to Baldy, ¡°Isn¡¯t that up to you?¡± Then, he happily watched as Baldy sent out their current address.


    Lu Chenzhou had no idea about what the two of them were doing, and he had already brought the girl back to his room and went into the washroom to shower and change. He didn¡¯t actually want to do anything with the girl, and his actions were all done out of habit.


    When Baldy and Xu Po went over to knock on his door, he had just finished showering. The girl opened the door just as Lu Chenzhou walked out of the bathroom in a snowy white bathrobe. A large part of his chest and abdomen was exposed, and his image was so sexy that the two men were temporarily blinded.


    Baldy squinted at him, and then at the girl, and the sudden feeling that he had made a huge mistake in calling Cheng Xi over welled up in his heart. But since it was too late to back up, he braced himself and asked, ¡°That¡­¡­ Zhou, Dr. Cheng¡¯s here. Do you want us to call her up?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou hesitated for a moment, looked at Baldy, and then calmly replied, ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±

 Chapter 187: Don’t Look For Me Ever Again

    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice was far too placid, so much so that Baldy felt a chill run down his spine, and even his excitement to see what would happen when the two of them met was quickly snuffed out. He nudged Xu Po with his elbow, wanting to pass the problem onto someone else. ¡°Go fetch them.¡±


    But Xu Po reacted even faster than him; he¡¯d already retreated to one side long ago. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who called them over? You¡¯re also more familiar with them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The two of them stared daggers at each other until Baldy finally relented and went downstairs to fetch Tian Rou and Cheng Xi. On the way up, he kept nervously repeating, ¡°We really didn¡¯t do much tonight. We¡¯re only here to eat some food and play mahjong.¡±


    But he repeated it so much that Tian Rou became suspicious. ¡°Did you do something bad?¡±


    ¡°Peh, what bad thing could I have done?¡±


    Tian Rou calmly replied, ¡°If not, then why are you so nervous?¡±


    Baldy didn¡¯t have a reply to Tian Rou¡¯s rejoinder, and Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly at his comical reaction. Tian Rou narrowed her eyes and then gently placed her hand on the back of Baldy¡¯s neck as she calmly said with a hint of anger, ¡°What¡¯ve you done now? Come, let Cheng Xi go up by herself. We¡¯ll have a little talk on the side.¡±


    With that, she dragged Baldy to the side without even giving him a chance to resist as she said that she¡¯d be lenient if he told the truth. But before he was dragged away, all Baldy managed to say to Cheng Xi was, ¡°Zhou¡¯s in the room right in front of you. If you walk a bit more, you¡¯ll be able to see it¡­¡­¡±


    Then, Cheng Xi saw the two vanish into another corridor. She knew that this was Tian Rou¡¯s way of excusing her and Baldy so that she could have a one-on-one conversation with Lu Chenzhou.


    After thinking about it a little, Cheng Xi walked forward as Baldy instructed. There were no rooms along the straight and narrow open corridor, but at the end, she could see a standalone two-story bungalow.


    The door to the room was open, and she could see lamplight and a few faint shadows spilling from it.


    When Cheng Xi walked a bit more forward, she recognized one of the shadows as Lu Chenzhou¡¯s. He was wearing a bathrobe as he sat in front of a desk and expressionlessly played with the tea set on the table. Besides him was a young girl, and opposite him, Xu Po. Xu Po was gazing outside, and he seemed to relax significantly when he saw Cheng Xi, as he quickly turned around and said something to Lu Chenzhou.


    Lu Chenzhou nodded, and Xu Po stood up to greet her, waiting at the door for her to come closer. ¡°Dr. Cheng, long time no see.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled back warmly. ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Then please enter.¡±


    Cheng Xi entered without further ado. Lu Chenzhou was still lazily playing with the tea set by him, but the girl by his side raised her head and looked at Cheng Xi curiously.


    Cheng Xi smiled kindly at her as well. She walked in front of the table, looked straight at Lu Chenzhou, and asked, ¡°Can we talk?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stopped playing with the tea set, but he still didn¡¯t respond. Luckily, Xu Po understood his thoughts, and he brought the girl away. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll wait at the door for the others.¡± The girl hesitated slightly, but when Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t object, she obediently followed Xu Po¡¯s lead out.


    And then, the two of them were the only ones left in the room.


    But the door wasn¡¯t closed, and Cheng Xi could still voices drifting in from outside. It was that girl, and she asked, ¡°Mr. Xu, who is that person?¡±


    Neither Cheng Xi nor Lu Chenzhou paid any attention to Xu Po¡¯s answer. Cheng Xi sat down in front of Lu Chenzhou and asked, ¡°You¡¯re back from your business trip?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t intend on exchanging pleasantries with her, and he directly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    His tone was cold, as if he had returned to that same indifferent Mr. Lu that Cheng Xi had first seen. He was aloof, reserved, and regarded other people as if they were mere specks of dust.


    Cheng Xi knew that she didn¡¯t have to beat around the bush. In fact, she didn¡¯t want to either, because she was in a sour mood. She bluntly responded, ¡°If I asked you to help me transfer Chen Jiaman out of my professor¡¯s laboratory, would you do so?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his gaze to look at her face, his expression still calm and unmoving. He mockingly asked, ¡°Are all doctors as naive as you?¡± Then, he smiled slightly as he answered, ¡°You seem to have forgotten that Donglai¡¯s mine.¡±


    ¡°Yet I seem to recall that you once told me you didn¡¯t care that much about Donglai.¡± But Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to encourage him to destroy Donglai, so she mollified her tone and changed tack, instead earnestly saying, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, a single Chen Jiaman can¡¯t change anything. On the other hand, she herself will be the only one who¡¯s changed, and maybe even destroyed. I¡¯m not making baseless accusations here. I just came back from my professor¡¯s place. Her psyche was already very weak, and without careful care and attention, any sort of forceful or harsh treatment will only exacerbate her condition. The standardized treatment that my professor¡¯s working to establish won¡¯t benefit from Chen Jiaman¡¯s case¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows questioningly. ¡°Are you calling Cai Yi¡¯s knowledge into question? I seem to recall that her reputation in the field of psychiatry is far more established than yours.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s expression was serious as she replied, ¡°Having an established reputation doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that you¡¯re always right, and our dispute is simply ideological in nature. I¡¯m not disputing her knowledge. My professor¡¯s taking the whole future of the world into perspective, while I¡¯m just focusing on a single person in front of me. Lu Chenzhou, help me, please.¡±


    He looked at her. The Cheng Xi in front of her seemed to merge with his first impression of Cheng Xi, that petite doctor filled with naivete who had rejected her professor¡¯s offer with a smile.


    After being together for so long, he had almost forgotten that she was a doctor as well.


    And in some sense, only a doctor.


    Lu Chenzhou smirked coolly. ¡°Help you? Cheng Xi, I almost killed you. Even now, when you sit in front of me like this, I really want to do something bad to you¡­¡­¡± He despised her identity as a doctor, and despised her personality that would sacrifice and give up anything to fulfill her duties as a doctor¡­¡­ but these same parts of her that he despised, he was also deeply attracted to.


    Malicious emotions boiled over in his heart, and he warned her in a low voice, ¡°For your own benefit, you shouldn¡¯t look for me ever again.¡±


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­¡± She could sense his abnormal mood, and she reached out towards him.


    Lu Chenzhou continued speaking as if she hadn¡¯t said anything. ¡°What¡¯s more, don¡¯t ask anyone about my affairs in the future either. Do you remember what I asked you in the past? I asked if you¡¯d ever get into bed with your patients, and you said no. So don¡¯t try to ¡°fix¡± me anymore. I¡¯m no longer your patient, and you¡¯ve long since lost any right to be my doctor.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing quite well for myself right now.¡± His eyes drooped, and his gaze fell to his hands, almost as if he was replaying the scene of when he had strangled her in his mind. He frowned. ¡°But I have to admit that what you¡¯ve done to me isn¡¯t completely useless. At the very least, my restraint has improved, and I can like females now. Not just you, but others too.¡±


    As he said this last sentence, he tilted his head, shifting his gaze. When Cheng Xi followed it, she ended up looking at the girl standing outside. She was standing a bit far from the door, but was attentively looking at the two of them. When she saw them look over, she began to smile.


    ¡°She¡¯s my new girlfriend, and perhaps soon, my new fianc¨¦.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Should I congratulate you?¡±


    ¡°If you wish.¡±


    Cheng Xi forced a smile onto her face as she said, ¡°Alright. It seems like this conversation stops here. I¡¯ll leave now, then. Sorry to have bothered you.¡±


    She briskly got up and left.


    But she was only able to take two steps before Lu Chenzhou called out to her. ¡°Wait.¡± She turned around, and he withdrew a piece of paper from his wallet. ¡°Can you tell me what the answer to this is?¡±


    Honestly, his OCD was the only part of him that she could count on without fail. Cheng Xi had only thought to write that note because she had such a good grasp of his personality; she knew that he¡¯d fixate on what seemed like a brainless question.


    If it were anyone else, they might have just laughed upon seeing it, but Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­ He would ruminate on it over and over, endlessly trying to find an answer, and if he weren¡¯t able to do so, then he would undoubtedly find her.


    And now, he had found her, but why did it have to be in these circumstances, in this situation?

 Chapter 188: Does Your Heart Hurt?

    Cheng Xi turned around, took the note, lowered her head to look at it briefly, and then said, ¡°The question¡¯s unfinished. I made a mistake.¡± She waved it in the air. ¡°Can I take it back?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stared at her for quite a while before finally assenting. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Cheng Xi clutched the note in her hand as she left the room. As she exited, she saw Xu Po. ¡°Please tell Tian Rou that I¡¯ll be going home first.¡±


    She brushed past him as Xu Po brought the other girl back into the room. He immediately asked Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Are you really going to let Dr. Cheng leave just like that? She¡­¡­ doesn¡¯t have a car, right? This place is a bit far from her apartment. Isn¡¯t it risky to let her catch a taxi back by herself?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou remained motionless, not saying anything.


    At this moment, Baldy ran over, his face slightly unhappy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. It¡¯s fine. My girl drove over, and she¡¯ll send Cheng Xi back.¡± He then looked at Lu Chenzhou. ¡°I just saw Dr. Cheng. She was crying, and my girlfriend even scratched me because of it! Look!¡± He tilted his head up, revealing a big red scratch mark.


    Xu Po couldn¡¯t bear to look at him any more; he had never seen a person be proud of being clawed by his girlfriend.


    Xu Po sighed as he said, ¡°I¡¯d better go make sure they¡¯re alright.¡± He also took Lu Chenzhou¡¯s ¡°new girlfriend¡± out with him. Boss Lu clearly wasn¡¯t feeling very well, and having a random stranger stay here wouldn¡¯t do him any good.


    But Baldy didn¡¯t leave. He sat down, faced Lu Chenzhou, and asked, ¡°So the talk with Dr. Cheng didn¡¯t go well?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice was dispassionate as he replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou hesitated for a moment and then slowly closed his eyes, thought a while more, and then softly answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡¯d you break up with her?¡± Baldy¡¯s small brain was unable to process the deeper meaning behind Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words. ¡°Is it because you think that your life is too boring, so you want to find a new way to torment yourself? Or¡­¡± Baldy¡¯s tone turned strange as he continued, ¡°Did you think that it would be cool to be like me, who chased my girlfriend away due to my personality, and then fell into despair while trying to get her back?¡±


    Yup, that¡¯s right. Baldy had lost his old girlfriend because she couldn¡¯t put up with his behavior anymore.


    Baldy thought that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s current behavior was very similar to his behavior back then.


    Unexpectedly, Lu Chenzhou actually didn¡¯t look at Baldy like he was an idiot. Instead, he asked a question that almost shocked Baldy to the point of wetting his pants. ¡°When she left you, did you¡­¡­ want to kill her?¡±


    Baldy almost fell over. ¡°No, of course not! It¡¯s just a break up!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou smiled wryly. ¡°I almost killed her.¡± Then, he spread his hands out as he said, ¡°Just a little bit away.¡±


    Baldy was so shocked that it took him quite a while to process Lu Chenzhou¡¯s words. After a few minutes, he tentatively asked, ¡°Is it¡­¡­ because Dr. Cheng wanted to break up with you?¡±


    ¡°No. She was just doing her job as a doctor. I didn¡¯t like it when she spent so much of her time worrying about other people, so I reported her and made her lose her job. Then, I almost killed her¡­¡­¡± As Lu Chenzhou continued to talk, his smile took on a cruel glint. ¡°The more I like her, the more I want her for myself. I want her eyes to always and only be on me. I want to tie her up, build a cage, and keep her in there forever¡­¡­ In psychiatry, there¡¯s a condition known as ¡®Stockholm syndrome.¡¯ If a perpetrator kidnaps a victim and treats the victim appropriately for a sufficiently long period of time, then the victim will start to depend on the perpetrator, both physically and emotionally.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone was so serious that he really seemed like he would try it.


    Baldy looked at him in disbelief for a few seconds, and then laughed uproariously for a few more, and then finally stopped when he realized that Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t joking. He scratched his face awkwardly. ¡°You¡¯re not serious, are you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze made Baldy¡¯s remaining hair all stand up on end. He braced himself against the wall and seriously said, ¡°Zhou, you can¡¯t do something like that.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond.


    Baldy didn¡¯t dare to say anything else; he was afraid Lu Chenzhou would force him to aid him in this crime! Perhaps he would be forced to swindle Dr. Cheng into coming back, or maybe he¡¯d have to build a cage or something¡­¡­ Baldy very much regretted not sneaking out with Xu Po. My goodness, it was frightening listening to Lu Chenzhou recount what he wanted to do to the person he loved!


    He¡¯d always known that Lu Chenzhou sometimes had strange thoughts, but he had honestly never expected Lu Chenzhou¡¯s inner self to be this dark and brutal.


    And, even scarier, Lu Chenzhou actually had the means to do everything he had said!


    When Lu Chenzhou saw Baldy tremble at his words, he smiled a little, and then waved his hands to dismiss him.


    The first thing Baldy did when he ran out was call Tian Rou. ¡°Bring Dr. Cheng away, quickly! As far as you can, and don¡¯t let her look for Lu Chenzhou ever again!¡±


    And then Tian Rou yelled back at him, as she didn¡¯t know the whole truth and was angry on Cheng Xi¡¯s behalf. ¡°Baldy, you asshole! You¡¯re crazy! You¡¯re the one who should stay far away from me!!!¡±


    And then she hung up.


    Baldy was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    While Baldy was busy feeling wronged, on the other side of the phone, Tian Rou was absolutely livid with anger. Even after hanging up, she continued to yell and complain about Baldy. ¡°They¡¯re all rats and snakes! Colluding scoundrels! Just who do they think they are?! Do they think that they¡¯re irresistible because of their money? How well do they think they would do without the backing of their families, eh?! I¡¯ve made enough money to raise a few hundred pretty boys like them!¡±


    Cheng Xi was feeling quite down, but Tian Rou¡¯s antics actually managed to cheer her up. ¡°Do you even have the stamina to deal with a few hundred boys, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just replace them every day?¡± Tian Rou inspected Cheng Xi¡¯s expression carefully. ¡°Are you still upset?¡±


    Honestly, it wasn¡¯t unusual for Tian Rou to be so mad. The phone was on speaker mode, and Cheng Xi had heard all of Baldy¡¯s senseless appeals!


    He was just trying to add salt to her wound and make things worse, wasn¡¯t he?!


    Cheng Xi smiled softly. ¡°I¡¯m not that upset.¡± That was a lie, but Cheng Xi truly wasn¡¯t someone who felt strong emotions that often. When Lin Fan had disappeared abroad for ten years and cut all contact with her, she hadn¡¯t been that upset either.


    When Cheng Xi thought about how Lu Chenzhou had chased her out or already found a new girlfriend, she found that she was actually more upset for Chen Jiaman. She didn¡¯t know if Chen Jiaman had the courage necessary to break free from her new chains and embrace the light once more.


    And her professor, Cai Yi, even seemed to think that Chen Jiaman¡¯s case was a model case study of a ¡°pure¡± mental illness patient¡ªas she was a young female who had experienced repeated mental trauma and suffered from both heavy depression and Cotard¡¯s syndrome.


    Only today did Cheng Xi realize how ambitious Cai Yi truly was. Not only was she trying to find a standardized treatment for depression, but she was also attempting to isolate specific gene sequences that were responsible for or exacerbated depression.


    There were quite a number of patients suffering from depression, but not many of them were suitable for genetic analysis. Cai Yi wasn¡¯t as young as she used to be, and if she wanted to see a resolution to this problem in her lifetime, then she¡­¡­ couldn¡¯t take care of things from every angle.


    Cheng Xi respected Cai Yi¡¯s determination, but as Cai Yi had said, Cheng Xi focused too much on her patients¡¯ feelings and emotions. Although she could be a skilled doctor, she would never be a skilled researcher.


    And so, although Cheng Xi understood Cai Yi¡¯s motives, and although she also understood that it was inappropriate to bring Chen Jiaman up to Lu Chenzhou at this time, she still couldn¡¯t help herself from doing so.


    And she even forgot about the fact that the department head had instructed her to tell Lu Chenzhou to contact the hospital.


    Cheng Xi inadvertently sighed. She felt like she had lost track of her priorities, and that she really shouldn¡¯t have come over today.


    While Cheng Xi was stirring up a headache thinking about how to fix the situation, Tian Rou couldn¡¯t bear to look at her ¡°agonized¡± expression any longer. So, she suddenly turned the steering wheel sharply to the right, making an abrupt U-turn as she shouted, ¡°Stop sighing! It¡¯s unsightly to see you act so upset after being dumped! And he even told you to go far away and to not contact him. How dare he! How dare he dump my little girl!? I¡¯ll let him know what¡­¡­ Regret! Tastes! Like!¡±


    But what Tian Rou meant by ¡°letting him know what regret tastes like¡± was to immediately call a whole bunch of people and ask, ¡°Does anyone have little wolf pups, milk pups, or wild pups they can introduce to me? I want all of them! Send them over quickly! I¡¯m holding an open audition to find a husband for a good friend of mine!¡±


    Cheng Xi was struck speechless by her actions. ¡°¡­....¡±

 Chapter 189: A Fierce Girl

    When Cheng Xi finally regained her senses, she massaged her forehead. ¡°Please don¡¯t make this a big deal, alright?¡±


    Tian Rou harshly responded, ¡°What do you mean, ¡®make this a big deal?¡¯ I¡¯m proving your worth to the whole world!¡±


    ¡°What worth can a man prove?¡±


    ¡°It can prove that you¡¯re charming and capable. Don¡¯t you think that you can get men by the handful with your looks and skills?¡±


    ¡°Why would I want so many of them?¡± Cheng Xi firmly refused to cooperate with Tian Rou¡¯s harebrained plan.


    She really couldn¡¯t let Tian Rou go through with this, as she hadn¡¯t actually been dumped yet; rather, her hesitation stemmed from the lingering fear of being strangled halfway to death. However, this wasn¡¯t the first time something like this had happened to her, courtesy of her occupation as a psychiatrist. She¡¯d been pinched, bitten, and harassed countless times by her patients. Indeed, almost every psychiatrist had encountered something of the sort throughout the career, and the only real difference was the severity.


    What surprised Cheng Xi the most was Lu Chenzhou¡¯s behavior, as what she had seen today seemed to imply that he was scared of his own actions.


    But Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t just tell Tian Rou all of this, and so, Tian Rou ended up arranging a whole bevy of blind dates for Cheng Xi. Tian Rou worked frighteningly fast, and not even a day later, she called Cheng Xi and said, ¡°Come over, I have a big surprise for you.¡±


    When Cheng Xi got Tian Rou¡¯s call, she was actually at the Lu household. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents had been away on a trip when everything had gone down, and after receiving a call from the hospital, they had rushed back, returning yesterday.


    They still didn¡¯t know that Lu Chenzhou was the person who had reported her. Actually, the hospital didn¡¯t know either. So when they met up with Cheng Xi, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents were grumbling about the unknown reporter. ¡°Who on earth would do something like this? Are they bored out of their minds!? Zhou, too, how can he just watch your name be tarnished like this without doing anything?¡± They even consoled her, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll definitely clear this up for you. Honestly, you guys had started dating before Lu Chenzhou even entered the hospital.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather was even more ¡®heroic.¡¯ ¡°We have more than enough money. Even if you¡¯re here to swindle us out of our money, we have plenty for you to take. The only question is if you¡¯re willing to take it.¡±


    Cheng Xi had no response. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    What could she say? Only a vague remark. ¡°Haha, Grandfather Lu, you¡¯re really too humorous.¡±


    If word of this ever spread, then everyone around her would probably drop dead out of jealousy, right?


    Cheng Xi decisively changed the topic. After all, the reason why she was here today really wasn¡¯t to ask the Lu family to clear her name. Rather, she wanted to understand the circumstances around the origin of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mental illness. Although he had forbidden her from asking, Cheng Xi simply decided to ignore it.


    Of course, Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t so naive as to directly ask Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents about this incident like how she had with Lu Chenming. Instead, she was far more tactful, and broached the topic by saying that she had accidentally angered Lu Chenzhou by bringing up his mother.


    Yup, her strategy was to lie. However, she had to give some reason for why she was fighting with Lu Chenzhou. Thus, she might as well hit two birds with one stone and say that this was the root of their dispute.


    As soon as Cheng Xi mentioned Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother, both grandparents¡¯ faces turned serious. They didn¡¯t dare to look directly at Cheng Xi, as if they were both very uneasy.


    ¡°His mother, huh,¡± murmured Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather, ¡°It¡¯s not really that big of a deal, but the main reason why he doesn¡¯t like bringing her up is because his mother died to save him. What¡¯s more, his grandmother even harshly scolded him for it, saying that her death was completely Zhou¡¯s fault. So for all these years¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Cheng Xi fell deep into thought. ¡°I saw that he was very angry, so I felt a bit shocked. He must have had a very good relationship with his mother before she passed, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, somewhat¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother abruptly changed the topic. ¡°No wonder he¡¯s been behaving so strangely lately. He¡¯s not even answering my calls. When I asked him about how you were doing two days ago, he even said¡­¡­¡± Perhaps Lu Chenzhou had something vulgar, but his grandmother didn¡¯t finish the sentence. Instead, she shifted topics once more and asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Have the two of you made up yet?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded, and then suddenly asked Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather a seemingly random question. ¡°Grandfather, what did you have for breakfast?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather instinctively replied, ¡°Congee and steamed dumplings. Why?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Actually, if the two of you are free tomorrow, I¡¯d like to treat you both to breakfast. I just wanted to know what you enjoyed having in the morning.¡±


    Actually, that was another lie. It was the same tactic that she had used on Cheng Yang a while ago; Cheng Xi had asked an innocent question that regular people wouldn¡¯t ever lie to, in order to ascertain whether what Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents had told her earlier was true.


    And, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather had lied.


    His mannerism when he was telling the truth was completely different from that when he was lying.


    After Cheng Xi bid goodbye to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents, Tian Rou¡¯s call came. When Cheng Xi picked up and heard Tian Rou say that she was going to give her a big surprise, Cheng Xi almost instantly declined. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Cheng Xi, if you don¡¯t show up, then I¡¯m going to break off my friendship with you!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    With that threat in place, she could only relent. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Perhaps it was because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother was such a sensitive topic, but Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents actually didn¡¯t urge Cheng Xi to stay any longer. ¡°If you have something you have to do, don¡¯t worry about us. We¡¯ll handle the whole fiasco with the report.¡±


    Evidently, they forgot that earlier, when Cheng Xi first arrived, they had warmly invited her to stay for food, and also called Lu Chenzhou over.


    Despite the call to Lu Chenzhou not connecting.


    Given their abnormal behavior, Cheng Xi became even more certain that there was more to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother¡¯s death than they were letting on. It had happened so long ago that Lu Chenming¡¯s knowledge of it was simply too limited, and those who did know what happened had sealed their lips. If she wanted to discover the truth, then she¡¯d have to conduct a deeper investigation.


    But this was someone else¡¯s affair, and she was a doctor, not a police officer. If she dug deeper¡­¡­ she didn¡¯t know if she could handle the consequences.


    Cheng Xi hesitated when her thoughts reached this point, frozen with indecision. After she left the Lu household, she headed straight to where Tian Rou was holding her event. Due to the good weather today, Tian Rou had chosen a spot near the water, not too far from Donglai Hotel. It was a bar by the Mei river, and it was so popular that a decent crowd had already formed even though it was only the mid-afternoon.


    Tian Rou had reserved the largest room inside the bar, and the attendant brought Cheng Xi over after she mentioned Tian Rou¡¯s name. When Cheng Xi opened the door, she didn¡¯t see Tian Rou anywhere, Instead, what caught her eye was that the room was filled with well-dressed men, all of whom were sitting, standing, or singing. As soon as she stepped into the room, their heads all swiveled towards her. Cheng Xi was a bit flustered to suddenly be the center of attention, and she immediately said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I must have the wrong room.¡±


    But before Cheng Xi could retreat, Tian Rou¡¯s voice boomed out from behind her. ¡°What do you mean, you have the wrong room?! Get in, you!¡± And then she shoved Cheng Xi in, with so much force that Cheng Xi skidded across the floor and fell into a man sitting on a sofa.


    That man reached out to break her fall, and smiled as he lightheartedly teased her. ¡°My goodness, this girl¡¯s a fierce one.¡±


    The crowd burst into laughter, and Cheng Xi¡­¡­ Cheng Xi quickly extricated herself from his lap, her eyes brimming with tears (from slamming into his chest with her nose), and said, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    She tried to restrain her anger at Tian Rou as Tian Rou earnestly apologized. ¡°My foot slipped.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s actions were indescribably cute, and she naturally received another round of laughter. Tian Rou smiled in a particularly exaggerated fashion as she turned to the crowd and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t my sister tall and cute and pretty?¡±


    The whole crowd replied as one. ¡°Yes!¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t bear to look at any of them anymore. She retreated behind Tian Rou, poked her waist, and spat out through clenched teeth, ¡°What are you planning?¡±


    Tian Rou¡¯s eyes twinkled mischievously. ¡°I¡¯m just introducing you to some potential boyfriends. There are fashionable wolf pups, milk pups, and even wild pups., I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll find one that you like. Actually, the one you ran into just now wasn¡¯t bad¡­¡­¡± As she said this, she pulled out her phone and showed Cheng Xi the picture that she had just taken; it was a particularly embarrassing one where Cheng Xi¡¯s nose was clearly smushed against his chest. ¡°Do you feel anything after crashing into him like that?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I just sent it to Baldy, and I asked him to send it along to Lu Chenzhou. Heh heh, I¡¯m doing a good job, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 190: You’re Splendid

    When Cheng Xi saw Tian Rou¡¯s proud face begging for a compliment, she really¡­¡­ wanted to pull all her hair out!


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything, wordlessly pushed Tian Rou away, and walked outside. After just a few steps, she turned around and said, ¡°All of you can leave now. Though, you should remember to get all the money Miss Tian promised you!¡±


    And then, before either Miss Tian or the men could react, she hauled Tian Rou away.


    Tian Rou tried to stop her. ¡°What do you mean by you¡¯re leaving!? You can¡¯t leave!¡± But when Cheng Xi put her mind to it, she easily suppressed Tian Rou¡¯s attempts to escape.


    So what if Tian Rou was stronger than her? Cheng Xi was skilled at anatomy, and there were a number of nerves that she could pinch to control Tian Rou. After just a couple moves, Tian Rou collapsed into a heap and begged for mercy. ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯ll leave, alright?! Please don¡¯t pinch me any more!¡±


    And she was then obediently led away by Cheng Xi.


    Of course, Tian Rou had acquiesced so quickly partly because she was afraid of Cheng Xi¡¯s expression. In all the years that she¡¯d known Cheng Xi for, this was the most furious she¡¯d ever seen her.


    ¡°Why are you so mad?¡± Tian Rou pursed her lips as she aired her grievances. ¡°I was just trying to help you!¡±


    Cheng Xi turned around. ¡°Did I ask for your help?¡± Her expression was furious, and so was her tone. ¡°Tian Rou, I remember telling you that I¡¯m not lacking in men, and neither do I need men to prove my self-worth! I don¡¯t need wolf pups, milk pups, female pups, or any kind of pup to make me feel better, alright?¡±


    Tian Rou weakly replied, ¡°There aren¡¯t female pups here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­What?!¡±


    ¡°There are wolf pups, milk pups, and wild pups here, but no female pups.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi turned back around to face forward as she massaged her forehead. She seriously did not even want to look at Tian Rou right now.


    Tian Rou tugged pathetically on Cheng Xi¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Please don¡¯t get mad¡­¡­ Cheng Xi, don¡¯t you know how insecure I am? When I see women as outstanding as you and Shen Wei trip due to a relationship, how can I feel secure about mine?¡±


    This sort of logic¡­¡­


    Cheng Xi shook off Tian Rou¡¯s hand and once again turned around to look at her. Originally, she wanted to yell at her some more, but she hesitated when she saw Tian Rou¡¯s fearful and pleading face.


    This wasn¡¯t the Tian Rou that she knew, the Tian Rou who acted boisterously, laughed freely, and horsed around all day, the Tian Rou who was wild, carefree, and free of worries.


    Love could really change a person.


    Cheng Xi let out a deep breath, and her expression became more gentle. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, alright? It really doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±


    Tian Rou let go of Cheng Xi as she demurely lowered her head.


    She was serious.


    Cheng Xi prodded her forehead with one finger. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being silly? What do Shen Wei and my failed relationships have to do with yours? Why would you lose so much confidence in yourself because of this?¡±


    Tian Rou pitifully replied, ¡°But the two of you are so much more qualified than me! You¡¯re talented, skillful, and pretty, but what about me? No matter how much money I earn, people will just call me a lass from the countryside, and I have nothing besides my personality. Why did Baldy even start dating me? You might not know this, but I looked up his past girlfriend. She¡¯s a real goddess, that one. She¡¯s young, already one of the top ten fashion designers in the US, pretty, and elegant. How can someone like me possibly compare to someone like that?¡±


    Cheng Xi frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s comparing the two of you? Baldy?¡±


    ¡°No. I just feel uncomfortable inside sometimes.¡±


    Tian Rou had fallen into a truly vicious cycle. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether she should be happy or sad for Tian Rou¡ªprobably happy, because over the course of one¡¯s life, it was hard to find someone who was so willing to love, be loved, and truly loved.


    ¡°Does Baldy know about these thoughts?¡±


    ¡°What would I say?¡± Tian Rou turned around, her tone dismal. ¡°It¡¯s enough if I look down on myself. Why would I want him to do so as well?¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed.


    She had originally been very mad because Tian Rou had interfered in her personal matters. Given Lu Chenzhou¡¯s frightening possessive tendencies, her actions could have truly caused a lot of trouble for her. But Tian Rou¡¯s current behavior wasn¡¯t something that she could stay mad at.


    Cheng Xi led Tian Rou to the car, and then began giving her advice. ¡°Why are you trying to compare yourself to his old girlfriend?¡±


    Tian Rou refused to answer.


    ¡°Does he keep mentioning her in front of you?¡±


    Tian Rou nodded.


    ¡°How? Does he talk about how she¡¯s talented and you¡¯re not, or how she¡¯s gentle and kind while you¡¯re rough and frightening?¡±


    ¡°Not really, no.¡± Tian Rou put her palms together as she revealed, ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­¡­ sometimes he talks about how if he hadn¡¯t behaved that way, then perhaps they¡¯d have a kid by now¡­¡­ And then he¡¯d tell me to not do that to him, and to be nicer to him.¡±


    Fortunately, Baldy wasn¡¯t as trashy as Cheng Xi expected him to be. Cheng Xi relaxed slightly as she consolingly said, ¡°Don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t tell you this, but this isn¡¯t how you treat a relationship. When two people love each other with all their heart, they have to treat each other with an appropriate amount of respect, and also with honesty. If you don¡¯t like what he¡¯s saying, or if you¡¯re unhappy, then you need to talk to him about it, and explain why you don¡¯t like it. Tian Rou, you only tell yourself that you¡¯re not a wonderful woman and that there¡¯s nothing worth liking about you because you haven''t realized how amazing you are.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Tian Rou gazed at Cheng Xi as if she were waiting for Cheng Xi to praise her, but all Cheng Xi did was open her palm expectantly. ¡°Where are the keys?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, here.¡± Tian Rou handed the keys over, but Cheng Xi still didn¡¯t say anything. She wordlessly started the car and started driving out of the parking lot. Then, she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Baldy?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to find him, tell him that you¡¯re unhappy, ask him why he likes you, and then have him tell you how amazing you are.¡±


    ¡°Directly? ¡­...I¡¯m a bit shy.¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at her incredulously.


    ¡°What if I can¡¯t say anything?¡±


    Cheng Xi calmly replied, ¡°Then get into a fight with him. When you¡¯re angry, you can say anything without feeling embarrassed.¡±


    Tian Rou was the one struck speechless this time.


    And, just like this, Tian Rou¡¯s blind date party for Cheng Xi had morphed into Cheng Xi helping Tian Rou seek Baldy out for validation.


    While the two were running around, Baldy was currently so anxious his legs were involuntarily spasming, but he couldn¡¯t call the two of them because Lu Chenzhou was sitting right in front of him! When Tian Rou had sent him that image of hers, he had been playing mahjong, and in a fit of shock, he had actually discarded the wrong tiles!


    And then Tian Rou even had the gall to text him: It¡¯s a little wolf pup that Dr. Cheng found. Show this picture to Lu Chenzhou. Look at how well Dr. Cheng¡¯s doing after leaving him!


    Jesus! Baldy firmly shut his phone, making sure to not let Lu Chenzhou see a single thing!


    But he also had to message Tian Rou back and tell her to not do anything like that¡­¡­ Baldy was anxiously worrying about what he should do, but he also had to remain calm and play mahjong with Lu Chenzhou. Multitasking these high-difficulty tasks was beyond him, and he had lost miserably!


    But he couldn¡¯t leave halfway, as he had suggested to Lu Chenzhou that they should play more mahjong than tennis. Thus, they had already arranged to play a few games today¡­¡­ However, Baldy had received this shocking text message from Tian Rou during the first round, and if he left now, then they¡¯d all beat him to death.


    Baldy braced himself to keep playing. Luckily, Tian Rou called him, and after checking the caller ID, he said, ¡°Something came up at work. I need to take a call.¡± Then, he let Xu Po¡¯s girlfriend temporarily take over as he ran out.


    After Baldy heard that Tian Rou was heading over to find him, he felt quite satisfied¡ªhe¡¯d have to lecture her in-person for doing something like this! And so, he immediately gave her his address and said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you outside!¡±


    He was prepared to give her a big talking-to. Honestly, how reckless could she be? She even tried to provoke Lu Chenzhou!


    But when Tian Rou¡¯s car arrived, Baldy instantly saw Cheng Xi, and he cursed without thinking. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Cheng Xi and Tian Rou were both stunned speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 191: Can I Kiss You?

    Tian Rou was ready to give a kind response to Baldy¡¯s questions, but his split-second words left her furious. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®Why are you here?¡¯¡± When Tian Rou remembered what he had yelled out earlier that day, she felt like she was about to explode. ¡°Why are you being so ridiculous? Does she have to avoid Lu Chenzhou just because she broke up with him? Do you think that she has AIDS or something?!¡±


    AIDS, an interesting and morbidly relevant analogy.


    Baldy made a ‡å face, and Cheng Xi coughed awkwardly, interrupting Tian Rou¡¯s tirade. ¡°I know what you mean. I¡¯m only here on Tian Rou¡¯s behalf, and nothing else. Tian Rou¡¯s feeling a bit anxious, so if it¡¯s convenient for you, please chat with her for some time.¡±


    And then before either of them could react, she pushed the two of them together and walked away.


    Of course, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t just leave like that. She just walked a fair distance away before staying around. In her mind, she had to stick around as if Tian Rou and Baldy had another fight, she¡¯d at least be by Tian Rou¡¯s side this time.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t head into the hotel and instead walked to a nearby garden. Though Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know if Baldy and the others had simply stayed there the entire night or gone back in the morning, they were definitely still there. Cheng Xi felt that Lu Chenzhou probably still didn¡¯t want to see her¡ªif he had said to not look for him, then he clearly didn¡¯t want her to look for him. This was a pure request, devoid of any secondary agenda. At least for this matter, she¡¯d accede to his will.


    Sometimes, a suitable amount of distance between two people could help resolve their issues.


    Baldy and Tian Rou¡¯s conversation concluded faster than she expected. Tian Rou didn¡¯t return, but Baldy showed up instead. ¡°Thank you. She¡¯s been a bit touchy lately, but if she didn¡¯t talk to me today, then I wouldn¡¯t have known what she was concerned about.¡±


    Just this one sentence from him was enough to make Cheng Xi completely relax. She felt truly happy for Tian Rou, and smiled at Baldy. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I think that I should also apologize. I never liked you in the past, but perhaps I should reconsider my opinion of you.¡±


    Baldy hesitated for a moment before bursting out into laughter. ¡°Ha, ha. Was it because of that mouth of mine?¡± He knew himself pretty well.


    Cheng Xi smiled again, glanced behind Baldy, and saw Tian Rou looking at them from afar. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s good that you two¡¯ve settled your issues. I don¡¯t think that she¡¯s going to just up and leave now, so lend me the car so that I can go home first. Don¡¯t let her come over, because I¡¯m still mad at her.¡±


    This was the first time that Baldy had seen someone get so mad at their friend that they resolved their relationship issues. He could do nothing besides sigh and acquiesce with a nod. ¡°Alright.¡± But he called out to Cheng Xi again before she could actually leave. ¡°That¡­¡­ Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Cheng Xi turned around. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Actually, Zhou likes you quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± She smiled vaguely in response.


    Baldy scratched his face awkwardly. He really wasn¡¯t used to mediation; he couldn¡¯t even explain his own thoughts well, and his relationship with Tian Rou had developed purely through arguing. Thus, how was he supposed to speak for Boss Lu?! However, when he saw that Cheng Xi seemed to understand what he was trying to say regardless of his inability to express it, he relaxed, waved his hands, and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t express myself well, but as long as you understand¡­¡­¡± before abruptly running away.


    Cheng Xi saw him skip over to Tian Rou¡¯s side, and then the two of them turned around and waved at her one last time before excitedly heading inside.


    She was still smiling as she slowly walked away, but she only took two steps before being forced to stop again.


    The night wind was howling, the crackly autumn leaves were rustling, and the corridor lights were throwing suspicious shadows on the walkway. And in the flickering darkness, Lu Chenzhou emerged. His hands were in his pockets as he silently stood behind an artificial mountain. When he caught her glancing at him, he smiled calmly. ¡°You really seem to like worrying about other people.¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed ruefully. ¡°I can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s long since become a part of me.¡± She moved to the side. ¡°Do you want me to disappear quickly?¡±


    ¡°How quickly can you do it?¡±


    Her lips pursed together, making a crisp ¡°Whoosh~~¡± sound, and then she asked, ¡°That quickly. Is that acceptable?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou wanted to smile, but his heart felt extremely constrained, as if someone were squeezing it tightly, so tightly that even breathing was difficult.


    He looked at her and was instantly reminded of his almost manic desire to see her again and also of his equally manic desire to hurt her. As for her, she probably couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking about. Actually, the more relaxed she appeared, the madder he became, and the calmer she became, the more he wanted to hurt her, to make her feel the pain he felt right now.


    No one had ever made him so upset before, and he¡¯d never felt anything quite so unbearable.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze darkened as these malevolent thoughts circled in his mind, his pupils as dark as a deep bottomless pit with a ghastly coldness constantly seeping out.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart shook upon meeting Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze, and just as she was about to say, ¡°Then, I¡¯m going to leave now,¡± Lu Chenzhou interjected. ¡°Can I kiss you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    For a moment, she thought that she had misheard him, but then Lu Chenzhou repeated himself seriously. ¡°I¡¯d like to kiss you.¡±


    His tone was calm, and it was the exact same one that he used to say mundane things like, ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± or ¡°I need to use the restroom¡­¡­¡± Perhaps Cheng Xi was the only one who could use just as cool of a tone to reply, ¡°Can I refuse?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± He tilted his head to the side.


    Her tone was serious. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to be a mistress who you see on the side.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t reply this time. His patience was limited, so he used his actions to tell Cheng Xi that her refusal was meaningless. He wanted to kiss her, so he¡­¡­ simply kissed her.


    Her scent was as fresh and clean as ever, and it had a faint fragrance to it today; he was like a tired and thirsty traveler, trying to suck out as much sweet water as he could from her lips.


    Cheng Xi initially refused his advances, but her techniques that worked on others were ineffective against him. He didn¡¯t react at all when she pinched his nerves, and right before she was about to hit him, he caught her hand. Her whole body was pinned up against the artificial mountain, the rocks digging into her back. In this rough and ragged environment and this uncomfortable situation, it was very difficult for her to feel any pleasant emotions from his kisses.


    Luckily, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s kiss, while intense, didn¡¯t last for very long. After he was done, he even wiped her lips for her. His actions afterward were perfectly gentle, but his words were disgusting. ¡°Kissing you feels the same as kissing anyone else.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him. ¡°If you said that to anyone else, they¡¯d hit you.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you hit me?¡±


    ¡°Because I love you, of course.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou paused.


    Cheng Xi continued talking. ¡°You said that you have a new girlfriend, but you still came over here to tease me. That¡¯s inappropriate behavior. I¡¯ll forgive you this once, but never do this again. As I¡¯ve said, even though you¡¯re handsome, wealthy, skillful, and can do anything in the world, I still have my own moral baseline. Lu Chenzhou, you can love whomever you want, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to smile and be happy for you, and neither does it mean that I¡¯ll accept you with open arms whenever you want.¡±


    After she said all this, she pushed him away and retreated backwards. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I can also get jealous, and I can also get upset. But as long as you don¡¯t do anything unforgivable, I¡¯ll bide my time and¡­¡­ keep waiting for you. I¡¯ll keep waiting for you to turn around and find me, waiting for you to mend this relationship with me. Waiting to see if I¡¯ll leave you.¡±


    When she finished speaking, Cheng Xi turned around to run away. She really shouldn¡¯t have said all this, speaking as if he were truly in love with someone else.


    But had Lu Chenzhou truly fallen in love with someone else?


    After Cheng Xi left, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t return to the mahjong table. He stood in place, motionless, for quite a while before retreating to his own room.


    That girl who¡¯d been accompanying him for the past few days, but whose face he couldn¡¯t even remember, came over to find him. ¡°Director Lu, aren¡¯t you going to continue playing?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stretched his hand lazily towards her. ¡°Come over here.¡±


    The girl obediently walked up to him.


    Lu Chenzhou scrutinized her face curiously as he coolly asked, ¡°Can I kiss you?¡±

 Chapter 192: Just Who Do You Think You Are?

    Lu Chenzhou carefully scrutinized the unfamiliar girl in front of him, comparing her reaction to Cheng Xi¡¯s after he asked to kiss her. As he watched on, the girl in front of her quickly blushed, lowered her head and eyes, and then softly accepted. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t move. The girl hesitated for a moment. Then, she leaned over, inclined her head slightly, and moved in to kiss him. But right before she was about to reach him, he poked her forehead with a finger. ¡°Wipe the makeup off of your face first.¡±


    The girl¡¯s blush deepened, and she bit her lips and shot him a glance, looking particularly wronged.


    But Lu Chenzhou remained indifferent. He had actually grabbed a napkin and was wiping his finger down¡ªyes, her makeup was pretty thick, and some of it had gotten on his finger. But the harder Lu Chenzhou tried to wipe it off, the worse it felt. In the end, he gave up and decided to just wash his hand, ignoring the coquettish glances the girl was throwing at him. When she saw her advances being snuffed, she shot Lu Chenzhou another supercilious look, opened her bag, and started to remove her makeup. She was still very beautiful even without it; it was just that her countenance was a bit too pale without it.


    She didn¡¯t know whether Lu Chenzhou was satisfied or not, because it took him more time to wash a single finger than it did for her to remove her entire face¡¯s makeup. After he finished, he then picked up a cloth and started cleaning his whole body fastidiously before finally sitting back down in his original seat, looking at her coldly.


    His expression was so cold that it felt like he wasn¡¯t looking at her at all, as if she were just another bystander.


    The girl, however, thought to herself that, as long as she could conquer him, all of this would be worth it!


    After all, he was famous for his mysophobia, and almost never allowed any physical contact; it was already quite unusual for him to ask for a kiss!


    And so, she leaned over for the second time, but she was still unsuccessful. She was still a fair distance from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s lips when his forehead scrunched up and he said, ¡°Your body smells bad.¡±


    The girl¡¯s face didn¡¯t turn red this time. It turned green!


    Since she knew that she would be accompanying him, she had spent a huge amount on authentic Chanel perfume! All of the other perfume she had was low-quality, alright? But despite everything, he still found her scent unpleasant?!


    The worst thing was, Lu Chenzhou was being serious. He had no intentions of teasing or insulting her. He was just trying to be truthful, telling her, in a matter-of-fact tone, that She! Did! Not! Smell! Good!


    Alright, she¡¯d have to bear it some more!


    The girl barely restrained her anger, turned around, and went back inside the bathroom again. This time, she undressed herself and took a very, very long bath. When she felt satisfied, she covered herself in a towel and then admired her own figure in the mirror¡ªshe was tall, her waist thin, her breasts large, her legs straight, and she had washed herself until she smelled good everywhere. If animation effects were real, she¡¯d probably have stars sparkling all over her body.


    In her opinion, even if her body couldn¡¯t blind Director Lu, it could still at least arouse him to the point of something happening. But! Something! Still! Went! Wrong!


    This time, she did manage to kiss him. Their lips met and touched, and then¡­¡­ and then that was it.


    Lu Chenzhou leaned back slightly, avoiding her. Then, as if he¡¯d just given her a great boon, he pompously declared, ¡°Alright, you can leave now.¡±


    ¡­¡­Was he joking?


    The girl tried to shed some crocodile tears. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did I not do a good enough job?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lu Chenzhou was frowning slightly. ¡°I feel no sexual desire towards you.¡±


    ¡­¡­Critical hit!


    If he didn¡¯t feel anything towards her, then why had he asked to kiss her? The girl barely held herself back from shouting at him, and she swallowed her anger and instead asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t we do something else instead?¡± She looked bashfully at his lower body. ¡°I can do even more for you.¡±


    He looked back at her, smiling.


    The girl smiled back in response, blinked, and prepared to take action. But then, the man in front of her picked up his phone, dialed a number, and said, ¡°I have someone who doesn¡¯t understand human speech in my room. Please send someone over and drag her away.¡±


    The girl was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    After he finished his call, he looked at her arrogantly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hit women.¡±


    ¡­¡­What the hell!


    She stood up, her face intermittently flushing red and green. This time, she was unable to bear it any further, and she exploded, throwing her towel at his face. ¡°You asshole! Who do you think you are?!¡±


    If she weren¡¯t trying to seduce this famed gold mine, then why would she swallow her anger and keep doing as he demanded?!


    Lu Chenzhou was dazed after the girl threw her still-warm towel at him.


    Yup, he¡¯d never been treated like this before in his life.


    The strange thing was, Lu Chenzhou actually didn¡¯t get mad. He removed the towel from his face, lay down on the bed, looked at the ceiling, and started smiling lazily again.


    The girl felt like she was about to go mad from anger. She hurriedly put her clothes on and ran off.


    After she left, she even posted her experience online, as an article on a forum titled ¡°The stupid nouveau riche I just met!¡± In it, she cursed all the men she¡¯d ever encountered in her line of work, including Baldy and Lu Chenzhou. Of course, she focused most of her attention on Lu Chenzhou, since she had interacted with him the most recently and also because he was why she had written the article. She described him as ¡°fussy and picky,¡± ¡°having a paralyzed face,¡± ¡°fastidious about cleanliness,¡± and ¡°low sex drive.¡±


    Of all these, ¡°low sex drive¡± was the worst, and in the end, it somehow evolved into ¡°erectile dysfunction.¡± Then, a new post came out, titled, ¡°Shocking! The most eligible bachelor, the head of Donglai, suffers from erectile dysfunction!¡±


    This post went viral and made its rounds through social media, eventually landing on Baldy¡¯s feed. When he saw it, he almost choked. ¡°Who started all this?¡± When he finally found the original post, he made a comment on the article: If Boss Lu really suffers from erectile dysfunction, then why would he buy a whole box of condoms? And along with that comment, he attached a picture of a receipt for the condoms that he had bought for him, as well as the whole box of condoms.


    But Baldy wasn¡¯t done yet, and he added another comment: This is how much he used in three months. :)


    The thread exploded.


    But by then, Baldy was feeling very pleased with himself, thinking that he had helped Lu Chenzhou exterminate a rumor. He even considerately looked up the source of the rumors. When he saw who it was, he cursed aloud and called Xu Po. ¡°What kind of woman did you find? Look at what she¡¯s saying about Boss Lu!¡±


    After Xu Po finished reading the post, he too was furious. The girl had been recommended by some other fellow who¡¯d known her for quite some time. Both her temperament and character were good, and she even looked a little like Dr. Cheng. While he hadn¡¯t dared to show her to Lu Chenzhou before, when Baldy told him that Lu Chenzhou had broken up with Dr. Cheng, he had finally brought her over. Originally, it was just to see what sort of reaction Lu Chenzhou would have. He never expected that he¡¯d actually call the woman over, but that was still all right¡ªhowever, what was this mess all about?


    Could the woman have possibly been a spy sent over by one of his rivals? Xu Po wanted to deal with her, but Lu Chenzhou was the one who had suffered the most from this incident. Thus, Xu Po ran over to first ask him how he wanted to deal with the affair. This was a woman that he¡¯d brought over, after all, so he had to take responsibility.


    But after Lu Chenzhou listened to him describe the entire affair, he casually asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    Xu Po was speechless.


    You kept this girl by your side for so many days, but you still don¡¯t even know her name? So this girl became so furious because you didn¡¯t respond to her?


    Xu Po immediately lost all intention to deal with the problem.


    While Xu Po¡¯s emotions were in turmoil, a thirty-something year old man suddenly broke into Lu Chenzhou¡¯s office, ignoring his assistant¡¯s cries to stop.


    It seemed as if he knew Lu Chenzhou, because he waved at the assistant as he apologized.


    The assistant let go of him, and the man who¡¯d walked in unannounced loosened his collar and walked over with a cool expression on his face. Xu Po admired how daring this man was to treat Lu Chenzhou with such disrespect, but it turned out that he was even more daring than that. After walking up to Lu Chenzhou, he actually raised his arm and punched Lu Chenzhou right in the face.


    Xu Po was frozen in place.


    What was this world coming to?!


    But he still had to stop him. He, along with Lu Chenzhou¡¯s assistant, immediately grabbed the man and restrained him.


    That man didn¡¯t try to struggle. He just glared contemptuously at Lu Chenzhou, spat at him, and shouted, ¡°You bastard! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re trying to ruin my sister¡¯s career even after breaking up with her! My sister must have been blind to get together with you!¡±


    Xu Po: ¡­¡­ o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    Dr. Cheng¡¯s brother was actually even more ferocious than she was!

 Chapter 193: A Heartless Woman

    Cheng Yang¡¯s punch was indeed vicious, as half of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face immediately swelled up. Lu Chenzhou frowned and tilted his head to the side, spitting out a gob of blood.


    The assistant immediately shouted shrilly, ¡°Director Lu, I¡¯m going to call the cops!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou dismissively waved his hand at him, showing that he didn¡¯t mind. He then calmly got up, poured himself a glass of water, and rinsed his mouth out. However, his indifferent attitude only made Cheng Yang even more furious. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯re too vicious! Meeting you, a crazy bastard, was my sister¡¯s unluckiest moment in her life! She¡¯s capable and intelligent on her own. She doesn¡¯t need you to get rich! If not for my sister, then you¡¯d still be a single virgin that no one else wants!¡±


    The more Cheng Yang shouted, the angrier he became; he had started off more or less calm, but by the end of his tirade, he was stomping his feet and yelling expletives like ¡°Crazy bastard,¡± ¡°Asshole,¡± and other curses at the top of his lungs.


    Cheng Yang yelled himself hoarse, but Lu Chenzhou ignored him until he said, ¡°If my sister doesn¡¯t return, I¡¯ll hound you until the day I die!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou immediately turned around. ¡°Where did she go?¡±


    Cheng Yang was really getting heated up, and he unconsciously replied, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou walked up to him and grabbed his neck. ¡°Where did she go?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t want to lose face, but Lu Chenzhou looks too scary, and¡­¡­ Crap, I¡¯m running out of air! This bastard! In the end, Xu Po was the one to remind Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Zhou, you¡¯re about to strangle him to death.¡±


    And only then did Lu Chenzhou retreat, holding his hand behind him as if he were shocked.


    Lu Chenzhou was usually very calm, so the shock on his face was even more noticeable than usual. In fact, it was so intense that Xu Po and the others all noticed how abnormal Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression was. But Cheng Yang didn¡¯t realize anything, because he was shocked by something else. As he coughed, he continued berating Lu Chenzhou. ¡°My god, I¡¯m going to sue you for attempted murder¡ª¡±


    But before he could finish, Lu Chenzhou suddenly tossed a sharp, shiny fruit knife in front of him. Xu Po and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s assistant both jumped up in shock and simultaneously yelled, ¡°Director Lu!¡± and ¡°Zhou!¡±


    Cheng Yang was so scared that he forgot to continue coughing. ¡°You, what are you trying to do?!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced apathetically at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you hate me?¡± His tone was so calm that it was frightening. ¡°I¡¯m giving you a chance to kill me.¡± He then turned to Xu Po and his assistant and ordered, ¡°Let go of him.¡±


    ¡°Director Lu!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at him coldly.


    The assistant had no choice but to unwillingly let go of Cheng Yang, though he still maintained a defensive posture.


    But Cheng Yang continued to look at them superciliously. ¡°You might be crazy, but do you think that everyone else is as crazy as you are? I can hound you without putting my life on the line, can¡¯t I? My life isn¡¯t so worthless that I would waste it on you!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s assistant finally became fed up. He had a pretty good memory, and coldly reminded Cheng Yang, ¡°Mr. Cheng, I recall that you still have a contract with us.¡±


    In other words, Donglai Corporation still owed him a large sum of money for Cheng Yang¡¯s engineering project. Was it really alright for him to act so impudently?


    Cheng Yang turned around and shouted back, ¡°Screw the contract! I don¡¯t want it anymore!¡± And then, with a domineering gaze, he stomped out of the office.


    Lu Chenzhou frowned as he watched Cheng Yang leave.


    He was still holding onto that paring knife, the sharp steel making the other two jumpy and nervous. However, Lu Chenzhou merely ignored them as he slowly wiped the knife down with his wrist. ¡°Go and investigate where Cheng Xi from Renyi¡¯s psychiatry department is.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know about the mess currently taking place at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s office. Currently, she was busy trying to placate her parents. ¡°The hospital¡¯s already dealing with this quite fairly. After all, I was the one who disobeyed the rules first¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®disobeyed the rules?¡¯ If you can¡¯t have a relationship with any of the hospital¡¯s patients, then if we became ill or were injured and ran over to your hospital, would you not be able to recognize us as your parents?!¡±


    Honestly, it was very difficult to argue against old housewives.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s punishment had finally been assigned; after taking her circumstances into account, the hospital hadn¡¯t suspended her medical license, but because she truly hadn¡¯t handled the situation very well, Cheng Xi would be temporarily transferred to a province in Gansu, where she would provide psychological support to residents that had just suffered through an earthquake.


    As for whether or not she would be allowed to return¡­¡­ it hadn¡¯t been decided yet.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents had been particularly scared of a vague sentence like this. Actually, even though the hospital wasn¡¯t able to contact Lu Chenzhou, given his grandparents¡¯ letter and testimony as well as Cheng Xi¡¯s past hard work and diligence, as long as nobody pursued the matter further, she could have survived the incident unpunished.


    But just as the investigation bureau was about to submit their final report, an alleged eyewitness had appeared. This eyewitness was someone that nobody had ever anticipated¡ªit was the patient, Gong Hengjin, who was still staying in Renyi.


    It had happened when Gong Hengjin was mostly recovered from her mental breakdown. She was about to be discharged, and on the day right before her scheduled discharge, she had overheard some doctors discussing this matter while walking around, and hence learned about Cheng Xi¡¯s issue.


    Gong Hengjin was already aware that Cheng Xi had been suspended; after all, Cheng Xi was an extremely popular figure in the department. She was pretty, gentle, kind, pleasant, and most of the patients in the department considered her a living goddess. Some patients would even brag about sneakily taking a photo of her, so when Cheng Xi disappeared from work all of a sudden, almost everyone heard of it.


    Initially, Gong Hengjin didn¡¯t know the reason for this, and she was simply secretly happy for Cheng Xi¡¯s misfortune. But after she overheard the doctors¡¯ conversation and learned that Cheng Xi would be able to return to work right away, she refused to let her get away with it that easily. While Gong Hengjin couldn¡¯t deal with Shen Wei at the moment, she could certainly get back at Cheng Xi. Thus, she had immediately reported herself as an eyewitness and said that she could prove that Cheng Xi was indeed doing all this for money. She had even said that Cheng Xi had discarded her boyfriend of many years, Lin Fan, for Lu Chenzhou, transforming her image into that of a truly heartless woman.


    Even worse, Cheng Xi really couldn¡¯t explain herself with regards to Lin Fan, as there had been a period of time where she introduced Lin Fan as her boyfriend. Besides that, most people in the department were somewhat familiar with him because his half-sister was staying in the psychiatry department.


    The investigation bureau was thus forced to look deeper into the matter, and they realized that Cheng Xi¡¯s behavior was really quite problematic. In addition, when Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents provided their testimony for Cheng Xi, they exaggerated the circumstances, saying that Cheng Xi met Lu Chenzhou last year, that the two of them had fallen into love at first sight, and that they had been dating ever since.


    ¡Ño¡Ñ


    But the sole silver lining was that Gong Hengjin¡¯s denunciation of Cheng Xi was even more exaggerated than Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents. It was peppered with innumerable half-truths and lies, and she wasn¡¯t an unbiased witness either, as there were records of her quarrels with Cheng Xi. In the end, her report wasn¡¯t deemed as credible¡ªotherwise, Cheng Xi really might have had her license suspended. Just as the department head said in a departmental meeting later, ¡°Regardless of the reason, if a psychiatrist ends up in relationships with their own patient, it¡¯s medical malpractice and a violation of ethical norms.¡±


    Due to the department head speaking up for her and Cheng Xi voluntarily requesting to be transferred, she had ended up with her current, relatively light sentence.


    So Cheng Xi really wasn¡¯t too mad about it. Back in her days as a student, she had frequently accompanied her professors all over the country to do volunteer work. In fact, if not for Cheng Xi¡¯s parents forbidding it, Cheng Xi would have even moved away for a couple of years¡ªafter the Sichuan earthquake struck, Cheng Xi had volunteered and worked in the region for almost half a year, and her stay contributed to Cai Yi accepting her as a doctoral student.


    Going somewhere else was exactly what Cheng Xi needed, but there were two things that she couldn¡¯t leave behind: Lu Chenzhou and Chen Jiaman. One was the man she loved the most, and the other the patient she was the most concerned about.

 Chapter 194: Unafraid Of Leaving

    That¡¯s right. Cheng Xi could honestly admit that she had somehow, unknowingly, and hopelessly fallen irrevocably in love with Lu Chenzhou.


    When she put his psychological issues aside, the part of him that moved her the most was his exemplary sincerity and restraint.


    While Cheng Xi was lost in her thoughts, her mother had finally finished denouncing everyone on her list, running the gamut from Lu Chenzhou to her superiors at the hospital. Cheng Xi waited until she was almost done venting before trying to pacify her. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to be transferred back quickly.¡±


    This promise finally gave Cheng Xi¡¯s mother a small measure of comfort. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really!¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t plan on staying there forever, that¡¯s enough. Your dad and I will also try to help you come back quicker¡­¡­ Also, you¡¯re not allowed to find a boyfriend there. Once you come back, I¡¯ll be sure to find you a reliable one.¡± But right as Cheng Xi¡¯s mother said this, she suddenly remembered that Cheng Xi was already twenty nine years old. If she waited two more years, then she would be thirty-something! Her face crumbled as she suddenly changed tack. ¡°I¡¯m really worried that you might not be able to find a good partner when you come back given how old you are¡­¡­ Most good men at that age are already married, and all the ones who aren''t have something wrong with them¡­¡­¡± No, I can¡¯t think like that! If I do, then my beautiful daughter will be destined to be alone for the rest of her life, unable to get married!


    She had such a talented daughter but was unable to marry her off¡­¡­ Cheng Xi¡¯s mother, who was caught up in a bevy of implausible scenarios, actually started crying. This was such a pressing problem that Cheng Xi¡¯s father also started crying, and then the old couple simultaneously looked at Cheng Xi with tearful eyes.


    Cheng Xi was caught off guard.


    She really couldn¡¯t promise anything in terms of marriage, all right?!


    But just when Cheng Xi herself was also at the point of bursting into tears, Cheng Yang came back. As he entered the room, he angrily yelled, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you changed the passcode on your door yet?¡± He felt an innate revulsion rising up within him when he thought of Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Remember to remove his fingerprint from the door lock too. Don¡¯t let him into this apartment ever again. He¡¯s crazy!¡±


    The whole family looked at him in shock when he said this.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°I beat Lu Chenzhou up!¡±


    Cheng Xi and her parents were all shocked speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    But his face looked more like Lu Chenzhou had beaten him up.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother hesitated for a moment before praising, ¡°Good job, son!¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s father cautiously asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t kill him, did you?¡±


    Cheng Xi made a ‡å face as she asked, ¡°Is it really you who did the beating up? Her tone was incredulous, as she was very familiar with Lu Chenzhou¡¯s physical fitness. For someone like Cheng Yang, who never exercised and rarely had any violent tendencies, just how would he beat Lu Chenzhou up?


    She was very suspicious.


    Cheng Yang thundered, ¡°What kind of tone is that? Of course I beat him up! I hit him so hard that his teeth fell all over the floor!¡±


    Cheng Xi blinked once and then decided to keep her mouth shut and sit there quietly as she listened to Cheng Yang regale them about how he burst into Lu Chenzhou¡¯s office and beat him up.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents were very supportive of him. When he finished his story, they praised him incessantly. ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s what a brother should do!¡± After that, they finally seemed to accept that Cheng Xi was really moving away, and they started to plan for this and that, doing tasks like checking the climate, culture, and geography of where Cheng Xi was to be situated. The old couple quickly busied themselves, discussing what she would need to pack.


    Cheng Xi, on the other hand, had nothing to do. She wanted to help her mother, but she wouldn¡¯t let Cheng Xi do anything. ¡°Go and take a good rest. You¡¯ve barely had any time to rest all year long, and given how it is over there, who knows how much you¡¯ll have to suffer?¡±


    She made it sound as if Cheng Xi were an explorer about to head off to uncharted territory.


    Cheng Xi understood that her parents were still worried about her going so far away and that they just wanted to do something for her. So, she graciously accepted her parents¡¯ good intentions and relaxed.


    But she wasn¡¯t really all that relaxed, because she still had to sort and pack up some things on her own, such as any books that she wanted to bring over.


    While Cheng Xi was looking through her study, Cheng Yang entered the room and closed the door behind him. His tone was serious as he asked, ¡°Hey, brat, does Lu Chenzhou suffer from some sort of mental illness?¡±


    Cheng Xi was slightly shocked by the seemingly random question, but her face remained expressionless. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Cheng Yang told Cheng Xi the truth, not the exaggerated nonsense he¡¯d fed their parents. ¡°After I punched him, he scared me by pulling out a knife. His expression and behavior then was really similar to some of the mental patients I¡¯ve seen at your place.¡±


    Cheng Xi immediately stopped what she was doing. ¡°Tell me more in detail.¡±


    Cheng Yang thought that she really didn¡¯t know that Lu Chenzhou was mentally ill, and he animatedly described the entire encounter at great length. ¡°Well, is he crazy or not?¡±


    He sounded extremely hopeful.


    But Cheng Xi ended up giving a vague response. ¡°I can¡¯t be certain. Some perfectly normal people exhibit some abnormal symptoms when they are provoked. This type of extreme behavior is relatively transient, and it¡¯s not a definitive sign of mental illness.¡±


    She had made something up that sounded plausible to the untrained ear. Cheng Yang stared at her, dumbfounded.


    When Cheng Xi saw her brother¡¯s expression, she smiled. ¡°What are you waiting for? Are you hoping to uncover a hidden illness so that I can escape from my punishment? Don¡¯t try anything¡ªif the hospital finds out that he does suffer from a mental illness, then I¡¯d definitely lose my license.¡±


    Cheng Yang was still speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have told you if I¡¯d known. Ahh~~~ Now my heroic image¡¯s ruined!¡± He slumped down on Cheng Xi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sister, because of you, I even decided to give up on Donglai¡¯s contract. You¡¯d better come back.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± She patted Cheng Yang¡¯s head soothingly. ¡°By the way, brother, when I leave, remember to keep going out with Lu Chenming. Bring him to some of your friends¡¯ gatherings or something¡­¡­¡±


    But before she could finish speaking, Cheng Yang jumped up and interjected, ¡°Why should I keep bothering with him after his brother treated my sister so badly?¡±


    Cheng Xi stared at him. ¡°Because you were the one who tried to pick him up first. That¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He really wouldn¡¯t ever be able to rid himself of this, would he?!


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy yourself!¡± He pointed a finger at Cheng Xi¡¯s head, as if he wanted to poke a hole into her head to see if her brain glowed with a saintly aura.


    As the Cheng family was ardently preparing for Cheng Xi¡¯s trip away, Cheng Xi finally received her official notification that she would be transferred to Gansu. Her colleagues were far more informed than Cheng Xi¡¯s parents, so they knew that this was the most that the department could do for Cheng Xi.


    They called her up and invited her to a farewell feast for her, telling her to make sure to dress up prettily.


    ¡°Alright, I will.¡±


    When the day of the feast came, Cheng Xi opened her wardrobe only to find that most of her clothes had already been packed up by her parents. The only things left were some regular clothes, outfits that Cheng Xi wouldn¡¯t wear, and the two dresses that Lu Chenzhou had bought her.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother wanted to throw anything related to Lu Chenzhou away, but Cheng Xi wouldn¡¯t let her. Like how she had never changed the passcode to the apartment, she hoped that, one day, Lu Chenzhou would come back to her apartment and find everything in its usual position.


    In the end, Cheng Xi put on one of the dresses that Lu Chenzhou had bought for her, the deep red one. She also applied her nice makeup, styled her hair, and really did dress herself up to the nines.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents had temporarily closed their diner for a few days to stay here with her. Allegedly, it was because they were afraid that she would take things too hard, but in reality, it was to brainwash her into finding a way to return as quickly as she could. Cheng Xi ran into them as she was leaving, and they barely recognized her. ¡°My goodness! If you dressed like this more often, then how could you still be unmarried at your age!?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face became a bit like ‡å‡å. When she met up with her colleagues, they also commented on her appearance. The head nurse hugged her as she exclaimed, ¡°Such a beautiful woman is going to Gansu! You¡¯re going to blind all of them!¡±


    ¡°While that might not happen, I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯ll be hard for the men of Gansu to get married in the future.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°With such a pearl in front of them, everything else will look like trash.¡±


    Everyone laughed at the joke, and Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help herself from laughing along. No one brought up anything sad, and although she had planned on getting thoroughly drunk with everyone, her poor alcohol tolerance meant that she was tipsy after only a few drinks. Her colleagues didn¡¯t dare to continue pouring alcohol for her, and the head nurse even handed her a glass of water instead. ¡°Drink this, drink this! Your alcohol tolerance is really scary!¡±


    And so Cheng Xi had to be forcibly fed a whole stomachful of water before the crowd around her dispersed. She was a little embarrassed by the commotion, and she picked up a cup of alcohol and toasted everyone. ¡°I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. I¡¯m so glad that I came to Renyi and met all of you lovely people. Honestly, I don¡¯t regret what I did, and I¡¯m not afraid of leaving, but I¡¯m very scared that you¡¯ll all forget me. So, please, wait for me to return!¡±


    People began tearing up as she raised her head and drained the whole cup.

 Chapter 195: Who Did You Sleep With When You Were Drunk?!

    Cheng Xi¡¯s cup of alcohol was too full. After her blaze of glory, Cheng Xi was so dizzy that she almost collapsed onto the floor in a daze.


    As she left the celebration, she still managed to wave goodbye to her colleagues normally, which caused them all to shoot an askance look at her. ¡°So you¡¯re actually a good drinker, huh? Have you just been pretending to have a low alcohol tolerance all this time?¡± They very much wanted to drag her back and have another round with her.


    Still light-headed, Cheng Xi replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! I can drink a few more glasses.¡±


    She smiled vibrantly, her dimples filled with irresistible sweetness. However, that expression of hers only made it even more clear that she was actually about to fall into a drunken stupor. The head nurse pulled her back. ¡°Alright, stop it. If you drink any more, we¡¯ll have to carry you back.¡±


    Cheng Xi was dissatisfied. ¡°I¡¯m still sober!¡± And to prove that she wasn¡¯t lying, she refused to let anyone send her home and instead took a taxi all by herself. But on the way back, she nonetheless ended up asking the driver to stop the car so that she could vomit by the roadside. Her head was a complete mess by the time she finished, and she had to call Cheng Yang and ask him to pick her up. ¡°Brother, I¡¯m drunk! Wait for me at the foot of the building.¡±


    Cheng Yang didn¡¯t respond, so Cheng Xi muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t tell mom¡­¡­she¡¯ll scold me.¡±


    After a brief pause, she went on to say, ¡°When I¡¯m gone, don¡¯t make mom mad anymore. It¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t make as much money, as long as you don¡¯t overwork yourself for nothing.¡±


    Then, after another pause, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t do bad things.¡±


    And, ¡°Don¡¯t go looking for trouble with Lu Chenzhou either. Brother, I still like him a lot, and it hurts me to see you fight him.¡±


    She kept on babbling as she was worried that if she stopped, then she might fall asleep. And then the taxi driver might take advantage of her¡­¡­ She felt like she was still very self aware, and she even remembered to tell the driver, ¡°Let me know when we arrive. My brother¡¯s waiting for me.¡±


    She even knew to tell Cheng Yang: ¡°If you can¡¯t find me, go and look for the head nurse. She took a photo of the taxi¡¯s license plate.¡±


    Her logic was very clear.


    Cheng Yang didn¡¯t say anything during the entire phone call, but he didn¡¯t hang up either. Cheng Xi sunk into the side of the seat as she cradled her phone, completely forgetting everything she had said. She fell asleep for an unknown amount of time. When she woke up, the taxi had stopped, and she heard the driver ask, ¡°Are you her brother?¡±


    Cheng Xi heard a cool and clear voice reply as the taxi¡¯s door opened. She tried to open her eyes. ¡°Brother?¡±


    The person gripped her arm and hoisted her up as he softly grunted.


    It was a familiar voice, and as she leaned on him, she smelled a familiar scent. Cheng Xi relaxed, let her eyes droop shut, and she flopped down in his lap, incoherently muttering, ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­¡±


    The hands holding her up tightened, and the rest of her memories of that night were a blur. She thought that she had gotten home and fallen asleep in a drunken daze, but then she seemed to stumble into a shameless dream. In her dream, Lu Chenzhou embraced her passionately. He was so aroused that he pressed his body up against hers, pinned her against the front door, and then started kissing her right then and there. Her body went limp, and he held her up even as he continued to kiss her from behind. They became wilder and more passionate with each kiss, until they were scalding, burning hot.


    She clearly didn¡¯t care about his supposed new girlfriend, but in her dreams, she pursed her lips and said, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I don¡¯t want to be a mistress.¡±


    He panted into her ear, ¡°You¡¯re not.¡±


    She was very dissatisfied. ¡°Liar. You already have a new girlfriend, and soon, you¡¯ll even have a new fianc¨¦e.¡±


    He shamelessly replied, ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t say anything in response, because even she didn¡¯t know who his supposed girlfriend was. All she could remember was that this supposed girlfriend was a young girl, even younger than her, and probably prettier too.


    Her heart felt constricted. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll get one in the future¡­¡­ I¡¯m moving to Gansu, and I¡¯ll be far away from you, so after a while, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll forget about me and meet someone new.¡± She leaned against the front door, and after revealing her true thoughts, the urge to cry welled up inside her. Then, like a dam breaking loose, tears started rolling down her face. She couldn¡¯t stop it even if she wanted to, and the sobs and sniffles poured forth ceaselessly.


    He turned her around, and then softly kissed her glistening tears as they rolled down her slightly puckered lips. It was a gentle action, but it carried with it an ineffable sentimentality.


    The entire scene was indescribably sad.


    He started apologizing to her as he kissed her. ¡°Cheng Xi, I don¡¯t dare to love you too much. I¡¯m scared that I won¡¯t be able to stop myself from breaking your wings, so¡­¡­ if you can, you should fly far away from me.¡±


    She bit down fiercely on his shoulder. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯ll regret this.¡±


    With those words, they mutually stopped talking and started vigorously clawing at each other¡¯s clothes. Their actions were so fierce that it seemed like they wanted to consume each other whole.


    They went at it for a long time, moving from the front door all the way to the living room, and then from the living room to the sofa. Cheng Xi thought that, since she was dreaming, she¡¯d indulge herself. There were a few times where Lu Chenzhou wanted to leave and let her rest, but she pushed herself back onto his body. ¡°No sleep! Keep going!¡±


    The end result of her ¡°dream¡± was that, the next day, when Cheng Xi woke up, she felt like her body had been rolled over by heavy-duty machinery, and she was sore from head to toe.


    Cheng Xi was shocked at her ability to dream. Her dream had been so realistic that she could still feel the pain all over her body¡­¡­ Pain! Cheng Xi immediately sobered up. This sensation was too real¡ªif she kept trying to write it off as just a dream, that¡¯d be too much of an insult to her intelligence.


    She quickly jumped out of bed and twisted her head around, looking for Lu Chenzhou. Fortunately, no one else was in bed with her!


    But if Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t in her bed, then who did she sleep with last night?


    ¡Ño¡Ñ


    A sense of dread and unease flooded Cheng Xi¡¯s heart, and she anxiously lifted her blankets, hoping that it had all been just a dream¡­¡­ Nope. The bruises and bite marks all over her body were incontrovertible evidence to the contrary.


    ¡°Cheng Xi! Aren¡¯t you going to get up yet?¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s mother opened her door in frustration.


    Cheng Xi quickly rewrapped herself in her blankets and looked innocently at her mother. ¡°I¡¯m already up¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re up, then get dressed quickly. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±


    Cheng Xi really wasn¡¯t all that hungry, but feeding her was how her mother expressed her love. During these last few days when her mother was staying over, Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t been able to sleep in even though she didn¡¯t have work because her mother woke her up early every day to eat breakfast. She believed that if they didn¡¯t eat, then they would be hungry.


    Cheng Xi took a deep breath to regather her wits. Then, she clambered out of bed with her aching body and a curious satiated feeling, washed up, and then entered the dining room. Her brother and parents had already started eating breakfast. Since Cheng Xi was going to leave soon, all three of them had temporarily moved into the apartment next door without a single stain on their consciences. As her mother had said, ¡°We¡¯re going to stay in his place, use his utilities, and wait for him to come knocking on the door! Then, we can settle accounts!¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou never showed up, and so they had continued to stay there.


    Cheng Xi yawned, and her gaze naturally landed on Cheng Yang¡¯s face. Cheng Yang was slurping on his noodles, and when he noticed her stare, he jeered back at her. ¡°You got drunk again last night, didn¡¯t you? Honestly, the fact that you made it back despite you getting drunk off of just two glasses of beer is quite impressive.¡±


    Cheng Xi cautiously asked, ¡°¡­¡­So when I asked you to go downstairs and fetch me, you never went?¡±


    ¡°Did you call me?¡± He took out his phone and briefly checked it. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a call from you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She immediately turned around and went back into her room to look for her phone, where she eventually found it lying inside her bag.


    As she retrieved her phone, she noticed that the area around the front door was particularly tidy. Actually, it wasn¡¯t just the front door; the living room, the bedroom, and actually everywhere that she¡¯d let loose in her ¡°dream¡± seemed to have been cleaned. Even the red dress that she wore last night had been washed clean, and it was currently drying on the balcony.


    With all this in mind, Cheng Xi already had an inkling as to whom she had slept with last night, but she still opened her phone to confirm it. Right there, it clearly stated that her last call had been made to Lu Chenzhou.


    Call duration: 43 minutes.


    So it hadn¡¯t actually been a dream last night. It turns out that in her drunken haze, she had called Lu Chenzhou instead of her brother and then had a particularly wild night with him.


    A sentence suddenly jumped to mind. ¡°No sleep! Keep going!¡±


    Cheng Xi held her phone, still in shock. ¡°¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 196: Im Afraid Of My Love For You

    Cheng Xi clutched her face in her hands, unable to believe that her dream had actually taken place¡­¡­ She was so embarrassed she felt the urge to smash her head against the wall and just die there!


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents and Cheng Yang stood there, staring at her dazed expression. Cheng Yang even took advantage of the opportunity to tease, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you do something you shouldn¡¯t have while you were drunk last night?¡±


    His mother glared at him. ¡°Be more serious. This is your sister we¡¯re talking about!¡±


    And then she called Cheng Xi over nicely. ¡°Come, come. Have some food first.¡±


    But her amicable tone was what tipped Cheng Xi off that her mother was also suspicious, and that she was actually planning on interrogating her when her guard was down. Cheng Xi had no choice but to resort to her acting skills. As she walked towards the table, she conspicuously muttered, ¡°My goodness, I thought that Cheng Yang picked me up last night, so I vomited all over him¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Yang always managed to steer the conversation off-topic. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that you would do your best to vomit on me if I fetched you?¡±


    His mother shot him superciliously, hinting at him to shut up.


    ¡°Then who sent you back?¡±


    ¡°My colleague. Strange, I clearly remember calling brother, but I actually don¡¯t have a record of it¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Yang started laughing again. ¡°Given your low alcohol tolerance, would you even remember to do this after falling drunk?¡±


    When Cheng Xi¡¯s father saw that her expression really didn¡¯t look too good, he interrupted. ¡°If you know you have a poor tolerance, you shouldn¡¯t drink that much in the future¡­¡­ Though, since it already happened, don¡¯t worry about it too much. Just apologize next time you see them and treat them to a meal while you¡¯re still here.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother nodded sagaciously. ¡°That¡¯s right. If you can¡¯t, then invite your colleague to have a meal with us. I remember that some of your colleagues really liked the food that your father and I made.¡±


    And with that, Cheng Xi had successfully diverted the topic away from her being drunk to her inviting guests over for a meal, and to which dishes her parents should prepare.


    As her parents started excitedly discussing their best dishes, Cheng Xi relaxed, content that she had successfully averted another disaster.


    ¡­¡­


    It seemed that her colleagues¡¯ farewell banquet was actually just a prologue to a whole chain of such events, as Cheng Xi spent the majority of the next few days just drinking and eating out. It started when Su Feng invited her to get a meal together, and while they were eating, news of her departure spread to the other group chats Cheng Xi was in, and her old classmates all started talking about it. Tian Rou even directly called her out: @Cheng Xi, you better come out here! You¡¯re leaving for Gansu, but you didn¡¯t even tell us about it?!


    Cheng Xi and Su Feng were chatting all the while, so Cheng Xi didn¡¯t notice the commotion in the group chat until she started getting calls from Tian Rou and the rest of her old classmates.


    And so, she could only reply back in the chat: I¡¯m leaving in three days, so let¡¯s get together and meet up tomorrow.


    She then put her phone away, smiled at Su Feng, and said, ¡°Alright. It seems like I¡¯m going to get drunk again tomorrow night.¡±


    Su Feng looked at her disparagingly. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re looking forward to it.¡±


    Cheng Xi unexpectedly began blushing. She blinked a few times. ¡°There are only so many occasions in life where one can get drunk, aren¡¯t there?¡±


    Su Feng laughed at her. ¡°Isn¡¯t it particularly easy for you?¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey. Good friends don¡¯t expose each others¡¯ weaknesses. I¡¯ll do my best to improve my alcohol tolerance. Then, when I come back, I¡¯ll get thoroughly drunk with you.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be waiting for it. You better come back.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Although Cheng Xi said that, she wasn¡¯t even that certain herself. Despite her relocation being supposedly temporary, all of her documents, data, and connections had been transferred over. Thus, unless she quit, it¡¯d be somewhat difficult for her to come back, at least through the current system.


    Cheng Xi and Su Feng both understood these implications, but neither of them explicitly brought it up. ¡°The future is unlimited. Based on your talents, you¡¯ll likely come back if you want. I¡¯m just worried that you might become too attached to your patients there, to the point where you won¡¯t want to return.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯d still come back, even if it¡¯s just to see all of you again.¡±


    But coming back just to see them would mean that she¡¯d only be a visitor passing through this city. Time and space eroded all things away, and Su Feng didn¡¯t want their relationship to break away under the weight of years and miles. ¡°I met you too late.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not late at all! Technology will extend our lives and time indefinitely.¡±


    Cheng Xi put on a fabricated commercial tone as she said this, finally making Su Feng laugh. She then honestly said, ¡°Don¡¯t be upset! Send me off happily, as working over there has been something that I¡¯ve truly wanted to do for quite a while. In a sense, this is going to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine. That¡¯s something to be happy about, right?¡±


    Su Feng didn¡¯t say anything more on the subject. When the two of them finished their meal and separated, Cheng Xi suddenly felt an urge to call Lu Chenzhou, ignore everything that had happened, run over, and check on how he was doing. However, she resisted the temptation to do so.


    She thought back to what he had murmured into her ears. ¡°Cheng Xi, I don¡¯t dare to love you too much. I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to stop myself from breaking your wings, so¡­¡­ if you can, you should fly far away from me.¡±


    Even though she didn¡¯t know what kind of emotional torment he was going through, she knew that he was doing his best to deal with it. At this time, she didn¡¯t want to interrupt him and test his patience.


    If what he truly wanted was for her to leave, then she¡¯d simply do so.


    Cheng Xi opened the window next to her, feeling the warm June wind wash over her. She planned on going to bed as soon as she got home. That way, she wouldn¡¯t have to think about anything anymore.


    But when she got out of the taxi, a familiar voice called out to her. ¡°Cheng Xi.¡±


    Cheng Xi was slightly shocked to hear that voice, and when she turned around, she saw Shen Wei standing by the security guard¡¯s office. She was clearly pregnant, and was also garbed in a pale green maternity dress. Perhaps it was because she was about to be a mother, but it seemed like some of her usual shrewdness had been replaced by a few strands of maternal softness.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Cheng Xi quickly ran forward to help support Shen Wei. ¡°It¡¯s dark. You should be more careful.¡±


    This was a subconscious reaction on Cheng Xi¡¯s part, but Shen Wei couldn¡¯t help smiling and embracing her. ¡°Cheng Xi, I thought that you didn¡¯t plan on speaking with me ever again.¡±


    Cheng Xi was caught speechless.


    Feeling the warm wetness on her shoulder, Cheng Xi sighed and patted Shen Wei¡¯s back. ¡°What nonsense are you saying?¡±


    Only after Shen Wei had her fill of crying did she let go.


    Cheng Xi teased her. ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days. What happened to that prideful Shen Wei?¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s voice was downcast. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. In the end, what¡¯s a little pride compared to your job?¡±


    Cheng Xi was a little surprised, as she didn¡¯t expect that Shen Wei had already learned about everything in this small period of time. But it wasn¡¯t appropriate to talk about her matters out here in the open, so she nudged Shen Wei slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t be like this.¡± After she thanked the security guard, she led Shen Wei away. ¡°To my place?¡±


    Shen Wei nodded.


    When Cheng Xi got back, her parents were still over at her place. Both of them were happy to see Shen Wei, and Cheng Xi¡¯s mother even rubbed her stomach as she asked, ¡°How many months in are you?¡±


    Cheng Xi and her father sat to the side, listening to the two of them talk about the pregnancy. Her father turned to Cheng Xi and expressionlessly commented, ¡°Your mother¡¯s been wanting to raise a grandson.¡±


    Cheng Xi immediately responded, ¡°Let brother have one then!¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s father burst out into a fit of uncontrolled laughter.


    After some more chatting, Cheng Xi¡¯s parents finally went to sleep. When Cheng Xi and Shen Wei were alone, Shen Wei looked at her luggage on the sofa as she sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I never thought that that slut would target you.¡±


    She gritted her teeth and determinedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll make her regret what she did.¡±


    Cheng Xi wanted to sigh. Evidently, the motherly aura that she thought she¡¯d seen around Shen Wei had just been an illusion; Shen Wei was clearly as intense as ever.

 Chapter 197: Is Lu Chenzhou Alrigh

    t?


    ¡°What else do you want to do to her?¡±


    ¡°At any rate, nothing good.¡± Shen Wei laughed coldly as she said, ¡°In the past, I thought that it¡¯d be ideal if she lived every day hoping that it would be her last. However, it seems like I was still too easy on her. She should die, the earlier the better!¡±


    Only then did Cheng Xi think to ask, ¡°How did you know that she did it?¡± Even though Gong Hengjin had indeed reported her, the Bureau of Internal Affairs normally protected the identity of all whistleblowers. In other words, this information shouldn¡¯t have reached Shen Wei¡¯s ears.


    ¡°She admitted it herself.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi was honestly impressed by Gong Hengjin¡¯s guts.


    ¡°She was discharged from the hospital yesterday, and word of this incident spread to me today. I didn¡¯t originally believe her, but when Tian Rou mentioned it in the group chat, I had no choice but to accept that it was all true.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But if I told you that her impact in all this wasn¡¯t really that large, would you believe me?¡± After Cheng Xi mulled it over for a moment, she then asked, ¡°What did Tian Rou tell you?¡±


    ¡°She said that Lu Chenzhou was the one who reported you in the first place, but I didn¡¯t believe her¡ªwhy would Lu Chenzhou do something like that? Even if you dumped him, he has myriad ways to deal with you without resorting to something that overt.¡±


    Those who didn¡¯t understand Lu Chenzhou would truly find it difficult to believe that he would do something like this, but the truth was often hard to believe. Cheng Xi decided to be honest with Shen Wei, if only so that she wouldn¡¯t do anything frightening in a fit of passion. ¡°Lu Chenzhou really was the root cause of all this.¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s eyes opened up wide. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°The reasons behind the circumstances are quite complicated, and I¡¯d rather not explain everything to you. However, just be aware that me being reassigned to Gansu really isn¡¯t all that related to Gong Hengjin. As you know, she¡¯s a patient in our psychiatry department¡ªshe won¡¯t be held liable for any crime she commits, let alone a report. What¡¯s more, I don¡¯t even know her all that well, so what could she even report me for?¡± After Cheng Xi resolved the issue with Gong Hengjin, she continued persuading Shen Wei to not take action. ¡°You already have a baby, so stop thinking about things like revenge, dying, or retaliation¡ªit won¡¯t be good for the baby. Anyways, don¡¯t you think that she¡¯s suffered enough? AIDS is unbelievably traumatizing to a person¡¯s psychology and physiology. You should just try to let it go at this point.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already let go.¡±


    ¡°No, you haven¡¯t. If you had, then you wouldn¡¯t have become so furious after hearing about this. In fact, you¡¯re already starting to plot against her again. After all, people live life for themselves, and it¡¯s too tiring to focus all of your attention on someone else, regardless of whether it¡¯s someone you love or someone you hate. Shen Wei, don¡¯t forget: the best revenge you can take is to completely forget about the other person¡¯s existence and live a happy and fulfilling life of your own.¡±


    Cheng Xi, who had originally wanted to sleep in peace, instead stayed up late into the night, performing one last therapy session for Shen Wei. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know if it was effective or not, but she wanted to do her best for her friend.


    As long as Shen Wei remembered a bit of what she said and changed her own lifestyle for the better, it would be worth it.


    It was the first time Cheng Xi had slept in the same bed as a pregnant woman, and she was very concerned about accidentally hitting Shen Wei¡¯s stomach, so she had a restless night, waking up quite frequently. On the other hand, Shen Wei had a good night¡¯s sleep, only waking up when it was bright outside.


    The next day, she didn¡¯t immediately leave Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment, and stayed there until the afternoon, when Tian Rou and the others came to fetch them. Her classmates had booked a luxurious ballroom at Phoenix Stage to send her off, and when Cheng Xi arrived, she almost jumped up out of shock. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit too much?¡±


    ¡°Not at all! It¡¯s also our thirteenth graduation anniversary anyway, so we¡¯re just celebrating both of these things at the same time.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. She didn¡¯t know if a thirteenth anniversary was something worth celebrating, but she couldn¡¯t complain as long as everyone was happy¡­¡­ Her classmates¡¯ party was even crazier than her colleagues¡¯; everyone ate and drank in large portions as they boisterously horsed around. Cheng Xi had a low alcohol tolerance, so Tian Rou drank for her¡ªwhich caused everyone to tease Cheng Xi until Tian Rou slammed her palm on the table. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you dissatisfied that I¡¯m drinking on her behalf? Do you wanna have a go at it too?¡±


    Those words dragged Tian Rou into a drinking competition against ten guys. But even after the guys drank to the point of falling under the table, she was still loudly shouting, ¡°Anyone else?¡±


    Everyone was looking on with shock and admiration.


    Cheng Xi was worried that Tian Rou had really drunk too much alcohol for her own good, but she seemed fine for the most part. It was just that she became even more exaggerated when she was drunk. For example, she ran up to Shen Wei, hugged her, and then started rubbing her stomach as she said, ¡°This is my godson! You¡¯d better grow up well so that you can be a nice son-in-law for me in the future.¡±


    Some time later, she found and hugged Cheng Xi. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, that asshole, is making you go so far away¡­¡­ I¡¯m telling you, he¡¯s getting his just deserts now. Didn¡¯t you say that he found a new girlfriend recently? Well, that new girlfriend of his already broke up with him due to his pettiness, and now she¡¯s posting on all the forums, saying that he¡¯s suffering from erectile dysfunction. Baldy tried to deflect the rumors by posting a picture of a receipt for the condoms that he¡¯d bought, saying that that was a three-month supply for him. But then, someone did the math and found that Lu Chenzhou would have to have sex 9.6 times a day to finish using the whole stack within three months. And now, everyone¡¯s saying that the reason why he bought so many condoms was to hide that fact¡­¡­ My goodness, I¡¯m about to cry from laughing so much!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi rubbed her face as she thought about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s surprising fortitude, remaining silent.


    She didn¡¯t expect that Tian Rou would notice that something was off about her reaction and ask, ¡°So is Lu Chenzhou really unable to have sex? Did he report you because you saw through him?¡±


    ¡°......No.¡±


    Tian Rou patted Cheng Xi¡¯s shoulder, her expression one of commiseration. ¡°Alright, I understand. But why are you still so scared of him? You¡¯ve been sent all the way to the border! Tell everyone! It¡¯s fine!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Tian Rou could barely wait to spread the gossip that she just heard, but it¡¯d be a futile endeavor to try to explain anything to her while she was drunk. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to explain it either, so all she did was¡­¡­ silently light a candle for Lu Chenzhou in her mind.


    This sort of reputation would be very hard to dispel, and dealing with the rumors would be even more difficult. What¡¯s more, given how rapidly technology was advancing these days, even if he did have a baby, people could still claim that it had been conceived via in vitro fertilization.


    Cheng Xi decided to light a few more candles for him.


    Tian Rou was very happy. To her, speaking badly of Lu Chenzhou was a small success, so she pulled Cheng Xi to the dance floor. When Lin Fan entered the venue, Tian Rou was spinning around in circles with Cheng Xi. The two of them spun all the way to the door, and when Cheng Xi tripped, two hands emerged from behind to catch her.


    Cheng Xi turned around and saw Lin Fan¡¯s face.


    History truly tended to repeat itself; they were in the same position from a few months ago, where she had been standing in the front, preparing to catch Shen Wei¡¯s wedding bouquet while he stood behind her, ready to protect her.


    But this time, her feelings were completely different. Cheng Xi¡¯s heart no longer yearned for him, and she immediately smiled politely as she moved away. ¡°Thank you.¡± She tugged lightly at Tian Rou, who was still spinning around in a daze. ¡°Alright, stop messing around. Lin Fan¡¯s here.¡±


    Tian Rou pounced on him. ¡°My idol!¡±


    Cheng Xi pulled her back quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t make a scene.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s just a hug. Why didn¡¯t you get together with Lin Fan before? Look at how well he treats his wife! His behavior truly befits his being my male idol.¡±


    Cheng Xi really wanted to sew Tian Rou¡¯s mouth shut, and in her frustration, she called another classmate over and forcefully dragged her away. Lin Fan¡¯s embarrassment didn¡¯t last very long; although he arrived quite late, the crowd went wild as soon as he stated, ¡°I¡¯m late, so everything¡¯ll be my treat today.¡±


    No one here really lacked money, but seeing someone act so forthrightly made everyone happy.


    The atmosphere became even more festive.


    Cheng Xi lurked in a corner as she took care of the inebriated Tian Rou and the pregnant Shen Wei, occasionally sneaking a few glances at the tables. She saw Lin Fan animatedly discussing something with some other classmates, a far cry from his usual aloofness¡ªand those classmates were all working in business too, and they all had wealth and power. He really has changed, and he¡¯s finally learned to make use of his personal connections.


    It wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad change.


    The party raged on past midnight, which was far too late. Baldy himself came to pick Tian Rou up, Shen Wei¡¯s brother came for her, and as for Cheng Xi, right when she was about to head out, Lin Fan called out to her. ¡°Let me give you a ride.¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can just take a cab.¡±


    But Lin Fan had already gotten out of his car and pulled open the door. He stood there and looked at her seriously. ¡°I have some things I want to talk to you about, so could you please go for a drive with me?¡±

 Chapter 198: Youre Protecting Him?

    Lin Fan¡¯s expression was very serious, so Cheng Xi eventually chose to get into his car.


    In the muffled darkness of the night, the city took on a unique silence of its own. There were barely any cars on the road, but Lin Fan drove at a very steady rate, neither too fast nor too slow.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything, and Lin Fan didn¡¯t either; the two of them drove to her apartment in silence.


    When they arrived, Lin Fan asked, ¡°Does Lu Chenzhou have some sort of mental issue?¡±


    His question was very direct, and Cheng Xi slowly turned around to face him.


    Before she could deny it, he continued explaining his own thoughts. ¡°Tian Rou said that the reason why you were reassigned was related to Lu Chenzhou.¡± So it was Tian Rou again, that loudmouth! Just how many people did she blab to about my affairs?! Cheng Xi grit her teeth in annoyance, but her face remained expressionless as she patiently listened. ¡°However, I think that, if the report against you actually had something to do with him, then Lu Chenzhou wouldn¡¯t have personally reported you because he wouldn¡¯t do something so tasteless. Even if you dumped him, he has many different ways to get back at you, all of them without you even realizing anything. For example, like how he used Qingyang to set me up and destroy our relationship.¡±


    Cheng Xi was extremely shocked by this revelation. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Lin Fan smiled wryly. ¡°I only learned about it a while back myself, actually. When Qingyang and I were out on a business trip, we met a guy named Xie Ziming. I later found out that he¡¯s actually a friend of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s. Additionally, it was he who, after inviting Qingyang and me to a meal, spiked our tea. Do you remember that? After that incident, I started gradually drifting away from you. A few days ago, I was visiting my stepbrother, and he told me that Gao Ge¡ªwho¡¯s called Baldy by his friends¡ªtold him that Lu Chenzhou wanted him to find me a wife with an illustrious background, all so that my mother wouldn¡¯t obsess over the Wang family¡¯s property.¡± After pouring everything out, Lin Fan leaned against the steering wheel as he clutched his face in his hands. ¡°Ha, ha, ha. In the end, everything was orchestrated by him, all because he became interested in you! And to think, all of the effort I spent struggling and all the agony I suffered amounted to nothing more than a minor pebble in his eyes, a pebble easily removed with a mere flick of the finger.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Did she think that he was lying? No, he had no need to lie to her. Was there any need for her to condemn Lu Chenzhou? Yet that also seemed unnecessary.


    She remained silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Actually, from another perspective, the way this situation played out isn¡¯t that bad for you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re defending him?¡± Lin Fan bristled as he suddenly spun around. ¡°You¡¯re defending a patient suffering from a mental illness?¡±


    Cheng Xi frowned. ¡°Why do you think he¡¯s a patient?¡±


    Lin Fan chuckled softly. ¡°What else could he be? If he were a regular person, then why would you be forcefully transferred to a remote branch? Bribery and corruption? A misdiagnosis or malpractice? Based on how passionate you are towards your work, I don¡¯t think that you¡¯d do anything like that and ruin your career path. Actually, that¡¯s the only reason you¡¯d make a mistake¡ªyou love your job too much, which means that you¡¯re very easily influenced by your emotions. Before I came here tonight, I had someone look into your case, and he told me that you barely avoided medical suspension. The only infraction that merits such a punishment for a psychiatrist is a doctor-patient relationship that developed into something more.¡±


    ¡°So, this must be the reason why you¡¯re being reassigned, and also why you always told me that you couldn¡¯t explain the relationship between Lu Chenzhou and you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked straight at him. ¡°And then what? Is the truth behind my reassignment that important to you?¡±


    ¡°I just want to know what mental illness he¡¯s suffering from.¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed as she remorsefully said, ¡°What does any of this have to do with you? Are you going to attack him with information on his supposed illness? He wouldn¡¯t care.¡±


    Lin Fan turned around, feeling guilty.


    ¡°Lin Fan, honestly, you didn¡¯t lose too much¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Who said that?! I lost you!¡±


    Cheng Xi frowned, her expression turning severe. ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that again, and don¡¯t think about it like that either. Lin Fan, we can¡¯t stay mired in the immutable past. Instead, we have to look towards the ever-changing future. You can¡¯t deny that the reason why you ultimately separated from me wasn¡¯t just because of something that happened between you and Meng Qingyang. Rather, the underlying reason is your mother. No, actually, I suppose that it should be you, as you were unable to bear her pressure. Even if Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t do anything, we might not have gotten together in the end.¡±


    Lin Fan looked at her, dazed. ¡°Is that what you truly think?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You thought that our relationship might fail from the very beginning?¡±


    ¡°No. I only thought that after, because I realized that you didn¡¯t have the courage to break free from the cage that your mother built around you. After you became entangled with Meng Qingyang, you designed a conclusion for yourself, which led me to believe that the Cheng Xi you loved was the Cheng Xi of the past. In doing so, you gave up on our relationship. Lin Fan, face the truth. No matter the reason why you and Meng Qingyang ended together, she¡¯s now your wife and pregnant with your child. What you have to do, and all you can do, is forget the past and live your current life as happily as you can.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more, if you wanted to know whether or not Lu Chenzhou and I still have feelings for each other, I can tell you that we definitely do. I love him very much, and back when I first decided to be with him, I also decided to keep on loving him regardless of his identity, regardless of what he might have done, regardless of any mental illness he might have. As long as he doesn¡¯t give up on me, I won¡¯t give up on him.¡±


    Lin Fan¡¯s expression soured even more, but he didn¡¯t say anything else.


    After all, he wasn¡¯t a malicious person. His thoughts had merely been thrown into disarray, and after Cheng Xi had given him a talking-to, he understood how rude his actions were.


    He turned around again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­ I seem to have done something stupid.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± Cheng Xi let out a pent up breath. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, then I¡¯ll be going first. It¡¯s very late, after all.¡±


    With a simple ¡°Goodbye,¡± Cheng Xi got out of the car and headed into her apartment without turning around.


    She believed that he wouldn¡¯t bother her about this anymore. He was clever, and he understood her feelings.


    After this talk, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t put much more thought into this, and she didn¡¯t even care much about what Lin Fan had revealed. She rarely felt conflicted about events that had already occurred, because there was simply nothing that she could do about them. Instead, she would work diligently towards a brighter tomorrow.


    For her last three days, she was very busy, as she had to go to the hospital and finish the rest of the transfer proceedings. Her students also knew that she was about to leave, and some wanted to see her one last time. So, she had to visit the university. What¡¯s more, since she didn¡¯t know how long it would take her to return, she also had to return to her parents¡¯ house and say goodbye to all of the other relatives and neighbors that she was familiar with, as well as Yuan, who lived at her aunt¡¯s place. He was doing much better and had already started going back to school, but since she was still here, she might as well pay him a visit and make sure that he wouldn¡¯t have a relapse.


    In her rush, she had to pass off a lot of tasks to her parents, so much so that her mother even started complaining. ¡°Are you moving out or are we? It feels like you don¡¯t care at all.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled brightly and hugged her. ¡°Mom, won¡¯t you please help me out one last time?¡±


    Faced with Cheng Xi¡¯s adorable pleading, her mother could only acquiesce and arrange everything perfectly, as mothers were wont to do.


    Of course, Cheng Xi spent her last half-day with them. She didn¡¯t accept anyone else¡¯s requests to send her off, and went to the airport with just her family. She would first fly to Beijing, then take a small airplane to a city by Gansu, and then finally take two buses. Just thinking about the long journey made her mother feel anxious; she was deeply frightened that Cheng Xi would get lost. Right now, she was going through everything she had packed for Cheng Xi. ¡°There¡¯s food here, a water bottle, a flashlight, pills for motion sickness, and flu medicine. Oh, once you get off of the plane, make sure to not take any of those illegal taxis. Don¡¯t be afraid of spending money, and call us when you get here¡­ Oh, right, I also packed a compass for you. Remember, be wary on the way there. Don¡¯t sleep just anywhere¡­¡±


    Even though Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t comprehend how her mother had jumped from talking about a compass to where she should sleep, she could feel her mother¡¯s deep and sincere desire to not part with her. Her father didn¡¯t say much at all; he just sat by her side and looked at her. Right before she was about to board the plane, he said, ¡°Take care of yourself.¡±


    And then he looked away and started crying silently.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 199: Lu Chenzhou, Wheres Your Pride?

    When Cheng Xi¡¯s father started crying, it shocked everyone else. He had always been the stoic and silent member of the family, always cool, calm, and collected. Cheng Xi had expected her mother to cry, but not her father.


    Even Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was a little dazed. She looked at her husband and said, ¡°Gosh, your father actually started crying before me.¡±


    He grumbled back, ¡°You¡¯re going to cry sooner or later!¡±


    And Cheng Xi¡¯s mother did; as she watched the boarding line grow shorter and shorter, she started sniffling. Before long, tears were streaming down her face even as her husband continued to silently cry beside her. Cheng Xi herself was teary-eyed, and Cheng Yang was about to pull out his hair in frustration from watching the three of them cry at each other. ¡°Why do you all have to cry so much? It¡¯s not like she¡¯s never going to come back! What¡¯s more, even if she doesn¡¯t return, you guys can still visit her, right?¡±


    His mother indignantly yelled, ¡°If you can¡¯t cry, then shut your mouth! You¡¯re a heartless brother.¡±


    Cheng Yang was left without a response.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but smile at her family¡¯s antics. She turned around and hugged everybody again, including Cheng Yang. ¡°Alright, take care, everyone. I¡¯ll be back soon enough. Mom, dad, remember to take care of yourselves. Brother, listen to our parents. I¡¯m hoping that I¡¯ll be able to meet your wife by the time I return.¡±


    Her words scared Cheng Yang so much that he hurriedly said, ¡°Then you¡¯d better not come back that quickly. Sayonara!¡±


    Their mother and father¡¯s palms immediately landed on the back of his head, finally dissipating the sorrowful atmosphere.


    After Cheng Xi boarded the plane, she kept looking out the window at the familiar city and the familiar sky. All of these familiar scenes would soon only be seen in her memories.


    At that moment, she deeply desired to be the female lead of some romance movie, who would turn around and see the person she loved standing at the corner, sending her off.


    But Lu Chenzhou wouldn¡¯t do something like that. If he were to show up, he wouldn¡¯t hide in a corner, and if he didn¡¯t show up, then that was that.


    She still hoped that he¡¯d betray her expectations.


    As the airplane accelerated down the tarmac and soared into the sky, Cheng Xi¡¯s parents stood inside the airport, looking at it soar into the sky. Cheng Xi¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t help herself from bursting out into tears again. ¡°That little brat¡ªshe¡¯s really flown out of the nest now.¡±


    Cheng Yang¡¯s scalp went numb as he looked at his mother crying. ¡°Now that I¡¯m the only one left, I¡¯ll be your favorite child!¡±


    But his mother just scolded him again. ¡°The favorite? What¡¯s the point of keeping you around? You still haven¡¯t gotten married and you already make me angry every day. If you left right now, I¡¯d even set off fireworks in celebration!¡±


    Cheng Yang was dumbfounded by his mother¡¯s response. ¡°......I¡¯m not an adopted child, am I?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are. The only thing you¡¯re good for now is for helping your sister take care of her apartment.¡± Before her tears dried up, she had already started to nag him again. ¡°If it stays uninhabited for too long, it¡¯ll start getting moldy. In the future, you should go over to her apartment regularly, and remember to clean it for her once every two days. Don¡¯t bring anyone strange over, take care of everything that she didn¡¯t take with her, don¡¯t needlessly touch her books¡ªthey¡¯re precious to her, and if the weather¡¯s good outside, remember to air the blankets¡­¡­¡±


    I really am an adopted child, aren¡¯t I?!


    Amidst his mother¡¯s nagging, Cheng Yang sent his parents home. The smoke trails of the now faraway plane dissipated into the atmosphere as their car drove further and further away.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s departure was like a pebble being thrown into a pond. In the beginning, it had caused many disruptive ripples, but as the pebble slowly sunk to the bottom, not a trace of it was left on the surface.


    Everyone¡¯s days passed as usual. After Cheng Yang beat Lu Chenzhou up, he thought that he would be immediately dropped from the engineering project he was working on with Donglai. But unexpectedly, someone from Donglai actually contacted him with positive news. ¡°Mr. Cheng, we¡¯ve inspected your work at Hainan, and we¡¯re happy to settle the accounts now.¡±


    Of course, Cheng Yang would go over to settle the accounts; wouldn¡¯t he be crazy not to be properly reimbursed for his work?


    Although his company was small, it did good work, and when Cheng Yang got serious about something, he scared even himself. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to aim for a project from Donglai with just his meager qualifications.


    As they were going over the details, one of the engineering directors at Donglai even commented, ¡°Your engineering firm¡¯s very detail-oriented and not bad at all. Next time, we¡¯ll make sure to contact you if we need anything.¡± If not for the matter between Lu Chenzhou and Cheng Xi, this outcome would have been worth all the effort that Cheng Yang had spent on Lu Chenming. However, Cheng Xi¡¯s treatment at the hands of Lu Chenzhou had left Cheng Yang with a sour taste in his mouth whenever Donglai was mentioned. So, he sneered disrespectfully and disdainfully said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there¡¯s bad blood between me and your Director Lu. I actually don¡¯t plan on taking any projects from Donglai in the future.¡±


    There were quite a few people in the office when he said this, and they all glanced over at him as if he were a fool.


    Cheng Yang was left speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Was Donglai really that impressive? Was it foolish to reject working with Donglai?


    Cheng Yang felt particularly annoyed, and he rolled up his sleeves. He¡¯d climb to the top of the industry, and he¡¯d do so while avoiding Donglai at all costs!


    After Cheng Xi left, Cheng Yang started focusing on his business in a steady and serious manner; he no longer tried to employ unusual tactics or take shortcuts to expand his business. Instead, he focused on diligently managing his business and networking. He still remembered to occasionally take Lu Chenming out for some fun, and through him, he got updates on how Lu Chenzhou was doing.


    He was happy whenever Lu Chenzhou suffered from bad luck, and he was very unhappy when Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t.


    But ever since Cheng Xi left, it seemed that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s performance was decreasing with each passing day. Lu Chenming frequently mentioned that his brother wasn¡¯t very well. He seemed to have lost interest in everything, and his grandparents were very worried about him.


    One day, Cheng Yang decided to accompany Lu Chenming on his sales errands out of boredom. Lu Chenming had actually been criticized by upper management because he¡¯d met none of his sales quota for the month.


    From the moment they met up, Lu Chenming was acting worried and anxious. Cheng Yang thought that it was because of his poor sales performance, but it turned out to be something else. ¡°Ah, my dad and brother had a fight again, a pretty fierce one this time.¡±


    Fun, fun, fun. A wealthy family¡¯s fights over their inheritance are bloody affairs! Cheng Yang became very excited, and he sleazily asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°My dad said that my brother wasn¡¯t performing up to standard, and that the board was very upset with him. Apparently, if he keeps on doing nothing, they¡¯ll fire him.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Your dad¡¯s quite wise, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Lu Chenming opened his eyes wide and stared at him curiously. ¡°What do you mean?¡± His face then turned red as he tried to speak up for his brother. ¡°My brother¡¯s really amazing. It¡¯s my dad who¡¯s the one messing around.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Cheng Yang patted Lu Chenming¡¯s shoulder half-heartedly, his mood suddenly much better than before. Later that night, he was so happy that he drank a bit more than he should have. When he went home, he was intoxicated, and he accidentally entered the wrong apartment¡ªCheng Yang had intended to go to the ¡°fake Dr. Cheng¡¯s home,¡± but he drunkenly entered Cheng Xi¡¯s actual apartment instead.


    And perhaps it was because he was drunk, but he didn¡¯t even bother to turn on the lights or wash up. Cheng Yang went straight to bed, curling up in the blankets. However, he felt a strange and somewhat cold¡­¡­ body?


    Oh, this is really nice to the touch, It¡¯s really comfortable! In his alcohol-fueled haze, Cheng Yang reached out with his hands-


    ¡°Dong!¡± Before he could even react, he¡¯d been kicked out of the bed. At the same time, the room lit up, and Lu Chenzhou slowly emerged from the bed, coolly staring at him.


    ¡°Screw you! You, you, you¡­¡­ How¡¯d you get in? And why¡¯re you sleeping in my sister¡¯s bed? Lu Chenzhou, where¡¯s your pride?!¡±


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 200: Your Saliva Stinks!

    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything to Cheng Yang, only looking at him with an overbearingly haughty expression.


    Cheng Yang, on the other hand, was furious. He quickly sobered up, clutched his forehead, and gasped out loud. ¡°What kind of gaze is that?! Are you blaming me for disrupting your sleep?¡± By this point, Cheng Yang¡¯s anger had built up so much that he had to laugh to release some of the pressure. Then, he pointed at the door and said, ¡°Scram, scram, scram! I¡¯ll forgive you this once on account of Lu Chenming, but if you ever return to this apartment again, I¡¯ll report you to the police!¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± Lu Chenzhou was much more authoritative than Cheng Yang. His tone was cold and deep as if it were a punch thrown at his face.


    Cheng Yang thought that he¡¯d heard wrong, and in his anger, even his tone changed. ¡°What?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was dark and stormy. He slowly enunciated, one word at a time, ¡°Get the hell out of here!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Yang had never met anyone this shameless in his entire lifetime! He jumped up from the floor and loudly yelled back, ¡°Where¡¯s your pride? Your face? Do you know whose house this is? Huh? This is my sister¡¯s apartment, and I helped pay for it! You want me to scram? Are you asking for a beating?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou continued to ignore him.


    Cheng Yang rolled his sleeves up. ¡°You asked for it!¡±


    He leapt up and was about to grab Lu Chenzhou¡¯s neck and drag him out. However, the reason why he had managed to hit Lu Chenzhou last time was only because Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t expected it; this time, Cheng Yang wasn¡¯t as lucky. Before he could even get close, Lu Chenzhou had kicked him back onto the floor.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Since Cheng Yang was drunk, he was also a lot more bullheaded than usual. He thumped the floor with his fist before stubbornly leaping onto the bed again. This time, he was also prepared and managed to stop himself from being kicked off. Instead of trying to grapple Lu Chenzhou¡¯s upper body, he aimed for Lu Chenzhou¡¯s legs, and once he had a grip, he bit down on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s exposed thigh with a savage howl.


    Mr. Lu was currently only wearing his underwear.


    Cheng Yang¡¯s bite caused a shudder to run through Lu Chenzhou¡¯s entire body¡ªhe didn¡¯t expect that Cheng Xi¡¯s twin brother would be so shameless as to actually bite someone! No, no, no. To Lu Chenzhou, being bitten wasn¡¯t the main point; rather, the main point was that Cheng Yang had woken him up. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s recent nights had been restless and devoid of sleep. Then, today, he had suddenly thought of sleeping in Cheng Xi¡¯s bed. As he finally had a peaceful sleep for the first time in a long while, he dreamed of doing¡­¡­ certain things with her, until he was roused by a foreign touch.


    When Lu Chenzhou first felt that foreign touch, he honestly thought for a brief moment that Cheng Xi had returned. His heart ached for her, but he instantly noticed that something was off. Cheng Xi¡¯s hand seemed much larger and coarser than he remembered! It wasn¡¯t her!


    And so he had ruthlessly kicked the offending person off of the bed.


    Lu Chenzhou was so angry that his fury could burn down a mountain. After all, not only did Cheng Yang try to chase him out, he even tried to beat him up! Mr. Lu¡¯s eyes turned red, and he pounced on him.


    One was enraged and the other drunk. The two of them roughly tussled about on Cheng Xi¡¯s bed, fighting tooth and nail. Under normal conditions, Cheng Yang didn¡¯t stand a chance at winning against Lu Chenzhou. Even though their height and weight were similar, Cheng Yang didn¡¯t exercise very often, which meant that his body was in worse condition. However, his shamelessness helped keep him in the game; if he couldn¡¯t beat Lu Chenzhou in terms of strength, then he¡¯d bite and lick him. Cheng Yang¡¯s tongue was unusually long, like a frog¡¯s, and it was just as flexible and disgusting. His strategy revolved around licking Mr. Lu to induce an opening and then socking him in a weak spot.


    The two of them actually ended up in a strange equilibrium until they both fell back onto their half of the bed, exhausted. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s lower jaw was swollen and Cheng Yang had a black eye, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face had a long scratch on it and Cheng Yang¡¯s nose had almost been bent out of shape¡­¡­ there were many other small wounds all over their bodies.


    Neither of them had gained much of an advantage in their fight.


    Cheng Yang had completely sobered up by now. His body was too battered to move, but that didn¡¯t stop him from talking. ¡°I¡¯m going to go learn martial arts so that I can protect my sister from bastards like you! Shit, do you think that you can do anything you want just because you¡¯re rich? And that, just because you¡¯re rich, that my sister would aim for your money? What kind of logic is that? And what¡¯s the point of you coming over here like this, huh? After harming my sister, you then want to come back to her place and reminisce about the past? Why don¡¯t I stab you and then shed a few tears for you at your grave, hmm? I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t like the look of you at all. You¡¯d better not show up in front of me again, or I¡¯ll keep fighting you whenever I see you!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say a single word in response. He merely lay there cold and silent, almost to the point of not breathing. It was as if he was dead. He only showed signs of life when Cheng Yang said, ¡°You know what I hate the most about you? If you had actually caused my sister to lose her license, that would have been fine! But instead, she¡¯s been reassigned to some godforsaken remote outpost¡­¡­ My sister¡¯s all but lost to me now, and she won¡¯t be able to come back if she doesn¡¯t settle down there. Meanwhile, you bastard, you¡¯re just doing whatever you want, aren¡¯t you? Leading a comfortable life and playing with beautiful women while she¡¯s there eating sand¡­¡­ what¡¯re you doing?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had suddenly sat upright, clutched his chest, and started breathing shallowly, as if he were in agony.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Damn, I didn¡¯t beat him up that hard, did I? Though Cheng Yang didn¡¯t like Lu Chenzhou, he didn¡¯t want to kill him either!


    ¡°You, you¡­¡­ you, I¡¯m only going to say this once! You¡¯d better not be pretending to be fragile! I¡¯m the one who was hurt worse, alright?!¡± As he said this, Cheng Yang rolled around in bed, exaggeratedly shouting, ¡°Ouch, ouch!¡±


    His voice was so loud and obnoxious that anyone listening would feel the compulsion to rip out his tongue.


    But Lu Chenzhou seemed to be oblivious to the screeching noise. After holding his hand over his chest and sitting upright for a while, he quickly ran out of the bed and into the washroom.


    Cheng Yang followed him to the door, enduring the aches screaming from every part of his body. He put his ear to the door and eavesdropped, but all he heard was the sound of running water.


    He relaxed, and then quickly became angry at Lu Chenzhou for frightening him. How could he be in the mood to shower right now? Cheng Yang crawled back into bed and thought about splashing Lu Chenzhou with a basin of water used to wash feet. He even prepared such a basin, but Lu Chenzhou never emerged from the bathroom no matter how long he waited.


    He didn¡¯t drown in the bathtub, could he? My god, this is really¡­¡­ Cheng Yang felt like he must have owed this man something huge in his past life. Even though it was Lu Chenzhou who had broken into his private residence and beaten him up, Cheng Yang was now the one worrying about him¡ªhow strange was that?


    Cheng Yang felt worse and worse the more he thought about it, When he could no longer stand the distress in his heart, he finally ran over and knocked on the bathroom door. However, before his fist touched the door, the door abruptly opened on its own, revealing Lu Chenzhou standing at the door, wrapped only in a towel. His body was wet, causing his taut muscles to glisten magnificently. He was calmly looking at Cheng Yang with an incomparably sexy but cool gaze.


    Cheng Yang was struck speechless.


    His shoulders were broad, his waist narrow, his legs long and shapely, his muscles taut and well defined, and his skin sleek¡­¡­ It was no wonder even someone as picky as Cheng Xi would end up being attracted to him! Cheng Yang stared at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s body evilly. ¡°You took so long to wash yourself. Do you think that water¡¯s free?!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou mildly replied, ¡°Your saliva stinks.¡±


    Evidently, he had to spend a lot of time to wash the stink off.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 201: Battle Strategies

    Cheng Yang raised his middle finger at him.


    Lu Chenzhou ignored his provocative gesture as he usually did, coolly picked up his own clothes, and then put them on properly. After glancing one last time at Cheng Yang, who was lying paralyzed on the bed, he left.


    As Lu Chenzhou walked through the living room, Cheng Yang heard him make a call. ¡°Prepare a bed and have it brought to the residential area near Renyi¡­¡­ Yes, tomorrow¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Was he disdaining the fact that I laid down on this bed? Lu Chenzhou¡¯s every action aggravated Cheng Yang, to the point where he wanted to run out and start fighting with him again. Did he have to act so arrogantly just because he had money? Cheng Yang was really infuriated!


    But Cheng Yang didn¡¯t think things through. The next day, when he came back to Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment, he found that¡­¡­ He! Couldn¡¯t! Enter!


    His fingerprint had been removed from the scanner¡¯s database, and the passcode had been changed.


    A wad of disgust welled up from within Cheng Yang¡¯s chest and got stuck in his throat, unable to be swallowed or spat out. It took him quite a while before he calmed down and called Cheng Xi. ¡°What¡¯s the master passcode at your place?¡±


    By then, Cheng Xi had long since arrived at Gansu and had started working. She quietly and obediently listened to her seniors, allowing her beauty, skills, generosity, and calmness to quickly establish a strong foothold for herself there.


    Of course, it also helped that the psychiatry department there was pretty weak.


    When she received Cheng Yang¡¯s call, she was actually heading to the director¡¯s office. She didn¡¯t ask why he needed the master passcode, and only answered back with a string of numbers before hanging up.


    Cheng Yang entered the passcode that Cheng Xi gave him, all the while thinking, Ha, did Lu Chenzhou really think that I¡¯d be locked out if he deleted my fingerprint and changed the passcode? He really looks down on me, doesn¡¯t he?! Well, why don¡¯t you change the master passcode, too.


    But it really didn¡¯t do him well to underestimate Lu Chenzhou, because when Cheng Yang entered the master passcode that Cheng Xi had given him, a robotic female voice expressionlessly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but your passcode is incorrect. Please try again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He was so furious that he called some of his workers over. ¡°Get two people over here right now. I want to Replace! A! Door!¡±


    Let¡¯s see who wins in the end, hmm?


    While Cheng Yang was fighting childishly with Lu Chenzhou, Cheng Xi pushed open the door to the director¡¯s office. Gansu¡¯s psychiatry department head was a forty-something female. She wasn¡¯t too tall and had slightly curly hair. When she was young, she too had studied at Renyi. She respected Cai Yi very much, so she was particularly friendly towards Cheng Xi.


    Whenever Cheng Xi ran into her, she would invariably ask, ¡°Are you used to the place yet?¡±


    And then she would follow up with, ¡°If you need anything, just let me know.¡±


    This time was the same, and Cheng Xi smiled and replied, as she always did, ¡°I¡¯m quite used to it already. I¡¯m not a picky person, so I can feel at home just about anywhere.¡±


    This was the honest truth. Cheng Xi had very few needs, so as long as she had something to do, food to eat, and a place to sleep, she would be fine. She had the basic necessities and wasn¡¯t lacking in either mental fortitude or material things.


    After hearing her serious reply, the director smiled a little. ¡°You¡¯ve really changed my opinion on young doctors¡ªyou¡¯re not pampered or unreasonable at all. Alright, since you¡¯re so used to it, then please take care of this patient suffering from PTSD.¡±


    She then handed Cheng Xi the medical records in front of her.


    Cheng Xi slowly started flipping through and reading the dossier. The patient was a thirty-year-old female teacher. After an earthquake in 20XX, she had developed mental issues, and because she didn¡¯t receive any counseling in time, her mental trauma had developed into PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder.


    Gansu was located right on top of a fault line, which meant that there were many earthquakes and even more patients like this one. The director said, ¡°This patient was sent over by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Her identity¡¯s a bit special, as she¡¯s both a hero and a victim. In that earthquake, she ended up saving 24 children, but she also lost a leg and her newlywed husband in the process. The ministry regards this patient very highly, and I know that you even treated a very troublesome case of Cotard¡¯s syndrome. Thus, I recommended you to them.¡±


    Upon hearing the director¡¯s last words, Cheng Xi paused for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°Actually, she hasn¡¯t completely recovered yet. That patient¡¯s still in the hospital, and she appears to have relapsed.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± the director said, cutting her off, ¡°I¡¯ve talked with Cai Yi, and she said that it wasn¡¯t your fault. Honestly, if you had a bit more time, you could have done an even better job. So don¡¯t be too modest. I believe in you.¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t say anything but ¡°Thank you,¡± at that point.


    In the afternoon, she met her new patient, who was called Qin Shiya. If Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t read through her medical records beforehand, Cheng Xi really wouldn¡¯t have believed that the person in front of her was the same age as her. She seemed more like a fifty-something matron, with dry and partially white hair, thin and emaciated cheeks, and sunken eyes. Her whole body seemed desiccated, and the clothes clung to her slender frame as if they were on a bamboo pole.


    Qin Shiya herself didn¡¯t even notice that a new doctor had been assigned to her, only saying, ¡°I don¡¯t want any kind of treatment. I just want sleeping pills. I want to sleep. It¡¯s been so long since I last slept.¡±


    Cheng Xi believed her, because her condition and complexion were both classic symptoms of long-term insomnia.


    She nodded concisely. ¡°Alright.¡± Then, she withdrew two white tablets from a nearby drawer and handed them over.


    Qin Shiya looked at those two tablets and expressionlessly said, ¡°It¡¯s not enough. I want more. Ten tablets, twenty tablets¡ªthe more the better. If there aren¡¯t enough, then it won¡¯t work.¡±


    The middle-aged woman accompanying her, who had introduced herself as Qin Shiya¡¯s mother, anxiously shook her head at Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi smiled and focused on Qin Shiya. ¡°I can give more to you. However, as a safety precaution, can I request that you rest by my side? I have a bed here. It¡¯s very comfortable and quiet.¡±


    Only then did Qin Shiya raise her head, carefully scrutinizing Cheng Xi before agreeing. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Cheng Xi got up. ¡°Then let me go and get some more pills for you.¡± She took out the medicine container in the drawer and showed it to her. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough here.¡±


    As Cheng Xi left, Qin Shiya¡¯s mother hurriedly followed her out. ¡°Are you the doctor that Director Huang recommended? How can you be so hasty? Why would you prescribe her so many sleeping pills? Are you trying to kill her?!¡±


    ¡°Shh~~¡± Cheng Xi made a shushing gesture with her finger. ¡°Please believe me. I¡¯m a doctor.¡±


    She didn¡¯t offer any further explanation, but because she was young, pretty, and new to the hospital, she seemed too inexperienced to be a good doctor despite all of her qualifications. Honestly, Qin Shiya¡¯s mother had a very hard time believing her words.


    She could only watch on angrily as Cheng Xi left and came back, holding what seemed to be a brand new bottle of sleeping pills in her hand. As Cheng Xi entered the room, she asked Qin Shiya, ¡°How many pills do you need?¡±


    It was as if she were handing out candy rather than sleeping pills.


    ¡°Are these real?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Cheng Xi smiled as she took a tablet out. ¡°Do you want to check?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s tone and expression were both calm and steady. Qin Shiya squinted at her for a while before coolly replying, ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. Give me the whole bottle.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± After Cheng Xi said this, she poured out a select number of tablets on her palm. ¡°I can only give you this much, as if you exceed the maximum safe dose by too much, then I can¡¯t guarantee your safety.¡±


    But there were still at least ten tablets on her white and elegant palm.


    This was really too negligent!


    But before Qin Shiya could say anything, her mother lost her cool. She furiously shouted, ¡°What kind of doctor are you? Do you have any sense of ethics or medical expertise?!¡±


    It was so loud that Qin Shiya clutched her head in agony. ¡°It hurts! Stop yelling!¡±


    Her mother was so frightened by Qin Shiya¡¯s outburst that she immediately quieted down, stooped down, and started comforting her. When Cheng Xi walked over, Qin Shiya¡¯s mother pushed her away and angrily glared at her before turning back to Qin Shiya and saying, ¡°Shiya, let¡¯s go home. We¡¯ll find another hospital.¡±

 Chapter 202: Sleeping Pills and Sugar Pills

    Qin Shiya clutched her head in agony. ¡°Mom, please go out.¡±


    ¡°Shiya--¡±


    Qin Shiya was clearly in excruciating pain, and when she saw that her mother didn¡¯t intend on leaving, she immediately turned violent. She thrashed about recklessly, even smashing her head against the armrest of her wheelchair. As she did so, she also started screaming out, her shrill voice thick with grief.


    Thankfully, perhaps because Qin Shiya often had such fits, someone had wrapped a layer of soft padding around the armrests of her wheelchair. Even though Qin Shiya¡¯s movements were intense, she didn¡¯t really hurt herself.


    Even so, her mother was so worried that she immediately started comforting her. ¡°Alright, alright, stop hitting yourself. I¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±


    And true to her word, she did leave. But before she did so, she glanced at Cheng Xi, a clear warning evident in her gaze.


    Cheng Xi waited for her to leave before walking over to Qin Shiya. She didn¡¯t say anything, simply stretching out her hands and massaging Qin Shiya¡¯s temples.


    Qin Shiya initially wanted to push her away, but when she felt a soft warmth bathe her forehead, the pulsating pain in her head seemed to instantly diminish. The pair of gentle and warm hands continued to lightly glide across her scalp and temples, easing the pain away.


    She unconsciously closed her eyes and relaxed her body under Cheng Xi¡¯s deft movements. Only when Cheng Xi removed her hands did Qin Shiya regain her senses. She turned around and looked at her seriously. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you knew how to massage people.¡±


    ¡°I learned a few tricks while I was studying.¡±


    ¡°Give them to me.¡± Qin Shiya stretched out her hand, her jaw jutting out towards the sleeping pills scattered on the table.


    Cheng Xi poured her a glass of water, counted out a number of pills, and then placed them in front of her. ¡°This is the most I can give to you right now. See if it helps.¡±


    Qin Shiya took the medicine. Without a trace of hesitation, she mechanically stuffed all of them into her mouth, chewed them roughly, and then swallowed them.


    She didn¡¯t drink any water during the entire process, and her actions were so careless that it felt like she wouldn¡¯t have minded choking to death on those pills.


    Just watching her made Cheng Xi feel uncomfortable. She quietly waited for Qin Shiya to finish swallowing, and then wheeled her over to a room in the back. The room was adorned very simply, with one bed, one table, and a single chair. Pale blue bedsheets were spread over the bed, and the tablecloth was made of the same material. The bed and table were clean and unoccupied, and a small vase had been placed by the windowsill, the few flowers imbuing the quiet room with a faint floral scent.


    ¡°It¡¯s very quiet here, so it¡¯ll be a good place for you to sleep.¡±


    Qin Shiya coldly replied, ¡°But I¡¯m not sleepy at all.¡±


    ¡°You can still try.¡± Cheng Xi smiled a little. ¡°Lie down, and try for a bit. If you still can¡¯t fall asleep after that, we¡¯ll talk then, alright?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s voice was gentle and mellow, and very comforting to listen to.


    Qin Shiya unconsciously did as she was told, allowing herself to be lifted into bed. As she was laid down, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Does your head still hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cheng Xi then sat down by her side, rested her palm on her head, and once again started massaging her lightly. ¡°How about this?¡±


    Qin Shiya didn¡¯t respond, but she didn¡¯t reject Cheng Xi either.


    Cheng Xi continued massaging Qin Shiya until she felt her breathing stabilize at a slower rate. When she tried to get up and leave, she realized that her legs had long since gone numb due to her immobilization.


    So Cheng Xi had no other choice but to sit there, unable to cry out or move too much. She could only silently wait for the prickling pain to dissipate.


    As she waited, she suddenly thought back to when she had seen Chen Jiaman at Lin Fan¡¯s place. Her legs had gone numb just like this, and then Lu Chenzhou had carried her downstairs. Honestly, given his personality, that was quite the grandiose gesture.


    Just thinking about that made her start missing him a little.


    The most uncomfortable part about moving to Gansu was probably the fact that she couldn¡¯t see him anymore.


    Cheng Xi sighed lightly and looked back at the sleeping form of Qin Shiya. She wasn¡¯t sleeping very well; her forehead was slightly scrunched up, and her hands and feet spasmed haphazardly from time to time.


    A gentle vibration came from her bag. Cheng Xi took out her phone and saw that the director had sent her a message: I¡¯ve handled her mother. Don¡¯t worry.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help herself from smiling. She texted back: The patient¡¯s asleep. Please ask her mother not to worry.


    The director didn¡¯t send any more messages over. Qin Shiya slept for quite a long time, only waking up at 10 PM. When she woke up, she was the only one in the room. The small lamp on the table had been lit, and the room was basked in a soft glow against the silent night.


    Qin Shiya simply lay there, lost in her thoughts.


    She felt like she had slept for a very long time, without any nightmares, and without the ever present war drum-like booming. She felt well-rested and unbelievably clear-headed. Everything felt crisp, like the wind outside the window. It sounded gentle as it softly caressed the windowsill.


    Qin Shiya sat up in a daze. Someone had just parted the curtain between this room and her ward. A slender figure entered her room, but the light was too dim for Qin Shiya to see the newcomer¡¯s features properly. All she could make out was a particularly bright pair of eyes that were clean and pure.


    Cheng Xi smiled as she walked in. As she walked past the lamp, Qin Shiya was finally able to make out a young and pretty face. There was a small dimple by one side of her cheek, giving her a gentle and soft mien.


    ¡°Are you awake? Did you have a good sleep?¡±


    Qin Shiya looked at her. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a psychiatrist. My name is Cheng Xi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m new here.¡±


    Qin Shiya made a soft ¡°Oh¡± sound. ¡°I remember you now. You prescribed me the sleeping pills.¡± But even as she talked, her head started hurting so much that she could no longer look at Cheng Xi¡ªshe was just too pretty. She still managed to earnestly say, ¡°I have to thank you. You¡¯re the first doctor who agreed to give me so many pills, and it¡¯s all thanks to you that I finally got a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Do you mind if I turn on the lights?¡±


    Qin Shiya shook her head.


    When the bright lights were turned on, Qin Shiya saw that Cheng Xi was even more beautiful than she had imagined. She possessed a kind and gentle beauty that made others instinctively warm up to her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve slept for quite a while. Are you hungry?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was infinitely friendly towards Qin Shiya, as if she¡¯d only gone to sleep here because she was tired. Unlike the other doctors, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t spout off a stream of endless questions or offer vacuous consolations.


    Qin Shiya looked at her seriously. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± And then, a moment later, she added on, ¡°You¡¯re different from all the other doctors I¡¯ve seen to date.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why your mother filed a complaint against me. Our director told me that I¡¯ve set a new record as the fastest to get a complaint after starting.¡±


    Qin Shiya¡¯s face had a shadow of a smile. ¡°It¡¯s not related to you at all. She¡¯s just very worried that I might die.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being concerned about you.¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s not concerned about me. She¡¯s simply concerned about the benefits that she would lose if I died.¡±


    Qin Shiya¡¯s tone was very harsh, and if this was a misunderstanding, then it was a very serious one.


    Cheng Xi was still thinking about the meaning behind her words when Qin Shiya continued, asking, ¡°Can you give me some more of those pills? Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t exceed the amount that you gave me today.¡±


    Cheng Xi took a bottle of pills out of her bag. ¡°These?¡±


    Qin Shiya looked at it, her eyes gleaming. ¡°Yes. The only thing that I¡¯m suffering from is insomnia.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I can give them to you,¡± Cheng Xi said as she shook the bottle, ¡°however, can I ask you a few questions first?¡±


    Qin Shiya fell silent for a moment before she replied, ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°When did you start exhibiting symptoms of insomnia?¡±


    ¡°After the earthquake.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you fall asleep?¡±


    Qin Shiya¡¯s voice mechanically replied, ¡°Because I¡¯m scared of another earthquake, because I¡¯m suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Isn¡¯t that what you all told me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cheng Xi said with a nod, ¡°That¡¯s indeed what we said. But, if you don¡¯t mind me being honest, if you keep refusing to tell us the truth and continue repressing yourself like this, then soon enough, even these twelve sleeping pills will be useless to you. What¡¯s more, you don¡¯t really need these pills at all.¡± As Cheng Xi said this, she twisted the bottle open, let a large number of tablets fall into her hand, and then swallowed them all.


    Qin Shiya''s eyes opened up wide. Cheng Xi had just eaten far more pills than she herself had taken. In fact, it was almost half the bottle.


    But the pretty doctor in front of her was still smiling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. These actually aren¡¯t sleeping pills, just sugar pills.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

 Chapter 203: Are You Really A Doctor?

    Qin Shiya¡¯s face was cold. ¡°Are you really a doctor?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Do you want to see my license?¡±


    Qin Shiya didn¡¯t know what to think anymore. She could only helplessly repeat what she said earlier. ¡°You¡¯re different from all the other doctors I¡¯ve seen to date. Don¡¯t you know that PTSD patients are easily provoked?¡±


    Cheng Xi responded in a particularly earnest tone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I had no intention of provoking you. It was just that your longing for sleeping pills was too strong. I¡¯m sure that if I told you that you couldn¡¯t eat so many pills at once, you¡¯d leave.¡± She then smiled brightly before continuing on. ¡°As for me, I just wanted to show you that you can still fall asleep even without resorting to using any pills.¡±


    Qin Shiya glared at her and then walked out without saying another word.


    Her mother was waiting for her outside, and when she saw Qin Shiya come out, she anxiously came forward. ¡°Shiya, are you alright?¡±


    Qin Shiya didn¡¯t respond, and Cheng Xi didn¡¯t chase after her either. The next day, when Cheng Xi arrived at work, the director herself came over to discuss Qin Shiya¡¯s case. ¡°I thought that you would keep tricking her with those sugar pills. Why¡¯d you end up explaining the ruse to her?¡±


    ¡°I was afraid that she¡¯d truly believe that it would be okay to consume that many sleeping pills at once. What¡¯s more, I was only checking to see if she truly needs sleeping pills to sleep, and the results show that she doesn¡¯t need them. She simply developed a mental reliance on them, and I¡¯m ethically obliged to inform her of that.¡±


    ¡°So, in the medicine that you gave her yesterday, was there really not a single sleeping pill?¡±


    ¡°Not a single one.¡±


    Even the director was rendered speechless by Cheng Xi¡¯s actions. ¡°Your previous director mentioned that you employed unconventional methods when treating your patients, and I guess he was absolutely right.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. This wasn¡¯t really that unconventional; she had just selected the method that both best suited her patient and would win her trust. Luckily, Qin Shiya did trust doctors a fair bit, as she had never suspected that Cheng Xi would give her fake pills.


    Qin Shiya came back on the third day. She was clearly weary and exhausted, and the first thing she said was, ¡°I just want to sleep. Please help me.¡±


    This time, her mother remained outside of her own accord, leaving only Cheng Xi and Qin Shiya in the room.


    Cheng Xi asked her, ¡°Do you trust me? If so, then please tell me the real reason why you can¡¯t sleep.¡±


    This time, Cheng Xi¡¯s tone wasn¡¯t as polite and clean as before. Instead, it felt more like the two of them were conversing as equals, as if they were just having a friendly chat.


    Qin Shiya shut her eyes, her body slightly trembling as she attuned with her inner turmoil. It took her awhile before she calmed down enough to speak. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a hero. I just want him to come back.¡±


    Her medical records mentioned that she often told psychiatrists that she didn¡¯t want to be a hero. Clearly, the term ¡°hero¡± had become particularly stressful towards her after her incident.


    Cheng Xi gently comforted her. ¡°That¡¯s alright. As long as you¡¯re willing to work towards it, you can be a regular person, someone who is able to enjoy the vicissitudes of life, including all of the happiness, sorrow, anger and pain.¡±


    Qin Shiya didn¡¯t respond, only slowly shaking her head, as if it was hard for her to express her true feelings.


    However, she had to say it out loud. Otherwise, her situation would just get worse and worse the more she kept it bottled up. This was why listening attentively was another method of treatment. After thinking about it for a moment, Cheng Xi said, ¡°If you find it difficult to speak up, then can you answer the questions that I ask?¡±


    Qin Shiya arduously squeezed out, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Cheng Xi started with a simple first question. ¡°Did you have a good relationship with your husband?¡±


    This helped Qin Shiya calm down. She easily nodded and answered, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Did he treat you well?¡±


    ¡°Quite well.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me a bit more about him?¡±


    ¡°He was an art teacher, and very talented at drawing. After we met, he sent me drawings very often, all kinds of drawings of me in various poses. The cute me, the angry me, the serious me, and the careless me¡­¡­ He even made me a number of small trinkets, like miniature clay dolls, a little make-up box, an umbrella. Whatever I wanted, he was able to procure just like a magician.¡±


    As Qin Shiya talked about her departed husband, her whole face filled with light. Her countenance seemed ten years younger, as if she were still that woman who had just fallen in love.


    Qin Shiya happily continued talking about her husband, and when she was at her most relaxed state, she finally revealed the secret that had been buried deep in her heart. ¡°It was I who killed him. When the earthquake struck, it was during summer vacation. We could have avoided this whole catastrophe, as he didn¡¯t want to teach remedial classes. He wanted to go on a honeymoon as we had just gotten married. It was I who forced him to stay behind and teach the class. Even during the actual event, he still could have escaped. He was only trapped under that building because he was trying to save me.¡±


    ¡°For all these past years, I can¡¯t stop thinking of him. Whenever I close my eyes, I can hear his yells. I can see his squashed face, bruised arms, and battered and broken body. In my dreams, he always finds me and tells me that it hurt all over¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t want to be a hero, and I never wanted to save those children. I just wanted him to live.¡±


    ¡°But they wanted me to lie. They made me say that I was the one who wanted to host the remedial classes, to say that I was the one who saved the children, and to give me all of the rewards for his work. My family became rich, but he¡¯s dead. He died so, so pitifully¡­¡­¡±


    Qin Shiya couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, and burst into inconsolable tears. Cheng Xi hugged her tightly as she gently caressed her back, not saying anything.


    At this time, Qin Shiya simply needed to cry and let it all out.


    After the cathartic reveal, Cheng Xi formally began the therapy session by telling Qin Shiya, ¡°You feel overly guilty. And this guilt is magnifying what the mistakes that you think you made. In truth, if not for you, not all of those twenty four children would have survived. That¡¯s why you¡¯re their hero. What¡¯s more, there¡¯s nothing wrong with your wanting him to teach remedial classes, as your motives were good and pure. It¡¯s important to have the money to live well, and also to help those children have a happier and more meaningful summer break¡­¡­¡±


    At any rate, Cheng Xi¡¯s main priority was reducing Qin Shiya¡¯s guilt. Perhaps it was because Cheng Xi had learned about her biggest secret, or that Qin Shiya craved her validation; at any rate, she was very receptive towards Cheng Xi¡¯s words.


    When Qin Shiya left, she still looked very weary, but her expression was much more relaxed compared to before. The former gloomy and remorseful atmosphere surrounding her and mostly dissipated, as had her irritation and frustration.


    Of course, if Qin Shiya wanted to recover fully, that couldn¡¯t be accomplished in just one or two therapy sessions. She needed long-term psychological counselling and intervention before she could leave the traumatic experience of the earthquake behind her.


    In the future, Cheng Xi would often bring Qin Shiya up as a case study in her classes. ¡°People often say that time heals all wounds, but that¡¯s not true. That wound always remains there. It¡¯s just that, with the passage of time, out of our innate desire to protect ourselves, the wound will scab over and the pain lessen, but it¡¯ll never vanish. The only thing that psychiatrists can do is to help reduce the patient¡¯s pain, allow the blood to coagulate, and let the patient temporarily forget the pain. That way, when the patient closes their eyes, they¡¯ll at least be able to look to the future.¡±

 Chapter 204: Of Life And Men

    After Qin Shiya¡¯s second session, her mother ran to find Cheng Xi again. This time, her attitude was much better. She had no intentions of interfering with or warning Cheng Xi about her treatment methodology, but her attitude was still tainted with arrogance.


    She asked Cheng Xi, ¡°I saw that she fell asleep right when she got home. Does this mean that her condition is starting to improve?¡±


    ¡°Not that quickly,¡± Cheng Xi responded with a shake of her head. ¡°She¡¯ll almost certainly relapse without further treatment. At this time, remember to not over-stimulate her. The best thing you can do for her is to not treat her as a hero, but rather as a regular person.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Later, Cheng Xi found out that, after the earthquake, Qin Shiya had been paraded around and been made to give speeches everywhere as a model example of someone who had performed a heroic feat during an earthquake. Because no one had thought that she would need psychological counselling, the halo placed on her head had grown immeasurably heavy, causing her mental condition to deteriorate to her current state.


    In light of this, Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was quite severe. ¡°I¡¯m trying to say that she¡¯s just a regular human. She¡¯s not some sort kind of shield against destruction or an angel descended from the heavens. Please, stop forcing her to act like a hero. If you treated her just as your daughter and nothing more, that¡¯d be sufficient.¡±


    Qin Shiya¡¯s mother¡¯s expression grew ugly upon hearing Cheng Xi¡¯s words. ¡°Do you think that she¡¯s unfit to be called a hero?¡±


    Some people just never seemed to be able to grasp the salient points of a conversation, no matter how heavily it was emphasized. But Cheng Xi had met her fair amount of these people, and she simply smiled in response as her expression remained calm. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. She just simply doesn¡¯t want to be called a hero.¡±


    Her mother left in a huff of anger once again, and Cheng Xi felt her outlook on Qin Shiya¡¯s recovery turning pessimistic. During lunch, she talked to the director, bringing Qin Shiya up again. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that this might take quite a long time.¡±


    The director glanced at her. ¡°But you¡¯re confident that she can be treated, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If her family was willing to cooperate, the likelihood of success would be much greater.¡±


    After the director heard about Qin Shiya¡¯s mother¡¯s behavior, she fell silent for a moment before volunteering some information. ¡°Before the earthquake, Qin Shiya¡¯s father was just a minor branch secretary, and her mother was just an ordinary peasant woman. But now, her father¡¯s already become a vice-secretary, her mother found a new job working at the county¡¯s women¡¯s association, and even her brother¡¯s education prospects improved. To ask them to discard her title of ¡°hero¡± and all the benefits that come with it will indeed pose some difficulty.¡±


    Cheng Xi frowned; she could understand what the head was insinuating: Rather than Qin Shiya¡¯s recovery, perhaps her family valued her status as a ¡°hero¡± more. As long as she stayed alive and didn¡¯t try to kill herself, did it matter if she was mentally unsound?


    Cheng Xi held her forehead weakly. ¡°They won¡¯t stop her from coming here, will they?¡±


    ¡°Ha, ha, they might.¡± When the director saw Cheng Xi¡¯s expression crumble, she smiled wryly. ¡°But as long as Qin Shiya is determined to get better, they won¡¯t be able to stop her. I¡¯m sure of that.¡±


    Almost as if to confirm the director¡¯s words, Qin Shiya didn¡¯t show up for the next scheduled appointment. When Cheng Xi called her, it was her mother who picked up, and she said, ¡°She¡¯s already improved greatly, so we feel like there¡¯s no need for her to return to the hospital.¡± And with that, she hung up.


    Cheng Xi considered paying them a house call, but she was too preoccupied to do so. Due to her excellent performance in treating Qin Shiya, the director had given her a few more patients, all of them suffering from PTSD to various degrees. One of them was a fifty-something old man who would be triggered by any loud noise. Even if the sound of cars honking was unbearable for him, and it would send him into a frantic scramble for somewhere to hide. It often caused a local panicked rush, as the people around him would follow along unknowingly.


    He¡¯d suffered from this for quite a long time, and he was also a somewhat bull-headed person who refused to accept any opinion that differed from his. After a deeply unsatisfactory therapy session, Cheng Xi forcefully made him undergo exposure therapy; she played both faint and loud noises near his ear and then repeatedly and incessantly told him, ¡°Look, there¡¯s no earthquake!¡±


    It was actually mainly this patient that monopolized most of Cheng Xi¡¯s time, leaving her unable to worry about Qin Shiya. By the time his condition had improved, Qin Shiya had come to her herself.


    She had tried to commit suicide by cutting up her bedsheets and hanging herself on the windowsill. Logically, it should have been impossible for her to kill herself from that height, but her willful insistence on dying might actually have given her a chance of succeeding.


    If not for her brother returning home, she really might have died.


    When Cheng Xi saw Qin Shiya this time, she was resting in bed. By then, she¡¯d already improved, and she even smiled upon seeing Cheng Xi. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you again.¡±


    ¡°Did you want to see me?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to beforehand.¡±


    ¡°Well, why not now?¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was gentle and warm, but also filled with an unquestionable confidence. ¡°I can always help you.¡±


    After a quick discussion with Qin Shiya, Cheng Xi then used her connections and found a somewhat influential media company to comprehensively interview Qin Shiya. Her family initially didn¡¯t object, but when the footage of the interview came out, they were all surprised and shocked. The interview was titled, ¡°The hero of the Gansu earthquake who now suffers from severe PTSD: who crowned her a hero, and who ruined her?¡± The interview began with Qin Shiya calmly describing the actual events of the earthquake. ¡°It was I who ignored the teaching association¡¯s ban against teachers holding remedial classes by forcing my husband to take on that class. It was also I who, in order to increase our profits, rented out that classroom that wasn¡¯t up to code at all. The only reason why I saved those children was because I was afraid that they¡¯d die inside, and that I¡¯d then have to carry an unbearable burden¡­¡­ In the end, I¡¯m no hero at all. I¡¯m just a greedy woman who ruined myself and lost my husband¡¯s life.¡±


    In the video, Qin Shiya had a pure white outfit on, a clean and unadorned face, but an unusually calm and peaceful expression.


    After all of these years, she had finally revealed her true self to the world.


    Qin Shiya¡¯s interview stirred up a significant amount of commotion over the Internet, and her family almost went crazy from anger. But since she¡¯d already given the interview, they couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    After Qin Shiya recovered some more, she moved out of her family¡¯s house and into her old place, where she started up a small kindergarten. Cheng Xi pushed some of her friends and classmates to sponsor her books and toys, and that gave Qin Shiya enough of a start to sustain herself.


    One month later, Cheng Xi went to visit Qin Shiya. It was currently the tail end of August, and school was about to start. Qin Shiya had just finished setting up her classroom¡¯s decorations. The classroom had originally been the gathering place for the village committee, which meant that the room was large and spacious. After Qin Shiya started renting it, she had repainted the entire place, making it indistinguishable from a regular classroom.


    When Cheng Xi entered the room, Qin Shiya was drawing a mural on the back wall of the classroom. She had outlined the figure of a young man sitting behind his desk and concentrating on drawing something.


    When she saw Cheng Xi, she smiled in a self-deprecating manner. ¡°My drawing skills are pretty bad, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°No. Your style is very evocative, and it gives off a warm feeling to anyone who looks at it.¡±


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t mindlessly praising her. Although Qin Shiya¡¯s drawing technique was untrained and almost childish, the lines and colors that she chose were mellow and soft, and the man that she had drawn gave off an impression of gentleness.


    Qin Shiya smiled genuinely, her eyes curving up. Her thin face was far more lively compared to when Cheng Xi had first met her. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m drawing him?¡±


    Cheng Xi stayed with Qin Shiya and spent half the day chatting with her. After affirming that her condition had truly improved for the better, Cheng Xi decided to head back, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll be back when school starts.¡±


    Qin Shiya nodded and walked her all the way to the main road. Cheng Xi was preoccupied with her conversation, so she didn¡¯t notice anything off about her car. As she opened the car door and was about to step inside, however, she suddenly noticed something amiss. When she stooped down to inspect the car floor, she saw a pair of feet underneath the car, near the wheels.


    Cheng Xi was flabbergasted.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 205: Danger

    The unexpected sight of feet underneath her car frightened Cheng Xi so much that her heart almost stopped from the shock.


    For a moment, Cheng Xi even thought that she was so inexperienced at driving that she just hadn¡¯t noticed it when she ran someone over. But as she was about to start sweating buckets, the mysterious pair of legs suddenly retracted, and a face appeared where the legs had been, a female face with a particularly serious expression. ¡°Insolence! How dare you not kneel down upon seeing your princess?¡±


    Cheng Xi was once again struck speechless.


    Luckily, Qin Shiya had heard the commotion and ran over. When she arrived, she immediately recognized the person underneath Cheng Xi¡¯s car. ¡°She¡¯s from the neighboring village¡­ How did she end up climbing under your car?¡± Qin Shiya was clearly very familiar with this mysterious girl, because she pulled Cheng Xi aside and whispered, ¡°Leave her alone. She¡¯s known to hit people.¡± Qin Shiya then looked around briefly before hobbling over to a grassy area, plucking some wildflowers and grasses, and then leaning under the car as she said, ¡°Come out! I¡¯ll give you some flowers.¡±


    Cheng Xi watched on as Qin Shiya coaxed the strange girl out as if she were a little dog. The girl turned out to be a young woman, probably in her twenties, though she lacked the burnished cheeks common among the people in this area. Her skin was actually quite pale, her height average, and her hair was tied up in an unkempt bun with all sorts of little flowers sticking out.


    In just a single glance, Cheng Xi had identified this girl as someone suffering from mental illness. Indeed, she snatched the flowers away from Qin Shiya¡¯s palm and stuck them willy-nilly into her hair. When she was done, she observed herself in Cheng Xi¡¯s rearview mirror. ¡°My father, the emperor, would probably like my current look, wouldn¡¯t he?¡± And then she ran off whimsically.


    Cheng Xi looked towards Qin Shiya questioningly.


    ¡°She¡¯s from the neighboring village. She became mentally ill two years ago, and since then, she¡¯s been running around everywhere. I don¡¯t know how she ended up underneath your car, though.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t her family care about her?¡± If her family cared even a bit about her, they shouldn¡¯t have allowed a young and pretty girl like her to just run around like this in this day and age.


    ¡°They can¡¯t. They¡¯re destitute.¡± Qin Shiya¡¯s attitude was rather cold as she expounded on her situation. ¡°Her father died in the Gansu earthquake, her older brother¡¯s a paraplegic, and she also has a younger brother. Her mother ran off with some other man because their family was too poor, and her grandparents can¡¯t take care of her. Thus, they could only leave her be.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at the girl running off into the distance, not saying anything. Qin Shiya didn¡¯t speak up either. During this first meeting, Cheng Xi had no idea how much impact this little girl would have on her life. While Cheng XI drove back to the hospital, she only thought about whether she could do something for her.


    When she returned the car to the director¡ªthe car that she was driving was actually on loan from the director¡ªshe casually asked, ¡°Does the local government have any support programs for destitute mental illness patients?¡±


    The director thought for a moment before responding, ¡°I don¡¯t believe there are any at the moment.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked imploringly at the director as she recalled the girl whom she¡¯d seen at Qin Shiya¡¯s place.


    ¡°We can¡¯t help her. The county government doesn¡¯t have that much money, and it can¡¯t even help the poor, let alone the poor and insane. What¡¯s more, do you know why so many mental illness patients have emerged after the earthquake? It¡¯s because we¡¯re so poor that we couldn¡¯t afford to offer large-scale therapy or counselling sessions. So, most people either dealt with it on their own or failed to do so and went crazy.¡±


    The director¡¯s tone was indifferent, as if this was simply how life was. Of course, Cheng Xi knew that she wasn¡¯t at blame. Even though she was the director of the psychiatry department, she didn¡¯t have much political power, and given the rather poor abilities of the doctors here, what she could do was also very limited.


    But Cheng Xi still felt that she should do something about it.


    This encounter also had an immediate effect on Cheng Xi: she realized how inconvenient it was not to have a car in this area. Later that night, she videocalled Cheng Yang and said, ¡°I want to buy a car.¡±


    Cheng Yang immediately became anxious. ¡°What¡¯re you going to do with a car? Don¡¯t you dislike driving?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything here without a car!¡± The roads themselves were relatively well maintained, but there were few cars on them. For example, there wasn¡¯t even a daily bus between Gansu and Qin Shiya¡¯s new place. If the villagers had to go on a trip, they had to first walk past a long stretch of road before finally reaching a bus stop. This was why she had borrowed the director¡¯s car.


    Cheng Yang disapproved. ¡°You can just rent a car instead. Why buy one?¡± And then he even asked for the money that their family had given her. ¡°My company just took on a big contract and I need a large advance. How much money do you have? Lend some to me for now.¡±


    Cheng Yang¡¯s affairs were honestly more important, so Cheng Xi decided to give the money from her mother to her brother. ¡°Tell mom about it for me, and once you make the money back, return the money to mom on my behalf.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Cheng Yang¡¯s voice became a lot brighter.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but smile at hearing his cheery voice. ¡°How¡¯s everyone doing? Is Lu Chenming doing better now?¡± She asked a whole slew of questions and then finally remembered their last talk. ¡°Why did you ask me for the administrative password that one time?¡±


    Cheng Yang shot her a supercilious look. ¡°How long ago was that? And you¡¯re only bringing it up now?¡±


    Cheng Xi ignored his rude behavior and instead asked, ¡°Did Lu Chenzhou head over?¡±


    Cheng Yang was caught off guard. He didn¡¯t say anything.


    But Cheng Xi nonetheless deduced the truth from his silence, as she then definitively said, ¡°He went over.¡± With a heavy sigh, she asked, ¡°Has he been doing well recently?¡±


    Cheng Yang snorted. ¡°As well as always.¡±


    ¡°Brother~~~¡±


    Cheng Yang turned mad all of a sudden. ¡°Even after he treated you like that, you¡¯re still thinking about him? What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡±


    And then he hung up.


    But not even two minutes passed before he called her again to yell at her. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to keep thinking about that man! You¡¯re not allowed to buy a car, buy a house, or make any sort of investment! You¡¯re going to come back after one or two years, so what¡¯s the point of buying something?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Yang was overreacting, wasn¡¯t he? From his words, Cheng Xi could infer a part of the truth. It seemed Lu Chenzhou really had gone to her apartment after she left, and that he had met Cheng Yang there and caused him to lose face.


    Well, at least Lu Chenzhou¡¯s doing well ¡­¡­ but this thought also made her feel a bit sorry for her brother, who was just being protective of her.


    Cheng Xi and Tian Rou still talked often, and from her, Cheng Xi could more or less glean the rest of the situation with Lu Chenzhou. ¡°He seems to be just like before. When he¡¯s free, he¡¯ll play mahjong with Baldy and the rest of them, but no one plays tennis with him anymore, as he¡¯d just wreck them.¡±


    It sounded like everything was fine for the most part. Cheng Xi sighed, hoping that the picture Tian Rou had depicted was accurate. She had wanted to contact Lu Chenzhou quite a few times, but¡­¡­ that fellow had blocked her.


    Both her WeChat ID and her phone number were blocked; she was utterly unable to connect to him.


    He was quite serious about this, it seemed.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s thoughts didn¡¯t dwell on this subject for too long. Some more time passed, and in September, she decided to buy her own car with her savings: a cross-country vehicle by a Chinese brand. It had a relatively good gas mileage, and it was quite a good alternative to walking everywhere.


    When Cheng Xi went down to visit Qin Shiya with her new car, she ran into the flower girl again. At that time, the small kindergarten was packed with kids, and the commotion seemed to have grabbed her attention. Since Cheng Xi was interested in her situation, she paid special attention to her.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t spot the flower girl in the kindergarten¡¯s backyard, so she went outside. In the distance, Cheng Xi saw the flower girl run down the road as two little boys chased after her with wooden rods.


    Cheng Xi was about to call out and stop the boys when she saw the girl turn around with an enraged expression, grab one of the boys¡¯ rods, and throw it to the side. Then, she grabbed the boy himself, picked him up, and then threw him to the side as well.


    There was a man-made pool by the roadside, and it was quite deep. If the boy was thrown in recklessly¡­¡­ Cheng Xi didn¡¯t dare shout at the flower girl for fear of frightening her and making her do something even crazier. The moment she realized the girl¡¯s intentions, she had started sprinting towards them. Luckily, Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t too far from them, and she arrived right as the boy was tossed into the air.


    Amidst the yells of the other boy, Cheng Xi jumped into the water. Luckily, the pool wasn¡¯t too big, and she had jumped close to where the boy landed. Even through the murky waters, she found and grabbed the boy.


    However, she had acted too rashly and hadn¡¯t thought her actions through. After she grabbed the boy, her mind went blank¡ªthe pool was deeper than she expected, the bottom was so muddy that she couldn¡¯t support herself properly, and above all else, she couldn¡¯t swim!


    Despite being able to do almost everything else, Dr. Cheng couldn¡¯t swim!

 Chapter 206: She Wont Be Coming Back

    The next day, when the director saw Cheng Xi drag a twenty-something-year-old patient in, she was slightly dazed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you take leave to go visit Qin Shiya? Who¡¯s¡­¡­ this?¡± Due to how off-guard the director was, she involuntarily reverted back to her native accent.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s entrance was stunning, mostly because the girl she had dragged in had messy hair and was tied up. Even so, that girl was still struggling relentlessly and taking any opportunity she could find to bite at Cheng Xi, yelling all the while, ¡°How dare you! To treat your princess like this, do you have a death wish?¡±


    Cheng Xi was sweating and breathing heavily from the immense effort it took to drag her all the way here. She momentarily ignored the director¡¯s shock and instead addressed the nurses who had followed the director out. ¡°Help me get this patient into a ward first. Be careful, she¡¯s extremely agitated and might resort to physical attacks.¡±


    When they finally restrained her properly and brought her away, Cheng Xi took a deep breath and then explained to the head, ¡°She¡¯s the girl I was talking to you about last time. Yesterday, in Qin Shiya¡¯s village, she threw a boy who provoked her into a shallow lake and almost beat him to death. I had no choice but to bring her back here.¡±


    The head frowned in disapproval. ¡°Given her home conditions, even if you brought her here, they probably won¡¯t be able to afford her treatment.¡±


    Cheng Xi stubbornly replied, ¡°¡­¡­Well, I¡¯ll try my best for the moment regardless of that.¡±


    Cheng Xi had originally taken two days of leave, but due to this girl, not only had she returned from her leave early, she had also brought a troublesome patient to the hospital.


    When she left the girl¡¯s ward, the head was waiting outside for her. ¡°Were you attacked?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Cheng Xi replied mildly as she washed her hands. ¡°That girl isn¡¯t really violent. The only reason why she attacked the boys yesterday was because they provoked her first, and the reason why she¡¯s resisting now is because she¡¯s scared.¡±


    The head laughed. ¡°You¡¯re calling her a girl? She¡¯s not that much younger than you.¡±


    ¡°Ha. Perhaps it¡¯s because I feel much older mentally.¡±


    The head didn¡¯t pursue the topic any further and instead asked, ¡°You know that her family can¡¯t afford to treat her, right?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Truth be told, there had been a big commotion over yesterday¡¯s events, and the two villages weren¡¯t too far apart so the news spread quickly. After Cheng Xi and the boy were rescued by a passing villager, the girl¡¯s grandmother had been called over. As soon as her grandmother saw Cheng Xi defending her granddaughter, she immediately shirked all responsibility for the girl to Cheng Xi, saying, ¡°Since you¡¯re a doctor, why don¡¯t you take her away? Once she¡¯s better, you can do whatever you want with her.¡±


    And then she had actually turned around and ran back to the village. From that point on, she didn¡¯t respond at all, not even when the villagers threatened to beat her to death.


    Cheng Xi did want to help the child, but when she saw her own family¡¯s attitude toward her¡­¡­ she didn¡¯t know whether she should laugh or to cry, but regardless, her heart ached for this child.


    The head looked at her and asked again to confirm. ¡°You really want to help her?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded firmly.


    The head stared straight into Cheng Xi¡¯s eyes. ¡°How can you be so soft-hearted? Do you know how many similarly mentally ill people there are in just our county? From last year¡¯s census, there are at least forty of them roaming the streets who have a tendency to attack people, and there has to be hundreds of them altogether. Of these people, at least half of them are impoverished or penniless. Are you planning on helping every single person you see?¡±


    Cheng Xi honestly replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t really considered it. But I met this one, and I want to help her.¡±


    The crux of the issue for Cheng Xi was that the girl was too young, and Cheng Xi was seriously worried about what might befall a young and good-looking girl who roamed the streets. The villagers already spread a number of hurtful rumors about her, and her situation would only devolve without anybody¡¯s intervention.


    The head didn¡¯t try to dissuade Cheng Xi, merely shaking her head as she said, ¡°Just you see. After you take care of this one, another one¡¯s going to appear to take her place.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t really understand what the head meant. Then, one day, while she was out shopping with a colleague, she came back to a man strapped to the back of her car. He was bedraggled and barefooted, and someone had placed a note underneath her windshield wipers. On it was scrawled, ¡°Please save him,¡± in uneven and rough handwriting.


    Cheng Xi was struck speechless.


    Due to these experiences, Cheng Xi would often tell people in the future that all the help she extended to mentally ill people was unwillingly given. She didn¡¯t want to end up like Qin Shiya, to become someone who was only paraded in front of the crowds! Wasn¡¯t it good enough to just be a regular person?


    When Cheng Xi saw the strange man tied to her car, she was sent into a daze. The colleague accompanying her jumped up in shock and shouted, ¡°Who is it? Who did something this immoral? What if we didn¡¯t notice him and ran over him?¡± And then she whispered to Cheng Xi, ¡°Dr. Cheng, quickly untie him. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Cheng Xi let out a pent up breath and examined the person tied to the back of her car. He was leaning against the side of the car, and as the September sun shone down, he lazily smiled at her as she walked closer.


    Cheng Xi said, ¡°Let¡¯s bring him back.¡±


    Her colleague thought that she was crazy. ¡°There are so many people around¡­¡­ If we bring him back right now, it¡¯ll be really troublesome later.¡±


    She was right, but not bringing him back would also be troublesome. From Cheng Xi¡¯s point of view, since the person who brought this strange man here could track down her car, they could naturally track her house as well. And the thought of waking up to the sight of someone like him hung against her door was even less desirable.


    When she brought him back, the head asked her, ¡°Now do you know what I was trying to tell you? The locals are like this: as long as you help one of them, there¡¯ll be another one, and then another one. So, let me ask you again. Are you going to help all of them or not?¡±


    Cheng Xi thought for a couple seconds before responding, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll help them all.¡± And before the head could reply, she asked, ¡°Is there any way to help them more efficiently?¡±


    While she might be able to help one or two of them with just herself, if she really wanted to reach out and help everyone in the county who needed it, she felt like she had to organize everything a little better.


    She wasn¡¯t a savior, but neither could she just ignore all these mentally ill people.


    Her only recourse was to find people to help her out.


    The head didn¡¯t hesitate to reply, ¡°Well, the best thing would be if the government led the effort.¡± But then she changed tones to remind her, ¡°But, Cheng Xi, this isn¡¯t something you can achieve with the snap of a finger. The first problem is the cost, and the second is our psychiatrists¡¯ abilities. You¡¯ve seen it for yourself, and that¡¯s not even mentioning the fact we¡¯re severely shorthanded. If you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s willing to take on patients, you wouldn¡¯t be able to do much even if you worked yourself to death.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re still going to go down this path?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because I want to do something big. That way, maybe I could get sent back quicker?¡±


    The head laughed. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t do anything big, you¡¯d be reassigned no matter what just based on your skills alone.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled calmly. Her adamant attitude left the head no choice but to give her a phone number. ¡°This is the civil administration¡¯s deputy bureau chief¡¯s number. If you really want to try to help all of the mentally ill in the county, you should contact him first.¡±


    Cheng Xi contemplated her options for the entire night and spent the day holed up in her office as she researched various laws and subjects. The next day, she went to see the deputy bureau chief with her own plan, but just like the head had predicted, this wasn¡¯t an easy task to accomplish.


    Gansu was one of the most impoverished provinces in all of China. As Cheng Xi continued to work, she was constantly thinking of ways to refine her plan. She made plans to talk with the government, contacted old classmates and professors from medical school and asked them to help. During one of her chats with Su Feng, she even joked, ¡°I never knew how many resources I had all around me.¡±


    When Tian Rou found out about what Cheng Xi was doing, it was already December. By then, Cheng Xi had already formed a preliminary plan with the government to help out the mentally ill in Gansu. On a stereotypical day, Tian Rou was hanging out with Baldy and his friends as usual. As they chatted over a meal, the topic of mahjong came up, and Baldy started bragging about how much he¡¯d won the previous night. Xu Po sourly countered, ¡°Winning against us isn¡¯t anything to be proud of. If you really think you¡¯ve got the skills, you should try to beat Dr. Cheng.¡±


    Everyone suddenly quieted down as they subconsciously turned towards Lu Chenzhou. He continued scrolling through his phone, as if he didn¡¯t hear a single thing.


    Tian Rou couldn¡¯t bear to let them drop the topic just like that, and she immediately jumped in with a cold smile. ¡°It¡¯ll be a long while before you guys can play mahjong with Cheng Xi. She¡¯s doing something big in Gansu right now. Didn¡¯t you know? She¡¯s starting up an organization to help out all the impoverished mentally ill in the county, and she even managed to rope Renyi into her project. There¡¯s a whole pipeline now, with students from her old medical school heading to Gansu to work for two years before being recruited into Renyi¡¯s psychiatry department when they return. I recently asked her if she was going to come home for the new year, but she told me she wouldn¡¯t have time. Ha! I don¡¯t think that she¡¯ll be back for another eight or ten years at this rate!¡±


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    Next Chapte

 Chapter 207: Scare

    Tian Rou¡¯s words were aimed at Lu Chenzhou in particular, and she spoke so clearly and loudly that Baldy couldn¡¯t help himself from tugging on her shoulder.


    Tian Rou glanced at him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Baldy scratched his head as he felt a headache start to develop. Having a girlfriend like Tian Rou was very tiring¡ªin the past, he had just said whatever he wanted, and whatever made him feel good. But ever since he started dating this lass, he had become the mediator who had to smooth things over between her and the people she provoked.


    But before Baldy had a chance to say anything that could de-escalate the situation, Tian Rou threw out another bombshell. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Director Lu, you might not know this yet, but my Cheng Xi even found a boyfriend over there. He¡¯s very handsome! I have a picture. Do you want to see?¡±


    Baldy was left speechless.


    At this point, he had already given up trying to salvage the conversation.


    True to her word, Tian Rou really did pull up a photo on her phone before showing the screen to everyone at the table. ¡°Look! He¡¯s handsome, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Frankly speaking, this man really was quite handsome. The photo was of Cheng Xi and that man sitting down together. Although the two of them weren¡¯t acting particularly intimate in the photo, they were both smiling in an easygoing fashion, as if the photo had been taken in an impromptu manner. The man in the photograph looked to be around thirty years old, had a handsome, sharp, but surprisingly amiable face, and when he smiled, he had a particularly gentle demeanor.


    Compared to this sort of man, Lu Chenzhou seemed like a block of ice¡ªhandsome, certainly, but far too cold!


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even deign to glance at the photograph, which made Tian Rou furious. At the same time, she also felt a sense of injustice for Cheng Xi¡ªwhenever they chatted, her words and tone intimated that she still hadn¡¯t forgotten about Lu Chenzhou, and that everything she said about having a new boyfriend was made up. The only reason Cheng Xi had even sent this photo to Tian Rou at all was because Tian Rou had asked if she¡¯d met any handsome men over there. Cheng Xi had told her that he was a cadre working in the civil administration and that he was nice and gentle. Tian Rou had immediately asked if she planned on dating him, but Cheng Xi laughed and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t joke around! His child¡¯s already a teenager, and I¡¯m just sending you this image to let you know that I¡¯m doing well. It¡¯s not as terrible down here as you all seem to think.¡±


    While it might not be that terrible down there, Cheng Xi was nonetheless unable to come back. On some level, Tian Rou was afraid that she¡¯d set down her roots in Gansu and stay there for the rest of her life. A fierce smile appeared on Tian Rou¡¯s face now. If Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t want to look at it, then she¡¯d simply force him to. ¡°Director Lu, I¡¯m going to send it to you, so that you can see how charming our Cheng Xi is.¡±


    And then, ignoring Baldy¡¯s pleading gestures, she really did it.


    Baldy swore inwardly. ¡­¡­Shit!


    He wasn¡¯t going to bother himself with her actions any longer!


    But, unexpectedly, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond to Tian Rou¡¯s provocations at all. Throughout this entire conversation, he¡¯d simply continued to play games on his phone, completely ignoring Tian Rou¡¯s words and gestures.


    But Baldy didn¡¯t believe that Lu Chenzhou would truly let it go just like that, and his apparent calmness only made him more worried. When everyone finished eating and was about to leave, Baldy motioned for his meddlesome girlfriend to leave first. He on the other hand, stayed until the very end, quivering with fear as he said to Lu Chenzhou, who was still staring at his phone, ¡°Zhou¡­¡­ we¡¯re going to leave.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t raise his head.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡­¡±


    Peng! Suddenly, without any prior sign, Lu Chenzhou exploded. He stood up and threw his phone against the floor, smashing it to pieces. The phone ricocheted off and hit the wall, leaving a big hole.


    Baldy was shocked speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Why¡¯d she have to provoke him?! I¡¯m about to piss his pants!


    Lu Chenzhou coldly said, ¡°Tell her that if she messes around like this one more time, I¡¯ll kill her.¡±


    Baldy pleadingly said, ¡°¡­¡­she doesn¡¯t understand you that well.¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond. He just glanced back at Baldy one more time before leaving without a second glance.


    When Lu Chenzhou pushed the door open to leave, Tian Rou had still been eavesdropping on them with her ear to the door. So when the door suddenly opened, she almost fell on top of him.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even glance at her as he swiftly walked out, brushing by her shoulders.


    Tian Rou didn¡¯t know how close she had scraped by death as she made a face at his back before running inside. ¡°Baldy, you¡¯re alright, aren¡¯t you¡­¡­¡± Then she saw the phone lying on the ground, causing her to curse, ¡°Wow, he¡¯s really rich! He wrecked an expensive phone like this out of nowhere.¡±


    Baldy was completely speechless by now. He grabbed her wrist and weakly pleaded, ¡°Please, can you just shut up?¡±


    Tian You just smiled in response. She looked outside the window, cozied up to Baldy, and then asked in a particularly happy tone, ¡°Is Lu Chenzhou mad?¡±


    Baldy nodded. ¡°He said that if you did something like this ever again, that he was going to kill you. Please, stop provoking him. Haven¡¯t you realized how abnormal he¡¯s been acting this entire year?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Baldy felt like he must have committed some immeasurable sin in his past life to end up saddled with a woman like Tian Rou! Even worse, while the two of them were heading back, Tian Rou even called Cheng Xi and left a loud voicemail. ¡°Cheng Xi, I got revenge for you today! Lu Chenzhou was so furious that he stormed out of the room.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Baldy really was quite curious about how Cheng Xi would respond, but she never called back. Thinking of the time, Baldy was quite surprised. If she wasn¡¯t responding to messages at this time, then there was an 80% chance that she¡¯d actually gotten a new boyfriend. When his thoughts reached this point, he tried to squeeze some more information from Tian Rou. ¡°Is Dr. Cheng really dating someone over there?¡±


    If this was fake news, then there was a chance that he could still salvage things with Lu Chenzhou.


    But Tian Rou was willing to lie even to her boyfriend, and she nodded seriously. ¡°It¡¯s true. Cheng Xi met him while starting up her organization. He¡¯s young but already a vice-bureau chief. Besides that, he¡¯s also talented, smart, gentle, and very attentive towards Cheng Xi.¡±


    Tian Rou said all this in one go, as if she hadn¡¯t come up with it on the spot. It was a flawless deception.


    Baldy gripped the steering wheel in agony as he cried out, ¡°Then we¡¯re dead!¡± He could already see the bloodshed in the near future.


    Tian Rou asked, confused, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Baldy only sighed lamentably, wanting nothing more to do with his oblivious girlfriend. ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed that Boss Lu never got over Dr. Cheng?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Tian Rou laughed coldly. ¡°What sort of reason is that?¡± After all this time, though she¡¯d long since understood why Cheng Xi had been reassigned away, she still didn¡¯t know that Lu Chenzhou was mentally unsound. Thus, her tone was particularly imperious as she said, ¡°He liked her so much that he backstabbed her? Oh, and then after that, he said, ¡®My dear, I love you! I backstabbed you because I can¡¯t bear to be with you, and I¡¯m kicking you to the border to protect you!¡¯ Who in the world does he think he is? The emperor with an entire harem trying to gain his favor?¡± As Tian Rou worked herself into a self-righteous fury, she even started yelling at Baldy. ¡°All men are wretched! They never appreciate us when we¡¯re here and only plead for us to return when we¡¯re gone. Disgusting!¡±


    Baldy covered his face with his hands.


    He raised a hand, carefully stating, ¡°I still cherish you very much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about you and your previous girlfriend!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He decided to shut up at this point.


    Because, just like Tian Rou, he couldn¡¯t understand what Lu Chenzhou was doing at all. But since he had known Lu Chenzhou for so many years, he was sensitive to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s moods. Ever since Cheng Xi had left, Lu Chenzhou seemed to have become a volcano always on the verge of erupting with black clouds continuously gathering overhead.


    Baldy reflected on the day¡¯s events, and on the following day, he pushed his own commitments aside to talk to Lu Chenzhou. But in the end, Baldy wasn¡¯t able to see Lu Chenzhou, because he was neither at work or at home. In fact, no one knew where he was.


    At the end of the year, when Donglai had its annual shareholder¡¯s meeting, Lu Chenzhou only showed up for a brief moment before vanishing again, and the task of hosting the meeting had to be relegated to a vice-director.


    After that meeting, due to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s recent lack of effort and poor results over the last half year, some shareholders proposed removing him from the leadership and reinstating his father. Rumors of this transfer spread far and wide, and Donglai was mired in gossip for quite a while afterwards.


    On January 20, before the matter with Donglai could be settled, the Lunar New Year once more came around. Just as Tian Rou had predicted, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t return.


    On February 14, Valentine¡¯s Day, right before the New Year festivities were completely over, news that Donglai Corporation had manufactured a fake vaccine erupted, and it became the focus of the entire nation.

 Chapter 208: Its Over?

    On the day of Donglai Corporation¡¯s scandal, Cheng Xi began her day by waiting for Ceng Xing at the bus stop. She didn¡¯t expect that a man like him would be so prone to carsickness. When he got off of the bus, she even had to support him while he staggered toward the trash can on the side of the road before vomiting loudly and distressingly into it.


    When he was finished, Cheng Xi handed him a bottle of clean water for him to rinse his mouth and then a wet cloth for him to wash his face.


    As Ceng Xing took the cloth, he hesitated for a moment as he glanced at her. ¡°This is the nicest that you¡¯ve ever been to me, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled as she responded, ¡°That¡¯s not true. I¡¯ve always been good to you, senior. It¡¯s only you who¡¯s nitpicked at me.¡±


    She even called him ¡°senior¡± in a particularly warm manner.


    Ceng Xing felt his teeth ache from the hypocrisy. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯m already here. I won¡¯t turn back and go home even if I end up vomiting to death on this road.¡±


    Cheng Xi chuckled before changing the topic. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you be carsick before.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard that drivers don¡¯t get carsick? That¡¯s why I always drive myself around .¡± After Ceng Xing finished vomiting, he looked hale and hearty once again. Cheng Xi helped him carry his suitcases as he walked behind her like a young master and even impolitely ordered her to open the door.


    Cheng Xi obediently gave him her car keys.


    There weren¡¯t many fancy cars in Gansu, but Cheng Xi¡¯s car was coincidentally parked right next to a Mercedes-Benz. After Ceng Xing received the car keys from Cheng Xi, he walked over to the Mercedes-Benz without thinking; he was still muddle-headed from vomiting, and he didn¡¯t notice which car had beeped in response to the keys. He pulled on the door of the Mercedes-Benz, but¡­ it wouldn¡¯t open.


    He turned around only to see Cheng Xi standing by the dinky little car behind him. He involuntarily clutched his forehead as he complained weakly, ¡°...this is the new car that you bought?¡±


    Cheng Xi patted the car door lovingly. ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s quite full of character, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Ceng Xing shot her a pretentious look. ¡°It looks so dinky that I don¡¯t even want to drive it.¡±


    Cheng Xi replied, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so concerned about mere worldly possessions, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Money¡¯s also a mere worldly possession. Do you want to give your money to me?¡±


    The two bickered with each other back and forth as they made their way to the hospital. Cheng Xi navigated while Ceng Xing drove, a rare moment of cooperation for the two of them. Honestly, Cheng Xi was very surprised that Ceng Xing had volunteered to come to Gansu. He was a man who enjoyed hedonistic pleasures, so the fact that he¡¯d apply to be reassigned to Gansu of his own accord was almost as shocking as the sun rising from the West.


    Cheng Xi was honestly worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to last here for long. So when they arrived at the hospital and she started introducing everything to him, she only mentioned the upsides. ¡°Do you see that building? It was built by the government for the express purpose of being our organization¡¯s headquarters. Of course, the psychiatry department will also move into it, and in order to accomodate all the doctors that will be volunteering, the hospital also gave us that building over there. It¡¯s currently being renovated, and I¡¯m sure that it¡¯ll be ready by the time everyone arrives¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi blabbered on about a whole bunch of meaningless nonsense until Ceng Xing couldn¡¯t help himself from asking, ¡°Did you drag me all the way here just to boast about your new working environment?¡±


    Cheng Xi was actually a little comforted when her senior seemed to return to his usual prickly self.


    Cheng Xi rubbed her hands together and smiled happily. ¡°Aren¡¯t I acting like this because I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll run away? I have to show you the good side of everything first.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s response cleared the mocking expression from Ceng Xing¡¯s face. ¡°You must have had a pretty hard time here, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Cheng Xi replied with a smile, ¡°As you know, I really don¡¯t care about material comforts. Rather, I¡¯m more worried that there will be too many patients for us to handle. We only have a limited number of medical personnel, so I¡¯m praying that more people like you, senior, will come over and help out.¡± After she said this, she patted her hands before continuing on to say, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve finished describing our bright and beautiful future, and now we have to face the dismal present. Let¡¯s go visit our current rooms and patients.¡±


    The organization had long started working, and the county¡¯s hospital had been temporarily designated as their main focal point. It had taken in quite a number of patients over the past few months, and everyone in the psychiatry department, even the head, was flying all over the province and providing free therapy and counselling sessions. Work was piled up high on everyone¡¯s plates, particularly Cheng Xi¡¯s.


    After Cheng Xi finished describing the current situation to Ceng Xing, she threw a doctor¡¯s white coat at him and smiled particularly deviously as she said, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll postpone the welcoming dinner. Let¡¯s get to work right away.¡±


    Ceng Xing was speechless at Cheng Xi¡¯s shamelessness. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    But he nonetheless still took the coat and followed Cheng Xi to the hospital wards.


    In this high pressure environment, it was reasonable that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t hear about Donglai Corporation¡¯s scandal right away. She turned her phone off as soon as she entered the wards, and she didn¡¯t remember to turn it back on until she was finally done with work for the day.


    By the time Cheng Xi and Ceng Xing finished, it was already past eight at night. She called two colleagues to get supper together, and while everyone was ordering food, Ceng Xing suddenly asked her, ¡°Where¡¯s your phone?¡±


    Cheng Xi fished it out from her bag. ¡°It¡¯s not on. What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Ceng Xing lazily gestured towards it with his jaw. ¡°Turn it on and you¡¯ll see.¡±


    She did so, and a whole bunch of notifications immediately popped up, all of them missed calls and texts. Just a cursory look revealed that there were calls from her family, her classmates, her colleagues, and even Baldy.


    She picked the most unusual one to call back: Baldy¡ªunder normal circumstances, Baldy wouldn¡¯t call her for no reason. His call undoubtedly meant that something had happened with Lu Chenzhou.


    As soon as Baldy picked up, he said, ¡°Dr. Cheng, something¡¯s happened with Donglai Pharmaceuticals. If you¡¯re free, can you come back home for a little? I know that this must be an unreasonable request, but you¡¯re the person who Boss Lu cares for and trusts the most. If you could come back now¡­¡­¡±


    It was rare to hear Baldy speak so politely, but Cheng Xi had to interrupt before the conversation derailed too much. ¡°What happened with Donglai Pharmaceuticals?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I was busy the entire day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you a link. You can see for yourself.¡± After he said this, Baldy hung up and sent her a link to a news article. Cheng Xi only had time to look at the heading¡ªDonglai Pharmaceutical Allegedly Made False Vaccines; Investigations Pending¡ªwhen Cheng Yang¡¯s call arrived.


    Cheng Yang must have called her quite a few times, because as soon as it connected, the first thing he shouted was, ¡°What in the world are you doing? Your phone¡¯s been off the entire night! You might as well smash it!¡± He didn¡¯t even give her time to respond before continuing to shout, ¡°Donglai¡¯s about to go belly up! Lu Chenzhou is probably in deep shit right now. Look at what¡¯s going on!¡±


    And then he also sent her another link. This one was a video; when Cheng Xi saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face on the thumbnail, she disregarded how much data it would use up and immediately pressed the ¡°play¡± button.


    Ceng Xing and her two colleagues crowded around her.


    The blurred out background couldn¡¯t be discerned from the video, and Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t focused on the background but rather on Lu Chenzhou. That man stared so frostily at the camera that he felt colder than a piece of ancient arctic ice. Even his voice was cold and hard. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Before the investigation is over, I can still sue you for libel.¡±


    His overbearing arrogance, as if he were looking down at a speck of dust, made Cheng Xi involuntarily clutch her face.


    Even Cheng Xi¡¯s colleagues, who didn¡¯t know about Lu Chenzhou at all, couldn¡¯t refrain from commenting, ¡°My goodness, who¡¯s this? If he talks like this during an interview, he¡¯s going to get beaten to death, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have any words to refute them with.

 Chapter 209: What Good Is He?

    Actually, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s response wasn¡¯t that strange to Cheng Xi. The crux of the issue was that he was cold, hard, and arrogant. His distaste for everything around him was so blatant that it made people instinctively want to criticize him, especially after news like this broke.


    And then, he turned around and left right after speaking¡ªhe didn¡¯t even try to cushion his words or offer an explanation! This time, even Ceng Xing couldn¡¯t help himself from smiling in schadenfreude. ¡°Ha, look at this guy!¡± But then he glanced at Cheng Xi to gauge her response.


    Cheng Xi frowned and replayed the video, and after that she replayed it again, and then again. ¡°The footage has to have been edited. Lu Chenzhou wouldn¡¯t give that poor of a response, no matter how cold he is.¡±


    The reaction in the video didn¡¯t have his characteristic aloofness, and the questions that were asked didn¡¯t correspond well with his responses. Thus, something in the middle must have been edited out.


    ¡°That can only mean that he must have really offended the reporter who interviewed him.¡±


    Cheng Xi remained silent¡ªCeng Xing wasn¡¯t wrong. If the reporter hadn¡¯t been offended, then there wouldn¡¯t have been any need to edit the footage and specifically present Lu Chenzhou in such a way that showed his arrogance and haughtiness in exquisite detail! Given what had happened to Donglai Pharmaceuticals, that kind of performance could ruin both him and his entire company.


    As predicted, when Cheng Xi looked up news articles about Donglai, almost all of it was negative. There seemed to be countless articles and posts being made every minute, and even questionable anecdotes, like how someone had bought flu medicine from Donglai and then had a terrible stomachache, started popping up left and right. In a matter of days, Donglai Corporation¡¯s reputation had plummeted to the bottom of the barrel. At the time, Cheng Xi was slightly relieved that Lu Chenzhou rarely appeared in the public eye, so the shark-like reporters who wanted to attack his personal life didn¡¯t even know where to start.


    But clearly, her feelings of relief had come too early, as before they could even finish dinner, someone revived the ¡°expos¨¦¡± thread that the girl he¡¯d toyed with had written. All sorts of rumors and gossip about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s erectile dysfunction flew around the internet, and there was even a particularly provocative rumor that surfaced: ¡°The reason why Lu Chenzhou doesn¡¯t feel anything towards women is because he¡¯s gay! Don¡¯t focus on how cold and hard he is¡ªhe¡¯s actually a bottom!¡±


    The person who started that thread quickly received countless replies demanding proof, and he actually replied with a picture of... Baldy.


    When Cheng Xi saw the post, she instantly sprayed tea all over her phone.


    As she coughed, she quickly reached out for a napkin to wipe her phone off.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ceng Xing asked as he helped her out.


    Cheng Xi graciously shared the gossip with him, and Ceng Xing was stunned speechless by the time she finished explaining. ¡°You¡¯re not going to call him?¡± Lu Chenzhou was clearly on the brink of ruin.


    Cheng Xi shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think that he did anything wrong. What¡¯s more, even though this is a pretty big deal, I believe that he has the ability to overcome it.¡±


    Cheng Xi thought back to when he had said, ¡°What if we destroyed Donglai Pharmaceuticals?¡± His tone had been light-hearted, but he had clearly been very serious.


    An inevitable headache struck Cheng Xi, as she was very worried that the whole incident might have been orchestrated by Lu Chenzhou. But this thought was too frightening, so much so that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t dare tell anyone about them, and certainly not Ceng Xing.


    Perhaps it was because she didn¡¯t understand why Lu Chenzhou was so hostile toward Donglai Pharmaceuticals, but the only thing Cheng Xi could think about was his mother¡¯s death¡­¡­ What had actually happened back then? What didn¡¯t she know?


    As she pondered this enigma, her forehead scrunched up, and her countenance turned gloomy. Ceng Xing thought that she was just worried about Lu Chenzhou but wouldn¡¯t admit it, so he called out, ¡°Cheng Xi?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She quickly returned to her senses as she looked up at Ceng Xi even as she continued to bite down on her chopsticks.


    They were at a roadside stall somewhere in Gansu. People were streaming through the road, and in the dim light, her bright face was like a fresh patch of spring grass.


    The moment their gazes met, Ceng Xing¡¯s heart felt like it had been lightly tapped by someone, and an indescribable feeling of limpness and numbness spread throughout his body.


    He couldn¡¯t lie to himself anymore. He couldn¡¯t lie about why he had followed in her footsteps to come here. He couldn¡¯t lie about why he had chosen to come today even though it would¡¯ve been easier later on¡ªtoday was Valentine¡¯s Day, after all.


    But she didn¡¯t seem to notice his self-realization. In the past, and even in the present, she¡¯d never thought too much about him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± After Ceng Xing just looked at her without speaking, Cheng Xi eventually spoke up.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± But after a while, Ceng Xing couldn¡¯t help himself from asking, ¡°What¡¯s so good about that guy?¡±


    Cheng Xi half-heartedly replied, ¡°He¡¯s handsome, of course.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He shot her a disappointed look. ¡°You¡¯re so superficial!¡±


    Their conversation instantly piqued the interest of their colleagues, and the two of them simultaneously asked, ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®that guy¡¯? Is he Dr. Cheng¡¯s boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Cheng Xi said with a smile, which caused Ceng Xing¡¯s lips to unconsciously curl up. But his happiness only lasted a few seconds as Cheng Xi continued to say, ¡°He¡¯s my fianc¨¦.¡±


    Ceng Xing¡¯s expression was frozen stiff.


    Their two colleagues were equally shocked speechless.


    All of them remained in a strange silent equilibrium for quite a while before someone laughed dryly and broke the silence. ¡°Ah, so Dr. Cheng¡¯s already engaged?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled without responding, and Ceng Xing suddenly lost all interest in mocking her, instead focusing on finishing the beer he was holding.


    Out here in the western highlands, it seemed as if even the beer was more bitter than in the south.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what was on Ceng Xing¡¯s mind, but since it was his first day here, she considerately escorted him back to his hostel after dinner and helped him settle in before leaving.


    Even in those few hours, she received countless calls, some of which were from her parents, who were rejoicing in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s misfortune. ¡°Look! He harmed you in the past, and now something bad¡¯s happened to him, hasn¡¯t it? As you can see, my daughter isn¡¯t someone who can be harmed without suffering retribution.¡±


    And she also got a call from Tian Rou, who was just sitting in the peanut galleries. ¡°My god, when they said that Baldy and Lu Chenzhou were in a gay relationship and that Baldy was the top, I barely stopped myself from choking to death, hahaha.¡±


    Cheng Xi seriously asked her, ¡°How¡¯s Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I haven¡¯t seen him ever since I told him that you found a new boyfriend over there. Baldy keeps mentioning that he¡¯s in bad shape, but I saw some video footage of him today. Personally, he seems to be doing just fine if he can give off such an intimidating atmosphere.¡±


    Cheng Xi was quite surprised as she didn¡¯t expect that Baldy would notice that there was something wrong with Lu Chenzhou. She was certain that he didn¡¯t know about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mental illness, but the fact that he had nonetheless still noticed something amiss meant that he cared for Lu Chenzhou and had a deep understanding of him.


    Cheng Xi suddenly felt that Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t doing that badly after all; despite his terrible personality, he had still made a wonderful friend in Baldy.


    Later on, she called Baldy again, and he said, ¡°He¡¯s not willing to talk to us¡­ Dr. Cheng, are you really not going to come back and see him?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t answer whether or not she would. Instead, she asked, ¡°Why do you care so much about him? Especially given his bad temper.¡±


    Baldy¡¯s tone was the most serious she¡¯d ever heard it. ¡°Because whenever I need his help, he¡¯s never refused. Even though he seems like a cold and icy person, he is the most sincere person I know. Honestly, he¡¯s not fit for the business world.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know why, but Baldy¡¯s words elicited her sentimentality and she felt a sudden compulsion to cry. Feeling moved, she sucked in a deep breath and said, ¡°Thank you for standing by his side through all this time. If necessary, please tell him that I don¡¯t actually have a new boyfriend. What¡¯s more, I¡¯ll do my best to finish the things I have going on over here and return as quickly as I can.¡±


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 210: Scapegoa

    t


    The return that Cheng Xi was talking about wasn¡¯t going to happen anytime soon. The organization¡¯s affairs notwithstanding, just the hospital itself had been very busy recently. Furthermore, the medical students from her old school were also about to arrive at Gansu, which meant that she needed to arrange their lodgings, food, life, and all that. Since they were only students, they needed additional formal training before they could actually help out, and they also needed to be assigned mentors.


    But given the quality of the doctors here, there were very few doctors qualified to take on a mentee. So if Cheng Xi left for even a brief period, the burden on all the other doctors would increase significantly.


    Cheng Xi hated having others shoulder her burden, so the only course of action she could think of was to make sure that everything was settled before she left. However, although she had some amount of control over the hospital¡¯s matters, she was helpless when anything involved the government or external parties.


    And during this hectic period, someone high up in the government came to inspect her work. As one of the proposers and a critical part of this organization, Cheng Xi was forced to accompany the inspector and walk him through all the progress and work that their organization had accomplished so far.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s resume stood out even amongst the qualified doctors of Renyi, not to mention the obscure Gansu. She had a good memory, always spoke clearly and concisely, and always had a response ready for every question. What¡¯s more, her voice was pleasant to listen to, so she was particularly well-liked among the Gansu local government¡¯s leadership. As a result, they paid special attention to the projects she was responsible for. During a public event, one of the provincial leaders even remarked, ¡°This is an amazing plan that pools together governmental and public funds and coordinates between hospitals and universities to strengthen and reinforce the treatment and management of victims of mental illness. It¡¯s a very solid initiative that, if done well, can be easily extended to include the whole city, and perhaps even the whole province¡­¡±


    But before he could go on, Cheng Xi quickly interrupted and took advantage of the opportunity to expand on her plan. She first described all of the problems that might arise if this program were implemented on a larger scale, then moved on to potential solutions to these problems, which included where they would find funds for these programs, and then concluded on how the doctors who participated in the program would be rewarded.


    Cheng Xi also brought Ceng Xing along to that event as an external specialist. He was able to witness how she talked to the crowd, and her animated expressions seemed to lend a radiant aura to her whole body. He had never seen this side of Cheng Xi before. She was incomparably confident, calm, capable, and genial.


    After the meeting, both of them were roped into an after-party banquet. By the time they were finally finished, it was very late in the night.


    As usual, Ceng Xing was the one driving. After he came to Gansu, Cheng Xi¡¯s new car had been almost exclusively commandeered by him. He looked to his side and saw that Cheng Xi had already fallen asleep in the passenger¡¯s seat, completely exhausted.


    The two of them lived next to the hospital, so Ceng Xing parked the car in the hospital¡¯s parking lot. When he looked at her peaceful expression, he couldn¡¯t bear to wake her up. But not even two minutes later, she got up all on her own.


    ¡°Are we already here?¡± She opened her mouth lazily, covering it as she yawned. ¡°Thanks for your work today. You should go up and get some rest. I still have some things that I have to finish.¡±


    After saying this, Cheng Xi rubbed the sleep from her eyes and did her best to put on a bright expression as she prepared to get out of the car. But as she tried to open the door, he suddenly tugged on her arm. Cheng Xi turned around and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Cheng Xi was wearing light clothing because it had been quite hot during the day. Ceng Xing¡¯s hand¡¯s warmth easily reached her skin through the thin jacket, causing her to experience a somewhat¡­¡­ dangerous sensation.


    Cheng Xi pulled her arm back while maintaining an even expression. She even sat herself upright before saying, ¡°Senior, why is your expression so serious? I haven¡¯t offended you, have I?¡±


    Her tone was cautious and solemn, but with a humorous edge.


    Ceng Xing coldly replied, ¡°No. I¡¯m just curious. What kind of coffin would you like me to order for you?¡±


    Cheng Xi tilted her head and thought for a little. ¡°...how about Chinese cedar? That¡¯s certainly expensive enough for me.¡±


    But her playful comment made Ceng Xing so angry that he rapped her hard on the head. Cheng Xi clutched her head and exaggeratedly cried out, ¡°Ouch, you hit me too hard!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to die from exhaustion pretty soon anyways. A little pain won¡¯t matter.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have a response ready, so she instead focused on rubbing her head.


    Her behavior made Ceng Xing feel a bit guilty, and he shifted his gaze at her as he slowly asked, ¡°Does it really hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then go home and rest.¡±


    ¡°......I really do have something that I need to do.¡±


    ¡°What is it? Do you think that you¡¯ll be able to make the construction go faster or make your patients recover quicker if you go back to work now? Cheng Xi, everything takes time. Why are you working so hard? Are you just trying to go home quicker?¡±


    In the end, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking that question.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t even return during New Year¡¯s. I miss my family.¡±


    Ceng Xing made a disbelieving ¡°hah¡± sound.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll admit to it. It¡¯s because I¡¯m worried about Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    There had recently been another spate of negative articles about Donglai Corporation¡ªas a long-standing company that was primarily focused on pharmaceuticals, there were countless minor past mistakes for reporters to hone in on and blow out of proportion.


    And, just like Cheng Xi had predicted, someone had already dug into the fire that had claimed Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother¡¯s life. According to the video report, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother had actually died of arson, and in order to hide this, Donglai Corporation had even pushed the blame to an innocent little child.


    ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention this, but that child¡¯s the current CEO of Donglai, Director Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    The tone of the person who revealed all this was filled with immense malice. Even though this wasn¡¯t something that could be verified due to how old it was, and hence didn¡¯t cause too much of a stir when it was released, Cheng Xi still didn¡¯t want to imagine what Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression would be like if he saw it.


    But Ceng Xing didn¡¯t understand why she was so preoccupied with all this. Honestly, he didn¡¯t care about Lu Chenzhou, and hearing Cheng Xi say that she was worried about him just further soured his mood. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that he was fully capable of dealing with all this? If he can do that, then what¡¯re you worrying about? Don¡¯t forget that he¡¯s not your patient anymore, and neither is he your boyfriend. Allow me to remind you once last time: the reason why you¡¯re here right now is because of him. Please let him go and stop dwelling on him! Bring back the Cheng Xi who was an excellent psychiatrist at Renyi and please stop thinking about people you shouldn¡¯t be thinking about, alright?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not alright.¡± Cheng Xi sighed. Her tone turned gentle and she poured a basin of water over Ceng Xing¡¯s fiery head as she said, ¡°I¡­¡­ really like him.¡±


    Ceng Xing thought to himself, ¡­¡­Shit!


    He twisted his head around, violently opened the car door, and was about to walk away; he didn¡¯t want to waste anymore of his breath on her. But as soon as he took a couple steps, he felt like he¡¯d be even more angry if he didn¡¯t say anything. So, he quickly rushed back and yelled, ¡°You idiot!¡± at Cheng Xi.


    And with that, he stormed off towards the hospital. But when he noticed that she wasn¡¯t following behind him, he turned around again and howled, ¡°Come on! Aren¡¯t we working overtime?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him, unable to suppress the smile on her face. She responded with a soft ¡°Oh,¡± and diligently followed him to the hospital.


    Since Ceng Xing was here to help Cheng Xi with her tasks, the rest of her work went much more smoothly. However, the two of them combined still weren¡¯t fast enough to keep pace with how quickly the state of affairs at Donglai was developing.


    After Cheng Xi finalized her plans and was finally able to sit back and await the arrival of the fresh medical students, someone leaked a recording of the truth behind the fake vaccine incident. The next day, in order to assuage the barrage of accusations and criticism that had been leveled at the company, Donglai Corporation officially stripped Lu Chenzhou of his position as CEO, pushing him out of the company as a scapegoat.


    Previous Chapter


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 Chapter 211: Tragically Ugly

    By the time Cheng Xi¡¯s airplane landed, it was already very late at night in her hometown. She hadn¡¯t told anyone that she was coming back, having intended to go straight to Lu Chenzhou the next day.


    But when she arrived at her apartment, she found that she couldn¡¯t even enter it, because her front door¡­¡­ Had! Been! Replaced!


    If it weren¡¯t for the stupid ¡°Dr. Cheng¡¯s home¡± sign, she would¡¯ve thought that she had gone to the wrong floor on her apartment complex.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t even describe her feelings at that moment. She had been worried that Lu Chenzhou would come back here and find himself locked out, so she had left the key to the apartment next door to Cheng Yang, which meant that she didn¡¯t have a single key, leaving her unable to enter either apartment.


    In the end, she was forced to call her brother. ¡°Did you replace the front door to my apartment?¡±


    Cheng Yang was still muddle-headed from sleep, and he automatically replied, ¡°That¡¯s right! Lu Chenzhou was trying to kick me out! So I just replaced the front door directly!¡± But by the time he finished talking, his head had cleared up a little, and he suddenly yelled out, ¡°How did you know? You¡¯re back?!¡±


    Cheng Xi was slightly exasperated as she admitted, ¡°That¡¯s right. Where are you?¡±


    In lieu of a response, Cheng Yang instead opened the door to her apartment, standing there barefoot as he rubbed his eyes in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s really you? Why didn¡¯t you let us know before coming back?¡±


    ¡°It was a rash decision.¡± Cheng Xi smiled, handed him her luggage, walked in, and found some slippers to slip on. A moment later, she raised her head, extremely surprised. ¡°Lu Chenming?¡±


    She stared at Lu Chenming, and then turned around to stare at Cheng Yang, an expression of utter shock on her face.


    Cheng Yang glared at her. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking!¡±


    Cheng Xi blinked once, her expression quickly transforming into one of innocence. ¡°What? I¡¯m not thinking about anything. I¡¯m just surprised that Chenming left his house.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenming had no idea what the two of them were talking about and insinuating. He obediently took the suitcases from Cheng Yang¡¯s hands, and politely greeted her. ¡°Ice- Prof. Cheng.¡±


    He was used to calling her ¡°icey,¡± and it was only as he started saying it that he suddenly realized that the person in front of her wasn¡¯t his icey anymore.


    No. Rather, she never had been.


    Lu Chenming¡¯s face turned red again.


    Cheng Xi smiled at him as she ignored his unusual behavior. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, Lu Chenming. It¡¯s been a while, and you look like you¡¯ve grown a bit taller.¡±


    This tone was the sort an adult used to praise a child¡­ Lu Chenming silently lowered his gaze, no longer willing to talk.


    Cheng Yang shot his sister a supercilious look before plopping down on the sofa. Cheng Xi silently looked at her sofa that seemed to have become a bed and asked, ¡°Why¡¯re you sleeping here?¡±


    The guest room¡¯s door wasn¡¯t closed, and she could see a small bed inside. Lu Chenming had clearly just come out of the guest room.


    In response, Cheng Yang merely shot her another supercilious look. Truth be told, he was scared of sleeping in her bed, alright? After he replaced the front door, he had started staying in this apartment regularly, but when he saw the brand new bed that Lu Chenzhou bought, he had decided to just get himself another small bed in the guest room.


    He really didn¡¯t want to talk about this whole affair, so he quickly changed the topic. ¡°Alright, why¡¯re you back so suddenly? Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to be really busy in the near future?¡± As he said this, he started inspecting her critically, automatically putting on a disdainful expression. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten thinner, darker, and your skin¡¯s coarser. You really look like you could be my older sister now!¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled, not minding her brother¡¯s antics. ¡°Then if you call me older sister, I won¡¯t mind.¡± She twisted her head to look at Lu Chenming again. She handed him a seat cushion and asked in a warm tone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I woke you up. If you can¡¯t sleep, do you want to have a seat instead?¡±


    Lu Chenming sat down silently.


    ¡°If your home is too chaotic right now, it¡¯s not a problem if you want to come and stay here for a while. However, make sure that you tell your grandparents where you are so that they don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Lu Chenming was slightly surprised that this was the first thing that she mentioned, and he nodded as he shyly said, ¡°I already told my grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Are they doing well?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Cheng Yang couldn¡¯t bear watching them trying to exchange pleasantries any longer. He brusquely interrupted and said, ¡°If you¡¯re worried about that guy, just ask about him directly and honestly! What¡¯s the point of running around in circles like that!¡±


    Cheng Xi looked straight at him. ¡°I don¡¯t need to ask.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If he were doing well, then I wouldn¡¯t need to come back.¡±


    Lu Chenming looked at her, shocked. ¡°You¡­¡­ how did you know?¡±


    ¡°I just guessed,¡± Cheng Xi said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as he¡¯s not dead, I¡¯ll pull him back.¡±


    Her tone was somewhat fierce.


    Cheng Yang and Lu Chenming unconsciously shrunk backwards. They had a feeling that, after living in the wild west for quite some time, the gentle Dr. Cheng had become a fierce lion.


    Cheng Xi said she wasn¡¯t going to ask, and she really didn¡¯t ask them anything about Lu Chenzhou. She didn¡¯t have to, after all. Baldy understood Lu Chenzhou better than both of them.


    Before Cheng Xi had boarded the plane, she had spent some time talking to Baldy. He had said that, after Lu Chenzhou was dismissed from his position as CEO, he had holed himself up at home without seeing anyone.


    As Baldy hadn¡¯t ever given up on him before, Lu Chenzhou had been starting to respond more favorably to him, but after this whole affair, even Baldy wasn¡¯t able to see Lu Chenzhou anymore either.


    ¡°This is what I hate the most about him! My god, he¡¯s just like a girl¡ªhe locked himself in his room after getting angry. Once he gets out, I¡¯m going to laugh at him till he dies of embarrassment!¡±


    Baldy was really quite worried and angry as he complained to Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi was also quite worried, so after briefly chatting with Cheng Yang and Lu Chenming, she decided to have a good night¡¯s sleep. Then, the next morning, when she was revitalized, she would go out to find Lu Chenzhou.


    When Cheng Yang heard Cheng Xi say that she was going to rest, he agreed suspiciously enthusiastically. ¡°Alright, alright! Sleep early tonight.¡±


    Cheng Xi squinted at him, but she couldn¡¯t figure anything out. Eventually, she gave up and went to her room to do as planned.


    As she pushed the door to her bedroom open, her entire body froze. The entire room was adorned in red; the red was so bright that it hurt the eyes¡­¡­ Cheng Yang¡¯s annoying voice piped up from behind. ¡°Ding ding ding! Congratulations to our contestant, Dr. Cheng, for winning a newlywed¡¯s bedroom! Are you surprised? Are you shocked?¡±


    Cheng Xi whirled around, her tone dangerously calm. ¡°You did this to my apartment?¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t falsely accuse me! Your precious Director Lu was the one who did it. I slept on your bed and he didn¡¯t like it, so he got a whole new set of a bed, blankets, table, and chairs for you. Is it red enough for you?¡±


    Cheng Xi calmly replied, ¡°......His taste is quite good.¡±


    Cheng Yang was speechless. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The real Cheng Xi must still be Gansu, and this person in front of me must be a doppelganger, right?


    She really had to be, While it was already suspicious enough that she had willingly slept in that bedroom, her outfit the next day was even more shocking. Cheng Xi had put on a bright red dress. It was flaming red, and its graceful curves accentuated her figure, lending her a fatal charm and allure that others rarely saw.


    Cheng Yang and Lu Chenming¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their skulls as they looked at her.


    ¡°Damn, what¡¯ve you done to my sister?¡± Cheng Yang rushed into the bedroom to look for her.


    Cheng Xi dragged him with an exasperated expression. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± She patted her slightly curly hair and expectantly asked, ¡°How do I look?¡±


    Cheng Yang dryly replied, ¡°You can¡¯t tell for yourself?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s tone became even more exasperated. ¡°It¡¯s so red that I¡¯m losing my sense of taste.¡±


    ¡°......Meaning?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s tragically ugly.¡±


    Cheng Yang and Lu Chenming were both at a loss for words. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Rather than losing your sense of taste, it¡¯s more like it became completely flipped around, alright?!


    Cheng Yang even wanted to encourage Cheng Xi to change into a new outfit, simply because he wasn¡¯t used to her looking this good! But Lu Chenming always responded slightly faster than him at critical junctures, and he shivered as he softly said, ¡°I think that my brother will like it quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Cheng Xi smiled genuinely at him before sighing. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go like this.¡±


    With a wave of her hand, she picked up her handbag. Then with Cheng Yang as her chauffeur and Lu Chenming trailing behind her, they went off to find Lu Chenzhou.

 Chapter 212: Shiver In Fright, You Nobodies!

    Cheng Xi had only been to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s place once, which was when he¡¯d gotten septicemia and the serious cold that had forced him to spend a whole month in the hospital.


    Of course, at that time, the situation had been better because the rest of the Lu family had known the passcode to the front gate. But now, when Cheng Xi entered the passcode that she¡¯d written down in her phone, she found that it had been changed.


    Cheng Xi was caught unprepared by this turn of events.


    She looked expectantly towards Lu Chenming.


    Lu Chenming quickly shook his head. He didn¡¯t know the passcode either; honestly, this was his first time coming to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s place. ¡°Let me ask my grandmother.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t expect her to know either; and as expected, his grandparents also only knew the old passcode. ¡°The last time we came here, we simply walked inside because we thought that he wasn¡¯t there. But to our surprise, he was actually at home. But after that, he changed the passcode and we were never able to return.¡± But Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was nonetheless still very happy to see that Cheng Xi had returned. She even made Lu Chenming hand her his phone so that she could directly say, ¡°Cheng Xi, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re back. Zhou will definitely get better once he sees you. Thank you, Cheng Xi.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was particularly worked up by Cheng Xi¡¯s return. For some reason, she seemed to believe that, as long as Cheng Xi was here, her grandson would be all right again.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know how to respond to their blind devotion, but Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother simply kept going without waiting for a response. After talking aimlessly for quite a while, she turned back and said to her husband, ¡°Old man, we don¡¯t have to worry anymore. Dr. Cheng¡¯s back, so everything will return to normal soon.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s senses were keen, and she immediately picked up on the fact that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother didn¡¯t seem to be at their home. After Lu Chenming¡¯s grandmother hung up, she asked him, ¡°Is your grandfather in the hospital?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Cheng Xi was slightly surprised to hear him say this in a lofty tone. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Lu Chenming noticed that Cheng Xi¡¯s tone wasn¡¯t too happy, and he was at a loss for how he should reply. Eventually, Cheng Yang had to step in, and he said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing major. He¡¯s just a little old and had too much on his plate lately. So, the doctors recommended that he spend some time at the hospital.¡±


    Cheng Xi understood from his veiled words that this was most likely a ploy to bait Lu Chenzhou from his house. And despite its failure, in order to prevent his grandson from catching on, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather could only remain in the hospital for a while.


    The three of them stood outside Lu Chenzhou¡¯s front gate somewhat helplessly. Neither pressing the doorbell, calling for Lu Chenzhou, nor shouting loudly worked; Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t show any signs of coming out. Instead, the community management came over: apparently they¡¯d received complaints from the other residents about the noise they were making. If they didn¡¯t immediately leave, they¡¯d call the police.


    ¡°Who made the report? The person staying here?¡± Cheng Yang pointed at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s house.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed. Honestly, given Lu Chenzhou¡¯s personality, it¡¯d be a miracle if he cared enough about this noise to call and get rid of it.


    She immediately stepped forward and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we were invited here by Mr. Lu. He doesn¡¯t seem to have returned yet. We¡¯ll make sure to not make a big fuss and wait for him here quietly.¡±


    It took some more persuasion before the management personnel finally left them alone. Then after just a few minutes, Cheng Yang was the first to grow impatient. ¡°What¡¯re we waiting for? If he doesn¡¯t open the gate, then we should leave! He¡¯ll be fine for another day or two! You shouldn¡¯t unnecessarily worry yourself like this.¡±


    Since his sister was right in front of him, he didn¡¯t say anything excessive, but he really didn¡¯t understand why she was so concerned for Lu Chenzhou. Hadn¡¯t his sister been hurt enough by him? If not for her superiors at the hospital looking favorably upon her, Cheng Xi might have lost all of her hard-earned reputation and credibility as a skilled doctor.


    They¡¯d even gone so far as to come over and check up on him. So if he didn¡¯t want to see them, then what was the point of trying? Why didn¡¯t they just leave?!


    Lu Chenming also began to hesitate. ¡°Why don¡¯t we¡­¡­ leave? My brother doesn¡¯t like it when people disturb him.¡±


    Like Cheng Yang, he also wasn¡¯t overly worried that something bad would really befall Lu Chenzhou. More importantly, for him, he truly believed with all his heart that his brother was the most capable person in their household. In Lu Chenming¡¯s mind, his brother was daring and able to do anything; it never even crossed his mind that there could be something that even his brother couldn¡¯t deal with.


    Cheng Xi looked at the two of them quietly. But before she could respond, Baldy arrived. When he saw the three of them standing in front of the gate, he asked Cheng Xi, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Even you can¡¯t get in?¡±


    He seemed to be frustrated at Cheng Xi¡¯s uselessness.


    Cheng Yang couldn¡¯t help but mock him right back. ¡°What, do you think that my sister can just open gates with a wave of her hands?¡±


    Only then did Baldy glance at him. ¡°Your sister? Oh, you must be Cheng Xi¡¯s brother, Zhou¡¯s wife¡¯s older brother.¡± He spread his hands magnanimously. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll forgive your rudeness.¡±


    Cheng Yang was struck speechless by his shamelessness. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Everyone around Lu Chenzhou was crazy! He coldly replied, ¡°My sister has nothing to do with that fellow. Don¡¯t try to implicate us in his affairs, thanks!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®implicate?¡¯ Your sister¡¯s the only person who¡¯s ever slept with Zhou! Are you going to deny it?¡±


    Cheng Yang immediately shouted back, ¡°My sister¡¯s slept with countless men! What¡¯s one more?!¡±


    This time, it was Cheng Xi who was struck speechless by their shamelessness.


    Lu Chenming also looked at them speechlessly.


    Cheng Xi turned around, deciding to simply ignore the two crazy fellows behind her. Instead, she began rashly mashing the doorbell, ringing it again and again. When there was no response, she took a couple steps back, surveyed the walls around the house, pulled Lu Chenming aside, and surreptitiously asked him, ¡°Have you seen people climb walls before?¡±


    Lu Chenming didn¡¯t respond.


    But Cheng Xi was already starting to scrunch up her dress. Luckily, she¡¯d predicted that today wasn¡¯t going to go as smoothly as she hoped, so she¡¯d worn knee-high leggings in advance. As such, she didn¡¯t feel embarrassed about hitching her dress up to her waist. After warming up and stretching her arms and legs, she then grabbed Lu Chenming¡¯s shoulders as she said, ¡°Sorry. Please help give me a hand.¡± Cheng Xi smiled at him as she continued to say, ¡°I might be a bit heavy, so please bear with me, alright?¡±


    By the time Baldy and Cheng Yang realized that something was going on and ran over, Cheng Xi was already half over the top of the wall and about to jump down onto the other side.


    Cheng Yang shrilly yelled, ¡°Cheng Xi, you¡¯re crazy!¡±


    But she had already jumped.


    The three people on the other side of the wall were stunned.


    Baldy yelled out, ¡°Dr. Cheng, I¡¯ll admire no one else but you in the future!¡± The wall was around two meters high, and for a petite girl like her to actually climb it and jump down¡­¡­


    Jump down!


    Just thinking about it made Baldy¡¯s heels hurt!


    Meanwhile, as Baldy shouted those words, Cheng Yang also yelled out, ¡°You¡¯re alright, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t answer, instead answering by opening the front gate for them.


    She had let down her dress, once again the warm and gentle Dr. Cheng.


    Baldy was stunned by her extreme shift in demeanor.


    What kind of strange people did Tian Rou hang out with at university?


    But the most shocking thing happened later on, when they reached the porch. As expected, the front door to the house was also locked. Cheng Xi tried to call out to Lu Chenzhou again. ¡°Lu Chenzhou? I know that you¡¯re inside. Will you open the door?¡±


    There was no response.


    Baldy felt that her voice was too soft, so he cupped his hands together and yelled out as loudly as he could. ¡°Zhou! Boss Lu! We¡¯re here to see you!¡±


    There was still no response.


    Baldy turned around and saw that Cheng Xi had pulled out some sharp drill bits from nowhere. She prodded Lu Chenming aside, who was still a little dazed, and commanded, ¡°Make way.¡± Her face was so determined that it seemed that blood would definitely be shed if they didn¡¯t obey.


    Baldy was shocked. ¡°What¡¯re you going to do?¡±


    Cheng Yang, who had realized her plan as soon as he saw the drill bits in her palm, clutched at his forehead weakly.


    He didn¡¯t expect that Cheng Xi would be this prepared.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t explain either. After everyone else backed off a considerable distance, she walked forward and ¡°lightly¡± scored the glass of the living room window with the steel drill bits in her palm. After a full circle was formed, the thick and sturdy window shattered into a million pieces.


    Cheng Xi stood in front of the glass shards and casually explained, ¡°The four edges of a reinforced glass window are actually quite fragile.¡± She then waved the steel drill bits at them as she said, ¡°You can break them just by scratching them with these little things.¡±


    Baldy, Lu Chenming, and Cheng Yang were all shocked once again.

 Chapter 213: I Waited So Long For You

    Cheng Yang, Baldy, and Lu Chenming all looked at Cheng Xi as if she were a monster. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t seem very concerned by their horrified looks as she calmly returned the drill bits in her hand to her bag. ¡°Wait here for me. I¡¯ll go in first.¡±


    She then pushed the thick curtains back and gingerly stepped into the house, avoiding the glass shards scattered all over the ground.


    Only after she entered did Baldy snap his jaw closed¡ªit had actually started aching from how long it had been open. He nudged Cheng Yang and tentatively asked, ¡°Has Dr. Cheng¡­¡­ always been so¡­¡­ valiant?¡±


    Lu Chenming, who was standing to the side, unconsciously nodded his head. Clearly, Cheng Xi¡¯s actions just now had shocked him to the core.


    Cheng Yang shot an askance look at them as he laughed cockily. ¡°Ha, ha! By the time she was twelve, she was already chasing me around with a kitchen knife for ten whole blocks!¡±


    What she had just done was nothing compared to that.


    Baldy fell silent and inwardly pledged that he would strive to treat his girlfriend better in the future. After all, compared to someone like Dr. Cheng who would go as far to scale walls, break doors open, and slash at people with kitchen knives, Tian Rou was far gentler!


    By now, Cheng Xi could no longer hear what the three of them were discussing outside. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s house was furnished sparsely. The bulk of the ground floor was a large living room, and in the center of the living room, there was an equally large swimming pool. The water was clear, limpid, and amazingly blue as it scattered the light of the midday sun.


    The entire house fely empty because of how tidy it was. The tables were bare and all the furnishings and decorations were hung up neatly. It was as though the house was actually an exhibition hall for furniture; although it was decorated neatly, it was completely devoid of human presence.


    Cheng Xi barely glanced at the living room before going upstairs.


    There were four doors on the second floor that were distributed evenly along a single corridor. The doors were identical to each other, and every one of them was tightly shut. She couldn¡¯t tell which room Lu Chenzhou had sequestered himself in, so she could only check each of them one by one.


    She didn¡¯t expect to guess right on her first attempt, but she saw him almost as soon as she opened the door.


    The room was in a study, and it was decorated in a similar style to the first floor: the classic boring gray palette. There was a wide reading table and tall, sturdy bookshelves that were filled to the brim with books.


    Cheng Xi expected to find Lu Chenzhou in an unusually dejected or reticent state, but he looked perfectly normal. He was dressed in a white shirt and black pants and was perfectly groomed. Even his hair was trimmed neatly, and there was no trace of stubble on his face.


    His legs were splayed across the sofa in front of the reading table, his back towards her. He was engrossed in¡­¡­ a mobile game.


    That¡¯s right. Cheng Xi only realized that he was playing a game on his phone when she walked closer; it was a game with cartoonish graphics, similar to Flappy Bird. His mechanical taps on the screen continued; he was so serious and dedicated that he hadn¡¯t even noticed the commotion downstairs when Cheng Xi had broken into his house and entered the room.


    She lightly called out, ¡°Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    He completely ignored her, his finger continuing to incessantly tap on the screen.


    Cheng Xi slowly walked over, leaned down, and faced him.


    How long had it been since they had last seen each other? Almost a year by now? It wasn¡¯t too long a period of time in the grand scheme of things, but if one counted it day by day, it wasn¡¯t a short period either.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t turn to look at her as he instead continued to silently focus on tapping at his phone. His eyes and tightly pursed lips both emanated coldness, but his beautiful facial features and exquisite aura were so handsome that it almost overwhelmed his cold demeanor.


    Time was the best catalyst for reconciliation. It had filtered away all the unhappiness in their relationship, and the current him in front of her seemed even more outstanding than before.


    As she turned away from his face and towards his screen, she noticed that his score had reached an unimaginably high value.


    This sign was how she was so sure that he¡¯d been so engrossed in the game to the point of forgetting about everything else.


    Because of this, she didn¡¯t try to interrupt him. Instead, she settled into her position to watch him play. Finally, the small cartoon bird crashed into a green pipe and the words ¡°Play again?¡± appeared on the screen.


    Cheng Xi lightly moved her hand to cover his. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I¡¯m back.¡± Her voice was soft¡ªsoft and gentle.


    He lowered his gaze, still refusing to look or react to her, and then silently restarted the game.


    But this time, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t let him. She placed her palm directly on top of his phone and her face slowly turned serious.


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou, if you¡¯re willing, then I can wait here for you for as long as you want. But I¡¯ve dropped everything at Gansu to come back here just to see you, so I don¡¯t have much time to wait.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to ask you one thing. Do you need me? If you do, then I¡¯ll stay by your side. If you don¡¯t, then I¡¯ll leave immediately and never come back. It seems that the pain and anguish of separating from me wasn¡¯t enough to rein in your possessive streak. If so, then for my own safety, all I can do is stay as far away from you as I can. I would never see you again, or let you see me again.¡±


    She looked at him, her grip on his phone tightening as she poured her heart out. ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. If you don¡¯t ask me to stay by then, then I¡¯ll leave.¡±


    With that, she let go of him and started counting. ¡°One.¡± She counted very slowly, deliberately giving him time to make a decision, but he didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Two.¡±


    My feet went numb again! Cheng Xi gritted her teeth in agony. Even if I have to crawl out of here, I¡¯ll do so with grace and poise!


    ¡°Three.¡±


    He¡¯d already started up a new round of the mobile game, and the annoying bird began flapping again. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say a single word afterwards, only standing up nimbly. As her soft red dress brushed against the sofa, its flaming red color was unintentionally reflected in his eyes.


    Cheng Xi had barely taken a step out of the room when something pulled on her dress.


    She turned around and saw that he had tightly grabbed onto a corner of her dress. From her point of view, she could only see his pale forehead and his long eyelashes. In that moment, those two features made him look particularly vulnerable.


    Outside, Baldy and Cheng Yang were still standing next to the broken window, waiting.


    Baldy was getting bored, so he teasingly proposed, ¡°Wanna guess what the first thing Boss Lu¡¯s going to say when he sees Dr. Cheng?¡±


    Cheng Yang volunteered, ¡°¡®Scram!¡¯¡±


    Lu Chenming simultaneously said, ¡°¡®Get out!¡¯¡±


    Baldy clicked his tongue and shook his head sagaciously. ¡°No, no, no. You¡¯re both wrong. I don¡¯t think that he¡¯ll say anything at all. Rather, he¡¯ll just grab her and start kissing her madly.¡±


    ¡­¡­Cheng Yang and Lu Chenming both turned away from him in disdain.


    In truth, all three of them were wrong. After Lu Chenzhou pulled Cheng Xi back into the room, the first thing he said was, ¡°I waited for so long for you.¡±

 Chapter 214: No title

    Chapter 214: [No title]


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything as she turned around, crouched down again, and hugged him forcefully.


    In the future, Lu Chenzhou would ask her, ¡°What would you have done if, after you ran in so recklessly, I hurt you?¡±


    Cheng Xi would obstinately reply, ¡°I had both steel drill bits and a brick in my bag, so I¡¯m sure I would have been able to defend myself adequately.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure whether or not to be sad that Lu Chenzhou never gave her an opportunity to use her brick. But in the present, after she hugged him for a while, she found that his physical strength was terribly atrophied¡ªhis temples were sweating from just this brief exertion.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± she asked in shock as she put a hand on his forehead. He wasn¡¯t feverish; instead, his sweating had made his skin cold and clammy.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond as he weakly leaned into her embrace while his lips turned a pale white.


    Cheng Xi was unable to rouse a response from him, so she grabbed his hand and took his pulse as she asked, ¡°How long has it been since you last ate?¡±


    He didn¡¯t reply.


    Cheng Xi was stunned by the implication. She pried his hands off of hers and helped him to the sofa. ¡°Lie down for a while. I¡¯ll make something for you to eat.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was somewhat unwilling to let go, and his hand firmly grasped the hem of her dress as he weakly pleaded, ¡°.......Don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. I already told you¡ªI¡¯ll stay here as long as you need me. But you still have to eat.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was truly famished. He had been excessively engrossed in his game, causing him to not realize just how hungry he was. But after he finally relaxed, he noticed that it had truly been quite a while since he last ate.


    Thus, Cheng Xi went downstairs to make him some simple food. In his debilitating condition, he wouldn¡¯t be able to eat anything overly rich; it¡¯d be better to start with some sort of porridge to first replenish his strength and assuage his hunger before slowly nursing him back to health.


    Meanwhile, Baldy, Lu Chenming, and Cheng Yang finally mustered up enough courage to enter after waiting outside this whole time; however, they were not courageous enough to venture past the first floor. When they saw her come down, Cheng Yang was the first to ask, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    But Baldy was more concerned about Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Is Boss Lu okay?¡±


    And Lu Chenming just looked at her silently.


    Cheng Xi smiled as she replied to all of them at the same time. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. He¡¯s just a bit hungry, so I¡¯m making him something to eat.¡± She then looked at Cheng Yang. ¡°Brother, will you get me some glucose from the convenience store?¡±


    Cheng Yang wasn¡¯t too happy that he had been assigned a task, but he eventually dragged Lu Chenming to go shopping together.


    Baldy wanted to see Lu Chenzhou, and Cheng Xi nodded without protest. ¡°Alright, he¡¯s upstairs.¡±


    After giving her permission, she entered the kitchen to focus on cooking. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s kitchen was clean and spotless, and luckily, he had some ingredients in his pantry, which Cheng Xi used to make him a pot of porridge. By the time it was all ready, Cheng Yang and Lu Chenming had also returned. Cheng Yang was actually quite jealous that his sister was personally cooking for Lu Chenzhou, but he instantly felt better when he saw that it was just a plain pot of porridge. He slyly commented, ¡°Why don¡¯t you serve him a larger portion? He¡¯s such a big man! How will this little bowl be enough?¡±


    But how could Cheng Xi not see right through his intentions? She blocked him from switching out the bowl and said, ¡°Don¡¯t make a big fuss. He hasn¡¯t eaten for a while, so he has to start with easily digestible food.¡±


    Cheng Yang clicked his tongue in annoyance, but he did stop messing around and begrudgingly put the bottle of glucose on the kitchen counter. As Cheng Xi carried the porridge and glucose drink up the stairs, she ran into Baldy. He seemed particularly happy, and he animatedly told Cheng Xi, ¡°Ah, Dr. Cheng, you¡¯ve really done some good stuff! Boss Lu¡¯s mood is great today.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because even after I talked to him for a long time, he didn¡¯t tell me to scram!¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked by Baldy¡¯s standards.


    But what could she do in response? Nothing but smile. The fact that Baldy was this happy over just not being told to scram was a testament to how low his expectations were for Lu Chenzhou.


    Regardless, at the very least, Blady was happy about it. As he walked past Cheng Xi, he even grabbed Lu Chenming, who was following Cheng Xi up, and dragged him downstairs. ¡°Don¡¯t be a third wheel, now. Your brother and his wife need some private time to talk.¡±


    Cheng Xi heard Baldy say all this from behind her, causing her to pause and turn around. She wanted to say something, but the two of them had long since descended, leaving Cheng Xi with no other option but to clamp her mouth shut and continue forwards.


    The porridge was bland and dull. Cheng Xi thought that Lu Chenzhou would complain about its tastelessness, but he actually cleanly finished the entire bowl. When he was done, he took the bottle of glucose and drank it all in one swig.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s complexion improved greatly after he ate the food and regained his strength. Cheng Xi was about to praise him for being so obedient when he suddenly grabbed her hand, placed it on his groin, and said, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it.¡±


    Cheng Xi was left speechless.


    She felt his ardent gaze upon her and also a bulge developing underneath her hand. She looked at the brick that was still in her bag¡ªshe¡¯d messed up. It was just out of reach.


    She retrieved her hand and straightforwardly said, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I don¡¯t want to be your girlfriend right now.¡± When she saw his face dim and the desire in his eyes dissipate away, she continued looking at him seriously as she continued, saying, ¡°If getting better soon is the quickest way for you to be happy, then I don¡¯t want to waste any time waiting for you to slowly clamber out of this cage that you¡¯ve constructed around yourself. So, I¡¯d like to go back to being Dr. Cheng. Can you treat me as your doctor again, at least temporarily?¡±


    The desire in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyes completely receded by the time she spoke her final words. He took his hand back and his lips pursed up tightly as he looked at her with cold and unforgiving eyes.


    His whole body seemed to emanate a frigid aura of rejection, but this was still within Cheng Xi¡¯s expectations. She then leaned over and hugged him. ¡°I know that you don¡¯t like my identity as a doctor. In the past, I felt that it would be better if I accommodated your wishes. If I couldn¡¯t be your doctor, then I¡¯d be your girlfriend and slowly change you for the better that way. In truth, that was my mistake, as our breakup revealed the fact that you didn¡¯t fully trust me, and neither did I fully love you. In fact, it almost left an irreversible rift in our relationship. I don¡¯t want you to ever suspect me again, and I want you to face your problems head-on. Lu Chenzhou, it¡¯s been so many years that it¡¯s time to let bygones be bygones.¡±


    After saying this, she tilted her head ever so slightly as she looked at him once again. ¡°If you believe me, let me help you walk out of the darkness, alright?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t answer. He looked at her through half-lidded eyes. She was so close to him that he could smell the faint fragrance of her body, feel her supple body, and see her skin that was as white as porcelain. His senses were assaulted by the sensualness of her physical body, which was so much more real than his most lucid dreams. It was so real that he could kiss her if he just leaned down slightly, so real that if he just pushed with the slightest bit of force, he could break free from her restraints, shatter her wings, kidnap her, and lock her away so that she¡¯d be his and his alone.


    His heart was boiling over with desire, but his expression remained as cool as ever.


    His almost maniacal lust was a result of him repressing his feelings for so long. He hated repressing himself like this, especially when it came to Cheng Xi. So he lowered his head to her neck, just like how he¡¯d done so countless times in his dreams, lightly sniffed her scent, and softly rubbed his pale lips against her ear, the gesture intimate and sexual.


    Cheng Xi felt her earlobe enter his mouth and then heard his soft but dangerous voice murmur, ¡°And what if I say no?¡±


    Her heart sank.

 Chapter 215: I Am Ill

    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s voice was still soft, but it carried a gloomy undertone. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s nothing I can depend on when it comes to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± He fiercely bit down on her earlobe. ¡°You clearly know that you can count on my love for you!¡±


    Cheng Xi opened her eyes wide, ignoring the wave of pain emanating from her ear. This sort of romantic clich¨¦¡­¡­ She suddenly quieted down and glared at him critically. She looked past his long eyelashes and black brows and saw a hint of weariness in his cool gaze. He was missing his usual severeness and coldness, and the pride and arrogance that she was so accustomed to seeing was also gone.


    Of course, he was still dangerous, and especially so because of that thing attached to his lower body. However, this current Lu Chenzhou was much easier to deal with than she expected¡ªhe was completely devoid of his old ruthlessness and depression, and the gloominess and aloofness that seemed to have been imprinted deep in his soul were also missing.


    There was only a faint weakness left that made her heart ache.


    She couldn¡¯t help but call out, ¡°Lu Chenzhou!¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer. His dry and cool lips lingered on her ears.


    Cheng Xi forcefully endured the numbness spreading from her ear as she truthfully said, ¡°I¡¯m very happy.¡± Clearly, her actions in the past hadn¡¯t been completely useless because he had truly softened significantly.


    ¡°Cheng Xi, you were successful.¡± He said this with a sense of certainty, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. And as he said this, his fingers caressed the tender skin on the back of her neck. ¡°I now know what it feels like to love and be hurt. When you left and didn¡¯t come back, I felt like I could have done anything if it meant that you would return. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± Lu Chenzhou hesitated for a moment as he lightly nipped at her skin. When he started up again, the grievance in his tone was much more pronounced. ¡°You came back so late.¡±


    Cheng Xi recalled his previous words¡ª¡°I¡¯ve waited for you for so long¡±¡ªand the compulsion to cry welled up within her. She nodded tearfully and then hugged him tightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She had clearly stated that she only wanted to be his doctor right now, but she couldn¡¯t help herself from kissing his forehead.


    It was a gentle and apologetic kiss, completely free of any sort of desire. But it seemed to flip a switch inside Lu Chenzhou. He immediately broke free of her grip, hugged her tightly, and brought her to the sofa. He laid her down and mounted her, gripping her tightly with his legs as one hand maintained its position on her waist and the other slid underneath her clothes.


    He kissed her so fervently and passionately that she didn¡¯t have any time to resist or even think about what was happening. Caught by his whirlwind of desire, she even thought to herself, Alright, I¡¯ll let him do whatever he wants for now.


    But even though she stopped resisting, he stopped moving all of a sudden. Cheng Xi opened her eyes, looking at him through a bleary haze.


    Her eyes were wet and lustrous, as if hazy with desire. Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t help himself from kissing her again. Then, he turned around, fished out his phone, tapped on an image, and showed her his screen. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He¡¯s asking this now of all times?! When we¡¯re half-dressed and in the middle of something?


    Cheng Xi was astounded by Lu Chenzhou¡¯s actions, but she still looked at the picture. When she saw the image clearly, she was a little surprised. ¡°Did Tian Rou send this to you?¡±


    It was the photo of her with the vice-chief of Gansu¡¯s civil administration bureau; she never expected that it would show up here on his phone.


    Lu Chenzhou harrumphed lightly.


    ¡°Did she tell you that he¡¯s my new boyfriend?¡± Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stop herself from smiling. ¡°She was joking. He¡¯s a friend I met in Gansu, and his kids are already teenagers. What¡¯s more¡­¡­¡± Cheng Xi wanted to hug him, but he was squeezing her too tightly, so she could only rub against his body. She leaned close into his ear and seductively whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t think any woman who¡¯s had a man like you would ever want anyone else.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou turned his face aside, not saying anything, but the tips of his ears flushed red.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart melted into a puddle of warm water. When she saw this adorable side of him, anything was worth it.


    Only after a long while did Lu Chenzhou turn back around, his eyes slightly red. He pressed his forehead against her. ¡°You can do whatever you want. However, you have to do it as my girlfriend. Not as a doctor, but only as my girlfriend.¡±


    And, just like a hormonal teenager, she completely forgot about her bold words earlier. ¡°Alright!¡±


    ¡°If there ever comes a day when I hurt you again, then run far, far away from me and never come back.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    And with that, Lu Chenzhou started kissing and hugging her in earnest once again. His kisses were deep and passionate, and just as the two of them were getting into the mood to embrace each other intimately¡­¡­


    Dong! Dong! Dong! Someone knocked on the door. Cheng Yang shouted loudly from outside, ¡°Cheng Xi, are the two of you done yet? It¡¯s been so long. You can come out now!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou and Cheng Xi were both stunned by the interruption. ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    And before the two of them could react, the doorknob turned.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face turned pale whereas Lu Chenzhou directly threw his phone at the door as soon as it opened by a sliver. ¡°Scram!¡±


    With a loud big Thunk! the door closed again, and Cheng Yang didn¡¯t make any more noise. Lu Chenzhou hugged her and coldly said, ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    What do you mean, continue?!


    She put a hand up as she advised, ¡°There are always accidents in life, and we have to adapt to them as they come.¡± She then dragged him upright; the intimate atmosphere that had been building up earlier had been shattered to dust by Cheng Yang¡¯s rude interruption.


    After they had lunch together in the afternoon, the atmosphere became very awkward. Lu Chenming didn¡¯t say anything, and Baldy chuckled quietly to himself from time to time. Meanwhile, Lu Chenzhou and Cheng Yang seemed to be having a competition over whose expression was worse.


    Only Cheng Xi seemed to be fine; she tried to relieve the tension by telling Baldy to calm himself and when Cheng Yang went outside as he went to take a call, she followed him. ¡°Brother, why¡¯re you so angry? Do you want me to give you a red packet?¡±


    Whenever someone interrupted a couple being intimate, it was a tradition of their hometown for the interrupter to give the couple a red packet to avoid bad luck. It was a nonsensical superstition, but Cheng Yang still abided by it as a businessman.


    Even though she was quite certain that Cheng Yang hadn¡¯t seen anything then.


    Cheng Yang looked at her as if she were crazy. ¡°Is this what you think I¡¯m concerned about?¡±


    Cheng Xi blinked in confusion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make that innocent face at me!¡± Cheng Yang fiercely replied. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll tell you what I¡¯m angry about. There¡¯s two things: one, Cheng Xi, can¡¯t you have a bit more of a backbone? Even after Lu Chenzhou treated you that maliciously, you¡¯re going to just sidle up to him like that all over again?¡± He laughed coldly before going on to say, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that my sister was someone who believed that all men needed to be saved, and that she was their guardian angel!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    After a moment of silence, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°What¡¯s the second point?¡±


    Cheng Yang¡¯s face turned to one of shame and regret. ¡°The second thing is, I knew that you were doing something that you¡¯d regret, but I was cowed by his actions. I wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive myself at all¡ª¡±


    He couldn¡¯t continue, because Cheng Xi had suddenly leapt forward and hugged him, her eyes curving up into a smile. ¡°Brother, I¡¯m really touched by your thoughts. However¡ª¡± She looked at him with a mischievous smile. ¡°I still won¡¯t tell you why I¡¯m doing this, though.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    He was tired of dealing with her!


    But Cheng Xi went on to say, ¡°In the future, I¡¯ll have Lu Chenzhou tell you himself. I¡¯m hopeful that he¡¯ll be able to do so one day.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait.¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s cold voice rang out from behind them. He slowly emerged from a corner and looked at the two of them coolly. ¡°I can tell him now.¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked. ¡°Lu Chenzhou!¡± she cried out in an attempt to stop him. ¡°No, there¡¯s no need to do so now.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou pursed his lips, his eyes dark as he steadfastly said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want me to face the truth? I¡¯ll do it now.¡± He faced Cheng Yang and in a cold and flat tone, said, ¡°I reported her and chased her away because if she stayed, I¡¯d kill her.¡±


    ¡°The reason why she stuck to me all this time and why I wanted to hurt her isn¡¯t anything special. It¡¯s because I am ill.¡±

 Chapter 216: Just An Acciden

    t


    As soon as Lu Chenzhou finished speaking, Cheng Yang¡¯s face changed. ¡°You¡¯re mentally ill?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s not. It¡¯s just a psychological impediment,¡± Cheng Xi hurriedly rephrased.


    ¡°Ha!¡± To the general public, ¡°psychological impediment¡± and ¡°mental illness¡± meant the exact same thing! What was the difference?! He didn¡¯t want to listen to Cheng Xi¡¯s nonsense any longer. The hair on the back of his neck was prickling with dread, and he looked cautiously at Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Do you still want to kill or hurt her?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already improved a lot.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±


    The first response was Cheng Yang yelling at Cheng Xi, and the latter was Lu Chenzhou responding to Cheng Xi¡¯s comment that he had improved. The two of them spoke almost simultaneously, and then both of the Cheng siblings looked at Lu Chenzhou.


    Lu Chenzhou looked at the two of them and then coolly said, ¡°Can the two of you release each other? I don¡¯t like seeing the two of you hug each other.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi quickly let go of Cheng Yang.


    Cheng Yang glanced back at her, his heart overflowing with indescribable emotions. Did she have to obey his every word? She¡¯d never been this obedient in front of him! What¡¯s more, his sister had fallen in love with a maniac¡ªeven though he seemed alright at the moment, who knew if he¡¯d suddenly go crazy in the next?


    This was a truly terrifying thought! Cheng Yang didn¡¯t want to spend any more time in this maniac¡¯s presence, and he tried to drag Cheng Xi out. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can talk when we get home!¡±


    But he wasn¡¯t able to drag her away because Cheng Xi tripped him, giving Lu Chenzhou the time to catch up to them and grab him by the hand. ¡°Let go of her!¡±


    His voice was just as cold as normal, but Cheng Xi found that, for some discernible reason, he was more intimidating than usual. On the other hand, Cheng Yang¡¯s flaring anger gave him the momentary courage to refute Lu Chenzhou. ¡°What¡¯re you going to do if I don¡¯t? Punch me?¡±


    He let go of Cheng Xi, raised his fists, and prepared to punch Lu Chenzhou.


    Cheng Yang was pretty deliberate with where he punched. SInce his sister was a doctor, he had naturally learned by osmosis the weak points of the body. He only wanted to teach Lu Chenzhou a small lesson, so he subconsciously avoided the most dangerous spots¡ªthe face and the stomach, for example. His fist landed on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s shoulder.


    And then he kicked him.


    After Cheng Yang struck out twice, he tried to pull Cheng Xi away again, but Cheng Xi was still trying to break free from his grip. ¡°Brother¡­¡± She was quite surprised that Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t defended himself, but as she turned around, she saw that Lu Chenzhou was only making his move then. She was so shocked that she forgot her next words, only focusing on throwing herself between the two of them to block Lu Chenzhou from hitting Cheng Yang.


    Due to Cheng Xi¡¯s reactionary movement, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s fist landed on her stomach. Luckily, she was prepared to take the block and had partially blocked it with her hands. But even so, the pain was unimaginable. She curled into a ball and fell prone at Cheng Yang¡¯s feet, sweat beading on her forehead.


    Cheng Yang was already furious, but when he turned around and saw Cheng Xi take a blow for him, all of his fury turned into shock, and he howled at Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you bastard!¡± He cradled Cheng Xi as he desperately asked, ¡°Cheng Xi, Cheng Xi, are you okay?¡±


    But in the time it took him to do all this, Cheng Xi had already clutched her stomach and started throwing up.


    She was shorter than Cheng Yang, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s blow had also directly landed on her stomach. Since she had just eaten, the food easily came back up. It poured out from her mouth; that combined with her pale and bloodless face made for a terrifying sight.


    Lu Chenzhou took a few steps back when he saw this scene. At this time, Lu Chenming and Baldy had heard the earlier commotion and rushed out, only to stand still, dazed, when they beheld the current ghastly sight. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Baldy rushed past Lu Chenzhou and crouched down near Cheng Xi, supporting her as he continually asked, ¡°How did this happen? Dr. Cheng, are you okay? Ah, what¡¯s going on?!¡±


    But no one paid any attention to him; Cheng Yang was at an utter loss for what to do as he held Cheng Xi up. He wanted to cover her mouth but didn¡¯t dare to do so, and in the end, he almost burst into tears from the anxiety. ¡°Cheng Xi, don¡¯t scare me like this!¡±


    Cheng Xi¡­¡­ Cheng Xi was actually just fine. After the initial burst of pain faded away, she was slowly returning to normal. It was just that she felt somewhat weak, but mostly ashamed¡ªthis was the most embarrassing and wretched situation she had ever been in her entire life.


    At least Lu Chenming was thoughtful, being the only one who rushed back into the house to get some napkins and water for her.


    Cheng Xi herself was too weak to do anything, and Cheng Yang had to personally use the napkins to wipe her mouth, and rinse her mouth with the water. Only after she was cleaned up did he lift her up together with Baldy.


    One of them accidentally brushed against her hand, but the slight touch caused pain to arc through her body as she had used it to block Lu Chenzhou¡¯s blow. But she grit her teeth and silently bore the pain because she saw Lu Chenzhou when she lifted her head. He was standing behind everyone else, propped up against a wall as if he¡¯d lost his ability to stand, and was staring looking at his fist in shock.


    After almost a year, Cheng Xi once again saw the same expression that he had made when he almost strangled her to death: a horrified amalgam of shock, fear, and anxiety.


    With a debilitating sense of helplessness pervading through it all.


    She coughed, and called out to him. ¡°Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    He turned around and looked at her, completely distraught.


    ¡°Can you help me up?¡± She had taken a heavy blow from him, and her face and lips were still stark white.


    She was so pitiful that Cheng Yang thundered out, ¡°You still want him to help you?! Do you want to die?!¡±


    He was truly so angry he felt like he was about to explode at any moment, but his outrage was only exacerbated by Cheng Xi¡¯s next words. ¡°Brother, please leave.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Cheng Xi was so weak that he couldn¡¯t drag her away, he almost would¡¯ve dragged her back home, and then cleared her head up for her!


    Cheng Xi had already pushed him aside, and was now barely standing upright with Baldy¡¯s help. She looked at Lu Chenzhou and asked in a slightly ridiculing tone, ¡°Do you want someone else to carry me?¡±


    Her taunt was effective, and Lu Chenzhou slowly walked over before helping support her somewhat stiffly.


    ¡°Are you¡­¡­ alright?¡± His mouth was bone-dry, and it was hard for him to even talk.


    Cheng Xi even joked back, ¡°It¡¯s not too bad. At least you only hit my stomach. If it were a bit further to the left, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten away with just vomiting. I¡¯d probably have to pay the ER a visit.¡±


    Her tone was relaxed, but her words were the truth; based on how hard Lu Chenzhou had hit her, it was very, very fortunate that his fist hadn¡¯t landed on her spleen.


    Perhaps Lu Chenzhou understood what she meant, because his face paled some further.


    Baldy and Lu Chenming were both dazed. According to Cheng Xi¡¯s words, doesn¡¯t that mean that Lu Chenzhou was the one who hit her?!


    ¡­The world¡¯s moving too quickly. It feels like I can¡¯t keep up!


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even dare to reach out and touch her, so Cheng Xi could only fall into his embrace and lean against him weakly. ¡°It was only an accident. Lu Chenzhou, hug me.¡±


    She truly wanted to say that she was alright, but her body just wouldn¡¯t listen to her. She was already starting to feel light-headed, her dress was drenched in sweat, and her body trembling out of control. She was very familiar with this feeling because she had experienced it once before when she had donated her blood in high school.


    So she knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up for much longer.


    But she didn¡¯t want to just fall over. Her vomit was still splattered on the ground, and if she landed in the pool of her own vomit¡­


    Luckily, Lu Chenzhou responded quickly; as she began to fall down, he hugged her tightly. In the moment right before her vision went black, all Cheng Xi could see was Lu Chenzhou¡¯s pupils, wide in shock.


    Cheng Yang yelled out shrilly, both frightened and angry, ¡°Cheng Xi!¡±


    I¡¯m alright. I just need to lie down for a little.


    But no one could read her mind. As she fell, she prayed that Lu Chenzhou wouldn¡¯t be too scared and that Cheng Yang wouldn¡¯t be so overtaken with anger that he¡¯d try to pick another fight with Lu Chenzhou; there was no way he would win!

 Chapter 217: Are You Scared?

    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t feel like she was unconscious for that long, but when she woke up, she saw the familiar view of the interior of a CT scanner.


    She didn¡¯t move and merely lay there peacefully as she patiently waited for the scan to finish, gently sensing the state of her body all the while. Her stomach was still slightly uncomfortable, and so was her hand. There were small pulses of pain emanating from her little finger, and she identified it as the symptoms of a swollen finger.


    The CT scan finished relatively soon, and she was sent out not long after. When the door to the outside slid open and the doctor walked in, she saw a few familiar faces clustered around the door. In particular, Cheng Xi noticed that Lu Chenzhou tried to follow the doctor in, but Cheng Yang fiercely shoved him aside.


    Her brother really had ended up punching Lu Chenzhou again as Lu Chenzhou had two black eyes and a swollen cheek. Cheng Yang raised his hand, about to hit him yet again, when Lu Chenming realized that Cheng Xi was awake. ¡°Icey woke up!¡±


    Cheng Yang instantly let go of Lu Chenzhou and ran over to support Cheng Xi, who had already dragged herself half-upright.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you.¡± Cheng Xi stubbornly pushed him away and flashed an apologetic smile to Lu Chenming and Baldy, who were also reaching out to her. Then, she turned to Lu Chenzhou, who was still standing outside in a somewhat dazed state. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help me?¡±


    Cheng Yang was about to explode by now. ¡°Cheng Xi, what¡¯s the meaning of this!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my duty as a woman to get married.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Baldy and Lu Chenming both started laughing at Cheng Xi¡¯s witty retort.


    Cheng Yang glared at them fiercely before forcefully pulling Cheng Xi up to her feet and supporting her. In the end, however, Cheng Xi managed to stumble away on her own. Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t stepped forward to help her, so she had to hobble towards him after reaching the door.


    Cheng Yang was afraid that Lu Chenzhou would end up hurting her yet again, so he didn¡¯t dare make a move. He could only watch on as his sister shamelessly leaned against Lu Chenzhou¡¯s body and provocatively asked, ¡°Are you really not going to help me?¡±


    She grasped his hand.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand was trembling weakly, and his eyes were filled with¡­¡­ fear and desperation.


    Cheng Xi felt that it was the right time to have a good long talk with him, so she turned her head and asked, ¡°Can we go home now?¡±


    Cheng Yang was seething with rage. ¡°You idiot!¡±


    ¡°Brother, you seem to be quite agitated. You should stay away from me.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    If she weren¡¯t his sister, he¡¯d probably have beaten her to death by now!


    This was the first time Baldy and Lu Chenming had ever seen a pair of siblings who treated each other so savagely. It almost felt like the door to a whole new world had been opened. But it wasn¡¯t the time and place to watch them bicker back and forth, and Baldy felt compelled to stop her. ¡°Dr. Cheng, you should wait for the results of the examination to come out. Your complexion was really bad earlier.¡±


    ¡°How long will it be before the results are out?¡±


    No one knew.


    In the end, it was Baldy who had to run over and ask the staff. He received the response, ¡°The results will only be out tomorrow.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t Renyi; at Renyi, Cheng Xi could have found someone to speed things along, but everyone had been so shocked to see her faint that they had simply rushed her to the nearest hospital.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know anyone here, so she could only return home first.


    Cheng Xi really felt fine. She had fainted not just because of the excessive physical damage, but also because she had a psychological tendency to do so. She just needed some rest as she was already feeling much better than before.


    After they all returned to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s place and Cheng Xi had a half cup of warm water, her complexion returned to normal. Now that she had recovered, Cheng Xi began waving people away. ¡°All of you can go back now. I¡¯d like to talk one-on-one with Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Lu Chenming and Baldy instantly sympathized with Cheng Yang¡¯s earlier grief and indignation.


    And Cheng Yang just ignored her.


    Baldy glanced at Lu Chenzhou, who was sitting on the sofa and still dazed. ¡°Are you sure that this is a good idea?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing bad about it,¡± Cheng Xi said in a calm but resolute tone, ¡°I believe that he¡¯ll take care of me.¡±


    They weren¡¯t worried that he wouldn¡¯t take care of her; they were worried that he¡¯d go crazy again!


    That¡¯s right¡ªwhen Cheng Xi had sunk to the ground and fainted, not only did Cheng Yang punch Lu Chenzhou in his rage, but he also revealed everything about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mental illness.


    But Baldy and Lu Chenming had already experienced so many shocking revelations that day that this truth wasn¡¯t too surprising. When they thought back to their prior experiences with him, they realized that many of his tendencies could be easily explained by a mental illness.


    At this point, they were honestly very worried for Cheng Xi¡¯s safety, because Lu Chenzhou was obviously still in an abnormal state.


    He was extremely quiet, and an oppressive aura circled around him. His entire demeanor made one instinctively anxious that he¡¯d suddenly explode and do something reckless.


    But Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t seem to hear their words at all, and thus, Cheng Xi was ultimately unable to chase any of them away. She wasn¡¯t even able to handle Cheng Yang by himself; as a responsible brother, it was already lenient enough that he didn¡¯t forcefully drag Cheng Xi away, but to leave her alone with him?


    Cheng Xi might be crazy, but he wasn¡¯t.


    So the three of them ended up staying in the living room while Cheng Xi brought Lu Chenzhou to the upstairs study that they were in before. Cheng Xi waved her hands in front of his face. ¡°Come back to your senses.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou turned to gaze at her.


    Cheng Xi looked right back at him. As she spoke to him, her tone was relaxed, as if he were a regular person. ¡°Were you scared? I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my body¡¯s fault. I have a pretty low pain tolerance-¡±


    Cheng Xi was cut off by a sudden hug from Lu Chenzhou.


    ¡°I almost¡­did something unforgivable to you.¡±


    She patted his back and was about to reassure him that it wasn¡¯t too serious, but then she heard him continue speaking. ¡°I almost made you die, just like how I made my mom die.¡±


    Cheng Xi fell silent.


    Even though she had previously guessed that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s psychological impediment stemmed from his mother¡¯s death, she had never expected the truth to be this shocking.


    The most fundamental requirement of any psychiatrist was to remain calm and unsurprised no matter what the patient said. Sometimes, in order to gain the patient¡¯s trust and cooperation, it was necessary to discard one¡¯s ethics and viewpoint to get closer to them.


    And, without a doubt, Cheng Xi was excellent in this aspect.


    Her calmness eventually spread to Lu Chenzhou and helped him calm down as well. He slowly released her. ¡°You¡¯re not scared?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Because she was still slightly weak, her voice was even gentler than usual. It was so soft that she was almost whispering.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand on her shoulder tightened. ¡°The more I care about someone, the more afraid I become that they¡¯ll leave me. At the time, I also thought that I should chain her up by my side, and if not, that I could also kill her. Because then, she¡¯d never be able to leave¡­ aren¡¯t you scared of me?¡±


    This was most likely the root cause of his emotional detachment¡ªhe was afraid of becoming too passionate, too close to someone.


    Cheng Xi nodded with absolute certainty. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. I know that you can control yourself. I know you, and while you¡¯re cold, you¡¯re not cold-blooded. I have nothing to fear from you.¡±


    ¡°But I almost killed you just now!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t die.¡± Cheng Xi looked at him, her eyes firm with immutable resolve. ¡°Besides, that was just an accident. You weren¡¯t deliberately trying to harm anyone, and you only wanted to push my brother away. It was my overreaction that caused your fist to land at an unfortunate timing. Really, I hurt myself. It doesn¡¯t have anything to do with you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice sounded removed as he distantly asked, ¡°Is that really the case?¡±


    Cheng Xi once again reaffirmed it. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± She then took control of the conversation and tried to lead him into talking more about his mother. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you said that you caused your mother to die. Can you tell me more about what really happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only us two here, and I promise that I won¡¯t tell anyone else. What¡¯s more, you¡¯ve been carrying this weight for far too long. It¡¯s time to let it go. Do you want to?¡±


    She had first told him that this was a safe place, and then that the secret he¡¯d been keeping was weighing him down. Then, she offered him a way out by telling her about it and relieving himself of the burden.


    And now, she could only look quietly at Lu Chenzhou and anxiously wait for his response.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 218: Whatre You Plotting?

    At that moment, Cheng Xi suddenly understood why psychiatrists weren¡¯t allowed to develop feelings for their patients: it made it too easy for them to get nervous.


    She was very worried that her nervousness would affect Lu Chenzhou and cause this somewhat haphazard and sloppy therapy session to devolve into something unsatisfactory for both of them.


    She was also afraid that the truth wasn¡¯t something that she could handle.


    But despite her misgivings, Lu Chenzhou really did trust her, and although she could tell that he was struggling internally, after a moment of silence, he started speaking.


    His narrative was disheveled, disorganized, and he even stuttered and stumbled over his words as he spoke. It was clear how deeply this affair had affected him.


    But Cheng Xi was still able to get a rough understanding of what had happened. It wasn¡¯t too complicated: Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother had been a researcher at Donglai Pharmaceuticals, and due to her job, Lu Chenzhou spent most of his time playing in her office.


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t enter any of the rooms with specialized equipment, and he spent most of his time waiting for her in the lab office. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t usually mess around, so his mother felt at ease leaving him alone in the office. However, she was a workaholic, and would often forget about him when she became engrossed in her work. One day, Lu Chenzhou had gotten so hungry that he decided to try to use an alcohol burner to make some food to eat, but a moment of carelessness had caused the fire to break out.


    As the fire developed, Lu Chenzhou had been paralyzed by fear. He initially tried to extinguish it himself, but the flames only grew higher and hotter. He then ran outside the lab and closed the door, naively hoping that the fire wouldn¡¯t come out if he closed the door, and that no one would know about the mistake he¡¯d made.


    But he¡¯d forgotten that his mother was still inside the laboratory. Since she had been working overtime on a weekend, there was barely anyone in the laboratory or the factory. Only when the flames grew into a roaring inferno did the security guards notice it. They called the police and firefighters, but by then, it was already too late.


    Cheng Xi listened to Lu Chenzhou with full focus, slowly piecing this shocking truth from Lu Chenzhou¡¯s disjointed narrative. She asked him some questions from time to time to ease his emotions, but these questions actually highlighted some of the contradictions in his narrative.


    For example, she asked him what his favorite childhood present was.


    Lu Chenzhou thought for quite a long time before finally responding, ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡±


    ¡°Was there one that left the deepest impression on you?¡±


    His eyes darkened as he replied, ¡°I once ate some experimental drugs from the laboratory by accident, and then I ended up being a test subject.¡±


    Cheng Xi was quite shocked. ¡°A test subject?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything huge.¡± His tone was calm, perhaps even somewhat happy as he remarked, ¡°After that incident, my mother would frequently bring me to the lab.¡±


    Cheng Xi had always thought that his relationship with his mother was very good, but now, she was uncertain and couldn¡¯t stop herself from asking, ¡°Did your mother treat you well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she did.¡±


    But as he said this, he noticeably shied away from her. Psychologically, this implied that he wasn¡¯t sure about his answer. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t understand why this would be the case, until she talked with his grandparents afterwards.


    The two of them had come from the hospital and had made this visit specially to see Cheng Xi.


    They brought a lot of food with them, and when Cheng Xi went downstairs, Cheng Yang and the others were all crowded around the table, stuffing themselves with food and drinks while Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents chatted with them congenially.


    Since Cheng Xi had vomited everything in her stomach out earlier, she felt famished upon seeing everyone else eating and immediately followed suit. When she started eating, Cheng Yang was quite worried about her, but he finally relaxed when he saw that she was able to keep everything down without a problem.


    While Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents went upstairs to bring him something to eat and Lu Chenming was talking with Baldy, Cheng Yang surreptitiously tugged on Cheng Xi¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Come here.¡±


    The two of them then walked outside to talk. This time, Cheng Yang was much more alert. He chose a location where he had a clear view of the surroundings, and he even turned around in circles to make sure that what had happened last time wouldn¡¯t happen again.


    When Cheng Yang turned back to Cheng Xi, he saw that she was laughing. ¡°Laugh, laugh, laugh. Let¡¯s see how long you can keep laughing for!¡± He then turned serious in the next moment. ¡°You¡¯re finished with what you¡¯re here to do, right? In that case, I want you to return home with me right now. Will you?¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I promised him that I¡¯d accompany him.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to see your parents? Do you want to throw away your life, just like that?¡± Cheng Yang stared at her gravely. ¡°Do you know how pitiful you were earlier?¡±


    Cheng Xi still had a smile on her face. ¡°Being a doctor¡¯s a dangerous profession, after all¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Cheng Xi, you¡¯re not going to get out of this that easily! If I can¡¯t persuade you, then I¡¯ll have to call mom and dad here to talk to you.¡±


    As he said this, he turned around as if to leave, leaving Cheng Xi with no choice but to pull him back. ¡°Brother~~~¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this to yourself. It makes my heart weep for you.¡±


    Cheng Xi fell silent for a moment, lowering her head. After a lengthy pause, she looked up and pleaded, ¡°Brother, I want to help him.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Cheng Yang looked at his sister. ¡°By using your so-called ¡®love¡¯ to melt him? Cheng Xi, when did you become such a naive person? No. Rather, I should ask, when did you become such a saintess? Do you think that you can illuminate the whole world with your holy aura?¡±


    When Cheng Yang earnestly mocked someone, even Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stand up to him. She looked at him helplessly. ¡°Brother, can you not act like this? I just accidentally fell in love with him while I was helping him.¡±


    ¡°Are psychiatrists allowed to fall in love with their own patients?¡±


    ¡°No. This might be the darkest stain on my professional reputation, but I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    His face had gone ashen by this point. ¡°So you¡¯ve already decided, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    But Cheng Yang just couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°What¡¯s so attractive about him? His handsomeness? If you really like handsome men, then I can find you ten men, all of whom are even more handsome than him in a matter of minutes! Is it his wealth? How much money do you want? Tell me! I don¡¯t have much of anything else, but I can definitely afford to support you for the rest of your life? Is it due to how ambitious he is? You¡¯re not lacking in that regard either, so why find someone as crazy as him? Cheng Xi, I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you this. Why were you so persistent in becoming a psychiatrist? Have you always been trapped under the shadow of Grandma¡¯s death? How many years has it been?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face paled when Cheng Yang mentioned their grandmother.


    Cheng Yang immediately realized that he¡¯d broached a sensitive subject, and he turned around and cursed softly. It took him a while before he turned back around and grumpily said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to bring up grandma.¡±


    Cheng Xi wanted to smile, but she was no longer able to do so. She looked at the verdant greenery in the backyard and softly replied, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with anything you said¡­¡­ the reason why I¡¯m so passionate about my job, why I was so insistent about becoming a psychiatrist is indeed because of grandma. I will never stop wondering if she would have survived if she had met someone who could understand her pain and anguish.¡±


    When Cheng Xi spoke like this, what could Cheng Yang say in response? Their grandmother¡¯s death was a touchy subject for both of them, as she¡¯d all but raised them single-handedly.


    He couldn¡¯t help but curse in frustration. ¡°Shit! But you didn¡¯t have to fall in love with him, did you?!¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled shyly. ¡°He¡¯s a good man. In my eyes, he¡¯s more honest and sincere than anyone else.¡±

 Chapter 219: The Pas

    t


    In the end, Cheng Yang was unable to convince Cheng Xi to leave with him. Though, he was used to this outcome: even in their childhood, she had always been the one to convince him, and not the other way around.


    But he also didn¡¯t want to see her throw herself at Lu Chenzhou any longer, as it was just torturing him at this point. So, Cheng Yang simply decided to leave.


    But before he left, Cheng Xi promised him, ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of myself, and I won¡¯t let anything bad happen to me.¡±


    Cheng Yang laughed coldly in response. ¡°Your promises mean nothing!¡±


    But in the end, Cheng Yang was still worried enough to request Lu Chenming to keep an eye out for her. And he actually did this by clutching Lu Chenming¡¯s shoulder and whispering, ¡°Keep a close eye on the two of them for me. If anything goes wrong, remember to punch your brother. If he breaks anything, I¡¯ll pay you restitution. If he dies, I¡¯ll be your brother from then on.¡± He then nudged Lu Chenming and continued to say, ¡°Didn¡¯t you used to like my sister? I hereby give you permission to like her, woo her, and steal her from Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    Lu Chenming was so scared by Cheng Yang¡¯s words that he started trembling. ¡°I¡­¡­ I don¡¯t dare.¡±


    When Cheng Yang saw this timid reaction, he sighed loudly. What had happened to his courage back when he had thought that Cheng Xi was icey?


    He could only conclude that everyone in the Lu family was a weirdo.


    At the same time, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents were thinking almost the exact same thing. How long ago had Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother died? Why did he bring it up all of a sudden? Who knew what else would be dredged up along with it?


    The reason why all these questions were flying through Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents¡¯ head was because he had suddenly said, ¡°I told her about what happened during the fire.¡±


    Before either of them could react or even comprehend what he¡¯d said, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother instinctively tried to clamp his mouth shut, but Lu Chenzhou avoided her grasp. She suddenly remembered that he didn¡¯t like to be touched, and she stamped her feet in frustration. ¡°What¡¯s with you?! Why did you bring this up out of nowhere?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at them with an unfathomably deep gaze.


    His grandparents¡¯ scalps went numb. ¡°You¡­¡­ what are you planning to do?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s response was the second thing he¡¯d said to them all day. ¡°If she asks you, then tell her the truth. Tell her everything. Otherwise, I¡¯ll tell her on your behalf, and who knows what I¡¯ll say.¡±


    ¡°.......¡±


    After Cheng Xi said goodbye to Cheng Yang and went back into the house, the first thing she saw was Lu Chenzohu¡¯s grandparent¡¯s crestfallen expressions. She was so shocked that she instinctively asked, ¡°Did something happen to Lu Chenzhou?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather waved his hands dismissively before saying, ¡°So, Zhou said that you had something you wanted to ask us about?¡±


    It seemed that Lu Chenzhou had already guessed that she was planning on talking to his grandparents next, and had preemptively saved her the trouble of bringing it up. Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The three of them found an empty room, and Cheng Xi directly broached the subject this time. ¡°I want to know whether or not Lu Chenzhou¡¯s personality changed drastically after his mother¡¯s death.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents glanced at each other before his grandfather responded, ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe so. He¡¯s always been calm and quiet, but he did have a harder time getting closer to people after his mother¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°Did his mother treat him well?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± This time, it was his grandmother who spoke up. ¡°His mother was a crazy workaholic, and the only thing on her mind was the lab. She didn¡¯t spare any time for her son at all!¡±


    ¡°But Lu Chenzhou said that his mother treated him well, and that she often brought him to work.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only because she¡¯d discovered that Zhou was interested in experimental work and that he had some talent for it. She wanted to inculcate him with her own research from a young age. That way, he¡¯d grow up to become a genius.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather even added on, ¡°That¡¯s why her death really had nothing to do with Zhou. I mean, who¡¯d bring a child to the lab area?¡±


    His grandmother followed up with, ¡°That¡¯s right. What happened with the fire can¡¯t really be blamed on Zhou. He was so small back then, what did he know? He was so scared that he locked the door and ran out¡­¡­ Isn¡¯t that a perfectly normal reaction for a kid?¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at them each in turn. ¡°After the incident, did you instruct him to hide this fact?¡±


    Cheng Xi knew that all the details she had found in the public domain about the incident had only said that the fire was caused by a lab employee, and that it had spread too quickly for the employees to escape. There had been no mention of the front door being locked at all.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents were a little uneasy when they heard her question. ¡°What else could we do? He was so small back then¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what about what he said about being a test subject?¡±


    ¡°That was actually an incident. Honestly, even his mother wasn¡¯t crazy enough to treat him as a test subject, and we wouldn¡¯t have allowed it anyways. He really did eat the wrong medicine by accident, and we had to get his stomach pumped. After that, his mother said that she would keep an eye on him to see if any side effects developed. At the time, we joked around that he had become his mother¡¯s test subject, but she became very mad when we said this, as evidently there¡¯d be trouble if Lu Chenzhou blabbed about this. And it was also after that incident that his mother realized that he had considerable talent for experimental work. From that point onwards, she¡¯d often bring him to work with her.¡±


    Perhaps it was because they¡¯d already gone over the crucial parts of the whole thing, but Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents were completely transparent at this point. They even mentioned how Lu Chenzhou¡¯s parents didn¡¯t have a very good relationship, and apparently, his father had even had a mistress before the accident. This had greatly angered Lu Chenzhou¡¯s maternal grandparents, and as they berated Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father, they had also ended up dragging Lu Chenzhou into the convoluted affair, calling him a heartless and cold-blooded monster. Lu Chenzhou took these words to heart, and after all these years, not only did he still treat his father like a stranger, but he also grew estranged from his maternal grandparents.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s conclusion from all this was that even though Lu Chenzhou had a privileged childhood, it wasn¡¯t any good at all: his father didn¡¯t feel a sense of familial duty or responsibility, and his mother was a workaholic.


    In fact, the marriage between Lu Chenzhou¡¯s parents had been brought about by Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather. Back then, he thought that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother was a rare genius, and he had done his best to lure her over to his own medical company, and then, as additional insurance, even had his son marry her.


    In truth, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother had been a wonderful boon to Donglai, which had only been a small pharmaceutical factory back then. One of their flagship drugs was a direct result of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother¡¯s research, and it was this drug that brought Donglai to the forefront of the pharmaceutical industry.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents treated him and Lu Chenming particularly well because of this¡ªthey felt that they owed it to their two grandsons. And Lu Chenzhou¡¯s enmity toward Donglai Pharmaceuticals was also laid clear now: the wealth that the company had accumulated was only a constant reminder of his painful past.


    Lu Chenzhou most likely admired his mother very much, especially given her dedication in the lab, but she had ended up dying as a direct cause of his actions¡­¡­ As Cheng Xi pondered this chain of events, she suddenly felt that the sequence was incongruous, and she quickly asked them a seemingly completely unrelated series of questions. ¡°How old was Lu Chenzhou when this incident happened?¡±


    ¡°Eight or nine years old, I think.¡±


    ¡°At the time, what were the laboratory doors like?¡±


    ¡°Not too different from what they are now: automated metal doors.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at them strangely and then asked her last question. ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t his mother have been able to open it from the inside?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi had finally pinpointed where the sense of incongruity was coming from. If, after the fire started, Lu Chenzhou had really locked the door, then as far as Cheng Xi was aware, the doors should have been able to be opened from the inside regardless of whether it was locked or not¡ªas long as his mother actually had time to escape.


    ¡°But¡­¡­ but Zhou did start the fire, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s recollection of the incident was disheveled and spotty in multiple places; for example, whenever Cheng Xi asked what he was doing with his mother in the lab, he either avoided the question or fell silent.


    On the weekends, Lu Chenzhou could have stayed with his grandparents instead of going to the lab. Why would his mother bring him to the lab with her? Especially after the incident where Lu Chenzhou accidentally ate the wrong medication and had to be sent to the hospital?


    Was it really just to nurture his interest in medical research?


    After she thanked Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents for the honest conversation, she went to the study to look for Lu Chenzhou. He had fallen already asleep on the sofa with his long legs slightly bent to the side and half of his body covered by the blanket. He looked unusually obedient and docile.


    Cheng Xi crept up to him and leaned down to his face. It was almost dusk outside, and in the dim light, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tightly shut eyes left two long shadows reaching across his face.


    His eyelashes are really long. Cheng Xi¡¯s heart itched a little, and she couldn¡¯t help herself form stretching a hand out to touch them.


    Her fingertips bounced into a fluffy elastic resistance, as if she¡¯d accidentally brushed against a butterfly¡¯s wings. Suddenly, the butterfly¡¯s wings opened, and her hand was caught.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± she asked him naturally, as if she didn¡¯t realize that she¡¯d woken him up.


    He stretched his arms out, hugged her, rubbed his face against her shoulder, and lightly kissed her lower jaw.


    The atmosphere between them was nice, but as Cheng Xi leaned against him, she suddenly asked, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, I¡¯d like to find someone to conduct hypnotherapy on you. Is that fine?¡±

 Chapter 220: Erectile Dysfunction?

    Hypnotherapy was a standard psychotherapy procedure, but the reason why Cheng Xi wanted Lu Chenzhou to undergo this procedure was to dig up the truth of that incident from long ago.


    She was somewhat suspicious of the veracity of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s memories as the events had taken place too long ago. Even adults subconsciously pruned and edited their old memories, to say nothing of what an eight-year-old child would do with a traumatic memory.


    Lu Chenzhou hesitated for a moment before assenting.


    As he had promised earlier, he would do anything if it meant that she would stay.


    Cheng Xi was touched by his willingness, and she leaned into his embrace and kissed him. She didn¡¯t say anything more, because she believed that he could understand her feelings.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything either. His cheeks were still slightly swollen, and his eyes had the remnant markings of a bruise. Cheng Xi lightly kissed his wounds as she tried to rationalize Cheng Yang¡¯s actions. ¡°It¡¯s just that my brother¡¯s very protective of me¡ª¡±


    But before she could finish, he stopped her from speaking any further.


    His tongue flirted with hers; a cold and soft object entered her mouth, bringing with it a lemony fragrance.


    The sky outside was burning a dull red, and amidst the striking sunset backdrop, the two of them had a gentle and long-lasting kiss.


    It abruptly ended when Cheng Xi¡¯s feet went numb again, causing her to fall onto the floor with an ¡°Ouch!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou let go of her, letting her lay on the ground as he leaned back against the sofa and looked at her.


    ¡°My legs hurt! Will you massage them for me?¡± Cheng Xi moved in front of him. But when she saw the darkness swimming in his eyes, she scrambled backwards, climbing up and away from him, and pretended that she hadn¡¯t said anything just now. ¡°Are you going to sleep some more? If not, you should get up. Baldy and the others are still here.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her lazily, but then his gaze suddenly sharpened. He got down from the sofa, crouched down in front of her, reached out, and grabbed her leg.


    Cheng Xi wanted to pull her leg back. She glanced at the door, worried that he¡¯d do something reckless and that he¡¯d repeat the earlier incident with Cheng Yang.


    But Lu Chenzhou firmly held onto her leg, not letting her move it at all. Then, he lifted the hem of her dress.


    Right above her knee was a long laceration. Dried blood had already scabbed over the slightly swollen flesh, making for a frightening sight.


    His fingers brushed lightly against the wound. ¡°Your leg?¡±


    Cheng Xi realized that his actions weren¡¯t what she¡¯d expected, and she blushed from the misunderstanding. When she heard his question, she glanced at it and then casually replied, ¡°Hmm? Did I scratch myself? It¡¯s just a superficial scratch. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Then, she even joked, ¡°I probably got this from when I scaled the wall to enter. It¡¯s been a while since I did something like that, so I was out of practice.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡­ scaled the wall?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I also broke the window in your living room. You might have to get that replaced.


    Lu Chenzhou was struck speechless. He had never expected that Cheng Xi was this¡­¡­ adventurous.


    Cheng Xi looked at him, still somewhat worried, and then she heard him say, ¡°Let me see you climb the wall again.¡±


    This time, it was Cheng Xi¡¯s turn to be struck speechless.


    The two of them chatted aimlessly for the rest of the night, neither of them mentioning the hypnotherapy session again. But the next day, Cheng Xi found a hypnotherapist and told him about it. Lu Chenzhou calmly replied, ¡°What time? And where?¡±


    ¡°At his office,¡± Cheng Xi answered before briefly describing the hypnotherapist¡¯s background, ¡°He was recommended to me by one of my seniors. Actually, he¡¯s pretty well known within the country.¡±


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t very experienced with hypnotherapy, and the classes she had taken back in medical school hadn¡¯t covered this. Furthermore, due to Lu Chenzhou¡¯s particularly wary and controlling nature, Cheng Xi had expended considerable effort to find someone reliable.


    Since she had to return to Gansu shortly, they scheduled Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hypnotherapy session to take place in two days. Cheng Xi spent this period of time relaxing with Lu Chenzhou. Of course, they had moved back into Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment.


    Lu Chenzhou liked her place mostly because it wasn¡¯t very big. Whenever he turned around, he could see and hug her.


    On their first day, they moved all of Cheng Yang¡¯s belongings and the furniture in the guest room to the apartment next door. Additionally, Lu Chenzhou was petty enough to still be annoyed by the apartment door that Cheng Yang had installed. When Lu Chenzhou saw it, he immediately had it replaced with an even more advanced version. Fingerprints and retina scans were already outdated¡ªthe most modern technology employed biometric palm scans now!


    In the time it took Cheng Xi to go to Renyi and come back, she could no longer recognize her front door.


    Lu Chenzhou had to help her open the door and record her information on the scanner. She allowed him to do as he pleased as she leaned against the doorframe and joked, ¡°I feel like this kind of door is wasted on me.¡± Honestly, what was the point of installing such a secure door for her shabby little apartment?


    When Cheng Yang came over and saw the door, he was also shocked. ¡°What¡¯s he doing?! Is he trying to advertise that you have something precious in your apartment?¡±


    It was a bit too incongruous, wasn¡¯t it?


    But Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to talk to either of them about the door anymore. Of course, Cheng Yang had come over to find her not for the door but rather to talk about Lu Chenzhou. ¡°What kind of mental illness does he suffer from?¡±


    Since Lu Chenzhou had announced it himself, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t hide it any longer. ¡°Emotional detachment.¡±


    Cheng Yang immediately googled the term on his phone, and read through a score of comprehensive articles and informational sites. However, the only information he retained was a possible symptom. ¡°......Erectile dysfunction?¡± And then he looked at Cheng Xi questioningly.


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Yang thought that her silence was a tacit agreement, so he too fell silent for a moment. ¡°No wonder his mental state¡¯s like that.¡± And then his attitude quickly became gracious. ¡°You should do your best to help him open up. Remember, if he really can¡¯t do it with you, then don¡¯t force it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In order to protect her and Cheng Yang¡¯s lives, Cheng Xi decided to bury this conversation deep in her heart, never to see daylight.


    In these two days of free time, Cheng Xi did everything that she needed to do after returning home. First and foremost, she went home to see her parents, and Lu Chenzhou went along with her. Just his presence alone meant that, no matter what Cheng Xi brought, her parents were both upset. When the two of them arrived, they ignored her and bluntly asked Lu Chenzhou, ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡± Their tone was very impolite.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    This was something that Cheng Xi had preemptively trained him to do: no matter what her parents said, as long as he apologized, then everything would be fine. Indeed, Cheng Xi¡¯s parents couldn¡¯t do anything to him with this iron defense. And since they knew that Cheng Xi was only back for a few days, they couldn¡¯t bear to scold her for too long. They quickly ignored Lu Chenzhou and turned to Cheng Xi as they wiped their eyes. ¡°You¡¯re darker, thinner, and somewhat older.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi could only stay with them for a single day, because on the second day, Tian Rou and her other classmates found her. They all decided to get together and go visit Shen Wei and see her baby. The baby was a beautiful little boy, and he was already three months old, chubby, and cute.


    Shen Wei looked far happier now compared to before her divorce, as her every action carried a warm and graceful bearing. Or in Tian Rou¡¯s words, she was filled with a motherly aura. And whereas Tian Rou simply pretended that Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t there, Shen Wei acknowledged Lu Chenzhou and calmly smiled as she said, ¡°When Cheng Xi left, I thought that the two of you would get back together. Lo and behold, you did.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her arrogantly. ¡°After your divorce, your eyesight seems to have improved.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Even Tian Rou couldn¡¯t stop herself from chuckling at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s jab, and Cheng Xi had to intervene to smooth things over. ¡°He¡¯s praising you, really.¡±


    Eventually, Shen Wei shot Mr. Lu a look just as supercilious as his.


    Then, it was finally time for Lu Chenzhou to undergo his hypnotherapy. Cheng Xi was worried that he¡¯d be anxious, so as they walked in, she tried to console him. ¡°You¡¯ll be alright. It¡¯s a very simple procedure. You just need to relax and do what the hypnotherapist tells you to do.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded.


    In the end, after about an hour, the doctor came out.


    ¡°Did it fail?¡± Cheng Xi asked with a frown.

 Chapter 221: Hypnotherapy

    The hypnotherapist was a middle-aged male with gold-rimmed glasses and a scholarly air.


    He pushed his glasses up as he replied to Cheng Xi, ¡°His sense of self-preservation is too strong, so he¡¯s completely unwilling to listen to my commands.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless at the result. ¡°Are there any other methods, then?¡±


    ¡°If the hypnotherapy were performed by someone he trusts, then the probability of success would increase significantly.¡±


    But where was Cheng Xi going to find someone like that? And how long would it take, given how much time and effort it had taken Cheng Xi to reach her current level of trust with him?


    ¡°Then you can do it yourself, can¡¯t you?¡± the hypnotherapist asked when he saw her despairing expression, ¡°Aren¡¯t you also a psychiatrist?¡±


    ¡°......I don¡¯t know hypnotherapy at all.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know how to do it, then learn. It¡¯s really not that hard. All you need to do is hypnotize him. I can handle the rest.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him unsurely, feeling that this was a very sloppy plan.


    ¡°It should work,¡± the hypnotherapist said with a shrug, ¡°And nothing else viable comes to mind. And given his personality, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯d be hard-pressed to find someone he trusts as much as you.¡±


    And so Cheng Xi rolled up her sleeves and started a crash course in the subtle art of hypnotherapy. Lu Chenzhou was more than happy with this change as he was naturally more comfortable and able to relax with Cheng Xi than a strange man.


    After Lu Chenzhou lost his position as CEO, he found that he had far more free time than he could spend. He had accompanied Cheng Xi around as she visited her friends and family, and now that she was about to learn hypnotherapy, he was more than happy to keep her company at home¡ªfinally, they would have some alone time.


    He fervently wished that Cheng Xi would take a long time to grasp hypnotherapy, so he continuously bothered her when she studied. For example, one day, Cheng Xi was reading a book on the subject when he sat down by her side. At the beginning, he was in a normal position, but eventually, he somehow ended up behind her, hugging her from the back.


    Cheng Xi tended to take her reading seriously, and since she was trying to learn this foreign material with a pressing deadline hanging over her head, she was thoroughly engrossed in her book. Even though Lu Chenzhou pressed himself against her for quite a while, she didn¡¯t respond at all.


    Lu Chenzhou felt like she had forgotten about him, which left him unsatisfied. He continued trying to provoke a response from Cheng Xi, and slid his hands into her clothes. His fingers crept over her underclothes as they pinched and kneaded her soft and jade-like skin wherever they went.


    But Cheng Xi only softly chastised him. ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss.¡±


    However, her soft words only further encouraged him; he tilted her chin back and kissed her, gently wrapping their tongues together even as his fingers¡¯ movements turned somewhat rough, pinching her in retaliation for her ignoring him.


    Cheng Xi groaned in pain, and he asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Cheng Xi made a pitiful expression. ¡°It does.¡± She hoped that this would satisfy his craving for attention, but Lu Chenzhou pressed his forehead against hers and softly said, ¡°Really? Then let me see.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    And then, before she could even respond, he pulled her clothes up, buried his head in her chest, and lapped at her skin as he asked, ¡°Where does it hurt? Here? Here?¡±


    Cheng Xi lowered her head, and her gaze was filled with his dark brows and clear eyes. They usually gave off a sense of sanctity and purity, but now that he was doing something like this¡­¡­


    She felt her heartbeat speed up slightly as her hands and feet went numb, leaving only her intellect. She clutched his ears in resistance as she weakly muttered, ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡±


    But he grabbed her waist, breaking her words off. ¡°I want to have sex with you.¡±


    And then they had a half-day-long marathon session. By the end, Cheng Xi was so tired that she just lay in bed without getting up. When she finally found the energy to stand up, the sky was already dark. Lu Chenzhou was in the kitchen making dinner, and Cheng Xi was no longer in the mood to read, so she grabbed a bowl of fruit, plopped down on the sofa, and started idly scrolling through her phone.


    Her classmates were making a huge commotion about something in the group chat, and her original colleagues were actually calling for her to join them. ¡°Dr. Cheng, come out and have fun with us!¡±


    Temptation was lurking behind every corner.


    Even in this distraction-filled environment, Cheng Xi somehow managed to finish studying all of the theoretical knowledge necessary to hypnotize someone. Then, she had a grueling training session with a hypnotherapist over the course of two days. Finally, Cheng Xi formally entered the training phase. In order to raise her chances of successfully hypnotizing Lu Chenzhou, she chose to test out her skills on a simpler test subject first. Naturally, she called Cheng Yang over. ¡°Let me test my theoretical understanding on you.¡±


    And so Cheng Yang was led to the study like a sheep to the slaughter. He gazed at her warily. ¡°What¡¯re you trying to do? I¡¯ll tell you straight up¡ªthere¡¯s no need for any kind of lie detectors. I¡¯ve never lied to you about anything.¡±


    Cheng Xi chuckled. ¡°Then what about Lu Chenming?¡±


    Cheng Yang wilted instantly as he asked, ¡°What do you want from me?¡± But then, he patted his chest proudly as he declared, ¡°I¡¯ll do anything.¡±


    When he realized that Cheng Xi was going to try to hypnotize him, he became clearly unnerved. ¡°Why¡¯d you start learning this, anyways? Didn¡¯t you come back home to visit your friends and family and treat that fellow? If so, you should just focus on those things~¡±


    He felt like his life was unusually difficult. When Cheng Xi had been studying facial cues in the past, she had practiced on him; after that whole ordeal finished, he felt like all his secrets had been laid bare in front of her.


    And now, he was about to be hypnotized¡­¡­ My goodness, she wasn¡¯t going to uncover every embarrassing thing he¡¯d ever done in his lifetime, was she?


    Cheng Xi had an idea of what her brother was thinking about, and she tried to calm him, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I just want to know if I can actually do it or not. I¡¯m not interested in your sordid past.¡±


    And so, Cheng Yang apprehensively became Cheng Xi¡¯s first test subject.


    While Cheng Xi was getting ready, Cheng Yang thought to himself, ¡°I won¡¯t be hypnotized, I won¡¯t be hypnotized.¡±


    But in the heat of the moment, he actually said it out loud.


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Yang laughed dryly. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s nothing. Ignore me.¡±


    Cheng Xi raised her eyebrows, smiling faintly. She didn¡¯t try to rush into it, and started by aimlessly chatting about nothing with him, choosing some random topics that Cheng Yang was interested in. As they talked, she casually took out a pocket watch and waved it in front of him. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    ¡°A pocket watch.¡±


    ¡°What time is it?¡±


    The pocket watch swung back and forth in graceful arcs, and Cheng Yang¡¯s pupils followed it like an unerring metronome. Cheng Xi gently intoned, ¡°Brother, aren¡¯t you tired? If you are, then shut your eyes. Don¡¯t think about anything else. Just listen to my voice¡­¡±


    Cheng Yang slowly closed his eyes.


    While Cheng Xi and Cheng Yang were busy practicing hypnosis in the study, Lu Chenzhou was sitting in the living room by himself, watching a movie. Halfway through, he saw Cheng Yang recklessly run out of the study as if his pants were on fire.


    Not long after, Cheng Xi also came out, a faint smile on her face.


    ¡°Were you successful?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was.¡±


    Of course, her successful hypnosis of Cheng Yang was mainly because he was quite susceptible to hypnosis, unlike Lu Chenzhou. When she actually tried to hypnotize Lu Chenzhou, the hypnotherapist was also present. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t expect to succeed on her first attempt, but surprisingly, it went smoothly.


    When Lu Chenzhou quietly laid down on the sofa, completely open to suggestion, Cheng Xi released a pent up breath. Under the guidance of the hypnotherapist, she slowly led him back to the time of the accident. ¡°You¡¯re eight years old, and you¡¯re standing by an intersection. What do you see?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyelashes twitched, as if uneasy and fearful memories were being unearthed.


    Cheng Xi thought that he was about to wake up, but then, a moment later, she heard him softly say, ¡°I see¡­ a cliff.¡±

 Chapter 222: Altered Memories

    Cheng Xi and the hypnotherapist glanced at each other. The latter shrugged ambiguously while the former gulped anxiously. Cheng Xi hesitantly continued, asking, ¡°What else do you see?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyelids suddenly started fluttering wildly, and his breathing also became uneven. Then, he suddenly yelled out, ¡°Step over it!¡± as he gripped the armrest with all his strength.


    He had shouted this so suddenly that both Cheng Xi and the hypnotherapist were shocked by the outburst. Luckily, both of them recovered quickly, and Cheng Xi continued on without missing a beat. ¡°This¡­¡­ who said this?¡±


    His prior shout¡¯s tone had been so severe that it felt like he had subconsciously repeated what someone else had told him to do.


    ¡°......¡± Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond this time. His hand was still clutching the armrest tightly and his entire body had begun trembling slightly, all signs that he was still anxious.


    Cheng Xi stared at Lu Chenzhou in a daze, completely forgetting about the hypnotherapist at her side. She continued on her own. ¡°What happened after you stepped over? What¡¯s below the cliff?¡±


    ¡°A fire. A very big fire.¡±


    ¡°How did the fire start?¡±


    ¡°......I was very hungry, and I wanted to eat.¡±


    ¡°You were hungry and wanted to eat?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you succeed?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou became frightened and his voice turned shrill. ¡°It started burning.¡±


    They had finally reached the climax of the incident. Cheng Xi started fidgeting out of nervousness, causing the hypnotherapist to look at her and motion for her to calm herself. After she recomposed herself, she continued once again. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I tried to extinguish the fire¡­ I had water next to me¡­ I didn¡¯t succeed, and the fire grew larger.¡±


    ¡°Did you run away afterwards?¡±


    ¡°She came.¡±


    ¡°Who? Your mother?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± When Lu Chenzhou said this, all the tension in his face melted away.


    ¡°So the two of you actually managed to escape, right? You were both safe?¡±


    ¡°No. She ran back in¡­¡­ The data was very important, and if she didn¡¯t bring it out, then all her suffering over the years would have been for naught.¡±


    ¡°Whose suffering?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou writhed violently until he finally mumbled, ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± His voice rose one pitch higher than usual as he repeated, ¡°I can¡¯t say!¡±


    Before Cheng Xi could even react, the hypnotherapist took over. ¡°When I count to ¡®three,¡¯ you¡¯ll wake up and remember what you said during this session¡ª¡±


    But before the hypnotherapist could start counting, Lu Chenzhou suddenly raised his head and stared straight at the two of them, his dark ochre pupils slowly clearing up.


    He woke up.


    He actually broke free of the hypnotism, just like that.


    Cheng Xi gasped in shock, and even the hypnotherapist was very surprised.


    ¡°You¡­¡­ are you alright?¡± Cheng Xi asked softly.


    Lu Chenzhou observed her face carefully, his gaze clear but distant. He blinked once and then shut his eyes. ¡°I want to be left alone for a moment.¡±


    Before the hypnotherapist left, he pointed at Cheng Xi and asked, ¡°Do you still remember her?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded coldly.


    The hypnotherapist then walked out of the room without saying another word. Cheng Xi stood there silently before also following him out.


    As the door closed, she saw Lu Chenzhou sitting on the sofa, alone. The originally calming and quiet music seemed to take on a sorrowful timbre.


    The hypnotherapist was waiting for her not too far away from the room. ¡°Can we chat?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded.


    The two of them walked to his nearby office. The hypnotherapist closed the door, poured Cheng Xi a glass of water, and then sat down in front of her. ¡°You seem very upset, no?¡±


    Rather than answering, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Was that a failure on my part?¡±


    ¡°No, it was really quite the successful session. Far more productive than I expected it to be.¡±


    Cheng Xi slowly released a pent up breath.


    The hypnotherapist smiled warmly. ¡°You¡¯re being too hard on yourself. Although it¡¯s rare for the patient to wake up in the middle of a hypnotherapy session, it¡¯s not unheard of either. What¡¯s more, you¡¯ve already gotten the most important piece of information from him, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    His words seemed to revitalize Cheng Xi slightly. ¡°Are the memories recalled through hypnotherapy always a hundred percent reliable?¡±


    The hypnotherapist nodded. ¡°More so than one¡¯s conscious recollection, at least.¡±


    ¡°So there really was something wrong with his memory. It turns out that he didn¡¯t actually run away by himself. He first tried to extinguish the fire but failed. Then, the fire was discovered by his mother before the two of them ran out together.¡± After Cheng Xi recounted what Lu Chenzhou had said, she paused for a moment. ¡°This chain of events should have left a heavy impression on him. How could he have forgotten all these details?¡±


    In general, people often patched up and embellished ugly memories. This was the first time Cheng Xi had encountered a case like Lu Chenzhou¡¯s, where someone deliberately debased their good memories. There was an astronomical difference between locking his mother up and letting her to burn to death and his mother voluntarily running into a burning laboratory and dying as a result.


    The hypnotherapist tapped on the table to grab her attention before reminding her, ¡°Do you remember the first thing he said after being hypnotized?¡±


    ¡°That he saw a cliff?¡±


    ¡°Right. And what did he say right before he woke up? ¡®The data was very important, and if she didn¡¯t bring it out with her, then all her suffering over the years would have been for naught.¡¯ You then asked him who had been suffering, and he actually woke up because he was struggling to not answer. From this, we can conclude that this is the question he most wants to avoid¡ªor perhaps a question someone important least wanted him to answer. It¡¯s even possible that his memories were altered against his own will.¡±


    They were so close to the truth that Cheng Xi¡¯s fingers started trembling.


    The hypnotherapist continued analyzing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s responses. ¡°You¡¯re a psychiatrist, so you should know about the infamous ¡®visual cliff¡¯ experiment conducted back in the 1960s, a classic psychology experiment that tested when infants develop depth perception¡­ I suspect that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother did a similar experiment with him in that lab.¡±


    He was being very tactful, because the ¡°visual cliff¡± wasn¡¯t a harmful experiment. However, Lu Chenzhou had clearly suffered from whatever experiment he participated in, and his mother had evidently tried to hide this experiment from her family. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have continued to bring him to the lab when he could have been dropped off with his grandparents.


    She had even been willing to run into a burning laboratory for this precious set of data.


    The hypnotherapist didn¡¯t know all the details of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s history, but he had clearly performed a basic background check on Lu Chenzhou beforehand. Thus, he was even able to propose a preliminary hypothesis that chilled Cheng Xi to the bone. ¡°As I recall, one of the most famous drugs that Donglai developed was an anti-depression drug. As a pharmaceuticals company, it¡¯s always been at the very forefront of depression-related research. In fact, if I recall correctly, the lab that your professor, Madam Cai Yi, constructed after she retired was also funded by Donglai.¡±


    And Cai Yi¡¯s research was on the relationship between genetics and depression¡ªdepression yet again!


    Cheng Xi suddenly stood up, her face inhospitable. ¡°That¡¯s a completely baseless conjecture. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother was already badly hurt by the time she escaped from the burning laboratory. Regardless of whether or not the data exists, I, and the Cai Yi I know, definitely wouldn¡¯t stand behind any experiment that tried to turn regular people into madmen!¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± The hypnotherapist smiled superficially as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I said more than I should have. I meant nothing by my words. It¡¯s just that I like to provide as much of a service to my clients as I can. I don¡¯t charge a cheap fee, after all.¡±


    Cheng Xi gazed at him one last time before twisting her head away and leaving.


    When she opened the door, she saw Lu Chenzhou. He had followed them out of the room at some point, and was silently standing in the corridor.

 Chapter 223: Fortunately, I Met You

    Cheng Xi¡¯s face paled when she saw Lu Chenzhou standing outside, but she quickly recovered and greeted him normally. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me know that you came out?¡± She grasped his hand in hers. The spring air was cool, but his fingertips were even colder than the December wind. Cheng Xi unconsciously rubbed them in an attempt to warm them up. ¡°Do you feel alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied softly.


    ¡°Shall we go back?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    And so, Cheng Xi held his hand and they left the hypnotherapist¡¯s office together. On the way home, neither of the two spoke very much. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze was fixed outside the window, his thoughts preoccupied.


    When they got home, he immediately pulled Cheng Xi into bed, where they cuddled together. Cheng Xi felt his whirling emotions through his desperate embrace. After a while, she said, ¡°If you want to do it, we can.¡±


    Sex could be a very good way to let out one¡¯s emotions, and Lu Chenzhou definitely needed to vent right now.


    Unexpectedly, he rejected her by burying his head in her back and forcefully hugging her from behind. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll harm you. Cheng Xi, don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯d rather, just lie here and hug you.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart trembled. In the end, she couldn¡¯t move away, and she didn¡¯t say anything else either; she just sighed and closed her eyes.


    She didn¡¯t know when she fell asleep, but when she woke up, it was already midday. The spring sun shone brightly through the window, warming up the balcony.


    She was still caught in his embrace, his hands tightly wrapped around her.


    Lu Chenzhou slept in a very orderly fashion, and he almost never moved at night. When Cheng Xi woke up in the morning, she often saw that his position hadn¡¯t changed at all throughout the night. He seemed to wake up in the exact same position that he fell asleep in¡ªeven his blankets were smooth and orderly in the way they draped over his body.


    Cheng Xi initially assumed that he hadn¡¯t woken up yet, so she tried to stay still, but then, she felt that something was off and turned around. Lu Chenzhou had actually woken up long ago, but his eyes were indistinct as his gaze was focused on something far off in the distance.


    Only when Cheng Xi turned out did he break out of his reverie, turning around to gaze at her.


    Cheng Xi touched his face lovingly. ¡°Are you hungry? I¡¯ll make you something to eat.¡±


    He shook his head imperceptibly, and then suddenly said, ¡°She didn¡¯t do it intentionally.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Cheng Xi was still a bit muddle-headed. She had long since relegated that frightening guess to a dream, to be temporarily forgotten.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t very loud, but it was perfectly clear. ¡°She didn¡¯t experiment on me intentionally. It was because she made an unexpected discovery¡ªI had a rare genetic mutation, and I also had a tendency to distance myself from others.¡±


    Cheng Xi was very shocked. ¡°You remember it all?¡±


    ¡°I looked at a recording.¡±


    Cheng Xi made a soft ¡°Oh¡± sound before she actually processed his words. ¡°Then, you¡­¡­ remember it all?¡±


    ¡°A part of it, at least.¡± His tone was particularly peaceful, as if a heavy burden had just been lifted from his shoulders. ¡°At least¡­¡­ I wasn¡¯t the one who killed her.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded sympathetically. At this time, she knew that it would be enough if she just listened quietly.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t seem to want to hide anything from her. He played with her hand, one finger at a time, as he told his story. ¡°I loved my mother very much, and I always felt that she was the prettiest when she was working in the laboratory with her white lab coat on. But she was always ambivalent towards my brother and me. She didn¡¯t like children very much and treated them as burdens. Originally, she had planned on focusing on her work and not having any children, but neither my grandparents nor my father would accept that. So in the end, after a lengthy discussion, she had me and my brother. Even when I was little, I was introverted, and I couldn¡¯t speak in complete sentences even at the age of six. Since I didn¡¯t like other people and I didn¡¯t like speaking, I¡¯d always play with myself. When I was six, I followed her into the lab and accidentally ate some pills left on the table. When she inspected me afterwards, she discovered that I had a genetic mutation that affected my brain. Initially, she thought that it was caused by those drugs, but later, she found that it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    This was all Lu Chenzhou said, but Cheng Xi could already guess the rest of the story: after confirming that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s genetic mutation wasn¡¯t due to any sort of medication, his mother had become interested in her spurned son and performed a series of psychological tests on him¡­¡­ As for what those tests entailed, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say, and neither did Cheng Xi ask. From Lu Chenzhou¡¯s current personality, she already knew that they couldn¡¯t have been happy memories for him.


    Evidently, Lu Chenzhou had also heard the startling hypothesis that the hypnotherapist had put forth. ¡°She did manage to save the data. And she didn¡¯t die in the fire. She was rescued, but her injuries were so severe that she passed away from them two days later. The reason why Donglai was able to cooperate with Cai Yi was because my father gave her all of that recovered data later on.¡±


    Cheng Xi shut her eyes tightly.


    Lu Chenzhou caressed her face as he continued to explain his past. ¡°When my mother died, she didn¡¯t say anything. All she did was call me to her side and make me promise to keep it a secret. I didn¡¯t understand what she meant at that time, but later, I understood that she wanted to protect Donglai by making sure that the thread of research she¡¯d given her life for went on. In the past, I didn¡¯t think that this was wrong. She lived for her dreams and she had died for them as well. She always told me that humanity had to improve, that science had to develop, and that in the process, sacrifices would inevitably be made. It was always going to be either her or me; and to her, there wasn¡¯t a big difference between the two. She wanted me to be someone that others would remember forever, so she taught me how to discard all of my useless emotions, and I always followed her teachings¡­¡­ Until I met you.¡±


    ¡°I first saw you in Cai Yi¡¯s laboratory. Cai Yi was impressed with your abilities and mindset, and she wanted to train you to be her successor, so she called me over to meet you. I still remember that day as if it were yesterday. You were wearing a white blouse and a pale green skirt, a particularly plain outfit. When you entered the room, you quickly sat down in front of Cai Yi and told her that you couldn¡¯t accept the experimental treatment that she was proposing based on the fact that you were a psychiatrist. You said that you wished to hold the key to your patients¡¯ recovery in your hands and not cold, hard data.¡±


    Cheng Xi was caught off guard by this part of the story. She remembered this talk with Cai Yi, but she didn¡¯t remember seeing Lu Chenzhou at all. ¡°Where were you at the time?¡±


    ¡°I was sitting right outside. In fact, you walked by my side as you came out. While you might not have noticed me, I noticed you. After that encounter, I read through all of the papers that you had published, and only then did I learn that there was another kind of perseverance¡ªyou don¡¯t need to nobly take on all of humanity¡¯s problems, and neither did you have to do something you don¡¯t want to do. In your papers, patients with mental illnesses were people made of blood and flesh, and their suffering was so real and palpable that anyone could feel it.¡±


    ¡°Did you know, Cheng Xi? I initially wanted to make you similar to me. But now, I couldn¡¯t be happier that you¡¯re different from me.¡± He brought her hand by his lips and kissed it gently. ¡°While you were sleeping, I had a feeling that perhaps the reason why she made me into who I am today was all so that I could meet you. Fortunately, I met you, Cheng Xi.¡±

 Chapter 224: A Hundred Million

    Cheng Xi was speechless. She hugged Lu Chenzhou as tightly as she could. She was so touched that she had to screw her eyes shut to prevent tears from leaking out.


    She had never imagined in a million years that he would say something like this, and the only response she had was to hug him with all of her strength.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t say anything else. After divulging everything he needed to, he stopped submerging himself in his past. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t push or prod him any further either; after all, she was just a doctor, and the many ethical and legislative landmines within that incident had been mostly buried alongside Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother.


    All Cheng Xi wanted from Lu Chenzhou was for him to let go of that burden and to live his life happily.


    On that day, they stayed in bed until late in the afternoon, only climbing out when they were ravenous for food. She didn¡¯t know whether the resulting meal was lunch or dinner, but it was very plain. It was made from ingredients that had all been brought over by Cheng Yang on his mother¡¯s instructions. But Cheng Xi¡¯s cooking skills had deteriorated as she had stopped cooking after moving to Gansu. Even the grip of a pot or pan in her hands was a foreign feeling now.


    So when she said that she would help make food, what she really meant was that she¡¯d help wash and clean as Lu Chenzhou sliced and stir-fried the meat and vegetables.


    And as he cooked, she would periodically snatch up pieces of food from the pan. Lu Chenzhou usually hated it when she did this, as he was a firm believer that food should be only eaten at the dining table.


    But today, he didn¡¯t stop her. Whenever Cheng Xi picked up a stray piece of food to eat, he even allowed her to feed him a piece as well.


    As Cheng Xi happily fed the two of them, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s invite Baldy and have a fun night out all together.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou paused as he looked at her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    He turned around, and watched the soup slowly simmer as he said, ¡°You were the one who instructed him to do it, right?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°To bother me day and night.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s odd phrasing caused Cheng Xi to burst out into laughter. ¡°He really did that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Chenzhou sounded like he was complaining, but truth be told, he wasn¡¯t actually unhappy.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t deny his accusation that she had asked Baldy to talk and hang out with him more often. Instead, she merely replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t ask him to bother you all day long. Obviously, he cares a lot about you.¡± She put down her chopsticks and hugged him from behind. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯re quite the lucky man. Baldy cares for you more than you know.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond. He was old friends with Baldy, and they had known each other for so long that he seemed to have slowly gotten used to his presence.


    Actually, he had even gotten to know Baldy by pure coincidence; the two of them were at the same university, and Lu Chenzhou had only extended an invitation to Baldy because he couldn¡¯t stand letting him fall for someone else¡¯s malicious scam.


    Another reason was that he had heard other people talking behind his back. They called him aloof and friendless, and said that no one was willing to be close with him. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t want to be treated like a monster to be gawked at, so he decided to make himself one or two new friends. However, he wasn¡¯t interested in slowly developing a friendship through awkward long-term contact. He had read somewhere that helping someone in need could quickly develop into a casual friendship, and since Baldy was right in front of him, he had lent him a hand.


    And as expected, Baldy had become his ¡°friend¡± for all these years. Through him, Lu Chenzhou had also met Xu Po, Xie Ziming, and a whole bunch of other people who could be considered ¡°friends¡± but whom he honestly didn¡¯t really hang out with.


    During the year-long period when Cheng Xi had been gone, he had been constantly mired in his company¡¯s struggle for ownership. As a result, everyone had started avoiding him out of either a desire to stay out of the mess or because they were unable to accept his aloofness without any benefits. Everyone except for Baldy, that is. It seemed that Baldy was really the only one that would stick through thick and thin with Lu Chenzhou.


    When Lu Chenzhou thought about how Baldy had stuck by him, his cold face warmed up, and he nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll invite him out later.¡±


    After a moment, he then went on to say, ¡°I thought that the first thing you¡¯d do would be to have another therapy session with me.¡±


    The fact that he was able to say ¡°therapy¡± so casually was a clear indication that he had truly let go of his burden, and Cheng Xi smiled in response. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it¡¯s necessary anymore. All you need is some more true friends.¡±


    And then, you can slowly forget about your past, reignite your passion, and follow your dreams for a happy life and a bright future.


    The best sort of therapy came from experiencing the vicissitudes of life.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t say all this to Lu Chenzhou. Instead, she half-jokingly replied, ¡°I¡¯m going to return to Gansu in a few days. Make some more friends now. That way, you won¡¯t get too lonely when I¡¯m not around.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He¡¯d actually completely forgotten about her imminent departure.


    Lu Chenzhou felt like he had lifted a heavy rock only to slip and drop it on his own foot.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t realize the internal turmoil brewing within him, and when he didn¡¯t immediately object, she offhandedly suggested that they also invite some other people along as well. ¡°I don¡¯t have that much time off, so we might as well invite all of them in one go. That way, no one¡¯ll grumble at me when I leave.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more, I also want to introduce them to you.¡± Cheng Xi smiled sweetly, let go of him, and called up Tian Rou. The two of them immediately started chattering away. ¡°Let¡¯s save some money by jointly hosting this gathering. It¡¯s a good time to introduce our boyfriends to everyone else, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just your farewell gathering? What¡¯s this about bringing me into it?!¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled as she teasingly replied, ¡°I¡¯m poor, after all, and Mr. Lu¡¯s lost his job. So, we have to think about saving money.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In the end, they invited a bunch of their classmates to have a big gathering that night. Everyone had been shouting in the group chat for Cheng Xi to hold a gathering, and when she finally announced one, even though they grumbled that it was a little late, a whole crowd of people showed up.


    Some of Cheng Xi¡¯s classmates were reporters, and the reason why they had come wasn¡¯t as pure as just wanting to hang out. But they did restrain themselves; at the very least, they asked Cheng Xi beforehand, ¡°Can you ask your boyfriend for us to see if he¡¯s willing to do an interview with us?¡± Of course, their reasoning was very pretty. ¡°The whole fiasco with Donglai Pharmaceuticals is still ongoing, and there are a whole bunch of nasty rumors about him circulating on the web. He hasn¡¯t clarified anything at all, and this has caused further damage to his reputation.¡±


    When Cheng Xi was asked this, she turned to look at Lu Chenzhou. He was sitting with Baldy among a throng of people, and his expression was as cool as usual. She could see that he was slightly nervous, but not impatient. When Cheng Xi looked over, he glanced back at her, his eyes with a tinge of happiness that melted his cold expression.


    Cheng Xi turned back to her classmates. ¡°I¡¯ll help ask him, but if he says no, then please stop bothering him. As for Donglai¡¯s affairs, I¡¯m sure that he¡¯ll handle them on his own.¡±


    Her classmates were a bit regretful, but they could only accept Cheng Xi¡¯s reply.


    Thankfully, Cheng Xi¡¯s classmates didn¡¯t take their work too seriously, and they weren¡¯t discomfited by her refusal. Thanks to Tian Rou, everyone who came knew that the reason why Cheng Xi had been reassigned to Gansu was because of her boyfriend, but none of them asked about it after they got back together. At this point, it was better to just be happy and enjoy the atmosphere.


    Amidst such a diverse crowd of people, Baldy had no problems fitting in and chit-chatting with everyone; even Lu Chenzhou began to relax.


    He suddenly understood why Cheng Xi had arranged all this. She wanted to show him that no matter who he was and what he¡¯d experienced, there would always be people who didn¡¯t care about his status, who would treat him like just any other person.


    Of course, a ¡°newcomer¡± like Lu Chenzhou would be excluded to some extent, and Tian Rou¡¯s instigations only exacerbated this effect. Baldy hadn¡¯t told her about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mental illness, so she was one of the vocal opponents against Lu Chenzhou.


    And unlike the regular crowd, she wasn¡¯t afraid of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s aloof exterior at all. She rolled up her sleeves and provoked him to drink. ¡°If men don¡¯t drink, then they can¡¯t make good friends.¡±


    ¡°Cheng Xi¡¯s the female goddess of our class, so if you want to be her boyfriend, then you¡¯d better get past all of us first! So you have to drink. We¡¯ll see your true colors when you¡¯re drunk!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t too great at verbal jousts, so he wordlessly downed Tian Rou¡¯s proffered cup.


    When everyone saw how easily he accepted Tian Rou¡¯s cup, a whole crowd of people sprouted up around him, thrusting cup after cup of alcohol into his hands. Although these people were playing around, they all knew what was considered improper, so they held back enough to not be distasteful. Cheng Xi was afraid that he would drink too much, so she tried to help out. However, she ended up dropping out after just one remark from Tian Rou. ¡°Has your alcohol tolerance improved during your year away? If not, stand aside. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be so drunk that there won¡¯t be anyone to foot the bills later.¡±


    And before Cheng Xi could respond, Lu Chenzhou seriously said, ¡°I¡¯ll pay.¡±


    Tian Rou looked at him, chuckling. She was brave enough to poke at the wound that no one else even dared to touch. She brusquely replied, ¡°Do you even have any money left? You¡¯ve been fired from your position as CEO and removed from the board of directors. If you pay, then will you still have enough money to care for Cheng Xi?¡±


    Once Tian Rou said this, the whole crowd fell silent, looking at Tian Rou to pay their respects to this brave warrior.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t seem to notice a thing. He held a cup of wine in his hand and sat up straight as he somewhat cautiously replied, ¡°I still have a hundred million dollars that I can move around between my bank accounts. Is that sufficient?¡±


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 225: Have A Baby!

    Tian Rou was about to flip the table upside down. But Baldy, who was sweating buckets as she asked her question, couldn¡¯t stop himself but start snorting at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s answer. ¡°Darling, if you¡¯re going to ask Boss Lu if he has money, then you¡¯re just courting disaster.¡±


    Tian Rou¡¯s shame turned to anger at his words. ¡°Can you be any more shameless?! Who¡¯s your ¡®darling?¡¯¡±


    Baldy had clearly grown accustomed to his role as a henpecked husband, as he obediently and meekly replied, ¡°You¡¯re my darling, of course. Don¡¯t be so jealous, darling. I¡¯m not doing that badly myself. If you want a hundred million dollars or something, I can give it to you too.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The crowd all looked on jealously, and some people even surreptitiously patted their own empty wallets.


    Tian Rou had managed to become public enemy #1 in an instant, causing everyone to turn their gazes toward her. Despite the fact that both she and Baldy had a pretty good alcohol tolerance, they too were half-drunk and stumbling around by the time the gathering concluded.


    Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou helped send everyone away, until only Baldy and Tian Rou remained behind. Cheng Xi drove them all back, but halfway through the drive, Tian Rou grabbed the front passenger¡¯s seat and said, ¡°Cheng Xi, you¡¯re too disloyal! You let us get this drunk while you¡¯re still sober enough to drive.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry at Tian Rou¡¯s lamentations. ¡°What would you rather have it be like?¡±


    ¡°I want to continue drinking, of course.¡± Even when Tian Rou was this drunk, she knew how to act pitifully to pull on her heartstrings. ¡°You don¡¯t know how lonely I was when you left, and now that Lu bastard¡¯s gone and seized you before we could even have a heart-to-heart talk! I don¡¯t care anymore! You were the one who reached out to me today, so you¡¯re the one who has to accompany me!¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at the person who started grinding his teeth as soon as Tian Rou said ¡°lonely¡± through the rearview mirror, smiled, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you already have Baldy? Why do you need me to accompany you?¡±


    Rou waved her hand dismissively as she boldly replied, ¡°What¡¯s he to me? Men are just clothes to be worn and discarded, but you¡¯re as important to me as my limbs!¡±


    All right, even Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t save her from Lu Chenzhou now.


    Tian Rou refused to go back home, stubbornly sticking to Cheng Xi. In the end, Cheng Xi brought Tian Rou and Baldy back to her apartment.


    When they all arrived at Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment, Cheng Xi originally wanted to have them stay in the apartment next door. Cheng Yang hadn¡¯t been staying there these past few days, so there was more than enough space in there for the two of them. However, unexpectedly, Lu Chenzhou walked ahead and opened up the door to Cheng Xi¡¯s apartment.


    She hesitated for a moment before smiling and dragging Tian Rou inside with Baldy¡¯s help.


    After they all entered, Cheng Xi went to have a ¡°heart-to-heart¡± talk with Tian Rou in the study while Lu Chenzhou and Baldy stayed behind in the living room, drinking tea. Baldy was at a loss for Tian Rou¡¯s behavior, and he tactfully apologized in her place. ¡°Sorry, my girlfriend¡¯s not very thoughtful.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou grunted nonchalantly, his face cool.


    The atmosphere was a little awkward. In truth, ever since Baldy had found out that Lu Chenzhou was mentally ill, his attitude towards him had changed slightly. Baldy was curious about the details, but he was even more afraid of asking, and he hadn¡¯t even dared to go find Lu Chenzhou during these past few days.


    Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t stupid and quickly noticed Baldy¡¯s pensive gaze. He poured him a cup of tea. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    His tone was cold, but Baldy was very surprised that Lu Chenzhou was considerate enough to initiate a conversation with him. Perhaps Tian Rou had influenced him, but he took the cup of tea and straightforwardly asked, ¡°Are you really suffering from a mental illness?¡±


    As soon as the question left his mouth, Baldy wanted to slap himself, but Lu Chenzhou actually nodded and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Baldy looked at him in a daze.


    Lu Chenzhou lifted his head, returning the look. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. But I really believe that you¡¯re mentally ill now, because you¡¯ve never spoken this politely to me before!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Baldy wasn¡¯t used to making Lu Chenzhou speechless, and the momentary elation made his courage blossomed. He chuckled and continued to say, ¡°But I never feared you in the past, and I¡¯m even less afraid of you now. We¡¯re good brothers, aren¡¯t we?¡± His voice was loud and rambunctious, but the emotions that he wanted to convey were sincere.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze became warm.


    Neither of them were particularly fond of idle chatter, and after Baldy confirmed that Lu Chenzhou was actually mentally ill, he instantly dropped the matter and pivoted to the subject of Donglai. ¡°Are you really going to let it go just like that? It seems that Donglai hasn¡¯t been doing so well lately.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone was cold as he replied, ¡°They can do whatever they want.¡±


    Baldy sighed regretfully. ¡°They¡¯re all a bunch of dumbasses. They still think that this is a small incident, that it¡¯s something that¡¯ll just fade away if they bury their heads in the sand for a while and throw you out as a scapegoat. But they don¡¯t realize just how heated the discussion surrounding this controversy is getting, do they? Vaccinations aren¡¯t a small matter, and even if the average person forgets about this, the relevant governmental departments won¡¯t. Honestly, I think that it¡¯s a good thing that you ended up being cut off from that whole mess. This way, you won¡¯t be wrapped up in all this when the matter inevitably blows up.¡±


    As Baldy said all this, he felt that something seemed to be amiss. The main thing was that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s timing for being fired couldn¡¯t have been better: it was almost as if he had predicted that disaster was going to strike the company, as he had started loosening his reins and cutting ties to the company ever since the start of last year. Then, he had completely forsaken the company when Cheng Xi left, and now he¡¯d been pushed out of the company as a scapegoat¡­¡­


    Baldy felt like he was missing a vital piece of the puzzle, but his intellect wasn¡¯t sharp enough for him to make all the connections, and all he could make out was a faint sense of incongruity. He didn¡¯t dare to ask about this¡ªafter all, Donglai was Lu Chenzhou¡¯s business, and him knowing too much about it wouldn¡¯t help him at all. After Baldy perfunctorily lambasted Donglai, he turned to ask Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Dr. Cheng won¡¯t be going back to Gansu after this, will she?¡±


    He¡¯d hit the heart of the matter, and Lu Chenzhou clutched his teacup without responding.


    This sudden shift in pressure¡­¡­ Baldy was overjoyed, but also afraid that his schadenfreude at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s misfortune was too obvious. He quickly put on a sympathetic expression as he carelessly said, ¡°What, she¡¯s still about to leave? Then just think of a way to keep her here.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his head. ¡°I can make her stay?¡±


    His low E.Q. left Baldy¡¯s teeth aching. ¡°Of course you can! What¡¯s good about that rundown old place? It¡¯s not like you need her income, so why don¡¯t you just take care of her and keep her at home?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stopped responding. Baldy might not know, but Lu Chenzhou knew full well just how passionate Cheng Xi was about her job. Although he hadn¡¯t kept a close watch on what she was doing in Gansu, he still knew a little about her activities. In less than a year, she had already acclimated to the local areas, and she¡¯d even built a charitable organization to help the mentally ill, a lifelong dream of hers.


    At this point, if he asked her to stay here, even if Renyi was willing to transfer her back, she¡¯d likely refuse the opportunity.


    And so Baldy suggested, ¡°Well then, just have a baby!¡± He glanced at the living room to check on the two females, and then leaned closer to Lu Chenzhou anyways. ¡°While she¡¯s here, sneak a baby into her. Gansu is so far away that if she gets pregnant, even if you were willing to let her go back, her parents certainly wouldn¡¯t be! You know that the first three months of pregnancy are when women are the most likely to have a miscarriage, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou frowned, his tone cold as he succinctly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t like children.¡±


    Cheng Xi was busy enough with work. If there was a child in the equation, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even have to think to know that it¡¯d suck up most of her time and attention.


    And he hated anything that dragged her attention away from him. Even now, after he retrieved some of his repressed memories and let go of a significant part of his burden, the behavior and instinct that had formed a core part of his past self wouldn¡¯t be erased that easily.


    He could barely tolerate her loving her work, but if another person got in the way and took away her time, dragged her down, and demanded her hugs, feeding, and coaxing¡­¡­ Just thinking about it was hard to bear.


    Baldy was speechless at his reaction. ¡°You don¡¯t want a child at all?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lu Chenzhou was very sure of this.


    But right after he said this, he tasted the sensation of being wrong. Before a supposed child could get in the way of his relationship with Cheng Xi, a totally unexpected person suddenly appeared in his and Cheng Xi¡¯s life.

 Chapter 226: Success

    That night, Baldy and Tian Rou slept in the apartment next to Cheng Xi¡¯s.


    They¡¯d partied so late into the evening that, when Cheng Xi woke up the next day, her head was pounding with pain. However, she was too used to getting up at around that time, so she couldn¡¯t fall back asleep. Eventually, she resigned herself to her fate, climbed out of bed, ate something, and started tidying up her room.


    Meanwhile, Tian Rou slept all the way to noon.


    When she woke up, the first thing she did was to knock on Cheng Xi¡¯s door. Remembering what Cheng Xi had promised her last night, she instantly accused Cheng Xi, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to sleep with me last night? You liar!¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled warmly at her. By her awkward gait, she immediately knew that Baldy had done something with her as soon as she had woken up. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything and just sat there and flipped through the book by her side. Tian Rou felt slightly embarrassed from her penetrating gaze and reached out to pinch her. ¡°Do you have anything to eat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the microwave. You can go get it yourself.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had made breakfast, which was eggs, sandwiches, and milk. Cheng Xi was afraid that Tian Rou would be hungover after drinking all of last night away, so she had also made a small bowl of congee, which was currently heating up on the stove.


    Tian Rou came out with a steaming plate, so happy that she was bubbling with joy. As she ate, she said, ¡°Cheng Xi, it¡¯d be perfect if I were a guy¡ªI¡¯d have married you a long time ago, and then what would that Lu fellow amount to?¡±


    Though, Tian Rou did feel slightly guilty, as she glanced over at Cheng Xi¡¯s bedroom as she said this, afraid that her sacrilegious words would be overheard.


    Cheng Xi just smiled as she shook her head, used to Tian Rou¡¯s blunt way of speaking whatever was on her mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s not around.¡±


    Tian Rou immediately became cocky. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that he¡¯s ok with letting you stay home alone. Well, it¡¯s perfect timing for us to-¡± But before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt a surge of killing intent from behind her, causing her to stiffly change her words. ¡°-to discard our past grievances and settle our debts.¡±


    ¡°What debts?¡± Baldy and Lu Chenzhou both asked this as they walked in from behind her.


    Tian Rou bluffed, ¡°She owes me money, of course!¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t bear to look at her anymore.


    They all started laughing at her, and Tian Rou quickly became unhappy. When she thought about her waist, which was still faintly hurting, she felt like all of her appetite had drained away. As Lu Chenzhou and Baldy squeezed into the kitchen, she put down her bowl and sighed. But when Cheng Xi didn¡¯t play along with her act, she became bored. She turned around and picked up a random book. ¡°What¡¯re you doing? Why do you have so many books here?¡± She briefly glanced at the title. ¡°They¡¯re all about medicine. Cheng Xi, why¡¯s your life so boring?¡±


    Cheng Xi felt like she was going to get a headache if she listened to Tian Rou chatter any longer. ¡°Don¡¯t make a mess. I just tidied everything up.¡± During the year she had been gone, she had made Cheng Yang collect all of the books and magazines that she ordered, but that fellow had just thrown all of them into a corner of the room in a messy pile.


    Cheng Xi was currently sifting through the pile for anything that would be useful to bring back to Gansu.


    Tian Rou clicked her tongue in annoyance, and started casually flipping through yet another book. She was about to speak when a letter fell out from between the pages. ¡°What¡¯s this? Is someone still sending you letters in this time and age?¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at it, hesitated, and then raised her head to inspect it more carefully. ¡°Let me see.¡±


    The logo on the envelope was very familiar. The letter had been sent last year, and it stated that Chen Jiaman¡¯s artwork had received a commendation, and that Chen Jiaman had been invited to attend the prize ceremony at a given date.


    Cheng Xi looked at the date¡ªthe supposed prize ceremony took place half a year ago.


    But Cheng Xi didn¡¯t respond. As if struck by lightning, she sat there for quite a long time, lost in thought. Tian Rou became very curious. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Who wrote to you? An old lover?¡±


    She reached over, ready to take a look at the letter. But then, it was suddenly snatched away from Cheng Xi¡¯s hands. Tian Rou glared at the thief in anger, but when she saw that it was Lu Chenzhou, she silently sat back into her seat once more.


    Lu Chenzhou finished reading the letter in a matter of moments, and was about to shred it to pieces when Cheng Xi spoke up. ¡°Give it to me.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her and eventually acquiesced.


    Cheng Xi read over the letter once more. Then, ignoring the piles of books she had yet to go through, she called the number listed on the letter. Surprisingly, someone actually picked up, and the responder was a young male voice. When he heard Cheng Xi report Chen Jiaman¡¯s name, he actually still remembered her. ¡°Goodness, how long has it been since the award ceremony? You¡¯re only replying to us now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was working abroad and only received your invitation now. I just wanted to ask if Chen Jiaman actually won a prize?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I remember your name very well because of the big fuss the committee raised trying to find you. They called you but found that your number was discontinued, and then they wrote to you but no one replied. This time, please give me your current contact information. You won¡¯t be able to attend the prize ceremony, of course, but we still have the certificate. Give me your address and I¡¯ll mail it right over, and please give me a contact number for future reference. There are quite a few patrons interested in your work, and your future¡¯s pretty bright.¡±


    Only then was Cheng Xi able to clarify, ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not Chen Jiaman herself, though I can contact her. May I call you back later? I¡¯ve been away for a long time, so I may need a little time to find her first.¡±


    That person laughed upon hearing this. ¡°She¡¯s really a mystery, isn¡¯t she?¡± But he only thought that this was one of the weird quirks of a talented artist, and before he ended the call, he instructed Cheng Xi once more, ¡°Once you find her, please have her contact us. We have another exhibition this year, and we¡¯d very much welcome her participation.¡±


    Even after hanging up, Cheng Xi was still dazed.


    She hurriedly pushed the pile of books aside and called Lin Fan, with Tian Rou by her side. When Tian Rou saw Lin Fan¡¯s name in the caller ID, she was about to say something, but the call had already connected. But all Cheng Xi heard was a robotic voice state, ¡°The phone number you¡¯re calling has been discontinued.¡± Tian Rou pursed her lips and glanced at the still Lu Chenzhou before saying, ¡°I was just about to tell you that Lin Fan changed his number. He¡¯s a big shot businessman now, and he¡¯s doing really well for himself.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi thought back to how Lin Fan¡¯s behavior had changed when she left, and was frankly unsurprised by his accomplishments. ¡°Do you have his new number?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tian Rou glanced at Lu Chenzhou again, but then laughed evilly and said, ¡°Here.¡±


    Cheng Xi was a little excited at first, but Tian Rou¡¯s gaze reminded her that Lu Chenzhou was still here. She didn¡¯t call Lin Fan right away, and instead turned around and pulled on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s hand. After Tian Rou successfully annoyed Lu Chenzhou, she felt that he might try to take revenge, so she preemptively dragged Baldy out of the house. ¡°We still have something to do, so take your time chatting.¡±


    Baldy was stunned by how quickly the situation had developed.


    But before he could say a single word, Tian Rou had already dragged him out.


    As the door closed, Cheng Xi looked at Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Chen Jiaman won a prize.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°This is very good news for her. With this prize, she¡¯ll be more confident in her own drawings. It¡¯ll also help her future, as she¡¯ll be able to make a living off of her drawings.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou seemed to relax when Cheng Xi said ¡°make a living,¡± and he ultimately didn¡¯t stop her from calling Lin Fan.


    Lin Fan was a little surprised to receive a call from Cheng Xi, and when he heard why she was calling, he could only hesitantly say, ¡°Jiaman¡­ is still in the hospital.¡±


    Cheng Xi was extremely shocked. ¡°She¡¯s still not out?¡±


    It¡¯d already been a year since she had transferred from Renyi. Cheng Xi was flummoxed¡ªgiven the quality of Cai Yi¡¯s laboratory, there was no way Chen Jiaman should have stayed there for this long.


    Since Lu Chenzhou was no longer responsible for Donglai, he had also lost track of the ins and outs of Cai Yi¡¯s laboratory. Of course, even if he did remain familiar with it, he wouldn¡¯t have specially asked about Chen Jiaman¡¯s situation.


    The two of them immediately drove over to Cai Yi¡¯s place. When they entered, they immediately noticed the festive air surrounding the laboratory; in this one year, quite a few new faces had appeared in the laboratory, and it took Cheng Xi a little while to find a senior she knew.


    Her senior was very happy. ¡°Cheng Xi, when did you come back? Are you here because of the news?¡± When she saw Lu Chenzhou, her smile tightened, and she greeted him politely. ¡°Director Lu.¡±


    ¡°What news?¡±


    Her senior regained her happy air at Cheng Xi¡¯s question. ¡°Professor Cai found the genes responsible for mental illness [1], and her research has garnered worldwide acclaim. Aren¡¯t you here to congratulate her?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    1. Artistic license; there¡¯s such a wide variety of mental illnesses that it¡¯s unlikely that the effect can be localized to only a few genes.

 Chapter 227: Happy To Be A Father

    Cheng Xi was confident that Cai Yi would eventually succeed in her research, but she had never expected it to bear fruit so quickly.


    Cheng Xi began smiling after hearing the news. ¡°Then, congratulations to Professor Cai. And congratulations to you as well, senior.¡±


    Her senior was being nurtured as Cai Yi¡¯s successor, so Cai Yi¡¯s success was also her success.


    Her senior smiled gratefully. ¡°Thank you.¡± She pinched Cheng Xi¡¯s face, but when she saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression stiffen even further, she stopped, stuck her tongue out, and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you know about this?¡±


    Cheng Xi shook her head. ¡°I just came back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you came to see us so quickly after returning?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything else. Her senior led her into the laboratory, where Cai Yi was currently being interviewed by the media. She didn¡¯t have time to talk to Cheng Xi, so Cheng Xi seized the opportunity to ask her senior, ¡°Is Chen Jiaman still here? I¡¯d like to see her. Can I?¡±


    Her senior hesitated for a moment before smiling again. ¡°You¡¯re still thinking about that patient of yours even after all this time? Yes, that¡¯s fine. Let me arrange it.¡± She was also quite busy, and was unable to personally lead Cheng Xi over. So, she assigned a junior researcher to guide Cheng Xi there. As they waited for the other person to arrive, the senior researcher told Cheng Xi, ¡°Chen Jiaman¡¯s actually mostly recovered by now. However, her family feels that she should stay here a bit longer. Thus, Professor Cai¡¯s been keeping her here all this time.¡±


    As she said this, she glanced at Lu Chenzhou again, though her expression this time was slightly embarrassed.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything, and neither did Lu Chenzhou. The junior researcher arrived soon after, and the two of them followed that person into Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward.


    Chen Jiaman was still in a solitary ward, and was currently curled up in the innermost part of the room. Cheng Xi felt like she had arrived at her destination after an arduous and long journey; she was finally able to see Chen Jiaman.


    The door had been left ajar. In contrast to the festive mood outside, it was cold and desolate inside. Chen Jiaman sat on the bed, alone with a bunny in her lap as she gazed at the distant night sky.


    She didn¡¯t respond when Cheng Xi opened the door, and the person who brought Cheng Xi over whispered, ¡°She likes to sit alone, and she hates being disrupted by other people. Senior, please be calm and steady when you approach her. If she ignores you, please don¡¯t try to provoke her further either.¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded and then slowly entered the room.


    ¡°Jiaman.¡± Cheng Xi called out to her when she was within a couple footsteps from the bed.


    But Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t respond. She was no longer afraid of the light or other people; she just didn¡¯t respond.


    Cheng Xi slowly breathed out and immediately gave up on trying to call out to her. Instead, she swapped tactics and used a calm and gentle voice to recount a story. ¡°A little bunny who was scared of the dark yelled out in a dark room, ¡®Is anyone there? Speak to me. I¡¯m scared, and it¡¯s too dark in here.¡¯ There was another bunny locked up with it. That bunny was very old, and when it heard the little bunny say this, it responded, ¡®What¡¯s the point? It¡¯s so dark in here that you won¡¯t be able see me anyways.¡¯ The little bunny replied, ¡®That¡¯s alright. As long as someone¡¯s speaking, there¡¯ll always be light.¡¯¡±


    Cheng Xi repeated this story over and over, and on the third attempt, Chen Jiaman slowly turned around, slightly tilted her head, and looked at her.


    ¡°Who are you? Why do you know my story?¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ story?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Chen Jiaman slowly started smiling. Like her gaze, her smile was a bit dull. Over the past year, she had grown much taller, and her facial features had started to settle in. She was starting to look like a young girl now, but because of the slight dullness in her demeanor, she still looked a bit silly.


    It was a familiar expression, and one that Cheng Xi had seen countless times on the faces of patients who¡¯d been locked up for a very long time. It meant that they had silently submitted to a deep, traumatizing fear.


    And it was with this expression on her face that Chen Jiaman smiled and said to Cheng Xi, ¡°I¡¯m the little bunny, of course.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know why, but tears started streaming down her face. She covered her mouth, unable to say anything.


    With her emotions running wild the way they were, it was no longer suitable for Cheng Xi to stay in the ward. After a moment of silence, Cheng Xi left Chen Jiaman with slightly reddened eyes.


    After all, Cai Yi had just done something truly commendable, and Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to dampen her mood right now. She thanked the junior researcher who had led her to Chen Jiaman¡¯s ward, and then brought Lu Chenzhou along for a walk outside. When she felt a bit better, she went back in one more time to see Cai Yi again.


    At that point, she had finished interviewing, but she was still very busy. Even so, she allocated a portion of her time to Cheng Xi.


    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± This was the first thing Cai Yi said when they sat down.


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Congratulations, Professor.¡±


    These words of hers were sincere, but not very heartfelt. Cai Yi¡¯s work was certainly very meaningful to the world at large, especially her newly proposed standards and treatment methods for depression. Patients suffering from depression all over the world would undoubtedly benefit from her findings.


    And as for what she had done to complete this research, compared to the results, it really was insignificant.


    Cai Yi understood where Cheng Xi was coming from, so she patted her shoulder and graciously said, ¡°You¡¯re not doing too badly yourself. I¡¯ve heard about what you¡¯re doing in Gansu, and if you need any help on my part, just let me know. Although we¡¯ve taken different paths, our ultimate destination is still the same.¡±


    This was Cai Yi¡¯s consolation, and from her angle, she¡¯d really elevated Cheng Xi¡¯s position.


    But her words didn¡¯t console Cheng Xi much. Whenever she thought about Chen Jiaman, an uncomfortable feeling welled up within her, as if a small bone was lodged in her throat.


    Cai Yi asked her a few more questions about Gansu, and then talked with Lu Chenzhou about Donglai for a while. ¡°You¡¯re really planning on stepping down?¡±


    It was the same question that Baldy had asked.


    Lu Chenzhou was even colder to her than to Baldy. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be a good thing for you?¡±


    Cai Yi nodded seriously. ¡°That¡¯s true. But I¡¯d rather work with a familiar face than an unfamiliar one. If I have to have a sponsor, Donglai is a good choice. So unless I really have to, I won¡¯t find someone else.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou snorted indifferently.


    As they left, he commented, ¡°She¡¯s someone who does big things.¡± Cheng Xi was a little shocked by his comment, but he continued, ¡°And you¡¯re not. So can you drop what you¡¯re doing in Gansu?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡± She replied to him seriously but apologetically. ¡°Everything has just barely gotten started, and I can¡¯t call others over and then run away myself.¡± When she saw how unhappy he became at her reply, she tried to placate him. ¡°Once everything¡¯s settled, I¡¯ll hand the organization over to some specialists, and then it won¡¯t be necessary for me to stay there any longer.¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t that easily placated. ¡°How long will that take?¡±


    This was as good of a compromise as she¡¯d ever get from him.


    ¡°Ten years?¡± But when she glanced at his expression, she rapidly halved it. ¡°Five years!¡± Lu Chenzhou thought for a little and then reluctantly agreed. But after this initial accommodation, Cheng Xi tried to wrangle some more out of him.


    Cheng Xi only sporadically mentioned Chen Jiaman after they left Cai Yi¡¯s research lab, so Lu Chenzhou had thought that she¡¯d given up on Chen Jiaman. After all, she would be very busy in a far away land; thus, it was useless for her to waste her time thinking about Chen Jiaman. But, one day, Cheng Xi received a call and left for awhile. When she came back, there was a little shadow following behind her. That small shadow was constantly tugging at the hem of Cheng Xi¡¯s clothes as it stood fearfully to the side. When it saw Lu Chenzhou, it instinctively hid behind Cheng Xi and asked, ¡°Mom, who is he?¡±


    Mom? Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face fell ashen as he stared daggers at Cheng Xi.


    Slightly embarrassed, Cheng Xi patted Chen Jiaman¡¯s hand and said, ¡°This is Lu-¡± But after a glance at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face, she changed her introduction. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, my fianc¨¦.¡±


    And right as she was about to tell Chen Jiaman how she should address him, Chen Jiaman peeked her head out and said, quietly but clearly, ¡°Daddy.¡±


    !!!!!!


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s scalp went numb, and his face turned completely black.

 Chapter 228: I Love You

    Cheng Xi was quite shocked by Lu Chenzhou¡¯s reaction. He was wearing an apron and had been preparing dinner, the spitting image of a perfect househusband. But as soon as Chen Jiaman meekly shouted out, ¡°Daddy,¡± his demeanor transformed, and it felt like he was about to start butchering people with the kitchen knife in his hand.


    She quickly patted Chen Jiaman and then hugged Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Don¡¯t get angry, don¡¯t get angry. I can explain this.¡±


    She didn¡¯t want anything bad to happen between her and Lu Chenzhou just because she had taken Chen Jiaman in.


    Cheng Xi forcibly dragged Lu Chenzhou into the bedroom and then told him about what had happened. ¡°Lin Fan found me, and he asked me to keep Chen Jiaman by my side. And for my agreement, he agreed to donate quite a large sum of money to my organization.¡±


    Yes, and it was no small amount either. In fact, it was the largest donation that Cheng Xi had received so far.


    Lu Chenzhou smiled coldly. ¡°Do you think that I wouldn¡¯t give you money? Do you really need his?¡±


    Whenever they started talking about business, Cheng Xi became much more serious, and she explained to him, ¡°I know that you¡¯re rich, but my organization¡¯s goal can¡¯t be accomplished by just one person or with just one organization¡¯s wealth. If we want to set up this program to succeed for the long term, then we need to be more open and receptive about alternative sources of funding. Lu Chenzhou-¡± When he started frowning, Cheng Xi immediately changed tack and switched over to a gentle tone to coax him with. ¡°Won¡¯t you be less angry? I promise, Chen Jiaman won¡¯t affect you one bit. I¡¯ll bring her to Gansu and take complete responsibility for her. She also has the ability and will to become self-independent. Thus, once she¡¯s better, I won¡¯t have to worry about her anymore, and I¡¯ll stop thinking about her¡­¡­ alright? Alright?¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t play coy very often, and perhaps it was because Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t used to this side of hers, but he eventually hugged her tightly, bit her on the face, and continued his line of questioning. ¡°Then, why did she call you ¡®mother?¡¯¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡­ She¡¯s a bit obsessed with the children¡¯s story that I told her when we first met, and she constantly calls herself a little bunny. Additionally, the only way I was able to bring her away was if I told her that I was the mama bunny¡­¡­¡±


    Of course, the process wasn¡¯t that straightforward, but the end result was more or less the same. Luckily, even though Chen Jiaman¡¯s condition had deteriorated, causing her to forget a lot of her previous memories, she still instinctively remembered Cheng Xi¡¯s voice and the stories that she¡¯d heard.


    Honestly, when she first shouted ¡°Mommy¡± at Cheng Xi, Cheng Xi had been shocked and innately refused the title.


    Lu Chenzhou was somewhat at a loss for what to say. At that moment, he suddenly remembered what Baldy had once asked him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you ever going to get a kid?¡± At the time, he¡¯d adamantly and haughtily answered, ¡°No,¡± but now¡­¡­


    If they had to have a baby, he¡¯d much rather have Cheng Xi have his. In that case, there¡¯d at least be a nine-month period where the baby would be in her stomach, unable to affect him.


    However, with Chen Jiaman already here in person, there wasn¡¯t much that Lu Chenzhou could do about it. Also, after Lu Chenzhou experienced the pain of separation, he had become far more lenient and accommodating with respect to Cheng Xi¡¯s actions.


    His principles once again crumbled in the face of her wishes.


    But he still knew how to negotiate, and he took advantage of this opportunity to have her reduce the time she¡¯d spend in Gansu even more. Of course, he didn¡¯t broach this topic directly, and instead asked her, ¡°Then, when are you going to return?¡±


    This ¡°return¡± obviously referred to her being transferred back to Renyi.


    ¡°Five years¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou coolly snorted.


    Cheng Xi lowered her gaze, behaving like a meek little housewife. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be transferred back if the time period¡¯s any shorter.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou merely snorted again.


    Cheng Xi had only been transferred over to Gansu temporarily, and based on her skills, his wealth and connections, and Renyi¡¯s evaluation of her, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult at all for her to be transferred back.


    It wasn¡¯t as if she¡¯d committed some sort of heinous crime. Even if someone did pursue the case further, Lu Chenzhou would definitely be able to protect her in that event.


    After all, the only reason for her leaving was him.


    Lu Chenzhou once again regretted his own decisions. Unfortunately, while it was easy to push someone away, pulling them back wasn¡¯t as easy. Five years was the absolute minimum time Cheng Xi could spend in Gansu, and even Lu Chenzhou understood that it was implausible for her to finish all her work with her organization in a shorter time period.


    But Lu Chenzhou was still very mad. Cheng Xi had no other choice but to stay by his side and patiently placate him by letting him do whatever he desired. Naturally, the two of them closed the bedroom door and started messing around in bed. However, compared to before, there was now a Chen Jiaman in the house. She was very obedient and didn¡¯t move a muscle once the two of them left the room. She silently sat on the sofa, leaving only a faint flickering shadow.


    It was as if she weren¡¯t there at all.


    But only as if.


    When all three of them gathered for dinner, she sat by Cheng Xi¡¯s side. She wouldn¡¯t eat unless Cheng Xi put something on her plate, and she wouldn¡¯t drink unless Cheng Xi poured her water into her glass. As silly as Chen Jiaman¡¯s actions were, she was always striving for Cheng Xi¡¯s favor, and whenever Cheng Xi tried to act intimately with Lu Chenzhou, Chen Jiaman would immediately do something to regain Cheng Xi¡¯s attention.


    Despite one of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s strengths being his particularly strong self-control, even he was barely able to control himself when Chen Jiaman interfered for the umpteenth time. However, he was afraid of being too pushy with Cheng Xi¡ªhis anger had built up so much that he was afraid of hurting her.


    Cheng Xi was in bed next to him, and his aggrieved look made her pity him. She was struck by inspiration and slowly slid underneath the covers. Initially, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t realize what she was trying to do, and when he did, she had already wrapped her hand around the softest and also hardest part of his body.


    This was the first time she had ever initiated something like this, and Lu Chenzhou almost went crazy. He almost wanted to kick the blanket away, grab her shoulder, and pull her away, but he simultaneously also didn¡¯t want to do any of that at all. In the end, he shut his eyes, lay back, and let Cheng Xi bring him to the peak of ecstasy.


    After everything was finished and done, he opened his eyes, shielding them from the light with one hand, and lay there on the bed without moving. After Cheng Xi finished cleaning herself up, she jumped back into bed and hugged him.


    ¡°Are you happy?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond, but he was indeed very happy; there was an irrepressible, buoyant joy that carried him forever upward. It was like tiny pinpricks of rain were washing his heart clean and showering him with splashes of happiness.


    The euphoric rain washed over his entire body, extinguishing all of his anger, fury, and the unease that had developed deep in his heart.


    He hugged her, kissed her fiercely, and replied, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m happy.¡±


    ¡°In that case, don¡¯t feel too uneasy, and don¡¯t be scared that something will drag me away. You¡¯re the most important person in my heart, always and forever.¡±


    Cheng Xi rarely used the word ¡°forever¡± when making promises, but if it was Lu Chenzhou, she had a feeling that ¡°forever¡± might not be unachievable.


    Lu Chenzhou had a sudden revelation. Even though she could have easily directly brought Chen Jiaman back to Gansu with her, there was a reason why she had returned home with Chen Jiaman. It was because she was doing her best to care for him all this time, trying to tell him in her own way that she was there, and that she would always be there.


    ¡­¡­


    Three days later, when Cheng Xi¡¯s vacation came to an end, only her parents and Lu Chenzhou went to see her off. Perhaps it was because her parents were used to saying farewell to her, but they didn¡¯t cry this time. Instead, they just nagged at her for quite some time.


    Cheng Xi only got a chance to say goodbye to Lu Chenzhou when it was almost time for the plane to depart. She hugged him gently. ¡°Please send my parents back home.¡± Cheng Yang was away on a business trip and couldn¡¯t come, so Lu Chenzhou had to drive them back.


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her and nodded warmly.


    Cheng Xi smiled. After making sure that her parents weren¡¯t paying attention, and that Chen Jiaman was currently distracted by the planes on the airport tarmac below, she tiptoed up and secretly kissed him.


    ¡°Lu Chenzhou, while I¡¯m not around, never forget that I love you. I also feel very fortunate that I met you.¡±

 Chapter 229: Recruiting Talen

    t


    While Cheng Xi was killing time during her layover, she saw the TV news channel report on Cai Yi¡¯s research. As she continued to watch, she saw the scene change to that of Cai Yi sitting behind her office desk where she was being interviewed. She was over sixty by now, and her hair was completely white but combed immaculately. She looked affable, kind, and familiar.


    Chen Jiaman, meanwhile, was playing Minecraft on her phone with her head lowered. Despite the chaotic hustle and bustle of the airport, she still picked out Cai Yi¡¯s voice above the ground. She panicked, instinctively tossed her phone to the side, and hid behind Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi patted her comfortingly, took out a pair of earmuffs from her bag, and put them on her. A couple moments later, after Chen Jiaman quieted down, Cheng Xi picked up her phone and stuffed it into her hands again.


    But Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t seem to see it; she was looking around left and right, the shock still on her face. Above her, Cai Yi¡¯s image was giving an eloquent response.


    Cheng Xi stopped looking upwards and instead focused on interacting with Chen Jiaman and playing Minecraft with her. Cheng Xi deliberately made a few rookie mistakes. At first, Chen Jiaman only watched her play silently, but as Cheng Xi continued to make more and more mistakes, Chen Jiaman started secretly moving the screen around and fixing the mistakes that she had made.


    Besides this one incident, the rest of their return trip to Gansu went smoothly. This time, it was Ceng Xing who picked her up, and he was still driving the dinky little car that he allegedly detested. When he saw that there was an extra person, he raised his eyebrows slightly. He wasn¡¯t all that surprised, but after Cheng Xi helped her into the car, when the two of them were alone outside, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s she doing over here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m her mother now.¡±


    Ceng Xing almost choked on his spit.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face remained as impassive as ever. Disregarding Ceng Xing¡¯s reaction, she turned towards Chen Jiaman, who was hiding behind her, and told her, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of him. Call him ¡®Uncle.¡¯¡±


    Ceng Xing couldn¡¯t bear to look at Chen Jiaman.


    But even though Chen Jiaman was shy, she was more obedient, and she lowered her head as she called out, ¡°Uncle.¡±


    Ceng Xing looked at this ¡°niece¡± of his, not knowing what to say.


    Cheng Xi laughed at their antics before saying, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head back first.¡±


    Chen Jiaman was slightly unaccustomed to the car and the change of scenery, so Cheng Xi sat in the backseat to comfort her. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, just rest for a while. We¡¯ll be driving for a few more hours before we arrive.¡±


    Chen Jiaman leaned against her shoulder and obediently closed her eyes.


    Through the rearview mirror, Ceng Xing saw Cheng Xi gently take out a thin blanket from her bag and then drape it carefully over Chen Jiaman¡¯s sleeping body, her actions filled with a motherly mien. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from massaging his forehead. ¡°You¡¯re actually going to treat her like your daughter?¡±


    Cheng Xi gently shushed him.


    Ceng Xing obligingly changed the subject, and the two of them began talking about how everything was going in Gansu, Cheng Xi¡¯s return, and whether or not their colleagues at Renyi had changed. Of course, Ceng Xing was the most interested in Cai Yi¡¯s success. ¡°I saw the news. Professor Cai¡¯s really amazing to have accomplished that. Did you visit her?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know that Chen Jiaman had been sent there for treatment after relapsing, so his question really was innocent from his point of view. Cheng Xi lowered her head, glanced at Chen Jiaman, and only after verifying that she was truly soundly asleep, she replied, ¡°Yes, I did.¡±


    ¡°It must have been really crowded over there, hmm?¡± Ceng Xing glanced back at her before continuing to say, ¡°You really lost out. If you had accepted Professor Cai¡¯s invitation back then, she would have shared this glory with you. Then, you wouldn¡¯t have to come out here and plow sand with the rest of us.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled as she looked out the window. The wind was picking up, and she could see a sandstorm faintly spinning under the dim sky. Their existences were like those grains of sand, tossed around in the sandstorm of life without any say in where they went¡­¡­


    She turned back around and asked Ceng Xing, ¡°Then, do you regret coming over here?¡±


    ¡°I came here to chase after my dream. I don¡¯t care if I regret it or not.¡± It was rare for Ceng Xing to give such a thoughtful response.


    His words also seemed to contain a deeper meaning. Though all Cheng Xi did in response was smile, and he too started smiling.


    At that time, Ceng Xing really was quite proud of his actions¡ªnot with regards to his work, but rather to Cheng Xi.


    He had followed her footsteps all the way out here, and given their physical proximity, he believed that he stood a chance.


    But Cheng Xi remained ignorant of Ceng Xing¡¯s feelings toward her. The trip had exhausted her, and they arrived at the province quite late. After they settled in, they had a quick meal before going to bed almost immediately afterwards.


    The next day, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t rush to work immediately. While Chen Jiaman slept in, she made her rounds through the hospital, making sure that everything was going smoothly, and that the new doctors had all arrived with places to stay at and mentors to guide them. Besides a single small communication mishap with the government, there were no issues.


    Of course, that little mishap wasn¡¯t at all related to Ceng Xing. Even the director praised his capabilities, telling Cheng Xi, ¡°Dr. Ceng¡¯s really capable! He¡¯s good at just about everything. Looks like his reputation as a doctor from Renyi isn¡¯t for nothing.¡±


    When Ceng Xing heard this lavish praise, his face turned smug, which caused Cheng Xi to laugh out loud. ¡°As an uncle, you¡¯ve really gotten a lot more responsible. Keep up the good work, senior!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The director didn¡¯t understand their inside joke, but she also joined in on the laughter. Coincidentally, the new doctors were also there, and Ceng Xing introduced each one of them to Cheng Xi. They were all students from the same school, and some of them actually already knew about Cheng Xi due to her reputation. ¡°My professor often said that we were all trash while Senior Cheng was the best student she¡¯d ever had the honor to teach. I¡¯ve been inundated with tales of your amazing prowess for quite a while now, senior.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at the speaker. He was a young male, and his youthful attitude actually reminded her of one of her own students, and so she couldn¡¯t help herself from responding in kind. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright. My professor said that to me all the time as well. If you work a bit harder, I¡¯m sure all of you can become the legend that she speaks of.¡±


    And so, they chatted about their old school with Cheng Xi for a few minutes, growing closer to her in the process. Afterwards, everyone went back to work in earnest. The hospital had just received a somewhat troublesome patient: a crazy man who attacked everyone he saw. It was a rather persistent problem, and since Cheng Xi was here, she was naturally tapped to help diagnose the best treatment course for him.


    She spent the whole morning at the hospital while Chen Jiaman stayed at the hostel they were living in. When Cheng Xi finally had some free time to check up on her, she found that Chen Jiaman was in the exact same position she had left her in.


    Cheng Xi had even prepared food and left it on the table for her, but Chen Jiaman hadn¡¯t touched it at all. Later on, Cheng Xi learned that Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t have a self-preservation instinct at all; even if she were hungry, if food wasn¡¯t placed right in front of her, she wouldn¡¯t remember to eat.


    It was only when Cheng Xi came back that she learned about this peculiar behavior of Chen Jiaman¡¯s. Ceng Xing wanted Cheng Xi to treat Chen Jiaman at the hospital, but Chen Jiaman was very wary of hospitals, to the point where she¡¯d become scared and afraid just from seeing Cheng Xi wear her doctor¡¯s coat.


    Due to Chen Jiaman¡¯s irrational fear, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t force her to go in for a checkup. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t lack patience when treating her patients, and she went for daily walks around the neighborhood with Chen Jiaman. On the weekends, she would bring her rock climbing, and then afterwards, they would find a place with a nice scenery for Chen Jiaman to do a still-life drawing. Sometimes, Cheng Xi even brought her to Qin Shiya¡¯s little kindergarten, as to slowly expose Chen Jiaman to more and more people.


    And so, Cheng Xi¡¯s schedule was completely booked every day of every week. Because of her promise to Lu Chenzhou, and because Ceng Xing was far better at administration than she was, Cheng Xi threw all of the liaison responsibilities at him, essentially setting him to take over for her when she left. Naturally, this meant that she had more interactions with Ceng Xing than before. She didn¡¯t feel anything towards him, so they got along quite well.


    On the other hand, Ceng Xing took over her responsibilities enthusiastically, working hard to help her with everything. He¡¯d even stay late on weekdays to finish his work so that he would have the time to go rock climbing with them over the weekend.


    With enough time, even Chen Jiaman started warming up to him. Ceng Xing felt like the flowers were blooming wherever he went, and a few days later, he drummed up all of his courage, knocked on Cheng Xi¡¯s door, and called her out.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Cheng Xi followed him out curiously.


    She had been drawing with Chen Jiaman, and there was a multicolored paint-stained bib draped on top of her clothes. She was still gripping a paintbrush that was dripping with paint, looking as casual as could be.


    But in Ceng Xing¡¯s eyes, this was when Cheng Xi looked the warmest and the most gentle.


    ¡°For you.¡± He handed her a contract.


    Instead of taking it, Cheng Xi read it from his hands. ¡°A homeowner¡¯s contract.¡± She raised her head in shock. ¡°Are you buying a place here?¡±


    ¡°Yep. It¡¯s newly furnished.¡± As Ceng Xing said this, he looked at her. ¡°Cheng Xi, I¡¯d like to start a family here, would you be willing-¡±


    ¡°Dr. Cheng.¡± But before Ceng Xing could finish his question, an unknown person interrupted him.


    The two of them turned around at the same time, and saw that a male colleague from the hospital had brought a man over. The lamplight was a little dim, preventing them from clearly making out the newcomer¡¯s shadow shrouded face. Then, as the two men got closer, their figures became more distinct.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help blinking in disbelief, and then in an excited voice, shouted in surprise, ¡°Lu Chenzhou?!

 Chapter 230: Arent You Going To Pamper Me?

    Lu Chenzhou stopped a few steps away from Cheng Xi and coolly nodded.


    The colleague who had brought him over curiously asked, ¡°Dr. Cheng, this is your friend, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°He is. Thank you.¡±


    Then, she quickly walked over, raised her head to look at Lu Chenzhou, and asked, ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou ignored her question, his forehead creased in displeasure. ¡°I don¡¯t like this place.¡± He looked left and right, a disdainful expression on his face.


    Cheng Xi followed his gaze. Yes, the conditions of her living space. After all, it was a small rural ittle province, and the buildings here had eschewed aesthetics and greenery in favor of being big, tall, and spacious.


    Cheng Xi suddenly remembered Lu Chenzhou¡¯s strange, almost obsessive compulsion for symmetry, and she suddenly realized something. Ignoring everything else for the moment, she took out some gauze, wrapped it around his eyes like a mask, and earnestly asked, ¡°Is this better?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stood still without moving, and only realized what she had done after he lost his vision. However, he didn¡¯t refuse her ¡°kind intentions.¡± Instead, he suddenly hugged her, kissed her fiercely, and then stepped back to say, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s much better now.¡±


    Cheng Xi and the other two people were all slightly taken aback.


    While this wasn¡¯t the first time Ceng Xing had been ignored by Lu Chenzhou, he still felt as smothered as always.


    But by his side was someone who didn¡¯t know anything about Lu Chenzhou, and the other man eagerly asked as he watched Cheng Xu and Lu Chenzhou talk, ¡°Dr. Ceng, is he Dr. Cheng¡¯s boyfriend?¡±


    Ceng Xing¡¯s face turned ugly, and he declined to respond.


    But when he didn¡¯t, someone else did so on his behalf. His colleague¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t particularly quiet, and Lu Chenzhou had also heard the question. When he turned around, his aura wasn¡¯t as intimidating as before; with his eyes blindfolded, he no longer had that piercing coolness that prevented anyone from getting close to him.


    The three of them then clearly heard him clarify, ¡°No, I¡¯m her man.¡±


    Ceng Xing couldn¡¯t bear it any further and laughed coldly in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face. ¡°What right do you have to call yourself her man? Isn¡¯t it enough that you hurt her once? Are you going to do it again?¡±


    But this sort of provocation was nothing to Lu Chenzhou anymore. He turned around and faced Cheng Xi. ¡°Am I your man?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi very much wanted to massage her forehead and relieve her oncoming headache, but she had noticed Ceng Xing¡¯s serious feelings for her beneath his veneer of anger from his words. Without much hesitation, she affirmed Lu Chenzhou¡¯s claim. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Ceng Xing looked at her, all the anger fading away from his eyes to reveal pure disappointment.


    Cheng Xi could only pretend that she hadn¡¯t seen anything. Lu Chenzhou ignored him entirely as he suddenly grabbed her by the waist. ¡°Where do you live? Let¡¯s go in. I miss you.¡±


    Honestly, if I give him an inch, he goes for a mile. She could only brace herself and then ask Ceng Xing, ¡°Senior, do you need anything else? Oh, what did you want me to help you with just now?¡± Before tonight, she really had never suspected that Ceng Xing liked her. But from how the night had gone, Cheng Xi could tell that he had likely been planning on proposing to her with the house that he just bought. So, while Lu Chenzhou was still around, she might as well reject him outright; she didn¡¯t believe that her prideful senior would do anything dramatic in his presence.


    As Cheng Xi predicted, Ceng Xing only laughed coldly one last time before saying, ¡°I was initially going to ask you if you wanted to help me check out my house, but now, I think that it¡¯s unnecessary.¡± After he said this, he glanced at Lu Chenzhou as if he wanted to say something. But because there were other people around, he held his tongue, turned around, and simply went home.


    The colleague who had brought Lu Chenzhou over noticed the awkward atmosphere, so after a brief, ¡°Sorry to have bothered you,¡± he also left.


    Cheng Xi glanced at Ceng Xing¡¯s house with a complicated expression. She had truly been so mired in work lately that she hadn¡¯t noticed that Ceng Xing was treating her differently compared to before¡ªhis sharp tongue had mellowed out quite a bit! At the same time, she was relieved that Lu Chenzhou had arrived when he did; otherwise, if her senior finished his words¡­ Although she wasn¡¯t afraid to reject him, and although she believed that Ceng Xing wasn¡¯t someone who would shirk his responsibilities, it would be a source of awkward embarrassment for both of them.


    She led Lu Chenzhou into her room. Cheng Xi was staying in an apartment with a living room and a single bedroom. After Chen Jiaman moved in with her, Cheng Xi had given up the bedroom and started sleeping on a collapsible bed in the living room. The house was relatively clean but simple and unadorned.


    Luckily, Lu Chenzhou was still blindfolded¡ªbut then, he tugged the blindfold off without saying anything and then looked at Chen Jiaman, who was sitting in her bedroom, drawing.


    His face sunk. ¡°Why is she here?¡±


    Cheng Xi was slightly taken aback. She carefully asked, ¡°Where did you think she was going to stay?¡±


    When faced against Cheng Xi¡¯s clear and penetrating gaze, Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t bring himself to say ¡°the hospital.¡±


    He didn¡¯t like the hospital himself, so how could he justify forcing it on someone else?


    The beginnings of a smile formed on Cheng Xi¡¯s face, and she ran up to him and tugged at his fingertips. ¡°Come, look at Jiaman draw.¡±


    When Chen Jiaman drew, she was so focused that she became utterly oblivious to her surroundings. Even if Cheng Xi ran around the house doing chores, she wouldn''t notice anything.


    Lu Chenzhou stood there and looked at the canvas. To him, it was simply filled with dark shadows, without any sense of cohesive artistry.


    Cheng Xi continued to help Chen Jiaman by organizing her painting materials. In just a few minutes, the floor was splattered with paint. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t enter the room the entire time, just standing by the door and quietly watching on.


    As Cheng Xi tidied up, she softly asked him, ¡°Why¡¯re you here?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was cold, and he didn¡¯t deign to answer.


    Cheng Xi raised her head and, in an embarrassed tone, admitted, ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got good timing. I was just starting to miss you a little.¡±


    And with those few words, it was like she had wrapped Lu Chenzhou around her little finger. The cold atmosphere surrounding him instantly dissipated, and almost everything in front of him seemed to shine in a rose-colored light.


    Everything except for one thing: Chen Jiaman.


    When she finished drawing, she even needed Cheng Xi to wash her hands for her! And then brush her hair! And then she even slept on Cheng Xi¡¯s bed, whereas Cheng Xi and he had to run back to the hospital and grab a folding bed for him to sleep in the living room with!


    Lu Chenzhou even thought about renting a room for himself in the hotel, but in his eyes, the county¡¯s hotels were all similarly dirty, dilapidated, and run-down!


    So he had no choice but to sleep in the living room.


    He couldn¡¯t fit into the tiny folding bed at all. Even when he lay down, half of his legs hung over the bed. The miserable expression on his face prompted Cheng Xi to preemptively apologize. ¡°I¡±m sorry. It¡¯s too late today, but I¡¯ll buy you a new bed tomorrow.¡±


    She also started looking for other apartments to rent that night, because even if they had another bed, sleeping in this arrangement was very inconvenient.


    Lu Chenzhou snorted. Rather than a mere bed, he was planning on buying a whole villa tomorrow!


    Unaware of his extravagant thoughts, Cheng Xi felt even worse about the situation. Their beds were situated side by side, and she held his hand in hers. ¡°I¡¯m afraid of letting Jiaman sleep in the living room because she might run away in the middle of the night. And I really can¡¯t do anything about her current state, so I can only trouble you for the moment.¡±


    Her white hand was warm and soft, and Lu Chenzhou lowered his gaze. ¡°You¡¯re really treating her like your daughter?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled as she replied, ¡°How could I do that? It¡¯s just that she hasn¡¯t been given much affection and is very distrustful of the entire world, which makes me want to pamper her a little. Lu Chenzhou, Jiaman¡¯s a very obedient child. If you give her a chance, you¡¯ll see that she¡¯s really not troublesome at all.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s voice turned as cold as ice as he said, ¡°You want me to pamper her as well?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not!¡± After all, Chen Jiaman was already a sixteen-year-old girl, and Cheng Xi would be crazy to ask Lu Chenzhou to interact intimately with a girl he didn¡¯t know! ¡°I¡¯m just hoping that you can be more accommodating towards her.¡±


    Your intention to throw her out the door was a bit too overt, alright?


    After Cheng Xi made her request, Lu Chenzhou fell silent for a moment before asking, ¡°Then what about me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I also haven¡¯t been given much affection recently, and I want to make love to you. Won¡¯t you pamper me too?¡±


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 231: Lets Have A Baby

    Cheng Xi looked at Lu Chenzhou, hesitating.


    He looked right back at her, the longing in his gaze evident.


    She was actually a little embarrassed by how direct his request was, and she blushed slightly as she replied, ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a month since we last saw each other¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou smiled smugly as he sarcastically asked, ¡°Ha. Do you think that doing it once a year would be enough?¡± And before Cheng Xi could reply, he started listing off a bunch of facts. ¡°I read that a man¡¯s sexual desire starts declining when they¡¯re around forty to fifty years old, and when they¡¯re sixty years old, they have almost no such desire. I¡¯m only thirty one this year, so there are still twenty nine years of sexual activity remaining for me. Since you can¡¯t handle doing it twice a day, that means that, at most, we can average having sex once a day. If we had sex at that rate for the next twenty nine years, then we¡¯d be able to do it 10,585 times. However, we also have to take your ovulation cycle into consideration. If I can only see you once a month, and for only ten days or so per visit, then we can only have sex 120 times a year. That¡¯s 120 sessions per 365 days. In other words, each session missed is the equivalent of losing three days. Cheng Xi, can you really compensate for my loss?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi stared at him open-mouthed. ¡°No, I can¡¯t!¡±


    His calculations¡­...really rendered her speechless. ¡°But isn¡¯t today one such special occasion? You didn¡¯t even tell me that you were coming¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stopped speaking and just stared at her in silence until Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. In the end, she patted the edge of her bed and said, ¡°Come, then. Do it!¡± They certainly couldn¡¯t do it in the living room, as there was no privacy to speak of there, so the two of them ended up doing it in the bathroom. Lu Chenzhou pushed her against the mirror, and for the first time, Cheng Xi saw herself in all kinds of shameful positions.


    What¡¯s more, she was extremely tired, so much so that, as she fell asleep, she swore to herself that she would find a new place tomorrow.


    She preferred doing it in a more traditional setting, where she could just lie down¡­


    The next day, she examined some patients in the morning and then ended up in a meeting with Ceng Xing in the afternoon. During a break, she asked the civil administration deputy chief if he knew if there were any good two or three-room apartments in a relatively good neighborhood that were for rent. The price didn¡¯t matter; it was enough as long as the interior decoration was good and the surroundings peaceful.


    When Ceng Xing overheard this, he laughed coldly. ¡°You¡¯re really giving your all for this fellow, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t you remember why you¡¯re here in the first place? Are you only going to regret your actions after he¡¯s beaten you to death?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think.¡±


    But Ceng Xing only continued to laugh coldly. ¡°Then what is it? Isn¡¯t he crazy? Didn¡¯t he report you? Did you come to this desolate land of your own volition?¡±


    His negative emotions had stewed for the entire night, and he would no longer listen to any of Cheng Xi¡¯s explanations. Cheng Xi also felt that she wouldn¡¯t be able to clear things up satisfactorily no matter what she said, so she simply decided to stop talking.


    In the end, Ceng Xing could also only stop talking and resort to shooting daggers at Cheng Xi through his eyes for the rest of the meeting. Then, when they returned to their apartments, he instantly felt worse. Wasn¡¯t he still staying next door to Cheng Xi? Lu Chenzhou was almost certainly still there, so in order to spite him, he waited for Cheng Xi so that they could carpool home together. However, the moment the two of them entered the parking lot, they saw a bright red BMW-X6 by the road. Lu Chenzhou was waiting for them in the car, and when he saw Cheng Xi, he stepped out, pointed at the car, and said, ¡°A gift to you.¡±


    Ceng Xing, who was still driving Cheng Xi¡¯s dinky old car, had been struck by an arrow to the knee.


    But clearly, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t feel like an arrow was enough, as he continued to take out a folder from the car, and then from that a whole stack of photographs. As he handed them to Cheng Xi, he said, ¡°These are the two houses that I¡¯m the most interested in. Which do you prefer?¡±


    Ceng Xing¡¯s curiosity triumphed over his envy. Just a brief glance at the photos revealed that, of the two houses, one was a villa in a beautiful and secluded part of town, and the other was a multi-story house, likely in some residential area, with exquisite decorations.


    But Lu Chenzhou was disdainful of the latter; he pointed at it as he critiqued, ¡°This house is pretty close to the hospital, but the decor¡¯s even worse and of lower standards than your original apartment¡­¡­¡±


    Ceng Xing was reminded of the house whose contract he¡¯d shown Cheng Xi last night, causing him to immediately storm off with an ashen face.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even glance at Ceng Xing, as if he didn¡¯t exist in his world. Cheng Xi sighed at the troublesome situation as she worriedly looked at Ceng Xing¡¯s diminishing back before turning back to Lu Chenzhou and weakly saying, ¡°There¡¯s no need to rent such a big house here, is there?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou replied with a questioning tone. ¡°Why do I need to rent it? Don¡¯t I have enough money to buy it?¡±


    Another arrow landed in Ceng Xing¡¯s knee.


    The reason why Ceng Xing had bought such a run of the mill three-bedroom house was because he thought that they would eventually leave Gansu. Thus, it would only ever be a temporary residence, so there wasn¡¯t any need to buy a spacious house.


    It was just like how he had been driving Cheng Xi¡¯s car with absolutely no intention of buying his own. It wasn¡¯t because he couldn¡¯t afford one, but rather because he didn¡¯t need one. A car was just like a suit of clothes¡ªwasn¡¯t it considered intimate for him to share one with Cheng Xi?


    But in the end, it had just caused him to be humiliated by Lu Chenzhou.


    He very much wanted to storm back and yell, ¡°You maniac, do you think that you¡¯d be this rich if it weren¡¯t for your family? Look at what happened to Donglai because of you! Where do you find the gall to run to Gansu and flaunt your wealth?!¡±


    Cheng Xi also felt that something was wrong with Lu Chenzhou. ¡°...We don¡¯t need such a big house, do we?¡±


    Given Lu Chenzhou¡¯s behavior, Cheng Xi felt that she¡¯d be able to stay here for at most three more years, and in the future, she¡¯d only be stopping by from time to time. Thus, from a financial standpoint, buying such a large house really wasn¡¯t worth it. It was too large to easily rent out, and also so large that it¡¯d be hard to sell¡­


    ¡°Bigger is better.¡± He pointed at the villa. ¡°Then let¡¯s get this one.¡± The villa wasn¡¯t particularly tall, just two stories high, but it still had a fair bit of space. Lu Chenzhou even considerately added on, ¡°Even if Chen Jiaman goes crazy and tries to jump off of the balcony, it wouldn¡¯t kill her.¡±


    Cheng Xi was speechless. It took her a moment before she could reply, ¡°But it¡¯s a bit far from where I work.¡± In reality, she thought that it was too big.


    Lu Chenzhou pointed to the side. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a car now?¡±


    Cheng Xi took a single glance at the blindingly red car before she automatically started massaging her forehead. ¡°Given where you currently live, I thought that you didn¡¯t like large houses.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Chenzhou surprisingly didn¡¯t disagree. He actually preferred Cheng Xi¡¯s old apartment, but that was only if they were alone! When there was someone else in the mix, he¡¯d rather have the house be as big as possible¡ªthat way, the other person could be given a room far away from them.


    Lu Chenzhou then picked up his phone and made a call. She didn¡¯t know whom he was talking to, but he clearly said, ¡°The house by the lakeside¡­ Yes, I¡¯ll be moving over immediately.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t changed one bit; once he decided on something, obtaining her permission was just a matter of formality.


    So with that, Cheng Xi was forced to move away. Lu Chenzhou had even arranged for movers to come. They arrived shortly after he closed on buying the house. The team was composed of two men and two women; the men were in charge of moving furniture and the women of tidying up the house. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have to do anything herself. She just had to give them instructions.


    Chen Jiaman was somewhat disturbed by all the change, prompting Cheng Xi to hold her hand as she explained, ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. We¡¯re just moving to a better place.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t plan on breaking the lease for this apartment, as in her mind, she¡¯d return to this place as soon as Lu Chenzhou left. After all, its proximity to the hospital was very convenient. Furthermore, because this was a temporary place to stay, she hadn¡¯t brought much over¡ªjust two bookshelves¡¯ worth of books and some clothes. Actually, what took up the most space was Chen Jiaman¡¯s drawings and tools. Cheng Xi packed everything up neatly, and just the frames took up half a trunk.


    And Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t even brought everything to Gansu.


    She didn¡¯t know how Lu Chenzhou had managed to do it, but by the time Cheng Xi and the movers arrived, the new bed and sofa that he ordered had arrived, as well as a new desk, new kitchenware, and even a whole cart of fresh vegetables, spices, and sauces.


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but be impressed.


    As the movers brought everything into the new house, Lu Chenzhou began cooking. When everything was set up, and while Cheng Xi was tidying the place with Chen Jiaman, dinner was ready.


    In order to show her sincere reverence for Lu Chenzhou, Cheng Xi told Chen Jiaman, ¡°Mr. Lu¡¯s really worked hard today. Come, let¡¯s toast him first.¡±


    Chen Jiaman looked shyly at Lu Chenzhou, raised her glass in imitation of Cheng Xi, and then called out, ¡°Daddy¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi was very surprised. Lu Chenzhou had arrived very late last night and left even earlier in the morning. He had been gone all this time, and this was the first time they¡¯d met properly during this trip. She didn¡¯t expect that Chen Jiaman would still recognize him.


    But what surprised her even more was that Lu Chenzhou actually toasted them back. After he finished his drink, he looked at Cheng Xi and nonchalantly said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a baby.¡±

 Chapter 232: Dont Provoke Me

    Lu Chenzhou asked to have a baby so casually that Cheng Xi could¡¯ve mistaken it for him saying that he wanted to buy new clothes. She was flabbergasted and had no response, because she really couldn¡¯t believe from his tone that he actually wanted a baby.


    Of course, Cheng Xi knew that while he might want one, whether or not he was sincere was hard to say.


    Even so, she still hesitated for a moment before quickly laughing to dispel the shock. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we get married before we have a baby?¡±


    An error message seemed to pop up on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face, as he became momentarily startled and vexed.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I forgot about that,¡± he said expressionlessly, as his mien settled back into his usual calm.


    Then, there wasn¡¯t a ¡°then¡± anymore, which made Cheng Xi think that Lu Chenzhou had lost all interest in this subject. After they had dinner and cleaned up, Lu Chenzhou went on his laptop. Cheng Xi thought that he had something important to do, so she stopped bothering him and brought Chen Jiaman to explore the new house.


    She didn¡¯t know who had designed it, but the house¡¯s accomodations were truly extensive. The second floor was made up of mostly bedrooms, but the first floor had a variety of rooms. It was centered around a large living room, from where a tennis court, small-scale gym, indoor swimming pool, and unusually scenic glass room branched out. The house couldn¡¯t be considered modern, as the equipment and interior furniture seemed to have been left unused for quite some time. When Cheng Xi walked around the second floor, she had a feeling that someone had built this place with the intention for it to be some sort of association hall, but Lu Chenzhou had found it and bought it as a house instead.


    Chen Jiaman was quite curious about her new surroundings, but she was so timid that she only looked at the furniture or equipment without touching them. Cheng Xi noticed this, but didn¡¯t force her to do anything. By the time they finished touring each room on the first floor, they were both tired out, so Cheng Xi walked Chen Jiaman back to her own room.


    They were both staying on the second floor, but Lu Chenzhou had assigned Chen Jiaman a room very far down the corridor. In fact, it was the most secluded room and took the longest to get to from the outside.


    But the scenery from that room was truly gorgeous. From her window, Chen Jiaman had a perennially pleasing country scene; the landscape was peppered with rolling green hills and rushing clear rivers. The room also expanded into a wide balcony, and when Chen Jiaman stepped outside, she could see the beautiful landscape surrounding her.


    It was especially peaceful and quiet at night here, as they were in the outskirts of town. From afar, the town¡¯s warm lamplight tinkled like stars on the horizon.


    After the two finished admiring the brilliant scenery from her room, they lay down new bedsheets that they had brought with them, arranged and hung up her clothes, and washed and wiped down all the furniture. Cheng Xi and Chen Jiaman did all of this together, and while the latter was somewhat slow, she was very meticulous as she followed Cheng Xi¡¯s instructions perfectly without missing a single spot.


    Once they finished, Cheng Xi told her to wash up first. Chen Jiaman¡¯s room even had its own small bathroom, so it was very convenient for both of them.


    Once she finished her shower, Cheng Xi helped her blow-dry her hair. Ever since Chen Jiaman had started living with Cheng Xi, Cheng Xi had always been the one to help Chen Jiaman with this, but this was the first time Chen Jiaman had ever seen it through the mirror. Cheng Xi was standing behind her; one hand was holding onto the blow-dryer and the other gently pulling her hair into neat little bundles.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s movements were incomparably gentle, and her gaze was so kind that Chen Jiaman felt like a small precious pearl being cradled in her mother¡¯s hands.


    Chen Jiaman felt an indescribable emotion well up within her heart, and she impulsively called out, ¡°Mom,¡± in a small voice.


    The blow-dryer was relatively noisy, so Cheng Xi didn¡¯t hear her words. But she could see Chen Jiaman¡¯s lips move through the mirror, and she smiled at her.


    And Chen Jiaman shyly smiled back.


    While living in Gansu, she had realized that Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t her biological mother. However, in her heart, she respected Cheng Xi as much as one, and whenever Cheng Xi was by her side, Chen Jiaman felt particularly peaceful, no longer afraid of her surroundings.


    However, when Cheng Xi asked her whether she¡¯d be scared of living here alone, she still nodded, tugged on her sleeve, and cutely asked, ¡°Could you keep me company?¡±


    Cheng Xi was a little surprised. Of course, she was more than happy to satisfy her request, as Chen Jiaman very rarely expressed her own emotions. Usually, she preferred to nod along no matter what the other party said. Cheng Xi grasped her small hand and said, ¡°Jiaman¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Little bunny,¡± Chen Jiaman immediately corrected.


    Cheng Xi compromised. ¡°Alright. Little bunny, as long as you wish for it, I¡¯ll stay here with you.¡±


    Chen Jiaman looked at Cheng Xi, a bit of surprise coloring her dark pupils.


    ¡°Are you shocked?¡± Cheng Xi smiled as she continued, ¡°Have you realized that it isn¡¯t that hard to ask other people to help you?¡±


    Chen Jiaman fell quiet for a moment, and then she asked, ¡°Then¡­¡­ what about Daddy?¡±


    Her ¡°Daddy¡± had been said in an unfamiliar tone. When Cheng Xi thought back to her previous stance towards Lu Chenzhou, Cheng Xi smiled a little and forced herself to make a strange expression. ¡°Just forget about him. Tonight, I¡¯ll be with you.¡±


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t believe her, but Cheng Xi really did accompany her for the entire night. The only time she left was to shower, and perhaps she had also consoled that man at that time.


    And perhaps she wasn¡¯t able to do so, because the next day, when Chen Jiaman went downstairs for breakfast, she heard that man say to Cheng Xi, ¡°Am I not your lover?¡±


    His tone was mild, but he was clearly angry.


    Cheng Xi tried to mollify him with an excuse. ¡°It¡¯s just one time, alright? She hardly ever requests anything of me, and I don¡¯t want to hurt her feelings.¡± Chen Jiaman heard Cheng Xi¡¯s voice turn soft and tender as she then said, ¡°Mr. Lu, be a little more obedient, alright?¡±


    Then, they stopped talking, but she didn¡¯t see them walk out, either. Chen Jiaman continued to stand in place, as quiet as a shadow.


    After a long while, she heard that man¡¯s voice speak up again. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me why I suddenly wanted a child yesterday? I saw like you¡¯ve been quite happy playing the role of a mother, so I decided to simply give you a child.¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed helplessly. ¡°You¡¯re quite childish.¡±


    Chen Jiaman turned back and went back up to her room.


    After moving into this new house, Chen Jiaman¡¯s life didn¡¯t seem to change much. The next morning, before Cheng Xi went to work, she arranged everything for her. And since Cheng Xi was worried that Chen Jiaman wouldn¡¯t eat any food if she weren¡¯t at her side, she ran back at lunchtime to drop a meal off for her and only left when Chen Jiaman finished eating.


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t like her new room very much because she could no longer see Cheng Xi bustle back and forth around her¡ªand she liked it when Cheng Xi behaved like that, as if her life revolved solely around her.


    Because to Chen Jiaman, the only other person in her life was Cheng Xi.


    That night, she once again asked Cheng Xi to accompany her.


    The next day, that man had a somewhat ugly expression again. Chen Jiaman felt a strange sense of exhilaration. She called him ¡°Daddy,¡± and he glanced at her coolly.


    This lasted for three days. Cheng Xi accompanied her every night, but on the fourth day, when Cheng Xi went to work, she brought Chen Jiaman along and dropped her off at a place with a wonderful scenery for her to draw. Chen Jiaman liked this place very much, as she could see all the roads outside, and she could finally see Cheng Xi hustle back and forth around her again.


    The man didn¡¯t show up this time, and Chen Jiaman thought that he had left, just like before. She spent the morning drawing peacefully, letting colors, swirls, and whorls meld together in harmony. But then, a sudden, crisp voice interrupted her from behind. ¡°How long do you plan to stick to her for?¡±


    Chen Jiaman froze in place as her hand started shaking uncontrollably.


    He slowly walked in front of her front, looking at her coolly all the while.


    She wanted to run away, but even as she tried to stand up, she heard him say, ¡°I advise you stay still. I sent you to your most feared place once, and I can do it again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t provoke me,¡± he said.

 Chapter 233: Peace

    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know that Lu Chenzhou had talked to Chen Jiaman, and she didn¡¯t notice anything off during lunchtime because she was in a rush, but she quickly realized that something was different at dinnertime.


    Chen Jiaman was conspicuously normal.


    During dinner, she no longer dropped food all over herself, and she didn¡¯t flip her bowl or the dishes either. It wasn¡¯t as if she couldn¡¯t eat properly, but she normally enjoyed being disruptive to get Cheng Xi¡¯s attention. However, after that night¡¯s meal, her clothes and plate were both spotless.


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t even react when Cheng Xi tried to placate Lu Chenzhou by feeding him. She seemed very quiet¡ªnot wooden, like how she used to be in Cai Yi¡¯s lab, but a more regular, normal quietness.


    Cheng Xi peered at her a few times and placed some of her favorite food into her bowl as she asked, ¡°Little bunny, why are you so obedient today?¡±


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t respond, but as she lowered her head, she indistinctly looked at Lu Chenzhou.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t notice anything amiss until it was time to sleep. After Chen Jiaman finished listening to her nightly story, she pulled her blankets up and covered herself, leaving just a pair of eyes peeking out at Cheng Xi. She had even tucked in her blanket by herself, and she was clearly not letting Cheng Xi get into bed with her.


    Cheng Xi raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to keep you company tonight?¡±


    Chen Jiaman nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re not scared anymore?¡±


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t say anything, only shutting her eyes in response. It seemed that she was even a bit angry.


    Cheng Xi marvelled at her behavior. It wasn¡¯t good for people to bottle up their emotions, but the fact that Chen Jiaman was doing so meant that she was now brave enough to express her own emotions, that she was no longer just a puppet.


    This was a step in the right direction.


    Cheng Xi intentionally started teasing her. ¡°It seems like you still want me to keep you company~ How about I stay?¡±


    She lifted Chen Jiaman¡¯s blankets and tried to crawl under the blankets, but Chen Jiaman refused to let her enter.


    Cheng Xi immediately suspected that something had happened while she was gone, but now wasn¡¯t the time to ask. Cheng Xi instead swapped tactics and tried to coax her. ¡°Then, can you tell me what you want me to do? If you don¡¯t say anything, I won¡¯t leave.¡±


    And Cheng Xi did as she promised. Since she couldn¡¯t get in the blankets, she lay down on the barren side of the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep here the entire night then. It¡¯s not cold enough for me to freeze to death at night, right?¡±


    Cheng Xi then closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep. Her act worked, and it frightened Chen Jiaman into taking action; she gnashed her teeth and looked at Cheng Xi in frustration before softly saying, ¡°I¡­¡­ I don¡¯t need someone to keep my company at night anymore.¡±


    Only then did Cheng Xi open her eyes and look at her. ¡°You need to tell people what you¡¯re thinking so that they understand you, alright? Anyways, since you feel like you can sleep on your own, then I¡¯ll leave once you fall asleep. Alright?¡±


    She didn¡¯t ask why Chen Jiaman suddenly didn¡¯t need her around anymore. Clearly, Chen Jiaman wouldn¡¯t have responded even if she had. Chen Jiaman closed her eyes and curled up in her blanket.


    As for whether or not she actually fell asleep, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know; she just stayed there until Chen Jiaman¡¯s breathing stabilized at a slow methodical pace. Then, she walked downstairs, where Lu Chenzhou was still sitting in the living room and talking with someone on the phone with his laptop in front of him.


    As she walked closer, she heard him emotionlessly say, ¡°......I¡¯m not free. You don¡¯t have to tell me any of this.¡± Then, a cold smile flashed across his face, as he chillingly went on to say, ¡°I really don¡¯t care whether Donglai lives or dies.¡±


    After Lu Chenzhou hung up, he continued to do a couple tasks on his laptop, as if that call hadn¡¯t affected him at all. Honestly, over these past few days, Cheng Xi had received multiple calls from people close to Lu Chenzhou, varying from his grandparents to Baldy, and even Cai Yi. Each one asked her to persuade Lu Chenzhou to return to Donglai.


    Donglai was honestly in a huge mess. Out of nervousness, or perhaps arrogance, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father had suggested that they bribe a politician. Evidently, they thought that the matter would quickly resolve itself, but their failed bribe only made the matter balloon even more. Then, unable to think of a solution, he could only push the ¡°lazy¡± Lu Chenzhou out of the company in an effort to save it.


    Baldy was the one who had told Cheng Xi all this. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t understand the business world, but Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father¡¯s actions during this crisis would make anyone feel disgusted¡ªthe reason why the people closest to you can hurt you the most is because only they know what will hurt you most.


    Lu Chenzhou was clearly afraid that his family would abandon and betray him, and that was exactly what his father had done.


    As a result, Cheng Xi never asked Lu Chenzhou about Donglai, and neither did she plan on asking him anything about it. Of course, Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t talked to her very much these last few days, as she was usually preoccupied with Chen Jiaman.


    Just like now. Even when he saw her walk over towards him, he didn¡¯t even look away from his laptop. He continued to pretend that she didn¡¯t exist.


    Luckily, Cheng Xi was thick-skinned enough to deal with him, and as she crept over to him, she asked, ¡°What¡¯re you up to?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou continued to stare at his laptop, ignoring her.


    Cheng Xi looked at his screen and automatically made a ‡å expression. Lu Chenzhou had at least ten tabs open, and they were all titled ¡°What to do before getting married,¡± ¡°What sort of marriage proposals do women like,¡± ¡°10 preparations you have to make before marriage,¡± and even a philosophical ¡°Why get married.¡±


    And in front of him was a little notepad that was filled with notes on things to prepare and to consider before marriage. Like his personality, his handwriting was beautiful, tidy, clean, and neat, which meant that Cheng Xi could easily read his notes.


    She couldn¡¯t help but be delighted and immediately hugged him. ¡°So you¡¯re waging a cold war with me while preparing to propose to me!~ Ah, Mr. Lu, why are you so cute?¡±


    Mr. Lu continued to ignore her, and Cheng Xi stayed by his side as she watched him search up more and more marriage articles. As she watched him work, she started pondering Chen Jiaman¡¯s sudden change in personality, but before she could come to a conclusion, Mr. Lu suddenly closed his laptop, stowed his notebook to the side, and walked away.


    Cheng Xi had been leaning against him, so she almost fell down when he moved. She grabbed the side of the desk to break her fall, raised her head, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t respond as his back faced her.


    Even a dim-witted person would realize by now that he was angry at her, but she wasn¡¯t dim-witted. After a brief sigh, she followed him into the bedroom. Lu Chenzhou was already taking off his clothes.


    Cheng Xi touched her nose and ran to her bathroom to take a shower without asking. She showered faster than him, and after she was done, she obediently laid down on his bed and dutifully waited for him. Luckily, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t refuse her, as he disrobed and laid down by her side.


    Cheng Xi tried to turn over, wanting to chat with him, but in the middle of her turn, Lu Chenzhou grabbed her from the back, and then, after teasing her for a while, he slid into her.


    He didn¡¯t say a single word during the entire act; he just maintained his posture and thrust his hips steadily. Cheng Xi wanted to kiss him, but he wouldn¡¯t let her.


    And after that, he went to sleep. At any rate, although he did whatever he wanted to, he refused to communicate with her. Without any other option, Cheng Xi got up, found a pen and a piece of paper, wrote him a note, and then handed it to him with a pitiful look.


    On the note was something that he¡¯d seen before: given x and y, find x2 + 2xy + y2.


    Lu Chenzhou wanted to ignore her, close his eyes, and pretend to be asleep, but this question had plagued him for a long time, ever since she¡¯d first shown it to him, actually. Furthermore, right after the last time he saw this, they had broken up. He felt compelled to pay extra attention to it now.


    He suddenly sat up, flung his blankets off, and coldly stared at her. ¡°What do you mean by this?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have any time to react.


    Lu Chenzhou tossed the piece of paper in front of her and stared at her evilly, preparing to gobble her up as soon as she said ¡°breakup.¡±


    But that evil woman, the woman who hadn¡¯t kept him in her heart at all, only pitifully said, ¡°I¡¯m suing for peace, of course. Lu Chenzhou, I¡¯m trying to sue for peace with you. It¡¯s so obvious! Did you not get it?¡±


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 234: A Forced Marriage?

    ¡°In the field of genetics, the X chromosome represents the female sex and the Y chromosome the male sex. The addition of x to y represents an intimate relationship between a couple, of course.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was, once again, rendered speechless by Cheng Xi¡¯s logic.


    Female doctors really were inscrutable sometimes.


    He almost wanted to beat her up, as he had burnt countless brain cells trying to solve this silly little metaphor¡­¡­ but she had never needed to sue for peace with him at all, because he had always been completely caught in her hands.


    Lu Chenzhou was unable to even get mad at her, so he resignedly asked, ¡°Chen Jiaman¡¯s just pretending, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked. ¡°Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°Because I warned her today,¡± Lu Chenzhou responded in a cool tone, ¡°She clearly understood what I was saying, as she stopped clinging to you.¡±


    Cheng Xi suddenly realized why Chen Jiaman had become much more ¡°honest,¡± but her enlightenment quickly turned to anxiety. ¡°You didn¡¯t scare her too much, did you?¡± She wanted to continue and explain that Chen Jiaman was only just starting to develop some courage, but then she saw Lu Chenzhou glance at her with a sullen face, as if he were about to get up and leave.


    Cheng Xi quickly pounced on him, pinning him down as she ignored everything else and yelled, ¡°I¡±m sorry! I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my fault. My fault.¡± Without giving Lu Chenzhou any time to react, she bit down on his body, so hard that Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­ once again couldn¡¯t do anything.


    He pointed a finger at her forehead. ¡°What are you wrong about?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    This tone, as if he were schooling a child¡­¡­ Cheng Xi leaned backwards, away from his finger, and earnestly replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for neglecting you even though you came the way here to find me.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face improved slightly, but he continued to stare at her. ¡°You knew that she was pretending, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Cheng Xi was unable to dodge this question, and she could only say, ¡°It¡¯s not really an act. She does still have some lingering mental issues, like anxiety, communication issues, problems expressing herself, and¡ª¡±


    This was all true. Even though being afraid of the dark and needing someone to keep her company or deliberately making a mess to get Cheng Xi¡¯s attention were both childish acts, they were just a way Chen Jiaman¡¯s anxiety manifested. It wasn¡¯t at all appropriate to call her actions just a pretense on her part.


    But before she could finish speaking, Lu Chenzhou had already gotten up and was about to leave. Cheng Xi weakly dragged him back as she once again asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter now?¡±


    ¡°Go sleep with her!¡± Lu Chenzhou pushed her away. ¡°Who wants you around?!¡±


    Cheng Xi latched onto him like an octopus. ¡°I want you around!¡±


    He laughed coldly. ¡°Ha!¡±


    Cheng Xi kissed him.


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t reciprocate, and he even coldly leaned as far away from her as he could. ¡°You clearly treat your patients better than your man. I don¡¯t want to be your man anymore. Leave!¡±


    This fellow¡­¡­ In the end, he still couldn¡¯t handle her thinking about others, not even if that other person was just a teenage girl.


    Cheng Xi said, ¡°What do you mean? The reason why I¡¯m doing all this is so that she can get better as quickly as possible. My patients are only ever guests in my life; they¡¯ll leave once they¡¯re well. On the other hand, you-¡± As Cheng Xi said this, she put her hand over his heart and squeezed his chest, as if trying to grab his heart. ¡°You¡¯ll always be #1 in my heart!¡±


    Then, afraid that she¡¯d squeezed his chest too hard, she leaned down and licked it.


    This series of actions was so flirtatious that Mr. Lu normally would have pushed her onto the bed and ravaged her by now, but today he merely continued to look at her expressionlessly. He even scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re just trying to sweet-talk me.¡±


    Cheng Xi shamelessly asked, ¡°Is it sweet enough? I can be a little sweeter if you want¡­¡­¡± Then, she tilted her head upwards, licked the corners of his mouth, leaned against his ear, and whispered, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯re the man who I love the most. No matter what you become, I¡¯ll always love you. If you fall sick, I¡¯ll take care of you. If you¡¯re old, I¡¯ll accompany you. If you¡¯re poor, I¡¯ll take care of you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou simply stared at her. ¡°You? Take care of me? Try paying off this house first.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi stared back at him, speechless.


    A faint hint of mirth finally creeped into Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyes when he saw her shocked face, but his expression remained as cold as ever. ¡°Your words are extremely unrealistic, and you¡¯re just trying to placate me.¡± He hesitated for a moment before admitting, ¡°But I do like it very much.¡± He finally discarded his cold mask, leaned down to kiss her, and as he did so, he said, ¡°Remember to placate me some more in the future.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Well, at least they were past the stage of him being mad about being neglected. From this interaction, Cheng Xi could tell that Lu Chenzhou had really become much more peaceful after letting go of the burden in his heart. Of course, this also had something to do with the fact that he was busy working on other things¡ªpreparing for a marriage proposal and for marriage at large. The nature of his personality was to push everything aside and focus on only one thing at a time.


    Including jealousy.


    How much work had he put into everything? That night, they made love twice. It was already very late when they finally went to bed, but at 6 AM the next morning, Cheng Xi could no longer feel Lu Chenzhou¡¯s presence in bed. She blearily opened her eyes and saw that Lu Chenzhou had already gotten dressed and was currently sitting in front of his study and taking notes. But she was still tired and sleepily asked, ¡°What¡¯re you doing? Aren¡¯t you going to sleep?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou replied indistinctly. She assumed that he came back to bed, but when the alarm clock actually woke her up, she found that he hadn¡¯t slept at all; he was still in his usual upright posture, doodling and drawing in his notebook.


    Cheng Xi climbed out of bed, walked over, and saw that there were a few sets of documents sprawled around his desk. He had a pair of glasses loosely set on his face and a set square in his hand as he made precise marks on a floor plan of their new house.


    Cheng Xi curiously asked, ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡±


    ¡°Planning out the scene of the marriage proposal.¡±


    She pointed at another pile. ¡°And these papers?¡±


    ¡°The wedding ceremony.¡±


    ¡°......And those?¡±


    ¡°Arrangements for the wedding.¡±


    Cheng Xi picked up a pile of papers and started flipping through them randomly, mainly noting how detailed his work was. He had planned out everything step by step, starting from the arrangement of the room where he would propose to her, the engagement and proposal process, and to what sort of wedding souvenir the guests would receive.


    She couldn¡¯t help but massage her forehead. ¡°Have you been staying up these past few days to work on this?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her, as if the answer to her question was too obvious to need a response.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be in such a hurry, is there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re you in a rush for?¡±


    ¡°Having a baby.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. She couldn¡¯t understand Lu Chenzhou¡¯s logic at all¡ªwhat did he think having a baby would do? Wouldn¡¯t he still be repulsed whenever Chen Jiaman called him ¡°Daddy?¡± ¡°Why are you making marriage such a big deal!¡± Her scalp went numb from just looking at all his preparations, and she felt that she couldn¡¯t let him work himself to death like this. She turned around to wash up and change her clothes. At the same time, she told her department head that something had come up and that she needed a day¡¯s leave from work.


    The department head approved her request without any hesitation, and she even asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Let me know if it¡¯s something I can help with.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled at the head¡¯s kind reply. ¡°Actually, something did come up. I¡¯m planning to host a dinner at my house. Would you like to come?¡±


    The department head laughed jovially. ¡°Of course! Why not? I heard that you just moved into a new place, and I¡¯ve been wanting to stop by and see it for myself.¡±


    And so, that night, Cheng Xi took on the role of a gracious hostess by inviting all her friends and colleagues over for dinner. As for the reason behind her invitation, she was somewhat mysterious about it. When pressed, Cheng Xi only mysteriously replied, ¡°You¡¯ll find out once you arrive.¡±


    The head felt like she was acting suspiciously, and Lu Chenzhou had similar thoughts¡ªCheng Xi hadn¡¯t rushed off to work after breakfast as usual. Instead, she stayed back and asked him, ¡°Did you bring your residence certificate over?¡±


    Since he was planning on buying a new house, he should have it on him at all times.


    Lu Chenzhou nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, give it to me. Your ID too.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou handed his residence certificate and ID to her as he looked at her in confusion. Cheng Xi glanced at him, smiled, and then pulled him along. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°You just have to follow me.¡±


    She brought him straight to the civil administration bureau. When they arrived, the man whom Tian Rou had tried to pass off as her boyfriend was standing outside the door, waiting for them. Cheng Xi shook hands with him and cordially conversed for a bit as Lu Chenzhou glanced at him.


    This man was more scholarly and refined than Lin Fan, and on top of that, he even had the cultured air of a mature man¡ªa dangerous competitor.


    Cheng Xi felt Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze and prodded him lightly. The vice-deputy chief also noticed the stare, and he smiled and asked, ¡°It¡¯s him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡± He candidly voiced his own opinion.


    Then, he led the two of them inside. He had already arranged everything, and the bureau personnel were just waiting for them. Cheng Xi took a form and handed it to Lu Chenzhou. ¡°You just have to sign your name here.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked over the paper indifferently, and then he suddenly stilled. ¡°A marriage certificate?¡± His collected expression crumbled to pieces. ¡°We¡¯re getting married just like that?!¡±


    Everyone, including the vice-deputy chief, widened their eyes and looked at the two of them in shock. One of them even stood up and hesitantly mentioned, ¡°By law, we can only certify a marriage license if both parties willingly agree to it.¡±


    His words made it sound like she was stealing an innocent man¡¯s freedom away!


    Cheng Xi exasperatedly shook her hands. o(¨s¡õ¨t)o

 Chapter 235: In The Future, Youll Be Mrs. Lu

    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s disapproval was clearly evident from his tone. ¡°I haven¡¯t even proposed to you yet.¡±


    Everyone made a ‡å face again. The bureau workers all laughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright! You can still propose to your girlfriend after getting a marriage license, and then focus on preparing for your wedding ceremony.¡±


    But the main reason why Cheng Xi had come here with Lu Chenzhou today was because she wanted to get the marriage over and done with! He was making the whole affair too complicated for their own good. But if they said something like that to him, then what were her actions worth?!


    Unfortunately for her, Lu Chenzhou seemed to be very interested, and he asked back, ¡°That¡¯s possible?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Most people get their marriage license first before actually dealing with the wedding.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to propose first still?¡±


    The bureau employee looked at Lu Chenzhou, and then back at Cheng Xi. She tried to hide her smile as she teasingly replied, ¡°You¡¯re so handsome that I¡¯m sure that your girlfriend will want to marry you even if you don¡¯t propose to her.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face became even more exaggerated. Now they were making it look like she was rushing into marriage because she had been enticed by his looks!


    And Lu Chenzhou actually turned to Cheng Xi and asked, ¡°Is that true?¡±


    Cheng Xi was slightly worried that he might actually leave if she responded incorrectly, so she could only reply, ¡°It¡¯s true. You¡¯re handsome, so you can do whatever you want.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou pursed his lips and relaxed into a satisfied smile. He took the proffered pen and filled in the marriage license, signed his name, and even politely thanked the employees for their efforts.


    He was handsome, well-dressed, and had excellent manners. So when he thanked everyone, the female employees all blushed. The vice-deputy chief was even somewhat worried, and asked Cheng Xi while the groom was occupied with the other employees, ¡°Dr. Cheng, your husband isn¡¯t an ordinary man, is he? After your marriage, will he be okay with you staying here?¡±


    When Cheng Xi had suddenly called in the morning, told him that she wanted a marriage license, and then asked what documents she would need, the vice-deputy chief had secretly thought that a local handsome lad had managed to catch Cheng Xi¡¯s heart and lay claim to this spectacular Dr. Cheng. Wouldn¡¯t it be great if her temporary relocation became permanent?


    But when the two of them finally showed up, his heart went cold. Cheng Xi¡¯s soon-to-be groom didn¡¯t look like a local at all, and he was clearly far more than just an ordinary man. Wouldn¡¯t this sort of person drag Cheng Xi away from her before too long?


    And if Cheng Xi left too quickly, then what would happen to all the work that they had done over here?


    The vice-deputy chief was truly worried about the future of the organization that she was championing.


    Cheng Xi clearly understood what was plaguing his mind, and she smiled and preemptively said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t discard this project halfway.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the vice-deputy chief finally relaxed and earnestly wished the both of them well. With his help, Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s submission process went very smoothly. And as they left, Cheng Xi even invited him to have dinner at her place that night. Mr. Lu was sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, and when he heard her extend this invitation, his joyous mood dimmed slightly. ¡°Why do we have to invite other people to dinner?¡±


    When he asked that question, he still didn¡¯t know that Cheng Xi had already invited the head nurse, Ceng Xing, her new colleagues, and the new students that had just arrived to dinner. In his mind, this was the perfect opportunity to spend more alone time with her alone and enjoy the process of truly incorporating another person into one¡¯s life.


    Cheng Xi looked at the vice-deputy chief¡¯s back, and started sweating as she was afraid that Lu Chenzhou would say another shocking statement. She quickly hugged him and kissed him on the lips to distract him. ¡°A wedding celebration, of course. Neither of our families are here, so if we invite them over, then we can get some red packets.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glared at her suspiciously. ¡°Do you not have enough money?¡±


    ¡°......No! But we have to receive some blessings for our wedding, don¡¯t we?¡± Cheng Xi racked her brains hard for another way to mislead him. ¡°It¡¯s traditional to get other people¡¯s blessings when you get married. Why else would everyone have extremely complicated marriage ceremonies that require months of preparation? It¡¯s all done to receive everyone¡¯s blessings, so that the couple will then live together blissfully and forever.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou blinked. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou smiled. ¡°Even though I know that you¡¯re speaking nonsense with a serious face, it¡¯s still quite pleasant to listen to.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    They had gotten married today, so she didn¡¯t think that it would be too appropriate to shoot him a supercilious look. Instead, she retrieved a small jewelry box from her bag and opened it to reveal two small rings.


    She took the male ring out and then asked, ¡°Mr. Lu, will you marry me?¡±


    The two of them were in the streets, just sitting in a car! What kind of sloppy proposal was this?!


    Lu Chenzhou was shocked. ¡°Why do you have this?¡±


    Cheng Xi hesitated. She had bought the rings yesterday because that was when Lu Chenzhou had been upset at her for spending more time with Chen Jiaman than him. But she couldn¡¯t explain all that right now, so Cheng Xi simply changed the topic; she pouted at him and then said, ¡°We¡¯ve already gotten our marriage license. Are you going to back out now?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Was he even allowed to bring up the fact that he¡¯d already found someone to design and forge their wedding rings? It crushed him to see all his preparations being swept aside by Cheng Xi¡¯s impetuous actions, but why did he also feel so happy inside?


    Despite his happiness, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face remained covered by a mask of ice. He glanced at the pouting Cheng Xi, extended his hand, and replied, ¡°Alright. Put it on.¡±


    Cheng Xi wanted to rub her forehead at his frigid tone; it almost felt like he was conferring some great favor upon her. Luckily, she knew him well enough to not mind. ¡°Smile for me first.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou did as he was told.


    ¡°Yup, you really do seem happy.¡± Cheng Xi smiled herself, put the ring on his left ring finger, and then leaned forward to kiss him. ¡°You¡¯re now married to me, so you¡¯ll be my Mr. Lu in the future.¡±


    ¡°My Mr. Lu¡± was a touching and heartwarming moniker, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze instantly turned warm. He sincerely placed the female ring on her finger, and then, just like she had, he hugged her, kissed her, and then earnestly said, ¡°In the future, you¡¯ll be my Mrs. Lu.¡±


    As he spoke those words, Mr. Lu felt a happiness spread throughout his body, and even his bones felt lighter. When Cheng Xi called home to tell her parents about the news, Lu Chenzhou, in his relaxed state, spontaneously leaned over and called out, ¡°Father.¡±


    That¡¯s right¡ªit was Cheng Xi¡¯s father on the other end.


    But the problem was that the call had just connected, and Cheng Xi hadn¡¯t even said anything yet. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s impromptu greeting left Cheng Xi a little dazed, and her father even more so. Cheng Xi¡¯s father hesitated for a moment before doubtfully asking, ¡°Cheng Yang?¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Cheng Xi returned to her senses, cleared her throat, and said, ¡°No, that was your son-in-law.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s father immediately sat up in shock. !!!!


    Quite a lot of people¡¯s minds were crumbling today. Cheng Xi¡¯s father fell silent for quite a while before finally saying, ¡°Is that you, Cheng Xi? What do you mean, ¡®son-in-law?¡¯¡±


    Cheng Xi glanced at Lu Chenzhou, who was sitting still with a calm expression on his face, and then replied, ¡°I mean that I¡¯m married now, to Lu Chenzhou. Actually, we just got our marriage license here in Gansu.¡±


    This time, Cheng Xi¡¯s father jumped up in shock. !!!!


    After a significant stretch of silence, Cheng Xi heard her father call out to his wife, ¡°Come over here. Why can¡¯t I understand what Cheng Xi¡¯s saying? Can you come talk to her?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face instantly turned into a ‡å.


    Regarding her daughter¡¯s marriage, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother was clearly much calmer than her father. When she heard Cheng Xi recount the day¡¯s events, she only asked, ¡°Why did you sign your marriage license there? Are you pregnant?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The worst thing was, the ever curious Lu Chenzhou was also listening in, and before Cheng Xi could get a word in, he nodded as he seriously said, ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re planning on having a baby.¡±


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 236: Am I Late?

    At this point, Cheng Xi decided to just hand the phone over to Lu Chenzhou with the words, ¡°You tell her.¡± Then, she turned the speakerphone mode off as she passed it over.


    Her decision was wise, because even after she disabled speakerphone mode, she could still hear her mother¡¯s loud, high-pitched voice from faraway. ¡°If you¡¯re only getting ready to have a baby, then what¡¯s the rush?! Do you think that we would gobble you up if you got the marriage license over here?! Why didn¡¯t you even mention this to us?!¡±


    Oh, she was truly infuriated now.


    Lu Chenzhou warily held the phone at a fair distance from his ears. He actually didn¡¯t feel put on the spot at all; instead, he patiently explained to Cheng Xi¡¯s mother, ¡°I¡±m sorry. I only learned of this when Cheng Xi brought me to the civil administration bureau.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s shock was palpable even through the phone. !!!!


    Cheng Xi thought to herself, My goodness, are you pushing all the blame onto your wife?!


    Later on that night, she received a call from her mother, which was another scolding. ¡°Why did you force him to get married with you out of nowhere? Are you that worried that you won¡¯t be able to find a husband?¡±


    Cheng Xi honestly and obediently replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. Haven¡¯t you and Father been quite worried that I wouldn¡¯t be able to find a husband due to my age? So when I found someone that I liked, of course I would try to get married with him right away.¡±


    Her mother was actually momentarily at a loss for words.


    Then, after Cheng Xi clarified what had happened to her family, she took a selfie of her holding hands with Lu Chenzhou, and then posted it on her feed with the caption: I¡¯m married.


    This was her official marriage announcement to her friends and relatives.


    Once the news spread, messages started flooding into her phone, which soon enough became a non-stop beeping machine. Cheng Xi ignored all the notifications, as she went right back to work after they received their marriage license. And since she still had to host a dinner later that night, she instructed Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Go find a hotel and then book two tables¡¯ worth of food of whatever you¡¯d like to eat.¡± Then, she even joked, ¡°After all, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s marrying you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou nodded and left as Cheng Xi returned to work. At noon, she returned home to prepare Chen Jiaman¡¯s lunch as usual. Lu Chenzhou was unexpectedly not home, so she called him and asked where he was. His response was even more succinct; after saying, ¡°I¡¯m busy,¡± he hung up.


    He didn¡¯t even give her any time to ask if he had made all the preparations for the banquet. Cheng Xi held her phone as she muttered, ¡°Gosh, things have changed so much after we got married! He¡¯s so much colder to me now.¡± When she raised her head, she saw that Chen Jiaman was looking at her. Cheng Xi smiled at the sight and gently said, ¡°Little bunny, let me tell you something. I just got married today. And tonight, I¡¯m going to have some friends over for dinner. Will you accompany me?¡±


    Chen Jiaman looked at her with a dazed expression.


    ¡°This is a very important event of my life, and I¡¯d love it if you could be there to share it with me.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t overly emphasize the event, and neither did she try to force Chen Jiaman to accept Lu Chenzhou. Something as nebulous as trust required hard work and time to forge; it was impossible and counterproductive to rush it.


    Instead, she just told Chen Jiaman that she was nervous, and so wanted her company. Cheng Xi¡¯s attitude gave Chen Jiaman an unexpected burst of happiness: it turned out that even her mama bunny, who seemed capable of doing anything and everything, could get nervous as well.


    Cheng Xi even took out two pairs of bunny ears and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we wear these tonight?¡±


    The fluffy little rabbit ears were very cute on her head. Chen Jiaman squeezed them and shyly agreed. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Her voice was very soft, but she did accept. Cheng Xi let out a pent up breath at succeeding.


    After lunch, Chen Jiaman went to rest in her room, and Cheng Xi returned to the hospital. During the ride to work, Cheng Xi spent her time replying to the flood of unread messages and missed calls. Because there were just too many messages, however, Cheng Xi had no choice but to turn her phone off when she got back to work. When she finally remembered that she needed to check up on Lu Chenzhou regarding the banquet, it was already late in the afternoon.


    Cheng Xi hurriedly walked out of the ward and into a nearby hallway to make the call. Just then, she saw Ceng Xing come in from the outside. He had spent the day working on liaison affairs and only just now returned to the hospital. He stopped in front of her as he asked, ¡°Did you really get married?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ceng Xing looked suspiciously at her. ¡°I¡¯m this close to concluding that you¡¯re just drawn in by his money.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. He made the money himself, and I won¡¯t argue that it¡¯s a part of his charm.¡±


    Ceng Xing shot a supercilious gaze at her before leaving.


    Even though he disapproved of Lu Chenzhou, he still went over to her place with the department head later that night.


    After calling Lu Chenzhou, Cheng Xi was reminded of his pickiness for food, and so she left work a bit earlier than usual to buy some groceries so that she could make dessert. She expected everything to have been prepared when she got home, but when she arrived, she found that nothing had changed besides the fact that Chen Jiaman had finally finished her first piece of art while in Gansu.


    Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t at home, and when she called him, he only responded with, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°The guests are almost here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Cheng Xi took a deep breath to calm herself, choosing to believe him. She put it out of her mind, washed up with Chen Jiaman, and then made snacks with her. Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t very good at baking, and she only knew the basics: slice some fruit and then mix it with vegetables to make a salad, fry some eggs for a savory snack, and bake unleavened dough for a basic flatbread.


    Their bread was strange, and it came out in all sorts of shapes and sizes¡ªbecause Chen Jiaman had kneaded the dough. As the two of them laughed at the unusually shaped bread that they¡¯d made, the department head and her other colleagues arrived.


    When they first walked in, everyone was shocked by the size of the place. Then, they saw that Cheng Xi and Chen Jiaman were the only ones around, which prompted them to ask, ¡°Where¡¯s the groom? How can he be absent right now?¡± The department head then pointed at the large pack of beer that two men were carrying behind her. ¡°After he plucked one of the prettiest flowers of our hospital, everyone rolled up their sleeves and readied themselves to have a go at him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s out doing something. He¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    Cheng Xi waved everyone in and asked them to try her fruit salad and freshly baked bread, which everyone laughed at. A young man noticed Chen Jiaman and ¡°secretly¡± asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the girl by Dr. Cheng¡¯s side?¡±


    The aforementioned girl was Chen Jiaman. When everyone arrived, she ran to Cheng Xi and grabbed her arm. Now, she was looking at the crowd with an expression of abject fear.


    When Cheng Xi heard the young man¡¯s words, she held onto Chen Jiaman¡¯s hand tightly as she said, ¡°Alright, since everyone¡¯s here, then it¡¯s time to make some introductions. This is my daughter, a little bunny.¡±


    Ceng Xing massaged his forehead at the incoming uproar. The department head had an excited expression on her face as the rest of the crowd¡¯s jaws dropped in unison.


    The young man who¡¯d asked the question was so scared that he even started stammering. ¡°R-R-Really? She¡¯s your daughter? My goodness, Dr. Cheng! You¡¯re not even thirty yet, are you?¡±


    He actually believed her. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help but burst out into laughter, and even Chen Jiaman smiled shyly, her back somewhat straightening.


    The young man was an exuberant fellow, and when Cheng Xi didn¡¯t explain herself, he didn¡¯t give up and instead turned to ask Chen Jiaman, ¡°Is Dr. Cheng really your mother?¡±


    Chen Jiaman was so scared that she tried to hide behind Cheng Xi. The young man hesitated for a moment. Cheng Xi pretended not to notice Chen Jiaman¡¯s abnormal reaction as she gently told her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Tell him that you¡¯re not. If he dares to bully you, then I¡¯ll beat him up.¡± Then, her tone took on a fierce edge as she continued to say, ¡°In the future, if anyone else dares to bully you, then just tell me and I¡¯ll beat them all up.¡±


    Everyone quieted down almost immediately as they focused on Chen Jiaman. At this point, even if she didn¡¯t say anything, they had all noticed her abnormality.


    Luckily, Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t let Cheng Xi down. Under everyone¡¯s watchful gaze, she eventually drummed up the courage to say, ¡°I¡¯m my mother¡¯s daughter. Forever and ever.¡±


    Cheng Xi began to laugh, and everyone relaxed imperceptibly. After Chen Jiaman took this first step, she would slowly find that interacting with others wasn¡¯t as difficult as she thought it was.


    The lights outside turned on almost right after Chen Jiaman finished speaking, causing the whole river to light up.


    Chen Jiaman was facing the big pane of glass in the living room, so she was the first to discover all the lamps turning on. As they lit up one by one, she was so shocked that she opened her mouth wide and said in awe, ¡°The stars have fallen into the river.¡±


    Everyone laughed at her words, but they soon also felt that something amiss and turned around. Bath in the resplendent lamplight, they saw fireworks light up the dark blue sky.


    Bursts of fireworks blossomed in the sky like vibrant and incomparably magnificent flowers. The lights along the river were equally dazzling, and the combination of the light displays drew everyone¡¯s attention.


    Everyone was dumbstruck by the marvelous scene. Only after a while did someone run outside, shortly followed by everyone else.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Cheng Xi already had a guess in her heart. She followed behind them, holding Chen Jiaman¡¯s hands as she walked out. But even though she had already guessed it, when she actually saw the familiar shadows standing in her backyard, she still couldn¡¯t help herself from letting out a deep breath of shock.


    Tian Rou, Baldy, Shen Wei, Cheng Yang, and her parents¡­¡­ Her closest friends and family were all smiling under the lamps, waiting for her.


    ¡°There was a traffic jam, so we were slightly delayed.¡± The man who had orchestrated everything wiped the sweat off his forehead, walked up to her, and then seriously asked, ¡°Am I late?¡±

 Chapter 237: How Could I Not Love Him?

    Cheng Xi looked adoringly at Lu Chenzhou for a while before finally saying, ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡± A phrase suddenly came to mind: How could I not love a man like this?


    She shook her head fervently. ¡°You¡¯re not late at all!¡± She wrapped herself around him in a bear hug as she gushed, ¡°I¡¯m so happy with this. Really, thank you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou maintained a calm demeanor, which only further increased his reservedness, but there was a faint shyness in his eyes that gave his demeanor a much more animated mien.


    Cheng Xi kissed him forcefully, and then let go of him to run to her parents¡¯ side.


    Cheng Xi was slightly afraid that they¡¯d immediately start scolding her¡ªafter all, she had gotten married without telling them anything. However, when her mother saw her, she merely clicked her tongue and muttered, ¡°My goodness! You¡¯re so happy that you look like a fool!¡±


    They were purely happy for her.


    Then, freed from worry, Cheng Xi hugged her happily.


    And then she hugged everyone else in turn even as they criticized her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten a lot thinner!¡± her father muttered. Actually, she hadn¡¯t; this was just his way of expressing his displeasure with his new son-in-law.


    Cheng Yang offered a normal congratulations. ¡°So you¡¯ve finally gotten married. It seems that congratulations are in order.¡±


    Meanwhile, Tian Rou commented, ¡°Did Lu Chenzhou spend all of his money to buy this huge mansion? Why are you dressed like this when today¡¯s the day of your marriage?¡±


    Baldy added on from right beside her, ¡°That¡¯s right! It doesn¡¯t fit this lovely backdrop at all.¡±


    Cheng Xi let go of Tian Rou and stuck her tongue out at Baldy. Then, she skipped him and went to hug Shen Wei instead.


    As expected, Shen Wei said something similar. ¡°You really did rush your marriage too much, but that¡¯s alright. We¡¯re all here now.¡±


    Cheng Xi suddenly wanted to tear up.


    But she choked back her tears as she smiled brightly at all of them. ¡°How did you guys manage to get here on such short notice?¡±


    Cheng Xi had gone home and back a few times, and it took her at least a day¡¯s travel to make the journey each time. Lu Chenzhou could have only called them over after they received their marriage license, so it should have been practically impossible for them to come tonight.


    Her brother just laughed at her while her mother was the one who finally explained, ¡°We took a plane over. Your boyfriend booked an entire plane just for us.¡± As she said this, she clutched her chest and a hurt expression emerged on her face. ¡°He spent quite a bit of money¡­¡­ How wasteful!¡±


    In turns out that Lu Chenzhou had actually expended significant effort to bring everyone together. Baldy intentionally butted in, saying, ¡°Boss Lu said something about how you wanted to be able to grant wishes. What kind of nonsense is that?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face went bright red. She turned around, saw the mirth in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyes, and her face morphed into a ‡å. Luckily, at this point, the others had all started heading over and Cheng Xi had to introduce everyone to her family. Thus, the matter of ¡°granting wishes¡± was temporarily forgotten.


    Lu Chenzhou had actually arranged dinner as well, but rather than ordering a banquet from a catering company, he had hired chefs to come to the mansion and cook for them.


    The chefs arrived at almost the exact same time as Cheng Xi¡¯s family. There were quite a number of people coming in, and when the delivery personnel who brought ingredients over were also taken into account, the scene was quite a mess.


    But Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t able to do anything before Shen Wei and Tian Rou pulled her into a random room to redo her makeup and dress her up properly. Halfway through the process, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother came in, and she saw her daughter obediently sitting in front of the mirror while the other two applied makeup to her. She had just finished touring the premises, and she couldn¡¯t help but worry. After reaffirming to herself that Shen Wei and Tian Rou weren¡¯t outsiders, she bluntly asked her daughter, ¡°How much did Lu Chenzhou spend to buy this place? It¡¯s so big! Can the two of you really live here alone? You¡¯re going to be tired from just cleaning and taking care of it! Otherwise, you¡¯d have to hire someone to do it for you, and how much money would that cost? Is he intending to sink all of his money into this place?¡± The entire world knew that Lu Chenzhou was out of a job, and her mother was also clearly aware of this fact. She seriously lectured her daughter, saying, ¡°He¡¯s handsome, so it¡¯s fine even if he is penniless. However, you can¡¯t let him just throw his money away like this. When you have a chance, help him take care of his money properly.¡±


    Cheng Xi could only tactfully reply, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s his money.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s mother glared at her. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re stealing it! Can¡¯t you just help him manage it properly? And you even said that you wanted a child¡ªif he keeps spending money like this, then are you planning on raising that child yourself?¡± She even dragged Tian Rou and Shen Wei into the conversation by asking for their opinions. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that Lu Chenzhou¡¯s crazy to buy such a big place?¡±


    Cheng Xi thought to herself, This really is my mother! Who else would take every opportunity they can to scold others? She¡¯d probably still treat her children as eight-year-old kids when they were eighty.


    The three friends glanced at each other before Shen Wei laughed and replied, ¡°Lu Chenzhou really did spend more money than he should have on this place. But don¡¯t worry, Auntie. He¡¯s from a wealthy family, and even if he was kicked out of Donglai Pharmaceuticals, he still owns Donglai Hotel. That¡¯s a huge golden egg, so don¡¯t worry about his finances. The most important thing is that his feelings towards Cheng Xi are sincere.¡±


    Tian Rou originally wanted to slander Lu Chenzhou a bit, but she reconsidered about remembering what Baldy had said. Even though she was still angry about what he had done to Cheng Xi, she had to admit that his actions tonight had been extremely thoughtful towards Cheng Xi.


    Cheng Xi had experienced her mother¡¯s scoldings countless times, so she knew when it was time to stop struggling and listen obediently. After a while, her mother did calm down and let go of her. Then, she went back downstairs to continue touring the place with Cheng Xi¡¯s father.


    The fireworks had stopped at some point earlier. Lamplight illuminated the entire villa, and the ¡°lights¡± along the river slowly dissipated, just like an elusive dream.


    But everyone there knew that it wasn¡¯t just a dream, but rather a wondrous act of love from a single man.


    After Cheng Xi¡¯s mother left, Shen Wei looked at Cheng Xi. She was only half-done with her makeup, but she already looked like a blossoming rose.


    Over the ten or so years that Shen Wei had known her, Cheng Xi always seemed to look her best.


    Shen Wei couldn¡¯t help herself from sighing lightly as she said to Cheng Xi, ¡°What your mother said does make sense, Cheng Xi. After you two get married, don¡¯t let your finances stay separated. You should try to make everything that¡¯s his yours. It¡¯s just a good insurance policy on your behalf. Even if you don¡¯t actually need the money, you should still be in control of all of his assets.¡±


    These were words spoken from the bottom of her heart, and if they didn¡¯t have such a good relationship, then Shen Wei definitely wouldn¡¯t have said them out loud.


    And as Shen Wei advised Cheng Xi, she also spoke to Tian Rou. ¡°Rou, listen to my words too. Don¡¯t go around with that silly and carefree mindset! You have to stay vigilant and make sure that Baldy¡¯s not tricking you or anything like that!¡±


    Tian Rou pointed at herself. ¡°Me, silly? I think that Baldy¡¯s the silly one!¡± Tian Rou seemed to be very proud as she replied, ¡°I know all of his social media account passwords, and he¡¯s also given me his credit cards and his phones. What, do you think that I¡¯m as silly as Cheng Xi?¡± Then she turned to Cheng Xi. ¡°Do you know Lu Chenzhou¡¯s social media account passwords?¡±


    ¡°......He doesn¡¯t use social media very much¡ªmostly e-mail. He doesn¡¯t log into WeChat that often either.¡±


    Evidently, she also knew his passwords.


    Honestly, Lu Chenzhou had never deliberately hidden anything from her. Cheng Xi had free access to whatever he was doing and whatever he was planning to do, including his marriage proposal and wedding ceremony plans.


    Of course, he had still dropped this huge big surprise on her head in the end.


    Shen Wei understood their words, and eventually sighed as she said, ¡°Alright. I see that you two can handle it just fine without me.¡±


    Tian Rou giggled as she hugged her. ¡°We do really appreciate your advice. Don¡¯t we, Cheng Xi?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. ¡°Shen Wei, thank you.¡±


    Shen Wei smiled wryly as she replied, ¡°Alright. I know that you two don¡¯t agree with my viewpoints, but I¡¯m just saying.¡± As she spoke, she made some finishing touches to Cheng Xi¡¯s makeup. ¡°Go and change into something more presentable, and then you¡¯ll be the loveliest bride I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    Tian Rou leaned over. ¡°Wow! I bet that your Mr. Lu¡¯s going to start salivating when he sees you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had bought her a dress woven from a long red cut of silk, his favorite color.


    When Cheng Xi went downstairs, although Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t actually salivate, he didn¡¯t conceal his delight at all¡ªhis eyes remained glued to her body as soon as she made her appearance.


    When the others toasted him, he only responded perfunctorily. Ceng Xing was envious of him, and he wanted to get Lu Chenzhou drunk out of spite. So, when he saw his disinterested behavior, he yelled out, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re refusing our drinks like this? Is this all the sincerity that you¡¯re going to show at your wedding feast?¡±


    Cheng Yang was just about to nod along when Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyes lowered. He calmly replied, ¡°My sincerity is to not bring additional trouble to my bride on our wedding night.¡± His words caused Cheng Yang to think to himself, That¡¯s right! If Lu Chenzhou got too drunk, the person who¡¯d suffer would be my sister! After being swayed, he slammed a bottle of wine onto the table and declared, ¡°If you want to drink with my younger sister¡¯s husband, then you have to get past me first.¡±


    Unlike Cheng Xi, who had a remarkably poor alcohol tolerance, Cheng Yang would be fine even after facing off against ten people.


    When Cheng Xi heard her brother¡¯s audacious declaration, she didn¡¯t even want to look in his direction. She secretly nudged Lu Chenzhou. Did you say that intentionally?


    Although Cheng Yang brought her a lot of trouble, he always protected her when it came to other people. Cheng Xi suspected that Lu Chenzhou might have intentionally chosen those words to provoke Cheng Yang into doing exactly that.


    Lu Chenzhou smiled coolly, took her hand into his own, and scratched her palm lightly.

 Chapter 238: Covetous

    Cheng Xi liked the feeling Lu Chenzhou was giving off now, a warm and soft image, so she disregarded his exploitation of Cheng Yang.


    While she was thinking of what side dish she could make to mitigate a hangover, someone suddenly clasped her hand tightly. Lu Chenzhou leaned in close to her and said, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at him curiously.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was as serious as could be, causing her to actually think that something was up, So, she got up from the table and walked off with him. At the same time, everyone¡¯s attention was drawn away by Cheng Yang¡¯s drinking competition against a multitude of challengers. Only a few people noticed the two of them slink off, and those that did merely smiled at each other, not saying anything.


    Lu Chenzhou dragged Cheng Xi straight up the stairs and into their bedroom. As he opened the door, Cheng Xi saw that there was a big red bouquet of roses on the bed and a bunch of romantic candles that had been arranged into the shape of a heart on the ground.


    Oh, so he had learned how to create a romantic atmosphere now.


    Cheng Xi was just about to praise him when she saw Lu Chenzhou pinch his nose and then gloomily say, ¡°Ah, the smell is as saccharine as I expected.¡± He had followed Baldy¡¯s suggestions even though he knew that they weren¡¯t reliable. Forget about the people who said that fresh flowers and candles were necessary for newlyweds¡ªthe room was so cloying that he couldn¡¯t focus on making love!


    In consideration for the wind possibly extinguishing the candles, the bedroom had been shut tight. The isolated environment meant that the combined aroma of the scented candles and roses gave off a very heady scent.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression was somewhat ugly, and Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t help herself from smiling at his predicament. She even ruthlessly taunted, ¡°Who told you to do all this?¡± She knew that his skin was particularly sensitive, and given his germophobia, doing something like this was really just going to cause more trouble for himself.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s expression became even uglier, and he felt a slight urge to go to a different bedroom. But when he saw Cheng Xi hold her stomach due to how hard she was laughing, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from holding her tightly against the door and kissing her fiercely.


    He had planned on saying something romantic given the atmosphere, but he could no longer hold himself back.


    Actually, when he first saw Cheng Xi walk down in the red gown that he¡¯d bought, Mr. Lu had barely restrained himself. Whenever he saw her wear a red dress, he became particularly stirred up.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to say to this preference of his. When she saw his inability to control himself, she only exasperatedly said, ¡°If we¡¯re going to just get straight to it, what¡¯s the point of decorating this room like this?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou tried to moderate his breathing as he replied, ¡°I did all this to propose to you.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. To buy herself some time, she held a hand over his mouth as she murmured, ¡°Then at least clean up the bed first.¡±


    His skin was so sensitive that if they actually rolled around on a bed of roses all night, there was a very real chance that she would have to get up in the middle of the night and drive him to the hospital.


    The same scenario popped up in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mind, so even if he didn¡¯t want to, he had to agree.


    And so, with Lu Chenzhou¡¯s blessing, Cheng Xi started cleaning up the room. She was too scared to let Lu Chenzhou help out, and she naturally couldn¡¯t call anyone up to help her. Thus, it fell on her alone to open the windows, blow all the candles out, gather all the roses up and dump them in a neighboring bedroom, and then finally replace the bedsheets.


    As she did all this, Lu Chenzhou stood at the door, observing her closely. Cheng Xi was particularly beautiful today due to Tian Rou and Shen Wei¡¯s services; her soft hair was piled up on her head, revealing her white and long neck, and the vibrant red silk dress accentuated her womanly frame.


    As Cheng Xi worked to replace the bedsheets, she ended up with half of her body on the bed, leaving the hem of her dress hiked up to her knees. Due to her position, it perfectly revealed her long and slender white legs, which were like well preserved exquisite jade carvings. Just an accidental glimpse left Lu Chenzhou filled with a covetous and lustful desire.


    The usual Cheng Xi was the warm and gentle Dr. Cheng.


    But in this moment, in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyes, she was the epitome of beauty and seduction.


    As Cheng Xi tucked in the last corner of the bedsheets and was about to get off the bed, someone suddenly hugged her waist from behind.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s body moved on top of hers. Without saying a single word, he lifted up her dress and reached inside with his hand.


    Cheng Xi twisted her head around, but he instantly sealed her mouth off with his.


    As he kissed her, he roughly removed her underwear. And then, without even undressing himself, he quickly pulled down his zipper and entered inside of her.


    It was very rare for Lu Chenzhou to lose control of himself to this extent, but since it was the night of their wedding, and since Lu Chenzhou had put in an extraordinary amount of effort for her this night, Cheng Xi decided to bear with it all. She tried her best to accommodate him, to kiss him back gently.


    Lu Chenzhou hugged her tightly as he could. As he closed in on his climax, he called out to her by her ear, just like a little child. ¡°Cheng Xi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Cheng Xi.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my wife now.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t stop smiling. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m your wife, and you¡¯re my husband. I love you.¡± She hooked her arms around his neck.


    His hug tightened. At this point, it really did seem more expedient to demonstrate their affection physically rather than through words. Right now, only the most intimate form of contact could properly express the love and affection they felt for each other.


    But Cheng Xi didn¡¯t expect that Lu Chenzhou would be so worked up that she wouldn¡¯t go downstairs again that night.


    Truthfully, she wanted to climb down the bed and go downstairs to meet with her friends, family, and coworkers, but Lu Chenzhou stopped her.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°We have a lot of guests downstairs. I have to be a good host.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s eyes were shining bright. ¡°You still have the endurance to do that?¡± And then he pulled her underneath him and ravaged her yet again.


    After that round, Cheng Xi laid there, paralyzed in bed. She didn¡¯t even have enough energy to try to strangle him, and she barely uttered the words, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, it¡¯s not good to be like this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll handle it.¡±


    She blearily opened her eyes. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He kissed the side of her cheek.


    ¡°Then, thank you.¡±


    She really couldn¡¯t move anymore, and it was a good idea for him to mingle with more people, so she happily fell asleep. But when she fell asleep, Mr. Lu happily hugged her, said, ¡°Good night, Mrs. Lu,¡± and then fell asleep right alongside her.


    What he had meant by ¡°dealing with it¡± was basically just calling Baldy and saying, ¡°We¡¯re going to go to sleep now. Deal with the rest of the party for us.¡±


    Baldy was half-drunk and had the speakerphone on, so when he heard Lu Chenzhou¡¯s blunt request, he raucously yelled back, ¡°What!? You¡¯re going to leave us like this while the two of you go to bed? Where¡¯s Dr. Cheng?! Let her speak with me!!!¡±


    Then, everyone heard the groom reply in an unbelievably tender tone, ¡°She¡¯s tired, and she¡¯s already fallen asleep.¡±


    And then he hung up.


    The entire room looked at Baldy, who was clutching his phone as he vacantly wondered, ¡°Was that a dream just now? When has Boss Lu ever been that gentle? And he was being proud just now, wasn¡¯t he? Wasn¡¯t he?!¡±


    He looked towards Cheng Xi¡¯s parents and Cheng Yang. Their faces were very¡­¡­ colorful, and then Baldy finally understood. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a dream. My god! Boss Lu drained all of Cheng Xi¡¯s vitality away¡ªshe can¡¯t even get out of bed now!¡±


    Tian Rou was almost as blunt as Baldy, but at this moment, she really hated the fact that she couldn¡¯t tape his mouth up, drag him off, and beat him to death!


    But before she could say anything, Ceng Xing suddenly stood up. He was so drunk that he was stumbling, but as he got up, he pointed at Cheng Yang¡¯s nose and scolded, ¡°You idiot, do you see what you¡¯ve done?! It¡¯s your sister who¡¯s suffering now!¡±


    A quick glance at a watch revealed that the banquet had only been going on for two or so hours. The fact that Cheng Xi had become so exhausted in this short amount of time that she had fallen asleep immediately¡­¡­ Just what had Lu Chenzhou done to her?


    ¡°That beast!¡± Cheng Yang thundered as he slammed his fist against the table.


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 239: Eve Of The Wedding

    This time, it was Cheng Xi¡¯s mother who rolled her sleeves up, ready to beat someone up.


    Cheng Xi and her husband were just making love to each other. What was the problem? What was Cheng Yang trying to say by calling Cheng Xi¡¯s husband a beast?!


    The rest of the night was a mess, as it mainly consisted of Cheng Xi¡¯s parents trying to drag Cheng Yang off of the table as if he were a dead dog. Their efforts to calm their intoxicated son were all in vain. In the end, Cheng Yang hugged his father¡¯s legs tightly as he yelled out, ¡°I hate it! Why did we have to marry Cheng Xi off? What¡¯s so good about that man?! I can¡¯t believe that the little white cabbage we raised so tenderly ended up getting eaten by a pig.¡±


    He was really taking every opportunity to bully the Lu family while they weren¡¯t here.


    Baldy couldn¡¯t accept Cheng Yang¡¯s insults towards Lu Chenzhou, and he too rolled up his sleeves as he loudly shouted back, ¡°What do you mean, Boss Lu¡¯s a pig? Even if he were a pig, he¡¯d be a high-class pig beyond comparison, alright? A pig that no ordinary pig could compare to!¡±


    Everyone who wasn¡¯t drunk almost cried from laughing when they heard his rebuttal.


    But Cheng Yang didn¡¯t laugh. Instead, he clambered up and spat at Baldy before retorting, ¡°So what if he¡¯s high-class? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re penniless! We don¡¯t need his money!¡±


    And then even Ceng Xing threw himself into the argument, thumping his skinny chest as he proudly declared, ¡°That¡¯s right. I have money too! I¡¯m healthy in mind and body, and I¡¯m gentle and considerate to boot!¡±


    But his chest thumps were too much, and he actually threw up as a result.


    Luckily, the mansion was big enough for Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou to remain ignorant of the commotion going on downstairs. Come midnight, the remaining clear-headed women put their drunken men to sleep while the rest of them found a quiet place to go to bed themselves.


    No one noticed Chen Jiaman.


    She was the first to notice when Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou left. For most of the party, she had remained silent, and she was so short and small that she looked like a faint shadow as she sat at the table.


    Chen Jiaman had followed them upstairs, where she saw Lu Chenzhou kissing Cheng Xi against the door. She also saw that door shut itself tightly, blocking Cheng Xi out from her world.


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t know what the feelings that were welling up from her heart were. She was filled with longing and affection for Cheng Xi, but she was also scared of Lu Chenzhou, which quelled her envy. In the end, she found a place and hid herself.


    Just like when she had first become mentally ill, she hid herself in a storeroom on the ground floor and looked at the night scenery from a low window. The only sources of light she could see in the darkness were one or two lamps floating along the river. They seemed like stars that had fallen to Earth, shining in a lonely stand against the dark, bleak night.


    Chen Jiaman watched those lamps until they finally stopped burning. Then, it was dawn once more.


    She hadn¡¯t been able to fall asleep. She stared outside until her eyes started tearing up, constantly reflecting on the life that she had led up till now. She felt like her life was just like those lonely lamps: burning hopelessly, burning uselessly.


    She thought back to the words that Lu Chenzhou had said to her on that day. ¡°She has no obligation to take care of you. If you keep making her work so hard on your behalf, then I¡¯ll make you vanish.¡±


    She shut her eyes tightly.


    ¡°Jiaman.¡± As if she were dreaming, Dr. Cheng¡¯s voice called out to her gently.


    ¡°Little bunny.¡± She wasn¡¯t dreaming; the sound really was getting closer.


    Chen Jiaman suddenly opened her eyes. Cheng Xi really was standing there, looking down at her amidst the hazy sunlight.


    Her eyes were clearly worried, and that worry gave Chen Jiaman some value to her life: it meant that someone still cared about her, that someone was still thinking about her.


    The emotions overflowed, and Chen Jiaman started crying uncontrollably.


    Cheng Xi quickly ran over, crouched down in front of Chen Jiaman, and helped her wipe her tears away. ¡°Don¡¯t cry,¡± Cheng Xi murmured gently. ¡°Were you scared? I¡¯m sorry. I should have come looking for you earlier.¡±


    Chen Jiaman looked back at her through tearful eyes. ¡°Do you not want me anymore?¡±


    ¡°How could I?¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was firm as she stated, ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to stay by me, I promise that I¡¯ll never discard you, and I¡¯ll never give up on you either. In return, you have to promise me that, no matter how hard life is, you won¡¯t give up on yourself. Alright?¡±


    As Cheng Xi said this, she felt the depressing aura surrounding Chen Jiaman intensify. Her marriage had, unintentionally or not, still ended up dealing a heavy blow to Chen Jiaman.


    But Cheng Xi didn¡¯t feel like this was the worst that could have happened. As long as Chen Jiaman was still willing to communicate and talk to her, she¡¯d find a way to help her.


    Chen Jiaman was as obedient as ever, but whether or not she¡¯d take her advice was another matter entirely. Though, Chen Jiaman was probably still scared that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want her anymore, because she was particularly obedient right now. Cheng Xi said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to our rooms.¡±


    Chen Jiaman followed behind her.


    When they reached Chen Jiaman¡¯s room, Cheng Xi said, ¡°It¡¯s still early. Do you want to sleep?¡±


    Chen Jiaman then wrapped herself up in her blankets and closed her eyes.


    Cheng Xi stayed there with her until she fell asleep. When she walked out, the first person Cheng Xi ran into was unexpectedly the department head. The department head said in surprise, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake?¡± Then she looked behind Cheng Xi and curiously asked, ¡°Why are you coming out from this door?¡±


    Cheng Xi sighed. ¡°It¡¯s because of Chen Jiaman. I didn¡¯t have any time to take care of her last night, so she ended up spending the entire night in the storeroom on the ground floor.¡±


    ¡°It must be hard work.¡± The department head patted her shoulder. ¡°Since you¡¯ve just gotten married, do you want to take a few days off from work?¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s eyes shone with anticipation. ¡°Really? Can I take leave for this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll give you three days. Is that fine?¡±


    Cheng Xi gave a mocking bow to pay her respects.


    The department head started laughing at the act. While the two of them chatted, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother also came out of her room. She walked over and then asked the same question that the department head had earlier. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Chen Jiaman¡¯s room was quite far from the bridal chambers that Lu Chenzhou had put so much effort into decorating.


    Cheng Xi explained herself once more, and only then did her mother realize that the little girl who had followed Cheng Xi around all day yesterday was actually Chen Jiaman. Yes, she still remembered this little girl, and she actually felt a bit of pity for Lu Chenzhou now. She instructed, ¡°Treat Lu Chenzhou better in the future.¡±


    Cheng Xi was dazed by this response. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be hard for him¡ªhe married someone like you, who takes care of her patients by bringing them home.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Perhaps because Cheng Xi¡¯s mother thought that her words were still too mild, but she then turned to the department head and added on, saying, ¡°I still feel like she¡¯s destined to lead a single life, and the only reason why she was able to get married was because our ancestors took pity on her, really.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    The department head clutched her sides as she bellowed with laughter.


    In the end, it was her father who saved her. Her old man hadn¡¯t been able to sleep well, and he had gotten up very early in the morning. He was walking around the grounds downstairs earlier, and when he came back up, he saw all of them standing there. Intrigued, he walked over and asked Cheng Xi, ¡°Why not sleep a bit more?¡± And then he even said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about breakfast. I noticed that there were still quite a few ingredients leftover from yesterday. There¡¯s more than enough for everyone to have a pretty good meal. Your father¡¯s here and it¡¯s still early, so go back and rest some more.¡±


    He truly felt like Cheng Xi had gotten thinner recently, as it must have been very hard for her here in Gansu.


    What¡¯s more, the days started very early in the summer here, and it was only six in the morning right now. If Cheng Xi still wanted to sleep, then she could sleep for at least another hour without problem.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to listen to her mother endlessly nag at her, so she smiled and simply said, ¡°Alright. Thank you, Dad.¡±


    And, as her father had suggested, she went back to her room to rest.


    Upon seeing this all take place in front of them, her mother shot her father an annoyed look.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. As if it¡¯s just you who dotes on our daughter!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t realize that her father had been pitifully scolded in her place. When she returned to her room, Lu Chenzhou was already up. He tended to sleep in a very orderly fashion, but today, he seemed like he¡¯d been abandoned¡ªhe was still on his side, wrapped up in blankets as he dazedly at her empty pillow.


    Cheng Xi took off her coat, climbed back into bed, and kissed his lips. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Lu.¡±


    But Mr. Lu wasn¡¯t happy.


    Cheng Xi teasingly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Where did you go?¡±


    He felt terrible that, on the day after their wedding, he had opened his eyes only to not see his bride in front of him.


    Cheng Xi was very good at telling half-truths when she needed to. ¡°Oh, I just went down to find my department head and request a leave of absence since I just got married.¡± Then, she hugged him, her jaw by his chest, and said, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, let¡¯s go on a honeymoon.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou instantly brightened up.


    He didn¡¯t feel sleepy anymore, so he pulled Cheng Xi up and out of bed. ¡°Then we should leave early. While it¡¯s not too hot out.¡±


    Actually, he wanted to leave because there were too many people at home, which would divide up Cheng Xi¡¯s attention more than usual. He hated not monopolizing her, and on the other hand, spending time alone with her¡­¡­ just thinking about it made him feel happier.


    Cheng Xi also didn¡¯t really want to go back to sleep, so she also got up and started rummaging through the wardrobe to find something to wear.


    Lu Chenzhou went to wash up first. But halfway through his shower, he couldn¡¯t contain his excitement anymore, and he poked his head out and expectantly asked her, ¡°Where do you want to go first? Dunhuang? Tianshan? Or maybe Kanas Lake? We should visit a few locations within the country first and then go overseas.¡±


    While a one-and-a-half-year honeymoon would be far too long, he was fine with a ¡°short¡± two or four months one.


    Lu Chenzhou sounded like he was planning on bringing her around the world.


    Cheng Xi looked at him with a funny expression on her face as she sincerely replied, ¡°But¡­¡­ I only have three days of leave. Is that enough?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapte

 Chapter 240: Finale, I

    When Cheng Xi saw Lu Chenzhou duck his head back into the bathroom, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from laughing out loud.


    His mood instantly soured, and after he was done washing up, it felt like the aura of repulsion around him had suddenly tripled in intensity. Cheng Xi felt that repressing emotions like what Lu Chenzhou was currently doing was a bad way to deal with problems, so she continued to tease him. ¡°Are you mad? Don¡¯t ignore me just because you¡¯re mad.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her coolly.


    Cheng Xi sucked in a cold breath. ¡°Don¡¯t put on such a sullen face either! It scares me.¡± Although she said that she was scared, she intimately touched his face and then suggested. ¡°In the future, if you¡¯re upset, then let me pamper you, but you¡¯ll reply to me, alright? If you¡¯re happy, talk more. If you¡¯re unhappy, talk less. Alright?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou felt that she was being very childish right now, but she really did lean on his shoulder and sweetly say, ¡°Darling, don¡¯t be so upset. Why don¡¯t I put your clothes on for you?¡±


    And, she did just that, albeit clumsily. As she removed his pajamas, her face turned red, and she buried her head into his neck. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you really have a wonderful figure.¡± She started touching him all over. ¡°I never expected to marry such an attractive man.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He glanced at her, his voice somewhat hoarse. ¡°Are you planning on going out today?¡±


    Cheng Xi quickly turned obedient as she haphazardly finished dressing him before irresponsibly saying, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±


    And then she quickly ran away to wash up.


    Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t initially planned on doing anything to her; rather than a burst of debauchery, he¡¯d much rather plan out how they should spend the three-day honeymoon that they had. Deciding on something and then not carrying it out would only make people upset.


    Unexpectedly, when Cheng Xi finished washing up, she suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Kanas Lake then?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her. ¡°Do you know how far away it is?¡± He lowered his head, typed something on his phone, and then showed her his screen. ¡°It¡¯s almost 2,000 miles away, and it¡¯ll take almost 30 hours to drive there. You only have three days of vacation. Are you sure?¡±


    His voice didn¡¯t have any inflections, but the fact that he had said so much all at once made it clear how serious he was about their honeymoon.


    Cheng Xi pushed the phone away, sat down next to him, and hugged him. ¡°Who cares? At any rate, I¡¯m on vacation. As long as you¡¯re happy, I¡¯m fine with doing whatever you want.¡±


    When Cheng Xi really wanted to humor someone, no one could stop her. Lu Chenzhou tightly hugged Cheng Xi back. ¡°Cheng Xi, stop humoring me. Otherwise, I¡¯m going to take your word for it.¡±


    She smiled slightly as she responded, ¡°Then do so. My words from before are still in effect: if you don¡¯t give up on me, then I won¡¯t leave you. So, if you want to go, then I¡¯ll do everything I can to accompany you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at her. She had just finished washing up, and she didn¡¯t have any makeup on. Her hair was held back with a simple light pink hairband, and her pristine body reminded him of a peeled egg. The soft elasticity of her skin gave him the urge to bite down fiercely, to hide her away, and let nobody else see her.


    He leaned over and bit her face, but then let go just as quickly to avoid hurting her. Then, he shifted positions to suck on her lips, licking them ravenously as he kissed her.


    In between his kisses, he murmured, ¡°I won¡¯t give up on you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want her to suffer for him; he simply wanted her to stay with him for all his life.


    Cheng Xi liked this sort of kiss, one that was gentle but passionate. She kissed him back of her own accord, causing the tip of her tongue to wrap around his. Originally, she just wanted to respond to his emotions, but her actions stirred Lu Chenzhou up even further¡ªwhen Cheng Xi tried to break free of the kiss, Lu Chenzhou pressed his head against hers, refusing to let her leave. His other hand had already snuck into her clothes.


    Cheng Xi reminded him with some difficulty, ¡°Didn¡¯t we say that we were going to leave early?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou swallowed his words without stopping, indistinctly saying, ¡°We¡¯re not in a hurry.¡±


    When Cheng Xi was finally dressed properly and ready to go out, the sun was already shining brightly outside. Her father even came over to knock on their door to remind them, ¡°It¡¯s time for breakfast.¡±


    Naturally, their plan of leaving early had failed miserably, and the two of them had no choice but to join everyone else for breakfast.


    The department head, Ceng Xing, and her coworkers had long since eaten and left, which meant that only her family and friends were still here. Cheng Xi also didn¡¯t forget about Chen Jiaman this time. She pulled a chair over specifically for her, and then solemnly introduced her to everyone. ¡°This is my daughter¡­¡±


    ¡°Pu~~¡± Baldy, who was the only one who didn¡¯t know about Chen Jiaman, had been drinking some soup while she was being introduced, and he immediately sprayed it all out when he heard Cheng Xi¡¯s words. Luckily, he lowered his head in time and didn¡¯t hit anyone with the hot liquid, but he choked himself quite badly.


    Including Tian Rou, everyone ignored him.


    Cheng Xi continued to say, ¡°She¡¯s a very obedient little girl. Mom, dad, congratulations! You¡¯re finally grandparents now. And brother, you¡¯re now an uncle!¡± She smiled and loudly whispered to Chen Jiaman, ¡°Call him Uncle. Uncle has a big red packet for you.¡±


    Baldy felt slightly better when he noticed that, even though the Cheng family wasn¡¯t as shocked as he was, their expressions were still stiff, as if they found the news hard to swallow.


    Cheng Yang chuckled wryly.


    Chen Jiaman softly called out, ¡°Uncle.¡± And then she glanced at Cheng Xi¡¯s parents before saying, ¡°Grandpa, grandma.¡±


    Cheng Xi had explained everything to them beforehand, so even though they felt somewhat strange about the situation, her parents still calmly nodded and said, ¡°How obedient.¡± They had also prepared red packets for Chen Jiaman¡ªit wasn¡¯t just Cheng Yang.


    This was the first time that Chen Jiaman had ever received a red packet despite how old she was. She drummed up the courage to receive it, curiously rubbing it a few times with her hands, and then turned around and handed it to Cheng Xi. ¡°Mom, for you.¡±


    She was so innocent, and her gaze towards Cheng Xi was filled with tenderness and longing. Everyone at the table instinctively hesitated. Baldy saw this just as he was starting to recover from choking on soup, and he couldn¡¯t stop himself from muttering, ¡°Am I going blind? They actually do look like a parent and child.¡±


    Tian Rou quickly stuffed a piece of cake into his mouth.


    On the other side of the table, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t take Chen Jiaman¡¯s proffered red packet. Instead, she stuffed it back into Chen Jiaman¡¯s pocket as she said, ¡°You should keep it. You can buy something for yourself. Also, I probably won¡¯t be around for the next few days, so can you help me take care of Grandpa and Grandma?¡±


    Chen Jiaman looked at Cheng Xi in a daze, and the urge to cry surged within her. Cheng Xi¡¯s mother instantly noticed her teary eyes and quickly intervened. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea! If we have an obedient granddaughter with us, then we won¡¯t need you around anymore, and then you can leave quickly.¡±


    ¡°Oh no! What will I do? My mother doesn¡¯t want me anymore,¡± Cheng Xi said as she looked at Chen Jiaman. She caringly wiped the tears from her eyes as she asked, ¡°What should I do?¡±


    Chen Jiaman softly replied, ¡°I still want you.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°Then, thank you.¡±


    Everyone began to laugh at the happy conclusion. Shen Wei looked at the two of them, and then at everyone else in the Cheng family, smiled, and then said quietly to Tian Rou, ¡°Cheng Xi¡¯s family is wonderful, isn¡¯t it?¡± She then looked at Lu Chenzhou, whose expression had warmed up greatly compared to before, and sighed again. ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡¯s truly a lucky bastard, since he was able to marry someone like Cheng Xi.¡±


    Tian Rou smiled happily. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± If she were male, she¡¯d certainly have courted Cheng Xi to no end.


    What a kind and beautiful woman.


    Afterwards, everyone heard that Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou were planning on going to Kanas Lake for the honeymoon. Baldy even coaxed Tian Rou, ¡°Darling, shall we go as well?¡±


    But Tian Rou fiercely slapped him in response. ¡°They¡¯re going there for their honeymoon! What¡¯s the point of us going?!¡±


    ¡°A practice honeymoon before the real thing?¡±


    ¡°To a mountaintop?¡± Rou was shocked. She then seriously warned him, ¡°I¡¯ll only tell you this once. I only like to relax and be pampered. If you dare to take me to a place like that for our honeymoon, then I¡¯ll beat you senseless!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He wanted to continue bickering with Tian Rou, but when he checked how far away Kanas Lake was, he felt that staying home wasn¡¯t such a bad idea after all.


    ¡°There are some pretty fun things to do around here as well. We could stay here for an entire month!¡±


    Shen Wei massaged her forehead when she heard their crazy discussion.

 Chapter 241: Finale, II

    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t drop everything to go on a ten or fourteen-day honeymoon vacation with Lu Chenzhou just because she wanted to.


    At the very least, she still had to spend some time with her parents: they had flown all the way to Gansu just for her. She couldn¡¯t just leave them here and fly off on her own.


    But her parents were satisfied that she was concerned about them at all. Cheng Yang was somewhat embarrassed of his actions last night, so when he found out that Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou were planning a honeymoon, he patted his chest and promised, ¡°Am I not still here? I¡¯ve always said that I would take our parents on a trip, and now¡¯s a great time to do so. I¡¯ll show them the wonders of the desert, tour through Jiayuguan City, and have a taste of the Tianshan lotus.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi really didn¡¯t want to roast him because it was rare for him to act this responsibly, but she was honestly very worried that he¡¯d make a mess of everything and ruin the experience for their parents. In the end, she cautiously asked, ¡°Do you know where Tianshan is, and how far it is from Jiayuguan?¡±


    Cheng Yang nodded and slowly replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t Tianshan close to Gansu?¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t bear to even look at him.


    She exasperatedly answered, ¡°They¡¯re a thousand miles apart. I think that it¡¯d be for the best if I got you guys a travel guide. Mom, Dad, is there anywhere you¡¯d like to see while you¡¯re here?¡±


    Here? Cheng Xi¡¯s parents had come here exclusively to see their daughter, and since she was well, they could just head back home¡ªthey really didn¡¯t care about visiting the exotic locales.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! You¡¯re all here already anyway. Rou and the others also want to see the local sights around here.¡±


    Cheng Xi was slightly regretful that she wouldn¡¯t be able to join them, but right now, she would rather focus on spending time with her new husband than with her old friends and family. Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t someone who enjoyed being large groups of people, and he was firm on having their honeymoon with just the two of them.


    What¡¯s more, there was still Chen Jiaman around. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t bring her along on the honeymoon, so she could only entrust Chen Jiaman to her parents. ¡°Please help me look after her. She¡¯s very timid and scared of other people, but she also likes to feel needed by others. If it¡¯s possible, please try to rely on her a bit and have her do some tasks for you. It¡¯s fine to act a little dumb in front of her. She really dislikes and fears forceful people, so please try to be as gentle with her as you can.¡±


    She described Chen Jiaman¡¯s predilections and habits endlessly, until her parents grew weary from just listening to her. ¡°Why¡¯d you take on such a heavy burden in the first place?¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled brightly. ¡°I like seeing things through from start to finish, and to see miracles result from life.¡±


    To see miracles, was it¡­¡­ That was probably both the biggest surprise and reward of being a doctor, and Cheng Xi would gladly endure hardship to see her patients fully recover.


    Her parents were used to dealing with all kinds of people as they ran a diner, so Cheng Xi felt confident about leaving Chen Jiaman in their hands. As long as they were truly willing to accept Chen Jiaman, Cheng Xi had no problem entrusting her with them.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents¡¯ requests for her were far simpler. ¡°Stay safe and take good care of yourself.¡± Her mother also added on, ¡°If Lu Chenzhou¡¯s willing to listen to you, then try to get him to return home. Lots of things have been happening at Donglai lately. His father¡¯s being investigated and his grandfather is trying to deal with the aftermath of the Donglai scandal even though his health isn¡¯t that good. Before we got here, both of his grandparents came to our house to talk, and they almost cried whenever Lu Chenzhou came up. I really feel sorry for them.¡±


    Cheng Xi was silent for a moment before she nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    She went upstairs to find Lu Chenzhou and overheard Baldy talking to him. ¡°You¡¯re not really going to stay here with Dr. Cheng, are you? I¡¯m serious. If you let the situation fester anymore, even Donglai Hotel might not be safe from the incident. You started it yourself; do you really not care if it survives?¡±


    Cheng Xi stood outside their door for quite a while, but she never heard Lu Chenzhou respond.


    In the end, she could only knock and enter. When she opened the door, she found that Lu Chenzhou was packing his bags, his face cold and forlorn. Honestly, she was quite impressed that Baldy was brave enough to talk to him for that long.


    When Baldy saw Cheng Xi come in, he immediately stopped talking and instead put on a sly smile. ¡°Ah, your bride¡¯s here. I won¡¯t disturb the two of you any longer then.¡±


    After he left, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s complexion turned much warmer.


    ¡°Are you finished packing?¡± Lu Chenzhou was far better at preparing than she was, and Cheng Xi was asking just out of habit.


    Lu Chenzhou nodded, opened the suitcase, and then asked her, ¡°Is this enough clothes for you?¡±


    The whole suitcase was painted red all over¡­¡­ Yesterday, he had bought her an entire suitcase¡¯s worth of clothes in Lanzhou. And with the marriage as an excuse, he had added various shades of red to her wardrobe.


    But these clothes were all so uniformly red that Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know what to even say in response. In the end, she grabbed a few more plainly colored clothes from her wardrobe, added them to the suitcase, and then said, ¡°Okay, it looks good now.¡± With that done, she looked at him as she asked, ¡°What were you and Baldy talking about just now?¡±


    Without even lifting his head, Lu Chenzhou coolly replied, ¡°Donglai¡¯s about to fall.¡±


    And Cheng Xi was once again reminded of that time at the hospital, when he had seriously asked her, ¡°What if we get rid of Donglai Pharmaceuticals?¡±


    She had always taken his words seriously, but she had never expected that he would do it this quickly. She carefully asked him, ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­ if I asked you to save Donglai, would you be willing to do that?¡±


    He stopped moving and raised his head. ¡°Are you also afraid that I won¡¯t be able to take care of you without Donglai?¡±


    He had said, ¡°also,¡± which implied that many others had voiced the same concern to him.


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°No, I¡¯m not afraid of that at all. Even if you were penniless, I would still love and take care of you. It¡¯s just that Donglai¡¯s been around for so long that, as a pioneer of the medical field, the benefits that Donglai brings outweigh its drawbacks. We can definitely excise the rotten and rancid portions, but we should let the remaining excellent and novel parts of Donglai keep developing. Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯re smart, intelligent, capable, and a natural-born businessman. I hope that you can revitalize Donglai.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was calm, but her words seemed to stir something deep within Lu Chenzhou¡¯s heart.


    After a momentary pause, he said, ¡°If that¡¯s what you want to see, then I¡¯ll do as you wish.¡±


    After that, they didn¡¯t speak of the matter any further. The two of them booked tickets to Kanas Lake; they would fly from Lanzhou to Urumqi, and then drive from Urumqi to Kanas Lake.


    Due to how picky Lu Chenzhou was, Cheng Xi had planned on renting out a car in Urumqi, but Mr. Lu had planned far in advance. He had already arranged for a brand new RV to be dropped off there on his behalf.


    Once they got off the plane, the car arrived. The RV came furnished, and it was so extravagant that even Cheng Xi, who was well-versed with the lifestyle of the rich, was left open-mouthed at its lavishness.


    And so, they went on a scenic tour. They only arrived at Kanas Lake on the third day. It was June, and wildflowers were blossoming all over the grassy mountainside, making for a scenic view matter where Cheng Xi looked.


    The only thing that made Lu Chenzhou somewhat unhappy was the fact that it was also peak tourist season at Kanas Lake, which meant that there were far more tourists than he had accounted for. But with Cheng Xi around, all this was bearable.


    Because Cheng Xi really had been very obedient during the whole trip, making Mr. Lu¡¯s life very¡­¡­ comfortable.


    They stayed in Kanas Lake for a week. On the last day of their trip, the hotel had a huge bonfire at the shore. Lu Chenzhou normally never participated in these social events, but Cheng Xi very much wanted to experience it. She looked at him with pitiful eyes as she asked, ¡°Lu Chenzhou, can we go and play?¡±


    He thought it over a little, and then accompanied her down.


    It was very crowded around the bonfire. Although Lu Chenzhou was handsome, his expression was so cold that nobody dared to walk up to him. On the other hand, in the time that it took for Lu Chenzhou to get a drink, someone had dragged her off to dance.


    Luckily, she knew her limits, and she stopped after two circles around the bonfire. When someone invited her for another dance afterwards, she grabbed onto Lu Chenzhou and replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯d like to accompany my husband.¡±


    When Lu Chenzhou saw all the men leave regretfully, he felt slightly pleased within his heart, but he was also a little disappointed and frustrated.


    He didn¡¯t know where these emotions were coming from, because Cheng Xi was more than attentive to him. Only when Cheng Xi left to roast another skewer of meat did the man sitting by the table next to him suddenly say, ¡°Your wife¡¯s really in love with you.¡±


    He turned around and saw that although the man was dressed very well, he was surrounded by a dismal atmosphere. There were quite a few glass bottles piled up by his hands.


    Lu Chenzhou coolly asked, ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    He smiled wryly. ¡°Because she¡¯s very worried for you.¡± He motioned in her direction. ¡°She¡¯s been roasting food for the past couple of minutes, but she must have looked in your direction at least fifty times by now.¡±


    After that stranger said this, he stood up shakily. ¡°There are no secrets in a lover¡¯s eyes, but it¡¯s a pity that I understood this too late¡­ Honestly, no matter where I go, I see happy couples everywhere.¡±


    He walked off, continuing to mumble to himself. Lu Chenzhou looked at Cheng Xi, and at the same exact time, she raised her head and looked over at him as well, her bright eyes filled with a gentle mirth.


    This was the first time that Lu Chenzhou had ever seen her love for him through someone else¡¯s eyes, and he suddenly understood where his melancholic feelings were coming from¡ªhe had always thought that she was treating him well because she was still treating him like a patient. He simply didn¡¯t dare to believe that she actually loved him.


    So, on the entire way over here, he had happily accepted and enjoyed her obedient behavior because he felt that she was only trying to compensate him for their future separation, to assuage her guilt of not actually loving him.


    He had a gaping wound in his heart that had never healed. But in that moment, he felt as if his heart had finally been restored to a complete whole.


    In his wound appeared the shadow of an indistinct woman. She had clear limpid eyes, a straight nose, warm red lips, and a slight smile.


    And she only had one dimple.


    The first words he had ever said to her were, ¡°You only have one dimple? How ugly!¡±


    But what he had truly wanted to say at that time was, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting all my life, and now I know that I was always waiting for you.¡±


    The night wind blew fiercer than ever before, and the moonlight shone down unusually brightly from far above the mountaintops. But even the throng of people between him and her melted away as she walked toward him from afar. Her eyes were the stars in the vast sky, and her smile, the gentle spring wind.

 Chapter 242: Extra - Chen Jiaman: The Life That She Wishes To Lead

    When Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou returned from their honeymoon at Kanas Lake, Shen Wei and Baldy were long gone. Cheng Yang had also left, as he was unable to wait for her for that long. If not for Chen Jiaman, then her parents would have left with him.


    This was the longest vacation that her parents had ever taken after opening their diner. Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s villa was located far from the city, so the two of them stayed inside all day. By the time Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou finally returned, they had become extremely bored of their day to day life.


    Luckily, they were quite good at finding things to busy themselves with. Given where the mansion was located, they felt that it would be too inconvenient to buy groceries. However, the mansion¡¯s garden was more than large enough for them to grow their own vegetables. They picked out a specific plot of land that had a good amount of sunlight and an easily accessible source of water. Then, they plowed it into two little squares of farmland and sowed it with some seeds of suitable local crops that they obtained from their neighbors.


    When Cheng Xi returned home, she didn¡¯t see her parents or Chen Jiaman anywhere inside the mansion even after wandering around all of the premises. Finally, she found them in the backyard.


    The weather was wonderful that day¡ªthe sun was bright without a trace of a cloud in the sky, and Cheng Xi¡¯s parents were working the fields with Chen Jiaman. Her father was busy plowing, Chen Jiaman was assiduously sowing seeds, and her mother followed behind her, covering each planted seed with more fertile soil. The three of them worked in a calm harmony, with bright flowers, lush trees, and a small stream of water surrounding them. The scene could have come straight out of a picturesque pastoral painting.


    Chen Jiaman was the first to notice Cheng Xi, and she was so excited that she got up and yelled, ¡°Mom!¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents stopped their movements as they looked over to see Cheng Xi walk to them with a smile on her face. ¡°It seems like I¡¯ll soon be eating vegetables grown by your hands.¡±


    ¡°I feel like it¡¯s all wasted effort on our part. Will you even remember to water the plants and spread the fertilizer? It might even die in a few days after we leave.¡±


    ¡°Even if I don¡¯t remember, isn¡¯t my little bunny still around?¡± Cheng Xi walked up to them and lovingly caressed Chen Jiaman¡¯s forehead. It had only been a few days since they last saw each other, but she could already tell that Chen Jiaman¡¯s entire demeanor had changed. Her skin had become slightly darker, and her overall complexion was much more healthy as the startling paleness of before had vanished. She even seemed happier and brighter.


    And clearly, Chen Jiaman even had the courage to hug her without any hesitation now.


    Cheng Xi asked her, ¡°You¡¯ll help me take care of this garden, right?¡±


    Chen Jiaman nodded vigorously.


    Cheng Xi looked at her parents happily. ¡°Look! I have a helper now.¡±


    Her parents smiled in unison as they said to Chen Jiaman, ¡°Then it¡¯s all up to you now! Remember to take good care of everything.¡±


    Chen Jiaman blushed as she continued to nod her cute little head fervently.


    A few minutes later, Cheng Xi had rolled her sleeves up and was now working in the fields alongside her parents. They were happy to have more help, and even if Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t do much, she could at least water the plants.


    When Lu Chenzhou belatedly made his way over, they had already finished seeding the garden. But his reaction to the incongruously positioned squares of soil amidst the well-pruned backyard was that of speechlessness.


    Cheng Xi secretly pinched his palm as she whispered, ¡°Please bear with it. It¡¯ll be fine once the vegetables are ready for harvest.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou glanced at her and chose to politely remain silent.


    Chen Jiaman pursed her lips as she looked at the two of them holding hands.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s father was still here, so she didn¡¯t have to worry about preparing dinner. After dinner, she gave the three of them a few gifts that she¡¯d bought at Kanas Lake. Chen Jiaman received a tsuur, a traditional Mongolian flute-like instrument, and a particularly intricate ornament that depicted the scenery of Kanas Lake.


    Chen Jiaman rubbed the wooden cabins and maple trees of the ornament in awe, and she almost felt like she had followed Cheng Xi along on her trip.


    Cheng Xi had just returned and was still weary from travel, but out of habit, she stayed up to accompany Chen Jiaman to bed. Before they got into bed, she asked Chen Jiaman, ¡°Did Grandma and Grandpa treat you well?¡±


    Chen Jiaman nodded.


    ¡°Do you like them?¡±


    She nodded again. Her eyes were shining bright, and she was clearly answering from her heart, so Cheng Xi smiled in contentment.


    Chen Jiaman peacefully drifted off to sleep, the last thing on her mind being Cheng Xi¡¯s happy smile.


    She truly liked Cheng Xi¡¯s parents a lot. She could tell that they were two very good people, who were always watching out for her like two eagle protectors in the sky.


    But the day after Cheng Xi returned, her parents left. When they were about to head out, Chen Jiaman ran away and hid in the storeroom, making another big fuss. Cheng Xi gently consoled her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll see them again when it¡¯s the New Year. Chen Jiaman, you have to get used to these kinds of farewells. Sometimes, we have to temporarily separate from each other so that we¡¯ll be happier when we get together again. Everyone is an independent human being, and we have to each lead our own lives. No one person can stay with someone else for their entire life.¡±


    Chen Jiaman pitifully asked, ¡°Not even you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    But that only made Chen Jiaman stubbornly think to herself, I¡¯m willing to accompany you for the rest of my life!


    This belief of Chen Jiaman¡¯s was only deepened when Lu Chenzhou left with Cheng Xi¡¯s parents. The two of them returned to Cheng Xi¡¯s previous small apartment. In this smaller abode, Chen Jiaman felt that she was the only one who could accompany Cheng Xi forever.


    So, she eagerly and actively began participating in her therapy sessions with Cheng Xi and even started striking up conversations with Cheng Xi of her own accord. Chen Jiaman wanted Cheng Xi to always work with her, not give up on her, and like her just a little more.


    Near the end of June, Cheng Xi brought her to Qin Shiya¡¯s kindergarten once again. As they were walking to the classroom, Cheng Xi pointed at the wall in front of them and said, ¡°Mrs. Qin wants a mural to be drawn here, and she¡¯s even willing to pay you for your work. Is this something that you¡¯d like to do?¡±


    Chen Jiaman wasn¡¯t very confident in accepting the request because she had never painted anything on this large of a scale before.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine even if you mess it up. If that happens, then I¡¯ll just buy more paint and apply a fresh coat to the wall. I believe that you can handle this responsibility.¡±


    Chen Jiaman was touched by Cheng Xi¡¯s gracious promise, so she vowed to do a good job so that Cheng Xi wouldn¡¯t have to buy any extra paint.


    For the entire month of July, Chen Jiaman stayed at Qin Shiya¡¯s place, painting animals and figures both small and large on the wall. She was so engrossed in her work that she even forgot her fear of other people. Actually, ever since she had been sent to Cai Yi¡¯s place and after the whole debacle with her drawing in that competition, Chen Jiaman had never drawn anything that could be seriously considered art. Even after Cheng Xi liberated her from Cai Yi¡¯s laboratory, her drawings were only a messy splash of lines and colors in others¡¯ eyes.


    Cheng Xi had originally intended to just find something for Chen Jiaman to do so that she could slowly acclimatize to daily life again. However, when she saw the mural that Chen Jiaman produced, she couldn¡¯t help herself from sucking in a cold breath of air and exclaiming, ¡°Keep going, Jiaman! You¡¯re the most talented and gifted child I know.¡±


    Chen Jiaman didn¡¯t know whether or not Cheng Xi was exaggerating, but she nonetheless enjoyed the praise.


    For this mural, Chen Jiaman was paid a thousand yuan. It was the first time she¡¯d ever seen such a large sum of money in her life, and even though she would be paid more than a thousand yuan for her art in the future, the heft and warmth of that first thousand wasn¡¯t something she would ever forget.


    She gave all the money to Cheng Xi, who told her, ¡°I can hold onto this for you, but you¡¯ll have to spend it on your own.¡±


    Cheng Xi then taught Chen Jiaman how to manage her finances, record what she spent her money on, and most importantly, thank those who had helped her now that she was on the road to recovery¡ªthe department head, Dr. Ceng, and the person Chen Jiaman was the most grateful towards: Cheng Xi.


    She bought Cheng Xi a dress in a style commonly worn by Kazakh females. When Chen Jiaman grew older, she realized that the dress was too flamboyant for Cheng Xi¡¯s simple and elegant tastes, but Cheng Xi would still wear the dress frequently, proudly telling everyone, ¡°This is a gift from my daughter.¡±


    And in return for Chen Jiaman¡¯s dress, Cheng Xi found her an art teacher, a famous local female painter. Cheng Xi convinced Chen Jiaman to accept her by saying, ¡°Even though I know that your drawings are already amazing, I hope you can make them even better.¡±


    In September, they mailed out her latest artwork to an exhibition. When winter came, Chen Jiaman received her first true commission: a magazine had been intrigued by her lavish yet also dark art style, and they wanted her to create a cover illustration for them.


    It was this request that marked a watershed in Chen Jiaman¡¯s life. From that point on, her life took a turn upwards, giving her a fresh new start.


    And many years later, whenever Chen Jiaman returned to Gansu, she would visit the place where Qin Shiya used to have a kindergarten. The classrooms themselves had long since become dilapidated and repurposed as chicken coops by the villagers, and her mural became little more than a particularly colorful back wall for one of the coops.


    It was there that Qin Shiya told her, ¡°Actually, that year, that thousand yuan was something that Dr. Cheng asked me to give to you. I had just started holding classes; where could I have found the money to commission a mural? I only got involved because of Cheng Xi¡¯s fervent desire to help you find the motivation and confidence to live on. She said that you were intelligent and that you¡¯d definitely be able to live a good life in the future. While you might never be as happy or sunny as other people, you were sure to be determined and courageous.¡± After Qin Shiya said these words, she made a pleased smile as she finished up with, ¡°And you¡¯ve certainly lived up to her expectations.¡±


    Chen Jiaman, now a world-renowned manga artist who had long since left her pain-stricken days behind, started sobbing uncontrollably as tears fell from her face like large pearls.


    Fortunately, she had met someone who never gave up on her even when she fell to the lowest point of her life.

 Chapter 243: Extra - Tian Rou: The Records Of A Winner In Life, I

    Baldy and Rou decided to get married after two years of dating.


    After making that decision, they promptly met each other¡¯s parents, arranged a banquet, and got married without any hassle. But not even two months after their marriage, before Tian Rou had even printed the photographs she took during their honeymoon, she found out that Baldy¡¯s ex-girlfriend had returned to the country.


    Baldy¡¯s ex-girlfriend was a truly impressive and intimidating woman; she was one of the top ten upcoming new fashion designers in the United States, a genius, and even a beautiful woman.


    After hearing the news, Tian Rou secretly tore her pillow to pieces from her frustration. Why did her life feel so dramatic?! Why did Baldy¡¯s ex-girlfriend have to return now of all times?!


    And then, she found out that his ex-girlfriend was still single!


    Spurred on by a new fit of rage, she destroyed the other pillow as well.


    When Baldy came home and found that their pillows were both shredded apart, he curiously yet tentatively asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Rou looked at him and put on a false smile. ¡°Wangcai happened.¡±


    Wangcai was a dog that Tian Rou was raising, and she was a mongrel. When she heard Tian Rou call her name, the dog happily wagged her tail at Tian Rou, her teeth bared in a facsimile of a smile.


    That was when Tian Rou realized that she had misspoken¡ªif she pushed the blame onto Wangcai like that, wasn¡¯t that equating her behavior to a dog¡¯s?


    Tian Rou felt very vexed with herself, but Baldy misinterpreted it as her worrying about the pillows. He arrogantly waved his hands. ¡°So what if they were torn to pieces? I¡¯ll just have someone order more tomorrow. Then, she can bite as many of them as she wants.¡±


    He was behaving like a stereotypical rich person.


    Tian Rou wanted to laugh at him, but she didn¡¯t have a chance to¡ªright after saying this, Baldy went into the bathroom to take a shower.


    At that time, even Tian Rou noticed that something was amiss. The only person who would change their clothes and get into the shower right after entering the door was Lu Chenzhou. Baldy, on the other hand, usually had to be forced to shower; in the winter, Tian Rou almost had to pull out a leather whip to force him to take one.


    When Baldy came out of the shower, Tian Rou was waiting for him on the sofa. ¡°You seem to be very particular about your hygiene lately.¡±


    He sat down next to her as he smiled in an ingratiating manner. ¡°Isn¡¯t that because I want to be with you forever? I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll grow tired of me if I don¡¯t.¡±


    Tian Rou looked at his dripping wet hair, and a sinking feeling filled her heart.


    Due to her personality, Tian Rou didn¡¯t have that many close friends. She was too blunt, and the only people who were willing to stay around her were the ones she had grown up with.


    In her heart, she only had two best friends, Shen Wei and Cheng Xi. Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t here, so when she was unhappy, Tian Rou turned to Shen Wei.


    But Shen Wei was currently busy with her son. He had just turned one, and was a raucous little chubby tiger who was constantly running and jumping around.


    Ever since Shen Wei had her son, she had stopped attending as many events as she used to, and she had even started to slowly transfer control of her company away. She didn¡¯t lack money or social standing, and even though she had divorced Fu Mingyi, the Fu family still treasured her and her child.


    After all, Fu Mingyi was the only son of the Fu family, and her son might very well be the only grandson of the Fu family.


    Shen Wei¡¯s days were even better than before her divorce.


    When Shen Wei heard Tian Rou bring up the matter with Baldy and his ex-girlfriend, she laughed coldly, put her son¡¯s toy car aside, and had the nanny bring him downstairs. ¡°Give me a moment. I¡¯ll help you investigate.¡±


    Shen Wei had far more connections than Tian Rou did; after all, the two inhabited different social circles, so she was also able to find out much more than Tian Rou much quicker. ¡°The two of them did meet up during a social gathering last night. Even Lu Chenzhou was there.¡±


    Shen Wei had even somehow obtained a photograph of that gathering. In it, Baldy¡¯s ex-girlfriend seemed to be illuminated by a spotlight as she sat perfectly in the middle with Lu Chenzhou to her left and Baldy to her right. Just looking at the photograph made it clear that she was clearly a winner in life.


    Tian Rou couldn¡¯t stop herself from grinding her teeth in agitation.


    Shen Wei looked at her seriously. ¡°What? Do you want to rush back home and fight with Baldy?¡±


    Tian Rou immediately deflated. If she wanted to fight him, then she¡¯d have done so last night instead of waiting for today.


    In the end, even though love could give people unlimited courage, it could also fill them with unlimited cowardice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like that! The Rou that I¡¯ve known for so long would never be this indecisive. Listen to me. Men and marriage aren¡¯t the only things left in the world. The more you care about them, the less they think of you. So if you stop caring, then you might actually reap unexpected rewards. Of course,¡± she continued, ¡°The public perception of me is that I¡¯m a loser just because I¡¯ve gotten a divorce. However, if you really want to protect your own interests and tear apart a relationship between a bastard and a vixen, then let me know. But I think that you¡¯re still in love with Baldy, and it wouldn¡¯t hurt to get Cheng Xi¡¯s opinion either.¡±


    Tian Rou exasperatedly replied, ¡°Cheng Xi¡¯s not around, and she¡¯s very busy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No matter how busy she is, she¡¯ll always make time for you.¡±


    These words were so comforting to Tian Rou that she immediately called Cheng Xi. However, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t pick up, and she only called back at 1PM. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Sorry. I was in a ward just now, and I didn¡¯t have my phone on me.¡±


    This was normal for Cheng Xi, and Tian Rou and everyone else who talked to her regularly had gotten used to it. However, right then, Tian Rou couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly wronged, and she dramatically said, ¡°Cheng Xi, I think that this might be the end for me and Baldy.¡±


    Cheng Xi was shocked. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± After Tian Rou recounted her story, Cheng Xi automatically started massaging her forehead as she could tell a headache was oncoming. ¡°You might just be overthinking it¡­¡­¡± She knew that beneath Rou¡¯s outwardly blunt and rough behavior, there was a hidden fragile interior. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡ªLu Chenzhou¡¯s around, so let me ask him about it first.¡±


    Tian Rou quickly instructed, ¡°Don¡¯t let Baldy know.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    Not long after, Cheng Xi called her back. ¡°I asked Lu Chenzhou about what happened, and he said that everyone had just gotten together to have a meal, and that nothing happened afterwards. And then I asked how he felt about that woman.¡±


    Tian Rou anxiously asked, ¡°What, what¡¯d he say?¡±


    She was on speakerphone, so Shen Wei also looked over curiously.


    And then, Cheng Xi said, ¡°He said that he only remembered that she had a very strong perfume smell about her, which unfortunately gave him an allergic reaction.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Shen Wei and Tian Rou couldn¡¯t help themselves from bursting into laughter at the same time. Even though Lu Chenzhou hadn¡¯t said anything about her, they already felt much better after hearing that.


    Cheng Xi continued her story, ¡°So Baldy probably took a shower immediately after returning home because that woman¡¯s perfume was too strong. He didn¡¯t want you to overthink things.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Cheng Xi¡¯s tone was exceptionally gentle over the phone. ¡°Rou, you did a good job not getting mad before understanding exactly what had occured. For a relationship to work, the couple must invariably trust each other. Now that you¡¯ve become aware of this and have started doubting him, rather than worry about it in your head, why not just ask him about it?¡± Cheng Xi paused for a moment before continuing to ask, ¡°Rou, have you really thought about why he truly loves you? Perhaps it¡¯s because of how blunt you are. So, no matter how much you love someone, never throw away your own personality.¡±


    Tian Rou and Shen Wei both thought that Cheng Xi¡¯s words were very sensible, but nothing in the world ever seemed to go according to plan. Tian Rou was prepared to calm down and have a good heart-to-heart chat with Baldy. However, before he could get home, she got a call from him. ¡°Dear, I¡¯m going out on a business trip. It¡¯s an urgent matter, so I can¡¯t come home tonight. I¡¯ll talk to you over the phone.¡±


    Tian Rou asked him where he was headed, and Baldy gave her the location. She didn¡¯t think much of it at the time, but on the next day, Shen Wei asked her via WeChat, ¡°Did Baldy go here?¡±


    She then sent Tian Rou an image of a plane ticket of Baldy¡¯s ex-girlfriend. Although it was one day apart, the destination was exactly where Baldy had said he was going for his trip.


    Tian Rou dryly laughed once. ¡°Ha.¡±

 Chapter 244: Extra - Tian Rou: The Records Of A Winner In Life II

    Chapter 244: Extra - Tian Rou: The Records Of A Winner In Life (II)


    Tian Rou immediately video-called Baldy. He was honestly hard at work, but when Tian Rou insisted that they video-call, he thought that something major had happened. In the end, after the call connected and Tian Rou looked at his background, she simply said, ¡°Sorry. Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡±


    And then she hung up.


    Baldy was completely befuddled by her seemingly random actions.


    Later that night, she tried to video call him again. Baldy¡¯s schedule was packed, and he was either resting or meeting with potential business clients, which meant that Tian Rou¡¯s sudden and spontaneous requests for a video call made Baldy even more anxious than usual. He was so perturbed that afterwards, he even called Shen Wei and asked her, ¡°Please check in on Rou for me. I feel like something¡¯s disturbed her emotions, but she refuses to tell me anything.¡±


    He truly cared for her quite a lot.


    Shen Wei had originally been very angry at Baldy, and the reason why she had helped Rou track down the whereabouts of his ex-girlfriend was for Rou¡¯s own good¡ªafter all, she didn¡¯t want Rou to end up hoodwinked like she had. But right now, even she couldn¡¯t help but feel sympathetic towards Baldy¡¯s plight. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s really just a coincidence. Maybe there¡¯s actually nothing going on? If you¡¯re still suspicious, then why don¡¯t you just ask Baldy about it? If you keep thinking about it, you¡¯ll only become more and more stressed without any hope of relief.¡±


    Ask him? Tian Rou felt like at that point, she might as well fly over and see for herself if Baldy was being unfaithful.


    After all, while men might lie to me, my eyes won¡¯t.


    And so, Tian Rou casually packed a couple sets of clothes and then headed off to where Baldy was. Since she didn¡¯t call him in advance, she unsurprisingly couldn¡¯t find him; the event had ended before she even arrived. Luckily, one of Baldy¡¯s subordinates was still at the hotel. He had attended their wedding and thus easily recognized Tian Rou. So when she said that she was looking for Baldy, he even offered to call him on her behalf and bring her over, but Tian Rou refused.


    Actually, when Tian Rou arrived at the hotel, her haze of anger had already lifted, mostly when Baldy¡¯s subordinate mentioned that something had gone wrong at this branch location. She realized that her actions were truly rash¡ªafter all, she was a business owner herself, albeit of a small one. If she thought about this from Baldy¡¯s position, or if he suddenly appeared at her company out of nowhere to check up on her, then she wouldn¡¯t be all too happy about the situation either.


    So Tian Rou felt the urge to leave right away, but since she was already here¡­¡­ In the end, she tossed out a random excuse, saying, ¡°That¡¯s alright. Since he¡¯s not around right now, I¡¯ll just go and work on my own affairs for now. You don¡¯t have to tell him that I¡¯m here. I¡¯ll contact him once I¡¯m free.¡±


    ¡°Working on her own affairs¡± actually meant hiding in the corner of their company and pacing back and forth as she thought to herself, Should I leave? Not leave? Leave? Not leave?


    Tian Rou didn¡¯t know how long she spent agonizing over this decision, but eventually, she saw Baldy¡¯s shiny bald head and a pretty face by his side.


    The woman was wearing a long, flowing dress, and her body swayed back and forth as she walked at his side. Tian Rou¡¯s eyes instantly turned green with envy, but she had no choice but to admit that this was an unparalleled beauty.


    Unlike Cheng Xi¡¯s subdued and subtle beauty, Baldy¡¯s ex-girlfriend was more like a radiant sun, whose demeanor made others instinctively orbit around her. Tian Rou watched on as Baldy said something, and then the woman leaned her head against his shoulder. Baldy clutched her hand and said something else before finally letting go of her.


    The two were smiling throughout the entire conversation. And the smile on Baldy¡¯s face was one that Tian Rou was intimately familiar with: it was uninhibited and had a slight tinge of deviousness, as if he were about to do something indecent; to Tian Rou, that was when he was at his most charming.


    Tian Rou closed her eyes and slowly placed her forehead against the wall even as she held back her tears. Why in the world had she come all the way over here? Just to suffer while she watched the two of them flirt back and forth? She didn¡¯t even want to jump out and catch them in the act¡ªwhy would she show such a pitiful and vile side of herself, and why would she want strangers to see how she had been abandoned?


    And so, Tian Rou ran away without even looking back. When she reached the airport, however, she found that the earliest plane back was the next morning. Without any other options, she spent the night in the airport, watching the planes depart one by one as the cold night slowly enveloped the sky.


    At around 8 PM, Baldy called her. ¡°You came to the branch company?¡±


    Tian Rou quietly replied, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    He calmly asked, ¡°Where are you right now? Why didn¡¯t you call me? If Director Guo hadn¡¯t mentioned it, I wouldn¡¯t have even known that you were here. Where are you? I¡¯ll come and pick you up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m already on the way back.¡±


    Baldy clicked his tongue, clearly dissatisfied. ¡°You came here without telling me and now you¡¯ve left without letting me know. Hey, hey, hey¡ªdo you care about your man at all?¡±


    Tian Rou didn¡¯t reply. She had to admit that, compared to his acting abilities, hers were nothing.


    She wiped the tears that had pooled up by her eyes away and hung up without another word. And Baldy actually believed what she said about coming here purely for business, and then leaving in a hurry.


    He had always been someone who took things at face value.


    Over the next few days, Tian Rou didn¡¯t call him once or send him a single message. Baldy, on the other hand, was busy handling business affairs; he was hard at work in the day and busy entertaining clients at night, so he was often drunk by the time he got home, causing him to fall asleep almost as soon as his head hit his pillow. Although he felt it was slightly weird that Tian Rou had stopped pestering him, he didn¡¯t think too much of it.


    When Baldy finally returned home, he didn¡¯t notice anything amiss as he was so exhausted he instantly fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already dark. He finally noticed that something was wrong when he called out for Tian Rou. He got up and wandered around the living room and the master bedroom for quite a while before finally realizing that all of Tian Rou¡¯s things seemed to be gone, including that annoying dog who constantly shredded their blankets, pillows, and even him at times.


    Tian Rou didn¡¯t respond to his calls or his messages either. When he called her workplace, an employee picked up and said, ¡°The boss has already left for the day, and I don¡¯t know where she is. May I ask whom you are?¡±


    Baldy was so angry that he yelled, ¡°I¡¯m her husband!¡±


    And the employee hung up.


    With a horrendous premonition in his heart, Baldy called Shen Wei, who lazily answered, ¡°Why would you think I would know anything about your wife vanishing? Do you think that she¡¯s strapped to my belt?¡±


    Peng! She also hung up on him.


    ¡°......¡±


    Tian Rou finally returned his call the next day. Her tone was light and airy as she said, ¡°Something came up last night. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Baldy was furious by now. ¡°Even if you were busy, couldn¡¯t you have called me back?¡± He then fiercely asked her, ¡°Tell me the truth. Did you do something bad and hide it from me?¡±


    This was how they usually communicated with each other, but today, Tian Rou fell silent for a moment before laughing. ¡°Aren¡¯t guilty people the ones who try to blame others the most?¡±


    What? ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean, you can have the apartment. I¡¯ve already taken all of my things away. You don¡¯t have to try to guilt my conscience or anything. As for the divorce papers, just send them over and I¡¯ll sign it. At any rate, we don¡¯t have any messy issues regarding property or children, so it should all be pretty straightforward.¡±


    Baldy had no idea what was going on. ¡°Tian Rou, have you gone crazy?¡±


    Peng! She too hung up on him.


    ¡°......¡±


    Baldy angrily rushed over to Tian Rou¡¯s store. She wasn¡¯t inside, and Baldy tried to wait for her patiently, but eventually he gave up and just called Tian Rou. ¡°Where are you? I can¡¯t find you anywhere.¡±


    Tian Rou icily replied, ¡°If you¡¯re here to hand me the divorce papers, then just drop them off there. Once I get back, I¡¯ll sign it and mail it back to you.¡±


    Baldy¡¯s anger spiked once again. ¡°Ms. Tian, what are you up to? Why do you keep talking about divorce when we¡¯re just two months into our marriage? Are you crazy?!¡±


    Tian Rou chuckled dryly. ¡°I¡¯m trying to save you some face so that you can get back together with your ex-girlfriend, but you¡¯re calling me crazy?¡±


    ¡°When did I ever get back together with her?!¡±


    ¡°Go on, keep acting! But I have no interest in acting along with you. Gao Ge, if you¡¯re truly a man, then just sign the divorce papers. We won¡¯t ever cross paths again.¡±


    ¡°Fu-¡±


    Tian Rou hung up on him yet again.


    Not only that, she blocked him this time as well.


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 245: Extra - Tian Rou: The Records Of A Winner In Life III

    Chapter 245: Extra - Tian Rou: The Records Of A Winner In Life (III)


    At this point, Baldy didn¡¯t even want to talk to her anymore. Instead, he stood in front of the door to her store and blocked it with his body, as if he were a gangster extorting her employees for money. ¡°Call Tian Rou out! Otherwise, I won¡¯t let a single employee into the store today!¡±


    In the end, her employees were utterly unable to deal with Baldy and had no choice but to call Tian Rou. However, Tian Rou really was unable to be at the store for some reason or another, and when she heard about what he was doing, she had no choice but to relent and ask him to come to her.


    But Baldy was still furious that she had blocked him, so when the employee relayed Tian Rou¡¯s words to him, he indignantly twisted his head around and staunchly replied, ¡°I¡¯m not going. Have her come find me!¡±


    The poor employee had no choice but to serve as a human telephone, constantly conveying Tian Rou¡¯s words to Baldy and vice versa. In the end, Tian Rou was also riled up. She unblocked him and directly called him. ¡°What in the world do you want?¡±


    Baldy snorted. ¡°Call me ¡®brother¡¯ and I¡¯ll reluctantly forgive you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    She slammed her fist onto a table in anger. ¡°You bastard, do you want to die? If you do, then I¡¯ll gladly fulfill your wish!¡±


    Baldy instantly deflated. ¡°Alright, alright, calm down¡­¡­ Where are you? I¡¯ll go and find you, alright? Dear, you¡¯re the best. I¡¯ll listen to everything you say.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    She was so mad that even her liver was inflamed now!


    But when Baldy saw Tian Rou, it was his turn to be furious again. The reason why Tian Rou was occupied was because she was busy having tea with her male idol, Lin Fan!


    Baldy stopped right next to her, sat down, and glared at Lin Fan. ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡±


    Crap. He looks even more handsome than before! Perhaps it was because Lin Fan had finally had some considerable business success, or perhaps it was because he had truly let go of the burden that he had been carrying for all his life. Regardless of the reason, he gave off the image of the quintessential cultured businessman, complete with tortoiseshell glasses.


    Even his demeanor seemed more high class than before. He calmly sipped at his tea, ignored him, and said to Tian Rou, ¡°Your husband¡¯s quite rough, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    He was ignoring Baldy the exact same way that he had ignored him the first time they met.


    Baldy was so angry by now that he felt like his lungs were about to burst. He slammed the table. ¡°You really think you¡¯re all that, don¡¯t you? Where do you think you¡¯d be without the Meng family, hmm?¡± Baldy then leaned back in his chair, his face disdainful as he continued his harangue. ¡°I remember that you used to like Dr. Cheng, right? But while the two of you were together, didn¡¯t you suddenly start a relationship with Meng Qingyang? And now you¡¯re trying to like a genteel and cultured man?¡±


    The smile on Lin Fan¡¯s face instantly vanished.


    Cheng Xi was the biggest regret of his life. She was a wound that no one else could touch, but Baldy had ripped the scab off just like that.


    After a moment of shock, Tian Rou regained her senses and glared at Baldy. ¡°Gao Ge, you¡¯re crazy!¡±


    Baldy bullheadedly retorted, ¡°I think that you¡¯re the crazy one¡ªyou¡¯re trying to divorce me to get with a man like him! Have you gone blind, woman?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking crap!¡±


    Baldy turned around and pointed his ass at her.


    ¡°......¡±


    Tian Rou turned around, her face ashen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It seems that we won¡¯t be able to talk about business today. I¡¯ll come and find you some other time.¡±


    Lin Fan nodded calmly as he got up to leave.


    Baldy chased after Lin Fan as he left, yelling, ¡°She won¡¯t come find you! Just try to seduce my woman one more time! I¡¯ll peel off your skin! Not just yours, but your slutty mother¡¯s, and-¡±


    Lin Fan stopped moving and his whole body started trembling.


    ¡°Are you crazy?!¡± Tian Rou heavily smacked Baldy across the face.


    The three all stood still for a charged moment before Lin Fan broke the equilibrium and continued to silently walk away.


    Meanwhile, Baldy looked at his own wife as if he couldn¡¯t comprehend her actions. ¡°You really hit me? For that pitiful husk of a man?¡±


    ¡°Is he a husk? He¡¯s much better than you! He doesn¡¯t constantly curse, threaten to skin other people, or act like a hoodlum on the streets! Aren¡¯t you even slightly disgusted by your own behavior?¡±


    Baldy felt like his heart was about to break in two. ¡°You despise me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I hate you! I don¡¯t know what possessed me and made me marry you in the first place! I don¡¯t want you anymore! Scram, scram, scam! Go fly off into the night with your old girlfriend. Just stay away from me!¡±


    ¡°And what good are you, huh? Who else but me would ever want you? You don¡¯t have big breasts, and you¡¯re not pretty either¡ªthe only reason why I married you was because I pitied you!¡±


    Tian Rou¡¯s face turned bone white. She clutched her chest and shut her eyes, unable to retort. After recovering, she took out a notepad from her bag, and then a pen. It only took her a few seconds to draft out a rough statement of divorce, and then she threw the notepad at him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel bad for me. I¡¯m letting you go. Scram!¡±


    ¡°I will! God!¡± Baldy yelled back at her as he signed his name on the piece of paper, blinded by anger.


    But by the time Baldy regained his senses, he had already left the teahouse. Besides the divorce papers in his hand, he had gotten nothing out of their meeting.


    The emotionless wind cut at his face, hurting as much as if razors were digging into his skin. He had stormed off quite a distance before he finally remembered that he had driven here. What was he doing, trying to walk off like that?


    He then ran back to the teahouse to get his car.


    But as soon as he got into his car, he realized that he couldn¡¯t bear to leave the situation like that. He ran back to the room that they were in before. Tian Rou was still in there, writing something on her notepad very seriously.


    Her eyes were brimming with tears.


    Baldy¡¯s face was cold as he asked, ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡±


    ¡°Writing a proposal for money.¡±


    ¡°Given your intelligence, you might as well scrap it. Honestly, you¡¯re lucky to even have what you have today.¡± Baldy couldn¡¯t seem to stop mocking and ridiculing her.


    Tian Rou almost snapped the pen in her hands in half. She wiped her eyes dry and raised her head. ¡°Did you come back just to taunt me? I¡¯m warning you¡ªif you don¡¯t leave right now, you won¡¯t get away with just a slap this time.¡±


    He walked right up to her, until his face was right in front of hers. ¡°Then hit me. I dare you!¡±


    She couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with him, and instead started packing up before leaving without a word.


    Baldy grabbed her by the handhand.


    ¡°What are you-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do anything!¡±


    He dragged her outside and then stuffed her into his car.


    Tian Rou tried to resist, but when Baldy saw that she was struggling as if her life was in danger, his face darkened as he said, ¡°A divorce agreement doesn¡¯t mean anything! If you really want to get a divorce, then we have to go to the civil administration bureau!¡±


    Those words finally calmed Tian Rou down, and she let herself be taken away. But her actions made Baldy so mad that he clenched his teeth, almost wanting to tussle with her, wrestle her into bed, and¡­¡­


    It had been about ten days since he left, and he really was quite aroused.


    While Baldy¡¯s thoughts devolved into sex, Tian Rou was diligently planning out what she would do after the divorce. The first thing she would do was calm her parents down. Then, she would make a bundle of money, a whole cars¡¯ worth, dress herself up nice and pretty, and live a free and unrestrained life, like Shen Wei. She definitely wouldn¡¯t be unhappy with herself at all.


    She wouldn¡¯t be upset, not one bit¡­¡­ As Tian Rou tried to steel herself for the impending divorce, she realized that Baldy was driving to somewhere unfamiliar. She snapped her head around and questioned, ¡°Where are we? Why¡¯d you bringing me here?¡±


    Baldy savagely replied, ¡°To kill you and dump your corpse here! Do you dare to go?¡±


    Curiously enough, his barbaric words actually made Tian Rou calm down. They stopped at a residential area, and she initially thought that it was where his lawyer lived. However, when he knocked on the door, the person who opened the door was actually his ex-girlfriend.


    Tian Rou immediately tried to walk away, but Baldy held her in place as he clenched his teeth and smiled at his ex-girlfriend. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to meet my wife? I¡¯ve brought her here today. Now, the two of you can get to know each other a little better.¡±


    His tone was proud, which made Tian Rou feel slightly touched. Even though she didn¡¯t know what Baldy was planning, their current argument was a private matter solely between the two of them¡ªshe wouldn¡¯t fight with him in front of strangers.


    Tian Rou calmed down and cordially nodded towards his ex-girlfriend. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    In front of others, she was still very good at pretending to be a graceful woman. Baldy¡¯s old girlfriend glanced at him somewhat resentfully, but she still put on a smile and led the two of them inside.


    Surprisingly, the inside of her house was somewhat messy. Her sofa was piled high with sheets of fabric and stacks of magazines while old chip bags were strewn haphazardly around. Even the floor was covered with half-finished fashion designs, clothes, ornaments, and the like.


    Baldy probably didn¡¯t expect that his ex-girlfriend, who presented such a refined appearance to the world, would have such a messy house. He decided not to sit down anywhere, and as she tried to clear out a spot for them, he hurriedly waved his hands and said, ¡°Don¡¯t bother. It¡¯s fine. We just stopped by to have a look. Where¡¯s that boyfriend of yours? If he¡¯s here, then we should all go out for a meal together.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, he just left. What¡¯s more, I already have plans for dinner.¡±


    Her voice was pleasant, and her ambiguous accent gave her tone a coy lilt to it whenever she spoke.


    Just from her appearance, this woman was an exceptionally alluring and glamorous flower.


    Tian Rou still felt that she was dangerous, but her mood strangely seemed to stabilize.


    She suddenly realized why Baldy had been obsessed with this woman in the past. She was like an ephemeral fog that swirled around him and tempted him, but would disappear into thin air every time he got close.


    After a brief exchange, the two of them quickly left Baldy¡¯s ex-girlfriend¡¯s place. When they were alone, Baldy pressed Tian Rou against the door of the car and said, ¡°Well, did you see that? She already has a boyfriend!¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you let me know that she had returned?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I like her anymore¡ªshe¡¯s just a regular person to me now. Wouldn¡¯t it be weird if I specifically brought it up?¡±


    ¡°......But then why was she running after you? When I went down to your branch company that day, I saw the two of you holding hands downstairs as you laughed and flirted back and forth!¡±


    Baldy thought for a moment before exclaiming, ¡°My god, so you did see us! But are you blind or something? Didn¡¯t you see that I was trying to push her away? She¡¯s been in America for too long, and she¡¯s gotten into the habit of drenching herself in perfume. Thus, I was trying to push her as far away as I could, alright?! Is this why you wanted to get a divorce with me? Where¡¯re the divorce papers? Take them out! I¡¯m ripping them apart right now!!!¡±


    Tian Rou naturally refused, and Baldy started throwing a fit. ¡°Are you going to take them out or not? If you don¡¯t, then I¡¯m going to screw you right here, right now!¡±


    ¡°Y- you dare?!¡±


    ¡°Watch me.¡± He pushed her hard against the door of his car, and she could actually feel something prod her below the waist.


    Angry and embarrassed, she shouted, ¡°You sex-crazed bastard!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only one I¡¯m crazy for.¡± He reached inside her clothes, basically forcing Tian Rou to hand him the papers.


    He relaxed as he hugged her, and he said in a reconciliatory tone, ¡°I won¡¯t mind if you talk to your previous male idol if you stop caring about my ex-girlfriend, alright?¡± When he saw that Tian Rou still wasn¡¯t satisfied, he kissed her and said, ¡°If you keep doing this to me, then you¡¯ll tear my heart to pieces.¡±


    Those words immediately made Tian Rou¡¯s heart soften up. In the end, she loved him as well, and she didn¡¯t want to leave him either.


    When Baldy returned home, the first thing he did was frame the divorce document and mount it on the wall of the living room. The caption read, ¡°Proof of my wife¡¯s love for me¡ªshe was so jealous that she wanted a divorce, but after she signed her name, she became so scared that she begged me to reconsider.¡±


    He then took a photo of himself standing next to it as he laughed arrogantly. Then, he sent it to all his friends, shamelessly distorting the truth.


    A while later, Tian Rou had a pair of twins, a son and a daughter. After being enslaved by his wife, Baldy was next enslaved by his children. In the past, he enjoyed going out to drink and play mahjong every weekend, but he quit both of those hobbies after his children were born.


    Tian Rou¡¯s business never became very successful, but she diligently worked hard on it. In everyone else¡¯s eyes, however, she was already a winner in life. A young girl once asked Tian Rou what her secret was, and she smiled as she replied, ¡°Always be true to your heart. Never give up on yourself, and don¡¯t submit to someone else¡¯s whims. Love can only be reciprocated if you stand on equal footing with your lover.¡±

 Chapter 246: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I’m Only Happy When Im With You I

    Chapter 246: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I¡¯m Only Happy When I''m With You (I)


    After Cheng Xi married Lu Chenzhou, she spent the next three years in Gansu, where her illustrious career truly started taking off. When she was reassigned back to Renyi, she published her paper ¡°Novel Treatment Procedures in Psychiatric Care,¡± which was based on the three years¡¯ experience she had accumulated treating these illnesses in Gansu. The paper provided new modes of thinking and treatment plans for many long-standing difficult mental illnesses.


    Her paper was actually published in Nature, one of the most well-known science journals in the West.


    With this success, Cheng Xi¡¯s name started circulating within the world of psychiatry. At the same time, because of the success of her work in Gansu, she aroused the attention and curiosity of psychiatrists worldwide. As her organization expanded both in size, influence, and scope, more and more people and other, smaller organizations flocked toward it.


    Of course, the latter didn¡¯t have much to do with Cheng Xi anymore. Ever since Ceng Xing had gone to Gansu, Cheng Xi had given him all of the liaison and administrative tasks. Thus, unlike Cheng Xi, who focused wholeheartedly on medical treatment and research, Ceng Xing spent the majority of his time on administrative tasks¡ªand the results showed that he was far better as an administrator than a psychiatrist.


    In the end, he also found a career path that was suitable for him.


    And in order to better manage this burgeoning organization, Ceng Xing transferred to Lanzhou General Hospital shortly after arriving in Gansu. It was at Lanzhou that he met his true love.


    His marriage took place a year before Cheng Xi left Gansu, and by the time Cheng Xi finally did leave, he had already had a child who was almost a hundred days old; his relationship had progressed very rapidly.


    On the day that Cheng Xi left, the weather was good, and Ceng Xing had brought his wife and child to see her off. When he saw Lu Chenzhou and Chen Jiaman by Cheng Xi¡¯s side, he intentionally teased, ¡°Mr. Lu, this is the goddaughter that Cheng Xi claimed on your behalf. Aren¡¯t you going to hug her?¡±


    As expected, Mr. Lu¡¯s face turned ashen.


    Once again, Cheng Xi had made him a ¡°father¡± without asking for his permission or agreement¡ªa godfather was still a father!


    But what upset him even more was the fact that the man in front of him had been in such low spirits when he and Cheng Xi had gotten married. And now, he seemed to be a completely new person¡­¡­ When Lu Chenzhou thought about it, he really was somewhat of a failure. Over the last three years, he visited Gansu about once a month on average, and depending on Cheng Xi¡¯s ovulation period, stayed around ten days per visit each time. Unfortunately, although he had strived to sow his seed with great effort, the field remained barren even after three years!


    Even Baldy had become a father by now, and he constantly bragged to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°My son¡¯s going to be born any day now! Where¡¯s your daughter and my future daughter-in-law?¡±


    Mr. Lu didn¡¯t like sons, and he had always wanted a cute and gentle daughter like Cheng Xi. But before Cheng Xi could give birth to a daughter, Ceng Xing had come along with a supposed ¡°goddaughter¡± for him. Unfortunately for Lu Chenzhou, Cheng Xi evidently liked this little baby girl very much. When Lu Chenzhou shied away from the baby, she smiled, received the baby from Ceng Xing, and held her lovingly as she said to Chen Jiaman, ¡°Look, your sister¡¯s cute, isn¡¯t she? Feel her hands¡ªmy goodness, they¡¯re so soft. Ah, she scratched me~ She¡¯s quite strong.¡±


    Cheng Xi cradled the baby for the entire trip to the airport, not complaining at all.


    Lu Chenzhou was unhappy, and when they finally boarded the plane, he flipped her around to face him. ¡°Why are you so enthusiastic about embracing someone else?¡±


    ¡°......That was a three-month-old baby¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stared at her until Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She preemptively hugged him of her own accord and then, in a particularly mushy fashion, said, ¡°Alright, alright. It was my mistake. I shouldn¡¯t have hugged anyone else. You¡¯re also my baby, and I¡¯ll only hug you.¡±


    Mr. Lu rested his head on her knees, only feeling content after she cradled him for the entire flight.


    With Lu Chenzhou around, Chen Jiaman was normally particularly obedient. However, on this flight, she couldn¡¯t help herself from flinging a few supercilious glances at Lu Chenzhou before secretly whispering to Cheng Xi, ¡°Dad¡¯s really childish.¡±


    Cheng Xi laughed. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    After all, the reason why Lu Chenzhou could act so childish in front of her was because he trusted her. He had never shirked any of his responsibilities, not even Donglai. After their honeymoon, he had stormed back into the company through a forceful takeover, publicly admitted the problem with their vaccine, acknowledged the misdeeds committed by Donglai¡¯s management, and then publicly apologized while also promising to compensate all of the children and families that had been affected by the incident. Then, Lu Chenzhou began a thorough audit of the company, including all of their current products. This entire process was made transparent to the public, and he even recruited unbiased volunteers for the audit.


    And lastly, Donglai had to accept the huge fine levied by the government¡ªthough, the only reason why they were able to get away with just a fine was because the problem hadn¡¯t been very widespread. Otherwise, just a fine would be nowhere near enough.


    This series of actions finally brought Donglai some breathing room, but it almost bankrupted the company in the process.


    In the end, it was Cai Yi who saved Donglai. Her research had been prospering after her breakthrough, and her announcement that she was collaborating with Donglai to develop new medication to curb depression breathed new life into the company.


    In the three years after the scandal, Donglai steadily recovered and rebuilt itself. Although it couldn¡¯t quite reach its previous peak performance, its reputation soared within the industry as the company had pared down its nonessential ventures and streamlined its workflow, essentially transitioning into a specialized manufacturing company.


    Lu Chenzhou fell asleep in the beginning of the flight. When he woke up, he saw Cheng Xi browsing through some of Donglai¡¯s documents. He sat up a little straighter and hugged her. ¡°Why¡¯re you looking at this?¡±


    She smiled at him. ¡°Of course it¡¯s because I want to know what you¡¯ve been doing all these years. And I don¡¯t want to hear about how wonderful and talented you are from someone else.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou took the tablet from her as he kissed her lips. ¡°I can tell you all of those things myself.¡± He kissed her again before saying, ¡°Cheng Xi, I know that I don¡¯t like to talk, but in the future, I¡¯ll do my best to let you know about the things that I want to do and have done. If you want me to do anything else, then just please tell me, alright?¡±


    He also added on, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to love people, but I¡¯ll do my best to learn to love you.¡±


    A few years ago, he had said something similar to this. In truth, over all of these years, he had worked hard to fulfill this promise.


    Cheng Xi smiled as she caressed his face. ¡°Alright. My legs are numb because you¡¯ve been sleeping on them, so will you help me massage them?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He sighed, leaned down, and started squeezing her legs in a rough and untrained manner. His ministrations only made Cheng Xi itchy, and she couldn¡¯t stop herself from giggling lightly. Then, she hurriedly grabbed his hands. ¡°Alright, alright. It¡¯s not numb anymore.¡±


    She leaned down slightly, causing her upper body to rest against his shoulder as she laughed so hard that her face turned slightly red. Lu Chenzhou kissed her lips softly, and then deepened the kiss.


    Cheng Xi was a little embarrassed by the public display of affection, but she couldn¡¯t break free. In the end, she closed her eyes and did her best to pretend that nobody could see them.


    Her wish nearly came true; Chen Jiaman had fallen asleep, and the attendants had been instructed not to disturb them. If they did enter, however, then they would have seen a cloyingly sweet sight, beautiful and warm. A handsome man and a beautiful woman were smiling and eyeing each other as if they were characters in a children¡¯s fairytale.


    In the past, Lu Chenzhou hated travelling, but now, being on the road with Cheng Xi was one of his favorite ways to spend his time. Afterall, it was only then that she belonged solely to him.


    After the plane landed, Cheng Xi was once again surrounded by a crowd of people who had come to welcome her, pushing Mr. Lu away from her. Chen Jiaman, that terrible lass, had long since lost her fear of him after a few words from Cheng Xi. When she saw Lu Chenzhou being separated from Cheng Xi, since she hated seeing him occupy all of Cheng Xi¡¯s time, she naturally mocked, ¡°Is your heart aching? You¡¯re not the only one by Mom¡¯s side anymore.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Lu Chenzhou vowed to give birth to a daughter to lower Chen Jiaman¡¯s importance in Cheng Xi¡¯s heart!!!

 Chapter 247: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I’m Only Happy When Im With You II

    Chapter 247: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I¡¯m Only Happy When I''m With You (II)


    Perhaps even the people who had come to welcome Cheng Xi back didn¡¯t expect that so many people would show up.


    Shen Wei and Tian Rou had gathered a bunch of classmates, and every one of them was holding a fresh bouquet of flowers. Their group had even made a banner, which read, ¡°Welcome back, our glorious Dr. Cheng!¡±


    Cheng Xi almost wanted to cover her face and pretend to not recognize any of them. Luckily, they weren¡¯t making a ruckus with gongs, drums, or anything like that; otherwise, she really might have avoided them.


    Tian Rou also ran over to join in on the excitement despite being late into her pregnancy. Baldy stood anxiously to the side, as he urgently said to Cheng Xi, ¡°Come over and hug her first. My god, she¡¯s about to give birth pretty soon. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going through her mind, running here with so many people crowding her.¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t know whether to cry or laugh when she heard his plea. She ignored everyone else as she walked over to Tian Rou, hugged her, and then rubbed her bulging stomach. ¡°How am I going to repay you for all your effort?¡± And then she looked at Su Feng, who was standing beside her. ¡°Isn¡¯t her stomach too big?¡±


    Su Feng and the head nurse walked up to Tian Rou when they heard Cheng Xi ask them a question. After a quick glance at Tian Rou¡¯s stomach, Su Feng replied, ¡°It is a little large, but it¡¯s fine. She had a checkup with me earlier, and there weren¡¯t any major issues¡ªit¡¯s just that she has more amniotic fluid than normal.¡±


    ¡°Are you planning to give birth at Renyi?¡±


    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s your hospital after all!¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not mine. But Dr. Su¡¯s work is very good, and I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll be fine in her hands.¡±


    Su Feng proudly replied, ¡°Of course! Honestly, if she didn¡¯t reach out to me, then I wouldn¡¯t have even known that you were returning today.¡± As she said this, she and the head nurse both shot Cheng Xi an intense glare. ¡°We can overlook the fact that you didn¡¯t inform us about your marriage. However, for you to not inform us about your return either¡­¡­ Cheng Xi, we¡¯ve really treated you well for nothing.¡±


    Cheng Xi began exaggeratedly begging for mercy. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I just didn¡¯t want to trouble you all.¡±


    She then hugged both of them simultaneously, one in each arm, and then all of her classmates one by one after that. Cheng Xi was very embarrassed. ¡°Whose idea was it to gather all of you up and come here? I¡¯m truly sorry for wasting all of your time like this.¡±


    Actually, Cheng Xi really wanted to say that it was fine for everyone to show up with flowers, but who the hell came up with the idea to make that banner?!


    Her classmates didn¡¯t catch the deeper meaning implied in her words, and they all pounced on her as they raucously yelled out, ¡°You¡¯re touched by our actions, aren¡¯t you? If you¡¯re touched, then give birth to a daughter quickly! That way, she can be our daughter-in-law¡­...¡±


    It was an open secret that Lu Chenzhou was hoping to have a daughter.


    Cheng Xi was instantly inundated by a crowd of classmates hoping to find a daughter-in-law for their future sons. Afterwards, everyone laughed jovially as they got into their cars. In the end, Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t able to snatch his wife back from the crowd. He was left with just a pile of luggage lying in front of him. After he had gotten off the plane with Cheng Xi, he hadn¡¯t been able to even touch the hem of Cheng Xi¡¯s clothes before she was snatched away.


    Cheng Xi spent the entirety of the following week hanging out with her classmates, colleagues, and relatives. Only then did she finally make up for her three-year-long departure.


    A week later, Cheng Xi formally returned to Renyi Hospital. The department head even set up a meeting to specially reintroduce her. After four long years, he was still his same old self, but he was now very close to retirement. When he saw her, the first thing he did was smile and say, ¡°I once even thought that I wouldn¡¯t be able to see you again before I retired.¡± His eyes were kindly as he looked at her. ¡°You¡¯ve really made our hospital proud.¡±


    Cheng Xi was touched by the department head¡¯s gracious words. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to your teachings, department head.¡±


    The department head laughed. ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t have to try to please me. No one would dare give you the cold shoulder anymore these days.¡±


    Then, they spent a few minutes chatting about what Ceng Xing was up to in Gansu. Right before they ended their meeting, the head took a red packet out of his drawer. ¡°Oh, this is for your wedding. I wasn¡¯t able to attend the ceremony, but I have to give you a red packet, at the very least.¡±


    Cheng Xi was slightly embarrassed by his actions. ¡°It¡¯s already been three years.¡±


    The head chuckled. ¡°Well, if you had come back sooner¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi made a helpless expression as she reluctantly accepted the red packet. She thought that receiving a red packet three years after her marriage was bad enough, but then something even worse happened. That night, Lu Chenzhou brought her to the Lu household for a meal¡ªconveniently, that day was also Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather¡¯s birthday.


    This time, it was just the Lu family and Cheng Xi attending, without any sort of lavish banquet. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father was also present that day; although the relationship between Lu Chenzhou and his father had soured even more after Donglai¡¯s scandal, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s father had actually gotten closer to his own parents.


    Over these last few years, Lu Chenzhou had gotten much better at social gestures¡ªhe even knew to buy his grandfather a birthday present, a luxurious cruise ship.


    Truly extravagant. Even Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather thought that this present wasn¡¯t particularly suitable, and he commented, ¡°I¡¯m so old now! What¡¯re you thinking, giving something like this to me?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou seriously responded, ¡°Your 60th wedding anniversary with Grandma is coming up, so you can sail in the ocean together with this.¡±


    His considerate words immediately made his grandparents feel very touched, and their eyes started welling up with tears. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that you remember this¡­¡­ Well then, you¡¯d better quickly have a wedding ceremony with Cheng Xi.¡±


    Cheng Xi, who was sitting to the side and quietly chatting with Lu Chenming, was caught completely off guard by this segue.


    How had the topic suddenly shifted to her? o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    Three years had already passed; how could they have a wedding ceremony now?!


    But Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather was quite obstinate on this matter. ¡°The two of you only had a simple ceremony at Gansu, and Zhou¡¯s not particularly fond of telling other people about his private life. Thus, a lot of our relatives and friends still don¡¯t know that he got married. In fact, just yesterday, while we were walking around outside, a friend of mine even called and told me that he wanted to introduce a girl to him¡­¡­ We thought that it¡¯d be a hassle to inform all of our relatives and friends one by one, so why not just have another wedding ceremony?¡±


    And then, we¡¯d be able to retrieve all the red packets that we gave out at their weddings! Of course, they couldn¡¯t say this outright, because Lu Chenzhou would surely mock them. ¡°Do you think that I need their money?¡±


    But Lu Chenzhou also hated troubling himself for others¡¯ convenience.


    And when he heard that his grandparents wanted to hold another wedding ceremony just to inform their friends and relatives that he was now married, he instantly became unhappy. ¡°I¡¯ll just have someone send a notice out.¡±


    His grandparents were rendered speechless. ¡°......¡±


    They couldn¡¯t get through to their grandson, and their son was no help to them at all, as he didn¡¯t care a single whit about his son¡¯s well-being. When they looked toward Cheng Xi, she put on a Cheshire Cat-like smile and then leaned into Lu Chenzhou, indicating that she would accede to his wishes whatever they were.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents felt somewhat stymied. They hadn¡¯t been able to attend their eldest grandson¡¯s wedding ceremony, and this was something they just couldn¡¯t accept! And so, after considerable effort, they finally thought that they had come up with something that could incite Lu Chenzhou into changing his mind. ¡°How could you just send out a notice? Wouldn¡¯t you be wronging Cheng Xi by doing that?¡±


    Cheng Xi was about to interrupt and say that she in fact didn¡¯t feel wronged, but Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother fiercely continued speaking. ¡°Cheng Xi¡¯s such an amazing woman¡ªif we don¡¯t hold a proper ceremony and let everyone know that she¡¯s married into the Lu family, then what would we do if someone tries to snatch her away by saying that we disrespected her?¡±


    ¡­...Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother was really making a mountain out of a molehill.


    But the terrible thing was, Lu Chenzhou actually agreed. When he thought about how attractive Cheng Xi was, Mr. Lu nodded his head decisively. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll do it!¡±


    And that was it.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even have time to make a single objection.


    And so, they began planning another wedding ceremony, one that was very formal. Of course, Cheng Xi didn¡¯t have to worry about anything at all; she only needed to try on the wedding veil when it arrived and show up to the meeting between the two families.


    Just like the past, both families once again sat down together for a meal and to discuss the specifics of the wedding and where the guests of honor would sit. This time, Cheng Xi had also brought Chen Jiaman along¡ªafter all, Chen Jiaman had acknowledged Cheng Xi as her mother, and both families had also tacitly approved of this overaged daughter of Cheng Xi¡¯s.


    Afterwards, Chen Jiaman went back to the apartment next to Cheng Xi¡¯s. Besides when Cheng Xi slept and went to work, Chen Jiaman was always following behind Cheng Xi whenever she went out for dinner with her friends, parties, and any other similar activity.


    The wedding planning was quite boring to listen to, and Cheng Xi had no intention of actively participating. Whenever they asked her about her opinion, she would toss out a half-hearted response. Over the course of the entire discussion, she spent her time simply peeling grapes and eating them with Chen Jiaman. The two of them sat to the side, happily munching away. In the middle of a conversation, Lu Chenzhou turned around and saw Cheng Xi with her head lowered as her white and delicate fingers dexterously peeled a grape. When Cheng Xi raised her head to meet Lu Chenzhou¡¯s gaze, he noticed that her cheeks were bulging with grapes.


    Her lips were moist and glistening with the sweet grape juice.


    Overcome by passion, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from licking the side of her lips.


    And right after his action, he found that the heated conversation had suddenly fallen silent.


    When Lu Chenzhou recalled Cheng Xi¡¯s constant admonitions against public displays of affection, Lu Chenzhou calmly pointed at the corner of her lips. ¡°You missed a spot there.¡±


    ¡°......¡± Mr. Lu, can¡¯t you come up with a better excuse?!


    Previous Chapter


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 Chapter 248: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I’m Only Happy When Im With You III

    Chapter 248: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I¡¯m Only Happy When I''m With You (III)


    Cheng Xi was particularly embarrassed because both families¡¯ parents and elders were here. She immediately stopped eating grapes, wiped her hands and mouth, and then lowered her head, prepared for a lecture.


    But nobody said anything; after all, it was a good thing that their children and grandchildren loved each other that much.


    But they still had to be cognizant of their surroundings. Cheng Xi escaped unscathed from her elders, but Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t satisfied yet. After wiping his hands clean, he peeled a grape himself and then tried to feed it to her.


    Cheng Xi softly refused him. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t want any more¡­¡­¡±


    But he forcefully fed her the grape anyway.


    When he saw that the corners of her lips were still clean, Lu Chenzhou fed her another one. Cheng Xi ignored him, but he held the grape up against her mouth and squeezed it until its juices dripped onto her lips. Only then did he remove the grape, lightly wipe the corner of her lips with his own finger, and then lick the collected juices off.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    By Cheng Xi¡¯s side, Chen Jiaman had long since twisted her head away. I¡¯m just a little kid. I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on. Nope, nope, nope. I don¡¯t understand!


    Lu Chenzhou seemed to find this very entertaining, because he continued doing it over and over again. Regardless of whether or not Cheng Xi ate the grapes he peeled, he¡¯d get something out of it¡­¡­


    Cheng Xi¡¯s father was the first person to break, and he spoke up when he was unable to bear it any further. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re a little tired, Cheng Xi. Do you want to leave and rest first?¡±


    All Cheng Xi had done after arriving was eat; why would she be tired? Cheng Xi¡¯s father had said that purely because he didn¡¯t want to see Lu Chenzhou feed her any more grapes!


    The others all supported him. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Cheng Xi, if you¡¯re tired, you should just go home and rest.¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face turned beet red, but she didn¡¯t know what to say to Lu Chenzhou. He was so intent on feeding grapes to her that he had blocked everything else out. At this rate, he might even do something to her despite the mutual presence of their families.


    And that¡­¡­ she didn¡¯t want to think about that possibility at all.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t say anything as she demurely got up and prepared to leave. Lu Chenzhou stood up naturally, as if he was going to follow her out.


    Everyone else was momentarily stunned by his actions, until his grandfather forced himself to ask, ¡°Zhou, what¡¯re you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired too.¡±


    And he grabbed Cheng Xi¡¯s hand and walked away.


    ¡°......¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandfather awkwardly tried to smooth things over. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s not a bad thing for Zhou to spend more time with Cheng Xi¡­¡­ Now that she¡¯s finally back, it¡¯s a good time to have a baby.¡±


    He didn¡¯t try to cover up his grandson¡¯s actions one bit.


    And as expected, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t betray everyone¡¯s ¡°expectations¡± for him. They had been having a meal at Donglai as they discussed everything, so when he left with Cheng Xi, he immediately brought her to his room. Without saying a single word, he started stripping his clothes off as soon as they entered¡ªboth his and Cheng Xi¡¯s clothes. As he did so, he seriously said, ¡°Don¡¯t seduce me in public next time. There are too many people.¡±


    Cheng Xi was completely speechless.


    After they were done, Lu Chenzhou even said, ¡°Let¡¯s not think about the wedding ceremony anymore. It¡¯s a waste of energy.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Afterwards, whenever someone asked Lu Chenzhou about something related to the wedding, he would dismissively reply, ¡°You guys handle it. Stop bothering us.¡±


    And as he dragged Cheng Xi down with him, he also conveniently pushed Chen Jiaman away. ¡°It¡¯s your mother¡¯s wedding. Aren¡¯t you going to do something to help?¡±


    He would then ungraciously chase her away and hand her over to Cheng Xi¡¯s parents. They were very displeased with his offhanded approach towards the wedding and the fact that he had dragged their daughter down with him. However, he merely ignored their scathing glances as he shamelessly said, ¡°I¡¯ve found the two of you a helper.¡±


    With this move, he had finally managed to dislodge Chen Jiaman from Cheng Xi¡¯s side and constructed his ideal two-person world. Mr. Lu was very pleased with himself.


    To combat Cheng Xi¡¯s resistance, he had even learned to lie, act according to the situation, whether that be coyly, shamelessly, or forcefully, and all sorts of other sneaky tricks. After all, his lustful desire for sex was so strong that he couldn¡¯t resist it for long even if he were made from steel. And so, Cheng Xi eventually had no choice but to request that they temporarily stay in different rooms¡ªnot too far away, with one in the master bedroom and the other in a guest room.


    When Lu Chenzhou saw her insistent expression as she made this plea, he didn¡¯t object. That night, he obediently brought his blankets with him and went into the guest room to sleep. However, in the middle of the night, he knocked on Cheng Xi¡¯s door and miserably called out, ¡°Cheng Xi, I¡¯m uncomfortable.¡±


    The guileless Cheng Xi actually believed him, as she assumed that the bare interior of the guest room was too cold for him, and she quickly opened the door and helped him into her bed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    His countenance was so poor that it looked as though his breath would be cut short at any moment. ¡°I feel like I might be sick.¡±


    ¡°With what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that I can fall asleep until I make love to you.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    She really wanted to boot him into the horizon! But before she could raise her feet, he grabbed her, and committed all sorts of unspeakable deeds.


    Cheng Xi really couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. On the day of their wedding ceremony, she barely had the energy to get up, and it was such a hassle to rouse her that her mother instinctively chastised her. ¡°I know that it¡¯s been a long time since the two of you had some time together, but you still have to control yourself a little¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi¡¯s face flushed a deep red.


    She resolved herself to have a nice long chat with him after the ceremony. Lu Chenzhou had managed to deal with his desires successfully in the past, unlike what he was doing now.


    When she confronted him about his recent actions, his response made Cheng Xi want to spit out blood. ¡°Baldy told me that the reason why we haven¡¯t had a baby yet was because we have sex too infrequently. Thus, we should have more sex in the future.¡±


    ¡°......¡± If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Rou was about to give birth, then Cheng Xi undoubtedly would have urged her to divorce him!


    She patiently tried to persuade him otherwise. ¡°That¡¯s incorrect. In fact, having sex frequently is actually detrimental for a couple trying to get pregnant.¡±


    Cheng Xi thought that he would try to refute her based on their experience with just doing it once-a-month in Gansu. But unexpectedly, after a moment of silence, Lu Chenzhou actually said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s no big deal. Even if we don¡¯t get a baby, isn¡¯t this still pretty good?¡±


    ¡°......¡± Cheng Xi wanted a divorce at this point!


    But Lu Chenzhou did at least realize that his actions were becoming too over the top, and he did restrain himself somewhat¡ªhe no longer made a big fuss about it when Cheng Xi had to go to work or had to take care of important business.


    But strangely enough, Cheng Xi just couldn¡¯t seem to get pregnant no matter what. By the time Baldy¡¯s son was born, Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou had grown old enough that both of their families were starting to get worried.


    Cheng Xi was perfectly healthy; she had received multiple checkups, and they all said that her body was normal and able to give birth to children. She was slightly suspicious that Lu Chenzhou might be the problem, but she didn¡¯t want to bring that up, as Lu Chenzhou hated medical procedures and checkups with a passion. In her mind, it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal even if he was infertile, because the two of them didn¡¯t necessarily need children. If they really wanted some, then adoption wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea.


    After all, Chen Jiaman was a wonderful child, wasn¡¯t she?


    But Cheng Xi was the only one who thought this way. The next time she went to the Lu household with Lu Chenzhou for a meal, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents brought up the issue of a baby again. Additionally, this time, they hinted that perhaps they were having such difficulty becoming pregnant might be because one of them was sterile.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face instantly went cold.


    Cheng Xi poured a cup of tea for him and smiled in an attempt to placate him. ¡°Our bodies are just fine. I expect that it¡¯s just a matter of chance that I still haven¡¯t gotten pregnant yet.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents trusted her, and they immediately relaxed upon hearing her words. ¡°It¡¯s good that you two are doing well.¡± But then, they went on to say, ¡°Is it because you¡¯re too stressed due to work? Why not take a break? It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t afford to take care of you, after all.¡±


    Of course, the two of them were more tactful than that, but that was the gist of their words. They wanted Cheng Xi to quit her job and focus on the baby. The Lu household had already experienced a workaholic mother in the form of Lu Chenzhou¡¯s mother, and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents didn¡¯t want their granddaughter-in-law to turn out the same.


    Evidently, they¡¯d given this significant thought before bringing it up.


    Cheng Xi wasn¡¯t too surprised that they¡¯d think this way, because even her own mother thought that she was working too hard. She constantly badgered Cheng Xi to take a break and become a good housewife. But just as Cheng Xi was about to speak up, Lu Chenzhou dragged her away. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even intend on finishing the meal.


    Everyone was dazed by his sudden actions. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother smiled and asked, ¡°Zhou, what¡¯s the matter? Why are you suddenly¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou brusquely interrupted her. ¡°How dare you?¡± He glared at them, his gaze cold and his tone placid. ¡°Even I can¡¯t bear to break off her wings. How dare you?¡±

 Chapter 249: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I’m Only Happy When Im With You IV

    Chapter 249: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I¡¯m Only Happy When I''m With You (IV)


    After Lu Chenzhou said those words, he dragged Cheng Xi away without waiting for her to respond.


    No one expected him to feel so strongly about Cheng Xi¡¯s career. It had been a long time since he had truly been angry, and the current him was so much gentler that his grandparents had almost forgotten how hard it was to deal with him.


    At this time, Cheng Xi unhesitatingly stood by his side. If he said that they were to leave, then she would leave without hesitation.


    As Lu Chenzhou said, the two of them went straight home. They had barely started their meal at the Lu household, so they had to make their own dinner. Cheng Xi rolled up her sleeves as they entered the living room and said, ¡°I¡¯ll make something tasty for you tonight.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was still slightly unhappy about the situation, so he simply nodded and stood by the door to the kitchen as he watched her cook.


    One might expect doctors to have adroit knifework, but Cheng Xi was actually very clumsy at cutting vegetables. Her technique was so bad that, at multiple times, Lu Chenzhou thought that she would accidentally cut a finger off.


    But she was so focused on her work that it felt like she didn¡¯t care about anything else besides the vegetables in front of her.


    Lu Chenzhou was also a part of the aforementioned ¡°anything else,¡± which was why he didn¡¯t like it when Cheng Xi came home and did anything unrelated to him¡ªmore specifically, any task that didn¡¯t involve loving him.


    But he was also deeply enthralled by the Cheng Xi in this moment that perfectly epitomized single-minded focus. It reminded him of the first time he had seen her. He had been standing in the darkness as he watched her slowly placated Chen Jiaman; she had been a perfect angel of focus and dedication.


    So, even at his most impulsive moments, he had never considered destroying her career. It was something that she cherished and also the part of her that charmed him the most.


    So, even if he didn¡¯t like it when she spent time with others, he had never planned on stopping her from working as a doctor.


    How could he bear to break her wings?


    While Cheng Xi was slow at cutting vegetables, she was much more well versed with the other aspects of cooking. By the time Lu Chenzhou finished reminiscing in his labyrinthine emotions, she had already finished preparing most of the meal.


    It was a very simple set of dishes: stir-fried meat, steamed vegetables, and a steak. Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had prepared the steak¡ªincluding all of the sauces and condiments, and had even included a set of instructions of how Cheng XI should cook the dish¡ªshe was clearly afraid that Cheng Xi wouldn¡¯t be able to cook something edible otherwise.


    After the table was set, Cheng Xi scooped Lu Chenzhou a bowl of rice and then sat down by his side with shining eyes. ¡°Try it and tell me if it¡¯s good or not.¡±


    The food both smelled and looked good¡ªand that was considering Lu Chenzhou¡¯s high standards. As for the taste, well¡­¡­ Lu Chenzhou took a bite, and then he expressionlessly fed her a small spoonful of the stir-fried meat.


    Cheng Xi chewed for a moment before hurriedly swallowing the meat and getting up to find some water. ¡°Oh no! It¡¯s way too salty!¡±


    Luckily, the vegetables and steak were good. Cheng Xi moved the stir-fried meat aside, embarrassedly saying, ¡°Don¡¯t eat this anymore.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou ignored her. Although he ate quite slowly, he nonetheless finished all the dishes on the table, including the stir-fried meat.


    Cheng Xi had long since put down her bowl, and she was currently watching him eat with puffed cheeks, bright eyes, and the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. Lu Chenzhou glanced at her a few times before putting his bowl down, wiping his lips, and asking, ¡°What¡¯re you looking at?¡±


    ¡°At my man.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou raised his eyebrows quizzically.


    Cheng Xi smiled. ¡°The more I look at him, the more my man seems to shine. I¡¯ve just been thinking to myself¡ªmy goodness, I love him so much!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Even though Lu Chenzhou knew that she was just humoring him, he couldn¡¯t stop his heartbeat from quickening. Thump thump thump. It was both a strange and unfamiliar feeling.


    It was a feeling that only Cheng Xi could inspire within him.


    Lu Chenzhou leaned down and kissed her, his mood all of a sudden brightening.


    The improvement in his mood prompted Cheng Xi to start discussing his grandparents¡¯ suggestion with him. She used a lighthearted tone to ask, ¡°Why did you refuse their suggestion? I thought that you didn¡¯t like me pursuing my career.¡±


    ¡°But you like it.¡±


    These four words were enough to touch Cheng Xi¡¯s heart. She lovingly called out his name. ¡°Lu Chenzhou¡­¡­¡±


    Lu Chenzhou hugged her and kissed her forehead, thinking to himself that freeing her wings was well worth her gratitude.


    As for a child, she broached the question by simply asking, ¡°Do you still want a child?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t reply.


    Cheng Xi volunteered her own opinion. ¡°I think that we¡¯re fine the way we are.¡±


    He nodded.


    This was the first time that Lu Chenzhou had ever changed his own plans; in this case, discarding it without it ever seeing the light of day.


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t mention anything about getting a checkup, and neither did Lu Chenzhou. She was also very busy herself¡ªshe had been recently promoted, once again becoming a professor. Additionally, she had also started working on a new project, and the two of them gradually became so busy that they didn¡¯t even have time to be intimate anymore.


    But he continued pampering her as usual.


    The two of them had truly stopped consciously trying to have a child, and after that day, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents didn¡¯t dare to say anything about it. It was only later that Cheng Xi truly understood why Lu Chenzhou had reacted so strongly back then¡ªif he had been any less harsh, then Cheng Xi would have suffered through a lot more stress. Or at the very least, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to work this calmly.


    If the Lu family really didn¡¯t want her to work, then they had the means to stop her. However, Lu Chenzhou was so against the idea that they didn¡¯t dare force the issue.


    In the end, even Cheng Xi¡¯s parents were forced to stop trying to persuade her, as Lu Chenzhou directly told them, ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with my body. I can¡¯t have children.¡±


    When Cheng Xi heard about this, she was struck speechless. So too were her parents, who had driven all the way over to her workplace to ask, ¡°Is Lu Chenzhou¡¯s illness real? Has it been confirmed? Is there really no possible treatment?¡±


    ¡­...What could Cheng Xi say in response? She vaguely replied, ¡°There might be a possibility later¡­¡­ Given how quickly science advances these days, there might be a miracle.¡±


    And then, she quickly went home to interrogate Lu Chenzhou. ¡°What on Earth did you say to my parents?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had been reading when she suddenly rushed in. He had stopped studying psychology and recently moved onto studying interpersonal relationships. Yesterday, Cheng Xi saw him reading a book from the 1980s¡ªHow To Make Her Love You More (For Males).


    It contained many old-fashioned ideas that would be quite contentious if they were brought up in the modern era, but Lu Chenzhou seemed to enjoy reading it very much.


    When he heard Cheng Xi¡¯s question, he slowly put a bookmark in his book and closed it as he said, ¡°I said that all my sperm was dead, an incurable condition.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He then turned to look at her. ¡°If this were true, would you divorce me?¡±


    His question was posed very casually, but his eyes were clear, his skin taut, and his lips even formed a straight line. Clearly, her answer mattered a lot to him.


    Cheng Xi hugged him tightly. ¡°No, of course not! No matter what, you¡¯ll always be the perfect husband in my heart!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even have time to be happy before she went on to say, ¡°What¡¯s more, we already have Chen Jiaman. We actually don¡¯t really even need biological children.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    He wasn¡¯t that fond of Chen Jiaman, and part of the reason why he had started reading about interpersonal relationships in the first place was because he wanted to learn to make Cheng Xi like him more than her. That lass was particularly good at ingratiating herself with Cheng Xi by doing things like buying her little trinkets and giving her little surprises. Lu Chenzhou was confident that if she were male, she¡¯d definitely have stolen Cheng Xi away from him.


    And even though Chen Jiaman was female, and even though Cheng Xi was extremely busy, that girl still managed to take up almost half of Cheng Xi¡¯s remaining time¡ªfor example, there had been a storm a few days ago, and Cheng Xi had been worried about Chen Jiaman that she had actually slept with her for the whole night!


    The whole night!


    Mr. Lu was very upset.


    Luckily, he hadn¡¯t brushed up on his knowledge for nothing, because Lu Chenzhou had recently added coaxing to his repertoire. He hugged Cheng Xi back and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright even if you can¡¯t give birth to children. I can love you wholeheartedly in that case.¡±


    But reality quickly slapped them in the face. Before Cheng Xi¡¯s parents could even get over the shock of their son-in-law being sterile, Cheng Xi¡­¡­ got pregnant.

 Chapter 250: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I’m Only Happy When Im With You V

    Chapter 250: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I¡¯m Only Happy When I''m With You (V)


    Rain was pouring down on the day Cheng Xi found out about her pregnancy, and the streets were flooded with water. Lu Chenzhou was busy at work when he heard the news, but when he saw how heavy the rain was, he personally went over and brought her to the hospital.


    Lu Chenzhou normally hated going outside on rainy days as he would inevitably become wet, damp, and dirty. But he had recently read that he should perform a romantic gesture every so often to deepen Cheng Xi¡¯s affection for him.


    And one of these gestures was picking her up from work when it was pouring outside.


    But on that particular day, the rain was so heavy that they couldn¡¯t even park in the apartment complex¡¯s underground garage. Thus, the two of them had no choice but to park the car on the streets and hastily run home under an umbrella.


    Their car wasn¡¯t parked too far from their home, but no matter how short the run was, it was inevitable that some rainwater would fall on them.


    As a result, Lu Chenzhou went straight for the shower when he got home, and he even dragged Cheng Xi inside with him. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t want to¡ªshe had suddenly thought of a new idea for her current project on the drive home and she wanted to ponder it some more. However, she wasn¡¯t able to overcome Lu Chenzhou, and in the end, she relented and showered with him.


    She was slightly unhappy about how this all turned out. ¡°In the future, you don¡¯t have to pick me up when it¡¯s pouring outside. It¡¯s a hassle for both of us. It¡¯s probably better if I just take a taxi home by myself next time.


    Lu Chenzhou had been busy stripping his clothes off, but when he heard her say this, he paused as he turned around and asked in a somewhat aggrieved tone, ¡°You don¡¯t want me to pick you up?¡±


    His pitiful expression left Cheng Xi involuntarily clutching at her face. Her heart pounded as she hastily corrected herself. ¡°No. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll find it to be too troublesome.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou beamed at her positive response. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem.¡± He started stripping even quicker. ¡°I¡¯ll feel much better after we have sex.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    In the end, not only was Cheng Xi unable to write down even a bit of her revelations, but they also couldn¡¯t even have sex properly. Halfway through, Cheng Xi suddenly started bleeding heavily¡ªthat was a slight exaggeration, but in the shower, just a small amount of blood would mix with the bathwater for a shocking sight.


    Lu Chenzhou had been thoroughly enjoying himself, but when he saw the bloody trail leading to the drain, his excitement completely shriveled up, and he shivered as he let go of her. He then retrieved a towel and wiped her dry before anxiously asking, ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    Cheng Xi was very calm. Honestly, she was slightly disappointed by what had happened¡ªher period should have come two days ago, and she was secretly hoping that she might have actually become pregnant. In the end, however, her period had still come.


    She patted Lu Chenzhou¡¯s head and consoled him. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just my period.¡± And then she laughed at him as she teased, ¡°Please bear with it, Mr. Lu.¡±


    But Mr. Lu had seriously been half-scared to death, alright?!


    He liked the color red, but he vehemently hated blood!


    The incident caused both of them to lose all enthusiasm for sex, and they quickly cleaned themselves before getting dressed. Lu Chenzhou was still a little shell-shocked, but he was more worried that she might catch a cold. As such, he started searching online for a herbal remedy.


    Cheng Xi drank it all and then accompanied Lu Chenzhou for a little while before finally falling asleep in his lap.


    When she woke up again, it was midnight. She felt very uncomfortable, with a pounding headache, urge to vomit, and a deep sense of nausea all plaguing her entire body.


    She didn¡¯t want to wake Lu Chenzhou up, but he slept so lightly that he woke up as soon as he felt her move. He touched her forehead caringly. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Cheng Xi panted, ¡°I feel terrible.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou quickly climbed out of bed and turned on the light. ¡°Do you have a cold?¡± Lu Chenzhou had never seen Cheng Xi fall ill, so he was very anxious that she had suddenly started feeling unwell.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± She reached out to him. ¡°Help me get a thermometer from the medicine box so that I can take my temperature.¡±


    Actually, she didn¡¯t feel feverish at all; she simply wanted to give him something to do so that he would stop fidgeting nervously.


    Lu Chenzhou quickly brought the thermometer over. Not only had he brought the thermometer, but he also brought a whole bunch of medicine along with it and dumped it in front of her. ¡°Is there anything here that would be useful for you?¡±


    Within that pile of random medicine, Cheng Xi saw a pregnancy test.


    Yes. She had bought it when they were trying to have a baby, anticipating the day she¡¯d use it¡­¡­


    But that day had yet to come.


    After Lu Chenzhou fed her the herbal medicine, he ran to the kitchen to get a glass of water for her. When he reentered the room with the water, he immediately noticed that she was no longer there and that the thermometer was lying to the side of the bed, unused. He turned to the side and then noticed that the bathroom door was closed.


    He put down his cup and patiently waited by the door for her to come back out. After quite some time, the bathroom door finally opened, revealing Cheng Xi, who was standing underneath the doorway with a tired smile . ¡°Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡±


    Cheng Xi nodded. She said, ¡°Come over here,¡± as she pulled him inside the bathroom before pointing at the utterly foreign object sitting on the washbasin. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    But this was the first time that Lu Chenzhou had ever seen a pregnancy test. ¡°What did you check?¡±


    ¡°I checked whether or not your hopes were dashed.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Cheng Xi beamed brightly, she hugged him, and then leaned on tiptoes as she whispered, ¡°You silly fool! I don¡¯t have a cold¡ªI¡¯m just pregnant,¡± into his ear.


    The silly fool My. Lu was struck speechless.


    This news came so unexpectedly that he was truly stunned. All he said in response was a particularly aloof ¡°Oh.¡± Then, still very much in shock, he asked, ¡°Then, do you still need medicine?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. This is probably just a normal symptom of pregnancy.¡±


    As for the bleeding, Cheng Xi later called Su Feng and asked her about it. Su Feng was even more excited than Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou, and she continuously congratulated Cheng Xi. ¡°If you don¡¯t have any abdominal aches or persistent bleeding, then it¡¯s nothing too bad. Take good care of yourself and rest well for now. Don¡¯t work too hard and come into the hospital tomorrow. I¡¯ll give you a checkup myself.¡±


    After the call, the two of them cleaned themselves up and tried to go back to bed. Cheng Xi didn¡¯t sleep too well due to her nausea, and she was barely able to fall asleep at dawn.


    When Cheng Xi woke up again, the first thing she saw was Lu Chenzhou stooped in front of her, staring at her with wide open eyes like a little golden retriever.


    Cheng Xi had just woken up, so she merely rubbed his hand and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Mr. Lu leaned down and kissed her forehead. ¡°How¡¯s our daughter coming along?¡±


    ¡°......It might be a son.¡±


    Mr. Lu¡¯s delayed happiness and excitement had finally arrived. He tucked Cheng Xi back into bed and instructed, ¡°Sleep well. I¡¯ve already asked your workplace for time off on your behalf.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi watched on as Mr. Lu walked out before shortly returning with Chen Jiaman.


    However, Lu Chenzhou barred her at the door as he pointed at Cheng Xi, who was lying in bed and seriously said to Chen Jiaman, ¡°Look, she¡¯s pregnant, and we¡¯re going to have a daughter. However, for now, she has to rest well and not be stressed about anything. So, from today onwards, you have to take good care of yourself and not disturb her.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Chen Jiaman was extremely excited for Cheng Xi, and she immediately asked with a gasp, ¡°Really?¡± She then deftly slipped past Lu Chenzhou¡¯s blockade and ran to Cheng Xi. ¡°Mom, are you really going to give me a brother?¡±


    ¡°Brother¡± was the one word that Mr. Lu didn¡¯t want to hear at all, and as soon as Chen Jiaman said it, he picked her up by her collar and inelegantly flung her out of the room.


    With this news, the house suddenly became very lively. Chen Jiaman was left scratching at the door from outside while, inside, Lu Chenzhou caressed Cheng Xi¡¯s stomach and seriously muttered, ¡°Sister, it has to be a sister¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stop herself from smiling. It turned out that Lu Chenzhou had already subconsciously accepted Chen Jiaman into his heart after all.

 Chapter 251: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I’m Only Happy When Im With You VI

    Chapter 251: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I¡¯m Only Happy When I''m With You (VI)


    Cheng Xi happily watched Lu Chenzhou and Chen Jiaman bicker back and forth for quite a while. When she finally had her fill, she slowly got up, had some breakfast, and then went to the hospital.


    Chen Jiaman was very curious about Cheng Xi¡¯s pregnancy, to the point where she was even willing to accompany her to the hospital. Chen Jiaman actually insisted on tagging along, no matter how much Lu Chenzhou objected.


    In the end, the three of them went to the hospital together.


    Su Feng was still treating a patient when Cheng Xi arrived, so she requested that they all wait outside. Not long after, Su Feng had only Cheng Xi come in at first. She started with a standard preliminary checkup and then asked her about the details of the bleeding before calling Lu Chenzhou inside as well. Su Feng expressionlessly said to him, ¡°Mr. Lu, this is Cheng Xi¡¯s first pregnancy. So, for safety reasons, you can¡¯t have sex with her during the first three and last three months of her pregnancy. It¡¯s fine to do it a little during the middle, but you should do your best to limit yourself and be careful about hurting her.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Lu Chenzhou stared back at Su Feng expressionlessly, but it seemed that her words had struck a great blow to him.


    I¡¯m going to have to become a monk again¡­¡­ He felt all empty inside, and even his initial joy at having a daughter had considerably decreased!


    The worst thing was, he had explicitly told Cheng Xi¡¯s parents that he was sterile, but now, Cheng Xi was clearly pregnant. Cheng Xi felt sympathetic for his plight, and she even offered to speak to them on his behalf.


    Lu Chenzhou brushed her aside. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± He could clean up his own messes.


    In the end, Cheng Xi¡¯s parents became suspicious about the whole affair, perhaps because Lu Chenzhou¡¯s tone was too bitter, and they once again closed their restaurant for the day, ran over, and sneakily asked her, ¡°Cheng Xi, tell us the truth. Is this child actually Lu Chenzhou¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi once again felt the urge to drag Lu Chenzhou over and give him a thorough beating! How on Earth had he explained the whole thing to her parents?!


    After Cheng Xi¡¯s parents heard the entire story from her, even they were stunned speechless. ¡°If it¡¯s his child, then why was he so upset when he told us the news? He looked like he was about to cry at any moment, and it made us think that¡­¡­¡±


    Even Cheng Xi¡¯s father couldn¡¯t help himself from cursing Lu Chenzhou¡¯s sulky attitude.


    Cheng Xi naturally couldn¡¯t say that it was because Lu Chenzhou had been told that he had to become celibate. She awkwardly coughed twice before abruptly changing the topic. Cheng Xi¡¯s mother also took advantage of this opportunity to lecture her about all the things that she had to avoid during her pregnancy. ¡°Don¡¯t work too hard, and definitely don¡¯t try to take on too much. You¡¯re not young anymore. Actually, you¡¯re having an advanced maternal age pregnancy, aren¡¯t you? You really have to be more careful about everything then.¡±


    ¡°Advanced maternal age¡± was a harsh blow for Cheng Xi to bear.


    In truth, Cheng Xi¡¯s pregnancy went relatively smoothly, all things considered. Besides the serious symptoms at the beginning of the pregnancy, there were no more huge issues for the rest of her pregnancy, and she never had particularly strong reactions to anything.


    When Cheng Xi first started throwing up, Lu Chenzhou felt like the sky was collapsing. Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stand being around his germophobic self and thus lived with just Chen Jiaman for two days before he finally adjusted to it.


    Lu Chenzhou also didn¡¯t even want to work anymore; one day, he randomly called Lu Chenming and told him, ¡°Your sister-in-law¡¯s about to give birth, so you have to take over the company for the moment.¡± From that moment on, regardless of whether Lu Chenming was qualified to handle it, the company was his responsibility.


    All Lu Chenming had ever wanted to do was be a salesperson. He had never desired the responsibility and public visibility of an upper management position, but now he had been forcibly dragged into it. Luckily, under the¡­¡­ helpful guidance of Cheng Yang, he actually did a decent job¡ªhonestly, perhaps even a better job than Lu Chenzhou. Lu Chenming was detail-oriented and looked into everything thoroughly. On the other hand, Lu Chenzhou only cared about results, and didn¡¯t care too much about the process. As such, many Donglai employees resented Lu Chenzhou in their hearts as they saw him as someone who freely assigned tasks to his subordinates but never did any work himself.


    Lu Chenming¡¯s new position was very stressful, but he eventually gained the approval and trust of his subordinates, allowing Lu Chenzhou to fully focus on taking care of Cheng Xi. When Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents found out that Cheng Xi was pregnant, they were overcome with joy. At that point, they didn¡¯t dare to make any overbearing requests, and they didn¡¯t even ask Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou to move into the Lu household with them. All they did was send Cheng Xi rare medicinal herbs and healthy nutritional supplements from time to time.


    But Cheng Xi really did feel fine. She went to work as usual, wasn¡¯t picky or fussy about what she ate, and essentially ignored all of the worries and headaches that normally came with pregnancy. The pregnancy seemed to affect her very little; her life was basically the same as before.


    By the time Cheng Xi entered the second trimester of her pregnancy, almost all of her friends and relatives had learned that she was pregnant. Baldy and Tian Rou had the funniest reaction; they came over to Cheng Xi¡¯s place every day for free meals along with their son. Afterwards, Tian Rou would play with their son, who was just learning how to speak, in front of Cheng Xi. She would guide his small chubby hands to Cheng Xi¡¯s stomach and cajole, ¡°This is your wife. Quick, say, ¡®Wifey, wifey, grow well. Your husband is out here waiting for you.¡¯¡±


    Even Shen Wei joined in on the festivities, commenting, ¡°Cheng Xi, you can¡¯t promise your daughter away this early! When the time comes, all our sons should be given a fair chance to compete for her.¡±


    Shen Wei¡¯s bantering words struck Lu Chenzhou so deeply that he even started treating Shen Wei and her son a little better.


    Everyone seemed to firmly believe that Cheng Xi¡¯s baby would be a daughter, and due to this, all of the gifts that Cheng Xi received were for girls: from the clothes to the socks, and even the hats. Cheng Xi¡¯s mother had initially prepared a few baby boy clothes as a contingency plan, but when Lu Chenzhou found out, he threw them away as he resolutely said, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Our baby will definitely be a daughter!¡±


    He was so convinced that Cheng Xi¡¯s mother suspected that the two of them had already secretly confirmed it at the hospital. Thus, she also started buying baby girl¡¯s clothes. One day, she saw a little bib. ¡°My goodness, this is so cute! The baby¡¯s sure to look great with this.¡±


    And then the next day, she saw a dress. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m sure that my granddaughter will look amazing in this.¡±


    And the day after that, as she flipped through a dictionary with her husband, she called Lu Chenzhou. ¡°We thought of a name for the baby. It¡¯s really pleasant to the ears.¡±


    When Lu Chenzhou asked what the name was, she answered, ¡°Shutong, from Su Shi¡¯s ¡°Diviner¡±. ¡®The waning moon hangs upon the sparse wutong tree. In the deep of the night, no longer does the water clock drip.¡¯ If not that, then Chujing would also be a good name.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou distractedly muttered, ¡°Shutong, Shutong,¡± under his breath before disdainfully replying, ¡°That¡¯s a manservant¡¯s name! My daughter¡¯s going to be a princess. How could I possibly give her such a boyish name?¡± [TL: Lu Chenzhou is making a pun here¡ªmanservant (lit. ÊéÙ×) is a homonym for Shutong (lit. ÊèÍ©). Chinese is naturally a language with a large number of homonyms, so choosing a name for your child that doesn¡¯t have any homonyms with negative connotations is quite important.]


    He wasn¡¯t going to use that name.


    Their conversation continued with a few more names being tossed out, causing the discussion to become heated.


    Ten months later, before they had settled on a name for their little princess, Cheng Xi went into labor.


    The weather was wonderful that day, and it was a clear and refreshing autumn day with the sun shining bright in the sky. When Cheng Xi felt the first contraction, she was sunbathing on the balcony. Chen Jiaman was sitting by her side and drawing something for her ¡°brother¡±¡ªat this point, she was the only person left who insisted that Cheng Xi¡¯s baby would be male. She was creating a manga-style comic based on the stories that Cheng Xi had once told her. She planned on showing them to her ¡°brother¡± when he arrived.


    But she wasn¡¯t even halfway done when Cheng Xi noticed it, and Cheng Xi was so excited about her work that she couldn¡¯t resist taking a photo of the incomplete art and posting it on her feed. Chen Jiaman¡¯s art style was very colorful with detailed sketches, warm color palettes, and cute and puerile dialogue. When one of Cheng Xi¡¯s friends who worked in a publishing firm stumbled upon it, she immediately messaged Cheng Xi, asking whether Chen Jiaman would consider publishing it as a children¡¯s book.


    Chen Jiaman wasn¡¯t that interested in making money. She insisted that this book was for her brother and that he was the only one who could read it. But afterwards, when she considered the fact that she needed to help Cheng Xi provide for her soon-to-be brother, she decided to cut a deal with Cheng Xi¡¯s publisher friend. The work could be published, but her brother had to be the first reader.


    And Chen Jiaman even wrote in the acknowledgements page: To my cherished brother.


    o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    Luckily, Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t find out about this, or he would have definitely blown a fuse.


    But when he did find out, he couldn¡¯t even explode anymore, because when Cheng Xi gave birth right¡­¡­ It was unexpectedly a baby boy!


    A bolt from the blue!

 Chapter 252: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I’m Only Happy When Im With You VII

    Chapter 252: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I¡¯m Only Happy When I''m With You (VII)


    When the nurse carried Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou¡¯s little baby out and revealed that it was a boy, Cheng Xi¡¯s parents, Cheng Yang, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents, Lu Chenming, and Lu Chenzhou himself¡­¡­ were all dazed.


    ¡°This has to be a mistake, right? Our Cheng Xi¡¯s baby is a baby girl.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandmother replied, still in disbelief, as she craned her head to look into the maternity ward. ¡°Are there any other pregnant women giving birth at the moment? Don¡¯t mistake their baby for ours.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou, who had just become a father, glanced at the little infant as he coolly stated, ¡°This child doesn¡¯t look like us at all.¡±


    ¡­...Honestly, it was a spectacle that was too horrible to endure.


    In the end, Su Feng had to personally come and tell them, ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a mistake. Cheng Xi gave birth to a boy.¡± And with her words, the crowd had no choice but to finally accept this ¡°horrible¡± truth.


    Of course, after the confirmation, everyone was still very happy. After all, it was Cheng Xi¡¯s first child, and as long as Cheng Xi and the baby were both safe and healthy, then it didn¡¯t really matter whether the baby was a boy or a girl.


    Once the excitement over the new baby calmed down, they suddenly all realized that everything they had preemptively bought was for baby girls, and not baby boys. As soon as this was brought up, everyone rushed out to order new things.


    Everyone except for Lu Chenzhou, who merely sat dispiritedly in a corner.


    He seemed to be in a muddleheaded state. When Cheng Xi left the labor ward, everyone was crowding around the little baby except for him. When Lu Chenzhou noticed Cheng Xi come out, he came up to her, clutched her hand, and pitifully asked, ¡°How did our daughter become a son?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even know where to begin to console him. All she could do was ask a typical question. ¡°Don¡¯t you like him?¡± When she observed his face more closely, she saw a mixture of tiredness, disappointment, and sadness.


    Lu Chenzhou automatically shook his head.


    Cheng Xi smiled gently. She stretched her hand out and lightly caressed his face. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a son or a daughter. In the end, he¡¯s still our child, Lu Chenzhou.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou vacantly nestled his face against her hand.


    Son¡­¡­ Daughter¡­¡­ How could they possibly be the same?


    They were completely different! A daughter would be soft, cuddly, warm, and cute. This son, on the other hand¡­¡­ this brat was particularly jealous! Once his son was able to recognize other people¡¯s faces, Lu Chenzhou lost all opportunity to act intimately with Cheng Xi in public.


    Because his son would always stop him without fail!


    As soon as Lu Chenzhou tried to get close to Cheng Xi, his son would notice him approaching. Then, regardless of if he was breastfeeding or doing something else, the first thing his son would do was extend his hand at him, palm out. Stay away!


    Lu Chenzhou was both hurt and heartbroken at this gesture.


    One time, when Baldy came over to see the baby, he saw this happen to Lu Chenzhou. Baldy immediately burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter at the sight. ¡°Boss Lu, this is karma, isn¡¯t it? You were so possessive of Cheng Xi, but your son is even more possessive! Ohohoho, good luck trying to defeat your son!¡±


    Over the entire course of Cheng Xi¡¯s half-year-long maternity leave, Lu Chenzhou essentially never won against his son. That little brat loved sticking as closely to Cheng Xi as he could. It didn¡¯t just stop at breastfeeding, but even continued into sleeping. Lu Chenzhou tried to move his son into his own little crib, but that just caused him to cry, not stopping until he was reunited with Cheng Xi .


    In the end, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t stand her husband bickering with their son, so she pressed Lu Chenzhou into bed, ravaged him, and then fiercely asked, ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡±


    And Mr. Lu was indeed very satisfied. He obediently rolled over and let the little demon sleep in the middle, between them.


    Due to how jealous and attached their son was, Mr. Lu childishly nicknamed him the king of jealousy. That name quickly spread through their circle of friends and relatives, and it was so popular that within the span of a couple weeks, very few people called their son by his actual name, Lu Bowen, anymore.


    Cheng Yang was very dissatisfied with this outcome, and he secretly told Cheng Xi, ¡°How does someone like him have the gall to call my nephew the king of jealousy? What should I call him, then? The god of jealousy?¡±


    Cheng Xi felt that after she became a mother, everyone by her side seemed to have become more childish.


    But she was still quite worried about Lu Chenzhou. If others were to despise their son, then they might just be putting on an act. However, she was truly worried that Lu Chenzhou might actually despise his own child. During her pregnancy, everyone had been hoping for a daughter, but Cheng Xi was actually worrying about what Lu Chenzhou would do if their child turned out to be a son. She was afraid that he would neglect him, so ever since they found out that she was pregnant, Cheng Xi had made Lu Chenzhou contribute to her pregnancy diary so that he would feel more connected and intimate with their child.


    In truth, when the little fellow had still been in Cheng Xi¡¯s stomach, Lu Chenzhou had been very diligent about writing in his diary, mostly because he firmly believed that their child would be a pretty little princess. While he might not have spent that much time on it, he nonetheless fulfilled his duties by recording down everything that had happened in a detailed fashion. Before he began writing, he would always ask Cheng Xi, ¡°How are you feeling today? Did the baby kick you?¡± And then he¡¯d even help her count the twitches of the fetus and read to the baby.


    But after the king of jealousy was born, this loving treatment had vanished almost immediately. Lu Chenzhou had stopped writing in his diary, and he wouldn¡¯t do so unless Cheng Xi personally asked him to. And even if he did, it would be something silly. One day, Cheng Xi flipped through it and saw a series of records like the following:


    XX/XX/XXXX: The king of jealousy, Lu Bowen, pooped in his diaper and made a huge mess. Disgusting.


    XX/XX/XXXX: The king of jealousy, Lu Bowen, peed on the bed and was spanked thrice as punishment.


    XX/XX/XXXX: The king of jealousy, Lu Bowen, gnawed on his own feet during his shower. Unbelievable!


    ¡°......¡±


    Cheng Xi waved the diary in front of Lu Chenzhou and tried her best to politely ask him, ¡°Do you think that writing any of this is meaningful? When Bowen grows up and sees this, what will he think?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou twisted his face scornfully. Who cares what he thinks? ¡°Just raise him until he¡¯s eighteen. Then we can kick him out!¡±


    Her son, who was currently soundly sleeping by her side let out a fart at Lu Chenzhou, a particularly sweet-smelling one.


    Chneg Xi found the situation laughable, but she was too tired to think about it any further. Instead, she told Chen Jiaman, ¡°Come over here and draw a cartoon about these two people for me. Record down how they¡¯re always fighting and getting jealous over nothing. When one of them grows old and the other grows up, we¡¯ll show it to them and see whether or not they get embarrassed!¡±


    Chen Jiaman tended to follow and do whatever Cheng Xi said. And after that outburst, Chen Jiaman really did make a quick sketch of the situation, titling it ¡°The fight between the god of jealousy and his son, the king of jealousy¡± before posting it on her Weibo.


    Chen Jiaman wasn¡¯t particularly gifted at networking, so she only had a few fans on Weibo. The main reason why she had even posted the drawing in the first place was so that it would be easier for Cheng Xi to find it.


    The first few cartoons in the series received almost no attention, but when she posted the fifteenth one, it suddenly started trending. Her number of fans exploded, and Chen Jiaman received so many messages begging for updates that she was dazed at the commotion.


    The editor of the publishing company that Chen Jiaman had signed with earlier also saw her post. When he noticed that it was actually from someone who he knew, he helped spread the word even further, causing Chen Jiaman to suddenly go from being a relatively unknown artist to being the trending topic on social media.


    She was so scared that she didn¡¯t know what to do. In her anxiety, Chen Jiaman curled up in her room and refused to exit the apartment. She didn¡¯t even dare to contact Cheng Xi, and merely hid in her room, afraid and near despair. Cheng Xi had just started going back to work after her maternity leave ended, causing her to be so busy that she didn¡¯t have enough time to regularly check up on Chen Jiaman. In the end, Cheng Xi heard about the situation when some of her friends forwarded the cartoons to her.


    When Cheng Xi went to find Chen Jiaman, she was still curled up in a corner of her bedroom, like a pitiful thing that had been discarded.


    Cheng Xi felt very sorry for her. If this had happened to anyone else, they probably would have been overcome with joy. Only Chen Jiaman would be afraid and terrified by this turn of events to the point of freezing up in fear.


    Before Cheng Xi went home, she explained the entire situation to Lu Chenzhou. Besides showing him the cartoons, she also told him about her plan to deal with the situation. Although Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face turned quite ugly after he looked through the comics, he didn¡¯t say anything because Chen Jiaman¡¯s drawings didn¡¯t portray anyone badly. Her caricature of Cheng Xi was that of a cute mother: gentle, calm, and someone who wouldn¡¯t bat an eye even if the sky fell. Lu Chenzhou was a big, tall, handsome, and domineering man. He was clearly the main breadwinner of the family as well as someone who loved his family and his wife.


    The only part that Lu Chenzhou disliked was that his son, the king of jealousy, had been portrayed as a cute and pudgy little child in the cartoon.


    He wouldn¡¯t have minded if his son were simply fat and silly, but he wasn¡¯t cute in real life at all! After scrolling through the comments, Lu Chenzhou was terribly dissatisfied, and he seriously told Cheng Xi, ¡°As long as she makes the little brat more stupid and annoying, I¡¯ll be fine with it.¡±


    ¡°......¡±

 Chapter 253: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I’m Only Happy When Im With You VIII

    Chapter 253: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I¡¯m Only Happy When I''m With You (VIII)


    A number of years later, when the pudgy little king of jealousy grew up and flipped through this series of cartoons, he pursed his lips as he looked through them, tugging on his sister¡¯s sleeve as he did so. ¡°Sis, why did you make that big king of jealousy so handsome? He¡¯s clearly old and ill-tempered, so this drawing is too fake! You have to change it!¡±


    Cheng Xi overheard this in passing, and she once again confirmed that they were truly father and son.


    But at this point, Cheng Xi was too tired to talk to Lu Chenzhou about it, pretending that she hadn¡¯t heard the last few words that he¡¯d said, and only paying attention to his ¡°I agree¡±.


    Chen Jiaman was sensitive and easily thought too much about things. Before anything had happened, she¡¯d already scared herself half to death, so when Cheng Xi talked to her, she tried to be tactful but direct. Seeing her curled up in a corner, she smiled and knelt down. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is our little bunny trying to hide from her sudden popularity?¡±


    Chen Jiaman was almost in tears. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve done something bad.¡±


    Cheng Xi hugged her. ¡°No, you haven¡¯t! I feel like your drawings are marvelous. Clearly the netizens can see the quality of your work, and they know to appreciate it. Don¡¯t be scared, and keep on drawing. Make more people know about this story with the god of jealousy and his son; it¡¯s something we¡¯re all looking forward to see.¡±


    Afraid that Chen Jiaman would feel burdened, she made Lu Chenzhou find some lawyers from Donglai to help discuss the contract regarding the publishing firm. In the end, having received enough support from her family and friends, Chen Jiaman finally had the courage to keep on drawing.


    This series of cartoons really did become quite popular that year. It was because of this nascent popularity that the publishing firm initially wanted to host a specialized event with her. Chen Jiaman was quite afraid of doing something like this, but in order to support her, Cheng Xi dropped everything else and specially took leave just to attend it with her.


    She wanted to help her walk out of her darkness, and then to see how far the little girl who used to hole up in the darkness and cry could truly walk when she was unfettered.


    By this time, the king of jealousy had just turned one. Although he couldn¡¯t yet walk, he could already wander a few steps by clutching something as support. In order to help deepen the relationship between son and father, Cheng Xi left Lu Chenzhou at home to watch after him.


    The event with Chen Jiaman would last half a month. When she left, the weather was wild and stormy, but by the time she returned, it was a warm and sunny day. She didn¡¯t notify anyone upon her return, and the first thing she saw when she entered the house was Lu Chenzhou and the king of jealousy sitting on the carpet on the living room balcony. Her son held a toy in his hands, and Lu Chenzhou was observing him from the side. As the sunlight shone in through the window, it seemed as though they were having a peaceful and relaxing time.


    It had only been half a month, but the little king of jealousy was already starting to discard his support and take a precious few steps on his own. He wasn¡¯t walking quite stably yet, however, staggering from side to side, falling on the carpet if he stopped paying attention for just a moment. At this time, Lu Chenzhou, who was sitting silently by the side, would quickly catch him and prevent him from hurting himself.


    And when his son stood up and began walking again, he would even help clear the obstacles in his path. As he sat down, he would help stabilize him. Although Lu Chenzhou¡¯s actions were clumsy, they couldn¡¯t hide his carefulness.


    Cheng Xi watched them from afar quietly, a happy smile flashing across her lips.


    In the end, the father and son noticed her at almost the same time. The king of jealousy was so happy that he waved his hands about and teetered and tottered towards her, but his long-legged father slyly stuck his feet out in front of him, and the king of jealousy¡¯s short stubby legs were quickly knocked over.


    Only then did Lu Chenzhou pat his clothes and stand up. As his son cried, he got up and hugged Cheng Xi tightly. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± And then he kissed her fiercely, even pausing it halfway through to brag to his son, ¡°Look, all you can do is cry, but I can kiss.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    She clutched her forehead weakly. ¡°You childish man! I just got back, I¡¯m still very dirty.¡±


    He held her face with both hands, smiling happily. ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled back at him. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    She let him kiss her until he was satisfied before walking over to help support her son, who was crying so hard he could barely breathe. She hugged him and rubbed his back. ¡°You crybaby, while your mother wasn¡¯t around, you grew even fatter.¡±


    She went to wash up and cleaned her son in passing. Although the king of jealousy was often quite jealous, he was still a very easy child to coax, much more so than his father. Cheng Xi washed the snot from his face, hugged and kissed him a few times, and he was once again a happy little baby.


    But Cheng Xi¡¯s sudden two-week-long departure had made her husband and son miss her so terribly that the little king of jealousy stuck to her for the rest of the day, not even willing to let go when he was having a meal.


    Lu Chenzhou was a husk of his former self after taking care of him these last few days. He didn¡¯t like having other people around the house, so even though he¡¯d hired a housekeeper, it was just to make food for him and his son. Lu Chenzhou¡¯s grandparents did come over quite frequently, but they were so old that they couldn¡¯t really do very much.


    And so, in this last half-month, Lu Chenzhou had to change his diapers whenever he pooped or peed, and he was so tired that he wished he could just foist the burden on someone else. But seeing his son stick so fervently to Cheng Xi, even needing to be fed when eating (though a one-year-old child would have to be fed regardless!), he really couldn¡¯t banish the sight. Angrily, he stood up and moved his son¡¯s little stool over, putting his hands on his hips and pointing at him, ¡°Go sit in it! How can a man need to be fed? How can a man cry so much?!¡±


    The ¡®man¡¯ ignored him, curling up in Cheng Xi¡¯s lap and blinking with his eyes brimming with tears, his little red lips pursed, calling out, ¡°Mom, mom, mom¡±, so much so that Cheng Xi¡¯s heart almost melted. She raised her head and said to Lu Chenzhou, ¡°Alright, stop it. I just came back, and I want to hug him a little more.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    That was why he wanted a daughter at the beginning; why did he end up with a son?!


    He seemed to have neglected the fact that a daughter would have stuck to Cheng Xi as much as a son would.


    Mr. Lu was so disgusted by his son that he didn¡¯t even try to fight with him for Cheng Xi when they went to bed. Cheng Xi slept in the master bedroom with her son, and he surprisingly chose to sleep in the guest room instead. He rolled around the bed until it was creaking and straining under his weight, until finally Cheng Xi snuck into his room.


    Mr. Lu was tossing and turning and so annoyed that he almost wanted to break the bed apart when he heard a knock on the door. He shut his eyes and pretended to be dead, ignoring her.


    Cheng Xi smiled, lying on his chest as she looked at him. ¡°Are you really going to ignore me? Then I¡¯m going to leave!¡±


    As she got up and was preparing to leave, Lu Chenzhou hugged her from behind, burying his head on her shoulder, his tone aggrieved. ¡°After you were away for so long, is your son the only one you wanted to hug?¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    She speechlessly patted his head, saying gently, ¡°I missed you too.¡±


    ¡°You liar! You even said you were going to leave just now.¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    She said nothing, turning around to hug him and kiss him forcefully.


    It took a single deep kiss for Mr. Lu to suddenly feel revitalized again, his heart and eyes brimming with delight, a feeling of love that was hard to describe.


    ¡°Cheng Xi, you have to love me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Even if we have a son, you still have to remember to love me.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Even if we have a son, I¡¯ll still love you the most.¡±


    He was even happier, hugging her tightly and then requesting over and over again, ¡°Cheng Xi, say it again, that I¡¯m the person you love most.¡±


    His inner self was so insecure that Cheng Xi patiently and thoughtfully repeated herself in his ear. ¡°Lu Chenzhou, you¡¯re the person I love most.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± In the end, he finally hummed softly, bringing her hand to his chest. ¡°Do you feel it?¡±


    She felt his heart rate gradually speed up, and his skin that was warming to her touch.


    He looked at her agitatedly, a slight blush on his pale face, his eyes shining. Looking at him was like tasting a fine vintage wine that would leave her drunk.


    Cheng Xi submerged herself in that liquor, hearing him murmur softly into her ear, ¡°You¡¯re the only one I love. My life is only complete, only happy, because of you. So, please remember to love me.¡±


    She shut her eyes, saying softly, ¡°Alright, I will.¡±

 Chapter 254: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I’m Only Happy When Im With You IX

    Chapter 254: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I¡¯m Only Happy When I''m With You (IX)


    After Lu Chenzhou had a son, his overall tolerance had slowly begun to increase subconsciously. As a result, he was much more easily appeased.


    When Cheng Xi left their son alone in the bed and snuck into the guest room to sleep with him, he felt even happier than that silly little kid. And from then on, his favorite new activity was waiting for his son to fall asleep, sneaking into the room next door with Cheng Xi, and then making love to her. Neither the disappointment when their son caught them (the little brat would start crying whenever he woke up and wasn¡¯t able to see his mother), nor the anger that he felt from being disrupted could compare to the excitement that he felt when he ¡°stole¡± his wife away from his son. One day, after he successfully stole Cheng Xi away, Lu Chenzhou even cockily taunted his son, saying, ¡°Hey, you little brat, your mom was mine last night.¡±


    The king of jealousy was quite possessive, and he was easily agitated whenever his father teased him. Although he didn¡¯t know what his father meant by, ¡°Mom was mine last night,¡± he would get angry whenever Lu Chenzhou hugged Cheng Xi. This was especially true after he learned to walk on his own two feet; no matter what he was doing, whenever he saw Lu Chenzhou get within three steps of Cheng Xi, he would drop everything, run over, and snatch Cheng Xi¡¯s attention away.


    Once, when Lu Chenzhou was hugging and kissing Cheng Xi, the king of jealousy quickly waddled over, and started wiping Lu Chenzhou¡¯s kisses away. Even though he wiped at wherever Lu Chenzhou kissed, Lu Chenzhou stubbornly continued planting kisses on Cheng Xi until the little king started crying. Then, he put his chubby hands around Cheng Xi, kissed her, and pitifully cried out to Cheng Xi, ¡°Mom, he¡¯s dirty!¡±


    Lu Chenzhou shot his son a disdainful look. ¡°You¡¯re snitching since you can¡¯t beat someone? Can you be any less manly?¡±


    ¡­...Cheng Xi didn¡¯t even have the energy to massage her forehead.


    At the beginning, she had been somewhat worried about Lu Chenzhou¡¯s relationship with their son, but soon after, she realized that the two of them had an unusual relationship that centered around fighting with each other over random things. o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    In the end, she left them to their own affairs. Whenever they fought with each other, she would just ignore them and calmly do her own things.


    Whenever her son told on Lu Chenzhou, she would perfunctorily scold him. ¡°Mr. Lu, behave yourself.¡±


    And when Mr. Lu became aggrieved from her remark, she would cajole her son, saying, ¡°Be more obedient and apologize to your father. In the future, remember that his wife is his wife, and your mother is your mother. Stop fighting with him over her.¡±


    The little king of jealousy wasn¡¯t yet able to express his thoughts very well, and his understanding of her words was¡­¡­ questionable at best. He hesitantly let go of Cheng Xi, stumbled over to Lu Chenzhou, climbed on top of the sofa, and then slapped him in the face with a palm filled with snot and saliva as he said, ¡°Stop fighting over her!¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    ¡°......¡±


    When Cheng Xi saw Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face turn as black as the underside of a pan, she had to try her hardest to restrain herself from bursting out in laughter as she silently hugged the little king of jealousy who had happily run back to report his misdeeds to her. She then tugged on Lu Chenzhou¡¯s clothes, lowered her head to hide her mirth, and obediently said, ¡°Let me wash them for you.¡±


    Her pretty almond eyes looked straight at him, and Lu Chenzhou felt the raging fury in his chest suddenly die out.


    Similar incidents played out often enough that the king of jealousy eventually realized that his father loathed dirtiness. One day, when Lu Chenzhou was hugging and kissing Cheng Xi while taunting his son as usual, the king walked over steadily, climbed onto Cheng Xi¡¯s feet, and then patiently waited at her chest. Once Lu Chenzhou let go of her, he quickly raised his head up and smeared his saliva all over Cheng Xi¡¯s face.


    Lu Chenzhou was so disgusted by the sight that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to kiss Cheng Xi again for two days straight. The king of jealousy was quite proud of this move. Whenever Chen Jiaman came over to visit them, he would also clamber over and kiss her; when his great-grandparents came, he kissed the both of them as well. He had the best relationship with Cheng Yang by far, because Cheng Yang overly pampered this nephew of his. Whenever he visited, he would always play with the little king and succumb to his every whim. As a result, the king of jealousy hugged and kissed him the longest, and whenever he did so, he would glance back at Lu Chenzhou with a taunting gaze that made him look just like a mini-Lu Chenzhou.


    His father had nothing to say with regards to his son¡¯s behavior.


    But everyone else seemed particularly pleased by the king of jealousy¡¯s enthusiastic kisses for them, Cheng Yang especially so. He even took Cheng Xi¡¯s lipstick and applied it to his nephew¡¯s lips so that his kisses left bright red lip marks on his face. Then, with a face covered with saliva and kiss marks, he snapped a picture of himself and posted it onto his social media with the caption: Friends, can you feel the passion in this image?!!!


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was cold as he watched all this take place. ¡°If you like him so much, then you can take him away.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really.¡±


    And without saying anything else, Cheng Yang actually did bring the kid away.


    When Cheng Xi came back from work, Lu Chenzhou was the only one in the house. Without the little king of jealousy¡¯s tottering footsteps and constant mumbling, the house felt much emptier than before.


    Lu Chenzhou pretended to be happy as he greeted her with a hug. ¡°Alright! It¡¯s finally the two of us here once again.¡±


    After Cheng Xi found out where her son had disappeared to, she became very worried, although she didn¡¯t reveal it on her face. While still in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s embrace, she said, ¡°I think that we should call him.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou wasn¡¯t too happy to hear those words, but he didn¡¯t stop Cheng Xi.


    When Cheng Xi video-called Cheng Yang, the king of jealousy was playing at an outdoor plaza. He was running around with his chubby little feet and chasing a bunch of other kids while he smiled so widely that his drool was pooling over his lips and his eyes curved into little crescents.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s father spoke up first. ¡°Little king, your mom¡¯s calling you. Do you want to talk to her?¡±


    The king of jealousy turned around, smiled at the screen, and then ran away.


    Lu Chenzhou gnashed his teeth in response as he complained to Cheng Xi, ¡°Look. This is what that little fellow you love is truly like! He has no conscience at all!¡±


    Cheng Xi looked at Lu Chenzhou¡¯s dispirited face and chuckled at his dramatic reaction. She kissed him and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. If the man that I love most has a conscience, then that¡¯s enough for me.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was very happy to hear her words.


    But his heart still felt somewhat empty. Perhaps it was because he had gotten used to a little brat running around and causing trouble over the course of the year. That night, while the two were busy making love, something suddenly caught Lu Chenzhou¡¯s attention, and he pricked up his ears as he asked, ¡°Did you hear something just now?¡±


    Cheng Xi opened her eyes, quietly listened, and then replied, ¡°The phone¡¯s ringing.¡±


    Their phones were both in the living room. When they entered the room, it was obviously Cheng Xi¡¯s phone, which was on vibrate. She was slightly surprised that Lu Chenzhou had noticed it from their bedroom.


    She looked at Lu Chenzhou, but he simply shrugged. ¡°Pick it up.¡±


    The call was from her father. Once it connected, the first thing she heard was the little king of jealousy howling at an ear-shattering volume. ¡°Where¡¯s Daddy?!! Where¡¯s Mommy¡­¡­¡±


    He was almost two now. There were a few times when Cheng Xi had to leave for a business trip, but his father, who would always get jealous and bicker with him, had never ever left his sight.


    Unknowingly, Lu Chenzhou was the person who spent the most time with him.


    The little king was heartbroken by his parents¡¯ disappearance, and neither Cheng Xi¡¯s parents nor Cheng Yang could coax him into calming down. Cheng Xi¡¯s father even commented, ¡°He was fine all throughout the morning and the rest of the day, but once it was his bedtime, he started howling for his parents nonstop.¡±


    Cheng Xi hung up, switched to a video call, and then tried to coax her son to sleep through the screen. ¡°Be obedient and sleep, alright? Mommy will come and pick you up tomorrow, bright and early.¡±


    The little king clutched at the phone, continuing to cry as he looked pitifully at the two of them.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face darkened by a shade. ¡°How can a man cry so much?¡±


    But the little king wasn¡¯t afraid of him at all, and he called out in an aggrieved manner, ¡°Daddy.¡± He had cried for so long his face was dripping with tears and snot.


    In the end, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t calm her son down, and she reluctantly ended the video call. Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou silently stared at each other for a few moments before Cheng Xi finally asked, ¡°Do you want to continue?¡±


    Her face was pale, and her neck had a new bite mark courtesy of their earlier activities. Half of her collarbone was showing, and despite how tempting she looked, Lu Chenzhou felt surprisingly annoyed at the current predicament.


    After a moment, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s pick him up.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled lightly as she readjusted her clothes. ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 256: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I’m Only Happy When Im With You X

    Chapter 256: Extra - Lu Chenzhou And Cheng Xi: I¡¯m Only Happy When I''m With You (X)


    When Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou finally arrived at Cheng Xi¡¯s parents¡¯ house, it was almost midnight. Even though the king of jealousy was thoroughly exhausted, he refused to go to sleep, and while Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou were driving over, he had spent the time talking to Cheng Xi through a video call while resting in his grandmother¡¯s lap even as his head periodically drooped forward before springing back in place.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s parents found his actions to be very funny, and they pointed at his little chubby face as they gushed, ¡°Such a stubborn little child! He¡¯s so tired but he still refuses to sleep¡ªgosh, he must be afraid that you guys are trying to trick him.¡± After they said this, they glanced briefly at Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Who knows where he got this trait from?¡±


    From start to end, Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face remained expressionless, but his gaze landed on his son¡¯s body from time to time. Once his son fell asleep, he told Cheng Xi, ¡°Don¡¯t tire yourself out. Let me carry him.¡±


    He clearly wanted to carry his son, but he just didn¡¯t want to say so out loud. That personality of his caused the whole Cheng family to shoot him an incredulous look.


    Since Cheng Yang had brought his nephew all the way to his parents¡¯ place and since Lu Chenzhou had insisted on bringing him back, both families were up well past midnight. When Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou were about to leave, her parents asked if they wanted to stay the night, but Lu Chenzhou politely refused. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Besides, Cheng Xi still has to go to work tomorrow.¡±


    Cheng Xi also smiled as she said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Rather than waking up early tomorrow, I might as well head back now.¡±


    With that, Cheng Xi¡¯s parents could only send the two away.


    When Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou reached their car, Cheng Xi asked, ¡°Do you want to drive?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was as serious as ever as he replied, ¡°You can drive. The little brat¡¯s too heavy, and you won¡¯t be able to carry him for too long.¡±


    Cheng Xi tried to hide her smile. She responded with an ambiguous ¡°Oh,¡± fished the car keys out of his pockets, and then sat down in the driver¡¯s seat.


    Lu Chenzhou sat in the back, and when he noticed Cheng Xi¡¯s slightly curved eyes from the rearview mirror, he remarked ¡°What¡¯re you laughing at?¡±


    Cheng Xi seriously replied, ¡°Oh, I just found that my darling¡¯s actually very considerate of others now.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou blushed faintly as he coughed somewhat self-consciously. ¡°I¡¯m your man, after all.¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled as she started the car up.


    She always drove at the speed of a turtle, but Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t harry her into going any faster. He was preoccupied with his son in the backseat; by the time they arrived at home, both father and son had fallen asleep. When she turned around and saw two identical faces side by side, one large and one small, she found the scene so cute she almost couldn¡¯t bear to wake them up.


    However, Cheng Xi did take out her phone, turn on the overhead lights in the car, and take a quick picture of the two of them. The sudden increase in brightness startled Lu Chenzhou awake, and he immediately asked, ¡°What time is it?¡± as he yawned. But right after he finished asking his question, he shivered slightly, looked at the little king of jealousy in his lap, and then muttered in disbelief, ¡°I fell asleep?¡±


    He used to be very fussy in the past. When had he been able to fall asleep in a car while cradling a child in his lap?


    Cheng Xi nodded as she asked him, ¡°You¡¯ve been dead tired recently, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou pursed his lips in contemplation. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± All things considered, he really wasn¡¯t doing too badly; Lu Chenming had smoothly transitioned into his previous position in the company, and he was now handling all of the business trips and interviews, whereas Lu Chenzhou would only show up at work intermittently. In fact, there was a rumor brewing that, after father and son had fought against each other for control of Donglai, it was now the two brothers¡¯ turn to wrestle for control.


    Luckily, Lu Chenming defended Lu Chenzhou whenever this rumor was brought up, causing it to peter out very quickly.


    Lu Chenzhou quickly glanced at his phone and frowned. ¡°It¡¯s already so late. What¡¯re you going to do about work tomorrow?¡±


    Cheng Xi yawned. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I only have to work half the day tomorrow.¡± She stretched her arms out at him. ¡°I also want to be carried by you! What should I do?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou looked at his son in his lap and then decisively put him down to the side. ¡°I¡¯ll carry you!¡±


    Cheng Xi smiled and poked her son, who was sleeping as soundly as a little piglet. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him here, can we? Why don¡¯t you carry me while I carry him?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Cheng Xi intentionally made things difficult for him. ¡°But what if I can¡¯t bear to leave him alone over here?¡±


    But in the end, Cheng Xi once again felt like she had smashed her own feet with a rock that she had picked up. After Lu Chenzhou carried their son in, he came back to the car to carry her in.


    Before he carried their son away, he even seriously asked her, ¡°Do you want to wait for me here, or do you want to walk up to the house with me, have me carry you back here, and then carry you back up?¡±


    Cheng Xi ultimately chose to wait for him.


    And so, she eventually ended up in his arms. Luckily, it was well past midnight, and they didn¡¯t see anyone as they went up the elevator¡ªas for whether or not there were cameras in the elevator, Cheng Xi buried her face in Lu Chenzhou¡¯s lap and did her best to not think about it.


    In the wee hours of the night, it felt as if the whole hummingworld had fallen silent. The only sounded she could hear came from the mechanical operation of the elevator. Lu Chenzhou looked at the woman in his arms, at the whorl of hair on her head, and felt that his heart was at peace.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s heart was also very tranquil, especially when she lay in bed and looked at the man who she loved most in the world. Yes, her life was perfect.


    After that night¡¯s struggles, Lu Chenzhou seemed to treat his son a little better. The morning after, while Cheng Xi was brushing her teeth, she heard Lu Chenzhou lecture the little king of jealousy, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t try to snatch your mother from me in the future, understand? Otherwise, I¡¯ll throw you to your uncle and not bring you back.¡±


    The little king of jealousy still seemed to be a little upset over what had happened last night as he sat in his little child-proof seat and pursed his lips in an exaggerated manner.


    ¡°You don¡¯t agree?¡±


    The little king of jealousy was so scared of his father that he reached out towards his mother as soon as he saw her. ¡°Mommy, Daddy¡¯s being bad.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou had become very sensitive about how his family members viewed him, to the point where he didn¡¯t even like it when people joked about it. When their son said those words, Cheng Xi shot him a serious look. Although he was still young and didn¡¯t really know what he was saying, she nonetheless seriously replied, ¡°No, your daddy¡¯s not bad at all. He picked you up even though it was already very late at night. If you think that he¡¯s bad, then what about you? You were so noisy that no one else could sleep!¡±


    She continued strictly lecturing her son, ¡°It was your own choice to follow your uncle away, but in the end, you made a big fuss about wanting to come home in the middle of the night. Lu Bowen, I¡¯m only going to let you off this once. In the future, if you continue to avoid responsibility for your own choices and try to back out of your decisions, then everyone will ignore you.¡±


    Lu Bowen looked at her, clearly not understanding what she was trying to say.


    Lu Chenzhou couldn¡¯t help but interject and ask, ¡°Can he even understand what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    Cheng Xi calmly replied, ¡°Perhaps not right now, but if we keep repeating it, it¡¯ll eventually stick. The most important point is that we can¡¯t let him develop any bad ideas, like the idea that you¡¯re a bad father.¡± After saying this, she turned towards their son and commanded, ¡°Apologize to your daddy.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou was very pleased that his wife was defending him so staunchly. He didn¡¯t speak up any further for his son, and instead sat upright, schooled his expression, and waited for his son to apologize.


    Lu Bowen finally understood what his mother was saying. However, he pursed his lips, wanting to pout, but Cheng Xi merely shot him a severe look. Children were quite good at reading facial expressions, and although Cheng Xi indulged him at times, she refused to spoil him. Once he saw this expression of hers, he knew that there was no way out, so he obediently apologized to Lu Chenzhou as he grabbed a handful of rice from his bowl and raised it towards his father¡¯s mouth. ¡°Sorry, Daddy. Here, this is for you.¡±


    His germophobic daddy¡¯s scalp started prickling instantly.


    He deeply felt that his little king of jealousy was acting maliciously after being forced to apologize. What should I do with the rice in his hand? To eat it, to not eat it, or¡­¡­ He looked at the wife and son combo who were smiling and looking at him expectantly¡­¡­


    Lu Chenzhou shut his eyes and lightly accepted his son¡¯s little rice ball with his mouth.


    Then he quickly turned around, hugged Cheng Xi, and pushed it from his mouth into hers.


    ¡°......¡±


    The little king of jealousy stumbled backwards in shock. This was too much!!!

 Chapter 256: Childrens Day Cameos

    After the incident where the little king of jealousy was whisked away to his grandmother¡¯s house before being fetched back by Lu Chenzhou in the middle of the night, their relationship seemed to improve a little.


    The little king of jealousy was much nicer to Lu Chenzhou afterwards.


    For example, he now often tried to feed his father a handful of rice during dinnertime.


    Once, when Lu Chenzhou came home from work, the little king of jealousy even made tea for his father following Cheng Xi¡¯s instructions.


    ¡°Daddy, for you.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou formally sat down and watched on with a stern expression as the little king of jealousy stumbled over with his short, stubbly legs. When his son drew close, he held out his hand, ready to accept the teacup.


    But before he could properly grasp it, his son tripped over his feet, spilling the hot tea all over his pants.


    The tea¡­¡­ was hot.


    Mr. Lu¡­¡­ was scalded.


    Or, for yet another example, one day, the little king of jealousy finally learned to not fight with his father over Cheng Xi. Before they all went to bed, he pointed at the master bedroom and said, ¡°Daddy, go sleep there.¡± And then he pointed at the guest room, pointed at himself, and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll sleep there.¡±


    Lu Chenzhou instantly felt gratified by his actions, as if he had finally gotten through to his son.


    But after Cheng Xi showered with their son, he stubbornly held onto Cheng Xi as he dragged her towards the guest room while wearing a disposable diaper.


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face was ashen.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The little king of jealousy made a big mistake when he was two-and-a-half years old.


    In general, he wasn¡¯t punished for most of his mistakes. Whenever he accidentally dropped a plate, destroyed something, or peed in bed, there was always someone to clean up after him.


    And if it wasn¡¯t especially serious, then Cheng Xi would just turn a blind eye to it.


    Lu Chenzhou cared about his son¡¯s mistakes even less than she did. That¡¯s right¡ªhe wasn¡¯t patient enough to wait for his son to make a serious enough mistake to warrant a beating from Cheng Xi. Thus, he simply didn¡¯t bother with his son¡¯s mistakes.


    But on that day, the little king¡¯s mistake was very serious. It was during the weekend, and both Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou were at home. The weather was very good that day, and Cheng Xi had gotten up bright and early in the morning to start a big spring cleaning project with the housekeeper, and they spent the majority of the day washing and drying everything.


    After Cheng Xi finished cleaning her items, she even went on to help Chen Jiaman with hers.


    While Cheng Xi was helping Chen Jiaman, the little king of jealousy ran over from behind.


    Cheng Xi and Chen Jiaman were both preoccupied, so they didn¡¯t pay him any attention. He wobbled past them into Chen Jiaman¡¯s drawing room and then climbed over stacks of books and chairs until he finally reached the top of the desk, where he saw colorful and pretty drawings scattered everywhere.


    In a stroke of genius, the little king of jealousy grabbed a nearby pen and started tracing over the drawings, learning to draw himself.


    When Cheng Xi and Chen Jiaman finally found him, he had ruined all of the drawings that Chen Jiaman had spent a whole week working on to submit to a contest.


    When she flipped through her manuscript, every page had his doodles scrawled all over them.


    Cheng Xi was so angry that she immediately grabbed him, flipped him over, and then heavily smacked him on his butt a few times.


    That was the first time that Cheng Xi had truly gotten mad at him, and she was so furious that she even scared Chen Jiaman, who wanted to protect her little brother but didn¡¯t dare to do so. The little king was in pain and scared as he burst into pitiful tears .


    When Cheng Xi was finished with her beating, and before anyone could speak up for her son, she forced him to stand up straight. ¡°Since I didn¡¯t tell you that you can¡¯t come in here and draw wherever you want, I¡¯ll punish myself along with you. Your punishment is to stand still, right here, for ten minutes. And I¡¯ll stand here for an hour.¡±


    Cheng Xi then followed through with her punishment, forbidding him from speaking, moving, or even crying.


    She herself also stood there for an hour, facing the wall and ignoring her son no matter how he tugged at her or pleaded with her.


    He was so scared by the event that he was docile for the rest of the day; he didn¡¯t pick at his food during dinner, ate all of the vegetables on his plate, and drank all of the chicken soup in his bowl.


    When Cheng Xi went to wash up for bed, Lu Chenzhou and the little king were sitting in the living room. One was calmly reading and the other playing with his blocks.


    As the little king played, he climbed in front of Lu Chenzhou. ¡°Daddy, is Mommy still mad?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why you should obediently sleep by yourself at night.¡±


    The little king didn¡¯t understand how his mother being angry and him sleeping by himself was connected. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because when your mother gets mad, she¡¯ll become a large bug.¡± Lu Chenzhou then took out his phone, searched up a grotesque image of an insect, and showed it to his son. ¡°This sort of bug.¡±


    The little king was greatly frightened.


    And Lu Chenzhou was quite pleased with himself.


    When Cheng Xi finished her shower, the little king pointed at Lu Chenzhou, clapped his hands, and crisply said, ¡°Mommy, mommy, mommy. Daddy said that you were a big female bug.¡±


    Cheng Xi had been drying her hair, but when she heard her son¡¯s words, she froze as she looked towards Lu Chenzhou. ¡°?¡±


    Lu Chenzhou¡¯s face darkened.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The day before the little king¡¯s third birthday, a major event occurred in the Lu household: Cheng Xi was pregnant again!


    This pregnancy was even more unexpected than the last one, especially because neither Cheng Xi nor Lu Chenzhou wanted another child. Honestly, after having their little king, both Lu Chenzhou and Cheng Xi had become more conscientious about their pregnancy prevention measures. In fact, the culprit behind their pregnancy was actually the little king himself.


    He had managed to find the condoms that the two of them used and then secretly poked a hole in all of them.


    How did this happen? One day, he found one of those old-fashioned awls while playing outside. He brought it home with him and then poked everything he could get his hands on. While he was having a good time poking the condoms, Cheng Xi¡¯s mother caught him. Since she doted heavily on her grandchild, her embarrassment at seeing him holding condoms was completely overcome by her fear at seeing her grandson playing with a sharp object. After she successfully coaxed the awl from his grip, she hurriedly stuffed the condoms back into their original packaging, and completely forgot about them.


    And when Cheng Xi and Lu Chenzhou used them durinig sex, they didn¡¯t notice that something had happened to the condoms. And then¡­¡­ they got lucky.


    Cheng Xi¡¯s reaction to this pregnancy was much more severe, not just because of her more advanced age, but also because she was having twins this time.


    The Cheng family actually had a history of having twins; Cheng Xi and Cheng Yang were twins themselves. When Cheng Xi had first had the little king, many people were secretly regretful that he wasn¡¯t a pair of twins instead.


    And now, she was going to fulfill their wishes, but the timing wasn¡¯t right. Neither of the two wanted any more children, and she was also getting quite old! The little king was bad enough, but for two more to pop out¡­¡­ Even if they were both daughters, Lu Chenzhou had a feeling that he might not be able to handle it.


    Because Cheng Xi was truly suffering greatly throughout the whole ordeal.


    She had all sorts of reactions right after they learned about the pregnancy. When she had been pregnant with the little king, she had only suffered during the early and late stages. But for the twins, she started vomiting as soon as she smelled something that was even a little off.


    Cheng Xi almost vomited as often as she ate, and her stomach was like a persimmon, expelling everything that entered in. But she also had to force herself to eat, as she was eating for two additional little bodies. If she didn¡¯t take in enough nutrition, then it would be very dangerous both for her babies and for her.


    So, for quite some time, Cheng Xi¡¯s days revolved around eating and then vomiting, or vomiting and then eating. Her throat was damaged by her stomach acid from her frequent vomiting, so she even spat out mouthfuls of blood from time to time.


    She was in very bad shape.


    But just as the nausea abated, the swelling began. During the later stage of her pregnancy, Cheng Xi essentially couldn¡¯t move, as her feet were excessively engorged. Lu Chenzhou didn¡¯t even have the presence of mind to worry about the gender of the twins. Every day, he would hug her and beg, ¡°Let¡¯s give up on these children, alright?¡±


    And every time, Cheng Xi would adamantly reply, ¡°No way!¡± She was already this far into her pregnancy, and if some distress on her part meant that their children would grow up healthy and strong, then she had no reason to give up on them. She didn¡¯t want Lu Chenzhou to have negative feelings towards their yet to be born children, so no matter how much pain she was in, she always did her best to look relaxed and smiling.


    Even the little king didn¡¯t dare to mess around as much as usual, and he no longer bothered Cheng Xi constantly. When he really couldn¡¯t bear to be away from her, all he would do was hold her hand and call out, ¡°Mommy, shall I tell you a story?¡±


    He was only three, and he couldn¡¯t pronounce a lot of characters. However, he had a very good memory. Cheng Xi only needed to read a story to him twice for him to have memorized it enough to parrot her words back.


    In the end, Cheng Xi couldn¡¯t last the whole nine months. She kept them in her body for 36 weeks, and then she had to get a Caesarean section.


    Two beautiful daughters entered the family.


    Although Cheng Xi had given birth to them a bit early, they were as healthy as could be.


    Both of them were the spitting image of Cheng Xi: each with a pair of bright eyes, a smile that was as warm and gentle as the spring wind, and two particularly cute dimples that appeared whenever they smiled.