20 – Will you love me to the point of madness?
On the other side.
Xu Mu personally accompanied Xu You Yi to the set.
Today, Xu You Yi had a bit of a cold and went to the hospital for an IV drip. This child was unwilling to trouble others, insisting on coming to the set to film even while feeling unwell, saying she didn’t want to hold anyone up.
Xu Mu’s heart ached, but she had no choice but to agree.
Thinking that Xu Ni and Xu You Yi were in the same crew, as sisters, Xu Ni would surely look after Xu You Yi to some extent.
Xu Ni wasn’t an unreasonable person; she naturally understood how difficult it had been for Xu Mu to wait for Xu You Yi all these years and wouldn’t make things hard for Xu You Yi.
Moreover.
Last time Xu Ni left home, she never called Xu Mu again. Today, Xu Mu also came to see her.
After parking the car.
Xu You Yi and Xu Mu entered together.
The further they walked inside, the quieter it became.
Finally, looking at the empty set, Xu Mu froze. “Where… is everyone?”
Xu You Yi was fuming inside—Xu Ni had actually wrapped up filming!
She had originally wanted to bring her mother over to show Xu Ni how close they were as mother and daughter!
Thinking of this.
Xu You Yi said self-deprecatingly, “Ni Ni might be feeling upset. I told her I’d definitely come today, but I never expected…”
Xu Mu’s face turned pale with anger. “She’s trying to put you in your place!”
She didn’t understand.
How could Xu Ni do this!
Knowing full well that Xu You Yi wasn’t feeling well, yet wrapping up filming without notifying her—wasn’t that just playing with people?!
Xu You Yi shook her head with a bitter smile. “Maybe not. I didn’t make it clear to her that I’d come today. Mom, don’t be angry with her. She’s been living my life in our family all these years, and now that I’m back, it’s only natural for her to feel unbalanced. I understand completely.”
Xu Mu’s chest heaved. “That life was originally yours! I never said I wouldn’t treat her as a daughter just because you’re back! This child is so disappointing!”
Xu You Yi said gloomily, “Maybe… she’ll change in the future.”
Xu Mu turned and walked outside.
Xu You Yi followed, casually saying, “On the day Ni Ni left, Mom, you weren’t feeling well and went upstairs to rest. Uncle actually…”
Xu Mu stopped. “What about your uncle?”
Xu You Yi sighed. “Uncle’s car was smashed. The car you bought for him, worth over three million—it was probably Ni Ni who smashed it. She must have been so angry she lost control…”
“How audacious!” Xu Mu trembled with rage. “We spoiled her too much in the past!”
She never expected Xu Ni to become such a jealous and unforgiving child!
Xu Mu took a deep breath. “I’ll call her.”
Xu You Yi’s eyes darkened slightly as she softly agreed.
Even after sitting on the bed.
Xu Ni felt her toes were working overtime, gripping her slippers tightly.
Fu Guidu looked around her small apartment. The windows were closed, making it exceptionally quiet.
Xu Ni had a feeling—like she had jumped into the wolf’s den.
She blinked. “I haven’t cleaned up much; it’s a bit messy. Hope you don’t mind?”
Fu Guidu finally looked at her, towering over her. “I don’t mind.”
Xu Ni stood up. “Then let me get you a bottle of water.”
But as soon as she stood, pain shot from the top of her foot to her calf, straight to her brain.
She hissed, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.
Her whole body swayed unsteadily.
Fu Guidu swiftly grabbed her arm, his grip firm and secure. His palm was warm, the veins on the back of his hand prominent and full of raw, masculine tension. Xu Ni trembled slightly from the heat. He glanced up, scanning her expression as if with a touch of compassion, and said, “Sit down.”
Xu Ni felt as if she had been bewitched.
She obediently sat down without another word.
Fu Guidu retrieved the first-aid kit from the bed and knelt before her.
“Your foot.”
Xu Ni: “Huh?”
Fu Guidu didn’t seem to mind her genuine, somewhat dazed reaction. He simply took hold of her slender ankle, her foot appearing especially delicate in his grasp—like a devout monk bowing to kiss his deity.
It was a moment charged with heart-pounding tension and unspoken intimacy.
Xu Ni was instantly flustered.
She couldn’t quite identify the emotion stirring within her.
Fu Guidu held her ankle, examining the wound on the top of her foot.
After a moment, he spoke slowly, “The cut isn’t deep. It should stop hurting in a few days, but be careful not to get it wet.”
As he spoke, he rested her foot on his thigh.
Rolling up his shirt sleeves, he opened a fresh dressing and began tending to her wound with the calm demeanor of a physician, unfazed even by life and death.
Suddenly, Xu Ni found herself wondering:
Why?
A man like Fu Guidu—what right did she have to make him love her madly, to live and die for her?
She was simply too clear-headed.
Too aware of how harsh reality could be.
Those standing at a certain height might only see others of their own stature, or perhaps cast a pitying glance downward. So, what about Fu Guidu? What went through his mind when facing a woman like her? Did he find her uninteresting? Was he indifferent, seeing through all her tricks? Or was he simply accustomed to it all?
Given his status, judging by the obsequious attitudes of those at the dinner last time,
she understood perfectly well that Fu Guidu was someone far beyond her reach.
Yet now, this untouchable figure was cradling her foot. His world was desolate and pragmatic—if he had nothing to gain, he wouldn’t spare her a glance, no matter how beautiful she was.
In his eyes,
she was merely one flower among countless others.
Xu Ni pursed her lips and abruptly broke the silence. “You like me, don’t you?”
Otherwise, she would never have had the chance to even brush against the hem of his clothing.
And this kind of liking was nothing more than superficial attraction.
What did she possess?
Beauty.
A beauty that surpassed all other women.
She had always known where her worth lay.
Upon hearing her words, Fu Guidu showed no change in expression, calmly finishing with the bandage.
Only then did he look up. “If I were to like you, could you bear it?”
There was no trace of scorn or doubt in his tone,
only a matter-of-fact inquiry.
As if, once she stepped into his world, she would be met with everything unfamiliar and overwhelming.
He seemed to be warning her calmly.
Xu Ni was puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Fu Guidu’s indifferent yet profound phoenix eyes fixed on her. His long lashes cast layered shadows, dense and impenetrable. “It means that everything about you would become my possession. Alive or dead, you could never erase it.”
An inexplicable shiver ran through Xu Ni.
She didn’t understand this feeling either.
What finally shattered the thick tension
was the urgent ringing of her phone.
Xu Ni answered half-awake, only to hear Xu Mu’s sharp accusation: “Xu Ni, what have you done today! Youyou has always considered your feelings—why can’t you tolerate her? She is my real daughter!”
Hearing this,
Xu Ni felt as if doused with cold water.
A chill swept through her, leaving her trembling.
For over twenty years, she had called Xu Mu “Mom,” yet she was an impostor—always surviving on scraps others had discarded.
Xu Ni looked at Fu Guidu.
The two were so close.
How could he not hear?
Her most wretched side was now known to him.
She had never been loved by anyone—how could she ever become someone’s one and only?
Xu Ni hung up the phone and asked thoughtfully:
“If we were together, would there ever come a day when you’d love me to the point of madness?”