4 – Pursuing Men
On the surface, it was a temporary appointment, but in reality, it was a move to build momentum, paving the way for the more sweeping reforms within the Fu family. This was an extremely terrifying reality. The hospital was just the first step. The Fu family, a century-old dynasty, had industries spanning across the country and abroad, involved in countless fields. The siblings of the Fu family had been locked in fierce internal struggles for so many years.
And now, Fu Guidu had just returned to the country and was immediately appointed.
Who wouldn’t be shocked to their core?
Even her husband couldn’t easily go and confront Fu Guidu. Where did she get the courage?
Xu Ni didn’t put on any makeup and drove straight to the hospital.
Yesterday, Fu Qibai had called her.
She had immediately blocked him.
Now he couldn’t find her, and yesterday’s events must have kept that man up all night.
From yesterday onward, Fu Qibai was already a thing of the past.
Their relationship had been nothing more than a pairing of convenience to begin with. They met during their university years, and he had pursued her for three years. Back then, Fu Qibai at least hadn’t been known for any bad behavior, and since he was decent-looking and she had never been in a relationship before, she had agreed to date him out of sheer boredom at the time.
But after they started dating, she realized:
She could never muster any real interest in this man. At most, they would eat out or watch movies together.
Attend various gatherings, putting on a show.
Boring, fake.
For a while, she thought that was all there was to relationships.
Even though there was no real affection, she had never considered being unfaithful.
But in the end, it was this man who gave her a surprise.
When the Xu family fell into turmoil and her situation was about to become awkward, he quickly found someone else who could help advance his prospects within the family.
She may not have had feelings for him, but with a scumbag like this, her vengeful nature certainly wouldn’t let him off easy.
After parking the car.
Xu Ni looked at the sprawling hospital before her.
It was the top private hospital in the country.
A mythical place where even a step into the underworld could be pulled back.
Xu Ni, feeling dazed and lightheaded, followed the elevator from the underground parking garage upstairs. Her steps were unsteady, and she nearly fainted several times.
The hospital was simply too vast.
The elevator seemed to have been slowed down.
Xu Ni curled up alone in the corner as people continuously got on and off the elevator.
She didn’t have the energy to look.
Another ‘ding.’
The sound of leather shoes hitting the floor was crisp.
Three or four people stepped in.
The space suddenly felt crowded.
“Vice Dean, you’ve just returned to the country. The neurosurgery department has requested if you could hold a seminar to guide the doctors and interns there. Do you have time for that?”
Xu Ni didn’t open her eyes.
But she felt the tone of the question was overly subservient.
This was a hospital, not the political arena. Why did it feel like they were addressing some almighty figure with the power of life and death?
But then again, it made sense.
The Vice Dean of Jingsheng Hospital was indeed a big deal.
“Friday afternoon, Room 1307, cerebellopontine angle meningioma resection. I’ll be the lead surgeon. Have them watch the live broadcast outside the operating room.”
Hearing this voice.
Xu Ni’s nerves seemed to twitch instantly, sending ripples through her mind.
Cold, detached, with a tone of indifference.
She abruptly opened her eyes.
And saw the tallest figure standing right in front of her.
The snow-white lab coat draped perfectly over him, hanging with a sense of gravity. On his wrist hung a cold silver watch, reflecting an icy light.
Still carrying that same aloof, untouchable distance.
The detachment of a Buddha untouched by the mortal world.
Xu Ni hadn’t expected to run into him so coincidentally.
Fu Qibai’s cousin was actually the Vice Dean of Jingsheng Hospital?
Then, something else suddenly occurred to her.
Xu Ni instantly turned and huddled in the corner, pulling her clothes up to cover half her face, suppressing the cough in her throat, constantly using saliva to soothe her throat.
Right now, she was sick and pale, looking like a stray dog with no image to speak of.
She couldn’t run into this person.
Her sudden movement immediately caught the attention of the people in front, and even he glanced over slightly, his gaze falling on that curled-up figure.
Xu Ni: “…”
It was that damn look.
She was too sensitive to his gaze.
What are you looking at?
Keep looking and it won’t change the fact that your little brother doesn’t work.
Fortunately, after a few seconds.
The elevator doors opened.
The people in front stepped out of the elevator.
Xu Ni breathed a sigh of relief.
He probably hadn’t realized it was her.
She went to the respiratory department to get an IV drip.
In the meantime, Xu Ni asked Tang Ru to help her find out about Fu Qibai’s cousin’s preferences in their social circle—what type of women he liked, what perfumes he preferred, what tastes he favored, whether he had any particular quirks, and what his daily hobbies were.
To know your enemy and know yourself is the secret to victory.
Even though this man was a madman.
But once the arrow is shot, there’s no turning back.
Xu Ni loved to chew on such tough bones.
Growing up, only her chest and courage were big.
Especially now…
With the Xu family’s sudden changes.
She was about to walk on thin ice.
Isn’t it laughable? She wasn’t even biologically related to the Xu family. Back when the Xu family lost their biological daughter, a Taoist priest suggested they adopt a girl of similar age to accumulate merit, which would help them find their own daughter. But the Xu family had always been resentful, holding onto their anger, and treated her with indifference—just providing food and shelter to keep her alive. Especially her so-called grandmother, who was extremely harsh. Yet they raised her like this for twenty-two years.
A month ago, news about the Xu family’s biological daughter surfaced.
They were busy preparing to bring her home recently, and her own fate was obvious—either abandoned by the Xu family or pushed to the margins, living a pitiful life from then on.
No wonder Fu Qibai immediately switched sides, because he wouldn’t be able to gain much benefit from her in the future. Business marriages among wealthy families were of utmost importance, and since she wasn’t favored, there was naturally no profit to be had.
She had no choice but to carefully consider her future.
The Fu family was a good option, but it was no longer Fu Qibai.
In the adult world, reality was everything, and no one could escape it.
Xu Ni watched the nearly empty IV bottle as she listened to Tang Ru’s WeChat voice message: “Fu Qibai’s cousin? I think I’ve heard of him, but he’s quite a player in private, especially in the North American circles—a notorious playboy.”
Xu Ni: “…That wild?”
How come it didn’t seem that way?
He clearly looked like someone unattainable.
Was this the same person?
Tang Ru: “A model friend of mine said he likes the innocent, delicate type—you know, the white, young, and slender kind. He likes Chinese, Japanese, and Thai cuisine. As for hobbies, golf, horseback riding, and watching shows—like that famous lingerie show. Rich people’s hobbies are pretty much all the same.”
Xu Ni: “…”
Her mind was racing.
Something felt off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Tang Ru: “Players like him are hard to tie down. Being a scumbag is ingrained in their bones—it’s a flaw they can’t change. Boss Ni, you better think this through.”
Rich kids, especially those from families like the Fu family at the top of the pyramid.
They’ve been rolling in decadent and promiscuous scenes since childhood.
If Fu Qibai was like this, how much better could his cousin be?
Xu Ni called the nurse over to remove the IV needle.
She then replied to Tang Ru, “Life is never a hundred percent perfect. As long as I know what I want, that’s enough. Whether he’s a scumbag or not is his business. Whether I can tie down his wandering heart is my skill. Besides, what I want isn’t someone to love me forever—that’s a fairy tale.”
“What I want is the sixpence that’s essential for living in this world.”
Fairy tales are just fairy tales.
Clichés are the gold and jade of eternity.
Only by surviving first can one have the right to talk about spiritual fulfillment.
Fu Qibai had crossed her bottom line, so she would just find another man.
Tang Ru sighed, “You’re still the clear-headed one.”
Xu Ni asked, “So, what other quirks does he have? Or… eccentricities?”