7 – Probing Each Other
As a child, I often fell ill and had to get injections, so my hands were swollen for a while. It left a psychological scar, and today I’ve already been pricked all morning. My hand hurts too much, and I don’t want another needle.
The doctor had no objections: “That’s fine.”
He then called a nurse over.
Seeing the cold, gleaming needle, Xu Ni tensed up and instinctively grabbed something.
Her fingertips caught the fabric of the man’s black trousers.
Fu Guidu lowered his gaze.
From behind the curtain, the woman’s hand reached out like a small, helpless creature, delicate and fragile.
The nurse was about to step forward.
He spoke calmly, “I’ll do it.”
“…”
“…”
The surroundings seemed to fall silent for a moment.
The atmosphere grew peculiar.
A subtle ripple stirred in Xu Ni’s eyes.
As a hunter, she naturally knew how a woman should act to stir a man’s protective instincts. She never made meaningless gestures.
She watched as he squeezed disinfectant hand sanitizer, washed his hands, walked to the bedside, took the equipment from the nurse, leaned over slightly, and glanced at her sideways. “Relax.”
Xu Ni’s heart tightened.
Strangely, those words made her even more nervous.
As if they carried some other meaning.
His cool hand wrapped around her foot, enveloping it completely. Her skin felt as if it had been set ablaze, tingling and burning.
Xu Ni suddenly felt breathless, as if the air in her chest was slowly being squeezed out. Though his touch was as light as a feather and he made no unnecessary movements, it sent shivers through her.
His dark, long eyelashes were lowered.
His indifferent eyes gazed at her foot, seemingly calm and unruffled.
In the end.
The needle slid into her vein, and she felt nothing at all.
So, getting an IV didn’t have to be that painful.
From start to finish, Fu Guidu remained composed and aloof. He released her foot, his thumb inadvertently brushing against the vein on her ankle. Then, he disinfected his hands again.
Clearly, it was the meticulous habit of a doctor.
Xu Ni’s mind was filled with countless thoughts.
Just like at the resort, he could stand by and watch her act recklessly, detached from worldly desires. He could also engage with her indifferently, only to abruptly cut off any tenderness in an instant. On the surface, he appeared as serene as a monk, but beneath it lay a cold, almost maddening indifference.
And now.
He could bring her to the hospital as if nothing had happened.
It seemed he had another side—a deadly allure that could drive people to extremes, both tempting and dangerous.
What kind of man was he, really?
“Rest well.” Fu Guidu turned around, his tone unchanged, as detached as a monk. Yet beneath that coolness, there seemed to be a thread that tugged at one’s emotions.
With that, he turned and left.
Xu Ni had no chance to react further.
When the nurse came over to adjust the IV drip speed,
Xu Ni asked, “What’s your vice president like in daily life?”
The nurse looked as if she’d heard something shocking.
She instinctively glanced around. “You and our vice president… aren’t in that kind of relationship?”
Xu Ni raised an eyebrow.
Not yet.
But soon.
The nurse was young and couldn’t hold back. “I don’t know much about our vice president, but there are plenty of rumors. He’s a top figure in the medical field, especially in neurosurgery—no one in the country has achieved more than him. He’s also a young master of the Fu family, though it’s unclear which branch he belongs to. The hospital keeps things very confidential.”
Xu Ni: “What about his romantic life?”
The nurse said, “The deputy director just returned to the country, so he’s not very familiar with things, but who can’t tell that the deputy director is an untouchable deity? The gap between a deity and a human is huge. Generally, who would dare to fantasize? We know the difference between ideals and delusions.”
A man like that.
They didn’t even dare to imagine what he would be like in the throes of passion.
Xu Ni smiled faintly.
She didn’t respond.
But in her heart, she calmly said: I dare.
She stayed at the hospital for an IV drip until the early hours of the morning.
Xu Ni still went back to the studio to review the footage.
She didn’t want to return to the Xu family for now.
As an outsider, she should have some self-awareness and not disturb their harmonious family reunion.
Unexpectedly.
Zhao Yang had also returned.
And he spoke in a commanding tone: “The female lead has already been finalized. The contract will be signed tomorrow. You can choose the other actors as you see fit.”
Xu Ni didn’t even lift her eyelids.
It seemed another actress had taken a shortcut.
As the director, she hadn’t even met the person before they were finalized.
She didn’t mind the competition for resources in this industry—everyone wants to survive, which is normal. She only cared about acting skills and professionalism. If they weren’t up to par, she wouldn’t hold back, no matter whose little canary they were.
The next day.
Xu Ni pulled an all-nighter.
She thoroughly studied the script.
She had arranged to sign the contract with the actress who had pulled strings at ten in the morning.
Zhao Yang wouldn’t let her leave, so Xu Ni could only wait, dozing off occasionally.
But forget ten o’clock.
By eleven-thirty, there was still no sign of anyone.
Xu Ni stood up and walked out without a word.
Zhao Yang cursed angrily: “Xu Ni! Where are you going?! Come back!”
Xu Ni didn’t look back: “If you love being a servant, keep at it.”
She left Zhao Yang fuming, his face twisted in anger.
After leaving the company.
Xu Ni was at her limit and just wanted to find a bed.
But before she could get in the car.
She heard the screech of brakes.
She looked over.
Fu Qibai had already hurried over, his expression grim.
He grabbed her arm: “We need to talk.”
Xu Ni held back her temper: “What’s there to talk about after a breakup?”
Fu Qibai gritted his teeth: “I never said we were breaking up!”
He had been forced to kneel all night and was only released at noon. His legs were still aching, but he had come to find Xu Ni immediately.
Xu Ni laughed: “When you were with another woman, did you feel particularly proud? Did you think all women would sacrifice everything for you, care about nothing, and remain devoted to you?”
Fu Qibai took a deep breath: “Xu Ni, I love you. I never meant to hurt you.”
Listen.
Even at a time like this, he could still play innocent.
Xu Ni was fed up and shook off his hand: “Don’t make me slap you in public. I never go back to old flames, and I find dirty men disgusting.”
Fu Qibai’s eyes turned red: “Then what were you doing that day?”
Xu Ni stopped in her tracks.
Fu Qibai: “Were you getting back at me? Getting involved with some random man, Xu Ni, have you lost your mind?!”
Xu Ni scoffed lightly: “Not happy about it?”
“I’ve already slept with him, aiming for two kids in three years.”
After saying that.
She got into the car.
Ignoring the stunned man.
She was never a good person to begin with, and she couldn’t stand being taken advantage of.
She had felt some hesitation last night.
But now she was even more determined.
She had made a bold claim.
That man, she was determined to have him.
Fu Qibai watched the car drive further and further away.
Filled with rage, he made a call: “Investigate for me! Find out what kind of man Xu Ni has hooked up with. Once you find him, make sure he’s dealt with!”
It wasn’t that he didn’t love Xu Ni.
Few men could resist such a woman.
But he was a man, and all normal men had their desires.
Xu Ni had always been lukewarm toward him, nothing like a lover. At first, he had gotten involved with other women hoping to make Xu Ni care, but she never checked up on his private life. Over time, he became immersed in it—after all, fleeting passions between men and women were just that, fleeting. Adults slept together once, and who remembered who the next time? Wasn’t it all just a game?
But he never expected that once Tao Yan from the Tao family latched onto him, she wouldn’t let go.
At the villa, it was this woman who played with fire. With Xu Ni present, Tao Yan seemed to be deliberately seducing him, and in a moment of carelessness, Xu Ni found out.
Who would have thought Xu Ni could make things even more humiliating for him on the spot?
By getting involved with another man!