After confirming that Duan Zhuo had stopped talking, An Li carefully withdrew her hand.
Her bright almond-shaped eyes glared at him with slight annoyance.
Could this man have a sense of boundaries?
He might not care about his dignity, but she did.
“Alright, I won’t talk nonsense anymore,” Duan Zhuo said, raising his hand to gently pat her soft hair. “I’ll go get the car. You go wait at the entrance like a good girl, and we’ll go to the hospital together.”
He took a step back, assuming An Li would also compromise.
But the moment he left, An Li frowned.
She would have to be crazy to let him take her to the hospital.
They weren’t even close.
Pretending she hadn’t heard anything, An Li decisively chose to leave through the back door.
Just as she reached the garden path at the back, a bright blue sports car suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking her path.
The window slowly rolled down.
Duan Zhuo’s handsome face came into view. His narrow peach-blossom eyes were half-lidded, his smile seductive and wicked.
“I knew you’d take the back door, so I’ve been waiting here.”
Her little tricks couldn’t escape his notice.
She stubbornly turned her face away. “I said I’ll go by myself.”
He faced forward again, his long fingers resting casually on the steering wheel, his tone leaving no room for refusal. “Be good. Get in.”
“No!”
She turned to leave.
Behind her came his insincere, threatening voice.
“If you don’t get in, I’ll grab a loudspeaker and announce that you slept with me last night.”
He paused.
“Six times.”
“Y-you only know how to threaten me?” she snapped, even more irritated.
Duan Zhuo’s lips curled slightly. He didn’t respond, simply reaching back casually. The next second, a loudspeaker appeared in his hand.
He cleared his throat, about to speak—
The car door suddenly opened.
An Li’s small figure quickly slipped into the passenger seat.
Before she even settled, she snatched the loudspeaker from his hand and stared at him in disbelief.
Was something wrong with him?
He actually had a loudspeaker ready.
“That’s more like it,” Duan Zhuo said, patting her head like he was soothing a puppy. “Just as obedient as you were in bed last night.”
“Don’t touch me.” An Li frowned, turning her face away. “I hate you.”
Duan Zhuo, who had always been adored by women, was hearing a girl say she hated him for the first time.
It felt… strangely refreshing.
And oddly satisfying.
“Then who do you like? My brother?” he leaned closer, shamelessly pressing on.
Wasn’t that obvious?
He had intercepted the love letter she wrote to Duan Xingning, and yet he still asked.
Compared to Duan Xingning, Duan Zhuo’s character was far too bad—he was practically a hooligan.
“If you like him, that’s not impossible,” Duan Zhuo said seriously, as if analyzing the situation. “I can help you win my brother over.”
“What?”
“If you like him that much, I can allow him to join us.” He tilted his head, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “But I’ll be the primary partner.”
“…”
An Li felt like she had just heard something absurd.
What was he even saying?
That she should be with both brothers?
Her face flushed red in agitation. “Y-you’re crazy. How could that be possible?”
“Of course it’s impossible. I was just testing you,” Duan Zhuo said, fastening her seatbelt. As he did, he lightly pinched her soft waist and chuckled in a low voice, “I knew baby only wanted me.”
“…”
She only wanted him to stay far away from her.
At the hospital, An Li registered for a female doctor.
While waiting in line, quite a few girls around them kept sneaking glances.
They were all looking at Duan Zhuo.
He was too eye-catching—tall and upright, with features even more refined than male celebrities. When silent, he even carried a faintly cool aura.
If he hadn’t been accompanied, the hallway would probably have been flooded with girls asking for his contact.
When her number was called, An Li quickly entered the consultation room.
Duan Zhuo followed closely behind.
The female doctor glanced at the two of them and typed on her keyboard. “An Li, right? What seems to be the problem?”
“Doctor… I…”
An Li started stuttering again from nervousness.
Duan Zhuo answered for her, “She hurt her knee.”
“Knee? Take off your pants so I can take a look,” the doctor said, putting on gloves and asking the nurse to pull the curtain.
“The patient is being examined. Family members, please step outside,” the nurse added, ushering Duan Zhuo out.
Without him there, An Li relaxed considerably.
Her knee injury wasn’t severe—no bones were damaged—but there was quite a bit of bruising.
“I’ll prescribe some medication to improve blood circulation and reduce swelling. Take it internally and apply it externally for one course, and it should heal,” the doctor said concisely.
“Oh…” An Li lowered her head. “I—I also have another place… that feels uncomfortable.”
“Where else?”
“…Here, on my leg…”
An Li stuttered again, hesitating as she pointed.
The doctor observed her age and the knee injury, roughly guessing the situation. She asked An Li to lie down and examined the inner part of her thigh.
“There’s some redness and swelling here,” the doctor said, looking up. “What caused it?”
“…I—I don’t know…” An Li grew more flustered. “It just happened last night…”
“Is that your boyfriend outside?”
She instinctively denied it. “No.”
“No?” The doctor frowned. “Then who did this?”
“H-he did it… but he’s not my boyfriend…” An Li explained softly.
Not her boyfriend, yet they were already acting like this.
And he didn’t even know how to be gentle—her knees were bruised too.
The doctor shook her head and directly called Duan Zhuo back in, questioning him coldly.
“What is your relationship with her?”
Faced with the abrupt question, Duan Zhuo glanced at the girl with her head lowered and didn’t hide anything. “Her husband.”
That single sentence stunned everyone present.
“What’s wrong, doctor?” Duan Zhuo asked calmly. “Is there something wrong with my wife?”
Since they were apparently a married couple, the doctor didn’t scold further. “Her knee has some bruising, and there’s also some swelling below. You young people… can’t you show a bit of restraint?”
Duan Zhuo glanced at An Li.
Her difficulty walking wasn’t just because of her knee.
“There’s no problem. I’ll prescribe some anti-inflammatory medication for the swelling. Apply it as instructed when you get back,” the doctor said.
“A-apply it?” An Li froze. “H-how do I apply it?”
“Apply it wherever it’s swollen. The instructions are in the box. If it’s inconvenient, you can have your boyfriend help you.”
Only then did An Li understand. The tips of her ears turned red as if they might bleed. “N-no need, I—I can do it myself…”
“What’s there to be shy about? Let your husband help you with something like this,” Duan Zhuo said as he took the prescription from the doctor.
An Li felt her face burning.
Coming to the hospital wasn’t the most embarrassing part.
Bringing Duan Zhuo along was.
“Remember, no sexual activity for a week,” the doctor reminded them kindly at the end.
“Don’t worry, doctor. We’ll strictly follow your instructions,” Duan Zhuo replied sincerely. “Even if my wife wants it, I won’t give it to her.”