Fu Sijue ultimately couldn’t remain as cold-hearted as ice. Though he couldn’t understand what mischief Gu Ran was trying to stir up again, he still indulged her, even reaching out to steady her.
It was this very gesture that made Gu Ran feel as if she had grabbed onto her last lifeline. She tightly grasped Fu Sijue’s hand, then wrapped herself entirely around him, holding him close as she wept silently.
Fu Sijue froze completely. Since bringing Gu Ran back to Tan Palace, when had they ever been this intimate?
No, there had been moments—but only when Gu Ran was asleep, when Fu Sijue dared to approach her. Yet each time, he was so careful, afraid this woman would find out.
But now, Fu Sijue looked at the woman so close to him, her fluffy little head pressed against his chest.
He had rushed over in such a hurry that he was only wearing thin loungewear. Her tears had already soaked through the fabric, and he could feel the scalding heat of Gu Ran’s weeping.
Fu Sijue felt his heart skip a beat, and he didn’t dare move.
He feared that Gu Ran’s current behavior was merely a hallucination from her high fever. Perhaps, in her eyes at this moment, she mistook him for Han Muze.
Gu Ran held Fu Sijue tightly, feeling the rhythm of his heartbeat.
But why wasn’t this man holding her back? The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. She lifted her head and gazed at the somewhat stunned Fu Sijue.
The moment their eyes met, she caught a flicker of panic in his gaze. What was he afraid of?
“Gu Ran, do you know what you’re doing? I’m not Han Muze. You’re holding the wrong person,” Fu Sijue said with a hint of anger, though his words felt like self-inflicted wounds.
Gu Ran’s barely controlled tears burst forth once more. How deeply had she hurt this man to make him so insecure?
Staring into his eyes, which seemed to be losing their light, Gu Ran pressed her soft lips, still salty with tears, against his thin ones in the very next second.
Perhaps because he had just come in from outside, Fu Sijue’s lips carried a slight chill. Gu Ran paid no mind, clumsily and gently tracing his lips with hers—as if in compensation, or perhaps in repentance.
Fu Sijue was utterly flustered. This was the kiss he had dreamed of, yet when it finally happened, he felt only fear.
What was wrong with Gu Ran?
This woman, who had always treated him like dirt—not to mention such intimate contact, even sharing the same space with him would draw her disdain.
Fu Sijue wanted to push her away. He was afraid Gu Ran would be angry when she came to her senses, even though she had initiated the kiss.
But his hand, suspended in mid-air, couldn’t bring itself to push away the delicate, soft woman in his arms.
Fu Sijue tried to hypnotize himself: even if this was the last indulgence, let it be his final obsession before letting her go.
Yet reason told him he couldn’t take advantage of her like this. The girl he cherished didn’t deserve to be tainted by him.
Fu Sijue pushed Gu Ran away, intending to wake her with his words.
“Ran Ran… you… mmm…”
As soon as his voice emerged, Gu Ran silenced him again, only this time with more force.
She bit his lip, as if venting her frustration at being pushed away. Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, holding him closer and closer.
Gu Ran’s movements were somewhat rough, and Fu Sijue felt a sharp pain on his lips.
The pungent scent of blood filled the space between their lips and teeth, like a nerve-stimulating stimulant, gradually shattering Fu Sijue’s rationality.
Just then, the door was pushed open, and Li Junnan hurriedly rushed in.
“Fu Sijue, what is this woman causing trouble for again—”
His words abruptly cut off as Li Junnan, holding a medical kit, froze in the doorway, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
The moment the door opened, Fu Sijue regained his composure, but Gu Ran was holding him too tightly for him to break free immediately.
Fu Sijue’s mind was in turmoil; he didn’t know what new trouble this woman intended to stir up.
Looking at the tear-streaked girl, Fu Sijue hardened his heart and stood up from the bedside. He tried to pull his hand back, but meeting her clear yet intensely fervent gaze, he ultimately just shifted slightly to the side, allowing her to continue clutching his sleeve.
“Come in and check her. She seems somewhat disoriented.”
Recalling what had just transpired between them, Fu Sijue spoke in a light tone.
Only after receiving Fu Sijue’s permission did Li Junnan enter the room with the medical kit.
Li Junnan’s gaze fell upon the woman lying on the bed. Noticing her tear-stained face and the unwavering way her eyes remained fixed on Fu Sijue, he frowned slightly, a flicker of doubt arising in his heart.
Was it his imagination? Why did Gu Ran before him seem like a completely different person?
Three days ago, her eyes when looking at Fu Sijue had been cold and indifferent, even carrying a trace of hatred.
But now, why did he get the feeling of a love that spanned millennia, her eyes filled with deep affection and tender attachment?
Li Junnan’s sword-like brows furrowed slightly as he subtly approached the bedside. He first glanced at the back of the girl’s hand, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.
“Why was the IV removed? Never mind, let’s take her temperature first. If the fever has broken, she should be fine.”
As he spoke, Li Junnan took out a thermometer and was about to approach when his hand paused the next second. He glanced at Fu Sijue beside him and handed the thermometer to him.
“You help her take it. It needs to be placed under the arm.”
At these words, Fu Sijue stiffened, a barely perceptible panic flickering in his eyes. For a moment, his hand remained frozen, not daring to take it.
Seeing this, Li Junnan’s frown deepened. As the stalemate continued, he sighed softly.
“Maybe we should have Aunt Liu come in and help…”
But before Li Junnan could finish his sentence, a pale, slender hand reached out, snatched the thermometer from his grasp, retracted under the covers, and placed it under her arm.
Both Li Junnan and Fu Sijue were stunned; they had never seen Gu Ran cooperate so willingly with treatment.
Three days ago, when she first developed a fever, she had thrown the thermometer away, and later, during the IV drip, she had pulled out the needle multiple times.
For the past few days, someone had been watching over Gu Ran around the clock, precisely because they feared she would start causing trouble the moment she woke up.
Just as the two men were taken aback, Gu Ran tugged lightly on Fu Sijue’s sleeve. She had already calmed down from her earlier emotional turmoil.
Gu Ran had so much she wanted to say to Fu Sijue, but despite several attempts, she hadn’t succeeded. Feeling a faint pain in her throat, she realized her illness had affected it.
Sensing Gu Ran’s gentle tug, Fu Sijue looked down at the girl on the bed.
When Gu Ran saw the cautious, nervous, and worried emotions in Fu Sijue’s eyes, her vision blurred once more, and a clear tear rolled down from the corner of her eye.
This time, she did not cry as desperately as before, only sobbing silently.
Gu Ran was born with a stunning beauty that was enchanting yet not overly seductive. Due to her illness, her face was tinged with a pitiable pallor.
A glistening teardrop still clung to her thick lashes, and the tear stains at the corners of her eyes had not yet dried. Her entire being appeared delicate and vulnerable, evoking a deep sense of compassion in anyone who saw her.