It was their wedding night.
They had only gotten halfway through when Qiao Shuran developed a fever.
The ambiguous, intimate sounds in the wedding room had just begun before they were forced to stop.
The man did not continue. He wrapped himself in a robe, got out of bed, and picked up his phone to contact the family doctor.
His tall, upright figure was half-hidden in the dim, shifting light. Qiao Shuran could not see his expression clearly.
But she did not need to—she already knew it could not be good.
After all, before their marriage, rumors had been spreading wildly outside, saying that he was not only a ruthless capitalist in the shopping mall world, one who devoured others without leaving a trace—
—but that in private, when dealing with his father’s many affairs, he was even more cold-blooded and merciless.
Otherwise, he would not have been able to bypass so many elders and seize control of the company at just thirty years old.
Her aunt would not have been so terrified that she ran away before the wedding, leaving this “bargain” for her to pick up…
Lying on the bed, Qiao Shuran grew more frightened the more she thought about it.
Offending him on their wedding night—would she still have good days ahead?
She had married him with the intention of using him as a stepping stone to climb higher and higher. How had things gone so wrong?
And just now, when she had touched his firm, powerful muscles, she had clearly felt a bit tempted too…
It was all this body’s fault for being so useless!
Annoyed, she turned over and soon drifted into a hazy sleep.
Half an hour later, the villa’s doorbell rang.
Housemaid Aunt Lin opened the door and, upon seeing Doctor Xu standing outside with a medical kit, nearly dropped her jaw.
She knew her master had a bad temper and a difficult personality.
But there was no need to injure someone on the wedding night, was there…
Such a fair, soft, delicate young woman—and he could still be so ruthless!
Aunt Lin pressed a hand to her chest and hurried back to her room to call the old madam.
She had served the Zhou family for many years. When she had been assigned to attend to the wedding room, the old madam had specifically instructed her—
Her grandson was no good, yet somehow the luckiest of all, marrying a girl eight years younger than him.
She had been told to protect the girl well, no matter what, and make sure nothing went wrong.
All night long, she had been cautious upon cautious, careful upon careful, afraid that the two strangers might argue before going to bed.
And now, after finally getting them into the room and leaving only that last step—
this had happened.
Sigh…
Aunt Lin let out a long sigh.
Trying to plug one leak only for another to spring—there was simply no way to manage everything.
In the spacious second-floor bedroom, Doctor Xu briefly asked about the symptoms, then opened his medical kit and took Qiao Shuran’s temperature.
39.2°C. A high fever.
He put down the ear thermometer and looked toward the person sitting on the sofa at the foot of the bed.
“Mister, an injection would reduce the fever faster.”
“Do as you see fit.”
Zhou Yannan was dressed in a black robe, sitting on the sofa with his long legs crossed. His posture was elegant and composed, the contours of his muscles faintly visible.
With his approval, Doctor Xu turned and called his assistant downstairs. “Xiao Ya, come up.”
Half a minute later, accompanied by soft footsteps, a young female medical assistant pushed the door open and entered.
Blushing, she gave a slight bow toward the man on the sofa. “Mister Zhou.”
“Mm.” The man tilted his chin slightly. “She’s on the bed. Go ahead.”
“Yes.”
Xiao Ya raised her head, and when her eyes met his cold gaze, her face reddened even more.
It was her first time seeing her boss up close. Setting aside his methods, his face was truly flawless.
His bone structure was excellent, his brows and eyes sharp and cold. Even a casual glance carried an overwhelming sense of pressure that made people shiver.
She did not dare look longer. Taking the syringe from her teacher, she walked toward the bed.
The person on the bed seemed to be unclothed. As she turned, the thin blanket slipped slightly, barely covering anything below her chest.
The exposed skin was porcelain-white, smooth and delicate.
And her face—even though she was uncomfortable with fever, her brows slightly furrowed—it was clear she was a rare beauty.
“Madam, it’s time for your injection.”
Xiao Ya noticed her teacher stepping out and closing the door, and only then did she wake the person on the bed, signaling for her to lift the blanket.
Qiao Shuran woke from her daze and immediately saw the needle in Xiao Ya’s hand.
“An injection?”
She instinctively shrank back.
“Yes,” Xiao Ya replied respectfully. “The medicine has already been prepared.”
“Can’t I just take medicine instead?”
She had been born prematurely and had been in poor health since childhood. She had received so many injections that she had lost count.
Now, just seeing a needle filled her with instinctive fear.
Xiao Ya hesitated and glanced toward the foot of the bed. “This… is Mister’s decision.”
“I don’t want it.”
Qiao Shuran did not bother fearing him at that moment. She refused directly. “I don’t want an injection. Please just prescribe me some medicine.”
“Uh…” Xiao Ya looked again toward the sofa.
Zhou Yannan did not move. His thin lips parted slightly. “Her body—she decides.”
“Yes.”
Xiao Ya finally let out a breath of relief. “Then I’ll ask Doctor Xu to come up and prescribe you some fever medicine.”
She set down the syringe and took out her phone. At the same time, Zhou Yannan’s phone rang.
The man stood up, grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the table, and walked out unhurriedly.
The early autumn night sky was veiled with a thin mist. Cool air filled the open balcony.
Zhou Yannan held a cigarette between the fingers of his left hand while his right hand casually scrolled through his phone.
“Grandmother…”
“You brat! Don’t you know how to be gentle with a woman? You’re so strong—control yourself! On such a joyous day, you made her see a doctor. What kind of behavior is that!”
The moment the call connected, the old madam’s powerful voice burst through the phone, making his head ache.
He was not a machine. Being forced to stop halfway had left him just as uncomfortable.
Why should he be blamed for it?
Pressing his temple with the hand holding the cigarette, Zhou Yannan suppressed his irritation. “She has a fever. I didn’t even—”
“That’s because you scared her!”
The old madam did not listen at all. “Do you think I don’t know you? You walk around with that cold face all day—ghosts would run if they saw you!”
“…”
“But you have to remember, Shuran is your wife. When it’s just the two of you, at least coax her a little. Be gentler.”
Coax her?
Zhou Yannan smiled faintly and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
In his dictionary, the word “coax” did not exist.
Besides, she was merely a wife from a business marriage.
Being able to show “respect” was already the greatest concession he could make.
“Alright, Grandmother. I understand.”
He flicked the ash off his cigarette and replied casually, “It’s nothing serious. Don’t worry.”
After hanging up, he extinguished the cigarette and walked back inside.
On the messy bed, a slender figure sat alone.
Her black hair fell loosely, making her small face look even paler.
The female medical assistant stood beside her, holding a cup of warm water, helping her take her medicine.
The man’s gaze swept over unintentionally. He saw one of her hands clutching the blanket tightly against her chest, while the other hand pinched pills one by one and placed them into her mouth.
As she swallowed, her brows would furrow slightly, making anyone watching feel anxious.
So delicate.
Zhou Yannan did not linger. He walked straight to the sofa and sat down, lowering his head to fiddle with his phone.
Note:
[Character Setup]
First marriage, then love. Feelings grow over time.
Female lead: 22 years old, a pure yet alluring “little fox” type—fair skin, beautiful, long legs, dimples and a defined waist.
Male lead: 30 years old, handsome, ruthless, 190 cm tall, with well-defined chest and abs.
In short: handsome man, beautiful woman—a sweet, indulgent romance. Enjoy with confidence.