The night air was cool, instantly sweeping away any trace of alcohol from everyone’s minds.
“How did she end up here?” Wen Ying asked leisurely, her gaze settling on Fu Tingchuan as she waited to see how he would handle it.
“I don’t know!” Fu Tingchuan quickly explained, afraid she might misunderstand. “I really don’t know why she’s here.”
After what happened at the banquet, he had already fired Lin Shiwei and even paid her a generous compensation package.
Her family background was poor, and her mother was hospitalized, requiring a large amount of medical expenses. Fu Tingchuan had originally planned to give her another sum of money and help her find a new job.
But Lin Shiwei had refused his help and left outright. Since then, he had not seen her again, nor had they been in contact.
He had assumed their paths would never cross again, so who could have expected her to suddenly appear here, and in such a manner?
“Ah, she’s burning up…” Xu Yanxi crouched down and touched Lin Shiwei’s forehead. “She’s got a high fever.”
Hearing that, Fu Tingchuan also knelt and checked her temperature. It was indeed scorching.
Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, the girl on the ground suddenly grabbed it.
Her eyes opened, hazy with moisture, her voice weak and dazed. “Mr. Fu… is that really you?”
Her face was flushed from the fever, and her fragile tone made her seem especially pitiful.
Xu Yanxi blinked. Was she invisible or something? How was it that Lin Shiwei only saw Mr. Fu?
Fu Tingchuan tried to pull his hand back, but the sick girl held on tightly, as if clutching her last lifeline. After struggling twice without success, he had no choice but to give up.
Frowning, he looked at Gu Qingyu. “Qingyu, can you take a look?”
Wen Ying, who had been watching the scene with her arms crossed, shifted her gaze slightly and also looked toward Gu Qingyu.
But Gu Qingyu did not step forward at all. Instead, he calmly adjusted his sleeves and glanced down at the person on the ground, as if observing from above.
Lin Shiwei lifted her eyes briefly, meeting his gaze for a fleeting moment before lowering them again, her grip on Fu Tingchuan’s hand tightening even more.
“I think you’d better send her to the hospital as soon as possible,” Gu Qingyu said gently, though his tone carried an unmistakable indifference, as if he had no concern for her condition.
“Can’t you check on her?” Fu Tingchuan asked.
“You can see for yourself, I’m just here to relax. I don’t even have a thermometer with me.” Gu Qingyu smiled faintly. “It’s best to take her to the hospital. She looks quite seriously ill.”
His gaze flicked toward Wen Ying as if unintentionally, meeting her eyes for a brief second before separating again.
Wen Ying lowered her gaze, recalling the slight curve of his eyes just now, as if it carried some silent message.
“But…” Fu Tingchuan hesitated, glancing at Wen Ying.
He knew she disliked Lin Shiwei and worried she might get angry again.
Wen Ying’s expression revealed nothing. When she noticed him looking at her, she raised a brow. “Why are you looking at me? It has nothing to do with me.”
At that moment, she could only marvel at the power of the plot. Of all times, Lin Shiwei had to faint right in front of Fu Tingchuan.
Both Xu Yanxi and Fu Tingchuan had touched her forehead, yet Lin Shiwei clung only to Fu Tingchuan’s hand.
It was as if the male and female leads had magnets on them, inevitably drawn together no matter the distance.
Fortunately, she was not like in the original storyline, hopelessly in love with Fu Tingchuan, or she would have been furious.
What puzzled her more was that Gu Qingyu seemed to have broken free from the plot as well. Not only did he show no regard for so-called brotherhood, he did not even bother with the female lead in her vulnerable state.
“I…” Fu Tingchuan was still hesitating.
“If you want to go, then go. Don’t act like I’m some villain,” Wen Ying said impatiently, turning and heading back to the hotel. Out of sight, out of mind.
But to Fu Tingchuan, it looked like she was angry because of Lin Shiwei.
Just as he was about to ask Gu Qingyu to help take Lin Shiwei to the hospital, Gu Qingyu had already stepped forward and said calmly with a smile, “I’m a bit tired, I’ll head back to rest. She seems seriously ill, it’s best to get her treated as soon as possible.”
With that said, Fu Tingchuan could not press him further.
He could not just leave a feverish, unconscious patient lying there, especially someone who had once worked for him. In the end, he bent down and carried her in his arms.
Xu Yanxi, having seen enough of the show, followed Gu Qingyu and left.
Wen Ying had just opened her room door and hadn’t even sat down when her phone chimed.
Annoying pest: [Don’t forget to come find me.]
Before she could reply, another message followed immediately.
[Otherwise, I can come find you.]
That was clearly a threat. Gu Qingyu really seemed to enjoy threatening her.
The worst part was that she had no choice but to comply.
Fu Tingchuan had gone to the hospital with Lin Shiwei, and it was unlikely he would return soon. But there was always the chance he might come back midway, and if he found her missing…
After thinking it over, Wen Ying decided to move her luggage to the room next door.
Fortunately, the room hadn’t been checked out yet, and she still had the key card. If Fu Tingchuan returned midway, she could simply say she had moved back to stay alone.
She had not even unpacked, so moving was easy. But just as she pushed her suitcase out, she suddenly ran into Fu Tingchuan returning.
Both of them were surprised.
Wen Ying spoke first. “Why are you back? Weren’t you going to the hospital?”
Fu Tingchuan stepped forward and took her suitcase. “I asked the hotel staff to take her.”
“Why didn’t you go?”
“She has nothing to do with me. Why should I go?”
He was genuinely afraid Wen Ying would give him the cold shoulder again like last time, refusing calls and disappearing for days. The thought of losing her entirely unsettled him.
So in the end, he had asked hotel staff to take Lin Shiwei to the hospital.
It had taken considerable effort to pry her hand off him, as she had been gripping him tightly.
Fortunately, he had returned in time. Otherwise, if Wen Ying had left in anger, he would have had nowhere to regret it.
Dodging her attempt to grab the suitcase, he pushed it back inside and coaxed her gently, “Stop being angry, this was really just an accident.”
Wen Ying walked over and sat on the brown sofa. “I’m not angry.”
“Then what were you doing just now?”
“Moving next door to stay.”
“And you say you’re not angry. We agreed to stay together.”
“I don’t want to stay with you.”
Originally, agreeing to stay with Fu Tingchuan had been a momentary lapse in judgment. She did not regret it, but now Gu Qingyu was waiting for her. If she did not go, who knew what he might do.
Yet in Fu Tingchuan’s eyes, she was simply being willful.
“Still saying you’re not angry,” he said as he moved closer and leaned toward her. “I really don’t know why she showed up here. She was probably just working nearby, fell sick, and happened to run into us. I’ve already handed her over to someone else, don’t overthink it.”
Wen Ying lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting shadows over her lower lids, giving no indication of whether she had listened.
The bright hotel lights illuminated her fair skin, flawless as porcelain. Her lips were full and vivid, her nose delicate and straight, her beauty almost unreal. A faint fragrance lingered in her hair, making it hard not to be drawn in.
Fu Tingchuan’s gaze darkened slightly as he held her hand and leaned closer.
Fixing his eyes on her enticing lips, he was just about to kiss her—
Knock knock!
The sudden sound startled Wen Ying. She quickly turned her head away, and the kiss landed on her cheek instead.
At that moment, the door was pushed open.
“Sorry to disturb you.”
The clear voice carried an inexplicable chill, the words polite but devoid of real apology.
Fu Tingchuan looked annoyed, not noticing anything unusual in Gu Qingyu’s tone. He only regretted forgetting to close the door.
Turning around, he asked, “Qingyu, what’s up?”
Standing at the doorway, Gu Qingyu’s gaze fixed on the partially obscured figure inside, his eyes darkening.
At Fu Tingchuan’s question, he quickly concealed his expression and smiled casually. “My phone’s out of battery, but I don’t think I brought a charger. Do you have one?”
“I do.” Fu Tingchuan went to rummage for it.
Gu Qingyu ignored him, his gaze still locked on the person on the sofa, darkness churning beneath his glasses.
Wen Ying, however, kept her head turned away and did not look at him.
“Wen Ying.” He suddenly called her name in a low voice only the two of them could hear.
She clenched her teeth and had no choice but to turn back, shooting him a warning glance to behave himself.
But he simply stared at her without speaking.
Of course she understood what he meant, but with Fu Tingchuan present, what could she do?
Their silent exchange lasted only a moment before Fu Tingchuan returned with the charger.
He handed it over at the door. Gu Qingyu took it but did not leave immediately. Instead, as if making small talk, he asked, “Did you settle her?”
Knowing he meant Lin Shiwei, Fu Tingchuan nodded. “Yes, I had someone take her to the hospital.”
“You’re not going to check on her?”
Fu Tingchuan looked surprised. “Why would I?”
“Didn’t you care about her quite a bit before?” Gu Qingyu asked lightly.
Recalling recent events, Fu Tingchuan assumed Gu Qingyu had misunderstood.
He instinctively glanced at Wen Ying. Seeing her lounging on the sofa, playing with her phone without looking upset, he finally relaxed.
“I just felt sorry for her, that’s all. There’s nothing else to it. Don’t say things like that again.”
“Is that so?”
Gu Qingyu let out a soft chuckle, his gaze flicking toward the woman on the sofa before he left with the charger.
Back in his room, he took out his phone but did not plug it in. Instead, he casually tossed the charger onto the counter, where another charger was already lying.
His phone screen still showed eighty percent battery.
His long fingers tapped the screen before dialing a number.
After Gu Qingyu left, Wen Ying felt increasingly restless. That last look he gave her did not sit right.
It felt like he was about to cause trouble.
She did not mind much else, but she feared he might come find her and expose everything.
Over time, she had come to understand that Gu Qingyu truly did not care about brotherhood, nor did he fear tearing things apart.
But he did not fear it, while she did.
If things blew up, she would be in the wrong, and the Wen family might even suffer consequences.
Seeing that Fu Tingchuan was about to speak again, Wen Ying quickly interrupted, “Why don’t you go take a shower first?”
Their suite had a private hot spring pool, meaning they would have to share it.
At the thought, Fu Tingchuan’s blood rushed to his head, and he immediately agreed, “Alright, I’ll go first.”
Wen Ying watched the bathroom until she heard the sound of running water, then quickly got up and slipped out.
She knocked lightly on Gu Qingyu’s door, but before she could react, it opened, and she was pulled inside.
The door shut behind her with a click, and she was pressed against it.
A shadow loomed over her, accompanied by his familiar scent. Just as she expected him to kiss her, a sharp sting suddenly spread across her cheek.
Looking up, she saw him without his glasses, his eyes calm yet cold, focused intently on her face.
His fingers rubbed harshly at her cheek, as if trying to scrape off a layer of skin.
“What are you doing?” she frowned, grabbing his hand, only to have him release it easily.
“Don’t let him touch you again,” he said before lowering his head to kiss that very spot, like a possessive cat intent on erasing every trace of someone else.
Wen Ying had never seen such an audacious “third party,” always trying to override the rightful partner.
She wanted to say something, but there was no time.
Quickly, she reached out, unbuckling his belt and rising on her toes to kiss him, her hand moving lower.
Just as her fingers brushed him, her hand was caught. Gu Qingyu lifted her onto the narrow table by the entrance.
He let out a low breath, pressing his forehead to hers. “What’s the rush?”
Wen Ying bit his throat lightly, urging him in a muffled voice, “Hurry!”
He hissed softly, his voice rough with desire. “That’s not something I can rush.”
“Then hurry anyway, I still need to go back.”
He paused, loosening his hold slightly as he looked down at her. “Go back for what?”
Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes misty with lingering emotion, her top slipped off one shoulder, revealing smooth skin and delicate collarbones.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly as she spoke, completely unabashed. “What do you think? Fu Tingchuan is still there. He’s in the shower now, and he’ll be done soon. I can’t stay here long.”