On Wen Ying’s fair, slender neck, there was a clearly visible red mark, vivid enough to sting the eyes.
Fu Tingchuan reached out to touch it, but Wen Ying reflexively dodged. Her mind blanked for a moment, and she instinctively covered it with her hand, speaking in a flustered rush, “I was bitten by a bug just now.”
Fu Tingchuan’s hand remained suspended in midair, stiff, a trace of doubt flickering in his eyes.
He felt that something about Wen Ying had been off ever since just now.
His phone rang again, the hospital urging him.
He had no time to think further. This was a resort, and while the scenery was beautiful, there were plenty of plants, so encountering insects was inevitable.
He instructed, “Go ask the hotel for some medicine to apply. I’ll head out first.”
Wen Ying let out a breath of relief and nodded quickly. “Go ahead, don’t worry about me.”
Seeing that she didn’t seem upset, Fu Tingchuan also relaxed before turning and leaving.
When he arrived at the hospital and pushed open the ward door, he saw several people holding Lin Shiwei down on the bed. She struggled violently, and from a distance, it looked almost like she was being abused.
“What are you doing?” Fu Tingchuan’s voice turned icy.
Everyone turned toward him. Just as the doctor was about to explain, Lin Shiwei suddenly seemed to spot her savior. Taking advantage of the moment, she yanked out her IV needle, broke free from their restraint, and stumbled into Fu Tingchuan’s arms.
“President Fu… is it really you?”
“You finally came… please save me…”
She cried pitifully, clutching his clothes tightly as if grasping her only lifeline, making it impossible for anyone to bear pushing her away.
Fu Tingchuan looked at the others, his tone heavy. “What’s going on?”
The doctor explained awkwardly, “This young lady refuses treatment, saying she can’t afford the medical fees. We’ve already told her the fees were paid, but she insists she can’t accept help for nothing.”
That was just like Lin Shiwei. Back then, when he gave her money, she had refused it as well. Her pride was extremely strong, something Fu Tingchuan knew well.
“But you can’t treat her like this,” he said.
“No, sir, you misunderstand. She insisted on pulling out the needle and leaving, so we had no choice but to hold her down.”
The doctor sounded helpless. It was their first time encountering such a patient.
Most people were eager to have someone cover their medical expenses, yet this girl had already received treatment and medication, only to wake up and insist she couldn’t accept kindness for nothing, even trying to rip out the IV.
Even threatening her own life.
Fu Tingchuan fell silent. He hadn’t expected things to be like this.
Lin Shiwei still clung to him, trembling in his arms. It was difficult for him to be harsh with her in such a state.
He gently pushed her away and softened his tone. “I paid for it. You don’t need to feel burdened.”
She shook her head. “No, you’ve already helped me so much. How can I accept more of your kindness?”
“Then what do you want to do?”
“Nothing should be taken without earning it. I can work to repay you.”
Fu Tingchuan felt a headache coming on.
It had been the same before. She refused to accept help for nothing, which was why he had brought her into the company.
And ever since then, Wen Ying had been arguing with him repeatedly.
With that lesson learned, he definitely wouldn’t bring her into the company again.
He wasn’t afraid of Wen Ying getting angry, what he feared was her not getting angry at all, because that would mean everything was truly over.
“Are you… worried Miss Wen will be upset?” Lin Shiwei asked cautiously, her voice fragile and pitiful.
Fu Tingchuan sighed. “Don’t overthink it. Focus on your treatment. I don’t need you to repay me. Just consider it a good deed.”
But Lin Shiwei suddenly grew agitated. “How can that be? I can’t accept your kindness for nothing. I can be your servant, cook, clean, do anything!”
If it were before, Fu Tingchuan might have agreed. Supporting one more person wasn’t a big deal.
But thinking of Wen Ying, he firmly refused. “I already have staff at home. There’s nothing you need to do.”
“Then… what do you need?”
“Nothing.” She bit her lip, saying nothing, tears falling in a stubborn stream.
Fu Tingchuan’s head throbbed from her crying. In his memory, Wen Ying had never cried like this, let alone endlessly.
He wasn’t good at comforting others either. After a few failed attempts, he simply let her cry until she exhausted herself. Only then did he help her lie back on the bed.
The doctor reinserted the IV and left with visible relief.
Seeing that she had fallen asleep, Fu Tingchuan thought of Wen Ying waiting at the resort and prepared to leave.
But as soon as he stood, his hand was grabbed again, just like before, tightly.
“Don’t go… don’t leave me alone…”
Lin Shiwei murmured in her sleep, her voice making it hard to resist.
She looked pale and fragile, her brows still furrowed even in sleep. For a brief moment, Fu Tingchuan felt a pang of softness.
But then he thought of Wen Ying waiting for him. If he returned late, she might misunderstand again.
Gritting his teeth, he pried her hand off.
He used too much force, likely hurting her, because she woke up.
Thinking she would let go now, he even felt relieved and was about to speak.
But she suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist.
“President Fu, are you leaving again? Are you going to abandon me again?”
“Can you stay? Stay and keep me company.”
“Please…” She buried her face in his chest, pleading softly, fragile and helpless.
Caught off guard, Fu Tingchuan hesitated for only a moment before firmly pushing her away. “I’m sorry, I really have to go.”
Lin Shiwei hadn’t expected that even after begging like this, he would still leave.
A certain refined, gentle face flashed through her mind, along with his words. Her heart hardened, and she suddenly grabbed his shoulders and kissed him.
Fu Tingchuan was completely unprepared. Shock filled his eyes as he shoved her away. “What are you doing?”
He used too much force, sending her falling onto the bed. Though she frowned in pain, she didn’t dare cry out, only saying timidly, “I… I want to repay you. I have nothing, only myself… I’m willing to give you everything.”
Her meaning was unmistakable.
“Are you insane? I have a fiancée.”
“I don’t mind. As long as I can stay by your side, I’m willing to accept anything.”
Despite her desperate plea, Fu Tingchuan remained unmoved. “I only helped you out of pity. Don’t misunderstand.”
“I know, but I like you. Can’t you see that?”
He fell silent for a moment. Of course he could see it, he had simply chosen to ignore it.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke plainly, “But I don’t like you. I have a fiancée.”
“You and Miss Wen are just in a business marriage. There’s no love between you. You won’t be happy.”
His gaze turned cold. “Who said arranged marriages can’t have love? Whether we’re happy or not isn’t for you to decide.”
“That’s impossible. There’s no love between you. How could you love her?”
Lin Shiwei’s eyes grew unfocused, as if caught in some emotional spiral, muttering repeatedly, “This isn’t how it should be… it shouldn’t be like this…”
Fu Tingchuan grew impatient. “Then how do you think it should be?”
She suddenly looked up at him, eyes intense. “If you love her, then what am I?”
“From the beginning, I said it was just compensation.”
“Compensation?” she laughed. “Why? She ruined my life, yet she still gets to live so well. Even you stand on her side, protecting her, loving her unconditionally. And me? I’m already so pitiful, yet you won’t even give me a little bit of love, and instead talk about compensation? I don’t want your compensation.”
“Aren’t you someone who hates aggressors the most? Then why would you like someone like Wen Ying? Don’t you find that ridiculous? We’re the same kind of people.”
“Lin Shiwei!” Fu Tingchuan’s face darkened, his tone sharp. “I told you before, you are not allowed to bring that up again!”
“Fine, I won’t.” She moved closer cautiously, her posture humble to the extreme. “I just want to stay by your side. Please don’t leave. Just stay a little while, just a little… please, okay?”
She tugged at his sleeve pitifully.
Fu Tingchuan checked the time, took a deep breath, and finally relented. “Fine, I’ll stay for half an hour. After that, I’m leaving.”
He pulled her hand away and warned, “But don’t touch me again.”
She withdrew her hands under the blanket. Seeing she had calmed down, Fu Tingchuan sat on the sofa to the side and closed his eyes to rest.
Although he had agreed to stay, he had no intention of speaking with her further.
Instead, he thought about how to explain things to Wen Ying later.
Was she angry? What was she doing now?
Tonight should have been perfect, yet it had all been ruined.
And then, he couldn’t help recalling the mark he had seen on Wen Ying’s neck before he left.
Earlier, he had no time to think about it. But now, the more he thought about it, the more suspicious he felt. Was it really a bug bite?
He might not have experienced such things personally, but he had seen enough to recognize them. That mark didn’t just look like a bite, it looked more like a kiss mark…
Lost in thought, he failed to notice that Lin Shiwei hadn’t fallen asleep at all. She was staring at him intently.
His features, his expression, everything was identical to the senior she had once loved in her previous life.
Her gaze grew distant.
In truth, she had always known she was the female lead of a novel, and that the novel itself had been written by her.
She had secretly loved someone for nearly ten years, never daring to confess, so she wrote him into her story.
In the novel, Fu Tingchuan would gradually realize his feelings, abandon his unloved fiancée, and end up happily with her.
But in reality, her male god had a girlfriend and had rejected her outright, telling her to stop dreaming.
His girlfriend had even discovered the novel and mocked her for fantasizing about someone else’s boyfriend.
Everyone laughed at her. Heartbroken, Lin Shiwei had drowned herself after drinking.
When she woke up, she had become the female lead in the novel.
The moment she saw Fu Tingchuan, who looked exactly like the man she loved, she was overjoyed.
She was the female lead. She could finally be with him openly.
To ensure the story’s ending, she had carefully followed the plot, believing that even if she suffered at first, she would eventually have her happy ending.
But she hadn’t expected things to go wrong.
Wen Ying, Fu Tingchuan, and Gu Qingyu had all deviated from the original storyline.
She didn’t know where things had gone wrong. But it didn’t matter.
What mattered was that Fu Tingchuan was the male lead, and she was the female lead. In the end, he was destined to fall in love with her.
His current feelings for Wen Ying were only temporary.
Just as she comforted herself with this thought, Fu Tingchuan suddenly stood up.
His expression shifted. Grabbing his coat, he strode out without even glancing at her.
Startled, Lin Shiwei tried to call after him, but he was already gone.
Looking at the time, not even twenty minutes had passed.
She bit her lip, realizing she could no longer keep him.
After leaving the hospital, Fu Tingchuan hurried to the parking lot, got into his car, and drove off.
Various possibilities raced through his mind, but in the end, there was only one solution, he had to go back, see for himself, and ask her directly.
Back in the hotel suite, the air was thick with intimacy.
The hot spring pool rippled gently, steam rising in soft, dreamlike swirls.
Wen Ying leaned against the edge, her once-bright eyes now shimmering with a hazy glow. The stone beneath her was warm, while her back burned with heat.
The water opened every pore of her body. Without the barrier of clothing, they could feel each other with perfect clarity.
Soft lips brushed intimately over her hair, the nape of her neck, her fair shoulders.
Her complexion was radiant, her skin pale with a flush of pink. Immersed in the water and desire, she looked almost translucent, breathtakingly beautiful.
Gu Qingyu pressed close, his hand resting on her soft waist. He buried his face in her neck, kissing her again and again as if he could never have enough.
“Stop kissing there,” she murmured, her voice trembling slightly. “If you leave marks, they’ll be seen.”