Volume 1 Chapter 4 Sleep
“Ruan Yu?”
Li Xuzhou recognized her at a glance. He gently patted Ruan Yu’s shoulder, but she let out a soft whimper and avoided the annoying touch.
Li Xuzhou’s furrowed brows had just relaxed when he saw her exposed calves, and his gaze turned noticeably colder.
“How did she get so thin…” He smoothed the hem of Ruan Yu’s skirt, covering her body, murmuring as if enticed, he grasped her slender ankle. Her calves dangled delicately, the black bedsheet making her skin appear glaringly pale.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned ambiguous, the temperature rising noticeably. A faint, elusive trace of masculine pheromones lingered around Ruan Yu.
Yet she remained completely unaware, focused only on peaceful sleep. This couldn’t be blamed on Ruan Yu—her first full meal in three years had brought overwhelming drowsiness. Still thinking about seducing Li Xuzhou, she had rashly entered his room.
The entire bed carried Li Xuzhou’s scent, the same fragrance Ruan Yu had missed for three years. Nothing made her feel more at ease than this, as if enveloped by Li Xuzhou himself. Sinking into the large bed, she fell asleep.
The next moment, the man’s body covered hers.
With one leg braced on the bed, the fabric of his suit trousers brushed against Ruan Yu’s calves, producing a faint rustle. He pressed close to her soft form, holding her tightly, his voice barely audible: “Seeing you again… how did you get so thin…”
Sighing softly, Li Xuzhou straightened up, his gaze fixed intently on Ruan Yu’s sleeping face, his short hair falling over his forehead.
There was no lust in Li Xuzhou’s eyes; his deep gaze revealed no emotion. He stared at the lovely figure on the bed for a moment, his resolute jaw hidden in the darkness, along with the restrained emotions he couldn’t suppress.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
Li Xuzhou rolled off the bed and covered Ruan Yu with the blanket. “Come in,” he said in a tone devoid of emotion, only slightly hoarse, returning to the cold demeanor of someone in authority.
Steward Zhou entered with an ironed shirt. “Young Master, this… gulp.”
Seeing the lump under the covers, the delicate pale face stark against the black bedding, Steward Zhou displayed an uncharacteristically flustered expression for the first time. Too shocked, he let out a gulp.
Li Xuzhou glanced at him briefly but said nothing.
“Which young lady is this? To dare set her sights on you as soon as she arrives—how impatient!” Steward Zhou couldn’t help but complain, a hint of anger in his voice. He was about to step forward and pull the person from the bed when Li Xuzhou stopped him.
He immediately understood. “You want to deal with her personally, right? But it doesn’t have to be too bloody—just hand her over to me…”
“No one comes to seduce someone wearing…” He was about to say cartoon underwear but, glancing at Steward Zhou’s graying hair, changed his words: “wearing ugly clothes.”
Steward Zhou was still angry. “When have you ever thought any clothes were pretty? You find all clothes ugly. When you were little, picking clothes was such a hassle…” He stopped here, realizing he had overstepped. Li Xuzhou’s status now was different from his childhood; he couldn’t speak so casually anymore.
Li Xuzhou didn’t mind much. Lighting a cigarette, he spoke with the cigarette between his lips: “Send me all the surveillance footage of her, and ask Doctor Li to come over.”
Doctor Li was the most outstanding female doctor in the Li family’s medical team.
Now Steward Zhou finally understood. He quietly withdrew from the room.
The intimate atmosphere in the room was somewhat disrupted by Steward Zhou.
The scent of tobacco filled the space as Ruan Yu unconsciously nuzzled against the corner of the blanket.
“Mmm…”
Li Xuzhou leaned in closer, thinking she might be talking in her sleep, only to hear her soft snores the next moment.
“Adorable,” a cool voice murmured. Recalling what he had just witnessed, he lowered his gaze and gently pulled back a corner of the blanket.
Ruan Yu’s breathing was steady. Her off-shoulder dress revealed slender shoulders and neck, along with a delicate collarbone. Her slender neck supported a petite face, which was completely devoid of color—so pale it seemed she could barely breathe. Upon closer inspection, faint blue veins were visible.
His gaze drifted downward, past the soft curves, settling on her slightly distended stomach.
“She ate four bowls of seafood noodles.”
“And there were still tears in her eyes.”
Remembering Steward Zhou’s words, his expression turned sharp, yet his hands moved with unexpected gentleness.
His warm palm rested on Ruan Yu’s stomach, massaging it softly.
As if sensing something, Ruan Yu shifted closer to him, her forehead brushing against his knee.
Startled as if burned, Li Xuzhou took a step back. The scent of tobacco grew stronger as he forcefully crushed the cigarette butt before heading into the bathroom.
After showering, Li Xuzhou emerged wearing a bathrobe. He first approached the bed, touching Ruan Yu’s forehead to check her temperature—warm but not feverish—before picking up his tablet to review the surveillance footage.
[At the dining table, Ruan Yu’s face was almost buried in the large bowl. She took a sip of broth, wiped the corner of her eye, and continued devouring the food, swallowing everything in front of her without chewing properly.]
[The servants carefully shelled the seafood and placed it on a plate. Ruan Yu was startled by their movements, instinctively flinching away, causing the chair to scrape loudly against the floor. Only after the servants gently reassured her did she resume eating.]
Li Xuzhou narrowed his eyes.
[Ruan Yu appeared somewhat full, pressing a hand to her stomach as she took small, panting breaths. Yet, after a moment of dazed thought, she picked up her chopsticks again.]
…
He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes, lost in thought.
When Doctor Li arrived, she conducted a thorough examination of Ruan Yu’s condition, growing increasingly alarmed with each finding.
“She’s malnourished—starved into this state,” Doctor Li said, her tone tinged with anger. She gestured toward Ruan Yu’s wrist, thin and fragile, as if it might break with the slightest pressure.
Li Xuzhou smoked in silence, the haze of smoke obscuring his expression.
Still wary of Li Xuzhou, Doctor Li cleared her throat and continued, “She has numerous bruises on her body, all due to insufficient nutrition. Given the pallor of her skin, she likely hasn’t been exposed to sunlight for a long time.”
“She lacks what most people take for granted. If she isn’t nursed back to health soon, I’m afraid…”
She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.
Li Xuzhou spoke up, “How do we help her recover?”
Doctor Li replied seriously, “In simple terms, small, frequent meals, no overexertion, monthly check-ups, and I’ll prescribe some supplements for essential micronutrients.”
“I’ll print out the detailed plan and email you a copy later.”
“Mm,” Li Xuzhou responded, then added, “Doctor Li, you also have a background in psychology, correct?”
Doctor Li paused, surprised. “Yes, I double-majored.”
Li Xuzhou showed her the surveillance footage.
Frowning, Doctor Li watched the entire video, trembling with anger by the end.
“She shows clear signs of anxiety, compulsions, and fear. She no longer trusts others.”
“She… has suffered significant psychological trauma.”
Although the outcome was expected, Li Xuzhou still felt a pang of reluctance and closed his eyes.
He looked at the girl lying on the bed, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. She was thin, delicate, and fragile—so soft that a gust of wind could scatter her away.
Three years ago, she was already a pitiful soul, and now she seemed even more so.
What had she endured over these three years?
He knew his own blood ran cold, yet seeing her like this, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed—by Ruan Yu’s slender fingers, her fragile neck, and her waist so slender it seemed it could be held in one hand.
You’re going to kill me, little pitiful one.