Gu Tuo waited with Fang Jinshi for a few more minutes. Only when he saw that the cut on the youth’s foot had completely stopped bleeding did he finally feel at ease.
Noticing his gaze, Fang Jinshi offered a breezy explanation: “I’ve been undergoing treatment in California for the past two years. They’ve developed a new therapy there. While it isn’t a permanent cure, it allows me to lead a perfectly normal daily life without any major issues.”
With the steady advancement of medical science, a solution had finally been mapped out for the once-terrifying “soft cancer.” It was an immense stroke of fortune for Fang Jinshi, and indeed for all patients battling aplastic anemia.
Gu Tuo gave a firm nod. “Let’s head out, then.”
“Okay,” Fang Jinshi replied, pushing himself up from the lounge chair. But the moment he stood up, an intense wave of numbness shot through his lower leg. It felt as though he couldn’t step on solid ground at all. Losing his balance, he wobbled and tumbled straight toward Gu Tuo.
Gu Tuo’s reflexes were lightning-fast, and he instantly reached out to steady him.
The man’s palms were large, solid, and exceptionally powerful. Supporting the youth by his upper arms, his movements were remarkably gentlemanly, strictly avoiding any sensitive areas like the waist or hips—even though the person he was steadying happened to be a man.
“We should still head to the clinic to have you checked over,” Gu Tuo suggested.
Recalling how Fang Jinshi had been clutching his lower back earlier, the impact must have been substantial. Now that even his basic movement was compromised, it was dangerous to treat the matter lightly.
Gu Tuo’s deep voice dropped from right above his head. Being in such close proximity, the crisp, cool fragrance radiating from the man became incredibly distinct.
Feeling the intense warmth of Gu Tuo’s palms burning through his sleeves, Fang Jinshi shifted uncomfortably. “It’s really nothing serious. My foot just went completely numb.”
He could only blame his own sudden cowardice from earlier. Even though his leg had been resting at a thoroughly awkward angle, he hadn’t dared to move a single inch under the man’s gaze, rendering his leg so dead and numb he could barely walk.
Hearing this, Gu Tuo proposed, “Why don’t you sit back down on the chair for a bit longer?”
Feeling thoroughly self-conscious in the current position, Fang Jinshi naturally had no reason to object.
Gu Tuo carefully guided him back onto the lounge chair. Recognizing that the youth sustained an injury to his waist and shouldn’t slouch, he slid his hands beneath the boy’s underarms, hoisting him slightly to settle him into a perfectly straight, upright posture on the chair.
During the adjustment, the two were drawn even closer together—so close that the very air surrounding them seemed to absorb the lingering warmth of each other’s bodies.
A sudden flush of heat rushed to Fang Jinshi’s face, his heart skipping a wild beat.
This, this is flat-out cheating!
Even though he instinctively viewed the man as a family elder, being handled in such a paternal, father-looking-after-son manner was incredibly embarrassing!
Having securely settled the youth, Gu Tuo prepared to pull away. Just as he went to step back, he caught the usually bright and confident young master lowering his eyelids, a vibrant blush tinting his cheeks.
Getting this close to him for the first time, Gu Tuo suddenly discovered that Fang Jinshi’s eyelashes were remarkably thick, dark, and long. Casting slightly downward, they resembled a pair of delicate feather fans swaying gently, exuding a completely pure, raw beauty.
Did other men and women look like this too?
Inevitably, the youth possessed a beauty that was quietly breathtaking.
Averting his gaze, Gu Tuo seamlessly swept the absurd notion from his mind. “My apologies for the imposition.”
The quiet note of apology was unreadable—it remained unclear whether it was triggered by their physical proximity, or due to the uncalled-for stray thoughts flitting through his brain.
What imposition?
Fang Jinshi failed to grasp the underlying meaning behind Gu Tuo’s words. However, with the subject successfully changed, he promptly discarded his previous embarrassment, focusing his entire attention on battling the pins and needles raging in his lower calves.
Due to the scorching early autumn heat, Fang Jinshi was dressed in light summer clothes paired with open-toed sandals.
This setup turned out to be incredibly convenient for his current dilemma. He repeatedly flexed and wiggled his big toes, looking exactly like a pair of gently fluttering scallops opening and closing their hard shells to reveal the soft tissue inside.
Gu Tuo stared at the rhythmic movement of his feet, thoroughly bewildered. Noting the subtle, agonizingly pleasurable expression crossing the youth’s face, he found the display even more bizarre.
As the tycoon was silently observing him, Fang Jinshi suddenly pushed himself up with absolute ease. Taking two strides forward, he beamed, “All fixed! Let’s head out together!”
The two walked side by side out of the executive staff lounge, falling into a temporary silence.
Vaguely deducing what might be running through Gu Tuo’s head, Fang Jinshi offered an explanation: “If your leg ever goes numb, flexing your big toes exactly the way I just did will rapidly relieve the pins and needles. You spend long hours sitting in an executive office; if your legs ever go dead, you should give it a try.”
Was the youth actually offering him a word of concern?
It was a highly novel experience. Gu Tuo found it slightly amusing, yet staring at the absolute gravity and sincerity on Fang Jinshi’s face, the laughter died in his throat.
Letting out a low cough to compose himself, he replied solemnly, “Understood.”
Trailing closely behind the pair, the executive assistant was left completely speechless.
One was a high-society young master, and the other was a titanic corporate mogul. Instead of analyzing vintage wines or discussing classical orchestrations, the core topic of their conversation was centered entirely on wiggling big toes.
Could they possibly be any more down-to-earth?
Most importantly, their President—a man notoriously consumed by his work, fiercely aloof, and universally viewed as detached from the mundane world—had actually taken the piece of advice completely to heart. It was a display that would leave high society thoroughly dumbfounded!
The assistant couldn’t begin to fathom a future scenario where his President sat majestically at his executive desk, perhaps reviewing multi-million dollar corporate dossiers or steering an international video conference, while his toes were frantically flexing inside his polished black leather Oxfords to battle a numb leg.
Stop thinking! The more you dissect it, the more horrifying it gets.
Because of the detour with Fang Jinshi, Gu Tuo’s entire morning itinerary had been completely derailed. According to his original schedule, he was supposed to complete a full inspection of the entire luxury shopping mall before gathering the regional managers for an executive meeting. Yet looking at the time, his window had clearly evaporated.
Lifting his arm to check his wristwatch, Gu Tuo stated, “I won’t be able to see you out personally. Will you be able to manage the drive home on your own?”
Fang Jinshi let out a soft laugh. “Don’t worry about me. It’s not like I’m a fragile porcelain doll. It’s just a minor bump; I’ll be perfectly fine.”
With those parting words, the two went their separate ways, and Fang Jinshi chauffeured back to the estate.
Despite proudly asserting that he wasn’t a fragile porcelain doll, the moment he stepped back inside his home, a dull, pulsing ache settled into his waist. Summoning an attendant to inspect the injury, he discovered that his lower back had bloomed into a massive curtain of deep purple and blue bruising. His skin took color far easier than the finest white porcelain; he resembled nothing more than a block of silken tofu—shattering at the gentlest touch.
Catching wind of the incident, Madam Fang rushed into the room, her heart breaking instantly at the sight of the injury. “How on earth did a simple trip to the mall leave you looking like this? How did you sustain this injury? Let Mom apply some medicinal oil to massage out the bruising for you.”
When it came to Fang Jinshi’s physical well-being, Madam Fang had always refused to delegate the tasks to anyone else.
Not wishing to cause his mother unnecessary anxiety, Fang Jinshi offered a few vague pleasantries, smoothly brushing the details of the incident aside.
Yet while the drama had successfully concluded, the physical pain still had to be endured. When he had watched that horrific woman being dragged away across the mall floor, it had felt incredibly satisfying; now, as the deep bruising on his back was being firmly massaged out, he writhed in sheer agony, unable to stop himself from cursing silently in his mind about his wretched luck today.
However.
Perhaps amidst a mountain of absolute misfortune, he had still been granted a tiny sliver of luck?
Lying face down on his massive, plush bed, Gu Tuo’s silhouette abruptly materialized in Fang Jinshi’s mind. Getting to truly know that titan today and effectively securing a brand-new friend—could that not be counted as a beautiful stroke of luck?
Yes, a friend.
Fang Jinshi resolved right then and there to no longer relegate himself to the submissive position of a “nephew’s ex” or a “junior.” He felt incredibly comfortable and perfectly equal when interacting with Gu Tuo. They were friends, plain and simple.
If anyone had to play the role of the submissive junior, he could leave that title entirely to that trashy little nephew of his!
Amused by his own thoughts, Fang Jinshi rested his chin in his palms, gently letting his mind drift into a deep, peaceful slumber.