Seeing Fu Wanzhi’s face turn pale, Fu Sili frowned, sensing something was wrong. He quickly stepped forward to support her, his voice turning cold. “What’s wrong?”
Fu Wanzhi, no longer caring that they were still arguing, gasped in pain, her voice weak. “Is there any stomach medicine at home?”
Fu Sili’s gaze sharpened. “Call the doctor and have the kitchen prepare some porridge.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Fu Wanzhi felt the hand supporting her arm gripping too tightly. She wanted to pull away, but she had no strength left and could only let herself be handled.
“The stomach condition was caused by irregular eating habits in the past. It flared up today because she barely ate anything all day. Second Young Lady has had this stomach issue for quite some time now. From now on, she must eat on time and maintain a regular routine, or it could easily develop into something more serious,” the family doctor advised after the examination.
“Alright, thank you, Doctor. I understand.” Fu Wanzhi took a sip of porridge and immediately felt warmer.
But she could sense the chilling aura emanating from the person beside her growing colder.
The doctor prescribed some medicine and left, leaving only the two of them in the room. Fu Sili brought a cup of warm water and placed it on the bedside table, his expression unreadable. “Starting today, you’ll live here. You must have three meals a day without fail.”
Fu Wanzhi looked at him. Warm water and medicine had already been thoughtfully placed on the bedside table at some point… just like when she was a child.
The only difference was that back then, she could freely act spoiled and unreasonable with him. Now, there was only silence and indifference…
“Didn’t you say I disgusted you? Didn’t you say you never wanted to see me again?” she whispered, her face still pale.
Fu Sili’s hand paused slightly as he took the bowl but quickly returned to normal. His tone was flat, though he spoke more gently. “That’s all in the past.”
“It’s all in the past for you…” Fu Wanzhi avoided his gaze.
He dismissed it so lightly as “the past.” But what about the eight years she was abandoned abroad, the eight years of neglect, the eight years of swallowing every hardship and pain in silence? What did those count for?
Fu Sili didn’t respond, his indifferent eyes lowered slightly. He handed her the medicine and warm water. “Take the medicine first.”
Fu Wanzhi looked at his outstretched hand, hesitating for a few seconds before taking it and swallowing the pills. Watching him naturally take the cup back and hand her a tissue felt like a return to her childhood. In a daze, she couldn’t help but ask, “Brother, can you not get married?”
Fu Sili raised his eyes to meet her strikingly beautiful gaze, his pupils dark and profound as he delivered his verdict in a low voice. “No.”
Snap—the dream shattered. She was still trapped in the abyss… all of it was her own doing.
“You’re about to be promoted. Are you letting me stay here to maintain your image as the good son, the good brother?” Fu Wanzhi took another sip of porridge and spoke.
“Yes, so Zhizhi, don’t disappoint me.” His voice was light yet heavy, his exquisitely handsome features appearing cold and detached under the light.
Fu Wanzhi replied calmly, “Aren’t you afraid they’ll find out that your sister once had feelings for her brother?”
“You were young back then.” Fu Sili lowered his gaze, his slender fingers undoing his cufflinks.
So he had never truly taken her words seriously.
Fu Wanzhi looked away. “Now I’ve grown up. From now on, who I spend time with, who I date, and where I live—you have no right to interfere.”
After hearing her words, Fu Sili let out a soft sigh, his thin lips curling into a mocking arc. “Was going abroad meant to cultivate your little temper?”
He stood up, his gaze lowering slightly. The open collar of his shirt faintly revealed a red mole on his collarbone. “Now we are each other’s only family. If you won’t listen to your brother, who else can you listen to?”
“Fu Sili, we’re not blood-related. Just because I called you ‘brother’ a few times, do you really think you’re my brother?” Fu Wanzhi lifted her pale, delicate, and sickly face, her tone laced with sarcasm.
“The household register clearly states, word for word, that we are siblings,” Fu Sili replied nonchalantly, the last five words sounding more like a reminder.
“Move your things here tomorrow.”
With that, he turned and left, leaving the room in silence once again.
Fu Wanzhi pressed a hand against her abdomen, which was aching faintly again. Since he insisted on maintaining that sibling relationship, fine—she would maintain it for him to see.
She tilted her head and looked at the cup of hot water. Steam rose from it, and perhaps because she had been staring for too long, her eyes began to feel slightly sore.