This inquiry hit like a bomb, blowing what little rationality Nan Zhi had left completely to smithereens.
She really had been misunderstood.
And no opportunity was even left for her to explain.
Holding Gu Shixu’s figure, the two of them gradually receded into the distance down the corridor.
Fu Minglin hadn’t stopped for her at all.
“F*ck!” cursing irritably, Nan Zhi shoved the tray heavily back onto the tea table.
If that Miss Gu tonight really ran into trouble because of that glass of drink, regardless of whether it had anything to do with the trick she had planted at the bottom of the cup, Fu Minglin—who was alone with her—would inevitably be implicated.
Suppressing her emotions by force, Nan Zhi quickly regained her composure and bolted toward the service desk.
She had worked as a banquet waitress before.
Guests frequently encountered all sorts of sudden emergencies, so a stock of basic emergency medicine and a doctor on standby were always provided for rainy days. For a scale like the Fu family’s banquet tonight, they definitely had one.
The banquet hall in the front was already serving guests, with an orderly stream of waitstaff serving dishes in an organized manner.
Nan Zhi ran fast.
She expertly retrieved the medical kit from behind the service desk, clutching it tightly to her chest.
Although she wasn’t sure if there was anything useful in the kit, subconsciously she didn’t want to alert the doctor and blow the matter out of proportion.
By the time Nan Zhi hurried back to the private lounge holding the medical kit, Fu Minglin and that Miss Gu were nowhere to be found.
Things looked even worse than she had imagined.
Daring not to pause, Nan Zhi turned and sprinted toward the resting suite.
If Fu Minglin really ran into trouble tonight because of that glass of wine, Nan Zhi would never forgive herself.
Yet, what was strange was that when she took the drink from the delivery waiter, it had already been mixed, and the ingredient she had added afterward was clearly at the bottom of the glass.
How could there possibly be such a strong reaction on the very first sip?
Besides, even if she had swallowed some—it was just wasabi, after all—it shouldn’t trigger such an intense emotional reaction.
Her thoughts grew more and more chaotic.
Nan Zhi skipped two steps at a time, crossing the long corridor and turning the corner.
The resting suite was brightly lit.
Before she even had time to catch her breath, that familiar figure entered her line of sight.
“Press the tip of your tongue down as much as possible. Yes, like that, I’ll be able to see more clearly. If the light is too dazzling, you can close your eyes.”
It was Fu Minglin’s voice.
Nan Zhi’s footsteps froze in place, the breath she hadn’t yet exhaled getting stuck right in her throat.
The interior of the suite was arranged especially warmly, with original wood flooring contrasting against a beige sofa, and warm-toned lighting gently falling upon their crowns.
It cast a layer of golden glow over the two people standing beneath it.
The one standing was gently bending over, her cuffs rolled up to her elbows, and those distinct, well-articulated fingertips lightly supporting the face of the person beneath her. The lamplight fell on her profile, her brows and expression filled with complete focus and earnestness.
Meanwhile, the one sitting down obediently raised her chin, her fingers gripping the other person’s clothes with a hint of tension.
“Swallowing too rapidly caused the high-concentration alcohol to irritate your mucosal epithelial cells, making it feel difficult to breathe for a split second. On the one hand, you choked because you swallowed too fast,” Fu Minglin said in a gentle tone, asking softly: “On the other hand, has your throat been a bit inflamed lately?”
Gu Shixu immediately nodded obediently.
“Your tongue coating is rather thick, your oral cavity feels sticky, and it’s the early stage of exterior cold transforming into heat,” Fu Minglin turned the supported face slightly with her fingers: “The weather has been hot lately, remember to drink more electrolyte water after your workouts.”
After finishing her summary, she turned around to pull out a tissue and handed it over: “Sorry, there wasn’t a tongue depressor or a head mirror, so the distance had to be a bit close.”
“Oh my god!”
Having already vomited once, Gu Shixu’s voice turned a bit rough as she took the tissue with both hands and exclaimed: “You can tell I work out just by looking at my throat? Minglin, you’re way too godlike!”
Fu Minglin, who had been wiping her hands, was momentarily stunned by the praise.
Before she could react, Gu Shixu leaned in closer.
“Then Minglin, can you help me take a look? I’ve been tortured to death by muscle building and am ready to resort to some unorthodox ‘heretical cultivation’ methods,” Gu Shixu asked while rolling up her pant leg: “Why is the muscle growth on my legs always so slow? Can you give me some suggestions from a medical perspective?”
Though she couldn’t quite keep up with Gu Shixu’s train of thought, Fu Minglin still extended her hand out of politeness: “Which part?”
Watching as Fu Minglin’s fingertips were about to touch Gu Shixu’s skin, the person standing at the doorway finally couldn’t hold back anymore.
The medical kit bumped against the doorframe, producing a crisp sound.
“Need this?”
Nan Zhi’s expression was gloomy, her tone carrying a heavy edge: “Medicine.”
These few brief words were already the last shred of dignity Nan Zhi could manage to preserve.
She truly wanted to charge in and barbarically pull the two of them apart.
To warn Gu Shixu: I see right through all your little tricks.
Unfortunately.
Nan Zhi had no standing.
She was merely someone who had been brought back in secret.
Someone who, if she ever wanted to gain a proper status, had to snatch away everything Fu Minglin currently possessed—a despicable person.
A sudden wave of self-loathing washed over her, making Nan Zhi’s complexion turn several shades darker.
“Ah, it’s you!”
Recognizing the familiar face and noticing the sweat beads on her temples, Gu Shixu was distracted and immediately stood up: “Sorry, were you startled just now? It’s all my fault for being on a dietary restriction during my fitness phase—I thought I’d secretly drink a little tonight, but it’s been too long since I touched alcohol, and I completely forgot the top layer shouldn’t be drunk.”
The drink she ordered was called Dumb Pill, and its top layer was ninety-two percent vodka, which wasn’t meant for drinking.
Normally, waitstaff would bring a lighter to ignite it for visual presentation when serving.
But Nan Zhi, who had brought the drink in, hadn’t asked, and Gu Shixu had forgotten, which led to this farce.
Hearing the apology, Nan Zhi didn’t respond.
Her burning gaze remained locked onto Gu Shixu, who had stood up, trying to distinguish whether the emotion was real or fake.
Her peripheral vision drifted toward Fu Minglin, who had remained standing in the same spot all along.
Regrettably, the other party didn’t even spare her a single glance.
“I’m really sorry,” Gu Shixu said, feeling a bit guilty: “Let me give you some a tip for frightening you tonight.”
With that, Gu Shixu opened her everyday handbag and started rummaging around for cash.
If she really were just a waitress at this moment, Nan Zhi would probably be very happy.
The customer’s crisis turned out to be much ado about nothing, and on top of that, she was generously tipping—in the past, she would have already been bowing and scraping in gratitude.
After all, her so-called dignity was far less practical than money.
Yet right now, Nan Zhi showed no reaction.
Her gaze had brazenly shifted to Fu Minglin.
The person who was far more important than money, and who hadn’t spared her a single direct look ever since she appeared.
“I only brought this much today,” Gu Shixu said without counting, handing over everything she could pull out: “Sorry about that.”
A thick stack of red bills was placed right on top of the unopened medical kit.
Nan Zhi neither reached out to take it nor dodged away.
“Is the banquet hall about to start serving?”
Walking out of the resting suite and looking at the empty corridor, Gu Shixu finally remembered the reason she had been arranged to come here tonight.
She glanced down at her watch, turned around, and said: “I need to go greet Mother Fu, Minglin, want to come together?”
Hearing this address, Fu Minglin’s emotions finally stirred.
She raised her eyes, looking past Nan Zhi and landing on Gu Shixu.
Even though the corridor was completely empty at the moment, Fu Minglin’s expression still grew stern.
As if anticipating an impending disaster.
With a certain sense of resolve, she walked toward the doorway.
As for Nan Zhi, who had been standing by the door the entire time, she made no further movement.
Just the moment she brushed past Gu Shixu, she raised her hand and accepted the stack of money.
Arching her back, she muttered in a low voice, “Thank you.”
Then, ignoring the bustling noise of the front hall and whatever Gu Shixu had said, she walked alone with the medical kit toward the depths of the moonlight.
The Fu family’s gathering tonight counted as a family banquet.
Therefore, it was held in their private courtyard, while the main residence used for living quarters was cordoned off by security.
Nan Zhi walked alone through the final stretch of the corridor, swiping her verification lock under the puzzled gazes of a group of security guards, and entered the main residence.
Her emotions were a mess right now, and she urgently needed a cold shower to calm herself down.
The reason it had to be cold was simple: before entering the Fu family, hot water had been a luxury to Nan Zhi.
That was why she hadn’t refused the tip tossed by that Miss Gu tonight.
Someone who had been terrified of poverty would never turn their nose up at money under any circumstances.
Locking herself in the bathroom for over half an hour, until the very last trace of warmth inside her body had completely dissipated, Nan Zhi shivered and walked out.
The lights were off, save for the quiet moonlight pouring through the window.
Nan Zhi sat alone on the sofa, staring at the wall clock in the room.
Ten-thirty.
She acutely caught the sound of footsteps.
There was no conversation; the rhythm of the footsteps in the corridor was one after another.
Had the banquet broken up?
Having already stood up, Nan Zhi walked over to the apartment entryway, then paused.
The timing didn’t match, though.
Normally, a banquet would end around midnight, and given the volume of guests the Fu family had tonight, it would only run late, never early.
Forcefully pressing down her irritation, Nan Zhi heard the sound of a door closing.
Only, she couldn’t tell whether that sound came from the study or the main entrance.
Silence returned to the corridor, and Nan Zhi mechanically slumped back onto the sofa, unconsciously pinching her knuckles.
How should she start to explain?
Should she say she hadn’t intentionally disobeyed orders, that the accident wasn’t her original intention, and that it had nothing to do with her anyway?
Would Fu Minglin actually believe her?
Not knowing how much more time had passed, the sound of footsteps grew clear outside once more, and Nan Zhi hardened her heart, resolving not to wait any longer.
It was almost midnight, yet no servant had come to knock on her door to deliver milk.
That cup of good-night milk every single night was something Fu Minglin had specifically instructed—perhaps she could use it as an ice-breaker.
Taking advantage of the moonlight, Nan Zhi slipped smoothly into the kitchen.
Turn on the stove, pour the milk.
Catching the sweet, milky aroma, Nan Zhi suddenly felt a tinge of regret that the cup of milk Fu Minglin had handed over at the banquet hadn’t been drunk after all.
Distracted as she waited for the milk to boil, Nan Zhi secretly swept a sideways glance toward the depths of the corridor.
That was Fu Minglin’s bedroom.
At this moment, a faint, warm glow was spilling out through the crack of the door.
She must have come back. Nan Zhi took a deep breath and lifted the milk pot.
Acting as if she couldn’t feel the heat at all, she poured the milk without a second thought.
The cup cradled in her palm at that moment became the final straw of salvation Nan Zhi desperately clutched onto.
Forcefully suppressing her wildly beating heart, she raised her hand.
Knock—
Knock—
Knock—
With a steady rhythm spaced a few seconds apart, she delivered three light, consecutive taps.
After finishing the knock, Nan Zhi stepped back a pace, waiting patiently.
This was the knocking etiquette Fu Minglin had taught her; clearly she hadn’t been very serious when learning it, yet subconsciously, she had already remembered it firmly.
In the darkness, Nan Zhi could feel her frantic heartbeat practically leaping out of her throat.
The opening lines she had rehearsed repeatedly in her mind completely short-circuited the moment the door was pulled open.
Warm-toned light and shadow slipped out through the gap.
Supporting the door with one hand and holding a towel with the other, Fu Minglin—having just stepped out of the bathroom—was still radiating body heat and moisture.
Looking at the anxious and uneasy Nan Zhi before her, Fu Minglin raised an eyebrow slightly, showing not a shred of surprise.
“To—”
The words jammed in her throat.
Fu Minglin’s hair, usually pinned up, was loose now, the ink-black ends wetly draped casually across her shoulders and neck, water droplets causing ripples to bloom on her soft white clothing. Surpassing her appearance was a fragrance.
A clean, yet fresh and sweet fruity scent.
Nan Zhi’s face flushed crimson in an instant, the words stuck in her throat turning in circles as her gaze uncontrollably drifted toward Fu Minglin.
Realizing her cheeks were burning hotter and hotter, Nan Zhi suddenly bent forward, burying her head very low.
Lifting the cup of milk in her hands, she gave up all pretense and called out: “Sister.”
Seeing through that awkward embarrassment, Fu Minglin gave a soft chuckle.
Magnanimously, she pulled the door all the way open and invited: “Do you want to come in?”