Sheng Xia wasn’t pretending to be sick. After running downstairs barefoot and causing a commotion for two hours last night, she had genuinely caught a cold.
By the time she reached the hospital, she was running a fever of 39 degrees Celsius without needing to fake it. The doctor put her on an IV drip, and after a chaotic night without any sleep, Sheng Xia finally relaxed and fell asleep in the hospital bed.
When Gu Cheng’an entered the room, he saw Sheng Xia lying on the bed, fast asleep and completely unaware of her surroundings.
Burning with fever, her face flushed red, she lay motionless on the bed, looking inexplicably pitiful.
Gu Cheng’an was used to seeing Sheng Xia heavily made up, exuding an air of luxury and authority. He had never seen her like this—bare-faced and delicate, evoking a sense of vulnerability.
He walked to the bedside and looked down at her, examining her flushed little face, her small yet straight nose, and her long eyelashes that rested like those of a doll.
Strangely, the disgust he felt toward Sheng Xia lessened considerably. As she slept soundly, her phone lay charging on the bedside table.
Her WeChat was open, and messages kept popping up one after another.
Gu Cheng’an glanced over and saw that the number of unread messages had already reached several hundred.
She certainly seemed socially active, but he wondered what she was up to day in and day out.
As he pondered this, a message from a group chat caught his eye: “No wonder Li Shengxia is going crazy. If my husband refused to touch me, I’d have lost my mind long ago. What’s the difference between that and living as a widow?”
Gu Cheng’an was taken aback. How did these people know about his agreement with Sheng Xia? Someone as concerned about her reputation as Sheng Xia wouldn’t go around broadcasting it, and he certainly hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.
Another message came in: “That’s why Sheng Xia has been showing off her ‘happy marriage’ to everyone every day. Who knew it would backfire this time? On her birthday, Gu Cheng’an ignored her and even cheated with a female celebrity. I bet Li Shengxia is hiding at home crying right now! Poor thing!”
Gu Cheng’an frowned. He hadn’t realized that the outside world viewed his marriage to Sheng Xia in such a light.
Could her recent dramatic behavior be related to these rumors?
Thinking of the divorce agreement he had brought home yesterday, Gu Cheng’an instructed Jing Ci, “Go to the new house and dispose of that agreement. Also, prepare a new birthday gift and bring it over.”
Sheng Xia slept until the afternoon before waking up. Su Qiao was sitting on the sofa playing with her phone. Seeing Sheng Xia open her eyes, she put her phone down and stood up.
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better. I’m starving! I’m absolutely famished!”
“I knew you’d be hungry. I had it prepared for you earlier.” Su Qiao said, taking out the food she had asked her family’s housekeeper to prepare for Sheng Xia.
Just as Sheng Xia began devouring her meal, Jing Ci arrived.
As soon as he entered, he asked, “Is the young mistress feeling better?”
Jing Ci was Gu Cheng’an’s most trusted assistant. His presence represented Gu Cheng’an himself.
Recalling the events of the previous night, Sheng Xia felt a pang of anxiety. “Is there something you need, Assistant Jing?”
Jing Ci replied with a gentle expression, “Mr. Gu asked me to check on you. He’s currently tied up with work but will come to see you tonight.”
First sending his assistant to check on her, then planning to come in person to deal with her later—Sheng Xia’s heart sank. Was she about to be left with nothing?
“That’s not necessary. Your Mr. Gu is busy with work. I understand he has a lot on his plate. This is just a minor illness, so he doesn’t need to come see me.”
Sheng Xia had always seized every opportunity to spend time with Gu Cheng’an, always overjoyed at the chance. Her refusal this time took Jing Ci by surprise.”This is the birthday gift Mr. Gu prepared for the young madam.” Jing Ci handed the bag he was carrying to Sheng Xia.
It was the latest exclusive custom bracelet—Sheng Xia was sure to love it. Jing Ci thought to himself, only to see that Sheng Xia had no intention of opening the gift at all, casually setting it aside.
This left Jing Ci somewhat puzzled. Every time he came on behalf of Gu Cheng’an to deliver gifts, Sheng Xia’s expression was always one of delight. Why had it suddenly changed today?
Unable to discern what Sheng Xia was thinking, he called out to the outside, “Bring it in!”
A black swan cake was carefully carried in by a bodyguard, followed by a massive rose bear.
Su Qiao, standing nearby, sneered, “What kind of show is this? What special day is today? Let me check the almanac.”
Jing Ci smiled, “This is to make up for yesterday’s birthday gift. Mr. Gu had it prepared yesterday, but he couldn’t get through to the young madam’s phone.”
Su Qiao scoffed, and Sheng Xia didn’t believe Jing Ci’s nonsense either, unable to figure out what he was up to.
She forced a smile, “Thank you, Assistant Jing, for delivering the gifts. Please convey my thanks to your Mr. Gu!”
Jing Ci felt Sheng Xia’s words were perfunctory, but with his task completed, it wasn’t appropriate for him to linger, so he left.
Once sure Jing Ci had left, Su Qiao sneered, “I thought he came to demand an explanation. I didn’t expect it was to deliver gifts. What kind of act is this?”
“Probably Old Master and Old Madam Gu’s idea. Gu Cheng’an usually doesn’t dare to disobey their orders.”
“Is that so? Speaking of which, Old Master and Old Madam Gu truly dote on you. Since Old Master and Old Madam Gu requested it, the gift shouldn’t be something casual, right? Open it and see what it is.”
Sheng Xia expressionlessly unwrapped the gift, glanced at it, and tossed it aside. Su Qiao, however, was stunned by the gift.
“Wow, this is extravagant! It’s actually a limited-edition bracelet, with only three in the world. This thing is worth over 50 million, isn’t it? How did Gu Cheng’an suddenly become so generous?”
“Generous, my foot!” Sheng Xia sneered, her heart aching as she recalled the divorce agreement she saw last night. “I’m just a warehouse keeper. Sooner or later, all these things will have to be returned. This is worse than sending something practical, like food.”
As she spoke, she caught sight of the black swan cake on display and sneered again.
“The doctor said I can’t eat sweets, and here he is, rushing to disgust me. Truly Gu Cheng’an! How thoughtful. And this rose bear—I don’t like pink roses at all. I love red roses, so he deliberately sends pink ones to disgust me!”
The more Sheng Xia thought about it, the angrier she became, and she lost her appetite.
She was utterly worried now—how was she going to repay all that debt?
She opened the second-hand platform she had listed on and saw no activity at all.
Sheng Xia grew even more anxious, “Was I out of my mind before? Why did I buy so many impractical things?”
“Don’t even mention it—you were pretty foolish back then. To please Gu Cheng’an’s mother and Gu Tingting, how many gifts did you buy for them? Those two are ungrateful snakes, and Gu Cheng’an—he likes orchids, so you spent a fortune buying orchids to win his favor. That pot of what’s-it-called, Orchid Aristocrat, was worth over 20 million, right? Did Gu Cheng’an even glance at it?”
Mentioning the orchids reminded Sheng Xia, “I need to sell those orchids too. Come to think of it, those orchids are worth a lot of money.”The orchid she bought for Gu Cheng’an wasn’t just any ordinary one—it was a twenty-million-dollar plant. Sheng Xia recalled how she had proudly presented that twenty-million-dollar orchid to Gu Cheng’an, hoping for a word of praise.
Yet Gu Cheng’an only uttered two sparing words: “Not bad!”
For those two words, she visited the orchid greenhouse every other day. Not knowing how to care for orchids, she went out of her way to learn, even hiring an expensive tutor for hands-on guidance. Even when she was sick, she never forgot to tend to the orchids. Was it really for the orchids?
It was for Gu Cheng’an. Sadly, her devotion was ultimately misplaced.
Remembering the kick that sent her tumbling into the sea, Sheng Xia suddenly sat up: “I’m going to sell the orchids—all of them!”