Lu Zhixia woke up to find it was already evening.
The unfamiliar surroundings left her disoriented for a moment.
Moments later, she heard Shen Wanqing’s voice on the phone, soft and reassuring: “She’s with me right now. Don’t worry—she just got a bit of heatstroke, on top of being overworked lately.”
Lu Zhixia lay there, mulling it over. Overworked lately? She hadn’t done anything exhausting…
Her eyelids felt too heavy to lift. More than that, she recalled what she’d said to Shen Wanqing right before passing out. Now that her head was clear, all she felt was embarrassment.
She wanted to keep pretending to sleep, but then Shen Wanqing started tending to her wounds. The sharp sting made her yelp. “Hey! Be gentle!”
The alcohol burned like fire, bringing tears to her eyes in an instant.
Her eyes rimmed red, she looked even more pitiful than before.
“So you do feel pain,” Shen Wanqing said coolly, pressing her back down onto the bed. “Once you’re better, we’ll settle accounts.”
“What accounts?” Lu Zhixia squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to face the beautiful visage right in front of her. It only made her heart race.
“Who were you fighting with?” Shen Wanqing leaned in close, blowing gently on the wound as she applied ointment.
The soft puffs of air left Lu Zhixia feeling limp and boneless, her cheeks burning. She turned her head away in annoyance. “Don’t blow on it.”
Shen Wanqing pinched her ear, drawing a string of pained wails. “You’re abusing a patient! Have you no heart?”
“You’d better behave and tell me everything.” Shen Wanqing fixed her gaze on those bright eyes. “Who did you get into a fight with?”
Lu Zhixia pressed her lips together and said nothing, her expression one of stubborn defiance—as if she could be killed but never humiliated.
Shen Wanqing continued as before, blowing on each scrape and bruise: her face, her nose, her ears.
She applied medicine methodically to every spot. When she blew on Lu Zhixia’s ear, the latter shuddered all over, her face flushing crimson as she cried out with her eyes still squeezed shut. “I told you not to blow!”
“Open your eyes. I won’t blow anymore.” Shen Wanqing coaxed her.
Lu Zhixia believed it and fluttered her eyes open—only for Shen Wanqing to blow a big puff right into them, carrying a faint fruity fragrance.
“You blew the tears right out of my eyes!” Lu Zhixia reached up to rub them, but Shen Wanqing batted her hand away. “Behave yourself. Keep squirming, and I’ll bite you next.”
Shen Wanqing let the matter drop after that. Once the medicine was on, she had Lu Zhixia call Yan Fanghua back.
She needed to make some calls herself. With the marriage alliance between their families now in place, Lu Zhixia represented the Shen Family’s reputation in certain respects.
Shen Yutang was understandably displeased. It had only been days since the union, and already Lu Zhixia was trending on the hot search, beaten and bruised all over.
Shen Wanqing assured him she would look into it and urged the Shen Family not to get involved. She reiterated firmly: “Anything concerning the Yan Family goes through me and my father first. Please don’t interfere without consulting us.”
After hanging up with the Shen Family, she fielded calls from Asia-Pacific Headquarters and the leadership at Rhine Group, all treating the incident with grave concern.
Haijing Senhua was in a precarious position right now—internal conflicts unresolved and prospects looking bleak. Public sentiment toward its stock was deeply pessimistic.
With Lu Zhixia suddenly blowing up online, anything short of positive news meant the PR team would be scrambling to manage the fallout from here on out.
Netizens were already questioning her status. As an interpreter for the Translation Bureau—a national representative—what was this about her showing up on the street covered in blood?
The media outlets scheduled to interview her were thrilled at the prospect. It was pure traffic gold. They proactively reached out to Yan Fanghua, pushing to move up the in-person meeting.
Yan Fanghua didn’t agree right away. “This needs to be discussed with Lu Zhixia first.”
The media head took it upon herself. “I’ll handle talking to Lu Zhixia.”
Lu Zhixia was still lounging lazily on the bed when the call came through, proposing they meet sooner than planned.
She wasn’t oblivious to their motives. “So, whatever I say, you’ll report it word for word?”
They perked up at that, hinting coyly: “If you give us something substantial and verifiable, we’ll publish it exactly as is.”
“Let me think it over. I’m pretty tied up right now.”
Shen Wanqing had overheard the exchange. Once Lu Zhixia hung up, she sat down beside her and cautioned: “No matter what you’re thinking, we handle problems like this internally. Don’t go leaking to outsiders—especially not the media. They’re unreliable.”
Lu Zhixia rolled over with a huff. “This is my business. It’s got nothing to do with you.”
“Nothing to do with me?” Shen Wanqing reached out to turn her around, only to hear the muffled retort: “You said it yourself—no interfering or prying into each other’s private lives.”
Shen Wanqing couldn’t help but laugh softly in exasperation. She leaned in closer to peer at that puffed-up little face. It looked just like a little frog.
She spoke earnestly: “I still have to say it: after the marriage, it’s not just about us as individuals anymore. Our jobs factor in too. So please handle this calmly—don’t drag it out into the open.”
Lu Zhixia huffed but said nothing more.
That night, too uncomfortable to eat, Lu Zhixia skipped dinner. Shen Wanqing had the chef make her some porridge.
“Come here.” Shen Wanqing sat down beside her. “Open up.”
It wasn’t overly intimate, but having someone wait on her while she was sick was a first.
Leaning back against the pillow, Lu Zhixia sipped the porridge and scrolled through her phone. The Weibo trending topics had vanished.
It had been scrubbed so thoroughly that Lu Zhixia turned up nothing.
Shen Wanqing had clearly known about it ahead of time, and she didn’t try to stop her from using her phone.
Lu Zhixia glanced up at her. “Did you have someone take care of it?”
“Mm-hmm.” Shen Wanqing didn’t bother hiding it. In a calm tone, she said, “From now on, any messy problems involving you, I’ll handle. So my advice is: try not to cause me trouble.”
Lu Zhixia embodied pure defiance. Not only did she show no signs of backing down, she shot back brazenly, “Then you’d better not provoke me, or else I’ll go out and stir up some real chaos.”
Shen Wanqing tapped her forehead lightly with the spoon handle. “What a rebellious one.”
It had been a while since Lu Zhixia last fell ill, and she couldn’t help marveling at the treatment—someone catering to her every need. Even so, she was surprised she’d collapsed, and she asked, “Did the doctor say why I fainted? I’ve felt fine lately.”
Shen Wanqing scooped up some porridge, blew on it to cool it, and held it to Lu Zhixia’s lips. “Overexertion.”
“I didn’t feel tired.” Lu Zhixia took a sip, only to hear Shen Wanqing add, “Your gland is fatigued.”
She coughed twice, her face turning bright red. After a long pause, she mumbled, “That’s all because of you.”
Shen Wanqing didn’t argue. “You’re right. I’ll take responsibility.”
All in all, Shen Wanqing was as gentle as water that evening. She even offered to help Lu Zhixia bathe if she needed it.
Far too embarrassed, Lu Zhixia turned her down flat and scolded Shen Wanqing for being so improper.
Once Lu Zhixia slipped into the bathroom, Shen Wanqing shook her head in helpless amusement. She set a fresh set of clothes by the door and called out, “A nightgown makes it hard to take your temperature. Your clothes are right here.”
Lu Zhixia reflected on the day, and it felt like a dream.
She avoided dwelling on the past. Whenever she did, all sorts of bizarre memories surfaced.
This time around, it was heatstroke that laid her low—along with scrapping with Gu Yanming. She’d taken hits only because she hadn’t been at her best.
Lu Zhixia nursed her grudge. She’d get her payback eventually.
She could settle a score, sure. But love? Her fingertips idly skimmed the water’s surface, and a pang of sorrow tugged at her heart.
Why didn’t Shen Wanqing like her one bit? Sure, Shen Wanqing hadn’t professed love for anyone, but admirers were always swarming around her. So why did this woman—who clearly relied on her so heavily—insist on drawing such firm lines between them?
Did Shen Wanqing truly care for no one? Lu Zhixia’s imagination ran rampant, conjuring visions of some forbidden white moonlight buried deep in Shen Wanqing’s heart, one no one else could ever replace.
Romance really was a pain.
Lu Zhixia shook her head and pounded the water with her fists, growling to herself, “Forget romance—even dogs don’t bother with that crap. When the mood strikes, there’s never a shortage of takers. Who needs a damn bicycle anyway?”
She muttered pep talks to herself in the bathroom. Outside, Shen Wanqing sat with her laptop, working steadily without a break.
A message popped up in the LT software: I’ll be there tomorrow night. Can you pick me up?
Sirius: Sure.
YSL: I miss you so much. How long’s it been? Last time was Christmas.
Sirius: Yeah.
YSL: All this damn business travel’s fault. We’d have met up ages ago otherwise. I told you I’d rush back for the weekend, but nooo.
Sirius: I won’t bolt. I’m right here. No rush.
YSL: Anything fun happen? While I was gone, catch sight of anyone interesting? 【sneaky grin】
Sirius: I admire all the good-looking ones. Should I drive to get you, or are you driving?
YSL: I’m driving—the red Ferrari roadster. Finally splurged on it. It’s badass.
…
As they chatted, YSL: Your replies are all over the place. What’s going on? Someone else keeping you busy?
Sirius: Nah, just handling work.
Shen Wanqing glanced toward the bathroom. Whoever was inside was humming tunelessly, belting out some song.
Lalala all the way—like a kid in senior kindergarten.
YSL: Video call? Why’d you say no earlier? Boo.
Sirius: I’m just in a bathrobe.
YSL: Pfft, who cares? It’s me! I’m wearing a strapless gown right now.
The singing shifted inside, turning into some woo-woo-woo-woo refrain—who even knew what it was.
Shen Wanqing’s lips curved in a smile. Where did she dig up all these goofy tunes?
YSL: You there?
Shen Wanqing started typing, the input indicator blinking…
Then came a sharp smack from the bathroom. Shen Wanqing shot to her feet. “Everything okay?”
“Shen Wanqing, I broke your red wine…”
Lu Zhixia’s voice carried the damp huskiness unique to right after a bath, somewhat sexy, along with a hint of annoyance. “I just wanted a sip.”
Shen Wanqing pushed open the door and called out, “Don’t move.”
Lu Zhixia’s face flushed bright red. She stammered, “Y-you, you—what are you doing!”
She cupped her chest protectively with both hands, then realized that wasn’t enough and moved one hand lower.
Unfortunately, that still didn’t cover everything. She turned around, but then worried about exposing her backside.
Shen Wanqing burst out laughing. “Are you putting on a body art performance over there?”
Lu Zhixia tried to walk away, but Shen Wanqing grabbed her arm, her tone stern. “I told you not to move.”
With that, Shen Wanqing bent down and scooped her up by the waist. Lu Zhixia’s face burned so hot it felt like it might drip blood. No matter what, she couldn’t relax, and she huffed in outrage, “You! You! You’re the pervert!” Gu Yanming had called her a pervert too—she felt utterly wronged.
“Yes, yes, sure,” Shen Wanqing said as she carried her toward the door. With one hand, she snatched a bath towel off the rack. “I’m the pervert. The floor’s covered in broken glass—don’t go moving around.”
“You’re not just any pervert,” Lu Zhixia said, baffled as she snatched the towel to cover herself. “A top-tier Omega shouldn’t have strength like that.”
Shen Wanqing didn’t hold back. She swung her arm and tossed Lu Zhixia straight onto the bed.
Terrified of flashing her, Lu Zhixia wrapped the towel tightly around herself and was just about to unleash a tirade.
Shen Wanqing wiggled her fingertips, her expression utterly calm and her heart beating steady. “You’d better not get mad at me. Otherwise, I’ll really show you what a pervert looks like.”
“You…” Lu Zhixia tested the waters at the edge of danger. Shen Wanqing arched a brow. “Hiss.”
Lu Zhixia shrank back toward the edge of the bed. Once she was sure Shen Wanqing wasn’t going to grab her, she provocatively shouted, “Big pervert!” With that, she bolted upright to run.
The next second, there was the soft sound of footsteps landing. Lu Zhixia whipped around—Shen Wanqing was already right behind her. She looped an arm around Lu Zhixia’s waist, yanked her back onto the bed, and pressed down on top of her. “Let me show you what a real pervert is like.”
