Fang Ruoshi had been having a rough few days. Due to his association with Han Weicheng, Ji Chuyun grew increasingly disdainful of him—and her methods of torment became even more extreme.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" The balcony door slammed open. Ji Chuyun, who was supposed to be at her company, leaned against the glass of the floor-to-ceiling window with her arms crossed, looking at Fang Ruoshi with mocking contempt.
Fang Ruoshi wiped the corners of his eyes and scrambled to his feet in panic. "Why are you back?"
"If I didn't come back, how would I get to see this oh-so-'spirited' side of you?" Ji Chuyun's tone was full of amusement. She stepped forward and gripped his jaw, tilting it from side to side.
"You know," she mused, "what first drew me to you was that face—handsome and scholarly, with a hint of aloof pride in your eyes. And I thought… what a thrill it would be, to conquer a man like that. To see such a pristine face flushed with desire, unable to control himself. How intoxicating would that be?"
"In the beginning, you didn't disappoint. You were proud, unyielding. I even heard you were quite accomplished, supposedly outstanding in Han Weicheng's team."
"I thought, if you could keep that arrogance, I might even be willing to pull all the strings I have to help you rise to the top. But what a shame…"
Ji Chuyun clicked her tongue. "Turns out, all that talk of intellect and skill was just a lie. You couldn't even get into grad school. A worthless man groveling at my feet just to stay—pathetic."
"That moment… that's when I lost all interest in you." She waved her hand dismissively. "But do you know why I still kept you around? Why I helped you get into the research institute?"
Fang Ruoshi's eyes reddened. His molars clenched. "Why?"
"I wanted to see… if I gave you a second chance, would you turn back into the man who once made my heart skip a beat? Once you succeed, would you regain your arrogance?"
Ji Chuyun chuckled. "And then, what would you do with me? Fall in love with me? Or plot your revenge?"
"You're insane." Fang Ruoshi couldn't comprehend how such twisted thoughts had been the reason Ji Chuyun kept him close.
She was like an adventurer raising a wolf—trying to tame it while secretly craving the moment it turned wild again.
Didn't she fear being bitten in the end?
Although Fang Ruoshi didn't see himself as someone ungrateful, with the way Ji Chuyun treated him, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't take revenge someday.
Ji Chuyun smiled faintly. "Yes, I suppose I am insane. Insane enough to believe that a man who sold his dignity could ever rise again. Don't you think it's laughable?"
She gave him a shove, then yanked him by the arm and dragged him back inside the room.
Fang Ruoshi fell onto the bed. Ji Chuyun turned to the wardrobe and pulled out a whip...
Everyone has secrets. Ji Chuyun might appear like the elegant, respectable daughter of a noble family—but few would know that underneath, she harbored an intense need for control and domination.
When Shu Lanzhou heard that Fang Ruoshi had joined Han Weicheng's team, she had just received the lab results for the medicine Zhang He had given her.
After returning to the Mu family that day, she had tried to subtly probe Mu Ershu for any useful information but came up empty-handed.
She had even used the pretext of testing her own medical skills to check the pulses of everyone in the household—but Mu Rongxie's pulse revealed nothing unusual.
That left her frustrated, even doubting her own skills—what kind of illness could it be that didn't show up in a pulse reading?
Still, the pulse did reveal something else. And when she combined that with the results in her hand, Shu Lanzhou was starting to get a headache.
Mu Rongxie didn't seem to be physically weak—he reportedly exercised regularly, ate healthily, and wasn't involved with any women. So why was he taking so many kidney supplements?
"What are you thinking about?" Mu Side walked over when he saw her sitting on the sofa in a daze, leaning down to kiss her gently.
"Is it about Fang Ruoshi?"
He was the one who had just told her about Fang Ruoshi joining Han Weicheng's team.
Shu Lanzhou shook her head. "No, look at this."
She handed him her phone. "These are the meds your uncle is taking. I don't think they're right. Long-term use isn't just unhelpful—it could destroy his health."
"Tell me the truth—what's really going on with him?" She moved closer to Mu Side on the couch. "Husband, I'm not trying to snoop on your uncle's private life. I genuinely want to help. Even if not for him, I want to do it for Aunt Xingyu. She's taught me so much these past two years—I owe her."
"They clearly love each other. If they miss their chance over some unspoken issue, won't they regret it forever? They're not young anymore—what's so impossible to face?"
Mu Side sighed. "Where did you get these? Are you sure he's actually taking them?"
"Don't worry about how I got them. Just answer me—can we finally talk about this?" Shu Lanzhou couldn't stand patients who hid their illness out of pride.
Especially when that patient was family.
Mu Side hesitated, then gave in with a resigned look. "It's a long story. I wouldn't usually talk about this without his permission, but since you've already guessed, I won't keep it from you anymore."
"More than twenty years ago, Grandpa performed acupuncture on someone and the patient unexpectedly died. He had to resign and return to the Mu family, but the other party didn't stop there."
"The deceased's family was powerful. Their children held significant positions. Even though the court ruled it a medical accident and cleared Grandpa of wrongdoing, he lost everything."
"Not just him—Grandma had to switch jobs, my parents' careers were derailed, and Uncle and my two aunts weren't spared either."
"The family used their influence to not only ruin the Mu family's medical reputation in the media but also sabotaged them at work. My parents had no choice but to move abroad."
"Mu hospitals collapsed one by one, leaving only the TCM hospital in Shen City. My eldest aunt broke up with her fiancé and got into a car accident on the way back—she lost her legs…"
"Our family was falling apart. My uncle, furious, went to confront that family. He was beaten nearly to death—barely survived."
"His fiancée at the time—Aunt Xingyu—was enraged and sued them. Thanks to the Long family's intervention, the son of that powerful family was arrested."
"As the investigation continued, more of their crimes were uncovered. A few years later, they emigrated abroad."
"Everyone said the incident was a lose-lose battle between two powerful families, with neither side coming out on top."
"But no one knew the true price my uncle paid. After recovering, he discovered…"
Mu Side trailed off, overwhelmed with emotion.
Shu Lanzhou was stunned. "Your uncle… he…"
Mu Side shut his eyes. "Yes. He woke up and found he had lost his sexual function. He didn't want to burden Aunt Xingyu, so he broke up with her. But she's just as stubborn."
All these years, though they hadn't seen each other, and though Aunt Xingyu had stormed off in anger, neither had ever betrayed the other.
Especially Long Xingyu—young, beautiful, and pursued by many, yet she never chose anyone else. She had been waiting for Mu Rongxie all this time.
More than anyone, Mu Side hoped this story would have a happy ending.
Just as Shu Lanzhou had said—not just for his uncle, but for Aunt Xingyu's sake, he, too, wanted to see his uncle healed.