Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: A Tentative Kiss

After a short while, his phone rang again. Irritated, he picked it up and saw it was his mother calling. He answered the phone—

“Zhou Yizhi! Why aren’t you back yet? Where on earth have you been fooling around? Do you know your sister has been admitted to the hospital?”

Zhou Yizhi’s expression changed abruptly. “Zhou Xianyu got hospitalized?”

Liu Zelan sobbed, “It’s Qianqian. She fell down the stairs…”

Zhou Yizhi immediately sprang to his feet. “I’m coming right now!”

———

When Zhou Yizhi arrived at the hospital, Zhou Qianqian had just been admitted. She lay on the hospital bed, pale, with her forehead wrapped in gauze. Her eyes were dark, fixed on the blanket, silent.

Zhou Yizhi paused, heart pounding. “What exactly happened?”

Hearing his voice, Zhou Qianqian’s eyes brightened. Her watery gaze was filled with fragility and sorrow. With a sobbing voice, she said, “Brother! I really don’t know what’s wrong with Sister! Is she really still the sister I know?”

Zhou Qianqian cried so hard she almost fainted. Zhou Yizhi quickly comforted her, urging her not to get too upset. Zhou Lide wasn’t in the room—probably arranging her hospitalization. Liu Zelan sat beside the bed, looking very pale.

Liu Zelan said, “Isn’t it your other ‘good’ sister? She actually pushed Qianqian down the stairs in front of everyone! Look at what she’s done to Qianqian.”

Zhou Yizhi was stunned, eyes wide. “Mom, is that true? Did Xiaoyu push Qianqian down the stairs?”

He turned to ask Zhou Qianqian, “Why would she do that? What happened between you two?”

Zhou Qianqian could only sob, unable to form words. Stammering, she said, “She… ugh… told me to… to stay… ugh… away…”

Her unclear words made Zhou Yizhi misunderstand. He thought Zhou Xianyu was taking her frustrations out on Zhou Qianqian again because of Jiang Wenhua.

Fury burned in his eyes, mixed with profound disappointment. He never expected Zhou Xianyu to become like this—she didn’t even care about sisterly bonds anymore. She truly didn’t care whether Zhou Qianqian lived or died.

To her, were these family members already meaningless?

———

The curtains were tightly drawn. Gu Qichuan lay beside Zhou Xianyu, a laptop open before him as he read documents. His voice was low, occasionally glancing at the girl sleeping soundly beside him.

She lay half-buried in the pillow, cheeks flushed. She liked curling up when she slept, a psychological sign of insecurity. Gu Qichuan gently brushed aside the strands of hair covering her face.

He glanced at the video message Qin Tan had sent him on his phone. It showed the entire argument between Zhou Xianyu and Zhou Qianqian on the second floor. His eyes darkened, revealing no discernible reaction.

Previously, out of respect for Zhou Qianqian as Zhou Xianyu’s sister, he hadn’t laid a hand on her. But now, Zhou Qianqian had crossed a line—she even endangered Zhou Xianyu’s life.

Zhou Xianyu stirred slightly, her eyes heavy and unfocused as she opened them and looked at Gu Qichuan, drowsily asking, “What time is it…”

Gu Qichuan set the laptop aside and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her flushed cheek. “A little past ten. Are you hungry?”

She looked up at his handsome face, gradually waking. She touched the spot where he had kissed her, dazed. “Not hungry. What are you doing?”

Gu Qichuan handed her the phone, showing her the chat screen. “Qin Tan also sent me a surveillance video. When do you plan to release it?”

Hearing this, Zhou Xianyu perked up, swiftly sitting beside Gu Qichuan and leaning over to watch the screen intently.

Gu Qichuan lowered his gaze slightly, the scent she carried filling his nose as she leaned closer.

Zhou Xianyu was in high spirits, carefully studying the video. “Great, it’s all recorded. Let’s not release it yet. Zhou Qianqian must have more tricks up her sleeve. We’ll wait until the public uproar grows.”

Gu Qichuan couldn’t help but ruffle her hair. She smiled brightly, then instinctively exited the video and returned to the contacts page, immediately noticing Gu Qichuan’s pinned chat.

The profile picture was hers, with the label “Wife.”

She instinctively looked up at him, locking eyes with his steady gaze. A strange fluttering sensation overwhelmed her—shy and speechless.

Zhou Xianyu handed the phone back, pretending to look for her own phone as she turned, trying to conceal her embarrassment. Gu Qichuan’s brow twitched; the familiar scent swept over her as he leaned in, clasping her waist.

She glanced back anxiously, hearing his question, “What did you and Jiang Wenhua talk about today?”

Zhou Xianyu’s waist itched where he held her. She couldn’t help but relax into him, sitting down in his lap, both hands tugging at his strong arms. “Wait…”

Only when his palm moved up slightly did she recover, looking a bit dazed. “We didn’t talk about anything much. He just came to say some nonsense.”

———

Gu Qichuan replied softly, unhurried, “Then why were you smiling so happily?”

Zhou Xianyu recalled herself smiling. “Huh? I smiled? Even if I did, it was definitely a sarcastic smile…”

The man didn’t let go, holding her firmly. Looking into her eyes shimmering with scattered light, his lips parted slightly. “Then what does a happy smile look like?”

Zhou Xianyu’s eyes curved slightly upward, as if amused by his teasing, lips curling, and she reached out to push his shoulder. “What are you doing…”

The next moment, Gu Qichuan pinned her gently on the bed, carefully avoiding her injured arm.

His broad palm rested against her neck, his deep, restrained face close before he pressed a tentative, tender kiss.

Zhou Xianyu’s eyes glistened with tears, listening to his breath grow rapid, the kiss turning urgent and heavy—his restraint vanished, replaced by fierce possessiveness.

Her cheeks flushed, flustered, she grabbed at his restless hands. His heated, rough fingertips traced her soft waist, as if revealing a first fierce side in front of her. She hurriedly clutched his neck.

“No… stop…”

Gu Qichuan’s gaze darkened. He gripped her struggling wrists, lifting them above her head, deepening the kiss. It trailed downward, burying into the pale skin of her neck like a blazing flame, setting fire everywhere.

Zhou Xianyu couldn’t resist his advance and hastily covered his lips, her eyes tinged with pink from his teasing. “No, I have relatives visiting.”

Gu Qichuan’s eyes never left her. He inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, and pressed lingering kisses on her soft cheek, holding her waist possessively. His voice was low and deep. “Hmm.”

A few kisses shouldn’t be too much, he thought, unwilling to let go.

The girl was soft, fragrant, a delicate bundle he could hold with both hands. For him, a single glance from Zhou Xianyu was enough to captivate him utterly.

She was like a cat intoxicated by catnip.