Chen Fu sat on the sofa with her knees crossed, the angle revealing the beautiful lines of her taut thighs, covered with a thin layer of muscle from years of dancing. Even though the pain had persisted for a long time, her nerves refused to go numb; every movement of her right leg felt like being pricked by needles. Her head was bowed low, but she slowly raised it after hearing Lu Xiaomi's voice.
Lu Xiaomi had broken the bouquet of roses she had prepared for Chen Fu, scattering them on the ground as fallen petals. Lu Xiaomi thought it was alright, she would clean it up in a bit, but then she saw that Chen Fu's originally pale face was now flushed red.
"Mr. Lu, I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Her voice was flat, but Lu Xiaomi felt that Chen Fu's voice sounded stiff and strained.
I rarely saw Chen Fu cry. Her persistence over so many years without results only made her seem stubborn. Some called her heartless, others said she was inflexible and deserved to be sidelined. Perhaps that's just how the world is; some people are simply too strong and upright to fit in, and their admirable qualities become the basis for others' criticisms.
She did not answer Chen Fu's question.
"How much did they force you to drink?"
Lu Xiaomi asked in a low voice.
"Luyu".
Chen Fu called her name.
Like a terrifying siren, Lu Xiaomi felt that Chen Fu's call was almost like a spell. The wine she had just drunk was taking effect, and the alcohol made her dizzy uncontrollably. That familiar feeling surged up again. She fought off the dizziness and could only see a few scattered red rose petals on the large white plush carpet in the living room.
Why are you so good to me?
Lu Xiaomi's pupils dilated a size because of the question.
Chen Fu gently tugged at Lu Xiaomi's collar. She hadn't used much force, but Lu Xiaomi could see the veins bulging on it. A tangle of emotions overwhelmed Lu Xiaomi, making her unsteady on her feet. She pushed Chen Fu down onto the sofa. That all-too-familiar face was so close to hers. Chen Fu's eyes were downcast, her warm breath brushing against Lu Xiaomi's face.
because I love you.
With a sudden, overwhelming realization, Lu Xiaomi panicked. No, it's not like that yet. She frantically tried to find an excuse; she thought, "I just admire him."
The weak excuse shattered when she met Chen Fu's eyes. The scene before her reminded her of a dream from a few days ago, in which she shouted at Su Qing, "I like Chen Fu, so what?" Then she woke up, and the cold, mechanical female voice of 0505 pressed against her eardrums.
"You finally admit it."
Chen Fu reached out a hand and stroked Lu Xiaomi's cheek.
Do you like my face?
When she asked the questions, she had a subtle smile on her face. Her eyes were like a river of stars, and hundreds of smiling faces hidden in her phone's photo album finally appeared in front of her. Lu Xiaomi almost drowned in her eyes.
I like it, of course I like it.
I love it so much, I wish I could have it ingrained in my very being.
When answering, it's like a silly dog, its tail wagging tirelessly.
"It's yours now."
Chen Fu said softly.
Chapter 13 CP13
It's mine now.
A strange electric current surged through her body, and her turbulent emotions reached their peak the moment Chen Fu's lips touched hers. "She's kissing me," Lu Xiaomi thought.
A fiery body heat pressed against her, the ticklish sensation of their lips blossoming into flowers. Shallow breaths brushed against her nose and neck. Chen Fu's alluring eyes, half-closed, appeared narrowed, almost sacrificial. Her beautiful lips pressed against Lu Xiaomi's. The excessive stimulation left her mind blank; she could only hear her own rapid heartbeat. She could smell Chen Fu's scent, but the harshness and delays had shattered Chen Fu from the inside out, like a flower that blooms to its fullest only to wither, her slender soul dripping into a heavy, stagnant red.
Lu Xiaomi had only one thought in her mind.
I love her so much, I want to give her everything I have.
But no sooner had this thought arisen than Lu Xiaomi felt an indescribable pain, and the OOC alarm in her mental sea began to sound frantically.
Sure enough, at such a crucial moment, she went out of character again.
Your system is really sensitive...
However, Lu Xiaomi is not flustered at all. After her heroic rescue, Chen Fu's favorability towards her has reached an astonishing 20 points, which is more than enough to offset one instance of system OOC.
"I'm sorry, host."
0413 appeared in her mind's eye. The once-proud little white fox was now listless and looked guilty.
"I forgot to tell you last time, our system stipulates that the favorability points gained will only be credited the next day. It's not past midnight yet, so the favorability points you can currently see are still 5 points, which can't offset one out-of-character (OOC) moment..."
...
? ? ?
What can we do? We can't just ask her to push Chen Fu away now and say, "Wait, let's kiss later," can we?
Before Lu Xiaomi could even voice her grievances, the OOC (Out of Character) warning echoing in her mind tangled her thoughts into a jumbled mess. The voice of 0413 gradually faded away, and Lu Xiaomi suppressed the urge to beat it up, calmly considering the situation: Lu Yu didn't like Chen Fu, and to avoid even worse consequences, she should push Chen Fu away now.
Thinking this, Lu Xiaomi tried to raise her arm to push Chen Fu away, but she lost her strength when her fingertips touched Chen Fu's chest. Chen Fu, with her eyes closed, thought she was hinting at something, so she held Lu Xiaomi's hand and intertwined her fingers with hers. The faint smell of alcohol instantly began to entangle between the two of them.
It's too late.
Since kissing will cause skin irritation whether you kiss or not, why not kiss first!
relative!
In a moment of despair, Lu Xiaomi accepted Chen Fu's kiss, and in her panic, she felt a sense of impending doom, as if the world was about to collapse.
The moment of the kiss was stretched out endlessly. In the instant of exhaustion, Chen Fu was finally released. She looked much better than she did during the day—the cautious demeanor she had displayed on the surface was gone, and her furrowed brows relaxed slightly. Like a doll that Lu Xiaomi had repaired, Chen Fu lay back in her arms.
I love her so much, I want to hug her.
Lu Xiaomi has liked Chen Fu for three or four years, and this liking has never changed since the first time she saw her. In the rapidly developing fan circle in mainland China, this can be considered a long-lasting affection.
But Lu Xiaomi can no longer control her body.
Lu Xiaomi looked at herself as she stood up from the narrow sofa, tugging at the wrinkles that had formed on her clothes.
"Have you forgotten what I told you last time?"
We're doomed.
Chen Fu's smile froze, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. The person in front of her looked so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. The shy smile from a few minutes ago vanished. She felt utterly humiliated on Luyu Island, and the warmth of their comforting embrace was gone.
"Did I say I don't like these low-class tricks? Or are you really like Ye Xin said, throwing yourself at me so easily?"
The malicious speculation came out of Lu Yu's own mouth. Lu Xiaomi tried her best to control herself, making the words sound hoarse. She heard the sound of her own heart breaking.
Don't listen to her.
Forget everything that happened tonight.
This was their first kiss. It was Lu Xiaomi's first kiss, and also Chen Fu's first kiss. She had been in the industry for so long and had never been in a relationship. This bold move could be considered a gamble. The person who had just saved her from a predicament at the dinner table was now saying the same heart-wrenching words. Chen Fu's eyes trembled.
The joy of completing the mission vanished along with the strange feelings in her heart, and the cold, mechanical female voice of 0505 echoed in Chen Fu's mind.
"Mission failed."
Under Lu Xiaomi's panicked gaze, Chen Fu stood up in a disheveled state. Lu Yu's words were too hard for her to accept, and her vision blurred.
She wanted to pack her things and leave, regardless of whether she could hail a car outside. The villa was in a remote location, and she would walk back even if she had to walk alone. However, her numb and aching right leg wouldn't obey her commands, and Chen Fu lost her balance and suddenly fell to the ground.
The 0505 voice rang out again.
"The punishment will now begin."
*
The villa was built on a hillside in the suburbs, in a very remote location. It took more than half an hour to drive from there to the nearest hospital. By the time they arrived at the hospital, it was past midnight. Knowing it was in the wrong, 0413 apologized profusely the whole way, assuring Lu Xiaomi that all twenty points of goodwill had been credited to its account and that the previous blunder would never happen again.
If Lu Xiaomi weren't too busy arguing with it right now, she would have really wanted to call 0413 and use it to make soup. Chen Fu was exhausted after a long day, and the pain in her right leg couldn't keep up with her sleepiness. She had barely fallen asleep by the time she arrived at the hospital.
Having witnessed herself hurt Chen Fu, Lu Xiaomi was initially filled with guilt. She was completely at a loss as to how to face Chen Fu, but this helplessness vanished the moment she saw Chen Fu injured. Lu Xiaomi rushed to the registration desk to register, then accompanied Chen Fu to get an X-ray. The doctor diagnosed that her fracture hadn't fully healed, and the excessive exercise had almost caused further displacement of the fracture site. Hearing this, Lu Xiaomi broke out in a cold sweat.
The doctor advised her to stay in the hospital for a few days to rest. Overwhelmed by sleepiness, Chen Fu no longer wanted to leave. She had spent the afternoon in the rain and drunk a lot of cold wine, resulting in a slight fever. She was now nestled heavily in Lu Xiaomi's arms, the lower half of her face hidden in a thick woolen scarf. Her quiet appearance made Lu Xiaomi sigh deeply.
The VIP ward was large, and even the beds were spacious. Lu Xiaomi didn't call a caregiver; she dampened a towel and wiped Chen Fu's face. Chen Fu was awakened from her sleep by the disturbance, and when she opened her eyes, all she saw was a gloomy, pale face. Her blue and white striped hospital gown was half-draped over her body; she was half-sitting on the bed and half-sitting in Lu Xiaomi's lap, retreating in a daze.
"I don't want to wear this..."
The memories in that half-dreaming, half-awake state seemed even more real and terrifying. In a daze, Chen Fu thought she had returned to a year and a half ago, wearing the same blue and white striped hospital gown and the same gray hospital bed.
She stayed in the hospital ward for over a month, and apart from the first day, very few people visited her. She had thought that after her heartbreak, she would lie in bed motionless until she died, but physiological instincts never disappear, and there was still a lot of awkwardness to deal with in reality. It was only when she hopped step by step towards the bathroom with one foot on the ground that she realized she had romanticized and simplified her idea of death.
Feeling uncomfortable all over, every pore screamed reluctance. Like sitting on pins and needles, upon seeing the familiar hospital bed again, Chen Fu hid in Lu Xiaomi's arms. She was too terrified to remember that the person in front of her had just rejected her.
Don't you want to stay here?
The person in his arms nodded slightly.
Lu Xiaomi sighed and gently comforted Chen Fu, saying that they could make do for one night and wait until tomorrow. She said that if Chen Fu felt a little better tomorrow, she would take her home and hire a private doctor. She said that a private doctor could treat her just as well, and that an IV drip wouldn't hurt as much as this place.
When Chen Fu arrived, she was wearing a sundress. Even though the room was heated, her skin still felt a chill.
Lu Xiaomi coaxed Chen Fu to put on the cotton hospital gown, saying she would only wear it for one night.
Chen Fu had a high fever, and Lu Xiaomi felt as if she were holding a hot coal in her arms. The person in her arms had a flushed face, and her delicate features were scrunched up. Chen Fu was four years older than her, but perhaps because she was in a state of embarrassment, she looked much younger than her actual age.
Lu Xiaomi gently pulled Chen Fu out from under the layers of blankets, rolled out of bed, and went to call the nurse. But as soon as she left Lu Xiaomi's embrace, Chen Fu struggled, tightly gripping Lu Xiaomi's hand and refusing to let her go. Chen Fu's palm was warm and felt substantial in her hand. Lu Xiaomi had seen these hands with their distinct knuckles many times before, always adorned with various jewelry and rings, but this was the first time she had seen them so obediently resting in her palm.
She looked like a little child at this moment, clinging to Lu Xiaomi's sleeve in her sleep, not letting her leave, a stark contrast to the person who had smiled and told Lu Xiaomi "I know" just hours earlier.
In my memory, Chen Fu always seemed so calm and composed. No matter what situation she faced, she never showed the slightest bit of vulnerability. Even when she was rejected by Lu Yu, she just gritted her teeth and said she understood, and then started packing her things to leave.
Lu Xiaomi held her hand and tucked it back into the blanket. She cupped Chen Fu's face in her hands, making her eyes meet Chen Fu's beautiful eyes. She said, "Okay, I won't leave. I'll ring the bell to call the nurse now. The IV drip is almost finished, it's time to change the dressing."
Chen Fu haphazardly pushed them away, saying no, no nurses.
The high fever made her delirious, but her expression turned resistant the moment she saw Lu Xiaomi.
"You can leave now."
Her fingers suddenly felt a chill, and two tear tracks snaked down Chen Fu's cheeks.
--------------------
Author's Note:
Is it really appropriate to release a knife on Qixi Festival?
Chapter 14 CP14
She turned her face away, averting her gaze. Sitting on the hospital bed, she appeared cold and official, completely extinguishing the warmth of the embrace. Chen Fu said, "President Lu, I'm fine now. You can go back."