Lu Zhe extended his uninjured hand and gently pinched the girl's fair cheek, his dark eyes filled with deep emotion.
Her parents wouldn't approve, and neither would he.
Getting no response, Su Ci became displeased.
Her delicate white fingers clutched at Lu Zhe's clothes. "You still haven't answered me."
The young man remained silent. Su Ci glared at him, "You don't want to?" She had offered herself to him, and he actually didn't want her?
Lu Zhe's thin lips pressed together.
Su Ci let go of his clothes, her small face tightening as she made a shocking statement: "We've held hands, kissed, and even slept in the same bed. If you don't want me, Lu Zhe, you're just a scumbag."
A heartless scumbag with poor eyesight at that.
For him to reject such a beautiful treasure like her throwing herself at him, he must definitely have vision problems.
Lu Zhe sighed, his cool fingertips brushing against the girl's puffed-up snow-white cheeks. His cold voice was soft and gentle as he said, "I'm sorry."
Su Ci met the young man's deep gaze, and the little balloon of anger in her chest instantly deflated, as if she had fallen into a glass of lemon water - sour and bitter.
She knew Lu Zhe thought he was going to die and didn't want to burden her.
Su Ci felt somewhat frustrated; she could only work hard to collect golden cotton candy to cure Lu Zhe.
She had thought she would receive a piece of golden cotton candy today, but instead, Lu Zhe had ended up saving her brother.
Unable to get the golden cotton candy, Su Ci felt anxious.
Previously, she had been hesitating about whether she could save the popular actor Zheng Hao, but now that she couldn't get her brother's golden cotton candy, she would have to focus on saving Zheng Hao and Ji Chi.
Thinking this way, Su Ci wasn't angry with Lu Zhe anymore. She looked at him with mischief in her eyes, "I don't want an apology. Just kiss me instead."
The girl stood on her tiptoes, offering her beautiful red lips.
Lu Zhe lowered his head, and after a medical staff member passed by in the hallway, his cool lips gently pressed against the girl's small mouth.
......
Because the engineering issues hadn't been resolved and Lu Zhe was injured, Su ZhiYuan and Su Ci delayed their return to City B by two days.
Su ZhiYuan had people investigate the compensation matter. Li Gui had indeed embezzled the compensation money, and Zhou Ming's family had only received 10,000 yuan in compensation, which they had been tricked into accepting by Li Gui.
When Zhou Ming woke up and learned that he was partially paralyzed and his family was burdened with enormous medical bills, he chose to commit suicide, which led to his older brother Zhou Hao and mother losing their minds and seeking justice for Zhou Ming.
Su Ci learned all this from her brother.
In her view, Li Gui was a heartless person who deserved death the most, having ruined three lives in the Zhou family.
He would face appropriate legal punishment for embezzling the compensation money, and the Su family wouldn't let him have an easy time in prison.
While Zhou Hao's actions were understandable and pitiable, he shouldn't have resorted to such extreme measures. He had hurt her brother and, more importantly, injured Lu Zhe.
Su Ci was selfish; she would only side with her brother and Lu Zhe. She didn't approve of Zhou Hao's actions and wouldn't sympathize with him.
Whether it was attempted murder or intentional injury, it would be decided by a judge, and the Su family wouldn't interfere.
As for Zhou Ming's mother, who already had mental health issues and acted violently under the shock of her younger son's suicide, the Su family didn't plan to pursue charges against her. Instead, they would pay all due compensation to the Zhou family, even arrange Zhou Ming's funeral, and hire someone to care for the elderly Mrs. Zhou.
When the lawyer conveyed all this to Zhou Hao, after a day, his emotions had calmed considerably. After hearing the lawyer's words, he realized how badly Li Gui had deceived him.
Zhou Hao's biggest concerns were his brother's funeral and his mother having no one to care for her. When he heard from the lawyer that Chairman Su had arranged everything, even hiring a caregiver for his mother, Zhou Hao finally realized how deeply he had erred.
With her brother not at the hotel and Lu Zhe injured, Su Ci had a legitimate reason to go to Lu Zhe's room, claiming she needed to take care of him.
She brought out some washed grapes and sat down next to Lu Zhe, "Brother says we're going back tomorrow."
She took a grape and started peeling it, "My parents already know about you saving someone yesterday. They're very grateful that you saved my brother."
After removing the red skin, revealing the translucent grape flesh, her slender white fingers held it up to Lu Zhe's lips, "After we return, they want to invite you to our home for dinner."
Lu Zhe opened his thin lips, forced to eat the fruit the girl fed him. The sweet juice immediately spread in his mouth, "Is that your parents' idea?"
"Of course! You're now our family's greatest hero, our honored guest. My parents said they want to properly host and thank you this time." Su Ci brought another peeled grape to Lu Zhe's lips.
"I can eat by myself," Lu Zhe's lips were touched by the girl's fingertips, and he instinctively pressed them together.
"Don't move, your hand is injured." Su Ci remembered the doctor saying Lu Zhe's hand injury had almost reached the bone.
Lu Zhe was again forced to eat the fruit the girl fed him. He said seriously, "I injured one hand, my left hand is fine."
Su Ci gave the straightforward man before her an exasperated look, "This is what couples do for romance, don't you understand? Besides, this is my first time feeding someone, you should be happy."
Lu Zhe laughed softly, "Mm, I understand now."
He had no resistance left, "I'm sorry, please continue feeding me."
Today Lu Zhe wore a white shirt and casual black pants, his stern face appearing increasingly handsome and otherworldly.
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes dark, with a somewhat lazy air about him.
Su Ci's gaze fell on the young man's thin lips, which were wet with fruit juice.
She peeled another grape and brought it to her own lips with her fair fingers, lightly biting it. Su Ci moved closer to Lu Zhe, offering him the grape she held between her teeth.
The sweet juice spread between their lips and teeth, leaving a sweetness on their tongues.
Lu Zhe's uninjured hand instinctively covered the back of the girl's head, pulling her closer to himself.
After a while, Lu Zhe's eyes deepened, his breathing somewhat unsteady.
His large hand released the girl, his retreating lips now moist, "Tuantuan."
The girl kept nuzzling against his chest, forcing him to push her away.
Su Ci's beauty mark below her eye corner appeared especially alluring. She lay softly in Lu Zhe's arms as that strange feeling suddenly surged again.
She uncomfortably shifted her waist, "I don't know what's wrong, the heat period should only last three days, and it's been more than three days now."
She looked pitifully at Lu Zhe, "I don't feel well."
These sensations were getting stronger each time. The first time she could ignore it, but a few days ago, it had become hard to ignore, and now, it had developed into an urgent need to do something to release it.
The coldness in Lu Zhe's eyes had long since scattered. He gave the girl a deep look, "Can you endure it?"
Su Ci let out a soft whimper, "It's uncomfortable, I don't want to endure it."
She didn't resist doing intimate things with Lu Zhe as couples do; in fact, because it was him, she was secretly eager to try.
However, the young man before her had incredible self-control. No matter how she had tried to tempt him in the past few days, he had managed to resist.
Thinking of this, Su Ci felt both frustrated and angry. She furiously questioned Lu Zhe, "Do you not have any desire at all?"
Lu Zhe steadied the girl, creating some distance between their bodies, "Tuantuan, we can't."
He couldn't give her a future, so he couldn't ruin her innocence.
Lu Zhe lowered his head, his cool thin lips kissing the girl's angry eyes, "Tuantuan, be good, endure it a little longer."
The young man was gentle as water.
Su Ci pressed her lips together, the strange feeling inside her growing stronger, making her feel ashamed.
She couldn't help but nuzzle against Lu Zhe again, even taking his uninjured hand and placing it on her face. Her watery black eyes gazed at him tenderly, her voice tinged with sweetness, "I can't, I can't endure it."
Su Ci felt as if her heart was being nibbled by countless ants, not painful but extremely itchy.
She remembered the rabbit in heat at the orphanage, and the online descriptions of rabbits - that these pure and cute creatures were natural seducers.
She couldn't take it anymore. Her delicate white fingers reached for the buttons of Lu Zhe's white shirt, anxiously trying to undo them.
"Tuantuan." Lu Zhe easily caught Su Ci's small hands.
He watched as the girl's snow-white face was flushed red, her brows furrowed, clearly in genuine discomfort.
He sighed, his cool voice slightly hoarse, "I can use my hands."
Under the boy's black short hair, the tips of his ears quietly turned red.
Su Ci was stunned, quickly understanding Lu Zhe's meaning. Her upturned eyes were tinged with red, feeling both embarrassed and secretly curious, "Okay."
Being able to push Lu Zhe to this point, she suddenly felt like she had pulled down a deity who was untouched by mortal desires.
A rabbit spirit teasing a god.
Mmm, Su Ci found it so thrilling.
Su Ci looked at Lu Zhe with moist, bright eyes, urging him, "Hurry up."
As soon as the words fell, in the next second, Su Ci froze.
A familiar sinking feeling came from her stomach, and she stared at Lu Zhe in a daze, her snow-white face turning completely red.
Lu Zhe gently stroked the girl's hair, "What's wrong?"
Su Ci wanted to cry, "My period..."
Could it be that her heat cycle, which wasn't due for another half month, had come early because her period was approaching?
Su Ci was sure that must be it.
Her face burning hot, Su Ci felt she had already stained Lu Zhe's pants.
She looked at Lu Zhe with wet eyes, embarrassed, "Go to my room and bring me some sanitary pads and clothes."
Lu Zhe had already felt the wetness on his leg, and he nodded.
Su Ci got off Lu Zhe's leg. She was wearing a light purple dress, which now had red stains on it.
Her gaze uncomfortably went to Lu Zhe's pants, but because they were black, only a faint mark could be seen, not very noticeable.
Though Su Ci was thick-skinned, even though this situation was embarrassing, she adjusted quickly. She said softly to Lu Zhe, "Don't forget to bring underwear too."
"Mm." Lu Zhe stood up, his departing figure somewhat flustered.
After changing clothes, Su Ci came out of the bathroom.
Her gaze inadvertently fell on Lu Zhe's pants, and her eyes were full of shyness: "Why haven't you changed your pants yet?"
Although it wasn't very visible, she had still stained them after all.
"Mm." Lu Zhe came over with a cup of brown sugar water, which he had gotten from the hotel.
He put the cup on the coffee table, "It's still a bit hot, let it cool for a while before drinking."
Su Ci nodded obediently, watching Lu Zhe's back as he went to change his pants. Even before drinking the brown sugar water, her heart was already filled with sweetness.
......
In City B, when Su's Mother learned that her son had nearly gotten into trouble, she was so frightened that she wanted to rush to City C immediately, but Su's Father persuaded her not to, saying it was just a scratch on the arm, nothing serious.
"This time, we're really thankful that Lu Zhe appeared in time to save ZhiYuan." After so many incidents, even though Su's Father had opinions about Lu Chen, that fox spirit, he had absolutely no complaints about his son Lu Zhe, and was even very grateful.
Su's Mother had also heard from her son that Lu Zhe had saved him - if Lu Zhe hadn't appeared at that moment, the knife would likely have struck her son's chest.
Su's Mother was very grateful to Lu Zhe. He had saved her daughter, saved her, saved her husband, and now had saved her son.
She hadn't expected that this young man Lu Zhe would have such deep ties and connections with the Su family.
The Su family's debt to Lu Zhe seemed impossible to repay.
"How should we thank him this time?" Su's Father had the same thought - the Su family owed Lu Zhe too much. Now that Lu Zhe had returned to the Lu family, he didn't lack money, and his medical treatment was also arranged by the Lu family.
The current Lu Zhe was no longer the penniless young man he once was.
"Who knows what Lu Zhe wants?" Even Su's Father, who was formidable in the business world, had a headache over this - debts of gratitude were the hardest to repay.
Su's Mother glanced at her contemplative husband and sighed. What did Lu Zhe want?
He wanted the Su family's little princess.
Su's Father asked his wife, "Do you have any ideas?"
Su's Mother came back to her senses, "ZhiYuan and Ci Ci will be back tomorrow, and we've invited Lu Zhe to come for dinner. We can ask about his thoughts then."
If Lu Zhe were to use this life-saving grace to ask to be with Su Ci, Su's Mother felt she would find it very difficult to refuse.
At this moment, a tall, slim figure came down from upstairs.
Su's Mother saw Ji Chi preparing to go out and called out to him, "Xiao Chi, do you still have part-time work tomorrow evening? ZhiYuan and Ci Ci are coming back from City C, and we'll have another guest too. Come back for dinner then."
Ji Chi nodded, "Alright, Auntie Su."
Ji Chi currently worked two part-time jobs, at a milk tea shop during the day and as a waiter at a bar at night.
With school starting soon, Ji Chi hoped to earn more money in a short time, since after school started, he would focus mainly on his studies and have less time for part-time work.
Su's Mother smiled, "I asked Fang Qin, and she said you like fish, right? I'll have some prepared tomorrow night."
Ji Chi was wearing a black T-shirt. He was tall and slim, looking good in clothes - even a simple T-shirt looked stylish on him.
Hearing Su's Mother's words, he politely declined, "Auntie Su, there's no need to trouble yourself, please don't prepare special dishes for me."
Fang Qin's child had stayed at the Su house for a while, and his quiet and sensible nature was evident to Su's Mother. She could see that he was very worried about causing trouble for them, which was touching in its thoughtfulness.
Su's Mother smiled, "It's no trouble at all, just one dish."
Ji Chi didn't refuse further, as it would have been ungrateful to keep declining someone's kindness.
Watching Ji Chi leave, Su's Mother then said to Su's Father, "I heard from Xiao Chi that he's working at a milk tea shop now. This child has good grades, always ranking first in his grade at school. Working at a milk tea shop is really beneath him."
Since Ji Chi was her friend's son, Su's Mother always wanted to help, "I offered him a suitable position at our company, just for learning experience, but he wouldn't accept. He seems very afraid of troubling us."
Su's Father comforted her, "Ji Chi has his own judgment and knows what he needs. Besides, I remember he applied for a medical major, so working at the company wouldn't help with his medical studies. If he really faces financial difficulties, we can help him quietly, after all, young people have their pride."
Su's Mother smiled, "You're right."
......
Su ZhiYuan returned to City B the next day, arriving home as darkness fell.
Watching her brother walking ahead, Su Ci quietly pulled at Lu Zhe's uninjured hand, "Later, I'll sit next to you and help you with the food, okay?"
The villa's path lights had already come on.
The soft light fell on the girl's face, and Lu Zhe's cool features softened, "No need, just eat properly yourself."
Her parents wouldn't like to see their precious daughter busy taking care of him.
Su Ci pursed her lips, perfunctorily responding, "Oh."
In the living room, Su's Mother and Su's Father had already had the meal prepared. Su Ning and Little Tiancai, knowing their big brother and sister were coming back, were sitting obediently on the sofa waiting.
Ji Chi sat quietly in a single chair. He had asked another employee to switch shifts with him today, so he wasn't working at the bar.
Su ZhiYuan entered first.
Seeing her eldest son with white gauze wrapped around his arm, Su's Mother hurried forward, anxiously looking him over from head to toe, "Thank goodness you're alright, you scared me to death. Didn't you take bodyguards to City C? How did you still get hurt?"
Su ZhiYuan shook his head with a smile. The incident had happened suddenly, and he hadn't taken the bodyguards to the construction site because he had his own fighting skills. He hadn't expected things to change so suddenly, but most importantly, he had wanted to leave the bodyguards to protect his sister.
"I'm fine, this won't happen again, but this time I really owe thanks to Lu Zhe," Su ZhiYuan said with a smile.
Only then did Su's Mother look outside, seeing that cool young man walking into the house, her daughter by his side, the two having an indescribable compatibility.
Su's Mother felt her heart tighten, yet also felt a sense of inevitability.
"Mom." Su Ci walked quickly forward, hugging Su's Mother, with a hint of coquettishness.
Being hugged by her darling daughter, all of Su's Mother's other thoughts vanished.
Her well-maintained face was full of doting smiles as she asked her daughter, "Are you tired? Hungry? Mom has already had the food prepared, all your favorites."
Su Ci affectionately held onto Su's Mother's arm: "Thank you, Mom."
Lu Zhe walked in, greeting both Su's Mother and Su's Father respectfully.
Su's Mother's gaze fell on the young man's hand wrapped in white gauze, and her eyes showed emotion. "Thank you so much for saving our ZhiYuan. How is your hand?"
"Mom," Su Ci couldn't help speaking up: "Lu Zhe's wound is very deep. The doctor said it almost reached the bone, and I saw him lose a lot of blood."
Su Ci spared no effort in describing Lu Zhe's wound, wanting her parents to understand how much Lu Zhe had sacrificed.
Su's Mother had a gentle nature; if it weren't for her daughter, how could she bear to hurt a young man of such good character?
Now, seeing Lu Zhe injured from saving her eldest son, her heart was filled with both gratitude and guilt.
Su's Father also sighed, thinking that Lu Zhe was completely different from Lu Chen. If it had been Lu Chen, forget about saving someone - he'd probably be eating sunflower seeds while watching people fight.
He spoke up: "The meal is ready. Let's go in and talk while we eat."
"Yes, yes, yes." Su's Mother turned to ask the servants to bring out the food.
As she spoke, she led her daughter toward the dining room.
When little Su Ning and Little Tiancai, the two little sprites, passed by Lu Zhe, they quietly called out to him: "Brother-in-law."
The coldness in Lu Zhe's eyes faded, replaced by an expression of helpless indulgence as he patted both little ones on their heads.
Ji Chi, who had been quiet and almost invisible, unconsciously glanced at Lu Zhe before entering the dining room.
Su's Mother had originally wanted her daughter to sit next to her, but when she saw Lu Zhe take a seat opposite them, her daughter, like a bee drawn to flower nectar, immediately stuck to his side.
Su's Mother felt a headache coming on - couldn't her daughter show a little restraint?
Seeing there was soup, which she knew was for blood replenishment, Su Ci immediately had someone serve a bowl to Lu Zhe.
"What would you like to eat? I'll help you get it." Although Lu Zhe had just told Su Ci to eat her own meal, how could she listen to him?
Under the watchful eyes of the Su family, Lu Zhe maintained his calm demeanor and said, "Anything is fine."
Lu Zhe had never been picky about food.
Knowing he was injured, Su Ci thought for a moment before picking up a large piece of fish and placing it in his bowl.
The fish was tender and looked appetizing under the lights.
Su Ci carefully removed the fish bones and placed the small bowl of white, tender fish meat beside Lu Zhe's hand. "Here, eat."
Fish was good for wound healing, so it was perfect for Lu Zhe.
The girl's slender fingers were even whiter than the porcelain bowl by two shades. She smiled at him brightly, and even though Lu Zhe knew Su's Father, Su's Mother, and the other Su family members were present, his heart couldn't help but flutter.
Lu Zhe softly said: "Thank you."
Su Ci secretly gave him a little look, then continued picking up fish meat, removing bones, and feeding Lu Zhe, without having taken a single bite of her own meal.
Su's Mother couldn't help but speak up, "Ci Ci."
"Mom, Lu Zhe's right hand is injured, and it's difficult for him to eat," Su Ci said righteously. "He's now our family's great benefactor, I need to take care of him and help him with his food."
Now with a legitimate reason, Su Ci grew particularly bold.
Su's Mother: ......
Meanwhile, Su ZhiYuan's right arm was also injured, though it was just his arm. These past few days, he had noticed that his sister was constantly taking care of Lu Zhe, completely ignoring him as her brother, as if she couldn't be bothered with him at all.
"Little Ci, big brother's hand is also injured, and I'd like some fish too," Su ZhiYuan looked at his sister hopefully.
Su Ci's heart was completely devoted to Lu Zhe, "If you want some, get it yourself."
Lu Zhe had been injured because of him, and she still hadn't received her golden cotton candy - she was still angry with her big brother.
Knowing his sister was still holding a grudge about him leaving the hotel, Su ZhiYuan knew he was in the wrong. He awkwardly rubbed his nose and went to get his own food.
Su's Mother had a headache and felt utterly helpless.
Previously, she had asked Lu Zhe to stay away from her daughter, hurting him unreasonably.
Now, Lu Zhe's connection with the Su family had deepened further, and she couldn't possibly tell him the same thing again, asking him to stay away from her daughter.
But Lu Zhe had a terminal illness, and even if he got together with Ci Ci, there could be no future.
What would happen to her daughter if Lu Zhe passed away? Right now, her daughter only liked Lu Zhe a little, but what if that grew into deep love...
She dared not think further.
Su's Mother was caught in a dilemma.
She decided to stop watching her daughter serving food to Lu Zhe, and her gaze inadvertently fell on Ji Chi, who was sitting quietly at one end. She spoke up: "Little Chi, why aren't you eating?"
This child was so quiet that if they couldn't see him, he might as well have been invisible.
Ji Chi responded: "I am eating."
Lu Zhe looked over, remembering Su Ci's mention of a temporary guest staying with the Su family - it must be him.
