Gu Tangxue's face flushed instantly. She steadied herself and quickly pulled her arm from Xu Lincuan's hand, afraid that Su Qi would misunderstand.
"Thank you, Doctor Xu."
As they walked out of the hospital, Su Qi couldn't help but chuckle when she saw how red Gu Tangxue's face was.
"What's wrong? Are you allergic to the medication? Should we go back and have it checked?"
"No! Don't tease me. I know Xu Lincuan has feelings for you, and I won't interfere with your relationship."
"Xu Lincuan and I are friends."
Su Qi found it amusing.
"I've always thought of Xu Lincuan as a brother."
"Brother? You might think of him as a brother, but... the way he looks at you is hardly innocent."
The way Xu Lincuan looked at Su Qi was like a loving husband looking at his wife. It was as if he wanted to hold Su Qi in his eyes.
"Don't talk nonsense. Doctor Xu is gentle with everyone, and I'm no exception. You're overthinking it."
"Overthinking?"
She didn't think so!
In the following days, Gu Tangxue went to the hospital every morning. One day, she arrived too early and hadn't eaten breakfast. When she knocked on the door, Xu Lincuan was eating and invited her to sit down and join him.
The breakfast was very rich. Gu Tangxue felt a little embarrassed, even though she was very hungry. "I won't eat. I'll just buy some buns downstairs later."
"Since you're Xiao Su's friend, we are friends too. Sit down and eat, don't be shy."
With such warm hospitality, Gu Tangxue sat down. Xu Lincuan handed her a meat bun and soy milk. As Gu Tangxue took them, her fingers brushed against Xu Lincuan's. Her hand trembled, and the bun fell onto the table, almost rolling onto the floor.
Xu Lincuan paused for a moment, then looked at Gu Tangxue carefully. "It seems your injury has affected your bone. Let's get an X-ray later."
Gu Tangxue looked embarrassed.
She wanted to refuse, but after breakfast, Xu Lincuan still took her to the X-ray room.
Ten minutes later, the X-rays were ready. Xu Lincuan examined them closely. "That's strange, your bone isn't dislocated, so why is your hand shaking so badly? Could it be a neurological issue? You should see a neurologist..."
"No, I, actually..."
Gu Tangxue's cheeks turned red, like a ripe red apple. She was too embarrassed to say that her hand was shaking because she was too engrossed.
After a few days of going to the hospital, her wounds scabbed over and fell off, and she had almost recovered.
At dinner, Gu Tangxue hesitated for a long time before mustering the courage to speak.
"Doctor Xu has helped me recover these past few days. I want to treat him to a meal. Are you free to come?"
Su Qi stopped eating when she heard this, swallowed her food, and looked at Gu Tangxue.
"I... probably won't have time. I have other things to do."
Gu Tangxue let out a sigh and smiled brightly. "Okay! Then I'll have dinner with Doctor Xu alone."
Su Qi smiled. "That's fine too. Have a good meal."
"Xiao Su, will you be unhappy if I have dinner with Doctor Xu?"
"Why would I be? Lincuan is my friend, not my boyfriend."
"That's good then!"
Gu Tangxue ate her rice heartily.
Su Qi looked at Gu Tangxue deeply. She admitted that Xu Lincuan was indeed very charming. Otherwise, how could he have captivated Gu Tangxue in just a few days? It was a pity...
Xu Linyun returned to the film set to work after resting for half a month. Upon her return, Xu Linyun was radiant. The entire crew, from the director and producers to the errand runners and extras, surrounded Xu Linyun with flattery, all wearing smiles. Once, Xu Linyun was just a film empress; now, she had ascended to become the young madam of the Huo family. The Huo Conglomerate, the foremost noble family and most powerful entity in Shencheng, possessed hundreds of billions in assets. Anyone even slightly associated with the Huo family could afford to be arrogant. This was especially true for the young madam of the Huo family. Huo Tingyun was the sole son and heir of the Huo Conglomerate, the most distinguished young master in Shencheng. In ancient times, Xu Linyun would have held a status second only to the emperor. The flattery from everyone on set was reaching the heavens. Xu Linyun's smile and joy were almost overflowing, on the verge of spilling out.
Su Qi pushed open the door, placed the hot milk on the table, and turned to leave.
"Wait, Sister Su Qi."
Xu Linyun spoke with a smile.
"I can't drink milk anymore. I feel like vomiting at the slightest hint of a腥味 (xīng wèi - fishy or raw smell). Why don't you drink it for me?"
Xu Linyun picked up the cup and handed it to Su Qi. Everyone was watching Su Qi. Su Qi seemed to have gained some weight, and she was wearing a loose dress. Hearing this, Su Qi frowned. "I don't like drinking milk. If you don't want it, I'll help you pour it away."
Su Qi stepped forward to take the cup from Xu Linyun's hand. Mo Yu blocked Su Qi and took the hot milk from Xu Linyun.
"Su Qi, you really have no respect! How dare you speak to the young madam like that?!"
Mo Yu opened the lid of the cup and, with a flick of her wrist, directly splashed all the milk onto Su Qi. Su Qi couldn't dodge in time. Despite her quick reaction, more than half of her face and body were doused. Even though she knew Xu Linyun would be arrogant, she hadn't expected Mo Yu to be so brazen.
"What are you doing!"
Gu Tangxue pushed through the onlookers and rushed out, standing in front of Su Qi.
"What are you doing? Come at me! What is this for her!"
"Oh, look who it is. Who do you think you are, helping Su Qi? I think you're in no position to help anyone, you can't even save yourself!"
Mo Yu spoke without restraint, sneering sharply. Then, she raised her hand and slapped Gu Tangxue. With a crisp sound, Gu Tangxue, who had just recovered from her facial injuries, instantly had a new slap mark.
"You..."
Su Qi was furious. Xu Linyun watched from the side, not intervening. In the past, when Su Qi and Huo Tingyun were still married, she had some use for her. But now, Su Qi had no value. Moreover, she was carrying Huo Tingyun's child. She didn't even look at Su Qi. Sister Mo Yu was right; showing mercy to an enemy was being cruel to oneself. She had to make Su Qi understand her place, lest Su Qi try to seduce Huo Tingyun again!
"Sister Su Qi, I call you sister and give you face, but I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful. You even dislike the milk I gave you!" Xu Linyun feigned innocence.
Su Qi felt like vomiting just looking at her. Recalling what Li Cuiping had said, her eyes burned with fierce anger. After a moment, her emotions calmed.
"I'm sorry, it's all our fault. Please, Sister Mo Yu, be magnanimous and spare us."
Su Qi spoke calmly. Gu Tangxue, covering half her face that had been slapped, looked at Su Qi in surprise. Even Mo Yu's eyes widened in astonishment. She didn't understand what had gotten into Su Qi. She was actually apologizing to her? After all, Su Qi wasn't like this a month ago!
"We won't disturb you two any further."
Su Qi pulled Gu Tangxue and left the lounge.