Fu Zhi talked slowly and sounded laid-back.
âHah...â Li Nanli chuckled, tickling Fu Zhiâs ears with his deep, bass voice.
He took a seat on the wooden stool in front of her. His Adamâs apple bobbed up and down in his throat as he stared intently at the young girl before him.
âI donât feel good.â
As he was talking, he unbuttoned his sleeve and stretched his arm forward. âI think I havenât gotten rid of my illness yet. Why donât you feel my pulse again?â
Fu Zhi could feel his intense gaze boring into her.
He pressed forward again. âHmm?â
Fu Zhi did not know how to comment.
âHmm? What does he mean by that? Why does he want me to feel his pulse again? Hasnât he almost recovered?â
Just as Fu Zhi was ready to reject him, she remembered the short âinternet relationshipâ the two of them had in the past. Even though the relationship had been short-lived, she had gotten plenty of money from him. All things considered, she nodded reluctantly in the end and placed her fingers on his wrist.
As soon as she leaned closer, she was instantly invaded by a faint smell. It smelled like a blend of peppermint and cigarettes. Along with his hot breath, the smell entered her nostrils and flowed through her trachea before ending up in her lungs.
She could also feel goosebumps pebbling up and down her skin. She did not like the feeling, so she shifted her body away from Li Nanli.
Li Nanli lowered his gaze and squinted. The light in the room rendered his expression unreadable.
He pinched his fingertips as he held back the urge to touch the red mole on her collarbone. He continued to fix his eyes upon her. His heart began to race, and there was an ambiguity hanging heavily in the air.
Fu Zhi could sense his intense gaze even without raising her head. She could picture the expression on the manâs face, but she chose not to do so. Unable to bear his gaze anymore, she raised her head and their gazes met. With an indifferent tone, she said, âXiao Li, can you stop staring at me like that?â
âAm I not allowed to stare at you?â
There was something that Fu Zhi recognized as a daze in the manâs eyes.
âBut you look so beautiful...â
âI know,â Fu Zhi replied. âBut I hope you can control yourself.â
This time, Li Nanli responded almost instantly, âI lose all control whenever Iâm with you, Zhizhi.â
Fu Zhi felt uncomfortable. She frowned and said, âXiao Li, you shouldnât stare at someone older than you like that. Itâs very impolite, andââ
Before she could finish her lecture, her phone rang. âYouâve received 500 yuan.â
Fu Zhi took a glance.
Sender: Li Nanli
Notification Details: Monthly Payment
âHmm, this is a business opportunity.â
Clearing her throat, Fu Zhi continued where she had left off. âWell, this is not a big deal. It is in the nature of all human beings to love beauty. I understand.â
As Li Nanli placed his phone back, Fu Zhi stretched her arm to reach for the cup of water on the table. Their hands met in midair, and his fingers accidentally grazed the vein on her wrist.
He was stunned for a while. Then, he pinched his fingertips to feel the warmth.
The room fell silent.
After Fu Zhi finished her water, she lowered her head and began feeling Li Nanliâs pulse once more.
She realized his pulse was a mess. In other words, his illness, which should have been suppressed, had relapsed.
âLi Nanli,â she said, her voice cold and emotionless. However, Li Nanli was able to sense a hint of anger in her voice.
He replied, âYeah?â
Fu Zhi could not read the expression on his face, so she had no idea what was going on either. She asked, âHow come your physical condition has gotten worse?â
âThey all want me dead. Only you want to save me, Zhizhi.â
His beautiful eyes were misted over as he held her gaze.
Truth be told, upon finding out that he wanted Gu Yanqi to put a bounty on Z God, sheâd thought of letting him die as well. However, when she saw how tough her nephewâs life was, she let out a sigh and said, âXiao Li, youâre so bad with people...â
Li Nanli, who had been waiting for her to comfort him, was left speechless.
His mouth opened and closed several times. He wanted to say something but chose not to do so on second thought. In the end, he just said, âZhizhi, do you know that someone wanted you dead too?â
âI know. My dad said itâs because theyâre all jealous of me because Iâm too excellent.â
Li Nanli said, âHuh?â