Gu Yan sipped at his tea happily, enjoying its mellow taste.

  There was something wrong with Qin Shu’s pulse. He did not think it was anything serious but one could never be too careful.

  Pulling out a prescription pad from his medicine box, he prompted her to extend her arm.

  “Give me your hand. Let me take a look.”


  “Okay.” Qin Shu moved President Ba to an empty chair beside her. She then extended her arm as instructed and offered Gu Yan her hand.

  Gu Yan glanced at President Ba. Qin Shu’s cat had evergreen eyes and they sparkled with keen, human-like intelligence. Its fur was a glossy black. He did not need to feel its fur to know that it carried a soft and smooth texture.

  Feeling a pair of eyes on him, President Ba fixed Gu Yan with a pointed stare. It felt as if the very fabric of his being was laid bare. It was more than a little unnerving.

  Chuckling nervously, Gu Yan said, “Your cat sure is interesting.”


  Rather than meet President Ba’s soul-scouring gaze, Gu Yan looked away and began taking Qin Shu’s pulse.

  Qin Shu peeked in President Ba’s direction. The eyes of her cat stared unblinkingly at Gu Yan. It reminded her of their first encounter. President Ba had stared at her in the same way he was doing with Gu Yan. A ghost of a smile tugged at her lips. Things were becoming more interesting.

  All was silent for a time.

  Frowning, Gu Yan looked up at Qin Shu; doubt flashing in his eyes. He must have made a mistake in his diagnosis. Repeating his previous action, he took Qin Shu’s pulse again.

  Fear gripped her heart. Was there something wrong with her body?

  She was scared. No. She was terrified of what he might say and so she did not ask for his diagnosis. She would wait for him to give her his thoughts.

  A while later, Gu Yan released her arm. He picked up his teapot and refilled his cup. He also poured some for Qin Shu. Setting his teapot down, Gu Yan sipped at the scalding tea seemingly lost in thought.

  The longer the silence stretched, the more anxious she became. Was it bad? Was he keeping silent because her condition was serious?

  “Gu Yan, please say something. Is there anything wrong with my body?” Qin Shu asked cautiously.

  Gu Yan nursed his cup of tea between his two hands. “I’m not sure. It is too soon to tell. I’ll need to examine your condition more thoroughly to say for certain.”


  A bleak sense of foreboding crashed into her with Gu Yan’s vague words. “What do you mean?”


  Gu Yan refused to disclose more than he needed to – not without confirming that his diagnosis was accurate. He pondered for a moment and said, “Prepare for the worst but hope for the best. Don’t overthink your situation. It might not be as bad as you think. We’ll only know after we’ve run you through several more tests.”


  Qin Shu groaned in anguish. How could he ask her not to think too much with words as ominous as those he’d spoken?

  “How long will it take for you to give me an answer?”


  Scratching his chin in thought, Gu Yan said, “I think a week should do. Yes…… I’ll examine your condition again in a week’s time.”


  “Alright.” Seeing as Gu Yan was not going to tell her anything else of use, Qin Shu did not pursue the matter. She could only wait for him to give her his diagnosis in a week’s time.

  “By the way, not all of the snake’s poison has been expelled from your system. I’ll prescribe some medicine for you to take. Soak this bag in warm water before drinking. It’s a mild antidote. Drink it for a week or so and you should be fine.”


  Gu Yan reached into his medicine box and gave her seven small bags of medicine. They looked a little like teabags except they were not stuffed with tea leaves but various herbs.

  Qin Shu accepted the medicine gratefully.

  She did not want to impose on him further and so she bade farewell a short while after.

  Glowering at his cold tea, Gu Yan mulled over what he had felt in taking Qin Shu’s pulse and could not stop the wave of sadness that swallowed him whole. Time really was too short.

  He got up and opened his medicine cabinet. He needed to get the dosage right. Too little or too much could prove fatal. It was a very time-consuming process.

  –


  –


  Later that evening……

  Fu Tingyu got off work and picked up Qin Shu who was waiting for him in Sheng Garden.

  Calling ahead of him, he informed his grandmother that Qin Shu would be accompanying him to dinner.

  The old dowager had not seen Fu Tingyu in a long time. When she heard that he would be paying her visit at dinner, she instructed the kitchen to prepare extra servings for her grandson and his wife.

  Xu Wei often phoned to chat with her.

  In their conversation earlier, the old lady mentioned that Xiao Yu would be joining her for dinner.

  When Xu Wei heard that, her eyes lit up in excitement. She had not seen Fu Tingyu since their last get together.

  “Grandma, I’ve recently learned how to bake some small pastries. I’ll swing by later to give you a few samples. I’ll make more if you like them.”


  Xu Wei had taken the time to chat with an old fossil like her and their conversations did wonders to relieve her boredom. The least she could do was try the girl’s pastries. Without putting much thought into her decision, she agreed. “Sure, sure. Come on over. I’m sure they will be delicious. You’ve got good hands, after all.”


  “Grandma hasn’t eaten them yet. How do you know they’ll be delicious?” Xu Wei laughed to hide the smugness in her tone.

  “I’ve tried your cooking before. It was wonderful. I’m sure your sweets will not fall short of my expectations.” judged the elderly matron.

  “Then I’ll bring some over now.”


  “By all means! Stay for dinner while you’re at it.”


  Xu Wei ended the call, feeling pleased with herself for coming up with an excuse to be at the old woman’s house for dinner. Picking out which pastries she would bring with her only took a short while. She then wrapped them up in a beautiful box just for the old dame.

  Smiling happily, Xu Wei held onto the box and left for the Fu family’s old mansion.

  Meanwhile, at Chateau Fu……

  Butler Fu had been waiting at the mansion’s entrance since the word was spread that morning of the fourth young master’s imminent visit.

  Shi Yan parked the car by the entrance of the old mansion. Butler Fu took a few steps towards them and opened the door. “Fourth young master, the old madam is waiting inside.”


  Fu Tingyu stepped out of the car looking as tall and handsome as ever. He held out his hand to help Qin Shu out of the car. Qin Shu nodded at Butler Fu in greeting.

  Butler Fu returned it with a small bow of his own.

  Only after the ritual niceties were performed did Fu Tingyu lead her to the house.

  Butler Fu followed a step behind them.

  At this time, the sky was already completely dark. The lights in the old house had already been lit up.

  Already the sky was taking on the pall of night and soon it would be dark out. Ahead, the mansion was outlined in a glow of warm light. It was almost as if a swarm of fireflies had descended upon it.

  Lamps lined the path leading to the mansion on either side. Each being placed three metres from its predecessor.

  Chateau Fu was as large as it was old. It had corridors and courtyards in abundance. Some might have even described it as a maze. After taking a few turns around winding passages, they passed through the Moon Cave Door and finally arrived at the living room.

  Chateau Fu, in the living room……

  The old madam was chatting with Xu Wei in high spirits but their conversation died just as the young couple entered.

  Leading Qin Shu into the living room with their hands entwined, he greeted his grandmother.

  “Grandma.”


  “Grandma.”


  The couple paid their respects to the old woman at the same time.

  When the old woman saw that her grandson had arrived, she happily received his greeting and bade him sit.

  “Come, come, take a seat first. You must be hungry.”


  Instructing Butler Fu, she said, “Prepare the dishes.”


  “Yes, Old Madam.” Butler Fu turned around and left.

  Under Fu Tingyu’s lead, Qin Shu sat in a mahogany chair.

  Xu Wei was flabbergasted by the sight of Fu Tingyu entering with Qin Shu.

  Never in her wildest dreams had she thought Fu Tingyu would have a woman accompany him to dinner.

  There was something about this woman that seemed familiar.

  Alarm bells rang in her head when she noticed that Grandma actually knew her.

  She suddenly recalled the fondant figurine he had shown her a while back. The fondant figurine bore a strong resemblance to the woman sitting next to Fu Tingyu.

  The woman beside him was a ravishing beauty. She didn’t expect the real person to look even better than the fondant figurine she had seen. Moreover, she looked rather young. Was she still a high school student?

  What was going on?

  The old madam was unperturbed by Qin Shu’s sudden return from the capital. As husband and wife, it was normal for her to spend some time with him whenever she could.

  “Little Shu, how is the capital’s university? Have you gotten used to it?”