President Ba was unlike other felines of his species. Food was not his sole motivator; it depended on his mood. Although he favoured fish, he was not one to be controlled or easily bribed. At least, that was what President Ba believed.

  Lan Qi stalked towards the steward and cat with a frown on his face.

  Outside, Fu Tingyu finally let go of Qin Shu. Her raven black hair was a little unkempt, having fallen to one side. It was a stark contrast to her fair skin. Out of habit, she tucked the loose strands behind her ear.

  “Come back soon.”


  Qin Shu nodded. “Okay.”


  Qin Shu boarded the jet with Fu Tingyu’s help.

  The jet took off once all the passengers were strapped in their seats.

  Fu Tingyu watched the plane fly further and further away, disappearing into the cloud, night sky. He did not think he would be able to hold on for more than a few days before an irresistible urge to look for her would plague him.

  Standing a short distance away, Shi Yan looked at his master, seeing the changes that had been wrought upon him in the past year for the first time.

  There was no doubt in his mind that Qin Shu would have been bound up like a dumpling by the Young Master the moment she even thought of flying to another man’s side.

  Now? The Young Master had grown. He could watch Qin Shu hurry to Jun Li’s side without batting an eye; Jun Li, that sickly but gentle young man.

  Anyone who knew of Young Master Jun’s plight would sympathise with his condition.

  Not only did the Young Master agree to let Qin Shu go, despite being pregnant, but he also lent her his private jet and asked Young Master Gu to look after her. The Young Master of the past would not have entertained the notion at all – it was inconceivable.

  Perhaps in the eyes of others, his master remained unchanged, but only those close to him knew how different he was from the man he used to be.

  The Young Master of before was a man who walked a dark and lonely path; stubborn, violent, and unyielding. Under Qin Shu’s bountiful love and guidance, the Young Master had transformed, metamorphosing into a man he was proud to serve.

  The imperial capital was not far from Jiangcheng. The flight would only take an hour at most.

  Qin Shu sat by the window and stared out at the passing clouds drifting by. Seeing Jiangcheng become a tiny dot in the distance, she felt her heart flutter with warmth.

  She was surprised Fu Tingyu had agreed to let her go to the capital without making a fuss.

  She was happy.

  It meant that he believed in her, believed that her feelings for him were real, and believed that she would not leave him.

  Her thoughts turned to Jun Li. When she heard Jun Li had fallen into a coma, her heart clenched.

  –


  It took them around an hour to reach the capital.

  The sun had set a while ago, and twinkling stars winked in its place.

  As soon as the jet landed, Qin Shu, Gu Yan and everyone else onboard the aircraft rushed to Jun Li’s private villa with Lan Qi leading the way.

  News of Jun Li’s unconscious state was kept under wraps.

  Not even members of his own family were informed of his present condition.

  Jun Li’s private villa was not situated in a fancy district, and some would go so far as to say it was out of the way. What it lacked in terms of accessibility or amenities was made up for by its quaint and quiet environment.

  Lan Qi called Su Ying on the way to Jun Li’s villa.

  Su Ying’s anxious voice sounded the moment the line connected. “Young Master Lan, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you all day!”


  “I went to look for Qin Shu. I’m on my way back now.” Lan Qi’s calm response was uncharacteristic of a youth in his teens.

  Su Ying did not know what to say.

  Lan Qi did not say anything more. He hung up the phone and set his sights on the silhouette of the villa drawing closer.

  The car pulled up at the villa’s entrance where Qin Shu and her party alighted.

  Su Ying greeted them at the foyer. He had been waiting there for a long time. “Miss Qin, Young Master Gu, my apologies for having trouble you both. The Young Master has been unconscious for more than two days and hasn’t woken up yet.”


  Gu Yan frowned. “Let us see him.”


  “Very well. Young Master Gu, Miss Qin, this way please.”


  Su Ying led the way.

  Qin Shu, Gu Yan and the others followed him closely.

  Jun Li’s room was on the second floor, facing the south. It was neither too bright nor too dark. It was just right.

  The pleasant lighting, paired with the villa’s remote location, created a tranquil ambience. Occasionally, one could hear the amiable chirps of birdsong flowing through the woods and into the mansion. It was an ideal abode for someone looking to rest and recuperate.

  Su Ying stopped outside the Young Master’s room. Gently, he pushed the door open. He turned to Gu Yan and Qin Shu and said, “Young Master Jun is within. Young Master Gu, Miss Qin, please come in.”


  Gu Yan took the lead, with Qin Shu merely a step behind.

  Lan Qi and Su Ying entered together.

  The room was enormous. A large bed occupied a small part of the room. On either side of the four-poster bed were ornately decorated French windows, tasteful without being ostentatious. The curtains were drawn open, allowing feeble rays of starlight into the room. Attached was an overhanging balcony.

  A gentle glow suffused the room.

  Jun Li was lying on the bed, a thin blanket covering his body. His eyes were closed as if he had just fallen asleep. The only sign of his waning health was the sickly pale parlour of his skin. Jun Li was so pale that he could have been mistaken for an albino or an anaemic.

  “The Young Master fainted a few days ago but awoke after night’s rest. He later fainted again and has been unconscious since. It’s been more than three days since he collapsed, and he shows no signs of waking up again,” Su Ying reported faithfully.

  Qin Shu was deeply dismayed. She never thought she would meet Jun Li again under such circumstances.

  Jun Li was like an older brother to her. The faint smile he always wore, the gentle gaze he always aimed her way, these were things she cherished wholeheartedly.

  She could see nothing of the man she adored and respected in the corpse-like stillness gripping his frail, unconscious form.

  Distressed, she questioned Su Ying. “Haven’t you called for a doctor? What did the doctor say? He can’t stay here without proper treatment. He should be taken to a hospital this instant!”


  “I’m sorry. The Young Master doesn’t like hospitals. I did call for a doctor to come and see him, but when he saw the state the Young Master was in, he said there was nothing he could do.” Su Ying’s voice trailed off, barely a whisper by the end of his sentence.

  “Let me check his pulse.” As he did so, Gu Yan said to Ji Fei, “Prepare the medicine I use when performing acupuncture.”


  It was not Gu Yan’s first time treating Jun Li for his condition; thus, he had notes, theories, and a copy of Jun Li’s medical history. It was standard practice for doctors of eastern and western medicine alike. It helped them determine the best course of treatment for their patients, possible symptoms they could develop and further options for treatment.

  Jun Li’s amicable relationship with Qin Shu was merely the icing on the cake.

  A detailed history of Jun Li’s condition was soon produced. It recorded all the symptoms caused by the poison entering his lungs, as well as possible countermeasures.

  Being Gu Yan’s assistant, Ji Fei had an instinctual understanding of the things Gu Yan required for each patient’s treatment. He was efficient and methodical, a competent aide to Gu Yan.

  Gu Yan sat by Jun Li’s bed and clasped his patient’s wrist. It was shockingly thin for a man.

  Standing beside Gu Yan, Ji Fei prepared Gu Yan’s needles. He would need them for acupuncture.

  Qin Shu sat at the side, anxious.

  Su Ying pulled Lan Qi aside and said, “Young Master Lan, the next time you go out, please let me know beforehand. Everyone in the villa has been looking for you for a whole day. Do you know how worried we were when we could not find you?”


  “Weren’t you guys the ones who locked me in and wouldn’t let me go out? I had no other choice but to sneak out.” Lan Qi peered at Gu Yan and Qin Shu in the room, “If I hadn’t gone to look for her, she wouldn’t have known that Jun Li was unconscious, and Gu Yan wouldn’t have come to see Jun Li.”


  Su Ying stole a glance in Gu Yan and Qin Shu’s direction. He was still worried. Perhaps it was because he knew the Young Master’s poison was untreatable that he felt ill at ease.

  Turning away, he continued lecturing Lan Qi. “You still have to let me know before you run off. What if something were to happen to you? For instance… the matter three years ago? By then, it would be too late for regrets.”


  “I’ve learned my lesson. There won’t be a second time. Besides, if I had discussed things with you before I left, you definitely wouldn’t have allowed me out of the villa to look for her,” Lan Qi snapped in reply.

  Su Ying: “Those were the Young Master’s orders. I obey no one but the Young Master.”


  “That’s not loyalty; it’s madness! Complete madness! Jun Li is unconscious, for crying out loud! How on earth is he going to instruct you to look for Qin Shu while unconscious? What if he never…”


  Lan Qi was visibly upset. Su Ying could hazard a guess as to what was going through the young man’s mind and interrupted him with a sharp rebuke, “Young Master Lan! That’s quite enough.”


  Lan Qi checked himself before he could say anything rash. Gritting his teeth, he swallowed the retort at the tip of his tongue.