EPISODE 19

Cen Wu was already running a fever in the car, and by the time he got home, his forehead was burning hot, his eyelids flushed with a sickly red hue.

Guan Xuexue was terrified. Cen Wu had always been in poor health, and she always thought it was because of the terrible conditions at the hospital when she gave birth to him in the mountains.

"Where’s Dr. Lu?" Cen Junshan ordered the butler to fetch him.

Cen Wu felt dizzy, his fever wouldn’t break, and his bones started to ache. His cheeks were flushed, but his face was pale, and his hands and feet were icy cold. He was helped onto the bed.

Dr. Lu happened to be at the Cen family’s residence and quickly came over to administer an IV drip. Guan Xuexue, looking very worried, gently touched his forehead and held down his hand, afraid he would move around during the injection.

Cen Wu’s lashes were damp, his body ached and burned, and his head hurt, but he wasn’t sweating.

Guan Xuexue’s concern made him feel uneasy.

After all, Cen Wu’s parents weren’t the kind of people to neglect their biological child for the sake of an adopted one. Their current kindness was rooted in the belief that he was their biological son.

The original Cen Wu had been raised by them for seventeen or eighteen years; it wasn’t that they had no feelings for him. But once the paternity test from the original novel came out, they decisively abandoned him.

As long as Xie Guilan hated him, the Cen family would be his most dangerous weapon, ready to throw him to the sharks at any moment.

Guan Xuexue was an Oscar-winning actress, her beauty striking and her actions decisive. Cen Junshan had been at the helm of the Cen Corporation for decades, a steady and shrewd leader.

By his mid-twenties, Cen Xiao had already taken over as general manager, with the company’s focus shifting to him.

As for Xie Guilan, needless to say, the male lead of the original novel, who mercilessly slaughtered all those who had wronged him.

Huai Jing was now almost equally dominated by the Cen and Xie families, with the rest following suit, their positions not as strong.

But in the end, Xie Guilan swallowed up the entire Xie family and intentionally suppressed the Cen family. On the path to seizing power, there was no blood kin, only the blood and bones beneath his feet. He was even more ruthless than the villains.

In short, the Cen family didn’t keep idle people.

Only he was the sole weakling.

In his fever, Cen Wu quietly pulled the blanket up to cover half his face, leaving only his watery, fever-bright eyes exposed.

Please, help me. I don’t want to die.

"What’s wrong, sweetie?" Guan Xuexue, thinking he was uncomfortable, quickly bent down to caress his cheek. "Still have a headache?"

Cen Wu shook his head with difficulty and said to her, "Mom... Mom, go to sleep."

Guan Xuexue couldn’t let go of her worries. Cen Junshan still had a few contracts to handle, so she stayed with Cen Wu for the time being, and only went downstairs to eat something after Cen Junshan came to relieve her.

Cen Wu wanted to struggle a bit; he didn’t dare let Cen Junshan and Guan Xuexue take care of him, but his vision kept going dark, and he looked haggard, sinking into a heavy sleep.

He woke up a few times in between, was helped by Cen Xiao to take some medicine, and then fell asleep again.

Though Cen Junshan appeared stern, he doted on Cen Wu even more than Guan Xuexue did. He also felt that Cen Wu was acting strange tonight, so he went to ask Dr. Lu, "Why did he suddenly develop a fever?"

"Perhaps Young Master has been too stressed lately?" Dr. Lu Yan pondered for a moment. "It feels like he’s exhausted."

Cen Junshan then remembered the grade report the homeroom teacher posted in the group chat. Cen Wu’s weekly exam scores had indeed improved a lot.

He reached out to touch Cen Wu’s forehead.

He wanted Cen Wu to grow up, but at the same time, he wasn’t entirely sure he did. After he and Guan Xingxue were gone, Cen Xiao would still be there to keep Cen Wu company. This child was delicate and timid, but fortunately, they could protect him for a lifetime.

Cen Wu slept until the afternoon of the next day before finally becoming somewhat conscious, but his fever kept coming back and hadn’t broken yet. He put a fever patch on his forehead.

When he woke up, he saw that Lu Wang had messaged him, asking why he had skipped school, so he replied.

Meng Liangping was still lecturing in class. Lu Wang sneaked a glance at his phone, thinking the homeroom teacher hadn’t noticed. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to tell Xie Guilan.

He covered his mouth and whispered to Xie Guilan, “Bro, bro, Fu Fu is sick.”

He still believed that Cen Wu was dating Xie Guilan because he had discovered something terrifying—Cen Wu had never denied it, and neither had Xie Guilan.

Isn’t that freaky enough?!

But Xie Guilan remained unmoved, his eyelashes coldly drooping as if he hadn’t heard him.

Meeting Xie Guilan’s cold expression, Lu Wang didn’t dare say anything more. He figured there had to be some reason behind it, but no worries—he’d protect his bro’s love.

Wrapped in a blanket, Cen Wu curled up on the sofa, a fever patch still on his forehead. His cheeks, flushed from the high fever, remained rosy.

Both Cen’s father and mother were very busy. They had originally planned to go to the company but stayed with him for the entire day. It was only when Cen Wu felt slightly better in the evening that he persuaded them to leave.

But Cen Xiao was still at home, and the old butler was also watching over him.

Just as Cen Wu was about to pour himself a glass of water, the old butler, dressed in his black tailcoat, dashed forward in one swift step.

“Young Master, I’m here to help again.”

Cen Wu: “……”

Feeling utterly miserable and unable to escape, Cen Wu had no choice but to let others take care of him.

After dinner, he slept and woke up at 11 PM to find more messages from Lu Wang.

“Lu Wang: Rest and get well, I’ll be thinking of you. Just now, Brother Xie said he misses you too.”

Cen Wu: “……”

Cen Wu: *What?!*

Cen Wu sent Lu Wang a threatening emoji.

Lu Wang was actually a very obedient kid who wouldn’t lie. After stammering for a while, he finally told Cen Wu the truth.

“Lu Wang: I lied to you, okay?”

“Lu Wang: But Xie Guilan has been looking at your seat. He thought I didn’t notice, but I knew.”

Xie Guilan’s gaze was sharp, like a cold blade. Maybe Xie Guilan didn’t mean any harm, but his dark peach blossom eyes always carried a cold ferocity. When Cen Wu wasn’t around, Lu Wang almost cried.

Cen Wu was stunned.

No way.

Could Xie Guilan actually be waiting for him?

How do you approach a cold-blooded, bloodthirsty beast—get close without getting hurt?

Before Cen Wu could think it through, his phone buzzed again. This time, it was a message from A Ling.

Cen Wu’s heart raced as he read the message. A Ling hadn’t sent him any more abs photos, maybe because he realized Cen Wu wasn’t interested. Now, this sudden message made him worry it was about Xie Guilan.

He opened it, and sure enough, it was about him.

"A Ling: Young Master, can you come to Blue Night right now? I think something’s off with a few people by the back door."

Cen Wu had just recovered from a fever, but his legs still felt weak. Still, he forced himself to get up and quickly got dressed.

Luckily, neither his parents nor his brother Cen Xiao were home. Cen Xiao wasn’t as strict with him and would often cover for him.

Cen Wu hailed a cab and sped off toward Blue Night. As the car wound through the chilly, dark streets, he tried calling Xie Guilan, but each time, Xie hung up immediately.

He then texted Xie Guilan: "Cat frowning.jpg"

"I’m on my way. Where are you?"

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