Gu Zhao was indeed not satisfied, even though he had only just had her.
His heart seemed to have been torn open because of her; the more he got, the more he wanted. It was an insatiable abyss with no end in sight.
Looking at the red marks on her neck left by his lack of restraint, Gu Zhao somewhat wanted to ask her: even if it's less than his, even if it's just a little bit, have you also fallen for me?
There must be, right?
Whether in terms of talent and appearance, family background, power, the protection he could provide her, or the help and promotion he could bring to her father and brother, he far surpassed Zhang Jingyan.
How could he possibly not compare to Zhang Jingyan? Zhang Jingyan merely met her before he did.
If only he could have met her first, Gu Zhao could not help but fantasize.
But Gu Zhao did not dare to ask. His heart was filled with anxiety over gains and losses, afraid of hearing a negative answer from her mouth.
In the end, he only said:
"No need, you are tired too, go to sleep."
Zhu Qingyu could sleep, but Gu Zhao dared not sleep next to her.
First, he could not stand lying in bed during broad daylight without doing proper work. Second, and more importantly, he worried that his currently insatiable self would lose control, indulge in it, and demand more again, disturbing her sleep.
For an entire morning, the cabin was quiet. Even the older maid who came in to collect the laundry did not dare say half a word, grabbing the clothes and running off.
Gu Zhao worked alone by the window. During this time, he involuntarily looked at her sleeping figure several times, but he forcibly restrained himself from disturbing her.
It wasn't until lunchtime, seeing that Zhu Qingyu still hadn't woken up, that Gu Zhao finally went to the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he said gently:
"Get up first, have some lunch, and then sleep again in the afternoon, alright?"
Zhu Qingyu lay on her side with her back to him, almost completely sinking into the blanket. Her soft, dark hair covered half of her face, and she remained motionless.
In broad daylight, how could she be so lethargic? If it were him, he wouldn't be able to sleep during the day even if he tried.
Gu Zhao found it a bit amusing and reached out to brush the hair away from her cheek:
"Get up and eat, alright?"
Where his hand touched, her cheek was crimson and unusually hot.
Gu Zhao's expression changed. He moved his hand higher, and Zhu Qingyu's forehead was burning hot.
Mortals are such contradictory creatures. Their spirit can be infinitely strong, and their will can be infinitely firm, but the mortal flesh that houses this spirit and will is so fragile, unable to withstand being ravaged.
Zhu Qingyu fell ill, and the illness came aggressively.
First, it was a persistent high fever that would not subside, burning so much that she seemed unable to recognize anyone. When Gu Zhao called her or held her up to eat, she was dazed. Her body leaned softly against his chest, her eyes lacking spirit, and she could hardly eat anything.
She was a doctor herself, but a healer cannot heal themselves. Burning up like this, it was impossible for her to write a prescription for herself. There were no other doctors on the ship, so Gu Zhao had the Shipmaster urgently find the nearest ferry crossing to dock.
It was a small town whose name they didn't even know, and there were barely any doctors in the whole town. Xiong Kun disembarked, facing such an unfamiliar little town, not knowing where to find a good doctor. Thus, from the best-decorated clinic on the widest main street in town, he snatched an Old Miracle Doctor with a white beard who looked the oldest and most reliable, and brought him onto the ship.
The Old Miracle Doctor was almost eighty years old. Being hoisted onto a horse in such a rush and galloping toward the dock like lightning, the bumpy ride almost made him breathe his last before even seeing the patient.
After finally climbing onto the ship panting as if climbing a mountain, he didn't even need the whole process of looking, listening, asking, and feeling the pulse. Just seeing the marks on the patient's neck that couldn't be covered up, the Old Miracle Doctor knew what was going on. He almost wanted to curse in his heart, not knowing what kind of tricks these officials were playing to make someone so sick.
After writing the prescription, the Old Miracle Doctor thought his work was done and prepared to leave, but he was forcibly kept behind by Lord Gu:
"The patient is not yet well. Please stay for a few more days, sir. Once the patient recovers, I will prepare a generous gift and arrange for someone to escort you back."
Great, he didn't check the almanac before going out today. Since ancient times, there were only forced abductions of common women, but today he encountered a forced abduction of a famous doctor. He had boarded a pirate ship and couldn't get off.
Although the Old Miracle Doctor was in an inconspicuous small town, he was quite confident in his medical skills and replied:
"There is no need for a few days. Just three doses of medicine, and she will definitely be well tomorrow. I will just leave tomorrow."
The Old Miracle Doctor spoke too confidently, and he was slapped in the face the very next day.
The second day, Zhu Qingyu's fever broke, but she started coughing.
The third day, her cough was cured, but she started breaking out in a rash.
The fourth day, the rash cleared up, but she started feeling weak all over and couldn't even eat.
In short, once she fell ill, she was bedridden, and various symptoms took turns appearing.
The Old Miracle Doctor made grand boasts every day, was proven wrong every day, and never learned his lesson.
Tomorrow after tomorrow, how many tomorrows are there? Seeing himself getting further and further away from home, the Old Miracle Doctor really couldn't sit still anymore. He privately sought out Gu Zhao and said:
"From what I see, Doctor Zhu's illness is mostly an illness of the heart. An illness of the heart requires medicine for the heart. Forgive me, but I am powerless to help."
Zhu Qingyu was extremely exhausted today. She didn't want to move during the day, much less deal with Gu Zhao. Her entire body was almost hidden inside the blanket, leaving only half her head exposed.
Being sick seemed to have become an umbrella of protection for her, leaving her with absolutely no desire to fight the illness.
When she heard Gu Zhao's footsteps approaching, she didn't even get up.
Now that she was sick, no matter how deranged he was, he wouldn't really lay his hands on a patient, would he?
The events of that night ultimately left a mark on her heart. The social status between the two of them was so unequal. If he really made up his mind to project coercion and malice onto her, she would have absolutely no power to resist.
Although she kept comforting herself inwardly that it didn't matter and was just a small thing, Zhu Qingyu knew in her heart that subconsciously, she still didn't want to face that terrifying Gu Zhao again. That subconscious reaction manifested in her body as continuous ailments, and psychologically as a passive refusal to engage; she was just a bit tired.
Gu Zhao's footsteps stopped in the middle of the cabin, followed closely by the sound of a box being placed on the table.
Hearing this sound, Zhu Qingyu, who had just been passively lying there, suddenly slipped out of the blanket, jumped out of bed, and without even bothering to put on her shoes, ran barefoot toward the box.
Placed on the table was exactly the third box from the study, containing Zhang Jingyan's files.
Once, Zhu Qingyu was only one step away from opening it, and now, she was again just one step away.
