Night fell.
In a bedroom decorated with luxury and warmth, Su Qingnuan kept glancing toward the bathroom, pacing back and forth in the room with an anxious expression.
The old mansion didn't have dedicated caregivers, nor did Fu Yihan allow anyone else to enter. It was only because the old master of the Fu family insisted, saying she was enough, that even the servants weren't arranged—he simply let Su Qingnuan take care of things herself.
What should she do? She didn't even know how to help someone bathe...
Suddenly, the sound of rushing water from the bathroom ceased, followed by a dull thud of something heavy falling to the ground. Her expression tightened instantly as she dashed into the bathroom.
"Are you okay? How are you?"
The bathroom door swung open, revealing the scene within.
Fu Yihan was half-sitting next to the bathtub, completely naked. His skin was pale, as if he had been deprived of sunlight for years, with an unhealthy sickly tone, though faint traces of lean muscles still clung to his body.
It only served to highlight his grotesque and horrifying legs. Covered in scars and disfigured by large patches of burns from fire—it was as if a demon had claimed them, disturbingly terrifying.
At first glance, Su Qingnuan couldn't help but be startled, letting out a gasp of shock.
She quickly caught herself, realizing her reaction was excessive, and composedly turned her head away.
If looks could kill, Fu Yihan's glare would have obliterated her a thousand times over.
Su Qingnuan felt a chill rising in her heart. Clenching her palms tightly, the pain grounded her, suppressing her impulse to flee.
"I-I was just worried about you," she stammered.
"I don't need your meddling. Get out this instant!"
Su Qingnuan didn't move. Looking at him, even amidst his fury, it was clear that he couldn't stand up. How could she leave him in this state?
She took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and—despite his icy, enraged glare—walked silently over to his side, bending down to help him up.
"Get away, don't touch me." Fu Yihan instinctively swatted her hand away.
In his anger, he didn't hold back his strength. With a sharp "snap," a vivid red welt instantly marred Su Qingnuan's delicate jade-white hand.
Seeing her gasp softly from the pain, Fu Yihan's icy eyes faltered for a split second. "Do you have a death wish? Should I throw you into the back mountain to feed the wolves, leaving not even your corpse—would that satisfy you?"
"You won't." Su Qingnuan's voice carried a stubborn edge, her lips pressed tightly as her expression hardened resolutely. "Just treat me as a caregiver. I'm only trying to help you."
Their gazes locked—his dark eyes filled with hostility and dominance met her unwavering determination.
After a long pause, Fu Yihan closed his eyes, seemingly conceding, or perhaps simply tired of quarreling. "Help me up."
Su Qingnuan finally exhaled in relief and carefully helped him back into the bathtub.
The warm water enveloped his freezing body, gradually bringing him back to a more normal temperature. Fu Yihan glanced at Su Qingnuan, who stood nervously aside, frozen in place. "Still here? Or are you planning to join me in the bath?"
His blunt and provocative words, somewhere between teasing and mocking, caused Su Qingnuan's cheeks to flush instantly.
"No, I'm just, just..." Unable to hurt his pride, Su Qingnuan dared not admit she was concerned for him. With a stubborn lift of her chin, she stammered, "Anyway, I'm not leaving."
Fu Yihan shot her a deep look, holding his gaze until her bold front wilted under his scrutiny. Then, with a frosty tone, he said, "In that case, come here and help me bathe."
"Wh-what?"
"What? You're unwilling?" Fu Yihan sneered, his sharp eyes locking onto her face like a hawk. "Didn't you claim you wanted to take care of me? Or are you planning to break your word?"
Left without a choice, Su Qingnuan swallowed her embarrassment and crouched down beside him. With trembling hands, she reached toward his shoulder, yet in the next second, she recoiled as though shocked by electricity.
"Keep going." As if oblivious to her flushed cheeks and burning ears, Fu Yihan lazily raised his eyelids, urging her indifferently.
Biting her lip, Su Qingnuan steeled herself and continued.
The bathroom filled with a hazy mist, broken only by the sound of water and the occasional exchanges between the two.
"Are your hands broken? You don't even know left from right?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to."
"..."
Time passed without anyone keeping track.
Finally, when the perpetually critical Fu Yihan showed rare mercy and said, "That's enough," Su Qingnuan felt as though she had been granted absolution, escaping from the strange, suffocating tension between them.
She waited until he was clothed in a bathrobe before carefully helping him to sit on the bed, like someone completing a monumental task. At last, she breathed a sigh of relief.
But just as she was about to stand up, something unexpected happened.
In a sudden move, Fu Yihan flipped her onto the bed, pressing her firmly beneath him.
"What are you doing?"
His dominating frame made escape impossible, pinning her down. Su Qingnuan's slender neck was held firmly by his large hands—light enough to allow her to breathe but restricting her movement.
"Su Yuerou?" He exhaled, his dark eyes no longer cold and detached, but brimming with aggression. "What exactly is your goal?"
The pointed questioning made Su Qingnuan freeze, her face draining of color.
Turning her head, she replied softly, "Whether you believe me or not..."
"I just want to survive in the Fu household."
Perhaps it was the weight of her grievance that broke her, leaving her entirely motionless, exposing a fragile defenselessness like a cornered animal awaiting the predator's bite.
Looking at her like this, Fu Yihan felt something inexplicable stir within him.
"Then remember what you said today."
His tone reverted to its usual chill as his fingers drifted away from her neck, his strength shifting as he leaned back into a seated position.
Su Qingnuan placed a hand on her neck silently, fetched a thin blanket, and laid it on the chaise longue at the foot of the bed.
By now, she could tell that Fu Yihan loathed any physical proximity. The act of bathing him had already been a reckless effort on her part; pushing beyond that would truly spell disaster.
She curled up on the chaise, burying her face in a pillow, unmoving. The intelligent lighting system slowly adjusted to the sounds of the room, dimming in sync with the quiet atmosphere to immerse the space in night's depth.
Amid the dead silence, the faint rustle of movement occasionally came from the chaise longue.
Su Qingnuan's pounding heartbeat urged her forward as she tentatively placed her foot on the carpet. Then, moving with utmost care, she slid off the chaise and slipped out of the room.
The expansive living room was empty except for the warm glow of muted yellow lights.
Su Qingnuan glanced back cautiously before quickly pulling out her phone to dial a familiar number.
Her inscrutable expression held steady as the line rang, each beep unanswered until it disconnected automatically.
Another failed attempt!
Su Qingnuan's slender fingers subconsciously tightened around the phone, now gone dark. After a long pause, she exhaled deeply, her face impassive as she swiftly deleted the call log—a gesture so practiced it spoke to repetition.
Just as she turned, hiding her phone behind her back—
A sudden presence behind her raised the hairs on her skin in terror.
"Ah!"
Clutching at her wildly beating heart, Su Qingnuan whispered in shock, "Why are you here?"
"The real question is, why are you here?" Fu Yihan retorted, deadpan, leaning on his crutch as he stood behind her.