Chapter 131: Bear With It

She reached out and pinched the fabric of Gu Zhenzhi’s shirt.

Slowly leaning in toward him, she began to undo the buttons at his collar one by one. Once all the buttons were undone, Ruan Cha moved behind him and gave his shirt a firm tug.

The next second, "Rrrrrip—"

Caught completely off guard, the shirt was violently torn asunder by Ruan Cha.

The entirety of Gu Zhenzhi’s back was suddenly exposed to the air.

Ruan Cha blinked, stunned. "Gu... Brother Zhizhi, the quality of your shirt is really poor..."

Gu Zhenzhi, suddenly feeling a chill on his back: "...???"

"You..."

Before Gu Zhenzhi could finish his sentence, he heard Ruan Cha’s voice tremble. "Don't speak."

Where her gaze fell, there were two deep, inflamed welts; the skin had split from the intensity of the force, and blood was seeping from the wounds. Ruan Cha withdrew her gaze, her heart aching.

She closed her eyes, suddenly regretting that she hadn't been more ruthless with those people at the Gu family residence.

***

Up in the front passenger seat, separated by the partition, Cyril’s lips were trembling slightly as he overheard the sounds coming from the back. He leaned cautiously against the divider.

He heard:

"Take off your clothes."

"Do I need to help you take them off?"

There was even the heart-stopping, blood-pumping sound of fabric being torn.

Cyril clutched his chest with both hands, his earlier arrogance and bravado from the Gu residence completely vanished. His eyes welled with tears, his face wearing the expression of a faithful husband who had just been cheated on. He looked toward the driver with a mournful, pleading gaze, on the verge of tears.

He looked just like a scorned, fragile wife.

"The Boss really doesn't love me anymore..."

***

Ruan Cha used a damp cotton swab to wipe away the blood, then carefully dabbed alcohol around the torn wounds. After a simple disinfection, she pulled out some medicine and sprinkled it over the injuries. "Gu Zhenzhi, bear with it; it will sting a little."

As she spoke, she moved with gentle precision.

The moment the medicine touched the raw wounds, Gu Zhenzhi couldn't help but tilt his head back. He gritted his teeth, the sharp pain nearly numbing his nerves. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, dampening his dark, messy hair and causing it to stick to his pale, cold skin.

***

Ruan Cha quickly tore open a bandage and wrapped it neatly along the wound.

Once the treatment was finished, the pain seemed to subside slightly, and Gu Zhenzhi’s mind cleared a little. He propped himself up to sit, and the shirt Ruan Cha had shredded slid down to his waist.

The sudden, raw visual impact made Ruan Cha’s pupils contract. Her eyes lingered on his tight, fluid muscle definition. Gu Zhenzhi’s skin was incredibly fair, almost blindingly so under the daylight filtering in.

Ruan Cha took in the sight of his upper body with brazen honesty. Then, she looked up and collided with his deep, heavy gaze. Only then did she seem to snap back to reality. She quickly raised her hands to cover her eyes. "Oh my, I didn't see anything!"

Having said that, she turned around, facing away from him, and feigned shyness. "I just... I just wanted to see if your wounds still hurt..."

Before she could finish, she felt a tug on her arm—and she fell, completely defenseless, into Gu Zhenzhi’s embrace.

He circled his arms around her shoulders and her slender, supple waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. His voice was husky and low. "It hurts. It hurts so much."

Before Ruan Cha could react, she felt Gu Zhenzhi press his lips against the side of her ear, his scorching breath grazing her earlobe.

A jolt went through Ruan Cha’s entire body. An electric current surged up her spine, leaving her completely rigid.