Shishi tried to break free from his embrace, saying, "Sister Gu messaged me. I was just replying to her."
Huo Zheng's eyes widened. "How is she? Is she alright?"
"She's fine. A few days in the hospital and she'll be discharged."
Huo Zheng let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. As long as she's alright."
He then released Shishi and lay back, staring at the ceiling.
Seeing that he was still thinking about Sister Gu, Shishi playfully punched him in the chest. "Still worried about Sister Gu? If you're that worried, why don't you go see her at the hospital?"
"Qin Tianyi is definitely by her side. I won't go," Huo Zheng said, looking at Shishi. "Later, you buy some nutritional supplements and go visit Sister Susu."
Shishi gave a wry smile. "Huo Zheng, you're truly devoted. So, what are we now..."
Before she could finish, Huo Zheng suddenly grabbed her hands, pinned her down, and kissed her with intense passion.
Her eyes widened, and she tried to pull away, but her heart raced uncontrollably, her face flushed. She found herself lost in his deep kiss, unable to escape.
Her compliance ignited a fire within him, and he took her once more.
Shishi lay on the bed, utterly exhausted and unwilling to move. But Huo Zheng's hand was already restlessly touching her again.
She pushed his hand away, unable to stand it. "Huo Zheng, you're at it again. When will it end? I'm not your 'white moonlight' in your heart, so why do you always come to me to vent!"
Huo Zheng grabbed her chin, his eyes darkening instantly. "Do you know what you're saying? Don't forget who helped you solve your father's company's financial crisis."
"I haven't forgotten. Thank you for the reminder," Shishi said, turning her head away. "It's getting late. I need to buy some nutritional supplements to visit Sister Gu. If you need me, just call, and I'll be there anytime."
With that, she sat up, put on a piece of clothing without a second glance, and went into the bathroom.
Huo Zheng remained propped up in bed, his arms behind his head, thinking irritably that he shouldn't have spoken to Shishi that way.
But the words were out, and he couldn't take them back. He still cared about Sister Susu, but it was purely platonic friendship, not the feeling he once had.
Yesterday, he heard about Sister Susu's miscarriage. He felt Qin Tianyi hadn't taken good care of her, and he was certainly displeased with Qin Tianyi, but that was a matter between husband and wife.
When he saw Shishi at the hospital, she was panicked and helpless. It was she who made him feel more heartache. He brought her back, wanting only to comfort her.
But he was truly bad at comforting people. On the bed, he caressed her repeatedly, just to make her feel better, never expecting her to see it as him venting.
He clenched his fist and punched the bed. Ever since they crossed that line, it had only caused him trouble. They could no longer have comfortable conversations and spend time together as they used to.
Shishi cried in the shower.
She had asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend initially to fend off the blind dates her mother had arranged.
But when her mother learned she had a boyfriend, she was overjoyed and bragged to relatives about her daughter finding a rich boyfriend.
Whenever there was a family gathering or a meal with her father's side of the family, she was asked to bring Huo Zheng along.
Huo Zheng was cooperative. Whenever she needed him, he would show up at her family gatherings and charm her elders into liking him immensely.
Her father also believed their relationship wholeheartedly and had even found out that Huo Zheng was the heir of the Huo Corporation.
Her father and stepmother secretly approached Huo Zheng for help, and Huo Zheng generously funded the rescue of her father's company.
When she learned about it, her father had already used Huo Zheng's money to pay off the company's debts, and it couldn't be returned.
She remembered finding Huo Zheng that night, wanting to write him an IOU, promising to repay him later.
Huo Zheng refused the IOU and said directly, "Xu Shishi, you don't have to repay this money. If you truly feel you owe me something, why not become my woman?"
She froze, unsure of what to do.
Huo Zheng smiled meaningfully, his thin lips curling as he swept her into his arms.
That night, she became his woman in a daze, but their previously pure friendship had changed.
She understood that a prince like Huo Zheng never lacked women around him. Why would he be interested in her?
It was just a fleeting novelty. When he got tired of her, she would leave. Sooner or later, they would go their separate ways and have nothing to do with each other.
Thinking this, she felt a little better. She quickly finished her shower and went to the hospital to visit Sister Gu.
...
After Susu was discharged, she still needed to recuperate at home for a month.
Although Tianyi had to go to work at the group every day, he instructed Xiaomei and Xiaolin to look after her, forbidding her from doing any housework or leaving the house. She was to stay home, sleep, eat, and sleep again.
Xiaomei also made her a variety of nourishing dishes and soups, some of which contained medicinal herbs.
Susu always found the nourishing soup to have a strange taste, but she had no choice but to hold her nose and drink it.
If she didn't drink it during the day, Tianyi would personally feed it to her when he returned in the evening. In any case, she had to drink these tonics obediently and recuperate at home.
Most of the decision-making for the studio was handed over to Shishi. Sometimes, when chatting with Shishi online, she would deliberately avoid the topic of Shishi and Huo Zheng's relationship.
Bored at home, Susu once took the initiative to contact Huo Zheng and asked about the progress of his relationship with Shishi.
Huo Zheng feigned ignorance, not answering directly, and steered the conversation back to her and Tianyi.
Both Shishi and Huo Zheng were acting strangely. Susu had a hunch that something had happened between them, but she didn't pry.
She could only hope they would resolve it themselves. Susu genuinely hoped they could truly end up together.
Today, Susu felt restless again and just wanted to chat with someone to pass the time.
But as she scrolled through her phone contacts, she realized all her friends were busy lately. Everyone had their own things to attend to, and no one had the time to chat with her, a person with nothing to do.
During her time at home, only Yanan had visited her and spent a day with her.
However, Yanan and Kang Xi had just adopted Jie Jie, and they were in the process of adapting to each other.
Yanan had also quit her job to focus on taking care of Jie Jie, planning to look for work again after Jie Jie started kindergarten.
Yanan said she was constantly busy at home, revolving around the child, and it was more tiring than working.
Susu thought it wouldn't be good to bother them and was about to put down her phone when it rang. The caller ID showed it was Zhan Jiayi.
"Susu, are you at home?" Zhan Jiayi asked, speaking to her via Bluetooth while driving.
Susu replied weakly, "Yes, I am. Tianyi is keeping me on such a tight leash, I wouldn't dare not be at home."
Zhan Jiayi on the other end of the line laughed. "I've bought some nourishing supplements for women. I'll come to see you now."
"Are you coming to accompany me? But I heard from Gui Nan that you won your lawsuit and are busy with the restructuring of the Xie Corporation. Don't let me delay your important business. I know your intentions and appreciate them."