The Beauty CEO's Personal Expert

"Cooperate?" Hearing what Hu Fei said, Ling Chen seemed to think of something, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "I get what you mean now. We can give it a try."

"Alright, once we get back I’ll start preparing right away, and we’ll try to move tomorrow." When he said this, a trace of excitement flashed in Hu Fei’s small eyes.

Back at the base, Ling Chen didn’t return directly to Dragon Tiger Hall, but went to the infirmary instead. Huh? Zhu Xiaozhu was nowhere to be seen, only a doctor was there. "Where’s Xiaozhu, where did she go?" Ling Chen asked.

"Miss Zhu went back to her room to sleep."

"Resting?" Ling Chen glanced at the time. It was still early; why was Zhu Xiaozhu going to bed so soon? That wasn’t like her at all. Seeing the confusion on his face, the doctor explained, "Miss Zhu has been busy day and night lately and only finished up this morning. I saw she was too tired, so I told her to go back and rest."

Ling Chen nodded, feeling a bit moved inside. What Zhu Xiaozhu was doing was all for the sake of developing the antidote for him. Leaving the infirmary, he headed straight to the room where Zhu Xiaozhu was staying. The doctor had said she was sleeping inside, so to avoid disturbing her, Ling Chen didn’t knock. He directly entered the password, turned the lock, and gently pushed the door open to walk in.

Once inside, Ling Chen closed the door behind him out of habit, then turned his head toward the bed, only to see the bed neat and tidy, with no one on it at all. Where was she? Just as he was secretly wondering, the bathroom door was pushed open from inside, and then a fair, naked body appeared in front of his eyes without the slightest cover.

At this moment, Zhu Xiaozhu was holding a towel, wiping her wet hair, not a single thread on her body. This was her room and there were no outsiders, so naturally she didn’t bother with such things. What she didn’t know was that Ling Chen had happened to show up in her room at exactly this moment.

Staring at that beautiful, curvy body, Ling Chen’s eyes went wide and his whole person froze, standing there dumbly. His mind went completely blank; he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Hearing the heavy breathing inside the room, Zhu Xiaozhu shifted her gaze, and the towel in her hand immediately slipped to the floor. Her face went utterly blank—she had never imagined that Ling Chen would silently appear in her room.

Their eyes met, and after a good long while, Ling Chen finally snapped out of it. He hurriedly averted his gaze and said awkwardly, "S-sorry, I didn’t know you... you were..."

As Ling Chen spoke, Zhu Xiaozhu finally reacted. Her exquisite, pretty face turned bright red in an instant. She hurriedly picked up the towel on the floor to cover her shameful parts, then bolted back into the bathroom.

Fuck! Ling Chen slapped his own forehead and cursed inwardly. He really had picked the worst possible time to come; this was way too awkward. When Zhu Xiaozhu came out later, he had no idea how he was supposed to face her.

But... Xiaozhu’s figure really was something else—skin like snow, curves in all the right places, limbs evenly proportioned, a perfect golden ratio. Just now, for a split second, a strong surge of desire had welled up from deep in his heart. Luckily, his willpower was strong enough that he forcefully suppressed those wicked thoughts.

While his mind was running wild, the bathroom door opened again. Dressed neatly now, Zhu Xiaozhu walked out slowly with her head lowered. Standing outside the bathroom, she glanced at Ling Chen from the corner of her eye. The face that had just returned to normal flushed again, and she didn’t even dare meet his gaze directly.

Noticing Zhu Xiaozhu’s discomfort, Ling Chen cleared his throat lightly and forced a smile. "The doctor at the infirmary said you were resting in your room. I was afraid I’d disturb you if I knocked, so I just came in. I just wanted to check on you and then leave, I didn’t expect... ahem, uh... sorry about that. You’re not mad, are you?"

Zhu Xiaozhu lowered her head, lightly biting her lips, and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, "It’s not like you haven’t seen it before."

Her voice wasn’t loud, but Ling Chen heard it clearly, and couldn’t help recalling everything that had happened back at Qingyun Martial Arts Hall. A strange warmth—and another indescribable feeling—rose in his heart.

As he was thinking about it, Zhu Xiaozhu walked over to the head of the bed, took a medicine bottle from the drawer of the nightstand, and handed it to Ling Chen.

"This is the antidote I just finished developing. It can completely remove the toxins in your body."

"Thanks!" Ling Chen’s face was full of gratitude. He knew very well how much effort Zhu Xiaozhu had poured into this bottle of antidote. After hesitating for a moment, he looked at Zhu Xiaozhu and said, "I saw Zhu Hong yesterday."

Hearing the name "Zhu Hong," Zhu Xiaozhu’s expression changed, then she turned away and said softly, "He has nothing to do with me anymore. You don’t have to mention him in front of me ever again."

Ling Chen nodded, then walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Feeling his embrace, Zhu Xiaozhu’s delicate body trembled slightly. She instinctively struggled a bit, but when she couldn’t break free, she obediently leaned back into his chest, closed her eyes, and savored the warmth of his arms.

"How are your parents doing?" Ling Chen asked.

"They’re very well-behaved now, just living their lives. They don’t dare ask about anything related to Zhu Hong anymore."

"That’s for the best. I don’t want them dragged down because of Zhu Hong either." Back then, in order to catch Zhu Hong, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion had arrested his parents and locked them in a secret prison. Later, because of Zhu Xiaozhu, Ling Chen had gone to Su Mei to plead for them, and only then were Zhu Qianshan and his wife released.

That incident had probably scared Zhu Qianshan and his wife badly, which was why they’d become so honest.

"Xiaozhu, if I and Zhu Hong..."

"Don’t say it." Zhu Xiaozhu shook her head. "I don’t want to hear any of that. If possible, don’t ever let me know anything about him again, including whether he’s dead or alive. Okay?"

"I get it." Ling Chen nodded. Zhu Xiaozhu was a smart woman; some things didn’t need to be spelled out for her to understand. Deep down, it wasn’t that she didn’t care—it was that she forced herself not to think, not to listen. It was a bit like lying to herself, but it was the best way for her to avoid pain.

"You’ve worked so hard these past few days. Get some good rest; I’ll come see you another day."

"No need. I’ve been here for days, and the hospital’s backlog is huge; everything’s waiting for me to go back and handle it. I’ve already booked a ticket. I’m flying back to Beijing tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? That soon? I’ve got something to take care of tomorrow and might not be able to get away. How about..."

"It’s fine." Zhu Xiaozhu chuckled softly. "It’s not like I’m a kid. I don’t need you to see me off. Go do your thing."

"Alright then, I’ll keep you company tonight."

Hearing this, Zhu Xiaozhu’s pretty face flushed red again. She said softly, "I... I was planning to go to sleep."