Chapter 15: Twice a Day, Apply Externally

“Yes…” The servant’s voice trembled. Even though there were many people present, none of them had the commanding presence of the man before him. His simple question carried an immense sense of pressure.

The chaotic scene fell into silence the moment Fu Huaizhou arrived. Ruan Li looked toward him.

This was their first meeting since that night, and they had no way of contacting each other.

Seeing Fu Huaizhou, Ruan Cheng immediately stood up and offered him the main seat. “President Fu, I didn’t expect you to come in person. The incident at the banquet was entirely due to our family’s poor discipline over the children and servants.”

Fu Huaizhou calmly sat on the sofa, resting his arm on the side. “Indeed.”

Ruan Cheng’s face turned pale. His family relied on the Fu family for support, and when he heard that Old Master Fu was handing over power to Fu Huaizhou, he had been uneasy. Fu Huaizhou wasn’t someone easy to flatter or fool.

“You were mistaken. The drug wasn’t in the wine, it was on the glass.”

The servant, caught in the lie, trembled on the floor. Ruan Cheng had conducted his own investigation but was told the security footage had been taken by someone higher up, which now appeared to be Fu Huaizhou. After he had gathered the testimony, he hadn’t bothered with these finer details.

“Since the servant lied, their testimony can’t be trusted,” Fu Huaizhou said calmly. “What do you think, Mr. Ruan?”

Cold sweat broke out on Ruan Cheng’s back, and he quickly nodded, bowing. “President Fu is right.”

“If there’s money involved, that means someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes.” Fu Huaizhou’s gaze briefly swept over a woman standing nearby. “It’s up to Mr. Ruan to handle your family matters.”

There was no attempt to conceal who he was looking at, and everyone present understood his meaning. As Fu Huaizhou stood to leave, Ruan Cheng glanced at the panicking Zhou Min, confirming his suspicions.

“You two should go and see the guests out,” Ruan Cheng said to the two girls.

Ruan Li grabbed her purse and walked out of the living room, not sparing a glance at the people around her.

She was truly disappointed in Fu Xingchuan today—not only was he gullible, but easily swayed. Whoever wanted to marry him was welcome to; she certainly wasn’t interested.

Fu Xingchuan quickly stood up to follow her, but as he tried to catch up, Ruan Shu tripped him, and tears streamed from her eyes like a waterfall.

“I never thought Mother would do something like this. Normally, she’s quite good to Ruan Li. She must have just lost her mind this time,” Ruan Shu said, looking up at Fu Xingchuan with teary eyes. Seeing the concern in his gaze, she softened her tone. “But I didn’t expect her to plot against me too, even drugging me… Why?”

“If I had known her plan in advance, I would have stopped her from hurting my sister,” she said, as if about to faint into Fu Xingchuan’s arms.

As expected, Fu Xingchuan had no choice but to catch her. “This isn’t your fault. Don’t be too upset.”

Meanwhile, Ruan Li walked toward her car. Just as she was about to leave, she noticed that the Maybach behind her had completely blocked her exit.

The driver seemed troubled; the license plate clearly belonged to someone important.

Ruan Li had no choice but to get out of the car and walk over. She knocked on the car window, and when it rolled down, she was met with the cool, distant face of the man inside. Behind his glasses, his eyes carried a hint of weariness.

For a moment, Ruan Li didn’t know how to address him.

“Mr. Fu, could you please move your car?” Ruan Li knew her expression didn’t look too pleasant after just escaping from that earlier situation, but at least she wasn’t shouting insults.

The car door opened, and the man stepped out in a perfectly pressed suit. His long legs brought him to stand in front of her.

She instinctively took a few steps back.

“Don’t you have anything to say about what just happened?” Fu Huaizhou asked her.

Ruan Li, of course, knew it was him who had helped her out earlier, but his gloomy demeanor was hardly comforting. Stepping back a little more, she answered, “Thank you, Mr. Fu.”

The road was originally wide enough, but Fu Huaizhou’s presence made it feel narrow and crowded.

Ruan Li was wearing a pair of thin high heels today, and as she tried to put more distance between them, she accidentally stepped onto the edge of a grassy step and began to fall backward.

The man remained where he was, not even lifting a hand to help.

Ruan Li stubbornly refused to call out for his help, though she cursed him in her mind a hundred times. Was he seriously not going to help, just because she had said they were even?

She was almost completely falling backward when she felt a warm hand catch her waist, effortlessly pulling her back to her feet.

“Did you use the medicine?” Fu Huaizhou asked, looking down at the girl who had, due to the momentum, bumped into his chest.

Still shaken from the near-fall, Ruan Li looked up at him. “What medicine?”

A faint scent of cedarwood lingered around him, cold and refreshing. Ruan Li noticed a faint red mark on his black shirt collar, something that looked like a bite.

It reminded her of that night. She must have bitten him hard, and the mark was still there. Did he not bother to cover it up when going out?

Suddenly, she thought about how in wealthy families, bloodlines were one of the most important concerns.

“I already bought birth control myself and took it.” Ruan Li stepped out of his hold. Even if Fu Huaizhou hadn’t said anything, she would’ve taken care of it herself. After all, she was at the peak of her career.

Fu Huaizhou’s expression was hard to read, but Ruan Li could tell from the subtle curve of his lips that he wasn’t pleased.

Great, now he was angry again.

Ruan Li almost felt sorry for the staff at Fu Corporation, having to deal with such a moody boss. She wouldn’t work there even for a million a year.

“Good,” Fu Huaizhou retracted his hand, his tone cold. “What I said that day still stands. If you have any requests, feel free to ask.”

Ruan Li watched the black car speed off, and she quickly ran back to her own vehicle. Finally, the road was clear, and she could go home and get her beauty sleep.

When she got back to her villa, she was about to get out of the car when the property manager stopped her.

“Miss Ruan, someone delivered this a few days ago. You were in a bad mood and told us to throw everything out, but I thought this looked valuable, so I wanted to confirm with you.”

Ruan Li remembered something like that. She had assumed it was another invitation or some sort of prank, so she had asked them to throw it away.

“What is it?” Ruan Li glanced at the silver box.

The manager, respectful as ever, said, “We don’t have the right to open it. The person who delivered it specifically mentioned it was for you.”

“Fine, I’ll take it. Thanks.” Ruan Li accepted the small box.

When she got inside and sat down to open it, she had expected jewelry or clothing from some brand. Instead, she was stunned by what she saw.

Inside were various types of medication, each labeled with a note explaining its use. The most prominent item was a small white jar in the center.

Next to it was a note written in bold, sharp handwriting:

“For inner thighs, apply externally twice a day.”