Chapter 8: I Said Exercise!

Li Fan walked over to her vanity, hugging a bunch of skincare bottles and jars. She sat down on the sofa and began her nightly skincare routine.

She was naturally beautiful but still took her skincare seriously, spending a considerable amount of money at beauty salons every month.

Just her nightly skincare took over an hour, and she never tired of it.

But tonight, with Han Xuzhou nearby, she felt a little uneasy. So she skipped a few steps and shortened the routine by half an hour.

She sneaked a glance at Han Xuzhou. He was looking down at his laptop, not sparing her a single glance.

Li Fan relaxed a bit. Feeling at ease, she began humming a tune. Her soft, delicate feet rested on the coffee table as she applied fragrant body lotion from head to toe.

She focused on her routine, unaware that at some point Han Xuzhou had closed his laptop and had been watching her for a while.

Li Fan was overly confident in her assumptions about Han Xuzhou, convinced he had no interest in women. So she let her guard down, behaving as if she were alone in the room.

The hem of her short skirt slid down her thighs, revealing large swaths of fair, smooth skin.

Her legs were long and slender. Han Xuzhou wondered what she ate to grow like that—so smooth and toned.

When she bent forward slightly, the fabric over her chest slipped down half an inch, her movements causing gentle ripples.

Li Fan had never been in a relationship and didn’t understand men well. She had no idea how enticing her current state was.

Han Xuzhou withdrew his gaze, shut his laptop, and went to bed.

Just a woman—not like he hadn’t seen one before.

But once his eyes closed, the image of that smooth, fair skin lingered in his mind, undulating like waves.

Li Fan had no idea what Han Xuzhou was thinking. Once she finished her skincare, she climbed onto the sofa, pulled a blanket over herself, and went to sleep.

She liked to set the air conditioner a few degrees lower—just right for sleeping under a blanket.

But since she had slept a lot during the day, she couldn’t fall asleep right away. So she opened DouDou and started scrolling through short videos.

She thought the volume was low enough but didn’t realize her inner thoughts were making it impossible for Han Xuzhou to fall asleep.

“Oho~ Eight-pack abs! Must feel amazing to touch!”

“Oho~ Long legs! Definitely 180 cm tall. Must look great in a suit.”

“Oho~ A man doing pole dancing? This is a first! If only he weren’t wearing anything…”

As she scrolled happily, Han Xuzhou’s voice suddenly rang out coldly, “Nice to look at?”

Li Fan calmly switched to an e-book page and replied, “Sorry, Mr. Han. I like reciting classical poetry before bed. Can’t sleep otherwise. Did I disturb you?”

“…Heh.”

Li Fan: “?”

Han Xuzhou said coldly, “If you can’t sleep, go exercise.”

Li Fan: “……”

[As expected, a man who beds women every night. Can’t go a day without it.]

Han Xuzhou: “…I meant physical exercise!”

“Mm, I understand.”

[Who says bed activities aren’t exercise? Ha. Men.]

Han Xuzhou: “……”

Staying here overnight was clearly a mistake.

Fortunately, Li Fan’s mental commentary didn’t last long, and she eventually drifted off peacefully.

Han Xuzhou had a biological clock—up at 6:30 sharp every day, more accurate than an alarm clock.

After washing up, he picked up his ID card from the desk. His hand froze…

There was a faint trace of blood at the edge of the card.

Han Xuzhou frowned, suddenly remembering how Li Fan had gone quiet in the car last night. Had she hurt her hand?

The thought arose but was quickly dismissed.

Even if she was hurt, what did it have to do with him?

Carrying his things, Han Xuzhou walked out. Li Fan, ever the restless sleeper, had kicked off most of the blanket.

One of her legs stuck out from under the covers, and the hem of her skirt had ridden up to her waist.

Han Xuzhou shut his eyes for a moment, then walked over and pulled the blanket back up, covering the spring scenery.

From beneath the blanket, Li Fan’s right hand was exposed. A wound lay across her palm, slightly red and swollen.

Han Xuzhou paused mid-motion, his handsome face darkening for a few moments as he stared at the wound.

In the end, he did nothing and simply walked out of the room.

Downstairs, Chen Ji was already waiting by the car.

“Fourth Master, the wheelchair—”

Han Xuzhou frowned slightly. He never made such mistakes.

“Tell them to prepare another one.”

“Yes, sir.”

After getting into the car, Han Xuzhou fell silent for a moment, then said, “Transfer two million to Madam.”

Chen Ji: “Yes, sir.”

Li Fan was still asleep and had no idea the dog-man had suddenly grown a conscience and sent her money.

…

When Li Fan woke up and saw her account balance increased by two million, she smacked a kiss on her phone.

Money really did bring the greatest joy.

She opened WeChat and noticed that Andy, her long-silent agent, had messaged her.

Andy: [Got a variety show offer. You in?]
FanFanNotAnnoyed: [What kind of show?]
Andy: [A rural reality show called Deep in the Peach Garden. Just a short appearance for Green Hills promotion. Only a week. Like a mini vacation.]

Li Fan suddenly remembered she had played a sweeper maid in a historical drama recently.

She was just a minor side character. Why would they invite her for the promo?

That was rare.

FanFanNotAnnoyed: [I’m in.]
Andy: [Director Gu Lan personally recommended you. You two close? Try to get along well.]

Li Fan: “?”

Besides those in Yancheng’s elite circles, hardly anyone in the entertainment industry knew she was married to Han Xuzhou.

Plus, she was only active on the fringes of the industry, with less than 100k Weibo followers. In Andy’s eyes, a heavyweight actress like Gu Lan with tens of millions of followers was someone worth clinging to.

Maybe Gu Lan even wanted to help Li Fan out.

But Li Fan sensed something was off.

Gu Lan was the female lead in Green Hills. She and Li Fan hadn’t interacted at all—hadn’t even exchanged a single word on set.

So why would she recommend her?

Something fishy was going on.

006: [Totally fishy. Gu Lan’s been in the industry for years and knows plenty of big bosses like Han Xuzhou. She must know you’re his wife—the so-called abandoned rich wife. This recommendation is her way of putting you in your place. Babe, you don’t know how many women want to kick you aside and take your spot. Han Xuzhou may appear disabled, but he’s good-looking and rich.]

Being a legitimate wife aside—even being a secret mistress would come with endless perks.

Hearing that, Li Fan suddenly didn’t know if she should go.

But she had already told Andy yes.

006: [Go go go! The entertainment industry has the best gossip!]

So Li Fan sent her itinerary to Chen Ji for approval.

She usually needed confirmation from him, in case Han Xuzhou needed her and she wasn’t around.

Chen Ji immediately had someone look into Deep in the Peach Garden, and learned that Gu Lan would also be appearing.

This might not be a coincidence.

Han Xuzhou and Gu Lan had a business relationship—mutually beneficial.

But Chen Ji knew Gu Lan wanted more than just partnership. She wanted to go further, but Han Xuzhou never gave her the chance.

After a moment of thought, he reported the matter to Han Xuzhou.

With his eyes closed, Han Xuzhou coldly replied, “You don’t need to tell me useless things like that in the future.”

Chen Ji acknowledged, thinking perhaps Li Fan didn’t hold any special place in Han Xuzhou’s heart after all. Maybe he had read too much into it.