Chapter 196: The Wolf's Temptation~
Ye Fuli admitted she was now harboring thoughts of pushing her advantage.
However, her attitude was far from forceful; she was simply adept at using her gaze and tone to be alluring.
Ye Zhen inwardly groaned, unable to take it anymore.
She knew full well this wolf had the cunning of a fox, yet she still fell for her deliberate act of playing the victim.
Ye Fuli was already undressing at a leisurely pace.
In front of Ye Zhen, she peeled away the bandages covering her body, revealing numerous scars of varying sizes that hadn't fully healed.
The ointment worked wonders.
After just one application, most of it had already healed.
Ye Fuli didn't mind Ye Zhen seeing everything clearly, but Ye Zhen coughed heavily several times and quickly averted her gaze.
"I, I… don't have any experience scrubbing people's backs."
"Just give it a quick wipe."
Ye Fuli picked up a bath towel and wrapped it loosely around her body.
Then she went to the bathroom and began filling the bathtub.
Listening to the splashing water inside, Ye Zhen paced back and forth beside the bed, feeling a tiny bit of unexplainable anxiety.
Not long after, Ye Fuli emerged again.
"The bath is ready."
"Huh? Oh."
Ye Zhen followed her in, still half-asleep.
Under Ye Fuli's guidance, she struggled through the task of scrubbing the patient's back.
Unfortunately, she couldn't control the rhythm or pressure of the scrubbing. By now, her clothes were soaked, leaving her no choice but to change into a loose bathrobe.
"Stay the night," Ye Fuli said, placing Ye Zhen's soiled clothes into a paper bag. "I'll have the hotel staff wash and dry them for you."
Hearing this, Ye Zhen froze for a moment.
Her flushed face quickly turned indignant. "Hey! You could have just called room service. Why make me wash clothes?"
"These are undergarments, after all," Ye Fuli said earnestly. "I'm a patient now, covered in wounds. If I wear unclean clothes and get an infection, wouldn't that waste your face cream and all your effort applying it?"
Ye Zhen was rendered speechless.
This girl…
Her knack for coming up with deadpan excuses was getting better and better.
Ye Zhen ignored her, huffing in annoyance before flopping onto the suite's sofa and fiddling with her phone.
The evening breeze rustled the curtains, bringing a hint of coolness.
Ye Fuli sat on the edge of the bed, watching her and gazing at the moon outside the window.
She didn't mind this silent atmosphere, as long as Ye Zhen remained within her sight…
But Ye Zhen found it hard to ignore the burning gaze on her back, and she couldn't help but cough.
"Catching a cold? You've been coughing all day."
"No, no! No, no! Cough cough… Maybe I have, or maybe…"
Ye Zhen felt guilty.
Hearing her vague, evasive tone, Ye Fuli chuckled softly and shook her head.
"Ye Zhen, you don't need to be so afraid of me."
"I'm not afraid of you…"
"If you're not afraid of me, then why won't you look at me? Why won't you sleep in the bed? That sofa is rock-hard and so narrow—how could you possibly sleep on it?"
Ye Fuli propped her chin up, shifting into a more comfortable position against the headboard. Her fair, slender legs crossed, her toes pressed against the edge of the quilt.
"Who says I'm afraid? I just don't want to!"
As if to prove she truly wasn't afraid, Ye Zhen turned her head to look at her.
At that moment, Ye Fuli was absentmindedly twirling the hem of her short skirt. When their eyes met, she raised an eyebrow.
Her eyes held a hint of triumphant satisfaction.
Ye Zhen couldn't help but press her hand to her forehead.
"I always sleep so well when I'm near you," Ye Fuli said. "Thank you for staying tonight. I feel like I'll sleep like a baby."
Such candidness after a sly maneuver was particularly touching.
Ye Zhen understood now: if tonight didn't go her way, she wouldn't let it rest.
"Alright, alright! Stop teasing me. You just want to sleep with me, don't you? Come on, I'll keep you company. I'll grant your wish. Is that good enough?"
Miss Ye Fuli, who had been racking her brains for new ways to tease Ye Zhen, froze in place.
Not only did Ye Zhen climb into the bed beside her, but she also thoughtfully tucked the covers around her.
"Please sleep, young lady!"
……
……
Dawn broke.
The two who had been perfectly proper before sleep now found themselves embracing upon waking. Ye Zhen's legs were wrapped around Ye Fuli's, her head nestled against the other's chest, hair tousled like a fluffed-up cat.
Even more alarming, Ye Zhen realized her hand was…
"Uh, I! I… this, I…"
Ye Zhen jerked her hand away as if electrocuted.
She tried to pretend nothing had happened, but Ye Fuli was watching her with a half-smile.
The hand she'd just pulled back was grabbed by Ye Fuli and held mid-air. "Miss Ye Zhen, you don't seriously think you can pretend nothing happened after offending me like that, do you?"
Ye Zhen forced a strained smile. "I fell asleep. My apologies."
"Does an apology change the facts?"
Of course an apology couldn't change the facts.
And it certainly wouldn't satisfy a wolf, making it abandon its hunger.
Ye Fuli leaned closer, her voice soft. "But this isn't something requiring an apology at all. Ye Zhen, we've both faced life and death. There shouldn't be anything left that truly weighs on us, should there?"
Huddled in her embrace, Ye Zhen's body trembled slightly, but she remained silent.
Ye Fuli stroked her furry head and said, "If you don't want to be with me, that's fine. If you don't want others to know about us, that's fine too."
"Ye Zhen, what I want is simple."
"I only hope you need me—whether it's your heart or your body… I'll do everything I can to satisfy you."
As she spoke, Ye Fuli took Ye Zhen's hand and returned it to its place.
This master manipulator actually didn't understand emotions! The realization left Ye Zhen feeling utterly frustrated…
But just like dreaming about eating steamed buns and waking up craving them,
Today, I'll buy two big, soft meat buns for breakfast.
……
…
By the time Ye Zhen left the hotel, it was already noon.
Fortunately, Ye Fuli didn't continue pestering her but obediently went back to her own business.
Ye Zhen hadn't forgotten that she'd have to return to the hotel that evening to help her apply face cream.
"It feels like I've opened Pandora's box,"
Staring at her hands, Ye Zhen sighed again.
She shook her head vigorously.
"Ah! Forget it, forget it! Better hurry to the office and keep an eye on the project progress. While I don't care about making money, I'd still rather earn than lose~"
Just then, Liu Wei sent her a message: Boss, sorry, I need to take the day off. My parents…
"What? She set up ten interviews for her at once!"
Ye Zhen was stunned.
"And blind dates? All goody-two-shoes bureaucrats?!"
She was utterly speechless.
With all this going on, how could Liu Wei possibly focus on the project…