My whirlwind marriage partner is a wealthy CEO

Chapter 291 The fragrance is so alluring it can steal your soul

Morning light streamed through the blinds of the ward, casting dappled shadows on Tan Xiaoxuan's face.

In just a few days, the swelling on her cheeks had mostly subsided, leaving only a few faint bluish blemishes on her cheekbones, which made her almond-shaped eyes appear even more watery.

"I want to eat the guokui from that place in the east of the city!" Tan Xiaoxuan threw her pillow at the door, her hospital gown hanging loosely on her shoulders. "Liu Zhidong, you bastard, you promised to make me the most beautiful wounded soldier!"

The sound of military boots clicking on the floor echoed down the corridor. Liu Zhidong pushed open the door and entered, his black combat uniform radiating cold air, the brown paper bag in his hand still steaming: "Shouting so loudly, can't the canteen's flatbread shut you up?"

"How can that be the same?" Tan Xiaoxuan jumped up and grabbed the bag, her hair brushing against Liu Zhidong's hand. "Their chili peppers are made with a secret recipe. One bite—" she deliberately exaggerated her breath, "and they smell so good they could steal your soul!"

In the afternoon, Liu Zhidong returned with newly purchased anti-inflammatory medicine. The ward door was tightly closed, but faint sounds leaked out—a man's heavy breathing mixed with a woman's tearful moans, like a feather tickling the heart.

His temples throbbed, and he kicked the door open. The door slammed against the wall with a loud bang.

"What are you doing!" Liu Zhidong was about to pull out his gun when he saw Tan Xiaoxuan leaning against the headboard, her tablet computer resting on her lap, the blue light from the screen making her face flush.

"Shh—" Tan Xiaoxuan didn't even look up, her finger swiping across the screen, "This pose has a five-star difficulty rating. Wait until I'm healed..."

Liu Zhidong strode to the bedside and snatched the tablet from the bed. On the screen, a man and woman were entangled in a passionate embrace, their heavy breathing continuing. His ears burned, and his Adam's apple bobbed: "Tan Xiaoxuan, what are you watching?"

"Study materials!" Tan Xiaoxuan knelt on the bed, grabbing the tablet, her hospital gown collar wide open. "I lack practical experience, so of course I have to start with the theory!"

Liu Zhidong sneered, his thumb swiping across the pause button: "This man's waist strength is lacking, and his posture is all show and no substance."

"Bullshit!" Tan Xiaoxuan poked his chest. "He has eight-pack abs, unlike you who always has a long face. No matter how good your body is, you're still just a blockhead!"

"My body?" Liu Zhidong suddenly moved closer, his breath brushing against her ear. "You've touched it?"

Tan Xiaoxuan's ears instantly turned bright red, and she grabbed a pillow and threw it at him: "Stop being so narcissistic! It's just from the video—"

“He couldn’t last three minutes in the video.” Liu Zhidong tossed the tablet onto the bedside table with a crisp metallic clang. “If you like, I can teach you something more practical.”

"Teach me now!" Tan Xiaoxuan grabbed his collar. "Don't think I don't know, you rejected me last time because you were afraid you couldn't compare to the one in the video—"

"Shut up." Liu Zhidong covered her mouth, but she seized the opportunity to bite his hand. The taste of blood spread between his teeth, and he suddenly pushed her down onto the bed. "If you keep acting up, believe me, I'll really tie you up and take you to the training ground?"

Tan Xiaoxuan's eyelashes fluttered, and she lightly licked the wound on his palm with her tongue. Liu Zhidong's pupils contracted sharply, and reason and desire exploded in his temples. She took the opportunity to hook her arms around his neck, tilted her face up, and kissed his chin: "Liu Zhidong, you're as hard as a rock here."

A burning kiss landed on her Adam's apple, and Liu Zhidong growled as he gripped the back of her head. Their lips entwined, the smell of disinfectant mingling with the lemony scent of her shampoo, burning through his chest like a shot of strong liquor. He pinned her against the headboard, listening to her increasingly rapid breathing, feeling as if the only thing left in the world was the soft warmth of her body beneath him.

"One more time?" Tan Xiaoxuan slumped on the pillow, her eyes reddening. "Teach me that turn-over-and-press move you just made?"

Liu Zhidong loosened his tie, his Adam's apple still burning: "Tan Xiaoxuan, do you even know how to spell the word 'shame'?"

"Can I eat this? Can I have a flatbread instead?" She suddenly rolled over and lay on top of him, her fingertips tracing the buttons of his military uniform. "But just now—" she whispered in his ear, "your heart was beating like a drum."

Liu Zhidong sat up abruptly, almost throwing her off the bed: "You'll be discharged tomorrow."

"You want to kick me out?" Tan Xiaoxuan knelt behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "That day at the military region, you had someone deliberately let me in. Last month during the torrential rain, you braved the downpour to bring me stomach medicine... Liu Zhidong, do you dare say you don't care about me?"

He froze, recalling the voice messages she had repeatedly played while he was on duty last night. Dusk was deepening outside the window, and strands of Tan Xiaoxuan's hair were tangled in his epaulets like an unbreakable net.

“If you keep doing this,” he said hoarsely, prying her hands away, “I’m really going to call Zheng Xiaokun to come pick you up.”

“Zheng Xiaokun?” Tan Xiaoxuan suddenly laughed, rolled over and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and humming a tune, “I threw away all the flowers he gave me. Because—” She turned her head and winked at him, “My battlefield is only on your bed.”

……

Morning light streamed through the gauze curtains onto the dressing table, but Zhu Ziqing's hand, holding the eyebrow pencil, trembled uncontrollably.

The person in the mirror had dark circles under her eyes. After yawning three times in a row, her stomach suddenly churned. She staggered into the bathroom and dry-heaved into the toilet.

Cold water splashed on my face, and my reflection in the mirror still trembled. My limbs felt like they were being gnawed by countless ants; aches and numbness spread from my fingertips to my spine.

She pulled open the cuff of her pajamas, and fine beads of sweat slid down the lines of her twitching muscles from her forearms.

The phone screen suddenly lit up, and the Baidu entry for "symptoms of drug withdrawal" stung her pupils—lethargy, gastrointestinal spasms, limb tremors, cold sweats... Each entry was like a precise scalpel, dissecting her strange behavior of the past few days.

“Impossible…” Zhu Ziqing gripped her phone and took two steps back, her lower back hitting the sink. She pulled out the medicine bottle from the bedside table; the pills on the foil tray had long been replaced with vitamins—but these symptoms had become even more severe after she stopped taking the medication.

The smell of disinfectant, like a spiderweb, filled her nostrils. Zhu Ziqing huddled on a plastic chair in the hospital waiting area, her nails digging deep into her palms. With each refresh of the numbers on the electronic screen, her heart skipped a beat.

"Zhu Ziqing! Clinic Room 3!"

The test results were clutched in her hand, almost crushing it. Abnormal white blood cell count, dopamine receptor disorder, residual endorphins in the blood… those obscure medical terms exploded before her eyes. She repeatedly closed and opened her eyes until the nurse impatiently urged, “If you’re diagnosed, go pay the fees. There are other people waiting!”

The cold wind blowing down the escalator carried a chill. Zhu Ziqing stared at the "drug addiction" diagnosis on the report and suddenly burst out laughing. The laughter startled the sparrows in the corner and drew the attention of passersby.

In the taxi, Zhu Ziqing gazed at the receding neon lights outside the window, her fingernails rubbing against the name "Dad" in her phone's contact list, leaving indentations. The moment the call connected, Zhu Shigou's concerned voice came through: "Qingqing, are you used to being home alone?"

"Dad..." She bit her lower lip, tasting the metallic flavor of blood. "What are you busy with in the capital? When are you coming back?"

"About half a month." The sound of files being flipped through came through the receiver. "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"The medicine at home... I accidentally spilled it, and there's only a three-day supply left." Zhu Ziqing held her breath; she could hear her own heart pounding so loudly it was almost deafening.

Zhu Shigou's voice suddenly rose: "You absolutely cannot stop taking your medicine! Dad will be back early, don't be afraid!" Then it returned to its gentle tone, "Remember, you can't stop taking your medicine."