After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

The director of Beijing United Family Private Hospital has been suffering from insomnia for the past two nights. In his thirty years of medical practice, he has never seen a ward for a freshman college student with such a grand setup.

The top-floor suite, number zero, spans over 200 square meters. The hallway outside is completely sealed off.

Dinghe Group's top security personnel and the Jiang family's black-clad thugs from the Northern Territory stood on opposite sides. Neither side disliked the other, each guarding a blind spot in the passageway with impeccable security.

Inside the door, however, the scene was completely different.

Zhu Xunchuan leaned against the adjustable backrest of the smart hospital bed. His right foot was wrapped in thick gauze.

This hospital room has become a popular retreat for top beauties from all walks of life. The divisions between them are extremely clear.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Jiang Yao, dressed in a black leather jacket, arrived on time. The Northern Demoness carried a custom-made clay pot of congee with preserved egg and lean pork, blew away the steam, and fed it to Zhu Xun Chuan spoonful by spoonful.

If Zhu Xun Chuan chewed even a fraction of a second too slowly, she would glare at him and threaten to chop the cook up. Yet, when she took a tissue to wipe his mouth, her movements were incredibly gentle.

At 6 PM, Su Mucheng, bundled up tightly, appeared on time. The top female star, who had been dominating the trending searches, took off her designer trench coat.

Ignoring her status, she sat directly at the foot of the bed, cradling Zhu Xun Chuan's uninjured left leg in her arms and placing it on the hem of her white pleated skirt.

Following a meridian chart she learned online, she used her piano-playing fingers to gently massage her calf muscles. Her movements were clumsy, but her eyes were filled with pure affection.

From 2 PM to 5 PM is Gu Qinghan's exclusive time.

It is 3 p.m. at this moment.

Lin Yuan, Lao Zhao, and Monkey, the three roommates, sat on the leather sofa against the wall. They carried fruit baskets, their legs together, their hands pressed tightly on their knees. None of them dared to breathe loudly.

They watched as Gu Qinghan, the usually aloof and unapproachable counselor, sat on a soft chair beside the bed, dressed in a light gray business suit. She held a tangerine in her hand, slowly and meticulously peeling away the white pith. The white fibers were cleaned away flawlessly.

Lin Yuan swallowed hard and sent a message in his roommates' WeChat group: "Is Godfather here to be hospitalized, or to ascend the throne?"

Gu Qinghan held the peeled orange segments to Zhu Xunchuan's lips.

The double doors to the ward were pushed open from the outside.

Xia Wanying walked in, wearing high heels. She was dressed in a burgundy fitted suit with a black silk camisole underneath. In her hand, she carried a dark gold Patek Philippe limited edition custom-made thermos.

When Xia Wanying's roommates saw her aura, they were so frightened that they stood up and retreated to the corner.

Xia Wanying ignored the three students in the corner. She walked straight to the foot of the bed. Her gaze swept over the tangerine in Gu Qinghan's hand, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

"The counselor is really dedicated," Xia Wanying said in a cold voice. "She's skipping classes at Peking University to come to the hospital and work as a caregiver."

Gu Qinghan did not withdraw her hand, watching Zhu Xunchuan eat the orange pulp.

"The school naturally has to visit the injured student," Gu Qinghan said flatly. "But President Xia, neglecting his billion-dollar conglomerate, is trying to steal the cafeteria lady's job. He's far more wealthy and powerful than President Xia; he should just buy the hospital."

Xia Wanying snorted coldly. She walked to the other side of the hospital bed and slammed the thermos on the bedside table, making a dull thud.

"Buying a hospital won't cost much." Xia Wanying looked directly at Gu Qinghan's profile. "I'm afraid that some people might use the guise of a home visit to do things that violate professional ethics to my man."

"Your man?" Gu Qinghan pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. "President Xia is a big shot in the capital market. I'm afraid he's brought his aggressive sales tactics into his private life. He's a student at Peking University now, and as long as he doesn't graduate, I have a responsibility to keep an eye on him."

The two women, separated by a hospital bed, met eyes. The pride of a top socialite clashed fiercely with the domineering presence of someone in a position of power. Neither was willing to back down an inch.

Zhu Xun Chuan leaned against the pillows. Two women were vying for his attention, the scents of fine wood and cool floral fragrances mingling and filling his nostrils.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

He reached his hands out from under the covers.

He precisely gripped Xia Wanying's wrist with his left index finger and thumb. His right hand wrapped around Gu Qinghan's waist.

Pull down with both arms simultaneously.

"ah!"

"What are you doing!"

Two short gasps rang out. The two women, usually so aloof and superior, simultaneously lost their balance and tumbled to the left and right of the hospital bed. Their upper bodies landed on the white blankets.

Zhu Xun Chuan slightly propped himself up, and his hands moved upwards accordingly.

He pinched Xia Wanying's cheek with his left hand and Gu Qinghan's cheek with his right. He exerted force with his fingers, pulling outwards.

Their red lips were forced to part slightly, and their carefully maintained composure instantly crumbled.

"Have you had enough?" Zhu Xun Chuan's voice was deep, carrying a distinctly roguish and commanding tone. "You have so much energy. If you keep making noise, you two will both stay here tonight to keep watch. The bed is big enough for you to sleep in."

Absolute silence fell over the ward. The three roommates in the corner stared wide-eyed, completely unable to believe what they had just heard.

The excessive amount of explicit content directly broke down their psychological defenses.

Gu Qinghan's ears instantly flushed red, and the blush spread directly to her fair neck.

Xia Wanying's eyes welled up with tears, her breathing became erratic, and her chest heaved violently.

The two women, who had just been at odds, now formed a united front for the first time ever.

They both reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Zhu Xun Chuan's waist.

The movements were remarkably synchronized. Yet the force was extremely gentle, without even wrinkling the fabric of their clothes.

Instead of retreating, Zhu Xun Chuan advanced, grabbing their hands that were on his waist.

"What, you're reluctant to use force? Do you want me to teach you how to exert force step by step?"

Gu Qinghan abruptly pulled her hand back. She sat up straight, quickly tidying the stray hairs around her ears to hide her flushed cheeks.

"Shameless," Gu Qinghan scolded in a low voice.

Xia Wanying propped herself up. She turned her face away and stiffly unscrewed the lid of the thermos, making a harsh metallic scraping sound.

"Dream on." Xia Wanying poured out a bowl of ginseng soup. "It'll scald you."

Zhu Xun Chuan turned his head and looked at his three roommates huddled in the corner.

"Lin Yuan, go across from the hospital and buy a pack of cigarettes, Zhonghua brand, please. Monkey, you two come with me."

"Hey! Good heavens, godfather!" Lin Yuan felt like he'd been granted a pardon. He grabbed the still-dazed Old Zhao and rushed out of the ward, slamming the door shut behind him.

The ward door closed. The room became quiet.

The doorknob turned again. Jiang Yao pushed open the door and entered the ward.

She was wearing skinny jeans and Doc Martens today, and was fiddling with a butterfly knife with red and black patterns in her hand.

Jiang Yao walked straight to the sofa and sat down, crossing her legs and putting them on the coffee table. She took out a disinfectant wipe and bent down to wipe the sharp blade.

Zhu Xun Chuan glanced at Jiang Yao. The shadow of that standard-issue short knife from Tianjin was still lingering. He couldn't let the Jiang family investigate blindly.

He picked up his phone.

Tap on Gu Qinghan's WeChat profile picture. Show the close-up photo of the bloodstained dagger. Send.

Postscript: "Anti-slip texture on the handle. Security standard. Please check."

Sending complete.

Gu Qinghan's phone, which was in the pocket of his light gray trench coat, vibrated twice.

She took out her phone and unlocked the screen. She saw the WeChat message.

Gu Qinghan raised her head.

Zhu Xun Chuan looked directly into her eyes. His chin was slightly raised.

Gu Qinghan received a confirming look. She knew Zhu Xunchuan was using the Gu family's resources in the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. This kind of covert investigation didn't require knives or guns; it only required comparing data from the internal network.

Gu Qinghan locked her phone and put it back in her pocket. She stood up.

"The college's academic affairs office has some documents that need approval. I'm going back to the school." Gu Qinghan picked up her designer bag from the chair and walked out of the ward in her high heels.

The door closed again.

Xia Wanying pulled up a chair and sat down. She took out a stack of financial statements from Dinghe Group from her handbag, uncapped her pen, and began to review the documents.

Jiang Yao leaned back on the sofa, her wrist flicking as the butterfly knife spun rapidly between her fingers, producing a soft metallic clanging sound.

Sunlight streamed into the ward through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

There was no sound of conversation in the ward.

The richest woman reviews financial reports. A triad heiress cleans her weapons.

They each occupied a corner, surrounding Zhu Xunchuan, creating an extremely absurd yet heartwarming scene.

Night fell. The neon lights of Beijing illuminated the sky.

Xia Wanying and Jiang Yao were both kicked out of the ward by Zhu Xunchuan on the grounds that they needed to rest.

The main light in the room was turned off. Only a dim nightlight remained.

Zhu Xunchuan leaned against the headboard, looking at the night view outside the window.

The phone screen on the bedside table suddenly lit up, accompanied by continuous vibration.

Zhu Xunchuan reached out and picked up his phone.

Gu Qinghan sent a PDF file.

The document title is a string of numbers followed by letters. That's the exclusive code for expedited forensic reports from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau's Evidence Section. It's labeled "Top Secret." This is a file accessible only to core personnel within the Municipal Bureau.