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Zhou Lin subconsciously let go of Bai Zhuzhu and swiftly scooped Cheng Zhiwei into his arms, feeling an intense heat where his palm touched her.
She had a fever.
Zhou Lin carried Cheng Zhiwei horizontally into the room and called the family doctor with an expressionless face.
In the hallway, Bai Zhuzhu remained wrapped in a bath towel, biting her lip with a flash of resentment in her eyes before hurrying to change and entering the bedroom.
"Brother Lin."
Zhou Lin glanced at the cluttered vanity and looked emotionlessly at Bai Zhuzhu, "Did you touch her things?"
Although he and Cheng Zhiwei lacked marital affection and had never shared a room, he knew a bit about Cheng Zhiwei's character; she would never leave her items in such disarray.
Bai Zhuzhu hung her head, biting her lip and clutching her skirt with reddening eyes. "Brother Lin, I didn't mean to touch Sister Zhiwei's things. You know my family isn't well-off, I've never seen such nice skincare products before, so... I just wanted to try them."
She touched her cheek, looking embarrassed and aggrieved.
Indeed, the family and environment Bai Zhuzhu was born into and grew up in were not ideal. It was normal for a girl who loved beauty to not resist the temptation.
The coldness in Zhou Lin's eyes softened, and his tone became gentler, "There won't be a next time, ask Secretary Zhang if you want something."
Bai Zhuzhu's tears turned to joy, and she looked up at Zhou Lin with gleaming eyes, "Got it, Brother Lin. I won't do it again. Could you please talk to Sister Zhiwei for me, ask her not to be angry with me, please?"
"Hmm, wait for me in the living room. Once the doctor arrives, I'll take you home."
"Okay, I'll listen to Brother Lin."
Once Bai Zhuzhu had left, Zhou Lin returned to the bedside, his gaze again falling on that wound, his expression shifting subtly. Cheng Zhiwei, what game are you playing now?
In the eyes of others, Cheng Zhiwei came from a scholarly family; her parents were university history professors, and she had been gentle, obedient, and sweet since childhood.
But it was this well-behaved girl who, on the day of her college graduation, on the eve of her best friend's engagement, slept with her best friend's boyfriend, who was none other than Zhou Lin.
Cheng Shang, Cheng Zhiwei's father, and Zhou Chenyuan, Zhou Lin's father were classmates and thus shared a close relationship. Together, they simply announced the news of their children's marriage.
Zhou Lin's girlfriend, also Cheng Zhiwei's best friend, suffered a car accident in despair after witnessing everything.
So, Zhou Lin hated Cheng Zhiwei, convinced that she was a devil in sheep's clothing, with every action motivated by an agenda.
"It hurts... it hurts..."
The person on the bed had her eyes tightly closed.
Zhou Lin refocused, turning his attention to Cheng Zhiwei.
She was sweating profusely, her pale cheeks flaring red from the fever, her lips slightly parted as she breathed.
Family doctor Zhang Yuanheng entered in a rushed pace with his medical bag, after observing Cheng Zhiwei's condition, he handed a thermometer to Zhou Lin, "Let's take her temperature first."
Then he bent down to prepare the medicine needed for the fever-reducing injection.
Zhou Lin took it, unbuttoned Cheng Zhiwei's collar, pulled it down slightly, and his gaze suddenly stalled.
Cheng Zhiwei's shoulders were covered with bruises, though not as severe as those on her forehead.
Zhou Lin pulled back the blanket and took Cheng Zhiwei's hand out, rolling up the sleeve to reveal a shocking array of wounds and mottled bruises.
Zhang Yuanheng was startled, and blurted out quickly, "Young President Zhou, is this domestic violence?"
A stern glance from Zhou Lin flew towards him, and Zhang Yuanheng shivered, silently zipping his lips shut.
"Treat her wounds," Zhou Lin ordered coldly, "I have to go now."
Even then, he did not seem concerned about leaving an unconscious Cheng Zhiwei alone with another man.
Downstairs, Bai Zhuzhu saw Zhou Lin coming down and cautiously approached to ask, "Is Sister Zhiwei okay?"
```
Zhou Lin was feeling somewhat irritable as he walked outside, "I'll have the driver take you back."
Bai Zhuzhu trotted to keep up with him, blaming herself, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come here, causing Sister Zhiwei to misunderstand and even faint because of it."
Zhou Lin stopped in his tracks, his expression slightly somber.
Bai Zhuzhu fiddled with the hem of her clothing, her voice uneasy, "I was in a hurry to take a shower and didn't realize I had entered your room."
"She's making a fuss over nothing," Zhou Lin consoled her.
In his view, Bai Zhuzhu had merely used the bathroom. If Cheng Zhiwei didn't like it, she could have had someone clean it again, but she insisted on making a big deal out of it, causing an embarrassing scene.
And then there were the injuries on her body... What was she trying to do?
Tears still hung in Bai Zhuzhu's eyes, "Brother Lin, you know I'm always so scatterbrained, always liking to do the wrong thing. I'm really too clumsy."
"It's fine, go back first," Zhou Lin said.
But just as he was about to leave, Zhang Yuanheng came down from upstairs, his voice somewhat urgent, "The young madam has a high fever of nearly forty degrees; we should take her to the hospital."
Zhou Lin's steps halted, his expression impatient, "Give her a fever-reducing injection."
Zhang Yuanheng hurriedly replied, "Human life is at stake here."
Zhou Lin had no choice but to instruct the driver to take Bai Zhuzhu home.
Bai Zhuzhu's pitiful gaze suddenly turned exceedingly cold. Cheng Zhiwei really was shameless, pretending to faint. But what did it matter? Zhou Lin hated her.
The word "hate" was enough to destroy everything.
Only after the car had left did Zhou Lin return upstairs, took a coat at random from the cloakroom, wrapped Cheng Zhiwei in it, and carried her downstairs to drive to the hospital.
When Cheng Zhiwei regained consciousness, her body ached less, and she even felt a bit cold...
She subconsciously tried to move, and from behind her came the concerned voice of the nanny, Aunt Wang, "Don't move."
As Aunt Wang's voice fell, something touched her back.
Her muddled brain cleared in an instant, and Cheng Zhiwei realized, the reason she felt cold was that she had no clothes on.
The blanket was only draped over her waist,
She relaxed her body, "Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Wang."
"I'm not tired. But young madam, what exactly happened to cause all these injuries on you?"
Cheng Zhiwei took a deep breath, "I fell."
Seeing she was unwilling to talk more, Aunt Wang didn't ask further and left after applying the medicine.
Zhou Lin walked in, his eyes dark as he stared at Cheng Zhiwei without speaking.
Cheng Zhiwei hesitated, "Thank you for taking me to the hospital."
Her tone was as cold and distant as could be, as if Zhou Lin was not her husband, but just a stranger.
Zhou Lin was stubborn by nature and already disliked Cheng Zhiwei. The only reason he stayed in the hospital after sending her was because he feared she might have some malicious thought and play more tricks; it was easier to just watch over her until she woke up.
He looked down at Cheng Zhiwei from his higher position, "What new tricks have you thought of this time? Or are you planning to go back and complain, say that your injuries are related to Zhuzhu?"
A bitter taste filled Cheng Zhiwei's heart; in his eyes, she was synonymous with malice.
When they had gotten married, she was full of hope, thinking that since Zhou Lin had agreed to marriage, he must have felt some affection for her. After all, they had grown up together as childhood sweethearts. But on their wedding night, Zhou Lin taught her a lesson herself, showing her what it meant to be presumptuous.
Now, he didn't care how she got her injuries; instead, he warned her against framing his little mistress.
How ironic.