Chen Lie's eyes widened incredulously as he pointed shakily at the silk scarves. "General Huo! You're seriously using Hermès scarves as ropes?!"
He nearly choked.
Even the cheapest Hermès scarf cost thousands, easily tens of thousands of yuan each. And now, they were casually wrapped around Gu Nianzhi's wrists and ankles?
Huo Shaoheng ignored Chen Lie's shocked outburst, his expression grim as he swiftly tied Gu Nianzhi's limbs securely to each corner of the large bed.
Chen Lie assisted with an odd expression, glancing curiously at Huo Shaoheng. "General Huo, why do you have so many Hermès scarves anyway? Aren't they for women...?"
Huo Shaoheng replied flatly, "Nianzhi loves Hermès scarves. Last time I went to France, I stopped by Hermès headquarters and bought about a dozen as her birthday gifts for this year."
In reality, he'd been too busy to pick carefully, so he simply bought all the newest designs available—square, rectangular, long, short, and in every imaginable color and pattern.
Chen Lie gave him a thumbs-up, grinning broadly. "You're truly something else, General Huo—an outstanding guardian in both money and effort!"
Huo Shaoheng shot him a cold glance, nodding toward Gu Nianzhi. He quickly returned to the issue at hand. "Is it true that once she releases, she'll be okay?"
Chen Lie chuckled suggestively, nodding rapidly. "Exactly! Isn't that typically the point of such drugs?"
Huo Shaoheng's lips pressed tightly together, his jaw visibly tense. His tall frame stood taut as a drawn bow, dangerous and imposing.
Intimidated by Huo Shaoheng's sudden dark mood, Chen Lie stumbled backward, nearly falling to the ground in his haste.
Recovering himself, Chen Lie wiped the fog from his glasses, regaining composure. "Honestly speaking, finding a man to sleep with her would solve everything. But she's not yet eighteen, and currently not even conscious. I couldn't make this call myself, so I had to contact you. You're her guardian—if you agree, I'll immediately find someone suitable."
He squinted behind his thick glasses, clearly meaning business.
Having served as a military doctor in Special Operations for years, situations like this weren't unusual to Chen Lie. But Huo Shaoheng tightened his fists instinctively, his gaze sharpening like daggers as he quietly tucked his hands behind his back.
"Find a man? Who exactly are you planning to find? What do you take her for?" Huo Shaoheng approached slowly, his voice dangerously low and intense.
Unable to clearly see Huo Shaoheng's expression without his glasses, Chen Lie felt a chill as if he'd stepped into an icy windstorm. He took several cautious steps back, quickly putting his glasses on again. Checking the notes Gu Nianzhi had provided earlier, he muttered, "Nianzhi has no boyfriend and is still a virgin, so it must be someone reliable."
Huo Shaoheng swiftly grabbed Chen Lie's notes, scanning them rapidly before tearing the papers apart. Pulling out a lighter, he ignited them instantly, tossing the flaming pieces into a stainless-steel trash bin, where they quickly turned to ash.
"General Huo! What are you doing?!" Chen Lie cried, panicking and reaching to extinguish the fire. Huo Shaoheng blocked him effortlessly.
"You documented this on paper? Are you out of your mind? Did you enter it into your computer?" Huo Shaoheng snapped coldly.
"That was vital data!" Chen Lie wailed, watching his precious notes disintegrate. "I hadn't even inputted them yet!"
Chen Lie had a fanatical obsession with medical data. Furious at losing something so valuable, he forgot his earlier fear and retreated, sulking. "Fine, nothing more to say then—I'll find someone suitable immediately."
A harsh silence stretched. Huo Shaoheng's throat tightened, a simple agreement impossible to utter.
Finally, he turned back to Chen Lie, his voice icy. "Isn't it enough if she simply releases? Must we find someone else? Can't this happen without physical contact?"
Chen Lie hesitated, mumbling awkwardly, "Theoretically, yes. As long as she experiences enough pleasure, she should recover naturally. But she's not conscious enough to manage it herself, is she?"
Embarrassed, he added hastily, "If you're concerned about another man, I could ask a female doctor to help instead..."
He made a crude gesture, then immediately regretted it as Huo Shaoheng's piercing gaze almost sliced through his hand. Chen Lie quickly hid his hands, chuckling nervously, "Never mind if you disagree—she might just get through it herself."
Huo Shaoheng frowned deeply, raising a hand to silence him. "Stop. Let me think."
Pulling out a cigarette, he lit it and walked onto the balcony, staring thoughtfully at the mountains under the moonlit night.
His peace was shattered by Gu Nianzhi's distressed, pleading moans filtering through the open balcony door, each cry tightening his scalp. Flicking away the cigarette, he spun around decisively.
"No need to find anyone else," he stated firmly to Chen Lie. "I'll stay with her myself. She'll get through this."
Scooping Gu Nianzhi into his arms, he carried her resolutely into his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
Chen Lie, witnessing this rare hesitation in Huo Shaoheng, sighed knowingly. In all his years, he'd never seen this decisive man falter.
Knocking gently on the bedroom door, he called out clearly, "Keep an eye on her heartbeat, General. Notify me immediately if it accelerates dangerously. I'll go analyze the drug now!"