Intimate Trial Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The car drove into the underground garage of a high-security, upscale apartment complex. The elevator went straight to the top-floor duplex. When the door opened, a young woman in a casual suit, carrying a medical kit, was already waiting in the entryway. She looked about the same age as Ye Chang, with a sharp demeanor and a hint of playful mockery in her eyes.

This was Fu Xi, Ye Chang’s private doctor and long-time friend.

“Well, well, CEO Ye, what is this…” Fu Xi’s gaze landed on Shen Silin, who was being half-supported, half-held in Ye Chang’s arms. Her eyes lingered especially on Shen Silin’s clearly abnormal flushed face and the way she was clinging to Ye Chang. A meaningful smile immediately curved her lips. “A beauty in your arms? Quite the urgent situation, isn’t it?”

Ye Chang ignored her teasing, carefully helping the nearly exhausted Shen Silin lie down on the wide sofa in the living room.

“She was drugged and mixed with alcohol,” Ye Chang stated concisely, her tone icy. “Check her condition.”

Fu Xi raised an eyebrow, dropping her joking demeanor. She quickly stepped forward, put down her medical kit, and skillfully began checking Shen Silin’s pupils, pulse, and temperature. Shen Silin twisted restlessly, letting out unconscious moans. Fu Xi had to ask Ye Chang to help hold down her arms.

“Hmm… typical aphrodisiac-type drug, mixed with alcohol. The dosage isn’t light, and metabolism will take time.” Fu Xi finished her examination, straightened up, and took out a syringe and medication from her kit. While preparing the injection, she spoke in that infuriatingly casual tone, “Actually, the solution is quite simple. It’s not some fatal poison, just find a…”

Before she could finish, she felt an icy gaze fixed on her.

Fu Xi looked up, meeting Ye Chang’s calm, yet clearly warning eyes. She immediately raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. “Alright, alright, I know, I know.” She expertly injected Shen Silin with medication to counteract and alleviate the symptoms. She sighed, lowering her voice to a volume only the two of them could hear, “Doctor Fu understands. CEO Ye has someone in her heart, guards her virtue like jade, and would never ‘take advantage of someone in distress,’ nor would she allow this quack doctor to give bad advice and ‘force a good woman into prostitution.’ Happy now?”

Ye Chang didn’t reply. She simply watched as Shen Silin’s breathing seemed to slightly even out after the injection, but her brow remained tightly furrowed. Clearly, the dual effect of the drugs and alcohol was still tormenting her.

“How long will she be uncomfortable?” Ye Chang asked.

“Depends on her constitution and metabolic speed. With the injection, the worst phase will pass quicker, but she probably won’t be fully conscious and recovered until the latter half of the night. She’ll sweat a lot, might vomit, and needs to be watched and given fluids.” Fu Xi packed her things, glancing at Ye Chang’s tightly pressed lips. “Are you… staying up with her tonight?”

Ye Chang’s response was a short, almost temperatureless cold laugh. She didn’t turn around or answer, walking straight toward the master bedroom, leaving Fu Xi with only a tall, straight back and a cold command:

“Carry her to the guest bedroom. You watch her. You can leave at six tomorrow morning.”

Fu Xi watched Ye Chang’s resolute back disappear behind the master bedroom door, shaking her head and sighing resignedly. “What a decisive woman.” She walked to the sofa, looking at Shen Silin, who was curled up there, still delirious from the drugs and alcohol. She bent down, trying to help her up.

Shen Silin seemed to sense the unfamiliar scent and touch, struggling uneasily. She mumbled a vague protest, “No… don’t touch me… Ye Chang…”

Fu Xi raised an eyebrow, but didn’t stop her movements, laboriously half-lifting the limp Shen Silin. “Tsk, she recognizes people. Too bad the CEO Ye you’re thinking of has a heart of stone and dumped you on me.”

She half-dragged, half-carried Shen Silin into the spacious guest bedroom and placed her on the bed. As soon as Shen Silin touched the bed, she instinctively curled up, pressing her forehead against the cool sheets, her body still slightly trembling.

Fu Xi covered her with a light blanket, checked her pulse and breathing again, confirming there was no immediate danger. Only then did she pull a chair to the bedside and sit down, pulling out her phone to scroll idly. The only sound in the room was Shen Silin’s breathing, sometimes rapid, sometimes shallow.

Around five in the morning, the sky hadn’t fully brightened yet. Gray light seeped through the gaps in the thick blackout curtains in the living room. The apartment was silent.

The master bedroom door was gently pushed open. Ye Chang had changed into light gray loungewear. Her hair was casually loose, and her face held a trace of lingering fatigue, but her eyes were clear again. She walked out of the bedroom, her gaze habitually sweeping the living room.

Then, her steps halted.

Fu Xi, who should have been guarding the guest bedroom, was currently sprawled out on the wide living room sofa, covered by a thin blanket found somewhere, sleeping soundly, even emitting a faint snore. On the coffee table were the water cup she used last night and an empty snack bag.

Ye Chang walked to the sofa, looking down at the ungracefully sleeping Fu Xi. She lightly nudged the sofa leg with her toe.

“Fu Xi.”

“Hmm…?” Fu Xi mumbled a response, rolled over, burying her face in the sofa cushion, and slurred, “Stop it… five more minutes…”

“Get up and eat breakfast.” Ye Chang’s voice was calm and flat. “You’re going to be late.”

Fu Xi struggled to sit up on the sofa, rubbing her eyes. She looked around blankly, then at Ye Chang, taking a moment to realize where she was and what had happened last night. She yawned widely, scratching her messy hair.

“What time is it?”

“Five forty.”

“Oh… still early…” Fu Xi muttered, stretching. “How is the one inside?”

“I don’t know.” Ye Chang was concise, turning toward the open kitchen. “There’s milk and bread in the fridge. Help yourself. The coffee machine works.”

Fu Xi followed her, leaning against the kitchen island, watching Ye Chang skillfully take eggs and bacon from the fridge and start preparing breakfast. The morning light softly illuminated her focused profile, softening her usual sharp edges.

“You don’t know?” Fu Xi suddenly reacted; she knew Ye Chang well. “Never mind, I’ll go check myself.” Fu Xi waved her hand, abandoning the attempt to pry information from Ye Chang. “I’ll go check myself. If the patient had a problem in the middle of the night, your ‘I don’t know’ won’t cut it.”

She put down her half-finished milk and walked straight to the guest bedroom. This time, she didn’t knock, just gently pushed the door open and walked in.

The curtains were drawn in the room, making the light dim. Shen Silin was still lying on her side, seemingly in a deep sleep. Fu Xi walked to the bedside, observing her complexion and breathing in the faint light, then reached out to check her forehead temperature. Her temperature was normal, breathing steady, but her brow was slightly furrowed, suggesting restlessness even in sleep.

Fu Xi felt relieved and backed out.

When she returned to the kitchen, Ye Chang had already cleared the dishes and was leaning against the island with a coffee cup, looking out at the gradually brightening sky.

“Checked on her?” Ye Chang asked without turning her head.

“Mhm, sleeping soundly, should be fine.” Fu Xi walked up to her and poured herself a glass of water.

“I’m leaving now, I have an early meeting at the hospital.” Fu Xi put down her water glass and picked up her medical kit. “Remember to tell her to rest more and take her medication on time. Also…” She paused, looking at Ye Chang’s profile. “A-Chang, I know your long-standing obsession, but… don’t go too far. Some people, some things, aren’t what you think, and they don’t necessarily need to be handled with such absolute resolve. Leave some room for yourself, and for others.”

Ye Chang’s fingers, holding the coffee cup, tightened slightly, her knuckles turning white. She didn’t turn to look at Fu Xi, her gaze still fixed on the buildings outside the window, which were gradually being gilded by the morning light.

Obsession.

The word was like a key, instantly opening that heavy, dust-covered door deep in her memory. The bloody image of her sister falling, and those vague, malicious faces hidden in the shadows… countless images intertwined into an airtight net, tightly binding her.

Revenge. This was the only pillar supporting her to this day, deeply ingrained in her bones, becoming the very meaning of her existence. For this, she could pay any price, become cold and ruthless, and discard all softness and hesitation.

Yet, Fu Xi said, don’t go too far.

The corner of Ye Chang’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, an arc of near self-mockery. How could she not understand what Fu Xi meant? Her long-time friend was worried that she was trapped by hatred and the past, and even more worried that she might do something irreversible due to some inner stubbornness.

“I know what I’m doing.” Ye Chang finally spoke, her voice calm and emotionless. “Be careful on the road.”

Fu Xi looked at her still straight, yet somehow lonely back, wanting to say more, but ultimately just sighed. “Fine, as long as you know what you’re doing. I’m leaving.”

The soft click of the door lock was particularly clear in the silent apartment.

Ye Chang slowly put down the coffee cup, which was already cold. The bottom of the cup tapped against the marble countertop, making a crisp sound.

Obsession?

It was never obsession; it was “love”!

Ye Chang walked toward the study. There were piled-up documents, emails that needed processing, and the counterattack plan against Zhao Qiming that was about to unfold.