Chapter 13: Call Me Doctor Zhao

She was startled, snapping back to her senses only to realize someone else was standing in the room. She spoke irritably, "Why didn't you make a sound?"

"How would I dare disturb your moment?"

Hunter set down the iced Americano in his hand and gave a mischievous smirk. "Forget making a sound, I was barely breathing, terrified that my presence might spoil your performance."

She was speechless. "..."

She glanced at the thermos sitting to the side; it felt like an eyesore. "Take that and throw it away."

"At your service."

Hunter walked over, picked up the container, and added casually, "Mr. Lu really acts like he cares, though I wonder what kind of wicked scheme he's brewing."

"After all, nobody is nice to you for no reason."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he suddenly cut her off: "In the car with him last night, you two didn't..."

"No." At the mention of that man, she immediately pictured those eyes—playful on the surface but deeply indifferent. "He... seems to suspect me."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Suspect your... identity? Did he recognize you?"

She nodded heavily.

This could be a major issue or a minor one. Hunter’s lips curled slightly. "Interesting. It seems tonight is destined to be a sleepless one."

He carried the thermos out. Just as he was about to toss it into the trash, a staggering old woman appeared beside him.

"Excuse me, young man. This thermos looks quite new; could you give it to me?"

Hearing this, Hunter glanced sideways.

Behind the white-haired woman followed a young boy, about three or four years old. Appearing in the silent corridor of the VIP ward in the middle of the night...

It felt strangely eerie.

He hesitated for only a second before handing the thermos to the woman as it was. "Take it. As for the contents inside, please pour them out."

"Thank you, dear. You’re such a good man."

When he returned to the room, she had already fallen asleep.

She lay quietly on the pale bed, her long lashes casting a slender shadow over her eyelids.

Hunter walked over, carefully tucking her exposed arm back under the covers. He stared at her peaceful face for a moment before sitting down on the single sofa nearby.

As dawn broke, she was trapped in a recurring nightmare.

In the dream, she was in a wasteland of ruins, with people in hot pursuit behind her.

They were armed; a single lapse in dodging would mean death.

In her panicked flight, she had only one thought: survive.

That had happened five years ago. She had wandered into those ruins and seen something she shouldn't have.

That face felt so familiar, yet she could never recall it.

The harder she tried to remember, the blurrier it became.

The path ahead narrowed, her steps grew more frantic, and just as she was trapped with nowhere to run—right when she was about to see the person who would save her—

The scene shifted abruptly back to the present day. She opened her eyes, her consciousness not yet fully clear from sleep.

The tall figure by the bed flickered between shadow and reality, looking exactly like the light she was about to reach.

As he drew closer, she gradually made out that cold, roguish face...

...Xavier!!

She subconsciously murmured, "Hunter..."

No one came. Instead, the tall figure leaned down over her.

Her lashes trembled uncontrollably.

That deep voice was right at her ear: "Call me Doctor Zhao."

"...Doctor Zhao?"

She was confused. In that instant, a sharp pain shot through her neck, as if something pointed had pierced her skin.

Knock, knock, knock—

A series of urgent knocks shattered the morning peace.

She snapped awake from the dream, beads of sweat sliding down her forehead and dripping onto the pristine white sheets.

Hunter came out of the bathroom and went to open the door.

She scanned the room, but the person from her dream was nowhere to be found.

The stinging sensation in the back of her neck faded instantly, as if it truly had been just a dream.

Puzzled, she felt the area; there seemed to be a tiny bump. She got out of bed, intending to go to the bathroom to check the mirror.

However, she saw several uniformed police officers standing at the door.

Hunter, who had stayed up all night researching Xavier’s history, looked exhausted but snapped to attention at the sight of the officers.

After a few questions, he was taken away.

The reason: an old woman had accused him of poisoning someone.

The victim was the woman’s grandson. Half an hour ago, he had been pronounced dead after failed resuscitation efforts.

In the chaos of the morning, she couldn't spare a thought for the man in her dream. Even the intent to check her neck in the mirror was forgotten.

She immediately called Hunter’s lawyer. Once arrangements were made, she dialed Julian’s number.

As soon as he picked up, her voice was filled with grief: "You actually tried to poison me!"

Chapter 14: Are You Jealous?

Naturally, if she had drunk that soup, she would likely be a corpse by now.

The thought sent shivers down her spine.

Julian’s voice on the other end sounded confused. "What are you saying? Why would I want to poison you?"

She screamed hoarsely into the phone, "The soup from last night!"

...

Julian rushed to the hospital in a panic. Seeing her still alive, he finally managed a sigh of relief.

Usually the picture of perfection, he had actually fastened his shirt buttons in the wrong order today, and his hair was clearly unstyled.

"I will investigate this thoroughly."

She sat on the hospital bed hugging her knees. Her face was pale to the point of being translucent, but her eyes were as red as a rabbit's. She looked utterly helpless.

Julian couldn't bear it and reached out to hold her.

She immediately pushed him away. "You did it, didn't you?"

"How could it be me?"

She watched his expression closely; he didn't seem to be lying. If he had done it, he wouldn't have hand-delivered the soup himself.

She frowned. "Then you must know who did, right?"

Her voice carried a sob. Even the coldest heart would soften at the sound.

"I..."

Julian hesitated. He remembered that while the servant was simmering the soup last night,

she

had indeed stayed there for a while. At the time, he was in the study for a video conference.

But he couldn't be certain it was her.

Without a clear investigation, he couldn't jump to conclusions.

"You what!"

From his reaction, she instantly confirmed her suspicions. She just hadn't expected the third Miss Zhou to hate her to this extent!

To not let her go even after they were divorced.

She suddenly grabbed Julian’s collar and said softly, with a hint of bitterness, "You've already decided to help her, haven't you?"

"Even if the person who died was me, you would still choose to protect her, right?"

"It makes sense. If it weren't for me, you two would have been married long ago."

Julian’s eyes darkened, and he denied it hoarsely, "That's not true. When I met you at the banquet, she and I had already broken up."

He held her slender wrists that were gripping his collar, but he didn't pull them away; he just held them gently. "Calm down. Leave this to me. Hunter will be released safely today, don't worry."

She scoffed. Was this a matter of being worried? A life had been lost!

But she knew very well that in this city, with their overwhelming power, there was nothing they couldn't handle.

She couldn't win by fighting them head-on.

At the thought, tears began to fall rapidly. "Do you have any idea that I almost died!"

Julian pulled her into his arms, coaxing her gently: "Such emotional upheaval isn't good for your recovery. You need rest. I will definitely give you an explanation."

After he left, she lay back down. A while later, a caregiver brought food.

Though it looked appetizing, she didn't dare touch a thing. When the hunger became unbearable, she pulled out some snacks she had bought yesterday from her tote bag.

Just then, the ward door opened.

She was in a suite, so she couldn't see the situation outside.

The person’s footsteps approached slowly. She first saw a shadow on the floor, and her heart skipped a beat for no reason.

It wasn't the third Miss Zhou.

It was Xavier, dressed once again in an unapproachable black suit.

During those two weeks of their secret affair, he hadn't been this cold.

Back then, the atmosphere was tender. Every day he came to take her out, he dressed exactly like a young girl's ideal.

She looked up and saw the bag of KFC in his hand.

?!

She looked at him warily.

Xavier joked half-seriously, "I’ve come to poison you."

He even gave the large bag a shake, letting the tempting aroma fill the air.

She didn't find the joke funny at all and hugged her pillow tighter. "Did you come specifically to see me?"

But this man really knew how to cater to her tastes. He wasn't like Julian, who was always acting like an elder, lecturing her on what was good or bad.

She had actually been craving fried chicken and cola.

"Is it to your liking?" Xavier smiled as he took out a straw, poked it into the cola cup, and handed it to her.

She didn't take it.

Instead, she said, "You’ve been seeing a lot of the Zhou women lately."

She couldn't help but suspect his true motive for questioning her identity the night before.

The third Miss Zhou might not know her background, but Xavier might.

Seeing him reminded her of that dream—of him piercing her neck with something. The spot felt itchy now, and she reached back to scratch it.

Xavier arched an eyebrow. "Are you jealous?"

She scoffed. "You're overthinking. It's not like I like you."

As she looked at the face that fascinated her so much, she lied without blinking.

Xavier gave a silent laugh. "I’m just afraid you

might

like me."

Feeling a bit sour, she huffed and went back to her snacks.

That annoying man actually laid out the fried chicken right in front of her.

He said quietly, "You must be starving."

She rejected him decisively. "I don't like this stuff."

Ridiculous. Did he really think she was a child?

"Want to make a bet?"

"Hmm?" She looked confused.

"Bet that there’s no poison in this chicken. If you win, I’ll give you the evidence of her poisoning the soup."

Her eyes widened instinctively. "You have it?"

No! Stay calm. He might just be trying to trick her into eating.

"Mm-hmm."

To her surprise, Xavier pulled out his phone and played a video for her.

The video clearly recorded the third Miss Zhou taking drugs from her lab and the entire process of tampering with the soup.

She frowned deeply. "It really was her!"

"So, do you dare to bet?"

Her mind raced through the possibilities. Then she said tonelessly, "Not interested."

"Worried that her family's influence in the city will keep her from being convicted?" Xavier offered a suggestion. "You could take this video and use it to drive a wedge between her and Julian, couldn't you?"

She remained unfazed. "And what would be in it for you?"