I'll deal with you when I get back

Veins throbbed at Gu Wenze's temples. He clutched his crotch in agony and said through gritted teeth, "Qiao Hua, how dare you kick me!"

This woman had some nerve!

Qiao Hua regretted it as soon as she had done it, but not because she was worried about Gu Wenze. She was worried about derailing the plot.

What if her kick did permanent damage and ruined his happily ever after with Jiang Nan?

Wouldn't that mean she could never leave?

At that thought, Qiao Hua felt a pang of regret. She should have kicked Gu Wenze in the face instead.

Even if she disfigured him, at least he had the money for plastic surgery.

But if she had destroyed his ability to father children, there would be no fixing that.

Feeling a little guilty, Qiao Hua said, "That's what you get for trying to force yourself on me."

Gu Wenze wanted to strangle her. "You're my wife. Having sex with me is your duty."

Qiao Hua curled her lips. "Even married couples need mutual consent. Besides, we're sleeping in separate rooms. What you did was attempted rape."

[Besides, I won't be your wife in name much longer. Then you'll have Jiang Nan, your one true love, to satisfy your urges. You can do whatever you want, as many times a night as you like.]

[Ugh, I wish we could hurry up and get divorced. When are these two going to hook up?]

[They're so close already. Can't they just take that last step? If they're too embarrassed, I don't mind doing it for them.]

Gu Wenze's face turned livid. "Say that again?"

Qiao Hua stopped arguing and urged him, "You should hurry to the hospital and get checked. Wait too long, and it might be beyond saving."

Please, God, don't let Gu Wenze become a eunuch.

Otherwise, the rest of her life would be ruined.

Qiao Hua even considered whether she should run away now.

Gu Wenze lifted his eyes, his gaze chilling. Holding back his fury, he said, "I'll deal with you when I get back."

With that, he got out of bed despite the excruciating pain and tried to act as though nothing was wrong. His awkward, unsteady movements betrayed just how miserable he was.

In a doctor's office at a private hospital.

You Xiaonian was writing up medical records when Gu Wenze appeared, taking him by surprise.

"Well, this is a rare visit. What brings you here?"

As he spoke, You Xiaonian noticed something strange about Gu Wenze's gait and asked curiously, "What's wrong with you?"

Gu Wenze looked frighteningly grim. Through clenched teeth, he said, "Check me down there."

"What do you mean, down there..."

Before he finished, realization struck You Xiaonian, and his eyes widened. "Holy shit, how did you hurt yourself somewhere that important?"

Even speaking was a struggle for Gu Wenze. "Someone kicked me."

You Xiaonian was even more astonished. "Who had the nerve to kick you there?"

Gu Wenze's voice bristled with irritation. "Cut the crap and help me over."

You Xiaonian went to support him. Seeing that he could barely walk, he couldn't help commenting, "They really went all out. You might never have kids now. Who hates you that much?"

When Gu Wenze remained silent, his face dark, You Xiaonian looked as though he had uncovered a secret. "Don't tell me you couldn't keep your hands off Jiang Nan, so she..."

"Shut up!"

Seeing Gu Wenze's thunderous expression, You Xiaonian wisely fell silent. He helped him onto the examination bed and began checking him over.

A few minutes later, You Xiaonian said, "You're fine. It's just a minor external injury. It won't affect your sex life, so don't worry."

Only then did Gu Wenze's expression ease a little. But the thought of how viciously Qiao Hua had kicked him sent his anger flaring again.

You Xiaonian looked eager for gossip. "Hey, you still haven't told me. Was it really Jiang Nan?"

You Xiaonian knew about Gu Wenze and Jiang Nan's history. If Jiang Nan hadn't gone abroad back then, Qiao Hua would never have had the chance to marry Gu Wenze.

Gu Wenze shot him a sidelong glance. "It has nothing to do with Jiang Nan. Qiao Hua did it."

"Qiao Hua?"

You Xiaonian was stunned, his gaze involuntarily dropping to Gu Wenze's crotch. "You're saying she kicked you there? Has she lost her mind?"

His surprise was understandable. Everyone knew Qiao Hua loved Gu Wenze. Back then, she had even resorted to drugging him and getting paparazzi to expose photos of them in bed, all to marry into the Gu Family.

That showed just how much Gu Wenze mattered to her.

"Why would she kick you out of nowhere?" You Xiaonian quickly arrived at a bold guess. "Were you trying to have sex with her, but she didn't want to, so she kicked you?"

Watching Gu Wenze's face darken, You Xiaonian knew he had guessed right. "Seriously? That's what happened?"

Gu Wenze gave a low grunt of agreement.

You Xiaonian couldn't understand it. "That doesn't make sense. Isn't she completely obsessed with you? If you wanted to sleep with her, shouldn't she have gotten into position and let you have her?"

Gu Wenze's expression was dark and menacing, his jaw taut. He said nothing.

You Xiaonian wasn't the only one who thought that way. Even Gu Wenze felt Qiao Hua had been acting strangely lately.

It was as though she had become a different person.

In the past, whenever Gu Wenze wanted sex, Qiao Hua would satisfy him, even eagerly going along with him to please him.

But now, not only was she avoiding him, she had reacted so strongly to his touch.

Even if she was playing hard to get, this was taking it too far.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

You Xiaonian waved a hand in front of Gu Wenze's face.

Gu Wenze snapped out of his thoughts, his expression still grave. "Nothing."

He had no intention of telling You Xiaonian that he could hear Qiao Hua's thoughts. You Xiaonian might think he was crazy.

It was already the early hours of the morning when he returned from the hospital. Gu Wenze went upstairs and discovered that the light in the spare bedroom was off.

His fists clenched.

Qiao Hua had nearly robbed him of the ability to have children, yet she could still sleep without a care.

Gu Wenze wanted to drag her out of her room right then and teach her a harsh lesson.

But a timely surge of pain between his legs made him abandon the idea, and he slammed the door shut.

Qiao Hua showed none of the awareness expected of a "victim." She slept until morning without even having a nightmare.

Only when she woke did she suddenly remember how she had nearly left Gu Wenze unable to have children the night before.

She wondered how he was doing.

Perhaps because of her guilty conscience over the night before, Qiao Hua worried that Gu Wenze would come after her, so she deliberately stayed in bed.

Only after his usual departure time had passed did she change and head downstairs.

The moment she entered the dining room, Qiao Hua saw that familiar tall figure sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

Her heart lurched, and she instinctively backed away. Just as she was tiptoeing toward the stairs, Gu Wenze's low, dangerous voice sounded behind her.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Qiao Hua stopped. Turning around stiffly, she feigned composure. "Uh... I just remembered I forgot something."

Gu Wenze saw straight through the excuse. "Qiao Hua, are you deliberately avoiding me?"

Qiao Hua pretended to yawn. "Of course not. It's not like I have anything to feel guilty about."

Gu Wenze fixed his deep, dark eyes on her, as though saying, Then get over here.

Qiao Hua had no choice but to steel herself, turn around, and sit at the dining table.

The housekeeper brought her breakfast. Qiao Hua thanked her and lowered her head to eat. Even without looking up, she could feel his burning gaze on her.

Gu Wenze said coldly, "Don't you have anything to say?"

Qiao Hua gave a light cough. "Are... are you okay down there?"

Gu Wenze's tone was far from pleasant. "What do you think?"

[Looks like he's fine. If he weren't, there's no way I'd still be sitting here in one piece.]

[Thank goodness Gu Wenze didn't become a eunuch. What if Jiang Nan found out and didn't want him anymore?]

[Wouldn't I have to stay married to Gu Wenze for the rest of my life?]

[Just thinking about it is terrifying.]

Gu Wenze abruptly set down his spoon. The sharp clatter made Qiao Hua jump.

Qiao Hua looked up at him in bewilderment, as though asking, What's gotten into you?

Gu Wenze took a deep breath, forcing down the strange feelings stirring inside him. "You already know Jiang Nan is coming to work at my company, don't you?"

Qiao Hua nodded with the spoon in her mouth. "Obviously. I'm not deaf."

As she spoke, the crimson tip of her tongue slipped out. Gu Wenze's gaze darkened, and a faint ache stirred between his legs again.

Gu Wenze forced himself to look away and said coldly, "Since you know, you'd better give up any idea of working at my company. Jiang Nan studied human resource management. If you try to fight her for that position, you'll only humiliate yourself."

Qiao Hua had expected him to say that and offered him some reassurance. "Don't worry. I never intended to work at your company anyway."

Hearing that should have relieved him. Yet seeing how little Qiao Hua cared left Gu Wenze inexplicably irritated.

In the past, Qiao Hua would already have been screaming and arguing with him.

Gu Wenze didn't even notice the added chill in his voice. "Good, as long as you know where you stand. If I find out you've been causing trouble for her again, I won't let you get away with it."