Gu Anxi looked up at him, her gaze unfocused.
After a moment, her eyes slowly closed, and she fainted in his arms.
Bo Xichen immediately picked her up. He took a few steps, then frowned at the sight of their blood-soaked clothes.
「Half an hour later.」
He sat, freshly cleaned, by the bedside, watching the person lying on the bed. Her delicate face was buried in the pillow, strands of her dark hair peeking out. What a beautiful little thing she was—beautiful and fierce.
Bo Xichen gently stroked her hair once before pulling his hand back.
Feng Mian poked his head around the bedroom door. "Is the little one sleeping here tonight?"
"Go tell Granny Chen that Gu Anxi accidentally fell asleep at my place," Bo Xichen said softly.
So Doctor Bo really isn’t sending her back, then, Feng Mian thought, his mouth agape. He had no choice but to go and deliver the message.
Coincidentally, not only was Granny Chen in the hospital room, but Qin Siyuan was there too, chatting with her. It seemed he was waiting for Gu Anxi.
Feng Mian knocked on the door and called out, "Granny Chen."
Granny Chen smiled warmly. "Ah, Doctor Feng."
Although Feng Mian wasn’t a doctor, he didn’t correct her. He just smiled and said, "Anxi was at our place working on an experiment and might have fainted from the sight of blood. She’s sleeping now, and Doctor Bo is looking after her, so please don’t worry, Granny."
Granny Chen was alarmed at first, but after hearing everything, she just said, "Oh, it’s that handsome Doctor Bo. Well, then I’m not worried."
Feng Mian suppressed a laugh.
Just because he’s handsome and young... How could this be allowed? Qin Siyuan was beside himself.
Without thinking, he blurted out, "I’ll bring her back."
Feng Mian stopped him, saying softly, "Do you know she has health problems? Do you know she often faints unexpectedly? You want to take her back, but Qin Siyuan, don’t you have a girlfriend? Shouldn’t you keep your distance from other girls?"
"I’m her stepbrother," Qin Siyuan said angrily. "And who are you people?"
Just as Feng Mian was about to invoke Bo Xichen’s authority, Granny Chen interjected calmly, "Doctor Bo is a good man, upright and decent. Young Master Qin, you’re overthinking things."
With Granny Chen having said this, Qin Siyuan was indeed momentarily at a loss for a retort and could only pretend to take his leave.
Once Qin Siyuan left, Feng Mian also said he would be going.
Eventually, the commotion reached the laboratory building, their voices inevitably growing louder.
Bo Xichen stepped out, gazing at Qin Siyuan in the night’s darkness, his icy eyes chilling to the bone.
Qin Siyuan clenched his fists. "Professor Bo, what is the meaning of this? Propriety dictates a separation between men and women. Let me take Gu Anxi back."
Bo Xichen spoke calmly, "Gu Anxi is very safe here with me. Besides, the same propriety between men and women applies to her and Young Master Qin."
"I’m her stepbrother." This man is difficult to deal with, Qin Siyuan thought.
Bo Xichen smiled faintly. "All the more reason to avoid any hint of scandal. Gu Anxi is my student and my assistant. Isn’t it perfectly normal for her to stay in the staff dormitory?"
Feng Mian rolled his eyes. Since when did Young Master Bo’s bed become a staff dormitory! How come I’ve never gotten to sleep there?
Qin Siyuan, furious, walked to the door and kicked it hard several times. "Gu Anxi, get out here!"
Feng Mian couldn’t stand it any longer. "I told you, she’s fainted. She won’t wake up no matter how loudly you shout."
Qin Siyuan looked at Bo Xichen. "What happened to her?"
Bo Xichen’s gaze was steady. After a long moment, he finally spoke, "Young Master Qin, perhaps you should be asking yourself what happened. Could it be..."
He lowered his eyes. "Could it be that you disappointed her?"