Chapter 17: Am I a man or not? You'll find out in a moment!

She is not an unreasonable person, but she is not one to be bullied either; she only fights back when others bully her.

Gu Tingyan thought that after she slapped him, she would at least coax him a little, but instead, she just told him to hit her back.

What kind of man hits a woman?

Gu Tingyan could not bear to lay a hand on her, and his heart grew increasingly irritated.

He rolled over and pinned Qin Shu beneath him, venting his anger as he gnawed on her bright red, soft lips.

Qin Shu crawled outward, trying to escape his confinement, but Gu Tingyan sneered, grabbed her waist, and dragged her back by her legs.

Qin Shu's legs were long and straight, so fair and tender they seemed ready to drip water; just holding them for a moment made Gu Tingyan's mind wander.

Such beautiful legs, hooked around his waist, could make his waist go numb every single time.

Gu Tingyan pulled her into his embrace, one of his large palms cupping the back of Qin Shu's head, pressing her down and forcing her to endure his offensive.

His lips had just brushed against hers when, the next second, Qin Shu bit him hard, causing Gu Tingyan to let out a muffled groan in pain.

Gu Tingyan spoke with some irritability: "Qin Shu!!"

"Are you a dog?"

"When did you learn to bite people!"

Qin Shu sneered and glared at him as she looked up.

Gu Tingyan was so angered by her that he laughed, lowering his head to press down and kiss her fiercely.

He buried his face in the fair skin of Qin Shu's neck, gnawing and biting at those slender, graceful lines.

Qin Shu stared at him with wide eyes, her fingernails digging into the man's arm muscles, one hand pushing against his waist and abdomen, but she could not break free no matter what.

Qin Shu's eyes turned red, and she cursed him in a low voice: "Gu Tingyan! You bastard!"

Her voice while scolding him was soft and cottony, like a cat's, and the upward inflection at the end scratched at one's heart like a kitten's claws.

"You only know how to bully me!"

"What kind of man are you!"

Those beautiful eyes were watery from being bullied, a pair of glistening, pitiful eyes, the shimmering pupils looking as if they contained a pool of spring water, with tears still staining her long, raven-black lashes and the corners of her eyes flushed crimson.

She looked pitiful, as if she had been bullied terribly.

Gu Tingyan gazed down at her from above, untied his bath towel, and sneered: "Whether I am a man or not, you will know in a moment!"

The disparity in strength between men and women has always been vast; Qin Shu was like a fish on a chopping block, left to be handled by others.

Qin Shu did not intend to struggle anymore; she lay on the bed like a dead fish, her eyes hollow and unfocused as she looked at the tree outside the window.

Isn't it just going to bed?

Over these past five years, they have done it plenty of times.

She would just pretend she had been bitten by a dog.

Seeing her half-dead appearance, Gu Tingyan pressed his lips together tightly, his heart aching with sharp stabs, his expression cold and dark to the point of being terrifying.

Gu Tingyan's eyes were dark and heavy, his expression unpleasant, as if wrapped in a layer of frost; he punched the wall and gave a self-mocking laugh: "Am I really that disgusting to you now?"

Qin Shu turned her head away, refusing to look at him, and said: "Yes."

As long as she thought about how he had been entangled with Chu Sheng, and the image of them hugging tightly at the hospital, she could no longer accept Gu Tingyan.

Since he loves Chu Sheng so much, why doesn't he divorce her? Why not go marry Chu Sheng?

Qin Shu did not understand what Gu Tingyan was thinking.

He cared for Chu Sheng, protecting her like an armored cavalryman guarding a princess, yet he still came to be entangled with her.

Qin Shu did not believe that during those three months abroad, as a lone man and a lone woman living in the same room, they had done nothing while surrounded by dry wood and raging fire.

Could it be that Chu Sheng didn't satisfy him in bed?

He couldn't wait to sleep with her the moment he returned from abroad.

Gu Tingyan looked at Qin Shu's deathly pale face, his body stiff; the desire that had been stirred up would have burned away his reason, but his body grew cold inch by inch, and that bit of desire vanished completely.

The man sneered, rolled off her body, and went straight to the bathroom to take a cold shower, his body bare.

The sound of splashing water came from the bathroom.

Qin Shu lay on the bed, closing her eyes tightly; a single tear escaped, sliding from the corner of her eye and wetting the pillow.

In the bathroom.

Gu Tingyan tilted his head back, letting the water wash over his body; the cold water hit his face, and the wound on his back split open, blood flowing down his skin and into the drain.

The man seemed completely indifferent, as if he felt no pain, drenching himself in the water like an act of self-torture.

The pain in his body was far less severe than the pain in his heart.

Qin Shu had actually called him dirty.

Gu Tingyan turned off the water and picked up a towel to dry his hair; his hand paused slightly, and the man stared at his own incomparably gloomy face in the mirror, a storm raging in the depths of his eyes, as fierce as if he were about to kill someone.

In a fit of rage, he raised his hand and punched the mirror, glass shattering all over the floor, his hand also injured; he was so angry his eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving continuously.

Qin Shu heard the commotion in the bathroom; her body stiffened slightly, her eyelashes trembled violently, and she curled herself into a ball.

Gu Tingyan came out of the bathroom, put on his pajamas, and intended to slam the door and leave.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the person on the bed curled into a tiny ball; only someone lacking a sense of security would hug themselves so tightly.

Gu Tingyan gave a cold look and turned to go downstairs.

He lit a cigarette, the thin, blue smoke curling upward, making his striking face appear exceptionally terrifying.

Leaning against the window, Gu Tingyan made a phone call to Jiang Xubai, his tone commanding and refusing any refusal: "Come over and treat my wounds."

With a "snap," he hung up the phone.

Hospital.

Jiang Xubai: "........." What does he think he is?

A family doctor who can be summoned at any time?

Jiang Xubai was gifted from a young age, skipping grades throughout school, and now, at only 25 years old, he has already graduated with a doctorate from a top-tier global university.

He is currently an outstanding surgeon at the Imperial Capital Hospital.

Chu Sheng sat on the hospital bed with a pale face, looked at Jiang Xubai with gentle eyes, and said softly, "You go ahead, I'm fine."

"Tingyan is injured, go tend to his wounds first."

Wearing a white coat, Jiang Xubai raised his hand to pat Chu Sheng's head and smiled dotingly: "You, still so innocent and kind."

If he were Chu Sheng, he would have killed that pair of scumbags, Gu Tingyan and Qin Shu, the moment he returned.

"I'll go take a look first, and come back to take care of you once I'm done."

"Okay."

Chu Sheng watched Jiang Xubai leave; she lowered her eyes, a cold glint flashing in their depths.

Gu Tingyan actually refused to divorce.

Qin Shu, oh Qin Shu, I truly underestimated your methods for seducing people.

But when danger arrived and he had to choose one, Tingyan still chose to save her.

This shows that she will always be ranked first in his heart.

Tingyan is not as heartless toward her as he appears on the surface.

He feels guilty toward her, and he has feelings and affection; he will never be able to shake her off in this lifetime.

Gu Family villa.

Jiang Xubai entered the door carrying a medical kit, walking in with familiar ease; he looked over the villa along the way—he hadn't been here in five years, but it still looked the same.

Seeing the man sitting on the sofa smoking incessantly, Jiang Xubai set the medical kit down with a cold face and said in an indifferent voice: "If you hadn't saved Sheng, I wouldn't have come."