Chapter 64 Who Says He Can't Stand Up Today?

A sudden sense of foreboding swept over Gu Ci. Lowering her gaze, she saw that the little creature, which had been baring its teeth and claws, poised to bite Rong Ye, abruptly stopped. Its sharp claws withdrew into the soft pads of its paws, leaving only one paw barely clutching Rong Ye’s finger, head tilted back, pushing against him with clear reluctance.

Gu Ci’s eyelids twitched. Rong Ye’s smile deepened, his gaze meaningful as he looked at her. “See? I told you, animals have always liked me. Don’t you agree?”

Gu Ci managed a smile. “You’re absolutely right…”

Yet she could barely bring herself to laugh.

But Rong Ye didn’t mention the matter further, instead genuinely chatting with Gu Ci about Radish and Little Bean. For a moment, Gu Ci couldn’t tell whether Rong Ye suspected anything about her.

Not until Rong Ye stood to leave did he ever bring up last night, leaving Gu Ci a little uncertain.

She didn’t dwell on it. Retrieving the item from beneath the sofa, this time she took it directly to her own room and shut the door behind her.

Radish tried to follow, but Gu Ci unceremoniously left it outside.

Inside the wooden box was a complex puzzle of seven interlocking mechanisms. Only one exit offered life; the rest spelled instant death, triggering the destruction of the box and anyone holding it.

Gu Ci closed her eyes, extending her senses to the fullest, letting her awareness seep into every fiber of the box. Her hands moved with lightning speed, almost too fast for the naked eye to follow.

A quarter of an hour later, she had opened the box without inflicting the slightest damage. The mechanisms inside remained intact, ready to be reset.

Within lay a small silk pouch. Opening it, Gu Ci found a black token and a tiny medicine bottle.

She rolled the token between her fingers. It was neither metal nor wood, heavy in her palm, emitting a gentle warmth. Aside from a single familiar-looking symbol, there was nothing else upon it.

Gu Ci pondered, and just as a sudden flash of insight nearly revealed where she’d seen the symbol before—

A soft popping sound broke her thoughts.

She turned quickly toward the source.

At some point, the little creature had crept quietly to the medicine bottle, biting off the stopper with its two sharp teeth and swallowing one of the pills whole!

With a satisfied sigh, it sprawled out on the floor, eyes squinting, tongue lolling, and let out a small burp.

It looked exactly like Little Bean after a dose of catnip!

Gu Ci was stunned, cold sweat prickling her back.

She grabbed Radish by the scruff, lifting it with one hand while pressing a finger to its chest with the other.

Radish pawed feebly at her hand, refusing to spit out the pill.

Her brows drew tight. “You’ll eat anything? Aren’t you afraid of poisoning yourself?”

Yet Gu Ci knew perfectly well this little thing was clever—it wouldn’t eat anything truly harmful.

Still, her worry was justified.

The little creature gazed up at her with wide, innocent eyes.

Gu Ci’s irritation melted. She poked its soft belly. “Couldn’t you wait until I’d checked it first? What’s the hurry?”

Radish gave a silly grin, sticking out its little tongue to lick her finger.

After monitoring Radish for a while and seeing it remain lively as ever, Gu Ci finally relaxed a bit.

——————————————————————————————

Sunday was the day Xiao Yang and Cao Yue had arranged their basketball match.

Gu Ci entered Xiao Yang’s hospital room carrying a silver case, only to find it crowded and the atmosphere heavy with gloom.

She raised an eyebrow at Xiao Yang, immediately understanding the situation.

She asked, “Couldn’t resist getting out of bed, could you?”

At her voice, everyone looked up.

Huo Shuyue glared at Gu Ci. “Didn’t you say he’d be fine? Why isn’t he better yet?”

Shi Xuetong chimed in snidely, “Exactly. If you hadn’t insisted on doing things your way and stopped Xiao Yang from taking the hospital’s special medicine, he’d be back on his feet by now! Some people really have no self-awareness.”

Hearing that Gu Ci had kept Xiao Yang from the hospital’s special treatment, his basketball friends shot her angry looks.

“Do you have any idea how important this game is to Xiao?”

“How could you be so reckless? He’s always treated you well, and this is how you repay him?”

Xiao Yang’s anger flared. “Shut the hell up, all of you! If it weren’t for Ci, I wouldn’t have recovered even this much—believe it or not! You know nothing, so stop talking nonsense. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

The room fell silent.

Turning to Gu Ci, Xiao Yang’s lips quivered as he spoke, a hint of anxiety and hope in his voice. “Ci… I just couldn’t help it. I wanted to try walking, but…”

His legs wouldn’t respond—no matter what he tried.

He couldn’t even move his legs on the bed, let alone stand.

Gu Ci gave him a measured look, then set the case down at the bedside and placed her hand casually on his wrist. “Your legs feel completely weak, don’t they?”

A glimmer of hope shone in Xiao Yang’s eyes. “Yes, no strength at all—I can’t even get out of bed.”

He thought, since Gu Ci knew about his symptoms, maybe… maybe this was a normal reaction before recovery?

Gu Ci nodded, withdrawing her hand. “Exactly.”

Xiao Yang instantly relaxed, his demeanor lightening. “I knew it… So, Ci, does that mean my legs will be as good as new soon?”

Gu Ci opened the case, made a final adjustment to the parameters inside, and answered coolly without looking up, “No. Your bones will need five more days to fully heal. If you’re hoping to stand on your own today, forget it. So, I’ll…”

Before she could finish, Shi Xuetong cut her off.

“What?!”

She shoved toward Gu Ci in a fury. “Gu Ci, are you doing this on purpose? You knew the director’s medicine was about to cure him, so you deliberately used needles to numb his legs, didn’t you?”

The more Shi Xuetong spoke, the more convinced she became. “I bet you’re working with Cao Yue! What did he promise you in return for sabotaging Xiao Yang like this?”

Gu Ci sidestepped her easily, and Shi Xuetong, unable to stop in time, fell heavily to the ground in an undignified heap.

Shi Xuetong’s face was instantly smudged with dust, her appearance utterly disheveled. Her eyes welled with tears. “Gu Ci, is this how you react when someone exposes your true intentions? Is that why you’re so angry?”

The boys, already frustrated, listened to Shi Xuetong and became even more convinced that Gu Ci was the reason Xiao Yang couldn’t walk. Their expressions darkened further.

“Gu Ci, I really didn’t expect this from you. After all Xiao has done for you!”

“Even if you’re furious, you didn’t have to hurt another girl, did you? How petty can you be?”

“I see right through you now!”

Gu Ci glanced at them. “Did I ever say Xiao Yang wouldn’t be able to stand or play basketball today?”