In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

Gu Zhao was indeed not satisfied, even though he had just obtained it.

His heart seemed to have been torn open because of her; the more he got, the more he wanted, his desires were insatiable and had no end.

Gu Zhao looked at the red marks on her neck that he had left because of his lack of restraint, and wanted to ask her, even if they were fewer than his, or even just a little bit, did you also have feelings for me?

Yes, there are.

In terms of talent and appearance, family background, power, protection he could provide for her, and assistance and promotion he could bring to her father and brothers, he far surpassed Zhang Jingyan.

How could he possibly be inferior to Zhang Jingyan? Zhang Jingyan simply met her before him.

Gu Zhao couldn't help but fantasize about what it would be like if he could meet her first.

But Gu Zhao dared not ask, her heart filled with mixed emotions of gain and loss, fearing a negative answer from her.

In the end, he only said:

"No need, you're tired too, go to sleep."

Zhu Qingyu was able to sleep, but Gu Zhao didn't dare to sleep next to her.

Firstly, he couldn't stand her lying in bed during the day instead of doing anything productive. Secondly, and more importantly, he worried that his current insatiable desires might lead him to lose control and become addicted to it, thus disturbing her sleep.

One morning, the cabin was quiet. Even the old woman who came in to get a change of clothes didn't dare to say a word. She took the clothes and ran away.

Gu Zhao was working alone by the window. He couldn't help but glance at her sleeping several times, but he refrained from disturbing her.

When it was lunchtime and Zhu Qingyu still hadn't woken up, Gu Zhao went to the bedside, sat down, and said gently:

"Get up first, have lunch, and then take a nap in the afternoon, okay?"

Zhu Qingyu lay on her side with her back to him, almost completely buried in the blanket, her soft, black hair covering half of her face, still motionless.

How can someone be so sleepy in broad daylight? If it were him, he wouldn't be able to sleep even if you asked him to during the day.

Gu Zhao found it somewhat amusing and reached out to brush the hair away from her cheek:

"Get up and have your meal, shall we?"

Wherever it was touched, her cheeks flushed red and felt unusually hot.

Gu Zhao's expression changed, and when he touched Zhu Qingyu's forehead further up, it was burning hot.

Humans are such contradictory beings. Their spirit can be infinitely strong, and their will can be infinitely firm, but the mortal body in which their spirit and will reside is so fragile and vulnerable to attack.

Zhu Qingyu fell ill, and her illness came on rapidly.

First, she had a persistent high fever, so high that she seemed unrecognizable. When Gu Zhao called her or picked her up to eat, she was dazed, her body limp in his arms, her eyes lifeless, and she could hardly eat anything.

She was a doctor, but a doctor cannot heal himself. With her fever so high, it was impossible for her to prescribe a medicine herself. There was no doctor on the boat, so Gu Zhao asked the boatman to find the nearest ferry to stop.

It was a small town with no name and few doctors. When Xiong Kun disembarked, he was unsure where to find a good doctor in this unfamiliar town. So he picked up the oldest-looking and most reliable white-bearded old doctor from the best-decorated clinic on the town's widest main street and brought him aboard.

The old doctor was almost eighty years old. He was so hastily dragged onto a horse and rushed to the ferry at breakneck speed. The bumpy ride almost caused him to die before he even saw the patient.

After struggling to catch his breath and climbing a mountain to get aboard the boat, the old doctor didn't even need the whole diagnostic process of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. He only needed to see the marks on the patient's neck that couldn't be concealed, and he knew what had happened. He was so angry that he wanted to curse. He wondered what tricks these officials had played to make someone so sick.

Having prescribed the medicine, the old doctor was ready to leave, but Lord Gu forcibly kept him there:

"The patient is not yet well. Please stay a few more days, sir. Once the patient is better, I will prepare generous gifts and arrange for someone to escort you back home."

Well, I didn't check the almanac before going out today. Since ancient times, there have only been cases of abducting women, but today I've encountered abducting a famous doctor. I'm stuck on a pirate ship with no way off.

Although the old doctor lived in an inconspicuous small town, he was quite confident in his medical skills and replied:

"It won't take many days. Just three doses of medicine will be enough. I'll be better by tomorrow. I'll leave then."

The old doctor spoke too confidently, and was proven wrong the very next day.

The next day, Zhu Qingyu's fever subsided, but she started coughing again.

The cough subsided on the third day, but then a rash started appearing.

On the fourth day, the rash cleared up, but I started feeling weak all over and couldn't even eat.

In short, once you fall ill, you're bedridden for long periods, with various ailments appearing one after another.

The old doctor makes boastful claims every day, only to be proven wrong every day, never learning his lesson.

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, how many tomorrows there are! Seeing himself getting further and further away from home, the old doctor could no longer sit still. He privately spoke to Gu Zhaodao:

"In my opinion, Madam Zhu's illness is mostly a psychological one. A psychological illness requires a psychological cure, and I'm afraid I'm powerless to help."

Zhu Qingyu was extremely tired today and didn't want to move during the day, let alone deal with Gu Zhao. She practically hid under the covers, leaving only half of her head out.

Being sick seemed to have become a protective shield for her, making her have no desire to fight the disease at all.

She didn't even get up when she heard Gu Zhao's footsteps.

Now that she is ill, even if he is heartless and depraved, he wouldn't actually lay a hand on a sick person.

That night's events ultimately left a mark on her heart. The social status between the two was so unequal that if he were to truly decide to project his coercion and malice onto her, she would have no power to resist.

Although she kept reassuring herself that it was nothing serious, Zhu Qingyu knew in her heart that subconsciously she still didn't want to confront that terrifying Gu Zhao again. That subconscious reaction manifested physically as constant illness and mentally as a lack of motivation and exhaustion.

Gu Zhao's footsteps stopped in the middle of the cabin, followed by the sound of a box being placed on the table.

Upon hearing this sound, Zhu Qingyu, who had just been slacking off, immediately jumped out of bed, got out of bed, and ran barefoot towards the box without even putting on her shoes.

On the table was the third box in the study, containing Zhang Jingyan's files.

Once, Zhu Qingyu was only one step away from opening it, and now she is only one step away again.