Not Sick, Just in Love

Inside the luxury car, silence hummed like electricity. Wu Mei leaned forward and hugged Qin Yanzhou tightly, her arms circling his waist like she'd never let go again.

His body stiffened instantly.

"No hugging," he said coldly. "Sit still."

Wu Mei slowly let go, her eyes blinking innocently at him.

"There's no mistake," she said quietly.

He turned his head and stared at her with narrowed eyes. "Do you even know who I am?"

She nodded without hesitation. "You're Qin Yanzhou. You're my Qin Yanzhou."

His brow twitched. Something flickered in his eyes—something unreadable.

"You have a fever," he muttered, reaching out to press his palm to her forehead. After a second, he frowned and pulled his hand back.

"No fever. So… you've lost your mind."

"I'm not crazy," Wu Mei said, meeting his gaze with clear eyes.

"You're giving me a hard time," he replied flatly, his voice tightening. "It's the Wu family party tomorrow. I heard He Sheng—that little cutie—bought a ring."

His tone was sharp with a hint of sarcasm, but underneath… jealousy brewed.

"He'll probably propose to you tomorrow," he added, not hiding the edge in his voice. "Wu Mei, you're using me to piss off He Sheng, aren't you? You're willing to go this far… just for him?"

Wu Mei blinked innocently. She scratched her head, pretending to be confused.

"Who's He Sheng? I don't know him."

Qin Yanzhou stared at her like she'd just grown another head.

He turned toward the front. "Go to the 10th Hospital," he ordered.

"Yes, Mr. Qin," his assistant responded immediately.

Wu Mei turned to both of them in disbelief. "I'm not mentally ill! What hospital are you taking me to?!"

Qin Yanzhou didn't even look at her. "I'll give you one last chance. Tell me honestly—what do you want to do?"

His voice dropped, quiet and cold. "Wu Mei, once you're in that hospital, you'll never get out."

In her mind, Wu Mei's thoughts raced.

Before I was burned in my previous life, I always thought his eyes were cold, she recalled, like ice that never melts.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

Then I realized… underneath the ice is boiling lava.

She drew a deep breath. "I don't want to do anything," she whispered. "I just love you… and I want you."

The car seemed to go still.

Qin Yanzhou tilted his head, slowly turning to face her.

"Wu Mei," he said with a faint, dangerous smile, "do you want me to remind you what you said to me this morning at the hotel lobby?"

Her smile froze.

"You mean…" she mumbled, but he was already continuing.

"When we met," he said, "how did you speak?"

Wu Mei let out a guilty breath and put a hand on her forehead.

She remembered now.

That morning she had bumped into him at the hotel while walking with her best friend Zhao Yi.

In her memory, she saw herself whispering to Zhao Yi, "Take out your perfume and spray it… this place smells like a costume shop. It's so stinky."

And she said it just as Qin Yanzhou passed by.

Her face turned red.

Now, in the car, she let out an awkward laugh and lowered her head. "That… wasn't about you," she muttered weakly.

Qin Yanzhou raised an eyebrow.

"I see," he said. "So now you love me, but this morning I stank like a costume shop."

She lifted her eyes, her voice soft. "A Yan… I love you. I really love you

He stared at her again, and something in his expression shifted—just slightly.

This woman… was not the same Wu Mei he remembered. She was unpredictable, strange… and for the first time in his life, she made him feel off balance.