Chapter 29: If You Don’t Obey, I’ll Feed You Another Way

Qin Yiren felt as if her soul had fled, her mind blank with terror. Almost instinctively, she lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes. “President Fu…”

Fu Yancheng cast her only a fleeting glance before looking away, his voice cold and impassive. “Dr. Qin, what brings you here?”

Qin Yiren forced a nervous laugh. “I… I came to see Team Leader Qiao, and to ask a few questions about the project…”

The more she spoke, the softer her voice became, all confidence lost.

Quick-witted Lin Moran, seeing President Fu’s stormy presence, immediately sensed that it was best to leave at once. She swiftly shoved the peeled apple into Qiao Xi’s hand and, as slippery as an eel, slipped out from behind Qin Yiren.

As she passed the doorway, she didn’t forget to exchange a conspiratorial wink with Qiao Xi on the hospital bed, mouthing teasingly, “Your President Fu is here to check up on you. I’m out of here!”

With that, she dashed away, vanishing in an instant.

Qin Yiren felt chilled to the bone under Fu Yancheng’s gaze, cold sweat breaking out over her body.

“Finished with your questions?” Fu Yancheng’s thin lips parted, his tone icy.

Qin Yiren nodded hurriedly.

“Then go back.”

Fu Yancheng’s voice was utterly impassive, issuing his command. “Do your job properly.”

It was as if she had been pardoned from a death sentence; Qin Yiren all but staggered out of the ward without looking back, her retreat frantic and disheveled.

Only then did Fu Yancheng turn his gaze inside the room. When his eyes landed on Qiao Xi, the ice in them melted away, replaced by deep concern and tenderness.

He stepped forward, carefully examining Qiao Xi’s face and injured leg. Only after confirming her condition was stable did his brow relax a little.

“Did she trouble you just now?”

Qiao Xi shook her head with a gentle smile. “No, she just asked a few technical questions.”

Fu Yancheng was clearly skeptical, but he didn’t press the issue; instead, his eyes darkened slightly.

After a brief silence, as if steeling himself, he spoke. “Xi Xi, once you’re healed, the ‘Ever Young Project’ will be entirely under your charge.”

Qiao Xi was taken aback and looked at him.

Fu Yancheng continued, his tone commanding, protective on her behalf. “I’ll have Dr. Qin assigned elsewhere. This project is your labor of love—it should be led by you.”

He looked at her, enunciating each word: “I won’t let anyone use the project as an excuse to put you through hardship or danger.”

Qiao Xi understood—this was his way of protecting her, standing up for her, giving her the recognition and position she deserved.

However, Qiao Xi gently shook her head.

Fu Yancheng frowned, surprised. “Why? What’s on your mind? With me here, no one would dare say a word.”

“It’s not about what others might say.” Qiao Xi met his gaze, her eyes clear and earnest. “Changing leadership midway through a project is a major taboo, especially at a critical stage like this. It would unsettle the team and affect our progress.”

Fu Yancheng looked at her, and his initial surprise gave way to admiration and a deeper tenderness.

He reached out, taking her uninjured hand in his, his tone indulgent yet helpless as he compromised. “Alright, alright, as you wish.”

He paused, then spoke more sternly. “But you must promise me, you absolutely cannot put yourself at risk again. If anything feels off, tell me immediately. I’ll handle it.”

Qiao Xi smiled softly and nodded firmly. “I promise.”

Only then was Fu Yancheng satisfied. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Good girl.”

At that moment, a sudden flurry of hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

In the next instant, the hospital room door was all but flung open from the outside.

Old Master Fu strode in, supported by a sandalwood cane, flanked by a butler and two bodyguards, his face taut with urgency and worry.

“Where’s my granddaughter-in-law?!”

He hadn’t even fully entered before his booming voice filled the room.

When he saw Qiao Xi’s pale face and injured leg, his expression changed dramatically, his features creasing with distress.

“Oh dear! Xi Xi, how did you end up hurt like this? What happened?”

So worried was he that he didn’t immediately notice his grandson, Fu Yancheng, standing nearby.

Qiao Xi, bewildered by the old man’s bustling entrance, felt both warmth and amusement. She hurriedly tried to sit up straighter. “Grandfather… what brings you here?”

Old Master Fu turned to the butler. “Quick! Bring in the blood bird’s nest, the cordyceps, and that old ginseng from Changbai Mountain. Get the kitchen to prepare them right away and bring them here—my granddaughter-in-law needs to be properly nourished!”

The butler hurried off to carry out the orders.

Old Master Fu then fussed over Qiao Xi, giving her a long list of instructions—she must focus on her recovery, and if anyone dared upset her, she should tell Grandpa, and he would stand up for her.

His anxious yet doting manner made Qiao Xi’s eyes sting with tears, and she nodded again and again.

Standing to the side, Fu Yancheng watched his grandfather’s unabashed affection and protection for Qiao Xi, and the last trace of helplessness in his heart faded away.

He knew then that Qiao Xi truly held a cherished place in his grandfather’s heart.

Old Master Fu held Qiao Xi’s hand and talked for quite some time before the butler gently reminded him that his granddaughter-in-law needed to rest. Only then, reluctantly, did the old man stop.

“All right, all right, Grandpa won’t disturb you anymore. Get some good sleep.”

The old man patted Qiao Xi’s hand lightly before finally leaving the room, continually looking back, surrounded by the butler and bodyguards.

Peace returned to the ward.

Soon, a maid sent in the carefully stewed tonic soup prepared by the butler’s instructions.

Fu Yancheng took the bowl, sat by the bed, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently, and brought it to Qiao Xi’s lips.

“Come, have some while it’s hot.”

Seeing his attentive manner, Qiao Xi felt a bit embarrassed and reached out for the bowl. “I can do it myself—it’s just my leg that’s hurt, not my hands.”

Being fed like a child was just too mortifying.

But Fu Yancheng angled the bowl away from her hand, evading her.

He looked up at her, deep eyes full of insistence and playful amusement, his lips curving as he said with a hint of mischief, “Be good, open your mouth.”

He leaned in closer, his voice lazy and intimate by her ear. “If you don’t behave and let me feed you, I’ll have to use another method.”

The implication was unmistakable—Qiao Xi’s cheeks flushed, the color spreading even to her ears.

She stared at him in embarrassment, but meeting his eyes—full of both laughter and seriousness—she knew he absolutely meant what he said.

“You… you’re shameless!”

She muttered softly, but in the end, she relented, obediently opening her mouth to accept the spoonful of soup.

Fu Yancheng watched her reddened cheeks and yielding demeanor, his smile deepening as he patiently fed her, spoonful by spoonful.

Throughout, Qiao Xi kept her face flushed, unable to meet his eyes, mechanically opening her mouth and drinking the soup, feeling as though the very air in the ward had grown thick with intimacy.

When the bowl was finally empty, Fu Yancheng took a napkin and gently wiped the corner of her lips.

His handsome face and focused, gentle movements were so close that Qiao Xi’s heart raced uncontrollably.

Their tender moment had barely lasted when, suddenly, a panicked cry came from outside the ward:

“President Fu, something’s wrong! There’s been an incident at the R&D building!”