Becoming the Caged Canary of a Forced Love - Chapter 5

They were all routine physical examinations, but the doctor seemed to pay extra attention to his right leg. Once it was over, Gu Nian sat on the sofa in the lounge, bored to death.

Bodyguards stood guard outside the door, and there were even more stationed beneath the windows outside.

The security measures here were indeed rigorous, but Gu Nian had already mapped out the locations of almost all the surveillance cameras on the drive in.

Gu Nian stood up and walked over to a table. A fruit bowl sat there prominently with a fruit knife resting inside; Gu Nian picked it up gently.

From the height of the second floor, he could jump straight down. He could take out the bodyguards below and vanish into the crowd before the others could react.

But what then? After escaping this hospital, he would be penniless and his identity remained a mystery. The secret assets he had planted in Country Z could not be exposed yet, and this was Pei Jichuan’s turf. Given the man’s influence, Gu Nian had no doubt that the moment he ran, Pei Jichuan would have him caught.

The six bodyguards were just for show; the original owner must have tried to escape several times to warrant such defensiveness. He didn’t know if Pei Jichuan had further tricks up his sleeve, so he needed to plan for the long term.

He had to lower the man’s guard first.

Suddenly, Gu Nian’s ears twitched. He heard footsteps approaching from not far outside the door. He quickly set down the fruit knife and picked up an apple instead.

The very next second, the door was pushed open.

Pei Jichuan entered and saw Gu Nian studying an apple, looking as if he didn’t know where to start eating it.

“Are you hungry?” Even though the check-up was simple, it had taken up most of the morning, and it was nearly time for lunch.

“I didn’t eat enough this morning,” Gu Nian nodded calmly, waving the apple in his hand.

“Wait a little longer. We’ll head back once the examination report is out.” Pei Jichuan naturally took the apple from Gu Nian’s hand and picked up the fruit knife to peel it.

Gu Nian was somewhat surprised. Pei Jichuan actually knows how to do this? In his impression, these pampered scions of wealthy families shouldn’t know how to lift a finger.

This was the scene Xiao Yuan walked into when he pushed open the door.

“Oh, look at this domestic bliss!” Xiao Yuan leaned against the doorframe, a stack of medical reports in his hand.

“The reports are out?” Pei Jichuan had long since grown accustomed to his friend’s lack of filter and ignored him completely.

Handing the peeled apple to Gu Nian, Pei Jichuan reached out to take the reports from Xiao Yuan and flipped through them carefully.

“There’s definitely some weakness due to excessive blood loss. Just maintain a proper diet and take care of yourself. The right leg is recovering well; you can start doing some light exercise, but don’t do anything too strenuous, okay?” Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Gu Nian took a bite of the apple. He felt that last sentence seemed to have a double meaning.

‘The right leg is recovering well.’ It had been injured? Gu Nian’s eyes darkened slightly.

“If there’s no problem, we’ll be leaving,” Pei Jichuan said, handing the reports to the secretary outside, who carefully placed them into a briefcase.

Pei Jichuan turned back and extended his hand to Gu Nian again. This time, Gu Nian reacted promptly, placing his hand in Pei Jichuan’s palm without hesitation.

Upon reaching the ground floor, the bodyguards had already opened the car doors and were waiting. Pei Jichuan helped Gu Nian inside first.

Xiao Yuan stood to the side, looking as if he wanted to say something. His hand hesitated before he finally patted Pei Jichuan on the shoulder.

Receiving the hint, Pei Jichuan walked a few steps away, out of sight of the car door.

“I think the little beauty is acting a bit strange. He’s a bit…” Xiao Yuan deliberately lowered his voice, paused, and then continued: “He’s a bit too obedient. You know how stubborn he used to be.”

“Could it be related to this suicide attempt?” Pei Jichuan’s brow furrowed slightly, unable to hide the frustration in his eyes.

“Perhaps it’s a stress response to the trauma. Did you find out why he did it?” Xiao Yuan looked serious for once, the smile having vanished from his face.

“Not yet. He refuses to say,” Pei Jichuan replied, his frown deepening.

“Well, his will to live seems very strong right now. Don’t be too nervous, just observe him. Though, this personality shift is so drastic it’s almost like he was swapped for someone else,” Xiao Yuan said half-jokingly.

Through the rear window of the car, Gu Nian watched Pei Jichuan. When the man spoke to others, he always habitually lowered his head slightly to listen. That downcast gaze reminded Gu Nian of how he had knelt to put on his shoes this morning; he looked almost humble.

The return journey was relatively smooth. The manor was located in a secluded area because its owner preferred quiet places, so there were few vehicles on the road.

Pei Jichuan’s mind was still dwelling on Xiao Yuan’s joking final remark.

Swapped? Pei Jichuan’s gaze shifted to a small mole behind Gu Nian’s ear, and he immediately felt ridiculous for even entertaining the strange thought.

How could that be possible?

Gu Nian was busily munching on his apple, his cheeks puffed out. Since his diagnosis in his past life, he hadn’t even been able to eat ordinary fruit like this.

Sensing Pei Jichuan’s gaze, Gu Nian looked up and met his eyes without any attempt to hide.

Pei Jichuan stared at Gu Nian’s slightly reddened lips. His throat suddenly felt parched, and his heart pounded fiercely.

Gu Nian swallowed the last bite of the apple. Seeing Pei Jichuan’s expression, a playful impulse suddenly took hold of him.

He poked out his bright red tongue and licked the corner of his lip. Sure enough, he felt the man beside him catch his breath.

A powerful arm braced his shoulder, and his chin was gently tilted up. The man’s scent filled his senses as cool lips pressed against the corner of Gu Nian’s mouth.

It was a restrained, light kiss, devoid of any offense or aggression.

Pei Jichuan pulled away quickly, and the atmosphere in the car returned to calm, as if the scene had never happened.

Gu Nian’s instinctively tensed body gradually relaxed. He stared at the apple core left in his palm.

Different. He’s different from all of them.

The tortures he had experienced when he was young and weak were always violent storms meant to tear him apart. There was only agony, and the only thing that kept him alive was the pleasure of revenge.

The law of survival in the base was “survival of the fittest.” He had once had his palm pierced by a knife, the wound festering and rotting; he had been hung from a tree for three days and nights, forced to stay alert for wild beasts and poisonous snakes in a state of extreme weakness…

All that had ever been shown to him was the “evil” of human nature.

That was why he loathed being touched by outsiders, even after he attained power and status.

But just now, he had felt a tenderness he had never experienced before.

Pei Jichuan’s hand suddenly reached over, took the core from his palm, and dropped it into the car’s trash bin. A contract worth tens of millions was tossed aside carelessly while the man who controlled him used a wet wipe to clean the leftover juice from Gu Nian’s palm.

Gu Nian looked down at Pei Jichuan. There it was again—the familiar submissiveness. Yet the pain from the bruises on his neck served as a constant reminder that this was merely a facade.

Diagnosis confirmed. He definitely has a split personality, Gu Nian thought expressionlessly.

The motorcade finally returned to the manor. The butler was already waiting outside and hurried forward the moment the cars stopped.

“Go back and rest after lunch. I have things to do at the company; I’ll be back to have dinner with you tonight.” Pei Jichuan held Gu Nian’s hand and helped him out of the car. After giving instructions to the butler, he got straight back into the car to head to the office.

“Isn’t he eating lunch?” Butler Zhao was still watching the motorcade leave when he was startled by the voice suddenly sounding in his ear.

He didn’t know when it started, but he felt that this young master was becoming more and more like President Pei—possessing that same oppressive aura that made people afraid to look them in the eye.

“President Pei is busy with work and often forgets to eat. He hardly touched his breakfast either. Young Master Lin, you have to help us persuade him. We’ve tried many times but it never works.” Butler Zhao let out a long sigh, placing his meager hopes on Gu Nian.

Gu Nian didn’t respond. He turned and walked toward the dining room with a blank expression.

Better if he doesn’t eat. He can starve to death sooner.