Accidentally Marked My Ex’s Crush, the Ice-Cold Goddess O - Chapter 35: Bruise

Chapter 35: Bruise

That night, Jiang Ci was relatively restrained and didn’t dare to overdo it.

When she noticed Dr. Gu pushing back or resisting, she would ease up, but judging from earlier, Dr. Gu probably wouldn’t feel great tonight. If Jiang Ci had known, she would have been even gentler. She hoped Dr. Gu was okay.

After Jiang Ci showered, she picked up her phone to check WeChat messages. She didn’t pin many contacts, but Dr. Gu was one of them.

However, there were no messages from her.

Jiang Ci didn’t dare send a message to ask. She muted her phone, sat on the edge of the bed, and waited quietly, growing more anxious the longer she waited.

She had showered for twenty minutes and then waited in the guest bedroom for another thirty. Even if Dr. Gu was slow, she should have finished by now, but there was still no message on her phone.

Could Dr. Gu have showered and gone to sleep, planning to talk in the morning?

Jiang Ci thought this, but she couldn’t shake her worry. She got up, pacing back and forth in the guest bedroom, checking her phone for messages every minute.

“Could something have happened?”

Jiang Ci suddenly stopped, staring at the empty chat screen, imagining Dr. Gu in the bathroom, stepping out of the tub, slipping, and falling.

No, she had to check on Dr. Gu.

What if she really fell?

Thinking this, Jiang Ci gripped her phone, strode to Dr. Gu’s bedroom door, and knocked twice. After waiting a moment, there was no response.

She knocked again, but still no answer.

Jiang Ci panicked. Without knocking again, she pressed down the handle, pushed the door open, and rushed inside, calling, “Dr. Gu.”

Gu Feiran was checking her body when she heard Jiang Ci barge in and call her name. She slightly turned her head, pulled up her nightgown that had slipped to her waist, covering her slender, fair back full of kiss marks, and said calmly, “Didn’t I say to wait for my message?”

Jiang Ci rushed in, turning the corner just in time to see Dr. Gu pull up her nightgown. The kiss marks on her shoulder blades caught her eye, breathtakingly beautiful.

Jiang Ci’s cheeks flushed, and she turned her head aside, saying with concern, “You didn’t message, so I thought something was wrong and came to check.”

“I’m fine.”

Gu Feiran tied her nightgown, turned around, her thick lashes carrying a hint of coldness, her expression somewhat distant.

Only then did Jiang Ci dare to look up. “Good to know you’re okay.”

But Dr. Gu’s serious expression seemed angry. Jiang Ci hadn’t said a word this time, nor called out her ex’s name. Could she have hurt her?

Gu Feiran said, “Where’s the detector?”

After testing for so long, it was time to check the results.

Jiang Ci had brought the detector from the bed. Hearing Dr. Gu ask for it, she stepped forward, handed it over, and said, “I checked the data log. It’s zero from start to finish, no pheromone fluctuations.”

Gu Feiran took the detector and checked the data. It was indeed zero. But if there were no pheromones, why could she still temporarily mark her? Was the device faulty?

To test if the device was working, Gu Feiran pressed the start button and placed it on the gland at the back of her neck.

After about a minute, she checked the detector.

Seventy.

It recorded, meaning the detector was functioning.

Gu Feiran looked at her and said, “When you do a full-body checkup in a couple of days, get a pheromone scent test too. Your pheromones might be unique, and the detector might not pick them up.”

Her situation was truly unusual.

If Gu Feiran were a gland specialist, she might have been able to help, but she didn’t know much about this field.

Jiang Ci nodded. “Okay, I understand.”

After discussing the data, Gu Feiran said to her, “It’s late. Go rest. If you want to leave, get clothes from my closet.”

Earlier, Dr. Gu had asked her to come for the test, and Jiang Ci had been hesitant, making Dr. Gu say those things. Leaving right after the test would seem heartless.

So Jiang Ci said, “I’ll stay tonight. If you need anything, message me. If I’m asleep, call me. I’m on call.”

Gu Feiran looked into her sincere eyes, opened her mouth, and finally said, “Do as you like.”

Her tone sounded impatient.

Jiang Ci instinctively attributed Dr. Gu’s anger to her being too rough and hurting her. Next time, she’d be gentler.

After that, Jiang Ci didn’t disturb Dr. Gu’s rest. She returned to the guest bedroom, setting her phone to maximum volume by her pillow to ensure she’d hear if Dr. Gu called.

But all night, Dr. Gu neither messaged nor called.

It was the weekend, so no school or urgent company meetings. Jiang Ci slept until nine.

The first thing she did upon waking was go to the bathroom to freshen up, get dressed, and find Dr. Gu to say goodbye and check on her.

Before entering Dr. Gu’s bedroom, Jiang Ci got a glass of warm water. She knocked lightly on the door, but there was no response.

It was early for a weekend; Dr. Gu might still be sleeping.

Jiang Ci stood at the door, thought for a moment, then gently pushed it open. If Dr. Gu was awake, she’d say goodbye. If not, she’d leave the water, message her on WeChat, and avoid sneaking off like last time.

The bedroom curtains were drawn tightly, blocking all sunlight, with only a warm-toned wall lamp glowing.

Jiang Ci climbed the steps, slowly approached, bent to place the water glass by the lamp, and as she stood, glanced at Dr. Gu, still sleeping. She was curled up under the blanket, facing away, her dark hair spilling over the pillow, smooth and silky. Her nightgown had slipped, revealing her fragrant shoulder, looking sweet.

Dr. Gu’s pheromones were a unique mandala. Though Jiang Ci couldn’t smell them due to her pheromone deficiency, they must be rich and pleasant.

If only one day she could smell her scent.

Jiang Ci gazed gently for a moment, then tiptoed out of the bedroom, taking her changed clothes and phone with her.

Gu Feiran woke up past eleven, roused by her phone’s buzzing, which vibrated for nearly a minute.

She reached for the phone by her pillow, cleared her throat with a soft cough, and answered, “Hello.”

Fu Ruanyi said, “Xiao Ran, what time will you arrive around noon?”

Gu Feiran opened her eyes. “Twelve.”

Fu Ruanyi said, “Okay, message me when you’re close. Grandma said she’ll cook noodle soup for you herself.”

Gu Feiran said, “Hmm, got it.”

Fu Ruanyi said with care, “Drive safely. If the hospital’s too busy, it’s fine. Just message me, and I’ll explain to Grandma.”

Gu Feiran’s voice softened. “Okay, I’m getting up.”

Fu Ruanyi said, “Alright.”

The call ended. Gu Feiran let go, lifted her slender wrist to her forehead, her brows furrowing. She lay there for a few minutes, then sat up, pushed the blanket aside, and got out of bed. As she stood, she noticed the water glass on the table. She touched it; it was already cold.

Gu Feiran didn’t drink it and went to freshen up.

Last night after showering, she stood in front of the mirror and saw faint red marks on her chest, collarbone, and waist, even a few on her inner thighs.

There were no kiss marks in obvious places, which was fine, but there were bruises on her waist and wrists.

So rough, no sense of gentleness.

Jiang Ci left Dr. Gu’s neighborhood and drove back to school to continue writing her thesis in the office. She had already written 120,000 words, with about 10,000 left to finish.

She had discussed it with her advisor, who pointed out many issues, so she adjusted the later framework.

“Senior, you’re still writing? Aren’t you eating?”

At lunchtime, her junior sister stopped by on her way to eat, peeking over to ask.

Jiang Ci focused on typing. “I’m in the flow and have inspiration. I’ll finish this part, show it to Teacher Shi, then eat.”

Her junior sister rested a hand on her chair, sighing. “Senior, you’re already the big boss of your family’s company, yet you work so hard. Meanwhile, we small fries just want to slap our advisors and school into the Pacific so we don’t have to write these damn theses.”

“Alright, stop complaining. Go eat, stop dawdling.” Another junior sister pulled her away.

Jiang Ci continued writing her thesis.

With no interruptions or tedious tasks all day, she ate a burger and wrote until past eleven at night. She finished the final sentence of the acknowledgments, saved it, and sent it via WeChat.

Another senior was still in the office writing her thesis. Jiang Ci shut down her computer, packed it into her bag, pushed her chair back slowly, and left the office.

With the thesis done, the cool breeze in the hallway felt refreshing and relaxing as she stepped out.

She’d review it in the next couple of days and print it out.

Teacher Shi didn’t like electronic files, saying they gave her a headache, so Jiang Ci needed to print a hard copy for her.

Jiang Ci stretched, went downstairs, and drove away from school.

Back home, she showered and opened WeChat to message Dr. Gu: How’s your body? Are you okay?

It was late; she wasn’t sure if Dr. Gu was asleep.

Buzz, Dr. Gu replied.

Gu Feiran: Something wrong?

So cold.

Jiang Ci could even imagine her icy expression.

Jiang Ci: This morning, I wanted to say goodbye, but you were sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake you.

Gu Feiran: Hmm.

Jiang Ci: How’s your body?

Jiang Ci asked again.

Gu Feiran: It’s okay.

She felt a bit weak in the morning, but after eating lunch and getting some sun, she felt much better. The bruises remained, though, and might take two or three days to fade.

Jiang Ci: Last night, I didn’t dare say it in person, but Dr. Gu, if there’s anything you’re unhappy about, tell me. I’ll do better next time.

They needed to communicate about this, even if it wasn’t just for testing. For the other’s comfort, they had to be clear.

After all, it was both their first time, and they needed to adjust slowly.

Gu Feiran: Hmm.

Jiang Ci: Okay, rest early. Good night.

Gu Feiran: Good night.

The next morning, Jiang Ci went to school for class.

She had only one class that morning. Afterward, she went to the hospital for a checkup on an empty stomach, using the VIP service. A nurse guided her through the many tests, which took nearly a full day.

After the last test, Jiang Ci changed back into her clothes.

The doctor told her to return in a week for the report, but Jiang Ci said she wanted the pheromone test results today.

The pheromone test results were available after half an hour.

The nurse retrieved them.

Jiang Ci couldn’t understand them. During lunch, she went to Dr. Gu’s office to show her the scans and results, but Dr. Gu was busy and had no time to look.

Jiang Ci left them on her chair with a note.