Accidentally Marked My Ex’s Crush, the Ice-Cold Goddess O - Chapter 40: Second Test

Chapter 40: Second Test

The two got into the car and left the parking lot.

The rain was still heavy, so the car moved slowly.

On the way, Gu Feiran recalled what Dr. Jiang had said to her yesterday and asked, “Was the place that took you for gland experiments public or public-private mixed?”

Most domestic pharmaceutical companies were publicly controlled, some were private, and there were also mixed-ownership companies like Qi’s Pharmaceuticals, which focused on suppression patches and inhibitors, holding nearly 80% of the market share.

By law, only public pharmaceutical companies had the authority to research gland abnormalities. Private companies didn’t have that power.

However, private companies, while lacking enforcement rights, could conduct research with the subject’s consent, offering compensation double that of public companies.

Jiang Ci answered, “Public.”

Back then, they came with credentials, said they were from a gland research center, and told her to pack her clothes and go with them.

Grandma nearly kicked her out of the family tree for it.

“Public. Qi’s Pharmaceuticals didn’t get involved,” Gu Feiran muttered to herself, curious. She asked, “When you were taken for research, did you meet any researchers with the surname Qi?”

Hearing that surname, Jiang Ci’s expression darkened, her voice dropping with the thunder, “Yes, the director there was named Qi, Qi Mo, an old lady.”

Qi Mo, Qi Yusi’s grandma.

No wonder. How could a gland variant like Jiang Ci slip through the Qi family’s grasp? Especially a rare case like hers. The Qi family would use every means possible.

It seemed she couldn’t ask Qi Yusi anything more.

Jiang Ci dropped Dr. Gu off at her doorstep and, before she went inside, took out the necklace and pendant from her pocket.

Jiang Ci said, “This, do you want to take it again?”

It was a gift for her, just sitting at home otherwise.

“Alright.”

This time, Gu Feiran didn’t refuse. She took it, slipping her middle finger through the pendant’s loop, and opened the blue gift box.

The box opened, revealing a beautiful platinum necklace, sparkling like its star-shaped design.

The moment Jiang Ci saw it, a heavy sense of inferiority and panic settled in her heart.

Dr. Gu lived in a multimillion-dollar penthouse, her wardrobe filled with limited-edition dresses and high heels. Even a casual set of dishes at her home was worth hundreds of thousands. Her own necklace, worth just a few tens of thousands, felt embarrassingly cheap.

Jiang Ci clenched her fist, hesitating several times to reach out and take the necklace back, but she lacked the confidence to even lift her hand. “If you don’t like it, I… I can give you another one next time…”

Next time. When would that be?

Jiang Ci lowered her head, frowning. Everything she had, Dr. Gu already had. Everything she didn’t have, Dr. Gu had too.

She had nothing to offer her.

Gu Feiran looked it over, closed the box, and said, “Gifts are about the thought. I really like the pendant and necklace. Thank you. Be safe on your way back.”

“Okay.” Jiang Ci finally looked up.

When she turned to leave, her steps were hurried.

Jiang Ci took the elevator down to the parking lot, got into the car, and fastened her seatbelt. Dr. Gu sent her a message.

At first, Jiang Ci thought Dr. Gu was worried, reminding her to drive slowly. But when she opened it, it read: If you’re free tomorrow at 11 a.m., you can come over.

Jiang Ci: Okay, thank you.

Dr. Gu was meeting her at 11, probably because she was free then. So, Jiang Ci went back, worked through the night until 6 a.m., slept for less than two hours, got up, washed, and headed to the company early with files and her laptop for a meeting. She drank several cups of coffee to barely stay awake.

After the meeting, she went to the chairman’s office to report on her business trip.

Qian Ying listened, fairly satisfied, and said, “You can proceed with this plan, but it can’t be the only one.”

Jiang Ci nodded. “I know.”

Qian Ying pulled an invitation from a folder and tossed it in front of Jiang Ci, saying, “There’s a private party Sunday afternoon. Fu Ruanyi from the Fu family will be there. You should approach her. She’s your client, after all.”

Jiang Ci bent down to pick up the invitation, wine-red with a glowing red theme, set for 5 p.m.

Jiang Ci held the invitation. “Okay.”

After finishing company matters, Jiang Ci grabbed her car keys and went downstairs. Before getting in, she texted Dr. Gu: I’m heading over now.

Buzz. Dr. Gu replied almost instantly.

Dr. Gu: I’ll send you an address. Pick me up there, VIP5 room.

The next second, the address came through—a badminton hall. Did Dr. Gu play badminton on her days off?

Jiang Ci opened the car door, got in, and entered the address into the car’s navigation. It estimated about 30 minutes.

There were few cars on the road at noon, so Jiang Ci arrived at the badminton hall quickly. She parked in the surface lot, grabbed her keys and phone, and went inside.

The hall was spacious and bright, with no bad smells, just a faint pleasant fragrance.

Jiang Ci looked left and right, unsure how to find the VIP rooms, so she asked a staff member, “Hello, how do I get to VIP5?”

“VIP5?”

The staff member seemed surprised by the room number, eyeing her curiously. Few people asked for that room.

Jiang Ci: “Yes, I’m here to meet someone.”

“VIP5? You must be Miss Gu’s friend.”

Another staff member approached, smiling brightly, her high ponytail swaying lightly. “Miss Gu told us in advance. I’ll take you there, miss.”

Jiang Ci looked at her and smiled. “Okay.”

“This way, please.”

The staff led Jiang Ci to the room’s door. “Miss Gu is inside. Just go in.”

Jiang Ci said politely, “Thank you.”

The staff smiled warmly. “You’re welcome. It’s my job. Should I knock for you?”

Jiang Ci shook her head. “No, I’ll knock myself.”

The staff’s smile didn’t fade. “Alright.”

Meeting such a cheerful staff member lifted Jiang Ci’s mood. After the staff left, she knocked and entered.

The door opened to two girls playing badminton, the ball bouncing off their rackets with rhythmic thuds echoing in the room.

Scanning the room, there were five people, all girls—two on the court, three in the rest area.

Jiang Ci walked over, searching for Dr. Gu on the court. She didn’t notice a girl approaching and nearly collided with her. Reacting quickly, she sidestepped and blurted, “Sorry.”

She continued to the rest area, but neither of the two sitting there was Dr. Gu, nor were the players on the court.

Jiang Ci asked, “Hello, is Miss Gu here?”

The two girls, sipping mineral water, exchanged a glance and chuckled, pointing behind her. “The one who just passed was Miss Gu.”

“What?” The one who passed?

No way.

Jiang Ci didn’t believe it, turning to look. Sure enough, Dr. Gu stood nearby, staring at her with puzzled, beautiful eyes. It was really her, but Jiang Ci couldn’t blame herself for not recognizing her.

Dr. Gu was wearing a skirt—a culotte, but still a skirt—styled like her work outfits. Her long, slender legs looked even fairer in white knee-high socks and sneakers, her dark hair tied up neatly. How could anyone recognize her like this?

“Dr. Gu.” Jiang Ci walked over to greet her.

“Sister Gu.”

Before Gu Feiran could respond, the four girls, holding badminton rackets, gathered around them, grinning. “This is the miss coming to pick you up? So pretty, but a bit dazed. How didn’t she recognize you when you passed?”

Gu Feiran glanced at her.

Jiang Ci met her eyes and quickly explained, “Miss Gu looks too beautiful today. I was stunned for a moment and didn’t recognize her.”

“Wow, such sweet praise,” the four teased Jiang Ci.

Jiang Ci smiled. If they kept teasing, she’d die of embarrassment. She looked at Gu Feiran and asked, “Do you want to play more, or should we go now? If you want to play, I can wait in the car.”

Gu Feiran: “I’ve played enough. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Ci nodded, walked to the bag area, asked around, and picked up Dr. Gu’s bag and badminton racket.

Gu Feiran waited for Jiang Ci, waved to the others, and said, “Bye, I’m heading out. Let’s play again next time.”

“Sister, bye.”

“Bye, sister.”

Outside the hall, they got into the car. Gu Feiran loosened her hair tie, letting her long hair down.

Jiang Ci started the car and, once on the road, asked, “You exercise on your days off?”

Gu Feiran smoothed her slightly wavy hair, adjusting her skirt. “Hmm, I’m usually standing at the hospital for long hours, so on rest days, I exercise—sometimes at the gym or playing golf. By the way, do you ride horses?”

“No.” Jiang Ci denied it quickly.

She had no interest in riding horses or going to a stable, especially not Fu Ruanyi’s stable. She’d speed past it if she could.

Gu Feiran: “You don’t? Next time we’re both free, I’ll take you to learn. I have a VIP membership with one-on-one coaching.”

“No need.” Jiang Ci refused without hesitation. “I don’t really like riding horses. If you want to go, I can drive you next time. I have a fear of horses. My legs go weak just seeing them. I really can’t ride.”

A fear of horses?

Gu Feiran had never heard of that, but she probably wasn’t afraid of horses—more likely the people at the stable.

That made Gu Feiran curious to see what would happen if Jiang Ci met her sister. It’d probably be interesting.

Back home, they each showered.

This time, Jiang Ci brought her own change of clothes. After showering, she wore a short-sleeve shirt and long pants, entering Dr. Gu’s bedroom from the guest room.

Jiang Ci closed the door and noticed the curtains were drawn, a lamp was on, and a scented candle burned nearby, giving off a light, sweet floral-fruity fragrance.

Dr. Gu was still showering. With nothing to do, Jiang Ci went to her bookshelf, picked up a book called ‘Crichton’s Surgery’, published in 2008, and flipped through a few pages. It was dull and incomprehensible, making her yawn involuntarily.

Apparently, reading was better for insomnia than melatonin.

Click. The bathroom door opened. Hearing the sound, Jiang Ci stood from the sofa, putting the book back in its place.

Gu Feiran, hair loose, wore a white silk camisole pajama set. Glancing at Jiang Ci, she noticed the outfit wasn’t the one she’d prepared. “You brought your own clothes this time?”

“Hmm.”

Jiang Ci stepped up, approaching Dr. Gu from behind, about to hug her when Dr. Gu bent down to do something.

Jiang Ci awkwardly withdrew her hand, touching her ear.

The scented candle’s fragrance grew too strong after burning for a while. Gu Feiran picked up a candle snuffer, extinguished it, and placed it back on its designated shelf. Returning to Jiang Ci, she said, “Lower your head.”

Jiang Ci instinctively asked, “Why?”

Gu Feiran: “To check the scar on your forehead.”

They usually wore light makeup, so the scar was always concealed by foundation. Now, with a rare chance to see it, she wanted to inspect it.

Jiang Ci obediently lowered her head.

A scar on the forehead wasn’t pretty. She’d been using scar cream consistently, even bringing it on her trip. After a few days, it was working well.

Gu Feiran touched the scar with her thumb. “It’s healing nicely.”

“Hmm.” Jiang Ci knew.

After a brief chat, it was almost time. Jiang Ci pulled Dr. Gu into her arms, cupping her face and kissing her soft, sweet lips, slowly savoring and nibbling.

Remembering Dr. Gu’s past comment about her kissing skills, Jiang Ci kissed longer this time before gently parting her lips, kissing with a hint of possessiveness.

Another nibble.

It was the fourth time in a few minutes.

Gu Feiran felt a sting and lightly pushed Jiang Ci’s shoulder. As she did, the biting softened, and Jiang Ci kissed gently, her hands behaving.

Following her instincts, Jiang Ci tightened her hold on Dr. Gu’s waist, guiding her to lie down. Her beautiful dark hair spread messily on the pillow, her body as soft as the bed, her pajamas and skin silky smooth. Quality pajamas really made a difference.

Jiang Ci closed her eyes, kissing as she slipped off her shoes and knelt on the bed, adjusting Dr. Gu’s position and pulling the blanket over her back.

Their clothes came off quickly.

This time, they were well-prepared, and both were more familiar with each other than the first time. They spoke up when something felt off or uncomfortable, adjusting accordingly, so both were fairly satisfied. But after the first round, they realized they’d forgotten something crucial.

They didn’t put the pheromone detector on Jiang Ci.

Gu Feiran’s cheeks flushed, but her expression was blank: “…”

Jiang Ci, a bit helpless, propped herself up, avoiding Dr. Gu’s eyes. “I brought the detector from home and even took it from the car to here. I just forgot to put it on.”

“Go get it,” Gu Feiran said coldly.

“Okay.” Jiang Ci went to fetch it.

Last time, it was dark. This time, a lamp lit one corner of the room. Not daring to lift the blanket, Jiang Ci pulled it over her head, wriggling to the foot of the bed. She reached out, grabbed the detector from the bag on the sofa, pressed start, and fastened it to the gland on her neck.

Gu Feiran watched her, eyes lowered: “…”

Jiang Ci crawled back from the foot of the bed, rinsed her mouth, wiped her hands, and slipped back under the blanket to continue.

The second time, with the detector on, Jiang Ci couldn’t keep up. Halfway through, she collapsed onto Gu Feiran, motionless.

Gu Feiran propped Jiang Ci’s chin with one hand, looking at her in disbelief. “You’re sleepy?”

Jiang Ci, guilty, said, “No.”

Gu Feiran frowned. “Not sleepy? Then what? Am I boring you, making you want to sleep?”

“Definitely not.”

That sentence jolted Jiang Ci awake, her eyes clearing. “I thought you only had time today even though it’s your day off, so I worked all night to make sure I could come no matter what.”

Gu Feiran lowered her hand, wanting to say something but unsure how. She sighed deeply. “Fine, sleep. I’ll let you know clearly next time.”

“I’ll sleep in the guest room.” Jiang Ci sat up, grabbing a corner of the blanket to cover herself as she reached for her clothes.

Gu Feiran wanted to facepalm but found it too absurd. She stopped her, saying, “The guest room’s blanket hasn’t been used. If you sleep there and leave, Aunt Liu will have to wash it. I’ll work in the study. You sleep here.”

Jiang Ci had grabbed her clothes but slowly let go after hearing this. “Sorry, Dr. Gu.”

She was really sorry today.

Gu Feiran got up, went to the bathroom to shower, thinking the more prepared they were, the more things went wrong.