Chapter 32: Empathy
The moment Fu Xingyan opened his eyes, he could see her exquisite, stunningly charming face—the delicate eyebrows, high nose bridge, full lips, rounded chin, and slender neck—all unfolding before him like a painting gradually revealing its finest details.
His heart involuntarily raced, and his breathing grew heavier.
Shao Leyan was busy comparing various crystal cores, oblivious to the increasingly deep and inscrutable gaze Fu Xingyan was casting on her.
All these crystal cores had already been tested on her, but those had been higher-level versions. The ones before her now were the lowest level—there was no risk of accidentally harming him.
Finally having a chance to take control, Shao Leyan wasn’t willing to give it up. Instead, she wanted to make the most of it.
With that thought, a spark of mischief flashed through her mind. She glanced at Fu Xingyan and Fu Xingchen, both possessing similarly impressive physiques, and the little devil inside her emerged.
She mimicked the way Fu Xingyan had once coaxed her, smiling with curved eyes and speaking in a gentle, soothing tone.
“Come on, open your mouth… ah~”
Fu Xingyan watched her carefully, intrigued by her patience as she coaxed him like a child. Obediently, he opened his mouth and accepted the crystal core she placed in it, his tongue teasing her fingers intentionally, leaving traces of his presence on her pale hand.
Shao Leyan didn’t mind this minor detail and picked up two more crystal cores, placing one on each side of his chest—fire on one side, ice on the other, hot and cold. This had been the experiment that had tormented her the most, and now she was curious to see how she had endured it back then.
She still remembered the look in Fu Xingyan’s eyes after the dual ice-and-fire experiment—a look she couldn’t interpret.
She was eager to see her past expression reflected in his face.
But Shao Leyan hadn’t expected that as soon as the experiment began, she would start to regret it.
The fire crystal core burned his fair, muscular chest a deep red, while the ice core on the right side covered him with a thin layer of frost. Hot and cold clashed, fighting for limited space.
This pain should have been within Fu Xingyan’s mental control, but he made no move to alleviate it with his powers, enduring it instead.
Tears glistened in his eyes, the corners reddened from the intensity, and his mouth was so full of the deformed crystal core that it dribbled clear saliva down his chin. Fragmented moans of “ooh… mmh…” escaped continuously.
His hands gripped the edge of the bed tightly, veins bulging along his arms, knuckles whitening from exertion.
Shao Leyan watched in horror at his reaction, eyes wide, unable to comprehend it for a long while.
“This…” she swallowed nervously, her cheeks tinged with a blush as she hesitantly suggested, “Maybe… we should stop.”
She reached to remove the two opposing crystal cores from his chest, but the moment she touched them, he gripped her wrist tightly.
“Ooh!”
His mouth was nearly bursting with the crystal cores. His already full, red lips were glossy from saliva, and the soft tissue inside his mouth had been scratched red. He muttered a few incoherent words.
Shao Leyan couldn’t understand him at first, but when she saw his misty, reddened eyes shaking their head at her, she awkwardly withdrew her hand.
The deliberately soft breathing and muffled groans of discomfort intertwined. Despite being in a temperature-controlled lab, Shao Leyan inexplicably felt flushed and sweaty.
Luckily, the identity exchange was only temporary. Shao Leyan followed Fu Xingyan’s previous methods and conducted two more small experiments. Time dragged slowly—an hour felt like a month.
Fu Xingyan’s condition looked almost better than hers—at least he seemed fully immersed in the experience, even though he was battered and bruised.
Watching him drenched in sweat and panting heavily, Shao Leyan took out a healing crystal core gifted by Fu Xingchen and placed it in his palm without hesitation.
After all the torment, Fu Xingyan hadn’t used his powers to relieve the pain. He guessed that he must look utterly disheveled, but the rare sensation of free breathing and intense bodily pain made him unconcerned with his appearance.
Shao Leyan could usually self-heal within minutes after an experiment, but he lacked that godlike ability. He couldn’t fully repair his injuries, leaving Shao Leyan to witness his most vulnerable side.
He feared she might see disgust or aversion in her eyes, so he let sweat blur his vision, convincing himself that perhaps she felt sympathy for him.
Until suddenly, a cold, dry little orb was pressed into his hand.
The gentle energy spread from his palm through his entire body. The wounds on his chest began healing, and the abrasions on his lips were instantly restored.
Only a high-level healing crystal core could have such power.
But why did Shao Leyan have a high-level healing crystal core?
Fu Xingyan pressed his lips thoughtfully. The answer was obvious, yet he was annoyed and unwilling to mention the name they both knew too well.
In his lab, Shao Leyan belonged to him alone.
Seeing his injuries healed, Shao Leyan withdrew the crystal core. Somehow, Fu Xingyan’s gaze remained fixed on her, his watery eyes silently expressing complex emotions she neither understood nor wished to probe.
“Let’s stop here for today. Go take a proper bath; I’ll head back.”
Fu Xingyan lay on the soft intelligent bed, watching the shy yet composed expression on Shao Leyan’s flushed face, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“But I have no strength right now. I can’t even get up, let alone take a bath.”
“Then… I’ll help you to the bathroom.”
Fu Xingyan raised his hand, inviting her to support him, a satisfied smile playing at his lips. “Come on.”
Half of his weight pressed against Shao Leyan, almost causing her to lose balance. She had to brace herself with her legs to avoid falling.
Fu Xingyan seemed unaware of her struggle, maintaining a feeble, exhausted demeanor, arms wrapped around her slender shoulders, his body pressed close. Sweat dampened half of her clothes.
Despite the sweat, he didn’t smell bad. Instead, he carried a faint lavender scent similar to his clothes.
Shao Leyan inhaled twice more, her cheeks reddening further.
They slowly reached the bathroom door. Shao Leyan stopped, and looking up, met Fu Xingyan’s eyes, filled with admiration.
Her mind seemed to explode with a “boom.” Flustered, she quickly removed his arms, deftly pushed him into the bathroom, stepped back, and shut the door with precision.
Listening to his pained exclamations and loud complaints inside, Shao Leyan lowered her head slightly and let out a soft, amused laugh.
