She wondered what she would do if she were to end up besotted and love-struck like this everyday in the future.

Would Brian discover all her big and little secrets?

Joanne shook her head. "No," she thought. "I need to strengthen my immunity against his hotness."

She hung Brian's used towel around the back of her neck, tugging the two ends with both hands. After that, she left the gym with her head lowered, nursing her thoughts as she walked.

It was like she was trapped in some kind of strange loop. She could not find her way back to the dining room at all. She walked around hazily, failing to realize that she had been walking around in circles.

The servants had noticed Joanne's incessant pacing, though they did not dare interrupt her thoughts after noting the serious look on her face.

When Brian came downstairs, he immediately saw Joanne who, at that point, was like a walking zombie.

Frowning, he stepped in front of her. In her haze, Joanne felt as though she had bumped into something, so she halted her steps and raised her head. "Eh? Brian?" she thought.

She smiled in a slow and obtuse manner. "Oh, you've come down."

Brian pointed at the towel on her neck. "Why do you have my used towel hanging around your neck?"

Joanne glanced down. She really did have a towel hanging around her neck!

How the towel ever got onto her neck, she had not the slightest clue.

"Ahem. I was... drying my sweat. I'm done using it. Here you go."

She shoved the towel into Brian's hands and hightailed it towards the dining room.

After breakfast, Simon brought the car key to Brian. "Young Master, the car is ready. You and Young Madam can leave at any time."

Brian held out her hand to Joanne. "Come with me."

Joanne remembered Brian saying something about taking her somewhere today. Obediently, she placed her hand into his. She spent the entire car trip wondering where it was that Brian was taking her.

She thought of a lot of places. Even the theme park had come up at some point, despite the fact that going there would outrageosly clash with Brian's personality. Still, she never expected him to bring her here of all places.

Oakland, a well-preserved old city area in A City. Green flagstones layered the age-old streets, whose two sides were lined with vintage wooden buildings. These buildings were renovated into shops and restaurants, all of which would be teeming with visitors during weekends.

No cars were allowed in the area, so Brian had parked the car at the carpark in a nearby mall. After that, he led Joanne through the sea of people.

"When I was young, my mom would often bring me here," Joanne said as she studied the streets. "There used to be a tailor shop here on this street. They make really pretty cheongsams. Well, my mom was a big fan of cheongsams, so she'd always have her dresses tailored there. Hey, you were in A City back then too. Have you ever been here before?"

"No," Brian said. "I don't like crowded places."

That did not surprise Joanne at all. It would be normal for someone as boring as Brian to say that they had never been here.

"That's okay!" She smiled. "I'll describe everything to you! Back in the days, this street wasn't a tourist hotspot at all. Most of the people who visited were locals of A City. I'd come along with my mom whenever she came here to retrieve her cheongsam. Then, after she was done, I'd pester her non-stop until she took me to the teahouse near the backstreet for some syrup. I heard that the teahouse was closed down ages ago. Well, I've kind of forgotten what the syrup tastes like already. Oh, but I still remember how my mom looked like when she wore a cheongsam. She looked really good in it, even better than Maggie Cheung..."

This old street had been secluded for years, but yet it was filled with memories of Joanne and her mother. As they ambled along, she kept talking and sharing her memories. Brian found himself listening to everything she was telling him while leading her along.

He kept on listening until a point where her voice suddenly vanished.

In that split second, he panicked and turned around abruptly. He saw her entering a store that sold traditional Chinese costumes. She stood there at the storefront, taking in everything. She seemed to be uninterested in the costumes on display.

A minute later, Joanne walked out of the store. "This was the same tailor store I mentioned just now. But they no longer sell cheongsams."

Brian did not comment, merely clasped her hand in his and led her on.

Joanne was starting to feel curious. "Brian, where on earth are you taking me? Didn't you say you dislike crowded places? If that's the case, then why are we even here?"

"To see a doctor," Brian answered succinctly.

For a moment, Joanne thought she had heard him wrongly, or that Brian was pulling her leg.

But she could have sworn that she had heard the three words, "see a doctor" clearly. Plus, Brian was not the type to pull pranks on people.

"Wait!" She tugged Brian until he stopped. She stared at him, her eyes filled with worry. "Are you ill? What is it? Is it serious?"

Brian massaged his temple. "No. I'm not ill."

"Then what on earth are you seeing a doctor for?" At this point, Joanne seemed to have come to a sudden realization. "Are you bringing me to see a doctor? But I'm not ill too!"

"Not ill?" Brian raised his brows. "Who was the one bedridden in the hotel back in G City?"

Joanne blushed at the memories of G City. She lowered her head. "That wasn't an illness..." she said, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzzing.

After a brief moment's pause, she raised her head and looked up at Brian with the pleading eyes of a little white bunny. "Let's go back. It's a weekend, let's not waste time here..."

Hospitals were places that terrified her the most the same way that doctors were the people who creeped her out the most. She would do anything to persuade Brian to take them home right this instant, including playing innocent.

But such shenanigans would not work on Brian. "It's just to see a practitioner of traditional medicine. Come on, be a good girl. Follow me."

"No!" Joanne struggled to free her hand from Brian's grip. "I want to go home."

Her alabaster skin was delicate. A few tugs and pulls sufficed to turn her skin red. Brian loosened his grip, his face darkening. "Yeah? Go on, then! Go back! I dare you to try!"

Joanne could have turned around and run, but somehow, her courage had failed her when she saw the dangerous glint in Brian's eyes. "I don't feel like seeing a doctor," she mumbled. "Besides, that's not even an illness..."

"If you're truly fine, then the doctor won't be doing anything to you anyway."

Brian took Joanne's hand once again and led her forward.

Joanne could not wrap her head around Brian's behavior at all. "Shouldn't we be heading home if I'm not ill?" she thought. "How did he make it sound as if not being ill is an even better reason to go see a doctor?"

"Brian, why do you even care, anyway? Aren't you busy?" she grumbled incoherently.

It was not like they were real husband and wife. Even if she was ill, he could still turn a blind eye and let her rot to death.

Brian stopped walking. He stared at Joanne, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You married me. If I don't care for you, who will?"

Joanne pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Well, if she looked at it from another angle, it did seem like everything was in her favor.

Brian could have chosen to ignore her, but yet he still brought her here to see a doctor. If she were to interpret his actions as concern for her well-being, then it would seem that his concern was something that she had obtained for free through this contract marriage.

"Fine, then. Guess I'll let you control me for another two years," Joanne said, playing the helpless victim despite the fact that everything was clearly in her favor.

"I got nothing to lose anyway!" she thought.

Brian could not for the life of him make sense of the Little Monster's strange behavior. Dragging her along, he headed straight towards the end of the old street.

A traditional Chinese clinic emerged as they reached the end of the old street. The display signs said "closed". Apparently, today was a rest day.

Joanne brightened up inwardly. Even her eyes had turned a shade brighter. "Brian, the clinic's closed. It's their rest day, today. Let's go home?"

Brian ruffled Joanne's hair. "Mrs. Lambert, you're celebrating way too early."

Joanne's head was spinning in circles at this point. "Eh?"

In that moment, the wooden doors of the clinic swung open. A young man walked out. "Mr. and Mrs. Lambert, right? I'm Mr. Tennyson's assistant. Please, come in. Mr. Tennyson is already waiting for you."

Finally, Joanne got it. That notice was fake. This was meant to lure her in...

Once they entered, a thick scent of herbal medicine swamped them.

Joanne was not averse to the scent at all. In fact, she rather liked it. But asking her to swallow the medicine? "Just kill me now," she thought.

"Mr. Lambert," said the assistant, "Mr. Tennyson would like to take your wife's pulse."

Brian loosened his grip on Joanne's hand and gestured for her to follow the assistant. She knew that there was no way for her to avoid the inevitable, so she sat down obediently at the doctor's desk. "Mr. Tennyson, sorry to trouble you."

Mr. Tennyson was the most experienced practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine in A City. He was an old man who constantly had a kind look on his face. Noticing how tense Joanne was, Mr. Tennyson smiled. "Mrs. Lambert, don't be nervous. I'm just going to take your pulse. It won't hurt at all. Come, give me your hand."

Joanne reached out. Mr. Tennyson pressed down on her pulse point.

Mr. Tennyson's expression turned pensive. After a long while, he released Joanne's wrist and began asking Joanne a series of questions. Finally, he wrote down a prescription and requested his assistant to start preparing the medicine.

Brian walked over. "Mr. Tennyson, is everything alright with my wife?"

"Nothing too major," Mr. Tennyson said. "Your wife's constitution is of the cold nature. She has to start paying more attention to her dietary supplements. Also, she'll need to take some medication to nurse her body back to full health. After that, her menstrual pain will slowly become less intense. My assistant will write down the steps to prepare the medicine. Remember to take them on time. Once you've finished the prescription, come back for a follow-up. If she's back to full health by then, she can skip the medicine."

The assistant brought out the medicine, which Brian took. After thanking the doctor, he led Joanne out of the clinic.

Joanne allowed herself to be dragged along by Brian, her head hanging low. It was as if she had suddenly lost her faculty of speech.

She had pretty much turned into a bonehead at the mere mention of 'taking medicine'. She glanced at the medicine in Brian's hand and thought of the bitter taste that would inevitably come with it. She felt a sudden urge to snatch the whole bag and toss it into the river.

The street became increasingly crowded with more and more bodies bustling about the area. Brian felt Joanne's tiny hand turning slightly cold.

"Are you cold?" Brian asked.

"Oh I'm cold, alright," Joanne said. "I feel chills all over whenever I think about taking medicine. It's all your fault!"

Brian smirked. "Mm, it's my fault. Blame me all you want. But you're still taking the meds."

"..."

At the carpark, Joanne did not get into the car. Brian looked at her questioningly. She cleared her throat. "Why don't you head back first. There's somewhere I need to go."

"Where?" Brian asked.

"Shawn hasn't been discharged. I'm going to pay him a visit," Joanne said. "After all, he got hospitalized because of me."

"I'll go with you."

"Huh?" Joanne stared at Brian in disbelief. "You... why would you want to come?" "He's not even close with Shawn!" she thought.

Brian smiled. "The man got injured in order to save my wife's life. Don't you think I should pay him a visit to thank him in person?"

Joanne thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. "True, true..."

Brian took advantage of her momentary distraction and pushed her into the passenger seat. Joanne came to a realization. "Yes, it's true. But... is it still true considering our "abnormal" husband and wife relationship? Something feels wrong somewhere." Joanne mused.

She was just about to point that out to Brian when he stepped down on the accelerator. The ONE77 sped in the direction of the hospital.