Su Qingyi suppressed the wild pounding in her chest and forced herself to sound commanding.
"Just because you say I don't need to care doesn't mean I won't."
Lu Jingcheng looked at her, a quiet question in his eyes.
She ignored it.
Grabbing his wrist, she pulled him toward the door.
His cool, solemn gaze rested on her as if he were about to remind her to behave properly. Her heart skipped violently, but her expression stayed composed. Halfway to the door, she released his hand.
"If you don't want me holding it, then fine."
He frowned faintly.
He had already noticed she was clever. She never confronted issues head-on. She skirted around them, testing boundaries without crossing too far.
She was probing him.
Sensing his displeasure, she stopped pushing.
"But you still have to go to the hospital with me."
"I've already been."
"What did they say?"
"They took an X-ray. No fractures. Just rest and take the medicine."
"And for an injury like that, they only gave you oral medication?"
He went quiet.
A trace of irritation flickered across his face. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
For a split second, a wicked thought crossed her mind.
Only a split second.
She grabbed his wrist again. "Apply the medicine properly. Why are you asking so many questions?"
Then, as if to defend herself, she added stiffly, "What kind of person do you think I am?"
Compared to her previous boldness, that sounded far less confident.
He studied her calmly. "Then tell me. You really haven't thought about anything else?"
She had.
A flash of guilt crossed her beautiful face, gone just as quickly.
"A gentleman judges by actions, not thoughts. If you judged by thoughts, no one would be a saint. Don't look at what I think. Look at what I do."
He actually nodded. "Fine. Then I'll see whether Miss Su is the kind of person I'm thinking of."
She went silent.
His words were sharp enough to shame anyone with even a hint of self-consciousness.
Unfortunately for him, she had none.
She pulled him out into the rain.
Halfway to the door, she realized she had forgotten something.
"Umbrella?"
He looked down at her with open suspicion, then inclined his head toward the umbrella stand beside him.
It was on his right.
He made no move to take it.
His only usable hand was still caught in her grip.
His eyes held faint provocation, as if silently countering her unreasonable behavior.
She was not deterred.
She pulled out a black bamboo-handled umbrella and opened it over them.
The moment it spread above him, she suddenly understood the phrase "a gentleman like jade."
Rain fell heavily, yet he remained composed. Wind lifted his shirt and hair, but nothing about him appeared disordered. If anything, the chaos gave him a quiet elegance.
Some people were simply born unfairly good-looking.
The only flaw was the hostility still lingering in his eyes.
She ignored it, hooked the umbrella's edge around his shoulder, and tugged him closer.
He bent slightly, curious what she was up to.
Naturally, she had a reason prepared.
"You're too tall. I can't reach properly."
She marched him forward.
After several steps, she froze.
"Wait. Where's the medicine?"
He closed his eyes briefly.
They returned to the pharmacy and bought it again.
To demonstrate sincerity, she scanned her medical insurance code to pay. He did not argue.
Medicine secured, she glanced at the hotel across the street.
Her throat tightened.
She knew perfectly well that her intentions were not entirely pure.
Turning back to him, she cleared her throat. "I just need a place to apply the medicine. Nothing else."
In his eyes, it looked exactly like someone insisting there was nothing suspicious about something deeply suspicious.
He said nothing.
Seeing no objection, she grabbed his hand and ran toward the building.
It was less a hotel and more a guesthouse. A black leather sofa. A narrow reception desk. A woman behind it playing mahjong on her phone.
"ID."
Lu Jingcheng had not even processed what was happening before she had already handed hers over.
She looked mortified, collar pulled high over her face.
The receptionist did not look up. "Hourly room?"
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
She had come to apply medicine.
Yet suddenly everything felt different.
Behind her, he remained calm and unreadable, watching her quietly.
She took the key and headed for the stairs without explanation.
He followed, glancing around with faint disbelief.
She opened the door and waved him in urgently.
"Hurry."
What if they ran into someone they knew?
He could not decide whether she was shy or shameless.
Perhaps both.
Once inside, she shut the door and examined the medicine bottle.
"Take it off."
He paused.
The room was small but clean. Mountain greenery outside the window softened the awkwardness. She stood against the faded cabinet, bright and out of place, like a vintage poster.
He looked away.
Using one hand, he began unfastening his frog buttons.
They were not easy to undo one-handed.
After struggling briefly, he stepped closer.
"Help me."
She had been staring at her toes.
At his voice, she looked up.
Her gaze caught on his Adam's apple, then the sharp line of his jaw.
She swallowed and moved forward, fingers reaching for the collar.
"I'll do it."
He leaned down slightly.
She suddenly remembered the angle from yesterday, when he shielded her.
Even without contact, she had felt his warmth.
Now he was close enough to feel the chill of his skin and the heat beneath it.
Her hands trembled faintly.
"No need to bend," he said quietly.
Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed.
She froze.
His eyes held silent challenge.
If you have nothing to hide, why be nervous?
She inhaled deeply and steadied herself.
Then she knelt in front of him, focused and serious.
He instinctively leaned back as she came closer.
She avoided his gaze, lifting his shirt.
And then she saw it.
Bruises bloomed across his right shoulder, arm, and back. Deep and dark.
He had acted as if nothing was wrong.
"You…"
She looked at him, stunned.
He simply supported himself with one hand, expression neutral.
She turned away quickly and grabbed the medicine.
"Turn your head."
He did not.
So she reached out and gently turned it for him.
He turned back after two seconds.
At the same time, she had straightened, bringing her face closer to his.
For a split second, panic flickered in his cool eyes.
He turned away again.
She did not notice.
She was too focused.
The cotton swab felt insufficient for the wide area.
She used her hand instead.
The moment her fingers touched his back, his muscles tensed.
She blew softly over the bruises.
"I didn't see how bad it was yesterday."
He remained silent.
His pale fingers rolled the prayer beads one by one.
Throughout it all, he stared straight ahead at the wall, never once looking at her.