Shen Xiaoxing gave her a faint glance, took out the iodine for disinfection, but since he couldn't see his own face, he wiped twice without finding the right spot.
"Left... no, right..."
An Ruo wanted to help him, but suddenly realized they weren't that familiar yet. Would approaching him so abruptly seem too deliberate?
"Or... should I do it for you?"
The man almost immediately handed her the medicine. Seeing her freeze, he raised an eyebrow and looked over: "Aren't you going to help?"
An Ruo took the cotton swab, dipped it in some iodine, and carefully cleaned his wound. The streetlight cast its glow on them both, and passersby frequently cast envious glances their way.
The girl's radiant, beautiful eyes were clear and pure, her appearance both innocent and alluring, like a bewitching fairy from a dark forest, meant to seduce naive young men...
Shen Xiaoxing's deep eyes darkened, his gaze falling on her soft pink lips. His mind was filled entirely with the image of their kiss that day.
His breath hitched, and he quickly averted his gaze!
An Ruo frowned: "Don't move..."
The man shut his eyes tightly. Damn it, since when had he become so desperate for this woman!?
His voice hoarse, he asked: "How much longer?"
The rough, raspy tone nearly startled even himself.
"Almost done." An Ruo thought he was in pain, so as she applied the medicine, she even blew on it gently. "Does that make it hurt less?"
Shen Xiaoxing's dark eyes grew deep, and in his mind surfaced memories of childhood fights when he'd come home with injuries. His mother would carefully tend to his wounds, blowing on them just like this.
"Be strong, A'xing. Doesn't it hurt less when I blow on it?"
His eyes suddenly reddened, and he grabbed the woman's wrist abruptly.
An Ruo was startled by his sudden move.
"Did I hurt you?"
The man stood up expressionlessly, ignoring the girl's puzzled questions, and strode away with long steps.
Leaving a bewildered An Ruo standing in the cold wind.
"What a weirdo."
---
An Ruo tiptoed into the living room, holding her two high heels, feeling more guilty than a thief.
"Young Madam!"
Housekeeper Xu intercepted her at the stairway with a stern face.
An Ruo slumped her shoulders, wearing an expression of resigned acceptance: "Sorry, I'm late again."
Housekeeper Xu sighed: "Young Madam, if you really couldn't make it back, why didn't you call the young master to let him know?"
"I don't have his number..."
"Do you know he hasn't eaten yet, waiting for you?" Housekeeper Xu held back her anger. "He fell down the stairs and didn't even have anyone to take care of him."
"He fell down the stairs?" An Ruo was stunned. "What happened? Is he okay? Did he go to the hospital?"
Housekeeper Xu hadn't expected her to care so much about Shen Xiaoxing, and her anger subsided a bit: "Nothing serious, just a bump on the head. The doctor bandaged it."
An Ruo let out a heavy sigh of relief.
She added: "With so many servants in the villa, why wasn't anyone looking after him?"
"You know the young master's temper. Now, aside from you, none of us can get close to him."
She had no idea what spell An Ruo had cast on Shen Xiaoxing lately. They used to be at odds with each other, but now they were so inseparable it was astonishing.
After parting with Housekeeper Xu, An Ruo went up to the second floor. She knocked on the door first: "Shen Dashao, are you asleep?"
A long silence followed, with no response from inside.
"I'm coming in." An Ruo pushed the door open. The bedroom was pitch black. She fumbled for the light switch, and the lump in the big bed looked like a small hill.
She walked softly to the bedside and saw the man sleeping with his eyes closed, a thick layer of gauze wrapped around his forehead—he must have taken quite a fall.
An Ruo turned to leave, but suddenly her wrist was caught by a force, making her heart race. The man's hollow eyes slowly opened.
His voice was low: "Why are you only back now?"
"I... a friend invited me to dinner. It was hard to refuse, I couldn't say no."
Shen Xiaoxing sneered inwardly. This girl was full of lies, spouting them without a second thought!
"Didn't expect you to have friends."
The way he said it...
"What do you mean?"
The man avoided answering, his voice flat: "Help me up."
An Ruo supported his back with one hand, helping him sit up. Staring at his face, she asked: "Did I wake you?"
"What do you think?"
This man had been in a good mood for just a few days, and now he was back to his snarky tone. What was going on?
"It's my fault. I apologize." An Ruo, worn down by his attitude, apologized sincerely: "I shouldn't have come back late, shouldn't have been away when you needed me most."
That sounded a bit like a domineering girlfriend and her delicate little husband?
Shen Xiaoxing's expression softened slightly: "If you had something to do, why didn't you tell me in advance?"
"I don't have your number."
After a moment's thought, the man fumbled for his phone from under the pillow: "Save your number in here."
An Ruo took it without a second thought. This was good—if something unexpected happened and he couldn't see, he could have the servants call her.
Since she'd agreed to take care of him for three years, she'd stick to her duty and wait for the contract to expire.
"There, now you can call me if anything comes up."
Whether she could make it back was one thing; she'd figure it out if not.
"I'm hungry."
An Ruo remembered Housekeeper Xu saying he hadn't eaten while waiting for her. It was late now, and the servants were probably asleep, so she had to go to the kitchen to make him something.
She'd packed some pastries from the banquet, but after that incident in the middle, they were long gone somewhere.