Jiang Yao stared at her open collar for two seconds before frowning and looking away.
Xu Changxia thought for a moment, mustered her courage, and gently tugged at his hand holding the medicine. She subtly exposed her collar right under his gaze and whispered, "It's so late… I can't see clearly to apply the medicine…"
Since he had come back on his own, how could she let him leave again?
Jiang Yao's frown deepened.
Xu Changxia watched him silently as well. The moonlight streaming in from outside outlined his profile with a faint golden glow, making him almost unrealistically handsome.
In her previous life, she had been somewhat afraid of him.
Because he was serious and rarely smiled, always keeping a stern face. Plus, when they lay together at night, the lights were always off, so she had never gotten a good look at his face.
Now she could see him clearly.
Jiang Yao had handsome features that grew on you – Ruifeng Eyes with inner double eyelids, a straight and high nose bridge. Though his skin was tanned from years of training, it couldn't diminish his excellent facial features. Standing nearly 190cm tall with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and slim hips, his proportions were perfect, comparable to an international male model. He was far more handsome than Jiang Chi.
In her previous life, she must have been blind to choose Jiang Chi.
"Is it not okay?" She waited for him a moment, and when he remained silent, she asked again pitifully.
Before she even finished speaking, her eyes were already rimmed with red.
Xu Changxia was famously beautiful throughout the neighborhood. Her current helpless appearance was both charming and pitiful.
Jiang Yao stared at her, hesitated for a moment, then said bluntly, "I saw everything earlier."
Xu Changxia froze at his words.
"Aren't you going to explain?" Jiang Yao asked in a deep voice when she didn't respond.
Xu Changxia felt that since they were starting over, she needed to maintain the most basic honesty between husband and wife.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "I didn't invite him here. He came drunk on his own to cause trouble. I already made it clear to him yesterday that we can't be together and told him to give up."
Jiang Yao stared intently at her, his eyes profound and unreadable.
He had studied criminal psychology for three years. Xu Changxia's gaze was frank and didn't appear to be lying.
So her stabbing with the scissors earlier made sense now.
Her previous suicide attempt by biting her tongue might have been because she wasn't psychologically ready to accept him yet, and she hadn't completely let go of Jiang Chi.
"Then how about this," Xu Changxia considered carefully before speaking to the silent Jiang Yao, "tell me what I need to do to make you believe me. I'll do whatever you say."
"No need." Jiang Yao took a deep breath and replied quietly.
With that, his large hand reached out to cover her exposed pale neck, and he closed the door with his other hand.
Xu Changxia followed him inside.
"Sit on the sofa." Jiang Yao pointed to the nearby couch.
Xu Changxia nodded obediently and sat down quietly.
As Jiang Yao prepared the disinfectant cotton, he glanced back and froze again.
Xu Changxia wasn't tall, just over 160cm. She appeared particularly petite standing before him, let alone sitting there.
Now curled into a small ball, her fair and delicate feet resting on the cold floor tiles, even her toes had turned a cute pink from the cold. She looked quite pitiful.
The incident earlier had frightened her badly, and he actually felt somewhat guilty about it.
Their engagement had been arranged by their parents through a matchmaker – they hadn't even met before. It was normal that she didn't want to marry him and resisted intimacy.
Especially since she had feelings for someone else.
He remained silent for a few seconds before kneeling on one knee before her, placing her cold little feet on his lap. "Open your mouth," he said.
Xu Changxia immediately obeyed and opened her mouth.
"That won't do. I can't see properly. Stick out your tongue," Jiang Yao instructed, watching her mouth.
Xu Changxia closed her eyes and extended just the tip of her tongue.
Jiang Yao's frown deepened.
He stared at her for a few seconds, restraining himself from speaking, and used tweezers to insert a cotton ball into her mouth.
The wound was deep inside, and the tweezers were somewhat short. Whether from pain or some other reason, Xu Changxia retracted her tongue slightly. Jiang Yao followed by probing deeper, and his fingertip accidentally brushed against Xu Changxia's lips.
The moment their temperatures met, Xu Changxia's small mouth trembled faintly, as if electrified.
"Does it hurt?" Jiang Yao asked her.
His voice carried a hint of hoarseness.
"Mhm," Xu Changxia responded muffledly.
Jiang Yao looked at her tightly closed eyes, noticing how her eyelashes were trembling slightly.
He inexplicably recalled how she had shivered after taking off her clothes earlier.
His throat felt somewhat dry.
After hesitating for two seconds, he withdrew the tweezers and said, "Forget it. Let's just go to the hospital directly. My hands are too rough."
"Don't!" Before he could put down the items, Xu Changxia grabbed his wrist, appearing somewhat anxious.
Jiang Yao was afraid of hurting her. She was so small—he might accidentally crush her bones with just a bit of force.
"It hurts. Please just handle it roughly for now," Xu Changxia pleaded, gazing at Jiang Yao with wide, pitiful eyes, her voice soft.
Her coquettish tone made Jiang Yao's entire body tense up again.
He paused for a few seconds before saying, "Fine. Let go first."
"But… what if you abandon me?" Xu Changxia stammered softly.
"I won't," Jiang Yao replied calmly.
With that, he turned back, picked up the small medicine bottle, and knelt before Xu Changxia once more.
Xu Changxia released his arm with a mix of trust and doubt.
Jiang Yao didn't seem as domineering and unreasonable as the rumors suggested. At least from what had happened tonight, she could sense that he knew how to respect others.
Watching him focus on applying the medicine, she remained silent for a moment before mustering the courage to ask, "Then… can you stay tonight?"
Jiang Yao's hand stilled.
Then, he replied indifferently, "Weren't you very resistant to that matter? Since you don't like it, I won't force you."
In truth, in her previous life, Xu Changxia had been strongly opposed to marrying Jiang Yao. She didn't like overly rough men and had heard that Jiang Yao only studied until junior high before directly entering military school.
At the engagement banquet, she had also appeared very reluctant. Anyone could tell she was forced into fulfilling the marriage agreement with Jiang Yao.
If she suddenly changed her attitude now and acted too enthusiastically, it would seem abnormal.
After pondering for a moment, she replied to Jiang Yao, "But if you leave like this, everyone will be disappointed, right? Jiang Chi will surely spread the word everywhere, and I won't be able to explain it to my family…"
Jiang Yao lifted his gaze to her, his previously calm eyes now carrying a hint of depth.
So, she was only keeping him to complete a task.
Xu Changxia met his gaze frankly and said, "Since I agreed to tonight's arrangements, it means I'm willing. I was just a bit scared earlier, and when you… I was in too much pain… that's why I accidentally bit my tongue."
This was Jiang Yao's first time doing this, and the only bit of experience he had came from his close friend's reminders the day before.
When Xu Changxia said it hurt, she lowered her eyes. Seeing her teary, aggrieved expression, Jiang Yao's heart softened involuntarily.
He remained silent for a long moment before setting down the medicine in his hand and asking softly, "Does it really hurt that much?"
"Mhm." Xu Changxia sniffled lightly before raising her teary eyes to look at him, pleading in a soft voice, "You need to be gentler when you move…"
Jiang Yao couldn't help but feel that her eyes seemed capable of captivating anyone.