Since it was the first week of school, no classes were scheduled, aside from the class meeting Bai Tao had missed yesterday.
So, early the next morning, Bai Tao took the campus shuttle directly to Lingzhou Hospital.
“Miss Bai, since you’ve always worn glasses before, it’s very normal to feel dizzy the first time you wear contact lenses.
You just need a little time to get used to them.”
Bai Tao nodded.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
She got up and walked out.
The doctor was right; walking felt floaty the first time wearing contacts.
She simply turned a corner and got so dizzy that she started to fall.
A hand firmly steadied her waist.
The embrace was warm.
“Is being unsteady on your feet some kind of special talent of yours?” Jing Wang tightened his arms, securing her waist to keep her from slipping.
Even through the bandages wrapped around his fingers, he could still feel her unique warmth seeping into his palm.
Bai Tao looked up, her chin unconsciously resting against his chest as her bangs fell away from her forehead.
Her eyes sparkled like blackcurrants washed clean with water.
“What’re you doing here?”
Jing Wang froze for a beat, then looked away from her big, annoyingly glistening eyes.
“This whole hospital belongs to my family.
Can’t I be here?”
Bai Tao let out a soft “oh” and regained her footing.
“The glasses, you got them?” Jing Wang asked tersely, not letting go of her.
Bai Tao nodded obediently.
“I did.
It’s just, I’m a little dizzy since I just put them on.”
“Still, Wang, you really only needed to replace my glasses.
I didn’t expect you to throw in a pair of contacts, too.”
She tilted her head, her eyelashes trembling as she smiled.
“This is the first time in my life I’ve ever worn contacts.
Thank you, Wang.”
“If you ever need help with anything later, Wang, like running errands or something, you can always ask me.
I’ll do my best to repay you.”
Jing Wang’s pupils constricted.
‘How does every word that comes out of her mouth sound so damn flustering?’
For no reason at all, he felt the skin under his bandages grow hot and itchy.
He avoided Bai Tao’s gaze.
“What kind of person do you take me for?
You think I gave you an extra pair of contacts just so you’d feel like you owe me something?”
“I’m not like that pair of idiot brothers.”
“Listen up.
This was all to compensate you in the first place.
It’s just that I, this young master, am generous and don’t sweat the small stuff.
If I’m going to give something, I give the whole set.”
“I gave them to you, and that’s that.
Just take them and wear them.
Enough with the nonsense.”
‘What an unpredictable personality.’
‘How can he say such nice things while sounding so angry?’
Regardless, Bai Tao’s smile grew even brighter.
“Wang, you’re really so nice.”
She smiled, revealing neat teeth.
The skin beneath her eyes glowed with a healthy flush, and her every breath carried the faint, sweet scent of peaches.
Jing Wang unconsciously flexed his fingers, creasing the fabric of her uniform where it cinched at her waist.
Footsteps suddenly sounded from behind them.
“Young Master Lingzhou, my apologies.
An outpatient appointment held me up.
Shall we go inside…”
The doctor froze, his gaze falling on Jing Wang’s bandaged hand, which was currently pressed perfectly against the waist of the girl in his arms.
He stammered for a long moment before managing to form a sentence:
“Has…
has your condition been cured?”
Jing Wang let go of her as if he’d received an electric shock.
His expression was complicated.
His gaze lingered on Bai Tao for half a second before he shoved his hand back into his pocket and strode inside.
“Doctor Jin, let’s talk inside.”
Tossing that sentence over his shoulder, he followed Doctor Jin and disappeared down the end of the hall.
Bai Tao was lost in thought, mulling over Doctor Jin’s words.
‘Condition?’
She had just seen the word “Dermatology” on Doctor Jin’s ID badge.
And when she first met Jing Wang, she had noticed the bandages wrapped around both his hands.
‘Could it be…
a skin disease?’
‘No, no, no.
The rest of his visible skin is healthy.
The chances of a skin disease that only affects the hands are too small.’
She had a gut feeling.
‘If I want to win Jing Wang over, the secret under those bandages would be an excellent place to start.’
Bai Tao pondered this, and before she knew it, she had reached the main entrance of Lingzhou Hospital.
The automatic doors slid open, and the damp, earthy smell from outside rushed into her nostrils.
Only then did she realize that the beautiful, clear-skied weather had suddenly grown dark.
The late summer weather was fickle.
Oppressive dark clouds closed the distance between heaven and earth, instantly blanketing the entire sky.
Following that, a light rain began to fall, which visibly intensified, DRUMMING against the asphalt road, its ferocious momentum nearly overwhelming the drainage system.
She sucked in a sharp breath.
‘Just my luck.’
Bai Tao squatted by the side of the Lingzhou Hospital entrance with her things, taking shelter from the rain and planning to leave once it let up a bit.
Ten minutes passed, but the downpour showed no signs of abating.
Bai Tao looked at the bus stop, only 800 meters from the main entrance. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
‘Waiting like this isn’t a solution.’
‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’
She held the hospital bag over her head and had just taken a step out when she was pulled back by the scruff of her neck.
“It’s pouring this hard, and you plan to just dash out into it?” Jing Wang grabbed her, pulling her back under the eaves as if lifting a small child.
Bai Tao turned her head.
“Well, what else can I do?
It doesn’t look like this rain is going to stop.”
Jing Wang recalled what Doctor Jin had said in the examination room.
*Since you don’t have an adverse reaction to her, you could try having more contact with that girl.
It might alleviate your condition, Young Master Lingzhou.*
‘This is just…
following the doctor’s orders.
An experiment, that’s all.’
He stretched out a long arm, wrapped it around her shoulder, and pulled her into his embrace.
His scorching body heat immediately enveloped Bai Tao.
The warmth, mingled with a light, creamy sandalwood scent, filled her senses.
He lowered his head slightly, his dark hair brushing against the base of Bai Tao’s ear.
“My car is parked up ahead.
Just walk with me.”
Bai Tao shrank back, looking at the downpour outside the shelter of the eaves.
She couldn’t help but ask, “Walk?
Are you sure?”
She patted the plastic bag in her hand.
“This might offer better protection.”
Jing Wang tutted.
“I told you to follow me, so just follow.
Why all the nonsense?”
Suddenly, Jing Wang’s shadow began to stretch and change until it completely enveloped the two of them.
Bai Tao wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she could faintly hear a sound like a purring feline.
When she unintentionally touched this “shadow,” she was surprised to find it had the sleek, smooth texture of fur.
As the two of them walked out, the rain miraculously parted, sliding down the sides of the black shadow.
Not a single drop got in.
Bai Tao couldn’t resist reaching out to touch the black shadow that enveloped them.
The instant her fingertips made contact, the man beside her suddenly went rigid.
He seized her hand almost instantly, his broad shoulders tensing.
A low groan escaped from between his lips, as if he were enduring something.
“Are you crazy?
Who gave you permission to…
touch things you shouldn’t?”
Bai Tao looked up to see a strange blush creeping up from the base of Jing Wang’s ear, slowly spreading to the corner of his eye.
‘What…
is happening?’