After looking through several tubes, Xia Feifei finally found one labeled as helping promote blood circulation, disperse bruising, and reduce inflammation and pain. She handed it over.
“Mr. Ji, try rubbing this on. I’m really sorry about what happened today.”
“It’s all right. It’s only a minor injury; don’t let it bother you. If you keep apologizing like this, you’ll actually make me feel bad.”
Hearing Ji Yanli’s comforting words, Xia Feifei’s lips curved into a smile. She lowered her head and pretended to tidy the first-aid kit. But the next moment, the tube she had just handed him was passed back to her.
“I’ve put it on. Thank you for your help, Ms. Xia.”
“Wait, Mr. Ji, you…”
Xia Feifei was clearly stunned by how quickly he’d applied it. At a loss for words, she took the tube, twisted off the cap, and—annoyed by how perfunctorily he’d handled it—decided to do it herself.
She squeezed out a dab of white ointment about the size of a mung bean, then turned toward him and reached out to rub it over the bruised patches.
“Ms. Xia, you don’t need to trouble yourself. I’ve already put some on…”
Ji Yanli’s refusal died away at the look of disbelief she gave him.
Xia Feifei massaged the ointment in with her fingertips, making small circles. Only after the white cream had been absorbed into his skin did she move on to another bruise.
A moment ago, she’d been too shy and too far away to notice much, and his skin tone hadn’t helped.
Now, as she applied the ointment up close, she saw that Ji Yanli’s arm was covered with scars of varying depth.
They were all old scars, though. He probably hadn’t treated them properly at the time, which was why she could see them so clearly from this close.
“Mr. Ji, you…”
The question almost slipped out, but she stopped herself in time.
She was a little curious. The staff at Worry Relief Hall had explicitly told her that their employees sold their skills, not their bodies, and that she mustn’t do anything inappropriate with them.
But, honestly, Ji Yanli hadn’t looked the least bit shy when he’d pulled off his bath towel.
So how had he gotten all those scars?
The answer was practically staring her in the face.
Seriously, you couldn’t judge a book by its cover. He was into that kind of thing?
No wonder someone who looked like him was rated A-grade.
You really got what you paid for. As long as you had the money, anything was possible.
The suspicion in her mind made Xia Feifei’s fingers press harder as she rubbed in the ointment.
It wasn’t that she looked down on that line of work. If things were really as the Worry Relief Hall staff had said—that both sides got what they wanted, everything was legal, and nobody crossed the line—then she wouldn’t have minded.
But looking at Ji Yanli’s old scars, some deep and some faint, it was obvious that wasn’t the case.
He had perfectly good arms and legs, yet for money he had no basic limits at all.
The more Xia Feifei thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. Without meaning to, she started rubbing the ointment in roughly, putting too much force into it.
“Ah…”
Ji Yanli sucked in a sharp breath. He’d meant to grit his teeth and bear it, but in the end, he couldn’t help speaking up to save his poor arm.
“Ms. Xia, sorry, but could you be a little gentler? It hurts.”
“I can’t.”
Xia Feifei’s curt refusal came naturally. Still feeling uncomfortable, she stopped, stood up, and tossed the ointment into his arms. “If it hurts, do it yourself.”
She turned to leave, but Ji Yanli called after her.
“Sorry, Ms. Xia. I only just arrived today, so I’m not familiar with the place. Which room is mine?”
“Any of them. You can choose between the other two rooms.”
After answering, Xia Feifei didn’t give Ji Yanli a chance to say another word. She went into one of the rooms without looking back and promptly shut the door.
Sitting on the corner of the bed, still feeling unsettled, she took out her phone to play around for a while. Just then, she got a call from her maternal uncle, Chen Zhiheng, checking in on her.
“Hey, kiddo, what are you up to? Have you eaten? What delicious things did your mom make for you today? Tell your uncle all about them.”
“I-I ate… My mom… My mom made braised pork, steamed sea bass, and meatball soup…”
The more Xia Feifei stammered, the more her nose stung.
After more than ten years together, she had long since come to think of her uncle as the person closest to her.
When they first asked her to come back this time, she’d refused outright. It was her mother, Ms. Chen Zixin, who had pleaded with her uncle for more than half a month, reasoning with him and appealing to his feelings.
In the end, her uncle had no choice but to give in and persuade her to come back for a visit. After all, he’d said, they were her biological parents.
But who could have guessed that just two days after Xia Feifei came home, she’d hear that these so-called biological parents wanted her to enter a business marriage alliance?
Biological parents? What a joke!
“What’s wrong, kiddo? Did something happen? Is someone bullying you?”
The catch in her voice gave her away, and Chen Zhiheng immediately asked in alarm.
Not wanting her uncle to worry, Xia Feifei quickly pulled herself together and denied it. “N-no, nothing like that, Uncle. I’m just used to having you around. I miss you.”
“You miss me? Then I’ll come see you when I have time. You’re a grown woman in your twenties, and you’re still crying. Keep that up and you’ll never find a boyfriend—no one will want you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Uncle. Who says no one wants me? I already have a husband, and he’s tall and handsome.”
Xia Feifei said it teasingly on purpose. She didn’t expect Chen Zhiheng to believe her; she just wanted to have proof on hand in case she needed it someday.
“Is it Wang Xinyu or Yang Zimo? With your obsession with good looks and the speed at which you change celebrity crushes, changing husbands every day would be taking it slow.”
Xia Feifei didn’t argue or carry on with that topic. The two of them chatted for a while before hanging up. Her uncle told her not to stay up late, to get ready for bed, and to turn in early.
Thanks to her uncle’s call, the discomfort she’d felt earlier had completely disappeared, banished from her mind.
When Xia Feifei opened the door, Ji Yanli was no longer in the living room. The coffee table was spotless, clearly because he’d tidied up before going back to his room.
She was quite pleased by this small gesture. She had some reservations about his line of work, but she was very happy to have a roommate who noticed what needed doing.
Carrying her pajamas, she headed to the bathroom. After washing up, she was about to go back to her room when the sound of a few broken phrases made her stop.
“Mm, yes, *** will go with her.”
“Yes, ***. Everything I said is true.”
“** All right, I understand. *** Tell them to get the props ready. I’ll be there on time.”
Ji Yanli’s final words came through clearly just as the door opened, reaching Xia Feifei’s ears.
The two of them suddenly found themselves face-to-face. Xia Feifei gave an awkward smile and tried to sound composed. “Mr. Ji, you’re still awake?”
“No. I’m thirsty, so I was going to get a glass of water.”
“Oh! All right, take your time. I’ll go to bed.”
After answering politely, Xia Feifei turned and was about to head back to her room. She’d taken only one step when, unable to help herself, she turned toward Ji Yanli’s back as he headed for the kitchen and blurted out:
“Mr. Ji, I know making money is important, but I still think you should know your limits. You’re young. Your health matters most.”