10 – Tan Shen was perfectly fine, but then he opened his mouth
Although the man’s tone was harsh, he was actually concerned about her.
But to the young miss’s ears, she didn’t care whether it was concern or not—a harsh tone was simply unacceptable.
“You’re scolding me?”
Xie Yurao glared at him with displeasure, her slightly rounded fox-like eyes narrowing.
She was injured, and this man didn’t know how to be gentle at all.
Tan Shen: “…”
He had no temper left.
Holding the ice pack, he lowered his gaze and gently pressed it against her red, swollen wound, softening his tone a little. “I’m not scolding you.”
The ankle beneath his palm was slender and delicate, even paler than his wrist, as if it could snap with a single twist.
Xie Yurao hugged a sofa cushion, protesting defiantly, “Who do you think you’re looking down on? Forget the end of the month—I’ll be bouncing around and practicing again tomorrow.”
As she spoke, she reached for her phone, intending to contact Jiang Mingci and have him continue their practice.
Tan Shen lifted his gaze and gave her a cold glance.
“Fine, practice with that troublemaker again tomorrow.”
The man remained expressionless as he held the ice pack in place, his long, slender fingers slightly prominent, revealing the alluring veins and tendons beneath his skin.
His tone was indifferent and detached. “Fall a few more times, and you’ll be just in time to take the stage on crutches by the end of the month.”
Xie Yurao: “??”
Furious again, she lifted her uninjured foot and tried to kick the man.
“You’re the one who’ll be on crutches!”
How could a fairy possibly use crutches!
Tan Shen remained still in his position, letting her kick him twice—it didn’t hurt at all.
Instead, her little foot ached from the effort, and she reluctantly pulled it back.
The young miss in the red dress puffed up her cheeks angrily, her beautiful fox-like eyes glaring at him. Suddenly, she blinked in confusion.
“Tan Shen.”
“I noticed today… you seem a bit strange?”
“…”
The man’s hand paused slightly.
Then, lowering his gaze, he replied coldly, “No.”
Xie Yurao: “Yes, you are!”
Although this jerk was usually cold and arrogant, he had never been this excessive before.
It was as if he had swallowed gunpowder—even she wasn’t spared from his sharp remarks.
Xie Yurao suddenly leaned a little closer to him.
“Are you…”
The fragrance around her nose lingered, and Tan Shen’s heart tightened abruptly.
Only to hear her ask in confusion, “Did someone beat you up at the boxing gym?”
Tan Shen: “…”
He looked up helplessly. “Is that possible?”
Even though his tone was as usual, there was an effortless sense of dominance about him.
Xie Yurao blinked twice, somewhat captivated by this casually displayed aura of authority.
“Alright, I guess it’s not possible.”
Her bodyguard was still quite strong.
Hearing this, Tan Shen scoffed lightly but said nothing.
Chen Yi walked over with a freshly brewed tonic soup and placed it in front of Xie Yurao, intending to let it cool before she drank it.
Then, with a gentle smile, she said, “Mr. Tan probably doesn’t like Mr. Jiang.”
Xie Yurao was taken aback and looked at him. “You don’t like my dance partner?”
Tan Shen abruptly lifted his gaze, his deep eyes dark and intense, his tone icy.
“That idiot—why should I like him?”
The man was coldly handsome, and whenever he wore an expressionless face, it instinctively sent a chill down people’s spines.
Xie Yurao stared at him in a daze.
Tan Shen felt he had frightened her and immediately lowered his gaze, concealing his emotions.
Suddenly, he called out, “Xie Yurao.”
Xie Yurao: “? Who gave you permission to call me by my full name… Mmm.”
The man’s warm palm covered her mouth, his voice calm as he continued, “You need to understand what this ceremony means to you. Xie Jingchuan hasn’t made a move yet, but you’ve already managed to injure yourself because of him.”
Tan Shen had always been steady and strategic in temperament.
He was accustomed to indifference and ruthlessness, never acting foolishly out of soft-heartedness.
Tan Shen thought it was her foolish behavior today that had made him so angry.
His tone was cold and mocking. “If Xie Jingchuan knew, he’d probably be so delighted he’d send him some money as thanks for his friendly assistance.”
“…”
This man’s mouth was truly venomous.
Xie Yurao mumbled, trying to speak.
Tan Shen assumed she had likely taken his words to heart, so he finally released his hand.
“Pah, pah, pah.” Xie Yurao angrily wiped her mouth several times, accusing him with a mix of anger and disgust. “You actually used the hand that touched my foot to cover my mouth!!”
Tan Shen: “…”
Was that the point?
He sighed helplessly. “It was your own foot, not someone else’s. Do you even dislike yourself?”
Xie Yurao nodded emphatically. “Yes!”
Tan Shen: “…”
However, after wiping her mouth in disgust, Xie Yurao did take his words to heart. She looked at Tan Shen and said, “If you knew how to dance ballroom, I wouldn’t have had to find someone else.”
Upon hearing this, the man’s lowered, cold lashes paused for a moment.
Then, his tone turned indifferent, tinged with sarcasm. “I’m just a rough man. How would I know these rich people’s pastimes?”
For some reason, his words carried an inexplicable, indescribable nuance to Xie Yurao’s ears.
Before she could ponder it further, Qin Yun’s call came through.
Upon learning that Xie Yurao had sprained her ankle, Qin Yun was both angry, anxious, and heartbroken.
“Fortunately, it’s nothing serious. Rest well these next few days and resume practice only after you’ve fully recovered.”
Holding her phone, Xie Yurao was exceptionally obedient only when speaking to Qin Yun.
“Okay~”
Qin Yun added, “Let Tan Shen take the call.”
Xie Yurao was taken aback and immediately said, “Mommy, it wasn’t his fault today.”
Even though the dog man had been unpleasant today, Xie Yurao instinctively didn’t want him to be punished.
On the other end of the line, Qin Yun chuckled. “I know. I’m not going to scold him.”
Tan Shen took the phone.
Xie Yurao sipped her nourishing soup while watching him.
Tan Shen’s expression remained unchanged as he agreed several times before handing the phone back to Xie Yurao.
After the call ended, she asked Tan Shen, “Did she scold you?”
“No. She asked me to take you to Ancheng to have your dance shoes fitted while you’re resting.”
Ancheng had the best custom dance shoe makers in the country. Every detail of the ceremony had to be perfect.
Qin Yun had already booked a private studio there, but Xie Yurao needed to go in person to have shoes tailored to her exact measurements.
“Rest tomorrow. I’ll take you the day after.”
“Oh.”
Surprisingly, she was obedient and compliant this time.
Without her having to ask, Tan Shen bent down and carried her upstairs.
Perhaps because she was injured, the young lady wasn’t as domineering and arrogant as usual. Instead, she seemed much softer.
She lifted her arm, showing the man her pale pink elbow.
“I scraped this today too. It’s broken. Did you see it?”
Tan Shen walked steadily up the stairs, glancing down at her words.
On her fair, tender arm, there was indeed a small wound, likely scraped when she fell. However, there was almost no trace of blood.
“I saw it.”
Tan Shen said calmly, “Good thing you showed me in time.”
Xie Yurao was puzzled, “Huh?”
Then, the man’s voice took on a faint, lazy hint of amusement.
“Any later, and I’m afraid the wound would have healed.”
Xie Yurao: “…”