9 – Ankle Injury
Tan Shen picked up his phone expressionlessly, stood up, and walked aside to answer the call.
Guan Mingxian was utterly dumbfounded: “??”
He turned and patted Fei Wen on the shoulder, “Fei Fei, did you see that?”
Fei Wen shook off the hand on his shoulder and replied tersely, “I saw it.”
Compared to Guan Mingxian’s jaw-dropping shock, he remained as calm as ever.
“B-baby fairy… young lady?” Guan Mingxian stammered so badly he could barely speak.
Tan Shen shot him a cold glance.
Guan Mingxian immediately shut his mouth obediently.
But he was clearly still in shock—was this the kind of contact name their ascetic monk could come up with?
Ugh, how embarrassing~
Of course not.
Tan Shen’s deep, restrained eyes calmly swept over the contact name. It wasn’t him who had changed it; a certain young lady had taken his phone and changed it herself, then imperiously ordered him not to change it back.
But Tan Shen had never cared about such things, so he left it as it was.
“Hello.”
Tan Shen’s voice was slightly low, thinking it was rare for the little fox to call him.
Didn’t she have company today? Why was she still clinging to him like this?
The voice on the other end of the line wasn’t Xie Yurao’s but that of a maid, sounding slightly anxious. “Mr. Tan.”
“Hmm.”
“Young lady, she…” the maid said hurriedly, “had a bit of an accident. Can you come back right away?”
Tan Shen suddenly frowned, his tone unconsciously deepening. “What accident?”
“It’s just…” The other end of the line seemed to be in chaos.
Tan Shen grew impatient and said bluntly, “I’m coming back now.”
After hanging up, he casually grabbed the car keys from the coffee table and strode out.
“Hey, Tan—”
Before Guan Mingxian could finish, the only response was the sound of the door slamming shut.
“…”
The room fell into silence. Guan Mingxian thoughtfully stroked his chin.
“I feel like this development is a bit off.”
He was always talkative and couldn’t help turning to the only person he could discuss it with. “Fei Fei, do you think… Brother Tan might actually like his baby fairy young lady?”
Fei Wen was also quite shocked by the lengthy prefix in the contact name.
Then he shook his head, his expression still impassive.
But his tone was extremely certain. “No.”
…
On the road, Tan Shen slammed on the accelerator, almost speeding all the way back to the villa.
Upon returning, he strode toward the front hall, his voice low as he questioned the maid.
“What happened?”
It felt more like an interrogation than a question.
The maid, intimidated by his overwhelming presence, followed with small, trembling steps. “It’s just… young lady accidentally injured her ankle…”
Tan Shen frowned. Ankle injury?
Had Xie Jingchuan taken advantage of his absence to harm her?
His expression sharpened, and he immediately quickened his pace.
The man was tall and long-legged, and the maid couldn’t keep up even while running.
As he rounded the corridor, Tan Shen saw the scene in the front hall. His expression relaxed slightly but then tightened again.
Xie Yurao was curled up listlessly on the sofa, her skirt pulled up to cover her thighs, barefoot, her eyes teary and pitiful.
Jiang Mingci crouched in front of her, staring helplessly at her swollen ankle, looking as if he wanted to touch it but didn’t dare.
“Young lady, how about… I carry you to the hospital?”
How long would they have to wait for that bodyguard…
But after she got hurt, she refused everyone else and insisted on having Tan Shen.
Xie Yurao listlessly opened her eyes and was about to speak when she was abruptly interrupted by a cold voice.
“Move aside.”
Tan Shen looked down from above, his gaze icy as he stared at Jiang Mingci, who was in the way.
Jiang Mingci looked up and saw him, momentarily stunned, instinctively hesitating.
“Tan Shen…”
The young lady’s soft, pitiful voice sounded in his ear, calling out to Tan Shen with a hint of grievance.
Jiang Mingci’s expression shifted slightly.
In the end, he couldn’t bear to see her in such discomfort and obediently moved aside.
Tan Shen bent down and crouched in front of her, his warm palm cradling her ankle as he briefly examined the injury.
His tone was low. “Did you twist it while dancing?”
“Mhm…” The little fox’s voice was muffled.
She had always disliked getting hurt, too delicate to tolerate even the slightest pain, and now her mood was genuinely low.
Until the man’s fingers, slightly rough with calluses, gently brushed over her jade-white ankle, where the redness and swelling began to tingle with a dense, prickling ache.
Xie Yurao’s long, curled lashes trembled slightly.
Her pretty toes, painted with pale pink nail polish, involuntarily curled a little.
“It’s fine, no bone damage.”
Tan Shen released her ankle and withdrew his gaze indifferently.
It wasn’t anything serious—it was just that her skin was too fair, making the redness on her ankle look quite alarming.
In reality, it probably wasn’t that painful. At least, if it were him, it wouldn’t even register as discomfort. But the little fox was too pampered, prone to fussing over even the smallest injury.
Tan Shen turned and instructed the maid to fetch an ice pack.
Only then did Jiang Mingci finally let out a sigh of relief, saying somewhat guiltily from the side, “It’s all my fault.”
What had happened was that the young lady had accidentally stepped on him again. The sharp heel of her high heels made him instinctively flinch, causing her to lose her balance when she landed, which led to the sprain.
Tan Shen said, “It is your fault.”
“…”
Tan Shen glanced at the guilt-ridden young man, his tone cool and detached as he uttered cold syllables. “If there’s a next time, you won’t need to come back.”
Jiang Mingci was completely taken aback, utterly stunned by Tan Shen’s words.
Even Xie Yurao was momentarily speechless.
She glanced at the flushed, flustered young man and, in the end, softened her heart, saying, “Forget it. It was my fault for stepping on him first.”
Besides, objectively speaking, it really couldn’t all be blamed on Jiang Mingci.
Tan Shen lifted his gaze to look at her, his expression unreadable.
In the end, he only let out a cold scoff. “You’re quite reasonable with him.”
If it had been him who caused her to sprain her ankle—though the likelihood of that happening in his presence was practically zero—she would have undoubtedly thrown a fit.
Tan Shen said nothing more, standing up to make room for the maid to apply the ice pack.
“Aren’t you going to help me with it?”
Tan Shen’s voice was flat. “I don’t know my own strength.”
Xie Yurao looked up at his cold, handsome profile, his jawline sharp and defined, clearer than any life plan.
Nonsense.
He had been so gentle just moments ago.
The older maid, Chen Yi, watched for a moment before smiling and speaking to Jiang Mingci. “Mr. Jiang, since Mr. Tan is back, I’ll have Xiao Yu see you out. After all, it’s been over for quite some time.”
Jiang Mingci hesitated, then nodded. “Alright.”
After the maid Xiao Yu escorted him out, Chen Yi loosened her grip on the ice pack.
“Mr. Tan, I just remembered there’s soup simmering in the kitchen. Could you help hold this for a while?”
Chen Yi, with her years of experience and age, had practically watched them grow up. She was perceptive and gentle.
Tan Shen couldn’t easily refuse. “Sure.”
Seeing him gently roll up his sleeves and crouch before the young lady, Chen Yi finally left with a cheerful smile.
“You actually listen to Chen Yi but not to me.”
Xie Yurao lightly kicked him.
However, with her ankle hurting, there wasn’t much force behind it, like a small animal kicking its hind legs.
“…”
Tan Shen grasped her ankle, gently placing it on his long leg, and looked up at her with a warning glance.
“Still daring to move recklessly? Don’t you want to dance by the end of the month?”