Su Su was shivering all over, her teeth biting tightly on her lip, her head resting against the broad chest of the man holding her, desperately soaking in warmth.
Qin Xutao felt her trembling in his arms.
He held her tighter, silently quickening his pace toward the dormitory.
Once they reached the dorm, Qin Xutao carefully laid Su Su on the bed, wrapping her snugly with his blanket. He took out her clean clothes from the cupboard and handed them to her, his voice calm but firm: “Quickly change out of your wet clothes. Once your body warms up, you can take a hot shower to avoid catching a cold or a fever.”
He then turned away.
Watching his back, Su Su felt a wave of warmth flow through her heart.
She stripped off all her wet clothes and changed into the clean, warm ones, finally feeling a bit revived.
The room was filled only with the sound of clothes rustling as she changed.
“All done.”
Qin Xutao nodded. “I’ll prepare hot water for you. You can soak in the tub for a while.”
There were no bathtubs to buy in this place, so Su Su had bought a wooden tub earlier. It was perfect for soaking at home.
She nodded, exhaling deeply, hugging the warm blanket tightly. Her fingers were red and numb from the cold.
She remembered how, in the water, she had tried to pull Fang Yingqiu up with her. But Fang Yingqiu had struggled violently, trying to push her down, even kicking her leg hard. Su Su’s legs had cramped, leaving her no strength to swim up.
Thankfully, Qin Xutao had given her air in time; otherwise, she wouldn’t have made it to the shore and could have suffocated.
And then, after reaching the shore, she had to listen to Fang Yingqiu’s lies!
She had been so furious that she wanted to drag Fang Yingqiu back into the water to see who was really saving whom—and who was really causing trouble!
But at that moment, her body was too weak to go back in. Luckily, Fang Yingqiu’s guilty conscience made her confess indirectly.
Even now, thinking about it, Su Su was still angry she hadn’t properly taught Fang Yingqiu a lesson.
But Qin Xutao had promised to get her a proper explanation, so she could just wait.
Thinking this, a smile crept onto Su Su’s lips.
At that moment, Qin Xutao opened the door, his eyes landing on her face. “The water’s ready. You can soak now.”
Su Su’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. “My feet are frozen. Carry me, please?”
She opened her arms, looking expectant.
Qin Xutao frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, then strode over and picked Su Su up.
He carefully placed her on a small bench beside the wooden tub, poured some hot water into the tub, and gently instructed her to put her feet in.
He squatted down, unbothered by the steam, and slid his long fingers into the water, massaging her toes, soles, and the top of her feet.
The whole bathroom was filled with a misty haze.
Watching him concentrate, Su Su felt a strange tingling in her heart. She suddenly thought—maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if it stayed like this.
“Feeling better?” Qin Xutao’s deep, magnetic voice sounded beside her.
Su Su’s ears turned red as she responded, “Mm… yes.”
Qin Xutao stood, wiped his wet hands on two pieces of paper, then looked down at her.
“I’ll step out for a bit. Soak a little longer to get rid of the chill.”
He turned and left.
Su Su buried herself in the warm water, feeling completely cozy, a smile lingering on her lips.
After she finished bathing and changed back into clothes, she suddenly noticed a sharp smell in the air.
Ginger!
Qin Xutao was making ginger soup!
Although a man who could cook was charming, she hated the smell of ginger the most.
Just as she thought about sneaking back to the bedroom and pretending to sleep, Qin Xutao, having heard the movement, appeared with a bowl of ginger soup. “Drink this—it’ll warm you up!”
Su Su frowned, pinched her nose, and downed it in one go.
The spiciness from the ginger shot down her throat and into her stomach, instantly heating her whole body.
It really worked!
She felt alive again.
Seeing Su Su’s face regain a healthy color, Qin Xutao finally relaxed.
After a moment’s thought, he said, “I’ll make sure Fang Yingqiu gives you an explanation for what happened today.”
Su Su nodded firmly.
Having someone stand up for her felt pretty good.
With that comforting thought, Su Su quickly drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, at Fang Yingqiu’s home, chaos was brewing.
Crash!
A glass shattered on the floor.
Fang Yingqiu’s mother was furious, pointing at her daughter with a livid expression.
“Yingqiu, I thought you were sensible!”
“Look at what you did today! Someone saved you, and you turned it around in public!”
“How could I have such a foolish niece!”
Fang Yingqiu, soaked through, stood at the door, head lowered, face pale, water dripping from her hair, shivering uncontrollably.
Hearing her mother, she forced her stiff lips into words, asking deliberately, “Aunt, are you talking to me?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“You said that Captain Qin was good, from a good family. If I married him, I’d have a life of comfort.”
“But he already had a fiancée.”
“Just as I was thinking of giving up, you told me he and his fiancée wouldn’t last, and I should try harder.”
“These past few days, I trained desperately to beat her in the skating competition, to get Captain Qin’s attention. I don’t know how many times I fell—but she practiced for such a short time and could catch up to me.”
“When we fell into the lake, I thought, if I can’t have Captain Qin, she shouldn’t either.”
“But she came to save me.”
“I didn’t ask her to! She was being overconfident! If she died, no one would compete with me.”
Fang Yingqiu’s mother’s face went pale with anger.
She waved her hand. “I can’t keep you here anymore. Pack up and go back home tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Fang Yingqiu’s tears froze.
Then a look of sheer panic appeared on her face.
No, she couldn’t go back home.
If she did, the only outcome would be being married off for a bride price.
Fang Yingqiu hastily wiped her face, knelt before her mother, and cried, “Aunt, I was wrong! I was blinded for a moment. Please don’t send me away.”
Fang Yingqiu’s mother remained seated, unmoved.
Fang Yingqiu slapped herself, tears streaming from her eyes. “Tomorrow, I’ll apologize to Su Su, beg her forgiveness, and I won’t interfere with my uncle at all.”