Zhou Jinyuan carried her on his back and took a couple of steps forward when Lin Wangxi patted his shoulder again.
“There’s something else I forgot to take.”
Following the direction she pointed, Zhou Jinyuan saw a black backpack—it was his.
He bent down and picked it up. It was light.
“What’s inside?”
Lin Wangxi smiled. “The toys I made. I took them out to sell today. I sold two and earned sixty.”
She calculated it herself. “After subtracting the cost, I made a full fifty.”
“Thinking about it, this is actually quite profitable. Next time I’ll make more and sell them.”
Zhou Jinyuan’s steps paused slightly. He did not respond, simply carrying her in silence toward the stairwell.
In the quiet night, only his footsteps climbing the stairs could be heard, along with her lively chatter behind him.
“I’ve figured it out—next time I’ll make a full zodiac set, twelve in total. If I package them nicely, I should be able to sell them for more.”
“Yuean said there are people selling material kits online. I can buy in bulk and lower the cost even further…”
Zhou Jinyuan could only listen quietly.
He could not even bring himself to say something like, “Don’t do this anymore, I’ll take care of you.”
Every word Lin Wangxi said felt like a reminder of his own inadequacy.
When a person had nothing, they were not in a position to talk about love.
“Lin Wangxi.” Zhou Jinyuan suddenly spoke, interrupting her.
“Mm? What is it?”
“It’s late. Don’t think about these things.”
“Oh…” Lin Wangxi keenly sensed that his mood had dropped again.
She thought her business plans had been too noisy and had bothered him, so she obediently fell silent.
Her arms tightened slightly around him, her cheek gently resting against his warm back.
Finally, they reached the door. He freed one hand to take out the key and unlock it.
He placed her on the sofa, then brought over medicated oil, squatted down, held her ankle, and began massaging it.
His palm rubbed against her skin, carrying a warm heat.
The sensation reminded her of the Zhou Jinyuan in her dreams.
That real, burning touch stirred something restless within her.
She stared at his lowered brows. Strands of hair fell over his eyes, leaving only his straight nose bridge and tightly pressed thin lips visible.
“All done. I’ll massage it again tomorrow morning. It should be fine then.”
As Zhou Jinyuan spoke, he lifted his head—and met a pair of smiling eyes.
She rested her chin on her hand, her elbow propped on her knee, looking at him with a grin.
“You’re really good-looking.”
Zhou Jinyuan’s lips tightened further.
The fingers holding the bottle of medicated oil slowly curled tighter as they silently looked at each other.
Lin Wangxi lowered the hand supporting her chin and placed it on the sofa beside her. She leaned forward, closing what little distance remained between them.
“I’m serious,” she said, her breath brushing against his face. “Especially when you’re focused—you look really handsome.”
Zhou Jinyuan’s gaze flickered. He wanted to stand up or turn his head away, but his body seemed rooted in place.
Locked by her gaze.
“Can I…”
The last few words—kiss you?—never left her lips.
Zhou Jinyuan slightly turned his head, avoiding her gaze.
“Do you only like this face?”
Lin Wangxi paused, then nodded matter-of-factly. “Otherwise, what else do you have that’s worth liking?”
“…”
As expected, honest words were the hardest to hear.
Zhou Jinyuan regretted asking that question.
Holding the bottle of medicated oil, he stood up and walked toward the cabinet where the medical kit was kept.
“It’s late. Go to sleep early.”
Lin Wangxi watched his back and pouted.
She could not help but doubt herself again.
Had he really grown to dislike her this much?
Or did he truly not like women?
At least among the men she had known, she had never encountered someone like him.
Those men—regardless of whether they were rich or poor, handsome or not—as long as she so much as crooked a finger, they would be eager to come closer.
Compared to them, Zhou Jinyuan was practically an anomaly.
Lin Wangxi pouted, grabbed her crutch, and hopped toward the bedroom.
For some reason, images surfaced in her mind of the times she had woken up in the middle of the night and seen Zhou Jinyuan still awake.
She found herself unable to sleep again.
With her leg injured, she did not want to get out of bed.
In the end, she did not even know when she fell asleep. It felt like she had barely slept before being awakened by knocking outside.
Rubbing her eyes, Lin Wangxi got out of bed sluggishly.
When she opened the door, she saw Zhou Jinyuan standing there expressionlessly, holding the medicated oil.
“What are you doing…” she said, looking at him speechlessly. Did he not need sleep at all?
“I’m heading out later. I’ll apply the medicine for you first.”
“Apply medicine?”
Lin Wangxi paused. She had already forgotten what needed treatment.
“Your leg—wasn’t it red?”
Lin Wangxi lowered her head and lifted her pant leg. It had been red from getting stuck in a manhole cover the night before, but it had long since recovered.
“What redness? Isn’t it fine now?”
Zhou Jinyuan stared at her fair ankle for a moment. It did seem fine.
“Then eat breakfast first.”
After saying that, he took the medicated oil and left again.
Lin Wangxi watched his back, unable to understand.
Did he see her as fragile as tofu?
Forget it—since she was already up.
Leaning on her crutch, she headed toward the bathroom.
At the bathroom door, she turned her head toward the kitchen and called out to the man inside, “Oh right, Zhou Jinyuan, I learned a new skill!”
Zhou Jinyuan turned back, puzzled.
Lin Wangxi smiled. “Watch.”
She placed the crutch inside the bathroom, then braced both hands against the doorframe.
With a push, she easily hopped into the bathroom.
Then she poked her head out again. “Well? I’m clever, right?”
Looking at her smiling face, Zhou Jinyuan found himself unable to speak.
She was using such a risky method just to prove she would not be a burden.
These past few days, Zhou Jinyuan had indeed been busy, but that did not mean he had not noticed what Lin Wangxi had been doing.
In just a few short days, she had learned to light a fire—though she still could not cook.
She could wash clothes, tidy the house, and even drag her injured leg outside to set up a small stall.
She would feel delighted over earning sixty yuan.
Without a key, she would patiently wait instead of making unreasonable demands like before.
Every change she made felt like a silent mockery of his own inadequacy.
It was not that she could not do these trivial things.
It was that someone who never needed to change had been forced to adapt and change.
Yet he did not have the confidence to tell her she did not need to change—that she could just be herself.
That was the greatest irony for him.
Lin Wangxi frowned. “Zhou Jinyuan, why are you not saying anything again? Why are you staring at me?”
Zhou Jinyuan came back to his senses and gave a perfunctory reply, “Clever.”
Finally satisfied, Lin Wangxi withdrew her head and closed the bathroom door.
After washing up and coming out, Zhou Jinyuan had already prepared breakfast.
Lin Wangxi sat at the table, rubbed her hands together, and reached for the large steamed bun in front of her.
“What happened to your face?” Zhou Jinyuan suddenly asked.