And did Lu Yanjing just tell the nurse’s aide that he was her husband?
He had acknowledged his identity to an outsider so casually. Up until now, he had always deeply resented their relationship and never once mentioned her to anyone outside.
“What are you thinking about?” Lu Yanjing walked over and carefully bolted the door shut. “Your face is so red. Are you running a fever?”
As he spoke, he reached out to press his palm against Shen Ruxia’s forehead. No fever. That meant she must just be embarrassed.
“No, it’s just a little hot in here,” Shen Ruxia stammered, scrambling for an excuse.
She was genuinely nervous.
True, she and Lu Yanjing had already crossed that ultimate line, but that had been when he was drugged and barely conscious, and the hotel room had been cast in dim lighting. Now, in broad daylight, Lu Yanjing was actually holding a wash towel to clean her down there.
Just the thought of it made her hot with shame and embarrassment.
What if she was too sensitive?
Oh god, oh god, oh god!
She had to stop thinking about it. She really had to stop.
The more she thought about it, the more nervous she got.
“Lie back down. I’ll help you take your pants off.”
Judging by Lu Yanjing’s expression, he didn’t feel a shred of awkwardness. He was completely at ease, as if he were performing the most ordinary task in the world.
Yet the words take your pants off sounded utterly mortifying to Shen Ruxia’s ears.
“It’s fine, I… I can do it myself.”
Her first instinct was to refuse his help. She was simply too mortified. Even though they had fast-forwarded through a one-night stand, a wedding, and a pregnancy in a remarkably short span, the truth was that they barely knew each other.
At least, that was how Shen Ruxia saw it.
Even though she tried to decline, Lu Yanjing’s attitude made it clear refusal wasn’t an option.
His hands kept pulling back the blanket, though he spared a moment to reach out and stroke her cheek.
“We’re husband and wife. This is completely normal, and taking care of you is my job. You don’t need to feel shy.”
Hearing those psychological-comfort pep talks delivered so bluntly only made Shen Ruxia shier still. Her face flushed a bright crimson, a sight that genuinely stirred up turbulent thoughts in Lu Yanjing.
The blanket was peeled back, and Shen Ruxia could immediately feel a draft of cool air against her feet.
Then came her outer pants being pulled down, making the chill even more pronounced.
Next, Lu Yanjing’s warm hand brushed against her lower abdomen, sliding slowly downward to nudge her inner undergarment off, inch by inch.
Shen Ruxia forced herself to stay as calm and composed as possible so she wouldn’t look too tense or embarrassed. She even cooperated by lifting her legs slightly to make it easier for Lu Yanjing to slide her underthings away.
With her pants completely off, Lu Yanjing looked at her slender, fair legs, trying his absolute hardest to keep himself from looking like a man driven wild by lust.
Just as Shen Ruxia was wondering what he would do next, Lu Yanjing’s gentle voice drifted to her ears again.
“Xiaxia, spread your legs.”
Shen Ruxia’s face burned hot, but she obediently parted her legs a little wider.
Watching her follow every single command like a well-behaved student—and contrasting it with the memory of how arrogantly, imperiously, and headstrong she had once demanded he marry her—made him find her all the more endearing.
Such a good girl!
“Xiaxia, a bit wider. It’s hard for me to clean properly like this.”
Lu Yanjing wasn’t trying to tease her on purpose. It was just that she was so terribly shy, and her legs were parted so narrowly that it genuinely made it difficult for him to work.
“Oh…”
Shen Ruxia was so mortified her neck was turning red. The last time they had been intimate, Lu Yanjing certainly hadn’t stared this intently at that particular part of her body. Now that her legs were wide open right in front of him, she wished she could just bury herself straight into the mattress.
A moment later, she heard the sound of sloshing water. Lu Yanjing wrung the towel half-dry and began gently wiping her most intimate areas.
The moment the warm towel made contact, her body gave an involuntary shiver.
Fortunately, his touch was feather-light, completely free of any discomfort.
Yet the problem wasn’t a lack of comfort—it was the fact that she was experiencing a bizarre, creeping sense of physical pleasure.
That sensation grew more and more pronounced, stirring a faint panic inside her.
She was terrified of making a fool of herself in front of Lu Yanjing.
Thankfully, he was treating the cleanup with the utmost seriousness. He wiped away with meticulous care, and Shen Ruxia could distinctly feel every gentle, friction-filled sweep of his hand.
His palms were warm, making the experience far more comfortable than what a professional nurse’s aide could provide.
Time seemed to stretch out endlessly.
Shen Ruxia didn’t dare move a single muscle until Lu Yanjing finally repeated the motion a few times before dropping the towel back into the basin.
“Xiaxia, you’re all cleaned up now,” Lu Yanjing said. Just as Shen Ruxia let out a sigh of relief, his warm voice rang out again: “I’ll go swap this for a fresh basin of warm water and wipe down the rest of your body.”
“No need!” Shen Ruxia hastily refused. “The doctor said I can take a proper shower starting tonight, so—um, thank you!”
A flash of disappointment crossed Lu Yanjing’s expression. It seemed his newlywed wife was still too shy!
No matter, though. He could always hold her in his arms and give her a shower himself tonight.
Lu Yanjing felt a warm glow of happiness blooming in his chest. Now that he had finally straightened out his own feelings, there was no point in repeating the stubborn awkwardness of his past life—the kind that left him full of bitter regret only after losing her.
Reborn into a second chance, both he and Shen Ruxia deserved an entirely different, beautiful ending.
He needed to take the initiative, fast-tracking the warming-up of a relationship that had previously been a mutual dance of distance and awkwardness.
“Alright, then I’ll just help you put on a clean pair of pants.”
Lu Yanjing searched through the nearby cabinet for a change of clothes for her.
“They’re in the blue pouch,” Shen Ruxia piped up, terrified he wouldn’t be able to find them.
“Got it.” Lu Yanjing nodded, casually unzipping the blue bag to find two neatly folded sets of women’s undergarments inside.
He picked out a pale green lace set. Shen Ruxia’s skin was as smooth and fair as jade, and pale green would only make her complexion look even more translucent and rosy.
Whoa, way too many stray thoughts.
Lu Yanjing silently scolded himself for letting his mind run wild when dealing with a hospital patient. His rogue tendencies were acting up again.
He carefully helped Shen Ruxia put on her undergarments and tucked the blanket back around her chin. Looking back down at her, the deathly pallor that had marked her face earlier was entirely gone, replaced by a radiant blush.
Once everything was settled, Lu Yanjing pulled up a chair, sat down, and prepared to have a proper heart-to-heart with her. But before he could speak, Shen Ruxia abruptly blurted out:
“Did something happen to you?”
Lu Yanjing instantly caught her drift. Just as he was pondering how best to answer, Shen Ruxia continued:
“If you’re facing any trouble, you can just tell me straight. I’ll definitely help you out. Is it money you need?”
It had taken her a long time to muster the courage to ask outright. She kept her tone as gentle as possible so as not to hurt his pride.
The man had suddenly started treating her this much better out of nowhere—she wasn’t an idiot; it obviously meant he had run into some kind of trouble and needed her to step in and bail him out.
Naturally, she was more than happy to help him. And if it was money he needed, she did indeed have a tidy sum of savings in her own account.