Li Suian demanded fiercely, “Brother Wen Qi, what do you mean by transferring me money?”
She had a rough guess—it was his way of thanking her, and also drawing a clear line between them.
Wen Qi hadn’t expected her to get angry. For the first time, he felt at a loss facing a girl. “It doesn’t mean anything. I just wanted to thank you for helping me tonight.”
Li Suian’s expression turned even fiercer, looking rather amusing. “Did I help you for your money? We’re neighbors—we should naturally help each other. Surely you don’t expect me to charge you ten thousand yuan if I ever need your help in the future?”
Wen Qi’s lips moved soundlessly, not knowing what to say. This silly girl probably had no idea how valuable his life was. If this had happened in the capital, his family would have given her far more than ten thousand yuan—even several million would have been on the low end.
Seeing Wen Qi at a loss for words, Li Suian grabbed him and lectured him at length. Wen Qi’s expression gradually calmed, even turning serene. He now had some idea what it felt like to listen to a monk chanting sutras—though it should probably be a nun chanting instead.
Little Nun Li Suian delivered a lengthy speech on the theory of neighborly mutual assistance, then used a combination of persuasion and coercion to make Wen Qi take back the money. Only then was she satisfied.
She stared at Wen Qi, thinking about how to win him over and get him to agree to become her live-in husband. But the more she thought, the tighter her little brows furrowed.
This man was handsome, sure, but he was a bit too reckless with money. She’d merely taken him to the clinic tonight, and he’d offered ten thousand yuan. If it had been someone else, he’d have just handed that money away.
The IV drip didn’t finish until past nine. The fluid contained painkillers, so Wen Qi’s stomach no longer hurt. The doctor didn’t require him to stay overnight—he just prescribed some medication and reminded him to eat properly and get proper nutrition.
The two walked out of the clinic. Because they’d come in a hurry, Li Suian hadn’t put a coat on Wen Qi—he was only wearing his fleece-lined thermal top.
The early spring night was still chilly. For an ordinary person, a thermal top would be enough to keep warm, but Wen Qi was so thin and frail that he looked like he might be blown away by the wind at any moment.
Li Suian strode over to the tricycle, gave Da Hu—who was sprawled out asleep inside—a pat, then pulled out a quilt and wrapped it tightly around Wen Qi, bundling him up snugly.
Wen Qi looked down at the quilt wrapped around him. It was fleece-lined, bright red, covered in red flowers and green leaves—gaudy and festive. The cool, aloof man draped in a big floral quilt looked utterly ridiculous.
But Li Suian didn’t care about any of that. As long as the man was warm, that was all that mattered.
She tugged him over to the tricycle, opened the rear door, shoved the sleeping Da Hu aside to clear a path for the man, then spread out another quilt to make his seat comfortable.
Da Hu woke up, but apparently hadn’t slept enough. He lay there lazily, not wanting to move, letting his owner shove him around however she pleased—though his glossy black eyes did fix on Wen Qi for a moment.
Wen Qi looked at the tricycle and finally understood where that dull, dizzy feeling had come from when he’d been unconscious. So he’d been lying in the cargo bed, hauled here in this thing.
Li Suian finished arranging everything and urged him to get on quickly. Wen Qi looked at himself wrapped in the quilt, then imagined how foolish he’d look lying in the cargo bed, and felt a sense of reluctance.
He glanced at the passenger seat and said quietly, “What if I sit up front?”
Li Suian’s face tightened as she refused, “The wind blows up front, it’s cold. You can’t catch a chill right now!”
This tricycle was semi-enclosed, not the fully enclosed kind with doors. When the vehicle moved, wind would rush in, making the front seat very cold.
The rear compartment, however, had a canopy that blocked the wind. Given Wen Qi’s frail frame, one gust of wind would leave him bedridden for half a month!
Wen Qi’s request was mercilessly rejected, and he was shooed into the rear compartment by the young girl. Li Suian climbed up after him, made the man sit on the bedding, and wrapped his quilt tighter around him. Only when she saw him obediently comply did she get down, satisfied.
Up front, Li Suian slowly drove the vehicle. In the back, Wen Qi and the dog exchanged a deep stare.
Da Hu was massive—ordinary village dogs would be two sizes smaller next to him. Raised well by Li Suian, he was sturdy with a glossy, sleek coat, looking quite imposing.
Wen Qi envied the dog’s strong, burly frame, while the dog seemed to disdain the frail man before him.
Humans called skinny people “thin dogs,” but Da Hu felt this slandered dogs everywhere—they should be called “thin humans” instead!
The night drive was slow, taking over half an hour to get home. Li Suian sent the man straight to his door.
The courtyard was fitted with solar lights. As Wen Qi stepped down from the compartment, under the cold white light, he saw the girl’s cheeks flushed red from the cold and her hands rubbing together for warmth. In that instant, something like a swan’s feather brushed gently across his heart.
He was never one for many words, and with this girl who was still somewhat a stranger, he didn’t know how to express his gratitude.
He silently went inside, then returned moments later, holding a coat and a pair of insulated gloves.
The black wool coat was very long—even at his height of 1.85 meters, it reached his knees. He draped it over Li Suian. The petite girl, barely 1.6 meters tall, was swallowed by the garment, the hem dragging all the way to the ground.
She looked exactly like a child wearing adult clothes. Wen Qi’s lips curved upward involuntarily.
When the cool, refined man smiled, it was like clouds parting after a storm—the moon hidden behind dark clouds finally revealing its radiance, dazzling and captivating.
Li Suian was stunned, her inner self leaping about, marveling at how handsome this man was, unaware that her own ears had turned red.
Wen Qi suddenly realized he’d lost his composure. Caught under her gaze, he awkwardly withdrew his smile and tossed the insulated gloves into her arms.
“Put these gloves on. Hurry home—it’s getting late.”
Li Suian snapped back to reality, grinning foolishly. She put on his gloves, draped his overly long coat over herself, climbed onto the tricycle, and drove home.
Actually, their homes were so close that she didn’t need his clothes at all. But since he’d offered, why would she refuse? She accepted—that way, she’d have a reason to see him again.
One time to return the coat, one time to return the gloves—that gave her two legitimate excuses to show up at his door. She was such a clever little schemer!
Wen Qi watched her leave, standing in the courtyard for a long while, lost in thought, before finally going inside.