It was him! Xie Yi!
How could he be here?
Seeing the elevator doors about to close, Ye Yi quickly pressed the open button.
Having confirmed the figure in the snow was Xie Yi, she jogged to the entrance and, looking at him standing there, asked, puzzled, “Why are you here?”
Instead of going home, what was he doing following her? Did he mean to repay kindness with enmity?
Xie Yi had been about to leave. Seeing her run out, he clearly froze for a moment, then, afraid she’d think he was stalking her, hurriedly explained, “Seeing you home.”
She’d saved him, whatever else, he had to watch her get home safely before he could feel at ease.
He just didn’t expect to be spotted.
Ye Yi looked at Xie Yi, his clothes blanketed with snow, and, thinking of how she’d just been suspecting him, didn’t know what to say for a moment.
From the hospital to here was at least a few li.
He wore only a thin tracksuit, never mind that his abdominal wound had only just been stitched, and he’d walked all that time in the snow, just to see her safely home.
She stood in the doorway looking at him, like a snowman.
“Where do you live?” Ye Yi couldn’t help asking.
If he went back like this, the wound would surely get infected. He really didn’t take any care of his own body.
“Forget it, you’d better stay the night at my place, and go back once the snow stops.” With that, not waiting for Xie Yi’s answer, she stepped up, tugged his sleeve, and pulled him all the way into the elevator.
It wasn’t that she’d gone soft for a moment, she was just afraid the person she’d worked so hard to save would die on her again.
She talked herself around, over and over: she was doing it for the double points, if she didn’t bring him back, all that time and effort spent saving him would be wasted.
Xie Yi was frozen stiff and hadn’t caught up mentally, three words slipped straight out of his mouth: “No need.”
His mouth said “no need,” but his body was far more honest than his mind, he simply followed the girl ahead into the elevator.
Ye Yi flatly pretended she hadn’t heard those three words, pressed the button, and brought him up to the twelfth floor.
She opened the door, pulled him inside, turned back to shut it, and only then let go of the sleeve she’d been gripping.
The sleeve was all snow, her fingers felt only a bone-piercing cold. She couldn’t imagine how Xie Yi endured this weather in nothing but a tracksuit.
The apartment was pitch-black. Only now did Ye Yi feel afraid, she’d actually brought home someone she’d known only a few hours?
But regret was useless. She couldn’t very well drive him out now, so she could only secretly raise her guard.
She felt along the wall for the switch and pressed it.
Click, white light instantly stabbed at her eyes.
Ye Yi shut her eyes on reflex against the glare, then, after a moment, blinked and slowly opened them.
The power was back. It seemed this map’s authorities were fairly competent, they’d fixed the electricity in a single day.
With power, the water heater should work.
She was frozen half to death, a hot shower would be wonderful.
Ye Yi led Xie Yi to the living room and went straight to the bathroom to turn on the water heater and run the water. She tested the temperature with her hand, before long, hot water came out.
She poked her head out of the bathroom and asked loudly, “Do you have a change of clothes?”
Only after asking did she realize what a foolish question it was. Apart from the medicine the hospital had given him, he had nothing on him, how could he have clothes?
She thought of the clothes in the cabinet that someone had apparently left behind, though she didn’t know whether he’d mind.
Without waiting for Xie Yi to answer, she went into the bedroom, dug out the clothes, brought them to the living room, and asked, “There’s a set of clothes here, do you mind?”
“I don’t mind.” Xie Yi, still standing where he’d been, stepped up to take the clothes from Ye Yi and said, “Thank you.”
He’d meant to look after her, and now instead he was being looked after.
“The bathroom’s back there, go ahead.” Ye Yi pointed toward the bathroom and, ignoring his reaction, headed for the kitchen.
She turned on the gas, cooked some plain congee in one pot and heated water in another, both going at once to save time.
She picked up the thermos from the table and poured out the cold water inside. Once the water boiled, she filled the thermos with hot water and started boiling a second pot.
Passing the bathroom, she heard the sound of dripping water inside and made no noise. Continuing to the living room, she took out the three hot-water bottles she’d earlier put in a plastic bag, went back to the kitchen, rinsed them with hot water, and set them aside to wait for the second pot to boil.
The congee pot slowly began to bubble. Ye Yi lifted the lid for a look, turned the knob to the lowest flame, and let it simmer slowly.
She noticed the bathroom light was still on and wondered, did men really shower this slowly?
Seeing the living room’s alloy door still open, she went over, checked the window, and shut the door properly. She picked a bedroom far from her own, spread clean bedding on the bed, and set another quilt on top.
She shut the bedroom window, turned on the air conditioner, and then left the room. She went back to her own room and turned on its air conditioner too.
With all the preparations done, she noticed Xie Yi still hadn’t come out. He hadn’t fainted in there, had he?
At that thought, she quickly ran over from the bedroom. Seeing the light inside still on, she raised a finger to knock.
Click, the door opened.
Ye Yi stood there dumbly with her finger raised, looking at the freshly showered Xie Yi, so close she could see the water droplets running down his forehead.
Coming out after his shower, Xie Yi saw his Random Teammate standing in the doorway and asked, puzzled, “What is it?”
“I thought you’d fainted.”
“The wound makes things awkward, so it took a bit longer to wash.” Xie Yi explained.
Ye Yi stood there awkwardly, neither leaving nor staying felt right. Lowering her head to shift her gaze, she saw bloodstains showing through his shirt. “Your wound’s still bleeding?”
“I bumped it just now by accident.”
“Sit on the sofa, I’ll put some medicine on it and re-bandage it.” With that, Ye Yi led the way to the living room.
Oh mama, had her face gone very red just now? So embarrassing.
Xie Yi smiled and followed her to the living room.
Ye Yi picked up the plastic bag Xie Yi had brought back and dumped everything onto the coffee table, asking without looking up, “Did the doctor say how to use the medicine?”
“That white ointment, spread it on the wound and re-bandage it, that’s all.” Xie Yi recalled the doctor’s words.
Applying medicine to himself was something he’d long been used to handling alone.
But for some reason, he didn’t refuse her help.
“Does it need re-disinfecting?” Ye Yi looked at the blood seeping through the bandage, a bit scary, but thankfully she didn’t faint at the sight of blood.
“No need, it didn’t touch the water.” Xie Yi said calmly, as though it were someone else who was hurt.
“Then undo your shirt and I’ll put some medicine on.” Looking at the neatly buttoned shirt, Ye Yi said.
Xie Yi obediently did as told, sitting on the sofa, undoing his shirt, and staying perfectly still.
Ye Yi looked at the gauze, thought a moment, found a pair of scissors, carefully cut the gauze from the edge, and tossed it in the trash.
Seeing the sutured wound still oozing a little blood, she took some fresh gauze and gently pressed it to soak up the blood.
She picked up the ointment from the coffee table, dabbed some onto a cotton swab, and carefully spread it over the wound.
Looking at the wound up close, Ye Yi forced down her queasiness, held her breath, and carefully coated every wound with ointment.
Only when every wound was covered did she let out a breath, she felt she’d even broken a bit of a sweat. The whole time she crouched by the sofa, except for the wound itself, she didn’t dare look anywhere else.
Finally she took the gauze from the coffee table and, looking at the wound, was stumped. How was she supposed to bandage this?
After studying it for a good while, she stood up and said with her head down, “Stand up, I can’t bandage it like this.”
Xie Yi obediently stood. Looking at his Random Teammate, who’d kept her head down the whole time, not daring to look at him, he changed the subject. “I never asked, what’s your name?”
Ye Yi, crouched down, circled around Xie Yi to bandage the wound. Short of this, she couldn’t think of a way to bandage him without touching his body.
Feeling his breath from above her head, her heart tightened involuntarily. She answered as if nothing were amiss, “Ye Yi.”
Beauty was her undoing!
When would she ever break this bad habit of hers?
After finally getting the gauze bandaged, Ye Yi let out a breath, told him to put his clothes back on, and, remembering the congee still cooking—quickly strode to the kitchen.
She lifted the lid and a burst of steam hit her face. She fanned away the rising mist with her hand, glanced at the congee, cooked just right, neither thin nor thick, perfect. A thumbs-up for herself.
Only now did she have a moment to react. Recalling the scene just now, she felt her face burning hot and hurriedly fanned it with her hand, to no effect.
She turned on the tap, cupped some water, and splashed it on her face a few times, and the heat slowly went down.
Then she wiped the water off her face with her sleeve and, as if nothing had happened, ladled the congee onto the dining table.
“Come eat.” She called the well-behaved Xie Yi, standing where he’d been, over to eat.
Xie Yi walked over with big strides, sat across from Ye Yi, quietly picked up a spoon, and began to eat.
A few bites in, feeling warmth spread through his body, it had been a long time since anyone had cooked congee for him, he said his thanks, “Thank you.”
Ye Yi ate her own congee with satisfaction. Grain after grain mingled with the hot water, and the instant it went down her throat, her stomach warmed. Sure enough, cold weather was made for congee, she felt much more comfortable all over.
Hearing Xie Yi’s thanks from across the table, she swallowed the congee in her mouth. “It’s not free, remember to pay.”
Someone with that much money in his wallet could at least chip in for lodging.
“No problem.”
Before long, the two of them had finished the congee in the pot.
She led Xie Yi to the room she’d just tidied and told him to rest, then went back to the kitchen to clean up.
Finally she poured the hot water from the pot into the hot-water bottles and put them in her own bed. She refilled the water she’d used, storing it up to the brim. Thinking there was now an extra person in the house, she locked the door, gave herself a quick combat shower, and returned to her room.
Standing in the doorway, she thought it over and decided to lock the door after all. Beauty may be tempting, but one must never be without caution toward others [1]a proverb: always stay a little guarded, even with those who seem harmless jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2933360_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2933360_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
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