Suddenly lifted up, Nan Chu was startled and instinctively reached out to wrap her arms around Shang Lin’s neck.
The moment she touched him, she could clearly feel Shang Lin stiffen.
Nan Chu also realized her action was inappropriate. Just as she was about to let go, the man’s unquestionable voice rang out.
“Hold on tight. Don’t move.”
Having been scolded, Nan Chu immediately behaved herself.
Shang Lin placed her on the sofa in the living room and asked, “Where’s the first aid kit?”
“In the first drawer at the entrance.”
He turned to fetch it and soon returned with bandages and red flower oil, crouching down in front of Nan Chu.
Realizing what he intended to do, Nan Chu immediately tried to take the bandages from his hand.
“Mr. Shang, no need to trouble yourself. I can do it myself.”
Nan Chu’s fingers didn’t touch the bandages—instead, they brushed against his fingers.
The coolness of his fingertips made her instinctively pull back.
Nan Chu looked up and met Shang Lin’s calm, unreadable eyes.
“Mr. Shang? Am I your elder, Mrs. Shang?”
Was he upset?
Nan Chu lowered her gaze, her voice soft. “No, I’m sorry, Mr. Shang. I’m just not used to it yet.”
“Mm. We’re husband and wife. From now on, there’s no need for formal speech. It’s only right that I take care of you.”
Shang Lin didn’t say more. He took hold of her ankle and examined it carefully.
“From what I can see, it’s just a sprain. I’ll stabilize it for you first, then take you to the hospital for a check-up.”
“Alright.”
Having displeased him just moments ago, Nan Chu didn’t refuse this time.
He was right—since they were already married, it wouldn’t be appropriate to keep interacting like strangers.
Shang Lin focused on treating the injury on her foot.
His slender, well-defined fingers gently secured the injured area.
Careful, and exceptionally gentle.
Afterward, Shang Lin carried her downstairs again, helped her into the car, and took her to the hospital for examination.
As she came out of the X-ray room in a wheelchair, she could still see Shang Lin asking the doctor about precautions.
Nan Chu felt a little dazed, unable to help but recall the time she had gone to deliver food to Lu Si and twisted her ankle in front of him.
Lu Si said she was being delicate—it was just a twisted ankle.
She had been in pain back then, but she thought she shouldn’t cause him trouble, so she limped back on her own.
Lu Si had called later to check on her, and that alone could make her happy for half a day.
Looking back now, Lu Si didn’t care about her—everyone knew that. The only one who didn’t was her.
Or perhaps she had simply pretended not to know.
“Mrs. Shang, what are you thinking about?”
Shang Lin stood before her, backlit by the light. His tall, straight figure cast a shadow that enveloped her.
Nan Chu tilted her head up, saw his somewhat indifferent features, and smiled at him.
“Nothing. Thank you, Mr. Shang.”
Shang Lin looked at her, his voice neither pleased nor displeased.
“An adult’s thanks are usually expressed in another way.”
“Hm?”
An adult’s… thank you?
The hospital corridor was brightly lit. Nan Chu looked up at him, her breathing slightly shallow.
This man carried an air of aloofness and nobility, like snow atop a high mountain—not to be profaned.
Thinking of the guess that had flashed through her mind just now, a faint sense of embarrassment rose within her.
What on earth was she thinking all day?
Nan Chu straightened her back and sat up properly.
“Very well, Mr. Shang.”
Having heard that Shang Lin was a Buddhist practitioner, she had prayed for prayer beads at the temple when she returned to Nancheng at the beginning of the year. She could give those to him.
Hearing that “Very well,” Shang Lin’s gaze settled on Nan Chu’s face, his eyes darkening slightly.
A few seconds of silence hung in the air.
Looking at the man’s cold, stern face, Nan Chu wondered if her earlier response had been inadequate, making Shang Lin displeased.
Just as she hesitated over whether to apologize, the man lowered his gaze.
“I’ll take you home.”
“Okay.”
Nan Chu didn’t think much of it, assuming Shang Lin was taking her back to the Emerald Bay apartment.
It wasn’t until the car drove into an alley lined with red walls and green tiles, where the plane tree leaves along the ancient street glimmered faintly under the moonlight, that she noticed the passing homes with their soaring eaves and the solemn stone lions outside the courtyard residences.
Only then did Nan Chu realize belatedly that Shang Lin was taking her to his home—the legendary territory of the capital’s inner circle.
As she was lost in thought, Shang Lin’s pleasant voice reached her ears.
“Emerald Bay is too high up, and it’s inconvenient for you to move around. Once your foot heals, there’s no rush to go back.”
Nan Chu turned to look at him, realizing Shang Lin was likely explaining himself to her.
She thought for a moment. “Mm, thank you.”
Her gaze was gentle and calm, showing no sign of reluctance at being brought to his home.
Shang Lin’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he looked away.
Having grown up in the Jiangnan region, Nan Chu had seen her fair share of pavilions and towers, yet she was still amazed by the depth of Shang Lin’s estate.
Unlike the gentle elegance of the water towns, this place carried the weight and solemnity of accumulated history.
As far as the eye could see, carved beams and painted rafters exuded a quiet, understated charm.
Many of the paths within the residence were paved with bluestone slabs, which would make pushing a wheelchair somewhat bumpy.
In truth, Nan Chu wasn’t at the point where she couldn’t walk at all. She braced herself against the wheelchair, preparing to stand.
But before her feet could touch the ground, a deep voice came from above her head.
“Don’t move.”
Under the night sky, Shang Lin’s voice carried a faint authority, and Nan Chu instinctively froze in place.
The next moment, the man bent down, his arm slipping beneath her calves, and lifted her steadily into his arms.
Moonlight spilled down, its silver glow falling across his face, tracing the superior lines of his features.
Cold and indifferent.
Nan Chu pressed her lips together slightly. “I can walk on my own.”
“Hold on tight.”
“Oh.”
Nan Chu lowered her gaze, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said no more.
Fortunately, the room wasn’t far. After exchanging a few words with the housekeeper, Shang Lin carried her into the bedroom and then left.
The moment he was gone, Nan Chu let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She had never met anyone so cold before, and it took her a moment to adjust.
Nan Chu lifted her gaze and looked around. A set of fresh clothes had already been prepared by the bedside.
A faint fragrance of orchids lingered in the room, soothing and calming.
Her phone suddenly rang from her pocket. She pulled it out and saw an unfamiliar number.
“Hello.”
A man’s cold laugh came through the line. “Nan Chu, you’ve really outdone yourself—blocking my number, playing hard to get?”
Nan Chu paused briefly, moved the phone away from her ear, and was about to hang up when Lu Si’s voice softened, tinged with helplessness.
“Chuchu, stop messing around. I’ve cleared my schedule for tomorrow. I’ll go with you to get the marriage certificate.”
“Once we’re married, I’ll be yours—inside and out, all of it.”
Nan Chu’s fingertips tightened around the phone until they turned white, but her voice remained utterly calm.
“Lu Si, I don’t want you anymore.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a light laugh. “You can bear to let me go?”
Nan Chu gazed at the cold moonlight outside the window, her voice faint.
“Do you hesitate when you throw out the trash?”
Without waiting for him to say anything more, she hung up and slowly let out a breath.
As she set down the phone, Nan Chu realized her cheeks felt damp.
She wiped her face haphazardly, and then heard movement behind her.
Nan Chu turned around and saw the tall, upright man standing in the shadows of the hallway.
His entire figure seemed to melt into the darkness, making him appear even more aloof and composed.
Meeting Shang Lin’s deep, dark gaze, Nan Chu pressed her lips together slightly.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Shang. Am I disturbing you?”
Shang Lin’s expression was calm and collected as he walked over to her and casually closed the half-open window.
“No.”
Nan Chu nodded and switched her phone to silent mode.
The house was spacious and empty, and apart from the old butler from earlier, she hadn’t seen anyone else. Having heard that Shang Lin preferred quiet, she didn’t want to disturb him with her own matters.
After waiting for a moment, seeing that Shang Lin was still standing before her without leaving, Nan Chu thought he had something to say and lifted her gaze slightly.
“Mr. Shang, is there something else?”
Shang Lin bent down, his eyes calm and steady, bringing his gaze level with hers as his cool voice sounded.
“My thanks—have you forgotten?”