A moment later, he came back out with a small box of ointment.
The truck was parked by the roadside. Xie Yucheng sat in the driver’s seat with both of her ankles resting on his legs, carefully examining them to make sure there were no other injuries besides her left ankle.
His long, well-defined fingers squeezed out a little white ointment and slowly rubbed it over the red and swollen area. The girl gave a soft hiss of pain. He looked up at her, then lowered his eyes again and continued applying the medicine, his movements even more careful.
The warmth of his fingers felt soothing and comfortable against Wen Shiqing’s skin. She stared at his neat black hair, breathing in the fresh, distinctive scent that belonged to him. The corners of her lips curved up ever so slightly, so briefly that the movement was almost imperceptible.
The nurse had said that after applying the ointment, the area needed to be massaged for a while so the medicine could penetrate properly and help it heal faster.
So after applying the ointment, Xie Yucheng gently massaged her swollen ankle with his palm. His movements were unusually tender and meticulous, unlike his usual manner.
Her skin was incredibly fair and smooth, like the finest silk.
Wen Shiqing was in a little pain and let out a soft moan. She looked up, accidentally meeting his dark eyes.
Xie Yucheng said, “If you don’t want it to hurt, then stop making noises. It’ll be better soon after I massage it for a while.”
She gave a quiet “Oh,” then reluctantly closed her mouth, though her eyes remained fixed on him.
At noon, the two stayed in town for lunch. This area was close to a large river, so most of the restaurants along the river specialized in fresh river fish and seafood.
Because Wen Shiqing had injured her ankle, she could only shuffle around in a pair of slippers. When she got out of the truck, Xie Yucheng carried her down, and she had to hold onto his arm for support whenever she walked.
They found a noodle shop that looked fairly clean. Before Xie Yucheng could even order, Wen Shiqing immediately waved over a server.
“One serving of braised small river fish, two bowls of eel noodles, please.”
Xie Yucheng looked at her.
“Didn’t you say you don’t eat fish?”
Her red lips moved slightly.
“There are so many restaurants here that make fish. Since we’re here, of course I have to try some.”
“No small fish. Change it to steamed sea bass,” the man told the server.
It was nearly noon, and the restaurant was already crowded, but the food came out quickly. Within minutes, everything they had ordered was placed on the table.
Xie Yucheng picked up a piece of fish and placed it in her bowl. The meat was tender and pearly white, carrying the fragrant aroma of soy sauce.
“Sea bass has fewer bones. Go ahead and eat.”
She picked it up and put it into her mouth. The tender, warm fish immediately soothed Wen Shiqing’s empty stomach, and a quiet warmth spread through her heart.
Fish was something that became easier to eat the more often you ate it. If you rarely ate fish, you became even less skilled at removing the bones, making it easier to get one stuck in your throat.
When Wen Shiqing was little, she had once gotten a fish bone stuck in her throat. Drinking vinegar hadn’t helped, and she had cried hysterically from the pain. Yang Ying had been so frightened that she didn’t know what to do. It was Xie Yucheng who had ridden his motorcycle all the way to the local clinic with her, speeding the entire way. In the end, the doctor had used tweezers to remove the bone.
When they left the clinic, she had held Xie Yucheng’s hand and pouted.
“Ge, I’m never eating fish again.”
The noodle shop was bustling with noise. Wen Shiqing added several spoonfuls of fragrant vinegar to her bowl and used her chopsticks to pick up a bundle of noodles.
But the moment she swallowed, her expression suddenly changed.
Xie Yucheng, who was eating his noodles, immediately felt his heart drop.
“What happened?”
Wen Shiqing’s red lips parted slightly. She pointed toward her mouth, breathing as lightly as possible.
Damn it. Who would have thought there would be a fish bone in the noodles?
Xie Yucheng hurriedly put down his chopsticks and leaned closer. He turned her face toward the brighter area and carefully examined it.
“Where is it stuck? In your throat or somewhere else?”
“My tooth…”
“We can’t see clearly here. Come on, let’s go outside.”
He took her hand and led her to the entrance. She leaned against the wall with her face turned toward the sunlight.
“Which tooth?”
Wen Shiqing grabbed his finger and guided it into her mouth to feel for the bone.
A thin, sharp fish bone was lodged straight between her back teeth.
Xie Yucheng gently supported her chin with one hand. His fingertip pressed against her soft skin as he turned her face toward the light.
“Open your mouth.”
Wen Shiqing’s long lashes trembled, and she opened her mouth a little wider.
Under the sunlight, Xie Yucheng finally saw the bone stuck in the gum beneath her lower left teeth.
He also saw her pearly white teeth. Each one was small, neat, and adorably shaped.
Using his thumb and forefinger, he gently pressed her soft lips inward. Wen Shiqing could feel the thin calluses on his fingertips, their slightly rough texture against her skin.
Her soft little tongue accidentally brushed across Xie Yucheng’s knuckles.
His body stiffened slightly, and the muscles at the back of his neck gave an almost imperceptible twitch.
The two of them were very close, so close that their breaths mingled.
“Tilt your head back a little.”
A moment later, Xie Yucheng precisely touched the bone.
Wen Shiqing couldn’t help letting out a muffled whimper. It hurt, and instinctively she tried to pull back.
The man firmly supported her chin.
“Don’t move.”
He then pinched the fish bone and pulled it out.
The sharp pain disappeared instantly.
When his finger left the corner of her mouth, a long, silvery strand of saliva stretched between them.
“It’s out,” he said.
Wen Shiqing noticed that his finger was covered in her saliva. Her cheeks immediately flushed bright red, and she hurriedly took out her handkerchief and wiped his finger for him.
“Can’t you go even one moment without making me remind you? There are bound to be fish bones in the pot they’re cooking from. You have to be careful when you eat. How can you be so careless?”
He pinched her cheek between his fingers, giving it a little squeeze as though he were playing with a stuffed bear.
Wen Shiqing pouted and frowned as she slapped his hand away.
She was already an adult—a grown woman whom her classmates all considered beautiful, with a graceful figure.
Yet none of that seemed to register in his eyes. His behavior clearly showed that he still treated her like the little girl she had been several years ago.
That left Wen Shiqing feeling somewhat disappointed.
That afternoon, shortly after they left the town, they came across a young woman by the roadside waving for a ride.
Xie Yucheng cheerfully whistled and slowly brought the truck to a stop.
The young woman carried a basket under one arm and asked from below, “Hello, would you mind giving me a ride for a little way?”
Xie Yucheng turned his head.
“Where are you going?”
Seeing that the driver was so handsome, the girl’s heart immediately began pounding. Her smile grew even brighter.
“Just ahead, to Jiangcheng.”
Xie Yucheng lifted his chin.
“It’s on the way. Get in.”
Wen Shiqing shifted farther inward in her seat, secretly annoyed.
Yesterday, there had been a man who wanted a ride, and he wouldn’t take him.
Now that it was a pretty girl, he was perfectly willing to give her a ride.
What kind of person was he?
The girl’s name was Fang Yue. After getting into the truck, she thanked him repeatedly.
“Thank you so much. I’ve been waiting here for ages, and no one would give me a ride.”
Xie Yucheng asked, “What are you going to Jiangcheng for?”
“My family lives in Jiangcheng. I came here to visit some relatives.”
Xie Yucheng was a talkative man. He chatted with Fang Yue the entire way without noticing that Wen Shiqing’s expression beside him was becoming increasingly dark.
Fang Yue asked Xie Yucheng, “Are you two husband and wife, or…?”
“Oh, her? She’s my younger sister. The kid always wants to come out and have fun, so I brought her along.”
Fang Yue looked quite pleased with that answer and continued asking, “How old are you?”
Xie Yucheng had an unlit cigarette between his lips. With a carefree grin, he said,
“Guess.”
The back-and-forth between the two sounded almost like flirting.
Wen Shiqing realized that Fang Yue was a lively and cheerful girl. She reminded her a little of the female classmate Xie Yucheng had dated in high school.
That girl had been bright and striking, like a sunflower, with a beautiful smile.
Xie Yucheng seemed to particularly like that type.
Someone had once said that Shiqing looked remarkably similar to Lin Daiyu from Dream of the Red Chamber.
Wen Shiqing thought to herself that if she were Lin Daiyu, then Xie Yucheng would definitely prefer Xue Baochai.
Wen Shiqing suddenly felt that none of this was interesting anymore.
It was as though she had eaten a sour green plum, leaving only bitterness in the aftertaste.
She endured the pain in her ankle and climbed into the rear sleeper berth to lie down.
Xie Yucheng asked, “Tired?”
“Mm.” She answered listlessly, then casually pulled a jacket over her face.
She didn’t want to listen, and she didn’t want to look either.
But the jacket was saturated with the man’s scent—the smell of tobacco mixed with the crisp fragrance of soap, rich and intense, with a lingering trace of his masculine warmth that was strong and overwhelming.