Although Huai Yin found it strange, she didn’t dwell on it. After all, the romantic development between the male and female leads wasn’t her responsibility; she only needed to complete the tasks assigned by the System.
Besides, her knees were aching so fiercely that she had no time to worry about anything else.
As the sting in her wounds grew sharper, Huai Yin creased her brow slightly and buried her face into the crook of Shen Xiaozhou’s arm, seeking a sliver of comfort.
Her unconsciously needy gesture made Shen Xiaozhou freeze. His body reacted before his mind could catch up, his arm tightening around her instinctively. He held her so firmly that she was almost left breathless.
Unable to hold out for long, Huai Yin squirmed and lifted her head from his chest. Her small face was flushed, fine strands of soft hair clung messily to her cheeks, and a faint mist hung over her dark, almond eyes.
She looked just like a sleepy kitten waking from a nap—so endearing that one couldn’t help wanting to reach out and stroke her head.
This pale, disheveled young heiress was soaked through from head to toe. Water rolled down her fair, delicate calves drop by drop, dampening a small patch of Shen Xiaozhou’s black trousers.
Yet the tall, handsome youth paid it no mind, only pulling her closer into his embrace.
Draped around Huai Yin was a men’s school blazer that clearly didn’t belong to her. The oversized jacket wrapped around her small frame like a blanket, covering her completely.
Feeling dependent, she huddled shivering in Shen Xiaozhou’s arms.
Huai Yin was relieved that class was currently in session and few students were wandering the academy’s corridors; otherwise, her current state would have certainly stirred up a massive scene.
Shen Xiaozhou lowered his eyes, gazing down at her without blinking.
A pitiful, fragile young heiress. He felt an urge to break her completely.
Shen Xiaozhou tightened his hands, wrapping his palm completely around Huai Yin’s ankle. It felt so slender and soft, as if it might snap with just a little too much force.
He deliberately slowed his pace, just so he could hold her a little longer.
Huai Yin was still hurt by his grip. She bit her lower lip, trying to pull her leg out of his hand.
Sensing her intent immediately, Shen Xiaozhou quietly tightened his grasp around her ankle.
His cold palm pressed snugly against her skin, leaving no space between them, as though they were glued together. His long, lean fingers held her with relentless force, locked as securely as a heavy iron chain.
Now she couldn’t break free at all.
Huai Yin pouted in aggrieved frustration.
How mean! Is he doing this on purpose? Is he deliberately trying to get back at me?
“It hurts.” Huai Yin’s nostrils flared lightly as she whimpered in a tiny voice, “Let go.”
Shen Xiaozhou raised an eyebrow with subtle amusement.
The delicate heiress was complaining about pain again. As a guy, Shen Xiaozhou truly couldn’t understand it.
Did this really hurt that much? He was only holding her ankle, not even using thirty percent of his strength.
She was as soft as a block of fresh tofu—fragile enough to shatter at the gentlest touch.
How was she going to manage in bed in the future?
How much rough handling could such a delicate heiress possibly take? She wouldn’t be able to handle even a fraction of force; she would just cry and beg for him to stop the entire time.
Yet the harder she cried, the stronger the dark, cruel desires deep within a man’s heart would burn.
Perhaps she was better suited to sit atop someone, bossing them around and haughtily dictating how much force they should use.
And the moment she was displeased, she would huff, rise, and walk away, leaving behind nothing but a heartless back.
The thought flashed unbidden through Shen Xiaozhou’s mind, startling even himself.
He let out a heavy breath and loosened his grip slightly. Huai Yin’s tense body relaxed instantly, and she nestled comfortably back into his chest.
“How much longer until we get there?” Huai Yin asked in a hushed whisper.
Any later, and her scrapes would heal on their own.
Shen Xiaozhou gave the soft flesh of her thigh a light squeeze, applying a touch of force to lift her higher in his arms.
Distracted by his wandering thoughts, he muttered absently, “Almost.”
“Okay.” Feeling cold, Huai Yin snuggled a little closer to him.
A deep flush bloomed across the girl’s lovely face, and Shen Xiaozhou felt her body gradually warming up.
He froze for a moment, his usually indifferent expression suddenly giving way to anxiety.
Is she coming down with a fever?
Worrying about her condition, Shen Xiaozhou quickened his steps toward the infirmary.
Fifteen minutes later, Shen Xiaozhou laid Huai Yin onto a hospital bed and pulled the blanket over her. Before leaving, he instructed uneasily, “I’m going to get the doctor. Rest for a bit.”
Huai Yin nodded dizzily. “Okay, hurry back.”
Faintly catching the sharp, pungent scent of disinfectant, Huai Yin felt an instinctive recoil. Frightened, she didn’t want to be left alone in this place.
Her bright, clear eyes fixed tightly on Shen Xiaozhou with a pitiful, aggrieved look that made it impossible for anyone to leave her side.
Faced with such a helpless and vulnerable young lady, who could bear to abandon her?
Shen Xiaozhou reflexively reached out and patted her head. Huai Yin blinked up at him in dazed surprise. Realizing what he had just done, Shen Xiaozhou snatched his hand back as if he had been burned.
His fingertips brushed together, subtly savoring the touch of her silky hair. With his heart thumping wildly, his throat bobbed, and he turned his eyes away awkwardly. “I know. I won’t make you wait long.”
After all, the young heiress had never been known for her patience. If he kept her waiting, she would probably throw another temper tantrum.
Completely unreasonable.
“Less than two minutes,” Shen Xiaozhou promised her.
Lying on the bed, Huai Yin stared boredly at the ceiling, counting down the seconds in her mind.
True to his word, Shen Xiaozhou returned shortly after, bringing the school doctor with him.
“Where are you hurt?”
At the doctor’s question, Huai Yin obediently pulled back the blanket, exposing a pair of snow-white legs to the two men.
Time seemed to freeze. Everyone’s eyes settled on those stunning legs, helplessly drawn to them and their owner.
Huai Yin heard a soft, barely audible sigh from somewhere in the room.
What’s wrong? Is the scrape that terrifying? Huai Yin blocked her own view with the blanket, suddenly too afraid to look.
What she didn’t realize was that the truth was nothing like what she imagined.
The two men stood there, each harboring their own hidden thoughts, their eyes fixed greedily on her legs.
How can someone be built like this? So soft, so delicate, with every joint flushed a faint pink. Did this young heiress never walk on her own feet?
“How did this happen?” The school doctor lowered his eyes, bending down to examine the scrape on her knee.
He was a young man, handsome and refined, appearing no older than twenty-eight. He had fair skin, a high nose bridge supporting a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and an air of gentle, scholarly elegance.
Huh.
Huai Yin found it fascinating.
Why was every single character appearing in this world so good-looking? Was the author completely obsessed with visuals?
The girl’s calves were slender and pale, and the scrape on her knee stood out like plum blossoms fallen on snow—breathtakingly picturesque.
Lu Yubai couldn’t help wanting to claim it all for himself.
When his cold fingertips suddenly pressed down on Huai Yin’s knee, the sharp pain made her gasp, her delicate eyebrows pulling together.
“I’m sorry.” Yet Lu Yubai didn’t stop. As he pressed gently, he asked, “Does it hurt here?”
With tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, Huai Yin nodded silently.
“Fortunately, the bone isn’t damaged. It’s just a superficial scrape—a bit of povidone-iodine will do,” Lu Yubai replied smoothly.
He turned toward the medical cabinet, retrieved a bottle of iodine and cotton swabs, and returned to her bedside. The man’s eyes curved into a warm, smiling expression. “Pull your skirt up a little higher.”
His tone was gentle and polite, completely free of anything that might cause discomfort.
Huai Yin paused, but she didn’t overthink it—he was just treating her wound, after all. Obediently, she reached down and hiked her hem up slightly.
A sliver of smooth, porcelain thigh was revealed.
Shen Xiaozhou’s fingers twitched, his cold eyes narrowing as a strange sense of threat surged inside him.
He can’t let anyone else see this.
That was the single thought dominating Shen Xiaozhou’s mind.
His young lady could only be seen by him.
With a sudden motion, Shen Xiaozhou yanked the blanket back over her legs, his abrupt action catching everyone off guard.
Lu Yubai slowly raised his head, his gaze searching and decidedly unfriendly as he sized Shen Xiaozhou up.
“Since it’s just a scrape, there’s no need to trouble you, Doctor. I can handle it myself.”
Standing before a man nearly ten years his senior, Shen Xiaozhou remained entirely composed, his presence not yielding an inch.
Tall and commanding, he lowered his eyelids and looked down coldly at Lu Yubai.
Seeing that the doctor made no move, Shen Xiaozhou’s brow creased slightly. Suppressing his inner displeasure, he extended his hand toward Lu Yubai and repeated, his tone heavy with emphasis, “Let me do it.”
The older man narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the embroidered badge on Shen Xiaozhou’s shirt sleeve that signified his status as a scholarship student.
Lu Yubai raised an eyebrow, a subtle, almost imperceptible trace of mockery touching his lips. “This is my job.”
“Student, now that you’ve brought her to the infirmary, you may head back to class.”
The two faced off, the air instantly thick with tension, neither showing the slightest intent to back down.
Huai Yin looked between them, completely lost.
What’s going on? Is my scrape getting treated or not?
“Let Xiaozhou do it,” Huai Yin chose the person who felt more familiar to her. “It’s nothing serious anyway, so we won’t bother you, Doctor.”
As the girl spoke, her expression was sweet and docile, making it impossible to refuse her.
Lu Yubai’s fingertips twitched, a shadow of disappointment creeping into his eyes.
Frustration welled up inside him.
Why? He was the actual doctor—why wouldn’t she let him do it?
Was this scholarship kid that important to her? Is that why she relied on him so much?
It wasn’t anger from having his professional expertise questioned; it was the sullen resentment of a man who hadn’t been chosen.
It was infuriating. He had actually lost to a scholarship student.
Having lost all patience, Shen Xiaozhou snatched the iodine and cotton swabs from Lu Yubai’s hand and urged him to leave. “If we waste any more time, the wound might get infected.”
Watching Lu Yubai’s dejected figure leave the room, Huai Yin suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.
Coming into someone else’s space and driving them out, isn’t that a bit rude?
Noticing where Huai Yin was looking, Shen Xiaozhou firmly turned her head back toward him.
“What is it?” Huai Yin asked in confusion.
Shen Xiaozhou’s face was dark, his brow knitted in irritation as he said coldly, “Don’t look at him.”