Jiang Zhuo was usually a very calm person, but even he couldn’t help widening his eyes in shock.
His pants had been tugged down to his ankles, leaving his legs completely exposed, while he still held a brush in his hand.
The scene couldn’t have been more awkward.
Cheng Sisi immediately forgot the pain, loosened her grip, and quickly let go of the pants she was holding.
She thought, “It’s over. Last night, I saw his body, and today I pulled down his pants. Even though it wasn’t intentional, it still happened.”
What should she do? Was there anyone who could save her?
What should she do now?
She remained sprawled on the floor, her face pale as she slowly lowered her head. Right beside her hand, she spotted something resembling a needle but thicker.
After a moment of thought, she realized it was the buckle pin from his belt!
So, that loud “snap” earlier was the sound of his belt buckle breaking, which was why his pants had been pulled down.
She buried her head even lower, wishing she could just die.
Soon, she heard the rustling sound of someone pulling up their pants.
Jiang Zhuo said nothing, silently pulling up his pants.
She secretly glanced up and noticed he was struggling with the zipper, which sent her mind blank once again.
Could it be… the zipper was broken too?
She shifted slightly, only then feeling the pain in her knees from hitting the ground.
But compared to that awkwardness, what was a little pain?
Gritting her teeth, she slowly stood up, keeping her head bowed as she stood to the side. “I’m sorry!”
Jiang Zhuo still didn’tt say a word, continuing to struggle with the zipper.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, wondering if he was angry.
He had kindly driven her here, only to have his clothes soiled with dog urine and his pants zipper and belt broken by her.
Thinking about it, he really was unlucky!
Finally, Jiang Zhuo let out a heavy sigh and gave up. But to keep his pants from falling, he had to use one hand to hold them tightly.
“Let’s go inside,” he said as he walked past Cheng Sisi.
Cheng Sisi tightly shut her eyes and hit her own head with her hand. What had she done?
A moment later, she quickly followed him into the house.
Before closing the balcony door, she looked left and right, hoping none of the neighbors had witnessed the earlier scene.
“Pour me a glass of water,” Jiang Zhuo said as he settled into the sofa.
Hearing this, Cheng Sisi immediately rushed into the kitchen.
When she first arrived, she had boiled a pot of water, intending to let it cool before serving it to them. But she had forgotten to remove the lid to let the heat escape, so the water was still scalding hot.
Nervousness made her hand tremble as she poured, and the boiling water splashed onto her hand holding the cup.
“Ouch!”
She was in so much pain that her face contorted, and she jumped up, unable to hold onto the hot water kettle properly. It clattered to the ground, spilling hot water everywhere.
Yet she endured it bravely, not letting out a cry.
Instead, she quickly turned on the tap and ran cold water over her scalded hand to cool it down.
Jiang Zhuo, who was on the sofa, heard the commotion and hurriedly pulled up his pants as he rushed into the kitchen. Seeing the mess on the floor, he immediately understood what had happened.
Striding over to her, he saw that the back of her left hand was already turning red from the burn.
It was too late to take her to the hospital—she needed ointment applied right away.
“Do you have any burn cream at home?”
But even as he asked, he realized it was pointless. They had just moved in—how could they have had time to stock up on medicine?
He froze for a moment, as if thinking of a solution.
Finally, his gaze landed on Cheng Sisi’s ponytail. The hair tie she used was a small scarf-like ribbon that could be pulled off with a single tug.
Without hesitation, he tugged at one end of the ribbon and pulled it free.
Instantly, Cheng Sisi’s long, fragrant, seaweed-like hair cascaded down.
She turned around in surprise. “Brother Jiang Zhuo?”
But what caught her eye was him threading the ribbon through the loops above his zipper—the ones meant for a belt—crossing and tying it to secure his pants so they wouldn’t slip down again.
Her face flushed, and she quickly turned away, unable to say a word.
“On my way here earlier, I saw a pharmacy downstairs. I’ll go buy burn ointment for you. Wait for me.”
With that, he turned and walked out of the kitchen, nearly slipping on the wet floor.
Only after hearing the door close outside did Cheng Sisi dare to turn around.
Seeing the obvious skid mark on the floor, she frowned, grabbed a cloth, and knelt down to wipe it dry.
By now, the redness on her left hand was becoming more pronounced. Running cold water over it hadn’t helped much, and once she stopped, the pain flared up intensely.
She wiped the floor over and over until it was completely dry before standing up.
Just then, Jiang Zhuo returned.
He immediately noticed the dry floor, and his expression darkened. “Who told you to wipe it?”
Cheng Sisi stiffened, frightened by his stern tone.
“If you’re injured, don’t move around unnecessarily. Was it worth the risk? What if you slipped and…”
He stopped abruptly mid-sentence.
Cheng Sisi’s face, lowered slightly with a look of grievance and reluctance to argue, seemed pitiful.
“Forget it! Come here!”
He was carrying a full bag of medicine. Placing it on the coffee table, he pulled out the burn ointment.
Cheng Sisi sniffled and walked over with her head bowed.
“Sit down,” Jiang Zhuo said, softening his tone.
She obediently sat down, and the sofa sank beside her as he sat next to her. Gently, he took her burned left hand, lifted it, and blew softly on it.
Then, he squeezed ointment onto the back of her hand.
Next, he used his fingertip to spread the ointment gently and asked, “Does it hurt?”
Seeing her shake her head, he continued applying the ointment.
Each touch was light, careful not to cause her pain.
“I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you. The floor was too wet, and I was afraid you might slip and hurt yourself. What if you hit something?”
“I know!” Cheng Sisi nodded emphatically. “I just feel like I’m too useless, always causing trouble!”
Jiang Zhuo looked up at her, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth. “Sometimes, you really are a bit scatterbrained.”
“I-I’m sorry!” Her face flushed bright red again in an instant.
He let out a soft chuckle but said nothing more, lowering his head to continue applying the ointment.
When the ointment ran out, he squeezed out more, spreading it over her entire hand—even the areas that hadn’t been scalded, just in case—all the way up to her wrist.
Once he finished, he screwed the cap back onto the tube.
“I bought several tubes of burn ointment, so remember to apply it. Don’t worry about running out. These next few days…”
He paused, then continued as if remembering something. “These next few days, I’ll hire a housekeeper to cook and clean for you. Don’t try to do anything yourself.”
“Besides the burn ointment, there’s also a healing cream in this bag. Make sure to use it. There are also some cold medicines and the like—it’s always good to have them on hand at home. Where should I put the medicine? I’ll help you put it away.”
He gathered the bag and stood up, noticing Cheng Sisi’s eyes following his movements upward, though she remained silent.
“What’s wrong?”
He thought for a moment, wondering if he had said something wrong.
“Brother Jiang Zhuo.” Cheng Sisi frowned deeply, then asked cautiously, “Why are you so good to me?”