Volume One, Chapter 16: Help You Apply the Medicine?

On the way back, the air inside the car seemed to thicken, as if it had turned to stone. Several times during the journey, I wanted to break the awkward silence, but every time the words reached my lips, I found myself at a loss for how to begin.

Even after getting off, Lin Feifei’s face remained flushed, her ears tinged red. Since Tang Qin handed me that bottle of medicine, her cheeks had been rosy—an indescribable softness and shy tenderness radiated from her.

Staring at the dark doorway of the building, I let out a few bitter laughs and asked, “Should I carry you upstairs on my back, or hold you in my arms?”

She lowered her head, kicking a stone at her feet. After a brief internal struggle, she whispered like a mosquito, “Carry me on your back.”

The moment I lifted her, an astonishing spring-like force pressed against my back. A jolt ran through me, electrifying my entire body. That tingling sensation pierced to my bones, like a fierce explosion igniting deep within my heart, shattering me into fragments.

Though it was only six flights of stairs, it felt as though I had climbed for a century. Once I set her down on the sofa, we both collapsed onto it simultaneously, breathing out in relief.

Lin Feifei wasn’t heavy, but weighing around eighty or ninety pounds, carrying her up six flights in one go left me nearly exhausted, my body feeling as if it was falling apart.

We slumped on the sofa with no regard for appearances. After a dozen seconds or so, Lin Feifei softly spoke, “Yu Bin…”

I sat up, looking at her with suspicion. “Yes? What is it?”

Her face was radiant with a delicate blush, her teeth gently biting her lip as if wrestling with herself. After a few seconds, she whispered, “Could you help me apply the medicine? Tang Qin said after applying it, I need to massage it in for absorption. I’m not very good at it…”

I nodded without hesitation. After all, we had shared far more intimate contact before; applying ointment was nothing.

I stood up and fetched the medicine bag, glancing at her cheeks, which were flushed to an almost unnatural shade. My heart fluttered involuntarily, and a mischievous impulse to tease her suddenly surfaced.

“All right, turn over.”

“Why turn over?”

Lin Feifei paused, then, seeing the bottle of medicine in my hand—the one Tang Qin had pressed into my hands before leaving the hospital—she finally understood.

She grabbed a cushion and threw it at me with a sharp “Go away!”

Caught off guard, it hit me squarely on the head, and I fell flat on my face.

Seeing my disheveled state, a smile finally bloomed on her lips.

Despite the playful squabble, I first wrapped an ice pack in a wet towel and applied it to her sprained ankle. Then I sprayed Yunnan Baiyao before lifting her injured foot to begin the massage.

Holding her delicate foot in my hands, my heart nearly leapt out of my chest. Her foot was graceful and curved, the skin as tender and smooth as white jade carved by master artisans.

Though this wasn’t our first contact, my hands trembled slightly, beyond my control.

To avoid awkwardness, I kept my head lowered as I massaged. Even so, I sensed her burning gaze upon me.

I glanced up unconsciously and met her eyes.

Her face was tinged with a faint blush. She shot me a glance and smiled, asking, “Is it beautiful?”

I was taken aback. “What is beautiful?”

Lin Feifei seemed annoyed at my slow reaction and puckered her lips. “What are you holding in your hand?”

Only then did I realize what she meant and smiled, saying, “It’s a line from ‘The Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo River’: ‘Light steps on the waves, silk stockings gather dust’—a compliment to the beauty of your feet.”

She furrowed her brows, “I don’t understand, but it sounds impressive.”

Her earnest expression made me chuckle. I patiently explained, “It’s from a classical poem praising your beautiful feet.”

Lin Feifei restrained a smile, trying to mask her delight, but it was futile—her laughter was as sweet as honey.

After finishing the application, Lin Feifei limped into the bedroom. We were both utterly exhausted from the day’s ordeal. By the time she reached the door, I was already lying down.

She turned her head, smiled, and said, “You lie down pretty fast.”

I chuckled and teased, “Do you need me to apply the medicine on you too?”

Her face flushed deeply to her ears. She flicked me with mock annoyance. “I was going to thank you, but now it seems unnecessary.”

Feigning relief, I smiled lightly. “I thought you wanted me to stay the night! Forget it, I can’t be rough with friends. I’ll take my leave!”

“…”

After all the fuss at the hospital, I was utterly drained. No sooner had my head touched the pillow than I fell asleep. When I woke, the morning glow bathed the room.

That sleep was refreshing; since losing my job, I hadn’t slept so soundly in a long time.

Stretching leisurely, the doorbell suddenly rang.

I was momentarily stunned, but before I could say anything, Lin Feifei’s weak voice called from the bathroom.

“It’s the breakfast delivery I ordered. Can you help me get it?”

I took the food from the delivery man just as Lin Feifei, limping slightly, emerged from the bathroom.

She wiped her damp hair with a towel and said, “I ordered from Yonghe King. You go ahead and eat. Don’t wait for me.”

Then she smiled at me, her dimples rippling like waves. “It’s just breakfast. Don’t be too touched!”

Looking at her delicate features, I replied seriously, “Could the feeling be a little stronger next time?”

“Go away!” Lin Feifei was almost at her wit’s end with me.

I started eating, and once finished, Lin Feifei limped into the living room.

She looked much better than yesterday; a healthy flush had returned to her cheeks. She cast me a meaningful glance, as if hesitating to speak.

Sensing she had something to say, I smiled, “If there’s something, just say it!”

Her smile was sly, like a little fox with a hidden agenda. Bashfully, she said, “Could you make that brown sugar egg rice wine again? It made my stomach feel much better. I want some more. But if you don’t want to, it’s okay.”

I shook my head, looking serious. “I don’t want to make that.”

Lin Feifei was startled, a hint of embarrassment flashing across her face. She hurried to add, “Ah… it’s okay if you don’t want to.”

I shook my head again. “I mean, I want to make you something even better than the egg rice wine.”

Lin Feifei was almost overwhelmed. Taking a deep breath, she said resentfully, “If you keep breathing so hard, I might really hit you!”

Her tense face finally broke, and she laughed first.

I had ordered some ingredients in advance. Half an hour later, a warm palace-style blood-stasis-relieving soup was served before Lin Feifei.