Chapter 17 He cannot take unnecessary risks for a woman

As she was concentrating on eating breakfast, a wooden tray suddenly appeared on her table.

On the tray was meat porridge, stir-fried spring bamboo shoots, and a bowl of black soup.

Song Lingyi looked up and met Brother Chai's gaze, her eyes puzzled: "What is this?"

"This is the boss's breakfast. Please, Miss Ali, take it to him."

Wang Chong winked and said, "I heard that Miss A-Li took care of the boss yesterday and even cleaned him up?"

"..."Xuanfeng has such a big mouth!

Song Lingyi's cheeks instantly became hot.

"Hey! Lao Wang, your question is too direct. The little girl will be shy!"

Laughter broke out in the dining room.

"Is Miss Ali still angry with the boss?"

"The boss has been in the military camp for too long and doesn't understand the ways of the world. Even if Miss Ali is angry, she can't just leave without saying goodbye."

"When the boss recovers from his injury, he must be made to apologize." The bandit who said this emphasized the last four words, fearing that others would not understand the implicit meaning.

Unable to bear the teasing of these rough men, Song Lingyi picked up the wooden tray and rushed out of the dining room and returned to the main building.

Bang--

The door closed loudly and abruptly.

The man leaning against the head of the bed frowned and turned his head to look. The girl had a red face, and it was unknown what she was thinking.

"What happened?" Xiao Mingyi asked calmly.

Song Lingyi came back to her senses, put the wooden tray on the table, and said vaguely: "Nothing, let's eat."

After she finished speaking, the person on the bed didn't move for a long time. She turned to look at the bandit leader.

Their eyes met.

Xiao Mingyi's half-exposed chest was wrapped in white gauze, and his eyes were calm: "How can I get out of bed like this?"

The righteous tone made Song Lingyi choke for a moment. She pursed her lips and glanced at him sullenly, then picked up the wooden tray, sat down beside the bed, and served him breakfast.

…

Perhaps due to years of exercise, Xiao Mingyi's injuries recovered very quickly and he was able to move freely the next day.

Although his injuries were gradually improving, he was ruthless when he ordered Song Lingyi around.

That afternoon, he felt uncomfortable with the sweat all over his body, so he asked Song Lingyi to boil a large bucket of hot water.

It was still bright outside. Song Lingyi carried the last small bucket of hot water and slowly climbed up to the second floor.

In the past, boiling water was never her job, but this bandit leader had taken the wrong medicine. Not only was he ungrateful, but he also maliciously asked her to carry buckets of hot water upstairs! How abominable!

Pushing open the half-open door, the room was filled with white mist, and a few men's clothes were draped on the carved partition on the left.

The girl, so tired that she felt dizzy, didn't notice that there was no one on the bed. She picked up the bucket and walked straight around the carved partition.

The next moment, Song Lingyi froze.

The bandit leader was leaning back in the bathtub, his clothes completely stripped off, the hot water only covering his waist, his muscular arms casually draped over the edge of the tub, his long black hair half stuck to his shoulders and half hung down in front of his tight abdomen, his gloomy and handsome face just like that caught her eye.

Boom——

A muffled sound.

The bucket fell to the ground, and hot water splashed onto the floor.

Xiao Mingyi opened his eyes at the sound, and an inexplicable oppressive chill followed that deep gaze, piercing straight towards Song Lingyi. She couldn't help but think of a cold-blooded viper curled up in its lair.

“…”

Song Lingyi was horrified and turned around to run out in panic, but she ignored the slippery floor and stumbled.

Bang--

Water splashed everywhere.

The hot water penetrated the girl's mouth and nose through every pore. The desire to survive forced her to wave her arms and grab anything that could save her life.

Xiao Mingyi was splashed with water in the face. He suppressed his anger and picked up the girl who fell into the bucket.

“Cough cough cough…”

Song Lingyi choked on the bath water several times and sat down beside the bathtub, coughing non-stop.

After finally recovering from the shock, he felt a pair of eyes falling on him. He slowly raised his head and met Xiao Mingyi's obscure gaze.

"The way you throw yourself into my arms is quite unique." The corners of the man's lips twitched subtly.

Song Lingyi was so ashamed and angry that she ran back to the small room opposite and buried herself in the quilt.

The girl didn't go out until dark.

In the dining room of the East Building.

It was rare for Xiao Mingyi to go downstairs to eat. The brothers in the village were concerned about his injuries and asked many questions, but what they were most concerned about was the matter between him and Song Lingyi.

I really didn't expect that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who always puts official duties first and stays away from women, would fall into the hands of a little girl.

Faced with everyone's teasing, Xiao Mingyi wanted to explain, but he swallowed the words back when they came to his lips.

When the atmosphere was heated, someone suddenly said, "Boss, there's still no conclusion to Xu Er's death. We've been brothers for many years, so we need to give him an explanation."

The talking and laughing gradually died down.

These people in the village are all brothers who have loyally followed Xiao Mingyi and have fought through life and death on the battlefield for many years. They have a deep friendship with each other.

Xu Er's death was unclear, and everyone felt a little uncomfortable. We didn't mention it a few days ago because we were concerned about the boss's injuries. Now that his condition is stable, we have to ask about it.

Xiao Mingyi's eyes were gloomy.

Suddenly recalling what Ali said when she was desperate in the alley of Qingshi Town, I felt an inexplicable blockage in my heart.

Xu Er deserved it, but he had followed him for many years after all.

That day, I felt compassion and let Ali go, but the situation has changed and she is still staying in the village.

The longer she stayed, the greater the risk of the truth being exposed. If everyone knew that Xu Er's death was related to her, they would surely be dissatisfied with his concealment.

The journey back to Beijing is full of dangers, and he cannot take unnecessary risks for a woman.

"Boss."

Xuan Feng asked softly, "Why didn't Miss Ali come down with you?"

Xiao Mingyi lowered his eyes and returned to his senses. He glanced at him dimly and asked, "Do you care about her?"

Xuanfeng was afraid that the boss would misunderstand him, so he waved his hands and explained, "I dare not."

"A-Li was boiling water for you this afternoon, and she got two blisters on her hands. She asked me to get some ointment for her, but she hasn't been there all afternoon..."

As he spoke, he handed the plaster from his sleeve pocket to Xiao Mingyi, "Why don't you give it to her?"

Xiao Mingyi looked at the small box of plaster and felt inexplicably irritated.

As dusk deepened, the village remained peaceful.

The small room on the second floor was lit with dim candlelight.

Xiao Mingyi stood outside the door, holding the ointment in his hand, his dark eyes like deep pools containing a complex and tangled look.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, the door opened.

"Fifth Master?"

Xiao Mingyi's body stiffened slightly and he turned around to look at her.

"You need me for something?"

The girl seemed to have long forgotten the embarrassment of the day. When she asked this question, her eyebrows were curved and there was a faint smile at the corners of her lips.

The dark eyes are brighter than candlelight, like a sparkling lake filled with spring light.

Xiao Mingyi was stunned for a moment, then looked away with a stern expression.

"Um."

"Xuanfeng asked me to give you this plaster." He made a gesture of handing over the plaster.