Guilt and an inexplicable urgency instantly overwhelmed all other emotions!
She ignored the mess on the ground and her slightly flushed cheeks, took a step in front of Howard, and without saying a word, reached out and grabbed the collar of Howard's shirt!
"Let me see the wound!" Her voice carried an unquestionable command, her eyes filled with pure anxiety and... an irresistible force!
Howard was taken aback by her sudden action and command. His wound was still burning with pain. Looking at Mingzhao's face, which was so close to his, flushed but filled with the determination to obey, he was momentarily speechless.
"Clothes! Take them off!" Seeing that he didn't move, Mingzhao became even more anxious, and used force to almost tear his undershirt off his shoulders!
"Let me check the wound!"
Her strength was astonishing. Howard was pulled so hard that his body swayed, which aggravated his injury, causing another sharp pain. He couldn't help but hiss.
That scream of pain ignited Mingzhao's anxiety! Without further hesitation, she tightened her grip!
"Sizzle—!"
A sharp, tearing sound!
Howard's old undershirt, which was not very sturdy to begin with, was torn open from the collar to the shoulder by Mingzhao!
It revealed the bandages wrapped inside, which were already stained with bright red, as well as the large areas of bronze-colored, firm and muscular chest and shoulders at the edges of the bandages!
Howard: "!!!"
Mingzhao's gaze instantly locked onto that dazzling crimson!
All the embarrassment and shyness were thrown to the winds, leaving only a purely technical assessment of the severity of the injury!
"Come inside!" She grabbed Howard's uninjured right arm and dragged him toward the bedroom without saying a word! She was so strong that even Howard, who was in a wheelchair, was dragged a short distance by her!
“Mingzhao! I’m fine! I just might have gotten hurt! I myself…” Howard tried to explain, but seeing Mingzhao’s absolutely focused expression that “the injury must be treated immediately,” he swallowed the rest of his words.
He was almost roughly pushed into the bedroom by Mingzhao and forced to sit on the edge of the bed.
Mingzhao rushed out like a gust of wind, and quickly rushed back, holding mercurochrome, cotton swabs and clean bandages.
She knelt down in front of Howard and deftly untied his old bandage, which was stained red with blood.
Her fingers trembled slightly with urgency, but her movements to unwrap the bandage were exceptionally precise and swift, without touching the wound at all.
As the bandages were peeled away layer by layer, the gruesome, recently stitched wound was exposed to the air.
The edges of the wound were red and swollen. The impact and tearing had caused several sutures to break open, and blood was slowly seeping out.
Mingzhao's brows furrowed tightly, his eyes sharp.
She first used a clean cotton ball dipped in cooled boiled water to carefully clean the blood and sweat around the wound.
The cool touch made Howard's muscles tense up involuntarily.
"Relax." Mingzhao didn't even look up, his voice carrying a commanding calmness.
Howard looked at her focused profile, at her slightly pursed lips due to nervousness, at the fine beads of sweat on her forehead—whether from anxiety or heat—and at the reflection of his own wounds in her clear eyes…
A very peculiar feeling welled up inside me.
The pain seemed to have lessened considerably, replaced by an indescribable...throbbing sensation.
She was too close.
Warm breaths brushed against his bare chest almost imperceptibly.
Those fingers, coated with iodine, carefully applied to the wound, carrying a slightly cool temperature and an indescribable gentleness, completely different from the precise and cold style he remembered when she disassembled machines.
Every touch of the cotton swab, every time she leaned forward slightly to see the wound clearly, felt like a tiny electric current coursing through his taut nerves and skin.
He could even clearly smell the faint, cool scent of her hair, which smelled like engine oil mixed with some kind of soap.
Howard's Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.
He forced himself to look away and gaze out the window, but his body was as stiff as a stone statue. All his senses were focused with unparalleled clarity on the slightly cool touch on his chest, and... on the girl kneeling in front of him, so close to him.
Mingzhao, however, was completely unaware.
All her attention was focused on the wound in front of her. Cleaning, disinfecting, and reapplying medication.
Her movements became increasingly steady, and her gaze more focused. Only when she skillfully tied the last clean bandage did her tense body relax slightly.
She looked up and her gaze met Howard's lowered eyes.
Their eyes met.
The air was filled with the smell of iodine, a faint smell of blood, and a kind of... silently flowing, extremely subtle factor called ambiguity.
Howard's eyes were deep, like the sea in the dark night, churning with emotions that Mingzhao could not understand.
Mingzhao's eyes remained clear, but because of his focus and tension just now, they lacked their usual indifference and gained a more vivid light.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Only the soft breathing of the two people remained in the bedroom.
"Alright." Mingzhao broke the silence first, her voice returning to its usual cool tone, but if you listened carefully, there seemed to be a trace of tension that was not easily detected.
She stood up, stepped back, and began to tidy up the medicine bottles and used cotton swabs and bandages.
Howard also came to his senses and awkwardly pulled his torn clothes over his bare upper body, concealing his alluring muscular physique and the newly bandaged wound.
He cleared his throat, trying to dispel the slight awkwardness in the air: "Th...thank you."
Mingzhao paused in her tidying up, but without turning around, she simply hummed in agreement.
At this delicate moment.
"Commander Huo? Is Mingzhao home?"
Suddenly, He Yuchun's deliberately raised voice, filled with obvious flattery, broke the silence inside the courtyard.
"I made some mung bean cakes, and I brought some for you to try! They'll help you cool off in the summer!"
Mingzhao paused, then saw that Huo Hua had already turned around and gone back to his room to change his clothes.
A hint of unhappiness flashed through my mind.
Mingzhao was also puzzled by this emotion.
Outside the courtyard gate, He Yuchun held a small bamboo basket containing several square, glossy mung bean cakes, her face beaming with a warm smile.
When she saw Mingzhao open the door, her smile widened, but her gaze swept quickly across Mingzhao's face and over her shoulder like a searchlight, trying to peek into the courtyard.
"Mingzhao, are you home? Perfect timing! I made some mung bean cakes, and since it's so hot today, I thought I'd bring you some to try and cool you down!" He Yuchun said, stuffing the bamboo basket into Mingzhao's hands without further ado.
Mingzhao accepted it calmly without refusing, saying, "Thank you."
"Oh, don't be so polite! We're neighbors!" He Yuchun took the opportunity to walk inside. "Commander Huo, are you feeling better? Oh dear, this courtyard..."
She spotted the broken porcelain and mess at the kitchen doorway that hadn't been cleaned up yet, and exclaimed dramatically, "What happened? Did you break something?"
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