Aside from a minor incident that occurred midway through the welcome dinner, the meal went relatively smoothly. Everyone ate and drank their fill, and as it grew dark, they packed up and went home.
The temperature is neither too high nor too low right now. Cheng Ran has broken a sweat and can't go without taking a shower.
After returning home, the two of them stared at each other blankly, and Jiang Wanqing seemed a little awkward.
"Ahem... I'll go heat up some water for your bath first."
He had difficulty walking and could not move around on his own, so Jiang Wanqing had to help him, which led to a lot of physical contact between the two.
During the day, Hung Hing and his gang help out, but they can't all stay here at night, so Jiang Wanqing has to come.
After the bathwater was heated, Jiang Wanqing pushed him into the bathroom.
"Can you do it yourself?"
His hands can still move, so she doesn't need to help him take off his clothes. She's just worried that he might slip and fall while taking a shower.
"Okay, you can wait outside."
"Okay, I'll be right outside. Call me if you need anything."
"Hmm," he responded in a muffled voice, and then went inside.
Soon the sound of running water could be heard inside. There were no other unexpected incidents, and everything went smoothly.
About fifteen minutes later, the room quieted down. Jiang Wanqing thought he should be done washing and was waiting for him to come out when she suddenly heard him fall.
He suppressed his pain and didn't cry out, but he groaned softly. Without thinking, Jiang Wanqing pushed open the door.
Are you alright...?
When he lifted his leg to put on his pants, his leg gave way, and he couldn't steady himself against the wall, so he fell down.
The way he fell to the ground wasn't aesthetically pleasing, but his strong physique and healthy, tanned skin... well, even though this wasn't the first time Jiang Wanqing had seen him like this, she was still shocked.
"Do me a favor," he said.
"Okay, I'll help you put it on."
She helped him up first. She didn't say anything, but thankfully he had put his underwear back on, so they weren't completely naked. However, she still tried not to look directly at him and only played a supporting role.
She helped him put his feet into his trousers, and with the help of her shoulder, he could only pull up his trousers with one hand. He pulled them up halfway, but the other hand got stuck at the back of his knee.
"Give me one more time."
"ah?"
"Pants... help me pull them up."
The two were already very close, and Jiang Wanqing could even feel the heat and soapy scent emanating from his body after his shower.
She hesitated for a moment, then reached out to help. It was easy to lift it up, but when she was helping him button his pants, she curled her fingers up, afraid of any accidental contact. However, this made her movements even more uncoordinated, and she finally managed to button one button with great difficulty.
"If you keep doing this, we won't be able to leave the shower room until the middle of the night."
Jiang Wanqing looked up at him and suddenly realized something.
"Your hand is fine! You could have picked it yourself! Why didn't you remind me!"
He wanted to remind her, but she was too focused, and he didn't want to interrupt. Now that she had realized what was happening, he could only give in and quickly fixed the buttons.
She helped him to bed in the bedroom, then went to take a shower. When she returned to the room, something troubled her.
Before, he slept on the living room sofa while she slept on the bedroom bed. Now that he was injured, she certainly couldn't let him sleep outside anymore. She pursed her lips, grabbed her pillow and blanket, and was about to go out.
"Where are you going?" Cheng Ran called out to her.
"Go sleep in the living room, the bed is for you."
"Wanqing!"
He exclaimed, "If my leg doesn't heal for the rest of my life, are you planning to sleep in the living room for the rest of your life? You said we're husband and wife."
She turned to look at him, and there were emotions in his eyes that she couldn't quite decipher or explain.
He was still a little vulnerable inside, and Jiang Wanqing, afraid of upsetting him, quickly explained.
"It's alright, I'll make do for a couple of days. Tomorrow I'll ask Hung Hing to get me a folding cot, that will make things easier."
"What's the difference between this and a sofa?"
"Um……"
Jiang Wanqing was speechless, and he struck again.
"Don't you find it inconvenient that you have to come back and forth to take care of me every night?"
She exhaled a breath of stale air, somewhat helpless.
"Then what do you suggest? Should I sleep on the edge of the bed?"
Cheng Ran's face darkened. She had thought of sleeping on the sofa, on a cot, even lying face down, but she just didn't want to sleep in the same bed as him!
But what could she do? She seemed to take meticulous care of her, but there was always a distance between them.
He quietly moved a few inches in and took the initiative to speak.
"This bed is more than enough for two people. In my current state, you don't need to worry about what I might do."
"But……"
“I will not let a woman sleep on the sofa. If you still have concerns, I will have Hung Hing bring over a cot for me to sleep on another day.”
He spoke with a hint of anger, and Jiang Wanqing choked up. She slowly walked over, not because she had any reservations, but because she felt awkward. But since he had already said that, arguing with him would only make things more awkward for both of them.
"Then move a little further in."
He obediently did as he was told, giving up most of the outside area. The two of them each covered themselves with a blanket, and she lay down like that, with what looked like a river separating them.
She lay on her side with her back to him, and casually turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness.
In the silence, their breathing was especially noticeable, and since neither of them dared to move for fear of disturbing the other's sleep.
Jiang Wanqing's arms and legs went numb after sleeping for less than two hours. Unable to bear it any longer, she turned over.
She opened her eyes half-asleep and found Cheng Ran facing her.
He was already asleep. He was by the window, where some moonlight would filter in. Jiang Wanqing held her breath and looked at his sleeping face, feeling a strange sensation.
He had thick eyebrows, a high nose, and a smooth yet well-proportioned face with just the right amount of angle; his lips were slightly parted…
Fearing that he might catch a cold and affect his recovery, Jiang Wanqing got up slightly and tucked the blanket around him.
He suddenly woke up and pressed her hand down. Jiang Wanqing was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized that this was not the first time. He was always very alert when he slept.
"I... was just tucking you in."
She pursed her lips slightly and withdrew her hand.
Cheng Ran lay down and said thank you. The quiet when he woke up in the middle of the night was more unsettling than the quiet before he went to sleep.
There were rustling sounds from the trees in the yard outside.
Jiang Wanqing clutched the blanket and awkwardly moved closer to the edge of the bed.
She felt a sense of weightlessness and almost fell off the bed, but Cheng Ran reacted quickly and caught her back.
She nestled into his arms, her heart skipping a beat.
"You...I..."
“This bed is big enough for two people, but if you keep moving it outwards, how can you not fall off?”
An embarrassed look crossed his face, giving him the illusion of a child caught doing something wrong.
"I'm afraid I'll bump into you."
Are you afraid of squeezing me or afraid of touching me?
Cheng Ran saw through her little scheme at a glance and exposed her, which made Jiang Wanqing even more embarrassed.
When she didn't know how to start the conversation, he put one hand behind his head and sighed.
"I don't know who was it that made those outrageous remarks at the hospital, saying that it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, but they got scared as soon as they met. What a tough exterior but soft interior."
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