Chapter 22. [First Update] "I also want to play a joke on you..."
Outside the car, Wan Nian and Nana were excitedly choosing fireworks based on the shop owner's recommendations, oblivious to the two people still inside the car.
The car was so quiet it felt like its own little world. The only sound was He Yan's slightly heavy breathing. He was watching Wen Xue's hand holding the cotton swab. He wondered if she was nervous, because her hand seemed to be trembling slightly uncontrollably.
What are you shaking for?
He's not in pain.
He calmly looked away, his gaze falling on the doll that had been tossed aside, but the scent of the ointment lingered in the relatively enclosed carriage, refusing to dissipate.
Wenxue focused intently on applying the medicine to him. She thought his trembling was due to pain, so she moved even more gently. After applying the medicine, she felt relieved and relaxed, as if she had accomplished something great.
"alright."
She spoke lightly, looking at the cotton swab in her hand with a troubled expression. He Yan seemed to know what she was thinking, and without saying a word, he reached out and took the cotton swab, saying "I'll throw it away" before pushing open the car door and getting out. This time, for some reason, the door slammed shut with a bit too hard, and Wen Xue was startled by the loud bang.
Coming to her senses, she leaned forward, found a black soft pen in the armrest box, and, using the light from the window, wrote "Apply every 4-6 hours^^" on the medicine box, then blew on it to make the writing dry quickly.
The temperature in Xicheng was freezing cold late at night.
He Yan threw the cotton swab into the trash can, and habitually took out his cigarette pack from his pocket. Just as he was about to light it, he caught a glimpse of a car a few steps away, and could vaguely see a blurry figure sitting in the back seat. He hesitated for a moment, then put the cigarette back in and let out a frustrated sigh.
"Brother Yan, lend a hand!"
Seeing He Yan standing idly to the side, Nana called out loudly.
He Yan glanced discreetly into the car and, seeing that the back door was open, raised his hand in a gesture to stop her from getting out of the car and getting chilled.
Wen Xue usually listens to him. If he doesn't let her get out of the car, she immediately closes the door.
The three of them carried the various sizes of fireworks they had bought into the trunk, which was soon full. Wen Xue turned around and looked around curiously, exclaiming in surprise, "Did you buy so many?"
Nana patted the dust off her clothes and said happily, "It's Chinese New Year!"
After returning to his car, He Yan had composed himself of the sudden surge of mixed emotions. He had indeed felt briefly uncomfortable. In his life, he rarely accepted any kind of care or concern, because once he received a favor or any other kind of affection, he felt obligated to repay it.
He didn't want to owe too much.
Whether it's the younger brother He Heng or Wu Yuejiang, who is as close as a brother, they are both men. How much care and attention can men give each other?
Even if they were willing to be considerate towards him, he wouldn't want it; he finds it cheesy.
The care Wen Xue gave him was like ointment on a blister, sticky and so sticky that he wanted to wipe it off with a tissue immediately, but he also knew that applying the ointment would make it heal faster, so he could only stiffen his right hand and let the ointment seep in little by little.
While Nana and Wan Nian were chatting away in the front, Wen Xue in the back seat quietly reached out and handed the ointment and cotton swabs to He Yan.
He Yan wanted to ignore it, so he lowered his eyes. Her hand was almost right under his nose, so he had no choice but to accept it and put it in his pocket. In his heart, he thought, "She cares so much about such a small blister. If she had seen how he got the scar on his other hand and how much blood he lost, she probably would have called an ambulance to take him away."
Wen Xue watched as he deftly put away the ointment, and the corners of her lips curled up.
"Wenxue, don't you think so?" Nana turned her head and asked.
"ah?"
Wen Xue hadn't been listening carefully at all, but having stayed there for a while, she had somehow learned to lie and replied guiltily, "Yes..."
…
There are very few places in the city where fireworks can be set off. Nana found online that many people went to a park that is not yet fully developed and is said to be very lively.
When they arrived, the once empty space was filled with cars, all belonging to young people who had come to set off fireworks.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Fireworks burst open one by one, illuminating the night sky. Wenxue and Nana both looked up at them, basking in the glow of other people's fireworks for a while before remembering that they had bought their own. Nana asked Wannian to carry all the fireworks they had bought down to the open space in front of them, and then excitedly found a lighter in his pocket.
Wen Xue held a fairy wand in her right hand, but her left hand was empty.
He Yan watched silently from behind her. Seeing her constantly asking Nana for a light, he couldn't stand it any longer. He stepped forward and, as if impatient, shoved his own lighter into her hand. "Take it."
Wen Xue looked down at the plastic lighter that had appeared in her palm. It was very light and cheap, with the name and address of a certain barbecue restaurant printed on it. Thinking back to Wan Nian's high-quality metal lighter, she couldn't help but fall into deep thought: who was the boss and who was the employee between the two of them?
"Wenxue, come quick!" Nana called out, "This is so much fun, you can spin around on the ground several times!"
"They're here!"
He Yan crossed his arms and stood with Wan Nian at the front of the car watching them play.
Wen Xue held sparklers in both hands, her eyes darting left and right, unable to hide her delight. He Yan stared at her for a few seconds, then looked away. Several young people wanted to join in, one of them being particularly mischievous, wildly waving his whip-like sparkler, sparks flying everywhere. Seeing Wen Xue trying to run away in fright, he became even more enthusiastic, insisting on chasing after her to tease her.
Hearing her exclamation, He Yan quickly turned his gaze and locked onto her hurried figure.
Without thinking much, he strode towards her, stretched out his long arm to shield her to his side, furrowed his brows, and looked at the young man with a tense expression, his anger barely contained.
The boy offered a dry explanation: "Just kidding."
He Yan looked at him calmly, his tone slightly cold, "I also want to make a joke with you."
The boy could tell he was a tough nut to crack, so he chuckled awkwardly, took a few steps back, and turned to run away.
Wen Xue peeked out and watched the annoying boy leave. She breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "That scared me to death."
She wasn't afraid of anything else; she'd seen plenty of people like that and knew how to handle them. But she was worried that the sparks would splatter on her new clothes and burn a hole in them. Could she really expect to get compensation from someone who was already being unreasonable?
This fluffy new down jacket is very warm and expensive; it's the most expensive piece of clothing she owns. Today is the first day she's wearing it, and she'll need to wear it for at least ten years to break even.
She was careless; she should have changed into her old clothes before going out.
"I'm not playing anymore," she said in a muffled voice.
At first, He Yan thought she was scared by that kid who hadn't even grown up yet. But when he saw her retreat to a distance and turn on her phone's flashlight to check her down jacket in an odd way, he suddenly realized that she was worried about her new clothes. He went over and stopped her, saying, "Don't twist your neck."
Wen Xue said sullenly, "I don't know if there are any holes in the back of my clothes."
These are her new clothes.
"It's no big deal, just buy a new one if it breaks."
"..." Wen Xue was even more unhappy. She thought for a moment, "Could you take a picture for me?"
He Yan remained silent, nodded, took out her phone, and was about to open the camera when she whispered a reminder from the side, "It's a bit dark, turn on the flash before taking the picture."
flash?
He hummed in agreement, then pondered, "Where's the light? How do I turn it on?"
Wen Xue stared at him blankly, and when she was sure he was genuinely puzzled and not joking, she couldn't help but smile, her clear eyes crinkling with laughter. Her earlier annoyance vanished instantly with his words.
He Yan looked embarrassed when he saw her laughing incessantly and getting louder and louder.
He really doesn't understand electronic products and isn't enthusiastic about them. For him, a mobile phone is only used to send and receive messages and make and receive calls.
There aren't many photos in his phone's album.
"Are you still going to take pictures?" he asked.
"Clap, hahaha."
"I won't film if you laugh again."
Wen Xue leaned closer, stood on tiptoe, turned on the flash for him, and then took a few steps forward. "That's enough."
He Yan's finger had already pressed the shutter button.
However, the shot only showed her turning around, and it was a bit blurry.
He composed himself and took several more photos. Wen Xue nervously zoomed in on the photos, and after confirming that the new clothes were still intact, she beamed again. Despite her clumsy attempts, she happily went to play with her sparkler, completely forgetting to delete the photos he had taken.
He Yan also forgot that he had locked his phone and put it in his pocket.
They bought a lot of fireworks, but they used them up very quickly; in less than an hour, the trunk was empty.
Nana's face was red from the cold, but she was still reluctant to leave. She took out her phone to check the time; it wasn't even eleven o'clock yet. She suggested, "Since we're already here, why don't we wait here until midnight before going back?"
Wan Nian looked hesitant; he couldn't make the decision.
He Yan didn't care, but Wen Xue was already so cold that she had pulled her hat up and was stamping her feet to keep warm. If they really waited here until midnight, she might catch a cold tomorrow. He nodded and said, "Okay."
Nana was overjoyed and was about to loudly praise Yan Ge as the most handsome man in the world when the most ruthless man in the world said, "Then you guys wait slowly, we're going back first."
"?? Brother isn't?"
Nana stood there, watching Wen Xue walk towards the parking lot, turning back every few steps.
The young couple shivered from the cold, looked at each other awkwardly, and could only jog to catch up. After getting into the car, Nana said irritably, "Wenxue, can you control your brother?"
He Yan sat upright in the back seat, his phone vibrating; it was another mass-sent blessing message.
He scrolled through the comments one by one, the light from the screen illuminating his face. His expression was indifferent, as if he weren't the one being criticized.
Wen Xue smiled softly, "I can't control that."
His fingers, which were scrolling through messages, paused, and he shook his head and smiled silently.
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