Chapter 4 Treating Wounds x1
"Jiang Jiang!"
A woman's voice came from afar behind me.
Jiang Nuanyu turned around at the sound and saw Feng Shasha waving back and forth at her from the other side of the wooden platform.
She glanced at Liang Qi beside her and said, "He's my colleague."
Liang Qi didn't speak, but raised his eyelids to look behind her.
Feng Shasha jogged over, and as the distance closed, she slowed down, her eyes darting back and forth between the two people in front of her.
Jiang Nuanyu's expression was slightly unnatural as she introduced, "This is Mr. Liang Qi." She added, "Mr. Liang from Yunjing."
Liang Qi then glanced at Feng Shasha.
Feng Shasha immediately guessed that this was probably the top leader of Yunjing whom the magazine had interviewed today.
She was usually quick-witted, but this time she was a beat slow to react, and her surprise was hard to hide: "...Hello, Mr. Liang. I'm the editor of Florian..." She didn't say her name.
Liang Qi didn't dwell on it and simply said, "Hello."
Feng Shasha lowered her eyes and smiled awkwardly.
Jiang Nuanyu glanced quickly at Liang Qi. With Feng Shasha present, it wasn't appropriate to continue the previous topic.
After exchanging greetings, the three of them fell silent for a moment.
"What are your plans for the next two days?" Liang Qi spoke first. "If it's far, I'll have someone take you there."
Upon hearing this, Feng Shasha felt that Mr. Liang was truly easygoing and considerate, and her previous restraint immediately dissipated.
She said, half-flatteringly and half-genuinely, "We can just take the shuttle bus, it's very convenient!"
Liang Qi didn't insist. He glanced at his watch and looked at the two of them, saying, "Then do as you please."
Feng Shasha nodded repeatedly.
When his eyes met Jiang Nuanyu's, Liang Qi nodded slightly, pressed his watch again, and ran away.
As his figure receded into the distance, Feng Shasha exclaimed, "My goodness... Mr. Liang looks so young! I thought a CEO like him would be at least forty or fifty."
Jiang Nuanyu was still savoring Liang Qi's gaze, which seemed to pause for half a second, and didn't respond for a moment.
"Huh?" Feng Shasha nudged her lightly with her elbow.
"Oh." Jiang Nuanyu snapped out of her daze. "...What did you just say?"
Feng Shasha frowned: "Why are you so distracted?"
Jiang Nuanyu smiled at her: "Say it again, I'm listening."
“I’m talking about this Mr. Liang. He’s completely different from what I thought.” Feng Shasha sighed again. “You know, he’s such a busy big boss, how does he still have so much energy to exercise and stay fit? After get off work, all I want to do is lie on the sofa.”
Mentioning Liang Qi, Jiang Nuanyu inexplicably hesitated to respond. Unexpectedly, Feng Shasha asked directly, "Jiang Jiang, what were you two talking about just now?"
Jiang Nuanyu's face flushed at the thought of confessing her feelings, and she stammered, "We didn't talk about anything, we just happened to run into each other." She quickly changed the subject, "Why did you come out to find me?"
"I came back and found you weren't in your seat. I called you but you didn't answer. You must have silenced your phone again."
Feng Shasha said casually, "Even though I'm not in my seat, I feel at ease knowing you're sitting there."
Jiang Nuanyu had nothing to say about her unique clinginess, and shook her head with a smile.
*
That night, Jiang Nuanyu and Feng Shasha watched several more rounds of fireworks, and it was already past midnight when they returned to their room.
After a quick wash, she fell asleep immediately, forgetting even to draw the curtains. The next day, when the sun was high in the sky and the sunlight streamed onto her pillow, shining directly into her eyes, she gradually woke up.
I took out my phone to check the time, and my sleepiness lessened even more—it was almost midnight!
On WeChat, Feng Shasha sent a message that morning: "Jiang Jiang, my boyfriend took an early morning flight to spend the weekend with me. I'll contact you after we've had our time together!"
Jiang Nuanyu replied with an "okay," and loosened her grip on her phone. After a few seconds of silent struggle, she rubbed her hangover-heavy head and got out of bed.
As she came out of the bathroom, she dried her hair with a towel while casually opening the resort's mini-program.
She had only used the mini-program to swipe her room card before, but upon closer inspection, she found it to be quite comprehensive. It included payment, maps, regional functions, restaurant descriptions, reservation services, and recommended routes—everything you could need.
She was scrolling through the screen when she was suddenly drawn to the section on equestrian clubs, and she started to feel a little tempted.
She had seen others ride horses on set before and thought it was a cool and stylish sport, but she had never tried it herself.
With that in mind, she made a reservation and decided to go horseback riding today.
She chose a tank top and shorts, and since the sun at the beach was quite strong, she put on a crisp shirt over it.
When she looked in the mirror, dressed all in white, she inexplicably felt that her style was somewhat similar to Liang Qi's from the previous night.
She stared at it for a few more seconds, then suddenly smiled.
The horse farm is far from the main area of the resort. The shuttle bus drove through a large area of rolling green land and it took quite a while to get there.
Jiang Nuanyu rented a set of riding gear. After changing, she listened to the staff explain the breeds, habits, and safety precautions of the horses in the waiting area. However, her eyes unconsciously drifted towards the horse farm, and she felt expectant and excited.
Finally, it was her turn to mount the horse. A female instructor dressed in professional riding attire led over a chestnut horse.
Is this your first time riding a horse?
"Yes." Jiang Nuanyu nodded.
The coach noticed her nervousness and smiled, "You can touch its nose first."
“…Huh?” Jiang Nuanyu looked at the horse, which was much taller than her, and felt a little scared. She hesitated and did not dare to make a move.
"Don't be afraid, it's very well-behaved." The coach took her hand and guided her to touch the horse's nose.
The horsehair was shiny and smooth, warm to the touch, and surprisingly felt quite nice!
Moreover, the horse looked tall and large, and when it was stroked, its long eyelashes blinked, and its temperament was surprisingly gentle.
Jiang Nuanyu immediately relaxed a lot.
The coach quickly began to familiarize her with riding techniques, explaining and demonstrating each step, from mounting the horse and holding the reins to giving commands, turning, retracting the reins, and stopping the horse.
Jiang Nuanyu is quick to learn and has a good sense of balance. Under the guidance of the coach, she quickly adapted to the rhythm and was eventually able to ride the horse at a trot on her own.
Just as she expected, the feeling on horseback was indeed quite nice.
Although the awning blocked the blue sky above, the view was expansive from this vantage point. As the horses galloped, the wind brushed against her cheeks and ears, and their hooves clattered on the soft earth. Everything was a sensation she had never experienced before, and she loved it and felt content.
The riding boots were very stiff. She didn't notice it while riding, but when she changed back into her shoes after leaving the riding stable, Jiang Nuanyu realized that the skin on both the inside and outside of her ankles was chafed, and the wounds had become inflamed from being covered in the boots. It looked rather alarming.
Throughout the day, she only ate a small piece of bread while waiting, and her stomach was already protesting severely.
Fortunately, although the horse farm was far away, there was a restaurant right next to it. She thought she should fill her stomach first before worrying about her foot injury, so she just rinsed the wound with water and left it at that.
The sun was about to set, but the air outside was still scorching. Stepping out of the air-conditioned room, my ankles stung from the stuffy heat, making it difficult to walk.
Just as she stepped onto the ramp leading to the restaurant entrance, two urgent honks sounded behind her. Jiang Nuanyu wanted to quickly pull over, but the pain in her foot slowed her down.
The driver clearly had no patience to wait for her; the car did not slow down and almost grazed her back as it passed.
The car stopped at the entrance, the door opened, and Jingyao, wearing sunglasses, got out of the driver's seat.
He tossed the keys to the valet waiting at the door, and as he walked around the front of the car, he glanced back.
Jiang Nuanyu limped to the door, her brows furrowed as she glared at him.
She has never been good at arguing with people, and even though the other person's behavior was very impolite, she could only try to express her dissatisfaction with her eyes now that the person was in front of her.
Just then, another van pulled up in front of the restaurant, and Jiang Nuanyu glanced at it unintentionally. The people who got out of the van were all dressed in sportswear, probably coming from the golf course.
She didn't want to argue with anyone at the door anymore, so she lowered her eyes in frustration and stepped into the restaurant.
She had only taken a couple of steps when Jingyao took off his sunglasses, raised his chin, and asked, "You were the one who came to my room last night, weren't you?"
Upon hearing this, and seeing the face with the sunglasses off, Jiang Nuanyu immediately recognized him—wasn't this the owner of the balcony who had mistakenly entered yesterday?
The slight dissatisfaction in her heart was instantly replaced by embarrassment. She pursed her lips, speechless.
Jingyao glanced at her again, then suddenly looked away and looked behind her.
Jiang Nuanyu turned around as well, and among the group of merchants, she spotted Liang Qi at a glance.
Liang Qi was wearing a baseball cap, and just like last night, he was dressed all in white. He wore a polo shirt with trousers, the waistband of which hung loosely at his hips, making him look even taller and more slender.
He glanced at her but made no move to greet her. Jiang Nuanyu stood there, unsure whether she should speak first.
People got out of the van and went into the restaurant one after another, but Liang Qi was still outside, looking at Jing Yao who was parked at the door.
The two stared at each other across the distance, neither speaking. After a moment, Jingyao twitched the corner of his mouth and let out a soft chuckle.
Liang Qi relaxed his gaze and slowly asked, "Jingyao, what brings you here?"
"Why am I here?" Jing Yao laughed so hard his whole upper body was shaking, as if he had heard something very funny.
"Didn't President Liang already receive the news the moment I stepped into Dream Island? Is this move now a declaration of sovereignty?"
Liang Qi's expression remained unchanged as he calmly stared at Jing Yao. A faint smile played on his lips, but his eyes held a rather piercing intensity.
Jiang Nuanyu sensed the tension between the two, and her heart pounded with anxiety, unsure of who to worry about.
Jing Yao spoke frivolously and aggressively; Liang Qi, though seemingly calm and collected, was in no way inferior.
Jing Yao stared intently at Liang Qi, his smile gradually fading. He said nothing more, spread his hands, raised his eyebrows, took two steps back, and turned to enter the restaurant.
After Jing Yao entered the room, Liang Qi turned his gaze to Jiang Nuanyu. He took a few steps to her, and before speaking, he noticed the injury on her ankle.
The wound became more red and swollen after being exposed to air, and the constant pulling and squeezing as I walked caused the oozing fluid to stain the edges of my white canvas shoes.
Liang Qi frowned immediately, tilted his head to take a closer look, and after confirming the situation, looked up at her and asked, "How did you do that?"
Before Jiang Nuanyu could recover from his change in attitude, Liang Qi, without waiting for her reply, turned to Peng Ze and beckoned, "Take Miss Jiang to have her wound treated."
Jiang Nuanyu quickly waved her hand: "It's okay, I just got chafed from riding my boots, it's not serious, I can take care of it myself when I get back."
Liang Qi said, "The infirmary is nearby. He'll take you back after he's done."
"Really, there's no need to trouble yourself..." Her voice grew softer and softer, and her confidence waned.
Liang Qi stared at her silently for a moment, then turned back to his car and retrieved a small first-aid kit.
Jiang Nuanyu stared blankly at the medicine box in his hand, at a loss for what to do.
As he passed her, Liang Qi gestured with his chin toward the glass door of the restaurant: "Come on."
Jiang Nuanyu looked at his tall and straight back, then followed him.
A note from the author:
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