Chapter 10 Accidental injury, the first ray of hope?
As dusk fell, the yard grew cooler.
Su Wanqing stood in the cold night air, clutching the simple cardboard box, feeling lost for a moment. The puppy in her arms seemed to sense her helplessness, its whimpering becoming even more subtle and pitiful, its small body trembling.
She couldn't just leave it here and let it die. The service center was closed, and the world outside the compound was unfamiliar and inconvenient to her at that moment. She took a deep breath, suppressed the chill and grievance that had risen in her heart due to Huo Tingxiao's coldness, and walked towards the unremarkable gardening shed in the corner of the compound, holding the cardboard box.
At least there's protection from the wind.
She carefully placed the cardboard box in a dry area at the far end of the shed and wrapped it tightly with an old towel. She then took out the iodine and cotton swabs she'd bought at the service center and, using the dim light from her phone, carefully cleaned the dog's wound. The puppy shivered in pain, but simply licked her hand, its dark eyes filled with dependence and trust.
This silent trust made Su Wanqing's nose tingle slightly. She moved more gently, carefully disinfecting and applying medicine, then bandaging it with gauze, clumsily but as securely as possible. After doing all this, she placed the clean water and food she had brought next to it.
"Be good, stay here for now. I'll think of a solution tomorrow." She stroked the puppy's head and whispered soothingly.
After settling the puppy, she stood up and felt a wave of fatigue and coldness set in. The evening wind blew through her thin clothes.
She turned and looked at the small building, lit but cold as iron. Huo Tingxiao was inside. She knew that if she went back now, she would have to face his even deeper coldness and possible displeasure. But she had nowhere else to go.
Slowly walking back to the door, she opened it with her key.
The house was dead silent. The entrance light was on, the living room was empty, and the study door was shut like an insurmountable barrier.
She quietly changed her shoes and walked into the living room. She didn't see Huo Tingxiao. Perhaps he was in the study, or perhaps upstairs. She didn't want to know, and she tried to avoid running into him.
My stomach felt empty, and I remembered that I hadn't eaten anything since noon. There seemed to be some leftover rice and ingredients in the kitchen.
She walked into the kitchen, turned on the light, and prepared to make herself a simple meal. As she did so, her mind kept replaying Huo Tingxiao's icy, cold eyes, devoid of any warmth, and the three words he had uttered without mercy: "Get rid of it."
His mind was in a state of confusion and his subordinates lost their composure.
She picked up a kitchen knife and prepared to chop some green onions. The sharp blade gleamed coldly under the light. In a moment of distraction, the tip of the knife slipped—
"hiss!"
There was a sharp sting in my fingertips.
She suddenly retracted her hand, only to see a deep cut on the tip of her left index finger. Bright red blood instantly gushed out and dripped onto the clean cooking table, which was particularly glaring.
She gasped, quickly put down the knife, turned on the tap, and put her finger under the cold water. The cold water stimulated the wound, bringing waves of sharp pain, but the bleeding was difficult to stop.
She frantically tried to find a medicine box, remembering there seemed to be one under the TV cabinet in the living room. As she turned, she slammed into a solid "wall."
Huo Tingxiao had quietly stood at the kitchen door without anyone noticing.
He was still wearing his casual clothes, standing straight and with a stern expression, as if he was about to go out, or had just come out of his study. His gaze first fell on her bleeding finger, his brows knitting together in a barely perceptible frown, then swept across the bright red bloodstains on the countertop. His eyes instantly darkened, becoming even colder than before.
Su Wanqing's heart suddenly tightened, and she subconsciously put her injured hand behind her back, like a child who had done something wrong. She didn't want to see his disgusted and scolding eyes again, especially because of the trouble caused by her clumsy hands.
"S-sorry, I'll clean it up right away." She spoke first, her voice trembling with a barely perceptible embarrassment, and she just wanted to end this embarrassing situation as soon as possible.
She moved sideways to squeeze past him and get a tissue to wipe the countertop.
However, just as she passed by him, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by a warm and powerful hand!
Su Wanqing froze and looked up in surprise.
Huo Tingxiao didn't look at her. His gaze fell on her fingers, which were still bleeding as she was forced to hold them in front of him. His grip was so strong that it hurt a little, but the temperature in his palm was extremely hot, completely different from his cold appearance.
"Don't move." He spat out two words, his voice still low and cold, but it seemed to lack the terrifying anger from before, and had a bit more of an unquestionable command.
With his other hand, he pulled out a small, dark green military first aid kit from somewhere, opened it skillfully, and took out iodine cotton pads and hemostatic bandages from it.
Then he released her wrist, but pinched her injured finger with his fingertips.
His fingertips were covered with a thin layer of calluses, and they felt rough and warm to the touch, forming a sharp contrast with her cold, bleeding fingers. This sudden contact made Su Wanqing shudder slightly as if an electric shock had passed through her body, and she subconsciously wanted to retract her hand.
"Don't move," he repeated, his tone emphasizing an irresistible authority. He lowered his head, his thick eyelashes drooping, hiding the emotion in his eyes, leaving only the hard line of his jaw visible.
He first carefully wiped the blood around the wound with an iodine pad. His movements weren't gentle, even a bit rough and direct, like a soldier, but he was incredibly focused and efficient. The iodine irritated the wound, causing a stinging sensation, and Su Wanqing couldn't help but let out a soft hiss.
He paused almost imperceptibly, and his next movements seemed to be slightly lighter.
Then he sprinkled the wound with styptic powder and wrapped a narrow strip of military bandage neatly around it several times, finally tying a firm, neat knot.
The whole process was fast, accurate and steady, without any delay.
After doing all this, he let go of her hand, threw the used cotton pads into the trash can, and closed the first aid kit.
Su Wanqing stared blankly at her finger, which was neatly bandaged. The white bandage was neat and tidy, and the bleeding had completely stopped. She looked up at him again.
Huo Tingxiao had already stepped back, regaining his cold, aloof demeanor. He glanced at the bloodstains on the countertop, his brow still slightly furrowed, but his tone was much calmer: "Clean it up."
After saying that, he stopped looking at her, turned around, and strode out of the kitchen.
Su Wanqing stood there, listening to his footsteps fade away. He might be going upstairs, or maybe he was returning to the study.
She lowered her head and looked at the neat bandage knot on her finger. Her fingertips seemed to still retain the rough and warm touch of his fingertips just now, as well as the brief but extremely clear closeness when he lowered his head and concentrated on treating the wound.
this……
What is this?
He was scolding her harshly for an injured puppy one moment, and then personally bandaging her cut finger the next?
What kind of person is he? Why is he so contradictory? So elusive?
Beneath that cold shell, is there also an extremely rare, insignificant glimmer of humanity... perhaps one that even he himself has not noticed?
The sudden and extremely brief contact stirred up a very subtle ripple in Su Wanqing's heart, which even she herself could not identify.
She walked to the sink and silently cleaned the blood off the countertop.
The sound of running water is loud.
She raised her hand and looked at the white bandage, and her cold but focused profile as he lowered his head seemed to flash before her eyes again.
The first glimmer of light?
Perhaps it was just an illusion of moonlight reflected from the iceberg.
She shook her head and suppressed the inappropriate throbbing.
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