Chapter 44 The moment when my heart beats faster
That dinner at the "Jinglu" restaurant, like an unreal dream, left an indelible mark on Su Wanqing's heart. Huo Tingxiao's clumsy yet steadfast defense, his silent yet meticulous arrangements, his seemingly casual yet thoughtful ordering... every detail replayed in her mind, stirring the tranquil surface of the lake and creating ripples that would be difficult to calm.
She began observing him more closely, trying to detect any subtle warmth beneath his cold exterior. She discovered that he was still leaving early and returning late, still as quiet as ever, but subtle changes were quietly taking place: he no longer discarded his military uniform in a corner, but placed it in a designated laundry basket; he occasionally finished the soup she made, though he never commented; and once, she even noticed that the design books she had placed in her study seemed to have been flipped through...
These discoveries made her heart beat strangely, with both anticipation and fear. She hoped that there might really be a warm current flowing beneath the ice, but she was also afraid that all this was just her over-interpretation and wishful thinking.
It was the weekend, and Huo Tingxiao, a rare exception, stayed in his study all morning, processing documents. After lunch, he didn't return to his study immediately. Instead, he sat on the sofa in the living room, flipping through a military journal. Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a soft shadow on his hard-edged profile, making him look less fierce and more relaxed, more at home.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Su Wanqing hesitated for a moment. Instead of going straight back to her bedroom or study as usual, she sat down on the sofa on the other side of the living room, picked up a half-finished book, and pretended to read. Her heart, however, was beating uncontrollably, slightly faster, as if she were about to do something daring.
The two of them sat in silence, each sitting on their own side, save for the subtle rustle of pages turning and the occasional chirping of birds outside the window. The atmosphere wasn't awkward, but rather a strange, tranquil harmony.
Su Wanqing secretly raised her eyes and quickly glanced at him. He was concentrating on the journal, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he had seen something worth pondering. His fingertips unconsciously tapped the armrest of the sofa. His focused expression and relaxed posture made her heart inexplicably soften.
She hurriedly lowered her head to hide her slightly hot cheeks and forced herself to focus back on the book.
Time flows slowly in silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Wanqing felt thirsty. She put down her book and stood up to get a glass of water. As she passed the tea table, her eyes accidentally swept over the teacup next to Huo Tingxiao and found it was empty.
Almost on a subconscious impulse, she stopped and asked softly, "Sir, would you like more tea?"
Huo Tingxiao looked up from his journal and gave her a blank look, seemingly still caught up in his thoughts. Then, he came to his senses, his gaze falling on the empty cup, and nodded slightly, "Hmm."
Su Wanqing's heartbeat inexplicably quickened upon receiving his permission. She picked up the teapot, walked over to him, leaned forward slightly, and carefully poured hot water into his cup. Her movements were a little nervous, afraid that the water would splash out.
Huo Tingxiao didn't look at her, his gaze returning to the journal as if it was just a trivial matter.
However, just as Su Wanqing finished pouring the water and was about to stand up, an accident happened!
She tripped over something, perhaps the wrinkles in the carpet, or perhaps her nervousness caused her to lose her balance. She stumbled and the teapot in her hand fell out of her hand and fell towards Huo Tingxiao!
"Ah!" Su Wanqing screamed, her face turned pale instantly!
Everything happened in a flash!
Seeing that the teapot filled with hot water was about to hit Huo Tingxiao, Su Wanqing closed her eyes in fear, her heart filled with terror and regret!
However, the expected sounds of breaking and screams did not come.
Instead, there was an extremely short and suppressed groan, and a heavy, muffled sound as if something was caught firmly.
Su Wanqing opened her eyes in shock, and the scene before her completely stunned her.
Huo Tingxiao had stood up without him noticing, leaning forward slightly. With incredible speed, his left hand firmly grasped the falling teapot handle. The hot water in the pot swirled violently, but not a drop spilled! And his right hand...his right hand was tightly, even forcibly, gripping her wrist!
The moment she lost her balance, he was the first to take action, catching the teapot and holding her at the same time!
Su Wanqing was completely stunned, staring at him in amazement. His reaction was so fast! Faster than she could have imagined! It was an instinctive reaction that had been honed through countless trials and tribulations, ingrained in her bones!
Huo Tingxiao's expression was grim, his brow furrowed. His sharp gaze swept across her frightened face, then he quickly lowered his head to check the teapot in his hand, confirming that no hot water had spilled. Only then did he seem to breathe a sigh of relief. However, his right hand still did not let go of her wrist, and the grip was so strong that it made her wrist bone ache slightly.
"I'm sorry! I..." Su Wanqing came back to her senses, her cheeks flushed instantly, and she apologized incoherently, trying to pull her hand back. It was so embarrassing! She almost poured the hot water on him!
However, Huo Tingxiao didn't let go immediately. His gaze fell on her slightly red wrist, where he had gripped it so tightly in his panic. His eyes seemed to flicker, his brows furrowed even tighter, and then he suddenly let go, as if he'd been burned.
"Are you okay?" His voice was low, with a hint of imperceptible tension, his eyes still fixed on her face, as if checking whether she was injured.
"No, it's okay!" Su Wanqing hurriedly shook her head. The burning warmth and slight tingling sensation from his palm still lingered on her wrist, causing her heart to beat irregularly. She almost didn't dare to look at him. "I'm sorry, Commander. I was so careless..."
"Hmm," Huo Tingxiao replied, placing the teapot back on the coffee table with a smooth, steady movement. He sat back on the sofa and picked up the journal, but his eyes seemed unable to focus immediately, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the pages.
Su Wanqing froze in place, her cheeks burning, the skin on her wrists still seeming to burn, the air filled with an indescribable awkwardness and...subtle tension.
She glanced at him secretly and found that there seemed to be... a very faint, almost invisible blush at the base of his ears?
Is this an illusion? Or is it because of the sudden incident just now?
Her heart beat faster.
"Why are you still standing there?" Huo Tingxiao suddenly spoke, his voice returning to its usual cold and hard tone, but he didn't look up at her.
Su Wanqing felt as if she had been pardoned and woke up from a dream. She hurriedly replied, "I, I'll go clean it up..." Then she almost ran away from the living room at the same time and rushed into the kitchen.
She leaned against the cold kitchen wall, breathing heavily, one hand pressed tightly against her still-pounding chest, the other unconsciously stroking the wrist he had gripped so tightly. There, she could still feel the rough touch of his calloused palm and the unmistakable, protective strength.
In that instant just now, the speed of his reaction, the strength with which he gripped her wrist, the flash of nervousness in his eyes... every detail replayed in her mind over and over again like a slow motion.
Such a close distance, such rapid breathing, such a strong grip...
Her cheeks were getting hotter and hotter, and her heartbeat was so loud that it seemed to burst her eardrums.
It was just an accident.
It was just his instinctive reaction in a desperate situation.
He quickly let go, perhaps even a little annoyed.
She told herself this over and over again, trying to calm her out-of-control heartbeat.
However, somewhere deep down in my heart, a faint and stubborn voice whispered: He protected you. He held you in the first place instead of running away.
This realization is like a small stone thrown into the lake of the heart, causing layers of ripples that cannot be ignored.
The moment her heartbeat quickened, the moment he gripped her wrist tightly, the moment she saw his ears might turn red... it was like a frozen picture, deeply imprinted in her memory.
She knew that something was no longer the same from that moment on.
She still didn't know whether there was a warm current flowing under the ice.
But at least, the surface of the ice seemed to have cracked into a tiny but real crack due to this unexpected collision.
And through the gap, light penetrated, making her heart beat fast.
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