Chapter 29 I dare not say "hug, hug..."
"Stomachache......"
The girl's voice sounded aggrieved and fragile, which was very heartbreaking to hear.
Xing Ze quickly went down to the platform, bent down and patted her head, and asked in a low voice, "Why are you sitting here?"
Mu Tingyu shook her head and raised her eyes, which were moist with tears.
By the dim moonlight, Xing Ze could clearly see her pale face streaked with tears.
His heart clenched instantly, and he quickly reached out to wipe her tears, his voice trembling with panic: "Does it hurt a lot? Let's go back to the room, okay?"
She shook her head again, her brows furrowed, her whole body curled up, and her hands pressed hard against her abdomen.
He instinctively placed his hand on the back of her hand, intending to tell her not to use so much force, but was startled by the icy touch.
How long have you been sitting here?
She bit her lip and didn't reply.
Xing Ze frowned and said in an unquestionable tone, "Let's go back to our room."
He slipped one hand under her knees and placed the other on her waist, intending to lift her up, but his movements suddenly stopped.
Then, frowning, he slowly withdrew his hand, as if enduring something, and said in a hoarse voice, "I'll help you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Mu Tingyu reached out and hugged his neck, burying her head in the crook of his neck.
"Hug, hug..."
He caught his breath, closed his stinging eyes, and with a sudden burst of strength, lifted her up in his arms.
The girl was ice-cold all over; her knees were cold, her arms around him were cold, and her cheek against his shoulder and neck was cold.
A chill ran through his skin, making him shudder and almost freezing his breath.
He carried her steadily down the stairs, unable to hold back his scolding: "You have a stomachache and you're sitting on the stairs? Are you stupid? Why aren't you lying in bed?"
Mu Tingyu nuzzled her nose against his neck: "Didn't you say before that I could come to you for anything...?"
The girl's voice sounded aggrieved, as if she were complaining.
Xing Ze was taken aback.
He reached out and pushed open the door, took a few steps and placed her on the bed. Just as he was about to get up, he felt a force on his neck.
Mu Tingyu hugged him tightly, whispering, "Hug me, you're warm..."
He had no choice but to pick her up again, sit on the edge of the bed, and let her lean against him.
He reached for the thin blanket on the bed, wrapped her tightly in it, and then asked in a low voice, "Where's the hot water bottle?"
Mu Tingyu clung to him like a koala and pointed to the head of the bed.
This is an old-fashioned hot water bottle; the hot water it was filled with has now cooled down.
"Let go first, I'll go change the hot water bottle."
Mu Tingyu shook her head: "No."
Xing Ze looked down at her with a headache: "Be good."
"I won't listen."
Xing Ze was about to start lecturing her, but then he remembered what Xing En had said: "She'll be very vulnerable at this time, and you should give in to her every whim." So he could only helplessly wrap the blanket around her tighter.
After a while, he spoke in a low voice: "If you want to find me, why don't you come upstairs?"
Mu Tingyu curled up into a small ball and clung tightly to him.
"Huh? Why?"
"Afraid of waking me up if I'm asleep?"
There was still no movement.
"If I hadn't come downstairs, how long were you planning to sit there?"
Mu Tingyu shrank further under the covers.
Xing Ze felt a surge of anger at the thought of her pitiful, tear-streaked face, and poked her forehead: "Say something."
"Waaah," Mu Tingyu squeezed out a few tears, "It hurts so much..."
"......"
He softened his voice: "Can you bear it? Do you want to take painkillers?"
"No..." Mu Tingyu sniffed, "It will give me a stomachache if I eat it."
She kept pressing hard on her lower abdomen, as if trying to fight the pain head-on, but with little effect, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
Xing Ze felt pain all over his body and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't be so rough, let me rub it for you?"
Mu Tingyu nodded.
Through the blanket, he placed his hand on her lower abdomen and gently massaged it a few times.
He had never done anything like this before, and his movements were extremely clumsy. He also had to control his strength so as not to hurt her.
Suddenly, Mu Tingyu grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand under the covers.
Before he could react, a smooth, cool skin pressed against his palm.
"It's so warm." Mu Tingyu squinted her eyes and sighed softly.
Xing Ze realized where he was and froze.
"Give it a rub." Mu Tingyu grabbed his wrist and ordered him around.
—His fingers were almost touching the taut fabric at the edge of his trousers.
The skin beneath my hands was smooth and soft, cool to the touch, rising and falling slightly with each breath.
He took a deep breath: "...Why is it so cold? Are you cold?"
"It's not cold."
Xing Ze lowered his eyes, looking at the unsuspecting girl in his arms, his eyes as black as ink.
He moved his fingers and slowly began to move. He then grabbed a piece of paper from the bedside table and used it to wipe her sweat.
Mu Tingyu reached out and wrapped her arms around his back, scratching him a few times with her fingers, quite hard.
She let out a soft sob: "It hurts so much, how can it hurt so much?"
"May I never have menstrual cramps again in my next life..."
Xing Ze gently stroked her neck: "Does it hurt this much every month?"
"It hurts more this time..." Mu Tingyu buried her head in his chest, her voice muffled, "It's probably because I got a little chilly this afternoon..."
Xing Ze frowned, recalling that she had been surfing and playing in the water all afternoon, staying in the sea the whole time. After getting ashore, she didn't immediately take a shower or change clothes, but instead wandered around on the beach in shorts. He had reminded her several times, but she didn't listen.
Sure enough, you can't spoil her too much.
"How about we wait here for a while?" He suppressed his temper and coaxed her softly, "I'll pour you a cup of hot water, it'll make you feel better."
Mu Tingyu raised her head and nodded reluctantly.
When he returned, the girl on the bed had shrunk to a tiny size, with only a small tuft of her furry head peeking out.
He placed the water glass on the bedside table, leaned down, and touched her slightly ruffled hair: "Drink some water."
She curled up and moved, stretching her arms out from under the covers as if to hug him.
Xing Ze asked her in a low voice, "Should I sit on the bed?"
Mu Tingyu tried to straighten herself up, but still couldn't reach him. She could only wave her weak hand and beckon him softly, as if urging, "Isn't this your home?"
He smiled wryly, leaned over, and picked her up, blanket and all, and leaned her against the headboard.
Mu Tingyu naturally wrapped her arms around his waist, rubbed her head against him a few times, found a comfortable position, and then buried her face in his clothes and gently sniffed him.
Xing Ze seemed to be even cleaner than her. He would take a shower after his morning run, after cooking, and again before going to bed at night.
His skin carried the faint scent of ebony from his shower gel, and his clothes smelled of clean soap from being sun-dried. The combination, warmed by his body heat, gave off a scent that felt incredibly reassuring.
Mu Tingyu rubbed against him again, completely satisfied.
Xing Ze put his arm around her waist, raised the water glass, and brought it to her lips.
She shrank back and turned her face away.
"Take a sip." Xing Ze gently patted her waist. "The temperature is just right; it'll get cold in a bit."
Reluctantly, she turned back, took a sip from his hand, and commented, "Hot."
Xing Ze held the cup to his face to test the temperature: "Where is it hot?"
"It's hot." Mu Tingyu glanced at him and insisted, "Try drinking some if you don't believe me."
Xing Ze frowned, took a sip, and couldn't help but doubt himself: "Is it hot?"
Mu Tingyu stared straight at him, then suddenly reached out and took the cup: "It's okay, I can blow on it myself."
She obediently lowered her head and took a few sips from the rim of the cup.
Xing Ze felt a pang of tenderness in his heart at her actions, but he still said, "Why are you so delicate?"
Mu Tingyu ignored him and finished the glass of water in small sips.
She licked her lips, tilted her head back, and handed him the cup.
The lights were off inside, but the soft moonlight streamed in through the window, bathing her hair and making her lips glisten with moisture.
Xing Ze put down the water glass and turned back, just as he met her gaze.
Her eyelashes were still damp with moisture, fluttering like butterfly wings, and her eyes were glistening with tears, her gaze so pure it was almost alluring.
Xing Ze involuntarily bobbed his Adam's apple, quickly looked away, and handed her a tissue: "Wipe your tears."
"......"
Mu Tingyu stared straight at him.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Xing Ze noticed her expression and pulled back her blanket as he spoke.
She opened her eyes wide and watched as he took a hot water bottle from the side, placed it on her stomach, then pulled his hand away and wrapped her tightly in the blanket.
The hot water bottle had been refilled, and the warmth gradually seeped through my skin, warming my entire stomach.
"......"
Xing Ze asked in a low voice, "Are you feeling any better?"
"have."
She finished speaking weakly, lowered her head, hugged him again, and stopped moving.
"The brown sugar ginger tea is already warm. I'll go get it in a bit." Xing Ze patted her head. "I told you to drink more, but you still refused because you thought it was too spicy."
Mu Tingyu silently extended her finger and flicked his back.
That amount of force was no different from a tickle. Xing Ze chuckled and asked her, "Is it uncomfortable to hug like this? Does your back hurt?"
It was actually a little sour, but Mu Tingyu shook her head: "It doesn't hurt."
"Why aren't you using the pillow I brought you?" Xing Ze looked at the pillow sitting alone at the foot of the bed. "Why don't you lean against the headboard and use it as a cushion?"
"No." Mu Tingyu put a finger to his lips. "Shh, you're so annoying, don't talk."
Xing Ze never expected that he would be so kind and considerate to someone for the first time in his life, to the point that Xing En would scream that he had seen a ghost, and still be disliked by this spoiled brat.
He smiled helplessly and let her remain silent.
The room fell silent, with only the sound of their breathing mingling.
After a while, Mu Tingyu raised her head: "You've been drinking?"
"Hmm." Xing Ze lowered his eyes, his eyelashes drooping down, his eyes dim.
"You were secretly drinking behind my back," Mu Tingyu whispered reproachfully. "Why didn't you call me?"
Xing Ze smiled slightly, but did not answer. He simply pressed her head back against his chest.
Mu Tingyu didn't have the energy to argue with him for the time being, but she secretly made a mental note to settle the score with him when she was old enough to run around on her own.
The hot water bottle relieved the persistent dull pain in my lower abdomen, my hands and feet gradually warmed up, and I felt a sense of peace all over.
Sleepiness washed over her, and she closed her eyes drowsily.
Xing Ze remained motionless for a long time.
As the girl in his arms gradually calmed down, he lowered his head and gently rubbed his face against her hair.
She smelled exactly like him, and when they were close together, they were almost indistinguishable. It was so natural that he had the illusion that they were meant to be one.
This illusion took root in his heart like a wild vine, quickly coiling around his internal organs and suffocating him.
He lowered his eyes, looking at the girl in front of him who was giving him complete trust, and his throat felt a little dry.
She really took his words to heart.
That night, he hesitated for a while before making that promise.
He always thinks things through carefully, both in his work and in his life, and he has never made a decision about his entire life in a single moment.
But when he saw her tearful eyes, he knew he couldn't pretend not to see them.
All his hesitations were immediately forgotten. He couldn't wait to speak and make promises, wanting her to know that there was still someone in the world who cared about her, and that as long as she showed even a little willingness, this person would be willing to cover for her.
But he forgot whether she truly understood the weight of this.
Mu Tingyu had never been in a relationship before, and was practically a blank slate when it came to emotions. Judging from her appearance, she probably had very little contact with men, which is why she showed such a guarded attitude when she was with him, and could even sleep with him without feeling guilty.
She was so innocent; even her probing was naive yet bold, without any attempt to hide it, and she even clearly showed him the light shining in her eyes.
She might not understand what that light was, but he couldn't pretend not to.
Moreover, he had to admit that Wang Jiale's words had indeed hit a nerve.
That is—where does the dependence shown by Mu Tingyu actually originate?
Is it liking him, or... an unconscious closeness stemming from caring for and looking after him?
He dared not ask, nor dared he gamble, and so things have come to this point where there is no way to salvage the situation.
He created this situation by taking advantage of her dependence and did many outrageous things. Even though he knew she didn't understand anything, he still couldn't bear to let go of her. He enjoyed her dependence like a despicable person and even wanted the light in her eyes to always shine for him.
He felt a pang of bitterness in his heart and leaned helplessly against the headboard.
That's utterly despicable.
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