12. Snow in a silver bowl
◎Cannot be settled evenly◎
This was the first time Shang Xinuan had seen Li Xiran like this; he was completely different from his usual refined and cultured self.
His hand gripped her wrist and elbow, fierce and wicked. His raised eyebrows seemed to scream that she couldn't escape.
This was the first time in her life that the young lady had been treated so rudely.
No matter how much she struggled, he seemed to be deliberately going against her.
Not to mention his subsequent verbal provocations.
We're even, nothing's settled.
The flames in Shang Xinuan's eyes burned even more fiercely, and her brows furrowed even more tightly. In the gradual tug-of-war, her last bit of patience was worn away, and so her uncontrollable anger could only be expressed through action.
A loud slap echoed through the lounge.
She stared intently at Li Xiran, as if she had suffered a great injury, her eyes brimming with tears, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
In addition, Shang Xinuan was still recovering, and this pulling made her already haggard face even paler.
The lonely, frail girl was as fragile as a sheet of paper. Beneath her fluttering eyelashes, as tears rolled down her cheeks, her last shred of strength crumbled.
"Get out!" she shouted with almost all her might, her eyes filled with resentment and anger.
Li Xiran probably didn't expect to provoke her so directly. He didn't care about the slap he had received, and quickly relaxed his grip to check her wrist. "Nuan Nuan, I'm sorry."
"Did I hurt you?" He had never seen her so furious before, and even when he wanted to coax the little girl, he couldn't find the right amount of force.
"Don't touch me!" the young lady growled pitifully, her entire chest trembling violently. "Open the door!"
At this moment, the knocking on the door intensified, and even Yu Jiayue's roar could be heard.
The moment Li Xiran turned the lock, Qiao Xi and Ruan Songyi rushed in, hugging Shang Xinuan and trying to comfort her.
Yu Jiayue stood directly in front of Li Xiran, grabbing his collar and glaring angrily, "Bastard, what did you do to Nuannuan!"
Li Xiran was equally defiant, pulling Yu Jiayue's hand away and replying lightly, "You're not qualified to talk to me like that."
As he spoke, Yu Jiayue was about to rush forward again.
Jiang Xiangzhuo, fearing the two would fight, fiercely protected Yu Jiayue and stood in the middle to break them up.
"That's enough, how childish. Can't you see that Nuannuan is the one who's suffering the most?" Qiao Xi turned around amidst the argument, her eyes red-rimmed.
The two then stopped, and the lounge returned to silence.
The young lady leaned against Qiao Xi's chest, her eyes filled with sorrow.
The disheveled chestnut hair accentuated her frail and sickly appearance.
She looked away, not even wanting to glance at Li Xiran.
While waiting for their flight, the five of them sat together.
Li Xiran was unusually isolated on the other side; if he made the slightest move, Yu Jiayue would get up on alert.
The young lady was completely exhausted and lay down on her side, closing her eyes for a light sleep.
The silence was broken again by Li Xiran's phone ringing. He got up and went outside.
Shang Xinuan then slightly opened her eyes and could see his clothes swaying on the door frame.
Because we weren't far away, we could hear what he was saying.
"It's good that the contract was signed smoothly. You can stay a little longer and then come back."
"Nuan Nuan... is very angry."
"So I'm staying here with her for now."
Upon hearing that he wanted to come with her, the young lady frowned, and tears welled up again beneath her long, thick eyelashes.
Even a faint slurping sound came from his throat.
At this point, an announcement was made that boarding for first-class passengers had begun.
Having learned from the security check experience, Yu Jiayue walked ahead of Shang Xin Nuan this time.
Qiao Xi pushed her, while Ruan Songyi and Jiang Xiangzhuo were responsible for blocking Li Xiran at the back.
But as soon as her wheelchair stopped in front of the cabin door, Li Xiran's innate and powerful sense of oppression enveloped her.
Before anyone could react, Shang Xinuan had already been swept up in his arms.
The flight attendant ahead reacted quickly, clearing a path for the two of them. "Sir, this way."
Because the passageway was narrow, she could not struggle.
Anger flashed in his eyes again. "Li Xiran, don't go too far!"
He ignored her and walked straight to the seat the flight attendant pointed to, placed her in the window seat, fastened her seatbelt, and adjusted the seat.
His movements were fluid and natural, as if he had taken care of her a thousand times.
Then, he sat down beside her, took out a blanket, and covered her with it.
“I know you’re angry.” Li Xiran straightened his posture, leaned forward, and straightened the edge of the blanket for her. “And you don’t want to hear any explanation from me.”
"But let me come along. If you suddenly want to listen, even if you want to yell at me, I hope you can watch me vent your anger."
The person who met her eyes was as gentle as ever, and his voice was even lower and more magnetic than before, carrying apology and weariness, as if knocking on the tightly closed door of her heart.
The young lady's eyebrows twitched, and she snatched the blanket from his hand, saying irritably, "Who wants to see you?"
At this moment, Qiao Xi stood next to Li Xiran, nudged his arm, pointed to the spot, and said, "This is my seat."
Li Xiran turned slightly and pointed to the most spacious seat in first class, "That's yours."
Qiao Xi was about to speak when his gaze silenced her. She turned away dejectedly and sat down in the head seat, glancing back every few steps.
"Shameless." The young lady gritted her teeth and squeezed out the two words, then put her sunglasses back on and turned her head to the window.
"Rogue? This is the first time I've heard someone describe me like that." He wasn't annoyed at all, and even continued shamelessly, "Although it's not a good word, it sounds much nicer coming from Nuannuan's mouth."
"Neuropathy!"
Is there anything else?
"Li Xiran, is this interesting?"
"Yeah, as long as you keep talking to me, even if I get a few scoldings, it's quite interesting."
Shang Xinuan bit her lip and fell completely silent.
In fact, in the past, she was the one who took the initiative to start conversations when the two of them got along.
Li Xiran is busy with work, so she has to rack her brains to choose activities that don't take up too much of his time but are enough for him to participate in.
Although he always readily agreed, he never quite kept his promises.
Scenes like this, where he humbly flatters others, are extremely rare.
Not to mention, he took the initiative to stay by her side every step of the way.
He remained unperturbed no matter how much she scolded or hit him.
He even continued to joke with her and try to make her happy.
But the more the young lady compared it to the past, the more aggrieved she felt.
It's like an autumn fan, a winter mat, a late autumn wind, and a belated rain.
Out of step with the times, yet sincere in feeling, it reveals a tragic and ruthless side.
-
The flight attendants completed their final inspection, accompanied by announcements from the control tower and the captain.
The plane began to taxi slowly until it took off.
For Shang Xinuan, the feeling of weightlessness still torments her body, which has not fully recovered.
The lingering, bone-deep pain caused by the spiraling ascent made her groan in agony.
Li Xiran went to check on her immediately, "Nuan Nuan?"
The young lady didn't even bother to respond to him, biting her lips until they turned white.
Only after the cold sweat on my body subsided did I finally feel like I had survived takeoff.
"You're in so much pain, why aren't you staying in Yijing to recover?" Li Xiran pulled out a tissue and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "You don't care about your health at all."
Shang Xinuan took a long breath, her voice still trembling slightly. But the words she spoke were like knives, stabbing straight into his heart: "I returned to Shanghai to get some answers, and now I'm trying to forget those answers."
Li Xiran understood the unspoken message perfectly, yet he remained calm and composed, replying, "Then let's forget about it. Let's start over."
Feeling like she was punching cotton, the young lady became even angrier.
He used to be the most silent one, but seeing him now is like being at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang.
The various murals were an eye-opener.
Out of sight, out of mind, she reclined her chair and closed her eyes to catch up on some sleep.
Seeing that she was really uncomfortable, Li Xiran stopped bothering her.
The cabin fell into a deep, slumbering silence in the afternoon.
Li Xiran was not asleep. He took out his iPad from his bag and began to browse through the annotated documents.
In the dimly lit cabin, only his face was illuminated by a faint light.
The dark circles under his tired eyes were clearly visible, a result of staying up late for a long time.
Only when he was alone did his face reveal a somber and weary expression.
The plane then steadily ascended to its cruising altitude, and the flight attendants began distributing afternoon snacks.
The cabin became lively again. Shang Xinuan took off her sunglasses, yawned, and then, thinking of the person sitting next to her, she became listless again.
"Nuan Nuan, remember to take your medicine." Qiao Xi got up from her seat and brought her medicine bag as she walked around the restroom.
But before she could catch it, Li Xiran took it first.
The young lady glared at him and gestured for him to return the medicine packet to her.
To her surprise, Li Xiran directly rubbed her palm with his hand and said, "Hmm, it's warm, so it doesn't seem cold."
Shang Xinuan pulled her hand away, snatched the medicine packet, and muttered "rogue" under her breath.
The person who had just looked tired now looked much more cheerful, and said to the flight attendant with a smile, "Excuse me, a glass of warm water."
Li Xiran's appearance is absolutely attractive to women, with gentle eyebrows and eyes, and a touch of British gentlemanly charm.
The flight attendants couldn't help but glance at him a few more times. Seeing that he first handed Shang Xinuan a cup of warm water, he then took the initiative to ask, "Sir, what do you need?"
As the young lady placed the pills one by one into the bottle cap, she glanced to the side out of the corner of her eye.
Just then, Li Xiran tilted his head, watching her intently as she broke the medicine.
Shang Xinuan said irritably, "Look, look, is it really that good-looking?"
These words weren't directed at the flight attendant, but rather at her annoyance at Li Xiran staring at her.
Because she had her nails done, she couldn't pry the pills off the blister pack no matter what she tried.
"Could you please give me a glass of warm water too?" Li Xiran took it and then reached out to snatch the stubborn medicine board from her hand. "Pretty girl, don't be so irritable."
As soon as he finished speaking, he opened the pill and put it into the special bottle cap.
"Stop making a fuss, or you'll choke."
"It's clearly you who's making a scene."
"Okay, okay, I was just being silly."
His voice was gentle and indulgent, and after he said that, it really came across as her making a fuss.
The flight attendants nearby laughed, thinking of saying something on behalf of their distinguished customer, "Your husband has such a good temper."
The young lady was so angry her chest ached. "We're not in that kind of relationship."
The flight attendant, who looked to be around forty years old, was the chief purser of the flight. "Hmm, you can tell they're a young couple about to get married. He must have upset you."
Li Xiran raised an eyebrow, offering no explanation, and instead asked with a sincere expression, "Do you have any good methods to help me get her forgiveness?"
"Sir, then I suggest you use your sincerity; you'll surely win over your wife's heart."
The young lady choked on her water, and Li Xiran didn't even have time to reply. He quickly patted her back and said, "I really won't tease you anymore. Take your medicine properly."
The flight attendant smiled and pushed the cart away.
At this moment, the plane encountered strong turbulence and began to shake.
The captain's announcement also came on at the same time.
The pain in Shang Xinuan's body spread again.
This is different from weightlessness; it is accompanied by palpitations and eardrums starting to swell.
As if sensing her obvious anxiety, Li Xiran reached out his hand for her to hold.
The young lady clenched her fists tightly, stubborn as ever.
But he wouldn't let go; he insisted on holding her hand.
Shang Xinuan initially resisted, but in the end, she lost to the disparity in strength between men and women and was unable to break free from his grasp.
The young lady, of course, wouldn't stay still. She stared straight into his eyes and deliberately pinched the back of his hand with her long fingernails.
Nail art adorned with pearls and diamonds is excruciatingly painful when it digs into your skin.
She could hear Li Xiran hissing in pain, but he wouldn't let go. He even had the leisure to ask, "Does it still hurt?"
The young lady's attention was completely diverted by him, and she no longer noticed the pain.
But looking at his hand again, there was a long, bloody welt, shocking to the eye, with blood still oozing out.
"Li Xiran, are you sick?"
She had already let go of his hand, but he insisted on continuing to hold her hand, and deliberately raised his arm slightly so that she could see the bloodstain more clearly.
“I also want to ask myself why I didn’t wake up sooner. Now, I’m really reaping what I sowed.” Li Xiran’s deep pupils were filled with an alluring pity. “Nuan Nuan, please don’t feel sorry for me.”
Shang Xinuan's guilt vanished instantly because of these words. "Li Xiran, did you learn these words from the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang?"
"What's the meaning?"
"So outdated and unsophisticated."
The flight attendant returned and saw that the atmosphere between the two had eased slightly.
She even smiled and nodded in greeting, saying, "Sir, your girlfriend doesn't seem like the type of girl who likes smooth talk, so the way you originally attracted her is the best approach."
Shang Xinuan raised her head and said again with utmost solemnity, "I am not his girlfriend!"
The flight attendant probably realized that she was really angry, so she stopped talking and only asked Li Xiran, "Sir, your hand is badly injured."
Li Xiran shook his head, "It's alright. If you have any disinfectant, please let me use it."
The flight attendant quickly brought over iodine swabs and bandages. She first glanced at Shang Xinuan, who was standing next to her with a disdainful look, before asking, "Do you need my help?"
Li Xiran subconsciously followed the flight attendant's gaze and glanced at her beside him. The young lady immediately bristled, "What does this have to do with me! Do I even know you?"
Qiao Xi turned around, unbuckled her seatbelt, and stepped forward. "I'll do it, I'll do it. I know him, he's my uncle."
-
After a brief incident, the plane prepared to land.
Li Xiran put away his injured hand and handed over the other one, saying, "Do you want to grab this one too, to distract yourself?"
The young lady rolled her eyes at him and put her sunglasses on tightly.
However, upon landing, the pain in my body was inexplicably reduced.
Once the plane has come to a complete stop, the flight attendants will first pull back the curtains in the first-class cabin.
Li Xiran was sitting right next to her this time, so he wouldn't give Yu Jiayue and Qiao Xi any chance at all.
When they were about to come and pick her up, Li Xiran had already picked her up again.
As they passed the cabin door, the flight attendant in charge of their first-class cabin smiled even more broadly, "Sir, Madam, welcome back next time. Goodbye."
Shang Xinuan bit her lip tightly, then looked at Li Xiran, whose gentle eyes were filled with a smug smile.
This made her already pale complexion even worse.
"Is it that funny?" The young lady was still as fiery as a spicy chili pepper.
Li Xiran's smile remained unchanged as he stared into her eyes, replying in a soft, tender voice, "Very beautiful."
A note from the author:
It's clear that Li Xiran, who is learning to pursue his wife for the first time, is still quite inexperienced.
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