Meng Jiuyi woke up with a start and thanked him almost mechanically.
"It's all better now. I haven't had a chance to thank you yet. They told me that you saved us that night. Thank you."
Xu Yanzhi nodded. "It's what I should do."
"What were you doing there that night?" Meng Jiuyi asked.
This is an easy question to answer. Xu Yanzhi's lips curled slightly, and he said meaningfully, "Are you sure you want to talk to me about this at the door?"
Meng Jiuyi realized he'd left the man standing at the door and regretted not slapping himself on the head. He quickly invited him in.
There were pajamas she'd tried on on the sofa. She got them water and moved the pajamas to the other side to make room for him, but there were two people there. The same butler from university was with him, so Meng Jiuyi had to let him sit on a stool.
"Uncle, please sit down too."
Uncle Zhuang smiled and said, "Miss Meng, you don't need to be so polite."
The quiet hospital room didn't become more harmonious just because there were multiple butlers. He was no longer the gentle, warm figure he was in college; his refined and noble demeanor carried a hint of oppression. She didn't look at him; her eyes were lowered, her gaze fixed on the tourbillon watch strapped to his wrist.
Xu Yanzhi put down his water glass. "I happened to be passing by when I was on the phone. I only realized there was someone when I heard movement in the water. You're pretty brave."
His pointed remark left Meng Jiuyi somewhat puzzled.
"You can't even swim and you dared to jump into the lake. That place is very remote, and the probability of anyone passing by that night is extremely low. You risked your life to save someone."
He has an extremely beautiful voice, calm and gentle, like the vibrating strings of a cello, captivating the listener.
Meng Jiuyi could hear the sarcasm in his words, and perhaps even the mockery of her overestimating herself.
But if we try again, we can still be saved.
She had no other choice.
Anyone could stand by and do nothing to help the Gu family's youngest daughter. As long as they shouted a couple of times and ran to call for help, even if the little girl really drowned in the lake, no one would be blamed.
Because they are equals, neither of them has an obligation to risk their lives. But Meng Jiuyi is the only one who cannot do it; her backbone will be broken, and this girl's life debt will be added to her shoulders in the future.
However, he couldn't share these thoughts with others. Meng Jiuyi smiled shyly and said that he jumped down without thinking at the time, and he was still very scared when he thought about it now.
"By the way, Mr. Xu..."
The pause in her words made Xu Yanzhi pause slightly, and he glanced down at her.
Mr. Xu.
Years ago, he heard another kind of voice, soft and gentle, which sounded like a child being coquettish.
Call him—
Senior Brother Xu.
Xu Yanzhi waited patiently for her to finish her sentence, "What?"
Meng Jiuyi wanted to scratch her head again. How was she supposed to ask if she was already naked when they rescued her?
But if he didn't ask, this conjecture would linger in his mind forever, like planting a landmine every now and then. Meng Jiuyi was almost biting his nails with anxiety.
She repeatedly bit the soft flesh of her lips, the words swirling around in her mouth, until she finally decided to go all in.
"Well... I can actually swim a little, but that night I just couldn't move in the lake. I was wondering if I was stuck in the weeds? When you rescued me, did you notice anything in my throat?"
She thought she was poised and elegant, her polite smile impeccable, little did she know that Xu Yanzhi saw through her disguise at a glance.
He glanced at her unconsciously gripping the sofa, her lips marked with teeth, which, unlike the bloodless look of that night, resembled rose petals squeezed out and heavily smeared with juice.
Xu Yanzhi knew what she wanted to ask.
Initially, all his attention was focused on the rescue, having received professional drowning rescue training during his years in England. Xu Yanzhi was already highly skilled, but the person in front of him was a living, breathing human being, and the rescue took longer than any of his previous practice sessions—so long that cold sweat dripped from his chin, and his entire body tensed up.
Xu Yanzhi only relaxed when water came up her throat, and then held her head to turn it to the other side.
Consciousness slowly returned to its place at this moment.
Xu Yanzhi then saw that she was almost completely naked. The night was thick and a thin mist shrouded the air, which made the white skin in his arms look like pearls, and it was the most dazzling and lustrous Australian white.
It is much softer than a pearl, and the high-rising parts resemble a full stream of water.
He was pressing down on me repeatedly.
Even though he adhered to the principle of not looking at what is improper, Xu Yanzhi's gaze lingered for a few seconds due to his stagnation.
She heard Uncle Zhuang's footsteps behind her, accompanied by a puzzled question. He immediately took off his coat and wrapped it around her, then gave a command.
"stop!"
...
Xu Yanzhi didn't answer; his gaze remained fixed on her lips, as if another bite would cause them to overflow with nectar.
Meng Jiuyi lowered his eyelashes, his heart pounding wildly. Why wasn't he speaking?
Even though she couldn't match his gaze, she looked at the buttons on his shirt, but out of the corner of her eye she was sure he was looking at her. That look made her feel like a butterfly caught in a spider's web.
Could it be that she really...
"No, the lighting wasn't very good there, so I didn't pay much attention at the time. After making sure you were still breathing, I put a coat on you and then asked Uncle Zhuang to go and call someone."
His words always gave people a strange sense of conviction. Was the light not very good?
That meant he hadn't seen anything, and Meng Jiuyi was relieved.
On second thought, in a critical moment, people are busy saving lives and wouldn't pay attention to such things; she was being petty.
Uncle Zhuang whispered something in Xu Yanzhi's ear. Meng Jiuyi guessed that he might have something else to do later. Sure enough, when he saw Xu Yanzhi get up, he nodded slightly.
"Let me know if you need anything."
"Thank you again." Meng Jiuyi swallowed all the ways she wanted to express her gratitude, and said sincerely, "I hope you and Senior Sister Su get better and better."
Xu Yanzhi turned to look at her, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"have a good rest."
After everyone left, Meng Jiuyi realized that he seemed to have missed the last sentence.
What's the meaning?
Without giving her much time to think, Bonni brought Anny to the ward and confirmed that she had been wrapped up tightly since arriving at the hospital, and that both of her inner layers were still on when they changed her into her hospital gown.
"It's alright, it's an emergency, and besides, it's much more conservative than a bikini."
Meng Jiuyi was completely relieved. Fine, breast pads it is.
Just pretend you're wearing a bikini.
Unbeknownst to her, the man had just passed by them in the corridor. Anny complained that she didn't have time, but Bonni said that Miss Meng had something to ask, so she would only have to take a short while.
Upon seeing Xu Yan, the two greeted him as "Young Master." Xu Yan asked calmly.
"Is there anything you need, Miss Meng?"
Bonni confessed the truth.
She wanted to know if she had been exposed when she was brought to the hospital.
Xu Yanzhi shook his head and chuckled, unsure whether to marvel at her slow realization after all these years, or something else entirely.
“Tell her this,” he said.
The man who had never lied in over twenty years broke his rule for the first time, simply to put her at ease.
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