Chapter 49 When will these two stop bickering?
"elder sister!"
Lin Xingche's pupils contracted sharply. Without thinking, he turned to the side, slamming his back against the slide wall. The immense impact made his chest tighten and a metallic taste rose in his throat, but his grip on Su Jiaojiao remained firm, protecting her tightly in his arms.
The raft rocked violently a few times before finally stabilizing.
Sliding slowly with the current to the finish line pool
Su Jiaojiao, still shaken, looked up and met Lin Xingche's eyes, which were straining to hold back his pain. Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on the boy's forehead, his face was almost translucent white, even his lips were pale. Only the arm holding her remained taut.
"Xingche! How are you?"
She quickly supported his swaying body, her voice filled with barely concealed anxiety.
Lin Xingche gritted his teeth and forced out a reassuring smile.
Her voice, however, carried an undeniable tremor:
"I'm fine, sister, it doesn't hurt at all..."
Afraid of worrying Su Jiaojiao, he swallowed the cry of pain that was about to come out, but the pain in his back grew more and more intense, like countless needles pricking him, making his body tremble slightly.
How could Su Jiaojiao not see that he was putting on a brave face?
She frowned and reached out to lift the hem of his T-shirt:
"Don't push yourself, let me check how badly you're injured."
No, no, no!
Lin Xingche hurriedly grabbed her hand, his ears instantly turning bright red, and even his neck flushed a light red. He even stammered a little.
"Sister! No, no..."
Looking at his flustered and helpless appearance, and then at the stubbornness he was putting on despite his pale face, Su Jiaojiao's eyes flashed with a hint of a smile, but her tone was teasing:
"What? Now you know how to be reserved? You even know that men and women shouldn't touch each other?"
She reached out and gently poked his sweaty cheek.
"When you were protecting me just now, why didn't you avoid suspicion?"
Lin Xingche's cheeks flushed at her words, his eyes darting around, unable to meet her gaze, yet his hands remained tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, as he stammered:
"That's different..."
He had already cursed Lu Jinyuan a thousand times in his heart.
That ruthless man! He clearly harbored resentment because Su Jiaojiao had secretly thrown the surprise necklace Su Jiaojiao was planning to give her into the sea, and that's why he used the slide's mechanism to plot against him.
Lin Xingche also knew that no matter how much Lu Jinyuan hated him, he would never let Jiaojiao suffer the slightest harm. The impact just now, though seemingly dangerous, precisely avoided every angle that Su Jiaojiao might touch—Lu Jinyuan wanted him injured, wanted him to lose face in front of Su Jiaojiao, but he would never touch the "Jiaojiao" he cherished most.
The pain in his back grew clearer, and Lin Xingche swayed, but stubbornly kept his clothes on, staring longingly at Su Jiaojiao, his voice softening:
"Sister, I'm really okay. Let's get ashore first, okay?"
Seeing his reddened eyes, Su Jiaojiao ultimately didn't insist any further.
She simply sighed helplessly, took his arm, and walked towards the shore, her tone carrying an undeniable certainty:
"You must show me your wounds after we get ashore, otherwise..."
She deliberately dragged out her words, watching Lin Xingche's face tense up instantly.
I couldn't help but smile.
In a secluded corner at the other end of the slide, Lu Jinyuan withdrew his gaze, his fingertips casually stroking his phone screen.
His thin lips curved slightly, but his eyes held no warmth.
He was lucky to survive; he protected people.
Next time, it won't be so easy.
…
The wind carrying moisture from the shore made Lin Xingche's back injury ache even more, causing him to gasp and his face to palen further.
Su Jiaojiao helped him sit on a bench in the rest area, showing no intention of giving up as he wished, and reached out to pull at the hem of his T-shirt:
"Stop arguing, this injury needs to be treated today."
Lin Xingche tried to dodge, but Su Jiaojiao quickly grabbed his shoulder. The girl's fingertips carried a cool temperature that seeped through the thin fabric, making him stiffen and lose all strength to struggle.
The corner of her T-shirt was lifted up, revealing a large area of reddened skin on her lower back, along with a noticeable bruise, which made Su Jiaojiao's brows furrow instantly.
"You've been hit like this, and you still say you're fine?"
Her voice was filled with heartache as she gently touched the edge of the bruise with her fingertips.
The movements were extremely light.
Lin Xingche's body trembled violently. The pain in his back, mixed with the touch of the girl's fingertips, made his eyes redden, but he still gritted his teeth, his voice muffled:
"It really doesn't hurt... don't worry, sister."
Su Jiaojiao ignored him, took out the ointment she carried with her, unscrewed the cap, squeezed out a little, rubbed it between her fingertips, and carefully applied it to his bruises.
The ointment had a cool, minty scent, which slightly relieved the burning sensation.
Lin Xingche squinted comfortably, but the tips of his ears were so red they almost bled. The resentment he felt towards Lu Jinyuan was somewhat diluted by this moment of tenderness.
Just then, a cold, deep voice came from behind.
"You applied it in the wrong place; the worst bruising is below the shoulder blade."
Su Jiaojiao turned around and saw Lu Jinyuan standing not far away, holding a bottle of imported liniment for bruises and sprains. The chill around him had dissipated somewhat, but his gaze was fixed on Lin Xingche's back, carrying an undisguised mockery.
Upon hearing this voice, Lin Xingche reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, turning around abruptly to glare at him.
"Lu Jinyuan! You dare to come here again!"
If it weren't for the pain in my body...
He now desperately wanted to rush up and fight this sinister man.
Lu Jinyuan ignored him and walked straight to Su Jiaojiao, handing her the medicine. His voice softened, a stark contrast to his previous coldness.
"Jiaojiao, use this, it reduces swelling quickly and leaves no scars."
His gaze swept over Lin Xingche's flushed ears, a barely perceptible glint of darkness flashing in his eyes.
This lesson was too lenient on him.
If it weren't for Jiaojiao's sake, the fact that he threw away that necklace wouldn't have been resolved with just a bump.
Su Jiaojiao took the medicine and looked at the ordinary ointment in her hand.
She glanced at the imported medicine Lu Jinyuan had handed her, then looked up at him:
"You knew this would happen?"
Lu Jinyuan didn't deny it, but simply reached out to tidy her wind-blown hair, his fingertips brushing against her cheek with a tender gentleness.
I won't let you get hurt in the slightest.
These words were meant for Su Jiaojiao, but also for Lin Xingche.
Lin Xingche was trembling with anger, but could only watch helplessly as Su Jiaojiao took Lu Jinyuan's medicine and reapplied it to his wounds.
The slightly cool ointment felt so good on his wound that he almost groaned, but the thought that it belonged to Lu Jinyuan made him feel so aggrieved that he wanted to cry.
After applying the medicine, Su Jiaojiao took his T-shirt down and gave him a few more instructions, such as "Don't do strenuous exercise" and "Remember to apply ice," before standing up.
Lu Jinyuan handed her a bottle of warm water at the opportune moment. Su Jiaojiao took it, drank a sip, and looked up to see the tense atmosphere between the two men. She sighed helplessly.
When will these two stop fighting?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com