Chapter 18 The Real Peach Butt
After Wendy left, Su Cheng opened the insulated bag that was completely out of character for Jiang Muzhou.
The neatly peeled prawns, the glistening stir-fried pork, and the tender, bright green stir-fried lettuce—each of these was one of her favorite dishes—were now mixed together in a chaotic mess.
Su Cheng was slightly surprised. Did he come here specifically to bring her food?
For a moment, joy and disbelief were intertwined in her heart.
Su Cheng cleaned up the spilled food and put it in the trash can, then quickly rinsed the insulated bag and lunchbox.
The door to the debridement room was slowly pushed open, and the turbulent emotions collapsed into a sense of peace the moment their eyes met.
Her gaze fell on the arm wrapped in gauze, and she leaned closer to Jiang Muzhou, "How are you? Does it hurt?"
He raised his chin and shrugged. "Are you kidding? A real man wouldn't be afraid of pain, would he?"
Su Cheng chuckled, dismissing her mischievous urge to poke at his wounds. After all, he was injured while protecting her, and she couldn't repay kindness with enmity.
"Do I need to get a tetanus shot?"
Su Cheng turned her head to look at him. He wore a white printed cotton T-shirt under a distressed denim vest, which partially revealed the lines of his collarbone. His straight-leg cropped trousers exposed his slender ankles, a casual style that was rarely seen on him.
It was an extremely ordinary outfit, but he made it look like it had the elegance of a haute couture runway.
It's not that clothes make the man; it's clearly that clothes make the man in his case.
Jiang Muzhou nodded slightly, a barely perceptible hint of tension flashing in his eyes.
He took out the prescription from the doctor from his pocket and handed it to Su Cheng, "Could you help me get the medicine?"
Su Cheng gave an OK sign and patted her chest eagerly, "I'm happy to serve you."
Compared to deserted shopping malls, hospital corridors are always crowded.
She queued for almost fifteen minutes, her calves aching, before finally receiving two light boxes of cephalosporin through the glass window.
The escalator slowly ascended, and two nurses stood in front of Su Cheng, chatting about gossip.
"That young man in the denim jacket in the ER? I almost couldn't hold back when I gave him a tetanus shot." The older nurse held the syringe and iodine she had just received, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "The moment the syringe was taken out, all the veins on the back of his hand bulged out."
Triggered by the keyword, Su Cheng unconsciously leaned forward, pricked up her ears to eavesdrop.
"Tetanus shot? Does that mean I have to take off my clothes..." The young nurse suddenly lowered her voice.
The older nurse uttered four words meaningfully: "A peach-shaped butt."
The young nurse laughed heartily, "I even made eye contact with him. His eyes were red, like he'd been bullied. He was such a pitiful little puppy."
Su Cheng was so engrossed in listening that she didn't notice she had already walked past the emergency room until someone called her name, at which point she stopped.
That's the real deal when it comes to peach buttocks.
Su Cheng's face turned yellow, and her cheeks flushed.
Jiang Muzhou propped himself up on his leg and leaned against the wall.
My injured arm was stitched up, and the anesthesia hadn't completely worn off, so it didn't hurt much.
But the injection in his buttocks had such a strong aftereffect that he couldn't sit down at all, and the soreness made it impossible for him to sit down.
He has been afraid of the feeling of a thick needle piercing his muscle since he was a child. He deliberately sent Su Cheng away just now because he didn't want her to see his embarrassing state of fear.
Recalling the image of the nurse pushing the plunger and the clear liquid gushing from the needle, he couldn't help but shudder.
Upon seeing Su Cheng, Jiang Muzhou's tense brows softened instantly, and he subtly adopted a wronged expression, his voice softening slightly: "My legs are numb, could you help me up?"
Su Cheng quickly gathered the medicine bag and the insulated bag into her elbow and stepped forward to support his arm with both hands.
The moment her fingers touched his arm, she felt his body temperature, which was slightly higher than hers.
The air conditioning in the corridor was clearly on full blast, yet a thin layer of sweat seeped from her back.
Suppressing her wildly beating heart, she obediently played the role of a human crutch.
The two moved slowly toward the front door in a bizarre conjoined twin posture, attracting the attention of many people along the way.
Half of his weight was on her, and his forearm was almost completely pressed against her.
Su Cheng felt the burning sensation on her face intensify.
Where their skin touched, it felt like tiny electric currents were passing through them, stirring the restless heart in their chests in waves.
She took a deep breath and suddenly smelled the crisp scent of cedar.
Did he change his perfume?
Compared to the coolness of mint, the calm and gentle cedar is indeed more suitable for him.
As she walked out of the hospital, the sky was once again tinged with the glow of sunset, even more dazzling than the photo Jiang Muzhou had edited for her.
Not needing to walk for the time being, Su Cheng quietly let go of the hand that was supporting her.
A wave of heat exceeding 30 degrees Celsius hit her face, yet she inexplicably felt cooler than when she was indoors.
The strap of the lunch bag gently slipped down to Su Cheng's wrist.
Thinking of the meal he had carefully prepared, she felt a pang of guilt. He probably wouldn't be able to continue his hobby of cooking anytime soon.
"Are you hungry?" Su Cheng smiled, her eyes sparkling. "How about I treat you to hot pot?"
"You're willing to have dinner with me now?" Jiang Muzhou crossed his arms and deliberately dragged out the sound. "I thought you were avoiding me."
I am definitely avoiding you.
Su Cheng silently agreed in her heart, but dared not say it aloud.
"No, that's not true. I was just feeling a bit unwell a few days ago." She looked down at the tips of her shoes, where a small dent had been made by the edge of the iron cage on her round-toed leather shoes.
That heavy cage slammed down on his back; how much pain must he have felt?
She clutched the hem of her clothes and whispered, "Consider it an apology for hurting you."
Jiang Muzhou didn't speak, but simply gestured with his chin forward, indicating that she should lead the way.
The setting sun cast a long shadow, just long enough to cover his petite figure in front of him.
Su Cheng stopped after taking a few steps, turned around, and her gaze lingered on his legs. "Are your legs still numb? Can you walk by yourself?"
Recalling the burning heat of his body she had just touched while helping him up, her ears burned, and she timidly lowered her head, saying, "You...you're a bit heavy."
"You can walk now." Jiang Muzhou followed behind her, watching the sunset paint the tips of her ears red.
He pressed the tip of his tongue against his cheek, his tone tinged with helplessness, "It's clearly because you haven't been eating properly these past two days that you've lost weight again."
Su Cheng looked down at the navigation; the hot pot restaurant wasn't far, only a ten-minute walk away.
"It's a very popular Chaoshan hot pot restaurant recently. I see you really like beef."
She looked up at the traffic light. "Lin Yang finally managed to get this spot, but he's still at the police station giving a statement and can't make it in time. He told us not to waste it."
Jiang Muzhou raised an eyebrow with interest. What was Lin Yang up to now?
Rivals in love should be extremely hostile to each other, but he took the initiative to step down. Does this mean he knew when to back down?
The hot pot restaurant is located on Linda Back Street, and it's always packed on weekend evenings, with long queues stretching onto the sidewalk.
Stepping up the creaking wooden stairs, you'll find a hidden gem on the second floor.
Dozens of red lanterns hung scattered from the ceiling, their warm yellow light illuminating the Chaoshan Yingge dance masks, the painted faces strung together by silk threads to form a flowing curtain.
A waiter in a blue cloth shirt parted the beaded curtain and led them to a small table by the window.
Through the glass, you can see rows of lush sycamore trees next to the north gate of the university.
Su Cheng tapped the order code on the corner of the table, looking smug: "Go all out! Miss Su will be paying for everything tonight."
The beef bone broth pot was bubbling away, and the aroma of steaming beef mixed with the salty and savory flavor of satay sauce kept wafting into my nose.
The waiters brought out the hot pot ingredients they ordered one after another: freshly sliced beef tenderloin, beef brisket, and handmade beef tendon balls, all of which are the restaurant's signature dishes.
Seeing Jiang Muzhou's injured right hand, Su Cheng volunteered, "You sit here and relax, I'll go and get the seasoning for you."
"Let me show you a secret weapon, a family recipe I found online. It was passed down from the blogger's ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend to the ex-boyfriend, then to the blogger, then to the current boyfriend, who can even make it for his next girlfriend." She proudly presented it, her eyelashes fluttering. "Now I'm passing it on to you, all sparkling and beautiful."
She ran excitedly to the small food counter, her hair tied up high, revealing her fair neck.
Jiang Muzhou rested his chin on his hand, his gaze following the swaying ponytail as he carefully savored her words.
This seasoning recipe sounds like it's only taught to partners.
With his right hand restricted by gauze, he instinctively tried to use his left hand to pick up the chopsticks.
On second thought, his left hand, which had been suspended in mid-air, quietly withdrew.
Ever since she bumped into Zhang Xiwen at the entrance of the residential area a few days ago, Su Cheng seems to be deliberately avoiding him.
Their relationship is like a promotion where you get 20 off for every 100 you spend; it makes a little progress, but then it quickly regresses.
He reflected on whether his actions last time had crossed the line and angered her.
Having no dating experience, he was caught in a dilemma. He was afraid that his advances would be too aggressive and annoy her, but he was also worried that he was too reserved and someone else would beat him to it.
Love is too complicated. It only takes a moment to fall in love with someone, but it takes a lifetime to love someone.
So a few days ago, he took the opportunity of making a documentary about Chen Siqi's marriage proposal to humbly seek advice from this senior.
The so-called "strength" means showcasing your advantages so that others can genuinely appreciate your abilities and qualities.
The so-called "weakness" means to show weakness appropriately, so that the other party will feel pity and can't help but care about you.
The so-called "reversal" means creating contrast, occasionally deviating from the norm, and making the other party feel that you are particularly interesting.
Su Cheng returned with two bowls of prepared dipping sauces: satay sauce as a base, mixed with beef sauce and oil, topped with half a spoonful of sesame sauce, and finally garnished with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds.
“Injured people should avoid spicy and stimulating foods, so you’ll have to make do with this castrated version of the seasoning.” She handed Jiang Muzhou the bowl that was deliberately left without scallions, ginger, or garlic. “I’ll make you the authentic version once you’ve recovered.”
Jiang Muzhou silently memorized these words.
This is clearly an unspoken agreement between the two of them.
The promise to have hot pot together next time.
She skillfully placed the freshly sliced brisket into a slotted spoon to cook it, then dipped it in a special sauce and ate it with great relish.
This restaurant truly lived up to its reputation; the meat was firm and lean without being dry.
She wanted to try some other dishes and reached for the plate of diced pork, but then she heard a "clatter" as Jiang Muzhou's chopsticks fell onto the table. His injured right hand seemed to have completely lost control of the chopsticks.
Jiang Muzhou lowered his eyes, looking dejected. "I tried several times just now, but the chopsticks kept slipping off."
Looking at the wound wrapped in gauze, Su Cheng recalled the cut that had run from her forearm to the back of her hand, with the skin turned inside out and blood gushing out. An indescribable pain welled up in her heart.
It turns out that people really can feel pain for another person's pain.
She gazed at him, mustered her courage, and said, "Jiang Muzhou, let me take care of you."
A note from the author:
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