Chapter 10

Xi Mi had never felt like this before. Breathing was difficult, and all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart.

The burning heat on her neck left her unable to tell whether it was from the fire or her blood boiling with nervousness. Moving completely on autopilot, she took the bowl of soup and swallowed a big mouthful, burning her tongue so badly it nearly fell off.

Then she choked violently, a fiery sting searing her nasal passage and chest, setting off a fit of intense coughing.

Ying Quhe narrowed his eyes at her and reached over to pat her back. “You know how to make soup, but you don’t know how to drink it?” His tone carried a hint of mild scolding, yet his touch was soft and gentle.

Xi Mi held the bowl with her head lowered, her flushed face nearly burying itself in the soup.

After finishing the soup, they walked out along a narrow path through the dense forest. When they emerged, they were no longer on the mountain trail they had come in on. The muddy, rutted path sank beneath their weight; with every step, an entire foot would sink into the mire.

The two trudged downward with great difficulty.

The heavy mud caked on her feet had completely stripped Xi Mi of her sense of sensation. She didn’t even notice when her left shoe slipped off. By the time she realized she was missing a shoe, she looked back along the path, only to see rutted, slushy mud.

Noticing that Xi Mi had slowed down, Ying Quhe turned around and asked her, “What’s wrong?”

Xi Mi curled her toes, which were stuck in a mud hole, and shook her head. “N-nothing.”

“Tired?” Ying Quhe paused, then asked, “Want to take a break?”

Xi Mi shook her head. “Let’s keep going down the mountain. I’m fine.”

“Alright.”

The man’s answer was crisp and decisive; in truth, he had no real intention of stopping anyway.

By four in the afternoon, the two finally reached the foot of the mountain. Only when they stepped onto the bluestone paving of the ancient town were their feet finally relieved. Ying Quhe found a stick to scrape the mud off his shoes, then turned around to look at Xi Mi, who stood there looking flustered and utterly at a loss.

His gaze shifted downward, and he quickly realized why.

Both of the girl’s shoes were gone. Her pink socks had been stained yellowish-brown by the mud, and her big toe poked through a hole in the fabric. Perhaps embarrassed by his gaze, her toe curled self-consciously, wanting to hide, but there was nowhere to hide.

Xi Mi felt so embarrassed.

Having a hole in her sock in front of a grown man made her so mortified she couldn’t contain herself. She wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Ying Quhe’s face suddenly darkened, a gloomy air rising around him. His previously pleasant expression turned angry, his voice icy cold. “Are you a cabbage?^[1] Why didn’t you tell me?”

His harsh tone startled Xi Mi, landing like a blow to her already fragile, insecure heart.

She bit her lip, her voice barely a murmur. “I… I was afraid you’d think I was too much trouble…”

“Aren’t you a huge trouble?” Ying Quhe picked right up from her words.

The disdain in his tone shattered Xi Mi’s heart to pieces.

Xi Mi hung her head even lower, like a child being scolded by a school dean. Online, she could trash-talk anyone, but in the real world, she was terrified of causing trouble, of being a burden, and of being scolded…

Her lips twitched, but before she could utter a word, she was lifted off her feet.

By the time she realized what was happening, Ying Quhe had already scooped her up into his arms. Xi Mi’s eyes widened like saucers as she stared blankly at his chin. It took her a long moment to stammer out, “M-Mr. Ying, I c-c-can walk on my own.”

Walk, my ass!

Ying Quhe was a bit irritable. He glanced at her and sneered, “Heh, little stutterer, you can walk, but have you considered how your toes feel? Bleeding and infection are no small matter. If you want to end up half-crippled, fine, I’ll put you down right now.”

His cold, sharp voice carried no warmth at all, sending a chill straight to her bones. Xi Mi automatically translated his words into: If it weren’t for Tian Jian, would I bother with you? You little idiot…

Xi Mi wanted to cover her face and cry. It was so embarrassing, and she was causing Mr. Ying so much trouble…

How could she be such trouble? How had she ended up so troublesome?

Ying Quhe carried her effortlessly, like holding a soft cotton ball.

The little girl was quiet and obedient, making him almost wish the path beneath his feet were longer. He was beginning to understand why the wealthy women in his residential complex loved carrying little Toy Poodles—they were small and submissive. Holding her felt like… cotton candy? Soft, and maybe even a little sweet-smelling…?

The whole way down, Xi Mi was nervous out of her mind, her heart tight in her chest.

She cursed how long the road was, wondering why they hadn’t arrived yet…

Looking up at Ying Quhe’s frowning, icy face made her feel even more unsettled, as if he might toss her into a foul ditch by the road at any second. She felt as though she could read all of his disdain in his cold glare.

They arrived at the ancient town clinic.

The doctor washed Xi Mi’s feet and wiped the scraped skin on her big toe with disinfectant. Standing up, the doctor glanced at Ying Quhe and smiled. “It’s nothing serious, just a little scraped skin. You’re making too big a fuss over this for a boyfriend. She’s fine—go buy your girlfriend a new pair of socks.”

Xi Mi’s face was beet red. Before Ying Quhe could turn to look at her, she had already buried her head.

So when Ying Quhe turned around, all he saw was the crown of her head. There was no need to offer unnecessary explanations to a stranger, so he simply gave a low “Mm.” He then squatted down, cupped one of Xi Mi’s small feet in his hand, and used the span between his thumb and index finger to measure her size.

Her foot was so damn small.

At his touch, the blood in Xi Mi’s entire body practically boiled. Ying Quhe’s small moment of thoughtfulness capsized a boat in the turbulent waters of her heart, making her feel as though she had plunged deep underwater, suffocating and unable to breathe.

Having gotten an approximate idea of her shoe size, Ying Quhe stood up. Before heading out, he casually ruffled Xi Mi’s hair. “I’m stepping out for a bit. Sit tight for a moment.”

“…” Xi Mi’s heart felt ready to explode.

It was her first time having a man pat her head so naturally. Her ears, cheeks, and even her neck were bright red. Ying Quhe didn’t see how her entire face seemed to burn red; he had simply given her head that casual rub before stepping out of the room.

As he took the elevator down, a swelling sense of satisfaction filled his chest, all because of that head pat just now.

Satisfying.

Even better than sweating it out in a marathon.

Sitting alone, Xi Mi was quite bored. She borrowed a charger from the doctor and played 《Battle of Balls》 while her phone was charging. As a beginner just starting out, she got thoroughly demolished.

The tragedy of being repeatedly cornered and devoured by elementary schoolers^[2] made her want to throw her phone.

“A kids’ game.”

Ying Quhe’s voice drifted down from above her head. Perhaps out of a guilty conscience, she reflexively turned off her screen and put her phone away.

“They only sell cloth shoes around here, so these will have to do.” He squatted down, tore open the plastic wrapper of the socks, pulled out a pair of light pink thin cotton socks, and cupped Xi Mi’s heel with his palm.

Xi Mi reflexively pulled back, saying in embarrassment, “I… I can do it myself.”

Ying Quhe looked up at her and tossed the socks onto her lap with utter impatience. Xi Mi picked up the socks from her lap, the man’s cold gaze sending another shiver through her.

So… he still found her to be a hassle after all? Buying shoes and socks for her was indeed quite a hassle.

Ying Quhe’s thoughts, however, were quite the opposite.

He was actually quite curious whether Xi Mi’s foot was larger or his hand was.

“Quhe?”

A pleasant female voice suddenly drifted in from the doorway.

Xi Mi turned her head to look, pausing mid-motion as she put on her socks. The woman’s long, straight black hair and stylishly sexy outfit filled her with envy.

Ying Quhe was still squatting in front of Xi Mi. When he turned and saw the woman, his expression turned grave.