Huo Jingchuan said flatly, "Thank you."
Huo Ning reached out and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Nan Xing, are you exhausted? If you can't keep going, let's just go back."
I sidestepped away from his touch and said softly, "No, I can keep going."
Huo Ning's hand hit empty air, and he said impatiently, "Why have you become so stubborn lately? Whatever I say, you have to oppose it. What kind of habit is that?"
I didn't speak. I simply shuffled a bit closer to Huo Ni, wanting to keep some distance between Huo Ning and myself.
Nan Yang gently tugged at Huo Ning's sleeve. "Brother Huo Ning, don't be angry. It's not a day or two since Nan Xing stopped being sensible. Why bother arguing with her?"
A cold smile broke out in my heart.
Yet Huo Ning seemed to lose his anger, saying grumpily, "I really don't get it. You were both raised in the same environment, so how come Nan Yang is so sensible, while Nan Xing is so hopelessly stubborn?"
I couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed out loud.
Everyone looked at me.
I reined in my smile and looked at Huo Ning. "So, Young Master Ning, what is it you even like about me? When it comes to temperament, I'm not as gentle and sensible as my sister. When it comes to brains, my grades aren't as good as Li Tian's and Tian Ting's. When it comes to family background, I'm no match for Huo Yan and Huo Ni."
I ticked off everyone present in one breath. "What you feel for me isn't actually liking at all. I think liking should be more like the way my sister treats you—every single word and action of yours brings joy to her eyes. What you feel for me is actually just pity. You pity me for being slow and dull, you pity me for losing both my parents and having no one to cherish me. So please, stop spreading any more talk about me marrying you. I am not going to marry you."
My words left everyone stunned.
Nan Yang's face flushed red, and she reached out from afar to swat at me. "Nan Xing, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
I looked at her sincerely. "Sister, you've been in love with Young Master Ning for many years, haven't you? Since you like him, you should just say it out loud so he knows. Otherwise, he'll think everything you do for him is taken for granted. And since our sisters are all here, they can be our witnesses: there is nothing between Young Master Ning and me. Please stop spreading rumors back and forth; you'll only end up doing a disservice to my sister and Young Master Ning."
Ignoring Nan Yang's nauseating, coy act, I walked straight down the steps.
An incomparable sense of relief washed over me. In this lifetime, nothing would make me marry Huo Ning, and I was more than willing to push that pair of scumbags together.
Suddenly, a heavy push hit me from behind. Losing my balance, I missed a step and tumbled down the stairs.
"Nan Xing!" I heard Huo Jingchuan's cry of alarm, along with the voices of Huo Ni and Huo Ning.
I hit the ground in free fall, letting out a stifled groan of pain.
Immediately after, a pair of strong arms scooped me up. "Nan Xing, Nan Xing, are you alright?"
It was Huo Jingchuan.
My tears welled up instantly.
Huo Jingchuan set me down on the ground, but the moment my right foot touched the pavement, a piercing pain shot through it. I let out a sharp "Ah" and pulled my leg up.
Huo Jingchuan immediately crouched down to examine my ankle. The moment his hand gave it a gentle squeeze, the agony was unbearable.
Huo Jingchuan stood up. "Let's go to the hospital."
He picked me up and strode outside, telling Mother Kong to get the car ready as he walked.
I settled into his embrace with peace of mind, the crisp, clean scent of him filling my senses, just like before.
I closed my eyes and relished this unexpected blessing.
Huo Jingchuan carefully placed me in the passenger seat, walked around to the other side, and sat down beside me, pulling up my trouser leg to inspect my ankle.
In just this short while, my ankle had already swelled up high.
Huo Jingchuan's face darkened with displeasure, and he told the driver to get moving.
I tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Master, it's fine. It doesn't hurt that much."
He glanced at me and said nothing, his expression frighteningly gloomy.
"Master, who was it that pushed me just now?" I asked, voicing the question in my heart.
Huo Jingchuan sat straight, staring ahead. After a long while, he said flatly, "Huo Ning."
"Oh." I let out a breath and relaxed.
Huo Jingchuan turned his head to look at me. "Why did you say those things?"
I blinked, looking at him. There was so much probing in his gaze. I gently twitched the corners of my lips into a faint smile. "Did I say anything wrong?"
Huo Jingchuan looked at me. "You really don't like Huo Ning? He's liked you since he was a kid."
I laughed, looking into his deep eyes. "That wasn't liking on his part—it was possession, it was pity, and even a form of showing off. Look, they'd say, that goofy Nan Xing from the Nan family is definitely going to marry me in the future. Oh, sure, she's pretty, but a bit slow. What can I do? We've known each other since we were kids; if I don't marry her, what's going to happen to her?"
I mimicked Huo Ning's tone of voice, capturing him to a T. The corners of Huo Jingchuan's mouth twitched involuntarily.
"He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, with everyone revolving around him, and he's got this whole savior complex with nowhere to unleash it. As luck would have it, there's an orphan like me around. Marrying me is the only way to showcase his single-minded devotion, universal love, kindness, and loyalty. I don't want to be anyone's prop," I said calmly.
Huo Jingchuan didn't speak.
I smiled. "Since we were kids? How young are we talking? I don't have any childhood memories, so if he says it was since then, I guess it was. But so what? Just because he likes me, do I have to like him back? Isn't that just taking advantage of my youth and ignorance?"
Looking at Huo Jingchuan's handsome face, I had to summon every ounce of willpower I possessed to keep from reaching out and touching it.
You fool, the person I like is you!
"Master, if it were you, would you reach out and push me down a flight of stairs that high?"
Huo Jingchuan still remained silent.
"It was just me hitting too close to home and bruising his ego, making him fly into a rage out of embarrassment. Where was any real liking in that?"
"Why don't you have any childhood memories?" Huo Jingchuan suddenly spoke up.
Huh?
I blinked. The topic shifted so fast I couldn't quite keep up.
"You don't remember anything from when you were little?" Huo Jingchuan asked.
I nodded, gazing out the window, and said flatly, "I heard I was scared out of my wits, or that a fever fried my brain. That's why I'm stupid."
Huo Jingchuan suddenly reached out and gently ruffled the top of my head. "You aren't stupid. You're just pretending."
I whipped my head around to stare at him.
Huo Jingchuan had already turned away, leaning back against the seat with his eyes closed.
I reached up to touch the top of my head. Was that just my imagination?
As soon as the car stopped, a young nurse hurried over wheeling a wheelchair.
I was stunned. What kind of VIP treatment was this?
Huo Jingchuan opened the car door, picked me up, and set me down in the wheelchair. He politely declined the nurse's help and pushed me into the doctor's office himself.
The doctor inside stood up the moment he saw us.
"Well, well, what little beauty did you pick up here, and why is she broken?"
Lin Ran, Huo Jingchuan's good friend. In my past life, every single one of my injuries had been treated by him. He had pulled me back from the brink of death time and time again; he was my lifesaver.
I looked at him. "You're the most handsome doctor I've ever seen!"
Lin Ran froze for a second, then burst out laughing happily. "What a sweet-talking girl!"
Lin Ran loved nothing more than being complimented on his looks—he was a thoroughly narcissistic and naive person.
Huo Jingchuan gestured toward my right ankle.
Lin Ran crouched down, pulled back my trouser leg to inspect it, and asked me, "Little girl, who's more handsome—me or the guy behind you?"
I sucked in a breath of pain. "You're the most handsome doctor, and Master isn't a doctor!"
He grabbed my ankle and gave it a sharp twist. I shrieked in pain: "You'd be even more handsome if you were gentler!"
I could actually feel a distinct *click* in my ankle.
Tears streamed down my face instantly. "You're not as handsome as Master!"
Lin Ran stood up and pointed at Huo Jingchuan. "He's your master?"
He asked Huo Jingchuan, "You took on an apprentice?"
Huo Jingchuan asked him, "How is it?"
Lin Ran patted his head. "The bone is back in place. Go get an X-ray. If there's a hairline fracture, we'll need to give her a cortisone shot and keep her in a wheelchair for a while. Let her recover properly. How did this happen?"
Only then did he remember to ask.
Huo Jingchuan was silent for a moment. "She fell down the stairs."
Lin Ran made a clicking sound with his tongue, said nothing more, and told the nurse, "Take her for an X-ray. Master stays here."
Huo Jingchuan picked up a tissue from the desk and handed it to me, stopping me from wiping my tears haphazardly. "Does it still hurt?"
I gave him a resentful look. "Do you want to try it?"
The corners of Huo Jingchuan's mouth lifted slightly as he let go of my wheelchair and handed me over to the nurse.
I heard Lin Ran ask, "Is this the little girl who got kidnapped with you when you were kids and saved your life?"
I whipped my head around, but the nurse blocked my line of sight as I was wheeled out.
Lin Ran's words echoed in my ears: "Is this the little girl who got kidnapped with you when you were kids and saved your life?"
The person they were talking about—was it me?
I had been kidnapped together with Huo Jingchuan?
I had saved Huo Jingchuan?
When on earth did that happen?
Why didn't I remember any of it?
When I saw Huo Jingchuan again, my leg was wrapped in a thick cast—it looked just like a chimney!
I looked at Huo Jingchuan with a rueful expression.
Huo Jingchuan frowned and asked Lin Ran, "Did it really need to be this exaggerated?"
Lin Ran shrugged. "If you want it to heal quickly without leaving any lingering issues, this is the only way."
He leaned down, looked at me, and smiled. "Little girl, am I more handsome, or is he?"
I pointed at the cast on my leg. "Right now, I think my foot is more handsome."
Lin Ran burst into laughter and patted Huo Jingchuan's shoulder. "She's quite a lot of fun."