"Damn! Xiaolu, can I call you that? You were so cool just now!"
After a brief shock, Guan Miaomiao recovered and looked at Lu Wang with absolute adoration. She rarely went into the kitchen at home. If she had been in such a situation, she would have been scared out of her wits—let alone rushing into a fire! Especially with boiling hot oil in the pan; one careless move and she would have scalded herself!
Yet Lu Wang had been so brave! She had never seen such an amazing girl before!
Enduring the pain, Lu Wang smiled and curved her lips. "It's nothing, really."
Dazzled by Lu Wang's smile, Guan Miaomiao excitedly reached out to grab her hand, but before she could move, the back of her collar was suddenly grabbed like a little chick being lifted up.
She turned around in dissatisfaction. "Brother? What are you doing?"
Guan Zhouyue let go of her, his brows lifting slightly. "Stop acting like a monkey in heat. Didn't you see her hand is hurt? Go ask Aunt He for some burn ointment."
"Injured?!" Guan Miaomiao was startled. She looked Lu Wang up and down, only then noticing that Lu Wang's palm was fiery red, with several small blisters raised on the back of her hand by the splattering oil.
"It's that serious? What's the point of ointment? Let's go straight to the hospital!"
"Go do as you're told!"
"Oh, oh, oh!"
Lu Wang felt there was no need to make such a fuss. "It's fine~ I've been burned before. Put some ointment on, and it'll be better in a couple of days."
"You said it yourself: that was before."
Guan Zhouyue suddenly stepped closer, reached out to grip her slender arm beneath her loose pajamas, and lowered his gaze to look at it. "You're not very tall, but you've got some nerve. Once you graduate, you should just go interview for the fire department. It suits you."
Lu Wang: "???"
Guan Zhouyue gave a soft, mocking chuckle. "You seem to have the potential of a cat—must have nine lives."
Lu Wang: "..."
"Let's go."
Lu Wang was dragged forward a few steps, her face somewhat dazed. "...Where are we going?"
"To rinse it under cold water." Guan Zhouyue glanced at her with a half-smile. "What, do you really not want this hand anymore?"
"...Oh, I can walk by myself."
"Just afraid your DNA might awaken if you pass the kitchen."
"..."
***
When He Yin learned that Lu Wang was injured, her sense of guilt and self-blame burst through the roof. She took Lu Wang's hand, carefully applied the ointment for her, and even made a phone call to book an appointment with the top burn specialist in the city.
Lu Wang originally wanted to say that it didn't hurt that much anymore, but seeing He Yin looking so remorseful she was about to tear up, she couldn't bear to turn down her kindness and agreed to go.
Guan Miaomiao was worried and insisted on coming along too.
To Lu Wang's surprise, however, Guan Zhouyue actually tagged along as well. At the moment, he was sitting lazily by the car window, his eyes slightly lowered in the dim light, playing on his phone the entire way.
Thinking back to earlier when Guan Zhouyue had grabbed her arm and said he was taking her to rinse it under cold water, only for her to pull away, Lu Wang pressed her lips together and slid her hand into her pocket.
The next second, a soft, pale, delicate little hand suddenly appeared in front of the distracted Guan Zhouyue. Resting quietly in the palm of that little hand was a colorful paper-wrapped candy.
Guan Zhouyue lazily lifted his eyelids, curving his lips in a half-smile. "What is this?"
"Fruit candy," Lu Wang said. "I eat one every time I'm upset."
"Upset?" Guan Zhouyue repeated with an ethereal tone, looking at her with amusement. "Did you think I was mad?"
Lu Wang tilted her head, somewhat puzzled. "Wasn't you? You haven't said a word the whole way."
Even though he had killed her bird, business was business.
The feeling of being cared for was very special. She admitted that the person in front of her wasn't as bad as she had imagined.
At the very least, upon seeing someone get hurt, his instinct was to step forward and help.Guan Zhouyue narrowed his eyes, a hint of amusement and scrutiny in his gaze. After looking her over for a long moment, he finally smiled. "So Classmate Lu is trying to coax me?"
The tips of Lu Wang's ears turned red, and she muttered under her breath, "Take it or leave it."
She made to tuck the fruit candy back into her pocket, but the boy caught her wrist, a lazy curve playing at the corners of his lips. "Seeing as you went to so much trouble, I suppose I'll reluctantly accept it."
With that, his long, slender fingers took the candy from her palm, peeled off the wrapper, and tossed it into his mouth.
The grape-flavored sweetness quickly melted on his tongue.
Much like the girl standing before him: her light purple spaghetti-strap dress made her skin look even softer and fairer, and her long black hair partially concealed her striking yet youthful face, revealing only a pair of clear, clean, oversized eyes. Yet even so, she was sweet enough to be addictive.
A faint smile surfaced at the corner of Guan Zhouyue's mouth as he spoke in an offhand tone, "Not bad. Sweet, just like you."
Lu Wang: "......"
***
At the hospital, waiting in line, getting a number, and seeing the doctor took less than half an hour in total.
The specialist examined Lu Wang's hand, declared it nothing serious, lanced the small blisters, carefully treated the wound, and prescribed some anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medication along with the best burn ointment available.
Yet He Yin remained uneasy, pulling the doctor aside to inquire in detail about precautions and dietary restrictions. She stayed in the consulting room for a full twenty minutes before finally coming out.
When she emerged and saw Lu Wang's bandaged hand, He Yin's eyes turned red with heartache. "It's all my fault. Back then I promised myself I'd never let you suffer even the slightest hardship again, and now look at you... How am I supposed to face your dad..."
Lu Wang found herself in a tricky spot.
She wasn't very good at comforting people.
Especially elders.
What should she do now? Should she go up and give her a hug?
Just as she was thinking this, He Yin suddenly stopped crying.
"Oh, right, right, we should probably see a dermatologist too. A woman's hands are her second face. What if it leaves a scar and someone looks down on her in the future..." She made a motion as if to call someone.
Lu Wang: "......"
She grabbed He Yin's arm, her dark eyes looking docile and earnest. "Aunt He, thank you so much for caring about me. But I'm really fine, please don't take it to heart."
He Yin froze.
The next second, the corners of her mouth twitched, and she burst into an even louder howl.
"Such a sensible and well-behaved child, why did she have to suffer such a trial! Tell me, why on earth did I decide to learn how to cook? If I had just hired a housekeeper in the first place, none of this would have happened..."
Lu Wang: "......" She was beyond comforting.
Guan Zhouyue stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall and watching Lu Wang lazily, a faint smile curving the corners of his eyes.
Seeing him like this, Guan Miaomiao found it immensely curious.
She reached out and touched Guan Zhouyue's forehead, muttering, "He doesn't have a fever either. Why have I caught you grinning like a fool all day?"
Suddenly, as if thinking of something, she covered her mouth in feigned astonishment. "Could it be that you've got a crush on Xiaolu?"
Guan Zhouyue pulled his gaze away from Lu Wang and coolly swatted her hand away. "Stop letting your imagination run wild."
Guan Miaomiao let out a disdainful scoff. "You've written your thoughts all over your face, yet you still refuse to admit it."
"Is that so?" Guan Zhouyue raised an eyebrow, touched his own face, and casually intercepted a passing nurse to grab a face mask, which he put on.
Guan Miaomiao wore a bizarre expression. "What kind of madness are you on?"
Seeing that Lu Wang was about to leave, Guan Zhouyue stepped forward to follow her.
"Guess."
Guan Miaomiao: "......"