Huo Zhixu suddenly reached out and snatched Li Lucen's phone. Li Lucen looked at him in a daze.
After grabbing it, Huo Zhixu regretted it a little, but what was done was done, and there was no way he was going to hand it back.
"The news has already been suppressed, and it won't be reported. There's no need to rush, get some sleep first."
Li Lucen frowned.
"I don't need to."
With that, she reached out to snatch her phone back.
The man raised his hand, and she couldn't reach it at all. The space inside the car was already small, and as they tugged back and forth, Li Lucen brushed against Huo Zhixu's body, ending up leaning almost entirely against him.
Huo Zhixu could even smell the natural fragrance of her skin.
Realizing something was amiss, Huo Zhixu frowned and reached out to press down on Li Lucen's shoulder.
"Are you going to rest as soon as you get home?"
Li Lucen stayed silent.
Huo Zhixu had now figured out Li Lucen's workaholic nature.
"Since you'll be up late dealing with this later, why aren't you seizing the chance to rest now? Do you really think your body is made of iron?"
As he spoke, Huo Zhixu looked her up and down. His gaze seemed to say: *Look at that scrawny little frame of yours.*
Li Lucen felt thoroughly insulted by his look. Even though she was thin, she worked hard and persisted in exercising, alright?! She was holding her breath and tensing up right now, and she actually had muscle on her arms!
She turned her head away angrily and crossed her arms, but the movement brushed against her arm, making her gasp in pain.
Huo Zhixu's expression shifted slightly. His original intention was just to get her to rest, not to aggravate her injury.
He grabbed her arm to check on it. For reasons unknown to herself, Li Lucen's temper flared, and she shook off his hand.
"None of your business."
What kind of person was Huo Zhixu? He was a young master through and through, always used to people pandering to him.
When Li Lucen said that, he simply let go of her arm.
He had seen the wound; it wasn't deep, just a bit long, so pain was only natural.
Li Lucen: ......
The two of them remained locked in this awkward stalemate. Li Lucen made no move to take back her phone, but she didn't close her eyes either.
It was Huo Zhixu's first time doing something like this, and for it to end up in such a mess left him feeling rather out of sorts inside.
If he'd known it would turn out like this, why would he have bothered meddling? If she loved working so much, she could just work herself to death for all he cared.
When they reached the Li family residence, Li Lucen got out of the car without a word, then held out her hand to Huo Zhixu, saying nothing.
Huo Zhixu pressed his lips together with an unsightly expression and placed the phone in her hand.
Li Lucen said a cold "thank you."
The lingering annoyance in the man's heart over his own unrequited solicitude inexplicably vanished the moment he heard that "thank you." He really must have lost his mind to actually find the stiff-faced way Li Lucen said "thank you" somewhat endearing.
As soon as Li Lucen went inside the house, the driver turned around and asked.
"Young master, are we heading back?"
Huo Zhixu leaned back against the car seat.
"Wait here for a bit."
Li Lucen took a quick shower and changed her clothes before coming right back out, taking no more than twenty minutes in total.
She was puzzled to see the SUV still parked at the entrance of her house.
She walked up to it.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
Having just had a minor squabble, she didn't even call him Brother Zhixu anymore.
Huo Zhixu gave her a deep look and reached out to push open the car door.
"Get in, I'll take you."
Li Lucen blinked and pointed in a certain direction.
"I have a car."
Huo Zhixu let out a scoff.
Who didn't know she had a car?
"Just pretend I *want* to drive you, alright? Get in."
Li Lucen stopped wasting breath and immediately got into the car. Having taken a shower and temporarily put those vexing matters aside, her wits had returned.
"Brother Zhixu, how is it that you guys suddenly came back?"
Huo Zhixu propped his head up with one hand, turning his head to look at her at the question.
"I saw the fire truck."
Li Lucen nodded.
He had rushed over simply because he saw a fire truck, waited by the side while she handled things, then went to the police station to pick her up, drove her home, and was now driving her over to the camp.
Thinking it all over, Li Lucen realized that Huo Zhixu had been genuinely caring and attentive toward her tonight.
And yet she had just snapped at him with a temper.
Li Lucen remorsefully scratched her forehead, but she wasn't one to beat around the bush.
"Brother Zhixu, thank you."
Huo Zhixu raised an eyebrow, finally hearing something pleasant to his ears.
He looked at her with amusement, unable to resist making a sarcastic remark.
"And here I thought I was just being a busybody."
Li Lucen: ......
Splendid, he was throwing her earlier "none of your business" right back in her face.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Li Lucen very sensibly shut her mouth.
Huo Zhixu hadn't gotten enough sleep today to begin with, and with all the tossing and turning until now, he was quite tired. His eyes drooped slightly.
Seeing this, Li Lucen stealthily fished out her phone and sent a message to Su Zixi.
"Do you really think he isn't that resistant to this?"
Li Lucen's sentence came out of nowhere, but Su Zixi was truly her best friend and understood at a glance. She sent back the exact same screenshot with the corner of his mouth circled.
"Babe, open your pretty eyes and look—he was definitely smiling."
"Why would he smile when facing someone who is forcing him into an arranged marriage? Either he isn't that resistant, or he was blown away by your beauty. Which one do you believe?"
Li Lucen glanced at it and scoffed.
Then she'd choose the former, thank you very much.
Huo Zhixu had seen all sorts of beauties out in the world; how could he be such a shallow person?
Come to think of it, as expected of the man she had chosen, Huo Zhixu was truly magnanimous. If she were in his shoes and had someone forcing an arranged marriage on her, she certainly wouldn't give that person a pleasant expression.
Not only had Huo Zhixu taken her to his friends' gathering, but he had also taken such good care of her tonight.
He really was too wonderful.
In her heart, Li Lucen silently added another point to Huo Zhixu's score.
Huo Zhixu had no idea what was running through her little head, but the glances drifting over from time to time were distracting him. He turned his head and reached out.
Li Lucen looked at him in bewilderment.
Too lazy to speak, the man simply wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hauled her closer, then let his head drop, resting it against her shoulder with his eyes closed to rest.
Li Lucen: ......
It wasn't that she couldn't lend him her shoulder to sleep on, but given the height difference between them, wouldn't Huo Zhixu's neck hurt?
Mindful of how well the man had treated her tonight, Li Lucen, who was already sitting quite straight, pushed herself to sit even straighter within the limits of her physical capacity.
Huo Zhixu wasn't actually asleep; he was just catnapping and was keenly aware of every single adjustment Li Lucen made. The corner of his mouth curved upward, and he leaned against her with an even greater peace of mind.
Having showered, Li Lucen didn't carry the scent of cosmetics or perfume; she smelled simply of body wash.
Huo Zhixu couldn't tell what specific scent it was, but it smelled lovely, and he actually started feeling a bit drowsy.
A rather shameless thought flashed through his mind: if he had Li Lucen warm his bed, would all his blankets smell like this?
Sleeping like that must be extremely comfortable.
When they reached the camp, Li Lucen was still fretting over how to wake him up, but Huo Zhixu acted as if equipped with a speed radar—the moment the car stopped, he automatically snapped upright and raised a hand to massage his sore neck.
He abruptly asked a question.
"How tall are you?"
Li Lucen: ......
Wasn't this question a bit presumptuous?
She hadn't even complained that his head was heavy yet, and already he was complaining that she was short?
Li Lucen announced that she was revoking every single point she had just added to his score.
Huo Zhixu hadn't really thought before speaking; he was simply curious, with no other intentions. But seeing Li Lucen press her lips together and struggle to restrain herself from cursing, he decided that an apology was probably unnecessary after all.
She really was quite entertaining like this.