IJLHTW - 19

Bai Yu watched helplessly as Yi Zecheng lifted Huo Ci into the car. Beside him, Meng Fan asked anxiously, “Xiao Bai, what should we do?”

“What else can we do? Let’s go back first,” Bai Yu shrugged.

Meng Fan found it hard to believe, pointing in the direction of Yi Zecheng’s car, “But Huo Ci isn’t even wearing a coat!”

“Single dogs shouldn’t meddle in other people’s affairs,” Bai Yu patted his shoulder.

Meng Fan paused for a moment, then angrily retorted, “What about being single? Are we not allowed to have human rights?”

Bai Yu looked at him sympathetically: “Being single is fine; lacking tact is what’s scary.”

Meng Fan: “...”

After getting into the car, the warmth from Yi Zecheng’s car heater enveloped Huo Ci like warm water, making her jaw tremble uncontrollably. Without a word, Yi Zecheng started the car. After circling around at the next intersection, they soon entered a quiet residential complex.

Yi Zecheng parked the car in the underground garage. Getting out, he opened the passenger door and looked at Huo Ci, “If you don’t mind, you can come to my place to change.”

He was unusually gentle today, his eyes still calm but without their usual coldness.

Huo Ci had already been sitting in the car for several minutes, but her body continued to shake more violently. Her thin hoodie was soaked through by the snowflakes mixed with rain.

Following him into the elevator, she discovered that his apartment was also on the 28th floor.

Upon entering, he turned on the light at the entrance. Huo Ci stood at the doorway until he placed a pair of men’s slippers in front of her. Seeing her hesitation, he looked up, his pupils slightly contracting: “Few people visit my home, so I don’t have women’s slippers. Do you mind?”

Hearing this, Huo Ci couldn’t help but smile. How could she possibly mind?

She bent down to put on the slippers. Today, she wore dark blue jeans and striped cotton socks. After removing her shoes, she also peeled off her soaked socks.

Her originally delicate and pale feet were stiff from the cold. She wiggled her toes before slipping them into the slippers.

The slippers belonged to him—wide and large, the simplest deep blue.

Huo Ci entered the living room and glanced around. The house was spacious and elegant, with an open kitchen and even a small bar. Standing in front of his wine cabinet, she examined it with interest for a while.

“I’ll call someone to deliver clothes for you. Give her your measurements,” Yi Zecheng emerged from the bedroom. He had already taken off his coat and changed out of the shirt he had worn earlier, now dressed in a loose knit sweater.

Huo Ci took the phone. A gentle voice on the other end asked for the type of clothing and measurements she needed.

Looking up at Yi Zecheng, after giving her measurements, she added, “Can you also help deliver a set of underwear?”

“Of course,” the woman’s voice on the other end responded thoughtfully.

Huo Ci said, “Size 34D.”

Before she finished speaking, the man standing nearby had already walked to the kitchen to pour water. She chuckled softly, pretending nothing happened.

After hanging up, she moved to the bar. On the dark black table sat a glass just filled with hot water, steam rising like floating wisps. She reached out to touch the rim of the cup—it was warm, almost too hot.

Yi Zecheng observed her stillness, “Do you want coffee?”

“Can I use your bathroom? I’m very cold,” Huo Ci asked.

Yi Zecheng glanced at her and nodded. Bringing her here was partly for this reason. However, since the clothes hadn’t arrived yet, he worried she would have nothing to change into after bathing. For someone usually aloof and emotionally distant, inviting someone home was already extraordinary. Allowing her to use his bathroom was unthinkable.

As she went in, Yi Zecheng stood at the door, lost in thought for a moment before shaking his head slightly.

Even he found it strange.

**

Huo Ci insisted on using the bathroom in Yi Zecheng’s bedroom, saying she wanted to take a bath. The house’s decoration wasn’t done by Yi Zecheng himself, and he didn’t know about the bathtub in his room until after moving in. Even after moving in, he never used it.

The mirror in the bathroom was enormous, and under the bright lights, her entire figure appeared translucently white.

Huo Ci sat on the edge of the bathtub, listening to the sound of running water.

...

The year Huo Ci graduated from high school was also when her parents officially announced their divorce to her. At that time, her personality wasn’t as cold and unruly as it later became. She was a beautiful and intelligent girl, a typical “daughter of heaven.”

Her father, Huo Mingzhou, was a surgeon, and Huo Ci had always looked up to him. Even when applying for university, she only chose medical programs.

However, she never expected that after receiving her acceptance letter, she would be hit with such devastating news.

Since Huo Mingzhou was about to become an expert doctor in the African medical aid team, they had no choice but to inform her of this long-concealed message.

In Liu Ruhuan’s words, they had no way to continue living together.

They were sorry.

Yes, they were sorry, and that was all—just sorry. Since she had grown up, they felt no guilt in choosing to divorce after she came of age.

Huo Ci cried secretly many times, unable to understand why her family suddenly fell apart.

Until she caught sight of Liu Ruhuan arm-in-arm with Shen Fangtang.

All suspicions paled compared to the shock of seeing it with her own eyes. Moreover, she knew Shen Fangtang—he was Shen Sui’an’s father.

Before her mother became Mrs. Shen, Huo Ci thought she might first become the girlfriend of the boy named Shen Sui’an.

Huo Ci first met Shen Sui’an at the high school entrance ceremony. At that time, he wore a light plaid shirt and black trousers, standing at the forefront of the playground.

He was the top scorer of the college entrance exam that year. And Huo Ci was the top scorer of the high school entrance exam that year.

They delivered speeches on behalf of all students.

Shen Sui’an should be the image of every teenage girl’s ideal senior—tall and slim, handsome, with a gentle smile often gracing his face. At that time, Huo Ci’s personality wasn’t as cold as it is now, and she couldn’t deny being attracted to Shen Sui’an.

Especially after her speech, when he stood below, smiled faintly at her, and said gently, “Classmate Huo, you did well.”

The most casual moment, perhaps, was the flutter of her heart during those youthful years.

She didn’t even get a chance to vent her anger at Liu Ruhuan and Shen Fangtang before learning that Shen Sui’an was preparing to go to England.

The call was made by his sister, who had always disliked Huo Ci. She believed Huo Ci had stolen her brother, and now her mother had taken her father.

On the call, that smug voice told her, “You think my brother really likes you? If he liked you, he wouldn’t hide from you that he’s leaving for England today.”

“And he’s never coming back. My brother won’t want you. You’re trash just like your mother, always stealing others’ things.”

“You’re nothing but trash my brother doesn’t want. He feels disgusted even looking at you.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Huo Ci got into the family car and sped off.

At that time, she had only had her driver’s license for a month.

When the car flipped over on the highway, Huo Ci’s first thought was, “It’s all over.”

“This is fine.”

All the scenes played out like a movie. She was driving on the highway when the accident happened. The car seemed out of control, crashing into the roadside. The immense impact completely deformed the front of the car. After rolling several times on the road, it finally overturned at the roadside.

She felt sweetness in her throat, and her whole body hurt.

Huo Ci didn’t know how long she had fainted. She only knew that when she regained some consciousness, she heard someone calling her name.

In her daze, a hand reached in.

It was a long, strong hand. When she saw that hand, her heart, which had been dead like ashes, suddenly sparked again.

She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to die like this.

With all her strength, she reached out to grasp that hand and said, “Please, don’t let go of me.”

...

Huo Ci lowered her head and saw the bathtub was full. She stood up, undressed, and stepped into the bathtub after removing her underwear.

Lying in the warm water, she felt comfortable, her pores opening instantly.

Those old memories were like an old movie. Recalling them now, they felt like someone else’s story. But one thing Huo Ci had never forgotten was the back of the person who saved her.

Back then, she was trapped in the car, her consciousness blurred. That person kept holding her hand until the firefighters arrived. Because the car was deformed, her leg was stuck. The doctor gave her an IV drip, and it was that person who held the IV bag for four hours.

Unfortunately, she never saw his face. She only glimpsed his departing back as she was lifted into the ambulance.

He wore a white shirt and black pants, tall and upright.

Huo Ci suddenly stood up in the water. She had soaked enough.

Outside, Yi Zecheng was cooking. On nights without work or social engagements, he would cook for himself. Having lived abroad for so many years, he was accustomed to taking care of himself. There was supposed to be a Christmas party at the company tonight, but he had always disliked such festivities. Even in England, he was inevitably dragged to attend college banquets.

Just as he was taking out the pasta, he heard a scream from the bedroom.

He immediately put down what he was holding and quickly walked to the bedroom door. Pushing it open, he stood in front of the bathroom door and knocked lightly: “What happened?”

There was no response from inside.

He knocked again: “Huo Ci?”

Still no response. His brows furrowed, unsure whether to push the door open and check. Finally, a faint voice came from inside: “I fell.”

“Can I come in?” Yi Zecheng heard her movements and guessed she must have fallen quite badly.

Huo Ci replied from inside: “Yes, I’m wrapped in a towel. I just... can’t get up...”

She said this to ensure Yi Zecheng would enter. After all, he was inherently self-restrained.

When Yi Zecheng pushed open the door, he saw her lying beside the bathtub, indeed wrapped in a towel. One hand tightly clutched her chest. Her hair was soaked, dripping like inkweed onto her shoulders. The towel covered her chest, revealing her slender collarbone and arms. Her fingertips gripping the towel somehow accentuated the fullness beneath.

“Can you get up?” he asked.

Huo Ci looked up at him, her round, jet-black eyes glistening as if misted by the bathroom’s steam. She stared at him and said, “No, I can’t move.”

Yi Zecheng stood still. As a surgeon, he once performed 300 surgeries in just thirteen months. To him, the human body was merely a structure, devoid of beauty or temptation.

Huo Ci lay right before his eyes. He knew that falling in the bathroom likely injured her tailbone, temporarily paralyzing her. Even as a non-doctor, as the homeowner, he should assist his guest.

Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to step forward.

She had always been excessively fair-skinned. Now, her slender limbs, collarbones, and even the pronounced curves of her chest were exposed.

He didn’t move, and neither did Huo Ci speak.

Suddenly, a ringtone sounded—it was his phone in his pocket.

Yi Zecheng finally stepped forward. Bending down, he placed one arm under her waist and another under her legs, preparing to lift her. Suddenly, Huo Ci, who had been keeping her eyes lowered, revealed a faint smile.

She reached out to encircle his neck and flipped him underneath her.

Yi Zecheng’s expression turned icy, ready to throw her off, but she said, “If you move again, I’ll let go.”

As she spoke, she began to loosen her grip on the towel covering her chest—it was already precariously close to falling.

Yi Zecheng froze.

Her discarded clothes lay piled on the floor nearby. On top was a bright red fabric—her removed underwear.

Aside from the towel wrapped around her, she wore nothing else.