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Psst! We're moving!
Lin Zhan and Shen Xi stood in the woods, completely unaware that the onlookers outside had already sparked a lively discussion about them.
Sun Hong asked Zhang Ze: “Does Shen Xi really have no feelings for Lin Zhan?”
Zhang Ze recalled how, when they were heading home earlier, he had casually placed his hand on Shen Xi’s shoulder and made a vague comment. Shen Xi immediately denied it: “I don’t.”
At that time, Zhang Ze hadn’t even said anything yet.
Zhang Ze explained: “Shen Xi is someone who enjoys peace and quiet. He doesn’t like crowds, and even if he were in a relationship, he wouldn’t enjoy shopping or standing in lines. So in his mind, he’s still quite resistant to this kind of thing.”
Sun Hong asked: “Doesn’t that mean he’ll stay single forever…? Are there really people who reject love?”
Zhang Ze: “It’s not that he rejects love entirely—he just feels that spending time with unrelated people is a waste. Since he’s never liked anyone, he still sees romance as a burden.”
Sun Hong snapped his fingers: “I get it now.”
Because Shen Xi instinctively rejected things he considered a “waste of time,” he had remained oblivious to his own actions.
To transition from slightly rejecting something to accepting it takes time.
During this period, one must learn to help him gradually understand his own heart and open up.
As for how to guide him, that would depend on Lin Zhan’s abilities.
“They’ll eventually get together,” Zheng Yi Mian said. “Right now, Zhan Zhan is… slowly melting the iceberg with warm water.”
Though slow, it would eventually melt.
///
Back at the “warm water melting the iceberg” scene.
Lin Zhan, who had been called back, turned around: “Huh? What is it?”
Shen Xi pointed to the bag on the side: “Aren’t you going to pack up?”
She relaxed.
When he called her by her full name just now, she thought he was going to say something serious.
Since she hadn’t taken out much, packing up was quick. She stuffed her sketchbook into the painting bag and was ready to go in no time.
Shen Xi: “Do you need me to carry it for you?”
Lin Zhan shook her head: “I can do it myself.”
After securing her bag, she rushed ahead first, but when faced with several diverging paths, she began to feel troubled.
“...I don’t remember the way. What should I do?”
Shen Xi sighed: “I remember.”
Lin Zhan obediently stepped back behind him: “Then lead the way.”
While Shen Xi was recalling which path was correct, Lin Zhan took the opportunity to look up and continue admiring the sunset.
It was like two bottles of ink colliding, spilling out in a vast expanse. The edges gradually faded, while the center grew increasingly intense.
Shen Xi walked several steps forward before realizing there were no following footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Lin Zhan lost in thought.
He urged her: “Lin Zhan, hurry up.”
“Oh oh, coming.”
Lin Zhan snapped back to reality and hurried toward Shen Xi, but in her haste, she slipped on a rock.
Unable to regain her balance, her ankle twisted painfully.
A sharp pain shot through her ankle.
“Hiss—”
Wincing in pain, Lin Zhan stopped and leaned against a tree trunk to inspect her ankle.
...It felt like it was about to swell.
—In her seventeen years of life, this was the first time she had ever sprained her ankle.
And at such an inconvenient moment.
She extended her finger, tempted to poke at the reddened area.
Shen Xi immediately stopped her: “Don’t touch it.”
Seeing Shen Xi’s serious expression, Lin Zhan thought that perhaps the all-knowing Shen Xi really did have some emergency measures, so she obediently stopped moving her hand.
Lin Zhan hesitated: “...So what should I do now?”
Shen Xi walked over to her and said: “Don’t put weight on your foot. Sit down here for now.”
Lin Zhan pulled out a napkin, placed it on the ground, and sat down.
“And then?”
“Well, I think I’ll just endure the pain and walk back. After resting for a bit...”
“No,” Shen Xi rejected her without hesitation. “Putting weight on the injured area will worsen the injury.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Xi pulled something out of his bag.
Lin Zhan looked closely—it was actually an ice pack.
Lin Zhan: “You carry this around with you?”
Shen Xi: “Prepared for emergencies. It’s common sense.”
Lin Zhan lowered her head and chuckled, then raised her head teasingly: “I’m curious about what else you have in your bag. Is there a first-aid kit and a magic door too? Hiss—”
Suddenly, her ankle came into contact with a cold object, and Lin Zhan instinctively tried to pull back.
Shen Xi steadied her ankle and murmured: “Don’t move.”
Lin Zhan: “...Oh.”
His fingertips, having touched the ice pack, were unusually cold. They pressed against her ankle, making every inch of her skin acutely aware of his presence.
Shen Xi’s fingertips… were soft.
This thought sent Lin Zhan’s mind reeling, as if she were riding a roller coaster about to plunge into icy waters.
She couldn’t help but press the tip of her thumb firmly against the pad of her middle finger.
...Calm down, Lin Zhan. Your mental fortitude can’t collapse.
She forced herself to shift her gaze upward and caught sight of Shen Xi’s lowered lashes.
Letting her thoughts wander, she thought, let it collapse then—who could blame her when it came to Shen Xi?
The next moment, Shen Xi used a towel to apply the ice pack to her injury. The intense chill seeped through the towel, invading every nerve of Lin Zhan’s body, wrapping her in coldness, accelerating the freezing sensation.
Pain and cold radiated fiercely from the injured area.
Lin Zhan curled her body instinctively, pulling her leg back: “Ouch, ouch, ouch—”
Shen Xi held her calf, gently soothing her: “Don’t be afraid. I’ll be gentle.”
“If we don’t handle this properly, it’ll be terrible.”
...Was he treating her like a child?
But strangely, she found it comforting.
She gradually relaxed her body, slowly easing into calmness.
Her hands supported her behind her, and her calf was held by him.
This was a completely relaxed and open posture, showing that she had no defenses against him.
The forest was silent except for the rustling of leaves.
She noticed droplets of moisture clinging to his fingers.
Shen Xi’s fingers were pale and slender, each joint clearly defined, every curve perfectly proportioned.
Because of his slim build, the hollows between his fingers appeared deep as he moved, adding a unique allure.
His fingertips were pale but tinged with a hint of color.
In this setting, under these circumstances, Lin Zhan couldn’t help but think: Shen Xi’s hands were so beautiful—they’d be perfect for a doctor.
Growing up, every doctor who had cared for her had exceptionally beautiful hands without exception.
Not only were Shen Xi’s hands beautiful, but his movements were also incredibly deft, handling everything with precision.
After a simple bandaging, Shen Xi turned around, crouched down with his back to her, and said:
“Get on.”
Lin Zhan’s rusty brain struggled to process his words: “...What?”
His voice was clear and cool, laced with a low, raspy undertone like ice particles grinding against each other.
“Get on. I’ll carry you.”
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