Ji Nian paused while putting on her clothes.
The photo was taken with flash, making the surroundings appear dark. There seemed to be a shadowy mass nearby, but before Ji Nian could take a closer look, her attention was seized by the alarming sight of blood staining Lu Jinghuai’s palm.
[How did you get hurt again?]
Ji Nian zoomed in on the image.
"Where are you?"
Lu Jinghuai replied quickly: "Are you coming to see me?"
Ji Nian set her phone aside for a moment, took off the half-worn pajamas, and pulled on a short-sleeved top suitable for going out.
In that brief moment, Lu Jinghuai, seeing no response, assumed she was hesitating and sent two more messages.
"My hand really hurts, Ji Nian."
It was essentially another way of saying: I want to see you.
The system’s wires twitched in exasperation: [Are you really going?]
[Of course. His hand is injured.]
Lu Jinghuai’s hands were beautiful—slender, long, and pale, with veins occasionally rising on the back, adding to their allure.
The system: ...Hopeless aesthetics-obsessed.
...
On the other side, Lu Jinghuai lowered his gaze to the screen, where Ji Nian had asked for his location. His silver-gray eyes were hidden beneath his hair, his expression unreadable.
Shadows appeared at the mouth of the alley, whispering, "Young Master, do you need us to handle this?"
"No need."
After a pause, Lu Jinghuai raised his head and asked softly, "Could you check if there’s any blood on my face?"
The other person cautiously glanced at Lu Jinghuai’s casually poised figure.
"None. It’s clean."
Lu Jinghuai nodded and waved them off, signaling he would handle the rest himself.
The man lying on the ground had already passed out from the pain.
Lu Jinghuai turned on his camera, idly smearing the blood from his palm onto his pale cheek.
Then he found a well-lit, clean spot and waited.
Before long, Ji Nian arrived, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. She had sneaked out and immediately scanned the area after getting out of the taxi.
This was the most remote district in S City, populated mostly by migrant workers. At this hour, the place was predictably chaotic.
Ji Nian didn’t have to search for long. She spotted Lu Jinghuai standing under a streetlamp at the alley’s entrance.
He was staring at his injured hand, his light golden lashes casting shadows under his eyes, his skin almost translucent under the light—as if he might vanish with the wind at any moment.
"Ah Huai?"
Ji Nian jogged over, her damp ponytail swaying.
Hearing her voice, Lu Jinghuai looked up. A streak of blood—where it came from was unclear—marked his cheek as he gave her a somewhat... goofy? smile.
"How did you get hurt? Who did this to you?"
Ji Nian scrutinized his face, confirming the blood was just a splatter and not from a wound. She wiped it off absentmindedly before inspecting his palm.
"It’s over there. Everything’s fine now."
Lu Jinghuai gestured toward the alley and quietly recounted what had happened.
Ji Nian thought to herself: He didn’t hit him hard enough.
"Alright, leave that guy to me. Let’s get you to the hospital first..."
Remembering his fear of needles, she quickly added, "Or I can treat you myself."
"Okay."
Lu Jinghuai had no intention of going to the hospital. He just wanted to stay with Ji Nian.
They found a deserted park nearby. After wiping down a bench with disinfectant wipes, Ji Nian sat down with Lu Jinghuai.
She had brought a small first-aid kit.
"Hold this."
She handed him her phone with the flashlight on, instructing him to use his uninjured hand to illuminate the area as she examined his wound.
"There’s a splinter. I’ll need to remove it before treating the cut."
She frowned.
Lu Jinghuai nodded obediently. "Okay."
Then he stared unblinkingly at Ji Nian’s profile.
Her hands were steady, removing the splinter swiftly and precisely.
Every now and then, she blew gently on the wound and asked if it hurt.
Each time, Lu Jinghuai shook his head.
"Are you free tomorrow?"
Ji Nian didn’t look up, focused on the task. "I have plans."
"Wei Junze wants to discuss a project with me. It sounds interesting, so I’m going."
"Oh..."
His silver-gray eyes gleamed in the dim light.
So it was business.
"Why do you ask? Do you need something?"
Ji Nian tilted her head to glance at him.
The sight nearly made her jump.
Lu Jinghuai, who had been at a normal distance moments ago, was now right beside her, so close she could feel his breath against her neck.
Before she could react, his next move almost made her jab the tweezers straight into his wound.
Something warm and soft brushed lightly against the skin behind her ear.
"You’re so cold..."
"Why didn’t you wear more before coming?"
The murmur was intimate, like a lover’s whisper.
Ji Nian’s skin prickled with goosebumps.
"What... are you doing?"
Lu Jinghuai sniffed lightly and spoke in the same tone he used to tell her about homework assignments: "Sorry. I suddenly wanted to kiss you."
Then he tilted his head. "Can I?"
He leaned in again, practically pulling Ji Nian into his arms, unfazed even when she startled and accidentally dug the tweezers into his wound.
Blood trickled down the back of his hand.
His voice grew firmer.
"I want to kiss you."
Ji Nian shot to her feet.
If she still dared to think Lu Jinghuai might not realize his own feelings, she might as well flush that delusion down the toilet.
"Lu Jinghuai, are you... poisoned from the wound?"
The raw, unguarded intensity in his eyes was something Ji Nian had never seen before—not in those usually gentle, indifferent eyes that seemed mildly detached from everything.
It was a fervor so resolute that if she refused him, those eyes would wither like a flower deprived of life.
"No, I’m fine."
As if oblivious to her shock, he added, "If you won’t let me kiss you..."
"Then can you take me with you when you meet Wei Junze tomorrow?"
"I’m also interested in his project."
Bullshit.
You don’t even know what the project is.
Ji Nian seethed internally.
She couldn’t help but think how scheming this young nobleman was—throwing out an outrageous request first, so that his follow-up demand seemed reasonable by comparison.
It almost made her want to agree.
"Are you..."
Ji Nian hesitated.
She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.
Since her growth spurt, Ji Nian had received plenty of confessions—even from the same gender. She thought she’d become immune to those words.
Yet somehow, right now, they felt too scorching to say.
"Are you asking if I like you?"
Wiping away the blood trailing down his hand, Lu Jinghuai stood and gazed down at Ji Nian, his reflection clear in her eyes.
There was no moonlight tonight, yet it shone brightly in their hearts—illuminating long-hidden feelings, leaving no room for concealment.
"Yes."
"I like you."
"It began long before you even knew me."
