Linlin wore an utterly despairing expression. At this rate, she might as well have let him carry her inside.
The doctor examined her quickly.
It wasn’t serious—just a minor ligament strain. The doctor told her to apply cold compresses to reduce the swelling, and to rub on some safflower oil if she wanted to recover faster. She just needed to walk less for the next couple of days.
Yan Yuan picked up Linlin’s shoes. The moment the doctor finished examining her, he placed them by her feet.
After writing out the prescription, the doctor glanced to the side and remarked casually, “You’ve got a pretty good boyfriend.”
Linlin’s face instantly flushed. She opened her mouth to explain. “Doctor, he’s not—”
“You misunderstood,” Yan Yuan said almost at the same time, his voice seemingly carrying a hint of amusement. “Not yet.”
Linlin stared at Yan Yuan, her lips parting and closing.
If they weren’t together, then they weren’t. What did he mean by “not yet”?
The doctor understood immediately. He gave the two of them a meaningful look before handing over the prescription.
Yan Yuan took it and then scooped Linlin up and carried her back to the car.
By the time Yan Yuan got in, Linlin had already adjusted her position. She was sprawled against the window in a textbook defensive posture.
Yan Yuan glanced at the back of her head.
Two cowlicks, just like Su Li. Both of them had such fiery tempers.
Yan Yuan closed his eyes, deciding not to provoke her at a time like this.
He had been somewhat impulsive today, but if he didn’t let her know how he felt, how could he ever pursue her?
Linlin watched the scenery pass outside the window, her heart beating wildly as she turned that one sentence over and over in her mind.
She even wondered whether she had heard him correctly.
How could Brother Xiao Yuan have feelings like that for her?
Could it be because she had kissed him last time?
What a disaster!
Linlin clutched the car window, her mind a complete muddle.
She couldn’t explain what she was feeling. At the very least, she hadn’t felt disgusted or repulsed.
Thinking of the moment Yan Yuan had saved her today, Linlin felt both mortified and furious. She clenched her teeth against her lower lip. She didn’t want to change the way she and Brother Xiao Yuan got along.
Yan Yuan was an extremely important person in her life, too.
Linlin didn’t want to tear through that thin layer separating them, and she had even less courage to face the result of doing so. By the time the car was almost home, she had made up her mind.
She would pretend not to understand.
Although it was a little self-deceptive, it was also the safest option. Linlin didn’t have the courage to take a step forward, but neither did she truly want to retreat…
The car stopped, and Yan Yuan walked around to open the door for her.
Linlin looked at his calm, natural expression and suddenly felt annoyed.
He had changed the nature of their relationship with a single sentence, yet he himself acted as though nothing had happened. The more Linlin thought about it, the angrier she became. She lifted her foot and stepped on his shoe.
Yan Yuan’s heart jolted.
The moment passed in an instant, yet in his eyes, it seemed to slow down countless times.
The girl was no good at bullying people at all. She had ointment on her right foot, and she had rolled up her trouser leg, revealing her fair ankle.
Yan Yuan watched as she first tested his shoe with her toes. Then the arch of her foot curved slightly, flattening the leather beneath it. Her slender ankle straightened, slowly disappearing from his line of sight.
Yan Yuan’s throat suddenly tightened. When he looked up, Linlin was already standing in front of him, her head tilted slightly back.
“I’m going home. Don’t block my way!”
She was so fierce that, without waiting for Yan Yuan to answer, she raised her leg and kicked him lightly in the shin. Then she hopped past him on one foot.
Her anger had come on rather suddenly, and she had actually directed it straight at Yan Yuan.
She had spoken to him in genuine indignation.
Aside from finding it novel, Yan Yuan couldn’t help letting the corners of his lips curve upward, amusement glimmering in his eyes.
At least she was showing some emotion. Compared with how she had avoided him in the past, the fact that she could get angry with him now was already an act of great mercy on her part.
Needless to say, Yan Yuan was already very satisfied with this result.
He bent down and said a few words to the driver, then hurried after Linlin with his overcoat in hand.
It was Friday. Fortunately, Linlin’s foot had been injured just before the weekend, so she didn’t have any classes for the next two days.
The doctor had instructed her to walk as little as possible. If she wanted to recover quickly, she could apply cold compresses during the first couple of days if circumstances permitted.
The small Western-style house had been heated since mid-November, so it wasn’t cold inside.
When Yan Yuan entered the house, Linlin had already hurried back to her room.
He chuckled, then first checked the briquette stove in the kitchen. After that, he inspected the doors, windows, and vents one by one. Once he had confirmed that everything was safe, he picked up the kettle and filled the thermos with hot water.
Only after finishing all that did he go back upstairs. He walked to Linlin’s door and lightly knocked twice with his knuckles.
There was no response from inside.
“Linlin, I’ve filled the wash water for you and left it in the bathroom. Don’t walk around with your injured foot. If you need anything, wait until I come by tomorrow morning.”
He waited for a while, but there was still no reply.
Yan Yuan placed the medicine and cotton swabs on the floor outside her door, then turned and went downstairs.
Linlin pulled open the curtains and secretly looked down.
Yan Yuan was still standing outside the gate, tall and straight, the overcoat stained with grease draped over his arm as he stood motionless in the cold wind.
She was staring blankly at his upright figure when, as though sensing her gaze, the person below suddenly raised his head and looked straight toward her window.
Linlin’s heart gave a violent leap. Frightened, she hurriedly let go and hid behind the curtains.
Only after quite some time did she pull open a narrow gap. Yan Yuan was already gone.
Linlin hopped on one foot to the doorway and opened it. Two small glass bottles sat on the carpet outside: one containing safflower oil and the other Yunnan Baiyao. Beside them was a fresh pack of cotton swabs.
She pressed her lips together, then hopped into the bathroom.
The two thermoses were filled to the brim, and the enamel basin was already full of warm water. A clean towel had been placed beside it as well.
For no reason at all, Linlin became angry at her reflection in the mirror. Puffing out her cheeks, she said, “You’re so annoying!”
After washing up, she returned to her room and flopped onto the bed. She buried her face in the pillow and let out a muffled groan.
Brother Xiao Yuan was so annoying!
Linlin wished she could use him as a pillow and give him a thorough beating.
Linlin usually told her mother everything. If that didn’t work, she could always ask her father or older brother for advice.
But this time, for the first time ever, she told her family absolutely nothing. She even wanted to threaten Yan Yuan into keeping the matter a secret.
Early the next morning, Yan Yuan came over.
He also brought the steamed buns from East Street that Linlin had recently taken a liking to, along with a bowl of millet porridge.
Linlin had just finished washing up and was coming downstairs when she ran into him entering through the door. Specks of unmelted snow dotted the shoulders of his overcoat. In the warmth indoors, they slowly melted, spreading into faint patches of dampness.
“Morning. I bought you some steamed buns. Or would you rather have something else? I can go buy it now.”
After a full night, Linlin had calmed down considerably. “The steamed buns are fine.”
“All right.”
Yan Yuan set the breakfast on the dining table. The two of them sat across from each other and ate in silence, neither saying a word.
After finishing the last mouthful of porridge, Yan Yuan had just put down his chopsticks when Linlin spoke first.
“I’m going to study.”
