Mother Lu, hearing her daughter unexpectedly mention her eldest daughter, paused, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. “The child looks like your sister? Haven’t you met the child’s parents?” she inquired.
Lu Xiang nodded. “I have seen them, and just exchanged a few words. Those two parents are rich, but they have no sympathy at all.”
“Don’t mention your sister from now on ,” Mother Lu huffed, a surge of anger rising within her at the thought of her eldest daughter. “Back then, she abandoned you and me abroad, leaving us to suffer so much. And now, I don’t even know where she’s gone .” Mother Lu’s thoughts spiraled back to the past. If only Lu Xin had obediently married into that wealthy family abroad, she and Xiangxiang would be living lives of luxury instead of enduring countless hardships and accumulating massive debts overseas, only to return home once they were finally paid off. And Lu Xin? She had left behind a mess for them , vanished without a trace.
At the hospital, Jiang Haoyan’s foot injury was not serious enough to warrant hospitalization. Before long, Su Yue and Jiang Ci were taking the little boy home. In the car, Jiang Haoyan looked from his father’s bandaged hand to his own bandaged foot. He wiggled his small foot thoughtfully. His father was injured, and Haohao was injured too. Haohao is just like his father.
Upon arriving home, Jiang Ci’s fluffy dog, Leek, long accustomed to the tantalizing scent of chives, scurried excitedly to Jiang Ci’s feet. The next second, the dog was summarily kicked away by Jiang Ci, tumbling across the polished floor.
“Woof, woof, woof!” Leek, its head lowered and wrinkled in confusion, barked a few times at Jiang Ci before trotting off to Jiang Haoyan.
With two “disabled” members in the family, Su Yue found herself seated between Jiang Ci and Jiang Haoyan at dinner. Little Haohao ate diligently with his own spoon, occasionally glancing enviously at his father, who was being hand-fed by his mother. Jiang Ci, far from being shy, openly admired Su Yue’s delicate fingertips as she held the spoon, his appetite clearly stimulated.
Su Yue fed Jiang Ci a piece of meat, then turned her head, picking up another pair of chopsticks to offer the little boy beside her some green vegetables. “Haohao can’t just eat meat; you need vegetables too.” She wondered if, during her month-long absence, the little guy had subsisted solely on meat. His belly seemed a little rounder, a tempting target for a playful poke.
Xiao Haohao pouted at the unsolicited green vegetables in his bowl, but he obediently ate them. They weren’t nearly as delicious as chicken thighs, which he still believed were the best.
Su Yue turned her head again, noticing Jiang Ci looking at her strangely. “What’s wrong?” she blinked.
Jiang Ci snorted. “I want some too.” He raised his eyes, signaling with a glance that he, too, expected to be fed vegetables, as if vying for her attention.
Su Yue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Okay,” she conceded, continuing to feed him.
At home, bathing was a far more luxurious experience than in the hospital. The villa’s bathroom was ten times larger, boasting a lavish massage bathtub. Su Yue, who loved to indulge, was deprived of such comforts during filming. Now, at home, she intended to enjoy a long, relaxing bath. She had already instructed the staff to prepare a milk bath infused with rose oil for her .
Jiang Ci sat on the edge of the bed, his long legs casually bent and stretched. He watched Su Yue go to the next room to check on Jiang Haoyan. After a while, she returned, bustling about, requesting milk for her bath, and then rummaging for her pajamas.
“You want to take a bath?” Jiang Ci asked lazily.
“Yeah, wait a minute. I’ll wipe you down after I’m done,” Su Yue replied, pajamas in hand, ready to head to the bathroom.
At her words, Jiang Ci slowly rose. He raised an eyebrow. “Together.”
Su Yue stared at him, aghast.
Jiang Ci stated matter-of-factly, “It saves time for both of us.”
In the bathroom, Jiang Ci gazed at the bathtub filled with milky water, rose petals scattered across its surface by the servants. Before she could even begin her bath, Su Yue had already retreated. She stood there, clutching her pajamas and bath towel, utterly bewildered. “You can’t get wet, otherwise… I’ll wipe your body, and then I’ll wash. If you like it, when your injury heals, I’ll ask someone to prepare a tub of milk bath just like this for you?”
Jiang Ci snorted. He didn’t care about a milk bath. All he wanted was to bathe with her. “I can’t get wet. I won’t go in,” Jiang Ci said lazily.
Su Yue exhaled in relief.
“You’ve taken so long. I want you to help me wipe my body every day,” Jiang Ci said, his words framed as thanks, yet his dark eyes held no gratitude. Instead, they gleamed at Su Yue, like a fierce beast fixated on its prey. “You’ve helped me so many times; I’ll always help you once.”
Hearing Jiang Ci’s words, Su Yue’s snow-white face instantly flushed crimson.
The bathtub, full of milky white water, concealed Su Yue’s body. Far from dulling her complexion, the milky bath contrasted with her skin, making her snow-white flesh appear delicately pink, more beautiful and fresh than the floating red rose petals. Jiang Ci leaned against the bathtub, drawing the showerhead into the water. He watched Su Yue, who had almost submerged herself in the milk, his dark eyes deepening. “Don’t look at me. You wash yourself,” he said slowly.
Su Yue’s ears were red and pointed. Her face felt incredibly hot, and her throat was dry. Though she wasn’t physically close to Jiang Ci, that strange sensation in her body had resurfaced. She lowered her eyes, trying to hide the shyness within them. “Enough water, no need to add any more.”
“Oh,” Jiang Ci mumbled, tossing the showerhead aside. But his eyes never left Su Yue. He shifted his fingers, tightly bound with white gauze.
The full tub of milk concealed what lay beneath the surface. Su Yue, curled up in shame, her legs clamped together, whispered to Jiang Ci, “Can you sit further away? I’m afraid the water will wet your clothes.” Under Jiang Ci’s intense gaze, the strangeness in her body was undeniable, and she feared losing control.
But Jiang Ci paid no heed. He raised an eyebrow, his voice clear yet hoarse. He stared at her, her eyes misty and black, lingering with moisture. “It doesn’t matter if they get wet. We’ll take them off later anyway.”
Su Yue was stunned for a moment. She knew it; he had made up his mind to watch her. She wondered if her skin was too delicate, or if the water the servants had prepared was a little too warm. Her entire body, submerged in the milk, felt hot and pink, an uncomfortable sensation. She sighed. She and Jiang Ci were husband and wife. Some things were inevitable; it was normal for him to look.
With that thought, she sat up a little, raising her waist. Her delicate collarbone slowly emerged, followed by a large expanse of snow-white skin, and then her full upper body. There was nothing more beautiful than the sight before Jiang Ci’s eyes.
Jiang Ci’s pitch-black pupils contracted rapidly.
Su Yue’s face flushed under his unwavering gaze. She offered him a nervous smile, trying to ease the intense embarrassment of the moment, a feeling that also left her incredibly tense. “Don’t look at me like that; it’s too fierce.” His face was expressionless now, but his eyes were sharp, as if, in the next second, he would transform into a beast, bending down to bite his prey, or perhaps devour her whole.
Jiang Ci slowly extended his hand and touched his own face. Fierce?
He forced the corners of his mouth to lift, trying for a kinder, gentler smile, hoping to lessen her fear. “Xiao Yue’er, I want to kiss you. Come here.”
Her toes curled slightly, Su Yue shook her head, a few damp strands of hair clinging to her face, lending her a charming, disheveled beauty. The strange sensations in her body were undeniable; she knew she wouldn’t be able to control herself if she got close to him.
“Oh, if you don’t come, then I’ll go down and catch you,” Jiang Ci said, slowly standing, one long leg already poised to step into the tub.
“You can’t get water on your wound!”
Su Yue, fearful of his disregard for his injury, obediently moved closer to Jiang Ci. Earlier, Jiang Ci had suffered a high fever due to the rain and his inflamed wound. Now, he dared to get wet again, showing absolutely no concern for his body. As she approached Jiang Ci, Su Yue tried to keep her body submerged in the water. However, Jiang Ci reached out and pulled her by the shoulders, directly exposing the parts of her body she had tried to conceal to the air.
Su Yue reached out a hand to cover herself, but then she heard Jiang Ci’s low voice, his eyes lowered. “So this is how it is here?” This time, he was seeing her soft, delicate body for real.
Looking down, Jiang Ci’s handsome brows furrowed in a research-like expression. He drew her closer, oblivious to his clothes getting wet. He gazed intently. “It’s so white.”
Su Yue wanted to cover his mouth. “Hurry up, don’t you want to kiss?” It was one thing to look, but he was commenting too! It was so annoying!
Jiang Ci knew he was pushing her, and he chuckled softly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly lowered his head. Tsk, sweet and soft.
She didn’t know how long it had been, but Su Yue had truly taken a long time in the bath this time. It was already late at night when she finally lay down. The night outside was thick, the air slightly cold and still, with a few stars faintly twinkling in the dark curtain. Tomorrow would surely be sunny.
Su Yue lay on the pillow, a delicate blush still coloring her face, even her neck a light pink. She stretched out her feet and weakly kicked Jiang Ci, who clung to her like a limpet. “You’re so annoying.”
As soon as Jiang Ci grasped her slender ankle, he noticed her complete lack of strength. The soles of her feet were soft and boneless; her kicks didn’t hurt at all. Pinching her slender ankles, Jiang Ci smiled. “Pull up your pants and don’t recognize people?”
Su Yue saw the unadulterated joy in Jiang Ci’s handsome eyes. The scar on the left side of his face had diminished, making him look less fierce, more arrogant and dashing. She blushed and glared at him playfully. “Don’t talk. Stretch out your hand.” Even if he paid attention, the gauze on his hands was soaked. She had just been to the hospital that morning to change the medicine, and now it needed changing again. Fortunately, she had asked the doctor for extra medicine and supplies, just in case. She hadn’t expected to actually use them so soon .
Su Yue found the medicine and gauze in the suitcase. Sitting in front of Jiang Ci, she pulled his hand over and carefully removed the completely wet gauze. When Jiang Ci had his dressing changed, Su Yue had been outside; the doctor hadn’t allowed her in. This was the first time she had seen the scars on Jiang Ci’s hand.
Originally, Jiang Ci’s hands had distinct bones and slender fingers. Combined with his year-round indoor lifestyle and pale complexion, his hands were remarkably beautiful, as if made for playing the piano. But now, Su Yue saw a pair of hands utterly transformed. The backs of his palms were covered in scars—some crusted over, others red and oozing pus. Dense wounds, all inflicted by stones. Her nose stung, and her eyes welled up.
She remembered how arrogant Jiang Ci had been in the beginning, refusing to let anyone touch his hands. Yet, for her, his beautiful hands had become covered in scars. Her chest throbbed violently. All the annoyance and anger she had felt towards him in the bathroom vanished.
“Aren’t you in pain?” Su Yue looked up at him, holding his hand carefully, lest she touch a wound.
Jiang Ci looked at Su Yue’s slightly reddened eyes, and his lips twitched. “It hurts. It hurts to death. You should feel bad for me.” He glanced at his hand, then at her soft, white hands holding his. Tsk, his hands were horribly ugly in comparison.
“So ugly, do you dislike them?” Jiang Ci asked slowly.
Su Yue was momentarily stunned, the tip of her nose aching. She shook her head with a smile, then kissed his uninjured fingertips. These scars were proof of his affection for her. How could she possibly dislike them?
The weather was gradually cooling down, and the trees in the yard were adorned with dying golden leaves. The cold wind blew gently, causing the leaves to swirl and fall. Jiang Haoyan, dressed in the new clothes Su Yue had bought him, beamed with joy. He pointed to the black Batman cape on his back. “Haohao is Superman! So handsome!”
Su Yue pulled the little boy in front of her, helping him tidy the tie around his neck, tying it into a neat bow. “Yes, Haohao is super handsome today.”
Xiao Haohao grinned, revealing his tiny white teeth, his big eyes sparkling. “Dad is handsome too!”
Su Yue turned her head to look at the expressionless man in a black suit beside her. Indeed, he was handsome.
Today was Halloween. The kindergarten was holding a parent-child Halloween event, where children and parents could dress up in costumes. Knowing that both his father and mother would be there, Jiang Haoyan had been bubbling with excitement since last night.
“Coriander, Leek, you all stay at home. Haohao is going to take Mom and Dad to school to win the grand prize!” Xiao Haohao gently stroked the heads of Coriander and Leek, informing them in his milky voice.
Su Yue looked at the adorable little boy, then turned to Jiang Ci, who stood beside her with a faint expression. “Haohao is so happy.” She ran her fingertips over the tie around Jiang Ci’s neck. He didn’t need to be so solemn and serious. Did he think he was attending a business meeting?
With nimble fingers, Su Yue unfastened his tie, slowly pulling it free. “Smile. Don’t be so serious.” She was genuinely worried he might scare the other children.
Jiang Ci lowered his eyes, a sullen expression on his face. His gaze fell on Su Yue’s lips. He noticed her lip color was different today. Usually, her lips were a vibrant, moist red, like fruit pulp, beautiful and alluring. Today’s color was also lovely, like tangerine, an orange-red, a little sweet. He extended a fingertip and touched her lips curiously. “Oh, so it’s lipstick?”
Su Yue saw that the white gauze wrapped around his finger was immediately stained with her lip gloss. “Don’t touch it!” she exclaimed, annoyed. “It’s dirty, and what I applied with such difficulty was just wiped off by you!” It was rare for her to participate in an event today. She was in a good mood, so she had deliberately chosen a different lip color. This orange-tinged shade looked sweet, and she liked it very much.
Jiang Ci smiled. “It’s still on your lips.” He licked the corner of his mouth and said slowly, “Su Yue, let me taste it.”