Chapter 343: Grabbed His...
His pale skin was only exposed for a moment before Gu Nian snatched up a blanket and quickly wrapped it around him.
Gu Nian wrapped the blanket tightly around him, leaving no gaps. He even grabbed the two corners and viciously tied a dead knot behind his back, nearly failing to suppress a cold smirk.
’Shameless bastard. Who knows if he deliberately blocked that bullet just to win Big Sis’s sympathy?’
’Getting hurt is his own damn fault for being useless. How dare he pretend to be seriously injured?’
So, Gu Nian didn’t hold back at all, using enough force to strangle a man.
Out loud, however, he feigned concern. "Senior Yuan, you’re being so careless. How could you expose your body in front of a female? If anyone found out, they’d call you indecent."
"I know you don’t mind the gossip, Senior Yuan, but Big Sis is a public figure now. You’re her ’friend,’ so don’t make things difficult for her."
Gu Nian put extra emphasis on the word "friend."
Yuan Shiyao nodded. "You’re so thoughtful, Gu. But..." He paused before adding sincerely, "There are only three of us in this villa. How would anyone else find out?"
Gu Nian was speechless.
’This damn green tea! Is he saying that if any rumors get out, it’ll be my fault?’
Gu Nian ground his teeth, but he put on an apologetic expression. "I’m sorry, Senior Yuan. Your brother asked me just now, and I already told him you were hurt. I didn’t know you wanted to keep it a secret... But it’s fine, right? We’re all friends."
Hearing that Yuan Shimo already knew, Yuan Shiyao’s brow furrowed. He was annoyed by Gu Nian’s tattling.
He was about to snap back, but Gu Nian looked toward Jiang Qingli, who was walking over, and said gently, "Big Sis, the socks are in the third drawer from the bottom on the right. I folded them and arranged them from shortest to longest."
Yuan Shiyao’s gaze fell on the girl’s bare feet, and his voice softened as well. "Don’t catch a cold."
Jiang Qingli said, "Oh," and pulled back.
The moment the door closed, the peaceful facade between them shattered.
Gu Nian launched the first personal attack. "You shameless slut."
"Takes one to know one," Yuan Shiyao replied, raising an eyebrow provocatively. "You sold for a much higher price in that cage at the auction house, Gu."
Hearing this, Gu Nian laughed instead of getting angry. "So you know Big Sis bought me. She was willing to spend fifty million on me. And you..."
His pink eyes scanned the other man from top to bottom before he sighed with mock pity. "Such cheap goods. You could strip naked and throw yourself at her, and she still wouldn’t give you the time of day. How pitiful."
While the two were trading barbs, Jiang Qingli had already put on socks and found a pair of shoes.
They were white casual sneakers with a pink trim.
The pink-and-white color scheme made Jiang Qingli involuntarily recall the scene from just now.
’It’s so wrong, but I instantly thought of Yuan Shimo’s and started comparing them.’
’The two brothers have different vibes, and Yuan Shimo seems leaner, but their upper bodies looked almost identical...’
’Every inch of them.’
’I wonder about the other parts...’
’Wait, Jiang Qingli, what are you thinking?!’
Jiang Qingli mentally scolded herself. ’I can’t think about anything pink anymore.’
But the more she warned herself, the more her thoughts ran wild. She could only break the train of thought by focusing on putting on her shoes.
Once she was done, Jiang Qingli stood in front of the mirror to look herself over.
She had changed into a tracksuit and tied her hair in a ponytail, looking relaxed and casual. Only the faint blush on her cheeks made her seem a little flustered.
let out a whistle. [Yo, little beauty, why’s your face so pink? Miss me?]
The tips of Jiang Qingli’s ears burned, and she suddenly raised her voice. [Can we please stop talking about pink!]
030, who had only been trying to lighten the mood: [...?]
’Did anyone even mention it?’
-
After taking a few seconds to compose herself, Jiang Qingli pushed the door open.
Gu Nian was sitting on the sofa, looking out the window.
Yuan Shiyao was leaning against the headboard, looking in the other direction.
Hearing the door open, the two of them looked over at her.
Taking advantage of the fact that Yuan Shiyao was bandaged up and couldn’t move easily, Gu Nian stood up, conveniently blocking him from view. He then docilely praised how good Big Sis’s outfit looked.
’Looks like those two weren’t getting along.’
Males always bickered when they were together. Jiang Qingli was used to it. She patted the top of Gu Nian’s head, walked around him, and sat on the edge of the bed to look at the silent Yuan Shiyao. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Much better," Yuan Shiyao said with a gentle smile. "Gu even wrapped a blanket around me... COUGH, COUGH..."
As he coughed, he hunched over slightly, which just so happened to let Jiang Qingli see the blanket, which was tied around him like a burlap sack.
After seeing it, Jiang Qingli reached out to untie it while looking at Gu Nian, narrowing her eyes.
The latter looked away, flustered. "I was afraid he’d catch a cold."
’As if he could catch a cold in this summer heat.’
Jiang Qingli sighed helplessly and changed the subject. "I need to go pick up the terminal and the prize. I’ll check on you when I get back. You should rest."
"I should go to the guest room. Gu was right, if I’m here..." Yuan Shiyao looked at the girl, pursing his lips, the tips of his ears turning red. "People will think I’m here to seduce you."
Although Jiang Qingli didn’t think so, a male’s reputation was still very important. She helped Yuan Shiyao up to take him to the guest room next door.
Gu Nian tried to help, but the patient himself subtly dodged his touch.
Jiang Qingli had intended to pull Yuan Shiyao up by the wrist, but her hand slipped. Instead, she supported him by the shoulder.
"Sorry, I’m a dead weight."
Yuan Shiyao apologized, but he secretly used her support to lean in closer, almost like an embrace.
He could clearly feel her slender fingers through the thin blanket, their warmth seeping into the side of his body, which had grown cold from blood loss.
A bright, floral scent, like a sun-drenched blossom, enveloped him.
Yuan Shiyao looked dazed.
Jiang Qingli didn’t notice a thing. She just turned to Gu Nian and said, "Nian, you go get changed, too. We’ll be leaving soon."
Gu Nian took a deep breath. "Okay."
The guest room was just a few steps away.
Jiang Qingli barely felt like she exerted any effort as she helped him onto the sofa.
"This is so much trouble for you, Qingli." Yuan Shiyao balled one hand into a loose fist and gave a faint cough. "No one has ever been this kind to me."
Jiang Qingli retrieved the terminal from the room and handed it to him. "It’s nothing. You did take a bullet for me, after all."
"Getting shot was my own fault for being useless. It has nothing to do with you. In fact, I should be thanking you." Yuan Shiyao gazed at her intently. "If it weren’t for you, I might have died there... You saved my life."
As he spoke, the young man took hold of her fingertips, the tips of his ears blushing as he murmured, "I really don’t know how I can ever repay you... Is there anything you want?"
That thin blanket really seemed to be too slippery.
As he spoke, it slipped off Yuan Shiyao’s shoulder again.
Jiang Qingli got another eyeful.
She stared for a few seconds before awkwardly looking away. As she grabbed the blanket to wrap it around him and tried to stand up, he suddenly tugged on it. She lost her balance and tumbled forward, her hands instinctively shooting out to catch herself—
Without warning, her hand landed right on his pec.
Yuan Shiyao hadn’t seemed to expect this either; his jade-green eyes constricted sharply.
’Th-th-th-this!’
Jiang Qingli was mortified, her mind racing for an explanation.
’Maybe I could say he looks so much like Yuan Shimo that it was just muscle memory...? Would anyone even buy that...?’
Just as the atmosphere grew unbearably tense, Gu Nian’s voice rang out. "Big Sis, Yuan Shimo is video calling."
The sound of footsteps followed, and the door was suddenly pushed open—