13: Gentle Little Article

Li Zhan woke up in a haze, the smell of disinfectant irritating his nostrils.

He moved his fingers slightly and felt a soft hand tightly gripping his own.

The woman beside him was startled awake by the subtle movement, groggily lifting her head—it was A Zhen.

Her originally delicate makeup was smudged, mascara stained the corners of her eyes, and her hair was disheveled.

"You're awake..."

A Zhen's voice was soft, as if afraid to disturb him, and her fingers gently brushed his forehead.

"Don't move around, the doctor just set you up."

Her fingertips were cold.

Li Zhan tried to speak but found his throat too dry to make a sound.

A Zhen immediately understood, carefully helped him sit up, and fed him a sip of warm water.

"Slowly..."

Her voice was unusually gentle, unlike the usual feisty A Zhen, and her eyes were full of heartache.

"You broke two ribs and fractured your collarbone. You need to rest well."

The sunlight from outside the window streamed in through the sheer curtains, falling on A Zhen's tired face.

Only then did Li Zhan notice,

Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly from a sleepless night.

Just as he was about to say something, several short honks sounded from outside the clinic.

A Zhen quickly released Li Zhan's hand and tidied her hair.

The door curtain was pushed aside,

A Tai rushed in with a plastic bag, followed leisurely by Brother Biao, who was twirling car keys in his hand.

"Oh, you're awake?"

Brother Biao leaned in with a smile, his gold chain swaying at his collar.

"You really worried our A Zhen; she stayed up all night without closing her eyes."

A Tai eagerly tore open the plastic bag.

"Brother Zhan, freshly made shrimp dumplings, still warm!"

Brother Biao casually pulled over a stool and sat down.

"Don't worry about the club for now; I've asked A Tai to keep an eye on it for you."

A Tai excitedly rubbed his hands.

"Brother Zhan, you didn't see it, The Thai Guy is completely ruined!

He'll never stand up again in this life!"

He gave a thumbs-up, "You're the best! Brother Zhan, you don't know, now the word on the street is..."

"Alright, alright,"

Brother Biao interrupted him with a laugh, then turned to Li Zhan and gave a thumbs-up. "In short, well done."

He stood up and patted A Zhen's shoulder, "I've safely brought him back to you; take good care of him."

A Zhen nodded, blushing.

After the two left, she gently squeezed Li Zhan's fingers.

"Are you hungry? I'll go warm up the shrimp dumplings."

The sunlight cast a gentle shadow on her slightly upturned lips through the curtains.

A hundred days for mending bones and tendons.

On this day, when Li Zhan opened his eyes, the city lights were already twinkling outside the window.

Only a dim yellow table lamp was on in the room.

Xiao Wen was curled up in the beanbag chair by the bed, idly flipping through a magazine.

"Brother Zhan, you're awake?"

Xiao Wen saw him move, immediately put down the magazine, and came closer.

"Sister A Zhen and the others went to work; they asked me to watch over you."

She smoothed her messy hair.

"There's warm congee in the kitchen, and your favorite spare ribs with black bean sauce. Shall I heat them up for you?"

During this time, whenever night fell and A Zhen had to go to Phoenix City, Xiao Wen would always take over.

Sometimes she'd bring pre-made soup, sometimes sweet soup bought from the street corner, quietly staying until dawn.

Li Zhan propped himself up, the injury to his ribs still throbbing.

Xiao Wen quickly placed a pillow behind him, her movements much more practiced than the first time she took care of him.

"Are you feeling better today?"

She reached out to check Li Zhan's forehead temperature.

"Sister A Zhen instructed that if you still have a fever, we need to call Doctor Liu from the clinic."

Just as Xiao Wen withdrew her hand from Li Zhan's forehead, she heard him whisper,

"Help me to the bathroom."

Her ear tips immediately turned red, but she still obediently supported Li Zhan's arm.

Li Zhan slowly got up, enduring the pain in his ribs.

Xiao Wen was almost entirely supporting him with her body, the scent of shampoo from her hair lingering at Li Zhan's nose.

At the bathroom door, Xiao Wen bit her lip, unwilling to let go. "Can...can you manage by yourself?"

Li Zhan tried to lift his arm.

The injury to his collarbone prevented him from even this simple action.

They stood in a stalemate for a few seconds.

Xiao Wen's eyelashes fluttered rapidly, then she suddenly reached out to unbutton his pajama pants.

"I, I'll close my eyes..."

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, but her fingers trembled violently, unable to undo a single button for a long time.

Li Zhan could feel her warm breath on his neck, startlingly hot.

The moment his pajama pants slipped down, Xiao Wen turned her face away, her neck flushing crimson.

She squeezed her eyes shut, fumbling to support Li Zhan.

"Are you done...?"

Her voice trembled slightly, her fingers tightly clutching Li Zhan's hospital gown sleeve.

Li Zhan took a deep breath.

"Still can't... help me... pull it up."

Xiao Wen visibly froze, her earlobes so red they almost bled.

She hesitated for a moment, then cautiously reached out her hand.

Her cool fingers brushed against his skin by accident, and both of them shivered simultaneously.

"Don't shake..."

Li Zhan whispered, his voice a little hoarser than usual.

Xiao Wen bit her lower lip and nodded, her eyelashes lowered very far.

The bathroom's exhaust fan hummed, but it couldn't mask their increasingly rapid breathing.

Back in the bedroom, Xiao Wen kept her head down, not daring to look at Li Zhan, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.

Today she was wearing a form-fitting beige knit dress,

Which accentuated her slender waist and full bust, with a section of fair thigh exposed beneath the hem—

This was her usual attire at university; she would only change into more provocative work clothes when going to the nightclub on weekends.

Li Zhan leaned against the headboard, his gaze sweeping over her graceful curves.

Recalling the soft touch in the bathroom just now, a wave of heat surged in his lower abdomen.

"Brother Zhan..."

Xiao Wen suddenly looked up and noticed his breathing was somewhat rapid.

"Why are you so hot? Are you running a fever?"

She frantically reached out to feel his forehead.

Li Zhan gave a helpless smile, gesturing downwards with his eyes. "Not a fever... it's swollen."

Xiao Wen followed his gaze and immediately blushed all the way to her neck in embarrassment.

She bit her lip, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"But, but with your injuries... you can't move around..."

Li Zhan moved further towards the inner side of the bed and patted the empty space.

Xiao Wen bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately lay down obediently.

"Clothes..."

Li Zhan mumbled vaguely, his gaze lingering on her.

Xiao Wen helplessly poked his forehead, "Brother Zhan, you're so injured..."

But seeing Li Zhan's expectant eyes, she still blushed and unzipped her dress.

The moment the silky fabric slipped, the moonlight outlined her graceful curves.

Li Zhan adjusted his posture contentedly,

Resting his head against her soft chest, his fingers unconsciously caressing her smooth skin.

Xiao Wen sighed softly, gently stroking his hair with her fingers.

Before long, Li Zhan's breathing became even and deep, and he fell into a heavy sleep in her arms.

The moonlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, casting a gentle shadow on her slightly upturned lips.