Chapter 40: She Sprained Her Ankle, So He Carried Her Into His Room

Rong Jingchen took a shower first.

After finishing, he knocked on Ye Muqi’s door.

“I’m done. You can go shower now.”

“Oh! Coming!”

Ye Muqi grabbed her change of clothes and came out, just in time to see Rong Jingchen drying his hair.

The man had only put on a black tank top after his shower, and the muscular lines of his arms were a feast for the eyes…

“I just showered, so the floor might be a little slippery. Be careful,” Rong Jingchen reminded her.

“Oh…”

Ye Muqi was distracted by the water droplets sliding down his chest and didn’t really hear what he said.

So as soon as she stepped into the bathroom—she slipped.

“Ahhh—!”

Rong Jingchen: “?”

Ye Muqi struggled to sit up, clutching her foot, grimacing in pain. Her clothes were also soaked from falling on the wet floor.

The pajamas she had been holding fell to the side and got wet as well.

“You… hurt your foot?” Rong Jingchen rushed over and saw the scene. His expression immediately turned serious.

From the looks of it, she had taken quite a fall.

“Why didn’t you warn me there was water inside?” Ye Muqi lowered her head and hissed through the pain.

“I did.” Rong Jingchen looked helpless as he squatted beside her. “You even said ‘oh’. I thought you heard me.”

What did she “oh” about?

“……”

Huh?

Did she?

“Well, then you must’ve said it too late. I was already inside,” Ye Muqi stubbornly refused to admit she got distracted by his chest muscles.

She had twisted her ankle during the fall. It felt like a bone injury, sending sharp pain with every movement. She could barely endure it—her eyes were already red from the pain.

Not that she really blamed Rong Jingchen. She was just talking to distract from the pain and awkwardness.

“Hmm…” Rong Jingchen glanced at her. Sweat was already forming on her forehead. He didn’t say anything, just accepted the blame. “Let me take a look.”

Ye Muqi released her grip on her foot and let him examine it.

The ankle was red and swollen, and the swelling was getting worse. It needed immediate attention or it would soon balloon up like a bun.

“Ow ow ow!” Ye Muqi cried out as Rong Jingchen gently pressed the swollen area.

If she could’ve pulled her foot back, she would’ve.

It hurt so bad—just a touch was unbearable. Even she hadn’t dared apply any pressure earlier.

“Luckily, the bone isn’t injured.” Rong Jingchen withdrew his hand quickly, a look of relief in his eyes.

Just a sprain—manageable. But the bathroom wasn’t the place to treat it; they had to move.

“Ow… don’t move me,” Ye Muqi cried out as Rong Jingchen tried to help her stand.

Just moving her foot sent searing pain through her. It was no joke.

Rong Jingchen looked at her, then silently bent down and scooped her up in his arms.

Ye Muqi was startled and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. Looking at his handsome profile, her fingers twitched slightly—tempted to trace his sharp jawline to see if it could actually cut someone.

He carried her out of the bathroom. The only furniture in the living room was the dining table, not suitable for treating an injury. After a moment’s hesitation, he turned and carried her into his own room.

He laid her on his bed, then went off to get some medicinal alcohol.

Her ankle still throbbed, but after a while, as long as it wasn’t touched, the pain became bearable.

Ye Muqi glanced around his room—it wasn’t much bigger than the guest room she stayed in. Like the rest of the place, it was very minimalistic. Aside from the bed and wardrobe, there wasn’t much else. The quilt on the bed was folded into a perfect square—just like Rong Jingchen himself, meticulous and proper.

However…

Was it just her imagination, or could she smell his scent in the room?

It was like the clean scent of soap.

When Rong Jingchen returned with the medicinal alcohol, he saw Ye Muqi sitting on the bed wearing shorts that didn’t even cover her knees. Her long, fair legs stretched out in front of her, glowing under the light.

Except for the swollen ankle, which stood out starkly against her pale skin.

“The swelling needs to be massaged out.” Holding the bottle, Rong Jingchen looked at her, waiting for her permission. “Want me to help?”

Ye Muqi was scared of the pain, but looking at her ankle, which was even more swollen than before, she knew it had to be done. Gritting her teeth, she extended her leg with the resolve of a warrior.

“…Go ahead.”

Rong Jingchen sat on the edge of the bed, lifted her foot onto his thigh, poured some alcohol into his palm, then gently held her foot.

One hand supported her foot, the other began massaging the ankle with just the right amount of pressure. He was cautious at first, worried about hurting her.

But as he worked, his eyes drifted to her foot.

It was small enough to fit in one of his hands. Soft, smooth, delicate—fairer than his sun-darkened hand, which made the contrast even more striking.

Rong Jingchen’s eyes darkened slightly. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing subtly as he felt the softness under his touch.

Ye Muqi hugged his pillow as he massaged her ankle. It wasn’t as painful as she’d imagined—in fact, he was pretty good at it. The massage felt rather comfortable. The only downside was the strong smell of medicinal alcohol, which drowned out the faint clean scent she had noticed earlier.

“Will this keep me from going to work tomorrow?” she asked after a while, suddenly worried.

She had only just started selling noodles two days ago and was finally gaining some traction. Now she was injured? If she couldn’t open her breakfast stall, wouldn’t her money-making plan be ruined?

That couldn’t happen!

“?” Rong Jingchen looked up at her, surprised she was seriously concerned about that right now.

Really?

All she cared about was making money, not even her own body?

His face darkened a little, eyes clouded with restrained irritation.

“Your health comes first. It’s okay to take a couple days off,” he said.

Though annoyed that she wasn’t taking care of herself, he didn’t let it show in his tone. He just tried to reassure her.

“It’s fine, it’s just a sprain—not even a fracture, right?” Ye Muqi had no intention of resting. Sure, she had screamed in pain earlier, but in the face of money, she could tough it out. “Besides, don’t soldiers say ‘light injuries don’t leave the battlefield’? This is a minor injury. A bit of massage and I’ll be fine.”

Soldiers?

She really compared herself to soldiers?

Rong Jingchen’s expression darkened further. He didn’t say anything, but the pressure of his hands increased slightly.

“Eh? Mmm… Ah—” The sudden increase in pressure made Ye Muqi groan.

It hurt… but kind of felt good too.

And somehow… it was a little addictive.