Chapter 43: Feeding Her Water

After dinner and a bath, the sky was still dusky.

The house was hot like a steamer, and the children were all playing in the yard.

But Xu Jiaojiao had already returned to the room early.

She took out an enamel cup and filled it with warm water.

Holding the cup, she looked towards the door from time to time.

She kept muttering to herself, “It’s this late, why hasn’t he come back yet?”

As if summoned by her thoughts, the tall figure finally appeared at the door.

He was wet, with a hint of water vapor clinging to him.

He must have gone to bathe in the river.

Xu Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up, and she stood up, holding the cup.

Qin Shuo had just stepped inside when he bumped into the slender figure.

“Are you thirsty? Do you want some water?” Her sweet voice held anticipation and a hint of nervousness.

Looking at the cup being offered to him, Qin Shuo stopped in his tracks.

Following her white wrist upwards, he met the woman’s slightly embarrassed face.

Her pearly teeth nibbled on her crimson lips, and her watery eyes blinked, as if they could speak.

As if she was afraid he would reject her.

Looking at those hesitant eyes, Qin Shuo felt a tug at his heart.

A wave of pleasant emotions surged up.

He stared at her for a moment before reaching out to take the cup from her hand.

The first step of the plan was successful, and Xu Jiaojiao’s eyes shone brightly.

But thinking about what she had to do next, her face flushed uncontrollably.

Under this conflicting nervousness, Xu Jiaojiao saw the man pick up the cup and prepare to drink.

“Hey, wait…”

Thinking of how he drank water in big gulps during the day, Xu Jiaojiao panicked and took a step forward.

“What?”

Qin Shuo was puzzled, but he still complied with her wishes and put down the cup.

Meeting those serious and solemn eyes, Xu Jiaojiao’s lips moved, but she couldn’t utter the words asking him to feed her water.

“Thank you for helping me pull weeds today.” She decided to get closer to him first.

Once they were familiar, she would make her request unexpectedly.

Hearing this, Qin Shuo’s grip on the cup tightened.

The joy in his heart seemed to be shrouded in a layer of gloom.

She, was she calculating everything so clearly with him?

Recalling how she had avoided him for the past month, Qin Shuo felt a cotton ball stuck in his chest, making him uncomfortable.

Seeing his change in mood, Xu Jiaojiao was completely baffled.

Had she said something wrong again?

“You were amazing today!” She changed tactics. “If it weren’t for you, I would have been bitten by a snake.”

She truly admired him for that. With a simple flick of his wrist, he had knocked the snake unconscious.

Meeting those eyes filled with admiration, the tightness in Qin Shuo’s chest miraculously subsided.

The corner of his lips unknowingly curled into a slight arc.

Seeing that his mood had improved, Xu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

This man was really hard to deal with.

The warm water in her hand had already turned cold. Qin Shuo picked up the cup, brought it to his lips, and took a sip.

He found the water unexpectedly sweet.

Xu Jiaojiao’s gaze was drawn to the cup in his hand again.

Watching him drink water sip by sip, Xu Jiaojiao’s heart went up and down.

It wouldn’t stay still in her chest.

“Is something the matter?”

Seeing her hesitation, Qin Shuo spoke, thinking she had encountered some difficulty.

Xu Jiaojiao didn’t speak, but her eyes were fixed on the cup in his hand.

Seeing her staring longingly at his… cup?

Qin Shuo seemed to understand something and said, “You want some water too?”

He actually understood.

Xu Jiaojiao nodded, her eyes suddenly shining brightly, her watery eyes staring at him expectantly.

Who could resist such a cute and adorable look?

Qin Shuo was no exception, of course.

His fingertips curled slightly, his gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he said, “You wait.”

As he spoke, Qin Shuo picked up the cup and drank it in large gulps.

In no time, the cup of warm water was empty.

Xu Jiaojiao was completely devastated.

How could he finish it like that? She hadn’t completed her task yet!

As soon as Qin Shuo put down the cup, he met the woman’s accusing gaze and couldn’t help but frown.

Where had he gone wrong?

Thinking she was too thirsty, Qin Shuo quickly grabbed the kettle and poured another half cup of water.

He brought the water to the woman, but she didn’t take it for a long time.

“Not thirsty?”

She was thirsty!

Xu Jiaojiao was so anxious that her throat was about to smoke, but she couldn’t utter those embarrassing words.

Her little face flushed red.

Xu Jiaojiao didn’t know that after taking a bath, she exuded a faint fragrance.

Her tender face was like a water lily emerging from the water.

Her skin was fair and smooth, her eyebrows were like paintings.

Now, her cheeks were flushed, seeming shy yet not shy, exuding an unconscious charm.

Qin Shuo, who was already tempted, was now even more captivated.

His Adam’s apple involuntarily rolled, and he felt his throat dry again after drinking water.

“Have some water first?”

Qin Shuo’s low, magnetic voice was even more hoarse, as if he was afraid of scaring her.

Xu Jiaojiao felt like she was being coaxed.

Sensing that burning gaze, she couldn’t sit still.

The air seemed to be filled with an indescribable ambiguity.

“I…”

She managed to utter one word before stopping again.

She felt like she was setting herself on fire.

Asking him to feed her water at this moment, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to leave this room!

After weighing her options, she decided to skip this task for now.

Just as she was about to reach out to take the water, she saw the cup being pushed towards her again.

Xu Jiaojiao: ?!

A task delivered to her doorstep?

Xu Jiaojiao, who had already rehearsed countless times in her mind, didn’t hesitate.

She directly took a sip from the cup that was offered to her.

The next moment, she felt the man’s gaze burning her.

Xu Jiaojiao froze, but she still pretended to be nonchalant and stepped back.

“Still thirsty?”

The man’s low voice was even more hoarse, as if he was afraid of scaring her, so he lowered his voice even more.

That whisper, like a lover’s murmur, made Xu Jiaojiao’s face burn.

Her heart thumped like it was about to burst.

“I… my hand hurts… so…”

Xu Jiaojiao quickly made up an excuse, but as soon as she said it, she wanted to punch herself.

The more she explained, the darker it got!

Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, Qin Shuo frowned.

“Let me see.”

“No need!” Xu Jiaojiao said, already taking a step back.

Like a startled deer.

Qin Shuo forcibly suppressed the urge to take a step forward, “Did you burn yourself?”

Thinking that it was her who had lit the fire in the evening, he felt a pang of regret.

Xu Jiaojiao shook her head, taking another step back, “It’s okay, it’ll be fine tomorrow, I’m going out to cool off!”

With that, she turned and dashed out the door.

Behind her, the man’s gaze seemed to burn her like fire.