Chapter 22: Can’t Kiss for Free (Part 1)

Zhao Yu was unmoved and flatly refused, “No.”

He could spoil her normally, but not about something like this. He was a normal man, not a saint.

Standing up, Zhao Yu instructed her, “We still have a journey ahead tomorrow. I’ll bring Du Tian in a bit. Behave yourself, and don’t mess with her.”

Dai Ning swung her legs and looked up at him with a small smile, “But what if Du Tian bullies me?”

Zhao Yu didn’t respond.

It would be a blessing if the young lady didn’t bully others.

He poured a cup of warm water for Dai Ning and left to find Zhuang Hongxiu to discuss matters.

Not long after, Du Tian came in, carrying a medical kit and smiling gently. “Miss Ji, after dinner, I’ll take a look at your injury.”

Dai Ning sipped her water and sweetly replied, “Alright.”

Qingtuan couldn’t help but remind her, “The female lead’s attitude seems suspiciously nice—could she be planning something against you?”

Unconcerned, Dai Ning added white sugar to her water. “Let her try.”

On the road, dinner was hardly enjoyable. Dai Ning was picky and barely touched her meal, opting to pull candy from her pocket instead.

Du Tian, not one to waste food, finished her meal and noticed that Dai Ning had hardly touched hers. When she threw away her trash, she also disposed of Dai Ning’s meal, casting her a dismissive glance as Dai Ning obliviously played on her phone. Du Tian thought smugly, “Let her go hungry then.”

Night fell, and after Dai Ning showered, Du Tian took out gauze and a few small bottles.

“Miss Ji, come here.”

Dai Ning shuffled over and noticed a strange odor. Her gaze fell on the unfamiliar bottles, looking amused.

It seemed she hadn’t truly understood Du Tian in her past life. This “sweet little sister” not only had skills but was well-versed in more than she’d anticipated. No wonder she had been completely defeated.

Du Tian looked up, her smile warm and friendly, as though there were no grudges between them. She said softly, “Miss Ji, I’ll apply medicine and wrap it up; you’ll be able to walk by tomorrow.”

Du Tian leaned forward to touch Dai Ning’s wound, but Dai Ning withdrew her foot, pale and delicate, not letting her touch it. Instead, she picked up one of the bottles and asked, “What’s this?”

Du Tian glanced at it, replying, “Disinfectant.”

Dai Ning opened the bottle, and a foul odor filled the air.

“Gross. I don’t want to use this,” she complained.

Du Tian’s smile grew. “The medicine works well. For everyone’s sake, endure it, okay? You wouldn’t want everyone to complain about you, right?”

This stuff would guarantee that Ji Dai Ning smelled awful for days, no matter how much she washed.

Hearing it worked well, Dai Ning softened. “But it’s so smelly. Are you sure it’s not toxic?”

Suppressing her inner satisfaction, Du Tian said, “Of course not. It’s excellent medicine, and perfectly safe.”

“Really?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Dai Ning put on a naive expression. “That’s a relief, then.”

Du Tian nodded. “Alright, let’s begin…”

Before she could finish, Dai Ning suddenly shoved the bottle into Du Tian’s mouth and tipped it up, pouring the liquid down her throat.

Choking, Du Tian instinctively gulped it down as Dai Ning helpfully lifted her chin.

A loud “gulp” echoed, spreading the stench further.

Du Tian’s face changed as she ran to the bathroom to vomit.

The sounds of retching filled the bathroom for a while. Du Tian emptied her stomach, but it was her own concoction. No matter how much she threw up, the odor clung to her, nauseating her further.

Her kind facade fell as she stormed out, furious. “Ji Dai Ning! I’m going to kill you!”

But the room was empty; the young lady was long gone.

——

Apart from the two still bickering after dark, everyone else had been exhausted from the day’s journey and was fast asleep.

Zhao Yu, fresh from a shower, was just about to fall asleep when there was a knock at the door.

Concerned it might involve something with Shen Tuo She, he quickly woke up, secured his robe, and opened the door.

To his surprise, barefooted Dai Ning was standing outside.

Like a nimble fish, she darted past him and flopped onto his bed. Zhao Yu rubbed his temples and pulled her up. “Didn’t we agree that you’d stay with Du Tian tonight?”

The young lady, clutching his pillow, protested, “I’m not going back. Du Tian made the room stink.”

She thought for a moment and added, “It smells like a cesspool exploded.”

Zhao Yu frowned, doubting her words.

“Really, go check if you don’t believe me,” she insisted.

Zhao Yu, aware of her antics, decided to check anyway. But as he approached her room and was about to knock, a foul smell did indeed waft through the crack in the door.

Just as Dai Ning had said—it was horrible.

Zhao Yu realized she wasn’t lying.

He lowered his hand, went downstairs briefly, and then returned to find her lying in his bed, ready to start another game.

Taking her by the wrist, he lifted her out of bed.

Startled, she exclaimed, “You know I wasn’t lying, yet you’re still kicking me out. Zhao Yu, you’re worse than Shen Tuo She!”

Unmoved, Zhao Yu handed her a tube of antiseptic cream and two bandages. “Not kicking you out. You can sleep here; I’ll bunk with Liu Shuan tonight. Let me take care of that wound first.”

She blinked, realizing she’d misunderstood, and obediently stretched out her foot.

A small wound like this was trivial, but Zhao Yu knew she was sensitive and thought it best to treat it.

Her feet were lovely—soft and fair, with a hint of pink on her toes, more delicate than the faces of most village girls.

He hadn’t looked closely during the day, but now, under the warm light, with her foot in his hand, he felt his palm heat up.

Pausing momentarily, he masked any reaction, applied the medicine, and placed a bandage on it.

Dai Ning watched his cool demeanour with dissatisfaction. Around Zhao Yu, she sometimes felt like a mere wooden post.

Zhao Yu rose, about to leave to sleep with Liu Shuan, but she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Softly, she murmured, “Zhao Yu, can’t you stay with me?”

“Let go,” he said impassively, “or I’ll tie you up.”

“But what if Shen Tuo She escapes from across the hall? Besides, with that stuff Du Tian…,” she teased.

Zhao Yu raised an eyebrow. “Did you actually make Du Tian drink that?”

Dai Ning, unapologetic, shrugged. “She’s the one who wanted me to use such disgusting medicine.”

With her knack for causing trouble, Zhao Yu wouldn’t be surprised if one day she got herself killed for it. A master at stirring things up, Dai Ning might just release Shen Tuo She out of boredom and watch them play cat and mouse.

The young lady was the one who truly needed to be supervised.

He gently removed her hands from him and said nothing further. After washing his hands, he returned, lying on the outer edge of the bed, careful not to occupy any more space than necessary, as though he might fall off at any moment.

Dai Ning was delighted by this. She scooted closer, eager to see if she could make him panic and roll off the bed.

Zhao Yu’s face darkened. “Ji Dai Ning, try that again and see what happens.”

Realizing he was genuinely angry, Dai Ning lay down obediently but couldn’t resist setting some ground rules. “You’re not allowed to snore, steal the covers, or move closer to me in the middle of the night!”

Zhao Yu closed his eyes, ignoring her.

After all that energy, she ended up falling asleep faster than he did. When Zhao Yu noticed the stillness behind him, he turned and saw her peacefully asleep, clutching most of the blanket with her cheek pressed softly into the pillow.

He didn’t look at her long, turning away and closing his eyes as he drifted off to sleep.