Chapter 16: Does She Have a Sense of Possession?

　　　　

“You’re burned!” Jiang Ning immediately noticed the redness on Shen Mo’s hand and, without thinking, grabbed the burned hand.

Shen Mo, seeing that she wasn’t burned, glanced at his hand and casually said, “Oh, I’m fine. It’s just a small injury. It’ll be better in a couple of days. The noodles are cooked. I’m not good at making other things, so you’ll have to make do with this for now.”

Jiang Ning wasn’t thinking about eating. She looked serious and frowned, saying, “A burn is not a small injury.”

“Come here.”

Jiang Ning held Shen Mo’s hand, and the big man moved easily with her gentle pull.

They went to the water tap, turned it on, and placed Shen Mo’s hand under the running water.

The burned area quickly felt less fiery.

After five minutes, Jiang Ning turned off the tap.

Unfortunately, there was no ointment. If there had been some burn ointment, they wouldn’t have needed to run the water.

Jiang Ning looked up at him and asked, “Are you okay? Does it still hurt?”

Shen Mo noticed that Jiang Ning’s delicate brows were furrowed, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were filled with concern. After rinsing his hand, she still held his wrist, carefully examining the burn.

They were standing very close, and Shen Mo could even smell the subtle, refreshing fragrance that seemed to come naturally from her.

Jiang Ning had phoenix eyes, slightly upturned, exuding a charm she was unaware of.

At that moment, those beautiful eyes were filled with worry.

From the time they had met until now, Jiang Ning had never actively approached him. Just holding his hand made Shen Mo feel a fiery heat not only where he was burned but all over his body.

A tingling sensation spread across his scalp, and he stammered, “N-no, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Jiang Ning let out a breath of relief, “That’s good.”

Burns could range from minor to severe. Shen Mo’s small burn was likely a first-degree burn, and if treated properly, it wouldn’t cause any issues and wouldn’t even leave a scar.

But since Shen Mo’s burn was related to her, she felt responsible.

Jiang Ning said, “Let’s eat.”

Shen Mo picked up the two bowls of noodles from the stove again, but by now, the noodles had clumped together.

Without thinking, Shen Mo said, “I’ll go borrow some more noodles from Sister Li and make you a fresh batch.”

Jiang Ning grabbed him, “No need, it’s still edible.”

Shen Mo said, “But it’s clumped together, and the broth is gone.”

Jiang Ning glanced at the bowl of noodles, “It’s still edible even without the broth. I’m not that delicate.”

Shen Mo, however, said seriously, “Girls can be delicate.”

His younger sister had never experienced much hardship growing up, and her spoiled and willful behavior had been indulged. She always wanted the best of everything, and if anything was uncomfortable, she would throw a tantrum.

Shen Mo had been annoyed by his sister’s antics, but after she moved to the countryside with their parents, he realized that having a delicate girl wasn’t a big deal. He could pamper her.

And his wife deserved even more pampering.

Jiang Ning pouted.

“Girls can be delicate,” he said.

This must be a conclusion drawn from having dated many women.

Jiang Ning took the bowl of noodles from Shen Mo’s hand and turned to walk into the main room.

Shen Mo followed her.

The main room had a table and chairs, and they sat down to eat the noodles.

Jiang Ning ate with a cold expression on her face the whole time.

Shen Mo also noticed her mood and cautiously asked, “Is it too hard to eat? Tomorrow, I’ll bring you food from the canteen.”

Jiang Ning realized that this was the second time today she had shown emotions towards Shen Mo, and it was because she had guessed that Shen Mo knew other women.

Did she have a sense of possessiveness?

Jiang Ning finished the last bite of her noodles and asked casually, “Shen Mo, how do you know so much about skincare products for girls?”

“I have a younger sister,” Shen Mo replied honestly. “Before our family was sent down, my sister often used those skincare products. She said that girls’ skin needs them to improve. After she was sent down, I frequently bought these products and sent them to her in the countryside.”

Jiang Ning was surprised, “You have a sister?”

Realizing that he hadn’t introduced his family situation to Jiang Ning, Shen Mo said, “Yes, I have a sister. My family situation is somewhat complicated. Five years ago, someone reported our family, and everyone except me was sent down to Dahe Village in Qing County, Jinjiang City.”

Jiang Ning was taken aback and asked Shen Mo, “Are they okay now?”

She understood what being sent down meant; it was almost like exile in ancient times.

Jiang Ning hadn’t expected that Shen Mo’s family had been sent down. In this era, those sent down were usually intellectuals, which indicated that Shen Mo’s family was not ordinary.

Hearing Jiang Ning’s concern for his family, Shen Mo felt something warm fill his heart.

The most critical period had passed, and his family would eventually be reinstated.

Shen Mo kept in touch with his family whenever he had time and knew some details. He nodded and said, “I’ve been in contact with them through letters. Don’t worry, they’re fine. At most, in another year, they should be able to return.”

Jiang Ning couldn’t help but ask, “Why didn’t you ever think of writing to me?”

“I did write to you,” Shen Mo said. “But you never replied.”

Jiang Ning was stunned.

Shen Mo had written to her?

So, she had misunderstood him again!

She quickly realized that the money Shen Mo had sent never reached her, so how could his letters have?

The one who had ruined the original owner’s life was her sister, Jiang Ting, who had a reborn persona.

When reading the novel, Jiang Ning had felt that Jiang Ting, the protagonist, wasn’t much of a strong female lead. She had ruined her younger sister’s life for her own glorious future.

If she hadn’t come to the capital and Jiang Ting’s path had been set right, she would have made Jiang Ting return every penny she had taken!

As for why Shen Mo hadn’t brought her to his family, it was because he couldn’t. With his family being sent down, how could he have brought her there to suffer?

So, from the beginning to the end, she had misunderstood Shen Mo.

She had used her omniscient perspective to judge him, initially thinking he was just a character in a story whose actions and style she didn’t like, and she instinctively wanted to divorce and distance herself from him.

Now, without that omniscient view and being in the situation herself, she truly understood his character.

Jiang Ning rarely felt guilty towards someone, “I didn’t know any of this.”

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault,” Shen Mo said sincerely, seeing the guilt on her face. “It’s my fault for not looking for you these past three years.”

He knew he had a wife, but at that time, he couldn’t bring her to live with him in the military. It was better for her to stay with her parents than to come and suffer with him. He planned to bring her over once his family was rehabilitated.

With this one-sided misunderstanding cleared up, Jiang Ning felt embarrassed. She stood up and said, “I’ll wash the dishes.”

“I’ll do it,” Shen Mo said, taking her bowl first. “It’s already late. You should go wash up and rest.”

Before Jiang Ning could say anything more, he had already taken the bowl and walked briskly out of the main room.