Lin Zhishui’s eyes suddenly widened, misted over by the humid steam, her pupils clear and deep like a lake, and at this moment, the surface of the lake was reflecting the hidden tranquillity in Ning Shangyu’s eyes.
She stood there in a daze, until her mind uncontrollably began to speculate about something strange.
Lin Zhishui completely forgot what it meant to “avert your eyes from what is improper.”
Her already beautiful fingertips pointed toward a certain spot, “You…”
Then her gaze shifted to the tattoo on his muscular, well-defined arm.
“This, this, this—”
“It’s the same?”
Her tone carried a trace of unconcealable curiosity.
Ning Shangyu reached out to turn off the shower, moving with the casual grace of a newly awakened, lazy yet handsome lion.
He picked up the neatly folded bathrobe nearby and draped it over himself, answering her calmly, “Any questions?”
Hearing that he didn’t deny it, Lin Zhishui’s expression grew even more shocked, and her heart beat even faster.
After all, her curiosity had always been strong, but she never expected Ning Shangyu would so boldly have that kind of design tattooed on his arm!
That’s way too high-profile!!!
Ning Shangyu leisurely fastened his robe’s belt, casually blocking Lin Zhishui’s line of sight, then walked toward her.
He immediately noticed the ointment tube in her hand and paused.
“Here to apply the medicine?”
“Yeah.”
Lin Zhishui was clearly stunned for quite a while.
When she finally snapped back to reality, she realized Ning Shangyu had always maintained that calm, lofty demeanour, as if he were handling something utterly ordinary.
But his patience was limited.
Before she could fully recall that she had come here for the proper business of applying the medicine—
Her body suddenly stiffened.
Ning Shangyu had leaned down, his palms closing in on either side of her waist through the thin, gauzy nightgown, and, as if handling a porcelain doll, effortlessly lifted her onto the luxurious vanity counter.
Lin Zhishui’s snow-white palm pressed tightly against the cold surface of the counter.
The chill seeped through her skin straight to her brain, instantly sobering her up.
In the next moment, the ointment tube she’d been gripping was pulled from her hand.
Just as usual, Ning Shangyu squeezed out a bit of transparent ointment, and as he lifted his head, his gaze fell on her delicate, jade-like shoulder blade for a second.
Right now, Lin Zhishui’s nerves were completely on edge.
Being stared at made her uncomfortable, so she blinked uneasily.
“Is there a problem?”
He’s just applying medicine.
Why is he hesitating about this now?!
“No problem.”
Ning Shangyu’s long fingers brushed her cheek with a hint of suggestion, but his tone was indifferent.
“Lin Miss, your recovery is going well.”
Lin Zhishui breathed a small sigh of relief.
Suddenly, Ning Shangyu slowly traced a spot between her shoulders and spoke again, “It’s only been a week, and Lin Miss’s constitution is already so impressive that I almost couldn’t find the wound.”
Lin Zhishui was sitting with her back to him.
The vanity was surrounded by a circle of wall lamps as bright as daylight, and the mirror could only reflect her thin, fair shoulder blades, but not her face.
She was pondering why his words sounded so oddly sarcastic.
Meanwhile, Ning Shangyu’s sharp eyes had already found the spot and applied the ointment to the nearly healed area.
With his slender, bony hand so close, Lin Zhishui couldn’t help but recall the black tattoo and the fleeting glimpse she’d caught just minutes ago.
She really wanted to erase that memory from her mind.
Stop thinking about it!
Yet her softly curled lashes trembled, and she couldn’t control her gaze from drifting to Ning Shangyu’s long wrist, especially as he slowly lifted his arm, the velvet sleeve sliding down the thin, muscular lines to reveal a glimpse of the tattoo above his veins.
Lin Zhishui couldn’t look directly.
In the bathroom’s indescribably subtle atmosphere, she even felt that after the wound between her shoulders had healed, her skin seemed thinner, and as Ning Shangyu’s fingertips pressed against her face, the warmth from his touch felt almost burning.
“Is it done?”
Lin Zhishui couldn’t help but ask softly, almost whispering.
Ning Shangyu, as calm as ever, withdrew his finger the moment her words fell.
He moved along her side, turned on the gold faucet, and washed away the faint scent of the ointment under the running water.
Soon after, Ning Shangyu finished washing his hands and left.
Lin Zhishui sat there like a porcelain doll, not moving until she could no longer hear his footsteps.
Only then did she slowly slide down and turn to look at herself in the mirror.
The moment she looked, she froze for a few seconds.
Just as Ning Shangyu had said, the spot between her shoulders hadn’t even left a faint white scar—it had healed completely.
Lin Zhishui immediately realized that she’d brought the ointment to him for nothing, and had even rather shamelessly admired his…
A wave of unspeakable embarrassment quickly flooded her heart.
For a moment, even her ears and neck flushed red, forced out by the situation.
The sound of running water started again.
Lin Zhishui had turned on the faucet herself, splashing her now completely unpresentable face with cold water several times until she finally felt a little calmer, then turned it off.
She thought to herself, very calmly:
There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.
The wound healed a week ahead of schedule, which meant she could finally go out freely.
Ning Shangyu’s job of applying the medicine was also perfectly finished.
For both of them, it was something worth congratulating each other for.
After convincing herself, Lin Zhishui walked out of the bathroom, planning to congratulate Ning Shangyu and, at the same time, briefly mention her plans to go out.
So Ning Shangyu wouldn’t send another younger brother after her.
Lin Zhishui decided that there was no time like the present.
She wanted to go buy a birthday gift for Ms. Sheng Mingying for next month.
She walked lightly toward the cloakroom, just as Ning Shangyu had already finished dressing and was standing in front of the magnificent wardrobe, holding a box in his hand.
She glanced at it.
The color and size of the box… looked very much like the one Xi Yan had delivered last time.
Looking again, Lin Zhishui realized upon closer inspection that it wasn’t the same box, so she walked over without any defenses.
Right in front of her, Ning Shangyu placed it unhurriedly on the central island.
As his long fingers gently undid the clasp, the box revealed a row of exquisitely carved jade pieces.
Each piece was adorned with all kinds of patterns, dazzling to the eye, and the jade itself gleamed with a lustrous radiance.
Lin Zhishui examined them closely and was increasingly amazed by their craftsmanship. She asked softly, “What are these?”
Ning Shangyu’s tone was perfectly calm, “They’re for you.”
Lin Zhishui looked at him in surprise, suppressing the urge to reach out and touch the jade, but because of Ning Shangyu’s words, her fingertips and even her heart tingled with anticipation.
For a second, her smile was pure, full of appreciation for Ning Shangyu’s way of handling things.
“You already apologized and took responsibility for applying my medicine. Now that I think about it, it’s normal to run into some small issues before marriage—just work through them, and it’s fine. Hmm… I forgive you.”
All for the sake of this box of exceptionally precious jade.
Ning Shangyu’s sincerity in admitting fault was simply overwhelming.
In the ten seconds after Lin Zhishui unilaterally announced her forgiveness, she was already quietly thinking about what kind of jewelry she could make from these delicate jade pieces…
After all, every summer at home, she loved wearing cool accessories the most!
However, Ning Shangyu’s lips curved into a faint, playful smile as he asked, “Shall I pick one for you to wear?”
Lin Zhishui was a little confused and didn’t immediately refuse the offer, only wondering how exactly to wear it.
Ning Shangyu lowered his head, carelessly selecting a small hibiscus jade piece from the box.
It was delicately carved with an elegant hibiscus pattern, and between the layered petals a hint of crimson stamen peeked out.
Ning Shangyu’s fingertip brushed over the jade hibiscus, causing a few petals to fall, vivid and lively—undoubtedly the work of a master craftsman.
Lin Zhishui, of course, could recognize its immense value.
But in the next moment, Ning Shangyu lifted his eyes and, in a way Lin Zhishui had never imagined, helped her put it on.
Her jet-black, silky hair was lifted, and it was beautiful—she took meticulous care of it.
At this moment, it spread out like a blooming hibiscus, scattering brilliantly as sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling window shone in.
As her hair flowed, she herself seemed like a precious, delicate piece of living jade, appearing even more lustrous than the piece in Ning Shangyu’s hand.
The sunlight outside the window grew warmer, blurring the sense of time.
Lin Zhishui raised her fair chin to look at the dappled shadows of the trees outside, and only after a while did she suddenly realize why the jade was shaped that way.