Chapter 55: The Second Visit

The following day at noon, Li Xiao returned, a paper bag in hand as promised.

Jiang Qing had gone to school. Jiang Yu was struggling to adjust the strap on his right arm brace with his left hand—he’d slept on it wrong the night before, and it had been uncomfortable since morning.

Hearing the knock, he set down his hand and went to open the door.

Li Xiao stood outside, snowflakes still clinging to the shoulders of his black coat. His gaze swept across Jiang Yu’s face first, then settled on his slightly furrowed brow and the awkward posture of his right arm.

“Your arm hurts?”

Li Xiao asked as he stepped inside, his concern undisguised in his tone.

“It’s nothing. Probably just slept on it.”

Jiang Yu brushed it off vaguely, but his eyes couldn’t help straying to the paper bag in Li Xiao’s hand.

Noticing his gaze, Li Xiao’s lips curved upward. He placed the bag on the table but didn’t open it immediately. Instead, he reached out toward Jiang Yu’s arm.

“Let me see.”

His fingers gently touched the edge of the brace. Jiang Yu instinctively flinched.

“Don’t move.”

Li Xiao pressed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down for a closer look.

His movements were light, but his expression was focused, his brows slightly knitted.

“It’s a bit swollen.”

Li Xiao concluded, lifting his eyes to meet Jiang Yu’s.

“I’ll take you to the hospital for a checkup this afternoon.”

“No need, I have a follow-up in a few days…”

“We have to go.”

Li Xiao cut him off, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“What if it’s dislocated? Be good.”

With that, he turned and picked up the paper bag, pulling out the cream-colored cashmere sweater.

The sweater was washed clean, neatly folded, and gave off a soft scent of fabric softener.

Li Xiao handed it over, his eyes fixed on Jiang Yu.

“Here. I keep my word. Washed it—smells nice.”

Jiang Yu took the sweater, his fingertips brushing the soft fabric.

“Than…”

Before he could finish, Li Xiao suddenly leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

Light. Fast. A brief touch.

But the sensation was unmistakable.

Jiang Yu froze completely, his eyes wide.

“You…”

“That was the principal,”

Li Xiao straightened up, a roguish smile curling his lips, his eyes blazing.

“The ‘principal’ for the sweater. I already collected the interest yesterday.”

Jiang Yu’s cheeks flushed crimson. He clutched the sweater, and after a long pause, managed to squeeze out:

“…You scoundrel!”

Li Xiao laughed and ruffled his hair, then turned to set out lunch on the dining table as if the ambush had been the most natural thing in the world.

Jiang Yu stood rooted to the spot, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the sweater, its softness pressed against his palm.

The warmth still seemed to linger on his lips.

He pressed his lips together, the tips of his ears burning.

****

At two in the afternoon, Li Xiao drove Jiang Yu to the hospital for a checkup.

The car’s heater was on full blast. Jiang Yu leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the street scenes flash past the window.

The discomfort in his right arm was indeed more noticeable than in the morning—a dull, persistent ache.

“Still hurts?”

At a red light, Li Xiao turned to look at him, his voice softer than usual.

“…A bit.”

Jiang Yu didn’t tough it out this time.

Li Xiao’s brow immediately furrowed, his fingers tightening on the steering wheel.

“We should have come straight to the hospital this morning.”

His tone carried self-blame, as if the ache in Jiang Yu’s arm were his fault.

Jiang Yu glanced at him but said nothing.

Somewhere in his heart, though, that excessive concern made him soften.

The checkup results left them both silent.

The X-ray showed a slight displacement at the ulnar fracture.

“You must have pressed on it while sleeping, or moved your right arm during daily activities,”

the doctor said, pushing up his glasses, his tone serious.

“We’ll need to readjust the fixation. This time, be extra careful—any further displacement could affect healing or even leave lasting effects.”

The process of recasting was more tedious than the first time.

Jiang Yu sat in the treatment room, watching the doctor remove the old cast, adjust the position, and wrap on a new one.

The cool plaster spread over his skin, slowly hardening into a heavy, restrictive weight.

Li Xiao stood by the entire time, brows tightly knit, his eyes locked onto the doctor’s every move, as if he were the one injured.

“Tell me if it hurts.”

He murmured to Jiang Yu, his hand hovering protectively behind him.

Jiang Yu shook his head, his lips pressed white.

It hurt a lot.

When the doctor adjusted the position, the dull grind of bone against bone made cold sweat break out on his forehead.

But he gritted his teeth and didn’t make a sound.

Once the cast was finally set, the doctor rattled off a long list of precautions—no pressure, no contact, no lifting heavy objects, and even left-handed movements should be as gentle as possible.

By the time they left the hospital, the sky had already darkened.

It had started snowing again, fine flakes dancing under the streetlights.

Once in the car, Li Xiao didn’t start the engine immediately.

He turned to face Jiang Yu, staring at his arm, now even more immobilized by the new cast, his gaze heavy.

“I’m sorry.”

Li Xiao’s voice came out low and hoarse.

Jiang Yu was taken aback.

“…What?”

“I didn’t take good care of you.”

Li Xiao reached over and gently grasped Jiang Yu’s left hand, his palm scorching hot.

Jiang Yu’s fingers curled slightly in his grip.

“It’s not your fault. I was careless.”

“It is my fault.”

Li Xiao tightened his hold, his tone resolute.

“From now on, you’re recovering under my watch.”

Jiang Yu’s heart skipped a beat, a vague sense of dread creeping in.

“…What do you mean?”

Li Xiao didn’t answer. He just gave him a long look, then released his hand and started the car.

The car pulled out of the hospital lot, but it didn’t head toward the old city.

Jiang Yu frowned at the increasingly unfamiliar scenery outside.

“Where are we going? My place isn’t this way.”

Li Xiao kept his eyes on the road, his voice calm.

“We’re not going to your place.”

“Then where?”

“My place.”

Jiang Yu was stunned for a moment, then realized.

“You moved?”

“I’m moving now.”

Li Xiao signaled and turned the car into the underground parking of a high-end apartment complex.

Dim lights, smooth concrete floors, neatly parked cars.

Jiang Yu’s unease grew stronger.

“What are we doing here?”

The car stopped. Li Xiao unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to face him, his eyes deep in the dim light, unsettlingly intense.

“You’ll recover here from now on. It’ll be easier for me to take care of you.”

“No need.”

Jiang Yu refused immediately, instinctively moving his right arm but stopping short due to the cast. He frowned.

“I can take care of myself.”

“If you could take care of yourself, why did it displace?”

Li Xiao countered, his voice laced with restrained frustration and concern.

He paused, then lowered his tone.

“I know there are bad memories for you at the villa, so we won’t go there. I moved here to stay with you.”

Jiang Yu stared at him, his heart pounding hard in his chest.

This man had even thought of that detail.

But he couldn’t accept it.

“Really, it’s fine.”

Jiang Yu softened his voice, trying to reason.

“I wasn’t careful before. I’ll be more mindful this time. Besides, Jiang Qing…”

“Jiang Qing can come stay here too.”

Li Xiao cut him off, opened the door, got out, and walked around to the passenger side. He pulled the door open.

“Get out.”

Jiang Yu stayed put, his left hand gripping the seatbelt tightly.

“I’m not going.”

Li Xiao leaned in, bracing his arm against the door frame, his tall figure casting a shadow over him.

“Are you getting out yourself, or am I carrying you out?”

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