Be Gentle
Does it still hurt?
The last time she had been held like this was when she was very, very small; she had been sick, and her mother had held her this way to coax her to sleep. She hadn’t been held in anyone’s arms like this for so many years. The familiar posture gave her an exceptional sense of security. Lu Zhenqiu was dazed for a few seconds, forgetting to ask Jin Shuilan to put her down, simply letting Jin Shuilan carry her toward the side of the corridor.
As they passed the restroom, they encountered two girls who had just gone inside. They froze on the spot when they saw Jin Shuilan carrying Lu Zhenqiu. One of them mustered her courage and asked, “Teacher Jin, what’s wrong with Qiuqiu?”
“She sprained her leg,” Jin Shuilan said. “She can’t walk.”
Compared to Tang Yingxia, who was always hiding and would panic at the sight of anyone, Jin Shuilan’s expression was calm and natural, open and poised. This made her explanation all the more convincing.
The two nodded in understanding and quickly said, “Let us help you…”
“That’s not necessary.” Jin Shuilan’s voice was gentle, yet her attitude was firm, leaving no room for argument1. “You two head back first. I’ll see her to the car.”
“Oh, okay.” The two girls nodded. Jin Shuilan lowered her eyes and asked Lu Zhenqiu, “Shall I take you downstairs first?”
Lu Zhenqiu looked at her and said, “I haven’t said goodbye to them yet.”
Jin Shuilan let out a stifled laugh, her chest vibrating slightly. Lu Zhenqiu’s gaze shifted away from her jawline, and she blinked, looking elsewhere. Jin Shuilan said, “I’ll say goodbye for you. I’ll take you to the car first.”
Lu Zhenqiu had no more objections.
Jin Shuilan carried her into the elevator. Once inside, Lu Zhenqiu said, “Maybe you should put me down. I can walk on my other foot.”
“Your other one?” Jin Shuilan glanced at the tip of her high-heeled shoe. “Like a golden rooster standing on one leg2?”
Lu Zhenqiu: …
Having known her for so long, this was the first time she had ever heard Jin Shuilan tease her. Lu Zhenqiu’s face grew slightly red. Jin Shuilan said, “Don’t injure the other one, too.”
Lu Zhenqiu was silent for two seconds, then asked, “Am I not heavy?”
She wasn’t light; in any case, she was around a hundred jin3. How could Jin Shuilan carry her with a face that wasn’t red and without being out of breath4? She herself got tired just from carrying Maomao. Jin Shuilan said, “It’s fine.”
One of her hands supported Lu Zhenqiu’s waist, while the other passed under her legs, her fingers closing tightly. Her fingertips scraped against the outer side of Lu Zhenqiu’s leg, and that patch of skin tingled.
Once downstairs, Jin Shuilan placed her in the car and said, “I’ve called for a designated driver; he’ll be here in a moment. You wait here, I’ll go upstairs to say goodbye to them.”
Lu Zhenqiu’s clothes were still upstairs. She asked Jin Shuilan to bring them down for her. Jin Shuilan nodded. Before leaving, she helped her start the car and turn on the heat. As the door closed, Lu Zhenqiu turned her head to look at Jin Shuilan. Her figure was slender, yet filled with a reassuring strength.
Jin Shuilan walked two steps toward the hotel, then turned back and opened the car door. Lu Zhenqiu was slightly surprised. “Teacher Jin…”
Before she could finish her question, Jin Shuilan took off her trench coat and handed it to her.
So it was because she was afraid I’d be cold. Lu Zhenqiu said, “It’s okay, the heat is on.”
Jin Shuilan said, “It’s cold when it first starts.”
It took time to preheat; the heater needed a while to warm up. The alcohol was getting to Lu Zhenqiu’s head5, so she didn’t actually feel very cold, but with Jin Shuilan’s coat draped over her, it still brought a wave of warmth, along with the faint, crisp scent of her perfume, which was very pleasant.
Jin Shuilan said, “Then I’m going up now.”
Lu Zhenqiu nodded, watching as Jin Shuilan walked quickly into the hotel.
Just as she entered the private room, she ran into Ji Zibo. Ji Zibo said, “Where did you go? I’ve been looking for you for ages.”
Jin Shuilan said, “Qiuqiu sprained her leg. I’m taking her home first.”
“Huh?” Ji Zibo immediately asked, “Sprained her leg? Is it serious? Does she need to go to the hospital?”
Jin Shuilan thought back for a few seconds. “It shouldn’t be necessary.”
The radio drama had just wrapped up, so Lu Zhenqiu wouldn’t need to go out for a while and could rest well at home. Hearing this, Ji Zibo nodded. “If you need help, just let me know.”
Jin Shuilan nodded. “I know. Then we’ll be heading back.”
Ji Zibo didn’t keep her. Jin Shuilan went into the private room, said goodbye to the others, grabbed Lu Zhenqiu’s bag, and started back. While waiting for the elevator, a person walked out from the dim stairwell. Jin Shuilan turned her head and met Tang Yingxia’s gaze from a distance. Tang Yingxia’s eyes were gloomy. Standing there in the darkness, she looked somber and sullen. Jin Shuilan didn’t give her a second glance, merely shaking out the jacket in her hands and putting it on.
The jacket was Lu Zhenqiu’s, a loose-fitting style, and it fit quite well. The elevator arrived with a ding. Jin Shuilan stepped inside. Behind her, Tang Yingxia bit her lip hard!
It had started snowing again downstairs. The designated driver hadn’t arrived yet. As Jin Shuilan walked to the car, she saw that the window was open. Lu Zhenqiu’s hands were resting on the edge of the window as she looked up at the snowflakes outside. One or two landed on the tip of her nose, crystalline and translucent.
Jin Shuilan didn’t walk over, just stood quietly outside the car until Lu Zhenqiu called out, “Teacher Jin?”
She gave a slight nod, walked over, opened the car door, and sat down. She asked Lu Zhenqiu, “Do you like the snow very much?”
Lu Zhenqiu turned her head with a smile and closed the window. She said, “I liked it a lot when I was little.”
“When it snowed in my childhood, my mom didn’t have to go out to do business.”
She lowered her head. “I was quite thoughtless.”
Her fondness for it was because she wanted her mother to stay with her, but her mother disliked the snow because she couldn’t do business, which meant no source of income.
Jin Shuilan didn’t speak, but simply rolled down the car window. Lu Zhenqiu turned to look outside. Snowflakes as large as goose feathers6 were fluttering down, and a few swirled into the car, melting in an instant.
The designated driver arrived fifteen minutes later, apologizing profusely, saying the roads were bad because of the snow, which was why he was late. Jin Shuilan’s voice was gentle. “It’s alright. Drive slowly.”
The driver said “Okay,” feeling a warmth spread through his heart7.
The car drove very slowly. Halfway there, Lu Zhenqiu became very drowsy. The heating was ample, and the alcohol was getting to her head. Everything she looked at was a blur. Jin Shuilan said, “If you’re sleepy, take a nap. I’ll wake you when we get home.”
Lu Zhenqiu said, “I’m fine.”
Though she said she was fine, she fell asleep against the seat midway through the journey, her breathing long and even. When the car made a turn, Jin Shuilan took the opportunity to lean over and then placed Lu Zhenqiu’s head on her shoulder. Afraid she would be uncomfortable, she used her coat as a cushion. Lu Zhenqiu shifted her body, and Jin Shuilan sat up straight again, pretending that Lu Zhenqiu had leaned over by accident.
Fortunately, Lu Zhenqiu didn’t wake up.
When they arrived downstairs, Jin Shuilan had the driver stop for a short while. She got out of the car to buy something. The car door opened, and wind carrying snowflakes drifted in. Lu Zhenqiu sneezed and woke up.
She subconsciously turned her head but didn’t see Jin Shuilan. Before she could ask the driver, he volunteered, “The lady just now got out to buy something.”
Buy something? What was she buying?
Lu Zhenqiu didn’t ask further, just nodded and leaned against the car seat. The phone in her bag buzzed. She opened it to see a message in the group chat. Ji Zibo had tagged everyone, asking them to report that they had arrived home safely.
It seems the gathering is over.
Lu Zhenqiu typed a 1. Ji Zibo tagged her: 【@Zhenqiu, home already?】
Lu Zhenqiu: 【Almost there.】
Ji Zibo: 【I heard from Teacher Jin that you sprained your leg. Is it any better?】
Lu Zhenqiu tilted her head to look at her right leg and tried to move her ankle. A sharp pain shot through it. She replied: 【Yes, much better. Thank you, Teacher Ji. I’m so sorry about tonight, for not saying goodbye to you in person.】
Ji Zibo: 【What’s there to be polite about.】
Xiao Xiaoguai8: 【@Zhenqiu, Qiuqiu, Qiuqiu, I heard Teacher Jin carried you downstairs?】
Miaowu9: 【What! For real?! Holy crap, Teacher Jin is that strong?】
Ji Zibo: 【Heh! Your Teacher Jin used to be a weightlifter.】
Miaowu: 【Ah!!! It’s hard not to love her! When will Teacher Jin carry me! For her to carry me once, I’m willing to go vegetarian for two years!】
Xiao Xiaoguai: 【This female devotee10 will go vegetarian for three years! I beg Teacher Jin to carry me!】
Goudan11: 【Four years! By the way @Zhenqiu, Qiuqiu, what did it feel like to be carried by Teacher Jin?】
Lu Zhenqiu’s typing hands paused. What did it feel like?
She subconsciously thought of the warmth of Jin Shuilan’s embrace, the crisp fragrance, the beautiful side profile, and the jawline right before her eyes. She didn’t reply. Ji Zibo posted: 【Alright, all of you. You think our Qiuqiu has never seen the world12, that being carried once would make her faint from happiness?】
Lu Zhenqiu took a deep breath. The door opened. She subconsciously turned off her phone screen and saw Jin Shuilan get back into the car holding a bag.
“You can drive now,” Jin Shuilan said. “Thank you.”
The driver waved his hand. “No problem.”
The two in the back seat didn’t speak until they got out of the car. Jin Shuilan handed the two bags to Lu Zhenqiu. Lu Zhenqiu took the bags and shuffled to the edge of the seat. Just as one foot touched the ground, Jin Shuilan bent down, intending to carry her again. Lu Zhenqiu pushed against Jin Shuilan’s shoulder. “Teacher Jin, I can walk.”
Seeing her determined expression, Jin Shuilan didn’t insist. She nodded, took the bags from her hand, and supported Lu Zhenqiu with one arm, half-embracing her as they walked into the lobby.
She could walk, but very slowly. Jin Shuilan wasn’t in a hurry, just leisurely helping her to the elevator. Lu Zhenqiu let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the elevator door.
Upstairs, Lu Zhenqiu’s movements were not very convenient. Jin Shuilan said, “Go wash up. I’ll apply the medicine for you in a bit.”
Lu Zhenqiu frowned. “Apply medicine?”
Jin Shuilan took the medicine out of the bag. There was a brown bottle of medicinal liquid and also a plaster. The plaster had a pungent smell. Jin Shuilan handed it to Lu Zhenqiu. “Apply this one every four hours.”
Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “Okay.”
So she had gotten out of the car to buy medicine.
Lu Zhenqiu lowered her head, bit her lip, and said again, “Thank you, Teacher Jin.”
Jin Shuilan smiled and went to the kitchen to pour some water. Lu Zhenqiu went to her room to get her pajamas and then to the bathroom. After a simple wash-up, she came out in her slippers, walking along the wall to the sofa. She bent down to pick up the plaster from the coffee table. Jin Shuilan said, “Don’t apply that yet.”
Lu Zhenqiu looked up at Jin Shuilan. Jin Shuilan handed her a glass of warm water. Lu Zhenqiu took it and took a sip. Her dry throat, burning from the alcohol, instantly felt much more comfortable. Jin Shuilan sat down beside her, took the plaster and placed it on the coffee table, saying, “Apply this medicine first.”
It was the brown bottle.
Lu Zhenqiu reached for it, but Jin Shuilan said, “You need to rub it for five minutes. The shopkeeper just taught me the application technique. Let me just apply it for you directly.”
As she spoke, she pulled Lu Zhenqiu’s right leg over. Lu Zhenqiu was wearing light pink pajamas, and her ankle was exposed, a little red and swollen. Jin Shuilan’s fingertips rested on it, warm to the touch. Lu Zhenqiu frowned; she felt the pain before it had even begun.
Jin Shuilan gave her no chance to retreat. She used a cotton swab to dab the medicinal liquid on it, then put the swab down and used her fingers to rub the surrounding area. Lu Zhenqiu’s delicate brows furrowed tightly. Jin Shuilan looked up at her. Lu Zhenqiu’s fine hair was scattered at her side. Her pajamas were loose, and as she sat sideways, a small patch of skin at her collarbone was exposed, so fair it was dazzling. Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, and likely because of the pain, she kept biting her lip, the light in her eyes shimmering with moisture13.
“Does it hurt?” Jin Shuilan asked. Lu Zhenqiu let out a hiss, her voice soft and thin. She took a moment to recover and said, “It doesn’t hurt.”
Hearing this, Jin Shuilan glanced at her, her fingers pushing a little further toward the swollen area. Lu Zhenqiu clenched her teeth. Jin Shuilan said, “Tell me if it hurts.”
Lu Zhenqiu endured the pain and grunted in acknowledgement, her breath short. Hearing her response, Jin Shuilan’s palm grew hot, and her fingers unconsciously applied a bit more force than before, pressing right on the red, swollen spot. Lu Zhenqiu cried out in pain, “It hurts!”
Jin Shuilan’s hand froze. A dry heat tugged at her nerves, tearing at her reason. Her slender back was soaked with sweat. After several seconds, Jin Shuilan lowered her head and said, “Then I’ll be a little gentler.”
She lightened the pressure. Compared to the gentleness of her hands, her own body was tensed to the extreme.
The author has something to say:
Thirty red envelopes memeda, oh, Qiuqiu, who’s so afraid of pain, what will she do in the future.
Jin Shuilan: You have to believe me, I was really just applying medicine.
Lu Zhenqiu: …
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