C13 They Cared about Her!

"Why should I, when you're the one with the attitude?" Yu'er thought to herself. She believed in not starting trouble unless trouble came to her first, and this was just a little payback.

"I'm thirsty. Go get me a glass of water," Yu'er commanded.

"Hot or cold?" Nannan didn't refuse. After all, Yizhou had asked her to look after Yu'er, and she didn't want to deal with Yizhou's complaints later.

"Hot." Seeing Nannan comply without argument, Yu'er felt a bit smug. Despite Nannan's tough talk, she still went to get the water. Nannan wasn't really confrontational; she just didn't want the hassle.

"Here." Nannan handed the water to Yu'er. But whether by accident or on purpose, Yu'er fumbled, spilling most of the hot water onto Nannan's hand. Nannan yelped in surprise, and the remaining water splashed onto Yu'er's hand.

"All I asked was for you to get some water. How could you mess that up?" Yu'er clutched her hand, tears welling up, as if the whole incident was Nannan's fault.

"You did that on purpose," Nannan glared at her. She had seen Yu'er's hand twitch when taking the cup, deliberately spilling the water. So, Nannan had tipped the rest over, letting Yu'er experience the consequences of her actions.

"What's going on here?" Yizhou's mother rushed in, seeing both girls holding their hands in pain.

"Yizhou, I was just thirsty and asked her to get me some water. But she poured hot water on my hand on purpose," Yu'er said tearfully, as if she was about to burst into tears.

"Is that true?" Yizhou questioned Nannan, noticing her hand was also red and swollen, with a few blisters forming.

"I don't want to explain." Nannan turned her head to the side. It didn't matter what she said; they were all on Yu'er's side. Explaining was pointless.

"Elder Ji, go get some burn ointment for Yu'er. Nannan, come with me." Yizhou gently pulled Nannan along, careful not to touch her wound as they headed upstairs.

"What do you want?" Nannan asked, a bit annoyed.

"Does it hurt? Why won't you explain?" Yizhou suddenly took her hand, examining it closely.

"You wouldn't believe me anyway." Nannan turned her head away, avoiding Yizhou's gaze. He seemed genuinely concerned, but she couldn't believe it. How could he, of all people, care?

"Alright, stop being stubborn. Wait here for a moment." Yizhou said softly before stepping out.

Watching him leave, Nannan felt her heart race. Was she moved by him? No, that couldn't be it.

"Yizhou, Yu'er's hand has blisters. That woman is so cruel. Hurry and help Yu'er with the ointment," Yizhou's mother complained as she approached.

"You take care of it," Yizhou replied, grabbing the burn ointment and leaving without a word of concern. Didn't he know Yu'er's nature? And yet, Nannan refused to explain or say anything.

"Give me your hand." Yizhou gently opened the ointment, treating Nannan's hand as if it were a treasure.

"I can do it myself," Nannan said, embarrassed, her cheeks flushed. Yizhou was being kind again. Who was he really? Which side of him was the true Yizhou?

"Be good. What if it scars? Your hands are so beautiful." Yizhou gently massaged the ointment into her skin. Remembering how he had treated her earlier, Nannan felt a bit embarrassed. Even though Yu'er was injured too, he left her to tend to Nannan.

"Can you still feel your hand? Did it hurt any nerves? Maybe we should just go to the hospital," Yizhou asked while gently rubbing her hand, worried he might be hurting her.

"No... no," Nannan shook her head, feeling unexpectedly shy. She thought he would scold her like the others. When she was little, her mom and dad used to apply medicine like this, but then...

"I can do it myself. You can leave," Nannan hurriedly grabbed the ointment. Why was she thinking about her parents? Was it because of this devil?

Ouch...

Nannan inhaled sharply as she accidentally touched the wound with a sudden tug.

"What are you doing? Don't move," Yizhou quickly checked her hand and gently blew on it.

"I'll do it myself," Nannan said weakly. She didn't want to develop any feelings for this devil, not even a little.

"Do you have any blisters on your feet?" Yizhou asked, ignoring her words and insisting on helping.

"No," Nannan shook her head.

"Let me see," Yizhou lifted her foot onto the bed. Her foot was clearly hurt, yet she was keeping quiet about it. It’s not like he was going to do anything to her.

"They're all red," Yizhou said, looking at her with concern. "I'm not going to eat you, so why be afraid?"

"I'll take care of it," Nannan said, her face flushed with embarrassment, avoiding his intense gaze.

"Take off that anklet," Yizhou pointed to the silver chain on her foot, which looked brand new.

"No," Nannan quickly pulled her foot back. Her mom had put it on her, and she couldn't bear to take it off. She'd worn it for so long.

"It might rub against the wound," Yizhou explained. It was just an anklet, why was she so protective of it?

"No, I'm fine," Nannan insisted, refusing to extend her foot. The anklet meant too much to her.

"Did a lover give it to you? Is that why it's so precious?" Yizhou's face suddenly darkened.

"No," Nannan shook her head. For over twenty years, she had been working hard, leaving no time for romance or even thinking about it.

"Then hand it over to me," Yizhou insisted firmly.

"Alright, but make sure you give it back," Nannan reluctantly extended her foot, watching as Yizhou took the chain. It was her most treasured possession.

"I will. Let's put some ointment on first," Yizhou said softly, feeling inexplicably irritated. Who had given it to her that she cherished it so much?

"Don't you need to check on Yu'er? I can handle this myself." Even though both she and Yu'er were injured, Yizhou seemed only concerned about her. Maybe it was because she hadn't really experienced love in the past twenty years that she was moved by such a small gesture.

"My mom is taking care of her. I'll head out once I'm done here, and don't argue with my mom," Yizhou replied, unsure why he felt the need to care for her. He knew she was deceiving him but chose not to call her out.