C9 He Wanted to Touch Her

Moo Nuannuan sat close to him, dabbing the towel over his forehead as gently as possible. There was something about her gentle movements that made her seem like a nymph at sea–peaceful and unmoving. And it was enough to touch Mu Tingxiao's cold heart.

His fingers twitched as they crept closer to her yellow-caked face. A part of him wanted to savor this moment–the way her arms slid down his forehead and the way her hands steadied his shoulders. This was the first time he had ever met such a woman who could completely enamor him just by sitting there.

The corners of his lips inched up as he leaned in–closer and closer. After all, she was his wife, wasn't she? Everything they did was completely natural. Groaning his lips brushed against hers, and he found himself going deeper and deeper into her grasp.

However, Moo Nuannuan didn't feel the same way. Whilst he knew the truth, she only believed him to be Mu Jiachen–her husband's cousin. And there was no way she should be acting this promiscuously with him!

Him kissing her again was the last straw.

She shoved him away, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. Gone was the impassiveness of her features, and it was soon replaced with rage and panic. "Mu Jiachen," she snapped. "I'm your sister-in-law! I know you don't like me, but the least you could do is show some respect!"

Mu Jiachen was a strong man–that she had figured out herself after pulling those bullets out his chest, and she couldn't say that she despised him any longer. But that didn't mean she'd allow herself to even be close to touching him!

"Oh, 'not liking you' is definitely far from what I'm actually feeling." His eyes glinted. His fingers trailed across his lips, looking as if he was savoring the sweetness that the kiss had left. "Sister-in-law, at this point, you might as well be a widow following my cousin for the rest of your life. It's not like he could love you like an abled man. Don't you think about me? What I can do?"

"The last thing I'll do is think about you." Moo Nuannuan snorted.

Her small face transformed into a makeshift scowl, which didn't do wonders for her face. Coupled with her baggy attire, he could've mistaken her for an old ratty woman trudging across the street. She was far from being a beauty.

Yet there was something about her appearance that seemed bright and vivid that made her all the more intriguing.

She clenched her fists and moved away. If she stayed in that position any longer, then Mu Jiachen would become even more unrestrained with his actions. Who knew what he'd do to her?

"Call someone to pick you up right now," she snapped. "Otherwise I'll be calling an ambulance. Then, the whole town would know what happened to you."

Her voice was soft for someone who was threatening someone else's life, yet she still looked undeterred. Moo Nuannuan grabbed her phone to further emphasize her point, waving it at his face as exasperatedly as possible.

As if he didn't hear her, Mu Tingxiao immediately squeezed his eyes shut and let his head lie limp on the armrest. Although his wounds weren't as painful as they were a few minutes ago, they were still enough to knock a man out.

"I...hello?"

She chewed on her bottom lip. His face was still stark pale, and dark circles surrounded his closed eyes. Although he had pretended to be strong during the operation, she could see that the amount of blood loss had taken a toll on his strength. Her hands fidgeted in response. Not having the heart to wake him up, she sighed and turned around. It wasn't as if she had a choice.

Taking advantage of the free time she now had while he was resting, she grabbed her eco-bag and headed to the vegetable market. Her frizzy hair fell to the sides of her face, but she didn't look like she cared.

Although she was the Third Lady of the Moo Family by name, she certainly didn't have the privileged life as her siblings had. Even while she was coughing and sniffling from the strong flu, nobody dared to glance her way. Nobody knocked on her doors to check on her. To them, there were only two children in the Moo family that were worth caring for. She was nothing more than baggage meant to be taken out.

That was why she was used to living more independently.

No matter how much she found Mu Jiachen annoying and superficial, she couldn't risk him dying at her place. Her determination of living the next few years in peace and quiet could all be ruined by just one man, and there was no way she'd bother with him!

Moo Nuannuan had treasured her life, doing everything to remain at the top of her game. She didn't want him to die, at least, not when he was still with her.

That was the only reason why she had cooked vegetable soup for him.

As the sun finally receded, she slowly nudged him awake.

"Mu Jiachen," she called out, standing two steps away from him. Afraid that he'd try something on her again, she made sure to keep her distance this time. "I made some soup. Do you want some?"

"Yes," he uttered. His voice was strained.

Nodding, Moo Nuannuan brought the soup over and propped up a small table right beside his bed. Without another word, she retreated from his frail figure, wanting to watch him from afar instead. "Finish it up, or you'll get sick," she warned.

However, her small room allowed little space to move around.

The apartment didn't have any walls for separation, other than the ones that lead to the kitchen and the bathroom. And her bedroom was already cramped as it was with a small bed, a folding table, a small sofa, and a few other little appliances.

No matter how far she had gone, it was impossible to escape Mu Tingxiao's line of sight.

Seeing this, Mu Tingxiao slowly sat up. At her questioning gaze, he expressionlessly pulled the blankets down and revealed the gauze strapped to his chest. The white fabric was already soaked in blood. "My wound's open. I won't be able to feed myself."

His indifferent voice sounded like he was talking about the weather rather than his own life.

Of course, that had to happen! She gritted her teeth.

Moo Nuannuan slowly walked to his bedside, before picking up the bowl of soup in one hand and grabbing the spoon with her other. Not uttering a word, she slowly brought the metal utensil to his lips. Her gaze was hard and unflinching as if daring him to try anything while she was standing close to him.

However, Mu Tingxiao remained quiet this time around. He only lifted up his head to swallow the soup one spoonful at a time.

Other than the sound of metal clicking against the bowl, the room was quiet. From afar, one would think they were a couple comforting each other in times of distress rather than a pair who had hated each other at first sight. The ambiguous feeling spread across the room, touching both their hearts in an instant.