Chapter 8 — Stripping your brother’s clothes so late at night… is that really appropriate?
A pair of Xie Hejing’s shoes appeared in front of her, and a bit of his pant leg came into view as her gaze moved slightly upward. Nan Xu didn’t dare to look up, let alone see what expression he had on his face.
Her hand was still clutching tightly onto the fabric.
All she could think was, “what a terrible start.”
If she could rewind time to just moments ago, she would have gone straight to sleep, planned everything carefully, and at the very least avoided acting so recklessly. If only…
But Xie Hejing didn’t give her the luxury of regret.
He lowered his gaze at the girl on the floor, who was staring fixedly at the fabric in her hand without saying a word, and slowly crouched down.
“What, do you like this shirt so much? Want me to take it off and give it to you?”
Startled, Nan Xu’s eyes shot up—and there he was, suddenly filling her vision.
His posture was relaxed and casual, with one hand resting on his bent leg. His fingers, long and slender, hung down, and the veins on the back of his hand were visible.
Looking higher, Nan Xu finally realized what she was holding onto—his shirt hem. And because of that tug, every last button on his shirt had popped open.
Nan Xu: “!!!”
Her breath caught in shock and she quickly averted her eyes.
She hadn’t said a word, but her expression told the whole story—confusion, shock, and frustration flickering across her face in an instant.
Xie Hejing raised the corner of his eyes. “Little sister—”
His voice was lazy, drawling, without the slightest trace of anger.
Nan Xu clenched her fingers, ready to apologize, when two seconds later he spoke again.
“Stripping your brother’s clothes so late at night… is that really appropriate?”
He tilted his head, smirking with mocking arrogance.
Nan Xu’s face flared scarlet, her heart pounding wildly. She stammered before managing to string a sentence together.
“I—I just opened the door, tripped, and fell.”
In other words, grabbing the corner of his shirt had only been an accident.
Xie Hejing nodded, rose to his feet, slipped his hands back into his pockets, and said offhandedly,
“Mm. I saw.”
“Then why didn’t you help me up?” Nan Xu asked, sounding a little aggrieved.
She had always been pampered. As a child, if she fell, she expected to be soothed; as she grew, if she fell, she expected someone to help her up.
“I thought you did it on purpose,” Xie Hejing said, his eyes darkening. “After all, what are the odds? Just as I walked past, you happened to open the door and fall?”
On purpose…
At that, Nan Xu’s eyes flickered. She had deliberately chosen that moment to open the door, but she certainly hadn’t intended to fall.
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” she said firmly, lips pressed tight.
“Another coincidence then?” Xie Hejing asked.
“…Yes.”
“You sure do have a lot of coincidences.”
Nan Xu bit her lip, at a loss for how to respond.
Outside, the wind picked up, sending a draft sweeping through the room. Xie Hejing expressionlessly began fastening the buttons she had undone.
The night wind was cold, and the floor even colder. Nan Xu, pampered as she was, also had a delicate constitution—she’d been prone to chills since childhood. If she stayed like this, she was bound to catch a cold.
Xie Hejing frowned. “How long are you planning to sit on the floor?”
Nan Xu shifted her leg, and the sharp pain made her suck in a breath. She quickly pulled up her trouser leg.
Xie Hejing looked away.
Only then did Nan Xu notice the scrape on her knee—that explained the waves of pain she had felt.
“My knee’s scraped,” she said softly, tilting her head up at him, her voice trembling.
A scrape was just a scrape, not a broken leg. It wouldn’t stop her from standing—Xie Hejing had been about to say exactly that.
But when he lifted his eyes, he caught sight of her knee, a patch of red, and then those clear, watery eyes staring straight at him.
The words stuck in his throat, and he swallowed them down.
“You’re such a handful.”
His expression dark, he reached out and scooped her into his arms.
She was so light it felt like he wasn’t even carrying anything, but the faint fragrance clinging to her drifted straight into his nose.
It only irritated him more.
“Why are you wearing perfume for no reason?”
Nan Xu blinked in confusion and answered weakly, “I don’t use perfume.”
Xie Hejing: “…”
He quickened his pace, set her down on the bed, and muttered only two words—“Wait here”—before leaving.
Nan Xu sat frozen on the bed. She had only wanted him to help her up, not to carry her all the way back to her room.
Still, thinking it over… if he was willing to bring her here himself, that had to mean their relationship had eased—just a little.
Just as she was feeling she’d made a bit of progress toward her goal, Xie Hejing came back.
He handed her a first-aid kit.
“Take it. Do it yourself.”
“Oh.” Nan Xu accepted the kit, rummaged around for a while, then paused. “Can you… wait until I’m done? After I put the medicine on, you can put the box back.”
Xie Hejing raised a brow. “Mm.”
Nan Xu took out the disinfectant. The moment she dabbed it on, the sting made tears well up in her eyes.
She looked up at Xie Hejing, who just twisted his neck. There was no change in his expression.
With a quiet sigh, she bit her lip and tried again with the cotton swab. It still hurt badly.
By the third try, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She was too afraid of the pain.
“Can you help me?” she pleaded. “It hurts too much when I do it myself.”
Xie Hejing let out a short laugh. “What, if I do it you won’t feel pain? You think I’m some miracle doctor?”
“…You could just quickly put the medicine on while I’m not paying attention. Better a quick pain than a long one!”
She had been mentally preparing herself for a long time.
After a while, Xie Hejing still showed no sign of moving.
“Can you?” Nan Xu asked again.
Xie Hejing raised a brow. “Do it yourself if you want,” he said, turning to leave.
Nan Xu grew a little anxious.
“Brother—” she called out.
Something in his head jolted.
He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her, his gaze dark and unreadable.
Nan Xu shrank her shoulders, thinking her voice had been too loud. She lowered it, adding a note of pleading.
“Brother, can you help me put it on?”
Xie Hejing’s fingers tensed. His nerves twitched violently, and after a long silence, he walked over and took the cotton swab from her hand.
Nan Xu was scared of the pain, and even more afraid of the anticipation of it.
“Don’t tell me when you’re going to put it on. Just do it—don’t give me time to brace myself.”
At that, Xie Hejing’s movements were sharp and precise. He grabbed the disinfectant and cotton swab and went straight to work.
Nan Xu cried out with each touch.
“Don’t shout, it’s distracting,” he muttered while working.
But Nan Xu couldn’t help it.
“Then I’ll be quieter,” she said, biting her lip.
Xie Hejing said nothing and kept going.
Nan Xu drew in a deep breath, clenching her teeth to stop herself from crying out.
Why did putting medicine on a scrape hurt so much?
She decided to distract herself.
Her gaze fell on Xie Hejing crouched in front of her, reluctantly helping her. Despite his reluctance, she noticed his touch was careful and gentle.
Unable to help herself, she smiled and asked, “Do you think… our relationship is a little better now?”
Xie Hejing’s hand paused. He easily caught the meaning behind her words. “You want to get on good terms with me?”
Nan Xu nodded, her eyes glimmering with a hint of inquiry and a little pleading.
Unexpectedly, Xie Hejing said, “Do we really need to be on good terms?”
“…!”
Yes!
But Nan Xu didn’t say it aloud—afraid he would press for a reason.
In the end, Xie Hejing stopped halfway through putting the medicine on, leaving Nan Xu blinking in disbelief. She called his name several times, but couldn’t get him to come back.
She had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue on her own.
As a result of the scrape, Nan Xu walked with a noticeable limp. To avoid aggravating her knee, she had to descend the stairs slowly the next morning.
This worried Zhang Huiwan terribly. She glanced at her and immediately set down the breakfast she was preparing, rushing over to support her. “Jiaojiao, what happened? Where are you hurt?”
Nan Xu’s eyes flicked to Xie Hejing, sitting at the breakfast table. He was eating calmly, not showing the slightest intention of coming over, not even looking in her direction.
Hmm! This frosty relationship looks like it still needs some work.
“I fell last night and scraped my knee a little,” she explained.
At that, Xie Hejing slowed his pace of drinking his porridge.
“Does it hurt? Should Auntie take you to the hospital and get it checked?” Zhang Huiwan asked.
“It’s okay, Auntie,” Nan Xu reassured her. “The medicine helped a lot, and it doesn’t hurt much now.”
Xie Hejing finished his bowl of porridge swiftly.
“Should we have your brother Hejing bring your breakfast up to your room?” Zhang Huiwan suggested.
He froze for a moment.
It was the weekend—a whole day to spend with Xie Hejing. Nan Xu appreciated her aunt’s thoughtfulness; this way, she could avoid extra walking.
But ordering Xie Hejing around might make his impression of her worse.
“No need, Auntie. I can manage,” she said.
Zhang Huiwan didn’t press. She simply called out to Xie Hejing, “Hejing, come help your sister down.”
Nan Xu tensed immediately and tried to refuse. Zhang Huiwan, however, kept reassuring her: don’t worry, he won’t drop you.
Nan Xu blinked. This wasn’t about being dropped—she worried that Xie Hejing might be unwilling but would still be forced to carry her. If that happened, improving their relationship would become even more impossible.
After waiting for a while, but hearing no refusal from Xie Hejing, Nan Xu glanced at his back in confusion.
He rose, taking long strides as usual, and soon reached her side. Like the night before, he lifted her into his arms.
At the same time, that faint fragrance once again enveloped Xie Hejing, subtly trying to get closer. His hand grew a little stiff.
Nan Xu noticed his stiffness and felt uneasy herself.
Zhang Huiwan reminded him, “Hejing, steady yourself. Carry Jiaojiao to the table first, then you can take her upstairs later.”
Later too?!
Nan Xu swallowed nervously.
“Mm,” Xie Hejing’s voice sounded near her ear.
Nan Xu was even more stunned.
Her thick, dark eyelashes cast a shadow below her eyes, and they were trembling slightly at that moment.
Zhang Huiwan ate quickly—weekends meant time with the kids, but she had no such luxury.
“Hejing, Jiaojiao, I’m off to the office. Call me if anything comes up.”
“Mm.”
“Okay, Auntie. Be careful on the road.”
With a click of the door, she left.
The two of them were left staring at each other.
Nan Xu looked down at her bowl and continued eating. After a while, noticing that Xie Hejing had nearly finished his meal, she quickly said, “I can go upstairs by myself later. You can get on with what you were doing.”
Xie Hejing glanced at her lazily, ignoring her words. “Hurry up and eat. Don’t hold me up from clearing the table.”
Nan Xu wanted to argue that she could help, but seeing the look in his eyes that brooked no refusal, she gave up.
Determined to improve their relationship and erase the bad impression left by all those previous “coincidences,” she dug in, eating and drinking with all her might. Unsurprisingly, she choked a little, tears springing to her eyes. She patted herself on the chest and finally swallowed the bite stuck in her throat.
Xie Hejing frowned. “Why are you eating so fast?”
“You told me to hurry and eat,” Nan Xu mumbled weakly, her eyes red, brimming with a hint of watery grievance.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he grew slightly irritated. “Eat at a normal pace.”
“Oh.”
Nan Xu had always taken small bites. If she ate too fast in the past, Wen Qiu would remind her to slow down. This habit stuck, and during school lunch breaks she often only ate half before rushing off to afternoon classes.
Now, eating at her own pace, it took a while for her porridge to decrease noticeably.
She glanced nervously at Xie Hejing, expecting him to urge her to eat faster—but he just sat there, silent, occasionally flicking a glance her way to see how she was doing.
Half an hour later, Nan Xu pushed her empty bowl forward. “I’m done.”
“Mm.”
Xie Hejing nodded and got up to clear the table.
Nan Xu tried to help but was immediately shut down by a sharp, “Don’t get in the way.”
Within just a few minutes, Xie Hejing was standing in front of her.
Seeing his stance, Nan Xu paused. “Are you really going to carry me upstairs?”
“Stop dawdling.”
“Oh.”
This time, Xie Hejing didn’t seem as stiff as before, which made Nan Xu feel a little more relaxed. She smiled brightly and thanked him in a cheerful tone.
Back in her room, Nan Xu looked at the scrape on her knee and thought about Xie Hejing’s behavior earlier.
Clearly, he didn’t dislike her.
Maybe when he said there was no need for them to get on better terms, he had been teasing her.
Nan Xu picked up her phone and opened Xie Hejing’s WeChat, quickly typing out a few words:
[Brother, can you help me put the medicine on again?]
A few seconds later, she added: [I can’t do it myself.]
Xie Hejing saw the messages. Just a few cold, plain words—completely lacking the helplessness and pitiful charm she had felt in person—and he snorted.
[No time.]
Xie Hejing replied quickly, and Nan Xu’s expression darkened.
A few seconds later, another message popped up.
Nan Xu felt a surge of joy. Had he changed his mind?
[If it’s nothing important, don’t bother me. Even if it is, it’s best not to.]
Alright… it was just her imagination after all.