Stepping onto the covered corridor against the wind and rain, Shen Yunqing put away the umbrella and turned to look at Jiang Lingxi, who had just hung up the phone.
"It was Zhengzheng who called. Someone leaked photos of Jing Huai going to the hospital online."
"The hospital," Shen Yunqing’s eyes filled with thought, "Is it because of the injury on his arm?"
"Possibly," Jiang Lingxi nodded, her voice somewhat heavy, "Our suspicion is likely correct. Xu Qingmei has been trying to get to you repeatedly, and there’s probably something harmful on her fingernails."
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help feeling relieved that Shen Yunqing was cautious enough.
If Xu Qingmei had succeeded, it wouldn’t have just been about what exactly was hidden in the nail that scratched Jing Huai’s arm; even the fact that it happened so blatantly under her nose would have been enough to upset her!
"We already sent Huzi over to Lu Ye. He should be able to detect abnormalities from the bloodstains on the tissue."
Jiang Lingxi was still pondering whether Jing Huai’s quick trip to the hospital was merely due to noticing something unusual about his wound, or if he had already realized Xu Qingmei’s involvement.
When she snapped back to reality, she saw the person in front of her kneeling on one knee, holding a pair of clean embroidered slippers, leaving her momentarily stunned.
"I noticed your shoes were a bit wet, probably uncomfortable. You should change into these."
Jiang Lingxi pursed her lips. The short walk from the entrance without shelter required an umbrella. Even though the ground had stone slabs, it was still wet from the rain.
Today, she was wearing a pair of low-heeled suede shoes, elegant yet not resistant to dirt, and the edges closest to the sole had already been darkened by the rainwater.
Although the inside wasn’t soaked yet.
But the person before her clearly intended to help her change her shoes personally.
Shen Yunqing looked up, meeting a pair of bright eyes that rarely showed a hint of hesitation. He offered the final straw: "Wearing these clothes, it might be inconvenient to change by yourself."
The corridor had a beauty chair where one could sit, but some rain had managed to reach it, so sitting there was not an option either.
Since stepping onto the covered corridor, Jiang Lingxi had already loosened the train of her dress. Now she slightly lifted the front of her dress, moving her left foot forward a bit.
She didn’t speak, but the gesture was one of consent.
Shen Yunqing carefully undid the buckle on her shoe and, supporting her ankle, gently removed it.
When those slightly cool fingers applied a little pressure on her ankle, Jiang Lingxi almost instinctively trembled, nearly losing her balance on one foot, and quickly grabbed a nearby mahogany column to steady herself.
In her past life as an Emperor, being served in dressing and grooming was commonplace, but never had the sensation been so amplified as now.
To Shen Yunqing, the foot before him was small and smooth, with toes that inadvertently curled a little, almost tugging at his heart.
He restrained himself, looking away and slipping the slippers on.
Then reminded her, "Change the other one."
Taking advantage of the fact that his head was lowered, Jiang Lingxi took a deep breath to calm herself before stepping into the embroidered slipper with her newly-shod left foot and extending her right foot.
The process of removing the shoe this time was more practiced, but upon seeing a small red mark on the side of her little toe, Shen Yunqing hesitated before gently rubbing it. "Is this shoe uncomfortable?"
Jiang Lingxi felt the warmth radiate through her skin with those two rubs, making her suddenly aware of a spot she hadn’t noticed before. She almost couldn’t resist pulling her foot back, "Hmm, no, it’s fine, I stopped feeling it ages ago."
Shen Yunqing gave a disapproving look at the low-heeled suede shoes they had swapped out. "You should soak your feet later for relief."
This was his mistake. He only instructed Shen Chuyue to send over the dress and forgot to mention bringing shoes as well.
Xiazhi jogged over to greet them, and upon seeing her gentleman and Your Majesty from a distance, she was about to call out but swallowed her words the moment she noticed their posture.
She decisively turned and tiptoed back, determined to fully adhere to her role of not being a third wheel between her gentleman and Your Majesty.
However, judging from the scene she just witnessed, Your Majesty’s entry into Xiyuan seemed imminent.
Xiaxia beamed with joy!
Though Xiazhi made her exit swiftly, Jiang Lingxi, who was trying to find something to shift her attention, still caught a hint of movement. But by the time she looked over, all she could see was a back disappearing from view. "It seemed like someone came by but then ran off!"