Yan Qingsi trod down the cobblestone path. She ducked her head; the sun was so hot that the exposed part of her skin burned, and she felt as though she was being grilled alive.
Her head pulsed, and the dizziness only grew worse. Her steps were unsteady.
A thought flashed in Yan Qingsi’s mind.
‘Geez. How am I supposed to go back now that I’m here? I can’t walk all the way back.’
Yet waiting for You Yi was somewhat embarrassing.
The thought swirled around Yan Qingsi’s head. She bumped into something, and she grew dizzier. “I don’t recall any trees around here,” she muttered to herself.
She swayed and almost pitched forward, but a pair of strong arms held her fast.
Then a cool, collected voice rang in her ears. “Yan Qingsi. Where did you put your brains?”
Yan Qingsi was shocked. She raised her head. “You…”
The double image of a head appeared before her as if she had drunk too many bottles of wine. She shook her head vigorously. “Why are you here?” she asked.
Yue Tingfeng did not answer her, shooting her a distasteful glare instead. He raked his eyes over her. “Look at you. You’re so dirty. I hardly want to touch you.”
As the words spilled from his mouth, he slowly drew her into a hug.
Yan Qingsi’s hair was sticking up in an unbecoming fashion, and sweat filmed over her entire face. Although You Yi had cleaned her eye makeup, her lipstick, and foundation… Ugh. She probably looked disgusting no matter what.
Her clothes were soaked through with sweat, and the exposed parts of her skin were lobster red. She was certainly not the least bit attractive.
Yue Tingfeng hugging Yan Qingsi was akin to hugging a fireball.
He saw the shoes Yan Qingsi had kicked off, and he glared at Yan Qingsi’s bare feet. “Yan Qingsi, are you craving something lately?” he ground the words out. “You want squid or beef on a hotplate? You better tell me if I didn’t give you something you wanted to eat.”
“Shut up. I have a headache,” Yan Qingsi said, reaching a hand upwards and slapping it on Yue Tingfeng’s mouth. Yue Tingfeng’s voice was a constant buzz in her ears, and her head pounded in agony.
Yue Tingfeng was speechless.
He strode forward, dragging Yan Qingsi along and shoving her into a car. He wiped at his mouth, a disgusted expression on his face. “Sh*t… You’re filthy. And there’s dirt on your hands?”
Yan Qingsi did have dirt on her hands. The soil from when she pulled the dandelion by the roots stuck between her fingers.
The air-conditioning was turned on in the car, and Yan Qingsi felt some relief from it.
She closed her eyes and sank onto the seat without bothering about Yue Tingfeng, trying to revive herself.
Coolness suddenly slapped her face. Her eyes jerked open to a thread dangling before her. She saw Yue Tingfeng taking a wet wipe to wipe her face.
Yan Qingsi felt the heat of the sun gradually subsided with a wave of blissed cool. Her head did not pound so hard anymore. She slid downwards, allowing Yue Tingfeng’s palm to cradle her head.
Yue Tingfeng pinched her cheeks. He used wet wipe after wet wipe, scrubbing Yan Qingsi’s face over and over.
“Don’t move,” he scolded her. “Look at yourself. The state you’re in! And you’re lying on my clean clothes. You better get a good scrub once you go back. And why did you take off your shoes? Your feet didn’t get boiled through only because you’re thick-skinned, and not because you were lucky.”
Yan Qingsi pursed her lips. “My feet hurt,” she whined, “Look. They have blisters already. You don’t pity me, and you’re so cruel to me.”
At the sight of Yue Tingfeng, the stone lodged in Yan Qingsi’s heart slowly ground into dust.
She had found her new purpose in life, but… You Yi…
Yue Tingfeng stopped wiping her face and looked at her feet. “What cheap rip-offs did you wear? Let me see if there’s anything serious.”