Scalded

Xi Xiaye nodded slightly as she lowered her gaze and took another sip of tea. She thought for a moment before she decided to plainly explain, "When I was younger, because she was worried about my teeth, my mother limited my intake of sweet foods. When I grew older, I became used to it and my taste has always veered that way."

Mu Yuchen smiled. Just as he was about to say something, his handphone by his side suddenly buzzed again. He looked apologetically at Xi Xiaye before picking it up to answer the call.

The call was from Wang Hui, who was asking Mu Yuchen whether he had made it on time for the appointment.

When he heard Wang Hui's anxious tone, Mu Yuchen could not help but frown. He listened to Wang Hui grumble for a while before he answered exhaustedly and indifferently, "I'm already meeting her. We'll talk again when I get back."

He silently hung up and then looked at the person opposite him. He watched her with her teacup in a hand as her apathetic eyes gazed at the gloomy sky outside the window. The speakers started to play some familiar tunes —

Maybe love blinds us;

It's a passion that makes one undaunted by dangers...

Who did love captivate?

Who surrendered to love, invading a loneliness besieged by the blaze?

If the warmth of a kiss can conquer resentment...

A cool wind blew in from the window, the chilliness abruptly invading their moment of silence. Xiaye could not help but shiver slightly. She subconsciously clasped both her hands together, but just as she released them, she heard a loud crash. A scorching heat burned the back of her hand. In an instant, she felt her wrist being pulled away by a large hand.

"Careful."

His concerned tone revealed sensitivity.

At that moment, Xiaye also retrieved her gaze. Then, she realized that the back of her hand was scalded a little by the spilled tea. A dimness flashed in her still eyes as she felt embarrassed. She wanted to hide her hands, but before she could move, a pure white handkerchief was slowly extended to her.

She hesitated for a moment, then slowly accepted it. She lightly wiped the tea that stained the back of her hand.

"Thank you."

Once again, she thanked him softly and an apologetic smile spread across her beautiful little face.

"Did you get hurt?" He frowned and looked at her slightly reddened hand as he asked.

Xiaye lightly shook her head. The light in her eyes seemed to be quite faint, yet she smiled and responded with some difficulty, "No worries. I'll just go back and ice it."

"What's so interesting about the sky, so much so that it made you this absent-minded?"

There was a glow in Mu Yuchen's eyes as he nonchalantly looked outside the window that Xiaye had gazed out of earlier. What entered his line of sight was the murky sky. It was boundlessly gray. The cold breeze that entered through the window seemed to bring some humidity, and one could vaguely see the drizzle that fell.

"I actually don't like to watch this kind of sky. The dripping rain makes me a little uncomfortable." Xiaye lightly covered her scorched hand and then followed his gaze and sighed softly, "It seemed like spring for City Z has come especially early this year. It isn't even Spring Festival yet and the weather's already like this."

"Mmm... Earlier, when I passed by the plaza, I heard them say that Spring is beginning in another two days," Mu Yuchen responded, and then abruptly turned away. He was about to pick his teacup up when he saw her still holding the back of her hand. His huge hand suddenly crossed over and pulled her other hand that was trying to cover up. He immediately caught sight of her angry red skin on her hand...

Mu Yuchen's brows furrowed even further. He was silent for a while, then finally he smoothly stood up and picked up her bag that she had put aside.

Xiaye was stunned. There was some suspicion in her eyes and she was about to say something when his low voice was heard —

"Let's go and take a look at the hospital. Otherwise, it'd be you who suffers."

Then, without waiting for Xiaye to agree, he started to walk out.

He had just walked out of the Bamboo Maple Forest Tavern when his subordinate, Ah Mo, had driven his car over. Although it did not look like a luxury car, it was rather similar to her Passat; it was a Phaeton.

It was the kind of car that was luxurious on the inside while being low-profile and reserved on the outside just like its owner, who was reserved in a way that made him hard to fathom.

"Master!" Ah Mo quickly stopped the car and swiftly got down to respectfully greet him.

However, when he saw Xi Xiaye beside Mu Yuchen, his eyes lit up. He could not help but show hints of a stifled smile on his face. Remaining calm, he carefully took a sidelong glance at his Master, yet he realized that his Master still looked apathetic and downcast as usual.

He pointed at Ah Mo. "This is Ah Mo."

Xi Xiaye nodded slightly. "Hello, I'm Xi Xiaye!"

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Xi!"

Ah Mo smiled in response as he opened the car door.

Mu Yuchen pointed inside nonchalantly, indicating for Xi Xiaye to enter.

Xiaye remembered that her car was parked in the parking lot, so she said softly, "There's no need to trouble you. I drove over myself."

Mu Yuchen lowered his eyes and looked at her hand that was already red and swollen. He skirted the car and rumbled in his low voice, "You sure you can still drive right now?"

Xi Xiaye looked down at her hand. The searing pain made her frown involuntarily. When she saw that Ah Mo had already put her things into the back seat before getting into the driver's seat, she thought about it for a moment prior to getting into the car.

Ah Mo immediately started the car.

"Master, where are we going?" 

"Hospital T," Mu Yuchen plainly said before he picked up a magazine from the side pocket and started flipping through it.

Xi Xiaye did not say anything either. She just shrunk slightly into her seat and gently put her injured hand on her knee while her other hand lightly held it down. Then, she leaned her head against the window and looked outside.

Outside was foggy and drizzling. On the wet streets, the pedestrians that scurried to and fro held umbrellas as they rushed past the sidewalks. The wind that poured in from the car window that was wound down halfway was a little chilly, yet there was a simple warmth that flowed in the car, repelling the coldness that came from behind her.

"City Z's changed a lot."

Suddenly, the man's low voice entered her ears. Xi Xiaye abruptly turned her head and realized that Mu Yuchen had looked up from his magazine and was looking calmly out of the car window.

Xi Xiaye suddenly remembered that he had been living abroad for the past few years, so she smiled and said, "Yep, especially these past few years, after the new five-year plan was released, this place became the new development area. The people of City Z were determined to create another flourishing city like the one in the north of the city."

Glory World Corporation had quite a few projects there too, and she was in charge of one of the larger projects, so Xiaye was quite well-versed with the situation there.

"I've heard them mention it."

He suddenly retrieved his gaze and took a look at her. He saw her frowning slightly and he looked down, his attention falling on her hands. Indeed, he saw that the back of her hand was becoming even more inflamed, so he frowned and said to Ah Mo up front, "Reach Hospital T in ten minutes."

Issued the urgent order, Ah Mo nodded and then accelerated.

It was a weekend. Despite the fog and drizzle, the streets were not as congested as it was on a typical working day, so the car swiftly passed through several highways before quickly arriving at Hospital T.