scald

At noon, the graduation ceremony ended smoothly before lunch. Many people dispersed, but quite a few remained behind, preparing to have their last meal of high school life in the school cafeteria.

The school's facilities were all top-notch, including the cafeteria, which was huge, surpassing even some five-star restaurants outside.

Ning An lost sight of Nangong Yaya in the crowd. The occasional glances from the surrounding people made her furrow her brows. She felt the need to find a quieter place to rest for a bit.

At that moment, a sarcastic voice came from behind her.

"Isn't this Ning An? Long time no see..."

Before she could respond, another voice chimed in.

"I heard Miss Ning fell into the pool, and with that illegitimate child of the Ning family. Who knows what they were doing at the time~"

The gossip and innuendo in their words seemed to be deliberately hinting at something.

Ning An felt disgusted by the overly affected tone of the voice and couldn't be bothered to engage with them, continuing to search for Nangong Yaya with her gaze.

But the voice kept going, and seeing that Ning An hadn't even glanced back, it became tinged with anger.

"Ning An! Are you deaf?"

She casually turned around to see two girls, heavily made up, standing there. Their originally delicate features were obscured by thick makeup, except for the one in the middle...

Ouyang Manny?

What was she doing with Gu Yanyan and her crew?

Although Ning An didn't like Ouyang Manny, she knew that Ouyang Manny had a high opinion of herself and didn't usually associate with people like Gu Yanyan's group.

Catching a glimpse of Gu Yanyan's smug expression, Ning An found it ridiculous. Did she think that having the Ouyang family's support would allow her to flaunt herself in front of Ning An? She gave her a contemptuous look.

"I keep hearing barking, are you even worthy of speaking to me?"

Gu Yanyan's smug smile froze on her face, feeling indignant, but a domineering voice beside her interrupted.

"Oh? She's not worthy, then what about me?"

Ning An met Ouyang Manny's gaze, which, as always, was aloof, with a hint of an emotion Ning An couldn't quite place...

Though the families seemed friendly on the surface, there were always business dealings and mutual face to consider. It would be better to give her some face.

"So, Miss Ouyang, what do you want to say to me?" Ning An tilted her head slightly, puzzled.

Ouyang Manny took a step forward.

"Move away from Ning Xuanyuan."

Hearing this, Ning An suddenly understood. Ouyang Manny must be confronting her because of Ning Xuan.

No wonder. If there was anything she cared about, it would probably only be Ning Xuan. Whenever his name was mentioned, this woman would change completely. Ning An had experienced this before in her past life. At this time in her past life, she and Ning Xuan hadn't had much contact, but Ouyang Manny had managed to warn her with just a visit to the school...

This woman, just like Ning Xuan, was filled with possessiveness and obsession, perfectly matched.

Thinking of the things she had done in her past life, Ning An's eyes darkened, pretending to be troubled.

"This might be a bit difficult... Ning Xuan is my younger brother, and we live together under the same roof. It's hard to stay away from him." She leaned closer to Ouyang Manny, whispering softly, "If you really want me to stay away from him, why not invite him to your house?"

Ouyang Manny valued her reputation greatly, and inviting a man to her house would surely invite ridicule.

Seeing Ouyang Manny's embarrassed expression, Ning An felt a sense of relief, but she also lost her appetite for lunch and wanted to get away from them.

Suddenly, she felt something pouring over her. She instinctively raised her hand to block, and then scalding soup spilled onto her arm.

A searing pain shot through her arm, causing her to break out in a cold sweat, and her face turned pale as she staggered backward.

"Sister!"

She heard Ning Xuan's anxious voice and fell into the warm embrace of someone emitting a refreshing scent of mint.

Leaning against his sturdy chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat, Ning An endured the burning sensation in her arm, wondering when this guy had arrived and if he hadn't heard what she said...

Ning Xuan watched her reddened skin, his heart aching, and his eyes brewing with a storm. With one hand tightly hugging her, he trembled slightly with apprehension.

He had just failed to watch over her for a moment, and she had gotten hurt.

The person who hurt her was damn!

If he could keep her in his sight at all times, wouldn't that be the best way to protect her?

He cast a dark glance at the trembling woman next to him, and the murderous intent in his eyes made Gu Yanyan shiver as if she had been stared at by an evil spirit.

"Ning Xuan, it hurts."

Ning An furrowed her brows, feeling her consciousness fading.

Her skin was particularly delicate, and even a few rubs from poorly textured clothes would immediately redden it. Moreover, her pain threshold was slightly higher than average, and at this moment, she felt like she was about to pass out from pain.

She unconsciously rubbed against Ning Xuan's chest, unknowingly showing her reliance on him, feeling that this breath had accompanied her many times when she was ill.

Suddenly, her body felt lighter as Ning Xuan lifted her horizontally.

...

Ning An drifted in and out of consciousness, unsure of how long it had been. She felt herself being gently placed on a bed.

Glancing around at the furnishings, the pure white ceiling and the faint smell of disinfectant, she couldn't help but feel bitter.

She had become a frequent visitor to the hospital lately. Whenever it wasn't her, it was Ning Xuan. She thought wryly to herself.

The doctor, upon seeing the person who entered, hurriedly took out a medical kit and approached the girl on the bed. The wound on her arm looked particularly terrifying, and the doctor, trembling, began to treat it with extreme care.

"Miss Ning has been scalded. Let me treat the wound first." The doctor said nervously.

As the doctor handled the wound with caution, he suddenly drew a sharp breath when he touched it.

Ning Xuan's voice followed immediately, with a warning tone.

"Be gentle. If you hurt her again, I'll take your life."

The doctor's hand holding the cotton swab trembled even more violently. He had never encountered someone threatening him like this before. Swallowing hard, he replied.

"Yes, yes. Young Master Ning, rest assured... Though Miss's wound looks terrifying, it's not actually serious. I'll be even more careful."

As the doctor carefully treated the wound and stood up, he found that the back of his shirt was soaked with cold sweat.

He felt more exhausted than if he had performed surgery, and there was the constant pressure behind him. He didn't dare to linger, quickly packed up his things, bowed to Ning

 Xuan, and left.

Ning Xuan sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the girl whose forehead was wet with cold sweat. He gently reached out and wiped it away, then kissed her forehead, full of sincerity and cherished affection.

The sunlight streamed into the infirmary, casting a beautiful scene of the boy and the girl in its warm embrace, a warmth that no one else could intrude upon.