Chapter 38

Xiao Xuan was usually a girl of few words. Her hobby was simple: researching food. She felt that since the Young Mistress’s accident, Miss Feiruo had changed significantly compared to before.

Back at Pear Orchard, the original owner’s interaction with others was very limited. As long as she didn’t have to act with Jian Xiyan, she would hide in her own world looking at things related to Yan Shan. The most Xiao Xuan and Lin Feiruo ever communicated was when she asked what to eat, if it tasted good, or if she wanted it again next time.

Lin Feiruo was asking similar questions now, but Xiao Xuan just felt it was different. Miss Feiruo would take the initiative to start a conversation; she no longer waited for others to ask, nor did she make Xiao Xuan feel like a nuisance for interrupting.

“Miss Feiruo, do you want the truth?” Xiao Xuan paused from her focus on a new dish and looked at her seriously.

“Of course.” Lin Feiruo maintained her posture, casual and lazy. She didn’t look particularly elegant, but the sense of distance was much smaller.

Xiao Xuan felt relaxed too. “The Young Mistress doesn’t like sweets. If you don’t make her eat them, she might actually be in a better mood.”

Lin Feiruo searched the original owner’s limited memories. Didn’t Jian Xiyan eat them a few times before? She even praised the taste.

Seeing her hesitation, Xiao Xuan smiled. “You really didn’t know?”

Lin Feiruo looked over skeptically. “Hmm?”

“The Young Mistress only ate them with you because she didn’t want to spoil your fun. She hasn’t liked sweets since she was a child; she finds them cloying.” Xiao Xuan paused. “I didn’t expect you to start finding them cloying too, Miss Feiruo.”

Lin Feiruo sighed inwardly. Jian Xiyan really was serious about everything. Even for a fake marriage, she put in so much effort at home.

She propped up her temple. “Then tell me, in her current situation, what can she eat to be in a better mood?”

Xiao Xuan caught the keyword. “Is the Young Mistress unhappy?”

After such a major car accident, no one would be happy. But Jian Xiyan had been extremely calm and rational both in the hospital and after coming home, showing no obvious signs of depression.

“It’s not exactly that she’s unhappy,” Lin Feiruo weighed her words. “It’s just… I want her to be happier.”

Xiao Xuan’s eyes sparkled [read the original at bailiantales.com]with admiration and joy. “Miss Feiruo, you’re so good to her.”

Lin Feiruo saw that reaction and knew the girl was “shipping” them again, but since she had agreed to continue the cooperation, she had to adapt. After all, it was 3 million! As long as she wasn’t embarrassed, the embarrassment didn’t exist!

Xiao Xuan thought seriously. “I don’t think food can make the Young Mistress happy; she’s never been interested in it. You could try planting some flowers.”

Lin Feiruo was surprised. “Planting flowers?”

“The Young Mistress said that bought flowers are boring, but those planted by hand are different. They involve care and effort; seeing something grow from nothing is profoundly meaningful.”

Lin Feiruo’s lip twitched slightly. She hadn’t expected Jian Xiyan to be a romantic. How had she not noticed this “maidenly heart” before? Growing from nothing? Meaningful? Even commercials aren’t that cheesy.

Lin Feiruo’s curiosity was piqued. She inexplicably wanted to know more about Jian Xiyan’s hidden side. Since they were cooperating for three months and seeing each other day and night, it would be good to have more common topics.

“Then what flowers has she planted?”

Xiao Xuan shook her head. “The Young Mistress is too busy; how could she have time to tend to them?”

Lin Feiruo thought that made sense. Jian Xiyan didn’t even have time to nurture herself, let alone delicate flowers.

“So the Young Mistress said she’d start by planting cacti.”

Lin Feiruo froze. This “hidden side” of Jian Xiyan was a bit of a leap. No time for flowers, so she plants cacti?

“Actually, the Young Mistress just said it in passing. Aunt Shu is the one who takes care of everything,” Xiao Xuan recalled Jian Xiyan’s past business. “The Young Mistress hadn’t had time to even look at He Garden for a long time.”

No wonder the original owner’s memory lacked this information; Jian Xiyan didn’t bring her personal preferences to Pear Orchard. That place was more like a stage for work, while He Garden was her private space.

After chatting with Xiao Xuan in the kitchen for over half an hour, Lin Feiruo estimated that Jian Xiyan should be finishing her bath soon. “Give me a glass of warm water, then. I’ll take it up to her.”

The doctor said that besides nutrition, Jian Xiyan needed to stay hydrated. One gets thirsty after a bath; drinking water is always a good idea.

Returning to the room with the water, Jian Xiyan was indeed finished. Her skin was still flushed a pale pink, the steam making her complexion look [stolen content]delicate and lovely—not at all like a patient who had just come home. Xiao Ning carefully finished drying her hair before leaving.

Jian Xiyan had already seen Lin Feiruo in the mirror, as well as the glass in her hand. Just as she turned her wheelchair, Lin Feiruo was already in front of her. As usual, she handed over the glass just when Xiyan wanted water most.

“It’s not too hot.”

Jian Xiyan suppressed the natural curve of her lips and took it coldly. “Thank you.”

Still this cold after a bath?

Lin Feiruo watched her, but Jian Xiyan lowered her eyes and sipped the water silently, seemingly unwilling to offer any explanation. Not until she had finished most of the glass did Jian Xiyan look up again, simply handing back the empty cup. “Sorry for the trouble.”

Lin Feiruo pursed her lips, took the cup, and set it down. Jian Xiyan was already moving her wheelchair toward the bed. Her wheelchair was custom-made, flexible and easy to operate. But at the bedside, the final transfer still required help.

Lin Feiruo walked over naturally, pulled back the duvet, adjusted the pillow slightly, and looked down at Jian Xiyan. This wasn’t necessary in the hospital, but tonight was the first day back at He Garden; the task of carrying her was naturally Lin Feiruo’s responsibility.

Jian Xiyan had thinned out a lot lately. She already had a top-tier slender figure, but now she was ultra-thin. Sometimes when supporting her, Lin Feiruo felt her bones were a bit sharp to the touch, which added to her sympathy.

Carrying her wasn’t physically taxing, but the act of carrying was a bit of a hurdle for Lin Feiruo. First, she had never held Jian Xiyan like this, so she was nervous. Second, she had never carried a patient with such a severe leg injury, so she was very nervous.

Jian Xiyan looked calm, waiting quietly in her wheelchair. But she could sense Lin Feiruo’s tension, and her own suppressed emotions began to fluctuate. Actually, she wasn’t used to it either. She had never been carried like this in a bedroom, and in her pajamas. This injury had forced her into many first-time compromises—leaning on others to sit up in the hospital, allowing help with bathing and changing, and even using undignified medical pads.

But back at He Garden, alone one-on-one with Lin Feiruo, Jian Xiyan hadn’t fully convinced herself to be as open as she was in the hospital, where she had accepted the lack of privacy.

Lin Feiruo reminded herself to treat Jian Xiyan as a patient with limited mobility. Her primary task was to make sure she ate and slept well so the injury would heal quickly.

“I’ll carry you to…” Lin Feiruo stopped abruptly—that sounded ambiguous—so she changed it to: “I’ll carry you to sleep?”

Still a bit weird, but whatever, Jian Xiyan would understand. Lin Feiruo stopped overthinking the wording and leaned down to act. Jian Xiyan’s leg couldn’t bear weight yet, so aside from what Xiyan could contribute with her upper body, the rest was all on Lin Feiruo.

Lin Feiruo leaned her neck forward slightly. “If you feel unstable, you can hook your arms around my neck or lean on my shoulders.”

The distance from the wheelchair to the bed was short. If one didn’t care about the patient’s pain or dignity, a simple slide and push would work. But Lin Feiruo clearly didn’t want that. She very carefully slid her forearm under Jian Xiyan’s knees.

“Tell me if it hurts,” she instructed, turning her head as she adjusted her posture before exerting force.

Jian Xiyan was so close to her that if she spoke, she could blow the fine hairs on Lin Feiruo’s face. “I’m not that fragile.” Her tone was still cool, and aside from a slight warmth at her earlobes, there was no sign of anything unusual.

Lin Feiruo’s cheek felt a bit itchy. Even though Jian Xiyan’s breathing was well-controlled, she was still brushed by a stray bit of warm air.

She smiled. “You’re not fragile; I’m just afraid you’ll be in pain.”

She didn’t want to mess up the first time she carried her; otherwise, both she and Jian Xiyan would have a “shadow” over them, and these three months would be hard to endure.

Jian Xiyan pursed her lips, and the hand resting on Lin Feiruo’s shoulder unconsciously tightened its grip. Lin Feiruo’s attention was mainly on the legs; she didn’t mind the pressure on her shoulder.

She counted softly: “One, two, three.”

Jian Xiyan was lifted gently from the wheelchair. Lin Feiruo steadied herself for a moment, not rushing the next step. Jian Xiyan looked bailiantales.com at her and realized Lin Feiruo’s profile was much more tense than before. She was very serious, as if performing a very important and difficult task.

Jian Xiyan felt herself slowly approaching the bed, but the process was exceptionally stable; she didn’t feel any wobbling. The pain in her leg was the mildest she had felt during any move lately. She was placed on the bed with extreme tenderness. Jian Xiyan didn’t realize her hand was still clinging to Lin Feiruo’s shoulder until her head hit the pillow.

To make it effortless for her, Lin Feiruo had leaned down almost completely, lowering herself with Xiyan. The strain on her waist was exhausting. Lin Feiruo only dared to take a deep breath once Xiyan was safely settled, but since Xiyan hadn’t let go, their distance was still incredibly close.

The sudden breath on her face brought Jian Xiyan back to her senses. She immediately released her hand and turned her head slightly. Lin Feiruo also realized the distance and atmosphere were a bit awkward. She straightened up quickly, though she was still breathing heavily.

She tucked Jian Xiyan in. “Get some rest early. I’m going to take a shower.” She had truly underestimated the physical exertion of carrying someone; her forehead was beaded with sweat.

Jian Xiyan gave a low hum of response without looking at her.

The master bathroom had been remodeled for Jian Xiyan’s use, so Lin Feiruo took her pajamas and went to the guest bathroom next door. For this move back to He Garden, Lin Feiruo had bought quite a lot of new clothes. She didn’t like the original owner’s clothes at all, and wearing someone else’s clothes wasn’t her habit.

By the time she returned to the bedroom in her chosen pajamas, Jian Xiyan was still awake. “Did I wake you up?” Lin Feiruo walked to the bedside, looking at her with concern.

A fresh scent of body wash wafted over, similar to the smell after the gala, but fresher and more intense this time. Jian Xiyan saw Lin Feiruo wearing a set of light gray cotton-linen pajamas—clean ​bailiantales.com​and simple, a striking contrast to her previously gaudy style.

Lin Feiruo looked down at herself. “Not good?”

Jian Xiyan looked away and said quietly, “It’s fine.”

Lin Feiruo checked the time and prepared to turn off the bedside lamp. “It’s late; time to sleep.”

Jian Xiyan hesitated. “Leave the light on.”

“Won’t it affect your sleep?”

Jian Xiyan shook her head, and Lin Feiruo had to comply. After dimming the light, she prepared to go back to her single bed. Before leaving, she added: “Call me if you want water in the night, or if you need to go to the bathroom.”