Chapter 290: Chapter 290 Habit
Su Jin had never felt so guilty before.
This entire situation was her own doing.
She dropped the soap and forgot to have Xingxing pick it up, causing her to slip and crash into the screen.
In her embarrassment, she threw the soap and accidentally injured Xie Jingchen.
The real culprit was her.
However, in the whole room, besides her, the culprit, everyone else was unlucky.
Su Jin brought a copper basin, helping Xie Jingchen clean his forehead. The wound was caused by the soap, and it had to be cleaned before applying medicine.
"Bear with it," Su Jin’s voice was softer than ever.
Xie Jingchen closed his eyes, his forehead twitching with pain.
Once it was clean, Su Jin carefully applied ointment to the wound.
Xingxing stood by watching, her eyes full of sympathy for the Master.
But the one most sympathetic to him was dismissed by him.
"You can leave," Xie Jingchen said.
Xingxing left with the copper basin.
As soon as she closed the door, Su Jin got up, only to be pinned onto the bed by Xie Jingchen.
He pressed his whole body against her, causing Su Jin to grimace in pain.
"You’re crushing me!" she complained.
She protested, but Xie Jingchen ignored her.
Not teaching her a lesson wouldn’t do justice to his injuries.
Unable to break free, Su Jin glared at him.
But the moment her gaze met Xie Jingchen’s, her confidence faltered, and she looked away.
There was no denying the bruise on his forehead was too conspicuous.
But she couldn’t let him keep pressing down on her.
Su Jin wrapped her arms around him, her hand "accidentally" grazing Xie Jingchen’s back. The bruises, painful to the touch, became her amulet.
Xie Jingchen gasped sharply, then grabbed her mischievous hand, pinning it above her head.
With her hands restrained, Su Jin could still move her legs.
But she kicked Xie Jingchen’s back, harming herself in the process.
Her kick made Xie Jingchen bend forward, accidentally kissing her forehead.
The sudden sensation sent a rush from Su Jin’s toes to her scalp, leaving her tingling and blushing.
Su Jin wanted to die of embarrassment again.
Xie Jingchen looked at her and said, "If you wanted me to kiss you, just say so. No need to go through all these contortions."
Su Jin, "... ."
"Isn’t your arm injured and unable to move?" Su Jin looked at him.
"... ."
Su Jin wriggled her hand as proof of Xie Jingchen’s deception.
Though she suspected it, catching him red-handed left him no room to deny.
Xie Jingchen looked nonchalant.
Gazing at Su Jin’s glossy lips, as alluring as washed cherries, his throat tightened, his eyes turning dark.
As he leaned in to kiss her, Su Jin seized her chance.
Even with her hands and feet restrained, she managed to knock her forehead into Xie Jingchen’s.
It just so happened to hit his bruise, causing him to see stars.
Seeing Su Jin also touch her forehead and look at him accusingly, Xie Jingchen conceded, "I’ve never met someone as foolish as you. Are you trying to take us both down?!"
"Stop talking to me. I’m dizzy," Su Jin grumbled.
"... ."
Xie Jingchen was defeated by her.
He handed her the ointment he found on the small table.
Su Jin refused to take it.
Xie Jingchen took a bit and applied it for her.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"
"Don’t move," Xie Jingchen said.
"Be gentler!" Su Jin exclaimed.
"Bear with it, it’ll be over soon," Xie Jingchen soothed.
Outside, a maid passing by blushed at the words and quickly ran off.
With the ointment applied, Su Jin rested for a while, her forehead less painful, sleepiness washing over her as her eyes began to droop.
She shifted further in the bed to make more room for Xie Jingchen.
Xie Jingchen didn’t realize Su Jin was doing it for his sake and thought she was deliberately avoiding him.
A cloud of frustration lingered in his chest, refusing to dissipate.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Do you plan to sleep against the wall?"
Su Jin, "... ."
"I’m just trying not to bump into your back. Won’t you sleep better?" Su Jin muttered.
"Do you think this way you won’t squeeze me later?" Xie Jingchen retorted.
"... ."
Every night, no matter how she slept, she always woke up on his chest the next day.
How she ended up there, she had no idea.
She couldn’t guarantee this time would be different.
Considering the bruises on his back, she respected his resilience to even fall asleep like that.
"I’ll try," Su Jin said.
Xie Jingchen carefully lay down, feeling uneasy in the empty space beside him.
Having never napped during the day, today Su Jin’s recitation lured him into sleep, and he had already slept over an hour, making it hard to fall asleep now.
Su Jin, on the other hand, felt quite drowsy, yawning as she was ready to drift off.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, Xie Jingchen pulled her into his arms.
Su Jin struggled, "What are you doing!"
"Holding you to make sure I don’t wake up in pain halfway through the night," Xie Jingchen replied matter-of-factly.
"... ."
Xie Jingchen’s forthrightness made Su Jin feel guilty.
She shifted, preparing to sleep on the small couch, but Xie Jingchen’s arm trapped her, and she couldn’t break free.
"Just sleep like this. I’m used to being held by you every day," Xie Jingchen said muffled.
"... ."
Su Jin was a bit confused.
It seemed somehow off.
For a moment, she couldn’t pinpoint it.
She used him as a pillow every day, but didn’t he always hold her too?
Eyes heavy with sleep, Su Jin decided to deal with it tomorrow.
But as she slipped into slumber, sleep eluded Xie Jingchen.
In the dim candlelight, he watched her in his arms, with her mischievous, star-like eyes now closed, breathing evenly.
Her smooth, delicate skin was tinged with a light pink, her nose straight and petite, her lips naturally red.
Xie Jingchen was captivated. Her fluttering eyelashes seemed to brush his heart, stirring his thoughts, leaving him restless for a long time.
Unable to sleep, he got up and took a cold shower.
The next day, with the sun already up.
Su Jin awoke, feeling refreshed.
Xingxing brought in a copper basin, saying, "Miss, you’re awake."
Su Jin got out of bed.
Xingxing looked at her and asked, "Why did the master sleep on the small couch last night?"
"He slept on the small couch?" Su Jin asked.
"... ."
"Didn’t you kick him out?" Xingxing inquired.
Su Jin gave her a sidelong glance, "Do I seem that cruel?"
If not, she wouldn’t have said that.
Xingxing thought to herself.
The young lady doesn’t realize how fierce she can be to him. She must remember to inform the Madam so she can scold the young lady a bit.
Su Jin finished dressing, then washed up.
Sitting at the dressing table, she looked at herself in the copper mirror. The faint bruise on her forehead was not so obvious. Just a bit of powder would cover it.
After grooming, just as she was about to sit down to eat, a maid came in saying, "Eldest Young Madam, the Old Madam has sent a message for you and the Master to go to Qihao Hall."
Su Jin had to pay her respects at Qihao Hall daily.
But Xie Jingchen was not required to.
Specially sending a maid to fetch both of them was puzzling.
She couldn’t guess what they wanted and decided not to dwell on it.
Whatever came their way, they would deal with it.