Chapter 32: Life’s First Princess Carry

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Life’s First Princess Carry

It was strange. Yan Xici hadn’t planned on crying, but after seeing how concerned Xiao Ran was, a wave of grievance washed over her.

She was like a child who had been wronged and was holding back tears, but the moment she saw her mother, she just couldn’t hold it in anymore.

He hadn’t complained about her damaging his scooter; instead, his first thought was to check on her leg.

The more the girl thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. A mist welled up in her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes, quickly gathering into a single, shimmering tear. "I didn’t mean for this to happen, Brother. I’m sorry..."

Her voice was thick with unshed tears, and as she spoke, that crystal-clear teardrop finally rolled down her cheek.

Feeling the tear fall, the girl hastily wiped it away with the back of her hand.

She looked just like a child who had done something wrong.

He patted her head comfortingly. "It’s okay, don’t cry. I’m here."

’What was there to be sorry about? Besides, wasn’t she just buying groceries to cook for me?’

With that, Xiao Ran crouched beside her to examine her wound, his voice gentle. "Next time I send you a message, make sure you read it all."

In fact, while he was at the coffee shop, Xiao Ran had sent her several messages telling her not to ride the scooter home.

But she had already gotten on the scooter by then and hadn’t looked at her phone at all.

Hearing him say this now, she was so consumed with guilt she wished the ground would swallow her whole.

The girl bit her lip, the guilt on her face practically overflowing.

"I can get back!"

’She really didn’t want to cause Xiao Ran any more trouble.’

The two kind-hearted women who had stayed behind overheard their conversation, and having figured out their relationship, one of them quickly said, "Oh, dear, don’t try to be tough, young lady. Just let your brother take you home."

"That’s right. Don’t just sit here on the roadside in this heat. You need to get home and disinfect that wound, or it’ll get infected."

His heart aching, Xiao Ran gently pressed the swollen area around her wound. "How does that feel? Does it hurt?"

The girl shook her head. "It doesn’t hurt."

’Saying it didn’t hurt was a lie. She just didn’t want Xiao Ran to worry about her anymore.’

Just then, Liu Min finished parking her car and walked over. Seeing the situation, she quickly said, "Oh my, this must be your sister, right? Why don’t we take her to the hospital to get that looked at?"

Liu Min was wearing a white blazer with matching high-waisted shorts and a pair of high heels. She had the perfect air of a sophisticated and powerful woman.

Paired with her long, wavy hair, she looked utterly alluring, possessing a unique charm.

’Seeing Liu Min, Yan Xici froze. So this was what her brother-in-law meant when he said he was busy. He was with this beautiful woman.’

’After all, her brother-in-law was single now, so it was perfectly normal for him to be on a date.’

’But even though she understood the logic, her mood didn’t improve. For some reason, it only grew heavier, and a tightness spread through her chest, making it hard to breathe.’

Seeing Liu Min, Xiao Ran quickly said, "Sorry to trouble you, Sister Liu. You can head back now. I need to take my sister home."

’He’d already examined Yan Xici’s wound and figured he could treat it at home. It was hot, and the hospital would be crowded. It would be faster to handle it himself. Treating it quickly and getting her into bed to rest was the best thing for her.’

"How about I give you two a ride..."

"That won’t be necessary."

"Then... about the script revisions. How much time will you need?"

"Two days."

"There are a lot of changes. Can you really do it in two days?"

"Don’t worry."

"Alright, I’ll be on my way then. I hope your sister has a speedy recovery."

With that, Liu Min turned, got into the Infiniti she had parked on the roadside, and drove off toward the main street.

Watching Liu Min’s car disappear, the girl blinked and asked curiously, "Brother, is she related to the adaptation?"

’I heard everything they were just saying.’

"Mhm, yeah. She’s a screenwriter. Some parts of the script feel off, so they need to be revised. They’re paying ten thousand yuan per plot point."

’Xiao Ran was actually quite happy. After all, with the money from these revisions, he wouldn’t have to worry about the first month’s down payment anymore.’

’His new book had to be up for a month before it could start generating revenue. That meant for the first month, it would be free to read, and he wouldn’t make any money from it.’

’And although he was planning to sell the old house, who knew how long that would take?’

’So, Xiao Ran was definitely short on cash.’

Finished speaking, he finally tore his eyes away from her injury. "Come on, I’ll carry you onto the scooter."

’She was this injured; it was obviously unrealistic to expect her to get on by herself.’

Hearing this, the girl’s eyelids twitched, and she blurted out nervously, "I can do it! I can get on by myself!"

’She was too embarrassed to let Xiao Ran carry her.’

’After all, she’d never been carried by a guy in her entire life.’

’Just thinking about it made her nervous.’

With that, the girl hastily lifted her leg to walk toward the scooter, but the moment she moved, a sharp pain shot up from her knee.

Anyone who’s ever scraped their knee knows that uniquely excruciating feeling, especially when you try to bend it to walk. The pain is absolute agony!

The pain made the girl suck in a sharp breath.

Even the arm Xiao Ran was holding twitched noticeably.

But strangely, the heavy feeling in her heart had magically vanished.

Xiao Ran had no patience for her dithering. With a sharp, "Behave!"

He let go of her arm. In one smooth motion, he slid his right arm under her knees, wrapped his left around her shoulders, and lifted her into a princess carry.

The entire motion was natural and fluid.

It had to be said, Yan Xici’s weight of just over a hundred pounds was nothing to Xiao Ran.

With a small gasp, she was suddenly airborne. Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively buried her face in Xiao Ran’s chest.

The pleasant scent on him, a mix of soap and sunshine, filled her senses.

It was no exaggeration to say she could even hear his heartbeat!

Strong and steady.

It sent her own heart racing—THUMP-THUMP-THUMP—and a blush crept up her cheeks uncontrollably.

’After all, this was the first time a boy had ever held her like this.’

’It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous!’

’Even though it was Brother Xiao Ran, someone she was so close to, she couldn’t help but be nervous.’

Xiao Ran reached the scooter in two strides and carefully placed her onto the seat. Looking at her flushed little face, he said gently, "Sit tight. I’m taking you home!"

He then sat on the scooter in front of her, kicked up the stand, and started riding toward their home. His hands rested on the handlebars, right next to the hanging bag of groceries that now contained a piece of pork and a smashed eggplant.

Looking at the ruined eggplant, Xiao Ran couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.

’What a little klutz.’

’Looks like I’ll have to keep a closer eye on her from now on. If the eggplant ended up this smashed, what about her? When we get home, I’ll have to give her a proper check-up.’

The girl behind him was exceptionally quiet. She reached out, naturally wrapping her arms around Xiao Ran’s waist and resting her head against his back.

She looked utterly pitiful, like a forlorn kitten desperately seeking comfort from its owner.

’Brother Xiao Ran is the nicest to me. If my sister were here, she would have chewed me out completely!’

Feeling her soft arms around his waist, Xiao Ran didn’t push her away this time.

Instead, he sighed helplessly.

’She just took a nasty fall, so of course she’s feeling fragile. What can I do? If she needs a hug, I’ll let her hug.’

Thinking this, he comforted her, "That’s not how you’re supposed to ride a scooter. You’ve only just learned, so you should stick to practicing inside the complex. You can’t go so far out. If you really want to get the hang of it, I’ll take you to an empty road near the Huangpu River to practice once you’ve healed up. Then you can ride on the streets."

"Oh." The girl behind him sniffled and nodded pitifully.

"It’s the weekend anyway, so just rest at home. I looked at the wound; it isn’t deep, just a bad scrape. You’ll be able to walk fine once it scabs over."

’Actually, Xiao Ran had originally planned to move this weekend, but looking at her leg, he decided it was best to wait until she had healed a bit.’

The girl pressed her lips together and didn’t say a word, simply nuzzling her head against his back.

Like an obedient little kitten.

The gesture seemed to say, ’You really are the best to me.’

Ever since coming to this city, Yan Xici had always felt that Xiao Ran was the person who treated her best. That had never changed. It was as if she had a natural, innate trust in him.

’Miyazaki Hayao once said that if you can be completely yourself in front of someone, doing whatever you please while feeling grounded and at ease, then that person must be someone truly special to you.’

’And the girl felt that Xiao Ran was that very person.’