Deskmates - Chapter 54

Chapter 54. Wound

By the time the inflatable raft reached the shore, Meng Qiaoyu and the others were already waiting on land.

“What took you so long?” Meng Qiaoyu asked as she held out her hand to help Lin Sitian off the raft.

Lin Sitian didn’t think twice and grabbed Meng Qiaoyu to use his strength to get off the raft.

Zhou Cheng glanced at Lin Sitian’s hand being held by Meng Qiaoyu, paused for a moment, and then quickly followed them to the shore.

As soon as they stepped onto the shore, the water dripping from Lin Sitian’s body became visible, leaving a trail wherever she walked.

Meng Qiaoyu frowned. “What happened? Did your raft capsize?”

“No,” Zhou Cheng interjected, quickly moving next to Lin Sitian and urging her, “Go change your clothes right now.”

“Okay.”

“But if it didn’t capsize, why do you look so drenched? Lin Sitian, you’re… bleeding?”

Still puzzled, Meng Qiaoyu suddenly noticed Lin Sitian walking towards the changing room and called out to stop her.

Upon hearing Meng Qiaoyu’s words, Zhou Cheng immediately looked up at Lin Sitian. She hadn’t turned around yet; her upper body was hidden under her t-shirt and orange life jacket, while her lower half, clad in black leggings, looked inconspicuous. There was, however, a conspicuous two-inch bloody wound on her pale left calf. At that moment, droplets of water cascaded down from her knee, mixing with the blood oozing from the wound and forming a meandering trail.

Zhou Cheng’s heart skipped a beat – when had she been injured?

“What bleeding?” Lin Sitian overheard their conversation and turned to follow their gaze. “Huh? I was wondering why my leg felt slightly uncomfortable earlier…”

“Lin…”

“Lin Sitian, are you stupid? Didn’t you even notice that you were injured?” Meng Qiaoyu interrupted Zhou Cheng before he could speak. “How did you get hurt sitting on the inflatable raft?”

“How… how should I know?” Lin Sitian replied somewhat sheepishly.

Zhou Cheng quickly stepped forward and crouched down to examine her injury.

He gently pressed around it with his fingertips; the wound wasn’t deep, resembling a long, narrow scratch. It was slightly red and swollen, with occasional blood droplets seeping out, diluting as they mixed with the water flowing from her body. Indeed, the injury would have gone unnoticed while they were in the raft, especially since Lin Sitian had been teasing him with her right foot the entire time, diverting both of their attention away from the wound.

“Go get changed first,” Zhou Cheng suggested, looking up at her. “When you come out, make sure to clean the wound properly.”

As soon as Lin Sitian headed for the changing room, Meng Qiaoyu shifted her gaze to Zhou Cheng.

“Is this what you meant by ‘she can take care of herself’? It seems like you didn’t take care of her at all.”

Zhou Cheng squatted on the ground with his elbows on his knees. He wanted to say something, but kept silent. Regardless of the circumstances, Lin Sitian had indeed been injured and he hadn’t noticed, which made him responsible.

“I shouldn’t have trusted you,” Meng Qiaoyu muttered as he walked past them and unbuckled his life jacket. “If you’re not interested, don’t cause any unnecessary trouble. Honestly, I can’t figure out what your intentions are.”

After a while, Lin Sitian emerged from the changing room. She was fully dressed, with a towel wrapped around her torso and draped over her head. When she saw Zhou Cheng waiting for her at the door, she hurried over. “Zhou Cheng, aren’t you going to change your clothes?”

“Let’s clean your wound first, I’m in no hurry.”

“It’s okay, I can take care of the wound myself. With no sun out now, you might catch a cold from the wind. Your flu isn’t completely gone yet.”

“I’m fine. Come on.” Without further ado, Zhou Cheng gently took her hand and led her to the outdoor tap.

How domineering.

On the sidelines, Wang Yue and Yang Xuelin were about to approach when they saw this scene. They instinctively paused and stopped their steps. Feeling nervous, Lin Sitian’s heart raced like a drumbeat, silently blaming Zhou Cheng inwardly, but the corners of her lips subtly turned up.

The icy mountain spring water washed over Lin Sitian’s wound as Zhou Cheng crouched beside her. He gently wiped away the dirt and debris with the corner of his T-shirt. With his head bowed, he worked quietly. Just as Lin Sitian hesitated on how to break the silence, Zhou Cheng spoke:

“Did you deliberately not tell me?”

Lin Sitian hastily shook his head. “I really didn’t know; it’s not that serious, just a little painful.” She emphasized the word ‘a little.’

Zhou Cheng lifted his gaze and stared into Lin Sitian’s eyes – whether feigning innocence or not. Their gazes locked for a moment before he finally relented, unable to utter a rebuke.

After all, it was he who hadn’t noticed, who hadn’t paid attention. What would be the point of blaming her?

“You guys were here…” As this thought crossed his mind, Meng Qiaoyu’s voice interrupted him, “I searched everywhere. I just asked the staff; they have a first aid kit. Let’s go and treat your wound.”

“Oh, no need. Zhou Cheng has already cleaned it up. It’s such a small scrape; it will heal fine in a few days without much fuss.”

“You’re so rough…”

“Meng Qiaoyu, try to insult me again!”

Meng Qiaoyu’s jaw clenched. “I-I didn’t mean it like that.”

The tap was turned off, and Zhou Cheng slowly stood up. “Lin Sitian, go take care of this.”

“Huh?”

Zhou Cheng tilted his head towards the workstation, indicating that she should go there. “Be careful not to leave a scar.”

At that moment, his expression unconsciously softened, causing Lin Sitian’s heart to flutter for a moment.

It seemed like he was gently coaxing her.

Coaxing her, coaxing her – he was coaxing her.

Inside Lin Sitian’s chest, a little sparrow began to hop around happily. With just a glance from him, the bird almost fainted from excitement, almost passing out on the spot.

“Then… I’ll go,” she managed, trying to keep her intense emotions from showing on her face. Instead, she pretended to be calm.

As Zhou Cheng prepared to accompany her, Meng Qiaoyu stopped him.

“You don’t need to come along, first take off your life jacket.”

Right, Zhou Cheng hadn’t even changed his clothes yet. Lin Sitian patted his shoulder. “Meng Qiaoyu and I will take care of it. Hurry up and get dressed.”

“I can wait…”

Before Zhou Cheng could finish, something was draped over his head, completely covering it.

It was a bath towel.

Lin Sitian’s bath towel.

“We’re leaving now,” Lin Sitian called back with a wave as she followed Meng Qiaoyu, smiling. “Don’t catch a cold, Sick Zhou…”

Zhou Cheng stood there, with tourists coming and going behind him. He didn’t move for a long time until Lin Sitian’s figure disappeared from sight.

He lowered his head and gently lifted the edge of the towel next to his face, hiding his flushed cheeks in the shadow.

-It smelled so good.

Maybe he really was sick.