Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 357 Take the initiative
Just as Xiao Wang was about to raise his hand, he heard Yan Ciwan ask softly.

"Can I lean against you for a bit?"

Xiao Wang's hand fell silently.

Yan Ciwan closed her eyes, gently exhaled, and slowly relaxed her body.

She murmured, as if talking to herself, "It'll be over in a minute."

Xiao Wang could feel her warm body through the fabric of her clothes. She was already slender, and this time, due to excessive blood loss, she had become even thinner.

He longed to pull her into his arms, but fearing he might offend her, he could only stand frozen in place, motionless.

After a long while, Yan Ciwan finally stepped back, leaning against the soft pillow, and said weakly.

"You sit."

Xiao Wang sat down on the edge of the bed, placing his hands on his lap, the wide hem of his robe concealing his slowly curling fingers.

He clenched his fists tightly to retain the lingering warmth in his palms.

Yan Ciwan noticed that his eyes were dark and his clothes were wrinkled. It was clear that he hadn't rested properly for the past three days and hadn't even bothered to maintain the most basic appearance of a young master from a prominent family.

She said, "Thank you for your hard work these past few days."

Xiao Wang stared at her. At this moment, her face was very pale, with gauze on her forehead and abrasions on her cheeks. Her hair was not properly combed and was just draped messily behind her. She looked haggard and weak, with no beauty to speak of.

But Xiao Wang couldn't take his eyes off her. To him, her appearance didn't matter; what mattered was that she had come back alive.

"I didn't actually do anything. It was the old lady and Chao Erniang who worked hard, taking care of you without taking off their clothes for the past three days."

Yan Ciwan asked, "And what about you?"

Xiao Wang noticed that she was looking at his clothes, so he immediately raised his hand to straighten his appearance, trying to smooth out the wrinkles on the hem of his clothes, and trying to make himself look more composed and natural.

“I’m worried about you too, but I can only watch from the sidelines and there’s nothing I can do.”

Yan Ciwan chuckled softly: "I'm giving you a chance now. You can do whatever you want."

Xiao Wang was stunned.

He thought he had misheard and couldn't help but ask, "What?"

"If you didn't hear it, just pretend I didn't say it."

"No, I heard it!" Xiao Wang hurriedly reached for her hand, but accidentally touched her wound, causing her to gasp in pain.

He hurriedly withdrew his hand: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Did your wound reopen?"

He wanted to look at her hands, but he was afraid of hurting her again. His hesitant look revealed a pitiful sense of helplessness.

Yan Ciwan couldn't help but laugh out loud, never expecting that Xiao Liulang would have such a silly side.

Seeing this, Xiao Wang knew that her wound probably didn't hurt anymore, which meant she was probably alright. He felt relieved, but he was still puzzled and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"Want to know? Come closer, and I'll tell you quietly."

Xiao Wang saw a hint of mockery in her eyes. He guessed that she might be trying to tease him, but he still obediently moved closer.

As long as it makes her happy, what's wrong with letting her tease her a little?

Yan Ciwan looked at his profile, which was so close to hers, and leaned over to blow a breath into his ear.

Xiao Wang felt a chill run down his spine, and his ears instantly turned red.

He sat up abruptly, staring wide-eyed at Yan Ciwan, seemingly unable to believe her audacity. Yan Ciwan, however, didn't seem to think her behavior was anything out of line; her expression was quite frank as she asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Xiao Wang's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but he felt that nothing he said would be right, so he could only silently close his mouth and remain silent.

Yan Ciwan looked at his bright red ears and found them quite adorable. She really wanted to reach out and touch them, but unfortunately, she couldn't move right now, so she had to suppress the thought for the time being and wait for a chance to do so later.

She said, "I'm a little thirsty."

Xiao Wang immediately got up to pour water. He carried the warm tea back to the bedside and carefully fed it to Yan Ciwan.

After finishing her water, Yan Ciwan said, "My face is a little itchy, can you scratch it for me?"

Xiao Wang stared at the wound on her face for a moment and said seriously, "It's normal for the wound to feel itchy as it heals, but you must not scratch it. Just bear with it and wait for the wound to heal completely."

Yan Ciwan thought his serious demeanor was both silly and adorable.

The more he acted like that, the more she wanted to tease him.

"Please, touch it for me, please."

Seeing that she was frowning and seemed to be in great pain, Xiao Wang couldn't bear it, so he reached out his right hand and gently touched her cheek with his fingertips.

Yan Ciwan's brows relaxed, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Xiao Wang suppressed the urge to continue stroking her face. Just as he withdrew his hand, he heard Yan Ciwan speak in a sticky, mushy tone.

"Xiao Liu, touch this side too."

Xiao Wang felt that this was inappropriate, since neither of them was married and they had to keep their distance. However, his left hand was out of control and reached out to touch Yan Ciwan's cheek. The touch was soft and smooth, like touching a ball of cotton.

Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a weight on his hand. He came to his senses and realized that Yan Ciwan's face was resting in his palm. She had closed her eyes and was breathing evenly; she had fallen asleep.

Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, Xiao Wang couldn't bear to wake her, so he remained motionless.

He looked at her sleeping face. At this moment, she was completely unguarded, looking exceptionally gentle, obedient, and lovable.

On a whim, he slowly leaned closer, his lips almost touching her forehead. Suddenly, he froze, his mind clearing instantly. He cursed himself for what he was doing. Taking advantage of someone in distress was not the act of a gentleman. If Yan Ciwan found out, she would definitely hate him.

He immediately sat up straight and carefully helped Yan Ciwan lie down.

He was extremely gentle and slow throughout the process, afraid of waking Yan Ciwan. Fortunately, Yan Ciwan was sound asleep and did not wake up.

Xiao Wang helped her cover herself with the blanket, lowered the bed curtains, and quietly slipped out.

Once the door was closed, only Yan Ciwan remained in the room.

She opened her eyes, looked at the peony carvings on the ceiling, and sighed helplessly.

She had just presented Xiao Wang with an opportunity, but he was too aloof and wouldn't even touch the delicious treat that was offered to him.

Therefore, it seems that she still needs to take the initiative.

After returning to Wei Rui Tower, Xiao Wang took a cold shower, which finally extinguished the restlessness within him. He changed into clean clothes, sat in front of the mirror, and carefully examined his face, discovering that he had a bit of light blue stubble on his chin.

Although it was only a little bit, and you couldn't see it at all if you didn't look closely, he was still worried. Just now, when we were so close, did Aci see the stubble on his face? Would she think he was sloppy?

Xiao Wang immediately found a razor blade and shaved his stubble clean in front of the mirror.

With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Mo Wenda swaggered into the bedroom and immediately spotted Xiao Wang looking in the mirror, clicking his tongue in astonishment.

"Tsk tsk tsk, admiring yourself in broad daylight, it's unbearable to look at!"