Ye Zhiyun crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall outside the classroom. She was in quite a foul mood as she listened to the noises coming from inside.
Every so often, she would click her tongue and sigh.
Yun’er was very unhappy!
But… even if she was unhappy, she still had to respect her sister’s decision.
Moreover, it was obvious that her sister’s approach was the right one.
If Ye Zhiyun really wanted to help treat the wound, she could have just called over the Medical Maid Corps.
But her sister had said—no need.
For a simple wound like this, her sister claimed she’d learned how to handle it in a dream. She was eager to give it a try, practically itching to practice.
With her sister putting it like that, what could Yun’er possibly say to argue?
On top of that… Lin Zihan had gotten hurt because of Yun’er’s own kick. She was even more in the wrong here.
Even so… even so!
It still made her really unhappy!
Her sister had never treated her wounds like this!
Guang Yu was quick to imitate her. This scummy fox maiden loli crossed her arms in front of her chest too, leaning against the wall right next to Ye Zhiyun and striking the exact same pose.
Feeling depressed, huh? I can do that too!
This pose was pretty cool!
The fun-loving fox was never one to miss out.
Inside the classroom.
Ye Zhibai gave Lin Zihan a look, gesturing for her to sit in a nearby chair.
Aside from the Band-Aids, she’d also brought a red plastic bag filled with iodine disinfectant and cotton balls.
Luckily, there was an open pharmacy right on school grounds, so picking up these supplies had been easy enough.
Ye Zhibai spread open the plastic bag, pulled out a cotton ball, and knelt down on one knee in front of Lin Zihan, who had plopped into the chair in a daze.
“Give me your hand.”
“Wu… Little Bai’er, why…”
“Your hand.”
“Oh… okay.”
Ye Zhibai gently cradled her delicate palm and examined the wound on her thumb from both sides.
The slender, delicate fingers moved with an unconscious gentleness, occasionally brushing across Lin Zihan’s palm and sending little itches through the girl’s heart.
“Little Bai’er? It’s… it’s fine. This kind of scratch? I get them all the time from the kitchen knife when I’m cooking. It’ll heal up in no time.”
“A knife cut is different from one on rusty metal. You scraped it on that iron table edge—if it’s deep, it’ll get infected.”
Tetanus warning!
“Eh… really? Wait, Little Bai’er, since when are you such an expert?!”
“Learned it in a dream.”
“……”
Can you wholesale those dreams?
Hook me up with a stack.
Even though Lin Zihan had no clue what was going on—her hand freely manipulated and inspected by Ye Zhibai—she didn’t resist at all.
But her eyes… they held a flicker of puzzled wariness.
Was Little Bai’er actually caring about her?
Or… just pitying her?
Hard to tell.
Moments before heading out earlier, Ye Zhibai had caught a glimpse of the bright red blood on Lin Zihan’s finger. Her heart had clenched in panic right then.
In her previous life as a second-year med student—even if she’d only covered theory so far—she was hypersensitive to blood like that!
Sure, there was a bit of that “help those in need” impulse.
But more than anything—
Wu wu, what if she actually got tetanus and tried to sue them?!
Medical bills weren’t cheap. Enough to feed Guang Yu for a whole month!
That thought made Ye Zhibai inspect the wound all the more seriously.
Lin Zihan bowed her head, gazing at Little Bai’er’s face bathed in the sun’s final glow as sunset approached.
For a moment, she lost herself in it.
Those pale purple eyes, framed by silver bangs, held a magical pull—like violets blooming in a cluster, utterly captivating.
Her steady expression and posture kept everyone firmly at arm’s length, and yet… it inexplicably stirred the urge to lean on her, to depend on her.
With the examination finished, Ye Zhibai twisted open the iodine bottle. She used the little clip that came with it to grab a cotton ball and dipped it in the solution.
“It’s fine… not deep. Just disinfect it, and you’re good. It’ll sting a little—bear with it.”
“Mm, no problem. I was sayi—hiss! Doesn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt! Hoo…”
“……”
What was that about?
This Eldest Miss of the Lin Family looked so tough, so fearless.
Turns out she was a total wimp about pain?
Iodine on a wound wasn’t even that bad—just a mild discomfort. Real alcohol? Now that’s a burn!
But even with the iodine, Lin Zihan squeezed her eyes shut in terror. Her body jerked back, her feet tensed up, and she kept silently chanting “doesn’t hurt” to herself. Only after ages did she dare crack her eyes open again.
“Little Bai’er… done?”
“Mm, all set.”
“See? Told you it didn’t hurt!”
Brave now, are we?
Ye Zhibai tossed the used cotton ball into another small bag she’d brought along—to ditch it on her way out. She capped the iodine bottle and tucked it away. She could reuse the iodine and extra cotton balls later.
Lin Zihan’s eyes tracked Ye Zhibai’s calm, unhurried movements.
In her daze, she felt like she wasn’t looking at a person.
Cough—no offense meant!
What she meant was… it was like beholding a silver-haired little angel.
Lin Zihan pressed her legs together, hugged her arms to her chest, and leaned against the wall, humming a little tune.
For some reason, the sunset’s glow felt warm.
It had been… so long since she’d just soaked in the sun like this.
Ye Zhibai’s cool voice sliced through the sudden tenderness like a chill!
“Hey, don’t smudge the iodine—I just put it on.”
“Got it!”
Lin Zihan yanked her thumb away fast, just before it brushed her clothes.
Close call… almost got lost in it?
Weird.
Ye Zhibai strolled back over at an easy pace.
She popped open the Band-Aid box and held it out to Lin Zihan.
“Band-Aid. Here.”
“Hm?”
She really wasn’t the sharpest.
“Band-Aid. Can you stick it on yourself? I’ve gotta head out.”
A beat of silence.
Lin Zihan’s flushed eyes darted, and she raised a single index finger.
Her smile carried a coquettish edge.
No—the coquettishness dripped from her tone.
“Aiya… in this state, I bet I can’t get the Band-Aid on right. Won’t Little Bai’er help me~~?”
She didn’t even wait for Ye Zhibai’s answer.
Yun’er’s booming echo already rang through the corridor!
“Lin! Don’t get greedy! If you want more bruises, just say the word!”
“……”
Lin Zihan jolted in fright.
Even Ye Zhibai flinched!
She reached for the Band-Aid box in Ye Zhibai’s hand—
Uh, couldn’t get it?
Ye Zhibai clutched it tight.
Her gaze stayed ice-cold.
“I didn’t say you could have them all… just take one.”
“Pfft… hahahaha!!”
Why burst out laughing now?!
Grab a Band-Aid already! I’m dying to get home and crash!
This time, Lin Zihan laughed so hard a tear beaded at the corner of her eye.
Still catching her breath unevenly, she tore a single Band-Aid from the box.
Her movements a bit clumsy, she wrapped it around her thumb, then held up her finger and twirled it around, admiring it.
She looked thrilled, like she’d bandaged up some priceless treasure!
With the back of her hand, she wiped away the tear of laughter from her eye.
“Thanks so much, Little Bai’er… you’re really… so gentle, haha…!”
Good grief. Talk about the ways of the world.
Here she was being stingy as hell, and Lin Zihan was thanking her?
Lin Zihan could tell.
Little Bai’er had to have done it on purpose—letting her take just one.
All to spare her utterly worthless pride.
Making it clear: this wasn’t charity. One was all she got.
That kind of gentle magnanimity… how could Lin Zihan not feel grateful?
Little Bai’er was so cunning.
Even some words—sincere or not—tumbled out as she stood up.
“I have to admit… I’m a little jealous of Zhiyun. Having an angel like you around? She must be so happy.”
—Cough!
From outside in the corridor came Ye Zhiyun’s pointed cough—a stamp of approval!
Now those were words she could get behind!
With the wound treated, Ye Zhibai tied shut her little red medical bag and turned to leave.
“Heading out.”
“Hey, Little Bai’er—wait! Hold on a sec. You dropped something!”
“Hm?”
Lin Zihan frantically patted down her pockets, a touch of anxiety on her face.
She was trying to dig out the vine ring she’d meant to give Little Bai’er earlier.
She hadn’t managed it before. If not now, there’d be no chance.
But after all that rummaging…
She suddenly remembered.
Ah.
I’d thrown it away.
