187 A Painful Hand

Shen Xi did not know Guan Lei had hurt his hand. She quickly did as he asked and checked on it.

Zhao Yuan laughed in her heart. It seemed the rascal did have a brain, easily understanding her intentions.

Guan Lei even called Shen Xi “Xixi”, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to call her. She sighed. Soon, her best friend would spread her wings and leave the nest.

Shen Xi held Guan Lei’s arm, anxiety coursing through her veins. So engrossed was she in her examination that she did not notice when Zhao Yuan left.

“I don’t see any wounds… Where does it hurt?” Shen Xi brought Guan Lei’s wrist closer for a better look but could not find any signs of injury.

Earlier, Shen Xi had been so worried about Guan Lei’s health that she did not stop to consider if anything was amiss. Now that she had calmed a little, Shen Xi could not help but feel something was wrong.

Guan Lei cried out in pain, squealing as he pointed to his right wrist. “Here, here. Ouch! Be gentle. It hurts!”

Shen Xi gently applied pressure to the area of concern. “Is this the spot?

“Yes, right there! I don’t know if I sprained it, but I can’t exert strength without feeling pain,” Guan Lei said as he frowned, appearing to struggle with his tender wrist.

“Hold on a second; I’ll go and get Doctor Zheng. Sit tight.” Shen Xi got up and was about to get Zheng Huai when Guan Lei stopped her.

Using his uninjured hand, he tugged Shen Xi’s arm and whimpered pitifully, “Don’t leave me all alone. What if those men return to finish what they started? I’d be completely defenceless, with no one to come to my aid. They might succeed in killing me!”

Shen Xi wanted to point out that campus security was still milling outside, and Zhao Yuan would be around if he needed help when she realised her best friend was nowhere to be found.

Fortunately, Zheng Huai arrived in the nick of time with a case full of medical supplies.

“Shen Xi, please give us some space. I need to see how bad Guan Lei’s wound is.” Zheng Huai gently nudged Shen Xi aside, placing his things on the bedside table. After which, he applied pressure to Guan Lei’s wound, cleaning and disinfecting it.

With Shen Xi wrenched from his grasp, Guan Lei silently cursed Zheng Huai. Couldn’t he see they were holding hands? Why did he have to get in their way?

Zheng Huai must have done it on purpose. Perhaps he could not bear seeing him and Shen Xi being so intimate.

“Ah! It hurts!” As soon as the disinfectant touched Guan Lei’s back, Guan Lei cried out.

Zheng Huai, who had always had a steady hand, paused in shock. Guan Lei’s scream reverberated in his skull, sending his mind and heart into turmoil.

Who would have thought the legendary iron-willed Young Master Guan would fall for Shen Xi or cry out in pain from a little medicine applied to his wound?

Was it really Guan Lei he was treating? Zheng Huai found himself suspecting the young man’s identity.

Guan Lei’s tortured wails made Shen Xi’s heartache, and she said, “Doctor Zheng, please be careful. If you use too much force, you’ll cause him more pain!”

The long, hideous wound stretching from one end of his back to the other was a deep crimson that caused Shen Xi to flinch every time she laid eyes on it.

Zheng Huai spared Shen Xi an innocent look. He had only dabbed Guan Lei’s back with a cotton swab. It was barely more than a feather-light touch!

“Doctor Zheng, why are you staring at me with that dazed look? Shouldn’t you be applying the medicine to Guan Lei’s wound? Why have you stopped? Is something wrong?” Shen Xi rattled off a list of questions as she eyed Zheng Huai, who seemed to have frozen in place.

Zheng Huai shook his head. “I’m fine,” he said, continuing where he had left off.

Even though Zheng Huai tried to minimise the pain caused by his actions, Guan Lei still groaned now and then.

Zheng Huai was at a loss. As time passed, he grew more and more certain that the individual he treated had to be someone in Guan Lei’s shape and form, but not the real person himself.

Meanwhile, Shen Xi played the role of a mother hen, diligently nursing Guan Lei while instructing Zheng Huai to be more careful whenever she heard a pained gasp coming from her saviour.

Once the large wound was properly bandaged, Shen Xi asked Zheng Huai to examine Guan Lei’s wrist. “Doctor Zheng, Guan Lei keeps saying his wrist hurts. Could you have a look at it?”

Guan Lei echoed the sentiment. “Yes, Doctor Zheng, I’m not sure if those intruders hit my hand, but it feels very painful.”

Zheng Huai dutifully examined the hand in question but found nothing wrong. “Can you describe what the pain feels like?”