Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

"Where...is this?" Shen Jingyuan's voice was weak and hoarse, and his lips were pale from blood loss.

"Waaah—" Seeing that he had finally woken up, Lin Xi finally found an outlet for the grievances and fears that had been building up all night.

“I…how am I supposed to know where this is! You…you’re so heavy! I…I was terrified! You’ve lost so much blood…I can’t wake you up no matter what I do…and we’re lost…it’s pitch black here…and there are rats…”

Her voice was choked with sobs, her words incoherent and rambling. She deliberately raised her voice, viciously accusing Shen Jingyuan of his "evil deeds," but the hand tightly wrapped around his waist betrayed her deepest fear and dependence.

As Shen Jingyuan listened to her tearful, illogical complaints, his somewhat unfocused gaze gradually focused on her disheveled, pale face, streaked with rain and tears. His heart felt as if it had been gently struck by something, and a wave of indescribable tenderness and throbbing surged within him.

The wound on his waist and abdomen was tearing with pain, but he had no time to care. Instead, as if possessed, he struggled to raise his other uninjured hand and clumsily tucked the stray hairs stuck to her forehead behind her ear.

Rough fingertips brushed against delicate skin, bringing a slightly itchy sensation. Lin Xi, who was chattering away in a trembling voice, suddenly stiffened, staring blankly at Shen Jingyuan, as if she hadn't realized what he was doing for a moment.

Shen Jingyuan saw her reaction but did not stop what he was doing. Instead, he used his fingertips to gently wipe away the blood scabs and dirt mixed with tear stains from her face, using the cool rainwater.

Only when that beautiful face, still pale but now clean, was fully revealed did Shen Jingyuan seem to breathe a sigh of relief, and he spoke in a low and gentle voice to comfort her: "Don't be afraid."

The two simple words seemed to possess some kind of magic, strangely soothing the lingering fear and unease in Lin Xi's heart.

She pouted, looking a little aggrieved, like a kitten that had been drenched in the rain finally finding shelter. She instinctively snuggled closer to the heat source and rubbed against Shen Jingyuan's still-open palm.

The touch beneath his palm was delicate and soft, as if it had endless attraction. Shen Jingyuan couldn't help but linger for a moment before restraining himself and withdrawing his hand.

Lin Xi, who had finally calmed down, sniffed and belatedly realized that Shen Jingyuan was still injured, and that she had been angry with him. She felt a little embarrassed.

"How are you feeling now? Can you still walk?" She bit her lip and looked up cautiously at his expression.

"It's nothing." Shen Jingyuan shook his head and rested his head on her shoulder, as if he was a little exhausted.

His hot breath sprayed on Lin Xi's neck, making her shiver involuntarily and instinctively want to push him away.

But when her hand touched his chest, she suddenly remembered his injuries and had to stop abruptly. Enduring the burning heat on her face, she tightened her other hand around his waist and carefully tiptoed to make him as comfortable as possible.

After a moment, Shen Jingyuan seemed to have finally gathered some strength. He let out a long sigh, lifted his head from Lin Xi's shoulder, looked down at her, and reached out his hand to her. "Don't be afraid, I... will take you out."

Suddenly, there was nothing at her neck. The icy rain quickly washed away the remaining warmth on her skin. Lin Xi pursed her lips, suppressing a complex emotion that was hard to describe, a feeling of loss or something else, and awkwardly turned her face away.

"Who, who's afraid!" She sniffed, her voice thick with nasal congestion, and stubbornly retorted, "This young lady... I'm not afraid at all!"

Her bluffing demeanor was exactly the same as before, but in Shen Jingyuan's eyes, it made his eyelashes curl for no reason, and his heart softened completely.

"Hmm." His slender fingers grasped Lin Xi's wrist, then slowly moved down, wrapping around her fingertips, interlocking their fingers, his voice hoarse and deep, "I was scared."

Lin Xi hadn't expected this person to suddenly change his personality and become so easy to talk to. She blinked uncomfortably, trying to pull her hand back, but Shen Jingyuan gripped it even tighter.

"Alright, if we delay any longer, I'll really bleed to death." He shook his head weakly, creating some distance between them, but he never let go of Lin Xi's hand.

His act of showing weakness was so obvious that even if Lin Xi continued to argue unreasonably, she knew what was important and immediately shut her mouth and quieted down.

Seeing her unusually obedient appearance, Shen Jingyuan relaxed his brows slightly, tightened his grip on her fingertips, looked up and surveyed the surroundings, and then led her in one direction.

Lin Xi quickly took small steps closer to him so that he could lean on her for support.

The warmth of their bodies seeped through their soaked clothes, reaching the point where their skin touched. In the rain, the two supported each other, stumbling slowly towards the dim light at the alley entrance...

Three days later, in a train compartment bound for Fengtian.

"Uh!"

"This is my first time, please bear with me."

"Um...uh..."

"Okay, I'll be gentle... Don't bite your lip, hold on tight if it hurts."

The voices of the young man and woman, mixed with a series of ambiguous gasps, came intermittently through the heavy door, causing the young train conductor who happened to be passing by to blush instantly.

After a moment, he composed himself, hesitated for a moment, and finally his strong sense of professional ethics overcame the guilt and shame of interrupting someone else's good time. He cleared his throat and raised his hand to knock on the door of the room.

"Ahem! Excuse me, passengers inside, it's routine ticket checking."

As soon as he finished speaking, the train conductor instinctively pressed his ear to the door panel. He heard a rustling sound inside, followed by a sweet and pleasant but somewhat flustered female voice.

"Okay! Just a moment."

The train conductor blushed, quickly stood up straight, put on a serious face, and called out loudly into the train.

"Okay, please open the door and cooperate with the inspection."

He thought it would take a long time to clean up the mess inside, but to his surprise, the door was opened very quickly.

The person who opened the door was a young woman dressed as a married woman. The train conductor didn't dare to look closely and only glanced at her briefly. He noticed that she was slightly hunched over, dressed plainly, and had pretty features, but her skin was dull and her eyes were downcast. She looked like an ordinary young woman.

The young woman lowered her head slightly, handed the two tickets in her hand to the train conductor, and said with a somewhat restrained smile, "These are my and my husband's tickets."

Her voice was sweet, but it carried a heavy accent. The train conductor frowned slightly upon hearing it, thinking to himself what a waste of such a beautiful voice. He then took the ticket from her hand, pretending to check it, but his eyes were actually drifting uncontrollably into the carriage.

As if sensing her gaze, the young woman slightly turned to the side so that he could see the situation in the private room, and at the same time took the initiative to explain.

"I twisted my ankle when I got on the bus. My husband was just applying medicated wine to my ankle when he accidentally spilled it, so it's a bit messy inside."

Hearing the embarrassment in her voice, the train conductor belatedly sniffed and indeed smelled a faint scent of medicinal wine.

He chuckled inwardly, but still looked into the room, and sure enough, he saw an empty bottle of medicinal wine on the table, and a broad-shouldered man wearing a coat was squatting under the table, holding a rag, as if he was cleaning up the stains on the floor.

Realizing that he had indeed misunderstood, the train conductor blushed and hurriedly looked away, returning the ticket to the conductor and clearing his throat.

"Ahem, the ticket is fine. Remember to open the windows and let the smell dissipate."

As he spoke, as if to make amends for his mistake, he thoughtfully added, "You can apply some hot water to it; it will help the bruises heal faster."

"Okay, thank you for reminding me." The woman took the ticket, thanked her, and then, as if she had forgotten to close the carriage door, turned around and limped back.

Seeing that she was indeed having difficulty walking, the train conductor finally dispelled his last bit of hesitation and hurriedly left, his face flushed.

Once his footsteps had completely disappeared at the end of the carriage, the woman who had been facing away from the door paused, listened intently for a moment, then suddenly turned around, limped to the door, and quickly closed it.

"Shen Jingyuan, take off your clothes now!"