Chapter 169: Massage My Feet

Hearing a scream, Zhang Qigang, who was playing with the caged bird on the balcony, hurried over. Seeing Xia Yu biting his son's hand, he was utterly bewildered. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Let go! Let go! Stop biting!"

Wang Ping also rushed over from the bathroom holding a hot towel. Taking in the scene, she cried out, "Xia Yu, Xia Yu, what are you doing? If there's an issue, let's talk it out nicely. Talk it out, don't resort to biting!"

Yet Zhang Rui stood there like a wooden post, allowing Xia Yu to bite him. He knew that from the night before yesterday until now, he hadn't contacted Xia Yu, which was indeed rather unfair to her. Considering that by that night, they had practically shared a bed, Zhang Rui's "ungratefulness" was truly enough to break a girl's heart.

Zhang Rui felt guilty.

His parents, however, did not understand.

Xia Yu didn't bite him wildly; she merely left a mark on the back of his hand before releasing her grip.

Pressing her lips together, she stood there with an innocent and pitiful expression, which quite nonplussed the somewhat angry Wang Ping.

Figuring the two youngsters might have had some sort of quarrel and knowing it wasn't his place to interfere, Zhang Qigang, having finished his breakfast, picked up the birdcage and headed downstairs to walk his bird.

"Xia Yu, you... you surely haven't had breakfast, right? Have something to eat first. Look at how pale your complexion is; let's talk about whatever is bothering you after you've eaten. Auntie is right here, don't be afraid. If Zhang Rui bullied you, I'll definitely give him a beating."

Wang Ping had always deeply approved of Xia Yu as a prospective daughter-in-law. It was just that Xia Yu hadn't visited much lately. It must have been because her son wasn't proactive enough; a young woman without any official status would naturally feel too embarrassed to keep coming over, which wasn't fair to her.

At this thought, Wang Ping wanted to scold Zhang Rui. Such a wonderful girl, what was he waiting for? She was flawless in every aspect and more than enough for Zhang Rui, yet he remained as dense as a stump of elm wood, considering nothing at all.

He was already twenty-nine and still hadn't found a wife. She wondered if that apparatus of her son's had rusted away yet.

Pui... Pui... How could a mother think about such things... How embarrassing!

Zhang Rui helped Xia Yu to the dining table and urged her gently, "Eat something first! Judging by your state, you must be starving."

With a dull gaze, Xia Yu cast a sideways glance at Zhang Rui. Her eyes lacked luster, but she truly was hungry. Picking up the chopsticks, she began to shovel in the hot, sizzling-broth noodles, eating with the small homemade pickles Wang Ping had prepared, finding it quite comforting.

As the piping-hot noodle soup slid down her chilled body, she felt a great deal better.

Achoo!

Scarcely had she finished eating when Xia Yu sneezed, her entire body trembling slightly—she clearly had caught a chill.

"Oh dear, it looks like you've caught a cold. Drink a packet of Sanjiu first."

Seeing this, Wang Ping hurriedly rushed to the TV cabinet's drawer, rummaged out some Sanjiu Ganmaoling, poured a cup of hot water, and handed it to Xia Yu. "Quickly, drink it down. The seasons are changing right now, and lots of people are catching colds. You have to prevent it."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Seeming to have returned somewhat to her normal state, Xia Yu uttered a complete sentence, took the medicine, and drank it.

Wang Ping cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, wiped down the dining table, and seeing the troubled look on Xia Yu's face, she thought to herself that there must be something going on between her and Zhang Rui. Staying here would certainly be inconvenient, and Zhang Rui would be too embarrassed to ask.

With that in mind, Wang Ping said, "Rui, our water credit is running low. I'm going to the property management office to top it up. You stay home and take care of Xia Yu."

"Alright, go ahead."

Wang Ping grasped Xia Yu's slightly chilled hand and said, "Child, if you need to, go take a nap. Treat this place just like your own home, don't stand on ceremony."

"Mm."

Xia Yu nodded in acknowledgment.

Wang Ping quickly left. In the spacious apartment, only Zhang Rui and Xia Yu were left, and the atmosphere inside instantly grew much stiffer.

Zhang Rui was not the kind of man who excelled in sweet talk or glibness, but seeing Xia Yu in this state, he felt deeply conflicted and kept wondering if the problem lay with him.

Matters between men and women were the hardest to pin down or explain clearly. Even a stalwart hero of unyielding integrity like Zhang Rui felt somewhat like a clever housewife struggling to cook a meal without rice.

"Xia Yu, tell me, what on earth happened?"

Zhang Rui was no fool. For Xia Yu to come looking for him at a time like this meant she was seeking comfort and a sense of security. His warm, broad embrace had to be opened wide right now.

With these words, Zhang Rui pulled Xia Yu into his arms, bowed his head close to her cheek, and murmured softly, "Did someone bully you? Was it your dad? Surely it couldn't be me, right?"

"It was you!"

Xia Yu suddenly stirred in Zhang Rui's arms, striking a blow against his chest with her palm. Although she used a fair bit of strength, to Zhang Rui it felt no more troublesome than a light tickle.

"Ah! It really was me? I'm so sorry, my fault, my fault. I was too busy yesterday and genuinely couldn't spare the time to come see you."

Feeling somewhat awkward, Zhang Rui tightened his embrace around Xia Yu, attempting to melt her with his warm arms and dissolve the anger and resentment in her heart.

"You had time to sleep the day away at home, so why couldn't you spare a single minute to give me a phone call?"

As she spoke, tears welled up and began to fall. "I walked for a full five hours, just walking back from the ecological park in the suburbs."

"What?"

Hearing this, Zhang Rui wore a look of utter astonishment and asked in a panic, "Why did you walk back? Who did you go with? Why didn't you stay the night? Why didn't you give me a call so I could come pick you up? Weren't there any cars on the road? Why didn't you take a taxi!"

No wonder Xia Yu was in such a disheveled and battered state! She was a delicate young lady of wealth, yet she had walked for a full five solid hours. One had to realize that the distance from the ecological park to Honggang Gardens was over thirty kilometers, and the route included plenty of mountain roads and unlit, pitch-black paths where the streetlights hadn't been fixed yet. For Xia Yu, a young girl, to walk from two o'clock in the middle of the night until now—just how much suffering must she have endured!

Yet, why on earth did she walk through the dead of night? What on earth had happened?

Zhang Rui wore a bewildered expression, completely baffled.

"Heh, I'm so tired. Can I go lie down for a bit?"

With a cold laugh, Xia Yu walked toward Zhang Rui's bedroom.

Zhang Rui followed closely behind, his brow furrowed deeply. "Did someone bully you? Tell me, I'll go find him right now and make sure I finish him off!"

If she hadn't encountered some sudden emergency, how could Xia Yu have possibly dared to risk walking such a long stretch of road at night, let alone mountain paths alone? Something absolute must have happened.

As he spoke, Zhang Rui made to change his clothes and gather some men to head to the ecological park. Damn it, once he caught the bastard who had bullied Xia Yu, he would definitely beat him until he couldn't even shit!

"Enough, come lie down with me for a bit! I'm tired."

Looking exhausted, Xia Yu sat on the edge of the bed, took off the outer garment draped over her shoulders, and without any ceremony, kicked off her mud-stained flats directly.

Noticing that her socks were worn through, Zhang Rui hurried to the bathroom, fetched a basin of hot water, and brought it over to Xia Yu. "Here, soak your feet before you sleep, it relieves fatigue! You were way too fierce, this rivals a night march from my time in the army."

Seeing that Zhang Rui's attitude was acceptable, Xia Yu couldn't help but let out a bitter, wry smile. "You wash them for me. And massage them for me."

"Alright, alright! I'll wash them for you, massage them for you, rub them for you, touch them for you! How about that?"