Free Web NovelChapter 191: Chapter 191: The Trio’s Misunderstanding
Shi Lan sat down in a corner of the sofa. This time, however, Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng didn’t rush over to her. Instead, they flanked Yan Huoshui, one on each side, to prevent him from pulling anything.
Yan Huoshui hadn’t expected them to get so clever after some time apart; they were so on guard against him. Still, his original goal was simply for Lanlan to return. Seeing that she had, his heart calmed considerably.
Ye Ming scanned the room before sitting down beside Shi Lan. He didn’t dare get too close, leaving a person’s width of space between them.
The three men on the other sofa shot him a look of intense scrutiny, then feigned nonchalance and looked away.
The household robot was quite perceptive, bringing out a wide variety of fruits and pastries. Just like its master, it completely ignored the other males. All the fruits and pastries were artfully arranged in front of Shi Lan, well within her easy reach.
After serving the refreshments, it remained by her side and started peeling tangerines. After peeling two, it moved on to some grapes. Basically, the robot would handle anything with a skin, so all she had to do was eat.
The sweet fragrance of fruit constantly wafted past Shi Lan’s nose, and she couldn’t help but comment, "Yan Huoshui, I never realized your household robot was so capable and meticulous."
Perhaps hearing Shi Lan’s praise, the robot’s optical sensors curved into two distinct arcs. "Thank you for the compliment, Mistress. This butler follows all of the Master’s commands."
"Butler?"
She blinked, looking at Yan Huoshui. ’This name is even more uninspired than my Xiao Ou’s.’
The corners of Yan Huoshui’s lips hooked upward, his fox-like eyes crinkling into a charming smile. "Mhm. It’s more convenient to call it that."
Seeing that Shi Lan hadn’t questioned the title of "Mistress," he deliberately brought it up. "Lanlan, I’ve just granted you full access to my home. All you need to do is complete a retinal scan later, and you’ll be able to come over whenever you like."
As he spoke, the two men beside him unconsciously dug their fingers into his arms.
Yan Huoshui’s leg twitched, and he let out a muffled hiss of pain. "Sss..."
"What’s wrong?"
Shi Lan had just been wondering how to respond to him, but her train of thought was broken by his pained cry. Her attention shifted immediately, and she looked at his leg with concern. "Did you twist it just now on the stairs?"
Yan Huoshui glanced at the two men beside him. Whether out of guilt or something else, Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng didn’t dare to meet his gaze. They even silently shuffled a little farther away, terrified of being implicated and giving him an excuse to tattle on them.
A ghost of a smile played on Yan Huoshui’s lips. His long lashes fluttered as he pursed his lips. "No, I’m sorry for worrying you, Lanlan. It’s just that the bone is still healing, so it throbs with sudden pain every now and then."
"Oh."
Shi Lan looked at him, still confused. "Haven’t you been using a Treatment Pod? Why didn’t it heal your leg completely?"
Yan Huoshui gave a helpless smile. "As the old saying goes, ’a hundred days to heal from an injury to muscle and bone.’ Even though Treatment Pods are incredible nowadays, a fracture like this still takes three days of treatment."
He wasn’t lying to Shi Lan about this. If a fracture doesn’t heal perfectly, it might have to be re-broken and reset. That’s why Treatment Pods require a three-day cycle to mend bones. The first day is for preliminary recovery and diagnostics, and the second is for gradual repair. Any problems detected in the first two days can be adjusted immediately to prevent future complications.
The third day is when the formal, in-depth healing process begins.
Because of this, even if that old man didn’t want to grant him leave, he had no choice. Still, Yan Huoshui had to find time for class every day. He only had one or two, though, and with someone to drive him, it wasn’t too much of a hassle.
But as for today’s classes, Yan Huoshui had intentionally cleared his schedule not long ago.
He was technically on medical leave anyway, so not going to school didn’t make much of a difference.
This was all new to Shi Lan. Just as she was about to ask him what on earth had happened to his leg, Ye Ming, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "Yan Huoshui, as I recall, the only person at the Imperial Capital School with greater spiritual power than you is the former Admiral Lu. What kind of competition could have broken your leg?"
Mu Tangfeng, who had just been feeling a twinge of guilt, seemed to have found an opening. He regained his arrogant demeanor. "That’s right. Don’t tell us you broke it yourself."
Jiang Xia nodded in agreement. "You wouldn’t have deliberately injured yourself just to trick Lanlan with a sob story, would you?"
The three of them stared him down, radiating aggressive hostility.
Yan Huoshui showed no trace of fear, his expression perfectly calm. "If you don’t believe me, you can go to the school and ask. I have no reason to break my own leg. I’m not a masochist; I’m the one who has to feel the pain."
As he spoke, he frowned and sighed, his exquisitely bewitching face growing pale and downcast. "I don’t know why the three of you would misunderstand me like this. After the bond we forged during those three years in prison..."
He seemed too choked up to continue, biting his crimson lip. His scarlet eyes grew even redder, as if overwhelmed by sorrow. He cast a pitiful, heartbreaking gaze at Shi Lan, which made her heart ache in sympathy.
Shi Lan lost all inclination to probe further into the matter. Instead, she couldn’t help but offer him a few segments of the tangerine she had just tasted. "Try this. It’s very sweet. Eating something sweet might cheer you up."
"Mm. Thank you, Lanlan."
Yan Huoshui’s red eyes flickered, and a faint, grateful smile lit their depths at her gesture.
"You’re so kind, Lanlan."
Shi Lan gave him a small smile and sat back down. "Don’t read too much into it. I’m sure Ye Ming and the others are just concerned about you. They aren’t trying to interrogate you."
"Is that so?"
Yan Huoshui’s gaze swept toward the other three as if seeking confirmation, and Shi Lan’s followed.
They all suppressed the complex emotions in their eyes and could only nod in agreement with her. Inwardly, however, every one of them was seething with frustration.
’That shameless fox spirit, Yan Huoshui, always resorts to these disgusting tactics.’
Jiang Xia ground his teeth in frustration.
Fury and injustice simmered in Mu Tangfeng’s downcast eyes.
Meanwhile, a look of dawning realization and deep thought settled on Ye Ming’s face, his brows tightly knitted.
Shi Lan had been worried about Yan Huoshui’s injuries because of the pictures he’d sent her. Each one had looked horrific, showing lots of blood spilled on the Treatment Pod.
But from the looks of it now, the Treatment Pod had worked wonders. Only his leg remained unhealed.
Shi Lan sat and chatted with him for a while longer, and once she felt she had paid him a proper visit, she prepared to leave.
Yan Huoshui’s expression grew forlorn. "It’s been so long since I’ve had a meal cooked by you, Lanlan. Could you stay and have dinner with me?"
At this, Ye Ming could finally no longer hold back. His expression turned grim, and his charming peach-blossom eyes grew cold and severe. "Yan Huoshui, Shi Lan is a female. Back in prison, she worked hard enough cooking for us just so we could have better food. We’re out of prison now. You have perfectly good hands and feet, how dare you ask a female to cook for you?"
Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng, who had been about to chime in with their own retorts, silently clamped their mouths shut...
It seemed they had even less of a right to say anything; Lanlan had cooked for them on many occasions.
’By that logic,’ they thought, ’our own sins are even greater.’
Yan Huoshui paused, stunned, before explaining in a gentle tone, "Ah, I believe the Eldest Prince has misunderstood. I had no intention of asking Lanlan to cook."
"I simply wanted her to stay and have dinner with me."
