Inquiry

To be honest, Shen Yi's impressions of kissing were mostly confined to dreams - hazy, blurry experiences without any real-life substance. This was probably due to a lack of actual material for his brain to work with, so his mind could only briefly touch upon it in dreams.

The earlier rescue incident shouldn't really count. Shen Yi had been too focused on saving someone to appreciate the moment then.

But now was different. Unlike the cold sensation from before, this was warm and wonderful. Shen Yi could even smell an enchanting fragrance, though he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"Ring ring ring~"

The persistent doorbell interrupted their awkward, lost-in-the-moment attempt.

Fu Nanzhi's small mouth was slightly parted, her lips tinged with pink, her eyes carrying a hint of daze and bewilderment. She looked up at Shen Yi with confusion, as if asking why he had pulled away.

Shen Yi found her confused expression adorable and wanted to pinch her cheeks.

As the doorbell continued ringing, Shen Yi remembered awkwardly that he had broken through security to get here, and the front door probably had security guards responding to the incident.

With no time for detailed explanations, Shen Yi could only ask Fu Nanzhi, as the property owner, to handle the situation.

Helping Fu Nanzhi up, he noticed her bruised knee when she winced.

As the doorbell grew more insistent, Shen Yi simply scooped Fu Nanzhi up in his arms and carried her toward the living room.

Fu Nanzhi only managed a small gasp before finding herself nestled in Shen Yi's arms. After a moment of tension, she quickly adjusted to the position.

Shifting slightly, Fu Nanzhi rested against Shen Yi's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, feeling her own gradually steadying.

Reaching the living room's entrance, Fu Nanzhi gestured for Shen Yi to carry her over.

At the main control panel, she reached out to press a button, finally silencing the doorbell.

"Beep beep beep..."

The call connected, and the security guard's greeting came through.

"Excuse the interruption, is this Ms. Fu?"

"Yes, it is."

"Well, a Mr. Shen said he was here to visit you and forced his way in. Were you aware of this?"

Fu Nanzhi shot Shen Yi a surprised look but quickly replied:

"Yes, I was aware. I apologize, I was in the shower and couldn't answer the phone. Mr. Shen was indeed invited."

"I see, Ms. Fu. However, since Mr. Shen crashed through the security checkpoint with his car, which was extremely dangerous, we need to ensure residents' safety. Would you mind opening the door so we can verify everything is alright?"

Only then did Fu Nanzhi learn that Shen Yi had not only climbed the wall but also crashed through the checkpoint to save her. No wonder there was a crowd of security guards following him.

Putting aside her complex feelings, she needed to handle the security guards first, though she certainly couldn't open the door in her current state of dress.

"I apologize, but I'm not dressed appropriately to open the door right now. However, I understand your position - we'll come to the property management office within the hour, and I'll pay for any damages caused."

The security staff were just doing their job, and Fu Nanzhi wasn't refusing outright, just explaining the current inconvenience.

Hearing Fu Nanzhi's clear, organized response without any signs of duress, the security guards were somewhat skeptical but ultimately agreed.

"Alright, Ms. Fu. If you haven't come within an hour, we'll need to check on you again."

"That's fine," Fu Nanzhi agreed.

"Your car is blocking the main road, so we'll move it to the front parking space. You can collect the keys from the security booth later. We'll leave you for now."

"Okay," Shen Yi responded, remembering he'd left the car running in his rush.

After dismissing the property security, Shen Yi carried Fu Nanzhi to the sofa and turned on the heating.

He then went to the bathroom, got a fresh towel, and carefully dried her hair before using a hair dryer to thoroughly dry it section by section.

Even though it was spring, wet hair could easily lead to colds and headaches.

After all this, Shen Yi finally looked up and asked,

"Do you have a first aid kit?"

Fu Nanzhi had been sitting properly on the sofa wrapped in her bath towel, watching Shen Yi bustle about with a smile playing on her lips.

"Oh? Yes, it's in the first drawer under the TV cabinet."

She shook her head to clear away some strange thoughts as she answered.

Shen Yi took out the kit and opened it.

"Stretch out your leg so I can take a look."

A long, slender white leg extended before Shen Yi.

The fair knee was marred by bruising, and looking down, her delicate ankle had somehow swollen to the size of a steamed bun.

The blue-purple swelling showed traces of broken blood vessels, clearly a serious sprain.

Even the lightest touch made Fu Nanzhi wince, leaving Shen Yi at a loss for what to do except first disinfect the sprained area.

He took out some Yunnan Baiyao spray and applied it to both injured areas.

The medicine had anti-swelling and pain-relieving effects, and Fu Nanzhi indeed felt better after the application.

Only then did Shen Yi have time to ask,

"Why did you choose to end things this way? What troubles you so much? Do you know how worried I was?"

Fu Nanzhi was confused by the question, not understanding how it had turned to suicide, and quickly protested,

"I didn't! How could you think that?"

"Well, I rushed in to find you practically floating away. Don't tell me you were actually practicing diving?"

Shen Yi's expression was serious as he turned to look at her.

Fu Nanzhi knew Shen Yi was worried about her, and she couldn't really argue.

If Shen Yi hadn't rushed in, anyone who saw her in that state would have thought the same thing.

"I lost my balance getting out and fell accidentally."

Bringing this up made her feel dejected, and she spoke with a hint of grievance.

Shen Yi hadn't expected such a simple answer, but looking at Fu Nanzhi's white leg stretched across him, he realized it wasn't that simple.

The injury was clearly from falling on the floor, but he had rescued her from the water.

"Fine, so you fell. But why didn't you answer my calls?"

Fu Nanzhi mumbled: "My phone fell into the pool."

"Oh? So you were trying to rescue your phone?" Shen Yi's tone was playful.

Fu Nanzhi missed his teasing tone and coughed slightly, shaking her head:

"No, after I fell earlier, my phone slid in too, and then... then..."

Fu Nanzhi kept her head down, too embarrassed to continue.

The reason she had fallen into the pool was because she had been too flustered and hurried to get up - it was too foolish to admit.

"Then what?"

Seeing her hesitation, Shen Yi was determined to know the answer.

Fu Nanzhi covered her face and whimpered twice, shaking her head in refusal to answer.

Seeing her behavior, Shen Yi concluded she definitely wasn't trying to commit suicide and largely believed her story about falling, so he didn't press further.

The spacious living room fell silent, with an atmosphere that had somehow become intimate.

Both tactfully avoided mentioning what had happened earlier.

While Shen Yi appeared composed, he was actually a complete novice in these matters.

Endless theoretical knowledge, but practically no practical experience.

After rummaging through the first aid kit, Shen Yi made conversation by holding up a bottle of red flower oil, waving it before her,

"Should I apply this and massage it a bit?"