She stared at his outstretched hand and frowned. Completely ignoring it, she attempted to stand up but the intense pain forced her to slump on the floor again. She made a loud "hmph!" and turned her face away from him.
Yang Feng sighed at her stubbornness. "Don't be a spoiled brat." He made a 'tsk' noise before bending down to easily lift her up.
"I can walk by myself-"
"Yeah, and pigs can fly." He rolled his eyes at her poor excuse. He was taking her to the bathroom to allow her to freshen up and change into a different set of clothes.
"Well if you toss a pig in the air, it can fly." Zhao Lifei childishly replied, crossing her arms and refusing defeat.
Even though she showed visible unhappiness with his actions, she actually enjoyed it.
His hold on her was firm yet gentle, making her feel protected and treasured in his arms. But she realized he was inexperienced in the field. He carried her a bit too high, so her head was near his shoulder blades instead of his chest. The thought that he doesn't usually carry women in his arms intensified the feeling of security blooming deep within her.
Yang Feng's lips twitched in amusement. She liked to verbally disagree with everything he did for her, but her body always disagreed with her words. Even as they argued, she had shifted her head to rest it comfortably on his shoulder, her cheeks lightly squished against it.
He carried her right into his own bathroom and sat her down on the edge of the big bathtub. "The towels are over there, and the products are over there."
He debated whether he should offer her female toiletries but didn't want a misunderstanding to occur. What if he got her female products and she ends up thinking he was the type to frequently bring women into his house? Besides, he actually liked the idea of her smelling like him...
"Wash up. I'll have someone bring your clothes. Once you're done, just press this button on the wall and I'll come to get you." He pointed to the silver button near the door of the bathroom.
She slowly nodded her head. Wanting to get out of this dirty dress as soon as possible, she decided to not ask any other questions.
Zhao Lifei waited for him to leave before stripping off her clothes. Her knee was still aching in pain, but it wasn't as severe as before. She was glad her knees weren't fractured because another visit to the hospital would be too much work.
She finished her bath faster than usual and reached for the towel. But her knees were still wobbly so she could only rely on the support of the wall to hobble her way towards the towel rack. Wrapping the towel around her, she was glad the towel was long enough to decently cover her. While she knew Yang Feng would have already left the bedroom, she still made sure it was suitable for walking out there.
After successfully getting out of the bathroom, she noticed a neat pile of folded-clothes on his bed.
Grabbing the clothes, she walked back towards the couch and lifted up the dress to examine it. Just as she had predicted, it was Yang Ruqin's clothes again.
Zhao Lifei unknowingly blew out a sigh of relief. His own bathroom only had male products in it, and his house had no other female clothes aside from the ones that Yang Ruqin uses whenever she visits. This was a good sign because it showed Yang Feng didn't carelessly invite unfamiliar women over to stay the night.
She didn't know that aside from Yang Ruqin and his mother, no other woman had ever slept over at his house. His mother and Yang Ruqin were not even aware that he can cook!
Zhao Lifei ran a hand over the pastel blue dress and was impressed by it. The material was softer and lighter than the previous white dress. It had mid-length sleeves that belled out towards the end and the style of the dress complimented her figure so much better.
It seemed whoever gave her the dress didn't have any ill intent towards her, unlike Pei Qing who tried to pick out the most unflattering dress.
Zhao Lifei wasn't surprised to see such good taste in clothing. Her Qinqin always had a keen eye when it came to stylish clothes. If Ruqin didn't become a model, she would've become a very successful designer.
Now that Zhao Lifei thought about it, she never understood why Ruqin decided not to become a fashion designer.
She remembered when they were children, Qinqin was very good at drawing and even told her parents she wanted to be a fashion designer. She had actively chased after that dream up until the final year of college when she suddenly went on a rampage and tried to destroy all of her designs…
Not wanting to dwell on the idea any longer, she hurriedly slipped the dress on. After getting dressed, she thought about calling Yang Feng but her purse was still nowhere in sight. She looked around his room, confused about where the purse might've disappeared off to. It's not like it could grow legs and run off!
In her rush to find her bag, she forgot about the button in the bathroom.
Zhao Lifei didn't realize she had turned the room into a mess. A few minutes had gone by and she still couldn't find her purse!
Standing by the door was Yang Feng who was watching her in amusement. He found her expression funny.
"Aha!" Zhao Lifei nearly jumped in glee when she finally saw the purse tucked behind the couch she fell asleep on. She smiled to herself at her small accomplishment. Pulling out her purse, she pretended to text him. In reality, she had already detected his presence by the doorway.
When Yang Feng saw her smile, his heart skipped a beat. He heard her laugh for the first time while they were having breakfast, and he couldn't help but compare it with a symphony. He didn't realize it, but seeing her finally smile and laugh with him made him very happy. He barely remembered the last time where he genuinely laughed with someone.
Somehow, being around her makes him feel comfortable and secure. Since childhood, his life had revolved around making sure he had total control over all aspects of the Yang family's business. But with her around, he felt himself relax.
Zhao Lifei thought about scaring Yang Feng so she pretended to be occupied by her phone. When he least expected it, she suddenly turned around, yelling out "Boo!"
His reaction was boring.
Instead of being startled and scared like how she wanted him to be, he continued to stare at her with a nonchalant expression.
"It takes more than a simple jump to scare me.." He chuckled at her poor attempt.
Zhao Lifei scowled. "It's not funny! I should be the one laughing." She huffed, crossing her arms in annoyance.
He was filled with warmth and he couldn't help but feel giddy at how cute she looked. He walked towards her and patted her head as if he was petting a grouchy cat. She swatted at his hand, a small smile on her face.
"Does your knee still hurt?" He asked her, bending down to examine it.
Zhao Lifei jumped when he suddenly grabbed her leg and pushed her dress up a bit to reveal her knees. There was a dark bruise forming there but it wasn't as painful as before.
"It doesn't hurt that much anymore." She told him while tugging her leg back, but he kept a firm hold on it.
"Hold your skirt, let me apply some ointment onto it." He started uncapping the small jar he had in his hand.
Zhao Lifei felt her fingers dig into the dress, bunching up the material as her body grew tense. She didn't know why she felt so nervous, but she did. The moment his fingers touched her skin, she felt a surge of electricity from the spot he had touched and she knew Yang Feng felt it too.
"You know, this is the first time you're not fighting against my touch." He teased her, gently rubbing the cream onto her knees. As always, he handled her with utmost care.
"Don't get so used to it." She mumbled, averting her eyes from his intense gaze.
Yang Feng smirked at her behavior. Even when she was embarrassed, she still had a sharp tongue.
"I beg to differ, darling. I think you should get used to it from now on." He laughed when she chucked a pillow at his head. He expertly dodged it before grinning up at her.
"Like hell, I would." Even though she seemed displeased at his words, there was a tiny smile on her face and Yang Feng saw the slightest glimmer of hope.
'Good.' He thought to himself. Their relationship hadn't taken two steps backward, instead, it had taken four steps forward! He had expected to take baby steps in improving their relationship, but it seems he can already start sprinting. This was beyond his wildest expectations and the realization made him excited.