"Nothing, nothing," Qin Bingqin said, forcing a smile as she took the tissue and wiped the corner of her eye.
Li Yang could tell she had something weighing on her mind, but she clearly didn't want to share it. So, he didn't push. Walking over to her, he smiled and said, "Since you don't want to talk about it, I won't pry into your affairs."
"I came today for a batch of raw jade. Sister Shui needs some raw stones from the Moxisha mine again. Do you see..."
"No problem!"
Qin Bingqin agreed without hesitation, continuing with a smile, "You helped my father, and you've been kind to me. It's only right that I help you. Here's the key to my warehouse. Mr. Li, please go and pick out the stones yourself."
"If you choose any, I'll have someone deliver them to your shop."
"What if I wanted Miss Qin to accompany me to pick them?" Li Yang asked with a smile, not taking the key.
"I..."
Qin Bingqin's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, showing her reluctance. But this was precisely Li Yang's intention.
He knew that when people are feeling down, bottling up their emotions only makes it worse. However, if they could go out and distract themselves, they could quickly feel better.
Although Qin Bingqin didn't want to, she couldn't refuse Li Yang's request. She forced a smile and nodded, standing up and saying, "Alright, I'll accompany Mr. Li to the warehouse."
"Please, then."
Li Yang gestured for Qin Bingqin to lead the way.
Before long, Qin Bingqin led Li Yang to the warehouse entrance. As she stepped forward to unlock it, her mind wandered, and her finger was accidentally scratched by the lock's wire hook, causing her right index finger to bleed.
Hiss!
Qin Bingqin quickly withdrew her hand, a pained sound escaping her lips. Seeing the situation, Li Yang immediately stepped forward and looked at her bleeding finger. "Miss Qin, how could you be so careless? You cut your hand while opening a lock. Give me your finger."
"Mr. Li, what are you doing?"
Before Qin Bingqin could refuse, Li Yang firmly grasped her finger. He first put her finger in his mouth, sucking away some of the dirty blood. Then, he squeezed out some fresh blood and wrapped her finger simply with the tissue he had on him.
As she waited quietly, she stole glances at Li Yang, her heart beating faster.
Li Yang was the second man, after her father, with whom she had had such close physical contact.
She actually had deep feelings for Li Yang, but she knew he had a girlfriend and had always been afraid to get too close to him.
"Miss Qin, your finger is so beautiful. It would be a shame if it were injured. No matter what troubles you're facing, you shouldn't mistreat yourself," Li Yang said with a smile as he finished bandaging it.
"I understand, Mr. Li."
Qin Bingqin gave a faint smile, opened the door, and led Li Yang inside.
She pointed to a pile of stones ahead. "These stones were all brought from the mine yesterday. They are all from the Moxisha mine. Please pick what you like."
"Miss Qin, I have confidence in your goods. I don't need to pick too carefully, but I do have another request," Li Yang said with a smile.
"What request?" Qin Bingqin asked, smoothing her hair, puzzled.
"Miss Qin, you have to help me carry the stones out yourself. Today, you can also experience what it's like to be a porter," Li Yang continued.
"You want me to carry goods?"
Qin Bingqin pointed at her nose in disbelief and chuckled awkwardly. "Mr. Li, you must be joking. I'm so frail, how could I possibly carry them?"
"How do you know you can't if you don't try, Miss Qin?"
Li Yang pressed on without mercy.
Qin Bingqin didn't understand Li Yang's intention, but faced with his repeated requests, she still nodded in agreement, smiling, "Okay, I'll agree. But if I get injured, Mr. Li will have to take responsibility."
"No problem. If you can't move, I'll support you for the rest of your life," Li Yang said, half-jokingly.
*Puchi!*
Li Yang's teasing made Qin Bingqin burst into laughter.
It was clear her mood had greatly improved.
She then rolled up her sleeves and truly walked towards the stones in the distance, bending down and exerting all her strength to lift one.
However, due to her lack of exercise, she was already sweating profusely after lifting just a small stone. She shook her head and said, "Mr. Li, I can't do it anymore. Hurry and help me."
"Miss Qin, if you were truly exhausted, you wouldn't have the strength to speak. Since you can still ask me for help, it means you can still manage. Keep going."
Li Yang stood aside, patiently watching her struggle forward.
*Bang!*
Finally, after taking a few more steps, Qin Bingqin's hands lost all their strength. The stone dropped to the ground instantly, and before she could dodge, it landed on her foot.
"Ah!"
Qin Bingqin let out a scream and fell to the ground.
Li Yang quickly ran over, reached out to help her up, and asked with concern, "Miss Qin, are you alright?"
"Are you satisfied now?"
Qin Bingqin hobbled and leaned into Li Yang's embrace, casting him a complaining glance.
Li Yang, with a hint of apology, smiled and said, "I'm sorry. I just wanted to distract you and help you vent your negative emotions. I didn't expect to get you injured."
"Hmph, I think you did it on purpose. You saw that I was living too well and wanted me to suffer a little," Qin Bingqin complained.
"Heh heh, why don't you say that I wanted you to get injured so I could take care of you for life? How could I bear to see such a beautiful woman like you suffer? If you were my woman, I'd make sure you were happy every day."
Li Yang's words were as sweet as honey, and within a few sentences, he made Qin Bingqin feel delighted.
"Ah, my foot!"
However, Qin Bingqin's injury this time was indeed not minor. After walking a few steps, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her injured ankle, involuntarily grabbing Li Yang's arm, her entire body's weight pressing down on him.
Li Yang held her firmly, brought her to the side, and sat down. "Don't move around. Let me see how it is."
"Hiss, it hurts!"
As soon as Qin Bingqin felt Li Yang's hand on her ankle, she cried out.
Li Yang felt that she might have sprained her ankle, so he helped her take off her shoe and sock. Then, he cupped her delicate feet in his hands. They were as smooth as white jade and felt wonderful.
At this moment, Qin Bingqin's heart felt both soft and ticklish. Her feet had never been touched by a man before.
She stared blankly at Li Yang, a hint of ambiguity blossoming in her heart.