Gu Yun Ting remained silent, his gaze shifting between the expressionless girl and something ineffable.
After trying on countless pairs, a sales associate suddenly shrieked, "Ah, there's blood!"
Another associate also noticed the blood, their faces paling with panic.
Gu Yun Ting demanded, his displeasure evident, "What happened?"
The sales associates were terrified. This man was clearly wealthy and powerful, someone they couldn't afford to offend.
"It's just... this lady may have tried on too many. Some of the... some of the earrings were too thick, and her ear... her earlobe started bleeding," the associate stammered, trying to explain.
Gu Yun Ting felt as though a hand had clenched his heart. He looked at Ye Wan, only to see her sitting there with an air of utter indifference. Even with her earlobe bleeding, her expression remained unchanged, as if it weren't her own ear that was injured.
Ye Wan calmly met the man's gaze. A single drop of blood dripped from her earlobe, landing on her white shirt, a stark crimson against the fabric.
Observing her placid demeanor, Gu Yun Ting was suddenly consumed by anger. Her earlobe was bleeding, and she hadn't even said a word? Was this her way of deliberately defying him?
"Do you want to continue? If you're still angry..."
"Shut up! You remember this: you can only have what I choose to give you!" Gu Yun Ting was both furious and exasperated. Yet, faced with the girl's serene face, his anger found no outlet, making him feel as though he would explode. The calmer she was, the more displeased he became. He desperately wanted to shatter that calm, indifferent expression.
He strode over, picked up Ye Wan, and walked out with large strides. Ye Wan made to push him away, but ultimately did not.
Back in the car, Gu Yun Ting drove away. Midway, he stopped at a pharmacy, bought antiseptic and cotton swabs, and tossed them at her.
Ye Wan stared.
Honestly, it wasn't necessary. Such a small wound would heal on its own without any intervention. Disinfecting it would sting, which she disliked even more. In truth, she was quite afraid of pain.
"Do you expect me to wait on you?" Gu Yun Ting, seeing her stillness and her dazed stare at the cotton swabs, was reminded of her childhood. When she had first arrived at the Gu residence, she had been so clumsy and slow-witted. It was only after his careful guidance that she had become more cheerful.
Ye Wan reluctantly opened the antiseptic. She dipped a cotton swab in it, then lowered the rearview mirror, and slowly began to apply it to her injured earlobe. The stinging sensation spread, yet her expression remained unchanged. Now, she was afraid of pain but didn't want anyone to see it.
Gu Yun Ting suddenly recalled a summer when she had accidentally fallen and scraped her knee. She had clung to him and cried for a long time. Back then, she had truly been spoiled by him, growing increasingly delicate. Now, she didn't want to treat an injury and wouldn't cry when in pain. A nameless restlessness stirred within him.
Upon returning, Ye Wan went to her small storage room, intending to sleep. However, the disarray on the bed greatly annoyed her. She quickly rolled up the sheets and stuffed them under the bed, replacing them with one of her only two clean sets.
After tidying up, Ye Wan called Jiang Yan, wanting to inquire about the wedding dress situation.
Jiang Yan didn't answer after several calls. Ye Wan knew something significant must have happened. Although Jiang Yan had befriended her partly for her looks, she had been genuinely good to her over the years.
At that moment, Jiang Yan was sobbing intensely at home. She couldn't answer Ye Wan's call for fear of worrying her. The Lin family was relentlessly pursuing the matter of the wedding dress, demanding twenty million in compensation from her mother. Her family was well-off, but twenty million was a considerable sum. Her mother's head was pounding with anger.