"I'll go look," Qin Ningyi said, hearing her frustrated words, wishing he could be by her side immediately.
"I can find it for you, trust me."
Huo Rou let out a weak "Mm" like a kitten.
From a distance, Shen Wuyou was walking over with supper. He saw Huo Rou squatting in the darkness and didn't react for a moment.
He had seen many sides of Huo Rou over the years – bloodthirsty, calm, gentle, indifferent…
But never vulnerable.
He lightened his footsteps, afraid of startling her.
The rustling of leaves still made Huo Rou instantly retract all her vulnerability. She looked up at Shen Wuyou as usual.
"Wuyou, what delicious food did you make today?"
She put away her phone, a perfect smile on her lips.
Shen Wuyou hid his inner loneliness and returned the same smile.
The continuous hard work had left his voice slightly hoarse, making it sound more mellow. "Sour soup noodles, to warm you up."
Huo Rou stood up and walked alongside him towards the lounge. Shen Wuyou looked at her unexpressive face and tentatively asked, "How is it? The experiment."
He could only help in the early stages. Later on, it was almost entirely Madam Ren and Huo Rou's work. He could only serve as logistics like everyone else.
"It failed."
Huo Rou said it very calmly, as if this failure hadn't affected her mood.
Her rational and clear eyes glanced at Shen Wuyou under the lounge lights, giving him a reassuring smile.
If he hadn't seen Huo Rou's demeanor during her phone call with Qin Ningyi, he would have truly believed her.
But he couldn't say anything. He didn't dare to expose Huo Rou's vulnerability.
"Let's eat, and then we can think of a way," he said, opening the food containers and taking them out.
Then, after washing his hands, he went back to the lab to get Madam Ren.
"Don't be sad, Xiao Rou. I've asked Zhenzhen to think of a solution. We'll succeed this time," Madam Ren knew Huo Rou would be the most upset by the experimental failure, as it concerned Old Wang's life.
"Mm," Huo Rou smiled. "Come, let's eat."
Seeing that her mood seemed alright, Madam Ren relaxed and ate with them.
Qin Ningyi suddenly appeared at the lounge door.
Huo Rou looked at him through the swirling steam and suddenly felt her heart truly settle.
She pushed her remaining half-bowl of noodles forward. "Come and have some."
After greeting Madam Ren and Shen Wuyou, Qin Ningyi sat down beside Huo Rou. He gently ruffled her hair with one hand and took her chopsticks with the other.
He naturally continued eating the noodles.
While eating, he also told her, "The place you were staying last time was nearby, right? I'll take you back for a nap later."
At this moment, Qin Ningyi had abandoned his usual 'eat in silence, sleep in silence' rule, speaking in a rambling manner.
"I found a pine chrysanthemum. I've sent someone to collect it. You sleep, and you'll see it when you wake up."
Seeing Huo Rou about to refuse, he narrowed his eyes and said in a voice that was gentle yet unyielding, "Be good, listen. Conserve your energy."
Huo Rou pursed her lips and said no more.
After eating, Qin Ningyi washed the bowl with water from the lounge and placed it in front of Shen Wuyou. "Thank you for your trouble."
His expression was indifferent, and his words were equally light.
"It's my duty," Shen Wuyou said coldly, lowering his gaze.
The night was chilly. He held Huo Rou tightly in his arms. As he placed her in the passenger seat, he looked at the exhaustion in her eyes and gently kissed her eyelids.
"Be good, take a nap. I'll wake you when we arrive."
Qin Ningyi drove slowly and steadily. Huo Rou leaned against the car window, watching the lights outside drift by. Eventually, she fell asleep to the car's steady speed.
Seeing her sleeping soundly, Qin Ningyi drove a little further. He really didn't want Huo Rou living across the hall from Shen Wuyou.
The car stopped in front of another villa. He moved lightly, lifting Huo Rou out of the car.
However, Huo Rou was too vigilant. The moment he touched the back of her legs, her eyes fluttered open.
Qin Ningyi no longer held back. He picked her up directly and walked into the house.
"Where is this?"
Huo Rou, uncharacteristically, didn't think of being self-reliant. Her body was also very tired. She leaned into his embrace, resting her head lazily on Qin Ningyi's shoulder.
"My place."
"You have quite a few homes," Huo Rou said with a hint of sarcasm in her tone. Just a few days ago, he had pitifully asked for shelter, and now he casually had a home everywhere.
"I misspoke just now." Qin Ningyi curled his lips, his forehead touching Huo Rou's. "This is your home."
"You really do have a lot of homes," he said with feigned seriousness. "About ten properties in Yuchang City."
He looked at Huo Rou with a hint of allure in his eyes. "Unlike me, my home is only where you are."
A smile finally bloomed in Huo Rou's eyes. "How cliché."
"It's not bad. I've been learning from Zhao Hengyu for quite a while," Qin Ningyi shifted the blame to Zhao Hengyu.
He unlocked the door and entered, placing Huo Rou on the bed in the master bedroom.
He let go gentlemanly and stood up, taking a step towards the curtains.
Huo Rou, however, grabbed his hand.
"Can you..." Her voice was soft, but she hesitated mid-sentence.
Qin Ningyi turned back. The clear moonlight filtered through the window. He raised an eyebrow, seemingly puzzled, but his eyes shone as he looked at her.
Huo Rou coughed lightly, her voice very low, but she insisted, "Can you hold me?"
Qin Ningyi saw the vulnerability in her eyes and smiled dotingly. "Of course. I'll draw the curtains first."
"No need."
Huo Rou didn't let go, still holding his wrist. "I don't want it to be completely dark."
Qin Ningyi looked down at the small hands on his wrist. They were a bit cold. After spending so long in the lab without seeing the sun, they appeared even paler in the dim light.
Qin Ningyi's heart ached as he gently squeezed her hand and then held it in his own, rubbing it.
The world was silent, but his voice was like it was steeped in a hot spring, carrying mist and warmth. "Okay."
"I also want to soak my feet first," Huo Rou made another request. She felt she was being incredibly troublesome.
But Qin Ningyi's gentleness made her want to trouble him even more.
"Okay."
He picked her up again and placed her on the edge of the bathtub in the bathroom, ensuring she was seated firmly, and then adjusted the water temperature for her foot soak.
Huo Rou's feet were also fair, almost matching the color of the bathtub. After a brief glance, Qin Ningyi reached out and gently massaged her feet.
"What are you doing?" Huo Rou's foot flinched back, but his warm palm caught it.
Qin Ningyi very intently used the showerhead to rinse her ankles while his other hand focused on massaging them. He performed this task with seriousness and devotion.
"You want to soak your feet, which means your blood circulation is likely poor from sitting for a long time. Massaging it will help."
"But..." Huo Rou admitted her feet were almost numb, aching and swollen. It was only under the gentle moonlight tonight that she had dared to make a request.
But how could Qin Ningyi's hands do such a thing?
"I'm very happy, Ah Rou," Qin Ningyi's voice sounded particularly unreal in the misty air.
"You can make requests of me, and I'm very happy."