CHAPTER 204: CHAPTER 204: IT’S TIME TO FALL IN LOVE

"Let me apply some medicine for you."

He Qi’an’s voice was a bit hoarse as he discreetly cleared his throat.

Lin Xiaoyan saw the medicine He Qi’an was holding, and paused for a moment. She remembered having bought some herself earlier, but after the recent incident, she had forgotten all about applying it.

"Uh... I also bought some..."

Before Lin Xiaoyan could finish speaking, He Qi’an entered the room.

Lin Xiaoyan stood at the door, watching as He Qi’an sat down on a chair, opened the medicine, and then...

"Come here, I’ll help you apply it."

He Qi’an looked up at Lin Xiaoyan, who was still standing at the door, and his gaze involuntarily swept across... cough, he swore, he didn’t see anything just now!

"Oh." Lin Xiaoyan snapped back to reality and closed the door.

She walked over to He Qi’an and sat down beside him.

"I can apply it myself... h-huh?"

He Qi’an leaned down and applied iodine to Lin Xiaoyan’s knee.

"Ouch... be gentle, be gentle!" Lin Xiaoyan recoiled from the pain.

He Qi’an grabbed Lin Xiaoyan’s leg, "Don’t move, bear with it."

He frowned, looking at Lin Xiaoyan’s knee, "Your knee shouldn’t get wet. Just look at how bad the wound is."

Lin Xiaoyan endured the pain and glanced at it. Ugh, she had forgotten.

"Bear with it," He Qi’an said, quickly disinfecting Lin Xiaoyan’s knee.

Throughout, Lin Xiaoyan grimaced, enduring the pain.

Earlier, she didn’t think her knee would be this serious; she was just thinking about not letting Xu Na leave...

She hadn’t considered she was wearing a skirt, with nothing to protect her legs, and the ground was bumpy bluestone. Sigh.

"All done."

Hearing He Qi’an say it was done, Lin Xiaoyan looked down to see her knees smudged blue and purple, looking even worse.

"I’ll apply it for you again tomorrow morning. It’s hot here, you can’t get it wet again, or it might get infected and fester, and you’ll need to go to the hospital for surgery..."

"Stop!" Lin Xiaoyan quickly shouted to stop as she listened to He Qi’an.

"I know, I won’t let it get wet anymore!"

He Qi’an looked at Lin Xiaoyan’s face, "You..."

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, He Qi’an stopped talking, and Lin Xiaoyan felt awkward again.

"What do you think of me?"

Lin Xiaoyan: !!!

Lin Xiaoyan looked at He Qi’an, unable to believe it. What did he mean? It couldn’t be... that kind of meaning, right?

He Qi’an sat up straight, staring intently at Lin Xiaoyan, his palms slightly sweaty, and said stiffly, "Do you think I’m suitable to be your boyfriend?"

"What? Haha... you’re... joking, right?" Lin Xiaoyan laughed awkwardly.

He Qi’an’s hand twitched slightly, and his ears turned red again.

"I’m not joking. Otherwise, why would I come all this way to find you?"

Lin Xiaoyan looked at He Qi’an, feeling very unsure and lacking confidence. She was self-aware.

"You like me?" Lin Xiaoyan asked directly.

"Yes," He Qi’an replied affirmatively.

"No... really? I can’t possibly be that charming."

He Qi’an chuckled, "Indeed."

Lin Xiaoyan: "???"

"However," He Qi’an continued, "I don’t know when I started liking you. I’m someone who acts on impulse—when I think about something, I do it. So... what do you think of me?"

"I remember Sister Lu saying there were a lot of girls pursuing you before."

He Qi’an nodded, "That seemed to be the case, but I never paid attention to them."

"Why? Don’t tell me there wasn’t anyone you liked?" Lin Xiaoyan was very skeptical. She thought Cinderella stories don’t happen in real life.

Especially not to her.

He Qi’an looked at the doubtful Lin Xiaoyan and was amused instead.

His first confession had been so blatantly doubted.

He Qi’an seriously looked at Lin Xiaoyan, saying, "Firstly, due to family reasons at the time, I only wanted to prove myself in the army and wasn’t paying attention to anything else.

As for girls pursuing me, I was aware, but I wasn’t thinking about relationships back then, so I rejected them all."

"Moreover, I’ve never been in a relationship, so rest assured in that regard. I’m a soldier; I will never betray my country, my wife, or my family!

I promise you!"

Lin Xiaoyan blushed bright red, "You... should promise that to your wife. I’m not your wife..."

He Qi’an moved slightly, continuing to speak, "You just asked me when I started liking you, and even I don’t know how to answer that.

I only know that after hearing about your injury and grievance, I subconsciously booked a flight to Lai Nan Province."

He Qi’an leaned in, seriously looking at Lin Xiaoyan, "On the plane, I asked myself why I was going to Lai Nan Province.

A voice in my heart answered: because of you, that’s why I came.

That’s when I confirmed I like you and want to be with you."

"Xiao Yan, do you think... I’m suitable to be your boyfriend?" He Qi’an asked again, deeply looking at Lin Xiaoyan.

Lin Xiaoyan felt a shiver in her heart under He Qi’an’s gaze, an uncontrollable joy rising within her.

Her instinct was to refuse, but... her gaze uncontrollably drifted to He Qi’an’s exposed chest...

And the tempting abs...

"Can you consider it? Or, is there anything you want to ask?"

Seeing Lin Xiaoyan’s gaze, He Qi’an recalled Shi Nan’s suggestion.

Seduction!

It seemed to be working a bit.

His hand gently tugged the robe downward again.

As expected, Lin Xiaoyan’s gaze followed the robe.

Suddenly, the sound of swallowing echoed awkwardly in the quiet environment.

Lin Xiaoyan snapped back, her face turning beet red, and awkwardly diverted her gaze.

He Qi’an, seeing Lin Xiaoyan’s flushed face, smiled slightly. Leaning closer, he asked in a low voice once more.

"Can you consider it, give it a try?"

"Okay!" Lin Xiaoyan’s eyes involuntarily returned to the tempting physique before her, her mind hazy as she instinctively agreed with an "okay."

Hearing Lin Xiaoyan agree, He Qi’an was overjoyed, holding her hand tightly.

"Hmm?" Lin Xiaoyan, suddenly feeling her hand held by a pair of warm hands, came back to her senses and looked at He Qi’an in front of her.

That’s when she remembered what she seemed to have just agreed to.

"No, you... well, I..."

Lin Xiaoyan was a bit tongue-tied, not knowing what to say.

She tried to pull her hand back but found that He Qi’an’s grip was strong, holding her hand tightly, not letting go.

"You just agreed to me, so you can’t take it back," He Qi’an said playfully.

Lin Xiaoyan, in disbelief, looked at He Qi’an, "No, you..." She was somewhat amused and exasperated; she hadn’t seen this side of He Qi’an since knowing him.

She looked down at their clasped hands, calmed herself, and thought it over—maybe... it was time for a relationship.