Chapter 23: Has This Man Always Been This Adorably Clueless?
Is acting coy and playing the victim an innate talent all won are born with?
Lin Tian didn’t know.
He only knew one thing—when Shang Chan acted cute and pitiful like that, he just couldn’t bring himself to be heartless.
What if he turned away coldly, walked just two steps, and this woman suddenly burst into tears? Wouldn’t that be even more of a headache?
Lin Tian sighed deeply.
Forget it… Jiang Yifeng won’t be coming back tonight anyway. I’ll just keep my distance from her starting tomorrow…
He was suddenly overwheld by a strange exhaustion. A gorgeous woman was practically throwing herself at him, and he had no choice but to push her away. What kind of absurd situation was this?
Hearing Lin Tian’s internal monologue, Shang Chan quietly curved her lips in a sly smile.
There was a playful glint in her eyes, like a little fox whose plan had succeeded.
“Alright, let’s go… I’ll help you upstairs.”
With a helpless sigh, Lin Tian supported Shang Chan again, doing his best to minimize any physical contact.
But how could he possibly understand what was truly going on in Shang Chan’s mind right now?
Upon entering Ting Chan Pavilion, Shang Chan’s bedroom was on the second floor, so Lin Tian had no choice but to help her up the stairs.
The staircase was a bit narrow, forcing the two of them to walk closely together—mainly because Lin Tian had to support her. This woman couldn’t even manage walking on flat ground without her legs giving out occasionally. If she slipped on the stairs and fell, Lin Tian wasn’t even sure he could catch her in ti.
With them so close, their bodies inevitably brushed against each other from ti to ti.
Lin Tian felt like he was going insane…
Damn… how long is this staircase?!
It’s so hot! Can’t soone turn on the AC in here?
God, why is her body so soft? Don’t lean your whole weight on !
I can’t take this—this woman’s a damn succubus!
Listening to the string of helpless complaints in his mind, Shang Chan’s mischievous delight reached new heights.
She even intentionally slowed their climb, occasionally turning her head to look at him with her big, sparkling eyes—completely unaware of how her gentle breathing and delicate expressions were torturing Lin Tian to the brink of collapse.
At long last, they reached the second floor.
In less than a minute, Lin Tian felt as if an entire year had passed.
The mont they reached the second floor, he let out a heavy sigh of relief…
“Ahem, President… uh, you should get so rest early.”
Lin Tian felt like his throat was going dry. It had just been too much—too much tornt. Even if it was the kind of tornt that ca with bliss, it was still tornt!
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to leave. If he stayed in this enclosed space any longer, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep himself in check…
Just then, Shang Chan suddenly cried out in pain.
“Ah… it hurts!”
Lin Tian twitched at the sound and turned around to look at her, exasperated.
Seriously? Are you not done yet?
Shang Chan looked up at him innocently, blinking her big eyes, her soft lips curving ever so slightly.
“Lin Tian, there’s so dicine in that cabinet over there. Can you… help apply it? I can’t really reach on my own.”
Lin Tian muttered inwardly, Hell, I can’t really help you either!
But then again, he had already walked her all the way up here… what was a few more minutes at this point?
Even though Shang Chan was a woman, and her body naturally more delicate, if a twisted ankle were to leave any lasting damage, that’d be bad.
Lin Tian let out a quiet sigh, helped her sit down by the bed, then walked over to the other side of the room to retrieve the dicinal ointnt.
When he returned, he imdiately noticed sothing was off—Shang Chan’s cheeks were flushed a deep red, as if they were about to drip with heat.
Lin Tian raised a brow, curious.
“President, are you alright?”
Shang Chan didn’t react to the formal address at all. Her face only grew redder as she murmured sothing softly.
Lin Tian couldn’t quite hear her at first. He frowned and leaned in slightly to catch what she said.
“I… I think I twisted my ankle. Can you help take off my shoes?”
Lin Tian was imdiately at a loss for words. Of course, he needed to remove her shoes to apply the dicine!
But the mont that thought registered, he froze.
Wait a second… this is a girl’s foot.
To most won, feet were considered an incredibly private and sensitive area—certainly not sothing just anyone could touch.
For a second, Lin Tian hesitated, visibly conflicted. After a while, he cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Ahem… President, maybe you should apply it yourself. Or I can call a maid for you?” Lin Tian suggested, his voice clearly uneasy.
Shang Chan imdiately grew anxious, lifting her head. Her eyes shimred—not clear whether it was from embarrassnt or pain.
“No, Lin Tian, I want you to help …”
“But—”
“No buts. Just… do it. I don’t mind.”
At this point, Shang Chan’s thoughts were a dizzy, swirling ss. She didn’t even know what she was saying or doing anymore.
Hearing her insistence, Lin Tian could only sigh in resignation and sit down on the nearby chair. Gently, he lifted her injured left foot and removed her high heel.
Wearing heels was already taxing enough, and now with a twisted ankle and the distance she’d walked—even with his support—the injury had clearly worsened.
Before, Shang Chan had assud she was leaning on Lin Tian out of a playful sense of mischief. But now, seeing how bad the swelling was, she realized… maybe it was her subconscious seeking his support all along.
Lin Tian slid his palm beneath her ankle, carefully propping it up. Her skin was smooth and soft to the touch, with a slight coolness.
Wrapped in the warmth of Lin Tian’s hand, Shang Chan’s foot involuntarily relaxed, the tension slowly easing from her muscles.
Lin Tian applied the dicine to his hand first, then gently dabbed it onto Shang Chan’s injured ankle. He moved carefully, with no stray or indecent thoughts clouding his mind.
To be fair, Shang Chan’s foot was quite beautiful. The word “jade-like feet,” often tossed around in praise of won, suddenly made perfect sense to Lin Tian. But the atmosphere and circumstances didn’t allow room for any untoward fantasies.
His calm and composed deanor helped ease much of Shang Chan’s embarrassnt as well.
She watched him intently—this man who usually didn’t strike her as particularly handso—now exuded a strange sort of charm as he focused intently on treating her injury.
Normally, she would’ve died of embarrassnt if anyone saw her bare feet.
But now, with her injured foot cradled in Lin Tian’s large, warm hand—his touch firm but gentle, the coolness of the dicine contrasting with his body heat—Shang Chan felt no sha.
Instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of comfort. A strange kind of happiness.
…
Before long, Lin Tian had finished applying the dicine. He carefully wrapped the ankle with gauze, secured it properly, then took off the high heel from her other foot as well and helped her lie down on the bed.
“President, get so rest. I’m going to step outside for a bit,” he said, his tone finally a bit more relaxed.
He let out a quiet sigh. The tension he’d been holding finally began to ease.
He had to admit—applying dicine had been easier than helping her up the stairs. At least during that process, she wasn’t squirming around…
Looking at Shang Chan’s breathtakingly beautiful face as she lay on the bed, Lin Tian let out a faint sigh.
This woman probably didn’t even realize what she was doing.
…
“Lin Tian, do you… do you hate ?”
On the bed, Shang Chan clutched the edge of the blanket, her pearly teeth biting gently into her rosy lips, her eyes shimring with emotion. Her expression was a delicate blend of hope and unease—like a little girl afraid of being abandoned.
The key point was, she had already heard Lin Tian’s inner thoughts. This whole pitiful act? Completely staged. Full-on mischief mode.
But Lin Tian didn’t know that. When he heard her words, he genuinely felt his heart skip a beat.
Even when Shang Chan wasn’t smiling, her beauty was hard to ignore.
But with this expression—soft, vulnerable, radiant—the only thing that ca to Lin Tian’s mind was an old line of poetry:
In all the palace, not a single beauty could compare.
He hesitated for a few seconds, then sighed heavily and shook his head.
“I don’t hate you.”
The mont the words left his mouth, Lin Tian instantly felt that things were starting to get out of control. He quickly tried to rein it back in.
“I’m just a regular employee at Xinghai… How could I possibly have the right to hate you?”
Hearing his clumsy explanation, Shang Chan’s lips curved into a soft, sweet smile.
Was this man… always this adorable?
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