6. Why is it you?

"Who is it?" A voice called from the inner room, and soon after, a woman in her forties emerged, dressed in a crisp white coat. Without a doubt, she was the duty doctor.

"Doctor, her ankle is twisted. Could you take a look at it?" Ye Feng pointed toward Ouyang Lanlan, who was seated nearby.

"Young man, you’d better take care of yourself first! You’re bleeding on the floor," the woman said as she walked toward Ye Feng. He looked down, and sure enough, there were a few drops of blood on the ground.

The doctor pressed Ye Feng’s head to inspect the cut on his forehead. “It’s nothing serious, just a scrape on your scalp. I’ll clean it up for you first.” She glanced at Ouyang Lanlan, her eyes lingering on her bare right foot. Then she said to Ye Feng, “Help her take off her sock,” before turning and heading back inside.

Ye Feng didn’t think much of it and sat down opposite Ouyang Lanlan. He gently lifted her injured foot and began to carefully remove her cotton sock. With his left hand holding her smooth, pale calf, he could clearly feel the graceful curve of her leg and the delicate softness of her skin. His right hand pinched the sock, slowly sliding it off toward her toes, his attention wholly captured by this beautiful foot. Even through the sock, he could tell from the arch and shape that what he held was nothing less than a work of art.

Perhaps he had accidentally touched the injured spot, for Ouyang Lanlan let out a soft murmur. Only then did Ye Feng realize how inappropriate his actions were. In ancient times, a woman’s feet were considered a symbol of chastity, and though customs had changed, helping a woman remove her sock was still an intimate gesture. Considering they had known each other less than an hour, this was, indeed, presumptuous.

“You’d better do it yourself,” Ye Feng quickly said, letting go. He didn’t want the campus beauty to mistake him for a scoundrel.

“All right,” Ouyang Lanlan replied, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s, her cheeks already flushed crimson.

As Ouyang Lanlan looked up under the bright light, Ye Feng finally got a clear view of the famed campus beauty. She was even more stunning than he remembered—skin as fair as snow, brows like spring hills, eyes like autumn waters, a delicate nose, lips like cherries. The title of campus belle at Haida was truly deserved.

Ouyang Lanlan gently removed her sock, revealing a slender, jade-like foot, as radiant as a lotus blossom. Each toe was exquisitely shaped; who would have thought a foot could be so beautiful? Although her ankle was slightly swollen and red, its grace was undiminished. “Such beauty should exist only in heaven; how rare to see it on earth,” he thought. No wonder some claim a woman’s feet are her most alluring feature—how true it was.

Ye Feng, with great effort, forced himself to look away, though he couldn’t help but sneak a glance from the corner of his eye.

“Come here, let me clean your wound,” the doctor said as she came out with a tray. Ye Feng snapped back to his senses, inwardly chiding himself. After cleaning his wound, the doctor put a bandage on his forehead and then sat across from Ouyang Lanlan, gently lifting her injured foot for a careful examination. Ye Feng leaned in as well—now he could openly admire it.

The doctor pressed lightly on the swollen ankle, making Ouyang Lanlan let out another soft cry.

“Does it hurt much?”

“Just a little.”

“Then the bone’s likely fine. I’ll apply some ointment and prescribe herbs to promote healing. A few days’ rest should see you recovered,” the doctor said, setting Ouyang Lanlan’s foot down and going to get the medicine. She asked, “How did both of you get so injured?”

“We ran into—” Ye Feng began, intending to tell the truth, as was his habit, but Ouyang Lanlan quickly interjected, “We slipped and fell on the road; it’s hard to see at night.” How dishonest, Ye Feng thought. Her words erased all credit for his daring fight with the thug and his rescue of the damsel.

But what the doctor said next left both Ye Feng and Ouyang Lanlan stunned.

“You young people, always distracted. The paths here are hard to walk—don’t get so caught up in romance that you stop watching where you’re going,” she lectured, speaking with the air of someone who’d seen it all.

The doctor had mistaken them for a couple, assuming they’d been so absorbed in each other in the dark that they’d fallen. Ye Feng couldn’t help but be secretly delighted at the thought of being paired with the campus belle. Glancing at Ouyang Lanlan, he saw her face was as red as fire, her head bowed even lower. Who would have guessed the famous Ouyang Lanlan could be so easily embarrassed? The blush blooming on her snow-white cheeks was more alluring than ever.

Ye Feng said nothing, only grinned, while the doctor returned with the medicine and set it on her desk. “Apply the ointment once a day, take these herbs three times daily—a capful each time. Try not to put weight on your foot for the next two days, or it could get worse. That’ll be two hundred fifty yuan.”

Ye Feng reached for his wallet, ready to pay—it was a trivial sum, especially in front of the campus belle. But Ouyang Lanlan also took out her wallet. “Let me pay,” she said.

“No, allow me.” A gentleman must display manners before a lady, so Ye Feng handed four hundred yuan to the doctor. “Keep the change and give me a few band-aids, please.”

The doctor took the money, eyeing them curiously—what kind of couple kept their accounts so separate? Ye Feng guessed her thoughts but didn’t know how to explain, so he remained silent.

He accepted the medicine from the doctor and handed it to Ouyang Lanlan, who had already put her sock back on. Ye Feng thanked the doctor, then carried Ouyang Lanlan out of the infirmary.

“How do I get to Building 14?” Ye Feng asked. Though he’d been at the university for a month, he hadn’t bothered to find out where the girls’ dorms were and was unfamiliar with the campus layout.

“Go straight down this road, then turn right at the next corner,” Ouyang Lanlan replied, lying on his back and whispering in his ear, their heads so close he could finally understand what it meant for one’s breath to be like orchids.

Ye Feng carried her on. The night had grown late, and the campus was deserted. Under the dim streetlights, their shadows stretched long across the ground. Ye Feng suddenly wished the road would go on forever so he could always carry this lovely girl on his back. It wasn’t love, but there was a sweetness in his heart he couldn’t quite name.

“Ye Feng,” Ouyang Lanlan called softly.

“Yes?”

“Don’t tell anyone about what happened tonight, all right?”

If no one was to know, then his heroic deeds would remain forever unspoken. But Ye Feng didn’t mind; he’d never cared about being celebrated as a hero, and just now, he couldn’t afford to draw attention anyway. A quiet life was what he wanted most. Besides, for a girl—especially one as well-known as Ouyang Lanlan—suffering such an ordeal and having it spread around would only lead to endless rumors and harm her reputation. He understood the stakes.

After a brief thought, he nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you. If word got out, I…” Ouyang Lanlan tried to explain but faltered, too embarrassed.

“You don’t have to explain. I understand. If this came out, your reputation would suffer, and my life would never be the same either. I don’t want any changes in my life. It would do neither of us any good. Unless—are you thinking of silencing me?” Ye Feng joked, hoping to ease her anxiety.

It worked—Ouyang Lanlan laughed. “Thank you, Ye Feng.”

Ye Feng smiled without a word, feeling the distance between them shrink even further. The road finally ended, and as they turned a corner, Building 14 appeared before them. The dorm manager was locking the door, and Ye Feng hurriedly called out, “Auntie, please wait!”

She stopped them at the entrance. “This is the girls’ dorm. Boys can’t come in, especially at this hour,” she said in a mix of local dialect and standard speech that sounded rather odd.

“She twisted her ankle, I’ll take her up and come right back,” Ye Feng explained.

“Please, Auntie, I only live on the second floor,” Ouyang Lanlan added.

The manager looked them both over, noticed Ouyang Lanlan’s bare foot, and finally relented. “Make it quick, I need to lock up.”

“Thank you,” they said in unison.

They reached the second floor quickly and stopped at Ouyang Lanlan’s door, which was closed but lit from within—someone was home.

“Put me down now,” Ouyang Lanlan said.

Ye Feng carefully set her on her feet.

“It’s so late—I won’t invite you in,” she said.

“That’s all right, I should be getting back, too.” He couldn’t help but wonder what the campus belle’s dorm looked like—what a pity he’d never know.

“Your bag.” Ouyang Lanlan took Ye Feng’s backpack from her shoulder and handed it to him, then pulled out her phone. “What’s your number? I need to thank you properly.”

Ye Feng happened to notice the logo on her bag—LV, an international luxury brand. So the rumors about Ouyang Lanlan’s wealthy background were true.

“289XXXXXXXX,” he replied.

After she saved his number, Ye Feng paused. For a moment, he didn’t know what to think. Before meeting Ouyang Lanlan, he’d thought of using her somehow, but now he saw she was just a vulnerable young woman. Would it be too despicable to take advantage of her feelings? He laughed at himself—there was a great gulf between them in every way. They lived in different worlds. Her beauty had shaken and drawn him in, but it was a kind of beauty he could never touch, and yet, he couldn’t resist the temptation. He feared he might sink deeper, losing himself altogether. With a sigh, he decided to let fate take its course.

He noticed she was still wearing his jacket, her body wrapped in its folds. He was too embarrassed to ask for it back—he couldn’t very well have her remove it right there. She’d have to find another chance to return it. With that, he slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Take care, remember your medicine. I’ll go now. Good night.” Still, he felt reluctant to leave.

“Good night.”

Ye Feng turned to go downstairs, wondering if he’d ever have such a close encounter with Ouyang Lanlan again. In the brief hour they’d shared, what impression had he left on the campus belle who was the object of so many men’s admiration?

“Ye Feng…” Ouyang Lanlan called after him.

He felt a wave of joy and turned around. “Yes?”

“Thank you.” In the dim light, he could just make out the smile on her face.

“Sleep early. Good night.” Ye Feng smiled and continued downstairs, feeling her gaze follow him until he disappeared around the corner.

Out of her sight, Ye Feng paused, overcome by an indescribable feeling.

He walked downstairs with his head down. After a few steps, he felt himself bump into something soft. A startled “Ouch!” rang out.

He looked up quickly and saw, in the dim light, a girl sitting on the floor. He hurried over to help her up, and as they recognized each other, they both exclaimed in unison, “It’s you?!”

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