Chapter 13: What Does He Want?

Fine? What’s fine about it!

Si Jin couldn’t see anything remotely fine about Xiao Rong’s current state.

She couldn’t fathom how anyone, mere flesh and blood, dared to charge straight into such raging flames.

The carriage ride back to the estate was steeped in silence.

Far from the clamor of the Lantern Festival, the darkness of the night road made the interior of the carriage even dimmer, nearly obscuring the appearance of the person beside her.

And indeed, Si Jin did not look at Xiao Rong.

She couldn’t quite explain why, but she didn’t want to see him looking disheveled and wretched, so unlike his usual refined and dignified self.

She felt he ought to remain that untouchable, lofty figure—arrogantly looking down on others, ruthlessly manipulating them at will.

He should never be like this… appearing so frail, even pitiable.

“Are you angry?”

Xiao Rong’s voice was hoarse, whether from prolonged exposure to the smoke-filled building or from the pain of his wounds.

Si Jin’s brow twitched slightly, and she finally turned to look at him.

He was leaning back against the seat, his face pale.

The hand that had been dripping blood still hung limp and weak, though it was too dark to tell if it was still bleeding.

Before boarding the carriage, the attendants had urgently suggested summoning a physician to bandage Xiao Rong’s wounds and stop the bleeding.

But Xiao Rong had shown no reaction to the request, his dark eyes fixed intently on her instead.

Under his gaze, Si Jin felt compelled to speak: “Then let’s find a physician to tend to your injuries first. We can return to the estate after you’ve been treated.”

It was as if Xiao Rong had been waiting for her to mention his injuries, though he seemed indifferent to her actual response.

As soon as she spoke, he replied, “No need. My injuries aren’t serious. You’ve had a shock—we should head back to the estate first.”

Si Jin was momentarily speechless, unsure why he had insisted on her saying something when her answer didn’t seem to matter.

She couldn’t see the extent of his injuries beneath his clothing, but she doubted they were as minor as he claimed.

It was only then that Si Jin realized she might have been unconsciously betraying her concern over his severe injuries and stubborn refusal to acknowledge them.

She replied tersely, “If you won’t take care of your own well-being, why should I be angry?”

“No, I meant about me following you.”

Si Jin’s expression froze, her words catching in her throat.

She had suspected as much back at the stone bridge by the encircling river.

Even without clearly seeing anyone behind her, the feeling of being watched hadn’t felt like a mere illusion.

When she sensed it again, she had already guessed that Xiao Rong might have sent someone to monitor her.

After all, he had inexplicably issued that warning before leaving in the morning. Given his obsessive need for control, it wasn’t beyond him to do such a thing.

But Si Jin hadn’t expected that the one following her would be Xiao Rong himself.

A faint scent of blood lingered in the carriage, somewhat diluted by the open window but not entirely gone.

Si Jin couldn’t arrogantly assume that, since she was unharmed, there was no need for Xiao Rong to risk his life charging into the fire.

In truth, if not for the young woman who happened to still be in the shop, they might have been too panicked to escape, trapped inside.

Nor could she maliciously wish that something had happened to Xiao Rong in the fire, freeing her from his control. She couldn’t tie such thoughts to matters of life and death.

Xiao Rong was an exceptionally astute man. Whether it was finding people to extinguish the fire or devising other solutions, he should never have resorted to the most dangerous method of charging directly inside.

From the incident’s onset to her emergence from the shop, very little time had passed. Xiao Rong had clearly acted on impulse without any deliberation.

Si Jin couldn’t help exclaiming, “Have you lost your mind? With such a massive fire, how could you charge straight in?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Si Jin pressed her lips tightly together.

She ought to have been reprimanding Xiao Rong for following her—how had these words slipped out instead?

Xiao Rong lowered his gaze, remaining silent for a long moment before answering in a strained voice, “Because you weren’t among those who ran out of the shop.”

Si Jin’s heart skipped a beat, her fingers unconsciously clenching.

Upon returning to the Xiao residence, the house physician was promptly summoned to Songlan Courtyard.

After some hesitation, Si Jin ultimately followed along.

The atmosphere in Songlan Courtyard was somewhat oppressive.

Most servants had heard about the accident at today’s Lantern Festival, but none had expected the injured party to be Xiao Rong, who hadn’t even gone to the festival.

The state of Xiao Rong revealed by the lamplight upon their return was truly concerning.

A vision of mangled flesh appeared before Si Jin’s eyes, making her gasp sharply and immediately look away.

How could this be considered minor injuries?!

No wonder Xiao Rong’s arm had been hanging limp all this time—his facial skin was covered in burn marks, with a deep gash from what appeared to be a sharp object bleeding profusely in the center.

Xiao Rong was quietly answering the physician: “Yes, I blocked it with my hand.”

His casual tone made Si Jin frown and glance over involuntarily.

When she looked up, she met Xiao Rong’s gaze fixed upon her.

Feeling complicated and somewhat angry, Si Jin resisted looking at the wound and stepped forward to ask, “Physician, how serious are his injuries?”

The physician’s expression turned grave. “The master’s arm was struck by a heavy object and suffered deep lacerations—these are the most severe injuries. Fortunately, no bones or tendons were damaged. We’ll stop the bleeding and bandage it first, but there are additional burns and scalds all over his body that will require careful nursing later. This recovery process may prove quite painful.”

Hearing this, Si Jin’s heart constricted even tighter.

Injured this severely, yet he had returned by carriage earlier with the unhurried manner of someone merely tired, making her think he might not actually be in critical condition.

What was he thinking?!

When she glanced over again, she didn’t know when Xiao Rong had turned his head away from her.

With lowered eyelids, he appeared to be silently enduring the pain.

Si Jin could only say, “Please treat the wound on his hand first.”

The physician prescribed numerous medications—topical applications, oral remedies, and wound dressings—until the herbal scents gradually began to overpower the smell of blood.

Servants bustled in and out of Xiao Rong’s room for quite some time, with Si Jin waiting nearby throughout.

Though she didn’t know what she was waiting for, she felt that since Xiao Rong had been injured this severely while saving her, she couldn’t possibly harden her heart and turn away indifferently.

Some time later, after the physician had finished treating the wound on Xiao Rong’s arm, the hour had grown late.

Si Jin listened distractedly to the physician’s instructions about wound care, her peripheral vision catching Xiao Rong with closed eyes leaning against the bed, as if already asleep.

Only when a soft door closing sound reached her did Si Jin snap back to awareness—the servants had withdrawn from the room unnoticed, and even the physician had already taken his medical case and departed.

As Si Jin instinctively prepared to leave, Xiao Rong suddenly opened his eyes and spoke hoarsely, “Are you leaving?”

Si Jin hesitated for a moment, suppressing her complicated emotions as she spoke as gently as possible: “Mm, you should rest well.”

With that, she quickly turned away.

She had only taken two steps when a hoarse voice came from behind: “Could you help me?”

Hearing this, Si Jin turned back.

“I want to lie down, but my arm hurts too much. I’m having some difficulty doing it myself.”

Si Jin parted her lips slightly, her throat tightening at the sight of Xiao Rong’s rare display of weakness, leaving her at a loss for words.

Noticing her reaction, Xiao Rong’s expression shifted slightly before he amended: “Or you could call a servant to assist me instead.”

Si Jin: “…”

Xiao Rong had already changed his clothes, and the dirt on his face from earlier had been cleaned, yet this revealed several red marks of varying depth on his typically flawless handsome face.

The wound on his forehead was most prominent – after being cleaned and medicated, it appeared even more alarming.

Taking a deep breath, Si Jin completely turned around and walked toward him.

She briefly considered attributing this to Xiao Rong deliberately feigning pitifulness, but who would deliberately torment themselves to such a state just to appear pitiable?

The slightest misstep could have cost him his life.

What could he possibly gain from this?

As Si Jin reached out to help Xiao Rong, the bitter scent of medicinal herbs clinging to him disturbed her already troubled thoughts, prompting her to say: “If you hadn’t followed me, you wouldn’t have been so badly injured.”

Xiao Rong’s breath hitched as he used Si Jin’s support to lie down.

His pupils were dark, his eyes dry, his pale lips moving slowly as he spoke in an even softer voice: “Because I’d already promised you I had official business today.”

Si Jin was taken aback. What kind of reasoning was that? He was the one who had voluntarily said so earlier!

She instinctively wanted to say that made it even less justified for him to follow her.

But she immediately realized Xiao Rong would likely respond with something like “But I wanted to attend the Lantern Festival with you,” leaving her speechless.

No matter how pitiful he looked, they would never see eye to eye.

Si Jin quickly withdrew her hand and repeated: “Rest well. I’m leaving.”

Xiao Rong’s raised fingers were a moment too late, closing around empty air: “Will you visit me tomorrow?”

Si Jin paused mid-step, answering curtly: “The physician will visit you.”

With that, she quickly left the room with hastened steps.

The next day, Si Jin still went to Songlan Courtyard.

Xiao Rong’s condition wasn’t good – when she arrived, his eyes were closed as if in deep sleep.

The residence physician whispered extremely quietly: “My lord has multiple injuries and likely didn’t rest well last night. The first few days are always the most difficult.”

Si Jin sighed softly, equally quiet as she responded: “Then be gentle with your movements. Let him sleep a while longer.”

But the moment she finished speaking, Xiao Rong’s eyes opened immediately.

As if startled awake, his voice steadied after his gaze recognized the figure in the room: “I’m awake.”

Turning to look, Si Jin saw Xiao Rong’s eyes bloodshot, dark circles beneath them – he appeared even more haggard with his eyes open than closed.

Moreover, his gaze lacked clarity, hardly resembling someone who had been awake all along.

Had her speaking voice woken him?

The physician turned to prepare medicinal herbs and bandages for changing the dressing at a nearby table.

Si Jin took two steps closer to Xiao Rong’s bed: “Rest a while longer. The physician will change your dressing shortly.”

Xiao Rong lay still without closing his eyes. After a long moment, he asked: “Could you stay a bit longer?”

Si Jin pressed her lips together, wanting to say something harsh to reinforce her stance, but when she finally relaxed them, only a soft sigh escaped. Instead, she pulled over a nearby cushioned stool and sat by Xiao Rong’s bedside.

Xiao Rong had been watching her intently, his gaze following her movements.

At a time like this, what harm would it do if he looked at her a little less?

Frowning in irritation, Si Jin snapped, “Stop looking at me. Close your eyes.”

Xiao Rong was uncharacteristically obedient, perhaps genuinely exhausted.

He murmured a low “Mm,” tilting his head to face Si Jin’s direction before slowly closing his eyelids.

By the time the physician had finished changing his dressings, Xiao Rong was already asleep.

The room was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs. Even in sleep, his eyelashes trembled faintly from time to time, as though he were resting uneasily.

Several times Si Jin dismissed the thought of getting up to leave, not wanting her slightest movement to startle him awake. Only after what felt like a long while, when his breathing had steadied into a regular rhythm, did she finally rise and slip quietly out of the room.

Another day passed, and Si Jin had initially decided against returning to Songlan Courtyard.

Xiao Rong had servants attending to him in his courtyard, and the physician would prescribe medicines and change his dressings. Her presence would be of little use anyway.

Ultimately, his injuries couldn’t entirely be blamed on her—at most, they were only slightly related to her.

She didn’t want to be heartless, so for now, she’d cut him some slack given his condition. That should be enough; she needn’t trouble herself further.

No sooner had Si Jin convinced herself and found some peace of mind than a servant hurried in with a report.

“Madam, Doctor Liu has taken leave today, but His Lordship refuses to allow another physician to be summoned. His injuries are severe, and we don’t know what to do. We had no choice but to seek your instructions.”

Si Jin was taken aback, her concern immediately renewed. “Why would he do that?”

“His Lordship insists he can change and apply the medicine himself. He won’t even let us enter the main chamber now.”

Si Jin frowned, recalling the frail state she had seen Xiao Rong in previously.

Just yesterday he could barely sit up, his voice weak and drained. How could he possibly manage to tend to his wounds today?

Even if he had improved slightly, it made no sense to refuse both a physician and the assistance of servants.

And why had Doctor Liu suddenly taken leave?

Speculating in private wouldn’t yield any answers.

Feeling unsettled but resolute, Si Jin quickly decided, “I’ll go to Songlan Courtyard and see what’s happening for myself.”