Gu Moqian was worried that Ji Wei's head would hit the corner of the bed, so he quickly reached out to shield her head.
But in the next second, he heard Ji Wei cry out in pain, "Ah—"
Her previous movement had been too forceful, causing the wound on her wrist to split open again, making her cry out in agony.
The moment Gu Moqian heard her cry out, he sat up abruptly and grabbed her wrist. He saw that the bandages wrapped around it were already soaked through with small spots of blood.
His sharply defined brows furrowed slightly. Seeing her reddened eyes brimming with tears, his heart softened. He clasped her small, delicate hand firmly and said, "Wait here for a moment, I'll go get the first-aid kit."
Ji Wei stared dazedly as he got out of bed, opened the door, and walked out.
The pain jolted her awake, and she suddenly realized what the two of them had almost done just now.
Thinking about how she had shamelessly thrown herself into Gu Moqian's arms, Ji Wei's face flushed bright red in an instant.
She covered her burning cheeks in embarrassment for a moment and then suddenly grabbed a nearby towel, rushing straight into the bathroom.
It was the middle of the night, and the servants in the villa were all asleep. Gu Moqian went downstairs, found the backup first-aid kit, and quickly returned to the bedroom.
When he pushed open the door, he found that Ji Wei was no longer on the bed.
His deep eyes flickered with a trace of surprise, but then he heard a clattering noise coming from the bathroom. Putting the first-aid kit down, he walked over in quick strides.
"Ji Wei, what are you doing in there?"
His tone carried a hint of urgency as he pressed his hand on the bathroom doorknob, only to find it locked from the inside.
"I... I'm fine. I just wanted to... take a bath..."
Ji Wei's voice trembled slightly as she looked at the mess on the ground, feeling flustered.
She had only tried to tiptoe and grab the shower gel stored on the top shelf, but due to her injured hand, she lost her grip. The large bottle of shower gel fell, knocking over the toiletries on the sink, scattering them across the floor.
With an injured hand, how was she supposed to take a bath with just one hand?
Gu Moqian grew even more worried upon hearing her response. His voice dropped, carrying a heavy tone, "Open the door. I'll help you bathe."
Ji Wei refused without even thinking.
The moments of blushing and breathlessness with Gu Moqian earlier were already shame-inducing enough.
Even though they had a marriage arrangement, they had only met a handful of times—she could count the instances on one hand. Besides, a woman's most significant "first" should be given to a man with whom she shared mutual feelings.
She and Gu Moqian...weren't at that stage yet, right?
Even in her previous life, she never figured out whether Gu Moqian had agreed to their arranged marriage for the sake of family interests or because he genuinely liked her...
In her past life, she had been so arrogant and brash. How could any man possibly like someone like that?
Thinking about it, the marriage between Gu Moqian and herself was completely a business deal, devoid of any personal emotions.
For some reason, as these thoughts crossed her mind, Ji Wei felt a faint ache in her heart.
She shook her head quickly, trying to dispel those dismal thoughts. The most important thing now was to alleviate the unbearable heat surging through her body.
Ji Wei struggled to twist open the shower faucet with her left hand, gritting her teeth as the icy water poured down on her head.
In the chill of an early autumn night, the cold water hitting her body felt like torture—so cold that her teeth clattered uncontrollably.
Ji Wei clenched her teeth tightly, making no sound. She told herself internally to endure it; the effect of the heat-inducing drug would soon wear off if she just held on a little longer.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the direction of the door.
Ji Wei raised her head in shock. Cold water streamed down her face, blurring her vision. She couldn't see what had happened.
But within seconds, the shower above her head was suddenly yanked away, and the icy stream of water stopped altogether.
"You... how did you get in?"
When she recognized the tall figure before her as Gu Moqian, Ji Wei instinctively covered her chest with her arms.
Beads of water still clung to her cheeks, rolling slowly down her face. Her long lashes were wet with droplets, fluttering lightly and catching his attention.
But her face was pale, almost paper-white, and her lips had turned a faint bluish-purple from the cold. Gu Moqian's gaze darkened. He reached out, pulling her into his arms without hesitation, despite her soaking wet clothes.
Ji Wei looked at him in alarm, her expression a mix of shock and embarrassment.
Gu Moqian carried her to the bed and draped a blanket over her with a swift motion.
Ji Wei gripped the edge of the blanket tightly with one hand, preventing it from slipping down. Her moist, glistening eyes carried a hint of caution as she stared at Gu Moqian.
He walked over, picked up the first-aid kit, and silently took out a cotton swab soaked in disinfectant and a roll of bandages.
"Give me your right hand," Gu Moqian said in a low voice, extending his hand.
"I... I can do it myself..."
Before Ji Wei could finish speaking, Gu Moqian firmly grasped her arm, giving her no chance to refuse.
Under the dim light, the man lowered his head, focused and serious, as he unraveled her bandages and prepared to disinfect her wound with iodine-soaked cotton swabs.
Ji Wei's eyes widened in surprise, but before she could react, the sting of the iodine touching her wound made her cry out in pain, "It hurts! It hurts so much!"