After a wealthy woman went bankrupt, her live-in husband became her sugar daddy.

Chapter 188 Does it hurt a lot?

Send me your location, and I'll come pick you up.

I couldn't hear any inflection in his voice, but it was indeed very late. If I refused Jiang Yichen again at this time, he would definitely be even angrier.

I quickly sent Jiang Yichen's location information. Seeing this, Zhao Ning looked at me with concern. Seeing me staring at my phone screen in thought, she stepped forward and asked softly, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

I gently shook my head and replied in a calm and composed tone, "It's alright, someone will come to pick me up later. Let's make the most of this time and practice a bit more."

A fleeting, enigmatic look crossed Zhao Ning's eyes, her tone carrying a barely perceptible calmness: "Did Jiang Yichen come to pick you up?"

I didn't notice the subtle change in his expression; I simply nodded slightly and then carefully put my phone away.

"Then let's start packing. Jiang Yichen should be here soon," Zhao Ning suggested.

I gently shook my head, indicating that we didn't need to rush to tidy up: "Let's practice one last time, striving for perfection, and then we'll clean up."

We focused intently and finally completed the final practice session successfully.

The event site was littered with trash due to the wind.

Zhao Ning and I quickly sprang into action and began the cleanup.

I carefully picked up the trash, preparing to go outside and dispose of it.

Unexpectedly, he stepped on a pebble, lost his balance, and nearly fell to the ground.

At the critical moment, Zhao Ning reacted quickly and offered a helping hand.

He gently wrapped one arm around my waist, while his other hand firmly supported my shoulder, making our posture slightly subtle and ambiguous.

"What are you doing?" A familiar and authoritative voice suddenly rang out.

Upon hearing the sound, I quickly broke free from Zhao Ning's support, steadied myself, and raised the garbage bag in my hand.

I turned to Jiang Yichen, my tone urgent and sincere: "I wanted to throw out the trash, but I twisted my ankle."

In the dim light, I could not clearly see Jiang Yichen's expression, but based on my intuition alone, I could guess that he was burning with anger at the moment.

However, the excruciating pain from my sprained ankle left me almost speechless; I could only grit my teeth and silently endure the piercing agony.

Seeing this, Zhao Ning quickly chimed in, "She almost fell just now, that's why I helped her up."

Jiang Yichen's suspicious gaze shifted back and forth between the two of us, as if searching for any clues to the truth.

I lowered my head and remained silent, enduring the pain, thinking to myself: many things only need to be explained once. If he still has doubts, even if I explain again and again, it will be in vain.

Jiang Yichen seemed to notice my unusual behavior and involuntarily took two steps forward.

Under the dim light, my injured ankle was clearly visible; it was covered in bruises and even faintly oozing blood.

Upon seeing this, he immediately squatted down and carefully examined my injuries.

After confirming that I was indeed injured, he picked me up in his arms without saying a word, completely ignoring Zhao Ning behind him, and placed me directly in the car.

I thought he was still holding a grudge about what happened before and was a little confused, so I called out to him, but I hesitated when I got to the point, not knowing how to start the conversation.

He turned away silently, and just as he was about to leave, I quickly said, "Jiang Yichen, I..."

I guessed he was still angry and didn't know what to say to explain.

Just as I was watching his busy figure, feeling conflicted, he had already walked over with a first-aid kit.

That's when I realized he was going to treat my wound.

He carefully used a cotton swab dipped in iodine to gently wipe away the sand particles from my skin, performing a simple disinfection.

The iodine solution stung my broken skin, and I involuntarily pulled my foot back.

He looked up at me with his deep eyes and asked softly, "Does it hurt a lot?"

I nodded slightly.

Seeing this, he lowered his head and gently blew on the injured area. The warm breath brushed against his skin, bringing a sense of relief.

Looking at his gentle appearance, a warm feeling welled up in my heart, and I felt as if I had returned to the past, when no matter what I did, he was always so gentle, considerate and patient.

I stared at his profile, momentarily lost in thought.

After he cleaned the sand off the surface of the wound, he poured out some medicinal wine and gently rubbed it on my wound, asking as he did so, "If it hurts, just shout it out."

I shook my head and forced a smile: "It's okay, I'm much better now, I can do it myself."

As I spoke, I tried to pull my foot out of his grasp, but he held on even tighter.

"Don't move!" he said softly but firmly. "Your ankle injury is quite serious. Just rest at home for the next few days."

He gently rubbed my foot, then carefully put it back in the shoe, before picking me up and carrying me upstairs.

I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck.

“No,” I said anxiously, suddenly remembering the upcoming competition. “I’m about to compete, and taking leave to rest at home now will interfere with the competition.”

Upon hearing this, he frowned, his tone tinged with displeasure: "You're already injured like this, and you still want to practice with Zhao Ning?"

I knew he had always harbored resentment about my relationship with Zhao Ning, but I still patiently explained again: "The day after tomorrow is the comprehensive anchor show. If I don't go on the first day, it's equivalent to me forfeiting."

“Then I won’t participate,” he said firmly. “Your foot is injured like this. I’ll take you to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow.”

I shook my head and looked at him seriously: "Jiang Yichen, I'm not the pampered young lady I used to be. This injury isn't a big deal for me. Since I've already registered for the competition the day after tomorrow, I have to participate. This is not only being responsible for myself, but also for my partners and the company."

After I finished speaking, I kicked my legs and struggled to jump off him. Jiang Yichen was afraid that I would fall, so he quickly put me on the ground.

The moment my feet touched the ground, a sharp pain shot through me. I steadied myself by holding onto the wall with both hands and smiled at him, saying, "See, I'm fine, I can still walk."

After saying that, I limped upstairs with difficulty.

Jiang Yichen stood quietly behind Gu Mo, his eyes revealing deep heartache, while also seemingly pleased with my growth.

He knew that Gu Mo had paid countless efforts and sacrifices behind this growth.

The next day, Jiang Yichen did not go to the company, but silently sat downstairs waiting for me.