Kidnapping the Female Teacher's Best Friend - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

After cleaning the wound, Mu Hanxi used a tissue moistened with mineral water to carefully wipe away the bloodstains on her face: “There, all done.” Mu Hanxi let out a sigh of relief and then released her hand.

Mo Zibei turned back, sat straight, breathing lightly, as a blush slowly crept across her cheeks and earlobes.

“Kid, you forgot to buckle your seatbelt again.”

The reminder subconsciously brought back the memory of the first time she sat in Mu Hanxi’s car: Mu Hanxi leaning over gently to help her fasten the seatbelt, the action so intimate.

Just the recollection was almost too much for her small heart to bear… Awkwardly, she tugged the seatbelt and fumbled to buckle it, looking a bit comical.

Mu Hanxi started the car, catching sight of Mo Zibei’s actions in her peripheral vision, and couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

Hearing the person next to her laugh, an uncontrollable feeling of shyness surged within Mo Zibei. She lowered the car window slightly, turning her head to look at the night scenery with its shifting neon lights.

“Are you hungry?” Based on their previous interactions, Mu Hanxi seemed to have fallen into a habit of worrying if Mo Zibei was hungry whenever she saw her late at night. “There’s a well-regarded bakery up ahead. Should I get you some bread?”

Mo Zibei had eaten at school, but the fight had consumed some energy. Moreover, this was Mu Hanxi’s proactive offer, a major temptation… She turned her head to look at Mu Hanxi, blushed, and quietly hummed in affirmation.

“Wait for me in the car,” Mu Hanxi pulled over when they reached the spot and unbuckled her seatbelt. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Mu Hanxi didn’t linger in the shop. She bought her some toast bread and egg tarts and returned immediately.

Getting back into the car, Mu Hanxi handed the items to her and said thoughtfully, “Go ahead and eat.” She was afraid Mo Zibei was genuinely hungry, but also aware of her shyness.

The location was very close to Mu Hanxi’s apartment complex. Mo Zibei had initially planned to wait until they were upstairs to eat, but since Mu Hanxi suggested it, she didn’t bother with any further pretense.

Mu Hanxi had bought her two boxes of egg tarts, two in each box, for a total of four.

She ate one. It was soft, sweet, and delicious—just to her liking.

After turning a corner, Mu Hanxi casually asked, “Is it good?”

“Mhm.”

Mo Zibei took out another egg tart. After Mu Hanxi’s car drove into the complex and parked securely, Mo Zibei held the egg tart and offered it to her lips: “Sister Mu, you try it.” Mu Hanxi hadn’t had time to unbuckle her seatbelt yet.

Mu Hanxi was surprised. She hadn’t expected this sudden action, this offer to feed her… She instinctively tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Mu Hanxi had turned off the interior light after cleaning Mo Zibei’s bloodstains. The visibility inside was dim, otherwise, one would see the slight tremble in the hand holding the egg tart.

“Sister Mu…”

This call carried a hint of urging. Mu Hanxi felt as if she had been charmed, and finally, she leaned down, brushing her hair aside, and took a bite as Mo Zibei wished…

Her heart’s desire was greatly satisfied. The corners of Mo Zibei’s lips curved into an arc, a smile of unrestrained joy blossoming in the night.

“It’s quite tasty.” Mu Hanxi pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth.

Mo Zibei secretly delighted in the moment but didn’t say anything out loud.

The two got out of the car. Mu Hanxi carried the medicine in one hand and her backpack in the other. Mo Zibei carried the food in her right hand and the unfinished egg tart in her left.

After entering and turning on the lights, the two simultaneously looked down and changed their shoes, their movements identical.

“You go shower first,” Mu Hanxi said while heading toward her bedroom. “I’ll find you some pajamas, and I’ll help you apply the medicine later.”

“Okay…” Mu Zibei’s mind was constantly spinning with Mu Hanxi’s words: shower, pajamas, applying medicine… She suddenly felt a heat in her nasal passage, worried she might get a nosebleed.

She nervously swallowed. When she got nervous, she wanted to do something to alleviate it. Subconsciously, she ate the egg tart she was still holding. Only after she finished it did she realize it was the one Mu Hanxi had partially eaten…

Mu Hanxi managed to find a set of pajamas suitable for Mo Zibei. When she came out, she saw the girl standing there, blushing and looking wooden, unsure of what she was thinking.

Mu Hanxi walked over and poked her shoulder with a finger: “Kid?”

Mo Zibei looked up at her, looking utterly helpless: “Sister Mu…” She wanted to explain, but after saying her name, she didn’t know how to continue.

“Yes?”

On second thought, it was better not to explain. Mo Zibei lowered her eyes and pursed her lips: “Are these the pajamas you found for me?”

“They are,” Mu Hanxi didn’t know what was going on in her little head, changing demeanor so quickly. “Hurry up and take a shower.”

Mo Zibei nodded, put the things she was carrying on the table, took the clothes Mu Hanxi handed her with her right hand, and quickly ran to the bathroom.

Her exit was frantic and rushed, which made Mu Hanxi somewhat confused.

In the bathroom, Mo Zibei slowly unfolded her left palm, staring at the crumpled egg tart foil wrapper. Her face was flushed, a mix of shame and pleasure intertwined.

She really wanted to keep the foil, but after careful consideration, she felt the act was weirdly perverse, so she didn’t keep it and tossed it into an inconspicuous corner of the trash can.

After dispelling the random thoughts in her mind, she began to undress and take a proper shower.

But the thought that this was Mu Hanxi’s bathroom, a place she had been, inexplicably gave rise to a restless feeling…

In the end, she even shamefully used Mu Hanxi’s shower gel, which smelled fragrant.

After drying her body, Mo Zibei shyly put on Mu Hanxi’s pajamas. It was a long-sleeved set of blue silk pajamas. The material was comfortable and very soft. Mo Zibei grabbed the collar and tilted her head to sniff, catching a faint, crisp fragrance—the scent of Mu Hanxi, which Mo Zibei could smell every time she got close… After a flurry of wild thoughts, Mo Zibei came out with a face flushed beyond measure.

“Was the water too hot?” She looked like she was about to boil, which puzzled Mu Hanxi.

Mo Zibei hastily nodded.

“Silly,” Mu Hanxi picked up the medicine and tugged her sleeve toward the bedroom, her tone one of mild reproach. “Why didn’t you turn the water temperature down…”

Mo Zibei didn’t dare to make a sound.

Mu Hanxi led her to sit on her bed, supporting her chin with her left finger. She tilted her head and leaned in, seriously examining the injuries on her face.

Gazing at the plump, rosy, and moist lips only inches away, Mo Zibei swallowed very hard.

Mu Hanxi extended her right finger and lightly touched the bruised area on her cheek, asking softly, “Does it still hurt?”

When she poked her, Mo Zibei’s heart trembled. In the end, she shook her head lightly.

Mu Hanxi lightly scratched her chin with her fingertip, her eyes fixed on her, her expression earnest: “Tell me the truth.”

Under the double assault of that action and those eyes… Mo Zibei felt like she might melt away at any moment.

“It hurts.”

Mu Hanxi withdrew her hand, sighed softly, unscrewed the ointment, dabbed some on her fingertip, and gently began applying it to the bruised areas.

The sensation was cool, but Mo Zibei’s heart felt like it was on fire, intensely hot.

In the place Mu Hanxi couldn’t see, Mo Zibei gripped the bedsheet nearby, trying hard to maintain her composure.

After a while, perhaps to ease her inner anxiety or because she genuinely had a question, Mo Zibei stammered, “Sister Mu, why… why aren’t you scolding me?”

“?” Mu Hanxi looked puzzled, her hands not stopping their work.

“I got into a fight.” From beginning to end, Mu Hanxi hadn’t said a single word of blame.

“This isn’t your fault,” Mu Hanxi said, having a general understanding of the situation from being present. “But you must not be so impulsive next time.”

“I know.”

“Go back and explain clearly to Uncle.”

“Mhm.”

Mu Hanxi stopped her hands and scrutinized Mo Zibei’s face again. All the necessary areas were evenly covered.

“Are you injured anywhere else?”

“My calves and shoulder.”

“And where else?”

“My back.”

“Let’s treat the calves first.”

Mo Zibei nodded and, with a composed expression, rolled up her pant legs, revealing her fair and strong calves.

“Your legs are quite nice.”

Mo Zibei’s maintained composure instantly broke at that comment, and her face immediately flushed.

Mu Hanxi, however, didn’t notice the change in her expression, focusing on applying the medicine to her calves.

After finishing, Mu Hanxi said softly, “Now for the shoulder.”

“Oh.” Mo Zibei’s heart fluttered wildly. Slowly, bit by bit, she lowered the strap of her pajamas at the side of her shoulder. Mu Hanxi waited patiently.

When she was ready, Mu Hanxi used her fingertip, dabbed with ointment, to help apply it to the bruised areas.

Mo Zibei’s eyelashes kept trembling, and even her breathing slowed down.

Mu Hanxi likely sensed her nervousness and proactively shared some amusing anecdotes about her college days with Lin Xiaoran.

Mo Zibei slowly relaxed her expression.

“Now for your back.”

Mo Zibei’s barely relaxed expression tensed up again upon hearing this.

The change in her expression was quite obvious, and Mu Hanxi saw it, struggling to bite her lip and suppress a laugh.

“Lie on your stomach. It will be easier to apply the medicine that way.”

Mo Zibei hesitated, slowly and awkwardly lying down on her stomach, and then, inch by inch, she painstakingly lifted her clothing, her movements as slow as a crawling snail.

Mu Hanxi sat by, appreciating her slow-motion movements, not rushing her.

“Sister Mu…”

“Yes?”

“You can… apply the medicine now.”

Mu Hanxi curved her lips, dabbed her fingertip with ointment, and lightly touched Mo Zibei’s waist dimple.

Mo Zibei’s body involuntarily flinched, and she instinctively gripped the bedsheet tightly.

Mu Hanxi stifled a laugh.

“Sister Mu…” Mo Zibei’s voice even trembled. “I wasn’t hurt there…”

“Mhm, I know,” Mu Hanxi’s tone was a little mischievous. “I was testing to see if you were ticklish…”

“…” Mo Zibei blushed and didn’t reply.

After that, Mu Hanxi genuinely helped her apply the medicine, but Mo Zibei’s heart was completely in disarray.

By the time the application on her back was finished, Mo Zibei’s neck was covered in a ring of fine sweat.

“All done.” Mu Hanxi began packing up the ointment.

Mo Zibei lay on the bed, not moving. Her legs felt numb and a little weak.

“Come back here tomorrow night so I can continue applying the medicine.” Lin Xiaoran had called last night, and after they talked about Mo Zibei for a while, Mu Hanxi learned that Mo Zibei came from a single-parent family. Her mother had left when she was very young, and she had been living with her father all these years.

Mo Zibei turned her head sideways and blinked at her.

“If you want to find someone else to help you, that’s fine too.”

“I won’t find anyone else,” Mo Zibei’s heart bubbled with happiness. “Can I come straight after evening study hall?”

Mu Hanxi nodded slightly.

“Go change your clothes,” Mu Hanxi said, picking up the ointment and walking out. “I’ll drive you back later.”

“I can ride my bike back myself.” She felt bad constantly bothering Mu Hanxi.

“It’s fine,” Mu Hanxi smiled back at her. “I don’t have to get up early tomorrow.”

Mo Zibei was so taken aback by her smile that she almost lost her soul. It took her a long while to slowly prop herself up and climb off the bed.

She went to the bathroom to change clothes. After taking off her top, she couldn’t resist turning sideways to look at her back in the mirror. Mu Hanxi had praised her legs, but not her back…

After admiring herself for a few minutes, she felt pretty good. Then she remembered Mu Hanxi poking her waist dimple before applying the back ointment, and her face slowly turned red again…

Mo Zibei was lost in thought inside, lingering for a good while before coming out. Mu Hanxi had been patiently waiting outside.

Seeing her emerge, Mu Hanxi handed her the bread and the remaining box of egg tarts from the table: “Eat these in the car.”

Mo Zibei hummed in acknowledgment. Mu Hanxi picked up her bag, and the two left together.

After the car left the complex, Mu Hanxi suddenly asked, “Where is the egg tart I took a bite of?”

Mo Zibei was eating the golden toast bread. Hearing the question, she choked instantly and started coughing violently.

“Slow down,” Mu Hanxi said, keeping an eye on the road while reaching out to hand her the mineral water she had bought earlier. “Drink some water.”

Mo Zibei took several sips of water before she recovered a little, but the blush on her face lingered stubbornly. Fortunately, the light inside the car was dim.

Mu Hanxi hadn’t expected a casual question to provoke such a strong reaction…

As before, when they arrived at the destination, Mu Hanxi parked the car outside the apartment complex, not driving in.

“Sister Mu, let me know when you get home.” Mo Zibei unbuckled her seatbelt, preparing to get out.

“Okay,” Mu Hanxi patiently reminded her again, “Be careful when you sleep. Try to lie on your side or stomach and don’t put pressure on the injured areas.” She had several bruises on her back, and touching them would be painful.

“I know.” Mo Zibei, carrying her food and backpack, got out of the car and waved at her.

Mu Hanxi started the car and looked at her again: “I’m leaving now.”

“Mhm.”

After Mu Hanxi’s car drove away, Mo Zibei spoke in a very low voice to the rear of the car: “I ate that egg tart…” After saying it, she felt incredibly shy again, shrunk her neck, squinted against the night wind, and hurried off…