NABC Chapter 4 The Enchanting Bathroom
Chapter 4 The Enchanting Bathroom
Steam still lingered in the bathroom, making the floor slippery. Aya was half-squatting on the floor, her ankles wedged tightly into the broken porcelain basin.
Ye Chen didn't open his eyes, but groped for Aya's coat on the hook and tossed it to her.
Only after Aya finished speaking did he slowly open his eyes. Looking at the girl in front of him, he sighed inwardly, "They say that a woman half-concealing her face while playing the pipa is the most alluring."
Now, with her coat half-covered and her face flushed, Aya stirred the boy's heart even more. Time was of the essence for Ye Chen; he quickly bent down to conceal his unease, while simultaneously reaching out his right hand to gently grasp Aya's ankle.
Aya's body trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. Ye Chen dared not pull Aya's foot out directly, fearing that the shards would cut her delicate skin again and cause secondary injury.
Ye Chen carefully observed the area around the broken porcelain basin, then looked up at Aya for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. He then turned and left without a word.
Ye Chen rummaged through drawers and cabinets outside, but couldn't find any suitable tools, so he went to the kitchen.
Not long after, Ye Chen returned carrying a machete.
Aya glanced at the gleaming machete in Ye Chen's hand, a flicker of panic crossing her face. Her eyes were wary, and her voice trembled slightly: "Don't do anything rash..."
Looking at the panicked Aya in front of him, Ye Chen tried his best to keep his voice calm in order to soothe her: "I will go slower and be as gentle as possible, please bear with it."
Aya's expression changed drastically. She glanced at her stuck ankle and said fiercely, "You dare touch me and see what happens!"
"I'll try my best... to break the shards without touching you, so my foot can come out." Ye Chen scratched his head, somewhat puzzled, and dared not look directly into Aya's eyes, looking down at the porcelain basin.
Ye Chen caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye as she secretly placed the broken porcelain shards in her hand a short distance away.
Ye Chen guessed that Aya had misunderstood, and stood there somewhat awkwardly.
After a short while, Aya said, half-jokingly, "I thought you were going to amputate my leg."
Helpless, Ye Chen brandished the knife in his hand and said, "I... couldn't find a hammer, so... I had no choice but to try this."
"Be careful, don't cut my foot." Aya looked at Ye Chen, whose skin was a little dark and whose eyes were deep, and felt relieved and more at ease. Her tone became lighter.
Ye Chen's gaze focused on the broken edge of the porcelain basin, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He lightly tapped the triangular fragment about 3 centimeters from Aya's ankle with the back of his knife. The edge of the fragment gleamed coldly under the incandescent light. With a crisp sound, a crack appeared at the base of the fragment, which had been integrated with the porcelain basin.
Ye Chen carefully broke it off.
Ye Chen slightly shifted Aya's ankle and found another fragment. This fragment was much larger, about three fingers wide and five centimeters long. This time, Ye Chen decisively struck it hard, and the fragment shattered instantly.
Only then did Aya notice that Ye Chen's hand had already been placed in front of her ankle. There was a small cut on his palm, from which tiny beads of blood were seeping out.
He ignored his own hands and carefully lifted Aya's foot. He examined the wound on her foot closely and found that although it was still bleeding, it was only a shallow cut.
Only then did he raise the back of his hand to gently wipe the sweat from his forehead, let out a long breath, and said softly, "It's nothing serious. I'll just put on a band-aid later."
After a pause, he added, "If you're still worried, you can go to the hospital for a checkup."
After saying that, Ye Chen prepared to turn and leave the bathroom. Aya tried to get up but couldn't. Seeing Ye Chen's movement, she became annoyed, thinking, "This kid really doesn't know any better!"
"Have the others returned?" Aya suddenly asked.
"No..." Ye Chen replied.
"Then carry me out, my legs are numb and I can't move."
"Forehead……"
"Hurry up, or things will get complicated when the others arrive."
Lacking exercise, Ye Chen's face flushed red, but he still couldn't lift Aya. In the end, he could only half-support her as they walked out. The two were close, and Aya's skin felt cool, making his breathing heavy. Under Aya's resentful yet amused gaze, the two slowly made their way back to the room.
Aya's room was nothing like the colorful and vibrant room Ye Chen had imagined; it was remarkably simple. There weren't many things in the room: two bunk beds with plain white curtains hanging above them; a pink cloth wardrobe against the wall, its zipper half-open; a dressing table covered with bottles and jars, from which a faint, sweet fragrance wafted through the air; even her underwear was carelessly tossed on the pillows.
Ye Chen helped Aya sit down on the bed. At this moment, Aya suddenly spoke up: "Where we come from, if something like today happens, you either have to marry him or die with him."
Ye Chen stared wide-eyed at Aya, puzzled. He could understand repaying kindness with his own body, but what was this about dying together? Was it repaying kindness with enmity?
"Well... isn't that a bit like repaying kindness with enmity? How about... we choose the first one?" Ye Chen replied awkwardly.
"Shall we get our marriage certificate tomorrow?" Aya asked casually.
Ye Chen then realized that he had been teased by Aya. Feeling a little embarrassed, he thought of helping Aya treat her ankle wound, but when he raised his hand, he noticed the wound on his palm and casually wiped away the blood with a tissue.
Aya said with concern, "You should take care of your hand first. I'm not busy here, it's nothing serious."
Ye Chen didn't detect the concern in his voice and replied nonchalantly, "It's nothing."
He knelt down in front of Aya, wiped the blood from her ankle, and applied a bandage to stop the bleeding.
Ye Chen felt uncomfortable in the girls' dormitory and was afraid that he would have trouble explaining when Chen Jiao and the others returned, so he made up an excuse and left.
After all, he was still a young man, and when he turned around, Ye Chen still secretly glanced at the underwear on the bed.
Aya said generously, "You like them? Shall I give you two as a gift?"
Ye Chen fled in panic, and a series of clear and melodious laughs came from the girls' dormitory behind him.
That night, Zhong Liang lingered in Ye Chen's dorm room, smoking one cigarette after another. It seemed as if he was prepared to sleep in the boys' dorm that night, unless Ye Chen revealed the details.
Lin Feng stared at Ye Chen with a smug look on his face and said, "Confess. Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely."
"I was in a hurry and didn't look at it," Ye Chen said helplessly.
"Don't talk nonsense. Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are?" Lin Feng approached Ye Chen, looking like he knew him very well.
Seeing that Ye Chen remained silent, Lin Feng added, "You can tell which leg an ant raises first just by watching it fight? I don't believe you. Hurry up and don't force us to resort to torture."
Zhong Liang gave Ye Chen a meaningful look and said, "Hmm, judging from your performance this morning, you always observe things carefully before doing anything."
When Chung Leung mentioned the phrase "meticulous observation," he gave a knowing look.
After laying the groundwork, he pressed on, "Tell me, what's your figure like? Go into details, describe it like you're writing an essay."
Ye Chen sighed and said, "I really didn't look. I closed my eyes as soon as I went in and just tossed her a coat."
He pretended to beat his chest in frustration, and said bitterly, "Upright gentlemen never have a good ending. If I had known it wouldn't be a big deal, I should have looked at her for five minutes first."
...Through jokes and banter, Ye Chen finally managed to get rid of the matter.
As the three laughed, a hint of sadness appeared in Zhong Liang's eyes, which he quickly concealed. However, Ye Chen noticed all of this, leaving him nowhere to hide.
While resting at night, Ye Chen recalled Aya and felt that this seemingly bold and generous Aya always carried a sense of fatigue, which was very similar to his mother who worked hard to support the family after his father's death, making him feel close to her.