Lin Fan stepped in front of Jiang Du Xue, blocking her path. "Don't leave, Xue'er. What did I do to upset you?"
He knew, of course. He hadn't gone to pick her up when she returned from her trip after the New Year.
And after returning from the south, he hadn't made time to see her.
It was only natural that she was angry.
"You have to give me a chance to explain, don't you?"
Lin Fan weaved left and right, blocking all her escape routes.
"Let me go, did you hear me? Let me go!"
Jiang Du Xue started crying, sobbing and pushing Lin Fan with all her might.
Lin Fan gripped her arms tightly. "Let's go inside first. Your body constitution isn't good; you need to warm up now."
"I don't need you to worry about me!"
Jiang Du Xue shouted, charging forward recklessly.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Three times in a row, she was pushed back by Lin Fan's chest.
Jiang Du Xue refused to give up, her jaw set. She gritted her teeth and prepared to charge again.
Lin Fan suddenly embraced her. "Don't be silly. Come inside with me."
"Let me go."
Jiang Du Xue wiped her tears and struggled to push away Lin Fan's strong physique.
"Heh."
Lin Fan seized the opportunity, bent down, and scooped her up, her waist held in his arm. With a swift movement, he hoisted her onto his shoulder.
"Ah!"
Jiang Du Xue cried out in surprise. "Let me go, I'll call for help!"
She continuously beat Lin Fan's back with her small fists.
"Go ahead and call. Don't you see whose territory this is? Everyone in the village is my person."
Lin Fan teased.
"You... I..."
Jiang Du Xue opened her mouth several times, but after much thought, she couldn't utter a word.
Her family came from a scholarly background, and she herself was a teacher.
How embarrassing it would be if she were seen in this state!
Besides, even if someone came, she couldn't accuse Lin Fan of molestation.
"Lin Fan, you're bullying me!"
Jiang Du Xue pouted and angrily pinched Lin Fan's arm.
"Isn't this normal? If others bully you, that's not okay. But if I bully you, hehe, well, I'll just bully you a bit."
As he spoke, Lin Fan had already opened the door.
"Don't bump your head."
Lin Fan reminded her.
Jiang Du Xue immediately settled obediently on Lin Fan's back, no longer daring to struggle.
They entered the house, and he turned on the light.
Once Jiang Du Xue was on the ground, she grabbed Lin Fan's arm and said angrily, "I want to go back to school! I'm going to tell the old principal to deal with you!"
"Oh ho~"
Lin Fan feigned a villainous expression. "Do you believe I'll hit you?"
"You wouldn't dare?"
Jiang Du Xue tilted her chin up.
"Hehe, let's find out then."
Lin Fan pulled her into the sickroom and gently pushed her onto the bed.
Slap!
A light sound.
Lin Fan smacked her on the back.
"Mmm~"
Jiang Du Xue let out a pained groan.
"You really dare to hit me?"
Jiang Du Xue gritted her teeth, squirming like a kitten.
However, Lin Fan's left hand was like a mountain, pressing down heavily on her delicate shoulder, rendering her motionless.
Slap!
Slap!
The more Lin Fan hit, the more stimulated he felt, wishing he could give her a dozen or twenty more.
But Jiang Du Xue couldn't take it!
Before five slaps, she was already crying out in pain and begging for mercy.
"Xiao Fan, stop hitting me."
Lin Fan stood up with satisfaction and said solicitously, "Come out and bask in the 'little sun.' Otherwise, you'll definitely catch a cold when you go back."
Jiang Du Xue was filled with pent-up frustration and turned her head away, ignoring him.
"You're not listening, are you?"
Lin Fan's playful tone was filled with a hint of threat.
Jiang Du Xue gritted her teeth. "Hmph!"
"It seems I didn't hit hard enough."
Lin Fan smirked and took a step closer.
"What are you going to do?"
Jiang Du Xue, like a startled deer, retreated step by step towards the corner of the wall.
"Come here."
Lin Fan beckoned her as he approached.
"I won't..."
Before Jiang Du Xue could finish her sentence, Lin Fan scooped her up.
"Don't throw a tantrum. Your health is important."
Lin Fan walked out and placed her on the sofa.
The "little sun" heater was turned on, emitting a warm glow.
Jiang Du Xue had waited outside for over an hour and was already freezing.
She curled up, instinctively moving closer to the heater.
"I told you, I went to the south a few days ago."
Lin Fan's attitude changed. He spoke of his fight with Li Yu Sheng with great importance.
And Zhong Chen was now his esteemed master.
"My sect was in trouble; I couldn't just ignore it."
Lin Fan sighed, secretly observing Jiang Du Xue's expression.
Jiang Du Xue's small mouth parted slightly, her face filled with astonishment.
Dragon-finding and acupoint-selection?
Fortune-telling blindfolded?
Xing Shi Zong and Li Qi Zong?
And the north-south conflict?
A fantastical world, entirely unfamiliar, began to take shape in her mind.
"Then why didn't you come to find me when you returned?"
Jiang Du Xue said with a hint of melancholy, "Auntie Wang told me you were back a few days ago. After the New Year, did you just forget about me? You don't care about my well-being at all!"
Her barrage of questions revealed the grievances in her heart.
"Heaven and Earth as my witness!"
Lin Fan cried out indignantly.
"I... I missed you! But I was away for so many days, and there were so many things piled up at home. The first day I returned, I was dragged to work by the village committee. Can I refuse?"
Lin Fan said pitifully, "I worked from sunrise to sunset. It was hard to even take a sip of water!"
Jiang Du Xue didn't believe him.
Did working for the village committee require such strenuous effort?
Who was he trying to fool?
"My sister-in-law can vouch for me!"
Lin Fan declared firmly, "I went out on business today. You saw it just now; I didn't get back until dark. There's a patient in the city who's been waiting for a long time. They sent a car to pick me up. Could I refuse?"
"So, you were too busy to remember me, is that it?"
"Xue'er, listen to me. The patient's condition is very special."
Lin Fan began to recount the situation at Li Jian's home.
However, he didn't mention anything about being possessed. He only said that Liu Xiu Min had been mentally unstable for over a decade.
When he described the couple weeping in each other's arms, Jiang Du Xue was deeply moved.
Over ten years!
She wondered, if it were us...
"Xue'er, if it were you and me, I would also take care of you and wait for your recovery."
Lin Fan's words struck Jiang Du Xue's heart like a hammer, opening it wide.
All the gloom and shadows vanished.
Jiang Du Xue's eyes sparkled, her heart filled with emotion.
"You're the one who'll go crazy."
Although Jiang Du Xue said this, her voice was sweeter than honey.
Even the "little sun" heater wasn't as warm as Lin Fan's words.
Lin Fan was overjoyed, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Good heavens, after much coaxing, he had finally managed to pacify her.
"Who was that person who brought you back earlier? I saw you two hugging!"
Jiang Du Xue suddenly remembered this incident, and her lips pouted again.
"She was my patient before. She's the one who invited me to make a house call this time."
Lin Fan feigned a wronged expression. "No, look at her age. She's over forty! To put it bluntly, she could be my mother. What are you thinking?"
"Is she that old?"
Jiang Du Xue recalled and felt that the woman looked no older than her mid-thirties.
"She's rich and takes good care of herself."
Lin Fan explained.