Wen Baozhu didn't seem to hear or chose to ignore. She gave no response.
She seemed to just talk to herself and then lay back down.
Even when not in Hong Kong, there were still people bustling around for Fu Lian. Even the taro shoots in syrup that Wen Baozhu casually mentioned she wanted to eat were delivered within twenty minutes.
When the packaging box was brought into the room, it was still piping hot.
Fu Lian unpacked the box for Wen Baozhu and lifted the lid. The steam with the fragrance of brown sugar wafted out from the box.
The man held the bowl in his hand and placed it beside her bed, saying indifferently, "Get up and have a taste."
Wen Baozhu lying in the bed was stunned.
It took her a while to figure out what he said. Only then did she realize that her casual muttering had been heard by him.
Not only did he hear it, but he also did as she said.
Turning to look at the still-steaming taro shoots in syrup, Wen Baozhu's throat twitched.
She wanted to say thank you, but the man spoke first, "After drinking it, get your energy back. The weather forecast says it will clear up tomorrow. We'll go back to Hong Kong right away."
The budding gratitude and the thought of trying to communicate again were dispelled by his cold and commanding tone. She pursed her lips and finally said nothing.
The taro shoots in syrup were very hot. When her fingers touched the bowl wall, she couldn't help but quickly retract them.
Wen Baozhu raised her eyes and stared at the man's side profile.
He had made it very clear just now. After tonight, as soon as the weather cleared up tomorrow, he would take her back to Hong Kong.
The first time she managed to escape was because he had slackened his control over her. But this time he had caught her back. It would be much harder to escape next time.
But she hadn't seen her grandma yet.
She was not willing to give up.
Suddenly, a more rebellious thought popped into her mind. Bolstered by it, she mustered up the courage to gently lift the bowl. Gritting her teeth and steeling herself—
She poured the whole bowl of boiling taro shoots in syrup directly on her exposed forearms and hands. Immediately, a large area of her skin turned red.
The burning pain was like countless fine needles stabbing hard into her skin.
The sharp pain made her gasp. Tears welled up in her eyes instantly.
Before she could cry out in pain, the man had already heard the commotion by the bed. He took a quick step and rushed over.
"Are you an idiot? How can you spill the porridge while drinking it?"
Fu Lian's voice was cold. He directly picked her up from the bed and walked straight into the bathroom.
Without hesitation, he stretched her arm under the faucet and turned it to the maximum. He washed her skin with cold water.
The man firmly held her wrist, preventing her from escaping. At the same time, his voice was low, "Don't move."
Wen Baozhu was stunned. From her angle, she could see the man's tense jawline and a pair of worried eyes.
Was he worried about her?
When she realized she had such a self - conceited thought, her first reaction was to suppress it.
She was just his pawn. How could there be any concern?
Rapid cooling could minimize the pain of the burn, but it could only provide temporary relief.
The burned area was too large. It was impossible to rely solely on self - healing.
The water had been running for more than ten minutes. Although the temperature had been completely lowered physically, the burned parts began to swell and blister.
Applying medicine as soon as possible was the only way to relieve and heal the wound quickly.
The man frowned and coldly snapped, "You never let me worry less."
Wen Baozhu showed a look of doing something wrong on her face. The pain made her voice weak, "Sorry."
His voice was cold and impatient, "I'll go out to buy burn ointment. You wait in the hotel."
Wen Baozhu lowered her eyes and softly said "Okay."
Just as the man had dressed up, a suspicion flashed through his mind. Suddenly, he turned back and stared at her intently with a glint of interest in his eyes.
Wen Baozhu was confused and stared back at him.
He suddenly spoke with an ambiguous tone, "Did you do it on purpose?"
Did she spill the porridge on purpose to hurt herself and get him out of the way?
Wen Baozhu froze for a moment. She understood the hidden meaning in his unfinished words. Her hand hidden under the quilt tightly pinched her palm to avoid showing any signs.
"Since Mr. Fu doubts me, there's no need for you to go for me."
She shifted her gaze and casually glanced at her arm. She tried hard to pull out a comforting smile, "Maybe it will get better after one night."
This was simply taking people for fools.
She was burned to such an extent. It couldn't get completely better overnight. It wasn't a pimple.
Even a pimple might not disappear overnight.
She pretended to be relaxed and continued, "Anyway, burning my arm won't affect the baby. It's okay."
Fu Lian raised his eyelids and looked calm, "You'd better not have any other ideas. I'll be back in ten minutes."
His tone was flat, but the threat was obvious.
After saying that, he stood up. Without waiting for Wen Baozhu's response, he turned the doorknob of the hotel room and stepped out.
Wen Baozhu pursed her lips and said casually. Her voice fell behind him, "Mr. Fu, don't worry. I won't go anywhere."
— Yeah, right.
Having learned from the previous experience of being guarded by bodyguards in the hospital, Wen Baozhu wasn't stupid enough to just open the door and go out.
Fucheng wasn't Hong Kong. Even if there were no bodyguards here, the hotel staff should have been arranged by Fu Lian.
She had to use a clever plan to escape.
Wen Baozhu first called the front desk and euphemistically said that she had accidentally fallen in the bathroom and asked if they could come up and give her a hand.
Wen Baozhu's room had been set as a super VIP room in the hotel. Any demand would be given top priority.
As soon as the phone call ended, the hotel staff quickly walked to her room and opened the door.
Saving lives came first!
But when they rushed into the bathroom, it was empty.
"Where is she?" The two hotel staff looked at each other, bewildered.
At this moment, Wen Baozhu hiding behind the door slipped out silently without being noticed by anyone.
After successfully escaping, Wen Baozhu felt nothing but relief.
Fortunately, this wasn't a high - class hotel. Otherwise, it would have been much more difficult for her to escape openly by herself.
In those magnificent resort hotels in Hong Kong, she would have to wander around for at least a dozen circles to find the exit.
The heavy rain outside hadn't stopped. Wen Baozhu had run out in a hurry. Moreover, there was only one umbrella in the room, and it had been taken away by Fu Lian.
Without any shelter, she could only stand on the roadside in the rain.
When she saw a taxi passing by, Wen Baozhu waved without hesitation to stop it. She immediately opened the door and got in.
After getting in the car, the driver asked her where she was going.
Wen Baozhu got straight to the point, "Go to Changfu Town."
The driver exclaimed, "Girl, the place you're going to is quite far."
"I have money," Wen Baozhu said.
Before leaving the hotel, she had secretly taken a few bills from Fu Lian's wallet, which was enough for a round - trip taxi ride.
Of course, she also knew very well that Fu Lian would find out she had escaped again before she took the taxi back.
So what?
She had decided to go all out. This time, she must see her grandma.
—
All the way, Wen Baozhu looked out of the window. As the car drove from the city to the town, the surrounding roads gradually became familiar.
However, the only thing that remained unchanged was the continuous rain, which even seemed to be getting heavier.
The large, thick rain clouds overhead made Wen Baozhu very doubtful: Would this rain really stop tomorrow?
The driver complained about the weather while driving, but Wen Baozhu's heart was pounding violently.
The eagerness to see her grandma right away made her palms sweat slightly involuntarily.
When the car stopped by the roadside, Wen Baozhu took out the money from her pocket and gave it to the driver. She said thank you and then opened the door and jumped out.
Running all the way in the rain through the streets and alleys, she finally arrived at her home.
It was still the familiar courtyard gate, the familiar eaves, and the familiar scenery.
Even the Spring Festival couplets hadn't been changed. The ones from last year were still hanging there.
Her mother was really something.
Finally back at her long - missed home, Wen Baozhu's eyes began to heat up. She trembled as she reached out to knock on the door.
"Mom! Grandma! I'm back!"