"I really didn't want this to happen!" Gu Zhinan's mind was in complete chaos. He had just tackled his ndlord to the ground—who turned out to be an absolute goddess.

  Internally panicking but trying to maintain a calm exterior, Gu Zhinan reasoned that it was totally understandable to mistake her for a thief. Who wouldn’t, when someone barged into their pce in the middle of the night unannounced?

  "Huh?" Gu Zhinan’s gaze nded on a suitcase near the entrance... and a guitar?

  Noticing where he was looking, Xia An’ge attempted to shift onto the couch, but the moment she moved, a sharp pain shot through her leg. Her delicate face twisted in agony, and her misty peach blossom eyes welled up again. Clearly, she had exerted too much force trying to escape earlier.

  "Don't come any closer!" she warned, instantly on high alert at Gu Zhinan’s movement.

  Gu Zhinan shrugged. The misunderstanding was already cleared up—why was she still so tense?

  "Miss Landlord, there's no need to be so nervous. I really thought you were a thief. Who would expect someone to just walk in unannounced in the middle of the night?"

  As he spoke, he walked over to the TV stand, pulled open a drawer, and took out a first-aid kit. He had no idea why he even bought it in the first pce, but at least now it was coming in handy.

  Xia An’ge pursed her lips, looking a little pitiful. Gu Zhinan sat on the couch, pced the first-aid kit on the coffee table, and pushed it toward her.

  Still wary, Xia An’ge cautiously examined its contents but didn’t make a move.

  She didn’t know how to use it.

  Gu Zhinan noticed her hesitation, pulled the kit back, and took out disinfectant, cotton swabs, and a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao spray.

  For the first time, Xia An’ge took a proper look at him. Messy bangs, at least 1.8 meters tall, lean build... and honestly, pretty handsome. But the sharp angles of his face made her think—what a brute!

  Dipping a cotton swab into the disinfectant, Gu Zhinan sighed when she still hadn’t moved.

  "Give me your hand."

  "What for?" Xia An’ge asked warily. Was he going to tackle her again like a wild bull?!

  Gu Zhinan gnced at her right hand, the pale skin now scraped red, and sighed again.

  "You really don’t need to be so guarded. I’m not a bad guy. Wait, actually, you were the one who broke in first." He frowned, realizing that technically, this was her house.

  Xia An’ge pouted and ignored him.

  "It’ll scar," Gu Zhinan said ftly.

  Her peach blossom eyes widened, and after a moment of hesitation, she slowly stretched out her hand.

  "...…"

  Gu Zhinan soaked the cotton swab again, making sure to be as gentle as possible. Still, the moment it touched her skin, she immediately recoiled with a sharp intake of breath.

  "Hiss—!"

  "...Uh." Gu Zhinan froze. Was it really that painful?

  Her left hand was fine, but her right hand and lower leg were injured.

  "Maybe you should do it yourself?" He felt a bit awkward. He had barely interacted with girls in both of his lifetimes—how was he supposed to know how to help one with first aid?

  "You need to take care of your leg too. You hit it pretty hard."

  I hit it too hard???

  Xia An’ge shot him a look full of disbelief.

  "I’ll do it in my room."

  Gu Zhinan had no objections. He put the medicine back in the kit and watched as the now-composed Miss Landlord picked it up and limped toward the main bedroom. She took out her key, unlocked the door, went inside... and then—

  Click. Click. Ka!

  "...…"

  Did she just lock the door like I was some kind of criminal?!

  Gu Zhinan frowned. Now it looked like he was the suspicious one. Great.

  Checking the time, he realized it was already past 6 AM. The sky outside was growing lighter—May mornings in the peak of summer.

  One night, and everything has changed. So much for his peaceful, zy life. With a sigh, he dragged himself to the bathroom to wash up and make himself breakfast. He was exhausted.

  Meanwhile, inside the master bedroom, Xia An’ge bit her lip as she carefully locked the door. The furniture was exactly how she had left it before renting the pce out, with dust settled on some surfaces. Her bedroom had a small balcony, and outside, the sun was rising.

  Sitting in the vanity, she took out the first-aid supplies. Following Gu Zhinan’s instructions, she soaked a cotton swab and carefully dabbed at her scraped palm.

  "Mm…"

  She bit her lower lip, leaving faint teeth marks. She really hated pain. But the thought of scarring made her grit her teeth and push through.

  Once she had cleaned off the dried blood, she clumsily applied medicine and stuck on a bandage. The sting was finally bearable.

  But then she looked at her leg… and her expression soured. The pain was much worse than her hand. Fortunately, her jeans were stretchy.

  Slowly, she rolled up her pant leg—only to realize that the dried blood had stuck to the fabric. The moment she peeled it off, a fresh wave of pain shot through her. Her lips turned pale from how hard she was biting them, and fine sweat dotted her forehead.

  Finally, she managed to roll the jeans up, revealing a swollen, bruised leg.

  Scraped right hand, bruised left leg. Perfectly symmetrical.

  Taking a deep breath, she carefully dabbed at the wound, much more gently than before.

  Outside, Gu Zhinan had already finished making breakfast—millet porridge and pickled vegetables, a cssic morning meal.

  By the time he knocked on the door, Xia An’ge had just finished wrapping her leg with a bandage. She looked at her handiwork and, strangely, felt quite proud.

  Hearing the knock, she didn’t respond.

  "Miss Landlord, I made breakfast. Come out if you want to eat," Gu Zhinan called.

  Still no response. Fine. Eat or don’t.

  Gu Zhinan assumed she had either fallen asleep or just really didn’t like him. Probably the tter.

  He ate his meal alone, finishing his portion while leaving some for her.

  Before heading back to his room for a well-deserved nap, he gnced at the master bedroom door. This whole situation was a mess. He sighed and finally retreated to his room, pnning to sleep until the afternoon.

  Outside, once everything was completely silent, Xia An’ge carefully limped to the door and peeked out. Seeing no one around, she slowly made her way to the dining table.

  Gurgle~

  Yep. She was starving. She hadn’t eaten since st night. Even dieting shouldn’t be this extreme.

  There was still a bowl and pte set on the table, half a pte of pickled vegetables, and the porridge in the pot was still warm.

  She ended up eating two bowls and finished all the pickled vegetables. When she put her spoon down, her cheeks were flushed—even she was shocked by her appetite.

  Originally, she didn’t want to eat anything that guy made. She had pnned to tell him to leave so she could live here alone.

  But now… well, she had already eaten his food.

  And he was already asleep.

  Stuffed and exhausted, she limped back to her room, double-checked the locks, and carefully y down on the bed.

  Before long, her soft breathing filled the quiet room.

  Everything could wait until after she slept.