5
I don’t know if it was just my imagination.
Liam’s temper had improved quite a bit compared to when I had amnesia.
The early spring in Yuzhou was still a bit chilly.
Coming out of the hospital, I accidentally stubbed my toe.
I was feeling rather resentful inside.
If it weren’t for playing along with his act, I wouldn’t have needed to come to the hospital and end up hurting my foot.
“Carry me.”
I stood on the steps, feeling somewhat entitled.
“What did you say?”
Liam always looked at people with a cool indifference. Now he frowned, appearing unfriendly.
I crossed my arms and repeated word for word: “I want you to carry me.”
I thought Liam was going to mock me again, but to my surprise he turned and crouched down, beckoning.
“Get on.”
He really changed his tune?
I skeptically climbed onto his broad back, staring at the hair on the nape of his neck, lost in thought.
Liam’s arms were tight and steady as he carried me through the crowded hospital. His black hair swayed in the wind.
Come to think of it, he really was like a wild dog.
“Where do you want to go sightseeing?”
Liam’s abrupt question caught me off guard.
2:55 PM d
<
“Hm? Don’t you have business to discuss?”
He replied coolly: “Didn’t work out. It fell through.”
I felt a bit gleeful, pretending to be upset as I yelled: “Which bastard dared to steal your business–ow!”
My thigh suddenly hurt. I nearly bit my tongue from the pain.
Liam snorted, easing up his grip. “Quite the troublemaker indeed, causing endless trouble.”
I quieted down.
Silently resting on Liam’s back, I seriously pondered William’s words.
To say Liam had been in business for years without any dirt on him, I really didn’t believe it.
But to say he broke the law and stole trade secrets didn’t seem very credible either.
I might end up trapping myself instead of taking Liam down.
”
As night fell, Yuzhou was crowded with holiday tourists. The lantern festival after dark was lively.
It pulled me back to reality from my deep thoughts.
The various food stalls along the street added a touch of life to this ancient alley.
I got down from Liam’s back, looking around curiously.
This was my first time exploring an ancient alley like this.
Pink rice sausages sizzled as they fell into the oii, sending up fragrant aromas.
The stall owner was very enthusiastic. “Three for $10, want to try some?”
Liam answered for me: “No thanks.”
Seeing I was a bit unhappy, he said: “It’s not clean. Let’s go.”
I held back from rolling my eyes.
Low birth, yet so picky.
When we reached a noodle shop, I was really too tired to walk anymore and plopped down on a stool in their outdoor courtyard.
Liam frowned, about to pull me up when the waiter brought over bowls and chopsticks. “Scan to order,”
I quickly took out my phone to scan the code, afraid Liam would make a fuss.
Only then did he sit down, asking for some hot water to carefully rinse my bowl and chopsticks.
I eyed him suspiciously: “Why aren’t you rinsing your own?”
Liam didn’t even look up. “I’m not that picky.”
Now it was my turn to be stunned.
So when he said it wasn’t clean, he was being picky on my behalf?
I recalled my glorious feat of wildly spending a million of his money in half a month. Liam certainly had reason to believe I was extravagant and overly particular.
The waiter brought over two bowls of crab roe noodles.
2:55 PM ·
<
I ate half a bowl, leaving half, and was still eating slower than Liam.
The waiter stood to the side chatting: “Why are there so many people today? I heard the railing on Mingzhai Bridge collapsed earlier, several people fell off.”
Liam checked the time. “Let’s go if you’re full. It’s crowded and unsafe today.”
I was about to get up when someone suddenly pushed me, nearly making me fall face–first.
Liam quickly caught me, looking seriously towards the street.
“Let’s not leave. Something’s not right.”
1441
By the time I realized what was happening, the originally slow–moving crowd had become like a blocked river.
In just half a minute, the crowd density exploded, pushing people into the roadside shops.
Commotion spread from far away.
Accompanied by crying and shouting, an inexplicable panic began to spread.
The flow of people exceeded the commercial street’s capacity, causing a stampede in the middle of the road.
Shop owners immediately closed their glass doors, blocking the crowded masses outside.
In a matter of seconds, Liam roughly shoved me into a narrow gap between two commercial buildings.
“Stay against the wall. Don’t move.”
Liam braced himself against the wall in front of me.
Soon, the violent pushing reached our area.
I heard the sound of people falling to the ground, gasping as their chests were trampled, and vomiting.
Liam’s face had turned pale, but he remained motionless, head lowered without a word.
He forcefully carved out a small space for me in the surging crowd.
I wanted to reach out and hug him, but he stopped me.
“There are people behind my back. Try it if you want your arms crushed!”
I realized he was at his limit, even speaking with difficulty. In that moment, I gripped his shirt.
“Liam, are you going to die…”
He was breathing unsteadily. “Curse me with something good. You want to be a widow?”
