But she did know one thing. Bai Li was not someone who did things without reason. If she was holding back, then there had to be a reason. And if there was a reason, then Yan Cijin would probably figure it out eventually. For now, though, she just sat quietly on the sofa and kept thinking about many things. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

\\\\\

While she was lost in thought, Bai Li suddenly felt something cool brush across her calves, and she looked down in a little surprise. Water had splashed there while Yan Cijin was cleaning up the mess around her, and Yan Cijin was now wiping it away with a tissue in a very careful, very natural way, like this kind of thing had already become normal between them. That tiny touch was enough to pull Bai Li’s attention back into the room. The bathroom had already been used up by the two of them for a while, and the air still carried a damp warmth, mixed with the smell of shampoo, shower gel, and the faint leftover trace of blood that had not fully disappeared yet. Bai Li watched Yan Cijin work for a second and then finished washing herself in silence. She put on two pairs of disposable gloves, taped the openings down so water would not get inside, and then used shower gel over her hands before rubbing it all over her body and rinsing it off again and again until the bloodstains were finally gone. It took a few rounds, but she did not rush it. Once her skin no longer looked stained and the smell had faded enough to be less obvious, she took a clean towel, dried herself off, and changed into fresh clothes. She chose a white T shirt and denim shorts that looked a lot like the ones Yan Cijin had on, which was not something she had planned to do for any special reason. It just happened that way. Then she took off the shower cap, combed her hair a little, pulled off the gloves, and finally stepped out of the bathroom looking a lot cleaner than before, though still a little tired around the edges.

The second Bai Li came out, Yan Cijin’s gaze dropped naturally to her hands first, then to her legs. Bai Li was slightly taller than her, and her legs looked long and lean under the loose shirt, with that sort of strong shape that came from being active all the time instead of sitting around doing nothing. Yan Cijin rubbed at her own slightly burning earlobes, still not fully used to how close they were standing and how normal it already felt to be helping her like this. "Are your hands alright?" she asked, even though her eyes were already checking for the answer on their own. Bai Li sat down next to her on the sofa and answered in a calm voice, "It’s alright, I didn’t get any water in." It sounded simple, but the truth was that her body still felt a little strange after the whole thing, not weak exactly, just stretched thin in that way that only happened after fighting too long and holding yourself up on pure will. She sat there for a moment, then let Yan Cijin bring over the first aid kit again. When Yan Cijin told her to stretch out her hands so she could unwrap the gauze, Bai Li obeyed right away, not making a fuss. Yan Cijin’s voice was careful and practical. She said it might hurt a little, and Bai Li nodded as if she already knew that. The moment Yan Cijin started taking the gauze off Bai Li’s right hand, it became obvious that the wound was not in great shape. Bai Li had not rested properly, and because she had used a Tang sword before, the yellow gauze had stuck to the flesh of her palm. That made it a little difficult to remove, and Yan Cijin had to work slowly so she would not pull too hard and make Bai Li flinch more than necessary.

Yan Cijin used cotton to dab a little iodine onto the wound, softening the gauze little by little so it would not tear at Bai Li’s skin. She worked with a very light touch, and it was clear from the way her fingers moved that she was paying attention to every bit of resistance. The whole process took her a while, because she did not want to rush and make the wound worse. When the gauze finally came off, Yan Cijin frowned slightly and looked at Bai Li with a serious face. "You must be careful these next few days. Don’t use your hands if you can avoid it. If it gets worse, it could get infected. Do you have any anti inflammatory drugs or antibiotics at home?" Bai Li nodded right away. "Yes, we also have glucose, saline, and IV equipment." That answer made Yan Cijin relax a little. She let out a quiet breath and said that she would change the dressing today, then check whether there were any oral medications too. If there were, Bai Li should take those first. If things did not improve by tomorrow, Yan Cijin said she might have to give her an IV. Bai Li listened and nodded obediently, saying, "Okay, I’ll listen to you." Then Yan Cijin cleaned the wound with iodine in the same careful way, swabbing it little by little until the surface was properly cleaned. After that she put on another damp strip of yellow gauze and wrapped the whole thing back up with fresh gauze, making sure it was secure without being too tight. It was obvious she was trying to be gentle, but she was also not careless. After finishing Bai Li’s right hand, she repeated the whole process on the left hand too, just as slowly and carefully, because there was no point in treating one hand well and then ignoring the other. The whole time, Bai Li stayed

.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED.