Ji Chan returned to the main building of the hotel, while Chen Ziming took Su Yue to the villa that Jin Yan had opened for them.
Their bags were also found and were left in a hidden spot at the foot of the mountain.
Jin Yan sent people to deliver pajamas, clothes, and dinner for them. After settling them in, he left.
Chen Ziming first placed Su Yue on the sofa.
"Are you injured?" he asked, crouching down and carefully examining her leg.
Indeed, there were red marks from being scratched by grass.
Several large mosquito bites were on her fair legs.
Anger flared in his heart, but he did not show it in front of her.
"No... just bitten badly," she replied in a voice as thin as a mosquito's, her small face drooping, her lips pursed, pouring out all her grievances.
"I'll apply medicine for you, baby," he said gently, picking up the ointment.
"I want to take a bath first," she said coquettishly, looking at him with tear-filled eyes.
"Then wash up and I'll apply it. I'll go prepare the hot water," he indulged her in everything, put down the ointment, and got up to go to the bathroom.
He took his phone with him.
The water in the bathroom gushed out. The gentle expression he had on his face in front of the girl had long since disappeared.
It was replaced by gloom and indifference.
He raised his hand and made a phone call.
"Ziming," a middle-aged man's voice sounded from the other end of the phone.
"Director Zhang, have they been brought over?" the man said, walking to the window, his back to the light, his voice hoarse, his gaze dim.
"They were just brought over five minutes ago. Don't worry, Miss Liang Mu, who came with them, has a recording. The one who was instigated also seems easy to break. We are preparing for the interrogation, and it won't take too long."
"Alright, thank you for your trouble," he said lowly.
He paused, then added, "I'll be there later too."
After hanging up, he stood by the window, his eyes cast down, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the windowsill.
Not until the water overflowed the bathtub did he snap back to his thoughts and turn around, heading for the door.
In the living room, the girl was sitting on the sofa with her knees hugged to her chest.
Her small head rested on her arm, and she was staring blankly at a corner.
His heart ached again. He walked up to her and gently called out,
"Baby."
"Hmm?" Called by him, she hesitantly looked up at him, only then realizing she was spacing out.
"Go take a bath," he extended his hand and picked her up.
"Mm, okay."
Su Yue obediently wrapped her arms around his shoulders, rested her head on his chest, and was carried by him into the bathroom.
The man first placed her on a stool, undressed her, and put her into the bathtub.
Then he stood up.
"Are you leaving?" she suddenly looked up at him nervously, extending her hand and grabbing his arm.
A look of grievance reappeared on her small, delicate face.
Seeing this, he smiled, then crouched down to look her in the eyes.
"Do you want me to wash with you?"
Her face instantly flushed crimson.
Yet, she still nodded gently.
Perhaps the evening had been too upsetting. When he had come to prepare the water, she had felt an empty ache in her heart.
Now, even more so, she didn't want to be separated from him.
"Okay," the man smiled, revealing his handsome teeth and faint dimples, "I'll wash with you, baby."
She lowered her head even further, feeling a little ashamed of herself for making such a request.
He stood up again and reached out to unbutton his police uniform.
Although he turned slightly to the side,
she could still see when she looked up.
His slender fingers held the button, and the other hand reached over, with a gentle movement, freeing the button from the buttonhole.
A soft "click" seemed to sound.
Or perhaps it was a sensual sound she bestowed upon herself in her mind.
She couldn't stand him in his police uniform; the seriousness and restraint were too heart-stirring.
But what she couldn't stand even more was... him seriously unbuttoning his clothes.
"How about, how about you go... undress outside."
Feeling her heart about to leap out of her throat, she hastily averted her gaze, her voice filled with panic, and said.
The hand unbuttoning his shirt paused. Chen Ziming looked at her with some confusion, only to find that the girl's face was impossibly red.
He understood immediately.
"Okay, I'll undress outside." His smile deepened. He reached out his large hand, ruffled her hair, and obediently left the bathroom.