บท 24: Same Scent

Li Chanying almost choked on her banana when her eyes caught Li Nuxie's reddened left arm as soon as she went out of the kitchen. Her cousin just came out from the study room with a hard expression.

"Do you need to go to the optometrist and change your eyeglass, Xiexie?" Li Chanying asked, crossing her fingers on her side. She was hoping that Li Nuxie bumped against the wall, instead of their grandmother raising her hand on her youngest grandchild.

"It should be Grandma who should change her glasses," Li Nuxie shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. "Or better yet, she should get an eye surgery," she turned around, heading towards the main door.

Li Chanying blinked at her cousin before chasing after her. "Did Grandma really raise her hand on you?"

"She didn't. Her cane did."

As soon as realization hit her, Li Chanying's lips quivered. How could the Old Madam Li do that? Li Nuxie was her granddaughter.

"Does it hurt?" She eyed Li Nuxie's left arm. The periphery of the reddened area was gradually turning into purple. The car beeped as Li Chanying pressed the button on her car keys. She pulled the car door open for Li Nuxie.

"No. Just numb," Li Nuxie lowered herself inside the car and fastened her seat belt.

After going inside the car, Li Chanying stared at her cousin. She had difficulty in swallowing whatever lump that blocked her throat.

"Drive," Li Nuxie said, leaning her back on the seat.

Li Chanying gritted her teeth as she maneuvered the car away from the ancestral house. Whenever that woman was involved, her cousin always ended up with a broken heart.

Eight years ago, Li Nuxie left the ancestral house with a broken heart. This time, will it boil down to a broken family? Glancing at her cousin's bruised arm, Li Chanying stepped on the accelerator. The whole time, the speeding car did not draw out any reaction from Li Nuxie.

She was just staring ahead. Li Chanying didn't know if her cousin was aware that they already left the ancestral house.

The car stopped in front of City S Private Hospital. Li Chanying went down, throwing her keys to the valet before going to the passenger side. She pulled the door opened and true to her assumption, Li Nuxie's blank stare greeted her.

"Xiexie," she lightly tapped her cousin's shoulder. "We're already here."

Li Nuxie turned to her, blinking. "Yes? What did you say?"

"We're here at the hospital," Li Chanying told her again. Li Nuxie jolted upright as soon as the word 'hospital' entered her mind.

"Hey, listen. The doctor needs to examine your arm. It will be a lot of trouble if you skip this," Li Chanying grasped her cousin's shoulder as she continued fidgeting in the seat. Li Nuxie never liked the hospital. She hated the smell and the drama that came with it.

"Think about the launching of the third collection," she reminder Li Nuxie.

Li Nuxie stopped moving, her shoulders went slumped. Yeah, she almost forgot. Next month would be NU C's launching at Country P. She needed to be in her top form when the time comes. She blew out her cheeks.

"Don't tell Chao-ge about this," she told Li Chanying as she went down from the car. Her cousin just nodded. Her brother was extremely protected of her. And given that her grandma and her brother clashed often, Li Nuxie cannot imagine what will happen after.

=0=

The doctor's expression was grim when he occupied his seat. In his hand was the result of Li Nuxie's x-ray.

"What is it, Doc?" Li Chanying asked as if she was the one who was injured.

"Miss Li, your cousin has a closed fracture on her forearm," the doctor started. "We need to cast your arm, Young Miss Li. The recovery period is about four to six weeks," he continued.

"F-Four to six weeks?" Li Nuxie stammered, her right hand pressed her throat. That means she cannot draw for that duration? Li Chanying, who was seated near her, patted her back.

"I'll help you with the designs, Xiexie. Don't worry about it. You'll be good as new during the launching."

Li Nuxie lowered her head. Why did these things happen when she was so close on the launching period? If Liu Lanzhi was not sabotaging her, it was fate that does the honor.

The doctor cleared his throat. "Then, Young Miss Li, please follow me at the Trauma Room. I'll oversee the procedure."

=0=

Chang Lianna was all-smiles when she bade goodbye to the team of doctors that was in charge of her therapy. She just needed eight months of continuous therapy and she can walk again. Much better, she can go to the beach and wear her bikinis.

"Why so silent, brother?" she glanced upwards. "Aren't you happy for me?"

"Huh?" Chang Lianna's brother stared at her; a crease appeared on his forehead. "What did you say?" He continued pushing her wheelchair towards the elevator.

Her face twisted as she understood that her brother was currently spacing out. "Why so lost?" She asked him instead. "Is it a woman?"

The man beamed. "As expected of my sister, you're improving, huh?"

Chang Lianna rolled her eyes. Another way of his brother saying 'Mind your own business.'

Turning into the corner of the hallway, they almost collided with a woman who was sprinting in her pink ruffles dress. The woman slowed down, lowering her head. "I'm sorry!" the woman said before looking at them.

Li Chanying gasped when her eyes took in the profile of the people in front of her. Black Emperor! She shivered at the thought that she almost collided with him. Lowering her gaze, the woman sitting on the wheelchair smiled at her.

"Miss Li Chanying, nice seeing you here," the woman greeted her.

Li Chanying fidgeted. Does she know the woman? She cannot remember meeting her.

As if the woman sensed her apprehension, she chuckled. "We haven't met before but I do love your designs. The YDLB, right?"

"Oh," Li Chanying reluctantly nodded her head.

"By the way, this is my brother –"

"We knew each other, Nana," Black Emperor interrupted his sister's introduction.

"Really? How come?" Chang Lianna's eyes darted back and forth from her brother and Li Chanying.

"We move in the same circle," Li Chanying said.

"Ying, I thought you're already downstairs? Why are you still here?" A woman's voice rang around the corridor. It was lunch time so the hallway was somehow deserted.

Li Chanying's eyes went round. Oh no! She totally forgot her cousin's milk tea. Slowly turning around, she prepared herself for a tongue-lashing lecture.

"The nurse just finished the cast a while ago," Li Nuxie told her, slightly lifting her left arm which was hanging from her shoulder.

"Li Nuxie."

The words entered Li Nuxie's consciousness, rendering her unable to move. That voice belonged to the most annoying man she ever met. But how come she liked it the way her name rolled on his tongue? Like it was caressing her whole body from her neck down to her toes?

Li Nuxie turned to the source of the voice. As expected, the Black Emperor with his signature black mask and hooded black jacket was standing in the middle of the corridor in his splendour. Wait, how did he know her name? Oh, it must be during the pre-launch of NU C, she thought.

Black Emperor's brows drew together when he noticed the sling on Li Nuxie's arm. In just a few strides, he was already at her side. The three women did not have the time to react. All they were able to do was left their mouth open.

"What happened to you?"

Li Nuxie glanced at her cousin before looking back at the eyebrows of Black Emperor. There's no need for other people to know the skeletons in her closet. She took a deep breath before forcing a smile.

"I just bumped into something. My cousin knew I'm always clumsy, isn't it right, Ying?"

"Yes. My cousin loves to bump herself on random things," Li Chanying lied through her teeth.

"Brother, who is she?" Chang Lianna asked, raising her eyebrow. It was unusual that her brother would show concern to a woman other than her, their grandma and their mother.

"I'm Li Nuxie," she said, introducing herself.

Chang Lianna extended her left hand. "I'm Chang Lianna," she pointed at Black Emperor. "His sister."

Li Nuxie's mouth formed an 'O' as she accepted Chang Lianna's hand. A warm smile appeared on her lips.

"Miss Li, can you do me a favor?" Black Emperor's voice disturbed Li Chanying's tranquillity.

"As long as I can do it," Li Chanying answered but deep inside, she wanted to trash talk Black Emperor. She doesn't want to be associated with him!

"Please push my sister's wheelchair to the ground floor."

Huh?

"Excuse me, brother? What do you mean?" Chang Lianna furrowed her eyebrows.

"Let's see each other downstairs," Black Emperor said, as if he didn't hear his sister's question.

Meanwhile, Li Nuxie felt she will not last another second under the intense gaze of the Black Emperor. She wanted to look for a mirror to check if she has food particles in between her teeth.

No one could have prepared the three women for the next move of the Black Emperor.

Li Nuxie's scream was caught in her mouth when Black Emperor lifted her, bridal style. "Oh. My. Goodness. What the hell are you doing? Put me down!" She ordered him. Li Nuxie was stubborn. But Black Emperor's stubborn trait was twice compared to her.

"You're injured," he said as he took his time walking towards the elevator.

"My injury is far from my legs and feet! I can walk," she insisted, fidgeting in his arms. His gaze was straight, not even glancing at her.

"I guess you are craving for my kiss?"

"What?!" Li Nuxie's cheeks turned pink. She badly wanted to strangle this man with her sling!

"You keep on talking. I don't like loud women," he stared at her before lowering his head.

Nooooo! He's going to kiss her again?! With her mind going haywire, Li Nuxie closed her eyes tightly and turned her head away.

Black Emperor chuckled. He leaned closer to her ear. "Except in bed," he whispered. He watched how Li Nuxie's face became redder from before and a laugh escaped his throat. He really loved to tease this woman in his arms.

The elevator opened and Black Emperor with Li Nuxie in his arms went inside. He saw Chang Lianna and Li Chanying looking at them as if they turned into an alien before the door closed.

"Open your eyes," he told her. "I'm not going to do something you don't want to."

Li Nuxie shook her head vehemently. However, she turned her head and leaned on Black Emperor's chest.

"What is your name?" Li Nuxie suddenly asked which brought a smile to Black Emperor's lips. Hmmmm, she's getting interested in him, huh?

"Didn't your cousin tell you already?"

"Your true name. Black Emperor seems distant," she countered.

"Wei. That's my name," he answered her after a while.

"Chang Wei?" Li Nuxie remembered that the woman a while ago was named Chang Lianna.

"No. Just Wei. I would prefer if you call me by that name," he said. He doesn't want to lie but he doesn't want to reveal his identity sooner.

"I can't call you that. That's too intimate," she insisted, leaning closer to his chest. Li Nuxie realized one thing. Wei and Mr. Book have the same scent. Both of them smell nice and made her comfortable. It's the type of smell that lulls someone to sleep and let go of the worries for the time being.

"You smell like him," she murmured.

"Who?"

"Someone I know," she answered groggily.

"Do you like him?" Black Emperor nudged Li Nuxie.

"Yes, I do."

"What about me?"

As the elevator continued to descend to the ground floor, Li Nuxie didn't answer. Black Emperor shook his head and smile as he watched the slow heaving of her chest. His woman fell asleep in his arms. Achievement unlocked!

He lowered his head and planted a chaste kiss on Li Nuxie's forehead. "Sleep tight, babe," he whispered.