SGEIRS -Chapter 177 Comforting the Little Girl

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao looked confused and asked in return, “Didn’t you see everything that happened today, Husband?”

She dared say that in all her life, she had never experienced anything so thrilling and dangerous. Escaping death had happened in an instant, and she never wanted to go through something like that again.

Seeing that she was genuinely confused and not pretending, Gu Jingxi lightly tapped her palm and continued, “What’s wrong with your hand? You wouldn’t get an injury like this just from falling.”

Meng Jinyao was stunned for a moment. She lowered her head and looked at her palm. The marks from that afternoon were still there. She immediately recalled the encounter with the middle-aged woman. Her gaze darkened, and she subconsciously tried to clench her fist again.

Gu Jingxi reacted quickly and grabbed both her hands, stopping her, so that her fingernails wouldn’t tear the wound open and make it bleed again.

The little girl’s nails were slightly long and tinted with nail dye, making her jade-like fingers look even more slender and fair. They were very beautiful. Others kept long nails to decorate their hands, but hers were used to hurt herself.

Gu Jingxi frowned again and said earnestly, “Madam, I’ve told you before—don’t punish yourself for other people’s mistakes. That only hurts those who care about you and pleases those who hate you. It hasn’t been that long. Have you already forgotten?”

Meng Jinyao was surprised. “How do you know it’s someone else’s fault? Maybe it was mine.”

Gu Jingxi replied softly, “You’re a sensible girl. You act with proper judgment and restraint. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t make serious mistakes.”

Hearing this, she was even more surprised. “You trust me quite a lot, Husband.”

Gu Jingxi smiled. “You’re my wife. If I don’t trust you, should I trust others instead?”

At his words, Meng Jinyao’s nose suddenly felt sore. A thin mist quickly gathered in her eyes.

Perhaps it was because she had suddenly learned the truth about her mother’s death today, and in the evening had brushed past death itself, suffering such a fright.

Or perhaps it was because of Gu Jingxi’s meticulous care, gentle concern, and unconditional trust. Being valued like this made her, who was usually strong, suddenly become fragile and even a little emotional, wanting to cry.

It was like a child who had fallen down. If an elder paid attention, the child would burst into tears and wait to be picked up and comforted. But if ignored, the child would quietly get up and pretend nothing had happened.

Right now, she belonged to the former.

Seeing this, Gu Jingxi was slightly taken aback. He softened his tone and asked, “Were you wronged?”

Meng Jinyao originally wanted to shake her head, but when she met his gentle gaze, she didn’t know why she nodded heavily and replied with an “Mm.”

She felt she really had been wronged—after all, others had done bad things, yet she had been scolded as a jinx for over ten years.

Seeing her reddened eyes filled with tears, Gu Jingxi realized it was the first time he had seen her so vulnerable. Even the last time he saw her injure herself at home, she hadn’t been this fragile.

His heart suddenly tightened. Like coaxing a child, he said softly, “Alright, don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying.”

Meng Jinyao still tried to be stubborn, but the nasal tone in her voice betrayed her. Feeling embarrassed and annoyed, she pressed her lips together and turned her face away, as if sulking.

Gu Jingxi smiled slightly. After all, she was just a teenage girl, not made of iron. This was normal. Before, she had been overly calm and mature, lacking the liveliness a young girl should have.

He was about to comfort her a bit more and ask what had really happened when Ningdong entered with a basin of clean water. He swallowed the words he was about to say.

Ningdong placed the basin on the table and asked respectfully, “My Lord, how should this water be used?”

“Go find a clean cloth,” Gu Jingxi instructed.

Ningdong quickly found a clean face towel from their luggage.

Gu Jingxi glanced at the little girl, hesitated, then took the towel and said lightly, “I’ll do it. You may go out.”

Ningdong looked at her mistress. Seeing that she didn’t object, she withdrew.

Gu Jingxi said gently, “Come wash the wound. You scraped your skin when you fell, and it’s covered in dust.”

Meng Jinyao stood up and walked over without hesitation.

Gu Jingxi took her hand and carefully cleaned the wound on her palm.

When water touched it, she instinctively tried to pull back in pain.

As if he had anticipated this, Gu Jingxi tightened his grip on her slender wrist, preventing her from escaping.

She failed once, tried again twice, but couldn’t move. She lifted her head and glared at him in dissatisfaction. Tears still lingered in her eyes, making them misty and pitiful. Her resentful look was delicate and heartbreaking.

Originally, Gu Jingxi planned to scold her lightly, but when he met her gaze, his heart softened.
“Be good. If the wound isn’t cleaned and you apply medicine directly, it could get infected.”

Hearing this, she obediently cooperated.

Gu Jingxi smiled and shook his head. Only tonight did he realize that she could also be temperamental and needed to be coaxed like any ordinary girl.

After cleaning the wound, Qingqiu returned with medicine from the temple—an ointment to promote blood circulation and reduce bruising, and a powder to stop bleeding.

Gu Jingxi took the medicine and personally applied it for her, his movements gentle and meticulous.

Meng Jinyao quietly looked at him.

Under the warm yellow candlelight, his brows and eyes were gentle, his facial features softened, and his long phoenix eyes shimmered with warmth.

They said beauty looked even better under lamplight.

She felt that applied not only to women, but to men as well.

She had always known that Gu Jingxi was handsome. As the capital’s number one beauty, no one had surpassed his looks in nearly ten years. Even if others were good-looking, they lacked his mature temperament and presence.

If he hadn’t been injured in the past, he probably would have married Miss Mei, the former “Number One Beauty of the Capital,” long ago, and might even have had several children by now.

Looking at his immortal-like face, Meng Jinyao unknowingly drifted into a daze.

It wasn’t until medicine was applied to her right hand—which was more badly injured—that she felt much sharper pain and snapped back to her senses.

Realizing she had been staring at his face, her cheeks grew warm. Feeling awkward all over, she silently thought:

Beauty truly leads people astray.