Jin squinted his eyes at her expectant gaze who was impatiently waiting for him to pick her up again. He sneered, giving her a disdainful look, "Why does it seem like you are enjoying this, Han Shui? You were just on the verge of collapsing."
Oh oh. I got a little too excited...
Shui expressionlessly figured out the problem, but she was more than capable enough to handle Jin's suspicions. Her brows knitted together tensely as if she was being harassed by another kind of pain.
"Do you realize Jin that ever since the beginning of this trip, you have been avoiding me as if I am some virus?"
He stiffened.
"I just want our work to go smoothly and I am fully dedicated towards it, but you keep leaving me alone...It hurts because it feels that you are not even allowing me to be your friend..."n)O(vel)u/s/B.,.c.o-m
That rattled him and his lips struggled to form a response.
"After so long for the first time, you looked genuinely worried about me. You, who always found a chance to escape from me, actually carried me in your arms. Do you realize how happy it made me feel? It's like I got validation that Jin still cares about me even if it's a little bit. And it came so fast and unexpected that I wasn't simply able to process it. I even forgot about my pain and dizziness. Can you really blame me for my reaction?"
"N-No...I mean..." Jin fumbled in his words, not expecting that carrying her led to such a significant impact.
Shui pressed her lips and lowered her gaze. "It's okay. I was being childish anyway. You can leave. It's just periods anyway. I can take care of myself-"
"No," A determined look flashed across his face. "I won't leave you alone when you are suffering. If it will make you happy that I carry you again, then I will."
Flowers blossomed inside Shui's heart, and she almost cried with happiness seeing the change in Jin.
Did my acting actually win?
Shui was left shocked by her own unexpected talent. She didn't realize that the arrow will pierce exactly where she wanted to. She was being dramatic for sure and half part of it was definitely to tug Jin's sympathetic heartstrings, but the remaining half part of the conversation was a reality anyway that Jin wouldn't be able to protest. It was hard to tell whether Shui was acting or genuinely disappointed because her words reflected both spectrums of her emotions.
Jin gently lifted her again in his arms and walked away from the bed to where they previously stood. He cleared his throat. "Now I will walk slowly..."
Shui inwardly coughed at his innocence and an urge arose within her to record this on her phone. But instead, she focused on basking herself in the warmth of Jin's embrace. Her heart squealed and tickled with the sensation of his fingers softly pressing into her waist, the sight of his handsome jawline melting her heart and his beautiful black irises that were filled with concern for her. The light away against his chest made a blush greet her cheeks.
She wished for this moment to never end and dreamily thought of never parting away from Jin. He placed her on the bed for the second time and asked, "Is this...okay now?"
The dreamy daze came to an end, and she inwardly sighed. But she wasn't going to let this atmosphere to go to waste thay she so painstakingly built all by herself. She weakly smiled, letting him clearly see her 'struggle.'
"Thanks Jin..." her lips then parted irregularly as if bouts of pain greeted her like a see-saw.
Alert and alarmed, Jin quickly said, "Wait here for me. I will be back in a minute!"
He rushed outside, causing Shui to give him a dumbfounded look.
Where did he suddenly rush off to?
But now that he was gone for sometime, Shui stepped out of her bed and hopped and jumped in excitement. She covered her face with her palms, recalling the short but sweet time in his arms. Giggling, she immediately grabbed her phone and sent a status message to her master.
'Master Aiiii!! Your plan actually worked! Jin got so worried about me that he is refusing to leave my side now~ He just rushed off now but I don't know where.'
A ding came a few seconds later.
'I told you so.'
Shui chuckled, imagining Ai's nose to have grown longer with pride. She had nailed down Jin's reaction to perfection.
'It is absolute heaven when the Liu family men serve- care for us,' she added another message.
She laughed.
"Shui!"
The phone almost slipped off her hands, and she choked hard.
He came back so soon?
Shui quickly locked her phone and jumped back to bed, covering herself with a duvet. She brought back the troubled expression as she saw Jun return. "Jin..."
He was holding a glass of warm drink and walked up to her anxiously. He noticed the beads of sweat on her forehead and widened his eyes. "You are sweating."
Her mouth ever so slightly twitched.
Is that because of my hyper jumping around in joy a minute ago?
She coughed. "It's nothing really. I am just a little uncomfortable."
Jin quickly took a seat beside her and said, "I made this warm drink for you. It has some good herbs that will help ease your discomfort. This is Mom's recipe. It's magic. You should drink it."
"You made it...?" She asked, suprised.
"Yes."
"But how? This is a hotel, not Liu villa's kitchen. You cannot just enter in the kitchen and..."
He blinked. "I can go wherever I want. Perks of being from the Liu family."
"..."
At least show a little shame of abusing your power...
Nevertheless, her heart was so overwhelmed by this gesture of his that she sincerely felt like kissing him on his lips. He ran all the way to the kitchen, possibly threatened the kitchen staff to let him do whatever he wanted and personally made this drink for her.
Can I really not kiss him...? She lamented.
Oh wait. Maybe I can. I just have to strike at the right time...
With this newfound hope, she took the glass and gulped the drink. Even though she wasn't in actual pain, the warmth and sweet taste brought an unknown relief as if she was floating in the clouds.
This is really magic...
Jin carefully observed her expression and nodded in satisfaction to see that the drink's effects seemed to be working. Shui peeked at him as she swallowed the last gulp of the drink. She had to act again and act fast. If he felt that she was alright now, he might leave for his room. And she wanted him to stay beside her as long as possible.
She kept the glass on the table and shifted a little uncomfortably on the bed.
"What is it?" Jin didn't waste any moment to ask.
"It's just the cramps..." she awkwardly smiled. "Aunt's recipe indeed is working like magic. I already feel so much refreshed. But there are still some light cramps haha..."
Her tired and fatigued smile clenched Jin's heart further with distress. "Can I help with anything? Anything you say!"
Well...
She had an urge to say to pat her belly, but she wasn't sure how it would turn out. She didn't want this progress between them to go to waste.
But before she could even decide, Jin gave a look as if a great idea struck him. "I am an idiot. Why didn't I think of this earlier? I will pat your belly. We do this for sis Nuo at home. It really works. I will do it for you. You will feel better in no time!"
"..."
Am I dreaming?