Travel · Hangzhou Arc (Nineteen): Suisui: Then I Guess You Pass

At 10:30 p. m., Xiao Ling and her group finally dragged their tired bodies back to the mansion.

Suisui had a great time drinking today, and even when she was walking, she swayed from side to side like a duck learning to walk.

"Sister, should I help you?" Yangyang said worriedly, looking at Suisui was swaying unsteadily ahead. "You're drunk, I'm afraid you'll lose your balance and fall."

"Oh dear~ I won't talk about it~" Suisui's tone was softer than usual after getting drunk, sounding more girlish, "Look, I'm walking just fine now, it's okay~"

"If you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet," Xiao Ling joked. "Be careful you don't slip up in a minute."

"My shoes won't get wet anymore~ Brother Ling, have you forgotten that my Resonance Ability is to control water flow~" Suisui said, drawing out the last syllable. "And even if they get wet, it doesn't matter, I can just 'whoosh' and suck the water out~"

"That's not the problem at all..."

Xiao Ling was actually worried that Sui Sui might twist her ankle while walking while drunk, but Suisui seemed a bit out of it after drinking and seemed to have misunderstood something...

Suisui walked ahead, slightly tipsy, seemingly drowsy, but her mind was actually quite active.

After all, she hadn't forgotten what she was supposed to do, and she needed to take this opportunity to test Xiao Ling's character.

There is a tacit understanding among elders that they must personally vet the partners that their younger relatives have chosen.

"What should I do next...?" Suisui's brain was racing.

If my performance is too exaggerated, he'll notice; if I deliberately keep my distance, it won't achieve the desired effect... It seems I have no choice but to get involved myself.

Suisui made up her mind. Since she was going to put on an act, she might as well go all the way. She was drunk, so she could use that to her advantage.

However, accidents always happen before plans.

Lost in her own thoughts, Suisui seemed a little too engrossed and didn't even realize she was wearing high heels. As a result, while she was swaying from side to side, the heel of her high heel snapped with a snap.

She gasped and instantly fell towards the pool. Without thinking, her instincts compelled her to activate her Resonance Power to protect herself.

But someone was faster than her.

"So, you see—" Xiao Ling caught Suisui just before she fell into the water without any real danger, "If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet, Sister Suisui."

He's usually quite unserious, but he always manages to step in and protect the girls when they're in danger.

Suisui blinked her wheat-ear-like eyes and stared at Xiao Ling for a moment. Her cheeks, which were already flushed from being slightly tipsy, turned even redder.

Then she silently added points to Xiao Ling's protective ability in her mind.

"Sister!" Yangyang ran over, her expression a mixture of worry and anger. "I told you I should help you back! How are you? Are you hurt?"

"It's okay, Yangyang, I'm not... um..." Suisui stood up, but just as she was about to stand still, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her right ankle and collapsed into Xiao Ling's arms.

"I sprained my ankle..." Suisui muttered, her brows slightly furrowed.

"A-Yu, Suisui Sui's ankle is swollen." Aemeath rushed forward and immediately noticed that Suisui's right ankle was swollen.

"Did you sprain your ankle?" Roccia with concern. "Why don't you carry her up?"

"Aren't you jealous?" Xiao Ling teased.

"Don't worry about jealousy right now, senior!" Sigrika said seriously. "Suisui is injured and needs care. As a man, you should show some manly strength!"

"Alright, that's exactly what I was thinking too." Xiao Ling shrugged. "Sister Suisui, don't move, I'll pick you up."

"Hey, hey, no need, I can walk by myself!"

"I won't accept any arguments." Xiao Ling swept Suisui up in a princess carry and pulled her into his arms. "Let's make this clear first, if you don't behave, I'll carry you upstairs."

Suisui couldn't refuse anymore and could only blush as Hajiling carried her all the way back to her room.

"That's a bit strange..."

According to Suisui's observation, Roccia, Aemeath, and Sigrika have become closer to Xiao Ling, and she even reasonably suspects that these three have become gods with Xiao Ling.

How could they be so comfortable letting Xiao Ling carry their injured self upstairs?

"Hmm... your foot looks pretty good." Xiao Ling observed the injury on Suisui's ankle and said cheekily, "Gentle and delicate, like jade."

"Then should I feed it to you?" Suisui asked, her face full of exasperation.

"Then there's no need," Xiao Ling said seriously. "I don't have many opportunities to carefully examine a beautiful young girl's feet. Besides, they're more suitable for other things than for showing off."

Suisui had a feeling that what this guy was saying wasn't anything good, but since she was not only a little drunk but also had a bad pain in her ankle, she decided to keep quiet for the time being.

"Ling, ice packs and towels."

Dania jogged to Suisui's room and handed the ice pack and towel to Xiao Ling.

"Thank you so much, Yaya!" Xiao Ling said with a smile.

"Don't just thank me verbally, show me something." Dania winked at him.

Xiao Ling chuckled twice, then lightly pecked her cherry lips like a dragonfly skimming the water.

After receiving her reward, Dania playfully stuck out her tongue, then turned and went downstairs, not wanting to disturb her and Suisui's time together.

"You two really don't treat me like an outsider..." Suisui said speechlessly after being fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).

"Once you're in my house, you're all mine. There's no such thing as an outsider."

"You're so glib, you must have cheated on a lot of girls behind their backs, right?"

"That's called charm, baby." Xiao Ling wrapped the ice pack in a towel. "I'm going to put on an ice pack. It might hurt a little, Sister Suisui, just bear with it."

Okay... um~

Xiao Ling placed a towel wrapped with an ice pack on Suisui's right ankle. The sudden, intense stinging pain made Suisui let out a soft, coquettish groan.

"Don't your girlfriends mind?" Suisui teased softly. "Aren't they afraid I'll take advantage of your drunkenness and push you down?"

"Then I'll just have to put on a show of giving it my all but failing to defeat them, and then go to them and beg for forgiveness," Xiao Ling replied humorously. "At most, they'll each ask me for a little extra food as compensation for their emotional distress."

"Can your small frame handle it?"

"How about we put it into practice and learn from it?"

"Pah, you lecherous scoundrel, shameless!" Suisui spat lightly, her cheeks flushed.

"Fine, fine, I'm a lecher," Xiao Ling replied dismissively. "So, are you still going to get your ankle treated?"

Hey--what do you think?

"Hmm... the swelling should have gone down." Xiao Ling lifted Suisui's right ankle and examined it for a moment before asking, "How are you feeling now?"

"I should be able to walk now, albeit with some difficulty." Suisui tried stepping on the ground and found that it wasn't as painful as it had been at the beginning.

(Solaris's superhuman physique allows him to perform consistently)

"Then you should be able to shower and change by yourself. I'll come back up to bandage you after that." Xiao Ling, holding the melted ice pack and soaking wet towel, prepared to leave. "I need to go down and explain your condition to them; those girls are really worried about you."

"Oh? It seems Miss Suisui is feeling better?"

As if to confirm Xiao Ling's words, Roccia suddenly appeared at this moment, holding a cup of warm water infused with osmanthus honey.

"Well, I can manage a few steps, but bathing and changing shouldn't be a problem." Suisui smiled and thanked her, "Thank you for your concern, Miss Roccia."

"Saying thank you now would be too formal," Roccia. "We're family, no need for formalities, and besides, you've been quite nice to my student, haven't you?"

"Here, drink this. Every time I get drunk, this scoundrel makes me honey water. This time I used osmanthus honey, but the effect should be the same."

Suisui took the cup of warm osmanthus honey water from Roccia's hand, and could almost smell the sweetness of honey and the fragrance of osmanthus emanating from the cup.

This time she didn't thank her again, but simply sipped the osmanthus honey water in small sips.

"Then we won't disturb your rest any longer." Xiao Ling smiled and said goodbye to Suisui, took the empty glass, and prepared to go downstairs with the principal.

Just as he reached the door, he seemed to remember something and added, "Finally, I want to say that whether it's you and Yangyang, or Jinhsi and Changli, since you've come to my home, you're part of my family. Don't treat yourselves as guests. To me, you've never been outsiders."

After saying that, Xiao Ling and Roccia went down the stairs side by side, while Suisui sat on the edge of the bed listening to the footsteps gradually fade away.

"Never an outsider...?" Suisui carefully considered the sentence. "Well, whatever, I guess you passed."

She took out her phone, opened the notes app, and wrote the final conclusion in the entry about Xiao Ling.

"Although this man is a lecherous womanizer and may even have some peculiarities, he is of upright character, consistent in word and deed, meticulous in his care for his family, and treats everyone with equal affection, much like that Rover. In short, he is indeed someone worthy of entrusting one's life to."