Chapter 231: He Was Anything But Happy to See It Happen
Chapter 231: Chapter 231: He Was Anything But Happy to See It Happen
"That should work." Fu Cheng shifted back slightly. He didn’t dislike close contact with Shen Lu, but he was afraid his body’s reaction would be embarrassing.
Too worried about Xiao Lang, Shen Lu didn’t notice Fu Cheng’s odd behavior. She went to the bathroom, found a washbasin, and filled it with warm water. Then she found what looked like a face towel, dropped it in, and carried the basin to Cai Su.
"Wipe Xiao Lang down. It’ll make him more comfortable."
For now, Shen Lu didn’t plan on telling ordinary people like Cai Su about the magical properties of the shop’s water, wanting to avoid unnecessary trouble.
So she came up with a reasonably plausible excuse.
Cai Su nodded over and over. Doing something—anything—to help her son, even just a little, was enough to put her at ease.
With Xiao Lang’s condition stabilized, Ye Fan and Lin Zhou didn’t stay any longer and returned to their posts.
Cai Su watched over her son, occasionally wiping away the sweat that beaded on his skin. Xue Can, after staying in the bedroom for a while, grew terribly bored and went out to the living room.
Shen Lu brought Mr. Xue a glass of water, then went to clear the table herself.
When she turned her head, she found Fu Cheng standing a few steps behind her.
"Aren’t you going upstairs to rest?" Shen Lu tilted her head. "You did physical therapy all afternoon, so you must be tired. Mr. Xue is watching Xiao Lang; there won’t be any problems."
Fu Cheng: ...
’He and Xiao Lang are complete strangers. As if I’m worried about him.’
’I just... want to be wherever Shen Lu is.’
Fu Cheng found a task he could manage. "I’ll help you put the bowls in the sterilizer."
Shen Lu was about to say he didn’t need to, but Fu Cheng had already picked up the clean dishes and was putting them into the sterilizer.
For a task that an able-bodied person could do with ease, Fu Cheng had to go through several extra steps.
But he moved methodically, without a trace of awkwardness. His every move carried a dignified air, one cultivated over years in a noble family.
Even though he was a cripple with missing limbs, it didn’t diminish this impression in the slightest.
Shen Lu felt a little moved watching him.
’Oh well, if he wants to do it, let him.’
’There aren’t many dishes anyway. It’ll only take a few trips to put them all away.’
After finishing the dishes, Shen Lu’s usual routine was to go upstairs, wash up, and rest.
However, she was still a little worried about Xiao Lang, so she started baking some treats in the kitchen.
She remembered that Xiao Lang had really liked the shortbread cookies she made last time. Most children probably couldn’t resist the wonderful aroma of butter.
’In that case, I’ll bake a cake for Xiao Lang, too. He can have some when he wakes up.’
With that in mind, Shen Lu redeemed a lot of ingredients for cakes and cookies from the System Store.
Baking wasn’t necessarily difficult. It was all about following a formula.
Shen Lu had done plenty of baking before, so making a cake was second nature to her. She quickly mixed the batter for a chiffon cake and placed it in the preheated oven.
She was making an 8-inch cake that would need to bake for about fifty minutes. That gave her just enough time to make the cookies.
Besides the shortbread cookies, Shen Lu also planned to make ladyfingers and cheese mochi balls.
Fu Cheng stood quietly to the side, watching Shen Lu methodically transform a pile of ingredients into what she wanted.
It was amazing, like watching a magic trick.
The air was filled with the sweet scent of baking butter, easily creating a warm atmosphere.
Fu Cheng cherished this kind of moment together.
After watching for a while, he was occasionally able to help out a little.
Handing her a tool or something—they were all trivial little things, but they gave him a sense of participation.
This was the warm and harmonious scene that greeted Xue Can when he pushed open the kitchen door.
The girl was focused on her piping bag, beside a man who was silent yet had a powerful presence. One piped the batter while the other moved the metal tray in perfect coordination. An indescribable emotion flowed between the two.
Xue Can frowned. This was a sight he did not enjoy in the least.
"Boss Shen." He spoke without hesitation, shattering the scene.
"Are you looking for me, Mr. Xue?" Shen Lu stopped what she was doing and looked up. "Did something happen to Xiao Lang?"
"No, he’s fine." Xue Can strode to her side. "I just came to ask if I could stay the night. If Xiao Lang’s condition changes, I can handle it immediately."
"Of course." Shen Lu nodded. "You can stay in the same room as last time, Mr. Xue. Everything’s all set for you."
Fu Cheng raised an eyebrow and shot a glance at Xue Can.
’Actually, if anything happened to Xiao Lang, I could solve it too. Besides, his condition is very good right now; the process should be smooth.’
But Fu Cheng only thought these things to himself and didn’t say them out loud.
Although he was a Level 6 Superpower User, in the eyes of many, he was still a cripple. There were indeed many things that were less convenient for him than for an able-bodied person like Xue Can.
Xue Can noticed Fu Cheng looking at him. He turned his head and met his gaze squarely, but his words were for Shen Lu. "What are you making, Boss Shen? It smells delicious."
"I’m baking a cake and some cookies." Shen Lu bent over slightly and continued piping the batter. "When Xiao Lang wakes up, don’t be in a rush to leave, Mr. Xue. You can have a slice of cake with us."
"Alright." Xue Can agreed without the slightest hesitation.
Fu Cheng’s brow furrowed slightly, and he slowly withdrew his gaze.
’Does Xue Can seem hostile towards me?’
’Why is that?’
Shen Lu put the piped batter into the oven. When she turned around, the two men—one standing, one sitting—were still rooted to the spot in the kitchen.
After glancing at Xue Can, then at Fu Cheng, Shen Lu spoke to Fu Cheng first.
"Fu Cheng, it’s getting late. Why don’t you go back to your room and rest?"
Fu Cheng was an injured man, after all; he needed to get plenty of rest.
"Okay." Fu Cheng knew Shen Lu was worried about him. "Xiao Lang will awaken his superpower smoothly. Don’t worry too much."
"I’ll walk you upstairs."
Fu Cheng could mostly take care of himself now, but Shen Lu was still in the habit of looking after him.
Fu Cheng wanted to refuse, but seeing Xue Can off to the side, he held his tongue.
The two left the kitchen, one after the other. Fu Cheng manipulated the chair’s wheels, which transformed into mechanical legs, and he walked up the stairs to the second floor step by step.
Shen Lu followed behind, an astonished look on her face as she watched the wheelchair walk up the stairs.
Even though she had seen similar mechanical transformations before, she couldn’t help but be amazed.
’So does this world have mechas, like in Gundam?’
Curiosity piqued, Shen Lu did a quick search, but the answer was no.
’But,’ she thought, ’it’s probably only a matter of time. They already have human exoskeletons, so mechas should just be a question of when.’
Seeing Fu Cheng about to move from his wheelchair to the bed, Shen Lu went over to help.
She wrapped an arm around the man’s waist and, using the leverage from Fu Cheng’s left hand, helped lift him onto the bed.
"Thanks." The tips of Fu Cheng’s ears quietly turned red again, and he deliberately avoided Shen Lu’s eyes as he spoke.
’I know she was just worried I didn’t have enough strength and was trying to help, but being held by the waist like that...’
"Don’t mention it. Your legs aren’t very strong right now, and some of your wounds still haven’t healed. It’s better to be careful. We wouldn’t want you to bump into something and get hurt."
Shen Lu’s gaze was clear and bright; she had no idea her actions could cause such ripples in a person’s heart.