Chapter 20: Cold Compress

Even though wisdom tooth removal is a simple procedure with low risk, Yan Dong’s case seemed particularly stubborn, it had been nearly half an hour, and they still weren’t done.

The female doctor had spent ages cutting and prying, yet still couldn’t break up the remaining part of the tooth.

Eventually, she had to call in a male doctor.

That guy also wrestled with it for quite a while before finally shouting toward the nurse’s station, “Chair One, bring me a hammer!”

When that booming command cut through the phone speaker, I couldn’t hold back a quiet laugh.

I quickly hid my wildly rising grin behind the medical record folder.

No doubt about it, this would be the most therapeutic white noise I’d fall asleep to for the next six months.

After a few loud bangs from the hammer, I finally heard the doctor sigh in relief.

Looked like the minor surgery that had dragged on for over half an hour was finally over.

I heard the doctor giving Yan Dong a few post-op instructions, and then that guy came out of the exam room, scowling.

The left side of his face was swollen like he’d stuffed a walnut in there.

A bloodstained cotton ball trembled at his lips with each breath.

Maybe that’s why he looked especially miserable.

“Young Master, you look like a squirrel with a pinecone in its mouth.”

That line danced on the tip of my tongue three times, but in the end, I chickened out.

I simply stood and walked over to take the pile of post-op supplies from the doctor.

Just as I was about to turn and walk off, Yan Dong pinned me in place with his muffled voice:

“Just now… on the phone… did you… laugh?”

“Did that happen? Maybe you were so nervous you imagined it. Could also be the cutter and the phone resonating in harmony.”

“Get lost, you think I’m stupid tch….damn, that hurts…”

Yan Dong instinctively tried to retort, but the moment he opened his mouth, his face twisted in pain and he clutched his lower left jaw with a muffled groan.

If I weren’t worried he’d snap and come after me, I probably would’ve laughed out loud right then.

Honestly, I was already struggling to keep a straight face.

“For your own health, Young Master, I suggest you avoid talking for now.”

That last attempt to speak must’ve hurt like hell, because this time he actually didn’t clap back.

He just gave me a vicious, resentful glare instead.

“Home. Hurts…”

“Let’s grab an ice pack from the vending machine downstairs first. Cold compress will help with the pain.”

He nodded and followed me, still holding his jaw, as we headed to the vending machine in the corner of the outpatient lobby.

“Scan… pay… Insufficient balance???”

I frowned at the failed payment notice on my screen.

Then I remembered, the bank card I’d linked for covering Yan Dong’s living expenses had just been emptied a few days ago.

I’d transferred out 2,000 yuan to tighten the budget.

“Need help?”

That low voice, wrapped in the scent of cedar, crept up from behind.

Yan Dong’s warm breath, tinged with blood, brushed against the back of my neck, making it tingle.

“Young Master, please respect personal space.”

I instinctively leaned away from his breath, quickly swiping through three banking apps until I finally found 37.6 yuan left in the fourth account.

“Lin Yunxia, what the hell do you need this many bank accounts for, money laundering? Tch—ow, ow, ow…”

“Because they were giving away eggs for opening an account.”

I rolled my eyes at him and bent down to retrieve an ice pack from the vending machine.

“This ice pack is my personal sponsorship. Make sure to pay back the interest.”

Yan Dong didn’t take the ice pack I held out.

Instead, he just stared at my cheek with a strange expression.

“What is it, Young Master?”

“Nothing.”

He suddenly reached out and brushed aside the loose strands of hair beside my ear.

The warmth of his fingertips made my skin burn.

Startled, I stumbled back, my cheap shoes screeching loudly against the floor.

Seeing my stunned expression, Yan Dong flashed a wicked, smug grin.

“Lin Yunxia, so you know how to blush after all.”

“Thanks for finally treating me like a normal human being, Young Master.”

My face darkened as I slapped the ice pack firmly against his swollen cheek.

The red ribbon of my hair tie brushed across his bruised jaw as I turned, and I was rewarded with the sound of him sucking in a sharp breath through clenched teeth.

By the time we got back to his place, it was nearly noon.

Judging from his current condition, he probably wouldn’t be able to eat lunch, which saved me some trouble.

I just munched on a bit of bread to tide myself over, then got to work cleaning the rooms and mopping the floor.

The sooner I finished my chores, the sooner I could be free to study, that was one of the main reasons I managed to stick this out.

Surprisingly, after getting home, Yan Dong actually focused on studying for a while.

Of course, that didn’t last two hours before he gave up and went to sprawl on the living room sofa to play mobile games.

I was long used to this pattern.

Fine, play if you want, but why did he have to blast the volume so loud?

Even holed up in the maid’s room trying to read and study, I could hear every sound from his game loud and clear.

It’s not like he doesn’t have headphones.

Why crank the volume like that? With the noise, I couldn’t concentrate at all.

Frustrated, I covered my ears with both hands in a futile attempt to block it out, but all I could feel was my productivity dropping by at least 50%.

Just when I was about to lose it, someone knocked on the door.

Aside from me, the only other person in this house was the moody Young Master Yan.

When the third knock came, tapping out an impatient rhythm, I had no choice but to close my notebook halfway through a page.

What could he possibly want now?

Don’t tell me he’s going to ask me to run errands again?

Sure, the random crap he makes me buy gets reimbursed at the end of every month by the company’s finance department.

But that still meant I had to float the expenses for a full month.

And with Yan Dong having zero concept of money, managing the cash flow in between was always a headache.

Even so, I could only grumble inwardly as I begrudgingly opened the maid’s room door.

As I pulled the door open, I subtly shifted my weight half a step back, just enough to keep myself out of his reach.

His left cheek was even more swollen than it had been after the tooth extraction this morning.

The usual sharp lines of his arrogant jaw were now dulled in a way that looked almost comical.

But having weathered so many storms in this house, I kept my expression as cool as ever.

My tone, too, was flat as still water.

“What can I do for you this time, Young Master?”

“Play a game with me.”

He waved the latest model of a foldable phone in his hand, the chrome-edged frame catching the light and casting a gleam beneath his eyelids, slicing his perpetually mocking eyes into halves of light and shadow.

Did I hear that right?

Did Yan Dong really just ask me… to play a game?

“All you ever do is study, study, study, aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine. But Young Master, you play games every day and I’ve never seen you tired either.”

I turned him down instinctively, my tone steadier than I’d expected, like I’d gone back to that morning three days ago when I could still wear a loose hoodie.

My indifferent response naturally made Yan Dong frown slightly.

“I’m asking you, Lin Yunxia, can you not talk to me with that cold-ass tone?”

“Sorry, Young Master, I was just born this way.”

“Fine, guess I’ll stop trying to warm up your frozen ass. Let’s get down to business, play a game with me and I’ll let you clock out an hour early. Tch… my tooth hurts…”

“I mean, sure, but can I ask what the point of this is?”

“No point. Just felt like it.”

…