As an onlooker, Lu Pengju naturally understood Su Zi's thoughts very well. Knowing Su Zi was jealous, he chuckled, leaned in, and whispered into Lin Feng's ear, "Master, it seems Miss Ning has entered some long-distance running event for a sports meet. She's been practicing early in the morning in the leisure area of the Jincheng residential area for the past few days..."

Ning Aoxue practicing long-distance running? It seems she's preparing for the school sports meet.

Then Lin Feng looked at Su Zi with a slightly strange expression. What on earth is wrong with this girl? How could she not know Ning Aoxue is running...?

"You just love to flap your gums, Dapeng!" Su Zi shot Lu Pengju a fierce glare and snapped irritably.

Lu Pengju scratched his head helplessly and chuckled. He knew that most women were often illogical, especially pretty girls like Su Zi who tended to be unreasonably temperamental; it really wasn't worth offending them. Besides, Su Zi was his master's girl. It was best to let his master handle her himself!

Speaking of running, Lin Feng also remembered he had signed up for two long-distance races and a table tennis match for the school sports meet. He had been slacking off on his training lately. Should I go for a run?

Lin Feng considered it, but a glance at his still-weak left arm made him dismiss the idea. Better to rest for a couple more days, wait until my arm has recovered...

"Lin Feng, you really want to see Aoxue, don't you? Why don't you go find her now then? She's just running over there in the central leisure area..." Su Zi, who had just claimed not to know Ning Aoxue's whereabouts, suddenly changed her tune. Visibly displeased, she pointed out to Lin Feng where Ning Aoxue was running.

Su Zi was genuinely upset. She hadn't seen Lin Feng for so long, yet he hadn't even bothered to exchange a few pleasantries with her. The moment they met, he was asking about Ning Aoxue. It was too hurtful... Am I really that unappealing?

"Su Zi, you might be overthinking things! I was just asking casually..." An awkward smile touched Lin Feng's lips. Just as he was about to explain things to Su Zi, he suddenly heard a sharp female shriek from the direction Su Zi had indicated.

It was a shriek laced with pain. Although it came from a distance and sounded very faint, Lin Feng was certain he hadn't misheard. That was Ning Aoxue's voice!

Has something happened to Ning Aoxue?

A sense of unease gripped Lin Feng. Without a second thought, his figure blurred as he dashed towards the central leisure area, leaving a dumbfounded Su Zi and Lu Pengju behind.

Master is truly decisive, abandoning Miss Su Zi just like that, without a hint of hesitation... Lu Pengju hadn't heard the faint cry of pain. He assumed Lin Feng had simply decided on a whim to go find Ning Aoxue. Such decisiveness! What a true man, so assertive!

However, when Lu Pengju saw the thunderous expression on Su Zi's face beside him, he started to worry for Lin Feng again. Master, you're so assertive, but Miss Su Zi might not be able to handle it... AHEM. You'd better pray for yourself. I'm off to get breakfast...

Su Zi was practically fuming. Her small fists clenched tightly, her lips pouted, and she muttered under her breath, "Rotten Lin Feng, horrible Lin Feng, you brainless idiot Lin Feng, I hate you so much..."

「...」

Lin Feng ran for less than half a minute and reached the leisure area situated in the center of the Jincheng residential area. Beside a small artificial lake with a fountain, nestled among rockeries and willow trees, a slender figure in loose pink sportswear was half-squatting helplessly on a small recreational running path, hands clutching her right ankle. This girl with the pretty silhouette was indeed Ning Aoxue.

Half-squatting on the path, Ning Aoxue's eyes were brimming with tears. A slippery little pebble on the track was the culprit. While running, she had stepped on it and nearly stumbled. She managed to avoid falling completely, but her ankle was sprained. The pain left her feeling somewhat disoriented and helpless.

The Jincheng residential area was a wealthy villa district, and not many residents were accustomed to exercising outdoors in the morning. Furthermore, it was just past seven o'clock, a time when it was rare to see anyone else around. Ning Aoxue desperately looked for someone to help her to a nearby bench, but found no one. Her phone was also not with her, so she couldn't contact Su Zi or Lu Pengju. Ning Aoxue felt her whole body turn cold.

There had been a bit of a cold snap recently, and the morning temperature was only about twelve or thirteen degrees Celsius. Apart from her undergarments, Ning Aoxue was only wearing a tracksuit. As long as she kept running, she didn't feel cold, but now that she had stopped, she felt as if the blood in her veins was about to freeze.

But at this moment, who could possibly help me?

Ning Aoxue lifted her head, her pretty face etched with pain, and scanned her surroundings. There wasn't another soul in sight. Pain, cold, and disappointment washed over her, and Ning Aoxue suddenly felt her vision blur.

Just then, from behind her, Ning Aoxue heard a voice—one that was usually annoyingly nonchalant, yet now sounded as timely and welcome as heavenly music—lazily say...

"Well, Miss Ning, running so early in the morning?"

"Lin Feng!!!" Ning Aoxue turned her head, both surprised and overjoyed, and saw that annoying fellow, Lin Feng, looking at her with a smile. He wore a teasing expression that she found thoroughly irritating.

Yet, for some reason, upon seeing Lin Feng, Ning Aoxue's usually strong heart suddenly softened considerably. With a choked voice, on the verge of tears, she said to Lin Feng, "My foot... it hurts so much..."

The moment she voiced her pain, tears began to fall, drip by drip, down Ning Aoxue's cheeks.

Lin Feng had never seen Ning Aoxue look so utterly pitiable. When he saw her tears, his heart inexplicably clenched. He quickly squatted beside Ning Aoxue, gently took her arms, helped her up, and guided her to sit on a nearby two-person bench.

"It's alright. Where are you hurt? Let me take a look..." Lin Feng said, gently removing the shoe and sock from Ning Aoxue's injured foot. He saw that her small, delicate foot was already red and swollen, with a faint hint of purple bruising. It was clearly a sprain, accompanied by some internal bleeding.

Lin Feng gently held Ning Aoxue's ankle. Feeling how cold it was, his brow furrowed slightly. He said calmly, "You didn't warm up sufficiently before your run; your muscles weren't fully stretched. That's what led to this severe sprain..."

As Lin Feng held her foot, Ning Aoxue's face flushed crimson. She felt that Lin Feng's hand was very warm, as if a gentle current of heat flowed from it. When he held her ankle, even the pain seemed to lessen considerably.

"So, what... what should I do now?" Ning Aoxue asked a little sheepishly after hearing Lin Feng's critique. Of course, she knew one needed to warm up before running, especially when the temperature was low. A thorough warm-up was essential to loosen up the muscles and joints to prevent injuries...

But the weather wasn't *that* cold, was it? And you warm up once you start running... Besides, with no one supervising her, Ning Aoxue had relaxed her vigilance, which led to a small pebble causing her to sprain her ankle...

"Let's get you home first," Lin Feng said, looking up at the blushing Ning Aoxue. He spoke softly, "Shall I carry you, or give you a piggyback ride? You choose."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.