Who the hell is setting off fireworks late at night

At this critical moment,

Su Yang leaped forward to the left and wrapped his arm around Meng Qianyu's slender waist, rolling them both down the slope beside the staircase.

Since Meng Qianyu had already lost her balance, Su Yang could have tried to grab her, but if he had missed, she would have certainly tumbled headfirst down the steps. To avoid that, he instinctively chose the safest option.

With a dull thud,

Su Yang shielded Meng Qianyu in his arms as they crashed onto the uneven slope, tumbling downward.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Ugh—!"

Mid-roll, Su Yang's back slammed against a protruding rock, forcing a pained grunt from him.

Holding onto her, he couldn’t stop immediately due to the momentum.

Fortunately, the slope wasn’t too long, and they soon landed in a flowerbed at the bottom.

Crash!

As they came to a stop, Su Yang lay flat on his back, arms still wrapped around Meng Qianyu, who remained pressed against his chest with her eyes tightly shut.

Realizing they had stopped rolling, she finally lifted her head—only to find Su Yang’s handsome face mere inches from hers.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze as they lay there, locked in each other’s gaze for several seconds.

Meng Qianyu’s breathing quickened, her heartbeat racing. She swallowed hard, her face involuntarily inching closer to his.

Just as their lips were about to touch—

Boom!

A sudden explosion of fireworks lit up the night sky in the distance, shattering the moment.

The sound jolted Meng Qianyu awake. Flustered, she jerked back, cheeks burning as she rolled off him.

Su Yang blinked, shaking his head to clear the daze. He had nearly lost himself in the moment.

Glaring at the fireworks still bursting overhead, he muttered, "Who the hell sets off fireworks this late at night?"

‘Damn it.’

Though the moment had been ruined, at least neither of them was seriously hurt. Thanks to his second-tier healing ability, minor bumps like these barely affected Su Yang.

Meng Qianyu, protected by him, had only scraped her calf, though he wasn’t sure how badly her ankle had twisted when she slipped.

"You okay?" Su Yang pushed aside the interrupted moment and sat up, studying Meng Qianyu’s dazed expression.

"Uh... y-yeah, I’m fine. Thanks, Su Yang. If it weren’t for you, I might’ve fallen to my death!"

Su Yang chuckled, leaning closer. "Death? Unlikely. But you’d probably have knocked yourself silly."

"Giggle." Meng Qianyu laughed softly before glancing down at her leg.

Following her gaze, Su Yang noticed a small scrape on her right calf, tiny beads of blood welling up.

"Does it hurt?"

"Nah~ It’s nothing."

"Hold still. I’ve got tissues—let me clean it up." Su Yang pulled out a napkin and gently dabbed at the wound.

"Ah—! Oww!"

"Does it hurt that much?" Su Yang paused, concerned.

"No..." Meng Qianyu winced, her hands clutching her right ankle. "It’s my ankle. I twisted it when I slipped. The pain’s just hitting me now."

"Don’t move. Let me check."

Su Yang examined her fair-skinned ankle, thinking to himself, ‘The system should’ve given me some medical skills. Would’ve been useful right now. I’ve got no clue what to do.’

He pressed lightly on the swelling area.

"Ow! Stop, that hurts!" Meng Qianyu yelped.

Su Yang frowned. "Seems pretty bad. Come on, I’ll take you to the hotel lobby and see if they have any medicine."

"Okay~" Meng Qianyu agreed weakly, still in pain.

In her current state, walking was impossible. Su Yang crouched beside her. "I’ll carry you."

Meng Qianyu bit her lip and nodded. "Alright~ Sorry for the trouble, Su Yang."

"No trouble at all. Here." Su Yang helped her up, letting her hop on her left foot while keeping her right leg raised.

He turned around, bending slightly. "Hop on."

"Okay~"

Once she was on his back, Su Yang hooked his arms under her thighs—noting their surprisingly pleasant feel—and stood, carrying her out of the flowerbed onto the path.

After orienting himself, he strode quickly toward the garden exit.

Soon, they reached the main road and followed the signs to the hotel lobby.

Only two staff members were on duty. Spotting a man carrying a woman, they exchanged glances and hurried over.

"Sir, how can we assist you?"

Su Yang carried Meng Qianyu to the seating area, settling her onto a couch before answering. "Nothing serious. She twisted her ankle. Do you have any pain-relief spray or similar medication?"

One of the staff hesitated. "Are you guests staying at our hotel?"

"Yes, Villa 18."

"Understood. Please wait a moment—I’ll check."

The woman hurried off while the other brought them two cups of tea.

Soon, the first staffer returned with two unopened patches.

"Sir, we found these unused sprain relief patches in our break room. If you’re uncomfortable with them, we can look for alternatives..."

Su Yang took them and shook his head. "No need. These’ll do. But I doubt they’ll help much. Are there any pharmacies or clinics nearby?"

The staff thought for a moment. "There are, but they’re a bit far."

"Fine, we’ll make do for now."

Su Yang peeled open a patch and gently applied it to Meng Qianyu’s swollen ankle.

"Let’s try this first. If it still hurts later, I’ll take you to the hospital."

Meng Qianyu met his eyes and shook her head. "No need for that hassle. This’ll be enough. I’ll buy some proper ointment once we’re back in Haicheng tomorrow."

"Alright." Su Yang turned to the staff. "Thanks for your help. Sorry to trouble you so late."

"Not at all. It’s our pleasure."

"Great. We’ll rest here for a bit. You can go back to your posts."

"Of course. If you need anything else, we’ll be at the front desk."

Once they left, Su Yang handed Meng Qianyu a cup of tea.

"Here, drink some water."

"Thanks~" She took a small sip, then looked at him gratefully. "Su Yang... thank you."

"Come on, no need to keep thanking me. It was nothing."

"Earlier..."

"Earlier what?" Su Yang feigned ignorance.

"Uh... it's nothing... When I missed that step earlier, I thought for sure I was going to fall to my death. Scared the hell out of me."

Su Yang turned and picked up another cup of tea, taking a sip before smiling. "You wouldn’t have died from the fall, but hitting your head could’ve been serious. I told you not to look around while walking, and right after I said it, you missed your step..."

Meng Qianyu stuck out her tongue. "I just wanted to see if there were any shooting stars in the sky."

"Ah, you..."

[Ding, detected Meng Qianyu’s favorability toward the host has increased to: 70. Reward: 5 million.]