Please, I'm Trying to Study, Your Highness! - chapter 26

“W-wait… wait…”

Qiao Nian’s voice was as faint as a mosquito.

My hand paused on the doorknob, and I turned slightly.

“Is there something else?”

“I, I can’t get up there…”

The girl supported herself against the wall, her other hand weakly resting on the edge of the sink. The scalded leg curled slightly, not daring to exert any strength.

“The wound… the wound is in a very high place. I have to sit on the sink to rinse it… but I don’t have any strength left…”

As her words trailed off, the calm she had forced herself to maintain finally shattered, turning into a helpless, almost crying tone.

I silently assessed the situation before me.

She was right; the burn was on her inner thigh, close to the root.

Rinsing while standing would not work, and it would also get the other leg wet.

The most effective way was to sit on the washbasin.

That height was indeed hard for a girl with an injured leg, who was also still in shock, to manage on her own.

“Men and women should not touch each other casually.”

I explained, “If I lift you up there, then… you’ll have to take your pants off.”

This was a statement, not a question.

I laid the embarrassing step required to solve the problem before her in the most direct way.

“Eh? I… I…”

Qiao Nian’s pale face instantly flushed bright red at those words, even more so than when she was scalded by the coffee.

She quickly lowered her head, nervously staring at the tips of her shoes.

She clearly understood all the implications in my words.

In the cramped cubicle, aside from the “drip drip” of the faucet not fully closed,

there were only the girl’s rapid, suppressed moans of pain.

Just as I thought she would give up or ask me to call an ambulance,

she quietly offered a new solution in a voice barely audible.

“You could use scissors…”

Qiao Nian’s face was flushed, her voice muffled.

“Just cut open the fabric, then… then you don’t have to… don’t have to take them off…”

The suggestion surprised me.

It also meant I would need to use metal scissors on the soft, sensitive part of her body.

The risks and difficulty were far higher than simply lifting her.

My hesitation was interpreted differently by the girl.

Her tear-filled eyes looked straight at me, her suppressed sobs finally spilling out, “Please… Brother Huihui…”

Her trembling voice was as if she had been forced to the edge. In this moment of pleading, her porcelain, beautiful face gave off the tragic beauty of a damsel in distress.

“It really hurts…”

My brow furrowed.

Faced with this pure yet alluring figure and the girl’s pitiful look,

my heart felt no ripple, only annoyance.

What is this? Trouble and hassle just can’t let me go?

“Sorry, I…”

“I can pay you, please, Brother Huihui.”

Hmm?

My brows relaxed again.

If you’re talking about money, then what more is there to say? I’ll just help you.

“Okay.”

With that single word, the deadlock was broken.

Hearing my answer, the tears in the girl’s beautiful eyes lit up with hope.

She nodded wildly, like a small animal clinging to a life-saving straw.

I walked to her, bent down, and gestured for her to cooperate.

“Put your hand on my shoulder.”

Qiao Nian obediently reached out her hand.

Her slender arm wrapped around my neck and rested on my shoulder.

Her hand was very cold, with a slight dampness from nervous sweat.

I didn’t hold the girl’s waist; instead, I steadily supported her back with one hand and, with the other, held the knee of the unscalded leg.

Even through the fabric, I could feel the softness and resilience of her skin.

Just as I was about to lift her,

the system’s cold, mechanical prompt sounded in my mind.

[ Ding– ]

[ Effective intimate physical contact detected between host and potential “Thought Source.” ]

[ Target identification in progress……. ]

[ Target: Qiao Nian. ]

[ Identity: First-year student at Linjiang Girls’ School. ]

[ Traits: Science prodigy, Linjiang Girls’ School Physics Competition Champion, top ten in the city for mathematics, physics, and chemistry. ]

[ Would you like to select this target as your “Thought Source”? Countdown: 30 seconds ]

The prompt scrolled line by line before my eyes.

A science prodigy?
My embrace of her paused for a barely perceptible moment.

I glanced at the girl in my arms, her eyes tightly shut from pain and embarrassment, long lashes still clinging to teardrops.

She looked, aside from being pretty and cute, like the kind of soft, cotton-candy girl who blushes when praised, delicate from head to toe. Yet she was actually a top-tier science genius?

Truly… appearances can be deceiving.

My thoughts flashed by in an instant.

There wasn’t much time left to choose.

The system’s steadily decreasing countdown reminded me I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

I’d been troubled over how to approach Shen Ruanruan or Xia Shiyu.

Unexpectedly, the optimal solution had delivered itself in the most surprising way.

[Select “Qiao Nian”.]

I gave the command inwardly.

At the same time, Qiao Nian, in my arms, was overwhelmed by the shame of this overly intimate princess-carry.

Her pearly teeth bit down on her full, moist lower lip, a subconscious gesture that, under the dim light, radiated ultimate shyness and silent allure.

I didn’t pay it any extra attention.

My arms steadied, easily lifting her light body.

Carefully avoiding her injured thigh, I gently set her down on the waist-high bathroom counter.

The chill of the ceramic seeped through the thin fabric, making Qiao Nian shiver again.

Once she was steady, she immediately let go.

Her arms awkwardly braced at her sides, head lowered, not daring to meet my gaze.

I extended my index finger.

Through the dark fabric soaked in hot coffee, I gently pressed around the edge of the scalded area on her inner thigh.

“Here? Or here?”

“Mm… a little… a little higher…”

She stammered, her cheeks so red it seemed they might drip blood.

Following her directions, I finally pinpointed the exact area of the burn.

It was larger than I’d expected, and the location was truly awkward.

It reached all the way to the base of her thigh.

I grabbed a pair of office scissors from the nearby shelf, usually used for opening packages.

After carefully wiping the blades with an alcohol pad, I bent down.

“Don’t move.”

The tip of the scissors lifted the fabric of her pants, snipping a small opening with a crisp “snip”.

The sharp metal was separated from her skin by only a hair’s breadth.

My cutting was steady, slow.

“Snip, snip…”

The sound of the scissors opening and closing was magnified endlessly in the silence.

The wet, dark fabric parted inch by inch in my hands, moving upward, and upward, gradually approaching that most mysterious triangle.

The moment the skin, reddened by hot coffee, was exposed to the air-

My gaze inevitably caught the alluring scene hidden in the shadow and at the edge of the fabric.

Black, lace trim.

With sexy, semi-transparent intricate patterns.

The underwear was bold and mature, forming a stark contrast with the girl’s pure, innocent aura.

Hmm…

Appearances can be deceiving.

In my heart, that phrase echoed again, in a newer and deeper way.

Qiao Nian clearly noticed where my eyes lingered.

She quickly pressed her legs together, her already flushed face now seeming to steam.

“Brother Huihui… don’t… don’t look…”

Her soft, boneless tone was now entirely shy and flustered.

Her eyes brimmed with moisture again, as if she might cry at any moment.

“Sorry.” I looked away.

Three years of the talent curse cycle had long since worn away any physiological desire in me, leaving a barren desert.

Faced with a scene that would have any normal man’s blood racing, my emotions remained calm, only feeling sleepy.

I set the scissors aside.

Turned on the faucet, adjusting the water to a moderate flow.

I didn’t let the water hit the burn directly.

Instead, I cupped my palm upward, catching the cold tap water.

Buffered, the stream became much gentler.

I let it fall in a dispersed way, continuously onto the red, swollen skin.

The flowing water washed away the burning pain.

Qiao Nian’s tense body finally began to relax.

A soft, comfortable moan escaped her lips.

“Mmm~”

That sound could easily be misunderstood by anyone who heard it.

I was speechless inside.

Outwardly, I kept my composure and reminded her aloud:

“If you feel uncomfortable, or if the water’s too cold, just say so.”