Chapter 172 Imagination or Ointment?
After Zheng Liang carried Yang Ning to bed in his arms, he helped her sit on the bed and placed two pillows behind her back so that she could comfortably while resting her back against the pillows.
He looked at her worriedly and asked, "Does your back still hurt?"
"It does not hurt that much. I will be fine after taking a rest." She answered while avoiding eye contact with him.
How can she look him in the eye? It was already embarrassing enough for her. Who would have thought that he would see her in such an embarrassing position and not only that but will also witness her hurting her back while doing the squats.
As a national level athlete, it was a big deal for her and humiliating.
While Yang Ning was worrying about her reputation in front of him, Zheng Liang was looking at her with concern in his eyes.
He observed her carefully and could see that she was holding her waist as if she was still in pain. Not only that, he also noticed her rubbing the area where she got a sprain earlier.
"This won't do. I will ask someone to call for a physician." He said,
"Gu-!" He shouted and was about to call Gu Lan to bring an Imperial physician with him. However, before he could complete his words, Yang Ning held his hand and stopped him.
"What are you shouting for? I told you I am fine. It's not a big deal. It was just a small sprain and will go away after I take an afternoon nap." She said,
It was embarrassing enough to get injured in front of him. Why would she call for an Imperial physician for such a small matter and include him in this matter as well?
What will she say? That she injured herself while doing some stretching?
Hah! She would rather sleep in pain than call a physician for something so trivial.
Zheng Liang frowned at her, seeing her acting stubbornly like this. However, seeing the desperation in her eyes, he did not say anything further and dropped the idea to call for a physician to treat her.
"In that case, turn around and lie on your stomach. Pull up your dress as well." He ordered her.
"Heh? Lie on my stomach? Why?" Yang Ning's eyes widened in horror when she heard his words. Why does he want her to lie on her stomach and pull up her dress?
What does he want to do with her? She wondered.
Although they are married and he is her husband, this is still not right. Because in reality, she is not his wife but someone who is living inside Yang Ning.
She is Fang Li and not Yang Ning. She screamed desperately in her head.
Zheng Liang ignored her loud reaction and pulled open the drawer of the side table next to their bed.
"Stop zoning out and lie down quickly and pull up your dress. If you don't want me to call a physician for you, that's the least you should do." He said while rummaging through the drawer.
Yang Ning looked at him with her eyes widened in horror and asked in disbelief, "What….what are you trying to do to me? Whatever it is, this is not right." She said while shifting to the side and covering her chest with her hands in defense.
"I don't think I am ready to do this yet. It's still so early. Moreover, it's daytime, don't you think this is a bit…. embarrassing to do it now?" She asked carefully, hoping for him to change his mind.
How can he ask her to do something like that when she was in pain? She never thought him to be an ignorant person like that.
He is not a Crown Prince but a beast!
While all kinds of imaginations were running through her head, Zheng Liang was diligently looking for something in the drawer.
"Here it is." He exclaimed when he found the small bottle that he was looking for earlier.
"Why are you still sitting like this? Lie down and pull up your dress. Otherwise, how would I apply this ointment to you?" He said while showing her the small glass bottle in his hands.
"Eh? Ointment? So you were talking about applying the ointment on me?" Yang Ning blinked in confusion and realized how stupid she was to think nonsense.
All this time, she was thinking all kinds of nonsense things in her head. However, Zheng Liang was talking about applying the medicine to her and not doing anything inappropriate to her.
'Ah, So embarrassing!' Yang Ning covered her face with her long hair in embarrassment.
Why does she keep making a joke of herself in front of him? She cried inwardly.
"What were you thinking about? If not applying ointment then why would I ask you to lie on your stomach? What were you thinking anyway?" He asked.
Yang Ning pursed her lips and shook her head in embarrassment and said, "I…. I'll do it. Let me hold your hand for a moment." She said and held his hand for support to lie on her stomach.
After lying on her stomach, she hesitantly pulled her upper robe and bared her back so that he could apply medicine on the strained area.
Since she was wearing a long skirt underneath the robe, he could apply the medicine on her without her exposing herself in front of him.
What was she thinking anyway? It was such an easy task yet her imagination was running wild shamelessly.
Zheng Liang put some ointment on his fingertips and touched her bare skin and rubbed the area which had turned red. "Here?" He asked before applying the medicine to her back.
At his question, she hesitantly nodded and whispered, "Yes. That's the place."
Yang Ning held her breath when Zheng Liang's cold hands touched her bare skin. He was simply applying the medicine to her back but she couldn't help but moan out aloud when his hands touched her skin.
It felt strange when he touched her and she couldn't help but cover her mouth to stop herself from making strange noises.
Because of the way he was applying the medicine to her back, his touch felt so soft and light as if he was gently caressing her skin with his cold-calloused hands.
Zheng Liang, who was putting the medicine on Yang Ning's back, heard her low voice and could notice the change in her attitude.
Just like her, he was having a hard time applying the medicine on her back as well. Seeing her bare skin like this, he was reminded of the day when he walked on her while she was having a bath and he witnessed her naked body for the first time.
Though he couldn't look at her properly, he still cannot forget that memory from his head.
"Now don't move around and rest in the bed only." After applying the medicine to her back, he helped her fix her clothes and said while helping her to sit on the bed.
"Oh! I was planning to do that anyway." Yang Ning looked at him with his pursed lips and nodded like an obedient kid. She cannot move around in this condition of hers anyway.
"I still cannot understand why you were doing that earlier anyway. What were you trying to do while standing in a strange position like that?" He asked as he could not understand her intentions to stand in such a strange manner.
Yang Ning lowered her head and could feel her cheeks turning crimson in embarrassment. She took a deep breath before explaining, "I wasn't trying to do anything. I ate too many sweets, that's why I was moving around a bit and stretching my body to digest the food."
"If I stay inside my bed all day long, I will get tired and sick easily." She answered his questions honestly. It's not like she was trying to kill anyone. She was only doing some exercises.
"What kind of training you were doing earlier? I have never seen anyone stretch their body like that before." He frowned at her strange response.
"I don't know how to stretch your body. How will I know? It's not like I have trained with your soldiers. That's why I was randomly moving my body and got a sprain in my back. Ah…I am already in pain. Why do you keep making me talk like that?" She groaned in pain and placed a hand on her back to show him that her back is still hurting.
It's better to change the topic than talk to him about this matter. Otherwise, she might reveal anything that she isn't supposed to do.
"It hurts? You don't need to say anything then. I will ask the maid to bring your meal. Eat something and take a rest." He panicked to see her groaning in pain and told her to stay silent and rest her back against the soft pillows that were placed behind her back.
Yang Ning smiled and nodded in agreement. Although she was full from eating sweets, she was now feeling slightly hungry after doing the exercises and getting injured from doing a few sets of squats.
"Okay. I'll stay like this then." She smiled and gladly accepted his pampering.
