First, then, love.

Having worked as a special police officer for so many years, he has seen too many victims of post-traumatic stress disorder.

This kind of stress response cannot be soothed by simply saying "it's safe now".

But he never imagined that this would happen to his wife.

He Zheng took a deep breath, suppressing the surging violence in his heart and his murderous intent towards the thug.

"I'm not leaving."

He sighed, his tone incredibly soft.

He grasped her cold wrist with his other hand, carefully avoiding the scrapes and cuts.

"Come on, let's go get it together."

He took her hand, slowed his pace, walked to the TV cabinet, and took out the first-aid kit.

Shu Yao clung tightly to his back like a ghost, never leaving his side, as if she wanted to meld herself into his body.

After taking the medicine kit, He Zheng glanced down at her.

His brows were furrowed.

It's so dirty.

The long white down jacket was covered in mud, snow, and unidentified grime; the zipper was broken, and the jacket hung loosely on my body.

The turtleneck cashmere sweater inside was also stained with black and gray, and the collar was completely stained red with blood from the corner of his mouth, mottled and glaring.

Her hair was a complete mess, like a bird's nest, and she had no image to speak of.

His face was covered in a mixture of blood, tears, and mud.

The wounds on my hands even had tiny grains of sand and ice embedded in them, so they had to be cleaned thoroughly first, otherwise applying medicine directly would definitely cause infection.

"You need to wash yourself first; you're covered in mud, so the medicine can't be applied."

He Zheng placed the medicine box on the kitchen island and led her to the bathroom in the master bedroom.

The bathroom lights were so bright they were blinding.

The large, bright dressing mirror clearly reflected Shu Yao's current miserable state.

The left side of his face was swollen high, with a shocking purplish-red handprint, and thick scabs of blood at the corner of his mouth.

His eyes were filled with fear, like a rag doll discarded in a garbage dump.

Shu Yao glanced at herself in the mirror without realizing it.

Her breath hitched, and tears welled up instantly, falling in large drops.

"So ugly..." she mumbled, her voice broken and choked with sobs.

Even though she was terrified, her instinct for beauty remained. She still cared about her proud face and her image in front of He Zheng.

He Zheng's eyes sharpened, and he took a step forward.

Her broad back directly blocked the huge dressing mirror, cutting off her view.

"It's not ugly, I think it looks pretty good."

He lied through his teeth without even writing a draft, yet his tone was incredibly serious, exuding an unyielding force that brooked no argument.

"Take off your coat, let me clean it for you. The wound needs to be disinfected."

Shu Yao's hands were injured, her palms were covered in blood and flesh, and she couldn't exert any strength at all. Even lifting her arms felt painful.

He Zheng took action.

His movements were somewhat clumsy as he unzipped his down jacket, peeled the dirty clothes off her shoulders, and disdainfully tossed them into the laundry basket in the corner.

That blood-stained cashmere sweater inside is also unusable.

He grabbed the hem of the sweater, lifted it up, and took it off cleanly and decisively.

Shu Yao was only wearing a black lace bra, with large expanses of her snow-white skin exposed to the air.

The diamond necklace on her collarbone still gleamed with a cold light, creating a stark contrast with her disheveled appearance.

Although the underfloor heating was on, she still shivered from the cold, her shoulders involuntarily hunching together, and a layer of fine goosebumps rose on her skin.

He Zheng's eyes darkened, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

Forcibly suppress the inappropriate instincts in my heart.

Now is not the time to think about such beastly things.

He turned around, opened the cabinet, and pulled down the thickest white pure cotton bath towel from the constant temperature towel rack, wrapping it directly over Shu Yao's thin body.

The arms tightened, wrapping her up completely, leaving not a single gap.

Only a messy head and two horribly mangled hands were visible.

It looked exactly like a white silkworm wrapped up tightly.

Shu Yao was wrapped in a warm, dry bath towel; the man's strength was great, and the feeling of being enveloped was extremely strong.

This all-encompassing sense of restraint actually made her feel truly safe, and she finally stopped trembling uncontrollably.

He Zheng turned on the tap, adjusted the water temperature to lukewarm, and tested the temperature.

I took a clean disposable face towel, wet it in warm water, and wrung it out until it was half dry.

"Don't move, look up."

He supported the back of her head with one hand, cradled her slender neck with his palm, and held a warm washcloth in the other.

He gently wiped the mud and dried blood from her face with his thumb through the soft cotton cloth.

I carefully avoided the swollen left cheek and the cracked corner of my mouth.

Little by little, she wiped her once bright and beautiful face clean.

Shu Yao tilted her head back, forced to endure his actions.

Her gaze was fixed on the man's face, which was inches away from hers.

"Does it hurt?"

He Zheng looked at her chapped lips, his brows furrowing again, and asked in a low voice.

"It hurts," Shu Yao sniffed, complaining pitifully, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Serves you right. Who told you not to exercise regularly? You tripped and fell after just a few steps."

He Zheng cursed coldly, but he took the washcloth from his hand and replaced it with a softer dry towel, gently wiping the water off her face.

After wiping his face, he washed another towel.

He Zheng grabbed her under the armpits and lifted her up like a child, placing her on the large marble sink.

Shu Yao was barefoot, her legs dangling in mid-air.

My shoes were left in the parking lot, and the soles of my feet were covered in black dust from the parking lot. My toes were frozen red, like ten little carrots.

He Zheng bent down and lowered his head.

His tall frame looked somewhat cramped in the bathroom.

He held her slender ankle with one hand and a warm towel in the other.

He wiped her toes one by one, not even missing the dirt under her toenails, cleaning her very carefully.

The man's palms were rough, and when they rubbed against the delicate insteps and soles, they caused a slight itch.

Shu Yao pulled her foot back, trying to pull it away, but couldn't break free.

"Don't move, it's not dry yet." He Zheng patted the back of her foot lightly, as if he were flicking dust off her feet.

After wiping, he went to the dressing room and found a pair of fluffy pink coral fleece house socks.

Without any hesitation, I put it on her, pulling it all the way up to her calves.

My feet were instantly enveloped in a soft, warm sensation.

"Alright, get down and go to the living room to apply the medicine."

He Zheng lifted her off the sink and placed her on the floor.

Shu Yao, wrapped in a large bath towel like a chubby penguin, stood in front of him wearing pink socks.

My face is clean, my feet are warm, and I'm ready to treat my wounds.

But the insecurity in my heart has not completely disappeared.

"He Zheng..." She tugged at the corner of his black T-shirt, her voice so soft it was like a mosquito's hum, revealing an awkwardness that was hard to put into words.

"What's wrong now? Where does it hurt?" He Zheng immediately became anxious and looked down to check if there were any hidden injuries on her body that he hadn't discovered yet.

"No..." Shu Yao bit her lower lip, an unnatural blush rising on her cheeks, "I...I need to go to the bathroom..."

She had been holding it in the whole way.

I was so scared by that pervert in the parking lot that my bladder tightened, and I drove all the way back on high alert.

Now, enveloped in the heat and relaxed, that physiological need has become even stronger.

He Zheng raised an eyebrow, a helpless smile flashing across his cold, hard face.

He pointed to the smart toilet next to him.

"Go away, the toilet isn't going to run away on its own. Do you expect me to take your pants off for you?"

Shu Yao wrapped the bath towel around herself tightly and slowly moved to the toilet.

She glanced back at him, her eyes wary.

"Get out."

He Zheng scoffed.

"What, now you're shy? I've seen every single part of your body."

Despite saying that, he still knew his limits, turned around, and strode out, preparing to wait for her in the living room.

I've just reached the threshold, but haven't stepped out yet.

"Don't close the door!"

Shu Yao's urgent voice sounded from behind.

He Zheng suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He turned around.

Looking at the woman in the restroom.

She simply couldn't bear to be alone in an enclosed space.

As soon as the door is closed and her view is blocked, she feels that the pervert in the baseball cap is hiding in the shadows of the bathtub or behind the shower curtain, ready to pounce and cover her mouth at any moment.

The woman stood pitifully by the toilet, her hands tightly gripping the edge of a bath towel, her eyes full of pleading.