Chapter 4 Climbing Easton's Wall

• With that thought, Hope couldn't sit still any longer. She grabbed her bag and went downstairs, not at all surprised when no one stopped her.
• It was already dark outside, and the lights at the front gate of the villa across the street flickered. Hope rang the doorbell for quite a while, but no one came to answer. This made her worry.
• She glanced at the low wall. Having spent her childhood climbing mountains and digging herbs with an old Chinese medicine doctor, Hope easily scaled the wall.
• Inside the yard was as rundown as the front gate—overgrown with weeds, and rats and snakes scurrying about. It looked like no one lived there, and she couldn't understand why the man would choose to stay in such a place.
• Relying on the memories in her soul, Hope quickly made her way to the room where the man lived on the second floor.
• The door was slightly ajar, and a dim yellow wall light illuminated the room. The man lay quietly on the bed, his breath faint, his complexion ashen. The bandage on his forehead was soaked with sweat and blood.
• Hope's heart sank. Sure enough, something had happened.
• As she approached, she felt the heat radiating off his body. She reached out and touched his cheek—it was burning hot!
• Pulling back the blanket, she saw that aside from his right hand and forehead injuries, there were deep and shallow scars across his exposed chest, along with some fresh abrasions and contusions.
• Perhaps sensing someone's presence, Easton opened his eyes weakly, gazing at Hope. "It's you?"
• "You can still speak. Looks like you're not dead," Hope said, not caring to hide her annoyance. She really couldn't understand why this man, despite being so seriously injured, insisted on staying here alone. Wouldn't it be better to be hospitalized or at least have someone take care of him?
• Easton furrowed his brows, reminded of his miserable state, and coldly commanded, "Who let you in? Get out."
• "What?" Hope was in disbelief. Was it her memory that had gone wrong, or had she been mistaken to think he liked her? Was he simply curious about the true story of his neighbor's fake daughter drama when looking out the window?
• A wave of disappointment washed over her, but then she quickly thought things through. Whether or not he liked her right now didn't matter. She had already decided on him. In her past life, he had wronged her, and in this life, there was no escaping it.
• "You have an infection in your wound, and you need treatment immediately, or you'll get a high fever."
• Ignoring his resistance, Hope placed her hands on his pants. "Lift your waist, I need to take your pants off."
• Easton stiffened, his black eyes staring at Hope intensely.
• Hope knew he misunderstood her, so she quickly explained, "I just need to check the injuries on your lower body."
• "No injuries below."
• "No injuries? Then why are you in a wheelchair?" Hope didn't believe him and forcefully pulled down his pants.
• She was stunned…
• His upper body had perfect abs, an 8-pack with flawless lines, but his lower body was withered and thin. His long legs looked like two dead tree trunks…
• "Is your leg an old injury?"
• Before Easton could answer, Hope began pressing on his legs to confirm the condition.
• "Stop..." he tried to stop her, but his whole body was burning with pain, and he could barely raise a hand.
• Hope paid no mind to him. She continued pressing until her soft hand rested on the top of his thigh before stopping.
• "It doesn't look like a fresh injury. Why didn't you get it treated when it happened?"
• Easton's breathing became erratic. He gave up struggling, his pale face flushed with embarrassment. His ears were especially red, almost dripping with blood. He closed his eyes tightly, pretending to be deaf and mute.
• Hope snorted in her heart. In her previous life, he had seen her completely naked, but she never saw him be this embarrassed!
• "You're not willing to tell me? Then I'll continue my examination."
• As she said that, Hope was about to continue exploring when Easton quickly spoke up to stop her.
• "My legs… can't be treated. I was poisoned through my medicine."
• Hope froze. She suddenly couldn't ask any more questions. Whoever could poison someone through medicine had to be someone close.
• "Your leg will take time to treat. For now, I'll help you cool down and clean your wounds."
• The medicine box was clearly visible, so Hope found a fever-reducing pill and fed it to him. Then she unwrapped the bandage on his forehead. The wound wasn't severe, with sutures visible, but the blood and sweat had mixed, and the wound had become inflamed and swollen.
• "Hold on, this will hurt a bit while I clean the sweat and reapply the medicine."
• Hope began her work. She was gentle, but Easton couldn't help but groan. It wasn't the pain from his forehead, but rather the proximity of Hope's body pressing against his arm, which made him lose control.
• "Did I hurt you? Let me blow on it."
• She leaned down, blowing gently on his forehead. Her red lips almost touched his skin.
• Feeling her warm breath, Easton found comfort in the familiar sensation. Everything around him blurred, and his consciousness slowly faded. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
• When Hope finished, she realized he was already asleep, and his fever had subsided.
• Now, it was time to treat his legs.
• She took out the silver needles she always carried with her and began acupuncture.
• Two hours later, Hope was exhausted. Her stomach growled in hunger, but she didn't have the energy to look for food. Her head tilted, and she collapsed by the bed, falling into a deep sleep.
• The next morning, Hope was awakened by a loud scream.
• "Easton! Did a little thief climb over your wall? Are you still alive? Did they rob you or do something else?"
• The voice was bright and clear, growing louder as it approached. Hope, still dazed, opened her eyes and hadn't yet realized where she was when a large hand pressed her back into the blankets.
• "Don't come out."
• The man's commanding tone rang above her. Hope was about to ask what was going on when she froze.
• Because after she had given Easton acupuncture last night, she hadn't put his pants back on, and now he was only wearing underwear while she was trapped under the blankets with him!
• Wait, hadn't she been sleeping while lying on the floor last night? How did she end up on the bed?
• As she wondered, someone entered the room.
• "Easton, are you alright?" Penelope rushed over, about to check on Easton, but Easton stopped her with a single look.
• "What are you doing here?"
• "I heard that you were thrown to the old villa by that witch, and I was worried you might do something foolish, so I came to check on you."
• "Oh, by the way, when I came in, I found traces of someone climbing the wall. It must have been a little thief. Are you alright?"
• Penelope continued chatting non-stop, and Easton became annoyed. Just as he was about to ask her to leave, he saw Hope pull off the blanket.
• "Ugh~ I can't breathe!"
• The blanket was tossed so forcefully that Easton's lower body, which was still without pants, was completely exposed.
• "You… you two…" Penelope gasped, almost biting her tongue in shock!
• "Easton! You're hiding a woman!"
• Hope scratched her head, a little embarrassed. "Actually, I was just really hungry and wanted to borrow some food, and maybe a place to sleep."
• "I understand, I understand! You don't need to explain. I won't tell anyone. I won't be a third wheel!" Penelope quickly left in a whirlwind.
• The house was left with just Hope and Easton.
• "So your name is Easton."
• "What did you mean just now?"
• They both spoke at the same time. Hope didn't quite understand his question, so Easton repeated, "Why are you hungry?"
• It had started as an excuse, but now Hope realized that if she was going to oppose the Newton family in the future, she'd likely go hungry. It might be a good idea to secure a long-term food source now.
• She secretly pinched herself, and her eyes reddened. Tears shimmered in her eyes, and with her messy hair and flushed cheeks, she looked pitiful, weak, and helpless.