My Mirror Image by Maybe Not (Candice And Alex’s) novel Chapter 334

It was early fall, and the wind blew coldly.

Before Candice could utter a word, Hanley asked with a notably deeper tone, "Your forehead feels quite chilly. Aren't you dressed too lightly? Are you cold?"

Candice pulled away from him and evaded his touch. She shook her head to dismiss his concern. "It's just the wind making me feel a bit chilly."

Her avoidance didn't bother Hanley. He smoothly withdrew his hand and pointed out a slender green vine near Candice, cautioning, "Be careful around this; it's thorny."

Candice gazed at the vine he had pointed to. It was green with a few sparse blue blooms, but around them were tiny, sharp thorns that were almost invisible unless she looked closely.

The neighborhood was full of historic homes. Each had rooftops or balconies entangled with similar vines, which hung down abundantly.

Candice had assumed it was simply another plant and paid no attention to it, but she asked curiously at this point, "Why do all the houses have these vines?"

"They were planted for security purposes, historically. The thorns acted as a deterrent."

Observing some scratches on Hanley's hand, her concern deepened. "Let me see your hand."

Reluctantly, Hanley showed her his hand, revealing several minor scratches from the thorns. There was no open wound, but the blood oozed a little.

Candice felt a tinge of guilt as she examined the cuts. "Sorry, it's my carelessness that got you injured," she murmured.

Hanley withdrew his hand nonchalantly and said, "It's not a big deal."

Realizing the potential harm the thorns could cause, as evidenced by Hanley's scratches, Candice paused for a bit before saying, "I remember there's a clinic ahead. Your hand is precious; let's have it checked."

Given Hanley's role as the primary designer at their firm, his hands were essential for the design drawings for the exhibition halls, so Candice was not about to take his wound lightly and insisted on medical attention.

Her insistence convinced Hanley. He went with Candice to a nearby clinic without protest.

The injury was superficial and treated simply with disinfection and a bandage by the doctor.

Candice refused to let Hanley carry the inferno soup. She personally took it from the shop owner herself.

Hanley was helpless in this scenario. "I haven't injured my bones; you don't need to be so careful."

"I've got this," Candice said confidently.

Hanley was about to respond but stopped himself when he saw how serious Candice looked.

-

As soon as they got to the hospital, Hannah gave Hanley a hard time.

"Why are you such a baby? Why did you let her carry everything while you just stood there?"

Hanley looked at Candice helplessly.

Candice cleared her throat and explained, "His hand is hurt. I was the one who insisted he shouldn't carry anything."

Then, Hannah noticed the bandage on Hanley's hand but didn't seem too concerned. Instead, she teased, "Let me guess, that scratch is probably already healed under the bandage, isn't it?"

Candice looked down at her shoes. She had only wanted to help Hanley but ended up getting him lectured by Hannah.

"However," Hannah's attitude softened, and she smiled, saying, "Candy, you're really good at taking care of others. My silly brother is lucky to have you around."

Candice didn't know what to say.