Louie walked to the stairwell, ignoring Bella calling after him. After lighting a cigarette, he headed towards his car.
Bella, wearing high heels, hurriedly descended the stairs to catch up with Louie. Seeing him already at the car, she panicked and accidentally stepped on air.
"Yah!" Bella let out a sharp scream, her body losing balance and tilting forward, seemingly about to fall onto the concrete floor at the stairwell.
Hearing Bella's scream, Louie raised his head and saw her about to fall. Without much thought, he fiercely stepped on the ground with his right foot, bent his waist, and shot out like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Bella, both hands holding her waist. With a quick turn, he spun around in the narrow stairwell, his back hitting the wall, securely holding Bella and preventing her from getting hurt.
"Be careful. Don't do this next time." Louie's face looked a bit unpleasant. He released Bella and pressed his right hand on his back, then turned around and walked towards his car.
Bella, looking at Louie's strange posture, glanced at the wall he had backed into just now. She saw a nail protruding from the wall, and part of it was stained with Louie's blood.
After watching, Bella understood everything. Louie had backed into the nail to save her. Feeling a strong sense of guilt, she hurriedly called out, "Mr. Louie, are you okay?" Running to Louie's back, she saw a small hole in the back of his shirt, with blood staining it.
Louie smiled faintly and casually said, "I'm fine, don't worry. Well, I'm going back now."
Bella blocked in front of Louie, not letting him open the car door. "Mr. Louie, I'm sorry; it's all my fault." Bella looked guilty, tears shimmering in her eyes. She muttered, "Mr. Louie, I know you were angry because of my attitude earlier. In fact, I also know Brian doesn't look good, but he's good to me. Our families have been neighbors for over ten years, and Brian has been protecting me since childhood. We have a good relationship. So, when Mr. Louie mentioned Brian, I couldn't help but say those things. I didn't mean to intentionally upset Mr. Louie."
"You're calling me Mr. Louie?" Louie put his hand behind him, rubbing the spot where the blood was coming from the nail. He exaggeratedly opened his mouth, reminding Bella, "Aren't you used to calling me the manager? Did you hit your head just now? You seem a bit strange."
"Let's not talk about it here. Let's go back to my place. I'll find some antiseptic for you to clean up. It wouldn't be good if it gets infected," Bella said, grabbing Louie's hand and leading him back into the building.
After climbing up to the fourth floor in one breath, Bella opened the door to her apartment and saw her parents busy inside. When they saw Bella bringing Louie home, Bella's father hurriedly said, "Bella, you didn't say when you'd come back. Your mom and I just estimated it would be like an ordinary day. We didn't expect you to come back so early."
"Uncle, it's okay," Louie smiled and handed over the bought cigarettes, saying, "I didn't know what to buy, so I just bought a pack of cigarettes. I don't know if you like to smoke."
Bella's father, upon seeing the relatively expensive cigarettes, joyfully widened his eyes. This was indeed a good brand; although he didn't know the exact price of this particular pack, his chess partner, Old Man Zhang, had mentioned that such cigarettes cost tens of dollars per box. "Manager Louie, I've heard about you from Bella. Last time, you spent several thousand treating her to drinks, and now you bring such excellent cigarettes to my home. Look, I didn't buy anything fancy; I was worried you might not be used to it."
Louie could tell that Bella's father was an honest man just by his words. He laughed and said, "Uncle, it's fine. Just a simple home-cooked meal is enough. Besides, if I were picky about things, I wouldn't have come to your home, right?"
"Exactly," Bella's father agreed. He glanced at his daughter and said, "Bella, take Manager Louie to your room. We'll call you when dinner is ready."
Bella, already anxious to attend to Louie's wounds, immediately agreed, "Sure, Dad. I'll take him to my room. Call us when dinner's ready." With that, she tugged at Louie's coat and led him towards her bedroom.
Stepping into Bella's bedroom, a refreshing fragrance greeted them. A girl's room was always meticulously arranged; the walls were adorned with light blue wallpaper. A single bed was snug against the western wall, covered with pristine white bedding, and an adorable Kitty bear sat at the bedhead.
On the east side, a computer desk held a Dell computer. Coffee cups, coffee, folders, and other items were neatly arranged to the right of the computer monitor, creating a well-organized and uncluttered appearance.
"What are you looking at?" Bella retrieved a small bottle of red liquid and, holding a cotton swab, approached Louie. She noticed him surveying her room and lightly pushed him, saying softly, "This is my bedroom. You can't just casually look around."
"I'm just curious," Louie chuckled. "I don't know why, but once I stepped into this room, I didn't feel like leaving. It would be great if I could sleep here."
"Don't talk nonsense." Bella whispered, "If you want to sleep here, then where will I sleep?" She pushed Louie's back with her right hand, saying, "Sit down; I'll apply the medicine."
Louie patted his pants with both hands before lifting the bedding and sitting on the bedboard. Bella hadn't expected Louie, who seemed so carefree and uninterested, to be so attentive. A strange feeling surged within her. She said softly, "Mr. Louie, it's okay. Sit on the bed."
Upon hearing this, Louie rearranged the bedding and sat on the pristine white sheet. Bella sat next to him, saying, "Mr. Louie, take off your shirt."
This sounded quite ambiguous, and even Louie hadn't expected Bella to say something so suggestive. After Bella spoke, realizing she misspoke, she hastily explained, "I mean unbutton your shirt so I can apply the medicine."
"Oh, I see. I misunderstood," Louie chuckled. He unbuttoned his shirt, intending to take it off, but then thought better of it. Instead, he lifted the shirt, exposing his back to Bella.
Bella, seeing Louie's back, felt her heart thump. She could never have imagined that the seemingly gentle Louie would have so many scars on his back.
How could Bella know about Louie's past? Every scar on his body told a different story, and the scars on his back represented the most challenging training experiences in Louie's life.