Chapter 160

"Can you walk by yourself?"

That's a very pertinent question. Wen Shu turned her head, trying her best to ignore the faint pine scent on him, and frowned as she said, "I can do it myself."

A soft chuckle seemed to come from above. Pei Lingjun's lips curved into a faint smile as he lowered his gaze and said in a relaxed voice, "By the time you hop and skip down the mountain, the city gates will be locked."

"That...that's unacceptable..." Wen Shu covered her face. "What kind of behavior is this?"

Pei Lingjun chuckled and mischievously bounced her up, unsurprisingly earning a glare from the woman. "Is this improper? What if I kiss you in front of Lu Jiang?"

Wen Shu's face turned bright red, and she covered her face tightly, letting the cool pine scent emanating from the young man envelop her.

She retorted in a low voice, "Pei Lingjun, you have no shame..."

The young man raised an eyebrow with amusement. What was shame? He didn't have that.

Pei Lingjun carried Wen Shu down the mountain. Because they needed to treat Wen Shu's bruises, the group had to stay at the manor for the time being.

Fortunately, the Lu family's villa had no shortage of medicine for sprains and bruises. Lu Jiang held the ointment in his hand, letting the warmth of his palm melt the ointment, and focused on rubbing the bruise on her right ankle.

"Why are you still so careless, just like when you were a child?"

Lu Jiang spoke helplessly, and if you listened carefully, you could hear a hint of his usual doting in his voice. Fortunately, her sprain wasn't serious; otherwise, he really couldn't forgive himself.

"It was my carelessness." The woman sat on the edge of the couch. The room was dimly lit. She moved her ankles and said with difficulty, "Cousin, why don't I do it myself?"

Seeing that her ankle was about to slip out of his grasp, Lu Jiang tightened his grip, pulling her leg back. "I'm a doctor. In a doctor's eyes, there's no distinction between men and women."

“Brother Lu is right!” Someone entered the house against the light. The young man was dressed in a dark blue narrow-sleeved brocade robe. The interplay of light and shadow on the man outlined his excellent figure. He was tall and slender with a graceful waistline, yet he exuded a strong sense of pressure.

At this moment, the young man stood with his arms crossed against the wall inside the room, his gaze fixed on the ankle that Lu Jiang was holding, his expression unreadable, as if warning: "My cousin doesn't distinguish between men and women."

That's what he said, but Pei Lingjun's eyes never left Wen Shu, and he guarded against Lu Jiang like a thief.

Lu Jiang naturally noticed the young man's gaze, pursed his lips in displeasure, but ignored Pei Lingjun.

The ointment stings when rubbed on the skin. Seeing Wen Shu frowning, Lu Jiang took the initiative to talk about the fun things that happened when he was a child, "Back then, you lived in the other house with your grandparents and you made quite a fuss."

Speaking of the funny things that happened back then, Wen Shu couldn't help but smile, "I was just naughty when I was young."

"When you were little, you climbed a tree to pick big, red fruit. When your grandmother woke up from her afternoon nap, she couldn't find you. After searching around, she found you hanging in the tree. She was so angry that she wanted to hit you with a feather duster."

Wen Shu smiled broadly, "Grandma wouldn't really hit me. She was afraid I would fall because I was unsteady. In the end, Grandpa climbed the tree himself and carried me down, which saved me from punishment."

“You’ve always been a free spirit since you were little…” Lu Jiang finished applying the last bit of ointment and smiled. “Later, you returned to the Wen family and gradually grew up. Your temperament became much more composed. However, your cousin still prefers to see you smile.”

Wen Shu was stunned.

Lu Jiang stood up and said, "Haven't you noticed that you've been smiling more since you came to Shanzhou?"

The light from outside shone in, illuminating every detail of the air. Wen Shu's smile suddenly froze, then widened again. "I like staying in Shanzhou."

Inside the room, the rustling sound of Lu Jiang tidying up his medicine box could be heard.

Pei Lingjun's face was hidden in the darkness, his dark eyes concealing deep emotions. He did not utter a word, nor did he interrupt the woman's recollection of the past.

Yes.

When Wen Shu was in the Marquis's residence, he rarely saw her smile.

She dislikes Jijing and the Marquis's Mansion, so does she like herself?

Did that pitiful bit of love eventually fade away?

Why had he never noticed Wen Shu's feelings before? Why had he never paid attention to her? Why had he allowed her to slowly erode her love for him alone in the vast Marquis's mansion?

Feeling extremely agitated, Pei Lingjun sometimes wished he could go back in time and slap himself hard, so he could see clearly that she was the woman he loved, and how could he treat her like this?!

The young man left without saying a word, his face grim.

Inside the room, Wen Shu watched the young man's departing figure, remained silent for a moment, and ultimately said nothing.