Chapter 9. Hold me tight.

Song Jie tried to see some anger at being humiliated on her face, or perhaps her former cautiousness.

But she stood a few steps away, showing no sign of anger. Instead, she smiled lightly and said in a casual tone, "Sure, but since you suddenly made this request, it will be considered overtime. Five thousand taels of silver per hour."

Five thousand taels of silver for an hour? She really dares to ask for that. Renting out the entire Fanlou restaurant for a whole year would only cost ten thousand taels of silver. Is she that desperate for money? Would she really pretend to be someone else and warm someone else's feet for money?

"Five thousand taels is all." Song Jie propped himself up, glanced at her from head to toe, and said contemptuously, "As long as you are similar to Jia Ning enough."

She didn't immediately agree from a few steps away. After looking at him for a few seconds, she sighed in resignation, "Alright, then I'll stay and keep you company for a while longer, but please open all the windows." She frowned and said in a complaining tone, "The room is like a steamer, I'm about to die from the heat."

Song Jie stared at her face in disbelief. Every little expression she made just now was exactly like Jia Ning's, even the tone and words of her complaints were exactly the same.

Sixteen-year-old Jia Ning always says things like "It's so hot!", "I'm so tired!", "I'm so scared!"...

How does she know all this?

How can one person instantly "change face" into another person?

She walked towards the window, her rosy cheeks streaked with hair, looking really hot, and reached out to open it.

Cangshu quickly followed and softly called out, "Miss Xie." He reached out and supported the window she was about to open, his gaze quickly shifting away from her face as he said in an even softer voice, "The Prime Minister cannot be exposed to drafts when he is ill."

She stood in front of Cang Shu, but her fingers didn't stop; she placed them directly on the back of Cang Shu's hand. "What are you afraid of? I'm here."

Cangshu hurriedly withdrew his hand as if he had been burned.

Song Jie clearly saw that his ears turned red instantly, and he stood frozen under the window as if his soul had been taken away, only nervously gripping the fingers that Xie Yushu had touched.

Song Jie then noticed that Cang Shu's usually neat belt had a fold at the back, as if it had been hastily tied and hadn't been properly straightened.

This is really wrong. Cang Shu is always impeccably dressed when she appears before him every day, so why is her belt in such a mess? And why is he standing there like this? Shouldn't he have rudely pushed Xie Yushu away to stop her?

Xie Yushu pushed open all the windows, and the night wind blew in from outside, blowing her stray hair and robe sleeves, and also making Song Jie cough violently.

Cangshu awoke as if from a dream and hurriedly tried to close the window, but Xie Yushu said, "Don't close it."

While he hesitated, Xie Yushu had already walked quickly to the bedside, lowered the dark blue bed curtains, and asked Song Jie softly, "Is it really that you can't stand even a breeze? Is it very uncomfortable?"

The icy chill in Song Jie's chest was rekindled. He coughed painfully and looked up angrily at Xie Yushu, only to meet a face full of guilt. Her slightly drooping eyes made her look like a pitiful puppy or kitten.

"I didn't expect you to be in so much pain." She reached out from inside the bed curtains to stroke his back as he coughed. "I'm sorry, Brother Song, I've never taken care of anyone before. Can you tell me how I can take care of you to make you feel better?"

Her warm hand gently stroked his frozen back, causing his body and heart to tremble. He stared at her, his brows furrowing slightly: "Why...do you know that phrase?"

Jia Ning had said the same thing before, almost word for word. It was out of guilt that she called him "Brother Song" for the first time.

How could this be a coincidence? How did Xie Yushu know all this?

"Don't talk," Xie Yushu interrupted him, then immediately added, "It'll only make you cough worse." She hurriedly wrapped him tightly in the blanket, sat down beside him, and rubbed his icy arm with one hand, asking him very close, "Will this make you feel any better?"

Song Jie looked at her quietly. She was clearly very awake, but her face looked so much like Jia Ning's. The closer she got, the more vivid Jia Ning's little expressions became on her face.

It was as if Jia Ning would still care about him so much.

In fact, Song Jie knew very well that ever since Jia Ning and Prince Xiao Zhen reunited, she had grown to dislike him more and more.

The better Jia Ning treated Xiao Zhen, the more he hated Xiao Zhen and humiliated him in an increasingly cruel way. It wasn't until Jia Ning broke off her relationship with him for Xiao Zhen's sake that he realized that Jia Ning had long since fallen in love with Xiao Zhen...

Song Jie thought sadly: Even if Jia Ning really came back, she wouldn't care about him like this anymore; she would only hate him along with Xiao Zhen.

"Is it still cold?" Xie Yushu gently touched his cheek with the back of her hand, her brows furrowing even more. "Why is it still so cold?"

Song Jie stared at her without blinking, and even more tragically, he found that he couldn't take his eyes off her face, nor could he suppress the longing in his heart to get closer to her. He longed for that warm hand to caress him, for her warm body to embrace him, and for that more caring and gentle "Jia Ning" to reappear before him.

He knew perfectly well that she was a fake, yet he painfully hoped that the beautiful dream she had woven would never end.

At least make him feel a little better.

His fingers twitched involuntarily as he grasped her warm hand in return.

Inside the green tent, which was being swayed by the wind, Song Jie said in a hoarse voice, "Hold me, Jia Ning, let me stay warm."

A hint of a smile flashed in Xie Yushu's eyes, but it quickly turned back into a worried expression. "Okay, I'll hold you."

Without the slightest hesitation or reservation, she reached out and hugged Song Jie inside the blanket: "I've always been hot-tempered. My mother says I'm like a little furnace. Use me to keep warm."

Song Jie nestled in her arms, feeling her warmth even through the blanket. Her face was damp with fine sweat, and a warm, fragrant breeze emanated from her neck, like a melted balm.

It was so warm; his icy, bone-chilling pain seemed to melt away with her warmth.

He closed his eyes, inhaling her fragrance and feeling her warmth. The icy coldness that tormented him in his chest actually felt a little better. He felt as if he were immersed in a warm, beautiful dream. He gripped her fingers tightly, trying to steal more warmth, but it still didn't feel enough, and he felt cold.

He began to think about pulling back the covers and getting closer to her, hoping that the biting cold in his bones would be dispelled.

He couldn't resist bringing his face close to her warm neck, his nose brushing against her damp skin...

She suddenly moved, raised her hand to cover his face, and mumbled softly, "You can't take advantage of me like this."

Song Jie opened his eyes and saw that she had turned her head away from him, her cheeks and ears were bright red, and her lowered eyelashes were fluttering nervously, as if fluttering against his heart. His heart and throat felt hot, and his mind was buzzing. He even had a momentary feeling that she was Jia Ning...

She raised her hand to cover his eyes again, and said shyly, "Don't stare at me, Song Jie."

Song Jie's heart swelled instantly, a tingling, numb sensation spreading through his body like ice thawing. His eyes stung and stung under her palm. He reached out and grasped her hand, his throat tightening as he murmured, "Jia Ning, I missed you so much..."

She withdrew her hand, shattering his beautiful dream as she called out to him, "Prime Minister Song."

Song Jie met a pair of disgusted eyes.

Her gentleness and shyness had vanished, leaving only cold disdain. She said to him, "I only offer the service of impersonating Xie Jianing, not any other contact services. If you can't handle things properly, then this is the end of it."

Song Jie felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his face as if he had been slapped twice. He had actually so clearly mistaken her for Jia Ning again... He couldn't deny his shamefulness. In that moment, he knew in his heart that she wasn't Jia Ning, but he desperately wanted to be treated as gently as Jia Ning had treated him, like she had treated Xiao Zhen. He was immersed in the beautiful dream Xie Yushu had created for him, wanting a little comfort in such painful times, even if it was self-deception...

She got up to leave, but Song Jie grabbed her tightly, his burned palm throbbing with pain: "Don't go, I lost my temper..."

His touch made her frown again. Song Jie immediately let go of her hand and said without hesitation, "Add another two thousand taels as my apology for my rudeness."

He saw Xie Yushu's brows relax little by little after hearing "two thousand taels," wipe his fingers with a handkerchief, and say to him, "I can accept your apology, but I must make it clear that you cannot initiate physical contact with me while I am playing Xie Jianing."

Song Jie could clearly sense her disgust towards him, as if... she really treated him like a business deal. But didn't she shed tears when he was unconscious? Didn't she even warm his feet for him?

He looked at Xie Yushu in confusion, but could only agree. He wanted to tell Xie Yushu that she didn't need to put on that disgusted expression, that he didn't want to touch her at all, but he swallowed the words back, because he had just desperately wanted to hold her hand like a madman...

Xie Yushu sighed and lifted the bed curtains.

"Where are you going?" Song Jie asked immediately. Hadn't he already paid?

She turned around and looked at him helplessly, saying, "Go get some water and wipe the blood off for you."

She switched back to that helpless expression that resembled "Jia Ning's," and said to him reassuringly, "I won't leave. Count to ten and I'll be back."

Song Jie pursed his lips and carefully examined the face. He had never seen a woman like Xie Yushu who loved money as much as life itself and whose face could change as easily as turning the pages of a book.

She quickly returned to his side with a wet towel and burn ointment, sat on the couch, took his hand and placed it on her lap, and carefully cleaned his wound, scolding him with heartache, "Why are you always so careless?"

Song Jie looked at her, reminding himself that she was Xie Yushu.

"Does it hurt?" She gently spread the ointment with her fingertips, as if afraid of hurting him, and then leaned closer to gently blow on the wound on his palm.

A gentle, warm breeze rippled through his palm. This gesture seemed utterly useless and laughable, yet Song Jie clearly remembered that his mother had once applied medicine to Xiao Zhen in the same way.

She blew on the whip marks on Xiao Zhen's arm as if coaxing a child, and said to him, "Blowing on them will make it stop hurting."

Xiao Zhen simply frowned and withdrew his hand, saying, "Mother, I am no longer a child."

Yes, only children believe in such deceptive things... Song Jie didn't need to when he was a child, but she blew on it so carefully and applied it so diligently, as if she couldn't bear to see him in pain.

"Congratulations, host. You have gained 1 point of 'charm' value from Song Jie." The system suddenly announced.

Xie Yushu looked up at Song Jie in surprise, unable to understand what he was thinking, as if he were sick.

But he was incredibly generous, spending seven thousand taels of silver per hour, which in modern terms is equivalent to two hours of acting...

"Seven thousand taels of silver is roughly four million RMB," the system thoughtfully calculated for her.

Four million!

She immediately asked the system if the silver and gold she earned in this world could be brought back to her original world after completing the mission.

The system replied: "As long as you max out your health and complete the main quest, all the silver you earn in this world can be exchanged for RMB and brought back to your original world."

What else is there to say?

She was a dedicated actress, and for a moment, Song Jie didn't seem so repulsive to her anymore.

Xie Yushu tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, then bent down to blow on it gently, asking with utmost tenderness, "Does it hurt less now?"

Unexpectedly, Song Jie responded by saying, "It's a trick to fool children."

Although he said this, he did not pull his hand back, but still placed it obediently on Xie Yushu's lap, and even his tone was no longer contemptuous.

Based on Xie Yushu's character and background, one can probably guess that he actually wanted to be "coaxed" like this, because his mother, the Dowager Consort, had never told him about such tricks for coaxing children.

“Aren’t you like a child now, needing constant attention and care?” Xie Yushu took his hand and examined it, then sighed and said, “You have to be careful. When I’m not around, remember to apply the medicine, don’t get it wet, and especially don’t break the blisters…”

She kept giving him instructions.

Looking at her vivid eyes and brows, Song Jie felt as if Jia Ning was caring for him with every word of advice.

"Did you hear that?" She looked up and saw him staring blankly, and asked him unhappily, "Were you even listening to me?"

Song Jie answered her almost subconsciously, "I'm listening."

After answering, a slight sense of resistance arose in my heart. She was Xie Yushu, Xie Yushu.

"Not only should you listen with your ears, but you should also remember with your heart." She tapped his chest with her finger.

Even through his clothes, his heart seemed to nod in agreement.

He longed to hold that hand, yet he reminded himself: she was Xie Yushu.

"Lie down and get some sleep," Xie Yushu said, supporting his arm. "You won't feel so bad if you fall asleep."

He didn't want to sleep, afraid that he might sleep for an hour too long.

She seemed to see right through him and said, "I won't leave. I'll sit next to you and be your little heater. I'll leave when you wake up."

Song Jie stared at her intently. "Even without extra pay, you'll wait until I wake up before you leave?"

She answered almost without hesitation, "Of course not."

This time, he didn't tell a single lie.

Song Jie had never seen a woman so frankly greedy. Just as he was about to say something more, the sound of Panpan's dog barking suddenly came from outside.

Cangshu hurried out to inquire who had entered the mansion.

Footsteps and a low reply came from outside. Song Jie vaguely heard Cang Shu call out, "Fourth Prince?"

Soon, Cangshu entered and whispered outside the bed curtains, "Prime Minister, the Fourth Prince has come to the mansion to see you, saying there is an urgent matter in the palace."

“Xiao Zhen?” Song Jie frowned, a hint of sarcasm appearing on his lips. “What urgent matter requires him to rush into the Prime Minister’s residence to see me in the middle of the night? It’s nothing more than a test to see if I’m dead or not.”

The Fourth Prince, Xiao Zhen? Isn't that the future emperor and male lead?

A note from the author:

----------------------

Xie Yushu: I'm so worried about your cough. How can I take care of you? (Keep the window open)

New leeks (a metaphor for easily exploited investors) are voluntarily reporting for duty!

I'm giving out red envelopes to everyone today too. From now on, I'll just randomly drop them out, and I'll do it secretly!