Awakening

The snow outside Danzhou City has all quietly melted, revealing the brown earth. The willows by the river have already shed their green leaves, and the new spring has officially arrived.

The chaotic battle at the governor's mansion came quickly and left just as quickly as the last chill of winter set in. After only a few days of fear, the people of Danzhou returned to their normal lives.

With a creak, the door was pushed open.

The brocade cloak was put away, and Zhou Yanzhi, dressed in a dark blue outfit with silver patterns, walked in.

Wearing such a bright color on him actually made him look less cold and more approachable than when he wore black clothes.

The weather is nice today, and the window in the room is half open.

A gentle breeze from outside drifted through the window and into the room, bringing the scent of spring. The silver bells hanging on the couch swayed gently in the wind, making melodious, crisp sounds.

Zhou Yanzhi followed the sound of the bell into the inner room, leaning against the screen and looking at the person still lying on the couch.

She lay there quietly, her small face and long eyelashes casting two shadows on her lower eyelids. She was so well-behaved and had an indescribable charm.

He pulled up a chair and sat down by the couch, gently stroking her forehead with his hand. He breathed a sigh of relief; it was normal, not hot.

Looking at Jie Xiangsi, who was still fast asleep, Zhou Yanzhi tucked her in again. His gaze swept over her rosy face, and his voice was exceptionally patient, "Spring has arrived, and the scenery outside is beautiful. Won't you get up and come see?"

There was no response; apart from the soft tinkling of the silver bells hanging on the bed curtains, the room remained silent.

Zhou Yanzhi blinked, the smile on his lips slowly faded, and a hint of red gradually crept into the corners of his eyes.

The doctor we called said that the sword wound had damaged his heart.

These days, although her breathing has become more and more stable and the wound on her chest has begun to scab over, she is always asleep and cannot respond to the outside world.

In her condition, it would be best if she could wake up; if she couldn't, she would remain like this for the rest of her life.

Unconscious and unaware, yet alive, living like a living dead.

Having witnessed her carefree and unrestrained demeanor in the capital, Zhou Yanzhi closed his eyes briefly. Someone as lively as her probably wouldn't like being a "living dead," right?

That would be too lonely.

He took her hand, gently kissed it, and then Zhou Yanzhi, holding her hand, leaned against the edge of the four-poster bed and fell asleep.

He was sleeping soundly. They had been dealing with matters in the north and preparing to return to Beijing for the past two days, and hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.

His eyes were now dark and swollen. Even though he had changed into bright clothes and tidied his face, he still looked extremely haggard.

When Jie Xiangsi woke up, Zhou Yanzhi was still asleep.

The warmth emanating from her right hand was undeniable. She turned her head slightly and saw a hand with distinct knuckles covering it.

Turning my head and looking up, I saw Zhou Yanzhi's sleeping face.

The man has excellent physical features and bone structure. Even with his eyes closed, he still looks refined and handsome, with an indescribably elegant and dignified appearance.

Having faced death, Jie Xiangsi inexplicably grew to like the person before her even more. The moment her body was pierced by the longsword, her first thought wasn't of her brother, but of him.

She thought of the joyful yet confrontational scenes with him in the capital, of their first meeting at the city gate after her rebirth, and of him holding her tightly in the Yang residence...

At that moment, she thought she must have misspoke; she didn't just like him a little, she liked him a lot.

The bed curtains swayed gently, and the bell rang in the distance.

Jie Xiangsi suddenly smiled.

In her previous life as Xiao Yan, she didn't like anyone, but as Jie Xiangsi, the first person she liked was him.

He was dreaming about something, his brow furrowed slightly. Fearing he might be uncomfortable sleeping like this, Jie Xiangsi gently pulled her hand away from his and prepared to get him settled in.

He had just moved when his wrist was suddenly gripped tightly. Zhou Yanzhi opened his eyes abruptly, his gaze filled with wariness. "Who?!"

Jie Xiangsi chuckled, "It's me."

She looked at him with a smile in her eyes, "You said it, spring has arrived."

Spring has arrived, and she didn't want to miss the beautiful scenery, so she woke up.

...

The news that Jie Xiangsi had woken up spread throughout the entire Jing family in no time.

Xiao Jiangsheng was the first to arrive. When he saw Jie Xiangsi, who, despite looking somewhat sickly, had indeed opened her eyes, he couldn't help but tear up.

He was about to rush forward and pat his younger sister's head when he remembered something and stopped abruptly outside the beaded curtain. He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I heard that you have woken up, so I came to visit you. Also, thank you for saving my life that day."

Knowing why he stopped, Jie Xiangsi felt helpless. Wasn't it because he was afraid of Zhou Yanzhi's suspicion? But wouldn't this make it even easier to arouse his suspicion?

She coughed lightly and said gently, "No need to be so polite. Young Marshal Xiao is a hero who fought against the Northern Barbarians. It is my honor to save him."

Zhou Yanzhi: "..."

Not only her, but Zhou Yanzhi also found it somewhat amusing. When the two of them argued about whether they should go to the capital together that day, did he not think that he might have doubts?

Is it too late to start pretending now?

However, since neither of the siblings intended to reveal their relationship, he saw no need to say anything that might upset them.

Thinking that the brother and sister had something to say, and that it was not convenient for him to stay, he said gently to Jie Xiangsi, "You just woke up, I'll go and tell the kitchen to make some congee and side dishes."

He took the initiative to leave, which Xie Xiangsi was naturally delighted with, and she quickly nodded, "Thank you, cousin."

Seeing the undisguised gleam in her eyes, Zhou Yanzhi chuckled, gave her a deep look, and then turned and left.

With a creak, the door was gently closed.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Xiao Jiangsheng quickly stepped forward, giving Jie Xiangsi a big—

A flick on the forehead!

Jie Xiangsi, waiting for Xiao Jiangsheng's praise, was speechless.

This time, there was no need for any preamble; the real pain in her head brought tears to her eyes. Rubbing her head, Jie Xiangsi looked up at her with a wronged expression and asked, "Why did you hit me, brother?"

But the next moment, she was held tightly in someone's arms as if she were a precious treasure.

She paused in her rubbing of her head, not because of embarrassment or anything else, but because she felt a continuous stream of water droplets falling from above her head.

And then there was that… deliberately suppressed sob.

"My brother is crying."

Suddenly, this idea popped into Jie Xiangsi's mind.

Jie Xiangsi suddenly felt a little lost. Xiao Jiangsheng's tears fell heavily onto the back of her hand, and although the touch was warm, it inexplicably burned her hand.

After a while, she moved and raised her hand to touch Xiao Jiangsheng's chin. Sure enough, it felt wet to the touch.

Those were his tears.

Feeling the increasingly dense teardrops on her head, Jie Xiangsi softly called out, "Brother."

"Hmm?" Xiao Jiang's voice still had a slight nasal tone.

Jie Xiangsi: "Cry louder, I want to hear it."

Xiao Jiangsheng: "...I didn't cry."

Jie Xiangsi: "You cried."

Xiao Jiangsheng: "No."

Jie Xiangsi: "Yes, I can feel your tears."

Xiao Jiangsheng: "..."

Xiao Jiangsheng said angrily, "Shut up, or I'll beat you until you cry too."

Jie Xiangsi: "..."

But after her interruption, Xiao Jiangsheng really lost the urge to cry. So he raised his sleeve to wipe away the tears on his face, let go of his longing, and then sat down on the edge of the bed.

Meeting her smiling eyes, Xiao Jiangsheng felt a lump in his throat. He reached out and gently rubbed her head, his eyes filled with tenderness, and asked softly, "Does it still hurt?"

Jie Xiangsi shook her head, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Xiao withdrew his hand from rubbing her head, and his eyes swept over her from head to toe. Seeing that she was indeed awake, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment of silence, he spoke in a low voice, "Yan Yan, your brother was really scared."

At first, he was afraid she wouldn't make it; later, he was afraid she wouldn't wake up.

Just like last year when he stormed into the capital alone and snatched Xiao Yan from the snow, in the end, all he, as her brother, could do was choose a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains to bury her.

That day, seeing the blood blooming on her chest and seeing her lying silently on the bed, he was truly afraid.

He only has this one younger sister.

He couldn't accept her dying in front of him again.

Seeing the guilt in Xiao Jiangsheng's eyes, Jie Xiangsi's long eyelashes trembled slightly, her nose turned slightly red, and she twisted the brocade quilt haphazardly with her fingertips, choking out, "But I'm also afraid that my brother will get hurt."

As her brother, he didn't want her to get hurt, and as her sister, she didn't want him to get hurt either.

Looking at her pitiful appearance, Xiao Jiangsheng sighed silently. How could he not know what she was thinking?

Xiao raised his hand and gently patted her head twice, saying in a low voice, "I know, but Yan Yan, you must promise your brother that no matter what, you must put your safety first from now on."

He paused, then smiled at Xiao Yan, half-jokingly saying, "Brother is a military general, and his skills are so good, he can protect himself. Besides, I'm the older brother, and an older brother's duty is to protect his younger sister. How come we're reversed?"

At this point, he feigned sadness.

"Yan Yan, you're making me feel so useless. I feel like a weak man who can't fight back after encountering a womanizer."

Amused by his nonsensical words, Jie Xiangsi laughed and said, "Then call me 'sister,' and you can accept my protection without feeling guilty."

"no."

Xiao Jiangsheng raised an eyebrow. "Even if I'm younger than you, I'm still the one protecting you. A man should be strong and stand tall. How can he hide behind a girl?"

"Alright then," Xie Xiangsi said with a smile. "In that case, you should be the older brother."

Xiao said arrogantly, "What do you mean by 'becoming' or 'not becoming'? It is what it is."

Upon hearing that familiar tone, for a moment, Jie Xiangsi seemed to see that proud and unrestrained young general again.

He was handsome and dashing, a young general with a jade-like face.

It was originally meant to describe him; he was once... one of the best young men in the capital.