Chapter 98 Like Strong Wine (10) The body in her arms seemed connected to his meridians...

With a clanging sound.

The dagger bounced twice on the ground, making an echo.

In the pitch-black darkness, the screen was knocked to the ground by the impact of the body. Zhi Rou's back was pressed against the screen, and a burning pain spread from her bones. Her wrists were gripped and twisted in an unbearable direction.

Wei Yuanzhan was in a hurry to subdue her, and he didn't know his own strength. Just as the two of them landed, he suddenly moved his hand that was holding her shoulder to the back of her head. The two bodies overlapped, and a sharp pain spread instantly, making his entire arm feel a little numb.

He took a deep breath and looked down to make sure the person beneath him was alright.

The room was dimly lit, with the dim light from outside shining in. Zhi Rou frowned, her gaze meeting his with a slightly weary look, as if she didn't understand why someone who had just drawn their blades would protect her.

“It’s me.” Wei Yuanzhan said, slowly loosening his grip on her wrist, turning to the side to stand up, and then giving her his hand for support.

Zhi Rou was still in a daze when she subconsciously placed her uninjured hand in his palm, and Shi Li stood up.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and a sharp whistle rang in her ears, as if she were on the battlefield of Suyuan, where she could hear no other sound.

Seeing her like this, Wei Yuanzhan asked anxiously, "Are you injured?" He then went to check on her.

Zhi Rou hadn't been able to process the emotions she'd accumulated at Xixiang Garden. Hearing Wei Yuanzhan's voice, she gradually came to her senses. A strange feeling of grievance welled up in her throat, and she couldn't help but swallow, her eyes slightly burning.

Before Wei Yuanzhan could even touch her, his chest suddenly felt a warmth. Shi Zhirou took a step forward, resting her forehead against his chest, standing there quietly without making a sound, though her shoulders were trembling slightly.

For a moment, Wei Yuanzhan was stunned, his hands hanging helplessly in mid-air, his chin slightly lowered, wanting to ask her if she had hurt herself, but in the end he did not speak.

In his memory, Song Zhirou rarely cried.

She cried more when she was little, but those tears were just for show. She made a big show of it, as if she wanted to attract everyone's attention and let them see which heartless person dared to bully her.

Rarely has it been so silent and still, like a small animal caught in the rain with nowhere to go.

Wei Yuanzhan's heart was pounding. He gradually pulled his arms closer, wanting to hug her, but he didn't dare to move. Finally, he placed his palm on her thin back and stroked it gently.

"Who offended you?" Wei Yuanzhan said gently. "Tell me, and I'll help you."

His voice was too gentle, clearly less naive than before, but the familiar and passionate feeling was still there, with a hint of coaxing. Zhi Rou vaguely felt that he wasn't real.

She remained silent for a long time, and Wei Yuanzhan became somewhat flustered, unsure of what to do. He slowly stopped stroking her back, hugged her, and pulled her close, his thumb rubbing her shoulder: "...Don't cry, okay?"

Zhi Rou did not respond.

The slender body in his arms seemed to be connected to his veins; every time she trembled, it would pull at him, stinging him painfully.

He then thought again, he had been waiting in Zhi Rou's room for a long time, where had she gone after returning to the Song residence, and who had she met?

Wei Yuanzhan asked her in a low voice, "Who made you unhappy? I'll help you deal with him."

Only his voice continued to fall in the room.

The night was deep outside, the windows were closed, and a sliver of light shone through the windowpane. The girl's hands hung limply, held completely in someone's arms.

Wei Yuanzhan recalled how she used to tease people when she was young, sounding like a ghost wailing and a wolf howling, and couldn't help but tease her, saying, "You don't look good when you cry."

The voices overlapped, as if returning to that time. Zhi Rou schemed against Wei Yuanzhan, and her master reprimanded him for her actions, which made him so angry that he hurled several sarcastic remarks.

Touched by his words, Zhi Rou smiled faintly, then took a half step back, broke free from his embrace, turned away to wipe her tears, and walked further away.

After calming down a bit, she turned to him and asked, "Why are you here?"

There were no lights in the room. Wei Yuanzhan noticed her tone and replied jokingly, "I've come to be Fourth Miss's handkerchief."

His shirt was soaked by her, and if it were in the light, you could definitely see that it was soaked through.

The teasing tone made Zhi Rou's ears turn red. She pursed her lips and said, "I'm sorry, I... I'm not in a good mood."

"It's just clothes, what's there to be sorry about?" She finally managed to speak. Wei Yuanzhan didn't want to ruin the atmosphere. He had come to question her about Su Du, but after thinking it over, he chose to complain about the least important thing.

"You went too far. I thought you were going to kill me."

He raised his sleeve, on which were the marks she had cut, the very hand she had pressed behind his head. His fingers were still trembling slightly, but his face showed no sign of pain.

Zhi Rou felt ashamed, but when she looked at her wrist, which he had twisted, and the dull thud of her back hitting the screen, she felt somewhat better.

She pursed her lips and said, "You didn't go easy on me either."

She didn't know who was guarding the room, but Wei Yuanzhan was waiting for her in her room, so how could he not know who should be coming in?

Zhi Rou's tone was almost indifferent, yet Wei Yuanzhan sensed a hint of resentment. Upon reflection, he was filled with endless regret.

There were no women in the army. He was used to fighting with his soldiers, often hand-to-hand, and had inexhaustible energy. How could he remember to be gentle with women? Besides, he never regarded her as an easy opponent to subdue.

"Where's the medicine?" Wei Yuanzhan tried to make amends, his satin boots shuffling across the floor tiles, but he dared not actually rummage through her belongings. However, upon seeing the candle, he first thought of lighting it to check on her injuries by its light.

Just as he lifted the lampshade, he suddenly heard Zhirou say, "Don't turn on the lamp."

She didn't want Wei Yuanzhan to see her expression.

Even though they had been separated for a long time, Zhi Rou still felt very transparent to him. This feeling made her somewhat uneasy, as if she had no privacy left.

She folded her clothes and walked behind the fallen screen. Next to the wardrobe stood several chests filled with various kinds of medicine for injuries.

Over the years in Beili, she was always getting injured. Jingyao helped her prepare a lot of medicine, which she put away in a box after returning to the capital. She also carried a few painkillers with her.

Zhi Rou took out the medicinal wine, used it up, and threw it to Wei Yuanzhan, indicating his left hand.

Wei Yuanzhan didn't care about his injuries at all. He thought that Changhuai would help him when he returned to the manor. At the moment, he only cared about Zhirou.

He strolled over to her, gently took her arm, looked up at her, and turned away, saying, "I'll go fetch some well water."

This is because the medicinal wine is not very effective and a cold compress is needed.

Zhi Rou lowered her voice: "Have you forgotten where you are?"

This is not the residence of the Marquis of Yining, so he cannot act as he pleases or be unscrupulous.

Seeing Wei Yuanzhan stop, he turned around and smiled at her, one eyebrow raised defiantly: "How do you think I got in?"

The fighting inside was so loud, yet no one came to investigate; even though Zhi Rou wasn't thinking about the courtyard when she returned, she still noticed. There was no one in the courtyard.

As soon as the words were spoken, Zhi Rou raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Could it be that he did it?

After Wei Yuanzhan finished speaking, he opened the door and left. Zhi Rou realized what was happening and became a little annoyed.

If that's the case, then why is Long Yuexuan all alone? He's waiting for her behind the door, not even breathing. Is he deliberately trying to scare her?

Zhi Rou gritted her teeth and paced alone in front of the desk. Wei Yuanzhan's appearance successfully diverted her attention from her mother, and unknowingly, the cloud of worry weighing on her heart temporarily dissipated.

The door creaked open, and Wei Yuanzhan, as if he were in his own backyard, deftly brought in a basin of cold water.

Zhi Rou watched him approach, sit down at the table, and take her hand. She didn't move, staring at him and saying, "Where are the people in my room? You didn't knock them all out, did you?"

He raised an eyebrow, his tone inquisitive and skeptical.

Wei Yuanzhan scoffed lightly: "Am I that cruel?"

He placed her fair wrist in the water, his fingertips lingering on the back of her hand, pressing down in vain.

During the years that Zhi Rou was away from the capital, Xing Hui kept her promise and took care of Lin He for Zhi Rou. After Zhi Rou returned to the mansion, Xing Hui returned to her side and became her most familiar companion in the Song family. All the servants in Longyue Pavilion regarded Xing Hui as their leader.

Although Xing Hui is gentle by nature, she is truly kind and will always side with Zhi Rou. Wei Yuanzhan can only command Xing Hui because he has intimidated her.

"In Longyuexuan, the only person I'm close to is Sister Xinghui. Don't scare her away," Zhirou said softly, her words carrying a hint of warning.

Wei Yuanzhan was momentarily lost in thought; for some reason, her words were undeniably pitiful. He nodded in agreement, "Alright."

Zhi Rou smiled slightly, the cool well water enveloping her skin, revealing a hint of color in the water. All the medicinal wine she'd applied was for nothing.

She glanced at him helplessly for a moment, then finally remembered to ask, "Why did you come here tonight?"

Even in the past, Wei Yuanzhan rarely sought her out in private like this; he had always been unwilling to do something so impolite.

Wei Yuanzhan hesitated, lowering his eyelashes. His fingers, which were touching the back of Zhi Rou's hand, twitched, and he remained silent for a long time.

He couldn't make up anything to fool her; it wouldn't be convincing enough, and she definitely wouldn't believe him. But at this moment, he refused to mention Su Du again.

He had never looked down on people like Xu Chengce who surrounded Song Zhirou, but Su Du made him wary. He was determined to find out what he had come here tonight, but there was no need to do it now.

But then Zhi Rou asked, "Are you trying to ask me why I'm with Su Du?"

Earlier on the street, when Zhi Rou and Su Du stopped, Wei Yuanzhan guessed that she must have seen him.

really.

Wei Yuanzhan neither agreed nor disagreed.

Zhi Rou remained silent.

The wind chimes on the eaves tinkled, and the room returned to tranquility once more.

Zhi Rou wanted to tell him something, but keeping it all inside was too suffocating, and she didn't know how to explain it.

She has people she wants to protect.

To avoid creating enmity between Wei Yuanzhan and Su Du, and to put his mind at ease, she simply said, "He won't hurt me for now."

Something must have touched a nerve with Wei Yuanzhan, because he was very displeased, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips: "You actually trust someone with unclear intentions so much. You really have some tricks up your sleeve."

He was still mindful of Zhi Rou, so his sarcasm wasn't very strong, but she could tell he was angry.

She couldn't help but chuckle softly. Her eyes met Wei Yuanzhan's briefly, and she saw his furrowed brows. He asked her in a slightly mischievous tone, "What are you laughing at?"

Zhi Rou gazed at the person opposite her with her beautiful eyes, her lips twitched, revealing a romantic smile, and she spoke very slowly.

"Wei Yuanzhan, you're not... jealous of me, are you?"